Chapter Summaries

Keosius received an invitation to the first Arcane Hermit Order gathering in Strasbourg and prepared to attend with Lang Pu. They disguised Lang Pu as an Iron Golem and opened a Dimensional Door to the gathering’s coordinates.

• Keosius learned that players had begun venturing beyond Bator City into other regions.
• The Arcane Hermit Order’s Anzeta Branch invited Keosius to a gathering in Strasbourg three days later.
• Keosius called Lang Pu and corrected his plan to raise prices on players, advising him to adjust prices to their spending power without driving them out of business.
• Lang Pu agreed to attend and recalled how his past encounter with a mage apprentice had changed his life.
• Keosius transformed into a human, and Lang Pu used Polymorph to become an Iron Golem after failing to make a convincing human disguise.
• Lang Pu cloaked Keosius with anti-scrying magic, and Keosius opened a Dimensional Door to the gathering’s coordinates.

Keosius and Lang Pu entered an Arcane Hermit Order gathering in Strasbourg, where Keosius registered as Embers and discovered that the organizer, Star, was the Silver Dragon mage Olivia. The gathering began as Keosius assessed the attendees and recognized Olivia’s future importance to Anzeta.

• Spellcasters arrived through a hidden door created by the Trafalano Mansion Spell and registered codenames for the Arcane Hermit Order.
• Keosius and Lang Pu entered the mansion, drawing attention from the attendees, and Keosius exchanged greetings with the noblewoman Tulip.
• Tulip led Keosius to the Steel Beauty, where he registered the codename Embers.
• Star introduced herself as the gathering’s organizer, and Keosius recognized her as Silver Star Olivia, a Level 11 Young Silver Dragon mage.

Keosius attended a gathering of low-level Mages, listened to their debate, and bought a rare Alchemical Compendium for 1,000 Gold Coins. The gathering continued with other attendees offering strange magic items for sale.

• The Mages argued over arcane theory while Keosius listened and Lady "Star" occasionally shared her insights.
• Keosius outbid "Gray Eagle" and bought a Mana Regeneration Pearl for 300 Gold Coins.
• "Mind Speaker" offered an Alchemical Compendium, and Keosius won it with a bid of 1,000 Gold Coins.
• Keosius watched the remaining trades without bidding as the Mages presented several unusual items, including a tentacle scepter, a bat cloak, and a Mind Whip.

Keosius sold Azure Foot Dragon Snake scales at the Arcane Hermit Order gathering, then supported Gray Eagle’s call for spellcasters to join a coalition campaign against Ember Nest. He left Gray Eagle believing he had gained a powerful ally, while Keosius concealed his own plans.

• Keosius had the Iron Golem display Azure Foot Dragon Snake scales, which the lady of the stars identified as valuable lightning-resistant materials.
• Keosius sold half the scales to Gray Eagle and the Seeker of Knowledge for a thousand gold coins, and warned Gray Eagle to store them securely.
• Gray Eagle asked the gathering for spellcasters to support a coalition army against Ember Nest, led by a Red Dragon.
• Olivia questioned why the coalition intended to attack Ember Nest before it had attacked them, and Gray Eagle argued that the Red Dragon posed a threat.
• Keosius applauded Gray Eagle’s argument and pledged his force’s support for the campaign, prompting Gray Eagle to praise him.

After the Arcane Hermit Order gathering, Keosius met Olivia, who questioned how he had discovered she was a Silver Dragon. He concealed his identity as a Red Dragon, leaving Olivia convinced he was a Golden Dragon, then returned to his cave and told Lang Pu to learn spells from the Alchemical Compendium.

• Keosius waited in a Strasbourg alley for Olivia, who emerged through a Space Rift and asked how he knew she was a Silver Dragon.
• Keosius said he had recognized Olivia from her reputation and manner, refused to reveal his own identity, and left through a Dimensional Door with the Iron Golem.
• Olivia noticed golden scales at Keosius's neck and concluded he was a Golden Dragon, vowing to learn his name from her grandfather.
• Keosius returned to his cave in Red Dragon form and said Olivia had been easy to fool, considering tricking her into handing over Crown of Stars.
• Lang Pu praised the Alchemical Compendium, and Keosius ordered him to learn its spells and demonstrate Haste.

Singo, Mantou, Born Battle Maniac, and Xia Ye Qiuyu reunited to spend their faction contributions during a second meeting with Keosius. Singo bought several pieces of equipment, and the group left with the next mission still ahead.

• Singo revealed he had earned thirty-one thousand faction contributions through his unpopular tax proposals, while Xia Ye Qiuyu, Born Battle Maniac, and Mantou discussed their contributions and planned purchases.
• Singo led the group into a secure chamber, and they used the Mysterious Invitation to meet Keosius again.
• Singo told Keosius that they had exposed the Tieflings' suffering and asked to buy equipment.
• Singo bought a Hunting Longbow, a Burning Ring, and Quivering Scale Armor for more than two hundred gold coins.
• Singo gave Mantou the Burning Ring as compensation for equipment from their previous dealings.

Singo and Steamed Bun began their Red Scale Conqueror advancement quest and followed Instructor Alger to Wyvern Valley to find mounts. Surrounded by hungry, hostile Wyverns, they faced their first dangerous trial.

• Singo and Steamed Bun bought Crimson Scales from Keosius and accepted the Red Scale Conqueror advancement quest.
• The quest directed them to find Instructor Alger in Dragon Valley, so the two traveled to Stone Fortress and asked the Hobgoblin guards for directions.
• Singo and Steamed Bun found Alger in a crude cave and showed him their tokens from Keosius.
• Alger led the two through Dragon Valley to Wyvern Valley and told them to find their own mounts.
• The Wyverns focused on Singo and Steamed Bun, and Steamed Bun stared at the swarm in shock.

Singo and Steamed Bun trained to ride the wyverns in Wyvern Valley, rapidly improving their Riding proficiency despite repeated falls and close calls. Alger watched them and began to believe they could become Wyvern Knights in a short time.

• Alger warned Singo and Steamed Bun that he would not save them if they fell, while the wyverns closed in.
• Singo lassoed a large wyvern, climbed onto its back, and used a spray of female wyvern hormones while trying to tame it.
• Steamed Bun caught a wyvern with his lasso but was dragged through the air until Singo cut the rope, sending him crashing to the ground.
• Singo and Steamed Bun repeatedly mounted the wyverns, gradually learning to balance and steer them.
• Singo used a Feather Fall scroll to escape a wyvern flying high above the valley, then reached Riding proficiency +3 while Steamed Bun reached +2.
• Alger watched their rapid progress and marveled that they might soon become Wyvern Knights.

After three days of trying, Steamed Bun finally subdued a wyvern and named it Noodles, joining Singo in completing the trial. Alger led them toward the master for their advancement ritual, though Noodles struggled to keep up because of exhaustion.

• Steamed Bun repeatedly lassoed and tried to ride the exhausted wyvern until it stopped resisting and submitted to him.
• Steamed Bun named the wyvern Noodles, while Singo arrived on his own mount, which he had named Wyvern.
• Singo asked Alger if they could advance, and Alger agreed, summoning Iger to take them to meet the master for the advancement ritual.
• Singo's wyvern flew after Iger, but Noodles was too exhausted to take off until Steamed Bun urged it onward.
• Retainers and hobgoblin guards watched the humans flying on wyverns in disbelief and discussed how previous trial participants had died or fled.

Alger brought Steamed Bun and Singo to meet Keosius, who accepted them as Red Scale Conquerors and transformed them into half-red dragons. The ritual also changed Steamed Bun’s wyvern Noodles into a stronger mount that could be resurrected through the Ancient Magic Array.

• Alger led Steamed Bun and Singo into Giant's Maw Cave, where they saw Keosius in his true Red Dragon form.
• Keosius declared that the players would serve as Red Scale Conquerors, and they swore loyalty to him and Ember Nest.
• Alger blindfolded the players and led them and their wyverns to a hidden cavern for the transformation ritual.
• Keosius used his bloodline gift to merge dragon blood into Steamed Bun and Singo, turning them into permanent half-red dragons with enhanced attributes and abilities.
• Noodles grew stronger and gained the ability to be resurrected through the Ancient Magic Array if Steamed Bun spent items of corresponding value.

Steamed Bun and Singo completed the Red Scale Road quest and became Red Scale Conquerors, gaining dragonlike forms and stronger bonds with their Wyverns. After reuniting with Xia Ye Qiuyu and Born Battle Maniac in Bator City, the group shared their advancements, and guides and videos about the new Dragon Knight path reached the players.

• Steamed Bun and Singo checked their improved stats and teased each other about their new dragonlike appearances and Charisma.
• Steamed Bun’s Born to Ride trait strengthened his bond with Noodles, who accidentally scorched his face while testing his new fire breath.
• Steamed Bun and Singo flew their Wyverns to Bator City’s Central Square, where players recognized them as newly advanced Red Scale Conquerors.
• Xia Ye Qiuyu and Born Battle Maniac congratulated them and showed off their own dragon-related advancements.
• Singo prepared to write a guide, Steamed Bun made a video, and their guide and the second Erezege Journal episode drew attention on the Player Forum.

The Dragon Vein Four-Person Team defeated a Greedy Hill Giant, with Steamed Bun landing the killing blow and reaching level four. After collecting the giant’s remains, Singo concluded that their next main quest would involve a large-scale war.

• The Dragon Vein Four-Person Team confronted a Greedy Hill Giant, and Born Battle Maniac charged it while Xia Ye Qiuyu enlarged him and scorched the giant with a spell.
• Born Battle Maniac severed the Hill Giant’s right arm, then grappled with it until Singo and Steamed Bun attacked from their Wyverns.
• Singo marked and shot the Hill Giant to draw its attention, allowing Steamed Bun to charge from behind and kill it with a lance through its skull.
• Steamed Bun gained enough experience to reach level four, while Singo and Born Battle Maniac collected the Hill Giant’s remains for crafting materials.
• Singo told the team that daily Hobgoblin and Lizardmen drills in Dragon Valley suggested their next main quest would be a large-scale war.

Royal Authority assessed the coming war against the northern kingdoms and prepared to fight for Ember Nest. Keosius announced the invasion to Bator City, rallied its people, and the players received a quest warning that the war would begin in about 30 days.

• Feng Yun told Overlord that nearly thirty thousand troops from the northern kingdoms were gathering in the Storm Highlands, and Royal Authority decided to fight rather than abandon its foothold in Bator City.
• Overlord planned to use the Mysterious Invitation and asked Da Dao about his Faction Contribution and plans to buy a Red Scale Conqueror.
• Keosius descended into Bator City and announced that the allied northern forces intended to destroy the city and its followers.
• Mezhuolash led the Tiefling Guard and the people of Bator City in cheering for Ember Nest, while Royal Authority members judged that Keosius made victory likely.
• The players received the Main Quest: Beginning of War, which set the invasion for about 30 days later and offered 150 Faction Contribution for each enemy killed.

Baron Todd plotted to kill Hart and report his ties to Ember Nest, but Hart and Charlotte exposed the banquet as a trap for Todd. The Magic Coin Guild captured Todd, and Charlotte claimed Sigg Town for the guild.

• Todd decided to invite Hart to a banquet and kill him so he could report the situation to his family.
• Todd attacked Hart, but his fangs broke against Hart’s dragon scales as Hart revealed his transformed body.
• The guards turned on Todd, Charlotte used magic to put him to sleep, and Hart praised her for the ambush.
• Charlotte stopped Hart from killing Todd because Lang Pu wanted to study the Vampire Spawn.
• The guards revealed themselves as members of the Magic Coin Guild, and Charlotte declared that Sigg Town now belonged to the guild.

Steel Frenzy and the Church of the Machine God used their smithing work at Dammon’s Blacksmith Shop to build a crude muzzle-loading shotgun. They successfully fired it, while Dammon went back to sleep after dismissing their experiment.

• Steel Frenzy hammered iron pipes at Dammon’s Blacksmith Shop, insisting that his work would shape the future.
• Dammon recalled how players had once tried to rob him and how their tireless work had since taken over his smithing tasks.
• The Church of the Machine God gathered materials and crafted a crude shotgun with a wrought iron barrel, a hammer firing mechanism, and cloth-wrapped pellets.
• Steel Frenzy loaded and fired the shotgun at a straw dummy, blasting it apart as the guild cheered.
• Dammon woke at the gunshot, grumbled at the players, and covered his face with his book to sleep again.

Steel Frenzy named the players’ first magical firearm Steel Sprayer and unlocked the hidden Artificer class, prompting Keosius to recruit his guild for the Red Dragon. Seven days later, the guild had established the Storm Armory in Bator City.

• Steel Frenzy named the crude shotgun Steel Sprayer, and the panel recognized it as a special magical weapon.
• Steel Frenzy unlocked the hidden Artificer class and accepted the class change despite losing experience.
• Keosius watched the players celebrate through a Magic Image and decided to bring the Church of the Machine God under his control.
• Lang Pu recruited Steel Frenzy and the guild with promises of funding and resources, and Steel Frenzy accepted a Dragon Blood Potion and joined the Red Dragon’s forces.
• With Bugbears and Ogres working overtime, the guild built the Storm Armory in Bator City within seven days.

Dolo tested the Enemy Breaker Fire rifle and arranged for Storm Armory to equip Ember Nest’s troops with the new weapon and a firing-line tactic. During a drill in Dragon Valley, Keosius watched the rifles destroy the targets and praised his followers as they prepared for war.

• Qie Xuebifu demonstrated that one Enemy Breaker Fire rifle could kill an aurochs, convincing Dolo of its value and prompting him to ask how many Storm Armory could make.
• Qie Xuebifu estimated that Storm Armory could produce three hundred rifles before the war, while Battlefield Wheelchair Man later delivered one hundred rifles and ammunition to the military camp.
• Battlefield Wheelchair Man taught Dolo the firing-line tactic developed for the rifles.
• Three days later, Dolo presented an armed Hobgoblin unit during a military drill at Dragon Valley.
• The Hobgoblins fired on the straw targets and destroyed them, and Keosius praised the troops as they cheered for him and Ember Nest.

Keosius read Darena Cuidu’s report on the Northern Three Kingdoms’ allied forces and recognized it as an effort to demonstrate her abilities. After testing her honesty, he allowed her to seek power and status at Ember Nest and sent her to his steward for a job.

• Keosius read Darena Cuidu’s report, which described the allied army’s strength and the Lakman Duchy’s ranks of soldiers.
• Keosius ordered Dolo to bring Darena to him, and Darena entered Ember Nest.
• Darena tried to charm Keosius, but he stopped her and demanded that she explain what she wanted.
• Darena admitted that she wanted power and status, and Keosius used Detect Lies to confirm she was truthful.
• Keosius accepted Darena’s ambition and told her to find Lang Pu, who would arrange a suitable job for her.

After surviving capture by Hill Giants and Half-Orcs, Lang Li Bai Tiao reached North Wind Fortress but was detained at the gate and taken to a grim refugee shelter. Locked underground among bloodthirsty Blood Slaves, he was singled out by a noblewoman named Lady Alexia.

• Lang Li Bai Tiao arrived at North Wind Fortress after escaping Hill Giants and Half-Orc slavers, determined to make a new life.
• A city guard refused Lang Li Bai Tiao entry without five Silver Coins, then prevented him from leaving on suspicion that he was a spy.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao waited with the guards until a squad escorted him and other refugees through the city gate.
• The guards took Lang Li Bai Tiao to a remote refugee shelter and locked him in an underground iron cage among emaciated prisoners.
• The prisoners revealed glowing red eyes and cried for blood, leading Lang Li Bai Tiao to suspect they were Vampires.
• Lady Alexia arrived at the shelter, and her guard pointed Lang Li Bai Tiao out to her.

Alexia chose Lang Li Bai Tiao as food for her father, Duke Brad Lachmann, who drained his blood and transformed him into a Vampire Spawn. After discovering his new abilities, Lang Li Bai Tiao picked his cage lock and escaped by clinging to the ceiling.

• Alexia ordered her guards to take Lang Li Bai Tiao to Duke Brad Lachmann as his dinner.
• Brad Lachmann drained Lang Li Bai Tiao's blood and transformed him into a Vampire Spawn.
• The guards locked Lang Li Bai Tiao in an iron cage, and his panel revealed his new traits and weaknesses.
• Lang Li Bai Tiao picked the cage lock and escaped by climbing onto the ceiling.