Chapter Summaries

After the sea monster attack, Li Miao learned that Sea Wine Grass could be brewed into liquor and sought a fresh, transplantable supply for Mushroom. The Burial Ship reached Sea Forest, where Zered said they could buy some.

• Zered gave Li Miao Sea Monster Blood liquor, which restored his stamina, and explained that Sea Wine Grass could brew almost anything into liquor.
• Li Miao asked Old Siss about fresh Sea Wine Grass and learned it grew deep underwater, had no seeds, and required special methods to transplant.
• Zered revealed that Hell Dance was brewed from Soul Remnants, and Li Miao realized its painful taste came from the remnants of pure souls lost to the curse.
• The Burial Ship traveled through a spatial rift and arrived at Sea Forest, where a giant tree verified its passage flag.
• Zered explained that Sea Forest was a protected trading region and pointed out that its merchants should sell Sea Wine Grass as the Burial Ship approached the harbor.

Li Miao and the Burial Ship’s crew arrived at Sea Forest, where they changed into human forms and prepared to go ashore. After an unknown one-eyed creature threatened him, Li Miao followed Old Siss into the forest to look for Sea Wine Grass.

• Zered extinguished the flames aboard the Burial Ship and explained that the crew could not use the ship’s full power in human form.
• Fleer warned Li Miao to handle trouble quickly and avoid attracting Sea Forest’s guards.
• The Burial Ship reached the harbor, where a One-Eyed Person threatened Li Miao; Li Miao gestured back, and Zered told him the guards could be bribed.
• Li Miao went ashore and considered why the Wood Spirit Merchants did not bring Candle Spirits to Sea Forest.
• Old Siss returned with two crewmen, and Li Miao followed him into Sea Forest to find Sea Wine Grass.

Li Miao explored Sea Forest with Old Siss, collected goods from grateful merchants, and discovered that the local guards could be persuaded to overlook trouble with Spirit Material. The guards let him go and offered to answer his questions, leaving Li Miao free to ask about the unsettled forest.

• Li Miao admired Sea Forest’s wares, but Old Siss stopped him from paying and persuaded several merchants to give him goods for free.
• Li Miao received two baskets of goods and happily considered the profits he could make reselling them on Candlewood Island.
• While Old Siss checked the supplies, Li Miao wandered off and accidentally knocked a Sea Forest guard to the ground.
• Li Miao apologized and gave the guard Spirit Material, easing the guard’s anger and prompting him to offer information.
• When another guard suggested searching Li Miao, the leader stopped him, explaining that they would not risk provoking someone so powerful.

Li Miao questioned Sea Forest guards about a recent killing spree in Forest Zone No. 7 and learned that a mysterious madman had created something forbidden in the Root Chamber, troubling Arm of Katosas Zorlo. A sudden attack by mutated hounds interrupted their conversation, leaving the youngest guard in danger.

• Li Miao persuaded the guards to relax with him and asked what had unsettled the Sea Forest.
• The lead guard said a madman had caused havoc in Forest Zone No. 7 and reportedly created something forbidden in the Root Chamber, alarming Zorlo.
• Li Miao learned Zorlo had not appeared since giving a speech the day after the incident.
• A commotion broke out as a mutated Sea Forest hound attacked a corpse, and the guards moved to kill it.
• A second mutated hound lunged at the youngest guard, but a chilling gust passed his neck without injuring him.

Li Miao killed mutated hounds that attacked a guard patrol and discovered their bites could turn corpses into contagious mutants. A mysterious One-Eyed Person escaped in Gray Fog, and Sea Forest’s Guard Captain offered to connect Li Miao with work as guards investigated the creatures’ origins.

• Li Miao killed two mutated hounds and stopped a bitten corpse from mutating by piercing its skull and heart.
• The lead guard thanked Li Miao, summoned help, and kept the crowd away from the contagious corpses.
• The One-Eyed Person appeared beside the corpse, laughed, and vanished as Gray Fog before Li Miao could capture him.
• Sea Forest’s Guard Captain arrived, sensed Li Miao’s immense Warfire, and offered to introduce him to someone with work.
• Guards identified the attackers as transformed Scale Hounds from Sea Forest’s root layer and wondered whether Candlewood Island was responsible, startling Li Miao.

Li Miao learned that Sea Forest suspected Candlewood Island of causing the recent trouble, and he insisted the island was being framed. After a diseased guard mutated, Guard Captain Qilong brought Li Miao to the Governor, who showed him a half-broken azure Small Candle.

• Li Miao told Guard Captain Qilong that he came from Candlewood Island and denied that the island had arranged attacks on Sea Forest.
• Spirit Candle assigned Li Miao the special mission The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, and Old Siss agreed to handle the Sea Wine Grass while Li Miao investigated.
• A guard was infected by liquid from a diseased hound and mutated, prompting Qilong to order him restrained and take Li Miao to the Governor.
• The Governor examined Li Miao, said he detected no scent of lies, and presented him with a half-broken azure Small Candle.

Li Miao discovered that the Consul wanted his help treating Arm of Katosas Zorlo, who was dying from lesions left by a mysterious broken candle. Li Miao used the Pearl of Suffering to absorb much of Zorlo’s affliction, but the lesions continued spreading, and Zorlo stood ready to fight Candlewood Island anyway.

• The Consul told Li Miao that Zorlo had contracted lesions while defeating someone in Sea Forest, and that a broken candle had been found beside the culprit’s corpse.
• Li Miao insisted Candlewood Island was being framed, then tested whether the Pearl of Suffering could heal another person by having the Guard Captain activate it with Warfire.
• Li Miao brought the Pearl of Suffering to Zorlo, who struggled to activate it with his weakened Warfire.
• The Pearl of Suffering absorbed Zorlo’s pus, wounds, and lesions, restoring much of his strength before it filled and stopped working.
• Zorlo learned that his injuries were not fully cured and the lesions were still spreading, but he tore out the vine sustaining him and declared he would fight Candlewood Island.

Li Miao questioned Zorlo and Zien about the mutation attack and learned that Zien had spent years searching for others like himself. The chapter left Li Miao suspecting the One-Eyed Person was linked to Sea Forest’s mutations, while Zien recognized them as his fellow clansman.

• Zorlo told Li Miao that his attacker could use mutation powers and summon weapons and equipment like a player, then suggested asking Zien for more information.
• Zered arrived with Zien, and Zien asked Li Miao to stay in Sea Forest so the Pearl of Suffering could continue treating Zorlo.
• Li Miao agreed to stay but warned Zien to seek other treatments, then described the One-Eyed Person he had seen near the Mutated Scale Dog.
• Zien removed his hood, revealing his single eye, and Li Miao realized he resembled the One-Eyed Person.
• Zien explained that he had been born with one arm and one eye in a great tomb, and that he had come to Sea Forest hoping to find his fellow clansmen.

Li Miao learned more about Zorlo, Zien, and the Governor while the Pearl of Suffering continued to recover and gave him hope of curing Zorlo’s mutation. After collecting Sea Wine Grass, Li Miao entered Sea Forest and was ambushed by a group of locals.

• Zien left to search Sea Forest for his kin and continued looking for ways to treat Zorlo.
• Zorlo told Li Miao that the Governor had founded Sea Forest, and that Zorlo had survived in a coffin because of a wrist that did not belong to him.
• Li Miao confirmed that the Pearl of Suffering was slowly restoring itself and believed it could cure Zorlo’s mutation.
• Old Siss gave Li Miao two boxes of Sea Wine Grass and explained how to transplant it, and Li Miao thanked him with flame fuel and cigars.
• Li Miao entered Sea Forest in plain clothes, where a woman and two men lured him into a corner and attacked him; he knocked them out and confronted the young attacker.

Li Miao learned that Sea Forest’s refugees were trapped in poverty and controlled by the Rotten Leaves, then explored their Lower Level. There he found Rotten Leaves members planning to use a dull, muscular man as bait for a monster in a Legacy Land.

• A starving young man explained that outsiders could not settle or find work in Sea Forest without the Rotten Leaves’ approval and costly bribes.
• Li Miao gave the young man flame materials and asked him to show where the refugees lived, then continued into the Lower Level alone.
• Li Miao saw Rotten Leaves patrols guarding wooden dwellings and approached a commotion nearby.
• Rotten Leaves members mocked a tall, dull-faced man as he ate stones and filthy leaves.
• The Rotten Leaves leader proposed feeding the man to a monster in a Legacy Land so they could attack it while it ate.

Li Miao rescued Aiver from the Rotten Leaves and learned that Aiver’s brother Airi had once tried to reform the Lower Level before dying mysteriously. Aiver followed Li Miao, who drove off a hostile crowd by revealing the Saint's Fire Aspect.

• Li Miao killed a lackey who attacked him and subdued the Rotten Leaves boss with his aura.
• The Rotten Leaves boss told Li Miao that Aiver was bullied after his intelligent brother Airi died and vanished, leaving the Lower Level to fall back into corruption.
• Li Miao criticized the boss and his followers for supporting a system that harmed them, then freed Aiver from the Rotten Leaves.
• Li Miao invited Aiver to leave with him, and Aiver quietly followed when Li Miao walked away.
• A crowd confronted Li Miao, but its members fled after recognizing the Saint's Fire Aspect.

Li Miao returned to Sea Forest and cured Zorlo, then asked the Governor and Zien why the Lower Level was so poorly managed. He learned that Sea Forest’s costly portals, flame fuel needs, limited guards, and shrinking land had forced it to rely on Rotten Leaves, leaving order fragile.

• Li Miao brought Aiver to the Burial Ship, where Zered sensed that Aiver’s soul was unusual, then left Aiver settled in an empty room.
• Li Miao returned to Zorlo’s hospital room and absorbed the remaining lesions, curing him completely.
• Zorlo thanked Li Miao and said he could not find the One-Eyed Person because the man’s ship had already sailed away.
• Li Miao asked Zorlo, the Governor, and Zien why conditions were so bad in Sea Forest’s Lower Level.
• Zien and the Governor explained that maintaining portals and supporting powerful flames consumed Sea Forest’s resources, while the guard force and available land were limited.
• The Governor said Sea Forest relied on Rotten Leaves to manage the Lower Level cheaply, and Zorlo said they had grown bolder while he was bedridden.

Li Miao learned why Sea Forest refused Candlewood Island’s protection and accepted Zorlo’s Thunder Bracers before preparing to leave. The Governor sent him a lavish gift, which Zered nearly claimed for himself.

• The Governor rejected Li Miao’s offer to bring Sea Forest under Candlewood Island’s protection, insisting that Sea Forest would endure without a god or faction.
• Zien and Zorlo explained that the Governor considered accepting protection a violation of his beliefs and that he had once threatened to expel Zorlo for suggesting it.
• Li Miao asked about Aiver, but Zorlo and Zien could not explain what made him special; Zorlo then gave Li Miao his Thunder Bracers.
• Li Miao said Candlewood Island would establish contact with Sea Forest and asked Zorlo and Zien to notify him if the Salary Seizer or Ashes threatened them again.
• As Li Miao prepared to leave aboard the Burial Ship, the Guard Captain delivered gifts from the Governor, and Zered eagerly celebrated before realizing the gifts were meant for Li Miao.

Li Miao returned from Sea Forest aboard the Burial Ship while Rogue assessed the threat Fallen Fire Twilight or Ashes posed to Candlewood Island and planned to build ties with Sea Forest. The chapter left Rogue preparing to contact Sea Forest, while Li Miao visited Aiver with food.

• Li Miao checked on Aiver, gathered items to send back to Candlewood Island, and later lost jewels while playing games with the Burial Ship crew.
• Rogue reviewed Sea Forest’s unusual strengths and how its leaders had kept it alive without divine aid.
• Rogue suspected Fallen Fire Twilight or Ashes had caused Zorlo’s mutation and framed Candlewood Island to provoke conflict with Sea Forest.
• Rogue decided to seek contact with Sea Forest and recruit natives and Feral Fire for exploration teams without forcing them to join.
• Li Miao brought food to Aiver’s cabin after leaving the game.

Li Miao learned that Aiver could understand him, though not other people, and that Aiver had endured abuse because his brother told him never to hurt anyone. When Li Miao taught him to defend himself, Aiver's punch scattered a Burial Skeleton's soul, revealing his special ability.

• Li Miao fed Aiver and discovered he could understand and speak, though he had been eating plates and stones because he could not distinguish food from other things.
• Aiver told Li Miao that he could understand only his deceased brother and Li Miao, and that he had endured pain because his brother told him not to hurt others.
• Li Miao told Aiver to fight back against anyone who hurt him, then tested his response by giving a dagger to a Burial Skeleton.
• Aiver punched the Burial Skeleton and scattered its soul with a gust of force, then did the same again after Zered revived it.
• Zered repaired the Burial Skeleton and told Li Miao that Aiver's attacks seemed able to strike souls directly.

Li Miao learned that dragons were defined by their power rather than their appearance as the Burial Ship neared its destination. Zered revealed that their journey was taking them somewhere connected to dragons.

• Li Miao asked Zered about Aiver's soul-attacking power, but Zered suggested asking Iota, who also had no answers.
• Players on Candlewood Island explored Spirit Candle's new fragmented-region dungeons and debated their stories and difficulty.
• As the Burial Ship neared the end of its journey, Zered told Li Miao they would part after completing their job and invited him to drink.
• Li Miao asked about their destination, and Zered revealed it was connected to dragons.
• Iota explained that dragons were a bloodline marked by extraordinary power, not a specific appearance.

Li Miao and Zered sailed the Burial Ship into the Grave Sea, hoping to find dragon bones. After discovering a bone-burrowing creature, Li Miao urged Zered to use his pointer to search for dragons.

• Iota explained that dragons were powerful bloodlines that could pass through any race, and that their descendants might develop horns and grotesque forms.
• Zered revealed that the Burial Ship was headed for the Grave Sea and showed Li Miao a horn-shaped pointer he hoped would lead them to dragon bones.
• Zered led the Burial Ship through a spatial rift into the Grave Sea, where countless bones floated on the water.
• Li Miao hooked up a hollow fish skeleton and found a sharp-toothed creature burrowing inside it, which he named a Marrow Worm.
• Li Miao put the Marrow Worm and its bone in a bucket, while Zered and the Burial Skeletons worried that the sea was full of the creatures.
• Li Miao told Zered to use his pointer to look for dragon bones.

Li Miao, Zered, and Iota followed the Dragon Bone Compass to Skeletal Island, fighting off skeletal creatures and finding two monsters with Dragon's Horns. Zered captured one of them, but Iota explained that its special abilities could not be judged after its soul had been pulled out.

• Zered used the Dragon Bone Compass to steer the Burial Ship toward a Bone Island, where a Skeletal Whale rammed the vessel.
• Zered hooked the Skeletal Whale's soul and destroyed its body, then explained that resentful souls could assemble Marrow Worms into Bone Monsters.
• The Burial Ship reached Skeletal Island, and Zered, Li Miao, and Iota set out to follow the compass while Zered easily dismantled the skeletal creatures in their way.
• Iota identified a horned giant snake as a dragon hybrid and explained the classifications of dragons to Li Miao.
• Li Miao spotted a second horned creature in a skeletal nest, and Zered pulled the giant snake's soul free before Iota remarked that Dragon's Horns had special abilities.

Li Miao, Zered, and Iota tested the Dragon's Horn abilities of two Dragon Hybrids on Bone Island, then returned to the Burial Ship and followed Fleer on a mission beneath the Grave Sea. They reached the center of a vast seabed structure built from bones, where the mission continued.

• Zered tested the Giant Snake Hybrid's venom ability on himself and found its poison had no effect on his bones.
• Li Miao fought the Avian Hybrid, killed it, and took its horn while Zered captured its soul.
• The three searched Bone Island, found little beyond Bone Monsters, and returned to the Burial Ship.
• Zered left Fleer to lead the mission while he went to sleep, and Li Miao followed Fleer underwater in the Submersible Ghost Submarine.
• Li Miao discovered Bone Octopuses arranging bones into structures on the seabed, and he followed Fleer and Keflo through the Bone Monsters to the structure's center.

Li Miao discovered the source of the Grave Sea’s bones and souls, then watched Zered’s crew capture the tentacled mouth and depart. Rogue suspected Sugyur’s goal went beyond the Grave Sea’s Fragmented Core, but its true purpose remained unknown.

• Li Miao found a huge tentacled mouth spewing bones and souls at the Grave Sea’s center, and realized it sustained the Marrow Worms and Bone Monsters.
• Fleer and Keflo attacked the mouth, then used the Burial Ship’s Anchor Hook to drag it toward the surface as the Bone Architecture collapsed.
• Li Miao searched the creature’s former location and found that it had touched the Dark Boundary, then returned to the Burial Ship.
• Zered prepared to take Li Miao back and seek help against the Burial Ship’s curse, then gave him a rotten arm Kahel had sent as a means of contacting Candlefire.
• The Burial Ship sailed away as the Grave Sea collapsed, while Rogue wondered why Sugyur wanted the tentacled mouth and suspected its purpose was not the Fragmented Core.