Chapter Summaries

Ling Chu discovered that the armored King Cobras exposed their hearts when they used Flying Scale Spines, then coordinated with Huang Xiaowen and Clumsy Bear to exploit the opening. She killed two King Cobras with Storm Arrows, while the third remained in the fight.

• Three armored King Cobras attacked Ling Chu, Huang Xiaowen, and Clumsy Bear, who fought back while trying to avoid disturbing nearby snake dens.
• Ling Chu used Keen Eye to locate the King Cobras' hearts and noticed their back armor opened briefly when they fired Flying Scale Spines.
• Ling Chu climbed into a tree and told Huang Xiaowen and Clumsy Bear to provoke the King Cobras into using their skill.
• Huang Xiaowen baited two King Cobras into firing their spines, then used Card in Person to escape to a tree.
• Ling Chu shot two Storm Arrows into the exposed hearts of the two King Cobras, killing them.

Ling Chu and her companions defeated the last Armored King Cobra and cleared the nearby ordinary Cobras, but scouting revealed that the island was covered in vast, interconnected snake lairs. The group realized their battle had been only a small part of a much larger infestation.

• Ling Chu killed the last Armored King Cobra with a Storm Guiding Arrow while Clumsy Bear blocked its Flying Scale Spines with Blow to Enlarge Shield.
• Ling Chu, Huang Xiaowen, and Clumsy Bear joined the Skeleton Henchmen to kill the remaining Cobras nearby.
• Ling Chu discovered Clumsy Bear had been bitten and treated him with an Antidote Potion.
• Ling Chu collected the snake corpses and Snake Eggs for materials and food.
• Ling Chu viewed Little Yellow, Fluffball, and Hemlock's scouting visions and saw snake lairs stretching across the island.
• Ling Chu warned Huang Xiaowen and Clumsy Bear that the island was likely full of interconnected snake lairs, and Huang Xiaowen said she would not want to stay there even for Sea Shells.

Ling Chu discovered that Salos was the Sea God and asked him to identify a safe island where the refugees aboard her ship could settle. Salos refused to help without a worthwhile exchange, leaving Ling Chu to negotiate with him.

• As night fell on Snake Island, Ling Chu recalled the ghosts to the Ghost Ship and gave You Jiali more than a thousand cobra carcasses and eggs to prepare.
• Ling Chu found Salos playing mahjong and asked to speak with him after the game.
• In the dining room, Ling Chu revealed that she knew Salos was the Sea God, and he admitted his identity.
• Ling Chu asked Salos to recommend a safe, habitable island for her refugees.
• Salos said he valued freedom over protecting the refugees and would share information only in exchange for sufficient benefits.

Ling Chu negotiated with Salos for help finding a place where the townspeople could settle, and he identified a barren island whose Island Core needed repair. The crew enjoyed Yujiali’s snake soup, and Ling Chu told them about the island and Salos’s offer.

• Ling Chu offered Salos annual wine offerings, Mahjong Machine games, and golden meat buns in exchange for guidance.
• Salos revealed that one island could suit the townspeople if they repaired its failing Island Core and restored its withered plants.
• Yujiali served snake soup, and Salos enjoyed it so much that he asked Ling Chu to give him the chef; Ling Chu refused.
• The crew gathered to eat the snake soup, overcame their doubts about snake meat, and praised Yujiali’s cooking.
• Ling Chu joined the crew and told them about her conversation with Salos.

Ling Chu decided to take the rescued townspeople from Snake Island to the Sea God’s Barren Island, where they could settle in exchange for an annual Sea Lantern Festival and a wine offering. The townspeople accepted the terms, and Ling Chu set the ship southeast toward the new island.

• Squid Ball and the others agreed that Barren Island was worth investigating because Snake Island was too dangerous for the townspeople to settle on.
• Ling Chu told the townspeople that Snake Island was filled with venomous snakes and explained the Sea God’s offer of a safe but barren island in exchange for a yearly festival and wine sacrifice.
• A white-haired old man and other townspeople initially offered to remain on Snake Island, but the old man changed his mind after Ling Chu confirmed the Sea God had guided her.
• A farmer among the townspeople said he could improve barren soil and grow crops, and the crowd agreed to move to Barren Island.
• Ling Chu ordered the ship to head southeast toward the new island.

As the Ghost Ship raced toward a new island, Huang Xiaowen challenged Salos to mahjong and dice, hoping to win his treasures but losing repeatedly. She was left deeply in debt when the crew spotted the island ahead.

• Ling Chu activated the Ghost Ship's Wind Speed function, boosting its speed as it headed southeast.
• Huang Xiaowen secretly used her skill to swap mahjong tiles, but Salos thwarted her and made her pay for a false win.
• Huang Xiaowen lost all her Sea Shells to Salos, then borrowed more from Big Gold Tooth and Saka to keep playing.
• Huang Xiaowen challenged Salos to dice, lost again, and ended up owing the Skeleton Henchmen more than a thousand Sea Shells.
• Someone outside the cabin shouted that the Ghost Ship had reached the new island.

Ling Chu and her crew reached a vast, lifeless Level Four island and began unloading the city residents while she led an expedition inland. Following a long-dried stream up a hill, Ling Chu and her companions encountered a huge shadow.

• Ling Chu arrived at the island with the Ghost Ship and ordered the crew to unload supplies and settle the city residents on the shore.
• Ling Chu warned Huang Xiaowen that Salos was far stronger than Adrian, then told Edmund to keep residents near the shore while the island was explored.
• The system identified the land as an Unclaimed Level Four Island and warned that visitors could stay ashore for only ten days.
• Ling Chu sent three ghosts to scout in different directions and followed a dry streambed toward a hill with Huang Xiaowen, Squid Ball, and the skeletons.
• After climbing through the dead landscape for about half an hour, Ling Chu and the others saw a huge shadow ahead.

Ling Chu discovered that the dead Tree of Luying, a branch of the Tree of Luga, had once sustained the island, then followed Fluffball to an abandoned Elf camp. Squid Ball translated an Elf diary revealing that the God of Nature had sealed his remaining power behind a portal and that the Elves had divided its key into nine pieces before leaving the island.

• Ling Chu had Squid Ball translate the inscription, which identified the dead tree as the Tree of Luying and linked its life to the island’s.
• Ling Chu used her Eyepatch to learn that the Tree of Luying had grown from a branch of the Tree of Luga and was a Level 7 Magic Plant.
• Fluffball found an abandoned camp, and Ling Chu led the group there to search its ruined buildings.
• Ling Chu found a fragile Elf diary, and Squid Ball translated its two surviving pages by sunrise.
• Squid Ball read that the God of Nature had sealed his remaining power behind a portal, and the departing Elves had split the key into nine pieces before leaving for a sanctuary across the sea.

Ling Chu and her companions found an ancient elven temple containing a sealed gate and a dormant Island Core. When Ling Chu placed an Elven Stone Slab in the altar, the core briefly awakened, allowing her to claim it.

• Ling Chu and Squid Ball pieced together clues that the elves’ power had faded, their Tree of Luying was withering, and nine pieces were needed to open a teleportation gate.
• Little Yellow led the group to a buried temple, where they found an altar, a sealed stone gate, and a cracked, dormant Island Core.
• Squid Ball concluded that the gate led to the elves’ Holy Land and that restoring the God of Nature’s power might revive the gate, the tree, and the island.
• Ling Chu placed Elven Stone Slab No. 3 in the altar’s recess, causing the Island Core to weakly activate.
• Ling Chu dripped her blood onto the Island Core and claimed it.

Ling Chu named the island Hope Island and used four Elven Stone Slabs to revive it, raising its level to Six. She realized the slabs could restore the island and might lead to the Elf race’s treasure, while Edmund’s group began exploring the nearby shallows for food.

• Ling Chu named the newly claimed island Hope Island and placed three recovered Stone Slabs into the altar beside the one already there.
• Natural Power from the four slabs revived the temple’s vines and channels, restored the Tree of Luying, and brought water and greenery back to the island.
• The system announced that the island had reached Level Six, and Ling Chu explained that the Elven Stone Slabs could revive it and restore its original level.
• Ling Chu considered whether the Stone Gate led to the Elf race’s treasure, then asked Huang Xiaowen to help clear sand from the spring channel.
• Edmund warned Black Skin and several townsmen to stay near the shallows, then allowed them to swim out and search for food.

Black Skin and the citizens gathered giant Wenbijiànchēng and Sand Crabs from the nearby shore, easing the island’s immediate food shortage. Ling Chu confirmed the seafood was safe to eat and prepared to lead workers to clear the temple’s blocked waterway so they could irrigate farmland.

• Black Skin found giant Razor Clams buried in the shallow seabed and taught the citizens how to catch them.
• Edmund worried that the unusually patterned clams might be poisonous, so Black Skin suggested waiting for Ling Chu to inspect them.
• Ling Chu returned to find a large haul of clams and Sand Crabs and identified them as edible level-one Wenbijiànchēng and ordinary crabs.
• Ling Chu told Edmund to boil and distribute the seafood so everyone could eat their fill.
• Ling Chu ordered a group of strong citizens to accompany her to the temple and clear its blocked river channel to bring water to the plains for farming.

Ling Chu led the townspeople toward the temple to begin building canals and a new home after they found a freshwater source and cooked Razor Clams. At the ruins of Bright City, Adrian survived the sinking through his False Death skill and vowed revenge, but Mortus recognized him as the killer of His Seventeenth Follower and raised a hand against him.

• The townspeople celebrated finding freshwater and ate Razor Clams prepared by You Jiali.
• Ling Chu gathered over a thousand townspeople and led them toward the temple to dig canals and build their settlement.
• Mortus arrived at the waters where Bright City had stood and found the island and its Island Core gone.
• Adrian emerged from the sea after surviving three days and nights underwater with his False Death skill, then swore revenge on Ling Chu and the Saintess.
• Mortus recognized Adrian as the one who killed His Seventeenth Follower and snapped His fingers.

Mortus killed Adrian and used the Realm Walker system to create a deadly Public Challenge intended to kill Ling Chu, then arranged to enter it as a player himself. Meanwhile, Ling Chu and the townspeople received delayed Justice Points for Adrian’s death, which Ling Chu attributed to his having survived underwater until recently.

• Mortus erased Adrian’s corpse and summoned the Realm Walker system.
• Mortus designed a lethal Public Challenge that would redirect Ling Chu into a monster-filled wasteland and erase her if she failed to find the Death Token in time.
• Mortus chose to enter his own challenge as a player, despite the risk that failure would put him into slumber.
• Ling Chu received 2,000 Justice Points for assisting in Adrian’s death, while Huang Xiaowen and Squid Ball each received 500.
• Ling Chu guessed that Adrian had survived underwater for a long time before finally suffocating, and Squid Ball celebrated reaching the top ten on the Justice Points leaderboard.

Ling Chu and the townspeople opened a canal to bring spring water to Hope Island and prepared to reclaim farmland, but the Scorching Heat threatened their crops. As Ling Chu worried about how to protect large fields, Salos suggested he could change the weather.

• Ling Chu rallied the townspeople to break the last mudstone barrier, and spring water flowed through the canal onto the plains.
• Ling Chu produced Crop Seeds from the Ring of Bones, then assigned Edmund to prepare farmland and Xiao Wen and Meatball to build Sunshades for a twenty-mu trial plot.
• Ling Chu worried that Sunshades alone could not protect crops across the island and wondered whether Hope Island could obtain a Disaster Shield.
• Silly Bird livestreamed Hope Island’s water source and shellfish as viewers discussed the difficulties of farming during the Scorching Heat.
• Salos told Ling Chu he planned to leave, then raised his hand and said changing the weather was easy.

Salos gave Hope Island a shield that cooled the island, and Silly Bird proved its effects during a livestream. As viewers envied Ling Chu’s good fortune, hungry Holy Army players complained about their meager rations.

• Salos enveloped Hope Island in a Disaster Shield to repay Ling Chu for his hospitality and left by canoe.
• Hope Island’s citizens felt the heat disappear, and Ling Chu told Huang Xiaowen that the Sea God had given them the shield.
• Silly Bird stood in the sun during his livestream to prove the shield was real, and viewers believed him and envied Hope Island.
• Holy Army players received thin rice porridge for dinner, and one young player complained that Hope Island had abundant food.

Autumn Snow discovered that Ling Chu's Hope Island had abundant food, a Disaster Shield, and thriving residents, while the Holy Army struggled with heat and dwindling supplies. As crew resentment grew, Xia Chunying's bowl of beef noodles set off a confrontation over the unfair food distribution.

• Autumn Snow watched Silly Bird's livestream and saw Hope Island's farmland, seafood, and contented residents under Ling Chu's care.
• Autumn Snow considered attacking Hope Island but realized the Holy Army had missed its chance and was now outnumbered.
• Autumn Snow tried to calm her complaining crew by promising a Seafood Feast after the high-temperature disaster passed.
• The crew criticized Autumn Snow for withholding warehouse food and blamed her decisions for their losses, including Siji Dao's death.
• Xia Chunying came out carrying braised beef noodles, and a crew member angrily challenged Autumn Snow over her sister's better meal.

Ling Chu expanded Hope Island’s farming and reviewed Edmund’s detailed plan for developing the island into a town and trade center. Meanwhile, Autumn Snow’s crew nearly rebelled over their rations, but a sighting of a Level Five island gave her a chance to hold them together.

• Autumn Snow’s crew complained about their poor rations and threatened to leave the Fleet, while Autumn Snow pulled Xia Chunying away from the angry crowd.
• The Lookout reported a nearby island that appeared to be at least Level Five, and Autumn Snow persuaded the crew to eat and investigate it before deciding whether to leave.
• Ling Chu bought a range of seeds and, three days later, found that all cultivable farmland on Hope Island had been planted and the seedlings were growing quickly.
• Edmund showed Ling Chu a detailed blueprint dividing Hope Island into a dock, farmland, a Livestock Area, and a planned town district.
• Edmund explained that the dock could support trade and allow the townspeople to raise cattle and sheep for meat and milk.

Ling Chu inspected Hope Island’s developing settlement and saw citizens and players building homes, tools, clothing, and plans for a local wine industry. She headed to the warehouse area, where Dalieba was meeting with former Bright City wine merchants to discuss brewing.

• Edmund urged Ling Chu to plan a grand City Lord’s Office, but she told him that settling the citizens came first.
• Ling Chu saw skeletons and Clumsy Bear hauling timber while National Server Little Luban and his apprentices forged building supplies.
• Mickey Meow Witch taught citizens to weave and told Ling Chu that Edmund had promised her a shop in the future town.
• Mickey Meow Witch said Dalieba was discussing wine cellars and brewing with former Bright City merchants, prompting Ling Chu to head to the warehouse area.
• Ling Chu arrived and found Dalieba and several merchants discussing grain, clay jars, and plans for brewing wine.

Ling Chu helped the island’s wine merchants find an alternative to Hops for their Wheat Wine, then joined citizens preparing food for those recovering from Dengue Fever. You Jiali asked her for a tangible reward, and she offered him a future restaurant on Hope Island’s main street.

• The wine merchants worried they could not brew Wheat Wine without Hops seeds, so Ling Chu summoned Hans for advice.
• Hans suggested using orange peel to balance the wine’s sweetness, and Dalieba enthusiastically agreed that orange trees could be grown on the island.
• Ling Chu left Hans to discuss brewing with the merchants and went to the shore, where recovered citizens were making kelp and Razor Clam soup.
• A citizen offered You Jiali soup, but Ling Chu accepted it for him after claiming his stomach could not handle warm seafood soup.
• You Jiali asked Ling Chu for a tangible reward, and she offered to reserve him a prime spot on Hope Island’s main street for a restaurant.

Ling Chu promised You Jiali three days off after Hope Island’s urgent matters were handled, then arranged for Bright City’s supporters to settle on the island under clear entry rules. The chapter left Hope Island preparing to accept verified arrivals while keeping its coordinates confidential and its limited facilities protected.

• Ling Chu promised You Jiali three days off and volunteered to cook while he rested.
• A Silly Bird said he planned to stay on Hope Island and open a newspaper, and Ling Chu gave him another task.
• Ling Chu announced that players who had supported Bright City could move to Hope Island by verifying their Teleportation Ticket records and signing a System Contract.
• Ling Chu declined entry to players who had not supported Bright City because Hope Island’s facilities were still basic.
• A Silly Bird sent Ling Chu a contract covering coordinate confidentiality and island rules, and she approved it.