Chapter Summaries

Li Lin and Pikachu stood trial for allegedly trading prohibited magical goods, while Li Lin challenged the evidence and Ailas insisted on punishing them. Nia revealed that she had created the law in question and abolished it, leaving the tribunal in uproar.

• Li Lin reflected on Nia's plan to recruit the city's oppressed mixed-bloods as allies in reviving the Magic Empire and on his determination to destroy the Five-Nation Alliance.
• Guards escorted Li Lin and Pikachu to the tribunal, where Ailas accused them of selling prohibited magical items and called for Li Lin to be confined in the water dungeon.
• Li Lin disputed the evidence, arguing that the guard had witnessed no exchange of money, and Pikachu backed his account as the crowd grew uneasy.
• Ailas dismissed their defense and declared that Li Lin would receive no special treatment despite being the Golden Leaf Mage's companion.
• Nia appeared at the tribunal and abolished the prohibited-goods law, explaining that she had enacted it and therefore had authority to amend it.

Nia invalidated the trial after repealing the law against selling undead materials, but Ailas challenged Li Lin to a duel to preserve the punishment for his companions. As Li Lin met the city administrators and Nia introduced him as her master, Fina and Mina wrestled with their changed nature, and Angela summoned them to prepare for a fight.

• Nia declared the trial invalid after amending the law, then allowed Ailas to object through a duel with Li Lin, which she approved.
• Angela angrily offered to fight Ailas herself, but Li Lin said he would handle the matter and suspected the situation was more complicated.
• Nia brought Li Lin and Angela to meet the three administrators, then introduced Li Lin as her master.
• Fina and Mina recalled Nia's claim that she was a weapon and could not advise them about human emotions or their violent nature.
• Angela arrived and ordered Fina and Mina to pack so they could teach Ailas a lesson.

Angela tracked the half-elf to a pleasure house, where she discovered his apparent sexual submission was part of a conspiracy to stir unrest in the city. Meanwhile, Li Lin tried to persuade three High-Ranking Mages to support a bold plan for the mixed-blood population, but Angela interrupted before they could finish refusing him.

• Angela followed the half-elf to a pleasure house and watched him submit to a woman who was secretly directing his efforts to provoke chaos in the city.
• The half-elf told the woman that he planned to kill Li Lin in their duel, but she ordered him to defeat and humiliate him instead.
• Li Lin urged three High-Ranking Mages to consider backing a larger political future for the mixed-bloods, while acknowledging the dangers of the plan.
• The three mages deliberated and began to refuse Li Lin's request, but Angela appeared and warned them that death was at their door.

Angela revealed that Ailas and other young nobles planned to overthrow the three archmages with help from the Red Robe Association, suggesting the Five-Nation Alliance had lost faith in the City of a Thousand Towers' rulers. Li Lin agreed to remain in the city while awaiting the archmages' response, and began preparing materials as he anticipated that trouble would soon arrive.

• Angela told Li Lin and the three old mages that Ailas and his allies intended to seize power and bring the city closer to the Five-Nation Alliance.
• Angela revealed that Ailas had secured support from the Red Robe Association, and Nia explained the group's ties to the alliance and hostility toward the Temple and orthodox mages.
• Li Lin concluded that the alliance was likely involved and told the old mages he would stay in the city in exchange for a price.
• The fat merchant offered Li Lin magic items for his upcoming duel, but Li Lin refused them and instead asked him for refined steel and mithril.
• Li Lin prepared the metals and stabilized a soul crystal while Angela and Nia watched; he told Angela that he expected trouble to come soon.

Li Lin gave Mina a specialized longsword and Fina a magic staff, then sent Angela to train the sisters. As he read about the world’s thousand years of change, he reflected with Nia on the past and trusted Angela to shape the sisters into warriors.

• Mina and Fina returned to the inn and complained to Angela for leaving them waiting without explanation.
• Li Lin gave Mina a single-edged longsword and told Angela to teach Mina and Tushu how to use it.
• Li Lin gave Fina a short magic staff, and she eagerly left to test it.
• Li Lin and Nia discussed his memories of the Magic Empire, the sisters’ training, and Nia’s relief that he was still himself after the soul transfer.
• Li Lin read to catch up on a thousand years of knowledge, and Nia left to see how Angela was training the sisters.

Mina struggled to master Battōjutsu until Nia explained that her sword was a spirit-transformed weapon that could respond to her thoughts and needed a name. Li Lin was interrupted while reading by Ailas’s older brother, who asked him to discuss some matters at another location.

• Angela instructed Mina to practice drawing and sheathing her sword as part of Battōjutsu, and Mina unexpectedly performed the motion smoothly.
• Nia explained that Li Lin’s magic weapons contained awakened life and that naming them helped give them a sense of self.
• Angela left Nia’s lesson and visited Li Lin while he read, then departed after he told her not to interrupt him again.
• Ailas’s older brother arrived at Li Lin’s inn and invited him to discuss some matters elsewhere.
• Li Lin agreed to go with Ailas’s older brother.

Li Lin defeated Walter in a staged duel and learned that Ailas and lower nobles planned to seize the City of a Thousand Towers’ supply hub. After recognizing the three archmages’ request for his help, Li Lin warned that assistance would come at a price, and the old mage accepted.

• Walter led Li Lin to an empty cottage, locked it, and attacked him with magic.
• Li Lin trapped and subdued Walter, then released him after the three governing archmages entered.
• The archmages told Li Lin that Ailas and lower nobles planned to seize the central pillar and use control of the city’s supplies to force negotiations.
• Li Lin questioned Walter’s identity and criticized his attempt to combine magic and martial arts like Klaus.
• The three archmages asked Li Lin for help, and Li Lin said they would have to bear the cost of his assistance.

Li Lin activated the Eye of Kalatu and reunited with Kalatu, whose soul had survived inside the stone. Kalatu spent his remaining power to locate the Infinite Corridor and left Li Lin with a warning before vanishing.

• The old mages agreed to let Li Lin use the Eye of Kalatu, though Nia warned it had enough energy for only one activation.
• Li Lin sent Angela, Fina, and Nia away, then spoke to the black stone and revealed that he and Kalatu had once been companions named Luoxia and Kalatu.
• Kalatu appeared inside the Eye and explained that he had hidden his soul there before the Five-Nation Alliance attacked the empire.
• Li Lin asked Kalatu to find the Infinite Corridor, and Kalatu used his life force to send Li Lin a prophecy beam.
• Kalatu apologized for the empire’s fate and warned Li Lin that their enemies possessed great power before the Eye shattered and Kalatu disappeared.
• Li Lin vowed to avenge the empire by making the Five-Nation Alliance pay with their lives.

Ailas waited anxiously for the Red Robe Mages to arrive as his planned attack approached, while Li Lin prepared for the duel and suspected there was more to the Magic Empire’s war than he knew. After Nia detected the Association’s mages entering the city, Li Lin assigned Isabel to himself and sent Nia and Angela to handle the others.

• Ailas worried that the nobles might undermine his revolution and tried to calm himself by considering more sword practice.
• Mina demonstrated that her blade could destroy a wooden cup’s magical protections, while Li Lin remained troubled by thoughts about Kalatu and the Magic Empire’s war.
• Li Lin decided to settle the immediate conflict before seeking Suoxiate, and Nia reminded everyone that the duel and an attack on the stone tower were planned for the same day.
• Nia detected four arrivals and showed Li Lin an illusion of Isabel, a powerful Red Robe Mage who specialized in necromancy and charm spells.
• Li Lin chose to deal with Isabel himself and ordered Nia and Angela to handle the other mages quietly while bringing Mina and Fina along.

Li Lin assigned Nia, Angela, Mina, and Fina to assassinate the Red Robe Mages who had entered the city, while he searched for their leader, Isabel. Angela lured a high-level mage into her room and killed him, leaving the other targets at the inn.

• Li Lin divided the four Red Robe Mages among Nia, Angela, Mina, and Fina, and gave Fina a Dimensional Anchor scroll.
• Nia located the four mages at an upscale inn, while Isabel remained missing.
• Angela and Nia watched the inn as Angela volunteered to attack first and told Fina to observe her methods.
• Angela used her charm to draw a high-level mage close, then killed him with a folding fan and arranged his body and head on the bed.

Mina killed a mid-level mage, while Angela and Nia watched Fina finish her own fight and learned that Nia had swiftly killed a high-level mage. Li Lin confronted Isabel on a balcony and sealed the surrounding space with Dimensional Locks before demanding her life.

• Mina tracked a mid-level mage into an alley, wounded his wrist, then broke his neck when Protection from Blades stopped her sword.
• Angela praised Fina for defeating her mage with the Dimensional Anchor and a Thunder Spear, while Nia explained that the mage's necromancy had been ineffective against Fina.
• Nia described how she had killed a high-level mage with Silence, Greater Dispel Magic, and attack spells, including Finger of Death.
• Isabel reflected on her exile to the Northlands and the sacrifices she had made to gain strength and authority as a Red Robe Mage.
• Li Lin approached Isabel on a balcony, resisted her charm spell, and activated Dimensional Locks around the area before demanding that she leave her life behind.

Li Lin fought Isabel, a Red Robe Mage who used enchantment and necromancy, and overcame her defenses by exploiting her undead nature. He killed her by extracting and crushing the crystal inside her, then burned her body.

• Isabel tried to seduce Li Lin, then attacked him with undead creatures and high-level spells, but their simultaneous Power Word Kill spells canceled each other out.
• Li Lin destroyed Isabel’s undead servants with Undeath Returns to Death and cast two spells at once, breaking her shield.
• Li Lin struck Isabel with positive energy, which burned her soul and exposed her vulnerability to it.
• Li Lin restrained Isabel, tore a blood vessel-covered crystal from her abdomen, and crushed it as she begged him to stop.
• Isabel died, and Li Lin burned her corpse.

Li Lin reflected on Isabel’s failed attempt to combine living and undead traits, while Angela encouraged Mina and Fina to embrace their vampiric nature. After Nia left to coordinate with the three old mages, Li Lin studied Kalatu’s memories and found his next destination on the distant southern coast.

• Li Lin explained that Isabel had nearly achieved a living-undead coexistence, but he killed her because her experiment remained incomplete.
• Angela praised Mina and Fina for killing and led them away to drink blood, while Nia warned Li Lin that their transformation into vampires could bring complications.
• Nia asked Li Lin whether intimate encounters truly felt pleasurable, and he admitted he could not describe a woman’s experience.
• An attendant summoned Nia to negotiate with the three old mages, leaving Li Lin alone to continue preparations for the planned ambush.
• Li Lin used the images Kalatu had conveyed before his death to locate a destination on the distant southern coast.

Ailas entered the arena to duel Li Lin, confident that his plans would secure his position, but Li Lin appeared before him without anyone noticing. As the duel began, Ailas’s order to seal the transfer stone pillar was enacted through murder, until Angela intervened and killed the half-elf who carried it.

• Ailas entered the arena and prepared to face Li Lin, while the crowd gathered to watch the duel.
• Li Lin suddenly appeared in front of Ailas, unnoticed until he spoke, and the old mage declared the duel underway.
• Matel refused to stamp Ailas’s order to seal the transfer stone pillar without the three mages’ permission.
• The half-elf woman killed Matel, took his stamp, and made the sealing order take effect.
• Angela attacked the half-elf woman, killed her with a crystal ball, and left through the window as mist.

Li Lin effortlessly defended against Ailas until he banished the summoned beasts, forcing Ailas to complete a spell that summoned a red dragon. The dragon recognized Li Lin as Luoxia, devoured Ailas after he tried to command it, and invited Li Lin to visit Dragon Island.

• Ailas summoned ghost wolves and other beasts against Li Lin, who calmly protected himself while the three archmages watched his ancient spellcasting.
• Li Lin banished Ailas's summoned beasts, leaving Ailas unable to stop his advanced summoning spell and forcing him to use a scroll.
• Ailas summoned a gigantic red dragon, whose arrival terrified the arena's crowd and startled the old mages.
• Li Lin greeted the dragon as an old friend, and the dragon recognized him as Luoxia after examining him.
• Ailas ordered the dragon to kill Li Lin, but the dragon swallowed Ailas and invited Li Lin to visit Dragon Island before departing.

After Ailas died and the attempted riot was suppressed, Angela explained that she supported Li Lin because his revenge against humanity fulfilled a desire she had carried through her own painful past. A search of Ailas’s property then uncovered a seal linked to Kudel and a mysterious relief bearing a symbol Li Lin recognized.

• Most witnesses accepted that Ailas had died after a failed summoning, while the three old mages took control of the guards and Angela’s actions helped prevent the riot.
• Li Lin praised Angela, then asked why she served him so devotedly.
• Angela shared memories of her suffering and hatred of humans, explaining that Li Lin’s plans for bloodshed satisfied her desire for revenge.
• Fina interrupted them with news that Nia and the three mages had found suspicious evidence in Ailas’s possessions.
• Nia showed Li Lin a damaged seal from Kudel, and the mages described rising tensions between Kudel and Lalia over Shadow Canyon.
• Li Lin examined a relief in Ailas’s bedroom and recognized a symbol carved into one corner.

Li Lin and Nia discovered a symbol of the supposedly destroyed Blasphemy Society and wondered whether it was connected to Ailas and the City of a Thousand Towers. Li Lin then prepared to search for Infinite Corridor and arranged to travel south with Old Pikachu.

• Li Lin and Nia identified the mural’s symbol as belonging to the Blasphemy Society, an anti-god organization the Arcane Mages had destroyed centuries earlier.
• Li Lin suspected Ailas had been connected to the Society but found no further clues in the room and could not determine what it wanted with the City of a Thousand Towers.
• Li Lin decided the three old mages could handle the city while he continued searching for the scattered weapons, including Infinite Corridor.
• Nia saw the next destination on Li Lin’s map and was surprised by its location; Li Lin joked that the weapon might have wanted to play by the sea.
• The rulers of the City of a Thousand Towers supplied Li Lin with travel documents and a cover for his journey through the war-torn continent.
• Li Lin asked Old Pikachu to let him and his companions travel south with him while he sought Infinite Corridor.

Li Lin and his companions traveled south with Pikachu’s Hundred Thousand Thunders Caravan, using its size and backing to avoid trouble while keeping their identities concealed. After the caravan made camp, two carriages suddenly approached along the road.

• Pikachu led a five-carriage caravan with twenty-five mercenaries south from the City of a Thousand Towers.
• Li Lin explained that traveling with the caravan would deter bandits and make it easier to pass through cities without revealing their identities.
• The caravan traveled peacefully along the Golden Road toward Lalia’s borderlands as Angela spent the journey with Nia and the twins.
• At sunset, the group made camp, where the women’s beauty drew the attention of the mercenaries and apprentices.
• A watchman alerted the camp at night, and Li Lin noticed two carriages racing toward them.

A group of six nobles arrived at Pika Chu’s camp and disturbed the resting travelers with their loud party. Angela confronted them, and the chapter ended when Dick appeared and recognized her as the “toy” from before.

• A young nobleman asked Pika Chu to let his party stay in the camp, and Pika Chu reluctantly agreed.
• The nobles settled in at the camp and talked and laughed loudly despite Pika Chu’s warning to keep quiet.
• Angela insulted the nobles and ordered them to leave or be silent, while Mina stood ready to defend her.
• A nobleman drew his sword, but Dick arrived and the young nobleman ordered him to kill Angela.
• Dick faced Angela, who recognized him as the “toy” from before.

Dick restrained the young nobles after they provoked Angela, then asked Li Lin for help with a matter involving the Caseli Magic Core. Li Lin refused his offers of compensation and status, leaving Dick without an answer.

• Dick apologized to Angela on behalf of the nobles, and Angela agreed to overlook their rudeness for the time being.
• Dick rebuked the nobles for provoking Angela and warned them to behave cautiously outside Blackwater City.
• Angela told Li Lin that Dick wanted to speak with him, but Li Lin declined the invitation and ordered her not to harass the nobles following their caravan.
• Three days later, Dick stopped Li Lin and asked for help, explaining that the matter involved the Caseli Magic Core.
• Li Lin refused to help when Dick withheld the identity of the person involved, and he rejected Dick's offers of compensation, rank, and glory.