Chapter 378
It would take at least a month to completely address the aftermath of the two principalities, the selection of a new king, and the transaction between the Red Fire Kingdom and the Lion Kingdom. Within this month, William would reap the most benefits, as the Dawn Corps would be responsible for public security, military, and political matters in the two principalities. Additionally, to prevent any disturbances, the armies of the two Grand Duchies would be disbanded, and all army leaders, deputy leaders, and soldiers would be reassigned. The same applied to the imperial city guards and royal palace guards.
But what about the palace treasury and military material warehouse? Naturally, the Dawn Corps would assume responsibility for guarding them. This meant that, within these 30 days, the Dawn Legion effectively gained control over the two principalities, and everything that belonged to the vampires was up for grabs.
The Red Fire Kingdom had agreed to this arrangement from the start, as it was the reward promised to Dawn City. William had not embarked on this risky endeavor solely for the wealth of the two principalities. The Red Fire Kingdom sought the population, sustainable resources, and territory of these two countries. As for the treasure trove, the Red Fire Kingdom held it in low regard. There was no comparison between a small principality and a grand principality, let alone a kingdom. However, William knew that the vampires possessed a significant amount of wealth. These immortal beings had accumulated riches over centuries, if not millennia.
Over the next ten days, William diligently searched for information about vampires and dispatched four legions to confiscate the possessions of vampire nobles in the two principalities. He had even monitored their territories to ensure that no one fled with stolen wealth. When it came to the palace treasury, William made a rather foolish discovery.
"Golden Mountain… Golden Mountain… Five golden mountains?" Lotner, who accompanied William into the treasury, felt as though he were going blind.
"How much is this?" the prince asked, clearly baffled.
Lotner looked at the sign next to the golden mountain and replied, "Each golden mountain is worth five million, which adds up to 25 million Gold Coins."
"Vampires are truly wealthy individuals," William remarked as he explored the entire treasury as if he were the master.
The combined value of Mithril, mountain copper, gold essence, iron essence, gems, magic crystals, and various attribute-increasing minerals was far greater than 25 million Gold Coins. However, William knew that these vampires, who had never been given the opportunity for development, were miserly. They had only used their wealth to build their own vampire legions, neglecting the human legions and making minimal investments in them.
But this wealth shed light on a mystery from William's previous life. After Ottoman Lothar became the vampire king, he had swiftly expanded the vampire army. It was all thanks to unexpected gains like these.
Though dozens of master vampires wore space rings and had taken some valuable treasures with them, William was uninterested in personal power enhancements. He had various methods to obtain Legendary Rank Equipment. As a Lord, his primary focus was resources.
A month passed quickly, and when the Dawn Legion had arrived, they brought nothing with them. When they departed, they left behind no trace of commoners' belongings. This was because everything that needed to be taken had already been seized.
As the Red Fire Kingdom's representatives came to assume control, they were somewhat bewildered by the looted noble castles and palace treasury. Nevertheless, they were determined to prevent any rumors from spreading.
This seemingly challenging S-level task had allowed William to amass unimaginable wealth and resources.
Dawn City…
Within the conference hall, William sat at the head of the table, while Lotner, his personal guard, stood behind him in his cloak. In attendance were soldiers on the left and magicians on the right, with more than 30 individuals forming two rows for the meeting.
Leading the soldiers on the left was Odom Heavy-Hammer, who occupied the front row. The magicians on the right were led by Old Band, who sat in the front row as well.
As William observed the numerous Legendary and epic figures gathered before him, his heart swelled with pride. After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he began the meeting.
He feigned curiosity and asked, "Who is absent from this meeting?"
"Your Highness, only Captain Jack, stationed on Yuren Island, is absent," came the response.
William had known this already but asked for confirmation. He knew that Captain Jack had aspirations of becoming a pirate and might take his Dawn Warship on adventures. He was particularly looking forward to the time when the nine continental plates converged, leading to intense sea battles where Captain Jack's true potential would shine.
Continuing, William inquired, "How much liquid assets does Dawn City currently possess?"
"We have 75 million Gold Coins and 1.8 million Magical Stones, with the latter mainly reserved for soldier cultivation,"
replied Odom, the steward of Dawn City.
He then asked about the population of Dawn City, "How many people reside in all areas of Dawn City?"
"Sir, you instructed us to purchase young male and female slaves every month, so there are currently 2.3 million people in Dawn City and Donghai City."
William then turned his attention to the Dawn Legion and asked, "How many soldiers does the Dawn Legion currently have?"
"We have 90 legions, totaling 270000 soldiers," Odom reported.
With a smile, William continued, "And how many members are there in the Dawn Mercenary Regiment?"
"We have 1.3 million members, of which 1.23 million were divinely chosen," Eric, the deputy head of the Dawn Mercenary Regiment, replied.
William also inquired about the Dawn Magic Guild, asking, "How many members are there in the Dawn Magic Guild?"
"Due to the influence of Bande, the space mage, there are now 34000 magicians in the Dawn City's Magic Guild, including six Grand Enchanters," Siya reported.
Old Band, sitting quietly and sipping tea, was drawn into the conversation by William, despite his desire to study magic quietly. Unfortunately, William had other plans for him.
In fact, he could have recruited a field soldier for this task. One such candidate was Doug LITT, an Epic Level field warrior and Legendary boss who had served as his mother's ace guard. Since her departure, this iron-fisted warrior had been lurking as a hidden NPC within Dawn City, often enjoying teasing the players.
Send various engaging tasks throughout the day, along with equipment, gemstones, metals, and more, which may not seem appealing at first but will turn out to be exciting for players.
Now, let's move on.
Douglett is tapping into his extraordinary talent.
However, whenever the prince passed by, Douglett would gaze at him with childlike wonder, which made the prince quite uneasy.
In any case, one uncle Lotner is sufficient.
I can't tolerate any more.
Even though all of his mother's guards followed him to Dawn City, Lovely Lisby didn't hand over control of the Professional guard to William. Therefore, the 3000 super-elf soldiers serve as the primary defense ensuring that Dawn City remains unscathed by foreign invaders.
Then, William narrowed his eyes and continued, "In that case, it's time for me to discuss the future of Dawn City."
Burned Cinder and others were already aware of the news about the ten-year bloody war, so they remained silent. However, when William the prince, together with the three Elves, announced their attack on the Orc Empire, and Dawn City revealed its involvement in the war, many couldn't believe it and were deeply concerned.
After all, the Orc Empire was the last of its kind on the Legendary continent. The mightiest warrior of the Orc Empire was a pale orc, known as the Frozen Sword Sage, boasting unmatched strength.
But William wasn't aware of their thoughts. He spoke with determination, "The three Elves of the Legendary continent have sworn to destroy the Orc Empire even at the cost of their lives. This is the cry of the Elves returning to the Legendary continent. As the prince of the Black Leaf Elves, I have no reason to decline joining this war. Furthermore, this war is an opportunity for me to prove myself: as a true Elf prince, as an outstanding commander, and as a dependable ruler."
With that, many people began to regain their composure.
What had the Lord of the city said? To prove himself as a dependable ruler?
Indeed, William aspires to become the Elf King.
At that moment, more than 30 trusted confidants stood up and shouted in unison, "We pledge our unwavering loyalty to William, and we shall not retreat from the bloody battle!"
William, with a smile, reassured them, "Do not worry; the main force in this endeavor will be the chosen ones. I don't want you to sacrifice your lives for me. I want you to stand with me and Dawn City at the pinnacle of the Legendary continent, and even the continent of the gods!"
Upon hearing this, the confidants laughed again, feeling a growing warmth in their hearts.
Indeed, William valued them the most.
However, the silent Old Band suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "What about the Dawn Legion? Won't they be going?"
William looked at him and shook his head, "Yes, they will go, and they will go in full force."
"The 50000 elite soldiers of the Dawn Legion will temporarily form a new Legion and join the campaign."
Old Band realized he had misunderstood William's intentions. He had originally thought that preserving their strength in such a war was prudent, but now, all the elite soldiers were going? That was a significant commitment.
The Space Mage looked at William awkwardly and coughed before continuing, "I didn't mean that, but with the senior Professionals gone, in case of any unforeseen circumstances…"
"Experiencing war is essential to becoming the most formidable Legion and soldiers. Do not worry; I have a plan of my own," William reassured them.
The war with the Orc Empire would need a strategic approach, with smaller skirmishes involving tens or hundreds of thousands of troops in the initial stages. Well, they weren't exactly small, but his immediate task was to provide buffs to a large number of Orc Legions for the Dawn Legion.
An invincible army buff, truly formidable.
He wouldn't say much now, but providing an invincible buff to ten Legions could make 30000 soldiers easily contend with 300000 in some situations.
Dawn City was gradually accumulating more Professionals. Specific Legions, coupled with years of training, had formed their own Legion buffs. For instance, the Legion composed of Fire Professionals could provide a Fire buff, and similarly, there were Ice, Thunder, and other types.
Nevertheless, the invincible army buff was unparalleled in strength.
Furthermore, there was the Dragon Blood Legion's buff.
Cutting the Dragon.
William suddenly remembered it!
He faintly remembered the Human Empire's Dragon Blood Legion. If they had more than 3000 members, it would automatically provide a Dragon Blood buff.
The buff had a simple name: "Cut the Dragon!"
It enhanced all attributes by 30%, increased maximum Health Point by 40%, defense by 20%, movement speed by 20%, attack power by 50%, and inflicted an additional 50% damage against dragons and beasts.
This was the extraordinary buff of the Dragon Blood Legion, incredibly powerful.
Combining the Dragon Blood Army buff with the invincible army buff, what kind of force would that create?
The Human Empire had the Dragon Blood Legion, but they rarely deployed it to avoid alerting the dragon race. They only used them in key battles when necessary.
Even in the late game, William had never seen the Dragon Blood Legion applying this buff.
However, William now harbored an ambitious plan, to create an immensely powerful, borderline overpowered Dragon Blood Legion.
With that thought, William adjourned the meeting.
He was going to slay dragons within two months, exterminating all the dragons within his reach.