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It's been a year since the end of the Great War and yet there's still dying on a world wide scale. There's a influenza pandemic, commonly known as the Spanish Flu or the Great Influenza epidemic, was a global pandemic that's ravaging the world in the year 1920. The flu became widespread in the western front as the war was winding down, infecting thousands of soldiers who were crowded together in the trenches and training camps. Once the war was over, the disease spread throughout the world, wherever the demobilized soldiers went.

With so many dying, the rebuilding efforts and the economy took a nose drive for the countries that were apart of the war. With the exceptions of the countries that have Klabautermanns, who being shipgirls can’t get sick. The Klabautermanns went to work taking over the jobs that the human workers couldn’t, they’re able to work and take care of the sick without fear of getting sick themselves. Which also let them take advantage of how thanks to the flu killing lots of soldiers and quarantined other soldiers, there is little that the other countries can do to stop them.

The German colonies have been sized by the Japanese during the war, were taken back by the German Klabautermanns sent to the Pacific Ocean. Same went for the eastern parts of Russia, where the weaken Japanese army couldn’t stand the Russian Klabautermanns. Tsarina Sunset had given the Japanese her terms for the reclaiming of the lands her father lost, pointing out that unlike the human army and navy. There is no mismanagement of resources, equipment, or training, that was shown during the battle to reclaim what was lost once the due date had passed. The Japanese had dragged their feet and tried to rework the terms, and Sunset once the date to leave had past, sent in her forces to force them out.

Sunset has her eyes and strengthening Russia’s influence in Asia, and thanks to her summoning more Roman Klabautermanns numbering in the hundreds of thousands she has the army needed to completely control her massive nation. Thanks to the vast size and inhospitality of much of the country, made controlling much of the nation in named only. But now with the Klabautermanns, that’s no longer an issue in getting railroads built or having the soldiers needed to maintain the hold. The new military might of the Russian Empire has been strengthened by war and the Klabautermanns aren’t like the disorganized human soldiers.

Sunset decided to make a statement by invading Korea that has been annexed by Japan. Both to kick the Japanese off the mainland and show them that there’s nothing they can do to stop her. Her father lost much of the nation’s prestige losing to Japan, and she’s going to get it back. And to show the Japanese that she isn’t like her father.

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Korea -

Sunjong of Korea, personal name Yi Cheok, also known as the Yunghui Emperor stood in front of a large mirror that acted like a radio but both can see and talk to each other. The mirror also translates their words so that each could understand each other without using a translator. They’re in the royal palace in the throne room, the sister ships Evstafi and Ioann Zlatoust, pre-dreadnought battleships are the ones who lead the invasion force are with him.

The Russian Klabautermanns have overrun the harbors that had any Japanese warships, capturing them and the military personnel. A bunch of Roman Klabautermanns who are Asian had dressed up and had sneaked close to the bases and the warships off shore on small fishing boats. Where they sprung the ambush, taking the soldiers by surprise before the rest of the Russian invasion force came in. They lost some Klabautermanns but compared to the Japanese, they came out on top seeing how many of the Japanese soldiers had either died or are bed ridden by the flu that is sweeping the world leaving much of the port under defended. All the warships, equipment, supplies are now spoils of war.

“I have no intentions of claiming Korea for myself. I’m simply making a statement to the Japanese about the new Russia, I’m building. But seeing how I am freeing your kingdom from the Japanese, we can come to an agreement that both of us can be happy with. I can even provide you with your own Klabautermanns, they been a great help in providing medicine for my people and keeping them supplied with what they need. For some trade agreements and a safe port for any Russian ships,” Sunset said.

“You would give me Klabautermanns?” Yi Cheok asked.

“Yes, having an allied nation on the pacific would be helpful. All, I want from you is to be allied with my country, trade deals, and a port for Russian ships. And as an added bonus it will teach the Japanese that anything they claim, I can take away,” Sunset said.

“This will make you and Japan enemies,” Yi Cheok said.

“I know, and I welcome them to try,” Sunset said. “For the ritual, I do need you to choose an item to be the magic tool used to command the Klabautermanns. The sultan Mehmed has the sword, uncle has the scepter, the Americans have their first president’s sword, while I have the crown of Dusk. There is still time to decide, my forces are still handling what’s left of the Japanese forces and the spoils of war is yours to sweeten the deal.”

“You freed my country and giving me so much and asking for so little,” Yi Cheok said.

“I’m planning long term and planning ahead. I need to make new alliances seeing how my extended family didn’t help mine in our time of need. Helping you and your country will help me, regain what my father lost. He was a good father but as a ruler, he left much to be desired. Making war with Japan without even making sure that the army was up to it was a failure that he continued to do while he in charge. And with the flu killing off so many, it has left the other nations without Klabautermanns weaken. Well… American Klabautermanns are still not happy with their nation, remember to treat them well and keep them happy,” Sunset said.

“I keep that in mind,” Yi Cheok said and thought of something. “I heard that you’re a copy, does that mean you can just be brought back to life by using another copy?”

“Yes, as the whole thing of bringing someone back to life is just a story. It’s impossible to bring someone back to life once they’re dead and their bodies are cold. You can bring someone back to life by restarting their heart or get them breathing again for ones who drown. But someone who is stone cold dead and for a long time, that’s just a fantasy. But if you have the memories of that person saved somewhere, you can bring a copy of that person back to life,” Sunset explains.

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Moscow -

Underneath the Kremlin, Baba Yaga and a team of Klabautermanns were searching the underground tunnels for the lost library of Ivan the Terrible. They’re joined by Ignatius Yakovlevich Stelletskii, a Russian and Soviet archaeologist, historian, and researcher of the tunnels of Moscow. He was known to make searches for the library of Ivan the Terrible all throughout his life. (2)

Baba Yaga is using a Volshebnij klubok (magical ball of string), the ball rolls towards to what you’re looking for, which is why she gave it to Stelletski as his desire to find the library and the ancient books inside. They already found the maze of tunnels that help to protect the library. She’s making sure that the library doesn’t have any books of magic in it.

“Thanks to the church claiming everything magical is the worm of the devil, vast collections of magic books and items have been destroyed. Ivan’s library would be one of the few places that would have a book of magic spells in it,” Baba Yaga said to Stelletski.

“And why you’re searching for it,” Stelletski said.

“Yes and the books even if there isn’t any magic kept there are still priceless treasures. Sunset is having all ancient books copied so that there be new copies of the books, so that they won’t be lost to time. I remember some books that are now gone because of the fact all books had to be hand written to be copied and the knowledge and stories within gone,” Baba Yaga said.

“Don’t you remember some?” Stelletski ask.

“Some but going just by memory would leave lots of the details out. I can only remember the parts that stuck with me. I am hundreds of years old and remembering things from hundreds of years ago is like you trying to remember your childhood,” Baba Yaga said. (3)

They stop at a wall that Baba Yaga raised her hand and the wall crack as it was broken in the outline of a door. The new door slid forward and it was move to the side allowing the lights from the Klabautermanns rigs to shine into the hole. The chamber is the lost library of Ivan, bookshelves and cabinets are filled with books and scrolls that have been locked away for hundreds of years.

“A lost treasure,” Baba Yaga said scanning the room and wondering what she would find inside.

“It’s here,” Stelletski said looking at the books and scrolls. Many of the books bond in covers what have gold, silver, gems on them. (4)

“Call in the others, we box all of them and go through them on the surface,” Baba Yaga said to the Klabautermanns with her.

Baba Yaga scans the bookshelves looking for any books on magic and did find some.

The Spells of Astoroth, (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)

Grimorum Arcanorum (Gargoyles)

The Lemurian Codex (Mighty Max)

Books that were lost to time thanks to idiots who didn’t know or care what is lost, only caring about today and not tomorrow. Resulting in an unsustainable raiding where they killed everyone and took everything leaving nothing behind. And when the horde ran out of easy targets and couldn’t do anymore raids, they turn on each other or just died out.

Her tsarina is making sure that the mistakes of her father wouldn’t be repeated nor would the failures her grandfathers with their rule. She plans on advancing Russia from the backwards kingdom it is and raised the standards of living for her people. And with the world having to deal with the world wide flu, she’s able to take advantage of the situation while the other countries are weak.

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Author's Note

1 - The Spanish Flu or the Great Influenza epidemic either killed more people who died in WW2 at the lowest, or more then both world wars at the highest.

2 - There are lots of tales of lost treasures that do turn out to be true.

3 - Trying to remember things years ago is hard, like early childhood. All I can remember is waking up in my bed one day when I was still in the single digits in age and nothing else before that.

4 - The books in the time before the printing press, are all hand written and the illustrations and covers are very detailed with some lace with gold and gems to increase the value.