Qin

"I... I'm fine."

Bai Pu was somewhat unaccustomed to physical contact with women and gently pulled away.

That blow had looked vicious, but Bai Pu had stepped forward and taken it early, so the Blood Ring Hammer Knight had failed to deal maximum damage.

At the instant it struck his waist, Bai Pu's body curled like a spirit serpent. The bones in his waist drove his chest, abdomen, and legs to crack and deform, as though they had all been dislocated. It looked utterly horrifying.

In reality, that deformation was an extremely effective buffer! It was equivalent to using his entire body to disperse the impact, and the damage he ultimately took was...

19 points.

Bai Pu still had more than one-fifth of his Health Points remaining. He was not in good condition, but he was not about to collapse.

One could imagine that without defenses against "blunt damage," that strike would likely have dealt close to 40 points of damage! Bai Pu had only had 30 Health Points left at the time and would certainly have died on the spot.

The female knight nodded at Bai Pu. "Greetings, warrior. My name is Yvette. You have my highest respect."

Bai Pu received a series of prompts from the Spirit Realm Will.

The battle had ended.

You have unlocked Combat Expertise: Basic Shooting Level 1.

Your Combat Expertise: Basic Fighting has increased to Level 2.

Royal Junior Knight: Yvette's Favorability toward you +300. Current Favorability level: Acquainted.

Royal Junior Knight: Yvette's Favorability toward you +1000. Current Favorability level: Friend.

Why did I get Favorability twice? This was an unexpected delight.

Bai Pu had reason to infer that this female knight named Yvette was an important native figure. His risk had been worthwhile.

What caught Bai Pu's eye even more was the Blue Treasure Chest floating above the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's corpse!

Bai Pu had not dealt much damage, but he had blocked the Blood Ring Hammer Knight's strongest skill, so his battle contribution was not low. That was why he had received the treasure chest. However, since the native Yvette had made the largest contribution, the quality of this chest was probably not very high.

Natives could neither see nor touch loot chests. Only Awakened could.

Of course, natives could directly loot the equipment of the dead without needing Spirit Energy Resonance, something Awakened could not compare to.

While the militiamen celebrated their victory and scavenged the spoils, Bai Pu inconspicuously scooped up the chest and placed it in his storage space. He then nodded at Yvette. "Greetings, esteemed knight. My name is... Dio Fulei. You can call me Dio."

The Spirit Realm Will had automatically adapted Bai Pu's appearance and clothing. To the natives, Bai Pu was not a black-haired, black-eyed Huaxia man, but a blond Nordic man with a high nose and deep-set eyes.

His adapted appearance had evolved based on his original Charm value, and his looks had not diminished.

Naturally, Bai Pu still had to make up his own name. He could not use his original one.

Only then did the female knight finally remove her helmet and faceguard, revealing her true appearance.

She had long, slightly wavy hair the color of the sea, and equally azure eyes that were quite captivating. However, the corners of her lips tilted slightly downward, giving her an aloof and stubborn air.

Yvette stared at Bai Pu's excessively handsome face and was just about to speak when a pair of enthusiastic hands suddenly reached over and grabbed Bai Pu's hand.

"Thank you for your help, Brother Dio! My name is Ingvar!"

The speaker was the young militiaman who had just asked Bai Pu for guidance. He gripped Bai Pu's hand sincerely and introduced himself with enthusiasm.

After a brief pause, Bai Pu said, "A pleasure to meet you, Brother Ingvar."

Ingvar was somewhat thin, with brown eyes and a few freckles beside his nostrils. Smiling gratefully, he said, "Brother Dio, it's all thanks to you stepping in. Otherwise, we'd all have been finished."

Bai Pu shook his head and looked at the female knight beside him, Yvette. "It was thanks to Lady Yvette's intervention. She is the one we should thank."

Yvette shook her head. "No. Your courage was also crucial."

At that moment, a voice came from nearby. "Who are you two? Why did you come here?"

The severely wounded Militia Captain, supported by two militiamen, came before Bai Pu, Yvette, and Ingvar.

"Dio Fulei, from an upstream village. The Blood Ring Fortress destroyed my home. I want revenge." Bai Pu gave a simple explanation.

He did not dislike this Militia Captain. After all, he had led the militiamen from the front and shown considerable courage. If he had a flaw, it was that he lacked brains.

"My name is Guna."

The Militia Captain, Guna, nodded at Bai Pu, apparently accepting his background.

Main Quest I: Choice, completed. You have gained an additional 11 hours, 34 minutes, and 33 seconds of free exploration time. This time will automatically take effect after all your remaining stay duration has ended.

You have joined the Brandenburg Territory.

Your reputation in the Brandenburg Territory +500. Current reputation level: Respected.

"More than ten extra hours of free time?" Bai Pu shook his head slightly, feeling little joy.

Perhaps free exploration time was precious after officially becoming an Awakened, but he was currently in the Awakened Trial. The Trial Mission itself already granted ten days of stay duration.

Guna, the captain, then turned to the female knight, Yvette, his gaze lingering on the Blood Ring emblem on her breastplate.

"Yvette, a knight from Chukroona Castle," Yvette said.

"Chukroona Castle?!" Guna took a step back as if facing a great enemy.

The other militiamen were confused. "Captain, what is wrong with Chukroona Castle?"

Guna roared, "Stay away from her! Chukroona Castle was its old name. Now it is called the Blood Ring Fortress!"

The militiamen immediately grew tense.

"I only believe what I see with my own eyes." Bai Pu waved a hand. "If Lady Yvette had not stepped in just now, we would already have been killed by the Blood Ring's monsters. Lady Yvette came from the Blood Ring Fortress. If she is willing to join Brandenburg, everything she knows will be incredibly valuable intelligence!"

Clearly, Bai Pu's "Respected" reputation had taken effect. The militiamen all accepted his reasoning. However, Captain Guna remained cautious and asked, "Lady Yvette, you came from the Blood Ring Fortress. Why are you enemies with the Blood Ring? Please tell us your reason!"

Yvette shook her head. "I bear an important mission. I can only reveal it after meeting the lord of Brandenburg. Please take me to see Duke Frederick William at once."

Clearly, Yvette did not think much of Guna, a weak Militia Captain.

Captain Guna hesitated before saying, "The Duke is indeed inspecting this area. However, I have no authority to take you to see him. I can first take you to see Lady Qin. She is the Duke's advisor."

"I have heard of the learned Lady Qin. She is an outstanding physician."

Yvette looked at Bai Pu with concern. "Mr. Dio, come with me, would you? It would be best to have Lady Qin treat your injuries."

Sure enough, Yvette's Favorability had not come for nothing.

Bai Pu's gamble had brought him some initial benefits. Without Yvette's Favorability, how could an ordinary civilian like him, without exceptionally high faction reputation, be qualified to meet the faction's upper ranks directly?

Bai Pu did not idle away the journey. During a rest stop, he opened the Blue Treasure Chest.

You have obtained 109 Spirit Energy Points.

You have obtained an opportunity to draw a Loot Card. Current draws available: 1.

Looking at the twenty-four neatly arranged blue cards before him, Bai Pu sighed, closed his eyes, and pointed at one at random.

With a whoosh, the card flipped over, revealing its pattern before finally transforming into an ancient scroll.

The other cards turned into a particle stream and vanished into the world along with the Blue Treasure Chest.

You have obtained an Advanced Weaponry Skill Scroll. Using this scroll allows you to learn Combat Expertise: Advanced Weaponry (Two-Handed Hammers) Level 1.

The good news was that he got something.

The bad news was that he could not use it.

Bai Pu sighed, but still used the scroll. He could not use it now because he had no two-handed hammer weapon, but that did not mean he would never have use for it.

As the scroll was used, a stream of information poured into his mind. The experience of swinging a two-handed warhammer countless times began to fuse into every limb and bone, becoming instinctive combat techniques.

Soon, an additional entry appeared under the "Expertise" section of Bai Pu's personal attributes: "Advanced Weaponry (Two-Handed Hammers) Level 1."

By analogy, Bai Pu seemed to gain some insight into one-handed hammers as well. His Basic Weaponry expertise developed another branch, "Basic Weaponry (One-Handed Hammers) Level 1," making him more adept at wielding the bone club.

Brandenburg Territory, Stettin Town.

Bai Pu and Yvette met the lord's advisor: Qin.

Qin had shoulder-length black curly hair, with dark brown eyes hidden behind pince-nez glasses. She carried the air of an intellectual beauty.

She wore a loose black robe, yet its high and pert contours were still plainly visible.

"Good day."

Qin carefully examined Bai Pu and said with a smile, "Mr. Dio, there seems to be something abnormal about your body?"

Bai Pu lifted his tattered linen shirt and pointed to the bluish-purple claw marks on his chest. "I was unlucky. A Plague Dead scratched me."

"That is not what I meant..." Qin glanced at Yvette beside him, ending the subject with a smile. "Still, the Plague Dead's toxins do need to be removed quickly. Otherwise, you may become the next Plague Dead."

As she spoke, Qin pulled a turquoise-set necklace from the collar of her black robe and gently pressed it to Bai Pu's chest.

"I can do it myself..."

Bai Pu was about to take the turquoise necklace, but Qin stopped him with a wave of her hand. Her fair, slender fingers slid lightly over the skin of his chest, as if taking advantage of him.

The warm turquoise necklace traced circles across his chest, seeming to carry a faint milky fragrance. Bai Pu's body stiffened slightly.

He had lacked experience in the past and was not skilled at interacting with the opposite sex.

Qin slowly rubbed the turquoise necklace against Bai Pu's chest while asking the somewhat uneasy Yvette beside her, "Lady Yvette, I heard you came from the Blood Ring Fortress. The Duke and I are very curious. Why was the peace broken? Why did the Blood Ring vanguard cross the Baltic Sea and invade Brandenburg's borders?"

Yvette took a deep breath. "His Majesty the King made the decision to invade, while I am... the queen's knight."

"The Queen?" Qin's movements paused slightly. "Maria Eleonora? I remember she was the old lord of Brandenburg's sister and married into Sweden because of the friendly relations between the two countries. How is she doing?"

"Very badly. Queen Eleonora and Princess Christina have both been placed under house arrest by the King," Yvette said.

"Gustav? Has he gone mad?"

Qin frowned. "Christina is the Matriarch of the Flesh Plague and bears the original curse! She was the first person to come into contact with that Cursed Meteor. How could Gustav lay hands on her? If Christina loses control, the entire world will descend into chaos!"

Yvette shook her head. "His Majesty the King sees the Princess as a source of power. He continuously draws her blood for research and uses it to create the Blood Ring army. Even the Queen, who had not originally liked the Princess, could not accept this practice. She defied His Majesty the King, which led to both of them being placed under house arrest."

"So Queen Eleonora sent you to Brandenburg to seek aid?" Qin asked.

Yvette nodded.

"I understand. It seems war between Brandenburg and the Blood Ring is already unavoidable."

Qin pulled open the collar of her black robe and tucked the turquoise necklace back between her breasts. "Go see Duke William."

The bluish-purple toxins on Bai Pu's chest had already disappeared without a trace. He rose and said, "Then I will go pay my respects as well."

Since he had joined Brandenburg, getting familiar with the boss was not a bad thing.

"Wait a moment." Qin's gaze toward Bai Pu was somewhat heated. "To be honest, I am very interested in your body..."

"Cough!"

Yvette interrupted Qin's shameless words. "Lady Qin, you are Duke William's advisor. Please mind your status... Even if you have designs on Dio Fulei, you should not openly invite him like this!"

"It seems you misunderstand."

Qin said with a smiling squint, "My interest in Dio is not limited to the sort of thing you are imagining... I am more interested in his physique and want to study it. Dio's physique may become the key to fighting the Blood Ring."