Chapter Summaries

Herolia advanced in the Chanter of the World semi-finals after winning the audience’s support, then rebuffed Luo Ya Moratic’s offer to join his opera troupe. Messiah intervened when Luo Ya tried to touch Herolia, and Herolia challenged him to prove his strength in his upcoming performance.

• Herolia finished singing, received applause, and defeated Madam Moya in the semi-final vote.
• Luo Ya Moratic introduced himself to Herolia and offered her fame, wealth, and a place in his Falosi Phoenix Feather Opera Troupe.
• Luo Ya tried to touch Herolia’s cheek, but Messiah grabbed his arm and pushed him back before his guards could intervene.
• Herolia called Messiah her sister, then told Luo Ya she would consider his offer only if he proved himself in the competition.
• Herolia pointed out that Luo Ya’s opponent was waiting in the corner, and Luo Ya turned his attention toward the disheveled contestant.

Home struggled to learn the rap song Joshua gave him, then overcame a disastrous start onstage and delivered a furious performance that stunned the audience. His performance left Joshua convinced he had mastered the song, while Galolie wondered whether its lyrics reflected Home’s own hardships.

• Home practiced Joshua’s song through the night, but Luo Ya tore the lyrics and stepped on the pages before their semifinal performance.
• Home went onstage after Luo Ya’s acclaimed opera performance, forgot the lyrics, vomited, and was mocked by the audience.
• Home’s humiliation turned to anger, and he asked to start again before launching into the rap song.
• Home performed the song with fierce intensity, impressing White Thorn Flower Jazz and captivating Galolie.
• Galolie asked Joshua whether he had written the song, and Joshua denied it while praising Home’s performance.

Home performed his own rap song, “Lose Yourself,” and unexpectedly overtook Luo Ya in the semifinal vote. Joshua revealed that Luo Ya’s insult had been captured and shown to viewers, helping Home win their support.

• Joshua and Galolie watched Home’s votes rise as he sang “Lose Yourself,” earning nearly nineteen thousand votes by the end of his performance.
• Luo Ya grew nervous as Home’s vote count continued climbing, then insulted Home’s music as crude and vulgar.
• After Luo Ya’s insult, Home’s votes surged to twenty-four thousand, surpassing Luo Ya and advancing him.
• Joshua explained to Galolie that the Daytime Banshees had recorded Luo Ya’s insult, which viewers enjoyed seeing turned against him.

Herolia and Messiah discussed the singers’ performances before Herolia accidentally drank strong liquor and revealed her frustration with the Chaos Demon’s refusal to ally with her. After sobering up, Herolia reflected on Nolan and asked Messiah to take her to see a movie that night, and Messiah agreed.

• Herolia told Messiah that Home’s rap performance and the Blackwood Elf’s song had impressed her, while Messiah remained hostile toward Luo Ya.
• Herolia drank half a bottle of strong liquor and, while drunk, complained that the Chaos Demon had refused her alliance proposal.
• Messiah took away Herolia’s wine, and Herolia used holy magic to purify the alcohol and regain her composure.
• Herolia recalled how much Nolan had changed and reflected on the risks of returning to the Holy Church Country under the Pope faction’s watch.
• Herolia asked Messiah to see Hachi: A Dog’s Tale that night, and Messiah agreed despite the political risk.

At Nolan’s Council of Sages, Yellow Robe argued that televisions were distracting young Spellcasters and called for them to be banned. The Sages shelved the proposed ban, but Yellow Robe remained opposed to the devices.

• Yellow Robe discovered that most students had skipped his lecture to watch television, and learned that Sophina had gone to Lu'ersike Advanced Magic Academy.
• Yellow Robe left the lecture and headed to the Sage's Tower for Nolan’s Council of Sages.
• The White-robed One opened the council, and the Sages discussed the Magic Network and the absent Black-robed One and Purple-robed One.
• Yellow Robe called for televisions to be prohibited, arguing they had weakened students’ interest in learning.
• Gray Robe and the other Sages debated the issue, and the proposed television ban was shelved.

After the Chanter of the World competition, Joshua spoke with the Orlanka Priest about Luvita’s future and considered expanding Nolan Television Station’s programs. Gray Robe then arrived with serious news about the Council of Sages and the Magic Net.

• Galolie celebrated finding diamonds in Minecraft while Tylinn struggled to survive, and the Orlanka Priest apologized to Joshua for Galolie’s frequent visits.
• The Orlanka Priest told Joshua that she and her people would return to Falosi, and said she would respect Luvita’s wishes about staying in Nolan to pursue singing.
• Joshua reviewed Nolan Television Station’s limited schedule and considered creating new programs, including dramas, variety shows, and documentaries.
• Gray Robe’s owl delivered a message that he would visit, and Joshua left the study without interrupting Galolie and the others’ game.
• Joshua and Gray Robe met in the quiet Hall of Silence, where Gray Robe said he had come to discuss the Council of Sages.

Joshua learned that the Council of Sages had approved the magic network, but Sage Kroshiel wanted to ban television after students skipped classes to watch it. Joshua proposed a television program where the sages could share their knowledge and decided to approach Kroshiel himself.

• Gray Robe showed Joshua how he browsed the Spellcaster Forum through more than a hundred interfaces and admitted he could no longer tolerate the old letter-based discussions.
• Gray Robe explained that Kroshiel and two other sages wanted to ban television after students at the Advanced Magic Academies skipped classes, including a lecture where Kroshiel planned to reveal a new rune.
• Joshua proposed a television program called Sage Forum, beginning with the Spellcaster Council, to broadcast the sages' knowledge to Nolan's citizens.
• Gray Robe agreed that Kroshiel might welcome the chance to share his discovery, and Joshua said he would deliver the invitation himself.

The Yellow Robe went to the Nolan Enforcement Department intending to destroy television, which he believed was corrupting young Spellcasters. He wrecked the lobby’s recordings and television, while a young enforcer mourned the shattered record of Miss Luvita.

• The Yellow Robe recalled founding the Nolan Enforcement Department to eradicate the Magic Addiction Stone and decided television posed a similar threat to young Spellcasters’ pursuit of knowledge.
• He entered the Enforcement Department and found its young enforcers gathered around a recording of Miss Luvita’s song and a replay of the Chanter of the World competition.
• The Yellow Robe struck a young enforcer with lightning, destroying his Miss Luvita record.
• He unleashed arcs of electricity throughout the lobby, shattering the Source Crystal Stones used for recordings, lighting, and television.
• The enforcers recognized the Yellow Robe as one of Nolan’s Seven Sages and saluted him, while the record’s owner knelt and mourned Miss Luvita.

Joshua and Ciri discussed inviting Nolan’s Seven Sages to his Sage Forum, while Yellow Robe confronted enforcers distracted by television. Yellow Robe left Kaga with instructions to meet him at Keloheer Advanced Magic Academy in three days.

• Joshua told Ciri he planned to invite multiple sages to the Sage Forum, and she explained how highly Nolan’s spellcasters regarded them.
• Joshua decided to approach the first sage, believing few instructors would refuse an audience of hundreds of thousands.
• Yellow Robe appeared in the Nolan Enforcement Department lobby and destroyed Kaga’s Source Crystal Stone, prompting Kaga to angrily challenge him.
• Kaga cast an attack at Yellow Robe, but his shaking hand sent the spell wide.
• Yellow Robe reprimanded the enforcers for neglecting their duties to watch television, then told Kaga to come to the headmaster’s office at Keloheer Advanced Magic Academy in three days.

Yellow Robe visited Sake at the Nolan Enforcement Department and revealed a Council of Sages order to abolish television, arguing that it corrupted young spellcasters like the Magic Addiction Stone had harmed others. Sake warned that television had already attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers, leaving Yellow Robe to reconsider whether the people of Nolan might resist the ban.

• Sake welcomed Yellow Robe and urged his mentor to rein in his temper and improve his reputation among Nolan's young spellcasters.
• Yellow Robe rejected Sake's suggestion that he use television to become popular, then presented a Council of Sages order banning television.
• Sake questioned the ban, and Yellow Robe compared television's influence on spellcasters to the Magic Addiction Stone that had killed Sake's parents.
• Sake showed Yellow Robe a map marked with television locations and reported that Nolan's Voice had 270,000 viewers, with many more watching in public places.
• Yellow Robe recalled young enforcer Kaga's willingness to fight a sage over a Source Crystal Stone and wondered what made television so enjoyable.

Joshua secured Purple-robed One's support for Nolan's Voice, but negotiations with Red Robe collapsed after Ciri was injured by his magic trap. With Yellow Robe moving to enforce the television ban, Joshua went to confront him at the Nolan Enforcement Department.

• Joshua obtained Purple-robed One's contract, securing her support for Nolan's Voice and the repeal of the television ban.
• Ciri shielded Joshua from Red Robe's trap and suffered a minor burn, prompting Joshua to destroy the Mage Tower's offensive magic and end their negotiations on bad terms.
• Joshua learned from Thousand Faces that Yellow Robe had gone to the Nolan Enforcement Department to issue the order against televisions.
• Joshua told Ciri that the Sages were guests to be invited, not people to beg, and prepared to face Yellow Robe.

Sake showed Yellow Robe records of how movies and Hearthstone had changed what people in Nolan talked about, arguing that the old sage no longer understood the city. Yellow Robe dismissed both forms of entertainment as harmful, and their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

• Sake told Yellow Robe that his approach to Nolan's current situation was outdated and presented records documenting the city's changes.
• Sake explained that after the World Expo, people in Nolan increasingly discussed the movie "Beauty and the Demon" and the game "Hearthstone" instead of magic devices and alchemy.
• Yellow Robe recognized Joshua Anoroth's name in the records and called movies and Hearthstone harmful distractions for young Spellcasters.
• Sake prepared to explain further, but a knock at the door interrupted the conversation.

Joshua met with Sake and Yellow Robe to discuss the effects of films, the Magic Web, and Hearthstone on Nolan. He acknowledged their dangers but argued that progress should not be abandoned, then invited Yellow Robe to guide the city’s young spellcasters instead of dismantling televisions.

• Joshua met Sake and Yellow Robe at the Nolan Enforcement Department and discussed how his creations had affected the city.
• Yellow Robe called films, the Magic Web, and Hearthstone poison that could harm people’s spirits.
• Joshua admitted that the technologies had caused problems, including obsession with fictional stories and financial losses from Hearthstone.
• Joshua compared those risks to accidents caused by Magic Mechanical Vehicles and airships, arguing that their dangers did not justify abandoning progress.
• Yellow Robe said he still might order the Enforcement Department to dismantle televisions and use Joshua’s admissions as evidence.
• Joshua gave Yellow Robe an invitation and urged him to guide young spellcasters as a sage rather than act as a demolition worker.

Joshua presented Yellow Robe with an Invitation Letter and argued that Spellcasters should guide people away from television’s harms rather than destroy it. Yellow Robe delayed enforcing his ban, leaving the choice between suppression and accepting television’s spread unresolved as Sake considered Nolan’s changing future.

• Yellow Robe acknowledged Joshua’s concerns about television but threatened to eliminate its influence by force, and Joshua left him an Invitation Letter before departing with Ciri.
• Sake told Yellow Robe that burning the Nolan National Theater would bring a severe prison sentence under laws written by the Council of Sages.
• Yellow Robe left a television-ban permit and Joshua’s Invitation Letter on his desk, then said he would enforce the permit after his Inscription Class.
• Sake reflected that the two scrolls represented violent suppression or guiding Spellcasters more gently, and that television and the Magic Net might spread across the world.

Gray Robe showed Yellow Robe a Spellcaster Forum post by the demon Kindler of the Flame, and they discussed reforms for their Advanced Magic Academies. The two sages agreed to pursue new classes, credits, clubs, and a prestigious award, while Yellow Robe ended by asking how to obtain a recording from the Chanter of the World.

• Gray Robe secretly visited Yellow Robe and offered him Source Crystal Stones containing films, but Yellow Robe initially rejected them and resisted Gray Robe’s teasing.
• Gray Robe showed Yellow Robe a Spellcaster Forum post proposing credits, electives, clubs, and broader education, prompting Yellow Robe to reconsider the academies’ focus on training powerful Spellcasters.
• Yellow Robe praised the post’s proposed award for outstanding creators and imagined making it one of the world’s highest honors, while Gray Robe suggested television and the Magic Web could promote it.
• Gray Robe revealed that the post’s author, Kindler of the Flame, was a demon, and Yellow Robe accepted that the demon could have devised the ideas.
• Gray Robe proposed moving televisions from the magic arena into classrooms, and Yellow Robe agreed to help while the two sages worked late on reforms.
• As Gray Robe prepared to leave, Yellow Robe asked how to obtain a Source Crystal Stone recording from the Chanter of the World.

The Prophet warned her apprentices that Nolan’s Sages could threaten the knowledge and inventions they relied on, then investigated new academy rules. After seeing the academy’s plans for clubs and nonmagical courses, she decided to establish the Farming Department.

• The Prophet cautioned her apprentices against neglecting their studies to watch Nolan’s Voice and explained that Nolan’s Sages held power over the city.
• The Prophet messaged Joshua to request a private meeting, then followed a Spellcaster who was posting new academy rules.
• The Prophet read that the rules introduced a credit system, new subjects, and student clubs, while Laisa considered starting an opera club.
• The Prophet rejected Laisa’s idea and announced that she would establish the Farming Club, also called the Farming Department.

The Prophet warned Joshua that Nolan’s sages might grow hostile toward him because of television, threatening the Demon Realm’s new opportunities in the city. She also revealed her research into magical heredity and showed Joshua that she had learned to program and written a version of Tennis for Two.

• The Prophet thanked Joshua on behalf of Cecily for sending food to the royal capital and warned him that Nolan’s sages might drive him out over their hostility toward television.
• The Prophet explained that she feared losing Nolan’s magical knowledge and the settlement the Demon Realm had gained there.
• Joshua examined the Prophet’s book on life and runes and realized it discussed genes and hereditary factors.
• The Prophet said she was studying how to alter crops at their roots, though she had not yet conducted experiments.
• The Prophet showed Joshua a paper program for Tennis for Two and asked to run it on the Internet, and Joshua agreed.

Joshua explained the Magic Web’s potential to the Prophet, showing her how it could support online shops and games, and persuaded her to help with programming. The Prophet’s excitement caused her body to fail, and she fell asleep while recovering; Joshua promised Ciri he would eventually bring online shopping to Nolan and beyond.

• Joshua asked the Prophet what she thought the Magic Web could do, and she described its communication tools while arguing that its virtual content created little real-world value.
• Joshua showed the Prophet how merchants could sell goods through Magic Web shops and proposed connecting the system to a savings bank for payments and delivery.
• Joshua introduced the Prophet to Minecraft, and her excitement caused her body to collapse as she lost control of it.
• The Prophet explained that intense emotions could disrupt her control over her borrowed body, and Ciri carried her to bed to recover.
• Joshua promised to continue discussing the Magic Web’s future with the Prophet and told Ciri he would eventually build online shopping, reassuring her that he would raise her salary.

Joshua and Ciri saw Nolan's Voice draw a huge audience as Tylinn told a story in the Hall of Silence, then planned to attend Galolie's farewell banquet. At the celebration, Galolie helped Luvita take a photograph and encouraged her to say goodbye to her new fans, leaving Luvita tearfully thanking them.

• Joshua and Ciri found the Hall of Silence covered in World Tree growth while Tylinn told Snow White to more than four hundred thousand listeners.
• Joshua explained that the storytelling competition had helped the World Tree grow and admitted he wanted Nolan's Voice to reach a much larger audience.
• Joshua invited Ciri to Galolie's farewell banquet and left a note inviting Tylinn to join them afterward.
• At Falosi Manor, Galolie taught Luvita to use a camera and urged her to communicate with fans before leaving Nolan.
• Luvita realized her success and the Sacred Tree's growth had come from people who liked her singing, then tearfully thanked them as Galolie took her photograph.

Joshua said farewell to the Blackwood Elves and helped Luvita open a Magic Web camp before Galolie prepared to leave Nolan. He gave Galolie a script for a major film project to take to her mother, Mrs. Si.

• Elder Saifaan gave Joshua a rune-engraved arrow as a token of the Blackwood Elves' alliance, and Joshua asked them to protect Galolie and help Luvita pursue singing.
• Joshua authorized Luvita to use a Magic Web camp, and Galolie helped her publish her first post and greet her growing number of followers.
• Galolie told Joshua she had to return to attend her father's funeral and check on her mother, and Joshua stopped her from drinking alcohol.
• Joshua gave Galolie a script for a major film that would require Mrs. Si and all of Falosi, and Galolie promised to deliver it to her mother.
• Ciri questioned Joshua about entrusting the script to Mrs. Si, and Joshua said he was still deciding whether to make the unusual big production.