Chapter Summaries

Evan welcomed Angie into the Animation School and gave her a guide to its pre-formal wizard knowledge, then supervised her conversion to the Tree of Life Meditation. Angie succeeded and gained the innate spell-like ability Resurrection, leaving Evan wondering whether she was more gifted than he was.

• Angie reunited with Evan at Cowper Manor, and he told her about the Animation School while keeping the Tree of Life School secret.
• Evan gave Angie a copied magic book and promised to obtain a storage item for her when she became a formal wizard.
• Evan trained his Storm Cape crew during their three-day break, teaching Vede and Fleck the advanced Faletis Sabre Art.
• Evan supervised Angie as she converted her meditation method to the Tree of Life Meditation.
• Angie's successful conversion made every flower in the garden bloom, and her witch constitution gave her the innate spell-like ability Resurrection.

Evan received his Naval Rising Star rewards, including confirmation that he had inherited the title of Garratt Baron and a profitable stake in a copper mine. He resolved to confront Earl Wright in the future and assessed how his new wealth could support his wizard studies and plans for a school.

• Evan went to Naval Headquarters to collect his rewards after the Naval Rising Star operation was celebrated in the Alliance press.
• Evan read a letter from Iliya confirming that he was the sole male heir of the Garratt Family and had immediately inherited the title of Garratt Baron.
• Evan concluded that the Iliya Royal Family would not obstruct his future revenge on Earl Wright and vowed to destroy the power behind his family's ruin.
• Evan received a two-percent share in a New Continent copper mine, expected to yield at least 1,200 Gold Lions annually.
• Evan calculated that his salary and dividends would give him substantial income, but recognized that wizard research and supporting a future school would demand far more money.

Evan received Alliance-wide free passage privileges and chose the Golden Compass as his reward, recovering a Garratt Family heirloom lost during the attack on Black Rock Town. The compass’s hidden inscription and family legends revealed its connection to the family’s rise, and Evan ended the chapter holding the long-lost relic.

• Evan learned that his Naval Rising Star authority allowed the Storm Cape to travel freely through Alliance ports and colonies, making smuggling easier.
• Evan chose the Golden Compass, a rare Gift of the Gods that could reveal an absolute Path to Life at sea, instead of the other treasures offered.
• Evan opened a concealed compartment in the compass and found the inscription, “Sea Origin Calendar Year 12, Garratt,” confirming his suspicion that it was the Garratt Family heirloom.
• Evan remembered that the compass had been passed down between family heads and heirs, and that their ancestor Garratt had traded away his “timidity and complacency” for it.
• Evan recalled how the compass helped Garratt discover a route through the Treasure Sea and earn the family its hereditary barony, before the heirloom was lost in the destruction of Black Rock Town.

Evan reflected on the mysterious origins and costs of the Garratt family's adventurous blood before Milan took him to the Aufella Casino to show him the power he had gained after defeating Bassem. The chapter left Milan exchanging money for chips and approaching a gambling table.

• Evan connected the Golden Compass to the Garratt family's restless adventurous nature and wondered whether its mysterious giver was an enemy or a benefactor.
• Evan returned to the Storm Cape, put away his Naval Rising Star rewards, and joined Milan for an outing in Newen Harbor.
• Milan led Evan past the restored city landmarks and his family's villa to the Aufella Casino.
• Milan revealed that he had researched the power he gained after Bassem's defeat and brought Evan to the casino to demonstrate it.
• Milan exchanged a Gold Note for chips and headed toward a gambling table with a female dealer.

Evan tested Milan’s mysterious luck at the casino, winning repeatedly at roulette before moving to a high-stakes poker game. The chapter ended with Evan revealing a royal flush against Dim’s straight flush to claim the 5,000 Gold Lions pot.

• Milan gave Evan a chip, and Evan bet on 36, which landed and won at thirty-five-to-one odds.
• Evan wagered fifty Gold Lions on 36 again, and the roulette ball landed on 36 a second time.
• Evan accepted Emily’s invitation to try other games while Milan flirted with a woman at the casino.
• Evan continued calling bets in a private bridge game until only he and Dim remained in a showdown for nearly 5,000 Gold Lions.
• Dim revealed an eight-and-nine of spades for a straight flush, but Evan showed the ace and king of spades for a royal flush.

After Milan’s new luck ability helped him and Evan win big at a casino, Evan spent a month visiting acquaintances and advancing his training and potion research. The Storm Cape then received its first mission as an active battleship, but a new problem aboard the ship awaited Evan.

• Milan and Evan won nearly 7,000 Gold Lions at Aufella’s casino, and Milan described his new ability, Twisted Fate, as a gift whose limits he had yet to discover.
• Evan visited his acquaintances in Newen Harbor and gave Irant intensive swordsmanship training, a demanding plan, and supporting potions.
• Evan trained with Essence Fruit and conducted potion experiments while Angie assisted him and began an independent Venus Flytrap research project.
• After a month in port, the Storm Cape received its first mission as an active battleship and its crew grew to 284 sailors.
• Experienced sailors joined the Storm Cape and strengthened its combat ability, but a new problem arose aboard the ship.

Milan’s Innate Sorcery, Treacherous Fate, left him suffering months of bad luck after he won big at a casino. Knight Ambrose tried to cleanse the effect with divine arts, but it persisted, and Evan hurried away after one of his seabirds dropped its waste on Milan.

• Milan tripped down the poop deck stairs, and Evan complained that his bad luck put the ship in danger.
• Milan explained that Treacherous Fate had amplified his luck for three hours at the casino but left him with months of misfortune as its price.
• Knight Ambrose offered to use divine arts on Milan, and Evan trusted him to try.
• Ambrose cast Saint’s Gospel over Milan, but the bad luck remained and a seabird splattered waste on him.
• Evan slipped away to avoid Milan’s reaction, and Ambrose followed him, saying he had something to discuss.

Evan discussed the defense mission in Tairo with Ambrose and warned that Harkins’s plan might be more complicated than the alliance expected. As the Storm Cape sailed toward Leyton River Valley, a Black Sail pirate ship headed northeast toward the Tulip Alliance.

• Evan told Ambrose that his intelligence about Harkins was limited to the name Leyton River Valley and that the operation might conceal a deeper conspiracy.
• Evan and Ambrose agreed to follow their superiors’ orders and adapt to developments while preparing to support Tairo’s defenses.
• Ambrose recalled the White Whale Port massacre and resolved to seek justice from Harkins for its victims.
• Evan reassured Ambrose that Milan would recover from his bad luck before the Storm Cape reached Tairo.
• A Black Sail pirate ship with a Golden Horn Deer figurehead rode the Trident Current northeast toward the Tulip Alliance.

The Golden Horned Deer was attacked by a Sword Sheath Anemone while crossing the Black Sea, but Anita killed it with a single sword strike. Searching its burned remains, the crew recovered an unscathed Pure Gold mask, which Anita examined with puzzlement.

• The Sword Sheath Anemone ambushed the Golden Horned Deer with a barrage of tentacles, and Anita’s Majesty weakened its attack.
• The monster ignored Anita’s intimidation and launched another assault, so Anita used her abilities and Dragon Slayer Swordsmanship to split it in two.
• Anita burned the Sword Sheath Anemone’s remains with her emerald breath while the crew kept the ship clear of the flames.
• The crew searched the monster’s shell and found a Pure Gold mask decorated with marine animals.
• Anita examined the unscathed mask but could not find a sword mark on it.

Anita discovered that the indestructible Golden Mask was an Oceanic Secret Treasure that let her understand communication from sea life within two kilometers, and she named it the Language Comprehension Mask. Back aboard the Golden Horned Deer, she learned from Molly that the voyage would remain smooth for three days as they sailed toward Tulip.

• Anita tested the Golden Mask’s toughness, put it on, and activated its power while safely away from the ship.
• Anita used the mask to understand marine life and gather information about the sea, then named it the Language Comprehension Mask.
• Anita returned to the ship and saw Molly Stella using her Tidal Messenger abilities to read the wind and sea.
• Anita asked Molly about the voyage, and Molly predicted three days of smooth sailing and arrival in Tulip in less than two months.
• Anita told Molly she had good news to share as the ship sailed on toward Tulip.

Captain Arman brought the whaling ship Harpoon to the Atride Sea after gambler Pipps promised it held a vast, unusually tame whale pod. Though first mate Fisher warned that the absence of other boats was suspicious, Arman ordered the hunt and struck a whale with his harpoon.

• Pipps told Captain Arman that the Atride Sea held plentiful whales and that he would repay Pipps's gambling debts if the information proved true.
• Arman spotted a large whale pod and promised Pipps he would cover his debts, hoping to fill the Harpoon's empty oil barrels.
• First mate Fisher questioned why no other ships or fishing boats were in the waters, but Pipps dismissed the danger as an old legend.
• Arman chose to proceed and led three boats of whalers toward the pod with Fisher and another experienced whaler.
• Arman harpooned a gray baleen whale while Fisher's harpoon missed, and the crew cheered as the injured whale struggled against its tether.

The Great White Whale charged the whalers who had killed a baleen whale, destroying their small boats and attacking the Harpoon. After Fisher wounded her with a spear, she rammed the ship and cracked its hull, flooding the hold.

• The whalers killed a baleen whale and began rendering its oil as the Great White Whale raced toward the surface from the deep sea.
• Captain Arman’s crew harpooned another whale, but it remained underwater until the Great White Whale erupted from the sea and destroyed two small boats.
• The Great White Whale smashed the last small boat, then charged the Harpoon as its sailors panicked.
• Fisher hurled a spear into the Great White Whale’s back, and the sailors took up their harpoons to fight her.
• The Great White Whale rammed the Harpoon, splitting its hull and sending seawater rushing into the hold.

Evan and the Storm Cape witnessed a white giant whale destroy a whaling ship in the cursed Atride Sea, where Ambrose explained the legend of the sealed Sea Goddess Hipponoe. After rescuing the two survivors, the Storm Cape continued toward the Tairo Kingdom, while an unseen pair of eyes watched its departure.

• The White Giant Whale snapped the Harpoon’s mast, smashed the ship, and hunted down its sailors until only Fisher and Pipps survived.
• Ambrose told Evan and the others that the Atride Sea was Hipponoe’s favored land, cursed so that anyone who fished there would die at sea.
• The White Giant Whale fled when the Storm Cape approached, and Evan ordered Fisher and Pipps to be housed until they could disembark at Nieske.
• A pair of beautiful eyes opened among the waves and watched the Storm Cape sail toward the Tairo Kingdom.
• During the uneventful voyage, Evan studied, trained with the crew, and rewarded strong performers with potions, boosting the crew’s skill and motivation.

The Storm Cape reached Water City Nieske, where Evan and the other officers met Rear Admiral Coverdale Dulu to coordinate the joint defense against Harkins. Evan accepted the Storm Cape’s assignment to nearshore patrols and offered to show Coverdale the first delivered Siren's Song.

• The Storm Cape arrived in Nieske, and Coverdale Dulu welcomed Evan, Ambrose, and the ship’s officers.
• Evan left Gary and First Mate Bogg aboard while First Mate Fisher and Pipps departed after being rescued.
• The adjutant led Evan, Milan, and Ambrose to the fortified garrison headquarters, where they saw its defenses and met Coverdale.
• Coverdale assigned the Storm Cape to nearshore patrols and promised it supplies at the highest standard.
• Evan accepted the assignment and offered to show Coverdale the first delivered Siren's Song.

During a break in Nieske Water City, Evan met Vinia after a violin performance stirred memories of his childhood. Their conversation turned to colonization, and Evan argued that the so-called civilized world conquered others through greater brutality and overwhelming force.

• Evan wandered through Nieske Water City during the Storm Cape's return-to-port break and stopped to listen to a violinist.
• The music brought back memories of a girl from Evan's past, and Vinia approached him with a handkerchief after noticing he had been moved to tears.
• Evan introduced himself to Vinia, and the two talked about art, politics, education, and other subjects.
• Vinia asked whether the civilized world's technology and culture explained its conquest and colonization of less-developed peoples.
• Evan replied that civilization was a disguise for brutality and that colonization relied on force, plunder, enslavement, and control.

Evan discussed the relationship between colonizers and Native States with Vinia, then exchanged a sketch and a protective amulet with her before they parted. He discovered his Spirit Power had reached the threshold for igniting Radiance, while Vinia secretly identified him as a promising adventurer for Tethys.

• Evan explained to Vinia that the civilized nations' advantages over Native States came from superior strength, helping her reconsider her search for answers.
• Vinia gave Evan her sketch, “A Young Man’s Reminiscence,” and Evan thanked her with a genuine Silver Amulet.
• Vinia declined Evan’s invitation to lunch, and they exchanged contact details before saying goodbye beside the bridge.
• After Vinia left, Evan found that his Spirit Power had risen to 0.99, giving him the foundation to ignite the Eighth Prime Matter, Radiance.
• Vinia watched Evan from an alley and decided that the Garratt carrying the aura of the Golden Compass might be the adventurer Tethys needed; her concealed aura reduced the amulet to ashes.

Evan met Colonel Bertram Solomon, a fellow wizard and Naval Rising Star, over lunch in Nieske and learned that Thomas Gregory had gone to hunt Octopus Ghost’s elite subordinates. After Bertram’s familiar Kashile detected an unfamiliar nonhuman scent on Evan, Bertram grew curious about him.

• Evan found Cod Shipyard and shared lunch with Colonel Bertram Solomon, who explained the local dishes and recognized Evan as a wizard.
• Evan and Bertram discussed their wizarding factions, including the Solomon Family and the Violet Eye, and became more friendly.
• Evan asked whether Thomas Gregory had arrived, and Bertram said Thomas had taken a difficult assignment to encircle Octopus Ghost’s elite subordinates.
• Bertram said he preferred fine food and leisure to troublesome matters, then parted from Evan, who returned to work.
• Bertram’s familiar Kashile stole his limited-edition ice cream and reported that Evan carried the scent of an unfamiliar nonhuman, making Bertram curious about him.

Evan and Milan tried to use divination to predict danger to the Storm Cape, but a sudden supernatural upheaval struck before the ritual began. After the ship survived giant waves and violent winds, Evan saw that a black levee had appeared around them, leaving the crew trapped.

• Evan suggested that Milan divine the Storm Cape's future to indirectly learn when their enemies might attack.
• Milan agreed to try an active prophecy and asked Evan to gather ritual materials.
• Milan spotted trouble at sea as a vast shadow spread beneath the water and towering waves and fierce winds surged toward the Storm Cape.
• Evan ordered Vede to lower the mainsail and steered the ship straight into the first wave, but a second wave hurled it into the air before the storm abruptly vanished.
• Vede warned Evan that they were trapped, and Evan saw a black levee encircling the Storm Cape.

A Black Reef trapped the Storm Cape in a lagoon, and Evan learned that the phenomenon was likely temporary and appeared free of Shadow Realm creatures. He led Milan and Gary ashore to investigate, where they found strange plants and black sand.

• Milan told Evan that the Black Reef might last half a day to two days and asked whether they should explore it.
• Evan sent Needletail Swifts to scout the island, and they found no animals.
• Evan raised the Storm Cape's alert level and took Milan and Gary ashore by longboat.
• Gary led the group across the black beach in his water-walking armor.
• Evan collected several eggplant-shaped fruits from strange plants and took a sample of the black sand.

Evan, Milan, and Gary discovered a Shadow Creature egg concealed inside an obsidian boulder, awakening a swarm of Shadow Lizards across the island. As they fled toward their longboat, Evan created a forest of Black Thorns to block the charging creatures.

• Evan, Milan, and Gary searched the volcanic island but found no animals despite signs that creatures had lived there.
• Milan used a pendulum to locate the island's strongest life-force reaction at a massive obsidian boulder.
• Milan broke the shadow barrier covering the boulder, and the three found a black egg hidden inside.
• Evan picked up the egg, and Shadow Lizards emerged from the shadows all over the island and charged at them.
• Evan grabbed Milan and ran with Gary to the longboat as the Shadow Lizard swarm pursued them.
• Evan cast Animated Plant and raised a wide forest of Black Thorns along the shore.