Recaps

The Hourglass Cup committee discovered that a top-ranked paper bore the names of Lai and a Felistin, and tried to pressure Lai to remove the Felistin’s name to avoid political fallout. Meanwhile, Oinrich told Roderick he had reviewed another paper and believed it deserved the highest award, and Roderick realized the competition controversy might involve Iris.

• Rost showed Gregory a three-gold-seal paper by Lai and a Felistin, and the committee debated how to handle the Felistin’s eligibility.
• Gregory ordered the committee to find Mage Lai and persuade her to remove the Felistin’s name, offering compensation and warning that attention could harm her.
• Rost presented a second paper by the same authors, and Gregory told him to process it normally at the Bronze Hourglass level despite a missing review tag.
• Oinrich visited Roderick and explained that he had reviewed a Sandglass Cup paper he considered worthy of the highest award, though he still wanted to find flaws in its theory.
• After learning a Felistin might win the competition’s highest award, Roderick recognized Lai’s name and hurried to question Iris.

Fran refused Iris’s pressure to remove Philly’s name from her Hourglass Cup paper, insisting that Philly’s contribution deserved recognition. Iris accepted her decision and warned her to prepare for attention, while Gregory struggled to follow the committee’s order to award the paper Gold Hourglass status.

• Fran returned home and found Iris waiting to discuss her papers and their connection to the Felistin Family.
• Iris questioned Fran about including Philly’s name, warning that it would draw extra attention because the Felistin Family was under scrutiny.
• Fran defended Philly’s contribution and refused to remove her name, persuading Iris not to press the matter.
• Iris advised Fran to consult Calista before attending future banquets and said the dispute would not affect her chance at the Gold Alchemy Award.
• Fran concluded that one of her papers had likely earned Gold Hourglass status and planned to register for the Champion Mage Challenge preliminaries after the results were released.
• Gregory received word that Fran would not yield and that someone had vouched for the paper, then grew angry as he faced the order to award it Gold Hourglass status.

Gregory and Rost tried to contain problems with the Hourglass Cup, including a blind-review paper backed by a Legendary’s stamp. Fran received no report of an Alliance investigation into Antir and urged Philly to finish her work, promising her a meaningful reward.

• Gregory agreed to change the newspaper layout and planned to ask papers to omit Felistin from reports on the Hourglass Cup winners.
• Rost confronted the blind review group over an improperly handled paper, then learned a Legendary had stamped it and that the committee needed to make room for it among the top awards.
• Rost returned to the committee believing there would be only two Gold Hourglass awards, while struggling to remember a crucial point and preparing for an inspection.
• Fran read Elan’s letter from Antir and found no news of a large-scale Alliance investigation, so she decided to wait and see.
• Philly told Fran her work was about halfway done and would take at most half a month to complete and test.
• Fran promised Philly a reward valuable to her older sister and family, and Philly returned to work with renewed curiosity.

The Sandglass Cup committee posted the winners, revealing that Philly had won two Gold Hourglass Awards and that one of the papers bore the sensitive Felistin surname. As the news spread and the committee feared losing its jobs, Gregory ordered them to publish the special issue with Oinrich’s comments.

• Apprentices at the Alchemy School notice board saw that two Gold Hourglass papers had the same author and one listed the surname Felistin.
• A committee mage confirmed the posted results were correct, prompting newspaper apprentices to race off and report the sensational news.
• Gregory and Rost discussed the committee’s predicament as they faced conflicting demands from academic supervisors, their superiors, and the Legendary faction.
• Gregory ordered the committee to produce the special issue quickly so Oinrich’s comments would accompany the winning paper.
• Gregory recalled how the papers had reached the committee at the last moment and considered investing his savings in Territory Mage projects after finding a new job.

The Felistin Family learned that mage 'Lai' had likely authored the two papers that earned Philly Gold Hourglasses, and Oliver assigned Camilla to handle negotiations with her. Meanwhile, Fran used Philly's identity to claim a Gold Hourglass certificate and register for the Champion Mage Preliminary Tournament.

• Oliver gathered the Felistin Family, and Camilla explained that Philly had little research experience and that mage 'Lai' had likely written the two prizewinning papers.
• Camilla described the Academic Supervision System and concluded that 'Lai's' exceptional academic work was the likeliest reason the Hourglass Cup Committee awarded both papers Gold Hourglasses.
• Oliver put Camilla in charge of all negotiations with 'Lai'.
• Fran saw that both papers had received Gold Hourglass grades, collected an award certificate, and hurried to register for the Champion Mage Preliminary Tournament.
• The registration staff verified Fran's certificate and eligibility, awarded her fifty contribution points, and completed her registration after she paid the required fee.

Fran learned the Preliminaries’ duel rules and submitted a request for a match the following afternoon to begin earning points toward the top hundred. Jasper accepted the request, seeing her blank match record as a chance to gain points from an inexperienced newcomer.

• A staff member explained the shield devices, school-based scroll limits, best-of-five scoring, and opponent-matching rules to Fran.
• Fran learned that reaching the top hundred required about 196 points and submitted a duel request for the next afternoon.
• The staff member told Fran that an eligible mage could accept her request in person, and Fran left to wait for confirmation.
• Jasper arrived with 59 points and accepted Fran’s request after learning that she was a newcomer from the Elemental School with no match records.
• Jasper paid ten Gold Coins for additional shield devices and confirmed the duel.

Fran entered a Magic Duel against Jasper and unexpectedly won the first round by opening with a fast Greater Fireball. The second round began with Jasper expecting her to defend, but Fran cast Greater Fireball again, leaving him stunned.

• Fran learned that Jasper had a poor recent record, then waited outside while he familiarized himself with the arena.
• Fran entered the battered, earth-covered arena and saw Jasper, who assumed the inexperienced-looking rookie would be easy to defeat.
• When the first round began, Fran cast Greater Fireball while Jasper tried to cast Spell-Repelling Sword, and her attack triggered his shield device.
• Jasper entered the second round more cautiously, but again began casting his enhancement spell after predicting Fran would shield herself.
• Fran cast Greater Fireball again, and Jasper reacted in disbelief at her repeated attack.

Fran defeated Jasper 3–0 in a Magic Duel, winning five points with three Greater Fireballs. She booked another match for the next afternoon, while Jasper, frustrated by his defeat, tried to schedule a duel but had to settle for next week because he lacked enough shield devices.

• After Jasper apologized for losing his composure, he agreed to continue the duel with Fran for a third round.
• Jasper used [Instant Acceleration] and charged toward Fran, but she retreated while channeling Greater Fireball.
• Fran’s fireball defeated Jasper at the two-second mark, giving her a 3–0 victory and five points.
• Fran confirmed a Magic Duel for the following afternoon and left the arena.
• Jasper realized Fran’s casting speed had caught him off guard and applied for another duel, but he lacked enough shield devices and scheduled it for next week.

Iris confronted Fran about her competition papers and warned that her actions made her appear aligned with the Felistin Family. She planned to take Fran to a gathering of high-order Alchemy School mages, where Fran would meet a Legendary figure and clarify her distance from the family.

• Iris questioned Fran about adding Philly as coauthor of the alchemical experiments paper, and Fran claimed it was an accident caused by the deadline.
• Fran denied having any intention to cooperate with the Felistin Family and considered the conflicts such an alliance would bring.
• Iris explained that Fran's papers could have secured her the Gold Alchemy Award, but her apparent connection to the Felistin Family had offset their advantage.
• Iris told Fran to prepare to attend a meeting of high-order Alchemy School mages, where a Legendary figure who praised her paper would likely appear.
• Iris said Fran needed to make clear at the gathering that she would not grow closer to the Felistin Family, and Fran agreed.

Fran prepared to negotiate the Mana Communication System purchase with Iris at the High-Order Mage banquet, then attended the banquet with Iris and explained her connections to several Alchemy School officials. Iris led Fran to meet her mentor, Roderick, but they found him with visitors as the chapter ended.

• Fran agreed to discuss the Mana Communication System purchase with Iris at the banquet and planned to explain the system's limits and possible terminal restrictions.
• Fran won her third Magic Duel 3–0 with rapid Greater Fireballs and submitted an application for another duel.
• Fran went with Iris to the High-Order Mage banquet at the Aether Palace, where Iris introduced her to important Alchemy School officials and Fran repeated her explanations.
• Iris took Fran to meet Roderick, her mentor and the person in charge of the Miracle Alchemy branch, but they arrived while he had visitors.

Iris brought Fran to meet her mentor, Roderick, at the banquet, but the Legendary mage they hoped to see was absent. Roderick revealed that the banquet’s early end was tied to a secret plan concerning the Cult of the Sky Dragon, and Iris learned she might be asked to help.

• Roderick urged Iris to compromise with her opponents and establish an academic review system, but she rejected the idea.
• Iris explained that she wanted the Mana Communication System kept at the Northern Lands Society despite its poor security and performance.
• After Fran left, Roderick told Iris the banquet would end at ten so the attending mages could act on a secret plan involving the Cult of the Sky Dragon, not its Floating Isle approaching Number Nine Floating City.
• In the corridor, a female mage learned from her companion that Iris was the Alchemy School’s hope and that Fran’s research talent was exceptional.
• The female mage revealed that her companion had joined the Eternal Vessel Experiment a thousand years earlier and would remain asleep until the experiment was less than one-tenth complete.

Fran met Iris to negotiate the Northern Lands Society's purchase of the improved Mana Communication System, presenting security upgrades and a new pricing plan. Iris agreed to pay 11,999 gold coins, and Fran learned that the Alliance imposed no special restrictions on mage-made communication devices, clearing the way for her to test point-to-point terminals.

• Iris discovered that Fran had come to negotiate the Mana Communication System purchase on behalf of the Construct School project.
• Fran presented Iris with security upgrades and explained that she had proposed them while other mages had implemented them.
• Fran described the renamed Personal Terminal, its external keyboard, and pricing designed to profit from blacklisted terminals and replacement keyboards.
• Iris approved the system despite its reliance on Magic Artisans and offered 11,999 gold coins, which Fran accepted.
• Fran asked Iris about Alliance restrictions on communication devices, and Iris said there were no special restrictions on devices made by individual mages.
• Fran concluded that she could begin testing point-to-point terminals.

Philly learned that Fran had listed her as a coauthor on two papers that won the Golden Hourglass Award, leaving her uncertain about the consequences and Fran’s motives. Reading the award-winning papers, she discovered a legendary review by the Sage of Time, Oinrich Fello, that could not refute one paper’s reasoning.

• Asher recognized Philly Felistin’s name in a newspaper and told her she had won two Golden Hourglass Awards.
• Philly realized Fran had submitted papers with her listed as second author, though she had barely contributed and did not know what the papers contained.
• Philly worried that the award could bring trouble with the Yobner Society or provoke backlash against her family.
• Fran confirmed that Philly would remain with her for seven or eight months and refused to explain why she had listed Philly as an author.
• Philly read the award-winning papers and found her mathematical derivation in one of them.
• Philly read a review by Oinrich Fello, the Sage of Time, who said he believed the second paper’s reasoning was wrong but could not find an example to refute it.

Fran's string of 3–0 victories made her a rising Duel Arena contender, and Edmund was matched against her. Jasper, who had already lost to Fran, warned Edmund that she cast spells extremely quickly, then bet she would defeat him 3–0.

• Fran won five consecutive Magic Duels 3–0 and reached 75 points, drawing attention from other competitors.
• Jasper and his friends discussed Fran's record, while Jasper concealed that she had given him his first 3–0 loss.
• Edmund learned he had been matched against Fran and asked his friends for information about her fighting style.
• Jasper warned Edmund that Fran could cast a First Order spell before an opponent raised a shield, prompting Edmund to prepare a Spell Ring with a shield spell.
• After Edmund left to prepare, Jasper's friends teased him about knowing so little, and Jasper bet Fran would beat Edmund 3–0.

Fran attended a banquet at Silver-Scale Manor to seek information about Second Order or Third Order Professional advancement, then met Alchemist Alwen, who was curious about the works eligible for the Gold Alchemy Award. Fran predicted that the paper about Fireball would win.

• Fran asked Calista for advancement information, and Calista directed her to Mage Ivan upstairs.
• Calista’s friends learned that Fran was Lai of the Northern Lands Society and chose not to approach her because of the Felistin Family’s involvement.
• Fran found Ivan and met Alwen, an Alchemist from beyond The Alliance who had come to learn about the Gold Alchemy Award.
• Alwen asked Ivan about potential award-winning works, and Fran said she thought the Fireball paper would win.

Fran negotiated with Ivan for four non-mage advancement methods, then bought Alwen’s Alchemist advancement legacy. The chapter ended with Alwen asking Ivan to obtain another All-Spirit Contract.

• Fran asked Ivan to sell her his advancement methods, and Ivan offered three Second Order methods and one Third Order method.
• Fran negotiated Ivan’s price down from sixteen thousand to fourteen thousand gold coins and agreed to buy all four methods under an All-Spirit Contract.
• Alwen, needing money for his mentor’s experiment, offered Fran an Alchemist advancement method covering the First through Third Orders.
• Fran offered Alwen nine thousand gold coins, and Alwen accepted after her subtle Siren’s voice influenced him.
• Ivan returned with an All-Spirit Contract, and Alwen asked him to buy another one.

Fran traded gold with Ivan and Alwen for Profession advancement knowledge, then returned home to find Iris using her house as a secret laboratory. Iris recruited Fran to assist with a confidential Alchemy School project involving the Cult of the Sky Dragon.

• Fran used an All-Spirit Contract and Drops of True Knowledge to verify the advancement knowledge Ivan and Alwen provided in exchange for gold.
• Ivan and Alwen finished counting their payment as the banquet ended, and Fran flew back to her residence.
• Fran found Iris conducting experiments in a secluded laboratory built inside her house and agreed to assist her.
• Iris gave Fran a heavily redacted document and limited her clearance to the instructions on page seventy-nine.
• Iris told Fran the secret project concerned the Cult of the Sky Dragon and that Fran would encounter it later.

Fran tested a coating designed to detect a Deity and discovered that treating it with Sacred Binding Word made it far more sensitive. She suspected The Alliance was preparing to attack the Sky Dragon and wondered if Number Nine Floating City was moving toward the Deity instead of the other way around.

• Fran tested the coating against spells and Divine Power, but only Sacred Binding Word caused it to react.
• Fran visited the Divine Temple, where the Lord of Radiance used Divine Power to identify a treatment that could improve the coating.
• Fran followed the Lord of Radiance's advice and found that turning the coating gray made it heat up and turn blue near the Divine Statue.
• Fran connected the Alchemy School's work to a possible plan against the Sky Dragon and considered whether The Alliance was preparing to strike first.
• Fran decided to investigate Number Nine Floating City's movements and the locations of the Cult of the Sky Dragon's Floating Isles to verify her theory.

Fran entered her sixth Duel Arena match against Edmund, who tried to counter her fast casting with a shield ring and an acid spell. She trapped him with Heart of Quicksand and revealed that she could fly, leaving Edmund certain she would win the duel 3–0.

• Jasper's friends waited outside the arena, and Jasper kept quiet about Fran's easy 3–0 victory over him.
• Fran met Edmund in the familiar arena, where he asked about her five straight wins and learned she cast quickly.
• At the start of the duel, Fran's Greater Fireball triggered Edmund's Elemental Shield ring before he could finish channeling Powerful Acid Stream.
• Edmund fired his acid spell through the smoke, but Fran caught him in Heart of Quicksand while he searched for her.
• Edmund spotted Fran hovering overhead as the sand engulfed him and realized she would defeat him 3–0.

Edmund described how Fran defeated him 3–0 with fast spells and effortless flight, convincing the other mages they could not beat her. Fran learned that her high point total might leave her without an opponent the next day, so she arranged to challenge again the afternoon after that.

• Edmund told his friends that Fran's rapid casting and flight had overwhelmed his defenses and won all three rounds.
• The mages discussed possible counters, but agreed that their own flight and defenses gave them little chance against Fran and decided to stop booking duels for a few days.
• Jasper asked his friends to pay him the gold he had won betting against Edmund.
• A Duel Arena staff member told Fran that no nearby mage was likely to accept her challenge the next day because her points had risen so high and others had booked matches.
• Fran asked to book a duel for the afternoon after tomorrow with the same challenge request, and the staff member agreed.

Fran reviewed the Profession promotion methods she had collected and assessed which ones she and Anna could pursue. She planned to seek a Ranger-oriented method for Anna, while considering several other promotions for herself.

• Fran accepted that she could not duel that day and noted she needed thirty consecutive 3:0 victories to qualify for the Main Tournament.
• Fran reviewed Alwen’s Alchemist methods and prepared to pursue Esoteric Lore Alchemist by recording valuable hidden knowledge in a booklet.
• Fran learned that the heretical Secret Wordspeaker ritual could unlock another Profession, but decided to wait until she reached Third Order.
• Fran rejected Destruction Knight, considered training for Passionate Warrior, and identified Elemental Scout as a practical advancement for Anna and herself.
• Fran examined the Sword Saint requirements and realized she would need to raise three sword arts to Extraordinary, despite only having Elven Swordsmanship at Mastery.

Fran covertly scattered small devices around the Floating City and quickly assembled a Deity-detecting sensor for Iris’s classified project. She also proposed turning the Mana Communication System into a personal messaging and calling network, leaving Forrest excited by its commercial potential.

• Iris assigned Fran ten days to secretly hide light-blue devices throughout the Floating City and told her she might need to make several versions of a Deity-detecting sensor.
• Fran assembled the sensor rapidly using her alchemical skill, and Iris took it away for testing at one in the morning.
• Fran explained to Forrest that selling only the Mana Communication System to societies would not make the project profitable because their storage consumed too much system power.
• Fran presented a plan for a personal messaging and calling network that connected terminals through mana pipelines.
• Fran proposed that users supply mental power when making calls and pay monthly service fees, and Forrest grew enthusiastic about the idea.

Fran proposed building a mana-powered fixed communication network across Number Nine Floating City and planned to use the Felistin Family’s resources to launch it. She secured Camilla’s agreement to assist while continuing to keep Philly away from her family.

• Fran explained the communication network plan to Forrest, who warned that the project was too broad for them to handle alone.
• Fran told Forrest she would enlist the Felistin Family, secure The Alliance’s pipeline approval through the Construct School, and replace the family as a partner after the Champion Mage Challenge.
• Fran arrived secretly at Felistin Manor and used her Second Order mage pressure to make the attendants summon Camilla.
• Camilla asked about Philly, and Fran said Philly was busy with important work and could not visit.
• Fran gave Camilla the project’s assistance terms, and Camilla agreed that the Felistin Family would help while Fran refused to arrange a meeting with Philly.

Lexi reviewed the secret project testing Eternal Shells and learned that Iris had successfully made a Deity-detection sensor on her first attempt, prompting Lexi to investigate her assignment. Fran worked on advancing her Alchemist Profession by recording concealed information and confirmed that her secrets met the required standard.

• Lexi supervised the Eternal Shell project and learned that three newly commissioned Deity-detection sensors, along with one stored device, had passed testing.
• Lexi traced a successful first-attempt sensor to Iris and was surprised to find her listed as an ordinary mage rather than among the Alchemy School's seated members.
• Lexi decided to contact Iris or visit her and considered assigning her additional work suited to a Fourth Order mage.
• Fran returned home to advance her Alchemist Profession and wrote down carefully selected concealed information without including secrets about herself, The Alliance, or her previous life.
• Fran tested her record with black liquid, which revealed a multicolored black surface and confirmed that the concealed information exceeded the required standard.

Fran promoted her Esoteric Lore Alchemist Profession to the Second Order and discovered that Knowledge Control let her attach costs and Divine Power to knowledge recorded in the Hidden Knowledge booklet. Meanwhile, Xiya arrived at Number Nine Floating City and noticed a Gold Coin was missing from her luggage.

• Fran wrote her experimental Skull of the Believer concept in the Hidden Knowledge booklet and advanced to Esoteric Lore Alchemist (Two Stars).
• Fran used Knowledge Control to make readers pay a price for learning her knowledge, discovered that the effect consumed her Divine Power, and considered the trait's uses for sealing knowledge, combat, and tracking.
• Fran decided to treat the profession as a prerequisite for Secret Wordspeaker and planned to learn the Elemental Scout profession next.
• Xiya arrived at Number Nine Floating City with Ruge Felistin and noticed that one Gold Coin had vanished from her luggage.
• Xiya gave up on filing a complaint and continued toward the security inspection as the lost Gold Coin fell beneath the floating city and shattered.