""Rock Hart had been very puzzled over the past few days.
From the moment the Clan Leader returned last night, that sense of confusion had not disappeared.
He keenly sensed a significant change in the Clan Leader's aura; it was not like this the last time he returned.
At that time, all of the Clan Leader's actions were in line with the Bloodline's code: cold, fond of darkness, never gathering the clan in the hall in the morning, and viewing humans solely as food.
He even thought that this time, the Clan Leader would, like before, have him lead the clan members on the Magic Language Bats to raid humans outside the Far Mountain Range... purely for food.
But everything had changed.
The once rigid and unyielding Clan Leader had become different. He openly declared henceforth that humans should not be harmed and should become a part of the Bloodline.
Was this still the Clan Leader he knew?
Even with the knowledge inheritance from the Holy Spirit, could such a thorough change be possible?
Under the blessing of the Dark Goddess, he swore, although puzzled by it all, he mentioned it to no one, because the soul's aura was still that of the Clan Leader.
Although the Clan Leader's actions were different from usual, it gave him a new hope.
Death had once whispered in the ears of all living beings: if there was no change now, death would soon come.
Though Rock Hart did not believe in the Divine, he greatly agreed with the prophecy of Death, the powerful deity.
After tasting the ale of failure in the war a hundred years ago, the Bloodline had been shrouded in weakness and cowardice.
From the thousands of clan members of the past to just over 200 now, and they constantly had to worry about the hunts from Green City.
This was intolerable for Rock Hart, who had experienced the Bloodline's former glory. He thought this kind of life would persist for a long time.
But fortunately, the Clan Leader finally began to change.
Even though this change was somewhat unconventional, Rock Hart was still pleased.
And the knowledge the Clan Leader had inherited from the Holy Spirit deeply shocked him.
The secrets of the Bloodline's origin lost in the long river of time made him feel honored. The Bloodline, which once ruled the entire world, was indeed the beloved of the Night Goddess... though the Night Goddess did not exist back then.
The future described by the Clan Leader—ruling a city with millions of people like Green City—filled him with excitement.
The battle with Green City a hundred years ago made him realize the power of humanity. That army strong enough to destroy several Bloodline clans was still a nightmare he feared.
And that Extraordinary Mage suspended below the sky—Rock Hart, a Five Circle Magic that brought thousands of Bloodline members into the embrace of the Night Goddess.
That was not a power that mere mortals could wield, and he felt genuine fear.
In these weak circumstances, the Bloodline needed a heroic hero to come forward and change everything.
Fortunately, the Ancestor Crown, the ruler of the Bloodline, stood out once again.
He even felt that the changed Clan Leader, the great Ancestor Crown, could lead them to a distant future.
So, although the new order had just been issued, and the surrounding Bloodline members still had doubts, he had already decided to follow the steps of the Ancestor Crown and contribute to the prosperity of the Bloodline.
Rock Hart whispered in his heart.
"Vita, hurry up, move all your things to the central district today; there's enough and large enough housing there."
"Clear out the corpses hidden in the houses, not a single withered bone is allowed."
"Hahn, use the cleansing spell to tidy up the street; I don't want to see a street covered in dust and mud."
To complete the task Lide had given him as quickly as possible, Rock Hart organized half of the Bloodline members to participate.
The Bloodline members were born spellcasters, with the Night Goddess granting them exceptional magic talent.
In the castle, out of 208 Bloodline members, 150 had Mage as their main profession, and half of the remaining 58 had Mage as their secondary profession.
There were only about twenty Bloodline members whose professions had nothing to do with Mages.
In the human world outside, where spellcasters were extremely rare, it was common here, like wheat and wild grass.
Mages possessed mysterious powers, not only could they be used for combat, but they were even more effective for work.
A cleansing spell could clean dusty streets, damaged houses could be repaired using the Automatic Restoration Skill, and clogged sewers could be cleared using Mage's Hand.
Using over a hundred Intermediate Mages with levels over 5 to clean the streets, even the Mage Association in Green City could not afford such extravagance.
"Viscount, do you know the true intentions of the Ancestor Crown? Are we really going to live with humans from now on?
Under the blessing of the Night Goddess, you know what kind of life I'm talking about."
A young, handsome Bloodline member approached him, holding a magic wand, seemingly frustrated.
The Bloodline had its own noble ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, and Knight, a total of six levels, with the Duke being the highest and the Knight the lowest.
Normally, the Bloodline assigned these ranks according to power: the Duke's power was Transcendent, the Marquis was at the Great Mage level, the Earl at Advanced professional level, the Viscount at Intermediate professional level, and the Baron at formal professional level.
But unfortunately, most of the Bloodline members who once held titles perished in the battle with Green City a hundred years ago.
Now, only seven second-generation Bloodlines held titles within the Bloodline, all of whom were Viscounts personally appointed by Lide.
Rock Hart was one of them, so the other Bloodline members always respectfully called him Viscount.
Rock Hart turned to look at the Bloodline member beside him; the young member, although neatly dressed in a black mage's robe, exuded an air of despondency, lacking vitality.
He raised his eyebrows, his emerald eyes flashing with some displeasure.
Perhaps the Ancestor Crown's exhausting explanations were meant to teach these brainless fools what to do, he thought. If the Ancestor Crown didn't say it, these guys might really mess things up.
"Hahn, the wisdom of the Ancestor Crown is not something you can fathom. I warn you, do not obstruct the Ancestor Crown's plans with uncooperative cowardly behavior; it will only bring you danger."
His tone paused, and he looked around at several Bloodline members who were observing him, and loudly said, "The Bloodline always belongs to the Ancestor Crown. Anyone who dares to slack in carrying out the Ancestor Crown's orders, I will personally send you to the Castle Prison. You do not want to know what it's like there."
Hearing this, the surrounding Bloodline members shivered instantly.
The Castle Prison was used exclusively to detain errant Bloodline members, with extremely harsh punishments inside. No Bloodline member wanted to go to that damned place.
"No, no, Viscount, you misunderstood me. I was just..." The young Bloodline member explained in a fluster.
Rock Hart waved his hand, responding coldly.
"No, Hahn, you don't need to apologize. I only need you to seriously complete the tasks I've assigned to you.
If you truly make a mistake, the Law Enforcers will deal with you."
Hahn's already pale face turned even worse, and he dared not say more, bowing his head and continuing to cast cleansing spells on the streets.
Under the blessing of the Dark Goddess, Viscount's presence had grown stronger and stronger.
And the plan of the Ancestor Crown, could it really succeed? Could we truly control a city like Green City?
On the path of reform, there would always be doubt.
But once the benefits of reform were truly felt, these doubters would become loyal followers.