Chapter Summaries

Młynar entered the Nivelle Offensive scene, where Emil and the exhausted Gaulish soldiers were ordered into a reckless assault on Leithanian defenses. As casualties mounted and a wounded comrade was exposed to Originium Arts, Młynar instinctively rushed to save him.

• Chen Qi began filming Młynar’s penultimate scene as Xi brought the painted battlefield to life.
• General Nivelle ordered the battered Gaulish soldiers to attack the Leithanian flank, and Młynar called the plan suicidal.
• Nivelle threatened Młynar for questioning the order and commanded him to gather soldiers for the assault.
• Nivelle stayed behind his guards as Gaulish troops charged through heavy Originium Arts bombardment and suffered devastating casualties.
• When a Gaulish soldier was wounded while cutting through barbed wire, Młynar rushed out to rescue him.

The crew finished filming the final war scene of "Braveheart," and Młynar emerged with a clearer sense of what he wanted to protect. After filming ended, Amiya resolved to prevent future wars, and Chen Qi received a martial arts manual and the Blood of Sui from Chongyue.

• Młynar killed the Gaulish general during the battlefield scene, then realized he did not regret acting to stop him.
• Chen Qi praised Młynar's performance, and Młynar reassured Margaret and Maria before leaving the set.
• The crew completed filming and emerged from the painting scroll; Amiya vowed to work so wars like the one she had witnessed would never happen again.
• Kal'tsit delivered Chen Qi a package from Yan, and Nian and Xi recognized the accompanying letter as one from their eldest brother, Shuo.
• Chen Qi added Chongyue's nameless martial arts manual to the Treasury and gained Yan martial arts, increased Sui faction benefits, and the Blood of Sui.

Chen Qi reassured Xi and Nian that he would stand by them despite Yan’s scrutiny, and the three pledged to face trouble together. Meanwhile, Horn witnessed the brutal cost of the stalemate in Doren County as Ursus’s bombardment and dwindling supplies left the defenders increasingly desperate.

• Chen Qi learned that Sui’s bloodline would not be detectable without a blood test, while Nian found him unexpectedly more appealing.
• Xi warned Chen Qi that Yan was watching them, but he promised to keep working with her and Nian and even joked that they might face prison together.
• Nian embraced Chen Qi and declared that she and Xi were now family with him and would treat the film crew as their home.
• In Doren County, Horn saw Ursus’s intensified bombardment, poison attacks, and attrition drive civilians and soldiers from their shelters and strain the defenders’ supplies.
• Horn tried to stop a Sarkaz mercenary from killing her mortally wounded comrade Triangle, but the Bloodborne Archon ended his life and told her that war allowed no easy choices.
• Lavshini comforted the shaken Horn with a sweet and explained that she, the Duke of Wellington, and others were holding the remaining territory against Ursus’s armies.

Ursus, Leithanian, and Victorian troops watched Chen Qi’s new film, Braveheart, after a truce was declared and open-air cinemas were built at the fronts. The film showed Emil being wounded and captured in battle, then introduced a Sarkaz mercenary seeking revenge, leaving the audience watching his story unfold.

• Horn doubted that Chen Qi could make another film capable of changing the war, while Lavshini believed in his influence.
• Laterano Notary Office members announced a one-day truce, and the Bloodborne Archon arranged for open-air cinemas and videotapes to reach both sides.
• Ursus and Leithanian commanders reluctantly allowed their soldiers to watch Braveheart rather than risk damaging morale.
• The film showed Carl and Emil being sent to war for opposing sides, then depicted Emil being wounded and taken prisoner during a Gaulish charge.
• The film introduced a Sarkaz mercenary who had returned to Gaul to punish those who destroyed his family.

Braveheart’s alternating moments of hope and loss left soldiers watching the film shaken as Emil and Carl endured the merciless war. The chapter ended with General Nivelle ordering Gaulish troops into repeated assaults against Leithanian Originium Arts, drawing angry protests from the audience.

• Patriot’s portrayal of Freddy impressed the Sarkaz mercenaries, who cheered as he blew up a bridge and stormed a fortress.
• Emil and a Leithanian officer cooperated to escape a tunnel, then parted without attacking each other; soon afterward, Gaulish explosives killed the officer.
• Emil rejected his medals after the officer’s death, and a military identification tag led everyone to believe Carl had been executed.
• Carl survived by switching identification tags, but after returning to her hometown she was detained and forced back into military service instead of being allowed to see her family.
• General Nivelle drove Gaulish troops into repeated assaults, and soldiers watching the film condemned him for sending them to die.

Emil accepted his court-martial sentence and was executed for killing his commanding officer to stop a futile assault, moving soldiers across the battlefields to honor his sacrifice. After the film ended, Horn and others began gathering and burying the war dead.

• Emil calmly walked to his execution while his letter to Marie explained that war had driven him mad and that he felt gratitude rather than bitterness.
• Gaulish soldiers saluted Emil, and he was executed by firing squad as the film showed his family and friends at his grave.
• Horn called on the soldiers to salute the brave, and soldiers, civilians, and some Sarkaz paid tribute to Emil and the others in the film.
• The Bloodborne Archon reflected on Emil's courage and the meaning of a living person's existence.
• A Sarkaz who had buried Triangle left to make a larger grave and gather the dead, and Horn joined him as more soldiers went to recover bodies.

Braveheart’s antiwar impact helped halt fighting between Victoria and Leithania, and Victoria invited Chen Qi to witness the armistice and attend its film awards. Xi visited Chongyue to give him Braveheart and assure him that she and Nian had no plans to rebel.

• After burying the dead in Doren County, Horn and Viscount Dunkel chose not to resume fighting, and the two fronts remained quiet for days.
• Newspapers reported that Braveheart had sparked antiwar protests, that Ursus replaced Dunkel despite his soldiers’ objections, and that Leithania’s Twin Empresses supported peace.
• Kal'tsit discussed Braveheart’s political impact with Chen Qi and warned that Ursus and Victoria could still threaten him, while Vina and Młynar urged caution.
• Amiya told Chen Qi that Victoria had invited him and his crew to its armistice ceremony and film awards, with Rhodes Island invited only because they were there.
• Xi met Chongyue in her painted world, gave him Braveheart, and asked him to share the film with the emperor as her and Nian’s response.
• Chongyue watched Xi leave and prepared to view Braveheart and follow the public announcement of Victoria and Leithania’s armistice talks.

Chen Qi arrived in Little Hill County for Victoria’s armistice conference, drawing the attention of the gathered nations and factions. Ablana apologized and asked him for an autograph, while Victoria’s leaders considered how to win his favor; Ioleta then greeted Chen Qi and Młynar.

• Chen Qi arrived with Rhodes Island representatives, the Sarkaz delegation, and the pope of Laterano, startling Victoria’s officials and attracting the attention of foreign envoys.
• Ablana greeted Chen Qi, apologized for her past actions, and asked him to sign the back of her gown while Talulah watched tensely.
• Nian handed Chen Qi a marker and teased him as he nervously signed Ablana’s gown.
• The Duke of Wellington considered using Victoria’s home-field advantage and support for Chen Qi’s work to build a closer relationship with him.
• Ioleta approached Chen Qi and Młynar, greeting them and asking Młynar why he was at Chen Qi’s side.

Młynar refused the Grand Knight Commander’s appeal to preserve the Nearl Family’s service to Kazimierz, while Madam Sicily and Silver Ash intervened before the confrontation escalated. At the armistice ceremony, Victoria announced that it would restrict the monarch’s power and give greater authority to Parliament and the people, leaving Vina and the other observers stunned.

• Młynar told the Grand Knight Commander that he would not defend Kazimierz’s corrupt idea of honor, and Madam Sicily and Silver Ash led Chen Qi away from the tense encounter.
• Madam Sicily and Silver Ash warned Chen Qi that powerful nations might seek to recruit or harm him, and Silver Ash suggested that Kristen wanted to speak with him.
• Victoria and Leithania signed an armistice requiring Leithania to fund reconstruction in Connor County, withdraw its troops, and keep the border demilitarized.
• The Duke of Wellington declared that Victoria would remain united and said its leaders had studied Chen Qi’s works while considering the nation’s future.
• The Duke of Wellington announced that Victoria would limit the monarch’s powers and give Parliament and the people greater authority, shocking the gathered representatives and Vina.

The eight dukes announced that Victoria would restrict imperial authority and lift its ban on “Yes, Prime Minister,” while Vina accepted that she would wait to become emperor until her people needed her. After the announcements reshaped Terra’s political landscape, Theresis explained why he had entered the film festival and began suspecting that Chen Qi had known Theresia long before Kazdel’s civil war.

• The Duke of Wellington announced that Victoria’s people would guide the nation through parliament and that the eight dukes would govern together while the throne remained vacant.
• Indra angrily protested the decision on Vina’s behalf, while Kal'tsit explained the dukes’ compromise and Vina resolved to wait and prepare for a future when Victoria needed an emperor.
• The Duke of Wellington lifted Victoria’s restrictions on “Yes, Prime Minister,” provoking anger among representatives of other countries, and announced the restart of the Steam Knight program.
• Theresis and the Pope met Chen Qi to discuss Victoria’s recovery, Sarkaz security and reconstruction, and the restoration of Laterano’s diocese in Victoria.
• Theresis told Chen Qi he had accepted a Best Actor nomination to improve the Sarkaz’s reputation, then inferred from Chen Qi’s knowledge of Theresia that Chen Qi had watched her long before the civil war.

Chen Qi and the Art Troupe won major honors at Victoria’s film festival, and Silver Ash’s best actor award helped raise Siracusa’s standing. After the ceremony, Kristen approached Chen Qi with a request, leaving him to learn what project she wanted filmed.

• Chen Qi attended Victoria’s film festival with Talulah and Nian, and the system explained that the Blood of Sui raised his potential more than his current strength.
• Silver Ash won best actor for Darkest Hour, while Madam Sicily, Texas, Chen Qi, and the Bloodborne Archon also received awards.
• Silver Ash’s win excited Enshia, Exusiai, Matterhorn, and Ennya, who saw his new prestige as an opportunity for Siracusa’s reforms.
• Nian celebrated her trophies as Xi teased her about how little she had contributed, and Xi said Braveheart could prove they did not intend to rebel.
• Kristen approached Chen Qi privately, and he guessed that she wanted him to film the starry sky; she praised his insight into her dreams.

Chen Qi agreed to film season two of "Yes, Prime Minister" in Londinium, with Victoria and the Sarkaz pledging their support. As preparations began, he revealed that the first episode would tackle civil-service employment and power struggles.

• The Duke of Wellington asked Chen Qi to make season two of "Yes, Prime Minister" as a weapon against Ursus and Kazimierz, and Chen Qi agreed after Victoria and Theresis promised full support.
• Kristen arranged to follow Chen Qi to Londinium and later Columbia, hoping he would write a script to help her reconnect with Saria.
• Chen Qi and his companions returned to Londinium with Theresis, the Duke of Wellington, Kristen, Ablana, and a Victorian army as the city’s defenses shifted to Victoria.
• Theresis described how the Sarkaz had adjusted their policies and helped rebuild Londinium so residents could adapt to their presence.
• Chen Qi told the Duke of Wellington that season two would cover political and government affairs, beginning with employment and power struggles within the civil service.

Chen Qi began filming the second season of "Yes, Prime Minister," whose opening episode exposed how officials used political maneuvering to block troop redeployment and undermine a rival. The Duke of Wellington and Ablana resolved to study the tactics and address Victoria’s neglected north, while the story left the employment minister under suspicion.

• Theresis ordered the Sarkaz to distribute the scripts throughout Terra, including in Ursus and Kazimierz, and Chen Qi began preparing the second season.
• The Duke of Wellington and Ablana attended filming, where Humphrey and the defense officials argued over moving troops from prosperous southern Victoria to the underdeveloped north.
• The Duke of Wellington recognized that the troop debate exposed Victoria’s north-south divide and decided to discuss plans for northern development.
• Humphrey used lavish praise of the employment minister to make Theresis suspect that the popular minister might threaten his position as prime minister.
• Theresis had Bernard contact the party secretary to investigate the employment minister, while officials and officers studied the political tactics shown in the episode.

Vina secured permission to travel to Londinium disguised as an ordinary Feline and Rhodes Island operator, hoping to learn from Chen Qi and prepare to become Victoria’s future leader. As the second season of "Yes, Prime Minister" drew attention across Terra, Vina, Amiya, and Kal'tsit began watching its episode about the media.

• The Bloodborne Archon showed Manfred how the employment secretary’s policy threatened civil servants’ interests, persuading Manfred to join him against it.
• Victoria’s campaign to spread "Yes, Prime Minister" overwhelmed neighboring countries’ efforts to censor the show, while the emperor of Yan accepted Chongyue and the Grand Tutor’s argument that the series could benefit Great Yan.
• Vina asked Kal'tsit for permission to go to Londinium, explaining that she would travel as a Rhodes Island operator rather than as the crown princess.
• Kal'tsit approved Vina’s plan, arranged for Closure to disguise her Aslan traits, and assigned her to Chen Qi’s production crew as Operator King of Promotion.
• Vina, Amiya, and Kal'tsit watched the next episode of "Yes, Prime Minister," which addressed how to deal with the media.

The chapter followed officials across Yan and Lungmen as they watched Yes, Prime Minister and debated political loyalty, conscience, and stability. It ended with Manfred accidentally implying to reporters that the prime minister’s authority superseded the Official Secrets Act, putting his position at risk.

• The emperor of Yan wondered whether Chen Qi was connected to his elder brother, but Chongyue assured him that Chen Qi was human.
• Theresis invited a newspaper editor to dinner and sought evidence to counter reports about his attempt to suppress the former prime minister’s memoirs.
• Manfred struggled over the minutes because they contradicted Theresis’s account, and the Bloodborne Archon told him that minutes should protect those involved rather than record events exactly.
• Wei Yenwu and the officials watching debated whether preserving stability could justify compromising uprightness.
• Manfred faced reporters, inadvertently suggested that the prime minister’s authority superseded the Official Secrets Act, and realized he had made a serious mistake.

After the success of Yes, Prime Minister caused political officials across Terra to study its tactics, Chen Qi discussed a film for Kristen intended to reach Saria. He gave Kristen the title "To the Moon" and promised to write the script.

• Theresis scolded Manfred for publicly saying that the prime minister believed he was above the law, then coached him on handling media questions and considered ways to divert the press.
• The Bloodborne Archon rejected Bill's proposal to expel Ursus diplomats, while Manfred suggested using a royal engagement, divorce, or pregnancy as a headline.
• Yes, Prime Minister's second season won praise from viewers and officials, while Kazimierz and Ursus leaders blamed Chen Qi for the trouble his work caused their governments.
• Theresis arranged for Chen Qi and his crew to stay in Londinium's royal palace, where Theresia kept her resurrection secret and avoided speaking to Chen Qi.
• Kristen told Chen Qi she wanted to find Saria and feared the dangers of delaying their trip to Columbia, then entrusted him with creating a film that Saria might see.
• Chen Qi wrote the title "To the Moon" on a sheet of paper and handed it to Kristen as the script he planned to develop.

Chen Qi accepted Vina as his student and prepared to teach her through the film crew, while Rhodes Island delivered Oripathy treatments to Londinium. He began filming the next episodes of "Yes, Prime Minister," whose jokes about Victoria and Gaul provoked laughter from Victorian officials and grim reactions from the Sarkaz.

• FrostNova told Chen Qi that Rhodes Island had delivered Oripathy Suppressants and a few trial doses of a cure, and that Vina and Młynar had come with the shipment.
• Vina asked to accompany Chen Qi and learn politics and military affairs, and Chen Qi accepted her as his student after Młynar clarified her intentions.
• Chen Qi found that Patriot would teach Vina combat skills but would not offer military instruction, and he decided she could learn by observing the crew and studying Yan's language.
• The Duke of Wellington and Ablana learned that the next episodes concerned diplomacy and finance, and they planned to use the recordings to stir trouble in Kazimierz.
• Chen Qi filmed an episode about Victoria's proposed railway link with Gaul, in which the Bloodborne Archon's joke about the Second Great Battle of Kazdel made Victorian officials laugh while the Sarkaz reacted angrily.

Theresis delightedly acted out his reaction to his predecessor’s death, while Vina reflected on her future with Chen Qi’s crew. In the next filming sequence, Gaul’s Fangbeast gift threatened to provoke a diplomatic conflict with Victoria, and the chapter ended with the ambassador revealing the animal’s name.

• Theresis learned that his predecessor had died, briefly showed delight, and then performed public grief for the cameras.
• Chen Qi explained that he had prompted Theresis by asking him to imagine a rival king’s death, while Vina considered how she could contribute to the crew.
• The Duke of Wellington explained that Gaul’s gift of a Fangbeast would force Victoria to choose between its quarantine law and a diplomatic dispute.
• Theresis ordered Victoria’s officials to coordinate a response as the Gaulish delegation arrived to discuss the gift and a meeting with the prime minister.
• Lieutenant Colonel Leto proposed Gaulish guards for the meeting, then announced that the emperor’s Fangbeast gift was named “Little Casserole,” making Ablana laugh.

Chen Qi filmed Manfred's standout performance as Bernard before attending a dinner where Theresis formally introduced him to Theresia and revealed her incomplete soul. Theresis then asked Chen Qi to agree to a favor concerning his sister, but had not yet explained what he wanted.

• Theresis and Leto sparred over Gaul's proposed Fangbeast gift until Theresis made a vulgar pun that broke the tension.
• Manfred delivered Bernard's rapid-fire diplomatic phone calls flawlessly, impressing the Victorian officials and Chen Qi.
• Theresis brought Theresia to dinner and told Chen Qi that she had died and been revived with an incomplete soul.
• Talulah reacted jealously as Theresis suggested he had a request concerning Theresia, while Theresia secretly showed Chen Qi that she had recovered.
• Chen Qi said he would hear Theresis's request but needed to know its specifics before agreeing.

Chen Qi agreed to spend time with Theresia to help her soul recover, but their conversation was interrupted by Vina, who had begun serving as a maid in hopes of earning his lessons. The next day, filming of “Yes, Prime Minister” continued, while the Duke of Wellington prepared to spread its upcoming finance episode through Kazimierz.

• Theresis asked Chen Qi to talk with Theresia regularly, and Chen Qi agreed after Talulah softened her objections.
• Theresis arranged for Theresia to accompany Chen Qi during the day, while Koschei concealed Theresia’s resurrection from Talulah.
• Theresia thanked Chen Qi for helping the Sarkaz and teased him before discovering Vina asleep in his room in a maid outfit.
• Vina explained that she had taken up cleaning to prove herself to Chen Qi, and he told her to learn Yan before he would teach her.
• Chen Qi and Theresia’s conversation was cut short, and the next day the third episode of “Yes, Prime Minister” finished filming.
• The Duke of Wellington ordered spies to circulate clips of the upcoming finance episode through Kazimierz’s networks.