Chapter Summaries

Creed visited the newly opened Imperial Department Store in Neverwinter and discovered that its high-quality goods were sold at astonishingly low prices. Li Wei planned to use the store to transform the city’s economy from the bottom up and draw ordinary people into dependence on the Empire.

• Creed heard rumors about the enormous Imperial Department Store and went to inspect it.
• Susan guided Creed through the store, where he examined weapons, armor, household goods, and fabrics.
• Creed left with his arms full and realized he could buy the cheap goods to resell in other cities.
• Li Wei explained that he wanted to improve ordinary people’s lives and align their interests with those of their rulers.
• Li Wei planned to expand the store, hire workers displaced by its goods, and eventually make most of Neverwinter dependent on it.

Li Wei discovered that the gods of Neverwinter were dead or missing, leaving him to reconsider his plans and the danger this posed to society. After locating the Blue Dragon and learning that adventurers were organizing to slay it, he decided to investigate their group at a tavern.

• Li Wei entered the God of Justice's divine realm and found the god's skeletal remains, then added his name to a notebook of dead or missing gods.
• Li Wei realized that the gods' disappearance could undermine the social order, but also gave him freedom to act without answering to local powers.
• Li Wei discussed the Dragon Cult and the Blue Dragon's underground city with Katie, who told him that adventurers were gathering to hunt the dragon.
• Li Wei questioned how the adventurers had learned the Blue Dragon's location and agreed to visit the tavern to investigate them.

Li Wei joined Emily Stone and her adventuring party on a Neverwinter mission to slay the blue dragon threatening Green Shade Town. As he prepared to bring Katie, Alice, and the Little Mermaid along, he wondered whether their ability to gain spells and skills by leveling up could help them grow stronger.

• Li Wei paid for the damage Katie caused after adventurers mocked her for wanting to join their dragon hunt.
• Emily Stone explained that Lord Nasher had ordered an assault on the dragon's lair in the Neverwinter Mountains, where goblins, kobolds, and the Dragon Cult gathered.
• Li Wei agreed to accompany Emily's party so he could observe the newly equipped Neverwinter Guard and assess the world's fighters.
• Emily accepted Li Wei's offer, while privately deciding she would handle the danger posed by the children traveling with him.
• After returning to the vehicle, Li Wei considered taking Katie, Alice, and the Little Mermaid to fight the dragon because they had been gaining levels and learning spells in their sleep.

Li Wei and the Arrow of Light traveled toward the Dragon’s Lair in the conspicuous Steel Warcar, then stopped to investigate an ambush along the road. They tracked the attackers to an abandoned fortress and prepared to practice fighting together before rescuing the captives.

• Li Wei drove the Arrow of Light toward the Dragon’s Lair in the Steel Warcar, while Emily marveled at its mithril construction and lack of magic.
• Li Wei found two wrecked carriages and deduced that attackers had abducted someone after ambushing the travelers.
• The warrior captain and Emily agreed to help, and Li Wei made the Steel Warcar disappear before leading the group into the forest.
• After nearly an hour, Li Wei guided the group to an abandoned fortress where armed people patrolled and bodies hung from the walls.
• Katie wanted to charge in, but Li Wei suggested the group use the rescue as practice working together, and the warrior captain agreed.

Li Wei and Arrow of Light discovered that Aria Silverhand was held in a fortress guarded by a large, disciplined force, and they launched a rescue assault. The attack began with Li Wei and the ranger eliminating the sentries while Katie burst through the gate and overwhelmed the defenders.

• Aria Silverhand huddled in her cell and tried to find comfort by speaking to a black bird as Li Wei located her in the fortress tower.
• Alice's detailed map revealed more than fifty guards, and Li Wei and Emily concluded that the attackers were likely organized soldiers rather than ordinary bandits.
• Li Wei proposed that he and the ranger take out the sentries while the others drew the defenders' attention, then rescue Aria and regroup.
• Li Wei crossed the open ground unseen and killed the sentries just as the five-minute wait ended.
• Katie charged ahead, smashed through the fortress gate, and sent the gate crashing into guards gathered inside.
• Katie knocked down a wave of armed defenders as the battle began inside the fortress.

Li Wei and the adventurers fought their way through the fortress to rescue the captive princess while Perro transformed into a stone giant and attacked Katie. Li Wei reached the princess and began leading her to safety as a tremendous crash shook the fortress.

• Perro learned that intruders had breached the fortress and went out to confront them.
• Li Wei killed an invisible attacker with a throwing knife and continued toward the hostage with the ranger.
• Emily’s magic briefly disoriented Perro’s bandits, but her dispelling spell failed when Perro transformed into a stone giant and trapped the party.
• Katie questioned Perro about his size just before he swung his fist at her.
• Li Wei reached the captive princess, introduced himself, and offered to escort her out as a crash shook the fortress.

Li Wei investigated the bandits’ deaths and searched Butcher’s room with Emily, where they found a letter revealing that someone planned to collect Aria that night. After receiving a new quest and upgrading his Demon-Hunting Flying Knife skill, Li Wei prepared to confront the arriving conspirators.

• Li Wei found the bandits dead from poison, while Katie explained that she had beaten Butcher to death during the fight.
• Li Wei left Aria with Alice, Sophia, and Muse, then took Emily to search Butcher’s room.
• Emily identified the magical lock on Butcher’s chest, but Li Wei used Reality Anchoring to dispel its enchantment and open it.
• Li Wei and Emily found a letter detailing a target’s schedule and stating that someone identified as AS would arrive that night to collect the kidnapped girl.
• Li Wei decided to wait for the conspirators, received the Shadow Mystery quest, and used his upgraded Demon-Hunting Flying Blade skill to slice through a wooden post with a playing card.

Li Wei waited at the ruined fortress for the mastermind behind Aria Silverhand’s abduction, suspecting a conspiracy involving Silvermoon City and Luskan. Silvermoon City’s Silver-armored Knights arrived instead, and Li Wei’s questions about their advance warning led their commander to order an attack.

• Li Wei reasoned that Aria’s abduction required an insider in Silvermoon City and decided to wait for the mastermind rather than take her straight to the Queen.
• Li Wei explained to Katie why he expected the criminals’ employer to come in person, while the group prepared for several possible threats.
• Li Wei’s Doll Bird spotted nearly a hundred approaching riders, and Emily identified them as the Silver-armored Knights of Silvermoon City.
• The knights demanded Aria, and Li Wei said she was under his protection after he had eliminated the bandits.
• Li Wei pointed out that the knights must have known about the abduction before the bandits could have reported it, and their commander ordered them to kill Li Wei’s group and take Aria.

Li Wei exposed the Silver-armored Knights’ mission as a likely conspiracy, subdued their captain, and persuaded the other knights to escort his group to Silvermoon City. At dawn, they reached the city, where Alustriel summoned Li Wei for a meeting.

• Katie charged the Silver-armored Knights, while Li Wei’s playing cards deflected their attacks and stopped the knights who rushed to intervene.
• Li Wei used the Steel Warcar to force the knights to stand down, then questioned their captain about his claimed orders from Alustriel.
• The knights realized the captain had no authorization or written orders, and Li Wei convinced them to accompany the group to Silvermoon City.
• Emily reflected on the Empire’s power as the group traveled overnight toward Silvermoon City under the knights’ protection.
• At dawn, the group reached Silvermoon City, and a guard announced that Alustriel wished to meet Li Wei.

Li Wei led Emily and their companions into the High Palace, suspecting that powerful officials had arranged the false arrest order. After palace attackers ambushed them, Li Wei refused to retreat and demanded to know who had ordered the attack.

• Li Wei warned Emily that the High Palace might be dangerous because the arrested captain could have been following orders from a powerful official.
• Li Wei introduced himself and Emily to a palace attendant as an Imperial envoy and a member of the Neverwinter Nine, then waited publicly for permission to enter.
• An attendant led Li Wei's group into a secluded gallery, where Sophia and Muse restrained him as attackers sprang from the shadows and windows.
• Li Wei killed the attackers with cards and high-explosive shells while the Arrows of Light Adventuring Company and the others defended themselves.
• When Emily urged them to flee the burning corridor, Li Wei refused and demanded that the bound attendant name the person who had ordered the attack.

Li Wei confronted Grand Elder Thranduil over the attack on the High Palace and unleashed Imperial artillery against him and his knights. After Thranduil survived the blast, Lady Alustriel arrived and asked Li Wei to talk.

• The attendant and the bound knight captain named Thranduil as the one who had ordered the attack, while Emily explained his position in Silvermoon City.
• Thranduil arrived with elven knights, denied recognizing the Empire, and ordered his forces to kill Li Wei and his companions.
• Li Wei summoned an Imperial Quad 20mm Anti-Aircraft Gun and killed the advancing elven knights with its barrage.
• Li Wei fired an 88mm Anti-Aircraft Gun at Thranduil, destroying part of the High Palace but leaving the mage alive and gravely wounded.
• As Li Wei prepared to finish Thranduil, Lady Alustriel arrived and asked him to discuss the situation.

After Thranduil’s attack on Li Wei and his companions, Alustriel weighed Silvermoon City’s response to the imperial envoy’s demand for an explanation. Li Wei waited to see what compensation she would offer, while completing his investigation mission and gaining a level.

• Alustriel and Dove Eaglehand discussed Thranduil’s plot and recognized that Li Wei’s steel weapons and imperial backing posed a serious threat to Silvermoon City.
• Alustriel decided to offer Li Wei valuable compensation rather than risk refusing and facing an imperial invasion.
• Li Wei relaxed in his room and waited to see whether Alustriel would show the Empire a satisfactory attitude.
• Li Wei completed the “Shadow Mystery” mission with an SSS rating, gained 900 years of lifespan, and raised his Demon Hunter class to LV7.

Li Wei accepted Alustriel's rewards and secured Silvermoon City's promise to handle the conspirators after Thranduil's execution. He left with a Silvermoon City escort to hunt the dragon, but found the Neverwinter Guard under attack and drove toward the battle.

• Alustriel rewarded the party and gave Li Wei ores, plants, timber, and the Book of All Magic.
• Alustriel told Li Wei that Thranduil had been executed, and the two agreed to put the incident behind them while warning each other not to provoke further conflict.
• Li Wei transferred the supplies to an Empire warehouse and departed with the party, a squad of Silver-armored Knights, and Dove Eaglehand; Aria returned to Silvermoon City.
• Li Wei's group reached the rendezvous point and saw a blue dragon carrying off a warhorse and tent, while the Neverwinter Guard was nowhere in sight.
• Emily realized the Dragon Cult had likely intercepted the Neverwinter Guard, and Li Wei drove toward the dragon's route.
• Li Wei and his companions found the battered but orderly Neverwinter Guard fighting monsters and prepared to join the battle.

After the Neverwinter Guard repelled the monsters, Li Wei and the commanders planned an assault on the Blue Dragon’s lair, with the soldiers drawing off the Kobolds while the heroes attacked the Dragon from a hidden route. The Blue Dragon waited in its lair, uneasy about the strange weapons that had wounded it before.

• Li Wei and the Silver-armored Cavalry helped the Neverwinter Guard defeat the monsters, and Emily learned that the Dragon had ambushed them at night.
• Emily and Dove saw how well the Neverwinter Guard’s Imperial armor had protected them, while Emily kept the details of their alliance with Alustriel’s group from the ordinary soldiers.
• Li Wei, Emily, and the commanders planned to send the Neverwinter Guard and Silver-armored Knights into the lair to occupy the Kobolds while the heroes slipped through a hidden passage to attack the Blue Dragon.
• Li Wei asked what they would do if the Dragon took flight, and the others’ silence led him to resolve to become their backup plan.
• The Blue Dragon waited atop its hoard, recalling the strange fire-trailing weapons that had hurt it and wondering whether its human enemies could bring more of them into the lair.

Li Wei led the party to the blue dragon’s lair, where Katie’s dragonslayer mark provoked the dragon into a fierce battle. After Katie severed its tail, the blue dragon fled through an illusion, and Li Wei prepared to call in Alice, Sophia, and Muse.

• Li Wei led the group through the tunnels, killing kobolds with playing cards, and Dove confirmed that the blue dragon was sleeping nearby.
• Emily and the young priestess buffed the party before the warrior captain led them into the dragon’s gold-filled lair.
• The blue dragon awoke and recognized Katie as a dragonslayer, and Katie charged it while the others joined the fight.
• Katie cut through the dragon’s wing and severed its tail, while the blue dragon grew afraid and furious after learning that its kin was being studied at the Imperial Research Institute.
• The blue dragon created illusions to escape and flew toward the cavern’s roof, while Li Wei contacted Alice, Sophia, and Muse to prepare for its arrival.

Li Wei and the three little ones defeat the Blue Dragon with a vine trap, missiles, and the Iron Dragon Mecha, then discover that human Dragon Cult followers drove the plot to summon Tiamat. Li Wei completes his quest and prepares to return to the Empire with the dragon’s body and new rewards.

• The Little Mermaid uses the Natural Staff to ensnare the Blue Dragon in vines, and Alice launches Guided Missiles as it breaks free.
• Li Wei’s Iron Dragon Mecha grapples the Blue Dragon and slices through its neck, killing it.
• Li Wei claims the dragon’s body, gives Neverwinter its head, and agrees to consider Katie’s request for a way to fly.
• Li Wei finds a letter revealing that human Dragon Cult followers masterminded the plan to summon Tiamat, while the Chromatic Dragons were largely indifferent.
• Emily decides to report the Dragon Cult to the city lord, and Li Wei completes the Shadow of the Blue Dragon quest and receives rewards before planning to return to the Empire.

Li Wei advised the Queen and Princess Louise to use gifts of obsolete Empire machinery and supplies to make the Sanctuary world dependent on the Empire. At the Magic Research Department, Kia demonstrated a device that disrupted spells, and Li Wei volunteered to test its effects before hearing news of an industrialist who died after drinking Radium Water.

• Li Wei opposed an immediate military expansion into the Sanctuary world and proposed winning influence by supplying its people with Empire goods and equipment.
• The Queen approved Li Wei’s proposal in principle and asked him to submit a list of what he needed.
• Li Wei met Kia at the Magic Research Department, where she demonstrated that energy interference could make a fireball spell collapse.
• Li Wei tested the interference device himself and found that it cost him less than half a day of lifespan, though prolonged exposure still needed investigation.
• Kia told Li Wei that industrialist Aiben had died after drinking Radium Water, and Li Wei decided to look into it.

Li Wei used hospital statistics to publicly challenge traditional medicine and its dangerous treatments, while Big Annie’s biological methods proved far more effective. The Queen backed the new medicine, and Li Wei received a message from Dr. Tester.

• Li Wei and Big Annie reviewed hospital mortality figures that showed dramatically lower death rates under biological treatment than under traditional medicine.
• Li Wei published an article comparing the hospitals’ statistics and demanded that traditional doctors explain their patients’ high mortality rates.
• Traditional medicine’s supporters split: some blamed Big Annie, while other doctors visited her hospitals to learn the new methods.
• The Queen confirmed the figures, dismissed Fog City's medical college deputy dean, and ordered the critics to stop resisting biological medicine.
• Big Annie’s medical theories began spreading across the Empire, and Li Wei received word from Dr. Tester.

Li Wei watched Dr. Tester demonstrate the Empire’s new Electric Particle Ray Cannon and discussed its use aboard Airships, then suggested searching private crystal mines for materials that could store energy. He left wondering how far he might accompany humanity as the Empire faced war, the Sanctuaries, the gods, and dangers beyond the stars.

• Dr. Tester demonstrated the Electric Particle Ray Cannon, which destroyed unmanned planes and a reconnaissance craft, and explained its range, firing rate, and Energy Storage Crystal power source.
• General Hao proposed installing the cannons around Airships for close-range defense, while Dr. Tester favored using escort warships; Li Wei deferred the weapons-layout decision to Imperial Navy engineers.
• Dr. Tester told Li Wei that the Empire lacked suitable Energy Storage Crystals, and that the Holy Maiden’s experiments to convert ordinary crystals had made little progress.
• Li Wei suggested buying crystals directly from privately operated mines, and Dr. Tester considered whether the Ministry of Finance would fund the search.
• Li Wei reflected on his political neutrality, the Empire’s unfinished war and other looming threats, and wondered how far into humanity’s future he might live to see.

The Sultan agreed to give the Ite People a chance to secure High Gate Kingdom’s support, while the Ite People sought to use the White Army and remnants of Cront and Francis to resist the Empire. Li Wei returned to Neverwinter and arranged for workers to install a steam-powered plant, leaving Lord Nasher considering how to persuade them to stay.

• The Sultan refused to aid Roanien, Sloka, and the Viranse Duchy, but agreed to give the Ite People a chance if they proved their capabilities.
• The Ite People’s leader explained that they sought supplies and support for the White Army and the remnants of Cront and Francis, who were fighting amid the Olucci Empire’s civil war.
• Li Wei returned to Neverwinter with workers and retired steam equipment to provide the town with electric lighting and steam heating.
• The workers began converting a warehouse into a power plant and complained about Neverwinter’s lack of modern infrastructure.
• Lord Nasher praised the workers’ skill and privately considered offering them citizenship and generous rewards to persuade them to remain in Neverwinter.