I Became The Vampire Progenitor
Chapter 208-1: A Giant Beast Cast in Bronze (Part 1)

If a dragon were to speak in front of them, no one would be surprised.

But a bat speaking? Now that was truly shocking.

“Y-You can talk?!” Li De’s voice was practically stuttering.

He immediately opened Castro’s attribute panel and, upon seeing the traits listed next to the title, suddenly understood—automatic acquisition of higher intelligence.

Humans were intelligent lifeforms, and now this Dawn Bat had intelligence on par with humans. It didn’t seem so surprising anymore that it could speak.

“Master, Castro Kachar, obeys your command.”

Castro fluttered his wings, flying up and down beside Li De, clearly overjoyed.

“You granted me a new life and inherited power from your bloodline. Speaking is not difficult. Moreover, any spells you can cast, I can too.”

Cough, cough. Li De’s eyes widened.

Seriously?

Then as if remembering something, he quickly asked.

“You got my memories?!”

Castro’s voice didn’t seem to come from its throat, but rather echoed through air vibrations, like the Necromancer Witherbone who had once been imprisoned in Dawn Square.

It was ethereal and airy.

“Master, I only inherited your power, not your memories. Memory is information embedded in your soul, unless you allow it, no one can access it.”

Li De finally relaxed. Thank goodness this little guy. No, this big brute, didn’t have that capability. Otherwise, if the bat knew everything about him, it’d be no different than standing stark naked in front of it.

“How are you able to become so small?”

“Master, I inherited your power, so naturally I learned your Shapeshifting Spell.”

Shapeshifting Spell? Bat Transformation?

Li De nodded. Bat Transformation was a racial skill of the Vampires. Any Vampire would know it.

He had infused the Dawn Bat with the bloodline of the Vampire Progenitor. The fact that it even learned the signature ability of the Bronze Cyclops wasn’t strange, so inheriting such racial talents made perfect sense.

“Are there any limitations to your shapeshifting ability?”

Castro flitted up and down in the air a few times. “Master, I can only transform ten times a day, and only from my original form to this small size.”

Li De nodded in understanding. That was a fairly significant restriction, far less flexible than his own Bat Transformation.

“Transform back.”

“Yes, Master.”

Following Li De’s command, Castro flew a short distance away to a clear patch of ground.

Whoosh~

In the blink of an eye, his size began to increase rapidly. Within just three seconds, the miniature bat vanished.

The massive form of the Dawn Bat reappeared in its place.

Its wings, etched with dark red patterns, and its massive body, gleaming with a bronze luster, this was a beast forged in bronze.

Powerful and majestic.

So cool. So flashy. Li De’s eyes were filled with admiration. He never got tired of seeing it.

“Master~”

Castro’s voice at this moment rumbled like distant thunder. His colossal body turned to face Li De.

Two enormous bat wings pressed to the ground, working in coordination with his legs, the wings now acting like forelimbs.

With their support, despite Castro’s massive size, his movements weren’t clumsy at all. In fact, he appeared quite agile.

Watching this bronze giant beast move, Li De nodded in great satisfaction.

What pleased him most now was that even though Castro had gained such strength through the system’s enhancements and couldn’t be mass-produced, the Dawn Bats could be.

As long as he had the bloodline of the Bronze Cyclops and 500 faith energy, he could evolve Whispering Bats into Dawn Bats.

This was of enormous importance to all of Dawn City.

The initial level of a Whispering Bat was Level 5, with a Perfect Form at Level 10. A Dawn Bat’s starting level was Level 10, with a Perfect Form at Level 15, a full tier above Whispering Bats.

Whispering Bats already played a vital role in Dawn City. If their power could be further enhanced, their contributions to both production and warfare would only grow.

One could say that acquiring a new race was no less important than gaining Castro, this infinite potential king of bats. In Li De’s view, it might even be more valuable.

He wasn’t some lone drifter. He was the big boss who held an entire city in his grasp. Enhancing the strength of Dawn City would always be the top priority under any circumstance.

He shook his head, putting that thought aside. Now wasn’t the time to think about such things. Now was the time to…

Li De’s lips curled into a wide grin. He unfurled the bat wings behind him and flew up onto Castro’s back.

Now was the time to ride this flashy bronze beast for a few laps in the air.

Although his dream of being pulled by nine dragons hadn’t come true, the idea of a bronze beast mount was still pretty great.

Only now did Harrison snap back to his senses. After thinking for a moment, a glint of joy flashed in his eyes. He spoke loudly, “Patriarch, perhaps you can appoint Castro as your bodyguard.”

As Li De’s identity and status grew more prominent, the enemies he would face would only grow stronger, and danger could strike at any moment.

Harrison had already considered assigning someone to protect Li De more than once. He had even suggested appointing Grote as his guard, the fierce Northern warrior was a perfect candidate.

But Li De had declined Harrison’s proposal. In his view, as long as he didn’t go looking for trouble, there was no significant threat to him in either the Crimson Mage Tower or Dawn City.

Harrison had worried a great deal about this, but he couldn’t disobey Li De’s orders.

Now, though, he saw hope. Castro possessed shapeshifting ability, could be carried around, and most importantly, had overwhelming combat power.

Having such a powerful creature serve as both mount and bodyguard for Li De was simply a perfect fit.

He could finally feel more at ease about Li De’s safety.

Li De blinked at Harrison’s suggestion, then ran his hand along Castro’s warm but incredibly tough skin and nodded with satisfaction.

Able to shrink and grow, fight and act cute, this was just too good.

And the flair? Off the charts. He decided to accept Harrison’s suggestion.

“Castro, in the name of the Lord of Dawn and the Vampire Progenitor, I bestow upon you the title of my Guardian Knight. From this day forth, you shall follow me to glory.”

Upon hearing the proclamation, Castro immediately lowered his massive frame in excitement, placing one huge claw on the ground in a kneeling position. His right wing pressed to the earth, and his head bowed low.

Like a knight swearing loyalty to his master.

“My master, I shall guard your honor with my life.”

As the one who granted Castro life, Li De possessed absolute ownership over this Dawn Bat.

Whether it was the Progenitor Bloodline within his body or the faith energy it bore, both were indelibly imprinted upon the soul of this newborn king of bats.

Naturally, Li De was deeply pleased with the stylish and powerful Castro. This newborn kingly bat was practically tailor-made for him.

But now that he had a mount… did that mean his dream of a nine-dragon chariot was officially dead?

Li De stroked his chin. Maybe he could still get a carriage for Castro to pull one day…

A wingspan of sixteen blades, bat wings inscribed with dark red, mysterious patterns, a body like a bronze-forged giant beast pulling a chariot.

Maybe it wasn’t as flamboyant as a nine-dragon chariot, but it wasn’t far off either.