Chapter Summaries

Monica and Talia accepted gifts from mages seeking recruitment favors, then discovered that Fran’s package contained about ten gold bars. The chapter ended with Monica claiming nearly all the gold and leaving Talia one bar.

• Talia recorded Monica’s decision to put a gift-bearing applicant at the top of the Wartime Supply Department list, and Monica told her to return smaller bribes to avoid being reported.
• A young mage asked Monica to look after his nephew and gave her a quarter of a gold bar.
• Monica and Talia left White Dragon Port with the gifts, and Talia reassured Monica about her unusual hobby by comparing her to a Gold Alchemy Award winner.
• Monica demanded that Talia open Fran’s green-silk package and found about ten gold bars inside.
• Monica cut Talia’s expected share to one gold bar, and Talia accepted it as her mistake.

Oinrich received a newly approved paper on time magic and was astonished to find it described a third-order time spell he had never imagined could be created. The paper’s author was Lai, prompting Oinrich to rush toward Number Nine Floating City to meet her.

• Valerie brought Oinrich a newly reviewed paper about time, and he initially assumed its author was an older mage seeking results.
• Oinrich read the title, which described the concept and practical application of the third-order spell Localized Time Acceleration.
• Oinrich recognized structural similarities between the spell and his own Legendary spells and marveled that someone had constructed it directly.
• Oinrich found Lai’s name at the end of the manuscript and realized she had produced the paper only half a year after receiving his materials.
• Valerie offered to report Oinrich absent from the next two Council meetings, and Oinrich eagerly prepared to go to Number Nine Floating City.

“Lai” waited in custody while the Investigators struggled to prove she was behind the incident, and she predicted that someone would soon secure her release. Her designation as a major suspect was revoked, and the Investigators were ordered to begin her release procedures.

• “Lai” asked Roderick to submit her manuscript, but he refused and continued questioning her without finding any clues.
• Roderick learned that Mage Philly was still recovering and ordered the Investigators to keep “Lai” under guard while they waited to question Philly.
• An Investigator tried to pressure “Lai,” who insisted she would be released within days and described how her superiors would deliver the order.
• A superior entered and ended the interrogation, revoked “Lai’s” major-suspect designation, and ordered the Investigators to begin her release procedures.

Fran visited the Wartime Provision Department to get her application stamped, while Monica used the encounter to favor her over the waiting mages. In Fallen Forest Province, Oinrich freed “Lai” and prepared to take her to Number Nine Floating City despite Alwen’s objections.

• Fran refused Monica’s offer to explain the department’s work but accepted a direct stamp to avoid the reception queues.
• Monica stamped Fran’s form in her office, and the waiting mages and department staff noticed the preferential treatment.
• A senior mage escorted “Lai” from the basement to meet Oinrich and Alwen at the Investigator Headquarters.
• Oinrich praised “Lai’s” paper, told her she was free, and asked her to leave with him for Number Nine Floating City.
• Alwen protested that “Lai” might be connected to the fall of Number Three Floating City, but admitted seven days of interrogation had produced no leads.
• Oinrich ordered Alwen to release the other detained mages and keep them under surveillance, and Alwen reluctantly agreed.

Trutzismark Hailan was appointed to defend Sea Blue Island against the Alliance, but fled to the harbor when powerful visitors gathered. In the reception room, Nolan, Cesar, representatives of two war sects, and Prince Chachek debated the threat and the wider upheaval surrounding the Alliance’s advance.

• The Lohan Archipelago’s leaders placed Trutzismark Hailan, a Second Order Profession User, in charge of Sea Blue Island’s defenses and expected him to report the Alliance’s first assault.
• Trutzismark learned that Nolan the Dragon Tamer, Cesar, and priests from the War Ritual Sect and Longkailan War Order had arrived, then avoided meeting them and headed for the harbor.
• The visitors gathered in Sea Blue Island’s wrecked reception room, where Nolan and Cesar glared at one another and the two war sects sat ready to fight.
• Prince Chachek questioned why the Church, war sects, and merchant fleets were preparing for more than an Alliance occupation, and Cesar warned him that the Alliance was close and the archipelago belonged to the Church’s territory.
• Chachek said he had to involve himself to avoid losing the initiative, while Cesar asked where Trutzismark had gone.

Oinrich freed 'Lai' from Investigator Headquarters because he valued her paper and offered to guide her as a new mentor. He began teaching her about the Time Traveler profession and tested her affinity with time, which seemed weaker than his standard required.

• Oinrich told 'Lai' he would overlook any possible involvement in the Number Three Floating City incident and asked to guide her in magic.
• 'Lai' accepted Oinrich's mentorship, and he advised her to pursue the Third Order Time Traveler profession while he worked to secure her the Arcane Mage Award.
• 'Lai' left Investigator Headquarters with Oinrich in his personal flying vehicle and discussed the requirements for becoming a Time Traveler.
• Oinrich showed 'Lai' how he measured affinity with time by letting her glimpse another scene along the temporal dimension.
• Oinrich told 'Lai' her affinity might fall short of his standard but reassured her that it could be improved.

‘Lai’ tried to figure out how to improve her time affinity, but found no obvious path. Oinrich passed on advanced time knowledge that gave her four new arts on the Panel, leaving her with a possible way to develop time affinity.

• ‘Lai’ considered ways to gain time affinity but found no suitable monsters, modifications, or practical use for her knowledge of relativity.
• Oinrich tested ‘Lai’ with a green, jelly-like object, then began teaching her advanced knowledge intended for Fourth- or Fifth-Order mages.
• ‘Lai’ struggled with the advanced knowledge and concealed her true Mental Power by claiming she had unusually strong Mental Power as a Second Order Mage.
• ‘Lai’ saw four new arts appear in her Panel, while Fran’s Panel showed only Time-Ascending Stance and could not receive the other knowledge.
• ‘Lai’ realized that practicing the new arts might eventually grant her time affinity and asked Oinrich to explain the spell linked to Time-Ascending Stance.
• Oinrich told ‘Lai’ to keep listening and offered to provide written records and further explanations if she could not remember the knowledge.

Fran left the temporary Third Inspection Office for her new post in the Wartime Provision Department, while Bela began to suspect Fran had used her charm to secure the position. On the airship bound for the battlefield, Fran considered her plans to reach the Goddess of Ocean Currents' main island and deal with the Deep Sea Golden Dragon before the war intensified.

• Fran told Bela she was joining the Wartime Provision Department and said her preparations and connections had secured her a safe role away from the front lines.
• Bela overheard Zane and other old mages speculate that the department minister favored cute girls, and she wondered if Fran had earned her position that way.
• Fran boarded a large airship carrying Alliance departments toward the battlefield and considered how to reach the Goddess of Ocean Currents' main island and pursue the Deep Sea Golden Dragon.
• Monica waved to Fran and called her over aboard the airship.

Fran joined the Wartime Provision Department and saw Monica favor her with a comfortable position and light duties while assigning burdensome work to the other newcomers. As the airship prepared to depart, Monica assigned everyone’s roles, leaving Remi resentful of Fran’s apparent influence.

• Monica welcomed Fran, showed her the department’s cramped airship workspace, and said dormitory assignments would be made that night.
• Fran recognized Monica’s special attention and decided it could help her use the department’s name for her own plans.
• Remi introduced himself as a former member of the disbanded Tower Battle Mage Corps and invited Fran to a dinner party, but she declined.
• The airship prepared to depart, and Monica gathered the department’s personnel to announce their wartime assignments.
• Monica assigned demanding supply duties to newcomers such as Remi but gave Fran a relatively light job handling and following up on work orders.
• Remi noticed Fran’s favored position and felt jealous that he lacked similar backing.

Fran arrived with the Alliance forces at Sea Blue Island, where she sensed divine magic and reported it to the Battle Mages. Chachek and his group were discovered hiding nearby and retreated, but Chachek still planned to gather intelligence before the Floating City moved on.

• On the fourth day aboard the airship, Fran learned the Alliance had begun its attack, and two days later she reached the devastated Sea Blue Island.
• Fran sensed the aura of the Goddess of Ocean Currents' divine magic on a hill and asked a nearby Battle Mage to send a squad to investigate.
• On the hill, Chachek's group realized they had been discovered, and the Fourth Order Profession Holder said he could not conceal them from the Alliance mages.
• Chachek ordered Cesar, Nolan, and the others to retreat to a nearby island while asking whether the Fourth Order could bring down the Floating City; the man said it might be possible only under particular conditions.
• Chachek asked how soon they could capture and interrogate a mage for intelligence, and the Fourth Order advised waiting for the Floating City to leave, which might take up to three days.

“Lai” endured severe headaches while Oinrich explained the [Time-Ascending Stance], prompting him to stop the lessons and take her to the Lohan Archipelago after she rested. On Sea Blue Island, Fran learned how to manipulate work orders from Talia before Nolan and several dragons attacked the temporary mage offices.

• Oinrich realized “Lai” was still trying to understand the advanced knowledge despite her worsening headaches, so he stopped teaching and removed the books and materials.
• “Lai” studied the newly revealed [Time-Ascending Stance] on her Panel, then agreed to travel with Oinrich to the Lohan Archipelago after five days of preparations.
• On Sea Blue Island, Fran asked Talia how to expedite work orders and use departmental seals, and Talia taught her several procedural tricks.
• An alarm announced an enemy attack and warned the mages to gather together while the Floating City returned from its canceled mission.
• Several dragons broke into the office, and Nolan emerged and demanded that some mages step forward and cooperate.

Nolan questioned the mages while a follower of the God of War prepared to use hostages against defenders elsewhere. Fran revealed her strength when the follower attacked, leaving him grievously wounded before a new figure appeared on the battlefield.

• Nolan questioned Remi and another mage, who revealed what they knew about The Alliance's plans.
• A bloodstained follower of the God of War asked Nolan for mages to use as hostages, but Nolan refused to participate and left with his Dragonkin.
• The follower transformed and attacked the gathered mages, using their disorganized formation to catch them off guard.
• Fran unleashed a blast of wind that scattered the mages and tore open the room, exposing the battlefield.
• Fran struck the black figure with a concentrated wind attack, severely wounding him, and a figure in an off-white outfit appeared and fixed a fierce gaze on her.

Fran used the Blood of the Furnace Spell Ring to survive a Fourth Order Profession Holder’s attack until he left, while the Alliance’s Fourth Order mages returned and drove off the attackers. After the battle ended, Fran wondered which mainland power had launched the assault.

• Fran dismissed her elemental weapon when the Fourth Order Profession Holder’s wind pressure nearly crushed her, then used the Blood of the Furnace Spell Ring to shield herself.
• The Fourth Order Profession Holder failed to break through the Blood of the Furnace and left to tell Chachek that the Alliance’s Fourth Order mages were approaching.
• Chachek ordered his forces to retreat, but the Sword Chant School’s Fourth Order Mage arrived and began killing the remaining followers of the God of War.
• Fran endured inside the Blood of the Furnace for twenty minutes, then used Radiance to heal herself as the battle ended.
• Fran saw the Floating City pass and concluded that a mainland power, rather than the master of the Lohan Archipelago, had attacked the Alliance.

After the attack on Sea Blue Island, Fran and the logistics staff learned the Alliance would build a full defensive system before work resumed. Oinrich brought “Lai” to the island ahead of schedule, where she sought approval to obtain Deep Sea Golden Dragon materials for a planned hunt.

• Fran joined the surviving mages and, with Talia’s help, filled out an application for compensation for the attack.
• Monica checked on Fran, and the Wartime Provision Department reported no deaths or missing members and announced up to three days of leave while the Alliance arranged defenses.
• Fran saw Oinrich on Sea Blue Island and reasoned that “Lai” would soon arrive, prompting her to plan a trip to the Bottomless Sea to hunt Deep Sea Golden Dragons.
• Oinrich brought “Lai” to Sea Blue Island, and she realized he had used his temporal ability to move his body forward to an arrival point there.
• A Logistics Department mage offered “Lai” a list of rare materials, and she asked for Deep Sea Golden Dragon materials.
• When the mage said she would need approval from the Logistics Department’s internal divisions, “Lai” asked what paperwork was required.

Fran secured Monica’s stamps for documents authorizing a large Battle Mage deployment, while Monica failed to review what she was approving. As “Lai” prepared to seek a living Deep Sea Golden Dragon, Oinrich agreed to support the expedition and hinted at plans involving the Srilan Empire.

• Fran persuaded Monica to stamp her documents by accepting a brief hug as a gift, and Monica signed them without checking their contents.
• Talia warned Monica that Fran had studied the department’s regulations, leaving Monica worried she had approved something dangerous.
• “Lai” presented the stamped documents to a Third Order Mage and requested a living Deep Sea Golden Dragon.
• The Third Order Mage worried about the risks and whether Oinrich would allow the expedition, but Oinrich appeared and approved it.
• Oinrich offered to modify the ship with a return device and suggested he wanted to gauge the Srilan Empire’s remaining strength.

Monica learned that Fran had used her connections to secure Battle Mage formations for Lai, a Gold Alchemy Award winner and Oinrich’s new disciple. Realizing Fran and Lai were close, Monica spiraled into jealousy and tried to challenge Lai to a duel before Talia and the other mages restrained her.

• Talia told Monica that Oinrich had arrived with Lai, a Second Order Mage and Gold Alchemy Award winner, and Monica became eager to connect with her.
• Monica’s superior told her that Lai had requested Battle Mage formations through Fran’s channels and that Monica’s confirmation was needed; Monica signed the forms.
• After the superior left, Monica fixated on Fran’s connection to Lai and felt devastated that Fran had resisted her advances.
• Monica grabbed her longsword and announced that she would challenge Lai to a duel to the death.
• Talia tried to stop Monica, and several mages eventually used Mage Hand to restrain her.

Lai accepted an Alliance Council reconnaissance mission disguised as a search for a Deep Sea Golden Dragon, while Harbos secretly joined her ship as protection. As the ship sailed from Sea Blue Island, Chachek watched it depart and chose to remain nearby despite the Wind Hermit's warning.

• Oinrich told Lai that Chachek and a Fourth Order Profession Holder were near Sea Blue Island and asked her to investigate possible Srilan Empire troop positions under cover of her search for a Deep Sea Golden Dragon.
• Lai accepted the mission, which allowed her to bring ten Third Order Mages and a hidden Fourth Order Mage aboard.
• Fran encountered Harbos and realized he had been assigned to accompany Lai's ship on a dangerous Alliance mission.
• Lai's ship was hastily prepared, and around thirty mages boarded before it departed Sea Blue Island.
• Chachek refused the Wind Hermit's advice to return, then watched Lai's ship head toward the deep sea.

Fran, disguised as “Lai,” sailed with Harbos and the mages toward the Bottomless Sea while trying to conceal that she was Oinrich’s disciple and the Gold Alchemy Award winner. Chachek and the Wind Hermit followed the ship, and the chapter ended with “Lai” offering to lead the search for the Deep Sea Golden Dragons.

• The ship passed an uncharted island, and Harbos told “Lai” that his disciple’s friend Fran shared her name and had won the Gold Alchemy Award.
• “Lai” denied being that award winner and claimed Oinrich had chosen her for her talent with time-related spells, while worrying that Harbos might compare notes with Iris.
• The ship passed what some mages thought was Dread Island, but Caleb dismissed their doubts about the route.
• Chachek and the Wind Hermit followed the ship and searched the islands it passed, finding nothing.
• The ship reached the Bottomless Sea on the third evening, and “Lai” said she could find traces beneath the water.

Fran, disguised as Mage "Lai," used a talent gained from Dragonkin to locate signs of Deep Sea Golden Dragons, despite skepticism from Lewis and the other mages. After the ship entered the Bottomless Sea, a Deep Sea Golden Dragon sensed the tracking signal and swam toward the surface to confront the intruders.

• Lewis challenged Mage "Lai" and argued that the mages should test their own tracking methods, while Fran agreed to go first the next day.
• Fran used Draconic Instinct, gained from killing Dragonkin in White Dragon Port, to sense Dragonkin and their traces over a vast range.
• The mages agreed that Mage "Lai" would lead the search, and Lewis expected her untested method to fail.
• Fran warned the mages to prepare for a fight, then used a golden-dyed scale from a Spirit Realm Dragon to point out a direction.
• The ship found a bloodstained corpse with golden fragments after three minutes, prompting the mages to praise Mage "Lai" and leaving Lewis displeased.
• A Deep Sea Golden Dragon sensed the strange fluctuation and surged toward the surface to drive the intruders from its territory.

The mages’ attempt to capture a Deep Sea Golden Dragon was disrupted when Chachek attacked Mage Lewis and the ship. As 'Lai' tried to contact Oinrich, Chachek confronted her, and an ancient voice forced her into a Warrior Duel.

• The Deep Sea Golden Dragon surfaced and tried to flee, but the mages slowed it and attacked; a second dragon arrived to help it.
• Chachek stabbed Mage Lewis, disrupting his chain spell, and the Wind Hermit began fighting Harbos outside the ship.
• 'Lai' contacted Oinrich, but time slowed as his projection sequence began; Chachek killed another mage and drove a third into hiding.
• Chachek’s sword struck 'Lai' but could not pierce her, and an ancient voice ordered her to face him in a Warrior Duel.