In Resville, Anden goes to a warehouse that is a fighting club for Green Bones. He meets Jon Remi, the local Green Bone leader, who runs an illicit jadesports operation. Remi is unimpressed by Anden’s No Peak affiliation and explains that Resville’s criminal underworld is more chaotic than Port Massy’s.

Anden explains that the Mountain clan is establishing business operations in Resville and that No Peak needs a local partner to stop them. Remi reveals that the Mountain has already made him an offer: money, jade, and manpower in exchange for protection. Seeing he has leverage, Remi invites Anden to meet him at a nightclub called the Blue Olive to discuss a counteroffer.

At the club, Remi details the Mountain’s generous offer. Anden counters by offering not just money and jade, but also business investments, a share of profits, and training opportunities for Remi’s fighters. Remi, feeling empowered by the clans’ desire to please him, crudely propositions Anden, demanding oral sex as a term of their deal. Anden adopts

a low voice that he did not entirely recognize as his own […] he had never been on the military side of the clan, but he’d been raised as a Kaul and been around Fists all his life. So, he knew instinctively how to speak in the calm, decisive way that commanded attention, that suggested violence. (178) 

He delivers his real terms: No Peak will stay out of Resville if Remi drives the Mountain out, keeping their assets for himself. No Peak will provide resources if needed, but otherwise, Resville will be Remi’s territory. Anden gives Remi until the next day to decide.

Juen Nu, the Horn of No Peak, attends a brunch with the Kaul family leaders. Hilo includes Anden in the discussion, a move that privately concerns Juen. They discuss the ongoing stalemate in Lukang and the rising threat of anti-clan anarchists. Shae presents the main problem: An Espenian company, Anorco Global Resources, has deployed a prototype ship to mine jade from the ocean floor in Kekonese waters, with the protection of the Espenian Navy. Hilo orders Juen to destroy the ship.

Recognizing the difficulty of the task, Juen forms a temporary alliance with his counterpart, Aben Sorogun, the Horn of the Mountain, who agrees that the foreign ship is a threat to all Green Bones. The two clans launch a joint covert operation. Deliberately avoiding Euman Island to evade Espenian military detection, they launch instead from a deserted stretch of Kekon’s main cove. Under the cover of night, eight Green Bones—four from each clan—take two boats to the Anorco ship. Divers attach limpet mines to its hull. The mission is successful; the timed charges will disable the ship without killing the crew. The two clans part ways, their temporary truce ending as the sun rises.

Bero, working as an informant for Espenian intelligence under the code name “Catfish,” meets with his handler, Galo. Bero reports that the leaders of the Clanless Future Movement—Molovni, Guriho, and Otonyo—are planning a major attack but keep the details secret. Galo presses Bero to get closer to the fourth leader, a woman named Ema, whose family was ruined by the clans, to learn more. Bero has tried and failed to seduce Ema, but agrees to try and get closer to her. He recounts once seeing the leaders planning over maps before Molovni discovered him.

Eventually, Bero manages to become the movement’s secretary, providing the Espenians with membership lists and meeting notes, but they demand more significant intelligence about Ygutan’s involvement. Galo insists Bero befriend Ema to gain access to the inner circle and threatens to cut him off if he fails to produce results.

Wen, now serving as Hilo’s Pillarman, prepares for a charity luncheon. Hilo expresses concern about her taking on such a public role, but she argues it’s a valuable way to represent the clan.

The luncheon is held at Wie Lon Temple School, the oldest martial school in the country and the Mountain’s feeder school, whose main training hall has been rented out for the event. Wen finds herself seated with Koben Yiro, a prominent and outspoken Mountain Green Bone, and his wife, Bett. The two women engage in a tense exchange of veiled insults. Wen also meets Ren Jirhuya, a handsome young Abukei artist, who invites her to speak at an event for the Charitable Society for Jade Nonreactivity.

Wen gives a heartfelt, personal speech about preserving Kekon’s natural beauty, which is well-received. However, Koben Yiro follows with a fiery political diatribe, blaming foreigners for environmental destruction and calling for isolationist policies. His speech electrifies the crowd, reinforcing the Mountain’s nationalist image and completely overshadowing Wen’s efforts. Wen is left feeling foolish and outmaneuvered, realizing the war between the clans is also fought with rhetoric and public perception.

At an early morning training session, Hilo spars with Jim Sunto, the ex-Espenian Navy Angel hired to reform the Kekonese military. Sunto’s non-traditional, practical fighting style has proven valuable to No Peak’s Fists. After the session, Sunto reports that the military training program is succeeding but argues for allowing adult recruits without prior jade experience to join by using SN2, a refined version of the jade-mimicking drug shine. Hilo flatly rejects the idea, citing the country’s deep-seated stigma against shine.

Sunto announces he’s leaving his post with No Peak, as he has accomplished all he can. He also reveals he is starting his own private military company, Ganlu Solutions International (GSI), which will arm corporate soldiers with jade, funded by Anorco CEO Art Wyles. Hilo is furious, feeling betrayed that Sunto is creating a company that will commodify jade abilities outside the clan system. He warns Sunto never to operate in Kekon and kicks him off the estate, their friendship broken.

A pregnant Shae flies to Port Massy with Hami Tumashon, the clan’s Rainmaker, to meet with the advertising firm WBH Focus. Terun Bin, the head of No Peak’s Espenian operations, informs her that the firm has a plan to improve the public perception of jade.

At the meeting, Rigly Hollin’s team presents a strategy to rebrand jade by associating it with positive Espenian values like honor and patriotism, using images of Navy Angels and Kekonese doctors. Shae feels a pang of unease at the idea of foreigners defining what it means to be “green,” but she, Hami, and Terun agree that shifting public opinion is their best strategy for securing No Peak’s interests in Espenia.

Afterward, Terun reports that their Resville ally, Jon Remi, has been successfully disrupting the Mountain’s businesses but now requires more money for weapons and bribes. Despite the risk of connecting their legitimate businesses to a criminal, Shae approves the transfer of funds.

Twelve-year-old Ru, a stone-eye, convinces his reluctant older brother Niko to sneak into the Mountain-controlled district of Little Hammer to watch a duel. Niru Von has challenged Ayt Ato, the heir to the Mountain clan. The duel is more of a public spectacle than a serious fight, and Ato wins easily. Ru is thrilled by the experience, but Niko is unimpressed, suspecting the fight was fixed to make Ato look good.

As they leave, they see three masked anarchists plastering anti-clan posters on a wall, featuring photos of their family members. Outraged, Ru draws his talon knife to confront them. Niko tries to pull him away, but a confrontation ensues. Just as a crowd gathers, Juen Nu and Lott Jin arrive in a car. The boys’ school had reported them missing, and Ru’s sister, Jaya, had correctly guessed their location. Juen furiously reprimands the boys for their recklessness, explaining the city-wide panic they caused.

As they drive away, Niko takes the blame, claiming he orchestrated the trip to scout his future rival, Ayt Ato. Juen and Lott are impressed by his display of responsibility and strategic thinking. Ru is dropped off at school, feeling both resentful and relieved.

Wen attends the Janloon Film Festival with the artist Ren Jirhuya. She wants to learn about the film industry and meets Sian Kugo, a producer and co-owner of the studio Cinema Shore. Sian explains that the small Kekonese film market struggles against popular Shotarian crime dramas, which often depict Kekonese characters as barukan gangsters. Wen sees an opportunity and asks Sian how he would grow the local industry if he had the backing of the No Peak Pillar and Weather Man.

Later, Wen convinces a reluctant Hilo to take a trip to Marcucuo, the city-state known for its jadesports entertainment industry. Hilo despises jadesports, but Wen argues that they need to understand how jade is being used in modern culture to shape its meaning to their advantage. At a lavish party hosted by jadesports tycoon Sel Lucanito, Wen arranges a meeting between Hilo and Danny Sinjo, a charismatic Keko-Espenian fighter and rising movie star. Hilo, recognizing the strategic value, approaches Sinjo with respect and friendship, suggesting there are greater opportunities for him in Kekon than as an entertainer or a villain in foreign films. Wen is confident Hilo will persuade Sinjo to become a star for No Peak’s newly acquired film studio.

Ema, one of the leaders of the Clanless Future Movement, unexpectedly calls Bero and invites him to her apartment. They have sex, after which Ema tells him the CFM’s “great strike” is happening the next day. She gives him an address where the leaders will rendezvous with Molovni to escape the country, telling him to meet them there. She implies that since he is her friend, Molovni will have to accept him.

Bero immediately calls his Espenian handler, Galo, and reports that the attack is imminent. Galo demands Ema’s address to put her under surveillance. Bero hesitates, feeling a strange protectiveness, but relents when Galo promises she won’t be harmed. However, Bero withholds the address of the safe house, keeping it as a potential escape plan for himself.

During a Kekon Jade Alliance meeting, Hilo and other clan leaders debate how to handle the Anorco jade-mining ship, now guarded by Jim Sunto’s GSI mercenaries. Ayt Mada mocks Hilo for his past association with Sunto. Suddenly, an assistant delivers an anonymous, urgent note to Hilo warning that his life is in danger. Sensing a threat, Hilo sends Woon out of the room first to gauge reactions. As Hilo prepares to follow, Ayt Mada accuses him of lying. At that moment, Ema rises from the crowd and stabs Ayt Mada in the neck, revealing herself as the daughter of a man Ayt Mada executed for treason.

Ayt Mada kills Ema by smashing her head into the table, while Ayt Mada herself is left critically wounded from the stab wound to her neck. As Ayt Mada bleeds out, Hilo blocks the exit, preventing anyone from helping her. The other clan leaders, including Ayt Mada’s own tributaries, do nothing, creating a tense standoff. Realizing she is doomed, Ayt Mada leaps through a third-story window. She crashes onto a parked van below—a pre-planted truck bomb—which then detonates. The massive blast destroys the ground floor and causes the boardroom to collapse on top of Hilo and the other attendees.

Bero arrives early at the safe house Ema directed him to and finds Molovni alone, with Guriho and Otonyo expected later. Molovni refuses to help Bero escape and reveals that Ema is not coming. A radio news report announces the bombing of the KJA headquarters. When Bero accidentally reveals he has been reporting to someone, Molovni realizes he’s a spy.

Before Molovni can act, Espenian jade-wearing commandos storm the apartment. Molovni, who is revealed to be a nekolva (a Ygutanian with artificially induced jade abilities), fights back powerfully but is subdued and captured.

Galo and Berglund arrive and tell Bero they had him under surveillance. They admit they allowed the bombing to happen to capture Molovni and expose Ygutan’s plot, sacrificing the Kekonese lives for their own strategic gain. Galo reveals that Ema was inside the KJA building when it collapsed—a knowing participant in the attack. Realizing Ema had manipulated him into betraying Molovni while refusing to hand victory to the Ygutanians, Bero feels empty. Galo offers to extract him from Kekon for his own safety, and seeing no other choice, Bero agrees.

At home with her newborn daughter, Tia, Shae learns of the KJA bombing from a news report. Juen Nu, the Horn, calls and confirms he can’t reach Hilo or Woon. Devastated, Shae defies Juen’s order to stay home and goes to the disaster site. She finds a chaotic scene where No Peak and Mountain Green Bones are working together to find survivors. Lott, who is organizing the rescue, reports that the blast came from a truck bomb and that Ayt Mada was seen falling from a window just before the explosion. Weakened from childbirth and wearing little jade, Shae is overwhelmed and sits in a car to rest.

Later, feeling useless, Shae wanders to the nearby Temple of Divine Return. Inside the empty, silent temple, she discovers Ayt Mada, mortally wounded from the stab to her neck but still alive—having staggered there after the explosion threw her across the street. Contemplating the political turmoil that will follow Ayt Mada’s death, Shae draws her talon knife. However, Ayt Mada grimly advises her not to show mercy, as Shae may soon be the only Pillar left to lead the country through the ensuing chaos. Shae sheathes her knife and begins to use her own limited jade energy to save her enemy’s life.

Anden is shocked when his cousin Shae emerges from the back of the Temple of Divine Return with Ayt Mada’s arm over her shoulder. He gets out of his car and helps. Shae explains that the country needs Ayt alive to prevent the Mountain clan from falling into chaos under the control of the Koben family. Anden takes them to his apartment, the only safe place he can think of. Ayt, fearing betrayal from her own clan, refuses to go to a hospital. Anden uses his jade abilities to stabilize her, staunching the bleeding from her neck wound and internal injuries.

Shae returns to the Kaul house while Anden cares for Ayt. News reports confirm the deaths of several clan leaders, including Koben Yiro, and announce that the bombers have been killed by police. Shae returns later with Nau Suen, Ayt Mada’s retired and loyal former Horn, to take Ayt away. Just as they are leaving, Shae receives a call: Hilo and Woon have been found alive in the rubble. The mood in the room instantly shifts. With Hilo alive, Ayt Mada’s death would give No Peak an insurmountable advantage. Anden stands between Nau and the door, contemplating his choice. He could kill Ayt now and end the war. Ayt calmly tells him to make his choice. After a tense moment, Anden steps aside, allowing Nau to leave with Ayt. When Anden asks Shae if he made the right choice, Shae replies, “I have no idea” (295).

Hilo and Woon recover in the hospital; they survived the explosion by using an Espenian anti-IED Steeling technique taught to them by Sunto. Shae brings Tia to see Woon, who is grateful to be alive.

Hilo, however, is furious that Shae saved Ayt Mada’s life. He also realizes the Espenians sent the warning note knowing the bombing would happen, sacrificing everyone else to put No Peak in their debt. The family agrees the CFM was a more serious threat than they realized and was exploited by foreign powers. With the immediate insurrection quelled by the national military, Juen reports that the clans must now work together to eliminate the remaining anarchists. Hilo, determined to show strength, agrees to give a press statement, declaring that the clans are the “spine of the country” and will not be defeated (301).

Meanwhile, in a sterile interrogation room, the captured Ygutanian agent Molovni is informed by his Espenian captors that they will use advanced pharmaceutical methods to extract all the secrets of the nekolva program from his mind.

Wie Lon Temple School was established over 600 years ago to unify the training of Green Bones from many small family clans, creating a shared culture and standard of excellence. During the Shotarian occupation, the original school was burned down, and many masters and students were killed. A 16-year-old trainee named Ayt Yugontin led a group of younger students to safety in the mountains, where they were found by scouts from a resistance group called the One Mountain Society. Their leader, Kaul Seningtun, responded to Ayt Yu’s challenge by declaring that former clan allegiances no longer mattered and that all Green Bones fighting in the mountains were now united as brothers. After the war, the modern Wie Lon campus was re-established by merging three secret training locations that had operated during the occupation.