Chapter 106: A Letter From the Council of Elders
In the following years, Adele steadily advanced her plans. She only returned to the castle for Blessing Day during the holidays, spending the rest of her time at the farms, even during the coldest winters.
Jasmine witnessed Adele’s dedication, and her efforts were not in vain. The Deli Farm count had reached sixty-eight, and the Human Resistance Army had been integrated into the various farms, forming their own units. Their attacks on vampires had subsided, and Adele’s parents complained less when she visited.
Adele remembered that during her third year at the academy, she had heard her mother lamenting, “Those damned human rebels! They’ve destroyed our third and fourth strongholds, and Golden’s second and sixth strongholds!”
The lower the number, the more important the stronghold, the more resources and wealth it provided for the clan. So, the loss of these strongholds was unacceptable to the Blake Lady. She even complained to Adele, “What’s wrong with those human rebels? Why are they always targeting the Blake family?! Even Golden’s family has suffered, but the other clans haven’t been hit as hard!”
That wasn’t entirely true. The White family’s Nevernight, a high-ranking stronghold, had also been destroyed. And Adele knew that the Human Resistance Army’s focus on the Blake family was likely due to Jasmine. She had been living at Blake Castle, and with her skills, obtaining information from her father’s office would have been child’s play.
Adele felt a twinge of guilt, but her enraged mother didn’t notice. However, the Human Resistance Army’s attacks had become less frequent in recent years, giving the Blake family a reprieve.
In contrast to the decrease in attacks, the treatment of humans had improved. Adele’s profits increased year after year, even making some members of the Thirteen Clans envious. They started emulating her methods, implementing daylight work schedules and the nine-to-five, five-day workweek.
Initially, they had been reluctant to give humans so much rest. They thought, Why should they be sleeping while we’re awake? So, they had implemented the 996 work schedule, forcing humans to work long hours. But it wasn’t sustainable. Overworked humans were less productive than those with adequate rest.
And they soon realized that humans with sufficient rest had better-tasting blood. Of course, if vampires had been smarter, they might have come up with an even better work system than Adele’s.
But unfortunately, vampires were a race skilled in destruction, not creation. So, they eventually yielded, adopting Adele’s system. And the concept of private property for humans, which the Council of Elders had failed to implement, was now widely accepted.
Although humans were still being exploited, this change was far more rapid than the Human Resistance Army’s efforts to liberate them one by one. The lives of most humans in this world had improved thanks to Adele’s work system.
Even the Commander had to admit that top-down reform was more efficient than bottom-up revolution. But it was only superficial. Only a revolution from below could truly change the system. So, the Human Resistance Army continued to build their strength, training children with magical talent, cultivating sunflowers on a large scale, and stockpiling weapons.
Everything was progressing smoothly. Time flew by, and it was time for Adele to graduate. During these six years, she had consistently achieved first place in her year, while Miss Golden had been relegated to second place.
And yes, Miss Golden had indeed become engaged to the young Green boy. At the graduation ceremony, he even attended as “Miss Golden’s fiancé.” The other young ladies, facing a boy over ten years younger than them, were curious. Some, who were close to Miss Golden, even teased the young boy.
He was still a tsundere. Seeing Adele, he remembered how she had looked down on him at the ball. Although several years had passed, he still held a grudge. So, he refused to acknowledge Adele, simply snorting and turning his head away.
The other young ladies admired Adele, the top student. Seeing the young boy’s disrespect towards their leader, they teased him even more. After a while, the young boy, overwhelmed, burst into tears and ran to his fiancée, Miss Golden.
Miss Golden sighed and embraced him. She had no siblings. To her, the young boy was more like a younger brother than a fiancé. She had been boasting to Adele earlier about her engagement, but now, seeing Adele smirking at her, comparing her to a nanny, Golden was speechless.
When it was time for the valedictorian’s speech, Adele once again took the stage. As always, she promoted her work system, highlighting its benefits for vampires. Her classmates, who had already implemented this system at their own farms, reaping the rewards, were convinced.
The audience wasn’t just students. Their parents were also present. Many of them had already implemented the same system at their own estates. But some still found Adele’s ideas ridiculous, believing that there was no need to give humans so many benefits. They clung to their old ways, forcing humans to follow their schedule. They were aware that their stubbornness was hindering their progress, but they refused to change.
Adele didn’t care about them. She concluded her speech with, “I hope that in the years to come, we can all work together to create a better future.” Jasmine, hidden on a beam, applauded along with everyone else, but only she knew that Adele’s final words weren’t directed at the vampires in the audience, but at her.
I hope that one day, I can stand before everyone and applaud Adele openly, she thought.
Graduation season was often bittersweet, but for vampires, it was insignificant. Their lifespans were so long that these six years were just a blip, easily forgotten. Adele returned to her territory, continuing her work.
Yes, after all this time, Adele had connected all the nearby farms, and after reporting to the Council of Elders, it had officially become her territory.
Many vampires were puzzled by her choice. She had chosen a remote location in the north, where the winters were harsh, a place vampires hated. So, even though it was a large area, no one envied her. The only thing that caught their attention was the astonishing wealth she had amassed on this barren land.
The Human Resistance Army had sown seeds on this land and reaped hope. They were treated with equality, and many had found love, starting families, new life blossoming on this land.
To vampires, this was heresy. All human babies were supposed to be taken away at birth, raised in childcare institutions, brainwashed from a young age to become servants to vampires. But Adele hadn’t contacted any childcare institutions. The children stayed with their parents, enjoying family life.
Adele’s territory wasn’t without its challenges. She had known that her father had planted informants, and it was only natural for the Council of Elders to do the same. She didn’t bother trying to find them. They would reveal themselves when the time was right.
Like now.
Adele received a letter from the Council of Elders, summoning her to their headquarters. They wanted her to report on the development of her territory. They were curious about why she hadn’t offered any human blood in six years. Of course, the animal blood she provided was of excellent quality, and the humans in her territory were healthy and vibrant. Everyone knew that such humans would have delicious blood. So, they were curious why Adele wasn’t offering it.
Adele had no interest in exploiting the weak. She would never offer human blood. And she knew that the Council of Elders had other reasons for summoning her. They must have learned about the newborns in her territory.
She couldn’t refuse the summons. She had to go to the vampire capital to report. Jasmine, however, tried to stop her. She didn’t want Adele to go. Adele knew better than anyone what kind of people the Council of Elders were. They were the oldest, most powerful vampires, the leaders of the thirteen clans, each possessing unimaginable power.
If Adele was careless, if she revealed even a hint of her true intentions, she might be executed.
But Adele said, “Jasmine, you’ll protect me, right?”
Jasmine froze, then nodded. “Yes, I will protect you.”
Adele was truly a pure soul. When Jasmine had been weak, Adele had vowed to protect her, even at the cost of her own life. Now that Jasmine was strong, Adele chose to trust her, even if it meant risking her own life.
How could Jasmine not be moved by such devotion? Her eyes were filled with love for Adele. She would protect her, even at the cost of her own life.
Jasmine didn’t know how powerful the vampires in the Council of Elders were, but she knew how powerful she was.
As a transmigrator with such incredible cheat abilities, she could surely handle a bunch of old geezers.
With this in mind, Jasmine packed Adele’s luggage, and in the blossoming spring, they set off for the Council of Elders’ headquarters. Of course, Jasmine’s mission wasn’t just to protect Adele. She wanted to assess the Council’s strength, to prepare for the day when she might have to eliminate them.
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