Chapter Summaries

Richard visited the Emerald Kingdom’s glass factory and produced cobalt blue glass for the Flame Color Experiment. After finding that the first sample had a green tint from impurities, he added manganese to correct it and awaited the results of a second batch.

• Gelo used his status as prince to bring Richard into the guarded glass factory, where director Vichys provided access to a furnace.
• Richard combined cobalt ore, ruby, and phosphoric acid to make cobalt blue pigment, then had Vichys use it to produce a glass sample.
• Richard noticed the sample had a pale green tint caused by impurities in the glassmaking materials.
• Richard gave Vichys manganese powder and instructions for making another cobalt blue glass sheet to remove the green tint.
• Vichys returned with the second sample, visibly trembling with excitement.

Richard collected the transparent glass he had ordered from Vichys and left the glassworks with Gelo, who had helped him in exchange for three doses of Dihydrogen Monoxide. Richard then sent Gelo back to the palace with instructions to use the medicine two hours after nightfall, and continued on alone.

• Vichys tested Richard's grayish-white powder and discovered it made glass exceptionally clear, but his master craftsman could not identify it.
• Vichys handed Richard the finished Cobalt Blue Glass, which Richard accepted before leaving the glassworks with Gelo.
• Vichys asked Gelo to persuade Richard to share the glassmaking technique, but Gelo refused because he had traded his help for Dihydrogen Monoxide.
• Gelo asked Richard to let him return to the palace and test the medicine, and Richard agreed.
• Richard advised Gelo to use the medicine two hours after nightfall, and Gelo rode away with his guards.
• Richard turned and walked in another direction.

Gelo used Richard’s potion and Ether to detach his consciousness and absorb more Wandering Energy Elements, while Richard tested one of the elements with a flame-color experiment. Richard saw an unknown deep-crimson flame and concluded that his research had made a promising start, though much more testing remained.

• Gelo drank part of the Dihydrogen Monoxide potion, inhaled Ether, and meditated until an external force pulled his consciousness from his body.
• Gelo found that he could sway farther and absorb more Wandering Energy Elements than during his previous meditation.
• Richard prepared a flame-color experiment using a Platinum Wire Loop, hydrochloric acid, Deionized Water, an Alcohol Torch, and Cobalt Blue Glass.
• Richard sent a reserved Wandering Energy Element through the Platinum Wire Loop and observed the Alcohol Torch’s flame turn deep crimson.
• Richard viewed the flame through the Cobalt Blue Glass and confirmed that the crimson color still appeared unlike any known element’s flame.

Richard analyzed how Wandering Energy Elements, mana, and spell effects interacted, then considered ways to improve spellcasting by avoiding energy-losing refinement steps. He proposed dividing his Mana Source to store different elements safely, but the challenge of controlling many separate energy flows remained unresolved.

• Richard summarized his research and concluded that the world's spellcasting process refined Wandering Energy Elements into mana before turning them back into elements to produce spells.
• Richard identified wasted energy and delayed spell release as flaws in the conventional method and proposed casting directly with Wandering Energy Elements.
• Richard noted that storing different elements together could cause dangerous reactions, then proposed partitioning his Mana Source into separate spaces for the nine commonly used elements.
• Richard identified the difficulty of controlling multiple element streams as the second obstacle, especially for complex spells that required simultaneous release.

Richard explored how Wandering Energy Elements could improve spellcasting through rapid low-ring spells and Magic Rune items, then discovered that his ideas matched the lost methods of the ancient Apocalypse Wizards. He considered pursuing the Apocalypse Wizard path instead of becoming a Dawn Wizard.

• Richard reasoned that casting many low-power Zero-Ring Spells with Wandering Energy Elements could create a powerful spell barrage.
• Richard proposed using Magic Runes to automate complex spellcasting and reduce the burden on a wizard’s brain.
• Richard realized that advanced wizards might draw Wandering Energy Elements directly and cast spells without a Mana Source or other aids.
• Richard found a passage in Chapter of Munro describing ancient Apocalypse Wizards, who cast spells without Mana Sources and were far stronger than Dawn Wizards.
• Richard wondered whether he should pursue the path of an Apocalypse Wizard.

After months of modifying his Mana Source, Richard tested his new Apocalypse Spell, Flame Barrage Impact, and found that it could melt a reinforced metal target with overwhelming force. He considered its combat potential and took out a White Jade Shard to test more complicated spells.

• Richard entered his specially reinforced testing room to try a spell he had spent months preparing.
• He explained how he had divided his Mana Source into nine spaces for Wandering Energy Elements while retaining mana storage.
• Richard cast Flame Impact, leaving only a temporary mark on the metal humanoid target.
• He unleashed more than a hundred Flame Impacts in a Flame Barrage, melting and deforming the target into an unrecognizable lump.
• Richard judged the barrage powerful and efficient enough for combat, then took out a White Jade Shard.

Richard tested his newly developed Meteor Flame Burst spell and destroyed the testing room with its power. As he surveyed the ruins, Gelo arrived with news that a Wizard from the continent had just arrived.

• Richard activated Meteor Flame Burst, melting the metal target and blasting apart the testing room.
• Richard shielded himself with nine layers of Air Walls, while Pandora came outside to check on the explosion and returned after he said he had caused it.
• Richard estimated the spell’s destructive power as he watched the dust settle over the ruins.
• Gelo arrived with his guards, whose horses had been startled by the blast, and Richard asked why he had come.
• Gelo told Richard that a Wizard from the continent had just arrived, and confirmed there was only one.

Richard learned that White Stone Tower had sent a Third Level Wizard Apprentice to investigate strange attacks in Emerald Gold City, while a Wizard would arrive later to select students. He went with Gelo to meet the apprentice for an advance talent test, but a girl stopped them at the inn and demanded an invitation.

• Gelo told Richard that mysterious attacks and robberies involving spells had targeted forces connected to White Stone Tower in Emerald Gold City.
• Gelo offered to arrange an advance talent test with the Third Level Apprentice, and Richard agreed to attend the next afternoon.
• Richard learned that the wizard organization was called White Stone Tower.
• Richard and Gelo arrived at the Golden Wine Cup Inn, which Sir Wall had rented out, and a blonde girl demanded to see their invitation.

Richard and Gelo arrived at Wall’s Wizard test and found a room full of young nobles hoping to escape their dependent lives by becoming Wizards. Gelo insisted he was different from the opportunists seeking his favor, but could not explain why he wanted to become a Wizard before Wall arrived.

• A nervous young gatekeeper checked Gelo’s invitation, then let Gelo and Richard enter the inn’s private room.
• Gelo explained that most of the young nobles were desperate younger heirs or illegitimate children seeking a way out of their families’ control and debts.
• The applicants crowded around Gelo to greet him, and he called them opportunists while insisting he was different from them.
• Richard asked Gelo why he wanted to become a Wizard, but Gelo admitted he did not know and maintained that he was still different.
• Someone announced Wall’s arrival, and the room fell silent as footsteps approached the door.

Hua Er began testing the gathered candidates for Wizard talent before Teacher Siver arrived. Amon Thorqi failed the test and fled after Hua Er threatened him with lightning, leaving Hua Er to call for the next candidate.

• Hua Er introduced himself as a Third Level Apprentice of the White Stone Tower and explained that he would test candidates and report their results to Teacher Siver.
• After the crowd hesitated, Amon Thorqi volunteered, hoping to escape the courts by becoming a Wizard.
• Hua Er used golden light to test Amon Thorqi and declared him unqualified when the light turned black.
• Amon Thorqi begged for another test, but Hua Er refused and threatened him with lightning.
• Amon Thorqi fled the room, and Hua Er asked who would be tested next.

Wall tested the gathered nobles for Wizard talent, and Richard was found unqualified despite secretly being a Wizard Apprentice. Gelo then stepped onto the Wooden Stage to take his own test.

• Wall tested several nobles, and each was declared talentless or unqualified until Anthony Myers showed average Wizard talent and was invited to join the White Stone Tower.
• Gelo told Richard about Anthony's difficult life in the Mess Family and celebrated his unexpected chance to study magic.
• Richard took the test and observed how Wall's spell circulated through the body to assess talent while recovering some mana.
• Wall declared Richard talentless, and Richard left safely because Hidden Transcendence concealed his mana source and magical traces.
• Gelo asked Richard why he had tested negative despite casting spells, and Richard said he would explain later.
• Gelo stepped onto the Wooden Stage to be tested, admitting that he expected he might lack talent.

Richard explained to Gelo that wisdom and sound judgment mattered more than hard work, then revealed why he could cast spells despite testing as talentless. After Gelo learned the explanation, he left with Richard, convinced he should stay close to him.

• Gelo emerged from Wall’s test with extremely low-grade talent, but insisted that hard work could help him become a Wizard.
• Richard challenged Gelo’s faith in effort alone and explained that wisdom, reason, and recognizing truth mattered more than sheer labor.
• Richard revealed that the famous Edison quote’s claim that inspiration mattered most was added by Cindi Myers, leaving Gelo bewildered.
• Gelo asked how Richard could cast spells despite having no talent, and Richard gave him an explanation that amazed him.
• Outside the inn, Anthony Myers received praise as the only tested candidate with talent who qualified to become a Wizard.
• Anthony learned that Gelo was unqualified and offered him only basic politeness, while Gelo dismissed him and left with Richard in a carriage.

Hua Er investigated possible threats to the White Stone Tower in Emerald Gold City and identified Gelo, Anthony, and Richard as people worth examining. Elsewhere, a White Stone Tower spy guarded a shop at night, ending the chapter with the spy on alert.

• Hua Er studied a map of Emerald Gold City while Aisha tended the lamp, and he doubled her wages for her helpfulness.
• Hua Er explained that he was investigating attacks on the White Stone Tower and using talent tests to search for clues before Teacher Siver arrived.
• Hua Er named Gelo, Anthony, and Richard as suspicious for different reasons and planned to investigate them.
• Hua Er asked Aisha for a massage, then lay facedown on the bed as she prepared to knead his muscles.
• A middle-aged White Stone Tower spy sat armed with a loaded crossbow inside a dark shop, watching the entrance.

The Black-Robed Man killed a secret agent of the White Stone Tower and then confronted Hua Er at the Golden Wine Cup Inn. After turning Hua Er into a stone statue, he declared that he was going to the White Stone Tower.

• The Black-Robed Man shot the middle-aged secret agent through the heart after learning that a White Stone Tower wizard had arrived in Emerald Gold City.
• Hua Er sensed a sinister presence and sent Aisha and the other girls out of his room.
• The Black-Robed Man appeared before Hua Er, whose fire spell vanished before it could reach him.
• Hua Er tried to escape through the window but struck an invisible barrier and collapsed.
• The Black-Robed Man petrified Hua Er and vanished, saying he was going to the White Stone Tower.

Gelo told Richard that Hua Er had been found turned into a stone statue and shared a rumor about Exemption Certificates that could guarantee admission to a Wizard organization. After Gelo left, Richard recognized the object he had taken from the Mysterious Wizard as matching the certificate’s description.

• Pandora carried Gelo into Richard’s residence after he rushed to the gate, then set him down and returned to her chair.
• Gelo told Richard that Hua Er, a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice from White Stone Tower, had been found turned into a stone statue.
• Gelo suspected Richard had killed Hua Er because the death might erase the records of their talent tests, but Richard denied having any reason to do so.
• Gelo told Richard about rumored Exemption Certificates that could grant unconditional entry to White Stone Tower or another Wizard organization.
• After Gelo left, Richard retrieved an object from the Iron Ring and realized it matched the description of an Exemption Certificate.

Richard secretly investigated the room where Hua Er had been turned into a stone statue, using the clues to reconstruct the attack and suspect a powerful Formal Wizard. As he opened the window, he came face to face with a black-robed man whose eyes burned with Oil-Green Flame.

• Richard entered the sealed Golden Wine Cup Inn at night and examined Hua Er's stone statue.
• Richard studied the room and inferred that Hua Er had been stopped while trying to escape, then turned to stone by an overwhelmingly powerful attacker.
• Richard collected black powder from two spots in the room as evidence and labeled the vials.
• Richard concluded that Hua Er's attacker was likely a Formal Wizard targeting White Stone Tower, though he did not know the reason for the revenge.
• Richard opened the window and met the gaze of a black-robed man standing on a rooftop across the street.

Richard confronted the Black-Robed Man at Hua Er’s death scene, collected mysterious black powder the man had left behind, and departed to watch how events unfolded. More than ten days later, Teacher Siver and Demi sailed toward Emerald Gold City, worried about Hua Er and unaware of the distant sounds of fighting.

• Richard faced the Black-Robed Man outside the window, but the man gave him a meaningful glance and vanished.
• Richard found black powder where the Black-Robed Man had stood, collected it, and returned to Hua Er’s room before quietly leaving.
• More than ten days later, Teacher Siver and Demi sailed toward Emerald Gold City and discussed Hua Er’s status and the recruitment mission.
• Siver told Demi to continue recruiting candidates exempt from the examination because the academy’s rules required it.
• Siver and Demi heard faint shouts and sounds of killing coming from the depths of the night.

Duncan’s caravan was ambushed, forcing Luther to flee with its mysterious cargo and seek help in Emerald Gold City. He encountered rival groups of cavalry claiming authority, leaving him unsure whom to trust as the fight over the cargo escalated.

• Duncan warned the caravan to stay alert and ordered workers to investigate a fallen tree, where attackers ambushed and killed them.
• The caravan’s guards returned fire, but the mercenaries fled, so Duncan armed his people with repeating crossbows and sent Luther away with the cargo to fetch help.
• Luther broke through the ambush and met Mill, who claimed to lead Emerald Gold City’s Third Cavalry Guard and demanded to inspect the box.
• After seeing the Exemption Certificates, Mill revealed his hostility and tried to kill Luther, but another cavalry force killed him and his men.
• A new force claiming to act by the King’s order offered to secure the cargo, then another group accused them of using the King’s authority as a pretext for an attack.
• As armed factions converged over the cargo, Richard quietly wrote in his study.

Richard learned that three Exemption Certificates had arrived in Emerald Gold City and agreed to attend their auction at Su Fuji Auction House. There, he saw the bloody aftermath of the struggle to obtain them and a traumatized caravan worker, while Pandora watched the man closely.

• Gelo told Richard that White Stone Tower Wizards had arrived and that three Exemption Certificates would be auctioned that morning.
• Richard questioned Gelo about the certificates and the Wizards, then agreed to attend the auction.
• Richard and Gelo arrived at Su Fuji Auction House with the increasingly sleepy Pandora, and Richard noticed the dried blood outside its entrance.
• Gelo explained that noble families had fought over the certificates and that his Older Brother had deployed men to restore order.
• Gelo told Richard that a caravan worker who had escaped with the certificates had been driven into a breakdown by repeated attacks and betrayal.
• Pandora opened her eyes wide and looked at the muttering worker.

Pandora gave a grieving survivor a gold coin and comforted him outside the Auction House. After the survivor’s newly awakened power deflected the coin toward Siver, the Wizard offered him a place at White Stone Tower, and he accepted.

• Pandora gave the unfortunate fellow a gold coin and patted his head before entering the Auction House with Richard and Gelo.
• The fellow remembered that his caravan companions were dead and lost the coin, which Siver and Demi found outside the Auction House.
• Siver sent the coin flying toward the fellow, and the fellow’s newly awakened power deflected it back at Siver.
• Siver recognized the fellow’s talent, offered to take him to White Stone Tower to become a Wizard, and the fellow accepted.
• Demi cleaned the fellow up, and he told Siver that his name was Martin Luther King.