Chapter Summaries

Gao De reviewed the Truefrost Tribe’s census, which showed a population of over 523,000 and major needs for education and mage training, while Phoenix’s population had reached one million after accepting twenty-nine tribes. He ordered preparations for Phoenix’s expansion and left to check on the two princesses.

• Gao De left Flora in charge of planting ordinary tree seeds at Valar Bay and brought the Magic Tree Seeds and twenty bottles of Rapid Excavation Spell Elixir back to Phoenix.
• Gao De reviewed the census and told Sunaifa to improve living conditions so that more than ninety-five percent of the tribe could live past sixty, while prioritizing education despite the shortage of teachers.
• Gao De marked the mage statistics and set out his plan to make basic mage education available to every child, though teaching resources remained scarce.
• Sunaifa reported that the census had gathered practical skills from tribespeople, strengthened their sense of belonging, and exposed fabricated identities among infiltrators, whom Phoenix had ransomed from their tribes.
• Gao De ordered Phoenix to keep absorbing people, assigned twenty Second Circle Mages to learn Rapid Excavation, and promised to draft an expansion plan within a few days.
• Gao De went to see whether the two princesses had grown accustomed to staying in Phoenix.

Aisha and Anna reached Phoenix, where Aisha discovered that Gao De was revered as the king of the Truefrost Tribe and learned about his role in the city’s rise. As she began settling in and noticing Phoenix’s problems, Gao De appeared at their door.

• Aisha reached Valar Bay with Anna and their cargo, where Elder Gain welcomed them after hearing Gao De’s name.
• Elder Gain escorted Aisha, Anna, and four craftsmen to Phoenix, while the sailors remained aboard the ship.
• Aisha saw Phoenix’s wheat fields and met Warmother Sunaifa, who revealed that Gao De was her king.
• Aisha learned that Gao De had become king through Truefrost’s Choosing and had created Phoenix’s wheat fields, then began settling into the city.
• Aisha noticed Phoenix’s crowding and administrative problems while teaching Anna, and Gao De arrived at their door.

Gao De asked Aisha to assess Phoenix’s growing governance problems and explained his plan for a city administration staffed by publicly selected civil servants, supported by universal education. After Aisha endorsed the proposal, he offered her leadership of the new Office and the post of Vice Minister of Education.

• Gao De asked Aisha what problems Phoenix faced, and she said its rapid growth had outpaced the Truefrost Tribe’s ability to manage it.
• Aisha proposed bringing tribal chiefs and their chosen people into Phoenix’s administration, but Gao De challenged the risks of divided loyalties and favoritism.
• Gao De proposed organizing city affairs into departments and selecting civil servants from across Phoenix, including commoners, while paying them through City Hall.
• Aisha recognized that Phoenix’s lack of nobles and its people’s trust in Gao De and Sunaifa could allow the new system to take root, and Gao De explained that universal education would create future candidates for civil service.
• Aisha agreed that the system could work, and Gao De offered her the position of Office Director and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education.

Aisha accepted Gao De’s offer to become Phoenix’s Office Director and began organizing the city’s first Civil Servant selection. Gao De also assigned her duties tied to construction and education while preparing supplies and trade goods for a voyage to Lagos City.

• Aisha accepted Gao De’s recruitment and became Phoenix’s first Office Director, with the task of organizing its first Civil Servant selection.
• Gao De advised Aisha to recruit broadly despite limited literacy, seek representatives from every tribe for the Ministry of Construction, and address the shortage of teachers.
• Sunaifa brought Gao De the prepared supplies, including high-grade blood food for Tuanzi and Second Order Ice Force for his Ice Seal Blade.
• Gao De asked about Frostweave Stone for the return voyage, and Sunaifa reported that it had been sent to Valar Bay with Elder Finn to accompany the Columbus to Lagos City.

Gao De and Sunaifa reviewed plans for Phoenix's expansion and discussed the city's shortage of skilled officials before Quentin, a former Snowfield Guardian chief, arrived to offer help bringing scattered tribes to Phoenix. Quentin introduced the Shadow Stone, a device that recorded and replayed images and sounds, and Gao De showed sudden interest in it.

• Gao De showed Sunaifa his proposed grid layout and functional districts for Phoenix, then asked her to consult Aisha and oversee construction after he left.
• Gao De and Sunaifa discussed the lack of candidates for Minister of Construction and the shortage of teachers needed to expand education.
• A guard announced Quentin's arrival, and Gao De and Sunaifa invited the former chief of the Snowfield Guardian into City Hall.
• Quentin said he had no grievance over the sect's destruction and asked to guide the Truefrost Tribe to scattered tribes that might accept its offer of refuge.
• Quentin explained that Guardians left messages using Shadow Stones, which recorded and replayed nearby images and sounds, and Gao De's eyes lit up.

Gao De recruited Quentin and the guardians to help Phoenix find small tribes, then recognized that Shadow Stones could support recorded lessons and help solve Phoenix’s education shortage. After advancing his Ice Seal Blade to Second Order, he wrote a textbook honoring Jose Okenly as the pioneer of New Standard Runelore and prepared to give it to Anna.

• Quentin explained how Ian had discovered Shadow Stones among the Tuwu Tribe, and Gao De learned that more than half of the vein remained.
• Gao De agreed to Quentin’s proposal to gather guardians and seek out small tribes for Phoenix, naming the Tuwu Tribe as their first target and arranging for its Shadow Stone vein to be mined.
• After Quentin left, Gao De asked Sunaifa to observe him, then explained that Shadow Stones could record lessons for schools to replay and expand basic education.
• Gao De infused the Second Order Ice Force into his Ice Seal Blade, advancing it to Second Order and greatly increasing its damage.
• Gao De began writing New Standard Runelore, replaced its opening lesson on Jose’s Six Laws with a tribute to Jose Okenly, and completed a first draft to give Anna.

Gao De taught Anna Jose's Six Laws, then stayed in Phoenix to oversee its first civil service selection and establish the first Shadow Lesson. After arranging the Tuwu Tribe reception and ordering more Leyline Creatures captured, he prepared to travel to Valar Bay and return to the Plantagenet Dynasty, but a sudden thought came to him.

• Gao De gave Anna his New Standard Runelore textbook and taught her Jose's Six Laws, impressed by her aptitude for calculation.
• Gao De organized Phoenix's first civil service selection, recruiting skilled builders and interviewing tribal chieftains for government roles.
• After observing Chief Quentin, Gao De finalized the Immigrant Reception Plan and sent Sunaifa's Fourth Circle Elder with him to the Tuwu Tribe to obtain Shadow Stones.
• Gao De directed Phoenix's first Shadow Lesson, Common Tongue Introduction—01, and showed Aisha and the teachers how future lessons should be made.
• Gao De ordered the clan's hunters to capture Leyline Creatures, gathered Sunaifa's supplies, and prepared to leave for Valar Bay before a sudden thought struck him.

Gao De used Goodberry Spell+ to create animal-attracting berries, then had Flora identify and grow them as Jewel Sweetberries. After returning to the Plantagenet Dynasty and stocking his magic materials shop, he swallowed a drop of Spirit Marrow despite Mage Lupin's warning.

• Gao De realized Goodberries might feed the carnivorous Leyline Creatures he kept for harvesting Origin, and asked Flora to grow trees from their seeds.
• At Yggdrasil, Gao De cast Goodberry Spell+ and fed one berry to Grant's Snow Wolf, confirming its powerful attraction to animals.
• Flora identified the berry tree as a Jewel Sweetberry and said it needed Moon Dew and gemstone powder to grow, so Gao De asked Sunaifa to prepare the powder.
• Gao De returned to the Plantagenet Dynasty, helped Joel unpack and price magic materials for the Walmart Magic Materials Shop, and then went back to the Sea Sentinel dormitory.
• Gao De took one of the three drops of Spirit Marrow from a Crystal Bottle and swallowed it despite its pungent taste and Mage Lupin's warning.

Gao De consumed all three drops of Spirit Marrow, greatly increasing his mana and bringing his resistance to toxins and ability to expel them to 99.9%. Unable to tolerate being just short of completing his adaptation, he bought four First Circle poison potions and drank a Slow Potion, leaving himself to recover in bed.

• Gao De endured the Spirit Marrow's toxins while absorbing its mana, gaining five drops of Liquid Mana and raising both toxin-related adaptations above 90%.
• After resting between doses, Gao De consumed the other two drops of Spirit Marrow, increasing his mana to fifty-three drops but leaving both adaptations at 99.9%.
• Gao De went to a potion shop and bought First Circle Paralysis, Slow, Hallucination, and Weakness Potions to push his adaptation further.
• Gao De drank a full bottle of First Circle Slow Potion and, after struggling to cast Comfortable Slumber+, fell into a deep sleep.

After evolving into a Lesser Amber Physique, Gao De went to the Abyssal White Tower to find a mission that could earn him military merit and help expand his spell library. He accepted the troublesome Crab Plague Threat mission in Mont Town and set out by ship with Tuanzi, who spotted something unexpected underwater along the way.

• Gao De overcame his toxin-resistance bottleneck and evolved into a Lesser Amber Physique, gaining powerful toxin resistance, Purified Blood Organ, and heightened toxin senses.
• Gao De put on his new First Class Apprentice-Mage uniform and decided to build up his spell library through Sea Sentinel exchanges before advancing to the Second Circle.
• Gao De chose the Crab Plague Threat mission in Mont Town over the dangerous Tainted Tide mission and registered it at the Abyssal White Tower.
• Gao De collected Tuanzi from the Azure Wave Enclosure, then traveled by passenger ship toward Mont Town with Tuanzi swimming alongside underwater.
• Halfway through the voyage, Tuanzi surfaced beside the ship and signaled to Gao De that he had found something underwater.

Gao De followed Tuanzi to a glowing egg hidden inside a boulder, then returned to the passenger ship and traveled to Mont Town. There, he used Jewel Sweetberries to lure Shell-thief Crabs from their hiding places and began clearing the coastline at remarkable speed.

• Gao De followed Tuanzi underwater into a cave inside a boulder and found a glowing egg, which he took before escaping back to the passenger ship.
• Gao De caught up with the departing ship on Tuanzi’s back and reached Mont Town, where he collected the town’s information about Shell-thief Crab activity.
• Gao De went to the coastline in his Sea Sentinel uniform and began hunting Shell-thief Crabs with Tuanzi.
• Tuanzi killed a Shell-thief Crab that approached Jewel Sweetberries, and Gao De collected its eyes as proof of the kill.
• Gao De used Jewel Sweetberries made with Goodberry Spell+ to draw Shell-thief Crabs from their hiding places, killing twenty or thirty within a few hours.

Gao De finished gathering Shellcrab Eyeballs and attended a welcome banquet hosted by Chief Harper, where he discovered Bloodcrystal Barley could restore energy. He obtained leftover grains to try cultivating with Flora, convinced she could overcome the crop’s supposedly secret growing requirements.

• Gao De ended his work for the day, left Tuanzi by the waters, and returned to Mont Town.
• Magistrate Malcolm invited Gao De to a welcome banquet arranged by Chief Harper, and Gao De accepted.
• Chief Harper hosted Gao De at Mont Town’s finest restaurant and served him a dessert containing Bloodcrystal Barley.
• After tasting the barley’s energizing effect, Gao De asked Chief Harper for unprocessed grains and offered to pay double.
• Chief Harper explained that Bloodcrystal Barley was scarce and that attempts to cultivate it had always failed, but agreed to give Gao De the leftover grains.
• Gao De planned to have Flora cultivate the barley, confident she could grow any plant.

Gao De completed the Shell-thief Crab mission and reported a strange egg he had found underwater to Captain Merrick. Merrick identified it as an Oddity Egg, awarded Gao De Third Class Merit, and allowed him to take it home.

• Gao De collected over four hundred Shellcrab Eyeballs in Mont Town and submitted proof of the mission to Mage Neil after returning to Dorne.
• Gao De searched the library for information about the glowing egg, found no match, and reported it to the mage on duty.
• Captain Merrick examined the egg and identified it as an Oddity Egg that had absorbed Water Elemental energy and could hatch into a Water Oddity.
• Captain Merrick explained that the egg was likely the one left behind by a Wind Oddity near Desalin Town thirteen years earlier.
• Captain Merrick awarded Gao De Third Class Merit, let him keep the egg, and told Mage Freddy to take him to the second-floor library to read about Oddities.

Gao De learned about Oddities, decided to keep the Water-leaning Oddity Egg, and began using the Magic Imprint Method to tame it. He accepted the uncertain Lake Esmire Serpent mission and started searching the lake at night with Tuanzi.

• Mage Freddy explained Oddities and advised Gao De to seek taming guidance at Azure Wave Enclosure, but Gao De chose to keep the egg he had found.
• Gao De accepted the Lake Esmire Serpent mission despite uncertainty over whether the target was a First Order Thin-Winged Watersnake or a Second Order Black-Winged Scale Serpent.
• At Azure Wave Enclosure, a caretaker taught Gao De the Magic Imprint Method and how to build a Leyline Creature’s familiarity with its future master.
• Gao De infused the Oddity Egg with his magic power and planned to bring it to the Northern Territory while continuing the daily imprinting process.
• Gao De and Tuanzi searched Lake Esmire at night, using Jewel Sweetberries as bait while avoiding lights that might startle the serpent.

Gao De and Tuanzi hunted Lake Esmire through the night, catching and killing a Sawtooth Puffer instead of the serpent they sought. After returning the borrowed boat, Gao De learned that the powerful slingshot band was made from Buzzing Resin and asked where the Buzzing Trees grew.

• Tuanzi ambushed a water beast that swallowed the Jewel Sweetberries, and Gao De restrained it with Tidal Net+ and wounded it with Mana Missiles.
• Gao De identified the beast as a first-tier Sawtooth Puffer, killed it with Northwind, and collected its dorsal fin and head for sale and military merit.
• Gao De fed Tuanzi a piece of the puffer's belly meat, then returned to shore at sunrise after the serpent failed to appear.
• Gao De returned the borrowed boat and paid the fisherman five Silver Dragon Coins.
• Gao De noticed the fisherman's children's slingshot used Buzzing Resin and learned about its properties and the nearby Humming Forest.

Gao De examined the Buzzing Trees in the Humming Forest and tested the properties of their resin. He found that the resin was waterproof, resistant to extreme cold and acid, and could be reshaped when heated, then collected more than two hundred Seedpods to plant in the Northern Territory.

• Gao De reached the Humming Forest beside Lake Esmire and examined the Buzzing Trees and the resin the fishermen had collected.
• Gao De solidified Buzzing Resin and found that it was elastic, tough, waterproof, and unaffected by extreme cold or acid.
• Gao De heated the resin and discovered that it softened near a hundred degrees, could be shaped, and regained its strength after cooling.
• Gao De recognized that Buzzing Trees had uses beyond nourishing Yggdrasil and used Mage Hand to collect more than two hundred Seedpods.

Gao De returned to Broste City, rested, prepared for another night on Lake Esmire, and resumed searching for the elusive serpent. He found signs of a water beast stealing his bait and leaped into the lake to confront it as Tuanzi attacked.

• Gao De borrowed a patrol boat from the Magistrate's Office in Broste City and rented a room to rest before returning to the lake.
• After waking, Gao De tended to the Oddity Egg, cultivated, gathered more than thirty varieties of tree seeds, and set out after nightfall.
• Gao De searched Lake Esmire using Jewel Sweetberries as bait but found nothing during the first half of the night.
• Gao De detected unusual currents with his Mandora Demon Eye as a massive black shadow swallowed the Jewel Sweetberries.
• Gao De jumped into the water with Northwind while Tuanzi charged at the water beast.

Gao De confronted a second-tier Black-Winged Scale Serpent in Lake Esmire and used Ice Seal Blade and Northwind to overwhelm it. After spending thirty drops of Liquid Mana, he left the serpent frozen and bound beneath the water.

• Gao De identified the water beast as a second-tier Black-Winged Scale Serpent after it wounded Tuanzi.
• Gao De activated Winter's Approach and struck the serpent with Ice Seal Blade, piercing its face and freezing much of its head.
• Gao De used Shape Water and Wolf's Speed to launch himself toward the thrashing serpent.
• Gao De struck the serpent's exposed head with Northwind, breaking its scales and releasing a powerful Truefrost sword aura.
• Gao De spent thirty drops of Liquid Mana as the serpent stiffened, frozen and restrained by the surrounding currents.

Gao De killed the Black-Winged Scale Serpent beneath the lake and returned to the Magistrate's Office dock with its corpse. The watchman and several helpers hauled the monster from the water and realized it was a second-tier Black-Winged Scale Serpent.

• The dying Black-Winged Scale Serpent struck Gao De with its tail, but he survived the blow after his Shield Spell+ shattered and his protective rune absorbed some of the force.
• Gao De waited until the serpent's body sank, then recorded it in Wind Spirit Moon Shadow's Second Circle Source.
• Gao De rowed back to the Magistrate's Office dock, where the watchman noticed his chest was bloodied and his boat sat unusually low in the water.
• Gao De told the watchman the trouble had been dealt with and revealed the enormous serpent corpse beneath the boat.
• The watchman brought helpers and lifting equipment, and they hauled the corpse from the lake, recognizing it as a second-tier Black-Winged Scale Serpent.

Gao De returned from Broste City after killing the Black-Winged Scale Serpent, earning military merits and exchanging one for the Identify spell formula. He found no new missions available at the Abyssal White Tower and headed home to wait for another opportunity.

• Gao De had the Black-Winged Scale Serpent processed, recovered from his injuries, and sold most of its meat in Broste City.
• Gao De returned to Dorne and presented the serpent and a Sawtooth Puffer to Old Neil, earning one Second Class Merit and one Third Class Merit.
• Gao De exchanged his Second Class Merit for the Identify spell formula, while Old Neil wondered if Gao De might surpass Mage Jaden.
• Gao De checked the Mage Tower mission panel but found only missions restricted to Second Circle Mages, so he decided to return home.