Odys had been stationed at the border for five days.
He was currently based in a small town that had recently been raided by beastmen. Most of the civilians here had been killed by the beastmen.
Now, this was a deserted land. Beastmen rarely returned to towns they had already raided, so the area was relatively safe.
Odys had brought with him 30 vampires and 50 Whispering Bats.
The Far Mountain Range stretched for thousands of miles, and even with targeted exploration, it was impossible to cover the entire area in a short time. Moreover, they had to avoid the beastmen's wyverns, as well as human griffins and pegasi.
He had no choice but to disperse his forces for reconnaissance. Over the past few days, they had encountered several beastmen scouting posts while venturing too close to the border.
The beastmen's wyvern cavalry were fully capable of matching the combat prowess of the vampires' Whispering Bats.
Odys had no choice but to order his clan members to avoid conflict at all costs.
He had been sent by the Clan Leader to find humans who had become refugees due to the war, not to fight the crude and filthy beastmen.
The vampire population was too small, and they couldn't afford to lose even a single member.
"Viscount Odys, the Progenitor has sent word. The food supplies in the Ancient Castle are ready.
Avi, Lucy, and Dylon, the three Viscounts, will bring all the Whispering Bats to support us.
The Progenitor's orders are to bring back as many people as possible while ensuring our own safety.
We must also avoid any encounters with human or beastmen armies."
A vampire clad in a leather trench coat approached Odys and handed him a message-carrying bat.
Odys took the bat, held it to his ear for a moment, then removed the attached letter and carefully read it.
"Good. The Clan Leader's orders must be carried out meticulously. I don't want to see anyone strung up by those filthy beastmen."
It was finally time to begin.
Odys vividly remembered the speech the Clan Leader had given a few days ago, which had left him deeply shocked.
To build a city greater than Green City.
A city ruled by vampires.
From that moment on, he had resolved to achieve this goal, no matter the cost.
He eagerly anticipated that day. If they succeeded, his name, Odys, would be recorded in vampire history alongside the city.
A witness to the rise of the vampires, a Bloodline Descendant of the Progenitor—Odys Kachar.
What a glorious day that would be.
Odys's eyes were filled with anticipation.
The bats, tamed by the vampires using special methods, possessed unique abilities. Not only could they locate their home base, but they could also sense each other's locations through their bloodline connection.
Thus, Odys wasn't worried about Avi and the others being unable to find him.
The wait didn't last long.
Avi found Odys at midnight. Even with the speed of the Whispering Bats, it took nearly five sun-hours to travel from the Ancient Castle to the border.
It was a long distance. If traveling by land, it would take a cavalry unit ten days to cover the same distance.
In a world where transportation was extremely inconvenient, the advantage of having flying magical beasts was immense.
This was also why human kingdoms bred large numbers of griffins and pegasi.
"Avi, I've received the Clan Leader's orders. I'll hand over command of this mission to you."
After receiving Li De's orders, Odys readily relinquished command.
Avi was the smartest among all the Second-generation Bloodline Descendants. Her arrival filled Odys with joy.
It meant that this mission might yield even greater results.
"Odys, thank you for your trust. I swear to the Goddess of Night and to Father that I will not let you down."
Avi's expression was solemn. Her pure black mage robe accentuated her exquisite features.
"You can now report all the intelligence you've gathered."
"This is Eric Town, located 100 kilometers from the war-torn border. It has already been raided once by the beastmen.
Beastmen rarely return to towns they've raided, so we're relatively safe here.
As winter approaches, the beastmen have been sending out more and more troops.
To avoid the beastmen, most civilians from the towns have begun fleeing toward Green City. Among them are many who started fleeing after being raided by the beastmen.
I've dispatched 30 clan members to follow the refugee groups. The closest refugee group is 50 kilometers away, with over 800 people. Ten clan members are monitoring their movements.
I suggest we focus on capturing this refugee group first. Since they're refugees from a town, there are quite a few nobles among them.
The Clan Leader needs these literate humans."
Li De had specifically instructed Odys to prioritize finding high-end talent during reconnaissance. In Glory, literate humans were rare, and most were concentrated among the nobility.
Thus, nobles were Li De's primary targets for capture.
Knowledge was the primary productive force. The future Ancient Castle wouldn't consist solely of agricultural workers.
Avi gave Odys a deep look. Among the Second-generation Bloodline Descendants, most were born commoners. Only she and Odys were of noble birth and had received a noble education. This was why she understood Li De's plans more clearly.
The other Second-generation Bloodline Descendants, despite their long lives and accumulated knowledge, lacked the systematic knowledge that came with a formal noble education.
"Odys, I'm glad you've thought this through so thoroughly. Perhaps Father's decision to have me take command wasn't the best choice."
"No, Avi. The Clan Leader's decisions cannot be questioned. I will follow your orders."
Avi shrugged and didn't press the matter further.
"Good. Call back the clan members following that refugee group immediately. I need to know all the intelligence."
Although she had enough forces at her disposal to wage a small-scale battle, Avi wasn't in a hurry to deploy everyone.
Humans always hid most of their strength, only revealing it at the last moment.
After over a century of life, she had long since shed the impulsiveness of youth.
"Yes, I believe the clan members will bring back the information you need."
Odys extended his hand, and a bat that had been flapping its wings in the sky landed on his palm.
"Tell Tern to return and report all the information he's gathered."
Whoosh~
As the bat's figure disappeared into the night, the first population plundering operation officially began.