Recaps

Lister and his allies killed the Ghost-Eyed Giants outside the castle, letting Lister gain enough experience to raise his Saber Mastery and overall rating. They then ambushed and killed the puppeteer Ante, who had mistaken the Duke of Will’s authority for protection.

• Lister stopped Lawson and Ximens from rushing into the castle and led them to attack the Ghost-Eyed Giants outside.
• Lawson restrained the giants with Verdant Growth while Lister repeatedly stole Simmons’s kills and cut down the monsters.
• Lister spent his experience to raise Saber Mastery from LV12 to LV14, improving his overall rating from E-rank to D-rank.
• Ante asked Lister to help Kailina fight the boss, then hesitated when he recognized Lawson.
• Lawson signaled to Lister, and the vines restrained Ante before Lister beheaded him.

Lister and his allies fought Kailina inside Baron Lai's castle, using Lawson's vines to hinder her and killing her healer, Lius. Kailina broke free of the vines and charged at Lister, but Simmons and Lawson joined the fight as she vowed to kill them all.

• Kailina used Blazing Sun Slash against the Cyclops, but it threw her aside after suffering only moderate damage.
• Lawson's vines spread through the castle and trapped Kailina while Lius was paralyzed and unable to help her.
• A silver-armored ally of Lister killed Lius, earning Lister experience for the hostile-faction kill.
• Kailina recognized Lister and charged at him, but Simmons blocked her greatsword with his greatshield.
• Lawson attacked Kailina from behind, and she recognized him as a member of the Conner Family and threatened to kill all three of them.

Lister and the others attacked Kailina, and Lister killed her during the fight. The Ghost-Eyed Giant then turned on Lawson and Simmons, while Lister joined the battle and severely wounded it.

• Kailina fought Lawson, Simmons, and Lister, but Lister's powerful saber strikes left her badly injured.
• The Ghost-Eyed Giant fired lasers into the battle, and Lister used the distraction to cut through Kailina's neck and kill her.
• The Ghost-Eyed Giant attacked Lawson, who met its blow with stone armor, while Simmons held it back with his shield.
• Lawson's vines wrapped around the Ghost-Eyed Giant and inflicted repeated damage and bleeding.
• Lister slashed through the Ghost-Eyed Giant's thigh, forcing it to drop to one knee.

Lister, Simmons, and Lawson defeated the Ghost-Eyed Giant and discovered a vast turquoise vein beneath the ruined castle. Lawson estimated that the explored reserves alone could support every professional in the Duchy of Will.

• Lister changed to crowd control while Lawson's vines worsened the Ghost-Eyed Giant's bleeding, and Simmons tanked its Laser Eye and Heavy Strikes.
• Lister stopped the Giant's third punch and struck its eye, thigh, and chest, killing it before Lawson could take the kill.
• Lawson gave Lister the Church's Intermediate Healing Water, and the three rested before digging through the collapsed castle.
• The three found a tunnel lined with high-concentration turquoise ore, and Lawson identified the mine as a large, unfinished vein.
• Lister asked how many professionals his share could support, and Lawson said the explored reserves could support all the professionals in the Duchy of Will.

Lister and Lawson recognized that the enormous turquoise vein could attract the Kingdom of Lucian’s power, so they agreed to keep it secret and wait for Count Connor to advise them. Five days later, Lister mastered the Will Breathing Technique and used experience points to raise it to level 5, increasing his overall rating to C.

• Lawson explained how a turquoise vein had helped establish the Kingdom of Lucian, and Lister realized their discovery was too large for their three forces to keep safely.
• Lawson ordered the mine’s location kept secret, arranged for Simmons to guard the castle, and decided to ride back to consult his father.
• Lister agreed to stall Quint for five days and insisted on receiving the vein’s associated crystals under their original agreement.
• Five days later, Quint guided Lister through training until Lister mastered the Will Breathing Technique.
• Lister spent 100,000 experience points to raise the technique to level 5, and his overall rating improved from D to C.

Lister, Quint, and Count Connor agreed that the newly discovered turquoise vein was too large for them to keep and should be handed over to the Kingdom of Lucian. They chose Lister to approach the royal family, but he hesitated when Count Connor’s motives remained unclear.

• Quint questioned Lister about the mineral vein, and Lister said they should wait for the others to arrive.
• Count Connor arrived with Lawson Will, and Quint learned that the turquoise vein was large.
• Count Connor proposed handing the vein to the Kingdom of Lucian to avoid making it an enemy and potentially gain greater benefits.
• Quint and Count Connor said they could not approach the royal family themselves, so they asked Lister to make the trip.
• Lister questioned why Count Connor wanted to keep the Conner Family distant from the royal family, and Count Connor remarked on Lister’s cautious nature.

Count Connor explained the founding agreement that let the seven great families keep their privileges, then entrusted Lister with dealing with the Kingdom of Lucian. After returning to Merrick Castle, Lister attended Will II’s ceremony and saw the Merick Family elevated to viscount status.

• Count Connor told Lister that the Will Family held the ducal title while the seven other families kept their interests and independence under an old agreement.
• Count Connor asked Lister to handle the matter with the Kingdom of Lucian and promised to prioritize whatever reward Lister wanted.
• Lister agreed to return to Weier Main City after completing the Ghost-Eyed Giants task, while Count Connor took Kailina, Lius, and a third person ahead and Quint continued mining turquoise.
• Lister returned to Merrick Castle and learned that Viscount Anbeite had paid for its renovations as an apology over Anna.
• Walen summoned Lister to Duke Will’s castle, where Will II granted the Merick Family the title of viscount and appointed Lister captain of the kingdom city guard’s seventh squad.

Lister completed the first stage of his main quest when Will II made him a viscount and granted him a copper mine. After returning home, Lister spent his rewards on levels, attributes, and skills, raising his overall rating to B and leaving him far stronger.

• Lister received five free attribute points, two million experience points, and ten thousand gold coins after completing the first stage of his main quest.
• Will II made Lister a viscount and captain of the city guard's seventh squad, then granted the Merick Family a medium-sized copper mine.
• Erica Connor congratulated Lister, and he recognized her as the woman his predecessor had been encouraged to pursue.
• Lister told Butler Anke to mine the copper deposit or turn it over to the Poly Merchant Association, and asked him to find books about the Kingdom of Yating.
• Lister spent his experience and attribute points to raise his level and skills, increasing his overall rating from C to B.

Lister studied Yating’s history and concluded he had little time to reach the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty before players arrived. On the way out of the city, he killed three fourth-tier professionals sent by Duke Will to ambush him.

• Lister read about Yating’s fall and judged that Lucian’s wars and the Great Chu expansion would begin soon.
• Lister fought Nasis, Tracy, and their healing companion at the Kingdom of Lucian’s border.
• Lister killed the healing professional with a single saber strike despite being only third tier.
• Tracy’s Extreme Fireball failed to harm Lister, and he killed Nasis after cutting through his shield and severing his arm.
• Tracy tried to distract Lister by exposing herself, but Lister killed her with a saber strike and gained twenty thousand experience points.

Lister reached the steam-and-alchemy capital of Bode and searched for a way to approach the Lucian Royal Family with his offer of a turquoise mine. After ruling out the other royal heirs, he chose the unfamiliar Sixth Prince Carven Lucian as his first target.

• Lister searched the assassins' bodies, took a few portable items, and continued toward the royal capital.
• Lister entered Bode, explored its steam-powered streets, and registered with the Professionals' Association as a third-tier professional.
• Lister studied information about the royal heirs and concluded that approaching the royal castle through administrators would risk his offer being diverted.
• Lister identified Sixth Prince Carven Lucian, who taught and studied at Lucian Professionals' University, as the royal family member he could most easily approach.
• Lister wondered whether Carven might be connected to the later Church of Mechanical Truth bishop, then set aside the thought and chose him as his first target.

Lister visited Lucian Professionals' University to find Professor Carven, but learned that the professor was Carven Dill, a name matching the infamous future mechanic he remembered from a later act. He decided to meet Carven despite his uncertainty and entered the university as a visitor.

• Lister tried to enter Lucian Professionals' University but the student on gate duty said visitors needed permission from someone inside.
• Lister offered the student gold and claimed he was visiting him, then asked whether the university had a Professor Carven.
• The student used a mechanical crystal to search the school's records and found Professor Carven Dill, whose office was on the laboratory building's top floor.
• Lister recognized the name Carven Dill as matching the future Madman Mechanic and founder of the Church of Mechanical Truth, though he could not tell whether this was the same person.
• Lister chose to enter as the student's visitor and received a campus-only communication stone.

Lister visited Carven Lucian’s laboratory, where an experiment exploded after Lister interrupted him, and agreed to compensate him with something other than cash. After scanning Carven and discovering his A-rank lord-class strength, Lister admitted he was afraid, while Carven promised to follow equal exchange and not attack him.

• Lister entered Carven Lucian’s laboratory and watched him stabilize a volatile alchemical core.
• Carven pulled Lister out of the laboratory just before the core exploded, destroying the room and damaging the building.
• Carven charged Lister 36,953 gold coins for his share of the failed experiment’s costs, and Lister offered to pay in something other than cash.
• Carven agreed to appraise knowledge, property, equipment, or special creations, and Lister scanned his information to discover his A-rank lord-class abilities.
• Carven noticed Lister’s fear and asked whether he intended to deceive him, so Lister admitted he was afraid of Carven’s strength.
• Carven said he sought the truth, believed in equal exchange, and had no intention of attacking Lister.

Lister discovered that Carven Dill and Carven Lucian were two personalities of the same sixth prince, then offered Carven intelligence about a turquoise vein and ancient alchemical ruins. Carven agreed to arrange a royal meeting but still demanded compensation, and he eagerly asked Lister for the ruins’ location.

• Lister asked whether the man before him was Carven Dill or Carven Lucian, and Carven explained that both names referred to him.
• Carven convulsed and changed into the anxious Carven Lucian, whose outburst revealed his fear of taking responsibility for the royal family.
• Carven shifted back to his calm Dill personality and agreed to arrange a meeting after Lister shared news of a massive turquoise vein in the Rai Territory of the Duchy of Will.
• Carven refused to waive Lister’s gold-coin compensation, explaining that he had supported himself since age six through his inventions and businesses.
• Lister told Carven about a preserved alchemical civilization’s main city beneath the Lost Land, and Carven asked where it was.

Lister shared the location of a vast alchemical-city ruin with Carven Dill in exchange for first access and 20% of the gains, then went to the royal residence to discuss the turquoise mine with the Lucian royal family. The chapter ended with King Kerry leaving the decision to Hughes, who appeared anxious about the mine.

• Carven Dill agreed to cooperate with Lister on the condition that the ruin matched his description, and Lister revealed its location beneath the Lost Land.
• Carven's guards and a construction crew arrived to clear the explosion debris and repair the damaged roof.
• Lister went to the royal residence in the City of Bode, where Carven introduced him to King Kerry and First Prince Hughes Lucian.
• Lister scanned Hughes and King Kerry, finding that both were level 40, though the king's attributes had weakened with age.
• King Kerry asked Carven about Lucian, then let Hughes decide what to do about the turquoise mine; Hughes appeared anxious about it.

Lister gained Hughes's approval to investigate the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty as a Lucian representative, while revealing the turquoise mine to the royal family. A week later, he pledged loyalty to the Kingdom of Lucian as King Kerry began to ennoble him.

• Lister explained how he found the turquoise vein, and Hughes questioned why he had not told Duke Will first.
• Hughes agreed to grant Lister a squad and make him a representative tasked with investigating the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty and recording useful information.
• Lister left the palace pleased that he could pursue contact with the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty under Lucian authority.
• A week later, Lister entered the council hall before King Kerry, Hughes, and Lucian officials.
• King Kerry asked Lister to pledge loyalty to the Kingdom of Lucian and its royal family, and Lister agreed.

Lister Merick was made a count and diplomat of the Kingdom of Lucian, which unexpectedly completed his main quest and rewarded him with experience, gold, attribute points, and a resurrection chance. He received a residence and valuable gifts, including a rare turquoise potion, as he began his new role.

• King Kerry granted Lister the title of count and appointed him diplomat responsible for relations with the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, placing the Sixth Guard under his command.
• Lister received the main quest completion rewards, including 10 free attribute points, 5 million experience points, 100,000 gold coins, and one resurrection chance.
• A clerk named Lili assigned Lister a luxurious residence in the royal capital and explained that the eldest prince had paid for its furnishings.
• Lister signed for a small purple-gold mine, ten percent of the turquoise mine's annual proceeds, fourth-tier equipment, and more than a hundred bottles of turquoise solution.
• Lili presented Lister with Lucian's Special Turquoise Stock Solution, a B-grade potion that granted two points to all four attributes and could be consumed twice.

Lister returned to Will City with the Sixth Guard, using its royal connection to flaunt his protection before Duke Will. In the duke’s castle, Morey explained why the royal family’s approval prevented them from attacking Lister, while Will II grew more disappointed in Walen.

• Lister rode through Will City with ten Sixth Guard professionals and deliberately lingered outside Duke Will’s castle before returning to his own castle.
• Will II shattered his teacup as Walen urged him to lead another attack on Lister.
• Morey laughed at Walen’s proposal and explained that Lister’s command of the Sixth Guard showed he had the Lucian Royal Family’s approval.
• Walen dismissed the royal connection as coincidence and again offered to deal with Lister, prompting Will II to silence him and look to Morey for a solution.

Morey advised Will II to use Lister’s new title to strip the Merick Family of its standing in the Duchy of Will. After settling his affairs and reaching level forty, Lister set out with ten guards for the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, where a surprise system announcement appeared in the Lost Land.

• Morey told Will II that Lister’s countship in the Kingdom of Lucian could remove the Merick Family’s noble status in the Duchy of Will, and urged his father to send Lister toward Great Chu sooner.
• A week later, Lister received generous congratulatory gifts and learned that his family’s titles and honors in the Duchy of Will would be revoked.
• Anke reported that Count Connor returned the protective equipment and potions but accepted a three-point share of the turquoise mine, while Quint accepted his share and gifts.
• Lister distributed his experience and attribute points, reached level forty, and improved his Merrick Breathing Technique and Saber Mastery.
• Lister departed with ten guards of the Sixth Guard and traveled through the Lost Land toward the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty.
• After they reached the place described in Milo’s travelogue, a system message announcing a closed beta appeared.

After the closed beta began, the system failed to delete Lister Merick and granted him limited player communication and trading functions under the name Chen Xinhe. He traveled to Jiangling Prefecture, where he and the Sixth Guard encountered a battle between blue-coated travelers and mountain bandits.

• The system detected Lister Merick as an alien life-form, failed to delete him, and recreated a limited player character for him.
• Lister named the player character Chen Xinhe, discovered Jiangling Prefecture on his minimap, and set out with the guards.
• Lister watched the closed beta players begin chatting as he traveled toward Jiangling Prefecture.
• After more than half a month, Lister and the Sixth Guard reached the border city of Jiangling Prefecture.
• Lister led the group toward a fierce fight between blue-coated travelers protecting two carriages and mountain bandits in gray hemp clothing.

Lister watched bandits attack a caravan, then beat the Marquis of Courage and Resolve’s arrogant daughter after she confronted him. He found a counterfeit Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method in a scroll and questioned the daughter about its origin.

• Lister held back while the bandits attacked the guards and overturned both carriages, scattering their passengers and valuables.
• The bandit leader found a painting scroll, but a guard stabbed him before he could finish ordering the bandits to retreat.
• Lister approached the scroll, but the marquis’s daughter insulted him and demanded to know why he had not intervened, so he kicked her and killed three guards who attacked him.
• Lister opened the scroll and obtained the counterfeit Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method, a passive skill that added 1% true damage to saber-art attacks.
• Lister threatened the injured daughter until she agreed to answer his questions, then asked where the scroll had come from.

Lister brought Xiong Ranran to the Mansion of the Marquis of Courage to learn whether her family owned the Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method. He found the mansion being searched by Brocade Guard Commander Li Fu, while his inspection of the Marquis revealed no sign of the method.

• Xiong Ranran insisted she had never seen the scroll, and Lister agreed to accompany her to her family’s mansion.
• After a day of travel, Lister and Xiong Ranran arrived in Jiangling Prefecture, where several factions secretly watched them enter the inner city.
• Lister and Rolf followed Xiong Ranran into the Mansion of the Marquis of Courage and found its rooms in disarray.
• Commander Li Fu announced that the Brocade Guard would end its search, while Marquis Xiong asked why they had searched his estate.
• Lister inspected Marquis Xiong and found that he used spear techniques and lacked the Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method, then assessed Li Fu as a level-40 swordsman.

Lister learned that the painting he had recovered was tied to an imperial secret treasure and saw Assistant Commander Li accuse the Marquis of Courage and Resolve’s household of possessing it. A player’s newly revealed quest linked the painting to bandits who attacked Xiong Ranran, leaving Lister to suspect that Assistant Commander Li had hidden the genuine treasure and framed the marquis.

• Lister identified himself as a Lucian envoy and said he had rescued Xiong Ranran from bandits who wanted her painting.
• Assistant Commander Li recognized the painting, ordered the Brocade Guards to withdraw, and accused the marquis’s household of having it.
• The marquis blamed Lister for producing the painting, while Assistant Commander Li said he would investigate and ordered the marquis to remain at home.
• Lister saw War God of Jiangling Prefecture post a quest from Assistant Commander Li to find the bandits who attacked Xiong Ranran.
• Lister realized the painting was connected to an imperial secret treasure and suspected Assistant Commander Li had kept the real visualization diagram and framed the marquis.

Chen Shanqiang entered Jiangling Prefecture’s inner city and met Count Merrick, whose hidden quest asked him to gather information about Assistant Commander Li. Chen Shanqiang accepted the quest and announced it in public chat, where Love of a Lifetime challenged his plan.

• Chen Shanqiang paid a silver coin to enter the inner city while complaining about Love of a Lifetime, who had camped his exit.
• Chen Shanqiang followed a tip from Chen Xinhe to the Evergreen Inn and asked to meet Count Merrick.
• Chen Shanqiang scanned Lister Merick and saw that the system rated him as extremely dangerous, then posted the result in public chat.
• Lister gave Chen Shanqiang a side quest to gather information about Assistant Commander Li in exchange for one gold coin.
• Chen Shanqiang accepted the quest and told public chat he planned to watch Assistant Commander Li’s residence, while Love of a Lifetime mocked him.

Lister discovered a powerful thief hiding in his room and tried to recruit her to help investigate Assistant Commander Li, but she escaped after he struck her. He returned to find his luggage emptied, while players continued discussing his investigation quest and Lister planned a new quest to track the thief.

• Lister scanned a player and detected an unseen Lv33 Rogue hiding in his room.
• Lister invited the player out, then searched for the thief and offered her anything she wanted in exchange for her help investigating Assistant Commander Li.
• Wu Yan ignored Lister's bluff and continued using Universe in the Sleeve to search his luggage for a specific item.
• Lister sensed Wu Yan escaping through the window, slashed her, and nearly killed her, but she vanished into the crowded street.
• Lister found that Wu Yan had emptied his luggage, though his important potions were safe in his system inventory.
• Players discussed waiting for someone else to uncover information about Assistant Commander Li, and Lister planned to issue a quest to investigate Wu Yan.

Lister paid Chen Shanqiang for his intelligence and learned that the thief who had entered his room might be connected to Shanyi Hall. He found the thief, Wu Yan, there and confronted her, but the chapter ended as he invited her inside to talk.

• Lister thanked Chen Shanqiang for his reports on Assistant Commander Li and paid him a gold coin.
• Chen Shanqiang told Lister he had seen a woman matching the thief’s description while running errands for Shanyi Hall.
• Lister visited Shanyi Hall and questioned its head, Shen Mei, about the woman.
• Lister called into the courtyard, and Wu Yan appeared, accusing him of being an unscrupulous scoundrel.
• Wu Yan defended her thefts as righteous, and Lister invited her inside to discuss the matter.