Chapter Summaries

He Xi reunited with Zoya, welcomed her home, and learned how she had used a passage from a novel to fool Priestess Alus while searching for a way to leave the Eastern Continent. As Zoya’s favorability rose and He Xi planned to use a future entry to learn Star Magic and approach Alus, the pair grew intimate again, ending with Zoya checking whether he was feeling well.

• He Xi embraced and kissed Zoya after her return, while Tata watched with confusing jealousy and Bruce silently tried to stop her from staring.
• At dinner, He Xi praised Zoya’s and Tata’s grilled meat pies, earning favorability and Parsing Points from both of them.
• Zoya told He Xi she had copied a fictional scroll-making passage for Priestess Alus and planned to keep her distracted with passages from other novels.
• He Xi admired Zoya’s magical talent, noted that he needed 17 more Parsing Points to extract her entry, and planned to meet Alus as a scroll scholar to learn about Star Magic.
• Zoya joined He Xi in bed, and after they kissed, she checked him and announced that Little He Xi seemed unwell.

He Xi and Zoya discussed her acceptance of his closeness with Tata, while Zoya admitted she trusted Tata to keep him company during her absence. The next morning, He Xi visited Mushroom Cottage with Zoya and Bruce and heard that Ulag had spent the night drinking with Bruno and was expected to return.

• Zoya restrained He Xi and asked whether he behaved normally when she was away, then told him Tata had spoken to her about his attraction to her.
• He Xi explained that he had held back with Tata because he worried about hurting Zoya and was unsure whether Tata's devotion was entirely her own choice.
• Zoya said she did not object to He Xi liking Tata, and she trusted Tata to care for him while she was away; she also revealed that she had once punished Tata after Tata suggested having He Xi's babies that night.
• After spending the night together, He Xi wondered how to talk to Zoya about Isla, whose bracelet he still wore.
• The next morning, He Xi brought Zoya and Bruce to Mushroom Cottage and found Bruno drunk after Ulag had stayed drinking with him and Signey until near dawn.
• Bruno said Ulag had left twenty Gold Shield for the wine and had been told to return that afternoon to keep proving himself to Signey.

He Xi and Zoya discovered that Ringleaf could become a spirit-like presence inside Zoya, communicate telepathically, and recognize her as resembling the elves who raised it. They returned to Bruno with Ringleaf, but before He Xi could explain what had happened, Bruno demanded to know why the dwarf blacksmith had not come to meet his daughter.

• Zoya approached Ringleaf, and the trembling fairy horse moved closer and let her stroke it.
• He Xi practiced [Withered Leaves Bloom] in the woods while Zoya explored with Bruce and Ringleaf.
• Ringleaf turned into blue light and disappeared into Zoya, then reappeared beside her and began communicating with her telepathically.
• Zoya relayed that Ringleaf remembered a swaying black box on salty water and elves with pointed ears, brown hair, green eyes, and double-headed curved weapons.
• He Xi learned that Ringleaf could sustain its spirit-body by drawing on Zoya's mana without noticeably changing her reserves.
• He Xi and Zoya led Ringleaf back to the Mushroom Cottage, where Bruno confronted them about the absent dwarf blacksmith.

He Xi and Zoya visited Bruno, who learned that Ringleaf had bonded with Zoya and agreed to give the horse to them in place of the mount he had promised He Xi. Bruno then taught Zoya how to sense and contact her pocket plane, while He Xi left with a reminder to find Ulag and explain the situation.

• He Xi told Bruno that Ulag had missed their appointment, and Bruno insisted the dwarf must have stayed away because he had drunk too much.
• Bruno discovered that Ringleaf no longer trembled and watched it appear and disappear into a pocket plane near Zoya.
• After learning that Ringleaf had bonded with Zoya, Bruno offered to give it to them for 80 Gold Shields, then settled the price as repayment for the mount he had promised He Xi.
• Bruno explained the Ether Plane and pocket planes, then used Ether Root and a magic circle to help Zoya learn to contact Ringleaf's pocket plane.
• He Xi thanked Bruno and promised to find Ulag, while Bruno reminded him to explain the frog language after returning to the academy.

He Xi and his companions attended Cross Auction House, where a rare spell scroll tied to his earnings sold for 300 Gold Shields. He Xi contacted Flora about several questions and kept his reasons from Zoya, leaving her curious as the auction continued.

• He Xi, Bruce, and Zoya waited in Private Box Four while Bruce repeatedly ordered roasted ribs and claimed he was saving money for He Xi.
• Cross opened the auction, and Deborah presented a rare scroll of [Leomund's Tiny Hut] as the first lot.
• Bidders competed over the scroll until Private Box Three won it for 300 Gold Shields.
• He Xi considered asking Flora about scroll-making materials, Skill Scrolls, and low-ranking demons, then sent Beilu to find Flora at Observer's Tower.
• Zoya asked He Xi why he needed Flora, but He Xi called it a secret and returned his attention to the auction, leaving Zoya watching him curiously.

He Xi earned 9,160 Gold Shields and 85 Silver Scales from his consigned goods, then gained the Spirit Bonding trait from Rustling Leaf's Favorability. He later questioned Ulag about the female gnome Bruno thought Ulag admired, but learned Ulag had mistaken her for a slow-serving maid.

• Cross auctioned Green Hag and Night Hag heads, claiming they came from a coven destroyed by a legendary mage, while bidders speculated about the mage's identity.
• He Xi received a note from Flora, collected his auction proceeds, and kept 285 Gold Shields while exchanging the rest for Kunda Grand Bank notes.
• Zoya told He Xi that Ringleaf had asked whether he was her servant, and she repeated its teasing question about Bruce to the embarrassed dog.
• He Xi gained the Spirit Bonding trait from Rustling Leaf's Favorability and decided it might let Bruce hide in his pocket space after he consulted Bruno.
• Kazmir took He Xi and Zoya to question Ulag, who explained that he had stared at Bruno's maid because she poured drinks too slowly, not because he was interested in her.

He Xi helped Ulag turn down Bruno’s daughter, then hired Kazmir to deliver an explanation that would spare the gnome’s feelings. After securing Bruno’s help with another Ringleaf-related ritual, He Xi went to the Observer’s Tower to ask Flora about demons, still unsure how to explain his interest in gathering their traits.

• He Xi told Ulag that Signey wanted to marry him, but Ulag refused because he wanted to remain an adventurer and preferred bearded women.
• Ulag hid behind a locked door and paid He Xi to explain his rejection to Bruno, while He Xi returned the Gold Shield through the floor with magic.
• He Xi hired Kazmir to tell Bruno that Ulag liked Signey, and Bruno accepted the explanation despite being stunned by Kazmir’s tearful performance.
• He Xi asked Bruno to prepare another Ringleaf-related ritual, and Bruno agreed after warning him to use no more than three Ether Roots at a time.
• He Xi parted from Zoya and Kazmir, then went to the Observer’s Tower with Bruce to speak to Flora about his search for demons.

He Xi explained to Flora that he planned to study demons’ Real Names by learning Abyssal from low-rank demons, and Flora trusted him while teasing him about their agreement. The three traveled to Black Elm Town to find the abandoned mage tower where demons appeared, and He Xi sought directions from adventurers.

• Flora accepted He Xi’s explanation and stopped him from revealing how he could obtain demons’ language, then invited him on an adventure.
• Flora and He Xi flew to Fernandez’s Gate Hall, where Mage Weaver directed them to the teleportation array for Black Elm Town.
• Flora told He Xi that a sorcerer named Milo had opened a passage to the Abyss at an abandoned mage tower, causing demons to appear and merchants to abandon the route.
• He Xi and Flora went to the Adventurer Guild to find people who knew the tower’s location and demon activity.
• Lankas recruited ranged fighters to clear dretches near the Leaky Tower Ruins, and Bruce asked whether dogs were weaker than demons.

He Xi and Flora joined Lankas’s team to clear Imps near Black Elm Town, and He Xi learned how the creatures had driven other Demonic Beasts toward the town and threatened its residents. The group reached the woods and prepared to fight after Lankas heard something approaching.

• Lankas warned He Xi and Flora that Imps could summon nearby kin, then gave them directions to the mage tower and an abandoned workshop where about thirty Imps had been spotted.
• He Xi and Flora agreed to join Lankas, Ethan, and a tall young ranger apprentice in clearing Imps, provided they followed Lankas’s commands during combat.
• As they traveled, He Xi learned that foreign adventurers focused on profitable Demonic Beasts while Lankas’s local team cleared Imps to protect Black Elm Town.
• Lankas explained that the Imps had disrupted the woodland, pushing Goblins and kobolds toward the town and endangering residents who could not safely move to distant Redwater City.
• Lankas heard rustling in the bushes ahead and ordered the group to prepare for battle.

He Xi and his companions reached the abandoned workshop and used a drainage ditch to trap a group of Imps. He Xi's [Withered Leaves Bloom] killed them far faster than Lankas expected, and he then proposed a new way to lure in even more Imps.

• Lankas, Clay, and Ethan killed five Imps on the forest trail while He Xi watched their coordinated archery and Lankas collected venom.
• Lankas led the group to the ruined workshop and explained his plan to lure the Imps into a concealed drainage ditch.
• Lankas drew more than ten Imps toward the ditch, where He Xi cast [Withered Leaves Bloom] and killed them within seconds.
• Flora teased He Xi about being the most amazing and joked about replacing his little girlfriend, while Clay and Ethan watched in astonishment.
• He Xi told Lankas he could attract even more Imps and asked Flora for a few strands of hair; ten minutes later, Flora ran toward the workshop with Lankas, holding up her skirt.

He Xi used an illusion and a deadfall trap to clear the imps around the abandoned workshop, then joined Flora to investigate the ruined mage tower and its Gate of Otherworlds. As they reached the gate on the third floor, Flora's voice abruptly stopped and He Xi told her to stay silent and follow him.

• He Xi lured the imps into the old water channel with an illusion of Flora, while Lankas, Ethan, and Clay helped kill the trapped creatures.
• He Xi reached Withered Leaves Bloom LV.4, selected Filth Resistance and Dark Vision, and then acquired Rotten Body after extracting traits from the imps.
• He Xi told Flora he truly wanted to adventure with her, and they decided to visit the abandoned mage tower despite Ethan's warning and Lankas's offer to guide them the next day.
• He Xi and Flora traveled to the tower, where Flora explained the Gate of Otherworlds had remained open after the Mage Association sealed it off.
• He Xi and Flora reached the third-floor ritual hall and approached the dark, mist-filled gate, but Flora's voice suddenly cut off and He Xi ordered her not to speak and to follow him.

He Xi and Flora lured Zekal, a Glabrezu demon hiding in the mage tower, into revealing itself and learned it had trapped adventurers with false clues. After Flora restrained Zekal and exposed its thoughts, she prepared to dominate it so He Xi could use it for his trait-drawing plans.

• Flora sensed a psychic fluctuation in a moonlit room and instructed He Xi to pretend to be a greedy, unstable scholar while she tracked it.
• He Xi examined strange symbols on the wall until a voice addressed him telepathically, and he feigned fear as heavy footsteps approached.
• Zekal emerged and explained that it had stolen research documents, lured adventurers to the tower, and sought a way back to the Abyss.
• Flora identified Zekal's plan to repair the gate and report to Demogorgon, then revealed that she could read its thoughts.
• Flora immobilized Zekal with [Hold Monster], and He Xi considered whether he could draw traits from the demon after its death.
• Flora summoned a silver-white staff and raised it to cast eighth-circle [Dominate Monster] on Zekal.

He Xi and Flora used Zekal to summon and kill three kss demons, gaining He Xi the choice of a new trait. After choosing Abyssal, He Xi deciphered the Dark Tome fragment and unlocked the ability to search for advanced classes.

• Flora explained that her Perfect Concentration Afterglow talent would keep her domination spell active for three minutes after she stopped concentrating, and He Xi examined Erikter’s notebook about the Dark Tome fragment.
• He Xi prepared a Web Spell trap, and Zekal summoned a kss demon that it seized and beat while He Xi killed it with Magic Missile.
• Flora dominated a second allure demon, which helped He Xi kill two more kss demons and extract their traits.
• After Flora ended her spell and killed the exhausted Zekal, He Xi supported her as she rested beside him, then chose the Abyssal trait over Blindsight Instinct.
• He Xi gained Wisdom, deciphered the Dark Tome fragment, learned Basic Demon Lore, and received a prompt asking whether he wanted to search for available advanced classes.

He Xi used the light in his mind to search for advanced-class guidance and discovered several possible paths, including an absurd, unnamed class with intimate rituals among its requirements. After Flora explained how such guidance could arise, He Xi revealed that he had received four additional directions, leaving her stunned.

• He Xi examined the requirements for the Forbidden Scholar and Elementalist classes, finding that he did not yet meet all of them.
• He Xi used Essence of Bhaal to reveal Profane Assassin requirements and searched further, uncovering several incomplete or unnamed class paths.
• He Xi found an unknown class whose requirements included intercourse with members of multiple races and creatures of higher life tiers, and wondered what qualified.
• Flora woke and asked He Xi what was wrong, then listened as he showed her the demon's notes and described sensing advanced-class guidance.
• Flora explained that gods and other powers could guide people toward special classes, and He Xi told her he had received four more directions, leaving her surprised.

A supplementary translation of the Dark Tome fragment recorded Turcot Nol Amu's study of the Abyss and his account of how the gods reshaped primordial chaos. With demons aware of his pursuit of knowledge and war approaching, he prayed to gods he no longer believed in for survival.

• Turcot Nol Amu studied demonology and endured the influence of abyssal knowledge.
• Turcot Nol Amu learned that the Abyss was primordial chaos from which the gods created the mortal world and their divine thrones.
• Turcot Nol Amu described how the gods imposed order on chaos and abandoned the demons, giving rise to the demons' wars against them.
• The demons learned of Turcot Nol Amu's thirst for knowledge and feared his power.
• Turcot Nol Amu anticipated war and prayed that his wisdom would allow him to survive.

He Xi told Flora about the advanced classes he could pursue and asked for her advice. Her encouragement helped him choose [Elementalist] as a fallback while he investigated the unknown classes, and he left the tower with Flora after deciding to put the demons’ bodies to use.

• He Xi described his possible advanced classes, and Flora explained the talents and transformations offered by [Elementalist].
• He Xi revealed the requirements and uncertainties of his other possible classes, including [Forbidden Scholar], a demon-controlling class, and an unknown melee class tied to the fairy horse.
• Flora urged He Xi to choose a path he genuinely liked, and he realized he was most curious about the unknown final class.
• He Xi decided to pursue [Elementalist] as a fallback while asking his teacher about the unknown classes and letting the final class’s conditions unfold naturally.
• He Xi discovered the demons had no valuable materials and used [Mage Hand] to pile their bodies in front of the [Gate of Otherworlds], recruiting Flora to help.

He Xi and Flora encountered and killed more Imps in the forest before Flora secretly used [Fly Spell] to carry them toward Black Elm Town. After Bruce caught up in a fiery flight and reunited with them, He Xi and his companions ate with Ethan and Lankas, then departed through the town’s Teleportation Magic Array.

• He Xi and Flora discovered two more Imps lying in wait and He Xi killed them with [Earth Spike Technique].
• Flora secretly cast [Fly Spell] and carried He Xi through the moonlit forest, while they realized they had left Bruce behind.
• Bruce used flames to fly to Black Elm Town, where Ethan praised him and the guard learned that he could talk.
• He Xi, Flora, and Bruce shared a meal with Ethan, Lankas, and Clay at the Gray Feather Tavern.
• He Xi asked Ethan to guide them to the Teleportation Magic Array, then sent Ethan a money pouch as he and his companions teleported away.

He Xi studied demon Real Names and planned to consult Teacher Fivik before approaching the Cambion again, while he began taking academy spell electives. He mastered [Shield Spell], practiced it against a golem, and arranged to attend Mirabelle’s upcoming [Fireball Spell] class.

• Flora warned He Xi not to approach the Cambion or other tempting places alone, and they agreed to confirm their Real Name theory together.
• He Xi decided to contact Teacher Fivik about demon-summoning spells and advanced class paths, but learned that Fivik had gone to another plane.
• He Xi attended Oleg’s [Shield Spell] elective, mastered the spell after consulting Oleg, and gained one Wisdom.
• He Xi used a practice-room golem to train [Shield Spell] and increased its proficiency.
• Mirabelle questioned He Xi about spending two credits on her [Fire Arrow] elective, and He Xi asked to attend her upcoming [Fireball Spell] class.
• Mirabelle told He Xi that the [Fireball Spell] class would meet next Thursday at 10 a.m. in Classroom 402.

He Xi taught Bruno and the students basic giant-frog commands, then learned that his adventurer party, Dragon Revival, had become a public topic after the Bhaal believer case. He went to Golden Scales Trading Company to look at horses and heard a familiar voice upstairs.

• He Xi bought nine Ether Roots, ate at Southern Flavor, and returned to the academy to help Bruno with his language-and-magic-pet research.
• He Xi taught Bruno and the students several basic frog commands, and Bruno successfully made a giant frog lower its head.
• Bruno told He Xi that the students had been discussing Dragon Revival, which He Xi had only just formed, and He Xi realized the Adventurer Guild might have publicized the party without telling him.
• He Xi asked Bruno where to find an affordable horse, then went to Golden Scales Trading Company to inspect its mounts.
• As a clerk led He Xi toward the back courtyard, he heard a familiar voice coming from upstairs.

A stranded man from Blue Star survived by posing as a bard and telling jokes, but his attempts to earn food led him into trouble with Dwarves and a Drow slave named Tucker. After he told another Dwarf joke in the tavern, an unnoticed gray dwarf prepared to confront him.

• The black-haired bard joined three adventurers and told them that Dwarves had learned to write so they could record insults in the Book of Hatred.
• The bard recalled how a Dwarf had thrown him across a tavern for making jokes, then explained that he had been a stranded man from Blue Star for ten days.
• He recounted how He Xi had brought him to safety and given him money, and how Tucker escaped from him twice before kneeling to a female Drow.
• The bard told the adventurers that Tucker was a masochist, and they resumed trading jokes about Dwarves and Drow.
• The gray dwarf noticed the bard telling another Dwarf joke and gripped the axe on his back.