The 21st year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty firmly controlled all the small countries bordering its territory and those near the ocean, either incorporating them into its territory or stationing troops there.
Like a giant beast that has finished eating all the food it can reach, the next step is to get up and go to a distant place to find food to fill its stomach.
Driven by various forces, the ocean-going fleet was quickly established, led by Prince Zhu Di of the Imperial Family, who commanded a group of elite troops for secular power.
In addition, there are the priestesses of Liuxian Temple, as well as Buddhist and Taoist figures who want to "promote the orthodox tradition and spread the teachings throughout the world".
They set off in a grand and imposing manner.
At this time, the Age of Exploration had not yet begun, and the other continent was still in the barbaric Middle Ages, with England and France in the midst of the Hundred Years' War.
The Ming fleet landed and swept across the land with unstoppable momentum. In just two years, various countries, whether through enticement or force, basically submitted to the Ming Dynasty.
After the war, various factions first sent people to garrison the area, followed by a large influx of merchant fleets that established trading posts and dumped their goods...
The series of movements were performed with great skill.
The fleet returned, carrying many "passengers," including hostages from the royal family, nobles who admired the splendor of the Ming Dynasty, merchants seeking business opportunities, and scholars.
Thorin was a fallen nobleman who pursued the mystical, and could also be called a scholar of the occult.
As the second son of a viscount who had no right of inheritance, Thorin was sent to the church to study from a young age, hoping to become a priest when he grew up.
Here, Thorin developed a thirst for mysterious powers; wizards, mithril, jade tablets, immortality, and the like deeply captivated his gaze.
Afterwards, Thorin tragically died in the maid's bed. Upon returning from the church, he became even more unrestrained in his research on these things.
But the more he studied it, the more insane he became. Nothing, nothing at all. Only a few mysterious traces remained in the world, but everything else was gone.
Just then, the Ming Dynasty attacked. Unlike his other noble relatives who hated the Ming Dynasty to the bone, Thorin was overjoyed!
He witnessed a soldier sprout wings from his back and fly away, and a white-clad Eastern woman chanting a spell that caused the entire castle to explode.
This is the mysterious power that Thorin has been searching for.
He was going to the East to see this great country filled with mystery.
Sailing aboard an Eastern ship, Thorin was surprised to find that he never encountered any terrible storms and always managed to find places to resupply at just the right time.
The white-clad Eastern woman, whom the Ming soldiers respectfully called "priestess," would even take out steaming hot food from a snow-white bag!
All of this invigorated Thorin.
"The port of the Great Ming Dynasty is just ahead!"
The ship's navigator pointed ahead and shouted excitedly, causing a stir among the crew.
Some are anxious, fearing misfortune, while others are full of ambition, looking forward to a new beginning.
Sorin was among the most excited, almost as excited as the Ming soldiers on the ship.
Driven by surging emotions, Thorin seemed to smell the fragrance of mithril, a legendary material that would never fade, representing his purest pursuit.
Even after the fleet docked at the port, they still couldn't move around freely.
The Ming Dynasty was indeed very different. For example, there was no excrement on the streets, and the people of the Ming Dynasty bathed almost every few days.
All of this surprised Sorin, who asked a soldier in broken Ming language:
“Washing away the dirt from your body will lead to the invasion of demons. God does not like a clean body either. You should keep your body dirty so that you can get closer to God.”
"What?" The soldier almost thought the blond-haired devil was telling a joke.
How can he not take a shower? It's so inconvenient for him on the ship, and he has to wipe himself down with water every now and then.
After a long, misunderstanding, the soldiers finally understood that Thorin believed their strength was a blessing from God, and that not bathing was something God liked.
How should I put it? It was quite shocking.
There are even gods who like believers not to bathe.
The soldiers thought for a moment and found the explanation amusing: they did not believe in God, but in Liu Xian, and their strength came from the gifts Liu Xian bestowed upon them when she ascended to godhood.
Sorin then realized that the god of the Ming Dynasty was not the God he had believed in since childhood.
At first, he was naturally upset, but his deep-seated pursuit of the mysterious quickly roused him, and Thorin began to inquire about the deeds of the deity "Willow Fairy".
I gradually learned many stories, and I also learned that the extraordinary woman in white was the priestess of the Willow Immortal Temple.
In his understanding, they were equivalent to bishops in the church, except that they had indeed received "divine grace".
In a state of confusion and curiosity, Thorin entered Nanjing. He was not qualified to meet the emperor of this great country and could only be placed under house arrest.
As time passed, it seemed that they posed no danger, and Thorin became increasingly free.
Walking down the street, he saw a woman playing around and carrying books, and he wrote it down with a quill.
I overheard a vegetable vendor talking to a customer about whether their outstanding children should go to the Liuxian Temple or the imperial academy.
Thorin couldn't believe that acquiring knowledge was so easy, and that people were even scrambling to learn it.
Upon seeing the magnificent and imposing Willow Temple, which resembled a divine palace, Thorin first lingered outside the gate, and then, like a believer, went to pray and worship.
He even made contact with snakes, which were considered the embodiment of "evil" in his country.
All of this was recorded in Thorin's pamphlet, from his initial eagerness to find the mysterious power to his later complete immersion in this great kingdom.
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