Recaps

Tang Qi helped Shivana recognize her shortcomings and taught her to think through problems, then learned from Short Tail that Butcher had once been the Lizardman shaman Spitfire. Using his Journal, Tang Qi inferred that Spitfire had used source essence to transform himself into the Red Dragon, though Butcher had lost his memories.

• Shivana vented her frustration to Tang Qi, who described her feelings and encouraged her to face her weaknesses and learn to think before acting.
• Tang Qi taught Shivana to consider why people acted as they did, then used the request to call him master as a lesson in reasoning.
• Tang Qi joined the Lizardmen's bonfire feast, received five bottles of powder used to create Fever Madness, and asked Short Tail to let a group arriving in seven days pass through the basin.
• Short Tail revealed that Butcher had once been Spitfire, a former Lizardman shaman who had survived an Earth Dragon attack and sought source essence for revenge.
• Tang Qi used his Journal to infer that Spitfire had used source essence and the Wasteland's chaos to transform into the Red Dragon, and wondered whether Butcher had truly lost his memory.

Tang Qi and Butcher followed the Uhaha Basin lizardmen to a cave, where they discovered a cyclops demanding food and searching for a spellcaster. The cyclops attacked Short Tail, leaving Tang Qi and Butcher facing an imminent crisis.

• Tang Qi decided to keep Butcher with him while they searched for the escort’s lost medium, and Butcher read The Guide before they prepared for trouble ahead.
• Rhythmic laughter prompted the lizardmen to gather food and travel through the rainforest, and Tang Qi and Butcher followed them toward the mountains.
• The lizardmen brought their food to a cave strewn with bodies, where an enormous cyclops emerged and ate one of them.
• The cyclops searched the lizardmen for a spellcaster, but their only spellcaster had died at Tang Qi’s hands.
• The cyclops swung his tree-trunk club at Short Tail as the lizardmen confronted him.

Tang Qi used the Song of the Vampire to empower and impress the Cyclopes, then learned that one of them spoke Common Tongue after being taught by a lone Elf. He discovered that another group of Giantkin had driven the Cyclopes from the Giant Hills, and the chapter ended with him asking whether they wanted to reclaim their territory.

• The Cyclopes attacked the fleeing Lizardmen, leaving Tang Qi and Butcher exposed as the others escaped toward the river.
• Tang Qi sang the Song of the Vampire, causing Lilith's phantom and the Red Moon to grant the Cyclopes sharper sight, greater agility, and bloodthirsty hunger.
• Tang Qi stopped and restarted the song, realizing that the Cyclopes' enhanced power came from his singing, then asked their leader whether he could speak Common Tongue.
• Gulu Gulu explained that a lone white Elf had taught the Cyclopes their language before leaving, and Tang Qi asked where she had gone.
• Gulu Gulu told Tang Qi that another group of Giantkin had taken the Cyclopes' homeland and eaten their sheep, forcing them to seek food elsewhere.
• Tang Qi considered how to deal with the Beastfolk following him, then asked Gulu Gulu whether the Cyclopes had considered reclaiming their territory.

Tang Qi helped Gulu Gulu and his family reclaim their land from the Hill Giants by using a Giantification Spell and a song to turn the Cyclops into a towering force. After the Cyclopes defeated the four Hill Giants, Gulu Gulu and his children drank their blood, while Tang Qi prepared to deal with Old Five.

• Old Five went hungry in his orchard, failed to eat a finger that vanished like air, and was ambushed by the returning one-eyed owners of the land.
• Tang Qi reported that four Hill Giants were gathering at the stone formation and urged Gulu Gulu to reclaim his family's home without fighting head-on.
• Gulu Gulu, Tang Qi, Halahar, and Anbi reached the hilltop and found the four Hill Giants gathered beside the lake.
• Tang Qi used the blue bear's Giantification Spell and sang the Song of the Vampire as Gulu Gulu attacked the startled Hill Giants.
• Gulu Gulu and his children drank the defeated Hill Giants' blood, while Tang Qi decided to handle the unconscious Old Five afterward.

Tang Qi discovered that the cyclopes’ cottage concealed a vast demiplane and learned how its former residents had lived. He gathered ingredients for a Hill Giant Power Elixir, then found an enormous portrait of Merlin in the human’s room.

• Gulu Gulu led Tang Qi and the others into the cottage’s demiplane, where Halahar recognized its extraordinary magic.
• Tang Qi found an alchemy formula for a Hill Giant Power Elixir and asked Halahar to brew it using the cyclopes’ stored ingredients.
• Gulu Gulu showed them a moonlit treehouse filled with moonlight vines, and Tang Qi gathered flowers for the elixir.
• Gulu Gulu retrieved carved boards depicting the elf and human who had once lived with the cyclopes, and Tang Qi connected their story to the source essence devices in Windless Canyon.
• Halahar went to the workshop to prepare the elixir while Tang Qi explored the demiplane with Gulu Gulu.
• Tang Qi entered the human’s room and found a huge portrait of Merlin, which Anbi recognized.

Tang Qi and his companions crossed the dangerous Wasteland and reached the abandoned escort camp in Windless Canyon, where they found the medium apparatus. As they approached it, a second red dragon emerged from the cave’s darkness and attacked.

• Tang Qi recorded Halahar's successful brewing of eight bottles of Hill Giant Power Elixir and the group's repeated delays caused by chaotic weather.
• Tang Qi and his companions crossed the hills through dense fog and reached Windless Canyon, where they found the dead overlord.
• Tang Qi sent Yiwu up to the escort's cave shelter, and the group climbed to the entrance and entered to search for the medium apparatus.
• Halahar told Tang Qi that her father had become troubled after returning from the canyon and said she wanted to investigate the Calm Belt.
• Tang Qi spotted a red dragon lurking in the darkness beside the camp, then shouted for his companions to run.

Tang Qi and his companions escaped the Red Dragon’s cave and fought it in a narrow gorge, discovering that the adolescent dragon’s scales resisted their attacks. As the battle continued, Dawn noticed that the dragon was injured from an earlier duel and urged Tang Qi to look for signs of its weakness.

• Tang Qi used the Flail Snail shell to shield his companions from the Red Dragon’s breath, then led them over a cliff, where Yiwu slowed their fall.
• The Red Dragon pursued them into the gorge, and Tang Qi gave his companions Hill Giant Power Elixirs while Halahar used the shell to guard against its breath.
• Tang Qi tried to negotiate after learning the dragon wanted the Source Essence, but the dragon attacked instead.
• Shivana, Anbi, Yiwu, and Tang Qi struck at the Red Dragon, but its scales deflected their attacks and it badly battered its opponents.
• Dawn emerged from Tang Qi’s hood and pointed out that the dragon was weakened by injuries from its earlier fight with the Earth Dragon.

Tang Qi and his companions exploited the Red Dragon’s healing wounds to injure it and stop its escape, but as they pinned it down, the dragon awakened its Dread Majesty. The chapter ended with Tang Qi trembling under the force of the dragon’s fearsome instinct.

• Tang Qi sent Anbi to search the Red Dragon’s back, and she found its tender, healing scales on the nape and tore them open.
• The Red Dragon crushed Yiwu against a mountain wall and nearly trampled Anbi, but Shivana hurled her Great Axe to knock Anbi clear.
• Tang Qi used spirit medicine and blue virus powder to help Shivana hold the Red Dragon at bay, then stabbed its wounded nape with Snake Fang.
• The injured Red Dragon tried to flee, but Tang Qi summoned the Sky Turtle to pin it in the valley and stabbed its neck again.
• The Red Dragon remembered its promise to Short Tail and its kin, then unleashed Dread Majesty, making Tang Qi tremble with fear.

Butcher fought to survive after the Red Dragon’s nature threatened to consume him, while Tang Qi and his companions battled the dragon. Tang Qi killed the Red Dragon and discovered that it was Spitfire (Butcher), leaving him to question who the sheep called Butcher really was.

• Butcher’s memories revealed his promise to help the Lizardmen live better, and he fought the Red Dragon’s nature to avoid dying before fulfilling it.
• The Red Dragon’s [Dread Majesty] overwhelmed Tang Qi, but Butcher struck its eyelid and Dawn helped Tang Qi escape its flames.
• Butcher awakened Yiwu, whose [Protection Spell] stopped the Red Dragon’s charge, allowing Tang Qi to recover and attack.
• Tang Qi parried the Red Dragon’s tail with [Defensive Sword Dance], then climbed onto its back and wounded its neck.
• Tang Qi killed the Red Dragon and found a Soul Coin bearing the name Spitfire (Butcher), realizing the sheep he had assumed was Butcher might not be him.

Tang Qi questioned the sheep Butcher and learned that the Red Dragon had once been the Dragonborn Spitfire, who used a reincarnation scroll and a Dragon Egg to transform himself. After freeing Spitfire’s soul, Tang Qi left Butcher’s identity unresolved and hoped the soul would return to the Wasteland he called home.

• Tang Qi searched the Red Dragon’s cave, found a black chest, and questioned the bound Butcher about his identity and memories.
• Butcher explained that adventurers had told him he was their missing companion, and he recalled how they had met the original Butcher in the Great Desert.
• Tang Qi used Spitfire’s Soul Coin to learn that Spitfire had brought back an Edel Reincarnation Technique scroll and a Dragon Egg.
• Tang Qi concluded that Spitfire had used Source Essence to transfer his soul into the Dragon Egg, but the Tide of Chaos accelerated his aging and the Red Dragon’s nature overtook him.
• Tang Qi spent the coin’s final charge, freed Spitfire’s soul, and left the sheep Butcher’s true identity to be discovered after the Transformation Spell was lifted.

Tang Qi and his companions reached the edge of the Calm Belt and discovered that it was a violent convergence of the Elemental Planes, not the empty, peaceful place Halahar had expected. Toto Hal explained that the Source Essence had once stabilized the Wasteland’s damaged Magic Web, then opened the mithril coffin holding the secret of its origin, only for Tang Qi to find it empty.

• Tang Qi agreed to let Butcher join the journey in exchange for his share of the Red Dragon’s spoils, and the group loaded the mithril coffin onto their cart.
• Halahar said the Calm Belt was empty and safe, but Tang Qi found its boundary beset by raging elemental forces and turned the cart away.
• Toto Hal caught up with the group and revealed that the Calm Belt had formed when the Source Essence suppressed chaos in the Wasteland’s damaged Magic Web.
• Toto Hal said the Source Essence’s medium had grown old and began opening the coffin to show the secret guarded by House Hal.
• Tang Qi watched Toto Hal open the coffin and discovered that it was empty.

Tang Qi learned that House Hal had used Merlin Hal’s soulless clones to produce Source Essence and maintain the Wasteland’s failing Magic Web, and that Shalti had refused to become its source. With Merlin’s latest clone missing and the Tide of Chaos looming, Tang Qi realized that Butcher was the clone and watched him flee.

• Toto Hal revealed that the Orichalcum Coffin held Merlin Hal’s soulless body, prepared through the Cloning Spell.
• Toto Hal explained that Source Essence was Merlin’s mental power, used to sustain the Obelisk Tower’s boundaries and the Road to Prison.
• Halahar realized her family’s use of Source Essence had consumed Merlin’s sacrificed mental power, while Toto Hal explained that the secret had been hidden to protect Shalti and prevent others from coveting it.
• Toto Hal said Shalti had refused to sacrifice herself, and the family had kept the truth secret because she was vulnerable to public condemnation.
• Toto Hal warned that Merlin’s missing clone meant the Tide of Chaos would erupt, but Tang Qi suspected he knew where it was.
• Butcher fled toward the canyon entrance, and Tang Qi concluded that the sheep was Merlin’s clone.

Butcher learned it was a newly conscious sheep whose existence would end when Merlin Hal’s soul returned to its body, and it fled rather than accept a forced sacrifice. Tang Qi and House Hal let it choose its own path, and Tang Qi promised to help it pursue its remaining wishes as a friend.

• Butcher remembered awakening inside the sealed container and realized it feared being restored to a mindless lump of flesh.
• After discovering no one was chasing it, Butcher asked why they had not taken it to stabilize the Tide of Chaos.
• Tang Qi picked Butcher up and explained that neither he nor House Hal would demand its sacrifice, even if the world might be destroyed.
• Butcher admitted it had many wishes, including adventures, a home, and friends, despite having little time left.
• Tang Qi offered to help Butcher fulfill its wishes and recorded that Butcher’s first wish was to have friends.

Tang Qi helped Butcher attempt several wishes in the Roaring Tribe’s temporary village in Windless Canyon, but Butcher’s sheep body made each one difficult to fulfill. After the experiments left several wishes only half complete, Tang Qi turned to Butcher’s remaining Great Adventure.

• Tang Qi helped Butcher build a wooden hut, but it collapsed when Butcher jumped inside, so Butcher settled for a tent.
• Butcher tried to eat steak and rejected it, then enjoyed grass made to taste and look like steak with Kuru’s magic and Tang Qi’s illusion.
• Tang Qi took Butcher and Shivana to the tavern, then kicked them out himself when the landlady refused to disrespect the prophet.
• Butcher counted getting kicked out with Tang Qi as only half complete and crossed off the wish after Tang Qi argued that Butcher and Shivana had already shared hardships.
• Tang Qi explained that Butcher should explore the mysteries of life with another sheep and brought him a ewe; Butcher emerged saying he had begun to understand Spitfire’s obsession with butts.
• Tang Qi marked the wish only half complete and suggested that Butcher’s next wish was the Great Adventure.

Tang Qi led Butcher and their companions through a tabletop role-playing adventure, then helped Butcher understand that he was his own person rather than an imitation of Butcher the lizardman. Their conversation ended with Butcher admitting that he had chosen the final wish, to leave a lasting mark in The Guide, as a reason to sacrifice himself.

• Tang Qi organized a tabletop role-playing session that gave Butcher the guild quest, goblins, dungeon conspiracy, and adventure he had wanted.
• Butcher, Anbi, Dawn, and Shivana played misfit adventurers, defeated the Black Spider, and enjoyed the story despite Shivana's character dying.
• Tang Qi recorded that the great-adventure wish was half fulfilled, leaving one wish on the list.
• Butcher told Tang Qi that copying Butcher the lizardman's life had not made him feel like a real person, and Tang Qi said his own experiences had made him himself.
• Butcher admitted that he had chosen the wish to leave a lasting mark in The Guide to give himself a reason to sacrifice himself.

Butcher chose to sacrifice himself so Merlin Hal could be reborn, and Shivana carried him through the elemental storm toward its eye. As Butcher’s consciousness faded after killing Merlin, Tang Qi set off a firework that brought back his memories and his wish to keep adventuring with his companions.

• Butcher admitted he could not abandon the people threatened by the Tide of Chaos, and Tang Qi encouraged him by promising his story would be preserved in the Journal and Stone of Oblivion.
• Butcher decided to act before he could change his mind, while Shivana volunteered to carry the Orichalcum Coffin through the elemental storm and Toto Hal prepared protective spells.
• Shivana endured the storm’s fire, water, ice, and wind, then hurled the coffin into its calm eye as her protections failed.
• Butcher left the coffin, reached Merlin Hal inside the spherical sponge, and killed him with a dagger, triggering a painful transformation as the storm quieted.
• As Butcher’s consciousness and memories faded, Tang Qi’s firework lit the sky, restoring his memories and revealing his wish to keep adventuring with his companions.

Geya wrote a satirical guide to Tyron, then disguised it under Tang Qi’s name and hid it. On her way to the New Year celebration, Korrhahelon questioned her about the evening’s play and asked whether she knew Tang Qi Weinberg.

• Geya wrote a satirical piece about Tyron’s festivals and nobles, changed its byline from Geya to Tang Qi, and locked it in her safe.
• Geya dressed for the New Year celebration, rejected Su Wen’s milk tea and advances, and left for the palace district.
• Korrhahelon stopped Geya outside the academy and brought her into his carriage with his family.
• Korrhahelon questioned Geya about the experimental vampire play, and she explained that its new narrative approach was meant to make the production feel fresh.
• Korrhahelon mentioned Tang Qi Weinberg and asked Geya whether she had heard of him.

Geya faced Kohlhaeron Versace’s questions about Tang Qi Weinberg and the politically sensitive book he had written. Versace ordered her to accompany him to the southern front after the celebration and record what she witnessed, leaving Geya trapped in a test of loyalty she had hoped to avoid.

• Geya told Kohlhaeron that Tang Qi had been her junior at the academy and described his notorious failure to avoid offending nobles.
• Kohlhaeron showed Geya a newspaper about the Lionheart Lord and Tang Qi’s Dragon Gold City Guide, then asked why Tang Qi had not returned home.
• Geya distanced the academy from Tang Qi, but Kohlhaeron warned that her smoothness could look like a lack of allegiance.
• Kohlhaeron pointed out that Tang Qi was named on the year’s playwright list, undermining Geya’s explanation of the academy’s position.
• Kohlhaeron ordered Geya to accompany him to the southern front and record what she saw, saying her actions would determine his judgment of her and the academy.
• Geya asked whether she could resign and go home to farm, and Kohlhaeron dismissed the idea.

Geya escorted Yena into the Royal Theater, where she met Molten Gold III and learned that the new production inspired by Tang Qi had drawn political attention. After Geya warned Yena to distance her family from Tang Qi, Yena chose to prepare for the coming struggle, and Tang Qi received her message that the empire had its eye on him.

• Yena used [Magic Trick] to discreetly help Geya, and Geya invited her into the theater to wait somewhere warm.
• Geya brought Yena to the banquet hall, where Yena tried a macaron and spoke with Geya about her family's poverty.
• Ulasang introduced Geya to Molten Gold III, who praised her previous play and welcomed her experimental new production.
• Geya told Yena that Tang Qi had inspired the production and warned her that it might antagonize other nobles.
• Yena left the theater, spent her savings on a [Message Spell], and sent Tang Qi a warning that the empire had its eye on him.

After a mysterious stranger warned Tang Qi that the Tyron Empire was watching him, he reviewed the rewards he had earned in the Wasteland. He discovered a powerful dragon-bloodline gift and several spells, while the chapter ended as he questioned how the Spore Replicator could be enhanced.

• Tang Qi received a warning through Message Spell that the Tyron Empire had its eye on him, but he could not identify the sender.
• Tang Qi reasoned that his influence in Dragon Gold City had drawn the attention of the empire’s nobles and decided he could protect himself with his growing circle of allies.
• Tang Qi reviewed his rewards and obtained Magic Trick, Silence Spell, Cyclops Horn, and Leomon's Hut.
• Tang Qi gained the Three Dragon Gift, which let him infuse weapons with fire, acid, and force while granting resistance to those elements, and he wondered whether his Weinberg bloodline might awaken.
• Tang Qi received the Dragon Slayer bearing and noticed more rewards, including Nasar's Prank, Dispel Magic, Spirit Story: Wild Song, and an enhanced Spore Replicator.

Tang Qi received several Journal rewards, including new spells and a reinforced Spore Replicator, then tested how the clone copied equipment and endured damage. After Halahar returned his repaired cloak, the two lingered awkwardly together, and Tang Qi asked her to share the first drink of the new year.

• Tang Qi received Nasar's Prank, Dispel Magic, Wild Song, and a reinforced Spore Replicator from the Journal.
• Tang Qi left camp to test the Replicator and ordered Dawn to keep watch beside Anbi.
• Tang Qi discovered that his clone could copy magical items' forms and absorb elemental effects, but its copies did not retain inherent magic.
• Tang Qi tested the clone's durability and found that basic cuts did little, but severing a limb or cutting it in half made it disperse.
• Halahar brought Tang Qi his repaired Manta Ray Cloak, and they exchanged awkward New Year greetings on the way back to the village.
• Tang Qi asked Halahar to join him for the first drink of the new year.

Tang Qi took Halahar to a sheltered cave to share wine and used music to create a warm magical hut, easing her guilt over using Source Essence. As Halahar asked about Tang Qi’s past, her feelings for him surfaced when she admitted she preferred butterbeer, and he offered to make some.

• Tang Qi led Halahar away from the crowded orc tavern and used her Stabilizing Disc and a song to conjure Leomon's Hut.
• Tang Qi reassured Halahar that using Source Essence for comfort did not dishonor Merlin’s sacrifice and that her family’s research had ultimately helped protect House Hal.
• Halahar told Tang Qi that his reputation in Dragon Gold City had made her curious about what he had done there, and asked him to tell her his story.
• Halahar refused another cup of plum wine because it reminded her of Tang Qi’s lover, then blurted out that she preferred butterbeer.
• Tang Qi offered to make butterbeer for Halahar.

Tang Qi made Butterbeer for Halahar and told her stories, but their drinking led to an intimate moment between them. The next morning, Kuru called Tang Qi out of Leomon's Cabin and asked him to visit the Wizard Tower.

• Tang Qi prepared Butterbeer from Bitter Bud Wine, then used Magic Trick to improve its flavor for Halahar.
• As Halahar drank and listened to Tang Qi's stories, she became drunk and questioned him about his closeness with Hope and whether Catherine would tolerate her.
• Halahar tried to wipe cream from Tang Qi's mouth, and they kissed as she followed her feelings.
• The next morning, Tang Qi woke to find Halahar gone and saw Kuru waiting outside the cabin.
• Kuru asked Tang Qi to go with it to the Wizard Tower.

Tang Qi returned to Wilderness Village with the dragon corpses and arranged for House Hal to guard the red dragon while artisans worked on gear for his companions. He said goodbye to Halahar, received her Locator Ring, and then disappointed Kuru by saying they might not visit the Wizard Tower.

• Tang Qi and Toto Hal discussed the difficulty of crafting items from the red dragon and agreed to leave its corpse in House Hal’s care while seeking a great axe for Shivana.
• Toto Hal gave Tang Qi the Woodcutter’s Axe for Shivana, a communication necklace, and an offer to have Halahar make a Prismatic Robe from the flail snail shell.
• Tang Qi used Misty Step to enter Halahar’s room, discovered she had been preparing the robe, and shared a farewell embrace and a drink with her.
• Halahar gave Tang Qi a Locator Ring and promised to deliver the finished Prismatic Robe later.
• Kuru found Tang Qi and asked to go to the Wizard Tower, but Tang Qi said they might not be able to go.

Kuru reflected on how Tang Qi had become family and a guide to a wider world, then received an invitation to study at the Wizard Tower. After weighing his chance to learn against his bond with Tang Qi, Kuru chose to stay with him for now, and they promised to meet again after his studies.

• Kuru recalled leaving his underground tribe, resenting Tang Qi at first, and gradually discovering the vast world of books with Tang Qi's help.
• Kuru told Tang Qi that the Wizard Tower had invited him to study there, but Tang Qi explained that their southbound journey made turning back impractical.
• Kailan urged Kuru to return with him to the Wizard Tower, arguing that Kuru's talent and the approaching examinations made the opportunity valuable.
• Tang Qi gave Kuru the freedom to choose between studying and continuing their adventures together.
• Kuru chose to travel with Tang Qi, and Tang Qi promised they would reunite after Kuru graduated.