The experiment was not completed in a day.
Norton has never come out since he began conducting his experiments in his tower.
These creatures that devoured his flesh and blood were all uncontrollable mutations. If he relaxed his vigilance even slightly and allowed one of the mutated creatures to escape, he probably wouldn't even be able to eat properly afterward.
Norton's experiment can indeed be described as opening Pandora's Box, because this world is composed of God's gene pool, and all combinations are traceable and qualitative.
However, with his involvement, this so-called gene pool will become ever-changing, difficult to define, difficult to control, and difficult to understand.
His Majesty Norton and Adam Majesty Adam each had their own worries, and compared to them, others didn't need to think too much.
Taking advantage of the opportunity created by the Pope, the Boya Empire and its surrounding smaller states achieved a complete centralization of power. Accompanying this centralization of power was a period of vigorous social development.
With the nobility all dead, in order to select capable people to govern the country, various countries naturally began to transition towards feudal centralized systems.
The former lords' territories were divided into pieces of imperial domains, governed by personnel sent by the imperial family. To prevent these personnel from becoming lords again, each country used various means to prevent this.
Some countries adopted a system that separated military and political power to limit the power and influence of regional officials. Others adopted a system of rotating officials every year to prevent these officials from having enough time to train their own people and thus establish their own kingdoms. Some countries even introduced a system similar to the "Decree of Grace," which prevented newly powerful figures in the capital from growing stronger through accumulated power.
As it turns out, whether ancient or modern, those who can sit in high positions are all extremely intelligent, not to mention the strong who survive the final reshuffling of power; their minds are even more cunning.
With the implementation of centralized systems, the countries of the Southern Continent truly ushered in the peak of cultural and intellectual development.
In just a few years, led by the Boya Empire, almost all centralized countries have seen a surge in the trend of 'enlightenment'. The cultural trends with their own characteristics are unstoppable, and all kinds of great literary works and intellectual masterpieces are born one after another. Although they are still filled with the class oppression and ideological oppression of feudal society, they are the most advanced ideas and the most prosperous trends in this era.
As the saying goes, ideas must come first before real change can occur.
The enlightenment of thought is like a cornerstone of human development, liberating people's minds from previous oppression and ignorance, and thus laying the foundation for scientific and social development.
As various cultural and ideological trends swept across countries, a variety of inventions began to emerge from the private sector over the next thirty years.
For example, there are tiered waterwheels that irrigate farmland more efficiently, and rough paper used to hold writing...
Although technological development cannot be achieved overnight, and most of it may be useless, even just a few innovations are already great inventions that benefit the country and its people.
The development of various countries has shown vigorous vitality, the pain brought by war has been completely washed away, and institutional reforms have brought new vitality to most countries.
Of course, some have also suffered from this institutional change. For example, a small country sandwiched between the Boya Empire and the Papal State experienced frequent dynastic changes due to a Vampire cholera outbreak within its borders, and even became a hopeless city, littered with human corpses and Vampire roaming freely everywhere.
Regardless of the circumstances, all countries have made some progress in the past thirty years; the only area that has remained stagnant is the rather worrying issue of sanitation.
After all, people's minds have been enlightened, and now everyone demands freedom to defecate. Royal families in various countries really don't need to incite public discontent over this.
However, in these thirty years, it wasn't just the countries of the Southern Continent that developed; the Holy See also grew rapidly, and the Blood Clan multiplied like zombies. Today, the existence of Vampire is no longer something that can only be heard about or rumored, but is truly revealed to all countries.
Inside the palace of Yalian II in the imperial city of the Boya Empire.
A thick layer of bedding covered the large bed made of black nanmu wood, upon which lay the dying emperor.
Yalian III and the rest of the royal family huddled around the bed. Some were filled with worry, some had tears in their eyes, and others even had a hint of glee in their eyes. The complexity of human nature was on full display at the moment of death.
"Cough cough cough..." The elderly Yalian II kept making soft sounds that resembled both coughing and panting. His aged skin was covered with dull spots, making him look extremely old. Even coughing was difficult for him to do.
Even so, his hand still held Yalian III's hand tightly, and the words of advice in his eyes, the deep concern between father and son, and the reluctance to part with his loved ones before his death were all clearly reflected in his emotionally charged eyes.
However, the words he uttered with all his might made no mention of the concern between father and son; instead, every sentence was about the development of the Boya Empire and the threat posed by the Papal State.
" Boya... do not wage war for the next fifty years... rest and recuperation are the top priorities."
The Papal State are no match for us... Their Holy Judgment Order and Werewolf Legion have completely disrupted the power structure of this world. However, the newly formed Vampire Empire may be a powerful ally... My son may be able to use the Vampire race's strength as a guarantee for the Church's decapitation operation, but remember... Vampire cannot be trusted. Their species is no longer the same as ours. After eliminating the Church, the greatest threat, Vampire will inevitably become an even greater threat than the Church!
My son might try using Church methods to fight the Vampire, but remember, the Church must not be allowed to revive...
The existence of New-Type Vampire is no longer a secret. Over the years, no matter how little attention the small country of Sesvia has received, it was bound to be discovered once its entire population had transformed into Vampire; it was impossible to hide them any longer.
Moreover, the development over the past thirty years hasn't been limited to countries like the Boya Empire. Norton's Blood Court has also been expanding outwards. Currently, a trend of becoming immortal Vampire has emerged in the Boya Empire. Although this is resisted by the Boya Empire law and included in its punishments, it remains difficult to control humanity's pursuit of immortality, especially among the powerful and wealthy...
Yalian II's eyes had dimmed, but his grip on Yalian III's hand tightened even more, as if he wanted to use his last bit of strength to feel the warmth of his child before he died.
Yalian III was devastated and cried out, "Where are the Vampire? Where are the Vampire? Turn my father into Vampire..."
Transforming into Vampire grants immortality. Although Yalian II issued a decree to resist this, numerous nobles still aspire to become Vampire every day, and even members of the royal family pursue this goal. Now that Yalian II is about to die, Yalian III will naturally want to turn him into Vampire in order to gain immortality.
However, the moment he uttered those words, Yalian II gripped his hand tightly, so tightly it hurt.
Yalian II, lying on the bed, had a ferocious expression, with veins bulging on his forehead, as if he were using his last strength to stop Yalian III's cries.
"No! Cough cough cough... Vampire are no longer the same as humans. They may have eternal life, but the difference in their rank and strength is far more despairing than the difference between my Boya Empire and the Papal State!"
It is an unclean thing, and can never be considered refined! The sun alone is enough to burn it to ashes. Its so-called immortality is more like a curse than a gift of life.
Furthermore, as the royal family of the Boya Empire, we should consider the well-being of humanity. The power of our royal family comes from our people. Becoming Vampire is tantamount to digging our own grave. As the royal family, we Yalian have established laws to resist Vampire, and we must set an example by doing so. We cannot bend the law for personal gain. This is the foundation upon which our royal family stands.
My son... While immortality is certainly tempting, the meaning of life lies not merely in its length. If one has never even experienced loss, then what is the meaning of life?
Furthermore, the power of our royal family cannot be concentrated in one person forever; it would be detrimental to both the succession of the royal family and the maintenance of rule.
The royal family cannot grow and survive without restraint, otherwise the royal family members alone could destabilize the country.
A nation is like stagnant water, destined to perish; power is like stagnant water, destined to descend into chaos...
I, Yalian, have no regrets in this life, nor do I wish to be the culprit who brought about the downfall of my Yalian Imperial Family, therefore... I do not wish for immortality...
My son will strive diligently to break free from the constraints of the Church...
As Yalian II spoke, his words became increasingly soft and his voice increasingly faint, and his grip on Yalian III's hand grew weaker and weaker.
Finally, as his lingering gaze swept across Yalian III's face one last time, Yalian II's eyes fell completely extinguished.
A generation of powerful figures has come to an end.