Chapter Summaries

Riley struggled to secure the Candel Empire’s interest in the Amli Merchant Guild’s road-building business and decided to leave Wimbledon City. Just as he prepared to return home, a shrewd stranger approached him to discuss building roads.

• Riley realized Ambassador Hakane had little influence and that Candel officials repeatedly refused to consider the Amli Merchant Guild’s road projects.
• Riley learned that Hakane had made a huge profit reselling Xinfei household magic machinery, even as the shipment made little impression on Wimbledon’s vast market.
• Riley compared Wimbledon’s aging streets with Bunta City’s modern roads, transport, factories, and buildings, and resolved to stop pursuing the Candel Empire.
• Riley decided to bid Hakane farewell and explain the failed negotiations to President Cruz.
• A shrewd middle-aged man found Riley and said he had come to ask about building roads.

Riley met Jia Sha, a representative of the newly founded Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom, who proposed an ambitious highway linking his country to the Stantin Duchy. Jia Sha revealed that the plan was mainly meant to demonstrate his kingdom’s sincerity in seeking cooperation with the Xinfei Merchant Guild, leaving Riley baffled by its devotion to the guild.

• Jia Sha explained that the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom had been founded by thirteen merchant guilds and governed through a Joint Conference modeled on the Stantin Duchy’s Congress.
• Jia Sha asked Riley whether the Amli Merchant Guild could build a highway exceeding five thousand kilometers between his kingdom and the Stantin Duchy.
• Jia Sha explained that the route would connect the two places to reach the Xinfei Merchant Guild, which his kingdom greatly admired.
• Riley pointed out that the countries were separated by the Candel Empire and the Rulson Kingdom, but Jia Sha showed him a coastal route through mountains in the Candel Empire.
• Riley warned that carving the highway through mountains could cost more than fifty million gold coins, and Jia Sha clarified that the project was intended to show the Xinfei Merchant Guild his kingdom’s sincerity about cooperation.

Xu Yi agreed to a long-term plan for a road linking the Stantin Duchy with the eastern continent and commissioned the Amli Merchant Guild to build a southern coastal road to the Rulson Kingdom. He also agreed to transfer cement manufacturing technology to the guild, while arranging a new order for cargo locomotives; the chapter ended with President Cruz spotting a strange vehicle at the factory.

• Xu Yi proposed planning a continent-spanning road over twenty years and asked President Cruz to prepare a proposal for a coastal road connecting the Stantin Duchy and the Rulson Kingdom.
• President Cruz asked Xu Yi to transfer cement manufacturing technology, and Xu Yi agreed on the condition that the Amli Merchant Guild followed Xinfei’s standards.
• Xu Yi and President Cruz preliminarily agreed that the Amli Merchant Guild would pay one million gold coins for the technology, receive help establishing three cement plants, and acquire production equipment.
• President Cruz ordered Large Cargo Magic Locomotives for the Amli Merchant Guild’s planned transport fleet, and Xu Yi promised an initial batch of ten in three months.
• As President Cruz left the factory, he saw a strange Magic Locomotive with a thick tube protruding from it.

Xu Yi inspected the Mana Cannon Locomotive project and promised its researchers a remote military testing base and future work on a true Mana Tank. At the shipyard, he gave Lumi news of a possible Gnome sighting in the Falk Kingdom and persuaded her to let him investigate before she went there herself.

• Xu Yi learned from Toldo that the Mana Cannon Locomotive had reached road testing, though mass production would require more time and testing.
• Xu Yi told the researchers he planned to build a military testing base in the northern mountains and wanted them to eventually develop a true Mana Tank.
• A crowd gathered outside the shipyard and asked Xu Yi to let them meet Lumi, so he agreed to speak with her.
• Xu Yi gave Lumi a letter from Haines reporting a possible Gnome sighting in the Falk Kingdom, and Lumi resolved to go there.
• Xu Yi warned Lumi the report might be false or a trap and offered to send a token with someone to investigate; Lumi reluctantly agreed and went out to meet the crowd.

In Taklin, Greedy Wolf Legion commander Shalong Li Nuer resented the free trade zone and the Lampari Kingdom’s military magic machinery, while chief of staff Aiwei Ruoang acknowledged their advantage and shopped for household machines. Ruoang also exchanged a coded remark with a Drake Duchy clerk, suggesting the military intelligence operation was moving forward.

• Taklin flourished as merchants from the Sark and Lampari Kingdoms traded in the free trade zone.
• Shalong Li Nuer condemned the agreement and blamed magic machinery for the Greedy Wolf Legion’s defeats, while Aiwei Ruoang pointed out its military importance.
• Li Nuer asked about the covert operation to obtain military intelligence, and Ruoang said the agents had largely gained their targets’ trust.
• Ruoang bought household magic machinery for his family and then approached a counter staffed by a Drake Duchy clerk.
• Ruoang mentioned wanting a Magic Fan after summer, and he and the clerk exchanged knowing smiles.

At the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s annual meeting, Xu Yi reviewed the benefits of supporting workers and the guild’s rapid expansion, then set priorities for future cooperation and research. He welcomed proposals for Magic Machine Tools and applied Magic Machinery but ruled out Military Magic Machinery for now, and announced that next year’s research objectives were ready to be discussed.

• The Xinfei Merchant Guild gave workers free bus rides home for the New Year, raising morale and production enough to increase profits beyond expectations.
• Xu Yi told the guild’s managers to find lasting ways to motivate workers rather than relying on temporary incentives.
• Kennard reported that the guild had established partnerships in five more countries and now had 154 Household Magic Machinery factories outside the Stantin Duchy.
• Xu Yi approved an announcement inviting cooperation on Magic Machine Tools and applied Magic Machinery, but said it was not yet time to discuss Military Magic Machinery.
• Avita and Canby reported that the guild’s main research focus had been improving existing products and developing Mana-Powered Ships, including the three cargo vessels that completed a long sea voyage.
• Xu Yi said he had decided on the guild’s main research objectives for next year, drawing Avita and Canby’s attention.

At the Xinfei Merchant Guild's year-end review, Xu Yi set ambitious targets for mana airship development and revealed the guild's enormous profits and plans for further investment. The meeting ended with Xu Yi ordering a fivefold increase to the Guard Corps' budget, leaving everyone wondering what he intended.

• Xu Yi demanded that Avita's mana airships exceed a range of 1,500 kilometers and a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, and Avita agreed to pursue the targets.
• Canby assured Xu Yi that the Magic Machine Tool Research Center could build the airships if the Magic Research Institute designed them.
• Kennard and Sebas reported the guild's growth and annual profits of more than 23 million gold coins, astonishing the managers.
• Avita asked Xu Yi to recruit more high-level mages, and the other managers raised requests that Sebas estimated would require at least five million gold coins next year.
• Xu Yi raised the budgets of the Magic Research Institute and the Magic Machine Tool Research Center by thirty percent, then ordered the Guard Corps' budget multiplied by five.

Regsal waited on Thunder Island for the Xinfei Merchant Guild to return and help develop the island, believing he might have to resume piracy when they failed to appear. The fleet arrived in force, and Nevall announced the guild’s plans for Thunder Island before Lord Leslie ordered Regsal to gather his men and help clear out the troublemakers nearby.

• Regsal complained to Dorom that the Xinfei Merchant Guild had not returned, and Dorom urged him to resume piracy.
• Regsal and Dorom spotted a fleet of seven enormous Mana-Powered Ships and around twenty smaller ships approaching Thunder Island.
• Nevall arrived with the fleet and brought supplies, including liquor, which Regsal and the islanders eagerly helped unload.
• Nevall formally told Regsal that Thunder Island was part of the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s development plans and that the islanders should assist the guild’s representatives.
• Nevall introduced Lord Leslie, commander of the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guard Corps fleet, who told Regsal to gather the Thunderclap Pirate Group and help clear out nearby troublemakers.

Leslie’s fleet annihilated the Reaper Pirate Group and began planning to survey resource-rich islands near Thunder Island. He then declared that he would become the Pirate King and take the fleet into the Candel Empire’s waters.

• Regsal watched the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet sink all seventy-six of the Reaper Pirate Group’s ships without suffering any losses.
• Leslie asked Regsal about other pirate groups that might threaten Thunder Island, and Regsal said none would dare after the fleet’s victory.
• Leslie told Regsal that Xu Yi wanted the region’s resources, including Thunder Island’s iron mine, and asked him to guide the fleet to nearby islands.
• Regsal identified about twenty larger islands nearby, and Leslie planned to survey them before continuing east into the Candel Empire’s waters.
• Leslie declared that he would become the Pirate King and kill any pirate group that stood in his way.

Bunta City hosted its annual spring road bicycle race as the Xinfei Merchant Guild launched an eight-stage championship with a hundred-thousand-gold-coin prize and professional team opportunities. The guild also announced mana sedan races, which attracted fewer than fifty wealthy entrants, including Baron Billier.

• A cyclist traveled from the Norton Duchy to enter Bunta City's spring road bicycle race, and his story drew more visitors to the city.
• The Xinfei Merchant Guild and seven other bicycle guilds announced an eight-stage championship with a prize of at least one hundred thousand gold coins for the overall winner.
• The guilds said they would recruit promising riders from the spring race, offering professional racers salaries of at least five hundred gold coins a year.
• The Xinfei Merchant Guild announced plans for a motor racing track and mana sedan races outside Bunta City.
• Fewer than fifty wealthy residents signed up for the mana sedan race, including Baron Billier.

Xu Yi arranged for Baron Billier to help put a Mana Sedan in Prince Frank’s hands, hoping the Candel Empire’s nobles would take an interest in Magic Machinery. He also spoke with Cruz about using Prince Frank’s interest to advance the Amli Merchant Guild’s road-building efforts.

• Baron Billier asked Xu Yi when the new fire-element-powered Mana Sedan would be ready, and Xu Yi estimated that testing would finish next month.
• Xu Yi offered to provide Prince Frank with a Mana Sedan and promised Baron Billier two if he could ensure the prince owned one.
• Baron Billier agreed to work on getting a Mana Sedan to Prince Frank, whose interest could help make the vehicles popular among Candel Empire nobles.
• Xu Yi reflected that the Xinfei Merchant Guild was pursuing high-end Mana Sedans alongside affordable household Magic Machinery to enter the Candel Empire market.
• Cruz told Xu Yi that the Amli Merchant Guild had failed to generate interest in roads in the Candel Empire, and Xu Yi pointed to the Bunta City Motor Racing Track under construction as a reason for organizing a race.

Xu Yi and Stille discussed the strict admission standards for the Xinfei Cycling Championship and how they would affect bicycle manufacturers. Stille then demonstrated a magical device that projected lifelike images of Avir and Brownia, leaving Xu Yi astonished by the apparent holographic technology.

• The Xinfei Road Bicycle Race and Cycling Championship drew fierce competition, boosted bicycle sales, and brought the Xinfei Merchant Guild more than four hundred thousand gold coins in April profits.
• Xu Yi introduced a system to expand the Bicycle Championship to twelve merchant guilds within three years, requiring strict quality standards and professional cycling teams.
• Stille worried the standards could drive smaller manufacturers out of business and let a few guilds monopolize the industry.
• Xu Yi said he had prepared measures to help manufacturers that failed to qualify and would give them a chance to meet the standards.
• Stille activated a magical disc that projected lifelike images of Avir and Brownia, and Xu Yi wondered how the continent had acquired holographic projection technology.

Stille showed Xu Yi an illusion magic array that recorded and replayed lifelike three-dimensional scenes, and he urged her to use it to create realistic story performances. As Stille left to test the idea, Xu Yi revised plans for the Xinfei Cycling Championship and was interrupted by someone peeking through the doorway.

• Stille showed Xu Yi the illusion magic array Elder Windini had taught her and explained how it recorded and replayed scenes with sound.
• Xu Yi praised Stille's plan to record the New Moon Song and Dance Troupe and suggested making realistic story performances instead of conventional opera.
• Xu Yi promised to write Stille a script within a week, and Stille went away to think about the idea and conduct a test.
• Xu Yi considered the illusion array's potential for entertainment across the Sains Continent, then returned to revising the Xinfei Cycling Championship Organizational Charter.
• Xu Yi heard a sound at the doorway and saw a head poke through it.

Teresa asked Xu Yi to recommend her for the Military Magic Machinery Research Department so she could help defeat the Sark Kingdom. Meanwhile, Old Man Sakeqi drove his Small Cargo Magic Locomotive through the Milando Duchy and was delighted to find a Xinfei Mana Replenishment Service Station where he could stop.

• Teresa told Xu Yi she wanted to join the Military Magic Machinery Research Department to help defeat the Sark Kingdom, and Xu Yi agreed to recommend her to Director Avita.
• Xu Yi reflected on the strong sales of Xinfei Cargo Magic Locomotives, especially the affordable Small Cargo model.
• Old Man Sakeqi drove his Small Cargo Magic Locomotive toward the Norton Duchy, dreaming of saving enough to buy Mana Sedans for his family and himself.
• After his vehicle jolted, Old Man Sakeqi chewed a pungent leaf to stay alert and looked for a place to rest.
• Old Man Sakeqi spotted a Xinfei Mana Replenishment Service Station beside the road and sped toward it.

Old Man Sakeqi met Laudesak and other workers from the Lampari Kingdom who were traveling to the Norton Duchy for jobs at the Anko Mana Merchant Guild’s Magic Air Conditioner factory. As the workers settled in for the night, the Makalin Merchant Guild arrived offering even higher wages.

• Old Man Sakeqi discovered that Laudesak and other workers had traveled from the Northwestern Province to seek factory work in Noxus Town.
• Laudesak explained that the Anko Mana Merchant Guild had promised at least ten gold coins a month, food, and lodging for simple manual labor.
• Old Man Sakeqi reflected on how the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s influence had improved his life and raised hiring standards in Bunta City.
• Old Man Sakeqi and Laudesak agreed to meet again in Noxus Town after discussing their hopes of earning and saving money.
• The Anko Mana Merchant Guild representative told the workers to rest before their journey, and Old Man Sakeqi bought supplies at the Magic Recharging Station.
• A Makalin Merchant Guild recruiter arrived and offered a minimum monthly wage of twelve gold coins, prompting Old Man Sakeqi to anticipate a spectacle.

The Makalin Merchant Guild tried to persuade workers recruited by the Anko Mana Merchant Guild to join them with higher wages and better benefits. Just as Yodel was about to resort to his last measure, an influential newcomer intervened and condemned the poaching.

• A representative of the Makalin Merchant Guild offered Laudesak and the other recruits at least twelve gold coins a month to join his guild instead of the Anko Mana Merchant Guild.
• Yodel challenged the offer, but the Makalin representative argued that the workers had not yet become official employees and promoted the guild’s benefits and local factories.
• The Makalin representative cited the guild’s partnership with the Xinfei Merchant Guild, then offered to pay any contract penalties for workers who switched.
• Yodel struggled to stop the recruits from leaving as the Makalin representative explained that experienced magic-machinery workers were scarce in the Milando Duchy.
• An unfamiliar voice behind the Magic Recharging Station told the Makalin representative to inform President Segla that he was displeased with the guild’s conduct.
• Yodel brightened at the voice, while the Makalin representative recognized something about the speaker and Old Man Sakeqi reacted with surprise.

Xu Yi resolved the Anko Mana Merchant Guild’s dispute with the Makalin Merchant Guild and proposed a vocational training college in the Milando Duchy. He then asked Old Man Sakeqi to take on a job in the Norton Duchy, but had not yet explained the details.

• Xu Yi questioned Yodel about the Anko Mana Merchant Guild’s workers and learned that Geb and the Makalin Merchant Guild had tried to take them.
• Geb recognized Xu Yi, admitted he had acted without President Segla’s knowledge, and withdrew his men after Xu Yi let the matter go and suggested building a vocational training college.
• Xu Yi told Yodel he could not help the Anko Mana Merchant Guild much in the Norton Duchy but offered further support where possible.
• Xu Yi asked Old Man Sakeqi about his small Cargo Magic Locomotive and listened as he described its shortcomings.
• Xu Yi asked Old Man Sakeqi to help with a job in the Norton Duchy, and Sakeqi eagerly agreed before Xu Yi explained what it involved.

Xu Yi traveled to the Norton Duchy to meet Candel Empire Third Prince Frank Deboer, but Manager Como dismissed him as unworthy of an audience. Xu Yi offered Frank a racing track and team, then insisted on meeting him and hinted he could earn millions of gold coins annually, leaving Como and Baron Billier stunned.

• Xu Yi met Baron Billier near the Norton Duchy and rode with him by carriage to Prince Frank's enormous manor.
• The coachman left Xu Yi and Baron Billier at the distant gate, and Manager Como's cold treatment made Xu Yi recognize the gulf in status between himself and the prince.
• Manager Como told Xu Yi he was not qualified to meet Frank and that he could discuss his business with him instead.
• Xu Yi offered Frank a professional motor racing track and team, and Como agreed to accept the gift on the prince's behalf.
• Xu Yi said he wanted to see Frank drive a Mana Sedan himself, provoking Como's anger.
• Xu Yi claimed Frank could earn an extra million or several million gold coins a year, leaving Como and Baron Billier astonished.

Xu Yi left Prince Frank’s estate after proposing that the Xinfei Merchant Guild could help him earn millions of gold coins a year, then gave Baron Billier his Mana Sedan and boarded a Mana Airship waiting by a lake. Baron Billier watched the airship depart, stunned by its power.

• Baron Billier doubted Xu Yi’s claim that the Xinfei Merchant Guild could make Prince Frank millions of gold coins a year, but Xu Yi explained that the Candel Empire offered a far larger market.
• Xu Yi let Baron Billier drive his Mana Sedan, and Baron Billier complained about its uncomfortable ride and urged Xu Yi to commission a more luxurious personal car.
• Xu Yi offered Baron Billier the Mana Sedan, and Baron Billier eagerly accepted it as a valuable keepsake.
• Xu Yi asked Baron Billier to stop beside a small lake and said he was waiting for someone to pick him up.
• A Mana Airship descended beside the lake, and Xu Yi boarded it after reminding Baron Billier to complete the car’s ownership paperwork.
• The Mana Airship climbed rapidly and flew away, leaving Baron Billier amazed by its speed and power.

Xu Yi reunited with the Mana Airship after its long-range positioning and cruising test, praised Akali’s invention, and reviewed Avita’s flight data and maps. He then pointed out their next destination, which appeared to be at sea.

• Akali told Xu Yi that her Long-Range Mana Positioning System had located him, and he awarded her team a Second-Class Reward despite the system being five minutes behind schedule.
• Akali reported that the system measured Xu Yi’s distance at 5,673 meters, and Xu Yi praised her work and its potential.
• Avita explained that the long-range cruise had revealed flaws in the Mana Airship and defended delaying mass production until it was safe for ordinary passengers.
• Xu Yi examined Avita’s maps of the route through the Milando Duchy and Norton Duchy, pointed out flaws, and stressed the value of accurate maps.
• Xu Yi marked their next destination on the maps, and Akali and Avita realized that the location was out at sea.