Chapter Summaries

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.

Leslie welcomed Candel Empire naval officer Remito Russell to the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s island base, where Russell offered the fleet autonomy in the area in exchange for help fighting pirates. Leslie agreed to cooperate with the Imperial Navy, while Russell looked over the guild’s ships without revealing his thoughts.

• Leslie learned that a Candel Empire fleet was approaching and prepared the Guard Fleet for its arrival.
• Remito Russell identified himself as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Candel Empire’s Naval Staff Department and accepted Leslie’s invitation to visit the island.
• Leslie explained the guild’s plans to build a deepwater dock, and Russell showed no objection to the island’s development.
• Russell privately asked Leslie to help the Imperial Navy deal with pirate bands in nearby waters, offering the Guard Fleet autonomy in return.
• Leslie agreed to cooperate in fighting the pirates, and Russell studied the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s silver-hulled escort ships.

Xu Yi defended his proposal to abolish slavery in the Stantin Duchy, arguing that slavery was both cruel and economically inefficient. As the Congress prepared to vote, he framed emancipation as a way to turn unproductive slaves into effective workers.

• Xu Yi’s slavery-abolition proposal reached its final deliberation after months of opposition and an initial vote with no support.
• Xu Yi told reporters that he opposed cruelty to slaves and saw little difference between humans and other races.
• A reporter accused Xu Yi of seeking to eliminate slave-based competition, citing the Sangqi Merchant Guild; Xu Yi replied that the guild’s lamps had failed inspection and that his proposal applied only to the Stantin Duchy.
• Xu Yi argued that slave workers often lacked education and initiative, lowering production efficiency and quality rather than reducing costs.
• Xu Yi said he wanted to turn slaves from liabilities into assets by abolishing slavery.

Xu Yi visited Servini after she gave birth to a prince, and they discussed the burdens their children would inherit. The chapter ended with Servini sharply rejecting Xu Yi’s joking suggestion that the prince be engaged to Freya.

• The Stantin Duchy passed Xu Yi’s slave status conversion proposal, but lords obstructed its implementation and no slaves applied during the first week.
• Servini gave birth to a healthy prince, prompting celebrations throughout the Lampari Kingdom.
• Xu Yi told Servini that Freya would not have to lead the Xinfei Merchant Guild if she lacked the ability or desire, while Servini said she could never abandon the Lampari Kingdom.
• Xu Yi reflected that Servini’s son would inherit the kingdom and its responsibilities, then joked about arranging the prince’s engagement to Freya.
• Servini reacted sharply and rejected the engagement suggestion.

Xu Yi explained to Servini that abolishing slavery would let the Xinfei Merchant Guild train slaves into skilled workers and expand its workforce. He revealed that he had prepared tempting bait to persuade some lords to hand over their slaves, leaving Servini curious about his plan.

• Servini asked Xu Yi how the abolition of slavery was progressing in the Stantin Duchy, and he admitted that opposition from the lords had forced him to put it on hold.
• Xu Yi argued that slaves were people capable of learning and becoming skilled workers, unlike the livestock many lords believed them to be.
• Xu Yi told Servini that the Xinfei Merchant Guild had more than ninety-three thousand employees but needed at least fifty thousand more to support island bases and expansion into the Candel Empire.
• Servini questioned how freeing slaves would help the guild, and Xu Yi recalled training four hundred slaves who later became valuable workers for the Stark Family.
• Xu Yi said he had prepared tempting bait to lure some lords into giving him access to their slaves, and Servini suspected he had devised another crafty plan.

After witnessing the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet effortlessly destroy pirates, Remito Russell accepted that the Candel Empire's navy could not match it. He asked about buying the guild's frigates, but Leslie's price left him stunned.

• Remito Russell watched the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet rout a thirteenth band of pirates without letting them get within range.
• Russell concluded that the Candel Empire's naval fleet would fare little better than the pirates against the guild's superior speed and Mana Cannons.
• Russell boarded a frigate and learned from Leslie that its displacement was around a thousand tons and its net weight exceeded six hundred tons.
• Russell asked Leslie how the frigates were built, but Leslie said their construction involved guild secrets and specialized knowledge he did not understand.
• Russell asked Leslie to relay the Candel Empire's interest in formal cooperation and the frigates to President Xu.
• Leslie suggested that the Candel Empire buy the frigates directly and quoted a price of two million gold coins each, leaving Russell aghast.

The Xinfei Merchant Guild announced that it would trade steelmaking technologies for slaves, drawing widespread interest and outrage over its steep demands. After acquiring nearly twenty thousand slaves in half a month, the guild sent them from Black Rice Harbor across the Endless Sea, leaving their fate unknown.

• The Xinfei Merchant Guild announced it would make steelmaking technologies available in exchange for slaves meeting specific requirements.
• The guild set high slave prices for each steel type, prompting people to question Xu Yi’s motives and what would happen to the slaves under Stantin Duchy’s abolition of slavery.
• A lord in the Lampari Kingdom’s Northeastern Province exchanged 3,653 slaves for the technologies to produce three steel types.
• The Xinfei Merchant Guild made six more deals over the next half month, acquiring over 15,300 additional slaves.
• The guild sent the slaves into the Black Rice Wasteland, then aboard its cargo mana-powered ships from Black Rice Harbor across the Endless Sea.

Xu Yi shifted the Xinfei Merchant Guild toward overseas joint ventures, projecting rapid growth while planning major investments in research, security, and island bases. He also rejected the Candel Empire navy’s request for a lower price on the guild’s guard frigates.

• The Xinfei Merchant Guild signed agreements with the Falk Kingdom to establish five household magic machinery factories, with plans for more factories, a machine-tool workshop, and steelworks.
• Sebas projected that the guild would earn forty million gold coins the following year after its profits reached thirty-three million this year.
• Xu Yi announced increased spending on the Magic Research Institute, the Guards Corps, and island bases, which would support the guild’s maritime expansion.
• After Russell questioned the two-million-gold-coin price of each guard frigate, Xu Yi replied that the guild would not lower it.

Remito Russell warned Chrysler Isore that the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s Guard Frigates could make the Candel Empire’s navy obsolete, but the navy’s shrinking budget left it unable to afford them. Russell ended by proposing that the navy replace its existing fleet with Guard Frigates and find the money to do so.

• Chrysler Isore questioned Russell’s report about the Xinfei Merchant Guild’s powerful Guard Fleet, but Russell insisted he had witnessed its strength firsthand and urged the navy to acquire its Guard Frigates.
• Russell warned that the Malo Empire could gain a decisive advantage if it obtained the same ships before the Candel Empire did.
• Chrysler told Russell that the navy’s next annual budget would be cut to thirty million gold coins, making Guard Frigates priced at two million each unaffordable.
• Russell concluded that the navy must replace its existing fleet with Guard Frigates and declared that they had to find the money.

After Chief of Staff Isore rejected Russell’s proposal to reduce the Imperial Navy and buy Xinfei Merchant Guild escort ships, Russell remained troubled by the guild’s growing power and unfamiliar magic machinery. He decided to visit a Wimbledon City shop selling its Mana Sedans, leaving to inspect the vehicle before choosing what to buy.

• Russell left the Naval Staff Department after Isore dismissed his proposal to reform the Imperial Navy and acquire Xinfei escort ships.
• Russell recalled the extraordinary Mana-Powered Ships and Guards Fleet he had seen at the Xinfei Merchant Guild and worried that its technology might threaten the Candel Empire.
• Russell asked his driver Martin to take him to a shop selling Xinfei magic machinery in Wimbledon City.
• Martin praised the Mana Sedans and told Russell about a shop opened by Baron Billier, who was related to Prince Frank.
• Russell agreed to buy a Mana Sedan and set off with Martin to inspect the shop.

Billier’s Mana Sedan business boomed, and Russell bought an extended luxury model before asking about other Magic Locomotives that could support the Imperial Navy. As Russell left to reconnect with the Xinfei Merchant Guild, Billier was swept away by young nobles headed to a race.

• Billier’s trading house sold more than a thousand Mana Sedans in three months, earning him about three hundred thousand gold coins.
• Russell bought a four-thousand-gold-coin extended e32o Mana Sedan after learning it was unsuitable for the empire’s mountainous south.
• Russell asked Billier about other Magic Locomotives and considered using Xinfei cargo vehicles to improve the Imperial Navy’s supplies.
• Russell left the shop and assigned Martin to handle the complicated purchase and driving arrangements.
• Three young nobles arrived, bundled Billier into a Mana Sedan, and sped off with him to a race.