Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: New Thalia Kingdom
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In the New Thalia Kingdom, where vampires had stepped into the light and begun coexisting with humans, there were constant murmurs of discontent big and small as they forged an entirely new system unlike anything before.
With every citizen of the kingdom now under Heinz 2nd's rule, vampires faced restrictions on who they could feed from—unlike in the past—and unless it was a death row inmate, they couldn't drain their prey to the point of killing them.
But that in itself was a massive stressor for vampires who had long hunted freely according to their tastes.
"This is the Inspection Department. Mind coming with us for a quick investigation?"
"No way, seriously? We confirmed they were criminals before executing the punishment—what's the problem?!"
"Looks like you didn't read the Final Draft of Criminal Punishment Standards (2nd Revision) properly. Even for petty theft, you should've just taken enough to sate yourself and left them breathing. They're valuable resources too—you got too greedy."
"Kuh!"
Though they had evolved in various ways thanks to Heinz's Purified Blood Essence, bloodsucking was still tied directly to their instincts.
As such, it was only natural that some would try to circumvent the restrictions in whatever way they could to satisfy their selfish desires.
"How long are we going to let those monsters steal our country and live like livestock? We need to band together and fight back now!"
"But the Church has washed their hands of it. What can we even do at this point..."
"Don't worry about that. Actually, the Sharloty Kingdom has secretly..."
Boom—!
Rumble rumble!
"Rebels here! Round them all up!"
"Kuh! How'd they know about this place?!"
"...Ahem, sorry about this. But the living have to keep living, right? Honestly, life isn't so bad even now..."
"Traitor...! How dare you deceive us?!"
Secret factions stirring up humans from within were starting to rear their heads one by one.
Of course, the hybrids who had completely taken over the kingdom's shadows quickly sniffed them out, but their activities—suspected to be backed by neighboring countries—persisted steadily.
The nations in question simply played dumb, as if content to cut off any tails.
Yet surprisingly, the general populace, who made up the vast majority, didn't view things so negatively.
For the lower classes scraping by day to day, life had actually improved compared to before.
"Oh, healer! Thank you so much."
"No trouble at all. It's the state's duty. Next patient, come on in!"
Hiring healers en masse nationwide to provide near-free treatment was just the beginning.
They even brought in priests from the Church of the Main God at temples and prayer halls everywhere to hold regular healing events.
All sorts of harmful narcotics were swiftly eradicated across Thalia, while diseases and hygiene issues rampant in the slums vanished through kingdom-wide welfare programs.
On top of that, people could now get high-quality nutritional supplements in exchange for blood donations—turning it into paradise on earth for those lower classes who had nothing to their name.
-Easy cash? Done in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea! No side effects, perfect aftercare guaranteed!
-Rack up blood donation points and snag all kinds of perks! From daily necessities to luxury housing—tons of gifts!
-Priority for healthy unmarried men and women in their early twenties. Extra pay based on conditions.
Blood donation centers had sprung up everywhere, and promotional flyers were easy to spot even at government offices.
It was a world where selling your blood regularly meant you could live without worry.
'Pair it with blood magic to speed up donors' recovery even more. That means we can draw blood more frequently than usual.'
Model citizens who donated steadily even received national rewards, and there was a one-on-one matching service for vampires with specific tastes...
In short, 'blood donation centers' were becoming the cornerstone of the New Thalia Kingdom's system.
'Demand will spike for blood from young, healthy beauties, so they'll get even better treatment going forward... but that's unavoidable. No big issue anyway.'
Of course, flooding the country with such welfare policies would normally bankrupt the national economy, but Heinz Hybrid 2nd's Thalia Kingdom was different.
The Brocoslak Clan had long controlled the kingdom's wealth, and the thieves embezzling state funds had been rooted out entirely.
Plus, what looked like welfare spending on the surface was really national defense budget for effectively managing the vampires—no waste there.
'Add in nobles focused solely on state affairs without pointless luxuries, and this place really is the ideal nation from a fairy tale.'
To be precise, they lacked both the opportunity and leisure for extravagance...
But that amounted to the same thing!
"Lord? Heinz? ...Spacing out with someone right in front of you. I've thought this before, but you're way too self-centered..."
"Bricky."
"Oh, you were listening? Hehe— just kidding, of course?"
"Enough chit-chat. How'd it go?"
He cut off her carefree laugh and got straight to business.
She was the only one who could speak so casually in front of Heinz, as he tolerated her informal tone when they were alone.
'Even bound by lord-vassal ties, there's a limit to age gaps.'
She had existed for over a millennium—a living fossil and the embodiment of vampire history.
Her own power wasn't far behind his either, so putting up with her blunt speech was a sign of respect for an elder.
"...You're making me feel weird. Hope you weren't thinking anything rude?"
True to her Holy Blood instincts, Bricky seemed to sense something as she narrowed her crimson eyes at him through her black hair.
But his acting chops were solid enough not to betray his thoughts over something like that.
"Don't dodge. Report first."
"...Hmph. Fine. I covered Sharloty, Tulke, Lesk, and up to the mid-western region of the Azerion Empire. Yupershy's kids opened blood gates, so travel was easy..."
Though Outerica's vampire clans formed a "Big Three" with Yupershy, Brocoslak, and Obaypo, they weren't the entirety of vampiredom.
The three clans accounted for about half the species by numbers, meaning the other half were minor clans.
'And that's no small force.'
Minor clans splintered off after losing Holy Blood through bloodline dilution or deviation from the mainstream.
Weak in power, they emphasized secrecy, making their locations hard to pinpoint.
But Yupershy Clan, with its continent-spanning activity, had exposed many—and that was Bricky's mission: visit them personally and persuade them to join.
Or else.
'Threats make fine negotiation tools. Diplomacy's always been like that.'
Frankly, it wasn't a bad deal for them.
Escape their hidden lives and join the continent's largest vampire force at the perfect time!
Join now, and get strengthened via Purified Blood Essence to boot—refusing would be the weird choice.
Bricky apparently agreed, continuing confidently.
"Some idiots wouldn't listen despite the sweet offer, so I... persuaded them thoroughly and brought them along. Hehe."
Subjugation went smoothly; her minions were now shipping them via blood gates sequentially.
Quite the haul, including two True Bloods and multiple Purebloods.
'Having a Holy Blood powerhouse under me makes everything smoother. Without Briki, this would've been ten times the hassle.'
Naturally, even minor clan lords were True Blood level.
Subduing them required superior forces on their end.
But with Thalia in the midst of revolution, elite personnel were stretched thin—Bricky, disinterested in admin and idling, was perfect.
Heinz, unable to stand subordinates slacking, had practically forced the job on her...
And the results were most satisfactory.
"Good work. Well done, Bricky."
"You noticed? I think I did pretty well this ti—"
"Rest up a bit, then handle the rest. Plenty left. Should take a day, right?"
"...You're so self-centered..."
Thus, Hybrid solidified national foundations to match the new regime on the surface while absorbing vampires across the continent in the shadows to grow their scale.
Yet amid it all, one place had Heinz 2nd on high alert, watching for any opening.
The remaining third of the vampire Big Three:
The Obaypo Clan's territory in the continent's east—Zephyria Republic.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Chirp chirp—tweet tweet—
A peaceful morning filled with birdsong of every kind.
"Good morning, Harris. Have a fine day."
"Harris, fresh fruit I just picked—try some."
"All well? Lovely weather today."
'Harris Greenwood', newly ascended High Elf of the Elven Kingdom, strolled the palace—the sole structure touching the World Tree—amid universal welcome.
"Hahaha, thank you. May the World Tree's blessings be with you all."
A true High Elf indeed.
Not long awakened and with no feats to show yet, the elves here showered him with boundless goodwill.
'Can't blame them. Proof of a corporeal god towers right beside them, and High Elves are its high priests.'
Being treated this way wasn't half bad.
Truth be told... he'd grown so accustomed to the adulation lately that he now accepted it almost unconsciously.
'First time here despite hearing about it. Let's see... the gardeners' quarters should be...'
He had a specific reason for heading there.
During today's lesson on High Elf basics with Cecily, he'd overheard intriguing info that perked his ears.
Lesson over, Harris headed straight to the 'gardeners' who tended the World Tree.
'Met their leader right after awakening. First time visiting their area directly.'
World Tree gardeners were akin to priests or monks—devoted solely to the Tree, uninvolved in worldly affairs.
Even as a divine incarnation in tree form rooted to the earth, some care was better than none, right?
'It's the World Tree, so not much maintenance needed. Otherwise, managing that massive thing would take an army.'
Their routine: fly patrols for anomalies, collect branches the Tree self-pruned and withered.
"Oh, Harris? What brings a High Elf here...?"
"Good to see you. Having become a High Elf by the World Tree's grace, I felt I should meet those who serve it closest."
"Ooh...! To think of us so highly...!"
And that was Harris's true purpose.
Withered, spirit-vein severed or not, piles of precious World Tree branches lay here!
"...So, mind if I look around your workplace?"
"Of course. I'll guide you. Not many left on shift, but the others will be thrilled."
"Hahaha, hope I'm not imposing."
With a soft smile crinkling his eyes.
Unlike his usual lazy demeanor, Harris's gaze burned with desire as it eagerly scanned the surroundings.