8 The Sustainable Development Strategy of the Vampires: Part 1

Was all of that true?

It was all false. Nothing was real.

However, the group of vampires who had been cooped up in the castle did not know that, and they did not even have a shred of doubt.

It was because their revered progenitor had said so himself.

In fact, ever since Reed became a member of the nobility and Grimm's Lodge of Mages, he would often bring back news about the city.

So, when Reed told them that Grimm had already discovered their tracks, no one doubted him.

When they heard that the Transcendent Mage, Locke Haart had noticed them as well, the vampires below immediately became frightened.

The Transcendent Mage was such an existence that across the lands under the rule of Grimm and among the millions of people in the Farmountains Range, there was only one Transcendent Mage.

Moreover, Locke Haart had personally participated in the siege and suppression of the vampires. His power had made the vampires taste fear for the first time.

There were not many emotions in Reed's eyes, and as he looked at the somewhat horrified vampires below, his heart eased up slightly.

At the very least, he had managed to intimidate the group of ignorant shut-ins.

If he wanted to implement drastic reforms now, the best way was to unite his kinsmen.

The vampires were his roots, and Reed could not forsake them.

If he were to lay down a rule by force, it would be hard to determine its effectiveness even if the vampires chose to carry out his orders due to his identity.

It would only take a small group to cut corners for the effectiveness of his plan to be greatly reduced.

A simple reason like an external crisis could immediately pump everyone up.

It was the same when certain countries engaged in foreign wars to cope with domestic economic crises during World War II, turning their internal conflicts into external ones.

In a life or death situation, even the most unreasonable of reforms would have a basis.

The most important thing was the heavy losses that the vampires suffered at the hands of the Transcendent Mage. Their fear of him was still deeply rooted in their blood.

When the vampires below were about done discussing, Reed slowly resumed speaking again.

"I previously did not manage you because I wanted to test your wisdom and see if any of you could find the right path without me, but I was disappointed."

After he said that, all seven of the second-generation vampires lowered their heads with shame in their eyes.

For them to not detect such a serious crisis like Grimm preparing to encircle them, it was an unforgivable mistake.

"In order to cope with this great crisis and for the growth of the vampires, we must carry out reforms."

Reforms?

The vampires below looked at each other.

Lucie curiously asked, "Father, how are you going to reform us?"

Reed scanned the crowd and spoke louder.

"We vampires must embark on a path of sustainable development."

After much preparation, Reed finally verbalized his inner thoughts.

"Lord Progenitor, what is sustainable development?"

"What does that mean?"

"Father..."

Hearing the bizarre statement, the vampires were all dumbfounded. Goddess of the Night above, it was the first time they had heard something like that.

"How did we deal with the humans we captured in the past?"

Eudes' calm voice rang out. "Patriarch, the captured humans would be kept in a cave. Our siblings would then feast once a month, and the dead would be thrown down the cliff."

It was obvious what Eudes meant. Those humans were mere fodder for the vampires, and they would kill one every time they feasted.

Reed shook his head; it was too crude. There was no wonder that the vampires were so hated by humanity.

At the same time, he was anxious. Even if the vampires did not encounter the crisis he had described, things still would not work out in the long run, especially once the players arrived in the game.

Those troublemakers would definitely wipe the vampires out for experience points.

"Wrong, this is wrong. We have been wrong this entire time."

Wrong?

How could it be wrong?

"Wrong? Why is it wrong? Humans are just our food."

Lucie's delicate face was full of questions.

Perhaps Father has obtained information that we have no access to? Fortunately, Father's presence has allowed us to avert another crisis.

Reed looked directly into her eyes.

The mana in his body swirled as a powerful aura formed around him.

"Humans are our food, that is true. But all of you need to know that if we were to keep enough humans in captivity and not kill them, perhaps even provide them with protection, they would be able to continuously provide us food. Just as humans raise chickens for eggs, we can do that as well. Plus, human ingenuity and intelligence are attributes not possessed by many races. We can rule over them and create more wealth for ourselves instead of keeping them in a cave as fodder."

His words seemed weird and detached from mainstream reality in that world.

Humans had always been seen as food by the vampires, and their status was like that of chickens, ducks, and geese.

Now, the vampires were required to provide their food with protection and even rule over them.

It was a big shock to Lucie and the other vampires.

Reed heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed that his descendants had not spoken out against him directly. He was not in a world where everyone was created equal.

There, the nobility could easily determine the life and death of the common folk, and everyone belonged to a class. It was extremely unfair.

Furthermore, for the highborn vampires with their superb innate talents and strength, wanting to accept humans was not something that could be changed with just a few words.

There was no doubt that humans were the prevalent race in the world of Glory.

No matter how strong the vampires were, it was impossible for them to defeat any country. The military strength of one city was enough to wipe out most vampires in that world.

According to Reed's vision, if the vampires wanted to grow and prosper, they had to build a city with a large number of humans in it.

The vampires would then be the guardians of said city.

They would not be able to survive without humans, but humans could draw blood to feed the vampires at regular intervals while they ensured that their health was not at stake.

That way, humans would be free from any external dangers while vampires would have a constant source of food. Also, through their labor, the humans would continue to create wealth for him.

While the plan was somewhat idealistic, it was important to note that there was a great chance of realizing it.

Firstly, Reed was the Progenitor Vampire, and the vampires' loyalty to him was absolute. So, he had no worries about being hindered, and even if the vampires did not understand him, they would at most underperform.

Hence, there was a supporting point on the vampire's end.

Secondly, the world was set against a magical background. The gods were watching their believers from heaven, while the demons were gazing from the abyss.

Racial and national differences from all sides flooded the world.

Ordinary civilians were like little chicks that could only await slaughter.

Wars kept happening. If only there was a place that could provide refuge and protect their life, as well as property, and the price was just some of their blood without sacrificing their wellbeing... The refugees who had suffered from the various wars and magical beasts along the border would definitely agree without complaints.

Lastly...