Chapter Summaries

Elder Zhao learned that the World Tree could absorb and purify nuclear radiation, easing fears that nuclear war would make Underground City survival impossible. After tests showed the tree absorbed many radioactive substances and continued growing, he ordered it transplanted to Tianshu Underground City and approved carefully controlled nuclear testing.

• Elder Zhao told Secretary Li that the World Tree could completely absorb and purify nuclear radiation, and the two celebrated its value for humanity's survival underground.
• Qian Zhenhua and Liu Chengen tested the World Tree with radioactive ores, confirming that it absorbed them and grew to three meters tall.
• Liu Chengen proposed feeding the sapling a nuclear fuel rod, but Lin Mo stopped him and warned that the ecological park could not contain a larger tree.
• Lin Mo called Elder Zhao while under quarantine and asked where the World Tree should be planted.
• Elder Zhao chose Tianshu Underground City for its hollow central area and strong defenses, and approved nuclear testing with strict precautions.
• Lin Mo relayed the decision to Qian Zhenhua and Liu Chengen, who responded with great enthusiasm.

Lin Mo and the researchers transported the World Tree from the expedition base to New Kyoto by helicopter, while New Kyoto’s military cleared Central Ecological Park under a Level One Lockdown. The chapter ended as Li Wei watched the helicopters lower the container into the underground city.

• Lin Mo and the researchers chose New Kyoto as the World Tree’s new home and planned to transport it by helicopter.
• More than a hundred soldiers carefully dug up the World Tree with its roots and surrounding soil intact.
• Crews secured the World Tree’s container beneath three Kuafu helicopters, which lifted off with Lin Mo’s aircraft and fighter escorts bound for New Kyoto.
• Headquarters ordered Li Wei to clear Central Ecological Park, and his troops evacuated the residents and secured the route from the airfield.
• Li Wei reported that the route was clear and watched the three helicopters descend through the open dome with the World Tree’s container.

Lin Mo brought the glowing World Tree to New Kyoto’s Central Ecological Park, where its arrival stunned Li Wei and the soldiers guarding it. He explained that the surrounding trees and ground had to be cleared and modified so the World Tree could reinforce the underground city, and Liu Chengen eagerly proposed a nuclear-fuel system to guide its roots.

• Li Wei escorted a transport convoy carrying a huge container and researchers, including Qian Zhenhua and Liu Chengen, into the Central Ecological Park.
• The National Special Bureau made Li Wei and his soldiers sign S-level confidentiality agreements before the container was opened.
• The container revealed a three-meter glowing tree, and Lin Mo buried several energy crystals in its soil.
• Lin Mo told Liu Chengen to clear nearby trees and create a passage for the World Tree’s roots to reach the surrounding rock strata and strengthen the city.
• Liu Chengen proposed a sealed nuclear reaction feed chamber and asked Lin Mo if they could begin a nuclear test.

Lin Mo and the researchers tested the World Tree’s ability to absorb nuclear wastewater, and it purified small doses without leaving radiation behind. When they released ten tonnes, the tree began growing rapidly as radiation readings soared, leaving the researchers watching the experiment with excitement.

• Lin Mo agreed to let the researchers test the World Tree, provided they started with small doses and kept the process controlled.
• Liu Chengen arranged to bring ten tonnes of nuclear wastewater and a low-concentration reactor to Central Ecological Park, while workers cleared the area around the tree.
• Liu Chengen’s team administered 100 milliliters and then one liter of nuclear wastewater, and both doses were absorbed without residual radiation.
• Liu Chengen ordered the engineers to open all the valves, sending ten tonnes of highly concentrated nuclear wastewater toward the World Tree’s roots.
• As radiation readings climbed, the World Tree grew taller, thickened, sprouted leaves, and brightened until the researchers noticed a problem.

Lin Mo oversaw plans to safely supply the World Tree with nuclear energy after it absorbed nuclear wastewater, then returned to Terra Continent for another round of negotiations. The chapter ends as he considers a proposal requiring Great Xia to borrow money from the Holy Human Race to pay for the Astral Portal.

• Researchers stopped the nuclear wastewater when it pooled around the World Tree, and their tests found the collected water was pure.
• Liu Chengen requested permission to use nuclear fuel rods, while Qian Zhenhua proposed building a sealed underground reactor to supply the World Tree safely.
• Lin Mo ordered Liu Chengen and Qian Zhenhua to rest and had construction begin under National Special Bureau supervision.
• Zhao Gang told Lin Mo that the Holy Human Race and elves had requested another round of negotiations, and Lin Mo went to the conference room.
• Kael and Elder Muyu proposed that Great Xia borrow money from the Holy Human Race to keep the Astral Portal open and repay the costs with future trade proceeds.
• Lin Mo questioned whether Great Xia was being asked to borrow money to pay portal rent, then studied the negotiators without answering.

Lin Mo rejected a trade arrangement that would leave Great Xia paying rent and demanded a Great Xia-controlled permanent Astral Portal and territory on the Terra Continent. The Dwarves and Half-Orcs agreed, while Kael and Elder Muyu objected, and the negotiations ended in a furious argument between Thorin and Kael.

• Lin Mo rejected the Four Races’ proposal to fund the portal through trade earnings, saying Great Xia would not accept a rent-bound arrangement.
• Lin Mo offered to continue trading if the Holy Human Race built Great Xia a permanent Astral Portal under its complete control and Great Xia received its own territory.
• Kael and Elder Muyu called the demands sudden and unprecedented, while Thorin and Grom agreed to grant Great Xia land.
• Kael mocked Thorin and Grom for readily offering land, and Thorin jumped onto his chair and cursed Kael.

Lin Mo watched the Four Races’ negotiations collapse into an argument, then learned that Kael and Elder Muyu would seek approval from their leaders before agreeing to trade. As rain and lightning arrived, Kael tried to practice Lightning Magic, and Lin Mo rushed to stop him and Elder Muyu from attracting another strike.

• Thorin accused Kael and Elder Muyu of past military failures, then announced that the Dwarves would negotiate with Lin Mo, with Grom agreeing.
• Kael and Elder Muyu refused to make a decision without consulting the Pope and Queen, and the meeting ended as their messengers departed.
• Lin Mo told Zhao Gang that the World Tree’s preliminary experiment had succeeded and that a sealed underground reaction chamber was being built.
• A thunderstorm began, and Kael attempted to command lightning through prayer and magic, nearly getting struck.
• Kael explained that his experience with three-phase electricity had inspired him to study Lightning Magic, and Elder Muyu prepared to join him.
• Lin Mo hurried to stop Kael and Elder Muyu from trying to draw lightning during the storm.

Kael survived a lightning strike and gained a new understanding of lightning before negotiations resumed between Great Xia and the representatives of the other races. The Holy See and the Elf Queen agreed in principle to Lin Mo’s proposals, and Kael began outlining their conditions for a permanent portal and territory.

• Lin Mo warned Kael to protect himself from the storm, but Kael’s shields broke under a powerful lightning strike that left him charred and twitching.
• Kael recovered and excitedly declared that he had grasped a trace of lightning’s essence, while Elder Muyu decided against testing his own defenses.
• The next morning, Kael received the Pope’s reply and ordered negotiations to resume.
• Kael told Lin Mo and the other representatives that the Holy See and the Elf Queen accepted Lin Mo’s proposals in principle, subject to conditions.
• Kael said the Holy See would retain the Astral Portal’s construction technology and control rights, while Great Xia would cover its materials and maintenance costs.
• Kael spread out a map of the Terra Continent and began marking territory for Great Xia.

Lin Mo and the Terra races signed a strategic treaty granting Great Xia a coastal fief in Demon Clan territory and forming a joint council. After the treaty was sealed, Lin Mo said Great Xia needed its weapons to conquer the fief, delaying the equipment sale the other races wanted.

• Kael offered Great Xia a large strip of Demon Clan-occupied land, and Lin Mo accepted it despite appearing reluctant.
• Elder Muyu proposed a Terra Alliance Council and a rule against unilateral expansion, while Lin Mo secured the cancellation of Great Xia’s earlier weapons restrictions.
• Lin Mo, Kael, Muyu, Thorin, and Grom negotiated the treaty’s clauses and sealed the magic contract with their blood.
• Thorin and Grom asked Lin Mo to resume sending equipment through the Portal, but Lin Mo said Great Xia needed its weapons to conquer the fief.
• Thorin protested the delay, and Grom angrily threatened to withdraw from the agreement.

After the Four Races accepted Lin Mo’s proposal for a limited initial weapons trade, Great Xia’s leaders celebrated their foothold on the magical continent and prepared to reinforce the Expeditionary Force. Lin Mo then asked Kael about enlarging the Astral Portal and learned that a permanent one would cost five million gold coins.

• Lin Mo offered Thorin’s delegation a small initial supply of weapons and equipment, with large-scale trade to follow after Great Xia secured its fief and built a Permanent Portal, and Thorin reluctantly agreed.
• After the Four Races left, Long Zhan and Zhao Gang celebrated Great Xia’s new territory, and Lin Mo ordered Long Zhan to halt the returning Expeditionary Force units.
• Lin Mo told Long Zhan that the new Terra Alliance Strategic Treaty had voided the old restrictions on personnel and weapons, and Long Zhan went to calculate possible reinforcements.
• Lin Mo and Zhao Gang examined the thousand-square-kilometer coastal territory on Kael’s map and noted that it gave Great Xia access to the ocean.
• Lin Mo asked Kael whether the Astral Portal could be enlarged, and Kael explained that a bigger portal required a larger base and more resources.
• Kael quoted five million gold coins for a permanent Astral Portal, prompting Lin Mo to complain that he was being treated like a bank to rob.

Lin Mo and the others decided to postpone building a permanent Astral Portal until they had secured their own fief, since a portal large enough for heavy equipment would cost over eight million gold coins. In Tianshu Underground City, Elder Zhao learned that Lin Mo had negotiated a fief for Great Xia in another world and asked whether military manufacturers had increased production as proposed.

• Kael explained that a permanent Astral Portal cost five million gold coins and that expanding its circumference cost ten thousand gold coins per meter.
• Lin Mo proposed asking the Four Races to advance money for a portal, but Long Zhan and Zhao Gang argued against building one in territory the Elves had only lent them.
• Zhao Gang calculated that a portal about a hundred meters in diameter would cost more than eight million gold coins, so Lin Mo agreed to wait until Great Xia secured its own land.
• At the World Tree construction site in Tianshu Underground City, Secretary Li checked that the area was free of radiation before Elder Zhao approached the tree.
• Secretary Li told Elder Zhao that Lin Mo and the others had succeeded in negotiations and secured land for Great Xia in another world.
• Elder Zhao celebrated the achievement and asked whether military manufacturers had acted on Lin Mo's proposal to increase production.

Elder Zhao ordered the military to prepare elite soldiers and veterans for deployment to the Terra Continent and a counterattack against the Demon Clan. In Bell City, Zheng Nengliang entered the Underground City, reunited with his mother and son, and learned that his military record had earned him a special work assignment.

• Elder Zhao told Secretary Li that defense manufacturers were producing equipment around the clock and ordered military regions to prepare their best soldiers while keeping the plans secret.
• Elder Zhao also ordered the recall of veterans and arranged a video conference with four other leaders.
• Zheng Nengliang received notice that his turn to enter the Underground City had arrived, and he reported to Entrance Seven.
• Zheng Nengliang entered the Underground City and was amazed by its simulated skies, clean streets, comfortable dormitory, and hopeful residents.
• Zheng Nengliang visited his mother at a factory and reunited with his son at Hope Elementary School.
• At the Resident Work Assignment Center, staff reviewed Zheng Nengliang's record as a former Snow Wolf Special Operations Brigade noncommissioned officer and offered him a special assignment.

Zheng Nengliang began work at an underground military factory, assembling new laser combat vehicles, until an emergency national defense order recalled him to service. He left the factory after receiving his recall papers, unaware that the coming fight would not be against Eagle Country.

• Zheng Nengliang accepted a job at the Military Factory and saw its enormous underground production lines, including a new Vehicle-Mounted Laser Type 9 assembly line.
• Team Leader Wang put Zheng Nengliang to work on delicate vehicle components, and Zheng quickly proved his military repair skills.
• Zheng Nengliang received an emergency recall notice ordering him to report to the Armed Forces Department within 24 hours.
• Zheng Nengliang told his supervisor he was resigning, and the supervisor confirmed that many other workers had also been recalled.
• The supervisor processed Zheng Nengliang's pay and allowance, saluted him, and wished him victory; Zheng promised to return, though neither knew they would not be fighting Eagle Country.

Great Xia began mobilizing veterans and sending troops and equipment through the Portal to Terra Continent. Thorin and Grom demanded to buy armored vehicles, but Lin Mo said Great Xia had to secure enough supplies to conquer the Demon-held fief first, then offered Thorin baijiu to calm him.

• Veterans across Great Xia’s thirty-six underground Ark cities reported for refresher training and prepared to replace active-duty soldiers being sent to war.
• Great Xia’s armored vehicles, trucks, supplies, and soldiers poured through the Portal into Firefly Leaf Town.
• Thorin and Grom watched the vehicles arrive, and Thorin hurried to Lin Mo to demand that he sell them one immediately.
• Lin Mo explained that Great Xia needed to reserve its equipment and ammunition for conquering the Demon-held fief before determining what it could sell.
• Thorin grew furious, but he took Lin Mo’s baijiu and drank it; seeing soldiers pass with rifles, Lin Mo got an idea.

Lin Mo gave Thorin and Grom rifles and showed them how to use them before joining Long Zhan and Zhao Gang to discuss Great Xia’s campaign plan. The officers revealed that the Demon Clan had exterminated the Merfolk and could still muster dangerous forces in the oceans around the Terra Continent.

• Lin Mo gave Thorin and Grom rifles and magazines, then taught them to fire at the shooting range.
• Thorin excitedly examined and fired his rifle, while Grom unleashed a sustained burst at the target.
• Long Zhan and Zhao Gang presented a plan to advance inland from the coast while building a base, Portal, and port.
• Lin Mo asked whether demons lived in the seas, prompting Zhao Gang and Long Zhan to describe the Demon Clan’s control of the oceans.
• Long Zhan showed Lin Mo images of Sea Dragon Beasts, Demonized Merfolk, and Deep-Sea Liches that could form the Demon Clan’s ocean armies.

Lin Mo and the commanders discussed how the Demon Clan could threaten naval forces, while the Expeditionary Force continued growing in Firefly Leaf Valley. Eagle Country accused Great Xia of escalating tensions, and the chapter ended with Zhao Gang preparing to show Great Xia’s response.

• Long Zhan and Zhao Gang warned Lin Mo that the Demon Clan could adapt to underwater environments and that naval forces needed new defenses and Super Mechas.
• The Expeditionary Force expanded to thirty thousand soldiers, with its tanks, self-propelled gun-howitzers, and rocket artillery vehicles increasing in number.
• Zhao Gang showed Lin Mo and Long Zhan a news conference where Eagle Country’s consul Mars accused Great Xia of a dangerous military expansion and asked whether it was trying to start a war.
• Lin Mo and Zhao Gang dismissed Eagle Country’s accusations, while Great Xia’s online commenters mocked its double standards.
• Zhao Gang said the Foreign Ministry would do more than protest and condemn, then opened another video.

Lin Mo discussed Great Xia’s response to Eagle Country’s escalating military exercises and hoped to test the nearly completed Pangu mecha against its carrier groups. As the Portal neared expiration, Thorin Ironbeard and Grom arrived to trade, and Lin Mo examined the Dwarves’ valuable goods list.

• A Great Xia Foreign Ministry spokesperson warned foreign countries against provoking Great Xia, while Zhao Gang reported that Eagle Country had deployed two more carriers and refused to cancel its exercises.
• Lin Mo asked about Pangu’s progress, learned that miniaturized controlled nuclear fusion remained unfinished, and proposed testing the mecha against Eagle Country’s carrier groups if it was ready in time.
• Thorin Ironbeard and Grom visited before the Portal expired to claim the equipment trade agreed upon with Lin Mo.
• Thorin gave Lin Mo the Dwarves’ trade list, which included weapons and armor, a legendary Spatial Ring, enchanted goods, rare metals, and magical runes.

Lin Mo reviewed the Dwarves’ trade list before examining the Half-Orcs’ unusual catalog of workers and mercenaries. When he questioned how the Half-Orcs enforced contracts, Chief Grom took offense and defended his people’s honor.

• Lin Mo considered the Dwarves’ runes and agreed to buy some of their drinks for research and future trade.
• Grom handed Lin Mo a list describing more than a dozen Half-Orc races and their skills, along with prices for mercenary warriors.
• Lin Mo considered hiring Half-Orc fighters to help defend against the High-Ranking Demon Clan.
• Lin Mo asked what would happen if hired Half-Orcs deserted or abandoned their work, and Grom angrily declared that Half-Orcs honored contracts.
• Thorin tried to calm Grom after the chief called humans deceitful.

Lin Mo learned that the Half-Orcs’ strict adherence to contracts had left their tribes unable to aid one another against the Demon Clan, then showed Thorin and Grom Great Xia’s weapons catalog. Thorin and Grom were captivated by the modern weapons, especially the equipment suited to fighting their enemies.

• Thorin explained that Half-Orc tribes were divided and that contracted warriors could not return to defend their homes from the Demon Clan.
• Lin Mo apologized to Grom for doubting the Half-Orcs’ reputation and asked Thorin why they had suffered so much in the war.
• Thorin said the Half-Orcs’ fragmented society and their obligation to honor contracts had weakened their resistance.
• Lin Mo asked Zhao Gang to print Great Xia’s weapons and equipment price list and presented it to Thorin and Grom.
• Grom drooled over the catalog’s weapons and vehicles, while Thorin focused on the Land Shield 2000 and coveted the tank.

Lin Mo and the Expeditionary Force negotiated a major trade with Thorin’s Dwarves, selecting runes, rare metals, and a Spatial Ring. Because the purchase exceeded their available equipment budget, Zhao Gang and Long Zhan proposed selling cubic nitrogen ammunition, whose high price could cover the shortfall.

• Thorin told Lin Mo that the Dwarves wanted all the listed weapons and asked how much Great Xia could supply.
• Zhao Gang proposed trading for Dwarf runes and rare metals, while Long Zhan insisted that Great Xia acquire a Spatial Ring to improve transport and support the future Super Mecha.
• Lin Mo, Zhao Gang, and Long Zhan agreed to buy the runes, metals, and Spatial Ring for 51 million gold coins, worth more than US$17 billion at the stated exchange rate.
• Zhao Gang worried that the Expeditionary Force lacked enough equipment to cover the deal, and Long Zhan suggested selling cubic nitrogen ammunition instead.
• Zhao Gang realized that the ammunition’s high price could cover the purchase, estimating that cubic nitrogen rounds might sell for US$17,000 each.