Chapter Summaries

As the Orc civil war reshaped the Beastfolk tribes and weakened the Four Great Royal Clans’ control, the emperors agreed to seek a ceasefire while negotiating how to contain the rising races. In Snow Moon Territory, Hudson responded to the growing influx of Beastfolk slaves by ordering a new tax on them.

• Hudson shared intelligence with visiting noble representatives as the Orc civil war and the struggle for winter supplies drove tribes to merge.
• Chieftain Stark persuaded nearby Minotaur tribes to join the Tatum Tribe by promising to cover their winter shortages.
• After Daniel crippled three members of the Seven Tribes Alliance, the Four Great Royal Clans recognized that vassal races had grown harder to control and were hindering their armies.
• The Eagle Emperor, Lion Emperor, Silver Moon Wolf Emperor, and Bearman Emperor agreed to pursue a ceasefire and negotiate with the Seven Tribes Alliance, while fearing the Alpha Kingdom’s expansion near the coast.
• Hudson, troubled that Beastfolk slaves outnumbered Snow Moon Territory’s immigrants, ordered Tom to end their tax exemption and impose a thirty-percent slave tax at the port.

Slave traders struggled to adapt to Hudson’s new thirty percent slave tax, while the levy reduced beastfolk slave trade and prices rose. Hudson refocused on the Near East’s defenses and population, ordering nobles to limit beastfolk numbers and seeking new industries and immigrants to strengthen Snow Moon Territory.

• Eriken complained that the slave tax threatened the brothers’ profits, but Casarosa warned him that openly resisting Hudson would endanger them and their families.
• Slave traders tried various ways to evade the tax, but the trade contracted and beastfolk slave prices in the Near East rose by thirty percent.
• Hudson concluded that the kingdom’s nobles would not openly oppose the tax and shifted his attention to military drills and the Near East’s defenses.
• Hudson asked Jacob why immigration had slowed, and Jacob explained that labor demand had fallen as nobles turned to animal husbandry and still had many slaves.
• Hudson ordered a public notice urging nobles to keep beastfolk slaves below half their subjects and to bring in more immigrants if they exceeded that ratio.
• Hudson considered developing the region’s mineral resources to create jobs and strengthen Snow Moon Territory’s economy.

Alpha Kingdom leaders debated whether to ally with the Three Central Continent Kingdoms as rumors spread that Charles III planned to proclaim himself emperor. In the Black Forest Kingdom, Alexander V heard a proposal for a Five Nations Alliance, though its chances remained uncertain.

• Count Francis reported that Frankish Kingdom had grown powerful by absorbing refugees and that Charles III might proclaim himself emperor.
• Marquis Delgado urged Alpha Kingdom to stay out of the dispute, while Grand Duke Newfoundland warned that turmoil could destroy the Human Alliance and called for more allies.
• Hudson supported considering an alliance with the Three Central Continent Kingdoms but argued they should compensate Alpha Kingdom for military assistance.
• Count Francis explained that the war-damaged Central Continent kingdoms had little to offer, and reclaiming Corubia would bring little benefit.
• Alexander V questioned whether Charles III would become emperor, and Marquis Krasna said the reports were unconfirmed.
• Duke Milton proposed a Five Nations Alliance, and Alexander V asked whether Alpha Kingdom and Moxi Duchy would agree to join.

The Moxi Duchy debated how to respond to the Three Central Continent Kingdoms’ proposal for an alliance, while the Church prepared to oppose Charles III’s imperial ambition. Charles III continued driving the five nations toward unity against the Alien Race Alliance, leaving the continent’s major powers poised for conflict.

• George considered dismissing the Three Central Continent Kingdoms’ envoys, but Count Renato urged him to hear them out and inform Alpha Kingdom.
• Count Renato suggested the three kingdoms might need the Moxi Duchy to mediate after failed talks with Alpha Kingdom, and the ministers discussed whether the five nations could resist the Alien Race Alliance.
• Pope Pius VII confirmed that Charles III planned to proclaim himself emperor and approved an effort to unite Iberian Kingdom and other powers against the Franks.
• Marquis Hesius reported that the five nations were moving toward an alliance and that the Church and Iberian Kingdom were drawing closer.
• Charles III told Marquis Hesius to let the Church and Iberian Kingdom act while he focused on pushing the five nations into an alliance against the Alien Race Alliance.

Hudson rejected Marquis Landry’s request for the Alpha Kingdom to make concessions in the Five Nations Alliance talks, then ordered a meeting to plan the Near East’s defenses. Meanwhile, Governor Pierce discovered that cultivation methods had spread among minor nobles in Southeast Province and considered sending them to the Near East.

• Hudson heard Marquis Landry’s appeal for the Alpha Kingdom to defer compensation from the three Central Continent nations, but refused to retreat on national interests.
• Marquis Landry warned Hudson that the Orc Empire’s factions might unite and threaten the Near East, but Hudson argued that internal Beastfolk conflicts would limit the danger.
• Hudson ordered Tom to summon the Near East prefects for a meeting about the region’s defenses in half a month.
• Governor Pierce learned that Southeast Province’s Silver Knights and Great Knights had increased sharply, especially among minor noble families, after cultivation methods spread from the Moxi Duchy.
• Governor Pierce blamed Hudson and the Coslo Family for the leak, then his steward suggested asking Hudson to help send the newly strengthened nobles to serve in the Near East.

Caesar IV faced stalled Five Nations Alliance negotiations as opposition within the Three Central Continent Kingdoms and abroad limited their willingness to commit. In Snow Moon Territory, Hudson tightened discipline among the prefects, ordered expanded civilian military training, and then scrambled to deny responsibility for inheritance knowledge spreading across the continent.

• Caesar IV learned from Count Francis that opposition factions and international pressure were obstructing the Three Central Continent Kingdoms' alliance negotiations, and he decided to let the talks drag on while the alien threat grew.
• Grand Duke Newfoundland argued that the Franks were promoting the alliance to gain recognition for Charles III's imperial ambitions.
• Hudson silenced the prefects at a Near East military conference, banned most entertainment and banquets, and warned that negligent prefects could be fined or dismissed.
• Hudson ordered expanded reserve training for all civilians, including practice evacuating people and supplies, clearing fields, and fortifying settlements against a Beastfolk invasion.
• Hudson received a letter from Governor Pierce about inheritance knowledge spreading across the continent, then wrote a reply blaming deceased nobles and denying responsibility.

Hudson faced accusations that he had spread Moxi cultivation methods, but the kingdom dropped the investigation after finding no evidence and similar leaks elsewhere. Meanwhile, Moxi King George ordered his ministers to disguise the duchy’s finances, and Hudson’s family life was interrupted by news of a supposed Kaimboi laboratory auction.

• Hudson denied spreading the Moxi inheritances and called for a thorough investigation, prompting Caesar IV to end the council’s accusations and shift discussion to the Beastfolk.
• The kingdom’s investigation cleared Hudson, while reports across the continent led other nations to suspect the Dawn Holy See rather than the Moxi Duchy.
• George warned his ministers that the Moxi Duchy’s secret sale of inherited knowledge could be exposed and ordered them to fabricate treasure discoveries and other sources of income.
• Chancellor Herczeg cautioned that relying on the Five Nations Alliance would cost the duchy influence, while Count Martins said their staged treasure auctions had exhausted their valuables.
• Hudson beat Franz for wrecking his study and pranking Melissa, then heard that the Moxi Duchy planned an auction of artifacts from Master Kaimboi’s supposed laboratory.

Hudson and Melissa traveled to Dapes City for the auction of the purportedly newly discovered laboratory of Master Kaimberyn, while Hudson supported George’s plan and prepared unusual potions for the event. Meanwhile, Pope Pius VII ordered the Church to blame the spread of inheritance knowledge on the Frankish Kingdom or the Alpha Kingdom, and Hudson arrived in Dapes to find that Maxim had landed far from the palace gates.

• Hudson agreed to take Melissa to the auction and arranged for his father to watch their children.
• Hudson prepared unconventional magical potions for George’s coded purchase order and tried unsuccessfully to buy dragon blood from Maxim.
• Pope Pius VII heard Ulise’s report that the Church could not identify who had spread inheritance knowledge, then ordered him to frame the Frankish Kingdom or the Alpha Kingdom.
• Hudson arrived in Dapes City on Maxim, whose landing left the welcoming party waiting at the wrong spot.
• Hudson told the Moxi officer that he and Melissa would look around the city before going to the palace.

Hudson helped George address the Moxi Duchy’s financial crisis by offering potions and agreeing to a publicly announced loan from the Near East Development Bank. At the duchy’s auction, Hudson’s untested potions were presented as Master Kaimberyn’s work, and Robert urged the appraisers to begin bidding after they failed to find fault with them.

• George told Hudson that the Moxi Duchy’s finances were in crisis and asked him to provide treasures for its auction.
• Hudson offered his potions and warehouse treasures for sale, then agreed to let the Near East Development Bank announce a large loan to the duchy.
• Hudson and Melissa discussed his popularity in the Moxi Duchy and the marriage expectations surrounding their sons before heading to the auction.
• The auctioneer presented Hudson’s unknown potions as Master Kaimberyn’s work, prompting several master apothecaries, including Robert, to inspect them.
• Robert declared that the potions appeared sound and urged the appraisers to return to their seats and bid.

Hudson witnessed a conspiracy at the Moxi Duchy auction involving disguised Elven slaves, a staged Abyssal Poison attack, and an attempt to implicate the duchy. He suspected the old man who identified the poison had helped orchestrate the plot, while George ordered an investigation as tensions with the Elves threatened to rise.

• Hudson watched the unfamiliar potions sell for enormous sums and joked with Melissa about their finances and old age.
• The five fox women consigned for sale transformed into Elves, prompting George to stop the auction and order the slave traders arrested.
• Poisonous smoke spread through the venue, and a body exploded into black mist; experts attacked the mist while priests and Hudson cast the Great Purification Spell.
• Hudson concluded that the old man who identified the smoke as Abyssal Poison was suspicious and that the staged attack had diverted attention from the auction's switched slaves.
• George learned that the five Elves had been dead for days and that an Undead Mage had used their bodies, then ordered an investigation and urged his officials to prepare for conflict.

Hudson declined to arrange a visit to Master Kaimberyn’s laboratory but agreed to connect the kingdom’s envoys with Moxi sellers. After Evil God Cultists and other suspicious groups were exposed in Dapes City, the Moxi government launched a Great Purge, leaving the city in turmoil.

• Robert and the kingdom’s envoys asked Hudson to broker private purchases and arrange a visit to Master Kaimberyn’s laboratory, but Hudson agreed only to help with the trade.
• Robert warned Hudson that Dapes City felt dangerous and urged him to leave with Melissa, while Hudson chose to stay for business.
• Moxi troops sealed Dapes City and began inspecting outsiders as the exposed cultists struggled to escape.
• The cultists’ leader ordered his group to fight their way out, but Moxi soldiers ambushed them with arrows and gunfire.
• The Moxi government purged Evil God Cultists, spies, criminals, and other suspicious people, killing many and improving security in Dapes City.

Hudson and Melissa discussed the Moxi Duchy’s public scapegoating of the Warhammer Restoration Organization while Hudson’s bank expanded into the duchy. George halted the investigation into the attack and tried to placate the Elves, while Pope Pius VII learned that the Scepter of Glory had fallen into the Alpha Kingdom’s hands and ordered the Church to find it quietly.

• Hudson told Melissa that the weakened Warhammer Restoration Organization could not have orchestrated the attack in Dapes, and their potion trade continued as the Near East Development Bank established a Moxi branch.
• George ordered the Moxi investigation stopped after it implicated the Frankish Kingdom and the Church, and he directed officials to pursue the Warhammer Restoration Organization instead.
• Count Renato reported that the Elves still demanded the murderers, so George offered compensation while refusing to hand them over because they had already been executed.
• Ulise told Pope Pius VII that the Church’s investigation indicated Hudson had obtained the Scepter of Glory during the Misty Sea expedition, while the Holy Sword of Light might also have been taken.
• Pope Pius VII ordered the Church to keep investigating the Scepter of Glory’s location and wait for an opportunity rather than act rashly.

Hudson mediated as the Elves confronted the Moxi Duchy over five Elves who had died in its custody, then demanded extensive material compensation. The talks ended without agreement, and Hudson warned George that the Elves wanted to curb the duchy's rapid growth, leaving the Moxi people facing more pressure.

• Delis and the Elves landed on the palace roof, and Hudson intervened to bring them down and start negotiations.
• Delis accused George of responsibility for the five Elves who had met with misfortune in the duchy, while George blamed the Warhammer Restoration Organization.
• Hudson steered the talks away from blame, and Delis offered to drop the duchy's liability if it handed over the culprit and mastermind; otherwise, she demanded compensation.
• George rejected the Elves' enormous list of supplies as unaffordable, and the first day of negotiations ended without agreement as Delis warned they had only three days.
• Hudson reviewed the list with George and explained that the Elves were using the incident as an excuse to suppress the Moxi Duchy's rapid development.

Hudson warned George that the Moxi Duchy could not avoid a long-term struggle with the Elves and urged him to preserve the duchy by showing weakness, while avoiding giving direct political advice. Delis explained that the Elves’ negotiations aimed to deter slave hunters, even as their plans risked creating new dangers for the duchy.

• George feared the Elves would retaliate against the Moxi Duchy, and Hudson jokingly suggested provoking Delis to stage an attack that could shift blame onto the Elves.
• George rejected Hudson’s schemes and worried that covert disasters would weaken the duchy, while Hudson explained that conflict with the Elves would persist unless the Elves were destroyed.
• George inferred that he should show weakness to buy the duchy time, and Hudson denied giving him any advice while joking about Delis.
• Delis told an elderly Elf that the humans would resist the Elves’ demands and that their goal was to deter slave hunters, not simply collect supplies.
• Delis warned Nina to avoid Hudson, describing him as dangerous, and Nina vowed to settle accounts with him once she became stronger.

Delis negotiated with George over compensation for the Moxi Duchy, while the duchy's leaders used fabricated turmoil and financial collapse to make themselves appear too weak to threaten the Elves. The Elves faced a choice between accepting delayed payments and escalating the conflict after the Moxi Duchy's government declared bankruptcy.

• Delis learned that the Warhammer Restoration Organization had attacked the Royal Capital, then arrived at the negotiations and found George absent.
• George and the Moxi Duchy's leaders carried out their plan to feign disorder, while Hudson attended the negotiations after working through the night to help devise it.
• Delis insulted Hudson and tried to drive him out; Hudson left after exchanging a covert glance with George, and the negotiations proceeded more smoothly without him.
• George described the Moxi Duchy's debts and pleaded to delay compensation, while the Alpha envoy and other human representatives supported his position.
• Delis rejected the delayed payment proposal and shattered a table, but Hudson returned and announced that the Moxi Duchy government had entered bankruptcy liquidation.
• Hudson explained that the duchy's tax revenues had been mortgaged to creditors, leaving Delis to choose between accepting delayed compensation and continuing the conflict.

After the Moxi Duchy declared bankruptcy, George persuaded foreign creditors to consider restructuring its debts while Delis reported the crisis to the Elf Forest. The Elf Queens doubted the Moxi Duchy’s military reductions, weighed treaty safeguards, and discussed accelerating the Continent Splitting Plan as humanity’s power grew.

• Delis saw the Moxi Duchy’s bankruptcy derail the negotiations and sent a letter to the Elf Forest.
• George told foreign envoys that war debts and the diplomatic crisis had exhausted the duchy’s treasury, and he asked creditors to extend repayment terms and reduce interest.
• Hudson proposed debt restructuring, and representatives from several kingdoms supported sending the proposal home for authorization.
• The Elf Queens reviewed Delis’s letter and debated whether the Moxi Duchy’s promised military cuts were genuine, with the Forest Elf Queen favoring treaty restrictions.
• The Night Elf Queen urged the Elf Queens to accelerate the Continent Splitting Plan, while the Forest Elf Queen argued that humanity would soon face serious trouble and that the Elves might restore the Mother Tree.

Hudson returned to Mountain Territory and struggled to rein in Franz’s dangerous curiosity, while he and Melissa discussed the suspicious death of Caesar IV’s young son. In the Royal Capital, Caesar IV ordered a deeper investigation into the tampered sachet as he suspected a larger plot.

• Hudson returned home early and beat Franz for causing trouble, then ordered Melissa to give him more lessons to keep him occupied.
• Melissa asked whether the Prince’s death would affect the kingdom, and Hudson said the impact on local lords should be limited unless the death was suspicious.
• Caesar IV questioned the chancellor about the sachet linked to the Prince’s death and learned that everyone involved had been silenced.
• Caesar IV ordered a thorough search for more clues and vowed to punish whoever had murdered his son.

The Crown Prince’s assassination investigation swept up the Near East Development Bank after investigators found that one of the prince’s attendants had borrowed from it. Hudson ordered the bank to hide its records as debt restructuring talks in Dapes City exposed the Moxi Duchy’s enormous debts and drew scrutiny to the bank’s lending.

• Investigators uncovered a loan from the Near East Development Bank to a Crown Prince’s attendant, and the bank’s branch manager warned Hudson that they planned to audit its accounts.
• Hudson told Rudolf to transfer the bank’s accounts and arrange an accidental fire to destroy the records, while reassuring him that the bank’s shareholders and legal standing would offer protection.
• In Dapes City, creditors excluded the Elves from the Moxi Duchy’s debt talks, while Delis secured trade and other privileges instead of reparations.
• The creditors argued over how to divide limited repayments, and the Moxi Duchy’s nominal foreign debt was revealed to have reached 3.8 billion gold coins.
• Marquis Algernis suggested Hudson might have made an improper deal with King George, but Count Powell defended the Near East Development Bank’s loan and its business prospects.

Caesar IV halted the investigation’s expansion after it threatened to entangle the government, military, and Near East Development Bank. Hudson reported the Orc Empire’s new ruling arrangement to the Royal Capital, while the empire’s clans gathered to discuss an inheritance site.

• Duke Affierro told Duke Newfoundland that the investigation team had clashed with the Near East Development Bank after a fire destroyed its account books, and Princess intervention prevented a fight.
• Caesar IV ordered Mitchell to suspend unrelated investigations and focus only on the Crown Prince case, refusing to pursue the bank’s missing account books.
• Hudson learned that the Orc Empire’s two major camps had signed a ceasefire and created seven new royal clans, then ordered heightened vigilance and reports for the Royal Capital.
• The Bearman Emperor gathered the Four Great Royal Clans and Seven Royal Clans and announced that the Hall of Inheritance had appeared in his territory, inviting them to share its benefits.

The Beastfolk Sacred Land of Inheritance was expected to open within one to three years, prompting Hudson and the Alpha Kingdom to assess the threat and prepare a response. Caesar IV’s court chose to seek time and supplies through negotiations with the Three Central Continent Kingdoms, leaving the Kingdom poised to pursue the proposal.

• The Bearman Emperor announced the expected opening of the Sacred Land of Inheritance within one to three years and called for an end to military conflict and protection of weaker races.
• Hudson ordered Zero to monitor Beastfolk troop movements and the locations of weaker races without actively probing for the inheritance site.
• Caesar IV convened his ministers to decide how the Kingdom should respond, and Duke Affierro proposed sabotaging or delaying the inheritance trial or striking an imperial race.
• Marquis Delgado argued that the Kingdom needed time to build its military strength, while Count Francis proposed securing strategic supplies from the Three Central Continent Kingdoms in exchange for military instruction.
• Grand Duke Newfoundland questioned whether the allies could provide the supplies, but Count Francis argued that the per-capita burden was manageable, and the court agreed to negotiate on those terms.