Chapter Summaries

Riesling asked Professor Samael to look for Black Market Merchants selling Heaven's Fall, while Shang Chuan advised him to approach them cautiously. Meanwhile, Samael received the kings' payments for class changes and used a strange magic broom to collect their gold coins, leaving the kings amazed.

• Riesling asked The Hermit whether Black Market Merchants were present in the war zone and requested that he look for Heaven's Fall.
• The Moon warned Riesling to buy only a small amount at first so the merchants would not become suspicious.
• The Chariot and The Tower sent extra goods and potions for The Hermit to sell, while Chu Yuan reserved a hundred units.
• The kings arrived with payment for their class changes, and one king spilled gold coins across Samael's tent.
• Samael used a magic broom that opened a huge mouth and sucked up the coins, explaining that it helped count the money.

After finishing his sales to the kings, Samael rested in their mismatched luxury tent and went out at night to find a Black Market Merchant. At the camp, adventurers discussed Profession Empowerment and rumors that the Exorcists were killing people with Fusion Obstacles, before a cloaked figure approached them.

• Samael finished delivering goods to the kings, rested in the tent they had furnished for him, and decided to leave the furnishings for Shang Chuan to sell.
• Samael headed out after dark to look for a Black Market Merchant in the military camp outside Adventurer City.
• Adventurers discussed Profession Empowerment, which gave people profession-related boosts, and lamented that they had not yet received the opportunity.
• Adventurers shared rumors that the Exorcists were killing people with Fusion Obstacles, then joked about what the term meant.
• A black-cloaked figure approached the laughing adventurers, and their leader suspected the newcomer was a Black Market Merchant.

A Black Market Merchant approached an adventuring party with life-saving items and offered them at a discount to promote his new product: liquor. The party leader eagerly drank a cup, leaving the liquor’s effects and the deal ahead unresolved.

• The Black Market Merchant joined the adventurers’ campfire circle and revealed Flame Scrolls, Advanced Life Potions, and Auto-Defense Rune Stones.
• The adventurers’ leader hushed his teammates and asked the merchant how much the items cost.
• The merchant said he was promoting a new product and offered to sell the items at a discount.
• The merchant poured out the leader’s fruit wine, rinsed the cup, and brought out a container of liquor.
• The leader smelled the liquor, then drank a cup as his teammates watched enviously.

The leader tried Heaven's Fall, a potent liquor sold by the Black Market Merchant, and learned that even the discounted price was steep. Unable to pay in cash, he agreed to trade materials for the drink and the team's gear, just as someone noticed its enticing smell.

• The leader drank Heaven's Fall and briefly lost himself in its blissful effects while his teammates wondered what had happened.
• The Black Market Merchant named the drink Heaven's Fall and offered the leader a first-purchase price of eighty Silver Coins per 200-milliliter bottle.
• The leader admitted he had no cash, and the Black Market Merchant offered to accept materials instead.
• The leader had his team bring out their collected materials and arranged to pay for both the liquor and the gear with them.
• Someone smelled the liquor and asked what smelled so good.

The Black Market Merchant’s Heaven’s Fall wine drew a crowd of adventurers, who bought bottles after tasting it. Professor Sai, disguised as a short man, bought wine for Riesling and returned to the kings’ camp as Samael.

• Gomen hid his life-saving items and most of his wine when he recognized someone approaching, then directed the other squad captains to the Black Market Merchant.
• The captains tasted Heaven’s Fall, liked it, and brought materials to buy bottles, prompting word to spread throughout the adventurer camp.
• Adventurers lined up to buy the expensive wine, and the Red Scorpion squad bought eight bottles.
• Professor Sai, disguised as a short man, joined the buyers and purchased wine for Riesling.
• Professor Sai returned to the kings’ camp as Samael, where the soldiers saluted him.

Samael rested after buying Palupa Wine and discussed the mysterious sellers with Shang Chuan, who suspected their unusual sales method had a hidden purpose. Lan Qingyou proposed that the sellers might simply have a more straightforward reason, leaving their motives unresolved.

• Samael received crates of fruit and barrels of Palupa Wine from Justice as thanks for his help.
• Shang Chuan asked Samael about the Black Market Merchant selling the wine, and Samael explained that the merchant sold openly but used an indirect method to reconnect with customers.
• Samael told Shang Chuan that the merchant had sold at least ten thousand bottles for one Gold Coin each.
• Shang Chuan reasoned that the unusual sales approach and high revenue suggested the sellers had to move the wine quickly or had another motive.
• Lan Qingyou suggested that the people behind the wine might have a simpler reason for their actions.

Samael and the Tarot Villa members discussed why Heaven's Fall was being sold, then learned from Riesling that the wine contained an addictive drug called an Awakening Agent. The group realized the sellers were using a drug-dealer tactic, while Riesling explained that he had discovered the drug by accident.

• Lan Qingyou suggested that the sellers wanted to reach as many customers as possible, and Samael wondered about their motive before deciding to rest and collect data on his products.
• Riesling warned the group that Heaven's Fall was poisonous, prompting members to offer advice and speculate about the wine.
• Riesling clarified that the wine contained an Awakening Agent, and Shang Chuan recognized the sellers' customer-acquisition tactic from Blue Star.
• Shang Chuan described the drug's addictive effects and enormous profit potential, while the Hermit asked how Riesling had identified it.
• Riesling said he accidentally spilled the wine into his fruit wine and recognized the reaction between their magic, and The Chariot questioned how he had spilled such an expensive bottle.

Riesling explained how Angel's Fall reacted with her fruit wine and revealed that the addictive drink was made with magical-creature cells and illusion magic. As the group considered whether it threatened their own races, Chu Yuan asked Lan Qingyou to find a countermeasure.

• Riesling said she had accidentally spilled Angel's Fall into her fruit wine, triggering a Magic Power reaction that warned her of its danger.
• Riesling explained that Angel's Fall used crude Magic Power techniques, magical-creature cell molecules, and illusion-like magic to create an addictive effect.
• Lan Qingyou compared the drink's method to the Mirage System she and the High Priestess had developed, which used magical-creature cells to generate illusions.
• Lan Qingyou said she had no reason to seek a counter for Angel's Fall because it posed no threat to her or the Witch Race.
• Chu Yuan asked Lan Qingyou whether she could devise a way to counter the drink, citing the Witch Race's unmatched Alchemists.

Lan Qingyou agreed to study a bottle of Heaven's Fall while Chu Yuan saw a chance to gain loyal followers by helping those affected by the liquor. At the Exorcists' camp near the Double Ring Hills, soldiers dismissed the King's Coalition's preparations but debated their leader's choice to attack east rather than south.

• Lan Qingyou accepted the Tower's request for a bottle of Heaven's Fall to use as a reference, and Judgment agreed to pay.
• Chu Yuan considered how rescuing people from the liquor's effects could earn him their loyalty and strengthen his forces.
• A Scout reported that the King's Coalition was making a major move at the Double Ring Hills, where millions of Exorcists waited out the Mana Turbulence.
• The Exorcists argued that their numbers and strength would prevail, though one man warned that the King's Coalition had many Magic Items.
• An Exorcist changed the subject to their leader's eastward campaign, and the group debated whether they should have marched south toward the Land of Abandonment.

Exorcist commanders debated occupying the Land of Abandonment and considered using a Mana Disruption Device against the Witches. The device’s owner revealed he had over a thousand, but the meeting ended with others asking whether he had its blueprint.

• Exorcists debated whether to follow Li Mei’s orders to occupy the north or seize the prosperous Land of Abandonment.
• An Exorcist argued that his Mana Disruption Device could disable Magic and make the Witches vulnerable.
• The device’s owner explained how it worked and said he had tested it on the Witch of the Tower.
• The commanders learned he possessed more than a thousand devices and discussed whether that was enough to challenge the Witches.
• The owner claimed the device’s maker was dead, and an Exorcist asked whether he had the blueprint.

A man who revealed the Mana Disruption Devices sought favor and a powerful position within the Exorcists to protect himself from the Pure Origin Sect and the Black Witches. He contacted Yasuda Miaozi, who discussed the bounty on Fox Gario, and Fox warned Yasuda against serving the Demon Race.

• At a gathering, a man offered to find blueprints for the Mana Disruption Devices and was promised a possible nomination to manage the Port of Abandonment.
• After the meeting, the man returned to his tent and decided he had to rise within the Exorcists because he could no longer hide the devices or himself.
• The man, identified in the messages as Fox Gario, contacted Yasuda Miaozi, who told him the Pure Origin Sect had placed an internal bounty on him.
• Fox explained that the devices threatened the Pure Origin Sect and that the mission to destroy the Dungeon Portal had left him exposed to the Black Witches.
• Fox warned Yasuda Miaozi that selling him out would bring trouble and asked whether Yasuda wanted to spend his life serving the Demon Race.

Fox Gario persuaded Yasuda Miaozi to steal the Mana Disruption Device blueprints in exchange for a share of the profits from the Exorcists’ planned takeover of the Land of Abandonment. Yasuda accepted because he wanted Fox’s informants to help him enter the Pure Origin Sect’s headquarters and steal its treasury before the Mana Turbulence erupted.

• Fox Gario told Yasuda Miaozi that the Exorcists planned to take over the Land of Abandonment if he could obtain more Mana Disruption Devices.
• Fox offered Yasuda a share of the profits for stealing the device blueprints, and the two bargained until they agreed on a contract and a seventy-thirty split of the harbor’s earnings.
• Yasuda required Fox to provide a list of his informants, while Fox handed over contacts he no longer used and concealed his own plans for the profits.
• After the agreement, Yasuda revealed that he wanted the informants to enter the Pure Origin Sect’s headquarters and steal its treasury as the Mana Turbulence approached.

Lan Qingyou examined Heaven's Fall and discovered that its crude magic structure was held together by Gross’s mental-attack cell fragments. She considered using the fragments to make a Talent Promotion potion and asked Riesling to sell her his remaining bottles.

• Lan Qingyou studied Heaven's Fall and found that Gross’s cell fragments bound its unstable magic structure together and triggered intense mental resonance.
• Lan Qingyou wondered about unexplored mysteries across the continent and considered whether to leave Eureka City to explore.
• Lan Qingyou thought the cell fragments could help make a Talent Promotion potion and reflected on the precision required to use Heavenly Meteor effectively.
• Lan Qingyou asked Riesling whether he had any Heaven's Fall left and offered to buy it.
• Riesling said he still had all his bottles and worried that Lan Qingyou might have become addicted to the drink.

Lan Qingyou explained that she wanted Heaven’s Fall for research into Talent Potions and arranged to get more of it. A forgotten promise to Orff resurfaced, while the group discovered she had spent nearly four days in her workshop before Samael offered to help.

• Lan Qingyou told Riesling that she wanted his Heaven’s Fall samples to study their cell molecules, and he gave her the bottles.
• Vivian guessed that Lan Qingyou was separating cell molecules, and Lan Qingyou confirmed she needed their Mental-type Mana for Talent Potions.
• Orff reminded Lan Qingyou that she had once promised him a batch of Talent Potions, and they agreed she would make them after he sent his blood.
• Lan Qingyou asked Samael to buy more Heaven’s Fall, but he said he had left the Double Ring Hills long ago.
• The group realized Lan Qingyou had spent almost four days researching and teased her about tracking time by meals.
• Samael offered to contact someone and find out how many bottles of Heaven’s Fall he could get for her.

Lan Qingyou paid Samael to obtain a thousand bottles of Heaven’s Fall while she made Orff’s S-Rank Talent Potion and began developing an alchemy array for her research. After Mana Turbulence ended, a million-strong Exorcist army advanced on the King’s Coalition at Twin Hills Pass, and the defenders prepared to repel them.

• Lan Qingyou transferred Samael fifteen thousand Gold Coins for the Heaven’s Fall, and he decided to buy her extra materials.
• Lan Qingyou completed Orff’s S-Rank Talent Potion, then began designing an alchemy array to separate cell fragments from the wine.
• Samael explained that the King’s Coalition had blocked signals to protect the secret Job Transfer System, then left the area and handed his packed belongings to Shang Chuan to sell.
• The million-strong Exorcist army charged toward Twin Hills Pass, hoping to free more people from enslavement.
• The King’s Coalition ordered its Guardian Warriors to raise their shields and its Water Element mages to prepare spells against the advancing army.

The Exorcists launched an assault on the Double Ring Hills but were stopped by unusually powerful water and ice magic. Their Appraisal Squad returned with a report that left the Captain General confused: the people fighting them were not Transmigrators.

• The Exorcists charged uphill under a barrage of Water Element spells, whose powerful splash damage wounded soldiers across the first assault line.
• The Captain General ordered the Appraisal Squad to identify what was amplifying the enemy's magic.
• The Appraisal Squad returned and told the Captain General that the enemy forces were not Transmigrators.
• The Captain General questioned how an army of hundreds of thousands could have been replaced so quickly.

The Captain General learned that the King's Coalition's soldiers had human races, new Professions, and attributes comparable to Quasi-Evolutionists, leaving the Exorcists facing an uncertain choice between attacking, defending, or retreating. Fox Gario suggested the Coalition had been preparing for this transformation a week earlier, but the theory still needed verification.

• A commander rebuked the inspection squad leader for claiming the King's Coalition's soldiers were not Transmigrators, and the Captain General asked him to explain.
• The squad leader reported that the enemy's panels listed their race as human and included a Profession field with many different classes.
• The squad leader said Profession bonuses had raised the soldiers' attributes to roughly Quasi-Evolutionist levels, startling the Captain General.
• The Captain General weighed the risks of attacking, defending, or retreating, since the Exorcists had little chance of conquering the enemy stronghold and could not sustain a prolonged defense.
• Fox Gario recalled a report from a week earlier that the King's Coalition had been preparing for something, and suggested it might explain their transformation.

Fox Gario alerted the Captain General to an overlooked report about the King's Coalition and presented a blueprint for a Mana Disruption Device as an attack plan. The Captain General saw the device as a way to turn the war around and improve his own standing.

• The Captain General reviewed reports that Scouts had seen the King's Coalition forming a long line, and discovered that patrol captains had dismissed the warning.
• The Captain General ordered those who had signed the dismissive reports sent to the vanguard, rejecting senior officers' attempts to soften the punishment.
• The Captain General praised Fox Gario for bringing useful intelligence and asked what reward he wanted.
• Fox asked to present an attack plan and claimed he had obtained a blueprint from a friend at a shelter.
• Fox handed the Captain General a blueprint for a Mana Disruption Device, and the Captain General realized it could help him avoid blame and gain entry to the Exorcists' inner circle.

Fox presented the Captain General with a blueprint for a Mana Disruption Device and was promoted to command a hundred thousand reserve troops so he could train its operators. He then asked for wooden models to use as training aids.

• Fox confirmed that the blueprint was real and said he had used a Mana Disruption Device before, though manufacturing one might be difficult.
• The Captain General asked Fox to train people to use the devices proficiently.
• Fox requested more manpower, and the Captain General promoted him to captain over a hundred thousand reserve troops.
• Fox asked the Captain General to have craftsmen make wooden models for his training sessions.

Fox requested training materials for his new unit, while the Captain General ordered the army to halt its attack and guard the border. After reviewing Fox’s background and reporting the Mana Disruption Device, the Captain General received greater authority, and Fox told Yasuda Miaozi he had been promoted to command a hundred thousand people.

• Fox asked the Captain General for training materials, and the Captain General promised to arrange wooden ones within two days.
• The Captain General ordered the units to stop attacking, withdraw, divide the border into nine sections, and guard against a counterattack.
• The Captain General read Fox’s investigation report, judged his ambition useful, and reported the war and the Mana Disruption Device to the leadership.
• The leadership praised the Captain General and granted him greater authority over the fighting in the Xihe Plain and rear production.
• Fox returned to his tent and told Yasuda Miaozi he had been promoted to unit commander of a hundred thousand people, prompting Yasuda Miaozi to ask whether he had handed over the blueprint.