I Became The Vampire Progenitor
Chapter 198: Official Announcement – The Story Between the Northern Valkyrie and the Crimson Mage Tower

In truth, there were still many matters demanding attention in Dawn City. Whether it was the Dawn Mage Tower currently recruiting Mage Apprentices, the ongoing urban construction, the expansion of the Whispering Bats, agricultural planting, and so on.

Handling all of these affairs would take months of nonstop effort.

But Li De could not afford to wait that long. Once the Mage Tower began testing the magical aptitude of the residents, he departed with Emi, Betty, and Isha, heading back to Green City.

The Dawn Mage Tower had already entered proper operation, and Emi, as the one in charge, could now spare the time.

Compared to the mountain of minor tasks that couldn't be finished anytime soon, he had something far more important to take care of.

The Dark Pact.

He was determined to seize control of this massive underground organization.

If he wanted to use the Crimson Mage Tower as bait, how could he do so without paying a price?

The arrival of Emi and Betty would undoubtedly be the greatest support for Grote, who had already gone undercover in Green City.

The combat strength of this trident formation was enough to leave anyone shaken.

After entering Green City, Emi departed alone. As a former priest of the Temple of the Knight God and a long-time local, he was more than familiar with the city he'd lived in for decades.

Moreover, the Bloodline Descendants had their own unique ways of communicating, so Li De wasn’t worried about Emi finding Grote.

---

Crimson Mage Tower, third-floor study.

Back on his own turf, Li De immediately relaxed.

Betty, who was visiting the Mage Tower for the first time, was curiously wandering around the study, occasionally pulling thick tomes from the shelves to flip through.

Little Isha sat obediently at Li De's side, holding a copy of A General History of Glory and reading with utmost seriousness.

Even with Li De and Spark’s absolute affection, this golden-blooded little girl had never changed, she remained as lovable as ever.

Vina, who had just returned from out of town, wore a blue mage robe today, her delicate face glowing with a wide smile.

The girl stood timidly in front of the wooden desk with her hands tightly clasped before her, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Li De behind the desk. Her face was filled with joy and excitement.

It had been a very, very long time since she last saw Lord Li De.

Seeing the trust and happiness in his little maid’s eyes lifted Li De’s spirits as well.

“Vina, how have things been outside recently?”

Vina had been sent out by him just before the Dark Pact attacked the Crimson Mage Tower, tasked with procuring magic materials from nearby cities. For her safety, he had even specially hired a high-level mage from White Tower as her escort.

“Lord Li De, because I had Lord Spark’s name as support, everything went very smoothly.”

Vina smiled sincerely. “Over this period, we visited three cities and signed cooperative agreements with twenty-three merchant guilds.

It’s expected that in half a month, we’ll have over 50,000 Gold Pucks’ worth of magical materials transported to Green City.

Moreover, going forward, the monthly supply of magic materials we receive won’t fall below 50,000 Gold Pucks.”

Li De’s eyes lit up instantly.

Magical materials worth 50,000 Gold Pucks. Currently, that was the total monthly output of all suitable materials in Green City.

Of course, this referred to materials suitable for the Crimson Mage Tower’s production of magic scrolls.

And yet Vina had been gone for just over half a month and had already doubled that figure.

It was simply astonishing.

Right now, the Crimson Mage Tower’s magic factory had sufficient Mage Apprentices and facilities to produce more scrolls.

But up to this point, output had remained at a mediocre level. The bottleneck was the shortage of magical raw materials, which restricted the production speed of the magic factory.

If the problem of raw materials could be resolved, it was easy to imagine that the factory would soon see an explosive growth in production.

“Excellent work. You’ve done well, Vina.”

Li De felt increasingly satisfied with his little maid.

Having Vina manage the Crimson Mage Tower had saved him countless headaches.

“Now that you’re back, fully take over operations at the Mage Tower. No matter what happens, we cannot let its development lose momentum.”

“Yes, Lord Li De.”

Vina nodded sweetly. At this moment, she was no different from the soft and adorable maid she had always been.

In front of Li De, she would always be that pure and innocent little maid.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Li De gestured toward Betty.

“Betty.”

Hearing Li De’s voice, Betty, who had been flipping through books in the study, slid a yellowed old tome back into the oak bookshelf and slowly made her way through the narrow aisle to the desk.

Bright sunlight streamed through the glass windows, mingling with the warm yellow glow of the still-lit magic lamp.

Both lights fell upon Betty’s well-defined face, giving her mixed-blood features a few extra traces of charm.

She wore a gray leather chestplate and short leather shorts that revealed her long legs, with a pair of black leather boots on her feet.

The unique aura of a warrior, combined with her tall figure and wild gaze, gave this member of the Northern royal family a fierce and untamed allure.

Betty gave Li De a small nod but didn’t speak.

In truth, if she hadn’t seen all sorts of miraculous things during her days in Dawn City, things that quietly earned her respect for this mysterious Vampire Progenitor, this wild-hearted Northern Valkyrie wouldn’t be this obedient.

Even if Li De was the master she had signed a Soul Contract with.

As a Northern Valkyrie, only absolute strength could earn her respect and recognition.

Though Li De was far from weak, he still fell short of truly conquering this wild Valkyrie.

Perhaps one day, he might make this Northern noble kneel and submit to his will, but certainly not yet.

Vina had, of course, long noticed Betty rummaging through the study. Now seeing her up close, a hint of curiosity rose in her eyes.

Betty also glanced over, and upon seeing that the small mage beside her, only Level 3 yet possessed such a striking temperament and beauty, she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed, raising her chin defiantly.

“Lord Li De, is there something you need?”

“Let me introduce you. This is Betty. From today on, she’s a member of the Crimson Mage Tower,” Li De said, ignoring the undercurrents between the two women. “At the same time, Betty is a Level 16 Northern Warrior and Isha’s guardian.”

Level 16 Northern Warrior? Vina was slightly startled, then her expression shifted to one of respectful admiration.

“Honorable Lady Betty, Vina greets you.” One must always show proper respect to the strong, this was an iron rule of Glory.

Betty’s proud expression vanished as she saw the admiration in Vina’s eyes. She looked somewhat awkwardly at Li De. By right, wasn’t she supposed to retaliate when provoked?

Li De chuckled silently at the small gesture. Because Betty had fought on the frontlines for years, despite her formidable strength, she rarely interacted with others.

When it came to raw power, she was top-notch, but when it came to social interaction, she wasn’t much better than Isha.

“Betty, this is Vina. While I’m away, she manages all affairs of the Crimson Mage Tower. Her talent in management is no less than your combat aptitude.

To be frank, Vina has, on many occasions, been more helpful to me than three Level 15 professionals combined.”

Betty’s gaze softened a bit upon hearing this and nodded slightly toward Vina.

“Hello, Vina.”

Vina responded politely, “Lady Betty, it’s an honor to meet you.”

Li De waved a hand to interrupt the awkward exchange.

“Vina, spread word to the underground organizations quietly. I want everyone to know that the Crimson Mage Tower now has a Level 15 Northern Warrior on our side.”

Betty was Level 16, but for publicity, they’d market her as Level 15.

“Yes, Lord Li De.”

Having a Grand Mage of Level 15+ as a protector was not the same as having full control over a Level 15 combatant. The latter was a direct deterrent.

Betty shrugged, saying nothing. She didn’t care much for these matters.

That very day, word began circulating among Green City’s underground forces.

A wandering Level 15 Northern Warrior had joined the Crimson Mage Tower under the invitation of its master, Li De Kachar, officially becoming one of its members.

The news immediately stirred discussions among the city’s nobility.

After all, the Crimson Mage Tower had recently become the focus of everyone’s attention.

With its astonishing efficiency in producing magic scrolls, the Crimson Mage Tower’s status in Green City was rising rapidly. More and more merchant guilds and nobles were forming partnerships with it.

Though many dared not act due to Spark’s deterrent presence, some nobles had still been secretly watching, waiting for an opportunity. After all, the technology to mass-produce magic scrolls was far too tempting.

The number of thieves caught sneaking into the Crimson Mage Tower over the past few weeks said everything.

But now, the Crimson Mage Tower had its own Level 15 Professional and not just anyone, but one of the famed Northern Warriors, known throughout Glory for their combat prowess.

This news immediately made many nobles quietly abandon any ill intent.

Transcendent beings were exceedingly rare. In a city of over one million like Green City, there was only one.

In the absence of a Transcendent, Level 15+ professionals were the pinnacle of power.

To possess someone at that level of strength meant one had a real foothold in Green City.

And on top of that, the Crimson Mage Tower was still openly protected by Spark, an old Grand Mage.

In an instant, the tower’s position in the city rose even higher, and its master, Li De, once again drew the attention of the nobility.

Some of the major noble families even began considering more personal methods, like marriage alliances.

A mentor who was a Level 19 Grand Mage, possessing his own mage tower, known as the youngest prodigy mage, and, most critically, someone who held the coveted technique for mass-producing magic scrolls.

No matter how you looked at it, this man was premium material.

So after word of Betty’s induction into the Crimson Mage Tower got out, the next few days saw a flood of invitation letters arriving at the tower.

Most of those letters revolved around a single theme.

"My daughter is very beautiful. Would you like to meet her?"