Recaps

Xiao Ran welcomed the Burning Legion members back from their advancement missions and confirmed that every participant had succeeded, leaving the legion with an unprecedented number of S-class and Mythical-level Pilots. After reviewing their unusual mission reports and spending nearly all the legion’s Merit Points on their growth, he was contacted about a meeting with Bicchy and the person who had sent him a gift.

• Xiao Ran reunited with Cruze, Luo, Basak, and Graham, who all confirmed they had completed their missions and returned safely.
• The Burning Legion gathered at the Presidential Palace, where Xiao Ran counted twenty-nine S-class members and fifteen Mythical-level members among the attendees.
• Xiao Ran and Cruze discussed making the legion’s strength known while helping its Pilots advance further, and Cruze revealed he had entered Mecha Wars L.
• Xiao Ran read and burned the mission reports, learning that Char and Amuro had killed their Same-bodies in Char's Counterattack, Luo had worked as a technician in Build Fighters, and Graham had become an Innovator through a fusion with ELS.
• The legion used nearly all its Merit Points to support its newly advanced members, and a week later the shop manager told Xiao Ran that Bicchy and the person who sent him a gift wanted to meet him.

Xiao Ran met Bicchy of the Shadow Blade Legion and Cang of Bolsia to discuss cooperation, accepting a strategic alliance with Bicchy’s legion and a friendly partnership with Cang’s. After Cang left and Bicchy signed a Confidentiality Contract, Xiao Ran revealed the Burning Legion’s vast S-class Pilot strength, leaving Bicchy stunned.

• Xiao Ran welcomed Bicchy and Cang to the Burning Legion’s shop and heard their proposals for cooperation.
• Bicchy offered a comprehensive strategic alliance on behalf of the Shadow Blade Legion, while Cang proposed a friendly partnership for Bolsia.
• Xiao Ran agreed to both arrangements and told Cang that the Burning Legion planned to open two Faction Territories for A-Class Pilots and below.
• Cang shared his contact information and left, and Xiao Ran required Bicchy to sign a Confidentiality Contract before their private discussion.
• Xiao Ran told Bicchy that the Burning Legion had nearly fifty S-Class Pilots and could gather one or two hundred for a Full-scale Legion War, leaving Bicchy speechless.

Bicchy left the Burning Legion’s shop shaken by the legion’s hidden strength, while Xiao Ran arranged to open two territories to the public and discussed expanding the Burning Legion’s influence. Xiao Ran tasked Cruze and Fardes with pursuing a public fourth-place ranking and building ties with other legions, as Cruze began considering who could help with the growing workload.

• Bicchy left the Burning Legion’s shop terrified after hearing how many S-class Pilots the legion could spare.
• Xiao Ran told the Cat-eared girl to open the MUV and Six God Combination territories to the public and manage entry slots.
• Xiao Ran met with Cruze, Naza, and Fardes, who explained the reputations and strength of the Bolsia and Shadow Blade Legions.
• Xiao Ran decided to publicly reveal ten S-class Pilots and asked Fardes to find out how the Burning Legion could claim fourth place.
• Xiao Ran assigned Cruze and Fardes to negotiate with Bolsia and tasked Cruze with managing the Shadow Blade alliance and future legion relations.
• Cruze considered training assistants, including Eshe, to handle diplomatic work and free up his time.

Xiao Ran learned how the Burning Legion could earn a ranking and tasked Renard, Sanger, Elsam, Ingram, and Hades with joining the Legion Council and applying for an evaluation. The Legion Council accepted the application, and Xiao Ran prepared to present the legion’s strength as its evaluators arrived.

• Fardes explained that the Burning Legion could seek a ranking evaluation or directly challenge the fourth-ranked legion, and Xiao Ran chose to join the ranking organization while postponing a fight until after another mission.
• Xiao Ran assigned Renard, Sanger, Elsam, Ingram, and Hades to represent the Burning Legion, pursue a ranking evaluation, and build ties with other legions.
• Renard and the others joined the organization at the Legion Hall and learned it was called the Legion Council, with seats for legions ranked in the top fifty.
• Renard reported that the evaluation department would contact the Burning Legion within a day, and Xiao Ran planned to reveal five Faction Territories and list ten S-class Pilots to improve its score.
• Xiao Ran agreed to receive the evaluation team personally and wondered how it would assess the Burning Legion.

Epplas's evaluation team assessed the Burning Legion's participants, territories, and technology, placing it provisionally fifth and judging it strong enough to challenge fourth place. Xiao Ran revealed two more S-class Pilots and another territory to secure the challenge, while the evaluators left suspecting the Legion was hiding far more strength.

• Xiao Ran told Epplas's team that the Burning Legion had ten S-class Pilots, five Faction Territories, and technology capable of producing S-class mecha and warships.
• Renard guided the evaluators through five territories over three days, where they examined the Legion's worlds and participants.
• Epplas reported that the Burning Legion's provisional assessment placed it fifth, citing its limited participant numbers and the relative value of its territories.
• Xiao Ran added two S-class Pilots and a sixth Faction Territory, then asked Epplas to arrange a challenge against the fourth-ranked Legion.
• Epplas's team finalized the evaluation and returned to the Legion Hall, where they sealed their findings and prepared to upload them.

Qin Yun woke in what seemed to be his old high school, but unfamiliar clothes, money, and talk of a Special Academy convinced him that something was deeply wrong. He tried to play along when a teacher summoned him, then embarrassed himself by mistaking someone else’s desk plaque for her name.

• Qin Yun jolted awake in class, was thrown out by his teacher, and realized he was wearing an unfamiliar school uniform in his former high school.
• Qin Yun checked his pockets, found an unfamiliar foldable phone and strange banknotes, and decided the phone might help him understand his situation.
• After class, the teacher took Qin Yun to an unfamiliar office and warned him that his behavior could hurt his prospects before graduation and the Special Academy assessment.
• Qin Yun noticed the name Tang Yi on a desk plaque and apologized to the woman he assumed was his teacher, calling her Teacher Tang.
• The woman told Qin Yun that the desk was not hers, leaving him mortified by his mistake.

The Burning Legion’s challenge to the fourth-ranked Legion stirred the top fifty Legions, and Xiao Ran learned the battle would be a closed, full-scale encounter in three days. He also set terms for closer cooperation with the Shadow Blade Legion and agreed to pursue a confidentiality pact with the fourth-ranked Legion, which accepted.

• After Epplas’s evaluation team confirmed the Burning Legion could challenge fourth place, news of the ranking battle spread through Prometheus and alarmed the fourth-, fifth-, and fiftieth-ranked Legions.
• The fourth-ranked Legion arranged a closed, full-scale encounter battle in the Arena Zone for three days later, and Renard told Xiao Ran the news.
• Cruze presented the finalized Shadow Blade Legion cooperation terms, and Xiao Ran approved them while setting limits on technology exchanges and restricted goods.
• Xiao Ran said the Burning Legion could remain neutral and trade with all Legions if the fourth-ranked Legion refused to keep the battle confidential.
• Renard contacted the fourth-ranked Legion, which accepted a confidentiality agreement and expressed interest in becoming friends after the battle.

Xiao Ran led the Burning Legion into a full-scale encounter battle against the Emerald Dream Legion, the fourth-ranked legion. The Burning Legion overwhelmed its opponent with its vastly larger fleet and S-class forces, leaving Qinglong humiliated and the outcome effectively decided.

• Xiao Ran and the masked Burning Legion members met Qinglong, who declared the battle would continue until one side could no longer fight.
• Xiao Ran arranged the Burning Legion's forces from the command center and took command of its fleet in the virtual battlefield.
• Mwu reported that the Emerald Dream Legion had fewer than a quarter as many warships, and Xiao Ran ordered a long-range fleet attack followed by staged deployments of elite units.
• The Emerald Dream Legion detected the Burning Legion's enormous fleet and powerful weapons, but its ships were scattered by the first barrage.
• Xiao Ran taunted Qinglong over the open channel while gradually sending more S-class forces into battle, until Qinglong chose self-destruction.

After the Burning Legion defeated the Emerald Dream Legion, Xiao Ran celebrated its rise to fourth place on the Legion Council and faced the legions reacting to the new rankings. Grey Rock challenged Qinglong to a wagered battle, while Xiao Ran learned about the council’s privileges and duties.

• The Burning Legion defeated the Emerald Dream Legion, taking fourth place and dropping Emerald Dream to fifth.
• Sute and Bicchy congratulated Xiao Ran, and Cang offered the Burning Legion a gift and discussed cooperation with Bolsia.
• Qinglong congratulated Xiao Ran before Grey Rock insulted Emerald Dream and challenged Qinglong to a full-scale encounter battle with a two-hundred-million wager.
• Xiao Ran declined to retaliate against Grey Rock himself, and Cang explained the top five legions’ council rights and responsibilities.

Xiao Ran considered why Prometheus had supported the Legion Council and theorized that it wanted to protect S-class Pilots and stabilize the Real Zone. After Cruze and the others left, Xiao Ran proposed a comprehensive strategic alliance with Cang and arranged to bring Qinglong to him as a test subject.

• Xiao Ran reasoned that Prometheus's rigid rules might explain its support for the Legion Council, possibly because the council could reduce deaths among S-class Pilots and stabilize the Real Zone.
• Cruze recognized that Xiao Ran had become absorbed in a dangerous idea, then left with Yuzes and others before Xiao Ran could involve them.
• Renard told Xiao Ran that the battle had already begun, and Xiao Ran asked Cang to consider a fully open strategic alliance with the Burning Legion.
• Cang said he would confirm the alliance proposal, and Xiao Ran told Renard to bring Qinglong to him when the Emerald Dream Legion's people emerged.

Xiao Ran proposed creating a Logic Research Department to investigate Prometheus, while Luo argued that the effort was premature and presented a proposal to invest heavily in basic science. Xiao Ran approved both initiatives, assigned Giliam to oversee logic research, and set out to earn Merit Points to fund the work.

• After returning to Fleet Territory, Xiao Ran privately wondered about Prometheus's purpose and summoned Hana to arrange a meeting with Giliam, Hades, and Luo.
• Xiao Ran proposed studying Prometheus's logic through a new research division, using Sophia's simulated world and the help of Little Eight, Nifaline, and other experts.
• Luo and Hades cautioned that recreating Prometheus was premature, and Hades suggested they first secure a force capable of resisting it.
• Luo presented a proposal to establish a major basic-science program, including a planetary-scale super collider, and explained its potential to drive future technological advances.
• Xiao Ran approved the basic-science investment, appointed Giliam to oversee the Logic Research Department, and said he would earn Merit Points to fund the projects.

Xiao Ran established the Logic Research Institute and Basic Science Research Institute despite the cost, then met with Shadow Blade and Emerald Dream to discuss an alliance and Burning Legion products. Qinglong agreed to pursue a comprehensive strategic alliance after Xiao Ran laid out the benefits, though his detailed response to the offer remained unstated.

• Xiao Ran approved the creation of the Logic Research Institute and Basic Science Research Institute, and Luo and Giliam began arranging their frameworks.
• Xiao Ran left Luo’s office after learning the money had arrived, while Hades vanished through an open window.
• After the Emerald Dream Legion defeated the Grey Rock Legion, Xiao Ran met with its leader Qinglong and Shadow Blade representatives Sute and Bicchy at the Presidential Palace.
• Xiao Ran offered Emerald Dream a comprehensive strategic alliance, and Qinglong agreed to consider the terms after Renard showed him Shadow Blade’s agreement.
• Xiao Ran described the Burning Legion’s products and services, prompting Sute and Bicchy to grow eager to buy and Qinglong and his vice legion leader to react with dismay.

Xiao Ran sold large quantities of the Burning Legion’s goods to the Shadow Blade Legion and the Emerald Dream Legion, earning 2 billion Merit Points and securing a strategic alliance with the Emerald Dream Legion. He assigned Cruze and Renard to manage council relations and sales while the Burning Legion prepared for a year of Retention Time.

• Sute and Bicchy ordered warships, Cores, bloodlines, Portable Armor, Custom Mecha, and mentorship for the Shadow Blade Legion, spending 500 million Merit Points.
• The Emerald Dream Legion ordered one hundred Cores, forty warships, mecha parts, bloodline slots, and other goods, raising its order to 1.5 billion Merit Points and forming a strategic alliance with Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran gave 1 billion Merit Points to Luo and tasked Renard and Cruze with council affairs, sales, and arranging Retention Time for the Burning Legion’s core members.
• Over three days, the Burning Legion prepared early deliveries and custom mecha while Cruze and Renard finalized more than fifteen friendly cooperation agreements with other legions.
• Renard confirmed that Bolsia was a major client, while the Burning Legion continued discussions with its new partners and kept the Emerald Dream Legion alliance secret.

After a year of Retention Time, the Burning Legion completed preparations, trained allied legion members, and delivered a singer to the Emerald Dream Legion. Xiao Ran was summoned to a gathering of the top five Legion Leaders to discuss the Shared Territory and intelligence about the mysterious Fantasy Zone.

• The Burning Legion used the year to advance its research projects, prepare ordered goods, and train S-class Pilots and visiting members of Shadow Blade and the Emerald Dream Legion.
• An Emerald Dream Legion trainee stayed for a year at the Singer Academy, and Xiao Ran agreed to provide the legion with a singer for two hundred million Merit Points.
• The trainee returned as a genuine singer, satisfying the Emerald Dream Legion, while Bicchy regretted that Shadow Blade could not afford the same arrangement.
• Xiao Ran spent time with his daughter Artemis until Eshe summoned him to a gathering attended by the top five Legion Leaders.
• Eshe told Xiao Ran that the gathering would cover intelligence exchanges, the Shared Territory, and Cruze's information about the Fantasy Zone.

Xiao Ran attended his first Five-Person Council meeting after the Burning Legion entered the top five, meeting the leaders of the other top-ranked legions. The council invited him into its private trade and intelligence circle, and the discussion turned to cooperation and maintaining stability among the five legions.

• Cruze told Xiao Ran that the council had called a meeting because the top-five rankings had changed, and shared rumors about the mysterious leader of the Mythical Legion.
• Xiao Ran entered the council chamber, where Qinglong introduced him to Zoe of Bolsia, Todd of Qi, and Nameless of the Mythical Legion.
• Xiao Ran explained that he had approached Qinglong to build cooperation and said he hoped the Burning Legion would be friends with the other legions.
• Zoe said the council wanted to meet Xiao Ran and preserve good relations among the five top legions.
• Todd invited Xiao Ran to join the five legions' private trade and intelligence circle, and Xiao Ran asked what participation would require.

Xiao Ran learned how the Five-Person Council handled trade and disputes, then negotiated with Nameless for intelligence about the Fantasy Zone. Nameless revealed that the Fantasy Zone had vanished after a rebellion devastated both sides, leaving Xiao Ran to reconsider what he knew and offer Nameless additional payment.

• Todd gave Xiao Ran the Five-Person Council's trade catalog and explained that the Council charged a one-percent fee for public territories.
• Todd offered real-time printing technology for trade, and Xiao Ran expressed interest in acquiring it for the Burning Legion.
• Nameless raised complaints about a Legion massacring participants, but the Council declined to intervene beyond its normal mediation process.
• After the meeting, Xiao Ran asked Nameless for intelligence about the Fantasy Zone and agreed to pay one hundred million Merit Points.
• Nameless revealed that the Fantasy Zone no longer existed because a rebellion had left both sides devastated, and Xiao Ran offered an additional gift for the information.

Xiao Ran negotiated with Todd over technology and exchanged two special inheritances for Todd’s technology and a non-hostility agreement. The deal left Todd satisfied, while Xiao Ran planned to use the inheritances’ limitations to draw Todd’s legion into closer cooperation with the Burning Legion.

• Xiao Ran left the Legion Council with Todd, and they talked over drinks before discussing a trade.
• Todd requested mental and defensive inheritances in exchange for technology he valued at one hundred million Merit Points, and Xiao Ran asked about Todd’s cooperation with the Bolsia Legion.
• Xiao Ran offered two inheritances in exchange for Todd’s technology and a non-hostility agreement with the Burning Legion.
• Todd said he would take the Mage inheritance himself and give the Paladin inheritance to a core legion member, then Hades delivered the two inheritance cards.
• Xiao Ran explained the Mage and Paladin specializations, their abilities, and the need for suitable mechs, and Todd agreed to the exchange and confidentiality terms.

Xiao Ran and his allies analyzed intelligence about the lost Fantasy Zone, imagining a vast, dangerous world containing countless factions and powerful beings. Nameless’s further details supported their theories, but they remained unsure who had fought Prometheus in the rebellion that destroyed the zone.

• Xiao Ran returned to the Fleet Territory after trading technology with Todd for two Class Cards, then summoned Yuzes, Giliam, Cruze, Shirakawa Shuu, and Luo to discuss intelligence about the Fantasy Zone.
• Xiao Ran explained that Nameless had sold him information describing the Fantasy Zone as an independent, chaotic world without mandatory missions, lost after a rebellion left both sides grievously wounded.
• Yuzes, Giliam, Shirakawa Shuu, and Cruze speculated that the Fantasy Zone had been a massive battlefield where participants and countless known factions competed, and Xiao Ran imagined how terrifying its strongest inhabitants could be.
• Xiao Ran asked Nameless whether participants in the Fantasy Zone had united or fought independently, and Nameless replied that they were generally united but still competed among themselves.
• Nameless sent further details saying the Fantasy Zone had four stages, dangers even for S-class and Mythical Pilots, Prometheus towers, and many kinds of factions and powers; the group read the information and found their earlier theories broadly plausible.
• Yuzes concluded that Prometheus had been one side in the rebellion, but the opposing side might not have been the participants.

Xiao Ran concluded that the vanished Fantasy Zone might reveal Prometheus’s weaknesses and ordered the Burning Legion’s true core members to investigate it. He went to the Legion Zone to try to force Prometheus to appear, while Todd and his Vice Legion Leader tested their new inheritance cards and realized the powers might not help them while piloting mechs.

• Xiao Ran discussed the Fantasy Zone’s possible conflict and disappearance, concluding that its history might offer a way to challenge Prometheus.
• Xiao Ran told the Burning Legion’s core members to share the information selectively, then left for the Legion Zone to seek Prometheus and demand compensation.
• Cruze proposed obtaining another Designated Follower Card to test Prometheus, prompting the group to misunderstand his suggestion in several ways.
• Todd’s Vice Legion Leader activated the Paladin Class Card and gained skills, a personal panel, and a method for communicating with holy light.
• Todd activated the Mage Class Card and discovered that he could use magic, but he and the Vice Legion Leader questioned how their new powers could work with mechs.
• Todd and his Vice Legion Leader decided the inheritance was genuine but potentially impractical for mech combat, and Todd chose to contact Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran confronted Prometheus in the Legion Zone and pressed it about the missing Fantasy Zone, its rewards, and its restrictions. He secured compensation and a one-way opportunity to enter the Fantasy Zone, while agreeing not to reveal information about it outside the Burning Legion.

• Xiao Ran entered the Legion Zone, arranged a private room, and used the Cross-Zone Mission Card and a directory of legions to persuade Prometheus to speak with him.
• Prometheus confirmed that it had three Main Systems and that the Fantasy Zone had been lost, but it refused to confirm Xiao Ran’s theories about the war and the Legion Council.
• Prometheus explained that the Dragon Pearl had replaced the second Cross-Zone Mission Card reward and offered to raise the level of Xiao Ran’s remaining card as compensation for its misleading description.
• Xiao Ran learned that S-class Pilots and Mythical-level Pilots had once been able to enter the Fantasy Zone, and he negotiated a one-way trip there in exchange for completing an assigned mission.
• Xiao Ran signed a contract restricting what he could reveal about the Fantasy Zone, received additional compensation, and made Prometheus agree not to avoid him.

Xiao Ran explained the inheritances Todd and Ries had purchased and demonstrated how the Burning Legion could combine them with compatible mecha. He left Todd considering a strategic alliance as the price for access to the Legion’s broader training and technology, while Xiao Ran aimed to win over the entire Enlightenment Legion.

• Xiao Ran told Todd and Ries that the inheritances were sound, explained how to develop their abilities, and described the Burning Legion’s advanced training materials and mecha modifications.
• Xiao Ran brought Todd and Ries to the Secret Weapon Department, where a mage and a paladin demonstrated their abilities both on foot and in compatible mecha.
• Xiao Ran showed Todd and Ries the Secret Weapon Department’s training grounds and said that true allies, including the Emerald Dream Legion, could study and buy from the Burning Legion.
• Todd asked about compatible mecha, and Xiao Ran said the Burning Legion would provide them and permit study of the corresponding inheritances only to partners in a comprehensive strategic cooperation alliance.

Xiao Ran presented Todd and Ries with the Burning Legion’s catalog and alliance terms, persuading them that the Enlightenment Legion could benefit from a strategic partnership. After Ries proposed joining the Burning Legion to bring the two legions closer, Xiao Ran sensed someone listening and struck toward them, leaving Todd asking whether his attack was another inheritance.

• Xiao Ran offered the Enlightenment Legion a comprehensive strategic alliance with access to the Burning Legion’s inheritance training and product catalog, conditional on changing its stance and prioritizing the Burning Legion as a supplier.
• Ries signed a confidentiality agreement and reviewed the catalog and cooperation terms; Todd later signed as well and recognized how much the Enlightenment Legion might gain from the partnership.
• Todd accused Xiao Ran of drawing the Enlightenment Legion into his calculations, and Xiao Ran explained that the catalog and available items would vary depending on the level of partnership.
• Xiao Ran claimed the Burning Legion could crush the Enlightenment Legion with its hidden strength and long-range weapons, while Todd worried that confidentiality would make it difficult to persuade his legion to ally with them.
• Ries asked to join the Burning Legion, arguing that her position as Todd’s sister and the Enlightenment Legion’s Vice Legion Leader would bring the two legions closer and reassure Xiao Ran.
• Xiao Ran stopped Ries from saying more, ordered the conversation kept secret, and punched toward a suspected listener; Todd then asked whether the attack was an inheritance.

Xiao Ran rejected Ries’s attempt to join the Burning Legion and warned his scheming subordinates not to cause trouble, while Todd left to consider a strategic alliance. After reviewing the Burning Legion’s strength and catalog, Todd and Ries leaned toward signing before Bolsia joined the cooperation.

• Todd praised Xiao Ran’s powerful punch, and Xiao Ran suggested that Todd’s mage inheritance might eventually achieve something similar.
• Todd left the Burning Legion to discuss cooperation with his core members, while Xiao Ran summoned Basak, Cruze, and Yuzes and told them not to meddle with Ries or the Enlightenment Legion.
• Xiao Ran doubted that Ries would be useful as a link between the legions and ordered his subordinates to watch the Enlightenment Legion and Bolsia.
• Todd returned to his legion and considered the inheritances, weapons, warships, and other goods in the Burning Legion’s catalog, which had impressed him.
• Ries urged Todd to sign a strategic cooperation agreement before Bolsia did, arguing that an alliance with the Burning Legion and Emerald Dream would increase their influence among the top five legions.

Xiao Ran explained to Cruze and Yuzes that Prometheus had agreed to send someone to the Fantasy Zone, where a lost Prometheus might be found, but the journey would be one-way and involve a mission. Concerned that Prometheus had singled him out, Xiao Ran decided to stay behind while the legion prepared Eagle and the Berserk Beast Squad for the trip.

• Xiao Ran told Nameless that he would send a Portable Armor and Bloodline Serum to maintain their relationship, while keeping their cooperation cautious.
• Xiao Ran informed Cruze and Yuzes that the three Prometheuses controlled the Real Zone, Super Zone, and Fantasy Zone, and that the Fantasy Zone's Prometheus had been lost.
• Xiao Ran told Cruze and Yuzes that Prometheus would send someone to the Fantasy Zone but would not bring them back, and they considered sending a Super AI instead of a participant.
• Xiao Ran, Cruze, and Yuzes decided that Eagle and a larger group of Super AIs should go, while Xiao Ran stayed behind to avoid raising mission risks for the legion.
• Xiao Ran joined Luo, Shirakawa Shuu, Yuzes, and other experts to rebuild Eagle and the Berserk Beast Squad with extensive safeguards and enhancements.

Xiao Ran remained in the territory while the Burning Legion went on missions and finally enjoyed a truly restful day. As he reflected on the Legion’s dependence on him, he decided to strengthen its leadership and prepare for its future stability.

• Xiao Ran stayed in the territory rather than enter a mission, then slept peacefully in the garden while the other members of his household watched over him.
• After waking, Xiao Ran agreed with Da Xia that they could take a trip after everyone returned, but he privately recognized that Prometheus still prevented him from truly relaxing.
• Xiao Ran considered how his absence could expose old grievances and destabilize the Burning Legion and its territories, since no other core member could fully take his place.
• Xiao Ran concluded that the Legion needed a second-in-command, a third-in-command, contingency plans, and an heir to safeguard its stability.
• At dinner, Xiao Ran asked whether the women wanted work; Da La and Xiao La offered to help, and he agreed to arrange responsibilities for them.
• Xiao Ran considered Da La and Xiao La helping him manage the territories and decided that Artemis would be the eventual heir, with Da Xia best suited to guide things until Artemis grew up.