CHAPTER 361: REBUILDING

Varnyx’s jaw actually slackened, his usual aristocratic composure cracking for the first time in Damon’s memory. "M-my Lord... did you just say 2.5 billion? You have managed to gather all the funds?" His voice carried disbelief, as though the number itself was too large to even exist.

Damon smirked, savoring the reaction. "You heard me. You can call the back up now. Prepare for war."

Varnyx hurriedly nodded, snapping out of his trance. "Yes, my Lord. Yes, of course. I will make all the necessary arrangements right this second. I will even bring those elite troops in a few days in advance and put them for good use. I will make sure to extract every bit of your gold’s worth."

Varnyx’s eyes gleamed with a fanatic light now, the shock burning away into unrestrained zeal. His voice quivered with reverence.

"You truly are the destined one, my Lord. With 2.5 billion gold, we can do more than just prepare, we can dominate. Armies of lesser factions will pale before us. The humans will not dare lift their heads when the Blood Hall marches. We can establish a true stronghold and become a faction even in this godforsaken world!"

Damon leaned back in the throne, one leg casually resting over the other, crimson eyes glittering. "Good. Then start. Buy me my victory."

"Yes, my Lord!" Varnyx bowed so deeply his forehead almost touched the obsidian floor. He then quickly scurried over, already starting the process. A system interface flashed in front of Damon.

[Ding! Do you wish to finalize the deposit of 2,500,000,000 Gold Coins into the Blood Hall Treasury? Y/N]

Damon quickly accepted the notification.

[Transaction Confirmed.]

[Blood Hall Treasury Balance: 2,500,000,000 Gold Coins.]

[Faction Buff Activated: Resources of War – All troop recruitment, equipment forging, and construction costs reduced by 35% for 7 days.]

"Oh, construction? Interesting!" Damon leaned forward on the throne, resting his chin lightly against his hand as he studied the notification. He hadn’t expected the Blood Hall system to unlock something so convenient this soon, but it was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Right now, Niera was still a gutted husk, ruined, broken, and mostly abandoned after the faction war had gutted its population. But if he was about to start recruiting troops by the thousands, then the city would not stay empty for long.

New vampires meant new mouths to feed, new egos to control, and new chaos that needed to be molded into order. If he left the city as a pile of rubble, he’d be asking for collapse before the Blood Hall even stood on its own legs.

It was not enough to just order these elite troops with money. He needed to make more preparations. Otherwise, the true worth of his 2.5 billion gold would never come out.

With the buff slashing costs by more than a third, it was the perfect time to transform Niera from a ruin into the seed of a vampire empire. He wouldn’t waste the chance.

The first order of business was infrastructure. He should not become short-sighted. He needed to think about laying the foundation for a proper base that could outlast any siege.

Damon knew every soldier and recruit needed proper facilities, so he needed to begin with barracks and training grounds. This was the main requirement for housing an army.

Beside them, smithing forges and alchemy labs would rise, the heartbeat of mass production, churning out weapons, armor, and potions to fuel the growing army. This was where he could earn some money on the side.

But steel and blood alone could not sustain a city. Actual commerce would be the lifeblood. An auction house and sprawling blood markets would not only enrich the Hall but transform Niera into a hub of trade, a city powerful enough that even rival factions, both Light and Dark, would be forced to come crawling to its gates.

Then there was the matter of establishing trade connections. He needed to establish trade networks between other dark faction and corrupted light faction settlements. Every caravan flowing into Niera would fatten his treasury further.

There were a lot of matters like this to attend to and plan thoroughly. Time was of the essence and he needed to strike when the iron was hot. The big influx of troops would build a lot of momentum which needed to be used properly.

At the same time, he simply did not have the mental space, time and energy to deal with these things. He needed someone experienced to manage everything.

Damon’s mind went to the one follower slot which was still empty for him. He thought about it for a second and decided to do it. He summoned for Varnyx again. The old vampire came running back, a little surprised. "You called for me, my Lord?"

"Yes." Damon nodded. "Varnyx... I’ll be blunt. I need some help. I don’t have the time and patience to micromanage supplies, and ledgers. The Hall will soon be overflowing with soldiers, traders, and many opportunities. That means infrastructure, supply chains, barracks, markets, all the things that can help our Blood Hall and this city grow."

"So tell me. Who among here is capable of managing such things? Someone who won’t crumble under pressure. Someone who knows how to build and maintain. Someone with the foresight to build a city and also the Blood Hall’s treasury."

Varnyx hesitated for a fraction of a second, then lowered his head. "My Lord, there is one who comes to mind. She was once a steward in the Crimson Duchy before the humans burned it to ash. A mind sharp as any blade, and a will that could bend lesser vampires to her command. She was stripped of her title after her fall."

"Fall?" Damon raised a brow. Varnyx hurriedly explained.

"My Lord, she has absolutely nothing to do with whatever transpired back then. The Hall Lord of the Crimson Duchy blamed everything on her, but I know her personally and I know that she would have never allowed the Hall to become bankrupted. She was merely the scapegoat forced to take the blame."

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Mass release sponsored by KingRig