Chapter Summaries

The Ice Witch gave Hughberlian a protective Pink Divine Card and advice before Hughberlian departed for the Protos Empire. When Hughberlian summoned Poet of Great Love, the two immediately quarreled, and the Ice Witch realized the card’s effect involved Rhythm Magic.

• The Ice Witch gave Hughberlian a Pink Divine Card and urged her to prioritize her safety in the Protos Empire.
• Hughberlian explained that Lanchi had lent her the Orange Epic card Poet of Great Love, which could summon itself.
• Poet of Great Love initially refused to appear, then materialized while hiding her face from the Ice Witch.
• Poet of Great Love and the Ice Witch traded insults until Hughberlian stepped between them and calmed them down.
• Poet of Great Love returned to her card, and the Ice Witch recognized that she had been affected by its Rhythm Magic.

Hughberlian prepared to infiltrate the Protos Empire and travel to Helrom to learn what had happened to Lanchi, now called Luo Qi. After saying farewell to the Ice Witch, she left the temple determined to face the dangers ahead and stay calm when she saw him.

• The Ice Witch told Hughberlian to watch the summoned creature and warned her that the Nirvana Branch, especially the Nirvana Holy Son, threatened her journey from the Northwest Province to Box Mountain Province.
• Hughberlian reassured the Ice Witch that she would run if danger arose and explained that a local city-state lord had helped provide her with an identity and protection.
• The Ice Witch noticed Hughberlian was worrying about Lanchi, encouraged her, and gave her a historical romance novel for the journey.
• The Ice Witch promised to arrange Hughberlian's return to the Southern Continent in a month or more, and Hughberlian thanked her and said goodbye.
• Hughberlian left the temple, resolved to enter the dangerous Protos Empire and remain calm when she met Lanchi.

Lanchi inspected Qinsidun City and urged Snowfield Province’s lords to coordinate ecological development and eliminate the Ghost Party. When they worried about handling the criminals after he left, he proposed using supervised prisoners for public work to make suppression more profitable.

• Lanchi met with Snowfield Province’s lords in Qinsidun City and laid out plans for development, ecological protection, and eliminating the Ghost Party.
• Lanchi told the lords he would soon leave for Northern Border Province before returning to Helrom for the Bishop Election.
• The lords asked Lanchi how they could deal with the Ghost Party after his departure, and he said their failure to act stemmed from disagreements over costs and benefits.
• Lanchi ordered the lords to issue a notice allowing supervised prisoners to work on public undertakings beyond prison walls.
• The lords realized that prisoner labor could generate substantial income for the province.

Lanchi convinced the lords of Snowfield Province to turn the crackdown on the Ghost Party into a prisoner labor and bounty system, with powerful criminals transferred to Helrom’s Underground Prison. The lords embraced the plan, while Lanchi reflected on his new governorship and an upcoming Helrom Broadcasting Company interview.

• Lanchi proposed using prisoners as laborers and offering bounties to motivate adventurers and mercenaries to pursue the Ghost Party.
• The lords asked about legal and operational risks, and Lanchi explained how the Upper House could delay objections and how powerful prisoners could be transferred to the Imperial Capital.
• Lanchi revealed that Warden Bakas would visit the school next month to discuss cooperation with Helrom’s Underground Prison, prompting the lords to eagerly support the scheme.
• Lanchi said he saw himself as a manager or merchant rather than a politician and mentioned that Helrom Broadcasting Company had invited him for an interview.
• The lords learned that Chloris Duke Berenhard was Lanchi’s student and grew even more reverent toward him.

Lanchi questioned Snowfield Province’s lords about the imperial investigation team and the mysterious refugees who had triggered fears of a disaster in the north. After hearing that Northern Border Province had supposedly been massacred, he resolved to investigate Askesang and uncover what was happening there.

• Lanchi asked the city-state lords what the imperial investigation team had told them after Professor Meiqi nearly infiltrated Snowfield Province’s leadership.
• Viscount Levin Kinston explained that an unidentified refugee in Boen City had warned of a terrible event in the north, then died by suicide after being hospitalized.
• The lords said similar refugees had appeared in other northern city-states, prompting an investigation led by Major General Fan Leiku, while northern travel and communications remained disrupted.
• Viscount Levin Kinston told Lanchi that the refugee had claimed Northern Border Province was massacred and turned into a Scarlet Land.
• Lanchi considered the danger ahead, suspected Nirvana Bishop Askesang was responsible, and vowed to expose the truth in Helrom.

Lanchi and Sid left Qinsidun City after saying goodbye to Xia Ya and the others. As they traveled north across the snowfield, Sid tracked Lanchi’s favorability and joked that she might need to read his mind to discover what he was thinking.

• Viscount Levin Kinston and Xia Ya saw Lanchi and Sid off at the city gates, and Xia Ya embraced Lanchi before they parted.
• Lanchi reassured Xia Ya that he and Sid could find their way north with the help of a snowfield map.
• Cat Boss decided that Sid was too dangerous to be a suitable romantic partner for Lanchi.
• Sid recorded the favorability Lanchi had lost and told him to keep raising it, though she would not explain what high favorability would achieve.
• Sid asked whether anyone could use Mind Reading magic, then warned Lanchi that another woman might punish him for his unspoken thoughts.

Lanchi and Sid raced toward Banderra City on a sleigh while discussing the dangers of the Northern Border and Sid’s unwillingness to let Lanchi go. Sid admitted she would let a former Saintess leave, leaving Cat Boss to wonder whether Lanchi’s escape plans might take an unexpected turn.

• Lanchi and Sid raced through the snow toward Banderra City, while Cat Boss clung to Lanchi and begged them to slow down.
• Lanchi explained that exposing a major scandal in the Northern Border could earn them considerable imperial recognition, while Sid doubted the advance investigation team could handle an eighth-tier threat.
• Sid promised to protect Lanchi but said she would not easily let him leave her service; Lanchi asked what would happen if he wanted to retire.
• Cat Boss asked whether Sid would let her former Saintess leave, and Sid said she would let her go and allow her to live as she wished.
• Cat Boss suspected Lanchi might still fake his death to escape, but wondered whether Sid’s answer could change how that plan unfolded.

Lanchi and Sid reached Banderra City in the Northern Border Province, where they prepared to enter a heavily guarded city amid signs of an approaching conflict. Lanchi revealed that he was a Sealer, and the pair set off toward the city.

• Lanchi and Sid stopped outside Banderra City after finding no trace of the missing investigation team along their route.
• Lanchi warned Sid to be ready to protect him as they approached the tightly guarded city, which he believed concealed a major Imperial conspiracy.
• Sid asked about Lanchi’s combat class, and Lanchi told her that he was a Sealer.
• Lanchi reassured Sid that his sealing arts were warm and blazing and intended for love and peace.
• As military music filled the snowy air, Lanchi and Sid began walking toward Banderra City.

Lanchi and Sid discovered that Banderra City had been transformed into a corpse-filled Eclipse Demon Realm and tried to escape. Askesang intercepted them and sealed the space around them, leaving them face-to-face above the city.

• Lanchi and Sid entered Banderra City, where they saw only Imperial Army patrols and Nirvana Branch clergy on the upper level.
• Sid sensed that the city held no living people besides the Nirvana Priests and carried Lanchi into the sky to escape.
• Lanchi saw the city’s hidden devastation: an Eclipse Demon Realm filled with corpses and undead beneath a veil of illusion.
• Askesang appeared on a spire and trapped Lanchi and Sid inside a distorted barrier.

In Banderra City, Lanchi and Sigrid confronted Nirvana Bishop Askesang, who had turned the city into a massacre site and trapped them in a spatial lockdown. Sigrid revealed herself and attacked Askesang, beginning a battle that left him intent on killing both her and Lanchi.

• Askesang questioned Lanchi and Sigrid about whether the Imperial Great Sage Isis or the Duke Berenhard family had sent them.
• Askesang threatened to deal with Sigrid first, prompting her to abandon her frightened disguise and strike him with a powerful blow.
• Sigrid pursued Askesang through the collapsing city, but he recovered behind a magical barrier and recognized her as a Ba Tian Sect leader.
• Askesang mistook Lanchi for Sigrid's new successor, the Ba Tian Holy Son, and decided to kill them both before nightfall.

Sigrid fought Askesang in Banderra City while protecting Lanchi, but a mysterious Black Robed Man intervened and turned the battle against her. The Black Robed Man summoned an Abyssal Black Worm, leaving Sigrid trapped between two powerful enemies.

• Sigrid used Life Link and a Nian Qi Puppet to protect Lanchi and carry him away from the battle.
• Sigrid gained the upper hand against the injured Askesang and drove him back with a powerful punch.
• The Black Robed Man appeared, rescued Askesang with a magical chain, and struck Sigrid into Banderra City's lower level.
• The Black Robed Man summoned an Abyssal Black Worm, whose gravitational suppression made Sigrid stagger.
• Askesang and the Black Robed Man watched Sigrid as she faced them amid the ruins.

Sigrid struggled against Askesang and the Black Robed Man while Lanchi watched from the ruins, realizing she needed help. Lanchi prepared to intervene with the Silverlight Puppet and Cat Boss as he focused on the Abyssal Black Worm.

• The Black Robed Man and Askesang coordinated their attacks, driving Sigrid into a desperate fight while she avoided killing the Abyssal Black Worm.
• Sigrid tried to strike Askesang, but the Black Robed Man trapped her with chains and Askesang’s magic sent her crashing to the ground.
• Askesang taunted Sigrid about Lanchi and urged her to abandon him, but she remained determined to protect the Holy Son.
• Lanchi asked the Silverlight Puppet to protect him and take him elsewhere, and she agreed to follow his request.
• Lanchi instructed Cat Boss to prepare to help him cast spells and avoid using the Imitation Stone Slab - Wind, then watched the Abyssal Black Worm.

Lanchi arrived at Banderra City’s battlefield and used his Nuclear Fusion Wolf to seal the Abyssal Black Worm, freeing Sigrid from its restraint. He faced Askesang and the Black Robed Man as the balance of the battle shifted.

• Sigrid fought Askesang and the Black Robed Man while drawing them away from the Abyssal Black Worm, but she was badly wounded and trapped by the Black Robed Man’s chains.
• Askesang prepared a killing spell as Sigrid ignited her remaining vitality for a final struggle.
• Lanchi arrived beside the Abyssal Black Worm with Cat Boss and summoned his Orange Epic Nuclear Fusion Wolf.
• The Nuclear Fusion Wolf struck the Abyssal Black Worm, sealed it into a Magic Card, and swallowed it for ten seconds.
• With the Abyssal Black Worm’s pressure gone, Sigrid was freed, and Lanchi proudly displayed his sealing art to Askesang and the Black Robed Man.

Lanchi used the Nuclear Fusion Wolf to seal the Black Robed Man’s Abyssal Black Worm and escape with the gravely wounded Sigrid. The wolf detonated its swallowed Magic Cards in a blast that engulfed the Northern Snowy Plains and changed the fate of the Protos Empire and the world.

• Lanchi sealed the Abyssal Black Worm inside the Nuclear Fusion Wolf, giving Sigrid an opening to strike and grievously wound the Black Robed Man.
• Lanchi fed the wolf hundreds of Tier 6 and Tier 7 purple Magic Cards as Sigrid flew toward him.
• Askesang unleashed a costly Sealing Magic that left Sigrid near death, and Lanchi caught her as she fell.
• Lanchi carried Sigrid away and vowed to reclaim Askesang’s Primordial Slab, while the Black Robed Man pursued them.
• The Nuclear Fusion Wolf detonated, unleashing a blinding explosion that devastated the Northern Snowy Plains and engulfed Banderra City.

Marquis Heliti'er and Somerset Marquis discussed the battle in the north of the Protos Empire and the vampires’ plans to reclaim their land. At the devastated Banderra City, Askesang and the Black Robed Man survived the explosion but failed to capture Sigrid, and Askesang vowed to keep Ba Tian Holy Son from escaping the northern blockade zone.

• Marquis Heliti'er told Somerset Marquis that the battle in the north involved Askesang, Sigrid, and possibly the Apostle, and ended amid flames resembling a Tier 8 Great Destruction spell.
• Marquis Heliti'er assured Somerset Marquis that Duke Lasha'er would protect the vampires’ plans to reclaim their land from interference by the Northern Continent.
• A demon imprisoned in the lowest level of the Eternal Prison sensed the northern explosion, then closed his eyes again.
• At the ruins of Banderra City, Askesang and the Black Robed Man emerged badly wounded after surviving the explosion and chose not to pursue Ba Tian Holy Son.
• The Black Robed Man departed after reminding Askesang to fulfill his promise in one month, while Askesang vowed to keep Ba Tian Holy Son inside the empire’s northern blockade zone.

After being unconscious for three days, Sigrid woke on the road south with Lanchi and Cat Boss. Lanchi explained that sealing magic had prevented her injuries from healing, and they continued toward Helrom despite the dangers ahead.

• Sigrid woke in the snow sled after three days unconscious and thanked Cat Boss for caring for her.
• Lanchi told Sigrid that Askesang's Sealing Art had locked her condition and prevented her from recovering.
• Lanchi said Askesang and the Black Robed Man were likely too injured to pursue them for now, though Nirvana's territory left them isolated.
• Lanchi declared that he and Sigrid would keep heading south toward Helrom, while warning that he would flee or abandon her if necessary.
• Sigrid told Lanchi, smiling, not to speak that way to other women because they might react worse than she would.

Hughberlian and three Tier Six clergymen infiltrated Milford Territory in the Protos Empire with Earl Milford’s help. After entering the city, they reached his residence, where Hughberlian prepared to discuss the dangerous mission ahead.

• Hughberlian disguised herself as a merchant heiress and brought an executioner, a priest, and a Holy Knight through the border checkpoint.
• Earl Nelson Milford arrived at the city gate and identified Hughberlian and her companions as his guests.
• Hughberlian and the clergymen followed Earl Milford’s carriage into the city and reflected on the dangers of their mission.
• Earl Milford brought the four guests to his residence and dismissed the attendants before meeting with them privately.
• Hughberlian thanked Earl Milford for supporting the church and said she was willing to trust him.

Hughberlian received a new identity as Earl Milford’s illegitimate niece, Milian Milford, and prepared to travel to Helrom with his daughter, Mishura. She expected to face the Nirvana Branch’s forces in Milford Territory, but learned that the Nirvana Holy Son and the province’s main forces had already departed, leaving her unexpectedly safe.

• Earl Milford arranged for Hughberlian to assume the identity of Milian Milford and transfer to the Protos Royal Magic Academy in Helrom.
• Earl Milford asked Hughberlian to protect his daughter Mishura if she could not return to the Northwest Province.
• Earl Milford warned Hughberlian about the Nirvana Knight Order and encouraged her to relax while she adjusted to life in Milford Territory.
• Hughberlian vowed to avoid drawing the Nirvana Holy Son’s attention, believing the Northwest Province was still dangerous.
• Earl Milford explained that the Nirvana Holy Son had taken the province’s main forces north two days earlier, and Hughberlian realized she could safely enjoy her stay.

Hughberlian learned that the Nirvana Holy Son had been sent north, giving her time to rest at Earl Milford’s home before traveling to Helrom. She met Mishura, who welcomed her in her own stern way, and Hughberlian ended the chapter looking forward to finding Lanqi again.

• Earl Milford told Hughberlian that the Nirvana Holy Son had gone to the far north and offered to plan a route to Helrom that avoided him.
• Hughberlian met Mishura, who gave her gifts, explained the Milford family’s rules, and promised to help if anyone bullied her.
• Hughberlian asked Mishura whether she had heard of Luo Qi, and Mishura offered to help search for him in Helrom.
• Mishura assumed Luo Qi was Hughberlian’s romantic interest and decided she would inspect him on her behalf.
• Hughberlian felt reassured by the warmth she had found in the Milford household and looked forward to meeting Lanqi again.

Lanchi and the injured Sigrid rested at an inn in Dandelun City while Cat Boss went out for supplies. As they discussed the dangers ahead and Lanchi’s limits against powerful enemies, he said he would use Inviting God if the Nirvana Holy Son found them.

• Sigrid woke in the inn as Lanchi sat nearby reading, and he told her Cat Boss had gone to buy groceries.
• Lanchi let Sigrid rest and explained that the Nuclear Fusion Wolf needed more than ten days to recover from its self-destruction.
• Sigrid asked whether Lanchi could defeat a Tier 6 opponent, and he said he could handle Tier 5 but not Tier 6.
• When Sigrid asked what he would do if the Nirvana Holy Son found them, Lanchi said he would have to use Inviting God.