To turn both of these Level 18 powerhouses into his subordinates, he'd need at least twenty thousand faith energy.
Twenty thousand!
Just thinking about that terrifying figure made Li De suck in a cold breath.
Even after all this time, the Dawn Order still hadn't accumulated over ten thousand points of faith energy.
And now he was going to spend twenty thousand in one go, that was equivalent to pre-spending all of next year's faith energy.
I'm running a faith deficit here, my guy.
It pained him, and yet thrilled him.
Still, the idea of having two entirely loyal Level 18 powerhouses under his command made his heart flutter.
"Sigh, having too many good things is also a headache. If only I could suddenly gain a million points of faith energy, now that would be living the dream."
After fantasizing for a moment about the luxurious life of casually spending one million points of faith energy, Li De shook his head and reined in his scattered thoughts.
He turned and looked at the respectful Stanley. After a brief pause, he spoke slowly.
"Stanley, I need you to take care of two things now."
Stanley immediately tensed. "Your Majesty, I await your orders."
"First, escort the dwarves and Beastman captives back to Dawn City.
Have Harrison handle the matter with the dwarves. For the next few days, you, Betty, Grote, and Emi will all stay in Dawn City. Our numbers are too low, and we need your presence to keep the dwarves and Beastmen in check."
At this point, Li De's expression turned slightly grim. When the Dwarven King fled with hundreds of dwarves, he'd actually had a chance to catch them.
But in the end, he let them go.
It wasn't that he didn't want to bring every dwarf back to Dawn City.
Rather, he was afraid of biting off more than he can chew.
Dwarves, as a powerful race, possessed strong willpower and formidable strength. In terms of sheer force, Dawn City's average strength couldn't even match theirs.
If all of the dwarves entered Dawn City at once, it might not actually be a good thing. Their overwhelming martial strength could become a real threat to vampire rule.
Dwarves weren't humans. The human refugees were all seized by the vampires and, in essence, lacked the ability to resist.
But dwarves could resist. And under the right leadership and organization, they might even succeed.
Especially the Dwarven King, if he were still present, the dwarves would never integrate into Dawn City so easily.
They would follow only their king.
It wouldn't even be surprising if, after the dwarves recovered their strength, they rose up in rebellion.
That was why Li De had no interest in pursuing the Dwarven King. His departure was, in fact, a good thing for conquering the remaining dwarves.
Though their numbers were still considerable, they were now within a controllable range.
Most importantly, without the Dwarven King, the dwarves were like a heap of loose sand, no one had the capability to lead these stubborn folk anymore.
Once the dwarves arrived in Dawn City, he could begin enacting his policies to divide and assimilate these naturally gifted smiths, turning them fully into citizens of Dawn City.
Win over some, suppress some, unite with others, that was the essence of political struggle.
As long as no one took the lead in resisting, the dwarves would be like lambs to the slaughter in his hands. It was only a matter of time before they integrated into Dawn City.
"Your Majesty, there are so many dwarves… I'm afraid…"
Stanley's eyes held some concern. The Beastman captives could be imprisoned and tightly guarded, but for the dwarves, it was clear that Li De intended to win them over.
Treating them the same as the Beastmen simply wouldn't work. But if the dwarves were allowed to move freely within Dawn City, it would definitely pose a serious threat.
Dwarves were by no means a weak and easily bullied race.
"Stanley, this matter with the dwarves isn't so difficult to resolve. Your perspective is certainly broad, and you're smart enough, but there are still things you need to continue learning and improving upon.
Once we return to Dawn City, spend some time learning from Harrison. I believe you'll become even more outstanding.
The vampires need talent like yours."
Li De didn't elaborate further. He stepped forward and patted Stanley on the shoulder.
Stanley nodded slightly at his words. In those black eyes of his, there was no doubt whatsoever. It was as if anything spoken by Li De simply could not be wrong.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li De smiled with satisfaction. He admired this clever subordinate. Someone who, at the very moment players arrived, dared to use players against players, a bold strategist like that was definitely no ordinary man.
"Second, restart production in the Dwarven Valley as soon as possible. I need the Mithril Vein mined at the fastest possible speed.
And although the Lionmane Tribe has already been defeated by us, that doesn't mean we can rule out the possibility of their return.
We must take proper defensive measures to prevent another attack.
At the same time, I will leave Kosso, Castro, and the Bone Dragon here to stand guard."
Li De spoke slowly, but his tone allowed no argument.
"Now, this land belongs to the territory of Dawn City. No one can take it from us, no one!!"
After he spoke, he looked down at the ground beneath him. Deep beneath this place was Mithril, countless times more precious than Gold Pucks.
"As you command, Your Majesty." Stanley bowed deeply. Li De's simple words stirred the blood in his chest, in that moment, he felt as though he could charge even a dragon head-on.
"Once we return, I'll have City Hall assign workers to mine the ore. For now, you'll be in charge here," Li De said, after a brief pause and with some gravity.
"To hold this Mithril Vein, we may still have to fight a few more battles.
The Lionmane Tribe's revenge, the escaped Dwarven King, they could strike the Dwarven Valley again at any time. Be mentally prepared."
After all, this was meat snatched from the jaws of a tiger. This time, Li De had forcibly torn this prize from the hands of both Beastmen and dwarves.
It would be strange if there weren't a second or third wave of retaliation.
But Dawn City now had no reason to fear.
At this point, he possessed the strength to face it all.
Especially once the Mithril Vein was mined, the strength of Dawn City would grow dramatically.
At that time, even if the dwarves and Beastmen united, Dawn City would still have nothing to fear.
Of course, all of this hinged on one prerequisite: mining the Mithril Vein immediately, turning the resources in the Dwarven Valley into powerful nourishment for Dawn City.
That was the essence of war, to plunder resources, to empower oneself.
Li De believed that, given a little time, Dawn City would ascend to a new level.
And the enemies troubling him now would no longer be a concern.