Recaps

Velin and Aljettah opened the remaining treasure chests and found Intermediate Magic Crystals, four Elemental Cores, and an Extraordinary Grade Tower Spirit Core. After Aljettah confirmed the items were unmarked, the two grew closer and agreed to pursue a trade route between Lake of Praying Stars and the Silver Dragon Burke Kingdom in the future.

• Aljettah opened the second chest, revealing over a thousand Intermediate Magic Crystals, and Velin gave her five.
• Velin and Aljettah found four Gold-rank Elemental Cores in the third chest, which Aljettah said she could not use to make Elemental Knights.
• Velin and Aljettah opened the final chest and discovered an Extraordinary Grade Tower Spirit Core capable of supporting seven Mage Towers.
• Aljettah used a detection spell to check the Tower Spirit Core, Elemental Cores, Magic Crystals, and arcane books, then confirmed none bore a mark.
• Velin rewarded Aljettah with five more Intermediate Magic Crystals, and they agreed she would help establish a trade route within the Silver Dragon Burke Kingdom when Velin was able to open one.

Velin and his subordinates decided to investigate Devonshire’s intentions and devised a plan that depended on Priest Lavia. Velin visited Lavia and invited her to become dean and instructor of a new Priest Academy, and she warmed to the idea.

• Velin rewarded Kyle with two Intermediate Magic Crystals for helping him obtain four treasure chests.
• Velin ordered Randolph to expand Black-skinned Meat Pig breeding and use surplus grain as feed.
• Velin, Belder, Orlando, and Andrew discussed Devonshire’s possible motives and decided to probe his intentions before trying to recruit him.
• Velin visited Lavia at the Life Church with Glowing Wine and spoke with her about the territory’s need for priests.
• Velin invited Lavia to serve as dean and instructor of a Priest Academy, and she became excited before hesitating over her former teacher’s warning.

Velin arranged for Lavia to recruit priests in Kadlo Province with help from Devonshire, while Hebrew accompanied him hoping for another duel. Lavia and Hebrew reached Devonshire’s home, where they asked to speak with him.

• Velin asked Lavia to recruit priests from the provincial capital and advised him to seek Devonshire’s help, while promising to send a Guardian Knight with him.
• Orlando told Hebrew he would accompany Lavia to the provincial capital, giving him a chance to challenge Devonshire again.
• Hebrew and Lavia traveled together to Kadlo Province and became friends on the journey.
• At the Church of Life, Lavia requested an audience with Devonshire, and Temple Knight Gale escorted them to his residence.
• After waiting outside for Devonshire to return, Lavia introduced himself and asked for his help, while Devonshire eyed Hebrew with suspicion.

Devonshire recommended three priests for Lavia and discussed Hebrew’s request for another duel, while worrying that they might be part of a scheme connected to his past. He later fought Hebrew in an indoor duel room, and their battle continued as Devonshire prepared to use all his strength.

• Devonshire recommended Henry Abel, Lanyi Copson, and Ailiya Sien to Lavia, then agreed to duel Hebrew that afternoon.
• Lavia told Hebrew that Devonshire seemed burdened by a deadened heart and his attachment to the children.
• Devonshire worried that Lavia and Hebrew were involved in a scheme tied to the Draesir Family, but his daughter’s kindness brought him back to the present.
• After lunch with his six children, Devonshire went to the duel platform, secured an indoor room, and met Hebrew and Lavia there.
• Devonshire and Hebrew clashed with ice- and fire-attributed Battle Qi until Devonshire announced that he would use all his strength.

Hebrew defeated Devonshire in their agreed duel and persuaded him to leave his quiet retirement and join Qixing Territory. Devonshire accepted the loss with relief, while Hebrew celebrated his first successful decision made on his own.

• Hebrew fought Dexhil in the Duel Room and invited him to join Qixing Territory, but Dexhil refused to leave his home.
• After Hebrew persistently pressed him, Dexhil agreed to join if Hebrew could defeat him in a duel three days later.
• Lavia persuaded three priests to accept their invitation, while Hebrew trained and learned the Outer Demon Separation Formation.
• Hebrew used his newly learned technique to break through Devonshire's defense and strike him from behind.
• Devonshire admitted defeat and felt relieved at the thought of living differently, while Hebrew celebrated his victory.

Velin learned that Duke Abraham’s death would trigger a succession struggle and war between Ilia and Bashio, so he sent the news to his father. Meanwhile, Hebrew and Lavia returned to Qixing Territory with Dexhil and more than a hundred followers, where Velin went to meet them.

• Velin’s little griffin grew larger, drank Glowing Wine, and flew safely away from his room.
• Velin learned that Duke Abraham would die in two years, sparking a fight between Kaiya and Allen and a war between Ilia and Bashio.
• Velin decided to inform his father, and three knights carried the news to Cadro Province.
• Hebrew, Lavia, and Dexhil traveled with priests, families, and commoners toward Qixing Territory, where Dexhil admired its busy roads and flourishing fields.
• Velin heard that Hebrew and Lavia had returned with a large crowd and rode down to the Church of Life, where Hebrew eagerly welcomed him.

Velin welcomed Priest Lavia and Devonshire to Qixing Territory, rewarded Hebrew by promising new equipment for the Ice Bear Knight Order, and planned a wider knight-training program. Three days later, Devonshire accepted his appointment as Chief Knight Instructor at the newly established Knight Academy in Orlando Town.

• Velin confirmed that the Priest Academy in Blue Gauze Town was progressing and invited Priest Lavia, Devonshire, and the other priests to a banquet.
• Devonshire told Velin he had transferred to Qixing Territory to help Priest Lavia manage the Church of Life, and Velin invited him to meet the town governors.
• Hebrew asked for weapons for the Ice Bear Knight Order, and Velin promised to equip its ninety members with Fine Grade Knight Equipment within a year.
• Velin planned to gather five hundred Knight Apprentices for Devonshire to train, with Greg and Imogen assisting in loyalty education.
• Velin introduced Devonshire to his Guardian Knights at a banquet, and Devonshire accepted the appointment as Chief Knight Instructor three days later at the Knight Academy in Orlando Town.

Velin welcomed Drien Ovich and eight other Silver Mages to Qixing Territory, offering the possibility of improving their talent in exchange for proving their worth. The mages eagerly competed for his favor, and Drien abandoned his plans for retirement to pursue a breakthrough to Gold grade.

• Drien Ovich and his party arrived at Star Prayer Town, where Velin and his soldiers greeted them.
• Velin showed the nine mages a Mermaid Pearl and promised that talent-boosting resources would be available to those who proved valuable.
• Velin warned the mages against malicious infighting and assigned Kyle to guide them around Lake of Star Prayer before their tasks began seven days later.
• Kyle settled Drien and his companions in a manor, and Drien resolved to work toward becoming a Gold-grade Arcanist.
• The next morning, Drien and the other mages hurried to Kyle's residence to seek opportunities, waiting outside as two colleagues left with excited expressions.

Kyle delivered the mages’ petitions to Velin, who approved their early start and assigned tasks that could earn Points toward Mermaid Pearls. As Star Prayer Town grew busy with research and construction, Velin shifted Eunice’s work from the mature Rock Lizards to raising griffins.

• Kyle returned to the castle with the mages’ petitions, and Velin gave him task sheets offering Points toward Mermaid Pearls.
• Kyle distributed the tasks to the nine mages; Drien claimed thirteen tasks, while Theodore took a task to accelerate Green Vine Tree growth.
• Over the following week, the mages and their apprentices worked to earn Points as Belder coordinated research resources, Mage Academy construction, and knightly aptitude tests.
• Eunice told Velin that Little White and Little Yellow had entered a slower growth phase, and Velin told her to focus on raising the griffins instead.

Velin inspected Drien’s newly completed Triple-Bed Crossbow, which could launch spears several thousand meters, then hosted Brian, Adrian, Olcott, and Edgar. The chapter ended as Velin hinted that he needed their help and invited them to try the food he had prepared.

• Velin instructed Kyle to have Cassius arrange a hundred-mu beast pen beside the Star Prayer Camp.
• Velin visited Star Prayer Camp, where Drien demonstrated the modified crossbow and its long-range spear fire.
• Velin praised Drien’s work and urged him to rest, but Drien insisted he could keep working.
• Velin shared advice about managing a territory with Brian and Adrian, then cautioned them to adapt his methods to their own circumstances.
• Olcott and Edgar arrived, and Velin said he had a problem that required their help before inviting them to eat.
• Olcott tasted the meat Velin had served.

Velin negotiated a grain-for-pig exchange with Olcott, Edgar, and Brian, then sold them his remaining Glowing Wine. As they discussed other resources, Velin arranged to sell Edgar’s Boiling Blood Potion in exchange for thirty percent of the profits.

• Velin explained that Black-skinned Meat Pigs could be raised for grain, and Olcott, Edgar, and Brian agreed to exchange six thousand jin of grain for each pig.
• Brian asked to buy Glowing Wine, and Velin sold thirty bottles to Brian, Olcott, and Edgar for two hundred Gold Coins each.
• Olcott described the Cloud Smoke Fruit Trees that could help Bronze Warriors become Silver Warriors.
• Edgar explained how Blood Rage Grass was used to make Boiling Blood Potion and described its effects and drawbacks.
• Velin offered to sell Edgar’s Boiling Blood Potion for thirty percent of the profits, and Edgar accepted.

Velin arranged trades for Ice Blue Magic Potion and Cloud Smoke Fruits, then calculated the remaining potion supply as Qixing Territory’s commerce flourished. As June began, Belder arrived at Velin’s study with a stack of documents, apparently ready to protest his workload.

• Velin agreed to trade Ice Blue Magic Potion with Olcott for Cloud Smoke Fruits and secured a yearly reservation of twenty fruits, while also selling potions to Edgar and Brian.
• Velin and the other lords drank heavily, called one another brothers, and left their attendants hoping they would forget the embarrassment.
• The next day, Velin learned that Olcott, Edgar, and Brian had departed, then calculated that 6,500 bottles of Ice Blue Magic Potion would remain after existing allocations.
• By June, Qixing Territory’s growing commerce and news of its academies attracted minor nobles and their children.
• Belder, frustrated by his workload and stalled cultivation, carried official documents to Velin’s study to lodge a protest.

Velin eased Belder’s administrative burden by appointing Silier and approving Star Prayer Town’s expansion into Star Prayer City, then turned noble interest in his academies into a plan to recruit gifted youths from lesser territories for a fee. The nobles rushed to find candidates, and Kyle began collecting payments for enrollment slots.

• Belder asked Velin for help handling Star Prayer Town’s official business, and Velin assigned Silier to assist him.
• Belder proposed elevating Star Prayer Town to Star Prayer City and establishing subordinate towns to the north and south, and Velin approved the plan.
• Velin reviewed the visiting nobles’ documents and told Kyle to offer 200 Knight Academy places and 50 Mage Academy places for candidates recommended by nobles, at 1,000 gold coins per student each year.
• Lesser nobles learned of the recruitment and sent their heirs to find talented commoners or gifted relatives to secure places.
• A guard delivered 63 gold coins in recruitment payments to Kyle, who rewarded him with three coins and had the rest registered in the castle warehouse.

Angus investigated alarming news about Grand Duke Bohan while Eagle Territory began absorbing the Hax Family’s valuable industries. As Star Prayer Territory expanded and its academies prepared to open, Velin saw the Ilia Kingdom’s profits from Kuber’s defeat as an opportunity to become a middleman and intelligence broker.

• Angus read an explosive letter, searched the family genealogy for Simon Ex, and sent Melony to deliver a letter and gather intelligence in the Duchy of Bohan.
• Angus postponed informing the allied families and arranged to relocate two important plantations from the Hax Family’s Iron Male Territory into Eagle Territory.
• Star Prayer Town became Star Prayer City, and North Star Town and South Star Town were established with new territories and populations.
• Belder found that Star Prayer City’s reorganized administration left him more time to cultivate.
• Velin reviewed preparations for the Knight, Mage, and Priest Academies as Star Prayer Territory’s population and influx of talented commoners grew.
• After the Kingdom of Kuber lost territory and troops to the Isle Half-elf Kingdom, Velin considered making money by becoming a middleman and intelligence broker.

Velin renewed Qixing Territory’s trade agreement with the South Kuhl Merchant Guild, securing a better price for Ice Blue Magic Potion and access to White Heart Orchid incense. He also arranged training for newly selected youths and visited the Mage Academy construction site, where Holmes had taken a job helping with the building.

• Velin decided to visit his elder brother, Isis, to seek help making money from the news about the Kube Kingdom.
• Hook offered Velin a five-year agreement to buy six thousand bottles of Ice Blue Magic Potion annually for nine gold coins each, along with a yearly quota of thirty White Heart Orchids.
• Velin signed the new trade agreement with Hook on behalf of Qixing Territory.
• Belder told Velin that screening had found two hundred and twenty youths with knightly talent and thirty with magical talent, and Velin assigned them two months of military training at Qixing Camp before academy classes began.
• Velin visited the Mage Academy construction site and learned that Holmes had been hired to help build it after completing his research assignment.

Velin finished preparing Qixing Territory for his extended departure and traveled with Kyle and twelve attendants to Baxia Great Camp, where he reunited with Flora and Layla. The chapter ended with the three sharing a meal and a toast in Layla’s residence.

• Velin assigned Mage Holmes a task to redesign water flow across Qixing Territory and inspected the Mage Academy’s construction progress.
• Velin ordered Kyle to ask Eunice to design gardens beside the castle and arranged several matters before delaying his departure until July 15.
• Velin left for Baxia Great Camp with Kyle and twelve Bronze Knights, arriving after a ten-hour ride.
• Flora welcomed Velin at the camp and brought him to Layla, who served food and poured drinks for them.

Velin visited his aunt and Laila at Baxia Great Camp, then used his contribution points at the Sixteenth Knight Order’s logistics base to redeem a Sacred Heart Moon Flower. Afterward, he reunited with Krell and joined him to see Alva.

• Velin shared wine and dinner with Leya, Flora, and Laila, then returned to camp with Kyle.
• Velin visited the logistics base and learned that he had eight hundred contribution points and level-three redemption privileges.
• Velin chose to redeem a Sacred Heart Moon Flower, leaving him with three hundred points.
• Velin ran into Krell, who invited him to drink with Alva, and the two went to Alva’s tent.

Krell, Alva, and Velin accidentally drank Burborn’s potent medicinal wine and cultivated for three days, after which Krell fled to escape his father’s punishment. Velin left Baxia Great Camp for the rapidly expanded Commercial Town, where he praised Duke’s business success and sent him to Maple City to prepare for a future property acquisition.

• Krell shared the wine he had taken from Burborn with Alva and Velin, and its power knocked all three unconscious while accelerating their cultivation.
• Burborn recognized his stolen medicinal wine, cleared the area around Krell’s tent, and prepared more than thirty wooden sticks for his son’s punishment.
• After waking three days later, Krell slipped away before Alva and Velin could react, while they recognized how much the wine had benefited their cultivation.
• Velin waited three more days for Krell, then left Baxia Great Camp and was astonished by how much the Commercial Town had grown.
• Velin learned that Duke had acquired numerous shops and residences, praised his work, and offered to help him reach Silver-grade if he completed a task.
• Velin ordered Duke to go to Maple City and, one month after an upcoming major event, buy specified properties in Velin’s name with help from six named people.

Velin reached Dany Province and contacted the Hurricane Merchant Guild to relay his arrival and request help reaching his elder brother Isis in the military town of Lori City. After verifying Velin’s identity, the branch president promised to pass along the message and arranged lodging for him.

• Velin and his fourteen companions arrived in Dany Province and learned that the Dany Legion was stationed in Lori City, where outsiders could not enter freely.
• Velin visited the Hurricane Merchant Guild with Kyle and asked its staff to contact Earl Hurricane.
• Branch president Oliver verified Velin’s Family Crest and learned that he was Earl Eagle Angus’s fifth son seeking to visit Isis in Lori City.
• Oliver promised to relay Velin’s message within three days and offered him and his companions temporary lodging at a guild Manor.
• A guild guard guided Velin to the Manor, and Velin remarked on Dany Province’s unusually open clothing culture.

Velin stayed at a manor in Danying Province before traveling to Lori City to reunite with his elder brother Ilisis. The brothers embraced, and Ilisis welcomed him after six years apart.

• Velin arrived at a city manor, settled in, and encouraged Kyle to get used to its bold dress and customs.
• Velin studied the Druid's Book and considered its unusual spells, including one that transformed a magical beast's essence into qi-and-blood fruit.
• Ilisis received a letter announcing Velin's visit, replied, and began planning outings for his younger brother.
• Three days later, Velin received Ilisis's letter and left the Provincial Capital of Danying Province with Kyle and the twelve attendants.
• Velin's group reached the outskirts of Lori City, where Velin and Ilisis rode toward each other and embraced after six years apart.

Velin reunited with his brother Ilisis at the Xili Great Camp and asked him to help turn a coming military defeat into a profitable supply deal. Ilisis agreed to contact allied forces and merchants, leaving Velin’s plan set in motion.

• Isis teased Velin about his ambitions and said he had accepted the prospect of an arranged marriage.
• Isis led Velin into the Xili Great Camp and brought him to his guarded tent, where they discussed his Swordswomen.
• Velin asked Ilisis to help him make a lot of money by preparing for the Kingdom of Kuber’s defeat in the Third Ice Island War.
• Velin proposed that allied merchants buy supplies cheaply and sell them to Kuber at high prices, with the families receiving Gold Coins for the information.
• Ilisis agreed to contact allied forces and merchant associations across the Southwest Region and said they would attribute the information to their father and Great Aunt Miyali.

Isis and Velin discussed the family’s business and trial plans before Isis brought Velin to meet their Great-Granduncle, Count Hurricane Ivilios. Ivilios assessed Velin’s abilities and alignment, then warmly teased him about being more entertaining than Isis.

• Isis teased Velin about their father and agreed to contact the family’s allies and merchant associations within two months.
• Isis asked Velin to let their Fourth Brother share in the business profits, and the brothers discussed trial assignments involving Count Andusi, Count Misis, and Count Hurricane.
• The next morning, Isis took Velin to meet Great-Granduncle Ivilios at the Dany Legion’s central camp.
• Ivilios assessed Velin as a talented High-Silver with a solid foundation and unchanged alignment, then joked about his clever act and praised him as more entertaining than Isis.

Velin met Ivilios, who promised him two Shadow Guards, then toured the Hurricane Legion and learned how its elite camps were organized. At dinner, Ivilios explained the family’s military strength, but Velin remained determined to build a powerful legion of his own.

• Velin asked Ivilios what he would give him, and Ivilios promised to select two of eighteen Seeds to serve as Velin’s Shadow Guards.
• Velin and Ilisis discussed the strength and numbers of Ivilios’s Shadow Guards and their father’s Shadow Infiltrators before parting at the legion’s station.
• Velin toured the Hurricane Legion’s camps with Kyle and observed its Wind Attribute soldiers and the ranks and strength of its battalions.
• Velin joined Ilisis for a banquet with Ivilios, who described the family’s military forces and urged Velin not to underestimate the power behind them.
• Velin told Ivilios that he believed he could build a great legion through his own strength.

Velin gave Isis a Sacred Heart Moonflower, then received two talented Shadow Guards as a gift from Ivilios. After their binding ritual, he asked the guards to choose names, and they settled on Red and Blue.

• Velin gave Isis a Sacred Heart Moonflower as a parting gift, and Isis decided to preserve it.
• Velin followed a regular training schedule for seven days while Calons trained his twelve retainers.
• Velin returned to his tent and found two masked Shadow Guards, Number 26 and Number 31, waiting for him.
• The two Shadow Guards explained their professions, and Velin removed their masks, completing a ritual that bound them to him.
• Velin asked the guards to choose new names, and they named themselves Red and Blue.

Velin trained at Xili Great Camp while gathering military experience, and he assigned the Shadow Guards Hilda and Sisina to learn from Kyle. After Calons delivered Ilisis’s summons to visit the merchant representatives in Danying Province, Velin sparred with Rogue and asked him to attack so he could test his limits.

• Velin named the two Shadow Guards Hilda and Sisina, then put them under Kyle’s guidance in Qixing Territory.
• Velin spent the rest of September training at Xili Great Camp and recording experienced officers’ advice with Kyle.
• Calons told Velin that Ilisis wanted him to accompany him to meet the merchant representatives in Danying Province the day after tomorrow, and Velin rewarded Calons with an Intermediate Magic Crystal.
• Velin went to the Training Ground and asked Rogue to help him break through during a spar.
• After Rogue blocked Velin’s attacks and Velin’s stamina began to fail, Velin asked Rogue to attack so he could discover his limit.