Chapter Summaries

Landen negotiated with Calista for territory in exchange for helping Gold and Wealth, but rejected Calista’s demand that he clear out the robbers without support. Calista treated the failed talks as a test and ordered Landen monitored before deciding whether to recruit him.

• Calista revealed what Gold and Wealth had learned about Landen and offered him wealth instead of territory.
• Landen insisted on receiving a Knight’s Territory and refused Calista’s demand that he deal with the robbers without any help.
• Landen ended the negotiations and left with his companions.
• Calista told Pad to monitor Landen for twelve hours and then contact him with a written offer if nothing unusual happened.

Landen negotiated with Calista for a Knight’s Territory but refused to hunt down the robbers without support. Calista let him leave and secretly ordered him watched before deciding whether to recruit him.

• Calista revealed the information he had gathered about Landen and offered him wealth, but Landen insisted on receiving land.
• Calista said Landen’s contribution did not merit land and asked him to clear the robbers from the Buck Duchy without sending any help.
• Landen refused Calista’s terms, pointed out that Gold and Wealth owed him gratitude, and left with Hogg and the others.
• Pad asked Calista what to do, and Calista explained that he had been testing Landen’s trustworthiness.
• Calista ordered Pad to monitor Landen for six hours and then contact him with a written message if nothing happened.

Landen and Calista tested each other’s intentions, then agreed to cooperate in tracking down the robbers. By sunset, the Hundred Cities Federation had located them.

• Landen learned that Calista’s watcher had waited outside the inn and inferred that Calista’s earlier demand had been a test of his trustworthiness.
• A messenger delivered Calista’s offer to provide information and manpower for an operation, with Landen’s group leading and leaving no survivors.
• Landen and Zhu Lingqi accepted the terms and agreed to cooperate with Calista.
• The Hundred Cities Federation used its information network to locate the robbers, and Landen was stopped after returning to the inn.

Landen and Calista tested each other’s intentions, then agreed to cooperate in hunting the robbers who had targeted the Hundred Cities Federation. By sunset, the Federation had found the robbers, and Landen was stopped on his way back to the inn.

• Landen learned from Old Wang that the watchers had withdrawn and discussed Calista’s test with Zhu Lingqi over breakfast.
• A messenger delivered Calista’s offer to provide information and manpower while Landen’s group led the operation, with orders to leave no one alive.
• Landen accepted the offer and toasted a pleasant cooperation with Calista’s representative.
• The Hundred Cities Federation used its information network to locate the robbers, and someone stopped Landen as he returned to the inn.

Landen led Zhu Lingqi and a small squad to attack the robbers’ hideout, using the Hundred Cities Federation’s map to draw the enemies into the open. After Zhu Lingqi’s fireballs brought dozens of robbers into the courtyard, Landen ordered his squad to run as he prepared to strike.

• Landen reviewed the Hundred Cities Federation’s detailed map and confirmed that its forces were positioned around the robbers’ compound.
• Landen led Zhu Lingqi and twenty men openly to the compound, where Zhu Lingqi blasted apart the entrance and main hall with a fireball.
• The injured robber leader recognized that the Hundred Cities Federation had found them and left his room armed with an axe.
• Landen counted the robbers who emerged, and Zhu Lingqi fired two more fireballs at marked sentry posts to draw additional enemies into the front courtyard.
• Landen ordered the twenty men to run, and Sky-Pointing Blade unleashed a furious gale among the pursuing robbers.

Landen and Zhu Lingqi launched an assault on the robbers’ hideout using the Hundred Cities Federation’s detailed map. After drawing dozens of enemies into the front courtyard, Landen ordered his people to flee as Hogg and Old Wang waited in position.

• Landen checked the Hundred Cities Federation’s map and confirmed that the robbers had no underground escape routes.
• Landen led Zhu Lingqi and twenty fighters openly to the robbers’ residence, where Zhu Lingqi blasted apart the gate and the main hall with a fireball.
• The injured robber leader recognized that the Hundred Cities Federation had found them and armed himself to confront the attackers.
• Landen counted the enemies and had Zhu Lingqi strike marked sentry positions, drawing sixty or seventy robbers into the front courtyard.
• Landen ordered the twenty fighters to run, and Sky-Pointing Blade descended to unleash a raging storm among the pursuing enemies.

Landen and Zhu Lingqi wiped out the enemies in the mansion’s front yard by trapping them in a firestorm, while Hogg and Old Wang launched attacks from the other sides. Landen then left the fighting to the newly arrived teams and walked with Zhu Lingqi toward the inner residence.

• Zhu Lingqi unleashed a Storm Spell across the front yard, and Landen knocked enemies into its range while she killed two others with her twin blades.
• Landen had Zhu Lingqi cast Grease Spells and fireballs into the storm, igniting it and burning the trapped enemies.
• Landen said the firestorm would show Greedy Fox Calista and the Hundred Cities Federation how strong he was, and signal Hogg and Old Wang to attack.
• Hogg tore a hole through the courtyard wall and led her team into the mansion, while Old Wang floated over the wall with his followers.
• Landen assigned a man to guard the mansion’s exit, then walked with Zhu Lingqi toward the inner residence.

Landen and Zhu Lingqi used a magical firestorm to trap and burn the enemies in the mansion’s front courtyard, sending a message to Calista and signaling Hogg and Old Wang to attack. With the reinforcements engaged elsewhere, Landen and Zhu Lingqi headed toward the inner residence.

• Zhu Lingqi cast a Storm Spell across the front courtyard while Landen knocked enemies into its range and attacked those outside it.
• Zhu Lingqi killed two enemies with her blades, then threw their corpses into the Storm at Landen’s request.
• Landen filled the Storm with flammable materials, and Zhu Lingqi cast Grease Spells and fireballs that ignited it into a blazing inferno.
• Landen said the firestorm would show Calista that his strength exceeded the Hundred Cities Federation’s expectations and serve as a signal for the other teams.
• Hogg tore open a courtyard wall and charged into the mansion, while Old Wang led his team over another wall to engage the enemy reinforcements.
• Landen posted a guard at the mansion’s exit and walked toward the inner residence with Zhu Lingqi.

Landen’s group stormed the mansion and killed enough attackers to confirm the Hundred Cities Federation’s count of 133 had been inflated to pressure him. Old Wang captured the convoy attackers’ leader alive, and Landen confronted him as the wounded man prepared to resist.

• Calista watched a towering firestorm rise into the sky and wondered whether the display came from the man who had remained calm during their meeting.
• Hogg and Wang Yifeng each killed dozens of enemies as Landen’s group overwhelmed the mansion, while the Hundred Cities Federation’s men guarded the exits.
• Landen added Hogg’s and Wang Yifeng’s kill counts to his group’s and concluded the enemy force had been smaller than the Federation claimed.
• Wang Yifeng revealed that he had spared the leader of the people who attacked the convoy, and Landen went to question him.
• The wounded leader considered killing himself to protect his organization’s secrets, but Landen taunted him and blasted open the door as the leader struck toward the doorway.

After Landen finished the contract and concealed the robber leader’s fate, he discussed claiming territory with Calista. He chose the unclaimed area bordering the dangerous Carola Mountains, despite Calista’s warnings.

• Landen gave Calista the blue-quality axe and claimed the robber leader was among the charred bodies; Pad recognized the weapon as the leader’s.
• Calista accepted Landen’s explanation and invited him to discuss what came next, while Landen said his companion had gone ahead to prepare for his territory.
• Landen showed Calista maps of two possible locations, and Calista warned him about the dangers of Half-Lake Forest and the Carola Mountains.
• Landen became interested in the Carola Mountains’ legendary surviving civilization and asked whether the area was unclaimed.
• Landen chose the territory bordering the Carola Mountains.

Landen traveled to the Rose Duchy to claim his newly granted territory, which lay near the Carola Mountains above Farview Town. He planned to secure the territory, bring up his troops, and use Hogg to suppress any villagers who resisted his rule.

• Landen and Calista spent a day negotiating the terms of his territory and the assistance he would owe the Hundred Cities Federation.
• After leaving the city, Landen met Old Wang in a valley, and they split up: Old Wang guided Bonucci toward the territory while Landen followed Calista's map with his companions.
• Half a month later, Landen and his companions reached the Rose Duchy and identified the Carola Mountains as the location of the Territory Guardian.
• Landen told Zhu Lingqi and Hogg that they would first claim the territory and bring up their troops before venturing into the mountains.
• Landen explained that the village governed itself and might resist its new lord, then told Hogg to deal with anyone who opposed him as they headed toward their future subjects.

Landen stayed in a remote village and demanded that its chief, Brook, verify his letter of appointment within a few days, warning him against damaging it or harming Landen. Landen realized the villagers meant to preserve their isolation and tax-free farmland, and he expected them to target him directly next; he planned to use the confrontation to give Hogg a chance to fight.

• Landen insisted that Brook address him as lord and gave him a few days to verify the letter of appointment, threatening consequences if it was lost or damaged.
• Brook took the letter and left, while Landen recognized that the villagers had initially feigned ignorance to resist his appointment.
• Landen explained that the village’s tax-free farmland had driven its long-standing rejection of outsiders and its resistance to being claimed by neighboring barons.
• Zhu Lingqi predicted that the villagers would attack Landen by another means, and Landen welcomed the prospect of giving Hogg a chance to loosen up.

Landen confronted Brook and the villagers after they staged a missing-cow accusation against him. He ordered Hogg to deal with those who had spoken up, then left to get back to sleep.

• Landen went with Hogg and Zhu Lingqi to the village entrance after the bell woke them.
• A woman accused Landen of stealing her cow, and a man arrived with planted bones, organs, and meat as evidence.
• Brook pretended to uphold the law and demanded that Landen accept punishment, despite Landen warning him to address him as Lord.
• Landen ordered Hogg to deal with Brook and everyone who had spoken up, then walked away.

Brook awoke after three days and learned that Hogg had killed the four villagers who had joined the accusation against Landen, while sparing him because he was useful. He knelt before Landen, who demanded that Brook write down everything he knew about the mountain range by that afternoon.

• Brook awoke and learned from his wife that Old Six, his wife, Mark, and Jerry had all been killed by Hogg.
• Brook heard that Hogg had spared him because she considered him useful.
• The villagers obeyed Landen's instructions, buried the four bodies, and returned to their usual lives.
• Brook went to Landen's courtyard and knelt at the gate to admit his mistake.
• Landen told Brook to provide everything he knew about the mountain range by that afternoon, or face the consequences.
• Brook hurried home to gather information about the mountain.

Landen examined the villagers’ connections and learned that Brook had manipulated Old Six into framing him before eliminating his rival and pledging loyalty. Landen led the group into Seven Bends Gorge with Brook as their guide, where a local legend about two split mountains made them suspect the site might hold traces of an ancient battle.

• Landen read Old Wang’s report and learned that Old Six’s son, Aluchi, was a powerful young knight whose parents had tried to frame Landen before Hogg killed them.
• Landen realized Brook had used the staged accusation to remove Old Six as a rival and shift the villagers’ hatred onto Landen, then decided to make use of Brook’s abilities.
• Landen, Zhu Lingqi, Old Wang, and the captive prepared to enter the mountains, and Brook recovered from his supposed injuries to guide them.
• Brook led the group from the village to Seven Bends Gorge and explained that villagers rarely entered the mountains, though he had gone in often to gather medicinal herbs.
• At the gorge’s final bend, Brook described a legend that divine beings had split one mountain into two, prompting Landen and the others to wonder whether the site marked an ancient battlefield.

Landen and his companions crossed a rain-soaked valley and examined the unnaturally severed mountain peak, finding signs that the valley’s unusual rain affected its environment. Brook stopped them at the end of the valley, warning that they could not go farther.

• Landen and his companions saw a mountain peak split cleanly in two and wondered whether an existence beyond Peak Legend had caused it.
• Brook led the group into the lush valley and explained that it had frequent rain but no animals or insects.
• Landen, Hogg, Zhu Lingqi, and Old Wang examined the rainwater and concluded it contained an unusual substance that might explain the valley’s lack of animals and abundant vegetation.
• The group continued through the valley as Brook described how its frequent rain quickly soaked into the soil and left the ground dry.
• At the end of the valley, Landen and his companions reached the severed mountain, and Brook warned them not to go any farther.

Landen considered why people vanished in the Carola Mountains and suspected the mystery could be solved through an outsider’s perspective. Old Wang volunteered to enter the mountains while Landen and the two women waited outside.

• Brook told Landen that people who entered the mountains had vanished without leaving bodies or belongings, including a hunter who had talked about going in to hunt.
• Landen sent Brook back with the food he had brought, then reasoned that even powerful investigations by the Hundred Cities Federation had failed to uncover the truth.
• Landen recalled that players had once solved a mystery that native experts could not, and decided the Carola Mountains might be a similar problem.
• Old Wang offered to enter the mountains alone and return if danger proved too great.
• Landen agreed to wait outside with the two women and reminded Old Wang to put his safety first.

Landen waited anxiously outside Seven Bends Gorge as Old Wang entered the mountain and discovered the danger within. Old Wang escaped through a barrage of golden beams, leaving Landen to wonder if they were lasers.

• Landen worried that Old Wang might not survive the mystery inside the mountain, while Zhu Lingqi reassured him that Wang Yifeng was capable.
• Brook fled toward the village after sensing the mountain tremble, recalling that similar tremors had accompanied earlier disappearances.
• Landen prepared to enter the mountain if Old Wang did not return within a quarter of an hour, and Hogg offered to lead the way.
• A chime from Old Wang's Moon Burial Sword announced his return, and he emerged into view while dodging golden beams from the cliffs.
• Old Wang parried a beam with his sword and turned to face a volley of others as Landen wondered whether they were lasers.

Old Wang returned from the mountain and told Landen about its hidden attacks, which came from the walls, rocks, and trees. Landen tested the mountain wall and found a strange rock fragment, leaving him to wonder whether the trees were made of the same unusual material.

• Old Wang reported that thick golden pillars had attacked him from the mountain walls, trees, and rocks, forcing him to retreat before seeing what lurked deeper inside.
• Old Wang checked the mountain pass and found no further attacks, so Landen, Old Wang, Hogg, and Zhu Lingqi entered together.
• Landen had Old Wang strike a mountain wall and observed that the sword barely scratched one spot but sank halfway into another with the same force.
• Landen asked Zhu Lingqi to attack the wall with her Disintegration Spell, and she knocked loose a small rock fragment.
• Landen examined the fragment, found it indistinguishable from ordinary rock, and wondered whether the mountain’s trees were similarly disguised.

After returning from the mountains with a mysterious fragment, Landen confronted Brook and decided not to re-enter the mountains until he learned more. He then questioned the prisoner Bonucci about his organization and left him in Hogg’s hands, while Bonucci realized he was in danger.

• Landen returned alive from the mountains, frightened Brook with questions about how he knew they had gone there, and warned him there would not be a third incident.
• Landen tried to analyze the fragment but could not identify its material, then concluded that the mountain mystery required the right method rather than overwhelming strength.
• Landen woke Bonucci and explained that he wanted to learn everything about the organization behind the underground trade.
• Bonucci refused to cooperate, so Landen had Old Wang immobilize him and left him with Hogg.