Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Multifunctional Uses
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next morning, the Golden Wheat Commerce brought out all their carts.
A total of 35.
The mountains of grain were loaded onto the carts and pulled out of the city.
Countless beggars and vagabonds eyed the grain with saliva in their mouths along the way.
But all their greed vanished when they saw the Crimson Mage Tower flag on the carts, which had the Second Circle Magic, "Mental Shock", enchanted on them.
This was the property of a mage lord, and a powerful one at that.
The pace of the grain-laden carts was not fast, and it would take two trips to transport all the grain out of the city.
Lide had already used bats to relay orders back to the castle last night, instructing the second-generation Bloodline, Dylan, in charge of the Magic Language Bats, to bring all the Magic Language Bats.
These demon beasts, raised by the Bloodline in a special way, were exclusive to the Bloodline and had many uses.
During wartime, they could be trained into Bat Knights and could fight individually, while in peacetime, they served as highly cost-effective transportation.
Magic Language Bats were not the delicate Griffins or Pegasi bred by humans. If someone transported grain using human Sky Cavalry's Pegasi and Griffins, they would certainly be scorned by the public.
But Magic Language Bats were different; their thick skins and tough bodies allowed them to recover after a good meal, no matter how exhausted or injured they were.
Lide held this unit of Magic Language Bats in high regard. Unfortunately, the cost of raising them was enormous, and now the castle with only 200 Bloodlines could maintain over 400 Magic Language Bats, which was already an achievement.
Expanding their numbers in the short term seemed impossible.
After the grain convoy left Green City, it traveled straight to the rivers outside the city, toward the Bujia River.
The Bujia River, connecting Green City and another dozen or so large southern cities, was an extremely important transportation route.
Lide had already prepared transport ships there.
During the daytime, it was not easy for the Magic Language Bats to carry the grain back to the castle without being noticed, as their massive bodies could be seen from miles away.
And this was a world of magic; transporting grain during the day was not safe.
Thus, a mid-route transfer was necessary.
River transport provided an excellent cover, allowing the Magic Language Bats to move the grain at night without being noticed.
Considering the Bloodline's reputation among humans, Lide could never be too careful.
Especially with the mages in Green City, who had made a fortune selling Bloodline corpses after the war against the Bloodline a hundred years ago.
To these mages, the Bloodline represented alchemy materials and glistening Gold Pucks. To this day, tasks for finding or hunting vampires could be seen on the task walls of the Mercenary Guild.
No one at the Golden Wheat Commerce dared to question Lide's decisions; the Crimson Mage Tower even less so.
In both places, he held absolute authority. Even if he ordered the grain to be dumped into the Bujia River, they would comply.
It wasn't until dusk that the busy Golden Wheat Commerce finally moved the stored grain onto the transport ships.
Lide did not participate, though he was worried about mishaps along the way. As a Kingdom Baron and Advanced Mage, such an esteemed identity did not fit handling a trivial grain transport.
Night fell.
As a race favored by the Night Goddess, the Bloodline was always one of the most powerful upper races in the night.
In the cold moonlight, Dylan, in charge of the Magic Language Bats, rode on an unusually large bat, overlooking the wooden boats along the river below, marked by the Clan Leader.
The pitch-black night had no effect on the Bloodline with their night vision.
"Move all the grain on the boats back to the castle, knock out the humans on the boats and bring them along."
Accompanying Dylan, there were more than 400 Magic Language Bats and twenty Bloodlines.
Upon hearing the order, they immediately leaped down from the sky with a swish~
Transforming into a swarm of bats mid-air, they flew toward the grain-loaded wooden boat.
The boat crew had no time to react before they were knocked out.
If it weren't for Lide's repeated orders not to harm humans at will, those few people would have long been food for the Bloodline.
After dealing with the crew, the Magic Language Bats descended slowly.
The twenty Bloodlines acted as movers.
But a sophisticated upper race like the Bloodline wouldn't rely on brute force for transportation.
Each one used a Mage's Hand.
The sacks of wheat on the boat were lifted one by one onto the Magic Language Bats' backs, firming them in place. The leading bat flapped its huge wings, generating powerful winds, causing ripples on the lake.
With each flight of the Magic Language Bats, the wooden boat sank a little deeper.
Using spellcasters to transport grain was indeed a lavish affair, but the efficiency was twice that of many workers.
Under Dylan's supervision, the grain on the boat was quickly unloaded.
Most Magic Language Bats were Level 5 and above; elite ones reached Levels 7 or 8, with impressive load-bearing capacity.
Each bat could carry 1,000 pounds, and even under such heavy loads, their speed decreased by less than 20 percent.
Starting at nightfall, it took three trips with 400 Magic Language Bats to completely empty the boat.
In the end, the twenty Bloodlines burned the boat to ashes with a Fireball Technique each, sinking it into the deep Bujia River.
The Bujia River connected over ten cities in the southern region and was a busy route with countless shipwrecks annually.
Now, during the Beastman invasion period, no one would care about these things.
The unfortunate crew had no choice but to be sent to the castle for a new life, where, free from war, they could live prosperously, needing only to donate some blood every month.
After handling everything, Dylan led the last group of Bloodlines and Magic Language Bats back to the castle.
The heavily loaded Magic Language Bats flew at a modest height, but the cloak of night kept them undetectable by those on the ground.
Darkness enhanced not only Bloodlines but also Magic Language Bats, so after flying all night and making three trips, they showed no signs of fatigue.
Three half Sunshine Hours later, when Dylan landed in the castle with the Magic Language Bats,
the sun had fully risen.
The Bloodlines unloaded the grain in the castle's dark corners. Aside from Frey, who was guarding the sanctuary, all other second-generation Bloodlines, except for Audis who was ordered by Lide to inspect human settlements at the border, had gathered.
The youngest second-generation Bloodline, Lucy, watched the Bloodlines moving back and forth, a complex expression in her emerald eyes.
"Dylan, can Father's plan succeed?"
To build a city larger than Green City, nourishing the Bloodline with a million humans.
This was the promise Lide had made to all the Bloodlines.
This long-lived race, with their extended lifespans, had gained not just power but also the wisdom that kept them alive for centuries.
Though Lide was extremely confident, all the second-generation Bloodlines knew the enormity and uncertainty of this plan.
The hatred between humans and the Bloodline dated back to ancient times.
To envision a city without hatred, where Bloodlines and humans coexisted harmoniously, seemed incredible.
-- Gift
received