Chapter Summaries

Chu Mu and the others dressed in new clothes for Belobog’s Paskonja Festival and set out for the city. Their walk was interrupted when someone burst from a snowdrift and shouted for his big bro.

• Chu Mu encouraged Stelle and March 7th to dress up for the festival, and Kafka revealed she had arranged new clothes for them.
• Kafka outfitted the group in tailored clothes, while March 7th emerged in a princess-like gown.
• The group teleported to the Outskirts of Belobog and headed toward the city after the Stellaron’s influence had receded.
• Chu Mu gave March 7th his coat to wear over her gown as they walked through the cold.
• A snowdrift split open, and a snow-covered person crawled out shouting, “Big bro!!!!!”; Stelle’s eyes lit up.

Stelle confronted Sampo about a message and crimes on the Xianzhou, but he insisted he had never been there, suggesting another Sampo was responsible. Chu Mu ended the argument and realized that Sampo had not saved Tingyun, leaving his hopes of finding her dashed.

• March 7th and Stelle mistook the approaching Sampo for a monster and a fortune, until Blade blocked him and Kafka confirmed there was no threat.
• Stelle accused Sampo of causing trouble on the Xianzhou and demanded he turn himself in, but Sampo denied ever visiting it.
• Stelle showed Sampo a signed note from the Xianzhou, and he recognized its handwriting and style as his own, raising the possibility of another Sampo.
• Kafka suggested taking Sampo to the Xianzhou for questioning, while Sampo feared he would be framed and Stelle tried to force him to go.
• Chu Mu stopped the argument and realized Sampo had not gone to the Xianzhou or saved Tingyun, ending his hope that she would return to Belobog.

Chu Mu stopped Stelle from confronting Sampo over Tingyun, then learned Sampo was hunting animals for his new fur business with stolen Blizzard Immunity serum. The group entered Belobog and saw the city rebuilding after the crisis, while Chu Mu spotted someone familiar.

• Chu Mu decided not to blame Sampo for failing to save Tingyun and asked why he was hiding in the snow.
• Sampo explained that he had started a fur business and was hunting animals in Belobog's snowy wilderness.
• Stelle recognized the Blizzard Immunity serum Sampo had stolen from Natasha and warned him about its side effects.
• Sampo followed Chu Mu's group toward the city but stopped when the serum's side effects made him overheat.
• Chu Mu's group entered Belobog through its open checkpoint gates and saw residents rebuilding damaged districts.
• Chu Mu spotted a familiar figure among the city's busy construction sites.

Oleg trained new Silvermane Guards by having them help residents, hoping to reconcile the Guards and the Underworld and eventually bring Wildfire into their ranks. When Chu Mu returned to Belobog with Kafka and the others, Oleg welcomed him and learned that the woman he had once known as Fuka was really Kafka.

• Oleg encouraged the Silvermane Guards recruits as they helped build a neighborhood, explaining that soldiers needed to understand the people they protected.
• Oleg continued his efforts to bridge the divide between the Upper District and the Underworld and to prepare for Wildfire’s eventual place within the Silvermane Guards.
• Chu Mu returned to Belobog, and Oleg embraced him, relieved to see him alive and able to speak.
• Oleg recognized Kafka from the orphanage and asked whether she was Ms. Fuka.
• Kafka revealed that Fuka had been an alias, and Chu Mu told Oleg that Kafka had saved his life.

Chu Mu returned to Belobog, learned that Bronya had recovered her memories, and visited the Underworld with Oleg, Kafka, Stelle, and March 7th. As Oleg described Belobog’s plans for rebuilding and trade, he revealed that Sampo had gone to find buyers for old weapons and had not returned.

• Oleg told Chu Mu that Bronya had recovered her memories and that she, Natasha, and Seele were in the Underworld for the Paskonja Festival and the opening of the Rivet Town History Museum.
• Chu Mu asked Stelle and March 7th to choose whether to join him or explore the surface, and they accompanied him and Oleg to the Underworld.
• Chu Mu saw that Boulder Town had become quiet after its residents moved to the surface, and he welcomed the improvement in their lives.
• Oleg explained that Belobog planned to turn the Underworld into an industrial zone and that Bronya had arranged a future trade partnership with the Astral Express.
• Oleg told Chu Mu that Sampo had taken a stockpile of old weapons outside Belobog to find buyers and had not returned.

Chu Mu and his companions traveled with Oleg toward the Orphanage, where they met Oleg’s apprentice Luka, the Underworld boxer known as Iron Arm Luka. Chu Mu reflected on how Oleg was passing on his legacy and found comfort in knowing that Svarog would keep waiting for him on Jarilo-VI.

• Oleg told Stelle and March 7th that Sampo had left Jarilo-VI, raising questions about the Sampo currently seen near Belobog and reviving Chu Mu’s hope of finding Tingyun.
• Oleg led Chu Mu and his companions toward the Orphanage, where Luka greeted his master and met Chu Mu, whom he admired.
• Oleg sent Luka back to patrol the Underworld, where Wildfire was guarding against theft and other crimes.
• Chu Mu thought about Oleg preparing Luka to carry on his work and remembered the people who had passed their lessons and ideals on to him.
• Chu Mu took comfort in Svarog’s lasting friendship as he faced the possibility that his human friends might grow old and die.

Chu Mu reunited with Svarog in the Underworld after a wait of over two million seconds, and Svarog thanked Kafka for standing by him. The group traveled to Rivet Town, where Bronya prepared to open the Underworld History Museum in the former orphanage.

• Clara accompanied Svarog as he hurried from the Mechanical Settlement to meet Chu Mu.
• Chu Mu asked Svarog how long he had waited, and Svarog answered that it had been 2,514,521 seconds.
• Svarog recognized Kafka and thanked her for trusting him and staying with Chu Mu over the years.
• March 7th photographed the reunion as Svarog joined the group on their journey to Rivet Town.
• The group saw visitors heading to the former Rivet Town Orphanage, where Bronya held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Underworld History Museum.

At the Underworld History Museum’s opening ceremony, Seele guarded Bronya against threats from disgruntled former nobles while Bronya honored Natasha and the Orphanage’s charitable work. As the ceremony passed without incident, Seele detected an unexpected breath directly behind her.

• Bronya addressed the crowd at the museum’s opening ceremony and awarded Amber Medals to Natasha, the current director, and the Old Director.
• Seele watched the crowd in disguise, worried that former nobles might try to assassinate Bronya.
• Seele considered Bronya too lenient toward the nobles who had lost their privileges and continued plotting against her.
• As the ceremony continued without trouble, Seele relaxed slightly and let her attention wander.
• Seele heard someone breathing very close behind her.

Chu Mu returned to Rivet Town during Bronya's ceremony and took over security from Seele, who broke down with relief at seeing him. As Natasha and Bronya spotted him in the crowd, Chu Mu remembered his childhood and the Old Director, who would never welcome him home again.

• Seele prepared for an unseen attacker, but Chu Mu appeared and reassured her that he would handle security.
• Chu Mu teleported to the crowded ceremony and found Seele hiding among the listeners to guard against trouble.
• While keeping watch, Chu Mu remembered protecting his little sister, his childhood at the Orphanage, and the Old Director's kindness.
• Natasha noticed Chu Mu in the crowd and fought back tears of joy.
• Bronya spotted Chu Mu during her speech and seemed to long for the safety of her brother's shadow.

Bronya faltered during her speech when she spotted Chu Mu in the audience, but Natasha encouraged her to continue while Chu Mu silently urged her on. Bronya resumed by sharing the story of her childhood in the Underworld and her beloved brother, leaving the audience with a glimpse of the hopes he had given up for her.

• Bronya froze during her speech after noticing Chu Mu, and Natasha reminded her to finish as Belobog's Supreme Guardian.
• Chu Mu stayed in the audience, gave Bronya an encouraging thumbs-up, and prepared to let her complete the ceremony before they reunited.
• Bronya recovered and told the audience she would speak personally about the little girl she had been before becoming Supreme Guardian.
• Bronya described how Chu Mu filled her childhood with stories, gifts, and encouragement despite their poverty.
• Bronya reflected that Chu Mu had given her his hopes of growing up.

Bronya spoke from the heart about missing Chu Mu, winning Belobog's trust as she pledged to lead the city toward the Sea of Stars. After the ceremony, Chu Mu told her not to shoulder too much, but accepted her choice to stay and protect Belobog, and Bronya hugged him tightly.

• Bronya recalled her childhood with Chu Mu during her speech, and the crowd responded with applause and calls for the Supreme Guardian.
• Chu Mu applauded Bronya and encouraged her to follow her path, while Bronya decided to remain in Belobog and protect their hometown until they met again.
• Bronya ended her speech by thanking the people and promising to lead Belobog beyond its walls toward the Sea of Stars.
• After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Chu Mu told Bronya he had only wanted her to live safely and urged her not to take on too much pressure.
• Chu Mu accepted that Bronya would pursue her chosen responsibilities, and Bronya rushed to hug him without letting go.

Chu Mu reunited with Bronya, then stopped old nobles from assassinating her and explained how he would have handled their resentment toward equality. Bronya asked him how he would deal with the situation now.

• Bronya cried in Chu Mu's arms as Natasha and Seele joined their reunion.
• Old nobles fired miniature pistols at Bronya, but Chu Mu restrained the bullets and pinned the attackers beneath an iron fence.
• Seele recognized the attackers as old nobles from the Upper District who had opposed them before.
• Chu Mu told Bronya she had been too lenient by granting the old nobles equality without making them earn it.
• Bronya asked Chu Mu how he would handle the current situation.

Chu Mu urged Bronya to see the former nobles who tried to assassinate her as enemies rather than subjects under her protection. Bronya chose to punish the ringleaders in a public trial and rally the people against the old nobility, while the Silvermane Guards took the wounded assassins away.

• Chu Mu contrasted his ruthless rule with Bronya’s selfless approach and told her that the former nobles had become her enemies when they tried to assassinate her.
• Bronya reconsidered her mercy toward the former nobles and resolved to hold the ringleaders publicly accountable before the Tribunal.
• Bronya said the public trial would show that the people opposed restoring the old system and that the former nobles had no chance of reversing its abolition.
• Chu Mu recognized that Bronya was using public support to defeat her enemies and forging a new path as Supreme Guardian.
• The Silvermane Guards carried the wounded assassins away for treatment before their trial, and their military doctors prepared to operate without anesthetics.

Chu Mu revisited the Orphanage on the Underworld History Museum’s opening day but left rather than disturb the visitors, and Kafka explained to Bronya why she had adopted Chu Mu alone. The siblings confronted the choice that had separated them, leaving Bronya with her brother’s guilt and unanswered questions.

• Natasha declined to treat the injured Old Nobles, trusting the Silvermane Guards’ military doctors to care for them.
• Chu Mu saw the crowded Underworld History Museum in the former Orphanage and chose to return on a quieter day instead of interrupting its opening.
• Bronya and Chu Mu met Kafka, whom Chu Mu introduced as his family, and Kafka recalled adopting him while he refused to leave without his sister.
• Kafka explained that Chu Mu had stayed until Bronya was adopted because he wanted her to have a safe future, and said events since then might help Bronya understand why Kafka had not adopted her.
• Chu Mu told Bronya he had both held on to her and pushed her away, then blamed himself for being powerless against fate.

Chu Mu reunited with Bronya in Belobog and told her he might be gone for good, though she vowed to keep waiting. At the Paskonja Festival, they joined the Children's Commune event, where Chu Mu chose a new name for the former Orphanage.

• Chu Mu told Bronya that he could not promise to return and asked her to stop waiting if he had not come back within a year, but she insisted she would wait for the rest of her life.
• Chu Mu and Bronya reached the Upper District for the Paskonja Festival and went with Natasha to the Orphanage's event.
• Kafka told Bronya that she was family and said Silver Wolf, who resembled her, was on her way with Sam.
• Chu Mu reassured Bronya that she and Silver Wolf were different, while Stelle joked that the Sea of Stars created legends.
• Natasha asked Chu Mu to help choose a new name for the Children's Commune, and he proposed calling it the Home of Hope.

Natasha’s small Orphanage gathering grew into a huge tribute from the Underworld residents, who celebrated the hope she had preserved during the years of isolation. The crowd forced Natasha to cancel the event, and Kafka helped her plan a speech and crowd-control measures.

• Underworld residents gathered at Natasha’s Orphanage event to honor her care during the thirteen years the Underworld had been sealed off.
• Hook recognized Chu Mu, scolded him for leaving without telling the Moles, and declared that his punishment was to join her for fun; Stelle and March 7th demanded to come too.
• The gathering spilled into the street, creating a risk of a stampede and prompting Natasha to cancel the planned event.
• Kafka suggested that Natasha calm the crowd with an impromptu speech while Oleg brought soldiers to maintain order.

After Bronya reassured Belobog’s Underworld refugees that they would keep their homes in the Upper District, Silver Wolf arrived and revealed that Interastral Peace Corporation ships were also heading to Jarilo-VI. The news threatened Bronya’s plan to keep Belobog isolated for ten years while it rebuilt its strength.

• Natasha spoke to the crowd about Belobog’s past and future, and Bronya promised that everyone had the right to live in the sunlight.
• The gathering ended at sunset, and Silver Wolf arrived after Kafka used Blade’s Measuring Instrument to provide her spatial coordinates.
• Silver Wolf told Kafka that she had hacked into Corporation ships while waiting at a Warp Tunnel and discovered they were bound for Jarilo-VI.
• Chu Mu explained the Interastral Peace Corporation’s influence and reminded Bronya that Belobog needed to preserve its Winter City Shield and economic independence.
• Bronya’s plan to develop Belobog quietly for ten years faced an immediate challenge when the Corporation’s ships headed for the planet.

The group realized the Interastral Peace Corporation may have supplied Belobog with its buried Automaton Soldiers and that the Corporation’s arrival could be tied to an old debt. Bronya feared Belobog could not repay seven hundred years of interest, while Chu Mu promised to deal with the Corporation’s threat.

• Oleg, Seele, March 7th, and Stelle questioned why the Interastral Peace Corporation had come to Jarilo-VI, and Chu Mu explained that the planet had once been an advanced civilization with ties to the Corporation.
• Svarog revealed that Corporation chips were inside him and that the code for Belobog’s Automaton Soldiers had come from the Corporation, raising fears that the soldiers could contain backdoors.
• Bronya realized the buried Automaton Soldiers might have been supplied by the Corporation, while Chu Mu reassured her that he would handle the trouble.
• Natasha urged the group to discover the Corporation’s reason for arriving, and Stelle suspected Findie had revealed that Jarilo-VI was inhabited.
• Bronya suspected the first Supreme Guardian had borrowed the buried weapons from the Corporation, and Kafka warned that seven hundred years of interest might exceed the original debt.
• Bronya worried that Belobog could not afford to repay the debt, even if the weapons’ depreciated value covered the principal.

Chu Mu explained how the Company might use Belobog’s debt to make the city a Company asset, outlining the benefits and the loss of control that could follow. Bronya weighed cooperation against independence, and Chu Mu urged her to choose freely; she regained her resolve just as someone interrupted.

• Seele, Natasha, Bronya, and Oleg questioned how Belobog could repay its debt and what the Company might demand in return.
• Chu Mu warned that the Company could offer debt relief and reconstruction in exchange for turning Belobog into a Company asset.
• Chu Mu explained that Company assets could gain technology and prosperity but would remain vulnerable to the Company’s control.
• Bronya struggled to choose between improving her people’s lives through cooperation and preserving Belobog’s independence.
• Chu Mu told Bronya he wanted her to retain the freedom to refuse, and she regained her resolve.
• An unfamiliar voice interrupted the conversation and asked what everyone was discussing.

Silver Wolf arrived and met Bronya, whose striking resemblance to her unsettled her, while Chu Mu and Kafka teased them about being like sisters. Silver Wolf revealed that she had secretly changed the IPC fleet’s warp coordinates, diverting its enormous Ecoship away from Belobog.

• Kafka sent Silver Wolf the spatial coordinates, and Silver Wolf teleported in, startled by Bronya’s resemblance to her.
• Silver Wolf and Bronya introduced themselves, and Chu Mu explained that Silver Wolf was her gaming username rather than her real name.
• Silver Wolf agreed to play games with Chu Mu later, then said the IPC had sent a huge Ecoship toward Belobog.
• Silver Wolf revealed that she had hacked the IPC system and changed the fleet’s warp coordinates so it would no longer come to Belobog.