Chapter Summaries

Kang De sought to use Yilan-Tai'er's legacy to unite the nations and build Distant Harbor's influence, but their leaders stalled his proposal. He demonstrated Distant Harbor's military power through assassinations and won a five-year cooperation agreement with the Brotherhood, while the Starry Sky Council escalated its retaliation.

• Kang De explained that sharing Yilan-Tai'er's legacy could strengthen the mortal world, then admitted he wanted to establish a United Nations and make himself its leader.
• Parrot and Malegith warned Kang De that the Silver Moon Council and other nations would resist his plans, so he decided to demonstrate Distant Harbor's strength instead of relying on political favors.
• The Traitor Suppression Society carried out five conspicuous assassinations for Brotherhood observers, using drones, advanced weapons, rockets, and phase jumps to show how Kang De's equipment could make missions nearly unstoppable.
• The Fate Weaver agreed that the Brotherhood would stop accepting contracts against Distant Harbor and send assassins and support staff to serve there for five years, while reserving neutrality in any conflict with the Council.
• The Starry Sky Council condemned the assassinations, Distant Harbor countered with evidence and warnings, and the Council's attempts to hire the Brotherhood failed.
• The Starry Sky Council sent suicide squads to Distant Harbor to cause damage and embarrass Kang De.

Alset used psychological pressure and promises of protection to make Anxion Lasta agree to cooperate with Distant Harbor, then presented him and thirteen other suspects as defectors at a press conference. Distant Harbor publicized their accusations and rescued their families, while propaganda spread across the Starry Sky Council's territory and left its leaders scrambling to respond.

• Alset used confinement, threats, and promises of a new life to persuade Anxion Lasta to cooperate and testify against the Council.
• Alset told Anxion that the Traitor Suppression Society had rescued his family and arranged for him to join thirteen other suspects at a press conference.
• Distant Harbor presented the suspects as defectors who had confessed plans to cause chaos and violence, then reunited them with their rescued families in public.
• A passenger plane released drones that scattered propaganda across the Council's cities, where people collected the free paper and spread its contents.
• The Council's spokespeople denied the allegations, but rumors continued spreading and the Tower of All-Seeing fell under a gloomy atmosphere.

The Starry Sky Council reeled from Kang De’s propaganda, economic pressure, and retaliatory airstrike, and its councilors decided to seek peace. The Grand Speaker agreed to meet Kang De in person only after securing military expansion, sanctions against Goth, and temporary control over the councilors’ interests.

• Kang De’s free leaflets undercut the Council’s paper industry, while the paper magnate warned the councilors that Kang De could overwhelm their markets.
• The Council’s Solar Flare Jet Tower shot down a passenger plane, but a fighter emerging through a Phase Gate destroyed the plane’s wing, killed three Wyverns, and bombarded the tower.
• The councilors concluded that they needed peace talks with Kang De, who required the Grand Speaker to apologize in person.
• The Grand Speaker agreed to negotiate after the councilors approved an army expansion, sanctions against Goth, and nominal transfers of benefits to him.
• The councilors signed the memorandum, and the Grand Speaker called his terms a small sacrifice for the country’s future.

Kang De and Nixiyasi walked through Distant Harbor as he explained the city’s new transportation plans and laws, then urged her not to leave. When Nixiyasi asked why he cared so much, Kang De confessed that he wanted her as a comrade and admired her; she kissed him.

• Kang De and Nixiyasi bought ice cream and walked through Distant Harbor, where he described the planned buses and explained how displaced carriage workers could find new work or train as drivers.
• Kang De explained that Distant Harbor punished drunken disorder and harassment, and Nixiyasi praised his rules for protecting the vulnerable.
• Nixiyasi told Kang De she planned to take Anthony’s remains home and travel the road her father had taken; Kang De warned that he would hold the Council responsible if she disappeared.
• Nixiyasi asked what Kang De would do if she fought for the Council, and he said he would capture her and persuade her to join his cause.
• Kang De told Nixiyasi he wanted her friendship and loyalty as a comrade, and admitted that he admired her beauty, character, and talent.
• Nixiyasi called Kang De a liar, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him.

Nixiyasi planned to avenge her fallen fleet alongside Kang De and proposed a war of conquest to protect Distant Harbor’s advantage. In the Star Palace, Apophis learned that Kang De was on the western continent and sent Phaethon there to gather intelligence and help entangle him in war.

• Nixiyasi assessed the threat of rival nations developing anti-phase defenses and concluded that Distant Harbor needed either to match their power or eliminate potential competitors, proposing a war of conquest or pure war.
• Nixiyasi refused to command the captured Azure Fleet soldiers and vowed to avenge the betrayal and destruction of her fleet alongside Kang De.
• Apophis received Phaethon’s account of the legendary Kang De and learned that he was on the western continent, seeking to unite its forces and rescue his homeland.
• Apophis ordered Phaethon to travel to the western continent, avoid Kang De’s territory, and investigate his conflict with the Arcane Council and the region’s politics.
• Apophis told Infinite Divine Mechanism to provide him with two Wisdom Codices so the Star Palace could use its resources to mire Kang De in war.

Kang De told Hilmeria that he intended to bring Goth under his control and prepare its strength for a coming threat from Star Palace, asking her to relay his ultimatum to the Grand Duke. He then set the shogunate to work expanding its alliances and military power, and three months passed as Distant Harbor rose onto the world stage.

• Kang De admitted to Hilmeria that he planned to rule Goth, transform the country, and call its people to fight in his wars.
• Kang De revealed that Star Palace threatened the world and that he had fought its forces at the Battle of the Broken Isles and Yilan-Tai'er.
• Hilmeria accepted Kang De's explanation and agreed to carry his demand for the Grand Duke to support him or yield the throne to Tina.
• Kang De ordered Dong Tianming to establish contact with the Cathayan court, Leona to bring greenskins to Distant Harbor, and the Truth Office to oversee research projects.
• Kang De assigned his ministries to develop Distant Harbor's strength and prepare alliances, while the shogunate began operating as a major power.
• Three months passed as Distant Harbor drew the world's attention and Kang De competed with nations as a state leader.

Zhang Li and Shen Maocai debated the Duke of Qin’s character and the elves’ motives as their fleet approached Distant Harbor. The arrival of Kang De’s overwhelming forces surrounded the fleet and demanded that the elves state their purpose in his territorial waters.

• Zhang Li warned Shen Maocai that Kang De might be a ruthless fraud and that the elves could be using Cathay to provoke war in the western lands.
• Shen Maocai defended Kang De, arguing that the elves’ sailors seemed afraid whenever they heard his name.
• Three flying machines descended over the fleet, startling the elven sailors and impressing Shen Maocai.
• A Phase Gate opened, and two cruisers and four greenskin battleships appeared around the eastbound fleet.
• Armored sea creatures and their riders surfaced as Kang De’s forces surrounded the ships and ordered the elves to state their purpose and await inspection.

Cathay’s delegation arrived in Distant Harbor, where Kang De accepted the empress’s titles and welcomed more than three thousand people who had crossed the sea to serve him. He promised to lead them back to Cathay to fight alongside their compatriots, then began arranging their arrival and meeting the delegation’s leaders.

• Distant Harbor’s residents listened anxiously as Cathay’s delegation arrived, while rumors about Kang De and the Cathayan empress spread through the taverns.
• Eunuch Huang delivered the empress’s edict, granting Kang De a long list of titles including Duke of Qin, and handed him her private letter.
• Eunuch Huang announced that 3,214 Cathayans had crossed the sea and pledged their lives to Kang De, prompting the citizens to cheer for their new duke.
• Kang De addressed the newcomers, promised to help them return to Cathay and fight the Star Palace, and welcomed them to make Distant Harbor their home.
• Kang De ordered Hong San to arrange the newcomers’ lodging and meals, while Eunuch Huang prepared to introduce him to the delegation’s notable figures and thirty-six female officials.

Kang De welcomed the Cathayan delegation and considered how its new arrivals might affect the shogunate’s competing factions. He accepted the thirty-six female officials sent by the empress, then postponed a meeting so he could collect himself after their arrival.

• Kang De greeted the Cathayan leaders and welcomed their craftsmen, warriors, scholars, and other skilled visitors into the shogunate’s plans.
• Kang De weighed the delegation’s effect on the shogunate’s factions and considered limiting the newcomers’ influence while recruiting female officials from other groups.
• Wei Yunyuan introduced herself and the thirty-five other female officials of the Luan and Phoenix Terrace, and Kang De accepted the empress’s gift while asking them to learn Distant Harbor’s customs before joining his residence.
• Kang De told Hong San he was going to the bathroom and delayed their meeting for an hour.

Shen Maocai and the other Cathayan arrivals encountered Distant Harbor’s advanced technology, strict rules, and industrialized society as they were transported to their accommodations. Meanwhile, the empress’s female officials arrived in luxury, and Kang De began discussing how to settle the newcomers before the coming war.

• Shen Maocai registered in Distant Harbor, received an identity card and rulebook, and learned that officials could not accept bribes.
• Shen Maocai and Zhang Mianzhi rode a horseless vehicle with sixty-four arrivals while Han Mingxiu described Distant Harbor’s military tiers and automated farming.
• Han Mingxiu explained that displaced farmers were retrained for industrial work, and Shen Maocai saw the rulebook’s declaration that Distant Harbor had no slaves or emperor.
• Wei Yunyuan and the other female officials enjoyed luxury mineral water and treats, while Wei wondered how she would fulfill the empress’s mission with Kang De.
• Kang De spoke with Parrot about the arriving beauties before Dong Tianming and Hong San joined him to plan how to settle the Cathayan newcomers ahead of the war.

Kang De explained the Shogunate’s reform pass for turning surrendered soldiers into recruits and outlined how he would manage the Cathayan delegation. After the meeting, he went to Tina’s office, where he embraced her and asked why she had not joined him at the harbor.

• Kang De described the pass system that rewarded surrendered soldiers for completing reform tasks before they could enlist, and Dong Tianming praised it as a model for recruiting and training soldiers.
• Kang De said the Gotham Legion would remain divided into competing batches and would serve as an occupying force if war broke out with the Arcane Council.
• Kang De and Dong Tianming agreed to welcome and persuade the Cathayan delegation through displays of strength, kindness, comfort, and instruction, with special attention to the thirty-six female officials.
• Kang De surprised Dong Tianming by saying he had already planned to recruit the female officials to work at the manor, while Parrot and the others reacted strangely to his apparent intentions.
• Kang De agreed to attend the welcoming banquet and speak with the female officials, then left for Tina’s office after Hong San reminded him to tell her about the delegation.
• Kang De embraced Tina at her desk and asked why she had not gone with him to the harbor earlier.

Kang De confessed to Tina that the Cathayan delegation’s thirty-six female officials awakened a powerful desire in him, and Tina encouraged him to accept his ordinary wants. Tina later told Leona that Kang De’s choice between worlds could cost them the person they loved, leaving her afraid of what he would decide.

• Kang De told Tina that Cathay had sent thirty-six female officials and admitted he felt tempted by the power to possess them.
• Tina said she was relieved Kang De had desires and urged him to welcome the officials while having them carefully vetted.
• Tina encouraged Kang De to pursue the Cathayan official Wei Yunyuan, but he remained conflicted and stopped short of acting on his desire.
• Leona confronted Tina about the women sent to Kang De, and Tina revealed that the Phoenix King and Nixiyasi were also involved with him.
• Tina told Leona she was waiting for Kang De to choose between worlds and feared losing him, even if she had to share him.

Distant Harbor celebrated the arrival of the Cathayan delegation, while Kang De welcomed the newcomers and urged the city to make them feel at home. Dairila joined Kang De at the celebration and, after warning him that the continent would react to his ties with Cathay, leaned on his arm and said she would be getting a raw deal if she did nothing.

• Distant Harbor residents debated Cathay’s arrival and Kang De’s titles, while hidden instigators earned work points by stirring up arguments.
• Kang De’s laws against black-market trading kept the city orderly, and the city announced a celebration with free food and drinks.
• Kang De welcomed the Cathayan delegation and invited its members to join the celebration, asking Distant Harbor’s citizens to greet them warmly.
• Zhang Mianzhi and Shen Maocai watched the city welcome the Cathayans and discussed Kang De’s confidence and leadership.
• Dairila confronted Kang De about his attention to the Cathayan women, then warned him that his ties with Cathay would prompt a response from the other nations.
• Dairila chose to attend the celebration with Kang De and said she would be getting a raw deal if she did nothing.

During Distant Harbor’s holiday celebration, Kang De used the film Dragon Cavalry to damage the Wyverns’ reputation while he and Dairila joked about making a film together. Dairila warned him that his agricultural technology had alarmed the continent, but she agreed to act with him in Distant Harbor Holiday, leaving their relationship closer as they faced the political struggle ahead.

• Zhang Li and Shen Maocai explored the celebration, learned about the film Dragon Cavalry, and marveled at the orderly crowds in Distant Harbor.
• Kang De’s campaign against the Wyverns was revealed: he had attacked their forces, sent West Goth Company mercenaries against them, and released Dragon Cavalry as propaganda.
• Kang De teased Dairila about starring with him in Distant Harbor Holiday, and the two wandered the night market together, buying candied fruit.
• Dairila praised Distant Harbor, then warned Kang De that his combine harvester had shaken the Council and the continent; Kang De said he planned to use his technologies and military strength to bring nations to negotiations before the Star Palace retaliated.
• Dairila apologized for being unable to secure the Council’s support, and Kang De reassured her that her backing restrained the other powers from pushing him too far.
• Dairila agreed to act with Kang De in Distant Harbor Holiday to keep her ancestor from taking the role, then bit him through his clothes.

Kang De left the citywide celebration with Dairila, comforted her about the old wounds between Twilight Moon and Goth, and persuaded her to disguise herself as Parrot and visit Tina and Leona. The chapter ended with Malegith berating Silver Moon City's councilors after news of Cathay's delegation and its thirty-six female officials unsettled the political balance.

• Kang De and Dairila left the greenskins' concert, and he explained that he supported their venue because they held orderly events for their own enjoyment.
• Dairila worried that Kang De had skipped the banquet for the Cathayan delegation, and he teased her before sharing a family bucket of chicken with her.
• Dairila admitted that she would not apologize to Tina for Twilight Moon's war against Goth, and Kang De encouraged her to disguise herself as Parrot and visit the manor.
• Tina and Leona discussed Kang De's absence and the risks of losing him before he returned with a masked, robed Dairila.
• Malegith angrily scolded Silver Moon City's councilors for their political schemes and demanded that they offer Kang De more benefits as Cathay's eastbound delegation arrived with thirty-six female officials.

At Sound of the Tide Manor, Kang De declined a song and dance from the Cathayan female officials, telling them he wanted them to value their talents rather than perform to please the powerful. The gathering ended peacefully, while the Grand Speaker prepared the Starry Sky Council for war and questioned the captive Phaethon.

• Kang De enjoyed the gathering of women at Sound of the Tide Manor and welcomed the newly arrived Cathayan female officials.
• Wei Yunyuan offered a song and dance on behalf of the officials, but Kang De refused and explained that he did not want them treated as tools for entertaining him.
• Kang De encouraged the women to use their skills for themselves and invited them to join the gathering for juice and cake instead.
• The Cathayan women relaxed as the manor filled with laughter, while Kang De reflected that the coming three months might be the last calm before a storm.
• At the Tower of All-Seeing, the Grand Speaker prepared the Starry Sky Council's war machine and entered the titan colossus to question the captive Phaethon.

Grand Speaker Griffin Williams used Phaethon’s isolation and fear of being abandoned to secure his cooperation against Kang De. After striking a deal, Griffin returned to the Starry Sky Council and looked toward Distant Harbor, wary of the enemy he still had to face.

• Griffin questioned and provoked the imprisoned Phaethon, learning that Kang De was a traitor who had stolen a precious treasure and that Phaethon’s people could not currently send greater forces to the mortal world.
• Griffin proposed joining Phaethon’s organization and replacing him, threatening to ally with Kang De unless Phaethon helped him contact his superiors.
• Griffin warned Phaethon that his companions might abandon him for botching their cooperation and that Kang De was growing more powerful, persuading Phaethon to negotiate.
• Phaethon agreed to contact his organization, seek more support for the fight against Kang De, share combat experience and technical guidance, and help Griffin enlist his people’s influence in the Council.
• Griffin returned to the Starry Sky Council and looked toward Distant Harbor, thinking that Kang De would not be as easy to manipulate as Phaethon.

Kang De and Dairila shared a bed and discussed the war, Tina, and Dairila’s decision to forgive him. Dairila asked Kang De to earn the elves’ acceptance by fighting the Star Palace and making amends, while Kang De messaged Tina that he missed her.

• Kang De sent the Cathayan court ladies back to camp and spoke with the Valentan Guards about their future armor and service.
• Tina arranged for Kang De to sleep with Dairila, who grew embarrassed when he noticed the stockings Parrot had given her.
• Kang De and Dairila bickered before bed, then discussed Parrot’s behavior and Tina’s willingness to forgive the elves.
• Dairila described the grief and criticism she faced from elves who had lost loved ones in the war, and Kang De apologized.
• Dairila told Kang De she forgave him, asked him to help Twilight Moon fight the Star Palace, and urged him to earn the elves’ trust.
• Kang De deleted his drafted message and told Tina he missed her, and Tina replied with a suggestive photograph.

Kang De received a pistol and a warning from Dairila, then discussed Cathay’s situation and the Shogunate’s plans for the eastern mission. The meeting turned to the coming war against the Arcane Council, as Kang De prepared to run another war game using new intelligence.

• Kang De found Dairila’s notes explaining that she had returned home, forbidding him to mention the previous night, and warning him not to forget; he also discovered she had burned his mattress and left him a pistol.
• Kang De thanked Tina for being in his life and told her he would deal with his own affairs after resolving the major matter ahead.
• Dong Tianming advised Kang De to postpone direct intervention in Cathay, citing its fragile political balance and the risk of alarming the elves by bypassing Twilight Moon.
• Kang De and the ministers agreed to integrate the more than three thousand members of the Cathayan mission into Distant Harbor’s departments and prepare them for their posts.
• Kang De announced another war game against the Arcane Council, saying that new intelligence and hints had led him to begin with the question of weapons.

Griffin inspected the Council’s attempts to reverse-engineer Kang De’s firearms and learned how far their crude replicas lagged behind. He left planning a concealed gambit that he believed would surprise Kang De as war approached.

• An alchemy master demonstrated the Council’s rifle and explained that its firing mechanism used warriors’ mental power to ignite the propellant.
• The master described the Council’s unresolved problems with rate of fire and accuracy, including its failure to reproduce automatic loading and the spiral grooves inside Kang De’s barrels.
• Griffin suggested using multiple barrels or larger calibers, and the master said the Council was pursuing those alternatives while also studying other propulsion methods.
• The master urged Griffin to seek Kang De’s guidance, but Griffin promised to provide intact weapons for analysis instead.
• Griffin reflected on the nations’ spies and the approaching war, then resolved to show them his real purpose and ordered his attendants to take him to see the cannons.