Recaps

Dai Wen accepted Gravel Territory’s reduced fief and title for her infant son Auden after Osklo and Augustus were exiled, then persuaded the vassal lords to swear loyalty to him. As the Water Willow Family began rallying under Auden, Dyson resolved to request a railway linking the Golden Plains and Yunmeng Marsh Oasis.

• Lord Welch announced Osklo and Augustus’s exile and named Auden the future Gravel Baron, while Dai Wen accepted the division of the territory.
• The Dragon Blood Knights took Osklo and Augustus east, and Baron Roman led the Sponge Dragon and Fire-Stealing Dragon back to Red Castle.
• After the soldiers left, Madam Kunli confronted Dai Wen, who ordered the guards to return her to the castle and challenged the vassal lords for questioning her.
• Dai Wen admitted that she had reported Osklo and Augustus, arguing that her actions saved the Water Willow Family and its vassals from destruction.
• Bosku swore loyalty to Auden, and the other vassal lords followed.
• Dyson praised his family’s loyalty to the Grand Duke and said Kingtop Castle would request a railway between the Golden Plains and Yunmeng Marsh Oasis.

Russell oversaw the successful invention of the Thunder Sound Machine and arranged for its production and expansion across the Shadowflame Grand Duchy. After King Ares received one and exchanged messages with Russell, he praised the invention and declared that the future would be Russell’s era.

• Russell ordered Minister of Industry Roland to mass-produce Thunder Sound Machines and build Thunderclap Stations throughout the provinces, then sent Mel to present one to King Ares.
• Russell asked Princess Anxia and Marquis Arno to fund radio research in exchange for operating a future broadcast station, and they agreed.
• Russell achieved Perfect Synchronization with Sembra after a battle, then returned to the Cigar Palace using Dream Recall.
• Russell sent greetings to King Ares through the Thunderclap Station, while Mel taught Ares how to use the machine and decipher its codebook.
• King Ares replied to Russell and praised the Thunder Sound Machine, then said the future would be Russell’s era.

Russell ordered the Suluo series to end and expanded Thunder Sound’s reach while the Shadowflame Grand Duchy’s industries grew. Grand Scholar Placido revealed that the Demon Seeking Tower could detect Snow Giants and Frost Trolls, and a new Snow Giant trace appeared near Black Horse Snow Forest.

• Russell read Old Madam Ingrid’s criticism of Nicholas’s latest play and ordered Nicholas to end the Suluo series.
• Russell authorized Marquis Arno and Viscount Fred to manufacture Thunder Sound Machines in their territories for a licensing fee.
• Viscount Fred praised Russell’s industrial plans and promised to send Grand Scholars to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy for study and exchange.
• Grand Scholar Placido showed Russell a prototype Demon Seeking Tower that used magical fluctuations to detect Snow Giants and Frost Trolls across a radius of five hundred kilometers.
• Russell ordered Demon Seeking Towers built in every enclave province, and the map registered a Snow Giant near Black Horse Snow Forest.

Russell investigated the Demon Seeking Tower’s signals and discovered Frost Da leading an army of Snow Trolls across the snowfields. He ambushed and killed one of the Snow Trolls, then escaped with its corpse while Frost Da watched.

• Russell ordered the kingdom to prepare for battle after the Demon Seeking Tower’s signals persisted, then flew toward Black Horse Snow Forest with Polly.
• Russell sent Harpie away from the area and found Frost Da leading more than a dozen Snow Trolls across the snowfield.
• Russell and Polly watched Frost Da’s troop from the Dark Dreamscape, but Frost Da sensed their presence and used an escape technique to vanish with his followers.
• Russell and Polly attacked a Snow Troll that had not escaped, piercing it with the Meteor Butterfly Sword and destroying its body.
• Frost Da returned too late to stop Russell from taking the Snow Troll’s corpse and fleeing on lightning.

Russell brought a Snow Troll corpse to the scholars, confirmed the Demon Seeking Tower had detected a group of Snow Trolls, and discovered that their power could be condensed into Frost Star Beads. As he hurried to find Harpie, Shadowflame felt a new surge of power, and a Warm Enclave opened on the western snowfields with a newborn Wyvern.

• Russell delivered the Snow Troll corpse to the Demon Seeking Tower and confirmed that its signals accurately marked a group of Snow Trolls.
• Russell warned King Ares about Frost Da's reinforcements, arranged for the king's visit, and learned that Snow Trolls had bodies capable of bearing Extraordinary Power.
• Russell took half the Snow Troll corpse to Shadowflame, which condensed it into a Frost Star Bead and devoured it.
• Russell sensed that Snowcake was close to awakening as the M-shaped Mark on his palm dimmed, then received a frantic mental message from Harpie.
• Shadowflame felt a surge of power and connected it to a new Warm Enclave opening, while Russell found Harpie above the western snowfields as the Ice Cap melted and a newborn Wyvern flew free.

Russell subdued and named a newly born Zircon Dragon Zack, then brought him to Shadowflame for taming before adding him to Redcastle’s Dragon Rearing Garden. The chapter ended with Russell approving the cabinet’s plan to free serfs and employ them as factory workers.

• Russell identified the newborn wyvern as a gem-type and captured it after it resisted his call.
• Riding the wyvern, Russell learned it was a Zircon Dragon and named it Zack.
• Russell brought Zack to Shadowflame Volcano, where Shadowflame tamed him and welcomed the new mineral resource.
• Russell registered Zack at Redcastle and placed him in the Dragon Rearing Garden, where knights would later seek to form a contract with him.
• Gevidas Baimai Gen proposed freeing serfs and making them full-time factory workers to mark Zack’s birth, and Russell approved.

King Ares visited Russell to discuss the Snow Troll threat and the defenses needed to unite the nations of Ancient Thorn Continent. As Ares flew home, Frost Da ambushed him with Snow Da and a squad of Snow Trolls.

• King Ares met with Russell, who explained that Snow Trolls threatened the Wyvern Knights and that an even stronger Snow Demon Legion might arrive after Frost Star Descends.
• Russell showed King Ares the Demon Seeking Tower and the Snow Troll being studied in the laboratory, and offered him the tower’s blueprints for border defenses.
• At lunch, King Ares offered to help arrange a marriage for Russell, while Marquis Arno later asked permission to dissolve his contract with Norwich and remain in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.
• King Ares asked Marquis Arno to look after Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya before departing for the Scorching Torrent Kingdom aboard the Scorching Dragon.
• Frost Da ambushed King Ares in a blizzard with Snow Da and a squad of Snow Trolls, and Ares attacked with the Scorching Dragon before Frost Da addressed him.

Russell learned that King Ares was fighting Frost Trolls in the snowfield and rushed to his aid. He joined King Ares against Frost Da as the battle intensified, with the Shadowflame Dragon on its way.

• Russell discussed Laura's possible marriage to Golden Baron Dyson with Baron Roman and Madam Meryl, who agreed to ask Laura what she wanted.
• A Phantom Beast Knight attendant reported Frost Trolls and the Scorching Dragon's magical power near the northwest, and Russell flew to investigate.
• Russell confirmed King Ares was fighting Frost Trolls and rode Unicorn Polly to the battlefield at full speed.
• Russell and Polly transformed into a Golden Lightning Knight and joined King Ares, while the Shadowflame Dragon's phantom appeared and then shattered.
• Russell attacked Frost Da, and the fighters clashed as chaotic lightning and the blizzard made the battlefield increasingly dangerous.

Russell left King Ares to hold off Frost Da and rushed to Scorching Volcano, where Snow Trolls had stolen the Extreme Ice Sacred Artifact. He helped the defenders reclaim the battlefield, killing eleven Snow Trolls before his strength began to falter.

• Russell attacked the Snow Trolls from the Dark Dreamscape, forcing them to defend together and easing the pressure on King Ares.
• King Ares revealed that Scorching Volcano was under attack and sent Russell to stop the Frost Trolls from taking the Extreme Ice Sacred Artifact.
• Russell and Polly reached Scorching Volcano, where Knight Order members, wyverns, and Phantom Beast Knights were fighting more than a dozen Snow Trolls.
• Russell used the Dark Dreamscape and Sword of Thunder to kill ten Snow Trolls, while the defenders helped prevent the others from escaping.
• Russell killed an eleventh Snow Troll, then panted as he and Polly struggled to maintain their strength.

Russell helped King Ares defend Scorching Volcano from the Snow Trolls, then recovered and shared Frost Star Beads with him. Their relief was cut short when news arrived that the Molten Fire Dragon had fallen, Grand Duke Fritz had died, and Molten Fire Volcano was going extinct.

• Russell defeated the last Snow Trolls at Scorching Volcano, though he and Polly suffered serious wounds and the defenders lost many knights.
• Russell rested at the Golden Palace, contacted the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, and learned that Frost Da had fled while King Ares returned safely.
• King Ares arrived with eight Frost Star Beads, and he and Russell discussed the next Frost Star Solar Zenith and mourned the dead Wyvern Knights.
• An attendant reported that the Molten Fire Dragon had fallen in battle, Grand Duke Fritz had died of terror, and Molten Fire Volcano was going extinct.

Russell and King Ares confirmed that the Molten Fire Dragon had fallen and Grand Duke Fritz had died, leaving the Molten Fire Grand Duchy facing extinction. As Russell prepared to help its people and investigate, the Torrent Dragon watched him depart Scorching Volcano and exchanged words with the recovering Scorching Dragon.

• King Ares ordered a thunderword sent to verify the report and said the two neighboring nations would need to help evacuate the Molten Fire Grand Duchy's people and elves.
• Russell offered to visit the Molten Fire Grand Duchy after recovering, while King Ares planned to distribute Demon Seeking Tower and thunderword station blueprints to human nations.
• An attendant confirmed that the Molten Fire Dragon had fallen in battle and Grand Duke Fritz had died of fright.
• Russell sent orders to Red Castle to speed up Demon Seeking Tower construction, prepare for refugees, and warn the Shadowflame Dragon not to act rashly.
• Russell visited Scorching Volcano, where the Torrent Dragon silently watched him before he left.
• The Torrent Dragon exchanged magical dragon language with the Scorching Dragon, then flew away.

Russell visited the Shadowflame Dragon, warned him about the worsening Snowfield crisis, and then returned to Cigar Palace to prepare for the Molten Fire Grand Duchy. Little Dream Dragon awakened enough to empower Sembra’s Dream Recall, and Russell left the next day carrying the Demon Seeking Tower blueprints.

• Russell gave the Shadowflame Dragon eight Frost Star Beads, learned he had stored some for healing, and warned him that Frost Trolls and Snow Trolls had made the Snowfield more dangerous.
• Russell told Sembra and Ouroboros not to travel beyond the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, then discovered Little Dream Dragon had entered light sleep and would erupt soon.
• In the Dark Dreamscape, Little Dream Dragon’s power evolved Sembra’s Dream Recall so he could remember two return locations; Russell named the new talent Dark Dreamscape Teleportation, or Dream Teleport.
• Russell returned to Cigar Palace, rested, and flew toward the Molten Fire Grand Duchy the next day with the Demon Seeking Tower blueprints.

Russell reached the dying Molten Fire Grand Duchy and learned how the Snow Trolls’ attack had killed the Molten Fire Dragon and Grand Duke Fritz. He left for Long Court to meet Fred and make a plan to preserve the people, while Heius Oak hoped to follow Russell to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Russell and Polly crossed the failing Warm Enclave and arrived at Blue Mountain Fortress, where the people mourned the Molten Fire Dragon and Grand Duke Fritz.
• Heius Oak welcomed Russell and explained that the Molten Fire Dragon had been ambushed by a Snow Troll legion led by a Frost Troll and a Snow Giant, and that Grand Duke Fritz had died after hearing the news.
• Heius said the Molten Fire Grand Duchy’s wyverns and Warm Enclaves were also declining after the dragon’s fall.
• Russell promised to seek a plan to preserve the people and left for Long Court to see Fred.
• Heius told his mother he hoped to join Russell in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, believing Russell could defeat the snowfields and create a new era.

Russell arrived in the mourning Molten Fire Grand Duchy to pay respects to Grand Duke Fritz and the fallen Molten Fire Dragon, then examined the dead volcano and its degenerating wyverns. He promised to help relocate the duchy’s eight million people, and Fred asked to follow him to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Russell arrived at the Long Court, where Viscount Fred welcomed him and escorted him to pay respects before Grand Duke Fritz’s body.
• Russell asked to visit Molten Fire Volcano, and Fred flew with him into its crater on a visibly degenerating wyvern.
• Russell and Polly sensed death’s presence in the extinct volcano, and Russell explained why he would not let Ice Cream erupt there while the Molten Fire Dragonblood Family still ruled the territory.
• Russell told Fred that he would stay at the volcano overnight and promised that he and King Ares would help relocate the Molten Fire Grand Duchy’s people.
• Fred asked Russell if he could begin anew under Russell’s command in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

Fred pledged to follow Russell and lead part of the Molten Fire family to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy after the Molten Fire Dragon's death. As the family split over where to seek protection, Fred told Russell that he would bring five Great Elves and offer four of them to him.

• Fred explained why he believed Russell could usher in a new era, pledged his allegiance, and was promised the title of count.
• Russell accepted Fred's allegiance but told him to help the Volcanic Oasis's people choose where to migrate freely, while encouraging them to settle in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.
• Russell spent three days studying the fallen dragon's volcano and its mysteries with Polly as Fred arranged Grand Duke Fritz's funeral and negotiated with the High Nobles.
• Fred and his younger brother Flet split the Molten Fire family, with Fred choosing the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and Flet choosing the Scorching Torrent Kingdom.
• Fred told Russell that he would take five Great Elves to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and offer four of them to Russell.

Fred pledged the Molten Fire Dragon Blood Family’s loyalty to Russell and gave him the Molten Fire Dragon’s hope, which briefly showed Russell a vision after merging with his M-shaped Mark. Russell then spent seven days investigating Molten Fire Volcano while Fred reported that Demon Seeking Tower construction and migration were progressing slowly.

• Russell accepted Fred’s pledge of allegiance and promised him a Wyvern and a Warm Enclave to establish a new family.
• Fred gave Russell the Molten Fire Dragon’s hope, and Russell opened its box with Polly to examine the strange, untouchable substance.
• The hope merged with Russell’s M-shaped Mark, and he saw a multicolored forest and a giant dragon breathing fire before the vision vanished.
• Russell concluded that Ice Cream had helped him glimpse the hope’s mysteries, then resumed studying the extinct volcano with Polly.
• After seven days, Fred reported that people were reluctant to build the Demon Seeking Tower and few nobles wanted to migrate, so Russell told him to bring as many commoners as he could.

After returning from the ruined Molten Fire Volcano, Russell gave the Shadowflame Dragon the Molten Fire Dragon’s hope and proposed exchanging it for Shadowflame’s stolen hope. King Ares agreed to the trade, bringing Shadowflame closer to reclaiming its own hope after nearly five years.

• Russell returned to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and reviewed reports about Snow Giants and Frost Trolls threatening several nations.
• Russell brought the Molten Fire Dragon’s hope to the Shadowflame Dragon, which swallowed it and described it as something it would study before reclaiming its own hope.
• Russell told the Shadowflame Dragon he would exchange the Molten Fire Dragon’s hope with King Ares for Shadowflame’s hope, and Shadowflame also demanded a chance to seize Torrent’s hope.
• Russell proposed the exchange to King Ares through the Thunder Sound Machine, and King Ares agreed after discussing it with the Scorching Dragon.

Humanity expanded its railways and coordinated migration as the Frost Snow Troll crisis worsened, while Russell discussed the shortage of nickel-silver needed for a sub-zero railway. Shadowflame Dragon proposed refining Fallen Wyverns into a Dragon Egg, and Russell left promising that Little Dream Dragon would be his first contracted dragon.

• Human nations expanded their communication and monitoring networks, but Frost Snow Trolls continued driving humanity back.
• Russell rode the new railway between Furious Wind City and Ze City, then ordered plans for a northbound railway and a sub-zero line to support migration.
• Roland warned that the country lacked nickel-silver for frozen rails, and Russell told him to research alternative alloys or trade with the Scorching Torrent Kingdom.
• Shadowflame Dragon told Russell it could refine about ten Fallen Wyverns into a Dragon Egg and use their bones for power.
• Russell said he would discuss acquiring Fallen Wyverns with Viscount Fred, then reassured Little Dream Dragon that it would be his first contracted dragon.

Princess Anxia oversaw Thunderclap Broadcasting Station as industry and transportation transformed the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, while Russell listened to its broadcast before inspecting the wyverns and heading to Phantom Beast Paradise.

• A Mirror Guard delivered the Scholars' Round Table's Ice Age forecast to Thunderclap Broadcasting Station, and Princess Anxia ordered it broadcast.
• Princess Anxia reflected on the rapid changes around Red Castle and left the station with Princess Kunlaya, encouraging her to learn about the Grand Duchy's new policies.
• Russell listened to the climate forecast on his radio and praised the fusion of technology and magic before setting out for the Dragon Rearing Garden.
• Russell inspected the wyverns, declared that they could fly freely, and then headed to Phantom Beast Paradise.

At Phantom Beast Paradise, Russell discovered a Pig Tapir whose dream-related talents had drawn Little Dream Dragon’s attention. After testing its magic, he named it Dream Eater Tapir and prepared to contract it as a partner.

• Russell sensed Little Dream Dragon’s interest in a Pig Tapir at Phantom Beast Paradise and had it sent to his residence.
• Russell revealed Little Dream Dragon’s aura, and the Pig Tapir responded warmly before demonstrating its innate magic, which Russell named Chaos Missile.
• The Pig Tapir used another talent that disrupted Russell’s connection to the Dark Dreamscape and interfered with the Dream Escape Technique.
• Russell recognized the talent’s power, named the creature Dream Eater Tapir, called it Tapir, and invited it to become his partner.

Russell contracted Dream Eater Tapir, became the Shadowflame Grand Duchy's first high-level Tier 5 Phantom Beast Knight, and discovered Tapir could tear apart the Dark Dreamscape. At a family dinner, Roland remained unable to attract a Wyvern, so Russell promised to tell him if a new one appeared.

• Russell realized his five Phantom Beast contract slots and Mental Balance had reached their limits after contracting Tapir.
• Tapir merged with a strand of source dragonflame from Dream Dragon Ice Cream and demonstrated its new talent, which Russell named Dream Tear, by fragmenting the Dark Dreamscape.
• Russell celebrated his advancement with his family at Red Castle, while Baron Roman lamented that he still had not found his Tier 4 Phantom Beast.
• Roland told the family he had achieved Perfect Synchronization but had failed to spark with any Wyvern at Dragon Rearing Garden.
• Russell encouraged Roland not to fixate on those Wyverns and promised to alert him if a new Wyvern appeared.

Russell traveled to the Molten Fire Grand Duchy, where he discussed its unstable politics and the failing Wyverns with Mel and Fred. He arranged for ten Fallen Wyverns to be sent to the Shadowflame Grand Duchy for refinement into a Nickel-Silver Dragon, while Harpie stayed at Molten Fire Volcano to train.

• Russell used Sembra's Dream Teleport to reach the Long Court and met Mel, advising him to focus on winning over the commoners.
• Mel told Russell that the Molten Fire Grand Duchy remained politically unstable and that Fred was jointly handling affairs with several High Nobles.
• Russell asked Fred for ten Fallen Wyverns so he could refine them into a Nickel-Silver Dragon for the Sub-zero Railway, and Fred agreed to send them.
• Russell visited Molten Fire Volcano, examined a Fallen Wyvern, and agreed to let Harpie stay there to train.
• Russell returned to Cigar Palace with Sembra and arranged for her to teleport him to the Molten Fire Grand Duchy once a week.

Russell resumed training with Dream Eater Tapir, while Ouroboros and Sembra fought Snow Demons together on the snowfields. Frost Snow Trolls trapped Ouroboros in a Frost Domain that sealed off his escape abilities, and he realized their real target might be Russell and Polly.

• Russell resumed training with Tapir and discovered that the Phantom Beast would train only when he pushed it.
• Ouroboros and Sembra defeated a Snow Demon, collected its Ice Soul Bead, and charged into another horde.
• Ouroboros lost his bearings in a blizzard as Warm Enclave and Sembra disappeared from his senses.
• Ouroboros tried to escape with Earth Walk Technique and Dream Stealth, but the Frost Domain disrupted magic and sealed off Dark Dreamscape.
• A Snow Troll appeared before Ouroboros, who realized the Frost Snow Trolls had trapped him to test their domain against Polly's innate ability.

Ouroboros was trapped in the Snow Troll’s Frost Domain and nearly killed, so Sembra charged in to save it and was cut in half. Russell received Sembra’s warning and rode Polly toward them, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Ouroboros dodged the Snow Troll’s spear in Frost Domain until exhaustion left it badly wounded.
• After defeating the Snow Ghosts, Sembra found Frost Domain, warned Russell, and charged inside to rescue Ouroboros.
• Sembra rammed the Snow Troll but was struck by its spear and severed at the waist.
• Ouroboros wrapped itself around Sembra’s broken body, and the two exchanged smiles as the Snow Troll attacked again.
• Russell received Sembra’s warning, mounted Polly in her Sacred Unicorn form, and flew toward the danger.

Russell raced to the Frost Domain, fearing Sembra and Ouroboros had died, but their explosive evolution into pseudo-dragons saved them and shattered the frozen landscape. After joining them to defeat the Snow Troll, he watched their new Warm Enclave connect with the nearby warm lands.

• Russell reached the Frost Domain after his mental links with Sembra and Ouroboros vanished, and prepared to attack in fury.
• A massive explosion shattered the Frost Domain, and Sembra and Ouroboros emerged alive as newly advanced pseudo-dragons.
• Sembra and Ouroboros fought the wounded Snow Troll as the melting snowfield became a Warm Enclave.
• Russell joined his companions in a Dragon Domain Lord form and killed the Snow Troll with a series of sword strikes.
• Russell observed that the new Warm Enclave would connect Yunmeng Marsh Oasis and Volcanic Oasis.