Chapter Summaries

Annan opened the new Free City School, then reviewed its first enrollment figures and decided the farmers should attend the sparsely chosen Living Academy. The chapter ended with Hunter and Jack questioning why farmers needed to learn to read.

• Annan opened the new Free City School and welcomed its students, then let Mr. Swaro end the speeches and announce that classes would begin the next morning.
• Annan caught Cathy after the ceremony and brought her and Ivana to the City Lord's Mansion to see Idelia.
• Annan reviewed the first day's applications and learned that only thirteen people had applied to the Living Academy.
• Annan decided to send the farmers to the Living Academy after the autumn harvest.
• An official brought the registration book to Hunter and Jack, and Jack asked why he needed to learn to read if he only wanted to farm.

Hunter left Jack to attend the Living Academy, but invited him to move into the city dormitory as well. Meanwhile, Annan learned that the Ratfolk had attacked the Dimon Kingdom, and the Six Legions’ commanders urged him to let them fight as he waited for more information.

• Hunter left for the Living Academy, while Jack tried to hide how much he would miss him.
• Hunter told Jack he would live in the city dormitory and invited him to come along, though they would leave their farmland behind.
• Idelia reviewed Free City’s rising expenses and found that the costs were accounted for and necessary.
• A messenger brought Annan a letter from Grand Marshal Garkin’s family reporting that the Ratfolk had attacked.
• Annan asked Evelyn to prepare the news for publication and planned to seek more information from Gale.
• The commanders of the Six Legions gathered to demand a chance to fight, but Annan told them to wait.

Annan gathered intelligence from the Middle Earth powers as he prepared Free City for a possible Ratfolk invasion, then met with the Stuen Ratfolk Elder to learn about the McKinnon Rats. The Elder demanded proof of Free City's sincerity, leaving their cooperation at risk unless Annan could offer something the Stuen Rats wanted.

• Annan asked Gale, Olin, the Dimon Kingdom, and Vitalig for information about the Ratfolk and the Empire's response.
• Vitalig told Annan that the McKinnon Rats had been ordered to attack the warm lands, and he warned his students that the Rikaner Kingdom remained dangerous.
• Sigma and the other students insisted on returning to defend their Kingdom despite the risk of death.
• The Stuen Ratfolk Elder arranged to meet Annan through a Portal, and both tried to use the secrecy of their dealings as leverage.
• The Elder demanded that Free City show real sincerity if it wanted to continue working with the Stuen Rats.

After the Ratfolk Elder rejected Annan’s earlier offer, Annan proposed making a Magic Film for the Holy Race in exchange for intelligence about the McKennan Ratfolk’s attack. He secured Gale’s place in Free City and left the meeting with a Devil Contract promising a mutually beneficial partnership.

• Annan realized Olmedo’s mention of “cat and mouse” had given him the idea to make a Magic Film for the Stuen Ratfolk, and he learned the Ratfolk Artisans were helping build the railway.
• Annan found Gale packing to return home because the Ratfolk Elder had ordered her to take control of him, but he promised her he had found a solution and asked her to arrange another meeting.
• Annan, Gale, Francois, and Claire met the Ratfolk Elder at the Mage Tower, where Annan offered to portray the Stuen Ratfolk positively in a Magic Film.
• Annan refused to wait for the Ratfolk Elder’s intelligence and insisted the elder provide useful information about the McKennan Ratfolk’s attack first.
• Annan and the Ratfolk Elder signed a Devil Contract, agreeing that Annan would make the Stuen Ratfolk likable characters and the elder would provide true, useful intelligence.

Annan brought Gale back from her intelligence mission and recruited the Painting Person to create animation for a new Magic Film. He still needed a musician, so he asked Dean Breichim to find a Grand Musician and orchestra in Siltovis.

• Annan worried about Gale's return to the Ratfolk, and Maria explained that Gale's status as a Priest protected her from the chaos at the bottom of their society.
• Gale returned through the Teleportation Portal, embraced Annan in view of the Ratfolk Elder, and handed him intelligence reports about the McKennan Ratfolk.
• Annan brought Gale's reports to Idelia and Olmedo, then looked for Tina to recruit her for a Magic Film, but Tina refused to come out after Annan saw her changed appearance.
• Annan spotted a lifelike sketch by the Painting Person and recruited them to work on Cat and Mouse.
• Annan asked Dean Breichim to find a Grand Musician and an orchestra in Siltovis to provide music for the film.

Annan hired Yoram Gweizdi to compose music for Cat and Mouse, then learned that Ratfolk and demons were launching a major offensive through the Thun Corridor and against the Dimon Kingdom. The war was moving far from Free City for now, leaving Annan to focus on his new work and the Stuen Rats’ urgent concerns.

• Yoram Gweizdi won the musician's position on Annan's new work by offering 350 gold coins, and Francois warned Annan about accepting payment from him.
• Illymoyas briefly appeared as a phantom after sensing the valuables, so Annan ordered that gold and valuables be kept out of the City Lord's Mansion.
• Annan met Yoram Gweizdi and told him he would compose music for Cat and Mouse while the Painting Person studied storyboards and montage.
• Olmedo told Annan that the McKinnon Rats and demons were invading through the Thun Corridor and had also sent forces toward the Dimon Kingdom.
• Olmedo showed Annan a drawing of a huge, demon-armored Ratfolk, and Annan saw that the war was unlikely to reach Free City for now.

Annan commissioned ten animated episodes of Cat and Mouse and began working with Michael on a repeatedly rechargeable device to show them. After watching the finished animation, Annan invited the Orphanage children to a special premiere, which began as the lights dimmed.

• Annan asked Maria about her brother Jerry and added Maria and Gale as consultants on Cat and Mouse.
• Yoram Gweizdi and the Painting Person enthusiastically joined Annan in developing the animation, while Annan left to ask Michael for a low-cost, rechargeable device that could play Magic Film.
• Michael agreed to try making the device after Annan explained his requirements and promised to send materials.
• The Painting Person finished the drawings, and Yoram Gweizdi composed the music as the team completed ten episodes in three days.
• Annan watched all ten episodes, then invited the Orphanage children to the Theater for a special premiere.
• The children arrived with the Nun, and the room fell quiet as the lights dimmed.

Annan negotiated with the Ratfolk Elder over Cat and Mouse, arguing the animation could improve human attitudes toward Ratfolk if they also stopped harming humans. After she left, Annan turned his attention to threats in the North and the development of magic television.

• The Ratfolk Elder watched Cat and Mouse and objected that it portrayed the Holy Race as weak, while Annan insisted Jerry was the good guy.
• Annan persuaded the Ratfolk Elder that the animation could help humans grow fond of Ratfolk, but said the Stuen Ratfolk would need to stop attacking and corrupting humans.
• The Ratfolk Elder accepted a ten-use Magic Stone and invited Annan to join the Holy Race, but he declined and she vanished with the Portal.
• Annan told Lilith that he wanted to influence Ratfolk as well as humans, then joked about making Beauty and the Demon for Demons.
• Annan considered the McKennan Ratfolk threat in the North and began focusing on magic television, with Michael doing the work while Annan talked beside him.

Annan abandoned plans for an affordable Magic Television and chose to screen Cat and Mouse for free on the Commercial Streets. At Free City’s November meeting, he refused to send troops against the advancing McKinnon Rat but offered the Dimon Kingdom unlimited credit for supplies, with repayment depending on its survival.

• Annan learned that a Magic Television would cost at least thirty-three Gold Coins and put its development on hold, deciding to show Cat and Mouse for free on the Commercial Streets.
• At the monthly meeting, Ingrid reported that Commercial Street candy and Happy Water sales had risen dramatically, while Femi, Luoxi, and Jack said recruitment for their forces was nearly complete.
• Annan suggested buying prisoners from other powers to execute and accelerate the Otherworld Tree’s growth, but the officials rejected the idea for later discussion.
• Olmedo reported that the McKinnon Rat was advancing south, and Luoxi asked Annan to send troops to help the Rat’s victims and Free City’s trading partners.
• Annan refused to send troops but offered the Dimon Kingdom unlimited credit for goods, saying Free City would collect whatever remained if the kingdom lost.

Annan sent extensive supplies to Dimon Kingdom to help it withstand the Ratfolk, while the Royal Family tried to understand Free City's motives and arranged for Princess Aileen to stay there. The King recognized the aid as an investment, and Olmedo approved Dimon's requests on credit as criticism spread outside Free City.

• Annan sent Joan and a steady stream of supplies to Dimon Kingdom, presenting Free City as a friendly ally and urging its people to believe they could resist the Ratfolk.
• The King and the First Prince wondered why Free City had provided so much aid, and they arranged for Princess Aileen to meet Annan and stay in Free City.
• Joan refused the First Prince's request to make the aid less conspicuous, saying that confidence would help the Kingdom's people stand against the Ratfolk.
• After visiting Free City, Princess Aileen told the First Prince she admired Annan, and he encouraged her to remain there to strengthen ties and stay safe.
• The King concluded that Free City was investing in the Kingdom, while Olmedo approved Dimon Kingdom's requested supplies and arranged duplicate procurement records.
• Critics questioned Free City's aid on the Voice of Freedom, but Free City's people grew more devoted to Annan after hearing he wanted to protect Industrial District workers' jobs.

Annan explained that Free City continued production to preserve the skills and knowledge held by its workers. When the Duchy of Keating sought aid against the Rat Plague, Annan refused to extend credit, leaving Minister Fronning worried that Annan’s grudge against the Elven Royal Court would not fade.

• Annan told Idelia and Olmedo a story about rival kingdoms to explain that a territory’s true wealth lay in its people’s knowledge and skills.
• President Vario asked Annan to provide the Duchy of Keating with supplies and weapons on credit, but Annan refused and sent him away.
• Minister Fronning appealed to Annan’s past kindness and requested assistance for the duchy.
• Annan ordered five hundred Susan Spinning Machines for Keating but insisted the duchy pay on credit terms only if it did not expect repayment.
• Annan reminded Fronning that the duchy had traded with the Rikaner Kingdom and declared that Free City would sell Keating goods without extending credit.
• Fronning left worried that Annan would not forgive the Elven Royal Court for offending him.

Grand Marshal Garkin received supplies from Free City and ordered Commander Hangi to requisition grain for the army. After Hangi returned the villagers’ grain rather than leave them to starve, Garkin struck him and told him to come along.

• Grand Marshal Garkin inspected the supplies from Free City, rejected its Magic Muskets, and learned the army had only five days’ worth of grain.
• Grand Marshal Garkin sent Hangi and the Green Shield Knights' Order to requisition grain from settlers near Fenris Pass.
• Villagers protested that they had already given the Kingdom everything they could and begged the knights not to take their last grain.
• Hangi ordered his knights to return the grain, despite his aide warning him about Grand Marshal Garkin.
• Grand Marshal Garkin struck Hangi, told him that a soldier’s duty was to obey orders, and ordered him to come along.

Hangi and Grand Marshal Garkin faced the massive Rat Tide at Fenris Pass as a Magic Shield trapped Ratfolk inside the pass and gave the defenders only thirty minutes. Garkin revealed himself as a Legendary Warrior and leapt into the swarm to fight the Champion Rats while Hangi went to find the breach.

• Gru reported that hundreds of millions of Ratfolk had gathered north of Fenris Pass, while the vanguard had attacked for three days and no Demon Ratfolk had appeared.
• Grand Marshal Garkin told Hangi and the soldiers that they had to hold the pass because letting Ratfolk through would make the threat grow exponentially.
• A Magic Shield enclosed the pass, disintegrating Ratfolk that touched its barrier, and the Deputy Commander warned that the defenders had thirty minutes to retreat.
• Grand Marshal Garkin refused to retreat, and Hangi vowed to fight before rushing down from the City Wall to find and destroy the breach.
• The Old Housemaster revealed that Grand Marshal Garkin was a Legendary Warrior, and Garkin leapt into the Rat Tide and killed the Champion Rats with his Warhammer.

Grand Marshal Garkin led the defenders of Fenris Pass against the Ratfolk after the Magic Shield failed, then tested Annan’s weapons and ordered a vast supply of them from Free City. He left the battle expecting to arm the militia and cavalry with the new weapons.

• Grand Marshal Garkin rallied the soldiers outside the City Wall, killed the Grayfur Rat Priest, and withdrew behind the wall as the Magic Shield neared its end.
• The Deputy Commander reported that the tunnels had been cleared but the Green Shield Knights' Order Commander had died fighting Ratfolk intruders.
• When the Magic Shield vanished, the Ratfolk surged against the City Wall, and Garkin saw a Magic Cannon devastate them before firing one himself.
• Garkin tested a Mountain Copper Matchlock and saw it blow apart a Ratfolk, while the larger Magic Musket merely punched through its target.
• Garkin ordered the Deputy Commander to conscript the militia and requested ten thousand Magic Cannons, a hundred thousand Mountain Copper Matchlocks, and three hundred thousand Magic Muskets from Free City.

Annan negotiated weapons and supplies with Grand Marshal Garkin as the Ratfolk-Demon threat intensified across Middle Earth. He sent aid and trainers to Fenris Pass, then considered Free City's next strategic move while Luoxi argued for opportunities for the Guard Legion.

• Annan discussed weapon shortages with Olmedo and concluded that the Ratfolk and Demons, rather than the Dimon Kingdom, would determine whether the kingdom survived.
• Annan met Grand Marshal Garkin through a Portal and bargained over Mountain Copper Matchlocks, cannons, and ammunition for the front.
• After learning Fenris Pass had only three days of food left, Annan promised to send food and have the Mage Tower prepare healing Magic Scrolls.
• Annan ordered Femi to send a hundred elite Hellfire Legion Musketeers to train the Northern Resistance Legion at Fenris Pass.
• Luoxi complained that Annan favored the Hellfire Legion, and Head Maid Abby assured Annan that the Guard Legion was useful.

Annan sent Femi’s veteran Musketeers to reinforce Fenris Pass, where the Northern Resistance Army faced mounting Ratfolk attacks and a worsening food shortage. As Militia prepared for the front, Annan’s grain wagons arrived through a Portal, leaving Gema to reflect on how far Annan had surpassed him.

• Annan explained to Luoxi that he chose Femi to lead the troops because survival mattered more than glory, then urged Luoxi to find a fiancée and learn responsibility.
• Femi selected a hundred veteran Musketeers, and they arrived at Fenris Pass as seven thousand inexperienced Militia joined the camp.
• Paczini challenged Grand Marshal Garkin’s decision to send the Militia to the front, but Garkin ordered him to obey.
• As Ratfolk assaults and casualties increased, Garkin assigned Mark’s Hellfire soldiers to defend the western wall and gave them three days to train the Militia.
• With the pass running short of food, Annan sent a stream of grain wagons through a Portal, and Gema heard the Old Housemaster tell him that Annan was far beyond him.

Fischer’s spinning-machine rental scheme caught on across Free City, and Evelyn interviewed her about it. The chapter ends with Francois confronting Peterson after Ingrid traced a suspicious bulk order of machines to him.

• Annan’s food and cold-weather gear earned goodwill from the warriors, while Fischer’s fur-lined plate armor made her head of the spinning mill.
• Fischer proposed letting residents rent spinning machines, and Idelia approved the plan; more than three hundred machines were ordered on the first day.
• Evelyn visited Fischer and recorded her explanation of how the rental scheme could benefit both Free City and its residents.
• Ingrid’s investigation traced a suspicious large spinning-machine order to Peterson, one of Francois’s subordinates.
• Francois summoned Peterson, who wilted when Francois revealed that a Finance Department official was present, and Francois accused him of placing the order.

Annan and Francois dealt with Peterson’s scheme of selling leased spinning machines, while conflicts and preparations against the Ratfolk unfolded across the world. Annan visited the sleeping Illymoyas and tried to wake her.

• Peterson confessed to selling 98 leased spinning machines, and Annan explained that his scheme depended on deposits and would eventually leave a growing financial hole.
• Annan and Francois decided Peterson had to return the money and go back to prison, though Annan said he could be guided toward better use of his talent.
• The Dimon Kingdom reinforced Fenris Pass, the Duchy of Keating hired reinforcements, and the Tartun Empire prepared its Northern Great Wall as Ratfolk and demons threatened the region.
• Tensions grew in Wilhelm after Prince Aidan’s death, while the Southern Alliance held back a Rat Tide beyond the Kolog Line.
• Annan noticed he had not visited Illymoyas in a long time, went to the Crystal Lair, pocketed a ruby that rolled from her treasure mound, and called for her to wake.

Illymoyas woke, wandered through Free City, and then left without telling Annan, who searched for her in alarm. Meanwhile, Joan visited Knight Makarov to discuss the mineral-rich Broken Mountains and learned that an Evil Dragon had driven miners away.

• Illymoyas explored the changed Free City through her Avatar before flying away from the city at night.
• Annan discovered that Illymoyas and her treasure were gone, woke the others, and learned from Lilith that the Blue Dragon had left on her own.
• Annan tried to summon Illymoyas and consulted her mother, who suggested that the dragon might have left because of a rebellious phase.
• Joan introduced herself to Knight Makarov as an Envoy of Free City and proposed a business deal involving the Broken Mountains' minerals.
• Knight Makarov told Joan that an Evil Dragon in the Growth Hills had driven away the miners and defeated everyone sent to slay her.
• Children nearby recited a Nursery Rhyme warning that the loss of one gemstone could lead to the loss of a dragon, its flight, and a Territory.

Joan Montreal traveled into the Broken Mountains to negotiate with Makarov and deal with a young blue dragon, but rival forces ambushed her before she reached the mining area. She was captured with one surviving elite warrior and taken toward an unknown territory.

• Makarov agreed to sell coal to Free City if Joan dealt with the dragon threatening a nearby mining area.
• Joan sent one elite warrior to seek help and set out with another, Makarov's Personal Guards, and a warning about the locals.
• Joan encountered roaming bandits fleeing the Broken Mountains' harsh mining territories and gave them silver coins to wait in Makarov's territory.
• A mage-led group ambushed Joan's party, killed her guards, and captured Joan and her remaining elite warrior.
• As the group led Joan away, she noticed shadows creeping toward the bodies of the slain guards.