Chapter Summaries

Xiao Nian outlined plans to investigate Supreme Evolution by infiltrating sealed facilities and seeking technology from the Three Great Corporations. Lin Yu argued that Schreiber could extract information from a captured core member, and Xiao Nian accepted the idea as typical Grandmaster faction thinking.

• Xiao Nian arranged for the group to travel to the City That Never Sleeps the next morning and proposed investigating sealed Supreme Evolution sites and negotiating for corporate research.
• Paper Kite asked about Supreme Evolution’s surviving members, and Xiao Nian explained that most current members were recruits while original core members were difficult to find and impossible to negotiate with.
• Ren Gu agreed that pursuing Supreme Evolution members seemed too risky, but Lin Yu said Schreiber’s mind-reading methods made capturing a core member worthwhile.
• Xiao Nian accepted Lin Yu’s proposal, and Paper Kite remarked that her response showed typical Grandmaster faction thinking.

Lin Yu explained that Schreiber was helping the group investigate the Barren Realm because he wanted to uncover the full truth behind Sherlock’s death. Xiao Nian showed little hostility toward Schreiber, and the group arranged rooms for the night before departing the next day.

• Ren Gu questioned whether Schreiber could be trusted, and Lin Yu explained Schreiber’s friendship with Sherlock and his connection to A Luo’s clues about Secretary.
• Lin Yu proposed following Sherlock’s investigative trail to find evidence of Secretary’s past activities and Supreme Evolution’s operations in the Barren Realm.
• Lin Yu revealed that Schreiber wanted to reconstruct the entire truth behind Sherlock’s death, prompting the group to discuss his motives and complicated reputation.
• Xiao Nian agreed that she might like to meet Schreiber, while Lin Yu privately noted that her lack of aversion seemed unusual.
• Xiao Nian assigned rooms for the night, and Good Night objected to Paper Kite having a room alone, insisting that Paper Kite share with him instead.

Lin Yu cooked dinner at Xiao Nian’s home while discussing Sherlock’s past and his plans to investigate the places Sherlock may have visited. The chapter left Lin Yu reflecting on Truth Company’s drink packaging and the fact that Paris had been kept off it.

• Lin Yu volunteered to cook, explaining that his Chef role gave him the skills and abilities to prepare a meal.
• While Lin Yu cooked, Xiao Nian revealed that Sherlock had once nearly blown her up in a Mist Island ruin, though she held no grudge against him.
• Lin Yu told Xiao Nian he wanted to visit Veil Valetti and the Snow Mountain instance to mourn Sherlock and search for clues from his last investigation.
• Xiao Nian agreed to consider the visit while planning the group’s itinerary, then brought drinks to discuss the plan with Ren Gu and Dionysus.
• Lin Yu recognized the orange drink as Truth Company’s latest product and reflected that Paris had not ended up on its packaging.

Lin Yu and Good Night discussed the private room Good Night had arranged to give Lin Yu freedom to act, as well as Professor’s intentions and Xiao Nian’s unusual behavior. The conversation left them agreeing that Xiao Nian seemed strangely detached, though they did not know why.

• Lin Yu realized Good Night had deliberately arranged for him to have a room alone, then waited for the captain to explain his plan.
• Good Night admitted he had made the arrangement to give Lin Yu freedom, following Professor’s hint and Li Hua’s advice about letting Lin Yu act independently.
• Lin Yu told Good Night that Professor had not assigned him a secret mission and argued that Professor already had enough evidence to identify Secretary as the mole.
• Good Night worried that Professor had specifically brought Xiao Nian because he still suspected Lin Yu, but Lin Yu said Xiao Nian’s coordinates and connections in the Barren Realm explained her selection.
• Lin Yu and Good Night agreed that Xiao Nian seemed unusually detached, even though her behavior had been different in the Nether Void Realm.

Lin Yu privately discussed Hacker’s weakened connection to the Authority of Rules and the possible link between her path to godhood and Supreme Evolution with Ren Gu. Ren Gu suspected Lin Yu knew more about Hacker’s past and possible clues in the Barren Realm, but Lin Yu kept his knowledge private.

• Ren Gu told Lin Yu that he was a follower of Hacker and had sensed the Authority of Rules and Hacker becoming unusually dormant and distant.
• Lin Yu gave Ren Gu a vague answer and suggested that Hacker’s recent exertions, the destroyed forum servers, and the Wall of Rules could explain the changes.
• Ren Gu said he would investigate Hacker’s condition after the mission and proposed that the technology behind her godhood might share an origin with Secretary’s God Creation Project and Supreme Evolution.
• Lin Yu agreed that the operation could search for clues connected to Hacker, while saying he knew little about her route to godhood.
• Ren Gu revealed that he knew of Lin Yu’s connection to Nian and his older sister, and concluded that Lin Yu might know of clues in the Barren Realm that he did not want to make public.

Lin Yu and Ren Gu discussed Lin Yu’s hidden family connection and his freedom to investigate during the Barren Realm operation. After they joined the others for dinner, Loquat Candy’s jokes about punishment left Good Night worried about sharing a room with Paper Kite.

• Lin Yu praised Ren Gu for uncovering his connections to Shen Bingmiao and Lin Zhao, and Ren Gu explained that he had kept the information private out of respect for Lin Yu’s family.
• Ren Gu told Lin Yu that Good Night was working to secure him opportunities to act independently and offered to cover for him while he pursued leads, including Sherlock’s clues.
• Ren Gu helped Lin Yu carry dinner from the kitchen, and they discussed the Barren Realm’s warming cabinet and the useful accessories they wore.
• Good Night abandoned his chess game with Xiao Nian and Yin Lan when dinner was ready, prompting Paper Kite to accuse him of dodging defeat.
• Loquat Candy teased Good Night that Paper Kite might punish him for his everyday misdeeds, and Paper Kite began pondering the difference between capital crimes and other sins.

Lin Yu secretly entered the Alchemy Pipelines and met Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, who offered to sneak him into the City That Never Sleeps with her new machine, Fire Apricot No. 3. She then accused him of causing her to be named the next Chosen of Wisdom and restrained him.

• After the Order members fell asleep, Lin Yu left his room and found a maintenance shaft leading into the Alchemy Pipelines.
• Lin Yu used the shaft to meet Captain Raccoon, who had come to escort him through the pipelines.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot arrived in her mechanical alchemical raccoon, Fire Apricot No. 3, and boasted about its speed and her improved technical skills.
• Fire Apricot offered to take Lin Yu into the Inner City in exchange for something novel or an explanation.
• Fire Apricot pinned Lin Yu with grappling claws while Captain Raccoon seized his other foot, accusing him of pushing her into becoming the next Chosen of Wisdom.

Lin Yu explained to Nightless Sky Fire Apricot that her mother had named her a candidate for Chosen of Wisdom without his urging, and he apologized for having raised the idea. He then revealed that Nightless Sky Yong Lian had at most five years left, leaving Fire Apricot furious that her mother had kept her illness secret.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot pinned Lin Yu against the pipe wall and blamed him for her appointment as a candidate for Chosen of Wisdom.
• Lin Yu argued that becoming a Chosen of God could give Fire Apricot more autonomy than other roles, while Fire Apricot complained about the attention, political pressure, and suitors she faced as a candidate.
• Captain reported that Fire Apricot had twenty-five public suitors, prompting Lin Yu to laugh before she threatened to cut Captain's fried chicken supply.
• Lin Yu apologized for suggesting Fire Apricot as a candidate and advised her to use her current status to gain privileges and conveniences.
• Lin Yu told Fire Apricot that Nightless Sky Yong Lian had at most five years left, and Fire Apricot kicked Fire Apricot No. 3 while angrily lamenting her mother's secrecy and absence.

Lin Yu discussed investigating Supreme Evolution’s legacy with Nightless Sky Fire Apricot as they traveled toward the City That Never Sleeps. He planned to consult Nightless Sky Yong Lian and use Fire Apricot’s presence as his negotiating advantage, but Fire Apricot refused to go with him.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot explained that Supreme Evolution’s remnants were dangerous and unlikely to have useful technology, while the Three Great Corporations had inherited or sealed away much of its legacy.
• Lin Yu said he would investigate the Three Great Corporations and use a stand-in posing as Arthur to approach President Paris.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot sent Pipi and three others to check whether Paris was at the beverage factory or his home, while she and Lin Yu headed toward the Inner City.
• Lin Yu said he planned to visit Arthur’s residence and then the Nightless Sky Family to report Sherlock’s case and ask Nightless Sky Yong Lian about Supreme Evolution.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot warned Lin Yu that Nightless Sky Yong Lian put the family’s interests first, and Lin Yu said he would sound her out and offer an equal-value exchange.
• Lin Yu revealed that his negotiating trump card was bringing Nightless Sky Fire Apricot to meet Nightless Sky Yong Lian, but Fire Apricot immediately refused.

Lin Yu persuaded Nightless Sky Fire Apricot to accompany him to speak with her mother, the head of the Nightless Sky Family, and urged her to reconsider their cold war as her mother's time may be running out. As they neared the City That Never Sleeps, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot agreed to face the situation, though she remained conflicted about her mother.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot initially refused to join Lin Yu in approaching her mother, but he promised to let her visit other worlds as a gift, and she agreed to go with him.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot teased Lin Yu for mentioning the gift alongside his request, then thanked him for offering her the chance to see worlds beyond her own.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot asked whether Lin Yu was hurrying to see her mother because she had little time left, and Lin Yu admitted that was part of the reason.
• Lin Yu explained that her mother had previously said she had at most five years, but her recent decision to name Nightless Sky Fire Apricot as Chosen of God suggested she might have even less time.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot acknowledged Lin Yu's reasoning but described her mother as primarily the family head, leaving her uncertain about their relationship as they neared the city.

Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot traveled through underground pipes into the City That Never Sleeps and prepared to visit her mother. After bathing and changing into formal clothes, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot revealed that she resembled her father and hoped her appearance might affect her mother’s mood.

• Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot stopped Fire Apricot No. 3 before the sensitive pipes beneath the Nightless Sky Family residence and continued on foot.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot used her private bath as cover for her escape, while she and Lin Yu playfully tested Lin Yu’s water-manipulation ability.
• Lin Yu told Nightless Sky Fire Apricot that Nightless Sky Huo Shu had once ambushed him naked in a nearby bath while he was disguised as Sherlock.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot changed into formal family attire and explained that she resembled her father, whose favored style she had chosen to wear before meeting her mother.
• Lin Yu told Nightless Sky Fire Apricot that he had not known she resembled her father and was not bringing her along to provoke her mother’s compassion.

Lin Yu told Nightless Sky Yong Lian that he had killed A Luo’s murderer and came to investigate the man’s ties to Supreme Evolution. Yong Lian warned that the investigation crossed a taboo and would lead to Lin Yu’s death, but softened when he named Nightless Sky Fire Apricot as his accomplice.

• Lin Yu told Nightless Sky Yong Lian that A Luo’s killer was dead and that he had shared A Luo’s clue and its solution with him before his death.
• Lin Yu explained that he was investigating the killer’s past activities and technology, which appeared connected to Supreme Evolution.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian admitted she had helped destroy Supreme Evolution and had promoted Paris, then warned Lin Yu to abandon his inquiry.
• Yong Lian said she would kill Lin Yu if he continued investigating, and refused to allow him to proceed even if A Luo had asked.
• Lin Yu declared that he would keep investigating in secret and named Nightless Sky Fire Apricot as his accomplice, prompting Yong Lian to ask how she would help.

Nightless Sky Yong Lian explained why Lin Yu’s promise to involve Nightless Sky Fire Apricot changed her stance on his investigation into Supreme Evolution. She revealed that the technology offered a path to divine power beyond becoming the Chosen of Wisdom, leaving Lin Yu’s further conditions to be discussed.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot deduced that Nightless Sky Yong Lian’s change of heart depended on Lin Yu promising to involve her, and Lin Yu confirmed her guesses.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian acknowledged that she had little time left and said Fire Apricot had the right to refuse becoming the Chosen of God.
• Lin Yu told Fire Apricot that Supreme Evolution’s technology concerned authority and deities, including a way to fuse with unclaimed authority and potentially become a god.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot realized the technology could provide the Nightless Sky Family with an alternative to the Chosen of Wisdom, and Nightless Sky Yong Lian agreed.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian explained that Lin Yu’s understanding of authority made him especially likely to master the technology, then invited him to state his next conditions.

Nightless Sky Yong Lian offered Nightless Sky Fire Apricot a choice beyond becoming the Chosen of Wisdom and negotiated with Lin Yu for help developing Supreme Evolution. She explained that studying its theories could contaminate the God of Wisdom’s authority, leaving Lin Yu with the danger behind her refusal to investigate it herself.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot struggled to understand why Nightless Sky Yong Lian had given her the right to choose another path.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian told Lin Yu she had chosen him to support Fire Apricot and asked him to promise never to use Supreme Evolution against the Nightless Sky Family or the City That Never Sleeps.
• Lin Yu offered Fire Apricot alternatives to the Chosen of Wisdom, including authorities represented by the Ancient Notebook and Cyber Ghost's Electronic Coffin.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian agreed to believe Lin Yu but asked what he wanted in return, and he requested information about Supreme Evolution’s research into authorities.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian revealed that she had avoided studying Supreme Evolution because its theories could contaminate the authority of Wisdom and affect the God of Wisdom through her.

Lin Yu secured Nightless Sky Yong Lian’s agreement not to interfere with his investigation into Supreme Evolution and asked her to protect his group. He then summoned Fu Luo, who reunited with Yong Lian and discussed the puzzle that led to his killer being exposed, before Lin Yu left them alone to talk.

• Nightless Sky Yong Lian explained that she had sealed away material related to Supreme Evolution and agreed to let Lin Yu investigate without interference while ensuring his group’s safety.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian sent Nightless Sky Fire Apricot out of the room, and Lin Yu summoned Fu Luo using the [Ancient Notebook].
• Fu Luo told Nightless Sky Yong Lian that Captain Gao Shan’s mole had been exposed, and Lin Yu explained how he solved Fu Luo’s puzzle.
• Nightless Sky Yong Lian revealed that she had always known Fu Luo’s detective stories were fictional, and Fu Luo admitted that the stories had not been his own experiences.
• Lin Yu offered to leave Fu Luo with Nightless Sky Yong Lian so he could tell her another story, then departed as the library doors opened.

Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot discussed her possible future as the Chosen of Wisdom and the risks of losing her self-awareness to the God of Wisdom. Nightless Sky Fire Apricot wondered whether her mother was hastening her own appointed end to give the next Chosen of Wisdom a longer path, then dismissed the thought as foolish.

• Lin Yu told Nightless Sky Fire Apricot that the Information Lifeform Sherlock had spoken with her mother, and she shared her homemade jerky with him.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot revealed that the jerky was made from rat, insect, alchemical lifeform, and mineral ingredients, not raccoon meat.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot said she would pursue a Divine Rank to protect the Nightless Sky Family, even though becoming the Chosen of Wisdom could lead to the loss of her self-awareness.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot thanked Lin Yu for suggesting other authorities and Supreme Evolution technology as a possible alternative to the Chosen of Wisdom's fate.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot said her mother’s appointed end seemed to be arriving sooner than her calculations predicted and wondered whether her mother was shortening her own time in power to lengthen the next Chosen of Wisdom’s path.

Lin Yu and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot planned to meet Paris at the Beverage Factory and discussed Lin Yu’s mysterious connection to Authorities. After Fu Luo finished telling Sherlock’s story to Nightless Sky Yong Lian, he relayed her approval of Lin Yu’s plan and her promise to keep everyone safe.

• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot outlined a plan to travel with Lin Yu to the Outer City and meet Paris at the Beverage Factory, choosing whether to seek simple access or a deeper partnership.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot asked why Lin Yu kept encountering Authorities, and Lin Yu privately considered whether Lin Zhao had arranged for them to reach him.
• Fu Luo came out of the library and said Nightless Sky Yong Lian had allowed them to continue with their plans after hearing his story.
• Lin Yu reassured Fu Luo that his first-person storytelling showed an Actor’s talent, easing Fu Luo’s embarrassment.
• Fu Luo told Lin Yu that Nightless Sky Yong Lian understood his plan and would ensure everyone’s safety.

Lin Yu, Fu Luo, and Nightless Sky Fire Apricot left a meeting with the family head and encountered Nightless Sky Huo Shu, who mistakenly believed he had uncovered a new alliance between his sisters. The chapter ended with Nightless Sky Fire Apricot and Fu Luo pointing out that he had misunderstood the family head’s plans and their relationship.

• Lin Yu declined to explain his understanding with the family head to Fu Luo and went with Nightless Sky Fire Apricot to find Paris.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu approached the group and questioned Fu Luo about meeting with the family head, while his filter initially blocked Lin Yu’s words because Lin Yu was below grade A-1.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu concluded that Nightless Sky Fire Apricot and Nightless Sky Huo Le had secretly allied against him and claimed he had anticipated their alliance.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot explained that the family head had already assigned her to support Nightless Sky Huo Le, and Fu Luo asked which timeline Huo Shu thought he was in.

Nightless Sky Huo Shu revealed that President Paris would soon face external criminal charges and an internal company investigation. Lin Yu concluded that the family head would protect Paris, but planned to use the crisis to demand more from him.

• Nightless Sky Huo Shu offered Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, Fu Luo, and Lin Yu a chance to join his side, then said Nightless Sky Huo Le would soon fail to protect a confidant.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu told them that President Paris was expected to face Class A murder and anti-business charges, followed by an internal investigation and suspension.
• Nightless Sky Huo Shu explained that factions connected to the Solence Family and the Universal Chamber of Commerce were leading the effort against Paris, though he intended to exploit the opportunity.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot and Fu Luo worried that Paris's impeachment would disrupt Lin Yu's plans, but Lin Yu said the family head's support meant Paris would remain part of Huo Le's team.
• Lin Yu decided to raise his asking price when negotiating with President Paris.

Lin Yu brought Stiller to Truth Company's food processing plant, where Stiller posed as Supervisor Arthur to meet President Paris. He left the story having berated the factory staff and threatened to transfer the nervous receptionist to work for Nightless Sky Huo Le.

• Lin Yu disguised himself as a C-Class employee and brought Stiller, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, and Fu Luo to the Outer City factory.
• Stiller told Lin Yu he intended to pressure Paris despite remembering what Paris had done for him, and Lin Yu urged him not to push too hard.
• Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's private car bypassed the factory's strict security and carried the group to the new production building where Paris was meeting.
• Stiller criticized the nervous young receptionist for the way the factory had received him and demanded the radio to contact the receptionist's superior.
• Stiller returned the radio and told the receptionist he would ask Nightless Sky Huo Le to transfer him to work for Stiller.