Recaps

The elven navy stormed Sound of the Tide Manor and captured Luent Tinston and other members of the family over their suspected role in the riots. As raids and arrests spread across Distant Harbor, Kang De reviewed the growing list of suspects at dawn.

• Kang De ordered the arrest of the Tinston Family after Horus gathered evidence linking them to the riots and an imperial spy.
• Commodore Kavisalong led the elven navy's assault on Sound of the Tide Manor, breaching its defenses and defeating its guards.
• Kavisalong killed the family’s mage defender, and the elves captured Luent Tinston and several relatives.
• Luent accused Kang De of oppression and claimed his son had gone to the imperial capital for help, while the elves mocked his faith in the Empire.
• Horus directed further interrogations as allied forces swept through Distant Harbor businesses and made more arrests.
• At dawn, Kang De examined the expanding list of suspects and picked up a red marker.

Kang De assigned the forces that had crushed Distant Harbor’s rebellion to hunt fugitives, manage prisoners, and restore seized businesses, then ordered a public reckoning for the condemned traitors. He sent Colonel Henry to rally the city behind the executions while he prepared to leave briefly and asked Lily to notify the Dragon Emperor.

• Kang De reviewed reports from the three commanders, approved rewards for the soldiers, and assigned Kavisalong, Niola, and Henry Baker to pursue fugitives, oversee the reformation camp, and reopen seized businesses.
• Kavisalong and Niola discussed Henry’s brutal interrogations and his efforts to win Kang De’s favor, then considered the military power Kang De could build from the three nations’ forces.
• Kang De gave Henry a list of condemned traitors and ordered him to secure a joint statement, public executions, and the city’s participation in deciding the punishments.
• Kang De told Lily that the Dragon Emperor should come speak with him soon because he planned to leave for a day or two; Lily agreed to pass on the message.
• Lily offered to accept 0.5 percent of Kang De’s shares, but Kang De refused, and she shut the door on his lewd reply.

Kang De rejected Distant Harbor’s proposed punishments and demanded that nobles who betrayed the city lose their titles and be punished more harshly than commoners. His declaration that he would hold the powerful accountable sent the city’s nobles into an uproar, while a gray-haired man saw an opportunity in the turmoil.

• Kang De learned that Distant Harbor had sentenced its noble conspirators to honorable hanging and its commoner accomplices to brutal executions, then ordered Colonel Henry to tell the nobles to reconsider.
• Kang De pressured Henry to understand that noble status would not protect the guilty, and Henry agreed to deliver the warning.
• Colonel Henry told the assembled nobles that Kang De had rejected their verdict and demanded that the traitors be stripped of their noble status before trial and execution as commoners.
• Kang De addressed the Justice Hall, arguing that powerful nobles should pay far more for their crimes than impoverished commoners, and threatened to punish Goth’s ruling class.
• After Kang De’s words provoked panic and anger, a gray-haired man seized his son’s wrist and said their fortune had come.

Han Zezheng sought to bring his family into Kang De’s service, hoping to secure their future among the Cathayan diaspora in Distant Harbor. Kang De declined a binding oath for now and asked Han for a favor instead.

• Han Zezheng and Han Guangcheng met Colonel Henry outside City Hall, and Han asked him to arrange an audience with Kang De; Henry returned Han’s jeweled watch and agreed to pass along the request.
• Han Zezheng explained to his son that he wanted to serve Kang De early, both to gain favor and to protect the Han family from the Goth nobles if Kang De’s confrontation with them went badly.
• Henry presented Kang De with information about the Han family, and Kang De agreed to meet them, praising Henry’s preparations.
• Kang De spoke with Han Zezheng about the hardships Cathayans faced in Distant Harbor, and Han offered his family’s allegiance unto death.
• Kang De rejected the binding oath, telling Han that they could help each other as fellow wanderers, then asked him for a favor.

Distant Harbor’s nobles rejected Kang De’s demand to strip the rebel nobles of their titles before executing them, and rallied around a joint protest. Han Zezheng returned from meeting Kang De, announced his support for the ultimatum, and revealed Kang De’s offer to rebuild Distant Harbor’s maritime trade; the chapter ended as the crowd shouted for him to repeat the promise.

• Distant Harbor’s nobles rejected Kang De’s demand and the governor organized them to sign a protest and boycott the next day’s execution.
• The hall panicked when its doors opened, then calmed after judicial officers cast spells and discovered Han Zezheng standing there.
• Han Zezheng recalled that Kang De had rejected his offer of allegiance but invited him to cooperate through shared interests and mutual gain.
• Han Zezheng declared that he had visited Kang De and brought his ultimatum demanding the rebel nobles lose their titles and face the lowborn’s punishment.
• Han Zezheng announced that Kang De would meet with supporters after the execution to discuss making Distant Harbor the Endless Ocean’s leading maritime trade center, prompting calls to hear the promise again.

Kang De hosted the Dragon Emperor while Han Zezheng read the charges against Distant Harbor’s traitors, and the two powerful men tested each other’s intentions. They ended on friendly terms after Kang De explained that he was paying and feeding citizens to attend the executions so they would trust that he kept his word.

• Kang De was absent from the public trial as Han Zezheng read the charges against Distant Harbor’s accused traitors.
• The Dragon Emperor thanked Kang De for saving Lily and the eight dragons, then warned that Kang De’s power could bring the era to an end.
• Kang De and the Dragon Emperor argued over whether Kang De and his Paradox Element were too dangerous to leave unchecked, until Lily interrupted them.
• Kang De and the Dragon Emperor joked about a marriage alliance and agreed they were both suspicious of each other.
• Kang De explained that each citizen who attended the executions would receive a silver coin and a meal in exchange for registering their identity and address.
• The Dragon Emperor praised Kang De’s plan to earn the citizens’ trust by keeping his promise, and the two men laughed together.

Kang De and the Dragon Emperor became allies through a deal involving tablet distribution, dragon-backed weapons, and Kang De’s plans for Distant Harbor and the Broken Isles. As executions began in the city, Kang De watched the cheering crowd and toasted the ignorance and madness he intended to destroy.

• Kang De gave the Dragon Emperor a tablet showing evidence of Cuixisi’s betrayal, and they agreed to sell devices and cooperate on future content.
• Kang De told the Dragon Emperor he wanted to become one of the most powerful figures in Distant Harbor by reshaping its trade and first making the Broken Isles less prosperous.
• Kang De proposed arming dragons with his weapons, and the Dragon Emperor agreed to lend support after Kang De visited the Broken Isles.
• Kang De explained that he wanted to improve the peasants’ lives because they did not deserve their suffering, and the Dragon Emperor agreed to partner with him while remaining wary.
• Kang De gave the Dragon Emperor two power banks and explained that the tablet would need recharging, prompting the Dragon Emperor to curse and laugh before leaving.
• Kang De and Lily watched nobles being executed as the crowd cheered, and Kang De raised his tea in a toast to the ignorance and madness he planned to destroy.

After negotiating a strategic partnership with the Dragon Emperor, Kang De accepted eight dragon mercenaries and began distributing food, money, and identity tags to Distant Harbor’s residents. Watching a starving fisherman eat instant noodles, Kang De explained that he wanted the city’s trust to become its most valuable currency.

• Kang De negotiated Dragon Island’s support against the Broken Isles in exchange for cooperation on trade, technology, and weapons.
• The Dragon Emperor sent eight former conservative dragons to serve Kang De as mercenaries, and Kang De agreed to cover their expenses and arrange training through Horus.
• Kang De and Lily visited the distribution points, where Horus organized residents into lines and exposed a man who had tried to collect rewards under a false identity.
• Horus registered Rick Leyer, gave him an identity tag, a silver coin, and food, and warned him not to eat in the crowded street.
• Kang De followed Rick into an alley and watched him weep as he ate the instant noodles, telling Lily that this was the outcome he sought.

Kang De used food, silver, and a promise of jobs to win over Distant Harbor’s commoners, while his lavish banquet impressed the city’s military and elites. As he began reviewing the day’s results, the nobles opposing him met in secret and resolved to test whether he could keep feeding the city.

• Kang De’s order announced that Distant Harbor would soon hire workers, who could use their wages to buy meals, and the city’s commoners celebrated.
• A poor family saved some of its food and silver, and the father vowed to join Kang De’s hiring program so they could eat well regularly.
• At Sound of the Tide Manor, Kang De hosted a buffet banquet that astonished the city’s officials, merchants, and military guests with abundant sweets and modern foods.
• Kang De’s soldiers and the Survey Corps also received lavish food, winning over troops who had envied the commoners’ meals.
• Kang De called a meeting with fleet commanders, Han Zezheng, and two turncoat representatives to review the day’s results.
• Nobles opposing Kang De gathered in secret and decided to challenge his influence by seeing whether he could feed the entire city.

Kang De used Distant Harbor’s execution ceremony to win over ordinary residents and ordered economic pressure against his opponents. He planned Blue Fly Academy and a military camp to educate and train the city’s children, then turned his attention to those responsible for the conditions that had left children begging on the streets.

• Horus reported that roughly 235,000 residents attended the executions, and Kang De ordered a targeted campaign to drain his opponents’ workers and businesses.
• Niola and Kavisalong showed interest in Kang De’s sugar and spices, but Kang De told them to carry gifts and messages to their governments while remaining his prisoners.
• Kang De ordered Niola, Han Zezheng, and the others to identify skilled people and proposed Blue Fly Academy for the children of those working for him.
• After Henry Baker suggested orphanages for homeless young beggars, Kang De rejected the idea and laid out a plan to house, train, educate, and eventually employ them through a children’s military camp.
• Kang De directed the group to identify and deal with the people whose actions had driven children into poverty and onto the streets.

Kang De reflected on the dead enemy whose cruelty toward a beggar child had shaped his vengeance, while Lily recognized how his efforts to help Distant Harbor’s orphans were tied to that past. The next morning, Han Zezheng warned Kang De that his opponents might use a grain shortage to provoke panic, leaving Kang De to ask what they should do.

• Kang De ended the banquet with a toast that promised a greater feast after another victory, reminding the guests of his enemies’ impending ruin.
• Lily guessed that Kang De’s rage came from a dead enemy who had made a beggar child suffer, and Kang De admitted he was improving the lives of orphans to make that enemy’s kind suffer by comparison.
• Lily softly meowed at Kang De, then left in embarrassment; Horus revealed he had recorded the moment and used the footage to bargain with Kang De.
• Horus demanded that Kang De find someone to take over his overwhelming workload, and Kang De reluctantly agreed to put the search on his agenda.
• Han Zezheng reported that Distant Harbor’s grain prices were likely to rise as rumors triggered panic buying, and Kang De asked him to predict what would happen next and propose a response.

Han Zezheng explained how Distant Harbor’s powerful families could weaponize a grain shortage and why they expected Kang De to avoid confronting them. After accepting Han Zezheng’s loyalty, Kang De decided to turn their scheme into a trap, and Han said the plan required imported grain backed by force.

• Han Zezheng described how Distant Harbor’s allied nobles, merchants, and officials could disrupt grain shipments while blaming Kang De for the resulting famine.
• Han Zezheng explained that the continent’s nobles were watching Kang De and would see further violence against Distant Harbor’s powerful families as an attack on their privileges.
• Han Zezheng told Kang De that Cathay’s former strength had once secured respect for its people abroad, and pledged the Han family’s loyalty, declaring that Kang De was now their country.
• Kang De accepted Han Zezheng’s loyalty and promised him dignity and safety.
• Kang De rejected compromise with the powerful families, called them potential enemies, and ordered Han Zezheng to devise a plan to trap them through the grain shortage.
• Han Zezheng said they needed large quantities of imported grain and a sharp blade to defeat the families.

Kang De assigned Han Zezheng to stabilize Distant Harbor’s grain market while encouraging him to pursue greater ambitions, then discussed the political and economic struggle with Hong San. Hong San outlined a plan to defeat the grain hoarders, and Kang De left for Danfeng Lucerne to seek grain from Teldrassil.

• Kang De told Han Zezheng to consolidate seized businesses and use every means to stabilize grain prices and supplies in Distant Harbor.
• Kang De urged Han Zezheng not to give up on his own ambitions, explaining how ordinary people could grow into great leaders through opportunity and responsibility.
• Lily teased Kang De about transforming into a beast-eared girl, and Kang De fled after she called out his interest in her.
• Hong San told Kang De that Goth’s regional nobles were withholding allegiance, and advised him to win over useful nobles without appearing hostile to the entire class.
• Hong San proposed gathering enough grain to outlast the hoarders’ funds and force prices down, then suggested Kang De test Han Zezheng’s grasp of the plan.
• Hong San sent Kang De to Danfeng Lucerne to seek grain from Teldrassil and advised him to tell Princess Tina he had visited Valentan.

Tina defended herself against palace harassment and chose to remain at Maple Leaf Palace, while Kang De discussed the economic struggle in Distant Harbor with her. He assured her he could secure enough grain, and Tina planned to ask Goth's nobles for help while hoping they would refuse.

• Tina revealed that she had exposed and punished the palace staff responsible for sabotaging her meals.
• Tina told Kang De she would stay at Maple Leaf Palace so his presence and influence remained felt in Goth's capital.
• Tina and Kang De honored their agreement with A Xing, then discussed the nobles' economic pressure on Distant Harbor.
• Tina warned that Goth was unlikely to supply grain, while Kang De refused to seek help from the elves or the Council and said victory was assured.
• Tina understood that Kang De could obtain grain and decided to write to Danfeng Lucerne's lords, hoping none would respond.

Norman and Distant Harbor’s elites drove a grain panic to challenge Kang De, while Han Zezheng organized his allies to release their stored grain and stabilize prices. Their supplies disappeared into the buying frenzy, and Han warned Kang De that powerful backers beyond the local elites were funding the commercial war.

• Norman mocked Kang De’s handouts and ordered surrounding towns and villages to gather grain for Distant Harbor, while the elites planned to obstruct its delivery and buy up supplies.
• Han Zezheng instructed Kang De’s supporters to sell all but one month’s reserves, and he explained to Han Guangcheng that they had to trust Kang De rather than resort to force.
• Han Zezheng and Han Guangcheng began calculating emergency grain needs as the city’s panic buying intensified and the grain released onto the market quickly vanished.
• Han Zezheng hurried to Kang De and reported that the commercial war was backed by forces more substantial and complex than Distant Harbor’s local elites.

Kang De uncovered a coordinated effort to drive up grain prices across Azure Waves Province and suspected the Broken Isles were behind it. He refused aid from the empire, the Council, and the Dusk Moon Dynasty, then arranged to borrow Santos and use seized wealth as collateral for a scheme of his own.

• Han Zezheng told Kang De that grain prices had doubled in other regions after the governor requested supplies for Distant Harbor, and Kang De recognized how the resulting shortages could be blamed on him.
• Han Zezheng reported that coordinated buyers were purchasing grain throughout the province, and he and Kang De concluded the Broken Isles were likely financing the campaign to protect their trade dominance.
• Kang De rejected offers of grain, money, and public support from the empire, the Council, and the Dusk Moon Dynasty, while reminding their commanders to honor their prisoner duties.
• Kang De asked Lily to have the Dragon Emperor lend him Santos, then revealed he would use wealth seized in Distant Harbor as collateral to borrow money for his plan to profit from the crisis.

Santos and Stiegel organized Dragon Island Defense’s financing scheme to help Kang De crush the grain speculators in Azure Waves Province. As the nobles borrowed heavily and grain prices soared, elf forces blocked outside grain convoys while an unknown group prepared to enter the province with grain.

• Santos explained to Stiegel that Kang De had hired Dragon Island Defense for a five-percent commission to lend money to Goth nobles speculating in grain, then help crash prices and seize their assets.
• Santos and his team gathered intelligence and recruited wealthy local figures with loans, persuading them that the dragons were backing their grain investments against Kang De.
• Dragon Island Defense released its funds across Azure Waves Province, driving grain prices higher and drawing grain shipments from neighboring regions.
• Elf garrisons intercepted grain convoys heading for Azure Waves Province, leaving the Goth nobles unable to obtain the supplies they expected to buy.
• Unrecognized merchant-guild guards escorted wagonloads of grain toward the province’s border crossings as the speculators continued preparing to profit.

Sir Luste and the governor prepared to exploit Distant Harbor’s rising grain prices against Kang De, while Kang De assessed the growing hunger and considered how to win the people’s trust. As the tenth-day confrontation approached, Kang De suddenly left after Lily gave him an idea, and Horus refused an order in the White Mist World.

• Sir Luste planned to spread rumors blaming Kang De for the grain shortage and arranged for Aona to recruit people to pose as paupers.
• The governor ordered his allies to send servants and serfs into the streets to protest against Kang De, and set the tenth day for confronting him.
• On the eighth day, hunger spread through Distant Harbor, and Dragon Girl mocked the commoners for blaming Kang De while he refused to hold their desperation against them.
• Han Zezheng described how greed and capital had driven grain prices far beyond their reasonable value, and Kang De asked him to write up his ideas after the crisis.
• Kang De reviewed Han Zezheng’s report against Santos’s intelligence, then wondered how to make the people trust him as he prepared for the next phase.
• After Lily demanded a share in Kang De’s proposed financial venture, Kang De suddenly agreed and vanished through a spatial portal; Horus then angrily refused an order in the White Mist World.

As grain prices soared and Distant Harbor’s people starved, Governor Norman failed to persuade Han Zezheng to make Kang De compromise. Sir Luste revealed his plot to provoke a riot and ruin Goth’s economy, but Kang De opened a gate above Sound of the Tide Manor and sent an enormous torrent of wheat pouring into the city.

• On the ninth day, dwindling grain supplies and spiraling prices left most people unable to afford food as unrest grew in Distant Harbor.
• Governor Norman visited Han Zezheng and offered peace, but Han delivered Kang De’s message that the nobles were bugs, and Norman left fearing Kang De’s next move.
• Sir Luste told the Broken Isles’ envoys that he had engineered the grain shortage and planned to incite a riot that would turn Kang De against Goth’s aristocracy.
• A vast spatial gate opened above Sound of the Tide Manor, frightening nobles and citizens who feared Kang De would unleash a forbidden spell.
• Countless golden grains of wheat poured through the gate and piled into a growing mountain before the stunned crowd.

Kang De answered Distant Harbor’s food crisis by producing a vast supply of wheat, ending the shortage and enabling the Traitor Suppression Society to arrest suspected conspirators. Han Zezheng announced a tutelage government under Kang De, while Santos ordered Dragon Defense to halt lending and prepare to pursue debts.

• Kang De’s wheat supply stunned Distant Harbor, and the Traitor Suppression Society surrounded the crowds, checked their identities, and announced free grain distribution followed by stable-price sales.
• Alset the Flayer and his forces arrested Sir Luste and the Broken Isles supervisors at the Tulip District residence.
• Han Zezheng entered Justice Hall with Society members, announced Norman’s suspension, and read Kang De’s decree placing Distant Harbor under a tutelage government.
• Han Zezheng ordered oversight of bulk transactions, suspended lending and mortgaging, and demanded taxes on grain-market profits.
• Santos told Stiegel that Kang De controlled whether the source of the wheat mattered, then ordered Dragon Defense to stop lending, assist the Inquisition’s arrests, and prepare armed forces to collect debts.

Kang De’s free wheat distribution restored the commoners’ trust while leaving Distant Harbor’s grain speculators facing ruin. Count Hoyce’s wife Annie devised a way to limit their losses, but the routes for shipping grain out of the province were blocked by Kang De’s order, leaving the family trapped between debt and a desperate sacrifice.

• Kang De’s five-day free wheat distribution made the commoners praise him as merciful, ruthless, and just, while nobles emerged from Justice Hall frightened after being confined and forced to swear oaths.
• Count Hoyce raged over the collapse of the grain market and told Annie that Kang De’s move had destroyed their scheme and left their borrowed money at risk.
• Annie reminded Hoyce that she had warned him Kang De would punish the nobles, then proposed shipping their stockpiled grain beyond Azure Waves Province to recover some of their losses.
• Hoyce ordered his managers to prepare the grain for shipment, but Annie warned that Dragon Island’s loans might be part of Kang De’s plan and suggested the Hoyce Family might have to make a sacrifice.
• Hoyce rejected the idea of sacrificing Annie or their children and planned to repay the dragons by selling assets, but his stewards reported that the navies of three nations and the Survey Corps had blocked all routes out of Distant Harbor by Kang De’s order.

Kang De’s grain intervention wrecked the speculators and triggered a debt crisis in Distant Harbor, while he rewarded loyal allies and ordered harsh punishment for those who had played both sides. He appointed Han Zezheng to a future government post, and the chapter ended with former Governor Norman kneeling outside to request an audience.

• Kang De told Han Zezheng to let the dragons collect debts and acquire the wealthy speculators’ assets, then divided the spoils among loyal groups.
• Kang De ordered the confiscation of traitors’ property and the execution of their families, with loyal followers carrying out the punishment.
• Kang De offered Han Zezheng a choice between becoming Distant Harbor’s chief financial officer and leading the West Goth Company, and Han chose public office.
• Kang De teased Lily about becoming president of the West Goth Company, but she rejected his offer.
• Han Zezheng returned to report that former Governor Norman was kneeling outside Sound of the Tide Manor and seeking an audience with Kang De.

Count Hoyce waited with Annie for Governor Norman to plead with Kang De, hoping the governor’s sacrifice would spare their families. Kang De rejected Norman’s appeal for mercy and publicly condemned the nobles’ grain war, ending with a warning that he was watching them.

• Count Hoyce recalled Norman’s public humiliation and sacrifice, and hoped Kang De would forgive the nobles so Annie would not have to sacrifice anything.
• Alchemical aircraft broadcast Norman’s surrender and plea for mercy across Distant Harbor as Kang De challenged him to justify forgiving the nobles.
• Norman described the deaths, bankruptcies, and suffering caused by the grain crisis and asked Kang De to end it.
• Kang De asked how the nobles would have protected the poor if their grain war had succeeded, then accused them of disregarding the commoners who might have starved.
• Kang De declared that he would punish nobles who used people’s suffering for power, and announced, “I’m watching you.”

On the fourteenth day, Kang De welcomed Hong San and 126 recruits from Valentan to Distant Harbor, then discussed rebuilding the city and confronting the Broken Isles. Hong San proposed an old acquaintance as president of the West Goth Company, and Kang De began writing that person an invitation.

• After nobles tried to set fires and flee, Kang De's forces used surveillance, dragons, and allied troops to capture the conspirators, and Kang De ordered the Garcia family destroyed and its legacy erased.
• Kang De welcomed Hong San and 126 carefully chosen recruits from Valentan to Sound of the Tide Manor.
• Hong San and Kang De discussed governing Distant Harbor, developing West Goth, and preparing for conflict with the Broken Isles.
• Hong San suggested an old acquaintance for president of the West Goth Company, and Kang De began writing them a formal invitation.

Hong San secured the Distant Harbor nobles’ submission and took control of their properties, mostly farmland. Kang De explained that he intended to use agricultural modernization to free people from farm labor, ending with a goal of eliminating the need for anyone to farm for a living.

• Hong San offered the nobles low-interest loans and debt relief in exchange for resuming work, stabilizing prices, accepting government oversight, and pledging loyalty to Kang De.
• Hong San demanded the nobles sign a joint statement condemning the absent leaders behind the grain price war, and every noble present agreed to compromise.
• Hong San brought Kang De the nobles’ land deeds, and Lily questioned why they had acquired farms instead of businesses, ships, and other valuable properties.
• Kang De told Lily and Hong San that land and commerce mattered less to him than people, and that farmland could help draw rural workers into new cities.
• Kang De described his plan to consolidate farmland and use better seeds, irrigation, fertilizer, and machinery until agriculture no longer required human labor.
• Kang De set a goal of eliminating the agricultural population so no one would have to farm for a living.