Author's Postscript to the Volume

The first year of the Empire—the inaugural chapter—has finally come to a close.

Confetti flies!

As the world renews itself, we have accomplished so much together.

We spread magical education, expelled the orc clans, advanced necromantic technologies, and united the internal factions against rebels...

Next, we will leap forward nine years.

At last, everyone will witness the initial fruits of Eldoren’s development!

This is but the first small step in the grand history of the magical empire of Eldoren.

There will be a sense of upward progress, a satisfying reckoning. Then, new crises shall emerge.

Even those who have been diligent readers from the beginning might find it refreshing to start anew from the next chapter—it could offer an entirely different experience.

The first year of the Empire was, overall, a somber and oppressive time.

After all, this was Eldoren’s most desperate era, born from nothing but poverty and hardship.

But now, Eldoren has achieved its first tangible progress.

The tone and style can afford to be more humorous, lighthearted, and witty.

In the upcoming chapter, the main adversaries across the table will no longer be orc clans or internal foes; instead, it will be the long-established rulers of the continent—the Elven Royal Court.

The conflict will transcend mere battle, unfolding as a complex game of political intrigue.

After all, Elyan excels at turning his opponents’ strengths against them—in every sense.

Over the next twenty years, the Empire’s focus will shift from educational expansion to magical industry:

elemental binding techniques, construct golems, magical artifact production, weaving magical networks, and export trade...

The previous chapter, the first year of the Empire, was a slow, stumbling build-up from zero, gradually introducing characters and the world.

There was so much to explain, so many facets to cover.

One hammer here, another mallet there.

Now, a solid foundational framework has finally been established.

The sorcerer Gret returning from his studies, the moon elf royal line who once taught magic to humanity—Seymour Moonwhisper—the elven queen Antinoya Moonwhisper, the twin kings of the Sun and Moon Elves, the god of knowledge and prophecy Aen and the “Aen Stone,” the outer gods seeping power into the stars and their timeless followers, the slowly unfolding gates of the Abyss...

So many stories remain to be told.

As always, same time tomorrow at noon—do not miss it.