Grab it in Your Hand

Grab it in Your Hand (その手につかみとれ) is the 10th episode of the Log Horizon anime. It covers The Knights of Camelot later portion of chapter 5.

Cold Open
Touya and Minori observe an abandoned building (future Log Horizon headquarters), she indirectly asks him if they are going to join the guild.

Akiba’s New Life
Marielle could hardly believe the dramatic change to Akiba’s market as Real Food Preparation is now widespread, but Henrietta says real change to the city takes more time than the week that had passed.

Round Table Conference
Flashing back to the Round Table Alliance (RTA), Marielle reveals the secret of creating good-tasting food to the alliance members: quality ingredients prepared physically by a competent chef. This provides a segue for Shiroe to introduce the broader implications of this discovery; Michitaka reveals that his guild, in cooperation with the Roderick Firm and Shopping District 8, has created a proof-of-concept prototype for a steam engine. Achieved in just 12 hours, this achievement proves that the secret to cooking is not limited only to cooking. Shiroe explains that even though steam engines were not part of the original Elder Tale game world, a player with sufficient crafting skill can use their own hands (not the command menu) to invent entirely new items.

The guild masters of the three major production guilds express their support for the Round Table Alliance, saying that once this knowledge becomes widespread, there will be a rush to invent new items and purchase them. This increased consumption will reinvigorate Akiba's economy and spark new innovation. Shiroe agrees with their calculus by adding that one of the reasons why players feel a sense of despair is that there's not enough for them to do, "surviving in this world costs too little money." He rationalizes that providing an outlet for people to spend their gold will inspire them to earn more money through raids or productivity. An example would be bodyguard work for battle guilds, which will increase as more players venture out of the city in search of ingredients.

On the topic of laws and security, Shiroe argues that conflict over hunting grounds should be viewed as a form of competition and not banned outright. This being said, he asserts that there are certain things that need to be banned, i.e. Player Killing. He suggests that the RTA ban PKing in the low-level zones around the city of Akiba, Eins concurs that confrontations under level 50 are not worth battling. Shiroe also brings up the issue of human rights by commenting that kidnapping and imprisonment are much graver problems in Elder Tale than in the real world because death is not absolute. He argues that no player should be forced to join a guild and that joining or leaving one should be a player's individual choice.

Then, to the other guild masters' surprise, he adds that these laws should not only apply to adventurers but to NPCs as well. The Elder Tale world they are all experiencing is influenced by the Elder Tale game, but is not quite the same. He cautions that, at the same time, it is also different from the real world, and this world's original residents are in fact the NPCs—who now have their own personalities, concerns, and dreams. The adventurers are both the outsiders and the minority.

Isaac rebuffs Shiroe by saying that the idea that NPCs should be given the same rights as adventurers is idiocy. At this point, Marielle comments that a significant portion of Crescent Moon's customer base are NPCs. Shiroe supports her instance on the humanity of NPCs by explaining that many NPCs work at the market and the Guild Center, making them indispensable for the smooth functioning of Akiba. In conclusion, he says that adventurers can't get by without NPCs, whom would probably be perfectly fine without adventurers.

He warns that if adventurers cannot figure out how to govern themselves, relations between adventurers and NPCs will be irreconcilably damaged. This sets the stage for speculation of whether war between adventurers and NPCs might be a possibility. With this sobering thought as a backdrop, the main battle guilds express their support for the Round Table Alliance.

Post-Conference Events
After the Round Table Alliance is founded, the secret of cooking is widely publicized, and the Alliance collectively introduces its leadership over Akiba. Krusty announces the Alliance's new laws and regulations, while The Roderick Firm takes the lead in gathering information about the disabled Intercity Transport Gates and the state of affairs in other zones. Eins also appears to have been assigned the role of implementing a tax of 1 gold for admission into the Guild Center. Meanwhile, Shiroe stays in the background and allows the others to be the Alliance's public face.

Some time afterward, Marielle and Henrietta comment that Hamelin seems to have disbanded and its members, without exception, departed Akiba. After being denied access to the Guild Center, the members were trapped inside of their own guild hall until they realized they could use the Call of Home spell to transport themselves to Akiba's gate, while a few members escaped by killing themselves and reviving at the Cathedral. Almost all of Hamelin’s captives decided to join the Crescent Moon Alliance, which subsequently moved into a larger guild hall to accommodate its expanded membership.Meanwhile, Log Horizon moves into its new quarters. As the guild members clean and arrange furniture, they receive visits from several guild masters, including Calasin (who suggests hiring People of the Earth to handle the RTA's paperwork), Marielle and Henrietta (who bring a children's kimono for Akatsuki and a ton of fried food for everyone else), Soujiro and Nazuna (who bring cherry sake for Nyanta), and Isaac, who arrives with several summoners from his guild. They summon Undines in cosplay attire who wash out the guild hall (and Naotsugu) with a strong, combined blast of water.

Shiroe explains that the property was actually inexpensive because not only is the building far from the city center, but also a giant tree grew through the center that destroyed the elevator hallway and stairway. They commissioned Marine Organization for the renovations, but the process revealed that not even the major production guilds know how to accurately charge for new goods and services.

In D.D.D, Takayama notes that the growing influx of Earthlings is too much for simple immigration, which Krusty concurs. He reckons that if a war did erupt, their superior numbers would overwelm the adventurers. He decides to leave the problem to Shiroe. As Marielle and Henrietta leave, Shiroe asks after Touya and Minori. They hint at having some news of the twins but leave without disclosing any details. Shortly after, Nyanta steps out to purchase ingredients for dinner but returns with Minori and Touya instead of vegetables. They reveal that instead of joining the Crescent Moon Alliance with the other new players freed from Hamelin's control, they want to join Log Horizon to thank Shiroe for his past help. When Shiroe hesitates, Nyanta reminds him that he's now a guild master, and needs to behave like a leader. Shiroe then welcomes the two new additions to Log Horizon and, as their first mission, instructs them to eat curry with the guild. As the afternoon wore into evening, all six members gather together around a fire under the stars and eat curry together.

Reporting to Maihama
At Maihama Castle, the People of the Earth from Eastal who were observing Akiba's technological progress are reporting to Sergiad, Duke of Maihama and leader of the Eastal League of Free Cities. He takes note of the Round Table Conference that the city's Adventurers have organized. The episode closes with Elissa, a maid, bringing Sergiad his second granddaughter, Princess Raynesia.