Chapter Summaries

Fernandez arranged the Bruno Royal Family’s escape from the collapsing Holy Cross Kingdom to the New Continent, while Derek allowed the evacuation to continue until the family had moved enough people and resources. As the Northern Duchy began its final assault, Fernandez secretly boarded an ironclad merchant vessel with King Bruno and his most trusted troops.

• Fernandez told King Bruno that the Holy Cross Kingdom could hold out for only half a year and proposed relocating the Bruno Family to the New Continent.
• Fernandez secretly evacuated royal elites, scholars, slaves, factories, and a modified firearm Production Line while arranging additional ships.
• Derek learned of the Bruno Royal Family’s fleet, rejected the Navy Ministry’s request to intercept it, and allowed the evacuation to proceed.
• Fernandez continued moving people overseas and delaying with the army as the Northern Duchy advanced.
• Derek ordered the Northern Duchy’s army to accelerate after the Bruno Royal Family had evacuated enough personnel.
• Fernandez secretly boarded an ironclad merchant vessel with King Bruno and his most dependable troops as Man Niu ordered a full-scale assault on the western front.

Sanger’s successful return with Steam Engine technology accelerated industrial and naval expansion, while the Northern Duchy’s fleet pressured the Griffin Kingdom. Peter urged Count Andre to support a proposal that would give the Northern Duchy control of the port as Sleepless Port, leaving Andre torn over whether to cooperate.

• Sanger returned to the Southern Continent with a larger caravan after the White-skinned scholars began reproducing Steam Engines from the documents he brought back.
• The Northern Duchy sent more than twenty ironclads to the Griffin Kingdom’s waters, alarming the kingdom and emboldening its comprador faction.
• Count Andre’s proposed resistance to the Northern Duchy met fierce opposition from the compradors around him, and he drank alone in a port city.
• Peter visited Andre, saying the duchy fleet would make their business easier and asking him to advance their cooperation.
• Peter asked Andre to propose a Port Authority that would independently manage the port under the new name Sleepless Port, and Andre hesitated over the consequences.

Count Andre joined the comprador nobles’ break with the Griffin Kingdom as the Northern Duchy’s fleet backed Sleepless Port, spreading the war across the kingdom. Meanwhile, the Southern Nobles Alliance continued resisting the Northern Duchy, and Viscount Chavez met with Count Began’s growing faction despite no longer sharing their goals.

• Count Andre carried Peter’s proposal to the council meeting while Peter and his colleagues watched from across the street.
• The comprador nobles declared Sleepless Port independent, drove out royal troops, and welcomed Adrian’s fleet into the harbor.
• When Griffin Kingdom forces attacked, Count Andre’s private army repelled them, while coastal nobles joined Sleepless Port’s rebellion.
• The Southern Nobles Alliance continued resisting the Northern Duchy, though news of the Griffin Kingdom’s war raised doubts about how long it could hold out.
• Viscount Chavez reflected that he no longer shared the great nobles’ path, then entered Count Began’s estate.

Viscount Chavez attended Count Began’s gathering and secretly noted which nobles supported the war so he could report them to the Northern Duchy. On the New Continent, Fernandez welcomed King Bruno and the royal family to their remote settlement, then began capturing local Black Slaves for labor and urged his brother to take Black Slave girls as favored women.

• Viscount Chavez greeted Count Began, pressed him to fulfill his promise, and listened as nobles discussed joining the war and the New Continent.
• King Bruno and the royal family arrived at the New Continent’s eastern harbor and complained about its poor conditions.
• Fernandez questioned his aides about local tribes, resources, and factories, then led an army against a nearby Black Slave Tribe.
• Fernandez’s soldiers captured seven hundred Black Slaves, and he took a girl and her family to his residence.
• King Bruno questioned Fernandez about favoring a slave, and Fernandez urged him to favor Black Slave girls as well.

King Bruno agreed to Fernandez’s plan to use Black Slave women to rebuild the royal bloodline, while Governor Jefferies and General Logue prepared to return from the New Continent to report to the homeland. Their voyage left the colony poised to present its growing wealth and seek new projects and influence.

• Fernandez persuaded King Bruno that the kingdom needed Black Slave women to restore its population and strength, and King Bruno reluctantly agreed.
• Governor Jefferies reviewed the colony’s growth and chose a plan to clear the inland river and build a railway to connect Gemstone Port with the City of Silver.
• Governor Jefferies and General Logue requested permission to return to the homeland and report on their duties, and Derek approved the request.
• Governor Jefferies arranged transport ships and loaded them with local specialties before departing with General Logue and a large escort fleet.

Little Governor Jefferies sailed from the colony to the Northern Duchy to advance the colony’s construction plans and strengthen its political standing. After receiving a grand welcome at White Sand Port, he continued toward Digen Port, where Customs Director Andrew prepared to receive him amid growing mainland interest in the colony.

• Little Governor Jefferies led the Colonial Fleet along the public sea lanes toward the Northern Duchy, where ships recognized the Colonial Governor's Mansion's flag and kept their distance.
• Adrian dispatched a squadron to greet the Colonial Fleet at the White Sand Archipelago, where warships formed lines and fired salutes for Little Governor Jefferies.
• Sanger watched the fleet's arrival, then learned at White Sands Port that Count Little Jefferies, the Colonial Governor, had arrived and delayed his own departure for three days.
• Little Governor Jefferies rested at White Sands Port with Port Governor Ben before setting out on his return journey as merchants and nobles sought to approach or obstruct the colonial delegation.
• Andrew prepared to welcome Little Governor Jefferies at Digen Port, where warships crowded the sea route and customs and port officials turned out in force.

Count Little Jefferies returned to the Northern Duchy and used ceremony, gifts, and visits to strengthen the Colonial Government’s connections. As his delegation traveled by special train to Pulan City, they saw how much the duchy had developed during their absence.

• Count Little Jefferies arrived at Digen Port, where Andrew welcomed him and the two exchanged warm greetings despite their mutual distrust.
• Andrew hosted a banquet for the colonial delegation, and Little Jefferies gave Golden Camellia tea to senior figures and Silver Camellia tea to minor officials and clerks.
• Little Jefferies visited the Military Shipyard, the weapons factory, and other departments to maintain the colonies’ ties with the homeland.
• The delegation boarded a special train to Pulan City and discovered colonial products among its decorations.
• Little Jefferies and his companions watched prosperous towns and developed stations pass by, recognizing that the Northern Duchy had grown stronger.

Count Little Jefferies returned to Pulan City and met with Derek to discuss the colony’s situation and his proposed route plan. Derek approved the plan in principle, offered to send colonial officials, and asked for a crate of Golden Camellia.

• Count Little Jefferies stopped at a market stall during his train journey and bought every toy, leaving a Gold Coin without taking change.
• Count Little Jefferies returned to his residence in Pulan City and spent three days with his family before traveling to Swan Castle.
• Derek told Count Little Jefferies that he approved the proposed route plan in principle, pending a review by the relevant departments.
• Count Little Jefferies reported the colony’s difficulties and developments, and Derek praised his work managing its hundreds of thousands of citizens.
• Derek offered to transfer officials to the colony’s departments and asked Count Little Jefferies to send him a crate of Golden Camellia.

Derek used Count Little Jefferies’s submitted list to target officials for investigation, and the Eighth Investigation Department began vetting colonial officials. Andre failed the review after investigators judged that he had lost loyalty to the Duke, putting an end to his prospects in government.

• Derek revised Count Little Jefferies’s list using intelligence from the Ninth Investigation Department and assigned the Eighth Investigation Department to investigate those named.
• Count Little Jefferies kept a low profile as colonial officials returning home began receiving new appointments.
• Andre entered a political vetting interview confident that his colleague’s recent appointment meant he would pass too.
• Andre claimed loyalty to the Duke, but the lead investigator identified his reaction as evidence of disloyalty.
• The investigators recommended dismissing Andre and sentencing him to five years of labor reeducation, and his review was marked failed.

Little Governor Jefferies accepted the Duke’s judgment of Andre and became more cautious after pleading guilty. Meanwhile, Sanger returned to Pulan City and approached Professor Wenger to renew their trade and recruit scholars and engineers.

• Little Governor Jefferies saw that Andre had received a harsh sentence for insufficient loyalty, then pleaded guilty to the Duke and emerged more wary.
• Reports from the Overseas Colony drew brief attention in the Duchy’s newspapers.
• Sanger returned to Pulan City, found that no one was watching him, and searched for steam-engine knowledge at Hadley University.
• Sanger read about colonial appointments and dismissals before meeting Professor Wenger at a teahouse.
• Professor Wenger warned Sanger not to threaten him and reminded him that the intermediary could protect local interests.
• Sanger offered Professor Wenger gold bars to continue their trade and help him hire scholars and engineers.

Professor Wenger accepted Sanger’s gold to recruit scholars and engineers for work in the Griffin Kingdom, unaware that the Eighth Investigation Department was monitoring them. He began the recruitment at Hadley University, while the investigators continued to follow the operation.

• Professor Wenger agreed to recruit scholars and engineers for Sanger in exchange for a gold bar and the promise of doubled wages.
• Investigators from the Eighth Investigation Department recorded the men discussing a plan to trick students and engineers into traveling to the Griffin Kingdom and abduct them.
• The investigators held back from intervening and left surveillance teams to monitor Professor Wenger and Sanger.
• Professor Wenger refined a plan to recruit people indirectly so he could deny responsibility if they disappeared.
• At Hadley University, Professor Wenger told his students to draft a notice offering graduates work in the Griffin Kingdom for double pay.

Sanger used Professor Wenger’s reputation to recruit scholars and engineers for work in the Griffin Kingdom, concealing his real goal of stealing technology. Benjamin, a disgruntled Hadley University graduate, accepted Sanger’s generous offer and agreed to go abroad.

• Professor Wenger’s student posted Sanger’s recruitment announcement, while the Eighth Investigation Department secretly monitored it and arranged for suitable candidates to learn about the job.
• Benjamin, resentful of his stalled career and alienated from the Northern Duchy, decided to pursue the highly paid position in the Griffin Kingdom.
• Benjamin visited Sanger’s trading company and introduced himself as a senior steam machinery engineer from Hadley University’s first graduating class.
• Sanger offered Benjamin a relocation allowance, a high annual salary, and performance bonuses for maintaining machinery at his factories.
• Benjamin and Sanger discussed the job and compensation, came to an agreement, and left Sanger praising Professor Wenger’s reliability.

Benjamin joined Sanger’s group of recruited engineers and scholars on a voyage from Pulan City toward the United Kingdom, believing he had found a generous employer. After they left Northern Duchy territory, the sailors’ treatment of the recruits changed, and Benjamin realized the crew might be acting against them.

• Sanger recruited Benjamin and other blacklisted specialists, then arranged for them to leave Pulan City by train and ship while the Eighth Investigation Department watched them depart.
• Benjamin enjoyed the journey and trusted Sanger, who treated him respectfully and asked him technical questions.
• At a supply port under the duchy fleet’s jurisdiction, a tax officer inspected Sanger’s papers and cargo before allowing the ship to sail.
• After the ship left the White Sand Archipelago, the sailors stopped treating the recruits deferentially, though Sanger kept his polite manner.
• Benjamin noticed the cook’s gloating look when he passed leftover shrimp to Engineer Jack and suspected the crew had deliberately changed its behavior.

Sanger exposed the limits of Jack’s influence aboard the ship, making Benjamin realize they had been deceived. Meanwhile, Derek used the Military Shipyard’s public warship-building program as bait while the shipyard began constructing larger experimental vessels.

• Jack demanded sea prawns, but the cook defied him and revealed that they were no longer under Northern Duchy authority.
• Sanger intervened, ordered another plate for Jack, and refused to punish the cook, leaving Benjamin to realize he had been deceived.
• Derek expanded investment in steam warships and allowed news of the Military Shipyard’s experimental construction to spread as bait.
• The yard director inspected a Warrior-class ship being built for the Ganard Naval Command and urged the workers to take care with it.
• The yard director examined a much larger experimental warship as the Ministry of Navy developed requirements for battleships, frigates, and destroyers.

Derek oversaw the installation of electric lights at Swan Castle and tested an enormous, crude automobile powered by a Diesel Engine. Meanwhile, the Duke's Mansion stirred public speculation by leaking exaggerated stories about the Military Shipyard and steam technology.

• The Factory Director inspected the Military Shipyard and left to leak information and guide public opinion.
• Derek finished wiring Swan Castle, and a Diesel Engine powered its first electric lights.
• Derek directed craftsmen to build a large automobile, drove it around, and ordered researchers to improve its steering and engines.
• Derek read an exaggerated newspaper article about a massive battleship and praised the effort behind the publicity campaign.
• Reporters spread sensational claims about new advances in steam technology, and intelligence agents treated the reports as possible sources of information.

Matt, a United Kingdom intelligence operative, fabricated and resold a report about the Northern Duchy’s warship construction, and the rumors spread to Count Andre amid the Griffin Kingdom’s industrial expansion. The Northern Duchy’s machinery exports surged as foreign buyers sought equipment, while its Eighth Investigation Department realized enemy agents were spreading its disinformation for it.

• Matt wrote a misleading report claiming the Military Shipyard was developing warships, and he sold the intelligence through multiple channels.
• Count Andre’s coup expanded the lands held by the new nobles, while the Griffin Kingdom accelerated its steam industrialization and imported Northern Duchy machinery.
• Count Andre read Matt’s report, believed its claims about a twenty-thousand-ton warship, and decided to make further contact with Matt.
• Matt resold his intelligence to multiple clients, who vouched for the report and made it more credible.
• The Eighth Investigation Department watched the deception spread, and demand for the Northern Duchy’s machinery, including secondhand machines, rose sharply.

Adrian oversaw the launch of a new destroyer and reviewed intelligence as the United Kingdom began improving its Steam Engines with Benjamin’s help. When Commander Lawrence ordered a blockade of Gemstone Port’s waters, the Ganard Naval Command intercepted a United Kingdom merchant convoy, prompting Sanger to propose a new route.

• Adrian attended the launch of an experimental destroyer and promised the Military Shipyard a separate budget for the following year.
• Benjamin and his colleagues improved the United Kingdom’s Steam Engine, and Sanger rewarded them while persuading Benjamin to work for the United Kingdom.
• Sanger began establishing a shipyard to develop warships powered by Steam Engines.
• Commander Lawrence ordered the Ganard Naval Command to blockade the waters around Gemstone Port and force the United Kingdom to negotiate.
• The Imperial and its accompanying warships intercepted a United Kingdom merchant convoy, and Sanger proposed bypassing Gemstone Port with a new route.

Sanger shifted from direct business to wielding political influence and used the United Kingdom’s resources to court Benjamin and his fellow engineers and scholars. After Sanger offered Benjamin a chance to improve his life by working with him, Benjamin agreed to cooperate.

• After losing ships to Gemstone Port, Sanger changed his strategy, gained command of a squadron, and built factories in the New Continent.
• Sanger used United Kingdom funding and lavish banquets to cultivate Benjamin and the other outsiders, some of whom no longer wanted to return home.
• At a banquet, Sanger privately apologized to Benjamin for deceiving him and suggested he could find better prospects by working with the United Kingdom’s powerful interests.
• Benjamin discussed Sanger’s proposal with the engineers and scholars who had come with him, and they agreed that cooperating was worth the risk.
• Benjamin decided to accept Sanger’s offer and work with him.

Benjamin, Sanger, and other engineers built a steelworks and helped drive rapid industrial expansion, while Derek encouraged the spread of steam machinery and the colonies began attracting more immigrants. At Digen Port, Good sailed for the New Continent with a new mixed-blood companion, hoping to build a career there.

• Sanger helped Benjamin and other experts secure private work and political backing, and they built a steelworks that supplied shipyards and earned them a fortune.
• Benjamin and his associates expanded into other industries, while steam-powered factories spread through the colonies and the Northern Duchy pursued industrial upgrades.
• Derek encouraged the circulation of steam machinery but concealed advanced materials, warships, and general technological knowledge.
• By the eighth year of the Duchy, colonial factories offered new jobs, and rising immigration brought crowds to Digen Port.
• Good left his family for the New Continent and befriended a poor mixed-blood youth aboard the crowded ship, inviting him to work with him after they arrived.

Good built a small transport business in the New Continent, then used his savings and a government loan to order a hundred-ton passenger ship. His deal drew the attention of Governor Jefferies as the colony prepared for a new phase of rapid growth.

• After arriving in Silver Port, Good left with a Barbarian mixed-race youth and began trading and carrying goods between settlements along the new waterway.
• Good expanded his business, hiring workers, buying black slaves, and growing his fleet to seven or eight boats.
• Good watched Governor Jefferies open the railway linking Silver City and the riverway, then decided to start a river transport company.
• Good borrowed tens of thousands of Gold Coins from the Colonial Government and negotiated an installment deal with Silver Shipyard for a modified hundred-ton passenger ship.
• The shipyard began building Good’s vessel, and Governor Jefferies took notice of the colony’s largest private ship order and encouraged civilian transport.