The Flame of Civilization

"During this week-long operation, the France Navy captured three pirate ships and sank two that attempted to resist, significantly improving the safety of the Mediterranean Sea shipping lanes. This newspaper interviewed Admiral Treville stated that the France Navy is the most advanced and powerful navy in the world, fully capable of safeguarding the peace and tranquility of the Olympic Games. He told us that ensuring free trade is the sacred mission of the France Navy, and any act of piracy that undermines free trade is a provocation against France's dignity and interests—an intolerable act. He warned those forces that condone piracy not to assume that France's tolerance is limitless. Those despicable insects who dare to violate France dignity, no matter where they flee—even if they escape to Antarctica and impersonate penguins—we will capture them and hang them on the mast in penguin skin."

Two years ago, a French Navy cruiser carrying naturalists from the University of Paris on a round-the-world expedition discovered the Antarctica and found a giant penguin species there, which could stand 1.2 to 1.3 meters tall. This penguin was named the Augustus Penguin.

Pauline's toy factory immediately launched a series of penguin toys based on this discovery. The largest of them were even big enough for a person to hide inside. Hence, the general Treville said something like that.

This idea reportedly inspired Pauline so much that she created a comic book called Pirate Penguin, completely changing the originally cute and adorable penguin image.

Led by France, the Spain Navy also joined the ranks of those upholding free trade. Compared to the Spain Navy, the Spanish French Navy was a generation behind. Their navy was still sail-powered, and its strength was entirely understandable to the Barbary Pirates. Their approach was more aggressive than the France; instead of Upstream to search for potential pirate ships, they directly anchored outside the cannon range of the ports of several Barbary Pirates nations, monitoring these ports and directly intercepting and boarding any ships attempting to enter or leave the ports.

This practice was intolerable to the Pashas, who protested to the Spain and France consulates. However, France consulates responded that this was a retaliation for the Barbary Pirates' treacherous piracy, and that the blockade would continue if the hijacked ships and Spain were not returned as soon as possible.

Furthermore, as a further tactic to exert pressure, Spain and France began reducing staff at their consulates in the Barbary States. This practice can often be interpreted as preparation for a potential future war.

After bribing officials at the France and Spain consulates, they received the following information. "France will have very significant initiatives at the Olympic Games, and the First Consul will use this event to advance further. In this process, France must ensure stability and harmony in the surrounding area."

The pashas also had an in-depth discussion about the current situation and decided to form an alliance to protect themselves. However, they also decided to grit their teeth and endure the hardship, and not to go out and rob again in the near future. They felt that the France were, after all, old friends, and as long as they didn't blatantly offend the France, the France should still be reasonable.

The Olympic torch relay has begun. Turkey is quite reluctant to carry out such pagan activities, so the relay within Turkey is quite simple. The torch, which is being passed north to Russia, travels by boat through the Aegean Sea Turkey, across the Dardanelles Strait and Bosporus Strait, into the Black Sea, and then continues north along the Dnieper River until it enters Russia.

During this process, the torch was actually kept in a "tinder box," which was actually just a finely crafted lantern.

Upon entering Russia territory, the France escorting the torch received a warm welcome from the Russia. Bagration personally led a battalion of cavalrymen wearing black bearskin hats to greet them. As the France ran off the ship carrying the torch, Bagration's cavalrymen drew their sabers and cheered, "Hurrah!" This startled the Turkey on the ship, who nearly drew their guns in preparation for resistance.

However, the savage Russia did not rush up to kill people as usual; they simply cheered around the torch.

The Turkey didn't quite understand why these Russia were so happy. Unlike the Turkey, the Russia had always held a sense of admiration and crisis towards Europe.

Since Peter the Great's reforms, learning from the West has become a fundamental direction for Russia. Faced with the brilliant culture and science of Europe after the Renaissance, Russia lacked confidence and always had a worry that "we might be expelled from the ranks of civilized people."

During the reign of Catherine the Great, Russia once felt they had escaped this anxiety, even harboring the illusion that they were destined to lead the world. However, with the rise of France, Russia's glory has dimmed. Many Russia students who came to France painfully experienced the vast gap between Russia and advanced nations. Worse still, this gap is not only large, but it is widening daily. As one student put it, "Every day in France can be seen as a month, or even a year, in Russia."

In this context, the anxiety of "whether we will be expelled from the ranks of civilized people" intensified. Under these circumstances, the France, in their revival of the great Greece and Rome civilization, did not forget Russia and even intended to send the sacred flame Russia. The Russia viewed this as an acknowledgment and praise of Russia civilization.

Upon receiving this news, the first thought that popped into the minds of most Russia nobles was, "We remain an indispensable part of the civilizational landscape."

In this atmosphere, coupled with Russia's long-standing self-identification as the successor to the Eastern Roman Empire, and the Olympic tradition originating from the Eastern Roman Empire, the Russia saw the torch relay as a symbol of the transmission of the flame of civilization originating in Greece throughout the world. The fact that the torch had a separate route from Russia to other regions was practically a silent affirmation of Russia legitimacy. Therefore, it's not surprising that the Olympic torch received such a warm welcome in Russia. However, if Napoleon knew their thoughts, he would most likely have told them, "You're overthinking it."

Bagration stepped forward himself, holding a prepared torch. He lit it over a fire and slowly raised it high. The surrounding soldiers then shouted "Hurrah!" once more.

Bagration listened with satisfaction to the soldiers' cheers. At that moment, the France handed their tinder boxes to the Russia who had come to receive the tinder. They would then travel by ship back to France with France Turkey —a journey by water was safer and faster than by land.