Chapter Summaries

After Lin Hai brought the wounded Sparkle home, the two shared a quiet evening. Meanwhile, Topaz learned that the IPC had issued a wanted notice for Lin Hai and was preparing a response against him and possibly Belobog, then spotted a mysterious object streaking across the sky.

• Lin Hai brought Sparkle home, treated her wound, and refused her request for affection until she recovered, giving her a kiss on the forehead instead.
• Sparkle watched The Butterfly Lovers with Lin Hai and resolved to stage the story with a theater troupe in Penacony.
• Topaz received an IPC wanted notice identifying Lin Hai and learned he had fought the company to protect Sparkle on Molten Inferno.
• Topaz contacted Aventurine, who confirmed the IPC had begun elimination procedures against Lin Hai and warned that Belobog could face forced debt collection or military intervention.
• Topaz saw an unfamiliar streak of light cross Belobog's sky, ended the call, and went to investigate where it landed.

Topaz met Himeko and March 7th after the Astral Express arrived at Lin Hai’s invitation, and told them the IPC had issued a warrant for him. Himeko said the Express had come to help Belobog rebuild, then wondered what connection Lin Hai had with The Herta as she toured the city’s new district.

• Topaz encountered Himeko and March 7th and learned the Astral Express had come at Lin Hai’s invitation.
• Topaz told Himeko that the IPC had issued a warrant for Lin Hai over the destruction of its spacecraft and personnel while he protected Sparkle.
• Himeko told Topaz that the Astral Express had come to help Belobog’s people rebuild, not to intervene in Lin Hai’s dispute with the IPC.
• Topaz escorted Himeko and March 7th into Belobog, where the Silvermane Guards admitted them after hearing Lin Hai’s name.
• Himeko and March 7th visited the expanding new district and learned its advanced construction technology came from The Herta.
• Himeko wondered how Lin Hai had persuaded The Herta to help build Belobog and speculated about their relationship.

With the Interastral Peace Corporation targeting Lin Hai, he coordinated Belobog’s plans to continue building its new city while rapidly arming itself. After secretly gathering vast quantities of supplies, he returned to Qlipoth Fort and revealed them in the plaza.

• The Herta confirmed that the Corporation had issued a high-level interstellar warrant for Lin Hai, while Sparkle, Bronya, and Seele pledged to stand with him.
• Lin Hai assigned the construction of Belobog’s new city and a comprehensive militarization program as the two priorities.
• The Herta took responsibility for technical support and equipment upgrades, while Lin Hai promised to provide weapons materials and energy.
• Lin Hai used shell companies and covert logistics to gather conventional and strategically sensitive supplies in overseas warehouses.
• Lin Hai collected the supplies in The Herta’s modified cube and returned to Belobog with them.
• Lin Hai released the cube’s contents into the plaza outside Qlipoth Fort, drawing attention to the enormous stockpile.

Topaz confirmed that Lin Hai had returned to Belobog with a vast stockpile of supplies, while Aventurine ordered the IPC to avoid direct conflict with him. As Belobog mobilized to build defenses and South City, Cocolia gained a new appreciation for Lin Hai.

• Topaz saw Lin Hai and the mountain of supplies outside Qlipoth Fort, judged many of the goods useful for war, and sent footage to IPC headquarters.
• Aventurine confirmed Lin Hai's identity with Topaz and ordered her to observe him without engaging.
• Topaz told Aventurine that The Herta was helping upgrade the Silvermane Guards' defenses and appeared to have a close personal relationship with Lin Hai.
• Belobog's residents joined weapons production and construction in South City, setting aside old divisions to defend their home.
• Cocolia watched the united effort and recognized Lin Hai as extraordinary.

Lin Hai and Sparkle shared an intimate soak in Belobog’s new Underworld hot spring, and their union unlocked a major physical enhancement for him. After Sparkle’s strength also increased, Lin Hai tested his new durability and found he could withstand half-strength blows without injury.

• Lin Hai and Sparkle relaxed together in the hot spring, where Sparkle invited him to kiss her and they passionately kissed.
• Lin Hai’s affection panel announced that Sparkle’s affection had reached 95, unlocking the Love as Strong as Gold achievement and a tenfold increase to his base physique.
• Sparkle’s injuries healed completely, and she gained increased strength, speed, and reflexes through the power feedback of their bond.
• Lin Hai asked Sparkle to attack him, and her half-strength strike pushed him across the pool but left him unharmed.
• Lin Hai concluded that his physical combat power approached an Emanator’s level, though he still lacked the skills and abilities to match Sparkle in a fight to the death.

Lin Hai used a livestream from Kliperburg Square to publicly demonstrate his physical strength to the Interastral Peace Corporation and viewers across the stars. After he leapt into the clouds and landed unharmed, Topaz arrived and found no trace of Path Power, leaving her frightened by the force he wielded.

• Lin Hai changed into a fitted tracksuit and drove with Sparkle to Kliperburg Square to test his limits in public.
• Sparkle began livestreaming across major platforms and called out the Corporation's risk assessment personnel, triggering alerts among Topaz, Aventurine, and other observers.
• Lin Hai announced that he would show his power, then jumped from the square into the clouds using only his physical strength.
• Lin Hai descended and landed with a crash that sent dust across the square, while viewers and Corporation personnel watched in shock.
• Topaz rushed to Kliperburg Square, detected no residual Path Power, and realized Lin Hai's strength lay beyond the Path system.

Topaz confirmed to Aventurine that Lin Hai’s incredible jump had been real and used no Path Power, prompting Aventurine to seek help from the Xianzhou Alliance. Meanwhile, Sparkle livestreamed Lin Hai as he flew to a snowy mountain and punched a massive hole into its side.

• Topaz told Aventurine that Lin Hai had truly fallen from the sky and that she had detected no Path Power during his feat.
• Aventurine decided the Interastral Peace Corporation could not handle Lin Hai alone and proposed seeking support from a nearby Xianzhou Alliance patrol fleet.
• Sparkle told her livestream audience that Lin Hai’s jump showed the power of Belobog and teased an even more shocking display.
• Lin Hai flew from the square to the foothills of a distant snow-covered mountain, and Sparkle rapidly followed with her camera.
• Lin Hai punched the mountainside, leaving a huge hole and cracks as the livestream audience reacted with shock.

Lin Hai combined his physical strength with Harmony Path Power to pulverize a snowy mountain, shocking observers across the star system. After Sparkle ended her livestream, she and Lin Hai kissed and headed back to the hot spring together.

• Lin Hai combined his physical strength and Harmony Path Power in a punch that reduced the snowy mountain to fragments and dust.
• Topaz, Aventurine, and Fu Xuan watched the footage and were stunned by Lin Hai's power and apparent restraint.
• Sparkle ended her livestream, and the mountain-smashing footage spread across the star-spanning network.
• Sparkle praised Lin Hai, and the two shared a passionate kiss on the snowy plain.
• Sparkle suggested they return to the hot spring, and Lin Hai carried her toward it.

Phantylia investigated Aventurine’s secret meeting with Fu Xuan and suspected it concerned Lin Hai, then prepared to leave for Belobog. In the Maybach, Lin Hai sensed that the power of the Path of Elation was nearing a breakthrough, while he and Sparkle shared an intimate moment and promised to face the future together.

• Phantylia watched a video of Lin Hai’s power and considered going to Belobog to take control of and study him.
• Aventurine arrived at the Xianzhou Luofu, and Phantylia disguised herself as a soldier to follow him.
• Aventurine met Fu Xuan in secret, and Phantylia suspected their discussion involved Lin Hai before slipping away to prepare for Belobog.
• Lin Hai sensed that his Path of Elation power was close to reaching the high level after his time with Sparkle.
• Lin Hai told Sparkle he wanted to become invincible across the stars, and Sparkle promised she would stay by his side.

Lin Hai reunited with The Herta, received her supply list and support, and explained his ambition to build Belobog into a nation that could transform conflicts through a new order. The Herta was impressed by his vision and invited him to experience the Path of Elation with her.

• Lin Hai summoned The Herta with her Contract Lucky Star, and she praised his strength after watching his livestream.
• The Herta gave Lin Hai a list of supplies and told him she had arranged rare materials from the space station’s reserves.
• Lin Hai thanked The Herta with an affectionate gesture, and she asked what he hoped to build Belobog into.
• Lin Hai described his goal of creating a new order that could accommodate and transform contradictions instead of letting different forces destroy one another.
• The Herta recognized the scale of Lin Hai’s ambition and suggested they explore the pinnacle of pleasure together.

After growing stronger through his bond with The Herta, Lin Hai went to Penacony to seek a way to save Firefly from Entropy Loss Syndrome. He found her in a dream and began cherishing her with her consent, leaving their attempt to heal her underway.

• The Herta reflected on how her intimacy with Lin Hai had increased her strength and awareness, while Lin Hai's Paths of Elation and Erudition had advanced.
• Lin Hai decided to visit Firefly in Penacony and used her Contract Lucky Star to travel to her hotel suite.
• Lin Hai entered a Dream Pool and searched the dream city until he found Firefly atop a skyscraper at sunset.
• Lin Hai told Firefly that cherishing her through complete trust and intimacy could save her, and Firefly agreed.
• Lin Hai embraced and kissed Firefly in the dream as they began their intimate attempt to heal her.

Firefly found that Lin Hai’s affection in the Dream Pool had eased her Entropy Loss Syndrome, and she arranged for him to meet Kafka. After waking in the real world and confirming her renewed vitality, Firefly shared an intimate moment with Lin Hai, leaving their relationship physically consummated.

• Firefly felt her illness ease in the dream and asked Lin Hai whether his affection could help her again if her health worsened; he assured her it could.
• Firefly told Lin Hai that Kafka wanted to meet him, and he agreed to meet her, trusting Firefly.
• Firefly awoke from the Dream Pool and discovered that her weakness had genuinely lessened in the real world.
• Firefly contacted Kafka through Sam’s encrypted communications module and arranged a meeting for her and Lin Hai.
• Lin Hai kissed Firefly after the call, and she agreed to take their relationship beyond the dream.

Lin Hai and Firefly grew closer after intimacy improved Firefly’s Entropy Loss Syndrome, and Kafka arrived to negotiate cooperation with Lin Hai. Kafka discovered that Firefly had become Lin Hai’s lover and, though surprised by what she had hidden, felt relieved that Firefly was happy and had found someone she could rely on.

• Firefly told Lin Hai that her vitality-draining symptoms had weakened, and they kissed again.
• Kafka arrived and noticed the changed closeness between Lin Hai and Firefly before discussing his livestreams and strength.
• Lin Hai challenged Kafka about their changed balance of power, and Kafka proposed cooperation with the Stellaron Hunters.
• Lin Hai accepted the offer, then vanished from the living room while holding the Lucky Star, surprising Kafka.
• Kafka questioned Firefly about her relationship with Lin Hai, and Firefly admitted they had consummated it.
• Kafka realized Firefly had kept the relationship secret but felt relieved that her condition had improved and she was happy with Lin Hai.

Kafka traveled from Penacony to Belobog, hoping the people around Lin Hai might help her uncover the secret of his rapid growth. Outside Belobog, Lin Hai felt his power increase again, reassured Seele about the Interastral Peace Corporation, and carried her to a secluded residence in South City.

• Kafka watched Lin Hai destroy a mountain in a recording, wondered how he had grown so quickly, and boarded a vessel bound for Belobog.
• Lin Hai sensed his Path Power of Elation growing and found that Firefly’s affection had doubled his physical abilities.
• Lin Hai asked Seele whether she feared the Interastral Peace Corporation, and she said his strength and allies had made her feel safe.
• Seele told Lin Hai she had learned how to make him happy, and they shared an intimate moment in the snowfield.
• Seele changed into a new dress and asked Lin Hai whether he wanted to be with her again, and he carried her to a secluded residence in South City.

Phantylia arrived in Belobog disguised as a merchant and investigated how Lin Hai had transformed the city. She confirmed his identity at her Xianzhou liquor shop, then followed him and Seele to Qlipoth Fort before retreating rather than risk discovery.

• Phantylia explored Belobog and questioned its residents, learning their varied impressions of Lin Hai.
• Phantylia opened a shop selling Xianzhou liquor near Qlipoth Fort to observe the city and meet its people.
• Phantylia recognized Lin Hai when he and Seele stopped at her shop, and Seele bought a jar of plum wine.
• Phantylia changed into the guise of a Silvermane Guard and followed Lin Hai and Seele to Qlipoth Fort.
• Phantylia watched Lin Hai and Seele enter the fort, then withdrew into the darkness to avoid detection.

Aventurine brought an IPC warship into synchronous orbit above Jarilo-VI and demanded that Lin Hai surrender Sparkle. When Lin Hai refused, Aventurine ordered the warship to fire on the square in front of Qlipoth Fort, and its cannon blast streaked toward Belobog.

• Aventurine studied footage of Lin Hai’s power while the IPC warship took aim at Belobog from orbit.
• The Herta’s monitoring satellite detected the warship and sent Lin Hai its location and targeting information.
• Lin Hai told Seele to prepare for battle and contacted Aventurine through the satellite.
• Aventurine demanded that Lin Hai hand over Sparkle, but Lin Hai refused to let anyone take her.
• Aventurine ordered the main cannon to fire at the square in front of Qlipoth Fort, sending a black energy blast toward Belobog.

Lin Hai stopped the Interastral Peace Corporation warship’s main cannon from destroying Belobog, revealing power at the Emanator level. Aventurine ordered a multi-pronged assault to test Lin Hai, whose movements were beginning to be affected by the warship’s stasis field.

• Lin Hai rose above Belobog and cleaved the warship’s black-energy attack apart with his saber, saving the city.
• Belobog’s residents cheered as they recognized Lin Hai, while Aventurine realized his power rivaled that of an Emanator.
• Aventurine ordered the warship to attack Lin Hai with secondary cannons, suicide drones, and a stasis field.
• Lin Hai dodged cannon fire and destroyed the drones with saber strikes, but the stasis field slowed him enough for a beam to graze his clothing.
• Aventurine noticed the field was affecting Lin Hai and ordered the warship to intensify its fire and disperse the drone assault.

Lin Hai used The Herta’s power to withstand Aventurine’s bombardment, then helped The Herta’s satellite destroy the Corporation warship. After the ship crashed on Jarilo-VI, Lin Hai confronted its surviving crew and began cutting them down.

• Lin Hai activated Super Burst and The Herta’s power, enduring the warship’s concentrated fire unharmed.
• Lin Hai ordered The Herta to attack, and her Monitoring Satellite struck the Corporation warship in synchronous orbit.
• The Herta’s satellite breached the warship’s armor, sending it crashing into the snowfields near Belobog.
• Lin Hai arrived at the wreck and faced the surviving Corporation members.
• The Corporation soldiers opened fire, but Lin Hai’s energy field stopped their shots, and he counterattacked with his Odachi.

Lin Hai destroyed the Interastral Peace Corporation’s soldiers and heavy armor on Jarilo-VI, while Fu Xuan watched from orbit and realized his strength exceeded her expectations. Sparkle livestreamed the battle to the starry sea, exposing the Company’s defeat to a vast audience.

• Lin Hai dodged the Company’s heavy weapons and cut apart its powered armor, leaving Aventurine watching in shock.
• Fu Xuan observed the battle from an Xianzhou outpost warship and judged Lin Hai to be an extraordinary strategic threat.
• Fu Xuan recalled her secret agreement with Aventurine to test Lin Hai and chose to keep watching as his conflict with the Company escalated.
• The Herta, Sparkle, Seele, and Bronya arrived near the battlefield in a Maybach and saw Lin Hai’s assault.
• Sparkle started a livestream of the battle, drawing viewers across the starry sea and causing an uproar.

As Sparkle’s livestream showed Lin Hai overwhelming the Interastral Peace Corporation’s forces on Jarilo-VI, observers across the stars marveled at his rapid growth. Lin Hai then defeated Aventurine with a single strike and warned the Corporation to reconsider its future dealings with him, Sparkle, and Belobog.

• Firefly and Kafka watched the livestream in Penacony and discussed how Lin Hai’s strength had risen at an astonishing rate, while Firefly concealed what she knew about his growth.
• Belobog residents cheered Lin Hai as their guardian, and Himeko and March 7th watched from the Astral Express as it sped toward the battle.
• Lin Hai stood among the defeated Corporation soldiers and rejected Aventurine’s claim that the Corporation had not wanted a confrontation.
• Lin Hai vanished in a burst of speed and cut through Aventurine’s defenses, leaving him gravely wounded and kneeling in the snow.
• Lin Hai addressed the livestream camera and warned the Interastral Peace Corporation to consider how it would deal with him, Sparkle, and Belobog.