Chapter Summaries

Leslie’s powerful fleet had driven pirates from the waters south of the Candel Empire, leaving him bored as he worked toward securing the region’s shipping routes. His fleet then encountered a vast force of Candel Empire navy ships, which stopped within bowshot, and Leslie waited to hear what they wanted.

• Leslie reflected on the fish-rich deep sea and the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet’s successful campaign against pirates.
• Leslie grew restless because pirates had fled rather than fight, though he accepted Xu Yi’s goal of securing the waters south of the Candel Empire.
• A lookout reported a large fleet approaching, and Leslie discovered it was the Candel Empire’s navy.
• Leslie ordered his fleet to stop and hold fire, avoiding a confrontation with the empire’s navy.
• The Candel Empire fleet stopped less than five hundred meters away, and a voice called out from its lead ship.

Leslie’s Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet refused the Candel Empire Royal Fleet’s demand to stop for inspection and rapidly retreated. The Candel fleet tried to pursue, but warning shots from the Xinfei ships forced Candore to let them go, leaving him furious.

• Candore ordered Leslie’s fleet to stop and submit to inspection, while Leslie identified his ships as the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet and refused to allow a search.
• Leslie’s steel ships accelerated away from the Candel fleet, putting themselves beyond the range of its flaming arrows.
• Candore ordered his ships to pursue the retreating fleet, but the Candel ships began moving too slowly to catch up.
• The Xinfei fleet fired projectiles into the sea ahead of Candore’s ship, creating massive explosions and waves that rocked the Candel ships.
• Candore recognized the attack as a warning and vowed to remember the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet.

Leslie’s fleet provoked the Candel Empire Royal Fleet under Xu Yi’s orders, and Xu Yi revealed that the incident would help his plans. He directed Leslie to secure a shipping route across the southern sea from the Stantin Duchy to the Sains Continent’s Southeastern Coast.

• Leslie’s fleet escaped the Candel Empire Royal Fleet and fired Magic Rockets that landed harmlessly nearby, escalating the confrontation.
• Xu Yi arrived by Mana Airship, and Leslie told him about the encounter and worried that it would provoke the empire.
• Xu Yi confirmed that no ships had been damaged and no one had died, then said angering the empire could make his plans easier.
• Xu Yi ordered Leslie to gain control of the Candel Empire’s waters and the Southern Continental Waters within three months.
• Leslie agreed that the fleet could control the waters if the Candel Empire Royal Fleet stayed out of its way, but asked for more ships and men.
• Xu Yi said the guild would establish bases on islands throughout the sea to secure the route and support its transport fleet.

Xu Yi's group flew east aboard Avita's Mana Airship toward the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom, testing the craft's long-distance range and discussing how the planet's rotation affected their flight. Akali revealed a prototype system for tracking the sensors she had dropped along the route, prompting Xu Yi to order the airship toward land.

• Xu Yi and his companions left Leslie and flew east, beginning a journey of more than five thousand kilometers toward the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom.
• Avita estimated they would reach the kingdom's vicinity early the next morning, and Xu Yi explained how the planet's rotation affected daylight during their flight.
• Xu Yi left Avita studying his astronomy explanation and found the rest of the group asleep while Akali worked in the middle cabin.
• Akali showed Xu Yi a console that tracked and distinguished Small Mana Resonance Sensors dropped along the route, allowing them to estimate their position and avoid getting lost.
• Xu Yi recognized the system's potential and ordered Avita to change course and head for land.

Jia Sha waited for Xu Yi to arrive in the Nozdormu Commercial United Kingdom, hoping to secure cooperation with the Xinfei Merchant Guild. After Xu Yi finally arrived aboard a Mana Airship, he rejected Jia Sha’s confidence in the kingdom’s investment environment, leaving Jia Sha stunned.

• Jia Sha waited five days past the agreed date for Xu Yi and decided to wait another five.
• Jia Sha spotted the approaching Mana Airship and hurried to welcome Xu Yi as it landed outside town.
• Xu Yi greeted Jia Sha and gave a vague explanation for his late arrival.
• Jia Sha invited Xu Yi and the airship’s passengers to lunch and described his plans for meetings with the other merchant guilds.
• Xu Yi said he wanted to inspect the country before considering cooperation and told Jia Sha he disagreed that he would be satisfied with its investment environment.

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.