Recaps

Velin and O'dor left the Demiplane and returned toward Qixing Territory, where they discovered Blue Ear City and Doen Island had been destroyed. Velin merged with the Life Knight, Death Knight, and Blood Knight, rose to Legendary Intermediate, and prepared to face the threat, with the borrowed power giving him only three hours.

• O'dor and Velin left the Demiplane and continued their journey back toward Qixing Territory.
• Velin showed O'dor Cecilia's Demiplane and suggested using the followers or descendants of three Legends as experimental materials; O'dor agreed the idea was useful.
• Velin and O'dor found the land around Blue Ear Pirate City-state devastated, and Velin flew toward Blue Ear City.
• Velin destroyed a black shadow blocking their path, while O'dor crushed its soul; two other Soul Intent Low-Tier Black Robes fled toward the Dragon Devourer Cult.
• Velin found Blue Ear City reduced to a bottomless pit and Doen Island gone, then merged with the Life Knight, Death Knight, and Blood Knight.
• Velin's power surged to Legendary Intermediate as he mastered the laws; he calculated that he could sustain the borrowed power for three hours.

Velin traced the signal that had drawn three Continental Legendaries to Blue Spike City, identified them, and set out to punish them for endangering Xuemiyya and his aunt. He killed the Dragon Bone Priest with the Black Spear, leaving the Black Dragon alive.

• Velin rewound time to the moment Pirate King Borne Moonst's treasure released a signal, then used the Law of Fate to locate the three Legendaries who had divided the treasure among themselves.
• Velin chose the Dragon Bone Priest, Linaserda, as his first target and gave his uncle O'dor an orb containing his new understanding of the laws of time and space.
• Linaserda tortured a captive Black Dragon and threatened to turn him into a vessel for blood wine, describing how she had used another dragon's body, hide, bones, and soul.
• Velin arrived and fired the Black Spear, erasing Linaserda and destroying the land across tens of thousands of square kilometers while the Black Dragon survived.

Velin captured the purple-haired woman’s soul, stripped away most of her power and memories, then let the Druid's Book devour part of what remained. He went after Isadoror, destroyed his fleet and defeated him at sea, leaving Isadoror’s soul in his grasp.

• Velin compressed the purple-haired woman’s soul, removed most of her memories and Law of Wood power, then released her toward the River Styx.
• Velin stored the power he had taken in the Druid's Book, which began devouring it and expanding its internal space.
• Velin traveled to the sea to confront Isadoror, who sensed danger and watched his fleet get annihilated by Velin’s beam of light.
• Isadoror summoned nine law avatars to attack Velin, but Velin’s blade of lightlessness devoured them and severed Isadoror’s connection to his Demiplane.
• Isadoror turned himself into seawater and raised a gigantic wave to escape, but Velin’s blade cut through it and captured his soul.

Velin used overwhelming power to destroy Shadowless Phantom, the Duchy of Blacksha Night Descendants, and a Divine Bane before returning to the ruins of Blue Sui City and giving back the power he had borrowed. The truth of his actions remained hidden, while the Divine Bane’s death forged thirty World Scales for him.

• Velin entered the Shadow World and used space Law to evacuate civilians and low- and mid-level professionals from the Duchy of Blacksha Night Descendants, then lured Harol Gesseldar into fighting a Divine Bane released from a vast meteor.
• Harol fought the Divine Bane as its corrupted power transformed the Night Descendants below Legendary Rank into monsters.
• Velin appeared in the aerial battle and used the Black Spear to kill Harol and destroy the weakened Divine Bane; its corruption dissipated, and the transformed creatures crumbled to dust.
• Velin weakened Shadowless Phantom’s soul and let the Night Descendants’ god guide him away, then destroyed two Kingdom Legendaries and left the duchy in ruins.
• Velin returned to the ruins of Blue Sui City, restored the borrowed power, and became his ordinary self again; the Blood Knight, Death Knight, and Life Knight returned to his soul.
• The source of Velin’s deeds remained unknowable to gods and Epics, while the Divine Bane’s death forged thirty World Scales for him.

Velin waited for Xuemiyya and the others to emerge, then revealed that the three Continental Legendaries who had attacked O'dor were dead. After O'dor awoke, Velin sent the disappointed Hetherwelin toward treasure in the Shadow World and concealed how he had known the others were safe.

• The Druid's Book devoured nearly half the remaining treasure and expanded its internal space to three thousand square kilometers.
• After half a month, Velin entered Xuemiyya's Demiplane and reassured Flora that O'dor was safe and only needed time to wake.
• Three days later, O'dor awoke and reunited with Flora, while Velin concealed what had really happened during the group's absence.
• Velin told Hetherwelin about treasure left in the destroyed Duchy of the Blackbane Night Descendants and encouraged her to recover it.
• When the others questioned how Velin knew they had been safe in Xuemiyya's Demiplane, he claimed O'dor had discovered it.

Velin sent Hetherwelin toward the Duchy of the Black Night Descendants and hired Elios to recruit Spellcasters before organizing the slaves and setting out for Morning Bay Port. A young man investigating the vanished Raging Waves Fleet ordered his search ended, and Velin learned that the Pirate King had been watching them before he departed.

• Velin gave Hetherwelin a map to a treasure site, and she left with Nobie to plan her journey to the Duchy of the Black Night Descendants.
• Velin hired Elios to recruit Spellcasters in the Holy Dragon Kingdom, promising him payment for each recruit.
• Velin sorted more than two hundred thousand slaves according to their wishes, abilities, and races, then three days later set off aboard the Sandora Floating Battleship for Morning Bay Port.
• A young man learned from a Soul Intent High-level Ocean Sorcerer that the Raging Waves Fleet had vanished without a trace and ordered his fleet to return.
• O'dor told Velin that the Pirate King had been watching them, but that he had already left.

Velin returned the orc soldiers to the Orc Kingdom, ended his command, and rewarded them before leaving for Morning Bay Port. He arrived to find the port crowded with ships and saw a group of knights from Qixing Territory approaching.

• Tegus Verandir learned that Velin had arrived and hurried to the military camp wearing imitation ceremonial robes, but Velin had already left.
• Velin praised the orc soldiers for following military discipline, resigned as commander, and returned the troops to General Olek.
• Velin gave Olek a book of training methods, supplies, and a military merit ledger to distribute as rewards.
• Tegus Verandir kicked Olek aside and confiscated the book, claiming Olek had failed to salute him.
• Two days later, Velin arrived at Morning Bay Port aboard the Sandora Floating Battleship and saw knights with blank Qixing Territory-style banners approaching.

Velin learned how Morning Bay Territory had been managed in his absence and summoned its three leading figures to meet him. Priest Ius arrived first, and Velin discovered that he had concealed his true strength to protect Velin’s interests; Valer and Morvana Dalekis had yet to arrive.

• General Tais told Velin that local merchants, the Church of Dawn, and the garrison jointly administered Morning Bay Territory after kingdom officials withdrew.
• Velin ordered Tais to summon Valer, Ius, and Morvana Dalekis, while Mien and the guards prepared a reception on the hill.
• Ius arrived and Mien guided him to Velin, who recognized that the priest was a Soul Intent High-Tier Transcendent rather than the Low-Tier priest he appeared to be.
• Ius explained that he had hidden his strength to maintain harmony with the other leaders and prevent the church from overshadowing Velin’s interests.
• Velin welcomed Ius to sit and talk with him.

Velin recruited Priest Ius to establish a Dawn Priest Academy in Morning Bay Territory, offering support in exchange for the students serving his forces for fifty years. Ius accepted his appointment as dean and advisor, formally joining Qixing Territory.

• Ius reported the Church of Dawn's staffing and finances in Morning Bay Territory to Velin.
• Velin proposed that Ius establish a Dawn Priest Academy and promised unlimited student recruitment and supplies, provided its graduates served his forces for fifty years.
• Ius accepted Velin's offer and addressed him as his lord, and Velin welcomed him as Bishop Ius.
• Velin issued and sealed a decree appointing Ius dean of the academy and an advisor to Morning Bay Territory, with authority to recruit across his three territories.
• Ius accepted the decree, formally joining Qixing Territory, and then spoke with Velin about Morning Bay Territory and what little he knew of Saint Gerrard.

Velin met with General Valer and learned about his loyalty to the former prince and the forces he commanded in Morning Bay Territory. Morvana Dalekis joined them afterward, leaving Velin to consider the territory’s capable military and commercial leaders.

• Velin welcomed Valer, who explained that he had stayed in Morning Bay Territory to maintain order and had been encouraged by a letter from His Highness.
• Velin invited Valer to return to Qixing Territory, and Valer accepted without hesitation.
• Valer reported that Morning Bay Territory had 4,786 registered soldiers, including 3,203 City Defense Army troops, and Velin said their military structure would eventually be changed to match Qixing Territory’s.
• Xuemiyya and Flora returned from the seaside and went back to the Floating Battleship without interrupting the meeting.
• Morvana Dalekis arrived and sat beside Valer after Velin invited her to join them.
• Velin learned how Morvana had expanded the Dalekis Merchant Guild from a modest trading business to control half of Morning Bay Port’s trade.

Velin questioned Moana about Morning Bay Territory’s tax revenue and learned how much its trade had grown under his rule. When he asked about the Dalekis Merchant Guild’s assets, Moana feared he intended to seize them and offered to liquidate its foreign holdings.

• Moana presented the territory’s ledger, then summarized its land and commercial tax revenue from 9780 through 9783.
• Moana explained that Velin’s reputation had drawn foreign merchant ships to Morning Bay, boosting its commercial taxes.
• Moana revealed that the territory’s average annual commercial tax from 9770 to 9779 had been only about 310,000 gold coins because officials had pocketed exchange-rate profits and allowed smuggling and tax exemptions.
• Velin asked how much the Dalekis Merchant Guild was worth, and Moana offered ninety percent of its assets as repayment for past taxes.
• Moana valued the guild’s assets at 66,750,000 gold coins and listed holdings across Morning Bay Territory, the Kingdom of Belfas, the Duchy of Liber, and the Dawnlight Duchy.
• Moana offered to liquidate the guild’s foreign assets, but Velin insisted he was not a bandit, and she dropped to her knees in fear.

Velin reassigned Moana to study in Qixing Territory with her husband and daughter, while Xuemiyya asked to recruit her into the Ice Legion. Moana told Taris the full terms of Velin’s order, and they faced their uncertain future together.

• Velin ordered Moana and her family to move to Qixing Territory, where she would study under his governor, and told her to relocate her merchant association’s headquarters.
• After the banquet, Velin told Xuemiyya that he considered Ius reliable, Walle useful but uncertain, and Moana too perceptive to manage independently.
• Xuemiyya asked to make Moana a Logistics Officer in her Ice Legion, and Velin agreed to let her try to win Moana over.
• Moana returned home and told Taris that Velin intended to take her family to Qixing Territory, then revealed the full circumstances after Taris shielded their room.
• Taris comforted Moana, and she said she hoped to earn Velin’s approval and ask him to help repair Taris’s damaged soul.

Velin and his companions left Morning Bay Territory and traveled to Zephyrus, where they approached Pakp City. Orlando and the Zephyrus forces had sealed the east gate, awaiting their arrival.

• Velin watched the Dalekis Merchant Guild migrate to Qixing Territory, then departed Morning Bay Territory aboard the Sandora with Xuemiyya and the others.
• Ius stayed behind to prepare the Dawn Priest Academy and took charge of Morning Bay Territory's affairs.
• Velin handed half-elves and elves to the Moon Elf Kingdom's patrols, then traveled through the Silver Dragon Burke Kingdom toward Zephyrus under its territory flag.
• The group reached Zephyrus after a day and two nights of travel, and Velin rode Little Red toward Pakp City.
• Velin and his companions passed through prosperous, martial towns and discovered that the region's fruit was inedibly sour.
• Orlando and officers from the Fire Lion Knight Order and Zephyrus Legion sealed Pakp City's east gate and waited outside it.

Velin reunited with Orlando and learned how Orlando had organized Zephyrus Territory’s military and reserves using West Wind County’s system. Velin ordered Orlando to expand the Zephyrus Legion to at least 30,000 soldiers within ten years, revealing that a war was coming without naming the enemy.

• Velin met Orlando outside the city gate, joked with him about his unpaid military wages, and greeted Xuemiyya when she arrived.
• Orlando led Velin through an inspection of the Fire Lion Knight Order and Zephyrus Legion before they traveled to the City Lord’s Mansion.
• Orlando reported that the Zephyrus Legion had 7,917 active soldiers and outlined four reserve tiers totaling nearly 279,000 registered residents.
• Orlando explained that he had adapted West Wind County’s military system for Zephyrus Territory and had operated it successfully for thirty-five years.
• Velin ordered Orlando to expand the Zephyrus Legion to at least 30,000 combat-ready soldiers within ten years and told him to request any needed supplies directly.

Velin offered Orlando a Demiplane to support the Zephyrus Legion, and Orlando chose the one best suited to serve as a mobile barracks. The chapter left Orlando tasked with building Zephyrus into a fifty-thousand-strong force within ten years, while O'dor suspected a major war was approaching.

• Velin showed Orlando three Demiplanes, and Orlando chose the one containing stores of gold, silver, and Magic Crystals, offering most of its wealth to Velin.
• Velin warned Orlando that the Demiplane had belonged to a Continental Legendary and told him to prepare before retrieving it himself.
• At the Manor, Orlando asked Dolores to accompany Xuemiyya and Lady Flora while he handled important matters.
• Orlando advised Velin to form a logistics and transport army from twenty thousand Dragonkin reserve soldiers instead of recruiting an auxiliary legion from other regions.
• Velin ordered Orlando to field fifty thousand troops in ten years, and O'dor concluded that war was likely coming.

Velin devoured the banquet’s dishes and ordered Orlando to serve him a different meal of at least one hundred dishes each day for the next three days. Later, O'dor offered to help Orlando merge his War Soul Core with his soul in exchange for staying in Zephyrus for a while.

• Velin rapidly ate the banquet dishes as Orlando explained their origins and ingredients.
• Orlando told Velin that he had catalogued 617 local dishes, including 153 especially delicious ones.
• Velin ordered Orlando to prepare at least one hundred different dishes for each of his meals over the next three days.
• O'dor spoke privately with Orlando, praising his talents and recognizing the hard work behind his strength.
• O'dor offered Orlando a method to merge his War Soul Core with his soul, asking to stay in Zephyrus later in return.
• Orlando agreed, and O'dor gave him a ball of memory light containing the principles of the method.

Orlando used Anansi's Sword to purge the evil inhabitants of a demiplane and claim its Heart, while Velin and Cecilia watched from Cecilia's Demiplane. After Orlando brought the demiplane's wealth back, Velin returned to Qixing Territory and learned that Kyle had already left for an island in the outer sea.

• Velin gave Orlando Anansi's Sword, and Orlando entered the hostile demiplane after cutting through its barrier.
• Orlando identified the demiplane's evil inhabitants and killed them, sealing the Soul Intent High-level succubus's body and soul for later use.
• Orlando found the Heart of the Demiplane, which formed a contract with him and returned to the Demiplane Chaos Consciousness Space.
• Orlando moved the demiplane's wealth into Cecilia's Demiplane, and his own demiplane drifted away into outer space.
• Velin returned to Qixing Territory and summoned Belder, then learned from Hilda that Kyle had left three months earlier for an island in the outer sea.

Velin ordered preparations to strengthen Qixing Territory’s administration and military, including expanding the army by four battalions and training its units to form a legion within three years. He appointed Grim and Torin to govern and defend Morning Bay Territory and arranged their journey there with staff and funds.

• Velin instructed Belder to appoint an administrator and garrison general for Morning Bay Territory, settle five thousand professional refugees together, invite three viscounts to Qixing Territory, and form four new army battalions.
• Velin ordered the existing troops to train in coordinated formations so they could form a legion within three years, with a commander selected from among them.
• Belder brought Grim, a Qixing Camp brigade commander, and Torin, a commercial division deputy, to meet Velin.
• Velin appointed Grim as Morning Bay Territory’s Rank 2 garrison general and Torin as its Rank 2 administrator, directing them not to interfere in religious matters.
• Velin ordered Belder to send twenty young administrators and one hundred veterans with Grim and Torin to Morning Bay Territory, traveling through the Holy Third Dawn Kingdom and the Belfast Kingdom’s teleportation network.

Velin devoted himself to building a massive floating battleship as Qixing Territory strengthened its army and influence. In March, Brian’s family prepared to travel to Qixing Territory, with Rayat taking charge of the visit.

• Velin continued building floating battleships while Belder oversaw the formation of the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Battalions.
• Nobles from Kadelo Province and Saelopu Province increasingly tied their families to Qixing Territory through its academies, marriages, and trade connections.
• With Calista’s help and his uncle-in-law’s guidance, Velin completed a third of the three-thousand-meter-class Floating Battleship after more than two months of work.
• Brian, Ake, and Cowell prepared to travel with their families and gifts to Qixing Territory along the Kulisko-Cadro-Qixing Highway.
• Brian told Rayat to handle the visit to Velin himself, and Eleanor agreed that Fimia could ride with Rayat and Ragna.

Brian and his family traveled from Ridge Territory into Qixing Territory, where Brian noticed how much the border defenses and military camp had changed. When Rayat asked to observe training in the new camp area, the request reached Hebrew for approval.

• Rayat led a convoy of more than nine hundred people through the guarded border wall into Qixing Territory under the Ridge Territory Viscount's Noble Banner.
• Senet, a High-rank Silver Knight, met the convoy and guided it to a military camp near Star Moon Fort.
• Brian and Eleanor left their carriage and looked over the orderly camp, while Rayat explained that an inner-camp unit would escort them to Star Moon Fort later.
• Rayat asked General Glend for permission to observe military training, and Glend led the family toward the new camp area.
• The new camp area's duty officer referred the request up the chain of command until it reached Hebrew.

Hebrew prepared to show Brian and his family the training of Qixing Territory’s newest battalions. After inspecting the troops, Brian and Rayat learned that the four battalions were considered Qixing Territory’s weakest, despite their impressive training.

• Hebrew asked Sidon for advice about an approaching inspection, then sent him to keep the recruits motivated and warned that their officers would be held responsible for problems.
• Hebrew met Brian at the new camp district and offered to guide him and his family on an inspection of the troops.
• Hebrew led Brian and his group past the barracks to the parade ground, where more than twelve thousand soldiers from the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Battalions trained.
• Brian was surprised to learn that the soldiers had been enlisted only three months earlier, and Rayat doubted Hebrew’s claim.
• Hebrew explained that the four battalions were Qixing Territory’s weakest and that together they could not defeat even half an Ice Sword Battalion.

Sidon demonstrated the Ice Sword Battalion’s formation training for Brian and the others, showing how rapidly changing formations could throw troops into disorder. After the visit, the group returned to the old camp, where Velin and Xuemya were waiting at Star Moon Fort.

• Hebrew ordered Sidon to assemble two thousand men, while the other troops ended training and returned to their barracks.
• Sidon reorganized twenty one-hundred-man units into four five-hundred-man formations and ordered them through rapid formation changes.
• The formations descended into confusion, prompting Brian to ask Hebrew about the battalion’s training standards.
• Hebrew explained the rules for measuring order during repeated formation changes, and Rayat considered using the method to train his own soldiers.
• After the visit, the group returned to the old camp, while Velin and Xuemya waited in Star Moon Fort’s great hall.

Velin welcomed his cousin Brian and Brian’s family to Star Moon Fort, where the relatives reunited and Fimia delighted in the food. After Ake and Cowell arrived with their families, the four families gathered in the Inner City District, where Ake asked Velin whether he had called them together for something important.

• Hilda informed Velin that Viscount Brian had arrived, and Velin went outside to greet him and his family.
• Velin welcomed Brian, Rayat, Eleanor, Ragna, and Fimia, then sent Fimia to join Xuemya and enjoy the food.
• Velin and Brian discussed Ridge Territory’s growth and finances while the women and Fimia spent time together.
• The families shared a banquet, and Fimia eagerly sampled the unfamiliar dishes.
• Ake and Cowell arrived with their families, and the four families gathered in a garden in the Inner City District.
• Ake asked Velin whether he had summoned everyone to Star Moon Fort because he was planning something big.

Velin assessed the forces available in Ridge Territory, Gute Territory, and Maple Leaf Territory before explaining that Qixing Territory was preparing for a war twelve years away. He asked his three cousins to provide troops and youths for training, leaving their forces in their own territories.

• Velin asked how many troops the three territories could provide, and Rayat reported Ridge Territory’s standing army and militia.
• Rayat calculated that Ridge Territory could spare eight thousand deployable men, while Velin learned that Gute Territory and Maple Leaf Territory could provide ten thousand and nine thousand troops respectively.
• Velin told his cousins that Qixing Territory had expanded its army to one hundred thousand standing troops and could raise four hundred and forty thousand troops in total, though only around two hundred thousand could be committed to war.
• Velin asked Alick, Cowell, and Rayat to provide twenty-seven thousand troops and six thousand youths for training, with the troops remaining in their territories and Qixing Territory supplying most of their needs.

Velin secured Brian, Alick, and Cowell’s support for preparing their territories’ troops, while Rayat discussed his plans for military service and family with Ragna. The troops began training across the three territories, and Kyle reached the unknown world beyond the ancient spatial passage.

• Brian, Alick, and Cowell agreed to support Velin and pledged troops for the coming conflict.
• Rayat left the pavilion and told Ragna that Velin planned to send people to help him train his forces for a possible war against the Monster Clan of the Gray Vast Wilderness.
• Rayat agreed to ask Velin whether Ragna’s younger brothers could join Qixing Territory’s army, and he and Ragna discussed raising their children.
• Three days later, Brian, Alick, and Cowell left Star Moon Fort.
• Half a month later, three units of two hundred men each departed Qixing Territory to reorganize and train the forces of Gute Territory, Ridge Territory, and Maple Leaf Territory.
• On July 1st, 9784 of the Radiant Calendar, Kyle passed through the ancient spatial passage and arrived in the unknown world beyond it.