Chapter Summaries

Lincon oversaw the planting of Frost Crystal Rice near Longwind Fortress and kept its body-strengthening effects secret from most residents. He then reviewed the first thirty-seven Provisional Subjects who qualified for promotion to Formal Subjects, checking their records and loyalty.

• Lincon gave Zhang Rui Frost Crystal Rice seeds and instructions for planting them in the cold, fertile land while restricting knowledge of their benefits to core management.
• Zhang Rui organized workers and guards to prepare a field north of Longwind Fortress, and the first Frost Crystal Rice crop was sown within three days.
• Lincon reviewed the Contribution System records of thirty-seven Provisional Subjects who had earned enough points to qualify for promotion to Formal Subjects.
• Lincon carefully read each candidate's contributions and checked their loyalty on his panel.

Lincon approved the promotion of Longwind Fortress’s first thirty-seven Provisional Subjects to Formal Subjects and arranged a public review followed by a ceremony. The ceremony recognized their contributions and welcomed them into the fortress as full subjects with greater rights and responsibilities.

• Lincon ordered a three-day public notice period for the list of thirty-seven candidates and decided to give them exclusive achievement badges instead of material rewards.
• The record officer posted the candidates’ names and contributions, and officials invited people to submit evidence-backed objections; none of the candidates were found to have falsified their records.
• At the ceremony, Lincon addressed the gathered crowd as the Fallen Sun Thorncrown glowed above the platform.
• Zhang Rui read the promotion rules and each candidate’s contributions while the thirty-seven subjects stepped onto the platform.
• Lincon welcomed the candidates, including Xu Weiguo, whose panel showed loyalty of 81 and an awakening Sixth Sense talent, and said their names would enter Longwind Fortress’s Founding Register.

Lincon awarded the first thirty-seven promoted citizens the exclusive Pioneer Citizen Badge, moving many of them deeply and raising their loyalty. After seeing how strongly the badges affected the crowd, he promised future badges for exceptional service in special operations and major events.

• Lincon presented the thirty-seven newly promoted citizens with Pioneer Citizen Badges engraved with “Pioneer's Proof.”
• Xu Weiguo felt recognized and honored as Lincon pinned the badge to his chest.
• Lincon explained that the badge gave no practical benefits and would never be issued to another group.
• Jiang Li asked whether similar badges would be awarded in the future, drawing the crowd’s attention.
• Lincon promised limited badge rewards for people who performed outstandingly in special operations or major events at Longwind Fortress.

Lincon discovered that the Fire God Tree had nurtured Fire God Butterflies and considered how they might form a symbiotic ecosystem. As Longwind Fortress prepared to receive fifty thousand people from Black Iron City, Lincon finalized settlement plans and announced the Glory Tower to reassure existing subjects; construction began the next day.

• Jiang Li told Lincon about strange insects near the Fire God Tree, and Lincon learned they were Fire God Butterflies nurtured by the tree’s domain.
• Luo Qian returned, and Lincon sent him, Jiang Li, the Twisted Treant, and Treant Guards to meet the people traveling from Black Iron City.
• Lincon and Longwind Fortress’s leaders finalized plans to screen, house, and provide for the incoming fifty thousand people, choosing to divide them among three residential districts.
• Worried Provisional Subjects feared the newcomers would take their resources, so Lincon announced the Glory Tower, which would publish monthly contribution rankings.
• The fortress posted the Glory Tower construction plan at dawn, and more than two hundred Provisional Subjects and dozens of Flint City prisoners signed up for the task.

Longwind Fortress prepared to build the Glory Tower and settle fifty thousand refugees as the exhausted procession from Black Iron City approached. Lincon and the others reached the refugees in the darkness, and the newcomers entered the fortress’s transformed territory, where a fantastical Shrine and Spirit Tree awaited them.

• Lincon stopped the department leaders from turning the Glory Tower’s design into a display for their respective groups and took over the plans himself.
• Jiang Li and Luo Qian led the Treant Guards in guiding more than forty-seven thousand survivors from Black Iron City toward Longwind Fortress, providing food, water, and aid along the way.
• Jiang Li and several Ability Users left the procession to clear dark creatures from its route, then returned injured.
• Li Yunfan and the refugees entered Longwind Fortress’s territory and felt the air grow fresh as the surroundings changed to cleared, level land.
• The newcomers saw Rift-Cleaving Dandelion seeds teleport ahead of them, leading toward an ancient Shrine intertwined with a Spirit Tree.

The fifty thousand people from Black Iron City arrived at Longwind Fortress and saw its thriving settlements, unusual defenses, and welcoming community. After Zhang Rui explained the Fortress's code, Lincon introduced himself as its master and welcomed the newcomers.

• Jiang Li explained that the glowing Lord's Shrine marked Longwind Fortress territory and offered protection from Dark Creatures.
• Luo Qian guided the Black Iron City group past the Fortress's strange plants, Misty Forest, and Longwind Lake.
• The group reached Longwind Fortress and saw its flower-covered walls and orderly outer settlement.
• Zhang Rui brought the newcomers to the new settlement area and explained the Longwind Code, letting them choose whether to accept it.
• Lincon appeared before the crowd and welcomed them to Longwind Fortress.

Longwind Fortress organized the 47,000 newcomers from Black Iron City, quarantined and assigned them work, and grew into a more structured settlement. As the first cold wave arrived, Lincon’s reputation passed 50,000 and his Seed of Life became eligible to advance.

• Lincon arranged the newcomers into four provisional camps, where Li Yunfan settled into shack 743 and Cao Yan became its room leader.
• Cao Yan explained the three-day quarantine, contribution system, and work assignments to the shack residents, giving them hope for a future in Longwind Fortress.
• After inspections, the newcomers registered their skills and were assigned to work groups that built roads, farms, facilities, and the beginnings of an outer city.
• Xu Weiguo and other managers resolved disputes as a reserve force for the Longwind Town Guard formed and filled its 2,000 places with applicants.
• A sudden cold wave covered the area in frost, and Lincon saw that his reputation had reached 51,310, meeting the Seed of Life’s advancement requirements.

Lincon advanced the Seed of Life into its growth stage, bringing warmth and improved conditions to Longwind Fortress and accelerating the Fire God Tree's growth with a Spirit Field. As Harsh Winter approached, rumors of the fortress's prosperity spread through an increasingly desperate Jiangzhou.

• Lincon advanced the Seed of Life, whose new abilities expanded its domain across Longwind Fortress and eased the cold for its residents.
• Lincon learned that the Seed of Life had reached B-Plus Rank and required 200 Sunlight daily, then chose sites for its first two Spirit Fields.
• Lincon blessed the Fire God Tree's land, and the tree rapidly grew to human height as Fire God Butterflies emerged nearby.
• Lincon recognized that the Seed of Life and Spirit Fields could help the fortress's plants flourish despite the coming winter.
• Across Jiangzhou, people fought over scarce winter supplies as the harsher cold wave approached, and rumors of Longwind Fortress spread.

After rumors of Longwind Fortress spread across Jiangzhou, Gray Feather Squad arrived to trade, and Lincon used the visit to establish a permanent Outer City trade district. The chapter ended with the squad completing a successful exchange and discovering the fortress’s unusual goods and abundant supplies.

• Rumors of Longwind Fortress spread after Flint City fell, drawing survivors, wandering Ability Users, and trading squads toward it.
• Gray Feather Squad crossed into the fortress’s territory, marveled at its pure air and flower-filled landscape, and asked to trade.
• Zhang Rui reported the squad’s arrival to Lincon, who ordered its members received and directed staff to build an Outer City trade district.
• Lincon and Zhang Rui planned rules for outside visitors, protected the fortress’s crops and water sources, and assigned staff to enforce their decisions.
• After two days, Gray Feather Squad traded Dark Matter Crystals and wasteland finds for supplies, Rune Weapons, tools, and unfamiliar foods.

The Gray Feather Squad decided to relocate near Longwind Fortress after witnessing its rune weapons, defenses, and orderly society, while Lincon planned a Mercenary Guild to attract independent ability users. As Ash Snow began falling, Harsh Winter officially arrived, testing whether the fortress could endure the prolonged cold.

• Night Owl and the Gray Feather Squad examined a rune dagger, and Hidden Bat warned that Longwind Fortress's Garrison Guards had nearly killed him when he tried to infiltrate the Inner City.
• Night Owl decided the squad would stop exploring Longwind Fortress and operate nearby; after two days of observation, the Gray Feather Squad left to settle affairs in Black Iron City and move possessions toward the fortress.
• Lincon and Zhang Rui planned a Mercenary Guild in Longwind Fortress to support independent ability-user squads with missions, logistics, information, and dispute mediation.
• Ash Snow began falling as temperatures plunged, while Elemental Harmonization and the Fire God Tree helped protect Longwind Fortress from the cold.
• The fortress's alarm bell sounded as Ash Snow thickened, and residents sheltered in reinforced homes while Harsh Winter began across Jiangzhou.

As Ash Snow and Harsh Winter devastated Jiangzhou, Flint City and Black Iron City struggled with shortages and factional conflict while Longwind Fortress weathered the disaster through Lincon’s preparations. Lincon discovered Harsh Winter Cordyceps with several possible advancement paths and considered seeking the crystals needed to unlock them.

• Flint City’s butler decided to lead a group of survivors to Longwind Fortress once the first heavy snowfall eased.
• Chen Siwei and Zhou Qing faced dwindling food supplies in Black Iron City, and Chen Siwei vowed to confront Hong Qi’s faction after the snowfall let up.
• Zou Feng prepared New River City for Harsh Winter and declared he would dominate Jiangzhou, allowing Longwind Fortress to remain only if it submitted.
• Lincon’s Rule Edict, the Seed of Life, and the fortress’s preparations reduced Ash Snow’s danger as its residents received heat, food, medical care, and snow-clearing support.
• After elderly Provisional Subjects died, their inherited Contribution Points helped their families become Formal Subjects, bringing Longwind Fortress’s total to nearly a thousand.
• Lincon found Harsh Winter Cordyceps in Nightglow Forest and studied its three advancement paths, including the hidden Undead Soul Tree path.

Lincon refined Ash Snow into crystals, advanced Harsh Winter Cordyceps into Silent Ice Worms, and bred them into butterflies that protected people from Ash Snow. As Longwind Fortress began distributing the worms, residents discussed new career paths and Cao Yan asked Li Yunfan if he was writing another novel.

• Lincon discovered that heating Ash Snow with pure power removed its impurities and produced Ash Snow Crystals, then used one to advance Harsh Winter Cordyceps into a Silent Ice Worm.
• Lincon tested the worm with an attendant and found that it absorbed Ash Snow's harmful energy, protecting the attendant from erosion and contamination for nearly half an hour.
• Lincon worked with Qin Hu and other craftsmen to build a Purifying Fire machine that mass-produced Ash Snow Crystals, then advanced and bred Silent Ice Worms until they became Silent Ice Butterflies.
• The Silent Ice Butterflies began reproducing, and Longwind Fortress distributed the first fifty newly hatched worms to Garrison Guard members, reservists, and other outdoor workers.
• In Shed 743, Cao Yan and Ding Hong discussed joining the Garrison Guard, the Rune Workshop, and a rumored plant-symbiosis career at Qingrang Academy before Cao Yan asked Li Yunfan if he was writing another novel.

Li Yunfan’s writing and Wang Dalong’s handmade printing press spread novels through Longwind Fortress’s subject camp, and Li began writing Thunder Fortress about a leader modeled on Lord Lincon. After the Lord summoned Li and Wang, they entered the Inner City and arrived at the awe-inspiring Sacred Court, where they were told the Lord was waiting.

• Li Yunfan told the residents of Shed 743 that Qingrang Academy’s possible new career path required advancement through its subject ranks and would not be easy to obtain.
• People in the subject camp used Wang Dalong’s handmade press to print and circulate novels, while Li Yunfan began writing Thunder Fortress about a fictional leader inspired by Lord Lincon.
• Secretary Han visited Shed 743 and told Li Yunfan that the Lord had summoned him because he enjoyed Thunder Fortress and wanted more chapters.
• Li Yunfan joined Wang Dalong and Han Qu’s group, and they entered the Inner City beneath Banana Leaf Umbrellas.
• Li Yunfan and Wang Dalong marveled at the Inner City’s Mushroom Houses, Spirit Plants, and Sacred Court before Han Qu led them inside to meet the Lord.

Lincon established the Cultural Affairs Bureau and tasked Li Yunfan and Wang Dalong with leading it, while a resurrected Luo Chiyou emerged from the Abyss Rift with an army of dark creatures. The army split to attack New River City and Longwind Fortress as the cleanup began.

• Lincon praised Li Yunfan's novel Thunder Lord and explained that boredom in the Provisional Subject Camp had led to numerous fights.
• Lincon appointed Li Yunfan and Wang Dalong to establish the Cultural Affairs Bureau, granting them access to the inner city and a chance to become Formal Subjects.
• After the meeting, Lincon reflected on the fortress's need for spiritual nourishment and watched Ash Snow continue to devastate the region.
• Luo Chiyou, revived as a dark creature, emerged from the Abyss Rift with two Ant Guards and a gathering horde of dark creatures.
• An Abyss voice ordered the cleanup to begin, and gray corpses rose from beneath the snow across the region.
• Luo Chiyou led one force toward New River City while the other Ant Guard led the remaining army toward Longwind Fortress.

As Longwind Fortress prospered through Harsh Winter, Lincon noticed new mutant creatures migrating into his territory and then received a blood-red Territory War quest marked “In progress.” He rallied the fortress leadership and began preparing for an imminent attack, though the enemy and its timing remained unknown.

• Li Yunfan completed the Silent Iceworm Care Manual, while Frost Crystal Rice ripened and the first Silent Ice Butterflies emerged at Longwind Fortress.
• Lincon observed Green Mice, white martens, and Firefeather Birds migrating into his territory, suggesting its ecosystem was attracting new life.
• The panel abruptly announced that Lincon’s Beginner Territory War quest was in progress, leading him to suspect Longwind Fortress had become a target or that a wider conflict was beginning.
• Lincon mobilized cold-resistant Spirit Plants to watch the territory’s borders and called a meeting of Longwind Fortress’s core leadership.
• Lincon and the leaders planned defenses for the Outer City, preparations for the Frostcrystal Rice harvest, and warnings, staffing, and medical arrangements for a possible war.

Longwind Fortress prepared for an approaching threat, and Luo Qian discovered a massive Black Tide led by a humanoid ant. Lincon realized the enemy had come for the Life Fruit he had taken from the Abyss, leaving him to wonder where the second Ant Guard was.

• Lincon ordered scouts to investigate the approaching enemy while Longwind Fortress built defenses and prepared for battle.
• Luo Qian found a Corpse Tide followed by powerful dark creatures and a humanoid ant leading the Black Tide toward Longwind Fortress.
• The humanoid ant spotted Luo Qian, but did not pursue him as he fled back to the fortress.
• Luo Qian reported the Black Tide, and Lincon recognized the humanoid ant as an Ant Guard and recalled the scouts.
• Lincon realized the Abyss might have sent the Black Tide to reclaim the Life Fruit he possessed, but wondered why only one of the two Ant Guards had appeared.

Zou Feng sensed danger approaching New River City, while Luo Chiyou led a Black Tide toward it after destroying a shelter city. Lincon prepared Longwind Fortress for the B-Rank threat and went to bond with the growing Fire God Tree.

• Zou Feng ordered New River City’s defenses raised to maximum alert and sent Liang Su to investigate the danger he sensed.
• Luo Chiyou led the Black Tide toward New River City after it destroyed a shelter city and killed thousands.
• Lincon assessed the Black Tide’s strength and considered advancing Spirit Plants to help defend Longwind Fortress.
• Li Yunfan told Cao Yan that a near-B-Rank Black Tide was approaching and repeated Lincon’s promise that Longwind Fortress would stand as long as he was there.
• Lincon visited the Fire God Tree, whose Pure Fire Domain had expanded across much of the Inner City’s western outskirts, intending to form a symbiotic bond with it.

Lincon formed a symbiotic contract with the Fire God Tree’s ancient consciousness and gained the ability to summon its Pure Fire Domain. At Longwind Fortress, defenders prepared for the approaching Black Tide, which began charging toward them.

• Lincon entered the Symbiosis Space and met the Fire God Tree’s original consciousness, which explained that Little Red’s consciousness had only temporarily fallen asleep.
• The original Fire God Tree agreed to form a symbiotic contract with Lincon on behalf of both its ancient and new consciousnesses.
• Lincon gained the Fire God Tree contract, and a burning tree totem granted him the ability to create golden-red Pure Fire at will.
• Luo Qian and Guan Teng reviewed Longwind Fortress’s preparations, including Rune weapons, trenches, fuel, and volunteers ready to defend against the B-Rank Ant Guard and Black Tide.
• Guan Teng spotted the Black Tide spreading across the horizon, and the Dark Creatures at its front began to run toward Longwind Fortress.

Lincon and Longwind Fortress faced the advancing Black Tide as the Purifying Fire and Spore Shooter Mushrooms halted the Walking Corpses. With the larger Dark Creatures still approaching, Lincon spent most of his Sunlight to awaken the trees, and two powerful Tree Spirits emerged.

• Lincon recognized the Walking Corpses as former civilians and hurried to the watchtower defense line while Zhang Rui ordered Han Qu to punish those spreading panic or planning to flee.
• Guan Teng ordered the Garrison Guards to ignite the Purifying Fire, which burned Walking Corpses until their bodies filled the trench.
• Spore Shooter Mushrooms emerged and corroded the Walking Corpses, stopping their advance as Lincon gained Sunlight from killing them.
• Lincon saw that the Black Tide contained many C-Rank Dark Creatures and used the Seed of Life to awaken the nearly dead trees around him.
• Two enormous Tree Spirits emerged among the Treant Guards and bowed to Lincon.

Lincon sent more than a hundred Frost Treant Guards to reinforce Longwind Fortress as the Black Tide overwhelmed its defenses. The Tree Spirits turned the battle around, while the Ant Guard sensed a familiar energy among them.

• Lincon used High-Level Control to send over a hundred Frost Treant Guards to the battlefield, including two C-Rank Frost Treants.
• Guan Teng ordered Flint City prisoners of war to use Weird Candles to draw dark creatures away from Longwind Fortress and Purifying Candles to protect themselves.
• Ma Fu and his squad were surrounded by dark creatures, and their Purifying Candles burned out as they prepared to fight to the death.
• Frost Treants appeared above Ma Fu's squad and killed the female corpse, then froze or crushed nearby dark creatures with their stomps and shockwaves.
• The Still Albizia Trees, Delirium Mist Dandelions, and Spore Shooter Mushrooms joined the assault as the Frost Treant Guards drove back the Black Tide.
• The Ant Guard noticed the Frost Treants' energy and sensed that it was familiar.