Chapter Summaries

As the group traveled through the Twisted Woods, Hao Ren used the Data Terminal to investigate the forest’s roots and discovered that the Beinz Region was a closed ecosystem incompatible with the outside world. The discovery deepened his questions about Beinz Blood Lake and what its waters contained.

• Becky explained that the Spiral Trees were parts of one enormous organism whose roots spread beneath the region, and she recounted the church’s warnings about digging underground.
• Hao Ren stepped off the road and opened the daughter flask so Doudou could come out, then asked the Data Terminal to scan the forest.
• The Data Terminal’s scan revealed a vast underground root system extending beyond Beinz Blood Lake toward the Crystal Plains, where many roots had died.
• The Data Terminal mapped the Beinz Region’s boundaries and concluded that its ecosystem could not survive outside the region.
• Hao Ren wondered what Beinz Blood Lake contained that sustained the isolated ancient ecosystem.

Hao Ren and his companions investigated the Twisted Woods, where he learned of its vast underground root system and sensed something watching him. After finding the forest eerily quiet, the group encountered a horde of Flesh Beasts fleeing from a giant tree-shaped creature, and they prepared to fight.

• The Data Terminal told Hao Ren that the Twisted Woods was a gigantic plant whose presence did not fit the planet's ecological history.
• Hao Ren felt as if something had scanned and watched him, but the Data Terminal detected no one nearby.
• Hao Ren returned to Becky, and the group continued through the unusually quiet forest without encountering monsters.
• Vivian spotted approaching creatures, and the group readied themselves for battle as more than twenty Flesh Beasts charged toward them.
• A nearly ten-meter-tall tree-shaped giant chased the Flesh Beasts toward the group, so Becky charged the beasts, Hao Ren attacked one with his shield, and Izax advanced on the giant.

Hao Ren and his companions defeated the Flesh Beasts and a rampaging treant, then met a golden-haired woman who revealed that she had summoned the treant. She stopped to ask how Hao Ren knew she was going home.

• Becky and Lily cut through the Flesh Beasts with their fire-and-ice sword techniques while Hao Ren watched.
• Izax burned the giant treant to defeat it, and Nangong May and Vivian helped extinguish the flames.
• The group wondered why the treant had attacked them and whether it had driven the forest creatures away.
• A golden-haired woman arrived and explained that the treant was her guardian, which had lost control; she apologized and tried to leave.
• Vivian tried to stop the woman, but she continued on until Hao Ren called out that she was going home, making her turn and ask how he knew.

Hao Ren met Hildavita, a visitor from another world seeking a way home, and persuaded her that his group might help. They agreed to continue to Beinz Blood Lake, where they could exchange information, while Hao Ren privately asked whether someone could be transported out of the Dream Plane.

• Hao Ren and Vivian claimed to study spatial technology and parallel worlds, convincing Hildavita to consider their help.
• Hildavita offered valuable goods in exchange for a way home, then mistakenly thought Hao Ren wanted an intimate payment and explained that she was married.
• Hao Ren introduced himself, and Hildavita gave her name while withholding her other identities.
• Hao Ren told Hildavita they would discuss their plans at Beinz Blood Lake, and she agreed to go there after tending to her treant guard.
• Hildavita began preparing a ritual beside the charred treant guard, while Hao Ren asked his Data Terminal whether someone could leave the Dream Plane.

Hao Ren and the group reached the Blood Lake after Hilda recovered a seed from her fallen treefolk guard and explained how the local life force had twisted it. At the lakeshore, they learned the water was abnormal and poisonous to ordinary people, then headed for the Knight Order Outpost to rest and ask about the search for the Holy Church Orb.

• Hao Ren learned from the Data Terminal that Hilda could be transferred to the Outer World, but would need a hibernation pod to return to the Dream Plane.
• Hilda used a spell to recover a seed from the burned treefolk guard and said she needed to bring it back to her homeland.
• Hilda told Hao Ren that she had been avoiding road checkpoints and that the lake's strange life force had caused her summoned treefolk guard to mutate and lose control.
• The group reached the Blood Lake, where Izax and Vivian found the water mildly salty but Becky warned that it could make ordinary people sick.
• Becky led the group toward the Knight Order Outpost, hoping to learn about the orb search and find valuable herbs, while Vivian reacted bitterly to Becky's talk of financial luck.

At a lakeside outpost, Becky learned that the search for the Holy Church Orb had covered nearly all of Beinz Region, and she prepared to pursue her own investigation. Hao Ren planned to secretly visit the island church that night, while Hilda began questioning whether Becky was truly part of his group.

• Becky reported that mercenary groups and Marshal Ofra's elite troops had searched nearly every area around Blood Lake without finding the Holy Church Orb.
• Becky explained that holy power should have confined anyone who used spatial magic to escape with the orb to the Blood Lake basin.
• Becky said she would inspect the island church the next day, while Hao Ren and his companions could follow or go their own way.
• After Becky left, Hao Ren announced that he would covertly visit the center of the lake that night to investigate what had happened at the church.
• Hao Ren set the pot containing the sleeping Doudou and Data Terminal aside, then asked Hilda about herself.
• Hilda observed that Becky was not part of Hao Ren's group and challenged him about his earlier account.

Hao Ren explained the Time-Space Administration Bureau to Hilda and learned that she was an elf queen accidentally transported from another universe. He promised to help her return home after the group completed its mission, while Hilda urgently worried about her kingdom’s worsening crisis.

• Hao Ren introduced himself to Hilda as an inspector who handled accidental transmigration incidents and explained the Bureau’s role.
• Hilda revealed that she was Hildavita, an elf queen from Erem, whose people had built a space-time accelerator to find a new home before their planet withered.
• Hilda explained that an accident with a teleportation gate had sent her to another universe, and she used a device to distinguish it from another planet in her own universe.
• The Data Terminal confirmed that Hilda had clear traces of transmigration residue, despite Doudou riding on it.
• Hilda pleaded with Hao Ren to return her quickly because her kingdom was near collapse, and Hao Ren promised to help after the mission; the group then discussed reaching the middle of the lake that night.

Hao Ren and his companions secretly entered the church on the island at the heart of Beinz Blood Lake to investigate the Holy Church Orb’s disappearance. They found the church’s defenses inactive and examined the damage left by the Orb’s apparent teleportation, while Hao Ren noticed a strange mural like one he had seen before.

• Hao Ren sent the Data Terminal to scout the church, then it reported the building was empty and teleported the group inside.
• Hao Ren brought Lily and Doudou along despite Vivian questioning their preparations and his decision to bring the Little Merman.
• The group discovered that the church’s defensive formations and alarms had not activated during their break-in.
• Vivian examined the matching holes in the floor and ceiling and concluded that a crude spatial teleportation had removed the Orb and part of the surrounding structure.
• Hao Ren studied an eerie black-and-red mural behind the altar and noticed it differed from the similar mural in the mountain people's church.

Hao Ren found no clues inside the church and decided to investigate the forbidden depths of Blood Lake. Doudou plunged into the lake, came back unharmed, and derailed the serious expedition with a flood of bizarre questions for Nangong May.

• Hao Ren and Vivian found nothing useful in the church, so Hao Ren decided to search the bottom of Blood Lake for clues.
• Hao Ren’s group teleported to the lakeshore, where Nangong May warned him about the lake’s dangerous depths.
• Doudou leaped into Blood Lake, and Nangong May dove after her and brought her back safely.
• Hao Ren realized that Doudou had always been recklessly drawn to danger and held her close.
• Doudou saw Nangong May’s mermaid form and bombarded her with strange questions, prompting Nangong May to angrily correct her.

Hao Ren and his companions dove into Beinz Blood Lake, relying on Nangong May’s water control to protect them from its dangerous effects. As they approached the lake’s bottom, Nangong May sensed a strong magnetic field in the water.

• Nangong May tested her water control in the lake and confirmed she could shield the group from its effects.
• Lily reluctantly jumped into the lake after recounting how a submarine had once injured her.
• Izax led the group into the red depths, where Hao Ren described the strange disappearance of the popes who entered the church at the lake’s center.
• Hao Ren released Doudou, who swam happily through the water and then followed a current behind Nangong May.
• Nangong May transformed her tail while Doudou watched, and the group continued deeper until a black shadow appeared.
• Nangong May paused near the lake bottom and sensed a strong magnetic field in the water.

Hao Ren and the others investigated a strange magnetic field and signs of a recent explosion at the bottom of the lake, where they discovered a massive, alien spaceship wreck. They approached the hull and sent Lily to clear a path through its breach.

• Nangong May sensed an unnatural magnetic field that disoriented Dodo, and she warned the group that something ahead might not be natural.
• Hao Ren and the others found old stone fragments and then fresh trenches, foul-smelling debris, and signs of a huge explosion near the island.
• Vivian spotted a colossal metallic wreck embedded in the lakebed, and Hao Ren recognized it as a spaceship from another world.
• The group examined the ship's damaged hull and saw that twisted metal and pipes blocked the breach.
• Vivian ordered Lily to clear the way, and Lily swam toward the wreck with her twin blades.

Hao Ren and his companions explored the wrecked spaceship beneath the Blood Lake and opened a blocked bulkhead with Dodo’s help. Inside the cargo hold, Hao Ren came face-to-face with a waterlogged green humanoid creature.

• Lily cut through the wreckage with her ice-and-fire twin blades, then emerged dizzy and overheated.
• Hao Ren’s group entered a warped corridor and discussed the spaceship’s advanced technology and the possible history of the otherworldly races on Earth.
• The Data Terminal found a large space beyond a jammed bulkhead, and Hao Ren spotted short humanoid shapes floating inside.
• Hao Ren sent Dodo through a narrow crack to release the bulkhead’s lock, then opened the door.
• Hao Ren swam into the cargo hold and encountered a wrinkled green humanoid creature.

Hao Ren and his companions explored a wrecked spaceship in the crimson lake and confirmed it had fallen from the Outer World into the Dream Plane, threatening its balance. After finding a crew member’s distress record, they encountered a malfunctioning mechanical guardian and escaped in a scorched, tangled state.

• Hao Ren examined a green-skinned crew member and learned from its uniform that it had worked in storage aboard the Star of Heaven No. 4 Ship.
• The Data Terminal concluded that the small vessel had come from the Outer World and warned that its arrival could disrupt the Dream Plane’s balance.
• Dodo found a technician’s message describing the ship’s crash in spatial turbulence, and Hao Ren and Vivian discovered a dead Toberu Insectoid Race scientific consultant nearby.
• Izax alerted the group to a mechanical tentacled entity approaching through the corridor, and Vivian attacked it with lightning.
• Hao Ren and the others returned to shore after the battle, with Lily’s fur curled from the electricity and Nangong May tangled in her numb sea-serpent tail.

After Vivian’s lightning incapacitated the group and destroyed the mechanical monster, Hao Ren secured the alien shipwreck and reviewed the strange events surrounding the Blood Lake. The group suspected a weakening balance was allowing more crossings into the Dream Plane, and the chapter left them investigating whether the recent incidents were connected.

• Vivian apologized for shocking her allies underwater, while Lily and Hao Ren checked on the soot-covered but unharmed Dodo.
• Hao Ren examined the disabled mechanical monster and learned that the alien shipwreck could not safely be moved from the lakebed.
• Hao Ren arranged for Nangong May to contain pollution and preserve the crash site while he planned to contact the ship’s authorities.
• Vivian recounted the Holy Church Orb’s disappearance, the ship’s crash, the growing monster activity, the Stone Giants’ movements, and Hilda’s arrival.
• Hao Ren suggested that a weakening balance and new holes might explain why the Dream Plane had become easier to enter.

Hao Ren and his companions investigated the dangers of the Dream Plane anomaly and decided to return to the Outer World. After saying goodbye to Becky, they departed with Hilda, leaving the Holy Church Orb's whereabouts unresolved.

• The Data Terminal explained that a large-scale breach between the Dream Plane and the Outer World could cause invasions, disease, and catastrophic changes to the worlds' rules, though their key physical parameters appeared identical.
• Hao Ren decided the group should return to report their findings and arrange for the wrecked spaceship to be dealt with, while Nangong May struggled to recover from Vivian's electric shock.
• The group packed their supplies and brought the Combat Machine and other collected items, then told Becky they were leaving and that Hilda would join them.
• Hao Ren announced that they would use Spatial Teleportation, alarming Becky, and the group departed the Dream Plane in a flash of white light.

Hao Ren and his companions returned from the Dream Plane to Earth, where Hilda realized they had truly crossed worlds and pleaded to be sent home. After the group began settling back into their dusty house, a scream led them to discover Becky had nearly cut their microwave in half with her enchanted sword.

• Hao Ren and the others awoke from the hibernation pods on Earth, and Hilda excitedly confirmed that they had brought her to another planet.
• Hilda begged Hao Ren to send her back to Erem Kingdom, and he decided to take her to Raven 12345 after checking the house.
• Vivian and Lily went upstairs to clean the house while Hao Ren reflected on how much work their return had caused.
• A scream from the kitchen brought Hao Ren and the others upstairs, where they found Becky beside a sparking microwave she had nearly chopped in half with her enchanted longsword.
• Hao Ren recognized Becky and shouted in dismay about his microwave.

Becky was accidentally teleported from the Horna Empire to Hao Ren’s home in the Outer World, where he explained the situation and agreed to let her stay and explore. The teleportation mishap had also left Hao Ren with a damaged microwave and another accident to investigate.

• Becky appeared in Hao Ren’s house and demanded to know where she was, while Hao Ren realized the teleportation had gone wrong.
• Hao Ren brought Becky and Hilda to the living room and explained that Becky had arrived in another world because of a Time-Space Administration Bureau mishap.
• Becky accepted the revelation cheerfully and decided to enjoy her visit, since she expected Hao Ren could take her home later.
• Hao Ren agreed to let Becky stay at his place while the group investigated the accident.
• Becky explained that she had mistaken Hao Ren’s microwave for a treasure chest and chopped it up, leaving Hao Ren facing more repairs.

After Becky was accidentally brought out of the Dream Plane, Hao Ren and the Data Terminal investigated how the transmission had gone wrong. Hao Ren decided to take Hilda to meet his superior, leaving the cause of the worsening Dream Plane instability unresolved.

• Becky realized she had destroyed something valuable, but Hao Ren said he would report it as a work-related loss and asked her to hide her conspicuous armor and sword.
• Nangong May took Becky to borrow clothes, while Hao Ren confronted the Data Terminal about how Becky had been transported.
• The Data Terminal explained that the Dream Plane mapping data had not been updated for months and was maintained by the Star Brilliance Tower, despite signs that the Dream Plane's balance was weakening.
• Hao Ren told Lily that Becky's controlled transmission going wrong suggested the instability could defeat even careful safety measures.
• Hilda asked whether the investigation concerned her homeland, and Hao Ren decided to take her to meet his superior.

Hao Ren brought Hilda to meet Raven 12345, only to find the Goddess’s mansion wrecked and Raven making noodles in the garden. After explaining that she had crashed a shuttlecraft into her house, Raven listened as Hao Ren began reporting Hilda’s arrival from another world.

• Hao Ren and Hilda teleported to Raven 12345’s mansion and found it badly damaged, with repair units still working around it.
• Hao Ren followed an Arcane Servant into the garden and found Raven 12345 cooking noodles over a campfire.
• Raven 12345 explained that she had crashed a shuttlecraft into the mansion after throwing away its manual before reading the landing instructions.
• Raven 12345 said she was leaving the repairs to the workers and enjoying a picnic in the garden.
• Hao Ren introduced Hilda and began explaining that she had crossed over from another world into the Dream Plane, causing Raven to spit out her soup.

Hao Ren learned from Raven 12345 that the Dream Plane’s barrier with the Outer World was dissolving, threatening to merge the two worlds and erase most of their matter and civilizations. Raven said she would oversee the crisis and assign Hao Ren manageable tasks, but the historical cause remained unexplained.

• Hao Ren told Raven 12345 about the Dream Plane’s mutations, Hilda, the crashed spaceship, and Becky’s accidental teleportation to Earth.
• Raven examined the Toberu Data Terminal and concluded that the incidents were signs of the Dream Plane’s worsening condition.
• Raven explained that the barrier between the Dream Plane and the Outer World was dissolving and that their eventual collision could destroy most space, matter, and civilization.
• Raven reassured Hao Ren that she would manage the crisis and assign him tasks within his capabilities.
• Hao Ren wondered whether the rumored Day of Return was the catastrophic merger Raven had described.