Chapter Summaries

Lin Qi met with Mr. Truman and Patu to discuss development and resource exploration in Nagaril, then was left alone with Anna. He politely challenged her for addressing him by name despite his equal standing with her father.

• Lin Qi greeted Patu, and the two men treated each other as equals while Mr. Truman’s political influence and Lin Qi’s growing stature were noted.
• Lin Qi told Patu he planned to focus on Governor Drag’s territory, while Patu described his plans to explore Nagaril’s interior for minerals and build a railway.
• Lin Qi shared firsthand information about the grasslands, and he, Patu, and Mr. Truman toasted to freedom while discussing access to Nagaril’s resources.
• Mr. Truman and Patu left to speak with Mr. Wo Delike, leaving Lin Qi alone with Anna.
• Anna tried to smooth over their earlier disagreement, and Lin Qi asked whether she called men who were her father’s equals by their names or as uncles.

Lin Qi accompanied Anna at a gathering until Patu returned, then Sai Weiruila arrived and revealed her rivalry with Anna. Sai Weiruila learned that Lin Qi had interviewed at Saint Secheka College, making him her junior, and began considering a campus novel based on their ideas.

• Anna accompanied Lin Qi because Patu had assigned her to look after him, despite her anger over his joke.
• Sai Weiruila arrived, delighted to see Lin Qi, and apologized to the guests she had hurried past.
• Anna greeted Sai Weiruila, who coolly acknowledged her and left Anna awkwardly losing their brief confrontation.
• Sai Weiruila asked what Lin Qi and Anna had been discussing, and Lin Qi explained that he had met Anna during an interview at Saint Secheka College.
• Sai Weiruila realized Lin Qi would be her junior and considered developing their ideas into a campus novel and screenplay.

Lin Qi set boundaries with Sai Weiruila and Anna before helping Sai Weiruila develop a romance-focused campus novel and princess-themed branding strategy. Anna became interested in the plan and announced that she wanted to invest or create a competing project.

• Lin Qi asked Sai Weiruila and Anna not to call him by his name without an added nickname, explaining that he wanted nothing from them and would not flatter them.
• Sai Weiruila asked Lin Qi to let her use his ideas for a campus novel and offered him shares in return.
• Lin Qi suggested using a sweet romance and a princess dream to promote Sai Weiruila's trendy brand to female university students.
• Anna listened to their discussion, recognized Lin Qi's ability, and said she would invest or have her family develop a competing project.

Anna joined Lin Qi and Sai Weiruila’s business venture and proposed serializing their novel while preparing a film adaptation, with herself and Lin Qi as the leads. Anna left believing she had found Sai Weiruila’s weakness, while Sai Weiruila asked Wo Delike whether he would let her act in a movie.

• Sai Weiruila weighed Anna’s aristocratic image, business connections, and public profile, then agreed to let her invest; Anna and Lin Qi each put in two hundred thousand for fifteen percent of the shares.
• Anna suggested serializing their novel and producing a film in time to promote their products at next year’s Spring Trend Conference.
• Anna proposed playing the female lead and said she would persuade Patu if Lin Qi played the male lead; Sai Weiruila warned that Patu would not approve.
• After the meeting, Anna told Patu she had found Sai Weiruila’s weakness, while Patu inferred that Anna had gained an advantage in their rivalry.
• In another car, Sai Weiruila asked Wo Delike if he would let her act in a movie, and he readily agreed, offering to acquire a production company for her.

Rui Ka built a new life in the Federal Government by preaching from his bark scripture, though his attempts to suppress his desires faltered. Lin Qi visited him and proposed bringing Rui Ka’s family from Nagaril to join him.

• Rui Ka transformed himself into a polished preacher and began attracting local believers with the scripture from Nagaril.
• After a sermon, a girl confessed to Rui Ka, and they had sex while he framed it as religious forgiveness and gave her money.
• Rui Ka found Lin Qi waiting in his room and nervously admitted that he had prepared his preaching materials himself.
• Lin Qi asked whether Rui Ka had kept in touch with his father and offered to take a message or Rui Ka back to Nagaril.
• Rui Ka feared Lin Qi planned to send him away, but Lin Qi reassured him and suggested bringing his family to the Federal Government.

Rui Ka asked Lin Qi to help him become a legal citizen of the Bayer Federation, and Lin Qi agreed while arranging their departure for September third. On September second, Lin Qi attended Saint Secheka College’s opening ceremony in uniform, where Anna approached him with her plan to use his connection to Sai Weiruila.

• Rui Ka asked Lin Qi to help persuade his father to come to the Federation and requested citizenship and legal status for his money.
• Lin Qi agreed to consider Rui Ka’s request, and Rui Ka asked when they would leave; Lin Qi said their ship sailed on the morning of September third.
• Lin Qi attended Saint Secheka College’s opening ceremony on September second in the school’s summer uniform.
• Anna waited for Lin Qi at the college gate after learning that Sai Weiruila had never loved anyone and seeing Lin Qi as a way to defeat her.
• Anna boldly watched Lin Qi, telling herself she was only using him while finding it difficult to look away.

Lin Qi arrived at Saint Secheka College with Anna, who tried to arrange a private chance to help him prepare his speech, but learned he planned to improvise about ideals. At the orientation ceremony, Lin Qi took the stage without notes and began arguing that youth should not be shackled.

• Anna met Lin Qi at the school gate and walked with him toward campus.
• Anna asked whether Lin Qi had prepared his speech, but he said he would improvise and speak about ideals.
• The Saint Secheka orientation ceremony filled its auditorium with students and staff, and Lin Qi waited to speak as the new-student representative.
• When the host noticed Lin Qi had no script, he joked about the misunderstanding and eased the awkward pause.
• Lin Qi explained that he had no speech and declared that youth in full bloom did not need to be shackled.

Lin Qi delivered an impromptu graduation speech urging students to reject others’ standards and pursue their own lives, winning the auditorium’s approval. After the ceremony, he received a business card from a Member of the House of Representatives and spoke with Anna, who questioned his shifting speech topic.

• Lin Qi abandoned his prepared topic and gave an impromptu speech about youth, freedom, and resisting lives planned by others.
• The students resonated with Lin Qi’s words, and the teacher representative and graduating-class representative praised his speech.
• A Member of the House of Representatives introduced himself to Lin Qi, learned he was a new student, and gave him a business card.
• Anna asked Lin Qi why his speech had shifted from ideals to youth, and he explained that his words depended on what he wanted to say in each moment.
• Lin Qi reflected that the students’ excitement about freedom would likely fade, while Anna called his speech wonderful without sincere enthusiasm.

After Lin Qi’s orientation speech, he discussed education and the Federation’s public image with the principal while privately recognizing the gap between public schooling and elite education. Anna then showed him his prospective student house and introduced two of his new housemates, before revealing that she would be his roommate too.

• Anna asked Lin Qi for consent to record and distribute his words, and he agreed.
• The principal praised Lin Qi’s speech, and they discussed colored glass as a metaphor for education across the Federation.
• Lin Qi reflected on how public education encouraged hobbies while wealthy families gave their children private elite instruction.
• Anna showed Lin Qi the student house where he might live and introduced two students who greeted him.
• Anna introduced herself as Lin Qi’s roommate.

Lin Qi moved into his school dormitory and let Anna arrange a room and a group dinner before leaving campus. He met Lyme and learned that Lyme had secured less than two million in investment, then reminded him that their prospects still depended on Lin Qi’s value and future opportunities.

• Lin Qi introduced himself to Anna as her new roommate and explained why the word reminded him of prison companions.
• Anna showed Lin Qi his cleaned room, offered to arrange a television, and agreed to replace his soft mattress with a hard board bed.
• Anna invited Lin Qi to a group dinner to celebrate his arrival, and Lin Qi accepted.
• Lin Qi left campus and met Lyme, who reported raising 1,890,000 in investment.
• Lin Qi told Lyme not to be discouraged by the small amount and said they still had opportunities.

Lin Qi predicted that Galil would undergo a brief speculative surge and planned to profit by buying bullish positions with heavy leverage. He went to Jinhui Bank to negotiate financing, where Financial Department head Carl welcomed him.

• Lin Qi explained to Lyme that international hot money would drive Galil's temporary rise, then leave when the frenzy ended.
• Lin Qi instructed Lyme to enter the market quietly before September 6 and buy bullish positions with all available funds.
• Lin Qi planned to seek higher leverage from Jinhui Bank to expand the Blackstone Fund's investment.
• Lin Qi arrived at Jinhui Bank's head office in Bu Peien to negotiate with its Financial Department.
• Carl introduced himself to Lin Qi as the head of the Financial Department.

Lin Qi met with Carl at a bank to negotiate financing at a higher leverage ratio. He presented a valuable contract as security, and after the bank audited it, he warned Carl that he would take the deal to Prosperity Gold (Silver) Bank if Carl refused.

• Carl led Lin Qi to his office and explained the risks the bank faced in offering him more than tenfold leverage without security.
• Lin Qi said his previous financing had been too small and asked for a higher ratio.
• Lin Qi presented Carl with a document he described as a lot of money.
• Carl summoned colleagues to audit the document, and they confirmed it was valuable security.
• Lin Qi refused to explain how he obtained the contract and told Carl he would approach Prosperity Gold (Silver) Bank if Carl rejected the deal.

Lin Qi presented Carl with an authentic contract granting him sweeping infrastructure and financial powers in Nagaril, and the two began negotiating Jinhui’s financing. The chapter ended with Carl offering nineteen times leverage against Lin Qi’s demand for at least fifty times without forced liquidation.

• The chapter described how prospectors founded Rong Sheng Gold Bank to store gold and provide armed escorts in the lawless frontier era.
• Carl examined Lin Qi’s contract with Provincial Governor Drag, which promised vast infrastructure work and gave Lin Qi extensive rights to loans, taxes, and pricing in Nagaril.
• Carl confirmed the contract’s signatures were authentic and asked Lin Qi how he had secured the agreement, but Lin Qi refused to disclose his methods.
• Carl proposed privately confirming the contract with Provincial Governor Drag and offered to arrange Jinhui’s financing for Lin Qi.
• Lin Qi demanded at least fifty times leverage without forced liquidation, and Carl countered with an offer of nineteen times leverage.

Provincial Governor Drag sent his family to the Federation under an agreement with Lin Qi, then went out in disguise with his chosen heir to see the conditions that had drawn Federal capitalists to Nagaril. Their walk revealed the poverty and thirst of ordinary people, leaving Drag confronted with the consequences of rules he had helped maintain.

• Drag watched his family depart for the Federation, where Lin Qi had arranged Federal citizenship and protection for them.
• Drag reminded his Third Son that he had chosen him as successor and warned him that the Federation’s growing interests would threaten Nagaril’s rulers.
• Drag and his Third Son changed into civilian clothes and walked outside the governor’s residence to observe the city without police clearing their way.
• Drag asked his heir to identify what the Federals wanted from Nagaril, and they saw elderly people lying in a filthy ditch to escape the heat.
• The butler explained that the old people could not afford wells or water, while Drag’s restrictions barred them from nearby rivers.

Governor-General Drag questioned why Federal capitalists were interested in his impoverished province, and Lin Qi explained that they came for the value of human labor and productivity. The conversation left Drag with a clearer understanding of what made his people a source of wealth.

• Drag learned that the poorest residents could not afford even one Galil and ordered the police to exterminate the wild dogs.
• As Drag considered whether the province’s people were what attracted capitalists, a cruise ship arrived carrying Lin Qi and more former soldiers.
• Lin Qi told Sergeant that the soldiers had brought new weapons purchased under a Presidential Decree, and Sergeant sent the cases to their base.
• Lin Qi met Drag, who introduced his son Lano and asked what attracted outsiders to the province.
• Lin Qi explained that people themselves were worthless to capitalists, but their labor and productivity could turn raw materials into great wealth.

Asier recruited workers for Lin Qi’s factory after becoming resigned to the harsh conditions in Nagaril, while Lin Qi waited for international banker Herbert Chee Cheefonke. Lin Qi ended the chapter by asking Herbert if he wanted to make money.

• Asier accepted his role as Lin Qi’s agent and announced recruitment requirements to a crowd of eager workers.
• Lin Qi reflected on Provincial Governor Drag’s decision to secure benefits before losing power and on Drag’s stake in Nagaril Joint Development Company.
• Lin Qi waited for Herbert Chee Cheefonke, whom he hoped would help him raise funds from international speculators.
• Herbert arrived at the cafe and complained about Nagaril’s stench, dirt, and lack of air-conditioning.
• Lin Qi asked Herbert, “Want to make money?”

Lin Qi explained to He Bosi how raising Galil’s exchange value could reduce the Federal developers’ labor costs and reshape trade. He Bosi agreed to work with him, and Lin Qi asked to borrow a large amount of Galil, offering hundreds of millions in Gefra bonds as collateral.

• He Bosi rejected Lin Qi’s suggestion that Galil would appreciate and offered to buy shares in the Nagaril Joint Development Company instead.
• Lin Qi explained that making Galil appreciate would let Federal merchants pay Nagaril workers less while keeping their wages denominated in Federal Sol.
• He Bosi recognized the scheme’s financial and geopolitical potential and agreed to help Lin Qi rather than pursue it alone.
• Lin Qi asked He Bosi to lend him a large amount of Galil, backed by hundreds of millions in Gefra bonds.

Lin Qi offered He Bosi a wager-backed loan involving hundreds of billions of Galil and Gefra war bonds, giving him five days to decide whether to raise the funds. After He Bosi left to consult his associates, Lin Qi watched Ars screen local workers for recruitment.

• He Bosi questioned why Lin Qi needed so much Galil and warned that Gefra's war bonds might be worth far less than their face value.
• Lin Qi proposed a wager: if Gefra fully opened bond redemption before the loan ended, he would pay no interest; otherwise, the bonds would count as his interest.
• He Bosi accepted the wager in principle but asked for time to consult his team and gather funds, and Lin Qi gave him five days to respond.
• He Bosi departed to contact his associates, while Lin Qi watched Ars and local examiners screen applicants for work.

Lin Qi watched an organized anti-foreigner protest turn violent during Asier's recruitment, then called the police as the officers' response worsened the scene. Elsewhere, Simon's son entered a meeting and was struck and ordered out, leaving the source of the unrest and Simon's plans unclear.

• Locals armed with clubs stormed the recruitment area, but Lin Qi stopped Sergeant and the soldiers from intervening unless the protesters attacked.
• Young protesters gathered before Asier and chanted "Foreigners get out," while the police struck them and the bloodied demonstrators stood their ground.
• Lin Qi called the Police Station, and the Police Chief arrived and attacked both the protesters and his own officers.
• At a villa, Simon discussed matters with several men while his son brought in tea and pastries.
• Simon struck his son with a teacup and angrily ordered him to leave.

Mr. Simon’s son was hurt and rejected by his father, while Simon and the other foreign merchants discussed the threat to their business in Nagaril. Simon planned to seek a meeting with Lin Qi, but he warned that the merchants might have to leave if they could not secure a way to trade.

• Mr. Simon struck his son with a cup, ordered him out, and refused to let anyone enter without permission.
• The youth told the butler that his father still hated him, then asked him to keep the injury from his mother.
• A maid treated the youth’s wound, and he briefly watched a group of young people arguing outside before returning to the courtyard.
• Mr. Simon’s fellow merchants said the Nagaril Joint Development Company would control trade and deny them quotas unless they obtained shares.
• Mr. Simon said he had sent a message seeking a meeting with Lin Qi and speculated that Lin Qi had the Federal President’s or Truman’s backing.
• Mr. Simon warned that the merchants might have to leave Nagaril if their efforts failed, then looked at a photograph of his wife and child.