Poshia's defeat
After dealing with the bothersome Count Harold, Caesar returned to the castle to clean up the battlefield.
He made sure to deliver a finishing blow to anyone who was still alive.
Eliminating all witnesses, he left no one behind!
On his way back, he meticulously erased all traces of the incident.
Only after ensuring that everyone who knew about it was physically "silenced" did Caesar return to Stephen Castle with an air of nonchalance.
No one knew that he was the one behind it all.
...
The commotion caused by Harold's castle was not small.
It alerted many in the vampire ancestral lands, and powerful figures began to fly in during the moonlit night to assess the situation.
Upon seeing Count Harold's corpse and the castle consumed by flames, everyone was left in shock, speechless…
The heir of Marquis Joseph had been taken down by a mysterious figure!
This was a high-ranking royal noble!
In an instant, some were enraged, while others rejoiced.
Vampires who had long detested Count Harold secretly celebrated with red wine.
But major powers immediately initiated investigations.
...
Time swiftly passed to the next day.
In Stephen Castle, Caesar and the few surviving servants had already cleaned up the corpses and the battlefield.
At this moment, they were busy repairing the garden and the house.
"Hey, did you hear? Last night, Count Harold's castle was wiped out."
"I heard! They say not a single soul was left alive; it's truly satisfying!"
"Old Butler James can finally rest in peace."
"Do you think it was that mysterious powerful figure who saved us yesterday?"
...
Caesar's ears perked up, and he paused his work, turning to the group. "Everyone shut up; don't mention this again. If you don't want to attract trouble, just act like you know nothing."
"Why?" someone asked in confusion.
Caesar earnestly replied, "Think about it: Harold's personal guard was wiped out here by a mysterious figure, and shortly after, his castle was bloodied. If outsiders find out, we at Stephen Castle will definitely be the prime suspects. Do you really want them coming after us again?"
The servants shivered at his words, their faces paling with fear.
They recalled the scene of being chased and attacked by Harold's guards yesterday.
In an instant, they all nodded vigorously, like chicks pecking at grains—
"Okay, okay, we won't say a word."
"Not a single word about that mysterious figure who saved us!"
"Let's wait for the Count to return; he can decide what to do. Until then, I don't want to get involved in any trouble."
"Caesar is so clever!"
Caesar maintained a calm demeanor as he continued with his tasks.
In Stephen Castle, the guards, servants, and butlers had originally numbered over twenty, but now only a few remained.
With old Butler James gone, there was no one to oversee the various affairs of the castle or assign work.
Everyone felt lost and anxious, unsure of what to do.
However, Caesar remained remarkably composed.
As he had done in the past, after clearing the garden and study, he expertly made his way to Count Stephen's bedroom, lifted the coffin lid, and lay down inside.
Rip—
Caesar took out a bag of human blood, tore open the seal, and drank it down eagerly.
Once his hunger was satisfied, he closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, the vast energy within him beginning to pulse gently.
He commenced his cultivation.
...
Time flew by.
Three months had swiftly passed.
Upon reaching the Count level, the pace of his energy improvement slowed significantly.
Caesar meditated and practiced day after day, refining his energy.
It took him three months to barely progress from the initial stage of Count to the peak stage.
If it weren't for the occasional blood he received from signing in, it would have likely taken him seven or eight years.
Crack—
The coffin lid opened.
Caesar sat up, checking his body's condition, a smile spreading across his face.
"Finally raised my energy to the peak of the Count level; I won't need to practice for a long while now."
Within him, the energy surged powerfully, with destructive force lying dormant beneath his fair skin.
Continuing to cultivate further would yield no significant results.
For vampires, energy improvement through meditation could only refine the power, achieving a transformation from the initial stage to the peak.
However, to achieve a major breakthrough in life stages, one would need the essence of a higher-tier vampire.
Caesar glanced at his backpack.
It had accumulated six drops of Marquis blood.
But that wasn't enough; his foundation was too solid, and to break through to the Marquis level, he would need at least twenty drops of Marquis blood!
"If only I had some Duke blood; a single drop would be sufficient for me to break through."
Caesar pondered.
But he quickly shook his head.
There were only a few ancient Duke-level beings in the entire vampire clan, and they had been in seclusion for over a thousand years.
"Guess I'll just keep signing in honestly."
Weeks passed once more.
On this day, after finishing his work in the garden as usual, Caesar heard some astonishing news.
The army of the Poshia Kingdom had been routed from Gravesend City, and the orcs of Butler had once again occupied the Transwagg Mountains.
The orc army charged forward, invading vampire territory, capturing cities and strongholds, conquering thirty-five cities in just one night.
Even the coffin lid of the vampire ancestors couldn't hold them back!
Duke Vlad, who had been in seclusion for fourteen hundred years, crawled out of his coffin to turn the tide, finally halting the orc army's advance…
However, the orc forces did not retreat; they were already preparing for another wave of attack.
In simple terms, the vampires had never faced such ferocious orcs.
The Poshia Kingdom had suffered a defeat!
For a time, gloomy clouds hung over the city of Sidamil, and even the moonlight seemed to dim considerably.
...
A few days later, Count Stephen returned from the front lines.
The Count was pushed back in a wheelchair…