Chapter Summaries

Annan sold Guardian and Knight Golems to Vitalig to help protect the Rikaner Kingdom and profit from the new invention. After the deal, Annan worried that the Kingdom’s old habits and traditions might undermine Vitalig’s efforts to change it.

• Annan told the Kingdom messenger to bring Vitalig to Free City rather than let him travel there himself.
• Annan showed Vitalig the Guardian Type-One Golem and offered it for one hundred Gold Coins each; Vitalig ordered five hundred.
• Annan also offered Knight Golems, and Vitalig ordered five hundred, requesting delivery as soon as they were ready.
• Vitalig thanked Annan for helping the Kingdom on fair terms and asked about the young students he had sent to Free City.
• After the Portal closed, Annan explained to Olmedo that he feared the Rikaner Kingdom’s old traditions would wear down Vitalig’s resolve.

Annan decided to strengthen the Montablinlock Duchy with Guardians so it could help resist a Ratfolk invasion without dragging Free City into war. He persuaded the hesitant Grand Duke Girardi to reclaim authority, but Girardi still needed money to obtain the Golems.

• Annan refused to let Free City become entangled in the Kingdom's war and considered supporting the Montablinlock Duchy instead.
• Olmedo told Annan that Grand Duke Girardi was at the Dawn Tavern, where Annan found him playing cards.
• Girardi admitted that he felt like a puppet and had lost confidence in himself as Grand Duke.
• Annan encouraged Girardi to oppose his enemies and offered him Guardians that would obey his commands.
• Girardi worried that the Duchy lacked funds, so Annan suggested confiscating nobles' estates, trading Mineral Resources, or buying the Golems on credit.

Annan sold Guardian Golems to Ulmit I and arranged plans for a Golem Factory and a northern Great Wall, but Girardi returned to Free City after the Duchy's ministers accused Annan of turning the Duchy into a puppet and tried to seize control of him. Annan reacted furiously and prepared to confront the nobles.

• Annan persuaded Ulmit I to buy one hundred Guardian Golems at the discounted price of one hundred gold coins each.
• Idelia arranged for Gravelstone to build a Golem Factory, while Francois recruited workers and Idelia considered a Second Northern Great Wall to provide jobs.
• Annan proposed building a Great Wall along the Duchy's northern border to protect against Demons and Ratfolk, with the Duchy paying the construction costs.
• Girardi told Annan that the Duchy's ministers had rejected the Golem and wall proposals, accused him of betraying the Duchy, and tried to take control of him.
• Girardi escaped to Free City with help from loyal retainers, and Annan vowed that the Duchy's nobles would answer for their actions.

Olmedo and the Blade of Freedom helped Girardi secure control of Watchhold, while Annan expanded Free City’s Golem production and business plans. By February, the ordered Guardian Golems were ready for delivery, but Annan remained anxious because Wilhelm’s Invitation Letter had not arrived.

• Olmedo sent Deck and Berst with the Blade of Freedom to help Girardi deal with the nobles in Watchhold.
• The Blade of Freedom and the Disciplinary Legion secured Watchhold for Girardi, and Imperial officials later arrested more nobles to reinforce his rule.
• Annan ordered the Mushroom House to develop its own Runes Modules and approved research into a Detect Malice Module for a future Type Two Guardian.
• Idelia organized language lessons for new citizens, while the Golem factory reached steady production of twenty units a day.
• In February, the five hundred Guardian Golems ordered by Vitalig, Girardi, and Ulmit were completed, but Annan worried that Wilhelm’s Invitation Letter still had not arrived.

Annan investigated why Free City had not received an invitation to the Elven Celebration, while Tadel looked into the problem. To draw the Royal Court’s attention, Free City launched a popular short-fiction magazine, Kindred Spirits, which sold out quickly.

• Annan persuaded Old Ancestor to ask why Free City had not received an invitation to the Elven Celebration.
• Annan asked a Wilhelm merchant about valuable currencies and who had been invited, but the merchant refused to answer for free.
• Tadel told Annan that the invitation should have arrived before the delegation and promised to investigate, advising him to attract the Royal Court’s attention without mentioning the missing invitation.
• Free City announced Kindred Spirits, a monthly short-fiction magazine credited to Evelyn and Barr, and invited submissions from across the Allen Continent.
• Kindred Spirits’ first issue sold out in less than half a day, and readers praised its stories, including “The Little Shopkeeper.”

Annan prepared to attend the Elven Calendar Celebration after Tadel secured Free City entry without an Invitation Letter. As the Celebration approached, the Skeleton King announced he would travel with Annan, who began his journey by ship and left Olmedo in charge.

• Annan learned from Tadel that an Elven messenger had disappeared, and that factions in the Elven Royal Court suspected his involvement and opposed an alliance with Free City.
• Tadel later told Annan he could attend the Celebration without an Invitation Letter, and Annan checked for threats by consulting the Magic Mirror, Apocalypse Forecast, and Gale.
• Annan asked Gale to request unused ore and materials from the Stuen Ratfolk, while Gale warned him that accepting their help could revive their plans to control Free City.
• As the Celebration drew near, the Skeleton King visited Free City and told Annan he would travel with him.
• Annan stopped Martin from boarding the merchant ship, told Olmedo to look after Free City, and prepared to depart.

Annan and the Skeleton King traveled from Maple Tree Island into Wilhelm, where Annan advanced to seventh-level Sorcerer and used the Skeleton King’s status to pass through Rainbow Shell Port. They reached Xiumiya Garden and set out for Aldo Forest, where the elves would meet them.

• Annan advanced to seventh-level Sorcerer aboard the merchant ship but found his Mana Vortex still could not power his Innate Spell.
• Annan and the Skeleton King reached Maple Tree Island, left their cargo with the officials, and took a Ferry to Rainbow Shell Port.
• Annan presented the invitation and introduced the Skeleton King as a guest of the Elven Royal Court, gaining them an escort to the Teleportation portal.
• Annan and the Skeleton King teleported to Xiumiya Garden and headed toward Aldo Forest.
• Annan gave a silver coin to a young beggar and wondered why Wilhelm had poor people.

Annan traveled toward the Elven Royal Court with the Skeleton King and Prince Aidan, but Eliana took him away for etiquette training before the celebration. The chapter left Annan walking through Aldo Forest with Eliana as he tried to make conversation.

• Annan met Prince Aidan of the Paem Kingdom, who joined Annan and the Skeleton King on their journey.
• The group rode unicorn carriages through the forest toward the Elven Royal Court, and Annan gave a unicorn a Gemstone.
• Eliana met the arriving party and said the Elders' Council had ordered her to train Annan in etiquette and skills.
• The Skeleton King agreed that Annan needed training, and Annan went with Eliana despite asking him to save him.
• A unicorn gave a Ruby to Lionheart after looking toward Annan, and Annan continued asking Eliana questions as they walked through Aldo Forest.

Annan spent his first day in the Elven Royal Court being trained by Eliana, who warned that the upcoming celebration could be dangerous. As he meditated in the training hut that night, he heard someone approach and recognized Irilanze.

• Eliana took Annan to a training clearing, where he failed to draw both an ordinary bow and a lightweight child's bow.
• Eliana taught Annan etiquette and warned him to avoid mentioning Dark Elves, approaching the World Tree without an elder, or entering forbidden areas.
• Eliana admitted that she hated humans but did not hate Annan, though she did not like him.
• Eliana gave Annan a fruit that could gradually improve his strength and affinity for magic power, but said he could eat only one every three days.
• Eliana told Annan he would stay in the training hut because something had happened in the Royal Court and it was the safest place for him.
• As Annan meditated that night, he heard footsteps and recognized Irilanze.

Irilanze visited Annan in the training hut, told him the Elven Royal Court was divided over its alliance with Free City, and promised to show him the arriving guests. After a day of training, she took him to watch the forest entrance, where a disturbing procession arrived and she left him in the trees.

• Irilanze visited Annan and explained that supporters and opponents of the alliance were evenly matched at the Elven Royal Court.
• Irilanze told Annan that Ymir's soul had been reincarnated and promised to take him to see the guests arriving at Aldo Forest.
• Ai Eliana trained Annan in elven customs and archery, while Annan struggled to draw the children's bow and hit the targets.
• Irilanze led Annan to a tree overlooking the forest entrance, where they watched a procession wearing goat skulls arrive in a carriage made from bones and flesh.
• Irilanze left Annan among the branches as the elven Guards escorted the ominous procession into Aldo Forest.

Annan watched unusual delegations arrive at the Elven Royal Court, continued archery training with Eliana, and sent Tadel a warning about forces undermining the Elves’ reforms. After a week of training, Eliana told Annan he could leave only after passing a test.

• Annan saw a procession of Grayfur Rat Priests and Ratfolk carrying the Sereine Clan’s rat King to the Elven Celebration.
• Eliana took Annan back to the training cabin, where he meditated and practiced archery; she demonstrated increasingly difficult shots that humbled him.
• Irilanze identified the skeleton procession as Cultists and explained the Ratfolk hierarchy to Annan.
• Annan asked Irilanze to relay a story to Tadel about a rich man sabotaging a new Town Chief’s reforms, but Tadel replied that the Elven Royal Court would not be divided by a small matter.
• Annan spent a week training by day and watching delegations with Irilanze at night, while he and Eliana maintained an unspoken agreement about his excursions.
• After Annan finished the last Fruit Eliana had brought him, he asked to finish training, and Eliana told him to pass a test first.

Annan completed Eliana’s archery and combat trials by shooting an illusionary elf and summoning the Skeleton King to defeat the Supreme Golem. Eliana then led Annan and the Skeleton King into the hidden Emerald Capital, where Annan was awestruck by the World Tree and reconsidered the elves’ power.

• Annan hit an illusionary elf in the forehead during the archery test, and Eliana declared that he had passed.
• Eliana summoned the Supreme Golem for Annan’s combat trial, and Annan called the Skeleton King, who destroyed it with a spell.
• Annan asked the Skeleton King about the many envoys in the Green Capital, and they agreed that the Elven Royal Court had invited unusual guests.
• Eliana led Annan and the Skeleton King through a hidden barrier into the Emerald Capital.
• Annan marveled at the city and its vast World Tree, then realized how greatly he had underestimated the elves.

Annan arrived at the Emerald Capital and chose Eliana as his guide for the upcoming Celebration. After Eliana gave him a signal leaf, Irilanze visited him, identified his training fruit as an Origin Fruit, and promised to ask the elders about obtaining more.

• Annan followed Eliana and the Skeleton King into the Emerald Capital, where guests were staying in Treehouses on the Basin’s outskirts.
• Annan chose Eliana as his guide for the Celebration, and she agreed to the appointment.
• The Skeleton King warned Annan that elves were faithful to one partner, while Annan insisted he only wanted a suitable guide.
• Eliana gave Annan a leaf he could blow to summon her, and he watched the World Tree from his Treehouse until evening.
• Irilanze visited Annan, identified his purple training fruit as an Origin Fruit, and promised to bring him more and ask the elders about a larger supply.

Annan toured the Emerald Capital with Eliana, surveyed the arriving delegations, and tried to persuade her that he wanted to change humanity through an alliance with the elves. The chapter left Eliana skeptical of Annan but unexpectedly impressed by the human food he served.

• Annan asked Irilanze about the Elven Royal Court and the World Tree, learning that its leaves were sacred and unavailable for trade.
• At dawn, Annan greeted the Skeleton King, activated a Magic Stone, and followed Eliana through the guest area to record the arriving delegations.
• Annan visited the Tartun Empire's Treehouse, recognized Frimond Oli, and noted the many races gathered for the celebration.
• Annan questioned Eliana about Magic Films and humanity, admitted that human leaders often lied and broke rules, and said he wanted to change society by allying with the elves.
• Annan served Eliana beef soup and apple pie from Free City, and she disliked his claim that he was a secondhand vegetarian but enjoyed the pie.

Annan learned that the Elven Royal Court had banned several Magic Films because their stories featured Orcs and Vampires, so he screened Betar's Redemption beneath the World Tree to assert his worth and encourage younger Elves to support an alliance. He stopped the screening after Eliana asked him to, but promised to show the story of a prisoner seeking freedom the next day.

• Irilanze told Annan that the Elven Royal Court had screened only three Magic Films and had banned Betar's Redemption and other films because they featured Orcs or Vampires.
• Annan went to a public area in the Emerald Capital, set out a picnic, and projected Betar's Redemption above the World Tree using an Eternal Magic Stone.
• Annan explained to himself that he wanted to strengthen the younger The Faction's resolve and show the Elven Royal Court that he would assert his worth as an ally.
• The Elven Captain asked Annan to put away the Magic Stone, but he challenged her to bring the elder responsible for the order.
• Eliana arrived because the elders thought she could stop Annan, and he agreed to end the screening for that night.
• Annan announced that he would show the story of an innocent prisoner seeking freedom the next day, then dismissed the film and packed up.

Annan won Eliana over with Magic Films, discovered that she was Irilanze, and secured permission to explore the Emerald Capital. The Skeleton King then helped him invite Minister Frimond Oli to meet, with Annan threatening to reveal footage of the minister’s niece if he refused.

• Annan showed Eliana several Magic Films, and she agreed to stop trying to persuade him to abandon his plans.
• Annan realized Irilanze was Eliana in disguise, and Irilanze admitted that she had hidden her identity because she liked him.
• Annan met Elder Samael Night Song, who allowed him to look around the Emerald Capital.
• The Skeleton King pointed out that no one had visited Annan, so Annan asked him to deliver an invitation to Minister Frimond Oli.
• Annan told the Skeleton King to threaten to release footage of Isabel and Annan if Minister Ollie declined the invitation.

Annan’s attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock drew Minister Ollie to the treehouse, where he and the Skeleton King discussed the elves’ conduct. After a misunderstanding involving Eliana and Irilanze, Annan ventured into the Emerald Capital with both Elf Mentors, ending the day still short of the World Tree.

• Minister Ollie confronted Annan over Isabel, then spoke with the Skeleton King about the lack of a visiting delegation and the elves’ behavior.
• The Skeleton King explained that Minister Ollie had deliberately played along with Annan’s plan before vanishing from the treehouse.
• Eliana arrived disguised as Irilanze, but the real Irilanze appeared and bound Eliana with vines after mistaking their closeness for a romantic arrangement.
• Annan introduced the two Elf Mentors, then persuaded them to show him around the Emerald Capital after learning Samael Night Song had allowed him out.
• Irilanze guided Annan through the busy city and made suggestive remarks at its landmarks, while Eliana pointed out that their repeated loops around the treehouses had made them too late to reach the World Tree before dark.

Annan welcomed Prince Aidan, the High King's son, and told him about the world beyond Wilhelm while learning about the Paem Kingdom's obsession with rules. The next morning, Annan helped Aidan slip out to explore, then gave him a Magic Stone.

• Annan listened as Prince Aidan described the Paem Kingdom and its rigid rules, and Annan shared stories of his dealings with Aidan's father.
• Prince Aidan admitted that he wanted to explore outside the treehouses, and Annan arranged to take him out the next morning.
• Annan and Prince Aidan passed the Elf Captain and her cavalry, who let them leave without interference.
• As they walked, Prince Aidan said Annan's influence extended across the Allen Continent, and Annan gave him a Magic Stone.

Annan spent the day with Irilanze and her friend while Dark Elves searched for Prince Aidan, who had secretly returned to a human hideout. Aidan attacked Knight Lacazette after rejecting his orders, while Annan ended the chapter wiping fruit pulp on Irilanze.

• Annan met Irilanze and her friend Hilde while Prince Aidan walked away alone.
• Dark Elves reported to Elder Samael Night Song that Prince Aidan had disappeared, and Samael ordered them to keep watching Annan and search for the prince.
• Annan joked with Irilanze and Hilde as they headed to the picnic grounds, unaware that Aidan had returned to a human hideout.
• Prince Aidan proposed winning Annan over, but Knight Lacazette ordered him not to overstep.
• Prince Aidan seized Knight Lacazette by the throat and slammed him down.
• Fruit pulp splattered across Annan, who wiped it off on Irilanze, making Hilde and the other elves blush.

Prince Aidan killed Knight Lacazette, appointed Shiro as the Ideal Kingdom’s new leader, and kept the group’s plan for the celebration in motion. Meanwhile, Annan’s film delighted the elves, and after his convoy arrived, Prince Aidan helped arrange a series of sales that left Annan’s entire shipment sold out.

• Prince Aidan killed Knight Lacazette and appointed Shiro to lead the Ideal Kingdom, then ordered the group to continue its plan for the celebration and investigate Annan’s shipment.
• Samael Night Song found the elves watching Annan’s latest film and left without disturbing them.
• After the screening, Annan entertained the elves with behind-the-scenes stories, then returned to the Treehouse with Irilanze.
• Prince Aidan visited Annan with a gift, and Annan told him about his arriving convoy and showed him the inventory.
• The next morning, several customers bought Annan’s goods, and he discovered that the entire shipment had sold out.