Chapter Summaries

Murphy and Triss discussed using Origin Blood to transform his otherworldly heroes into vampires, then confronted their feelings after the bond contract’s influence was gone. They kissed, but Triss resisted committing to a relationship, and Murphy carried her back to her tent as she admitted to herself that she was a coward.

• Triss explained that her research suggested Origin Blood could serve as a psionic medium for making Murphy’s summoned heroes into vampires, though the experiment could permanently destroy a hero’s projection.
• Murphy gave Triss a jar of Origin Blood, but she spotted his hidden stash and demanded the sacred relics back; Murphy refused and argued that they could make their own rules.
• As Triss prepared to leave, Murphy kissed her and told her he had developed genuine feelings for her beyond the bond contract.
• Triss warned Murphy about her cruel past as the Scarlet Witch and feared that her restored power might bring that side of her back, but Murphy accepted her past and said they had time to explore their feelings.
• Triss ordered Murphy to carry her back to her tent, and as she rested against him, she privately called herself a coward.

After the Blood Eagle succession ceremony, Murphy offered Adele and Mirian freedom from their obligations, along with gifts and money. Mirian chose to stay and help build Transia’s future, proposing to revive abandoned mines through a trade deal with the Brass Dwarves.

• Murphy gave Adele source blood that could break their blood pact, but Adele kept the vial and left to serve his cause.
• Murphy offered Mirian enough treasure to live comfortably elsewhere, while Maxim warned her that leaving would abandon the eighteen hundred survivors she had helped.
• Mirian realized the survivors’ camp could grow into a future city under Murphy’s rule and reconsidered accepting the money.
• Mirian warned Murphy that winter food supplies would be costly and proposed reopening southern Transia’s abandoned mines with Brass Dwarf help.
• Murphy entrusted Mirian with arranging the mining deal, and she declined the gold, saying the territory needed it more.

Mirian met with the survivors’ representative to organize the overcrowded camp, but discovered he was her former professor, Winston Malcolm. After Major Fraser revealed that he had encouraged ambitious survivors to challenge Mirian’s authority, Malcolm agreed to help her manage the camp and serve as her deputy.

• Mirian met Professor Winston Malcolm to discuss relocating survivors and rebuilding in the Old City.
• Major Fraser recognized Malcolm as his former teacher, and Mirian revealed that she was also a student at Chardo Craftsman University.
• Malcolm explained how war had forced him to join the Bosia Confederacy’s army as a quartermaster to protect his family.
• Malcolm revealed that outside support had encouraged some survivors to seize Mirian’s authority, and Fraser admitted that he had made those suggestions for the Pioneer Legion.
• Fraser withdrew his interference but asked to inspect the Blood Vulture Corridor, while Mirian said she would consult Murphy.
• Mirian told Malcolm she intended to work with Murphy despite her distrust of vampires, and Malcolm agreed to stay and serve as her deputy.

Major Fraser inspected the Blood Eagle Corridor while Maxim learned about intimidation from him, and Triss tested a way to transform players into vampires. The experiment succeeded temporarily, and Murphy planned to recruit otherworldly warriors into the Blood Eagle Clan once they reached the required strength.

• Murphy allowed Major Fraser to inspect the collapsed Blood Eagle Corridor, and Maxim escorted him while asking to learn from his enemy.
• Triss summoned Car Car and Niu Niu and explained the risks of her psionic weaving experiment, which offered access to a new race playtest.
• Car Car and Niu Niu drank the diluted Source Blood, and Triss rewove their projections into temporary pseudo-vampire bodies.
• The transformed players gained new traits and blood wings, while Triss concluded they would need to reach the Black Iron tier before a permanent transformation was possible.
• Murphy told Triss that the experiment could help rebuild the Blood Eagle Clan with otherworldly kinsmen, then rewarded the players and asked them to keep the test secret.

Murphy received the Fragment of Desire from Triss and learned to sense the desires of nearby people, discovering that Triss was conflicted about her feelings for him. After they both tested the power and Triss threw him out, she advised him to become a Summoner and handed him a notebook.

• Murphy explained that the players’ forum post about Car and Niu Niu’s vampire trial was generating interest, and noted that he had created their titles with real effects.
• Triss gave Murphy the Fragment of Desire and taught him how to acquire its Power of Sin, which granted him Desire Perception.
• Murphy used Desire Perception to hear Triss’s conflicted thoughts about him and kissed her, prompting her to shove him away.
• Murphy helped Triss acquire the same power, and she heard his desire for a heartfelt hug before angrily threatening him with psionic energy.
• Triss told Murphy to become a Summoner, gave him a notebook, and advised him to build his psionic foundation slowly with Maxim.

Murphy changed his second class to Summoner, gained astral summoning abilities, and tested their effects on his astral giant wolf, George. He then raced Raveno toward the survivors’ camp, where he planned to preside over the celebration and give Meow Brother’s group a surprise during the grand prize round.

• Murphy studied Triss’s summoning notes in an abandoned tower and changed his second class from Psionic Apprentice to Summoner with Astral Creature Specialization.
• Murphy summoned his astral giant wolf, discovered that he could understand it through beast speech, and named it George after its enhanced projection grew stronger.
• Raveno arrived with word that Mirian was waiting for Murphy to preside over the survivors’ celebration, then killed an astral bunting Murphy summoned to scout.
• Murphy bet Raveno a dog bone against a nest in a race, secretly summoned more than ten astral buntings to distract it, and flew toward the camp.
• Murphy checked his notebook and decided to give Meow Brother’s six-person group a show during the grand prize round.

Murphy prepared a celebration to honor Cadman City's survivors and remember the dead, while arranging new roles and rewards for his allies. The players respawned at their new hideout, received quest rewards that included a loot box, and Murphy secretly added the complainers to his Book of Grudges.

• Murphy and Maxim watched the survivors prepare a victory celebration, and Murphy urged Maxim to say goodbye before his Embrace.
• Adele reported that 122 people had left and explained her wish to establish her territory near the Filthy Swamp, where her half-elf people lived.
• Murphy gave Adele the Miser's Seal and tasked her with managing the Blood Eagle Clan's affairs and training warriors in the path of shadows.
• The players respawned at the Midnight Hideout, retrieved their equipment, and gathered to claim rewards for completing the prologue quests.
• Murphy announced the players' rewards and a new celebration quest, while Meow Brother's group complained that their main reward was a loot box.
• Murphy overheard the complaints and added the six players to his Book of Grudges.

Murphy rewarded the sixty young players with Blood Eagle uniforms and let them draw equipment from the clan’s treasure vault. Meow Brother drew a hidden weapon-design quest instead of useful gear, while Banzai Happy Stick pulled a gargoyle vehicle, leaving Meow Brother with a lead that required earning an audience with the Blood Eagle Grand Duchess.

• Lady Adele distributed the stylish Midnight Hunter uniforms, and the players changed into them before joining the treasure draw.
• Ge Bao drew a commander-grade halberd and passed it to Meow Shark, while A-Cha drew a wingblade suited to his dual-blade style.
• Pomegranate Sister drew a heart that could summon a rideable gargoyle, and the Chosen Construction Worker drew a cracked combat gargoyle heart that needed repair.
• Meow Brother drew a box containing a hidden weapon-design quest, and Murphy told him to prove his worth before seeking the Blood Eagle Grand Duchess’s help.
• Murphy hinted that the design could lead to a lesser living blade, and Meow Brother accepted the prospect of pursuing it.
• Banzai Happy Stick drew a gargoyle heart and teased Meow Brother and his five brothers, who had drawn weapons they could not use.

Murphy and Triss prepared rewards for the players, who celebrated in the square and collected enchanted loot boxes. The chapter ended with the women struggling to wear Triss’s evening gown and Xiao Weiming suggesting they invite Madam Shui to join them.

• Lumina played music at the square, and the players performed to earn reputation with the Cadman Self-Defense Army and the survivor camp.
• Murphy overheard Meow Brother’s anxious thoughts about his luck and hurried to Triss’s workshop to prepare rewards for him and Little Ashina.
• Triss reluctantly gave up her treasured evening gown, and she and Murphy handed out enchanted loot boxes and other quest rewards to Meow Brother and Little Ashina.
• Meow Brother and Little Ashina celebrated their powerful loot, while Murphy learned they had been gossiping about him and Triss.
• Murphy said he would not give Mirian a blood initiation because he had a binding contract with her.
• Pomegranate Sis, Lumina, and Lan Hua found Triss’s evening gown difficult to wear, and Xiao Weiming proposed inviting the fashion designer Madam Shui to join the game.

Meow Shark and Coo-Coo Chicken reflected on their bonds with Cadman City's people while Maxim prepared to become one of Murphy's blood descendants. Murphy began Maxim's Embrace, named him Knight-Commander of the Long Night and Baron Lim, and chose an Elite inheritance template for him.

• Sister Jules gave Meow Shark her father's hunting rifle as thanks for helping her.
• Coo-Coo Chicken shared food and candy with children he had rescued, then declared he would protect them from monsters.
• Maxim reassured the children that he would become a vampire and continue protecting them, then left his guards to attend the Embrace ceremony.
• At the Hall of Progeny, Maxim accepted Murphy's invitation to become a vampire and pledged to serve his cause.
• Murphy declared Maxim Knight-Commander of the Long Night and Baron Lim, then used his blood to begin the Embrace.
• Murphy chose the Elite inheritance template for Maxim despite the greater cost to himself.

Murphy weakened himself by giving Maxim an elite vampire Embrace, then held a ceremony to grant Adele and Mirian positions and authority in Transia. Mirian accepted Murphy’s offer of a title and territory, leaving her formally bound to his cause without becoming a vampire.

• Murphy gave Maxim half his blood, granting him enhanced vampire traits, Blood Wings, and three inherited abilities, while Maxim returned attributes and talents to Murphy.
• Murphy, weakened by the Embrace, was supported by Adele and drank blood before continuing the ceremony.
• Adele pledged herself to Murphy and was named Shadow Baroness and Shadow Steward under Count Cadman.
• Murphy called Mirian forward and offered her the title and territory of Baroness of Morland and authority as Scarlet Governor.
• After struggling with the offer, Mirian knelt and accepted Murphy’s cause.

Murphy announced that the players could join the Blood Eagle Clan as vampires, but the Alpha 2.0 update would delay the choice for 48 hours. Before the shutdown, he rewarded his 16 earliest players with family signets and special recognition, then sent all the warriors to rest as he prepared for the next version.

• Mirian accepted the title and lands of Baroness of Morlan, and Murphy announced the optional quest to join the Blood Eagle Clan.
• The players received the Call of Midnight quest and learned that the test server would shut down for 48 hours for the Alpha 2.0 update.
• Meow Brother, Good Pigeon, and 14 other original players stayed behind to meet Murphy and receive Blood Eagle signet rings and the offer of Murphy as their nominal elder.
• Murphy unlocked the Lord Murphy's Recognition achievement for the 16 veterans, while Meow Brother hesitated because he was already an Oak Apprentice.
• Murphy escorted the players to the Midnight Chamber, arranged their bodies on the stone platform, and wished his friends from another world a good night.

Mirian reflected on becoming Cadman City's Crimson Governor and a baroness, then discussed her future in Transia with Major Fraser. They exchanged weapons as tokens of friendship before Mirian rode away, while Fraser recognized her promise and watched her leave.

• Mirian celebrated her new title and fiefdom, then spoke to her late mother while holding her mother's silver bracelet.
• Major Fraser interrupted Mirian, noticed the bracelet, and explained his family's historic ties to Transia and its noble lineages.
• Mirian and Fraser discussed her career prospects, and Mirian explained why serving Murphy offered her the best chance to use her administrative skills.
• Mirian told Fraser how the Astral disaster had changed her life and refused his offer of a future position in the Plantagenet Kingdom.
• Fraser gave Mirian his dwarven trench gun, Iron Hammer, and Mirian gave him her Crimson hand cannon in return before riding away under guard.

The testers read the Alpha 2.0 announcement, which promised a new main quest, administrative and manufacturing professions, vampires, sleep-connected play, and a mysterious expansion. While the players celebrated and planned to meet Meow Brother for dinner, Sister Cement became suspicious of the sleep technology and considered signing up to investigate it.

• Car struggled with game withdrawal while waiting for the update, and his roommates decided to exercise before Coo-Coo Chicken spotted the announcement.
• The testers read that Alpha 2.0 would unlock Chapter One, new professions and crafting, the Vampire race, sleep connection, and clues to a mysterious expansion.
• Good Pigeon and Bionic Snail celebrated the extra game time, while Meow Shark questioned whether connecting through brain waves was safe.
• A-Cha told the group that Meow Brother had invited them to dinner with Sister Pomegranate, Niu Niu, Kachi, and Nige Luda You, and Good Pigeon agreed to go.
• Sister Cement called the sleep connection explanation fraudulent, then decided she wanted to inspect the game and considered having someone else test it first.

Players debated the vampire race’s strengths and drawbacks, including its powerful stats, daylight curse, and restricted reputation and quest options. The discussion ended with Niu Niu explaining that Pomegranate Sis had been caught browsing the forum at work by her boss and was negotiating her resignation.

• Invincible Tyrannosaurus Car shared screenshots and a recording of the vampire template, prompting players to debate its high stats and racial traits.
• A-Cha'en warned players about the Curse of Daylight, while Meow King argued that vampires’ low Charisma and isolated reputation system would limit their quests and interactions with other races.
• Deadly Orchid said translated lore supported Meow King’s analysis, and players considered whether vampires would suit solo play, min-maxing, and PvP.
• A Tiger Climbs a Tree revealed he was in the Middle East and might get a headset after returning, while Banzai Happy Stick said he had invited him to help build a guild.
• Mud Truck Iai proposed that increasing Lord Murphy’s territory population could bring more test invites, suggesting players recruit residents in-game.
• Chen Dian Niu Niu Not Afraid of Difficulty told A-Cha'en that Pomegranate Sis was safe, but her boss had caught her browsing the forum at work and she was negotiating her resignation.

Sister Shiliu confronted her young boss after he shut down his failing company and exposed the employees who had been cheating him. She helped him deal with his betraying driver and persuaded him to join her friends in the game, where the chapter left him still grieving but curious about playing.

• The young boss told Sister Shiliu he had deregistered the company and fired its employees after following her report.
• Sister Shiliu explained how the company had been mismanaged, while the young boss described confronting employees over leaks, theft, and fraudulent hiring.
• The young boss offered Sister Shiliu two years of severance pay and warned her that the former employees might retaliate.
• Sister Shiliu revealed that Xiao Liu had been taking bribes to alert employees whenever the young boss visited, then drove off after confronting him.
• Sister Shiliu invited the young boss to join her gaming group, rejected his awkward romantic advance, and assured him the game was fun.

Natalie Fennockia Lawson discovered a recording her dying father, Fennock, had hidden for her, revealing the truth about his devotion and the mysterious Dusk. After hearing his final words, she began to recover and resolved to reconnect with Avalon and confront Twilight.

• Amber, Norman, and Porter worried that Natalie had shut herself away and stopped eating after Fennock's death.
• Natalie found an arithmetic orb hidden in the scabbard of the holy blade Watcher and played Fennock's recording.
• Fennock revealed that the Dusk had helped orchestrate the Church rebellion and Ten-Year War, and told Natalie to find the holy blades Punisher and Arbiter.
• Fennock explained that he had devoted himself to his faith because of a Holy Grail Vow made to protect Natalie and her mother, and that Natalie had been born through a divine miracle.
• After the recording ended, Natalie wept, ate the food Amber had brought, and resolved to rebuild her connection with Avalon and oppose Twilight.

Murphy planned Cadman’s reconstruction and met Natalie, offering the Witch Hunters refuge and a place in Transia. Natalie left without accepting, and Murphy and Triss turned to the next steps for the territory.

• Murphy decided to seal off the Astral Wound-threatened inner city and use it as a place for players to explore.
• Natalie visited Murphy to ask whether her father had mentioned Dusk, and Murphy denied knowing the name.
• Murphy urged Natalie to honor her father and offered citizenship, land, and a possible barony to the surviving Witch Hunters.
• Natalie took Murphy’s offer to discuss with her companions but left without accepting it.
• Triss said she had never heard of Dusk, and Murphy concluded that he had given the former Blood Eagle members a fair chance before pursuing other measures.

Murphy appointed administrators and commanders to govern Cadman City's devastated domain, then invited them to propose ways to secure trade, food, people, and weapons. The meeting ended with new trade envoys assigned and Frank Shawen tasked with obtaining military equipment.

• Murphy and Lady Adele announced appointments for Mirian, Maxim, Professor Winston Malcolm, Philro Portman, Frank Shawen, Sister Jules, and Blanche Palien Fedo.
• Murphy outlined plans for the baronies of Morland, Lim, and Gloom, including reviving commerce, attracting refugees, and leasing mineral deposits.
• Professor Winston Malcolm proposed trading Gloom's minerals for grain from the Kingdom of Nordtov, and Blanche Palien Fedo suggested contacting northern merchants through her connections.
• Mirian appointed Blanche Palien Fedo as trade envoy to the northerners, while Philro Portman proposed using his cousin to trade with the West Sera tribes in Ice Bay.
• Frank Shawen revealed his brother-in-law's weapons-smuggling connections, and Murphy ordered him to obtain rifles and ammunition, promising a pardon and possible knighthood if he succeeded.

Murphy warned his retainers that the Black Calamity would reach Transia within six months and urged them to prepare rather than flee. He inspired them with promises of a new, inclusive city called Crimson Keep, then asked whether they would stay and help build it.

• Mr. Porter proposed crossing the border to abduct farmers, but Murphy rejected the plan after Professor Malcolm warned against provoking the northerners and emphasized preparing for war refugees.
• Professor Malcolm urged Murphy to restore order and secure food supplies, and warned that the Plantagenet Kingdom and Nordtov would soon send envoys to negotiate Transia’s future.
• Murphy revealed that the Black Calamity was brewing and would return within six months, alarming the retainers who had hoped to take government posts and titles.
• Murphy told the meeting that the Blood Eagle Clan would face the calamity and argued that Transia could gain independence and resources if it survived.
• Murphy promised Mirian, Professor Malcolm, Frank Xiaowan, Sister Jules, Mrs. Palen, and Mr. Porter a city shaped around their ambitions, including equality, law, religious freedom, wealth, and desire.
• Murphy named the planned city Crimson Keep and challenged his retainers to choose whether to stay and help build it or run away.