Recaps

Sylutia learned why the Mage Alliance sought to bring about a Gold Steam Dao Path Hour and why its growth had become dangerous. The three Named Ones proposed that she return to the Woodland Alliance to expand the Dao Path, leaving her to decide whether to undertake the immense mission.

• Abelid asked Sylutia whether she wanted to go to the Woodland Alliance, and she admitted that she wanted to see it but also valued her home in the Mage Alliance.
• After class, Abelid gathered Sodras and Valahunt, and the three Named Ones explained the Mage Alliance’s goal of producing a Gold Steam Dao Path Hour.
• Sylutia reasoned that the Dao Path needed more Transcendents organized to accomplish a great undertaking, and Valahunt confirmed that she was close to the truth.
• Valahunt explained that dwindling resources, limited population, and opposition from existing Hours constrained the Mage Alliance’s expansion, citing the Swan King’s death as a warning.
• The Named Ones proposed that Sylutia return to the Woodland Alliance and lead the expansion of the Gold Steam Dao Path, leaving her to choose whether to pursue the mission.

Xilutiya prepared to leave the Mage Alliance for the Woodland Alliance, comforting Amelia and explaining her choice to a crowd of protesters. After the alliances finalized their agreement, she began studying the Radiant Moon Dao Path and Composite Aspects with Sodras as she prepared for advancement.

• Xilutiya comforted Amelia after the three Named Ones agreed she should return to the Woodland Alliance and take on greater responsibilities.
• The Mage Alliance and the Woodland Alliance finalized an exchange agreement that promised nearly sixteen years of peace and named Hedra among those going to the Woodland Alliance.
• More than a thousand people protested Hedra's departure, so Xilutiya arranged dinner for them and explained why she had to leave.
• A week later, Xilutiya returned to the Sky Tower and began studying the Radiant Moon Dao Path with Sodras in preparation for advancement.
• Sodras taught Xilutiya that Composite Aspects combined two Aspect Powers into something entirely new, using several creatures and abilities as examples.

Xilutiya learned how Radiant Moon combined with other Aspect Powers and settled on building a Moon Clock for her advancement, with Sodras and Abelid tailoring a path around her prior training. As she prepared, she considered the Mage Alliance’s resource shortage and the missing energy source in its plans for Gold Steam, a need seemingly impossible to fill while the Dragon of the Corona ruled Blazing Sun.

• Sodras explained the many Composite Aspects involving Radiant Moon and how they shaped different Dao Paths.
• Xilutiya worried that her Astronomical Clock Page might conflict with advancing through Secret Speech–Radiant Moon, but Sodras assured her that he and Abelid could devise a system suited to her.
• Xilutiya began studying the secret art for constructing a physical Moon Clock as her personal spellcasting artifact and gathered rare materials with support from the Named Ones.
• While preparing, Xilutiya reflected that the Mage Alliance’s costly, resource-intensive model risked depletion and might push it toward expansion or decline.
• Xilutiya recognized that the Gold Steam blueprint lacked a powerful energy source and considered Blazing Sun, but the Dragon of the Corona’s dominance made that support unlikely.

Xilutiya reviewed Mishir District’s agricultural preparations, reunited with Lady Falan, Lining, and Talia, and found comfort in their company. After finishing her district duties, she began preparing for advancement and learned from Sodras how dangerous her coming journey into the Land of the Moon would be.

• Xilutiya reviewed reports showing that machinery had helped Mishir District expand its farmland, while rising Fire Seed costs and dwindling forests remained concerns.
• Xilutiya visited Lady Falan’s home, where she caught up with Lining about Lady Falan’s life after returning to the Bellflower Plains.
• Talia and Lady Falan returned and found Xilutiya asleep; Xilutiya later shared dinner with them and recounted her travels.
• Xilutiya returned to the Mage Guild, completed her work for Mishir District, and began preparing for advancement by seeking materials for the Moon Clock.
• Sodras warned Xilutiya that the Land of the Moon was corrupted and monster-infested, then taught her dream-entry techniques and related histories.

Sylutia studied ancient dream arts and gradually reached the fifth layer of dream entry, allowing her to sense the withered Dream World. Sodras prepared a rare talisman for her to explore the Land of the Moon, while the Named Ones discussed the preparations and sacrifices they had made for a future victory.

• Sylutia studied two books on dream entry and Simoco’s Sevenfold Realm, then practiced entering dreams with incense made from figs.
• After two days, Sylutia could reach the second layer, but Sodras explained that the shattered Dream World forced her to reach the fifth layer before she could explore the Land of the Moon.
• Sylutia spent two months studying Origin Hourglass secret arts and practicing until she sensed the withered Dream World, which Sodras confirmed meant she had reached the fifth layer.
• Sodras praised Sylutia’s talent to Abelid and Valahunt, and said she was likely the only one who could enter the Land of the Moon.
• Sodras revealed he had prepared a Moon Marrow Talisman made from a Silver Moon Dragon scale to protect Sylutia, and the Named Ones acknowledged their preparations and sacrifices for a future victory.

Xilutiya entered the Land of the Moon through a deep dream and explored its silver forest, discovering that she could freely change forms and perceive the world around her. She found ancient moonlight in a great tree and began collecting it as Moon Crystals, but still needed thirty-six crystals to make the Moon Clock.

• Xilutiya used a secret ritual to enter a deep dream and reach the Land of the Moon beneath Silver Wax Tree Hill.
• Xilutiya explored the silver forest, shifting into different forms and sensing the surrounding land with unusual clarity.
• Xilutiya felt a strange presence while touching her reflection in a pond, then stopped exploring that sensation.
• Xilutiya searched the quiet woods for several days and found ancient moonlight lingering in the canopy of a large tree.
• Xilutiya gathered the moonlight into a tiny Moon Crystal and learned she needed thirty-six crystals for the Moon Clock.

Hilutia returned from the Land of the Moon with twenty-four lunar phase crystals after a monster scattered her dream-self in the Twilight Sea, but she managed to reform and escape. After waking from sixteen days of sleep, she reunited with Amelia and Aitos, met Sage Liuke, and examined the ancient moonlight held in the crystals.

• Hilutia gathered twenty-four moon crystals, but a Twilight Sea monster struck her and scattered her consciousness and the crystals.
• Hilutia used a burst of radiance to reassemble herself and the crystals, then escaped the Twilight Sea and returned to her body.
• Hilutia woke after sixteen days and reassured Aitos, Amelia, and Sage Liuke that she was unharmed.
• Liuke introduced herself as a dream-entry specialist and gave Hilutia practical advice about her journey.
• Aitos explained Liuke's background, and Hilutia later rested while admiring the lunar phase crystals and their ancient radiance.

Xilutiya made a Silver Wax Leaf Armlet and entered the Land of the Moon again, where she gathered Lunar Phase Crystals and learned to fight monsters in the Twilight Sea. After defeating one with a new dream art, she returned with a Silver Wax Tree twig and found her Radiant Moon aspect power had grown.

• Xilutiya crafted a Silver Wax Leaf Armlet and began her second dream entry after preparing more thoroughly.
• Xilutiya gathered five Lunar Phase Crystals and used the armlet’s light to deter wandering monsters as she crossed the Twilight Sea.
• Xilutiya later turned back to fight a Twilight Sea monster and used Silver Wax Tree Leaves to create the Dream Art Wax Leaf Ring, destroying it.
• Xilutiya returned to reality with a Silver Wax Tree twig and concluded that some dream objects could take physical form.
• Xilutiya recognized that defeating the monster had slightly increased her Radiant Moon aspect power.

Sylutia reached the summit of the Silver Wax Tree hill and discovered the holy codex Melancholy's Walk in the Woods. The codex revealed the Silver Radiance Church’s rituals, including a sublimation ritual that could transform living beings into true high-order Angels.

• Sylutia gathered fifty-eight Moon Crystals and decided to make one final journey through the Land of the Moon before advancing.
• Sylutia endured the growing pressure on the Silver Wax Tree hill, used a special talisman to surge past it, and reached the summit.
• Sylutia wandered through a jacaranda grove and found a stone slab hidden beneath fallen petals.
• Sylutia used the Silver Radiance Church’s secret art to unseal the slab and reveal the holy codex Melancholy's Walk in the Woods.
• Sylutia read that the codex contained rituals for the Healing Leaf Saintess and Moonlight Angel, and learned that advancing to the former would alert hostile factions.

After deciphering Melancholy’s holy codices in the Land of the Moon, Sylutia returned to reality with Jacaranda and Moon Crystals. She crafted a legendary Sixth Order Origin Moon Clock and prepared the final Ritual Array to begin her advancement.

• Sylutia learned from the holy codices about Melancholy’s struggles, the Silver Moon Dragon’s hidden burial place, and the history behind the Land of the Moon.
• Sylutia gathered Jacaranda branches and Moon Crystals, then left the Land of the Moon and awoke in her bedroom.
• Sylutia identified the Jacaranda branch and recalled that Yingzi had once asked her to find Jacaranda in the Land of the Moon.
• Sylutia used rare materials prepared by the Mithril Clock and Origin Hourglass schools to craft the Origin Moon Clock over sixteen days.
• Sylutia completed the legendary Sixth Order clock and began arranging the final Ritual Array for her advancement.

Sylutia completed her advancement to Fifth Order by fusing her Secret Speech and Radiant Moon powers, creating the Fate Card [Ancient Scholar Girl]. She emerged with enhanced abilities and two advanced Core Cards: the Astronomical Clock and the Moon Clock.

• Sylutia notified the academy and the Named One before beginning her advancement.
• She used the Silver Radiance Church's Ritual of Purity and Bright Flame Cornflowers to bring her Radiant Moon Aspect Power close to Fourth Order perfection.
• Sylutia constructed the Moon Clock Core Card and safely embedded the Origin Moon Clock in her Fate Disk.
• She released her suppressed Secret Speech power and advanced the Astronomical Clock, then used the ritual candles to balance both powers as they converged.
• Sylutia fused Secret Speech and Radiant Moon to form her Fifth Order Fate Card, [Ancient Scholar Girl], gaining enhanced abilities and the powers of the Astronomical Clock and Moon Clock.

After advancing, Xilutiya tested her new abilities and went to the Great Library to share the news with Amelia. Amelia described her own advancement and changed future plans, and Xilutiya reassured her before they prepared to visit the top of the Sky Tower.

• Xilutiya tested how her improved Secret Speech, Radiant Moon, and spellcasting worked, then tidied her room with magic.
• Xilutiya flew to the Great Library and reached Amelia's floor, where Amelia was struck by her silver-haired, winged appearance.
• Xilutiya told Amelia she had advanced and came to share her happiness, and Amelia congratulated her.
• Amelia explained that she had chosen the Secret Speech-Alien Star path and that her plans to leave the tower and learn the Alliance's departments had changed.
• Amelia asked Xilutiya not to forget her, and Xilutiya promised she would remember her friends and the life she had lived.
• Before they set off for the Sky Tower, Xilutiya told Amelia she had come to her first because she knew it would make Amelia happy.

After Sylutia demonstrated her new Fifth Order abilities, Valahunt entrusted her with the Sun Furnace school’s complete legacy, while the three Named Ones considered the risks facing the Mage Alliance and their plans to secure its future. The chapter left them preparing for an uncertain attempt to bring forth an Hour and relying on their heirs to preserve their work if they failed.

• Sylutia demonstrated how her Fifth Order Secret Speech: Radiant Moon abilities could restore objects and recreate past scenes, earning praise from Sodras.
• Sodras felt relieved that Sylutia could carry on the legacy, while Valahunt resolved to prepare a successor for the Sun Furnace school.
• Valahunt gave Sylutia the Engineering Canon: Solar Forge, containing the Sun Furnace school’s knowledge and engineering experience, and asked her to safeguard and pass it on.
• After Sylutia left, Abelid told Valahunt that giving her the book might make her worry, but Valahunt said it was better to prepare early.
• The three Named Ones reflected that the Mage Alliance had reached the limits of its growth and faced risks whether it pursued expansion or tried to bring forth an Hour.
• The Named Ones relied on Amelia and Hedra as heirs who could support the Mage Alliance or preserve its legacy if their plans failed.

As she prepared to leave Mishir District for The Woodland, Sylutia said farewell to Cheris and handed the district over to Novaton. Before departing for The Woodland, she reunited with her allies in Asura District and began the promised Honey Fragrant Fruit Feast for them.

• Sylutia reminisced with Cheris about their years in Mishir District, and Cheris revealed that her family had been killed in a political cover-up and that she had joined the Inspection Department for revenge.
• Three weeks later, Sylutia met with Novaton, the incoming resident Mage, and discussed his plans to expand vehicle manufacturing and research power systems.
• Sylutia left Mishir District, returned to Thetis Academy, and then traveled to Asura District to gather Red Pig, Four Fingers, and the members of the Meteor Chamber of Commerce.
• Sylutia reminded the gathered allies of her promise to hold them a grand feast and conjured an elaborate banquet made with rare ingredients.
• Sylutia began the Honey Fragrant Fruit Feast ritual, and its aura spread to everyone present.

Sylutia visited Yingzi in Asura District and gave her the Jacaranda branch she had sought for more than ten years, ending her struggle over whether to keep pursuing it. Yingzi began making Sylutia a formal outfit, and Sylutia left after asking about Princess Azure Slipper.

• Sylutia entered Yingzi's shop and presented her with the Jacaranda branch she had found for Hedra.
• Yingzi explained how seeking the branch for more than ten years had become a source of doubt and torment, and thanked Sylutia for bringing her search to an end.
• Sylutia recounted how Hedra found the branch in a difficult-to-reach place, and Yingzi promised to make her an outfit using fine materials.
• Sylutia described a moon-white formal outfit with silver floral embroidery and black trim, and Yingzi explained its connection to Eastern court attire before agreeing to make an adjusted version.
• Sylutia asked Yingzi about Princess Azure Slipper, and Yingzi said the eldest princess had served Empress Taiyu and represented the dynasty on diplomatic missions.
• Yingzi asked when Sylutia would leave and promised to finish the outfit before then, and the two said goodbye.

Sylutia left the Mage Alliance for The Woodland, leading a mage force sent to support the Woodland Alliance and carry out their agreements. As the train traveled south, she inspected her fellow mages and promised to help them fulfill their mission.

• Sylutia said farewell to Lovier and the others before boarding the train with Camilla.
• Sylutia reflected on her new perception as a Fifth Order Transcendent and her role as leader of the expedition to The Woodland.
• Sylutia decided to continue using the identity of Hedra and went to inspect the train’s carriages with Camilla and Cheris’s Inspection Department members.
• The mages greeted Sylutia with respect, and she told them their mission would strengthen the friendship between the two Alliances and shape the Fourth Continent’s future.

Sylutia visited Chidi at Blackbird Tower, where they exchanged gifts and reminisced about their past. After she departed, the Alliance crew loaded their supplies onto a colossal camel that carried them away into the fog.

• Sylutia arrived at Blackbird Tower and reunited with Chidi, who welcomed her inside.
• Chidi gave Sylutia a book about bird research for Teacher Knox and offered her a bottle of Phantom Perfume: Black Iris.
• Sylutia gave Chidi a Black Calamity Spirit Crystal, which he gratefully accepted.
• Chidi told Sylutia about his late friend, whose influence had led him to study the Dead Ember Dao Path, and asked her to check on Teacher Knox.
• Sylutia said farewell to Chidi and returned to the Alliance group.
• The Alliance members loaded their supplies and cargo onto a giant camel, which carried them away into the fog.

Xilutiya arrived in Quebes under the name Hedra, where the city and Griffin Family prepared elaborate welcomes for her. At the banquet, mages discussed her reputation and unusual bearing before she noticed them talking about her.

• Xilutiya stopped in Quebes for several days and was welcomed by city lord Brennan and Bard Aelofis.
• Madam Haye and Ecol prepared carefully to meet Hedra after the Golden Sheaf Horn warned the Griffin Family to treat her with exceptional respect.
• Ecol learned that Eliel would also attend the formal welcome and reflected on how Hedra’s fame had improved the family’s fortunes.
• Brennan hosted a grand banquet attended by Quebes’s prominent figures, Golden Sheaf Horn dignitaries, and the visiting mages.
• Vincent told another mage that Hedra’s manners and bearing seemed unlike those of either merchants or noble households.
• The two mages reviewed Hedra’s nicknames, and she glanced toward them after hearing their conversation.

Sylutia reunited with the Griffin family and her former teacher Knox in Quebes, then traveled with her companions to Eucalyptus Union. There, she met Jannolige, the Blue Gum Witch, as the group began its stay in the Forest of Incantations.

• Sylutia attended a family banquet, learned about Ecol's training and Eliel's life with Sheno, and watched the two men spar.
• Sylutia visited Knox, recounted her travels, and received his research notes to deliver to the Bionics School.
• Sylutia helped repair and update Knox's lighthouse, then bid him farewell and left with a box of his documents.
• The group traveled by camel to Eucalyptus Union, where Vincent identified the blue gum trees surrounding their arrival platform.
• Sylutia and the Bard met Jannolige, the Blue Gum Witch, in a hall above the forest canopy.

After the celebration banquet began, Sylutia spoke with the Blue Gum Witch, Jannolige, about her return to The Woodland and her uncertain future between the Mage profession and the Dao Path of the Gardener. Jannolige explained how Witches transformed their existence through rituals, leaving Sylutia curious about becoming one and about why her mother had done so.

• After six days in The Woodland, the representatives held a celebration banquet, where the Blue Gum Witch and Sylutia gave speeches before the guests mingled.
• Jannolige told Sylutia that her return had caused disputes during negotiations and that she would spend the next five years teaching Mage knowledge and spreading the Mage Alliance's mechanical creations.
• Sylutia said she liked the Dao Path of the Gardener but was reluctant to abandon the Mage profession, and Jannolige advised her that there was no need to decide quickly.
• After briefly falling asleep during the banquet, Jannolige asked Sylutia whether she had considered becoming a Witch and described Witches as powerful, beautiful, long-lived women.
• Jannolige explained that Witch rituals used the Moon Aspect to make the body a projection of the spirit, and Sylutia wondered whether Iona's mirror ritual had been a weakened Witch ritual.
• Sylutia left the conversation intrigued by Witchhood and wondered whether her mother, Xuelin, had become a Witch simply for the experience.

Sylutia and the Mages taught Woodland residents to use machinery for farming, while trade with the Mage Alliance brought new goods and sparked competition among several nations. After assessing the limits of education, transport, and industry across The Woodland, Sylutia revised her plans and concluded that building roads had to come first.

• Blue Gum Witch told Sylutia that machinery to increase food production needed to be put into use quickly, and Sylutia agreed.
• Sylutia and the Mages trained Woodland residents to operate machines for plowing, sowing, irrigation, and harvesting.
• Wizards and Witches discussed the effects of Mage Alliance trade, including conflicts among Lizardman lords over gemstones and new goods sought by other nations.
• After two weeks, apprentices took over the training, and Sylutia began working with the Mages on basic textbooks and science education for children.
• Three months later, Sylutia reviewed the obstacles to mechanized farming and industrial projects, including scarce basic education, ore, and transportation.
• Sylutia revised her plans for The Woodland and wrote in her notebook that building a road had to come first.

Sylutia presented a plan for three railway main routes linking the nations of The Woodland Alliance, but the alliance agreed to fund only the north-south route as a trial. With construction preparations beginning, the chapter left the project poised to reshape trade, industry, and education across the region.

• Sylutia traced three proposed railway routes across The Woodland Alliance, with the north-south line connecting Switch City, Chicas, to Stone Road Ruins.
• Alliance representatives questioned the project’s enormous cost and disputed how its expenses should be shared.
• After days of negotiations, The Woodland Alliance agreed to build only the north-south route first, with nations along the line sharing costs and other nations paying tolls to use it.
• Sylutia’s mage team prepared to supply machinery and train apprentices for construction, which was expected to take five years.
• The railway was expected to boost trade, encourage industrial growth, and make education more accessible in regions near the route.

Food shortages and bitter cold affected the Mage Alliance as reclamation began and Woze District remained buried in snow. Rogers worked with an archaeological team, and a sketch from their latest ruins hinted at a possible connection to the Twin Snake Cult.

• The Mage Alliance reclaimed land with help from Woodland Alliance gardeners while residents worked for rationed food.
• In snowy Woze District, Rogers explained that he had temporarily lost work because Scholars were handling artifacts from the excavated ruins.
• Rogers reflected on how the Obsidian Grimoire had helped him become a third-rank Mage and secure better work and prospects.
• A week later, the team finished excavating the ruins and discussed following clues to a more remote site.
• Rogers spotted a fallen sketch of a Two-Headed Serpent and wondered if the ruins belonged to the Twin Snake Cult.

Food shortages plunged Brennur into factional warfare, and Dusty Gale fought Roaring Star Beasts and their grotesque monsters. After a costly victory, Meng Jiusi led his weakened faction south in search of a place to survive.

• Dusty Gale broke through Roaring Star Beasts' defenses and began fighting across Brennur.
• Meng Jiusi led Dusty Gale against the enemy's half-human, half-beast monsters, and the faction burned several of them with oil-fueled fire tornadoes.
• A nearly Fifth Order monster attacked Dusty Gale, tore through its formation, and broke Meng Jiusi's arm when he struck it.
• Dusty Gale members repeatedly burned the regenerating monster until it died, suffering heavy losses in the battle.
• Meng Jiusi led the weakened Dusty Gale south to seek refuge, though dense fog and the wind season made the journey uncertain.

Anali received a letter from Oren Hert, the man who had saved her as a child, and traveled to meet him in the western mountains. After learning that a secret organization was conducting dangerous experiments and that officials were not pursuing it fully, she agreed to join Oren and Luke in fighting it.

• Anali received a letter from Morakia Village describing hidden truths about the fire that destroyed her home and asking for her help.
• Anali traveled to the agreed location beneath a cliff in the Andis District and met Oren Hert, who revealed that he had saved her years earlier.
• Oren called Luke from his hiding place, and Luke joined their conversation about secret testing grounds and experiments by rogue Mages.
• Oren explained that the secret organization had created Fifth Order monsters and that he had avoided reporting the matter to the Inquisition Hall because officials seemed unwilling to investigate fully.
• Anali agreed to help Oren and Luke eliminate the organization, and the three made a pact to uproot it.