World's Secret

"What powerful energy, this must be Blood Hand Colen!"

Bai Pu was a little surprised. No wonder the Spirit Realm Will had given such a high S-Rank difficulty rating at the start!

If Duke William hadn't joined the battle, it would have been impossible to achieve such a crushing victory. Bai Pu would have had to do everything he could to integrate the militia organizations of all the local villages, lure away most of the soldiers surrounding Blood Hand Colen, and then lead Qin, Yvette, and the others to attack Colen.

The difficulty of this task was unimaginable, and the time required would be even longer. Just integrating the Brandenburg Militia from various villages would take who knows how many days. The hope of completing this mission within ten days was extremely slim.

[Countdown to Sting Squad entering this plane: 25 hours, 52 minutes, 07 seconds.]

Bai Pu glanced at the countdown again. He hadn't forgotten the biggest X-factor – if Duke William hadn't participated, Bai Pu would have had to be wary of the Sting Squad interfering while completing the Main Quest! That would have made success even less likely.

Duke William stepped forward slowly, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the violently roaring Blood Hand Colen.

"Your Grace! I suggest we capture him alive!" Bai Pu said loudly.

"Is there a need for that?" Duke William was slightly taken aback and asked, turning his head.

If Bai Pu hadn't gained his favor, Duke William wouldn't have asked this question at all, and would have dismissed Bai Pu's words as nonsense.

Qin hesitated for a moment and said, "I also think it's necessary. Currently, we lack sufficient high-level research samples for the Aberrants of the Blood Ring."

"Very well then." Duke William nodded slightly.

Blood Hand Colen, hearing them casually discuss his fate as if he were a lamb to the slaughter, felt a surge of anger! He suddenly leaped up, his great axe, wreathed in blood-red light, chopping down forcefully.

Duke William sidestepped slightly, dodging the blow. With a crack, the blood-red Qi Strength left a huge crack on the wooden deck, with splinters of wood and rivets flying everywhere.

The destructive power made Bai Pu's eyes twitch.

Duke William, however, remained impassive. He drew his sword, adorned with a vulture carving, and thrust out three consecutive strikes!

The first sword severed Blood Hand Colen's axe-wielding arm.

The subsequent two swords pierced the kneecaps of Blood Hand Colen's left and right legs respectively!

Viscous black blood splattered across the deck, and Blood Hand Colen roared in agony as his body weakly collapsed.

Although Blood Hand Colen was strong, he was merely a commander of the Blood Ring Vanguard, equivalent to the BOSS of the first act in a game. He was no match for Duke William, the overall BOSS of the faction.

Zweig Lieutenant stepped forward and bound him with the iron chains from the ship's anchor.

Qin took out a sharp quill and gave Blood Hand Colen a "shot." His screams quickly subsided, and he fell into a deep sleep like a wounded beast.

"Alright, the defeat of the Blood Ring Vanguard should serve as a stern warning to Gustav II. He won't be sending troops across the Baltic Sea again anytime soon."

Duke William mounted his horse. "Mr. Zweig, please remain on the front lines and prepare for the war with the Blood Ring. Mr. Jialan and I will return to Brandenburg to convene a meeting of the Empire's Electors and Lords to muster our armies. Ms. Qin, would you like to return with us?"

Qin shook her head and smiled, "I've obtained a very excellent experimental subject and plan to stay here to research it."

Everyone burst into laughter, all believing Qin was referring to Blood Hand Colen.

However, Qin secretly winked at Bai Pu.

This small gesture went unnoticed by others, but Yvette saw it. She raised her small hand, "I want to stay too..."

"Ms. Yvette, I understand your desire for battle and your eagerness to rescue the Queen." Duke William refused with a shake of his head. "But I apologize, I need you, who knows the Blood Ring Fortress best, to attend the upcoming Imperial Lords' assembly and prove the grave threat of the Blood Ring to the Electors and Lords."

"..." Yvette was speechless and could only accept the arrangement.

Stettin Town, Qin's temporary research laboratory.

On the experimental table, the unconscious Blood Hand Colen was securely bound by chains. The sharp iron hooks at the ends of the chains pierced his shoulder bones, rendering him immobile.

"Ms. Qin... thank you for speaking up for me," Bai Pu said.

"You don't need to address me so formally, Dio," Qin smiled. "Besides, I haven't deceived everyone. I have indeed obtained a high-level experimental subject."

Bai Pu said, "It seems the experimental subject you mentioned is me."

"Yes, it is," Qin winked, with a hint of flirtatiousness. "In exchange, Colen can be yours to deal with. I won't stop you, no matter what you plan to do with Colen's life."

Bai Pu thought to himself, one truly cannot underestimate the intelligence of the natives. Qin had clearly seen that his suggestion to capture Colen alive was motivated by ulterior motives. Although her favorability towards him had reached the "heart-fluttering" level, she still maintained a clear head.

"I agree to cooperate with your experiments, as long as my life is not endangered."

Bai Pu said, "However, as your experimental subject, I should have the right to know – may I ask one question?"

"Of course, Dio. You are more than just an experimental subject to me... because I like men who are smarter than me," Qin said with a smile.

"This is the reward for our last cooperation. You used my blood to create this Alchemy Potion."

Bai Pu flipped his palm, and a bottle of [Stimulation Blood] appeared in his palm.

"Any problems?" Qin blinked.

"If this potion were injected into someone else besides me, they might become my servant. I want to know the principle behind it." Bai Pu asked.

"Oh my, that touches upon the great secrets of this world. Answering this question clearly would take a very long time," Qin said with a smile.

"It's fine, I have plenty of time to listen to stories." Bai Pu was very calm. There were still over ten hours before the Sting Squad would arrive.

"Actually, decades ago, there was no supernatural power in this world. There was no Blood Battle Qi, no Blood Magic. Science advanced, technology improved, the knightly class gradually declined, and firearms began to dominate..."

Qin stood up, pacing slowly as she spoke:

"Until that Cursed Meteor fell in Scania, supernatural power appeared. This world..."

"Initially, it was just a rumor from the Scania Region. It was said that where the meteor had landed, warriors capable of fighting ten thousand men had appeared, along with wandering Plague Dead.

At that time, no one knew that within the meteor existed a mysterious substance! This substance contained the power of evolution, capable of causing people to evolve and become powerful.

Originally, this was a blessing from God, but unfortunately, the mysterious substance had very strict requirements for the host's physique.

Those whose physiques were not compatible would be deeply affected by the evolution instinct, their bodies becoming deformed and turning into mindless monsters – the Plague Dead, driven only by the instinct to evolve and a craving for flesh and blood.

Those whose physiques were compatible would not only be free from the interference of the evolution instinct but would also adapt to the power of the mysterious substance, thereby developing Blood Battle Qi and Blood Magic, possessing power far beyond that of ordinary humans – like our Duke, Lord Frederick William. These people are called 'Qualified'.

Qualified individuals were too few; the vast majority of infected humans had become Plague Dead. This is why the meteor was called the 'Cursed Meteor,' and the influence of the mysterious substance was called 'Curse Power.'

Ten years ago, Princess Christina passed through Scania and touched the cursed meteor, becoming the ultimate host of the mysterious substance. From then on, her every breath merged with the winds and clouds in the sky, her spilled blood and tears flowed into the rivers of the earth… The Curse Power spread and has now deeply infiltrated everyone's blood.

Bai Pu recalled the Blood Ring Hammer Knights, how their bodies would flicker with blood-red light when activating their skills, and asked, "Are the elite soldiers of the Blood Ring Fortress all Qualified? Can they all use Blood Battle Qi?"

Qin shook her head and said, "Those elite Blood Ring soldiers are actually mass-produced and modified by King of Sweden – who is now the Blood Ring Emperor – Gustav II, using 'Flesh Alchemy.'"

Bai Pu repeated, "'Flesh Alchemy?'"

Qin explained, "As I said earlier, the curse makes the Plague Dead crave flesh and blood. This is actually the pursuit of external energy intake for evolution, equivalent to the evolution instinct!

"At the beginning of the curse's spread, some alchemists, unwilling to see their loved ones turn into Plague Dead, began researching how to extract the blood of the Qualified to create alchemy potions that could suppress the evolution instinct!

"Their research failed. Instead, their loved ones who drank the alchemy potions turned into even more terrifying Aberrants than the Plague Dead! They possessed strength comparable to the Qualified and had regained their thinking abilities, but they lost their memories and humanity, craving the flesh and blood of living people like the Plague Dead.

"The renowned 'Grand Duke Bergen,' 'Blood Mist Butcher,' and 'Scarlet Wing'... these most powerful Aberrants are all the failed products of the first generation of alchemy potions.

"This is Flesh Alchemy, the origin of this emerging field of study."

Flesh Alchemy!

Bai Pu listened with great interest, his understanding of the background of the Flesh Plague: Origin Plane becoming increasingly profound.

Qin continued to narrate:

"After Flesh Alchemy rose, many scholars joined, and I was one of them.

"It wasn't until the representative figure of the first-generation Aberrants, 'Grand Duke Bergen,' used Blood Magic to drain the entire city of Bergen, creating the Blood Pool Massacre, that the panicked kings and lords finally acknowledged the threat of Aberrants and banned research into Flesh Alchemy.

"Only Princess Christina's father – Gustav II – was an exception. Not only did he not prohibit research, but he also recruited a large number of scholars to Chuk Klona Fortress for consultations regarding the ultimate host of the mysterious substance – Princess Christina.

"At that time, I thought he was trying to save his daughter. But I never expected that Gustav II was actually researching ways to control Aberrants to satisfy his ambition of dominating the world!

"He succeeded later. Chuk Klona Fortress was renamed Blood Ring Fortress, and the Aberrant legions of the Blood Ring marched west, conquering Denmark in one fell swoop! Gustav quickly gained control of the Scandinavian Peninsula, conquered the territories of the Slavs, and crowned himself Emperor.

"After the Blood Ring Fortress controlled Northern Europe, their invasion did not stop. As you can see, they have now crossed the Baltic Sea and are advancing towards Brandenburg."

"I understand everything you've said. It truly is a major secret of this world. It seems my ability to control others with my blood operates on the same principle as the Blood Ring Fortress controlling those Aberrants… After all, the mysterious substance in my body originates from the same source as the mysterious substance in Princess Christina's body," Bai Pu said.

"That's why I like smart men,"

Qin smiled and said, "The principle by which the Blood Ring Fortress controls Aberrants is simple: it uses Christina, the 'Matriarch,' to rewrite the evolution instinct into magic seals of obedience!

"If you can control the mysterious substance within you, you won't need magic seals to control the Aberrants influenced by you. That alchemy potion merely realized your future abilities in advance."

Bai Pu felt a surge of warmth. Although he hadn't awakened yet, the potential of his Evolution Source Blood was already beginning to show.

The two abilities he had displayed so far: the adaptive ability to external damage and the ability to create Aberrant servants, were powerful abilities envied by countless Awakened!

Bai Pu's anticipation for his own awakening grew even stronger.

"As a friend, I must remind you. The enemies you can control with that alchemy potion cannot be stronger than you," Qin said.

Bai Pu nodded in understanding. The item description from the Spirit Realm Will also had the line "Passes strength check." If the target did not pass the strength check, they would become Bai Pu's servant; if they passed the strength check, they would naturally resist the potion's effects.

Bai Pu glanced at the warning prompt from the Spirit Realm rules again. There were still 12 hours and 33 minutes until the Sting Squad entered this plane.

"I still want to know one thing…"