Gasps erupted across the workshop square as the little girl darted straight toward Chen Mo's warhorse. Many screamed. Others squeezed their eyes shut, unable to bear the sight.
Thankfully, Chen Mo had slowed his pace ever since entering the workshop district. The stallion was only trotting, not charging.
The moment he saw the child running blindly toward the horse, Chen Mo jerked the reins hard.
The black warhorse — enhanced by serum, swift and hyper-responsive — sensed his command instantly. Its powerful legs braced, hooves digging into the ground, and it skidded to a stop just before trampling the girl.
"Selena!"
Kane, the workshop overseer who had hurried over to greet Chen Mo, finally arrived — only to witness this terrifying scene. He didn't even manage a salute. He rushed forward, shouting the girl's name, and scooped her up in his arms.
He checked her carefully, head to toe. No injuries. Only then did he breathe again. Realizing Chen Mo was watching, he set the girl down quickly and bowed deeply.
"My lord."
Chen Mo's gaze lingered on the child — a tiny girl with wide eyes, clutching a simple white linen doll in her left hand. She nervously bit the fingers of her right, tilting her head up at the imposing warhorse and the man seated upon it.
Seeing Chen Mo's confusion, Kane hurried to explain.
"My lord, this is my granddaughter — Selena. Her father, Bert, also works in the workshop. He's in charge of clockmaking."
Chen Mo nodded. He remembered Bert — the young craftsman who had successfully built the first working clock from Chen Mo's drawings. A talented, dedicated young man.
Putting aside his momentary unease, Chen Mo stated his purpose: he needed the workshop to construct a prison — one strong enough to hold William. The progenitor of werewolves was far too dangerous; he needed to be contained with absolute security.
Upon hearing that the source of the werewolf plague had been captured, Kane was visibly moved. Without hesitation, he recommended his own son, Bert, as the chief builder.
Bert loved studying precision mechanics and traps. He had been obsessed with Chen Mo's clock design, working day and night until he succeeded. He was also skilled in forging, locks, and architecture — the perfect candidate to design a prison for William.
Chen Mo accepted the recommendation without doubt. Kane had never disappointed him.
But after confirming Bert as the builder, Chen Mo's gaze drifted once more toward little Selena — now hiding behind her grandfather's trousers. There was something… peculiar about her presence. Something that sharpened a thought in his mind.
Vampires didn't just need warriors. They needed scholars, inventors, craftsmen — minds that could build their future.
These workshop families had served him faithfully for years. They had created invaluable tools, weapons, luxuries. They had earned their reward.
The decision came instantly.
Chen Mo ordered Kane to gather all workshop craftsmen and their families. He had an announcement.
The command spread quickly. Within minutes, over three hundred people — men, women, elders, children — assembled in the central yard, emotions running high as they looked up at Chen Mo on his black stallion.
Feeling the heat of their devotion, Chen Mo inclined his head slightly and spoke.
"You have worked in this workshop for many years. I know your dedication."
"Now answer me."
"Are you willing to serve me forever — even if it means never again seeing the sunlight?"
There was no hesitation. A thunderous shout erupted.
"We are willing!"
"We are willing!"
They remembered clearly the lives they once lived — hunger, fear, freezing winters, and the terror of werewolves.
It was their lord who had saved them. Given them food. Homes. Safety. Purpose.
To them, losing the sun was nothing compared to losing him.
"To serve our lord for life — we are honored!"
Chen Mo scanned their faces. Every expression was sincere. Even the children, though too young to understand the words, looked at him with gratitude and awe — the man who had slain the monsters, the man who kept their bellies warm and full.
Seeing their resolve, Chen Mo nodded.
"Very well. Today, I strip you of your right to walk beneath the sun. But in return… I grant you power. And immortality."
…
After transforming the Knight Corps, Chen Mo ordered Marcus to turn every member of the workshop — craftsmen and families alike — into vampires. The workshop was relocated to a massive hidden cavern behind Blackstone Castle, even more secure and concealed than before.
With both Marcus and William now under Chen Mo's control, it was highly likely that Alexander Corvinus himself was somewhere nearby — perhaps even within the bounds of his territory.
The ancient immortal had spent centuries cleaning up after his two monstrous sons. His ability to hide was legendary.
During the hunt for William, Chen Mo had remained hyper-alert, but sensed nothing — meaning Corvinus had either evaded detection entirely or had kept his distance.
The former seemed unlikely. Corvinus had no way of knowing Chen Mo possessed such monstrous sensory abilities.
Which left one explanation: the old fox had sensed Chen Mo's danger and proactively withdrawn.
But had he left the territory entirely? If so, tracking him down would be far more difficult.
Chen Mo wasted no time. He mobilized every force at his disposal. The vampire Knight Corps and the merchant guild scoured the entire region in sweeping, systematic searches.
Nothing. Not even a trace.
Corvinus had definitely been there — but once the search began, he must have realized something was wrong and slipped away. Perhaps he had sensed Chen Mo's terrifying strength long ago and left even earlier.
Alexander Corvinus might have spared his sons, might have cleaned up after them for centuries, but that mercy came from a desire to protect humanity — not loyalty to them.
He didn't even intervene when Viktor imprisoned William.
Chen Mo had never truly expected Corvinus to appear — only hoped to lure him close and flush him out. But the immortal had proven cautious, cunning, and very, very good at hiding.
Still, Chen Mo felt no frustration. If one plan failed, he would simply move to the next. Time was on his side. Sooner or later, he would find him.
The halted expansion of his territory resumed — aggressively.
With the unstoppable vampire Knight Corps at the front, new lands fell one after another. Lords across the continent, who had just begun to feel safe after the werewolf plague ended, now found themselves trembling.
Many who cared for their people surrendered willingly, trading sovereignty for safety, wealth, and continued life. Some even joined Chen Mo's administration, governing the newly expanded lands.
Those who resisted were eradicated without exception. The Knight Corps crushed every opposition, advancing like a relentless tide.
Time blurred beneath the thunder of hooves. Three years passed.
Three years later, Chen Mo controlled most of the European continent — yet Alexander Corvinus remained nowhere to be found.
Only one region still resisted: the westernmost edge of the continent, the land that would one day be Portugal — the very tip of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the endless Atlantic Ocean.
When Chen Mo's knights stormed the last castle, killed the final resisting lord, and seized the final piece of land, he rode with his victorious forces through the castle and out onto a narrow cliff overlooking the sea.
A cliff towering over 140 meters above crashing waves — the edge of the European continent. Cabo da Roca.
From the cliff's edge, Chen Mo and his knights saw it:
A massive sailing ship, raising its sails, cutting westward into the deepening sea.
"Alexander Corvinus."