Chapter Summaries

Lin Shuang explored Dreamflux Reef, discovered cenotaphs for the Nameless Lazarina Jean Estella and Boreklin Tiernan, and learned about the settlement from its grave keeper, Mika. After hearing the Nameless’s history, she worried about eventually parting from Gepard and told Mika that the Astral Express crew would soon arrive in Penacony.

• Lin Shuang took an elevator to Dreamflux Reef and saw the upside-down Grand Theater and the settlement spread across the rooftops.
• Lin Shuang found cenotaphs bearing the names Lazarina Jean Estella and Boreklin Tiernan, alongside a blank memorial she suspected belonged to Mikhail.
• Mika introduced himself as Dreamflux Reef’s grave keeper and explained that the cenotaphs commemorated heroes who had liberated Penacony.
• Mika told Lin Shuang that Slumber had brought her to Dreamflux Reef and that Gallagher looked after the Memory Zone Meme.
• After hearing about the three Nameless, Lin Shuang felt troubled by the possibility that she and Gepard would someday part ways.
• Lin Shuang told Mika she was not a Nameless but knew the Astral Express crew, who should soon arrive in Penacony.

Lin Shuang explored Dreamflux Reef, learned that a memoria black hole threatened the settlement, and grew suspicious of Sparkle’s motives for proposing to blow up Penacony’s Grand Theater. The chapter ended with Lin Shuang catching Sparkle and hoisting her over her shoulder for questioning.

• Lin Shuang saw an enormous black hole near the Penacony Grand Theater and asked Dreamflux Reef residents what it was.
• The residents explained that the black hole had formed from accumulated memoria and was steadily swallowing nearby buildings.
• Sparkle invited Lin Shuang to set off fireworks at the Grand Theater or the black hole, but Lin Shuang refused and questioned her motives.
• Lin Shuang suspected Sparkle had another purpose and wondered how she kept learning crucial information.
• Sparkle tried to evade Lin Shuang, but Lin Shuang caught her and lifted her over her shoulder.

Lin Shuang captured Sparkle and took her to a room in the dream world to question her about what she knew of Gallagher, Dreamflux Reef, and Lin Shuang’s arrival. She used a specially prepared massage oil on Sparkle, leaving Sparkle unable to answer as Lin Shuang continued the massage.

• Lin Shuang carried Sparkle to an empty room, convinced Sparkle had resisted seriously but had been overwhelmed by Lin Shuang’s increased strength and ability to dispel illusions.
• Lin Shuang pinned Sparkle to the bed and asked what she knew about Gallagher, Dreamflux Reef, and Lin Shuang’s arrival.
• Sparkle insisted she had never lied to Lin Shuang and continued teasing her instead of answering.
• Lin Shuang poured specially prepared massage oil over Sparkle and began a more intense massage.
• Sparkle tried to surrender and speak, but the sensations kept her from completing an answer.

After Lin Shuang forced Sparkle to reveal that Silver Wolf had shared part of the Script, Sparkle explained her plan to cause fireworks in Penacony. Lin Shuang agreed to work with her if her information was true, and they prepared to experiment with the dream in Dreamflux Reef.

• Lin Shuang finished massaging Sparkle and pressured her into sharing what she knew.
• Sparkle said Silver Wolf had shown her parts of the Script involving Firefly and that she came to Penacony for fun.
• Lin Shuang decided Sparkle might be a useful ally and agreed to join her fireworks plan if her information checked out.
• Sparkle admitted she did not know whether explosives or other actions in a dream could affect a Stellaron and invited Lin Shuang to run experiments.
• Lin Shuang reconsidered her refusal and prepared to join Sparkle in studying the dream.

After escaping Dreamflux Reef, Lin Shuang told Firefly what she had discovered about Penacony, its hidden settlement, and the Stellaron sustaining the Dreamscape. Firefly struggled with the possibility that the Family had been sacrificing lives, and leaned on Lin Shuang while she tried to process the truth.

• Lin Shuang carried Sparkle out of the dim room, and they returned to the Dreamscape before Sparkle skipped away.
• Firefly called Lin Shuang in alarm after losing contact with her, then hurried to Lin Shuang's room when she learned Lin Shuang had uncovered something.
• Lin Shuang told Firefly about Gallagher, the memory zone meme, Dreamflux Reef, Mika, Sparkle, and Penacony's hidden settlement.
• Firefly realized that Penacony had concealed a Stellaron and used lives to sustain the Dreamscape, shaking her trust in the Family that had raised her and Sunday.
• Firefly wondered whether her brother knew the truth, then leaned on Lin Shuang, who gently stroked her head as she gathered her thoughts.

Lin Shuang and Firefly awkwardly agreed to forget their embarrassing misunderstanding, and Firefly planned to explore Dreamflux Reef before visiting her brother. Lin Shuang asked Silver Wolf about the Script and Firefly, but Silver Wolf refused to reveal what Elio had forbidden her to share.

• Firefly fled after Lin Shuang mistook her bashfulness for distress, then they apologized over messages and agreed to drop the subject.
• Firefly told Lin Shuang she would explore Dreamflux Reef before asking her brother for the truth, and Lin Shuang asked her to stay reachable.
• Lin Shuang joined Silver Wolf in an interstellar warfare game and asked whether the Script covered Firefly.
• Silver Wolf said Elio had added a rule forbidding her from telling Lin Shuang about the Script, but admitted she had invited a Masked Fool for Firefly's sake.

Lin Shuang told Acheron what she had learned about Penacony, but Acheron focused on Lin Shuang's flirtation with Firefly and covered Firefly's scent with her own mark. Twelve system hours later, Lin Shuang prepared food with Acheron, still sore from their night together.

• Lin Shuang asked Silver Wolf why she had chosen Sparkle to help Firefly, and Silver Wolf explained that the Masked Fools were reliable when motivated by fun.
• Lin Shuang and Silver Wolf spent almost ten system hours playing games together before Lin Shuang returned to the Xianzhou and invited Acheron over to cook.
• Acheron noticed Firefly's scent on Lin Shuang, bit her shoulder, and pinned her down on the sofa.
• Lin Shuang recounted what she had discovered about Penacony, but Acheron fixated on whether Lin Shuang had flirted with Firefly and used the power of The Nihility to cover her scent.
• Twelve system hours later, Lin Shuang prepared food beside Acheron, rubbing her sore lower back as Acheron asked whether it still hurt.

Lin Shuang caught a heliobus that attacked her and contacted Huohuo, who rushed to check on her. Lin Shuang reassured Huohuo and asked where she was so she could come to her instead.

• After Lin Shuang and Acheron finished preparing food, Acheron rested with Lin Shuang before leaving.
• Lin Shuang spotted a blue-flamed heliobus lunging at her and caught it with her flames.
• Lin Shuang trapped the heliobus in a cage of flames and sent Huohuo a photo.
• Huohuo worriedly offered to come find Lin Shuang, but Lin Shuang said she was fine and asked where Huohuo was.

Lin Shuang visited Huohuo at Fyxestroll Garden and brought a captured Heliobus for the Ten Lords' Court to seal. Huohuo tried to show she could handle herself, but Tail frightened her again, and she threatened to have Lin Shuang seal him away.

• Huohuo invited Lin Shuang to Fyxestroll Garden after Lady Hanya agreed to her visit.
• Lin Shuang reunited with Huohuo and showed her the Heliobus she had captured in a cage of flames.
• Tail challenged Lin Shuang, but Huohuo reminded him that Lin Shuang held two powerful Heliobi inside her.
• Huohuo led Lin Shuang into the Ten Lords' Court's office area and explained that colleagues were struggling to catch scattered Heliobi.
• Tail scared Huohuo with a chilling gust, and she burrowed into Lin Shuang's arms.
• Huohuo threatened to have Lin Shuang seal Tail away, making him abruptly stop laughing.

Lin Shuang helped Huohuo transfer a heliobus into a sealing furnace at Fyxestroll Garden, where they encountered Hanya. Hanya arranged for Huohuo to take half a day off and investigate a report in Aurum Alley with Lin Shuang, leaving Huohuo unsure what to do there.

• Huohuo activated a sealing device, and Lin Shuang released the heliobus into it.
• Hanya arrived, thanked Lin Shuang for helping Huohuo, and suggested they visit Aurum Alley together.
• Hanya gave Huohuo a report of a possible heliobus sighting in Aurum Alley and treated the investigation as Huohuo's half-day off.
• Huohuo and Lin Shuang boarded a starskiff to Aurum Alley, where Huohuo asked Lin Shuang what they should do.

Lin Shuang and Huohuo arrived in Aurum Alley to investigate rumors of a mysterious pawnshop that accepted souls and memories as collateral. Sushang joined their search while Stelle stayed behind to ask around, and the group began looking for the shop among Aurum Alley’s many secluded corners.

• Lin Shuang encouraged the nervous Huohuo to investigate Aurum Alley with her, then met Stelle and Sushang at the port.
• Stelle’s affection for Lin Shuang increased after Lin Shuang stopped her flying tackle, leaving Lin Shuang to wonder if Stelle had developed a strange kink.
• Sushang explained that she and Stelle were working to revitalize Aurum Alley, and Stelle offered to show Lin Shuang and Huohuo its restaurants after their investigation.
• Huohuo told Sushang and Stelle about rumors of a ghostly pawnshop that accepted unusual collateral, including souls and memories.
• Sushang joined Lin Shuang and Huohuo to investigate while Stelle stayed near the docks to ask around.
• Huohuo explained that the pawnshop was said to be hidden somewhere secluded, and Sushang noted that Aurum Alley had many such places.

Lin Shuang, Huohuo, and Sushang investigated the rumored Ghost Market Pawnshop in Aurum Alley, only to learn it was a fabricated urban legend. While Lin Shuang and Huohuo went to eat, Sushang entered a real pawnshop and was possessed by a Heliobus.

• Sushang led Lin Shuang and Huohuo through Aurum Alley, asking merchants about the Ghost Market Pawnshop but finding no useful leads.
• Stelle told them that the Aurum Alley Commerce Guild president had revealed the pawnshop rumor was invented to attract paranormal enthusiasts.
• Lin Shuang and Huohuo decided to visit a restaurant, while Sushang chose to finish her patrol alone.
• Sushang found a secluded shop run by a black-haired Foxfolk woman, who claimed it was a pawnshop that accepted emotions, memories, and lives as collateral.
• The Foxfolk woman summoned ghostly flames, frightening Sushang unconscious, and a Heliobus possessed her to examine her swordsmanship.
• Lin Shuang and Huohuo ate while trying to contact Sushang, but she did not reply and their messages stayed unread.

Lin Shuang and Huohuo tracked a Heliobus through Aurum Alley and found it possessing Sushang, who attacked Lin Shuang with the Xuanyuan Sword. Lin Shuang blocked the blow and protected Huohuo, while Stelle sensed something from the docks.

• Tail sensed a Heliobus, so Lin Shuang left her meal and followed Huohuo toward it.
• The Heliobus trapped Sushang in an illusion where a Foxfolk Girl sparred with her and demonstrated sword techniques.
• The Heliobus awakened in Sushang’s body, picked up the Xuanyuan Sword, and went looking for Lin Shuang to learn her sword moves.
• Lin Shuang and Huohuo found the possessed Sushang in an alley, and Lin Shuang shielded Huohuo before blocking Sushang’s attack with her Red Greatsword.
• Huohuo threw buffing talismans toward Lin Shuang as Lin Shuang kicked Sushang back from a surprise attack.
• Stelle paused at the docks and looked toward the alley after sensing something inexplicable.

Lin Shuang entered the Heliobus’s illusion to confront the spirit possessing Sushang, where she witnessed Sushang’s imagined future as a sword champion. The Heliobus challenged Lin Shuang to fight, and the two found themselves facing off in the Martial Arts Arena.

• The Heliobus changed Sushang’s sword style and attacked Lin Shuang with increasingly dangerous techniques.
• Stelle rushed in and kept the possessed Sushang occupied while Huohuo rang a bell to send Lin Shuang into the Heliobus’s illusion.
• Lin Shuang saw a vision of grown-up Sushang defeating a Foxfolk general with the Taixu Sword God technique.
• The Heliobus appeared as a younger Sushang and warned Lin Shuang that her companion could not withstand its sword.
• Lin Shuang accepted the challenge, and the illusion placed her and the Heliobus in the Martial Arts Arena.

Lin Shuang broke the heliobus’s illusion by overwriting it with a desolate world and prepared to use an imitation of Acheron’s swordsmanship against it. As she felt the pain of Nihility, she thought of how much Gepard endured and resolved to hug her when she returned.

• Grown-up Sushang tried to defeat Lin Shuang with a hollow imitation of the Taixu Divine Sword, but Lin Shuang shattered the move and caught her.
• The heliobus possessed Sushang’s appearance and attacked Lin Shuang with the Xuanyuan Sword while Lin Shuang defended herself and urged Sushang to wake from the illusion.
• Sushang began remembering her real life in Aurum Alley, showing signs of breaking free of the heliobus’s illusion.
• Lin Shuang stopped fighting, set Sushang behind her, and overwrote the Martial Arts Arena illusion with a desolate world.
• Lin Shuang took Acheron’s sword-drawing stance and felt the pain of Nihility, thinking of Gepard and wanting to hug her when she returned.

Lin Shuang defeated the Heliobus inside an illusion, allowing Huohuo to seal it and freeing Sushang. Back in Aurum Alley, Sushang blushed over what happened in her dream while Stelle demanded to know what she and Lin Shuang had been whispering about.

• Lin Shuang drew her blade in the illusion and unleashed a Nihility-like slash that overwhelmed the Heliobus and erased the illusion.
• Acheron sensed strange images that seemed connected to Lin Shuang, smiled at her ring, and left the asteroid to find a planet with a signal.
• Lin Shuang awoke in Aurum Alley beside Huohuo as the Heliobus separated from Sushang and admitted defeat.
• Huohuo used her gourd to seal the Heliobus while Lin Shuang steadied the shaken Sushang and promised to explain what had happened.
• Sushang whispered to Lin Shuang about her dream, then blushed and begged her not to reveal its details.
• Stelle accused Lin Shuang and Sushang of keeping secrets, clung to Lin Shuang's arm, and Huohuo wondered whether she should join them.

Lin Shuang asked March 7th about teaching Stelle, then discovered March had deliberately encouraged Stelle’s flirtatious behavior. Unable to contact Acheron, Lin Shuang went to the planet where they first met to train and headed for the seaside to seek stronger opponents.

• Lin Shuang messaged March 7th about Stelle’s behavior, and March admitted she had shown Stelle a lesbian movie and had acted as a wingwoman on purpose.
• March 7th decided to invite Lin Shuang to explore Aurum Alley while the Express crew enjoyed their time on the Xianzhou Luofu.
• Lin Shuang tried to contact Acheron but could not reach her because Acheron was in an area without a signal.
• Lin Shuang opened a Portal to the planet where she and Acheron had first met and found Monsters had returned to the cleared city.
• Lin Shuang went to the seaside to find more challenging opponents because ordinary Fragmentum Monsters were no longer useful training for her.

Lin Shuang trained underwater to quiet her thoughts about Gepard, then admitted she had missed her when Gepard arrived. Gepard sensed Lin Shuang had done something dangerous and confronted her as Lin Shuang lay exhausted on the beach.

• Lin Shuang entered the water and fought swarms of Fragmentum Monsters, adapting her swordsmanship as Gepard’s image came to mind.
• After an exhausting underwater battle, Lin Shuang received a call and summoned Gepard through a Portal.
• Gepard found Lin Shuang collapsed on the beach and let her rest her head in her lap.
• Lin Shuang admitted she had trained because she missed Gepard, and Gepard said she had missed Lin Shuang too.
• Gepard revealed she had sensed Lin Shuang had done something dangerous, and Lin Shuang realized she was about to be lectured.

Lin Shuang told Acheron about wielding her sword in an illusion, and Acheron warned that approaching Nihility could turn Lin Shuang into a Self-Annihilator. Lin Shuang realized how deeply the danger frightened Acheron and comforted her, while Acheron left a bite mark on her shoulder to reassure herself that Lin Shuang was still there.

• Acheron revealed she had seen Lin Shuang holding her sword and slashing at an entity, prompting Lin Shuang to explain what happened in Changle Heaven.
• Acheron warned Lin Shuang that imitating Nihility was dangerous and could envelop her in its shadow.
• Acheron feared losing Lin Shuang to Nihility, whom she had come to regard as her new anchor.
• Lin Shuang apologized, embraced Acheron, and rested her forehead against hers.
• Acheron bit Lin Shuang's shoulder and rubbed the mark, showing how afraid she was that Lin Shuang might disappear.

Lin Shuang and Gepard spent time together on the beach after Lin Shuang’s dangerous imitation of her blade deepened Gepard’s concern for her. They discussed the Interastral Peace Corporation’s interest in the planet and Penacony, and Lin Shuang began weighing what she wanted before deciding how to deal with the Corporation.

• Acheron noticed Lin Shuang’s loud heartbeat and flushed face, then toppled her onto the sand.
• Lin Shuang told Gepard that Topaz had approached her about a deal involving the planet, and Gepard suggested asking Tingyun for business advice.
• Gepard warned Lin Shuang that the Corporation would likely approach her in Penacony and urged her to prepare for dealing with them.
• Lin Shuang and Gepard camped by the coast for a day, then Gepard again cautioned Lin Shuang against imitating her blade.
• Inside their tent, Lin Shuang wondered what information to give the Corporation about Penacony, and Acheron advised her to first decide what she wanted.