Chapter Summaries

Brando and his allies confronted a Venomous Five-headed Serpent Lizard in the forest, while the young recruits watched and discussed their prospects under his training. Brando drew the beast’s attacks and brought Kuran, Qian, and Ropal into close range, leaving the battle poised to intensify.

• Antitina and Tia found a Five-headed Venomous Serpent Lizard, and Antitina sent Ropal to report it to Brando.
• Brando charged the beast alone, dodged its venom bolts, and directed Kuran, Qian, and Ropal to attack from behind.
• The young recruits watched Brando fight as Caglis told them their rapid progress came from the swordsmanship Brando taught them.
• Brando checked his status and found that the venom was weakening his resistance, though his Constitution was still preventing damage.
• Brando drew the Serpent Lizard’s attention while the others closed in, then dodged its tail sweep and raised the Sword of Earth beside its foreclaw.

Brando and his allies fought the Five-headed Serpent Lizard, overcoming its venom, thorns, and formidable defenses before Brando’s final strike left it near death. Afterward, the group salvaged valuable scales and searched for the beast’s lair.

• Brando warned Kuran and Qian about the Venom Shield, while Ropal passed through it unharmed and wounded the Five-headed Serpent Lizard with his flaming twin-headed sword.
• The Five-headed Serpent Lizard trapped Kuran and Qian with poisonous thorns, and Brando summoned holy swords that destroyed the Thorn Shield and pierced the Venom Shield.
• Kuran, Qian, and Ropal attacked the beast at close range, drawing its blood and weakening its regeneration as Brando kept its heads occupied.
• Brando unleashed a powerful sword strike that tore through the Five-headed Serpent Lizard and buried it partly beneath the collapsing earth, leaving it near death.
• Fuluo and Tia cleared poisonous clouds, while Fuluo removed more than thirty valuable cyan scales from the beast’s chest.
• Brando sent Kuran and the young people to search for the Five-headed Serpent Lizard’s lair.

Brando and his companions found the Five-headed Serpent Lizard's nest beneath a fallen rock and explored the cavern where it lay. Brando discovered a legendary alchemical glove and a nest of valuable Serpent Lizard Beast eggs, then called for help to carry them out.

• Caglis's team found the Five-headed Serpent Lizard's nest in a valley, and Brando led the others there.
• Brando and Caglis spoke about Meria's concealed gender while the group examined the valley and its cavern entrance.
• Brando and Fu Luo descended into the cavern, where Brando found broken armor and weapons alongside a jeweled metal glove.
• Brando identified the glove as Crimson Blessing, Bahamut's Grasp and saw a nest containing at least a hundred Serpent Lizard Beast eggs.
• Brando told Fu Luo to call the others down so they could take the eggs out.

Brando revealed the powers of the legendary Crimson Blessing to Kuran and the others in the Five-headed Serpent Lizard’s foul lair. The discovery of more than a hundred lizard eggs left Kuran stunned, and he asked Brando what he planned to do with them.

• Kuran recognized the gauntlet Brando carried as the legendary Crimson Blessing, though he initially doubted it was genuine.
• Brando used the gauntlet to unleash powerful Dragon Flame, convincing Kuran that it was Satheran’s legendary weapon.
• Brando demonstrated the gauntlet’s advanced alchemical array by transforming a Hydra-blessed scale into a dagger.
• Kuran questioned whether the gauntlet’s alchemical ability was more useful than its Dragon Flame.
• A young man pointed out more than a hundred Five-headed Serpent Lizard eggs, and Kuran asked Brando how he planned to deal with them.

Brando found a vast Magic Crystal Mine beyond the Five-headed Serpent Lizard’s nest and planned to leave Fireclaw Lizardmen guarding the eggs while he continued exploring. Back in Fir Territory, Charles told Beru that Brando wanted a road opened at least a week’s journey into the Black Forest, and Beru declared it impossible.

• Brando proposed leaving a small squad of Fireclaw Lizardmen to guard the eggs while he continued searching for Valhalla.
• A scout from Caglis’s group summoned Brando and Kuran deeper into the cave to investigate an unexplained discovery.
• Brando followed Caglis through an old underground riverbed and found a Magic Crystal Mine stretching beyond sight.
• Tajip and his clan intensified their raids in the north while Fir Territory remained calm during Brando’s absence.
• Charles asked Beru about opening a road into the Black Forest, and Beru objected when he learned Brando wanted it to extend at least a week’s journey.

Charles told Beru about a vast underground open-pit mine in the Black Forest, prompting Beru to plan its development and the construction of a road. As the group reached the outskirts of the Ring of Trade Winds on the final night of the Year of Flowers and Summer Leaves, Brando reflected on the coming Year of the Sword and Eluin’s uncertain fate.

• Charles revealed to Beru that the Black Forest held an immense iron mine containing Star Iron, Cold Iron, Magic Crystal, and other rare ores.
• Beru decided to help develop the mine, starting with extracting Magic Crystal, while Charles considered recruiting Tajip and the Cave Dwellers to build a road through the forest.
• Brando and his group reached the outskirts of the Ring of Trade Winds at midnight on the final day of the year, and Freya handed out gingerbread as they celebrated around a campfire.
• Brando gave his gingerbread to Tia and watched the group share food and songs before reflecting on the memories of the past year.
• Brando considered the approaching Year of the Sword and the threat it posed to Eluin, then looked toward the immense vortex of wind and clouds surrounding the Ring of Trade Winds.

Nodas woke from a recurring nightmare about the undead battlefield, while Brando arrived at Green Tower and met with its Druids. After reuniting with Funiya, he began answering their questions about Ancient Magic, the Black Forest, and Valhalla.

• Nodas woke in his tree-trunk room after dreaming that undead creatures overwhelmed his comrades and Eluin's war banner.
• Brando followed Grand Druid Gray Raven through Green Tower's suspended town and entered the Council of Withered Wood's hall with Qian and Antitina.
• Funiya rushed to greet Brando, and he praised the Druids for keeping their promise to him.
• Brando asked the Grand Elder to call him by his name rather than his noble title.
• Andrew asked Brando to clarify his knowledge of Ancient Magic and the Black Forest, and Brando said the ruins were near Valhalla but not Valhalla itself.

Brando explained that the Ring of Trade Winds was destabilizing under the influence of the coming Millennial Tide, putting the Kalanga Peninsula and nearby Guardian Lands at risk. The Druids turned to him for a solution, and he proposed that they focus on Valhalla.

• The Grand Elder revealed that the Ring of Trade Winds had grown dangerous, blocking the Druids from reaching its center and shrouding the forest in an unnatural fog.
• Brando inferred that the Ring of Trade Winds stabilized the region and warned that its collapse could expose the Kalanga Peninsula and nearby lands to violent magic.
• The Grand Elder confirmed that the Ring's weakening threatened Tonigell and the Jandernel region, and Brando linked the change to the approaching Millennial Tide.
• Andrew recalled Brando's earlier warning about the Demon Moon, while the Druids realized their slow communications had kept them from learning about the Millennial Tide.
• Brando said they should respond to the crisis with constancy and named Valhalla as their course of action.

Nostra learned that people from the outside world, including visitors from Eluin, had arrived in Green Tower and asked Claire to take him to see them. Meanwhile, Brando visited a market with Antitina, Funiya, and Qian, where a merchant showed him a Stone Fragment he recognized as the Key of Stone.

• Nostra heard that outsiders had arrived in Green Tower and asked Claire to take him to see them after learning that some came from Eluin.
• Brando told the Druid Grand Elder that finding Valhalla's Primal Ember could resolve the trouble with the Ring of Trade Winds, but he would wait for a scouting mission in three days to learn more about the creatures attacking the Druids.
• Brando, Antitina, Funiya, and Qian explored Centaur's Hoof market, watched a gladiatorial match, and sampled strong flower nectar.
• Antitina urged Brando to buy tree-gem jewelry, and he paid for it with Flame Pattern Agate.
• A centaur merchant offered Brando magical rings before revealing a Stone Fragment that Brando recognized as the Key of Stone.

Brando found the Stone Key, a rare artifact tied to the Earth Element Plane, in the centaur shop and fought a Cruzian girl who tried to buy it. After her companion Rono challenged him to a duel, Brando prepared to face him as more Cruzian knights arrived.

• Brando recognized the shield-shaped Stone Key and pretended not to know its value while the centaur shopkeeper explained its supposed uses.
• Faina tried to buy the Stone Key, but Brando knocked it away and used wind and druid magic to bind her when she attacked him.
• Rono arrived, saw Faina bound, and challenged Brando to a duel, swearing that he would not kill him; the spirits accepted the agreement and lifted the peace barrier.
• Qian stepped forward to defend Brando, but he told her to move aside and chose to face Rono himself.
• Brando noticed more Cruzian knights rushing toward them and wondered why they were there.

Brando fought Rono and the Cruz knights after they attacked him, swiftly overpowering their alchemical defenses and forcing the knights to retreat. He turned toward the bound noble heiress as she warned him not to come closer.

• Rono attacked Brando with alchemical bombs and mutants, but Brando’s shield and sword pressure defeated them.
• The Cruz knights arrived, and Rono began constructing a Gale Mist array while the Knight Captain led an attack on Brando.
• Brando used Alchemy Counter to destroy Rono’s nearly completed array, badly injuring him.
• The Knight Captain ordered the knights to seize Brando, but Brando unleashed his sword aura and routed more than twenty of them.
• Brando approached the bound noble heiress, who shrank back and told him not to come closer.

Brando and his companions clashed with Count Kalunz after he mocked Eluin, and Brando nearly attacked him before Veronica intervened. Veronica ordered Kalunz to teach Brando a lesson, leaving Kalunz’s sword closing in as Qian lay disarmed.

• Count Kalunz arrived and attacked Brando, but Brando and Qian repelled his strike with their Elements.
• Faina accused Brando of insulting the Empire, and Kalunz mocked Eluin and its Princess.
• Funiya spoke up against Kalunz, and Brando unleashed frost toward him until an unseen force stopped the attack.
• Veronica arrived, confronted Brando, and challenged him after he criticized Cruz’s history of conquest and oppression.
• Veronica ordered Kalunz to teach Brando a lesson, and she knocked Qian’s battleaxe from her hands as Kalunz thrust at Brando.

Brando used his Spellweaver ability and powerful equipment to break free of Veronica's pressure and fight the Cruzian Imperial Guard Cavalry. After Veronica joined the battle, Brando began counterattacking her despite their difference in strength.

• Brando struck Count Kalunz with Blade of White Sun while Veronica's aura suppressed him, and Veronica ordered the Imperial Guard Cavalry to seize him.
• After Veronica released her pressure, Brando drew the Sword of Earth and revealed Crimson Blessing, then charged the knights with Otales guiding him.
• Brando used Deep Analysis and his swordsmanship to anticipate the knights' moves and fend them off without killing them.
• Veronica attacked Brando, who dodged her blade after Otales urged him to face her head-on.
• Brando blocked Veronica's Azure of the Firmament with the Sword of Earth and launched a counterattack, astonishing the watching knights.

Brando fought Veronica to a standstill, then used a threat against the Cruzian delegation to stop her from unleashing her full strength. Druids intervened and halted the confrontation, leaving Veronica wary of Brando’s apparent ties to them.

• Brando and Veronica exchanged blows, and Veronica grew anxious when she could not overpower him.
• Veronica prepared a powerful sword strike, but Brando summoned hundreds of light swords and threatened the Cruzian soldiers behind her.
• Veronica hesitated to risk harming Rono and Faina, while she suspected Brando’s magic resembled the Sanctuary’s Heavenly Armament.
• Veronica decided to attack anyway, but druids emerged from the barrier and blocked her path.
• A druid elder rebuked Veronica for breaking the delegation’s promise not to cause trouble, and Veronica wondered what connection Brando had with the druids.

Brando secured the Stone Key after the Druids intervened to stop Veronica and the Cruz Empire from attacking him, though the conflict left the Empire humiliated. Two silver-eyed Buga Wizards later discussed Brando, his Magic Imprint, and strange changes in the Dark Frontier.

• The Druids defended Brando and insisted that Veronica’s Cruzian forces explain their dispute with him.
• Faina truthfully described the fight, and the Druids made the Cruz knights compensate the Centaur's Hoof proprietor before they left with the wounded Count Kallen.
• Veronica offered Brando a place in the Cruz Empire, but he refused and declared that he was an Eluinian.
• After the Cruz party departed, Brando exchanged two Flame Pattern Agates for the Stone Key and reassured the worried Antitina.
• At the Silver Sparrow Tavern, William and another Buga Wizard discussed Veronica, changes in the Dark Frontier, and the Magic Imprint Brando carried.

Faina, Elman, Delphine, and Rono plotted to use the Eluin delegation and the Temple of Flames against Brando after he humiliated Faina. Their discussion of the expedition’s search for the Ring of Trade Winds was interrupted by news that the Ring had changed.

• Faina complained about Brando’s defeat of Count Kalunz and the Imperial Knights, while Rono acknowledged Brando’s strength.
• Elman proposed bringing the matter to the Eluin delegation, and Delphine suggested pressuring them through the Temple of Flames by claiming they had used a Sanctuary spell.
• Elman and Delphine discussed stirring conflict among the factions searching the Black Forest, while Rono worried about the Lionheart Sword and the expedition’s purpose.
• Delphine explained that the Artifact Reaction had been too broad to pinpoint, and Rono said undead could not have taken the sacred sword.
• A squad of knights arrived and told Elman that the Ring of Trade Winds had changed.

Brando toured the Green Tower’s markets with Antitina, Qian, and Romane, finding valuable materials and Fate Cards in the city’s undeveloped shops. He arranged to inspect the wandering mage’s remaining cards and planned to recruit the mage into a new Magitech Corps.

• Brando bought rare materials, including Binding Wind, Ancient Branch, and Sub-dragon Blood, from Green Tower shops.
• Brando traded a Lesser Moon Crystal with a wandering mage for the Fate Card Dra's Wilds.
• After recognizing Brando as a formal Elemental Envoy, the mage offered to sell him five more Fate Cards for three Moon Crystals.
• Brando told Antitina that he intended to recruit the wandering mage for a planned Magitech Corps.
• Brando waited for the mage to fetch the cards while Antitina and Qian teased him about recruiting people through business deals.

Brando practiced Fire Magic, remembered the Flame Star necklace, and unlocked the Fire Giant card while waiting in the Green Tower. Kuran told him that several factions had come searching for the Lionheart Sword, and the chapter ended as the Ring of Trade Winds began to open into the Path in the Clouds.

• Brando entertained Treant and Tanyan children with Fire Magic, drawing praise from Antitina and Qian.
• Brando found the Flame Star necklace, expanded his Fire Element Pool, and unlocked the Fire Giant card.
• Kuran told Brando that the Cruzian were searching for the Lionheart Sword after an Artifact Reaction in Chablis, and that the Eluin, Buga's Wizards, and the Temple of Flames were also in the area.
• The wall of clouds began to split open, and Brando recognized the opening as the Path in the Clouds.

After the Ring of Trade Winds changed, Brando joined the Druids’ council as a monster tide overwhelmed their outposts. He identified the attack as the Wolf Calamity and urged the Druids to protect the Green Tower while he entered the Ring’s center to ignite Valhalla’s sacred fire.

• Rumors about the Ring of Trade Winds, a holy sword, and Brando spread through the Green Tower after the Cruz Empire’s clash with him.
• Brando entered the Council of Withered Wood with two Grand Druids as the Druids prepared for a monster invasion and reported losing several observation posts.
• Druid elders reported that countless monsters had overrun the forward defenses, and Brando identified them as Black Wolves of the Wolf Calamity.
• A Gray Raven reported that the monster tide had passed the Wall of Roses and was heading toward the Green Tower.
• Brando warned that the monsters would bring seven nights of darkness and said he needed to enter the Ring’s center to ignite Valhalla’s sacred fire.

As the Green Tower faced seven nights of the monster tide, Brando used his stored resources to unlock and add a set of vampire cards and several other cards to his deck. He finished his preparations when Antitina drew his attention to a group of Eluin approaching through the woodland.

• Brando surveyed the battlefield and learned that the Druids had reclaimed a small stretch of the Wall of Roses while the black wolves prepared another assault.
• Brando reviewed his resources and spent Wealth to unlock Vampire Baron, Blood Throne Vampire, Night Lord, Seafoam Gem, and Greyport Tax Collector.
• Brando spent Renown to unlock Graveyard Resurrection, then added five cards he had traded for Moon Crystals to his deck.
• Brando checked his newly randomized hand but did not summon any cards when Antitina nudged him.
• Brando looked up and saw a group of Eluin approaching from the woodland.