Chapter Summaries

After the island expedition, Lu Yuan entered the Strange Dream with full control of his body and encountered a mysterious Night Watcher who warned him that the island was part of a larger plan involving Grim Port. He awoke aboard the Abyssal Hunter, badly injured, as a storm gathered around the ship.

• Lu Yuan explored the restored, empty island in the Strange Dream and wondered why the tentacles had allowed the intruders to reach the heart.
• A blurred man wearing a Night Watcher uniform told Lu Yuan that the island was only one part of the plan and began to mention Grim Port before a tentacle dragged him beneath the sea.
• The Strange Dream shattered, and Lu Yuan woke with his Sanity unchanged and his injuries still painful.
• Gray told Lu Yuan he was weak from his injuries, then went to the porthole after the ship lurched violently.
• Gray saw dark clouds and rough seas surrounding the Abyssal Hunter and said a storm was coming.

Alice and the crew of the Abyssal Hunter fought off swarming Mutated Fish during a violent storm, but their ship was nearly overwhelmed. A colossal tentacled creature emerged from the depths and began slaughtering the fish, leaving the ship watched but unharmed for now.

• Alice spotted enormous creatures approaching beneath the storm-tossed sea, and the Born warned that they were closing in.
• Alice ordered the Abyssal Hunter's cannons to fire, and the crew drove back some Mutated Fish with repeated volleys.
• The Mutated Fish leaped onto the ship, tore at its hull, and destroyed more than half of its cannons.
• A lightning flash revealed a colossal creature beneath the sea, whose tentacles rose through the storm and watched the Abyssal Hunter.
• The tentacles attacked the Mutated Fish, killing dozens and driving the survivors into a desperate flight.

The Abyssal Hunter was escorted through the storm by a vast presence beneath the sea, which seemed to be protecting the blood bottle Lu Yuan carried. After the presence departed, the crew learned that Grim Port was under a full-scale attack by the Deep Sea Church and raced back to defend it.

• Alice, Philip, and Born watched the tentacled presence follow beneath the Abyssal Hunter without attacking it.
• Lu Yuan realized the presence was focused on the bottle of blood he held and feared that the events from his Strange Dream were real.
• The tentacles drove away approaching sea creatures and escorted the ship until the storm weakened, then sank back into the Deep Sea.
• Alice ordered the Abyssal Hunter to full speed after a message from Old Morgan reported that the Deep Sea Church had launched a full-scale assault on Grim Port.
• Alice summoned everyone to the captain's cabin as the ship raced toward Grim Port.

Alice organized the ship’s crew as the Abyssal Hunter raced toward Grim Port, while Lu Yuan recovered enough Sanity to move and kept the Blood of ██. hidden. The crew reached Grim Port and found it burning and blockaded by the Deep Sea Church, so Alice ordered them to attack their way into the harbor.

• Alice assessed the crew’s weapons and fighters, assigned Ed and Leonard to the gun deck, and ordered Gray to guard Lu Yuan, Marcus, and Judge.
• Gray brought Lu Yuan Holy Water, which helped restore his Sanity, though his abdominal wound still left him unable to fight.
• Alice questioned Lu Yuan about the cave, but he stayed silent about what he had brought back, and she agreed to discuss it after they returned.
• Born spotted Grim Port, where fires burned across the city and Deep Sea Church ships and sea beasts blockaded the harbor.
• Alice ordered the cannons to fire without restraint and directed the crew to kill their way into Grim Port.

Alice led the Abyssal Hunter through the Deep Sea Church’s blockade and reached the devastated Grim Port. As her group fought through the streets toward the base, Valentin and several Night Watchers arrived to clear their way.

• Alice ordered the Abyssal Hunter’s protective barrier and cannons activated as it charged the blockade.
• The Abyssal Hunter sank enemy ships and fought off Mutated Creatures with cannon fire, Mithril, and Molotov Cocktails before breaking through the blockade.
• Alice’s group landed at Grim Port and fought their way toward the base while carrying unconscious Marcus and the ruined Judge.
• Valentin and several Night Watchers arrived, killed the Mutated Creatures ahead, and offered to clear the route to the base.

Alice and her team returned to the Night Watcher base after surviving the sea mission, only to find Grim Port under a massive attack by the Deep Sea Church. Lu Yuan showed Old Morgan a flask of blood from the island, and after confirming Lu Yuan was uncontaminated, Old Morgan gave him a key to store it safely.

• Alice and her group reached the Night Watcher base, where they had Marcus and the damaged Judge carried inside.
• Alice reported the sea mission to Old Morgan, who explained that the Deep Sea Church had attacked Grim Port and contaminated many civilians while the Night Watchers struggled to contain the crisis.
• Lu Yuan asked about the Holy Armor Army and learned that it had not yet arrived, then stayed behind with Old Morgan after Alice left to make arrangements.
• Lu Yuan placed the Holy Water Flask on the table, and Old Morgan used the Purification Detection Array to confirm that Lu Yuan showed no signs of contamination.
• Old Morgan explained that the island might have held an offspring of an ancient Deep Sea existence and considered several possibilities for how Lu Yuan had obtained its blood.
• Old Morgan gave Lu Yuan a brass key to the Deep Warehouse so he could store the flask behind its Protective Barriers.

Lu Yuan gave Old Morgan Gao Wen’s badge and final message, then warned him that Grim Port was likely the Deep Sea Church’s true target. After storing the dangerous blood in the Deep Warehouse, Lu Yuan saw an Empire army assembling outside the base.

• Lu Yuan showed Old Morgan Gao Wen’s badge and blood-written message, revealing that Gao Wen had died after a failed ritual aboard the Iron Whale.
• Lu Yuan told Old Morgan that a figure in his Strange Dream had warned that Grim Port was the real target, and Old Morgan concluded the ore, ship, and island had all been bait.
• Lu Yuan warned that Marcus had collected more of the heart’s blood and suggested using the Ascension Society’s interest to their advantage; Old Morgan approved.
• Lu Yuan locked the blood in a rune-covered container in the Deep Warehouse and decided not to expose Mina to it.
• An Empire army marched toward the base as Lu Yuan joined Old Morgan and Alice at the entrance.

The Holy Armor Army arrived to help defend the Night Watcher base as the Deep Sea Church’s attack spread across Grim Port. Lu Yuan found Mina and Brent in the Library, where Mina revealed that she had heard whispers saying He was about to awaken; Mo Shui then noticed the Church’s scent on Lu Yuan and asked if he was badly hurt.

• The Holy Armor Army’s Third Battalion joined Old Morgan and established a defensive line around the Night Watcher base, killing nearby Mutated Creatures.
• Lu Yuan learned that Mina and Brent were in the Library with Mo Shui and went to check on them.
• Lu Yuan found Mo Shui maintaining a Protective Barrier while Mina and Brent sheltered nearby.
• Mo Shui explained that Mina’s Echo of All Things talent had exposed her to the cries of the mutated and dead, as well as whispers from the seabed.
• Mina told Lu Yuan that the whispers said He was about to awaken, and Lu Yuan comforted her and praised Brent for caring for her.
• Mo Shui noticed the Church’s scent on Lu Yuan and asked whether he was badly hurt.

Lu Yuan recovered from his injuries and low sanity in the Library, where Mo Shui gave him a blessing that accelerated his mental recovery. After waking, he headed to a meeting and realized his investigation of Grim Port had stalled before uncovering something important.

• Lu Yuan told Mo Shui that his sanity remained dangerously low, and she bestowed a blessing that increased his recovery speed while warning him to avoid Holy Light for 24 hours.
• Lu Yuan saw Mina asleep beside Brent and worried about the strain Echo of All Things was putting on her as the Deep Sea Church's core forces remained hidden.
• Lu Yuan slept in the Library and woke with his sanity recovered from 31 to 35; Mo Shui told him Old Morgan was waiting in the meeting room.
• Lu Yuan offered Mina Potions to help block the sounds she heard, then asked Brent to look after her.
• On his way to the meeting room, Lu Yuan noticed Grim Port Status had remained at 41/50 and wondered what crucial secret he had yet to discover.

After the Night Watchers reviewed the Deep Sea Church’s attacks and the inner city’s preparations, Old Morgan ordered stronger defenses and planned to seek reinforcements. The Ascension Society then asked to retrieve the Judge and Marcus, and Old Morgan agreed only if they left something behind.

• Mary reported that the Deep Sea Church was wearing down both the Night Watchers and the Holy Armor Army while the Viscount stockpiled supplies and met with the city’s leaders.
• The group concluded that the inner city seemed to know a crisis was coming, though they did not know what it was.
• Old Morgan assigned patrol and defense duties, planned to contact Headquarters for reinforcements, and suspected the Viscount was deliberately excluding the Night Watchers.
• The Ascension Society contacted Old Morgan and asked to take back the Judge and Marcus.
• Old Morgan agreed to let them take the Judge and Marcus, but demanded that they leave something behind.

Old Morgan forced the Ascension Society to reveal that its operation involved a still-sealed heart, while Lu Yuan received a letter from Lausen warning him to leave Grim Port and deliver a message to Lausen’s daughter. The chapter ended with Lu Yuan wondering what Lausen’s indirect warning meant.

• Old Morgan confronted the Ascension Society over the blood and demanded an explanation, and they said the heart was still sealed and allowed them to keep Marcus until the fighting ended.
• The church contacted Old Morgan, and Lu Yuan reported that Father Philip’s Holy Power was depleted and he needed rest.
• Old Morgan gave Lu Yuan a letter from Lausen asking him to visit Laurina at the Tower of Erudition, tell her that her father was dead, and warn her not to return.
• Lu Yuan noticed Lausen’s urgent advice to leave Grim Port and his mention of the Doctor, suspecting both were hints.
• Lu Yuan told Old Morgan that Lausen was his former landlord and a priest of the Deep Sea Church.

Lu Yuan and Old Morgan faced a massive Deep Sea Church assault on the Night Watcher base, where the Holy Armor Army turned its apparent retreat into a counterattack. After Eger located the hidden commander, Old Morgan ordered the Night Watchers to coordinate with Xi Wading and eliminate him.

• Lu Yuan told Old Morgan that Doctor Bulin had treated Lausen and warned him to avoid the coast or leave Grim Port, and Old Morgan ordered an investigation.
• Leonard reported that the Holy Armor Army’s defensive line was under a much larger attack, and Lu Yuan and Old Morgan went outside to face the assault.
• Lu Yuan saw Fishmen and fanatical Grim Port residents fused into enormous monsters surrounding the base.
• Xi Wading drew the Fishmen forward before rallying the Holy Armor Army into a coordinated counterattack that cut down the monsters.
• Eger told Old Morgan that he had found the hidden commander, and Old Morgan ordered him to proceed with the plan and coordinate with Xi Wading.

The Night Watchers and Holy Armor Army launched a counterattack against the Fishmen while Alice advanced toward the Deep Sea Church’s warehouse. As Old Morgan left to answer an attack in the inner city, Lu Yuan took command of the cannons from a watchtower and witnessed Xi Wading unleash the Holy Armor Condensation secret art.

• Alice flanked the Fishmen and fought toward the warehouse as Mary strengthened the defenders and Hans directed Hidden Sentries to fire alchemical crossbow bolts.
• Old Morgan raised six underground cannons and gave Lu Yuan a linked crystal, instructing him to fire if the front line or the strike on the warehouse went wrong.
• A guard reported that a huge creature had appeared at City Hall, so Old Morgan took Valentin and a squad to the inner city.
• Old Morgan ordered Lu Yuan to observe the warehouse from the watchtower and gave him authority to fire the cannons if the Deep Sea Church tried to escape.
• Lu Yuan watched the allied forces push back the Fishmen and saw Xi Wading gather the strength of the Holy Armor Army through the Holy Armor Condensation secret art.

Xi Wading and the Holy Armor Army nearly reached the warehouse, but the high priest accelerated a ritual that unleashed the Song of the Deep Sea and a blood marsh, turning the battle against them. Lu Yuan identified the ritual’s weakness as its core, while Mary struggled to hold back the contamination.

• Xi Wading, Alice, and the Holy Armor Army cut through the Fishmen as Hans directed the Hidden Sentries’ crossbow fire.
• A gray-robed believer warned the high priest that the Holy Armor Army had broken through, so the high priest moved the ritual ahead of schedule.
• The high priest summoned heavier rain and the Song of the Deep Sea, suppressing the Holy Armor Army’s golden light and driving the Fishmen into a frenzy.
• The human believers dissolved into a blood cloud, producing blood rain that turned the battlefield into a marsh and worsened the contamination.
• Lu Yuan identified the ritual’s weakness as its core, while Alice and the Hidden Sentries took medicine to resist the song.
• Mary expanded her silver halo to counter the contamination but began to falter from the strain.

Lu Yuan fired an Alchemical Cannon at the warehouse, disrupting the Blood Tide Sacrifice and allowing Alice and Xi Wading to reach the high priest. The high priest confronted them and began summoning a massive figure from rain and blood, leaving Alice and Xi Wading facing an imminent threat.

• Lu Yuan spotted the warehouse as the source of the black mist and fired an Alchemical Cannon at it, shaking the building and disrupting the blood rain.
• The high priest ordered his followers to flee with a black-cloth-wrapped box while Xi Wading and Alice fought their way toward the warehouse.
• Alice and the Hidden Sentry members blocked the gray-robed men at the back door, but the high priest rose through the warehouse roof and attacked her with blood-red spears.
• Xi Wading intervened when the high priest threatened Alice, and the two fought as the high priest drew rainwater and blood together to form a huge figure.

Lu Yuan and the Night Watchers defeated the high priest with a barrage from the Alchemical Cannons, and Xi Wading beheaded him after the black heart was destroyed. The battle ended, but Alice worried about Old Morgan as an eerie shadow still hung over the inner city.

• Lu Yuan used his Pocket Watch to fire four cannon shots after the high priest blocked the first two, badly wounding him and collapsing the Blood Mire Formation.
• The high priest stabbed into his chest and tried to detonate the black heart, but Lu Yuan fired six more shells and shattered it.
• Xi Wading seized the opening and beheaded the weakened high priest, while Alice smashed the corpse and confirmed his death.
• Lu Yuan suffered burned fingers and lost more sanity, then watched as the Night Watchers cleared the battlefield.
• Xi Wading took the black-cloth-wrapped chest to keep at the base, and Alice mourned her fallen brothers before wondering how Old Morgan was faring.

After the battle, Lu Yuan stored the sealed box recovered from the Deep Sea Church in the Deep Warehouse while Xi Wading and Alice went to support the inner city. He discovered that Mary had suffered severe sanity damage and Deep Sea contamination, and concluded that she needed a purification formula.

• Lu Yuan received a heavy, rune-sealed box from Xi Wading and sensed a pulsing presence inside it.
• Xi Wading gathered his unit to support the inner city, and Alice joined him to search for Old Morgan while Lu Yuan stayed behind.
• Lu Yuan locked the box in the Deep Warehouse, where its pulsing stopped, but moved it after feeling inexplicably uneasy.
• Lu Yuan found Mary in the infirmary, where Holy Water and a standard sedative had failed to improve her condition.
• Lu Yuan examined Mary and detected severe sanity damage and trace Deep Sea contamination, then determined that she needed a purification formula.

Lu Yuan used [Forbidden Studies - Deep Study] to create a Purifying Sedative that treated Mary’s Deep Sea contamination, then brewed more for the injured Night Watchers. He handed the medicine to Hans with instructions for administering it.

• Lu Yuan analyzed Mary’s condition and made a Purifying Sedative from Silverlight Grass, Serenity Flower, and Intermediate Holy Water.
• Mary drank the potion, and her breathing and appearance improved as the Doctor watched in surprise.
• Lu Yuan left the infirmary and found Hans returning with Night Watchers whose injuries and Deep Sea contamination had shaken their sanity.
• Lu Yuan brewed twelve bottles of Purifying Sedative in the Potion Room, refining his technique as his Pharmacology increased.
• Lu Yuan gave the potions to Hans and explained how to dose mildly and severely contaminated Night Watchers.

Lu Yuan learned that the Deep Sea Church’s high priest had been defeated, but Mina remained overwhelmed by the voices caused by her Echo of All Things talent. As Old Morgan’s team entered the still-dangerous Inner City, the Viscount’s mistake remained under investigation.

• Mo Shui told Lu Yuan that Mina’s Echo of All Things had been flooded by voices, and advised letting her recover and adapt without medicine.
• Xi Wading reported that the team had reached the Inner City, where Old Morgan was investigating the Viscount’s mistake; Lu Yuan said Mary was under control.
• Lu Yuan saw the Grim Port status rise from 43/50 to 44/50 after news of the Viscount’s mistake.
• Old Morgan’s team encountered a severely mutated creature in the Outer City, and Valentin killed it.
• Hans informed Old Morgan that Lu Yuan, Xi Wading, and Alice had defeated the Deep Sea Church priest at the warehouse.
• Old Morgan continued toward the Inner City, concerned by the eerie dark-red glow in the sky despite the warehouse battle’s success.

Old Morgan and Valentin reached the Inner City and found the Deep Sea Church's influence had opened a massive Rift above City Hall. Old Morgan traced its source underground, where he discovered a black spine at the center of a ritual circle.

• Old Morgan and Valentin found the Inner City overrun with corpses and mutants, and suspected the Viscount had helped the Deep Sea Church infiltrate the city.
• Old Morgan and Valentin arrived at City Hall and saw the Holy Armor Army, the Archbishop, and the injured Viscount fighting the Rift's tentacles.
• Old Morgan sensed that the Rift resonated with something beneath City Hall, while Valentin transformed and joined the battle to hold the plaza.
• Old Morgan entered the underground vault and found glowing runes, a ritual circle, and a black spine at its center.