Chapter Summaries

Lai concealed her identity from Mage Aurora during the airship trip to Bohan, while Aurora made clear she had joined the exchange to seek guidance from Lai. Lai planned to use her cover as an Alliance mage to find and permanently kill the Sword Saint in Bohan.

• Lai and Philly met Mage Aurora in the airship lounge, where Aurora explained the academic exchange’s goals and said she had joined to seek guidance from a mage whose alchemy surpassed hers.
• Lai deflected Aurora’s hints by suggesting she meant Mage Gareth, and Aurora left after saying she looked forward to hearing Lai’s insights.
• Philly asked why Lai had hidden her identity, and Lai said keeping it private mattered to her.
• Lai considered how to kill the Third Order Sword Saint in Bohan permanently and worried that attention from the project’s mages would hinder her preparations.
• Lai planned to preserve her Alliance-mage cover so the other participants could provide protection if her attempt failed or caused a disturbance.

Lai and the mages arrived in Bohan, where Mage Gareth dealt with a vendor selling a bloodstained mage robe and warned the mages to defend themselves in the city. The convoy reached the Tranquil Hotel, where Gareth told Timothy that Bohan should improve public security.

• Lai and Philly began the six-day carriage journey from Fallen Forest Province to Bohan with Mage Gareth and the other mages.
• At Bohan’s city gates, several mages confronted a vendor who was openly selling a bloodstained mage robe, and the argument caused a traffic jam.
• Gareth used Forced Fusion to kill the vendor and merge him with his stall goods, then told the mages to act for themselves when people challenged them in Bohan.
• The guards cleared away the remains, and the convoy continued through the city to the Tranquil Hotel in the commercial district.
• Gareth greeted Timothy at the hotel and urged him to improve public security so the mages would not face further trouble.

Gareth warned Timothy that he could not harm Lai, who had the backing of a Fourth Order mage, before they spoke privately. Lai then set out in disguise to find a Blood Law Sword Saint near Bohan and forced the Wild Wolf Gang to take her to its leader.

• Gareth warned Timothy that Lai had returned with a Fourth Order mage's endorsement and that harming her could bring ruin to both of them.
• After registering, Lai left Philly at the inn and reviewed her progress toward becoming a Sword Saint, deciding to search Bohan for the Blood Law Sword Saint.
• Lai disguised herself, went to the outer city, and used the Siren's voice to make a Wild Wolf Gang member reveal where the gang operated.
• Lai seized a Wild Wolf Gang minor leader through a wall and demanded to meet whoever was in charge.
• The minor leader, frightened by Lai's strength, agreed to take her to the gang's leader.

Lai forced Black Claw to help her find information about Third Order Professionals in Bohan after revealing her own power. Meanwhile, Kieran Burns considered how to secure the committee’s approval for Mage Lai’s conditions on the Mana Telecommunications System project.

• Lai asked Black Claw for information on Third Order Professionals, but he offered only suspected targets in the outer city and demanded payment for a confirmed list.
• Lai refused to pay and immobilized Black Claw with spiritual power, then made him agree to work for her.
• Kieran Burns met with the Felistin Family to discuss Mage Lai’s demands for the Mana Telecommunications System project.
• Kieran said the committee’s rules were standard but implied that Gold Coins would be needed to win the committee members’ cooperation.

After failing to identify any Third Order Professionals among Black Claw’s suspects, 'Lai' witnessed two apprentices remove a box from a carriage and suspected it contained smuggled goods. Gareth and Timothy discovered that someone had detected the box with Divine Power, so they postponed moving the goods and planned to find out who was watching them.

• 'Lai' tested three suspected Third Order Professionals and found that they were a Second Order, a First Order, and an ordinary gardener.
• 'Lai' watched two apprentices remove a box from her group’s carriage, then decided not to investigate the suspected smuggling operation.
• Timothy and Gareth opened the box and found only straw, then Gareth used a red liquid to reveal a strong Divine Power reaction on it.
• Gareth and Timothy concluded that a mage had detected the box and agreed to delay transporting the goods.
• Gareth planned to have the stable manager guard the stables and investigate the hotel, while Timothy prepared to take the mages to the plantation in a few days.

Lai joined an academic exchange at the Emerald Life Ring plantation, where she compared its costly magical cultivation methods with her plans to improve ordinary grain yields. The tour ended with Lai recognizing a sword technique used by a plantation worker and realizing it contained a part of the Broken Wing Sword Art she did not know.

• Lai toured the plantation with the visiting mages as Timothy explained its cultivation methods and showed them crops including Azte Grass and Devil Vine.
• Aurora praised the Emerald Life Ring's Azte Grass, but Timothy refused to explain its secret cultivation method and led the group onward.
• Lai considered using fertilizer methods from her previous life to improve Antir's grain yields, and her Panel granted her one point of Magical Botany proficiency.
• A plantation employee used a wooden sword to defeat a Poison Green Vine without damaging it, prompting Timothy to explain the plant and the worker's role.
• Lai recognized the worker's swordsmanship as the Broken Wing Sword Art and noticed that he had used a part she did not know.

Lai recognized that a frail plantation worker had learned the Broken Wing Sword Art and suspected its Sword Saint was in Bohan City. When she tracked the young man to his home, she found him dead from a wound inflicted with the Blood Law Sword Art.

• Lai suspected the Broken Wing Sword Saint had taught the young plantation worker and decided to follow him rather than risk alerting the Sword Saint.
• After the academic exchange ended, Lai asked a plantation employee where the young man lived and went to his home in the outer city.
• Lai searched the area and found a sword-practice scratch on a board near a well, which she believed marked where the Sword Saint had taught the young man.
• Lai sensed blood inside the house, entered, and found the young man dead in a pool of blood.
• Lai examined the wound and recognized it as a core move of the Blood Law Sword Art.

Lai investigated a murder linked to Blood Law Sword Art, defeated the killer’s ambush, and secretly marked him to trace his master. The killer reported back to Elias, who learned that Lai might be connected to an old friend, while a white-robed man prepared a trap with two other Third Order fighters.

• Lai found no clues at the murder scene and was ambushed by a concealed Blood Law Sword Art practitioner.
• Lai melted the attacker’s Bluefire Steel sword with Sunflame and blasted him through a wall using Forward Step.
• Lai let the wounded First Order attacker escape after placing a hidden tracking mark on him, hoping he would lead her to the Sword Saint.
• The attacker followed his master’s escape route and told Elias that a powerful opponent with a red glow had nearly defeated him.
• Elias suspected the opponent might be his old friend, who also knew Sunflame Arts, and wondered why he had let the disciple go.
• A tall man in white robes urged Elias to keep the disciple in place and promised to bring two Third Order fighters to ambush Lai, but refused to explain the Sect’s holy relic.

Fran arrived in Crescent Bay to report to the Territory Mage Working Group and received her identification badge. Her arrival impressed local officials, while Julian sought a transfer to a combat squad.

• Iris left Fran at Crescent Bay’s gate, and Fran took a hired carriage toward Golden Crow Street.
• Patrol Mages stopped Fran near Golden Crow Street, but let her pass after she showed her transfer documents bearing the Command Council seal.
• Fran reached Number 45 Golden Crow Street and received her Territory Mage Working Group identification badge from the Director of Personnel.
• Julian entered the Director of Personnel’s office and learned that Fran held a more important position than an ordinary Working Group staff member.
• Julian began asking the old man to approve his transfer to a combat squad.

Fran joined the Ocean Affairs Department’s Territory Mage Working Group and learned that rival Schools had created numerous competing groups to control Territory Mage affairs. The Command Council’s amendment required them to consolidate into one department within a year, leaving Fran to work amid a struggle for influence while her identity remained secret from the other groups.

• Fran mistakenly entered the Ocean Department before finding the Ocean Affairs Department’s Territory Mage Working Group and meeting its leader, Eleanor.
• Eleanor explained that different Schools backed the many Territory Mage Working Groups because they had fought over control of the work.
• Fran realized that the Sword Chant School’s large presence in the Battle Mage Corps had intensified disputes over how Territory Mage benefits would be shared.
• Eleanor told Fran that the First Territorial Mage Amendment required the groups to be reduced to one department within a year, with the Command Council eliminating groups that lacked results.
• Fran asked whether the other groups knew who she was, and Eleanor assured her that only she and the Law School’s upper ranks knew.

The Ocean External Affairs Department prepared for a territory mage assessment by organizing training and recruiting researchers, while Galle reported how rival departments were preparing. Brandon learned that the Command Council would use a restricted team Magic Duel to determine land-selection order, and he resolved to strengthen his working group.

• Brandon told the Territory Mage Working Group to coordinate with the Battle Mage Corps for the White Dragon Port operation and make their territory the best before the assessment in three months.
• Galle explained that the working groups would compete in a five-person Magic Duel to determine land-selection order, with rank limits, random participant draws, and a twenty-five-member cap.
• Brandon ordered Galle to find two Magic Duel coaches and arrange practice for the working group.
• Galle reported that the Construct School had obtained a transcript of the territory mage paper author's lecture, the Ocean War Department had sent someone to Antir, and the Elemental School's Ocean Management Department had recruited Olean Cross and his assistants.
• Brandon learned that the Ocean Affairs Department had recruited experienced researchers and a Special Adviser, and he felt relieved that the Law School did not seem to have secured extraordinary help.

Fran examined Alliance maps and concluded that the Lohan Archipelago was likely The Alliance’s next target, but her position in the Territory Mage Working Group gave her no clear way to influence those affairs. Meanwhile, “Lai” prepared to follow a holy light mark that night and let Philly attend an arcade event with other mages.

• Fran reviewed Territory Mage documents and found maps showing The Alliance’s expanding control of sea routes and its likely advance toward the Lohan Archipelago.
• Fran realized the Territory Mage Working Group was too new and politically sidelined to help her reach Lohan Islands affairs, so she resolved to seek another opportunity.
• “Lai” practiced Combat Techniques, bringing seventeen to Mastery, and planned to follow the remaining holy light mark that night.
• Philly asked to attend an event at an arcade, and “Lai” allowed her to go with other mages.
• “Lai” gave Philly thirty gold coins for the outing, and Philly happily returned to her room.

Lai prepared time-related Alchemy Devices and a Sky Dragon Rune hide before tracking a marked Profession into an abandoned street, where four Third Order Professions ambushed her. She began an elemental attack and rose into the air, preparing Elemental Regression as the wind battered her pursuers.

• Lai crafted time-accelerating and time-slowing devices, then inscribed a Sky Dragon Rune on magical-beast hide to prepare an escape route.
• Lai followed the Radiant Priest's Radiance into an abandoned street and sensed four Third Order Professions waiting in ambush.
• Lai chose Elemental Conversion followed by Elemental Regression instead of Divine Descent, then used time devices to begin converting the elements.
• Lai completed three Elemental Conversions as Elias attacked with his blood-red sword, unleashing a gale that filled the street with dust and collapsed buildings.
• Lai activated the Sky Dragon Rune hide, rose a hundred meters, and began channeling Elemental Regression while the wind battered the four ambushers.

Philly and Aurora talked about Lai and research at a Bohan City arcade while the mages gambled for entertainment. Their conversation was interrupted when a violent wind swept through the city, followed by a deafening roar and a torrent that burst into the arcade.

• Philly grew bored of games she could predict and accepted Aurora's invitation to talk.
• Aurora asked Philly about Lai, and Philly described Lai as her guiding mage.
• Aurora and Philly began animatedly discussing mathematics and research.
• A violent wind shook the arcade, cracking a window, then abruptly stopped as a roar rang through Bohan.
• The arcade doors burst open, and a massive torrent surged toward the mages.

A devastating attack by the Broken-Wing Sword Saint flooded Bohan City, leaving Elias and the Elephant of Mountains believer alive among the ruins. After hearing that the Sword Saint’s power might come from a sacred relic, Elias began plotting to seize it before the Sect’s reinforcements arrived.

• The Water Element’s blast flooded Bohan City, destroyed the ruined street, and left sewage pooled throughout the city.
• Elias recovered in the wastewater, assessed his injuries, and feared his disciple had been killed.
• Elias questioned the Elephant of Mountains believer about the sacred relic after concluding the Broken-Wing Sword Saint had overwhelmed their group.
• The believer said the relic might explain the Sword Saint’s power and planned to summon Sect reinforcements while keeping him in Bohan.
• Elias and the other Third Order Professionals became interested in obtaining the relic, and Elias planned to recruit allies and approach the Alchemists the next day.

Timothy assessed the flood damage to Emerald Life Ring’s plantation and discussed a delayed shipment from The Alliance with Mage Gareth. The chapter ended with a man in black asking Rainbow Refining Hand’s shop about psychic-power goods and hearing that a Psychic Solid was due to arrive.

• An Alchemist reported that floodwater had damaged the plantation, destroyed many magical plants, and left its soil in need of inspection, possibly forcing a costly three-month shutdown.
• Timothy ordered an itemized list of expenses and told Gareth they could not use the flooded, foul-smelling basement to discuss their shipment.
• Timothy and Gareth agreed to delay moving the goods until the basement could be cleaned, then reviewed the shipment’s psychic headband, Second Order Demonic Beast armor, Psychic Solid, and alchemy materials.
• A man in black visited a Rainbow Refining Hand shop seeking goods related to psychic power and learned that a shipment from The Alliance containing a Psychic Solid might arrive in a few days.

Lai decided to prioritize obtaining the Secret Wordspeaker Profession because she could not safely handle multiple Third Order Professionals while pursuing the Bloodlaw Sword Saint. At the Tranquil Hotel, a break-in revealed that the Broken-Wing Sword Saint had returned and targeted the Emerald Life Ring.

• Lai concluded that the ambush and the Bloodlaw Sword Saint’s unknown allies made pursuing him too dangerous, so she would obtain Secret Wordspeaker after finishing Passionate Warrior.
• Lai found Philly chatting with Aurora and warned Philly to be cautious because Aurora might have joined the project to get close to her.
• Aurora went downstairs to fetch boxed meals, and Lai sensed that something major had happened beneath the hotel.
• Lai and Philly joined the crowd in the lobby, where staff reported that an intruder had broken into a concealed basement room.
• Timothy questioned the staff, who identified the intruder as a black-robed Third Order Sword Saint carrying a greatsword and practicing the Broken Wing Sword Art.

Timothy and Gareth discussed Simon’s theft and growing power, then plotted to recruit allies to kill him. In hiding, Simon used the solidified mental power he had stolen to strengthen himself through the Black Stone Slab.

• Timothy and Gareth realized Simon had stolen Gareth’s solidified mental power and discussed whether a mole had revealed where the goods were stored.
• Timothy learned Simon was behind the recent disasters and joined Gareth in deciding to kill him, while they considered enlisting other Third Order Professionals.
• Gareth told Timothy that Simon had repelled four Third Order Professionals and wounded them, including Elias, and suspected Simon’s mysterious object was responsible for his strength.
• Simon hid in a house in the Inner City after the boy he had taken as an apprentice died from a wound caused by the Blood Law Sword Art.
• Simon fed the solidified mental power to the Black Stone Slab, raising his mental power to roughly that of a Second Order Mage.

Simon decided to remain hidden in Bohan until the Elephant of Mountains Sect’s tracking devices failed, while Lai gained the Passionate Warrior Profession and began exploring the Secret Wordspeaker method. Lai’s first attempt at the Secret Words ritual ended almost immediately, leaving her startled by how much time seemed to have passed.

• Simon chose to stay in Bohan for two or three months to evade the Elephant of Mountains Sect and hoped to find a chance to obtain the Bloodlaw Sword Saint’s blood.
• After mastering her remaining Combat Techniques, Lai used an alchemical herb to kindle temporary enthusiasm and gained the two-star Passionate Warrior Profession, though she lacked its associated trait.
• Lai prepared to investigate the Secret Wordspeaker Profession, judging the ritual potentially dangerous and considering her limited time in Bohan.
• Lai shut off her five senses and began the ritual, but a strange sound startled her into ending it.
• Lai realized that the sun had nearly set despite her belief that she had counted only one second.

Lai interpreted a passage of Secret Words at great cost, then planned to seek help from Alwen's Gate of Secret Words. Meanwhile, factions in Bohan moved smuggled goods and prepared a citywide hunt for Simon, but the night lasted far longer than expected.

• Lai woke after losing awareness, investigated the strange noise in her memory, and found that interpreting Secret Words consumed Divine Power and slowed its recovery.
• Lai deciphered the passage “Night arrives after the sun sets,” found it useless, and decided to visit Alwen's organization in Bohan.
• Gareth and Timothy moved Gareth's smuggled goods from the Tranquil Hotel, using a single-use spatial expansion technique to unload them into another carriage.
• Elias and several Inner City Third Order Professionals organized a hunt for Simon, planning to disguise themselves as tax collectors and begin at sunrise.
• Bohan's Inner City residents poured into the streets when daylight failed to arrive, realizing the night had lasted unusually long.