Chapter Summaries

Hao Ren briefed Raven 12345 on the Others’ Day of Return and the weakening barrier between the Dream Plane and the Outer World, and she gave him full authority to investigate. Raven also assigned him to handle Hilda’s transmigration and hinted that the Sirens might have origins beyond the Dream Plane.

• Hao Ren told Raven 12345 that the Others believed their power and ancestral objects would return as the Dream Plane and Outer World grew closer, and Raven said they were probably mistaken about the weakening barrier.
• Raven 12345 warned that ancient beings might be influencing events, told Hao Ren to monitor the Others, and said he could seek military support if needed.
• Hao Ren asked whether he should investigate the deep sea and where the Sirens came from, and Raven 12345 gave him full authority while hinting he should look beyond his usual perspective.
• Raven 12345 assigned Hilda’s transmigration case to Hao Ren, who read the handbook’s procedure for scanning her, registering her with the bureau, and returning her through the World Gate.
• Raven 12345 reiterated that Hao Ren could decide how to handle Hilda as long as he obeyed the World Balance Preservation Regulations and the Civilization Development Protection Act.

Hao Ren brought Hilda from heaven into the city and tried to help her adjust to Earth while arranging new clothes for her. Hilda was astonished by Earth’s lavish displays and disposable goods, revealing that her homeland had suffered severe resource shortages.

• Hao Ren promised Hilda he would examine her and personally take her back to her world once he identified it.
• Hao Ren led Hilda out of heaven and bought her replacement clothes and snacks while keeping her elven ears hidden beneath her hood.
• At the Cultural Plaza, Hao Ren explained that the costumed crowds were attending an Anime Festival and told Hilda to say she was there for CosPlay if anyone asked.
• Hilda questioned why Earth used water, energy, decorations, and packaging for aesthetic or disposable purposes.
• Hilda called Earth wasteful, and Hao Ren became curious about the resource-depleted world she came from.

Hao Ren brought Hilda home after learning how desperately scarce resources were in her homeland, while Becky discovered that Earth’s everyday goods could make her rich in another world. The chapter left Becky dreaming of becoming a powerful interworld merchant and ruler.

• Hilda told Hao Ren that her people recycled scrap repeatedly and risked their lives gathering resources at Corona Stations.
• Hao Ren and Hilda returned to the house, where Vivian welcomed them and Lily searched his snacks for spicy strips.
• Hao Ren recognized Becky in Earth clothes and learned that Nangong May was taking her shopping for underwear.
• Becky marveled at Earth’s household appliances and realized they were ordinary possessions rather than luxuries reserved for the powerful.
• Becky planned to trade Earth music boxes and alchemical scrap between worlds, build a fortune, and become a ruler.

Hao Ren explained to Becky that she could not return to the Dream Plane in her physical body, then tried to help her adjust to life in his home. During lunch, Dodo revealed that the tiny mermaid baby possessed astonishing strength.

• Hao Ren told Becky that cross-world trade was forbidden and that she could not return to the Dream Plane with her body, disappointing her hopes of making money.
• The Data Terminal explained that Becky could only visit the Dream Plane by projecting her spirit while her physical body remained in the Outer World.
• Hao Ren introduced the Data Terminal as his assistant, and Becky eagerly asked how far it would have to go before he gave it to her.
• Vivian served lunch, and Becky peppered Hao Ren with questions about television, Earth customs, and the food before struggling to use chopsticks.
• Dodo lifted the dining table while gnawing on a leg, then snapped ironwood chopsticks in half as Hao Ren and the others watched in shock.

Hao Ren hosted Hilda and learned how scarce food was in the Erem Elves’ homeland, then placed her in a hibernation pod so the authorities could locate her home. He broadcast an official alert about the wrecked Outer World spacecraft, only to discover he had forgotten to attach its picture.

• Nangong May examined Doudou and found her healthy and unusually lively, while Hao Ren introduced her to Becky.
• Hilda explained that the Erem Elves relied on bland synthetic food and asked to take some of the meal back to her people.
• Hao Ren placed Hilda in a hibernation pod and prepared to upload her traverser characteristics so the relevant authorities could find her homeland.
• Hao Ren broadcast an official universe-wide announcement about the wrecked Outer World spacecraft and requested information about its origins.
• Civilizations across the universe acknowledged the alert, while fellow inspectors pointed out that Hao Ren had forgotten to upload the spacecraft’s picture.

Hao Ren broadcast images and information about the wrecked spaceship across the universe, and two civilization circles emerged as likely sources. After Hilda’s scan finished, Hao Ren returned upstairs and remembered he had something to ask Vivian.

• Hao Ren uploaded spaceship images and schematics to a cosmic channel, prompting civilization circles to circulate search orders.
• The Data Terminal warned that identifying the ship could take days, then reported that the Dan-Twin and Campbell Civilization Circles had bought large numbers of similar vessels.
• Hao Ren also shared images of the sea-urchin Combat Machine, which appeared to be a privately manufactured security robot rather than military equipment.
• Hilda awoke after nearly three hours in the sleep pod, and Hao Ren told her that her return request was being processed.
• Hao Ren found Lily and Vivian arguing over Vivian’s names for Lily’s claw blades, then said he needed to ask Vivian something.

Hao Ren asked Vivian to reconnect with Earth’s nonhumans and monitor their movements for clues about the Day of Return, while Becky and Hilda settled into his house. As Vivian sent enchanted bats to contact old acquaintances, Hao Ren suggested using delivery services to reach them more quickly.

• Hao Ren asked Vivian to reestablish contact with nonhumans and quietly learn about their recent movements, and she agreed.
• Lily asked for a mission, but Hao Ren put her to work opening a soda bottle, prompting her protests.
• Becky and Hilda moved into Hao Ren’s house, and Becky eagerly anticipated exploring Earth and shopping with the others.
• Hao Ren invited Izax and Vivian to go shopping, but found Vivian enchanting bats to carry greetings to her old contacts.
• Hao Ren suggested using delivery services to reach Vivian’s distant acquaintances, and Vivian praised his broad-minded idea.

Hao Ren and Vivian prepared to send Vivian’s summoned bats across Eurasia in express packages disguised as specimens, then joined the others to go shopping. The group left Hilda and Dodo at home, and Hao Ren asked the Data Terminal to apply for a self-driving vehicle because nobody in the group could drive safely.

• Hao Ren and Vivian packed Vivian’s bats into jars and disguised them as specimens so they could travel through the express delivery network without drawing attention.
• Vivian concealed the jars from Demon Hunters with Aura Concealment and Energy Transfer, and Hao Ren decided to label the packages as handicrafts.
• Hao Ren invited Vivian to join the group on a shopping trip, while Hilda stayed home and Dodo remained unable to go outside.
• Hao Ren and the others carried the boxes toward the express delivery company as they discussed how none of them could drive a modern car.
• Hao Ren asked the Data Terminal to apply to the organization for a self-driving vehicle, using his mission to monitor Earth’s nonhumans as justification.

Hao Ren took Becky and the others to the city center, where Becky reacted with alarm and curiosity to Earth’s vehicles, advertisements, and crowded streets. At the shopping mall, she remained unimpressed by its size, leaving Hao Ren to realize that she found Earth strange rather than impressive.

• Hao Ren shipped two cases of bottles and jars by claiming they were handmade crafts from an art studio.
• Becky mistook the bus’s engine for a bomb and asked questions about Earth’s power lines, roads, and movie advertisements.
• Hao Ren stopped Becky from attacking cosplayers at an anime convention and redirected the group toward the shopping mall.
• Becky judged the mall to be crowded rather than impressive, and Hao Ren reconsidered how otherworlders viewed Earth.

Hao Ren took the supernatural beings shopping, but struggled to find clothes that fit Izax before splitting up with the others to buy Vivian new clothes and a phone. As Hao Ren and Vivian entered a shop, a scarred woman watched them from behind a counter.

• Becky pointed out places in the mall where she imagined setting traps and casting spells, alarming Hao Ren.
• Hao Ren tried to buy Izax a jacket, but the store's largest clothes were far too small, so he decided to have outfits custom-made.
• Hao Ren sent Lily and Becky upstairs with Izax to keep an eye on them, while Vivian stayed with him.
• Hao Ren offered to buy Vivian an outfit and a phone, and Vivian accepted after explaining that her old phone had become unusable.
• A scarred woman behind a counter watched Hao Ren and Vivian until they disappeared into a shop.

Hao Ren took Vivian shopping for new clothes and a phone, giving her a rare chance to enjoy herself. At the phone store, they unexpectedly encountered the female warrior Hao Ren had faced during his first confrontation with the Demon Hunter.

• Hao Ren reassured Vivian that no one was watching them, then encouraged her to choose whatever clothes she wanted.
• Vivian tried on a black Gothic outfit decorated with crosses, and Hao Ren praised how well it suited her.
• Vivian bought the outfit and saved a long trench coat for a holiday before she and Hao Ren headed to the phone section.
• Hao Ren approached a clerk at a phone store and recognized her as the female warrior from his first confrontation with the Demon Hunter.
• Vivian stepped back beside Hao Ren, confirming that he had recognized the woman correctly.

Hao Ren and Vivian unexpectedly reunited with Zhao Xi, a Demon Hunter working at a phone store, and learned she and her leader had returned to ordinary life after Raven 12345 released them. The Demon Hunter Leader, who introduced himself as Ryūsei, brought them aside and revealed he managed the local electronics and appliance markets.

• Hao Ren and Vivian recognized Zhao Xi in a mobile-phone store, and Vivian briefly unleashed a chill before Zhao Xi reassured them she did not intend to fight.
• Zhao Xi explained that she had worked in the mall for years and that Demon Hunters lived and worked among humans like ordinary people.
• Hao Ren asked Zhao Xi about her time in Raven 12345's custody, but the Demon Hunter Leader arrived before she could answer.
• The Demon Hunter Leader told Zhao Xi to remove her Rune of Leta, which had diverted people's attention, and called Hao Ren, Vivian, and Zhao Xi out of the store.
• The Demon Hunter Leader reprimanded Zhao Xi for loafing at work, and Zhao Xi cited her facial scar and nerve damage from Vampire venom as reasons for using the rune.
• The Demon Hunter Leader introduced himself to Hao Ren and Vivian as Ryūsei, a veteran Demon Hunter and district manager of the electronics and appliance markets.

Hao Ren met Ryūsei and Zhao Xi again and learned that a goddess had forced the Demon Hunters to experience centuries of pointless factional warfare, leaving them unwilling to continue fighting nonhumans. Ryūsei shared what he knew about the Day of Return and agreed that he and Zhao Xi would no longer be Hao Ren’s enemies; the chapter ended with the Data Terminal reporting that Hilda’s homeworld had been located.

• Hao Ren and Vivian encountered Ryūsei and Zhao Xi working ordinary jobs, and Ryūsei explained that he and the other Demon Hunters had grown tired of conflict after spending centuries in a goddess’s illusionary war.
• Ryūsei said he and Zhao Xi would still deal with evil spirits but would no longer cause trouble for Hao Ren and Vivian.
• Ryūsei revealed that Demon Hunters were investigating nonhuman activity connected to the Day of Return, including sites near the Arctic Circle, Africa, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean.
• Hao Ren asked Ryūsei to cooperate, and Ryūsei said he could not promise help but agreed they would not be enemies.
• The Data Terminal told Hao Ren that the Management Bureau had located Hilda’s homeworld.

Hao Ren gathered his companions after learning that Hilda’s hometown had been found, and he told Lily he would take her along if she hurried home. Back at the house, Hilda reported that Doudou had beaten Roll in a fight, showing off her surprising combat power.

• Hao Ren arranged to leave for Hilda’s world the next morning and bought Vivian a new phone with Ryūsei’s help.
• Hao Ren reunited with Nangong May, Becky, and Izax, then summoned Lily away from a crowd by threatening to withhold her lunch.
• Hao Ren told Lily that Hilda’s hometown had been found and promised to bring her along if she stopped delaying them.
• Hao Ren returned home with the group and found Hilda watching television.
• Hilda told Hao Ren that Doudou and Roll had fought, and that Doudou had defeated the cat in five seconds.

Hao Ren prepared to take Hilda back to her homeland and organized a group to travel by spaceship, while Becky stayed behind because of the instability between worlds. The group teleported to Kuiper Station, where Lulu greeted them and confirmed their spaceship was ready.

• Roll attacked Doudou, but Doudou beat her and left her terrified of the little fish.
• Hao Ren told Hilda that her homeland had been found and promised to take her back the next morning.
• Hao Ren invited anyone who wanted to join the spaceship trip, but the Data Terminal forbade Becky from leaving Earth because the Dream Plane's connection to the Outer World was unstable.
• Nangong May volunteered to stay behind with Becky, while Doudou was left at home in May's care.
• The Data Terminal warned that Hilda's homeland was a remote, poorly supported outpost, and Hao Ren's group teleported to Kuiper Station.
• Lulu greeted Hao Ren at Kuiper Station and told him their spaceship was ready.

Hao Ren brought Vivian and Lily aboard the Giant Turtle Rock Platform for its first official mission, while Vivian was shaken by the courier journey of her bat avatars. The ship prepared to depart as Hao Ren checked the route and engaged autopilot.

• Hao Ren led Lily and Vivian through Kuiper Station, where Lily excitedly admired the station and their ship, the Giant Turtle Rock Platform.
• Vivian became dizzy because she shared the sensations of her bat avatars as courier workers tossed their packages around.
• The Data Terminal explained that Vivian could not contact her bats across worlds, but it could provide a relay channel; Vivian declined and urged everyone to board.
• The Giant Turtle Rock Platform detected Hao Ren, welcomed the group aboard, and returned its Autonomous Mechanical Units to the ship.
• Hao Ren checked the route and navigation systems, then engaged autopilot and took his hands off the console.

Hao Ren and his companions left Kuiper Station aboard the patrol ship and traveled toward the World Gate, with Lily exploring the ship and drafting a magazine article along the way. They arrived at the massive inter-universe gateway, where the structure came into view.

• Hao Ren set the ship on autopilot while Vivian shared her long-held wish to see the stars, and Hilda silently reacted to their conversation.
• Lily explored the ship, found an oversized captain's uniform, and asked the Data Terminal to turn a console into a writing station.
• Lily began writing an article about dog food during the ship's superluminal cruise, while Vivian mocked her claims about being a writer.
• The ship reached the World Gate, and Hao Ren saw the enormous facility built to let fleets travel between universes.

Hao Ren and his companions reached the World Gate and learned how the Empire managed universes and routed travelers between them. Giant Turtle Rock Platform passed through the gate and emerged beneath an unfamiliar starry sky.

• Hao Ren spotted three strange planets near the World Gate, and the Data Terminal identified them as K1, K2, and K3, the Empire's universe-management devices.
• The Data Terminal explained that the World Gate let travelers escape a world's rules and described how civilizations could pursue transcendence or perish through disaster, self-destruction, or fixation on power.
• Giant Turtle Rock Platform received navigation guidance as numerous ships passed through the gate toward different universes.
• Hao Ren opened the public channel and heard merchants advertising routes and a report of a collision at the busy World Gate.
• The Data Terminal accelerated Giant Turtle Rock Platform through the gate, and the ship emerged beneath an unfamiliar starry sky.

Hilda recounted the Erem Elves’ rise from a peaceful forest civilization to a technologically advanced planetary society as the group traveled toward her home. She revealed that Erem was isolated by sixty million light-years of empty space, leaving her people’s future beyond their planet uncertain.

• The group emerged from a World Gate into a quiet, underdeveloped region of the Macro World.
• The Data Terminal explained that the region had been hastily registered after a Great Cataclysm and asked Hilda about her destination, which was an empty region of space.
• Hilda said the empty region was her homeland, and the Data Terminal began the journey there.
• Vivian asked Hilda to tell them about her old home while they traveled.
• Hilda described how the Erem Elves built a prosperous civilization while preserving nature and assimilating other intelligent species.
• Hilda explained that Erem was the sole planet in its star system, sixty million light-years from the nearest solid celestial body.

Hilda explained how the Erem Elves had exhausted their homeworld’s resources while struggling to build a way into deep space. As the group reflected on the civilization’s bad fortune and narrow margin for error, their ship arrived at Erem.

• Hilda told Hao Ren that Erem had been near collapse since her birth, relying on dangerous Corona Stations to extract energy and matter from its sun.
• Hilda explained that her husband had proposed building a portal and that her own space-time accelerator had exploded during its first activation.
• Lily bluntly said the Erem Elves were poor, while Izax argued that civilizations had to limit internal waste and criticized humanity for fighting despite its abundant resources.
• Hilda said that learning about Earth’s plentiful neighboring planets and stars had reassured her that her people might have been unlucky rather than foolish.
• The Data Terminal said that many civilizations failed to leave their homeworld through no fault of their intelligence or effort, and announced that the ship had arrived at Erem.