Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian met a dead old man who guided him through a deserted, rain-soaked version of Mohr and explained that the dead appeared in different forms. They reached the slaughterhouse, where someone had already gone inside.

• Fu Qian told the old man he was looking for an elderly woman with red eyes and bats, and the old man pointed him toward the slaughterhouse.
• The old man offered to guide Fu Qian there and said people needed to understand their circumstances to exist for long.
• The old man pointed out a cemetery, and Fu Qian realized the graves represented the people missing from the dead version of Mohr.
• The old man confirmed that death took many forms and that the graves were like him.
• The old man brought Fu Qian to the slaughterhouse and noticed that someone had already entered.

Fu Qian followed the old man into a strange commercial building filled with quiet bull-headed dead, while considering whether the Grim Reaper was connected to Moore and the Academy expedition. After they reached the top floor, the old man revealed that the fire Fu Qian noticed on some of the dead was new to him.

• Fu Qian and the old man found the building's door blasted open and entered through the gap.
• Fu Qian wondered whether the Wise Dead, Moore, and the Grim Reaper were connected to the Academy expedition's tragedy.
• The pair found a crowded, four-story commercial district inhabited by silent dead with bull heads.
• The old man said the bull-headed dead lacked inner strength and calm, and that the building suited them.
• On the top floor, Fu Qian reported that some of the dead had red eyes and asked about the fire on their bodies; the old man said it had not been there before.

Fu Qian learned that the storm’s fires had appeared only a few days earlier and that the land of the dead existed only while the storm raged. He and the Wise Dead identified evidence that someone had recently passed through the slaughterhouse, possibly Lady Selena.

• Fu Qian questioned the old man about the flames, and the old man revealed that they had begun a few days earlier when something set the storm ablaze.
• The old man explained that the storm never stopped in this place and that the land of the dead vanished whenever the storm did.
• Fu Qian asked the old man to identify anything out of place, and the old man pointed to a one-horned Minotaur.
• Fu Qian noticed that the Minotaur’s steps avoided an empty space, suggesting someone had once walked there and then left.
• The old man agreed with Fu Qian’s deduction and asked whether the person who had left was Lady Selena; Fu Qian said she very likely was.

Fu Qian learned from the old man that the Realm of the Dead was a reflection of the Moor, where people caught in the storm remained balanced between life and death. Selena had disrupted that balance by merging with the realm, putting her in danger of becoming truly dead.

• Fu Qian concluded that Selena had acted dangerously in the Realm of the Dead and was beginning to merge with it.
• The old man confirmed that the balance between life and death had already been broken.
• Fu Qian asked whether the Realm of the Dead reflected the Moor and whether the old man existed in both worlds.
• The old man explained that people caught in the storm were reflected in the realm, while their living selves remained in reality.
• Fu Qian realized Selena risked becoming truly dead because she had actively merged with the realm by cutting into the line.

Fu Qian questioned an old man about Lady Selena and the Realm of the Dead, then used his knowledge of Selena's likely choices to track her to the docks. He found Solondir's ship in the storm and turned toward a familiar figure who warned him not to move.

• Fu Qian refused to test the old man's claims by entering the shop, explaining that he wanted to preserve the chance to compare different ways of interacting with the Realm of the Dead.
• Fu Qian thanked the old man and said he would search for Lady Selena among the living, using places she might visit as clues.
• Fu Qian inferred that Selena had escaped the shop in a rage and would likely head to the docks to find the person who had tricked her and check whether Solondir had entered the place.
• Fu Qian reached the docks and saw Solondir's rust-covered ship adrift in the storm, with its master nowhere in sight.
• A familiar figure confronted Fu Qian and warned him not to move.

Fu Qian met Selena at the dock and admitted he had not found Solondir, while Selena confronted him about leaving the ship and failing to do his part. His mention of flaming bats triggered Selena’s anger, and she demanded that he confirm what he had seen.

• Selena asked Fu Qian where Solondir was, and Fu Qian admitted he was searching for him too.
• Fu Qian reasoned that Selena had already searched the ship and likely failed to find Solondir there.
• Selena accused Fu Qian of leaving the ship when he should have stayed aboard, and he explained that he had gone looking for her.
• Fu Qian said he had found bats at Selena’s place, including some that were on fire.
• Selena summoned flaming bat phantoms and asked Fu Qian whether he was sure, calling him Laurie; Fu Qian confirmed what he saw and denied being Laurie.

Fu Qian revealed that Laurie was an alias and used his demigod aura to convince Selena of his true identity. After they exchanged their motives, he proposed finding Laurie and the other followers of the Death Master, while Selena remained unsure whether they could help.

• Fu Qian admitted that Laurie was an alias and gave Selena his real name, A'wei.
• When the fire bats attacked again, Fu Qian revealed his demigod aura, causing Selena to dismiss the bats and demand to know how he had done it.
• Fu Qian explained that he had disguised himself to investigate the Death Master and had also wanted to protect Laurie and the others from Selena.
• Selena pieced together how Fu Qian had boarded Solondir's ship, been taken by her, and come to wait for her to learn what the Tool Person had found.
• Fu Qian admitted he had found no trace of Solondir and suggested that they seek out Laurie and the other followers of the Death Master.

Fu Qian used Selena’s assumptions to conceal his connection to Laurie and the Greedy Worms as they hurried through the city of the dead. They reached the Caravan Bureau during the storm and found Tooth Choker waiting inside.

• Fu Qian let Selena believe he was a detached follower of the Death Master and learned that she had checked the area after he first left.
• Selena confirmed that three of Laurie’s group were at the Caravan Bureau and that Ji Yin was missing.
• Selena led Fu Qian toward the Bureau at speed, warning that the storm could stop and leave him unable to remain there.
• Fu Qian and Selena reached the top floor of the Bureau and found Tooth Choker seated behind the front desk.
• Tooth Choker told them the company was only handling regular business.

Fu Qian and Selena investigated the Death Reflection of the escort agency, where the Greedy Worms appeared as office workers and Selena explained how she had sensed and found them. Fu Qian discovered a redacted accident report that reminded him of the gravestones he had seen.

• Fu Qian compared the receptionist's behavior in the Death Reflection with what he had encountered in the outside world.
• Selena said Laurie, Brother Shulan, and the receptionist followed rigid patterns, but seemed unusually complete and at home in the Realm of the Dead.
• Selena explained that the storm had helped her sense the Greedy Worms and find the agency as she became more integrated with the place.
• Fu Qian questioned Brother Shulan, who glanced at him but did not answer.
• Fu Qian found a mostly blacked-out accident report labeled Number 07 and connected it to the gravestones he had seen.

Fu Qian and Selena investigated the office workers’ reports and the roles that kept the Greedy Worms’ dead focused on their jobs. Laurie recognized Fu Qian, and Selena questioned him to confirm who Fu Qian was.

• Fu Qian inferred that the people who had entered the place might have become reports or obituaries, then read confidential accident reports with Selena.
• Fu Qian questioned Brother Shulan about the redactions, and Brother Shulan answered that all operations had to remain confidential.
• Selena explained that the office workers were less guarded about personal information, while Fu Qian admitted he did not know Brother Shulan’s or the Tooth Choker’s name.
• Laurie looked up and addressed Fu Qian as “Sir,” leading Fu Qian and Selena to realize that Laurie recognized him and that his office-worker role was weakening.
• Selena approached Laurie and asked what she should call the gentleman she pointed to, seeking confirmation of Fu Qian’s identity.

Selena tried to use Laurie to confirm Fu Qian’s identity, but Laurie’s mind began to fracture when she questioned him. Fu Qian got Laurie to answer that Selena was the Gifted One and the Ancient Angel, leaving Selena to wonder whether the Death Master had foretold her arrival.

• Selena questioned Laurie about who Fu Qian was, but Laurie growled at her and his face began to crack apart.
• Fu Qian took over and asked Laurie what Selena should be called.
• Laurie thanked Fu Qian and called Selena the Gifted One and the Ancient Angel.
• Selena asked Fu Qian whether the Death Master had told the Greedy Worms she would come there.

Fu Qian and Selena questioned Laurie about the Ancient Angel and Solondir, but Laurie’s attempt to return to death left him screaming and unable to answer. Fu Qian used a silent Gospel Blast to calm him, only for Laurie’s face to tear apart when he tried to speak.

• Fu Qian accepted Selena’s praise and asked Laurie why she called him an Ancient Angel.
• Laurie described Selena as an ancient, pure soul enlightened by the King of Prison Break, but then screamed when he noticed the crack in his skull.
• Selena asked Fu Qian about Solondir, and he questioned whether she wanted to sabotage Solondir’s promotion before she dropped the idea.
• Selena asked if Laurie could be calmed, and Fu Qian said Laurie was receiving enlightenment and trying to return to death’s embrace.
• Fu Qian drew Laurie’s attention and struck him with a silent Gospel Blast, stopping his screams.
• Laurie stood and tried to speak to Fu Qian, but his face broke apart into flying fragments.

Fu Qian used Gospel Blast on Laurie, Brother Shulan, and someone at the reception desk, causing three glowing, one-winged birds to emerge and fly into the storm. He expected the spectacle to draw Solondir to them, and continued comparing the creatures as Selena questioned his actions.

• Fu Qian's Gospel Blast caused Laurie's body to collapse and release a ghostly, bone-adorned bird that flew through the building and into the storm.
• Fu Qian told Selena that Solondir would likely appear, explaining that he had used Laurie to create a conspicuous disturbance.
• Selena said she had no reason to avoid a confrontation with Solondir, and Fu Qian used Gospel Blast on Brother Shulan.
• A second nearly identical bird emerged from Brother Shulan, making the spectacle more likely to draw Solondir's attention.
• Fu Qian blasted a third target at the reception desk and watched the three birds, while Selena demanded to know what he was trying to accomplish.

Fu Qian realized the Greedy Worms’ birdlike forms were tools built around worms with a total of twenty-two bone rings, and that their gathering could trigger the Death Master’s return or another extraordinary event. He connected the process to the Warehouse’s mission to ruin Jiang En’s opportunity as Solondir’s arrival neared.

• Fu Qian and Selena watched three birdlike imprints coordinate while Fu Qian suggested they might be part of a ritual to summon the Death Master.
• Selena pointed out that the ritual lacked enough participants, and Fu Qian asked whether anyone knew where Ji Yin was; Selena said Laurie had not answered.
• Fu Qian warned Selena that Solondir might arrive soon as they watched the three figures.
• Fu Qian recognized that the birds were tools formed around human-faced worms and calculated that the Greedy Worms’ chain could contain twenty-two bone rings.
• Fu Qian linked the twenty-two-ring process to the Warehouse’s mission to sever Jiang En’s opportunity, reasoning that killing Jiang En might not stop the process as effectively.

Fu Qian discovered that a dated accident report predicted the storm would end within half an hour and left Selena to use the information in negotiations with Solondir. As the storm froze around the building and the two demigods met, Fu Qian headed off to explore another part of Moore.

• Fu Qian questioned how Death Master’s Greedy Worm plan could evade the Warehouse, then ended his cooperation with Selena and prepared to leave.
• Selena noticed Fu Qian reading an accident report, and he explained that its date and storm forecast seemed wrong.
• Fu Qian told Selena the report predicted the storm would end within half an hour, then left her with the information.
• Selena realized the report described a dead woman and might help her bargain with Solondir, who soon arrived.
• The wind and rain froze around the building as Fu Qian surveyed Moore and rode the wind toward a place he had never visited.

Fu Qian investigated whether Storm Moore was a living giant creature and went to the city’s highest building to test his theory. Inside, a night-shift guard stopped him and questioned whether he was from Moore.

• Fu Qian decided to use his remaining time to investigate Moore’s highest point after finding little connection between the Sea of Ashes and the information he had gathered.
• Fu Qian considered whether Storm Moore was a living creature whose buildings, roads, and storms formed its body and biological processes.
• Fu Qian reached a modern tower topped with a lighthouse-shaped spire and entered through its revolving door.
• A burly guard rose from the shadows, told Fu Qian that Moore’s sense of time was unusual, and asked if he was from around there.
• Fu Qian agreed that he was not from Moore and asked the guard the same question.

Fu Qian challenged the lighthouse keeper and tested the keys he had been given, discovering that the staircase changed depending on which key opened its door. The keeper panicked when Fu Qian claimed that a coworker had already gone upstairs.

• Fu Qian questioned whether the storm would ever pass and concluded that the keeper viewed himself as someone who had made it ashore.
• Fu Qian said he was inspecting fire safety and insisted on entering the lighthouse.
• The keeper handed Fu Qian his keys and claimed they could open locks leading to the top.
• Fu Qian opened the fire-escape door with different keys and discovered that the staircase changed direction.
• Fu Qian told the keeper that his coworker had already gone upstairs, and the keeper rushed to snatch back the keys.

Fu Qian manipulated the watchman into leading him through the shifting building to the lighthouse. There, he found Lady Nepheli amid the flames, while the watchman remained outside, stunned.

• Fu Qian falsely claimed the watchman had made a mistake, provoking him to pursue a supposed culprit.
• The watchman ordered Fu Qian to stay close and led him upstairs, then abruptly changed course and took a winding route back to the same door.
• The watchman unlocked the door, and Fu Qian recognized Lady Nepheli’s familiar voice.
• Fu Qian thanked the watchman, entered the burning spire, and shut the door behind him.
• Fu Qian climbed to the top platform and found a figure seated with their back to him, flames spreading from their body.

Fu Qian found Nepheli at the source of the flames consuming the Domain of the Dead and realized her Madness Fire had helped him discover Storm Moore. Nepheli warned him that the storm was nearly over, leaving him little time to act.

• Nepheli recognized Fu Qian and praised the tower keeper for helping him find her without revealing the truth about his identity.
• Fu Qian realized Nepheli was the source of the flames and that her Madness Fire had helped him cross the barrier to Storm Moore.
• Nepheli explained that she had left the Wise Dead alone because they were closely tied to the place and interfering could cause trouble.
• Fu Qian identified Storm Moore as a Miracle Creature and boasted that Professor A Kai had become a senior at the Institute of Curses through his collaboration.
• Nepheli recognized the significance of Fu Qian's mention of Snow Tree and warned him that the storm was almost over.

Fu Qian confronted Nepheli at the lighthouse and uncovered her interest in the Wise Dead and the truth behind the apocalypse. The chapter ended with him asking whether she had caused the world's end nineteen years and three months earlier.

• Fu Qian confirmed Nepheli's guess that the Snow Tree was connected to the Academy's research.
• Nepheli admitted she had expected someone to come and explained that she had inherited the expedition team's regret over failing to find the Wise Dead of Mohr.
• Nepheli revealed that the expedition had made the lighthouse its first stop, then abandoned its trail and still found the Inverted Lake in the Sea of Ashes.
• Fu Qian inferred that Nepheli wanted the Wise Dead to determine whether the world and its apocalypse were real or false.
• Nepheli applauded Fu Qian's deductions, and he asked whether she had brought about the apocalypse.