Chapter Summaries

Derek oversaw Celebration Day’s military parade and festivities, using the display of force and a tax cut to strengthen the Northern Duchy’s authority and popular support. At the banquet, he appeared to accept the Barbarian envoy’s request to return refugees, while Dagu understood that he was to investigate them carefully first.

• Derek watched the military units parade, and the crowd eventually cheered for Sheriff’s new infantry regiment despite its unassuming appearance.
• Derek and Duchess Tiona laughed at the envoys’ reactions and agreed to invite clowns to perform that evening.
• Derek announced a ten-percent tax reduction for the following year, prompting cheers across the duchy and leaving foreign delegations speechless.
• The nations presented gifts and requests at the banquet, and the Barbarian envoy asked Derek to stop accepting refugees and return those who had fled.
• Derek told Dagu to investigate the Barbarian refugees carefully before sending them back, and Dagu understood the instruction.

Derek received envoys from neighboring kingdoms and agreed to negotiate a halt to fighting with the Holy Cross Kingdom while continuing to press the Northern Duchy's internal development. He reviewed population growth, ordered officials to encourage childbirth and sea travel, and Sheriff saw the Duchy's system direct substantial resources toward the new infantry.

• The Locke Kingdom's envoy offered King Arthur's recognition of the Northern Duchy, but Derek ignored the implied request to stop supporting Radick.
• The Holy Cross Kingdom's envoy asked Derek to halt the border war, and Derek agreed to send representatives for negotiations.
• Derek reviewed reports showing rising adult population and ordered officials to keep encouraging childbirth, threatening harsh punishment for anyone sabotaging the policy.
• Derek instructed officials to continue recruiting commoners willing to go to sea and rebuked one official for complaining that the task was difficult.
• Derek assigned administrative matters to officials while maintaining overall control, and Sheriff experienced the Duchy's system directing concentrated resources to the new infantry.

The Northern Duchy prepared a new-model infantry regiment while its New Continent colonies expanded. After Logue discovered a gold mine, Brack agreed to report it to the Duke and establish a protected mining camp, where Overseer Abraham recognized the gold nugget.

• The Northern Duchy assigned a barracks to the new-model infantry regiment, and trained recruits began basic training under platoon leaders.
• Logue built a colonial town that offered land and a path to freedom for commoners and criminals arriving with Lawrence's fleet.
• Logue showed Brack a gold nugget, and Brack chose to confirm the discovery and report it to the Duke rather than claim the mine for himself.
• Brack and Logue agreed to send an armed advance team to establish a temporary camp at the gold mine.
• Brack asked Overseer Abraham whether he had seen gold, and Abraham recognized the nugget.

Abraham led Brack’s men to gold ore near an abandoned tribal camp, prompting Brack to establish mines and capture more black slaves. In Pulan City, Duke Leopold arrived to inspect the newly established infantry regiment, where Sheriff stood among its officers.

• Abraham told Brack that gold-colored stones could be found near his tribe, and Brack sent men to investigate while keeping their guard up.
• The group found Abraham’s abandoned tribal camp, where he showed them gold ore that had been used as a latrine stepping stone.
• Abraham revealed that more ore lay upstream, and Brack’s men found it, established mines, and intensified the capture of black slaves.
• In Pulan City, Duke Leopold’s carriage arrived at the military camp to inspect the new infantry regiment, and Sheriff welcomed his brother.
• Tiona praised Sheriff and suggested finding him a suitable wife from her family, and Derek agreed to let her look into it.
• Duke Leopold and Tiona alighted as officers gathered around them for the regiment’s official establishment.

Derek established nine Royal Guard Infantry Regiments as the Duchy transitioned to a new military system, appointing Sheriff to command Regiment 1. Sheriff’s new post brought him close to the Duke, but over dinner he hinted that he wanted to leave the garrison and earn glory elsewhere.

• Derek announced the new infantry’s three-by-three organization and appointed Sheriff commander of Royal Guard Infantry Regiment 1.
• Derek divided authority among commanders, staff officers, adjutants, and political instructors while the nine regiments were formed.
• Royal Guard Infantry Regiments 1, 2, and 3 began guarding the Duke and Duchess, while the other regiments helped defend Pulan City.
• Sheriff dined with Derek and the Duchess, and Derek warned him to mind his manners if he hoped to find a wife.
• Derek saw through Sheriff’s hints that he wanted to seek glory elsewhere, and Sheriff sat up to make his case.

Derek promised Sheriff a future military opportunity while planning to keep him close and advance his standing. Meanwhile, Count Perez visited Tiona, concealing his strength behind an act of frailty, and recognized how much her life had changed.

• Sheriff asked Derek to let him join a future campaign, and Derek promised to send him when an opportunity arose.
• Tiona discussed Sheriff and Qin’s upbringing with Derek, who then considered how keeping Sheriff close could help his career.
• Count Perez decided Sheriff was a promising prospect and visited Tiona, arriving with a cane and pretending to be unsteady.
• Tiona supported her grandfather and served him bitter coffee from Ganard, which he asked to take home.
• Count Perez saw how different Tiona had become and was briefly dazed.

The Old Count negotiated with Tiona to build her a private army in exchange for support in finding Sheriff a suitable wife from the Perez Family. Derek approved the new regiment, and Perez family members soon arrived at Swan Castle.

• The Old Count urged Tiona to consider a Perez Family noblewoman for Sheriff, and she agreed to prioritize the family while noting that Derek would also have to approve.
• The Old Count offered to fund an infantry regiment commanded by Tiona’s brother as a long-term investment in her power.
• Tiona accepted the offer and asked the Old Count to arrange visits from her younger sisters of suitable age.
• Tiona told Derek about the Old Count’s visit, and Derek sent him a horse and a gun while inviting him to hunt in autumn.
• Derek approved the Tenth Guards Infantry Regiment, assigned its equipment and weapons to Philip, and left its operation to Tiona.
• The Old Count quickly supplied personnel and funds, Sheriff was asked to help train the regiment, and Perez Family noblewomen arrived at Swan Castle.

Tiona welcomed the Perez Family's young ladies after arranging resources and recruits for their training. In the south, Prince Radick launched a campaign against his elder brother while investing in his Firearms Workshop, whose production remained limited.

• Tiona surveyed the training grounds, reflected on her agreement with the Old Count, and ordered a welcoming banquet for the Perez Family's young ladies and Sheriff.
• Prince Radick decided to attack his elder brother, Arthur, rather than risk alienating the Southern Nobles who supported him.
• Radick inspected his Firearms Workshop and urged its manager to expand production, while the manager aimed to reach five hundred muskets a month.
• The manager asked Master Smith John to recruit more workers, unaware that the craftsmen under Radick had been shaped by someone else.
• Radick's army set out as firearm workshops spread across the south, where production stayed low and the knightly class resisted change.

Radick launched an attack against King Arthur’s forces and began his counterattack. In the Northern Duchy, Derek asked Count Little Jefferies to become Governor of Ganard, revealing that the New Continent’s gold mine and future migration made it a crucial assignment.

• Radick used detailed intelligence to attack the defenders and trample King Arthur’s flag, beginning his counterattack.
• Derek considered sending more people to Ganard after Lawrence returned with a gold nugget from the New Continent.
• Count Little Jefferies pledged personal loyalty to Derek and asked to become his knight attendant.
• Derek offered Count Little Jefferies the governorship of Ganard, explaining the gold mine’s value and the duchy’s plans for large-scale migration.
• Count Little Jefferies realized that accepting the post could preserve his family’s position as the Jefferies Family faced decline.

Count Little Jefferies accepted the governorship of the New Continent and sailed there with a powerful fleet supplied by the Northern Duchy. Seeing the duchy's formidable naval and port defenses convinced him to dedicate himself to protecting his family's future and abandon any thoughts of opposing Duke Leopold.

• Count Little Jefferies pledged to guard the New Continent for Derek and left Swan Castle determined to fight for his family's survival.
• Count Little Jefferies took command of a fleet at Digen Port, where Andrew welcomed him and he felt the power of his new position.
• Captain George demonstrated the fleet's firepower by destroying targets and lifeboats with three volleys.
• Count Little Jefferies visited White Sands Port and saw the duchy's well-equipped ports and disciplined soldiers.
• Count Little Jefferies arrived in Ganard, impressed by the duchy's overseas strength and resolved to serve the duke.

Count Little Jefferies arrived at the New Continent and learned that the Southern Nobles had been defeated by white-skinned forces. A week earlier, those forces had launched a retaliatory fleet against the Southern Nobles’ port, where their ships began systematically destroying the shore batteries.

• Brack and Logue welcomed Governor Count Little Jefferies and warned him that the Southern Nobles had suffered a severe defeat and a new threat had entered the region.
• Count Little Jefferies set aside the welcoming festivities and asked for details and the number of troops available in the New Continent.
• The Southern Nobles celebrated their victory and gains from the gem mine while the white-skinned fleet approached their port.
• The port’s lookout spotted the fleet, and the general ordered the artillery and knights to prepare for battle.
• The Southern Nobles’ cannons fired on the approaching ships, but the fleet’s experienced officers returned fire and began clearing the shore batteries.

The Southern Nobles' conservative forces lost their shore batteries to a fleet's superior naval guns, then sent a Knight Order to repel the landing force. The knights broke through artillery fire and scattered the musketeers, leaving the battle unresolved at close range.

• The fleet lured the shore batteries into firing, then destroyed them with long-range naval guns while the port general dismissed the losses.
• After confirming the batteries were silent, the fleet landed troops and artillery under cover of its warships.
• The general sent infantry to probe the landing force, but artillery fire drove them back, so he led the Knight Order into battle.
• The Knight Order charged through artillery and musket fire, taking heavier losses than expected before scattering the musketeers at close range.

The Empire's fleet bombarded the battlefield, seized the harbor and gemstone mine, and occupied the surrounding area. Governor Kallen and Adam then prepared to raise colonial forces, while Adam secretly passed intelligence onward to Brack and the Northern Duchy.

• The Imperial officers agreed to sacrifice the troops already ashore and opened fire with heavy naval guns, devastating both the enemy and their own soldiers.
• The Empire landed fresh troops, captured the city and gemstone mine, and occupied the harbor region.
• Baron Kallen cursed the loss of the harbor, and Adam urged Governor Kallen to seek support and prepare for an enemy advance.
• Governor Kallen authorized Adam to recruit soldiers and forcibly conscript black slaves as cannon fodder.
• Adam secretly handed new intelligence to a colonial tavern owner, and a week later copies reached Brack and the Northern Duchy.

Adam passed intelligence to the Northern Duchy and studied the Southern Nobles Alliance’s defeat as the colonies prepared for conflict with the white-skinned folks. Derek ordered faster migration and formed the First Guards Brigade to reinforce the New Continent, where the brigade set sail after being assembled and equipped.

• Adam cooperated with the Northern Duchy, handed over the latest intelligence, and questioned routed soldiers about the battle.
• Brack, Logue, and Count Little Jefferies agreed to prepare for war, organize musketeers, and defend the Northern Duchy’s colonial foundation around the silver mine.
• Derek reviewed reports of the Southern Nobles Alliance’s losses and ordered migration and support for the New Continent to accelerate.
• Derek formed the First Guards Brigade from Royal Guard Infantry Regiment 2, Royal Guard Infantry Regiment 4, Royal Guard Infantry Regiment 5, and two newly formed regiments, and ordered craftsmen to establish local factories.
• The Northern Duchy assembled and equipped the brigade with more than eight thousand personnel, then sent its first supplies ahead and dispatched the troops by ship to the New Continent.

A new ironclad completed its successful sea trials near Nameless Island, giving Derek’s technological ambitions a major boost. Derek told Tiona the ship would soon let him crown her queen, and they agreed to leave for Digen Port after daybreak.

• The Northern Duchy delayed Sheriff’s recruitment while the Southern Nobles Alliance gathered supplies and sent weapons and soldiers to the New Continent.
• Craftsmen at Nameless Island celebrated the ironclad after it reached a top speed of twenty knots and a displacement of one thousand and twenty tons.
• Philip sent news of the successful trials to Derek and began planning improvements to the ship’s weapons and structure.
• Derek prepared to leave for Digen Port at midnight, but Tiona persuaded him to wait until morning.
• Derek told Tiona the ironclad would soon enable him to put a queen’s crown on her head.

Derek and Tiona traveled from Digen Port to Nameless Island aboard an experimental ironclad, where Derek reflected on the power of the age and declared that the world was round. They arrived to find Philip still loyally guarding the Duke’s interests.

• Derek gave Tiona an excuse for their visit to Digen Port, and Andrew covered for the Duke and Duchess while they secretly departed aboard a warship.
• Tiona became seasick during the voyage until an experimental ironclad arrived, and Derek brought her aboard their new ride.
• Derek admired the ironclad and said that the land beneath them was round after spotting a ship’s sail appear over the horizon.
• Derek and Tiona arrived at Nameless Island, where Philip welcomed them with a formal kneeling ritual.
• Derek praised Philip’s recent work, and Philip credited the results to the Duke’s grace.

Derek and Tiona toured Nameless Island’s research facilities, where Derek proposed building steam-powered iron trains and encouraged the technicians to pursue the project. After returning to Digen Port, he ordered the front line to make small advances against the Holy Cross Kingdom despite their agreement.

• Derek and Tiona visited Nameless Island’s research projects, and Derek thanked the technicians for their work supporting the Northern Duchy.
• Derek proposed steam-powered iron vehicles running on tracks, and the Steam Engine section tested the idea with an old engine and several carts.
• Derek instructed Philip to prioritize the Steam Train project, test the finalized Ironclad design, and reward talented workers.
• Derek and Tiona returned by ship to Digen Port, where Andrew briefed Derek on the Holy Cross Kingdom’s fears and the troops’ readiness to advance.
• Derek ordered the front line to ignore the agreement and nibble away at the Holy Cross forces on a small scale.

Colonel Robert led the First Guards Brigade to Ganard and began securing territory for the Northern Duchy, capturing Black Slave tribes and building a stable rear base. When the mines could not handle the influx of captives, Brack warned Robert about the shortage of food and capacity, but Robert dismissed the problem.

• Robert arrived in Ganard with the First Guards Brigade and refused Count Little Jefferies' welcoming banquet so he could take charge of supplies and local intelligence.
• Logue briefed Robert on the region and provided a rough map, after which Robert seized favorable terrain, established fortresses, and deployed troops to clear the rear.
• The brigade attacked a Black Slave Tribe, seized its precious metals, burned the settlement, and forced hundreds of captives into service.
• Brack told Robert that the mines could not accommodate so many slaves and that food was running short.
• Robert suggested selling or killing the excess captives, but Brack insisted they would need the labor later and were only temporarily short on food.

Brack assigned Abraham to organize black slaves to farm, promising him the chance to join the Northern Duchy. When the slaves resisted, Abraham crushed their rebellion with help from Brack’s armed men, forcing them back to work.

• Brack decided to make the black slaves farm and summoned Abraham to lead the effort.
• Abraham accepted the task and hired farmers to advise him, but the slaves made little progress.
• Abraham hanged two slaves to intimidate the others into working harder.
• The slaves plotted a rebellion against Abraham, but informants revealed their plan.
• Abraham requested armed support from Brack, and dozens of rebels were shot before they could act.

Abraham crushed the black slaves’ plotting with executions and forced labor, while Brack backed his rule. Meanwhile, Colonel Robert prepared a military operation against the white-skinned settlers and named it the New Year's Gift Operation.

• Abraham had several black slaves executed, threatened to hang the slowest worker, and drove the rest back to the fields.
• Brack rejected objections to Abraham’s brutality and ordered that he be judged by results.
• Abraham told hired farmers he intended to finish planting on schedule, even if half the workers died.
• Colonel Robert ordered his staff to plan an attack near Gemstone Port using a route through inland rivers.
• Robert approved the completed operation plan and named it the New Year's Gift Operation.