Chapter Summaries

Arro regained clarity when the wooden plaque suppressed the blood-red crest, and the souls of Morton’s victims transformed his novice mission into a three-point mission to kill Morton. Morton then appeared and apologized for the garden’s attack, while Arro demanded thirty-six Ghost Orchids as compensation.

• The plaque’s emerald power suppressed the crest, and the mission panel replaced Arro’s apprenticeship mission with a mission to kill Morton, rewarding him with three Skill Points.
• The departed souls’ power merged with the mission panel, and the Black Mist around Arro dissipated as one of them urged the general to take care.
• Morton introduced himself as Ian’s elder brother and used the Flower Herding Song to restore the Ghost Orchids Arro had damaged.
• Morton explained that the garden’s Flower Herding Song had confused a Garden Guard and caused the attack, then apologized to Arro.
• Arro rejected Morton’s apology as insufficient and demanded thirty-six Ghost Orchids as compensation.

Arro negotiated with Morton for thirty-six living Ghost Orchids, which Morton agreed to send to Harvey's Alchemy Shop. Morton then led Arro away, saying Ian's situation was complicated and he might not be able to see him otherwise.

• Arro demanded thirty-six mature Ghost Orchids with their underground stems as compensation for Morton's mistake.
• Morton agreed and arranged for Old Pavarotti to deliver the living orchids to Harvey's Alchemy Shop in Mannheim Market.
• Arro gave Morton the false name Moon and told him to identify him to Harvey as the portrait's owner.
• Arro asked Morton why he was being so helpful, but Morton said he was treating Ian's friend as his own.
• When Arro asked about Ian, Morton stopped speaking in front of the guards and invited Arro to continue the conversation in a carriage.
• Morton said Ian's situation was complicated and that Arro might not be able to see him unless Morton went along.

Arrow learned that Ian had attacked his spellcraft teacher and traveled with Morton to the Bu'en Family residence to meet him. Morton introduced Arrow as Ian’s new spellcraft teacher, and they heard Ian raging inside his room as the chapter ended.

• Arrow questioned Morton about Ian attacking his teacher and learned that both Ian and the teacher were unharmed.
• Morton urged Arrow to improve his appearance and persuade Ian to take better care of his dress.
• Morton brought Arrow to the Bu’en Family residence, where guards initially refused to let him enter because Ian was confined.
• Morton presented Arrow as Ian’s new spellcraft teacher and led him inside, where they heard Ian angrily demanding to be let out.

Arrow visited Ian at the Bu'en Family residence and learned that Ian had become violent after rebelling against his spellcraft teacher. He found Ian surrounded by alchemical equipment and scraps of an Alchemy Design Blueprint, but the reason for Ian’s change remained unknown.

• Morton told Arrow that Ian had grown suspicious after his mother's death and had become exceptionally violent after rebelling against his spellcraft teacher.
• Morton arranged for Arrow to take his carriage to Ghost Garden and asked him to find out why Ian had attacked his former teacher.
• Morton praised a guard who had warned Arrow and assigned him to the outer Patrol Team.
• Arrow followed a trail of blood to Ian's room and called to him through the half-open iron door.
• Ian let Arrow enter, and Arrow noticed the room's alchemical equipment, expensive materials, and scraps of an Alchemy Design Blueprint.

Arro found Ian’s workshop missing the materials for a wind-element armor and discovered a maid traumatized and bleeding in the room. After guards took her to rest, Arro examined Ian’s shredded blueprints and recognized an ingenious suit of armor that could rival his Magic Phoenix Golden Armor.

• Arro found a terrified maid beside a pool of blood and asked Ian to speak with him alone.
• When Arro tried to help the maid, she screamed until she fainted, and he caught her and checked that she was breathing.
• Guards took the maid downstairs to rest while Arro stayed with Ian and examined the shredded design papers.
• Arro identified the blueprints as a Wind Element Armor made from Wind Butterfly Gold and wind-element runes.
• Arro studied the armor’s flight, defensive cyclone, and attack systems and judged that it could fight his Magic Phoenix Golden Armor, though the Phoenix Armor would prevail in a short battle.

Arro examined Ian’s Wind Element Armor blueprint and praised its design before accusing Ian of mistreating him and demanding compensation. Ian rejected Arro’s claims, leaving Arro unable to take the Heating Platform he had tried to seize.

• Arro assessed the Wind Element Armor as nimble enough to counter the Magic Phoenix Golden Armor and praised Ian’s blueprint.
• Arro asked Ian about the complex magic patterns on the shoulder and arm designs, but Ian initially ignored him.
• Arro claimed he had entered as Ian’s invited guest, been attacked in Ghost Garden, and deserved compensation for his losses.
• Arro started taking Ian’s Alchemy Tables, but Ian grabbed the Heating Platform and challenged Arro’s excuses.
• Arro blamed Ian for sending him into Ghost Garden and losing a Secret Treasure, while Ian called him shameless and refused to hand over the platform.

Arrow confronted Ian over the attack and manipulated him into giving up the Heating Platform’s value in Demonic Beast information. Ian then explained the magic patterns in his armor blueprint by describing Arrow Garner’s battle tactics.

• Arrow criticized Ian for blaming his strength instead of admitting his mistakes and refused to accept the Heating Platform as simple compensation.
• Arrow told Ian to find Demonic Beasts worth about four hundred Magic Stones, and Ian offered locations where Arrow could test his armor.
• Ian promised to hire people to search for more Demonic Beasts and showed Arrow the movements that had inspired his armor design.
• Arrow recalled charging through enemy ranks with Magic Strike Technique—Phoenix Beak and fighting fast with fast.
• Ian said the blueprint’s magic patterns came from studying Arrow Garner’s battle, and insisted his Wind Dragon Armor was not weak; Arrow Garner was simply too strong.

Arro learned how Ian’s Wind Element Armor used magic patterns to reproduce sword movements and counterattacks, then considered adapting the technique to make Qi Blood Rampage easier to learn. Ian revealed that a Basic Warning Magic Array could trigger the armor’s combat patterns automatically when an enemy approached.

• Ian showed Arro a book documenting Arrow Garner’s movements and counterattacks developed from them.
• Ian explained that shoulder-armor magic patterns used Wind Force to drive the wearer through Slaughter Mode or Counterattack Mode movements.
• Arro realized the magic-pattern structure might reduce the difficulty and material cost of teaching Qi Blood Rampage, and he calculated a matching movement.
• Ian said he had developed the design using incomplete puppet knowledge from his family library.
• Ian showed Arro a Basic Warning Magic Array connected to the combat patterns, which automatically activated them when an enemy approached.

Ian explained how he planned to use his Wind Element Armor’s warning array and fixed Sword Moves to fight, then revealed that Morton had taken the armor. Arrow questioned whether Morton was truly as ruthless as the system’s mission implied, while Ian accused his former spellcraft teacher of stealing the armor and accepting fifty Magic Stones from Morton; Arrow suggested the payment might have saved Ian’s life.

• Ian explained that he could aim the armor’s fixed Sword Moves by steering his flight and use its wind shield to escape if an enemy broke through.
• Ian said Morton had taken his Wind Element Armor, and Arrow wondered whether the system’s description of Morton as merciless could be trusted.
• Arrow reflected on whether he should follow the system’s missions blindly or decide for himself whether a target deserved to die.
• Ian angrily accused his former spellcraft teacher of stealing his armor and receiving fifty Magic Stones from Morton.
• Arrow suggested Morton might have paid the fifty Magic Stones to ransom Ian’s life, leaving Ian stunned.

Arrow questioned Ian about his feud with Morton and learned that Morton's success with the Ghost Orchid Garden threatened Ian's inheritance. Ian explained that he blamed Morton for stealing his armor, then revealed its magic patterns were made with Demon God Bone Powder.

• Arrow questioned why Ian believed Morton wanted to take his surname and territory, and Ian explained that Morton had killed his mother and then arranged for his own mother to marry Ian's father.
• Ian said Morton had made the Ghost Orchid Garden so profitable that it out-earned the rest of the family, while Ian's father favored Morton as his successor.
• Ian said the spellcraft teacher had broken his magic array and that his personal maid had disappeared, leading him to suspect Morton had taken his armor and controlled the people around him.
• Arrow asked what material Ian had used to channel Magic Power through the Wind Butterfly Gold armor, and Ian answered that he had used Demon God Bone Powder.

Arro questioned Ian about why Morton had stolen his armor and led him to suspect that Morton had a larger plan involving the family. Ian concluded that Morton intended to murder their father, leaving Arro to panic that his probing had pushed Ian toward the wrong conclusion.

• Ian explained that his expensive armor was meant to be his main battle treasure, while Arro questioned why Morton had arranged for it to be stolen.
• Arro reasoned that Morton was unlikely to want Ian dead and that the theft must serve some other purpose.
• Arro suggested that Morton might be using the armor to advance a scheme related to becoming Family Head.
• Arro asked whether Morton had recently acted strangely or contacted outsiders, and Ian suddenly declared that Morton planned to murder their father.
• Arro urgently told Ian to stop talking and insisted that the murder accusation was Ian's own idea.

Arro agreed to investigate Morton’s suspicious activities for Ian and gathered details about Morton’s Ghost Orchid pastures and trips to the market. As Arro rode away in Morton’s carriage, a faint fragrance made him think warmly of Morton, and he drifted into a hazy state.

• Arro persuaded Ian not to confront Morton directly and agreed to investigate in exchange for Ian’s help finding valuable Magic Beast tracks.
• Arro asked Ian to describe everything unusual about Morton.
• Arro reviewed the routes to six Magic Beast locations, the Wind Element Armor designs, and what he had learned about Morton’s movements.
• Arro learned that Morton visited the market whenever the Ghost Orchids moved pastures and brought back people who were never seen again.
• Arro smelled a delicate fragrance in Morton’s carriage, thought of Morton fondly, and drifted between wakefulness and sleep.

Arro woke with a persistent sense that he had forgotten something and visited Morton at the Ghost Orchid Garden, where his headache worsened whenever he tried to approach him. Morton admitted that he had taken Ian’s armor and explained how Ian’s costly project had left Morton bearing most of the expense.

• Arro agreed to visit Morton at the Ghost Orchid Garden, but the feeling that he had forgotten something followed him.
• Arro felt a stabbing headache when he tried to approach Morton, then entered the pavilion and declined to drink the Ghost Orchid Fruit tea.
• Morton asked Arro why Ian had attacked his spellcraft teacher, and Arro said Ian believed the teacher had stolen his treasure for Morton.
• Morton admitted that he had someone take Ian’s armor, explaining that Ian had spent 1,800 Magic Stones and incurred more than 300 in debt.
• Arro asked why Morton had supported Ian so heavily, and Morton said Ian had drawn him into it step by step.

Morton explained to Arro how Ian’s armor project and a binding purchase agreement led him to take the armor, persuading Arro that he had acted reasonably. After Arro left, Morton revealed that his Trick, “Dominate Humans,” had taught him to control people by subtly shaping their choices, and he described how he had guided Ian into studying Alchemy.

• Morton told Arro that Ian had spent hundreds of Magic Stones on armor materials and had pledged the Ghost Orchid Garden as collateral for Demon God Bone Powder.
• Arro apologized for misjudging Morton, and Morton urged him to persuade Ian later, once Ian had calmed down.
• Arro left, and the coachman asked whether Morton should ambush him in Crocodile Valley.
• Morton refused to seize Arro before he was ready and explained that his level 3 Trick, “Dominate Humans,” had shown him that indirect influence was more powerful than controlling someone’s body.
• Morton recalled using Ghost Orchid Pollen and Alchemy books to gradually make Ian study Alchemy until he no longer needed to drug him.

Morton explained how he used the Dominate Humans spell and Ghost Orchid bloodline to manipulate people, then ordered the Coachman to leave Arro alone while he studied Ian as a test subject. After escaping Crocodile Valley, Arro recovered his reason but struggled with thoughts that had been altered to trust Morton, leaving him uncertain whether to confront him.

• Morton explained that Dominate Humans suppressed a target’s main thoughts and described how the Ghost Orchid King Strain could help him influence powerful people and cultivate geniuses.
• Morton dismissed the Coachman’s concern about Moon and said he would study Ian as his best available test subject for controlling young people.
• After leaving Crocodile Valley, Arro’s reason returned as the effects of Morton’s influence faded.
• Arro considered attacking Morton but worried about the journey, the fight, and the lack of Purification Potion, while also questioning whether Morton’s actions warranted death.
• Arro recognized that the clash between his original thoughts and the altered ones remained unresolved.

Arro fought off a gray wolf and used the battle to settle the conflict in his thoughts, then went to Harvey’s shop for the Ghost Orchids. Discovering that Morton had been connected to the split in his consciousness, Arro resolved to investigate him and earn the three Skill Points.

• Arro avoided the gray wolf’s attacks, drew his sword, and made it retreat before fleeing as more wolves howled in the wilderness.
• Arro reached Harvey’s shop, where Harvey hesitated to let him in after smelling blood on his raincoat.
• Arro asked Harvey for the thirty-six Ghost Orchids, but Harvey refused to open the shop until the next day.
• Arro sensed the Ghost Orchids’ connection to “Thirty-Seven Yan Yun Riders” and recalled an observer’s memory beginning when he first became drowsy in the carriage.
• Arro realized his consciousness had split into two strands and decided to investigate Morton strictly, so he could earn the three Skill Points.

Arro traced how Morton had manipulated his emotions through five stages and examined how his own memories, body, and use of the Magic Strike Technique had shaped his increasingly reckless behavior. After recognizing Morton’s thought-altering actions as deliberate, Arro settled on killing him.

• Arro recalled that Morton’s favorable first impression and Psychedelic Perfume had clouded his judgment, with Ghost Orchids and Ghost Orchid Fruit activating his Mental Strength.
• Arro reconsidered his past choices and wondered whether developing and repeatedly using the Magic Strike Technique had made him reckless or allowed the abyss to influence his thoughts.
• Arro recognized that his battle-conditioned body had affected his thinking during the Wild Wolf encounter, while connecting with the Thirty-Six Ghost Orchids had cleared and corrected his thoughts.
• Arro reviewed how his feelings toward Morton had shifted from slight fondness to trust, suspicion, bloodlust, and finally decided killing intent.
• Arro concluded that Morton had knowingly twisted another person’s thoughts and rejected the idea that he could still be considered a good person.

Arro visited Shopkeeper Harvey's Alchemy Workshop to collect the thirty-six Ghost Orchids he had earned on his first trip to the Dark Plain. As he arranged transport for the flowers, he realized their delayed delivery might mean someone had been watching him, and he discovered he could not afford a horse.

• Arro enjoyed an expensive breakfast before greeting Shopkeeper Harvey at the Alchemy Workshop.
• Shopkeeper Harvey complained that Arro's blood-covered late-night visit had nearly made him activate the Alarm Magic Array.
• Arro and Shopkeeper Harvey discussed the Ghost Orchids and how dangerous it was to earn Magic Stones on the Dark Plain.
• Shopkeeper Harvey said the thirty-six Ghost Orchids had arrived in the evening, prompting Arro to suspect someone had waited to learn whether he survived before sending them.
• Shopkeeper Harvey offered Arro a Wooden Cart but no horse, and Arro admitted he could not afford one.

Arrow borrowed ten Gold Coins from Shopkeeper Harvey by pledging his Cross Longsword, then traveled to Lix City to withdraw funds for his journey. Dylan told him the Viscount Territory’s treasury was nearly empty because a severe grain shortage had driven prices sharply upward.

• Arrow offered his Cross Longsword as collateral, and Shopkeeper Harvey lent him ten Gold Coins under a three-day contract requiring repayment of thirteen.
• Arrow signed the agreement as “Moonlit Dancer” and thanked Shopkeeper Harvey, while resolving to repay the costs of the materials he had taken once he earned enough Magic Stones.
• Arrow traveled through Lix City, where he intended to withdraw thirteen Gold Coins from the Viscount Territory’s treasury.
• Dylan told Arrow that the treasury lacked enough money because grain was scarce and neighboring lords had raised prices to 1 Silver Coin and 47 pence per pound.

Arrow learned that the Ranelli Royal Family had barred grain from entering the Viscount Territory and neighboring lords had raised prices in protest, leaving the territory facing a food shortage. Dylan planned to use treasury gold and silver to bribe abandoned officials for grain, while Arrow asked him to set aside thirteen Gold Coins and promised to cover the shortfall within five days.

• Arrow confronted Dylan after learning that grain prices had risen so high the Viscount Territory might not last until the crops ripened.
• Dylan explained that the Ranelli Royal Family had banned grain shipments and neighboring lords were protesting Arrow by withholding grain.
• Dylan warned that the lords had dispersed their grain, and Viscount Aimard Bergman and other nobles had gone to the royal capital, leaving only less-favored heirs behind.
• Arrow asked whether soldiers could gather grain, but Dylan said the territory lacked manpower and explained he planned to bribe people left in the lords' territories with treasury gold and silver.
• Arrow asked Dylan to allocate thirteen Gold Coins for him and promised to make up the shortfall within five days.