Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Annan visits the exhausted Mage Michael to ask about making a freely moving prosthetic limb. Michael guesses Annan will turn the question into another assignment and resists until Annan promises he can choose first among the academy’s graduating alchemy apprentices.
• Annan plans to distribute the apprentices between the theory-focused Mage Tower and the practical Mushroom House. He then leaves to consult Dunbelly, who is researching ways to increase Magic Rune energy storage for Golems and the Magic-Powered Train.
• After Annan leaves, Michael drops his act of distress and accepts the high-grade Potions Annan sent as thanks. Rumors portray Annan as a “Succubus” who drains people’s minds through relentless demands, though the characters recognize that intense work is necessary for Free City to catch up with older powers.
• In the Garden, the Princess looks for Annan but encounters Martin instead. An apple falling on Martin’s head prompts him to wonder what makes objects fall and how the world continues to function without the Gods.
• At home, Martin observes that an apple floats in water, water falls through air, and smoke rises from a chimney. He concludes that smoke must be lighter than air.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan shows concern for Michael’s exhaustion, offers time off, and rewards him with Potions, though his demanding leadership has made him a source of stress.
• Michael uses exaggerated distress to negotiate better treatment, but his fatigue is genuine. Despite his resentment, he recognizes Annan’s effort and keeps working.
• Martin shifts from ordinary observation to systematic questioning, beginning to reason about the natural world. His attention to the apple, water, and smoke marks the start of a new intellectual curiosity.
• The Princess continues seeking Annan, while Dade watches her cautiously but sympathetically.

Significant themes

• Progress and its human cost: Free City’s rapid development depends on exhausting labor, leaving its workers under constant pressure.
• Curiosity and discovery: Martin’s careful observations lead him to ask fundamental questions about how the world works.
• A world without the Gods: Martin’s questions suggest that natural laws may explain what once seemed dependent on divine control.

Plot points and events

• Martin is accused of nearly burning down his family’s home while his wife and child were inside. Shadow Song questions him, while Aunt Susan frets that her attempt to treat him more gently has ended disastrously.
• Martin explains that he was investigating why heated air rises, not trying to harm anyone. Realizing this could lead to hot-air balloons, he rushes off to test his idea.
• Annan and Luoxi track Martin to a park, where he has run off with a ball belonging to a group of children. Annan arranges for the children to get a replacement while continuing after Martin.
• Back at Aunt Susan’s house, Martin cuts the ball open and tries to use it over the stove as a balloon. Annan shows him that light materials can rise in hot air and explains the need for a light container and a steady supply of heat.
• Annan sees potential in combining Martin’s curiosity with magical technology, imagining a cheap, rune-powered flying craft. He considers letting Martin help develop it.

Character development and interactions

• Martin reveals an unexpected capacity for scientific observation and experimentation, though his impulsiveness leads him to endanger his family and inconvenience children.
• Annan balances concern for Martin’s recklessness with genuine admiration for his ingenuity. He shifts from wanting to punish him to considering him as a possible collaborator.
• Aunt Susan is distressed but trusts Annan to discipline Martin, whom she can no longer control as easily.
• Shadow Song investigates the incident and agrees that Martin’s lack of malicious intent warrants a reprimand rather than severe punishment.
• Luoxi remains loyal and protective of Annan, even copying Annan’s instructions so he can follow him.

Significant themes

• Curiosity and unintended consequences: Martin’s scientific impulse is genuine, but his experiments can put others at risk.
• Innovation through observation: A simple insight about hot air prompts Annan to imagine a practical magical invention.
• Family, discipline, and affection: The chapter’s domestic humor contrasts Aunt Susan’s worry with Annan’s fond, exasperated efforts to guide Martin.
• Magic and technology: Annan sees how magical runes might make otherwise impractical technology viable.

Key plot points and events

• Annan visits the Garden’s apple tree—the one that attacked Martin—and orders it protected, imagining it as a future pilgrimage site. He is impressed by Martin’s sudden inspiration: the theory for a magical Airship is complete, and it may fly within days.
• The reborn Princess is learning to walk. She falls and scrapes herself, and Annan heals her. Though her memories are sealed, she has become strongly attached to him, apparently because he was the first person she saw when she awoke.
• Olmedo gives Annan Ingrid’s proposal for boosting sales of Contestant models. The factory produces about 35,000 models daily, but demand for some is fading. Ingrid suggests displaying sales rankings in the gift shop to encourage fans to compete over their favorites. Annan approves.
• That night, the Princess joins Annan on his lounge chair beneath the Otherworld Tree and falls asleep holding his arm. Irilanze comes upon them and is dismayed to find them together.
• Annan dreams again of a voice in the mist calling for “Darian.” He cannot understand its message before waking, and decides he should ask someone about the recurring dream.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan is excited by Martin’s growing potential as an Alchemist, protective toward the injured Princess, and increasingly curious about the mysterious dream. He also finds himself reluctantly sharing his chair with the Princess.
• The Princess is physically vulnerable and emotionally dependent on Annan, despite not remembering him. Her silent closeness suggests an instinctive bond.
• Ingrid demonstrates her skill at turning a business problem into a marketing opportunity; her sales-ranking plan aims to rekindle fan enthusiasm.
• Olmedo playfully challenges Annan’s assumptions about dragons and explains that young Dragons are not easily fooled about their caretakers.
• Irilanze reacts with surprise and jealousy when she sees Annan and the Princess asleep together.

Significant themes

• Rebirth and attachment: The Princess has lost her memories and must relearn basic skills, yet forms a strong bond with Annan.
• Ingenuity and ambition: Martin’s Airship project and Ingrid’s sales strategy show how invention and clever planning are shaping Free City.
• Dreams and unanswered mysteries: The recurring, fragmented call hints at a larger mystery connected to someone named Darian.
• Everyday life amid the extraordinary: Magical trees, Dragons, and a reborn Princess coexist with practical concerns such as manufacturing, marketing, and finding a comfortable place to sleep.

• Key events: Annan wakes to find Elf Mentor Irilanze beside him and the Princess asleep on the floor. He scolds Irilanze for letting the Princess end up there, but she insists the Princess climbed into bed herself. Irilanze moves the Princess onto a lounge chair and joins her, teasing Annan before he leaves to explore Free City before dawn. Later, Annan visits Archbishop Tomark to ask about a recurring dream in which someone calls to him.
• Revelation about the dream: Tomark realizes Annan may be hearing a believer’s prayer—a power Saints and divine representatives once possessed, but lost after the Year of Turmoil. Fulfilling a prayer could earn Annan Faith Power, the source of divine power. Tomark explains that divinity establishes one’s standing, while divine power provides strength. Annan suspects a fragment of divinity he acquired may be involved, but keeps that secret. He also asks about the name “Darian”; Tomark does not recognize it and promises to investigate.
• Character developments and interactions: Annan shows concern for the Princess and embarrassment at Irilanze’s flirtation, while Irilanze is playful and openly jealous. The Princess remains peacefully asleep and has not yet learned to communicate. Annan’s humility and willingness to consult experts earn Olmedo’s admiration. Tomark begins the meeting gruffly but becomes respectful and encouraging once he understands what Annan may be able to do.
• Significant themes: The chapter explores faith as a possible source of renewed divine power, the distinction between divine status and strength, and the responsibility attached to answering believers’ prayers. Annan’s guardedness about his secret also highlights the tension between curiosity and caution.

Key plot points

• Archbishop Tomark tells Annan that Divinity can grant abilities such as Mage Hand and the Edict Divine Arts, and may protect its bearer from weaker spells. Annan is eager to test his own Divinity and hopes to receive Faith Power in a dream.
• After Annan leaves, Tomark asks Bishop Garcia to help strengthen the Church’s relationship with him. Though other Wealth Church leaders may resent the focus on Free City, Tomark orders Garcia to spend freely there without appearing controlling.
• Unsure whom to consult about Divinity, Annan visits the Skeleton King. He learns that ordinary people must sense and listen to Divinity, then guide it as they would a Mana Vortex. Divinity returns to the world when its bearer dies, making it coveted by powerful beings.
• Annan privately admits that a “friend” has obtained Divinity, and the Skeleton King recognizes the question is really about Annan. He does not press him, instead offering a rose and saying that more beautiful things exist than Divinity.
• At dawn, Annan returns to Free City and heads to the Otherworld Tree to study his Divinity, choosing a place where he is less likely to fall asleep.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan is curious and excited about his new power, but cautious about revealing its source. He weighs whom to trust, then approaches the Skeleton King with a thinly disguised personal question.
• Archbishop Tomark shows political pragmatism and loyalty to Annan: despite the Church’s internal divisions and dwindling resources, he wants to support Free City with money rather than impose control.
• Bishop Garcia accepts Tomark’s plan but worries about resentment from other Church leaders.
• The Skeleton King responds with quiet insight and discretion. He understands Annan’s subterfuge, shares useful knowledge without demanding details, and signals that he values beauty and friendship over power.

Significant themes

• Power and its cost: Divinity offers remarkable abilities, but its return to the world at death makes it an object of dangerous desire.
• Trust and discretion: Annan conceals his situation, while the Skeleton King understands and respects his choice not to speak plainly.
• Political influence and loyalty: The Wealth Church uses its remaining strength—money—to cultivate its bond with Annan and Free City.
• Beauty beyond power: The Skeleton King’s rose suggests that knowledge and supernatural strength are not the only things worth pursuing.

Key plot points and events

• While meditating, Annan studies the Divinity floating above his Mana Vortex. It reacts when he watches it indirectly but becomes still when he focuses on it. Unsure whether the Divinity has a will—or whether his attention controls it—he decides to wait it out rather than force a breakthrough.
• Elsewhere, the Princess in the City Lord’s garden looks anxiously toward Annan’s bedroom window.
• Acting on Archbishop Tomark’s orders, Bishop Garcia tries to distribute a vast amount of Church money in Free City. His first shopping trips are too slow, so he buys goods in bulk and burns unsuitable purchases, including wheelchairs.
• Garcia then identifies expensive local services and goods. Since the Church cannot readily buy items such as Golems or Magic Cannons, he turns to renting the Gladiator Arena.
• At the Arena, Garcia negotiates a three-month lease. He agrees to pay far more than Curator Rona initially asks, then adds generous compensation for extra staffing, maintenance, and the inconvenience of hosting the Church.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan remains patient and observant, choosing endurance over a risky attempt to control the unfamiliar Divinity.
• Bishop Garcia is practical and determined to carry out the Archbishop’s spending order. He is also attentive to appearances: he avoids simply handing over money and reprimands a Priest who insults Rona.
• Curator Rona begins uncertain about the Church’s request, then quickly recognizes its wealth and adopts an accommodating attitude.
• Garcia’s Priest clashes with Rona’s veteran subordinate, who objects to the Priest’s rude treatment of his boss. Garcia and Rona both step in to quiet the tension and keep the negotiation cordial.

Significant themes

• The unknown nature of power: Annan’s experiment suggests Divinity may respond to perception, but its rules remain unclear.
• Wealth and influence: The Church’s enormous funds turn ordinary purchases and public facilities into tools for fulfilling its aims.
• Civility and reputation: Even amid misunderstandings and friction, Garcia and Rona manage the encounter through restraint, diplomacy, and careful attention to public image.

Plot points and events

• Bishop Garcia of the Wealth Church is disappointed that arena rental negotiations initially cost only 25,000 Gold Narls. When he learns the Gladiator Arena is unavailable on weekends, he offers far more money to secure it from February through April. Curator Rona agrees to a 100,000-Gold-Narl deal, including a clause that the Church pays even if the Holy Son holds an event.
• As Garcia leaves, he wonders whether damage to the arena might incur a depreciation fee, prompting Rona to question whether the Church plans to pray—or wreck the place.
• Annan has made no progress reaching the Divinity. After three nights of prayers, he has heard different people, but none can hear him. He considers asking the Archbishop to establish a clearer prayer procedure.
• At breakfast, Annan notices that the Princess is genuinely watching him for the first time. Their moment is interrupted when Locke reports that Annan’s younger cousin Martin has built an airship.
• The Finance Department asks why the Wealth Church is buying so much in Free City. Garcia explains that they want to spend their money, not preserve or grow it. Ingrid proposes a long-term deposit with reduced interest, but Garcia rejects even modest returns: he wants an investment that will reliably lose money.
• The conversation is interrupted when a strange, enormous object rises over the Industrial District. Rona blurts out that it resembles a huge cock.

Character developments and interactions

• Bishop Garcia is revealed as a committed, almost comically literal representative of the Wealth Church: he wants to spend lavishly and regards earning interest as unacceptable. He negotiates aggressively for the arena, yet remains focused on finding ways to lose money.
• Curator Rona tries to uphold practical principles but quickly gives way when offered enough money. He shares comic, baffled reactions with Garcia and Ingrid.
• Ingrid understands the Church’s unusual goal and tries to accommodate it with a custom financial arrangement.
• Annan remains frustrated by his inability to communicate with the Divinity, but he is alert to small changes around him—especially the Princess’s new attention.
• The Princess shows a subtle but important change by looking directly and attentively at Annan.
• Martin is introduced through his surprising invention: an airship, whose odd appearance steals the scene.

Significant themes

• Money and competing values: The Wealth Church treats spending money—not making or saving it—as a religious purpose, baffling ordinary financial institutions.
• Negotiation and comic reversals: Rona’s principles collapse under escalating offers, while Garcia’s generous spending creates an unexpectedly lucrative deal.
• Communication and connection: Annan cannot reach the Divinity, while the Princess’s silent gaze suggests a new form of connection.
• Innovation and disruption: Martin’s airship appears as a sudden, attention-grabbing development that may change what happens next.

Key plot points and events

• Martin’s first Airship flight succeeds, marking a milestone for Free City. Annan orders rewards for the inventors, then learns Martin misunderstood him and tried to land at Aunt Susan’s house. A crosswind sends the Airship into the building, but nobody is hurt; Martin’s main consequence is likely trouble with Susan over her new broom.
• Annan helps the Princess practice eating with utensils, continuing her gradual adjustment to everyday life.
• Ingrid and Bishop Garcia argue over a large donation from the Wealth Church. The Church wants to give the money without conditions, while Free City refuses to accept charity without offering something in return. Annan proposes a Development Fund: the Church sets goals, and grants are released as Free City meets them.
• The Wealth Church’s promised support amounts to another ten million gold narl, alongside four previously delivered Medium Arcane Cores. Annan intends to spend the funds on mountain copper and Arcane Cores to expand Free City.
• By February, the Development Fund is taking shape. “Everyone’s Singer” remains popular, with merchandise and plans for a concert tour generating income for contestants.
• Other city life continues: Rose returns with her family after Merses fails to recruit her; farmers prepare to expand their fields with Skeleton Farmers; and Free City University’s one-year students approach graduation.
• Annan remains occupied with teaching the Princess, meditation, prayers, and a stream of minor civic complaints.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan balances civic ambition with personal care, patiently teaching the Princess while directing the city’s projects. He also sees the Church’s donation as a chance to accelerate Free City’s technological growth.
• Martin is celebrated as the Airship’s creator, but his eagerness and inexperience lead to a clumsy landing. Annan responds with amusement rather than punishment.
• The Princess is becoming more capable and comfortable with everyday tasks, though she still needs patient guidance.
• Ingrid and Bishop Garcia respect each other’s intentions but remain at odds over whether the Church’s money should be a donation or an investment. Annan finds a compromise that lets both sides keep their principles.
• Free City’s residents are shown building increasingly ordinary, prosperous lives: artists profit from fame, farmers plan for the season, and students prepare to graduate.

Significant themes

• Innovation and its risks: The Airship represents progress, but its first outing also shows that new technology needs careful testing and practice.
• Reciprocity and dignity: Free City resists being treated as a charity case, while the Wealth Church insists on giving freely; the Development Fund bridges that divide.
• Growth through practical work: The Princess learns basic skills, the city expands its infrastructure, and residents prepare for new opportunities.
• The cost of progress: Arcane Cores promise enormous expansion, but Annan recognizes that power and prosperity may carry hidden costs—especially under the Goddess of Fate’s influence.

Key plot points and events

• Annan continues caring for the newly self-aware Princess, teaching her basic routines. She learns quickly but still cannot speak.
• The Skeleton King explains that the Princess’s consciousness is developing naturally; using magic to accelerate her growth could harm her. He believes she sees Annan as a mother figure because he was the first person she saw.
• Annan learns that the Skeleton King once had 35 children, but generations of conflict and ambition ultimately wiped out his descendants. Annan offers him a small gesture of comfort.
• Asked about Golems, the Skeleton King recounts the Goblin Empire’s attempt to create a Golem with life—and power equal to a god. The effort failed, Wilhelm later dealt with its consequences, and the gods’ curse contributed to the Empire’s collapse.
• The Skeleton King corrects Annan’s assumptions about modern Goblins: the Empire’s Goblins were a distinct, larger people, about two meters tall, whose descendants shrank and lost much of their intelligence and history.
• Annan sees the Empire’s lost technology as a possible resource for the Free City. Colette arrives asking for a role, and Annan suggests rebuilding the Order Church.

Character developments and interactions

• The Princess grows more personlike and remains strongly attached to Annan, though she is frightened of the Skeleton King.
• Annan takes on a parental role toward her, showing patience and affection; he also responds compassionately to the Skeleton King’s painful family history.
• The Skeleton King serves as a source of historical and practical knowledge, while revealing his own long-standing loneliness and estrangement from his descendants.
• Colette wants meaningful work as Annan’s other responsibilities have reduced her role. Annan’s proposal gives her a potential new purpose.

Significant themes

• Growth and responsibility: The Princess must develop at her own pace, and Annan’s care resembles parenting.
• Family and legacy: The Skeleton King’s dynasty collapsed through infighting, contrasting with the bonds Annan is building among his companions.
• Lost civilizations and consequences of ambition: The Goblin Empire’s pursuit of godlike life ended in catastrophe and lasting decline.
• History as opportunity: Annan considers turning forgotten Goblin achievements into a foundation for the Free City’s progress.

Key plot points and events

• Annan proposes that Colette help rebuild the Order Church, using her family ties and his support to bring it into contact with Free City. Colette is unsure and returns to her room to consider the idea.
• While reflecting on her strained relationship with her father, Archbishop Valencia, Colette realizes that her youthful anger may have hurt him. Before she reaches a decision, an Order Church Priest arrives to speak with her.
• Annan continues trying to help the Princess adjust to her revived consciousness. After taking her around Free City, he finally hears her speak: “Hungry.” Her consciousness has awakened two years after she sacrificed herself to save Strange Tales City and the continent.
• Work continues on the Free City Development Fund, while Free City University submits results for its first graduating class. Annan rushes into the Office with the Princess, eager to share her awakening.

Character developments

• Colette begins reconsidering her father’s devotion to the Church and the pain behind their past conflict. Rebuilding the Order Church could mean following the path she once rejected.
• Annan demonstrates political foresight in seeking the Order Church as a counterbalance to the powerful Wealth Church. He also shows patience and affection in helping the Princess awaken and adapt.
• The Princess takes her first steps toward renewed life, speaking and expressing a basic need after a long silence.
• Idelia and the Church officials remain occupied with the practical challenges of funding and governance.

Significant themes

• Reconciliation and maturity: Colette reinterprets a childhood outburst with greater empathy for her father.
• Faith, power, and balance: Annan seeks to prevent any one Church from dominating Free City by encouraging competing ties.
• Recovery and renewal: The Princess’s first word marks hope after sacrifice and loss.
• Responsibility and legacy: Colette must decide whether to embrace the religious work she once associated with her father’s absence.

Character interactions

• Annan gently encourages Colette to approach Eldest Sister about the Order Church, while leaving the choice to her.
• Colette’s memories reveal the unresolved emotional divide between her and Archbishop Valencia.
• Annan tries to comfort the Princess around the Skeleton King, then patiently takes her around the city until she speaks.
• Annan brings the newly awakened Princess to Eldest Sister and Idelia, proudly announcing her progress.

Plot points and events

• With the Princess still lacking her former memories, Annan struggles to decide who should watch over her while he attends Free City University’s graduation. Idelia offers to stay with her.
• On graduation day, Soren leaves home after a warmly comic exchange with his mother, Mrs. Ram, who proudly treats his graduation as the moment he becomes an adult.
• Free City’s first university graduates gather for a ceremony. Singer contestants perform, then Vice Dean Swaro gives the students a stern warning about behaving lawfully after graduation.
• Annan arrives to enthusiastic cheers and delivers the main address. He jokes that Swaro’s severity conceals affection for his students, then recalls the university’s modest beginnings and describes the exploitation and poverty he has witnessed.
• Annan urges the graduates to help change an unjust society by gaining the power to do so. He begins telling the fable of the tortoise and the hare, emphasizing persistence in the face of a long challenge.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan appears both as a caring guardian—trusting Idelia with the Princess—and as an inspiring leader determined to challenge social injustice. His teasing of Swaro helps ease the ceremony’s tension.
• Idelia takes responsibility for the Princess so Annan can attend the graduation.
• Soren graduates with his mother’s enthusiastic support; their playful argument shows their affection and her strong, maternal authority.
• Professor Swaro maintains his intimidating public manner, but Annan suggests that he deeply values his students. Swaro responds with a glare, while the students suppress their laughter.
• The graduates respond warmly to Annan’s speech, recognizing the conditions he describes and showing anger at the treatment of ordinary people.

Significant themes

• Memory and identity: The Princess’s present self and her original identity remain distinct until her memories are restored.
• Education and social change: The university began as a basic school but has become part of Annan’s effort to build the capacity to reform society.
• Class injustice and exploitation: Annan condemns a system in which nobles profit while commoners, including children, endure debt, slavery, and dangerous labor.
• Perseverance: The tortoise-and-hare story frames the graduates’ task as a difficult race they can win through steady effort.

Key plot points and events

• Annan gives a graduation speech urging students not to accept Free City’s disadvantages as permanent. Though nobles and rival powers have a head start, he argues the race is far from over and the students can build a better life through their own effort.
• He acknowledges that some graduates may be tempted by life elsewhere, feel inferior, or become corrupted, but insists their roots are in Free City.
• At the ceremony, Annan awards gold-stamped badges to the top graduate of each of Free City University’s six academies. Soren, the Warrior Academy’s top graduate and one of the Forgotten Ones Annan once rescued, is especially moved by the recognition.
• Annan closes by describing how each academy will serve the city: mages as its power, warriors as its backbone, rangers as its eyes and hands, military graduates as its commanders, political graduates as its guardians, and Living Academy students as its foundation.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan demonstrates his skill as a leader and speaker, inspiring the crowd while making each award recipient feel valued. His warm exchange with Soren recalls their past and reinforces Soren’s transformation from a person without hope into a promising graduate.
• Soren is overwhelmed by Annan’s praise and personal recognition.
• Cathy eagerly absorbs Annan’s influence over the crowd, seeing his casual kindness toward Soren as a model for winning people’s loyalty.
• Ivana initially dismisses the speech as emotional manipulation, but quietly affirms that her roots are in Free City. Cathy suspects she may leave to pursue greater knowledge, though she misses Ivana’s reply amid the cheering.
• Forbes, the Magic Academy’s top graduate, is delighted that Annan shook her hand and jokes about refusing to wash it.

Significant themes

• Self-determination and perseverance: A difficult starting point need not define the future; progress comes from setting out and working together.
• Belonging and loyalty: Graduates may encounter other paths, but Annan frames Free City as their home and the place they can shape.
• Education as civic service: Each academy has a distinct role in building and protecting the city.
• Leadership through recognition: Annan motivates people not only with grand ideals but also by remembering individuals and honoring their achievements.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• At the Living Academy graduation ceremony, Annan tells the students that Free City will eventually belong to them and that its future will depend on what they make of it. He offers no prepared speech, trusting them to learn from experience.
• After the ceremony, Annan says he intends to give Dade, a Druid, a position at the Living Academy. Professor Swaro accepts, though he remains displeased that Annan maneuvered him into attending.
• Cathy returns to the Magic Academy and takes charge of its unruly young students, who are mostly knights of the Round Table. She invents rules for the class and imagines advancing her “kingdom” from kindergarten all the way to Free City University.
• In a lesson, the children read “Martin Under the Apple Tree,” a story about curiosity and experimentation leading to the invention of an airship. Cathy jokes that she knows Martin and that he is forgetful about apple pies, making the class laugh.
• A real airship then appears over Free City. It bears the Wealth Church’s Lady emblem. Annan learns the Church has bought a hundred airships, paying extra to have them gilded, and plans to send them to other cities for promotion. Annan suspects the Church is spending money simply because it can.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan presents himself as a mentor concerned with the next generation, while privately recognizing that his unusual longevity may mean he outlives them all. His exchanges with Swaro show their uneasy, somewhat grudging respect.
• Cathy displays confidence and leadership, imposing order on the children while clinging to her ambitious plan to progress through the school system. Her banter with the professor and classmates reveals her playful, competitive side.
• Swaro approves of Annan’s decision about Dade but remains irritated at having been tricked into attending the ceremony.
• The professor indulges Cathy’s classroom game and encourages the children to read and ask questions, reinforcing a gentler, curious approach to learning.
• The Wealth Church, though represented only through its extravagant purchase, contrasts sharply with Annan’s practical concern about the airship’s experimental state.

Significant themes

• Education and responsibility: Annan urges young people to shape the city they will inherit; Cathy’s classroom antics show children beginning to exercise authority and take learning seriously.
• Curiosity and discovery: Martin’s story celebrates asking questions, testing ideas, and learning through experimentation.
• Generational legacy: The ceremony connects the present leaders’ work to the future of Free City.
• Wealth and excess: The Church’s lavish airship order highlights its abundance of money and Annan’s bemusement at its spending.

Key events

• Annan learns that the Orr Empire has banned all goods from Free City, accusing it of colluding with the Ratfolk and causing unrest.
• Annan wants to retaliate by cutting off trade, but Olmedo urges caution: the ban may come from a small faction, and escalation could draw the entire Empire against them. Annan agrees to wait while Free City investigates.
• Annan’s attempt to contact Tarkinson fails: the Portal has become a Lesser Summoning Spell, suggesting its Anchor Point was destroyed. He suspects Tarkinson may have been captured or betrayed them and orders an investigation.
• In the Garden, Annan helps the Princess practice speaking. Her childlike innocence and lack of memories make him uncertain whether he wants her former self back.
• The Skeleton King explains that restoring her memories immediately would erase the fragile new consciousness that has just emerged. Gradually lifting the Seal later could let her experience those memories as her own past.
• Annan decides to give her the childhood she never had. He introduces her to Cathy, who eagerly promises to protect and care for her.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan balances political anger with Olmedo’s advice, then shows tenderness and uncertainty about the Princess’s recovery. He accepts that restoring her identity should happen slowly and prioritizes her present happiness.
• Olmedo remains a cautious negotiator, warning that retaliation could turn a limited dispute into a conflict with a major power.
• The Princess is newly self-aware but behaves like a young child, playing, chasing butterflies, and seeking comfort after falling. She is frightened of the Skeleton King but feels safer with Annan nearby.
• The Skeleton King advises patience, explaining the risk of restoring the Princess’s memories too soon.
• Cathy responds protectively when she meets the Princess and takes on the role of her companion and guardian.
• Annan and the Princess share affectionate play, while their closeness is complicated by Annan’s awareness that she does not remember their past.

Significant themes

• Memory and identity: The chapter asks whether restoring painful memories is always desirable, especially when doing so might erase a newly forming self.
• Childhood and healing: Annan’s decision to give the Princess a childhood reflects a wish to offer her joy and freedom after a life burdened by responsibility.
• Restraint and escalation: Free City’s response to the Orr Empire’s ban tests the balance between defending its interests and avoiding a wider conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Luoxi reports that the Wealth Church has arrived with an update on the Free City Development Fund. Annan reviews the proposal with Eldest Sister and Olmedo.
• The fund provides 30 million Gold Narls for one year of municipal, alchemical, and livelihood expenses. The Church will monitor spending and forbid luxury purchases or transfers to other powers. If Annan uses the full amount, the Church will launch a second fund; otherwise, it may stop investing in Free City.
• Annan understands that the restrictions give the Church political cover for supporting him, but signs eagerly anyway. The agreement is witnessed by Church officials and takes effect from February 1003 to February 1006, with the first funds already delivered.
• The next morning, Annan visits the treasury, only to find it can hold just 14 million Gold Narls. The Church stores the remainder in his Magic Ring.
• Annan then heads to the Mushroom House and gives alchemist Michael 100,000 Gold Narls—literally burying him in the money.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan is energetic, impatient with paperwork, and delighted by the chance to spend on Free City’s development. He quickly grasps the Church’s political motives and intends to find ways to make the funding work despite its restrictions.
• Olmedo handles the fund’s details and patiently keeps Annan focused on the agreement.
• Bishop Garcia represents the Church’s support for Annan, while the stern black-robed Bishops are assigned to oversee and publicize his spending.
• Cathy and the Princess play together in the Garden while Annan handles the contract; the Princess’s affection is visible in the wildflowers she places in his hair.
• Michael is caught off guard when Annan abruptly provides him with far more money than he asked for.

Significant themes

• Money and political legitimacy: The Church’s funding comes with oversight and restrictions, reflecting the need to justify institutional spending.
• Ambition and resourcefulness: Annan treats the fund as an opportunity and believes he can work around its limits.
• Comedy through excess: The treasury’s inadequate capacity and Annan’s enormous, sudden payment to Michael underscore his enthusiasm—and talent—for spending.

Plot points and events

• Annan rushes through Free City, handing out enormous sums of money to fund institutions and projects. A black-robed bishop from the Judgment Hall follows him to ensure the spending complies with the rules.
• At the dragon track, Annan finds Elder grieving the loss of most of the White Dragons brought back from Star-Moon Bay. He approves Elder’s long-held ambition to establish a Dragon Ranch and gives him funding.
• Elder explains the costs and logistics of raising dragons, including eggs, hatching chambers, food, and ways to accelerate growth. Annan insists on the best possible care and education, even before the dragons hatch.
• Elder proposes hiring nursing female dragons to speed their growth. Annan approves and expands the plan: Free City will begin with fifty White Dragons and fifty Blue Dragons, backed by a million gold narls.
• Annan leaves the money with Elder. The surviving White Dragon returns and dives into the pile, scattering coins everywhere.

Character developments

• Annan embraces his newfound wealth with flamboyant confidence, using money to turn ideas into reality rather than worrying about costs. Though he initially speaks harshly, he softens when reminded of Elder’s youth.
• Elder shifts from grief and neglect toward renewed hope and excitement. His extensive research shows how deeply committed he is to dragon-raising, and he is cautious enough not to invent an answer when uncertain about Blue Dragons.
• The black-robed bishop remains a silent, disapproving observer, concerned with procedure rather than sharing Annan’s enthusiasm.
• The surviving White Dragon provides a comic, exuberant end to the scene by treating the money pile as a place to dive and play.

Significant themes

• Wealth as power and responsibility: Annan uses money to fund research and build a future for Free City, while the bishop’s presence underscores that spending has rules and consequences.
• Grief transformed into purpose: Elder’s sorrow over the lost dragons gives way to the prospect of rebuilding their population.
• Ambition and extravagance: Annan’s insistence on premium care contrasts with Elder’s practical cost estimates, highlighting Annan’s newly lavish approach.
• Hope and renewal: The Dragon Ranch represents a chance to restore what was lost and create something lasting.

Character interactions

• Annan repeatedly interrupts Elder’s attempts to speak, first pushing past explanations and then listening as Elder lays out his plans.
• Elder’s practical knowledge tempers Annan’s enthusiasm, while Annan’s funding allows Elder to think on a far larger scale.
• Annan and the bishop’s contrasting reactions to the gold—his delight versus the bishop’s gloom—emphasize their differing attitudes toward the spectacle.

Key events

• Annan tours Free City with two Black-Clad Cardinals, spending money from the thirty-million-coin Free City Development Fund to support projects and build goodwill.
• He gives gold to Elder’s white dragon and to Dole, a Goblin leader, encouraging Goblin inventions. He also assigns the Fund to cover research on a fragment of the Lady of Wealth’s temple.
• At the Crystal Lair, Annan drapes Gold Narls over the sleeping dragon Illymoyas. She mistakes the gesture for a marriage proposal, while Annan only wants her to support Elder’s upcoming negotiations with the Blue Dragon Group.
• Annan learns the cardinals are Morton and Yvenson, members of the Judgment Hall, which prosecutes faithless Betrayers and Heretics.
• Annan then summons representatives of several rival churches to a meeting in the City Lord’s Mansion. The cardinals are alarmed, but Annan claims the gathering is part of a Divine Oracle from the Lady of Wealth.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan is exuberant with his newfound wealth, using gifts and funding as publicity and political leverage. He is also playful and improvisational, even as he tries to keep the cardinals from interfering.
• The Black-Clad Cardinals tolerate Annan’s lavish spending and unconventional conduct, but become increasingly uneasy as he brings together multiple religious factions. Morton and Yvenson’s differences are not explained, though one signals the other to observe Annan before reacting.
• Elder and the white dragon show an affectionate bond; the dragon trusts Elder enough to leave its food unguarded.
• Dole is grateful for Annan’s support and accepts the funding to help his people pursue inventions.
• Illymoyas is embarrassed and bewildered by Annan’s apparent “bride price,” then realizes he has misunderstood her reaction and leaves her to sleep.

Significant themes

• Money as influence: Annan’s spending is presented as both generosity and deliberate publicity, turning the Fund into a tool for building relationships.
• Faith, authority, and political maneuvering: Annan invokes the Lady’s supposed plan to justify a risky interfaith meeting and restrain the Judgment Hall’s agents.
• Miscommunication and comedy: Illymoyas interprets Annan’s gift romantically, while Annan remains oblivious to the misunderstanding.
• Cooperation across differences: Annan’s support for Goblins, dragons, and multiple churches hints at his broader effort to unite disparate groups around Free City.

Summary

• Annan convenes representatives of four rival religious factions—Order, Chaos, the Evil Faction, and neutral churches—and prevents their meeting from turning violent.
• He announces plans to establish a Pantheon in Free City, a haven where churches of different alignments can coexist and cooperate. The factions initially find the idea absurd, especially given their conflicting beliefs and divine rivalries.
• Annan argues that the gods are currently unreachable, leaving believers to struggle through the Year of Turmoil without guidance. He urges the churches to reconsider whether their efforts to spread order or chaos still serve a purpose, and proposes that unity will help them discover what caused the crisis.
• When reminded that the Lady and the Spider Queen are enemies, Annan claims the Lady entrusted mortal affairs to him and asks whether finding her matters more than avenging her. He ultimately declares himself aligned with “the middle,” rejecting both rigid righteousness and unquestioning acceptance of evil.
• The Free City Development Fund will pay to establish the churches. Annan’s three demands are essentially one: all factions must unite under Free City’s leadership.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan demonstrates political authority, improvisation, and an ability to read emotions—not minds. He uses a mix of religious claims, practical reasoning, and personal conviction to make cooperation seem possible. His declaration that he has encountered both terrible good people and good bad people challenges the factions’ entrenched assumptions.
• Louise, a priestess of the Chaos-aligned Misfortune Church, questions why chaos would oppose cooperation and later asks Annan which side he supports. His praise briefly flusters her, though she remains wary.
• Colette and Rainer represent the Order Church. They report that the church is stable but difficult to recruit; Rainer reflects on Annan’s suggestion that people choose their gods rather than simply being chosen by them.
• Mora follows Annan’s lead, while the black-robed bishops are intimidated by his status and claims about the Lady. They remain doubtful but do not openly challenge him.
• The factions move from mutual suspicion toward serious consideration, though no one fully commits yet.

Significant themes

• Unity amid ideological division: Annan argues that rival factions can cooperate without abandoning their differences.
• Faith and divine absence: With the gods silent, believers must question what their doctrines and actions mean.
• Belief as choice: Annan suggests allegiance to a god or alignment is not merely imposed; people also choose it.
• Moral complexity: The chapter rejects judging individuals solely by labels such as “good,” “evil,” “order,” or “chaos.”
• Pragmatic leadership: Annan combines lofty ideals with financial support and blunt demands to consolidate authority in Free City.

Key plot points and events

• Annan returns to the Lounge after a long day of spending money, having used only five million Gold Narls and realizing that his vast funds will take time to deploy.
• News spreads that he has asked several churches to cooperate in Free City. The Wealth Church may have leaked the conversation, but Archbishop Tomark does not immediately confront him.
• Olmedo asks why Annan included the Misfortune Church and the Spider Queen Church, not just the more obvious allies. Annan explains that broad affiliation makes it harder for outsiders to label Free City as belonging to any single faction—and therefore harder to target.
• He says he secured the cooperation of Colette, Mora, and Louise by appealing to their personal hopes and needs, as well as by choosing representatives with enough authority to agree.
• Annan and Olmedo recognize that the real danger lies beyond Free City: believers caught in external conflicts may blame Annan and bring violence to the city.
• Annan hints that he has prepared for what is coming, mentioning that he is nearing Ninth Level and asking what might happen if he summons another god.
• At the Wealth Church, the Black-Clad Cardinal objects to cooperating with rival churches and the Dark Elves. Archbishop Tomark supports Annan’s plan, suggesting that Annan’s ambitions extend beyond the Church’s existing organization.
• Tomark prompts the Cardinal to reconsider why the earlier “That Organization” failed. The Cardinal realizes its attempt was punished by gods who are now gone, implying that the old obstacle to such a project has disappeared.
• In taverns, Outsiders and Professionals debate Annan’s plans. Many expect trouble, but agree that events are about to become more interesting.

Character developments

• Annan shows himself to be a patient strategist: his apparent improvisation rests on long preparation, and he uses personal relationships as well as political logic to build a coalition. He also hints at ambitions and capabilities beyond his current position.
• Olmedo remains skeptical but increasingly suspects Annan has made preparations she cannot see. She is also concerned that his plans may lead him to leave Free City.
• Idelia displays affectionate familiarity with Annan and confidence in his foresight, while quietly teasing him about growing up.
• Archbishop Tomark proves more perceptive and supportive than the Cardinal, recognizing the larger significance of Annan’s plan.
• The Black-Clad Cardinal moves from indignation to understanding when Tomark helps him see that the gods’ disappearance changes what may now be possible.

Significant themes

• Coalition as protection: Taking on many affiliations can prevent a city from being defined—and attacked—as belonging to one faction.
• Political pragmatism: Annan wins support by balancing institutional interests with the personal motives of individual representatives.
• Prejudice and moral complexity: Labels such as “good” and “evil” fail to capture people’s true conduct; apparent virtue can conceal exploitation.
• Ambition in a changed world: With the gods gone, plans once considered impossible may be attempted again.
• Growing consequences: Annan’s influence is expanding, but so is the danger his actions may bring to Free City.

Character interactions

• Olmedo challenges Annan to explain his strategy, while Idelia offers warmth and gently teases him; Annan deflects the teasing and returns to the political stakes.
• Annan reassures Olmedo that he is prepared, though he reveals little beyond hints about his level and ability to summon a god.
• Tomark guides the Black-Clad Cardinal from outrage toward a broader understanding, using questions about the old organization’s failure to make him reconsider the new circumstances.

Key plot points and events

• Outside the Dawn Tavern, Andrew Luna worries that Annan is provoking the Church and may bring serious trouble to Free City. Faster argues that Annan has gone further than their old movement ever did, and that merely forcing the Foreign Races to follow human rules cannot create lasting peace. Faster claims he has few connections left and refuses Andrew’s attempt to persuade him to help. He is then fined for littering after tossing a wine bottle onto the beach.
• Free City’s planned layout is outlined: a new Church District will occupy the eastern outskirts, while the city’s existing districts and reserved land allow for future growth.
• Dole, appointed Executor of the Goblins, asks the elders for ideas for useful inventions. Their suggestions are mostly absurd, so he decides to require every Goblin over two to attend classes at Free City University.
• Annan and Idelia draft the Annan Dream Fund, a continent-wide program offering unlimited funding for approved research and inventions, open to all races. Annan also invites Free City residents to submit ideas.
• Annan admits he wants to spend the remaining development money so Free City can qualify for a second, larger funding round. He jokingly proposes disguising costs through inflated third-party invoices, alarming Idelia because two Wealth Church bishops are present.

Character developments and interactions

• Faster is skeptical of Annan’s confrontation with the Church but acknowledges his effectiveness. He also reveals that he has withdrawn from public life and lost touch with former allies.
• Andrew Luna is concerned for Annan and for the future of Free City, and tries to draw Faster back into involvement.
• Dole shows initiative as Executor: unable to get workable inventions from the elders, he chooses education as the Goblins’ path to contributing to the city.
• Annan is energetic and ambitious about using the fund to accelerate Free City’s development, though his eagerness leads him to make an ill-advised joke about financial fraud. Idelia acts as his practical, cautious counterpart.

Significant themes

• Reform and lasting coexistence: The chapter questions whether peace achieved by making other races conform to human rules can endure.
• Education and social progress: Dole sees schooling as a foundation for Goblin usefulness and integration.
• Public investment and innovation: The Dream Fund presents funding as a way to turn overlooked talent and unrealized ideas into reality.
• Ambition versus accountability: Annan’s enthusiasm for rapid development—and temptation to manipulate spending—contrasts with the oversight represented by the Church bishops and Idelia’s caution.