Chapter Summaries

Ian decided to personally aid the Dragon-Worshiping Cult while keeping Xiahui Territory out of the war, then observed Sha Sha through their shared authority and discovered that the Aether Crystal Dragon egg was nearing hatching. He left the egg to develop while planning to resolve the mountain folk conflict and prepare resources before returning to Harrison Port.

• Azure Tide agreed that Xiahui Territory should avoid entering another war, and Ian said he would act personally as a member of the Dragon-Worshiping Cult.
• Ian planned to meet Elder Manyan at Indigo Mountain and later raid the Midra Autonomous Region while the rebel mountain folk fought the cult; he assigned Scott to study Old Fal's methods and plan forest clearing and development.
• Ian observed Sha Sha hunting in the South Sea, where it ate Flame-Pattern Cutlassfish and used its electromagnetic levitation to reach Crystal Island.
• Ian saw that the Aether Crystal Dragon egg was shaking and had begun to crack, then used the Silver Chip to determine it would likely hatch in one to three months.
• Ian decided to prepare resources and deal with the mountain folk first, and Sha Sha rejoiced when Ian spoke to it from afar.

Ian and his companions boarded Sainan’s mist-shrouded ship, but a Blazing Flame Lands naval armor ambushed them with artillery. Ian sensed the attack early, steered the ship off course, and called Sha Sha for help as the bombardment continued.

• Bishop White Mist contacted Viscount Grant, who arranged for Sainan to collect Ian and the others while the fleets negotiated.
• Sainan arrived aboard a fast ship, and Ian recognized the blue aura from the Wave-Singer Magic Potion Elder Pude had given him.
• A hidden naval combat armor targeted the ship, but Ian sensed danger and ordered Sainan into a turning maneuver that dodged the first barrage.
• The Blazing Flame Lands fleet began a saturation bombardment, and Ian told Sainan to accelerate while he summoned Sha Sha from the ruins.
• Count Albia learned that the ship had anticipated the turn and that the fleet had lost track of it.

Ian explored the Crystal Lifeform Museum and experienced a psychic vision that revealed both images of Terra’s ancient past and Andor’s personal history. He then reached the Nexus Control Area, where the chapter left him facing its still-operational instruments and screens.

• Ian admired the Crystal Lifeform Museum and stored what he saw and heard with the Silver Chip.
• Ian’s psychic power advanced, showing him visions of ancient creatures and events from Terra’s past.
• Ian looked into Andor’s eyes and saw the pirate captain’s past, including his family’s deaths and his anger at the injustice that drove him to piracy.
• Ian reflected that corruption and exploitation afflicted Terra beyond the Empire, then followed the passage to its end.
• A metal door opened automatically, and Ian entered the Nexus Control Area.

Ian discovered that Farshore Island’s Void Realm Dream was Mian Mengyi, a starship learning system, and infiltrated its core to copy the Azure Star. After escaping Farshore Island’s purge, he woke Adalbert to begin adapting the discovery for Terra’s Heart and the Virtual Underworld.

• Ian spent a week observing Farshore Islanders and concluded that Mian Mengyi trained them in survival and practical skills while helping maintain social stability.
• Ian inferred that Mian Mengyi had been designed to prepare colonists for long hibernation and decided to copy the system for his own use.
• Ian split his consciousness into a thousand parts, infiltrated the simulation mainframe through Phantom Dream users, and reached its core permissions.
• Ian found that the Azure Star was the core of a Terran colonial starship and copied it, causing one gemstone in his star crown to turn azure.
• Cangxing Gelide sensed Ian’s contact with the Azure Star and ordered a purge that forcibly awakened Farshore Islanders from the Phantom Dream.
• Ian woke Adalbert and invited him to help develop a Void Realm project to improve Terra’s Heart and give departed souls a better life in the Virtual Underworld.

Ian opened the Aether Armor, put the unconscious pilot aside, and linked himself to its controls with Isengard's help. He piloted the armor for the first time as a pursuer, one of the Surging Tide Twins, closed in on them.

• Ian opened the Aether Armor's cockpit, brought Ethan and Master Gose inside, and kept the unconscious purple-haired Elf as a possible source of information.
• Ian asked Isengard to connect the armor's signal cables to his neck, and Isengard discovered Ian's skin was too tough for the connectors until Ian lowered his defense.
• Ian synchronized with the Aether Armor and moved its limbs as though controlling a familiar second body.
• Ian started the damaged armor and saw the Surging Tide Twin pursuing them through the deep sea.
• Ian told Sha Sha to get ready to move as the giant eel drew closer.

Ian prepared to leave on the exploration mission, reassured by his tool fish that it held danger but no sign of certain death. At the docks, he joined the assembled Platinum-Iridium Workshop team, where Master Gose warned Isengard about possible assassins and Ian noticed a warrior carrying a high-quality Sea-Born Longsword.

• Ian told Elan to go to Elder Pude's place while he was away, checked his tool fish, and said goodbye to his younger brother.
• Ian packed his potions and headed to the docks, where the exploration team gathered before its planned noon departure.
• Master Gose warned Isengard not to be alone with the assembled newcomers and said only Aels's outsiders could be trusted somewhat.
• Ian arrived and drew suspicious looks from outside appraisers, while local members greeted him more warmly.
• Ian assessed the team as vulnerable to surprise attacks and noticed a Wave-Roaming Vagabond carrying a high-quality Sea-Born Longsword.

Ian confirmed the Hive Mind’s death, destroyed the remaining Brood flesh, and recovered a remarkably pure Morien Steel core from the armor that had birthed the Hive Mind. Outside, the broodmother launched a final attack while Ian reached the dying Patrick.

• Ian recovered from his Origin Matter convulsions and confirmed that the Hive Mind and its psionic field were destroyed.
• Ian poured Light-Eater Dragon blood over the lingering Brood flesh, then reflected on the relationship between psionics and Origin Matter.
• Ian removed a high-purity Morien Steel prism from the armor containing Elder Redwood’s skeleton and shaped it into a bracer with his psionics.
• The broodmother began a desperate assault on the Aether Crystal Dragon and Bishop White Mist, who defended themselves and blocked its path to the Brood.
• Ian hurried to Patrick, who had regained consciousness and was near death.

Ian appraised the mountain people’s crystal skull and discovered it was an inheritance vessel that let psychics borrow a deceased prophet’s ability to glimpse the details of a single moment. The Silver Chip identified it as an Ephemeral Skull whose use risked assimilation by the prophet’s Echo or the Echo of the foreseen target, leaving Ian unsettled by the revelation.

• Ian recalled that Archbishop Heavenly Flame could destroy the South Sea Labyrinth and scour the surrounding seas to eliminate the Brood.
• Ian examined the crystal skull in Baron Layan’s laboratory and sensed that it contained a powerful, intricate psychic structure.
• Ian determined that the skull carried a deceased prophet’s power to reveal every detail of a particular moment, though it could not predict events beyond that moment.
• Ian scanned the skull with the Silver Chip, which identified it as an Ephemeral Skull and warned that repeated use could lead to Echo assimilation.
• Ian reacted with surprise when the Silver Chip’s appraisal revealed the skull contained an Echo.

Miles escaped the apartment building with his unconscious mother and found the dying Lydia family, whose deaths and final request left him struggling against a strange surge of madness. Later that night, Ian’s convoy reached Azure City and discovered it had become a dead city filled with corpses, mist, and fungal undead.

• Lydia and Daan failed to escape the chaos, and Miles found Daan dead while carrying his mother through the streets.
• Lydia, mortally wounded, asked Miles to protect his mother and Cynthia before she died.
• Miles was overcome by rage and a sudden, seemingly чужой surge of emotion, but Cynthia’s crying restored his clarity.
• Hearing footsteps nearby, Miles carried his mother and Cynthia into an alley to escape.
• Ian surveyed Azure City by drone and saw its wrecked streets, white mist, and fungal creatures controlling corpses.

Ian encouraged Sheo to pursue becoming a Void Realm Dragon, then entered the Void Realm to continue his research. In the Black Swamp, Miles and the pioneers encountered the Mud Swamp Viper, and Miles awakened a power to redirect its deadly attack.

• Ian told Sheo that he had foreseen her potential to become a Void Realm Dragon, and she discussed her generation of True Dragons breaking through their bloodline limits.
• Ian returned to Rosy Glow City and entered the Void Realm to begin his Artificial Soul trials and Undead Monarch Psychic Empowerment experiment.
• After a month of reclamation work, Miles surveyed the Black Swamp with fellow pioneers while thinking about the future he was building with Cynthia.
• The Mud Swamp Viper suddenly emerged and attacked the pioneers with a storm of mud, though its apparent target lay beyond the swamp.
• Miles stepped forward to protect his companions and formed a crimson spherical space that redirected the mud toward himself.

Ian reflected on how his rapid progress affected those who followed him, while Isengard’s strange knowledge revealed a possible connection to Inaga II’s still-active psychic power. Ian suspected Axel had exploited them, but postponed investigating the Imperial Capital to focus on the New Continent expedition; upon waking in his Crystal Dragon body, he found the Atlan Breeding Grounds under attack.

• Ian told Isengard that the people he had influenced could not keep pace with him, and Isengard explained that they followed because Ian had shown them a path they wanted to take.
• Ian noticed that Isengard had spoken unusually bluntly and learned that his awakening Sun God Bird bloodline had given him unfamiliar knowledge and judgments.
• Isengard sensed that Inaga II’s psychic power still existed in Terra, and Ian wondered whether the power had caused Isengard’s abnormality rather than merely being detected by it.
• Ian and Isengard concluded that someone might have gained control of Inaga II’s psychic power, and Ian suspected Axel had used them to achieve his aims.
• Ian decided to seek intelligence from Mikael and Crown Prince Carlos later, then returned his attention to the New Continent expedition by awakening in his Crystal Dragon body.
• Ian found the Atlan Breeding Grounds under enemy attack and considered using the emergency as a chance for his Crystal Dragon identity to escape safely.

Mikael warned Ian that popularizing alchemical potions would repeat the dead end Inaga II had faced, and explained how the late emperor’s sweeping dream ended in failure and a reputation as the Black Tyrant. He left Ian questioning the official story, as Mikael revealed that Ridgehold and the Azure Heaven Royal Court had first called Inaga II a tyrant.

• Mikael told Ian he saw himself in him and urged him to stop pursuing the popularization of alchemical potions.
• Ian challenged Mikael’s warning, and Mikael said that practical technology served ordinary people while sublimators could turn technology directly into power.
• Mikael described Inaga II’s dream of improving life for ordinary people and helping sublimators grow stronger.
• Mikael recounted the destruction of the Imperial Capital and said Inaga II died despite the First Knight’s efforts to help him.
• Ian questioned whether the Black Tyrant label was Imperial propaganda, and Mikael said Ridgehold and the Azure Heaven Royal Court had first used it.

Ian and Isengard witnessed the original timeline, in which Ian rose to rule Terra and repeatedly sacrificed his own soul to build the Guiding Star and prepare a path toward a perfect ending. Faced with the choice to restart the cycle or return to the present, Ian opened the door and chose to pursue his original dream in this final cycle.

• Hilliard taught Ian sublimation knowledge and bloodline Magic Potion formulas, then set out to confront the dangers surrounding Isengard and the South Sea Grand Labyrinth.
• Ian and Weges reached the labyrinth, where Ian’s explosives helped Hilliard defeat the awakened insect swarm, but Hilliard died after giving Isengard a silver chip and entrusting Ian with his hopes for changing the world.
• The visions followed Ian and Isengard through the original timeline as they seized Harrison Port, built a Southern Ridge power base, and endured the deaths of Weges, the Mountain King, Anfa, and Isengard.
• After conquering Terra, Ian sought a route to a better world with Korizen, while the visions revealed that countless versions of Ian had designed events and sacrificed their souls to create the Guiding Star.
• Ian rejected the option to restart the cycle, remembered his childhood dream of reaching the stars, and opened the door to return to the present.

After Sheo’s rescue, the Mountain King took her home and ordered the Dragon-Worshiping Cult to follow Ian’s team. Ian reunited with allies and rested, then told the departed souls that his wish was to reach the stars and that people would need happy, secure lives before they could understand him.

• The Mountain King thanked Ian, retrieved Sheo’s soul, and ordered the Dragon-Worshiping Cult to follow the Light-Embracing Rescue Team.
• Ian helped Pan Sha bring Adalbert into the Dragon-Worshiping Cult’s camp without exposing their connection.
• Ian met Reflected Light and Red Blade, learned the Church of Light’s Embrace planned to protect Layan Territory, and stayed at its stronghold to rest.
• The departed souls asked Ian to explain his true wish, and he told them he wanted a world with room to advance and to reach the stars.
• Ian said that people needed knowledge and happy, carefree lives before they could understand his wish.

Ian agreed to protect Ethan as the survey ship sailed toward the Nightglow Sea, where Ethan’s family conflict and the danger surrounding his unusual Origin Matter remained unresolved. The crew reached the Gleamlight Crystal Clam gathering area and prepared to begin their survey.

• Ian agreed to protect Ethan after Master Gose explained the danger and promised him Trace-Origin Dew and a higher-tier inheritance.
• Master Gose told Ethan to stay close to Ian and avoid using sublimation arts if trouble arose.
• The Nearlight reached the Nightglow Sea, and Ethan explained the complicated rivalries within the Ellen Family to Ian.
• Ethan and Ian assembled a device for tracking special Origin Matter as the Platinum-Iridium Workshop team prepared to search underwater.
• The exploration captain used sound waves to locate the Gleamlight Crystal Clams and reported that conditions were safe to begin.

Isengard and Master Gose were cornered in a cave by soldiers from the Blazing Flame Lands, who tried to burn the parasite-infected people and then attacked them. As Isengard prepared to fight back, an unknown newcomer collapsed the cave passage and struck at the knight with a jet of water.

• A knight identified Isengard Ellen and Gose Abid, ordered them to surrender, and commanded his soldiers to burn the infected people.
• Isengard used his Light-Eater Dragon inheritance to absorb the flamethrower's fire and melt the weapon with Erosion Flame.
• The knight ordered his soldiers to attack and break the prisoners' limbs, while Isengard raised a psionic shield against the gunfire.
• Isengard noticed that only two soldiers had fired, and the knight realized someone had collapsed the cave's main passage.
• Steady footsteps sounded through the dust, and a jet of water shot toward the knight's helmet.

Ian considered how the Aether Crystal had changed his advancement plans, then learned that Elan could sense his emotions from afar. The chapter ended with Ian recognizing Elan’s dormant psychic potential and hearing that the boy had sensed when Ian would return.

• Ian decided the Aether Crystal in his left arm was an advanced sublimation organ rather than his fourth organ, and considered asking Master Gose and Isengard for compensation and materials.
• Elan told Ian he had known when Ian would come out of the bathroom, and Elder Pude explained that Elan had sensed Ian’s condition while he was missing.
• Elan described Ian’s emotions throughout the adventure, confirming Ian’s suspicion that Elan had psychic potential.
• Ian asked whether sensing his emotions had hurt Elan, and Elan said he had wanted to know when Ian would return and then simply knew.

Ian reflected on his studies of inscriptions and Light Ink, realizing that he had learned the basics but reached a bottleneck in his progress. As his body grew stronger and his liver continued its slow sublimation, he decided to seek Magic Beast materials to prepare for what came next.

• Ian stayed behind in the classroom after Elder Pude left and considered how inscriptions used geometric patterns to reproduce supernatural effects.
• Ian reviewed his progress, noting that he had learned the Common Tongue and memorized the basic inscription patterns but still lacked the knowledge to become an inscription scholar.
• Ian concluded that Harrison Port had only inscription craftsmen, and that his course had taught him enough basics to study alchemy and inscriptions independently.
• Ian reflected on his improved health and strength, while recognizing that his liver would not be fully sublimated until the end of the year and that he was not yet ready to take Magic Potions.
• Ian decided to prepare for hunting or scavenging Magic Beast materials for his future needs.

Ian cooked and ate a meal of grilled herring and venison soup, then realized his body absorbed nutrients with extraordinary speed after awakening psychic power. He concluded that nutrition could help him unlock Terra humans’ hidden potential, but his growth depended on staying safe and obtaining enough food.

• Ian used the kitchen’s leftover ingredients and a fresh herring to make grilled fish and venison soup.
• As he ate, Ian felt his body rapidly absorb the food and restore his stamina.
• Ian wondered whether psychic power and other forces explained his unusual appetite and Osena’s malformed leg.
• Ian speculated that Terra humans had lost access to their former potential because of a collapse in civilization and productivity.
• Ian recognized his psychic power could help him find valuable resources, and resolved to prioritize nutrition and survival.
• After finishing his meal, Ian stood up and activated his Precognitive Vision.

Ian prepared Xiahui Territory for a predicted attack while foreign factions maneuvered around the upcoming sacred-ground foundation ceremony. He fortified Rosy Glow City with Sanctuary Arrays, and the first envoys arrived on May 18th, 775, including the Church of Light's Embrace delegation.

• Canaanmore's gift of an airship drew foreign envoys to Xiahui Territory, while Yafda used the attention to test Ian's readiness to become his partner.
• Five Elven conspirators planned retaliation against Ian for his role in the Half-Moon Turmoil, naming Ridgehold and Blazing Flame Lands among their supporters.
• Ian foresaw a disaster that would turn half the city red and concluded that the enemy would likely attack from a distance rather than infiltrate Rosy Glow City.
• Ian ordered resources redirected to Sanctuary Array defenses and warned Marquis Barton and the inspection knights to tighten security.
• The Church of Light's Embrace delegation arrived in Rosy Glow City with the Oath-Sworn Archbishop, the Heavenly Flame Archbishop, Radiant Sword, Redemptive Light, and Reflected Light.