Chapter Summaries

Angel reached the castle he believed belonged to Misty Gold and entered its dangerous mushroom garden while disguised as Shava. The mushrooms recognized him as Lady Shava, and he arrived at the castle gates, where a white statue and a tall, pure-white mushroom stood before him.

• Angel saw a black-haired figure watching him from a third-floor window, but she vanished when he tried to examine her.
• Angel entered the mushroom garden and cautiously passed deadly mushrooms and fire elementals without being attacked.
• Angel heard the garden’s Mushroom Forum reveal that the mushrooms believed Lady Shava had arrived and fell silent in her presence.
• A sea-urchin-shaped mushroom happily reported that Lady Shava had looked at it, deepening Angel’s doubts about Shava’s identity.
• Angel reached the castle gates and saw a white statue in a fountain and a tall, pure-white mushroom before the castle.

Angel questioned Mad, a talking top hat, about the oversized Message Mushroom and tested whether Shava’s identity still carried weight in Misty Gold’s castle. He learned that Misty Gold was inside, but Mad faltered when trying to explain her situation, so Angel headed toward the castle.

• Angel identified the large Message Mushroom as a parent body and learned from Mad that it produced mycelial offshoots rather than growing from spores.
• Mad offered Angel a mycelial offshoot, and Angel used the exchange to probe how much influence Shava’s identity had in the castle.
• Angel examined the statue of a white mouse in a top hat and suspected it depicted a powerful figure, perhaps Lord Nuka.
• Angel asked the top hat to identify itself, and it said he could call it Mad.
• Angel asked whether Misty Gold was in the castle, and Mad confirmed she was but repeatedly stopped short of explaining further.
• Angel stopped questioning Mad and walked toward the castle.

Angel entered Silver Night Castle, where he waited at a banquet table for its host and examined a strange book called “Mad Wood's Cultivation Log.” The book came alive and welcomed him as Lady Shava.

• Angel examined the silver patterns covering Silver Night Castle and identified the largest chimney as a possible exit from Duoling Garden.
• Angel entered the castle's great hall and sat at the prepared banquet without touching its food or drink.
• Angel sensed someone watching him but could not locate the source of the gaze.
• Angel focused on the book beneath glass at the center of the table and learned its title, “Mad Wood's Cultivation Log.”
• The book floated up, grew eyes and a mouth, and welcomed Angel to the dinner banquet at Silver Night Castle.

Angel questioned Mad, the spirit of a book, and learned that its true body was a mushroom-cultivation log. When Angel recognized Misty Gold in a portrait, she emerged from it, leaving both of them uneasy.

• Mad revealed that its true body was a book called Mad Wood's Cultivation Log and admitted that fire could destroy it.
• Mad explained that the book recorded mushroom cultivation and that many mushrooms in Duoling Garden had spread from it.
• Mad recalled the Queen and Nuka handling the book, then began talking about Misty Gold before a ripple silenced it.
• Angel noticed that the ripple came from a portrait of a young woman whose clenched hands and dark hair reminded him of Misty Gold.
• Angel spoke Misty Gold's name, and the woman emerged from the portrait as a spirit body.
• Angel recognized Misty Gold as the woman who had brought him to Duoling Garden and saw that she seemed even more uneasy than he was.

Angel met Misty Gold at the banquet in Duoling Garden and found her hiding and trembling, though Mad claimed she was merely shy. Mad then revealed that Angel was expected to sit in the seat of honor because Lord Nuka and other guests were attending.

• Misty Gold emerged from the painting but hid behind a chair and fled to the chandelier when Angel asked if she was Misty Gold.
• Mad apologized for Misty Gold and explained that she was too shy to welcome Angel herself, despite wanting to meet him.
• Angel coaxed Misty Gold down from the chandelier, and she sat far from him in the darkness.
• Misty Gold told Angel to take his seat, and Mad pointed out the seat of honor at the end of the table.
• Mad said Angel had to sit in the seat of honor because he ranked highly among those favored by moonlight and Lord Nuka would arrive later.

Angel tried to use Misty Gold’s discourteous handling of the banquet as a reason to cancel it, while keeping up his role as Shava. Book of Madness revealed the consequences of canceling and Misty Gold offered an apology, but Angel did not relent before Misty Gold finally spoke.

• Angel decided to criticize Misty Gold for bringing him to Duoling Garden without an invitation, hoping to make canceling the banquet seem justified.
• Book of Madness explained that Misty Gold had been too shy to invite Angel, while Misty Gold remained silent in the darkness.
• Angel ordered the banquet canceled, and Book of Madness warned that Duoling Garden could be demoted or absorbed into Heart's Desire if the arriving lords were turned away.
• Book of Madness said Misty Gold had searched for songs praising moonlight and offered Angel a Message Mushroom offshoot as an apology.
• Angel accepted the mushroom offshoot as an ornament but continued to withhold his forgiveness, until Misty Gold finally spoke.

Angel’s attempt to cancel the dinner party was interrupted by the arrival of Davaxia, a strange guest whose approach shook Silver Night Castle. Angel took the host’s seat to spare Madness and Misty Gold from punishment, and Davaxia accepted a lollipop and announced he would not eat Madness this time.

• Misty Gold sang a ghostly version of “Swan Lake” to express remorse to Angel, but her song abruptly stopped when a guest approached Silver Night Castle.
• Madness told Angel that Davaxia had arrived and pleaded with him to take the host’s seat to prevent Davaxia from turning Madness into candy and Misty Gold into jelly.
• Angel took the host’s seat just as the castle gates opened and heavy footsteps shook the hall.
• Angel saw Davaxia, a short, fat man dragging a heavy iron ball, enter the hall.
• Madness welcomed Davaxia and gave him a Rainbow Mudworm lollipop, which Davaxia licked before saying he would not eat Madness this time.

Davaxia’s rainbow breath transformed a candlestick into candy before Misty Gold calmed him with a sweet, and Angel braced himself when Davaxia approached. Angel offered Davaxia a piece of Demon Nourishing Meat infused with Nightmare Illusion breath, leaving Davaxia to inspect the gift.

• Davaxia grew angry when Misty Gold ignored him and spread rainbow breath that turned a candlestick into candy-like food.
• Misty Gold gave Davaxia a white jade pagoda candy, and Davaxia withdrew his rainbow breath.
• Davaxia approached Angel, greeted him as Lord Shava, and sat down looking dejected without asking for food.
• Angel placed Demon Nourishing Meat infused with Nightmare Illusion breath on Davaxia’s plate, and Davaxia looked up at him.

Angel served Davaxia a carefully prepared dish, then watched as the Black and White Maids arrived at the banquet and took their seats. Their courteous words toward Shava concealed their deeper loyalty to Lord Nuka, leaving Angel wary of the guests still to come.

• Davaxia ate Angel’s Demon Nourishing Meat and praised its rich source power, asking for a thousand more plates.
• Angel studied the banquet seating and worried that the guests who had yet to arrive might outrank Davaxia and Misty Gold.
• The Black and White Maids entered together, and Mad identified them as Lord Nuka’s favored servants and overseers of Heart’s Desire.
• The White Maid expressed delight at dining with Lord Shava, while the Black Maid challenged her for exaggerating how long she would boast about it.
• Angel noticed that the White Maid controlled their exchange despite the Black Maid’s apparently higher rank, and concluded that both maids truly respected Lord Nuka.

Angel waited anxiously at a dangerous banquet as the Black and White Maids discussed the absent guests and sensed boiling origin power. The Boiling Gentleman arrived, and his presence stirred the Nightmare Realm’s aura and released overwhelming pressure.

• The Black and White Maids discussed the distant Boiling Gentleman, the missing tentacled monster, and a powerful aura of origin descending near Fallen Cemetery.
• The White and Black Maids sensed the scent of boiling origin power, causing their kinetic furnaces to renew and release more vapor and mist.
• Angel recognized the Boiling Gentleman’s gleaming leather shoes as belonging to the opponent Lord Rhein had fought near Star Pool.
• Madness introduced the Boiling Gentleman as a respected Moonlight Noble created by Minister Dim, and the White Maid explained that he had created her and the Black Maid’s kinetic furnaces.
• The Boiling Gentleman entered the dark corridor, making the Nightmare Realm’s aura boil and unleashing a suffocating pressure that threatened Angel.

Angel endured Boiling Gentleman’s overwhelming energy pressure while maintaining his impersonation of Shava, then recognized a familiar presence emerging from the dark corridor. The chapter ended with a spotted puppy flying into his arms.

• Boiling Gentleman unleashed intense origin energy, and Angel struggled to remain composed as Shava under the pressure.
• Angel activated the Green Patterns in his right eye, creating a force field that blocked the pressure from affecting him.
• Angel used a faint smile and his gaze toward the dark corridor to redirect the banquet guests’ attention from his right eye.
• A streak of white light shot from the dark corridor toward Angel, and he let it fly into his arms.
• The white light faded to reveal a spotted little milk puppy that barked softly.

Angel reunited with Spotty Dog at the banquet and learned it had secretly slipped away from Minister Dim again. Boiling Gentleman arrived, confirmed the puppy had been searched for, and hinted that he had helped bring Spotty Dog into being.

• Angel recognized Spotty Dog from Sleepless City and suspected it had escaped behind Minister Dim's back.
• Boiling Gentleman entered the banquet and took the seat beside Angel after greeting him and the other guests.
• Boiling Gentleman told Spotty Dog that he had helped when it was born, leaving Angel to wonder whether the puppy had been created.
• Boiling Gentleman confirmed that Spotty Dog had sneaked away from Minister Dim and that a tentacle monster had delayed its arrival while searching for it.
• Angel asked why Spotty Dog had escaped again, and Boiling Gentleman said it had never been well-behaved.

Angel, posing as Shava, questioned the Boiling Gentleman about his Twisted Seeds and learned how they empowered and manipulated their hosts. The Boiling Gentleman revealed their promise as weapons and complained about someone watching from the sidelines.

• The Boiling Gentleman apologized to Angel for failing to behold him and said he had strengthened the pets guarding the Misty Candle Corridor.
• Angel reasoned that the Boiling Gentleman meant to target Sanders, but kept his objections to himself and dismissed the matter.
• The Boiling Gentleman said he could kill Rhein if he recovered his full strength and had suitable tools, leading Angel to suspect his power depended on external devices.
• Angel asked about the Twisted Seeds, and the Boiling Gentleman explained that they strengthened their hosts, learned from them, and influenced their thoughts.
• Angel recognized that Twisted Seeds could make powerful, adaptable substitute puppets, though their parasites would become increasingly extreme and bloodthirsty.
• The Boiling Gentleman praised the Twisted Seeds and asked Angel whether the person glaring at them from the sidelines was annoying.

Minavaro, Lord Nuka’s highest-ranking general, arrived at the banquet and accused Boiling Gentleman of stealing his shed tentacles to create the Twisted Seeds. As Boiling Gentleman defended himself, Angel realized Lord Nuka had later supplied the tentacles, though the argument remained unresolved.

• Minavaro entered the banquet hall and was introduced by the Book of Madness as Lord Nuka’s highest-ranking general and devoted fanatic.
• Minavaro warned Angel not to believe Boiling Gentleman and accused him of stealing shed tentacles from Minavaro’s secret space to create the Twisted Seeds.
• Angel stayed silent when Minavaro appeared to expect him to judge the dispute.
• Boiling Gentleman claimed he had only picked up the tentacles by accident and said Lord Nuka had approved the Twisted Seeds.
• Minavaro challenged Boiling Gentleman’s account of entering Cross Station and his secret space, while Boiling Gentleman admitted Lord Nuka later arranged for the black maid to send him unwanted tentacles.

Angel stayed out of Minavaro and Boiling Gentleman's dispute while studying what he learned about the ruin. When Lord Nuka's oppressive presence filled the banquet hall, Angel used Spotty Dog's protective field to withstand it, and Nuka finally appeared at the door.

• Angel kept silent as Minavaro and Boiling Gentleman argued, and he pondered the ruin's regions and the meaning of Heart's Descent.
• Spotty Dog barked, drawing Minavaro's attention, and Minavaro sat down in the first seat on the left rather than confronting the dog.
• Boiling Gentleman discussed the Twisted Seed with Angel until the final banquet guest began to arrive.
• Nuka's powerful oppressive presence descended over the banquet, and Angel noticed that Spotty Dog was unaffected by it.
• Angel brought Spotty Dog onto his lap and discovered that its field shielded him from Nuka's pressure.
• Angel observed that Davaxia and Boiling Gentleman struggled with the growing pressure while Minavaro and the maids seemed unaffected, then Nuka appeared at the doors.

Angel watched Nuka, a white mouse and the Nightmare Realm’s Agriculture Minister, arrive at the banquet and learned that a minister-level being had descended into the ruins. He maintained his Shava persona under Nuka’s oppressive aura and cautiously returned Nuka’s polite greeting.

• Nuka entered the banquet hall, and its oppressive aura made the guests’ differing degrees of submission clear to Angel.
• Angel kept stroking Spotty Dog and acted superior so he could continue posing as Shava.
• The Book of Madness announced Nuka as the Agriculture Minister valued by the Queen, confirming Angel’s suspicion that a Nightmare Realm minister had descended.
• Angel worried that Nuka’s presence in the ruins could threaten Savage Cave and the surrounding Wizarding World.
• Nuka greeted Angel respectfully and doffed its hat, so Angel nodded and sent out a faint trace of goodwill.

Angel attended Nuka’s banquet as Shava, gauged the guests and the dangers around him, then secretly stored most of his food in the Nightmare Domain. The banquet grew livelier after he began eating, while Nuka showed no sign of noticing his trick.

• Angel endured Nuka’s oppressive presence and watched the guests, while Mad sought his approval to begin the banquet.
• Mad opened Mad Wood’s Cultivation Log, and magical lights produced dishes tailored to the guests’ tastes.
• Angel pretended to eat a rainbow pastry but drew it into the Nightmare Domain, relying on Spotty Dog’s protective Mystery power.
• Angel sampled several dishes, fed the rest to Spotty Dog, and prompted the other guests to start eating.
• Mad silently praised Angel for easing the banquet’s tense atmosphere.

At a banquet honoring Lord Shava, Angel listened as the leaders discussed their progress with Heart's Descent and gathered clues about the ruin. He learned that Duoling Garden was only partly connected to its source and that its Descent might involve bringing a Nightmare Realm region into reality.

• Nuka proposed that the region leaders report their construction progress to Lord Shava.
• Misty Gold avoided speaking, so Madness reported for her that Duoling Garden had reached one-quarter of its source's area.
• The Black Maid challenged Madness's estimate, and the White Maid explained that Misty Forest and the Demon Sea of Flowers were excluded from this Descent because their masters did not wish to descend.
• Angel gathered that Heart's Descent had the Queen's verbal approval and wondered whether it projected regions of the Nightmare Realm into reality.

Mad and the maids and guests reported on the regions they managed, while Angel listened and grew concerned about the ruin’s immense size and the dangers it might hold. Boiling Gentleman described Misty Candle Corridor, which Angel suspected lay near the ruin’s entrance.

• Mad reported that Duoling Garden was in good condition and that Blair could rapidly grow Miying with Pink Princess’s help; Nuka ordered further cultivation experiments to improve Miying’s control.
• The White Maid described managing Bai'e Cape, a dock for vehicles that traveled through the void, while the Black Maid described patrolling Fallen Cemetery and enslaving entities such as Gamelie.
• Davaxia briefly described Rainbow Mountain, its abundant food and dragonfly brood nests, and mentioned that Pink Princess’s springhead had developed a problem between worlds.
• Angel considered the great size of Bai'e Cape, Fallen Cemetery, and Rainbow Mountain, and worried that the expanding regions would bring more Nightmare Realm creatures and make the ruin increasingly dangerous.
• Boiling Gentleman described Misty Candle Corridor as a short passage where he spent most of his time researching Demonic Beasts at Sprite House, leading Angel to suspect it was near the ruin’s entrance.

At Nuka’s banquet, Boiling Gentleman sought material for Twisted Seeds, but Minavaro’s attack was stopped by Nuka. Angel used Nuka’s apology to arrange a visit to see Twisted Seeds being made, leaving Boiling Gentleman with a reason to collect the material from Cross Station.

• Boiling Gentleman claimed human incursions had exhausted the Twisted Seed material in the Misty Candle Corridor and asked Nuka for help obtaining more.
• Minavaro attacked Boiling Gentleman, but Nuka suppressed Minavaro and ordered it to settle its grudge privately.
• Nuka told Boiling Gentleman to collect the material at Cross Station and apologized to Angel for Minavaro’s outburst.
• Angel accepted the apology and asked to watch Boiling Gentleman create Twisted Seeds after the banquet.
• Boiling Gentleman agreed, while Minavaro and Nuka remained silent as Angel recognized the advantage his request gave him.