Chapter Summaries

Li Wei learned about the secluded valley’s towns, academy, and conflict with goblins, then flew to Clear Creek Town to observe the fighting. As the town’s defenders were surrounded, Li Wei’s Iron Dragon appeared overhead and unleashed its breath at the goblin army.

• Li Wei gathered information in Black Pine Town and learned that the Casteria Academy of Magic trained mages to protect the valley from hostile mystical creatures.
• Li Wei discovered that goblins had seized Clear Creek Town’s farmland and destroyed its crops, while the academy supplied food to help the townspeople.
• Li Wei flew the Iron Dragon to Clear Creek Town and watched mages and residents charge out to reclaim their land.
• The mages were overwhelmed by the goblins, and the middle-aged captain fought to protect them as the enemy surrounded the group.
• The Iron Dragon appeared above the battlefield and blasted the goblin army with its breath.

Li Wei destroyed the goblins’ wheat-field stronghold with the Iron Dragon, then forced a Casteria mage to take him to Principal Williams. He confronted the principal over the academy’s theft of grain from Delicate and an attempted murder, and Williams dismissed the other mage before asking what Li Wei wanted done.

• The Iron Dragon incinerated the goblins and their wheat fields, then Li Wei emerged from its belly and asked the surviving mages to talk.
• A middle-aged mage brought Li Wei to Casteria Academy in a pumpkin carriage transformed by magic.
• Li Wei noticed crates of grain marked as coming from Delicate and learned the academy planned to send grain to Graystone Town.
• The middle-aged mage introduced Li Wei to Principal Williams, who said he had already learned about Clear Creek Town through a crystal ball.
• Li Wei accused the academy of stealing Delicate’s grain and sending someone to murder an imperial baron, and Williams sent the mage away before asking what Li Wei wanted.

Li Wei secured permission from Principal Williams to investigate the Casteria Academy of Magic under the guise of a trainee teacher. After touring the school, he examined its unusual magical education and questioned whether the isolated world held a deeper secret.

• Principal Williams explained how he had tested the witch by asking her to solve the grain shortage, then sent mages to eliminate her after she killed Baron Payne.
• Li Wei rejected Williams's excuses and said he would investigate the Academy; Williams agreed, asking him to conceal his identity from the students.
• Williams introduced Li Wei to Melis, a newly appointed Magical Defense teacher, who showed him around the Academy.
• Li Wei observed the Academy's seven subjects and concluded that its emphasis on reshaping one's own will rather than changing the world had stunted its development.
• Back in his quarters, Li Wei checked his inactive system and wondered whether he had yet to uncover the world's secret.

Li Wei studied the world’s imagination-based magic and learned the Transformation Spell, hoping to use transformed creatures to shape public perception. After Professor Cliff challenged him to a demonstration duel, Li Wei destroyed Cliff’s transformed python with his cane and began a counterattack.

• Li Wei learned that magic depended on both a caster’s deeply held beliefs and their mana, though he could cast spells by spending his lifespan despite having no mana.
• Li Wei realized the Transformation Spell could help him establish creatures and powers as real in the public mind more directly than his comics could.
• Professor Cliff scolded Li Wei for inattentiveness and challenged him to a demonstration duel, and Li Wei accepted.
• Cliff transformed a lectern into a giant python and sent it lunging at Li Wei.
• Li Wei’s cane became a whip that sliced the python apart, turning it back into a shattered lectern.
• Li Wei mocked Cliff, took out a handkerchief, and threw it toward him to return the favor.

Li Wei defeated Professor Cliff in a teaching duel, driving him to resign, then learned that goblins were demanding an apology for the ones he had killed near Clear Creek Town. He agreed to meet them, but planned to use the encounter for his own purposes rather than accept their demands.

• Li Wei transformed a handkerchief into a bug that clamped onto Professor Cliff's face and neck, leaving him unconscious while Li Wei taught the students about exploiting a wizard's weaknesses.
• Li Wei dismissed the class and warned the students to stay away from Professor Cliff; the students later realized the warning was because Cliff had soiled himself.
• Professor Cliff resigned after his humiliation spread through Casteria Academy of Magic, and his fear of Li Wei's monster left him greatly weakened.
• Headmistress Williams summoned Li Wei and explained that the goblins wanted him to apologize before the Arbiter for killing their kin near Clear Creek Town.
• Li Wei agreed to visit Goblin Valley and apologize, but privately decided he would not comply with the goblins' demands and had already formed a plan.

Li Wei learned from Miss Melis that humans in the magical world were hemmed in by hostile mystical races, then traveled with Principal Williams to the Whispering Forest to apologize to the Goblins. At Goblin Canyon, he apologized by announcing that he intended to wipe them all out, just as an enormous shadow descended from the sky.

• Miss Melis told Li Wei that humans were surrounded by hostile races and explained why the Goblins' demand for an apology threatened to spark wider conflict.
• Li Wei reassured Miss Melis that he would handle the matter himself and set out for the Whispering Forest two days later with Principal Williams.
• A Centaur leader tried to have Li Wei tied up, but Li Wei cut the lasso and summoned a mechanical horse to follow the Centaurs through the forest.
• Li Wei reached Goblin Canyon, where an old Goblin leader confronted him before a hostile crowd of Goblins and other races.
• Li Wei bowed and said he was sorry he was going to wipe them all out, and an enormous shadow descended from the sky.

Li Wei used the Iron Dragon to annihilate the Goblins and Centaurs gathered for the public trial, then fought the Treants that emerged from the Whispering Forest. The Dragon charged into the forest creatures as Li Wei faced the forest’s next challenge.

• Li Wei ordered the Iron Dragon to bombard the canyon, devastating the Goblins and Centaurs and driving the Centaur chief to flee for reinforcements.
• Li Wei used lightning to kill the wounded survivors, leaving the canyon silent as he reflected on the coming conflict between humans and mystical creatures.
• Li Wei left the canyon and found the Whispering Forest shrouded in thick fog, so he set fire to the trees with an incendiary rocket.
• The trees rose as Treants and attacked the Iron Dragon with boulders.
• The Iron Dragon blasted the Treants with electricity, then charged in and tore through them with its claws, tail, and wings.

Li Wei used the Iron Dragon and mass-produced Knight-Class Mechs to devastate the Whispering Forest and force its creatures into submission. After the forest lord attacked him, Li Wei bombed it into a mangled heap and demanded it choose between submission and destruction.

• Li Wei deployed six Knight-Class Mechs, which bombarded the treants with missiles and attacked them with flamethrowers and chainswords.
• The surviving treants retreated as the forest lord emerged from the mist and confronted Li Wei for violating the forest’s taboos.
• The forest lord attacked with giant vines, but Li Wei escaped into the air while the mechs transformed into iron spheres and exploded among the vines.
• Li Wei transformed the Iron Dragon into a fighter jet and dropped a bomb on the forest lord, devastating the surrounding area.
• Li Wei approached the mangled forest lord and demanded that it choose between submission and destruction.

Li Wei bound the Lord of the Forest with its True Name Mark and learned that the pocket worlds were created by the gods to shelter mysterious creatures until the gods returned. He found a hidden god statue in the Whispering Forest, and the Ruby Ring transported him to a room where he encountered the sleeping Night Goddess.

• Li Wei absorbed the True Name Mark, summoned the Lord of the Forest, and made it answer his questions.
• The Lord of the Forest explained that the gods had created pocket worlds for their chosen races and that humans controlled who could pass through the barrier.
• The Lord of the Forest revealed that a god statue deep in the Whispering Forest sustained the world, so Li Wei ordered it to lead him there.
• Li Wei found a black, seemingly flowing statue, and his Ruby Ring warmed as he approached it.
• The Ruby Ring flashed and transported Li Wei to a dim bedroom, where he recognized the sleeping figure as the Night Goddess.
• The Night Goddess woke, saw Li Wei, and cried out in surprise.

Li Wei questioned the Night Goddess about the gods, the world, and the threat of demons before she asked him to help humans in another sanctuary. He accepted an emblem that could bring others into sanctuaries and activate a Trial Labyrinth, and a quest began directing him to explore the Hidden Land and eliminate its threat.

• Li Wei entered the Night Goddess's sanctuary and learned that the gods had built sanctuaries to shelter their followers and races.
• The Night Goddess explained how the worlds' barrier, human sacrifices, souls, and ghosts worked, and Li Wei used her answers to infer that humanity was becoming central to the Main World.
• The Night Goddess asked Li Wei to help humans losing a war against supernatural creatures in another sanctuary because their gods' involvement could destroy it.
• Li Wei negotiated for a reward, and the Night Goddess gave him an emblem that could open sanctuary barriers for others and activate a Trial Labyrinth.
• Li Wei accepted the emblem and set out to investigate as the system activated the Hidden Land quest to explore the area and eliminate the source of its threat.

Li Wei prepared to investigate a vast sanctuary in a little world, while Shabak collapsed into invasion and unrest after disarming its military. With Katie, Alice, Sophia, and the Little Mermaid ready, Li Wei opened the entrance to the sanctuary and led the group toward their next adventure.

• Li Wei reported his findings about the little worlds to the Queen, who ordered him to investigate those within the Empire and assess possible threats.
• Roanien, Sloka, and the Viranse Duchy invaded Shabak after Count Caroy disbanded its military, occupying large parts of the country and causing public unrest.
• Li Wei returned to his manga team, ended Iron Legion’s run, and assigned them Mystery Trackers, a comedy about investigators and monster girls.
• Li Wei received permission to bring Katie on his expedition and chose Alice, Sophia, and the Little Mermaid to join them, while Adele went home on leave.
• Li Wei used the glowing Emblem to reveal the entrance to the sanctuary in northern Mericia and invited the group inside.

Li Wei and his companions reached Daggerford in their steam-powered vehicle and explored the town while gathering information about Icewind Dale. At the Salty Dog Tavern, Li Wei noticed two suspicious half-orcs, and after one announced a robbery, he gave Katie permission to stop him.

• Li Wei drove his companions into Daggerford, where a guard admitted them after mistaking their vehicle for a strange carriage.
• Li Wei and the girls entered the Salty Dog Tavern, met its server, and learned that Daggerford was one of the Ten-Towns in Icewind Dale.
• Li Wei paid with a gemstone and a gold coin while the server explained the town and its surrounding region.
• Katie asked about adventuring quests, but a drinking contest interrupted the conversation as Li Wei noticed two half-orcs acting suspiciously.
• One half-orc blocked the back door while the tavern's customers drank until they collapsed; then the other announced a robbery.
• Li Wei told Katie to stop the robber without killing him, and Katie leaped toward the half-orc with a punch.

Katie and Li Wei's group accepted Robert's request to find a missing caravan and rescued it from a goblin attack in the snowfields. After meeting the caravan's captain, Typhon, they learned that the goblins had attacked under orders from a Divine Envoy connected to the Night Goddess's oracle.

• Katie defeated two half-orcs who attacked her in the Salty Dog Tavern, and Robert revealed himself as Daggerford's speaker.
• Robert hired Li Wei's group to search for an overdue caravan and joined them aboard Phantom No. 2.
• Li Wei drove through the snowfields and found the caravan surrounded by goblins, where Katie and Robert fought while Alice, Sophia, and Little Mermaid joined the battle.
• Li Wei killed a yeti that ambushed the three girls, then taught them to watch for threats around them.
• Li Wei's group helped defeat the goblins, and Robert introduced them to Typhon, the caravan's captain.
• Typhon said the goblins had followed a Divine Envoy, and Robert explained that the Night Temple had announced an oracle from the Night Goddess predicting a savior's arrival.

After studying the Sanctuary’s geography, economy, and military strength, Li Wei investigated poisoned food stores in Ten-Towns and found a likely suspect. The Little Mermaid purified the supplies, but when Li Wei confronted Blyman at an inn, the merchant attacked and tried to escape.

• Li Wei studied a map of the Sanctuary and concluded that its reliance on powerful individuals had left ordinary people and technology underdeveloped.
• Katie told Li Wei that rescued caravan travelers planned to name their daughter Katie Briel, and Li Wei chose to travel to Neverwinter instead of Luskan.
• Robert told Li Wei that the food in Ten-Towns’ warehouse had been contaminated, and Li Wei agreed to investigate.
• Li Wei tasted the poisoned flour and learned that merchant Blyman had entered the warehouse before the contamination was discovered.
• The Little Mermaid sang with her Natural Staff and purified the food, removing the poison from the warehouse supplies.
• Li Wei found Blyman at the Crying Widow Inn, where Blyman threw knives at him and his companions before leaping toward a window.

Li Wei and his companions stopped Blyman from fleeing and learned that a Dark Elf was leading a thousand Barbarians and Goblins toward Daggerford. As the attackers reached the town, Li Wei transformed his vehicle into an Iron Fortress and devastated their army with a rocket barrage, leaving Robert to lead the defenders out.

• Sophia blocked Blyman's knives with an Ice Shield, and Li Wei stopped him as he tried to escape; Blyman confessed to poisoning the grain and revealed the coming attack.
• Robert learned that the Dark Elf Manasor had gathered a Barbarian and Goblin army to attack Daggerford, and Li Wei agreed to help defend the town.
• Manasor led his army to Daggerford at dusk while Li Wei drove his steel vehicle beyond the gates and transformed it into an Iron Fortress.
• Li Wei illuminated the battlefield and fired rockets into the advancing army, destroying its forces with two rounds of bombardment.
• Robert saw the enemy army shattered and ordered the gates opened so Daggerford's defenders could charge out.

After helping Daggerford defeat the invading forces, Li Wei killed the Dark Elf mastermind and discovered that the Sanctuary’s nonhuman inhabitants could generate system quests and rewards. While traveling toward Neverwinter, he tested the world’s magic against modern weapons, then encountered a Blue Dragon attacking a town and received a quest to stop it.

• Li Wei pursued the surviving barbarians and goblins with Katie and the three little ones, who fought them while he watched.
• Manasor fled the battle but encountered Li Wei, who killed him despite the Dark Elf’s Darkness spell and completed the mission Shadow of Darkness.
• Li Wei earned lifespan and combat rewards, accepted gifts and magical items in Daggerford, and departed for Neverwinter with his companions.
• Li Wei tested the collected spells and found that modern firearms and explosives could overwhelm most magical defenses, while the Empire vastly outnumbered spellcasters.
• Katie told the three little ones she wanted to fight a dragon, and Li Wei spotted a Blue Dragon attacking a town.
• Li Wei received the quest Shadow of the Blue Dragon: Phase One and accelerated toward the town to repel the dragon.

Li Wei drove off the Blue Dragon with missiles and helped defend Green Shade Town, where Mayor Kant explained that the unrest had followed the Night Temple’s divine oracle. Li Wei realized the Night Goddess’s manifestation may have triggered other factions to unite against her followers, and suspected that the goddess herself was the source of his quest’s threat.

• Li Wei fired two standard-issue missiles at the Blue Dragon, wounding it and driving it away from Green Shade Town.
• Li Wei charged through the town in the Steel Warcar, scattering kobolds and goblins and protecting townspeople from attackers.
• Li Wei met Mayor Kant, who thanked him and said the Dragon Cult had joined the unrest stirred up by the Night Temple’s oracle.
• Li Wei compared Mayor Kant’s account with what he had heard in Ten-Towns and realized both leaders had traced the troubles to the Night Temple’s announcement, not to a beast tide.
• Li Wei inferred that the Night Goddess’s response might provoke other faiths and evil-god worshippers to unite against her followers, then wondered whether the goddess was the source of his quest’s threat.

Li Wei and his companions saved Green Shade Town from Dragon Cultists and a half-dragon who threatened hostages. After completing his quest, Li Wei considered how the Empire could reduce Sanctuary’s dependence on the gods and their religions.

• Mayor Kant told Li Wei that cultists and monsters had surrounded the Earth Mother Goddess’s temple with townspeople trapped inside.
• Li Wei rammed a Dragon Cultist with his combat vehicle, then let Katie, Alice, Sophia, and Little Mermaid fight the attackers alongside Mayor Kant’s guards.
• Rand, a half-dragon, took three townspeople hostage and demanded that Li Wei fight him, but Li Wei killed Rand and the captors with throwing knives.
• The system declared the first phase of the Shadow of the Blue Dragon quest complete and awarded Li Wei 450 years of lifespan.
• After Mayor Kant thanked him, Li Wei began planning to replace the gods’ essential services with the Empire’s technology and productive capacity.

Li Wei tested whether his comic could alter reality by turning a Snow Ogre into a Snow Woman, then discussed the gods’ faith crisis and a plan to weaken the Holy Lord Church with the Queen. The Queen approved his proposal for an experiment.

• Li Wei discovered that Three Fools had topped Imperial Comics’ popularity rankings and nearly doubled the magazine’s sales.
• Li Wei brought a Snow Ogre out of the Casteria Academy of Magic world and watched comic-inspired memetic contamination transform it into a Snow Woman.
• Li Wei confronted the Night Goddess, learned that the gods relied on the Book of All Magic to distribute divine spells, and realized her oracle had diverted believers from other weakened gods.
• Li Wei considered using memetic contamination to restrict magic to Magical Girls and released the transformed Snow Woman, who remembered herself only as a Snow Woman.
• Li Wei told the Queen that faith might be redirected from the Holy Lord Church to the other world’s gods, and she approved his proposal for an experiment.

Li Wei offered Green Shade Town and Neverwinter vast stocks of obsolete imperial weapons and armor at remarkably low prices, astounding Mayor Kant, Lord Nasher, and Aribeth. He arranged a first sale in exchange for magical goods and secured permission to open an Empire-focused shop in Neverwinter, beginning his plan to dominate Sanctuary’s market.

• Li Wei showed Mayor Kant containers filled with nearly new steel armor and weapons and offered them at wholesale prices.
• Mayor Kant brought samples to Neverwinter, where Lord Nasher decided to inspect the shipment because the equipment could strengthen the city against Luskan.
• Aribeth accompanied Kant to Green Shade Town and was astonished by the quality and quantity of Li Wei’s equipment.
• Li Wei and Aribeth agreed on prices of fifteen gold per suit of armor and ten gold per longsword after Aribeth insisted the initial prices were too low.
• Li Wei arranged to receive magical scrolls and items instead of money and asked to open an imperial goods shop in Neverwinter’s commercial district.