Chapter Summaries

Angel questioned Rosam about the Outer Eye’s anomaly, sought a luck-enhancing magic-pattern leather scroll, and asked about Cassini. Rosam and Beers began searching for the scroll, while Cassini remained unidentified.

• Angel connected the Outer Eye’s mutation to a failed plane fusion and decided to avoid plane fusion until he was stronger.
• Angel asked Rosam to find a magic-pattern leather scroll that increased luck, and gave Frod’s location as a contact point.
• Rosam told Angel that Sanders was still in the Abyss and Veiled Face had left it.
• Angel asked Rosam whether he knew Cassini, then paid for the information and departed without explaining why he was asking.
• Rosam told Beers about Angel’s request for the luck-enhancing scroll, and Beers offered to ask an old acquaintance near Western Mosa about one.
• Rosam told Beers that Angel had also asked about someone named Cassini.

Beers crossed the Returnless Desert to visit his old friend Vifit and ask about a magic-pattern skin scroll, then learned that Sanders had survived Sleepless City and brought apprentices out. Vifit identified one of them as Angel, leaving Beers with news about the client he had come to assist.

• Beers left the Ashen Time Caravan, crossed the quicksand, and reached the Zibo Totem, which let him enter after he helped with its number puzzle.
• Beers met Vifit in the underground palace, where a silent shadow-like figure was also present.
• Beers asked Vifit through Voice Transmission to sell his Luck-attribute magic-pattern skin scroll, but Vifit demanded a Constant Shard and refused to trade.
• Beers and Vifit shared wine and discussed the dangers facing the Prosperous Continent and the Eternal Night Kingdom.
• Vifit told Beers that Sanders was the only official wizard to enter Sleepless City and return alive, and that he had brought apprentices, including Angel.

Beers mentioned Cassini, prompting Gauss to reveal himself and attempt to use prophecy to identify Angel. His spell could not detect Angel, and Gauss later explained that Cassini was connected to someone who had stolen Lapuye’s choice.

• Beers quietly said Cassini’s name, and Gauss reacted with intense interest before revealing his identity as a Crownstar Cathedral Observer.
• Gauss questioned Beers about who had asked about Cassini, but Beers protected Angel’s identity and refused to break his client’s confidence.
• Gauss cast a prophecy spell to find Angel, but Angel’s Blood Night’s Shelter disrupted the probe and left Gauss unable to detect him.
• Gauss tried the spell again and suffered a bloody mouth, then speculated that Angel was protected by a rare item or lived beyond the Wheel of Time’s trajectory.
• Gauss told Vifit and Beers that Lapuye had met Cassini, who had once stolen Lapuye’s choice, leading them to suspect Cassini was the Time Thief.

Beers and Vifit learned more about Time Thief and suspected Angel had been marked by him, while Gauss used a deity attendant to investigate Beers. Unaware of their suspicions, Angel crafted backup Dream Wilderness Login Devices for Frod and told him about Ashen Time.

• Beers realized Cassini was Time Thief and urgently wanted to confirm whether Angel had encountered him.
• In Vifit's underground palace, Gauss used a deity attendant to examine Beers's pheromones and learned that the person they sought might be an alchemist with an artifact that resisted prophecy.
• Angel crafted six Dream Wilderness Login Devices for Frod, with capacities ranging from 679 to 999 uses.
• Angel added materials and infrastructure expansions for Firstheart City to the Dream Wilderness and warned Frod about Ashen Time.

After a murder in Firstheart City exposed the Dream Wilderness’s lack of law and order, Angel appointed the powerful but foolish Tulas as its sheriff. Angel left with new questions about what happened to dispersed consciousness lights, then returned to Pat Manor and found Jon’s condition unchanged but at risk of worsening.

• Yada reported that a man had killed another resident in Firstheart City and several more while escaping, so Frod pursued him with weapons Angel provided and dispersed his consciousness light.
• Angel decided that Firstheart City needed a system of prevention and punishment, then brought Tulas into the Dream Wilderness and appointed him sheriff.
• Tulas boasted about his supposed historical exploits and demonstrated his agility, while Angel assured Frod that Tulas was powerful and bound by contract.
• Angel left Firstheart City and wondered whether dispersed consciousness lights nourished the Dream Wilderness or could gather again.
• Three days later, Angel returned to Pat Manor, found Jon’s physical condition stable for the moment, and prepared to return to Prosperous Continent to seek a solution.

Angel prepared to leave to search for a way to save Jon and said goodbye to Leon, giving him supplies and a secret one-use communication device. Before departing, Angel learned that Subi’s warning about dependence had made him reconsider how much help he gave Leon, while a strange ant and the special egg stirred inside his bracelet.

• Angel organized Jon’s physical data and his belongings, then put the growing, unhatched Soft-State Worm egg nest into his bracelet; an unseen black-and-white ant sensed it and crawled toward it as the egg stirred.
• Subi told Angel that Leon had entered meditation with help from Angel’s handbook and warned that too much assistance could hinder Leon’s independent thinking, so Angel removed some supplies from Leon’s gift box.
• Angel asked Subi about its ribbon-covered head, and Subi explained that it represented destruction and that removing the ribbon would unleash it.
• After Leon finished meditating, Angel told him he was leaving to search for a treatment for Jon and gave him supplies along with a secret, one-use Dream Wilderness communication device.
• Angel left with Duru, Feng Man, and Gu Yina aboard the Cloud Soil, and Xius called him aside to discuss matters before his departure.

Angel and his companions arrived in Alya Duchy, where they encountered migrating Winged Folk and Gabriel, who offered herself to Angel in exchange for killing Mudico. As Angel flew toward the Pamiji Plateau, he began to suspect that the Winged Folk’s search for an anomaly, the migration, and the region’s unstable space were connected.

• Angel, Duru, Feng Man, and Gu Yina emerged from a Planar Corridor beside the vast Snow Agate River and saw a floating continent traveling with Winged Folk.
• Three Winged Folk descended to investigate the spatial fluctuations, and Gabriel recognized the scent of Mether among Angel’s group.
• Gabriel offered herself to Angel, but he refused and named Mudico as the price she had set for herself.
• Gabriel departed with the other Winged Folk, who later heard her describe Angel as a rising star with a radiant future.
• Angel took his companions toward the Pamiji Plateau and recalled that Xius had diverted their route because space near the plateau was unstable.

Angel and his companions encountered a highland giant and then the alchemist Niloson, who initially intended to seize their Gondola. After recognizing Angel and withdrawing his pressure, Niloson stayed aboard to exchange alchemical knowledge, and the two ended up fiercely debating their ideas.

• Angel slowed the Gondola after spotting a highland giant crossing the Snow Agate River and warned his companions to proceed cautiously.
• Mechanical puppets surrounded the Gondola, and Niloson used his wizardly pressure to immobilize everyone while declaring that he would take the vessel.
• Angel summoned Toby’s griffin form and identified himself as a student of Master Phantom Demon, prompting Niloson to recognize him as the Music Box Sorcerer.
• Niloson withdrew his pressure when Angel pointed out that Gu Yina was injured, then introduced himself and admitted that he had first planned to rob the Gondola.
• Angel agreed to exchange alchemical knowledge with Niloson, and the two argued heatedly over their respective ideas.

Angel discussed alchemy with Niloson, who revealed that an unusual planar fusion near the Pamiji Plateau threatened the Southern Region. As the Gondola continued toward the plateau, Angel secretly put Feng Man and Gu Yina through a test before their entry into Savage Cave.

• Angel and Niloson exchanged alchemical ideas for a day before the Highland Giants' return reminded Niloson of his appointment.
• Niloson told Angel that a large-scale planar fusion was beginning near the Pamiji Plateau, causing spatial fissures and prompting the Highland Giants and Feathered People to retreat.
• After Niloson left, Angel warned Duru about the danger ahead but ordered the Gondola to continue toward the plateau.
• Angel caused Feng Man and Gu Yina to fall unconscious and endure a frightening test while Duru wondered what was happening to them.

Feng Man and Gu Yina awoke from Angel’s Mind Illusion trial, and Angel led them into the dangerous Pamiji Plateau. At Savage Cave, Wallace met Angel and prepared to assess the three new talents accompanying him.

• Angel told Feng Man that the shipwreck and demon attacks had been a trial, and Feng Man admitted he had believed he died.
• Gu Yina awoke, explained that she had realized she was not herself, and Angel judged her potential to be greater than Feng Man’s.
• Angel guided the group into the Pamiji Plateau, where they encountered migrating beasts, spatial collapses, and wary transcenders.
• Two days later, Angel arrived at the Heavenly Chasm Pit and met Wallace, who praised his progress and invited him to join the academic faction.
• Fire Charm briefly inspected Angel’s new talents and left, while Wallace announced he would conduct their initial assessment.

Wallace assessed Duru, Feng Man, and Gu Yina before sending them to Tree Spirit Hall, then spoke with Angel about their prospects and Angel’s rapid advancement. After returning to Savage Cave, Angel was besieged by people seeking his help, affection, or alchemy, and fled with Toby’s help.

• Wallace evaluated the temperaments of Duru, Feng Man, and Gu Yina, while Angel described their strengths and weaknesses.
• Wallace sent the three recruits to Tree Spirit Hall with a clay guide, and Gu Yina persuaded Feng Man to jump into the chasm before Duru followed.
• Wallace told Angel that Feng Man had received the highest assessment, Gu Yina had the greatest potential if she overcame her flaws, and Angel should slow his progress toward becoming a formal wizard.
• Wallace suggested Angel visit old Rhein, then left by jumping into the chasm.
• A witch propositioned Angel, and he discovered that others in Savage Cave were also pursuing him for guidance, romance, or alchemy.
• Angel used Toby’s griffin form and the Gravity Veins to escape the crowd, then heard a teasing voice predict he would soon rank among Savage Cave’s most desired husbands.

Angel visited the Tree Spirit, explained that Ocean Rhythm had permanently increased Duru’s water affinity, and let the Tree Spirit and others experience the alchemical illusion realm. The Tree Spirit recognized Ocean Rhythm as a strategic treasure for ocean wizards and was relieved that Angel belonged to Savage Cave.

• The Tree Spirit summoned Angel and asked why Duru had an abnormally high water affinity.
• Angel explained that Duru’s affinity had permanently increased after he was exposed to the phenomenon of Angel’s refinement of Ocean Rhythm.
• Angel showed Ocean Rhythm to the Tree Spirit and activated its illusion realm for everyone present.
• Angel, Feng Man, Duru, and Gu Yina emerged from the illusion realm after experiencing its dangerous sea, while the Tree Spirit remained inside much longer.
• The Tree Spirit concluded that Ocean Rhythm could benefit ocean wizards across multiple levels and ranked among the Southern Region’s most valuable supportive alchemical works.

Duru woke after gaining an early glimpse of ocean power through Ocean Rhythm, and the Tree Spirit sent him to begin life in Savage Cave. The Tree Spirit then told Rhein about Duru’s enlightenment and Angel’s remarkable alchemy, prompting Rhein to decide to bring Angel into Savage Cave’s core earlier than planned.

• Duru awoke to find everyone gone, and the Tree Spirit explained that Ocean Rhythm had guided him into enlightenment and recorded his water affinity and insights on a Bone Card.
• The Tree Spirit told Duru to leave for Tree Spirit Hall, where an apprentice would guide him, and urged him not to disappoint Angel.
• The Tree Spirit noticed a pool of water left behind by Duru and contacted Rhein, who teased him about secretly observing Night Sylvie before asking about Angel’s new gifted apprentices.
• The Tree Spirit described the gifted newcomers, including a puppeteer with the Red Demon Physique and Duru, an ocean-lineage apprentice who had already touched ocean power.
• The Tree Spirit told Rhein that Angel had crafted Ocean Rhythm, a high-level auxiliary alchemy work for ocean wizards, and Rhein reacted with astonishment and envy.
• Rhein decided to bring Angel into Savage Cave’s core earlier than planned, while the Tree Spirit cautioned that Angel was unlikely to craft another comparable work soon.

Angel returned to Demon Illusion Island and received an invitation from Rhein, whom he planned to meet the next day to ask about contacting Sanders. He explored Dream Wilderness with Toby, learned Jon was well, and heard from Frod that Rosam had visited after Angel left Bolai Town.

• A dove delivered Rhein’s formal invitation, and Angel set their meeting for the next day at Cloud Tower.
• Angel returned to Demon Illusion Island and learned from Gude that Greya had left and Sanders had no known contact method.
• Angel took Toby into Dream Wilderness and encouraged him to find a place to build as his own retreat.
• Frod told Angel that Dream Wilderness remained connected from the Prosperous Continent, and Angel confirmed Jon was safe while working at Ocean Theater.
• Frod revealed that Rosam had come to see him on the day Angel left Bolai Town.

Angel learned that a rare Luck scroll was available only in exchange for Constant Shards, then received word that Rosam’s captain wanted to meet him about transactions and an investigation. After dealing with affairs in Firstheart City, Angel returned to reality, prepared to visit Flora, and declined several alchemy invitations so he could focus on advancing.

• Frod told Angel that the seller of a Luck scroll demanded one drop of Constant Shards, so he had asked Rosam to keep searching for other leads.
• Frod reported that Rosam’s captain wanted to meet Angel about transactions and the person Angel had asked them to investigate, and Angel told Frod to say he had returned to the Prosperous Continent.
• Frod described how Tulas had restored order in Firstheart City, then learned that Tulas and Toby were playfully chasing each other and damaging buildings.
• Angel left the Dream Wilderness, meditated for an hour, and decided to visit Flora before meeting Lord Rhein so he could ask whether she could contact Sanders.
• Angel declined the alchemy invitations from several official wizards, explaining that he was focusing on advancing, and then left Demon Illusion Island.

Angel visited Flora to ask how to contact Sanders, but learned he was on the Abyss front and could not reach him through the available mission. He then checked on his friends and learned David had become Liana’s disciple, while Nausicaa had sent a letter and Serum remained unaccounted for.

• Angel avoided the apprentices waiting on Sky Bridge and flew to Lokhwashe, where Spivey escorted him to Flora.
• Flora confirmed Angel had entered the Great Barrier and advised him to strengthen his foundation before preparing for a breakthrough.
• Angel learned Sanders was on the Abyss front, but the only related mission was unsuitable and offered no assurance he could reach Sanders’s camp.
• Angel found Nausicaa’s residence deserted, then met Baruba at Promi Alchemy Shop and learned David had become Liana’s disciple.
• Baruba said Nausicaa had sent a letter, though he knew nothing of its contents, and had no news about Serum.

Angel visited Cloud Tower, where the Unspeaking God attempted to reveal his potential but Blood Night's Shelter blocked its vision. Lord Rhein summoned Angel to discuss what he had seen, and Angel began to recognize the strange trajectories followed by the tower's white doves.

• Angel noticed that white doves around Cloud Tower followed strange paths along weak points in the energy, and Rheinmut recognized that he had spotted transmission trajectories.
• Angel entered the tower and felt the Unspeaking God's gaze until Blood Night's Shelter protected him; a message directed him to climb to the top floor.
• Angel saw the pool become a water screen showing images of himself at different ages before a bloody light obscured them.
• Angel met Rheinmut, who explained that the images were feedback from the Unspeaking God and that Angel's alchemical creation had blocked its prying.
• Rheinmut asked Angel what he had noticed about the doves, and Angel described their strange, familiar flight paths as his understanding began to clear.

Angel recognized the Mana-Siphoning Path as the array sustaining the Mirror World and accepted a spirit illusion from Rhein, who revealed that Angel had been admitted to Savage Cave’s core early. After discussing Angel’s research and alchemy, Rhein agreed to help him contact Sanders about the Nightmare Soul Physique and Nightmare Domain, but had not yet explained how.

• Angel identified the traces in his memories as part of a magic pattern, and Rhein explained that the Mana-Siphoning Path drew primordial magic power into the Mirror World.
• Rhein gave the Mana-Siphoning Path’s white-dove spirit illusion Angel’s aura, signaling that Angel had been admitted to Savage Cave’s core ahead of time.
• Rhein told Angel about the Garden of All Spirits, Baroque’s interest in entering it, and the possibility of publishing his undead-and-souls research in Mirror.
• Angel said his research had not yet been perfected and agreed to consider Rhein’s suggestion that he hold Ocean Rhythm classes at Tree Spirit Court.
• Angel asked Rhein how to contact Sanders about the Nightmare Soul Physique and Nightmare Domain, and Rhein began proposing a way to reach him.

Angel weighed the risks of traveling to the Abyss against staying in the Wizarding World and waiting for Sanders to contact him, then decided to go with Madeleine on the next supply run. As he prepared for the trip and stocked Firstheart City, the Frost Moon Alliance’s arrival drew near.

• Angel considered Rhein’s suggestion to have Madeleine carry a message to Sanders, but worried that waiting for a reply could take too long.
• After weighing the Abyss’s dangers against the approaching planar fusion and his need to meet Sanders, Angel decided to travel to the Abyss with Madeleine.
• Angel wrote to Madeleine, received her agreement, and went to her residence, where he met Babaya instead because Madeleine had left.
• Rhein asked Madeleine to take extra care of Angel during the journey, and she agreed as long as her own safety was assured.
• Angel organized his belongings, purchased supplies, and stocked Firstheart City before deciding to visit David.

Angel visited Rose Garden and reunited with David, who had become Liana's apprentice. After Angel insisted David take his agreed commission from a music box sale, Jack Su tried to steal the scattered magic crystals, and Angel intervened with Nightmare Illusion power.

• Angel used Sanders's crystalline rose pass token to enter Rose Garden and met David at the gate.
• David drove off Jack Su, the magical servant who demanded magic crystals, with the Cold Smoke Trick.
• Angel told David he had come to see him and asked him to sell another music box because Angel would soon leave again.
• David returned the 190,000 magic crystals from the previous sale, and Angel made him accept the agreed 20,000-crystal commission.
• Jack Su tried to steal the crystals scattered on the ground, and its thorns carried away more than half before Angel touched them and sent Nightmare Illusion power into them.