Recaps

Tang Qi tested his danger sense, received a True Sight Eye Potion, and set out with Catherine and Kuru to deliver Star Plums to the manor. They arrived to find the merchant caravan waiting at the gates, revealing that their plan had been exposed.

• Tang Qi received a True Sight Eye Potion and concluded that the log rewarded him for participating in complicated events.
• Tang Qi asked Kuru to hit him from behind and discovered that he could sense danger and dodge the staff's blows.
• Catherine walked in on Tang Qi checking Kuru's backside and mistakenly believed Tang Qi had unusual romantic preferences.
• Catherine and Tang Qi loaded three hundred kilograms of Star Plums onto a cart, and she lent him her mother's ukulele.
• Tang Qi, Catherine, and Kuru reached the lord's manor and found the merchant caravan waiting at the gates.

Tang Qi, Catherine, and Kuru were arrested after mercenaries discovered their cart carried fake goods, and New Star broke Kuru’s beloved staff while searching for a magical headband. Tang Qi and Catherine were shackled and taken to the Manor stable, where they found Black Snake already imprisoned.

• Explosive Wolf stopped the ox cart, and New Star used a Magic-Detecting Wand to inspect its cargo and occupants.
• New Star searched Kuru for an Intelligence Headband, then snapped its treasured staff when Kuru offered it as a treasure.
• Explosive Wolf ordered Kuru chained up to be sold and took Tang Qi and Catherine into custody.
• Tang Qi and Catherine surrendered and were locked in the Manor stable, where they encountered the restrained Black Snake.

Tang Qi and Black Snake were caught after the caravan discovered the inferior Star Plums, while Catherine was accused of helping deceive Lord Mel. Young Master Melard released Catherine and renewed his demand that she marry him, and Explosive Wolf urged the caravan to leave quickly because of dangers on the road.

• Black Snake told Tang Qi that the caravan had arrived early and that he had exposed Tang Qi and Catherine after being caught off guard.
• Manager Hus inspected the Star Plums, called them inferior, and accused Catherine of betraying Lord Mel.
• Tang Qi tried to take the blame, but Catherine played remorseful as Hus berated them.
• Melard dismissed Catherine's responsibility, pressed her to marry him next year, and ordered her released.
• Explosive Wolf demanded that the caravan load the goods and hurry back, warning that the journey had brought accidents and that staying longer meant more risk.

Tang Qi persuaded Melard to let him retrieve his bag and stay with the caravan, while Explosive Wolf and Hus settled their dispute over the danger ahead. As the caravan prepared to leave, Anbi delivered Tang Qi’s belongings and revealed that Catherine had identified Melard as the friend she meant.

• Explosive Wolf argued with Hus about the caravan’s danger, and Tang Qi interrupted by singing a song that persuaded Melard to let him retrieve his bag.
• Melard ordered Mr. New Star to protect Star Plum and told the caravan to depart in thirty minutes.
• Tang Qi and Black Snake were shackled together in a wagon, where Tang Qi questioned Black Snake about Jackal and his connection to Gravel.
• Anbi arrived with Tang Qi’s bag, and Hus tossed it into the wagon after checking its contents.
• Anbi told Tang Qi that Catherine had said Young Master Melard was the friend she meant, prompting Tang Qi to look at Melard with new understanding.

Tang Qi used a song and Catherine’s hint about Melard to win the young noble’s favor and secure better treatment on the journey to Dragon Gold City. After finding a hidden chisel in his pack, he realized Catherine had prepared both a social escape route and a tool for self-defense.

• Tang Qi asked Melard for food and freedom from his yoke, then explained Catherine’s description of her generous friend.
• Melard ordered Housekeeper Hus to unlock Tang Qi and return his instrument so Tang Qi could sing.
• Tang Qi performed a song about forbidden love between brothers, which made Melard believe the bard understood his secret feelings.
• Tang Qi clarified that the song was inspired by someone else, and Melard offered him a chance to atone in Dragon Gold City and ordered Hus to return his belongings.
• Tang Qi found a concealed iron chisel in his pack and recognized Catherine’s two messages as hints about Melard and a possible means of escape.

Tang Qi and Black Snake bantered during the caravan journey, while New Star revealed that he recognized Black Snake as a survivor of the Minions of the Ebony Forest. The chapter ended with New Star asking what treasure Black Snake's team had found in the Great Desert.

• Tang Qi shared bread and plum wine with Kuru and Black Snake, who drank an entire wineskin and warned that Star Plum Wine would be costly in Dragon Gold City.
• Tang Qi teased Black Snake about losing his job and being jealous of Catherine, and Black Snake asked how Tang Qi had grown close to her.
• Black Snake's kick startled Tang Qi, and Black Snake joked that Tang Qi might have heard of his reputation.
• New Star identified Black Snake as a member of the Minions of the Ebony Forest, the only team said to have survived the Great Desert.
• New Star asked Black Snake what treasure his team had found in the Great Desert.

Tang Qi mediated a bargain between New Star and Black Snake, hoping to learn about Black Snake’s mysterious desert treasure and the strange events in Twilight Forest. Black Snake revealed how the forest mist disoriented travelers but refused to disclose anything about the treasure, leaving New Star furious.

• New Star offered Black Snake wealth and protection in exchange for details about the Great Desert treasure, but Black Snake refused.
• Tang Qi proposed that he and New Star trade questions with Black Snake, who agreed to let Tang Qi speak for him.
• Black Snake told Tang Qi that strange mist in Twilight Forest caused hallucinations and led mercenaries to lose their way.
• New Star explained that Master Melard’s magical Construct could pierce illusions, then demanded answers about the treasure.
• Black Snake again claimed there was nothing, and Tang Qi shrugged off New Star’s anger by saying he was only the mouthpiece.

Tang Qi sensed danger in the mist and warned the prisoners as Goblins ambushed the caravan with arrows. The Mercenaries rallied, and Explosive Wolf charged into the attackers, killing three Goblins as the battle began.

• Tang Qi and Black Snake put aside their brief alliance, and Tang Qi considered what might have overcome Kuru’s scavenged adventurers.
• Tang Qi sensed an attack, rolled beneath the wagon, and shouted for everyone to get down as arrows struck the overturned wagon and killed the old ox.
• Explosive Wolf spotted Goblins in the woods and ordered the Mercenaries to ready their weapons.
• Hus shoved Melard into the mud to shield him from the arrows, then helped him retreat toward the tents.
• New Star cast [Great Step Sprint] on Explosive Wolf, who charged the Goblins and cleaved three of them in two.

Tang Qi, Black Snake, and Kuru were caught between a goblin attack and three trolls emerging from the mist. As the mercenaries fought the giants, Tang Qi’s Alertness overwhelmed him with fear at the signs of a well-organized goblin army.

• Explosive Wolf and the mercenaries fought off goblins while Tang Qi warned that a small group should not be attacking the camp.
• Tang Qi tried to break Black Snake’s shackles, but a new arrow flew from the mist and nearly struck Black Snake.
• Three trolls charged toward the camp, and New Star used a Grease Spell to make one fall while Explosive Wolf ordered the mercenaries to form up.
• The third troll smashed the wagon beside the prisoners, and Tang Qi threw himself clear with Kuru’s lyre and his backpack.
• Tang Qi trembled as Alertness warned him of the danger posed by the trolls and what seemed to be a well-trained goblin army.

Tang Qi, Black Snake, and Kuru escaped their shackles during a troll attack, and Tang Qi hurried to gather supplies to fight back. After Tang Qi used [Art of Making Friends] to overcome Hus's refusal, he learned where to find the Blazing Fire Glue and Black Snake's curved blade.

• Black Snake broke his and his companions' shackles, dodged the troll's arrows, and stabbed it in the head, but its wound began regenerating.
• Tang Qi used [Alertness] to evade arrows and ran into the camp, suspecting someone was directing the trolls.
• Hus refused to give Tang Qi weapons and supplies, so Tang Qi sang a crude rebuke that made [Art of Making Friends] sway Hus into helping him.
• Hus gave Tang Qi the keys and told him the curved blade was in the mage's tent and the Blazing Fire Glue was beside the bonfire.
• Tang Qi unlocked Kuru's handcuffs and told him to retrieve Black Snake's blade while Tang Qi fetched the glue.

Tang Qi and Explosive Wolf’s mercenaries fought the trolls and goblins, while Black Snake struggled to kill a troll without a proper weapon. The battle left Tang Qi’s musical magic in doubt after his attempt to inspire Black Snake produced an ominous song.

• New Star used webs, grease, and fog to help the mercenaries trap a troll and obscure the goblins’ aim, while Explosive Wolf’s group killed one troll.
• Black Snake fought another troll with a chisel and a goblin’s short blade until Tang Qi threw him the key to his shackles.
• Black Snake learned that Kuru had not returned with his saber, then dodged the troll’s attacks and threw the short blade through one of its heads after Tang Qi set it alight with Blazing Fire Glue.
• Black Snake ordered Tang Qi to sing, but Tang Qi’s dirge nearly made him stumble, and Black Snake cursed him for singing as if he wanted him dead.
• Tang Qi asked whether Black Snake had felt stronger during the song and privately recognized that his crude inspiration magic worked by provoking pain or anger and triggering adrenaline.

Tang Qi and Black Snake fled the two-headed troll while Explosive Wolf fought it, and New Star discovered the forest was hidden by an illusion. As New Star realized a massive Fireball was descending on the camp, the spell erupted in a blinding explosion.

• Tang Qi and Black Snake ran from the troll toward camp, and Tang Qi drank a True Sight Eye Potion that revealed the forest’s illusion.
• Explosive Wolf attacked the two-headed troll with his greatsword while New Star and other mercenaries fought it with fire spells.
• New Star noticed Tang Qi and Black Snake sneaking toward his tent and realized they could see through the illusion.
• New Star saw a blazing object descend from the sky and understood it was a powerful Fireball.
• The Fireball exploded over the camp.

After a Fireball shattered the mercenaries’ camp, Explosive Wolf led the survivors toward the woods as Beastfolk advanced through the mist. New Star returned to his tent for his Dimensional Bag but was killed by a Kobold seeking revenge for its destroyed treasure.

• New Star escaped the flames with Misty Step while the Fireball and ensuing explosions devastated the camp.
• Explosive Wolf recognized the approaching force as a Beastfolk tribe and ordered the survivors to follow Melard’s eye toward the woods.
• New Star returned to his tent to retrieve his Dimensional Bag and curved blade, believing the mist and the tribe’s slow pace gave him time.
• New Star discovered the blade was missing, then a Kobold stabbed him through the chest and killed him for destroying its treasure.
• The Kobold reached for New Star’s Dimensional Bag, but an argument broke out outside the tent.

Tang Qi, Black Snake, and Kuru fought their way through goblins and beastfolk while trying to escape the encirclement. Just as a towering figure emerged from the fog, two explosive impacts struck Tang Qi and hurled him through the air.

• Tang Qi and Black Snake fled into Kuru’s tent, where they found New Star dead and two beastfolk charging after them.
• Black Snake used Snake Kiss to kill the two beastfolk, while Kuru created an illusion of Tang Qi to lure another pursuer away.
• The trio left the tent and fought through goblins and beastfolk, with Black Snake covering Tang Qi as Kuru cast Frozen Ray.
• Tang Qi grew more comfortable fighting with a curved blade as the three worked together, but the enemy forces closed in around them.
• A towering figure emerged from the fog, and two explosive impacts struck Tang Qi, hurling him through the air.

Tang Qi was knocked down by a warlock’s invisible blasts while Black Snake and Kuru fought the goblin attackers. The warlock’s Fear Spell overwhelmed Black Snake and the others, but an unexpected figure stabbed her before she could capitalize on the spell.

• Tang Qi was struck by the warlock’s Magic Blast and could not dodge its force.
• Black Snake deflected another blast while Kuru froze the bat carrying the goblin warlock, causing her to fall.
• Black Snake rushed the grounded warlock but a beastfolk guard knocked aside his strike, giving her time to cast Fear Spell.
• The Fear Spell made Black Snake and everyone touched by the black soil collapse in terror, and Black Snake dropped his scimitar and tried to flee.
• An unexpected figure drove a rust-covered scimitar into the warlock’s chest and mocked Black Snake about what he had seen in the illusion.

Tang Qi and Black Snake fought their way through the goblins and beastfolk, but a half-orc leader arrived with a giant-tortoise warband and surrounded them. Seeing an artificial eyeball like Melard’s, Tang Qi realized their predicament was part of a conspiracy.

• Tang Qi used a True Sight Eye Potion to resist the warlock’s Fear Spell, stabbed her, and took her hostage.
• A beastfolk charged despite Tang Qi’s threat, and Shivana hurled a great axe to stop him.
• Giant tortoises carrying towers and platforms emerged through the mist as their beastfolk followers surrounded Tang Qi, Black Snake, and Kuru.
• A half-orc leader descended from the leading tortoise and approached the group.
• Tang Qi recognized the artificial eyeball hovering beside the half-orc as a magical construct like Melard’s and concluded that their situation was no accident.

Tang Qi used Babaya as a hostage to negotiate with Shivana, who had to weigh saving the Old Prophet against the humans’ proposal. After Tang Qi’s attempt to befriend the beastfolk confused everyone, he offered to join Shivana’s tribe, leaving her considering whether the captives could be useful.

• Shivana recalled how Babaya had undermined her leadership and felt conflicted about rescuing the Old Prophet after Tang Qi captured her.
• Tang Qi threatened Babaya, and Shivana countered by presenting captured humans as hostages and demanding a life-for-a-life exchange.
• Tang Qi proposed trading Babaya for himself, Black Snake, and Kuru, then tried to calm Shivana with a song that reminded her of her father.
• Tang Qi, Black Snake, and Kuru simultaneously offered to join the beastfolk, asked which way to run, and begged for mercy.
• Tang Qi argued that his group could prove their strength and help Shivana navigate the Lord Alliance’s territory, prompting her to consider using them and Babaya’s failure to her advantage.

Shivana challenged Black Snake to a duel to reclaim Babaya and strengthen her standing with her tribe. Tang Qi told Black Snake to lose deliberately so they could negotiate, but Black Snake fought Shivana and ended the chapter aiming at her eye.

• Shivana summoned her great axe and challenged Black Snake, offering to let the captives go if she lost.
• Tang Qi instructed Black Snake to trade blows and then lose by a hair, hoping to preserve Shivana’s pride and keep Babaya as a hostage.
• Black Snake doubted Tang Qi’s plan but agreed to fight Shivana, while privately intending to return to Star Plum Town and warn its people.
• Shivana charged and attacked Black Snake with her great axe, and he dodged her blows while cutting her forearm.
• Black Snake evaded Shivana’s rising strike and aimed his blade at her right eye.

Black Snake fought Shivana in their duel, but she revealed her Barbarian Rage and summoned the Brute Bear Spirit, turning the fight into a dangerous contest of endurance. As Black Snake weakened, Tang Qi urged him to outlast her rage and strike before she could ignite it again.

• Black Snake wounded Shivana with his curved blade, but she survived his strikes and nearly fell to his final thrust.
• Shivana unleashed her Barbarian Rage and summoned the Brute Bear Spirit, forcing Black Snake away with a roar and charging him with her Great Axe.
• Black Snake evaded Shivana’s powerful attacks and cut her, but she traded wounds for wounds, leaving him bleeding and exhausted.
• Black Snake realized Shivana’s greater strength and endurance made the fight dangerous for him.
• Tang Qi told Black Snake to prolong Shivana’s Barbarian Rage, and Black Snake understood he had to finish the duel before his stamina ran out.

Black Snake deliberately lost his duel with Shivana, but Babaya’s followers attacked Tang Qi and Babaya unleashed Magic Blast. Black Snake shielded Tang Qi, and Shivana drove Babaya off before letting the humans leave; Black Snake then collapsed in the forest from his injuries.

• Black Snake dodged Shivana’s attacks, then deliberately let her wound him so she could claim victory in their duel.
• Tang Qi noticed Goblins closing in and warned Kuru to watch them, but four Goblins attacked him and Babaya.
• Kuru froze one attacker while Tang Qi tried to reach Babaya, who used her pendant to cast Magic Blast at him.
• Black Snake took the blast meant for Tang Qi, and Shivana knocked Babaya unconscious before declaring the duel unfinished and ordering the humans to leave.
• Tang Qi and Black Snake left with Kuru, but Black Snake collapsed after they had put distance between themselves and the Sky Turtles.

Tang Qi carried the gravely wounded Black Snake through the forest toward Star Plum Town, where Black Snake revealed his past and his connection to Catherine. He reached the town gate and saw her waiting, but died before he could speak to her.

• Black Snake woke on Tang Qi's back after hours of travel, and Tang Qi explained how he had tried to stop the bleeding and urged him to stay conscious.
• Tang Qi kept Black Snake talking by asking about his adventures, and Black Snake recalled leaving someone behind to climb greater mountains before returning to the golden oak tree.
• Black Snake revealed that he had returned too late to be there for the woman he loved and the child they had together, and that he had only watched Catherine grow up from afar.
• Tang Qi rushed through the thinning mist toward Star Plum Town while Black Snake asked him to take Catherine away and let her live.
• Catherine ran out to meet them at the town gate, and Black Snake clutched the ruby ring at his chest, saw her, and died after telling her he loved her.

Tang Qi buried Black Snake and urged Catherine and Father Lynn to evacuate Star Plum Town before the Beastfolk arrived. Father Lynn explained that the town was preparing defenses while waiting for aid, but Tang Qi revealed that the Beastfolk had already targeted the town and the nobles might abandon its residents.

• Tang Qi, Father Lynn, and Catherine held Black Snake’s funeral beneath the golden oak, and Father Lynn said Black Snake had loved Catherine deeply.
• Catherine asked Father Lynn to leave with her, but he refused to abandon the townspeople he had served for decades.
• Tang Qi argued that the townspeople could escape north through the forest, but Catherine explained that they might lose their way in its mist.
• Father Lynn said Steward Hus had ordered able-bodied men to build defenses while women and children remained in town, and that Lord Mel had requested troops from Dragon Gold City.
• Tang Qi revealed that the Beastfolk’s chieftain had a construct like Melard’s that could guide them through the forest, making Star Plum Town their target.
• Father Lynn warned that the nobles might leave the townspeople behind or use them to cover their own escape.

Father Lynn explained how Lord Mel had abandoned and killed his subjects to cover up his own cowardice, warning Catherine not to ask nobles to save Star Plum Town. Tang Qi decided to try to lead the town’s people to escape, hoping the feat would earn him a reward in the [Log].

• Father Lynn told Tang Qi and Catherine how Lord Mel fled a hunt, injured servants to escape, and later executed witnesses and guards to hide his disgrace.
• Father Lynn urged Catherine to seek Melard’s mercy for herself rather than ask him to evacuate the whole town.
• Catherine decided she would leave with Anbi if Melard accepted them, or stay and search for another way if he did not.
• Gravel, who had been hiding in Catherine’s tavern, proposed that he and the others apply to join Melard’s party and escape.
• Tang Qi declared that he would try to take everyone in Star Plum Town with them, partly because he expected the achievement to bring him a reward in the [Log].

Catherine warned Melard and Hus that a Beastfolk tribe was heading toward Star Plum Town, but Hus concealed the danger from the townspeople and arranged for Melard to flee to Dragon Gold City. Melard insisted Catherine go with him, while Catherine returned to the tavern and learned that Father Lynn’s meeting with Tang Qi had gone badly.

• Catherine told Melard and Hus that Black Snake had said the attackers belonged to a Beastfolk tribe heading toward Star Plum Town, but Melard accused her of making up the story.
• Hus stopped Melard from punishing Catherine and privately urged him to leave for Dragon Gold City with the Mercenary captain, while keeping the warning from the townspeople.
• Hus decided to remain behind and defend the territory, reasoning that causing a panic could cost the town people and disrupt the harvest.
• Melard persuaded Hus to let him take Catherine to Dragon Gold City, saying he needed her as a shield against pressure to marry a noblewoman.
• Catherine left to fetch wine, hurried back to the tavern, and asked Father Lynn how things had gone with Tang Qi; Father Lynn said they had gone badly.

Tang Qi planned to persuade the townspeople to flee through Twilight Forest before dawn, despite their fear and the obstacles posed by Melard and the guards. Catherine chose to stay and help, and Tang Qi asked everyone to play the villains in his plan.

• Father Lynn explained that the townspeople were too afraid of Twilight Forest to leave without understanding the danger.
• Gravel mocked Tang Qi’s plan, while Tang Qi listed the need to find a guide, stop Melard from escaping, and deal with the guards.
• Father Lynn predicted Melard would flee with Catherine in about an hour, and Catherine realized Melard had hinted that she should pack.
• Tang Qi concluded they had to move three hundred people before dawn and admitted he could not manage it alone.
• Catherine refused to leave without her family and agreed to help Tang Qi, who asked the others to play the villains in his plan.