Ivette was still skeptical, but this was Qin's home turf. She gave Gu Ning a deep look, then followed Gunnar to meet the lord.
Only Qin and Gu Ning remained in the room.The atmosphere was slightly ambiguous.Qin pulled Gu Ning to sit on the bed, giving him a gentle push.Gu Ning hadn't expected Qin, who looked like a delicate scholar, to possess such strength. He was knocked over onto the bed. When he tried to prop himself up, Qin pressed a finger against his chest."Relax, I'm just giving you a physical examination."Qin pulled a red-rimmed magnifying glass from her black robe collar and leaned in to examine the wound on Gu Ning's chest inch by inch."Your constitution is indeed unique. Normally, if someone is scratched by a Plaguebearer and not treated in time, they'll soon transform into a new one. But you managed to hold out for so long, even retaining enough strength to fight… There must be some mysterious substance in your body acting as an antibody."She paused, then continued, "However, this mysterious substance seems to have been injected postnatally and forcibly fused. You can't control its power freely—otherwise, you wouldn't need me to detoxify you."Listening to Qin's words, Gu Ning felt admiration. The "mysterious substance" she referred to was clearly the Evolution Source Blood!He couldn't control it voluntarily, only activating its adaptive defense through being attacked. This was due to not having awakened yet. Perhaps after awakening, that would change."Scholar Qin, can you help me master this power?" Gu Ning sat up and pulled his torn linen shirt closed. "My home was destroyed by the Blood Ring. I want revenge.""Our goals align. But before I agree to help, I'll need something from you as well," Qin said with a smile.Gu Ning felt a chill down his spine as he looked at her smile.That look—Qin's eyes reminded him exactly of Director Zhao from the Superpower Group…As if she were gazing at a rare and precious experimental subject."What do you need?" Gu Ning asked."Your blood."Qin met his gaze, still smiling. "Don't look at me like that. I'll be careful during the collection process and take all precautions—it won't endanger your life.""I'm not worried about that. I just want to know—what's the purpose of my blood?"Qin answered, "With the Blood Ring's invasion, many people in the Brandon Territory are now harboring the curse of the Flesh Plague. Once it erupts, anyone without compatible physiology will become a Plaguebearer! There'll be no fight left to fight."She paused, then added, "However, your blood can be used to create antibodies against the plague, allowing the infected to recover. In exchange, I can temporarily unlock your power and make an alchemical potion that dramatically boosts your strength for a short time!"Just then, a prompt from the Will of the Spirit Realm appeared.
Side Quest: Blood DonationObjective: Provide 1000ml of blood to Qin.Time Limit: None (equivalent to your remaining time in this plane)Difficulty: C+Reward: Blood of Catalysis
Gu Ning accepted the side quest without hesitation.A C+ difficulty meant no real danger to his life. But this rating was based on Gu Ning's special constitution, already fused with Evolution Source Blood—others attempting it might see the difficulty spike to S.Therefore, the quest reward—Blood of Catalysis—couldn't be measured by the simplicity of a C+ task.
Once Gu Ning agreed, Qin grew visibly excited. She opened her toolbox and began pulling out tools that made Gu Ning's skin crawl.Sharp feather-tipped tubes, the bladder of some unknown animal, bark-fiber rope...Frankly, if not for the C+ difficulty rating, Gu Ning might've bolted from the room. As it was, he could only grit his teeth and let Qin tie off his arm with rope, then insert the feather tube into a vein, silently counting as his blood flowed into the animal bladder...
After several rounds of extraction, even Gu Ning, with a constitution twice as strong as a regular person, grew dizzy and weak.His heart pounded heavily, frantically pumping nutrients and fresh blood to compensate.That familiar sense of hunger returned—like a black hole in his body consuming everything.
Luckily, Qin had prepared dry rations: long strips of hard bread and frozen boar ham. Her maid sliced both thinly and spread them with jam, making them surprisingly tasty.While Gu Ning wolfed down the food, Qin began her research. His part was done once the bloodletting ended—he was no longer needed.Notably, after the extraction, Qin's favorability toward Gu Ning increased by a full 500 points—enough to reach the "friend" level.
Full and satisfied, Gu Ning felt drowsy and drifted off to sleep in Qin's bed.
…When he woke up, there were several new people in the room.Among them was the female knight Ivette, who was giving him a complicated look.Gu Ning stretched, feeling fully recovered.But as his eyes swept over his arm, he was shocked to discover—He had been thoroughly cleaned, and his ragged linen shirt had vanished, replaced by a finely made silk nightgown!No wonder Ivette had that look in her eyes.Gu Ning sat bolt upright. "How long was I asleep… wait, did I pass out?"With a mental attribute of 9, Gu Ning didn't sleep deeply—normally, even the slightest noise could wake him.Yet someone had bathed and redressed him while he slept—he must have been unconscious!Qin chuckled, "Oh? You're awake already? I thought you'd sleep longer after that much blood loss."Ivette: "…""Lady Qin, stop joking. What did you do to me? Why was I unconscious?" Gu Ning asked, displeased. He immediately checked his status panel—no abnormal states. That reassured him somewhat.Qin waved a hand, still smiling. "During collection, I injected you with an extract of Sinora Bloodvine fruit. It helps rapidly replenish blood, but the side effect is deep sleep."Technically, even an elephant would need eight hours. You woke up in four. Amazing! I'm even more curious about your body now."She handed him a red potion with a feather-tipped tube: "Here, your reward."
This potion was clearly the side quest reward—Blood of Catalysis.Gu Ning glanced at it. The Will of the Spirit Realm chimed in:
Blood of Catalysis: Special item, quality unknown. A pure blood essence extracted from a host of Evolution Source Blood. When injected by a host, it grants 7 temporary free attribute points for 120 minutes.Warning: Non-hosts who inject this must pass a power check. Failure results in becoming the Evolution Source Blood host's servant.
"It's good that Mr. Dio woke up early. We're short on time."The speaker was a young man with golden curly beard and long flowing blond hair like a regal lion's mane. He stood in the center of the room, helmetless.Dressed in black-and-gold light armor with a falcon-crested longsword at his side and a wide fur cloak embroidered with gems and threads of gold and silver—his noble status was undeniable.At his side stood a gray-robed scholar and a burly, fully-armored man—likely his retainers.Qin stepped in:"Dio, allow me to introduce: this is the Elector of Brandenburg, Duke of Prussia, the great Lord Friedrich Wilhelm. These are Court Mage Garlan and Lieutenant Zweig."An Elector is a noble with the right to vote in the election of the Roman Emperor—a feudal lord of great power.Gu Ning didn't know much history, but he had heard of Prussia—the predecessor of the German Empire. This Wilhelm Duke was an ancestor of future emperors.But more importantly for Gu Ning: Wilhelm was the final boss of the Brandon faction in this world.
"No need for formalities."Duke Wilhelm raised his hand to halt Gu Ning's salute. "Ivette has briefed me. My aunt, Lady Eleonora, has been captured and is calling for Brandon's elite forces to land in Scania. Even without her message, war between Brandon and the Blood Ring is inevitable."Qin nodded. "Indeed. The Blood Ring's vanguard has already crossed the Baltic Sea. Gustav's ambition isn't limited to Scandinavia—he seeks to conquer all of Europe."Wilhelm said, "I must return to rally the electors and lords, and form a resistance army to counter the Blood Ring's invasion. You must delay the enemy vanguard's progress as much as possible."Court Mage Garlan added, "The vanguard is here to probe our strength and establish forward bases. Killing their commander will delay their main forces' landing."Qin followed up:"His Grace eliminated two Blood Ring outposts during his patrols. Add in the one destroyed by Dio and Ivette—that's three."From the corpses, we recovered sealed orders signed by the vanguard commander. Ivette deciphered the name:'Bloodhand' Gollum."He's a notorious figure from the Blood Ring's conquest of Denmark. His savage style earned him the nickname 'Bloodhand.' Since His Grace is preoccupied, we must eliminate him ourselves. Every bit of strength counts."
The Will of the Spirit Realm issued a new prompt:
Main Quest II: Sever the BloodhandObjective: Kill Blood Ring Vanguard Commander: Bloodhand Gollum.Time Limit: 10 days.Difficulty: SReward: Brandon Merit 500–1500 points (based on contribution)Failure Penalty: Expulsion (equivalent to trial failure)
Now that Gu Ning had chosen his faction, the main storyline was unavoidable.Still, it didn't stop him from bargaining. He looked Qin in the eye."For Brandon, I won't refuse. But you said there's latent power in my body. After this mission, I want your help unlocking it."Qin sighed. "I studied your blood. There is a mysterious substance, but it's not strong enough yet. It needs to double in strength to meet the threshold for activation."
In other words, Gu Ning would need to find a second vial of Evolution Source Blood, then have Qin assist with fusing it to complete the awakening trial and gain full mastery over its abilities."Alright, I'll make it happen. I hope you'll keep your promise then," Gu Ning said.Qin nodded.
The Main Quest II reward prompt quietly updated:
Reward: Brandon Merit 0–1000 points (based on contribution); one chance to fuse Evolution Source Blood (you must supply the blood yourself).
That Evolution Source Blood should be taken from the Scorpion Squad.Gu Ning checked the trial warning:
Countdown to Scorpion Squad entering this plane: 35h 03m 46s.