"I'm... alright."Gu Ning wasn't quite used to physical contact from women and gently pulled away.That last hit had seemed ferocious, but Gu Ning had taken a small step forward and braced for the attack in advance. The Bloodring Mauler hadn't landed a full-powered blow.At the moment the strike hit his waist, Gu Ning's body twisted like a serpent. His spine drove the deformation through his chest, abdomen, and legs with sharp cracking sounds. It looked horrifying, like his entire body had dislocated.In reality, this kind of distortion served as a highly effective buffer—he had used his whole body to absorb the impact. The actual damage taken was...19 points.Gu Ning still had more than a fifth of his health left. Not exactly healthy, but not on the verge of collapse either.That meant, if he hadn't had defense bonuses against blunt damage, this strike might have done close to 40 points of damage! At that time, he'd only had 30 HP left—he would've died on the spot.The female knight nodded to Gu Ning. "Greetings, warrior. I am Yvette. You have my utmost respect."Gu Ning received a series of messages from the Realm Will.[Combat concluded.][You've unlocked the Combat Proficiency: Basic Archery Lv.1.][Your Combat Proficiency: Basic Melee has increased to Lv.2.][Royal Knight-Initiate Yvette's favorability toward you +300. Current favorability level: Acquaintance.][Royal Knight-Initiate Yvette's favorability toward you +1000. Current favorability level: Friend.]Two favorability boosts? That was a pleasant surprise.Gu Ning had good reason to believe this Yvette was a key native character. His gamble had paid off.Even more exciting—above the Bloodring Mauler's corpse, a blue treasure chest was floating in midair!Though Gu Ning hadn't dealt much damage, he'd taken the brunt of the Mauler's most powerful skill. His contribution to the battle was still significant, hence the chest. However, since Yvette had done the heavy lifting, the chest's quality was probably not top-tier.Natives couldn't see or touch treasure chests—only Awakened could.Of course, natives could loot equipment directly without needing psychic resonance—something Awakened couldn't do.As the militiamen cheered and collected spoils, Gu Ning casually scooped the chest into his storage space. He then nodded politely at Yvette. "Nice to meet you, noble knight. My name is... Dio Frey. You can call me Dio."The Realm Will had auto-adjusted his appearance and clothing. To the natives, he no longer looked like a black-haired, dark-eyed man from Huaxia, but rather a golden-haired, deep-eyed Northerner.This automatic adaptation was based on his original charm stats—his appearance hadn't suffered.Of course, he still had to choose a new name himself. Using his real name wasn't allowed.Just then, Yvette finally removed her helmet and faceguard, revealing her true face.Wavy sea-blue hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyes were the same brilliant blue—quite enchanting. Only her tightly pressed lips gave her a distant, stubborn air.Yvette gazed at Gu Ning's unfairly handsome face, about to speak—when a pair of warm hands suddenly grabbed Gu Ning's."Thanks for your help, Brother Dio! I'm Ingvar!"It was the young militia man who'd asked Gu Ning for advice earlier. He clasped Gu Ning's hand sincerely, introducing himself with great enthusiasm.Gu Ning nodded slightly. "Pleasure to meet you, Brother Ingvar."Ingvar was a bit thin, with brown eyes and a few freckles near his nose. He smiled gratefully. "Brother Dio, if it weren't for you, we'd all be dead."Gu Ning shook his head and turned to Yvette. "It was Lady Yvette who turned the tide. She deserves your thanks."Yvette shook her head. "No, your courage was vital as well."At that moment, a voice interrupted. "Who are you two? Why are you here?"It was the militia captain, badly wounded and now being helped over by two militiamen. He approached Gu Ning, Yvette, and Ingvar."Dio Frey. From a village upstream. My home was destroyed by Bloodring Fortress. I'm here for revenge," Gu Ning explained plainly.He didn't dislike this captain—after all, the man had fought on the front lines and shown courage. His only flaw was a lack of brains."I'm Gunnar."Captain Gunnar nodded to Gu Ning, signaling he accepted the story.[Main Quest I: Choice completed. You've gained an additional 11 hours, 34 minutes, and 33 seconds of free exploration time. This time will activate automatically after all other stays are complete.][You have joined the domain of Branden.][Your reputation within Branden +500. Current reputation rank: Respected.]"Over eleven hours of extra exploration?" Gu Ning shook his head slightly—not particularly excited.Maybe it would be valuable once he became a full-fledged Awakened, but for now, he was still in the trial phase, which already granted 10 days of stay time.Gunnar then turned to Yvette, his gaze lingering on the Bloodring insignia on her breastplate."Yvette, knight of Castle Chrocona," she announced."Castle Chrocona?!" Gunnar recoiled.The other militiamen were confused. "Captain, what about Castle Chrocona?"Gunnar shouted, "Don't go near her! Castle Chrocona isn't its name anymore—it's called Bloodring Fortress now!"Tension rippled through the ranks."I trust what I see with my own eyes," Gu Ning said calmly. "Without Lady Yvette's help, we'd all be dead by now. If she's willing to join Branden, then everything she knows will be invaluable intel!"Apparently, Gu Ning's "Respected" reputation worked—most militiamen accepted his argument. But Gunnar remained cautious."Lady Yvette, if you're from Bloodring Fortress, why are you its enemy now? Tell us your reason!"Yvette shook her head. "I carry a vital mission. I must speak with the Lord of Branden himself. Please take me to Duke Friedrich Wilhelm immediately."Clearly, in Yvette's eyes, a mere militia captain wasn't worth explaining things to.Gunnar hesitated. "The Duke is inspecting the area, but I have no authority to grant you an audience. I can take you to Lady Qin first. She's the Duke's advisor.""I've heard of the learned Lady Qin. A brilliant physician," Yvette replied.She turned to Gu Ning and said with concern, "Mr. Dio, come with me? It'd be better to have Lady Qin treat your wounds."So the favorability points weren't just for show.Gu Ning's risk-taking was beginning to bear fruit. Without Yvette's goodwill, as a mere civilian with no outstanding reputation, he'd never get an audience with the faction's leadership.On the road, Gu Ning kept busy. During a rest break, he opened the blue treasure chest.[You have received 109 psionic points.][You've gained one loot card draw. Current draw count: 1.]Facing 24 neatly arranged blue cards, Gu Ning sighed and tapped one with closed eyes.Shff! The cards flipped, and one revealed an ancient scroll.The rest dissolved into particles along with the blue chest, vanishing into thin air.[You have obtained an Advanced Weapon Proficiency Scroll. Use this scroll to learn Combat Proficiency: Advanced Weaponry (Two-Handed Hammer) Lv.1.]Good news: he pulled a rare drop.Bad news: he couldn't use it yet.Gu Ning sighed and used the scroll anyway. He might not have a two-handed hammer now, but that could change later.As the scroll activated, a surge of knowledge poured into his mind—countless hammer strikes etched themselves into muscle memory.Soon, Gu Ning's character screen showed a new proficiency: "Advanced Weaponry (Two-Handed Hammer) Lv.1."Through related insights, he also unlocked: "Basic Weaponry (One-Handed Hammer) Lv.1." Swinging his bone mace now felt much smoother.…Branden Domain — Stedding Town.Gu Ning and Yvette met with the Duke's advisor: Qin.Qin had long, wavy black hair falling past her shoulders. Her deep brown eyes hid behind suspended lenses, giving her an air of refined intellect.She wore a loose black robe, yet her figure's curves were still noticeable."Greetings."Qin studied Gu Ning carefully. Smiling, she said, "Mr. Dio, your body seems a bit... unusual?"Gu Ning lifted his torn linen shirt, pointing at the purple scratch across his chest. "Bad luck. Got swiped by a Plague Dead.""That's not what I meant…" Qin glanced at Yvette and dropped the topic. Then she smiled. "Still, the Plague Dead's toxins must be neutralized quickly—or you might become the next one."As she spoke, Qin drew a turquoise-inlaid necklace from under her robe and gently pressed it against Gu Ning's chest."I can do it mysel—"Gu Ning reached out to take the necklace, but Qin waved him off. Her pale, elegant fingers traced across his chest with almost playful intent.The warm gemstone circled over his skin, even carrying a hint of a milky scent. Gu Ning's body tensed.He lacked experience and wasn't used to contact with the opposite sex.Qin calmly continued her slow movements while turning to the uneasy Yvette."Lady Yvette, I heard you're from Bloodring Fortress. The Duke and I are curious—why was the peace broken? Why did Bloodring's vanguard cross the Baltic and invade Branden's borders?"Yvette drew in a deep breath. "It was His Majesty who ordered the invasion. I am... the Queen's knight."
"The Queen?" Qin's hand paused slightly. "Do you mean Maria Eleonora? I remember she's the sister of the late Lord Brandon, married off to Sweden due to the friendly ties between the two countries. How is she doing?"
"Not well. Queen Eleonora and Princess Christina have both been placed under house arrest by the King," Yvette replied.
"Gustav? Has he gone mad?"
Qin frowned. "Christina is the origin of the Blood Plague—she carries the original curse! She was the first to come into contact with that cursed meteorite. How could Gustav do anything to her? If Christina loses control, the whole world could be thrown into chaos!"
Yvette shook her head. "His Majesty sees the princess as a source of power. He keeps extracting her blood for research, using it to create the Blood Ring army. Even the Queen, who originally disliked the princess, couldn't accept such actions. She opposed the King—and that's why both of them were put under house arrest."
"So Queen Eleonora sent you to Brandon to seek aid?" Qin asked.
Yvette nodded.
"I see. Then it seems war between Brandon and the Blood Ring is inevitable."
Qin loosened her black robe's collar and placed the turquoise necklace back between her breasts. "Go see Duke William."
The purplish-green toxin on Gu Ning's chest had completely disappeared. He stood up and said, "I'll go with her to the audience."
Since he had joined Brandon, getting acquainted with the boss wasn't a bad idea.
"Hold on a moment." Qin's gaze toward Gu Ning turned slightly intense. "To be honest, I'm very interested in your body…"
"Ahem!"
Yvette quickly cut off Qin's bold remark. "Lady Qin, you are Duke William's advisor. Please mind your status… Even if you have designs on Dio Fulai, you shouldn't make such invitations in public!"
"You've misunderstood," Qin said with a playful smile. "My interest in Dio isn't limited to what you think… I'm more curious about his physical constitution. I'd like to study it. Dio's body might just be the key to resisting the Blood Ring."