Chapter Summaries

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.

Hao Ren studied starship instructions while Vivian made clothes for Doudou, until Lily returned with Demon Hunter spell cards hidden around their street. Vivian recognized them as parts of a surveillance and containment field, and she prepared to investigate and capture a Demon Hunter alive.

• Hao Ren studied the Data Terminal's starship manuals while Doudou played in her water pot, and Vivian sewed the little mermaid a pink vest.
• Lily came home early and showed Hao Ren and Vivian a pile of Rune of Leta spell cards she had found hidden around the street.
• Vivian tested a card and confirmed that it had been made by Demon Hunters, meaning they had likely found the group's location.
• Vivian interpreted the runes as components of a field for investigation, surveillance, combat, and containment, and sent bats to scout while telling Lily to find the remaining cards.
• Vivian vowed to capture one of the Demon Hunters alive, with Lily and Hao Ren preparing to help.

Hao Ren and his companions prepared for a possible Demon Hunter attack while Vivian explained the Sirens’ unusual abilities. Lily returned with hundreds of dogs carrying the Demon Hunters’ talisman cards, revealing that she had recruited her canine subordinates to search the neighborhood.

• Vivian sent bats across the South Suburbs to look for Demon Hunters while she cooked lunch.
• During lunch, Vivian explained that Sirens could survive by changing into water and being reborn through the water cycle.
• Hao Ren and Lily worried briefly about May and Izax, while Dodo dozed in a pot after eating a chopstick.
• A noisy crowd gathered outside, and Lily announced that her canine subordinates had returned.
• Hao Ren found hundreds of dogs carrying Rune of Leta talisman cards they had collected from nearby streets.

Lily gathered hundreds of dogs to collect Rune of Leta cards and watch for Demon Hunters around Hao Ren’s house. After sending the dogs out as spies, the group heard Izax return.

• Lily herded hundreds of pet and stray dogs behind Hao Ren’s house and showed Hao Ren and Vivian the rune cards they had collected.
• Lily used a mixed-breed dog to translate for a Russian dog and learned that the pack had found no other clues or human scent near the cards.
• Vivian told Lily to have the dogs watch the area for Demon Hunters who might investigate the missing runes.
• Lily sent the dogs in every direction to spy on the Demon Hunters, while Hao Ren worried whether the plan would work.
• Izax called out from the main gate as he returned.

Hao Ren and his allies prepared for another possible Demon Hunter attack, while Lily’s dogs searched the neighborhood without finding any hunters. The chapter ended with Hao Ren discovering that Little Merman could happily eat the rune cards they had collected.

• Izax and Nangong May returned home together and learned that another group of Demon Hunters might be nearby.
• Hao Ren, Vivian, and Izax discussed defending their neighborhood and protecting its residents, while Nangong May avoided the prospect of fighting.
• Raven 12345 did not answer the Heaven hotline, and Vivian’s bats and Lily’s organized canine network found rune cards but no Demon Hunters.
• Vivian ordered nighttime patrols and sent out more bats after Lily concluded the Demon Hunters might be messing with them.
• Hao Ren found Nangong May feeding Little Merman rune cards, which the little one crunched happily.

Hao Ren and the others discussed signs that Demon Hunters had investigated their previous battle while Doudou settled in for the night. As the household slept, three urgent barks broke the late-night silence.

• Doudou’s appetite for bamboo and wood fibers grew, and Hao Ren kept her from chewing the furniture.
• Vivian discovered traces of witchcraft at the North Suburbs ruins and explained that Demon Hunters had preserved such practices.
• Hao Ren and Vivian wondered how the Demon Hunters had tracked them despite their efforts to hide their trail.
• Nangong May gave Hao Ren a pot of water so Doudou could sleep without clinging to him, and Hao Ren left the Data Terminal to watch over her.
• After the night grew quiet, three urgent barks shattered the silence.

Lily’s dog scouts detected a lone Demon Hunter investigating the missing spell card, and Hao Ren’s group set out to confront them. They reached the run-down South Suburbs and prepared to locate the intruder.

• Lily received word that a lone Demon Hunter was checking the runes in a demolition zone four blocks away.
• Vivian, Izax, and Hao Ren prepared to fight, and Nangong May volunteered to join them.
• The group hurried through the deserted South Suburbs while Vivian concealed them with her shadow power.
• Lily signaled to a subordinate dog to help find the Demon Hunter.

Hao Ren and his companions ambushed the suspected Demon Hunter near their home, only to discover that their captive was the familiar, inept Nangong. The group recognized each other, and Nangong May’s excited greeting left them facing another unexpected reunion.

• Lily learned from Green Bean that the lone Demon Hunter was nearby, and the group followed the dog into an alley.
• The group found the Demon Hunter digging a hole, and Lily’s brick missed when he sneezed and ducked.
• Vivian, Lily, Izax, and Hao Ren chased the fleeing man and captured him alive.
• Hao Ren and Vivian recognized their captive as Nangong, the Demon Hunter they had fought alongside in Britain.
• Nangong realized that Hao Ren’s companions were nonhumans and asked them to give him a quick death.
• Nangong May called out excitedly after recognizing Nangong.

Hao Ren's group discovered that the Demon Hunter Nangong was Nangong May's older brother, and brought him home to explain himself. Nangong Sanba revealed their parents were a Demon Hunter and a Siren, but the siblings' history remained mostly unexplained.

• Nangong May recognized the Demon Hunter as her older brother and confronted him, while he said he had come looking for her.
• Vivian questioned Nangong about his talismans and took him home with the group to explain his intentions.
• On the way home, Lily's restless antics prompted Vivian and Hao Ren to discuss their nighttime habits.
• At home, Nangong May and Nangong explained that their father was a Demon Hunter and their mother was a Siren who had picked him up.
• After Vivian asked him to prove his sincerity by giving his full name, Nangong finally said he was called Nangong Sanba.

Nangong May explained how her family lost contact with the Demon Hunters and why Nangong Sanba had only partial training. The conversation ended with Vivian questioning whether the siblings’ travels had a deeper purpose.

• Nangong May explained that she and Nangong Sanba were named after their birth months, and Nangong Sanba defended keeping his unusual name.
• Nangong May told Vivian and Hao Ren that her father lost contact with the Demon Hunters after his parents died and the Asian organization fell into chaos.
• Nangong Sanba revealed that his father taught him only incomplete techniques and the use of exorcism tools, and he said he held no special hostility toward most otherworldly beings.
• Nangong Sanba said he worked alone and avoided suspicion from orthodox Demon Hunters by misleading them when they crossed paths.
• Vivian asked Nangong May whether the siblings traveled around for more than the pleasure of traveling.

Nangong May told Vivian and Hao Ren how her parents vanished after a Wrath Spirit attacked their home, and why she and Nangong Sanba had spent years traveling separately. She revealed that she had searched nearly everywhere for her mother but could not reach the deep sea, where parts of Earth’s oceans seemed to be sealed off.

• Nangong May recounted how a Wrath Spirit attacked her family’s secluded home when she was sixteen, after which her parents vanished and she and Nangong Sanba waited three years for their mother to revive.
• Nangong May explained that Nangong Sanba secretly guarded her with rune cards, causing accidents and trouble wherever she stayed.
• Nangong May told Vivian and Hao Ren that she had searched the world for her mother and had nearly given up, while Nangong Sanba followed her to protect her.
• Nangong May said that attempts to reach the legendary Siren cities in the Pacific and Atlantic had sent her off course, suggesting that parts of Earth’s oceans were sealed off.