Chapter Summaries

Empress Tiona disciplined her Perez relatives during her grandfather’s funeral, while Derek’s decree granted Baronet Perez Jr. a count’s title and a fief. As she prepared to leave, Tiona confronted Knight Mihal for using her and the Imperial Prince’s names to cultivate ties with high officials.

• Tiona rebuked Knight Mihal and her uncles, telling Baronet Perez Jr. that their grandfather had wanted him to claim the family inheritance himself.
• Tiona warned Second Uncle Borg to guard the family estate and threatened to strip his title if he again indulged Knight Mihal.
• An attendant delivered Derek’s decree granting Baronet Perez Jr. the title of Count and a fief in the New Continent.
• The Old Marquis’s funeral proceeded smoothly, with Northland Nobles and representatives of the Empire’s high officials paying their respects.
• Knight Mihal asked Tiona to restore his title after promising to stay home, but she condemned him for using her and Qin’s names to cultivate ties with high officials.

Tiona warned Knight Mihal that his foolish behavior had cost him a future fief, noble titles for his brothers, and official posts, and he begged her to intervene. In Great Xia, Year 14, Dagu withdrew part of his salary as newly introduced Gold Vouchers, then hurried home.

• Tiona told Knight Mihal that his misconduct had cost him and his brothers their planned rewards, and he begged her to ask His Majesty for forgiveness.
• After the New Year, the chapter shifted to Great Xia in Year 14, where rising productivity and an influx of gold and silver had invigorated the market.
• Dagu visited the Royal Bank and withdrew one hundred Gold Coins, choosing to take half in Gold Vouchers to support the Emperor's new policy.
• The teller explained how to identify counterfeit Gold Vouchers while Dagu examined the notes and judged the overseas merchant waiting behind him.
• Dagu rode home to his rented three-courtyard residence and greeted the old soldier who had fallen asleep at the gate.

After Dagu became an imperial envoy, officials and nobles showered him with gifts, and the Emperor told him to keep them. As Dagu accepted his new fortune, uneasy colonial interests began seeking an indirect way to reach him through his relatives in Walter City.

• The Colonial Governor's Mansion sent Dagu gifts from Ganard, and he worried that accepting them might count as corruption.
• Dagu and his wife inventoried the gifts, and Dagu explained why colonial governors and nobles used wealth to secure loyalty.
• Great nobles sent Dagu more gifts, leaving him unsure whether he could resist such riches.
• An Eighth Investigation Department agent relayed the Emperor's verbal decree allowing Dagu to keep the gifts, and Dagu confidently agreed.
• People anxious about Dagu's upcoming inspection quietly traveled to Walter City to approach his relatives indirectly.

Dagu’s family in Walter City was forced to accept lavish, anonymous gifts from people seeking influence, and the Eighth Investigation Department tracked the visitors. After learning how much wealth the New Continent brought the Empire, Dagu received leave and instructions from Derek to observe carefully, punish hated offenders, and rely on imperial force if necessary before departing.

• Two groups of visitors seized Dagu’s father and forced workers to carry gifts into the family home, then fled without identifying themselves.
• Dagu’s relatives found the courtyard filled with valuables, including one hundred thousand Gold Vouchers, while Eighth Investigation Department agents tried to track the gift-givers.
• More gifts arrived over the following days, and the agents recorded several of the people involved.
• Dagu received a telegram from home and requested leave before the Emperor, recognizing that the gifts reflected the New Continent’s enormous profits.
• Derek told Dagu that New Continent wealth was vital to the Empire and instructed him to observe more than he acted, punish notorious offenders, and contact him for support.
• Dagu thanked Derek and began preparing to depart for the New Continent.

Dagu traveled to the White Sand Archipelago as the Emperor’s envoy, inspected its garrison and administration, and continued toward the New Continent. As the envoy’s arrival in Ganard loomed, Good arranged to cover a shipyard deficit, and Olyck made the shipyard official provide written proof before accepting the money.

• Dagu’s wife outfitted him with armor and warned him to return alive before he departed for his mission.
• Dagu endured severe seasickness on the voyage, reached the White Sand Archipelago, and mustered the local garrison for inspection.
• Dagu checked the archipelago’s military stores, accounts, ships, and complaints, then sent notice of his arrival along the sea routes.
• Good began settling troublesome business affairs ahead of the envoy’s arrival, and Olyck carried Gold Vouchers to Silver Harbor.
• Olyck refused to hand the shipyard official two hundred thousand Gold Vouchers until he wrote and sealed a receipt, and the official complied.

Olyck’s meal was interrupted by a violent clash between attackers and the Wolf Gang, while slave trader Hubble decided to keep operating and seek contact with an arriving angel. As Olyck prepared to leave, he recognized Hubble.

• Olyck and his attendants ate the untouched meal after Norman left with the loan.
• Gunfire erupted, and armed men fled through Olyck’s private-room window before bloodied Wolf Gang members entered in pursuit.
• The Wolf Gang apologized, put the meal on their tab, and revealed that their men had routed the attackers outside.
• Hubble’s men reported the disruption to their slave-trading operation, and Hubble suspected the arrival of an angel had prompted nobles to cut ties.
• Hubble rejected his subordinates’ call to lie low and decided to continue operating and try to connect with the angel.
• Olyck saw Hubble as he was leaving and recognized him.

Hubble learned that Oakley was the younger brother of the owner of Good's Trading Company and considered how the Wolf Gang could use those connections. Angel Dagu arrived in Ganard, where Governor Logue welcomed him and quickly arranged the simple boxed meal Dagu requested.

• Hubble met Oakley at a restaurant, but Oakley declined his invitation to drink and they exchanged contact addresses before parting.
• The restaurant manager told Hubble that Oakley was the younger brother of the owner of Good's Trading Company, whose firm handled many of the Wolf Gang's transport contracts.
• Dagu arrived in Ganard aboard the Angel's ship, and Governor Logue greeted him at the harbor.
• Dagu asked to eat boxed meals at the harbor instead of attending a banquet or going to a hotel.
• Logue's staff repackaged prepared dishes as boxed meals to fulfill Dagu's request quickly.

Dagu inspected Ganard’s port and found no major faults, while urging officials to bring exiled nobles into the colonies under legal identities so Great Xia could collect their taxes and wealth. The next day, the shipyard director presented a cleanup of corruption for inspection, leaving Dagu amused by how thoroughly the factory had prepared.

• Dagu ate with Governor Logue, then questioned a port worker about the port’s daily operations.
• Dagu toured the port and told the officials to give exiled nobles legal identities so they could enter the colonies and pay taxes.
• Dagu asked Governor Logue to take him to the Weapons Manufacturing Plant and shipyard the next day, prompting Logue to warn their leaders to fix any problems.
• The shipyard director presented documents about vermin caught in an internal inspection and promised to recover the stolen money.
• Dagu asked to interrogate the offenders and laughed that the factory was one of His Majesty’s good servants.

Dagu’s inspection of the Shipyard uncovered an unauthorized dock capable of building ten-thousand-ton ships, prompting Governor Logue to arrest the Factory Director and seal the facility. The colonial officials then inspected the Weapons Manufacturing Plant carefully, where Dagu overlooked its high defect rate.

• The Factory Director claimed that the Shipyard’s work was all for His Majesty, but Dagu remained unconvinced and toured the docks while awaiting the interrogation expert.
• The Factory Director boasted about the Shipyard’s newly built ten-thousand-ton dock, which Dagu and Governor Logue realized had never been publicly reported.
• Governor Logue ordered his guards to arrest the Factory Director and ordered the dock sealed until the Governor’s Mansion approved its use.
• The colonial officials investigated the Shipyard and arranged for the Factory Director to be tried for embezzling one hundred Gold Coins and sent to the mainland to serve a prison sentence.
• Governor Logue took Dagu to the Weapons Manufacturing Plant, where the staff cooperated with the inspection, and Dagu ignored its high defect rate.

After Dagu’s inspections weakened the colonial local faction, Good worried about losing his shipyard connection and decided to use Hubble’s smuggling network to win favor with the Angel. Hubble, desperate after losing his smuggling channels, visited Oakley and saw the status he wanted for himself.

• Dagu used the Angel’s arrival to force changes in local appointments and launch inspections that strengthened the central government’s authority.
• Good realized the shipyard director’s arrest had cost him a valuable connection and considered pledging allegiance to the Angel instead.
• When Oakley told Good that Hubble had come to see him, Good changed his mind and encouraged Oakley to help Hubble, hoping to expose the network behind the Tool Mute smuggling.
• After losing his route for smuggling Tool Mutes, Hubble visited Oakley in the City of Silver to seek help connecting with Good’s Trading Company.
• Hubble saw Oakley treated as a respected high-society figure and resolved to pursue status as well as wealth.

Olyck welcomed Hubble to the City of Silver and promised to bring him to his brother Good for help with the Wolf Gang. Good agreed to meet Hubble, while privately considering how to use him as a pawn, and Olyck led Hubble to his office.

• Olyck met Hubble and advised him to surrender his pistols because of strict inspections in the City of Silver.
• Olyck hosted Hubble and his men at a hotel, where Hubble explained that he needed help with the Wolf Gang.
• Olyck promised to take Hubble to see Good the next day and brought him to Good's Trading Company headquarters.
• Good told Olyck to meet Hubble sincerely, though he privately regarded Hubble as a pawn who might be sacrificed.
• Olyck returned to Hubble and cheerfully led him to meet Good.

Good advised Hubble that the Wolf Gang was no longer in immediate danger and taught him how to strengthen his business and political connections. At Ganard Silver Mine, Abraham impressed officials with his management of Tool Mutes and offered to train them for free.

• Good told Hubble that the nobles had likely stopped pursuing him, refused to involve Good's Trading Company with the Wolf Gang, and urged him to grow stronger and cultivate higher-level allies.
• Good warned Hubble that Angel Dagu was about to arrive in the City of Silver and advised everyone to stop their activities to avoid becoming targets.
• Angel Dagu visited Ganard Silver Mine, where Brack introduced Abraham as the mine's deputy manager despite the officials' surprise.
• Abraham claimed that his knowledge of Tool Mutes let him increase output and suppress riots, and the officials quickly took the management-trained Tool Mutes for their own use.
• Abraham offered to train the officials for free in managing Tool Mutes for the Empire's construction.

Abraham showed the angels how Brack’s Silver Mine used small rewards and opportunities for advancement to make Tool Mutes more productive. His defense of serving the Great Xia Empire left Dagu intrigued by this approach.

• Abraham led the visitors deeper into the mine, where Tool Mutes overseers worked throughout the site under Brack’s system.
• Abraham explained that better food, accommodations, and limited chances to advance made Tool Mutes more proactive than relentless exploitation did.
• An extremist accused Abraham of betraying his race, but Abraham said he sought hope for Tool Mutes through service rather than rebellion.
• The visitors fell silent at Abraham’s argument, and Dagu became interested in his different approach to Tool Mutes.

Abraham handled a sick Tool Mute without killing him, then guided Dagu and Brack through the mines, where Dagu found no major problems. Brack admitted that he had invited Dagu to verify his innocence and reveal how the mines were run, while privately fearing the temptation of the wealth he oversaw.

• Abraham punished a Tool Mute overseer for beating a sick worker and ordered the worker taken to the shacks to recover.
• Abraham guided Dagu and Brack through the mine operations, and Brack expressed his longing to return to the homeland.
• Dagu inspected the gold and silver mines and concluded that they had only minor issues.
• Brack told Dagu that he had invited him to prove his innocence and disclose the mines’ operations, including the role of retired soldiers.

Dagu inspected Ganard Mining Group’s armed forces and learned that Brack had built a force of roughly two divisions. On his way to the City of Silver, Dagu was intercepted by General Robert, whose suspicious warning led Dagu to restrain him.

• Brack told Dagu that Ganard Mining Group maintained roughly two divisions of heavily armed personnel, and Dagu recognized their firepower as comparable to a frontline division.
• Dagu asked Brack to deploy a Light Infantry Regiment, then explained that the Royal First Legion likely already knew about the Mining Group’s forces.
• Dagu left for the City of Silver to continue his inspection before General Robert and his cavalry intercepted him.
• Robert claimed that Brack had raised two divisions without official authorization, but Dagu rejected his warning and grew suspicious of his behavior.
• Dagu restrained Robert, while Dagu’s veterans held the general’s attendants at gunpoint.

Dagu arrested General Robert and took temporary command of the Royal First Legion, then set out to test whether its soldiers obeyed the Emperor. At the Governor’s Mansion, Governor Logue heard that Dagu had gone to the legion and began worrying that he might be under investigation.

• Dagu arrested Robert under the Emperor’s authority and assumed temporary command of the Royal First Legion.
• Dagu took control of the Mining Group’s Light Infantry Regiment by selecting personal guards and appointing trusted officers.
• Dagu ordered Robert to accompany him to the nearest First Legion garrison to see whether the legion obeyed the Emperor’s envoy.
• Governor Logue learned that Dagu had gone to the Royal First Legion and anxiously reviewed his own conduct.
• Logue’s subordinates avoided his gaze, leading him to suspect they feared he would be blamed for the envoy’s arrival.

Dagu brought General Robert to the Royal First Legion’s garrison and secured control of the force by establishing a temporary command system. With the legion stabilized, Governor Logue stood down his Security Forces, while Brack marched the Mining Militia toward the City of Silver.

• Governor Logue gathered the Security Forces and prepared to respond if Dagu’s takeover of the Royal First Legion went wrong.
• Dagu approached the First Legion’s garrison with General Robert, whose absence prompted the Division Commander and Staff Department to take precautions.
• General Robert accused Dagu of being a fake envoy and ordered the officers to seize him, but they hesitated and assessed the situation instead.
• Dagu declared wartime readiness, put the First Legion under a temporary command system, and told General Robert to wait for the investigation.
• Governor Logue dismissed his gathered forces after learning that the First Legion had been stabilized, while Brack marched the Mining Militia to the outskirts of the City of Silver.

Dagu used his command of the Royal First Legion and Mining Militia to investigate Robert’s smuggling and illegal mining, while Derek prepared to marry off First Imperial Prince Qin and granted him the title Count Augusta. The Empress advised Qin about his duties and marriage, then revealed Derek’s affairs and the identities of his children outside the palace.

• Dagu investigated General Robert’s illegal dealings and sent Derek a report, confident he could control the colony’s forces.
• Derek decided to use the colony crisis to temper Dagu and began preparing for Qin’s marriage as pressure mounted to secure the imperial succession.
• Derek granted First Imperial Prince Qin the title Count Augusta and issued a decree announcing it.
• The Empress urged Qin to accept the responsibilities of marriage and succession, while Qin worried that his bride might be ugly.
• The Empress told Qin that Derek had kept a nun outside the palace and that his younger siblings outside the palace were born to biological sisters.

The Empress Dowager taught First Imperial Prince Qin about his father’s romantic past, and the Imperial Attendant who overheard them drowned himself to protect the secret. Derek then arranged a public reward to protect the attendant’s family and discussed choosing a suitably modest maternal family for Qin.

• The Imperial Attendant delivered Derek’s edict granting First Imperial Prince Qin the title of Count Augusta and overheard Tiona discussing Derek’s romantic history.
• Tiona rewarded the Imperial Attendant, who understood that he could not leave alive and jumped into a pond to drown himself.
• The Empress Dowager brought Qin to Derek and told him what had happened, while a messenger reported the Imperial Attendant’s death.
• Derek ordered the attendant’s reward issued in his own name to protect the man’s family from suspicion.
• Derek and Tiona discussed Qin’s future marriage, and Derek rejected a powerful Northland Noble family in favor of a virtuous bride from a more modest background.

After Qin’s politically charged ennoblement prompted nobles to seek royal marriage alliances, Virut and Count Little Jefferies raced to court to offer their daughters to First Imperial Prince Qin. The Emperor refused to promise Qin’s hand and warned the counts against entangling their families in the struggle for the throne.

• Virut and Count Little Jefferies hurried to the imperial palace, and Virut tried to delay his rival by having his carriage collide with Little Jefferies’s.
• Count Little Jefferies caught up with Virut and accused him before the Emperor, while Derek urged that Virut be punished.
• Virut offered his three daughters as potential wives for First Imperial Prince Qin, and Count Little Jefferies countered by mentioning his granddaughter.
• The Emperor rejected the counts’ attempts to arrange Qin’s marriage, directed them toward the younger Imperial Princes, and warned them to avoid the succession struggle.