Recaps

Xu Yi proposed solving the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom’s poor transportation by building a deepwater port and manufacturing road materials locally, allowing the Xinfei Merchant Guild to ship in workers and supplies. He and Jia Sha agreed that port construction would mark the start of formal cooperation, and Xu Yi began discussing what the guild would take back in exchange.

• Xu Yi told Jia Sha that poor roads made investment in the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom difficult, while Jia Sha explained that the Amli Merchant Guild had rejected building roads there because of the distance and cost.
• Xu Yi proposed constructing a deepwater port so large cargo ships could deliver supplies and workers by sea.
• Xu Yi revealed that the Xinfei Merchant Guild and the Amli Merchant Guild had agreed on a plan to manufacture road-building materials locally.
• Jia Sha agreed that the Warsaw Merchant Guild could build a port capable of accommodating ships like the Sunrise, and Xu Yi said its completion would begin their formal cooperation.
• Xu Yi raised the need for the ships to carry goods back from the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom, then began discussing the specifics of the deal with Jia Sha.

Xu Yi secured a preliminary partnership with the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom, offering cheaper grain and industrial support in exchange for resources and a foothold in its market. As he departed, he explained that expanding there did not mean abandoning the Candel Empire, whose leaders he hoped would respond to his show of military strength.

• Xu Yi offered Jia Sha manufacturing technology, help establishing steel and cement works, and grain shipments from the Stantin Duchy in exchange for resources; Jia Sha agreed to cooperate.
• Xu Yi and Jia Sha identified a deepwater port as the urgent prerequisite for trade, while shelving the proposed road connection through the Rulson Kingdom.
• During his weeklong survey, Xu Yi found the merchant guilds pragmatic and efficient, and the Warsaw Merchant Guild and three others quickly chose a port site and prepared workers and materials.
• Avita questioned why Xu Yi was pursuing a partnership so far away, and Xu Yi said he wanted to open more markets without giving up on the Candel Empire.
• Xu Yi explained to himself that the clash with the Candel Empire's fleet had signaled the weakness of its navy, and he anticipated the empire's response.

Xu Yi was surprised that the Candel Empire had not responded to its clash with the Xinfei Merchant Guild, while the guild continued expanding its influence in the Stantin Duchy. In Bunta City, Count Rivell oversaw a major water and drainage renovation project, leaving the Xinfei Merchant Guild and Ireland United Merchant Guild to supply the work together.

• Xu Yi waited in the Stantin Duchy for a response from the Candel Empire, but none came, and he decided to focus on strengthening the guild's position in nearby countries.
• Count Rivell watched Xinfei engineers install a Mana Water Pump and asked Heinz whether Bunta City would have tap water before winter.
• Heinz explained that the Automatic Water Supply System would provide clean water and improve residents' health, while Count Rivell regretted that the Xinfei Merchant Guild had left Bunta City.
• Count Rivell's approved plan called for a dam, reservoirs, at least twenty water towers, and a rebuilt drainage system, with the projects costing an estimated three million gold coins.
• The Xinfei Merchant Guild partnered with the Ireland United Merchant Guild to build a steel pipe factory, and Count Rivell reflected that Xu Yi's support had helped the Ireland United Merchant Guild become a strong supplier.

Xu Yi praised the Ireland United Merchant Guild’s steel pipe work and urged Freeman to lead the new factory, despite Freeman’s offer to let Xinfei take charge. Freeman then told Xu Yi that newspapers had speculated Queen Servini was pregnant, leaving Xu stunned.

• Xu Yi inspected the Ireland United Merchant Guild’s P2-model steel pipe and praised its craftsmanship.
• Freeman offered to let the Xinfei Merchant Guild lead the steel pipe factory, but Xu Yi insisted that Freeman’s guild take responsibility.
• Freeman agreed to lead the factory and asked Xu Yi to keep helping with production questions.
• Freeman told Xu that Queen Servini’s private life had disappeared from the newspapers for more than a month.
• Freeman revealed that newspapers were speculating Queen Servini was pregnant, and Xu Yi reacted with shock.

Xu Yi learned from Stille that Queen Servini was truly pregnant, though the child’s father remained unknown, and suspected that Servini had wanted Stille to pass the news to him. After reconciling with Stille, Xu Yi joined her onstage to unveil a mysterious product from their guilds.

• Xu Yi left the Steel Pipe Processing Factory troubled by Freeman’s rumor that Queen Servini was pregnant.
• Stille confirmed the rumor was true and said Servini had revealed her pregnancy during a private audience, but had not named the father.
• Stille suggested Servini might have intended her to pass the news to Xu Yi, then left when he pressed her for an explanation.
• Xu Yi apologized to Stille for acting anxiously about Servini, and Stille kissed him before reminding him to perform well at the launch.
• Xu Yi and Stille walked onto the packed Bunta City Grand Theater stage to unveil a new product developed by the Xinfei and New Moon Merchant Guilds.

Xu Yi and Stille unveiled an illusion display of the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe’s daily life, leaving the audience eager to see more. Xu Yi then introduced the device behind the scenes as the Mana Illusion Projector, a new household product jointly developed by the Xinfei Merchant Guild and the New Moon Merchant Guild.

• The theater went dark, and lifelike images of the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe appeared dancing in midair.
• The images shifted through scenes of the troupe’s rehearsals and everyday lives, showing the girls’ work, leisure, and mishaps.
• The presentation ended on Avir smiling toward someone, followed by a notice that the episode had ended.
• The audience expressed disappointment that the story had stopped and questioned Xu Yi and Stille about the display.
• Xu Yi introduced the Mana Illusion Projector and invited the audience to buy one to watch what happened next.

Xu Yi’s Mana Illusion Projector introduced a new form of entertainment, though its high price and the difficulty of producing illusion films limited its early reach. The Azshara Tribe deepened its cooperation with the merchant guilds and gained protected territory in the Rulson Kingdom, prompting debate about human rule and coexistence with other races.

• Xu Yi priced the Mana Illusion Projector at 150 gold coins and used a documentary about the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe to demonstrate it, after a month of production work.
• The New Moon Merchant Guild began showing the documentary in Bunta City and planned to install projectors in other cities while developing more episodes and serialized illusion films.
• Elder Windini sent five Azshara Tribe elves to work with the Xinfei Merchant Guild and the New Moon Merchant Guild, which agreed to pay the tribe royalties and a share of illusion-array revenue.
• A new road connected the southern Stantin Duchy to the Rulson Kingdom and the Azshara Tribe, bringing the tribe to public attention while its Illusion Array kept visitors from seeing inside.
• The Rulson Kingdom designated a roughly 500-kilometer area around the Azshara Tribe as exclusive elven territory, and King Trutz defended the decision as a way for humans to let other races survive.

The Azshara Tribe began building an elven town in the Rulson Kingdom’s Elf Race Special Zone, with Elder Windini planning to preserve the tribe’s independence while cooperating with humans. Xu Yi and Anise joined the discussions, and Elder Windini offered help with their hope of having a child together.

• Workers from the Amli Merchant Guild built elven-style houses in the special zone, where more than two thousand elves were expected to settle.
• President Cruz discussed the town’s needs with Elder Windini, who explained that the Azshara Tribe would establish two magic machinery factories with the Xinfei Merchant Guild and staff them entirely with elves.
• Xu Yi and Anise arrived to discuss further cooperation, with Anise representing the Night Song Tribe and the Moon Shadow Tribe.
• Elder Windini offered Xu Yi materials about conceiving a half-elf, and Xu Yi accepted her help.
• Elder Windini remarked that Xu Yi and Anise’s child could become the first half-elf formally accepted by both humans and elves.

Xu Yi explained the political alliance that secured the Azshara Tribe a special elven district and discussed the Mana Illusion Projector with Elder Windini. He proposed turning the elven town under construction into a Film and Television Entertainment Base, leaving Windini and Cruz puzzled.

• The chapter described how Xu Yi and Anise's child could be accepted by both humans and elves, with Windini convinced their relationship was sincere.
• Xu Yi's promise to transfer military magic machinery technology helped persuade King Trutz to designate territory as a special elven district and support the Azshara Tribe.
• Xu Yi asked Windini what she thought of the Mana Illusion Projector, and she praised its potential appeal across the continent.
• Xu Yi suggested that the elves open their town to humans so they could learn about elven life.
• Xu Yi proposed turning the elven town into a Film and Television Entertainment Base, and Windini and Cruz asked what he meant.

Xu Yi proposed building a film and television entertainment base with the Azshara Tribe and reviewed the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s rapid growth in profits and military strength. He then laid out a plan to develop thirty-seven unclaimed islands and make the surrounding sea the guild’s maritime kingdom, leaving his colleagues stunned by the scale of his ambition.

• Xu Yi proposed that Stille and the New Moon Merchant Guild build a film and television entertainment base with the Azshara Tribe, and Elder Windini said she would consider it.
• The Xinfei Merchant Guild reported record December profits and annual profits of 26.7 million gold coins as its production capacity expanded.
• Xu Yi’s guard forces grew to more than six thousand guild guards, alongside a thousand personal guards that included three hundred elf warriors.
• Xu Yi showed his executives a map of thirty-seven unclaimed islands rich in mineral and magical resources and explained that manpower shortages made it impractical to station guards on each one.
• Xu Yi proposed relying on defensive measures on the islands and expanding the Guard Fleet to control the sea, which he wanted to make the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s maritime kingdom.

Xu Yi revised the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s plan to develop islands and establish a defensive chain in the southern waters, deciding to proceed gradually as recruitment and shipbuilding lagged. The chapter ended with news that Queen Servini had officially announced her pregnancy, leaving Xu Yi stunned.

• The Xinfei Merchant Guild recruited fewer than two thousand workers for harsh, distant island jobs despite offering an annual salary of three hundred gold coins.
• Xu Yi rejected Kennard’s suggestion to raise the salary, then agreed to slow the island plan and expand recruitment, training, and shipbuilding.
• Xu Yi and Kennard planned to begin with islands near the Stantin Duchy and eventually build a defensive island chain along the continent’s southern coast.
• Kennard’s assistant announced that Queen Servini was pregnant, and Xu Yi fell silent as he looked toward Anvilmar City.

Xu Yi and Stille discussed Queen Servini’s pregnancy and their own coming child before Stille prepared to meet the Doran Dance Troupe about making illusion films. Xu Yi met the troupe’s representatives at the Manor and left them to Stille, still unsure of his first impression of them.

• Newspapers framed Queen Servini’s pregnancy as good news because it secured an heir for the Lampari Kingdom, regardless of the child’s father.
• Xu Yi reassured pregnant Stille that he would love their child either way, while Stille admitted she still wanted a son of her own.
• Stille told Xu Yi that the Doran Dance Troupe had arrived to discuss her illusion-film plan, and he asked Betty to look after her.
• Xu Yi met Bellon Randolph and the Doran Dance Troupe’s performers outside the Manor, then clarified that Stille and her New Moon Merchant Guild were handling the project.
• After the troupe entered the Manor, Xu Yi questioned his negative first impression and continued on to attend to other work.

Xu Yi visited the newly built Signal Tower and learned from Akali that it could relay magic communication signals, doubling their range and allowing signals to be passed between towers. He committed to funding a duchy-wide network, then took Freya up the tower to play.

• Xu Yi arrived at the Signal Tower and found Freya pleading with Akali to take her to the top.
• Xu Yi agreed to take Freya up after speaking with Akali about the tower’s performance.
• Akali explained that the tower relayed mana fluctuations, extending communication range and allowing signals to travel farther through successive towers.
• Xu Yi tested a Magic Communication Box from four thousand meters away and spoke with Sam Luo near the Yodel Restaurant eight kilometers from the tower.
• Xu Yi promised full support for installing at least four hundred Signal Towers throughout the Stantin Duchy despite the estimated cost of nearly five million gold coins.
• Xu Yi enveloped Freya in a wind shield and lifted her into the air toward the tower’s top.

Ambassador Hakane brought Lord Remito Russell and two companions from the Candel Empire to the Stantin Duchy to meet Xu Yi. After Kennard introduced them to the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s Magic Communication Box, Russell was astonished by its capabilities and accepted one as a gift.

• Hakane drove Russell and his two companions through Dreammist Forest and stopped at a Xinfei Magic Recharging Station, where the visitors were impressed by its restroom.
• Kennard arrived and explained that Xu Yi had come to New Moon Town and wanted to speak with Hakane and greet the visitors.
• Kennard gave Hakane a Magic Communication Box, and Xu Yi spoke to the group through it despite being more than thirty kilometers away.
• Russell introduced himself to Xu Yi by way of the box, and Xu invited the visitors to lunch in New Moon Town.
• Kennard offered the Magic Communication Box to Russell as a gift, which Russell accepted.

Russell met Xu Yi in New Moon Town after seeing the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s advanced buildings and Small Mana Airship. He confronted Xu Yi about the clash between the guild’s Guard Fleet and the Candel Empire’s Third Fleet, while increasingly suspecting that Candore’s account of the guild’s power was true.

• Kennard brought Russell, Ambassador Hakane, and two attendants into New Moon Town, where its roads, buildings, traffic lights, and Magic Locomotives astonished them.
• Kennard took the group aboard a Small Mana Airship, which carried them to the top of the Amli Hotel.
• Xu Yi welcomed Russell and explained that the Amli Merchant Guild had built the hotel and the other high-rise buildings in New Moon Town, while the Xinfei Merchant Guild had provided the money.
• Russell recognized the Amli Merchant Guild as the group that had proposed building roads in the Candel Empire and asked Xu Yi why he had never heard of it.
• Russell confronted Xu Yi over the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guard Fleet’s clash with the Candel Empire’s Third Fleet, and Xu Yi called the incident a misunderstanding.
• Russell recalled Candore’s warning about the Guard Fleet’s strength and concluded that the Xinfei Merchant Guild might be as extraordinary as Candore had claimed.

Xu Yi hosted Lord Russell’s inspection of the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet, but learned that Russell had come only out of personal curiosity. Before Ambassador Hakane left, Xu Yi persuaded him to seek permission for the guild to build a road from the Candel Empire’s border to Wimbledon City, and Hakane agreed in exchange for a hundred thousand gold coins.

• Xu Yi realized Lord Russell had no official mandate and had come only to inspect the Guards Fleet, though the fleet’s steel Mana-Powered Ships visibly shocked Russell and his assistants.
• Ambassador Hakane bought three hundred thousand gold coins’ worth of Household Magic Machinery at a discount, continuing their profitable partnership.
• Xu Yi explained to Hakane that poor roads inside the Candel Empire made transporting goods to Wimbledon City costly and slow.
• Xu Yi offered to fund a road from the border to Wimbledon City if Hakane obtained permission for the project.
• Hakane hesitated over the suspicious proposal, then agreed after Xu Yi promised him a hundred thousand gold coins.

Xu Yi prepared for Bunta City's cycling race and defended restrictions on the Mana Sedan Championship, explaining that Queen Servini had approved them. He recalled that Prince Frank had wanted to compete himself but agreed to send representatives instead, and the chapter ended as an unexpected voice interrupted Xu Yi and Count Rivell.

• Bunta City's road cycling race drew a record ninety-six thousand entrants, including several riders from the Candel Empire.
• Count Rivell questioned Xu Yi about the Candel riders and protested that noble youths had been barred from the Mana Sedan Championship.
• Xu Yi told Count Rivell that Queen Servini knew of and approved the restrictions, leaving the City Lord surprised and uneasy.
• Xu Yi recalled that Prince Frank had wanted to travel to Bunta City to race, but Xu Yi had persuaded him to send representatives instead.
• Xu Yi arranged Servini's support to ensure Prince Frank's representatives could safely compete, while Count Rivell remained uninformed.
• An unexpected voice behind Xu Yi and Count Rivell broke their silence.

Xu Yi postponed meeting Prince Frank’s representatives until after the Bunta City Road Bicycle Race opening ceremony, despite their complaints about the delay. He arrived at Baron Billier’s manor to meet Chief Steward Mancini, who challenged him as soon as he entered.

• Baron Billier told Xu Yi that Prince Frank’s representatives demanded an immediate meeting, but Xu Yi insisted on attending the race opening ceremony first.
• Xu Yi discussed installing five Mana Illusion Projectors around Bunta City with Count Rivell before the race began.
• After the race started, Xu Yi left for Baron Billier’s manor, while Count Rivell received a confidential letter from the queen and reacted with surprise.
• Chief Steward Mancini accused Xu Yi of insulting Prince Frank by making the representatives wait and threatened to leave before lunch.
• Xu Yi entered the reception hall and Mancini coldly asked whether he was Xu Yi.

Xu Yi met Prince Frank’s chief steward, Mancini, and presented a proposal to jointly establish a magic machinery factory in the Candel Empire. Mancini rejected the idea of partnership and gave Xu Yi an agreement that revealed Frank wanted the Xinfei Merchant Guild to serve his interests.

• Xu Yi recognized Chief Steward Mancini as a eunuch and met the young driver and guards Prince Frank had sent to the competition.
• Xu Yi asked whether the driver had a license and urged Mancini to ensure he followed local traffic rules, but Mancini dismissed his concerns.
• After the others left, Xu Yi offered Mancini a detailed factory investment proposal, but Mancini refused to consider it.
• Mancini told Xu Yi he had no standing to discuss cooperation and said Frank would offer support only if Xu Yi pleased him.
• Mancini handed Xu Yi an agreement between the Xinfei Merchant Guild and Frank’s own guild, and Xu Yi began reading it with a cold smile.

After the Xinfei Cycling Championship boosted bicycle sales across competing guilds, Xu Yi discussed the Anjet Merchant Guild’s growth with President Cruz at a private Mana Sedan race. Xu Yi revealed that Prince Frank’s demands for free technology and support had made him reject cooperation, leaving the Xinfei Merchant Guild to pursue the Candel Empire’s market by other means.

• The Anjet Merchant Guild’s bicycle sales surged after its rider won the Xinfei Cycling Championship, while Xinfei’s sales still grew by more units than any rival’s.
• At the closed Mana Sedan racing venue, President Cruz asked Xu Yi whether the Anjet Merchant Guild’s growing sales worried him, and Xu Yi said the growth was welcome.
• President Cruz warned Xu Yi that powerful figures in the Candel Empire might exploit him and asked about the demands made by Prince Frank’s representative.
• Xu Yi explained that Chief Steward Mancini’s agreement demanded Xinfei’s Mana Sedan technology, a factory, equipment, worker training, and ongoing support without compensation.
• After reading the agreement, Xu Yi decided he would not let Xinfei become Prince Frank’s dependent and concluded that the Candel Empire was merely a larger market, not a source of progress.

Xu Yi reassured President Cruz that the failed negotiations with Prince Frank would not stop the Xinfei Merchant Guild from entering the Candel Empire, while Cruz prepared to build the Amli Merchant Guild’s first road there. At the Xinfei Motor Racing Track, the new holographic screens revealed a surprising competitor, leaving Cruz shocked.

• Xu Yi told President Cruz that the failed partnership with Prince Frank was only a minor setback and that Xinfei products could still enter the Candel Empire.
• Xu Yi urged Cruz to focus on building the Amli Merchant Guild’s first road in the empire, and Cruz vowed to use the best workers and materials.
• Cruz discussed repairing the Falling Rain Highway and turning its renovation into publicity for his guild.
• Xu Yi showed Cruz the Holographic Mana Illusion Projection System as live coverage of the Xinfei Free Motor Racing Championship appeared on the track’s screens.
• Cruz saw a venerable gentleman on the screens and grabbed Xu Yi’s collar in disbelief, asking whether the man was competing.

Xu Yi brought President Cruz to a Mana Sedan race, where the contestants included Archmage Camilla, Elder Lysania, nobles, an orc, and a dwarf. As the race began, Xu Yi reconsidered the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s focus on Fire-Type Mana Engines and recognized the need to keep developing Wind-Type engines for civilian use.

• President Cruz watched Archmage Camilla take part in the race and was astonished to see an Archmage street racing.
• Dai Li introduced the eleven contestants, including Elder Lysania, Haver Candy, young nobles, a werewolf, and a dwarf.
• The eleven Mana Sedans started the race, their Fire-Type Mana Engines roaring loudly.
• Xu Yi considered the engines’ high energy use and noise, then concluded that Wind-Type Mana Engine research should not be neglected.

Xu Yi rejected Prince Frank’s proposed partnership after Chief Steward Mancini threatened the Xinfei Merchant Guild, and a crash ended the race in which Haver Candy collided with Baron Billier. Three days later, Xu Yi offered Billier funding and support to organize Mana Sedan races in the Candel Empire independently.

• Archmage Camilla and Elder Lysania pulled ahead in the race, while Haver Candy stayed in the middle of the pack.
• Xu Yi confirmed to Chief Steward Mancini that he had decided against the partnership with Prince Frank, and Mancini warned him of future trouble in the Candel Empire.
• On the final lap, Haver Candy collided with Baron Billier, and both Mana Sedans crashed into the track’s Wind Magic Array cushions.
• Three days later, Xu Yi visited the injured Baron Billier and confirmed that his talks with Prince Frank’s representatives had failed.
• Xu Yi proposed that Billier organize Mana Sedan races in the Candel Empire with funding, cars, personnel, and technical support from Xu Yi.
• Billier eagerly agreed and asked for time to plan how to organize the races.

Leslie read Xu Yi’s letter and learned that Baron Billier would travel to the Candel Empire to promote Mana Sedans, giving him a chance to build a future beyond the Lampari Kingdom. Grateful to Xu Yi and attached to the Guard Fleet, Leslie decided to remain in command as it sailed to escort a transport fleet and establish maritime bases in the empire’s southern waters.

• Leslie learned that Xu Yi had arranged for Baron Billier to organize motor races in the Candel Empire and promote Mana Sedans through his connection to Prince Frank.
• Leslie reflected on Xu Yi’s help to the Stark Family and decided he would stay with the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet for a while longer.
• Leslie ordered Gahn Solon to take the fleet directly from Nixi Harbor to the rendezvous point.
• The Guard Fleet sailed into Candel Empire waters and headed to meet the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s Second Transport Fleet.
• Leslie prepared to escort the transport fleet to three islands for the first maritime bases, welcoming the difficult mission as a chance to prove himself and repay Xu Yi.

The Xinfei Merchant Guild began building a base on an island in the Candel Empire's southern waters, while Leslie and Nevall discussed the guild's refusal to use slaves and the competitive risks it might face. Nevall wondered how the guild could compete with merchants who used slave labor, and Leslie trusted Xu Yi to find a solution.

• Leslie's Guard Fleet stopped at an island selected for a new Xinfei Merchant Guild base, and Nevall arrived aboard the Far-Reaching with construction workers and supplies.
• Workers from the Amli Merchant Guild and the Xinfei Merchant Guild began building a harbor and living quarters, encouraged by generous wages and allowances.
• Nevall told Leslie that people in many places could still be bought for ten gold coins, prompting Leslie to reflect on Xu Yi's ambition to improve life across the continent.
• Nevall recalled that he had proposed using slaves for construction, but Xu Yi had rejected the idea because he opposed slavery.
• Nevall warned that slave-using merchant guilds could gain a cost advantage if their products matched the Xinfei Merchant Guild's quality, and Leslie said Xu Yi would find a solution.