Chapter Summaries

As the North Star Fleet traveled toward the Red Flower Gang, Liu Zhi imagined a triumphant welcome, unaware that a coup was unfolding at its destination. At the dock, Jansen and Mircea killed Iztok, coerced Sabbio into helping them, and prepared to sabotage the embankment.

• Cui Lu and the allied leaders discussed the disaster's effects and the Alliance's rule against helping territories still in turmoil.
• Liu Zhi told the delegation that the North Star Fleet would reach the Red Flower Gang the following afternoon and host them there.
• Liu Zhi went to sleep dreaming of his return, unaware that a brewing storm threatened the Red Flower Gang.
• At the Red Flower Gang's dock, Iztok was struck through the chest by a crossbow bolt fired by Jansen and Mircea.
• Jansen and Mircea forced Sabbio to stab Iztok's body and ordered him to plant explosives at marked spots on the embankment.

Sabbio and the other dock guards planted explosives along the river embankment under threat, while Darren abandoned his plan to report them. The next day, Liu Zhi’s fleet neared the Red Flower Gang, and Liu Zhi tried to recruit the mechanic Lao Ben for a shipbuilding venture as Cui Lu and Lao Ben quietly confirmed something about him.

• Sabbio joined Arne, Harry, Blitz Simo, and Hone Simo beneath the embankment, where they told him the guards had become traitors by planting explosives for Mircea and Jansen.
• Sabbio began placing explosives and warned Darren that reporting them would not bring the dead back; Darren cursed but left without reporting the plot.
• Liu Zhi awoke late as the fleet approached the Red Flower Gang and met Lao Ben, the fleet mechanic, over lunch.
• Liu Zhi proposed cooperating with Lao Ben to open a shipyard and described his vision of turning the territory into a river transit hub.
• Cui Lu and Lao Ben exchanged a discreet glance and nodded after hearing Liu Zhi explain that Lord Ji Wuming had sent the fleet downstream toward Tianyuan.

Su Deben taught Cui Lu how to reason about the Red Flower Gang and the Dwarves, concluding that their enemies’ mistakes made the conspiracy easier to uncover. The Tian Yuan fleet then arrived in Red Flower Gang waters, where residents recognized its flag and hurried to alert their lord.

• Cui Lu told Su Deben he suspected Ji Wuming had deliberately exposed flaws to mislead the fleet, but Su Deben argued the evidence did not support that conclusion.
• Su Deben explained that the Dwarves were poor schemers and that Ji Wuming could not control every person in his territory well enough to prevent mistakes.
• Su Deben taught Cui Lu to focus on what Ji Wuming had to do to achieve his objective, then announced they would test their deductions against the Red Flower Gang.
• The Tian Yuan trade fleet entered waters controlled by the Red Flower Gang at 3:40 in the afternoon.
• Red Flower Gang residents recognized their territory’s flag on the fleet and rushed to inform their lord that Tian Yuan had arrived.

Liu Zhi returned to the Red Flower Gang aboard Tian Yuan’s fleet, where the territory’s residents welcomed him and the other sailors home. As the fleet approached the dock, Cui Lu prepared for an underwater ambush, but a sudden explosion on land disrupted the arrival.

• Liu Zhi and his companions saw the Red Flower Gang’s impoverished but rapidly developing territory and were greeted by cheering residents who trusted Tian Yuan’s reputation.
• Su Deben explained how enemies could exploit Tian Yuan’s good name, then treated the newly detected underwater encirclement as a lesson for Cui Lu.
• Cui Lu took command, ordered the sailors inside to prepare for battle, and used the fleet’s monitoring equipment to track threats near the dock.
• Welcoming boats approached the fleet, and Liu Zhi went below deck to coordinate with the Red Flower Gang as the three visiting men praised the territory’s preparations.
• A powerful explosion erupted on land behind the visitors, and its shock wave threw them toward the deck railing.

The Tian Yuan Fleet repelled a surprise attack by frogmen armed with dwarf weapons, while explosions and panic caused casualties along the riverbank. Cui Lu and Ji Wuming organized rescue and recovery efforts, and Cui Lu credited Liu Zhi with helping secure the victory.

• Dwarf bombs exploded along the riverbank as frogmen surfaced and attacked the Tian Yuan Fleet with magical weapons.
• Guerrilla Boats opened fire with machine guns and killed nearly all the frogmen in less than a minute.
• Residents and Defense Force members regained control, while some survivors drowned after panicking and jumping into the river.
• Cui Lu reviewed the damage, ordered continued rescue efforts, and arranged medical care for the injured.
• Liu Zhi apologized to Cui Lu and said the Red Flower Gang had identified and was arresting the traitor who leaked his return.
• Cui Lu reassured Liu Zhi and credited him with part of the Red Flower Port Great Victory.

After Tian Yuan Territory won the Battle of Red Flower Port, Su Mo unlocked a limited-time war mission that awarded War Points for wars against dwarven factions. He used the points to strengthen Gong Zhengyang, advancing his route and giving him a new trait, then headed to the research institute to test the system on Lü Kuan.

• Gong Zhengyang brought Su Mo news of Tian Yuan Territory’s great victory over the Shallow Water Frogmen at Red Flower Port.
• The system unlocked the 30-day “Dwarf Nemesis” mission, and Su Mo received 2,750 War Points for the battle.
• Su Mo learned that War Points could strengthen territory residents and that the number of possible upgrades depended on their potential.
• Su Mo strengthened Gong Zhengyang, completing his advancement from Trainee Scout to Scout.
• Su Mo used Gong Zhengyang’s second upgrade to give him the blue trait “Eavesdropping Enthusiast.”
• Su Mo set off to find Lü Kuan and test whether he could use his remaining War Points to obtain more traits.

Su Mo used War Points to upgrade Su Chan, transforming her into a legendary Nature Resonator, then scanned Lü Kuan and began a fivefold upgrade to improve his traits. Su Mo saw the results’ mixed lights but had not yet learned what changes Lü Kuan would receive.

• Su Chan explained her plan to sell pets bred by Professor Katerina, and Su Mo discovered that he could upgrade her through the system.
• Su Mo spent War Points to advance Su Chan’s Animal Communication trait to Nature Spirit, then replaced her template with the legendary Nature Resonator.
• Su Chan’s new template raised her attributes and gave her Nature Attraction, while the sudden physical change released a foul-smelling mucus that forced her to rinse off.
• Su Mo scanned Lü Kuan and found that parasitism had imposed several negative traits and locked his red Wisdom Pioneer trait.
• Su Mo spent five hundred War Points on Lü Kuan’s fivefold upgrade and saw five lights, including purple, crimson, gray, blue, and white, before the results were revealed.

Su Mo’s upgrades transformed Lü Kuan into a Machinist and convinced Su Mo to launch a decisive war against the dwarves. At Red Flower Harbor, Cui Lu’s fleet learned that Tian Yuan planned to send it one hundred thousand reinforcements.

• Su Mo upgraded Lü Kuan’s traits, giving him positive bonuses and a purple trait that turned his negative characteristics into random boosts.
• A further enhancement replaced Lü Kuan’s Boxing Enthusiast template with the Rare Machina Apprentice route, granting him abilities to extract and infuse energy.
• Su Mo assessed the territory’s growing range of routes and decided to attack the dwarves before they could prepare for a broader war.
• At Red Flower Harbor, Cui Lu refused Lord Ji’s invitation to disembark, wary that dwarves might still be hiding in the territory.
• The Second Mate told Cui Lu that Tian Yuan was sending the fleet one hundred thousand reinforcements.

Cui Lu learned that Tian Yuan was sending reinforcements and that Su Deben would command the campaign against the Dwarves, so they planned to use a Red Flower Gang banquet to gather intelligence. At the Gathering Place, Liu Zhi secured Ji Wuming’s support and confirmed that Cui Lu had agreed to attend the banquet that night.

• Cui Lu verified that Tian Yuan was sending an initial thousand reinforcements, followed by three thousand more and another batch within half a month.
• Cui Lu announced that Su Deben would command the Dwarf War, and Su Deben assigned Cui Lu, Ni Yan, and himself separate intelligence-gathering tasks for the banquet.
• Cui Lu instructed Qu Changfeng to tell Liu Zhi that he had agreed to cooperate with him.
• Liu Zhi returned to shore, where Ji Wuming offered to raise his share of trade supplies from three percent to ten percent if he used them for territorial development.
• Ji Wuming told Liu Zhi that Sandoval had been a Dwarf spy, and Liu Zhi reassured him that Tian Yuan would still cooperate with the Red Flower Gang.
• You Tianqi suggested inviting Cui Lu to a welcome banquet, and Liu Zhi revealed that Cui Lu had already agreed to attend that night.

Hunter Tiger struggled with his desire to live an ordinary life as Jin Gu Qiao pushed him to join the alliance’s coming war. Meanwhile, Su Mo discovered that Palada had joined his territory with an innate Gold-tier trait and ranked above Su Chan in potential.

• Hunter Tiger dismissed the six women and ordered Jin Gu Qiao to stop bringing newcomers to him.
• Hunter Tiger admitted he wanted to rebuild Pingtan Shelter and return its people to the surface rather than lead them into more fighting.
• Jin Gu Qiao argued that Hunter Tiger risked being marginalized unless he joined the alliance’s expansion, and persuaded him to take part in the war.
• Hunter Tiger agreed to tell Su Mo he would fight and insisted he was still young enough to prove himself.
• Su Mo received a system notice that Palada had joined his territory with an innate Gold-tier trait.
• Su Mo checked the potential rankings and saw Palada take first place, with Su Chan ranked second.

Su Mo discovered that Palada possessed the powerful but costly Golden Trait Son of War and concluded that he was likely Hunter Tiger. Hunter Tiger arrived in Hope Town to join Su Mo, and after enjoying a feast at the town plaza, he told Su Mo that following him would not hurt him.

• Su Mo inspected Palada's attributes and found that Son of War greatly increased his combat abilities while reducing his lifespan and Health.
• Su Mo suspected Palada was Hunter Tiger, whose battlefield experience and loyalty could strengthen the territory ahead of the Dwarf War.
• Su Mo decided to visit Pingtan to recruit Hunter Tiger, but learned that Hunter Tiger had already arrived early and offered to help.
• Su Mo found Hunter Tiger eating his way through the town's big-eater challenge and agreed to charge his future expenses to the Underground City.
• When Su Mo asked why he had changed his mind, Hunter Tiger said that following Su Mo would not hurt him.

Su Mo offered to resolve Hunter Tiger’s health and lifespan problems and laid out the terms for joining the Tian Yuan Territory as a subordinate rather than an ally. Hunter Tiger accepted the subordinate role, eager to lead a powerful force under Su Mo.

• Su Mo discovered that Psionic Water could not permanently restore Hunter Tiger’s health, which remained at 3 because of his Golden Trait.
• Hunter Tiger explained his limited lifespan as a Low Blood Mutant and admitted he had planned cruel experiments to find a cure.
• Su Mo offered to help solve the mutants’ lifespan problem and compared the autonomy and rewards of joining as an ally with the strict duties of becoming his subordinate.
• Su Mo promised Hunter Tiger command of a Special Forces unit, advanced equipment, and help with his health and lifespan problems.
• Hunter Tiger declared that he chose to become Su Mo’s subordinate.

Hunter Tiger agreed to join Su Mo’s territory and command a Special Forces unit, while Su Mo arranged for him to take part in the coming Dwarf War. Their plans were interrupted when five ships from the Company arrived at the docks, prompting Su Mo and Hunter Tiger to go meet them.

• Hunter Tiger accepted Su Mo’s offer to join the territory and lead an independently managed Special Forces unit.
• Su Mo discussed Hunter Tiger’s command style, promised weapons and logistics for the Dwarf War, and agreed to arrange his move to the territory.
• Su Mo and Hunter Tiger headed to Firepower Restaurant, where Feng Long arrived with news from the docks.
• Feng Long reported that five large Company ships had reached the territory’s docks and showed Su Mo photographs of them.
• Hunter Tiger said the Company was unlikely to start a war, and Su Mo decided to visit the ships and consider trading for heavy-industry supplies.

The Enterprise fleet arrived at Tian Yuan’s wharf, where its Adventure Team discovered the territory’s surprisingly advanced industrial technology. Su Mo monitored their drones and learned from Hunter Tiger how the Enterprise chose its cooperation partners, as the fleet prepared to negotiate.

• Five Enterprise ships docked at Tian Yuan’s wharf, drawing crowds and fishing boats eager to see what their visitors would spend.
• Captain Ogilvie and vice-captain Savage examined drone footage of Dragon Rise Village and identified its boat propulsion technology as a valuable potential discovery.
• Ogilvie recalled the drones and said the Enterprise would seek cooperation rather than probe the territory further.
• Su Mo and Hunter Tiger monitored the drones from an energy vehicle, and Hunter Tiger explained that the Enterprise invested supplies and technology in promising partners.
• Hunter Tiger began outlining the three cooperation models the Enterprise offered according to a settlement’s potential.

Hunter Tiger explained the corporation’s three cooperation methods to Su Mo as they traveled to meet a corporate expedition team. The team arrived at Tian Yuan Territory, and its members began scanning Su Mo and the others, reacting with astonishment.

• Hunter Tiger described the corporation’s interest-free loans, interest-bearing resource deals, and premium purchases of valuable technology, using Qinggang Shelter and other forces as examples.
• Su Mo considered whether Tian Yuan Territory could trade its energy-stone technology or Module Technology with the corporation, while worrying about protecting the Mother Bed Core.
• Su Mo and Hunter Tiger reached the temporary wharf and identified five corporate ships as an expedition team ranked at least E+.
• Four uniformed expedition members landed in an Anti-Gravity Aircraft and scanned Su Mo and the others with AR Glasses.
• The expedition members’ expressions grew increasingly astonished as they looked at Su Mo.

Su Mo and Hunter Tiger met Savage’s Enterprise exploration team, Leading Wind, and learned that the team was seeking local partners and information about the world. After discovering Su Mo was a native who spoke Blue Star Language and identifying Hunter Tiger from its records, Savage offered to explain a new way to cooperate, leaving Su Mo poised to hear the proposal.

• Savage introduced Leading Wind as a D-Class Exploration Team, and Hunter Tiger reacted with surprise at its rank.
• Savage’s teammates made awkward assumptions about the locals before Savage apologized for their behavior.
• Savage realized Su Mo was a native who spoke Blue Star Language and checked the Enterprise’s records on him and Hunter Tiger.
• Savage explained that Leading Wind sought information, special resource sites, and promising partners to invest in.
• Hunter Tiger described the Enterprise’s cooperation methods, and Savage said the team had a new method Su Mo would be interested in.

Su Mo and Hunter Tiger toured the corporation’s ship and negotiated with Captain Oujijia, who offered technology and outlined cooperation options. Oujijia then revealed the corporation wanted to recover Tian Yuan Territory’s new energy technology, leaving Su Mo to weigh a potentially valuable exchange.

• Savage brought Su Mo and Hunter Tiger aboard the corporation’s ship, where they toured its advanced technology and met Captain Oujijia.
• Oujijia apologized for surveying Tian Yuan Territory without permission and offered one free F-level technology as compensation.
• Oujijia explained the corporation’s investment and resource-purchasing options, then gave Su Mo a tablet listing purchasable technologies.
• Su Mo discovered that the corporation sold long-range communications technology and considered trading his territory’s energy-stone technology for a higher-level option.
• Oujijia offered to recover Tian Yuan Territory’s energy-utilization technology at an E+-level price if Su Mo provided complete technical information.

Su Mo negotiated with Captain Ogilvie to trade Tian Yuan Territory’s energy-stone technology and minerals for corporate technology, then presented the research materials and machines for evaluation. The trade’s rating rose to D-Class, leaving the territory poised to exchange for valuable new technologies.

• Su Mo agreed to provide the corporation with energy-stone technology and minerals after Ogilvie promised to raise the trade rating by a tier if the data passed review.
• Hunter Tiger realized that Tian Yuan Territory had already drawn cooperation from the Academy, the Foundation, and the corporation, and regretted his earlier hesitation.
• Lü Kuan brought Su Mo baskets of energy-stone research and a list of technologies the territory wanted in exchange.
• Su Mo took the documents and finished energy machines to the fleet, where Ogilvie’s team scanned the materials and watched their rating climb to D− Class.
• The team added energy machines and two large chunks of energy stone, pushing the trade rating through D− and up to D-Class.

Su Mo sold Energy Stone Technology to Captain Oujijia’s Leading Wind Exploration Team and negotiated storage devices and advanced equipment for the Tian Yuan Territory. He exchanged his rewards for several useful technologies and concluded that establishing a trade route mattered more than cooperation.

• Captain Oujijia’s team rated Energy Stone Technology as a new D-level technology and offered to purchase more, but Su Mo refused to reveal any others.
• The team rated the Sky-Scraping Pillar at E- Class, and Su Mo persuaded Captain Oujijia that his territory had no further valuable technologies to sell.
• Captain Oujijia gave Su Mo storage chips and offered a Quantum Beam Cutter and Air Printers as gifts.
• Su Mo exchanged his rewards for four D- technologies, including Micro-Weaver, Life-Weaving Machine, Cloud Link, and Symbiosis Machine, along with Fiber Alloy Preparation Technology and a Self-Repair Machine.
• Su Mo decided that future trade with the expedition team could let him sell more technologies as the Tian Yuan Territory grew stronger.

Su Mo secured Corporation technologies and supplies, then prepared the Tian Yuan Territory for its coming war with the dwarves as the Three Cold Springs disaster approached. With the fleet loaded and the attack plan under discussion, Hunter Tiger proposed winning over the human lord allied with the monsters.

• Ogilvie reviewed Su Mo’s six technology selections, completed the trade, and departed with the Corporation fleet.
• Su Mo and Lü Kuan discussed the fleet’s antimatter propulsion, the newly obtained technologies, and the research institute’s need to prioritize long-range communications.
• With three days left before the disaster, the territory began loading troops, vehicles, weapons, and supplies for the Dwarf War.
• Doomsday Madman watched as his weapons were loaded, hoping the campaign would establish the Weapon Factory beyond the territory.
• Hunter Tiger questioned Su Mo’s plan to use the water force as bait and suggested persuading the human lord cooperating with the monsters to join them.