Chapter Summaries

Annan was questioned over the murders of three Rikaner envoys, but the investigators had no evidence linking him to the crime. Olin brought him a raincoat from the Old Ancestor, and Annan pressed the investigators about the case before asking whether they had examined the bodies.

• The Warden and Executor Andrea questioned Annan about the deaths of Cynthia, Anok, and Envoy Monsong at the Embassy.
• Annan denied responsibility, pointed out that he did not have to prove his innocence, and learned that he was the first suspect alongside an Epic Mage and members of the Shadow Brotherhood.
• Olin arrived with a raincoat from the Old Ancestor and checked that Annan was all right.
• Executor Andrea explained that a servant found the bodies after noticing Anok's blood under his door, and said the killings had left no signs of a struggle.
• Annan asked for compensation for being detained and suggested the land outside the Moonlight Opera House, then asked whether the investigators had examined the bodies.

Newman investigated the murders of three special envoys at the Embassy and concluded that at least two professional assassins had killed them. Unable to solve the case alone, he recruited the dismissed City Guard officer Baron, who agreed to help for wine.

• Newman and Janice inspected the envoys' bodies and learned that the servants had found them after the killings.
• Newman found signs that the assassins entered through the windows and determined that the three envoys had been killed with different weapons.
• Newman learned that Mengsong and Anok had fought with people at the Moonlight Opera House, broadening the list of suspects.
• Newman told Janice he knew someone who could find the assassins, then led her and soldiers to a tavern to recruit Baron.
• Baron agreed to investigate in exchange for ten bottles of the best wine.

Baron examined the murder scene and concluded that one tall killer had acted out of personal hatred. A necromancer reenacted Mengsong’s final moments, revealing that the victim recognized the person entering through the window, and Olin ordered the Rikaner Kingdom’s Legion camp surrounded.

• Baron examined the bodies and crime scene, deduced that one tall killer had used multiple weapons, and judged that the killer held a grudge against the envoy.
• Annan arrived with Olin and a necromancer carrying a Human Skull to help investigate the murders.
• The necromancer used a spell to reenact Mengsong’s final moments from the memories and instincts remaining in his body.
• Baron noticed that Mengsong had looked toward the window in a mirror without appearing surprised, suggesting he recognized the person who entered.
• Olin ordered the City Guard to surround the Rikaner Kingdom’s Legion camp and prevent anyone from entering or leaving.

Annan and Olin investigated the deaths of Cynthia and Ah Anok, and the inquiry led them to Isa, who confessed to killing them as part of Monsong’s plan to frame Annan. Isa ended the interrogation by revealing that he had been chosen because he was Mixed Blood.

• Annan, Olin, and the others examined Cynthia’s body, but her spirit gave them no useful clue before Baron moved on to Ah Anok’s room.
• Ah Anok’s reanimated body crawled toward Janice, prompting Baron to identify the killer and Olin to order an investigation at the Legion Headquarters.
• Olin’s assistant reported that Isa had no alibi and had confessed, while Gennaro Montreal confronted Annan and was made to apologize by Olin.
• At the Camp, Isa admitted that Monsong had ordered him to kill and frame Annan, and said Monsong wanted Cynthia and Ah Anok dead as well.
• Isa explained that he killed Ah Anok after the prince learned the truth, then revealed that he was Mixed Blood.

Annan rejected the Ministry of the Interior’s alternative sites and insisted on taking the Sorendor Ruins for Commercial Street. After an official learned that Ai Eliyes was the Royal Family’s Old Ancestor, the Ministry quickly granted Annan the property with tax exemptions.

• Annan refused to thank Isa for murdering Mongsong and the others, and Isa was taken into custody.
• Janice offered to reinstate Barron, but Annan suggested making him a paid consultant instead.
• Annan learned that Isa had died in his cell, taking his remaining secrets with him.
• Annan rejected the Ministry official’s proposed sites and demanded the Sorendor Ruins.
• The official’s colleague recognized Ai Eliyes as the Royal Family’s Old Ancestor, and the Ministry swiftly issued Annan the deed to Sorendor Garden with tax waivers.

After acquiring the Sorendor Ruins, Annan cleared the area, brought the Black Wolf Gang under Free City’s authority, and named the new street Moonlight Street. He discussed lowering Magic Musket prices with Francois before Ingrid brought him a copy of the Rikaner Glory.

• Francois recruited Kermi and the Black Wolf Gang to investigate their members, hire workers in the Lower Hive, and keep civilians out while the Knights’ Order dismantled the other gangs.
• Workers began clearing the Sorendor Ruins as the Knights’ Order drove out gang members, and Sailita Dena thanked Annan for the changes.
• Annan invited Sailita Dena to name the new street, then chose Moonlight Street when she could not decide.
• Annan learned that Magic Musket sales had brought in no revenue and set tiered discounts for bulk purchases despite Francois’s concerns about the weapons being copied.
• Ingrid handed Annan a copy of the Rikaner Glory.

Rikaner Kingdom framed Annan for the royal family’s assassination and spread false stories about his past, prompting Annan and his allies to anticipate further attempts to turn the public against Free City. Protests soon escalated into looting and arson across the city.

• Annan read Rikaner Kingdom’s newspaper accusing him of killing Mengsong, Cynthia, and Anok, and revealing that the real Lewis Reeves was dead.
• Annan met Olmedo and Idelia, who warned that Rikaner Kingdom was using him as a common enemy to ease internal tensions and would likely intensify the conflict.
• Annan learned that Count Ulmit had raised a struggling floating village and was selling his possessions to buy supplies from Free City.
• The day after their meeting, protesters gathered outside the Moonlight Opera House and surrounded commercial streets, but Free City dispersed them.
• On the third day, agitators led poor residents into commercial streets, where crowds looted widely and set a Theater on fire.

Annan faced continued protests and public anger after the Rikaner Kingdom’s actions, then decided Free City would retaliate through a broader kind of war rather than simply fight on the battlefield. He declared that Free City would take revenge by any means, though he had not yet chosen a concrete plan.

• Annan learned that many protesters genuinely believed he was a villain, while Olmedo explained why some kept shouting even after being beaten.
• The Empire Times and Voice of Freedom undermined the Rikaner Kingdom’s account of the Victory Parade murders, and their stories spread among the public.
• A Special Envoy claimed the kingdom’s Radical Faction and the Orr Empire were responsible, but Annan dismissed him and resolved to retaliate against the Rikaner Kingdom.
• Annan described economic sabotage as another form of warfare, then agreed with Olmedo to summon a meeting.
• Annan told the assembled officials that Free City would take glorious revenge on the Rikaner Kingdom by any means, without naming a specific strategy.

Annan declared war on the Rikaner Kingdom while considering how Free City could undermine it without harming its commoners. After Lilith announced the declaration across the city, Ivana spoke with a stranger named Naber, who warned that war would bring more turmoil.

• Annan considered ways to weaken the Rikaner Kingdom and discussed the Orc Empire's collapse with Olmedo, Luoxi, Femi, Idelia, and Jack.
• Annan decided to declare war on the Rikaner Kingdom but instructed the others to say nothing beyond the declaration.
• Lilith relayed Free City's declaration of war, prompting people across the city to stop and listen.
• Ivana met Naber in an alley, and they discussed the war, blame, and the hatred it could create.
• A girl with a ponytail arrived to take Ivana home and warned her not to talk to strangers.

Annan assigned Dragon-Taming Boy Elder and two White Dragons to distribute propaganda leaflets across the Rikaner Kingdom as part of Free City’s first offensive. With Evelyn’s leaflets already prepared, Elder was set to leave sooner than expected.

• Annan told the Red Witch to coordinate with Deputy City Lord Olmedo after explaining that he had killed a Legendary Red Dragon Sorcerer.
• Cathy visited Annan with Ivana, using a candy riddle as an excuse to spend time with him, and Ivana recounted meeting the Legendary Bard Naber.
• Annan asked Elder to take Alison and Iroda to scatter propaganda leaflets over Rikaner towns, while the Red Witch and Francois pursued their own parts of the offensive.
• A Newspaper Office employee told Annan that Evelyn had already prepared the leaflets, so Elder could depart as soon as possible.

The Red Witch exposed and killed a pirate spy hired by the Rikaner Kingdom, then continued Free City's mission to the Violet Oldlands despite clashing with her liaison officer. As the ships neared inhabited shores, Elder traveled toward the Rikaner border and saw ratfolk overrunning the wilderness.

• The Red Witch caught Gordon plotting to steal the ships for the Rikaner Kingdom, learned that the owner of Donald's Laundry was his contact, and threw him into the sea.
• The liaison officer reported Gordon's betrayal and the Red Witch's unauthorized execution to Deputy City Lord Olmedo, who approved the plan and sent leaflets aboard.
• The Red Witch crumpled a leaflet, but backed down when the liaison officer defended its importance as a source of hope for civilians.
• After more than ten days at sea, the Red Witch's fleet reached shores showing signs of human activity.
• Elder traveled toward the Rikaner Kingdom's border with two blue dragons and leaflets, and saw ratfolk roaming the wilderness.

Elder’s flyer drops over the Rikaner Kingdom ended in disaster when Ize Bay’s Mage Tower struck Ai Alison and sent her and Elder falling. In another hub city, Francois continued the campaign despite its exposure and made a gang of thugs lead him to their hideout.

• Elder and Iroda scattered flyers over five Towns without resistance before flying toward Ize Bay.
• Ize Bay’s Mage Tower hit Ai Alison with Magic Arrows, and Elder lost his grip and fell with her.
• Francois learned that the Rikaner Kingdom had branded Free City’s flyers as cursed and threatened people who circulated them.
• A gang of thugs cornered Francois, but they became frightened when they recognized the flyers in his suitcase.
• Francois ordered the thugs to take him to their hideout, and their boss led the way.

Francois took control of the Saltfish Gang in the impoverished district, while Annan showed Count Ulmit how Free City was growing and explained its plans against the Rikaner Kingdom. The chapter left Francois established as gang boss and Count Ulmit impressed by Free City’s forces, including former Rikaner cavalry being remade into its soldiers.

• Francois saw the misery of the district beyond the Inner City and learned that the Saltfish Gang’s leader called it the Saltfish Gang because he hoped people could eat plenty of salted fish.
• Francois declared himself the gang’s new boss, defeated the doorman who objected, and won the gang’s agreement.
• Annan explained to Count Ulmit that Free City would stay in place and undermine the Rikaner Kingdom gradually rather than attack it openly.
• Annan showed Count Ulmit Free City’s arena, taverns, and Legion camps, and Count Ulmit praised the soldiers while envying the Disciplinary Legion’s mages.
• Annan revealed that the disciplined cavalrymen were former Rikaner Kingdom escorts who had joined Free City and were being remade into its soldiers.

Francois revealed that the Rikaner Kingdom had conspired with the Ratfolk and recruited the Saltfish Gang to help overthrow it. While Dahl gathered information and the gang regrouped, a screening of a Magic Film featuring the Warriors of Free City captivated the residents.

• Francois told the Saltfish Gang that the Rikaner Kingdom had helped the Ratfolk invade neighboring countries before the scheme turned against it.
• Francois asked the gang to join the effort to overthrow the Kingdom, and Dahl, Little Smo, and the other thugs agreed.
• Francois sent Dahl to learn about the street's residents and Little Smo to bring back the gang members and children.
• Dahl dismissed his lackey's fears and returned to the hideout, where they found a Magic Film of the Warriors of Free City playing.
• Residents reacted enthusiastically to the Warriors of Free City screening, while one viewer complained that Free City had taken the credit.

Lu Yan confronted Haizhou Pharmaceutical Group chairman Guo Xiaopeng over a hidden washing-powder laboratory and exposed the operation with police help. Guo was arrested, while Liu Mei remained bound in a dark room.

• Guo Xiaopeng showed Zhang Changlin and Lu Yan around Haizhou Pharmaceutical Group, then refused to let Lu Yan inspect a warehouse.
• Lu Yan punched Guo and fought off the guards while Zhang Changlin tried to help and was shot in the backside.
• A smoke grenade gave Cao Bin and the police time to arrive with a search warrant, while Lu Yan revealed he had recorded Guo's threats.
• Lu Yan led the officers to a hidden laboratory and exposed Guo's aide, Lu Hui, as part of the operation.
• Liu Mei struggled helplessly while tied up in a dark room and wondered who had bound her.

Francois fed the Saltfish Gang and their families, then revealed that he had come to get them out of Starer City. He named their new group the Blade of Freedom.

• Lame Bob offered to treat the gang members in exchange for food, and Francois accepted while remaining cautious of him.
• Lame Bob treated two gang members with fevers, and Francois fed the gang Meat Soup, Bread, and cooked meat.
• After the meal, Francois told the gang to bring their families to the hideout and refused to make a child bring the mother who had sold him.
• The gang members’ families and other residents arrived, and Francois fed them the remaining soup.
• Francois told everyone he had come to get them out, invited Lame Bob to join, and named the group the Blade of Freedom.

Francois recruited starving residents into the Blade of Freedom by offering food, care, and hope, then expanded the Saltfish Gang and crushed the Shark Gang. Just as the group took control of the entire street, its food supply ran low, while the Red Witch continued her activities in Noan Port.

• Francois struggled to recruit residents until Lame Bob calmed them and persuaded them to join, with Little Smo leading the first show of support.
• Francois shared the leaflet "300 Warriors of Free City," and he and Lame Bob organized food, herbs, and aid for starving and sick locals.
• Dahl brought supplies while Little Smo gathered people in need, and the Saltfish Gang grew to seventy members.
• Francois led Dahl and Little Smo to the Shark Gang's headquarters, where Francois had already defeated its boss, and Little Smo rescued the captives.
• The Blade of Freedom took over the entire street, but Francois learned they were nearly out of food as the Red Witch operated in Noan Port.

Annan’s forces exploited Noan Port’s crackdown and rescued residents who wanted to leave, while Francois struggled to feed the Saltfish Gang in Starer City. With Deepwinter approaching and supplies scarce, Francois persuaded his people to eat rat meat.

• The Rikaner Kingdom’s authorities arrested and executed residents of Noan Port on accusations of colluding with Free City, while avoiding a direct confrontation with Free City’s ships.
• The Red Witch and the liaison officer discussed exploiting the port’s unrest, and the liaison officer brought residents who wanted to leave back to Free City.
• Annan ordered continued harassment of coastal ports and asked the Red Witch to discreetly investigate the loss of contact with Francois and Elder.
• Francois learned that grain prices had risen sharply, ordered Little Smo to distribute food, and sent Dahl to seize the Shark Gang’s property.
• As Deepwinter neared, Francois approved buying rats for food, and he ate rat meat first to convince his starving people to follow.

Francois and the Saltfish Gang distributed roasted rat meat to hungry residents, while Lame Bob told stories that presented Free City as generous and just. The crowd went home with renewed hope and was urged to keep the food distribution quiet unless outsiders asked.

• Francois ate rat meat to show the thugs that even a noble could stomach it, then vomited outside.
• Francois had the Cook roast the rat meat, and the Saltfish Gang handed it out to hungry residents who gathered around the fire.
• Francois told the residents to keep the food distribution secret and invited them to bring their families.
• Lame Bob told three stories about Free City's goodwill, honest officials, and compassionate justice.
• The residents gradually returned home, their hopes rekindled.

Francois strengthened the Saltfish Gang’s hold on Saltfish Street by helping residents, recruiting new members, and expanding aid to nearby streets. Nur reported Francois’s presence to City Guard Officer Spencer, who set out to investigate.

• Francois organized the cleanup of Saltfish Street and paid residents in black Bread, while Lame Bob, Dahl, and Little Smo took on greater responsibilities.
• Francois and Dahl bought Rat meat at the Market and persuaded a vendor to teach them how to make traps in exchange for buying his future catch.
• The Saltfish Gang recruited nearly every able-bodied young adult on Saltfish Street as Francois expanded his aid to a neighboring street with Lame Bob.
• Nur overheard neighbors praising Saltfish Street, spotted Francois beside Lame Bob, and hurried to the City Guard’s headquarters.
• Nur told Spencer that an outsider noble was working with the Saltfish Gang, and Spencer ordered him to lead the way.