Chapter Summaries

Nie Yun resists the Second Prince’s mental charm, which is trying to make everyone swear eternal loyalty. Its influence barely touches him: his mental power is far greater than the force being spread across the crowd. He realizes the glowing statue is amplifying the Second Prince’s ability.
The statue is made from Love Demon Stone, a rare mineral found at the heart of a Demon-Fearing Stone deposit. The Second Prince discovered the mineral and built his “Holy Land” around it, using the statue to strengthen his charm. His Secret Guards’ seemingly unbreakable loyalty is therefore the result of mind control, while their Demon-Fearing Stone equipment may protect them from other Psychics who could expose or undo it.
The incident reinforces Nie Yun’s developing theory that some Psychics are “specialization types,” born with unusual mental abilities. Research by Elder Yu’s team suggests that mental skills depend on individual traits: common abilities such as telekinesis or perception may be learnable, while powers like Grim’s hypnosis—or the Second Prince’s charm—require a rare innate aptitude. Nie Yun’s own mental power can sense and stir emotions, a talent he keeps secret.
Applying this theory, Nie Yun suspects the Second Prince may have used his charm to turn Grand Duke Horton against the Royalist faction and even manipulate him into killing his own grandson. The Second Prince’s hatred of Psychics may stem from their resistance to mental control and their ability to counter one another. His need to dominate people also explains why he has built a loyal power base rather than trusting outsiders.
Nie Yun then notices a troubling gap: if the Second Prince could control influential people from a young age, why has he not simply controlled the emperor and seized the throne? He considers whether the emperor is protected from mental abilities—or may possess a special power of his own—and realizes he may have stumbled onto a deeper Imperial House scandal.
Character developments and interactions: Nie Yun remains composed under the charm, analyzes the Second Prince’s methods, and connects the event to his ongoing research and suspicions about the imperial family. The Second Prince emerges as a powerful, controlling manipulator whose followers’ devotion is manufactured. The Secret Guards, unaware or unable to resist, are being branded with absolute loyalty.

Key plot points

• Nie Yun realizes the Wulf Empire tightly controls research into mental-power technology, possibly to prevent dangerous abilities from spreading and to keep them as a weapon for the ruling family.
• The Second Prince’s Pilgrimage ends, and the Love Demon Stone crumbles after releasing its energy. Its effects expose several infiltrators among the Secret Guards, who confess their loyalties and are taken away.
• Nie Yun decides not to attack the Second Prince, judging the risk too high and the potential benefit too small.
• The Second Prince assigns “Dark Shadow” a mission to return to the Shattered Star Region with a special squad. They are to wait for Viscount Ironwall’s move, then strike the Pirate Alliance from both sides and seize the Mystic Treasure.
• Nie Yun suspects the Second Prince is planning an attack on his forces. He asks Messiah to investigate Viscount Ironwall, whom she identifies as a general in Duke Horton’s camp.
• Messiah discovers that Ironwall assembled a large fleet two months earlier, then disappeared through a concealed military wormhole. Its destination is Star Cluster 0778.
• Studying the route on the star map, Nie Yun realizes the plan’s true target: the line beyond the wormhole leads to the Solar System.

Character developments and interactions

• Nie Yun shifts from observing the Second Prince’s power to actively investigating the threat, using his intelligence network and Messiah’s expertise. His final realization shows that the danger may reach far beyond the Shattered Star Region.
• The Second Prince appears confident and experienced in managing infiltration, and his plan to exploit disorder in the Pirate Alliance reveals a calculated strategic streak.
• Dark Shadow remains vengeful toward Flint and the Ghost Captain, but his brainwashing makes him unquestioningly obedient to the Second Prince’s orders.
• Messiah proves resourceful and efficient, tracing Ironwall’s movements and locating a hidden wormhole. She also grows more impressed by the All Things Unity Society, mistakenly attributing Nie Yun’s intelligence to its reach.
• The Second Prince’s ceremony exposes the tension between competing factions, as embedded spies from rival princes and nobles betray themselves under the Love Demon Stone’s influence.

Significant themes

• Control of dangerous knowledge: The Empire’s monopoly on mental-power research parallels the containment of weapons, preserving both political dominance and military advantage.
• Loyalty and manipulation: The Pilgrimage transforms followers into fervent loyalists while exposing enemy agents, blurring devotion with coercion.
• Espionage and counterespionage: Both sides rely on hidden agents, secret plans, and intelligence networks to gain an advantage.
• Escalating threat: What begins as a plan to reclaim a treasure and attack pirates is revealed to have a far more consequential destination—the Solar System.

Plot points and events

• Nie Yun realizes the Wulf Empire’s Second Prince plans a pincer attack on the Shattered Star Region and the Solar System, using a shortcut through a hidden wormhole. The Empire likely learned Earth’s location through its influence in Twin Stars.
• Nie Yun is alarmed that the Solar System could have been caught unprepared, but quickly concludes the attackers have mistakenly entered another of his organization’s core territories. He reassures Messiah that the alliance need not divert forces to deal with Viscount Ironwall: the invaders are effectively doomed.
• News of the coming invasion reaches Earth, where the public reacts with a mix of alarm, jokes, market chatter, and excitement about joining the fight. The Virtual World game Civilization Front sees a surge in players and sales.
• At Earth Defense Force headquarters, General Hu and his staff recognize that public morale is already high. They focus on locating the enemy’s hidden route before the attack.
• Since the enemy’s ships cannot exceed light speed, the wormhole must be within 0.3 light-years of the Solar System. Earth’s limited reconnaissance fleet cannot search the vast area alone, so the Defense Force posts a high-reward mission mobilizing bounty hunters and adventurers to find it.

Character developments and interactions

• Nie Yun shifts from shock to confidence once he realizes the attackers have stumbled into his sphere of power. He tells Messiah not to worry or detach alliance forces; Messiah remains concerned but accepts his assurance.
• General Hu, Schneider, and Yuri respond professionally to the threat, though they are bemused by the public’s unusually cheerful, game-like reaction to war.
• Earth’s citizens are portrayed as resilient and excitable: many treat the conflict as an opportunity for combat experience and rewards, while practical voices discuss markets and preparations.

Significant themes

• Preparedness and miscalculation: The Empire’s surprise route threatens Earth, but its attackers underestimate the territory they are entering.
• War as both crisis and spectacle: Earth’s public treats an existential danger with humor, gaming references, and enthusiasm, complicating the military’s efforts to manage morale.
• Collective mobilization: The Defense Force turns to civilian pilots and adventurers to compensate for its limited reconnaissance capacity.
• Information and reputation: Transparent markets and public awareness shape reactions, discouraging profiteering and rapidly redirecting attention toward the coming conflict.

Key events

• The Ghost Brigade’s modified cargo ship, Speedy, reaches Pluto to deliver supplies to a remote military testing base. The crew’s successful run should raise their group to C-rank.
• With news of an imminent extraterrestrial invasion confirmed, Earth Civilization has entered wartime control. The brigade plans to spend its funds on weapons and prepare for battle.
• Alice finds a high-reward Earth Defense Force mission to locate signs of the enemy’s approach. Because the brigade is already near the Solar System’s outskirts and close to a military port, they may have an advantage in obtaining a Wormhole Detector.
• Fatty proposes using astronomical data and his former classmate’s research on cosmic tides to narrow the search. Chris approves the plan: unload excess cargo, outfit Speedy for reconnaissance, accept the mission, obtain the detector, and share data with the research team.

Character developments and interactions

• Chris takes charge, balancing the brigade’s practical preparations with its responsibility to defend civilization.
• Alice, now more mature and capable, provides crucial intelligence and spots the opportunity to take the search mission.
• Fatty contributes scientific insight through his academic connection; he eagerly anticipates getting a top-tier mecha.
• Ribs is assigned to unload the ship with Fatty, while the crew’s upbeat camaraderie shows their growing confidence and ambition.

Significant themes

• Collective responsibility: Mercenaries and civilian groups alike mobilize to face a civilization-wide threat.
• Ingenuity and cooperation: The brigade combines its location, modified ship, and research contacts to improve its odds rather than search blindly.
• Adventure and uncertainty: The mission offers a major reward, but success depends on finding an elusive wormhole across an immense search area.

Key plot points and events

• The 1st Combined Special Brigade boards three newly launched warships—the Watcher, Glory, and Heavenly Soldier—for a mission toward Jupiter or farther into space. The ships are intended both to support the coming battle and to train human crews for future space warfare.
• Lieutenant Martia and his fellow soldiers joke about the danger, death benefits, and Martia’s sister Alice. Though they act bravely, Martia privately worries she may fall for the wrong person while he is away.
• Aboard the Watcher, Martia discovers his cramped “room” is a suspended-animation pod. Its virtual combat platform, sponsored by the Ghost Captain and partner organizations, offers human enhancement and mecha training. He receives a mysterious “cheat-code gift package.”
• Elsewhere, Schneider, General Hu, and Yuri discuss brain-CPU upgrades needed to progress beyond Level 9 and improve their fleet’s capabilities. Yuri pressures Schneider into taking the first publicly funded procedure; once restrained, Schneider realizes the others have maneuvered him into being the test subject.
• The three special-operation ships depart with 965 officers aboard. Across the Solar System, the Defense Force mobilizes: robots and mechas board ships, vessels deploy, and automated shipyards rapidly produce huge numbers of battleships.

Character developments and interactions

• Martia appears confident and jokes along with his comrades, but his thoughts reveal affection and protectiveness toward Alice. His unexpected training package may give him a significant advantage.
• The soldiers bond through dark humor and mutual encouragement, turning fear of death into camaraderie.
• Schneider is hesitant about brain surgery but is persuaded by the offer of a free upgrade and the prospect of advancement. He discovers too late that Hu and Yuri have used him as a guinea pig.
• Hu and Yuri remain pragmatic and mischievous, teasing Schneider while treating the upgrade as worth the risk.

Significant themes

• Preparation for war: Earth is mobilizing personnel, machines, ships, and industrial capacity on an enormous scale.
• Human limits and technological enhancement: Advancement requires upgrades to people as well as weapons.
• Camaraderie and sacrifice: Soldiers accept danger while relying on humor, loyalty, and support for one another.
• Virtual reality and the value of physical space: Virtual worlds compensate for the extreme confinement of life aboard warships.

Key plot points and events

• One month later, Viscount Ironwall wakes aboard the Wulf expeditionary fleet, still three days from the Solar System. Three Burrowing Worm ships have gone ahead to activate the L869 wormhole.
• The Wulf plan is to split the fleet after entering the Solar System: 300 ships will eliminate its forces and destroy all signs of civilization, while the remaining 2,700 seize the wormhole and launch a rapid assault on the Twin Stars.
• Ironwall’s intelligence badly underestimates Earth. It has passed through several layers of distortion and propaganda, leaving the Wulfs convinced that a small force can overwhelm the Solar System with ease.
• The Burrowing Worms charge their devices and successfully open a dormant spatial passage.
• Meanwhile, Earth’s expedition group has spent a month searching unsuccessfully for a predicted wormhole convergence point. Just as the group regains its resolve, its detector suddenly sounds an unexplained alarm.

Character developments and interactions

• Ironwall is confident in the fleet’s numerical and military superiority. He resents the sleeping Second Prince’s Secret Guard and threatens to kill the agent if he interferes, while insisting that speed is crucial.
• Fatty feels guilty for leading the group on an apparently fruitless search. Chris reminds him that the team chose the mission together and that even failed research has value.
• Ribs and Fatty are dispirited until Alice encourages them with her faith and optimism. Her words restore their determination, and Chris appreciates her ability to lift morale.
• The expedition members initially suspect the alarm is a fake, but Fatty swears he did not trigger it, leaving them startled and uncertain.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and flawed intelligence: The Wulfs’ dismissive view of Earth comes from increasingly distorted reports, setting up a dangerous mismatch between expectation and reality.
• Hope and perseverance: Alice’s encouragement helps the expedition push through disappointment, while the alarm offers a possible turning point.
• Conflicting priorities: The Wulf leadership treats the Solar System as a minor obstacle, focusing instead on conquering Twin Stars.

Plot points and events

• The Earth Defense Force learns that the Ghost Brigade has located an intermittent wormhole. It is expected to open fully in three days, leaving too little time to assemble a force to block it. The leaders redirect their defenses and send the vanguard toward the entrance.
• The Force’s leaders cannot contact Chris or the Goddess of Wisdom. They suspect Chris may be preparing to “ascend,” though he has already strengthened Earth’s defenses and handed them broad control over the solar-system defense network.
• The Ghost Brigade receives its 200,000-coin bounty for finding the wormhole. Rather than flee before the enemy arrives, Chris proposes staying behind to gather firsthand intelligence—and turning the encounter into a paid livestream.
• Three days later, five enemy reconnaissance ships approach the fully opened wormhole. The Fleetfoot bursts through at high speed, narrowly misses them, and races toward the enemy’s main force. The surprised vanguard commander orders pursuit, but the ship has already escaped their immediate range.
• In Earth’s Virtual World, the stream attracts millions of viewers. Though its title and paid access initially look like clickbait, the administrators pin it, and viewers are soon captivated by footage of the approaching alien fleet.

Character development

• Chris reveals his appetite for risk and his knack for turning danger into opportunity. He chooses intelligence-gathering and publicity over a straightforward escape.
• Alice quickly understands Chris’s plan and recognizes livestreaming as a way to share the encounter.
• Fatty boasts about his combat skills but admits that his engineering mecha would be badly outmatched. Skinny remains cautious, warning the team that the enemy could destroy them.
• The Earth Defense Force’s leaders show they are willing to act independently, using the authority Chris gave them to prepare for the invasion.

Character interactions

• The Defense Force leaders discuss the wormhole, their limited time, and Chris’s absence, weighing what his delegation of authority might mean.
• The Brigade members celebrate their payout, then debate whether to flee or risk staying. Chris’s proposal persuades them to pursue a potentially more valuable payoff.
• The enemy vanguard’s surprise at the Fleetfoot’s sudden appearance turns into anger and embarrassment, especially because the main fleet—and the Viscount—witnesses the mishap.
• Virtual World viewers mock the stream’s clickbait presentation before curiosity draws many of them in.

Significant themes

• Risk and reward: Chris sees danger as a chance to gain valuable intelligence and profit.
• Power and responsibility: Chris has equipped the Defense Force to act without him, raising the possibility that he is stepping away from direct control.
• Spectacle and commerce: A real invasion becomes paid entertainment, with livestreaming and public curiosity shaping how the event is experienced.
• Preparedness and overconfidence: The enemy conducts careful reconnaissance, yet the Fleetfoot’s unexpected move disrupts its plans.

Summary

Viscount Ironwall’s fleet emerges from a newly opened wormhole, only to find the Speedster—a small cargo ship—approaching. He assumes it is unprepared and orders fast warships to destroy it before it can report back. He does not know that the ship’s Ghost Series communications equipment is transmitting without delay, allowing people across Earth to watch the encounter live.
The viewers are alarmed by the enemy’s overwhelming numbers but soon turn the broadcast into a mixture of jokes, speculation, and amateur military analysis. They identify the fleet’s formation and infer that Ironwall is a cautious, defense-focused commander. Meanwhile, more than thirty enemy warships converge on the Speedster.
The Ghost Brigade’s apparent recklessness is part of a plan. Chris orders decoys deployed, but the enemy quickly exposes them and locates the real ship. As the Speedster enters weapons range, Fatty triggers a timed self-destruct. The ship is destroyed, and the enemy fleet continues past without noticing the four surviving remote robots hidden among the wreckage. Their cameras keep broadcasting at close range, capturing the fleet and Ironwall’s flagship.
The four members celebrate the successful deception. Their goal was never to fight, but to keep the livestream running long enough to earn viewers and gather intelligence. The broadcast attracts 11.2 billion views, while Earth’s Defense Force gains its first firsthand information about the enemy.

Character developments and interactions

• Viscount Ironwall reacts to the unexpected ship with suspicion but dismisses the possibility of an ambush. His confidence and focus on preventing the ship from reporting leave him unaware that he is being filmed.
• Chris directs the operation, revealing himself as a strategic planner who values intelligence and profit over combat.
• Fatty pilots the ship and precisely times its destruction; Ribs is credited with placing the surviving robots through careful demolition. Alice is praised for her guidance. The team shares credit and celebrates its success.
• The viewers respond as a comic, collective character: they panic, joke about the Ghost Brigade’s identity, debate tactics, and propose increasingly absurd ways to take control of the ship.

Significant themes

• Deception over force: A tiny crew survives by exploiting the enemy’s assumptions rather than fighting its superior fleet.
• Information as power: The livestream turns a doomed-looking encounter into valuable intelligence for Earth.
• Public spectacle and profit: The Brigade’s mission is shaped as much by viewers and revenue as by military value.
• Comedic contrast: The enemy’s disciplined force and the grave danger are repeatedly undercut by the crew’s improvisation and the audience’s irreverent commentary.

Key plot points and events

• Earth’s Defense Force opens fire from ten Kuiper Belt artillery batteries as soon as the Imperial fleet enters the Solar System. The batteries launch more than 100,000 high-speed projectiles toward the arriving ships.
• Viscount Ironwall learns that Earth detected the wormhole activity three days earlier and has assembled roughly 300 ships. He suspects the supposedly accidental cargo ship may have helped reveal the wormhole.
• The Imperial fleet neutralizes the barrage with a vast, coordinated electromagnetic shield. The Earth batteries continue firing for an hour, but their attack does little damage; instead, it forces the invaders to spend energy and maneuver.
• Ironwall orders the Imperial forces to split. The main fleet proceeds toward the Twin Stars Wormhole, while 400 ships—his own 300 and another 100 from the Black Knight Fleet—are assigned to deal with the Solar System’s defenders.
• Watching from their virtual command center, Earth’s three commanders recognize that their forces cannot match the Imperial fleet’s strength and coordination. They take some comfort in the fact that the main force is heading toward Twin Stars.

Character developments and interactions

• Viscount Ironwall remains confident and dismissive of Earth’s opening attack, but its timing and persistence prompt him to take the defenders more seriously. He calmly directs the fleet’s response and division of forces.
• The adjutant reports the detected fleet movements and voices the assessment that Earth is pursuing a war of attrition.
• Earth’s three commanders shift from alarm at the enemy’s strength to a measure of relief when the Imperial fleet divides. Their brief banter reveals the strain they feel, even as they prepare to face the 400 ships assigned to them.

Significant themes

• Home-field advantage versus expeditionary warfare: Earth can draw on local Kuiper Belt resources, while the invading fleet must conserve its supplies far from home.
• The limits of attrition: Earth’s barrage cannot break the Imperial defense, but it can consume the invaders’ energy and force them to react.
• The scale of future warfare: The Imperial fleet’s unified “Legion Technique” shows Earth’s commanders a far more advanced model of coordinated fleet combat.
• Strategic trade-offs: Ironwall’s decision to divide his forces eases Earth’s immediate pressure but shifts the main threat toward Twin Stars.

Summary

• The Empire’s fleet enters the Kuiper Belt: The 400 invading warships head toward Earth’s concealed main force. Earth’s ten Tracker Phalanx positions open sustained fire, but the Iron Wall Fleet’s 300 lead ships deflect the attacks with fleet-wide Atmospheric Aegis shields.
• A devastating counterattack: The Iron Wall ships fire large solid shells that appear slow and primitive, but the shells explode mid-flight into fast, high-energy magnetic-confinement projectiles. Earth’s phalanxes cannot stop them: electromagnetic fire is absorbed and strengthens the projectiles, while magnetic fields deflect or spin them rather than destroy them. The attacks combine energy bursts with physical impacts, eventually overwhelming the shields.
• Earth’s defenses are wiped out: Three volleys destroy Fire Position Three, and the Iron Wall Fleet then eliminates all ten Tracker Phalanx positions in a little over an hour. Earth’s commanders recognize that this was only an opening probe, yet the enemy has advanced without meaningful disruption.
• A second force remains ominously idle: The 100 Black Flag warships behind the Iron Wall Fleet do not fire, instead cruising at ease. Their restraint makes them seem like a powerful force held in reserve.
• The enemy changes course: Just as observers expect a direct clash, the fleet turns away. While the public speculates that the invaders may be retreating or feinting, Earth’s commanders realize the maneuver exposes how disadvantaged the defenders are.

Character developments and interactions

The Earth Defense Force’s commanders move from assessing the attack with confidence to recognizing the Empire’s technological superiority and the limits of their preparations. Earth personnel and livestream viewers react with disbelief and alarm as their conventional countermeasures fail. The chapter also emphasizes the contrast between the active Iron Wall Fleet and the seemingly self-assured Black Flag fleet, whose unexplained passivity heightens the threat.

Significant themes

• Technological surprise: Weapons that seem outdated can be deadly when applied through advanced science.
• Defensive disadvantage: Earth’s carefully built defenses are overwhelmed, underscoring how difficult it is to respond when the enemy dictates the terms of engagement.
• Uncertainty and misdirection: The unexplained turn—and the Black Flag ships’ inaction—suggest that the invasion may involve a broader strategy than a straightforward assault.

Plot and key events

• The Earth Defense Force realizes the Ironwall Fleet has refused its planned trap and is choosing its own route and battlefield. With the Asteroid Belt identified as the last defensive line before Earth’s core regions, Earth’s commanders order the fleet to maneuver, reveal the outer defenses, mobilize for war, and prepare mass launches.
• Earth fields 369 warships, including new Fish Intestine-class vessels, frigates, destroyers, carriers, and three command ships. Though less uniform and generally smaller than Ironwall’s ships, Earth’s fleet is backed by extensive hidden defenses.
• As Ironwall advances, 32 Tracker Phalanxes, three enormous defensive fortresses, and vast swarms of missiles, fighters, mechs, and remotely controlled weapons unleash a massive barrage. Earth’s citizens eagerly volunteer to control disposable weapons, joking in chat about their likely deaths and the chance to overwhelm the enemy with numbers.
• Viscount Ironwall initially mocks Earth’s improvised-looking fleet, but the scale and ferocity of its defenses surprise him. He also notices that Earth’s attack style resembles that of the Machine Race.
• Nie Yun, posing as the Black Steward of the All Things Unity Society, contacts Ironwall. Their conversation shifts from awkward humor about Nie Yun’s mandatory black robe to a probing exchange about Ironwall’s relationship with the Second Prince. Ironwall suspects someone leaked his expedition plans; Nie Yun hints that the Second Prince may have done so, but Ironwall rejects the suggestion.

Character developments and interactions

• Earth’s commanders move from frustration at losing control of the battlefield to decisive preparation for a defensive war.
• Viscount Ironwall begins confident and dismissive, but Earth’s defenses make him reconsider their strength. He is wary of the Second Prince’s political agenda and increasingly intrigued by the mysterious Unity Society.
• Nie Yun uses humor and carefully chosen remarks to unsettle Ironwall and demonstrate that he knows more than he should, while concealing how little he actually knows about Ironwall himself.
• Their exchange is a contest of suspicion: Ironwall tries to identify the source of the leak, while Nie Yun leaves him with an unsettling possibility.
• Earth’s citizens display a blend of courage, dark humor, and willingness to sacrifice themselves through remote-controlled combat.

Significant themes

• The defender’s dilemma: Earth has home-field advantages but must protect many vulnerable strategic sites, while the attackers choose when and where to strike.
• Preparation and hidden strength: Earth’s seemingly makeshift fleet conceals powerful, layered defenses and enormous reserves.
• Mass participation and expendability: Citizens become part of the war effort through disposable weapons, turning defense into a collective effort.
• Political distrust and intelligence: The conversation hints at factional tensions within the Empire and the value—and danger—of knowing who is manipulating events.

Key plot points

• Viscount Ironwall learns that his operation has been exposed, but dismisses the warning. He believes the Earth forces are too unprepared to threaten his fleet and refuses to abandon his mission, which Duke Horton ordered.
• Nie Yun’s cryptic call ends without a clear explanation. Ironwall suspects bluffery and proceeds confidently.
• The Iron Wall Fleet’s Sweepers—shells that mimic supernova explosions—devastate Earth’s advancing drone force before it can reach the enemy. Their immense radiation wipes out the Special Missile vanguard and badly damages the following fighters.
• The Earth commanders identify the weapons as Supernova Mimic Explosions, designed to clear large formations of lightly armored units. Ironwall’s warships withstand the blasts far better than the smaller Earth craft, and his fleet intensifies its use of the weapons.

Character developments and interactions

• Viscount Ironwall is bold, blunt, and overconfident. He refuses to reconsider his orders despite being warned that his operation is known, and interprets Nie Yun’s unusual farewell as empty posturing.
• Nie Yun stays composed and enigmatic. He tries to learn whether Ironwall can be persuaded to withdraw, then seems pleased when Ironwall refuses—suggesting he may have another purpose or plan.
• Ironwall’s adjutant raises the possibility of changing the plan but offers no further challenge once Ironwall dismisses it.
• The Earth players and commanders react to the devastating weapon with alarm, frustration, and reluctant respect for the enemy’s expertise against swarm tactics.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence and misjudgment: Ironwall assumes numerical and technological superiority will guarantee success, while underestimating the meaning of the warning.
• The cost of asymmetry: A mass of cheap, agile drones is vulnerable to weapons built specifically to destroy swarms, while heavily shielded warships shrug off the same attacks.
• Adaptation in warfare: Earth’s players use specialized missile formations and varied munitions, but the Wulf Empire’s anti-swarm tactics counter their approach with devastating efficiency.

Plot and events

• The Earth Army sends two waves of missiles and fighters, followed by nearly a thousand Sword Immortal Type II mecha, against the advancing Iron Wall Fleet. Radiation and the fleet’s close-defense guns destroy almost all of them before they can reach their target.
• Six surviving mecha attack the lead Ironwall Warship with armor-piercing swords, which are designed to breach force-field shields but wear out after about three uses. They nearly break through the ship’s shield, but are blasted apart. One mecha briefly penetrates the shield and damages the hull only slightly—the Earth Army’s sole achievement.
• Earth’s combat players lament the losses but take heart that this is only the first wave; they expect further attacks and fleet support to make their swarm tactics more effective.
• The Iron Wall Fleet continues toward the Solar System, calmly firing on Earth’s exposed positions. Nie Yun uses the attack to gather extensive battlefield intelligence through surveillance systems and “Ghost-brand” control chips embedded in Earth units.
• Confident that the Solar System cannot be caught by surprise and that the approaching force poses little threat to him, Nie Yun turns his attention to Twin Stars. He expects the Ancient Teleportation Array there to activate soon and wonders what it will summon.

Character developments and interactions

• The remote operators show courage and determination, pushing their damaged mecha into a final coordinated assault despite overwhelming odds.
• Earth’s combat community shifts from despair over the failed attack to cautious resolve, framing the losses as a first wave and hoping for reinforcements.
• Nie Yun remains composed and observant. He admires the Iron Wall Fleet’s discipline, but treats the battle as an opportunity to collect intelligence rather than a serious threat. His decision to let Twin Stars share the burden reveals his strategic, self-interested outlook.

Significant themes

• The limits of sacrifice: The mecha operators’ effort is brave, but their attack barely damages the enemy, raising doubts about the value of sending cheap units to die.
• Technology and tactical adaptation: Stronger shields have reduced the effectiveness of ranged weapons, making close-range armor-piercing attacks more important—even when those weapons are expendable.
• Information as power: The lost units still benefit Nie Yun by extending his battlefield surveillance.
• Shared burdens and self-interest: Nie Yun’s closing thought—that “fun is better shared”—contrasts with Earth’s costly defense and signals that he expects others to face the coming danger too.

Plot points and events

• One month earlier, Twin Stars’ council learns that the Wulf Empire’s Iron Wall Fleet—more than 3,000 veteran warships led by the Second Prince—may attack from the rear by using a shortcut to the Caldari Region.
• Council members criticize the decision to accept the All Things Unity Society’s wormhole technology and become involved in the wider power struggle. Victor rejects the blame-shifting, arguing that Twin Stars must now focus on survival.
• Leon reports that Black Steward intends to intercept the fleet in the Solar System but may not be able to stop all of it. Chairman Kruze suspects the Society may have called on the powerful Ante Empire for support.
• Kruze turns to Twin Stars’ own options. Assad reports that the wormhole-expansion device has been assembled and is in final testing. Despite the risks, Kruze decides to activate it early to reunite Twin Stars with the Lost Third Star System and quickly strengthen their forces.
• A wormhole opens between the Caldari and Minmatar regions. On the far side, two fleets—one from the Sea Race and one from the Winged Race—argue over territory, military expansion, and old grievances. Their hostility reveals that the people of Twin Stars have split into rival camps.

Character developments and interactions

• Kruze moves from alarm to decisive action, choosing a risky early wormhole opening rather than waiting for complete preparations.
• Victor, despite his usual conflict with Kruze, supports him during the crisis and calls for unity. He still raises concerns about opening the wormhole prematurely.
• Leon Assad delivers the intelligence and helps Kruze assess the possible involvement of the Ante Empire.
• The Sea Race and Winged Race leaders, Barty and Milos, trade accusations and invoke inherited disputes, showing that mutual distrust has hardened into division.

Significant themes

• Risk and responsibility: Accepting powerful technology brings danger as well as benefits.
• Unity versus factionalism: Twin Stars faces an external invasion while its own people remain divided.
• Uncertainty and strategic dependence: The council must make decisions without knowing whether the All Things Unity Society or Ante Empire will truly protect them.
• Inherited conflict: The rival fleets’ arguments show how old political grievances continue to fuel present hostility.

Summary

The Gemini Civilization’s two races, the Winged Race and Sea Race, have historically stayed united through military balance, threats from outside, and the coordinating authority of the Twin Stars Congress. When a group of settlers became stranded in the isolated “Lost Land” after their wormhole homeward closed, those safeguards disappeared. Military commanders took control, but failed to compromise over a shared government. Over more than a century, the two races divided the star systems between them, grew apart, and began an arms race. The strategically vital Third Star System—home to the wormhole—became their main point of conflict.
As Winged Race commander Milos and Sea Race commander Barty argue over whose fleet must withdraw, the wormhole unexpectedly reopens. Both sides pull back and send reconnaissance ships rather than risk a battle. A small vessel emerges, identifying itself as part of the Gemini Civilization’s Joint Council fleet. The commanders welcome confirmation that their parent civilization has returned, though each privately resents the prospect of losing local power.
The liaison ship’s delegation, however, consists not of soldiers but of more than a hundred elderly officials and family representatives. Its leader asks which families Milos and Barty descend from; learning they belong to prominent families, he brings their respective family elders forward. The elders proudly praise the commanders and address them as descendants—then insist that Barty call one of them “Grandpa” and Milos greet another as his great-grandfather. Both commanders are left embarrassed and politically disarmed just as they are supposed to negotiate.

Character developments and interactions

• Milos and Barty begin as uncompromising rivals, each blaming the other for the looming war. The wormhole’s return forces them to cooperate, but the arrival of Congress brings a new challenge: they must deal with the authority they have grown used to acting without.
• The elders and family representatives use kinship and family pride to establish influence over the local commanders. Their warm, public praise contrasts with the strategic stakes of reclaiming authority and securing political benefits.
• The commanders’ shared embarrassment at being called grandchildren creates an unexpected bond—and makes direct confrontation with the elders awkward.

Significant themes

• Unity versus division: Competition between the races once fueled growth, but without shared institutions and outside pressure it escalated into conflict.
• Power and legitimacy: The Lost Land’s rulers have built authority independently, while the returning Congress and established families seek to reassert control.
• Family ties as political tools: Kinship is used to soften or constrain negotiations, blending affection, status, and political maneuvering.
• The return of the past: The reopened wormhole offers a route home but also threatens the settlers’ hard-won independence.

Plot points and events

• Twin Stars reopens contact with the isolated Lost Lands and sends a delegation of elders whose family ties reach the region’s leaders, Milos and Barty. The reunion pressures the two commanders, who fear both the parent civilization’s intentions and the consequences of their own rule.
• Twin Stars presents figures showing its overwhelming advantage in territory, population, economy, and technology, while concealing its recent military and regional setbacks. A fleet demonstration makes the imbalance seem even more intimidating.
• The Lost Lands’ rulers reveal that their own heavily militarized forces are unexpectedly substantial, leaving both sides newly aware of the other’s strength.
• Negotiations result in a generous reunion agreement: the Lost Lands’ government remains in place for ten years, Milos and Barty receive seats in Congress and provisional commands, and their assets and past offenses are protected by an amnesty. In exchange, they surrender military control to Congress.
• Congress rapidly reorganizes the forces and arranges a change of garrison. Milos and Barty cheerfully anticipate their new posting, unaware that they are being sent to the Caldari Region.

Character development and interactions

• Milos and Barty shift from wary, self-protective rulers to relieved collaborators once their positions, wealth, and immunity are secured. Their private conversation shows they are prepared to resist if necessary, but their fears ease after the favorable terms.
• Their relationship is friendly and pragmatic: they negotiate together, then joke about food and promise to look out for each other as fellow Lost Lands natives.
• Twin Stars’ leaders, especially Kruze, use family connections, selective disclosure, and a show of military power to bring the Lost Lands back under central control. The elders’ authority helps weaken resistance before formal negotiations begin.

Significant themes

• Power and legitimacy: The Lost Lands’ military rulers are vulnerable because their authority rests on force and is not fully legitimate.
• Family and inherited ties: Kinship across generations becomes a political instrument, connecting the isolated region to its parent civilization.
• Strategic deception and negotiation: Both sides conceal or reassess their true strengths, while Twin Stars balances coercion with concessions.
• Reintegration and compromise: Unity is achieved through a transitional arrangement rather than immediate political overhaul, though Congress promptly reclaims military command.
• Dramatic irony: Milos and Barty believe the garrison transfer is routine and look forward to a prosperous posting, while the reader is left to wonder what awaits them in the Caldari Region.

Key plot points and events

• After thirty-six hours of fighting, the Iron Wall Detachment Fleet has pushed through Earth’s attacks and reached the Kuiper Belt. Its roughly four hundred ships withstand waves of drones, Sweeper Super Bombs, and fortress weapons, while destroying Earth’s exposed firing positions from beyond their range.
• Earth’s machine-swarm tactics inflict little damage. The fleet’s defenses, coordinated formations, and automated repairs make it exceptionally difficult to hurt, while Earth’s dwindling supplies and fixed installations leave the defenders at a growing disadvantage.
• Viscount Ironwall learns that Earth’s weapons are unmanned and technologically inferior to his fleet, though their behavior and communications systems are unusual. His adjutant judges them unlikely to be connected to the feared Machine Race.
• Ironwall interprets the Black Steward’s earlier warning about a mole as a bluff intended to sow distrust and buy time. Confident Earth and Twin Stars are unprepared, he orders his fleet to press on.
• A wormhole opens ahead of the fleet. A series of strange, severed-looking objects emerge, then join together with silvery, threadlike growths into a colossal tree. The chapter ends with Ironwall bewildered by the sight of what appears to be a “block-type” cosmic plant.

Character developments

• Viscount Ironwall remains confident and dismissive of Earth’s defenses, and his success so far reinforces his belief that the enemy’s cleverness is only a delaying tactic. His confidence is abruptly challenged by the bizarre arrival from the wormhole.
• The adjutant provides a capable, measured assessment of Earth’s technology and tactics, but readily agrees with Ironwall’s interpretation of the Black Steward’s warning and praises his judgment.
• Earth’s defenders are increasingly frustrated as their attacks fail and their resources run low, highlighting the gap between their capabilities and those of an established interstellar power.

Significant themes

• The imbalance between a young civilization and an empire: Earth’s numbers and ingenuity struggle against the fleet’s superior weapons, coordination, defenses, and repair systems.
• Confidence and misjudgment: Ironwall’s logical-seeming conclusions lead him to underestimate both his opponent and the possibility of unexpected developments.
• The unpredictable nature of war: Just as the fleet appears to have the advantage, an extraordinary new arrival changes the situation.

Character interactions

• Ironwall questions his adjutant about Earth’s weapons and their possible connection to the Machine Race; the adjutant reassures him that the threat is limited.
• The two discuss the Black Steward’s warning, with Ironwall framing it as a deliberate bluff and the adjutant accepting his reasoning.
• Ironwall and the adjutant react together in shock as the wormhole delivers the objects that assemble into the immense tree.

Key plot points and events

• To move the immense Long-Lived One through the narrow Solar System Wormhole, Nie Yun has him cut into sections, transported in batches, and reassembled on the other side.
• The Long-Lived One reveals his new form: a semimechanical giant tree merged with the Sea Wolf. Nearly two-thirds of his body has been mechanized with mithril and Mechanical Insects, while the Sea Wolf’s core supplies his energy.
• Nearby meteoroids—already converted internally to mithril—join him. He strips away their rocky shells to reveal an arsenal of colossal weapons, including shields, a hammer, a spear, and a superheavy cannon.
• Viscount Ironwall orders his fleet of more than two thousand ships to fire a probing volley. The Long-Lived One remains still, then swings his cannon like a sword, releasing a vast energy blade that destroys or disables the incoming shells and cuts through the fleet’s formation.
• The Iron Wall Fleet survives thanks to distance and its shields, but its commander’s confidence is shaken. The weapon is revealed as a 30x Prototype Super World King Cannon, one of several advanced weapons designed by Nie Yun.

Character developments and interactions

• Nie Yun demonstrates his ruthless pragmatism and engineering ambition, transforming the Long-Lived One into a formidable weapons platform. His willingness to use extremely rare mithril as construction material underscores his disregard for conventional limits.
• The Long-Lived One overcomes his initial reluctance to being dismantled and emerges as a vastly enhanced, semimechanical being. His new form combines enormous physical presence with powerful technology.
• Viscount Ironwall begins amused and dismissive, viewing the Long-Lived One as a potential trophy. After witnessing the cannon’s power, he becomes serious and recognizes the threat.
• The Iron Wall Fleet’s officers and crew shift from confidence to alarm as they detect the cannon’s unprecedented energy output and scramble to defend against its attack.

Significant themes

• Technology reshaping life: The Long-Lived One’s transformation blurs the boundary between biological organism and machine, presenting mechanization as an evolutionary leap.
• Scale and ingenuity: Nie Yun turns the Long-Lived One’s immense size from a logistical obstacle into a military advantage.
• Overconfidence and reversal: Ironwall’s contempt gives way to fear when his fleet’s familiar weapons prove ineffective.
• Excess taken to extremes: Nie Yun’s colossal designs—and his extravagant use of precious materials—reflect an unrestrained drive to push technological power beyond normal limits.

Plot and key events

• After the World King Cannon fires, Codename reports its exceptional performance—but also its enormous energy-crystal cost. Nie Yun privately rues the expense, while Codename points out that the Sea Wolf could fire several more full-power shots.
• Rather than destroy the Twin Stars’ enemies outright, Nie Yun sends Viscount Ironwall a taunting demand for a toll.
• Enraged but wary of the cannon, Ironwall orders his fleet to spread out into an encirclement formation, preparing elite mecha pilots to attack the Sea Wolf.
• He then launches five massive, crude-looking stone pillars propelled by engines. Codename detects their immense mass and predicts they will reach the Sea Wolf at tremendous speed. Nie Yun realizes they are meant to ram the ship: they are space torpedoes.

Character developments and interactions

• Nie Yun is confident enough to taunt Ironwall, but remains practical and cost-conscious. He intends to demonstrate strength, not spend a fortune fighting on the Twin Stars’ behalf.
• Codename provides precise technical assessments and enthusiastically advocates using the cannon’s remaining shots, prompting Nie Yun’s skepticism about spending so freely.
• Viscount Ironwall shifts from anger to a more cautious, tactical response after witnessing the cannon’s power. He disperses his fleet and uses a specialized weapon rather than relying on a dense formation.
• Nie Yun’s mocking message provokes Ironwall, while the two commanders’ differing approaches—overwhelming firepower versus fleet tactics and specialized weapons—drive the confrontation.

Significant themes

• The cost of war: Advanced warfare consumes vast resources; energy expenditure is presented as the interstellar equivalent of money.
• Adaptation and countermeasures: Ironwall responds to the cannon by changing formation and deploying a weapon designed to bypass conventional defenses.
• Misleading appearances: The unpolished stone pillars look primitive, but their mass and velocity make them potentially catastrophic.
• Power and restraint: Nie Yun has overwhelming firepower, yet chooses to posture rather than commit fully to the battle.

Cliffhanger

The Sea Wolf faces a potentially devastating collision from five high-speed space torpedoes.

Key plot points and events

• The Iron Wall Fleet launches five massive “Demon-Breaking Crossbows”—neutron-star-compressed torpedoes designed to smash fortifications and other slow, heavily defended targets.
• Nie Yun counters with fifteen enormous weapons based on Houyi-class warships. Their concentrated energy barrage punches deep craters into the torpedoes but fails to stop them, revealing the torpedoes’ extraordinary resistance to energy attacks.
• Nie Yun switches tactics, firing five huge solid projectiles from a sniper rifle modeled on a Kar98k. Each projectile secretly carries a Sword Immortal Type II mecha.
• Near the torpedoes, the mecha eject from their casings, brake with their engines, and grapple onto the advancing weapons. Nie Yun’s plan is to send an interstellar marine unit inside and destroy the torpedoes’ propulsion systems.
• Viscount Ironwall anticipates the infiltration attempt. He deploys swarms of small mechanical spiders to obstruct the mecha, while believing the torpedoes’ propulsion units are sealed away from intruders.
• Just as Ironwall settles in to watch the mecha fail, an unexpected light appears on the feed, prompting his stunned exclamation: “Leg… legendary?!”

Character developments and interactions

• Nie Yun demonstrates tactical flexibility: when energy weapons prove ineffective, he quickly shifts to a deceptive, close-quarters infiltration strategy. His playful choice of a traditional sniper rifle contrasts with the immense scale of the battle.
• Viscount Ironwall is initially confident in his fleet’s defenses and prepared countermeasures, but the final moment suggests that Nie Yun’s forces have produced something beyond his expectations.
• Codename recognizes the unusual rifle design and reacts with visible skepticism, while Nie Yun calmly carries out his plan.
• Both sides are repeatedly surprised by the other’s weapons, turning the exchange into a contest of escalating tactics and mistaken assumptions.

Significant themes

• Adaptation and countermeasures: Each failed tactic prompts a new approach, while the defending fleet has prepared its own responses.
• Strengths and vulnerabilities: The torpedoes’ near-immunity to energy fire makes sabotage, rather than direct destruction, the logical counter.
• Deception and scale: Tiny-looking projectiles conceal mecha, showing how an unassuming weapon can carry a major threat.
• Overconfidence: Ironwall’s confidence in his defenses is shaken by the unexplained final development.