Chapter Summaries

Gu Xi’s group reached Victoria Tower, where the city refused to let them enter and took Grand Princess Anna’s remains away after confirming her identity. Gu Xi prepared to leave, while Shaya planned how to use the properties he had secured in Victoria City.

• Shaya gave Gu Xi a Melting Furnace Whistle that could command, revive, and strengthen cinders, but would ignite its user as fuel.
• Several Vampire Esquires returned drunk after drinking the blood of a person who had become cinders.
• At Victoria Tower’s gate, the soldiers refused entry until Gu Xi identified himself and explained that he had escorted Grand Princess Anna’s remains there.
• White-feathered ravens examined Grand Princess Anna’s remains, carried them away, and prompted the soldiers to kneel.
• Gu Xi decided to leave, relying on the soldiers’ promise to help him secure property during Victoria City’s rebuilding.
• Shaya planned to use the four apartment buildings as a hotel and intelligence center, a warehouse linked to the Black Market, Gu Xi’s residence, and a safe house.

Gu Xi left Victoria City after securing several rewards, including a Court Baron title, equipment, and plans for Spirit Tomb buildings. When he carried the Melting Furnace Whistle through Aryadovi City’s gate, it shrieked and triggered matching alarms across Victoria, revealing that it belonged to a larger scheme.

• Gu Xi told the surviving soldiers to find safe places to hide, left Shaya in charge of Victoria City, and decided to return later rather than investigate the Melting Furnace Whistle.
• Crows delivered Gu Xi an Ennoblement Order naming him Court Baron and a Medal of Valor Sash that added accessory slots and improved his morale and Diplomacy.
• Gu Xi received Path to the Underworld and Spirit Tomb Aura, which provided knowledge for improving his skills and a complete set of Ghost-related building designs.
• A crow blessed Gu Xi, raising his Intelligence and two random Class Skills; Undead Tendrils and Bone Spike both reached Level 2.
• Gu Xi recalled his troops into Aryadovi City and resolved to prepare for a future attack on Aryadovi Tower.
• The Melting Furnace Whistle shrieked as Gu Xi entered Aryadovi City, setting off similar sounds throughout Victoria City, and he taunted the unseen conspirators to pursue him.

Gu Xi used the Melting Furnace Whistle’s lost power to transform Aryadovi City, choosing a Bonfire that produced a Red Dragon. He decided to spend three Soldier Recruitment Tickets to recruit thirty Red Dragons.

• Gu Xi cut off the City Gate connection to Victoria City, causing the Melting Furnace Whistle to lose its power and change into a blackened iron bar.
• Gu Xi ordered Luna to merge the whistle’s lost energy into Aryadovi City, which offered him a choice between a Bonfire, a geothermal sewer, and a Lamp Post.
• Gu Xi chose the Bonfire, which immediately attracted a Red Dragon that required resources and a Dragon Blood Crystal to recruit.
• Gu Xi had Luna bring him three Soldier Recruitment Tickets and announced that he would use them to recruit thirty Red Dragons.

After summoning thirty red dragons, Gu Xi chose not to return to Victoria City and instead ordered an attack on Aryadovi Tower. His forces reached the tower without encountering Ghoul Shadows, and Luna flew ahead to lead the assault.

• Gu Xi used three Soldier Recruitment Tickets to summon thirty red dragons and decided to preserve his strength rather than return to Victoria City.
• Gu Xi ordered Luna to mobilize the troops and attack Aryadovi Tower, hoping to claim the castle and expand Death City's territory.
• Luna assembled Heroes Robbie and Arroyo and gathered the troops recently returned to Aryadovi City.
• Gu Xi instructed Luna to observe the red dragons' combat needs and find out what they ate, then ordered the force to march.
• Gu Xi's army crossed the mist without encountering Ghoul Shadows and arrived at Aryadovi Tower's open gates.
• Gu Xi entrusted the next steps to Luna, who flew toward the tower's main building.

Gu Xi began the Core of Change task by occupying Aryadovi Tower and prepared to defend it against three waves of enemies. The first enemy force arrived from another mirror-layer tower, and Gu Xi launched an attack.

• Gu Xi inspected Aryadovi Tower’s extensive defenses and arranged his thousands of troops as the temporary task began.
• Five Aryadovi Tower Mirror Images appeared in the sky, leading Gu Xi to realize the towers connected Aryadovi Cities from different eras.
• One Mirror Image descended with roughly three thousand enemies, including Abomination-tainted figures and a headless woman Gu Xi suspected was the sacrificed British Empress.
• The descending tower overlapped with Gu Xi’s tower, bringing the enemies beside his troops, and Gu Xi cast Bone Spike and ordered his full army to attack.

Gu Xi's undead fought off an ambush by Abominations and their twisted sacrifices, with Arroyo gaining experience while demonstrating a new defensive skill. As the battle turned in Gu Xi's favor, the cultists drove the sacrifices into a frenzy, and Gu Xi responded with Lesser Corpse Explosion.

• Arroyo led his Skeleton Spearmen into the enemy ranks, while Gu Xi recognized that swirling black ash around them made enemy attacks more likely to miss.
• Robbie's Skeleton Two-handed Swordsmen fought the attackers as the Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Mages, and Withering Ones supported them, and Gu Xi's forces pushed the enemies away from the center.
• Gu Xi identified the attackers as twisted sacrifices and black-robed cultists, then used a Skeleton Priest to strengthen his forces and unleashed several White Bone Storms.
• Gu Xi's forces gained the upper hand, but the cultists stabbed the sacrifices with Daggers, sending them into a frenzy against the undead.
• Gu Xi pointed his Cold Wind Staff at the frenzied sacrifices and cast Lesser Corpse Explosion.

Gu Xi and his Heroes defeated the first wave of Abomination sacrifices and cultists, then raised new undead from the battlefield. As a second Aryadovi Tower descended, Gu Xi prepared his troops for the next attack, unaware that two boys were watching from one of its windows.

• Gu Xi used Corpse Explosion and sent the red dragons to burn down the cultists preparing a sacrificial summoning.
• Robbie and Arroyo led their troops in different attacks, killing all three thousand enemies and completing the first wave.
• Gu Xi collected the enemies' Soul Shards and used Summoning to raise Level 2 Skeletons and Zombies, including specialized troops.
• A second Aryadovi Tower descended, and Gu Xi noticed its Abomination soldiers carrying Long Spears while overlooking two boys watching from a window.
• Gu Xi ordered his troops to regroup and told Arroyo to attack after the red dragons breathed fire, with summoned Spearmen assigned to Arroyo.

Gu Xi finished looting the battlefield, accepted a quest involving the Headless Queen, and prepared for the next enemy wave. When the new troops appeared, his red dragons and Death Avatar attacked, revealing that the Weird Spearmen melted into metal when burned.

• Gu Xi received a Sacrifice Dagger, Bloodstained Twisted Skin, and Regret of the Headless Queen, then gave the dagger to Robbie and accepted the quest to find a queen's blood.
• Gu Xi stopped summoning undead when he had only 1 point of mana left and waited for the next wave.
• Thirty red dragons attacked the newly arrived Weird Spearmen with dragon breath, burning them from above where they could not strike back.
• Gu Xi unleashed Death Avatar and drank a Magic Potion, then noticed the Weird Spearmen had melted rather than burned like the previous enemies.
• Death Avatar used its Spark Nightmare Shadow black mist set to ignite the battlefield, leaving Gu Xi uncertain about the strange metal remains.

Gu Xi’s forces defeated the second wave of enemies at Aryadovi Tower and received a warning that the third wave would arrive in fifteen minutes. After spotting two eerie young nobles, Gu Xi watched the towers’ reflections and prepared to face a sudden aerial attack by giant crows.

• Gu Xi sent Death Avatar, the Skeleton Archers, the Skeleton Mages, and Arroyo’s Spearmen to crush the Weird Spearmen and Black Robe Cultists.
• Death Avatar absorbed heat and swept burning cultists into its mist, forming a ring of shrieking red ghostly shadows.
• Gu Xi’s troops reached Aryadovi Tower’s gate, and a notification announced that two enemy waves had been defeated and the third would arrive in fifteen minutes.
• Gu Xi ordered the army to clear the battlefield and withdraw, then noticed two dead-eyed noble boys watching him from a tower window.
• The Aryadovi Tower Mirror Images flashed and released flocks of giant crows, so Gu Xi ordered his flying troops into the air and sent Death Avatar to stop them.

Gu Xi and his flying troops fought off the early Third Wave of crows and Locusts as he defended Aryadovi Tower. When an insect monster began forming from the Locust Corpses, Gu Xi interrupted it with Corpse Explosion and ordered his forces to attack.

• Gu Xi used White Bone Storm as Death Avatar and his flying troops intercepted the crows, with red dragons burning and fighting them in the sky.
• Gu Xi noticed Aryadovi Tower's mirror images vanish and ordered stronger defenses as Locusts rushed through the City Gate.
• Gu Xi killed the Locust swarm with repeated Waves of Death, then had a Skeleton Mage burn the Locust Corpses.
• A creature assembled from the Locust Corpses emerged from the flames, and Gu Xi repeatedly used Corpse Explosion to interrupt its growth.
• As the creature charged, Gu Xi ordered his forces to attack after one more Corpse Explosion.

Gu Xi accidentally destroyed the locust-corpse BOSS by detonating a mass of melted metal, then sent the Death Avatar back to defeat the giant crow. With the third wave eliminated, he received orders to occupy Aryadovi Tower.

• Gu Xi tried to stop the locust-corpse BOSS from rebuilding, but it leaped toward another pile of Locust Corpses and triggered a huge explosion.
• Gu Xi and the Death Avatar survived behind the Evil Coffin, while the blast killed several of his subordinates and scattered the locust-corpse BOSS.
• Gu Xi found melted metal from more than two thousand Weird Spearmen in the crater and realized his Corpse Explosion had detonated it, destroying the BOSS before it could fully form.
• Gu Xi sent the Death Avatar back into the aerial battle, where it killed the giant crow with Death Dragon Breath.
• The blue wind trails from the crow passed to the Death Avatar, and Gu Xi received a task update instructing him to occupy Aryadovi Tower.

Gu Xi completed the occupation of Aryadovi Tower’s central fortress, finishing the temporary task and unlocking connections to Aryadovi City in the Tudor and York eras. He received building blueprints that expanded his undead training options and began considering how to use the newly accessible land.

• Gu Xi sent Robbie to investigate a tower, ordered Arroyo to secure Aryadovi Tower’s gates, and had the remaining undead clear the battlefield.
• Gu Xi entered the central fortress and assigned an undead to every room until the main building occupation was complete.
• The task reward confirmed that Aryadovi Tower could connect to Aryadovi City in the Tudor Dynasty and York Dynasty eras, while warning that opening the gates would attract enemies.
• Gu Xi identified the Starry Sky Graveyard blueprint, which could train Zombies, and was relieved to have a source for that unit type.
• Gu Xi identified the Eagle Catching Spider Nest blueprint and decided its Ebony Spiders could suit the Demon Plant Zone.

Gu Xi examined the Building Blueprints he had obtained, including an Undead Eye Laboratory and an Astrologer's Tower, then discussed the three Aryadovi Cities with Luna. He ordered her to prepare Death City for Level 4 and identified the Water Network Defense Line and Summoning Tower as priorities.

• Gu Xi studied the Undead Eye Laboratory blueprint, which required a large graveyard and could train ten Undead Eye Musicians each week.
• Gu Xi examined the Astrologer's Tower blueprint and learned it could activate weekly Astrology to influence the city's output.
• Gu Xi left the White Tower of Aryadovi Tower and learned from Luna that the other two Aryadovi Cities were much larger and connected through their rivers and the Dock Area.
• Gu Xi decided to gather intelligence on the other cities and told Luna to fill the available small and medium plots and raise Death City to Level 4.
• Gu Xi named the Water Network Defense Line as the next target and ordered the Summoning Tower to be the next Core Building upgraded.

Gu Xi surveyed Aryadovi Tower, assigned its wounded red dragons to defend it, and followed Arroyo to a newly revealed defensive complex. He allowed Arroyo to garrison one slot there and named his troops the Black Spear Camp.

• Luna explained the functions and histories of Aryadovi Tower's buildings as Gu Xi's troops finished clearing the battlefield.
• Gu Xi sent raven corpses to the tavern and assigned the injured red dragons to rest at Aryadovi Tower and defend it when needed.
• Arroyo returned and told Gu Xi he had found an outer tower, then led him to a defensive complex beyond the City Gate.
• Gu Xi inspected the six towers and two bastions and found they formed a large garrison with an armory and ammunition depot.
• Gu Xi granted Arroyo one garrison slot and named his troops the Black Spear Camp.

After settling the area around Aryadovi Tower, Gu Xi assigned Luna to build roads and communication points and sent Robbie to patrol the route while seeking resources for his troops. He discovered new rewards, gave the Spearmen Skin to Arroyo’s Black Spear Camp, and left before Arroyo could suggest a new name for the transformed unit.

• Gu Xi returned to Aryadovi Tower, ordered Luna to build roads and owl communication points, and assigned Robbie to patrol and defend the road between the city and the tower.
• Robbie accepted the mission, hoping patrols would provide resources to upgrade the Skeleton Swordsman Battalion, and departed with his troops and the two leaders of the Bonecleaver Battalion.
• Gu Xi examined the battlefield spoils and found a Spearmen Skin, a Crow Lamp, and a Locust Seed that could be used to create an Abandoned Farmland.
• Gu Xi decided to give the Spearmen Skin to Arroyo’s Black Spear Camp and planned to place Crow Lamps along the road and build the Abandoned Farmland far from the city.
• Gu Xi handed the Spearmen Skin to Arroyo, transforming the Black Spear Camp into red-uniformed Tin Soldiers without changing their combat traits, then left before Arroyo could suggest renaming them.

After conquering Aryadovi Tower, Gu Xi returned to the guild and considered how to develop his city despite his shortage of troops. Back at the Teleportation Gate, he learned that battlefields were the fastest way to raise Class Skill levels, but Li Xinghui arrived and stopped him before he could ask more.

• Gu Xi met Luna outside Aryadovi Tower, and she estimated that the cleared land could support a new district with at least three Large Plots, seven Medium Plots, and eleven Small Plots.
• Gu Xi asked Luna whether to expand into the mist or attack Aryadovi City in other eras, but she pointed out that he lacked enough troops to garrison more cities.
• Gu Xi instructed Luna to oversee the city and Victoria City, then exited the destroyed Westminster Abbey Incident dungeon.
• Gu Xi received his Dungeon Crystal and learned that he still needed more Level 4 Class Skills before he could meet the dungeon's requirements.
• A player told Gu Xi that battlefield grinding was the fastest way to raise Class Skill levels, but Li Xinghui arrived and asked him to talk.

Li Xinghui asked Gu Xi to represent the Chaoyang Radiance Guild in the Bailian Grand Ceremony, explaining that it was a sacrifice to protect Bailian Lake from newly appearing worlds. Gu Xi agreed to participate and realized the rules might let him use both Death City and Death Avatar.

• Gu Xi tasted Blood Drain Coffee at the guild café, and Li Xinghui told him the guild wanted him to enter the Bailian Grand Ceremony.
• Li Xinghui explained that a first-place finish would give the guild first pick in Minggu Bone Wind Academy's draft for ten years.
• Li Xinghui said Gu Xi's Death City and Death Avatar could give him an edge because the guild had kept Death Avatar secret.
• Li Xinghui described how the ceremony protected Bailian Lake by targeting new worlds that appeared near Bailian City.
• Gu Xi agreed to participate after learning about the new worlds, then asked whether he could use both Death City and Death Avatar under the troop restrictions.

Gu Xi agreed to represent the Chaoyang Radiance Guild in the Bailian Grand Ceremony after learning the rewards, then spent his remaining days preparing while Luna expanded Aryadovi City. The city reached Level 4 before Gu Xi departed, with Luna set to continue construction according to his instructions.

• Li Xinghui explained that Gu Xi could use Death City and Death Avatar during the ceremony, then offered him rewards for taking first place; Gu Xi agreed to compete.
• The Chaoyang Radiance Guild asked Gu Xi to rest there until the Bailian Grand Ceremony, and he bought Magic Potions and studied undead knowledge in the Radiant Library.
• Luna developed new plots around Aryadovi City and in the Sewer, raising the city to Level 4 before Gu Xi left.
• Gu Xi instructed Luna to build the Eagle Catching Spider Nest and Undead Eye Laboratory, upgrade the Blood-Dripping Alchemy Laboratory, and prepare the Spirit Tomb Laboratory and Blood Field Secluded Residence.

Gu Xi and Li Xinghui headed to the Bailian Grand Ceremony, where they discovered that a rule change had sparked a dispute among the city’s guilds. With Autumn Wind City and Cold Leaf City joining under different rules, the ceremony’s participants faced an uneven contest.

• Gu Xi received Li Xinghui’s message that the Bailian Grand Ceremony was beginning and went with him toward the venue.
• Li Xinghui explained that their guild had joined because of Gu Xi, despite the Guild Master’s reluctance to follow the City Lord’s orders.
• Gu Xi and Li Xinghui stopped to investigate a roadblock where the three major guilds were arguing.
• A Necromancer accused Steel Ghost Claw’s Vice Guild Master of causing the problem by changing the ceremony rules to limit each participant to forty-five city-provided undead.
• Li Xinghui learned that Autumn Wind City and Cold Leaf City had also entered the ceremony, bringing their own post-graduation forces without Bailian City’s restrictions.

Gu Xi urged Bailian City’s players to ignore the ceremony rules and attack participants from Autumn Wind City and Cold Leaf City, then entered the game without taking a Soldier Token. Liu Yongsheng ensured Song Sheng entered with one and changed the ceremony’s death rules so outsiders who died would die for real.

• Li Xinghui told Gu Xi that players from Autumn Wind City and Cold Leaf City had joined the ceremony under new rules that could not be changed before it began.
• Gu Xi called for Bailian City’s players to kill outsiders, and Liu Yongsheng backed him while warning the Steel Ghost Claw Guild Vice Guild Master not to interfere.
• Gu Xi entered the Teleportation Gate without taking a Soldier Token, prompting other novice players to follow his example and enter without tokens.
• Liu Yongsheng kept Song Sheng from entering until the other novice players had gone through, and Song Sheng became the only player to take a Soldier Token.
• After closing the Teleportation Gate, Liu Yongsheng announced that players killed in the ceremony would die for real.