Chapter Summaries

Athena used power transferred from Media to destroy the Abyssal Lair and eliminate the Abyssal Lord’s projection, but she collapsed from the strain. Alex saw an opportunity to claim the remaining Abyssal Projections, while Ace’s mirror and main body began synchronizing and noticed a possible link to the apprentices’ mental-imprint network.

• Pontos bound the Abyssal Lord’s projection while Athena used Media’s divine power to replace the grayness and Abyssal Lair with the Elegant Domain.
• Pontos returned to the sea severely injured, and Athena’s projection nearly collapsed as she fell unconscious.
• Alex heard that the Abyssal Lair had been destroyed and resolved to claim the Northern Frontier’s remaining Abyssal Projections.
• Mirror Ace protected the migrating group from a dangerous whisper with Mechanical Mind, and Bayern led the wizard apprentices toward their new home in Nameless Valley.
• Mirror Ace and Main Body Ace synchronized their minds, prompting Ace to wonder how their connection resembled the mental-imprint network.

Ace recognized that abandoning his emotions had threatened his sense of self, restored them from his mirror image, and assigned the clone a role focused on rational research. After preparing the mirror image to resist the Abyss’s influence, Ace turned to welcoming apprentices and rebuilding his magic laboratory.

• Ace and his mirror image discussed the Abyss’s emotional influence, the risks of losing synchronization, and ways to address both problems.
• Ace used Mechanical Mind to synchronize with the mirror image and recover his emotions and memories.
• Ace designated the mirror image as a rational academic clone and imprinted it with loyalty, rationality, and emotional detachment.
• The mirror image left to research a magical artifact that would suppress extreme emotions and strengthen self-will.
• Ace transferred the Book Spirit from the mirror image to his own head and prepared to rebuild the magic laboratory.

Ace prepared to settle the arriving apprentices and their families in the valley, while his mirror image was assigned to establish a loyalty and confidentiality contract ritual. When Betty’s steam-powered Apprentice Type 1 exploded, Ace shielded the crowd and welcomed everyone to their new home.

• Ace told his mirror image to arrange a contract ritual for the apprentices’ relatives and friends and every barbarian.
• Bayern led the exhausted apprentices and their families down from the mountains, where Caroso urged them to work for their new life.
• Betty sensed Apprentice Type 1 was about to explode, abandoned it, and leaped clear before it detonated.
• Ace cast a layered defensive spell that protected the crowd from the blast and summoned the greatsword back to himself.
• Ace helped Betty up, gave her the sword, and used Suggestion as he welcomed the arrivals and directed them to eat and rest.

Ace led the exhausted wizard apprentices into their new homeland, where he used magic and manipulation to secure their loyalty and lift their spirits. The next morning, he gathered them in a clearing and began presenting the wilderness as a place they could transform.

• Bayern returned the copy of the core Magic Book to Ace after helping guide everyone to the new homeland.
• Ace checked the sleeping apprentices for betrayal, then used Suggestion to draw them into a bonfire celebration with the barbarians.
• Ace arranged a Loyalty Secrecy Contract for the apprentices, the barbarians, and the apprentices' relatives.
• At dawn, Ace led the apprentices upstream and magically shaped dead branches and grass into carpets in a clearing.
• Ace used Suggestion to prompt the apprentices to share their honest views of the desolate homeland, then called the wilderness a blank canvas.

Ace outlined his vision for a wizard-led society in the valley, with equal citizenship, public education, and a structured path for training new wizards. The apprentices began imagining this future, though Arno was dismayed by how much they would have to study.

• Ace asked the apprentices what a magical society should be, and Caroso proposed a nation led by wizards who trained talented mortals.
• Arno argued that wizards should help mortals as well as accept their support, and Ace praised his sense of responsibility.
• Ace criticized the Divine Nobles' city-state system for denying mortals the right to study the supernatural, despite its protections and civic freedoms.
• Ace proposed equal citizenship, fair labor, and free general education, with regular examinations to select future wizard apprentices.
• Ace described a wizard tower where apprentices would study foundational subjects and magical disciplines for at least five years.
• Arno clutched his head and asked whether they could avoid going to school.

Ace had the wizard apprentices accept an agreement to share their future discoveries and research in exchange for his teaching and guidance. When he linked their Magic Books through Fat Tuft, their collective soul resonance carried them into the Sea of Reality and Illusion.

• Betty scolded Arno for dismissing the promise of five years of magical study, while Auli defended him and Arno tried to explain that he was a knight.
• Ace had the apprentices restore their Magic Books and recite the principles of secrecy, mutual aid, Equivalent Exchange, respect for knowledge, and the pursuit of truth.
• Ace explained the terms of his agreement with the apprentices, and Bayern, Sulu, Daina, and the others agreed to share their future knowledge and research with him.
• Ace linked the apprentices' Contract Rituals through their mental imprints and Fat Tuft, forming a powerful mental imprint network.
• The network resonated with Fat Tuft and drew the apprentices' collective consciousness into the Sea of Reality and Illusion.

Ace established three binding oaths between himself and all wizards, then formed an everlasting contract integrating the Book Spirit into their prototype collective sea of subconsciousness. The apprentices and Ace returned to reality exhausted and drenched beside the river.

• Ace established oaths requiring wizards to share new knowledge with him, keep shared research secret, and neither betray him nor go without his protection and guidance.
• Ace proposed an everlasting contract making the Book Spirit part of the collective sea of subconsciousness, with wizards sharing knowledge and the Book Spirit providing research assistance and organizing the network.
• Ace persuaded the Book Spirit to accept by promising endless knowledge, and their contract was sealed into the collective sea.
• The collective sea erupted in celebration, while Ace and the apprentices grew dim and returned to reality in the river valley.

After the apprentices recovered from their shared experience in the Subconscious Sea, Ace discovered that it had made them instinctively trust him and remember the wizard principles and oaths. Valen's questions stirred Ace's curiosity, and he prepared to explain the mysterious experience beneath a conjured orb of light.

• Daina and the wizard apprentices awoke exhausted after their experience, and Ace instructed them to meditate while he recovered his own mental strength.
• Ace realized that he and the Book Spirit had become the central hub and ruler of the wizards' embryonic Subconscious Sea, making wizards naturally feel close to him.
• Ace used the Mechanical Mind spell to steady his emotions and asked the apprentices to describe what they remembered.
• Arno recalled warmth and a desire to protect the collective, while Bayern remembered an instinct to follow the Five Cornerstone Principles and Three Original Oaths.
• Valen asked why the apprentices had entered the dreamlike place, why they had forgotten it, and whether the experience could be repeated.
• Ace called up a Controllable Light Orb and raised it above the apprentices as he prepared to address their questions.

Ace led the wizard apprentices in activating their Spiritual Mark Network to study how their souls resonated together. The network enabled rapid communication and collective reasoning but failed to produce the deeper change Ace sought, so he sent the apprentices away to ponder how spiritual connection might be improved.

• Ace explained that he wanted to investigate the Spiritual Mark Network and asked the apprentices to activate their Spiritual Marks.
• Ace connected the apprentices through his core Magic Book and synchronized their spiritual vibrations across the network.
• The apprentices experienced heightened pleasure and more active spiritual power, and they discovered they could exchange thoughts and emotions rapidly.
• Ace felt his spiritual measure loosen briefly, but the network produced only communication and collective deduction before his progress faded.
• Ace shut down the network, described what the experiment had revealed, and urged the apprentices to consider why it had not recreated the Great Dream.
• Ace dismissed the apprentices for the night and told them to rest while they pondered other forms and principles of spiritual connection.

Ace and his rational Mirror clone planned to upgrade the wizard apprentices’ Magic Books into a mental network that could help Ace advance, while struggling to contain the Abyss whispers. Ace also proposed organizing the valley into a city-state, but the Mirror clone asked how it would be named and governed and what kind of magical society it would become.

• The wizard apprentices returned home after linking their minds to the network, and Ace discussed the experience with his Mirror clone.
• Ace and the Mirror clone planned to upgrade the Magic Books and connect apprentices and Mirror clones through a powerful mental network.
• When the Abyss whispers stirred Ace’s emotions, the Mirror clone used Mechanical Mind to calm him, and Ace resolved to remain in that state until they developed a suppressive item.
• The next morning, Ace theorized that the Book Spirit and his stronger mental power had let him remain conscious in the apprentices’ subconscious sea, and the Mirror clone recommended gathering their Magic Books for upgrades.
• Ace proposed turning the valley into a city-state, assigning citizenship by status and using territory-owned slaves who could earn freedom after twenty years.
• The Mirror clone asked Ace to decide the territory’s name, government, and the structure and advancement paths of its magical society.

Ace named his territory High Tower and outlined its planned magical government, education system, and paths of advancement. He gathered the apprentices to discuss their ideas, while Betty’s father considered seeking a position under Ace.

• Ace declared that his territory would be called High Tower and described a future society governed by a Lifetime Governor and the High Tower Magic Council.
• Ace assigned Bayern to gather the apprentices and their relatives and friends after breakfast.
• Betty’s father decided to recommend himself to Ace as an experienced administrator.
• Ace gathered the apprentices, restored and cleaned their clothes, and asked for their thoughts on why the mental link had not worked like the Great Dream.
• A male apprentice suggested trying to form a mental link while holding their Magic Books as they slept.

Ace guided the apprentices through reasoning about mental connections and collected their Magic Books for an upgrade. He then reassured the settlers about their new territory and inspired them to build a future there.

• Ace praised Valen’s hypothesis that humans and other intelligent beings might share phenomena like the Great Dream effect, then explained a systematic method for investigating unknown questions.
• Ace gave the apprentices an hour to discuss the problem in groups of five and encouraged them to continue thinking together afterward.
• Ace announced that he would upgrade the apprentices’ Magic Books, explained how their mental imprints identified them, and had Bayern collect the books for Sharp.
• Ace summoned the apprentices’ relatives and friends and described the valley’s resources, location, and prospects for the Wizard Academy and magical society.
• Ace used Suggestion while addressing the settlers, easing their unease and stirring their enthusiasm for building a new life.

Ace established the High Tower Territory and recruited its first officials and citizens for the temporary Administrative Office. He appointed Leon as temporary Chief Official, and Leon proposed names for the town, future city, and river.

• Ace announced that the High Tower Territory had been established and invited people to recommend themselves for the temporary Administrative Office.
• Betty's father, the former Chief Official of the Northern Territory Fortress, sprang toward Ace, fell into dog shit, and threw out his back.
• Betty introduced her father as Leon and asked Ace to give him a chance, while Ace reassured Leon and welcomed the other candidates.
• Ace met the territory's citizens and learned that many had useful skills and could serve as Reserve Citizens.
• Leon presented his ideas for governing the territory, and Ace appointed him temporary Chief Official.
• Leon proposed naming the town Nightglow Town, its future city Nightglow City, and the river Runlight River.

Ace and Leon discussed Nightglow Town’s development, including labor, currency, livestock, and seeds, while Ace prepared to focus on research into the mental imprint network. The town’s construction continued under Leon as Ace turned his attention back to the waiting wizard apprentices.

• Leon completed the reclaimed barley fields north of Nightglow Town and reported shortages of livestock, seeds, slaves, and precious-metal currency to Ace.
• Ace proposed a work-point system for freemen and Reserve Citizens, with a path for slaves to earn freedom, and planned for magic stones to become currency.
• Ace and Leon discussed building ships and sending a caravan to acquire people and supplies, while Ace considered contacting his family through his double.
• Leon tripped on a loose pebble while leaving Ace’s hut and crawled away after straining his waist again.
• Ace decided to leave town development to Leon and focus on research, then dressed and went to meet the apprentices waiting in Nightglow Town.

Ace returned the upgraded Magic Books and warned the apprentices not to depend on them instead of memorizing runes and spells. He then led them to the western jungle to begin a second Mental Network Link experiment, which began with the apprentices pressing their mental imprints in their Magic Books.

• Ace used Insight Perception to match the apprentices with their Magic Books and distributed them.
• Ace used Magic-Sense Search to assess the apprentices and found that thirteen had reached the level of Intermediate Wizard Apprentice.
• Ace warned the apprentices that they needed to retain their knowledge and cast spells without relying completely on their Magic Books.
• Ace led the apprentices to the western jungle and explained that they would test Mental Network Links while fully awake, half-asleep, and deeply asleep.
• Ace used Suggestion to make the apprentices alert and calm, then waited for its effects to fade before they opened their Magic Books and pressed their mental imprints.

Ace and the mirror tested how wizard apprentices could form and expand a shared mental network, recording its resonance, information flow, and effects on their mental power. After the network reached the apprentices’ limits for extending mental chains, Ace declared the second stage complete and prepared to test collective meditation.

• Ace connected the apprentices to the Root Consciousness and Mirror Root Consciousness, forming a soul-level network, and recorded its initial resonance and information flow.
• Ace ordered the apprentices to extend a third mental chain to nearby nodes, and Daina learned to control which thoughts her spiritual imprint relayed.
• Ace and the mirror observed the network’s increased activity, while Ace found that his own mental power had only loosened slightly.
• Ace instructed the apprentices to keep extending mental chains until they reached their limits, then planned to test collective meditation.
• The mirror reported that apprentices with 1 to 10 units of mental power could extend three basic chains, that the network’s resonance and information flow had risen, and that the second stage was complete.

Ace tested the wizard mental network’s collective meditation and discovered that it created a shared magical environment and greatly improved the apprentices’ meditation, though it did not help him advance. After recording the results, he prepared to hypnotize the apprentices for an experiment with altered prerequisites.

• Ace sensed the network’s potential to combine the apprentices’ abilities for analyzing runes, spells, and other problems.
• Ace began the third experimental phase, and the apprentices meditated together while the mirror image recorded the results.
• The linked apprentices’ mental frequencies converged, creating a shared magical environment that strengthened the network and improved their meditation.
• The experiment ended without changing Ace’s mental scale, while the apprentices discussed their experiences and gains.
• Ace thanked the apprentices, recorded the experiment, and told them to prepare for hypnosis in the next experiment.

Ace put the wizard apprentices to sleep and formed a mental-link network to investigate its effects. The network drew everyone, including Ace, into a shared dream realm that he compared to an incomplete Subconscious Sea, but he could not wake the apprentices.

• Ace used Suggestion and Illusion Barrier to put the apprentices to sleep, and discovered that Arno and Ancesta resisted the spell more strongly than their mental power suggested.
• Ace linked the sleeping apprentices through their Spiritual Marks, forming two mental-link networks centered on the Root Consciousnesses and calming the trembling soul bodies with Suggestion.
• Ace hypnotized himself so Mirror could observe the network, and Mirror recorded a strange mist spreading as the network's resonance and information flow surged.
• Ace found himself in a shared dream where he appeared as a torch connected to tiny flames, and Mirror's message helped him realize that the entire network had entered the dream.
• Ace and Mirror failed to wake the apprentices, so Ace compared the dream realm to the embryonic Subconscious Sea and continued analyzing their differences.

Ace discovered that the apprentices’ scattered dreams could not initially be unified, then developed a Dreamscape Link Network through further experiments. He documented questions about the wizard collective subconscious and the Sea of Reality and Illusion as research to pursue.

• Ace failed to merge the apprentices’ separate dreams, and his mirror clone warned him that their mental power was nearly exhausted.
• Ace brought the apprentices back from the dreamscape, and they ended the experiment tired and disoriented before agreeing to rest and try again later.
• Several days later, Ace established the Dreamscape Link Network, where apprentices could enter one another’s dreams with permission and gather in a shared public dream.
• Ace’s experiments found that the network required more than thirty apprentices, at least four Intermediate Apprentices, and a Root Consciousness, and that more participants and stronger wizards improved its effects.
• Ace set training goals that would let successful apprentices freely share the lesser runes mastered by the group.
• Ace wrote a research plan about the Mental Network, recording questions about the Sea of Reality and Illusion, the Subconscious Sea Prototype, and the nature of the strange Witness Contract.

Ace documented his theories about collective consciousness and the mental-link network while his Mirror clone developed a rune array to resist whispers. He concluded that growing the wizard community and its network could advance both magical research and his own path toward becoming an official wizard.

• Ace wrote that collective consciousness could form a surface mental network and a prototype Subconscious Sea, while noting that his theories still required verification.
• The Mirror clone tested a rune array for the seventh page of Ace’s Magic Book and found that strengthening will remained difficult, prompting him to study knights’ paths of the heart.
• Ace described the lucid-dream mental-link network as a Collective Wisdom Network that could improve research on Soul Runes and soul spells as the number of apprentices grew.
• Ace proposed building a magical item that would store dreams and Spiritual Marks, create a network with a fixed Mirror clone as its Root Consciousness, and eventually upgrade into a mental-link network.
• Ace reported that collective meditation had improved apprentices’ mental power and could loosen his stalled mental scale, then resolved to develop the territory and train more apprentices in hopes of advancing to an official wizard.