Chapter Summaries

Angel joined the wizards in a domed hall after Sanders interrupted his attempt to shape an illusion from Little Spot’s mysterious power. Sanders then took Angel to the underground city to remove parasites from the captive apprentices, while Wallace asked whether Sanders had seen his apprentice.

• Sanders pulled Angel out of the Gravity Garden and warned him not to reveal what had happened in Sleepless City.
• Professor Anglu questioned Angel about the Dark Domain, but Angel followed Sanders’ advice and blamed his mentor for the key decisions.
• Gloria and Spivey advised Angel to mislead Anglu, and Gloria speculated that Payne had accepted conditions to end the fighting.
• Sanders sent Gloria and the others back to Savage Cave, then took Angel and Toby toward the underground city.
• Wallace asked Sanders whether he had seen his apprentice in Sleepless City, and Sanders told Angel to enter the shaft before answering, “No.”

After leaving Sleepless City, Angel and Sanders investigated the parasites and traveled to Pokladi so Sanders could study the aura of the Nightmare Realm affecting Angel’s right hand. They entered the planar passage behind the Rainbow Dragonfly nest to investigate it.

• On the Gondola, Sanders explained that he had abandoned many Sleepless City apprentices because rescuing them offered no benefit, and Angel realized the formal wizards he had saved would owe him favors.
• Angel told Sanders that he had expelled parasites by commanding them to leave, and Sanders suspected Angel held a higher rank among Nightmare Realm creatures.
• Sanders examined a parasite and found a fragment of Yorkshire’s golden thread that let it survive far from the Nightmare Realm’s aura.
• Sanders diverted from the route to Savage Cave and took Angel through the Fairy Tale World to Pokladi, where they found Axo gone and the village unchanged.
• Sanders questioned why the Nightmare Realm had established a passage at Pokladi a thousand years earlier, then flew with Angel into the planar passage behind the nest.

Sanders investigated how Angel absorbed Nightmare Realm energy in the planar passage at Pokladi, and Angel learned to control his right hand’s absorption through the green patterns. After a final day of searching Pokladi, Sanders and Angel found no extraordinary items, including the Cone of Immortality Angel suspected might be Dodolo’s silver bowl.

• Sanders led Angel into the planar passage and observed his right hand absorb Nightmare Realm energy while his magic source expanded.
• Angel meditated in the passage and cultivated nearly twenty times faster than outside, while Sanders measured the right hand’s much higher absorption rate.
• Sanders found that Angel could not absorb energy from Nightmare Stones and spent a week recording experiments on his Nightmare Soul Physique.
• Angel learned that dense Nightmare Realm aura triggered his right hand’s absorption and that the green patterns could control it.
• Sanders investigated Pokladi while Angel searched for the Cone of Immortality, but Angel found only rotted mortal medical books.

Angel returned to Savage Cave with Sanders after leaving Pokladi, and they discussed the strange crystal left by Spotty Dog. The Tree Spirit then told Sanders that people rescued in Sleepless City were under the control of lingering golden threads, and Sanders went to investigate.

• Angel and Sanders left Pokladi, while Shadow searched the nearby mountains for the ruins of the Giant Serpent Kingdom.
• Angel spotted Falga as they departed Silent Hill, then traveled with Sanders by Gondola toward Savage Cave.
• Angel told Sanders what he experienced inside Spotty Dog and showed him the diamond-shaped crystal, which they agreed to keep secret until Angel could identify it with the Eye of Nalda.
• Angel and Sanders returned to Savage Cave through the Heavenly Chasm Abyss and encountered the Tree Spirit, who reported that rescued people in Sleepless City were moving like puppets.
• Sanders concluded that Yorkshire's remaining golden threads were controlling the rescued people and left to investigate, while Angel returned to Demon Illusion Island.

Angel returned to Demon Illusion Island and reunited with Nausicaa, who was waiting to discuss the Kula Kuka tribe’s bloodline problem. Their conversation also raised concern over Serum’s disappearance, and the chapter ended with Angel discovering Gloria cooking at Sanders’s residence.

• Angel arrived at Demon Illusion Island, where Nausicaa told him she had been waiting for a week and had researched the Nide Demon bloodline.
• Nausicaa explained that Serum had pursued the Azure Bloodline to become a Sage Body and suggested Book Elder might know where he was, though Book Elder had not appeared recently.
• Angel updated Nausicaa on the Kula Kuka tribe and led her to Sanders’s residence to see how the tribe was doing.
• Angel encountered Huibidon and 233 outside the kitchen, then learned that Gloria was inside preparing food and berating the cooks.
• Gloria told Angel that she had saved him a portion of the meal, and he eagerly agreed to come eat later.

Angel learned that the Kula Kuka people’s bloodline problem was best left for them to solve themselves, so he arranged talent testing for the clan. He left the tests in Gude’s hands to drink Gloria’s mermaid shell soup, which permanently increased his mental power by 0.5.

• Nausicaa told Angel that fixing the Kula Kuka people’s bloodline problem would require many experimental subjects, and suggested letting the clan pursue wizardry and solve it themselves.
• Angel agreed to let the Kula Kuka people handle their own problem and said Babaya had talent, while the others would need testing.
• Nausicaa told Angel she planned to leave Savage Cave to seek materials for bloodline fusion, and the two wished each other well before parting.
• Angel asked Gude to arrange a talent-testing room, then told Babaya and the clan that they could pursue wizardry and work toward solving their bloodline problem.
• When Gloria summoned him to drink the soup before its effects faded, Angel entrusted the talent tests to Gude and hurried to the kitchen.
• Gloria’s mermaid shell soup gave Angel a vivid vision of the ocean and permanently increased his mental power by 0.5 without consuming his potential.

After drinking Mermaid Shell Soup, Angel gained spirit power without sacrificing his potential and found inspiration for an illusion he needed to create. Butler Gude reported that three Kula Kuka residents were gifted ones, and Angel learned that each appeared suited to a different wizarding path.

• Angel drank Mermaid Shell Soup, gained 0.5 spirit power without consuming his potential, and found a possible way to create the illusion Mirror Princess wanted.
• Gude reported that Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Luo Keke had lit up the Talent Sphere among the tested Kula Kuka residents.
• Gude explained that Ku Doudou had seen a glowing green leaf, indicating he was likely suited to the natural wizard path.
• Gude identified Luo Keke's vision of a golden flying pig from a fairy tale as a sign of rare summoning talent.
• Gude said Babaya's vision of a seed growing within her suggested she was suited to the bloodline side, likely fusing with plant life.

Angel brought Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Luo Keke to Savage Cave as gifted individuals, then revealed the truth about the Kula Kuka tribe’s bloodline curse to Babaya. Babaya swore to resolve it, and Angel accepted a guide task that required him to find one more gifted person.

• Angel explained the Wizarding World and the Kula Kuka tribe’s mission to Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Luo Keke, and found Babaya was the only one fully committed to the responsibility.
• Angel privately told Babaya that the tribe’s ancestors’ souls were absorbed by a great array beneath Xipolak and made into Soul Pearls, and that her parents had likely suffered the same fate.
• Babaya grieved over the revelation, then swore to resolve her people’s bloodline problem and said she did not blame the High Priest.
• Angel took Babaya, Ku Doudou, and Luo Keke to the Tree Spirit Hall, registered them, and gave them Bone Cards.
• Angel accepted the guide task, having already guided four gifted individuals and needing to find one more within two years.

Angel arranged mentors for the gifted Kula Kuka clansmen and checked that Babaya’s mentor seemed unlikely to mistreat her. Back on Demon Illusion Island, he discussed his planned trip home and Gloria’s promised reward for refining an illusion, while Gloria revealed she was staying because of an agreement with his mentor.

• Angel took Ku Doudou, Luo Keke, and Babaya to the Resource Allocation Hall, where Liana, Duncan, and Madeleine became their mentors, respectively.
• Angel bought information about Madeleine at Butterfly Bar and felt reassured by reports that she favored order and had not abused apprentices.
• Angel returned to Demon Illusion Island and found Gloria training Toby; Gloria questioned why Angel had not taken the Kula Kuka clansmen into his own lineage.
• Angel told Gloria he planned to return home within two months and promised to refine the illusion she had requested before leaving.
• Gloria offered Angel an exclusive meal if she approved of his illusion, then explained she remained with Angel’s mentor until their agreement was fulfilled.

Angel experimented with blending mysterious power into an illusion and succeeded in making it appear briefly through a Spotty Dog manifestation. Meanwhile, the real Spotty Dog was summoned from Sleepless City by a red fox carrying news that Minister Dim’s envoy had arrived.

• Angel returned to the Source of Flow to develop a novel illusion for Gloria and began testing whether he could incorporate the sense of mystery into Mist Illusion.
• After abandoning deliberate attempts to grasp the mysterious sensation, Angel let it surface naturally and spent the night meditating.
• Angel cast Mist Illusion, and a Spotty Dog appeared as an unexpected variable within the mist.
• When Angel touched the Spotty Dog, it vanished and released mysterious power that enveloped him, though the effect lasted less than five seconds.
• In Sleepless City, the real Spotty Dog barked toward Savage Cave, and a red fox arrived to take it back because Minister Dim’s envoy had come.

Angel tested mysterious manifestations in illusions, then found that alchemical materials could extend the mysterious power released by an illusion. He left the experiments with a method for choosing materials and went to the alchemy laboratory to begin practical work.

• Angel spent a week testing nearly a hundred illusions and recorded how their logic and grade affected the duration of mysterious power.
• Angel created a miniature garden from Azure Serenity Wood and embedded it with a mysterious illusion.
• Angel found a fragrant little white flower hidden beneath a hollow and crushed it, releasing mysterious power for about fifteen seconds.
• Angel tested nearly fifty types of magical materials and found that energy-responsive materials extended the effect, with materials that enhanced energy radiation roughly doubling its duration.
• Angel left the experimental objects behind and headed to the alchemy laboratory to begin actual practice.

Angel designed and refined an extravagant brooch for Gloria, embedding an exploration-focused illusion realm with a faint Nightmare Realm atmosphere. After testing it and discovering its mysterious concretized object was hidden too deeply for him to find, he named the brooch Dreamscape Twins and chose a concealed emblem for his future alchemical works.

• Angel designed a silver, diamond-studded brooch showing Toby as a bird and a griffin, then added crimson and purple-red eyes to complete the image.
• Five days later, Angel finished the brooch from rank-one magical materials and estimated its mysterious power could last six to seven minutes.
• Angel entered the brooch’s illusion realm and confirmed it worked, but he could not locate its deeply hidden mysterious concretized object.
• Angel decided Gloria could search for the hidden object herself and treated it as a puzzle-solving element.
• Angel carved a thorn-wrapped Lionheart emblem into the brooch and named it Dreamscape Twins.

Angel investigated singing near his home and discovered Iron Armor Granny listening to a pirated version of his music box, complete with copied illusions and new music. He learned the box had been purchased from Dusk Deep Well, leaving him curious about its maker and source.

• Angel woke and found Toby asleep in a tiny bed on his bedside cabinet after apparently escaping Gloria's torment.
• Angel heard singing nearby, went to investigate, and recognized the source as Iron Armor Fort.
• Iron Armor Fort brought Angel inside, where Iron Armor Granny greeted him and showed him an octagonal music box playing a modified version of Castle in the Sky.
• Angel activated the music box's illusion and realized that its music and illusion were pirated versions of his work.
• Angel asked where the box came from, and Iron Armor Granny said the owner of No. 7 Alternate-Dimension Laboratory had bought it from Dusk Deep Well.

Angel visited Iron Armor Granny, learned about Su Mishi, and gave her Morning Dew After Rain before heading to the Underground Trading Market to find David. He found David selling handmade knives to a crowd, then surprised him with a teasing greeting.

• Iron Armor Granny told Angel that Su Mishi, Sanders' earliest student, had reached the Path of True Knowledge and was obsessed with tea.
• Angel let Toby listen to Iron Armor Granny's music box, then gave her a box of Morning Dew After Rain as a gift.
• Angel left Source of Flow to attend to his illusion-realm work and went to the Underground Trading Market to ask David about the popular music box.
• Angel arrived at Promi Alchemy Shop and saw David selling handmade knives to eager buyers.
• After the crowd dispersed, Angel spoke to David and teased him about his growing abilities.

Angel reunited with David, who had grown confident through his alchemy work, and the two caught up over grilled meat. David shared troubling news about the expanding Dark Domain and hinted that its origin was connected to the Nightmare Realm.

• Angel visited David at Promi Alchemy Shop, where David offered him a share of the Tang saber profits; Angel asked him to save the crystals until he had ten thousand.
• David showed Angel a Tang saber he had forged, and Angel praised its quality before they went to Butterfly Bar to eat and talk.
• David told Angel that Sleepless City had withdrawn from Fufeng District, parasites were spreading through the Eternal Night Kingdom, and the Dark Domain was expanding.
• David said Mirror Princess had been in seclusion for more than half a year, and Angel concluded there was no need to rush his commission for her.
• David revealed that many wizards, including Sanders, were stationed outside the Dark Domain and that its origin was rumored to be connected to the Nightmare Realm.

Angel learned that Illusion Music Boxes modeled on his idea had become popular, and he examined one Promi gave him. He suspected their maker belonged to the illusion array school.

• David told Angel that Sleepless City had grown crowded amid rumors linking the Dark Domain to the Nightmare Realm, but he shared no news about Angel's role there.
• David reported that Black Jack had become Lord Wanzhi's disciple and risen to the peak of level-two apprentice.
• David said Illusion Music Boxes copied Angel's idea and were selling well, so Angel and David visited Promi, who gave Angel one of the boxes.
• Angel studied the music box and concluded that its precise illusions suggested its maker was not a pure alchemist and likely belonged to the illusion array school.

Angel and David discussed how to use an authentic alchemical music box to expose the pirated Illusion Music Box and spread Angel’s insignia. The chapter then shifted to Gloria, who struggled with her weakened body, an awakening soul, and her stalled spell research.

• Angel explained that the Illusion Music Box’s creator was likely an illusion formation apprentice with modest alchemical skills, but declined David’s offer to track him down for revenge.
• Angel told David he planned to release a superior authentic music box and use the comparison to build recognition for his alchemical insignia.
• David agreed to help arrange the release, and Angel promised to deliver the finished product at Source of Flow the day after tomorrow.
• Gloria discarded a failed Creation Art calculation and tried unsuccessfully to calm herself by looking out at the lake.
• Gloria worried about her loss of strength, the original owner of her body beginning to awaken, the fate of her restaurant’s employees, Sanders’s absence, and her inability to develop new spells.

Gloria struggled to derive Birth Art, a foundational spell for her chosen path of creation, while her declining strength and unrest worsened her mood. After Angel heard her making a commotion and learned she was troubled, he woke Toby and asked it to visit Gloria.

• Gloria chose to continue along the path of creation and worked to derive Birth Art, a spell she had studied unsuccessfully for thirty years.
• Unable to make progress, Gloria became increasingly distressed and let her frustration show inside Magic Cottage.
• Angel heard the commotion before reaching Magic Cottage and retreated to the manor instead of approaching Gloria.
• Gude told Angel that a Black Demon Shadow Servant had sensed Gloria's turbulent emotions near Magic Cottage.
• Angel woke Toby, which panicked at being back on Demon Illusion Island, and asked it to go find Gloria.

Angel sent Toby to comfort Gloria with the Dreamscape Twins brooch, which eased her distress enough for her to resume her calculations. Toby returned with a mysterious fever, and Angel later visited Frod to discuss a permanent soul-dwelling, finding him engrossed in a book.

• Angel forced Toby to carry the Dreamscape Twins brooch to Gloria, who refused to see him but accepted the gift and felt calmer.
• Gloria set the brooch aside and began recalculating her missing data, hopeful that she would succeed.
• Toby returned to Angel and collapsed with a fever, so Angel treated him and stayed by him as he slept.
• Angel went to the flower room to ask Frod about requirements for a long-term dwelling for his soul.
• Angel found Frod reading the tragic fantasy novel Chronicle of the Dragon inside the Soul-Nurturing Flower's illusion.

Angel examined Frod’s research papers, declined to discuss Frod’s ideas about combining illusions with the Dream Conch, and prepared to move him to a better place for soul cultivation. After removing the Soul-Nurturing Flower and lifting the Mist Illusion, Angel spoke with Grandma Babaya and the Kula Kuka people about Babaya, Luo Keke, and Ku Doudou, then wondered whether Grandma Babaya should remain in Savage Cave.

• Angel found Frod’s entertainment books and research papers, including an unfinished topic about combining illusions with the Dream Conch.
• Frod hinted that he hoped to complete his research if he stayed alive, but Angel avoided asking about the topic and offered to move him somewhere better for soul cultivation.
• Frod asked Angel to move his illusion along with him, and Angel left him several new books before taking the Soul-Nurturing Flower.
• Angel removed the Soul-Nurturing Flower, causing the Mist Illusion to vanish and revealing Grandma Babaya and other Kula Kuka people nearby.
• Angel told Grandma Babaya and the others about Babaya, Luo Keke, and Ku Doudou, and their relatives celebrated the three children’s prospects as future wizards.
• Angel considered whether Grandma Babaya should stay in Savage Cave while he brought the Kula Kuka people to the Old Earth Continent.