Chapter Summaries

Duke Tagelise argued that the elves should save Kang De and saw his destructive power as a potential source of deterrence and political leverage. He planned to pursue Kang De while the parliament secretly moved to hunt Goth, as riders approached from Valentan.

• Tagelise persuaded Elandil that Kang De's power made him important enough for the elves to compromise with and save.
• Tagelise suggested that if both the Dusk Moon Dynasty and the Human Empire possessed comparable destructive power, mutual deterrence could preserve peace.
• Tagelise decided to hunt Kang De and seek to bring him under the royal family's influence while the parliament's pro-war faction secretly planned to attack Goth.
• Tagelise told Elandil that he would need his help, invoking the Empress's command, and Elandil agreed.
• Tagelise dismissed Cathay as Kang De's homeland and argued that a great nation that repeatedly declined and fell had deserved its fate.
• Riders approached from Valentan, prompting the elven attendants to gather around Tagelise and draw their weapons.

Tagelise and Elandil approached Kang De’s forces expecting a courteous diplomatic welcome, but the Goth cavalry confronted them with hostility and demanded payment for entering the battlefield. Tagelise was left stunned by Kang De’s bizarre ticket-and-fine policy.

• Tagelise praised Kang De’s apparent courtesy and speculated about negotiating with him as the elves rode toward the battlefield.
• Elandil struggled to interpret the Disney Ticket Inspection and Enforcement Brigade’s banner, while Tagelise considered how Cathay’s empress might become a bargaining chip.
• The brigade charged through the battlefield remains, then stopped when the elves’ hippogriffs and pegasi frightened their horses.
• The cavalry leader rejected Elandil’s appeal to courtesy, explaining that Valentan’s nobles had died defending the city and that he was there to collect money.
• Tagelise introduced himself and politely requested a meeting with Kang De, but the leader said visitors had to pay a ticket and fines for entering the private battlefield.

After elves visiting the battlefield clashed with a grieving human cavalry leader, Duke Tagelise of Tiling defused the confrontation and requested a meeting with Kang De. Kang De learned that Tagelise was the elven empress Dairila’s scholarly, supposedly frail younger brother, and questioned whether his peaceful reputation could be trusted.

• An elven visitor grabbed the cavalry leader after being charged an entrance fee and fine, but hesitated when the grieving human said he welcomed death and would kill elves before joining his family.
• The cavalry leader spat on the elf, who tried to punch him, but Tagelise stopped the blow with one finger and Elandil threw the elf aside.
• Tagelise apologized, accepted the charge of 184 copper coins, and asked the cavalry leader to arrange a visit with Kang De.
• Kang De discussed Tagelise with Hong San, who described him as Dairila’s weak-bodied but powerful, scholarly brother and one of the Twins of Destiny.
• Hong San confirmed Tagelise’s identity because Elandil, the envoy who delivered the visit request, was his former acquaintance and his master’s friend.

Kang De prepared to escalate pressure on the elves but welcomed Duke Tagelise after the elven delegation landed outside Valentan. Kang De and Tagelise met face-to-face, both sensing that the other seemed familiar, and the chapter ended with Kang De asking whether they had met before.

• Kang De told Hong San to develop newspapers and public education, then watched the elven air force approach Valentan.
• Tagelise landed outside the city after his phoenix, Filadiano, sensed a frightening presence in Valentan.
• Elandil suspected Hong San's transformation and Kang De's rise were part of a broader plan connected to Cathay and his old friend.
• Kang De and Tagelise approached each other with their attendants and introduced themselves.
• Kang De shook Tagelise's hand and asked whether they had met somewhere before.

Kang De confronted Tagelise over the elves’ war and the suffering it had caused, challenging the duke’s claims of peaceful intent. The meeting ended with Kang De offering negotiations over the dead elves’ bodies while making clear that the war would continue either way.

• Tagelise asked Kang De whether they had met before, and Kang De replied that every elf who had met him was dead.
• Tagelise described how Selendron’s testimony for peace had led to his disgrace and exile, and accused Kang De of destroying him.
• Kang De pointed to Valentan’s devastation and accused elven cavalry of massacring a village, saying he had witnessed the crime and killed its perpetrators.
• Kang De argued that Tagelise benefited from the elves’ wars and mocked his understanding of their consequences, prompting Elandil and the other elves to threaten violence.
• A Xing confronted the elves as Kang De dared them to attack, and Tagelise chose to continue the negotiations.
• Kang De proposed settling the price for the elven corpses on the spot, saying the fighting would resume whether or not they reached a deal.

Kang De tried to pressure Duke Tagelise during their meeting, but the duke burst into tears and derailed the talks. After escorting the elves into the city, Kang De and Hong San wondered whether Tagelise had been pretending and what his apparent desire for peace meant.

• Kang De took a hard line with Duke Tagelise, insisting that the elves would keep fighting whether they reached an agreement or not.
• Tagelise began crying, accused Kang De of insulting him and his sister, and declared that he would talk no more.
• Kang De shouted at Tagelise, challenged him over abandoning peace talks, and apologized for insulting his sister.
• Elandil urged Kang De not to leave Tagelise in the wilderness, so Kang De arranged carriages to take the duke and his party into the city.
• Kang De watched a recording of Tagelise crying while Hong San wondered what the duke's words revealed about his intentions.
• Kang De said Tagelise looked like a woman.

Kang De arranged for the elven delegation to stay in Valentan and established a foundation to manage ownerless property and fund reconstruction. Meanwhile, Duke Tagelise revealed that he intended to protect Kang De from powerful outsiders, refusing to leave Valentan.

• Hong San settled the elves in a temporary embassy and established the Nick Valentan and Kang De special postwar reconstruction foundation to manage abandoned properties and support the city.
• Kang De told a municipal official to warn the elves to guard themselves, and Valentan’s residents continued rebuilding with his growing support.
• Elandil confronted Tagelise over his public display of grief, but Tagelise defended it as a tactic to counter Kang De’s pressure.
• Tagelise rejected Elandil’s suggestion that the elves leave, explaining that he planned to save Kang De from powerful beings who would target him for his destructive ability.
• Tagelise vowed to thwart those outsiders, saying it would be a waste to use Kang De’s power merely as a deterrent.

Kang De reviewed and saved images of Duke Tagelise crying, then invited him to dinner while hinting that he suspected something about the duke. Hong San recognized Kang De’s suspicion and, worried about his lord’s vulnerability, went to visit the elven envoy and resolved to account for every danger.

• Kang De, Leona, and A Xing watched footage of Tagelise crying as Kang De selected images he could use to pressure or embarrass the duke.
• Leona described the Duke of Tiling’s public reputation and contrasted it with his behavior, while Kang De hinted that he had formed an interesting guess about him.
• Kang De told Hong San to invite Tagelise to dinner and threatened to use the recording, edited pictures, or a remix song if the duke refused.
• Hong San realized Kang De was hiding a suspicion from Leona and considered what Tagelise might have come to do.
• Worried that Kang De lacked strength in personal combat, Hong San decided to plan for potential dangers and went to visit the elven envoy.

Hong San escorted Tagelise and Elandil to a private dinner with Kang De, enduring the elves’ pressure and probing questions about his loyalty and origins. At the Vidal Chamber of Commerce, Kang De greeted Tagelise with a handshake that turned into a bear hug, leaving the duke rigid as he declared they would become kindred spirits.

• Hong San noticed the elves’ contempt for Cathayans but maintained proper manners when he was received at the temporary embassy.
• Tagelise eagerly accepted Kang De’s dinner invitation despite Elandil’s objections and teased the sage as they set out.
• Hong San praised Kang De’s honesty and promised word, with Tagelise and Elandil recognizing that Kang De had kept his promise to Selendron.
• Tagelise questioned Hong San about Cathay and urged him to return, but Hong San said he would go wherever Kang De went.
• Hong San escorted Tagelise and Elandil to the Vidal Chamber of Commerce, where Kang De greeted the duke with a bear hug and called for them to become friends.

Kang De used an overly familiar approach and a pointed argument about Tagelise’s relationship with his sister to win the duke’s agreement to accept his help. Tagelise asked Kang De for that help, while Elandil remained wary.

• Kang De escorted Tagelise into the Vidal Chamber of Commerce with his arm around him, but Elandil used a spell to clear Tagelise’s dazed mind and pulled him away.
• Kang De proposed helping Tagelise overcome his discomfort around others by spending time with him, while Elandil tried to stop him.
• Kang De argued that Tagelise’s withdrawal had forced his sister to take on the burdens of rule and war, making Tagelise tearful and defensive of her.
• Tagelise agreed with Kang De’s criticism and asked him for help, and Kang De accepted while sharing a triumphant glance with Hong San.

Kang De hosted Tagelise and Elandil for a private feast, where Earth’s packaged snacks and drinks astonished the elven duke. The tipsy Tagelise offered to buy Kang De, then begged Kang De to buy him instead.

• Kang De welcomed Tagelise and Elandil to a private dinner attended by Hong San, A Xing, and Leona.
• Kang De served an assortment of packaged snacks, sweets, and drinks from the White Mist World, and Tagelise devoured them with delight.
• Tagelise asked Kang De to sell him his chef, and Kang De refused because he did not trade in people.
• Tagelise offered his chefs and maid in exchange, then declared that he would buy Kang De so they could share food.
• After Kang De said he was not for sale, Tagelise blushed and shouted that Kang De should buy him instead.

At Kang De’s banquet, Tagelise’s drunken advances gave way to a bitter account of how Elandil used magic to control his emotions. After leaving, Tagelise ordered Elandil not to interfere with his next choice, threatening to kill him and blame his death on Kang De.

• Elandil accidentally sprayed milk onto Hong San, and Hong San quickly dodged Kang De’s attempt to film him.
• Tagelise drunkenly asked to stay with Kang De and made an embarrassing remark, prompting Elandil to cast a Clear Mind Spell on him.
• Sobered, Tagelise accused Elandil and the other elves of using spells to control his feelings and shape him to their plans.
• Tagelise apologized to Kang De, accepted a bottle of Sprite, and left with Elandil to clear his head.
• Tagelise told Elandil that he wanted to make a choice of his own and threatened to kill him if he stood in the way.

After joking with Hong San about the unpredictable risks in his plans, Kang De received an elven delegation seeking to reclaim their fallen soldiers. The talks ended with Tagelise offering to release prisoners in exchange for the remains.

• Kang De shared rice porridge with Hong San and discussed how chance could undermine even careful plans.
• Hong San teased Kang De about adding another woman, then revealed that Kang De's letter should have reached Princess Tina; Leona and A Xing immediately demanded to know who Tina was.
• The next day, Kang De watched Hong San ominously as Tagelise arrived with Elandil and eight other elves to request the return of their fallen soldiers.
• Kang De and Hong San decided to include human officials and nobles in the talks to prevent the elves from controlling the account of what was said.
• Kang De agreed in principle to let the elves retrieve their dead but said the defeated side had to offer compensation.
• Tagelise offered to release the prisoners in exchange for the remains.

Kang De turned the elves’ proposal to exchange Goth prisoners for their fallen soldiers’ remains into a public humiliation, then demanded compensation from the Dusk Moon Dynasty. The chapter ended with Hong San announcing Kang De’s demand for eighteen million gold coins.

• Kang De mocked the elves’ claims of civilized conduct, prompting Elandil to defend the Dusk Moon Dynasty and Tagelise to blame the Valentan massacre on disgraced commander Selendron.
• Elandil rejected any obligation to compensate Goth, arguing that the elves had punished Selendron for violating their own laws, while Kang De reminded the Goths that their military victory had already restored their honor.
• Tagelise offered to exchange captured Goth soldiers for the remains of fallen elf soldiers, and Kang De countered by offering three hundred selected elf prisoners for every Goth prisoner the expeditionary force held.
• Kang De proposed marking exchanged prisoners to demean the other side, then demanded money from the elves as compensation for his suffering and expenses.
• Hong San announced Kang De’s demand for eighteen million gold coins, with at least half payable in Sovereign Gold Coins or equivalent pure gold.

Kang De demanded eighteen million gold coins from the elves and used his destructive power to warn that he could strike the Dusk Moon Dynasty’s vital targets if it attacked Goth. He offered to return the corpses for free in exchange for peace, but Tagelise countered with terms that would make Goth an autonomous vassal state and place Kang De at the heart of elven power.

• Kang De demanded eighteen million gold coins for the elven dead, and Elandil called the amount extortionate.
• Hong San and Kang De argued that the elves could not seize the corpses without risking retaliation against their empire.
• Kang De threatened to strike elven cities and infrastructure, and the elves stayed despite their anger.
• Tagelise asked for a better proposal, and Kang De offered the corpses for free if the elves ended military operations, returned occupied land, and signed a ten-year peace treaty.
• Tagelise offered reconstruction aid, compensation, and extensive military and political privileges in exchange for Goth becoming an autonomous vassal state and Kang De marrying Princess Tina.

Tagelise offered Kang De generous peace terms that would make him ruler of Goth and send him to reclaim Cathay, while Hong San recognized the proposal as a trap. Kang De refused to decide for Goth and insisted that Tina and her father join any further discussion; afterward, Tagelise told Elandil that his offer had been sincere.

• Tagelise offered to return Goth's territory, pay reconstruction costs, provide loans and support, and make Kang De a ruler with a possible role in Cathay.
• Hong San realized the proposal could pull Kang De into Cathay's war and make the Goths blame him if he rejected peace.
• Kang De questioned the proposed marriage to Cathay's empress and said he was more interested in the Phoenix King.
• Kang De said he could not decide for Goth and would consider the offer only after Tina and her father discussed it with the elves.
• After the meeting, Hong San warned Kang De that his response had effectively agreed to the elves' terms, and Kang De said the Goths could bear the consequences of their choice.
• Elandil praised Tagelise's plan to manipulate Goth and constrain Kang De, but Tagelise insisted he had meant the offer sincerely.

After the elves offered Goth generous terms, Kang De left the decision to the Goth People while weighing the scheme’s consequences and the pressure other nations might bring to bear. He decided to ask Tagelise about the elf empress and request a meeting with her, just as Tagelise arrived.

• News of the elves’ proposal spread through Valentan, and nobles and spies crowded around Kang De’s residence seeking information.
• Hong San announced that Kang De would leave the decision to Goth and that the Teldrassil Family should negotiate with the elves.
• In a secret chamber, Kang De told Hong San that what he did next depended on whether Goth and the elves knew how to behave.
• Hong San warned that the Empire and other nations might use stories of Cathay’s suffering to pressure Kang De into leading an expedition east.
• Kang De told Hong San he would ask Tagelise whether the proposal came from the elf empress and request a face-to-face meeting with her.
• Tagelise arrived with a bottle of Sprite.

Kang De agreed to drink privately with Tagelise, while Leona resolved to build wealth or power of her own and Hong San realized Kang De came from a realm beyond the heavens. The chapter ended as Kang De and Tagelise prepared to talk without other elves present.

• Tagelise appeared inside the Vidal Chamber of Commerce without being detected, and Kang De decided to meet him with A Xing.
• Leona recognized that she had fallen behind Kang De’s other companions and resolved to gain wealth and influence by helping unite the wilderness orcs; she asked her steward to contact the orcs and summon her father.
• Hong San concluded from Kang De’s reaction that Kang De had no connection to Cathay and inferred that his master’s claim of a realm beyond the heavens was true; he recalled a heart formula to protect the secret.
• A Xing teased Kang De before Tagelise interrupted them, and Kang De led her into the banquet hall to meet the duke.
• Tagelise said he had come as a private guest to get drunk with Kang De and share a few things, and Kang De agreed.

Kang De listened as Tagelise drank Sprite and admitted he wanted to end the war, then revealed his belief that powerful beings were suppressing the world and its progress. The chapter left Kang De connecting Tagelise’s claims to the magical animals of the Holy Seal Archipelago.

• Kang De let Tagelise talk freely over Sprite while A Xing interrupted when Tagelise tried to get too familiar with him.
• Tagelise accused Kang De of guarding against him, then admitted he understood Kang De’s war tactics and was serious about wanting peace.
• Tagelise argued that victory would mean little if elves and humans remained trapped fighting over scraps instead of seeking a wider future among the stars.
• Tagelise said wars wasted the world’s resources and that powerful beings deliberately hindered progress, suppressed unusual people, and destroyed their discoveries.
• Kang De recognized that Tagelise’s claims matched things he knew and suddenly remembered the magical animals of the Holy Seal Archipelago.

Kang De connected the Holy Seal Archipelago’s magical animals to the hidden force Tagelise said was manipulating the world, but kept his suspicions about the archipelago to himself. Tagelise warned that the force had targeted Kang De and proposed that they work together to ambush and capture its agents.

• Kang De recalled how A Xing and the other magical animals had cared for him, and wondered about their origins and the history of the Holy Seal Archipelago.
• Kang De decided not to reveal the archipelago’s secrets to Tagelise because he still distrusted the elf and feared putting the animals in danger.
• Tagelise told Kang De that a hidden organization had learned of his power and would soon send agents to capture or kill him.
• Kang De questioned Tagelise’s motives and demanded proof, while Tagelise offered to help capture the incoming agents so Kang De could verify the warning.
• Tagelise admitted that he had told Kang De early to show sincerity, then asked him to join forces and make an ambush plan.