Chapter Summaries

Ian suspected Baron Layan had helped steal Imperial supplies and planned to test his suspicions with Precognitive Vision, but he focused on buying Two-Year Rosy Radiance Grass. He went to meet Baron Layan and was left waiting after the Baron was called away by an urgent matter.

• Ian concluded that the Blazing Flame Lands Special Forces were likely being framed for the theft of supplies arranged by Baron Layan and another noble.
• Anfa decided to leave Layan Territory early to avoid being implicated, and Ian bid her farewell.
• Ian saw in Frost Butterfly's colors that asking Baron Layan to buy Two-Year Rosy Radiance Grass would go smoothly.
• A steward invited Ian to lunch with Baron Layan and escorted him to the castle.
• After Ian arrived, the steward said Baron Layan had encountered an urgent matter and asked Ian to wait in the reception room.

After returning from the Great Labyrinth, Ian reunited with Elan and cleaned up at Elder Pude’s hall. He examined his arm, which had fused with Morien Steel and the Fireseed Furnace Core, and considered how it might advance his strength.

• Ian returned to Harrison Port as the rain cleared and Elder Pude took him to the White Folk's Elder Hall.
• Elder Pude told Ian to bathe because he smelled of blood, then arranged more food after Ian said he had not eaten in the ruins.
• Ian washed and reflected on Viscount Grant’s efforts to improve Harrison Port and the ruler’s ambitions.
• Ian examined his crystalline left arm, fused with Morien Steel and the Fireseed Furnace Core, and wondered whether it counted as another First Energy Level Ascension organ.
• Ian reviewed his existing Ascension structures and considered other paths to greater strength and the Sixth Energy Level.

Ian traveled toward Layan City to deliver his calling card and seek Magic Potion ingredients, while Lubek reported an impending attack by the Iron Fang Tribe to Bishop White Mist. The bishop said the Church would not intervene in human wars, leaving Lubek to confront the Church’s definition of catastrophe.

• Ian admired the Rosy Radiance Grass surrounding Layan City and headed toward town as rain clouds gathered.
• The street guards respectfully saluted Ian as he entered, while a figure watched from the dark castle atop the cliff.
• Lubek told Bishop White Mist that the Iron Fang Tribe planned to lure deep-mountain beast kings into attacking cities north of the Agate Stone Plains.
• Bishop White Mist agreed the threat was likely real and said he would inform Viscount Grant and Marquis Barton.
• Bishop White Mist offered to recommend Lubek for study at the Holy Mountain, but insisted the Church of Light's Embrace would not intervene in wars between humans.
• Lubek questioned whether mass deaths would count as catastrophe, and Bishop White Mist replied, “This is only war.”

Ian and Sister Reflected Light entered Layan Castle to investigate Baron Layan’s sudden departure and found Steward Morda unconscious in the emptied basement. After waking him, they learned he had seen a blue phantom he identified as a Faceless Child.

• Ian and Sister Reflected Light found Layan Castle deserted and entered through a third-floor window.
• Ian sensed a living person beneath the castle, and the pair discovered the unconscious Steward Morda in the stripped basement.
• Sister Reflected Light checked Morda for poison and traps, and Ian woke him with a vial of Concentration Herb.
• Morda explained that he had found the basement emptied of supplies and an alchemical apparatus before seeing a blue phantom reach for him.
• Morda identified the phantom as a Faceless Child.

Viscount Grant learned that Ian was the South Sea Grand Labyrinth’s Maze Lord and resolved to keep the secret from the Imperial Capital. As he considered sending Ian away, Lamar brought him a box Patrick had left at the Platinum-Iridium Workshop.

• Viscount Grant realized that the Imperial Labyrinth Management Department might demand Ian’s help and feared the consequences of revealing Ian as the Maze Lord.
• Viscount Grant destroyed Ian’s report and decided to persuade Bishop White Mist, Master Gose, and Isengard to keep the secret, then knight Ian and send him away from Harrison Port.
• Viscount Grant reflected bitterly on Patrick’s death and the trouble Patrick had left him.
• Lamar told Viscount Grant that Patrick had left a box at the Platinum-Iridium Workshop, which was to be delivered if the Origin Matter patterns on it began to glow.
• Viscount Grant agreed to inspect the box, and Lamar went to bring it to him.

Ian used Anfa to test whether the person following him was connected to the Dragon-Worshiping Cult, then deliberately lured his pursuer out of Twin Tree Town. When the shadow tried to seize him, Ian caught his wrist and sounded the alarm, identifying the attacker as a Dragon-Worshiping Cult enemy.

• Ian reflected on how nobles and subliminators had become disconnected from ordinary people before entering Twin Tree Town.
• Ian met Anfa at a tavern and told him that his friend had gone looking for him, prompting Anfa to leave at once.
• Ian suspected that multiple people were following him and hoped Anfa's departure would reveal whether one of them was pursuing the Dragon-Worshiping Cult.
• Ian noticed signs that an attacker planned to target him and deliberately walked alone beyond the town to draw the pursuer out.
• The shadow reached for Ian's armor, but Ian caught his wrist and shouted that the Dragon-Worshiping Cult was attacking.

Ian learned that he was to receive a knightly fief in Layan Territory and suspected the grant was tied to the Ellen Family’s internal conflict and Isengard’s safety. After inspecting the Ellen residence and trying on Inspecting Knight armor, he joined Lady Ellen, Vice Commander Shuang Ji, and Mikael’s Soul Light Body as they prepared to witness his investiture.

• Ian realized his accumulated merits as an Inspecting Knight had qualified him for a fief in Layan Territory, though he wondered who had arranged it and why.
• Ian suspected the Ellen Family wanted to secure a refuge for Isengard amid a growing internal struggle.
• Ian used his abilities to detect two Fourth Energy Level powerhouses in the residence: Vice Commander Shuang Ji and Mikael’s Soul Light Body.
• Ian learned the standard Inspecting Knight armor had a digitized interface, communications functions, and a specialized Signal Bone connection port.
• Lady Ellen and Shuang Ji praised Ian’s exceptional ability to operate the armor, and Ian realized he had displayed unusual aptitude again.
• Ian joined Lady Ellen, Isengard, Shuang Ji, and Mikael’s Soul Light Body as they prepared to witness his investiture as a lord knight.

Ian and Frost Butterfly visited the Imperial Capital Grand Library with Mo Feng and Hua An, where they met Phoenix Count Lazel Kishnev. The count took a liking to Ian and brought the group to the library’s Rare Unique Manuscripts Collection Room.

• Phoenix Count greeted Mo Feng and Hua An, recognized Ian, and welcomed the group.
• Ian recalled Phoenix Count’s legendary ancestor, his own scholarly career, and his famously awkward romantic pursuit of a Fairy.
• After learning Ian had come to see the library’s collection, Phoenix Count offered to show him its greatest treasures.
• Phoenix Count praised Ian’s balanced Fairy Bloodline while scolding himself and his descendants for failing to understand it.
• Phoenix Count led Ian and the others to the Rare Unique Manuscripts Collection Room.

After Ian’s first-place finish was confirmed, Master Vana led him and Isengard to the Alchemy Association’s secret vault. She offered Ian a choice of one major reward, leaving him to decide between a rare material, a master-level potion formula, and a psionic accessory.

• Ian’s examination recording silenced doubts about his first-place result, and alchemists acknowledged his skill and potential.
• Master Vana gave Ian a new Silence Ring made by Master Alexei as a prize for the bet she had lost.
• On the way to the vault, Master Vana showed Ian the Agricultural Engine and discussed how progress had not ended hunger; Ian reflected that distribution remained a difficult problem.
• Master Vana explained that Ian’s assessment rewards had been exchanged for one choice: a perfect-quality Second Energy Level material, a master-level alchemical potion formula, or a Second Energy Level psionic accessory.

Ian quickly mastered the Dragon-Worshiping Cult’s Concealment Method, learned how Dragon Crystallites could supply Origin Matter, and joined the cult. Elder Manyan then prepared to reveal the secret behind the important item being transported to Nauman City.

• Ian used his knowledge of Origin Seeds and dragonblood organs to master the Concealment Method, startling Elder Manyan.
• Elder Manyan explained how Dragon Crystallites stored suppressed Origin Matter and could be used as combat supplies or Element Crystals.
• Ian thanked Anfa and Sheo, then changed into alchemist’s robes provided by Elder Manyan.
• Elder Manyan formally invited Ian to join the Dragon-Worshiping Cult, and Ian accepted.
• Elder Manyan led Ian to learn about the important item the Canaanmore Branch was transporting to Nauman City.

Ian accepted Anfa’s request to travel with him to Layan Territory, where the Elven scholar shared his research into Mountainfolk history and recorded Ian’s helpful actions in a personal ledger. They reached Layan Territory before sunrise.

• Anfa offered Ian money and an Elven gemstone bracelet to thank him for killing the Razorclaw Tiger, but Ian asked him to give the money to the dead driver’s family.
• Ian recognized that Anfa was a powerful water-aspected Ascender who had concealed his aura, then agreed to take him to Layan Territory without payment.
• Anfa explained his research into ancient cultures and described Layan Territory’s history as a pilot region for integration between the Empire and the Mountainfolk.
• Anfa recorded Ian’s generosity and assistance in his personal booklet, giving him a score of +175.
• Ian used Origin Matter to help the camel beasts travel faster, and they arrived at Layan Territory before dawn.

Ian helped Phoenix Count identify a library staff member who had assisted in removing books, and the man’s reactions exposed him as a spy from the Blazing Flame Lands. His confession revealed that an influential figure from the Imperial Capital had ordered him to take items, leaving Phoenix Count facing a suspected traitor among his colleagues.

• Ian suggested investigating the suspected mole’s movements and relationships because his memories might have been altered or he might not have known about the theft.
• Phoenix Count asked Ian to identify the most suspicious person among the kneeling staff and knights, and Ian pointed to Deputy Curator Drelank.
• Phoenix Count sensed Drelank’s fear and regret, then accused him of being a spy from the Blazing Flame Lands and ordered the knights to seize him.
• Phoenix Count paralyzed Drelank and threatened to extract information from his head, prompting Drelank to confess that he had helped someone remove items without knowing they were rare originals.
• Drelank claimed an important figure from the Imperial Capital with a residence in the Upper District had ordered him to help, and Phoenix Count wondered which colleague was involved.

Aunt Lydia worried about Miles leaving his mother Ruixi behind and about a recurring plague affecting Azure City. When she returned to the apartment building, she found her son fleeing with her injured husband and granddaughter Cynthia after the residents went mad and killed Rosie, and the plague’s dizziness overwhelmed her.

• Aunt Lydia worried that Miles would leave Ruixi alone to seek his fortune, while a recurring plague again afflicted residents of Azure City.
• Aunt Lydia left to buy food, planning to cook for her family and thinking the plague would soon be cured again.
• Aunt Lydia saw her wounded son escape the apartment building carrying Cynthia and supporting her unconscious husband.
• Her son told Aunt Lydia that the residents had gone mad and hacked Rosie to death, then urged his mother to run.
• Aunt Lydia reeled from the news of Rosie’s death as golden stars filled her vision and her memories were recorded by an unseen force.

Ian entered Fairyland through Fairy meditation and learned that his soul’s independent core let him explore the Void Realm like a Fairy. Hua An explained that the ancient realm had once been transformed by the Pre-Epoch Civilization into a psionic network, then shattered by the Calamity of Falling Skies, leaving dangerous ruins that the Fairies now watched over.

• Ian perceived Fairyland as a mist-filled world of concepts and saw Hua An’s soul-image recounting how she had first encountered the world.
• Ian questioned Hua An for letting him attempt the dangerous meditation, and Hua An explained that his soul’s independent core allowed him to enter Fairyland.
• Hua An described the realm’s ancient names and how the Pre-Epoch Civilization had transformed the Void Realm into a vast psionic cyberspace.
• Hua An told Ian that the Calamity of Falling Skies had destroyed the realm and erased much of the Fairies’ shared knowledge.
• Hua An warned Ian to avoid ruined cities and machines inhabited by dangerous lingering obsessions and artificial intelligences, and said the Fairies still watched over the labyrinth for its knowledge and hope.

Mikael visited Ian after hearing about his alchemical technique, Reuse, and warned that Ian’s approach seemed misguided. At Ian’s new laboratory, Mikael concluded that Ian had inherited Inaga II’s alchemical knowledge and confronted him about it.

• Xin praised Ian’s Reuse technique to Mikael, who worried that Ian was heading down an unhealthy path and decided to speak with him personally.
• Ian admired the expansive laboratory funded by the Platinum-Iridium Workshop and managed by Isengard.
• Mikael arrived at the laboratory, encouraged Isengard to keep developing his alchemy, and then asked to speak with Ian.
• Mikael asked whether Ian possessed Inaga II’s inheritance and claimed that Ian’s alchemy came from Inaga II’s manuscripts.

Ian learned why the Empire favored promising geniuses while neglecting ordinary people: advanced technology and constant threats had made broad social reform dangerous to the Ascended elite. Mikael urged Ian to accept the Empire’s priorities and prepare to rise among its rulers.

• Ian realized that the Empire treated ordinary people as a source of potential Ascended, while investing preferentially in geniuses like him.
• Ian concluded that Inaga II had been betrayed partly because he sought to provide broad welfare despite lacking enough powerful allies to protect his reforms.
• Ian explained to Mikael that ordinary people followed whoever won, and that kindness without power could be twisted into tyranny.
• Mikael told Ian that the Empire had to prioritize stability and defense against rival powers and Magic Beasts over ordinary people’s happiness.
• Mikael urged Ian to rise to the top of the Empire and learn to make decisions from the position of a ruler.

Ian learned that Sheo and Lubek’s team had been captured while searching for the Blazing Flame Lands’ forces, and that Sheo’s dragon soul had been imprisoned. He shared intelligence with Pan Sha and headed to the Inspecting Knights Order to investigate Grand Duke Solin’s larger scheme.

• Pan Sha told Ian that Sheo and Lubek’s team had been captured, Sheo’s dragon soul was trapped, and the Mountain King had gone missing.
• Ian reasoned that the stolen Silver Radiance Book might have been used to bind Sheo and offered to help plan a rescue.
• Ian told Pan Sha that the Dragon-Worshiping Cult should coordinate with Marquis Barton and time its rescue effort with the Empire’s counterattack.
• Ian identified Grand Duke Solin as the force behind the cooperation between the Spirit Cognition Institute and the Blazing Flame Lands, and suspected their Western Frontier operations served Solin’s hidden goal.
• Pan Sha urged Ian to protect himself, and Ian went to the Inspecting Knights Order after ending their communication.

Ian told Elan a story about the Giant of Light and used it to draw out the boy’s views on the Church of Light’s Embrace. Afterward, Scott and Azure Tide discussed why they followed Ian, and Scott’s ambitions startled Azure Tide.

• Ian told Elan a story about a Giant of Light whose victory left a city in ruins, then asked how White Mist might have handled the disaster.
• Elan said White Mist would fight beside the giant and prioritize destroying the monster over protecting buildings, while Azure Tide described the Church of Light’s Embrace’s willingness to use destructive force.
• Azure Tide asked Ian whether the Giant of Light resembled the Aurora Titan, and he compared the story’s Godzilla to the Mountain-Melting Behemoth of Rockmelt.
• After leaving Ian’s shop, Azure Tide asked Scott why he followed Ian, and Scott said Ian had saved his life and pursued a grand goal.
• Scott said he believed Ian might become a noble, territorial lord, general, governor, or emperor, prompting Azure Tide to hush him and Scott to clarify that he meant an Imperial Academician.

After becoming a Rockforged Knight, Ian completed two half-potions and tested how their Extreme Domains would combine with his new inheritance. The transformation began to give him new abilities and ascendant organs, including Eternal Physique, Silver-Scaled Bastion, and Lucid Source Crystal.

• Ian reasoned that ordinary ascendants might reach the Sixth Energy Level by perfecting one Extreme Domain, rather than cultivating five beyond their limits.
• Ian prepared the Rockbind Whale Hydra and Fallen-Nightmare Sea Slug half-potions and concluded that he could safely take them consecutively because he had adapted to Second Energy Level Origin Matter.
• Ian drank the Rockbind Whale Hydra half-potion, and his hair became a network of ports for inscribing and activating Origin Matter Structures.
• Ian drank the Fallen-Nightmare Sea Slug half-potion, gaining spiritualized nerves that complemented his Rock-Coiling Tendrils.
• Ian felt the Rockforged Knight transform him more deeply than his advancement to Second Energy Level as Fairy, granting comprehensive enhancements and three new ascendant organs.

The Phoenix Count launched a furious audit of the Imperial Capital Grand Library after counterfeit manuscripts exposed the theft of rare books. He failed to identify the hidden mole, but Mo Feng reminded him that the thief likely still needed the originals, and the Count resolved to find them before they were destroyed.

• Ministers and nobles learned that counterfeit books had replaced rare manuscripts, raising fears about failures in the Imperial Capital’s security forces.
• Ian noticed a brief distortion around the Phoenix Count resembling the Void Realm and decided to record it.
• The Phoenix Count interrogated the library staff and Bookguard Knights, striking his son, the library director, and the knights’ commander while demanding reports and a lie-detecting esper.
• The Phoenix Count wondered why no one reacted when he struck himself, then apologized to Ian and the fairies for the outburst.
• Mo Feng comforted the Phoenix Count by pointing out that the thief likely needed the genuine books, and the Count vowed to find the thief and protect the manuscripts.