Recaps

Xu Yi visited Great Mage Eisenka's estate to discuss two completed magic-array research projects and their commercial terms. Eisenka proposed selling the technologies jointly and charging the Xinfei Merchant Guild to use them, but Xu Yi refused and left Eisenka to decide whether to break their agreement.

• Xu Yi welcomed mages interested in joining the Xinfei Merchant Guild before the assessment began, then departed with Stille and went to Great Mage Eisenka's estate.
• Great Mage Eisenka showed Xu Yi the research center and explained that his mages had made breakthroughs in stable magic-array power output and long-term array integrity.
• Eisenka proposed that they sell the two technologies to other merchant guilds and split the proceeds equally, while charging the Xinfei Merchant Guild to use them as well.
• Xu Yi agreed to share proceeds from sales to other guilds but rejected paying to use the technologies in Xinfei products.
• Eisenka warned that he could pay the breach-of-contract penalty and take sole ownership, but Xu Yi told him to do as he wished, visibly unsettling him.

Xu Yi finalized a household magic machinery factory partnership with Great Mage Eisenka but refused to share control of the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s technology. Haines then brought him to lunch with Reeves, where Xu Yi met two foreign guests whose purpose remained unexplained.

• Xu Yi and Great Mage Eisenka failed to agree on technological cooperation but reached a preliminary deal to fund and build a household magic machinery factory outside Anvilmar City.
• Xu Yi returned to the Outer Residence, rested, and fell asleep while waiting for Stille and Great Mage Camilla.
• Haines woke Xu Yi and took him to lunch at the Delitz Hotel, where Reeves greeted him.
• Xu Yi met Angklu, who came from the Stantin Duchy, and heard about his homeland’s isolation and vulnerability to disasters.
• Newman introduced himself as a visitor from the Rulson Kingdom, leaving Xu Yi puzzled about why Reeves had invited the two foreigners.

Xu Yi negotiated a major farmland machinery order with Newman, a royal business agent from the Rulson Kingdom, and learned that Angklu had an offer from the Stantin Duchy. The chapter ended with Xu Yi agreeing to buy two iron mines and a copper mine, while the payment terms remained undisclosed.

• Newman asked Xu Yi to sell farmland magic machinery to the Rulson Kingdom, and Xu Yi agreed to accept an order if Lampari’s king approved it.
• Newman revealed that he handled business dealings for the Rulson royal family, and Reeves acknowledged his similar role for Lampari’s royal family.
• Newman proposed buying ten thousand units of each of the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s six types of farmland machinery.
• Angklu told Xu Yi that the Grand Duke of Stantin wanted to sell the guild two iron mines and one copper mine.
• Xu Yi agreed to buy the mines, but Angklu withheld the details of what the grand duke wanted in exchange.

Xu Yi studied the Stantin Duchy’s coastline and discussed a possible trip there with Stille, then learned that his weak grasp of advanced magic threatened his Mage assessment and the Mages’ Guild’s Patent Law Bill. He ended the chapter claiming he had mastered one advanced spell exceptionally well.

• Xu Yi told Stille that Angklu had approached him about bringing technology to the struggling Stantin Duchy, and he explained how its coastline could become an advantage once his engine was developed.
• Great Mage Camilla warned Xu Yi that the Advanced Mage assessment the next day included a test of advanced magic.
• Xu Yi admitted to Great Mage Camilla and Stille that he had not fully mastered even one advanced spell, despite his strength in magic arrays.
• Great Mage Camilla explained that Xu Yi’s assessment performance could influence the Mages’ Guild’s Patent Law Bill, prompting Stille to urge her to teach him a spell.
• Xu Yi suddenly declared that he had mastered an advanced spell long ago and was exceptionally good at it.

Xu Yi brought the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s mages to Anvilmar City for their qualification examinations, drawing attention with their matching robes and luxurious carriages. After the group joked about confessing their love for Xu Yi, Akali’s sudden reaction left the carriage silent and Stille wondering what had happened.

• Xu Yi and Stille gathered the Magic Research Institute’s mages at the Shelton Hotel and headed for the examinations in matching robes.
• The onlookers recognized the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s emblem and marveled at its many mages, fine uniforms, and ten Duke-Class carriages.
• Inside the carriage, Bella jokingly confessed that she had fallen in love with Xu Yi, and Stille said she did not mind as long as Xu Yi did not love Bella.
• Xu Yi explained that the robes were partly for publicity and told the mages they could keep them, prompting Claire to joke that he could choose her instead.
• Akali stared at Xu Yi as her expression changed, and the joking stopped while the others fell silent.

Xu Yi arrived at the Mages' Guild examinations with the Xinfei Merchant Guild's mages and clashed verbally with Anko Allen, who was startled to learn Xu Yi planned to take the Level Seven Mage examination. Xu Yi entered the Advanced Mage examination hall with twelve researchers, where he saw Great Mage Camilla, Great Mage Eisenka, and former Guild president Parmes Allen among the examiners.

• Xu Yi brought the Xinfei Merchant Guild's mages to the examination grounds in ten luxurious carriages, drawing envious attention.
• Anko Allen mocked Xu Yi, but Xu Yi reminded him of their clash last year and revealed they would take examinations in separate halls.
• Anko Allen was shocked that Xu Yi intended to take the Level Seven Mage examination after earning Level Five certification the previous year.
• Xu Yi encouraged Stille and the researchers taking the Low-Rank Mage examinations, then entered the Advanced Mage hall with twelve researchers.
• Xu Yi recognized Great Mage Camilla and Great Mage Eisenka among the examiners and exchanged a glance with Parmes Allen.

Xu Yi took the Advanced Mage Qualification Certification Examination in the Lampari Kingdom and demonstrated a lightning spell he had developed himself. As the spell’s lightning elements surged through the examination area, dazzling bolts appeared around him, leaving the crowd amazed.

• President Allen announced the examination rules and introduced the five Great Mages who would examine the candidates.
• Xu Yi completed the written examination and stepped forward to demonstrate high-level magic.
• Xu Yi told the examiners he would demonstrate lightning magic, which he described as an advanced form of wind magic.
• Great Mage Eisenka worried that Xu Yi had lost control of the lightning elements, but Great Mage Camilla explained that he was casting a new type of lightning magic he had developed.
• Xu Yi drew the lightning elements into a furious flow, and countless bright streaks of lightning burst around him.

Xu Yi passed the Level Seven Mage examination after demonstrating powerful lightning magic, then advised the Lampari Kingdom Mages' Guild on fees for the proposed Patent Law Bill. The Great Mages agreed to submit both of his fee approaches to Guild Headquarters and asked him to prepare analysis reports.

• Xu Yi's lightning spell scorched the examination grounds and disrupted the Magic Defense Array, but President Allen determined that the unusual spell had neutralized the defenses rather than overpowered them.
• President Allen and the other Great Mages approved Xu Yi's advanced magic demonstration, and Great Mage Eisenka examined him in combat; Xu Yi passed the Level Seven Mage examination.
• Three of the twelve Xinfei Merchant Guild researchers passed and advanced from Level Five to Level Six, while a little over half of all forty-six other candidates passed.
• President Allen invited Xu Yi to discuss patent protection fees, and Xu Yi proposed either fixed annual fees graded by the importance of the research or fees chosen by applicants and linked to licensing charges.
• Xu Yi argued that patent licensing could encourage mages to share discoveries and fund more research; Great Mage Camilla agreed, and Great Mage Eisenka supported the second approach.
• President Allen decided to submit both approaches to Guild Headquarters and asked Xu Yi to prepare an analysis report for each.

Xu Yi explained how his miniature wind-powered generators produced currents that he controlled as lightning magic, helping him pass the Advanced Mage examination. Great Mage Camilla took a generator to study, while Xu Yi wondered whether powerful mages could generate electricity directly.

• Great Mage Camilla questioned how Xu Yi’s small wind-powered device had produced such powerful lightning during the examination.
• Xu Yi explained that he had built miniature wind turbines that used Wind Magic Arrays to spin coils and generate current, which he controlled as lightning magic elements.
• Great Mage Camilla activated the generator herself, produced small bolts of lightning, and said it challenged her understanding of magic.
• Great Mage Camilla took the miniature generator to study, and Xu Yi imagined her powering the household by generating electricity with her mana.

After Anko Allen badly injured Aleri during a mage assessment, Xu Yi arranged medical care and promised to seek justice. He asked Haines to investigate Anko, hinting that he intended to punish him without relying on violence.

• Xu Yi learned that Anko Allen had left Aleri unconscious with several broken bones, then promised to cover Aleri’s salary, medical care, and recovery expenses.
• Great Mage Camilla agreed to confront President Allen about Anko’s conduct, while Xu Yi reassured the angry researchers and arranged for Aleri’s care.
• Haines arrived, and Xu Yi and Stille heard that Anko Allen, Victor, and Vincent Yose were known as Anvilmar City’s Three Great Menaces.
• Xu Yi asked Haines to investigate Anko Allen because he doubted Great Mage Camilla could persuade President Allen to act.
• Xu Yi told Haines that beating Anko was not the only way to make him suffer.

After President Allen refused to punish Anko Allen, Great Mage Camilla prepared to demand his removal, but Xu Yi promised to handle the matter himself. At the Opu Casino, Urgat reappeared and lent Anko Allen a thousand gold coins, drawing him deeper into gambling.

• Great Mage Camilla returned from meeting President Allen furious because he had refused to punish Anko Allen.
• Xu Yi promised Great Mage Camilla he would ensure Anko Allen was punished within two days without her intervention.
• Anko Allen went to the Opu Casino and lost several gold coins at roulette.
• Urgat arrived at the casino and lost a thousand gold coins on repeated high-stakes bets without showing concern.
• Anko Allen asked Urgat for a loan, and Urgat handed him a Gold Banknote worth a thousand gold coins.

At the royal harvest banquet, Xu Yi became a Kingdom Baron and secured official recognition for the Xinfei Merchant Guild. He approached Marquis Yose to propose cooperation on nonferrous metal mining and began explaining the military contract the Xinfei Merchant Guild had cost the Joseph Family.

• The King promoted Xu Yi to Kingdom Baron and granted the Xinfei Merchant Guild the title of Kingdom Honorary Merchant Guild.
• Xu Yi approached Marquis Yose and asked to discuss the Falkor Merchant Guild's business beyond Bunta City.
• Xu Yi proposed that the Falkor Merchant Guild cooperate with the Xinfei Merchant Guild to mine nonferrous metal deposits, arguing that he alone understood their uses.
• Marquis Yose questioned Xu Yi's proposal and raised the arms factory that had cost the Joseph Family a military order.
• Xu Yi said he had come to give Marquis Yose an explanation for the lost order.

Xu Yi strengthened the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s prospects for cooperation with Marquis Yose, then considered how the Lampari Kingdom’s succession struggle had placed his guild in Princess Royal Servini’s camp. He agreed to visit Stantin Duchy after returning to Bunta City, leaving open the possibility of investing there.

• Xu Yi discussed mining nonferrous metals and jointly establishing a steelworks with Marquis Yose, who expressed a preliminary willingness to cooperate and invited Xu Yi to visit his family.
• Xu Yi noticed Duke Stark but recognized that the Stark Family’s support for Prince Eric made further contact unlikely, while Xu Yi and the Xinfei Merchant Guild were associated with Princess Royal Servini.
• Angklu explained that he had come to the banquet specifically to ask Xu Yi to visit Stantin Duchy and consider investing there.
• Xu Yi agreed to stop by Stantin Duchy during a planned trip to the Black Rice Wasteland after returning to Bunta City.

Xu Yi proposed a special economic zone around Bunta City, and the king gave the idea preliminary approval. After returning to the Outer Residence, Xu Yi and Stille found Bella feeding the recovering Aleri and teased her about her supposed love for Xu Yi.

• The king summoned Xu Yi privately, praised his role in the harvest, and asked for his thoughts on exporting grain.
• Xu Yi warned that the kingdom might underestimate its grain needs and suggested developing one area first through a special economic zone.
• The king considered the advantages and political risks of supporting Bunta City and its neighbors, then gave Xu Yi's proposal preliminary approval.
• As Xu Yi left, the king said he felt reassured to have Xu Yi at Servini's side, leaving Xu Yi wondering what he meant.
• Stille told Xu Yi that Aleri had awakened, and they found Bella feeding him; Xu Yi startled them by teasing Bella about having fallen in love with him.

Xu Yi finalized several business agreements in Anvilmar City and used Anko Allen’s gambling debts to force him to apologize to Aleri. After Anko realized he could neither expose nor challenge Xu Yi without risking his own standing, he asked what Xu Yi wanted from him.

• Xu Yi agreed with Newman that the Xinfei Merchant Guild would deliver the Rulson Kingdom’s farmland magic machinery to the border and cover only transportation within the Lampari Kingdom.
• Xu Yi and Marquis Yose finalized cooperation on a steelworks, nonferrous-metal mining, and mining magic machinery, and Marquis Yose scolded Vincent into apologizing to Xu Yi.
• Anko Allen visited Aleri and formally apologized after Xu Yi stopped the researchers from confronting him.
• Xu Yi privately revealed that he knew Anko had accumulated more than ten thousand gold coins in gambling debts and refused to hand over the IOU in exchange for only an apology.
• Anko considered exposing Xu Yi but realized he lacked evidence and would risk his father learning of his gambling, so he asked Xu Yi what he wanted him to do.

Xu Yi used the Mages' Guild registry to plan targeted recruitment for the Xinfei Merchant Guild, then discussed road construction and cement with Newman and Angklu. He agreed that selling Rulson Kingdom the cement production technology would be convenient and asked Newman how much he was willing to pay.

• Xu Yi acquired a list of the Lampari Kingdom's mages of the sixth rank and above to help recruit specialists for the Magic Research Institute.
• Newman asked Xu Yi to help secure road construction assistance for Rulson Kingdom, explaining that it needed cement for its roads.
• Xu Yi said the Amli Merchant Guild had first claim on Xinfei Merchant Guild's cement and suggested Newman arrange a resale through President Cruz.
• Newman asked Xu Yi to sell Rulson Kingdom the cement production technology, while Angklu proposed that Xinfei build a cement factory in the Stantin Duchy instead.
• Xu Yi agreed that selling the technology would be more convenient and asked Newman how much he would pay.

Xu Yi explained why he sold cement production technology to accelerate development, earning the Xinfei Merchant Guild six million gold coins. He then tested a generator with Canby, whose shock exposed the machine’s power and the shortage of suitable metals, leaving Xu Yi considering a trip to the Black Rice Wasteland.

• Xu Yi told Kennard that selling cement technology would speed road construction and the continent’s development, despite sacrificing future cement profits.
• Kennard announced the technology sale, and eight guilds in the Lampari Kingdom bought it, bringing the Xinfei Merchant Guild six million gold coins including the Rulson Kingdom’s payment.
• Xu Yi stopped Canby from touching a running generator, but Canby ignored him and received a powerful electric shock before Xu Yi shut it down.
• Canby escaped injury but had charred clothes and singed hair, while Xu Yi explained the generator’s voltage and began assessing its performance.
• Xu Yi noted that poor aluminum coils limited the generator’s operation and that further experiments depended on mining the nonferrous metal deposit.
• Xu Yi thought about traveling to the Black Rice Wasteland to mine the deposit and wondered when to leave, with Angklu waiting in Bunta City.

Avita and Stille discussed Stille’s doubts about Xu Yi’s feelings after he showed no reaction to her meeting Vincent and still had not proposed. Avita urged Stille to speak honestly with Xu Yi, while admitting she might want a chance with him herself.

• Avita reflected on her feelings for Xu Yi before Stille arrived to visit her at the Magic Research Institute.
• Stille told Avita that Xu Yi had shown no jealousy when she encountered Vincent in Anvilmar City, making her fear he did not care about her or intend to marry her.
• Avita reassured Stille that Xu Yi might simply be slow to recognize what she needed and urged her to tell him she was ready to commit.
• Avita learned that Stille and Xu Yi had only kissed despite dating for over half a year, and insisted Stille should act rather than keep thinking about it.
• Stille asked whether Avita wanted a turn with Xu Yi, and Avita admitted she was willing as the two stared at each other in silence.

Xu Yi explained to Haines how the Feilson Carriage Company had begun operating regular carriage service between Bunta City and Sankton Manor as the first route in a planned urban public transit system. The service had proved successful, and Xu Yi said the city would expand it to other busy routes, including one to the Orchid Grass Resettlement Community.

• Reporters wondered whether Xu Yi was stepping back from the Xinfei Merchant Guild after he missed recent public events and left them to Kennard.
• Xu Yi told Haines he had delegated the events to Kennard so he could focus on more important work.
• Haines asked Xu Yi about the carriages running between Bunta City and Sankton Manor, and Xu Yi described their hourly schedule and six-carriage service.
• Xu Yi explained that the City Lord's Manor had contracted the Feilson Carriage Company to run the route, with the company keeping the fares and paying an annual fee to operate Bunta City's public transit system.
• Xu Yi said the Sankton Manor route was a successful trial and that the city planned to expand transit to other populated areas, including the Orchid Grass Resettlement Community.

Xu Yi explained Bunta City’s high wages and labor shortage to Haines, then revealed plans to connect the Sandy River and Rum River with a canal. After surveying a possible route, Xu Yi said new heavy machinery could help reduce the canal’s enormous construction cost.

• Xu Yi told Haines that Bunta City residents averaged over ten gold coins in monthly income because work was plentiful and labor scarce.
• Xu Yi revealed that he and Count Samo had decided to widen the Sandy River and dig a canal to the Rum River.
• Smilla Porter described a route of no more than fifty kilometers that could connect the rivers and open Bunta City’s ships to continental trade.
• Count Samo worried about the canal’s cost, and Xu Yi said the Xinfei Merchant Guild had developed a Large Magic Excavator to reduce it.

At the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s year-end gathering, Xu Yi celebrated the guild’s growth and announced plans to improve employee compensation to discourage poaching. He introduced a pension system, leaving Heinz, Kennard, and Sebas puzzled about what it meant.

• Bunta City residents increasingly adopted Xinfei magic machinery, and Xu Yi praised the guild’s expanding success during the year-end banquet at Sankton Manor.
• Xu Yi explained that the gathering was meant to strengthen employee loyalty as rival guilds tried to poach workers and researchers, including Avita.
• Xu Yi announced that the guild would gradually improve compensation and benefits, prompting loud cheers from the workers.
• Heinz and Sebas worried about the guild’s rising payroll, while Kennard noted its growing profits and Sebas reported more than five hundred thousand gold coins in monthly net income.
• Xu Yi said the guild could improve benefits beyond wages and proposed keeping its tiered wage-increase system and introducing pensions.

At Bunta City's year-end banquet, Xu Yi handled the attention he received after becoming a baron and discussed plans with President Cruz to travel to the Stantin Duchy. After learning that Beastmen might disrupt work in the Black Rice Wasteland, Xu Yi decided to establish a guard unit for the Xinfei Merchant Guild.

• Xu Yi attended the City Lord's Manor banquet and was surrounded by noble ladies who now considered him a suitable match because he was a baron.
• President Cruz teased Xu Yi about the ladies, then agreed with him to leave for the Stantin Duchy on the fifth day of the new year.
• Xu Yi explained that he wanted to cooperate with the Stantin Duchy without selling off more of the guild's technology, and said he eventually hoped to invest across the continent.
• President Cruz warned Xu Yi that Beastman tribes might interfere with the factories planned in the Black Rice Wasteland and suggested sending guild guards to protect the workers.
• Xu Yi realized the Xinfei Merchant Guild needed its own guards and decided to establish a unit for the trip to the Black Rice Wasteland.

After the year-end banquet, Xu Yi considered establishing a guards corps for the Xinfei Merchant Guild and ran into his former colleague Luti. Luti persuaded him to come inside late at night so she could explain her troubles and ask him for help, while an unseen watcher observed them.

• Xu Yi escaped the young noblewomen leaving the City Lord's Manor and walked home while considering the need for a Xinfei Merchant Guild guards corps.
• Xu Yi decided the guild could recruit dwarf and elf workers, whose combat skills would give its guards an advantage.
• Luti called to Xu Yi from a small building and told him she had returned to Bunta City after finding life elsewhere uncomfortable.
• Luti said her recent months had gone poorly and asked Xu Yi to come inside so she could talk and seek his help.
• Xu Yi agreed to go upstairs with Luti, and neither noticed someone watching them from across the street.

Xu Yi resisted Luti’s attempt to seduce him and reassured Stille when she confronted him outside. Stille asked Xu Yi to marry her, and after their engagement was announced and celebrated across Bunta City, Xu Yi set off on another journey.

• Luti tried to seduce Xu Yi, but he left her home without giving in.
• Stille revealed she had seen Xu Yi enter Luti’s home, then accepted his explanation and asked him to marry her.
• The Bunta Daily announced Xu Yi and Stille’s engagement, drawing congratulations from residents and merchant guilds.
• President Cruz gave Xu Yi and Stille a manor as an engagement gift, while the king, Princess Royal Servini, Count Samo, and others also sent gifts.
• As the New Year celebrations continued, Xu Yi departed on another journey.

Xu Yi discussed the future of highways and the magic locomotive with President Cruz, then sought dwarves and elves for the guild’s guard force. The dwarven chiefs were unsure their people would risk their lives for humans, but Elder Elusia agreed to let elves serve as guards.

• President Cruz urged Xu Yi to widen the Falling Rain Highway and learned that the guild expected to develop a magic locomotive within two years, prompting him to plan for expanded road construction.
• Xu Yi told President Cruz that the guild needed its own guards because three beastman tribes might target them, and Cruz suggested hiring mercenaries as a last resort.
• At Falling Rain Valley, Chiefs Slubi and Monto said many dwarves might refuse to risk their lives as guards, but promised to discuss the voluntary, higher-paying job with their people.
• Xu Yi asked Elder Elusia to provide elves for the guard force, and she agreed, saying their training and service could give them a new lease on life.