Recaps

Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax traveled aboard Ship 883, where the captain staged an illegal acceleration to outpace a rival cargo ship before the vessel entered faster-than-light travel. After passing the trip playing Fight the Landlord, they arrived above a terrestrial planet.

• Hao Ren watched the asteroid belt and learned from the Data Terminal about space, ship acceleration, and spatial stabilization.
• Ship 883’s captain announced a race with the KN-03 cargo ship and illegally accelerated, shaking the cabin as Ship 883 pulled ahead.
• Ship 883 entered a spatial bubble for faster-than-light travel, and its captain announced he would spend twenty-four hours in the brig and pay a fine.
• Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax explored the cabin, while Nangong May got lost in the corridors and was escorted back.
• Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax played Fight the Landlord until Ship 883 stopped above a terrestrial planet.

Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax arrived on a primitive, Earth-like planet to find a missing cargo module, but its location signal was gone. With night approaching, they had to make camp before they could resume the search.

• Hao Ren and his companions landed near the planet’s coastline after the crewman left them without a return plan, and the Data Terminal advised them to contact Officer Raven later.
• Hao Ren examined the alien beach and jungle while Nangong May enjoyed the sea breeze and the Data Terminal scanned the area.
• The Data Terminal explained that the cargo module had stopped transmitting its location and that it would not locate it until the following morning.
• Hao Ren realized they had no tent and asked Nangong May and Izax how they could make camp.
• Izax offered to dig a pit and surround it with demonic flames, but Hao Ren stopped him and asked him to use the flames for a campfire instead.

Hao Ren accidentally entered the Dream Plane after Nangong May’s conch music triggered mental resonance, then discovered that the plane’s inhabitants included humans. He landed on the familiar grassland and met a young girl riding a horse.

• Hao Ren, Izax, and Nangong May camped beneath a coastal boulder, where Izax lit a fire and they ate and talked.
• Nangong May made music by blowing into a vented conch, and Hao Ren fell asleep while listening.
• Hao Ren woke in midair over the Dream Plane’s grassland and survived the fall.
• The Data Terminal explained that Nangong May’s music had likely sent Hao Ren into the Dream Plane and that he had returned at the height where he left.
• A young girl riding a horse found Hao Ren, and he realized he had met a native human of the Dream Plane.

Hao Ren met a young mercenary in the Dream Plane and persuaded her to take him to Lunber Town by offering his Data Terminal as payment. He left the grassland riding behind her, while the Data Terminal threatened revenge for being traded away.

• Hao Ren encountered a young, armed mercenary riding an unusual beast and asked her to take him to a settlement.
• The mercenary questioned Hao Ren about his identity, and he claimed that a failed Spatial Teleportation had dropped him onto the grassland.
• The mercenary demanded two hundred Jina for guiding him to Lunber Town, and Hao Ren admitted he had no money.
• Hao Ren presented his Data Terminal as payment, and it played music and floated to impress the mercenary.
• The mercenary accepted the Data Terminal and let Hao Ren ride behind her toward Lunber Town while the terminal complained and threatened him.

Hao Ren traveled toward Lunber Town with Becky, a free mercenary who shared information about the Kingdom of Horleta and the distant Horna Empire. When Becky stopped to watch two packs of giant wolves fight, Hao Ren recognized familiar wolves from the pack he had encountered before.

• Becky told Hao Ren about her work as a Level 2 free mercenary and her familiarity with Horleta.
• Hao Ren learned that Lunber Town was Becky's hometown in southern Horleta and that the Horna Empire lay beyond the grassland.
• Hao Ren claimed he was from the Empire and let Becky believe that he had arrived by teleportation and lost his memory after a fall.
• Becky stopped their journey and pulled Hao Ren behind a hill to watch two packs of giant black wolves fighting over territory.
• Becky planned to attack the wolves after the packs weakened, while Hao Ren recognized several of them as familiar members of the wolf pack he had met before.

Hao Ren recognized the intelligent wolf pack he had met before and joined its fight against a rival pack, then called Becky in to stop the fleeing wolves. The wolf king’s pack drove off its rivals with Hao Ren’s help, while Becky began attacking the fleeing group.

• Hao Ren stopped Becky from charging into the wolf fight and went to greet the wolf king he knew.
• The wolf king told Hao Ren about a strange hurricane and explained that its pack was fighting over territory with a rival group.
• Hao Ren charged into the battle under his Rigid Shield and knocked aside the rival wolves that attacked him.
• The wolf king gave his pack battle orders, and the intelligent wolves overwhelmed the rival pack and sent it fleeing.
• Hao Ren called Becky to help stop the retreat, and she charged after the largest group with her glowing sword.

Becky destroyed the attacking Black Wolves with a powerful Battle Technique, then recovered and gathered valuable bone plates. Hao Ren questioned the Wolf King and Becky about the ancient civilization, learning a legend that the Goddess destroyed it for creating artificial life.

• Becky unleashed a spinning Blade Storm that killed the Black Wolves, then spent several minutes vomiting from its side effects.
• Becky collected bone plates from the wolf corpses while Hao Ren asked the Wolf King about the Ancient Magic Civilization.
• The Wolf King said humans believed the ancient civilization had created talking wolves but admitted it knew little about the civilization's fall.
• Becky told Hao Ren that the ancient empire had angered the gods by researching artificial life and that the Goddess destroyed it with a sea of divine flames.
• Becky joked that the Goddess must have been able to hold her liquor.

Hao Ren and Becky reached Lunber Town after traveling through the grasslands, but Hao Ren was pulled out of the Dream Plane before he could explore it. Before vanishing, he noticed Runes of Leta on a building, leaving him with a new clue about the connection between the Dream Plane and his world.

• Hao Ren wondered whether the Dream Plane's ancient civilization and its destruction were connected to events on Earth, while the Data Terminal dismissed his historical questions.
• Becky refused Hao Ren's offer of bone plates as payment for guidance and insisted on keeping his music box, while the Wolf King left with his pack.
• Hao Ren and Becky traveled across the grasslands and approached the walled settlement of Lunber Town.
• As Hao Ren began waking from the Dream Plane, he spotted Runes of Leta on a nearby building.
• Hao Ren vanished, leaving the bone plates behind, and Becky assumed he had teleported away over the music box.

After waking from the Dream Plane, Hao Ren copied down the Rune of Leta he had seen and learned that the transport craft carrying their cargo had crashed on the planet. The Data Terminal found three possible crash sites, and the group prepared to search the nearby jungle first while considering the ocean trench.

• Hao Ren woke up, told Izax and Nangong May that he had seen the Rune of Leta in the Dream Plane, and copied the symbols into Nangong May's notebook.
• Hao Ren learned that Nangong May had used her Siren song to keep him asleep for several extra minutes, and he remembered that he had forgotten to bring a dentist for the wolf king's subordinates.
• The Data Terminal reported three possible crash sites and explained that the unmanned transport craft had broken apart in the atmosphere while the cargo container had landed safely with its positioning equipment burned out.
• Hao Ren suggested searching the nearby jungle first, then wondered whether Raven 12345 had sent Nangong May because the cargo container might be in the ocean trench.
• Nangong May said she could explore the deep sea, and the Data Terminal confirmed that the planet's seawater was ordinary but unusually salty.

Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax searched the nearest crash site for the missing cargo module and found only a destroyed transport craft. As they prepared to leave, Izax sensed that something was still there.

• Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax entered the primeval jungle and followed the Data Terminal toward the crash site.
• Izax blasted a path through the vegetation while the group discussed whether the cargo module and its dormant passenger could have survived.
• The group reached a large impact crater and found the burned wreckage of an egg-shaped transport craft.
• The Data Terminal identified the wreckage as the craft's propulsion and control sections and said its recorder had burned out.
• Hao Ren realized the craft might have crashed on Earth if it had not gone off course, while Nangong May worried about climbing to the next site.
• As Hao Ren and Nangong May prepared to leave, Izax sensed something at the crash site.

Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax investigated a crashed transport ship and discovered evidence that a demon had attacked it before the crash. They traveled to an underwater crash site, where Nangong May revealed her mermaid form and eagerly dove into the sea.

• Izax found demonic corrosion inside the wreckage and concluded that a demon had attacked the transport ship before it crashed.
• Nangong May discovered a dent shaped like a reversed-knee strike, and Izax suggested they report the evidence to the Goddess.
• The Data Terminal scouted the crash sites and directed the group to the transport ship's cargo hold on the ocean floor.
• The Data Terminal teleported Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax over the sea, where Nangong May froze the water to make a landing platform.
• Nangong May transformed into a mermaid and plunged into the ocean while Hao Ren waited on the ice.

Hao Ren accompanied Nangong May into the deep sea, where she demonstrated her Siren abilities and different forms. They continued toward their destination as shadowy Primitive Creatures followed them from afar.

• Nangong May transformed into a golden-red mermaid and showed Hao Ren how she could let him breathe and speak underwater within a kilometer of her.
• Nangong May changed her tail into a long sea-serpent form and explained that Sirens could take many shapes.
• Hao Ren and Nangong May descended into the dark sea while discussing Sirens and human legends.
• Shadowy Primitive Creatures followed the pair from a distance, and Nangong May hurried onward despite fearing a fight.
• The Data Terminal guided them through the darkness, and scattered lights appeared ahead.

Hao Ren and Nangong May opened the stranded cargo compartment, but found it empty despite records indicating a passenger was inside. Raven 12345 recognized the white egg Nangong May had found, and it fell to the ground.

• Hao Ren and Nangong May found the cargo compartment intact on the seabed and saw small glowing creatures sheltering beneath it.
• Nangong May created a Water Repelling Domain so they could open the compartment without letting seawater inside.
• The Data Terminal opened the damaged cargo door, and Hao Ren searched the empty compartment while the system report showed a passenger had been there.
• Hao Ren called Raven 12345 to report that the compartment was empty, while Nangong May played with a white sphere she had picked up inside.
• Hao Ren joked that he had found an egg, Raven 12345 recognized it as that egg, and Nangong May dropped it.

Hao Ren learned that his new tenant was an unhatched egg and brought it to the beach to await Officer Raven. She arrived in a gigantic spaceship and announced that it was his reward.

• Hao Ren caught Nangong May’s egg after it fell, and Officer Raven explained that it was his new tenant and needed to be kept moist.
• Officer Raven said she was bringing a surprise and told Hao Ren to wait for her in an open area.
• Hao Ren, Nangong May, and Izax returned to the beach with the egg and waited for Officer Raven.
• A Space Gate opened above the beach, and a colossal spaceship descended as Officer Raven announced that it was Hao Ren’s newly approved reward.

Hao Ren received an S-X6 personal official vessel from Raven 12345 and began its first startup. After the ship registered him as its owner, the group entered and learned about its capabilities.

• Hao Ren was stunned when Raven 12345 revealed the spaceship she had picked out for him.
• Raven 12345 explained that the ship had flown itself to the beach and told Hao Ren to use his crystal key to enter.
• Hao Ren activated the entrance, and the ship's main computer registered him and unlocked most of its areas.
• Hao Ren, Raven 12345, Nangong May, and Izax boarded the ship, and the hatch closed behind them.
• The Data Terminal identified the ship as an S-X6 civilian patrol vessel and displayed its specifications.

Hao Ren explored his new spaceship with Raven 12345 and learned about its systems, crew, and controls. After he activated the ship, Raven 12345 revealed its name: the Giant Turtle Rock Platform, which Nangong May pointed out translated to Wangba Tuozi.

• Raven 12345 explained the spaceship’s size, mission role, flight restrictions, and automated systems to Hao Ren.
• Hao Ren and the group encountered a squid-like Autonomous Mechanical Unit that maintained the ship.
• Raven 12345 showed the group the control room and instructed Hao Ren to activate the ship with the crystal key.
• Hao Ren inserted the key, and the spaceship’s power core began starting up with a motorcycle anti-theft sound effect.
• The Data Terminal struggled to fit into its slot before Raven 12345 identified its front and it connected to the ship’s main computer.
• Raven 12345 named the spaceship the Giant Turtle Rock Platform, and Nangong May revealed the name still meant Wangba Tuozi.

Hao Ren learned that the strange egg was the last surviving member of an extinct mermaid race and was tasked with keeping it safe until it hatched. After recording the coordinates of the planet where the egg was found, he and his companions set off for home aboard their newly named ship.

• Raven 12345 refused Hao Ren’s request to change the ship’s name and revealed that the egg was a mermaid’s, rescued from a planet being swallowed by its star.
• Raven 12345 entrusted the egg to Hao Ren, while Nangong May explained that being a land-born Siren did not make her able to care for it.
• Raven 12345 urged them to launch, and the Data Terminal enthusiastically operated the ship’s systems.
• The ship rose above the planet, and Raven 12345 suggested Hao Ren save its coordinates as a possible future destination.
• The Data Terminal recorded the planet’s relative coordinates from the gravitational balance point between it and its star, and the ship departed for home.

Hao Ren returned to the Solar System aboard the Giant Turtle Rock Platform and docked at Kuiper Station, where Raven 12345 explained his privileges and responsibilities as an inspector. He met Station Chief Danmos, who revealed that he had died in battle four times before being revived and retired from the military.

• Hao Ren and Raven 12345 returned to Kuiper Station aboard the Giant Turtle Rock Platform after a remarkably fast voyage.
• Raven 12345 explained that Hao Ren’s inspector privileges came with rules and responsibilities.
• Hao Ren docked at the station’s special berth and was greeted by the female guide, Lulu, and the station workers.
• Raven 12345 introduced Hao Ren to Lulu’s grandfather, Station Chief Danmos, and described his military background.
• Danmos told Hao Ren that he had died in action four times, been revived, and retired after the fourth time.

After returning home, Hao Ren found a safe place for the merperson egg and realized he had forgotten to ask Raven 12345 about the Dream Plane. He visited her and learned that she had not destroyed the Magic Empire’s world as its legend claimed.

• Hao Ren returned home with the egg, learned Vivian and Lily had gone grocery shopping, and chose to soak the egg in a basin in the washroom.
• Izax reminded Hao Ren that the egg would hatch and shared Raven 12345’s advice about caring for a merperson.
• Hao Ren remembered his questions about the Dream Plane and teleported to Raven 12345’s courtyard while Izax went out for a stroll.
• Hao Ren told Raven 12345 about the Rune of Leta and the legend that a goddess destroyed the Magic Empire’s world.
• Raven 12345 said she would have welcomed the civilization’s research and confirmed that she had not destroyed its world.

Hao Ren learned that many aliens and Demon Hunters on Earth originated in the Dream Plane, but Raven 12345 refused to explain the full history and sent him home to prepare for another visit. There, he discovered Lily had boiled his missing egg—and that its Little Merman had hatched inside the pot.

• Raven 12345 told Hao Ren that many of Earth's aliens came from the Dream Plane and that the Demon Hunters' origins were connected to it.
• Hao Ren wondered whether the Dream Plane's destruction ten thousand years earlier had sent aliens to Earth, but Raven 12345 corrected his assumptions and withheld the full truth.
• Raven 12345 advised Hao Ren to focus on his next trip to the Dream Plane, then sent him home before leaving for several days.
• Hao Ren returned home and found that the egg he had left in the washroom was missing.
• Lily told Hao Ren she had found a large goose egg and put it on to boil because she was hungry.
• Hao Ren opened the pot and discovered the Little Merman had hatched and was swimming in the boiling water.

Hao Ren and his housemates watched as the egg Lily had boiled hatched into a tiny Mermaid who quickly attached herself to Hao Ren. The little one settled into their home, and Vivian’s return brought another startling misunderstanding.

• Lily accidentally hatched the Little Merman by boiling her egg, and Hao Ren caught the newborn when she leaped toward the gas burner.
• Hao Ren moved the Little Merman into a basin, and Nangong May helped dress her with plumber's thread seal tape.
• The Little Merman explored the living room, clung to Hao Ren, and resisted being returned to the basin.
• Nangong May and Hao Ren realized they could not understand the Little Merman's babbling or communicate with her.
• Vivian returned with wild vegetables, mistook the Little Merman for dinner, and suggested braising her.

Hao Ren and the others tried to calm and feed the newborn Little Merman after she hatched and clung to him. They discovered she was hungry, protected her from Roll, and found that she preferred eating chopsticks over the food they offered.

• Vivian joined Hao Ren, Lily, and Nangong May as they examined the Little Merman, who resisted being separated from Hao Ren.
• The Little Merman began crying and bouncing around, and Vivian realized she was probably hungry.
• Hao Ren sent everyone to gather food, then returned to find Roll sniffing the Little Merman and ordered the cat not to eat her.
• The group laid out an assortment of snacks, but the Little Merman rejected them and happily began eating the chopsticks beside Vivian's pastries.

Hao Ren and his companions watched the newly hatched mermaid eat bamboo, then chose Elizabeth as her formal name and Doudou as her nickname. The chapter ended with Doudou panicking when Hao Ren tried to leave and clinging to his trouser leg.

• The group discovered that the newly hatched mermaid could bite through bamboo chopsticks and ate them as food.
• Izax returned, mistook the situation for Nangong May having been pregnant, then asked what the mermaid's name would be.
• Hao Ren, Vivian, Nangong May, Lily, and Izax offered names, rejecting suggestions including Baby, Hao Many Fish, Dog Egg, and Izax's long proposed name.
• Vivian proposed Elizabeth as the mermaid's formal name, and Nangong May suggested Doudou as her nickname; the group accepted both.
• When Hao Ren tried to leave, Doudou shrieked, bounced out of the basin, and clung to his trouser leg.

Hao Ren struggled to care for Doudou, who clung to him because she felt disoriented and could not communicate with her guardians. Nangong May established a way to speak with the mermaid, but the chapter ended with her identifying a cooking pot as Doudou’s mother.

• Doudou clung to Hao Ren all night, leaving him exhausted, and Nangong May suspected the newborn was confused by her unfamiliar surroundings and inability to communicate.
• Lily suggested asking Raven 12345 for help, and Raven activated Nangong May’s innate ability to communicate with Deep Sea creatures.
• Nangong May spoke with Doudou and helped her understand the situation, after which Doudou let go of Hao Ren and trusted Nangong May.
• Nangong May told Hao Ren that Doudou understood he was not her mother and now thought of him as her father.
• Nangong May revealed a cooking pot and identified it as Doudou’s mother.

Hao Ren struggled to correct Doudou’s belief that she had hatched from a pot, then learned that he would need extensive training before piloting the Giant Turtle Rock Platform. The Data Terminal warned him that implanted learning systems could replace a person’s thoughts and identity, and began his lessons the ordinary way.

• Nangong May explained that Doudou believed a pot had been her mother, and Hao Ren and Nangong May failed to change her mind.
• Hao Ren placed Doudou in the pot, where she swam happily, then tried feeding her vegetables, which she rejected by splashing him.
• The Data Terminal reminded Hao Ren that Officer Raven had scheduled him to study navigation and starship control before he could pilot the Giant Turtle Rock Platform.
• The Data Terminal explained that implanted learning systems could gradually replace a user’s thoughts and identity, so they were unsuitable for training a starship captain.
• The Data Terminal started Hao Ren’s lessons with an introduction to warp engines.