Chapter Summaries

Qin, posing as Charlie, visited Claire’s parents and won them over with his conversation and claimed noble family background. Director Smith sent him away with a revolver after accidentally dropping it, leaving the families’ first meeting on a positive but awkward note.

• Claire introduced Charlie to her father, Director Smith, and Charlie presented gifts to Claire’s parents.
• Mr. and Mrs. Smith talked with Charlie and were impressed by his knowledge, experience, and manner.
• Charlie told the Smiths that he came from a wealthy branch of the Perez Family and that his parents approved of the marriage.
• The family enjoyed dinner, and Director Smith invited Charlie to visit again and discuss his ideas.
• Director Smith accidentally dropped his revolver, then gave it to Charlie as a gift, and Charlie recognized that it was unloaded.

Franz began building a Tool Mutes business with Qin’s backing, while Good and the Silver Gentlemen formed a patronage relationship with Dagu and prepared to invest in Pulan City. Good also investigated Hadley University’s Relief Society and wondered whether it was connected to the Empress.

• Franz used his Investigation Department connections to secure Tool Mutes stock and opened a registered storefront with two thousand gold coins in startup capital.
• Good and the Silver Gentlemen visited Dagu, who rejected their lavish gift and suggested they learn from Hadley University’s Relief Society.
• Dagu advised them to invest in Pulan City, revealing that the Emperor planned to make it a municipality and that Dagu might become its first mayor.
• The Silver Gentlemen pledged one million gold coins, and Good’s group established a patronage relationship with Dagu.
• Good sent people to buy land and storefronts in Pulan City, then investigated the Relief Society and suspected it might be the Empress’s enterprise.

Good donated ten thousand Gold Coins to the Hadley University Relief Society under the name of the Silver Gentlemen, prompting Qin to investigate the donors. Qin recognized the group as New Continent merchants and arranged for Franz to meet them, seeing an opportunity to connect their overseas goods with Franz’s inland distribution channels.

• Good visited the Relief Society in disguise, reviewed its records, and found no evidence of fraud.
• Good donated ten thousand Gold Coins in the name of the Silver Gentlemen, and Claire accepted the donation after warning him against ulterior motives.
• Claire told Qin about the donation, and Qin ordered an investigation rather than returning the money.
• Qin reviewed the Investigation Department’s files and inferred that Dagu had guided the merchants to him.
• Qin sent Cousin Franz to meet the Silver Gentlemen and explore a trade partnership.

Good welcomed Franz to the Silver Commerce Guild and discussed the Silver Gentlemen’s New Continent trade channels. Franz said influential people had approved his entry into the slave trade and asked how many slaves they could supply.

• Good and the Silver Gentlemen waited outside their new guild for Franz to arrive.
• Franz arrived in a carriage bearing signs of the Perez family, and Good greeted him deferentially.
• Franz asked what goods Good’s group could obtain from the New Continent and how far they could deliver them.
• Good said they could supply slaves, gemstones, precious metals, leather, and ore in large quantities, mostly to the White Sand Archipelago.
• Franz said he had permission to enter the slave trade and asked how many slaves Good’s group could provide.

Franz and Good’s group arranged a large slave-trading venture, with Franz using his connections and Qin’s authorization to bring uncertified slaves through White Sands Port. The first shipment cleared customs and reached Digen Port under naval escort.

• Good and the other Silver Gentlemen estimated they could supply 1,500 to 2,000 slaves per month and agreed to expand their shipments.
• Franz learned that Good’s group had ties to Dagu and that they were already investing in Imperial Capital real estate.
• Franz offered to launder uncertified slaves into legal cargo, and both sides began arranging the first shipment.
• Good and the others bought slaves while Franz used his connections and Qin’s special authorization to secure the required clearances.
• Franz stopped the Tax Officer from inspecting three slave ships by declaring them royal goods, and the ships reached Digen Port with a warship escort.

Franz paid the taxes on his fleet and used the Perez Family’s influence to legalize and sell more than two thousand Tool Mutes, while Good learned how power shaped the Empire’s rules. After Dagu became mayor of the newly established Pulan City and property prices surged, Good stopped the Silver Gentlemen from chasing land speculation and urged them to invest in the city instead.

• Franz cooperated with the Tax Officer, paid the taxes due on 2,113 Tool Mutes, and obtained a receipt.
• Franz arranged for the unloaded slaves to be registered under different names, legitimizing them as tradable slaves through taxes and household registrations.
• Good watched Franz navigate the Empire’s laws and politics and resolved that the Silver Gentlemen needed to invest in the Empire and build connections.
• After the New Year, the central government merged four nearby cities into Pulan City, and Dagu left the Royal Guard to become its mayor.
• Pulan City property prices rose sharply, increasing the value of the Silver Gentlemen’s holdings by thirty percent in just over a month.
• Good stopped his companions from speculating on land and told them to invest honestly in Pulan City’s market.

Good and the Silver Gentlemen began shipping cheap colonial grain to the mainland, opening twenty Silver Grain Guild shops in the Imperial Capital and attracting commoner customers with prices far below the market. Sir John decided against matching their prices and instead arranged a covert smear campaign questioning the grain’s safety.

• Good and the Silver Gentlemen chose grain as their first business and shipped it from the colonies to the mainland.
• The Silver Grain Guild opened twenty shops in the Imperial Capital, selling grain at prices about thirty to forty percent below those of other sellers.
• Benjamin saw the low rice prices at a new Silver Grain Guild shop, confirmed the offer with the clerk, and went home for money to stock up.
• Sir John learned of the new shops and their connection to Dagu, but decided that cutting prices would not be worthwhile.
• Sir John ordered people to privately publish claims that colonial grain might be unsafe.

Mayor Dagu reorganized Pulan City's government and announced plans for a new city, redirecting attention from political infighting to the lucrative development project. After choosing farmland south of Pulan City and commissioning a forward-looking design, he presented the plans to Derek, who approved them as impressive for their time.

• Good dismissed the Silver Gentlemen's newspaper campaign against the Silver Grain Guild and relied on low prices to attract customers.
• After Dagu took office, he streamlined government agencies, recruited junior clerks, and announced the construction of a new city.
• Dagu chose farmland south of Pulan City for the new city and ordered designers to plan for future infrastructure while officials began acquiring land.
• Dagu reviewed the preliminary city plans, made small revisions, and brought them to the palace for approval.
• Derek examined the plans, which included tall buildings, wide roads, ring roads, and elevated highways, and judged them advanced and practical.

Dagu approved a larger design margin for the new city and helped the Silver Gentlemen establish themselves by offering them construction work. After the city plans were finalized and building began, Franz became envious of their contracts and approached Qin about securing work too.

• Derek approved the revised city design direction and told Dagu to increase the design margin further.
• Dagu met with Good, praised the Silver Grain Guild's work stabilizing grain prices, and offered the Silver Gentlemen construction contracts to help them put down roots in the Empire.
• Dagu advised Good to expand into factories and industry so the Silver Gentlemen could eventually stand on their own.
• A month later, the Emperor approved the finalized city plans, and Dagu began relocation and preliminary construction, assigning the Silver Gentlemen part of the work.
• Franz, envious of the Silver Gentlemen's reliable contracts, approached Qin and proposed that they take on new-city construction business as well.

Qin authorized Franz to organize a Slave-Hunting Team and pursue his idea for breeding Tool Mutes, while forbidding him from interfering with the new city's construction. Qin and Claire visited the construction site, where they learned more about Silver Construction and the Silver Grain Guild.

• Qin told Franz not to interfere with the new city project and allowed him to organize a Slave-Hunting Team.
• Franz proposed breeding sturdy tool people with Tool Mutes, and Qin left the scheme in his hands in exchange for monthly payments.
• Qin invited Claire to inspect the new city, and they encountered ruined roads, heavy truck traffic, and Tool Mutes laboring at the site.
• Qin recognized Silver Construction's flag and recalled the Silver Gentlemen's cooperation with Franz and their role in stabilizing grain prices.
• An attendant presented municipal inspection credentials, allowing Qin and Claire to enter the construction site with the person in charge.

Qin visited a construction site, where he chatted with the manager Solon and praised the work and the Silver Grain Guild’s affordable rice. After Good arrived and recognized Qin’s status, Qin praised Good’s recent conduct and arranged to buy a house beside Solon’s, insisting that Solon pay for his own.

• A construction-site manager explained that Tool Mutes were helping with the project and invited Qin to buy a house in the future residential district.
• Qin and Solon chatted by the roadside about the construction work and the Silver Grain Guild’s low rice prices, then agreed they would become neighbors.
• Good arrived, recognized Qin as a nobleman, and nervously warned him that the roadside was unsuitable for someone of his status.
• Qin reassured Good that he understood ordinary people’s hardships and showed him his callused hands.
• Qin praised Good’s recent work and asked him to arrange houses for himself and Solon, insisting that Solon pay for his own house.

Qin and Claire toured the new city before Qin returned to the imperial city, where Derek reflected on the limits of dynastic rule and asked about Qin bringing Claire home to meet the family. Qin left the conversation flustered, having agreed to ask Claire what she thought.

• Qin left Good after their tour and took Claire to explore the new city on an unconventional date.
• Claire teased Qin about pretending to be a smoker, and Qin explained that Solon had understood their disguise and exaggerated the construction quality.
• As they toured the new city, Qin imagined its future and thought of the Empire as his family's domain.
• Derek told Qin that the realm could not belong to one family alone and observed that Qin's schemes involving Franz were part of his growth.
• Derek asked Qin when he would bring Claire home to meet the family, and Qin said he would ask her before fleeing the conversation.

Qin invited Claire to visit the palace and meet his family at a royal family banquet. Claire arrived with gifts and met the Emperor, Empress, and Qin’s siblings, while Franz drove them there and the Empress remained pleased with her future daughter-in-law.

• Qin invited Claire to visit the palace that weekend, and Claire eagerly agreed despite feeling nervous.
• Claire prepared gifts and left with Qin, while Smith watched her go and Franz volunteered to carry her bags and drive them.
• Qin told Claire that the Empress had summoned Franz to keep Qin from taking his teasing too far with him.
• Franz drove Qin and Claire to the palace, where they entered without the usual security search and met the Emperor’s family in the back garden.
• Franz greeted Derek and Tiona familiarly, and Tiona scolded him before welcoming Claire with a satisfied smile.

Claire attended a family banquet with Qin and presented gifts to Derek, Tiona, Hans, and Gwen. The family welcomed her warmly, and Tiona asked when Claire planned to tell her parents about her relationship with Qin.

• Claire gave Derek a book about society and Tiona a pair of fuzzy slippers, and both thanked her for the gifts.
• Claire gave Hans a finely crafted handgun, and Derek offered to prepare hunting rifles for him and Qin.
• Claire gave Gwen a box of books and homework, and Derek told Gwen to study with Claire despite her protests.
• Derek thanked Claire for understanding Qin’s idealistic nature, and Tiona asked when Claire would tell her parents about their relationship.
• Claire said she was ready to tell her parents whenever they found a suitable opportunity.

Claire met Qin’s imperial family and returned home with a bridal jewelry set from Empress Tiona. The inscription revealed the gift’s history and showed that Tiona was passing her grandfather’s love and hopes for a happy marriage on to Claire.

• Derek decided that Qin should tell Claire’s parents about his identity himself, and Qin escorted Claire back to the Smith residence after their visit.
• Franz delivered Tiona’s gift to the Smith household and nervously accepted Claire’s thanks before Qin left.
• Smith questioned Claire about Charlie’s parents and tried to open the gift box, but Claire stopped him and said he already knew them.
• Claire opened the box and found antique bridal jewelry from the later Locke Kingdom period, once owned by Tiona’s family.
• Claire read the Old Marquis’s inscription to Tiona and understood the jewelry as an inheritance of love and a wish for her happy marriage.

Claire decided to use her own money to acquire printing equipment and bring her blueprint to life. Meanwhile, Franz traveled to the New Continent to build a slave-trading business, but after failing to secure land, he formed a slave-hunting organization and prepared to raid native tribes.

• Claire admired her classical jewelry, considered what she could do, and decided to start by acquiring printing equipment.
• Mr. Smith noticed Claire had stayed up all night, but she brushed off his concern and hurried to Hadley University.
• Franz struggled to gather support for his journey, and his Second Uncle Borg assembled a few private soldiers while the Perez Family ignored his plans.
• After arriving in the New Continent, Franz found he could not afford land and abandoned his plans to develop an estate.
• Franz organized slave-hunting groups and used military maps to choose several Tool Mute tribes as targets.
• Hubble joined Franz's organization at Good's request and worried that Franz's impatience would lead him into trouble.

Governor Logue arranged for Baronet Franz’s slave-hunting expedition to enter territory held by the New Holy Cross Kingdom, intending to use him as a scapegoat for the colony’s expansion. After scouts discovered Franz’s force, Fernandez ordered the kingdom’s troops to strike back against the Great Xia people.

• Governor Logue explained that His Highness Qin had approved using Baronet Franz’s expedition to trigger an attack elsewhere, and he ordered that Franz be kept alive if anything went wrong.
• Hubble warned Franz that the journey had been suspiciously easy and urged him to investigate the tribe ahead, but Franz dismissed his concerns and continued onward.
• Scouts of the New Holy Cross Kingdom identified Franz’s force as slave hunters and sent word to the kingdom’s leaders by telegram.
• Fernandez concluded that the Great Xia people might be testing the kingdom and ordered his forces to fight and make them pay for their invasion.

Fernandez ordered the army to prepare to defend the New Holy Cross Kingdom against Great Xia, while Franz’s expedition encountered a fortified settlement and discovered it was a Holy Cross outpost. Franz rallied the slave hunters to attack and hold the village until reinforcements arrived.

• Fernandez mobilized the army after receiving a telegram, as King Bruno neglected state affairs.
• New South City sent an infantry regiment to defend the pioneering villages near the Great Xia Colony.
• Hubble spotted trenches and bunkers at a village, then came under fire from an enemy marksman.
• Hubble warned Franz that the settlement was a base of the Holy Cross remnants and urged him to retreat.
• Franz decided to attack the village and hold it, invoking the Perez name and promising compensation to those who fought or returned alive.

Franz organized the slave hunters, seized a village, and prepared its defenses with two Infantry Cannons. The next day, he spotted a regular army regiment from the New Holy Cross Kingdom and opened fire as it formed up.

• Franz rallied the Slave-Hunting Teams, appointed temporary officers, and armed two crews with Type-0 Infantry Cannons.
• Franz led the attackers in a charge that defeated the village’s defenders and occupied the buildings.
• Franz ordered the Tool Mutes to reinforce the village, secured supplies, and sent Governor Logue a telegram.
• A brigade from the First Legion received Franz’s message, learned he had seized the village, and moved forward to support him.
• Franz spotted a New Holy Cross Kingdom infantry regiment outside the village and fired an Infantry Cannon at its forming ranks.

Franz and Hubble led the slave hunters through a day of attacks by a New Holy Cross Kingdom auxiliary regiment, then counterattacked at night and retook their positions. An Imperial infantry battalion nearby, surprised by the defenders’ performance, prepared to join the fight.

• The auxiliary regiment recovered from Franz’s artillery ambush, formed up, and answered with a barrage that destroyed his temporary gun positions.
• The auxiliary regiment probed Franz’s defenses, then launched repeated attacks that pushed the slave hunters out of their outer positions and destroyed one of Franz’s Infantry Cannons.
• After nightfall, Hubble warned Franz that they needed to retake the lost positions, and they planned a counterattack with Wolf Gang desperadoes.
• In the latter half of the night, mist helped the slave hunters surprise the auxiliary regiment and drive it out of the village, retaking the positions by dawn.
• An Imperial infantry battalion nearby questioned its intelligence about the defenders, then its commander ordered the troops to prepare to show Franz what the Army Academy produced.