Chapter Summaries

Soren’s central force was being slowed by Shalin’s costly Black Rider sabotage, so he ordered the army to pause and gather strength until reinforcements arrived. Three days later, Mario watched the Steadfast Stone Regiment destroy a large Black Rider assault near the Bewildering Mountain Range.

• An officer told Soren that Shalin’s Black Riders were infiltrating the central force’s camps and supply lines, delaying its advance while suffering heavy losses.
• Soren concluded that Shalin’s tactics were too strange to understand and ordered the central force to rest until ninety thousand rear troops, elite forces, and supplies arrived.
• Three days later, Mario and the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment stood ready as the Steadfast Stone Regiment surrounded three hundred Black Riders near the Bewildering Mountain Range.
• The Steadfast Stone Regiment killed the final Black Rider with three Magic Rune Spears, ending the assault.

Mario watched the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment enter the Bewildering Mountain Range as Soren investigated Shalin’s dwindling attacks and realized his army could be trapped between Akela Pass and Lokesi Pass. Soren ordered troops to secure both passes, but explosions struck them before the orders could be carried out, and enormous fires rose into the night.

• Mario questioned why Shalin kept sending Black Riders to die, while the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment’s commander ordered his troops into the mountains.
• A staff officer told Soren that Shalin’s infiltration attacks had nearly stopped and that the staff did not know what their objective was.
• Soren studied the army’s positions and recognized that Shalin could trap the forces between Akela Pass and Lokesi Pass.
• Soren ordered elite troops to guard Lokesi Pass and rear forces to secure Akela Pass.
• Two explosions shook the headquarters, and Soren saw enormous fires rising near both passes.

Soren learned that Shalin had sealed the mountain passes and trapped his army, then received a letter demanding his surrender. At Black Sun Castle, Adolf Sith discovered that the attacks had caused virtually no enemy casualties, just as Arthur Osheimer entered.

• Noel reported that Shalin had collapsed the main mountain passes, blocked secondary routes, and pinned down the army’s wings, leaving Soren’s central army trapped with only three days of supplies.
• Soren concluded that Shalin had trapped the central army and its rear support troops to gain an advantage over Reef Rock Fortress’s elite forces.
• A Wizard envoy delivered Richard’s letter and a Crystal Ball, inviting Soren to decide whether to surrender and speak with Richard.
• Soren asked why Shalin had not attacked his army directly, but the envoy said only Richard could answer and then departed.
• Adolf Sith rushed to ask John Fermi for the attack results, and Fermi told him the attacks had caused no casualties significant enough to count.
• Adolf protested that something had gone wrong, then fell silent when Arthur Osheimer entered the room.

Osheimer explained Black Sun Castle’s purpose to Ciss before leaving to answer Richard’s summons. At Green Source Castle, Richard ordered Neo Heruviel to finish the nearly completed research within three days, placing Shalin’s elite Wizards and unlimited resources at his disposal.

• Osheimer rebuked Ciss for treating Black Sun Castle as an instrument of destruction and urged him to understand his own position and Richard’s aims.
• Osheimer told Hancock Von Neumann that Richard had summoned him, then left Black Sun Castle for another castle.
• Richard arrived at Green Source Castle with Osheimer, Emerson, and other elite Wizards and asked Neo Heruviel for the latest research update.
• Neo Heruviel reported that Green Source Castle’s work was 99.9 percent complete but faced uncertainty over which research path to pursue.
• Richard assigned the Wizards to assist Heruviel and promised unlimited resources, demanding the research be completed as soon as possible.
• Heruviel promised a result within three days, warning that otherwise Richard would see his dead body, and began directing the team to work.

With his trapped army facing starvation, Soren rejected surrender and used Wizard Abu Yule’s discovery of a mountain route to plan a surprise breakout. The army set off overnight, and Mario’s regiment pressed along a perilous trail, where a weakened horse had to be pushed off a cliff to clear the path.

• A staff officer urged Soren to contact Shalin and surrender, so Soren had him taken away for proposing treason.
• Soren told the staff officers they could ration food and slaughter warhorses to hold out for seven days, and they agreed to persist.
• Wizard Abu Yule reported finding three routes through the Bewildering Mountain Range, including one that bypassed Lokesi Pass and led toward Shalin’s territory.
• Soren ordered the army to march overnight and break through before Shalin discovered them.
• Mario and the Red Maple Cavalry Regiment navigated a narrow mountain path with their horses.
• When a weakened horse collapsed and blocked the trail, its owner and other soldiers pushed it over the cliff, and the column continued.

Soren’s exhausted army captured Mis City and advanced toward Atlantis, while Richard waited for the results of the Green Source Project rather than intervening directly. After Neo Heruviel delivered a successful Green Source Fruit, Richard ordered the Black Sun Project begun and said darkness would arrive in twelve hours.

• Soren’s troops emerged from the Bewildering Mountain Range and captured the lightly defended Mis City.
• Soren learned the city had no food supplies for three days and considered what the shortage might mean.
• Molly reported that Soren and Shalin’s neighboring enemies had seized many cities, leaving Shalin unable to mount an effective defense.
• Richard told Molly he was waiting for a result and promised she could become the legitimate line of the Sika Royal Family after the battle.
• Neo Heruviel delivered a Green Source Fruit with a thirteen-percent energy conversion rate, and Richard declared the Green Source Project successful.
• Richard ordered preparations for the Black Sun Project and told Molly that it would be dark in twelve hours.

Shalin's Wizard envoys delivered unconditional surrender demands with a twelve-hour deadline to enemy commanders and even unrelated officials across the continent. The recipients rejected or questioned the demands, while Richard's warning about scarce food left Soren facing an uncertain military situation.

• A Wizard envoy told Soren that Shalin demanded his surrender within twelve hours and warned that his army would find little food before reaching Atlantis.
• Soren learned that Richard was in Atlantis City and dismissed the envoy's claims as the staff officers reacted with disbelief.
• A Wizard envoy gave General Dak the same surrender demand, but Dak tore up the letter and threatened the envoy.
• The White Sand City lord questioned why Shalin demanded Xika's surrender from him, and the envoy said other envoys would contact the Xika Royal Capital.
• People across the Main Continent received identical twelve-hour surrender letters, including commanders fighting Shalin and officials with no direct role in the war.

Soren's army suffered devastating losses when Shalin's new weapons stopped its attacks near Atlantis, and Soren discovered that the surrender ultimatum concealed a possible threat to Reef Rock Fortress. As the camp fell into an unnatural silence, Soren sensed that a world-changing event had begun.

• Shalin's fortress defenders used new weapons and magic to devastate the cavalry attacking toward Atlantis.
• A staff officer told Soren that the three forces advancing toward Atlantis had suffered catastrophic losses, with Pu Duo's force faring only slightly better.
• Soren examined Shalin's surrender ultimatum and discovered a hidden, magically patterned layer that Wizard Yu Le burned.
• Soren and Yu Le suspected the ultimatum was a cover for an attack on Reef Rock Fortress, but feared its garrison had already been targeted.
• Soren ordered increased scouting and vigilance, then noticed the camp and the world had fallen eerily silent.

Richard authorized the Black Sun Project’s final attack, launching coordinated strikes across the continent. Explosions filled the sky with mushroom clouds, and Black Sun powder turned the night completely black as a new era began.

• Arthur Osheimer and the senior Black Sun Members completed the secret chamber’s checks and unlocked the attack button.
• Richard arrived and gave the final order to confirm the attack.
• Black Sun weapons erupted from hidden launch sites across the continent and sent countless fiery projectiles into the sky.
• The projectiles struck, causing explosions, violent winds, earthquakes, and destruction across the land.
• Black Sun powder spread through the atmosphere, blotting out the stars and moon and leaving the continent under a pitch-black sky.

Three years of darkness and famine had transformed the world, and Philip and his son Little Jimmy traveled west toward the rumored refuge of Shalin. They met a well-fed, strangely dressed traveler who asked where they had come from.

• After three years of failing harvests and spreading famine, Philip and Little Jimmy crossed a wasteland with a sack of dried mushrooms.
• Little Jimmy asked how far they had to walk, and Philip assured him they would reach their destination in three days.
• A stranger wearing a bird-beak mask and carrying a metal tube approached them from behind a dead tree.
• The stranger asked whether Philip and Little Jimmy had come from Dry Valley City or Ash Forest City, and Philip said they had left Bright Light Town.

Machu Philip gave the starving Philip and Little Jimmy food and redirected them from their long journey to Shalin toward nearby Red Stone City. After questioning Philip about life in Bright Light Town, Machu left, and father and son set off west with his name and a second ration.

• Philip told Machu Philip that he and Little Jimmy were leaving Bright Light Town for Shalin because they could no longer survive there.
• Machu warned Philip that Shalin was far away and in the wrong direction, then recommended Red Stone City, two days west, and gave them a green cake to eat.
• Philip and Little Jimmy shared the cake, saved what remained, and Philip answered Machu's questions about life and food in Bright Light Town.
• Machu gave them another ration and told Philip to say he had met 165021 in case they needed help in Red Stone City.
• Philip introduced himself and his son as Doren Philip and Jimmy Philip, and Machu revealed that his name was Machu Philip before leaving.
• Philip and Little Jimmy headed toward Red Stone City.

Ma Qiu prepared to infiltrate Ash Forest City as an intelligence agent and reflected on how Shalin’s rise during the New Era had opened a path for his ambitions. He left off planning to improve his disguise so he could gather information in enemy territory.

• Ma Qiu looked back at the emaciated father and son and decided he needed to starve himself to make his disguise convincing.
• Ma Qiu recalled how Shalin’s Black Sun Project and new weapons had halted the invading armies, leading most of Soren’s forces to surrender while Soren escaped into Alliance territory.
• Soren disappeared a year later as famine worsened, and Shalin expanded by building New Cities and absorbing migrants.
• Ma Qiu left his position at Atlantis University and joined Shalin’s military intelligence system, hoping to advance without fighting on the front lines.
• Ma Qiu discovered that his intelligence work required him to act as a spy, and he began a mission to gather information on Ash Forest City.

Machu set out to investigate Ash Forest City and assess whether the Truth Society was planning an attack on Shalin. Meanwhile, Philip and Little Jimmy reached Red Stone City, where soldiers mistook them for newcomers awaiting intake and escorted them inside.

• Machu chose to risk his life by traveling toward Ash Forest City to gather intelligence about a possible attack on Shalin.
• Two days later, Philip and Little Jimmy arrived outside Red Stone City after crossing the wilderness.
• A squad of soldiers approached Philip and Little Jimmy and asked whether they had come to await intake.
• Little Jimmy explained that Machu Philip had sent them and showed the soldiers the remaining half of a ration cake.
• The soldiers agreed to take Philip and Little Jimmy inside for intake procedures and led them through an opening in the city wall.

Philip and Little Jimmy completed Red Stone City’s intake procedures and spent a week confined to their quarters while officials reviewed them. After Norton Want announced that they had passed, he led them deeper into the city, leaving Philip confused about where they had been staying.

• Philip and Little Jimmy registered, underwent examinations, received supplies, and were assigned beds in a Stone Tower.
• Philip noticed officials paid unusual attention to Little Jimmy, who was repeatedly questioned and given pattern-recognition tests.
• Philip learned that people who failed the review were exposed as spies and disappeared.
• After a week, Norton Want told the room’s residents that they had passed the review, though their lunch was canceled.
• Norton led Philip, Little Jimmy, and several hundred others farther into Red Stone City.

Philip and his son boarded a steam-powered steel monster after it emerged from a tunnel, while officers Norton and Sam discussed its models and their careers. The Mark III began racing backward into the tunnel with Philip and the others aboard.

• Norton led Philip, his son, and the others to a platform beside a tunnel and told them to wait.
• A long steel monster roared out of the tunnel and stopped beside the group.
• A tall, thin officer named Sam opened a section of the vehicle and told them to get aboard.
• Little Jimmy entered first, and Philip rushed after him to protect his son; Norton and the others followed.
• Norton and Sam discussed the Mark III, older and newer spell engine cars, and Norton’s upcoming transfer to City 11.
• The steel monster began moving backward and accelerated into the tunnel with Philip’s group inside.

Philip and Jimmy arrived in the true Red Stone City, where its vast buildings, advanced transport, and strange devices overwhelmed them. At the Labor Department, Philip learned that Jimmy was recommended for advanced education, while the clerk questioned what consideration Machu Philip’s recommendation warranted.

• Philip and the others rode a steel monster through the mountains and entered a vast city protected by an Energy Shield.
• Philip saw Wizards flying between towering buildings, trains carrying crates, and riders speeding along on two-wheeled machines.
• Philip and Jimmy were taken through the city to the Labor Department and learned that their former lodging had been one of Red Stone City’s reception points.
• A clerk read Philip and Jimmy’s assessment, recommending low-skill work for Philip and intermediate or advanced education for Jimmy.
• The clerk noticed Machu Philip’s name and identification number on their referral but did not know his status or what consideration to grant them.

After Tang Na intervened, Philip was given work as a locomotive general worker, while his son Little Jimmy was enrolled at Red Stone City's Ninth Technical Academy. A month and a half later, Philip had adapted to life in Red Stone City and woke aboard his locomotive before a trip to the Wandering Energy Element Solidification Factory.

• Tang Na recognized Ma Qiu Philip as a former senior and told the round-faced Labor Department worker to give Philip and his son special treatment.
• The round-faced worker arranged for Little Jimmy to attend the Ninth Technical Academy and for Philip to work as a locomotive general worker.
• Philip spent a month and a half working aboard the locomotive, saving most of his wages and meeting Little Jimmy only twice.
• Philip learned about Red Stone City's technology, services, and security, and planned to rent a house near his son's school after his assessment period.
• Philip woke on the locomotive, remembered the Locomotive Chief's warning that the day would be unusual, and headed out for their trip to the Wandering Energy Element Solidification Factory.

Philip’s locomotive reached the Wandering Energy Element Solidification Factory, where he was assigned to help load cargo. At the factory, director Gelo learned that Nancy had already sent away half the goods reserved for Red Stone City, leaving him furious and unsure whether there was enough cargo.

• Kent Bob told Philip the locomotive would visit three factories beyond the city and asked him to help load cargo.
• Philip saw the factory’s vast complex and three towering pillars before getting off the locomotive with the porters.
• A secretary told Gelo that the Red Stone City locomotive had arrived to collect cargo.
• Gelo ordered the secretary to send the prepared goods from Warehouse Number Six to the train.
• The secretary explained that Nancy had sent half the warehouse’s goods to White Valley City while Gelo slept.
• Gelo became angry that Nancy had moved the cargo without notifying him.

Gelo discovered that Vice Factory Director Nancy had taken goods from the warehouse without his approval, so he went to the production workshops to make up the shortfall with newly produced solidified energy. He arranged an emergency shipment of Standard Energy Cubes and set off to find Nancy for the required signatures.

• Gelo learned that Nancy had signed his name and transported goods away from the warehouse, then headed for the First Production Workshop instead of confronting her directly.
• The chapter explained how the Solidification Factory captured Wandering Energy Elements and produced energy for Shalin’s supernatural industrialization project.
• Gelo asked Bald Head how much energy had been produced and inspected the Standard Energy Cubes in the workshop.
• Gelo ordered the First Production Workshop’s goods sent as an emergency shipment to a transit station for a locomotive from Red Stone City.
• Bald Head agreed to prepare the shipment documents for Gelo and Nancy’s signatures, while the male secretary followed Gelo toward the Second Production Workshop.

Philip’s train collected sealed cargo and Escort Guards at the heavily secured Bai Dak Military Factory before heading toward a dangerous wilderness route. Meanwhile, the starving Ma Qiu was cornered by pursuers, but they were suddenly killed by an unseen attacker, leaving him alive with his metal cylinder.

• Philip and the locomotive crew passed repeated security checks before reaching the Bai Dak Military Factory.
• Black Uniformed Men rapidly transferred cargo from underground passages onto Philip’s train and loaded unknown sealed crates aboard.
• About thirty Escort Guards joined the train to protect its important cargo on the dangerous journey ahead.
• In the wilderness outside Ash Forest City, Ma Qiu fled more than a dozen men who accused him of being a spy.
• A crossbow bolt struck Ma Qiu and stopped his escape, so he took hold of the metal cylinder on his back.
• The pursuers suddenly collapsed and were decapitated by an unseen attacker before Ma Qiu could raise the cylinder.