Chapter Summaries

Su Li, Saina, and Elena left Wading Village on horseback and began their journey toward the Free City-State. They chose Elena’s shorter route through Green Ferry and stopped at a shabby town for food.

• Su Li helped Saina mount and learn to ride while Elena teased them, and the three set out from Wading Village as Saina said goodbye to Martha and Old Buck.
• After leaving the village, Su Li reflected on finally departing the place where his past lives had begun and ended.
• Elena proposed traveling through Bern Town and Green Ferry to save four or five days, and Su Li agreed to follow her route.
• Saina insisted on riding beside Su Li, and she and Elena bickered as the three rode abreast.
• At noon, the group bought salted fish, flatbreads, and wine at a run-down town stall, though Elena struggled to stomach the food.

Su Li, Saina, and Elena traveled toward the Free City-State, where they encountered a group of children trying to rob the road. Recognizing them as the bandits they would become in his previous life, Su Li learned their families had been taken by the war.

• Su Li promised Elena a feast in Green Ferry, and the three riders continued southwest toward the Free City-State.
• As they traveled, Su Li saw Saina excitedly watching the mountains while Elena rode beside him in silence.
• Five children blocked the road with sharpened sticks and demanded toll money and a horse.
• Su Li recognized the children as the future bandits he had encountered in his previous life, including One-Eyed Dragon.
• The children said they came from River Mouth Village, and One-Eyed Dragon and another boy revealed their fathers had been taken or killed in the war.

Su Li gave food and money to a group of starving children who had tried to rob travelers, then continued with Saina and Elena to a tiny village for the night. At the village, Saina and Elena argued over where to sleep, and Elena eventually abandoned the hard plank to join them on the floor.

• Su Li offered flatbread, dried fish, and copper coins to the hungry children, warning them to stop robbing travelers.
• Little One-Eyed Dragon thanked Su Li, and Su Li rode on with Saina and Elena while denying that he knew the children.
• Su Li, Saina, and Elena found no inn and paid an old farmer for a storeroom, soup, and boiled potatoes.
• Saina insisted Elena sleep on the plank while she curled up beside Su Li on the floor.
• Elena complained that the plank hurt her ribs, and Saina told her to come down, so Elena quickly flipped onto the floor.

Su Li and his companions traveled toward Green Ferry, where they hoped to cross into the Free City-State Alliance, and he defeated a group of routed soldiers blocking their way at Bern Town. Near dusk, a badly injured figure collapsed in front of Su Li’s horse, and he recognized the person as familiar.

• Su Li, Saina, and Elena ate, left the farmer’s storage room, and rode south toward Bern Town.
• A scar-faced routed soldier tried to seize their horses, so Su Li killed him with a kick and beat the other soldiers until they fled.
• Su Li’s fight eased the pressure in his meridians, and he sensed he was close to becoming a second-tier knight.
• The three replenished their supplies in Bern Town and continued toward Green Ferry, where Elena said they could cross into the Free City-State Alliance.
• As dusk fell, a burned and bloodied figure stumbled out of the grass and collapsed in front of Su Li’s horse; Su Li recognized the person as familiar.

Old Ford learned that Elena had stayed in Wading Village and given Su Li some of the Iris Family’s treasures, but he accepted her choice and checked the family vault. He found its main stores emptied, then entered a secret testing chamber and approached hundreds of crystal bottles.

• The guard captain reported that Elena had stayed in Wading Village and left some of the chests’ contents with the blacksmith Su Li.
• Old Ford sensed that Elena was healthy and growing stronger, and decided he would allow her to stay away as long as she was happy.
• Old Ford recalled how Elena had maimed the Blue Fox heir and how the Iris Family had destroyed the Blue Fox estate in retaliation.
• Old Ford opened the family’s core vault and found its coins, potions, and enchanted shortswords missing.
• Old Ford entered a hidden testing chamber, where a skeleton rose but collapsed after recognizing his bloodline.
• Old Ford crossed to the chamber’s stone platform, where several hundred crystal bottles were arranged.

Old Ford revealed that the Iris Family had secretly maintained a second bloodline in the Baris Empire and planned to reclaim Orenda after its defeat. Meanwhile, Su Li, Saina, and Elena crossed into the Free City-State Alliance and rode toward Silver Crown City.

• Old Ford reviewed the Iris Family’s history and learned that its Baris branch had exchanged money, intelligence, and potion formulas with his own branch for generations.
• Old Ford planned for the Baris branch to take over Orenda after its defenses collapsed, while his branch preserved the family’s influence from within.
• Su Li, Saina, and Elena crossed the bridge into Green Ferry and continued south toward Silver Crown City.
• A dwarf posing as a homeless child tried to persuade Su Li to take her along, but Elena exposed the scam and sent her away.
• The three travelers left Green Ferry and headed toward Silver Crown City, where Su Li planned to find lodging first.

Su Li, Saina, and Elena reached Silver Crown City, where Elena treated them to a lavish meal and suggested they buy a house. The chapter ended with Elena showing them a walled house for sale in Ginkgo Alley, which they planned to inspect.

• Su Li, Saina, and Elena rode south to Silver Crown City, paid the entry fee, and entered the bustling city.
• Elena led them to a restaurant, ordered its specialties, and relaxed after enjoying the meal.
• Su Li paid the restaurant bill, and Elena proposed finding a house while Saina asked for a yard to grow vegetables.
• Elena led Su Li and Saina to Ginkgo Alley and pointed out a two-story house listed for sale.

Su Li spent the night in an inn with Saina and Elena, then drank the advancement potion to break through to the second-tier knight realm. The potion’s violent energy widened his meridians, and the pain eventually gave way to a clear, weightless feeling.

• Su Li, Saina, and Elena rented a single room at a Silver Crown City inn after finding no one at the courtyard gate.
• Elena and Saina argued over who would bathe first, so Su Li put them both in the tub with him.
• After the women fell asleep, Su Li drank the advancement potion from his Space Ring.
• Su Li’s Sword Spirit Root fought the potion’s energy, purified it, and widened his meridians to twice their size.
• Su Li endured the pain until it receded and left him feeling clear and weightless.

Su Li broke through to the second rank, and the Family Group mechanism raised Saina and Elena to the same rank. After the innkeeper detected three second-rank aether signatures and tried to report them, Su Li stopped him and warned him not to spy.

• Su Li became a second-rank knight, while the Family Group mechanism elevated Saina and Elena to the second rank as well.
• The innkeeper's alchemical instrument detected three second-rank aether fluctuations in Su Li's suite.
• The innkeeper decided to report the three unaffiliated knights to the Goblin Chamber of Commerce using a mechanical bird.
• Su Li confronted the innkeeper, crushed the mechanical bird, and warned him against interfering or watching.
• Su Li told the innkeeper to add the room charge, prepare a meat-heavy breakfast for three, and control the detection instrument.

After Su Li’s aether fluctuations alerted the Elven Merchant Association’s Vera, he took Saina and Elena house-hunting in Silver Crown City. They bought a stone house in Ginkgo Alley, while Vera planned to investigate the unknown source of the powerful readings from a distance.

• The goblin innkeeper hid the broken detection device and lowered its reading, unaware that the aether fluctuations had been detected elsewhere.
• Vera sensed three high-quality ether fluctuations near Ginkgo Alley through the Spirit Pool, recorded them, and decided to observe the area from afar the next day.
• The goblin innkeeper brought Su Li, Saina, and Elena a hearty breakfast, and Su Li used his perception to check the surroundings for anything unusual.
• Su Li told Saina and Elena they would look for a house, and the three left the inn for Ginkgo Alley.
• Elena negotiated the price of a two-story stone house down to forty-five Gold Coins, and Su Li paid the owner and received the key and deed.

Su Li and Elena prepared their new home in Ginkgo Alley while Vera, an elf spy, reported that three young second-tier knights had arrived in Silver Crown City. The Elven Merchant Association's leaders debated the threat and the weakness of their depleted guard forces.

• Su Li noticed a hooded half-elf watching his courtyard while Elena and Saina planned repairs, gardening, and a shopping trip.
• Elena gave Saina a handkerchief, and the three left for the main street as Vera watched them from a rooftop and confirmed their second-tier strength.
• Vera reported the newcomers to the Association's steward through a spirit pool and was told to keep observing them without approaching too closely.
• Grand Elder Elvin received Vera's intelligence at the Elven Merchant Association headquarters and discussed the three knights with Roel and another female elf.
• The female elf argued that most of Roel's second-rank knights had left to work as mercenaries, and Elvin ended their argument.

Elvin decided the Elven Merchant Association would offer Su Li, Saina, and Elena a modest welcome gift rather than recruit them seriously. As the trio settled into their new home, an Association messenger delivered fruit, and Su Li dismissed the gesture casually.

• Elvin told the other elven leaders to investigate the three newcomers and send a clever representative with small gifts if their backgrounds were clean.
• Su Li, Saina, and Elena furnished their house on Ginkgo Alley while Saina dug up the backyard and argued with Elena over the bed.
• Su Li watched for the person who had been following them, then discussed the household's wealth and possible business with Elena.
• Saina joined Su Li and Elena on the balcony and competed with Elena for his attention.
• A half-elf from the Elven Merchant Association delivered a basket of fruit as a housewarming gift, and Su Li told him to leave it by the door.

Su Li asked Elena about the Free City-State’s power structure and learned that the Elven Merchant Association controlled much of its trade and had the only fourth-rank knight in the Federation. He decided to keep a low profile in Silver Crown City while building his strength.

• Saina eagerly ate the Bloodline Fruit from the Elven Merchant Association’s basket, and Elena explained its properties.
• Su Li asked Elena how the Free City-State was governed, and she described a federation run by merchant associations through a council.
• Elena identified the Orc Alliance, Human Merchant Association, and Elven Merchant Association as the three major powers and outlined their strengths.
• Elena revealed that the Elven Merchant Association’s Grand Elder, Elvin, was the Free Federation’s only fourth-rank knight.
• Su Li resolved not to provoke the Elven Merchant Association, and Elena said the three second-ranks could move freely through Silver Crown City if they avoided the major associations.

Su Li settled into Silver Crown City with Saina and Elena, assigning them household and business tasks while he planned to earn money discreetly. After the Elven Merchant Association withdrew its surveillance, he forged an enchanted dagger and decided to use weapons as quiet startup capital.

• Su Li assigned Saina to manage their household and Elena to investigate prices and storefront rents in Silver Crown City.
• Su Li sensed that the Elven Merchant Association's probing had stopped, apparently after it tested his stance with a basket of fruit.
• Over breakfast, Su Li told Saina and Elena to explore the city while he made weapons for self-defense and income.
• After the women left, Su Li forged a first-tier enchanted dagger from scrap iron and planned to sell enchanted weapons without attracting powerful rivals.

Elena discovered that sleeping beside Su Li had raised her to the second tier and resolved to keep him close. The next morning, Saina accidentally cut herself with an enchanted dagger, and Elena rushed to treat her wound.

• Elena admired her new second-tier strength and thought that Su Li could help her reach even greater realms.
• Su Li returned to bed, where Elena cuddled against him while Saina slept sprawled on his other side.
• Saina used Su Li's enchanted dagger to cut beast meat and accidentally sliced her forearm.
• Elena hurried downstairs at Saina's scream and scolded her for using the dagger as a kitchen knife.
• Elena cleaned and bandaged Saina's shallow wound while Su Li fetched water and a towel.

Su Li watched Saina and Elena unexpectedly grow close, then ran their errands for vegetable seeds, cooking supplies, wine, flour, and fabric. He returned to find Saina planning her vegetable beds while Elena prepared to make her a skirt.

• Saina embraced Elena to thank her, and Elena let her cling to her while tending her injured arm.
• Su Li found the clean enchanted dagger in the woodshed and tucked it into his Space Ring as the women chatted together in the kitchen.
• Saina and Elena sent Su Li to buy vegetable seeds, wine, fine flour, blue fabric, a pot, a kitchen knife, and a chopping board.
• Su Li bought the requested supplies and chose a blunt kitchen knife to keep Saina from cutting herself again.
• Saina began laying out vegetable beds in the courtyard, and Elena confirmed the blue fabric would make her a half-skirt.
• Saina tested the kitchen knife and complained that it was too blunt to cut a pumpkin easily.

Su Li practiced cultivating in the woodshed and learned that the Elven Merchant Association controlled enchanted weapon sales in Silver Crown City. Elena told him about an underground black market in the eastern district, but Saina’s shout that the stray cat had returned interrupted them.

• Su Li inspected three enchanted daggers he had forged and decided to learn more about the local market before selling them.
• Su Li cultivated with his Sword Spirit Root and estimated that he could reach the third tier within half a year.
• Su Li chased a stray cat away from Saina’s vegetable patch by intimidating it with his second-tier knight’s pressure.
• Elena told Su Li that enchanted weapon sales required registration with the Elven Merchant Association, which charged a twenty-percent cut and fifty Gold Coins for a forging permit.
• Elena told Su Li about an underground black market in Silver Crown City’s eastern district, then Saina shouted that the cat had returned.

Su Li and Saina adopted a starving stray cat, which Elena named Silver, while Su Li urged caution about selling enchanted daggers at the eastern district’s underground black market. Elena and Saina left to browse the district’s open-air market as Su Li stayed home to cultivate.

• Su Li caught a gaunt stray cat that had returned to Saina’s vegetable patch and decided to keep her despite Saina and Elena’s objections.
• Su Li washed the cat, and Saina grew fond of her and fed her leftover beast meat.
• Elena asked Su Li about selling three enchanted daggers at the underground black market, but he insisted they learn Silver Crown City first and locate the entrance before acting.
• Elena named the cat Silver, and Saina agreed to keep her.
• Elena decided to visit the eastern district’s open-air market with Saina to look at enchanted weapons, while Su Li stayed behind to gather iron slag and cultivate.

Su Li welcomed Saina and Elena home after they shopped for clothes, then watched Saina try on a dress Elena had bought her. Elena changed into a revealing black silk gown, leaving Su Li and Saina stunned.

• Su Li came out of the woodshed and greeted Saina and Elena when they returned from the eastern district market with clothes.
• Saina showed Su Li her blue dress, while Elena gave her a goose-yellow dress and kept a black silk gown for herself.
• Saina tried on the goose-yellow dress, and Su Li reassured her that it suited her.
• Elena emerged from the bathroom wearing the black silk gown, and Su Li and Saina stared at her in surprise.

Su Li spent a quiet evening at home with Saina and Elena, who cooked together and shared a tender moment with him before bed. Three days later, Saina happily discovered that the vegetables she planted had sprouted.

• Elena modeled her new dress, and Saina compared their figures before the two women argued about cooking.
• Saina and Elena prepared dinner together while Su Li supplied salt and practiced drawing aether into his meridians.
• The three ate together, and Elena fed Silver despite claiming she was allergic to cat fur.
• Saina told Su Li that Elena had defended her from a cloth seller, and Elena moved closer to him under the blanket.
• Three days later, Saina rushed outside and showed Su Li the cabbage and radish sprouts in her vegetable patch.