Chapter Summaries

Richard signed documents to temporarily give up his residence in Pompeii Town while retaining priority in choosing a future residence, and Long Mei Er approved his departure for Galan City. The chapter left Richard considering how the Wizard World's lack of advanced transportation might be overcome through magic-pattern research.

• Inogova gave Richard documents to relinquish his current residence temporarily and retain priority in choosing a future one, and he signed them.
• Inogova brought Richard to Long Mei Er, who asked whether he planned to leave Pompey.
• Richard explained that his research had stalled and Pompeii Town's damaged Energy System would not be usable soon, so he intended to return to Galan City.
• Long Mei Er approved Richard's departure and asked him to help if the organization consulted him about the new Energy System.
• Richard asked for help transporting his furniture and experimental instruments, and Long Mei Er discussed the limited capacity of space items and possible ways to move them.
• Long Mei Er joked that Richard might invent a magic-pattern transportation tool, prompting Richard to reflect on the Wizard World's backward travel methods and the risks of astronomical discovery.

Richard secured permission to receive Pompey's support while away and left the Affairs Office, believing he could finally depart safely. Elsewhere, a Colored Ring Supervisor heard that Qiekafu had sent a message from Heaven and ordered Ge Luofu to connect him.

• Richard told Long Mei Er he would postpone work on magical rune vehicles until after advancing his research.
• Long Mei Er gave Richard a document authorizing him to receive resources and assistance from Pompey while away.
• Richard left the Affairs Office and walked out into the setting sun.
• An elderly man in black learned from Ge Luofu that Qiekafu in Heaven had sent word.
• The man ordered Ge Luofu to connect the Crystal Ball so he could speak with Qiekafu.

Qiekafu struggled to choose where to undergo resurrection so he could reach the Southern Free Federation in time, while Richard prepared to leave Pompeii. A light approached Pompeii from the sky as the Lich Old Man caught Eight-Armed Skeleton A Nan among his missing Magic Puppets.

• Qiekafu asked Gray Mist Master to resurrect him at the Southern Free Federation branch, but Gray Mist explained that Pompeii's Resurrection Room could not operate at full capacity after an Energy System accident.
• Qiekafu rejected notifying the branch and hesitated between resurrecting at headquarters and waiting for Pompeii's Resurrection Room to recover; Gray Mist told him to decide later.
• Richard left the Affairs Office and crossed Pompeii Town Square as he prepared to depart.
• Pandora shut down unnecessary instruments in Eden Garden, Tinwood strengthened its source power, and the Lich Old Man discovered that Eight-Armed Skeleton A Nan had been eating his Magic Puppets.
• Richard spotted a tiny point of light approaching Pompeii from the sky.

Qiekafu chose to revive in Heaven and descend into the Real World, then arrived in Pompeii in a burning capsule. He recognized Richard in the crowd after his search spell struck Richard’s shield.

• Qiekafu asked Gray Mist to grant him revival rights so he could apply to revive in Heaven and descend to the Real World, and Gray Mist agreed.
• Richard watched a teardrop-shaped construct fall from the sky toward Pompeii as Wizards gathered to meet it.
• Long Mei Er arrived in the square and stopped the Wizards from attacking the construct.
• Qiekafu emerged from the wrecked construct, restored his burned body, and introduced himself to Long Mei Er.
• Qiekafu searched the area for his target, and his eight bolts of light struck Richard’s shield.
• Qiekafu recognized Richard and greeted him.

Qiekafu accused Richard of being a spy and used his Eye of Truth to question him, but Richard challenged the spell’s reliability and denied the accusations. Qiekafu then asked Long Mei Er to dispose of Richard, but Long Mei Er refused to treat him as a criminal without evidence.

• Qiekafu told Richard he suspected him of infiltrating the organization and claimed his resurrected powers could reveal the truth through Richard’s soul.
• Qiekafu summoned the Eye of Truth and asked Richard whether he had deliberately harmed the organization, helped cause Qiekafu’s death, or excavated something dangerous at the mine.
• The Eye of Truth darkened after each answer, and Qiekafu declared Richard a threat who had to be dealt with.
• Richard argued that Qiekafu’s spell was not reliable evidence and could not prove him guilty.
• Qiekafu abandoned the debate and ordered Long Mei Er to dispose of Richard, but Long Mei Er asked what crime Richard had committed.

Long Mei Er rejected Qiekafu’s demand to punish Richard without further evidence and gave the Southern Free Federation three days to investigate. After setting a magical barrier around Vesuvius Dak Volcano, Long Mei Er called Richard aside, while the unclothed Qiekafu asked the watching Wizards to lend him clothes.

• Qiekafu accused Long Mei Er of shielding Richard, but Long Mei Er said he trusted Richard and would give him a chance to prove his innocence.
• Qiekafu invoked Heaven and Gray Mist Master’s will to urge Long Mei Er to act quickly, and Long Mei Er challenged him over whether he was issuing a warning.
• Long Mei Er used a Divine Favor item to create a Warning Spell covering Vesuvius Dak Volcano and promised Qiekafu an answer within three days.
• Long Mei Er reminded Qiekafu that he was not qualified to question a Gold Ring Supervisor’s loyalty without cause, then called Richard over to speak with him.
• Qiekafu watched Richard leave and asked the Wizards in the plaza if anyone could lend him clothes.

Long Mei Er confronted Richard about the Eye of Truth proving he had lied, but said he believed Richard could change and urged him to embrace the Truth Society. Richard recognized the society’s unusual power and aims but withheld his answer.

• Long Mei Er told Richard that the Eye of Truth’s black surface showed he had lied and harmed the organization’s interests.
• Richard tensed and considered fighting Long Mei Er, fearing he meant to deal with him in private.
• Long Mei Er reassured Richard that he did not consider his past actions unforgivable and explained why he trusted him to change.
• Long Mei Er praised the Truth Society as the world’s greatest organization and asked Richard to choose its side.
• Richard acknowledged the Truth Society’s strengths but did not answer Long Mei Er.

Long Mei Er told Richard how he had once killed a Truth Society Gold Ring Supervisor before joining the organization, and argued that Richard could also be accepted if he proved his sincerity. He gave Richard until dawn three days later to decide whether to undergo the True God's radiance and become his successor.

• Richard recalled the strange creature that had shouted “Yugen,” and Long Mei Er revealed that it had been his teacher from the Nature Balance School.
• Long Mei Er explained that he had stolen a Gold Ring from the Truth Society, but the Burning Wind Lord later spared him, brought him to headquarters, and made him a Gold Ring Supervisor.
• Long Mei Er assured Richard that his past actions could be overlooked if he sincerely joined the Truth Society.
• Long Mei Er said Richard could prove his sincerity by lowering his defenses and allowing the True God's radiance to mark his soul, which would make him loyal to the True God.
• Richard questioned whether the baptism would leave him truly himself, and Long Mei Er gave him until dawn three days later to choose whether to become his successor.

Richard weighed Long Mei Er’s offer to join the Truth Society but rejected it because its Light Baptism would strip him of the freedom to question the True God. Long Mei Er returned to his residence and gave Richard three days to answer, while preparing to name him his successor if he agreed.

• Richard considered the resources and opportunities the Truth Society could provide, including support for his research and access to members who could be resurrected.
• Richard decided he could not accept the Light Baptism because surrendering his ability to question would betray his pursuit of truth, and he returned to his residence.
• Long Mei Er returned to his reinforced residence, where Inogova asked how to handle Qiekafu, Richard, and construction of the new Energy System.
• Long Mei Er suspended the Energy System project, told Inogova to accommodate Qiekafu, and allowed Richard to move freely within Pompeii.
• Long Mei Er gave Richard three days to provide a satisfactory answer, promising to make him his publicly announced successor if he agreed, then shut himself inside his residence.

Long Mei Er waited for Richard to visit the Affairs Office and choose whether to believe in the True God while Qiekafu escalated his demands for records and materials. As the deadline approached, Long Mei Er concluded Richard’s hesitation meant his faith would be insincere, and Inogova was overwhelmed by an oppressive force when she tried to stop him.

• Inogova reported that Qiekafu was demanding files about everyone in Pompey who had contacted Richard, and Long Mei Er ordered her to hand them over while saying Richard would make the right choice.
• Qiekafu demanded materials and spell scroll contents Richard had borrowed, and Long Mei Er again told Inogova to comply while asking whether Richard had visited the Affairs Office.
• On the third morning, Long Mei Er learned Richard still had not gone to the Affairs Office and ordered Inogova to give Qiekafu materials from the Southern Free Federation’s other branches.
• At dusk, Inogova reported that Qiekafu was demanding materials related to Long Mei Er, but Long Mei Er said he would speak to the inspector personally.
• Long Mei Er admitted Richard still had not come and said that waiting until the deadline to believe in the True God would show his faith was impure.
• Long Mei Er’s oppressive presence made Inogova nearly collapse; when she pleaded with him to stop, the pressure vanished and she fell to the floor gasping.

Long Mei Er apologized to Inogova and joined Qiekafu to discuss dealing with Wizard Richard. As Richard weighed his escape plans, Qiekafu presided over an in-absentia trial while Long Mei Er silently observed.

• Long Mei Er regained his composure, apologized to Inogova, and asked her to take him to Qiekafu.
• Long Mei Er told Qiekafu he would cooperate in dealing with Wizard Richard, and Qiekafu followed him.
• Richard considered ways to escape Pompeii, weighing a plan to exploit mistrust between Long Mei Er and Qiekafu.
• Qiekafu presented his suspicions and evidence against Richard at a trial meeting in his absence, while Long Mei Er listened without comment.

Qiekafu persuaded the Wizards to capture Richard, with Long Mei Er agreeing to lead the operation. After overhearing the meeting, Richard abandoned his earlier plans and began preparing a Fifth Plan to ensure Long Mei Er could not escape the core of a nuclear blast.

• Qiekafu argued that Richard was a spy and proposed luring him away from his residence so a group of Wizards could capture him.
• Long Mei Er volunteered to lead the operation and told the Wizards to prepare for an attack the next morning.
• Long Mei Er sensed a possible magical presence in the Conference Room, but dismissed it after his Warning Spell detected only a bird.
• Richard concluded that the meeting left no chance for a peaceful solution and decided he needed a Fifth Plan to trap Long Mei Er in a nuclear explosion's core.
• Richard wrote out his plan, destroyed the notes, and went underground to measure the space before bringing out Eden Garden.

Richard prepared Eden Garden for the coming crisis, then wrote to Oscar seeking powerful Wizards and help from Oscar’s underground organization in exchange for Truth Society branch addresses. Pandora eagerly began examining the spell tools Richard had given her as preparations continued.

• Richard told Pandora, Lich Old Man Afu, and Eight-Armed Skeleton A Nan about the situation and assigned them preparations for the crisis.
• Richard gave Pandora a Space Iron Ring filled with tested spell tools and instructed her to choose useful items and share the rest with Afu and A Nan.
• Richard wrote Oscar offering confirmed Truth Society branch addresses and asking for powerful Wizards to reach him before dawn, along with help on urgent matters.
• Pandora cleared her room, brought out the boxes from the ring, and began reading Richard’s notes about the defensive spell tools.

Pandora admired the spell items Richard had given her, then searched Eden Garden for a suitable weapon to face the danger expected tomorrow. Her search brought her to Tinwood in Laboratory No. 3, who learned of the coming threat and began to ponder it.

• Richard gave Pandora the spell items looted from Truth Society members, and she delighted in their appearance.
• Pandora decided she would send the Lich Old Man and the Eight-Armed Skeleton only the items she did not want to keep.
• Pandora realized the spell items offered little offense and searched for a weapon, rejecting objects in her study and throughout Eden Garden.
• Pandora entered Laboratory No. 3 and examined Tinwood and the equipment around it as possible weapons.
• Tinwood asked Pandora what she was doing, and she explained that Richard had warned her of danger after daybreak; Tinwood reacted with surprise and thought about it.

Pandora turned Tinwood’s high durability into a makeshift weapon, while Richard prepared defenses and supplies for an approaching danger. After finishing his preparations, Richard remodeled the outer cavern as dawn neared.

• Pandora asked Tinwood to help, but he refused because he had traded attack power for greater defense.
• Pandora realized Tinwood could serve as an unbreakable weapon, scooped him from his container, and slammed him against the ground.
• Richard read Oscar’s uncertain reply to his request for a Level 4 Wizard and decided to rely mainly on his own strength.
• Richard produced Micro Spell Tracking Missiles and Gloves of Extinction, retrieved biochemical weapons and potions, and prepared other supplies.
• Richard left Eden Garden and reshaped the outer cavern according to his plan as dawn approached.

Richard was summoned to Pompeii Town’s square, where Qiekafu told him that the Truth Society had decided to put him on trial as a spy. Meanwhile, Long Mei Er searched Richard’s residence for evidence and discovered a concealed passage beneath the bedroom floor.

• Three Truth Society Wizards brought Richard from his residence to the square in central Pompeii Town.
• After the three Wizards left, powerful Wizards took positions around the square and Qiekafu confronted Richard.
• Qiekafu claimed Long Mei Er had lost faith in Richard and that the Truth Society had decided to expose him as a spy and put him on trial.
• Long Mei Er broke into Richard’s residence and searched for evidence of his crimes.
• Long Mei Er found a hidden passage beneath the bedroom floor, created an Air Missile to uncover its entrance, and went inside.

Richard attacked Qiekafu in Pompeii Town’s plaza rather than waiting for Long Mei Er to return with evidence against him. As the gathered Wizards prepared to attack, Richard armed himself with spells and began a ten-second countdown.

• Qiekafu told Richard that Long Mei Er had gone to his residence to find evidence and urged him to confess, but Richard calmly remarked on the pleasant weather.
• Richard called it good weather for killing and launched a Fire Python at Qiekafu, disrupting the plan to restrain him until Long Mei Er returned.
• Qiekafu evaded the attack and mocked Richard for resisting, while Richard said he was seeking a way to live and needed only ten seconds.
• Richard cast Achilles Armor and threw Langdon Nick's Spear, shattering Qiekafu's shield.
• Qiekafu called on the Wizards to attack, and Richard began counting down with “Ten.”

Long Mei Er found a strange metal construct hidden beneath Residence No. 1248 while Richard fought off the Truth Society in Pompeii Town using the Gloves of Extinction. The construct began making a faint ticking sound as Long Mei Er touched it.

• Long Mei Er triggered a concealed trap in the underground passage but avoided being buried by its collapse.
• Long Mei Er entered a reinforced secret chamber and opened a metal box containing a large, egg-shaped metal construct.
• Qiekafu ordered the Wizards to attack Richard, whose shields shattered under their combined spells.
• Richard charged the Stone Tower and used the Gloves of Extinction to kill the Level 3 Wizards and drive off the surviving Level 2 Wizards.
• The Truth Society gathered reinforcements as Richard weakened from using the gloves and silently counted down.
• Long Mei Er touched the construct and heard it ticking before it clicked.

Richard’s hidden implosion bomb detonated beneath Pompeii Town, killing Long Mei Er and triggering a vast underground blast. As a blue wave spread toward the surface, the Truth Society’s attack on Richard was interrupted by the first tremor.

• Qiekafu prepared the Truth Society Wizards to attack Richard as Richard silently counted down to the bomb’s detonation.
• The Implosion-Type Atomic Bomb activated beneath Residence No. 1248 and compressed its uranium core into a supercritical state, setting off a nuclear explosion.
• Long Mei Er tried to destroy the device but was vaporized by its initial blast; the explosion then tore open a vast cavity underground and stirred Pompeii’s volcano.
• Long Mei Er’s soul survived briefly, then a blue surge shattered it and continued spreading upward through the earth.
• The blue light reached toward the Ground Square just as the underground blast began to disturb the silence around Richard and the Truth Society Wizards.

Richard unleashed a powerful Magical Electromagnetic Pulse called Elemental Tide during the battle in Pompeii Town, destroying the Wizards’ attacks and causing severe damage to their spell sources. Qiekafu struggled against the burning power inside him as the chapter ended.

• A nuclear explosion beneath Richard’s residence caused Twelfth District to collapse into a massive pit and triggered an earthquake that sent Vesuvius Dak Volcano toward eruption.
• Richard implied that he had killed Long Mei Er, and Qiekafu ordered the surrounding Wizards to attack him.
• The pit expanded, releasing azure light that spread across Pompeii Town and Vesuvius Dak Volcano, extinguishing the Wizards’ spells.
• The Elemental Tide struck Richard and the other Wizards, making the energy in their spell sources dangerously unstable.
• Qiekafu’s spell source ignited internally, and he retched steaming blood as Heaven’s power struggled to repair his burning body.