Chapter Summaries

Angel rescued Zhen from an assassin targeting Feng Man, who defeated and killed the attacker with the help of his White-footed Sea Spiders. Afterward, the Tree Spirit Lord spoke with Angel as an equal, and Zhen recognized something familiar in her savior’s silhouette.

• Feng Man sensed a dagger-wielding bloodline apprentice attacking him and ducked, leaving Zhen exposed to the strike.
• Angel used a white tentacle to pull Zhen out of danger and send her to Lofigue.
• Feng Man let a White-footed Sea Spider bite the assassin, then covered him with spiders and killed him with his own dagger.
• The Tree Spirit Lord appeared and spoke with Angel, leading Lofigue to realize Angel was at least a formal wizard.
• Lofigue led Zhen away, and Zhen looked back at Angel, whose silhouette reminded her of a figure in her memories.

The Tree Spirit explained the revenge attempt against Feng Man and discussed the trouble Feng Man and Gu Yina were causing among Savage Cave’s apprentices. Angel then went to the underground market to find Ku Doudou, who appeared to be preparing to leave Savage Cave.

• The Tree Spirit dismissed Feng Man after the apprentice killed a dagger-wielding man, and Feng Man hurried back toward Apprentice Town.
• The Tree Spirit told Angel that the dead man had tried to avenge his lover, whom Feng Man had killed atop Sky Tower.
• Angel asked the Tree Spirit why Gu Yina had befriended Abruie, and the Tree Spirit said he did not know her purpose.
• Angel explained that he wanted to check on Ku Doudou, as he had promised Liana, and the Tree Spirit located him in the underground market.
• Angel headed for Dark Alley after the Tree Spirit said Ku Doudou was there and seemed ready to leave Savage Cave.

Angel went to Dark Alley to find Ku Doudou at the bar Swan Lake Night. After meeting him, Angel transformed the cramped room into another space, leaving Ku Doudou astonished.

• The Tree Spirit told Angel that Rhein planned to investigate the ruins’ central passage and would contact him if the shoe’s owner was gone.
• Angel arrived in Dark Alley and entered Swan Lake Night, where he used his perception to locate the person in room 215.
• The bartender led Angel upstairs, and Angel knocked on the room’s door instead of forcing his way inside.
• Ku Doudou mistook Angel for an examiner from the Tiger Armor Adventure Group and listed his skills and scouting abilities.
• Angel caused the room’s surroundings to change as a new layer of space covered the original one.

Angel revealed his identity to Ku Doudou and questioned why he was trying to join an adventure group despite his weak cultivation. Ku Doudou explained that he needed money, while Angel pressed him about the burden he seemed reluctant to share.

• Angel transformed from the red-haired man into Wizard Pat, and Ku Doudou recognized him after seeing the illusion of the Kula Kuka people’s former home.
• Angel asked why Ku Doudou had mistaken him for an examiner, and Ku Doudou said he was meeting the Tiger Armor Adventure Group about joining.
• Angel warned Ku Doudou that his low apprentice rank made wilderness adventures dangerous and could leave him behind his peers, including Feng Man.
• Ku Doudou said he was desperately short of money and needed to join an adventure group to obtain magic crystals quickly.

Angel learned that Ku Doudou was taking dangerous adventure jobs to earn magic crystals for Blood Arts books for Babaya, who lacked a mentor and could not afford bloodline cantrips. After understanding Ku Doudou’s reasons, Angel asked him to take him to see Babaya.

• Angel asked Ku Doudou why he needed magic crystals, and Ku Doudou admitted he wanted to buy Blood Arts for Babaya.
• Angel warned Ku Doudou to focus on his own cultivation, but Ku Doudou explained that he could not bear to see Babaya struggle without guidance.
• Ku Doudou revealed that Babaya had been left without a mentor after Madeleine went to the Abyss and could not afford the cantrip books she needed.
• Angel understood that Ku Doudou had been taking adventure jobs to help Babaya and asked him to take him to see her.

Angel left Swan Lake Night with Ku Doudou to find Babaya, while learning that the Tea Party preparations had emptied much of Apprentice Town and the underground market. He also discovered that people were already conspiring over Dodolo’s prophetic abilities, and he reached the Tree Spirit Court as its grounds were being transformed for the event.

• Angel concealed his identity from Ku Doudou, then left Swan Lake Night with him to find Babaya near the Tree Spirit Court.
• As Angel spread his spiritual force through Dark Alley, he heard Stargazing Day prophecies circulating and learned that people were scheming to exploit Dodolo’s prophetic abilities.
• Ku Doudou explained that many people had left Apprentice Town and the underground market to work on Tea Party preparations, and that Babaya had secured an arrangement task because it was assigned to women.
• Angel and Ku Doudou reached the Tree Spirit Court’s secondary district, where workers were building up the grounds for the Tea Party.

Angel found Babaya at the Tea Party construction site and brought her to Tree Spirit Hall, where he revealed his identity. He told Babaya and Ku Doudou to keep his return secret before preparing to share why he had come.

• Ku Doudou led Angel to a tea-gathering hall, but Angel found no sign of Babaya inside.
• Babaya flew past carrying a large round table, and Ku Doudou called out to her.
• Angel asked Babaya to meet him at Tree Spirit Hall, and she agreed.
• Angel led Babaya and Ku Doudou through a side door, transformed their surroundings, and revealed himself as Pat.
• Angel told Babaya and Ku Doudou that he had returned long ago but did not want his return made public.
• Angel said he had come to tell Babaya some things.

Angel discussed Babaya’s stalled magical development and offered her a copy of Blood Arts in exchange for joining a research project. He began testing whether she was suited for it by showing her a complex three-dimensional illusion.

• Angel explained that Babaya’s magic power was nearly sufficient for advancement, but she lacked cantrips and a developed knowledge system.
• Angel told Babaya that Madeleine remained in the Abyss and might face calamity, though Lord Rhein had sent people to meet her.
• Ku Doudou asked whether Angel could help Babaya, and Angel offered Babaya Blood Arts in exchange for joining his research project.
• Babaya accepted without asking what the research involved, and Angel presented her with a chaotic three-dimensional illusion as a suitability test.

Angel tested Babaya’s consciousness by asking her to erase colors from an illusion, and she cleared every color quickly on her first try. Ku Doudou also completed the test with few mistakes, prompting Angel to ask if he wanted to join as well.

• Angel explained that Babaya could erase each color by tracing its shape with her consciousness, then gave her the test.
• Babaya erased the colors one by one as they began flowing, succeeding on every attempt until the illusion was empty.
• Angel realized Babaya’s pure, steady consciousness made her a strong candidate to help Jon develop the Mother Tree Network.
• Angel created another color illusion and invited Ku Doudou to try it.
• Ku Doudou erased the colors rapidly but needed up to four attempts for the most difficult patch.
• After Ku Doudou finished, Angel asked whether he wanted to join as well.

Angel arranged for Babaya and Ku Doudou to join his information-exchange research as assistants, assigning them a private two-month task with rewards. He then examined the Tea Party grounds beneath the Eternal Tree to consider how they might be adapted for the Dream Wilderness.

• Angel asked Tree Spirit to create a private research task for Babaya and Ku Doudou, with the upper volume of Blood Arts for Babaya and Beginner Cantrips: Revised Edition for Ku Doudou.
• Tree Spirit updated both Bone Cards and completed Babaya's Tea Party construction task.
• Angel told Tree Spirit that his research concerned information exchange, and Tree Spirit looked forward to seeing its results.
• Angel sent Babaya and Ku Doudou to pack for their stay in the ruins.
• Angel explored the Tea Party grounds beneath the Eternal Tree and considered what would need to change before adapting them for the Dream Wilderness.

Angel considered how to adapt Liana's rose-themed Tea Party town for the Dream Wilderness, then noticed Baruba building a church with remarkable precision. He approached Baruba with more construction work, leaving Baruba with the chance to take on Angel's tasks.

• Angel decided that copying Liana's rose-themed town wholesale would narrow the Dream Wilderness's appeal, but he could not settle on a better design.
• Angel recognized Baruba, a fellow Savage Cave entrant whose mixed bloodline had hindered his prospects, as he passed through the town.
• Baruba used earth-element scrolls to build and intricately decorate a white Rose Church, earning one thousand contribution points.
• Angel praised Baruba's craftsmanship, and Baruba explained that he had followed the design drawing before preparing to return to the task hall.
• Angel offered Baruba some construction tasks.

Angel brought Baruba to join a research project and prepared to take Babaya and Ku Doudou out of the Mirror World. Liana recognized Angel’s identity and learned that his research involved information exchange and crystal balls.

• Angel brought Baruba to the Tree Spirit and enrolled him in a long-term research project, with payment to be settled in magic crystals.
• The Tree Spirit updated Baruba’s Bone Card and told Angel that Babaya had arrived while Ku Doudou was still on his way.
• Liana arrived with Babaya and Ku Doudou, and Angel realized Ku Doudou’s changed demeanor had revealed his identity to her.
• Liana said she had recognized Angel and asked what research he had recruited Ku Doudou to help with.
• Angel explained that his research concerned information exchange, more precisely crystal balls, and that Babaya and Ku Doudou were suitable assistants.

Liana asked Angel to refine alchemical tools for the Tea Party, but Angel asked her to wait a few days because new variables might change the event’s established ways. The chapter left Liana curious about what was coming and the Tree Spirit still avoiding a decision about the Tea Party’s venue.

• Liana learned that Angel and Ku Doudou were researching information exchange and urged them to develop a new communicator to replace the crystal balls.
• Liana privately asked Angel to refine several grand-looking alchemical tools for the Tea Party, and Angel seriously considered her request.
• Angel asked Liana to put the matter off for a few days, saying new variables might change some of the Tea Party’s established ways.
• Angel left with Baruba and the two little ones, while Liana wondered what the variables would be.
• The Tree Spirit avoided Liana’s request to decide on the Tea Party venue, and Liana left without pressing him.

Angel brought Baruba, Babaya, and Ku Doudou from the Tree Spirit Hall to the Pamiji Plateau and prepared to take them to the ruins. Baruba recognized the Gondola and began to suspect that the red-haired wizard was Angel.

• Baruba told Angel that Promi had closed the alchemy shop while he refined an item in seclusion.
• After they arrived on the frozen Pamiji Plateau, Baruba explained that his bloodline enhancement kept him warm, and Angel redirected Ku Doudou and Babaya's questions about bloodlines.
• Angel promised Babaya Blood Arts and asked both her and Ku Doudou to record their cultivation progress for a Dream Wilderness study.
• Angel brought out the Gondola, and Baruba recognized it as Angel's vessel and suspected that Angel was the wizard who had been helping him.

Angel brought Baruba, Babaya, and Ku Doudou to the ruins, gave them an illusionary cottage to live in, and introduced their Dream Wilderness login devices. The three entered the Dream Wilderness and arrived in a garden in Firstheart City.

• Angel decided Baruba's careful construction work made him suitable to help build New City in the Dream Wilderness, though he did not explain his reasons.
• Angel created an Illusion Cottage beside the artificial lake in the ruins and told Baruba, Babaya, and Ku Doudou they could live there.
• Angel gave each of them a monocle login device and instructed them to activate it.
• The three activated their devices and were drawn toward the Dream Bridge.
• Angel entered the Dream Wilderness and permitted the three newcomers to pass through the Dream Gate into the garden in Firstheart City.

Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Baruba registered as residents of Firstheart City and learned that their research and construction tasks would be overseen by Mr. Jon. Baruba recognized the registration clerk as Frod, a wizard apprentice whose nickname was Dream Reader and who had reportedly died.

• Babaya completed her identity registration, and the curly-haired clerk told the group they were now legal residents of Firstheart City.
• Ku Doudou questioned why he had never heard of the city, but the clerk reminded him that they were there to complete Lord Pat's task.
• The clerk told Babaya and Ku Doudou to report to Mr. Jon for their research task and told Baruba to report to him for construction.
• Baruba asked whether the clerk knew Dream Reader, and the man revealed that Dream Reader had once been his own nickname.
• Baruba recognized the clerk as Frod from an old magazine and told Babaya and Ku Doudou that Frod had been confirmed dead.

Shalu escorted Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Baruba through Firstheart City to meet Jon at the Ocean Theater, where Sheriff Tulas challenged Shalu to a fight. Meanwhile, Angel asked Sanders whether they could construct a high-magic region.

• Shalu introduced himself as Frod Tisen's knight and a demon hunter, then led the group toward the Ocean Theater to meet Jon.
• Ku Doudou noticed the city's unusually youthful plants and stone trees, while residents watched him and Babaya because of their tiny size.
• Shalu stopped at the Ocean Theater and told the group to wait for Jon's piano lesson to end.
• Tulas dropped onto the street, challenged Shalu to fight, and battled him as the city defense squad watched the damage.
• Angel noticed Tulas and Shalu fighting, then asked Sanders whether it was possible to construct a high-magic region.

Angel and Sanders discussed creating a high-magic area in Dream Wilderness so apprentices could practice cantrips more quickly and safely. They decided to build a 10-Lus test site outside Firstheart City, with the Sin-Hunting Group guarding it.

• Sanders explained that Dream Wilderness’s magic energy levels remained limited to level 0 and level 1, but he could use the Lus Energy Circulation Formula to create high-magic areas.
• Angel explained that a high-magic area could help Ku Doudou and Babaya practice cantrips by speeding up Virtual Magic recovery and preventing practice injuries from affecting reality.
• Sanders agreed to create a 10-Lus high-magic area, noting that unstable Virtual Magic could cause dangerous high-energy phenomena.
• Angel proposed building the area outside Firstheart City, establishing a restricted zone, and having the Sin-Hunting Group guard it.
• Sanders asked what would contain the high-magic area, and Angel chose to build a testing ground.

Baruba, Babaya, and Ku Doudou met Jon at the Ocean Theater, where he assigned Baruba future construction work and unnerved the two Littlefolk by saying he wanted to study them. After receiving a message from Angel through a strange branch, Jon sent the three of them outside the city, leaving Baruba wondering who Jon was and how the branch communicated.

• Yada escorted Baruba, Babaya, and Ku Doudou to Jon, who confirmed Baruba would help build New City after studying its plans.
• Jon asked Babaya and Ku Doudou about their identities, and they feared he intended to experiment on them.
• Jon received a message from Angel through a strange branch and noted that its amplified information signals had weakened privacy.
• Jon told the three to travel outside the city and said their tasks would be assigned after they returned.
• Baruba wondered about Jon's status and whether the branch was part of Angel's research into information exchange.

Angel and Sanders discussed Dream Wilderness’s magic-energy advancement, open testing, and plans to inform Lord Rhein after Stargazing Day. The chapter ended with Angel remembering that he still owed Gloria an answer about Dream Wilderness.

• Angel invited Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Baruba to cultivate in the high-magic zone and explained how they could obtain promised cantrip rewards.
• Angel and Sanders agreed that Sanders would raise Dream Wilderness’s energy level, aiming for the standard of a third-rank apprentice before the Tea Party.
• Angel and Sanders decided to tell Lord Rhein about Dream Wilderness after Stargazing Day and began considering how much to reveal.
• Toby sensed Angel at the Treehouse Tavern, then flew to the Stone Pillar Colosseum to hear Frafiel sing before Tulas and another fighter’s duel.
• Angel remembered his promise to Gloria and asked Sanders when they should tell her about Dream Wilderness.