Chapter Summaries

Fran chose the Blurry Shell ability after killing the black creature and discovered it could make transplanted organs become part of her body. She reported the attack and the Astrology School’s offer to the Lord of Radiance, then returned to the Material Realm, while the hostile Deity began planning a more careful attack.

• Fran saw a vision of the Deity behind the black creature and chose Blurry Shell, despite the selection resisting her.
• Fran’s Constitution rose to 40.3, and she realized Blurry Shell gradually removed the spiritual power attached to her transplanted organs.
• The hostile Deity regretted attacking Fran in the Sun Domain and vowed to prevent any chance of failure next time.
• Fran told Zali goodbye, then informed the Lord of Radiance about the Astrology School’s proposed cooperation and the Deity’s attack.
• The Lord of Radiance agreed to join Fran during negotiations and said she could use the recovered material; afterward, it sensed Fran’s pure sun aura alongside her own power.

After returning from the Spirit Realm, Fran rested and read that her Fireball paper had won the Silver Alchemy Award. A remarkable Transmutation Studies paper gave her new ideas and led her to consider publishing more work in pursuit of the Gold Alchemy Award.

• Fran decided to recover for a day before visiting Anna again.
• Fran read the latest Snowflake Selection and learned that her paper, Mathematical Analysis of Fireball, had won the Silver Alchemy Award.
• Fran studied three papers inspired by her work, including a detailed mathematical treatment of Transmutation Surgery.
• Fran received a 500-point increase in Transmutation Studies proficiency and suspected the paper's author was a Transmutation Studies master connected to recent activity at the Northern Lands Society.
• Fran realized that publishing her mathematical drafts might earn her a nomination for the Gold Alchemy Award, gathered the manuscripts, and headed to the Mage Tower.

Fran published her mathematics papers under Lai's account, then traveled to Snow Bear Territory to use [Self-Establishment Decree] and gain its blessing. She confirmed she could take Anna back the next day and discovered a new Territory Blessing trait.

• Fran decided to publish all her mathematics papers under Lai's account and left to prepare for her trip.
• Fran rode Black Horse toward Snow Bear Territory and tested her Sunflame Knight abilities, covering herself and her mount in red light.
• Fran arrived at the village, where the guards and villagers welcomed her, and met Anna outside the church.
• Fran inscribed rules on a stone tablet and activated [Self-Establishment Decree], completing the task she had come to perform.
• Fran told Anna they could leave the next day and saw the new Territory Blessing trait appear on her Panel.

Darian learned that Antir’s royal family had asked the Shadow Cult for help, offering territory and support in exchange, and decided the opportunity could help him expand the Cult. Fran prepared to travel to Antir to reclaim her territory, while Anna protested the lack of rest and Fran considered how the region could help her rise in rank.

• Darian heard that his lower-ranking followers in the Royal Capital were largely suspicious, while the Cult’s middle ranks had been brought under control and its upper ranks showed no signs of treachery.
• Darian’s attendant reported that Antir’s royal family had offered the Shadow Cult a knightly order or a quarter of their territory, along with support for recruiting followers, in return for assistance.
• Darian welcomed the offer as a chance to expand the Shadow Cult in Antir, where the larger population could make it easier to gain followers.
• Anna objected when Fran announced she was leaving Snow Bear Territory for Antir, and Fran promised to take her to the Floating City next time.
• Fran set out to reclaim her territory in Antir, hoping its population and land would help her reach the second tier.

Fran asked Iris to sign an application seeking the Alliance’s political recognition of the Antir Region so she could conduct a Territory Resonance experiment there. After Fran revealed that she had already created a Territory Blessing in Snow Bear Territory, Iris signed the documents and sent her to Mage Philip; Iris then suspected Fran had an unusual talent for learning spells across schools.

• Fran presented Iris with an application to have the Antir Region recognized as Alliance territory, and Iris initially refused because the region lacked valuable resources.
• Fran explained that she wanted political support to reclaim a Territory Token site and conduct a Territory Resonance experiment, not full-scale military assistance.
• Fran demonstrated a Law School spell and said she had successfully obtained a Territory Blessing in Snow Bear Territory.
• Iris signed the application and directed Fran to take it to Mage Philip to speed up approval.
• After Fran left, Iris reflected on Fran's equipment, studies, and spellcasting, and told Harbos that Fran might have a special talent for learning spells from different schools.

While waiting for the Alliance to respond to her application, Fran used Star Gazing Art to observe several Deities and advanced her Runology preparations. She glimpsed the Sky Dragon near the Alliance’s Floating City, suspected it had a body in the Material Realm, and successfully inscribed an Ancient Rune on second-order beast leather.

• Fran postponed developing the Sect beyond Snow Bear Territory and prepared for her planned trip to Antir while she waited for the Alliance’s approval.
• Fran used Star Gazing Art to observe the Sky Dragon and saw it fly past the Alliance’s Floating City, whose tower briefly glowed red.
• Fran suspected the Sky Dragon had a body in the Material Realm, then observed the Elephant of Mountains and the Lord of Shadows.
• Fran’s Star Gazing Art reached mastery, and she began inscribing a Deity rune on leather from a Second Order Demonic Beast.
• Fran overcame the material’s limitations and gained 10000 Runology proficiency while drawing the Ancient Rune.

Fran’s Runology reached Pinnacle, and she assessed how her upgraded Ancient Rune Warrior traits could support her combat plans. Unable to afford the equipment she wanted, she turned back to mechanical research and began building a hydraulic device as a possible basis for advancing her Forge School magic.

• Fran’s Runology proficiency reached its limit and increased to Pinnacle, while her Rune Warrior profession advanced to Second Order and improved her traits.
• Fran planned to inscribe the Sky Dragon, Elephant of Mountains, and Lord of Shadows runes on equipment, but she lacked the Gold Coins to buy the necessary materials.
• Fran decided to seek funds through negotiations with the Astrology School while continuing to pursue the Alliance’s formal claim of the Antir Region.
• Fran recognized that she had neglected mechanical research and needed to maintain her public identity as a Forge School mage.
• Fran melted refined iron with her Telekinetic Hand and began making a hydraulic device that she hoped could serve as a First Order spell and aid her advancement.

Fran asked Iris how to use a single spell to advance as a Specialized Mage, and Iris explained that the spell should incorporate complex knowledge from across its school. Fran left with a new idea: to develop a First Order spell based on the Steam Engine's structure.

• Iris reviewed the Northern Lands Society's improved finances and considered promoting Harbos's award to attract more mages.
• Fran brought Iris's paper on advancing Specialized Mages to the Second Order and asked her to explain it.
• Iris said the advancement spell should be thoroughly mastered and draw on a range of knowledge from its school, rather than focus on a single element.
• Fran realized Hydraulic Power was not suitable and reconsidered Tool Enchantment and the Steam Engine's structure as the basis for a new spell.
• Fran thanked Iris and left to research the idea, while Iris told her there was no need to rush.

Fran developed an early version of a spell that boosted her strength through a phantom force, then traveled to the Law Domain to meet Ophelia for negotiations. She arrived to find a vast public plaza crowded with people and a towering building ahead.

• Fran built a small Steam Engine and spent four days developing a spell that let her move with greatly increased strength, though it was inefficient and absent from her Panel.
• Fran used coal as a casting material to reduce the new spell’s channeling time and mental-strength cost, then entered the Spirit Realm.
• Fran met Lyle, received a necklace from the Lord of Radiance, and used it to communicate with the Deity.
• Fran explained to the Lord of Radiance that she and the Alliance mage they were meeting could not represent the Alliance and had separate interests.
• Fran traveled to the Law Domain, sensed its pervasive Law magic, and found a plaza crowded with more than a thousand people beside a tall building.

Fran entered the Alliance’s Spirit Realm Domain to meet Ophelia, but a malfunction sent her to the plaza before an Alliance mage escorted her to the meeting room. There, she found Tristan and other mages, and demanded to know why Ophelia had sought her help despite already having a proxy ally.

• Fran followed the crowd through the Domain’s screening device and was sent to an empty reception room instead of her assigned destination.
• An Alliance mage apologized for the identification system’s malfunction and led Fran to the Alliance’s meeting room.
• Fran reasoned that the system had mishandled her multiple Profession signatures and chose not to reveal what she had inferred.
• Fran entered the meeting room and found Ophelia, Tristan, and three mages waiting there.
• Fran told Ophelia she would leave unless she explained why she had approached Fran despite already having a proxy as an ally.

Fran negotiated with Ophelia over the Alliance’s plan to seize a Domain shared by three Deities, while the Lord of Radiance assured her the deal was safe. The parties agreed to sign a contract in three days, and the red-robed man in the room was revealed as everyone’s Mentor.

• Fran questioned Tristan’s presence, and Ophelia explained that his cooperation with the Alliance was personal despite the Star-Engraved Turtle’s disapproval.
• The Lord of Radiance told Fran not to worry about the other Deities and urged her to negotiate the best terms.
• Ophelia identified the Domain’s three Deities as the Goddess of Ocean Currents, the God of War, and the Great Deer of the Forest.
• Fran agreed to send people to join the attack and negotiated terms for defense, spoils, and control of the Domain’s territories.
• After the Lord of Radiance reassured Fran that the agreement would benefit her, she agreed to sign the contract in three days and bring Spirit Crystals.
• After Fran left, the mages and Tristan bowed to the red-robed man and addressed him as “Mentor.”

Charles apologized to Tristan and promised his family a place among the Floating City's central-district Mage Families after their plan to cooperate with Fran seemed close to success. Ophelia asked whether Astrology School magic could uncover information about a deity's Proxy, and Charles said he could learn about Fran but would not reveal what he found.

• Charles apologized for doubting Tristan, credited him with driving the endeavor, and promised his family a place in the Floating City's central district.
• Tristan recalled how he became the Star-Engraved Turtle's Proxy, lost the Star-Engraved Turtle's support, and later seized the chance to recruit Fran for the Alliance's plan.
• Charles told the mages that he had sensed the deity's consciousness within Fran and that they could look forward to what happened three days later.
• Ophelia asked whether Astrology School spells could reveal a Proxy's identity and location in the Material Realm.
• Charles explained that Proxies inherited traits from deities and that he could uncover information about Fran, but chose not to.

Charles explained to Tristan that the Stars’ guidance optimized the outcome Tristan wanted, not necessarily the outcome that would bring success. He told Ophelia the Alliance sought a clue hidden in the Domain and ordered her to alert Astrology School leaders while they quietly monitored Fran, whose future visit to an Alliance Floating City unsettled him.

• Charles explained that prophecy spells responded to what their users wanted and could recommend actions that did not improve the overall outcome.
• Tristan thanked Charles for clarifying his guidance, and Charles dismissed the others while asking Ophelia to stay.
• Ophelia told Charles that the Domain had not changed, though the Trial of the Sun had brought signs of more high-ranking Profession holders.
• Charles revealed that a deceased Legendary’s century-old prophecy had led the Alliance to occupy the Domain in search of a powerful clue.
• Charles ordered Ophelia to inform the Astrology School’s top three seats and all its Third Order mages, and instructed the school to avoid alerting Fran.
• After Ophelia left, Charles recalled that the Stars had warned him against investigating Fran further and had revealed that she would visit an Alliance Floating City, leaving him deeply uneasy.

Aila told Brian that Fran wanted him to organize the faithful’s records before they moved to the Antir Region, giving him the opportunity he had hoped for. In Hundred Flower Territory, Finley received a letter from Elan as he weighed whether to remain loyal to Duke Theodore or change sides.

• Aila informed Brian that Fran had sent instructions for him to leave Snow Bear Territory for the Antir Region and take on a role recommended by Anna.
• Brian accepted the assignment, and Aila gave him forms to gather information about the faithful and complete within three days.
• Finley considered his uncertain claim to Hundred Flower Territory as Antir faced an invasion from Lorinvik and Duke Theodore’s forces faltered.
• A subordinate delivered Finley a letter from his friend Elan, giving him hope.

Fran, writing as Elan, persuaded Finley to accept an offer to register White Flower Territory with the Alliance in exchange for helping a mage conduct an experiment. Finley agreed and sent careful letters to Duke Theodore and the Prince of Antir while preparing to align his territory with the Alliance.

• Finley recognized the Alliance symbol on a messenger’s clothing and read Elan’s letter.
• Elan claimed that a mage would register White Flower Territory with the Alliance after conducting an experiment there, and Fran kept her larger plans for Antir secret.
• Finley weighed the risks of supporting Duke Theodore or the Prince of Antir and decided the Alliance offered a safer path.
• Finley accepted the proposal and wrote a reply to the envoy from the Northern Lands Society.
• Finley assured Duke Theodore of his loyalty and told the Prince of Antir that he would focus on securing control of White Flower Territory before sending support.

Fran explained her plan to take control of the Antir Region and use its people and resources to build factories for producing basic components. She assigned Anna to lead a militia in seizing an open-pit mine and nearby plain, leaving Anna stunned at the prospect of battle.

• Anna visited Fran’s laboratory, where Fran used the vocal cords of a Siren to briefly bewitch her and explained how the spell worked.
• Fran showed Anna a map of mineral deposits in the Antir Region and said she needed the area’s resources to develop Earth technologies and build factories.
• Fran told Anna she had requested the Alliance’s support to occupy the Antir Region and planned to establish her Sect there.
• Fran identified an open-pit mine and a nearby plain outside the cooperating lord’s territory as their initial targets.
• Fran assigned Anna to lead the lord’s militia in capturing those sites, and Anna was bewildered by the sudden prospect of fighting.

Fran gave Anna valuable enchanted equipment and told her to prepare for work once the Alliance approved her assignment. Fran then entered the Spirit Realm to sign the Alliance’s million-Gold-Coin contract, where Charles and Elijah waited nervously.

• Fran gave Anna leather armor, rune-enhanced gloves, a reforged longsword, and three Shield Spell Rings as payment for her work.
• Anna estimated that the equipment was worth more than 600 Gold Coins and eagerly agreed to prepare for Fran’s upcoming assignment.
• Fran went to sleep and recited an incantation to enter the Spirit Realm, where she planned to sign the Alliance’s contract three days after their agreement.
• Charles waited in the Law Domain with Tristan, who worried that Fran might refuse or break the contract.
• Elijah arrived and told Charles that he was even more nervous than Tristan because another system error could cost him his seat.

Elijah warned Charles that Fran’s disguise matched mage traits with alarming precision and asked him to mark her through the contract so the Alliance could track her after she left the Law Domain. Charles used Star Guidance to foresee the result, seeing a Floating City locked down at the Alliance’s highest state of readiness.

• Elijah told Charles that Fran’s mage traits differed from the system’s model by only five percent and bore signatures from several mage schools.
• Elijah proposed tampering with Fran’s contract to make her take an item that would reveal her location after she left the Law Domain.
• Elijah suggested Fran’s disguise might require help from mages of those schools or their corpses, leaving Charles to consider betrayal or stolen identities.
• Charles decided to consult the Stars and cast Star Guidance to see what would happen if he followed Elijah’s proposal.
• Charles foresaw an Alliance Floating City sealed behind its defenses, with its Mage Tower glowing red and no one able to enter or leave.

Charles refused to let Elijah investigate the Proxy of the Lord of Radiance further and told Ophelia to answer Fran truthfully about his identity. Fran reviewed and revised the Alliance’s contract, then signed it with her name concealed, sealing the deal to occupy the realm.

• Charles told Elijah that he would rely on his own judgment and ejected him from the room.
• Charles instructed Ophelia to answer Fran truthfully if she asked who he was.
• Fran arrived, asked about her Spirit Crystals, and received the Alliance’s contract to review.
• Fran found that the contract lacked the Alliance’s obligation and deadline to occupy the realm, so she made Ophelia revise it and specify a three-month deadline.
• Charles, Ophelia, Tristan, and the other mages signed the revised contract, and Fran used her necklace to mark it before signing and blacking out her name.

Fran returned to the Radiance Domain with Alliance gold and secured the Lord of Radiance’s help to strengthen her faith in the Material Realm. After learning the Lord had exaggerated the danger to spur her on, Fran visited Iris in a different body and prepared to travel to the Antir Region under the name Lai.

• Fran found a mountain of Alliance gold coins and accepted the exchange as a favorable bonus to the agreement with the Alliance.
• The Lord of Radiance told Fran to stay in the Radiance Domain during the Alliance’s attack and offered her Second Order power if her believers grew fourfold.
• Fran asked the Lord of Radiance to prioritize Aila’s advancement to Formal Rank and grant her authority to advance believers to apprentice rank, and the Lord agreed.
• The Lord of Radiance warned Fran that the Radiance Domain might be discovered within three months, then admitted after Fran left that she had lied to motivate her.
• Fran used the book to switch into her Spirit Realm body, met Iris at the Mage Tower, and said she would travel to the Antir Region as Lai.