Chapter Summaries

Chloe returned her books and discussed Old Humanity’s survival on Northern Ice Island with Scholar Heron, who revealed that Xialike had asked him to officiate their wedding. At the royal library, Chloe discovered Feather Race blood on Saimusi’s shoe and, with Xialike, began investigating whether he was conducting experiments on Feather Race members.

• Chloe returned her books and the sealed translation of Master Newman’s ancient text commission to the Ancient Language Research Association.
• Chloe told Scholar Heron about evidence that Old Humanity had lived on Northern Ice Island twelve thousand years ago, and they discussed how the group might have survived the harsh climate.
• Scholar Heron congratulated Chloe on becoming the future crown princess and said Xialike had invited him to officiate their wedding.
• At the royal library, Chloe saw Saimusi collecting books about the Feather Race and noticed dark red liquid on his shoes; she later tested a trace on her skirt and identified it as Feather Race blood.
• Chloe told Xialike what she had found, and Meiwu'er reported that Saimusi lived in a lakeside laboratory arranged by Emperor Lorenzo.
• Xialike ordered Meiwu'er to investigate Saimusi and the lakeside villa, while Chloe worried that their inquiries might attract Lorenzo’s attention.

Chloe and Xialike uncovered evidence that Saimusi was holding Feather Race captives and experimenting on them in a palace villa under Lorenzo’s orders, but chose to investigate cautiously. Meanwhile, Chloe confronted Newman after tracing his secret commission to a treasure chamber, and she began discussing how to settle matters with him.

• Xialike, Chloe, and Meiwu'er learned from palace servants that Saimusi had not left the palace, received Feather Race-appropriate food and alchemical supplies, and was guarded by a squadron of forty shadow guards.
• Chloe thanked Xialike for the information but warned that digging further could endanger them, and Xialike urged her to get to the bottom of the matter while protecting themselves.
• Dafulin visited Newman for guidance, shared her flatbread with him, and delivered a commission envelope from the Ancient Language Research Association.
• Newman found Chloe’s note explaining that she had identified his rubbing as clues to an Ash City Dynasty treasure chamber, inspected the construction site, and reported the water seeping into its foundations.
• Chloe arrived at Newman’s home with Meiwu'er, confronted him about arranging the secret commission, and sent Dafulin away before asking how they should settle the matter.

Chloe and Newman investigated a scholar’s villa in the Star imperial palace and discovered a vast underground facility. Using a swiftlet to contact a prisoner inside, Chloe learned that the captive was Yu Yao, the missing queen of the Feather Race, and the story left her and Xialike departing with the revelation.

• Chloe told Newman that Dafulin was the Cold Mountain Kingdom’s second princess and a political hostage, then asked him to investigate Saimusi’s palace villa.
• Newman agreed to keep the Deep Soul Cocoon commission secret and promised Chloe twenty percent of the treasure’s sale proceeds.
• Newman examined the villa from across the lake and identified a large underground structure with a ventilation shaft hidden in a well.
• Chloe used a rune-ringed swiftlet to enter the shaft and eventually received a response from a prisoner during a guard shift change.
• The prisoner identified herself as Yu Yao and recognized Chloe as the little bookworm she had known as a child.
• Yu Yao began recounting what had happened before guards interrupted the contact, and Chloe and Xialike left after the swiftlet escaped.