By early March, after three months of intensive clean-up operations, most of the werewolves and vampires recorded by Sunday on the British Isles had been either eliminated or driven out. Only the so-called "vegetarian" vampires and werewolves, who filed identity recognition applications with Kingsman, were allowed to remain.
During this period, the global supernatural community had come to understand a critical lesson: because of two reckless individuals—Lucian the werewolf and Kraven the vampire—who dared to target William, not only did they lose their lives, but they also provoked a relentless wave of retaliation.
William had single-handedly declared and won a war against the vampires and werewolves in Britain, even going so far as to publicly announce that London and Oxford were now forbidden zones for both species.
He made it clear: any werewolf or vampire who dared to come without prior notification or registration would be killed on sight.
Such brazen words, of course, stirred resentment. But no one was foolish enough to confront William directly without a well-thought-out plan. Unfortunately for those harboring revenge, events took a sharp turn before they could act.
In just one month, London and Oxford underwent massive infrastructure changes. All streetlights and public lighting systems were retrofitted with new energy-efficient bulbs that emitted ultraviolet light.
Now, even if you begged the vampires to return to London, they likely wouldn't dare.
The rapid approval for these upgrades in both cities came because the cost of replacing the bulbs and labor was covered entirely for free.
Back in late January, William, bored one day, had combined his ultraviolet light technology with energy-efficient bulb designs. Before he could even consider releasing the product, Catherine, the former Home Secretary of Britain and now an executive director of his bulletproof materials company, intervened.
According to Catherine, the ultraviolet feature was secondary; the real money-maker was energy efficiency.
Upon learning that these energy-efficient bulbs were four times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and lasted six times longer, Catherine immediately called King Philip and Duke Grosvenor, urging them to convene a board meeting to discuss the promotion and licensing of the technology.
Seeing Catherine's excitement, William quickly realized the enormous value of his invention. He wasn't naive—he knew this wasn't just about patent fees.
The thought of the massive profits to be made, especially considering that in ten years, every household in China alone would be using energy-efficient bulbs, was enough to make anyone salivate.
The only downside was that manufacturing in Britain, with its high labor costs, would make the product uncompetitive within a few years.
William, wearing a white lab coat and smart glasses, smiled as he pondered his next steps. Catherine, however, deeply regretted not stepping in sooner. If she hadn't stopped him, William might have authorized global licensing and settled for mere patent royalties.
Now fully aware of the technology's value, William's demeanor changed. While still polite to Philip and Grosvenor when they arrived at his estate to negotiate, they quickly sensed a certain aloofness in his attitude.
After reviewing the parameters of the energy-efficient bulbs and learning from Sunday that, at current British electricity rates, a standard £5 bulb would pay for itself in three months through energy savings, Philip and Grosvenor dropped any pretense of restraint.
They shamelessly tried to curry favor with William, refusing to leave his estate for nearly a week.
Eventually, after intense negotiations, a deal was struck: William would contribute the technology in exchange for a 50% stake in the new company and invest £100 million for an additional 25% stake, giving him a total of 75% ownership. Philip, Grosvenor, and Catherine pooled £200 million for the remaining 25%.
With the agreement finalized, William approved the establishment of the Devonshire Lighting Company. Within just three days, the company was officially registered. It then spent £70 million to acquire a large lighting manufacturer in England.
Catherine, in line with the pre-agreed terms, approached London's municipal authorities with a proposal: to replace all streetlights and public lighting with energy-efficient bulbs for free.
Given that these bulbs were four times more efficient, lasted six times longer, and required no installation costs, London officials quickly approved the plan.
Moreover, those in the upper echelons who were aware of vampires and the bulbs' ultraviolet feature became enthusiastic advocates, leveraging their influence to expedite the rollout.
Within less than a month, over 80,000 bulbs were installed in London, and Oxford followed suit with nearly 20,000.
The total cost for the project barely exceeded £3 million, with around £2 million spent on labor alone.
When William learned that Catherine had charged the city councils an average of £60 per bulb—despite the production cost being only £10 per unit—he couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up.
In less than a month, once the energy savings were publicly announced, ordinary citizens would undoubtedly start replacing their own bulbs.
While it was unclear how much revenue the company would generate in the short term, the new business, initially valued at £600 million, was certain to see its valuation skyrocket.
What made this even sweeter for William was that he didn't need to resort to violence to drive vampires out of London. The ultraviolet lights had done the job for him.
However, this step-by-step tightening of the noose caused widespread panic among vampires in Europe and the Americas.
Already unable to venture out during the day, the prospect of ultraviolet-emitting bulbs being installed in cities worldwide threatened to confine them at night as well. If that happened, where would they find space to survive?
By mid-March, with London and Oxford fully equipped with the new lighting, vampire elders from across the globe convened in Budapest at Amelia's stronghold.
The meeting's agenda was twofold: to address the existential crisis facing vampires and to discuss how to develop immunity to ultraviolet light.
For three days, these ancient beings, some hundreds or even thousands of years old, argued without reaching any meaningful consensus.
The only agreements were:
To spare no effort in finding a way to counteract ultraviolet light. To invest heavily in research to develop energy-efficient technology superior to William's, breaking his monopoly.
By the time William received this information in late March, he was unfazed.
Listening to Sunday's briefing, he chuckled and shook his head. "These old vampires are certainly good at keeping secrets. A dozen high-ranking elders discussing strategy in a 20-square-meter room lined with materials that block all signals? Impressive."
Seeing William lost in thought, Sunday reminded him, "Sir, how do you plan to respond if the vampires publicly release your energy-efficient lighting technology?"
"Let them," William said with a shrug. "What are you going to do, stop them? Besides, once the Chinese realize the potential to earn massive foreign exchange, it won't matter whether the vampires release the technology or not.
"In a few years, the whole world will be using energy-efficient bulbs that cost less than a dollar each."
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I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
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