Prince Fred quickly stood up and passionately said, “My lord, you won the dark war for us, securing our survival space. You are our greatest leader and will always be our only leader. We respect no one else but you.”
“Yes, my lord, we vampires will always honor you as our master,” Prince Lance said with a face full of loyalty.
“Indeed, my lord, please don’t decline. When you are not here, let the Grand Elder handle the affairs,” the dark clan members suggested.
“Alright then,” Leo saw their sincerity and looked at Essex, “I will leave it to you, Grand Elder.”
“It is my honor,” Essex said respectfully, “We dark clan members will always heed your call.”
“Then let’s toast and drink to our heart’s content tonight,” Leo raised his glass.
The rough Eugene raised his glass and howled, “My lord, you must visit us often in the future.”
“When I have time, I will visit you. Now, let’s drink!” Leo downed his glass of red wine.
The dark clan members immediately started enjoying themselves. The elegant vampires, the wild orcs, and the eerie wizards made the banquet hall both distinct and lively.
“My lord,” Essex suddenly whispered from the side.
“Hmm?” Leo turned his head.
“Thank you for trusting me to handle the affairs,” Essex hesitated for a moment, “But…”
“But what?”
“But how should we handle matters in the secular world?” Essex’s face was serious and awkward, “You know, we have no experience in this area.”
Leo immediately understood what Essex meant. After defeating the Church and signing a treaty with them, if the dark clan acted recklessly in the secular world, it would definitely cause social chaos.
It was necessary to establish rules for these unruly beings.
After thinking for a moment, Leo’s face became serious. He then said in a deep voice, “Before I leave, I will announce a few rules that I hope you will follow.”
“My lord, please speak. Even if you command us to die, we will do so without hesitation,” Prince Devon was the first to respond.
“Very well,” Leo nodded, “Now that you have become the rulers of the Western underground world, it is a good thing. But I hope you act with restraint.”
“What do you mean, my lord?” Prince Fred was a bit confused.
“Just like before, you control the Western world from the shadows. Act discreetly and do not let the public know of your existence.”
“Do not kill civilians indiscriminately. Do not feed on innocent civilians or Atrarians’ blood. And do not provoke the Church unnecessarily.”
“This…” The dark clan members were stunned.
“My lord,” Zach said cautiously, “Isn’t this too restrictive? After all, the West is ours now.”
Leo’s voice turned cold, “If you act too arrogantly and cause global panic among the public, then various countries’ Esper agencies will unite against you. The Church might also take advantage of the situation to retaliate.”
“So stability is most important. You now have the freedom to live safely and control the Western underground order. To maintain this for a long time, you must know what can and cannot be done.”
“Understood, my lord,” Zach said shamefully, “You are doing this for our own good.”
Essex strongly agreed with Leo’s stance and quickly stood up to express his support, “My lord is right. We must follow basic rules. Only with stable secular order can our power remain stable.”
“And what about you?” Leo’s sharp gaze swept over the others.
“We will obey your orders, my lord!” The dark clan members expressed their respect one after another.
“Good. Remember my words. If anyone dares to disobey, they better be able to withstand my wrath,” Leo’s face turned grim, “Especially vampires; you must exercise restraint.”
Prince Fred’s heart skipped a beat and he quickly said, “Rest assured, my lord. We will cultivate blood slaves for our use and avoid preying on the secular world.”
“Very good,” Leo’s expression softened, “Continue drinking. Don’t be so restrained. Am I that scary?”
The dark clan members laughed and returned to their usual selves, becoming rowdy again.
After returning to his country, Leo first went to the capital WONDER headquarters to inform them of Trystan’s death and handle matters regarding the treasure.
After returning from the capital to Langstel, Leo resumed his normal life: training, attending to his clinic, and picking up and dropping off Sophia from work.
One afternoon after finishing at the clinic, Sophia called Leo and asked him to accompany her to get her hair done in the evening.
Leo felt a headache coming on at her request. He knew that Sophia’s hair appointments took at least three to four hours and were very expensive!
Spending money and time was one thing, but what frustrated him was that every time she finished, there was no noticeable difference!
Despite his reluctance, Leo had no choice but to agree.
He drove to Henley’s Corp to pick up Sophia. Since she had an appointment with a professional hairstylist and they didn’t want to be late, they decided to have dinner at a nearby noodle shop.
Halfway through their meal, an old man in tattered clothes walked into the noodle shop.
The old man carried an old-fashioned backpack and glanced around before speaking in a dialect, “Boss, can I have some hot soup?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the steaming bowls of noodles in front of Sophia and Leo and swallowed hard.
“You filthy beggar! Why are you here again? Get out!” The shop owner looked up and immediately became angry, shouting at the old man to leave.
“Boss, listen to me. I haven’t eaten in two or three days. Just give me some hot soup!” The old man pleaded earnestly.
“Can’t you understand human language?” The shop owner’s face darkened as he grabbed a broom and approached the old man. “Get out now or I’ll show you no mercy!”
Leo’s face darkened as he was about to intervene when Sophia jumped up first and angrily said, “Boss, he’s just asking for some hot soup. Will it make you poor?”
“Miss, it’s not like that. Today it’s soup for this beggar; tomorrow it’s water for another beggar. How can I run my business like this?” The shop owner complained helplessly.
In their line of work, beggars were the most annoying because customers would leave if they saw beggars around.
“Fine!” Sophia’s sympathy overflowed. “Another bowl of noodles for him. I’ll pay!”