Shiroe of the Northern Lands is the first episode of the Log Horizon 2 anime. It covers The Gold of the Kunie chapter 1.
Plot
Cold Open
The episode begins with a projection of fights to come: the Abyssal Shaft raid, Kanami's adventures, and Akiba's fight against the Enbart Nelles.
Field Day
While watching the Tug of War battle, Maryelle is held back by Nyanta, since she wanted to participate despite being the event coordinator. Nyanta asks why they were having a post-Halloween celebration, she explains that because of an October event that occurred in Elder Tale where all the monsters would drop pumpkins, there were way too many of them to deal with. As a result, Nyanta and other chefs would be constantly making pumpkin dishes.
Shiroe negotiates with Kinjo of the Kunie tribe, whom oversee Yamato's facilities and property brokerage, as well as gold distribution that involve monsters. While half the Round Table Alliance raids the Goblin King at Seven Fall, the rest of the members determine they will run out of funding to pay the maintenance fees of Akiba, forcing them to ask the Kunie for a loan. Kinjo rejects the request, citing Kunie edicts that forbid this.
The evening Pumpkin Feast serves nothing but pumpkin dishes, to the dismay of Tohya and Rudy. Minori received a stuffed Fuzzy Goatslime for Log Horizon placing 10th in the field day. Meanwhile, Naotsugu, Henrietta, and Maryelle notice Shiroe stuck in his office again. He determines his last resort to the money negotiations before coming out to announce he is departing from town.
Business Trip
Shiroe mentions that he can not disclose the matters of his trip, but that it involves the city's troubles that must not be leaked to the public. Naotsugu and Akatsuki insist on accompanying Shiroe, but he assigns her to another important task in the city that requires her skills.
In the Tear Stone Mountains, Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Li Gan are resting in a cabin. The enchanter discloses his estimate target of 80 trillion gold, which is more than all the gold owned by the Adventurers in Yamato. Kinjo arrives to the cabin and is impressed that Shiroe and Li Gan deduced the nearby home of the Kunie. He reiterates that he understands their predicament despite being forbidden to help. Shiroe exposes that the edicts in place are meant to maintain the Kunie's role as strictly bankers, not lenders; the system renders monster loot as the only way to generate money.
Shiroe states that if the Kunie cannot provide a loan of gold, the Adventurers would instead be forced to steal that gold. This move surprises everyone, especially Naotsugu, who quickly reckons that Shiroe suspects a distribution point for all the gold. With the help of Li Gan's records, they had verified the vault entrance located in the Depths of Palm sealed by a previous Mage of Miral Lake. Shiroe caveats that he does not intend to antagonize against the Kunie. Kinjo asks what Shiroe would do with the gold, to which he says that he'd only tell if it changed the Kunie's stance.
After the meeting, Li Gan asks why they had warned the Kunie instead of pillaging already. Naotsugu says that Shiroe is an honest person that would not use subterfuge while he has the option to befriend his adversary. He reflects on the principles of business, where research, being forthright, and making compromises are key aspects of a proposal.
Shiroe reflects on Kinjo's departing statement that he would meet them at the end of the dungeon and actually consider the request, but they should bring some friends. This implies that the vault is a max level raid zone that will require a full raid party to breach. The Round Table cannot provide support or risk leaking information to Minami, so Shiroe decides an alternative supporter.
Epilogue
In the future, Shiroe contemplates his failure as he experiences death for the first time, seeing glimpses of his previous life before arriving on the moon and meeting Akatsuki, who has also died. She says it has been a pretty crazy Christmas Eve.
Trivia
- Members of the Log Horizon TRPG replay can be seen in this episode. The black-haired Elf, Seine, is also part of the Water Maple Consulate raid party in the OP animation.
- The entire first half of the episode is anime-original; in the beginning of the light novel, the initial meeting with Kinjo was only mentioned, and Shiroe, Naotsugu, and Li Gan were already at the cabin.
- In the light novel, Shiroe made it a point not to let anyone, not even his other guild members or the Round Table, know where he was going or what he was doing.
