Lide pondered for a moment and made a decision.
The Bloodline's rough development could not continue like this.
There were still three years until the players arrived, and if they hunted humans without restraint, those calamities would undoubtedly be excited to annihilate the Bloodline one by one.
Besides, he was not a pervert; letting the Bloodline kill living humans one by one was not something he could tolerate in his heart.
Both publicly and privately, the Bloodline needed to change now.
If it were in the human world, even a country's King might not be able to make significant reforms to his nation… Nobles and vested interests would resist in the most intense way.
Fortunately, he was the Blood Clan Ancestor, and the Bloodline had absolute loyalty to him, so making changes wasn't difficult.
"Audis, notify all members to the council hall,"
Audis lowered his head respectfully.
"Yes, Father,"
"Father," upon hearing this address, Lide's mouth twitched fiercely.
Audis was a Bloodline personally developed by Lide, belonging to the second-generation Bloodline.
There were only seven second-generation Bloodline in the entire castle; the other Bloodline were developed by these seven second-generation Bloodline.
Audis calling him Father was not wrong, but looking at that almost forty-year-old face, Lide still secretly complained.
Swish~
A flurry of bats flew, Audis went to notify.
Lide did not want to stay on the city wall any longer either. He transformed into a group of bats and flew directly to the central hall of the castle according to his memory.
Flying through the open semicircular arched door, the hall was luxurious; the stained glass windows painted creation myths and Bloodline heroes.
Statues with clear skin textures had bat wings and the Bloodline's distinctive tusks.
Various wild relief sculptures depicted all kinds of terrifying Demon Beasts, and even the ceiling of the hall was carved with a lifelike fire-breathing giant dragon.
The hall exuded a strong Western church vibe.
In the main seat at the center, the bats vanished, and Lide's figure appeared.
Looking at the exquisite architecture and decoration around him, a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
As expected of vampires known for elegance, the arrangement here was much more luxurious than his Mage Tower.
Various antique vessels, artistically pleasing statues, master-painted oil paintings, even the carpets were very particular.
Just as Lide curiously examined the various oil paintings in the hall, the sound of wings flapping echoed.
Bloodline members continuously appeared in the hall, and in less than ten minutes, all the Bloodline members in the castle were present.
Despite 200 people being in the spacious hall, it did not seem crowded; every move of the crowd radiated elegance, the gentlemen handsome and graceful, the ladies elegant and polite.
Although Lide had memories of such scenes, seeing so many good-looking men and women in person still greatly improved his mood.
Sure enough, beauty is justice, pleasing to the eye.
And the Bloodline below looked at Lide on the main seat with respect and worship.
The pressure of the bloodline made them respectful, and Lide's own power made them worship.
The seven middle-aged men and women at the forefront stepped forward two steps.
Leading the Bloodline behind, they all bowed to Lide sitting at the central main seat.
"Good evening, Clan Leader,"
Lide stood up, imitating the haughty posture of the Blood Clan Ancestor, and nodded slightly to those below.
Only after they all straightened up did he slowly speak.
"I summoned everyone today to discuss the future of our Bloodline,"
At these words, the Bloodline below immediately became still, one by one looking at Lide with curious eyes.
Usually, Lide was obsessed with studying magic and rarely handled Bloodline's internal affairs.
To solemnly summon all the Bloodline like this was the first time in decades.
Diros was the first to respond.
"Clan Leader, please speak,"
His face had a few solemn expressions. He rarely called Lide Father in front of other Bloodline members.
Though the other second-generation Bloodline were curious about Lide's actions, they also spoke out.
"Ancestor Crown, you need not worry,"
"Father…"
As the Blood Clan Ancestor, these were all his descendants, and Lide had absolute authority within the Bloodline.
Even if he ordered the 200 people to attack Green City with tens of thousands of troops, they would not hesitate.
Lide was very pleased with the Bloodline's reaction.
"It seems I still underestimated my status as Bloodline Ancestor within the Bloodline,"
After pondering for a moment, he spoke in a solemn tone.
"My offspring, my Bloodline, do you know that the Bloodline is on the verge of destruction and death,"
Destruction and death?
The cold words stirred great waves in the hall.
This?
Audis looked at Lide with a face full of surprise, his blue pupils filled with confusion.
The Bloodline was hidden deep within the secret Far Mountain Range, and their strength was not weak, coupled with the protection of Lide, the powerful Blood Clan Ancestor; who could destroy the current Bloodline?
He thought perhaps only Green City's army dared to say such things. Could it be Green City's troops had already discovered traces of the Bloodline?
The thought caused Audis' fingers to tremble slightly. A hundred years ago, though he did not directly participate in the Bloodline and Green City's war, he witnessed the devastation of the final battle.
"Clan Leader, please tell us the reason,"
Although the Bloodline in the hall were somewhat shaken and incredulous, no one dared question it aloud.
Because this was their master, the Blood Clan Ancestor's words; if anyone else had said this, they would have torn them apart by now.
Lide's handsome face was filled with coldness.
"Lucy, tell me, how many humans have our Bloodline captured from the vicinity of the Far Mountain Range over the past decade,"
Lucy, a female Bloodline mage of level 9, the youngest of the seven existing second-generation Bloodline... barely over 100 years old.
Lucy stood up from the seven, her long purple dress trailing on the ground, full of classical charm.
Her beautiful golden hair contrasted with the purple dress, her appearance in her early thirties exuding strong noble elegance, and her beauty was extremely high.
Though her beautiful green eyes were slightly puzzled, she solemnly answered Lide's question.
"Father, after you ordered the Bloodline to halt development twenty years ago, the number of humans we capture each year has been fixed.
Over the past decade, we have needed nearly three thousand humans as food each year"
Three thousand each year, thirty thousand over ten years.
Upon hearing this figure from the Bloodline below, Lide's expression became somewhat unnatural.
Contacting these people personally, he could not treat these living beings as NPCs in a game at all.
Each one had flesh and blood, their own soul.
Over thirty thousand people had become their food over ten years, even though it was unrelated to him, it still deeply affected him.
Moreover, it was clear that this group of Bloodline did not understand sustainable development.
They merely saw humans as food after capturing them without realizing humans could create value themselves, lacking the concept of sustainable development.
It was akin to catching hundreds of chickens and killing them all without letting them lay eggs, a huge resource waste.
The Bloodline must change.
"Yes, precisely because of this, the Nobles and mages of the Mage Association in Green City have already detected our presence.
I even received news that Green City is preparing to launch their army to besiege us, just like the war a hundred years ago."
Whoosh~
A commotion spread.
No one doubted Lide's words were false, originally calm Bloodline became noisy immediately.
Everyone knew that if Green City's army truly marched to the Far Mountain, they would be unable to withstand it.
Though over half the Bloodline here had not experienced the war a century ago, no one wished to experience being besieged by thousands of troops again after hearing the stories passed down generations.
After Lide finished speaking, his eyes were full of coldness, his expression indescribably grave.
Ignoring the already somewhat panicked Bloodline below, he continued.
"Green City's army has over fifty thousand troops, including twenty Advanced Mages and three Great Mages."
"If they lock onto our location, the castle cannot withstand their attack,"
Even the seven second-generation Bloodline could not help but react to this.
Audis, the most anxious by nature, hurriedly asked loudly.
"Clan Leader, what should we do now?"
Lide did not directly answer but continued in a slow yet oppressively powerful tone.
"The situation is even graver; the Extraordinary Mage Rock Hart, who personally participated in the war against the Bloodline a century ago in Green City, has also detected our presence."
"To live or to perish,"
"To die or to be reborn,"
"We, are about to face a choice,"