In 17th century Russia, chaos reigned until the new Tsar, Mikhail I, ascended to the throne, marking the start of the Romanov Dynastyâs rule.
Mikhail was not considered a founding emperor. His rise to power was largely due to his fatherâthe Eastern Orthodox Great Shepherd, Philaretâs reputation. The relationship between them was quite similar to that of Cao Pi and Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period.
When the Blood Ring Empire expanded its territory, they captured Philaret alive.
The Blood Ring Emperor, Gustav, intended to use Philaretâs reputation to rule over the Slavs, so he refrained from killing or transforming him, choosing instead to imprison him.
Philaretâs "unyielding resolve" in the face of Gustav earned him enormous political prestige.
As a result, during the public selection at the "gentry assembly," the majority of the Russian nobility elected Philaretâs son, Mikhail Romanov, to ascend as Tsar.
After the disintegration of the Blood Ring Empire, Great Shepherd Philaret returned to his country.
Philaret possessed tough and sophisticated political skills. Upon his return, the actual power of the Russian Empire unsurprisingly fell into his hands, making him the de facto "Supreme Emperor."
It was his idea for his son to marry the Regent Empress Dowager of the Swedish Empire.
On the surface, Qinâs status was noble. After marrying Tsar Mikhail I, Russia gained a legitimate reason to intervene in the Scandinavian Peninsulaâs affairs. Given time, it was even possible for the Tsar to simultaneously hold the title of Swedish King.
Personally, Qin was the worldâs top Flesh and Blood Alchemist, fully involved in the development of the Blood Ring Curse Seal and new seals! Securing Qin was equivalent to receiving much of the Blood Ring Fortressâs legacy.
The calculation was about to go into overdrive.
"Which side does the naval force cutting the sea trade line belong to?" Bai Pu inquired.
"Itâs the navy dispatched by King Christian IV of Denmark," Qin replied.
"Then letâs address the issue with Denmark first,"
Bai Pu said, "As for Tsarist Russia, weâll deal with them once we have the time."
"To restore the route, we must defeat the Danish navy, but our navy is too weak," Qin remarked.
Due to Gustavâs military focus on the army, organizing battles to conquer Norway, Denmark, and various other Northern European countries, the Swedish Empire did not establish maritime supremacy.
Developing a navy was not something achievable overnight, as building warships required time, and finding timber of the appropriate age for the keel, the main material, required even more time!
Bai Pu said, "Thereâs no need to neglect the long for the short; while the Danish navy is strong, they might not be on land."
Bai Pu had previously studied the map. Malmo City in southern Sweden was very close to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, separated by the "Oresund Strait," at its narrowest only four to five kilometers wide.
"But to send troops to Denmark proper, we need a large fleet," Qin stated.
"No need for such trouble, just send me over alone."
Bai Pu said, "Denmark was once conquered by the Blood Ring Fortress, long marked by the deep imprint of the Flesh and Blood Plague. This is home field advantage for us."
Denmarkâs current army, led by and comprising Qualified at its core, had ordinary militia at the lower levels. Bai Puâs Flesh and Blood Plague Fluctuation was ineffective against these forces.
However, Denmark was once ravaged by the Flesh and Blood Plague, with many Dead Plague victims and even elite mutants still present in the country. Bai Pu could leverage the intimidation of the Primordial Heart, alongside Qinâs Curse Seal Scroll, to enslave many of these scattered Blood Ring monsters.
Qinâs eyes lit up, smiling as she said, "Exactly. Iâll help you make the Blood Ring Curse Seal Scroll."
"The current problem is, I need a ticket that allows me to stay in this world for a long period,"
Bai Pu said, "Relying only on the Countâs Badge means my time in this world is very limited. I currently have just five days remaining, and I donât want to exhaust this precious time entirely."
If Bai Pu used this five-day grace period now, he wouldnât be able to return swiftly should another situation arise later.
"You mentioned before that the Spirit Realm Ticket is a spiritual item with special historical significance, so I specifically prepared a few for you to see if they work."
With a wave of Qinâs hand, several lustrous items appeared on the table in front of Bai Pu.
The Imperial Seal of Empress Christina.
Empress Christinaâs Pearl Necklace.
Empress Christinaâs Coronation Crown.
"Why are they all Christinaâs things..." Bai Pu picked up the three items, but received prompts indicating that he did not have ownership, thus he could not take them out of this world or activate the Spiritual Particles Resonance.
Qin frowned, saying, "None of these work? Then thereâs nothing else I can do."
"Itâs primarily an issue of ownership. If I find an item with historical significance from my own Lordâs Mansion, it should suffice."
Everything within the Lordâs Mansion belonged to Bai Pu.
Of course, Bai Pu couldnât just pluck a blade of grass as a Spirit Realm Ticket; it needed to have some value and historical significance.
It should be noted that if Qin placed valuable items not belonging to Bai Pu in the Lordâs Mansion, Bai Pu still couldnât obtain ownership because of the Spirit Realm Willâs intelligent judgment.
Bai Pu surveyed the room and eventually picked up a decorative sword hanging on the wall.
This decorative sword was crafted by the blacksmith shop within Bai Puâs territory as part of the tangible tax.
When Bai Pu picked up the decorative sword and silently considered using it as a Spirit Realm Ticket, the Spirit Realm Will quickly provided an indication.
[Ownership check passed. The item meets conditions for generating a Spirit Realm Ticket Base Material.]
[Based on your rank: Lieutenant, you have the authority to convert it into a Spirit Realm Ticket Anchor. Please pay 5000 Spiritual Points.]
Bai Pu chose to pay, then directly used the ticket.
The glow of Spiritual Particles on the decorative sword shimmered and ultimately turned into a stream of smoke-like particles, merging into Bai Puâs body.
The decorative sword disappeared this way.
[Youâve used a Spirit Realm Ticket. Youâve gained (2) days of free exploration time. Please trigger the main quest within 2 days, or else youâll be deported.]
Before Bai Pu could react, the Spirit Realm Will provided another prompt:
[Main Quest 1: Maritime Lifeline]
[Quest Objective: Restore the unobstructed Swedish sea routes.]
[Quest Difficulty: A]
[Quest Deadline: 10 days.]
[Quest Rewards: Blood of the Mad Lion Potion; Sweden Empire Reputation 300~1000]
[Failure Penalty: Exile]
Qin, as the Swedish Regent Empress Dowager, is a very important World Waymark. Not to mention the mere Main Quest 1, even Main Quest 2 could be easily triggered.
As for the reward "Blood of the Mad Lion," itâs a Flesh and Blood Alchemy Potion crafted by Qin, boosting Power and Agility Attributes by 15 points each, for 30 minutes.
Such prime-quality rewards are already the highest grade within A-level quests, also the best Qin can provide within limitations.
One might ask what significance these rewards hold; Bai Pu could directly obtain potions from Qin for use.
Itâs simple; this potion is something Bai Pu can take out of this world.
Bai Pu, in the Flesh and Blood Plague world, uses other potions crafted by Qin. After leaving the Flesh and Blood Plague world, when a needed occasion arises, he can then use this Blood of the Mad Lion Potion, thatâs the significance.