Chapter Summaries

Joshua tried to question the captured High Elf Aurelian, but she refused to cooperate despite her hunger. He offered cake to the Patrol Team, and Tikena accepted while Aurelian and the others resisted.

• Aurelian resolved to escape and report her capture to the Council of Elders, but Ciri caught her trying to cut through her ropes with a hidden dagger.
• Joshua returned with Strawberry Cake and offered food before questioning the captives peacefully.
• Tikena accepted Joshua's offer and was untied, then hurried over to eat the cake.
• Aurelian called Tikena a traitor while the remaining High Elves refused the food and Joshua prepared to continue questioning them.

Joshua kept the captured High Elf Patrollers in the Hearthstone tavern while explaining the World Tree’s plans to Zhi Ye, who agreed to help calm her kin by rescuing them. Zhi Ye freed Aurelian and the other two High Elves, but warned them that they were still not safe.

• Joshua told Zhi Ye that the World Tree opposed releasing Aurelian and the other High Elf Patrollers, and might reduce the High Elf population to conserve its weakening energy.
• Zhi Ye tried to leave and inform the Council of Elders, but Joshua stopped her and warned that doing so could escalate the conflict into war.
• Joshua gave Zhi Ye keys and let her rescue the captured High Elves inside the tavern, while Ciri noted that he had treated her similarly.
• Aurelian and the other two High Elves waited bound and blindfolded in a room, unable to use their magic.
• Zhi Ye entered, cut the High Elves free, and warned Aurelian that they were still in danger.

Zhi Ye helped Aurelian and the other High Elves escape their room, but they discovered the tavern was protected by a magic barrier and ran deeper into the building. Joshua and Ciri watched their escape, while Joshua planned to keep the elves confined until they adapted to life in the tavern.

• Zhi Ye offered the hungry High Elves buns, but Aurelian and her companions refused to eat food they considered contemptuous charity.
• Aurelian led the group into the corridor and found a sealed window protected by icy magic runes, which froze her dagger and alerted the Frost Elf.
• Aurelian ordered the elves to run, while Zhi Ye noticed a white cat watching their escape from the shadows.
• Joshua and Ciri watched the elves on the Magic Net, and Joshua explained that he intended to keep them inside the tavern until they adapted.
• Joshua pointed out that another High Elf was willingly playing Hearthstone with Arl and had beaten her five times in a row.

Aurelian and her companions fled undead on the manor’s second floor, then found refuge on the ruined third floor. While keeping watch, Aurelian discovered a film playing below, and Zhi Ye recognized it and suggested they find somewhere else to rest.

• Skeletons chased Aurelian and her companions through the second-floor corridor, then stopped at the stairs to the third floor.
• Zhi Ye led the exhausted group to a ruined room where they could rest, and Aurelian insisted on taking watch.
• Alone in the corridor, Aurelian cried over her fear and humiliation before hearing loud human voices nearby.
• Aurelian found a hole in the floor and watched a recording of a man slaughtering people in a building.
• Zhi Ye joined Aurelian, recognized the film as Leon: The Professional, and solemnly suggested they find another place to rest.

Aurelian and her companions watched Leon: The Professional on a screen, becoming absorbed in the story of Mathilda and the brutal killing of her family. When the film ended, Aurelian realized two hours had passed, while Wen Naen was left grieving and eager to know what happened next.

• Aurelian rested while Zhi Ye kept watch and listened to the sounds coming from the screen downstairs.
• A magical explosion woke Aurelian and her companions, and they watched enforcers massacre a family accused of hiding a Magic Addiction Stone.
• Aurelian became captivated by the surviving girl, Mathilda, as she pretended not to know the enforcers and begged Léon to let her in.
• Aurelian and her companions watched Léon and Mathilda's story in silence until the credits appeared.
• Aurelian discovered that two hours had passed, while Wen Naen mourned Léon's death and asked what would happen to Mathilda.

Zhi Ye and Aurelian explored their confinement, discovered a hidden laboratory, and turned it into a temporary refuge. Aurelian remained determined to escape despite the danger and Zhi Ye’s efforts to reassure her.

• Wen Naen asked Zhi Ye whether she had met Mathilda, and Zhi Ye denied it while keeping the truth about the film from the High Elves.
• Aurelian found a mechanism in the floor, and Zhi Ye and her companions opened a hidden passage through a bookshelf and an illusionary wall.
• Aurelian and the others explored the laboratory, then searched unsuccessfully for another exit and made the room their base.
• Aurelian worried that they would have to wait for rescue, but she insisted she could not simply wait, leaving Zhi Ye concerned about her defiance.

Elder Sindonal learned from Astrologer Queitoan that humans had once brought disaster to Aserkelo, but he still sought a way to save the city as it descended. Joshua agreed to prove the World Tree could gain power through human admiration and chose Arl for the demonstration.

• Astrologer Queitoan showed Elder Sindonal a vision of humans arriving in ancient Aserkelo and the catastrophe that nearly destroyed the High Elves.
• Queitoan told Sindonal to remember never to trust the Profaners, then agreed to support Joshua if Joshua proved he could save Aserkelo.
• As Aserkelo shook and began descending, Sindonal asked whether his granddaughter's continued life was connected to the Forgotten One.
• Joshua told Sindonal he would arrange a demonstration in two days and assured him the World Tree would receive ample energy.
• Joshua chose Arl as the High Elf humans would admire, despite Sindonal's doubts about her suitability.

Joshua planned a Holy Spirit exhibition match to help Arl become an idol, inviting skilled players and announcing the event on the Spellcaster Forum. He ended the night preparing to play Holy Spirit with Ciri while Arl trained under Foya for the match in two days.

• Joshua told Ciri he would promote Arl with a Holy Spirit exhibition match on Magic Web Vision, featuring popular creators.
• Ciri said Foya was a top-ranked player who had beaten her badly, so Joshua invited Foya to help keep Arl from playing too poorly.
• Joshua also invited Thunder Crystal and planned to select the remaining two players from the audience.
• Joshua posted the exhibition match announcement, which quickly drew replies on the Spellcaster Forum.
• Joshua told Ciri that the High Elves seemed to be hiding secrets and that his headache still came and went.
• After learning that Arl had taken Foya as her mentor, Joshua and Ciri logged onto the Magic Web to play Holy Spirit.

After Yevirk Serpent hunted a Barren Python, Luo Na taught the group how to harvest its materials and returned to camp, where Ke Ya asked to skip the afternoon hunt to watch a Holy Spirit tournament. He discovered that several fellow mercenaries also played Magic Web games, and Reyek gave the group the afternoon off.

• Luo Na filmed Yevirk Serpent celebrating its successful hunt, then demonstrated how to harvest materials from the Barren Python.
• Ke Ya urged Reyek to recruit Lin Ya as a potion master, while Morris recommended Wu Bai; Reyek said he would consider their suggestions.
• Ke Ya asked to stay in camp, and Luo Na exposed his excuse before Ke Ya admitted he wanted to watch a game program.
• Luo Na and Morris revealed they played Magic Web games and planned to watch the Holy Spirit tournament featuring Princess Foya.
• Reyek granted the group the afternoon off, and Yevirk Serpent cheered.

Astrologer Queitoan entered the Forgotten Land to meet Joshua and the Forgotten One, struggling to suppress his hatred of the Profaners who had destroyed Aserkelo. As Joshua prepared a livestream with Arl, a joke about sacrificing her convinced both Arl and Queitoan that sacrifice might be the Sacred Tree’s plan, though Queitoan objected that Arl was not a suitable candidate.

• Queitoan awoke from a nightmare about Aserkelo’s destruction and traveled to the Forgotten Land after the Sacred Tree urged him to accept the Forgotten One.
• Elder Sindonal told Queitoan that Arl was the key to saving Aserkelo and led him to the Hearthstone tavern.
• Queitoan met Joshua and fought to contain his killing intent when he sensed the aura of the Profaners who had murdered his family.
• Arl prepared for a Sacred Spirit livestream while Joshua told Sindonal that she might be sacrificed for Faith Power.
• Arl earnestly asked Joshua to sacrifice her to the Thunder God, and Queitoan accepted the possibility as the Sacred Tree’s will before declaring Arl unsuitable.

Joshua introduced Arl to the Magic Web audience through a livestream, drawing thousands of viewers and a growing flow of faith power. Queitoan realized the livestream could help the Sacred Tree, while Joshua left him bewildered by the humans’ interest in Arl.

• Queitoan offered himself to the Sacred Tree, but Joshua and the human girl walked away before he finished his speech.
• Elder Sindonal told Queitoan that Joshua’s method was not actually a sacrifice.
• Arl began her first livestream, speaking to viewers through the Magic Web Interface.
• Queitoan noticed Faint Light Particles gathering around Arl and demanded to know what Joshua had done.
• Joshua showed Queitoan Arl’s livestream and its rising viewer count, which had passed ten thousand.
• Queitoan asked why so many humans wanted to see Arl, and Joshua answered, “Selling cuteness?”

Queitoan discovered that human affection for Arl was replenishing the Sacred Tree, while Joshua explained that her popularity came from her own efforts. Watching Arl play a Holy Spirit match as the hero Camusikna, Queitoan learned the character represented his long-dead mother and saw humans remember her as a hero.

• Queitoan realized that the Faith Power surrounding Arl came from humans who admired and loved her.
• Joshua told Queitoan that Arl had earned her popularity through her own abilities and that he had only provided a platform.
• Arl began a Holy Spirit match with Foya and Thunder Crystal, drawing a growing crowd of comments from viewers.
• Queitoan recognized the hero Camusikna as his deceased mother, and Joshua showed him the character's background and offered to delete her if it upset him.
• Queitoan watched Arl control Camusikna and saw humans debate the hero's abilities while remembering her as the elven race's Harbinger.

Joshua watched Arl struggle in a Holy Spirit match against top-ranked players and explained the ladder and her progress to Queitoan. The battle turned against Arl's team, but Joshua said her late-game hero had not lost yet.

• Arl died repeatedly while playing bottom lane with Thunder Crystal, and viewers criticized her poor performance.
• Joshua realized that Foya and Thunder Crystal's individualistic playstyles left Arl without protection, while their opponents were exceptionally strong.
• Queitoan asked Joshua about the ladder, and Joshua explained how wins and losses changed players' rankings.
• Light Chaser killed Foya, shifting the battle's momentum toward the opposing team.
• Joshua told Queitoan that Arl had risen from outside the top ten thousand to somewhere in the top thousand and was still learning to play.
• Joshua said Arl's Elf Vanguard grew stronger later in the match, so she had not lost yet.

The wounded Black-robed One escaped an ambush by Profaners in the Deep Green Basin and reached Nolan through the Forgotten Land’s teleportation portal. Frost Axe sheltered him, where he discovered that Nolan widely used Joshua’s Magic Web and that Frost Axe emitted Faith Power.

• The Black-robed One emerged in the Deep Green Basin, learned that Profaners planned to attack Aserkelo, and was badly wounded when they ambushed him.
• Unable to return to Aserkelo because the Council of Elders had cut him off, the Black-robed One traveled through the Forgotten Land portal and collapsed beside Frost Axe in Nolan.
• Frost Axe arranged for the Black-robed One’s wounds to be treated and sent word to the Council of Sages.
• The Black-robed One mistook Frost Axe’s Magic Web interface for Profaner technology, and Frost Axe explained that people across Nolan used the network Joshua had made.
• The Black-robed One saw Faith Power rising from Frost Axe and noticed that Frost Axe’s Magic Web character was Arl.

The Black-robed One discovered that Nolan’s Magic Web and Tylinn’s singing had drawn widespread faith to the High Elves’ World Tree. After Frost Axe called him an outdated bard, he was left watching another sphere of faith rise from the Dwarf.

• Frost Axe explained that he was watching Arl’s livestream and told the injured Black-robed One that Nolan’s residents used the Magic Web.
• The Black-robed One saw Faith Power rising throughout the Dwarf city and learned that its residents believed in the High Elves’ World Tree.
• Frost Axe explained that Tylinn’s songs on Nolan Radio reached far more listeners than the Black-robed One’s old street performances.
• The Black-robed One realized Tylinn had gained widespread popularity without a church or deliberate effort to make her a deity.
• Frost Axe called the Black-robed One an outdated bard, while another sphere of Faith Power rose from Frost Axe toward the High Elves’ World Tree.

The Black-robed One witnessed Arl’s livestream gathering an extraordinary amount of Faith Power from its viewers, while Queitoan asked Joshua how the High Elves could follow her example. Joshua offered to train Queitoan’s kin and revealed that his granddaughter Aurelian was in the tavern, prompting him to go see her.

• The Black-robed One watched Frost Axe and the underground city’s Dwarves grow excited over Arl’s game and saw their Faith Power brighten after she scored kills.
• Queitoan observed Arl’s growing influence during the livestream and asked Joshua whether another High Elf could achieve the same result.
• Joshua said Arl’s talent and luck made her exceptional, then offered to train High Elves after Queitoan resolved conflicts among his people.
• Queitoan revealed that his granddaughter Aurelian had disappeared during the Forgotten Land expedition and that his divination placed her in the tavern.
• Joshua told Queitoan to go upstairs and see Aurelian for himself.

Queitoan explored the second floor of the building and found that the missing High Elves had formed a safe base and were watching videos. He recognized Wen Naen at the end, leaving him to reconsider how comfortably the captives were living.

• Queitoan encountered four undead soldiers on the second floor, but Lika Simu destroyed them with arrows and led him away from approaching undead.
• Lika Simu told Queitoan that captured High Elves had lost their connection to the sacred tree and were searching for food, then brought him to their base on the third floor.
• Queitoan found the missing High Elf Patroller squads resting at the base and watched them hurry off to see a video called “Beauty and the Demon.”
• Queitoan discovered the High Elves gathered in a screening hall, apparently unharmed and excited by the show.
• Wen Naen appeared behind Queitoan, and he remarked that the High Elves seemed to be living comfortably.

Aurelian and the High Elf strategy group fought their way through Hearthstone matches in the Forgotten Land, defeating Thaddius and reaching the ice dragon Sapphiron. After a failed attempt against Sapphiron, Aurelian built a Hunter deck and turned to discuss it, only to find Elder Queitoan among the group.

• Aurelian defeated Thaddius by using Sylvanas and Execute, widening the window that offered a way out of the Forgotten Land.
• Aurelian began a Mage match against Sapphiron, whose Hero Power destroyed all minions that were not Frozen.
• Aurelian lost the match and searched the card collection for a strategy to defeat Sapphiron.
• Aurelian built a Hunter deck with Charge and direct-damage cards, then turned and found Elder Queitoan standing among the High Elves.

Queitoan brought Aurelian to meet Joshua and asked him to help prepare her to become an elder, believing Joshua could help save Aserkelo. Aurelian objected to befriending a Profaner, but Joshua agreed to correct her Chuunibyou.

• Queitoan ordered Wen Enna to prepare the imprisoned High Elves to leave, then summoned Aurelian to accompany him.
• Queitoan praised Aurelian for leading the captive High Elves and asked whether she still wanted to join the Council of Elders.
• Queitoan introduced Aurelian to Joshua, who was watching Arl play Holy Spirit in the Hearthstone tavern.
• Aurelian challenged Joshua and Queitoan over the High Elves' past hostility toward the Profaners.
• Queitoan admitted his lingering hatred but pleaded with Joshua to train Aurelian or another High Elf to help save Aserkelo.
• Joshua accepted Queitoan's plea and called out to Aurelian, intending to correct her Chuunibyou.

Joshua confronted Aurelian with the costs of her food, movies, and Hearthstone cards, then offered her work at the tavern to repay what she owed. After Aurelian collapsed from refusing to eat, Joshua returned her Card Box, but a new tremor shook all of Aserkelo.

• Joshua showed Aurelian the ledger and claimed she owed around three thousand gold coins for food, though Ciri confirmed Aurelian had not eaten any of it.
• Joshua accused Aurelian of watching movies and keeping an expensive Hearthstone Card Box, and offered her a tavern job or asked her to return it.
• Aurelian reluctantly handed over the Card Box, but the white cat left her and she collapsed from exhaustion.
• Joshua returned the Card Box to Aurelian and discussed with Queitoan whether she could take on responsibilities like Arl.
• A sudden tremor shook all of Aserkelo, giving Joshua a bad premonition.