Chapter Summaries

Ling Chu bought and merged Nautical Charts to expand her Marauder's Map, uncovering routes and unclaimed islands. A chart from Zone 234 revealed that distant zones lay on the same enormous map, though reaching them by ship would take years.

• Ling Chu offered 3,000 Sea Shells for Nautical Charts with routes exceeding 10,000 kilometers and at least five islands, then posted a long-term purchase order.
• Ling Chu merged two charts from the Trading Post, revealing new routes and islands on her Marauder's Map.
• Four allies sent Ling Chu qualifying charts, and she paid each of them 3,000 Sea Shells.
• Ling Chu merged the allies' charts, adding scattered routes and five unknown islands to her map.
• Ling Chu discovered she could drag the map to reveal Zone 234's sea region, which was enormously far away from her own.

Hope Island’s reconstruction advanced as Edmund organized new roads and port plans, while the citizens and players reacted to strange movement in the sea. During a livestream, Silly Bird asked Edmund how the natives viewed the players, but Edmund saw their unusual names and spatial items as ordinary.

• Mike Long used his earth-element skills to compact the planned roads, exhausted his mana, and collapsed after finishing the first phase of the main roads.
• Edmund prioritized construction of the port and residential district, planned two large ports with twenty-four docks, and sent the blueprints to Ling Chu for approval.
• Citizens working along the coast noticed unusual ripples and shadows approaching beneath the sea, panicked at the possibility of a Sea Monster, and called for the deputy City Lord.
• Silly Bird livestreamed construction and asked Edmund whether the players’ names and ability to retrieve items from a Sea Shell seemed strange.
• Edmund dismissed both the players’ names and their spatial items as ordinary, comparing Silly Bird’s name to a local child’s cheap name and showing that he owned Sea Shells too.

A Silly Bird tried to prove to Edmund that players were unusual, but Edmund dismissed his claims as ordinary magic and dialect differences. A Sea Monster alert turned out to be the arrival of Mermaid traders, who completed Hope Island’s first friendly trade and noticed how much of the island was still under construction.

• A Silly Bird demonstrated the trade system and System Panel to Dalieba and Edmund, but Edmund saw nothing remarkable in either.
• Edmund brushed off A Silly Bird’s claims about player slang and left to continue his work.
• A worker warned Edmund that a Sea Monster was approaching the harbor, so Edmund and A Silly Bird hurried there.
• Edmund recognized the visitors as Mermaids and respectfully handed the Mermaid guard captain the goods Ling Chu had prepared for the Mermaid King.
• The Mermaids exchanged pearls, Sea Shells, and Shark Silk for sweets and other goods, while the guard captain remarked on Hope Island’s scattered construction and lack of workers.

Edmund arranged to hire Mixed-blood Sea Monsters to help rebuild Hope Island after Ling Chu approved the plan. The workers proved remarkably efficient, and Edmund decided to keep them as they began earning Sea Shells and more Sea Monsters arrived seeking Ling Chu.

• The Mermaid guard captain suggested hiring Mixed-blood Sea Monsters, and Ling Chu told Dalieba they were safe, strong, and worth the cost.
• Ling Chu asked Edmund to check the Mermaid King’s gifts for Voice Conches, and Edmund found them and sent the paired conches to the Ghost Ship.
• More than a hundred Mixed-blood Sea Monsters arrived and rapidly transported building materials underwater between Hope Island’s construction sites.
• Edmund hired the Sea Monsters for ten Sea Shells a day and meals for long-term workers, and they eagerly set to work.
• A male and female Sea Monster carrying bundles asked Edmund whether the island belonged to Captain Ling Chu.

Ling Chu received gifts from Jita and Slachi, who had found a better life in their new territory. As the Ghost Ship sailed toward Black Reef Island, Squid Ball advanced her Astrologer profession to Tier 5 and unlocked the Astronomical Telescope facility.

• Edmund contacted Ling Chu through the Voice Conch, and Jita and Slachi told her they were thriving in their new territory and had brought gifts.
• Jita and Slachi gave Edmund bags of sea food and shells for Ling Chu before joining the workers carrying lumber to Dock Number Three.
• Ling Chu unpacked the gifts aboard the Ghost Ship, sent the Lantern Coral Fruit to the Alchemy Room, and had the other food taken to the kitchen.
• Squid Ball practiced the Star Drawing Technique while Clumsy Bear and the Skeletons trained on the deck as the ship sailed toward Black Reef Island.
• Squid Ball refracted a beam of starlight into the bullseye, advanced her Astrologer profession to Tier 5, and unlocked the Astronomical Telescope facility.

Ling Chu built new profession facilities after Squid Ball and Clumsy Bear advanced to Tier 5, and the crew tested their new skills. Squid Ball gained a decoy and escape skill, while Clumsy Bear gained the ability to devour certain non-physical attacks.

• Squid Ball advanced to Tier 5, unlocking an Astronomical Telescope, while Clumsy Bear also reached Tier 5 and unlocked a Physical Training Room.
• Ling Chu built both facilities and placed the telescope in Squid Ball's crew room.
• Squid Ball revealed Starlight Doppelgänger, which created an identical-looking clone and let her swap places with it once.
• Huang Xiaowen tested the clone and found that it could imitate Squid Ball's voice but had no physical body.
• Clumsy Bear revealed Gluttonous Devouring, which let him consume certain non-physical attacks and gain temporary resistance to that type of attack.

The Ghost Ship’s crew explored the newly built Physical Training Room and tested their punching power. Ling Chu discovered that its equipment could gradually improve their base stats, and she ordered Clumsy Bear to train his low Agility.

• Huang Xiaowen, Lingering Wind and Fading Moon, You Jiali, and Clumsy Bear tested their punching power on the Mana Force-Measuring Pillar, scoring 703, 139, 651, and 875 kilograms respectively.
• Ling Chu punched the pillar and recorded 949 kilograms, surpassing Clumsy Bear despite having little formal boxing training.
• Ling Chu used her Eyepatch to inspect the room’s treadmills, strength rack, and balance platform, learning that they could slowly improve the crew’s stats through regular training.
• Huang Xiaowen tried a Mana Gravity Treadmill, which suddenly accelerated to match her Agility, while Clumsy Bear laughed at her near-fall.
• Ling Chu scolded Clumsy Bear for his single-digit Agility and ordered him to train on a treadmill.

Squid Ball used the Astronomical Telescope to study the stars while Ling Chu, Huang Xiaowen, Clumsy Bear, and You Jiali overtrained in the Physical Training Room. The next morning, Ling Chu rescued a Skeletons Henchman who had gotten his toe bone caught in a treadmill and banned Skeletons from the room.

• Squid Ball observed and recorded unfamiliar details in the star paths, but her Astronomical Anomaly progress stayed at 0/10.
• Ling Chu, Huang Xiaowen, Clumsy Bear, and You Jiali competed in the training room and woke up sore the next day.
• A Skeletons Henchman rushed to tell Ling Chu that a Skeletons had been eaten by the training room.
• Ling Chu found the Skeletons stuck on a treadmill, freed its toe bone, and repaired its foot.
• Ling Chu banned Skeletons from entering the Physical Training Room after explaining that its equipment could not improve their strength.

Babu Guanguan arrived at Hope Island with his belongings, expecting to reunite with Ling Chu and Doctor Xiaoyue and receive the shop Ling Chu had promised him. With Ling Chu away and the commercial district unfinished, he grew angry at Edmund’s explanation that his shop was not ready.

• Hope Island’s port, homes, and businesses continued to be rebuilt as more mixed-blood sea monsters arrived to work.
• Edmund welcomed Babu Guanguan, who asked for Ling Chu, Doctor Xiaoyue, and his eldest disciple, but learned they were away on business.
• Babu Guanguan toured the damaged but rapidly rebuilding city and criticized the young barley beer at the Sea Breeze Tavern.
• Babu Guanguan asked Edmund to show him the shop Ling Chu had promised, then reacted angrily when Edmund said the commercial district had not been completed.

Babu Guanguan chose a candy-colored design for his shop on Hope Island and oversaw its construction while Ling Chu prepared for the coming confrontation with Lucas. A server-wide announcement revealed that the Eerie Fog had only just ended in the other zones, with the next calamities beginning in 30 days.

• Edmund showed Babu Guanguan several shop designs, and Babu Guanguan chose a candy-themed storefront named Babu Guanguan's Fantasy Magic Shop.
• Construction began on the main street, and Babu Guanguan enthusiastically revised the design while directing the workers.
• Ling Chu trained aboard the Ghost Ship and watched her Divine Power remain at 84.9 as the ship approached Black Reef Freeport.
• Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Huang Xiaowen ate salted duck eggs with porridge, and You Jiali planned to buy more from Social Phobia.
• A server-wide announcement stated that the Eerie Fog had ended in all zones and the next round of calamities would begin simultaneously in 30 days.

After District 555 merged with District 666, Ling Chu and her companions learned that Zone 555 had suffered catastrophic losses during the Eerie Fog Calamity while District 666 had ended it early by clearing the Whispering Lighthouses. Ling Chu considered the shrinking player population and the next calamity, but decided to deal with Lucas before Squid Ball tried to divine what was coming.

• The system merged District 555 with District 666 after District 555 fell below the survivor threshold, and the two zones’ public chats combined.
• Players from District 555 learned that District 666 had ended the Eerie Fog Calamity twenty-five days early by lighting all nine Whispering Lighthouses and defeating the Ten-Thousand-Bone Giant.
• District 666 players described Ghost Ship’s role in the final battle, while Ling Chu checked the rankings and saw that no players from Zone 555 had reached the top ten.
• Ling Chu, You Jiali, and Lingering Wind and Fading Moon discussed the heavy casualties across the game and the system’s announcement that the next calamity would begin in thirty days.
• Squid Ball offered to divine the next calamity, but Ling Chu said they would deal with Lucas first, and Squid Ball agreed to wait.

Ling Chu brought the Ghost Ship to Black Reef Island Free Port to scout ahead of Lucas's Nautilus Fleet and help the crew avoid recognition. The crew drank Disguise Potions to change their appearances, and Squid Ball transformed into Zhang Da Xian.

• Ling Chu agreed to A Silly Bird's plan to interview the Ghost Ship crew after they settled some personal grudges.
• Ling Chu disguised the Ghost Ship as a wine merchant vessel and sailed toward Black Reef Island Free Port, where she spoke with a friendly vegetable merchant.
• Ling Chu and the crew waited more than two hours in the harbor queue before docking, five days ahead of the Nautilus Fleet's expected return.
• Lingering Wind and Fading Moon gave the crew Disguise and Restoration Potions so they could gather information without using their real faces.
• Huang Xiaowen suggested everyone disguise themselves as the person they hated most, and Squid Ball transformed into Zhang Da Xian.

Ling Chu and her companions disguised themselves as people they hated before docking at Black Reef Freeport. They explored the lawless island, where pirates, stolen goods, and dangerous players mingled openly.

• Ling Chu, Lingering Wind and Fading Moon, Clumsy Bear, You Jiali, and Huang Xiaowen revealed the people they had transformed into, each based on someone they hated.
• Ling Chu led the group off the Ghost Ship and paid a harbor official twelve hundred Sea Shells to dock for twelve days.
• The group entered Black Reef Island and saw its crowded, ramshackle buildings and residents of many different races.
• Ling Chu used the Eyepatch to check a player whose Sin Value exceeded three thousand, while the guards ignored him.
• Huang Xiaowen called Black Reef Island a pirate's paradise after seeing its open trade in stolen goods and the island's disregard for law.

Ling Chu led her group to Black Reef Island’s Black Market to buy unusual items and seek information. They found its concealed entrance and entered the vast underground trading city, where they began exploring.

• Ling Chu chose a crowded tavern near the docks to ask about buying special items and information.
• The tavern owner gave Ling Chu directions to a general store and warned her that the Black Market charged high prices.
• Ling Chu and her group asked the one-eyed shopkeeper about shipwreck silver coins, and he led them down a hidden staircase.
• The group reached the underground Black Market, where armed guards enforced order and merchants sold goods from shops and stalls.
• Ling Chu led the group into the market crowd to look around.

Ling Chu explored Free Port’s black market and paid for information on how to find the Nautilus’s informant on Black Reef Island. After learning the man could be spotted by a black scorpion tattoo on his right hand, she headed back to the surface with her group, where a tattooed stranger approached them.

• Ling Chu saw body parts for sale, enslaved people in cages, dangerous curios, and a violent punishment in the black market.
• Squid Ball bought two books after criticizing imitation Elven Stone Slabs at an antique stall.
• Ling Chu paid an information broker five hundred Sea Shells and learned that the Nautilus’s informant gambled at major casinos and had a black scorpion tattoo on his right hand.
• Ling Chu told her companions to search for the informant at the inner city casino, and Huang Xiaowen said the venue suited her skills.
• A man wearing a gold chain and covered in tattoos noticed Clumsy Bear and walked toward Ling Chu’s group.

Clumsy Bear accepted an offer of Golden Rum from a man with a gold chain, then sent him crashing into a wall when he touched her. Ling Chu forced the injured man to guide the group through Black Reef Island toward an Inner City casino.

• A man with a gold chain invited Clumsy Bear to drink Golden Rum, and Clumsy Bear asked Ling Chu for permission to go with him.
• When the man touched Clumsy Bear's arm, Clumsy Bear punched him into a stone wall and apologized for reacting on instinct.
• Ling Chu lifted the injured man by his collar and ordered him to guide the group around Black Reef Island.
• The gold-chain man agreed and led the group toward the Inner City casino, boasting about the island's attractions and his connections.

Ling Chu and her group crossed into Black Reef Island’s wealthy Inner City and arrived at the Golden Bay Casino. On the way, Ling Chu noticed a hooded girl with a flash of something on her cheek but could not confirm what she had seen before the girl fled.

• The man with the gold chain guided Ling Chu’s group through the Stone Gate and showed them the Inner City’s expensive shops and hotels.
• A short, heavily covered girl ran into Ling Chu, who caught her; when the girl’s hood slipped, Ling Chu glimpsed something on her cheek before the girl hid her face and ran off.
• Huang Xiaowen asked what was wrong, but Ling Chu said nothing and kept the encounter in mind.
• The group reached the Golden Bay Casino, where Huang Xiaowen admired its size and the guide described its many gambling tables.
• After Ling Chu let him go, the man with the gold chain hurried away with his two lackeys.

Ling Chu and her companions split up to scout Black Reef Island’s Inner City, where Ling Chu discovered that Ella Wood had mid-stage Scale Plague. She later spotted a coughing beggar whose infection chain was Level Three, suggesting the plague had spread through multiple transmissions.

• Ling Chu sent Huang Xiaowen, Squid Ball, and Clumsy Bear to investigate the casino while she, Lingering Wind and Fading Moon, and You Jiali visited the shops.
• At an alchemy shop, Ling Chu recognized the girl from the street as Ella Wood and learned that the plague remedies she sought were out of stock.
• Ling Chu used the Eyepatch to identify Ella’s mid-stage Scale Plague and her Level-One Exposed Host status.
• Ling Chu’s group bought alchemy materials and left the shop.
• Ling Chu scanned the pedestrians with the Eyepatch and found a coughing old beggar with Scale Plague and Level-Three Exposed Host status.

Ling Chu tracked a girl who carried the Scale Plague, hoping to find its source before the outbreak disrupted their plans on Black Reef Island. At Golden Bay Casino, Huang Xiaowen won against other players to advance her profession and asked about a skilled gambler with a scorpion tattoo.

• Ling Chu told You Jiali and Lingering Wind and Fading Moon that a girl she had bumped into was a Level 1 Exposure Carrier with mid-stage Scale Plague, and they followed her to find the infection’s source.
• Ling Chu explained that the plague had spread among people on Black Reef Island and could threaten their plans and the Nautilus’s arrival if it caused a lockdown.
• Huang Xiaowen entered Golden Bay Casino with Squid Ball and Clumsy Bear and identified a player by his modern clothes.
• Huang Xiaowen used sleight of hand to beat the young man at cards, gained profession advancement, and left when he demanded another round.
• Huang Xiaowen found a female player at a dice table, lured her into a card game, and asked whether she had seen a skilled gambler with a scorpion tattoo on his right hand.

Huang Xiaowen advanced her Gambler profession and learned a skill that guaranteed probability-based effects, then learned that Raine would only meet skilled card players. Meanwhile, Ling Chu and her companions followed Ella to her infected parents’ farm, where someone confronted them outside the house.

• Huang Xiaowen won several hands, advanced her Gambler profession to Tier 5, and gained the Sure-Win Chip skill.
• A casino regular told Huang Xiaowen that Raine had a scorpion tattoo on his right hand and only sought out expert card players, so she decided to consult the Captain before making a scene.
• Ling Chu and the others followed Ella from the Inner City to her family farm outside the city.
• Ling Chu used the Eyepatch to identify Ella’s parents, Mallon and Grace Wood, as Level 2 exposure-infected with early-stage Scale Plague.
• Ella told her parents she had failed to find the medicinal ingredients, while Ling Chu and the others watched from outside the farmstead.
• A man approached Ling Chu and the others and demanded to know who they were and why they were standing outside his house.