Land allocation—this was what Li De planned to do today.
In fact, if he hadn’t secluded himself to study magic, this task should have been carried out over ten days ago.
For the commoners, whose lives depended on the land, distributing it sooner would help stabilize them earlier.
Once they had their own land, all the civilians would be firmly tied to Dawn City. The likelihood of another incident like the Wild Wolf Gang occurring would become almost impossible.
Beyond the Southern District lay vast expanses of land—20 kilometers wide and 15 kilometers long. Even allocating 10 acres per person, it could accommodate more than 40,000 people. It was an incredibly expansive area.
To prepare for the future expansion of Dawn City, Li De had reserved a large portion of the land in advance.
Although only about one-fifth of the land had been measured so far, it was still sufficient to allocate to the current residents of Dawn City.
There were no city walls outside the Southern District; the outermost houses directly connected to the fields.
At 10 o’clock in the morning, after reading the announcements in the square, the crowd surged toward the outskirts of Dawn City.
Li De decided to conduct this historic land allocation event on the open fields outside the city—a moment that would surely be recorded in the annals of Dawn City’s history.
Members of the Security Squad and Logistics Team were present to maintain order.
Tall sunshades were erected over the black soil covered with short grass. The autumn sky was clear, and though the sun wasn’t as scorching as in summer, it provided warmth to the crowd.
Most of the vampires following Li De looked unwell. Their already pale skin appeared even more bloodless.
Venturing out under the blazing sun was an unpleasant experience for vampires. Sunlight harmed vampires nearly tenfold compared to humans. Short exposure was tolerable, but prolonged exposure would burn their bodies, even reducing them to ashes.
Even though Li De had prepared three bottles of Mana-Infused Blood for each vampire, their condition still deteriorated rapidly.
Of course, as the Vampire Progenitor, Li De possessed the bug-like ability to be immune to sunlight. He stood fearlessly under the sun, chatting casually with his Security Squad members.
The surging crowd was momentarily stunned upon seeing Li De basking in the sunlight, but soon their respect for him deepened.
The residents of Eric Town had previously witnessed Li De embracing the rising sun, so they weren’t surprised.
During this time, the residents of Eric Town had boasted about this to newcomers multiple times to demonstrate the uniqueness of the Saintlight Vampires.
However, the later arrivals completely dismissed these claims, thinking it was just bragging. But now, seeing Li De standing confidently under the sun, laughing and conversing with poise, the shock in their hearts was undeniable.
Their worldview felt shattered. The notion that vampires feared sunlight was a universal belief among humans, yet here stood someone who showed no fear of the sun at all.
It was simply unbelievable.
Li De, however, didn’t think much of it. Watching the crowd grow until no more figures emerged from the city, he stepped onto the hastily constructed high platform.
"My subjects, I am the Clan Leader of the Saintlight Vampires and the Lord of Dawn City—Kachar.
I believe you all saw me last night. And today, I will fulfill the promise the Saintlight Vampires have made to you—land allocation."
Though everyone knew land would be distributed today, hearing it from Li De’s lips still elicited cheers from the crowd below.
"Long live Lord Kachar!!"
"Praise the Goddess of Life!! Praise Lord Kachar!"
"I love the Saintlight Vampires~"
Owning a piece of land was the most anticipated dream for these refugees living through hardship, turmoil, and war. Today, they would realize their dreams in the great Dawn City—owning their own land.
And with only a 30% tax on their harvest!!
Outside, even if one owned land, the taxes paid to the local lord often reached 40% or even 50%.
There was no way around it—lords wielded power the commoners couldn’t resist. This was why Li De’s stipulation of a 30% harvest tax was met with such jubilation.
Compared to the harsh taxes elsewhere, 30% was an incredible deal. Moreover, the land belonged to Dawn City, and they were being allowed to farm it for free while paying only 30% tax—it felt like a blessing from the Goddess of Luck.
"Alright, let us begin the lottery for land allocation. The measured land is divided into three sections: the first closest to Dawn City, the second slightly farther, and the third farthest from Dawn City.
We will start by drawing lots for the first section."
Li De gazed at the eager crowd below with a faint smile. "According to Dawn City’s regulations, those with higher points can draw lots first."
Cultivating the privilege of points started with every small detail, and today Li De intended to make these people acutely aware of the benefits of having points.
Awarding each member of the Security Squad 5 points served this purpose—to show them how rewarding it was to possess points.
Sure enough, murmurs of envy rose from the crowd below.
From the published announcement, everyone knew that currently, only members of the Security Squad and Logistics Team had points; others were left empty-handed.
"Therefore, those with higher points may now line up to draw lots."
The Security Squad and Logistics Team consisted of 60 people. Upon hearing Li De’s words, they proudly held their heads high, striding forward under the gaze of everyone to queue up on the high platform.
The rules for the lottery were simple. The three sections of land were represented by three wooden boxes. Each oak box contained tags corresponding to the measured plots of land. Drawing a tag meant receiving that plot, and each plot was 10 acres.
Undoubtedly, those who came forward first could claim the land closest to Dawn City. No one was foolish; the closer to Dawn City, the better. At the very least, the travel time would be significantly reduced compared to others.
Li De personally oversaw the lottery process, ensuring no cheating occurred under his supervision.
The first to step forward was an old acquaintance—Rekel, the Level 7 warrior whom Li De had personally convinced to join the Logistics Team. Now, not only did Rekel command 30 logistics team members, but he was also the most respected person in Eric Town.
Of course, he was also a staunch supporter of the Saintlight Vampires.
"Good day, Lord Kachar. Rekel, captain of the Logistics Team, salutes you. Your greatness is more admirable than the sun."
Seeing Li De up close again stirred deep emotions within Rekel. He would never forget that morning when this noble mage lord knocked on his door and recruited him into the Logistics Team.
He deeply cherished the choice he made that morning.
The Saintlight Vampires now represented his future. He hoped that one day he could officially become a resident of Dawn City, establish a family, and send his children to the schools and mage towers that would be built in the future to learn knowledge and magic.
Though these institutions had yet to be established, Rekel had unwavering faith that the great Lord Kachar would fulfill his promises.
Li De recognized Rekel and felt a sense of familiarity toward someone he had personally invited. Patting Rekel’s shoulder, he offered words of encouragement.
"Rekel, you’ve worked hard during this time. Keep it up. Dawn City will need more contributions from people like you in the future."
Looking into Li De’s encouraging eyes and hearing his supportive words, Rekel’s nose suddenly tingled. Under the watchful eyes of over 2,000 people below, he inexplicably felt an immense sense of honor.
"Rekel is willing to die for Lord Kachar!"
[T/N: Some of you may have noticed that the numbers don’t quite add up here. That’s because the original text uses mu, a Chinese unit of measurement, rather than acres. 1 mu = 666.67 square meters.
I initially translated it as acres because the Glory main plane has a Western medieval setting, and "mu" would feel out of place compared to if this were a cultivation novel. However, to keep things accurate, I wanted to clarify the actual unit used in the raws.
For reference, if an area of 20 by 15 kilometers (300 km²) were divided among people with each receiving 10 mu of land, it would accommodate about 45,000 people. Which is close to what the author wrote. Just wanted to let you guys know.]