Chapter Summaries

Zong Shen used the Points Blind Box to obtain a recording of Queen Sandina’s affair and a Wind Walk skill book, then spent more points to find a Legendary Equipment Repair Hammer. He ended the chapter planning to use the hammer to restore part of his damaged Dragon-Slaying Greatsword.

• Zong Shen followed the Strategy Module’s advice and chose the blind box containing evidence of Queen Sandina’s affair, then considered using the recording as leverage in the Nord Kingdom.
• After Time Stop ended, Zong Shen told Maryl to have Howie organize snow clearing, then projected and watched the recording before putting it away.
• Zong Shen spent 1,000 points on another blind box and chose an Intermediate Universal Magic Energy Core from a disappointing selection.
• Zong Shen spent 500 points on a Wind Walk Skill Book, learned the skill, and prepared to spend his remaining points on higher-tier blind boxes.
• Zong Shen chose an Equipment Repair Hammer from the 1,000-point tier and learned it could restore durability and repair part of his damaged Dragon-Slaying Greatsword.

Zong Shen used his remaining points on blind boxes, gaining Rare Grade knuckles and a Farmland Tower blueprint, then learned that sleet and a prolonged blizzard were approaching. He used an Equipment Repair Hammer on the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, restoring part of its broken blade and improving its attributes.

• Zong Shen completed his final two blind-box draws and obtained Fist Fighter's Knuckles and a Farmland Tower Construction Blueprint.
• Zong Shen mastered the Farmland Tower blueprint and spent all his points, deciding the blind-box rewards had been only a modest return.
• Zong Shen asked the Strategy Module about the weather and learned that sleet would begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by escalating snowfall and a blizzard lasting until the next morning.
• Zong Shen considered having Howie and Doris organize rooftop snow removal and thought about ways to protect his warriors from the cold.
• Zong Shen used the Equipment Repair Hammer on the Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, lengthening it and repairing some cracks before seeing its attributes improve.

Zong Shen admired the enhanced Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, adjusted his winter-goods sales, and prepared for another snow monster hunt. After spotting griffons flying north, he learned the location and strength of a powerful griffon nest in the mountains.

• Zong Shen inspected the repaired Dragon-Slaying Greatsword and considered the young black dragon a future taming target.
• Maryl and the others returned with repaired Load-Bearer Mechas and winter supplies, and Zong Shen lowered his prices and listed anti-slip chain spikes.
• Zong Shen told Dwarf Uncle to stop making chain spikes and resume forging equipment at the upgraded Third Order Blacksmith Shop.
• Zong Shen prepared a Load-Bearer Mecha for the afternoon hunt and watched seven or eight griffons fly north overhead.
• Zong Shen asked the Strategy Module about the griffon nest and learned it lay in the northern mountains, with one Overlord-tier Dragonblood Griffon, dozens of other griffons, and seven eggs.

Zong Shen considered capturing an Overlord-class griffon for a mount, then learned the Goblin King had abandoned plans to retaliate against his territory. He resolved to take the initiative against the goblins, while the chapter ended by revealing the Goblin King in its tribe.

• Zong Shen decided to search the northern mountains for a griffon nest after the Winter Challenge and try to tame its Overlord-class leader.
• After noticing the Goblin Tribe had not attacked, Zong Shen learned the Goblin King had judged his territory's defenses too strong and called off retaliation.
• Zong Shen decided he could exploit the goblins' caution by leading an elite team on a surprise attack with Goblin Bombs and area spells.
• Zong Shen returned to the Lord's Small Building, then went upstairs and took an afternoon nap.
• The chapter revealed the Goblin Tribe's mountain settlement and showed the Goblin King standing beside a wooden table in its central house.

The Goblin King ordered scouts to monitor nearby areas and worried about his tribe’s declining condition as he considered the strange new humans. Zong Shen woke and prepared for what might be his last large group hunt for Winter Snow Monsters before worsening snowfall made travel difficult.

• The Goblin King ordered Gu Abu to send two teams of Hounds to place Eyes of the Viper near designated locations.
• The Goblin King wondered where the newly appeared humans had come from and decided the tribe needed more food and people to halt its degeneration.
• Luna woke Zong Shen and received instructions to load Magic-Energy Thermal Orbs into the two Load-Bearer Mechas.
• Zong Shen dressed, left the Lord’s Small Building, and crossed the slippery melting ice toward Luna and Vereesa, who waited in the mechas with Warriors aboard.

Zong Shen led a heavily equipped force on a long Winter Snow Monster hunt through worsening weather, earning substantial points before the blizzard forced them to head home. The exhausted warriors set out on the dangerous return journey as the storm rapidly buried the roads.

• Zong Shen distributed Fine Grade ammunition and Magic Spring, reorganized Colby’s Wolf Cavalry, and prepared the hunting party with thermal orbs.
• Zong Shen led the force west in the Load-Bearer Mechas while Luna and Curtis took command of their respective squads.
• After more than five hours of hunting and enduring the blizzard, Zong Shen’s party had killed thirty-four Winter Snow Monsters and gained 45,600 points, but the warriors were cold and exhausted.
• Doris reported that her group had returned to the territory, while Favid had lost one Hellish Two-Headed Hound and planned to build up his summoned force.
• After resting briefly, Zong Shen led the main force back through the blizzard as snow accumulated rapidly and the ice-covered road became increasingly treacherous.

After a snow-monster hunt left his warriors suffering severe frostbite, Zong Shen admitted that his greed and ignored warnings had put them in danger. Once the others recovered enough to travel to the residential area, he remained at the Lord's Small Building, where a message arrived through his Communication Crystal.

• Zong Shen brought his team back through a worsening blizzard, and the warriors were nearly buried in snow and frozen stiff upon reaching the territory.
• Zong Shen and the others moved the injured warriors into the Lord's Small Building, where the fire, hot water, and a Magic-Energy Thermal Orb helped them recover.
• After checking for life-threatening injuries, Zong Shen apologized and blamed his decision to prolong the hunt despite a warning to return.
• The Madeline sisters and the other warriors reassured Zong Shen, though he noticed that some warriors' Loyalty had fallen slightly.
• Vereesa and Luna led the exhausted warriors to the residential area in Load-Bearer Mechas while Zong Shen stayed behind with Maryl.
• Maryl comforted Zong Shen, then his Communication Crystal began vibrating with an incoming message.

Zong Shen learned that Chen Rui had been trying to contact him with warnings about the natives and an impending era of chaos, and he began to suspect they shared hidden knowledge. Chen Rui urged him to build a kingdom within ten years, leaving Zong Shen waiting for the rest of his warning.

• Jiang Yi told Zong Shen that Chen Rui had urgently asked to speak with him.
• Zong Shen read Chen Rui's earlier messages, which warned that winter might come early and that natives were touching on taboos.
• Zong Shen asked the Strategy Module how Jane Hedges had dispersed the dark clouds and learned that Prince Ayub had used her to interfere with lord challenges.
• After Luna and Vereesa returned safely, Zong Shen contacted Chen Rui and received warnings that the arrival of later lord batches would bring unprecedented chaos.
• Chen Rui told Zong Shen to establish a kingdom within ten years and gather at least half the continent's strength to resist an unspecified threat.

Zong Shen learned from Chen Rui about a coming Great Calamity, the lords’ path to a third act, and likely extreme weather after winter, then decided to treat the warnings seriously while remaining cautious about their alliance. The next morning, he went outside during the blizzard and found the territory buried beneath more than a meter of snow.

• Chen Rui told Zong Shen that a Great Calamity would arrive in ten years, that surviving it would lead to a third act, and that they should stay in touch.
• Chen Rui warned Zong Shen that extreme conditions would likely follow winter, then ended their conversation.
• Zong Shen considered Chen Rui’s warnings and suspected the next challenge might bring scorching heat and drought, while deciding to verify the information over time.
• Zong Shen went to bed after declining Luna’s invitation, and Luna comforted him as he rested.
• Before dawn, Zong Shen left the bedroom to inspect the blizzard and found snow piled more than a meter deep across the territory.

Zong Shen discovered that the [Magic Energy Drill] could carry him through deep snow and practiced until he could operate it proficiently. With travel for the coming Winter Challenge stage now possible, he returned to breakfast and considered how to prepare for the challenges and projects ahead.

• Zong Shen found the snow too deep to travel through on foot and remembered the Strategy Guide’s hint about an item that could handle the conditions.
• Zong Shen brought out the [Magic Energy Drill], asked the Strategy Guide how to operate it, and used its annotations to learn the controls.
• Zong Shen drove the drill across the snow, then practiced driving, drilling through ice, and burrowing underground until he had mastered it.
• Zong Shen replenished the drill’s magic energy and returned to the Lord’s Small Building, where Maryl, Vereesa, Luna, Madeline, and Mappel welcomed him.
• Zong Shen told Luna that the drill could cross snow and ice but had room for only one passenger besides its driver.
• Zong Shen ate the breakfast the women had saved for him and thought about enduring the next challenge stage and preparing for future plans.

Zong Shen waited for Winter’s third stage while managing the territory and deciding not to spend his rare Building Replication Stone. After the blizzard eased, he took Maryl to inspect the pasture and found most of its livestock still alive, though he worried the coming extreme cold would cause further losses.

• Doris told Zong Shen that several warriors had developed fevers, but her and Howie’s treatment was helping them recover.
• Zong Shen consulted the Strategy Module about using the Building Replication Stone on the Magic Hall or Moon Goddess Spring, then chose to keep it.
• After the blizzard stopped, Zong Shen took Maryl through the snow in the Magic Energy Drill to check the livestock area.
• Zong Shen found that windbreak walls, sheds, and a Large Heater had helped more than 80% of the cattle and sheep survive so far.
• Zong Shen saw that the pregnant cows belonging to Mr. Mars were unaffected by Winter Descends and planned further preparations for the third stage.

Zong Shen completed preparations to shelter his livestock, collected sheepskin coats, and inspected the first Excellent Grade weapon forged by his territory. Dwarf Uncle then described the northern continent and the Wall of Despair, leaving Zong Shen with a clearer picture of the Others and the threat sealed beyond it.

• Zong Shen and Maryl built four Thatched Sheds and equipped the pasture with three heaters to protect the cattle and sheep from the cold.
• Zong Shen collected 377 Tailored Sheepskin Coats, halted further production, and learned that Dwarf Uncle had forged the territory's first Excellent Grade weapon.
• Zong Shen examined Dwarf Uncle's Fine-Forged Longsword and considered how the world's unstable powers and coming upheaval could create opportunities for Lords.
• Dwarf Uncle told Zong Shen about the Sandaya Mountains, the harsh northern region, and the Vigia Kingdom's vast Wall of Despair.
• Dwarf Uncle explained that the Wall of Despair had been built to contain the Others, terrifying ice-wielding creatures that turned corpses into Corpse Wights and had not awakened for several thousand years.

Zong Shen discussed the Three Dwarf Forts with Dwarf Uncle and earned his sincere loyalty by promising to help him reclaim his strength and become King of the Hill. Winter Phase Three began with sharp temperature swings and freezing rain forecast, and Zong Shen began organizing his territory and collecting Ashia from the Magic Hall.

• Dwarf Uncle praised the Bronzebeard Clan and described the dwarven clans, while Zong Shen promised to help him reclaim his strength and find the Storm War Hammer.
• Dwarf Uncle swore a solemn oath of loyalty to Zong Shen, who asked him to forge scimitars for the Wolf Cavalry.
• Zong Shen returned to his Lord's Small Building with Maryl and waited for Winter Phase Three to begin after reporting 77 Winter Snow Monsters killed.
• The Lord System announced the start of Winter's Lament, and Zong Shen learned that warming, severe cold, and supercooled freezing rain would bring temperatures down to -70°C.
• Zong Shen coordinated with Doris, asked Maryl to search the Market, collected the Moon Goddess Spring and Magic Spring, and drove the Magic Energy Drill to the Magic Hall.
• Zong Shen found Ashia meditating in the Meditation Room and gently woke her.

Zong Shen brought Ashia and Doris to investigate a Winter Treasure Chest sealed inside a small, unusually heat-resistant iceberg guarded by seven Icefield Snow Leopards. After testing the ice with Doris’s Fire Breath, he used the Magic Energy Drill to bore toward the trapped beasts, leaving the breakthrough and fight unresolved.

• Zong Shen woke Ashia and took her along to investigate nearby Winter Treasure Chests, explaining that she might need to support him and operate the Magic Energy Drill.
• Zong Shen found a five-meter-tall hollow iceberg containing a Winter Treasure Chest and seven Icefield Snow Leopards, then discovered that his trident barely chipped its surface.
• Zong Shen brought Doris to the iceberg and had her use Fire Breath, which melted a deep but narrow hole and showed that the ice could be melted with sustained heat.
• Zong Shen decided to drill through the iceberg and use the narrow opening to control the snow leopards, then began boring toward its hollow center as the beasts attacked the inner ice wall.

Zong Shen used Doris’s Fire Breath and the Magic Energy Drill to kill the seven snow leopards guarding a Winter Treasure Chest, then opened it and claimed its rewards. With the Doghole Tactic proven effective, he headed northeast toward another iceberg.

• Doris melted a narrow opening through the iceberg, and Zong Shen killed each snow leopard as it struggled to crawl through.
• Zong Shen and Howie’s Dragon-kin warriors collected the seven corpses, which yielded experience, Winter Points, and Extraction Value.
• Zong Shen excavated and opened the Winter Treasure Chest, obtaining two blueprints, a Whetstone, and other supplies.
• Zong Shen assessed how the Doghole Tactic could speed up future treasure hunts and considered how difficult the icebergs would be for other lords to excavate.
• Zong Shen took Ashia, Favid, and several Arcane mages toward another target 3.26 kilometers northeast.

Zong Shen collected another Winter Treasure Chest during the clear weather and let Mao Shengwen claim one near his territory. After defeating five Icefield Snow Pythons, Zong Shen stored the chest and headed back to reorganize his teams and continue searching before the cold and ice rain returned.

• Zong Shen met Mao Shengwen near a Winter Treasure Chest and told him to claim it rather than giving it up for his legion commander.
• Zong Shen drove north with Doris and his small team, broke through the ice, and entered an iceberg containing five Icefield Snow Pythons.
• Zong Shen and Doris lured the pythons through a narrow opening, and Zong Shen killed all five while preserving their hides.
• Zong Shen gained challenge points, Strength, health, and experience, while Favid and the mages processed the python corpses.
• Zong Shen retrieved the Winter Treasure Chest, stored it unopened, and set off for his territory to divide the groups and continue treasure hunting during the clear weather.

Zong Shen expanded his Winter Challenge treasure hunt with new drills while Jane Hedges benefited from Prince Ayub’s support in the Sarranid Sultanate. In the Kingdom of Rhodok, Zong Ze reached an iceberg through difficult mountain terrain and began testing ways to break it open.

• Zong Shen exchanged for two [Magic Energy Drill] devices and planned to split his team to collect more Winter Treasure Chests.
• Jane Hedges used Prince Ayub’s warriors and supplies to hunt Winter Snow Monsters, gaining points at the cost of several soldiers.
• Jane Hedges’s scorpion-armored warriors dismantled a small iceberg while she rested nearby.
• Zong Ze led Green-skin orcs and troll Javelin throwers through mountain paths to a small iceberg near his territory.
• Zong Ze began testing methods to break the iceberg after choosing Fifth Order spell scrolls over a [Magic Energy Drill] during the previous stage.

Zong Shen and other Lords searched for Winter Treasure Chests by drilling through the unusually durable small icebergs, while the temperature plunged to minus 50°C. After a long expedition, Zong Shen called off the search and prepared to return to his territory in the deadly cold.

• Zong Ze tested a small iceberg and found that fire, physical attacks, Arcane Missiles, and Arcane Shaping barely damaged it, so he sent orcs and trolls to chip it apart.
• Chen Rui used a Magic Energy Cutter alongside a Magic Energy Drill to break through icebergs faster, while Garona led a second treasure-hunting team.
• As the clear-weather period ended, Zong Shen split his forces into search teams and continued hunting for Winter Treasure Chests, killing a wandering Winter Snow Monster along the way.
• Zong Shen rested with his warriors, then resumed the search and passed up icebergs that other people had reached first.
• At 12:23 a.m., after more than eleven hours of searching and reaching an area thirty-four kilometers from his territory, Zong Shen stopped as the temperature fell to minus 50°C.

Zong Shen returned to his territory before the supercooled ice rain, sold off winter supplies, and reunited with Luna. With twenty-five unopened Winter Treasure Chests gathered between his expedition and Luna and Vereesa’s, he prepared to open them.

• Zong Shen led his group back toward the territory, using the Strategy Module to guide the Magic Energy Drill through the frost-covered terrain.
• Zong Shen dropped Ashia off at the Magic Hall, where she planned to meditate and improve her strength.
• Zong Shen listed 377 Tailored Sheepskin Coats at the Tier 1 Market for 120 units of resources each.
• Zong Shen returned to the Lord’s Small Building and embraced the exhausted Luna, who reported that she and Vereesa had collected seven Winter Treasure Chests and killed thirty-seven icefield beasts.
• Zong Shen and Luna placed their Winter Treasure Chests on the long table, preparing to open the twenty-five chests he had not yet opened.

Zong Shen and Luna opened and sorted twenty-five Winter Treasure Chests, uncovering 137 items, including blueprints, equipment, food, and useful tools. They finished examining several notable items, leaving the territory with new supplies and capabilities to put to use.

• Zong Shen and Luna opened all twenty-five Winter Treasure Chests together and sorted the 137 rewards by grade and category.
• Zong Shen reviewed the blueprints, including First Order, Tier 2, and Third Order building and crafting plans, and stored them for future territory development.
• Zong Shen set aside Fine Grade and Excellent Grade liquor and reserved the other food and drinks for the next day's meals.
• Zong Shen inspected the Bloodfly Fruit Venom and planned to give it to Vereesa to coat arrows and weapons.
• Zong Shen examined the reusable Mushroom Cultivation Bag, the Mana Storage Bottle, and the five-use Hurricane Mark.