Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan visited the Snow Owl City Night Watcher Branch to verify his identity, check his points, and collect supplies. Captain Norbert recognized him for using the Night Watcher’s Pledge, confirmed Laurina Caster remained protected, and learned Lu Yuan had come north for the Knight Academy recruitment assembly.

• Lu Yuan entered the Snow Owl City Night Watcher Branch and asked receptionist Vera to verify his identity and help with his points and supplies.
• Vera recognized Lu Yuan from the portrait and information circulated to major branches after he used the Night Watcher’s Pledge.
• Vera verified Lu Yuan’s identity with the Moon Disk and brought him to a reception room.
• Captain Norbert welcomed Lu Yuan and praised him for spending 800 points on the pledge.
• Norbert told Lu Yuan that Laurina Caster remained on the protection list and was in normal condition.
• Lu Yuan confirmed he had come north for the latest Knight Academy recruitment assembly.

Lu Yuan visited the Night Watchers’ logistics office to check his points and seek cold-weather clothing and a wearable Transcendent weapon. After learning he had 573 points, he followed Norbert into the underground protective-clothing warehouse to inspect its stock.

• Vera verified that Lu Yuan had 573 points, surprising both Lu Yuan and Norbert.
• Lu Yuan asked Norbert to exchange points for warm, protective clothing, a wearable Transcendent weapon, and Imperial currency.
• Norbert led Lu Yuan through the underground logistics area to the protective-clothing warehouse.
• Lu Yuan entered the warehouse and asked whether its clothing was all Transcendent weapons.

Lu Yuan exchanged his points for a responsive special coat and ordinary cold-resistant clothes, then went with Norbert to the Night Watcher’s Eerie materials warehouse to find supplies for practicing Eerie Inscription Studies. He began checking the prices and descriptions of materials, with only two hundred and fifty points left to spend.

• Norbert explained that special garments were inscribed and awakened, and Lu Yuan’s new coat responded to his thoughts when he tried it on.
• Lu Yuan bought a three-hundred-point coat and three sets of ordinary garments for twenty-three points, leaving him two hundred and fifty points.
• Lu Yuan told Norbert he wanted Eerie materials for research and practice, and Norbert agreed to take him to the materials warehouse.
• Norbert explained that the branch had amassed a large stock of materials because few Inscriptionists were available to use them.
• Lu Yuan read the warehouse booklets and found that Ice Skull materials were expensive, with a core costing ten points and a finger bone costing eight.

Lu Yuan selected ordinary Northern Territory materials for research, then entered the guarded special-materials warehouse seeking heat-related supplies. He found Fire-veined Stone, but learned that his 15 points would buy only a fist-sized piece of a rare resource essential to Snow Owl City's heating.

• Lu Yuan ordered Ice Skulls, Hoarfrost Spider silk, Snowline Worm molts, Ghoul Brain Cores, Crawler back skin, Glow Moss Spore Powder, Ice-source Grass, and Snow Ginseng Roots for 119 points.
• Lu Yuan asked Captain Norbert where the special materials were kept, and Norbert led him to a guarded underground warehouse.
• Norbert explained that the special materials were rare, difficult to preserve, and maintained with inscriptions.
• Lu Yuan inspected the collection and chose a piece of Fire-veined Stone, which cost 15 points for only a fist-sized chunk.
• Norbert explained that Fire-veined Stone was difficult to harvest, had once served as emergency fuel, and was essential to Snow Owl City's heating maintenance.

Lu Yuan bought special materials and Holy Water, and learned that his badge now granted him recognition and privileges in Snow Owl City. Norbert then explained that Lu Yuan’s enchanted clothes still needed a Second Spirit Awakening so they could recognize him.

• Lu Yuan spent 85 points on Fire-veined Stone, Stonefire Bug hide, and Plague Eye, then withdrew his full Holy Water quota for 30 points.
• Norbert arranged to deliver Lu Yuan’s purchases to Knight Academy’s temporary branch and provide one week of material maintenance.
• Vera delivered Lu Yuan’s Imperial Shields and Empire notes, and Norbert returned his badge with a new mark recognizing him in Snow Owl City.
• Norbert told Lu Yuan that his registered badge let him enter and leave Snow Owl City freely and gave him the city’s Night Watcher privileges.
• Norbert explained that Second Spirit Awakening would help Lu Yuan’s enchanted clothes recognize him and respond reliably.

Lu Yuan completed the Second Spirit Awakening and bonded with his garment, then learned how Snow Owl City's branch was organized. The chapter left him comparing its formidable ranks with Bronze City's smaller branch.

• Norbert explained how the Inscription Array would help Lu Yuan suppress the consciousness inside his garment.
• Lu Yuan used the array to overwhelm the garment's consciousness and transfer his sanity to it, completing the awakening in one attempt.
• Lu Yuan put on the garment and found that it responded to his thoughts.
• Norbert told Lu Yuan that Snow Owl City's branch had a Chief, two Deputy Chiefs, five Captains, twelve team leaders, and many members below them.
• Lu Yuan compared Snow Owl City's powerful organization with Bronze City's much smaller branch.

Lu Yuan asked Norbert about Snow Owl City’s Guardians and the Knight Academy, learning about the other applicants and the academy’s two-part entrance trial. He grew suspicious that the academy’s four statues might be connected to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but the chapter left him with the coming trials still ahead.

• Norbert told Lu Yuan that Snow Owl City had two young Guardians and was considered one of the Northern Territory’s safest cities.
• Norbert said Helvian would likely reach Snow Owl City in three and a half days and named Dean Rosenthal, Blanca Solheim, and Eli as the other applicants he knew about.
• Norbert explained that the first round required applicants to trigger one of four statues representing peace, abundance, life, and health, while the second round was a battle.
• Lu Yuan connected the statues’ qualities to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and suspected the Knight Academy might be their inheritor.
• Norbert recounted how a Captain had failed to trigger any statue and later refused to speak of the Knight Academy again.

Lu Yuan tested the Night Watchers’ special garment and found that it could move like an extra hand, then spoke with Oden about its uses and his knowledge of Alchemical Arts. He told Oden about the Knight Academy’s four statues, prompting Oden to connect them to the Four Knights Society.

• Norbert told Lu Yuan that Grand Knight Commanders would select people after the matches and arranged a guest room and delivery of his materials to the academy campus.
• Lu Yuan tested his garment’s ability to tighten, stretch, and extend a sleeve, using it to lift a cup without spilling the water.
• Oden woke and praised the garment, while Lu Yuan explained that it was a Night Watcher transcendent weapon.
• Oden said he was skilled in Alchemical Arts and knew about the Sea of Knowledge, but needed time to recover before sharing what he knew.
• Lu Yuan described the Knight Academy’s four statues and their qualities, and Oden asked whether they were connected to the Four Knights Society.

Oden warned Lu Yuan about the Knight Academy’s connection to the Four Knights Society and explained why the Four Taboo were far more dangerous than the beings Lu Yuan had faced. The chapter left Lu Yuan with a clearer understanding of Authority and the overwhelming strength of the four existences.

• Oden recognized Peace, Abundance, Life, and Health as the Four in reverse and suspected the Knight Academy was a remnant of the Four Knights Society.
• Oden told Lu Yuan to identify which statue reacted to him, warning him to flee if either of the two most dangerous ones stirred.
• Oden explained that the Person on the Wall had been crippled and that the Crown had not been a true Taboo, while Lu Yuan’s survival had depended on the Sea of Knowledge and help from the Forbidden Society.
• Oden described Authority as the key difference between Taboo, distinguishing common Authorities from unique ones tied to immortal existences.
• Oden said the Four were near-immortal and extraordinarily powerful, especially together, and compared their strength to the Person on the Wall.

Lu Yuan explored Snow Owl City after a snowfall and found that everyday life appeared peaceful, though Night Watcher assignments were multiplying as personnel were transferred away. Before leaving for the Knight Academy the next day, he shared a farewell drink with Norbert.

• Oden explained that Taboos differed greatly in power, then withdrew to sleep until they reached the Knight Academy.
• Lu Yuan practiced guard, watched snow fall over Snow Owl City, and discovered that his clothes could respond to his needs.
• Lu Yuan explored the snowy city, bought food, and saw that civilian commissions mostly concerned routine work.
• Lu Yuan found many more internal Night Watcher assignments and overheard that Night Watchers, including the Deputy Chief, had been transferred away, suggesting trouble in the north.
• Lu Yuan told Norbert he would leave the next day, and Norbert visited that night to share wine and confirm the academy had received the materials safely.

Lu Yuan arrived at the Knight Academy branch in Snow Owl City, where he met fellow Night Watcher Eli. Reading the writing in Eli’s Book of Light advanced Lu Yuan’s Imperial Language and granted him Text Resistance.

• Lu Yuan left the Night Watcher branch and walked across Snow Owl City to the Knight Academy branch.
• Blue Knight showed Lu Yuan the carriage holding his supplies and told him the group would depart the next morning.
• Lu Yuan entered the hall and introduced himself to Eli, a young Night Watcher who recognized him from his use of Night Watcher's Pledge.
• Lu Yuan identified Eli’s book as the Book of Light, and reading its text raised his Imperial Language skill and granted him Text Resistance, which halved harm from information contained in text.

Lu Yuan discovered that the Imperial Language had gained an entry that could halve pollution, damage, distortion, and assimilation, then joined Eli in discussing the Book of Light. As more Night Watchers gathered, Dean proposed that they share what they knew about the first round of the selection.

• Lu Yuan realized the Gray-White Text had advanced and gained an entry that halved pollution, damage, distortion, and assimilation.
• Eli told Lu Yuan that his book was the Book of Light, an old account of the Empire’s early years written in Gulai.
• The Lantern Knight and the Silent Knight entered the hall, and Eli explained their names and possible relationship.
• Dean Rosenthal and Blanca Solheim arrived with other Night Watchers and met Lu Yuan, who was already with Eli.
• Dean said no one had solved the statue in the first round and urged everyone to share what they knew before the group competed in the arena.

Lu Yuan and the other trainees left Snow Owl City for the Knight Academy recruitment, traveling north through a worsening blizzard. When the wind abruptly stopped inside a gorge, Lu Yuan detected an unknown inscription that Gray-White Text could not interpret.

• Blanca and Dean explained that the Astrologer Grand Knight would attend recruitment and might choose two students, while Lu Yuan said he had no further information.
• The Blue Knight announced the group would depart in the morning, and Lu Yuan spent the night at the branch academy.
• Lu Yuan departed Snow Owl City with the convoy, carrying his sealed supplies as they headed north.
• The convoy entered a gorge where wind and snow intensified, forcing the carriages to slow as the Blue Knight and Silent Knight led the way.
• The wind suddenly stopped around the convoy while the blizzard continued beyond the gorge, and Lu Yuan detected an unknown inscription that Gray-White Text could not interpret.

Lu Yuan arrived at the Knight Academy’s Outer Garden and learned that the entrance test would begin the next morning. After entering the academy, he saw enormous Stone Slabs whose Inscriptions the Gray-White Text could not translate.

• The convoy reached the Knight Academy, and the Blue Knight brought the students to the Outer Garden for the night.
• Dean and the other students discussed the test, which required triggering at least one of four statues, while Lu Yuan wondered whether he could pass.
• Oden told Lu Yuan that the academy seemed safe but was not simple, and promised to teach him about training his knowledge and the Sea of Knowledge.
• The next morning, the Blue Knight led the students through the academy gates and toward a colossal hall beside two giant Stone Slabs.
• Lu Yuan detected unknown Inscriptions near the hall, but the Gray-White Text failed to interpret them.

Lu Yuan waited with the other candidates for the Knight Academy’s test, which required them to read inscriptions and light one of four knight statues. He noticed that the test triggered a faint summons for some candidates, and Cecil’s turn left his suspicion more firmly grounded.

• The Blue Knight explained the test rules and warned that candidates who failed to light a statue would be sent away.
• Harvey entered the hall and later returned, while Oden reassured Lu Yuan that the academy was unlikely to pose an immediate danger.
• Lu Yuan detected a faint summons while Harvey was inside the hall.
• Dean took his turn, and Lu Yuan detected the same faint summons before Dean returned.
• Cecil completed the test without triggering the summons, strengthening Lu Yuan’s suspicion that it was linked to certain candidates.

Lu Yuan entered the great hall for his test, recited the Four Oaths, and triggered the ancient formation. As flames spread without heat and the statues began exchanging ethereal sounds, the test’s next stage began.

• Lu Yuan watched as the weak summons appeared for several candidates before the Blue Knight called him into the great hall.
• Lu Yuan inspected the ancient knight statues and formation while Gray-White Text failed to analyze the statues and Oden sensed no Taboo aura.
• Lu Yuan noticed the hidden Recorder only after Oden warned him, then followed its advice and continued to the formation.
• Lu Yuan recited the Four Oaths aloud, and two weak summons appeared without affecting him.
• The formation lit with flames that gave off no heat, and clear, ethereal sounds began passing between the four statues.

Lu Yuan triggered all four statues during the Knight Academy’s first test, but the Health statue rejected him as a heretic before the Inscription finally released him. He joined the six other successful candidates and was led into the academy to prepare for the second, combat round.

• Peace, Abundance, and Life ignited around Lu Yuan, while Health’s white flames appeared and declared him a heretic before going out.
• The Inscription trapped Lu Yuan until its flames faded; an old man watched and recorded what happened, and Lu Yuan noticed the academy’s experience bar had appeared.
• Lu Yuan left the hall and told Dean that little had happened inside, while Blue Knight did not question him.
• Lia triggered a faint call, and the academy named Harvey, Dean, Blanca, Leon, Eli, Lu Yuan, and Lia as the seven who passed the first test.
• Blue Knight announced a second round of combat and led the seven candidates from the Outer Garden toward the academy.

The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander reviewed the recruits’ statue records with Blue Knight, Lantern Knight, and Silent Knight, identifying Eli and Lu Yuan as unusually significant. He chose Eli as his student and arranged for Eli to fight Lu Yuan in the later matches.

• Blue Knight asked whether any recruits matched the Astrologer Grand Knight Commander’s prophecy, and he said two were exceptionally special.
• Blue Knight, Lantern Knight, and Silent Knight read the records and saw that Eli had ignited all four statues for over two minutes.
• Blue Knight found that Lu Yuan had ignited three statues, but Health had rejected him after seven minutes, while Inscription had forcibly ended the test.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander said he favored Eli as the person in his prophecy and would personally take him as a student.
• The Astrologer Grand Knight Commander ordered Eli to fight Lu Yuan in the later matches, and Blue Knight left the hall.

Lu Yuan settled into his cottage at the Knight Academy, where Oden sensed that the grounds concealed most auras but found no unusual presence. After examining the Worm of Knowledge and considering the academy’s mysterious status, Lu Yuan welcomed Blue Knight when she arrived at his door.

• Lu Yuan explored his assigned cottage and observed the academy’s extensive grounds, workers, and buildings.
• Oden told Lu Yuan that something at the academy obscured auras, that the statues resisted his perception, and that he had detected no unusual presence.
• Lu Yuan arranged his Potions, Holy Water, and Revolver, then examined the Worm of Knowledge and the fading black patterns on the Authority of the Sea of Knowledge.
• Lu Yuan saw that the Knight Academy entry remained a question mark and considered what that might mean about its secrets.
• Blue Knight visited Lu Yuan’s cottage, and he welcomed her inside and offered her hot water.

Blue Knight warned Lu Yuan that Astrologer Grand Knight Commander’s attention could bring danger and asked him to lose his next battle, then explained the Knight Academy’s courses, requirements, and resources. Lu Yuan decided he would lose so he could test his strength without relying on the Sea of Knowledge.

• Blue Knight told Lu Yuan that Astrologer Grand Knight Commander had noticed his performance and urged him to go easy on his opponents and deliberately lose.
• Blue Knight explained that the academy’s elective courses required fifty points for graduation within three years, with a two-year extension before students lost their qualification.
• Blue Knight told Lu Yuan that Knight Tokens came from coursework and missions and were needed to access books and live comfortably.
• Blue Knight explained the statues’ path-level and age requirements, then said the main campus recruited more students than the Northern Branch.
• After Blue Knight left, Lu Yuan decided to lose the next battle and use it to test his strength without actively using the Sea of Knowledge.