A well-structured City Hall should have dedicated personnel managing all affairs within the city, but Dawn City couldn't achieve such completeness yet.
Nor could it afford such a luxurious allocation of personnel, so for now, he divided Dawn City into three parts.
Externally, capturing populations and conducting trade with Green City.
For a long time to come, capturing populations would be the main direction for Dawn City.
Located deep in the Far Mountain Range, Dawn City wasn't connected to the outside world. Even flying magical beasts would struggle to enter, so for a long time, the population could only be increased through capture.
Relying on reproduction to expand the population would take decades, and Li De couldn't wait that long.
As for trade with Green City, it mostly involved one-sided purchases of various living supplies. Currently, Dawn City lacked production capabilities and couldn't engage in equal trade.
But this aspect was extremely important. Whether food, farming tools, or clothing, Dawn City would need Green City's production system for a long time to come.
Li De would personally handle both aspects. Other vampires couldn't do it.
Especially trade with Green City. Apart from him, other vampires entering Green City would likely be discovered. Those powerful mages would gladly eliminate vampires, whose bodies were valuable alchemical materials.
Internally, the Civil Affairs Department—undoubtedly, its importance was no less than the Foreign Affairs Department. Capturing populations was meant to put them to use, not just keep them at home.
How to convert humans into a productive force would depend on the Civil Affairs Department's planning.
However, in the short term, this department would only handle basic needs like clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Winter was approaching, and the cold, long winter wasn't suitable for planting or labor.
Thus, in the short term, the Civil Affairs Department needed to settle these refugees and help them integrate into Dawn City as soon as possible.
Their responsibilities weren't heavy, so entrusting second-generation bloodline descendants was completely fine.
Vampires who had lived over a hundred years still possessed individual capabilities.
The final part was the Military Department. Currently, Dawn City had too few people, with only 200 vampires capable of fighting. But in Li De's vision, the Military Department would later become the strongest department in Dawn City.
So it was necessary to establish it as a separate department now.
Li De knew his ideas were rough, but he really wasn't cut out for management. This was already the best he could come up with after much effort.
Compared to these tedious tasks, he preferred staying in the mage tower to study mysterious magic. But the lack of talent forced him to push Dawn City forward by himself.
Moreover, the looming crisis of the players' arrival kept pressuring him, not allowing him to slow down.
Harrison and Augustine remained silent for a long time after listening. Previously, the vampires operated in a single-structure mode where Li De issued orders and they obeyed, nothing more.
Suddenly establishing new institutions left them momentarily unsure of Li De's specific intentions.
Though vampires didn't have as strong a desire for power as humans, everyone knew these newly formed departments would eventually become the core of Dawn City.
Being able to manage a department now would greatly enhance their status, and the benefits went without saying.
Having lived over a hundred years, their rich experience allowed them to immediately perceive the advantages.
"Clan Leader, we will follow your instructions." Harrison didn't think too long and decisively spoke after Li De finished.
Regardless of benefits or drawbacks, he would unconditionally execute any order from Li De. Loyalty to the Vampire Progenitor already flowed in his blood.
"As you wish, Ancestor."
Augustine bowed with one hand on his chest. His black leather coat swayed with the breeze, exuding noble elegance and demeanor.
Li De nodded satisfactorily. Over time, he increasingly felt the influence of the Progenitor's bloodline among the vampires.
The constant fanatical devotion attribute on the system panel wasn't an illusion. All vampires unconditionally trusted and relied on him—a phenomenon almost impossible among humans.
In a human city, such significant changes and reforms would inevitably face opposition.
But among vampires, it was entirely different. He was the sole ruler. Once an order was given, even if unreasonable, these loyal bloodline descendants would carry it out.
This was why he dared to proceed confidently.
Li De then explained the operation methods and establishment purposes of the City Hall in full to the two.
Harrison and Augustine nodded repeatedly. Harrison even wished he had a small notebook to write everything down word by word.
These advanced management methods astonished and delighted him.
By the end, he was eager to try. He could imagine how fulfilling it would feel to establish such a new department—it wouldn't be inferior to studying magic.
---
After a day's hard work, Patril looked at his sleeping son, sighed, and slowly sat on the bed.
He could feel his body was very weak because he hadn't eaten for a day and night.
Those damned Beastmen attacked Eric Town before he could retrieve the wheat and two Gold Pucks he hid behind the wardrobe, scaring him into fleeing.
When Rekel organized the militia to attack Lord Marcus, though tempted, seeing his six-year-old son, Patril made him abandon that terrifying thought.
Resisting nobles meant being hanged. Long ago, he visited Green City and saw ignorant beggars bumping into nobles then being beaten to death on the streets.
Thus, he always feared those noble lords.
Though not participating, he hoped Rekel's plan would succeed. But just as Marcus's guards were about to fail, the vampires came.
Patril would never forget those demon-like giant bats. Their wings were wider than any eagle he'd seen, and he suspected their sharp mouths could bite off the heads of dire wolves.
Undoubtedly, Rekel's plan failed. No one could defeat such terrifying devils.
Patril protected his son by hiding in the crowd, hoping those blood-sucking demons hadn't seen them.
Fear almost paralyzed his thinking ability.
But what followed surprised him. Those vampires claimed to be Saintlight Vampires, not evil vampires.
And they didn't harm anyone. Yes, he observed carefully—those vampires didn't hurt anyone.
This eased his fear somewhat, but he still feared it might be a vampire plot, and the fear lingered.
Subsequent events exceeded his imagination. Those vampires gave them no chance to resist, directly seating him on those terrifying bats and flying all night.
Goddess of Life above, perhaps they had already left the Nolan Empire and entered the remote Beastman territories.
Upon arriving at this vampire lair called Dawn City, he was again deeply shocked.
It wasn't the imagined gloomy and terrifying vampire castle but a bright and spacious city.
Moreover, those vampires didn't commit any bloody acts. Instead, they promised to allocate land and houses to everyone.
Because he had a child, the vampire who initially allocated him ten acres of land gave him five more acres.
Goddess of Life above, he was sure his mouth hung open at that moment.
That was land! Patril had only three acres of land in his life, making him one of the few wealthy households in Eric Town.
He originally didn't believe the promise, but after hearing the speech of Dawn City's lord and actually receiving a clean and tidy house with his son, his thoughts quietly changed.
He now harbored some hope for the future.
If it was truly as the vampire—no, the Saintlight Vampire clan leader said—far from war and magical beasts, with land allocated to everyone and children able to study knowledge and magic, then he would be willing to live here.
Even if it meant living among vampires.
Patril looked at his son on the bed and silently resolved.
Knock, knock, knock~
"Old Pat, are you there?"