Chapter Summaries

Li Wei set out aboard the Eye of the Sky to secretly extract Princess Anna Sophia from Green Shade Castle, where several factions were moving against her. As the airship approached the Sasha Alliance, he considered how Princess Sophia’s survival could affect the succession and the possibility of a major war.

• Li Wei received orders from the Old Butler to infiltrate the Sasha Alliance and rescue Princess Anna Sophia, who was staying near Kolo City.
• Li Wei gave Lieutenant Horn the castle’s coordinates and ordered the Eye of the Sky toward its destination.
• Li Wei recalled how Emperor Joseph I’s nephew, Grand Duke Fernando, had married a maid, leaving their daughter Sophia with disputed succession rights.
• Li Wei concluded that Joseph I and rival factions might want Sophia dead or captured because her survival could threaten the succession after the emperor’s death.
• The Eye of the Sky flew toward Sasha Alliance territory as Li Wei anticipated a violent confrontation at Green Shade Castle and hoped Sophia would be safer with the Queen.

Li Wei rescued Sophia from her maid’s attempted murder and tried to escape the castle with her as armed soldiers arrived. A battle erupted between the soldiers and armored knights, then a mysterious black gale engulfed them all.

• Sophia’s maid forced her to drink a strange liquid, but Li Wei appeared and warned her against it.
• The maid attacked Sophia with a knife, and Li Wei killed her with a throwing knife.
• Li Wei told Sophia that her parents had been assassinated and urged her to change, pack, and leave with him.
• Armed soldiers entered the castle searching for Sophia, so Li Wei carried her toward the third-floor balcony.
• Armored knights stormed the entrance hall and fought the soldiers, but a black gale swept through the castle and engulfed both groups.

Li Wei watched supernatural fighters from Francis and the Olucci Empire battle before a Kingdom of Kront chimera attacked the castle. He escaped with Sophia and called in the Eye of the Sky to destroy the beast, then ordered a team to investigate the valuable intelligence.

• Li Wei secretly observed a Holy Lord Church knight and an Olucci wizard fight, noting their supernatural abilities and equipment.
• A huge armored, gun-mounted chimera burst through the castle floor, killed the wizard and knight, and turned toward Li Wei and Sophia.
• Li Wei carried Sophia from the balcony and used his cloak to fly toward the forest as the chimera pursued them.
• Li Wei marked the chimera with a flare, and Lieutenant Horn directed the Eye of the Sky to blast it apart.
• Li Wei ordered the Eye of the Sky to land and send people to investigate.

Li Wei and the Old Butler discussed the Holy Lord Church’s suspected human sacrifices and the Kingdom of Kront’s ability to weaponize animals, then agreed to keep Princess Sophia hidden in Li Wei’s care. As tensions rose after Grand Duke Fernando’s assassination, a chain of alliances threatened to draw the continent into war.

• Li Wei told the Old Butler that the Holy Lord Church might be using human sacrifices to imbue its Knights’ equipment with supernatural power and to gain influence by exploiting supernatural incidents.
• The Old Butler reported that Kront had developed a way to control animals, and Li Wei suggested using biologists to track animal populations and detect abnormal movements.
• The Old Butler asked Li Wei to care for Princess Sophia under a fabricated identity, and Li Wei reluctantly agreed.
• The Sasha Alliance’s citizens protested against Seth and attacked Seth residents after learning that a Seth assassin had killed Grand Duke Fernando, while people in Seth praised the assassin.
• The alliances threatened to pull the Sasha Alliance, Seth, the Olucci Empire, Kront, and Francis into war, with the continent awaiting the first declaration.

Sophia spent a day in the Tower, enjoying walks, lessons, meals, and training with its residents. As she went to bed looking over Fog City, she felt safe in a way she never had at the castle.

• Sophia woke to Betty, then walked her through Fog City with Alice before joining Kia and Li Wei for breakfast.
• At breakfast, Li Wei let Kia continue working late occasionally, while Betty foiled Buck's attempt to steal her food.
• Li Wei left for the factory, and Sophia reflected that her own father had never said goodbye to her when he left.
• Sophia studied with Alice and trained with Katie, then shared afternoon tea and a lively dinner with the Tower residents.
• Sophia returned to her room, looked out at Fog City's lights, and went to bed feeling safe.

Li Wei learned that the supernatural forces of the Olucci Empire, Francis, and the Kingdom of Kront were tied to powerful political and military interests, while he prepared new weapons for a possible war. The Sasha Alliance issued the Duchy of Seth a severe ultimatum, making war appear unavoidable, and Li Wei ordered the arms factory to speed up production.

• Intelligence reports identified the shaman from Green Shade Castle as a Black Sanctuary member connected to Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, and linked the holy knights to Francis's Order of the Radiant Sword under Richelieu.
• Investigators traced the armored monster to the Kingdom of Kront and discovered its secret Recreation project, which created new creatures for warfare using organisms and steam technology.
• Li Wei asked whether he should infiltrate Kront to steal its secrets, but the Old Butler said Her Majesty had ordered him and the Eye of the Sky to remain on standby.
• Li Wei learned that Professor Andrew had helped improve the Jet Engine and that guided missiles were being manufactured for tests aboard the Eye of the Sky.
• The Sasha Alliance gave the Duchy of Seth seventy-two hours to meet ten demands, including allowing Sasha forces into Seth and punishing those behind Grand Duke Fernando's assassination.
• Li Wei called the arms factory and ordered three shifts and triple pay to accelerate weapons production.

Kront’s king promised support to the Sasha Alliance while dismissing the risks of war, but Kront’s General Staff prepared to attack Tiris and draw the Empire into the conflict. As the Sasha Alliance’s seventy-two-hour ultimatum put peace on the brink, Li Wei received orders to begin Operation Holy Shield.

• William II promised the Sasha Alliance envoy Kront’s support but refused to begin military preparations, confident the Olucci Empire could not intervene.
• Kront’s General Staff discussed the risks posed by the Empire, the unfinished chimera tunnels, and how Operation Double Eagle might proceed.
• The old general chose to follow the original plan and attack Tiris, forcing the Empire to enter the war while Kront tried to seize the City of Flowers.
• Li Wei waited as the Sasha Alliance’s seventy-two-hour ultimatum threatened war, knowing the Empire would not allow Kront to invade Tiris.
• The Old Butler ordered Li Wei, commander of the Thistle Knight Order, to prepare to depart as Operation Holy Shield began.

Victoria II launched Operation Holy Shield to prepare the Empire’s army for modern warfare, sending General Hao and Li Wei toward Tiris as they anticipated Kront’s invasion. As the Sasha Alliance’s ultimatum neared its deadline, Li Wei warned that Kront might use explosive aerial Chimeras and proposed bird nets as a defense.

• Victoria II sent General Hao and Li Wei with the Royal Navy’s Third Fleet toward the Tiris border, where they waited for Kront to invade before intervening.
• Li Wei outlined a plan to gain air superiority through reconnaissance and bombardment, then warned General Hao that Kront might deploy explosive Chimeras against airships.
• Li Wei suggested using bird nets to stop aerial Chimeras, and General Hao agreed to prepare them in case the threat was real.
• General Hao explained that Tiris had almost no military and that Kront would have to attack Blazing Sun Fortress to invade.
• With twenty-four hours remaining before the Sasha Alliance’s ultimatum expired, General Hao left to make preparations while Li Wei watched the time pass.

As the Sasha Alliance invaded the Duchy of Seth, Li Wei mapped Blazing Sun Fortress for the Olucci Empire from the Eye of the Sky. The Olucci Empire mobilized despite Kront’s warning, and the Kingdom of Kront declared war on it, spreading the conflict across the continent.

• Li Wei used the Eye of the Sky to map personnel positions at Blazing Sun Fortress and sent the intelligence to General Hao aboard the Cyclops.
• The Sasha Alliance declared war on the Duchy of Seth and began shelling its capital, Glan, on July 28.
• The Kingdom of Kront warned the Olucci Empire not to aid Seth, while Foreign Minister urged Nicholas II to mobilize for war.
• Rasputin prophesied that war in the west would bring the Olucci Empire rebirth, and Nicholas II ordered nationwide mobilization.
• The Kingdom of Kront demanded that the Olucci Empire rescind its mobilization order, then declared war when the empire ignored the ultimatum.

The Kingdom of Kront invaded the Duchy of Tiris as the Empire declared war on Kront, leaving General Leman to defend Tiris until Imperial aid could arrive. Li Wei located Kront’s headquarters and antiaircraft defenses from the air, preparing to guide an attack on the enemy camp.

• Foreign Minister Gray delivered the Empire’s declaration of war to von Richter after the Kingdom of Kront declared war on the Empire and the Duchy of Tiris.
• King Abel I chose to resist Kront’s invasion, and General Leman gathered Tiris’s troops at Blazing Sun Fortress.
• Kront’s army seized the bridges across the Moso River, then its tunneling moles broke into the fortress and began the battle.
• General Leman learned that the Empire had declared war on Kront and hoped its forces would arrive in time to help Tiris.
• Li Wei learned from the Cyclops that events were going smoothly and directed the Eye of the Sky toward Kront’s army camp.
• Li Wei used Soul Sight to locate Kront’s headquarters and antiaircraft camp, then sent their positions to the rear.

Li Wei helped the Empire destroy the Kingdom of Kront’s camp with accurately directed shelling and airship bombing, forcing General Auge’s troops to retreat from Blazing Sun Fortress. General Hao celebrated the easy victory and considered advancing on Derrin, while Li Wei recognized that their tactics would be less effective in urban combat.

• General Auge learned that imperial airships were approaching and ordered his antiaircraft batteries to prepare to fire.
• Li Wei used [Soul Sight] to direct General Hao’s artillery, which destroyed the Kingdom of Kront’s antiaircraft positions.
• The imperial airships bombed the camp, and General Auge’s forces retreated.
• General Hao celebrated the victory and credited Li Wei’s intelligence with making the attack so effective.
• Li Wei reflected that information-age warfare had limits in city fighting and did not know whether General Auge had survived.

The Kingdom of Kront launched a night attack on the Empire’s fleet using explosive birds, catching its airships off guard. General Hao ordered the Cyclops to defend itself as the flock advanced, but the attack had already destroyed the Striving Direction Marker.

• After the Empire bombarded Delai and defeated Kront’s assault on Blazing Sun Fortress, the Kingdom of Kront’s General Staff decided to continue its plan and use a secret weapon against the Empire’s fleet.
• General Auge ordered his soldiers to move out at night with giant goats carrying cages of birds toward the Empire’s airships.
• Li Wei’s Doll Bird spotted the approaching flock, and Li Wei warned General Hao through Lieutenant Horn.
• After returning to the Cyclops, General Hao learned about the warning and ordered the fleet to prepare nets, alert its scout airships, and go on alert.
• The explosive birds smashed into the Striving Direction Marker, setting it ablaze and sending it crashing down.
• General Hao illuminated the sky with searchlights, saw the flock sweeping toward the fleet, and ordered nets, protection for the propulsion systems, and antiaircraft fire.

Li Wei watched the Cyclops repel a Blaze Bird attack and discovered the Kront soldiers who had released the Chimeras. General Hao received Li Wei’s coordinates and prepared the warship for a counterattack, while Li Wei rested and described how warfare would change.

• The Blaze Birds attacked the Cyclops, but its guns, bird-catching nets, and Bird Glue limited the damage.
• Li Wei traced the birds’ flight paths to a Kront group on a mountaintop and watched them leave after their attack failed to destroy the Cyclops.
• General Hao locked up the adjutant who had withheld Li Wei’s warning, then received a decoded message identifying the enemy headquarters.
• General Hao ordered the Cyclops repaired within eight hours and prepared to retaliate against Kront.
• Li Wei told Lieutenant Horn that the Empire might one day strike Kront’s capital from afar, then went to sleep.

Li Wei infiltrated the Kingdom of Kront’s camp and stole its codebook, allowing Mariana to decipher a message requesting support from the Leviathan. Suspecting the Leviathan was a Kront airship, Li Wei ordered the warning sent to the Cyclops.

• General Auge requested support from the Leviathan after the Blaze Birds failed to destroy the Empire’s airship.
• Li Wei learned that the Kront army had sent an encrypted message and decided to steal its codebook.
• Li Wei used Twin-Tailed Pixies to enter the Kront camp, distract the signalmen, steal the codebook, and damage their transceiver.
• Mariana used the codebook to decrypt the message requesting the Leviathan’s support.
• Li Wei suspected the Leviathan was a Kront airship and ordered Mariana to alert the Cyclops.

Li Wei’s Eye of the Sky spotted the Kingdom of Kront’s enormous Leviathan, accompanied by a flock of black birds, as it traveled toward the frontline. Seeing the threat to the Cyclops, Li Wei ordered his crew to prepare an attack, inspired by an idea involving guided missiles.

• General Hao told Li Wei to identify the Leviathan and keep in contact while the Cyclops prepared for battle.
• Li Wei sent the Eye of the Sky along the Leviathan’s estimated route and waited for the target to appear.
• A Doll Bird spotted the Leviathan, and Li Wei used [Soul Sight] to locate its enormous soul beneath the clouds.
• Li Wei descended to five thousand meters and saw the whale-like Leviathan, its tentacles, mechanical propulsion units, and accompanying black birds.
• Concerned that the birds could overwhelm the Cyclops or attack his airship, Li Wei thought of using guided missiles and ordered the crew to prepare to attack.

Li Wei led the Eye of the Sky in a surprise attack on the Leviathan, using guns and guided missiles to destroy the flying whale and its gondola. With the Cront forces unaware that their aerial support was gone, he ordered the Cyclops to begin its operation.

• Li Wei positioned the Eye of the Sky behind the Leviathan and ordered the guns loaded while the crew prepared to photograph the battle.
• Li Wei ordered the Eye of the Sky to fire, striking the Leviathan with a shell and shooting down birds circling it.
• Li Wei controlled a guided missile with his [Puppeteer] ability and destroyed the bridge and gondola beneath the Leviathan.
• Li Wei launched a second guided missile, which exploded inside the Leviathan and sent it crashing into a forest.
• Li Wei confirmed the Leviathan's soul glow had faded and told Lieutenant Horn to notify the Cyclops to begin the operation.

After Li Wei stole the Kingdom of Kront’s codebook, General Auge’s search left the camp brightly lit, allowing General Hao’s forces to launch a devastating nighttime air raid. Li Wei was then ordered to help destroy Delai’s harbor defenses so the First Expeditionary Army Corps could land and seize the port city.

• General Auge sealed the camp and ordered a search for the missing codebook, suspecting a spy and keeping the camp illuminated.
• Li Wei returned from destroying the Leviathan, and Mariana explained that the enemy was searching for the codebook he had taken.
• General Hao asked Li Wei about the enemy camp’s activity, confirmed it was not a trap, and ordered an air strike on the illuminated positions.
• The air raid devastated the Kingdom of Kront’s vanguard camp, and Li Wei reported that the attack was finished.
• General Hao told Li Wei that command had ordered an overnight advance to take Delai and that the First Expeditionary Army Corps would rendezvous with them.
• Li Wei agreed to use Soul Sight to locate Delai’s harbor batteries and fortress defenses for bombardment.

Li Wei, General Hao, and the allied commanders devised a surprise assault to capture Delai Port, whose cliffside fortifications had resisted repeated attacks. As the fleet began its diversionary bombardment and the air raid struck the defenders’ rear, Li Wei took manual control of the Eye of the Sky and authorized the assault to begin.

• Barnes told French that the Third Fleet and the Thistle Knight Order were coming after the Third Fleet annihilated Kront’s Vanguard Corps, and French agreed to prepare for a landing.
• After arriving at Delai Port, Li Wei proposed transporting troops by airship to attack the port from the rear, and Barnes, French, and General Hao agreed to the plan.
• The commanders assigned the Fifth Fleet to bombard the fortresses, the Third Fleet to strike military targets, and an assault force to seize the municipal building and command headquarters under the Eye of the Sky’s cover.
• Barnes ordered the attack, and the fortress commander learned that an air raid had hit the mecha camp and destroyed the antiaircraft positions.
• Lieutenant Lawrence reported that the assault battalion had reached its position, and Li Wei activated Soul Sight and announced that the operation could begin.

Lieutenant Lawrence led the Second Brigade through Delai Port as the Eye of the Sky detected and bombarded Kront forces ahead of them. After capturing headquarters, Lawrence ordered most of his troops to advance toward the harbor fortifications, confident they could take the city before dawn.

• Lawrence advanced into Delai Port with Hound Mechs and infantry while the Eye of the Sky tracked his force.
• The Eye of the Sky destroyed Kront soldiers hiding in a barn and warned Lawrence of threats along the route, including a charging chimera that his mecha killed.
• The Eye of the Sky bombarded the Kront defenses outside headquarters, clearing the way for Lawrence's force to enter.
• Lawrence's troops used a flashbang and gunfire to secure headquarters, capturing or killing its defenders.
• Lawrence left Fourth Platoon to guard headquarters and ordered the rest of the Second Brigade to advance toward the fortifications.

After the Empire captured Delai Port, Li Wei and General Hao reported to the Queen, who chose to prioritize air superiority and turn the port into a defended base for repeated combat training. With the front holding and reconnaissance duties being distributed, Li Wei returned home exhausted, expecting to stay away from the battlefield for now.

• The Empire captured Delai Port, alarming Kront and disrupting its Double-Headed Eagle Plan as attacks came from three sides.
• Li Wei and General Hao returned to the capital and briefed the Queen on the war, Kront's Blaze Birds and tunnel warfare, and the Empire's successful aerial assault strategy.
• Li Wei explained that air superiority was the key to the Empire's victories, and the Queen decided to build more Airships and aerial warships while cutting the army's budget.
• The Queen ordered the Third Fleet and Li Wei's Thistle Knight Order to withdraw, leaving Delai Port to the Fifth Fleet and First Expeditionary Army while engineers repaired it.
• The Queen planned to use Delai Port to draw Kront into repeated battles and ordered the Empire's Scout Airships refitted for high-altitude reconnaissance.
• Li Wei handed the Codebook to the Intelligence Department and returned home, expecting to remain off the battlefield unless circumstances changed.