Chapter Summaries

Michel secured permission for the New Church to recruit at the Military School and received the newly built Ark 009, which promised to make the church’s first appearance impressive. The school approved a space trip for its students aboard the warship, sending combat-capable teachers along as a precaution.

• The school leadership allowed the New Church to hold supervised activities, forbidding suggestive indoctrination and material inducements.
• Great Xia Empire assigned one of its first Transcendent-modified warships to the New Church, and Michel took command of Ark 009.
• Michel learned that Ark 009 required fifty Transcendent Knights for full performance, while Burdett tested its digital controls and offered to let Michel try them later.
• The Military School approved the New Church’s proposal to take all enrolled students on a spaceflight and planned to send Transcendent teachers with mechs along.
• Hadige looked forward to the trip after recently boasting to his classmates about his previous journey through space.

Hadige and the Military School students toured the New Church’s newest warship, Ark 009, and began considering the New Church as a path after graduation. Teacher Lacey encouraged Hadige to sign with the New Church and become a Transcendent Knight.

• Hadige impressed his classmates with stories of traveling through space, and Teacher Lacey revealed that his eldest brother was Mark, director of Dawn Community.
• The students arrived at the space berth and were awed by Ark 009, a huge warship bearing the New Church insignia.
• Michel welcomed the students and teachers, showing them Ark 009’s advanced systems and explaining that it was the Empire’s newest warship model.
• After the ship took off, students discussed joining the New Church, and Hadige weighed it as a fallback to the Transcendent Knight Academy.
• Teacher Lacey quietly advised Hadige to sign with the New Church and become a Transcendent Knight.

Teacher Lacey urged Hadige to join the New Church while the opportunity was open. Hadige and Shalier signed contracts, and all five available student slots filled quickly.

• Teacher Lacey told Hadige that joining the New Church offered his best chance to become a Transcendent Knight, and Hadige decided to trust him.
• Hadige asked a staff member to take him to someone authorized to sign a contract, while Lacey told the other teachers that Hadige had made his choice.
• Hadige arrived at the command center and found Shalier waiting there; Michel presented them with contracts.
• Hadige signed without asking about the terms, then asked Shalier why he had joined; Shalier said he wanted to save the Lord's lambs.
• Other students arrived and claimed the New Church's five available slots in less than half an hour, leaving later arrivals without a chance to join.

Michel welcomed the newly contracted students into the New Church and offered support beyond their contracts, seeking to build their trust and sense of belonging. He invited Mark to dinner, where Mark learned Hadige had joined the New Church and prepared to pay his respects to Count Michel.

• After the students returned to Dawn Community, Michel reviewed their files and spoke with them about the New Church's benefits and ideals.
• Michel reassured Hadige and Shalier personally, and promised Hadige that he would invite Mark to dinner.
• Michel arranged for Mark to visit the New Church's villa, and Mark arrived unsure why the count had summoned him.
• Hadige greeted Mark and explained what had happened; Mark praised him and credited Teacher Lacey's advice.
• Mark asked Hadige to take him to pay his respects to Count Michel.

Mark met Count Michel and learned about the New Church while discussing Dawn Community’s work. Their conversation ended when Governor Simon warned that an unknown fleet was approaching the moon, and Michel pledged the New Church’s forces and himself to the Empire’s defense.

• Mark met Michel and joined him, his companions, and trainees for a meal.
• Michel asked Mark about his community work, listened to his explanation, and encouraged him to serve the Empire.
• Michel’s terminal received a call from Governor Simon, who asked to requisition his warships and combat personnel.
• Simon reported that a space telescope had detected a fleet approaching the moon, and Michel agreed to place the New Church’s forces under unified command.
• Michel insisted on fighting personally, and Simon warned that he would order the warships to fire if Michel were captured alive.

Michel prepared the New Church’s forces for battle against an unknown enemy while sending students back to safety. Governor Simon took command of the Spaceport Fleet and led it toward a chosen battlefield, where the Mecha Knights hid among asteroids.

• Michel ordered his knights to leave messages for their families and shut down communications, then urged the students to return to school and preserve the New Church’s future.
• Shalier left, promising to avenge Michel if he died, while Hadige decided to return to school as alarms sounded and Dawn Community began evacuating.
• Michel approved the arrival of Transcendent Knights and more than a hundred Transcendent Mechs aboard Ark 009, including a squad of Archangel-class mechs.
• Governor Simon declared himself first commander of the Spaceport Fleet and named Count Michel as his successor if he became unable to command.
• Simon ordered the fleet into the designated battlefield ahead of schedule and deployed the Mecha Knights behind asteroids, then reduced the fleet’s speed and directed Transcendent pilots to rely on the spacecrafts’ mechanical performance.

Maple Leaf Mining's fleet reached the distant starfield through an Interstellar Passage and discovered Simon's seemingly outdated vessels near a resource-rich planet. Lin Jie ordered his crews to take turns firing at them, leaving the confrontation poised to begin.

• Maple Leaf Mining's armed fleet passed through an Interstellar Passage after more than a month of travel and found the vessels at its destination.
• The fleet's employees were bound by ten-year confidentiality contracts as Maple Leaf Mining sought to keep the planet's resources secret and secure its own rise to power.
• Lin Jie learned that the opposing fleet's technology appeared about a century behind the Blue Star Federation's and ordered his ships to take turns firing a few shots.
• The fleet's communications system broadcast Lin Jie's order, warning no ship to take more than its share.

Maple Leaf Mining’s fleet pursued the Great Xia Empire’s ships toward a satellite, confident its technological superiority would make the battle easy. As the miners detected the hidden Mecha Knights and dismissed them as outdated machines, the knights launched their ambush and charged at the enemy ships.

• Maple Leaf Mining’s ships raced ahead while Lin Jie stayed at the back, and the command center warned the fleet to keep away from the satellite’s permanent structures.
• The fleets approached a meteorite belt, where Maple Leaf Mining’s ships cleared debris as they prepared to attack.
• A Hercules Type 2 Mining Mothership detected hundreds of humanoid objects, and the command center identified them as mechs but dismissed them as harmless targets.
• Simon’s Mecha Knights stayed hidden behind the meteorites until Maple Leaf Mining’s motherships stopped and moved closer to the trailing cruisers.
• An old Augusta Knight Order knight ordered the attack, and the Archangel-class Mecha Knights mapped the enemy ships while Soldier-class Knight Mechs charged out from behind the meteorites.

Maplewood Mining’s mothership struggled to stop the Mecha Knights, whose armor and swords overwhelmed its defenses as they boarded and advanced inside. An Archangel Mech evaded an airship’s fire by breaking through a wall, then taunted the crew.

• The mining mothership fired on the approaching Mecha Knights, but they dodged most attacks and endured the hits that landed.
• The Mecha Knights reached the mothership and cut through its armor, shocking Maplewood Mining’s combat personnel.
• Lin Jie ordered the natives eliminated and told the command center not to worry about the mothership’s losses.
• The command center ordered personnel to fight independently and directed airships to serve as fortresses.
• An old knight of the Augusta Knight Order piloted an Archangel Mech through the mothership and encountered an airship blocking the passage.
• The airship crew fired at the mech, but it escaped through an adjacent compartment and taunted them over its external speakers.

Maple Leaf Mining’s forces surrendered after the Great Xia Empire’s knights boarded their motherships and quickly captured their command personnel. Governor Simon then confronted Lin Jie, who admitted the miners had entered the territory seeking their ancestors’ legacy and asked to resolve the misunderstanding.

• Maple Leaf Mining’s armed personnel surrendered to the Mecha Knight, who guaranteed their lives in the Emperor’s name.
• Great Xia’s teams captured the command personnel aboard the mining motherships, causing the remaining ships to announce their surrender.
• Lin Jie received news that the natives could communicate, and the Mad Lion-class Cruiser halted while awaiting his decision.
• Lin Jie accepted the unfamiliar call, and Simon demanded an explanation for Maple Leaf Mining’s intrusion and attack.
• Lin Jie apologized and said Maple Leaf Mining had come searching for its ancestors’ legacy, proposing further talks to resolve the misunderstanding.

Lin Jie agreed to withdraw Maple Leaf Mining’s fleet and visit the Emperor of Great Xia, hoping to save his company from collapse. After learning the foreigners might share an ancient connection with the Federation, he ordered strategist Old Xu and the rest of his staff to accompany him.

• Simon asked Lin Jie to withdraw his fleet and travel unarmed to meet the Emperor of Great Xia, and Lin Jie accepted.
• Lin Jie decided that advancing offered a better chance of survival than returning to a Federation that would destroy Maple Leaf Mining.
• Old Xu told Lin Jie that the foreigners looked like Federation humans, spoke a related language, and understood the Federation language from a thousand years earlier.
• Lin Jie speculated that the foreigners might descend from Lin Feng’s ancestors, but Old Xu said they were more likely enemies because they had not mentioned the signal that began the journey.
• Lin Jie promoted Old Xu, then ordered him to accompany the visit and brought the rest of the staff along after they requested to share the assignment.

Lin Jie met Michel aboard Ark 009 after the fighting ended and offered compensation for Maple Leaf Mining’s accidental entry into Great Xia territory. Michel escorted him toward the Lunar Spaceport, where the two began discussing the ship ruins and possible cooperation, though Lin Jie concealed that he had received a signal.

• After Lin Jie ordered a ceasefire, the Great Xia forces withdrew in batches and Ark 009 prepared to hand over the captured ships to Maple Leaf Mining.
• Lin Jie boarded Ark 009 and met Michel, who introduced himself as an Imperial Count and welcomed him to the Great Xia Empire.
• Lin Jie apologized for entering Great Xia territory and offered compensation, while Michel said he would relay his words to Count Simon.
• As Michel escorted Lin Jie toward the Lunar Spaceport, Lin Jie asked about the Empire and learned that Count Simon was establishing the port near discovered ship ruins.
• Lin Jie said the ship had come from the Blue Star Federation and that he had followed clues left by predecessors, but denied receiving a signal.
• Lin Jie openly described the Interstellar Passage and Maple Leaf Mining’s wish to cooperate, while Michel continued to withhold sensitive information.

Lin Jie negotiated cooperation with Count Michel, agreeing to share public information about the Blue Star Federation while refusing to betray his homeland. He then advised Michel on securing the Interstellar Passage and offered old fortress blueprints, leaving their cooperation on a more trusting footing.

• Lin Jie told Count Michel that Maple Leaf Mining wanted to cooperate with the Great Xia Empire but would not betray the Blue Star Federation.
• Michel asked Maple Leaf Mining to provide public materials about the Federation's culture, politics, history, and technology, and Lin Jie agreed.
• Lin Jie offered to share low-confidentiality materials and suggested securing the Interstellar Passage with a fortress.
• Lin Jie explained fortress defenses and offered Michel Blue Star Federation fortress blueprints for reference.

Lin Jie gave Michel complete White Swan-class Cruiser blueprints and offered warships to Great Xia, while Michel and Simon secured approval to reward Maple Leaf Mining. Derek ordered mining rights, a technology-development plan, an interstellar fortress, and a White Swan production line as Great Xia rushed to prepare for the Blue Star Federation.

• Lin Jie sent Michel his military data, including complete White Swan-class Cruiser blueprints, and offered one cruiser each to Michel and Governor Simon.
• Michel promised Lin Jie that Great Xia would repay Maple Leaf Mining’s friendship, and Lin Jie accepted the offer.
• After Lin Jie left, Michel and Simon agreed to propose incentives for Maple Leaf Mining and use its presence to accelerate Great Xia’s development.
• Simon authorized granting Maple Leaf Mining temporary access to a life-bearing planet, subject to further instructions.
• Derek approved mining rights for Maple Leaf Federation, the Borrowing the Chicken to Lay Eggs Plan, an Interstellar Passage Fortress, and a White Swan-class warship production line.

Lin Jie secured mining rights to Planet 009 for Maple Leaf Mining, and the company began extracting ore while the Great Xia Empire used the arrangement to support its infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Empire completed its first Black Swan Cruiser and continued expanding its production lines, with two more ships underway.

• Lin Jie toured the Spaceport, and the Governor's Mansion returned Maple Leaf Mining's captured mothership and granted it mining rights to Planet 009 without additional fees.
• Maple Leaf Mining deployed its remaining Hercules Mining Mothership to Planet 009, began extracting ore, and sent its first shipments back after setting aside ore for taxes.
• The Great Xia Empire began building a Spaceport around Planet 009 and used tax-offset ore for infrastructure, including the Lunar Spaceport's warship production zone.
• Great Xia researchers modified the White Swan-class Cruiser with Supernatural Technology and a Supernatural Nervous System, then replaced its white paint with black and named it the Black Swan.
• After eight months, the first Black Swan rolled off the production line, while three production lines were complete and the second and third cruisers were being built.

Lin Jie visited the Great Xia Empire to deliver two White Swan-class Cruisers and was shown the Empire’s newly built Black Swan-class warships. Their performance and Michel’s offer revealed that Great Xia could give Lin Jie what the Blue Star Federation would not, leaving him to witness the Black Swan’s capabilities.

• Lin Jie arranged to visit Count Michel after his two White Swan-class Cruisers arrived in the Great Xia Empire.
• Michel and Simon prepared a Black Swan-class Cruiser for Lin Jie as a gift and a sign of the Empire’s sincerity.
• Lin Jie arrived at Lunar Spaceport and was stunned by a fleet of Black Swan Cruisers resembling his White Swans.
• Michel welcomed Lin Jie aboard a Black Swan and told him he could obtain in Great Xia what the Blue Star Federation would not give him.
• A Transcendent Knight accelerated the Black Swan from a standstill, leaving Lin Jie’s Mad Lion-class Cruiser unable to keep up.

Lin Jie witnessed the upgraded Black Swan-class Cruiser, named Friendship, and weighed joining the Great Xia Empire against his family’s deep roots in the Blue Star Federation. He returned to Pegasus Star aboard Friendship to discuss the choice with his father and faced Maple Leaf Mining’s waiting board members.

• Lin Jie recognized that the White Swan-class Cruiser’s extraordinary speed reflected the Great Xia Empire’s advanced technology and manufacturing strength.
• Michel showed Lin Jie the Black Swan-class Cruiser, which outclassed the Mad Lion-class in speed, firepower, and armor, and presented it as a gift named Friendship.
• Simon warned Lin Jie that Friendship’s full capabilities depended on Great Xia’s Supernatural Technology and urged him to join the empire; Lin Jie said he needed time to decide.
• Michel reassured Lin Jie that their friendship would remain regardless of his choice, and Lin Jie stayed until Friendship had been repaired.
• Lin Jie chose to return to the Blue Star Federation aboard Friendship so he could speak with his father about Maple Leaf Mining’s future.
• Lin Jie arrived at Pegasus Star, where Maple Leaf Mining’s core board members were waiting for him.

Maple Leaf Mining's directors decided to side with the Great Xia Empire and gave Lin Jie the first-edition blueprints for the Thunder God Fortress. The old chairman also ordered Lin Jie to offer the Great Xia Empire access to the Federation-side entrance to the Interstellar Passage.

• The old chairman told Lin Jie that Maple Leaf Mining had already decided to side with the Great Xia Empire and that they had a gift for it.
• Lin Jie examined the isolated terminal and was shocked to find detailed first-edition blueprints for the active Thunder God Fortress.
• The old chairman explained that the blueprints came from a military collection museum and that the fortress's original design was being superseded by upgrades.
• Lin Jie asked about Maple Leaf Mining's new warship quota, and the old chairman said the company would likely receive retired ships instead.
• The old chairman told Lin Jie to offer the Great Xia Empire the entrance to the Interstellar Passage on the Federation's side.
• Lin Jie feared the Federation would execute his family, but the old chairman believed the Great Xia Empire's strength would protect them.

Lin Jie’s family committed to serving the Great Xia Empire, and Lin Jie traveled there aboard the Friendship with intelligence Maple Leaf Mining had gathered. When Pegasus Group’s stealthy Tiger Cat followed them, Lin Jie activated the Friendship’s Fire Seeds and ordered an attack with the Rod of God.

• The old chairman explained why he had chosen the path he believed was best for the Lin Family, and Lin Jie accepted the family’s decision.
• Maple Leaf Mining gathered public information and outdated military technology while keeping its activities discreet.
• Lin Jie set off for the Great Xia Empire aboard the Friendship, but the crew detected a stealthy vessel following them.
• The Friendship’s intelligence warned Lin Jie of danger and offered to use its three Fire Seeds to activate the ship’s full performance.
• Lin Jie activated the Fire Seeds, and the enhanced radar identified the pursuing ship as Pegasus Group’s Tiger Cat.
• Lin Jie chose the Rod of God, and the Friendship charged the weapon, locked onto the Tiger Cat, and began its attack.

Lin Jie destroyed a Pegasus Group scout ship with the Friendship, revealing its next-generation combat capabilities and prompting Maple Leaf Mining to prepare for retaliation. After Pegasus Group received the scout ship’s recordings, it concluded that a powerful federation force was backing Maple Leaf Mining and began searching for that force.

• The Tiger Cat-class Scout Ship detected the Friendship’s active radar, tried to flee, and sent its headquarters a warning that Maple Leaf Mining had powerful backing.
• Lin Jie fired the Friendship’s main cannon and reduced the Tiger Cat-class Scout Ship to wreckage.
• Lin Jie reported the battle to his family and was told not to return while Maple Leaf Mining prepared for the worst.
• Pegasus Group reviewed the recordings and identified the Friendship as a new-generation cruiser based on the White Swan-class design.
• Pegasus Group ordered its people to find the force behind Maple Leaf Mining.