Chapter Summaries

Xu Huo spoke with a bereaved child in the performance venue and learned more about the King’s gem-theft investigation from Li Kun. The Players still had no clear way to identify the thief, and entering the King’s Castle without permission would get them treated as the culprit.

• Xu Huo found a little bald boy hiding beneath the stage, and the boy asked him to make his dead parents appear.
• Xu Huo promised to let the boy try a magical mirror if he brought a photo of his parents the next night.
• Li Kun questioned Xu Huo’s kindness toward the boy, but Xu Huo said the Dungeon’s residents were living people.
• Li Kun reported that the King had funded an Arrest Team but withheld details about the stolen gems and the thief.
• Xu Huo learned that the King was gravely ill and that unauthorized entry into private places could lead to arrest and execution.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu won over Gemstone City’s residents with a lively banquet and promised a proper performance, while learning that outsiders could not convincingly disguise themselves as locals. Late that night, they left the venue to meet Li Kun outside the King’s Castle.

• Li Kun told Xu Huo that he and Duan Cheng had searched public facilities and a tavern for items, and agreed to meet Xu Huo outside the King’s Castle that night.
• Yan Jiayu reported that Gemstone City’s residents could recognize outsiders even when they disguised themselves as locals or claimed to be relatives.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu joined the residents’ banquet, and Xu Huo performed magic tricks that earned enthusiastic applause.
• Xu Huo persuaded the residents to help gather supplies and spread the word about the next night’s performance, while Yan Jiayu ended the banquet with her Bubble Machine.
• After the residents went to bed, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu left the performance venue late at night.

Yan Jiayu forced a Player into the Castle to test Gemstone City's defenses, and the intruder's failed break-in revealed that the residents could identify and pursue outsiders. The city hunted the criminals through the night, while Xu Huo and the others joined the search and considered what the failed attempt meant for their missions.

• Yan Jiayu kicked a Player off the wall and into the Castle grounds, where guards spotted him and his items stopped working against them.
• The Player fought his way into the Castle, searched for the King, and fled after guards overwhelmed the building.
• A Gemstone City resident identified the fleeing Player despite his invisibility cloak, and the residents launched a citywide hunt.
• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Li Kun, and Duan Cheng joined the search to avoid being treated as outcasts.
• Two other Players broke into private homes and were hunted; guards used gemstone shields, crossbows, and cannons to weaken and pursue them.
• Li Kun criticized the Castle intruder, while Duan Cheng said finding the King would not fulfill either mission.

Xu Huo and the others planned different ways to enter the Castle while investigating the thieves, and Xu Huo learned how Gemstone City identified criminals. The chapter left the group split up and revealed that the city’s laws were kept secret until a criminal was sentenced.

• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Duan Cheng, and Li Kun agreed to split up to pursue a thief, find work, gather supplies, and prepare a circus performance that might get them into the Castle.
• Xu Huo questioned Gemstone City residents, who said criminals bore a visible mark and could never return if they escaped beyond the city.
• A merchant told Xu Huo that Moon City’s new King had abolished several crimes, including accidentally entering a home, trampling flowers, and beating animals.
• Xu Huo learned that Gemstone City made allowances for young children who broke rules, but expected them to become guardians of the rules once they reached a certain age.
• A shopkeeper told Xu Huo that Gemstone City’s laws were not public and that people of sound mind should know what actions violated others’ rights.

Xu Huo investigated reports of artisans who had disappeared from Gemstone City and triggered a side quest about their mystery. Meanwhile, Duan Cheng and Yan Jiayu continued searching for the escaped players, but Yan Jiayu left the city gate to investigate elsewhere.

• Xu Huo learned that several artisan families had left Gemstone City after outsiders tricked them with useless black stone, and he triggered the side quest about the disappearing artisans.
• Duan Cheng searched Gemstone City for the escaped players but found no one and received consolation gifts from grateful residents.
• Yan Jiayu played with children near the city gate while wearing a dinosaur costume, then told Duan Cheng she had found something there but needed more time.
• Duan Cheng decided to wait at the gate, while Yan Jiayu went back into the city.

Yan Jiayu and Xu Huo compared what they had learned about Gemstone City, its missing artisans, and the stolen King’s Gemstone. They suspected the city’s residents might be concealing the thief, while the artisans’ disappearance could be tied to the King and the gems.

• Yan Jiayu questioned Gemstone City residents and gained two D-rank Defense Artifacts when they gave her clothes and a hat.
• Duan Cheng followed Yan Jiayu, then left to meet Li Kun after she showed him the artifacts.
• Yan Jiayu learned that criminals who leave Gemstone City cannot return and triggered the side quest Mystery of the Disappearing Artisans.
• Yan Jiayu returned to the performance venue and compared her findings with Xu Huo’s, including conflicting accounts of why the artisans had left.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu connected the artisans’ disappearance to the King and the gems, and considered whether Gemstone City residents were covering for the thief who stole the King’s Gemstone.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu reasoned that a resident of Gemstone City likely stole the King’s gemstone and decided to search for clues in the castle. They prepared a street performance for that evening, hoping it would help them investigate the city.

• Xu Huo concluded that the thief was most likely a Gemstone City resident, while Yan Jiayu noted that bounty hunters had arrested a merchant from Moon City.
• Yan Jiayu suggested that earlier players might have stolen the gemstone, but Xu Huo argued that this would make the first mission impossible to complete.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu agreed that something was wrong inside Gemstone City and decided to look for clues in the King’s castle.
• Yan Jiayu told Xu Huo she had found three items, including an E-rank flower given to her by a child she had helped.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu prepared their acts and props for that night’s performance.

Xu Huo and his companions earned money performing in Gemstone City, and a guard invited Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu to perform at the Castle for Madam Liya. After the show, Yan Jiayu fought the Unlucky Egg when he ambushed her, and he teleported away as she pressed her attack.

• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu performed for a large crowd, while the audience paid admission and the children received toys.
• Duan Cheng and Li Kun said they had found work picking fruit for the King's Castle but still needed a way to deliver it into the city.
• A guard invited Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu to the Castle the next day at Madam Liya's request, but said their assistants could not accompany them.
• The Unlucky Egg ambushed Yan Jiayu outside the performance grounds, but an item trapped him and lifted both Players onto a seesaw.
• Yan Jiayu launched the Unlucky Egg into the air, coated his defensive barrier with Glue Liquid, and fought him with powerful close-range attacks.
• The Unlucky Egg used a teleportation item as Yan Jiayu charged toward him.

Xu Huo used a mirror to let the little bald boy see his deceased parents, then gave it to him and accepted his gemstones. The next morning, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu arrived at the King's Castle for their performance and were surprised by the Queen's personal maid, Xiao Si.

• Xu Huo showed the little bald boy an illusion of his parents in a mirror, and the boy said goodbye to them and kissed the mirror.
• Xu Huo gave the mirror to the little bald boy, who thanked him and offered him gemstones in return.
• Xu Huo met Yan Jiayu the next morning, and they went to the King's Castle for their performance.
• A female butler escorted Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu to a lounge and introduced the Queen's personal maid, Xiao Si, whose presence startled them.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu toured the Castle with Xiao Si, who revealed that many sisters shared her name and that one of them had caught a thief. Xu Huo suspected the Castle was working against the Players as they considered whether the stolen jewel was special and why the King was withholding information.

• Xiao Si led Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu through the Castle despite the housekeeper’s instructions to stay near the Small Building.
• Xiao Si explained that the Queen loved the flowers and Mutated Plants in the Castle gardens as she showed them around.
• A guard told Xiao Si that another Xiao Si had caught a foreign thief who claimed she wanted to present the Queen with the world’s most beautiful main keep.
• Xiao Si said she had many sisters born in a multiple birth and left to check on the prisoner, while Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu continued their tour.
• Xu Huo suspected the Castle might be hindering the Players and questioned whether the King truly wanted the stolen jewel recovered.
• Yan Jiayu guessed that the King might be hiding the jewel and sending the Players on a false search.

Xu Huo searched the castle and discovered recent mining contracts suggesting the King had concealed an ongoing mine from Gemstone City’s citizens. He and Yan Jiayu were escorted back to the lounge after learning they would meet Madam Liya after lunch.

• Xu Huo used his mental power to inspect the King’s study and heard maids discuss new laws, the stolen treasure, and an execution planned for that evening.
• Xu Huo examined the Gemstone City Code and found that many of its latest rules appeared to record players’ attempts to test the castle.
• Xu Huo searched a neighboring room and found recent mining and ore-transport contracts, leading him to suspect the King was hiding a new source of gemstones.
• Maid Xiao Si found Xu Huo and escorted him back toward the side tower.
• Xu Huo reunited with Yan Jiayu and met another maid who looked exactly like Xiao Si; the maid told them Madam Liya would see them after lunch.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu secured permission to perform at a banquet for the Queen, with access to castle rooms and the chance to request a treasure if their act impressed her. Xu Huo went to warn Duan Cheng and Li Kun before the evening performance, finding them stuck in the Back Kitchen under guard.

• Yan Jiayu and Xu Huo discussed how to search the castle lawfully and considered turning to Moon City if their requests were denied.
• Madam Liya asked about their acts, and Xu Huo described his ability to move people instantly within a limited range.
• Madam Liya arranged a banquet performance, and Xiao Si told them the Queen had allowed them into castle rooms during the act and would grant one requested treasure for an exceptional performance.
• Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu prepared for the banquet, and Xu Huo set out to warn Duan Cheng and Li Kun not to cause trouble.
• Xu Huo found Duan Cheng and Li Kun in the Back Kitchen, where guards had confined them and planned to send them away after one meal.

Xu Huo persuaded Li Kun and Duan Cheng to follow the Dungeon’s rules, clear it by reclaiming the most beautiful gem from Moon City, and cooperate before searching the Castle for props. After they left, Yan Jiayu arranged for her props to be hidden around the Castle with help from a Maid.

• Xu Huo told Li Kun and Duan Cheng that entering restricted Castle rooms could make them criminals and that a Player might control the Castle.
• Duan Cheng concluded that Players had to act legally to clear the Dungeon, and Xu Huo proposed traveling to Moon City as official emissaries to reclaim the gem.
• Xu Huo said only one of the four needed to steal the gem, while the others could clear the Dungeon and compensate that person; they agreed to cooperate.
• Xu Huo saw Li Kun and Duan Cheng off, then returned to Yan Jiayu, who said a Maid had hidden her props around the Castle.

At the Castle banquet, Yan Jiayu and Xu Huo dazzled the guests with a magical performance staged with their abilities and props. Xu Huo’s act continued with several girls floating through the hall as if they could fly.

• Yan Jiayu told Xu Huo she had placed a barter item and a B-class item in the Castle, hoping to exchange them for something useful.
• The King and Queen arrived at the banquet, and the King announced the festivities had begun.
• Madam Liya introduced performers from a faraway land, and Yan Jiayu used colorful bubbles to lift a young noblewoman and guide her before the royal couple.
• Xu Huo took over in a Mask and described a magical land while Yan Jiayu helped Mutated Plants grow and wither along the walls.
• Xu Huo rose into the air, filled the hall with mist using Yan Jiayu’s borrowed item, and lifted several girls into a floating dance.

Xu Huo used his space-travel trick to explore the Castle and found the Pen of the Codex, a powerful item suited to Gemstone City’s laws. When he tested the Queen’s bedroom restriction, Xiao Si split into two forms and attacked the wall where he was concealed, disturbing his Spiritual World.

• Xu Huo invited the King and Duke Mick through a prop door and used his abilities to take them from the ballroom to a lounge and other Castle rooms.
• Xu Huo found the C-class item Joyful Sleep in the King’s bedroom and the B-class Pen of the Codex in the Locker Room.
• Xu Huo placed the quill beside the Codex, then returned to the King, who asked to experience the mysterious land again.
• Xu Huo took the King and Duke Mick toward the Queen’s bedroom, where Xiao Si was guarding the entrance.
• Xiao Si peeled away a flat image of herself, formed a second body, and lunged at Xu Huo’s concealed position, sending ripples through his Spiritual World.

Xu Huo discovered the Queen’s workshop and learned that her puppets were special items, then used a spectacular illusion to impress the King and secure the promised reward. The Queen allowed Xu Huo to claim one treasure from the Castle.

• Red lanterns and a lively parade of magical figures appeared throughout the Castle, captivating Xiao Si, the King, and the Duke.
• Xu Huo searched the Queen’s bedroom and found a locked workshop filled with life-sized puppet items and gemstones used to make them.
• Xu Huo discovered that Xiao Si was the special item Return of Mother's Love, which could not be obtained unless the Queen abandoned her.
• Xu Huo returned with the King and Duke, then plucked at Xiao Si’s shoulder lace to inspect her item description before leaving the workshop.
• Yan Jiayu entertained the banquet guests while Xu Huo brought the King and Duke back to the hall, where the King enthusiastically described the spectacle to the Queen.
• The Queen thanked Xu Huo for making the King happy and allowed him to claim one treasure from the Castle.

Xu Huo won the King’s trust and secured a temporary position to retrieve Gemstone City’s most beautiful gemstone from Moon City, while Yan Jiayu received a jeweled veil and they left the Castle with books from the Queen. Outside, players tried to rob them, but Yan Jiayu summoned Xiao Si, whose appearance revealed the danger of provoking the Castle.

• Xu Huo asked the King for the pink Pen of the Codex, and the Queen gave him books while presenting Yan Jiayu with a jeweled veil.
• Xu Huo claimed the King was worried about the gemstone lent to Moon City and secured a temporary position to retrieve it.
• After the performance, Xu Huo secretly used the Pen of the Codex to write that temporary public officials could enter the Castle and rose garden.
• Xu Huo, Yan Jiayu, Duan Cheng, and Li Kun left the Castle with two carts of books as players gathered to rob them.
• Xu Huo let Yan Jiayu store the books, and she called for Xiao Si when the players threatened them.
• Xiao Si appeared atop the Enclosure Wall, reminding the players that someone had been hanged at the city gates that afternoon.

Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu planned to travel to Moon City to pursue the stolen gem, then secretly watched the missing craftsman’s neighborhood at night. They spotted a cloaked visitor entering an old woman’s house, and Yan Jiayu went to investigate.

• Xu Huo told Duan Cheng, Li Kun, and Yan Jiayu that the King’s guards knew the most about the stolen gem and that the King claimed they would recognize it at once.
• The group agreed to set out for Moon City the next day because they had found no reliable clues in Gemstone City.
• After resting, Xu Huo and Yan Jiayu secretly traveled to the missing craftsman’s street at night.
• They watched a cloaked person leave a house and enter an old woman’s home across the street.
• Xu Huo spread his Spiritual World over the house, while Yan Jiayu noticed something nearby and went to investigate.

Xu Huo listened in on Ai Li, Ai Shan, and Wan En as they discussed the artisans who had disappeared after witnessing the King trade with a doll-like man. He concluded that the King had exchanged the Queen’s doll props for players’ props, and suspected the King or Queen had long been connected to the game world.

• Xu Huo sent his vertical pupil into the room and overheard Wan En bring food to Ai Li and Ai Shan, who were hiding from the city’s guards.
• Ai Li said his father had witnessed the King dealing with a doll-like man and suspected that missing residents had been turned into dolls.
• Ai Li showed Wan En a black gemstone and a strange metal pipe, which he believed proved the King was trading people for powerful tools.
• Wan En and the brothers discussed how to warn Gemstone City’s residents, while Xu Huo pieced together the artisans’ disappearance and the exchange of props for dolls.
• Xu Huo reasoned that the Queen made the doll props and that at least one royal had been in long-term contact with the game world.

Xu Huo found the hidden refuge of the Gemstone City residents and took the Black Gemstone from Ai Li in exchange for offering to look for the brothers’ father inside the Castle. He learned that the Doll Man could apparently seize objects and people from a distance, then left Ai Li and Ai Shan to choose whether to cooperate or face the King.

• Xu Huo approached the hidden house and persuaded the old woman to let him in by claiming he had a lead on Ai Li’s father.
• Wan En and the residents surrounded Xu Huo, but he restrained them and entered the basement where Ai Li and Ai Shan were hiding.
• Xu Huo took the Black Gemstone from Ai Li and denied killing the brothers’ father.
• Ai Shan described the Doll Man’s ability to take things and grab people from a distance, prompting Xu Huo to consider whether he was a Space-type Super Evolver.
• Xu Huo offered to search for their father in the Castle and told the brothers to give him the gemstone or let him take them to the King.