Chapter Summaries

Ronan’s impatience to investigate the Cloud Top World drove him to push his Configuration research and rely heavily on Raven, while Cat's Eye warned him that his haste could endanger the people following him. He recognized Raven’s exhaustion and his own anxiety but remained unable to stop pursuing the secrets ahead.

• After Tian Si left, Cat's Eye confronted Ronan about treating everything as experimental material and asked to use his drawing software Work Area.
• Cat's Eye pointed out Ronan’s motto, furniture experiments, and growing fixation on Configurations, then warned him not to endanger the Blood Intent Ring and Abyss Zone Fortress.
• Cat's Eye reminded Ronan of his reckless actions during Lecture Night on Number 14 and urged him to be patient and consider the people following his plans.
• Ronan reflected on his anxiety over Gong Qi and the deeper secrets he had uncovered in the Cloud Top World, which made his research feel immense and urgent.
• Ronan acknowledged that Raven had been in a terrible state because she repeatedly risked exhaustion to help him travel through the changing space-time layers.
• Ronan pressed a hand to his hot forehead and wondered what he was doing as he realized he was tormenting himself and others.

Ronan worked on Configuration fragments in a crowded Water Bar while Madam Harold watched him through Fei Jin’s body and considered his ties to the Blood Soul Temple. Professor Pan Wen arrived with Tian Si and confronted Ronan, leaving him face-to-face with his mother’s former mentor.

• Mystic Studies Society officers noticed Ronan sitting alone but abandoned their plan to join him after recognizing him and seeing Ou Que’s reaction.
• Madam Harold and Yin Le observed Ronan sorting structures in his Virtual Work Area and debated whether his Configuration work was connected to the Blood Soul Temple.
• Madam Harold considered why the Blood Flame Order needed to investigate Ronan and seek further contact with him.
• Tian Si entered the Water Bar alongside Professor Pan Wen, prompting the society officers to greet the respected design institute director.
• Professor Pan Wen asked Ronan whether he was Bu Qingwen’s son, criticized his resemblance to his father, and sat down with him and Tian Si.

Professor Pan confronted Ronan about his absences and meddling before he asked her about his mother, Qing Wen. She left after suggesting that Ronan’s ability gave him something in common with Qing Wen, calling that a good thing.

• Professor Pan used her Teacher Authority to review Ronan’s school records and challenged him about his attendance and apparent database tampering.
• Professor Pan criticized Ronan and his father for neglecting school and getting involved in trouble, while Tian Si tried to calm her.
• Ronan asked Professor Pan what his mother, Qing Wen, had been like at school, and she replied that Qing Wen did what she was supposed to and handled problems she was good at.
• Professor Pan prepared to leave for a family banquet, then told Ronan that his ability gave him something in common with Qing Wen and said, “This is good.”

At the Water Bar, Ronan’s intimidating presence silenced the Mystic Studies Society members, while Fei Jin intervened when one of them insulted him. Madam Harold obtained an intelligence report on Ronan and began considering how to approach him, but its psychological assessment ended on the uncertain diagnosis of latent DID.

• Mystic Studies Society members discussed Ronan’s connections and his past ties to Professor Pan Wen and Tang Yi as Professor Pan left the Water Bar with Ronan and Tian Si.
• After Ronan left, the gossip fiend mocked him, and Fei Jin splashed coffee in his face; when Ronan returned, the frightened man stumbled into a robot carrying hot drinks and fell.
• Ronan’s cold gaze left the Mystic Studies Society members wary, and they speculated that he might be connected to the government, military, or Starry Sky Clubhouse.
• Fei Jin watched Ronan and Tian Si while Madam Harold asked Yin Le about Many-Faced’s intelligence assignment concerning Ronan.
• Madam Harold retrieved the report, and Yin Le identified its tentative diagnosis of Ronan as latent DID.

Madam Harold and Yin Le analyzed Ronan’s behavior through the idea of personality masks, identifying a weak social persona and considering how his Inner World experiences may have shaped a forceful one. Their discussion was interrupted when Ronan received an email from Professor Pan Wen, leaving him poised to discover why she had contacted him.

• Madam Harold sorted intelligence on Ronan into categories and explained that she wanted to identify his dominant personality masks.
• Madam Harold described how Ronan’s childhood and indulgent guardians had encouraged a sensitive, introverted, obedient Weak Persona.
• Yin Le argued that Ronan’s violent Inner World encounters had given him models and practice for developing a ruthless Strong Persona.
• Tian Si moved beside Ronan as he sat feeling unsettled about Professor Pan Wen’s sharp manner.
• Ronan’s wristband announced an email from Pan Wen, whose name he recognized.

Ronan discovered that Professor Pan’s Cloud Space contained an unfinished academic work authored by Bu Qingwen, with Bu Qingwen and Luo Zhongheng among its earlier authorized visitors. After Fei Jin witnessed Ronan’s encounter with Tian Bang, Madam Harold directed Yin Le to reconsider Ronan’s behavior and personality masks.

• Ronan opened Professor Pan’s Cloud Space and found a draft work titled “Research on the Application of Coupled design in Modern Architecture” authored by Bu Qingwen.
• Ronan and Tian Si determined that the Cloud Space’s thousands of folders and files suggested the draft was an unfinished academic monograph, and Ronan noticed Bu Qingwen and Luo Zhongheng on the visitor list.
• Ronan left the Water Bar with Tian Si, while Fei Jin departed her group and headed toward North Shore Gear.
• Fei Jin encountered Ronan speaking with Tian Bang in the underground level and greeted them before continuing on her way.
• Madam Harold questioned Yin Le about Ronan’s distracted behavior and argued that it did not fit either his Weak Persona or Strong Persona.

Yin Le analyzed Ronan’s behavior toward people who were neither friends nor enemies and traced it to his deep reliance on Format Theory. She concluded that his apparent aloofness was an Ideal Persona shaped by childhood trauma, solitary research, and his belief in his grandfather’s theory.

• Madam Harold sorted Ronan’s interactions with Gray Personnel into the materials about his lectures and cultivation theory.
• Yin Le noticed that Ronan usually ignored Gray Personnel unless a specific trigger made him openly hostile.
• Yin Le connected Ronan’s unusual conversations with former adversaries to his focus on Format Theory.
• Madam Harold reminded Yin Le that Ronan began studying Format Theory at age ten, under the pressure of his family’s disastrous involvement with it.
• Yin Le reasoned that researching Format Theory let Ronan feel connected to his dead relatives and gain confidence through the theory, while his solitary experiments also exposed him to severe negative emotions.
• Yin Le concluded that Ronan judged himself and others by the ideals of Format Theory, making his dominant persona an Ideal Persona rather than an Aloof Persona.

Yin Le and Madam Harold analyzed Ronan’s personality masks and concluded that the Ideal Persona was the safest point of entry for approaching him. Madam Harold approved Yin Le’s plan, ordered her to bring Fei Jin home safely, and went out to clear her head.

• Yin Le considered historical parallels for Ronan, but Madam Harold warned her not to treat him as an ordinary example.
• Madam Harold argued that Ronan’s devotion to Format Theory was a way of seeking love through transference, making his emotional needs difficult to approach directly.
• Yin Le ruled out the Strong Persona and Weak Persona as dangerous or unpredictable and chose to communicate with the Ideal Persona instead.
• Yin Le explained how the Ideal Persona judged conflicts when Ronan’s other masks came into tension, using the Water Bar incident with Cao Big Mouth as an example.
• Madam Harold approved Yin Le’s plan, asked her to draft a proposal by morning, and told her to bring Fei Jin home safely.
• Madam Harold went out to clear her head while Yin Le stayed behind to organize the intelligence materials and work through the night.

Sun Jiayi, also known as Many-Faced, was intercepted by Madam Harold after leaving the Starry Sky Clubhouse, and the two argued over her sale of intelligence about Persona. Madam Harold remained suspicious of Sun Jiayi’s intentions as they traveled together.

• Sun Jiayi left the clubhouse with a young female model, but stopped their encounter when Madam Harold compelled her to drive away.
• Sun Jiayi recognized Madam Harold through her control of Yin Fire and asked where she wanted to go.
• Madam Harold thanked Sun Jiayi for the Persona intelligence, then criticized her for selling it to multiple buyers.
• Sun Jiayi defended her business practices and said the intelligence was worth its price despite being incomplete.
• Madam Harold said the name Persona seemed like an intentional hint and demanded to know Sun Jiayi’s intentions.

Madam Harold confronted Sun Jiayi about her incomplete intelligence on Ronan and concluded that she had deliberately muddied the waters to benefit an investor. She warned Mary to keep her persona mask intact, leaving the nature of the investor’s plans unresolved.

• Madam Harold pressured Sun Jiayi about why she had not developed the intelligence on Ronan further, and Sun Jiayi defended her decision as business.
• Madam Harold recalled how she and Sun Jiayi had once worked together through an investor, then questioned why their contact resumed after the Two-Thousandths Miss Incident and White Bone Hill appeared.
• Madam Harold accused Sun Jiayi of selling semi-finished intelligence to multiple parties and making the struggle over Ronan more chaotic, while choosing to believe Sun Jiayi was seeking greater benefits for the investor.
• Madam Harold cited Yin Le’s wish to reduce uncertainty and Tian Bang’s encounter with Ronan as reasons to suspect the investor was already profiting from Ronan.
• Sun Jiayi warned that Madam Harold’s decisive, self-destructive mindset was dangerous, and Madam Harold told Mary to hold onto her mask.

Ronan returned to North Shore Gear in an unexpectedly good mood after receiving his mother’s unpublished work, while the group learned that the Xia City military wanted to cooperate on purifying the Abyss Zone. The chapter ended with Ronan considering how to develop the military’s proposed scavenger work and the Configuration technology behind it.

• Xie Junping learned that Ronan had received four PB of his mother’s unfinished papers and worried that he would disappear into seclusion for years.
• Ronan arrived at North Shore Gear cheerful, said he would study the papers gradually, and joined the group for breakfast.
• Qin Yikun reported that the Xia City military had contacted the branch about developing new business related to Mental Layer purification.
• Ronan identified the proposal as scavenging Configuration foundations in the Abyss Zone, a topic Tian Bang had mentioned to him.
• Xue Lei said Paper Cut Bro and the others had used Blood Intent Ring Fortress all night and wanted Ronan to develop sails and propulsion modules for warships.
• Ronan agreed they could try building the technology, though turning it into a product would likely require Talisman Paper External Attachments.

Ronan spent the morning absorbed in old Configuration materials from his mother, while Cat's Eye and Qin Yikun discussed the possible military cooperation and its impact on Scavenger operations. The chapter left Xue Lei stunned as Ronan revealed that the recordings featured his mother discussing Configuration.

• Ronan explained that Talisman Paper External Attachments would be inadequate for a Fortress with many functions, and Cat's Eye and Qin Yikun discussed the military's ability to organize their use.
• Qin Yikun told Cat's Eye that Vice President He wanted to discuss security plans in case Ronan supported cooperation with the military, but Cat's Eye declined to join the discussion.
• Cat's Eye sensed that something within Ronan's Closed System was beginning to stir, though she did not understand why.
• During class, Xue Lei watched Ronan repeatedly study a geometric projection and laugh while ignoring the lesson.
• Ronan shared an audio recording of a Configuration debate with Xue Lei and explained that the videos, recordings, and demonstrations came mostly from his mother.

Ronan studied his mother’s extensive Configuration research materials while Zhang Yingying joined him at a meeting about the Scavenger project. The meeting began with Tian Bang thanking Ronan for supporting the project, which relied on the Blood Intent Ring Fortress’s backing.

• Zhang Yingying arrived at the conference room to represent Ronan after he said he would not attend, then found him engrossed in his mother’s research files.
• Ronan reflected on his mother’s research and the people who had helped him reach it, and he thanked Zhang Yingying for her past role in his journey.
• Zhang Yingying sat beside Ronan as the meeting attendees gathered, and He Yueyin opened the discussion about cooperating on the Scavenger project.
• Tian Bang explained that the project was the meeting’s priority and thanked Ronan for supporting it, saying the plan depended on the Blood Intent Ring Fortress.

The government and military presented their plan to regulate illegal construction in the Abyss Zone, hoping to enlist Ronan and other B-Rank powerhouses. As the briefing continued, Ronan and Zhang Yingying discussed the project while Gao Meng urged them to pay attention.

• Tian Bang introduced the project, and Lieutenant Colonel Ju Ling began presenting its background to Ronan, Gao Meng, and the Xia City Branch’s technical team.
• Ronan recognized the briefing from an earlier account and paid little attention, while Zhang Yingying quickly inferred the project’s purpose and whispered her thoughts to him.
• Zhang Yingying explained that the government and military wanted to recruit Mental Side powerhouses to control dangerous activity in the Abyss Zone.
• Ju Ling presented statistics on illegal construction and its harms, along with the benefits of improved governance.
• Gao Meng noticed Ronan and Zhang Yingying chatting and told them to listen, adding that the Talisman Paper External Attachment functions needed more development.

Ronan outlined a collective, Configuration-driven vision for rebuilding Blood Intent Ring Fortress and accepted the role of Chief Technology Officer for the Scavenger project, while declining an official rank. As he began planning the work, Tian Bang revealed a mysterious invitation tied to New Year's Eve, and Ronan's wristband displayed the same Scrambled Code Dial.

• Ronan criticized Fortress's hardware-dependent design and described a platform where crews created and operated integrated Configurations across mental and material domains.
• Tian Bang offered Ronan the Chief Technology Officer position, compensation, technical shares, and an official rank; Ronan accepted the technical role but rejected joining the civil service system.
• Ronan planned a long-term Fortress research schedule and requested specialists and laboratory production lines, which Tian Bang agreed to provide within the project's limits.
• Mister Bai asked how the rebuilt Fortress would be used, and Tian Bang said it would first support Xia City's defense and public security while they handled local troublemakers.
• Tian Bang presented a scrambled-code invitation for an event on New Year's Eve, and Ronan's wristband displayed the matching Scrambled Code Dial as Gao Meng whistled.

Ronan and his companions paused their field investigation to watch the BHD Girl Group perform at Cloud Capital Shuiyi’s New Year’s Eve event. When Zou Ge tried to use his Scrambled Code Dial to target the performers and propositioned Ronan, Ronan blocked him and gathered the nearby watchers to discuss business.

• Ronan and his companions watched the BHD Girl Group perform while their joint field investigation was on hold.
• Zhang Yingying asked Ronan whether he had something going on with the group, but he pretended not to hear her.
• Zou Ge offered Ronan a chance to help select women through the event’s system and aimed his Scrambled Code Dial at the BHD Group.
• Ronan stepped in front of Zou Ge’s camera, refused to move, and clapped to call his companions and the other watchers together.
• Ronan announced that it was time to talk business as the gathered group revealed its intimidating numbers.

Ronan’s informal lesson drew a crowd that unnerved Boss Zou and his companions, while the BHD Girl Group briefly stopped to greet Ronan. When Zou’s Exclusive Butler arrived, he showed Ronan deference, leaving Zou frightened and unsure what Ronan would do next.

• Boss Zou activated his emergency watch and tried to retreat from Ronan’s gathered audience while waiting for his Exclusive Butler.
• Ronan’s comments about Mental Layer Configuration made Boss Zou mistake him for a conman, until the crowd turned its attention toward Zou and his companions.
• The BHD Girl Group passed through the corridor, stopped to greet Ronan, and thanked him after he cleared a path for them.
• Bai Yu asked Ronan what he thought of the performance, and he answered, “Beautyleg,” prompting her to pose before rejoining the group.
• Boss Zou’s Exclusive Butler arrived and apologized to Ronan, whose status and influence left Zou terrified.
• The Butler began asking Ronan to let him take Zou and the others away, but Ronan raised a hand and stopped him.

Ronan taught the project team how human form and spirit could provide a material foundation for an Illegal Configuration, while steering discussion toward detection and reconnaissance. Sun Jiayi arrived to defend the Grand Banquet and its organizers, and Ronan ended by looking toward Boss Zou again.

• Ronan called the project team back to work and warned that event attendees and tourists could be used as participants in an Illegal Configuration.
• Ronan explained how designers could use a person's form and spirit as a Configuration, and Shi Xinhe suggested strengthening Fortress's detection and sensing modules.
• Bamboo Pole endorsed reconnaissance and identification as priorities, while the project team realized Ronan was also setting their development direction and observing talent.
• Sun Jiayi arrived and asked to defend herself against Bamboo Pole's criticism, then apologized to Ronan and explained the Grand Banquet's purpose and legal limits.
• Ronan said legal distinctions between Mental Layer Configurations had little meaning before standards existed, then looked toward Boss Zou.

Ronan left the confrontation with Boss Zou and toured the Grand Banquet with Sun Jiayi, learning more about its layout before heading to see his sister. He was stopped by Li Taisheng, a Justice Cult high priest who wanted to conduct experiments related to Ronan’s statements about the Mental Layer.

• Zhang Yingying and Bamboo Pole explained to Octopus that Sun Jiayi’s legal arguments could have handed government and military authorities control over how Configurations were judged.
• Ronan walked away from Boss Zou, leaving him and his companions behind; the Exclusive Butler then arranged for them to be escorted away under the guise of compensation.
• Sun Jiayi guided Ronan through the event venue and explained its functions and emergency plans.
• Ronan told Sun Jiayi he was going to see his sister perform, then asked her not to make things too difficult for Boss Zou.
• Li Taisheng appeared and proposed conducting experiments tied to Ronan’s work on the Mental Layer, and Ronan identified him as a direct-line Secret Covenant High Priest of the Justice Cult.

Ronan met Justice Cult representative Li Taisheng and discussed how different Configuration systems were built. He proposed that the Blood Intent Ring Fortress was a tool-like system while the Balance of Truth was an indivisible, plant-like whole, leaving Li Taisheng staring at him in grim silence.

• Ronan recognized Li Taisheng from the Justice Cult’s negotiations, while Zhang Yingying alerted the agency to his arrival in Xia City.
• Ronan mentioned Child to Li Taisheng and praised the Justice Cult’s research, inadvertently touching on its internal divisions and dependence on the Balance of Truth.
• Ronan asked about the Justice Cult’s experiments and argued that its Configuration systems differed in their underlying structure, not merely in where they operated.
• Ronan described the Blood Intent Ring Fortress as a tool assembled to carry Soul Power into the Abyss Zone and the Balance of Truth as an organic, plant-like system rooted there.
• Li Taisheng listened as Ronan outlined the contrast, his expression turning serious and then grimly cold.