Chapter Summaries

Blue Star Humans and Swadian Peasants fought Undead Monsters while Khergit Steppe Bandits mocked their clumsy tactics. After Zhang Caidong led his troops deep into the black fog, Zhang Bo sensed danger and warned him to retreat.

• Khergit Steppe Bandits gathered to watch the Blue Star Humans and Swadian Peasants battle the Undead Monsters, and Bestur joined them with ten Steppe Bandit Elites.
• The Steppe Bandits laughed at the peasants’ poor fighting and shouted that they needed to strike the Undead Monsters’ heads to destroy their Soul Fire.
• Some Blue Star Humans grew angry at the jeering, but their executives told them to endure it because they might need the cavalry’s help.
• Zhang Caidong led Swadian Recruits into the fog and killed nearly a hundred Undead Monsters before ordering his troops and Zhang Bo’s goblins to retreat.
• As denser blue Soul Fire flickered in the mist, Zhang Bo sensed danger and warned Zhang Caidong to leave quickly.

Zhang Caidong, Bestur, and the others encountered Skeleton Cavalry emerging from the darkness and retreated toward Dhirim’s holy light. Bestur reported the threat to the guards but, learning Shen Mu was asleep, went to rest and planned to report after dawn.

• Zhang Caidong and his group heard cavalry approaching and fled toward the light, warning the Blue Star Humans and Swadian Peasants to retreat from the darkness.
• Bestur spread out the Steppe Bandits and Steppe Bandit Elites, who fired volleys at Skeleton Cavalry that had charged into the area illuminated by holy light.
• The Skeleton Cavalry defended their Soul Fires from the arrows, then turned back into the darkness as Bestur recognized how dangerous they were.
• Bestur ordered the Steppe Bandits to keep patrolling and avoid engaging the Skeleton Cavalry, then rode to Dhirim to report the discovery to Shen Mu.
• The Sacred Tree Knight told Bestur that Shen Mu was resting, so Bestur turned toward the Governor's Residence to wait until dawn.

After surviving a Skeleton Cavalry attack, Zhang Bo reconsidered his plans and decided to win over Dhirim’s Middle-Level Managers to weaken the senior leadership. The chapter ended with Shen Mu waking and agreeing to meet Bestur, who had waited through the night to see him.

• Zhang Caidong led the Blue Star Humans back into the darkness to continue fighting, while Zhang Bo followed and watched for danger.
• Zhang Bo decided the Middle-Level Managers were easier to recruit than the High-Level Managers and began planning how to gain their loyalty and appointment authority.
• Zhang Bo resolved to use tensions between Zhang Caidong and the High-Level Managers, along with their fear of Shen Mu, to take control of the Middle-Level Managers.
• Shen Mu woke, learned that Bestur had been waiting to see him, and ordered a hearty breakfast prepared for them.

Bestur reported that four intelligent Skeleton Cavalry had entered the area before withdrawing, prompting Shen Mu to strengthen night patrols and consider the threats surrounding Dhirim. Zhang Caidong then arrived with nearly forty Blue Star Humans who had earned enough experience and points to upgrade, and Shen Mu received a prompt to select their new ranks.

• Bestur told Shen Mu that four Skeleton Cavalry had blocked arrows aimed at their heads before retreating from the area.
• Shen Mu reasoned that Dhirim lay between the forces controlling Balihe Street, the eastern countryside, and Angang Street, and ordered Bestur and Lezalit to strengthen patrols.
• Shen Mu considered training Blue Star Humans to become squad leaders who could help improve his soldiers' combat strength.
• Zhang Caidong led nearly forty Blue Star Humans to ask Shen Mu to help them upgrade after they accumulated enough Combat Experience and Points.
• Shen Mu saw that the squad leaders and their soldiers could upgrade to Swadian Recruits or Swadian Militia.

Shen Mu confirmed the advancements of the Blue Star Humans and their Mount & Blade soldiers, granting them new templates, equipment, and combat skills. After they pledged their respect and became True Believers, he ordered them to recruit more people and strengthen Dhirim against the Necromantic Rules.

• Shen Mu confirmed everyone’s advancement, and the Mount & Blade Rules and white Data Stream transformed the humans and soldiers inside glowing cocoons.
• Zhang Caidong emerged as a Swadian Light Infantry Template user with standardized weapons, armor, and combat skills, while his ten soldiers advanced to Swadian Militia.
• Zhang Caidong assembled the newly advanced Blue Star Humans, who half-knelt before Shen Mu and pledged their highest respect.
• Shen Mu received 42 True Believers and instructed the humans to recruit more Blue Star Humans, with twenty people becoming Spiritual Realm Commanders each day.
• The Blue Star Humans left to seek further advancement, while Zhang Caidong explained that his transformation had also given him years of weapon and battlefield training.

Zhang Caidong showed Zhang Bo the standardized specialties he gained by advancing, and the two discussed the Human Empire’s strength over breakfast. Zhang Bo used his authority to select twenty Middle-Level Managers for advancement and promised to choose twenty more each day, beginning to build influence among them.

• Zhang Caidong demonstrated his spear technique and explained that Swadian Footmen received specialties and other Spiritual Realm Mark inheritances as standardized benefits.
• Zhang Caidong told the exhausted Blue Star Humans to rest and instructed them to select twenty people to receive Shen Mu’s inheritance.
• Over breakfast, Zhang Caidong described the Swadian Footmen’s specialties to Zhang Bo and asked him to decide which twenty Middle-Level Managers would advance into Spiritual Realm Commanders.
• Zhang Bo selected twenty policy managers with whom he had good relationships and offered the remaining Middle-Level Managers future chances to earn advancement by demonstrating their abilities.
• The Middle-Level Managers welcomed Zhang Bo’s offer, and he smiled as he began to build their support.

Shen Mu used the Mount & Blade System’s Refugee Recruitment Order to bring Swadian refugees to Dhirim, hoping to expand his pool of commoners and troops. The refugees arrived safely, though King Harlaus condemned Shen Mu, and Manid was assigned to oversee their resettlement.

• Shen Mu appointed twenty Blue Star Humans as squad leaders, giving each ten Swadian Peasants, then considered how to meet the growing demand for troops and personnel.
• The Mount & Blade System offered Shen Mu a Refugee Recruitment Order, and he spent 10,000 Power of Faith to summon refugees from the Kingdom of Swadia.
• The system reported that about 1,000 Swadian Peasants would come to Dhirim and explained that different Military Buildings could train commoners into different kingdoms’ soldiers.
• King Harlaus condemned Shen Mu for recruiting Swadian refugees, while Shen Mu ordered Knight Fatis to receive them.
• Fatis welcomed the refugees to Dhirim and helped them choose leaders, and Shen Mu assigned Manid to handle their resettlement.

Shen Mu planned to use the Mount & Blade System’s refugee recruitment function to expand his forces while restricting Blue Star Humans to Tier 4 troops and increasing his Power of Faith. Near New Rivacheg, Alayen learned that Khergit Steppe Bandits had heard cavalry moving through the darkness, leaving the source of the hoofbeats unknown.

• Shen Mu considered how Mount & Blade Commoners could be recruited with Power of Faith and converted one-to-one into soldiers, while deciding Blue Star Humans would be barred from Tier 5 upgrades.
• Shen Mu planned to resume caravan operations, expand Dhirim, and grow his Power of Faith by having squad leaders and their soldiers pray together.
• Alayen patrolled New Rivacheg’s walls and surrounding plains, then rode west with the Sacred Tree Knights to inspect the Subway Station entrance.
• Khergit Steppe Bandits reported that several of them had heard distant cavalry hoofbeats in the darkness the previous night.
• Alayen told the bandits to report unusual sounds immediately and remained alert to the possibility of approaching cavalry.

Bunduk strengthened New Uxkhal’s defenses as Undead Monsters grew more dangerous, while Yang Di assessed Shen Mu’s new castle and considered how Green Leaf Group could counter Dhirim. Yang Di rejected a risky alliance with the Skeleton Legion, leaving Green Leaf Group’s next move uncertain.

• Bunduk patrolled New Uxkhal and prepared to finish training its remaining Swadian Recruits into Swadian Militia, wary of Undead Monsters and possible enemies watching the castle.
• Yang Di and Zhang Song observed New Uxkhal and discussed how Shen Mu’s destruction of Diesel Company had left Green Leaf Group vulnerable.
• Zhang Song reported that Zhang Bo had influence among Green Leaf Group’s managers but had not gained Shen Mu’s trust or entered his inner circle.
• Yang Di concluded that attacking Dhirim with a Decapitation Tactic was too dangerous now that New Uxkhal could reinforce it.
• Zhang Song suggested seeking help from the Skeleton Legion beneath Longcheng City, but Yang Di warned that the Legion could become uncontrollable and recalled the Wood Elf Elder’s warning.

Yang Di weighed whether to seek the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty’s help against Dhirim, fearing the cost to Zhang Song and Zhang Bo, while Shen Mu’s growing faith income and Denar brought Dhirim’s expansion within reach. The chapter ended with Shen Mu ordering Manid to plan two new city areas.

• Zhang Song urged Yang Di to seek the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty’s strength, warning that Yang Di could not surrender without losing his life and lord status.
• Yang Di decided to consult the Wood Elf Elder before approaching the Seventh Dynasty, worried that cooperation could put Zhang Song and Zhang Bo at risk.
• Yang Di and his companions left the apartment, while Wood Elf sentries continued watching New Uxkhal from nearby buildings.
• After nearly half a month, Shen Mu’s forces had filled Dhirim’s granaries, and his daily Power of Faith had risen to more than fifty thousand points.
• Shen Mu saw that his Denar savings were nearing one hundred thousand and decided to expand Dhirim with two new city areas.
• Shen Mu summoned a Sacred Tree Knight to notify Manid and put him in charge of planning the new areas.

Manid proposed expanding Dhirim with eastern and western New City Areas, and Shen Mu entrusted him with planning their construction. Shen Mu also invested twenty Blue Star Humans as squad leaders and sent them out with Swadian Peasants to grow stronger.

• Manid proposed making each New City Area as large as the Central District and reserving space for Dhirim’s future population; Shen Mu approved his plan and put him in charge of Town Construction.
• A Sacred Tree Knight informed Shen Mu that Zhang Bo had brought twenty Blue Star Humans seeking investiture, and Shen Mu allowed them into the meeting room.
• Zhang Bo introduced the twenty Middle-Level Managers, who pledged their loyalty to Shen Mu and Dhirim.
• Shen Mu invested the twenty Blue Star Humans as squad leaders, granting them the template of Swadian Recruits.
• Shen Mu warned the new squad leaders to protect their Human Race Followers, then sent each of them out with ten Swadian Peasants.

Zhang Bo realized Shen Mu saw him as a useful subordinate rather than a trusted insider, and became determined to gain access to Rhodok Castle and uncover its secrets. He decided to seek help from Green Leaf Group and pursue a plan involving a Wood Elf holy artifact.

• Zhang Bo sensed a druid’s Natural Aura inside Rhodok Castle and resented that the druid lived in the castle while he remained outside Shen Mu’s inner circle.
• Zhang Bo recognized that the castle, not the Town Area, was Dhirim’s true core and concluded that disrupting the town would not seriously harm Shen Mu.
• Zhang Bo calmed himself and decided to consult Green Leaf Group about gaining access to the Castle Area.
• Zhang Bo reasoned that contributing a Wood Elf holy artifact might win Shen Mu’s favor, as Sun Zhiru’s light-related holy artifact had done.
• Zhang Bo wrote a secret letter and sent two trusted sprites out of Dhirim to contact Green Leaf Group.

Zhang Bo and Zhang Song devised a plan to infiltrate Dhirim's Castle Area by modifying Zhang Bo's Magic Crystal Ball into a Teleportation Medium and using it to send Wood Elf troops inside. Zhang Song reported the plan to Yang Di, who judged it feasible and believed it could destroy Dhirim in an instant.

• Zhang Bo told Zhang Song he planned to use a holy artifact and his Divination Mage identity to gain access to Dhirim's Castle Area and the Torch Tower.
• Zhang Bo suggested making the gift explode and killing Shen Mu, but Zhang Song rejected the idea as dangerous and proposed using the Magic Crystal Ball to open a Teleportation Gate instead.
• Zhang Bo explained that his Magic Crystal Ball could be modified into a Teleportation Medium, and he proposed using it alongside holy artifacts to send Wood Elf troops directly into Dhirim's Castle Area.
• Zhang Bo planned to stir up rebellion in the Town Area to distract the Human Soldiers while the Wood Elves attacked from within.
• Zhang Song returned to Green Leaf Group and told Yang Di the plan, and Yang Di concluded that it could destroy Dhirim in an instant.

Yang Di traveled from Wood Elf Village to the Wood Elf Plane to seek the Great Elder’s help with his plan to attack the Dhirim Human Faction. The Great Elder agreed to enchant magical items into Teleportation Gates and help Yang Di contact the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty, while urging him to fulfill his potential as a Wood Elf.

• Yang Di told Zhang Song he would consult the Wood Elf Great Elder about gathering humans for Mind Energy and securing help with magical-item modifications, then instructed Zhang Song to inspect the village’s Tree Wall.
• Yang Di entered the guarded Descent Hall and used the Lord Mark Core to travel through the Astral Realm to the Wood Elf Plane.
• Wood Elf attendants led Yang Di to the Great Elder, who heard his plan to use magical items as Teleportation Gates for sending troops into enemy territory.
• The Great Elder concluded that Dhirim possessed a Fragment of Natural Will and supported attacking it to recover the fragment and advance the Wood Elf Plane’s restoration of nature.
• The Great Elder agreed to have Wood Elf Spellcasters enchant Yang Di’s magical items and gave him a token to establish contact with the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty.
• The Great Elder told Yang Di that his soul had achieved Frequency Resonance and urged him not to disappoint his expectations as he neared becoming a true Wood Elf.

Yang Di received the Wood Elf token to begin cooperating with the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty, while the Great Elder warned that stronger supernatural power could strip his undead younger brother of his remaining sanity. The Great Elder then summoned the Council of Elders and proposed purifying the souls of fallen Wood Elves so they could become Natural Energy Spirits.

• The Great Elder gave Yang Di a token representing the Wood Elf Race and warned that his undead younger brother could become a brutal enemy as the Necromantic Rules strengthened.
• After Yang Di left, the Great Elder ordered a Natural Energy Spirit to summon his friends and gathered the twelve elders of the Council of Elders.
• The Great Elder explained the proposed cooperation with the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty and the danger posed by the undead Wood Elf legion as Blue Star World's supernatural power increased.
• The Great Elder reminded the elders that his younger brother and the elite legion had sacrificed themselves during the War of the End to let the Wood Elves escape.
• The Great Elder revealed that he could create tiny Natural Energy Spirits and proposed purifying the fallen Wood Elves' souls so they could escape the Necromantic Rules and return as allies.

Yang Di returned from the Astral Realm with the Wood Elf Great Elder’s approval and a token that could establish contact with the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty. He led Zhang Song and an armed group into Longcheng City’s subway to negotiate with the Skeleton Legion, whose warriors knelt to him as they entered.

• Yang Di told Zhang Song that the Wood Elf Great Elder had approved their plan and ordered him to retrieve the Magic Crystal Ball for modification.
• Yang Di and Zhang Song discussed using the Skeleton Legion to draw Dhirim’s forces away while their allies stirred unrest and attacked its command center.
• Yang Di gathered ten Blue Star Human guards and one hundred elite Wood Elf archers, then led them toward the subway entrance with the green token.
• The group entered the subway tunnel, where Skeleton Warriors emerged through the gray mist and knelt before Yang Di.

Yang Di met Ludwig, the leader of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty Vanguard, in the Subway Tunnel and presented him with the Holy Tree Token. The token temporarily purified Ludwig from the Necromantic Rules, and he agreed to await Yang Di’s commands as they pursued the hope of restoring the Will of Nature to the Blue Star World.

• Yang Di used the Holy Tree Token to identify himself and speak with Ludwig, whom he had previously allied with in the Subway Tunnel.
• Ludwig took the token from Yang Di and explained that its power could grant him redemption from the Necromantic Rules.
• The Holy Tree Token released green motes that purified Ludwig and restored his flesh-and-blood appearance temporarily.
• Ludwig clarified that the change was not resurrection, but a temporary blessing from the power of nature.
• Ludwig told Yang Di that he understood the plan and would await his commands, while the Skeleton Warriors’ only hope remained the return of the Will of Nature to the Blue Star World.

Shen Mu appointed twenty Blue Star Humans as Spiritual Realm Commanders while feeling uneasy about an unspecified impending danger. After the new commanders left, he stopped Zhang Bo to ask about his Magic Crystal Ball, unaware that Zhang Bo was secretly preparing to help destroy Dhirim.

• Shen Mu woke with a sense of foreboding, but the Mount & Blade System gave him no warning or Temporary Mission.
• Shen Mu completed his daily work, including accelerating the growth of crops and preparing to appoint twenty squad leaders.
• Zhang Bo brought twenty Middle-Level Managers to Shen Mu, while secretly planning to modify his Magic Crystal Ball with the Green Leaf Group to open a gate for an attack on Dhirim.
• Shen Mu appointed all twenty visitors as Swadian Recruits and assigned each ten Swadian Peasants to help them level up.
• As Zhang Bo turned to leave, Shen Mu stopped him and asked how his Magic Crystal Ball had been recently.

Zhang Bo told Shen Mu that his Magic Water Planet was beginning to regain its ability to detect nearby Magic Fluctuations, then secretly prepared to help Wood Elf Village destroy Dhirim. He left two trusted commanders to modify the Magic Crystal Ball within three days so the attack could take Dhirim by surprise.

• Zhang Bo explained that his Magic Water Planet had accumulated enough magic to restore basic sensing functions, and Shen Mu welcomed the news.
• Zhang Bo met twenty Blue Star Human Middle-Level Managers he had selected as Spiritual Realm Commanders; he directed them to Zhang Caidong to receive assignments and strengthen their followers.
• Zhang Bo collected a schoolbag containing the Magic Crystal Ball and left his fairies behind to guard his Town House.
• Zhang Bo passed Manid, who was surveying outside Dhirim with Spiritual Realm Soldiers, but chose not to approach him.
• Zhang Bo gave the Magic Crystal Ball to two Wood Elf Village commanders and ordered them to modify it within three days to support the surprise attack on Dhirim.

Blue Star Humans in Dhirim strengthened their troops and grew increasingly loyal to Shen Mu, while Zhang Bo feared their attachment would undermine Green Leaf Group’s plans. He watched preparations for new construction and worried that Dhirim was about to change before his gifts and plan were ready.

• Zhang Caidong and fifteen other High-Level Managers became Swadian Footmen, while more than 140 Middle-Level Managers and their soldiers advanced and organized patrols around Dhirim.
• Blue Star Humans used patrols to train their troops, becoming confident that Shen Mu’s Human Empire was a powerful, secretive force in the Spiritual Realm.
• Zhang Bo grew anxious when the Magic Crystal Ball and planned Holy Artifacts had not returned and soldiers measured areas near Dhirim’s east and west gates.
• Zhang Caidong told Zhang Bo that he knew nothing about the construction plans, while Blue Star Humans expressed gratitude for Dhirim’s safety, food, and opportunities for advancement.
• Zhang Bo feared that the Blue Star Humans’ devotion to Dhirim would leave them unwilling to produce Mind Energy for Green Leaf Group even if it conquered the town.