Chapter Summaries

Kang De’s forces overwhelmed the Round Table headquarters, defeating its supernatural defenders and capturing Barber Todd alive. As the castle fell, Arthur and the Hand of Glory remained underground, facing the prospect of defeat.

• Bloody Mary was overwhelmed by a psychic attack while Horus destroyed the Death Ship, and Kan Fantian killed Herne the Hunter and led the Greenskin Musket Corps in pursuit of the fleeing Wild Hunt.
• Quilion coordinated the victorious elven forces, whose fighters killed the Black Dog Demon and joined the assault on the enemy fortress.
• The Suppressors of Rebellion and elven rangers stormed the Round Table castle, routed the Oathkeepers, and killed or captured its defenders.
• Arthur watched the defeat unfold from an underground shelter, blamed Kang De for the attack, and heard a proposal to negotiate peace.
• Alset and an elven warrior fought through Barber Todd’s guards, restrained Todd, and injected him with Paradox Element so he could be transported alive.

Kang De confronted British Prime Minister Boris as the Round Table’s headquarters came under attack, then demanded that Britain recognize his takeover of its interests and accept his authority over extraordinary beings. He left Boris facing a new order backed by evidence of elite crimes and Kang De’s growing power.

• Round Table operatives failed to contact their headquarters as a canopy of darkness concealed the assault, and their intelligence reached Grand Secretary Yue, who was meeting Kang De at the Chinese embassy.
• Kang De denied directing the attack until he stood and intimidated Grand Secretary Yue, while the Chinese ambassador photographed the confrontation.
• Kang De told Grand Secretary Yue that the Round Table was nearly defeated and ordered the British government to help AWSL Company take over its interests.
• Grand Secretary Yue rejected Kang De’s claim that the Round Table could be destroyed, so Kang De threatened to expose evidence of crimes by British elites and officials.
• Kang De declared that he would restrain extraordinary beings until governments established laws for them, then demanded the Round Table’s wealth and the property of celebrities tied to the equestrian-center orgy.
• Kang De explained to a shocked Grand Secretary Yue that he was using the confiscations to build AWSL Company through primitive accumulation.

Kang De secured Grand Secretary Yue’s cooperation in dividing the spoils from the Round Table and explained that Shalana’s death had turned his campaign into a war for justice. After leaving the embassy, he returned to his forces to finish the assault, while Arthur searched for the missing Bedivere.

• Grand Secretary Yue weighed Kang De’s threats and agreed to cooperate with the Round Table’s destruction in exchange for a share of the spoils.
• Kang De told Yue that Shalana’s erased name and suffering had inspired him to become the law for extraordinary beings and punish those who harmed ordinary people.
• Kang De left through a Phase Gate as Yue demanded to know how he would explain the events to his government.
• The Suppressors of Rebellion killed the Round Table assassins waiting outside the embassy and then took up defensive guard duty.
• Kang De returned to the battlefield, where Kan Fantian reported that the enemy was trapped in the underground shelter, and ordered his warriors to claim victory.
• Arthur searched for Bedivere, who had been sent to destroy Ian Crook’s remains but had not returned.

Ian Crook awakened as a fleshless skeleton, killed Bedivere, and rebuilt himself into a towering monster by consuming flesh. He attacked the Round Table to find his wife and daughter, then confronted Kang De after Arthur blamed him for their deaths.

• Bedivere hesitated to destroy Ian Crook's remains, and the skeleton awakened, killed him, and absorbed his blood and flesh.
• Ian remembered his wife and daughter and feared the Round Table would harm them, so he slaughtered Oathkeepers and gathered flesh to build a monstrous body.
• The Round Table named Ian's new form Frankenstein as he broke into their underground shelter and demanded to know who was Arthur.
• Kang De tried to persuade the shelter's occupants to surrender, but the Hand of Glory refused Arthur's call and Frankenstein attacked the Round Table members.
• Ian seized Arthur and demanded to know where his family was; Arthur falsely blamed Kang De, but Ian killed Arthur and declared both men his enemies.
• Kang De broke into the shelter with his armored forces, saw Ian's transformed body, and asked who he was.

Kang De and his allies defeated Ian Crook after he attacked them, then Kang De offered to spare him and help restore his appearance so he could reunite with his wife and daughter. After hearing about Shalana’s sacrifice, Ian accepted the mercy with remorse and apologized.

• Ian Crook recognized Kang De and attacked him, but Quilion blocked his charge while Arthur died believing the Round Table would rise again.
• Quilion, Kan Fantian, Alset, Horus, and the others disarmed and restrained Ian, and Kang De discovered that the monster was his old acquaintance.
• Kang De revealed that Vanessa and Shanna were alive, then offered Ian a chance to live and work for him in exchange for help returning to his family.
• Kang De explained that Shalana’s suffering and sacrifice had helped him decide to spare Ian, and told him to repay that mercy through his actions.
• Ian felt Shalana’s compassion, bowed his head, and repeatedly said he was sorry.

After the Round Table’s defeat, Britain quietly covered up the night’s events and transferred assets to Kang De, who let the government search the castle for a fee. An Youyi left London, while Kang De encountered the grieving man who had remembered Shalana and watched Shalana’s radiant form depart.

• British agents killed a police officer involved in covering up An Youyi’s abduction, while envoys pressured the heirs of dead Round Table members to transfer their assets to Kang De.
• Grand Secretary Yue warned Kang De that Chinese involvement in British industries could cause concern, and Kang De agreed to let British officials search the Round Table’s castle while charging them fees.
• Kang De explained to Horus that the White Mist World held a copy of the castle and that he could preserve control over whatever the British discovered there.
• An Youyi boarded a flight home from Heathrow Airport, and Kang De revisited places connected to Shalana before finding a man searching for her with a drawing.
• The man recognized Shalana in a radiant girl, received a keepsake from her, and watched her fly away as Kang De opened a Phase Gate and thanked her.

After the Round Table’s destruction, world leaders debated how to respond to Kang De but could not agree on any way to restrain him. Kang De reassured China that his actions targeted injustice abroad, then warned Britain that he would intervene again if people he cared about were threatened before departing London.

• Grand Secretary Yue told world leaders how Kang De and an army of transcendents had destroyed the Round Table, and described Kang De’s intention to judge transcendents who harmed innocent people.
• Granny De rebuked A Chuan for demanding action against Kang De, and A Chuan left the conference after she described the consequences of provoking him.
• The leaders debated forming an alliance or approaching China but never proposed restraining their own countries’ transcendent organizations.
• Kang De told a Chinese official that his goals were directed overseas, promised he would not repeat the Xie Guangjun incident, and said he would still act when he learned of injustice.
• Kang De told the official that he would do it again if necessary and shared evidence that the Round Table’s crimes and plunder might have had a deeper purpose.
• A British emissary apologized to Kang De and tried to end hostilities, but Kang De warned him to be careful if his true friends or family were endangered, then vanished in holy light.

After two peaceful weeks at home, Kang De enjoyed ordinary life while the world struggled to understand his power and the organization behind him. As AWSL’s employees began acquiring British assets, Kang De rejected the deals as inadequate and ordered Qin Mengjin to devise a long-term plan to make Britain surrender more valuable industrial and military assets.

• World leaders and organizations failed to find a way to contain Kang De, while China investigated his supposed secret organization and fed foreign inquiries misleading hints.
• Kang De spent time with his parents, Xiaoman, and An Youyi, and used his influence to arrange visits and activities that impressed or annoyed his family.
• AWSL’s new employees began taking possession of British assets that the British government had pressured wealthy families to transfer, and they enthusiastically advanced the company’s interests.
• Kang De examined AWSL’s acquisition report and complained that the British were offering financial, educational, and other assets instead of industrial and military companies such as Rolls-Royce, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, and BAE Systems.
• Kang De told Qin Mengjin to devise a long-term plan to make the British give ground, and Qin Mengjin agreed.

Kang De tried to force Britain to transfer shares in BAE and Rolls-Royce, then proposed using the Atlantis exploration plan to lure Britain and the United States into a deal. After discussing the plan with Qin Mengjin and the state, he returned to the White Mist World as the Jiaolong and its mother ship waited at Zhuerban Port.

• Kang De demanded BAE and Rolls-Royce shares from Grand Secretary Yue, but Yue refused despite Kang De's threats.
• Kang De called Qin Mengjin and proposed using the Atlantis exploration plan to entice Western countries into concessions and misdirect their research.
• Qin Mengjin relayed the state's concern that Western researchers might uncover genuinely valuable results from the relics.
• Kang De reassured Qin Mengjin that he would keep China from falling behind in transcendent research, and she summoned him to the imperial capital to settle details.
• Kang De returned to the White Mist World, where the submersible mother ship waited at Zhuerban Port, ready for the expedition.

After returning from Earth, Kang De reunited with Tina and shared dinner with his companions in Distant Harbor, but his friends noticed he seemed troubled. At the Truth Office, Parrot questioned him about what he had witnessed in Britain after he presented his haul and proposed a scheme to lure the British and Americans with a fabricated supernatural ruin.

• Kang De reunited with Tina at Sound of the Tide Manor, and they hurriedly cleaned up before joining everyone for dinner.
• Kang De asked A Xing about her life and reassured her that he would spend more time with everyone once Distant Harbor's development was underway.
• Tina urged Kang De to check on the Arcane Council, the Broken Isles, and Mr. Hong San, so he left through the Phase Gate.
• After Kang De left, Leona wondered whether he had something on his mind, while Tina wished she could share his worries and burdens.
• At the Truth Office, Parrot criticized the businesses Kang De had acquired in Britain and praised his plan to use a fabricated supernatural ruin to lure the British and Americans.
• Parrot noticed Kang De's unhappiness and asked what he had seen in Britain.

After returning from London, Kang De struggled with the suffering he had witnessed and questioned who his true enemies were and what he should do. Parrot comforted him and took him to Distant Harbor to see the results of his actions and what he might still accomplish.

• Parrot teased Kang De about his shaken mood until he admitted that the suffering and corruption he had learned about in London had left him feeling responsible to act.
• Kang De recalled Shalana’s helplessness and kindness, then questioned how to define his enemies and fight the vast, interconnected corruption he sensed behind the Round Table.
• Parrot comforted Kang De, disguised herself as Dairila, and persuaded him to leave the research institute with her for an incognito outing.
• Kang De and Parrot rode a heavy motorcycle to Distant Harbor, while Horus recognized Parrot and teased Kang De over their communication device.
• At Distant Harbor, Parrot told Kang De to see what he had done and what he could do.

Kang De walked through Distant Harbor and saw how his rule had transformed the once-decaying city into a lively place where its people felt secure. A Fu and Parrot brought Nixiyasi into an encounter with Kang De and Dairila, then drew them all into a night-market outing as the opening move in a planned counterattack against the Council.

• Kang De and Parrot toured Distant Harbor, and Parrot described how Kang De had crushed the city's nobles and criminal gangs and restored order.
• A Fu surprised Kang De and introduced Nixiyasi, who realized Dairila was also present and feared she had stumbled onto a secret affair.
• Parrot teased Nixiyasi by pretending she would be forced into a relationship with Kang De, then admitted it was a joke.
• A Fu and Parrot persuaded Nixiyasi to join Kang De and Dairila for a night at the market.
• Parrot and A Fu used the outing as part of a plan to begin an all-out counterattack against the Council at Distant Harbor's night market.

Kang De showed Nixiyasi how Distant Harbor used public programs and worker benefits to encourage the Broken Isles refugees to stay willingly. As Nixiyasi began to understand his approach, A Fu’s identity scan produced an unexpected match.

• Nixiyasi watched Kang De and Dairila’s flirtation before following Kang De’s party through Distant Harbor and hearing a radio program praise evacuation volunteers.
• Kang De explained that he wanted the refugees to stay by choice, while Parrot teased Nixiyasi about his supposed ability to win people’s hearts.
• A Fu led Nixiyasi to an ice cream stand, where a dock worker and his family redeemed a benefit voucher for desserts.
• Nixiyasi saw the worker’s pride and his family’s happiness, and began to understand how Kang De’s benefits made residents feel respected and hopeful.
• A Fu presented her identification at the stand, and the scanner announced, "Little beach match successful."

Kang De spent the night with Nixiyasi, who saw how Distant Harbor treated its workers and learned that they worked eight-hour shifts and could attend school to improve their prospects. As a family trusted Kang De to protect them, he understood what Parrot had wanted him to see, while Nixiyasi remained struck by the city’s unfamiliar way of life.

• A Fu comforted Kang De after Horus teased her, while Parrot embarrassed Nixiyasi with bawdy jokes and Kang De made her apologize.
• A Fu and Parrot left on supposed broadcast-system business, leaving Kang De and Nixiyasi alone; Nixiyasi asked to stay and walk with him.
• Kang De explained that Distant Harbor’s workers worked rotating eight-hour shifts, received breaks, and could attend night school to qualify for better jobs.
• Nixiyasi questioned why workers were allowed so much rest and education, and Kang De said he wanted them to have opportunities and would bring Distant Harbor’s example to people elsewhere.
• Nixiyasi watched a family trust Kang De’s protection, as the father pointed out the city’s cameras and said Kang De was always watching over them.

Kang De and Nixiyasi watched a dockworker’s family enjoy the better life his labor reforms had made possible, and Kang De insisted the family had earned that life themselves. As they visited the busy docks, Nixiyasi came to believe Kang De had acted without selfish motives and asked about his father, but his smile brought her to tears.

• A dockworker said goodbye to his wife and children, promised his eldest son a future without exhausting child labor, and urged him to serve Kang De when the army expanded.
• Kang De told Nixiyasi that the workers had earned their improved lives themselves, then asked Horus to deploy drones so their lights would reassure people walking at night.
• Kang De and Nixiyasi saw the docks being rebuilt as merchant ships arrived, and Nixiyasi concluded that Kang De’s actions had been sincere rather than a scheme for power.
• Nixiyasi asked Kang De what kind of person his father was, then cried at the warmth in his smile and admitted she envied him.

After Nixiyasi saw the ideals behind Distant Harbor, Kang De invited her to leave the Council and work there, but she declined because of her obligations. When she returned to the Azure Fleet, she overheard her officers plotting to steal extraterrestrial substances and crudely speculating about her relationship with Kang De.

• Nixiyasi reflected on the Council’s greed, the Azure Fleet’s growing estrangement from her, and the order and happiness she had witnessed on the Broken Isles and in Distant Harbor.
• Nixiyasi asked Kang De whether Distant Harbor represented the world he wanted, and he told her he hoped to reach a better world that no one had yet seen.
• Nixiyasi asked how Distant Harbor could afford its generous benefits, and Kang De promised to show her the answer on her next visit.
• Kang De invited Nixiyasi to work in Distant Harbor, but she thanked him and said nothing further as she left for her vessel.
• Nixiyasi returned to the flagship and overheard her officers and the special envoy planning to obtain samples and extraterrestrial substances, while mocking her and her visits to Kang De.

Kang De planned to recruit frustrated Azure Fleet prisoners and officers to Distant Harbor while the Council searched underwater for the Yilan-Tai'er ruins. After a submarine was detected, Parrot suggested Kang De return to Earth to acquire deep-sea mining equipment from the bankrupt Nautilus Mining Company.

• A Fu reported that the Azure Fleet had seized about 1.4 kilograms of Yilan-Tai'er substances and that Distant Harbor had captured 928 enemy personnel, including 174 spellcasters.
• Kang De ordered A Fu to focus on frustrated prisoners such as Alset, recruit active defectors, and make poaching talent from the Arcane Council a long-term policy.
• Kang De planned to return willing recruits to the Azure Fleet with recruitment documents so they could spread word of Distant Harbor's policies among the ships.
• A Fu revealed that an anti-submarine helicopter had detected an enemy submarine searching the seabed, and that sonar markers were tracking it.
• Parrot proposed that Kang De return to Earth and acquire heavy deep-sea mining machines from the bankrupt Nautilus Mining Company, which she said had been driven into bankruptcy by environmentalists.

Kang De sought Nautilus Mining’s deep-sea equipment to support a plan involving the Atlantic, while Qin Mengjin and British Prime Minister Boris pieced together clues about his intentions. Boris enlisted A Chuan’s help, and the two leaders decided to investigate Kang De and teach him a lesson.

• Kang De asked Qin Mengjin to acquire Nautilus Mining’s assets, and she explained that environmental protests and rival mining interests had driven the company into bankruptcy.
• After learning the hidden forces behind Nautilus’s collapse, Kang De revealed that he wanted Britain to think he planned to mine near the Romanche Trench as part of an Atlantis hoax.
• Kang De’s team began pursuing the equipment, and Boris grew suspicious after connecting the takeover attempt with a Chinese research vessel carrying the Jiaolong to Zhu'erban Port.
• Boris ordered officials to delay the equipment sale, then called A Chuan to discuss Kang De’s activity in the Atlantic.
• Boris and A Chuan concluded that Kang De was searching for something extraordinary and agreed to investigate his plans and teach him a lesson.

Kang De stole Nautilus Mining’s equipment from Britain after Boris Yue delayed its transfer, then denied taking it when Yue accused him of the theft. As the Jiaolong’s mother ship headed into the Atlantic, Britain and the United States arranged to investigate Kang De’s suspected objective, while Kang De returned to the White Mist World to begin his own preparations.

• Yue ordered officials to delay handing over Nautilus Mining’s assets, and AWSL staff reported the obstruction to Kang De.
• Kang De traveled to Felixstowe and made the mining machinery disappear from its warehouse, prompting police to investigate and Yue to suspect him.
• Kang De called Yue to demand the equipment, denied receiving it, and threatened to make Yue pay if the transfer was delayed.
• Yue and Trump discussed the Jiaolong’s departure and agreed to use British treasure hunter Michael Hatcher for preliminary reconnaissance.
• Kang De spoke with Qin Mengjin aboard the Jiaolong’s mother ship, then returned to the White Mist World to plan a search for antiques and preparations on the seabed.

The Grand Speaker told the Starry Sky Council that rescuing Yilan-Tai’er required two tons of three legendary materials, but the Azure Fleet had secured only 1.4 kilograms. Councilor Aokexindun proposed exploiting Commander Nixiyasi’s attachment to Kang De to obtain the materials and draw her into Distant Harbor.

• The Grand Speaker announced that the Deep Sea Pioneer and the Deep Diving Walker had reached the Broken Sea to begin the first stage of Yilan-Tai’er’s rescue, while warning that the operation had to remain secret.
• The Grand Speaker explained that activating the obelisks required about two tons combined of Radiant Crystal, Levitation Stone, and Primal Gel.
• The Grand Speaker revealed that the Azure Fleet had obtained only 1.4 kilograms of the materials, prompting the councilors to angrily criticize its failures against Kang De’s fleet.
• Councilor Fermat suggested buying the materials from Kang De, but Councilor Aokexindun warned that Kang De and Dong Tianming might see through the Council’s eagerness.
• Councilor Aokexindun proposed offering Commander Nixiyasi freedom and gifts to join Distant Harbor, claiming she would accept because she loved her family; the Grand Speaker condemned the plan as asking her to sell herself.