Chapter Summaries

Lu Yuan watched the mayor and townspeople kill and dissect a mutated sandworm, while the mayor secretly retrieved a dark red crystal from its head. Three figures dressed like Night Watchers recognized Lu Yuan’s badge and led him toward the edge of town, and he followed them.

• The mutated sandworm, contaminated with pollution, attacked the stone yard until the mayor’s Song of the Sandworm and gray-white flames weakened and killed it.
• The mayor warned the townspeople not to touch the sandworm’s pus, then secretly removed a dark red object from its head.
• Herman and the mayor spoke gravely, while Karl warned Lu Yuan to return home before dark.
• Three shadowed figures in robes resembling Night Watcher uniforms signaled that they recognized Lu Yuan’s badge and beckoned him to follow.
• Lu Yuan gripped Time Bestower and followed the three figures toward the edge of town.

Lu Yuan met Morris, Heller, and Vincent, three Second Order Pathfinders investigating Sandworm activity and hidden contamination near the town. Though he initially refused to help, Morris offered him a recovery potion and a map in exchange for one assist at a critical moment, and Lu Yuan considered the deal.

• Lu Yuan followed three men into a secluded gap and learned they were Morris, Heller, and Vincent, Second Order Pathfinders from the Western Empire's Seventh Squad.
• Lu Yuan claimed he was a Night Watcher named Lu Yuan who had been separated from his team, and Morris said Bronze City was at least half a month's journey away.
• Morris explained that the Pathfinders were tracking unusual Sandworm activity and investigating concealed contamination in the town.
• Lu Yuan refused to join their mission because his injuries and depleted sanity made it too risky.
• Morris offered Lu Yuan a recovery potion and a simple map in exchange for helping once at a critical moment, with permission to flee if things went wrong.

Lu Yuan accepted the Pathfinder’s map and potion, then recovered some Sanity while considering the Sandworm’s mutation and the suspected research sites. At dinner, Herman admitted that the mayor had been acting strangely and began revealing why he had brought Lu Yuan to his home.

• Morris gave Lu Yuan a map marking the Warehouse District and the mayor’s house as suspected sites connected to the mutated Sandworm.
• Lu Yuan drank the Special Sanity Recovery Potion, raising his Sanity to 53 and easing his pain.
• Lu Yuan returned to Herman’s house, memorized the map’s locations, and rested until dinner.
• Herman sent Karl, Martha, and the little girl away so he could speak privately with Lu Yuan.
• Herman said the Sandworm had been abnormal and that the mayor had been acting strangely, and Lu Yuan asked whether Herman had brought him there for a reason.

Lu Yuan learned that Sandworm Town's mayor had broken the town's limit on hunting Sandworms, then saw charred creatures gather beyond the town's lights after dark. When Martin was poisoned by Sandworm pus and the town Doctor could not help him, Lu Yuan agreed to examine him.

• Herman told Lu Yuan that the town's rules limited Sandworm hunts to two a year, and the mayor had announced another hunt despite the danger.
• Lu Yuan said he would not interfere in the town's affairs unless the mayor troubled him, and Herman said they could leave for Bronze City in three to five days.
• Herman warned Lu Yuan not to go outside or extinguish the lamps, and Lu Yuan saw red-eyed, charred figures waiting beyond the Light Domain.
• Herman explained that the figures were people who had died in the desert and were drawn to the smell of blood after Sandworm hunts.
• Herman brought Martin's wife to Lu Yuan and explained that Sandworm pus had poisoned Martin and the town Doctor could not save him.
• Lu Yuan agreed to go see Martin, telling his wife that he could not promise to save him before examining him.

Lu Yuan treated Martin’s Sandworm pus contamination by burning the parasites from his arm and amputating his forearm, saving his life. He warned Herman that others who dismantled the Sandworm might also be infected, and the town began searching for them as Lu Yuan rested, expecting further trouble.

• Lu Yuan examined Martin’s infested arm and used Forbidden Studies to learn that heat could halt the Sandworm pus parasites, though the limb would need amputation.
• Lu Yuan restrained Martin and burned the parasites from his arm, then applied Sandworm Oil to the wound.
• Lu Yuan and the others amputated Martin’s forearm, and by dawn Martin was unconscious but breathing steadily.
• Lu Yuan warned Herman that anyone who had touched the Sandworm could be contaminated, and Herman sent people to inspect them.
• Lu Yuan offered to treat any infected workers before he fell asleep, then reflected that the town’s troubles had only begun.

After several townspeople were contaminated by pus, Lu Yuan found Old Hans’s two sons in the terminal stages of infection and concluded that a Source of Pollution existed in the desert. Old Hans burned his sons, and the strange smell from the fire reminded Lu Yuan of Grim Port, leaving him wondering what was behind the pollution.

• Herman told Lu Yuan that seven or eight people had been splashed with pus and that two were severely affected, while the mayor claimed to be unwell.
• Lu Yuan examined Old Hans’s two sons and saw that they had undergone irreversible mutations resembling the mutated Sandworm.
• Lu Yuan told Old Hans and the townspeople that his sons could not be saved and should be burned before they transformed further.
• Old Hans took Herman’s firestarter, scattered Sandworm powder through the window, and set the infected sons’ house on fire.
• Lu Yuan noticed the smoke carried a smell like one he had encountered in Grim Port and questioned who was behind the desert pollution.

Lu Yuan treated six early-stage Sandworm Town residents with a salve he formulated, then suspected the Sandworm’s mutation had been caused deliberately. After resting, his sanity and wound had improved, and Karl came to his door.

• Lu Yuan examined six mildly infected people and devised a Worm-Repelling Salve from Sandworm Oil and Worm-Repelling Herb.
• Lu Yuan treated all six residents, whose parasites died beneath the skin, and gained pharmacology experience.
• Lu Yuan noticed Red’s purple-tinged lumps and evasive answers about cleaning the Sandworm’s mouthparts, then warned him to watch for symptoms.
• Lu Yuan rejected payment, returned to Herman’s home, and reasoned that someone might have deliberately contaminated the Sandworms.
• Lu Yuan woke feeling better, saw that his sanity had risen to 71/120 and his wound had eased, then heard Karl knock.

After the mayor died from a parasite infection, Lu Yuan and Herman discovered the mayor’s secret Sandworm laboratory and evidence that an unknown man had guided his experiments. Lu Yuan kept the research notes, potion manual, and Bone Flute, then noticed Morris signaling him to follow into the darkness.

• Karl told Lu Yuan that the mayor had died at the warehouse, and Lu Yuan went there with him.
• Lu Yuan found parasites emerging from the mayor’s chest, and Herman ordered the corpse burned to prevent them from spreading.
• Lu Yuan and Herman searched the mayor’s underground laboratory, where Lu Yuan found polluted extract, experiment records, and a Sandworm potion manual.
• The records revealed that the mayor had tried to create a symbiote with help from an unnamed man, and Lu Yuan and Herman burned the laboratory.
• Herman gave Lu Yuan the mayor’s Bone Flute and hinted that someone had been behind the experiments.
• Morris appeared in the shadows, gestured for Lu Yuan to follow, and disappeared into the darkness.

Lu Yuan learned that Grego, the Ascension Society traitor behind the pollution and the mayor’s experiments, was hiding at the mayor’s house, and Morris planned a nighttime attack using a device that suppressed machinery. After returning to Herman’s home, Lu Yuan heard that Red had emerged and something was wrong with him.

• Lu Yuan warned Herman to check the warehouse materials for contamination, then met Morris, who identified Grego as the creator of the Source of Pollution.
• Morris showed Lu Yuan a single-use gear that could suppress machinery and lent him a ring that could share sanity; they planned to confront Grego at the mayor’s house that night.
• Lu Yuan explained that the mayor had been conducting a parasite-based symbiosis experiment with Grego’s help, and Morris assigned Lu Yuan to support the attack from the perimeter.
• Lu Yuan returned to the warehouse, where Herman and his workers inspected the stored materials, and Karl arrived shaken by a nightmare about bugs crawling from the mayor’s chest.
• On the way home, Lu Yuan learned that Red had shut himself away; that night, a shout outside reported that Red had come out and something was wrong with him.

Lu Yuan killed Red’s parasite larva and ordered Herman to search the town for more contamination. When Morris’s signal summoned him to the mayor’s house, Lu Yuan joined the Pathfinders as they confronted Grego, whose mechanical body was disabled by Gear.

• Lu Yuan shot Red, but a fast parasite larva burst from Red’s stomach and attacked a townsman.
• Herman burned the larva with help from Lu Yuan and the townspeople, and Lu Yuan ordered a search for suspicious places, especially near the warehouse.
• Lu Yuan rested at Herman’s home, watched the dark figures beyond the Light Domain, and then received a signal from Morris’s metal ring.
• Morris told Lu Yuan that Heller and Vincent were positioned around the mayor’s house and explained that the activated Sanity Ring would link their sanity.
• Morris, Heller, and Vincent fought Grego inside the mayor’s courtyard until Gear activated and disabled Grego’s mechanical parts.
• Lu Yuan entered the courtyard and saw Grego, half human and half machine, raging at the Pathfinders.

Lu Yuan used the Metal Ring to drain the Pathfinders’ Sanity, then unleashed the Time Bestower’s Deprivation ability against Grego and the Parasitic Broodmother. He killed the worm and destroyed Grego’s Mechanical Core, but the three Pathfinders were left near death after losing all their Sanity.

• Lu Yuan spotted the Parasitic Broodmother waiting in the yard and warned the others, but it struck Vincent and threw Heller aside while Grego seized Morris.
• Lu Yuan drew Sanity from Morris, Heller, and Vincent through the Metal Ring, leaving all three incapacitated and realizing he had taken all their Sanity.
• Lu Yuan used Deprivation on Grego and the Parasitic Broodmother, rapidly aging the worm until it died.
• Lu Yuan focused a second Deprivation attack on Grego’s Mechanical Core, which decayed and stopped, killing Grego.

Lu Yuan stabilized the three Pathfinders after defeating Grego, treating Vincent’s poisoned wound with their supplies. He discovered the Time Bestower had sprouted insect-like limbs and could now respond to his thoughts, then left Herman to arrange the aftermath and asked him to take him to Bronze City once he recovered.

• Lu Yuan shared sanity with Morris, Heller, and Vincent, then used their potions and medical supplies to treat them, especially Vincent’s severe wound.
• Lu Yuan saw the Time Bestower sprout antennae and insect legs that pierced his chest; afterward, he could activate the Pocket Watch with a thought.
• Herman arrived with Sandworm Town’s young men, and Lu Yuan identified Grego as a traitor of the Ascension Society who had created the Parasitic Broodmother.
• Lu Yuan explained the mayor’s connection to Grego’s experiments and asked Herman’s people to move the Pathfinders while preserving the remains.
• Herman thanked Lu Yuan and reflected on the mayor’s ambitions, while Lu Yuan asked him to take him to Bronze City after he recovered.

After recovering from the night’s battle, Lu Yuan concealed his role in draining Morris, Heller, and Vincent’s sanity while Morris remained suspicious. The group examined Grego’s corpse and belongings, uncovering his Symbiote research and a hidden clock badge that Lu Yuan kept.

• Lu Yuan woke after sleeping off some of his sanity loss, and Morris questioned him about the ring that had drained the group’s sanity; Lu Yuan blamed a possible malfunction.
• Morris gave Lu Yuan a sanity recovery potion, promised to report his contribution for merit points, and privately resolved to investigate him.
• Lu Yuan, Morris, and Heller examined Grego’s rapidly aged, rust-covered corpse, which Lu Yuan recognized as an effect of his use of Deprivation.
• The group searched Grego’s belongings, and Lu Yuan found research notes showing Grego had tried to control an increasingly intelligent Symbiote larva through symbiosis.
• Lu Yuan took several useful potions and discovered a thick copper badge with an engraved clock face and a sealed compartment, then kept it.

Lu Yuan tested his newly fused bond with Time Bestower, then watched Morris negotiate the Empire’s influence over Sandworm Town and receive a Pathfinder Consultant Badge. Morris and the other Pathfinders departed for the royal capital, while Lu Yuan planned to travel to Bronze City with Herman’s caravan.

• Lu Yuan found that he could prime Time Bestower’s power with a thought without consuming sanity, and wondered whether their connection was symbiosis.
• After three days of recovery, Morris decided the Pathfinders had to leave and negotiated with Herman to bring Sandworm Town under the Empire’s jurisdiction.
• Herman agreed to the Empire’s outpost, trade, and authority over matters involving Transcendence in exchange for support and autonomy over daily affairs.
• Morris gave Lu Yuan a Pathfinder Consultant Badge, explaining that it granted Pathfinder outpost access and also allowed the organization to monitor his movements.
• Morris told Lu Yuan to travel to Bronze City with Herman’s caravan and said Lu Yuan could return the ring the next time they met.

Lu Yuan spent his final days in Sandworm Town learning flute music from Karl and received Herman’s handwritten manual of ancient tunes, including the complete Song of the Sandworm. He then joined Herman’s caravan bound for Bronze City, leaving town with Karl’s farewell gift and a promise to return.

• After Morris departed without reclaiming the Sanity Ring, Herman told Lu Yuan the caravan would leave in two days and encouraged him to finish what he wanted to do.
• Lu Yuan learned flute basics from Karl, steadily improving his Ancient Music Theory and hearing that the Sandworms’ oldest tune was said to have originated with the Sandworms themselves.
• Lu Yuan practiced through the next day, and Herman gave him an old manual containing ancient flute tunes and the complete Song of the Sandworm.
• As the caravan prepared to leave, Karl hurried over with dried sandworm for Lu Yuan, who promised to return and finish learning the tune.
• Lu Yuan boarded Herman’s caravan and watched Sandworm Town recede as they set out for Bronze City.

Lu Yuan traveled with Herman’s caravan toward Bronze City and learned that the full version of Song of the Sandworm had killed a level-four musician. After the caravan camped near Stone Forest, Eerie entities gathered beyond the lamps’ light, then disappeared at dawn as the group set out again.

• Lu Yuan studied the Ancient Music Theory handbook and asked Herman why Karl could play Song of the Sandworm despite not reaching level one.
• Herman explained that Karl played a harmless simplified version and warned that the full version had killed a legendary level-four hunter who attempted it.
• The caravan camped near Stone Forest, where Lu Yuan practiced the Sandworm Bone Flute and increased his Ancient Music Theory experience.
• At night, dozens of charred Eerie entities gathered beyond the Sandworm Oil Lamps’ Light Domain while Herman explained that the lights kept them out.
• Lu Yuan slept through the night, regained sanity, and joined the caravan as it broke camp and headed toward Stone Forest.

Lu Yuan arrived in Bronze City with Herman’s caravan and headed to the Night Watcher outpost to report in. After hearing that people from the Tower of Erudition’s Alchemy Department had been disappearing, he worried that Laurina might be in danger, and waited while an officer checked his badge.

• Lu Yuan crossed the Eerie stone forest and the forest beyond it, following Herman’s warnings to keep his eyes ahead.
• Lu Yuan saw Bronze City’s rune-covered metal walls, and Herman explained that they repelled the Eerie but that the city’s factions made it dangerous.
• Lu Yuan parted ways with Herman in the Outer City and set off for the Night Watcher outpost, where Herman promised to send his payment.
• Lu Yuan overheard that people from the Tower of Erudition’s Alchemy Department had been disappearing and wondered whether Laurina was among them.
• Lu Yuan reached the Night Watcher outpost and presented his badge, and an officer took it inside to verify its number.

Lu Yuan arrived at Bronze City's Night Watcher outpost, where investigators discovered that his file and two others were missing key information and that more than thirty adjacent Night Watcher records had vanished. Unable to speak or gesture about Grim Port, Lu Yuan was assigned to logistics while Hogger and Klaus reported the anomalies to Headquarters and considered a possible link to the city's recent disappearances.

• A middle-aged Night Watcher verified Lu Yuan's badge and found his assigned outpost and mission records blank, while Lu Yuan could not answer questions about his past.
• Hogger and the middle-aged Night Watcher searched the archives and found that only the files for Lu Yuan, Valentin, and Alice remained among more than thirty adjacent serial numbers.
• Lu Yuan saw his own and the other two files showing Grim Port and their mission histories, but he could not tell Hogger where he had come from or what had happened.
• Hogger determined that Lu Yuan showed no signs of contamination and assigned him to logistics while reporting the file anomalies.
• Klaus ordered Hogger to report the missing records and search for Valentin and Alice, and told him to watch for a connection to the city's recent missing-person cases.

Lu Yuan reported to the Logistics Department, learned about the disappearances of Alchemy Department students, and treated two injured Night Watchers. He suspected the attacks near the Tower of Erudition might be connected to the disappearances and resolved to investigate further.

• Lu Yuan reported to Margaret at the Logistics Department and began sorting herbs and preparing standard potions.
• Margaret told Lu Yuan that three Alchemy Department students had disappeared from the Tower of Erudition, with the incidents occurring at increasingly shorter intervals.
• Lu Yuan decided to visit the Tower of Erudition soon to check on Laurina and repay Lausen's help.
• Four Night Watchers brought in two wounded men, and Lu Yuan treated a forearm fracture and an abdominal cut.
• The injured Night Watchers said a fast, powerful black shadow with a rotting smell had attacked them near the Tower of Erudition while they patrolled for the disappearance case.
• Lu Yuan connected the black shadow, the Alchemy Department students, and the Tower of Erudition, but concluded he needed more information.

Lu Yuan delivered medicinal ingredients to the Tower of Erudition and found Laurina in the Alchemy Department. He gave her an old letter addressed to her, and her expression changed as she examined it.

• Margaret asked Lu Yuan to deliver medicine to the Tower of Erudition and warned him that the Alchemy Department had been experiencing trouble.
• Lu Yuan traveled through the guarded city to the Tower of Erudition and delivered the ingredients to its infirmary.
• The infirmary worker said many Alchemy Department students were suffering from poor mental health and needed calming medicine and sedatives.
• Lu Yuan learned that Laurina worked in the Third Tower and found her in the Alchemy Department common area.
• Lu Yuan handed Laurina an old letter, and she studied its worn envelope with a complicated expression.