Chapter Summaries

News of Lioz’s victory over the Machine World Society spread across the starry skies, drawing the attention of Grina Vortex, who decided she wanted to recruit him. Meanwhile, reporters and monks searched for Lioz at Valkyrie Fortress but could not find him.

• Reports spread that Lioz had led his Implant Equipment Vanguard to defeat the Machine World Society and save White Candle Star.
• Grina Vortex concluded that Lioz was seeking a place in the Heroes Empire and ordered Vulcan to send him an entry ticket.
• Grina saw a battlefield projection of Lioz and declared that she wanted him as one of her treasures.
• Winter Curtain Civilization reporters failed to get information about Lioz from Olavier at the Heroic Spirit Bar.
• The reporters left Valkyrie Fortress, where two monks from the Temple of Annihilation were also waiting for Lioz.

The chapter followed observers discussing Lioz’s value and the role of Star Abyss before Xia Yubing celebrated her birthday with Jiao Ziniu. The ancient book he gave her revealed a biography of Gaia Covert, leaving Xia Yubing and Jiao Ziniu with a new mystery to investigate.

• Two observers concluded that Lioz would attract Narrative Civilizations’ attention and discussed how Star Abyss shaped the loyalty and prospects of powerful recruits.
• The observers headed to White Candle Star to conduct a field interview on the battlefield.
• Xia Yubing read forum leaks about the approaching version update and hoped to catch up to Jiao Ziniu and reach the cosmos.
• Jiao Ziniu arrived late to Xia Yubing’s birthday celebration and gave her an ancient book he had found among archaeological artifacts.
• Xia Yubing identified the book’s language as English and translated its title as a personal biography of Ether Civilization Archon Gaia Covert.

Li Aoz defeated White Knight Yuhelai on Azure Planet, completed his mission, and returned to his main body on White Candle Star. He extracted Zonia’s Shadow Assault and began preparing to obtain his fifth Sequence Aoneng and join the Heroes Empire.

• Bellringer Horst stopped time and repeatedly resurrected White Shark, but Li Aoz destroyed him each time and ultimately crushed him beneath a shattered mountain.
• Li Aoz caught the exhausted White Shark after he emerged from the rubble and killed him, advancing to Bronze Hunter.
• Li Aoz discovered that Zonia’s unfinished Social Institution depended on Yuhelai, traded it to his main body, and completed his Azure Planet mission.
• Back on White Candle Star, Li Aoz extracted Shadow Assault from Zonia’s staff, killing her, then combined several Aoneng abilities over five hours.
• Li Aoz restored his accumulated Aoneng to ten and planned to find Extreme Dark Matter before seeking admission to the Heroes Empire.

Li Aoz considered joining the Empire and decided to lie low while preparing to buy White Candle Star and build its interstellar connections. After studying battlefield memoirs, he recognized the importance of logistics and planned to strengthen the planet’s ability to sustain itself before beginning his Overlord Class path.

• Li Aoz concluded that the Empire would be a suitable place to join because its Overlord Class practitioners faced little competition for resources.
• Nastisha informed Li Aoz that White Candle Star would lose its educational status and become an independent planet, and he deduced that the Crystal Tower had moved the Eye of Discernment fragment elsewhere.
• Li Aoz decided to save enough to buy White Candle Star and planned routes connecting it to Azure Planet and Valkyrie Fortress.
• Li Aoz read battlefield memoirs and learned that logistics and supply lines often mattered more than individual combat power in interstellar warfare.
• Li Aoz decided to strengthen White Candle Star’s logistical capabilities while he lay low, before pursuing the Overlord Class path.

Jiao Ziniu arrived at the international Star Abyss individual competition, with Xia Yubing encouraging him to overcome his nerves. After verifying his competition character and entering the competition server, he prepared for his first match on a randomly selected planet.

• Jiao Ziniu grew nervous about facing international competitors, and Xia Yubing convinced him not to withdraw by warning him about the backlash and promising a gift if he reached the quarterfinals.
• Jiao Ziniu checked in and verified his athlete information and his level-80 character, Caramel Snail, including its abilities and equipment.
• Jiao Ziniu entered the Game Pod and descended into the competition server on Leisde-116 Planet.
• Caramel Snail emerged in the competitors' preparation area, surveyed the terrain, and noted that the first match was not on his home field.

Caramel Snail faced Agincourt mage Jean Reno Léopardon in the first match of their best-of-three competition. After Reno’s traps and spells failed to stop him, Caramel Snail revealed his Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint ability and destroyed Reno’s Oily Monster, leaving Reno surprised by his use of Aoneng.

• Caramel Snail assessed the village battlefield and met Reno, a Fiendkin mage from Agincourt, before they were teleported into the combat zone.
• When the match began, Caramel Snail escaped Reno’s fireball attack, spotted him in the church, and charged—only to strike a decoy puppet.
• Caramel Snail blocked Reno’s follow-up attack and countered with his blood-pressure implant cannon, then discovered a camouflaged golem had turned the floor to mud.
• Caramel Snail destroyed the golem with a Pyroblast Magic Scroll and advanced against Reno’s Arcane Missiles and Oily Monster.
• Caramel Snail summoned an Evil Spirit Samurai with his Soul-Inscribed Sword Saint ability, pulverizing the Oily Monster and part of the house.
• Reno asked if Caramel Snail had used Aoneng, and Caramel Snail said Li Aoz had given it to him.

Caramel Snail defeated the Agincourt District’s top mage, Reno, in a close tournament match and learned that his opponent was a world-ranked player. After recovering from the surprise victory, he prepared to face Reno again with his prized Tachi of Shadowy Edge.

• Caramel Snail used his Aoneng abilities and a risky close-range attack to overcome Reno’s magic and win the first round.
• Xia Yubing told Caramel Snail that Reno was coissant, the fourth-ranked player in Star Abyss and the top mage in the Agincourt District.
• Caramel Snail read his friends’ congratulatory messages, regained his confidence, and reflected on how his five years of preparation had made him stronger.
• Saga Akira encouraged Caramel Snail to keep moving forward, and Caramel Snail resolved to give the next round everything he had.
• Caramel Snail drew the Tachi of Shadowy Edge and invited Reno to visit White Candle Star before they prepared to continue their match.

Caramel Snail advanced to the Star Abyss S1 Individual Match semifinals, while Li Aoz reflected on his growing power and the plans he had made for White Candle Star. After reviewing invitations and an ownership auction notice, he focused on bidding for a planet of his own.

• Caramel Snail defeated several opponents and reached the semifinals, impressing Li Aoz with his growth.
• Li Aoz recalled how the Crystal Tower Civilization abandoned most of White Candle Star’s population and how he brought players from Azure Planet to help rebuild the planet.
• Li Aoz planned to bring five million players to White Candle Star and open a route to Agincourt for more immigrants.
• Li Aoz reviewed his Aoneng progress and decided to complete his second advancement profession, Moonstring Bishop.
• Li Aoz examined the White Candle Star ownership auction documents and resolved to pursue ownership of the planet.

Li Aoz prepared to buy White Candle Star and secure recognition from the Stratum Abyss Interstellar Alliance, clearing the planet of Society remnants and completing the required inspections. As the auction began, he saw that White Candle Star’s estimated price was dangerously high, leaving his purchase uncertain.

• Li Aoz decided to seek Interstellar Alliance membership so White Candle Star could become a recognized sovereign planet and a springboard for sending players into space.
• Li Aoz cleared Machine World Society and Hidden Society remnants from White Candle Star, completed inspections, and paid influential figures to smooth the application process.
• Li Aoz reviewed the Crystal Tower Civilization’s auction, where planets and their native populations were treated as commodities for wealthy insiders.
• Li Aoz saw White Candle Star listed as the grand finale at an estimated eighty million Ammonium Gold and suspected the Crystal Tower wanted one last big haul.

Li Aoz and Nikita examined Crystal Tower’s planetary auction, hoping to buy valuable worlds before bidding on White Candle Star. After repeatedly losing apparent bargains, Li Aoz suspected Crystal Tower had reserved the best planets for favored buyers to draw Ammonium Gold into its reserves, and he considered how the war might be driving the scheme.

• Li Aoz reviewed Nikita’s research on Qualia-Direction and other primordial races, then asked him to assess the auction’s planets.
• Nikita identified several promising worlds, but Li Aoz focused his limited budget on preparing for the sale of White Candle Star.
• Li Aoz bid on Ister Star after Nikita revealed its ancient Stargate, but other bidders drove the price to 56.09 million Ammonium Gold.
• Li Aoz and Nikita spotted more apparent bargains, yet each was rapidly bought by other participants before Li Aoz could secure it.
• Li Aoz studied the bidding records and noticed Nos. 016, 190, and 122 repeatedly competed for the most valuable low-priced planets.
• Li Aoz suspected Crystal Tower was steering valuable planets to selected buyers to collect foreign exchange and stabilize its economy during the war.

Li Aoz and Nikita decided to compete with the Crystal Tower for valuable planets after learning that the civilization was trying to keep its middle class from emigrating and profit from White Candle Star. Angry at the Crystal Tower for exploiting the planet and disregarding his sacrifices, Li Aoz vowed to stop it from gaining any more benefits from him.

• Li Aoz explained to Nikita how the Crystal Tower used Ammonium Gold reserves to stabilize its economy and keep the middle class from leaving.
• Nikita argued that his knowledge of local people and customs could give them an advantage over the academic clans competing for high-value planets.
• Li Aoz agreed to join Nikita in a plan to take opportunities from the Crystal Tower's favored buyers.
• Li Aoz recalled how he had spent his wealth and delayed his own advancement to protect White Candle Star and its three billion people.
• Li Aoz vowed to prevent the Crystal Tower from making any more money from him and to make it return its profits.

Wendy Destis met Andifa Morodia and Nalia Verrazzi, whose alliance had raised Andifa’s status and introduced him to the United Company’s money-centered Grand Narrative. Nalia later told Andrew Verrazzi that Lioz was attending the auction with 120 million Ammonium Gold, and Andrew tasked her with recruiting him.

• Wendy congratulated Andifa on acquiring Highly Potential Flower Rain Star and recognized Nalia’s influence over his rise.
• Nalia appraised Wendy with her gaze while Andifa argued that money provided the fairest measure of all things.
• Nalia left the gathering and contacted Andrew Verrazzi through a special communicator.
• Nalia reported that Lioz, whom Andrew had sought for five years, was attending the auction with 120 million Ammonium Gold.
• Andrew ordered Nalia to monitor Lioz and recruit him, allowing Nefes and Light Gold Priests to assist while forbidding brainwashing.

Nalia returned from speaking with Andrew and discovered that Andyfa and Wendy were hiding something. She forced Andyfa to confess that their auction purchases had been sabotaged and left Wendy revealing that the auction’s other buyers had been scammed too.

• Nalia considered recruiting Lioz for herself or offering him to the Red King Goddess before returning to her seat.
• Nalia noticed Andyfa and Wendy acting nervously and questioned them about what had happened.
• Nalia used her dragon aura and a Divine Utterance to compel Andyfa to confess that he had overspent on planets at auction and that their purchasing plans had been exposed.
• Andyfa revealed that two planets they bought had suffered a civil war and an Aura storm, leaving them rapidly depreciating and requiring 230 million Ammonium Gold to restore.
• Wendy told Nalia that Andyfa was not the only victim because nearly everyone at the auction had been scammed, and admitted she was one of them.

Li Aoz used Bane to curse the auction website, hoping to trigger misfortune that would drain Crystal Tower workshop owners’ funds while he bid on White Candle Star. He expected the auction’s participants to soon face more urgent problems, though the chapter ended before the curse’s effects appeared.

• Auction staff noticed that premium bids had become unusually frequent, but a Planetary Resources Department official dismissed their concerns and welcomed the extra Ammonium Gold.
• Nikita warned Li Aoz that his aggressive bidding could provoke other buyers, but Li Aoz said they would soon be distracted by urgent problems.
• Li Aoz revealed that Bane had returned after five years of cooldown and explained how the Aoneng accumulated disasters and escalated them against its targets.
• Li Aoz had cursed the entire auction website, including himself, aiming to make Crystal Tower workshop owners lose money as retaliation for obstructing his auction.

Li Aoz used Calamity to disrupt the Crystal Tower auction and prepared to secure White Candle Star while hiding his true purpose. As Number 077’s bids drew suspicion, Andyfa concluded that Polis Star was Li Aoz’s real target.

• Li Aoz affected more than 170 auction buyers with Calamity and intensified disasters on planets won by Buyers 016, 190, and 122.
• Li Aoz and Nikita discussed the two buyers who had not bid, Numbers 99 and 210, and prepared for the final auction of White Candle Star.
• Li Aoz bid on another planet as a smokescreen and told Nikita to find a suitable target to draw attention away from White Candle Star.
• Nalia berated Andyfa Morodia for failing to uncover Number 077’s purpose while Wendy suggested that the bids were disguising his real target.
• Andyfa analyzed the remaining lots and decided that Number 077 intended to buy Polis Star.

Li Aoz acquired White Candle Star and declared its independence from the Crystal Tower Civilization, founding the White Candle Autonomous State and becoming its first president. After merging the planet and nation into his territory, the system recognized his new identity and updated.

• Li Aoz bought White Candle Star at auction for 89.6 million and began taking over the planet.
• White Candle Comprehensive University closed, leaving unfinished magic students to protest as White Candle Star formally took the Li name.
• Li Aoz announced White Candle Star’s independence, applied to join the Interstellar Alliance, and swore in as the autonomous state’s first president.
• Li Aoz introduced the new state’s name, political system, flag, emblem, and economic plans, and promised to protect its citizens and build its strength.
• The system granted Li Aoz the identity profession [President · Oligarch], merged his territory with the new national territory, and updated after his founding a nation.

Li Aoz assessed White Candle Autonomous State’s economic and educational crises and planned to revive the country through player-led expeditions and military expansion. He issued his first decree to increase military funding and pay, setting the stage for the state’s first grand expedition.

• Li Aoz reviewed White Candle Autonomous State’s weak economy, decayed industry, and shortage of skilled workers, while resolving to draw urban citizens into his political faction.
• Li Aoz considered borrowing from the Crystal Tower or United Company, then decided to fund development through military expeditions and plunder.
• Li Aoz checked the player competition results and learned that Caramel Snail had reached the finals while Yanxia teams had performed poorly.
• Li Aoz planned to deploy player divisions against unrecognized primitive planets and Night Butterfly Federation outposts, using exploration and quests to stimulate White Candle Star’s economy.
• Li Aoz issued a decree raising military spending and soldiers’ and officers’ pay, and assigned players missions for military training.

Caramel Snail, played by Jiao Ziniu, struggled against professional Long Yuqiong in the Star Abyss finals as the crowd rallied behind both fighters. After Long Yuqiong offered him a hand instead of finishing him, Caramel Snail thanked him before mocking himself for being worse than others.

• Long Yuqiong used his superior reactions and tactics to counter Caramel Snail’s attacks and drive him into the Biohazard Giantgod’s skeleton.
• Long Yuqiong stunned Caramel Snail, then bombarded him with anti-armor cannon fire, leaving him with only one-fifth of his health.
• Xia Yubing urged Jiao Ziniu to keep fighting as Long Yuqiong knocked him down and threw him to the ground.
• Caramel Snail rose from the attack and admitted that he had reached his limit.
• Long Yuqiong offered Caramel Snail a hand, and Caramel Snail thanked him before making a self-deprecating remark.

Long Yuqiong defeated Caramel Snail in the Star Abyss tournament final after they discussed their divine identities and the dangers surrounding Lioz. Caramel Snail took second place, and Xia Yubing celebrated with him before his prize request turned out to be a Cold Drink Machine.

• Long Yuqiong and Caramel Snail privately discussed their reclaimed selves, the paths of Dominion and Destruction, and Long Yuqiong's suspicions about Lioz's ties to the Star Abyss.
• Long Yuqiong and Caramel Snail clashed amid the Biohazard Giantgod's wreckage, while the spectators' Recognition Filter failed and they voiced calls to the Star Abyss.
• The livestream reconnected, and the host announced Long Yuqiong as the winner over Caramel Snail.
• Xia Yubing rushed to Caramel Snail after the match and praised him for placing second in his first competition.
• Caramel Snail asked Xia Yubing for a Cold Drink Machine, and she responded with a murderous glare and told him to go die.

Li Aoz triggered a 72-hour event to establish prestige by reforming laws and resolving White Candle Star’s hidden dangers before his expedition to Kiju-331. As students protested the collapse of their mage education and the new state’s financial dependence on the Crystal Tower Civilization, Du Bolan decided to report the crisis to President Lioz.

• Li Aoz received the “Establish Prestige” event and considered how its objectives could strengthen the White Candle Autonomous State.
• Li Aoz planned to search Kiju-331 for Qualia-Direction while using the expedition to train his inexperienced players for Version 4.0.
• Du Bolan brought food and coffee to officers guarding White Candle Comprehensive University, where students were hunger-striking over the Crystal Tower Civilization’s withdrawal of its teaching staff.
• Du Bolan reflected on White Candle Star’s financial and administrative disorder, including civil servants still being paid by the Crystal Tower Civilization.
• After the students fasted for thirty-seven hours, Du Bolan decided to report their protest to President Lioz.