"Lord Horn, I'm establishing a school and need a knowledgeable scholar to educate the students.
You're currently the only Grand Scholar in Dawn City. I'd like to appoint you as the first headmaster of Dawn Academy."
[T/N: Don't know if this is a mistake or not since there are supposedly 7 grand scholars that were captured earlier from Solins city (Chapter 262-3). I'll keep it as is for now.]
Horn froze, then a bright smile spread across his face. Though he wouldn't have cared for such a position in the outside world, here in this city, being granted an official post at least meant guaranteed safety.
More importantly, it might even be a divine appointment. He couldn't be sure whether this 'deity' was real, but either way, it was best to be cautious.
"I accept, Lord Kachar. I will manage the school to the best of my ability."
Li De nodded. Appointing Horn as headmaster was a spontaneous decision after assessing his character.
The school would of course remain under Li De's absolute control, no one else would have any say in real decisions. But having a public-facing figure wasn't a bad thing. And this man's weak personality made him easy to control.
"Good. You may recruit a teaching team as needed. I'll provide you with a curriculum outline. The teachers you hire must follow this outline when compiling textbooks."
Horn didn't hesitate, he immediately nodded. "Yes, Majestic Kachar."
He even looked a bit excited. Recruiting a teaching team meant he was regaining some measure of authority, even if it was weak.
This was undoubtedly great news for the Risel family, which had no shortage of scholars.
Li De smiled faintly. This guy clearly still didn't understand what he was about to face.
"All right, you may go. City Hall will assign someone to coordinate with you shortly. Your appointment as headmaster will also be posted on the bulletin board in Dawn Square immediately."
And just like that, Li De effortlessly brought the Risel family, the very core of Risel City's elite, under his control.
The other elites of Risel City, those who still harbored resentment toward vampire rule, hadn't even reacted before they'd lost the one leader who could have united them.
Winning over a key figure, just like that, with barely any effort.
---
Bang bang bang~
From the beginning of December to mid-December, although the weather was growing colder, the atmosphere in Dawn City was heating up.
The Livestock Farm was expanding. The school was under construction. Even the goblins' Alchemical Factory and the dwarves' Weapons Manufacturing Factory had started operations at the same time.
The entire city had become one massive construction site. The refugees who had been seized during earlier campaigns became the main labor force across these projects. Idle populations were now turned into productive manpower.
Dawn City had entered its second wave of construction, building after building rising from the ground.
And during this pivotal moment, an even more explosive piece of news ignited everyone's passion, the Blade of Kings had begun a massive recruitment drive.
The reputation of the Blade of Kings among the residents was nearly perfect.
They were resilient and kind. Their discipline was strict. They treated people warmly. They were loyal to the great Lord Kachar. They were the army of Dawn City's people.
This was a force composed entirely of locals. All 600 warriors had been selected from among the residents. Every single soldier had family and friends.
So to the residents, this was an army made up of their own.
What's more, with its exceptional benefits, and the astonishing possibility of becoming a vampire, Blade of Kings had long become the dream destination for all young people.
It had only been the lack of open recruitment that kept them from acting.
Now that the number was expanding from 600 to 2,000, a gap of 1,400 soldiers, the news sent everyone into a frenzy.
So for the past half-month, the only thing on every resident's lips was Blade of Kings: how to sign up, how to participate, how to pass training and selection, everything else was drowned out.
The daily greetings had changed from "Nice weather today" and "Have you eaten?" to "Did you hear who got selected by Blade of Kings today?" and "Did you take part in the recruitment test?"
And such heated discussions led to an overwhelming wave of enthusiastic applicants.
After bringing back the elites from Risel City, the population of Dawn City quickly approached the 40,000 mark. With the vampires capturing another large group of refugees over the past half-month, the current population had already reached 45,000.
The speed of expansion was beyond imagination.
So recruiting 1,400 people was an easy task. The number of applicants who met the requirements alone reached a staggering 15,000.
After half a month of screening and eliminating 90% of the candidates, all 1,400 positions were filled.
Every single person selected to join Blade of Kings was an outstanding elite. Over 13,000 were eliminated in the process.
To officially join Blade of Kings, one first had to undergo magical interrogation by the mage corps. Only after passing five rounds of questioning without issue could they move on to physical and willpower training.
Candidates were grouped into companies of 100 for training. Over a week-long training period, only the top 5 to 15 in each group would be accepted. Then, after the day's training, when the warriors were at their weakest mentally, they would undergo another round of magical interrogation by the mage corps.
Only after passing all checks would they swear loyalty to Lord Kachar and sign a Soul Contract. This final step marked official entry into the Blade of Kings.
The physical training was public, and its severity and brutality shocked all the residents. Those who were selected earned immediate admiration from the public.
Just like that, over a thousand warriors, still unpolished by full training but already resembling a steel legion, formally became part of the Blade of Kings.
With the addition of this new strength, City Hall was able to swiftly bring order to the minor unrest caused by the recent population surge. Petty crimes like theft dropped to zero almost immediately.
"Patriarch, good news!"
On December 16th, just as Li De was leisurely reviewing a strategic development proposal for the Blade of Kings compiled by the City Hall think tank, Harrison burst through the half-open door, face full of excitement.
Li De turned his head with some amusement, finding Harrison's expression rather funny.
"What's got you so worked up?"
Harrison's next words made Li De shoot to his feet.
"Patriarch, the goblins have completed the alchemical bomb!"