“Damn it, it exploded again?? I don’t believe it, come on!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, this magic node actually collapsed? I swear I’ll add a hundred more nodes to overwhelm you!”
“No way, even this magic circuit won’t work??”
“Failed again?”
“Wait, something’s off. The data from the Crimson Moon Analysis Division says these nodes are redundant, but why can’t they be removed?”
“As expected, Earth’s data can only serve as a basic reference. I still have to conduct the experiments myself.”
“Hahaha, finally got it! This magic node is finally removed. Damn, that was tough. Next one.”
“Damn it, that idiot data analyst actually labeled this node as redundant? I nearly got screwed over. The data is too limited. I need to keep sending more back, otherwise the help from those people is way too little.”
“Hahaha, the enhanced Super Large Fireball is here in all its glory. What the hell? It exploded again??”
“...”
Mid-November. A little over a month since the beastmen invasion began, Li De finally opened the tightly shut door to his manor after a month of seclusion.
No one knew what he had gone through during that month. Apart from Harrison interrupting him once to report that this year’s beastmen invasion was particularly large in scale, no one else dared to disturb him.
After reaching Level 14, Li De’s control over mana had reached a peak, increasing by at least 50% compared to when he was at Level 10.
But even so, the difficulties and number of failures he encountered while trying to improve Large Fireball and Magic Shield were beyond simple description.
Initially, Li De made little progress even after a week of work. In a fit of frustration, he directly summoned the entire data analyst team from Crimson Moon.
Then, he provided them with all the data related to the magic model and had the hundred-plus-person team use modern equipment to help him analyze and eliminate useless magic nodes.
And it actually worked. The power of a hundred people was far greater than what he could achieve testing each node on his own.
Crimson Moon helped him eliminate a massive number of redundant nodes by following the basic operating rules of magic nodes, saving an enormous amount of time.
Of course, some rather ridiculous errors also occurred, like when an irreplaceable, critical magic node was labeled as useless.
Or when a replaceable node was marked as essential.
These mistakes caused countless collapses of the magic model midway, with severe backlashes leaving him dizzy more than once. He consumed Mana-Infused Blood like water.
In the end, it still had to be tested by him personally, but Li De estimated that without the help of the Crimson Moon team, the time required would have been at least five times longer.
The entire process was incredibly grueling.
Li De even estimated that improving a Tier 2 spell took as much effort as modifying ten Tier 1 spells.
Two hundred magic nodes compared to fifty were in completely different leagues.
It was just too hard.
It felt like a top student tackling a nightmare-level Olympiad problem. Without brains and grit, there was no chance.
Li De stood up and walked out of his manor, taking a long breath of relief, he could finally relax a bit.
Shaking his head, he decided not to think about magic for now. His head was pounding.
He followed the main road toward City Hall.
As he reached the street, he paused in mild surprise.
Under the glow of the evening sun, the golden hues of sunset light spilled warmly across the street.
The surrounding spire-roofed houses sparkled like scattered Gold Pucks. The vampire reliefs on the walls were coated in golden paint, and the colorful murals praising the Dawn Order shone with a golden holiness.
What surprised Li De even more was that the street was slightly crowded, full of people jostling to and fro, a sea of heads so dense he couldn’t see the end.
When did Dawn City get this many people??
The streets had always been bustling, but never this lively. Li De even felt a bit of a night market vibe from China.
Strangely, the passersby barely glanced at him. Most just hurried past like they didn’t recognize him at all.
This scene amused Li De. As the master of this city, he was used to being met with bows and greetings whenever he went out. Being treated like a random passerby was a refreshing experience.
After walking a short distance, people finally began bowing to him. The closer he got to City Hall, the more people greeted him respectfully.
By the end, the streets were filled with rows of bowing residents wherever he passed, a truly spectacular sight.
By contrast, many confused faces stared at the scene in bewilderment. Who is this guy? Why is everyone bowing to him??
These newly arrived residents had no idea why those around them were reacting this way.
Li De found it rather amusing. So these were the refugees they had brought in? Ordinary residents wouldn’t dare meet his eyes.
Among them, only a few still had fearful expressions. Most had faces full of hope. Li De immediately picked up on this and nodded slightly, City Hall had done well.
To see how these people were doing in Dawn City, he only had to look at their expressions.
And now, these new residents who hadn’t bowed to him... had already found hope once more on their faces.
That was good. Humans were the foundation of Dawn City. That was a truth determined by the nature of vampires.
He could disregard the interests of dwarves and use them as tools. He could enslave beastmen and work them like beasts of burden. But humans, as the foundation of vampire development, needed a strong foundation.