Sever Blood Hand

Yvette was half-convinced, half-skeptical, but this was Qin's home ground after all. She gave Bai Pu a long look, then followed Guna to meet the lord.

Only Qin and Bai Pu remained in the room.

The atmosphere was somewhat suggestive.

Qin pulled Bai Pu onto the bed and gave him a gentle push.

Bai Pu had not expected a seemingly delicate scholar like Qin to possess such strength. He fell onto the bed at once. When he braced his hands behind him and tried to sit up, Qin pressed a finger against his chest.

"Don't be nervous. I'm only giving you a physical examination."

Qin took a red-rimmed magnifying glass from the collar of her black robe, leaned over Bai Pu's chest, and examined the wound there inch by inch.

"Your constitution really is extraordinary. When ordinary people are scratched by Plague Dead, they quickly turn into new Plague Dead without prompt treatment."

"Yet you endured for so long and still had the energy to fight... There should be some mysterious substance inside your body acting as an antibody."

After a pause, Qin continued, "However, that mysterious substance seems to have been injected and forcibly fused into you afterward. You can't freely control its power. Otherwise, you wouldn't need me to detoxify you at all."

Bai Pu listened to Qin and felt impressed. The "mysterious substance" she had mentioned was clearly Evolution Source Blood!

Bai Pu could not freely control the Evolution Source Blood. He could only activate its adaptive defense through passively taking hits. This was also because he had not awakened yet. Perhaps things would improve after he advanced to become an Awakened.

"Scholar Qin, can you help me master this power?" Bai Pu sat up and pulled together the tattered linen shirt over his chest. "My home was destroyed by the Blood Ring. I want revenge."

"Our positions are aligned. However, before I agree to help you, I need some assistance from you as well." Qin smiled.

Bai Pu looked at Qin's smile and felt a chill creep up the back of his head.

The way Qin looked at him now was exactly like Dean Zhao from the Superpower Corporation!

It was as though she were looking at an extremely rare and precious piece of experimental material.

"What do you need?" Bai Pu asked.

"Your blood."

Qin met Bai Pu's eyes and smiled. "Don't look at me like that. When I collect your blood, I'll carefully control the amount and take precautions. Your life won't be in danger."

"I'm not worried about that. I want to know what use you have for my blood." Bai Pu pressed.

Qin said, "With the Blood Ring's invasion, many people in the Brandenburg Territory carry the curse of the Flesh Plague within them. Once the curse erupts, everyone in the territory apart from a small number whose constitutions are compatible will turn into Plague Dead! There will be no need to fight this war at all."

After a pause, Qin continued, "But your blood can be used to create an antibody against the Flesh Plague and restore the infected to health. In compensation, I can help you temporarily develop the power within your body and create an Alchemy Potion that will greatly increase your strength for a short time!"

As Qin explained, the Spirit Realm Will sent a quest notification.

Side Quest: Blood Donation

Quest Objective: Provide Qin with 1,000 milliliters of blood.

Quest Time Limit: None (equivalent to your remaining stay on this plane)

Quest Difficulty: C+

Quest Reward: Stimulation Blood

Bai Pu accepted the Side Quest without hesitation.

At C+ difficulty, there should not be any danger to his life. However, this difficulty rating was based on Bai Pu's special constitution, which had already fused with Evolution Source Blood. If it were anyone else, the difficulty might soar all the way to S-rank.

Therefore, the Stimulation Blood reward could not be measured as a simple C+ quest reward.

After receiving Bai Pu's consent, Qin became extremely excited. She opened her toolbox and took out one chilling instrument after another.

A sharply tipped feather tube, the bladder of an unknown animal, ropes twisted from bark fibers...

Honestly, if the quest difficulty rating had not been only C+, Bai Pu might have fled on the spot. Now, he could only suppress his discomfort as Qin tied his upper arm with rope. He watched the feather tube enter his vein and silently counted as his blood flowed into the animal bladder...

After several blood draws, even with Bai Pu's constitution being twice as strong as an ordinary person's, he could not avoid feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

His heart pounded fiercely, greedily drawing nutrients from his body and pumping out fresh blood to replenish what he needed!

That familiar hunger surged through him again, as though a black hole inside him were constantly devouring everything.

Fortunately, Qin had prepared rations: long, hard loaves of bread and frozen wild boar ham. Qin's maid sliced the bread and ham thinly, spread jam over them, and somehow made them quite tasty.

While Bai Pu feasted, Qin began her research as well. Bai Pu's part had already been completed when the bloodletting ended, and he did not need to assist with the rest.

It was worth mentioning that after the blood draw, Qin's Favorability toward Bai Pu rose by a full 500 points, initially reaching the friend level.

Full and satisfied, Bai Pu felt sleepy and fell asleep on Qin's bed.

When Bai Pu woke up, he discovered several more people in Qin's room.

Among them was the female knight Yvette, who was looking at him with a complicated expression.

Bai Pu stretched and felt that his energy had fully recovered.

His eyes swept over his arm, and Bai Pu suddenly discovered something startling: his entire body had been washed clean. His tattered linen clothes had vanished without a trace, replaced by a refined set of silk pajamas!

No wonder Yvette had been looking at him that way.

Bai Pu sprang upright. "How long did I sleep... No, did I pass out?"

Bai Pu had 9 points in Spirit, which meant that even while asleep, he would not sleep too deeply. The slightest movement could wake him.

Yet while he slept, not only had his clothes been changed, but he had also been dragged off and washed! Since he had not woken up through any of that, unconsciousness was the only explanation.

Qin smiled. "Oh, you woke up so quickly? You expended so much. I thought you would sleep a little longer."

Yvette: "..."

"Lady Qin, don't joke around. What did you do? Why did I lose consciousness?" Bai Pu was somewhat displeased. He immediately opened his status panel and found no abnormal conditions, which eased his mind slightly.

Qin waved her hand and smiled. "During the blood draw, Sinora Blood Vine fruit essence was injected into your body. This essence replenishes blood quickly, but its side effect is that it puts people into a deep sleep for a period of time."

"In theory, even an elephant would need at least eight hours of sleep. I never expected you to wake after only four hours. That's truly astonishing! I'm even more curious about your body now."

As she spoke, Qin handed him a red potion bottle fitted with a feather tube. "Here. This is the reward I promised you."

This potion was clearly the reward for the Side Quest: Blood Donation—the Stimulation Blood.

Bai Pu glanced at it. The Spirit Realm Will sent a notification.

Stimulation Blood: Special item, quality unknown. A pure blood essence extracted from a host of Evolution Source Blood. After a host of Evolution Source Blood injects it, they can temporarily gain (7) free attribute points for 120 minutes.

Warning: Anyone other than a host of Evolution Source Blood who injects Stimulation Blood must undergo a strength check. If the strength check fails, the injector will become the slave of the host of Evolution Source Blood.

"It is a good thing that Mr. Dio woke up early. Our time is pressing."

The speaker was a young man with a slightly curled golden beard. He stood in the middle of the room without a helmet, his long golden curls hanging on either side like the mane of a majestic lion.

The man wore black light armor inlaid with gold, carried a longsword decorated with an eagle carving at his waist, and wore a wide-brimmed cloak with a fur collar. The gold and silver threads and gemstone ornaments scattered across it displayed his noble status.

Beside the man stood a scholar in a gray robe and a fully armed burly man, presumably his retainers.

Qin spoke at the right moment. "Dio, let me introduce you. This is the Elector of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia, the great Lord Frederick William; these two are the learned Court Wizard Jialan and the dependable Zweig Lieutenant."

An elector was a feudal lord who possessed the right to elect the Roman Emperor—that is, the privilege of voting in the imperial election.

Bai Pu did not know much history, but he had heard of Prussia. It was the predecessor of the German Empire! This Duke William was an ancestor of the later emperors of the German Empire.

To Bai Pu, Duke William had an even more important identity—he was the chief BOSS of the Brandenburg faction on this plane!

"No need for formalities."

Duke William waved to stop Bai Pu from saluting and said calmly, "Lady Yvette has already reported everything to me. My aunt—Lady Eleonora—has been imprisoned. She hopes Brandenburg can send an elite force to land in Scania."

"In truth, even without her message, war between Brandenburg and the Blood Ring Fortress is already imminent."

Qin nodded. "That's right. The Blood Ring's vanguard has already crossed the Baltic Sea. Gustav's ambitions are not limited to the Nordic Peninsula. He wants to conquer all of Europe."

Duke William said, "I must return to the territory, summon the electors and lords for a gathering, and form a resistance army to fight the Blood Ring monsters' invasion together. I need you to oppose the Blood Ring vanguard and delay the Blood Ring's main force from landing for as long as possible."

Court Wizard Jialan quickly offered a suggestion. "Gustav sent a vanguard across the sea to scout Brandenburg's strength and establish forward outposts. Eliminating the vanguard commander would be the strongest counterattack and would certainly delay the Blood Ring's main force from landing."

Qin continued:

"During his inspection of the territory, Duke William encountered two Blood Ring outposts and destroyed them. Together with the Blood Ring outpost eliminated by Dio and Yvette, there have been three in total.

"Secret orders signed by the Blood Ring Vanguard Commander were found on every enemy. After Lady Yvette interpreted them, we learned the commander's name—

"Blood Hand Colen."

Qin looked at Bai Pu. "He is a troublesome fellow. During the Blood Ring Fortress's earlier conquest of Denmark, he earned a fearsome reputation. His bloody fighting style earned him the title of Blood Hand. Since Duke William cannot spare the time, we can only rely on the strength of the few of us to eliminate him. Every bit of fighting strength is precious."

A notification from the Spirit Realm Will arrived.

Main Quest II: Sever Blood Hand

Quest Objective: Kill the Blood Ring Vanguard Commander: Blood Hand Colen.

Quest Time Limit: 10 days.

Quest Difficulty: S

Quest Reward: 500–1,500 Brandenburg Merit Points (determined by your contribution to completing the quest).

Failure Penalty: Expulsion (equivalent to the failure penalty for a Trial Mission)

Bai Pu had now chosen his faction. He had to accept the faction's main quest; there was not much room to maneuver.

However, that did not stop Bai Pu from bargaining. He looked Qin directly in the eyes and said, "For Brandenburg, I will not hesitate. But you also said that there is hidden power within me. Once this mission is complete, I hope you can help develop that power so I can truly control it."

Qin said helplessly, "I studied your blood sample. There is indeed a mysterious substance inside you, but at present, its intensity is still insufficient. It must at least double in intensity before it meets the standard for development."

In other words, Bai Pu needed to find a second tube of Evolution Source Blood and have Qin help him fuse it. Only then could he ultimately complete the Awakened Trial Mission and develop the various uses of Evolution Source Blood.

"Alright. I will work to achieve that. When the time comes, I hope you will keep your promise," Bai Pu said.

Qin nodded.

The Main Quest II notification quietly changed. Its final reward entry became:

Quest Reward: 0–1,000 Brandenburg Merit Points (determined by your contribution to completing the quest); you gain one qualification to fuse Evolution Source Blood (you must provide the Evolution Source Blood yourself).

The Evolution Source Blood should still be taken from the Sting Squad.

Bai Pu checked the warning notification for the Trial Mission.

Countdown until the Sting Squad enters This Plane: 35 hours 03 minutes 46 seconds.

Update:

During the new book period, there will be two updates a day, at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

I hope they can bring readers a good mood before work and after work.

It is difficult to release extra chapters during the new book period, but there will definitely be a burst of updates after it is put on the shelves! Please do not stockpile chapters. Twenty-four-hour read-through is the only standard for measuring a book's potential, and it determines whether this book can receive key recommendations! Please support it!