Chapter Summaries

Frank survived the destruction of his sentry post, lost the captain who tried to protect him, and was rescued when Soma Alliance forces counterattacked the Sika Kingdom. At Xia Ya Palace, the Alliance Emperor suspected the attack on Reef Rock Fortress was a feint, just as someone entered the palace.

• Frank and three soldiers prepared to fight the Sika People, but a fireball destroyed their sentry post and buried them in rubble.
• Frank found the wounded captain, who urged him to flee toward Reef Rock Fortress, but an arrow killed the captain as Frank tried to carry him away.
• Sika Kingdom Light Cavalry caught up with Frank and shot him in the calf, but an official Wizard of the Soma Alliance killed the cavalry with invisible threads.
• Reinforcements from Reef Rock Fortress charged after the Wizard, beginning the Soma Alliance's counterattack as Frank watched in shock.
• Oscar told the Alliance Emperor that the Sika Kingdom had attacked near Reef Rock Fortress, and the emperor suspected the assault was a feint aimed elsewhere.
• The palace doors opened before Oscar could learn where the Sika Kingdom's true target might be.

The Emperor learned that the Sika Kingdom had launched a major invasion and declared that the Soma Alliance would go to war. He told Oscar that Richard had an important role in their plans, while Richard continued his research and kept Bi Bi confined.

• A military minister reported that Sika forces had breached the border defenses, captured Qatar City, looted its granary, and killed Earl Norton.
• The Emperor concluded that the invasion was a planned national war and ordered the Soma Alliance to fight back.
• The Emperor told Oscar that Richard had to be brought into the Alliance’s plans, and Oscar left the palace.
• Richard studied Barta Text and a Wind Spell method, hoping to advance his research into the Wind Energy Extraordinary Factor.
• Bi Bi interrupted Richard to ask whether her information had been verified and when she could leave, then asked him for food.

Richard learned that the Soma Alliance would declare war on the Sika Kingdom at dawn and was offered a powerful new role as Alliance Army Command Consultant in exchange for helping secure victory. Oscar refused to explain the hidden purpose behind the offer, leaving Richard to decide before dawn whether to accept while remaining in the dark.

• Bi Bi asked Richard for a feast, but he put her back in the Wooden Box when Lord Oscar arrived for a midnight visit.
• Oscar brought twelve boxes containing books and records, offering them in exchange for Richard fulfilling a condition.
• Oscar told Richard that the Soma Alliance would declare war on the Sika Kingdom at dawn and that the emperor had appointed him Alliance Army Command Consultant.
• Richard questioned the position's sweeping authority and vague responsibilities, while Oscar said he could hold the title without doing the work.
• Richard pressed Oscar for the offer's real purpose, but Oscar advised him not to be too clever and set a deadline before dawn for his answer.

Richard accepted Oscar’s proposal and was rapidly appointed Command Consultant of the Soma Alliance before being sent to Reef Rock Fortress to join the war effort. There, he met the Alliance’s famed undefeated commander, Soren Bonaparte, as the Sika Kingdom threatened a major offensive.

• Richard agreed to Oscar’s proposal, and the Soma Alliance declared war on the Sika Kingdom and appointed Richard Command Consultant.
• The Alliance Emperor’s written order sent Richard to Reef Rock Fortress to meet the military commander and help plan the war.
• Richard arrived at the fortress, where soldiers saluted his general-ranked carriage amid preparations for an imminent offensive.
• A staff officer escorted Richard to the highest military intelligence conference at the commander’s residence.
• Richard met Soren Bonaparte, the undefeated general known throughout the Soma Alliance as the God of War.

Richard met General Soren Bonaparte at Reef Rock Fortress and learned the Alliance was dealing with Sika Kingdom troops infiltrating its territory through tunnels while a much larger army gathered at the border. Richard tested whether his advice would be followed by asking Soren to expand the tunnel search area, and Soren ordered the change before sending Richard away to await results.

• Soren briefed Richard on the Sika Kingdom invasion and proposed driving its forces toward Ge Duoduo City, capturing prisoners for information, and searching near the Bloodstone Mountain Defense Line for the tunnel.
• Richard suspected he might be only a nominal Command Consultant and decided to test whether his recommendations carried authority.
• Richard suggested extending the tunnel search area five li farther north.
• Soren accepted Richard's suggestion and ordered a staff officer to revise and issue the military plan.
• Soren told Richard that results would not arrive until at least the next day, and Richard left the Command Room.

Richard questioned whether he was merely a puppet despite Soren's apparent respect for his authority, so he secretly traveled in consciousness form to inspect the search for the Sika Kingdom's tunnel. He saw troops ignore his order to extend the search beyond Blue Water Mountain, and the chapter ended as a large cavalry force approached.

• Richard settled into his luxurious temporary quarters at Reef Rock Fortress and wondered whether his advice had any real influence.
• After dinner, Richard left his body under guard and traveled north in consciousness form to inspect the search for the tunnel used by the Sika Kingdom's forces.
• Richard watched soldiers search Bloodstone Mountain as their captain ordered them to find the tunnel entrance within two days.
• At Blue Water Mountain, Richard saw troops stop at the boundary of Soren's original search plan instead of continuing five li north as Richard had suggested.
• Richard suspected his orders were being ignored, then noticed a large cavalry force approaching from the east.

Richard watched the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment search north of Blue Water Mountain for an underground passage, then searched underground himself when they found nothing. As he headed back toward the cavalry, his consciousness body broke through into a subterranean hollow.

• The Red Maple Cavalry Regiment arrived and searched the area north of Blue Water Mountain after orders expanded the search for a possible tunnel entrance.
• A soldier captain explained that the search had been ordered by a high-ranking official and that the regiment was an elite force.
• Richard realized that his suggestion had been taken seriously and that finding the passage could further increase his influence.
• After the cavalry searched for half the night without success, Richard reasoned that the tunnel was more likely to be nearer the border and Bloodstone Mountain Defense Line.
• Richard searched underground for three hours but found nothing, then headed north to check on the cavalry before returning to Reef Rock Fortress.
• Richard's consciousness body suddenly met less resistance and dropped into an underground hollow.

Richard followed the tunnel used by the Sika Kingdom army and discovered that a nearby village was hiding its presence. He learned that the village chief and Winter were Sika Kingdom spies who knew of multiple secret passages, and he left knowing the infiltrators had concealed the route.

• Richard emerged from the tunnel north of Blue Water Mountain and wondered how the Sika Kingdom army could have used it without the nearby villagers noticing.
• Richard followed Winter into a hut, where Winter told the village chief that no Alliance soldiers had come looking for the passage.
• The village chief said the Sika Kingdom army was trapped east of the defensive line and might need the passage to escape.
• Winter worried that using the passage would expose it, and the village chief revealed that another secret passage existed.
• The village chief promised Winter the passages and his position if he remained loyal, then ordered him to keep watch.
• Richard realized the village was a network of spies that had helped conceal the Sika Kingdom army's tracks.

Richard searched the spy village and discovered that the Sika Kingdom had dug six secret passages, three of which remained usable. Back at Reef Rock Fortress, he kept Bi Bi confined despite her confirmed intelligence and gave her food instead of her freedom.

• Richard found a second passage beneath the village and traced it to a half-collapsed granary.
• Richard searched further and uncovered six passages in total, although only three could still be used normally.
• Richard returned to his body at dawn in Reef Rock Fortress after spending the night searching.
• Richard accepted breakfast from the servants and opened the wooden box holding Bi Bi.
• Richard refused to free Bi Bi yet, but agreed to give her fried fish and roast chicken.

Richard ordered the search for underground passages to expand ten li north despite Chief Advisor Kun Da Er Xi’s objections, while Sika Kingdom forces neared Ge Da City. The exhausted Red Maple Cavalry Regiment resented being assigned to the fruitless search instead of fighting for military merit.

• Richard fed Bi Bi breakfast, then left to attend a military briefing in the Command Room.
• Soren told Richard that Sika Kingdom forces were nearing Ge Da City, but troops had found no passages in the searched area.
• Richard ordered the search expanded ten li north, rejecting Kun Da Er Xi’s argument that the troops should search south instead.
• Soren backed Richard’s order, and Kun Da Er Xi went to relay it.
• Red Maple Cavalry Regiment soldiers rested near the Bloodstone Mountain Defense Line, frustrated that they had been searching for a tunnel instead of fighting the Sika Kingdom army.

Mario resented being reassigned from the front and losing his chance at promotion, but his squad was ordered to keep searching for a tunnel entrance. He insisted there was no tunnel and challenged his companions to bet as the search continued.

• Mario brooded over losing the chance to earn enough military merit for promotion to Lower Centurion.
• After eating, Mario saw the regiment commander summon the squad leaders and battalion commanders, then learned his squad had to keep searching for the tunnel entrance.
• The squad leader said the Black Rock Cavalry Regiment and Stramoss Cavalry Regiment would join the search, and the first person to find the entrance would be promoted three ranks.
• Mario complained that the search was a waste of manpower and blamed an unnamed royal court official for the reassignment.
• Mario stomped and thrust his sword into the ground, then challenged his companions to bet that there was no tunnel entrance.

Mario discovered a tunnel used by Sika Kingdom troops and was promoted three ranks, prompting Richard to order a search for more tunnels in a nearby village. The Red Maple Cavalry Regiment searched White Crow Village while Mario eagerly hoped to find another tunnel and earn another promotion.

• Mario fell through the ground into a tunnel, and the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment realized they had found the route used by Sika Kingdom troops.
• A villager ran to the Village Chief to report that the tunnel had been found.
• Kun Da Er Xi informed Soren Bonaparte and Richard about the tunnel, and Richard ordered a search of the nearby village and surrounding land for more tunnels.
• The Red Maple Cavalry Regiment arrived at White Crow Village, and Mario brushed aside Winter and began searching it.
• Mario reflected on his promotion to Superior Decurion and eagerly searched for another tunnel that could bring him closer to becoming a centurion.

Mario's search of White Crow Village uncovered six tunnels, prompting the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment to interrogate the villagers. Richard was praised for predicting the tunnels, but Soren summoned him back to the Command Room during dinner, leaving him wondering what had happened.

• Mario arrived too late to find a tunnel himself, and the searchers discovered six passages inside and outside White Crow Village.
• The Red Maple Cavalry Regiment gathered the villagers and threatened them with prison unless someone confessed.
• Winter stood up and told the commander that the villagers were all guilty of something.
• The White Robed Advisor reported the six tunnels to Soren, and the officers asked Richard how he had predicted them.
• Richard said he had sensed that direction was unlucky, then left the Command Room to rest.
• Soren urgently summoned Richard back during dinner, and Richard asked whether the army had lost a battle.

After the Sika Kingdom Alliance’s infiltrators were defeated, Soren enlisted Richard to help plan a full-scale war against the Sika Kingdom. Two days later, their battle plan was finalized and the Soma Alliance launched its general offensive.

• Soren told Richard that the Light Cavalry and Elite Heavy Cavalry had routed the Sika forces, killing or capturing most of them and driving a few survivors into the forest.
• Soren showed Richard the border deployments and asked him to help devise a complete battle plan, citing his command ability and his discovery of the tunnel.
• Richard hesitated over his lack of military experience, but Soren immediately began planning with him.
• Richard and Soren spent nearly two days and nights coordinating logistics, troop deployments, intelligence, and contingency plans with the Staff Team and civilian personnel.
• The battle plan was finalized, combat orders were delivered, and the Soma Alliance began its general offensive against the Sika Kingdom.

The Soma Alliance launched a surprise assault on the Sika Kingdom’s border, turning the fighting near Bastana Stronghold and across the frontier into chaotic battles. Three hours later, Mario’s Red Maple Cavalry Regiment ran into a Sika Magic-armored Knight Brigade and tried to break out through the flank.

• Soma Alliance Heavy Cavalry attacked Bastana Stronghold, and hidden Soma Wizards and Magic-armored Knights killed the Sika Wizards who tried to slow the charge.
• Sika Heavy Armor Infantry and cavalry reinforcements met the attack, while fresh Soma Heavy Cavalry blocked the reinforcements and fighting erupted along the border.
• After three hours, units across the battlefield lost track of the wider situation and struggled to decide whether to attack or retreat.
• Mario led a temporary nine-man squad in the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment, which was sent in as a reserve after its frontline attack faltered.
• Mario’s regiment encountered a Sika Magic-armored Knight Brigade and turned toward the flank to escape.

Mario and his remaining soldiers became lost in the battle, picked up the unlucky survivor Frank Dice, and fled into the path of enemy cavalry. As Sika Magic-armored Knights chased them, three Soma Alliance brigades charged from an ambush ahead, mistaking the pursuit for their target.

• Mario found that only three subordinates and four horses remained with him after the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment’s charge.
• Mario met Frank Dice, confirmed he was an Alliance soldier, and ordered him to join the squad.
• Frank warned Mario against heading right, but Mario insisted, and they encountered the Sika Magic-armored Cavalry Brigade.
• Mario and his men fled as the Sika knights pursued them.
• Three Soma Alliance Magic-armored Knight Brigades charged from a depression ahead, believing the approaching enemy cavalry was their target.

Richard and Soren Bonaparte directed the Soma Alliance’s campaign until the Sika Kingdom’s five defensive lines fell and the enemy retreated deep into its territory. As the exhausted Richard left the Command Room, he questioned whether Oscar and the Alliance Emperor had deliberately drawn him into the war by giving him command authority.

• Soren issued orders as reports came in, and the Soma Alliance broke through the Sika Kingdom’s northern defenses after a night of fighting.
• The Sika Kingdom withdrew in order through five defensive lines while the Soma Alliance pursued, eventually forcing the enemy to retreat inland after losing two Allied Legions and nearly half its forces.
• The Soma Alliance halted its exhausted pursuit and began reorganizing and securing the occupied territory.
• Soren praised Richard’s contribution and promised to seek recognition for him, while Richard left the Command Room to rest.
• Richard recalled that Oscar had offered Royal Library books in exchange for his service as a Command Consultant and wondered whether Oscar and the Alliance Emperor had planned for him to take on real command duties.

Richard withdrew from the Soma Alliance’s military planning and devoted himself to research while Soren commanded the offensive alone. As the Alliance pushed deep into Sika territory, Richard moved with the Command Room and continued his work.

• Richard decided that he had fulfilled his obligations to the Soma Alliance and would no longer direct its battles.
• After refusing Soren’s invitations to military councils, Richard and Soren settled into an arrangement where Soren commanded and Richard researched.
• Richard used his position as Command Consultant to obtain materials from the military logistics department for his research.
• Under Soren’s command, the Soma Alliance broke through five Sika defensive lines and drove the Sika forces back.
• As the Command Room advanced through Wind Sand Fortress, Ku Ke Qi, and Silver Sand City, Richard moved with it while continuing his research.
• More than a month later, Richard followed the Command Room to Gray Stone City.

Richard tested a new Wind Energy spell that formed an almost invisible, sturdy barrier, confirming that his research could work outside the laboratory. He explained the idea to Bi Bi, who listened with curiosity but did not seem to understand.

• Richard prepared to test a spell based on the Wind Energy Extraordinary Factor in his new outdoor testing field.
• Richard formed an invisible barrier and was pleased that the effect worked as expected outside his laboratory.
• Bi Bi arrived and discovered the barrier by touching it.
• Richard explained that the spell used Extraordinary Factors to make air or other matter cohere into an exceptionally sturdy whole.
• Bi Bi repeated the terms from Richard's explanation, appearing bewildered.

Richard tested his new barrier while Bi Bi repeatedly tried to break through it and learned how painful it was. The chapter contrasted Richard’s quiet research with Soren’s relentless management of the war in Gray Stone City.

• Bi Bi tested Richard’s barrier with wood, stones, iron rods, and other objects, but none damaged it.
• Bi Bi punched the barrier and hurt her hand, then charged headfirst into it and fell to the ground.
• After Bi Bi left, Richard tested the barrier and continued his research.
• In Gray Stone City’s Command Room, Soren issued military orders and checked on troop movements, supplies, and a broken bridge.
• Soren briefly dozed in his chair before returning to his busy wartime work.