Li De observed the changes in Dawn City with joy in his heart.
Under the current scarcity of resources, even the slightest change represented progress.
He believed the day of Dawn City's prosperity would not be far away.
However, the issue of resource scarcity still inevitably troubled him at present.
Perhaps the only solution to this problem was to wait until next year when the land could be cultivated.
"Clan Leader, Lord Emi requests an audience~"
Inside the City Hall office, Li De was flipping through a book about the history of the Nolan Empire. He had grown fond of the office Harrison had prepared for him and had been working here during this time.
"Yes," the vampire guard bowed and left. Not long after, Emi’s tall figure entered the spacious office.
After becoming a vampire, Emi, who had already been handsome, now looked even more striking. The passage of time had left its mark on his appearance, making his demeanor exceptionally outstanding.
"Lord Progenitor, I have reconstructed the design blueprint of the mage tower. The original owner of this blueprint was once a transcendent mage.
I saw it once before in the Temple of the Knight God. At that time, thinking of my future, I meticulously memorized the structural design of the blueprint."
Emi’s youthful face, now restored to his early forties, carried a broad smile.
Since Li De decided to entrust him with the construction of the mage tower, Emi had immersed himself in the library managed by Harrison, beginning to conceptualize the structure of the mage tower.
It must be said that this former priest of the Knight God indeed possessed profound knowledge. In just over ten days, he produced a complete design for the mage tower.
The blueprints of mage towers were always closely guarded secrets among mages. A mage tower represented the deepest secret of a mage and served as their stronghold. After most mage towers were built, their blueprints would be destroyed.
Experiences like Emi’s, having seen the blueprint of a transcendent mage’s tower, were indeed rare.
Li De had originally planned to modify the blueprint of the Crimson Mage Tower for reconstruction. But upon hearing that Emi had something better, he let him proceed.
"A transcendent mage’s tower? Can we afford to build it now?"
Li De frowned. No matter how good something was, if it involved the word "transcendent," it would never come cheap.
Building an ordinary mage tower required an enormous consumption of resources. Currently, Dawn City did not have the capability to support the construction of a transcendent mage tower.
Even exhausting the Vampire’s two hundred years of accumulated resources wouldn’t be enough.
If Spark, a Grand Mage, hadn't contributed significantly when the Crimson Mage Tower was established, constructing it would have been far from easy.
If building a Grand Mage-level tower could barely be supported by exhausting the Vampires resources, then a transcendent one was out of reach.
"Lord Progenitor, there is no need to build it all at once. This mage tower also upgraded step by step from an ordinary mage tower to become a transcendent mage tower.
We can first construct an ordinary mage tower twenty blades high and expand it later."
Only then did Li De feel reassured. He had feared that after Emi became a Level 15 Shadow High Priest, his mindset might become unbalanced. The current state of the Vampires could not tolerate such an attitude.
"What support do you need from me?"
"I need construction materials, alchemical materials for the outer layer of the mage tower, and magic crystals."
"Stop. First, make a detailed list. Dawn City’s available inventory will be prioritized for your selection."
Li De interrupted Emi’s incessant chatter, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
"Yes, Lord Progenitor."
It must be said that Emi’s speed was quite impressive. In less than half a sun-hour, he had compiled a detailed list. However, what troubled him slightly was that many of the materials on the list needed to be purchased from Green City.
"For now, organize the workforce and prepare the stone materials needed for the mage tower. The other materials will be acquired from Green City."
Fortunately, constructing a mage tower was destined to be a massive project requiring more time than just a few days. There was sufficient time to acquire the materials.
The mage tower was bound to occupy a significant position within Dawn City. It wasn’t being built merely for the sake of building or solely to fulfill his promise to the humans.
In Li De’s plan, this mage tower would become the primary source of mages for Dawn City in the future.
This was a world of magic, where the priority of magic ranked first among all powers.
Although vampires were a superior race, they also needed time and space to grow. The mage tower in Dawn City would play a role in shortening the growth period of the vampire race.
Previously, the vampires had been left to fend for themselves, with the vampire progenitor rarely enforcing strict management over the race.
As a result, the vampires relied on their own initiative to learn, which their long lifespans allowed them to waste. If it were humans’ lifespans, the vampire race would have long gone extinct.
"Yes, Lord Progenitor. I await your news."
After watching Emi leave, Li De massaged his temples. Managing a city was not as easy as it seemed.
The materials Emi needed for the mage tower were one aspect, but another issue was troubling him.
Free food had played a crucial role in stabilizing people's minds in the beginning. However, after the distribution of land, free food had become somewhat redundant.
He was considering whether to cancel the policy of free food. Emi’s arrival provided him with a new idea—perhaps the two could be combined.
Half a day later, two announcements were posted on the bulletin board in the square.
The information on the announcements immediately sparked intense discussion among the residents of Dawn City.
The first announcement was the cancellation of free food distribution.
From today onward, grain would be sold by the City Hall. Everyone could purchase food from the stores set up by the City Hall. Furthermore, no one else besides the City Hall was permitted to operate any stores related to grain.
The price of wheat was set at three copper pucks per kilogram.
Undoubtedly, free food had been the guarantee for everyone to live peacefully. But now, canceling the grain distribution naturally caused an uproar.
However, what slightly reassured the public was that the price of grain was not too high. The second announcement, on the other hand, stirred their hearts.
The official commencement of the Dawn City mage tower project. The Construction Department was recruiting large numbers of architectural talents, offering a daily salary of ten copper pucks.
They were truly going to build a mage tower! And a temporary job would be provided to them.
With this, even after canceling free food distribution, there wouldn’t be cases of people starving to death due to lack of income.
These two decisions were naturally made by Li De.
Free food was essentially communal dining, which indeed effectively stabilized the residents who had recently arrived from the chaotic outside world and were in a state of panic.
But now that Dawn City had entered a stable phase, communal dining naturally had to be abolished.
Of course, his intention was not simply to cancel free food. More importantly, he wanted to enhance the initiative of ordinary residents.
While free food was beneficial, it inevitably led many people to develop lazy thoughts.
Without free food, those who wanted to slack off were forced to work and earn money. Coincidentally, the construction of the mage tower could provide such positions, and the surplus labor force would immediately find its use.
Moreover, doing so had another benefit—it promoted trade within Dawn City.
As time passed, residents might accumulate more savings. Once they had substantial savings, they would naturally want to improve their quality of life.
Spending money to consume.
At this point, as long as some smart individuals established a few shops to meet the demand, they would profit handsomely. Once they made money, others would surely follow suit.
The most fundamental commercial activities would gradually form within Dawn City.
Commerce was one of the most direct activities to promote social development. Everyone aspired to and pursued a higher quality of life. Where there was demand, corresponding industrial chains would emerge.
However, for now, achieving his vision would take a long time. Just the lack of resources alone could cause his plans to fail.
What he was doing now was mostly for the future. Its impact at present was minimal, but these seemingly insignificant actions would shape the future of Dawn City.
Of course, it was also because Dawn City’s foundation was currently weak. On a blank sheet of paper, anything drawn would be obvious. But on a paper already filled with dyes, drawing traces would require great effort.
Li De, holding the pen, was undoubtedly the master of this city’s fate. What this city would develop into in the future, perhaps only he knew.
It seemed that the day this city was completed would be very much worth looking forward to.