Chapter Summaries

Moria approached a frightened dockworker and learned that the Eternal Life Blessing Cult was holding Lady Sivell because she refused to divine the locations Black Reef Bay and Sunken Horn. He gave the worker a blessed token to pass to Sivell, then sensed that Kingdom Investigation Bureau agents were nearby as he went to find a place to recover.

• Moria followed the dockworker to a deserted alley and carefully persuaded him to talk about the woman he had visited.
• The worker revealed that the Cult of Eternal Life kept Lady Sivell under guard and wanted her to divine Black Reef Bay and Sunken Horn.
• Moria gave the worker a blessed token and asked him to tell Lady Sivell that a servant of Radiance wished to meet her.
• The worker agreed to deliver the token, and Moria left him to return to the crowd in Port Belen.
• Moria sensed a familiar presence among several hurried passersby and recognized them as people from the Kingdom Investigation Bureau.

Edgar's investigation team arrived secretly in Port Belen under orders to pursue a top-secret mission involving the Eternal Life Blessing Cult, abandoning their inquiry into Mog's fall. As they prepared to investigate the cult and the region's deathly history, Edgar named the operation Canary.

• Edgar reprimanded Philip for acting recklessly during the team's arrival in Port Belen.
• Helena reported that an unusual man seemed to notice the team, but Edgar told the members to avoid unnecessary trouble and keep their mission secret.
• Edgar ordered the team to prioritize the Port Belen mission over the investigation into Mog and Dark Dawn.
• Helena explained that the Eternal Life Blessing Cult controlled a church and shipyard and had influence among local businesses and officials.
• Lina connected the cult's claims of resurrection to Port Belen's history, and Helena told Philip that Lord Aiswell had killed a powerful Death Soul supernatural being near the city over a century earlier.
• Edgar suppressed his doubts about the mission and named it Operation Canary, after "Who Killed the Canary?"

Li Wen, Moria, and Victoria discovered that their investigations all led to the Eternal Life Blessing Cult and Black Reef Bay, where the Soul Lord was sealed beneath the sea. They formed a temporary alliance to get the Investigation Bureau to stop the cult’s ship from sailing, while each planned to pursue their own goals afterward.

• Moria joined Li Wen and Victoria, explaining that the cult had captured the fortune-teller Sivell and was searching for Black Reef Bay or Sunken Horn.
• Victoria revealed that the cult planned to sail at midnight the following day and connected its plans to the Soul Lord sealed beneath the sea.
• Victoria offered to involve the Investigation Bureau, though she could not directly mobilize its forces herself.
• Moria said he wanted to rescue Sivell, while Li Wen wanted to stop the cult from reaching Black Reef Bay.
• Li Wen accepted Victoria’s proposal for a temporary alliance to prevent the cult’s ship from setting sail.

The Investigation Bureau received orders to investigate the Eternal Life Blessing Cult and stop its planned voyage to Black Reef Bay or Sunken Horn, while continuing to watch their original target. At the shipyard, the Cult Leader prepared to sail for Sunken Horn at midnight the next day, despite Lady Sivell’s refusal to reveal what she knew.

• Helena reported that the Bureau had tracked its target, but Edgar warned the team not to act rashly in case it was a trap.
• Lina delivered orders from headquarters directing the Bureau to investigate the Eternal Life Blessing Cult and stop its plans; Edgar assigned everyone except Helena to focus on the cult.
• Philip returned from gathering intelligence, and Edgar told the team they were going to the shipyard rather than storming the church.
• The Cult Leader learned that Bureau personnel had appeared in the harbor district and claimed their arrival would create an opportunity for the cult.
• A cult member reported that Lady Sivell still refused to share information about Black Reef Bay, and the Cult Leader ordered her watched without using excessive force.
• The Cult Leader commanded the cultists to depart at midnight the next day and reach Sunken Horn before anyone else.

Edgar led an Investigation Bureau team to the Seventh Shipyard to stop the Eternal Life Blessing Cult from setting sail. After clearing the area and silently incapacitating the perimeter guards, the team prepared to enter the shipyard.

• Lina used a Sound Repelling Shell to drive civilians away from the shipyard while Philip prepared to guard the team’s retreat.
• Edgar assigned the team to clear the perimeter and prioritize damaging the ship or capturing key personnel, while warning them to avoid harming deceived cult followers when possible.
• Anles silently knocked out the two guards at the main entrance, and Edgar incapacitated the sentry in the southern watchtower.
• Anles struck the hidden back-alley sentry with a stone and regrouped with Edgar, Lina, and Philip at the gate.
• Edgar listened to the activity inside, opened the gate with magic, and led the team into the shipyard.

Edgar, Anles, Lina, and Philip were trapped in the shipyard by Ballista Rock, a red-haired woman, a shadow attacker, and a horde of cultists who could revive. As the Investigation Bureau squad struggled against the overwhelming assault, Edgar ordered Philip to act.

• Edgar led Anles, Lina, and Philip into the shipyard, where the iron doors slammed shut and more than a hundred cultists surrounded them.
• Ballista Rock and a red-haired woman appeared, declaring that their cult leader had foreseen the squad’s arrival and that they would be sacrifices to The Blessed One.
• The cultists attacked and repeatedly revived after being cut down, so Edgar ordered the squad to disable their limbs while Lina shielded them and Philip prepared a spell.
• Ballista Rock charged Anles, the red-haired woman attacked Edgar and rapidly healed from a gunshot, and a shadow assailant wounded Philip before Lina pushed him aside.
• With the squad badly pressured by the attackers, Edgar shouted for Philip to do it.

Li Wen used the chaos caused by an explosion at Port Belen’s shipyards to investigate the Eternal Life Blessing Cult’s church. Underground, she found a Two-tailed Mermaid statue containing a malicious remnant tied to the Soul Lord, and heard someone approaching.

• An explosion erupted near Port Belen’s shipyards, and Li Wen decided to use the resulting disorder to search the church.
• Li Wen entered the apparently unguarded church and found a secret passage behind the cross.
• Li Wen descended into a cavern and discovered a Two-tailed Mermaid statue resembling the one she had seen aboard the Adventurer.
• Li Wen touched the statue and heard a voice in her mind demand to be released, then protected herself with Witch State.
• Li Wen realized the statue contained a remnant connected to the Soul Lord, and heard hurried footsteps approaching from the church above.

Li Wen hid in the cavern and confronted a cloaked player who had sold information to the Eternal Life Blessing Cult and planned to free the Soul Lord sealed in the Two-tailed Mermaid statue. The statue came to life, killed the player, and vanished, leaving Li Wen without answers.

• Li Wen hid above the Two-tailed Mermaid statue as a cloaked visitor tested the cavern for magical traces.
• The cloaked player told the statue he had sold information on a forum and demanded that it fulfill its promise.
• Li Wen ambushed the player, then tried to question him about the statue and the Eternal Life Blessing Cult.
• The player accused expert players of monopolizing resources and dismissed the consequences of freeing the Soul Lord as mere game events.
• The Two-tailed Mermaid statue came to life, tore the cloaked player apart, and vanished as foul-smelling black seawater.

Moria visited Madam Sivell to learn why the Cult of Eternal Life sought Sunken Horn and Black Reef Bay. He learned that a sealed monster lay beneath those waters and set out to stop the cult's midnight voyage, while Sivell warned that Port Belen would face doom if it awakened.

• Moria left the Sycamore Inn and went to Fog Bell Alley after hearing sailors whisper about a shipyard explosion.
• Madam Sivell greeted Moria, clutching the holy emblem he had delivered, and explained that her visions came from the tides.
• Sivell showed Moria a Sea Chart marking Black Reef Bay and said the sunken Loren Ting City concealed something more terrifying than death.
• Moria told Sivell that the Cult of Eternal Life planned to sail at midnight, and she revealed that her teacher had helped seal the thing beneath the sea.
• Sivell warned that the monster's awakening could overturn the kingdom, and Moria vowed to stop the cult or its leader.

Helena’s surveillance of Victoria ended when Victoria confronted her and proposed a private talk. At the shipyard, Edgar held off the Cult of Eternal Life while Anles, Lina, and Philip escaped toward the dock.

• Helena watched Victoria at the Sycamore Inn until Victoria vanished from view and appeared beside her.
• Victoria stopped Helena from attacking and suggested they talk alone, while Helena’s Communication Crystal fell silent.
• Philip’s powerful spell destroyed much of the shipyard and injured Anles as the Investigation Squad fought the cultists.
• Edgar killed the red-haired player and Ballista Rock, whose immortality blessing failed to save him.
• Edgar sent Anles, Lina, and Philip to the dock, then pursued them after cutting down the remaining believers.

Spade K’s rise from an ordinary player to the leader of the Eternal Life Blessing Cult led him to seek real power after discovering a mysterious Two-tailed Mermaid statue. As the Investigation Bureau attacked his stronghold, he prepared to escape by sea and pursue the secret beneath the ocean.

• Spade K used his resurrection ability to build a following and founded the Eternal Life Blessing Cult in Port Belen.
• After discovering the Two-tailed Mermaid statue, Spade K became obsessed with gaining power beyond wealth and influence.
• A follower told Spade K that the Investigation Bureau had breached the outer perimeter and that Ballista Rock and Heart A were dead.
• Spade K ordered the follower to notify Joker and gather the cultists willing to escape through the western sea entrance at midnight.
• Spade K revealed that the ship at the docks was a decoy and planned to unveil the secret beneath the sea when the tide reached its highest point.

After the dockyard battle, Edgar realized the Cult of Eternal Life had used the ship as a decoy and discovered he could no longer contact Helena. At the Sycamore Inn, Li Wen told Moria that the cult possessed a statue containing a fragment of the Soul Lord’s Remnant Soul, but she chose not to stop the cult from sailing.

• Edgar found that the cult’s ship and followers had been bait, while its Cult Leader and real target were missing.
• Edgar failed to contact Helena and sent Anles, Lina, and Philip to search the dockyard while he headed to the Sycamore Inn.
• Li Wen met Moria at the inn and learned that Lady Sivell had warned him a cursed diviner could not leave her house without alerting the cult.
• Li Wen showed Moria a Two-tailed Mermaid statue matching the one Joseph had sought and a sample containing the Soul Lord’s Remnant Soul.
• Moria warned that the cult planned to sail from the western sea entrance, but Li Wen decided to let them go and see how they planned to release the Soul Lord.

Fu Qingyan and her team struggled to find a captain willing to sail to Black Reef Bay until Captain Remington agreed to take them there aboard the Adventurer. As the group prepared to leave at dawn, they realized Yang Yi was missing and learned he had skipped the Knowledge Path advancement ritual.

• Fu Qingyan's team was rejected by six boatmen when they asked for passage to Black Reef Bay, and they noticed Yang Yi was missing.
• Captain Remington returned to Port Belen aboard the repaired Adventurer, and Fu Qingyan asked him about Black Reef Bay.
• Remington described the disastrous expedition to Sunken Horn and warned the team about the dangers there.
• Remington agreed to take Fu Qingyan's team to Black Reef Bay at dawn, provided they obeyed his commands and paid the sailing fee.
• Zhao Ming suspected Remington had another motive, while Fu Qingyan urged the group to contact Yang Yi before leaving.
• Wang Shuo said Yang Yi had skipped the advancement ritual because he considered the Path useless.

Li Wen persuaded Moria to let the Eternal Life Blessing Cult lead them toward the Soul Lord’s seal, then follow once the cult had faced the dangers ahead. She planned to enlist Captain Remington and his ship, the Adventurer, to guide them across the dangerous waters.

• Li Wen told Moria that the Soul Lord’s seal was already weakening and that stopping the cult would only delay another attempt to free him.
• Li Wen proposed letting the Eternal Life Blessing Cult sail ahead and face the dangers around Black Reef Bay and Sunken Horn before they intervened.
• Moria accepted Li Wen’s plan and asked how they would track the cult without a ship or a guide.
• Li Wen said they would ask Captain Remington to take them aboard the Adventurer and guide them through the dangerous waters.
• Li Wen and Moria left to find Captain Remington before the cult set sail.

Li Wen and Moria joined Captain Remington aboard the Adventurer to pursue the Cult of Eternal Life toward Black Reef Bay and Sunken Horn. Fu Qingyan and her companions agreed to go with them, and the ship set sail with Yang Yi arriving late and acting strangely.

• Li Wen and Moria defeated a group of Eternal Life cultists who ambushed them near the harbor.
• Li Wen asked Captain Remington to take the Adventurer to Black Reef Bay, explaining that the cult had sailed ahead toward Sunken Horn.
• Remington warned Fu Qingyan and her companions about the danger, and they chose to join Li Wen and Moria.
• Yang Yi arrived late, avoided the others' eyes, and climbed aboard after Fu Qingyan waved him over.
• Remington ordered the crew to raise anchor, and the Adventurer sailed toward Black Reef Bay in pursuit of the cult.

The Investigation Squad returned from an unsuccessful search, with the Cult of Eternal Life, the Canary, and Helena all believed missing. Helena then arrived with Princess Victoria, who asked to assist the Bureau and ensure certain matters stayed under control.

• Anles and Lina reported that the shipyard search had found no useful clues and that the Cult's members had likely escaped by sea.
• Edgar revealed that Helena and the Canary had both disappeared, leaving the Investigation Squad's mission in disarray.
• Helena returned to the safehouse and brought Princess Victoria with her.
• Edgar recognized Victoria and formally greeted her, prompting Anles, Lina, and Philip to bow.
• Victoria said she had come to help with the situation around Port Belen and ensure certain matters remained under control.

Li Wen and the crew of the Adventurer followed an Eternal Life Blessing Cult ship toward Black Reef Bay, where dangerous waters and an abrupt storm disrupted their pursuit. The chapter ended with something beneath the sea striking and pulling at the ship.

• Captain Remington used the waves to stealthily follow the cult ship while keeping the Adventurer five nautical miles away.
• Li Wen sensed the cult ship changing course northeast toward Black Reef Bay.
• Remington guided the Adventurer through Black Reef Bay's hidden reefs and dangerous currents as the crew endured the ominous waters.
• A sudden storm battered the Adventurer and threw it off course.
• The Adventurer struck a huge object beneath the sea, and Remington warned that it was pulling at the ship.

Li Wen identified the sea monster attacking the Adventurer as a creation of the Decay Lineage, and Remington fought it beneath the ship. After a fierce underwater battle, Remington destroyed the monster and returned safely to the deck.

• Li Wen recognized the monster’s deathly aura and identified it as a creation of the Decay Lineage.
• Remington handed the helm to a sailor and plunged into the water to confront the monster.
• Remington used powerful currents to wound the monster and evade its tentacles and toxic mist.
• The sailors fought the monster’s remaining tentacles on deck while Li Wen watched the battle below.
• Remington killed the monster, then climbed back onto the Adventurer with only minor scratches and corrosion.

After the Eternal Life Blessing Cult’s ship rammed the Adventurer in the fog, Captain Remington and the crew fought off the boarding believers. Fu Qingyan and Sugar joined the battle, while Li Wen and Moria moved to confront a conspicuous figure on the enemy ship.

• The Adventurer entered unnatural fog, where a ship of the Eternal Life Blessing Cult suddenly rammed it.
• Captain Remington ordered the crew to defend the port side as cultists boarded and the two crews clashed.
• Fu Qingyan steadied Sugar, who shot a gray-robed believer through the throat with her shortbow.
• Fu Qingyan used knowledge from Basic Close-Quarters Combat Analysis to defeat several attacking believers.
• Li Wen and Moria spotted a figure carrying a glowing Red Cross Ring and leaped onto the enemy ship to attack him.

Spade K led the Eternal Life Blessing Cult's ship through dangerous fog until it collided with the Adventurer, where his followers were defeated and he surrendered. The captives were bound as Remington organized repairs to the damaged ship.

• Spade K ordered the cult ship into the fog, claiming their God had shown him the way through the reefs.
• The cult ship collided with the Adventurer, and Spade K ordered his followers to board and attack.
• Heart A charged into battle but was killed with one blow by a burly man.
• Li Wen landed on the cult ship and kicked Spade K down, prompting him to surrender.
• The cult followers laid down their weapons, and Remington's sailors bound the captives and began emergency repairs.