A new order arrives from dictator KKF Simakov, and Count Alexander Mechnikov leaves his homeland once again, setting out on the road. He and his company, together with settlers and their families, must colonize the shores of the savage Iberian Peninsula. The task is difficult, because Spain is the stronghold of cannibal tribes who aren’t thrilled about outsiders. But the count has no intention of retreating, and his warriors believe in their strength. So before long, a Cuban fort appears in the Pyrenees. Russian ships raid England and make trading expeditions to the Baltic and the North Sea. Search parties gather weapons and valuable trophies that remained under the rubble of cities. Diplomats hold negotiations and hire Scandinavian vikings and Petersburg pawnbreakers. Builders restore infrastructure and erect fortifications. And when hordes of savages, like an unstoppable tornado, roll into the count’s lands, he meets them the way he’s used to—holding a weapon in his hands.