Chapter Summaries

Shanala returned to Treasure Island and reunited with Wu Heng, while they discussed her future and the island’s merchant fleet. After Wu Heng and Shiraque sent letters explaining Luan’s departure and the match, Wu Heng publicized the contest in the newspaper, which spread across Treasure Island and beyond.

• Shanala told Wu Heng that she had lost authority over Star Flower and that her clan was investigating her personal property on Treasure Island; she also arranged delivery of supplies and five warships.
• Wu Heng asked Shanala to stay the night, comforted her over giving up Star Flower, and suggested she could lead a merchant fleet on Treasure Island.
• Shiraque told Wu Heng that Luan and his master had left discreetly after the competition, so she wrote to the Association while Wu Heng wrote to Deacon Imilo.
• Wu Heng prepared a prominent newspaper report about the match and arranged to distribute copies beyond Treasure Island.
• The Newsboy sold the fourth issue, which revealed that the challenger was a prince from a neighboring country, and bundles of newspapers were shipped to Associations throughout the Emerald Sea.
• The bard Saban began telling tavern patrons about the reported match and the challenger’s background.

Wu Heng’s victory over Luan became widely known after the newspaper revealed Luan’s identity, while Shanala moved to a house near the Island Master’s Manor. Wu Heng considered expanding the newspaper beyond Treasure Island and asked Shanala how to distribute it widely.

• Saban told the tavern patrons that Luan was the Kelt Kingdom’s Prince and a genius backed by the Association, prompting them to praise Wu Heng for defeating him.
• Shiraque and Shi Yali discussed the newspaper’s coverage and noted that copies were being sent to ports, Associations, and headquarters.
• Shanala moved her belongings to a new residence near the Island Master’s Manor after reading about Wu Heng’s victory.
• Wu Heng checked his rising reputation, and Xiaoxiao and Granda told him that islanders supported him after learning Luan was a Prince.
• Wu Heng met Shanala in the manor’s rear courtyard and asked how he could distribute his newspaper everywhere.

Wu Heng discussed expanding his newspaper business and a powerful physique-enhancing potion with Shanala, then learned that Beni, a former informant, had been killed while serving as a Whisperer. He arranged to preserve her body and planned to leave the next day, before assigning work on power plant equipment and printing presses in the Zombie World.

• Wu Heng discussed establishing newspaper offices and distributing a physique-enhancing potion with Shanala, who warned him to keep the potion secret.
• Minnie told Wu Heng that Wen Mansha had sent a message, and he contacted her by radio.
• Wen Mansha reported that Beni, who had once provided Wu Heng with intelligence, was killed while investigating an outside cult as a Whisperer.
• Wu Heng asked Wen Mansha to preserve Beni's body and said he would travel there the next day.
• In the Zombie World, Wu Heng told Wang Haibing to dismantle another set of power plant equipment and asked Gao Rong to arrange newspaper printing presses.

Wu Heng arranged supplies and rescue efforts at the base, then traveled to Luntam City to help Beni and develop the city. After reaching the outskirts, he clashed with the White Rock Gang and ordered the Patrol Guard to arrest them.

• Wu Heng requested two or three Printing Presses, checked on city rescues, and urged Qiangzi to speed up research on Stab-Proof Vests and a machine-gun Flying Dragon.
• Wu Heng left the base and entrusted Vera and Minnie with duties at Island Master's Manor before taking the Ghost Train to Luntam City.
• Wu Heng rode his motorcycle toward Luntam City, passing merchants and noticing the crowded, rough outskirts.
• The White Rock Gang blocked Wu Heng and demanded an inspection fee, while Cassius seized one gang member's wrist when he tried to grab Wu Heng.
• A Patrol Guard arrived, and Wu Heng ordered them to arrest the White Rock Gang members.

Wu Heng returned to Luntam City, arrested White Rock Gang members who tried to extort him, and reunited with Wen Mansha. He used Awaken Soul on Beni’s corpse with a captured blood-clan ghost, but the ritual produced a savage ghost that escaped into the sky.

• Wu Heng ordered the patrol skeletons to arrest the White Rock Gang members who demanded an entry security deposit and send them to the Lord's Mansion.
• Wu Heng arrived at the Lord's Mansion and reunited with Wen Mansha, who was pregnant and happy to see him.
• Wu Heng told Wen Mansha about the gang's extortion, and she went to deal with the gang members after they arrived at the mansion.
• Wu Heng examined Beni's corpse in a storage building and prepared the Awaken Soul ritual.
• Wu Heng used the female blood-clan Exile's soul in the ritual, but a savage ghost emerged from Beni's corpse and fled through the roof.

Wu Heng revived Beni as a ghost, stabilized her by reminding her of their past, and brought her into his group. Beni revealed that the Mandate of Heaven Cult was active near Blackstone Town, led by a mysterious bishop and backed by powerful fighters.

• Wu Heng’s newly transformed ghost fled, but Granda captured it with her soul-binding ability.
• Wu Heng called the ghost Beni and reminded her of their time together until she regained her memories and stabilized.
• Beni agreed to leave with Wu Heng, and he contracted with her before introducing her to Granda and Xiaoxiao.
• In the study, Beni recalled that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had killed her after she tried to send information to the Association.
• Beni identified the cult’s leader as Fatih and reported that a Great Knight and two powerful cult guardians had joined him.

Wu Heng learned that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had killed Beni and decided to destroy the cult after establishing a power plant and Newspaper Office in Luntam City. Meanwhile, Slyther tracked the cult to a village where its members had slaughtered the inhabitants, and she planned to call in guards rather than confront them directly.

• Beni told Wu Heng that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had gathered near Blackstone Town, and he welcomed her as a ghost and discussed his suspicions about awakening souls.
• Wu Heng decided to wipe out the Mandate of Heaven Cult, sent Slyther a letter promising to join her, and went to the Zombie World to check on the power plant and Newspaper Office preparations.
• Qi Hancai reported that the power plant equipment was ready and the Printing Press would arrive the next day, while supplies and the Skeleton Armies continued onward.
• Wu Heng explained his plans for the power plant and Newspaper Office to Wen Mansha, who said she knew a suitable site and suggested that he find them a mistress.
• Slyther and Yuri found Iron Rock Village emptied and its villagers burned, so Slyther ordered the crimes documented and decided to continue tracking the cult while seeking nearby guards.

Slyther learned that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had powerful high-level Adventurers and canceled the tracking operation, choosing to wait for reinforcements in Iron Rock Village. Meanwhile, Luntam City began distributing newspapers, and bards read their reports and a Wu Heng story aloud to tavern patrons.

• Slyther found a letter reporting that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had a leader above level 18, two level 18 Adventurers, and several level 15 Adventurers, and warning her not to act rashly.
• Slyther canceled the tracking operation, ordered the team to remain in Iron Rock Village, and sent someone back to Blackstone Town to bring reinforcements.
• Newsboys sold the Town Hall's new newspapers around Luntam City, advertising news about Yeke Kingdom, the cult, and Wu Heng.
• A bard at the Wind-Drooping Grass Tavern read newspaper reports aloud, including that Wu Heng had defeated Luan Randolph and become the lord of Treasure Island.
• The bard told the first installment of a story about Wu Heng solving a deduction, then stopped at a cliffhanger and said the next part would appear in the following issue.

Wu Heng left Luntam City after confirming the newspaper's successful launch and traveled to Blackstone Town to join Slyther's investigation into a cult. He found the team stationed at Iron Rock Village, where a masked stranger appeared after the Money Leopard sensed someone approaching.

• Xiaoxiao, Granda, and Beni reported that the newspaper's first issue had sparked lively discussion in Luntam City.
• Wu Heng said goodbye to Wen Mansha, then departed Luntam City by train after she arranged supplies and half of the recent tax revenue for him.
• Wu Heng arrived outside Blackstone Town, learned that Slyther's team had moved to Iron Rock Village to investigate villagers' disappearances, and rode there by motorcycle.
• At Iron Rock Village, Yuri teased Slyther about the mysterious letter, while a ranger reported that the trail led toward Tul Village.
• The Money Leopard sensed someone outside the village, and a masked figure emerged from the forest, saying its tamed beast had led him there.

Wu Heng reunited with Slyther, learned that the Mandate of Heaven Cult had two powerful professionals in Tul Village, and launched a devastating assault on the cult’s gathering. He sent Cassius and an army of skeletons after the survivors as Slyther watched the bombardment.

• Slyther and her teams fought a masked Rank Four attacker until Wu Heng arrived, killed him, and revealed himself to Slyther.
• Wu Heng questioned the corpse and learned that the cult was based in Tul Village, had fewer than three hundred followers, and included a level 18 bishop and a level 18 Great Knight.
• Wu Heng and Slyther traveled to Tul Village, where Wu Heng opened a Hidden Barracks and prepared his weapons for battle.
• Wu Heng bombarded Tul Village with more than a thousand grenades, devastating the square and scattering the cultists.
• Xiaoxiao spotted the bishop and other powerful survivors fleeing through a collapsed wall, and Wu Heng ordered Cassius and the Mutated Skeletons to pursue them.

Wu Heng and his undead defeated Bishop Fatih and captured his ghost, while Beni learned that her killer had been avenged. Wu Heng then attacked the remaining cultists in the ruined village, where an Association Whisperer surrendered.

• Fatih led his followers toward a mine, but undead skeletons ambushed them and Cassius fought him while Wu Heng and his clones fired sniper rifles.
• Cassius and Wu Heng’s gunfire brought Fatih down, and Wu Heng captured his fleeing ghost after Beni identified him as the man who had killed her.
• Fatih tried to bargain with Wu Heng, but Wu Heng absorbed his ghost into the Demon Soul Pot and took his equipment.
• Wu Heng raised the village’s corpses as skeletons and ordered them to kill the remaining cultists.
• A figure emerged from a ruined house holding a skeleton’s skull, knelt, and claimed to be a Whisperer of the Association.

Wu Heng led the assault that wiped out a Mandate of Heaven Cult faction, questioned Treasure Island informant Babuchi, and arranged protection for Slyther. At Association Headquarters, Moffat urged Lord Kalles to investigate Wu Heng, just as a newspaper from Treasure Island arrived with a headline that caught Kalles’s attention.

• Wu Heng captured Babuchi, who identified himself as a Treasure Island informant and revealed that the cult planned to gather in Erjiluo City with two protectors of the faith and another Great Knight.
• Wu Heng returned to Blackstone Town with Slyther and Babuchi, then arranged for the cult’s level 18 corpse to be examined and reported to the Association.
• Wu Heng converted the level 18 corpse into a Skeleton Deceptive Swordsman and assigned it to protect Slyther.
• Wu Heng told Slyther to send Babuchi to Erjiluo City under the pretense that Treasure Island had instructed him to investigate the remaining cult members.
• Moffat told Lord Kalles that Wu Heng might have possessed another body or reincarnated and recommended sending a level 18 inspector to investigate him.
• An Association messenger delivered a newspaper from Treasure Island, and Lord Kalles reacted with surprise after reading its headline.

Newspapers from Treasure Island exposed Moffat and Luan’s defeat and their attempt to stir trouble, changing the Association’s view of them. Imilo challenged Moffat in response, while Virgil set out to meet a promising young man.

• Kalles read the newspaper’s account of Moffat and Luan’s challenge and defeat, then dismissed Moffat’s claims against Wu Heng as resentment over losing.
• Moffat and Luan found the newspaper at the Hall of Glory and left after its illustration and report drew murmurs from the crowd.
• Imilo read Wu Heng’s letter and the newspaper, then asked Moya to send a Challenge Letter challenging Moffat.
• The Association Headquarters buzzed with discussion of Wu Heng’s victory and Imilo’s challenge to the level 18 mage Moffat.
• Virgil left the Grand Text Society on a mission to meet a young man with great potential.

Wu Heng returned to Treasure Island, caught up on its peaceful progress, and reported his encounter with the Mandate of Heaven Cult to Shiraque before arranging a fleet and buying bard books. In the Zombie World, Qi Hancai told him that Russian researchers in Linghe City had requested rescue while working on an Electromagnetic Cannon.

• Wu Heng returned to Treasure Island, where Minnie and Andeviel reported that the island's newspaper, patrols, and daily operations were progressing smoothly.
• Wu Heng settled Beni into the Island Master's Manor, then visited the Association and told Shiraque how he had killed a Mandate of Heaven Cult bishop and found Babuchi among the cult's ranks.
• Wu Heng asked Shiraque to find first mates for a fleet that skeletons would captain, then bought introductory bard books for Xiaoxiao's mother.
• Wu Heng traveled to the Zombie World and learned from Qi Hancai that Russian researchers in Linghe City had radioed for rescue.
• Qi Hancai told Wu Heng that the researchers were studying a new project called an Electromagnetic Cannon, leaving him surprised that Russia was developing one.

Wu Heng arranged a rescue for Electromagnetic Cannon researchers, inspected factory work, and reorganized the island’s skeletons. After approving Granda’s story about Beni for the newspaper, he received two Level 3 Corpse Core Potions and drank one while Minnie watched.

• Wu Heng told Qi Hancai to have Li Yahong arrange a rescue for the Electromagnetic Cannon researchers, then toured the factories and approved Qiangzi’s improved Stab-Proof Vest design for further testing.
• Wu Heng sorted the skeletons by level, assigned them to island patrols and construction work, and appointed the Level 17 Skeleton Warrior to guard the Island Master's Manor.
• Granda showed Wu Heng her story about Beni; he approved it after she added an ending in which he summoned Beni as a ghost and avenged her and the villagers.
• Bard Saban read the new newspaper story and hurried to the tavern to read it aloud.
• The Alchemy Skeleton delivered two Level 3 Corpse Core Potions, and Wu Heng drank one while Minnie stood by with antidote and healing supplies.

Wu Heng drank two Level Three Enhancement Potions, gained attributes, and awakened the controllable Horny Exoskeleton ability. Meanwhile, Saban began telling a short story about tavern waitress Beni, leaving the audience curious about the strange black-haired patron they recognized as the Island Master.

• Saban arrived at the Golden Sail Tavern and began reading intelligence from the newspaper to the gathered patrons.
• Wu Heng endured the first potion’s side effects and gained Constitution, Strength, and Agility.
• Wu Heng drank a second potion, gained more attributes, and unlocked the Horny Exoskeleton trait.
• Wu Heng discovered he could make the black protective layer appear and disappear on different parts of his body, then left with Minnie to test it.
• Saban announced that the newspaper featured a short story instead of the Great Detective Story, angering the tavern patrons.
• Saban told how Beni became a tavern waitress and described a strange black-haired patron, whom a listener recognized as the Island Master.

Saban told the story of Beni, a tavern waitress who died investigating a cult, and Wu Heng later avenged her and the villagers. The tale moved the audience and helped Saban reach level 10, while Wu Heng discovered his Reputation had exceeded its threshold and planned to continue publishing Great Detective Story.

• Wu Heng questioned Beni for clues, solved a kidnapping, and later left town after receiving a promotion, while Beni watched him depart without confessing her feelings.
• Beni investigated the Mandate of Heaven Cult to earn a Whisperers agent identity, but the cult discovered her and she died in a fire after denouncing its members.
• After the Local Association contacted Treasure Island, Wu Heng awakened Beni's ghost, learned what she had found, and joined the Local Association to destroy the cult and avenge her and the villagers.
• The tavern audience mourned Beni's death and celebrated Wu Heng's revenge, while Saban gained a deeper understanding of his bard profession and reached level 10.
• Shiraque and Shi Yali read the newspaper story about Beni, and Wu Heng noticed his Reputation had exceeded its threshold despite his Experience Points remaining short of the level requirement.
• Wu Heng heard from the ghosts that readers had responded strongly to Beni's story, then agreed with Granda to release the next Great Detective Story issue two days early.

Wu Heng helped Beni absorb Residual Souls in the Zombie World, raising her to Level 8, then received the Necromantic Torrent Skill Book from Shiraque and arranged to buy mage corpses in Lopes City. As he returned to Treasure Island, an elderly mage named Virgil arrived at the harbor and chose to visit a tavern before going to the Association.

• Wu Heng decided to keep a low profile while focusing on gaining Experience Points and helping Beni level up.
• In Ibatou District, Wu Heng's forces cleared a Zombie Horde, and Beni absorbed Residual Souls until she reached Level 8.
• Wu Heng returned to Treasure Island and received the Necromantic Torrent Skill Book as a reward for killing the Mandate of Heaven Cult.
• Wu Heng told Shiraque and Shi Yali that Beni had become his wraith, and Shiraque ordered a notice recognizing Beni's contribution and recording assistance worthy of first-class merit.
• Wu Heng returned the Cloak of Concealment to Lady Li, collected four Level 15 corpses, and requested mage corpses for his next commission.
• Virgil arrived at Treasure Island with two attendants and decided to visit a tavern before going to the Association.

Wu Heng commissioned the collection of more corpses while visitors from Treasure Island encountered the newspaper story about Beni and saw how it stirred the island’s residents. After returning to the manor, Wu Heng learned that a high-level mage and two attendants had arrived on the island.

• Wu Heng asked Lady Li to gather as many corpses as possible, then left the Association with her.
• Virgil and his attendants explored Treasure Island, bought the newspaper about Beni, and visited taverns where bards performed the story.
• The newspaper’s account of Beni’s death moved tavern patrons, and Virgil said he wanted to meet Wu Heng.
• Wu Heng returned to the Island Master's Manor with Cassius and saw crowds gathered around newspaper sellers.
• Mackintosh told Wu Heng that a mage and two attendants, possibly as high as level 18, had arrived on the island.

Wu Heng investigated the arrival of a suspected level 18 mage, learned they were connected to the Association, and unlocked a new spell while translating Skill Books with Xiaoxiao. The next morning, he delivered the translated books to Zhao Yanqiu and joined a meeting with Qi Hancai and the rescued Russian researcher Kadyrov.

• Wu Heng sent Granda to investigate the mage at the Drunken Moon Inn and assigned Beni to watch the Island Master's Manor.
• Granda reported that the mage was level 18, the attendants were level 15, and Shiraque had received them at the Association.
• At dinner, Andeviel told Wu Heng that merchant caravans had ordered fifty thousand newspapers, and he asked her to procure paper and ink.
• Wu Heng unlocked Necromantic Torrent, then used six duplicates of himself to translate two Skill Books with Xiaoxiao's help.
• The next morning, Wu Heng gave Zhao Yanqiu the translated books and went to a meeting where Qi Hancai introduced Kadyrov, a rescued Russian researcher.