Chapter Summaries

Russell named the enormous Star Crystal Froststar, while Little Dream Dragon slept after eating Snow Giant Da. As the warm season ended, Russell inspected the expanding industries in his territory, where new kilns and factories were ready to produce goods for sale across the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Russell and Baron Roman speculated that humans may have survived the Dark Age with Phantom Beasts’ protection and discussed turning the idea into a play.
• At dinner, Aunt Roby invited Russell to the opening ball at her Small Castle and said she would attend the completion ceremony for his Cigar Castle.
• Russell named his Star Crystal Froststar and found that Little Dream Dragon was still asleep after taking a huge bite of Snow Giant Da.
• Nicholas returned to Furious Wind City with his play Dark Chronicles after Marquis Arno persuaded Count Oscro to blame Russell for Thunder from the Dragon Domain.
• Russell inspected the territory’s brick production as Charles and Little William described new kilns and factories prepared to sell pottery, porcelain, and glass through Fluorite Castle’s merchant caravans.

Russell inspected his Glass Kiln Factory and urged Charles to work with the Blackfire Scholarly Tower to improve its production. At the Porcelain Kiln Factory, Russell introduced Enamelware Technology, and the craftsmen successfully made glazed metal cups, opening a new path for the territory’s industries.

• Russell inspected the Glass Kiln Factory and told Charles to consult scholars at the Blackfire Scholarly Tower and pay them for useful research.
• Russell saw that glass cups broke easily and recalled Enamelware Products as a durable alternative to porcelain.
• Russell went to the Porcelain Kiln Factory and asked its craftsmen to glaze metal cups and fire them.
• The craftsmen made smooth, durable Enamelware Cups, and Russell ordered them to improve the technique and produce more goods.
• The Porcelain Kiln Factory manager promised that Enamelware Technology would help the Blackfire factory surpass the one at Fluorite Castle.

Russell organized Blackfire Land’s expanding settlements into a provincial government and appointed Charles its acting governor. As winter approached, Roland prepared to leave Blackfire Land and begin reclamation in Thunder Marsh.

• Russell visited the Porcelain Kiln Factory, then realized Little Dream Dragon had awakened and planned to feed it the Frost Star he had collected.
• Russell outlined the manors planned along the Blackwater, Redwater, and Xiangshui Rivers, noting that the territory lacked enough people to develop them all.
• Russell appointed Charles Acting Governor of Blackfire Land Province and explained his plan to divide Thunder Flame Territory into five provinces.
• Roland congratulated Charles and said he would soon leave Blackfire Land to reclaim land in Thunder Marsh for Baron Roman’s horse-breeding plan.

Little Dream Dragon emerged from the Dark Dreamscape stronger, and Russell searched for the Frost Troll before returning to his territory. When Snow Demons appeared in the Shadowflame Grand Duchy again, Russell suspected the Frost Troll had refined Snow Giant Da; he then reunited with Harpe to pursue complete mental synchronization.

• Little Dream Dragon emerged from the Dark Dreamscape larger and faster, swallowed a Frost Star, and went back to sleep without gaining a new talent.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon searched the snowfield for the Frost Troll but found no trace of it.
• On his way home, Russell spotted a Snow Demon inside the Shadowflame Grand Duchy for the first time in nearly two years, and Polly suggested the Frost Troll had left after refining Snow Giant Da.
• Russell destroyed the Snow Demon with his Meteor Butterfly Sword and collected its Ice Soul Bead.
• Russell returned to Green Capital Snow Forest, reunited with Harpe, and agreed to merge with her on the journey home to deepen their mental synchronization.

Russell achieved Perfect Synchronization with Harpe and completed Tier 2, then prepared to contract Ouroboros and begin Tier 3. Baron Roman visited to collect Ice Soul Beads and revealed that Mental Balance was delaying his own advance to the fourth rank.

• Russell and Harpe trained in Harpy Form and reached Perfect Synchronization, bringing their shared power to its peak.
• Russell promised Harpe he would help her become a pseudo-dragon and told her that she and Polly were both important companions.
• Russell fed Ouroboros roasted rat meat and said she would soon experience great power when they contracted.
• Baron Roman arrived on Clay Dragon Ross and said he planned to deliver Ice Soul Beads to Red Castle, so Russell gave him twenty-three beads.
• Russell told Baron Roman he was preparing to begin the third rank with Ouroboros, while Roman said Mental Balance was holding back his advance to the fourth rank.

Count Merlin learned that Snow Demons had reappeared in the Grand Duchy and ordered the border lords to investigate. The Elder Council then unanimously approved Russell Fluorite Mushroom’s promotion to Grand Scholar, leaving officials to prepare the announcement and reward.

• Gerard and Dreller reported finding two Snow Demons in the snowfields, and Count Merlin ordered the border lords to monitor their return.
• Count Merlin considered whether Snow Giant Da had been refined by the Frost Troll and worried about the new threat.
• Count Merlin received the Grand Scholars' Round Table’s third application to promote Russell and convened the Elder Council without Oskro.
• The six attending elders unanimously approved Russell’s promotion to Grand Scholar for inventing Fermented Fertilizer Technology.
• Count Merlin tasked Kunbei with reporting the decision to the Regent Lady and Kunqiao with preparing an official gazette commentary.

Russell received the lifelong title of Grand Scholar and another reward of ten thousand serfs, while his family celebrated his growing territory and debated its future. Baron Roman named the enlarged family territory Glimmering Light Territory, and Aunt Roby was left confronting her regret over giving up Diana’s inheritance.

• Russell received the title of Grand Scholar and ten thousand serfs, bringing the population under his command close to one hundred thousand.
• At Fluorite Castle’s banquet, Russell and his family discussed the serfs needed to develop Blackfire Land and the future merger of their territories.
• Baron Roman’s family discussed renaming Guangguang River Valley as it expanded into the snowfields, while Madam Meryl’s remarks made Aunt Roby reflect on giving up Diana’s inheritance.
• Baron Roman named the expanded territory Glimmering Light Territory, and Russell, Roland, and Rosen all approved.

Russell solved the imbalance between Polly’s pseudo-dragon essence and Harpe’s Phantom Beast essence by forming a stable, layered structure. He then contracted Ouroboros and advanced to Tier 3 High Phantom Beast Knight.

• At dinner, Baron Roman, Rosen, and Roland discussed Russell’s delayed third transformation and could not advise him on balancing Polly’s stronger essence with Harpe’s.
• In the bamboo grove, Polly proposed stability instead of balance, and she and Harpe arranged their essences into layers with Polly’s essence enveloping Harpe’s.
• Russell felt his Dragon Breath transform into a seamless structure, with Dragon Breath surrounding Polly’s essence and Polly’s essence surrounding Harpe’s.
• The next day, Russell fulfilled his promise to Ouroboros by contracting with the snake through blood and Battle Aura.
• Russell successfully began his third transformation and advanced to Tier 3 High Phantom Beast Knight.

Russell tested Ouroboros's Earth Walk Technique and Dream Concealment before the Torrent Dragon left Swan Lake and flew back toward its volcano. The Torrent Dragon was ambushed by a Snow Giant and two Frost Trolls, and a battle began.

• Russell and Ouroboros tested the Earth Walk Technique by traveling beneath the ground and emerging across the Glimmering River.
• Russell and Ouroboros tried Dream Concealment, but movement caused them to become visible in the Dark Dreamscape.
• The Torrent Dragon left Swan Lake after all eight Torrent Scale Towers were completed, and Baron Kunbif Shadowflame saw it off.
• The Torrent Dragon flew over the snowfields toward its volcano, celebrating its return after being sheltered at Swan Lake.
• A Snow Giant and two Frost Trolls attacked the Torrent Dragon, with one Frost Troll hurling a Lightning Rod Gun at it.

The Torrent Dragon returned to Swan Lake badly wounded after being attacked by two Snow Giants and two Frost Trolls, prompting Baron Kunbif to report the threat to Redcastle. Russell joined Count Merlin as they discussed the danger spreading across both the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and the Scorching Torrent Kingdom, leaving the Elder Council’s response pending.

• At a banquet in Swan Castle, Baron Kunbif celebrated Kunsley’s prospects of becoming Grand Duke, but the Torrent Dragon’s panicked roars interrupted the gathering.
• The wounded Torrent Dragon crashed into Swan Lake and told Baron Kunbif that two Snow Giants and two Frost Trolls had attacked it.
• Baron Kunbif flew to Redcastle to report the attack, and Russell rode there with Polly after receiving a message from a Shadow Guard.
• While waiting for the Elder Council meeting, Russell learned from Count Merlin that each Snow Giant was accompanied by a Frost Troll and that Marquis Arno had sent word to King Ares.
• Russell and Count Merlin discussed how the new threat might force the Scorching Torrent Kingdom and Shadowflame Grand Duchy to cooperate, though Merlin doubted Shadowflame would return what it had taken.

After the Snow Demons returned, Russell and the Elder Council concluded that a new Snow Giant and Frost Troll had come to aid Frost Da, leaving the Shadowflame Grand Duchy with no solution but to await King Ares. King Ares received news of the Torrent Dragon’s predicament and went to meet the Scorching Dragon, as the dragons prepared to face the crisis.

• At the expanded Elder Council meeting, Baron Kunbif and Russell described the Torrent Dragon’s battle, and the council determined that a new Snow Giant and Frost Troll had joined the hunt.
• Russell reasoned that defeating the new Snow Giant could make the Frost Troll lose hope of evolving, but Count Merlin canceled the Demon Extermination Order and ordered the knights to remain within the country while they awaited King Ares’s reply.
• At Shadowflame Volcano, the Shadowflame Dragon refused to forgive the Torrent Dragon and said that Shadowflame, Scorching, and Torrent would handle the crisis while Ares made the right choice.
• Russell saw that Little Dream Dragon was still asleep digesting Frost Star and reflected that the era still belonged to God of War Ares.
• After reading Marquis Arno’s account of the Torrent Dragon’s encounter, King Ares armed himself and summoned the Scorching Dragon, then rose above the Blazing Sun Royal Palace to meet it.

Russell watched a meteor shower and wondered whether it had anything to do with the Frost Trolls, then discussed the stars with Mel. Meanwhile, the Torrent Dragon recovered and met King Ares and the Scorching Dragon, who headed together to visit the Shadowflame Dragon.

• Russell rushed outside after Polly alerted him to a meteor shower and wondered if the meteors were Frost Trolls passing through the Gate of Another World.
• Mel reassured Russell that he remembered seeing a meteor shower as a child, and the cousins discussed what the stars might be.
• The Torrent Dragon recovered from its injuries after two days in Swan Lake and rose above Fire Ant Swamp.
• King Ares arrived on the Scorching Dragon and greeted the Torrent Dragon before proposing they visit the Shadowflame Dragon and improve relations between their nations.
• The Sunflower Family prostrated themselves before the dragons, and Kunspe asked whether his eldest brother would soon be crowned.

King Ares’s impending visit stirred the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, while Princess Anxia feared he might take Princess Kunlaya away. Russell and the assembled nobles gathered at Shadowflame Volcano, where Ares finally approached on the Scorching Dragon.

• The Elder Council ordered a grand welcome for King Ares, and Princess Anxia agreed to receive her father despite her fear of him.
• Princess Anxia urged Princess Kunlaya to take Russell as her master so she could strengthen her Battle Aura and rely on herself.
• Russell anticipated meeting a Dragon Knight and rode Rosai to the crater with Baron Roman and the other Wyvern Knights.
• Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya arrived and took their places at the front of the welcoming procession.
• The Shadowflame Dragon awoke as King Ares’s smoke-trailing Scorching Dragon and a sea-blue companion appeared on the horizon.

King Ares arrived at Shadowflame Volcano with Scorching Dragon and Torrent Dragon, where Princess Anxia formally welcomed him and he discussed cooperation between the two nations. He proposed exchanging Scale Towers, but Count Merlin said he needed to consult Shadowflame Dragon, leaving Ares dissatisfied with the lack of a Dragon Knight who could decide for the duchy.

• Scorching Dragon and Torrent Dragon arrived at Shadowflame Volcano, where Shadowflame Dragon emerged to confront them.
• Princess Anxia welcomed King Ares, and Princess Kunlaya greeted him as her grandfather.
• Russell sensed the power of Ares’s Dragon Knight aura and compared it with the dragon flame of an ordinary dragon.
• King Ares discussed the Frost Troll and Snow Giant threat with Count Merlin and Marquis Arno, proposing that Scorching and Shadowflame build Scale Towers in each other’s countries.
• Count Merlin said he needed to consult Shadowflame Dragon before agreeing, and King Ares criticized the difficulty of making decisions without a Dragon Knight.

King Ares explained to Princess Anxia that he planned to annex the Shadowflame Grand Duchy to prepare for the Frost Giants, and she urged him to consider cultivating Russell instead. Ares agreed to meet Russell, who remained unaware of the king’s interest as the welcoming banquet began.

• King Ares told Princess Anxia that the Frost Giants might arrive and that annexing the Shadowflame Grand Duchy was now his simplest option.
• Princess Anxia proposed that Ares cultivate Russell and marry Kunlaya to him, and Ares agreed to meet Russell privately.
• Russell discussed King Ares’s prestige with Polly and remained wary of the Dragon Knight’s strength.
• At the banquet, Princess Anxia watched Russell, and King Ares praised him as the nobles toasted the king.

King Ares met Russell and later discussed him with Princess Anxia, cautioning her not to trust dragons too readily. The chapter ended as King Ares began formal consultations with Shadowflame Grand Duchy leaders about the two nations’ future.

• At the welcoming banquet, King Ares toasted lasting friendship between the two nations and their united fight against the Snow Demons.
• King Ares met Russell, praised his talent, renewed his offer to recruit him, and asked about his student Welim.
• After Russell left, King Ares told Princess Anxia that Russell was decent but warned her not to take the Shadowflame Dragon’s approval too seriously.
• King Ares explained that dragons could lie or betray their masters, citing the lost dragon in Song of the Volcano, and said Kunlaya did not need to rush into marriage.
• King Ares convened formal consultations with Count Merlin, Princess Anxia, and the Elder Council’s senior ministers, while Russell was not eligible to attend.

Russell reached Tier 3 and discussed his cultivation with Baron Roman while they waited for the Elder Council meeting to end. The council asked Russell to accompany Shadowflame into the Scorching Torrent Kingdom, and the Shadowflame Dragon assured him that its power would conceal Snowflake’s aura.

• Russell told Baron Roman that Polly’s concentric-circle theory had helped him balance his primal breaths and complete his contract with Ouroboros.
• Baron Roman explained how Russell could use his multiple Phantom Beasts and pseudo-dragon primal breath to develop stronger techniques.
• Count Merlin announced a formal alliance between the Shadowflame Grand Duchy and the Scorching Torrent Kingdom, including reciprocal construction of Scale Towers.
• Count Merlin proposed that Russell accompany Shadowflame to activate the towers, and Russell said he would consult Shadowflame before accepting.
• Russell asked the Shadowflame Dragon whether Snowflake’s aura would be exposed, and it promised its power would conceal the young dragon.

After King Ares departed, Russell accepted Princess Kunlaya as his student at Princess Anxia’s request. He returned to Wuyou Snake Manor and prepared for the Dragon Birth Festival, where he planned to appoint Leona as Cigar Castle’s housekeeper.

• King Ares left the Shadowflame Grand Duchy with the Scorching Dragon and Torrent Dragon, planning to return when the Scorching Scale Tower was complete.
• Princess Anxia invited Baron Roman and Russell to dinner and asked Russell to teach Princess Kunlaya Battle Aura; Russell accepted her as a student.
• Princess Kunlaya gave Russell a bag of Gold Coins as tuition, and Baron Roman reflected on Russell’s growing prominence on their journey home.
• Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor after agreeing to celebrate the Dragon Birth Festival at Fluorite Castle, then learned that Morris and the kitchen staff were preparing Cigar Castle for the festival banquet.
• Russell told Leona that he intended to recommend her as Cigar Castle’s housekeeper.

After awakening from its month-long sleep, Ice Cream gained the power to conceal its aura from other dragons and helped Russell bring Ouroboros into the Dark Dreamscape. The enlarged Dream family set out for the snowfields, where Ice Cream planned to hunt.

• On Dragon Birth Festival, Russell celebrated with his followers at Cigar Castle and slept there for the first time.
• Ice Cream appeared in the Dark Dreamscape and showed Russell its newly branched horns, which let it hide its aura from dragon surveillance.
• Russell rode with Ice Cream and Polly to Wuyou Snake Manor, where Ice Cream brought Ouroboros into the Dream family.
• Ice Cream breathed dragonfire over Ouroboros, strengthening her Dream Concealment magic, though she could not awaken a new tail ability.
• Russell, Ice Cream, Polly, Ouroboros, Sword Butterfly, Thorn, Tick, and Gecko set off for the snowfields to hunt.

Russell celebrated Dragon Birth Festival at Cigar Castle after Little Dream Dragon rejected Hail Beads and Ice Soul Beads and failed to find Frost Da in the Black Wave Mountain Range. He then entered the Dark Dreamscape to visit the oak forest, where his new ability, Listen to the Dark Dreamscape, let him hear the Sound of Magic Power.

• Little Dream Dragon devoured the Hail Beads and Ice Soul Beads from snow ghosts and a snow demon, then complained that they lacked flavor and asked to search for Frost Stars.
• Russell and Little Dream Dragon searched the Black Wave Mountain Range for Frost Da but found no trace of it.
• Russell celebrated Dragon Birth Festival at Cigar Castle with Leona, Ram, and Butler Morris, then gave the servants the day off.
• Russell surveyed Blackfire Land and headed to the oak forest, hoping Saiban fairy would return to the trees he had prepared for it.
• Russell used two Hail Beads to enter the Dark Dreamscape and discovered that Little Dream Dragon's new skill let him hear the Sound of Magic Power.