Chapter Summaries

Luo Ning pressured the captured Patrick into becoming his spy against the Fleming Family, then treated his injuries and questioned him about Screaming Island. Patrick revealed that Count Alfonso remained an Archmage and was unlikely to advance, leaving Luo Ning to reassess the threat.

• Luo Ning warned Patrick that he could kill him without consequence and demanded that he seek refuge with him.
• Patrick agreed to serve Luo Ning after learning that Crescent Island would still owe thirty thousand gold coins and five warships as ransom.
• Luo Ning ordered Kalada to prepare a letter of allegiance in Patrick’s voice and send Crescent Island a ransom demand.
• Luo Ning healed Patrick with a Potent Healing Spell Scroll and asked him for information about Screaming Island and Alfonso.
• Patrick revealed that Alfonso was still an Archmage, had entered his decline period, and was unlikely to advance.

Mellen learned Patrick had survived his defeat at Rapids Island and refused Crescent Island’s request for ransom, while Luo Ning distributed captured ships and weapons and prepared for a royal funeral and possible investiture. Brayden brought eighty recruits to Wubei Territory and told Luo Ning that King Bruno would hold a funeral for Jesus and his family at the Royal Cemetery, where Luo Ning might receive a Noble Title.

• Knight Joss told Mellen that Patrick was alive, and Mellen wondered how he had been captured while Luo Ning was fighting Count Jesus in Moonlight Valley.
• Mellen ordered someone to watch Crescent Island and rejected its request for warships and gold coins, blaming Patrick for losing the supplies he had provided.
• After Crescent Island delivered the ransom and warships to Rapids Island, Luo Ning had Rhys send three warships to Wubei Port and returned to Swamp Castle.
• Brayden brought eighty educated and talented people to Wubei Territory, and Luo Ning asked him to find teachers for schools open to everyone.
• Brayden told Luo Ning that King Bruno would hold a funeral for Jesus and his family and might grant Luo Ning a Noble Title; Luo Ning expected a Viscount or Count at most.

Luo Ning prepared for his wedding and traveled to the Royal Capital with Rulans, while his growing power raised expectations for a high noble title. He revealed that he hoped to establish his own kingdom someday, but intended to seek land in the Tricia Kingdom rather than betray Auduin.

• Rulans told Luo Ning that King Bruno might grant him a Marquis title because of his strength and value as a Sun Knight.
• Luo Ning finalized wedding preparations with Holwart and invited Berola Silva to the ceremony.
• Luo Ning summoned Carlos and prepared to take him and Rulans to the Royal Capital before Blanche's birthday.
• After seeing how large Carlos had grown, Rulans said Luo Ning deserved a Duke title.
• Luo Ning told Rulans he hoped to establish his own kingdom in the Tricia Kingdom, and Rulans offered to bear the blame for betrayal.

Luo Ning returned to Golden Feather City, where public praise for Wushan Territory and his rise to Sun Knight spread widely, while Duke Valgis grieved his family's deaths and questioned Wushan's actions. Luo Ning visited Griffon Town, learned the griffons were ready for delivery, and teased Missy about Kalada before she resolved to train harder.

• Rulans arranged meetings with the royal palace and Blanche, then heard that Duke Valgis had criticized Wushan Territory's unilateral actions.
• Rulans decided to visit Duke Valgis, while Luo Ning went out and saw how widely stories of his deeds and Carlos had spread.
• Luo Ning visited Griffon Town, where Missy reported that the twenty griffons, escort team, and breeders were ready to travel to his territory.
• Luo Ning confirmed he was a Sun Knight and told Missy that Kalada had become a Golden Knight and would receive one of the griffons.
• Missy watched Luo Ning leave, recognized that his support had improved Kalada's prospects, and resolved to become a Silver Knight soon.

Luo Ning welcomed Blanche to the estate, celebrated her birthday with her, and learned that she wanted to have a child with him after they married. The next morning, he joined the nobles at Auduin Great Hall to discuss Moonlight Valley, where Bruno opened the meeting by mourning his brother Jesus Alduin.

• Blanche arrived at the estate, and Rulans told Luo Ning and Blanche that Bruno would receive them and the other nobles the next morning.
• Luo Ning told Blanche he had become both a Sun Knight and an Archmage, then took her to see Golden Feather City's sights and gave her a mage cultivation potion for her birthday.
• Luo Ning and Blanche watched the sunset from Carlos's back, and Blanche said she wanted to have a child with Luo Ning after they married.
• At Auduin Great Hall, Valgis asked Luo Ning whether his daughter could have been restored to normal, and Luo Ning explained that she had died when she was transformed.
• Bruno arrived with the nobles, praised Luo Ning, and began the meeting by declaring that the different races had tortured his brother Jesus Alduin to death.

Bruno granted Luo Ning the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight and proposed making him a Duke with Moonlight Valley as his territory, sparking objections over his age and inheritance rights. As the nobles debated who should inherit the land, Bruno asked Luo Ning to give his opinion.

• Bruno declared that Luo Ning would become a Kingdom Guardian Knight and Duke over Moonlight Valley.
• Ferens and Andrea objected to granting Luo Ning a Dukedom, while Rulans and Andrea argued over their military records.
• Ferens proposed giving the Dukedom to Rulans and assigning Moonlight Valley to Wushan Territory, but Rulans relinquished his Marquis title and supported granting the merged territory to Luo Ning.
• Valgis declined to claim Moonlight Valley, while Andrea argued that Ferens also had inheritance rights as Jesus's brother.
• Bruno acknowledged the dispute over inheritance and asked Luo Ning what he thought.

Luo Ning demonstrated his Blazing Sun Rank strength against Garrett, Ferens, and Andrea, then received the title of Kingdom Guardian Knight, a marquisate, and all of Moonlight Valley. He left the palace understanding that Bruno’s grants also gave Ferens leverage over the river that irrigated his new territory.

• Luo Ning argued that his strength and future wartime service justified a higher title, and Andrea challenged him to demonstrate his power.
• Garrett, Ferens, and Andrea faced Luo Ning in a one-move contest, but his Heavenly Fire Scorching the Plains overwhelmed their combined attacks and confirmed his Blazing Sun Rank.
• After negotiations resumed, Bruno named Luo Ning a Kingdom Guardian Knight and Marquis and granted him all of Moonlight Valley, while granting Wave Castle to Ferens and offering Dark Tide City to Valgis, who declined it.
• Rulans explained that Bruno had likely intended to make Luo Ning a Marquis and that granting Wave Castle to Ferens gave him potential influence over the Altai Great River and Moonlight Valley’s irrigation.
• Luo Ning recognized the river arrangement’s implications and concluded that Ferens would need years to build projects capable of affecting his territory’s water supply.

At the funeral for Jesus and his family, Bruno later invested Luo Ning as a Marquis and Kingdom Guardian Knight, granting him Moonlight Valley. On the way back, Luo Ning and Rulans discussed rebuilding the territory and moving people there.

• Bruno led the royal family and nobles in a three-hour funeral for Jesus and his family at the Royal Cemetery.
• Rulans introduced Luo Ning to Princess Sharon, and Luo Ning learned that Iben Torrance remained at the front line in Mist City.
• Bruno invested Luo Ning as a Marquis of Moonlight Valley and Kingdom Guardian Knight, triggering the Renowned Throughout the World achievement and raising his sign-in multiplier to four times.
• Bruno announced that Luo Ning and Blanche would marry in three months, and nobles congratulated Luo Ning and sought to cooperate with him.
• Luo Ning told Rulans he would send forty thousand of the King's hundred thousand incoming people to Wubei City and bring sixty thousand to Moonlight Valley, while also recruiting local workers with higher wages.
• Rulans offered officials and three Knight Orders to support Luo Ning, who vowed to become a Duke or establish a kingdom for the Wushan Family.

Luo Ning planned how to strengthen his territory and advance toward Legendary Rank while preparing for the kingdom’s coming war. Duke Valgis asked him to send Elrond to investigate the illness affecting his son and grandson, offering an annual supply of Blaze Grass in return.

• Luo Ning reviewed his achievements and calculated that completing three of them could provide enough Attribute Points to reach Legendary Rank within two years.
• Luo Ning resolved to establish full Knight Orders across his territories and noted that he had been assigned to defend West Wind Hill.
• Duke Valgis visited Luo Ning and asked him to send Elrond to examine the poor health of his son, Paladru, and his grandson.
• Luo Ning agreed to arrange Elrond’s visit, and Valgis offered to supply Blaze Grass each year.
• After Valgis left, Rulans advised Luo Ning that Elrond could treat the Duke’s family even if he found nothing unusual, and Luo Ning said he would consider it.

Garrett trained with the Enhancement Potions Luo Ning had given him and heard Ferens argue that the Wushan Family planned to seize the throne through Luo Ning. Though Garrett doubted he could change Auduin V’s decision, Ferens urged him to lead the nobles against Luo Ning.

• Garrett vented his frustration over his recent defeats and credited an Enhancement Potion from Luo Ning with helping him progress.
• Garrett planned to use his three potions to approach the peak of Silver Moon Rank and hoped for more from Luo Ning.
• Ferens told Garrett that Rulans had hidden Luo Ning’s talent and arranged his marriage to Blanche as part of a plan to claim the throne.
• Garrett grew alarmed at Ferens’s claim that Luo Ning might someday threaten the royal family, but said Auduin V would not attack Wushan Territory.
• Ferens argued that titles and honors would not bind Luo Ning and urged Garrett to command the nobles to eliminate him amid the Trician Kingdom’s turmoil.

Garrett rejected Ferens’s plan to take control of Auduin’s government, while Luo Ning arranged the griffons’ relocation and sent Elrond to investigate the Gistana Family’s troubles. The story left Elrond in Duke Valgis’s care as Luo Ning prepared to return.

• Garrett accused Ferens of urging him to murder his father, but Ferens clarified that he wanted Garrett to take over governing without killing the King.
• Garrett refused to scheme against his father and insisted he would find his own way to keep Wushan Territory in check.
• Luo Ning arranged for Brol and Missy to move the griffons to Mountain Forest Town and had Carlos bring Elrond and griffon specialists to join them.
• Luo Ning introduced Elrond to Duke Valgis, who welcomed the Archmage and asked for help investigating the Gistana Family’s troubles.
• Luo Ning instructed Elrond to investigate the family’s problems and seek cooperation on a Blaze Grass breeding base for Wubei Territory.

Luo Ning returned to Wubei Territory and arranged for trusted staff to help stabilize Moonlight Valley, while considering reforms to accompany any fiefs he granted. When Rognar asked whether his brother Mas could serve under Luo Ning, Luo Ning agreed and said he had a task for him.

• Viscount Marvin and Mas praised Luo Ning’s rise and discussed Mas gaining experience in Moonlight Valley.
• Luo Ning returned to Swamp Town and decided to transfer Wilson and other capable staff to Moonlight City.
• Luo Ning planned to keep the mages and Riggs’s Knight Squad in Wubei Territory while sending Rognar’s transport team and civil officials to Moonlight Valley.
• Luo Ning reviewed Wubei Territory’s harvests and growth, noting that rice and potatoes were becoming more widely available.
• Rognar asked Luo Ning to take on his brother Mas, and Luo Ning agreed to meet him and give him a task.

Elrond arrived at Gistana Castle with Duke Valgis and cured Paladru and Gano of a strange necromantic energy. Suspecting the threat remained inside the castle, he ordered an inspection of everyone there.

• Elrond and Valgis crossed into the Gistana Duchy and arrived at Gistana Castle.
• Yulan Weisi told Valgis that Paladru and Gano had fallen unconscious with fevers.
• Elrond used light magic to reveal a death-tainted energy inside both men and identified it as resembling Witch Soul Power.
• Valgis ordered Yulan to prevent anyone from leaving the castle and to put the Knight Order on alert.
• Elrond cast Evil Purification, removing the Necromantic Power and waking Paladru and Gano, though he warned they were weak.
• Elrond agreed to speak with Nina Dart about Magic Potions after handling the duke's matter and proposed inspecting everyone in the castle.

Elrond discovered that an undead creature beneath Gistana Castle had caused the family’s troubles, and he destroyed it before uncovering the remains of Krien, the Lord of the Undead. After finding a powerful Necronomicon among the remains, Elrond began discussing a proposal involving Gano with Valgis.

• Elrond detected a hidden Dark Aura beneath the flower bed and told Valgis he had found the source of the curse.
• Valgis ordered Yulan and the knights to excavate the garden, where an undead creature emerged and tried to escape.
• Valgis shattered the creature with Battle Qi, and Elrond purified it with a spell.
• Elrond found white bones and a Necronomicon, identifying the remains as those of Krien, the Lord of the Undead, a Sage-rank demon king.
• Elrond discovered that the Necronomicon contained six summoning arrays and explained that the undead creature had targeted Valgis’s family.
• Elrond told Valgis he had another suggestion concerning Gano, and Valgis urged him to continue.

Luo Ning oversaw Moonlight Valley’s recovery and, after months of work with Sophia and Simon, successfully ignited a steam engine in Wubei Territory. He recruited Simon to design railways and planned a steam-powered coal route from Swamp Town to Wubei Port.

• Luo Ning inspected Moonlight Valley’s rich iron and copper mines, then arranged for neighboring nobles to send laborers in exchange for iron ore.
• Over the next two months, laborers arrived in Moonlight Valley, while the king’s promised migrants began sailing to Moonlight City and Wubei Port.
• Luo Ning and Sophia completed the steam engine’s core components, and Carlos heated its boiler until the engine’s flywheel began turning.
• Sophia and Simon recognized that steam power could drive ships without sails, and Luo Ning proposed using it for land transport.
• Luo Ning appointed Simon Chief Mechanical Engineer and tasked him with designing railways across Wubei Territory, Wushan Territory, and Moonlight Valley.

Yan Yi and Thranduil learned that Luo Ning had killed Mephisto and considered him a future threat, while planning to move north. On the day of his wedding to Blanche, Luo Ning set out from Wushan Castle on Carlos, bound for Golden Feather City.

• Yan Yi told Thranduil that Mephisto had died, and they learned that Princess Sophia and Luo Ning had been involved.
• Yan Yi identified Luo Ning as a young Sun Knight and warned that he could become a formidable enemy if he allied with Sophia.
• Yan Yi and Thranduil discussed moving north, and Yan Yi hinted that the Tricia Royal Family would soon cooperate with them.
• On the morning of his wedding, Luo Ning dressed at Wushan Castle while Bella, Diane, and the maids prepared him.
• Rulans and Wiggins escorted Luo Ning to Carlos, and Luo Ning flew toward Golden Feather City to marry Blanche.

Luo Ning arrived at Golden Feather City aboard Carlos for his wedding to Blanche, stunning the royal guests and demonstrating Wushan Territory’s strength. As the ceremony approached, Ferens and Andrea discussed how difficult it would be to fight the dragon or challenge Luo Ning.

• Blanche waited anxiously for Luo Ning while Missy recalled their earlier journey to Wushan City.
• Luo Ning rode Carlos across the Screaming Sea and had the dragon roar to announce their arrival.
• Bruno and the nobles watched Carlos descend into the square, and many were shocked by the dragon’s size and power.
• Luo Ning greeted Bruno and followed him into the ceremonial hall to join Blanche for the wedding.
• Ferens and Andrea judged Carlos to be a likely Level Eight Demon Beast and considered ways to attack it, while recognizing the cost could be devastating.

Luo Ning and Blanche celebrated their wedding at the Golden Feather Palace and Wushan Castle. At the second banquet, Luo Ning proposed founding a Magic Academy in Wubei Territory and drew Bellora into a partnership to advance magical research.

• Luo Ning and Blanche completed the wedding ceremony, accepted the guests’ blessings, and left the Golden Feather Palace on Carlos.
• Bruno praised Luo Ning to Garrett, whose resentment grew as he heard more comparisons between himself and Luo Ning.
• Luo Ning and Blanche flew to Wushan Castle, where their guests welcomed them and Bellora presented Blanche with a magical pendant containing the Wall of Sighs spell.
• Sophia and Elrond gave the newlyweds a Spatial Ring, a Flying Carpet, and the Necronomicon, which Blanche could use to summon a Silver Rank Skeleton Warrior.
• Luo Ning invited Bellora to become Honorary Dean of a planned Magic Academy in Wubei Territory and recruit mage lecturers; Bellora agreed and asked to study Sophia’s magic knowledge.
• Luo Ning told Bellora about a mysterious Teleportation Array in Wubei Territory, further sparking the Archmage’s interest in working with him.

After his wedding to Blanche, Luo Ning assessed his allies and plans for developing Wubei Territory, including expanding steam-engine technology and preparing for war in the Tricia Kingdom. The next morning, he agreed to cooperate with Wushan nobles and began considering how future enfeoffments could preserve central authority.

• Luo Ning reflected on his growing political support and planned to pursue industrial development while sending Knight Harmon to investigate the Molten Fire Duchy and build an intelligence network in the Tricia Kingdom.
• Luo Ning teased Blanche about having a child, then comforted her and went to sleep beside her.
• Blanche joined Diane and the steward in inventorying the nobles' wedding gifts, while Luo Ning held a territory meeting with Rulans.
• Luo Ning agreed to cooperate with Wushan nobles who could provide food and labor for Moonlight Valley.
• Luo Ning concluded that noble control over local populations restricted development and resolved to retain political authority over any land he granted in the future.

Luo Ning received the latest arrivals in Moonlight Valley, advanced his population achievement, and discussed the risks of employing nobles’ illegitimate children and fallen nobles with Blanche. Rydal reported that the First Knight Order was ready, and Luo Ning planned its deployment to West Wind Hill while the Second Knight Order continued training.

• Blanche told Luo Ning that forty thousand relocated people had arrived in Moonlight Valley and delivered the Population Registers for the latest arrivals.
• Luo Ning completed the eighth tier of the Prosperous Population achievement, receiving 10,000 Attribute Points and 20,000 Energy Essence.
• Blanche worried that newly arrived illegitimate children of nobles and fallen nobles might threaten the territory, and Luo Ning explained that he had kept them away from critical positions and core technologies.
• Rydal reported that the First Knight Order had completed its expansion and training, while the Second Knight Order still needed about a month to finish selecting archers.
• Luo Ning decided to notify the king in early August and send Rydal and the First Knight Order to West Wind Hill around mid-August.