"Waaaaah..."
Black smoke billowed out, accompanied by the wailing of horns, the rhythmic thuds coming from afar.
As billowing black smoke filled the air, a long, thin object, resembling a giant steel dragon spewing thick black smoke, sped rapidly from the distant railway tracks.
"Oh no, it's a train! The train's coming again!"
"Wow, is this Pale Norton really God? Such a wondrous thing can actually be created by human hands!"
"What a load of rubbish! This Pale God is clearly eroding the freedom of the human race in the Southern Continent step by step! Although we are living well now, he has already ordered that all those who are about to die must be transformed into Vampire and live a life of working twelve hours a day!"
Look at those Vampire building the railway over there! If it were a sunny day, they could at least rest, but these past few days of continuous rain have kept them working non-stop for a week without a break!
The appearance of the brand-new train on the newly built tracks immediately sparked discussions among the people in this border town.
Tall buildings have become the dominant theme of the Southern Continent. Even in this border town, several conspicuous high-rise buildings still stand in the city center, and asphalt roads have even appeared.
In cities that have already undergone some modernization, sanitation, environment, and even the demographics have changed dramatically compared to before.
It has to be said, Vampire are a really useful species.
Vampire laborers can work tirelessly 24/7, while only needing to drink the minimum ration of one liter of blood per week.
Vampire scholars can also invent and create day and night, and their needs are no different from those of Vampire laborers.
All obligations that the Holy Empire needs to undertake can be fulfilled by enslaving Vampire, a species that is like a perpetual motion machine, thereby greatly reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Putting everything else aside, Vampire working 24-hour shifts in factories are far more useful than real human workers.
With the advent of the industrial age, the true essence of Normandy also came to life.
Norton, who had developed various uses for Vampire during the days of low productivity, now, in a time when manpower is needed, has taken to manipulating Vampire in even more diverse ways.
It must be said that the slave trade did have some benefits in the past.
Nowadays, most blood slaves are trainable ship slaves because their blood has a chocolate scent, which is highly sought after by lower-class Vampire.
In addition, due to the selection process at sea, those who were physically weak were fed to sharks, so those who remain on the Southern Continent are now all strong and healthy ship slaves with better genes.
Their robust physiques result in a greater amount of blood, making them perfectly suited to be blood pigs.
Besides, these ship slaves were also prevalent among the Fifth-Generation Vampire. Their robust physiques, after becoming Vampire, allowed them to better adapt to the daily grind, thus contributing to the development of the Southern Continent...
"Puff!" As the steam train released steam, the train station gradually became bustling with noise.
An elderly man in a suit and top hat slowly disembarked from the train, leaning on a cane. The brim of his hat tightly obscured the upper half of his face, making him look like an accomplished gentleman.
However, the exposed skin appeared unusually pale.
Abraham reached up and adjusted the brim of his hat, completely concealing his bright green eyes.
He walked slowly out of the train station, leaning on his cane, like an ordinary old gentleman, avoiding the gathering of crowds, and walked along the street into the distance.
Norton has experienced rapid growth in its eight years.
With the advent of the steam engine, the entire Southern Continent seemed to change rapidly and completely.
Starting with steam-powered textile machines and other machinery, within just eight years, the steam engine was applied to all sorts of things. The human mind seemed to have been greatly transformed by this amazing machine, fully demonstrating the technological brilliance of humankind as an intelligent species.
From steam engines to generators, from the application of electromagnetic induction to the current research into the application of electricity and the construction of thermal power plants.
From wired telegraph to the current research on wireless remote sensing technology by some scholars.
The Vampire species has played a crucial role in accelerating the development of human technological civilization, and in just eight years, it has brought a completely new life to the Southern Continent.
Abraham walked along the sidewalk of the brick road, his nose wrinkling slightly as he looked across the road.
A small brick-built cubicle, resembling a newsstand, stood on the edge of the road. Through the iron railing at the main entrance, one could see a black-clad ship slave crammed inside, with a syringe dangling from his arm, one end of which was connected to the outside through the iron railing.
The cage was also marked with the words ' Vampire Blood Extraction Point, 100ml of blood for every 100ml of blood.'
A long queue stretched outside the cage, filled with vampires, some wearing hoods, others carrying black umbrellas, their eyes either Vampire or pale. Only after paying money to the Pale Church priest standing to the side could they enjoy a delicious puff of blood.
The Church staff will take a 10% commission from the proceeds as protection during the blood-selling process. The remaining money will go entirely to the blood sellers.
Within the Holy Empire, selling blood has now become a legally protected business, even giving rise to a 'black market' and a completely new power structure.
Just like in the mythical era, the Pale God Norton, after putting the entire Holy Empire on the right track, relinquished all power and control, which is why power structures have re-emerged in various places in the past two years.
Human nature is wicked; only when they have a terrifying God like Norton pressing down on their heads can they truly achieve so-called equality. But even so, the moment this Pale God relaxes his grip slightly, class distinctions return.
Eight years have passed, allowing the various species of the Southern Continent to become familiar with each other and begin to integrate.
While pure-blooded humans still constitute a significant portion of the population, mutated humans are beginning to emerge. As for the two Werewolf and Vampire sent abroad, they were deemed slaves by His Majesty for showing their talents too early, far less carefree than the mutated humans of today.
Abraham, smelling the sweet scent of blood in the air, suppressed his inner desire and turned his head away.
He came here secretly this time, and he absolutely cannot risk being exposed because of these small personal desires.
Abraham lowered his hat brim again, then turned left and right, following the road signs toward a tavern that seemed to be a gang stronghold.