Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing learned that Dales Yi's family had a black glowing stone that might be the dangerous Magic Stone they sought. Dales Yi searched his house for it while explaining how he returned to No Man's Land.

• Uchiha Madara asked what Dales Yi's father had told him before he died, and Dales Yi recalled being told he did not have to repay a restaurant debt.
• Uchiha Madara asked about a black glowing object, and Dales Yi said his family owned a black glowing stone.
• Helunaixing urged Dales Yi to bring out the stone, but he said he had forgotten where he put it and began searching the house.
• Uchiha Madara made two wooden chairs for himself and Helunaixing while Dales Yi searched.
• Dales Yi explained that he left No Man's Land after his father's death and later returned with Uchiha Madara and Alustriel.

Helunaixing explained that her unusual eyes were tied to her talent for illusion techniques and revealed why she wanted a Seven-Colored Butterfly. She kept one butterfly with her to strengthen her illusions, while Dales Yi was still searching for a supposedly worthless item in his home.

• Dales Yi searched his belongings for an item he had misplaced, while Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing waited.
• Uchiha Madara suggested Helunaixing's distinctive eyes might be connected to a special ability, and she said illusion techniques were her greatest strength.
• Helunaixing released two Seven-Colored Butterflies and killed one, explaining that she could use illusions to make the survivor believe it still lived in the White Forest.
• Uchiha Madara said his eyes could see through illusions, so he would not be able to witness Helunaixing's true illusion techniques.
• Helunaixing said the butterfly would strengthen her illusion techniques, and Dales Yi complained that the old man had deceived them about many things.

Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing searched with Dales Yi for a Magic Stone, but the glowing black object Dales Yi found was an egg containing a living creature. The chapter left them realizing the egg might be important to necromancers after Dales Yi carelessly threw it and Helunaixing stopped it in midair.

• Helunaixing admitted that much of what she said and showed others was an illusion, and Uchiha Madara praised her skill.
• Dales Yi found a glowing black stone, but Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing refused to look at it until they could confirm what it was.
• Uchiha Madara examined the object and sensed life inside it, concluding it was an unusual animal egg rather than a Magic Stone.
• Dales Yi said the egg had been in his home for as long as he could remember and that he had used it to crack nuts.
• Uchiha Madara suggested Dales Yi's father had failed to explain the egg's importance, but Dales Yi threw it away, and Helunaixing stopped it in midair.

Uchiha Madara, Helunaixing, and Dales Yi discussed Dales Yi’s mysterious egg before deciding to part ways. Uchiha Madara urged Dales Yi to join the coming war so he could change how the Elzeran Continent viewed necromancers, while Helunaixing invited him to travel with her to the Elf Clan.

• Dales Yi explained that his father’s egg had never changed size or appearance, and Uchiha Madara told him to keep it safe because it was alive and unusual.
• Uchiha Madara and Helunaixing prepared to part from Dales Yi, with Uchiha Madara seeking Magic Stones and Helunaixing planning to warn the Elf Clan of an impending human attack.
• Dales Yi said he wanted to change how people on the Elzeran Continent viewed necromancers and confirmed that he still intended to leave No Man’s Land.
• Uchiha Madara urged Dales Yi to choose a side in the coming war, saying that taking part willingly would let the world see him, but left the choice of side to him.
• Helunaixing invited Dales Yi to join her on the way to the Elf Clan.

Helunaixing told Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi about Freedom, an information organization in Blue Moon City, before vanishing. Dales Yi left, and Uchiha Madara was pleased to hear that the organization he knew had begun to gain a reputation.

• Dales Yi said he could stop the war without joining either side, and Uchiha Madara suggested that the three of them part ways.
• Helunaixing told Uchiha Madara and Dales Yi that Freedom in Blue Moon City might have information about the Magic Stone and the war.
• Uchiha Madara recognized Freedom and was surprised that it had already begun to take shape and gain a reputation.
• Helunaixing warned them not to believe what she had said about her identity, eyes, or abilities, then vanished.
• Dales Yi departed on a Four-Winged Bird, and Uchiha Madara reflected happily on Freedom’s progress.

After separating from his companions, Uchiha Madara chose Golden Canyon as his next destination but needed a mount to make the long journey. He asked the tavern owner about transportation, and the owner offered to look for a nearby city where Madara could buy one.

• Uchiha Madara studied Xing En's directions and map, chose Golden Canyon, and left the temple alone.
• Madara went to the tavern to ask whether anyone in No Man's Land sold Lightning Birds.
• The tavern owner explained that no one sold transportation animals there because travelers arrived with their own mounts.
• Madara told the owner he was headed to Golden Canyon, and the owner offered to recommend a nearby city where he could buy a mount.

Uchiha Madara asked a tavern owner in No Man’s Land for a route to Golden Canyon and learned that the shorter route passed through the Rouge Kingdom, which was hostile to male outsiders. He left with the owner’s recommendation to choose the farther city unless he could safely enter the kingdom.

• Uchiha Madara asked the tavern owner to help plan a route to Golden Canyon, and the owner described a five-day route and a seven-day route.
• The owner explained that the shorter route went through the Rouge Kingdom, a country with few men that generally barred them from entering.
• Uchiha Madara showed the owner his map, and the owner recognized its markings as those of the Night Elves and pointed out the Rouge Kingdom.
• The owner warned Uchiha Madara that forcing his way into the Rouge Kingdom could end in bloodshed and recommended taking the farther route.
• Uchiha Madara said he believed greater danger brought greater rewards, thanked the owner for the free advice, and said goodbye.

Uchiha Madara traveled alone through a deserted region and reflected on his uncertain search for Magic Stones. After meeting Harinod, a soldier from Eternal Sun Royal City, Madara revealed that he was headed toward the place ahead.

• Uchiha Madara crossed the empty grasslands and thought about how Ci Enyiwu's help had been connected to finding real Magic Stones.
• Uchiha Madara spotted Harinod beside a campfire and initially walked past him without stopping.
• Harinod called Uchiha Madara over, warned him about traveling alone, and invited him to talk.
• Harinod said he was a soldier from Eternal Sun Royal City, had traveled nearly a month, and had lost his transportation after running into trouble.
• Harinod questioned why Uchiha Madara had come to the remote road, and Uchiha Madara said the destination ahead was where he was going.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod discussed the hardships of middle age while resting on the road. Harinod offered to travel with Uchiha Madara, saying they shared a destination and that he understood Uchiha Madara’s purpose.

• Harinod warned Uchiha Madara that the country ahead was a dangerous place where many travelers had died.
• Uchiha Madara and Harinod talked about work, responsibility, and the pressures of middle age.
• Uchiha Madara said he had no family and encouraged Harinod to keep moving forward despite life’s burdens.
• Harinod asked to travel with Uchiha Madara and claimed they were headed to the same destination.
• Uchiha Madara asked how Harinod knew his purpose.

Uchiha Madara met Harinod while searching for a Magic Stone in the Rouge Kingdom, but learned Harinod had not been sent by Ci Enyiwu. As they traveled, Harinod revealed that a war between humans and the Elf Clan was approaching, and Madara asked why he had come to the area.

• Uchiha Madara asked Harinod whether Ci Enyiwu had sent him, and Harinod said he had met her only once.
• Harinod asked whether Uchiha Madara had been sent by the Church, and Madara said he had come alone.
• Harinod urged Uchiha Madara to take care of his health before agreeing to set off with him.
• Harinod told Uchiha Madara that a war between humans and the Elf Clan was about to break out.
• Uchiha Madara said he had heard about the war in No Man's Land, and Harinod explained that he was a messenger.
• Uchiha Madara asked Harinod what he had come to do outside Elf Clan territory.

Harinod told Uchiha Madara that war was imminent and predicted the Demon Clan would eventually join in to profit from it. As they traveled toward the Rouge Kingdom, Harinod advised Madara about love and marriage, leaving Madara unconvinced and their destination still ahead.

• Harinod warned that war was about to begin and argued that the Demon Clan would side with the Elves if it could profit.
• Harinod described his disagreements with Helunaixing, the Demon Clan's great mage, and Madara recognized the name.
• Uchiha Madara said he was heading to the Rouge Kingdom to find something, while Harinod assumed he was seeking a woman.
• Harinod advised Madara to choose a wife he could talk to and confessed that he regretted marrying someone with whom he had little in common.
• Uchiha Madara said love was about sharing a life, and suggested Harinod had never properly tried to repair his marriage.

Harinod and Uchiha Madara discussed love, family, and the looming war between humanity and the Elf Clan as they traveled toward a kingdom of women. Harinod insisted he could gain entry and present the kingdom with a choice, while Madara hoped the war could be avoided and suggested survival mattered more than the disgrace of desertion.

• Harinod urged Uchiha Madara to seek a partner he could communicate with, but Madara said he had more important unfinished matters and no family yet.
• Harinod argued that the kingdom of women they were heading toward would be an easy place for Madara to find a woman, but Madara doubted anyone could enter it easily.
• Harinod said his standing as a representative of Eternal Sun Royal City would persuade the kingdom to admit him and choose a side in the conflict.
• Harinod warned that humans and the Elf Clan would become mortal enemies once war began, regardless of their positions, and Madara lamented that war seemed difficult to prevent.
• Harinod worried that people his age might be sent to fight, and Madara suggested desertion if family responsibilities made dying unacceptable.
• Harinod turned his cup upside down and claimed its water could never be finished in a lifetime.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod reached the Rouge Kingdom, where Madara hoped to buy a magical beast for travel. Harinod promised to use his status to get them into the wary kingdom, and they headed toward the city.

• Uchiha Madara discovered that Harinod’s cup had been empty for days, while Harinod explained that sipping it helped him think.
• Uchiha Madara and Harinod arrived at the Rouge Kingdom after traveling together for several days.
• Uchiha Madara told Harinod he wanted to buy a magical beast so he would not have to keep crossing the continent on foot.
• Harinod warned Uchiha Madara that the kingdom’s people were dangerous and disliked outsiders.
• Harinod claimed his status as a city lord would let him enter with Uchiha Madara, and the two set off toward the city.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod tried to enter the Rouge Kingdom by claiming to be the lord of Eternal Sun Royal City and Kaguolet. The guards doubted them, but Harinod showed them a sealed envelope as proof.

• Uchiha Madara and Harinod approached the city gate, where Harinod questioned why men were guarding it in a country known for having more women than men.
• Harinod claimed that he and Uchiha Madara were the lord of Eternal Sun Royal City and his holy knight, but the guards asked them to prove their identities.
• Uchiha Madara doubted that Harinod's lie would convince the guards, who said they did not believe the pair and teased them as old men seeking women.
• Harinod first showed the guards Uchiha Madara's wooden drinking cup by mistake, then presented a similar wooden container.
• The guard opened the container and found an envelope stamped with a glowing magical seal.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod entered the Rouge Kingdom after convincing its guards they were Lord City Lord and Kaguolet. They learned that a necromancer had recently tried to warn the kingdom about an impending war, then found the city’s inhabitants viewed them with disgust.

• The guards questioned Harinod and Uchiha Madara despite recognizing their magical mark, then let them enter after Harinod confirmed their identities.
• The guards revealed that a necromancer riding a rotting Four-Winged Bird had warned them that humans and the Elf Clan were about to wage war across the Elzeran Continent.
• Uchiha Madara wondered whether the necromancer was Dales Yi and reflected that following Harinod had helped him enter the city.
• Harinod thanked the guards and promised to treat them well if they visited Eternal Sun Royal City.
• Uchiha Madara and Harinod entered the Rouge Kingdom and saw streets crowded with women’s shops and female residents.
• Harinod noticed that people looked at him and Uchiha Madara with undisguised disgust.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod were escorted to an open area, where a magic array trapped them and archers surrounded them. A warrior woman appeared and accused them of being old swindlers, leaving them facing an armed threat.

• Uchiha Madara and Harinod joked with their guard as he led them to meet the queen.
• Uchiha Madara and Harinod suspected their reception was a trap but walked into the open area, trusting Harinod's city lord seal.
• A semicircular magic array enclosed Uchiha Madara and Harinod as archers aimed magic arrows at them.
• Uchiha Madara questioned Harinod about his identity and tried to work out what had gone wrong while Harinod nervously insisted his seal was genuine.
• A warrior woman emerged from behind the archers and called Uchiha Madara and Harinod old swindlers, saying they had no reason to remain on the Elzeran Continent.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod arrived in the Rouge Kingdom, where a suspicious woman challenged them instead of reading their letter. After recognizing the city lord’s magical seal, she accepted that they had come from the Royal City, though she remained doubtful about their identities.

• The woman threatened Harinod and Uchiha Madara, then asked which of them was Lord Kaguolet.
• Uchiha Madara stepped forward, and the woman attacked him with a longsword; he blocked her strike with a black short spike.
• The woman questioned why Uchiha Madara lacked Kaguolet’s Thunderbolt weapon and attacked him again before he could explain.
• Harinod showed the woman the letter’s magical seal, and Uchiha Madara protected him when she thrust her sword at him.
• The woman acknowledged that they had come from the Royal City and bore the city lord’s magical mark, but said she still did not believe their identities.
• Uchiha Madara and the woman praised each other’s fighting ability, and she remarked that he was too old.

Uchiha Madara and Harinod discussed their mission with Ximaida, who doubted their claims that they had come seeking peace. The conversation ended with Ximaida questioning Madara about the unfamiliar material of his weapon.

• Ximaida introduced herself and asked Uchiha Madara and Harinod who they really were.
• Harinod explained that they had used famous names to gain entry into a country that barred outsiders.
• Ximaida questioned why the men had come carrying a letter from the lord of Eternal Sun Royal City, while Harinod refused to reveal their mission.
• Harinod claimed they were working for peace, but Ximaida insisted that people from Eternal Sun Royal City came only to wage war.
• Ximaida asked Uchiha Madara what his weapon was made of.

Uchiha Madara tried to leave before reaching the palace, but Ximaida insisted he obey the country’s strict rules and accompany Harinod to meet the queen. The three arrived at the palace entrance, where Ximaida went inside to report their arrival.

• Uchiha Madara told Harinod he wanted to look around outside while Harinod and Ximaida entered the palace.
• Harinod understood Uchiha Madara wanted to leave and told him to go back, but Ximaida insisted they should leave together.
• Uchiha Madara said he would buy necessities and leave, but Ximaida forbade him from staying in the country even one more minute.
• Ximaida questioned whether Uchiha Madara was hiding a secret, and Uchiha Madara replied that he would stay if Ximaida could keep him there.
• The three reached the palace entrance, and Ximaida went inside to report their arrival.

Ximaida left Uchiha Madara and Harinod waiting outside, prompting them to discuss their low status and the lack of freedom for men in the Crimson Rouge Kingdom. Harinod suspected the kingdom’s missing men were in the palace, and the two continued waiting as he reflected on his dangerous mission and disappointing career.

• Ximaida refused to admit Uchiha Madara and Harinod, then left after Harinod protested that she was treating them impolitely.
• Harinod complained about being a middle-aged messenger whom young people looked down on, while Uchiha Madara encouraged him to focus on living well.
• Uchiha Madara and Harinod discussed the kingdom’s missing men and observed that they had seen few men and many female guards.
• Harinod guessed that the missing men were in the palace because men were rare and would be kept by the most powerful person.
• Harinod said Kaguolet was wanted across the Elzeran Continent and claimed palace workers like him had the most accurate intelligence.
• As they continued waiting, Harinod admitted that his mission was dangerous and that he felt his life had been a failure; Uchiha Madara reassured him.