Chapter Summaries

Morris ordered a guard squad to investigate the mine after a Knight Attendant described strange gray-robed attackers and an iron-and-wood structure, then suspected the Shadow Cult. In White Flower City, Lucy met Count Ian and Mage Maeve, who had come to ask about the Territory Destroyer.

• A Knight Attendant told Morris that two Gray Robes with glowing ranged attacks had overwhelmed him near the mine, and Morris ordered him to lead a guard squad reinforced with five Knight Attendants.
• The Knight Attendant described a long, cleared patch of ground, a strange iron-and-wood object, and a brief humming sound near the mine.
• Morris suspected the Gray Robes belonged to the Shadow Cult but decided to wait for the investigators' report before taking further action.
• Finley had a damaged house repaired and prepared for Lucy, who had spent ten days there without raising any complaints.
• Lucy considered how Maeve might affect her plans, then received Count Ian and Mage Maeve and confirmed they had come to ask about the Territory Destroyer.

Count Ian asked Lucy to authorize using the Alliance’s Territory Destroyer as Antir’s forces struggled at Horn Pass, but Lucy delayed while waiting for Lai and pursuing her own plans. She told Ian the device might be needed in half a month to two months and promised to stay until matters were settled.

• Count Ian explained that Marquis Crawford had reported heavy losses at Horn Pass and asked Lucy to let Antir use the Territory Destroyer.
• Lucy reflected that Ian’s advancement to the Second Order depended on surviving the war, while his strong ties to Duke Theodore left him with few alternatives.
• Lucy recalled that Marquis Crawford had defected to Lorinvik after Duke Theodore favored Ian with most of the available territory, and that she had helped arrange the defection.
• Lucy said she had not finished handling the matter and could not activate the device without implicating herself.
• Count Ian pressed Lucy for a timeline, and she estimated that events might unfold in half a month to two months while promising to remain in White Flower City.

Fran sought literate helpers and more laborers from Finley in White Flower City, then received a letter from Harbos delivered by an Alliance messenger. She planned to recruit farmers from distant farms and prepare muskets for Anna's next expedition, while arranging to send a reply to Loderis.

• Finley told Fran that local nobles could refuse conscription, but he could find literate people who had been pushed out of noble circles and hire them.
• Finley offered farmers from his distant farms, who would take half a month to arrive, and described a nearby refugee settlement that Fran rejected as too difficult to control.
• Fran decided to ask Anna to lead a small group to bring back people and planned to make muskets to strengthen their escort.
• Fran met an Alliance messenger outside the castle, accepted Harbos's letter, and said she would send a reply to Loderis.

Fran received Harbos's letter about her Second Order advancement and the apprentices traveling to Antir, then prepared to receive them and asked Harbos how to work with a Black Shadow Wolf claw. At the mine, a group from River Valley Territory mistook Fran's train for an enemy and attacked it, prompting a white-robed girl and the Gray Robes to respond.

• Fran learned that Elan and the apprentices had set out for Antir and arranged for Finley to receive them.
• Fran decided to ask Harbos how to work with the Black Shadow Wolf claw, sent her reply, and headed back to the lord's castle and Base Camp.
• A group of armed Knight Attendants arrived at the mine and were confused by its expanded slopes, altered entrance, and railway.
• The Knight Attendants mistook the descending train for an enemy and attacked it, but one man's sword bent against its steel body.
• Several guards stood on the tracks and were struck down or swept beneath the train as a white-robed girl asked the Gray Robes about the group.
• The Gray Robes identified the attackers as people from River Valley Territory, and the girl said they should deal with them.

Fran continued developing Base Camp while waiting to use Finley’s rise to lord to counter Lucy, but a message from the Lord of Radiance summoned her to the Spirit Realm. She arrived at the Alliance’s gathering with Una, Tristan, and Ophelia, where Tristan told her it was her turn to take the stage.

• Fran planned to delay her agreement with Lucy until Finley became a lord, then prevent Lucy from using the Earth Spirit against her.
• Fran organized ore smelting at Base Camp and prepared to make steel parts and processing equipment.
• A glowing Notebook summoned Fran to the Spirit Realm with a warning that the Alliance was about to attack a Domain.
• The Lord of Radiance told Fran to meet her at the Divine Temple and chose Una to become the Domain Lord of the target place.
• Fran arrived with Una at the gathering, where she met Tristan and Ophelia.
• Tristan told Fran that the group was ready and that it was her turn to take the stage.

Fran saw how quickly the Alliance had prepared to seize the Ancient Domain, then entered it with Una to make her its lord. As light began shining from Una, Fran was left waiting to see what would happen next.

• Fran learned that the Alliance had waited for her approval before beginning its operation and was impressed by its speed and power.
• Tristan explained that the Alliance called the occupied territory the Three-God Domain, though its records named it the Ancient Domain, and showed Fran the three Divine Statues there.
• Fran and Una followed Ophelia through a portal into the domain, where Fran saw that its buildings were intact and its followers appeared to have vanished.
• Ophelia led Fran and Una to an empty hall and told Fran to begin making Una the domain's lord.
• Una looked to Fran for help, but light suddenly began shining from her body.

Una became Lord of the Domain, and its power began helping her advance toward the Second Order. Fran then confirmed that she would honor the Alliance’s request to occupy three designated areas, leaving the next steps of their cooperation to begin.

• Fran watched Una merge with the Domain as the power of three Deities surged through it, overwhelming Tristan and leaving Ophelia unconscious.
• Una became Lord of the Domain, and Fran sensed that the Domain’s power could help Una advance toward the Second Order within three months.
• Una confirmed to Fran that the process was over and that she was now the Lord of the Domain.
• Fran asked Tristan and Ophelia whether the Alliance was ready to proceed with its task, and Tristan handed her a map marking three areas for the Alliance to occupy.
• Fran agreed to the Alliance’s selections and confirmed that her side would not claim the unmarked districts for a month.

After Fran left the Ancient Domain, Una approved The Alliance’s request to enter, and Charles led Astrology School mages there to seek a clue through prophecy. Their prophecies pointed toward a matter so important that Charles feared it could rival the Calamity of the Blood Elves, and he decided The Alliance must be informed.

• Fran left the Ancient Domain after arranging matters with The Alliance and Una, trusting the Lord of Radiance to protect Una.
• Una examined and approved The Alliance’s application, allowing Tristan, Charles, and other Astrology School mages to enter the Ancient Domain.
• Charles warned the mages to act cautiously and began their search by casting a Prophecy Spell.
• Charles’s prophecy pointed toward the territory of the Goddess of Ocean Currents, but the mages’ follow-up prophecies produced vague information.
• Charles recalled the Astrology School’s failed attempt to foresee the Calamity of the Blood Elves and realized the current matter might be just as significant.
• Charles decided to report the discovery to The Alliance when the mages returned.

Charles and the Astrology School’s mages gathered prophecies about a powerful, long-hidden object whose discovery would trigger continent-wide conflict and threaten The Alliance. Charles ordered the participants into protective detention as the revelations pointed to the Church of the Goddess of Ocean Currents’ territory, a fallen Floating City, and the dissolution of the Alliance Council.

• A mage prophesied that the object would be obtained when the sun rose, and another said a living creature would find it after it saw daylight again.
• A mage said news of the object would spark a conflict across the continent, so Charles invoked The Alliance’s confidentiality ordinance and ordered the prophecy participants detained.
• Tristan prophesied that the object would remain in the Material Realm forever, and Charles noted that it was within the Church of the Goddess of Ocean Currents’ territory.
• Another mage revealed that a Floating City would fall because of the object, prompting Charles to make no further arrangements until they returned to The Alliance.
• A mage prophesied that the object’s discovery would be the prelude to the dissolution of the Alliance Council.

Charles and the mages confirmed a prophecy that the Alliance Council’s dissolution would precede the Alliance’s collapse. He ordered Tristan to remain in the Law Domain and negotiate a powerful contract with the Lord of Radiance’s Proxy to secure the Ancient Domain.

• A mage prophesied that the Alliance Council would be dissolved, and Charles ordered two mages to verify the prediction.
• The three mages confirmed that the prophecy was a precursor to the Alliance Council’s dissolution.
• Charles told the assembled mages to keep their accounts consistent and instructed them to guard one another.
• Charles ordered Tristan to stay in the Law Domain, contact the Lord of Radiance’s Proxy, and negotiate an Abyss Contract restricting access to the Ancient Domain for ten years.
• Charles promised Tristan’s family a reward if he succeeded, reminded the mages that the Alliance’s fate partly rested with them, and teleported the group to the Law Domain.

Fran completed a precise lathe and arranged for Elan and three apprentices from the Forge School to come to her base camp so they could help train workers. When Elan arrived, Fran’s changed appearance made him doubt her identity until she reminded him of their shared history selling Energy Potions.

• Fran finished building the lathe, tested it by making three components, and realized workers would need specialized training to operate it.
• A Knight Attendant delivered Finley’s message that the Forge School group had arrived, and Fran rode her Black Horse to meet them.
• Finley received Elan and three apprentices outside the city, while Elan mistakenly thought Fran was using Lai as an alias and heard about an adventurer named Elan who worked for her.
• Fran arrived, but Elan, Kahn, and Ocien did not recognize her because her appearance had changed.
• Fran reminded Elan that they had sold Energy Potions to the Pharmacist Association, confirming who she was.

Fran reunited with Elan in Antir and explained that she had not advanced to Second Order, though she had obtained a method for doing so. She shared the method with Elan and the apprentices, then asked what they had learned.

• Elan confirmed that the disguised woman was Fran by recalling details only she could know.
• Fran explained that Iris had helped conceal her identity and that she was in Antir preparing for an experiment to advance.
• Elan asked about reaching Second Order, and Fran described a method she had obtained from the Northern Lands Society.
• Elan and the three apprentices listened as Fran shared the advancement knowledge.
• Fran stopped speaking and asked the apprentices whether they had learned anything.

Fran brought Elan and three apprentices to her Base Camp, where she planned to put them to work supporting its expanding production. Elan agreed to help make parts, then learned Fran wanted as many chain-like components as he could produce.

• The three apprentices apologized to Fran for eavesdropping on her discussion with Elan, and she told them they could make amends by working at her site.
• Fran invited Elan to help because she was short-handed, and he agreed to make basic parts.
• Fran, Elan, and the apprentices arrived at the Base Camp, where the apprentices and Elan were astonished by its machines and production lines.
• Fran led Elan into her workhouse and gave him a blueprint for a chain-like component.
• When Elan asked how many components he had to make, Fran told him to make as many as he could because she had plenty of materials.

Fran delayed her experiment for another half month, prompting Lucy to make plans to finish the dangerous commission without her. Lucy also delayed Count Ian’s Territory Destroyer operation, while Mage Lai warned Finley not to become a lord yet and asked him to hand over his Territory Token.

• Fran asked Lucy for another half month to finish her experiment, and Lucy reluctantly agreed.
• Lucy planned to prepare Count Ian’s side, check the Earth Spirit’s restraint device, and seek help from the Ocean Society while figuring out how to deal with Lai.
• Count Ian asked Lucy about the overdue Territory Destroyer operation, and she promised it would be ready in half a month.
• Fran visited Finley, warned him that Lucy would kill him if he became a lord now, and asked him to give her his Territory Token the next day.

Fran’s lathes helped establish basic industrial production at the Base Camp, and she prepared to start a musket production line. She also planned to produce smokeless powder, but needed cotton that grew far beyond the Antir Region, so she considered using the Spirit Realm to obtain it.

• Fran made several lathes and gained Foundry Studies proficiency while Kahn learned to use one and struggled to teach workers its basic operation.
• Fran required the apprentices to teach workers how to operate lathes, assigning failed production quotas to the apprentices who could not teach them.
• With the workers and apprentices helping, Fran judged the Base Camp ready to begin building a musket production line.
• Fran planned to produce smokeless powder because she could not make enough of the magic-based propellant by hand.
• Fran found that cotton grew about five hundred kilometers beyond The Alliance, and she considered using the Spirit Realm to solve the supply problem.

Fran considered how to secure cotton and other industrial materials, then turned her attention to the apprentices at the expanding mine. Byron and Jared mistook distant fighting for the arrival of a Knight Master, but Anna appeared dragging a badly wounded Knight instead.

• Fran planned to buy cotton through the Spirit Realm while researching how to cultivate it, and she worried about obtaining cotton-growing methods and other industrial supplies.
• The mine expanded across the mountain, where Byron and Jared worked beside noisy machinery while Gray Robes supervised the miners.
• Byron and Jared heard distant fighting and believed a Knight had arrived to rescue them, so they celebrated.
• A Gray Robe follower beat Byron and Jared and dragged them toward the mine shaft; a nearby refugee hoped the Gray Robes would prevail.
• Anna arrived with a bloodied, half-dead Knight in silver armor, dragging him across the ground.

Fran visited Heart Lake Market to check on her commissions, then arranged a bulk purchase of cotton through the White Hill Chamber of Commerce. She left with a delivery agreement in place and planned to return in three days to inspect a headless Tosk Horned Bull corpse.

• Fran learned that commission XXXXXXXXXX4 had been accepted and arranged to pay extra Spirit Crystals for Spirit Realm transport.
• Fran agreed to inspect the headless Tosk Horned Bull corpse in three days and required reimbursement if it did not match the description.
• Fran went to the White Hill Chamber of Commerce after realizing that large-scale crop purchases were handled by chambers of commerce.
• Fran showed Pierce an encyclopedia illustration so he could identify cotton, which the White Hill Chamber of Commerce had in its records and warehouse.
• Fran arranged to buy all the cotton available and any additional cotton the chamber acquired, despite Pierce recommending goat wool.

Fran learned that the Alliance had sealed off the 'Ancient' Domain and was searching for the Radiance Domain, forcing her to go to the Law Domain despite the danger. There, she confronted the Alliance representatives about whether they intended to violate her contract.

• The Lord of Radiance told Fran that the Alliance had surrounded the 'Ancient' Domain and asked whether she had done anything there besides helping Una become its Domain Lord.
• Fran considered abandoning Una, but the Lord of Radiance warned that the Alliance was locating the Radiance Domain and could track Fran if she refused to meet them.
• Fran agreed to go to the Law Domain and arrived without encountering resistance.
• Fran entered the meeting room, where Tristan and Ophelia sat with unfamiliar representatives of the Law School and Elemental School.
• Fran asked whether the Alliance planned to violate their contract, leaving the people in the room rattled and Elijah bewildered by her lack of fear.

Fran negotiated with the Alliance over access to the sealed Ancient Realm, using the threat of a suicidal act to prevent them from pressuring her. Elijah offered an Abyss Contract with compensation and protection, and Fran agreed to keep the Radiant Sect out of the realm; afterward, Elijah revealed that securing her signature had been the real aim.

• Tristan warned Fran that the Alliance had sealed off the Ancient Realm, while Fran threatened to have the Lord of Radiance’s followers kill themselves and restore the three Deities’ influence.
• Fran held firm as Tristan and the others fell silent, unwilling to risk provoking her into suicide.
• Elijah produced an Abyss Contract and promised that he would not harm Fran or any Second Order or higher Profession, while the Alliance offered one million Gold Coins and protection for the Lord of Radiance’s followers.
• Fran accepted the Alliance’s request and agreed that no one in the Radiant Sect besides her and the realm’s lord could enter the Ancient Realm.
• After Fran left, Elijah told Tristan that an Abyss Contract was the way to ensure both sides would be satisfied, then asked Archmage Arthur Carter to confirm.

Arthur Carter questioned Elijah’s decision to involve the Alliance, while Elijah explained why the Alliance’s survival took priority and why Fran was unlikely to activate the Abyss Contract. Fran returned to the Radiance Domain with an agreement in place, then went to Heart Lake Market to address the Alliance’s tracking methods.

• Arthur Carter praised Elijah’s actions but warned that involving the Alliance had been rash, and Elijah recorded their conversation for the council.
• Elijah explained that the Alliance faced a more immediate danger and believed Fran would avoid activating the Abyss Contract as long as she still had hope.
• Arthur Carter asked Elijah not to mention him in the report, and Elijah agreed.
• Fran told the Lord of Radiance that the meeting had gone well and that the Alliance’s lockdown should remain in place under their agreement.
• Fran left the Divine Temple without learning what the Alliance was searching for, then went to Heart Lake Market to change the traits used to track her.