Recaps

Xia Nan followed a fleeing Green-skinned Goblin to its nest and wiped out the goblins inside. He learned that the nearby Fog Lamp Village regarded part of the canyon where Fog Lamp Grass grew as forbidden land, then left without visiting the village, while Winter Tree hinted that Lillie might need help.

• Xia Nan slaughtered the Green-skinned Goblins attacking Aspen and Winter Tree, then deliberately let one goblin escape so he could follow it to its nest.
• Aspen persuaded Winter Tree to wait for Xia Nan instead of fleeing, and the two hunters watched him emerge from the Goblin Nest after the screams stopped.
• Aspen introduced himself and Winter Tree as hunters from Fog Lamp Village, and Xia Nan asked them about Fog Lamp Grass.
• Aspen said the canyon near the village was considered forbidden land on their side, but the far end was safe for gathering Fog Lamp Grass.
• Xia Nan declined Aspen's invitation to visit the village, learned its location, and left; Winter Tree wondered whether Lillie would be helped if outsiders could reach the village.

After a mudslide blocked the canyon entrance to the Fog Lamp Grass, Xia Nan traveled to the remote Fog Lamp Village to seek another way in. Winter Tree recognized him and brought him to Aspen and the village chief, who welcomed him as an honored adventurer.

• A mudslide buried the canyon entrance, cutting Xia Nan off from the Fog Lamp Grass, so he decided to seek access from the far side of the canyon.
• Xia Nan navigated the difficult route and reached the isolated, gloomy Fog Lamp Village, where the villagers watched him warily.
• Winter Tree recognized Xia Nan and offered to take him to the village chief for help.
• Aspen welcomed Xia Nan into his home and introduced him to the village chief, who addressed him respectfully as an honored adventurer.

Xia Nan negotiated with the village chief and Aspen to wait two days for Fog Lamp Village’s Sacrifice Ritual to end before entering the canyon to gather Fog Lamp Grass. As a villager led him to his room, Xia Nan noticed a guarded house, and his guide claimed not to know who lived there.

• Xia Nan explained that his mission required Fog Lamp Grass and asked permission to enter the canyon near the village.
• The village chief and Aspen said the canyon was forbidden and asked Xia Nan to wait until the Sacrifice Ritual ended in two days.
• Xia Nan agreed to stay, calculating that the delay would still leave enough time to complete his mission.
• After Xia Nan left, the village chief told Aspen he would escort him to the gorge after the ritual and warned the villagers not to provoke him.
• A villager led Xia Nan toward an empty house, and Xia Nan noticed a clean, guarded wooden house that his guide claimed not to know about.

Xia Nan settled into an empty house in Fog Lamp Village and learned that the villagers were hiding something about the approaching Sacrifice Ritual and a house connected to Lillie. That night, he overheard Winter Tree urging Lillie to leave before the ritual.

• Winter Tree took over guiding Xia Nan after Jem avoided questions about the village’s strange wooden cabin.
• Winter Tree told Xia Nan that the villagers were tense because the traditional Sacrifice Ritual was approaching, then grew troubled when Xia Nan asked about a nearby house and Lillie.
• Winter Tree helped Xia Nan clean the vacant house and asked whether he would stay until after the ritual, but held back whatever he had meant to say.
• Xia Nan settled in, used Gravity Control to clean the house, and decided not to press the villagers about their secrets.
• After dinner, Xia Nan went to the threshing ground to train and overheard Winter Tree tell Lillie they had to leave that night.

Winter Tree begged Lillie to flee Fog Lamp Village before its Sacrifice Ritual, but she accepted her fate and left him behind. The next morning, Xia Nan watched Winter Tree train, offered advice, and considered how to improve his own combat skills.

• Winter Tree urged Lillie to escape with him and seek Xia Nan’s help, but Lillie refused, saying her sacrifice would protect the village and that fleeing would endanger its people.
• Lillie told Winter Tree to live well, then left the barn as he collapsed beside the haystack and sobbed.
• Xia Nan, who had secretly witnessed their conversation, suspected Lillie was the sacrifice for the village’s ritual and decided to investigate the village and Canyon further.
• The next morning, Xia Nan found Winter Tree practicing sword swings and corrected his stance and recovery, helping him strike with less effort and greater power.
• Winter Tree claimed he had been kept awake by a nightmare, while Xia Nan watched him train and considered his own lack of versatile offensive skills.
• Xia Nan concluded that he might need to find a solution through his Meteor Blade Hunt profession.

Xia Nan learned that Fog Lamp Village’s Sacrifice Ritual required Lillie as an offering to the Guardian Deity in the Canyon, while Winter Tree confessed he wanted to save her. On the day of the ritual, the villagers gathered as Lillie underwent its final preparations.

• Xia Nan questioned Winter Tree about the village’s Sacrifice Ritual and discovered that Lillie had been chosen as the offering.
• Winter Tree explained that Aspen had tried to stop the previous offering of his daughter, but a Monster attacked the village until the ritual was completed.
• Winter Tree decided he had to rely on himself to change Lillie’s fate and skipped his morning training on the day of the ritual.
• Xia Nan returned to a silent, tense village where the villagers had gathered for the ceremony.
• Lillie underwent the final process of her life inside a white tent as the offering.

Lillie was sent into the Canyon as Fog Lamp Village’s sacrifice, while Xia Nan questioned the villagers’ belief that the ritual protected them. Aspen revealed that he had once lost his daughter Jenny to the same ritual, and that the Pine Dove she and he had released returned the following year.

• The villagers prepared Lillie for the ritual and escorted her to the Canyon, while Xia Nan followed and questioned why the village remained poor despite its sacrifices.
• At the Canyon gate, the village chief cut Lillie’s forearm and sent her alone into the mist before the gate was locked behind her.
• The relieved villagers invited Xia Nan to a celebratory banquet, but he refused and arranged to enter the Canyon for Fog Lamp Grass the next afternoon.
• Xia Nan asked Aspen whether the sacrifice truly improved village life, and Aspen said calamities struck whenever anyone tried to stop the ritual.
• Xia Nan noticed Jenny’s name carved into Aspen’s bow, and Aspen recalled his daughter, who had been sacrificed at nine, and the Pine Dove she believed would return.
• Aspen said the Pine Dove had returned the year after Jenny entered the Canyon.

After the ritual, Lillie was left wounded in the Forbidden Land, where Winter Tree secretly joined her and treated her injury. As a huge monster emerged from the fog, an explosive clay pot struck it, leaving the identity of their unseen rescuer unknown.

• Lillie fled deeper into the canyon, following the glowing Fog Lamp Grass while fear and blood loss weakened her.
• Winter Tree revealed he had entered the Forbidden Land hours earlier, treated Lillie's wound, and refused to abandon her.
• Lillie urged Winter Tree to return to the gate, warning that the ritual's failure could bring disaster upon the village.
• The fog thickened and the Fog Lamp Grass gathered its lights around a nearly four-meter-tall monster, which Winter Tree and Lillie faced together.
• A dark-brown clay pot flew from the darkness and exploded in flames against the monster.

Xia Nan arrived in the Canyon and fought a powerful Fog Lamp Monster to protect Winter Tree and Lillie. After dodging its attacks and reflecting its mind-control ability, he seized its brief stun and split it in two with a combined sword strike.

• Xia Nan reached Winter Tree and Lillie, told them to retreat, and confronted the unfamiliar Fog Lamp Monster.
• Xia Nan tested the Monster’s strength, dodged its thorn-vine attacks, and cut into its body with the [Emberfall] Straight Sword.
• Xia Nan and Leng Li used their speed to keep clear of the Monster’s heavy attacks while Xia Nan continued slashing it.
• The Fog Lamp Monster released a mind-control ripple, but [Gaze into the Abyss] reflected it and briefly stunned the creature.
• Xia Nan threw two Fire Oil Bombs and struck the stunned Monster with a combined attack that split it in two.

Xia Nan defeated and dismembered the Fog Lamp Monster, then healed Lillie's wound and sent her and Winter Tree back toward the gate. Suspecting the monster was not truly responsible for the village’s Sacrifice Ritual, he gathered its valuable parts and continued deeper into the Canyon to investigate.

• Xia Nan cautiously hacked the Fog Lamp Monster into pieces, sensing that it was a strange mutant rather than a naturally evolved creature.
• Winter Tree and Lillie approached after the battle, and Xia Nan questioned whether the monster was the village’s so-called Spirit of the Canyon.
• Xia Nan told Winter Tree and Lillie to return to the gate, then used [Lesser Healing] to completely heal Lillie’s arm.
• Xia Nan reflected that he had entered the Canyon to investigate the suspicious Sacrifice Ritual and help the two villagers if he could do so safely.
• Xia Nan collected the Fog Lamp Monster’s glowing core and thorny vines, then stealthily headed deeper into the Canyon.

Xia Nan discovered a hidden hut in the canyon and found a pouch of Gold Coins and a diary explaining the origin of the Fog Lamp Village’s sacrifice rituals and the Fog Lamp Monster. The diary ended with its writer preparing a transformation ritual, leaving Xia Nan to consider what had become of the experimenter.

• Xia Nan found a concealed passage in the canyon wall and entered a long-abandoned wooden hut.
• Xia Nan uncovered nearly thirty Gold Coins and an oilcloth-wrapped diary hidden beneath a floorboard.
• The diary revealed that its writer had used sacrificed girls’ Life Force to refine Fog Lamp Grass Essence and recover from a curse.
• The writer described creating the Fog Lamp Monster from Fog Lamp Grass, which preyed on the village’s sacrifices while it bloomed.
• The diary ended with the writer preparing to merge with the Fog Lamp Grass in a final transformation ritual.

Xia Nan uncovered the truth behind Fog Lamp Village’s sacrifice ritual and found a clue that the Molton family heirloom might be a key to the Dreamweaver Corridor. Searching the Druid’s hidden room, he discovered a vast garden of Fog Lamp Grass and spotted a huge shape at its center.

• Xia Nan pieced together that a Druid had forced Fog Lamp Village to sacrifice people for his experiments, and that the village chief had kept the ritual going to preserve his authority.
• Xia Nan recognized that a Molton family heirloom taken to Barracuda Bay might be the missing key to the Dreamweaver Corridor, and decided to investigate there after returning to River Valley Town.
• Xia Nan used Heart’s Sight to detect a hidden section of wall and opened a passage by pressing a book on the shelf.
• Xia Nan followed the passage into a cavern filled with densely growing Fog Lamp Grass and saw a huge, blurry outline at the garden’s center.

Xia Nan discovered that the failed ritual had left the Druid alive but weakened, and resisted his attempt to recruit him into gathering villagers’ life energy. After rejecting the Druid’s evasive promises and contract offer, Xia Nan demanded the promised rewards and prepared to end the confrontation.

• Xia Nan found the transformed Druid connected to the Fog Lamp Grass, and sensed that the plant-fed energy barely kept him alive.
• The Druid awakened, tried to reassure Xia Nan, and offered skills, equipment, a potion, and control of the garden in exchange for help completing his ritual.
• Xia Nan learned that the Druid wanted him to gather life energy by killing villagers, then asked about the Molton Family heir and the [Dreamweaver Corridor] Key.
• Xia Nan asked for a reward as a deposit, but the Druid refused and offered a Contract instead.
• Xia Nan dropped his pretense, demanded the promised items, and said he would end things faster.

Xia Nan demanded the Druid’s promised rewards, then fought and killed him after the Druid attacked. He left the Garden with Fog Lamp Monster spoils and a clue to the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor], but still had to settle matters involving Fog Lamp Village and its residents.

• Xia Nan demanded the [Mist-Hidden Light Step] training method, the [Green Grass Wood Ring] accessory, and the [Fog Lamp Grass Concentrated Essence Potion] formula from the Druid.
• The Druid attacked with Mind Control, draining light, shoots, and vines, but Xia Nan countered his assaults and closed in.
• Xia Nan rejected the Druid’s pleas and beheaded him, then further mutilated the body to make sure he was dead.
• Xia Nan searched the corpse but found none of the promised rewards, and reflected that better speechcraft might have helped him obtain information.
• Xia Nan concluded his spoils could cover his debt to Rock Hammer Blacksmith and noted his clue to the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor].
• Xia Nan planned to return to River Valley Town, collect the armor Barn had forged, and deal with Winter Tree, Lillie, Aspen, and the old village chief.

Xia Nan exposed the truth behind the Sacrifice Ritual, but the village chief stirred the villagers into demanding that Lillie be sacrificed anyway. After Aspen learned how the chief had deceived him and forced him to sacrifice his daughter, he killed the chief and declared the ritual over forever.

• Xia Nan told Winter Tree and Lillie that the Druid’s records and the Dark Room Garden showed the Sacrifice Ritual had become a tool for the village chief’s power, and that the monster had been killed.
• The villagers opened the Canyon gate, saw Lillie alive, and demanded that she be sacrificed; Winter Tree tried to tell them the ritual was a lie.
• The village chief claimed the Spirit of the Canyon still demanded a sacrifice, and the villagers turned against Lillie and Winter Tree.
• Xia Nan gave Aspen the Druid’s notebook, and Aspen learned that the village chief had coerced him into sending his daughter Jenny to her death.
• The village chief charged at Lillie with a dagger, but Aspen shot and killed him with his longbow.
• Aspen turned to the villagers and declared that the ritual was over forever.

After Aspen killed the village chief, Xia Nan saw that the villagers remained frightened of abandoning the Sacrifice Ritual, even after learning the truth. Aspen chose to lead Fog Lamp Village through the change, while Winter Tree and Lillie decided to leave for River Valley Town; Xia Nan agreed to escort them there.

• The villagers reacted to the village chief's death with panic and distrust, unable to abandon their fear of the Sacrifice Ritual.
• Aspen returned the Druid's Diary to Xia Nan, thanked him, and resolved to guide Fog Lamp Village away from its old customs.
• Winter Tree and Lillie told Xia Nan they planned to go to River Valley Town, where Winter Tree hoped to learn about becoming an Adventurer.
• Aspen encouraged Winter Tree to be careful and offered him a place to return to if life in town proved difficult.
• Winter Tree asked Xia Nan to escort him and Lillie to River Valley Town, and Xia Nan agreed to leave with them the following morning.

Xia Nan returned to River Valley Town with Winter Tree and Lillie, helped them consider practical ways to begin their new lives, and then set about processing his commissions and loot. He arrived at the Green Grass Crucible Herbal Shop carrying valuable Fog Lamp Grass and materials from a mutated monster, ready to learn what they were worth.

• Xia Nan arrived in River Valley Town two days ahead of schedule with Winter Tree and Lillie and treated them to a meal at the White Tit Tavern.
• Lillie planned to seek sewing, weaving, or other steady work, while Winter Tree intended to find a job that would teach him about adventurers before deciding whether to join their profession.
• Xia Nan encouraged them to work steadily and offered to help if they ran into trouble, then parted ways with them as they searched for housing and work.
• Xia Nan turned in the Goblin Nest commissions and sold the recovered loot, adding their proceeds and the Canyon Druid Cabin coins to his savings.
• Xia Nan headed to the Green Grass Crucible Herbal Shop with a backpack of high-quality Fog Lamp Grass, a Fog Lamp Monster Crystallized Core, and bundles of Thorny Vines to have them assessed.

Xia Nan returned to River Valley Town with Fog Lamp Grass and unusual materials from the Fog Lamp Monster, selling them to Edwina after reassuring her that the Canyon entrance remained passable. His adventure earnings brought his account back into four digits temporarily, and he headed to the Blacksmith Shop to deal with his Enchanted Armor debt.

• Xia Nan delivered the Fog Lamp Grass to Edwina and explained that he had entered the Canyon from the other end because a mudslide blocked the usual route.
• Edwina asked about the blockage, but Xia Nan said Professionals could still cross the entrance under normal weather, easing her concerns about future gathering missions.
• Xia Nan showed Edwina the Fog Lamp Monster's crystallized core and thorny vines, and she assessed their qualities and offered 320 gold for them.
• Xia Nan accepted Edwina's offer and left the Herbal Shop with three Crystal Cards.
• Xia Nan calculated that his adventure income had brought his bank balance back into four digits and walked toward the Blacksmith Shop.

Xia Nan collected the custom [Purgatory Pulse] armor from Barn and paid the remaining balance. As Xia Nan prepared to leave for a trip that could last several months, Barn offered to buy back his old Chainmail and asked if he should add Luminous Iron Dust to Xia Nan’s next armor.

• Xia Nan met Barn’s son Hugh at Rock Hammer Blacksmith and asked to see Barn about his equipment order.
• Barn showed Xia Nan the finished [Purgatory Pulse], whose purgatory steel gave it increased durability, fire resistance, and slight stamina recovery when the wearer took fire damage.
• Xia Nan inspected and tried on the custom armor, found it comfortable and suited to his mobile fighting style, and paid Barn the remaining balance with his Crystal Card and savings.
• Barn admired how Xia Nan’s equipment had improved over the past year and offered to buy back the Chainmail Xia Nan had been wearing.
• Xia Nan handed over the Chainmail and said he was leaving on a trip that might keep him away for several months, prompting Barn to ask whether he should use Luminous Iron Dust in the next set of armor.

Xia Nan spent three days preparing routes and supplies for a long journey from River Valley Town to Barracuda Bay, then invited Winter Tree and Lillie to dinner and introduced them to Adeline. As their conversation grew lively, Molly arrived with news about the equipment Xia Nan had consigned at the association.

• Xia Nan gathered travel information, bought maps, and planned backup routes for his journey to Barracuda Bay.
• Xia Nan treated Winter Tree and Lillie to dinner after they found work in River Valley Town.
• Xia Nan introduced Winter Tree and Lillie to Adeline so she could look after them while he was away.
• Adeline chatted with Winter Tree and Lillie, and they gradually relaxed around her.
• Molly arrived and told Xia Nan there was news about the equipment he had consigned at the association.

Molly told Xia Nan that a Professional in Barracuda Bay wanted to buy his [Tidal Surge Lure Rod], and he decided to take it with him on his upcoming journey. After making preparations, Xia Nan reached the River Valley Town Post Station, where two familiar companions were waiting beside a carriage.

• Molly explained how receptionists advanced through the Adventurers Association and why she had made Xia Nan her priority adventurer.
• Molly told Xia Nan that a buyer in Barracuda Bay wanted to negotiate for the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod], and offered to handle the negotiations on his behalf.
• After learning the buyer was in Barracuda Bay, Xia Nan retrieved the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] so he could bring it on his journey and negotiate in person.
• Two days later, Xia Nan left White Tit Tavern and went to the River Valley Town Post Station with his travel supplies.
• Xia Nan found two familiar companions waiting beside a carriage for him.

Xia Nan joined the Golden Wheat Chamber of Commerce caravan as a temporary guard, traveling with the Oathkeeper Blackwood party along his planned route. The convoy’s wealthy owner, Horako, welcomed him with an extravagant gift, leaving Xia Nan wondering what lay behind the merchant’s generosity.

• Xia Nan arranged to travel with Margaret and Solding’s Oathkeeper Blackwood party after learning their escort mission followed his route.
• Xia Nan met the caravan at the Post Station and inspected its luxurious goods, disciplined Guards, and central carriage belonging to Horako.
• Horako greeted Xia Nan warmly and praised his reputation as the Grey Sword.
• Horako gave Xia Nan a pearl-adorned silver pocket watch as a first-meeting gift, prompting Xia Nan to question the merchant’s motives.

Xia Nan accepted Horako’s silver-chain pocket watch but refused the escort fee, then traveled safely with the caravan for seven days while training whenever he could. As he prepared to leave camp for another training session, Solding hurried over with news of a promising find and a big meal.

• Xia Nan accepted Horako’s greeting gift and refused the same escort fee as the Oathkeeper Blackwood Squad because he was only traveling one way.
• The caravan departed River Valley Town and traveled for seven days, easily repelling several Goblin attacks without anyone being injured.
• At the evening campsite, Xia Nan checked his [Gravity Etching] progress and prepared to go train nearby.
• Margaret remembered her fallen companions and reaffirmed her resolve to preserve the name Oathkeeper Blackwood.
• Solding emerged from the grass and urged Xia Nan to come see something good, saying they would eat well that night.

Solding led Xia Nan and Margaret into the woods to harvest Anvil Honey, using smoke and a diversion to collect honeycomb without destroying the colony. They returned to camp with the honey, where caravan owner Horako arrived with steaming pots.

• Solding discovered an Anvil Bee hive and invited Xia Nan and Margaret to gather its honey.
• Xia Nan learned that Anvil Honey was valuable and delicious, and Solding explained his plan to harvest it safely.
• Xia Nan funneled smoke into the hive while Solding used Taunt to draw most of the bees away.
• Margaret cut down the honey-filled section of the hive, leaving the pupae and larvae intact.
• Xia Nan and Margaret returned to camp with the honeycomb, where Solding removed bee stings from his hand.
• Horako arrived at the bonfire with his assistant and workers carrying steaming Iron Pots.

Horako joined Xia Nan and the others for dinner, impressing them with his generosity and skill at conversation. After offering Solding his valuable ring and being politely refused, he noticed Xia Nan’s jewelry and turned his attention to him.

• Horako brought Black Feather Chicken soup to the camp and joined Xia Nan, Margaret, and Solding for dinner.
• Solding told Horako about finding Anvil Honey, and Horako praised the group without pressing them for details.
• Xia Nan enjoyed the chicken soup and sampled Anvil Honey with bread and dried meat.
• Solding admired the Carnelian in Horako’s ring, and Horako offered it to him as a gift.
• Solding refused the expensive ring, and Horako eased the awkwardness with a compliment.
• Horako noticed Xia Nan’s rings and necklace and gently shifted the conversation toward him.