Chapter Summaries

Lu Ban’s boast that Demon Tide would stay atop the box office drew ridicule, but the film’s second-day earnings overtook Speed of Death 11 and made it the worldwide box office champion. A week later, Demon Tide still held first place, leaving even its skeptics wondering whether Lu Ban’s prediction would come true.

• Lu Ban’s interview sparked fierce debate at home and abroad, while a New York Times feature investigated his career and personal life.
• Demon Tide earned one billion worldwide on its second day as Speed of Death 11’s earnings fell, allowing Demon Tide to overtake it in total box office.
• Guests on a New York broadcast praised Demon Tide’s effects and immersive world, while the host awkwardly defended Speed of Death 11.
• Theaters increased Demon Tide’s screenings, and by the third day it had more showtimes in North America than Speed of Death 11.
• A week later, Demon Tide remained the worldwide box office champion, making even its haters question whether Lu Ban’s prediction would hold.

Demon Tide dominated the global box office for twenty-nine consecutive days, earning 13.9 billion domestically converted and making Lu Ban a record-setting director and actor. After returning home, Lu Ban reunited with Laika and received the system’s settlement for completing his career development task, though its completion status was listed as unknowable.

• Demon Tide stayed atop the global daily box-office rankings for three weeks, while Speed of Death 11 fell short of its projected earnings.
• Lu Ban ended Demon Tide’s theatrical run after a month, with the film holding the top global spot for twenty-nine days and earning 13.9 billion overall, including six billion domestically.
• Overseas media praised Lu Ban as Demon Tide left theaters, and he declined interview requests before giving Silent Media’s employees a month-long vacation and bonuses.
• Lu Ban returned home, where Laika greeted him as a chubby corgi after Qin Tiantian had been feeding him.
• Lu Ban promised to help Laika lose weight, then received the system’s task settlement, including 50,000 Silence Points and an unknowable completion status.

After earning an Indescribable rating and fifty thousand Silence Points, Lu Ban examined three possible missions, weighing their dangers and the materials he needed. He leaned toward protecting a miko on the journey to Harmony Island, though he had not yet confirmed which mission he would take.

• Lu Ban received fifty thousand Silence Points for exceeding his mission target and wondered whether any rating surpassed Indescribable.
• Lu Ban rejected the Station Above the Wastes mission as too dangerous and unlikely to provide useful materials.
• Lu Ban became interested in Mad Manor because it was connected to Daoist He Ming and might contain the Crane's Song Ascension Chronicle.
• Lu Ban reconsidered after reading Spring No War, which offered a chance to obtain Harmony Island materials, meet a miko, and learn how the island resisted pollution.
• Lu Ban struggled with the choice between Mad Manor and Spring No War, then finally made his decision.

Lu Ban sought knowledge about Harmony Island and discovered that repeated Madman’s Knowledge draws could earn Fool’s Wisdom. After crushing a ten-pull skull, he was overwhelmed by its knowledge and lost consciousness.

• Lu Ban decided Harmony Island could help him investigate the corruption and bury Momiji’s ashes beneath the shrine’s cherry tree.
• Lu Ban found a new ten-pull option and learned that accumulated Madman’s Murmurs Points could be exchanged for Fool’s Wisdom.
• Lu Ban used a half-price Madman’s Knowledge and received clues about Daoist He Ming’s manor in the Ruined City.
• Lu Ban suspected the Ruined City result was misleading and spent Silence Points on a ten-pull specifying Harmony Island.
• Lu Ban crushed the single skull from the ten-pull, realized it might deliver ten times the knowledge, and blacked out.

Lu Ban collapsed after being overwhelmed by alien voices and visions, but Hound’s true form revived him by draining the plants that had grown from his wounds. Finding his room covered in blood, Lu Ban called a cleaning company and opened the door to find a cleaner accompanied by three police officers.

• Lu Ban saw a colossal star-covered monster and heard chaotic voices from countless worlds before bleeding and collapsing.
• Grass grew from Lu Ban’s wounds and drank his blood while he lay motionless.
• Hound transformed into its true form, quieted the room, and withered the grass, waking Lu Ban.
• Lu Ban called Jiangcheng Jiaran Domestic Services and negotiated a discount to have his bloodstained room cleaned.
• Lu Ban opened the door to the cleaner and found three police officers behind him, ordering him not to move.

Lu Ban entered the Mutation-difficulty mission to escort a gifted miko to the Wa Island Grand Shrine and witness the selection of a new Head Miko. He arrived at the start of the journey, where he learned that political families were contesting the miko’s rise and met his apparent leader, Ayame.

• Lu Ban chose the only available mission difficulty, Mutation, and entered the Silent Land alone.
• Lu Ban arrived in Wa Island with his belongings and found himself beside Ayame as preparations for the journey began.
• An elderly woman told Ayame to avoid unnecessary interactions with the miko, while Ayame asked to meet her after her cultivation.
• Ayame explained to Lu Ban that powerful families wanted control over the next Head Miko, while the exceptionally talented candidate and her family stood outside their circle.
• Lu Ban learned that he was one of Ayame’s subordinates, and a maid announced that the miko had arrived.

Lu Ban learned that hostile Chosen of the Gods had invaded Harmony Island and joined Ayame in escorting the miko Amber to the Grand Shrine. As the group prepared to leave, Lu Ban discovered Amber practicing archery with extraordinary precision.

• The system added an objective for Lu Ban to find and kill the invading hostile Chosen of the Gods.
• Ayame introduced Lu Ban to Amber and explained the escort route to the Harmony Island Grand Shrine.
• Lu Ban and Ayame returned to the mercenaries’ residence and prepared to depart the next morning.
• Lu Ban went outside that night and found Amber practicing archery in a dojo.
• Amber split the arrow at the center of her target, then turned toward Lu Ban and apologized for making him wait.

Lu Ban spoke with Amber about the miko’s training and her goal of reaching Harmony Island, then reunited with Laika at the archery dojo. The next day, the fleet departed Sakura Island for a journey of at least twenty days.

• Amber explained the stages of miko training and said that reaching the stage of seeing the world would let her sense attacks across the sea.
• Lu Ban suggested Amber practice staying focused in a crowded marketplace, but she said she had no need to leave her residence and was focused on reaching Harmony Island.
• Amber shot an arrow at rustling grass and uncovered Laika, whom Lu Ban recognized as his dog.
• Laika rubbed against Amber and rolled over for belly rubs, but Amber soon stopped, excused herself, and hurried away.
• Lu Ban left Sakura Island with the fleet after a departure ceremony and estimated the journey to Harmony Island would take at least twenty days.

During the voyage, Lu Ban’s dog Laika caught a huge deep-sea fish, which Lu Ban and the sailors shared. Amber watched the cheerful meal from the flagship and returned to her room without comment.

• Lu Ban traded stories about sea monsters and ghost ships with the sailors, dismissing their warnings.
• Laika appeared on deck, jumped into the sea, and returned with a huge fish in its mouth.
• Lu Ban tasted the fish raw and seared, then shared it with Laika and the sailors.
• Amber watched the sailors eating and laughing while her maid criticized them, then Amber returned to her room.

After the fleet left Narcissus Island, Ayame warned Amber that powerful enemies might attack her during the dangerous voyage to Harmony Island, while Lu Ban agreed to help protect her. That night, Lu Ban followed one of Amber’s guards into the storage hold and saw him place a grotesque divine statue inside a magic circle and begin praying.

• The fleet resupplied at Narcissus Island, and Ayame and Lu Ban moved aboard the flagship to guide the next leg of the voyage.
• Ayame asked Amber to trust her even if she seemed to act against Amber’s interests, and Amber reaffirmed her trust in Ayame and Lu Ban.
• Ayame told Lu Ban that spies had infiltrated the ship and that Amber’s political enemies might frame the mercenaries and kill her.
• Ayame said she had accepted the dangerous mission because she believed they could win Amber’s support and secure a home and land.
• After nightfall, Lu Ban followed a guard into the storage hold and watched him set a hideous divine statue in a magic circle and pray.

Lu Ban discovered that a guard had used the Benevolent Heavenly Father Idol to corrupt the ship’s provisions, then used the idol to contact the entity behind it. The connection reached Thunder, the hostile faction’s assassin, who realized someone had contacted him again.

• Lu Ban heard the guard praying and saw green smoke contaminate food and water, but the corruption remained limited to a small area.
• Lu Ban knocked out the guard, removed the spoiled provisions, and recognized the idol as one from the Wasteland that could communicate with gods.
• Lu Ban suspected a hostile Chosen of the Gods had targeted Amber’s fleet and placed the idol on the Magic Circle to pray.
• A voice asked Lu Ban what he wanted, while Thunder on a nearby warship heard the unexpected contact.
• Thunder recalled modifying the idol to spread a plague through the fleet and planned to exploit the resulting mutiny to assassinate Amber.

Thunder tried to direct a worshipper through the statue, but the pawn seemed to have been driven mad and planned to kill the people aboard the ship. Thunder and Flash then discussed how to eliminate Amber, with Flash volunteering to act while Thunder remained wary of the mission’s other Chosen of the Gods.

• Thunder spoke with a worshipper through the Magic Circle and promised blessings, but the worshipper insisted that fresh blood was needed.
• The worshipper said he would kill people aboard the ship to exchange their blood for blessings, ignored Thunder’s attempts to stop him, and cut off the connection.
• Thunder told Flash that their pawn seemed contaminated by the statue and mentally unstable.
• Flash urged Thunder to attack Amber directly, but Thunder warned that another Chosen of the Gods was among their enemies and argued for caution.
• Thunder considered luring Amber’s fleet into dangerous waters, while Flash volunteered to go himself and Thunder decided to check the Magic Circle again the next day.

Lu Ban uncovered signs that a Chosen of the Gods had infiltrated their ship, while Ayame warned that pursuers might drive them into a nearby hazardous area. As a strange wind dropped the ship’s flag, Lu Ban saw a deep-purple storm raging on the horizon.

• Lu Ban hid the idol again, let the guard believe he had received a divine blessing, and replaced the spoiled provisions with straw.
• Ayame told Lu Ban that the smell of blood and their position in the Narcissus Channel suggested an ambush near the hazardous area, possibly by several warships aided by Wa Island Grand Shrine.
• Lu Ban and Ayame discussed speeding up the ship and possibly moving Amber to the mercenary vessel if the enemy attacked.
• Ayame explained that she supported Amber becoming Head Miko because she believed the Head Miko’s power was vital against the Corrupted Ones and because the mission paid well.
• After Ayame returned to the cabin, a strange wind dropped the ship’s flag, and Lu Ban spotted a deep-purple storm on the horizon.

Lu Ban accelerated his ship and the mercenaries’ boat with Last Words while secretly intercepting a guard’s attempt to contact Thunder. Thunder learned the ships were pulling away and ordered his increasingly violent believer to slow his ship without killing anyone or revealing himself.

• Lu Ban estimated the Purifying Fire’s reach, watched Laika catch a large fish, and noticed Amber withdraw from her window.
• Lu Ban fired Last Words at his ship and the mercenaries’ boat, making both travel faster than expected.
• A hypnotized guard entered the storeroom to pray at an idol, but Lu Ban knocked him unconscious and took his place.
• Thunder heard the ships had accelerated and suspected their Chosen of the Gods had discovered him.
• Lu Ban’s prayer claimed he had sacrificed a man’s heart, alarming Thunder, who told him to slow the ship without killing anyone or exposing himself.
• Thunder planned to use an approaching storm to catch up with the ships.

A sudden supernatural storm struck Lu Ban's fleet near the Ashen Sea, and enemy ships used the weather to surround them. Lu Ban sent Laika to attack while the captain prepared the crew for battle and asked Lu Ban and Ayame to seek help from the miko.

• Lu Ban and the captain discussed the storm’s abnormal arrival and the dangers of the Ashen Sea route.
• Ayame suspected someone had used Word Spirit to create the storm as dark-purple lightning struck the sea.
• A lookout signaled an enemy attack, and Lu Ban saw three ships approaching through the storm.
• Lu Ban ordered Laika into the sea to intercept the ships, then spotted four more warships blocking their route.
• The captain raised Sakura Island’s flag and ordered the sailors to prepare for battle, while asking Lu Ban and Ayame to go to the miko.

Lu Ban brought Amber to help stop the storm attacking the two ships, and her Word Spirit calmed the sea and cleared the clouds. As Thunder’s fleet began its cannon assault, Flash set out to board the flagship and kill Amber.

• Lu Ban asked Amber to stop the storm, and she opened the window and began speaking in a strange voice.
• Amber’s Word Spirit spread light across the sea, calming the waves and driving away the storm.
• Thunder ordered the fleet to fire on the ships despite the captain’s doubts, and both sides exchanged cannon volleys.
• A shadow boarded an allied warship and triggered an explosion that set it ablaze.
• Thunder ordered Flash to board the flagship and kill Amber, and Flash transformed into smoke and flew away.

Lu Ban used Speech Bullets to defeat Flash, but the Bandaged Man’s whisper spread across the sea and left Amber unconscious. After Lu Ban carried Amber to the mercenary ship, the system identified another enemy, and a gigantic shadow appeared beneath the ocean.

• Amber used Word Spirit to affect the storm and repel cannonballs, while contamination spread across her body.
• Lu Ban pulled Amber away from Flash’s Gray Fog and fired five Speech Bullets, causing Flash’s body to collapse and unleash a terrible whisper.
• Lu Ban sent the Gray Fog into the sea, then carried the unconscious Amber to the deck as the whisper spread across the battlefield.
• Ayame told Lu Ban to take Amber to the mercenary ship and stay out of the fight, then prepared to face the enemy warship.
• Lu Ban reached the mercenary ship and saw system messages identifying one of two enemies as killed before a gigantic black shadow covered the sea.

Ayame fought off the boarding soldiers until Thunder attacked her with Gray Fog and a music box, fatally wounding her before she pushed him into the sea. A gigantic shadow rose from the seafloor and dragged the warship and every other vessel beneath the water, leaving Lu Ban and Amber caught in the chaos.

• Ayame cut down the boarding soldiers as she guarded the cabin entrance, and the attackers began calling her a demon.
• Thunder confronted Ayame, searching for the Chosen of the Gods who had dealt with Flash, and her blade’s characters corroded his Gray Fog.
• Thunder opened a music box that drove the people on deck into madness, then pierced Ayame’s chest with a gray blade.
• Ayame pushed Thunder into the sea and sank beneath the surface as a gigantic shadow rose from the seafloor.
• Lu Ban watched black tentacles drag the warship underwater, then grabbed Amber as the shadow pulled every ship into the sea.

Amber sank beneath the sea after doubting her duty as a miko, but Lu Ban rescued her and escaped with her on a speeding plank. Stranded without ships or a chart, Lu Ban promised to take Amber to Wa Island Grand Shrine and make her the Head Miko.

• Amber sank into the sea, wondering whether she could abandon her duties and reach a peaceful world.
• Lu Ban pulled Amber from the water and used Last Words to propel their plank away from the destroyed ships.
• Amber saw a colossal tentacled tower on the sea, and Laika leaped aboard in corgi form after briefly surfacing as a monstrous creature.
• Lu Ban told Amber that the ships and nautical chart were gone, leaving them uncertain where to sail, though nearby uninhabited islands might offer refuge.
• Amber asked why Lu Ban had saved her when she could no longer fulfill her mission, and Lu Ban promised to take her to Wa Island Grand Shrine and make her the Head Miko.

Lu Ban tried to warm the polluted and freezing Amber aboard the boat, using a match from the Silence Department Store to light damp wood. As the fire burned, he saw a human figure taking shape in its glow.

• Lu Ban searched the sea for islands and asked Amber whether her pollution could fade.
• Amber explained that mikos used Word Spirit by enduring the world's pain and pollution, which could turn them into monsters if they pushed themselves while injured.
• Lu Ban joked that Amber could take off her clothes and hug him, and she threatened to kill herself if he tried to defile her.
• Seeing Amber grow dangerously cold and unable to use Word Spirit, Lu Ban bought a box of Spark of Hope matches for 130 Silence Points.
• Lu Ban lit a match beneath damp wood, and a human figure began to form in the firelight.