Chapter Summaries

The Night Meteor revealed celestial planes, giving Locke a chance to strengthen his magic while Witch Catherine pursued the fleeing Twin Demon World Black Wizards. The thief saint escaped through the planar passage, and Catherine summoned a beast tide to hunt down the remaining Black Wizards.

• The thief saint wizard gave Witch Catherine the Night Meteor, then used the opening to escape with several Black Wizards through the Twin Demon World's planar passage.
• The Night Meteor spread across Golden Crown Mountain, revealing stellar planes whose power the wizards studied and absorbed.
• Locke observed three Moon Planes and the Holy Dragon Star, used four Full Moon Growths to absorb their starlight, and borrowed Witch Camilla's Witch Porcelain to stabilize the resulting moons.
• Locke directed the Night Meteor's stellar power into his Forest Sanctuary, where the Life Ancient Tree Seedling began to grow.
• Witch Catherine pursued the thief saint wizard, but he escaped after accusing her of seeking authority and merit.
• Witch Catherine summoned the Dragon Peach Garden and commanded its gathered Magic Creatures to kill the remaining Black Wizards, offering the Dragon-Viewing Peach King to the creature that killed the most.

Locke’s bloodline mutation pushed him into a battle with the self-destructive spirit of an incomplete Demon Dragon, while Douglas sought a place in White Wizard society under the Lagma Mammon Witch King’s guidance. With Witch Catherine’s intervention, Locke overcame the crisis and took control of his Demon Dragon Bloodline.

• The Lagma Mammon Witch King told Douglas that Twin Demon World wizards had targeted people possessed by ancient spirits and urged him to join Golden Crown Mountain.
• Douglas gave Locke an Emerald Cat’s-Eye Stone, which awakened Locke’s Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat Bloodline and sent his Mysterious Dragon Clan Bloodline into a dangerous mutation.
• Witch Catherine restrained Douglas and agreed to give him an employment examination, while Golden Dragon Fafnir identified Locke’s bloodline as that of the Destruction Dragon Clan and warned that its spirit sought self-destruction.
• Witch Catherine weakened her Great Magic to shoot a Peach Arc Thorn Arrow at Locke, prompting him to confront the Demon Dragon within his mind.
• Locke used the Superior Meditation Method and the arrow to destroy the Demon Dragon’s self-destructive spirit, accept his bloodline’s incompleteness, and regain control of his body.
• Locke thanked Witch Catherine after surviving the ordeal, and she told him that a mere Dragon Race could not kill either of them.

After the Demon World War ended, Witch Catherine gained influence at Golden Crown Mountain by securing the vice chairwoman position and leadership of the Sky Garden Project, while Locke won the competition. As Locke prepared to return to his research, he identified the damage to Zelia’s soul and considered whether a rare Dragon-View Peach might help her.

• Witch Catherine was praised for protecting the Cloud Arena, became vice chairwoman of the Academic Committee, and won approval to lead Golden Crown Mountain’s Sky Garden Project.
• Locke won the remaining matches and the championship, with Antoine as runner-up and Witch Julian in third place; Witch Julian told him Daniel had escaped his debt crisis through sales of his mist technology.
• Locke encountered Witch Camilla and her sister Zelia, whose Echo had been harvested by Black Wizards, and determined that the self-awareness portion of her soul was incomplete.
• Witch Camilla considered seeking a Dragon-View Peach that might restore Zelia’s humanity, while Locke promised to repay her for the Witch Porcelains.
• Locke returned to the ground, intending to report to Group Two, apply for project funding, prepare for abyssal exploration, and plan his Great Magic.

Locke assessed how Night Meteor had transformed his Forest Sanctuary and planned ways to expand it, while Witch Catherine revealed that his World-Destroying Demon Dragon Bloodline might let him develop two Great Magics through a Half-Body. She sent him to Group Two and recommended specialized equipment to support his forest.

• Locke found that the Life Ancient Tree had reached the First-Ring Crystallization Stage and considered expanding his Forest Sanctuary, researching the Forest Alliance Spell, and adding Overlordized Magic Plants.
• Locke reviewed his bloodline and magic research, then submitted an article about the Tyrant's Eye Potion through Gregor.
• Witch Catherine gave Locke his Plane Conquest Tournament badge, examined his Porcelain Moon, and recommended that he study the Moon Goddess Blessing Spell.
• Witch Catherine explained that Locke's World-Destroying Demon Dragon Bloodline could create a Half-Body and might allow him to possess two Great Magics, then marked him with the Peachheart Curse to guide its formation.
• Witch Catherine told Locke to report to Group Two and gave him a recommendation letter for a Third-Ring Wizard who could help him obtain an invisible lens for the universe's eye.

Witch Catherine freed Douglas from Wizard Prison on the condition that he work as a teaching assistant at Golden Crown Mountain, while Lagma Mammon Witch King urged him to seize the opportunity. Locke bought Watergreen Mountain Beeches and then visited Victoria Witch to purchase Cosmic Light Contact Lenses; he put one on at her request.

• Witch Catherine offered Douglas a chance to work at Golden Crown Mountain, warning that he would return to prison if he performed poorly.
• A Second Ring demon hunter assigned Douglas to Mason Witch’s research group, fitted him with a tracking ring, and explained how his work would count toward his sentence.
• Lagma Mammon Witch King revealed that he had stayed hidden while Witch Catherine watched Douglas and encouraged him to excel in fundamental research.
• Locke bought sixty Watergreen Mountain Beeches from trader Bruce for three hundred and sixty thousand Magic Stones.
• Locke met Victoria Witch with Witch Catherine’s letter and agreed to try one of her Cosmic Light Contact Lenses.

Antoine entered the Combat Purgatory to regain his competitive drive and prepare for the Plane Conquest Tournament, while champions from Quinn Joel, Boniface, and Storm Tower were introduced. Locke tested Witch Victoria’s Cosmic Light Contact Lens and discovered it opened onto a vast, stable demiplane hidden in subspace.

• Antoine told Fischer Wizard he still intended to enter the Plane Conquest Tournament, and Fischer Wizard allowed him to enter the Combat Purgatory.
• Fischer Wizard watched Antoine descend into the Combat Purgatory and decided that Locke had awakened his grandson’s competitive spirit.
• Edgar David celebrated winning Quinn Joel University’s championship and boasted that he represented its level of magic.
• Wizard Georgina accepted the cheers at Boniface University and vowed to use the Plane Conquest Competition to become a Second-Ring Wizard and kill the Twin Demon World’s enemies.
• Wizard Smith won Storm Tower’s tournament, thanked his student Bazel without accepting his wand, and looked ahead to the Plane Conquest Tournament.
• Locke activated Witch Victoria’s Cosmic Light Contact Lens and saw that it opened into a stable subspace demiplane about the size of an island.

Locke bought a demiplane with a Magic Tide and received Agricultural Golems from Victoria Witch, then organized help to move his Forest Sanctuary into it. As the relocation began, Lana Alvarez replied to Locke’s questions about ecological corridors and sent him her recent research.

• Victoria Witch sold Locke a demiplane and gifted him one hundred Agricultural Golems worth five hundred thousand Magic Stones.
• Locke learned that Gregor had enrolled in tea artistry classes with Afra Valentine, so he asked Preston to arrange a more reliable teacher for him.
• Locke gathered Gregor, Williams, Mason Witch, Wizard Barrett, Witch Freya, and their students to begin relocating the Forest Sanctuary, and Mason Witch offered to bring a trusted group of Green Elves to help.
• Locke began dividing the forest into sections for transfer and wrote to Lana Alvarez to ask about her research.
• Lana Alvarez scolded Fleming for urging her to rebuff Locke, then wrote Locke a reply about ecological corridors and recommended several of her recent works.

Locke expanded his Forest Sanctuary with two hundred Overlordized Water-green Beeches, while Witch Lana’s advice helped guide his plans for the forest. The expansion succeeded, but the strain weakened Locke’s control over the sanctuary, and Warwick continued waiting for him to prepare for their Abyss expedition.

• Locke paid Queen Sabrina’s elf tribe thirty thousand Magic Stones for helping transplant the Forest Sanctuary, then refused her offer to move the tribe inside it.
• Locke read Witch Lana’s letter and research papers, learning about ecological corridors and gaining ideas for his Forest Alliance Spell.
• Witch Lana corrected Locke’s idea that ancient trees alone could form ecological corridors, while praising his plan to create an Overlordized Water-green Beech forest.
• Locke bought three hundred Watergreen Mountain Beeches and recruited Queen Sabrina’s tribe to help Overlordize and plant them, while Warwick waited for the Abyss expedition.
• Locke incorporated two hundred Overlordized Water-green Beeches into the Forest Sanctuary with help from the Life Ancient Tree, but the plants overwhelmed his Distributed Psionic Network and further weakened his control over the forest.

Locke developed his Forest Sanctuary into a closed Magic-Plant ecosystem, analyzed the Moon Planes to improve Full Moon Growth, and gained a deeper understanding of the Holy Dragon’s Arrow of Change. Meanwhile, Witch Catherine investigated Douglas’s connection to ancient beings and the Twin Demon World.

• Locke hired Sabrina’s elves to transplant Magic Plants and bought a large collection from Bruce, who gifted him a Dawn Witch Peach that became another Peach Arc Thorn Arrow bow.
• Locke used Queen’s Chessboard to study the moon phases of three Moon Planes, upgraded Full Moon Growth, and found that Red Moon Growth could make liquids in illuminated Magic Plants boil.
• Locke tested Peach Arc Thorn Arrow’s Holy Dragon power, suffered its backlash, and understood the Change-Slaying Evil Arrow and the Arrow of Change.
• Witch Catherine judged Lana Alvarez’s guidance to Locke as flawed but let their correspondence continue, believing Locke would learn better through experience.
• Witch Catherine examined Douglas’s Five-Element Reversal, told him to update its outdated defensive spells, and suspected his Emerald Cat’s-Eye Stone connected him to ancient beings sought by the Twin Demon World.

Locke abandoned his first Ecological Corridor design and sought funding from Witch Scarlett to develop new Wizard Shoes and compete for a Demon World War equipment contract. Scarlett outlined the commercial and political risks, then shared her hopes of building the Augustus Series brand and becoming a Platinum Trader.

• Locke decided not to reveal the Forest Alliance Spell’s requirements to Witch Lana and returned to redesigning it on his own.
• Witch Lana asked about Locke’s letters, praised his clear thinking, and assigned Wizard Fleming to help prepare a campaign-level magical device for the Chaos Battlefield.
• Locke told Witch Scarlett that research had consumed most of his money, and Scarlett offered to seek two hundred thousand Magic Stones in sponsorship from Arthas.
• Locke proposed making Overlordized Snow-Capped Pineapple and Flame Pineapple Wizard Shoes, while Scarlett warned him about the magic weavers’ legal tactics and industry practices.
• Scarlett asked Locke to design Wizard Shoes for a Demon World War equipment tender, and he agreed to try.
• Scarlett described her ambition to build the Augustus Series into a famous brand and said success might earn her a promotion to Platinum Trader.

Locke reflected on his wizard-shoe business and the limits of his Forest Sanctuary before Witch Catherine revealed that the Starfield Sea’s Magic Ascension Plan had raised the Magic Tide across all fifty-three Wizard Lands in the Eastern Sector. As the change awakened ancient forces and unsettled the world, Locke and his companions headed to Group 2’s colonial world.

• Locke decided to use Witch Scarlett’s subsidy to develop two wizard-shoe designs and inspected the fully transplanted Forest Sanctuary, whose growing Magic Pressure threatened to overwhelm his control.
• Locke rejected transforming himself into a Demon Dragon to advance quickly and told Witch Catherine he was restarting his Ecological Corridor work.
• Witch Catherine explained that the Starfield Sea’s Heavenly Sun Plan and Waterway Project had raised the Magic Tide across the Eastern Sector, and she warned Locke that the changes would make the Abyssal River more dangerous.
• The Starfield Sea’s Truth Wizards described their plan to elevate all fifty-three Wizard Lands so the region could strengthen the Starfield Sea, while the rising Magic Tide awakened ancient beings and drew in visitors from beyond the heavens.
• A sealed commoner wizard in White Bull Tower began escaping after the Magic Tide disrupted his seal, while Locke and his companions discussed the changes and their effects on magic.
• Locke, Mason Witch, Wizard Barrett, and Witch Freya reached the Plane Gate Administration Office, a peach orchard whose tree archways led to different planes.

Locke and his group entered the Dune Plane, a ruined world of scorching heat, endless sand, and almost no Magic Tide, then met Wizard Sith, who explained Group Two’s research into restoring plant life and the plane’s magical energy. The group followed Sith toward his research institute to help test whether drought-resistant plant communities could turn the desert into an oasis and recreate the Magic Tide.

• Locke and the other three wizards passed through Gate 31 into the Dune Plane, where he protected them from the sand and poisonous sunlight with a Life Force Field.
• Locke surveyed the devastated plane with Shadow Grass and found a vast hole in its atmosphere, exposed elemental barriers, and a few surviving plants.
• A colossal sandstorm buried Locke and Wizard Barrett, but Locke rescued Barrett while Mason Witch and Witch Freya watched from safety.
• Wizard Barrett used his Wind Roar Flower Cannon to collapse the sandstorm, and Locke replenished his spent magic power with energy from Forest Sanctuary.
• Wizard Sith arrived and led the group toward his research institute, explaining that Group Two studied drought-resistant plants, desert restoration, and whether plant communities could revive the Magic Tide.

Wizard Sith showed Locke and the others Golden Crown Mountain’s desert research base and explained how its Eco-Membrane and Witch Porcelain Cities sustained crops in the hostile Dune Plane. He revealed that Group 2’s chief problem was water, and that the Rose Council and Storm Tower had moved to restrict its profitable Desert Rose research.

• Wizard Sith led Locke, Mason, and Freya past other organizations’ research sites to Group 2’s oasis base and explained its Eco-Membrane and solar-powered Witch Porcelain Cities.
• Locke passed through the Eco-Membrane and saw Wizard Apprentices cultivating Desert Rose and other Magic Plants inside the protected base.
• A Witch Porcelain City fired on an approaching sandstorm, and Wizard Sith explained the danger storms posed to the base and its equipment.
• Wizard Sith told Locke that the base needed water and good soil, while Witch Porcelain technology had solved its shortage of magical energy.
• Wizard Sith explained that Desert Rose could thrive with little water and help turn sand into soil, but accused the Rose Council and Storm Tower of restricting Group 2 after coveting its profits.

Wizard Sith explained that the institute’s water supply had been cut off by Storm Tower and urged Group 2 to find a drought-resistant crop to replace Desert Roses. After studying the group’s research, Locke decided that his team should continue researching Air Pineapples, which suited the dry institute and could supply materials for his Wizard Shoes.

• Wizard Sith told Locke that the Rose Council had persuaded Storm Tower to stop maintaining the institute’s water-producing equipment, forcing the institute to rely on costly alternatives while limiting groundwater extraction to protect the plane’s ecology.
• Wizard Sith assigned Locke and his group to study drought-resistant plant mechanisms and find an economic crop to replace Desert Roses, then introduced them to Wizard Eros and the institute’s research facilities.
• Locke read Group 2’s research materials and concluded that Air Pineapples suited the institute’s dry conditions and could provide raw materials for his Wizard Shoes while supporting a funded research project.
• Locke proposed that his group continue researching pineapples, and Witch Mason agreed that the familiar subject would ease their transition and let Locke produce Pineapple Wizard Shoes.

Locke developed three Overlordized Air Pineapples with fleshy roots suited to Wizard Shoes, arranged research into their drought resistance and Energy-Locking Structures, and sent seeds and designs to Witch Scarlett for production. At the Dune Plane institute, Zalan Bailey returned as a Second-Ring Wizard and seemed to target Locke’s team with his Magic Pressure, but Mason Witch suspected his Great Magic had a flaw.

• Locke completed Overlordized Snow-Capped Pineapples and Flame Pineapples, harvested their seeds, and discussed how their fleshy roots could propel Wizard Shoes.
• Locke arranged for Mason Witch and her colleagues to study the three pineapple varieties’ fleshy roots and drought responses while he was away.
• Locke gave Witch Scarlett the seeds and Wizard Shoes designs to take to the colonized worlds for production, and discussed his plans to improve the shoes through Energy-Locking Structures.
• Mason Witch, Freya Witch, and Wizard Barrett considered applying for First-Class Project Fund support based on Locke’s research materials.
• Zalan Bailey returned to the institute as a Second-Ring Wizard, and his Magic Pressure briefly pressed harder on Locke’s team before disappearing.
• Mason Witch said Zalan Bailey’s lack of recruitment by the Inspection Deacons Group suggested a possible flaw in his Great Magic.

Wizard Zalan Bailey returned to the institute as a Second-Ring Wizard, but Wizard Sith judged that his Great Magic was poorly constructed and would limit his future. Meanwhile, Locke set out with Witch Shally and Warwick for the Jadeflower Enclave, where their journey left them aboard a Wizard Airship.

• Wizard Zalan Bailey told Wizard Sith how he had achieved Second Transcendence and created his Sea Buckthorn Ecology Great Magic using a World Stone, a Sun Diamond, and the institute’s energy-locking structure.
• Wizard Sith privately concluded that Zalan had misunderstood Group 2’s research, relied on shortcuts, and created flawed Great Magic, though he chose not to confront him.
• Zalan reminded Wizard Sith of their wager and left satisfied after Sith promised to prioritize resources for him.
• Locke brought Witch Shally to meet Warwick at Dragonblood Market, and the three prepared to travel to the Jadeflower Enclave.
• Warwick and Locke bought Wizard Airship tickets, and the three boarded a route expected to reach the Jadeflower Enclave in about a month.

Locke and Witch Shally arrived in Jadeflower Enclave with Wizard Warwick, who described how its floating-island society drove indebted or unlucky wizards into impoverished lives and Black Factories below. Warwick brought them to the Ashen Esoteric Sect Academy to pursue the ancient tomb of the Nameless King's wife, where they met Wizard Christopher McKinley.

• Locke observed the stark divide between Jadeflower Enclave's prosperous floating islands and its mana-drained, impoverished ground, while Warwick explained the region's credit system and Black Factories.
• Warwick described how low-talent wizards who borrowed for research could go bankrupt after accidents or failed projects, lose their homes, and be forced to sell their labor in Black Factories.
• Warwick apologized after Locke reminded him that they had come to investigate the ancient tomb, and he confirmed that he had information about it despite its dangerous magical traps.
• Warwick took Locke and Witch Shally by carriage to the Ashen Esoteric Sect Academy, explaining that it held the coordinates and portal to the tomb and that their archaeological team hoped to win the Istoria Archaeology Award.
• Warwick introduced Locke and Witch Shally to fellow academy mentor Christopher McKinley, and explained that both he and McKinley held White Wizard identities in Jadeflower Enclave.

Locke, Witch Shally, Wizard Warwick, and Wizard McKinley entered Ashen Esoteric Sect Academy’s Eighteen-Level Dungeon and boarded a ferry on the Abyssal River to search for the Nameless King’s wife’s tomb. As they traveled into increasingly dangerous waters, Witch Shally protected herself from the Abyssal Energy, while Warwick warned that her method might not last until they reached the ruin.

• Warwick led Locke, Witch Shally, and McKinley through the dungeon, where Shally killed a boarman being tortured by Apprentice Valentine.
• At the river dock, McKinley threw a pebble into the Abyssal River, triggering a surge of demonic energy that a Formal Wizard sealed.
• Warwick summoned a ferry, and the four boarded it after obtaining permission and paying four Underworld Gold Coins.
• Warwick explained the Abyssal River’s route and how Wizard Kings hid their tombs along it to preserve their bodies and honor.
• As demon fish and worms attacked the ferry, Warwick drove them away with his Abyss Werewolf aura, while Shally used a Witch Porcelain and her Kraken bloodline to withstand the Abyssal Energy.

Wizard Warwick, Locke, Witch Shally, and Wizard McKinley located a vast Age of Stars tomb on the Abyssal River, only to discover that multiple factions had already gathered there. After a Steel Demon attacked them, Witch Shally summoned a Sacred Angel to kill it, and Warwick concluded the tomb was likely the Nameless King's wife's resting place.

• The four Archaeology wizards used Historical Pointers together to overcome the divination magic hiding the tomb's location.
• They spotted a massive ship-shaped tomb supporting a smoking, city-sized burial complex and found more than a dozen wizard ships gathered nearby.
• A wave overturned their ferry, and a Steel Demon attacked them while warning them away from the Loom Princess's resting place.
• Witch Shally summoned a Sacred Angel that cleaved the Steel Demon in half and nullified its dying curse.
• Locke learned that the demon's Integrity allowed part of its consciousness to enter Golden Crown Mountain's divine kingdom, while Warwick identified the tomb as likely belonging to the Nameless King's wife.

Locke and the others explored a magical mural depicting the Loom Princess’s mausoleum, where inscriptions about wizards, mortals, and civilization provoked them into arguing. After Shally broke the illusion, the mural threatened them and enchanted Warwick into attacking her, leaving Locke trying to stop a fight by reminding Shally that Warwick still owed him historical records.

• Warwick, McKinley, Shally, and Locke examined the mausoleum city and found the remains of wizards from several factions, who appeared to have come seeking magical resources.
• Locke and the others read inscriptions questioning whether wizards or mortals represented civilization and discussing whether mortals might someday determine their own fates.
• The inscriptions led the group into a heated debate about necromancers and their place in civilization, until Shally’s Maiden’s Embrace spell helped her realize they were trapped in an enchanted mural at the dock.
• The mural shifted into threatening words demanding that the intruders abandon magic and become mortals, while Warwick became enraged and attacked Shally under an enchantment.
• Locke stepped between them and reminded Shally that Warwick still had historical records he had promised to give him before the expedition.