Chapter 137: This Time, I’m Going to Get Rich

The idea of enslaving dragons to pull his carriage had stirred Li De’s excitement, but after reflecting on the various legends surrounding dragons, he managed to suppress his inner fervor. Enslaving dragons was undeniably cool, but the sheer power required to do so would strain even a city like Green City, which was guarded by a Transcendent Mage. Achieving that goal would take significant effort. By the time the number of Vampires exceeded ten thousand, it might not be impossible. Kosso, the Cyclops, knew where to find a Black Dragon—he hadn’t forgotten about the Underground World. Once they grew stronger... After Li De left, Golddig, the half-dwarf craftsman with an unmistakably dwarven name, gathered all the blacksmiths to deliberate. Forging mining tools for Cyclops standing 6 or 7 Blades tall wasn’t an easy task. The sheer size alone was enough to make the current rudimentary forging equipment in the blacksmith shop feel inadequate. The sight of Kosso, clumsy and simple-minded, made Golddig's head ache. For a moment, he couldn’t help but frown deeply. Li De was unaware of the enormous challenge he’d posed to the blacksmith shop. While Golddig was fretting over the problem, Li De shifted his attention to another matter. The Dawn Cathedral had been completed. Emi, who harbored a fanatical obsession with deification, had barely slept as he supervised the construction site, repeatedly urging the workers in the Construction Department to speed up the cathedral's progress. Under Emi’s relentless pressure, the cathedral, originally converted from an abandoned estate, was completed in just a few days. Though far less luxurious or intricate than the grand cathedrals in Green City, it was more than sufficient for Dawn City, which lacked nearly everything. Most importantly, Emi could now openly proselytize. The Order of Dawn, a religious group whose divine duties were only named a few days ago, was now ready to take bold steps forward. In Emi’s view, gods were nothing more than stronger beings—there was nothing particularly worthy of worship. As someone who bore the title of Blasphemer, he had never revered the gods. Though he respected their power, he felt no fear toward them. However, now the Progenitor of Vampires, the great Lord Kachar, held the key to becoming one of these powerful beings. For someone like Emi, who harbored such a strong fixation, this was akin to a gift bestowed upon him by the Goddess of Luck. He couldn’t wait to get started. In the eyes of commoners, gods were omnipotent beings—powerful, immortal, capable of deciding the life and death of mortals at will. Everything about them inspired awe. Emi, who had served as a priest in the Temple of the Knight God for decades, understood deeply that the spread of faith was often driven by overwhelming power and mysterious unknowns. Thus, he was confident that the Order of Dawn would quickly become the sole religion in Dawn City, with everyone subscribing to its beliefs. He was full of confidence. Li De arrived when the cathedral opened—or rather, during its unveiling, marking the beginning of a new chapter. Starting today, a new religion would emerge in Dawn City, and it would be the only one. Outside the Dawn Cathedral, ten young girls dressed in pristine white priest robes stood against the wind, holding bouquets of flowers. Their robes fluttered gracefully, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air—a striking splash of color amidst the cold winter. "Lord Progenitor, the Dawn Cathedral is blessed with your presence." "Welcome, great Lord Kachar." After Emi bowed deeply, the line of girls behind him bent in unison, their eyes filled with deep admiration. These were the temple’s holy maidens, personally selected by Emi. Each girl possessed innate magical talent and could later transition into becoming priests. With a population of nearly ten thousand in Dawn City, finding beautiful, age-appropriate girls wasn’t difficult. Li De nodded slightly and turned his gaze to the cathedral that now belonged to him. Since it was a renovation, the carvings, colorful murals, and other elements still retained distinct Vampire styles. The cathedral stood 12 Blades tall, spanning four floors, with an exterior constructed of white boulders. In the twilight light, the stone exuded a unique matte texture. Upon entering through the white doors carved with reliefs of winged Vampires, one entered the first-floor hall. The cathedral hall contained over 500 wooden seats, surrounded by pristine white walls that radiated an indescribable holiness. On the central wall opposite the entrance was a magnificent four-Blade-tall, vividly colored relief sculpture, breathtaking in its detail. The figure depicted in the relief seemed to stand before them, emanating overwhelming majesty. Behind the figure stretched a pair of massive, stylish bat wings, as if returning victorious from the abyss. The sharp fangs visible at the corner of his mouth signified his Vampire identity. Behind him knelt mighty beings—giants, elves, dragons, archdemons, six-winged angels, and more—all bowing in submission. This seven-colored relief was instantly awe-inspiring, undoubtedly the work of a master craftsman. Li De, staring at the relief bearing his exact likeness, couldn’t help but twitch his lips. The feeling of being carved onto a wall was... hard to describe. "Lord Progenitor, this was carved by my own hands." Emi’s eyes gleamed with deep satisfaction. He had spent decades carving religious murals in the Temple of the Knight God, but this one was his finest work yet. "Enough of that. What are your plans for spreading the faith?" Li De’s gaze burned intensely as he stared at Emi. No matter how splendid the Dawn Cathedral was, its ultimate purpose was to spread the faith. What Li De wanted was faith energy, not just a beautiful building. Currently, he only had one believer—Oli—who provided him with a meager amount of faith energy daily. With such limited resources, he couldn’t make much progress in his research. Li De’s understanding of faith energy was still very rudimentary. He only knew that it was a form of highly advanced energy, but how to harness it remained a complete mystery. His knowledge of faith energy came entirely from Emi, a Level 15 Shadow High Priest. Even Emi’s understanding of this energy stemmed from his brief entry into the Knight God's divine realm. Thus, both of them were currently in the dark. At this stage, Li De felt like someone who had obtained uranium—the essential ingredient for building a nuclear weapon—but had no idea how to construct the weapon itself. The original intention behind establishing the Order of Dawn was to figure out how to build that metaphorical nuclear weapon. At present, comparing the energy fluctuations of faith energy to mana, Li De felt that faith energy was weaker. However, he also realized that his current understanding was insufficient. Could the same weight of a nuclear weapon be compared to TNT? He needed a key to unlock this mystery, and the Order of Dawn was that key. "Lord Progenitor, leave the task of spreading the Order of Dawn to me. After the Month of Deep Winter passes, you will see a completely transformed Order. If there are any changes in your faith energy during this period, I hope you will inform me immediately." For someone who had served as a priest in the Temple of the Knight God for decades, proselytizing was no big deal, especially in Dawn City, where he had absolute home-field advantage. There were no foreign orders competing for believers here. If he couldn’t succeed under these conditions, he truly deserved to commit suicide in penance. "Alright, what do you need me to do for the cathedral now?" Emi smiled slightly and respectfully gestured toward the podium in front of the seven-colored relief. "You need to announce the establishment of the Order of Dawn here and declare your divine duties." Was this some sort of opening ceremony? Li De found Emi’s serious expression amusing. The Dawn Cathedral had just opened, and few people ventured out in the harsh winter. Apart from the ten young girls, only he and Emi were present. Oh well, might as well start on a good note. Under the watchful eyes of those present, Li De stepped forward and stood on the cathedral’s podium. His deep gaze swept across the pristine white walls, filling him with an inexplicable sense of solemnity. Straightening his expression, he began: "I, Kachar, hereby declare the establishment of the Order of Dawn. The teachings of the Order of Dawn are..." A segment from a news broadcast suddenly flashed in Li De’s mind. "Self-improvement, perseverance, unity, fearless bravery, love for family and country" Seemed fine, right? Seeing Emi’s slightly bewildered expression below, Li De cleared his throat and continued without pause. "I am the God of Dawn, presiding over the divine duties of Vampires and blood. In the name of the Progenitor of Vampires and the Lord of Dawn, I declare..." "The Order of Dawn is officially established!" As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden system notification left him stunned. It worked?!?! "Ding, Li De Kachar has sworn to establish the Order of Dawn. Divine Duties: Vampires, Blood. Teachings: Self-improvement, perseverance, unity, fearless bravery, love for family and country. Detected that Li De Kachar possesses a city—Dawn City, a race—Saintlight Vampires, and one Zealot. Requirements for establishing an Order have been met. The Order of Dawn is now established." "Ding~ You have established the Order of Dawn. Faith energy attribute panel unlocked." "Ding~ You may freely appoint various clerical positions within the Dawn Temple." "Ding~ You have established the Order of Dawn, gaining +5 Legend Rating and receiving 5,000 Character Experience Points." "Ding, your total Legend Rating has reached 6 points. Legend Rating panel unlocked. New title acquired: Renowned." "Renowned: Traits: 1. Respect from all races increases by one level when facing you. 2. There is a chance to intimidate creatures below your level into defecting to your side. 3. Increases the likelihood of captives surrendering." Holy mother of god, was this even real?!?! The sudden wave of rewards left Li De stunned for a long while. This time, he was truly going to strike it rich! Li De glanced down at Emi, who stood attentively below. At that moment, he wanted to tell him. He had found the key to building that nuclear weapon.