Recaps

Tang Qi and his companions used the temple’s glass panes to focus moonlight onto the broken statue’s “Dawn” inscription, revealing four sacred inscriptions on the pillars. After Tang Qi praised Dawn by reciting lines matching those inscriptions, his body vanished from his perception and he encountered a spectral soul that called him “Poet.”

• Tang Qi and his companions raised the glass panes in the pillars, with Kuru climbing onto Gravel so they could reach the mechanism.
• Tang Qi realized the panes could refract moonlight and, with the others’ help, directed a beam onto the “Dawn” inscription at the statue’s feet.
• Four inscriptions appeared on the pillars: “Actions Speak Louder Than Words,” “Fearless Challenge,” “Temper the Body,” and “Fortify the Soul.”
• Tang Qi alone heard a voice saying “Praise me” and inferred that the inscriptions guided what he should say to the statue.
• Tang Qi recited a line of praise for each inscription, then lost awareness of his physical body and saw a spectral soul call him “Poet.”

Tang Qi met [Dawn], the hero whose soul was preserved beneath the tomb, and learned that a necromancer was preparing the body of a false god whose seal was weakening. After Tang Qi agreed to clear the tomb in exchange for its buried treasures, [Dawn] opened the passage and gave him a way to summon her if needed.

• Tang Qi spoke with [Dawn], who explained that she had died fighting a false god and that her soul had been kept in the tomb to contain its remains.
• [Dawn] told Tang Qi that the tomb's entrance opened only when someone praised her, though she denied requesting the condition.
• Tang Qi learned that the necromancer's planned corpse was meant to complete the false god's body and that the seal was close to breaking.
• [Dawn] offered Tang Qi the treasures buried with her in exchange for dealing with the danger, and he agreed.
• [Dawn] taught Tang Qi an incantation to summon her, then the statue shifted aside to reveal a passage underground.

Deis recovered from psychic damage and prepared to rest in his corpse-filled tomb, hoping to master soul magic and find a soul. When Gravel triggered his alarm and charged in, Deis summoned a giant from the corpses to confront him.

• Deis drank a Pressure Potion to ease his psychic wounds, then inspected the headless body on his stone platform.
• Deis lay down among the corpses to sleep and recover his mental energy, dreaming of finding a soul through soul magic.
• An Alarm Spell woke Deis, who rushed to his workshop and grabbed an enormous skull after realizing he had forgotten his spells.
• Gravel charged into the tomb with his tower shield, and Deis hurled the skull among the corpses and chanted an incantation.
• The corpses began writhing as a gigantic mass of flesh rose, and Gravel's Shield Charge struck it and sent him flying backward.

Gravel, Tang Qi, Kuru, and Anbi fought Deis and his Zombie Meatball in the tomb, and Tang Qi summoned Aiyer Dawn to defeat them. Tang Qi then realized the ritual had been meant to bind Dawn’s soul, and confronted him as Dawn asked how he had discovered the truth.

• Gravel climbed the Zombie Meatball and smashed its skull, exposing Deis, while Tang Qi and Kuru tried to attack the necromancer.
• Deis began a ritual at the stone platform, but Anbi tackled him and interrupted his incantation.
• Tang Qi reached the broken sword and summoned Aiyer Dawn, whose radiant blade killed Deis and split the Zombie Meatball in two.
• Tang Qi attacked Dawn after realizing the ritual had targeted Dawn’s soul rather than a false god.
• Dawn blocked Tang Qi’s strike and asked how he had figured out the ritual’s true purpose.

Tang Qi uncovered Dawn’s true motive for luring him into the tomb: she wanted to be recorded on the Stone of Oblivion, not to take Catherine’s head. After Dawn swore she meant him no harm, Tang Qi agreed to discuss the matter later and asked her to cover her exposed body.

• Tang Qi explained that he had recognized Dawn’s deception because her supposed praise verse had not activated the magic circle through musical vibrations.
• Dawn defended her actions as a pursuit of glory and future atonement, and Tang Qi concluded that her goals made him relatively safe from her.
• Dawn refused Tang Qi’s offer to part ways, then clarified that she had wanted him brought to the tomb rather than Catherine.
• Dawn revealed that Tang Qi carried the aura of the Stone of Oblivion, and that she had hoped to have her achievements recorded on it.
• Dawn clasped Tang Qi’s hand and swore she had never intended to hurt him, while Tang Qi asked her to put on clothes.

Tang Qi discovered that his Journal might be connected to the Stone Tablet and healed Anbi with Dawn’s help. Dawn revealed her fading memories and pledged her life and soul to Tang Qi in exchange for a chance to reclaim her lost glory, and he accepted her after learning she knew a Resurrection Spell.

• Tang Qi suspected that the Journal was connected to the Stone Tablet and wondered whether its contents had been made public.
• Dawn used [Holy Heal] to ease Anbi’s injuries, but the sacred light burned Dawn’s undead body and severed her left hand.
• Tang Qi searched the tomb with Gravel and found only a large chest, then questioned Dawn about her lost memories and the story of the Golden Country.
• Dawn explained that she could not remember her defeat and asked Tang Qi to record her deeds so the name [Sword of Dawn] would endure.
• Dawn offered Tang Qi her loyalty, life, and soul, and Tang Qi accepted after she said she knew [Resurrection Spell].

Tang Qi and his companions left the ruined temple with Dawn, whose sacred powers came at a steep physical and financial cost. On the ride back, Dawn revealed that the bottled eyeball and other constructs came from the ancient Golden Country, leading Tang Qi to suspect that the country was connected to the Duchess and the Beastfolk.

• Tang Qi learned that Dawn's ring could cast light or be shattered, and he used Restoration Gel to reattach her hand despite its high cost.
• Tang Qi sorted through the Necromancer's meager remaining valuables, gave Kuru a spellbook to study, and concealed Dawn's headless body in armor.
• Dawn summoned a spirit warhorse to carry the party back, straining herself and forcing Tang Qi to spend more Restoration Gel on her hand.
• As they rode away, sunlight fell on the temple and its flowers, and Tang Qi wondered whether Dawn's departure had brought them light.
• Dawn recognized the bottled eyeball as a common artificial life-form from the Golden Country, prompting Tang Qi to consider its possible links to the Duchess and the Beastfolk.

After the group returned to camp, Dawn eased a suffering undead Mercenary’s soul and Tang Qi helped the survivors reconcile with Melard. The camp settled for the night, and Tang Qi went to speak with Catherine, who suggested they walk to the river together.

• Tang Qi and the others returned to camp, where Dawn soothed the living corpse and let its tormented soul rest.
• Tang Qi reassured the townspeople that Dawn would guard them and persuaded them to recognize Melard’s help in protecting the camp.
• Father Lynn and Old David thanked Melard, who was moved by the townspeople’s kindness as Tang Qi led the camp in song.
• Kuru told Tang Qi that he was studying [Feather Fall] from the adventurer’s spellbook.
• Dawn approached Tang Qi after resolving the Mercenary’s lingering obsession, and Tang Qi praised her.
• Tang Qi went to speak with Catherine, who proposed they go to the river while she washed herself.

Tang Qi used Restoration Gel to erase Catherine’s scar and reassured her that she had helped him and Gravel in return. Catherine discussed her plans to marry Young Master Melard, then sensed Tang Qi’s disappointment, leaving him to realize that the Concentric Ring was still on his hand.

• Catherine told Tang Qi she tolerated his looks because she had little else to offer, and he insisted she had helped him and Gravel during their journey.
• Tang Qi offered Catherine Restoration Gel as an investment in her tavern and applied it until her scar and dark spots disappeared.
• Catherine told Tang Qi that Anbi was safe but needed rest, and thanked him for helping Anbi release her grief about her father.
• Catherine said she was considering marrying Young Master Melard if she stayed in Dragon Gold City, and asked whether Tang Qi was disappointed.
• Tang Qi realized Catherine had sensed his feelings because he had forgotten to remove the Concentric Ring.

Tang Qi and Catherine admitted their guarded feelings for each other and agreed to pursue a relationship without pretending it was love. Meanwhile, Geya copied Tang Qi’s Journal at the academy, reacting to his account of their adventure and his teasing reference to her.

• Catherine returned the Concentric Ring to Tang Qi and told him she had sensed his feelings since they first met.
• Tang Qi and Catherine discussed their shared plans for the Golden Oak and Catherine’s wish to avoid marrying Melard, and Tang Qi promised to do what he could to help her live freely.
• Catherine said she preferred Tang Qi to anyone else, and he told her that her value extended beyond her body; she then allowed him to want more from her.
• Geya found red ink on her quill, shut her window against the summer air, and began copying Tang Qi’s Journal entry about the Twilight Forest.
• Geya read Tang Qi’s account of provoking Dwarf and Necromancer, then became envious as she considered his encounter with a Fourth Ring spellcaster.
• Geya copied Tang Qi’s joke about offering her to the Necromancer, felt insulted, and decided to forgive him because he had called her perfect.

As Tang Qi and his companions traveled toward Dragon Gold City, Geya transcribed his Journal and reflected on his adventures and character. The Journal recorded their uneventful days on the road until Tang Qi noticed the Dragon Egg move.

• Geya read Tang Qi’s account of accepting the headless undead paladin’s loyalty and considered turning the hero’s history into an epic.
• Geya transcribed Tang Qi’s reflections and intimate encounter with Catherine, then wondered whether she had misunderstood his true nature.
• Tang Qi gained the Silver Tongue and Sleep Spell rewards from the Necromancer incident and discussed how professionals’ strength was recognized with Gravel.
• Tang Qi recorded the group’s journey, praised Miss Dawn, and noted that Anbi had awakened but remained subdued by grief.
• Tang Qi filled his Journal with daily travel and bathing notes until, on day 22, he saw the Dragon Egg move.

Tang Qi and his companions watched Kuru’s trembling stone egg begin to hatch, and Tang Qi used his Poet’s Inspiration to help the creature break free. The hatchling emerged as a purple lizard, which Tang Qi identified as an Amethyst Dragon.

• Tang Qi learned that Kuru had secretly worshipped the egg after it began moving five days earlier, and confiscated Kuru’s spellbook because he had exhausted himself studying.
• Tang Qi, Gravel, and Dawn debated what to do with the possible Dragon Egg and agreed to wait rather than sell it or interfere with the hatching.
• The egg cracked, but the weak creature inside struggled to break its shell, so Dawn warned Gravel not to help it directly.
• Tang Qi sang to inspire the hatchling to draw on its own strength, and the egg’s cracks spread as violet light shone through them.
• The shell shattered and a purple lizard emerged, leading Tang Qi to identify it as an Amethyst Dragon.

Tang Qi and his companions watched a newly hatched violet dragon emerge from its shell and tried to calm it after Kuru ate a fragment. The dragon attacked, displayed a powerful breath, and then abruptly failed to release it, leaving the danger unresolved.

• Tang Qi recognized the hatchling’s unusual appearance while Gravel and Dawn mistook it for a Pseudodragon.
• The hatchling ate its shell to recover its strength, but Kuru swallowed a fragment and enraged it.
• The hatchling flew at Kuru, and Tang Qi used Silver Tongue to divert its attack while Dawn struck it with her broken blade.
• The hatchling resisted Dawn’s next blow and formed a pitch-black singularity in its mouth, pulling the surrounding air toward it.
• Gravel prepared to shield Tang Qi, but the hatchling’s breath made a muffled sound and dissipated.

Tang Qi subdued a newborn Amethyst Dragon, used Catherine’s ring to build a connection with it, and planned to guide its early growth. Meanwhile, Bruto read Tang Qi’s account on the Stone Tablet and felt his own life had become dull by comparison.

• Tang Qi inspired Dawn to launch herself at the hatchling, but Dawn broke her leg when she landed.
• Tang Qi used a Sleep Spell to put the fleeing dragon to sleep, then borrowed Catherine’s ring and fitted it around the dragon’s neck.
• Tang Qi explained that he hoped the ring would help him bond with the newborn dragon and influence its upbringing.
• Bruto read Tang Qi’s diary entry about leading Star Plum Town’s civilians out of Twilight Forest and raising a Giant Dragon.
• Bruto compared himself with Tang Qi and complained that nothing felt exciting anymore.

Tang Qi and the refugees left the Twilight Forest and approached Dragon Gold City, while he encouraged Catherine and discussed how Melard should explain their escape to his father. The chapter ended with the group seeing the city-state and Tang Qi wondering whether it really looked like a dragon.

• Anbi timidly petted Yiwu, and the little dragon enjoyed her touch.
• Tang Qi teased Melard about lying to Lord Mel, then explained that he would spread the story either way to protect the refugees and Melard’s reputation.
• Dawn announced that the group was about to leave the forest, and the townspeople cheered at reaching the plains.
• Catherine thanked Tang Qi and the others for helping her regain confidence about starting a new life in Dragon Gold City.
• The group emerged into the sunlight, saw Dragon Gold City on the plain, and Tang Qi wondered if the city really was a dragon.

Tang Qi and his companions reached Dragon Tail Pass and marveled at Dragon Gold City, a city built along the remains of a Giant Dragon. As Tang Qi set out to enter the city with Melard and Gravel, a guide told them it had been under martial law for half a month because of the Beastfolk.

• Tang Qi, Melard, and Catherine’s group saw Dragon Gold City built along a Giant Dragon’s skeleton and learned about its districts from Melard.
• Tang Qi arranged for Catherine to find lodging for the townspeople, while Melard agreed to pay their expenses and Gravel joined Tang Qi on a trip to the city.
• Tang Qi left Yiwu in Anbi’s care and headed toward Dragon Gold City’s gate with Melard and Gravel.
• Chuck Greenbottle introduced himself as a guide and warned Tang Qi that Dragon Gold City had barred travelers under martial law.
• Chuck told Tang Qi that the martial law was reportedly connected to the Beastfolk.

Tang Qi and the Star Plum Town refugees reached Dragon Tail Pass and learned that Dragon Gold City’s martial law followed a failed campaign against the Beastfolk and was being used to collect Spear Tax. Tang Qi approached the city gate to report their plight, where his Commoner Hero bearing made the guard captain treat him with unexpected friendliness.

• Chuck told Tang Qi that Beastfolk had occupied Mel Barry’s territory, the city’s army had returned defeated, and the Public Lord was collecting Spear Tax during martial law.
• Chuck revealed that Melard’s reported death had prompted plans for a funeral, while Melard worried that Brothers Club would cancel his membership and ruin his chance to book a male model.
• Chuck led Tang Qi’s group to his inn and warned that the City Guard would refuse entry even to nobles, but Tang Qi insisted on reaching the city to find shelter for the three hundred refugees.
• At Dragon Tail Pass, Tang Qi discovered that Chuck had been paid by the guard captain to keep people away from the gate.
• Tang Qi told the approaching captain he needed to report the refugees’ hardships, and the captain responded calmly and asked what had happened.

Melard returned to Dragon Gold City just as his father was about to surrender the Barry family's land rights in exchange for a search for him. Leon questioned Melard under a truth spell about an egg, but Melard honestly knew nothing about it.

• Mel Barry mourned his missing son while Leon pressed him to give up the Barry family's land rights in exchange for a search effort and a Duchess's Eye.
• Mel Barry began to accept Leon's offer, but Melard arrived at the manor before the contract was signed.
• Melard explained the story Tang Qi had taught him to his father and Leon.
• Leon cast the Domain of Honesty and asked Melard whether he had seen anything unusual, such as an egg.
• Melard said he had not seen an egg, and Leon sensed that he was telling the truth.

Mel Barry planned to use Melard’s return from Star Plum Town to boost the family’s influence, while refusing to support the refugees. In the Dragon Political Hall, the Masked Lords voted to keep the Beastfolk alive for now, pending Mel Barry’s decision to relinquish Star Plum.

• Melard told Mel that Hus had diverted the Mercenaries and helped him escape, and Mel instructed him to take credit for the rescue.
• Mel told Melard to make the Poet portray him as a hero and dismissed his concerns about supporting the refugees.
• Melard left, and Mel privately rejoiced that his son had returned and that he would not have to sell Star Plum.
• Leon confronted the Masked Lords over the Beastfolk in Star Plum Town, and they debated the crop’s value, the city’s reputation, and the risks of keeping the Beastfolk alive.
• A silent Masked Lord voted to preserve the Beastfolk for now, breaking the tie, and Leon adjourned the meeting.

Leon questioned the lords about Martial Law, the Spear Tax, and the Dragon Egg, while Stella confirmed that nobody from the group had discovered it. Outside Dragon Tail Pass, Tang Qi’s [Commoner Hero] ability helped him befriend the guard captain but did not get him into Dragon Gold City, and he learned that the red-haired young lady wanted to discuss [Golden Oak].

• Orion Silver Shield asked Leon to lift Martial Law so his daughter could enter Dragon Gold City, but Leon refused until the next Spear Tax collection was complete.
• Leon confronted Orion about cavalrymen abusing their status and ordered Night Wind to investigate Melard’s entry and keep watching Tang Qi.
• Leon reviewed the Spear Tax collection with the Deep Well District lord, then asked Stella whether anyone had discovered the Dragon Egg; she said no.
• At Dragon Tail Pass, Tang Qi’s [Commoner Hero] ability made the guard captain friendly, but Tang Qi could not persuade him to let the group into Dragon Gold City.
• Chuck brought Tang Qi ale and told him that the red-haired young lady wanted him to come to her room to discuss the [Golden Oak] plan.

Catherine abandoned her plan to open Golden Oak in Dragon Gold City after realizing she lacked the funds, and she and Tang Qi agreed to gamble on opening in Dragon Tail Pass. Catherine proposed renting an expensive, supposedly haunted shop as a way to attract attention, and Tang Qi called for Dawn to investigate.

• Catherine showed Tang Qi her expenses and explained that her savings could not cover opening Golden Oak in Dragon Gold City.
• Catherine proposed opening Golden Oak in Dragon Tail Pass, and Tang Qi agreed to trust her plan.
• Catherine presented three possible locations, including a remote shop rumored to be haunted and priced above the central location.
• Catherine explained that the haunted shop’s notoriety could draw customers and help Golden Oak build a reputation if they dealt with the ghosts.
• Tang Qi called for Dawn to get to work on the haunting.

Tang Qi investigated the reported haunting near Dragon Tail Pass and discovered that Kuru had gained new magical abilities after eating an eggshell. At the haunted house, Dawn used Divine Sense and identified Tang Qi himself as an evil creature.

• Chuck told Tang Qi the story behind Mermaid's Song and joked that he might have to pretend to be a ghost to make his tavern famous.
• Kuru demonstrated that it could use an invisible Mage Hand and cast a colorful projectile spell after eating the eggshell.
• Tang Qi gathered Dawn and Kuru and headed southwest to investigate the haunted house near the Inner Sea.
• Tang Qi and Dawn heard faint crying that sounded like singing and felt a sinister presence as they approached the house.
• Dawn used Divine Sense and answered that Tang Qi was the evil creature she sensed.

Tang Qi investigated the mysterious singing in a seaside house and discovered that damp mushrooms were producing it. Chuck linked the mushrooms to alchemical materials appearing in Dragon Gold City's Deepwell dungeon, leaving Tang Qi curious but unable to investigate further while martial law remained in effect.

• Tang Qi, Dawn, and Kuru searched the house but found no ghosts or magical effects, so Tang Qi used music vibrations to trace the singing to mushrooms growing inside and outside.
• Tang Qi and his companions cleared away the mushrooms, stopping the singing, and stored the fungi in his Dimensional Bag for later study.
• Tang Qi returned to the Friendly Home and told Chuck that mushrooms, not a ghost, had caused the disturbance.
• Chuck said similar alchemical mushrooms had recently appeared in the shallow levels of the Deepwell dungeon, where adventurers sought a rumored dragon's treasure.
• Tang Qi tried to get Chuck to taste a mushroom and then threatened to tell Chuck's wife about his hidden gold coin, prompting Chuck to call him a bardic bastard.

Tang Qi’s Journal entry about the singing mushrooms failed to settle because the incident was not truly over. After finding that the mushrooms had regrown, he decided to send Kuru digging beneath the house to search for their source.

• Tang Qi finished writing about the mushrooms, but the Journal’s words faded before a reward could appear.
• Tang Qi summoned Dawn and Kuru and returned to the haunted house, where he found mushrooms growing again in the spot he had cleared.
• Kuru showed Tang Qi a newspaper article explaining that Deepwell’s shifting tunnels and dragon magic had created an unusual underground ecosystem.
• Tang Qi reasoned that the mushrooms might have spread from underground, but Dragon Gold City’s lockdown prevented them from entering Deepwell.
• Tang Qi persuaded Kuru to dig beneath the mushroom patch, promising to return his spellbook if Kuru found an entrance.

Tang Qi, Dawn, and Kuru dug into a strange underground chamber filled with mushrooms and encountered a giant toad that attacked them. Dawn killed it with brutal force, leaving Tang Qi worried that she might damage herself in the process.

• Tang Qi had Kuru dig while Dawn helped secure a rope, and the group descended into the earth after Kuru broke through.
• Tang Qi noticed the darkness below behaved unlike ordinary magical darkness as he and Dawn followed Kuru into a clammy chamber covered in swaying white mushrooms.
• A hidden monster ambushed them with its long, mushroom-covered tongue, but Dawn deflected it with Silver Tongue and Kuru struck the creature with a Prismatic Ball that froze the ground beneath it.
• Tang Qi revealed the attacker as a giant toad, and Dawn charged it before he could finish warning her not to use Supreme Holy Slash.
• Dawn severed the toad's tongue and limbs, crushed its skull, and smashed its bones while Tang Qi worried she might break herself.