Chapter Summaries

Field led Ashina and his slave guards into Rum Village, where the recruits overcame their fear and helped slaughter the Corpse Ghouls. After they set the Mist-Driving Lamp in the village center, a huge group of fast-moving monsters appeared on the Mini-Map, leaving Field to find a defensible position.

• Ashina spotted seven Corpse Ghouls, and Field ordered the recruits to fight them while Wildcat showed them how to attack.
• Field urged a frightened recruit to thrust his halberd, and the recruit killed a Corpse Ghoul and helped the others overcome their fear.
• Field followed Ashina into Rum Village and discovered a crowd of Corpse Ghouls making mating motions in the fields; Ashina burned most of them with the Dragon-Breed Wolf’s blue flames.
• Iron Hammer and the guards killed the remaining Corpse Ghouls as Field led them into the village and placed the Mist-Driving Lamp by a collapsed well.
• Field spotted a vast cluster of red skull icons approaching at great speed, and he realized the group needed to find a defensible position instead of retreating.

Field and Ashina survived a massive rush of corrupted monkey monsters in Rum Village, then discovered a strange magical plant. After smelling it, Field became dazed and grabbed Ashina’s wrist.

• Field led his group southeast through Rum Village while Ashina and the guards fought off the passing horde of Gnome Corpse Monsters.
• Field’s group barricaded themselves inside a courtyard and held off the monsters for half an hour without losing any guards.
• After the horde passed, Field ordered the guards to rest and search the village for useful supplies.
• Ashina told Field about a green, glowing plant with magical power in a farmhouse courtyard, and he went to investigate it.
• Field touched the plant and inhaled its strange scent, then grew dazed and seized Ashina’s wrist.

Field recovered from a magic plant’s effects, collected specimens for possible livestock breeding, and returned to find his territory cleared of corruption. He planned to repair his Winery and travel to Mapleleaf City to recruit craftsmen.

• Ashina dispelled the plant’s magic from Field and explained that he had acted under its influence, so he ordered the plant’s collection rather than burning it.
• Field had Ashina collect three plant specimens and learned that Rum Village held only a small amount of money and a few meager supplies.
• Field returned to Nightfall Territory and rewarded the slaves for clearing and burning the corruption.
• Field ordered the slaves to repair his Winery, but Kao explained that they lacked craftsmen and that guild members would be unlikely to come to the territory.
• Field decided to travel to Mapleleaf City in Highcastle Province himself to recruit craftsmen.

Field advanced to a first-tier lord and discovered his Prosperity Domain could keep corruption out of his territory without the Mist-Driving Lamp. After celebrating with the residents, he read Lucas's account of an expedition into Northern Frontier Province.

• Field ordered the winery cleared and promised the workers twenty copper coins each for finishing in three days.
• Field advanced to a first-tier lord after contracting with Ashina and saw his territory's status and talents.
• Field extinguished the Mist-Driving Lamp, and his Prosperity Domain kept the fog of death from entering the territory.
• Field celebrated by promising everyone extra food and ordering honey cake distributed to the maids, manservants, and cooks.
• Field read Lucas's account of traveling through Northern Frontier Province and encountering Bat Women with two royal Chosen Ones and a fallen noble's daughter.

Field learned that armed bandits had attacked Nightfall Territory, killed two slaves, and kidnapped a female slave. He and Ashina pursued them into the Gray Fog and found them in a corrupted forest.

• Field heard a scream and learned from Clay Pot that bandits had killed two slaves and abducted a woman before retreating.
• Field examined a victim's upward-angled wound with Ashina and suspected the attackers might be dwarves rather than humans.
• Ashina used her Dragon-Breed Wolf to track the bandits northeast while Field ordered the guards to defend the territory.
• Field and Ashina rode into the Gray Fog and found the attackers in a dense, corrupted forest.

Field and Ashina hunted the Gray Fog Goblins who had attacked Field’s territory, tracking a fleeing survivor to the Blackwood Tribe’s camp. Field ordered the camp burned, setting up a larger fight against the goblins.

• Ashina spotted the goblins through the Gray Fog, and Field and Ashina attacked after the goblins discovered them and threw javelins.
• Ashina and Field slaughtered most of the goblins, then followed the last survivor through the forest to its camp.
• The goblin chief fantasized about the Blackwood Tribe conquering human lands before a fleeing goblin led Field and Ashina to the camp.
• Field saw more than a hundred goblins in the camp and ordered them burned to ashes.

Field and Ashina wiped out a goblin band and discovered a nearby cave holding its young and corrupted deer. After killing them, Field opened a chest of royal army relics and used a Magic Scroll on a corrupted deer's corpse.

• Field unleashed the giant wolf's fire on the goblin camp while Ashina shot down the charging Goblin Chief and its followers.
• Field and Ashina searched the camp and found a cave concealing around a hundred young goblins and two corrupted does.
• Field realized goblins could reproduce with corrupted creatures and ordered Ashina to help him kill the young goblins and does.
• Field found an Ironwood Chest containing old banners and sealed scrolls, then opened a Magic Scroll and aimed it at a corrupted deer's corpse.

Field returned to his estate with treasure and proof that the Goblin threat had been eliminated, then began addressing the guards’ failure to defend it. The next morning, he punished the guards with running and offered food rewards as he organized their training.

• Field used a Magic Scroll to burn the Corrupted Deer corpses, then returned to the estate with the remaining scrolls.
• Field showed the Goblin’s head to the estate’s residents, who thanked him for avenging the dead.
• Field recognized that the guards had neglected their duties and decided to strengthen the estate’s military.
• Field spared the underfed guards from lashes and ordered those who had failed to serve to run laps for smoked meat.
• Field rewarded the guards who had mustered with smoked meat and assigned them standing-at-attention practice for a chance to earn eggs.

Field trained Nightfall Territory’s guards to hold a military stance, promising them eggs as a reward, then learned the territory had valuable wine to sell. He ordered Kao to prepare a wagon train so he could travel to Mapleleaf City himself, while noticing two female slaves heading toward the outskirts.

• Field taught the guards the military stance and promised eggs to those who held it for half an hour.
• The guards struggled to stand still but persevered for the eggs, and Field rewarded them with a break and extra eggs at lunch.
• Kao reported that the wine cellar contained several casks of common drinks, twenty-four casks of Black Pearl Grapes Wine, and one cask of Champagne.
• Field ordered Kao to provision wagons for forty people and ten days so Field could take the wine to Mapleleaf City and find buyers.
• Kao warned Field about the dangers of the Death Miasma and suggested sending the Chosen One, but Field insisted on going himself to protect Ashina’s identity and safety.
• Field spotted two female slaves walking toward the territory’s outskirts and wondered whether they were conspiring or slacking off.

Field issued a decree banning people from relieving themselves in public and requiring excrement to be collected in designated pits, then spent a week expanding and securing Nightfall Territory. With the territory running low on food, he set out for Highcastle Province with Ashina, her Raider Cavalry, and three guards.

• Field ordered Kao to enforce public sanitation rules, with warnings for the first three violations and fines afterward.
• Ashina returned from the Granary after clearing out the Corpse Ghouls and reported that its wheat was corrupted and the structure had mostly collapsed.
• Field organized the guards to train while Ashina cleared nearby ghoul hordes, and Nightfall Territory expanded five thousand square meters into the eastern woods over the following week.
• Field decided to travel to Highcastle Province to trade for food and left Wildcat and the other guards to protect the territory.
• Field departed with Ashina, her Raider Cavalry, Iron Hammer, and two other guards.

Field led a caravan from Nightfall Territory to Mapleleaf Territory to sell Black Pearl Grapes Wine and Magic Scrolls, battling corpse ghouls along the way. The group reached Mapleleaf Fortress safely, where Field began considering a trade route to avoid future dangerous journeys.

• Kao warned Clay Pot that Mapleleaf City's Chosen One, the Peerless Dancer, might tempt Field, and then worried that he had said too much.
• Field rejected Ashina's offer to handle the journey and set out with her, the Raider Cavalry, guards, slaves, and Scissors to visit Baron Mapleleaf.
• Field detected an approaching horde of corpse ghouls, and Ashina's Dragon-Breed Wolf and the cavalry fought them while Field joined the battle.
• The caravan crossed the Gray Fog and entered Mapleleaf Fortress after the soldiers welcomed them and closed the gates behind them.
• Field arrived with ten barrels of Black Pearl Grapes Wine and a crate of Magic Scrolls, having avoided large Corpse Tides and suffered only a small loss of grain.

Field entered the extravagant, debauched Mapleleaf City and visited Baron Simon Mapleleaf to discuss a business deal. Simon’s seductive hospitality failed to distract Field, who left the negotiations ahead.

• Field and his disguised companions entered Mapleleaf City, where a woman propositioned them at the city gate.
• Field turned down the woman and told Iron Hammer to keep saving his money until he became a freeman.
• Field sent Ashina and the Cavalry Unit to buy food and rest while he went to visit Baron Simon Mapleleaf.
• A maid led Field through Mapleleaf Manor and into a hall where women were bathing and playing in a hot spring.
• Simon invited Field to enjoy the maids, but Field refused and said he had come to discuss a business deal.

Field met with Baron Simon in Mapleleaf City and spun a tale about surviving a monster in Nightfall Territory to make his Black Pearl Grapes Wine seem more valuable. Simon tasted the wine and offered 500 gold coins per cask, leaving Field with a lucrative deal in prospect.

• Simon and Field exchanged flattery before moving to the reception room to discuss business.
• Field showed Simon the skull of a mutated Giant Rat Demon and exaggerated the danger of defeating it with the Goddess's help.
• Field claimed the monster had guarded rare Black Pearl Grapes Wine that had disappeared ten years earlier.
• Simon tasted the wine, praised it, and asked his adviser to discuss the price.
• Simon offered Field 500 gold coins per cask.

Field sold his goods to Simon in Mapleleaf City, deposited most of his earnings in the royal vault, and left to develop his territory and seek giant wolves. Simon and a mysterious woman discussed inviting Field to Mapleleaf City's Underground Masked Ball, though Simon doubted he would survive the Northern Frontier.

• Field sold his goods to Simon for 5,020 gold coins and deposited 3,000 coins in Mapleleaf City's royal vault.
• Simon tried to entice Field with a woman, but Field declined and asked him to find giant wolves for sale.
• Field explained that giant wolves would serve as mounts and help him create First-Rank Wolf Riders, then left for the Northern Frontier.
• Simon complained about losing his gold and told the waiting woman that Field had refused his advances.
• The woman urged Simon to formally invite Field to the Underground Masked Ball three months later, while Simon predicted the Northern Frontier's monsters might kill him first.

Field solved his money problem and went to a Mapleleaf City tavern to recruit skilled workers for Nightfall Territory. After hearing news about stolen armor and an imperial artifact, he learned that the dismissed Warden Tate might be a capable administrator.

• A woman ordered Simon to bring her frenzied Orc slaves, while Simon warned her not to kill them because they were expensive.
• Field planned to buy food and livestock and recruit managers and craftspeople to help develop Nightfall Territory.
• Field sent Iron Hammer to take the gold coins to the waystation, then went with his guards to a tavern in Mapleleaf City.
• The bartender told Field that more than two thousand sets of armor had reportedly been stolen in Bull Territory and that the Eye of Vows had been stolen from the Royal Family.
• Field asked for workers with practical skills, and the bartender recommended dismissed Warden Tate, who could read and write but had been framed by his subordinates.

Field recruited Tate to work in the Nightfall Territory and searched for a carpenter, only to learn Greyhound had already been hired by Cooch, his younger brother Adrian Rose's economic adviser. Cooch was shocked to find Field alive and offered help while hiding his alarm.

• Field persuaded prison warden Tate to join him in the Nightfall Territory and gave him a gold coin as a settling-in allowance.
• A scantily dressed woman recommended her carpenter friend Greyhound to Field, who learned Greyhound had been hired by Cooch to build stables for Adrian Rose.
• Field went to the Merchants' Association and encountered Cooch, who was astonished because he had believed Field dead.
• Cooch concealed his shock, greeted Field with perfunctory courtesy, and offered assistance on behalf of Adrian Rose.

Field tried to obtain a carpenter and buy Church supplies for Nightfall Territory, while Cooch and Lance mocked him and arranged to interfere with his shopping. After Lance’s accomplice outbid Field for the Mist-Driving Lamps and Purification Potions, Field secretly sent a guard after him.

• Field asked Cooch for Greyhound, but Cooch refused and told Lance to investigate Field’s movements.
• Field listed the workers and supplies Nightfall Territory needed, then went with Iron Hammer to buy Mist-Driving Lamps.
• At the church, Field tried to buy all the lamps and Purification Potions, but a large-nosed man outbid him.
• Field handed a bag of gold coins to a guard and quietly gave him instructions after the large-nosed man left with the goods.
• Lance met the large-nosed man and revealed that he had arranged the scheme, while promising they would return the goods later.

Field sold his old Magic Scrolls at the Mages' Association and tricked Lance's associate into buying expensive Instant Spell books in Baron Adrian's name. Outside, hired vagrants killed the associate and his companions, while Lance arrived and saw the attack.

• Field sold twenty-three old Magic Scrolls to the mage for 150 gold coins.
• Field chose the Flying Beast Vision spellbook, then baited the big-nosed man into bidding against him for more books.
• The big-nosed man spent 1,300 gold coins from Baron Adrian's deposit and tried to return the spellbooks after Field left.
• The mage refused the refund unless Baron Adrian came in person, and the big-nosed man left with the books.
• Lance arrived with a cake as a crowd's shouts drew the big-nosed man to the street.
• A group of vagrants attacked and killed the big-nosed man, his coachman, guards, and helpers; he realized Field had arranged the attack.

After Field seized Cooch’s caravan goods in Mapleleaf City, Cooch and Lance fled toward Fulan City while arguing over how to explain the loss. Their caravan was then confronted by twenty armored riders, whom Gareth dismissed as ordinary bandits despite their menacing appearance.

• Field had Iron Hammer’s men take the bearded merchant’s horse and goods, then ordered his guards to watch Cooch as he left the city.
• Field rewarded a guard for delivering a message to Pockface and celebrated pocketing nearly two thousand gold coins.
• The next day, Cooch’s caravan traveled toward Fulan City, and Cooch scolded Lance for provoking Field and warned him against accusing a noble.
• Cooch decided to return to Fulan City and tell Baron Adrian that Field was alive, while considering how to explain the missing gold.
• Twenty armored cavalrymen appeared beside the caravan, and Gareth confidently called them bandits, reassuring Cooch with his presence.

Ashina and the Raider Cavalry attacked Cooch’s caravan, while Gareth tried to hold them off. The caravan’s workers and guards broke under the cavalry charge, leaving the raiders to slaughter them.

• Cooch ordered the caravan to stop and prepare for battle as Gareth and his squires rode to meet the attackers.
• Ashina appeared on a dragon-breed wolf, and Gareth recognized the threat and told Cooch to flee while he bought time.
• Gareth and Ashina exchanged attacks, but the wolf dodged his charge and Gareth failed to stop them.
• Silver Claw ordered the Raider Cavalry to charge, and the caravan’s arrows barely slowed the armored riders.
• The workers panicked and fled when the cavalry struck, disrupting Cooch’s guards as the raiders cut through the convoy.