To sustain the kind of lifestyle that Vlad enjoys in the modern world, he still requires finances, and though his extraordinary powers might easily enable him to gain money or goods through criminal means he has usually disdained this route. He has a certain skill which enabled him to find hidden hoards abandoned during the many wars in Europe, and of these sources, made wise investments over time, so that he has now amassed a reasonable amount of capital and several properties as well as his castle and Carfax. Nowadays he uses human financial institutions, including investment brokers, under the name of various ‘trusts’ as well as the Vampire banking system - which of course does not question his longlevity, to maintain an income so that he does not really need to work- the antiquarian bookshop being just a cover.Though not ostentatious by nature, he likes to dress well and to keep his houses in a comfortable state, also to have the means to do as he wishes and to travel as humans do so that he can accompany Mina and maintain the semblance of being human.As to politics, he has little interest in human affairs unless they impinge upon him, though he has occasionally made some ‘adjustments’ in his homeland when he felt that it was needed. He tends to view the politicians like the Boyar class that he hated of old for their exploitations.As for Vampire politics, he enjoys an elevated status as an Elder, and is generally welcomed and accorded respect in most circles, especially in London, Paris and Romania, however he also has some rivals and enemies in those circles too, for he can be outspoken and is not one for following “party line”. He is a bit of a maverick, as he was in life, dislikes polticking generally, and prefers to keep out of it for the most part, only weighing in if he feels he absolutely must.