Each vampire could embrace one descendant per year.
If Li De followed the previous approach without restraint, he was confident he could expand the vampire clan to over a thousand members within three years.
This would more than triple the current strength of the vampire clan.
However, with a thousand vampires, the number of humans they would need to hunt each month would equal what they currently hunted in half a year.
Such a drastic increase in missing persons would undoubtedly draw the attention of Green City.
If Green City's transcendent mage decided to investigate seriously, Li De had no confidence in being able to hide the truth.
It was likely that the castle would be destroyed before the players even arrived.
In the past, the vampire clan had frequently been discovered by Green City's army, suffering significant losses each time.
This was a major reason why the Vampire Progenitor had chosen to hide his identity and infiltrate Green City. Over the past three years, if it hadn't been for Li De acting as an insider, the vampire clan wouldn't have enjoyed such relative peace.
After the crowd dispersed, Li De looked at the seven second-generation vampires below. Without saying much, he waved his hand and spoke calmly.
"Follow me to the Blood Pool."
The seven exchanged glances but didn't dare to voice any objections. They followed Li De with graceful steps.
The Blood Pool was a last resort for the vampire clan, storing a large amount of blood. It was not to be used lightly unless the clan faced extinction.
But since Li De had given the order, no one dared to question it. Moreover, the information Li De had provided was terrifying.
They had been targeted by Green City's transcendent mage.
Facing such a powerful enemy, the vampire clan could no longer afford to recklessly hunt humans as they had before. Now was undoubtedly the right time to use the Blood Pool.
Li De recalled the memories in his mind, feeling a deep curiosity about the Blood Pool.
The Vampire Progenitor had been transformed into a vampire through a stroke of luck, not through the Embrace.
The divine artifact that had transformed him from a human into the Vampire Progenitor was revered by the vampires as the "Holy Spirit."
A skeleton.
The exact process of the transformation was unclear, as the memories were too distant and had become blurry when Li De inherited them.
However, after transforming Li De into the Vampire Progenitor, this Holy Spirit still possessed powerful abilities—it could preserve the freshness and vitality of blood and absorb free-floating mana to infuse into the blood.
Once human blood left the body for more than half a sun-hour, its effectiveness for vampires would diminish. After a full sun-hour, it would become completely useless.
This was why the vampires captured humans and kept them in captivity.
But the existence of the Holy Spirit solved a critical problem for the vampires—the need for fresh blood to survive.
This crucial attribute drastically reduced the vampires' dependence on fresh blood.
It was also a key pillar supporting Li De's confidence in implementing his farming plan.
Moreover, the Holy Spirit continuously absorbed mana and infused it into the blood in the Blood Pool. The longer the blood was stored, the richer its mana content, and the greater its benefits to the vampires.
This effectively severed the chain that had bound the vampires, significantly increasing the feasibility of the plan to have humans sustain the vampire clan.
Li De led the seven vampires through the castle.
The darkness posed no obstacle to the vampires. In fact, due to their bloodline talents, their abilities were greatly enhanced at night.
Darkvision was one of the most basic vampire talents.
The once-glorious castle was vast, with architecture reminiscent of medieval Europe.
White spires rose high, pointed semicircular arches stood tall, and stained-glass windows depicted ancient stories of vampire heroes.
The castle's architecture was simple yet elegant, with a sturdy and solid design.
The bell towers at the intersections and transepts exuded a strong exotic charm.
The white stone walls along the pathways were adorned with semi-hollowed reliefs of figures, making the massive castle resemble a finely crafted piece of art.
Even the entrances to the sewers were carved with dragon reliefs.
Li De was amazed. Compared to the castle, Green City seemed like a rural backwater.
The vampires truly lived up to their reputation as nobles. Their artistic achievements and refinement were on par with the elves, a race known for their beauty and artistry.
The Blood Pool was located on the far right of the castle, hidden deep within solid rock.
After all, this was a castle that had once been glorious. It took Li De half a sun-hour to reach the edge of the castle.
A heavily guarded cave.
The gray granite was hard and sturdy, and the massive cave entrance stood five meters high. The ceiling was covered with densely packed bats.
As Li De entered the cave, the bats were startled. Tens of thousands of bats flew out from the ceiling, forming a dark cloud that could make even a dragon hesitate.
Several vampires appeared before Li De and his group, hidden by the swarm of bats.
They placed one hand over their chests and bowed in a noble gesture, speaking in the solemn and deep tone of the common language of the continent.
"Good evening, Clan Leader."
Li De nodded. These four vampires were warriors tasked with guarding the Blood Pool. No matter the circumstances, they had to remain here.
The swarm of bats were magical beasts tamed by the vampires, averaging level 3. While individually weak, their sheer numbers—tens of thousands—could give even a level 15 grand mage a headache.
"Follow me inside."
The vampires nodded respectfully. One of them led the way, while the others followed behind the seven second-generation vampires.
The cave was no ordinary cave. Traces of alchemical materials could be seen on the rocks, and hidden magic arrays and alchemical traps emitted faint mana fluctuations.
The defensive measures within the cave were several times stronger than those in Li De's Crimson Mage Tower.
Not only would ordinary thieves struggle here, but even a grand mage would pay a heavy price for their recklessness.
This cave wasn't where the Vampire Progenitor had received his inheritance. It had been relocated here after the Vampire Progenitor claimed this territory.
Over centuries of expansion and excavation, the cave had become a labyrinth of tunnels more complex than any maze.
After half a sun-hour of navigating countless twists and turns, Li De finally arrived at the Blood Pool.
A vast underground space.
The surrounding rocks were blood-red, as if painted with blood.
In the center was an irregularly shaped deep pool, approximately ten blades long and five blades wide.
Its depth was unknown.
What surprised Li De the most was that the Blood Pool wasn't the expected crimson color. Instead, it was a beautiful milky white.
It looked like freshly squeezed milk from a farm outside Green City, even emitting a faint warmth.
The Holy Spirit, which Li De valued most, floated atop the milky-white Blood Pool.
A crystal-clear skeleton.
A strange yet harmonious scene.
Curious, Li De opened his attribute panel and focused his attention on the crystal skeleton.
The first line of text that appeared made Li De gasp, his heart pounding.
Only one thought echoed in his mind.
This time, he had truly struck gold.