Chen Mo did not intend to kill Marcus, the progenitor of the vampires.
Although Marcus had ambitions to rule humanity, his goal had already been achieved by Chen Mo. Now, all of Europe was under the rule of Chen Mo and his vampires.
Of course, Chen Mo's subjects were unaware of the existence of vampires. In their eyes, Chen Mo was their king and their god, and the immensely powerful knights were all servants of the god, granted their strength by divine power.
The stronger these temple knights appeared, the more devoutly the people believed in Chen Mo.
Over the years, Marcus had also accomplished many things under Chen Mo's command, earning significant achievements.
In addition to helping Chen Mo transform his core subordinates, the knights, and the workshop personnel into powerful and immortal vampires, Marcus had also led his knights in conquering vast territories for Chen Mo with his formidable strength.
Especially after Chen Mo discovered the whereabouts of Alexander Corvinus in Western Europe, he gathered Andrew, Amelia, and Victor to help him hunt down this ancient and elusive immortal.
For a considerable period, Chen Mo focused his efforts on Western Europe, leading a large force in a game of cat and mouse with Alexander Corvinus. The remaining territories in Eastern Europe were mostly conquered by Marcus and his men.
These achievements were clear and undeniable, so Chen Mo did not erase Marcus's accomplishments just because of his role as a villain in the movie and his cold demeanor. As long as he did not betray Chen Mo, he would always be a duke of the empire and one of the four elders of the vampire clan.
All of this was well-deserved, earned through his actions.
Moreover, Chen Mo believed that Marcus would not dare to betray him.
The newly appointed four dukes of the empire quickly took off their armor and devoted themselves to the construction of the empire. After centuries of war and werewolf massacres, the entire European continent was in dire need of recovery and rebuilding.
The knights of the Temple Knights were also awarded different ranks and noble titles based on their merits and were granted corresponding territories.
The war was over, and the knights no longer needed to fight everywhere. Their tasks became guarding Blackstone Castle and the imperial capital, eliminating bandits, and maintaining internal stability within the empire.
Of course, this was only temporary. As the new city guard was formed and deployed to various places, they would take on the tasks of protecting the empire's stability and maintaining local law and order.
The knights would serve as the highest combat force stationed at Blackstone Castle and would not be easily deployed. The knights could also take turns returning to their territories for construction and management.
Of course, the new nobles and lords of the empire no longer had the right to form armies. Apart from the right to form guard units ranging from a dozen to a hundred people depending on their rank, their fiefs and the empire's directly controlled territories would have garrison troops dispatched by the empire and managed by the imperial military.
Noble lords, apart from having the rights to manage and collect taxes from their territories, completely lost their military power, eliminating the possibility of them raising private armies in the future.
Although the knights of the Temple Knights were extremely loyal to Chen Mo, making such a possibility unlikely, future new nobles might not be as trustworthy. Therefore, Chen Mo took preventive measures to perfect the noble fiefdom system as much as possible.
While Andrew, Marcus, and others were busy with the complex affairs of empire building, Chen Mo and Alexander Corvinus appeared in the dungeon where the progenitor of the werewolves, William, was imprisoned.
Passing through a dark and long corridor, they came to a tall and heavy humanoid steel cage embedded in the wall.
Inserting the torch into the wall bracket, Chen Mo, in front of Corvinus, took out two exquisite round keys, one large and one small, from his space and placed them into the recess in the center of the cage.
The keys fit perfectly into the grooves, connecting with the entire steel cage. As Chen Mo turned the discs, accompanied by the sound of gears turning and chains dragging, the complex locks on the cage were released one by one, and the entire steel cage slowly opened.
"Under the watchful eyes of Chen Mo and Alexander Corvinus, a towering white-furred werewolf roared as it strode out of the cage, baring its fangs and charging at them with a furious howl.
Facing this ferocious and enraged beast, neither Chen Mo nor Alexander showed any panic. With a glance at Alexander Corvinus, Chen Mo swiftly extended his hands, grabbing William's wrists and twisting them outward, locking his arms in place and rendering him immobile.
Chen Mo then swept his right foot forward, tripping William and forcing him to his knees. With a firm grip, he pressed William to the ground, preventing him from rising.
The powerful progenitor of the werewolves, William, was easily subdued by Chen Mo, unable to move and left to roar in pain and anger.
Holding William's arms, Chen Mo looked at Alexander Corvinus and said, 'Begin.'
Alexander Corvinus frowned as he looked at the beast-like, frenzied William. With a solemn expression, he stepped forward, drew a dagger from his waist, and cut his wrist, holding it over William's gaping maw.
Bright red blood flowed from his wrist into William's mouth. Under their watchful eyes, the enraged William gradually calmed down. Corvinus withdrew his arm, hastily bandaged it with a strip of cloth, and focused intently on the kneeling William.
Seeing that William was no longer struggling, Chen Mo released his grip and also looked seriously at William.
The perfect blood that had entered William's mouth was sufficient. Now it was up to fate. If he still couldn't regain his sanity, Chen Mo wouldn't let him live. Death might be a better fate for him, as keeping him alive would always be a risk.
Alexander Corvinus understood this as well and had no objections. William had caused too much slaughter over the years. Even if Chen Mo had killed him outright, it would have been the punishment he deserved.
Now, Chen Mo had given him a chance. Whether successful or not, he would be grateful to Chen Mo.
Under their watchful eyes, William on the ground finally began to change. His originally towering body started to shrink slowly, and his protruding wolf muzzle gradually retracted. The long white fur on his body became sparse. Soon, a tall young white man who looked very much like Marcus appeared before them.
For the first time, an expression of excitement appeared on Alexander Corvinus's usually calm face. William had transformed from a werewolf back into human form, indicating that he might have regained human consciousness.
Chen Mo was also very interested in the humanized William. He was curious about what William, transformed by the perfect blood, would become. Would he, like Lucian in the movie, completely overcome the beast's wild instincts and be able to freely shift between human and werewolf forms while maintaining human consciousness?
Finally, William, who was kneeling on the ground, slowly stood up and looked at the two people in front of him. At this moment, his eyes no longer held any madness or beastliness, only a look of confusion and purity, like that of a newborn baby.
'Ah, uh?'
Two meaningless syllables came from his mouth, and from his eyes, Chen Mo saw only confusion and ignorance.
Turning to look at Corvinus, he too had a look of shock and disappointment, but soon became resigned.
It was clear that while the perfect blood had eliminated William's beastly nature and restored his human consciousness, the side effects of his previous werewolf transformation had evidently erased all his consciousness. Coupled with centuries of living like a beast, he had long forgotten his human memories.
Now, although he had regained consciousness, it was like that of a newborn baby, his mind a blank slate, likely having forgotten even his memories as a werewolf.
However, compared to the worst outcome, this was enough to satisfy Alexander Corvinus. No matter what, his son had finally turned back into a human and could continue living.
Having no memories might be a good thing, as it meant completely saying goodbye to the past and welcoming a new life.
Chen Mo had nothing more to say about it and simply let Alexander Corvinus take William back.
From then on, little Selena had a 'younger brother' who, although much taller than her, needed her care and guidance.
As the only daughter in the family, Selena was overjoyed. She stayed with William every day, taking him everywhere, teaching him to speak, and playing with him, truly like a sister taking care of her brother, which amused Chen Mo greatly.
William also particularly enjoyed being with Selena. The sight of the tall and short figures together became a unique scene in the castle.
…
After the empire was officially established, Chen Mo began to implement policies for recuperation and development of the people's livelihood.
Many civilian technologies from the workshops began to spread nationwide under the promotion of the Royal Chamber of Commerce.
The promotion of new farming tools, waterwheels, and new farming methods greatly developed agriculture nationwide. Under Chen Mo's tax reduction policy, people's living standards significantly improved, truly achieving ample food and clothing.
With no more wars, no more hunger, and no more threats from terrifying werewolves, the entire society became very harmonious and stable. People lived and worked in peace, and the economy began to prosper.
The Imperial Royal Chamber of Commerce established numerous factories across the country.
Textile factories, clothing factories, soap factories, cement factories, brick factories, steel factories, glass factories, sugar factories, salt factories, and many more types of factories sprang up in cities nationwide like mushrooms after rain.
Many women, elderly people, and other surplus laborers entered these factories. A large number of consumer goods were continuously produced in these factories, entering the market and becoming part of everyday life, improving people's quality of life and changing their lifestyles.
The entire society underwent a tremendous transformation!