Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian watched a colossal beast dissolve at the end of its brief existence, then used the Burial Scroll’s restored perception to reach the ruins surrounding the Fallen Angel. He began searching for the Fallen Angel’s head and sensed something watching him from behind a collapsed stone beam.

• The giant beast’s fins and claw crumbled, and its body dissolved into the Sea of Ashes as Fu Qian’s blood-red threads were left exposed.
• Fu Qian leaped onto a shadow revealed beside him and realized the Burial Scroll had restored his ability to perceive what was watching him.
• Fu Qian reached the Fallen Angel’s remains, examined the chaotic ruins, and considered whether the Sea of Ashes had formed from the cremated remains of one or more gods.
• Fu Qian searched the ruins for the Fallen Angel’s head, then stopped when he sensed something watching from behind a collapsed stone beam.

Fu Qian met a scholarly Brain Jellyfish and tried to learn whether its research into the point where the stars fell connected to the origin of the Sea of Ashes. When he challenged its theory, it accused him of hiding its notes and the star map in its brain began pulling him toward it.

• Fu Qian greeted a glowing, tentacled Brain Jellyfish and discovered it could speak fluently.
• The Brain Jellyfish asked whether Fu Qian had figured out the point of impact, explaining that it was trying to find where the stars fell.
• Fu Qian suggested that the point where the stars fell might not be the source of the ash, testing whether the creature's theory matched his own suspicion.
• The Brain Jellyfish accused Fu Qian of hiding its missing notes and turned its brain transparent, revealing a star map.
• The lights in the star map locked onto Fu Qian and began pulling him toward the Brain Jellyfish.

Fu Qian encountered two Brain Jellyfish Star Gazer researchers while searching the Ashen Hall for Number One’s notes. Both demonstrated powerful star-based gravity before dying, and the doubled force continued to tear at Fu Qian as he pressed on without learning where the point of impact was.

• Fu Qian endured the first Brain Jellyfish’s gravity attack, which tore off his arm, then watched the creature apologize and die without revealing where to find the notes.
• Fu Qian forced a passage through the Ashen Hall’s wall and confronted a second Brain Jellyfish about Number One’s notes.
• The second jellyfish said the researchers had found the point of impact and arranged the stars, then displayed a star map that intensified the gravity pulling at Fu Qian.
• The second jellyfish died, but the combined gravitational force remained, and Fu Qian recalled the academy’s exploration team and their expedition in the Sea of Ashes.

Fu Qian questioned Number Three the Star Gazer about the impact site and learned that the researchers had sealed it away despite being unable to determine its specific danger. Number Three agreed to guide him to the Twelve-faced Hourglass, then vanished and left Fu Qian suffering a stronger star-induced force.

• Fu Qian asked Number Three the Brain Jellyfish for directions to the impact site.
• Number Three said the site was dangerous and sealed off, though it could not deduce what the danger was.
• Fu Qian suggested investigating the site, and Number Three agreed to lead him to the Twelve-faced Hourglass.
• Number Three began to vanish, and starlight flashed where its brain had been.
• Fu Qian felt the force of the stars tearing at his shoulders triple, despite moving away from Number Three.

Fu Qian found a platform crowded with Brain Jellyfish, a damaged Twelve-faced Hourglass, and a mysterious Piled Object that seemed to hold something beneath it. As the jellyfish unleashed their star-powered dismemberment attack, he reshaped himself into mechanical tentacles and reached the pile.

• Fu Qian continued through the Sea of Ashes after Number Three, the Star Gazer, fell to the death rattles.
• Fu Qian found a warped doorway leading to a damaged platform where double-digit Brain Jellyfish clustered around a broken Twelve-faced Hourglass.
• Fu Qian noticed that the Brain Jellyfish had all been watching a heap of strange objects called the Piled Object.
• The Brain Jellyfish unleashed their combined dismemberment power on Fu Qian, wrenching his body out of human shape.
• Fu Qian transformed into mechanical tentacles and crossed the platform to reach the Piled Object.

Fu Qian explored the Piled Object and found a dangerous hollow that steadily drained his Sanity Value. He suspected that he himself was the source of the supposed point of impact, then deliberately looked back at the stars and returned to the empty sea.

• Fu Qian reached the Piled Object and carefully slipped through its narrow gaps without disturbing the arrangement.
• At its center, Fu Qian found a collapsed hollow and crawled inside, losing Sanity Value as he went.
• Fu Qian found only ash-lined walls at the end of the hollow and reasoned that the danger affected outsiders because he himself might be its source.
• Fu Qian recalled the Blasphemy Monarch's vision of Silver Mist Manor and wondered whether he was the fallen angel at the point of impact.
• As the stars withdrew their gaze, Fu Qian looked back at them, causing the stars, ruins, cave, and bodily changes to vanish; he remained in the empty sea with the Burial Scroll.

Fu Qian discovered that the Sanity Value he had lost inside Etched Wisdom carried over after he woke, confirming that the experience had lasting consequences. After exploring the Sea of Ashes without finding anything else, he considered creating a new Fall Point by using Glorious Tyrant to stir up chaos.

• Fu Qian checked his Sanity Value and found that 38 points lost in Etched Wisdom had not returned.
• Fu Qian concluded that Sanity Value could be lost inside Etched Wisdom without waking him, and that taking action himself was more likely to end it.
• Fu Qian released the Sea of Ashes behemoth and continued exploring the areas he had marked.
• Fu Qian found no other notable sights or familiar Star Gazers during the rest of the Burial Scroll's duration.
• Fu Qian considered whether Old Brother Ji Feng's message and recording had been deceptive, then decided he could create another Fall Point by using Glorious Tyrant to churn up the sea.

Fu Qian returned from the Sea of Ashes to Mor without activating Glorious Tyrant, deciding the port and its possible links to the Academy expedition were worth investigating first. He settled in an alley, where his conspicuous appearance and blood-red pomegranate juice suggested that Lord Selena was occupied while tensions stirred beneath Mor’s calm surface.

• Fu Qian considered using Glorious Tyrant to stir the Sea of Ashes but chose to follow the stars back toward Mor instead.
• Fu Qian weighed Mor’s possible connection to the Academy expedition and decided not to risk destroying clues with brute force.
• Fu Qian rode back to Mor, observed the harbor’s calm appearance, and sat down in a narrow alley.
• Fu Qian ordered pomegranate juice and received a homemade sausage from the elderly woman serving him.
• Fu Qian suspected Lord Selena’s nearby interrogation base was quiet because she was busy, while unrest grew beneath Mor’s peaceful exterior.

Fu Qian shared an afternoon tea with a woman who claimed to know the history of a nearby slaughterhouse, then recognized her as the disguised Tooth Choker sage, a devoted Greedy Worm. He suspected the Greedy Worms had tracked him while searching for Selena, and the sage remained beside him, hinting that appearances did not define a person.

• Fu Qian tasted pomegranate juice and sausage, then asked the shopkeeper about a nearby historical building.
• A passerby explained that the building had once been a slaughterhouse with white walls meant to purify resentment from the meat.
• Fu Qian joked that the shopkeeper could use the story to market her sausage, then declined to exchange names with the passerby.
• Fu Qian recognized the passerby as the disguised Tooth Choker sage and realized she was a devoted follower of the King of Prison Break among the Greedy Worms.
• Fu Qian reasoned that the Greedy Worms might have tracked him while searching for Selena, and the Tooth Choker sage ordered sweet wine and remarked that a person's name and body shape did not define them.

Fu Qian suspected the Greedy Worms had recognized his appearance as Old Master Lu and pressed Reverend Tooth Choker with pointed remarks about identity and transformation. After she left, he followed the shopkeeper’s directions toward a nighttime gathering and encountered someone who praised the Rebirth Club.

• Fu Qian reasoned that the Greedy Worms might have recognized the face of the younger Old Master Lu and linked him to the Rebirth Club.
• Fu Qian discussed names, bodies, and personal growth with Reverend Tooth Choker and the shopkeeper, while Reverend Tooth Choker grew uneasy at his implications.
• Reverend Tooth Choker paid for the drinks and left, and Fu Qian asked the shopkeeper where people gathered at night.
• Fu Qian followed the shopkeeper’s directions past an unusual slaughterhouse, where a newcomer approached and praised the Rebirth Club.

Fu Qian met with Laurie and the Greedy Worms in Moore, openly revealing that he was keeping an eye on the Siren. He learned that Solondir was aboard the Siren’s strangely acting ship and searching for something, then asked Laurie what it was.

• A disguised Greedy Worm named Brother Shulan invited Fu Qian to meet the Greedy Worms, and Fu Qian accepted.
• Brother Shulan led Fu Qian through Moore, where Fu Qian casually asked how long the group had been there.
• Laurie welcomed Fu Qian at an empty meeting place and admitted that the earlier encounter had been deliberate.
• Fu Qian said he was keeping an eye on the Siren and mentioned that Solondir had taken up surfing.
• Laurie confirmed that Solondir was aboard the Siren’s ship and searching for something, and Fu Qian asked what he wanted.

Fu Qian learned from Laurie that Solondir was searching in Moore for a difficult-to-reach chance to advance, possibly explaining the conflict between Siren and An Jing. After revealing that he had recognized Laurie and the Greedy Worms, Fu Qian agreed to work with them to investigate Siren’s real purpose.

• Fu Qian reasoned that the Greedy Worms had approached him because they were desperate over Selena’s disappearance and suspected they were still working for An Jing.
• Laurie told Fu Qian that Solondir had been searching in Moore for a chance to advance and had grown increasingly agitated as it remained out of reach.
• Fu Qian recognized that Solondir’s search could explain why An Jing was involved in the conflict in Moore.
• Laurie asked whether Fu Qian knew who the Greedy Worms were, and Fu Qian confirmed that he had recognized the disguised woman and Laurie.
• Laurie stopped trying to identify Fu Qian and offered to share information in exchange for cooperation investigating Siren’s real purpose.
• Fu Qian agreed to work with Laurie and the Greedy Worms.

Fu Qian questioned Old Man Laurie about the Greedy Worms’ surveillance of Solondir and learned that they were working with An Jing while keeping some details confidential. Laurie led Fu Qian and Brother Shulan to the ship where Ji Yin was supposed to be hiding, but they could not find him.

• Fu Qian asked Laurie who was watching Solondir’s ship, and Laurie revealed that Ji Yin had been assigned to watch it.
• Fu Qian warned Laurie that someone had already noticed Ji Yin and suggested that Solondir had discovered information of his own.
• Laurie admitted that the Greedy Worms were in Moore because of An Jing, though they had some freedom and intended to keep the details confidential.
• Fu Qian accepted Laurie’s secrecy for the time being and agreed to go with him to check on Ji Yin.
• Laurie led Fu Qian and Brother Shulan onto Solondir’s ship, where Brother Shulan reported that Ji Yin was nowhere to be found.

Fu Qian and Laurie searched for the missing watcher Ji Yin, who had been monitoring Solondir's ship, but found no trace of him aboard. Laurie led them to a secret Siren safe house in Moore, where Tooth Choker said Ji Yin had not appeared either.

• Fu Qian asked when Laurie had last contacted Ji Yin, and Laurie said it was before noon and that Ji Yin had been watching Solondir's ship.
• Laurie explained that Ji Yin was to report if the ship failed to leave when a storm began or return when it ended.
• Fu Qian, Laurie, and Brother Shulan searched Ji Yin's room and found it empty, with no message about where he had gone.
• Laurie suggested that Solondir was unlikely to be responsible for Ji Yin's disappearance, then led Fu Qian and Brother Shulan to another location in Moore.
• Fu Qian met Tooth Choker again, and Laurie revealed that a secret Siren safe house was in the building, but Tooth Choker said Ji Yin had not come there.

Fu Qian learned that An Jing had revealed the location of a hidden Siren base and that Laurie’s group was meant to release something against its Transcendent occupants if Solondir began acting strangely. With Ji Yin missing, Fu Qian said he should be fine and led the group upstairs to visit the base.

• Fu Qian heard that the Siren had withdrawn most of its people and businesses from Moore, while An Jing had withdrawn even more completely.
• Laurie explained that An Jing had supplied the location of a hidden Siren base and that the group’s job was to use its occupants as targets to release something.
• Laurie said the group would watch Solondir, make trouble at the base if he acted strangely, and leave if nothing changed within half a month.
• Laurie worried that Ji Yin’s disappearance meant the situation was out of control, but Fu Qian assured him Ji Yin should be fine.
• Fu Qian pointed upstairs and told the group to go visit the Siren base.

Fu Qian visited the Rebirth Club’s hidden office with a Tooth Choker cleric to learn what the group knew about Moore and Selena’s disappearance. He pressured the weak, cautious staff for information about the Sea of Ashes, but they refused and claimed a storm was coming.

• Fu Qian reasoned that the Greedy Worms hoped to find a trace of the mysterious demigod and agreed to investigate the Rebirth Club with them.
• Laurie and Brother Shulan stayed downstairs while the Tooth Choker cleric accompanied Fu Qian to the Rebirth Club’s office.
• Fu Qian asked the receptionist for security services, but she said the company was not accepting new clients.
• Fu Qian named the Sea of Ashes, making the hidden staff realize that their visitors had uncovered their cover, but they still avoided confronting him.
• The receptionist refused to help and said a storm would prevent anyone from going to sea; thunder sounded as she claimed her forecasts had been accurate.

Fu Qian visited a secret base and learned that its receptionist could predict Moore’s volatile weather, then discussed the encounter with the Tooth Choker and Laurie. The group suspected the base had used its forecast to scare Fu Qian away, but concluded it seemed unaware of Ji Yin.

• The receptionist’s weather prediction came true as a violent storm struck Moore, and Fu Qian asked how she had known the weather would change.
• The Tooth Choker questioned Fu Qian’s decision to reveal their interest in the Sea of Ashes routes, and Fu Qian suggested the receptionist’s prediction was not a coincidence.
• The Tooth Choker returned to Laurie and reported that the people at the base might be on guard, though nobody appeared to follow them.
• Fu Qian suggested the base was manipulating the weather, while Laurie proposed that its members were forecasting the storm and displaying their ability to frighten him off.
• Laurie and Fu Qian agreed that the base likely did not know about Ji Yin.

Fu Qian sent the Greedy Worms to continue their operation while concealing what he knew about Selena and his connection to the area. After they left, he returned to the former interrogation room to search for traces of Selena, one of the two missing people.

• Fu Qian told Laurie and the Greedy Worms to continue their operation and report back at the place where they had shared tea.
• Laurie admitted that only he, Tooth Choker, and one other member were in Moore besides Ji Yin.
• Fu Qian left the Greedy Worms and headed through the rainy night toward the old slaughterhouse.
• Fu Qian entered the former interrogation room to look for traces of Selena.

Fu Qian found Lady Selena’s room empty, then a swarm of flaming, decaying bats crashed through the window and seemed to leave him a message from her. After the bats vanished and the window rotted away, he was left wondering why Selena had summoned him and what she had discovered.

• Fu Qian searched Lady Selena’s room and found that she was gone.
• A fire-lit bat smashed through the window and landed dead at Fu Qian’s feet.
• Dozens of bats flew into the room, breaking the remaining glass before their bodies were swept away by the storm.
• Fu Qian decided the bats were likely a sign from Lady Selena and leapt out the window to investigate.
• Fu Qian wondered whether Selena had discovered something connected to the Death Master and realized the window had rotted into dust.

Fu Qian explored the storm-struck version of Moer, connecting its strange decay and Selena’s disappearance to what Solondir might have sought there. At the slaughterhouse, he met an old man who told him that everyone in this place was dead.

• Fu Qian entered the raging storm and considered whether Selena had vanished after finding what Solondir sought in Moer.
• Fu Qian reached the slaughterhouse and saw its walls darkened by decay, while strange fires accelerated the aging of the surroundings.
• Fu Qian concluded that Selena had visited this altered Moer before disappearing from the real town.
• An old man approached Fu Qian as he sat near the juice stand, and Fu Qian said he was looking for someone.
• The old man told Fu Qian that everyone in Moer was dead.