Chapter Summaries

Lan Qingyou and Alisa found another Wood Nail overwhelmed by erupting black water, confirming Lan Qingyou’s pattern-based guess as the crisis spread. A colossal humanoid appeared on the horizon, and the two flew toward it before receiving a message from Helen announcing that she had set up a Signal Device.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa reached the next coordinate and found a huge black-water column erupting from a flooded swamp.
• Lan Qingyou showed Alisa how the five locations matched the Fire Wine pattern in her notebook, strengthening her guess about the coordinates.
• The water column vanished and then burst out again at a vastly larger size as black-water eruptions appeared across the surrounding area.
• A distant boom shook Lan Qingyou and Alisa, and they saw a gigantic humanoid silhouette rising above the clouds on the horizon.
• Lan Qingyou flew toward the figure to inspect and photograph it, while Alisa followed on her Magic Carpet.
• Lan Qingyou received a message from Flower Witch saying that Helen had set up a Signal Device and asking the Patriarch to respond.

Lan Qingyou warned Diana's group about the dangerous coordinates, then Agumon of Light attacked her and Alisa with a giant hand. Lan Qingyou stopped time to avoid the blow, but the pair remained trapped beneath it as her time-stop domain began to run out.

• Lan Qingyou sent Diana's group the discovered coordinates, maps, and a warning not to go there.
• Agumon of Light attacked Lan Qingyou and Alisa with a descending hand of light that could imprison its prey.
• Lan Qingyou cast her newly developed time-stopping Magic just before the hand struck.
• Lan Qingyou examined the frozen attacker and realized its giant humanoid shape was an illusion made from strands of light.
• Lan Qingyou let Alisa move within her time domain and explained that they could not escape the hand and that the time stop had a limit.
• Alisa asked Lan Qingyou whether she could use Time Reversal to get them out of danger.

Alisa and Lan Qingyou used Time Reversal to escape the Giant of Light, but the spell sent them to an unknown point in the past. They remained on the Karim Continent and set out to determine how far back they had gone.

• Alisa proposed using Lan Qingyou's Time Magic to escape, and Lan Qingyou warned that Time Reversal had serious side effects.
• Lan Qingyou cast Time Reversal just before the Giant of Light struck, causing her and Alisa to vanish from its palm's path.
• Alisa and Lan Qingyou appeared in a lush forest filled with unfamiliar plants, though Lan Qingyou identified several of them.
• Lan Qingyou explained that the spell had reversed time rather than teleported them, but she could not tell how far back they had gone.
• Alisa inferred that they had arrived before the Wooden Nail was driven into the ground and took out her Magic Carpet to find a point of reference.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa discovered that they had traveled a thousand years into the past, and Lan Qingyou revealed that the spell had damaged her soul and burned out its magic array. After Alisa tested her with a magic bolt, Lan Qingyou promised to improve her Time Magic, but a wind blade suddenly flew toward them.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa flew to the village they had previously seen in ruins and realized they had traveled at least a thousand years into the past.
• Alisa demanded that Lan Qingyou use Time Acceleration to return them, but Lan Qingyou said she had burned out the magic array and damaged part of her soul.
• Lan Qingyou claimed her soul would recover, and she and Alisa argued over whether souls could heal themselves.
• Alisa fired a basin-sized magic bolt into the woods and threatened to stitch Lan Qingyou's body and soul together if her soul did not recover.
• Lan Qingyou promised to improve her Time Magic, then a sharp wind blade flew toward them.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa arrived at a village in the Sima Empire a thousand years in the past and explained that they were alchemists from the mountains. The villagers recognized their status, leaving the village chief to decide how to handle the two strangers.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa dodged the village chief’s wind blades and slowly descended as villagers gathered to protect him.
• Lan Qingyou explained that they had been testing a spell, and the women discovered that they could understand each other.
• The village chief asked whether they were from the Sima Empire, and Lan Qingyou claimed they were mountain-dwelling alchemists.
• Lan Qingyou showed the village chief her Flying Broom, and the villagers wondered what to do now that they knew the women were alchemists.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa attended a feast in Fern Grass Village, where the Old Village Chief questioned their origins and tested whether they were genuine alchemists. They accepted his request to make Repellent Potions for the village, treating it like a beginner’s quest.

• The Old Village Chief welcomed Lan Qingyou and Alisa as alchemists and hosted a feast to learn more about them.
• Lan Qingyou told the villagers that she and Alisa had grown up near the Selala Mountain Range, and the Old Village Chief relaxed after hearing they came from the south.
• The Old Village Chief asked whether they knew of the Imperial Twin Moons, but Lan Qingyou claimed they had never heard of them.
• The Old Village Chief asked the pair to make Repellent Potions because monsters had been appearing near the village, offering to pay for the materials and their work.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa accepted the request and whispered together that Fern Grass Village seemed like a beginner’s village with a suitable alchemy quest.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa proved their alchemist credentials to Old Village Chief when Lan Qingyou produced her storage bag and brewing equipment. As Lan Qingyou began making Repellent Potion, she was surprised to learn that local alchemists usually needed several assistants, and she prepared to brew through the night.

• Old Village Chief asked Alisa and Lan Qingyou to demonstrate their alchemy, and they said they had their own materials and cauldron.
• Lan Qingyou took an alchemy base and cauldron from her Herb Bag, revealing a storage bag and Magic Item equipment to the villagers.
• Old Village Chief accepted that the women were alchemists and considered introducing them to the Viscount to benefit Fern Grass Village.
• Lan Qingyou began brewing Repellent Potion and told Old Village Chief it would take until morning.
• Old Village Chief offered to provide young men to assist, but Lan Qingyou declined and questioned why local alchemists needed several helpers.

Lan Qingyou finished making a hundred solid Dispelling Light Orbs and explained how they could repel powerful monsters and last longer than liquid potions. The Old Village Chief remained uncertain and asked to test one.

• Lan Qingyou continued preparing the potion while Alisa set up her luxurious tent outside the banquet hall.
• The Old Village Chief arrived early and found Lan Qingyou kneading a lump instead of brewing a potion.
• Lan Qingyou showed the Old Village Chief a hundred blue spheres and identified them as the finished Repellent Potion, renamed Dispelling Light Orbs.
• Lan Qingyou explained that the orbs could last three to five months, glow faintly at night, and repel monsters as powerful as the Crimson Flame Flying Tiger.
• The Old Village Chief examined an orb but asked to test it before believing Lan Qingyou's claims.

Lan Qingyou learned from Old Village Chief how to compress spells as they are cast, while the Dispelling Light Orb proved effective at frightening the village’s magical beasts. After Alisa asked what they should do next, Lan Qingyou said she planned to visit the Imperial Capital.

• Old Village Chief tested the Dispelling Light Orb and found that it terrified the chickens, ducks, and red-eyed rabbits.
• Old Village Chief thanked Lan Qingyou and explained how to compress a spell at the moment it was released.
• Alisa arrived, prepared herself with supplies from her Card, and asked what Lan Qingyou and Old Village Chief had discussed.
• Alisa asked what they should do next, and Lan Qingyou said she planned to visit the Imperial Capital.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa decided to head for the Imperial Capital and agreed to wait in Fern Grass Village for Viscount Adams, who could guide them. They trusted their strength against local dangers but remained aware that the world a thousand years in the past was not entirely safe.

• Lan Qingyou suggested that she and Alisa visit the Imperial Capital, and Alisa agreed.
• Old Village Chief realized the pair planned to leave and hoped to keep them in the village long enough to persuade them to stay.
• Old Village Chief told Lan Qingyou and Alisa that Viscount Adams was the only person in North John County who knew the way to the Imperial Capital and would arrive by noon.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa agreed to wait for Viscount Adams, while privately recognizing that Old Village Chief had arranged the meeting to delay them.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa reflected that Karim Continent was gentler and weaker than it had been in their own time, and believed the World Will protected them.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa discussed the village chief’s magic-compression technique and their plans to seek knowledge in the Imperial Capital, then argued over Magic Power and material transformation. Viscount Adams hurried to Fern Grass Village to recruit the two alchemists before a rival noble could claim them.

• Lan Qingyou explained the old village chief’s compression trick, and Alisa practiced shaping and firing a small ball of Magic Power.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa discussed studying in the Imperial Capital and asking Nikola and Albert technical questions.
• Alisa and Lan Qingyou’s talk turned into an argument between their opposing views on Magic Power and material transformation.
• Viscount Adams learned that two unaffiliated alchemists had created an effective Dispelling Light Orb and rushed to Fern Grass Village to recruit them.
• Viscount Adams asked where the alchemists were and ordered a villager to take him to the banquet hall.

Viscount Adams met Lan Qingyou and Alisa at Fern Grass Village and learned that Alisa was Alisa von Aurelius. He abandoned the idea of recruiting the two alchemists and considered other ways to gain their favor.

• Adams arrived at the banquet hall and learned from the Old Village Chief that Lan Qingyou and Alisa were practicing how to compress their Magic Power.
• Adams greeted the two alchemists, and Alisa returned his salute with a gesture that made him suspect she came from a powerful noble family.
• Adams introduced himself as the Viscount of North John County and asked for their names.
• Alisa introduced herself as Alisa von Aurelius, and Adams realized her family was far more prestigious than he had guessed.
• Adams decided he could not recruit Alisa and began considering other ways to benefit from the connection.

Adams met Miss Aurelius and Miss Lan, recognized their value as alchemists, and offered them a place in his caravan to the Imperial Capital. Lan Qingyou agreed to protect it in exchange for books, while learning that their red eyes were said to signify a special kind of Magic.

• Adams greeted Miss Aurelius and Miss Lan respectfully and decided to report their identities and claim a reward for meeting them.
• Lan Qingyou enthusiastically explained her Magic Items while Adams and the others ate in silence.
• Adams offered to arrange a carriage and guards for their journey to the Imperial Capital, but Lan Qingyou pointed out that they could fly.
• Adams asked the two women to protect his caravan through a dangerous swamp and explained a legend about red-eyed people who had mastered a mysterious kind of Magic.
• Lan Qingyou accepted the offer in exchange for books, and Alisa nodded in agreement.
• Adams was stunned when Lan Qingyou included cookbooks among the books she wanted.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa left Fern Grass Village with Viscount Adams, heading toward the Imperial Capital with books and a Guide arranged for them. They reached the outskirts of a town after traveling by carriage and flying carpet.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa thanked the Old Village Chief and set off with Adams after agreeing to receive books and a Guide.
• Adams provided a carriage for the journey, and Lan Qingyou climbed inside to try it.
• Lan Qingyou enjoyed the carriage’s food and wine, while Alisa grew uncomfortable with the rough ride and flew alongside them on her Flying Carpet.
• Adams saw Alisa’s Flying Carpet in action and admired the two women’s alchemical talent.
• After a little over three hours, the group approached the town walls.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa arrived in Lake Bay Town, where Viscount Adams welcomed them before a crowd. They staged increasingly dramatic entrances that boosted Adams’s local prestige, then followed him toward his residence.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa noticed Lake Bay Town’s busy trade, watchtowers, and soldiers as their carriage entered.
• Adams greeted them respectfully, while townspeople speculated about the important guests he had gone out to meet.
• Lan Qingyou floated out of the carriage and waved to the crowd, drawing gasps and cheers.
• Alisa used alchemical gadgets to surround herself with shimmering lights and a trail of vanishing flower petals, outdoing Lan Qingyou’s display.
• Adams thanked them for helping raise his standing and led them toward his residence.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa stayed in North John County while waiting for a merchant caravan to the Imperial Capital, and Adams offered them access to his lakeside villa and books. Adams secretly sent a warning to Duke Taylor about the worsening situation in the north, while Lan Qingyou and Alisa settled in to explore the villa’s library.

• Lan Qingyou asked Adams when the merchant caravan would leave for the Imperial Capital, and he said it would depart in about a week.
• Adams offered Lan Qingyou and Alisa a stay at his lakeside villa and access to his books, which they accepted.
• After Lan Qingyou and Alisa left, Adams sent a letter to Duke Taylor urging the Imperial Capital to prepare for the growing threat in the north.
• Adams worried that the Highland barbarians could overwhelm North John County and considered fleeing with his people if they could not hold out.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa arrived at the lakeside villa and became absorbed in its collection of books.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa explored the Viscount’s study, learned about the local currency, and began reading its books. Their conversation left them wondering whether educational books were scarce because the Academic School in the Imperial Capital controlled access to learning.

• A maid brought Lan Qingyou and Alisa to the study and gave them a purse of gold coins from Adams for their expenses during the week.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa learned the exchange rates among gold, silver, copper, and Black Iron Coins, and Alisa estimated a gold coin’s value at about ten thousand Federation dollars.
• The two settled into the study, where Lan Qingyou browsed books that included novels and everyday guides alongside more useful works.
• Alisa pointed out that the study held hundreds of books but few educational ones, and Lan Qingyou suggested the nobles might have collected them for appearances.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa considered whether educational books were scarce and discussed an account of the Academic School reprimanding a student for teaching children in his fief.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa spent several days reading in the guest residence before deciding to take a break and explore Lake Bay Town. As they prepared to leave, Alisa stopped Lan Qingyou to ask whether she planned to go shopping without makeup.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa discussed how a sheltered noblewoman had learned about society through harsh experience.
• Two maids in the guest residence learned that the guests were alchemists and were warned to look after them carefully.
• Lan Qingyou teased Alisa about brewing cold medicine, and Alisa challenged her to take one of her potions.
• Lan Qingyou suggested they go shopping around town, and Alisa agreed to take a break from reading.
• Alisa stayed behind and asked the bewildered Lan Qingyou whether she was going shopping without makeup.

Lan Qingyou went out while Alisa stayed behind to finish her special-effects makeup, then learned the town was preparing for the Mana Tide. Seeing how little protection it had, Lan Qingyou decided to introduce Magic Protective Shields as a way to gain influence and access higher-level information.

• Lan Qingyou teased Alisa about wearing makeup, then left the study while Alisa continued her special-effects makeup.
• Lan Qingyou went shopping with a maid and found the town’s streets unusually quiet and many shops closed.
• The maid explained that everyone was preparing for the Mana Tide.
• Lan Qingyou questioned whether the town’s closed shops could withstand the Mana Tide and said she used to protect herself with Magic Arrays and Magic Protective Shields.
• Lan Qingyou decided that sharing knowledge of Magic Protective Shields could help her gain influence and reach high-level information.

Adams learned that Lan Qingyou could protect a city from the Mana Tide and hurried to see her work for himself. After witnessing her Magic Protective Shield, he offered to introduce Lan Qingyou and Alisa to Duke Taylor, the Sima Empire’s Prime Minister.

• A maid told Adams that Lan Qingyou knew a magic formation capable of protecting a city, and Adams realized the discovery could keep trade running during Mana Tides and Mana Turbulence.
• Adams decided to notify Duke Taylor but could not send a message before the Mana Tide, so he went to Lan Qingyou’s residence to see the protection himself.
• Adams arrived to find Lan Qingyou’s residence enclosed by a translucent Magic Protective Shield, which she explained could withstand Mana Tides, Mana Turbulence, and some attacks.
• Adams entered the shield, praised Lan Qingyou and Alisa’s talent, and offered to introduce them to Duke Taylor.