Chapter Summaries

Messiah responded to Herolia’s warning by confronting two Judges holding hostages in One Screening Hall, where Bishop Cobblestone demanded that Shawshank Redemption continue. After the movie moved him to turn against Gray Rope and kill him, Cobblestone died asking Messiah to conceal his past from his daughter, while Gray Rope remained a possible threat.

• Herolia told Messiah that another summoning node was in One Screening Hall, and Messiah rushed there to help stop the ritual.
• Messiah found Legion Commander Canby and three bishops confronting two Judges who had trapped hostages in a magic array.
• Gray Rope demanded that the Holy Army hand over the Messenger’s host, while Bishop Cobblestone insisted that the movie continue; Messiah ordered the preachers to power the screen.
• As Andy’s escape played, Bishop Cobblestone broke with Gray Rope and cut off his head, then asked Messiah to record his fate as killed in action and hide that he had been a Judge.
• Bishop Cobblestone died before Messiah could answer, and Messiah covered his face and warned Canby that the beheaded Gray Rope might revive.

Herolia invited Messiah to Nolan for an offline Movie Club gathering, where they hoped to improve relations with Frost Country. After securing the Frost Wolf Clan’s support, Shael prepared to return to the capital and planned to seek advice in Nolan about the gray mist.

• Messiah watched Shawshank Redemption with Herolia and said the film had given her divine inspiration.
• Herolia told Messiah that Frost Country’s new king might visit Nolan and persuaded her to attend the Movie Club gathering there.
• Shael ordered the Frost Wolf Clan to seal the ruins and accepted Laweier’s request to serve at Bastion Fortress.
• Laweier explained that he wanted to face his engagement to Agatha, and Shael assured him that Agatha had not been executed.
• Shael told Marshal Amut to deal with the shadows in his own family and said she would return to the capital before going to Nolan for advice about the gray mist.

The prophet read about the success of her alchemy shop and discussed Cecily’s planned visit to Nolan, where she hoped to assess Joshua’s life among humans. Cecily ordered the prophet to keep her concerns from Joshua as she prepared to judge the situation for herself.

• The prophet read a Nolan Alchemy Magazine feature about Sin Demon scales, which were sold through her Magic Web Shopping store, and checked her shop’s growing sales.
• Cecily asked the prophet for advice on choosing human clothing for her upcoming trip to Nolan, where Joshua had invited her to a grand ceremony.
• The prophet warned Cecily that Nolan’s Teleportation Portal would open in a week and draw humans from many countries, but Cecily saw the visit as a chance to establish diplomatic relations.
• Cecily raised the Chaos Demon rule against love and marriage with outsiders and asked whether Joshua’s relationships with human women concerned the prophet.
• Cecily said she would visit Nolan to judge Joshua’s life there herself and ordered the prophet not to tell him about her concerns.

At the Hearthstone tavern, the Dark Elf interviewed Joshua about his magazines, the Magic Web, and his plans for games. Joshua hinted at a new player-versus-player game and raised questions about the World Tree and Runes before the Dark Elf warned him not to investigate those secrets too deeply.

• Joshua watched Gray Robe and Purple-robed One play Go as the game grew popular among Nolan’s Spellcasters.
• The Dark Elf told Joshua that the first issues of Nolan Alchemy Magazine and Fashion Magazine had received a strong response and that she was preparing the next issue.
• The Dark Elf interviewed Joshua about his achievements and his plans for the Magic Web, and Joshua said his next focus would be games.
• Joshua suggested that the Magic Web’s potential went beyond basic games and wondered whether Runes formed a system underlying the world.
• Joshua revealed that he planned a single-player player-versus-player game connected to Hearthstone, then withheld its details.
• The Dark Elf warned Joshua not to investigate the World Tree’s secrets too deeply before leaving the tavern.

Joshua promised Tylinn that he would update The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes the next day, then entered the World Tree’s consciousness to develop a next-generation game with the white cat. With the cat’s help, he created a detailed 3D model of Kael’thas Sunstrider and realized he could finish the game in less than half a year.

• Ciri played Minecraft with Tylinn while Galolie joined their game through the Magic Web.
• Joshua promised Tylinn he would write the next Sherlock Holmes chapter tomorrow, and Galolie and Dorothy reacted excitedly over the voice channel.
• Joshua connected to the World Tree and asked the white cat to help develop his game engine.
• Joshua guided the white cat as it turned his drawing of Kael’thas Sunstrider into a detailed 3D model.
• Joshua successfully added the model to his game engine and estimated that the white cat’s help would let him finish the game in less than half a year.

After securing his throne in Frost Country, Shael received an invitation to a ceremony in Nolan and decided to travel there in secret. He told the Head Maid he wanted to see someone without revealing that he was king.

• Shael heard that Nolan’s sages had invited Frost Country to send a representative to a ceremony, and he said he would consider it.
• Shael passed Princess Darian and rejected the Head Maid’s suggestion that he marry to strengthen his rule.
• Shael told the Head Maid he planned to visit Nolan disguised as an ordinary person and asked her to keep his plan secret.
• Shael explained that he wanted to see someone in Nolan without letting him know who he was.

Joshua received a message from Shael, the king of Frost Country, who had arrived in Nolan, and went to meet her. Galolie grew suspicious of his sudden departure and decided to follow him, while Ciri came downstairs.

• Joshua sent Tylinn the latest section of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and discussed Galolie’s visit to Hearthstone tavern.
• Galolie asked to hunt liches with Ciri and invited Joshua and Tylinn to play a Spellcaster Network game.
• Shael messaged Joshua that she had arrived near Nolan’s Teleportation Portal and wanted to thank him.
• Joshua left Hearthstone tavern to meet Shael, hoping to ease the hostility between the Demon Realm and Frost Country.
• Galolie noticed Joshua had carefully groomed himself, decided to follow him, and asked Tylinn to come along.
• Ciri came downstairs and questioned Galolie about her suspicious expression.

Galolie, Tylinn, and Ciri followed Joshua through Nolan, suspecting he was meeting someone important. They spotted him waiting near the Teleportation Hub as the King of the Steel Country visited, but someone other than the king waved to him.

• Galolie had the butler follow Joshua in a Magic Mechanical Vehicle, while Tylinn worried that they might interrupt his business.
• Ciri said she needed to buy Dreaming Grass at the White Wood Cone Alchemy Shop, and Galolie decided they would drive her there together.
• The group reached Nolan’s Teleportation Hub, where Ciri used a monocular telescope to watch Joshua disappear from sight.
• The butler told Galolie that the King of the Steel Country was visiting Nolan, and she spotted Joshua waiting beyond the law enforcers’ perimeter.
• Tylinn thought Joshua was meeting an important person, but Galolie saw someone other than the king waving to him.

Xie Yier slipped away from her escort after arriving incognito in Nolan and met Joshua, the Kindler of the Flame. When Frost Country agents pursued her, she fled with Joshua and used a false identity, leaving them to look for somewhere else to talk.

• Xie Yier noticed soldiers among the travelers at Nolan's Teleportation Hub and disappeared into the crowd after handing her luggage to the Head Maid.
• Xie Yier contacted Joshua through the Magic Net and went to meet him near the Hallea Wand Shop.
• Joshua recognized Xie Yier, the new King of Frost Country, as the protagonist of his documentary.
• Frost Country citizens approached, so Xie Yier grabbed Joshua's hand and led him through the streets and into an alley to escape them.
• Xie Yier told Joshua she was a noble's child who had snuck out, introduced herself as Xie Yi, and agreed to find another place to talk.

Joshua met Xie Yier Leonid, the newly crowned king of Frost Country, and drove her through Nolan as she sought to visit her mentor, Gray Robe Lu'ersike. Ciri noticed Frost Country natives following them, while Xie Yier avoided discussing the conflict between their peoples and spoke with Joshua as his Text Message friend.

• Galolie recognized Xie Yier Leonid as the king of Frost Country, while Ciri noticed that Frost Country natives were searching for Joshua.
• Ciri chose not to confront the pursuers, bought two stalks of Dreaming Grass, and told Saike Lin to return to the Hearthstone tavern.
• Joshua drove Xie Yier through Nolan as she explained that she wanted to visit her mentor, Gray Robe Lu'ersike.
• Joshua told Xie Yier that he was a demon, and she deflected the political implications by discussing films with him.
• Xie Yier kept her visit to Nolan separate from her role as king because she feared that public knowledge of demon assistance could destabilize Frost Country.

Joshua brought Shael to the Hearthstone tavern, where she reunited with Gray Robe and discovered him playing Go with Purple-robed One. After relaxing with several Hearthstone matches and deciding she wanted to visit the cinema, Shael saw her former comrades arrive and realized they seemed frightened rather than hostile.

• Joshua brought Shael to the Hearthstone tavern, where she spotted her mentor Gray Robe playing Go against Purple-robed One.
• Joshua gave Shael a spare Card Box and taught her Hearthstone, and she lost their first match after running out of time on her turn.
• Shael asked to visit the White Thorn Flower Theater to watch Shawshank Redemption after Gray Robe finished his Go match.
• Shael played five Hearthstone matches against Joshua and won the last one with a lucky finishing blow.
• Shael saw comrades from Bastion Fortress enter the tavern and told Joshua that her father's subordinates had found her.

Knight Kaote led Frost Country men into Hearthstone to accuse Shael of taking the throne with demonic help, but Gray Robe escorted her away before the confrontation escalated. That night, Ciri remained angry about the prejudice against demons, and Joshua tried to comfort her before their playful exchange ended with them tumbling together.

• Knight Kaote and his men entered Hearthstone to find Shael, but he froze when he recognized Joshua as a powerful Chaos Demon.
• Kaote accused Shael of conspiring with demons and killing the former king, while Joshua and a young Frost Country Spellcaster challenged his claims.
• Shael refused to flee or kill Kaote, and Gray Robe arrived to take her to the Frost Country embassy.
• That night, Ciri told Joshua she was angry that Frost Country blamed demons for the Hall of Inquisition's actions, and Joshua explained that he had little personal attachment to demons.
• Joshua lifted Ciri into his arms to cheer her up, then stumbled and fell with her on top of him before teasing her.

Knight Kaote reported to Lord Ruixineite that the failed attack on the Kingslayer had revealed his connection to a Chaos Demon named Joshua, and Ruixineite planned to use the evidence to undermine Frost Country’s New King faction. Meanwhile, Joshua introduced Ciri to a test version of Warcraft 3 and began teaching her to play.

• Knight Kaote told Lord Ruixineite that Prince Slivkaf had ordered the attack on the Kingslayer, then presented a photograph showing Joshua beside him.
• Kaote identified Joshua as a high-ranking Chaos Demon and said a Black Pigeon contact had refused to sell information because they were not short on money.
• Lord Ruixineite decided to use the photograph to sow doubt among Frost Country’s New King and neutral factions before the ceremony in Nolan.
• Ciri tried out her illusion of Frostmourne, then explored Warcraft 3’s human map and controlled a peasant.
• Joshua sat beside Ciri and began teaching her how to play the game.

Ciri struggled through two disastrous Warcraft matches, prompting Joshua to promise a simpler hero-only mode called Defense of the Ancients. After she stayed up to play again, Joshua learned Frost Country was investigating him and asked Thousand Faces to meet his sister when she arrived in Nolan.

• Ciri lost her first match when the enemy Griffon Knight Legion destroyed her city and army, then immediately started another battle.
• Ciri lost her second match after repeatedly sending her whole army into battle, and Joshua promised to make an easier mode focused on controlling one hero.
• Joshua told Ciri to rest and left her room, where she continued playing despite having stayed awake for nearly three days.
• Thousand Faces told Joshua that people from Frost Country were investigating him, but the Black Pigeons had revealed nothing.
• Joshua asked Thousand Faces to meet his sister when she arrived in Nolan, and she reluctantly agreed to have the Second Princess message her.

The Dark Elf escorted Cecily to the Crystal Palace, where the Demon Realm’s Second Princess planned to make a formal appearance before the gathered human leaders. As the ceremony neared, King Sevana IV arrived hoping to speak with the Magic Web’s creator, but instead hurried toward Cecily when he saw her enter.

• The Dark Elf collected Cecily from the Demon Realm’s warehouse and drove her to the Crystal Palace while Cecily asked whether her formal dress met human standards of beauty.
• Cecily explained that the ceremony was an important chance for the demon race to reveal itself to the world.
• Sevana IV told Prince Chaos that he had come to recruit creators and speak with the person responsible for the Magic Web.
• Sevana IV noticed Cecily entering the Crystal Palace and approached her despite Prince Chaos warning him that his wife might be angry.

At Nolan Crystal Palace, Shael faced accusations from Frost Country’s Minister Ruixineite while Cecily made her first diplomatic appearance as the Demon Realm’s Second Princess. Cecily’s introduction triggered fear and armed hostility, leaving her surrounded by wary human nobles despite Nolan’s intervention.

• Earl Monilai asked Shael to adapt Frost Country’s fall and rebirth into a play, but Shael refused to revisit the tragedy.
• Minister Ruixineite accused Shael of regicide and borrowing demonic power, presenting a photograph of her meeting with a Chaos Demon and challenging her to swear before the Frost Spirit.
• A knight warned Ruixineite of a dangerous Chaos Demon entering Crystal Palace, and Shael sensed its sharp aura as she searched the hall.
• Cecily introduced herself to a human noble as Cecily Anoroth, Second Princess of the demon Royal Family, prompting knights and Spellcasters to surround her.
• The White-robed One, Frost Axe, and the King of Steel Country intervened, and the knights temporarily lowered their weapons while Cecily’s crow noted how difficult her diplomatic mission would be.

Galolie greeted Cecily at Madam Si’s request as nobles gathered for Nolan’s award ceremony. Joshua Anoroth received the Skgerona Inscription Award and publicly revealed that he was the Demon Realm’s third prince.

• Galolie approached Cecily with her mother, Madam Si, and spoke about Joshua’s help and talent.
• Sevana IV watched the meeting and discussed the possibility of Steel Country establishing relations with the Demon Realm.
• The White-robed One opened the ceremony and presented the Skgerona Magic Mechanical Device Award to an elderly alchemist.
• The Gray Robe announced that Joshua, creator of the Magic Network, would receive the Skgerona Inscription Award.
• Joshua accepted the medal and introduced himself as the Demon Realm’s third prince.

Joshua used his award speech to challenge the human nations’ view of demons and promote the Magic Net, then left the stage after a divided audience applauded him. The responses from several countries offered signs of support, while Frost Country and the Holy Church Country remained cautious.

• Joshua argued that demons had human intelligence and manners, and questioned the history and motives of the nations that had attacked the Demon Realm.
• Joshua acknowledged the demons’ past killings of humans but challenged his audience to consider how many humans they had killed.
• Saint Herolia interrupted a Holy Church Country rebuttal and invited Joshua to continue his speech.
• Joshua announced that he had created the Magic Net and offered to bring its services to interested nations and territories.
• Ciri, the Dwarves, Madam Si, Cecily, Steel Country, and guests from other nations applauded Joshua, while Frost Country’s King Shael and Saint Herolia gave restrained applause.
• Joshua thanked the audience and left the stage.

Sevana IV questioned a runemaster about the Weave and learned that its center was the World Tree, while constructing it remained beyond the runemaster’s abilities. He sent Prince Chaos to negotiate with the demon race, reminded him of the coming Sage Trial, and then crushed a source crystal stone to explore the Weave himself.

• Sevana IV examined a source crystal stone as a runemaster explained that its runes provided access to the Weave’s center, the World Tree.
• Prince Chaos told Sevana IV that the programming course studied the Weave but was too difficult for him to follow.
• The runemaster said he could not construct a new Weave and joked that using it while walking could cause accidents.
• Sevana IV assigned Prince Chaos to negotiate with the demon race and warned him not to lose the upcoming Sage Trial to Sophina Kalhilov again.
• Sevana IV crushed the source crystal stone, let its runes enter his body, and began browsing the Weave’s virtual world.

Joshua gathered Movie Club members at the Crystal Palace for their first offline meeting, where rivalries and hidden identities made friendly introductions difficult. He proposed a Magic Net game to break the tension, leaving the ten members poised to play.

• Joshua arranged a Movie Club gathering in Galolie’s quarters at the Crystal Palace after members coordinated through Magic Net messages.
• Ciri, Tylinn, Frost Owl, and Bone Duke agreed to attend, while Joshua warned Bone Duke that the Crystal Palace lacked concealment magic.
• Herolia convinced Messiah to attend the gathering, hoping a friendly meeting would strengthen her relationship with Frost Country’s new king.
• Herolia and Messiah entered the reception room, where Frost Owl and Bone Duke reacted with hostility to Messiah’s Holy Army armor.
• Joshua brought refreshments and suggested the ten gathered Movie Club members play a game he had begun making for the Magic Net.