Chapter Summaries

Lan Qingyou let Adams appraise her Protective Barrier and learned that he was a Silver-rank magician. Adams then recognized that Lan Qingyou had heard a sacred voice and asked if she was a Title Holder.

• Lan Qingyou agreed to accompany Adams to meet the Duke and accepted his supplies for the Mana Tide.
• Adams asked to appraise Lan Qingyou’s Protective Barrier, and she gave him permission to use his Appraisal Glasses.
• Adams said Lan Qingyou’s level seemed to be at least Gold rank because he could see very little of the barrier.
• Lan Qingyou learned that Adams was a Silver-rank magician and teased him about his magical talent.
• Adams reacted with shock when Lan Qingyou confirmed she had heard a sacred voice, then asked if she was a Title Holder.

Lan Qingyou asked Adams what his Appraisal Glasses had revealed about her Title Holder status. After learning that the glasses could detect her title but not reveal her personal information, she and Alisa connected the old appraisal rules to Esmeralda’s game system; they still had to observe the Mana Tide from a thousand years ago.

• Adams appraised Lan Qingyou as a Title Holder, startling the nearby servants.
• Lan Qingyou asked what Adams had seen, and he explained that the glasses showed a title but left its text too blurry to read.
• Adams said the glasses could not show Lan Qingyou’s name or profession, and that old mages had received similar results using Appraisal Technique.
• Alisa questioned why appraisal worked that way, and Lan Qingyou and Alisa concluded that the old system had provided a foundation for Esmeralda’s game system.
• Lan Qingyou decided they had to continue with their plan to observe the Mana Tide from a thousand years ago.

Adams learned that Alisa was also a Title Holder, bringing the Sima Empire’s total to seven. After appraising her and confirming she had a title, he hurried back to prepare a report for the Imperial Capital, but discovered a serious problem.

• Alisa asked Adams how many Title Holders existed, and he said the Sima Empire had five out of ten across the continent.
• Lan Qingyou revealed that the Empire had seven Title Holders, prompting Adams to realize Alisa was one too.
• Adams considered how Alisa and Lan Qingyou’s titles might relate to their alchemy and the Protective Barrier.
• Alisa allowed Adams to appraise her, and his Appraisal Glasses confirmed she had a title.
• Adams left the Lakeside Villa to report the news to the Imperial Capital, but encountered a serious problem upon returning to his residence.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa tested the thousand-year-old Magic Tide and found it much weaker than the Magic Tide of their own era. They discussed a possible magical explosion as its cause and considered how the Mana Cloak affected Lan Qingyou.

• Lan Qingyou went outside in the chaotic rain while Alisa held her back with a chain, then Alisa asked how the Magic Tide felt.
• Lan Qingyou said the Magic Tide was far weaker than the New Continent's and barely weakened her.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa discussed concealing their identities and personal information to avoid affecting the future.
• Lan Qingyou recalled that an experiment might have caused a Magic Power explosion that changed the Magic Tide.
• Lan Qingyou said her Mana Cloak reduced the weakening effect by about thirty percent, though she doubted it would let her use magic outside.

Adams worried that he could not send news about Lan Qingyou and Alisa to the Imperial Capital during the Mana Tide, while Duke Taylor arranged for the two alchemists to receive support when they arrived. After the weather cleared, Lan Qingyou and Alisa prepared to leave with Arthur’s caravan, and Adams introduced them to its merchant leader.

• Adams lamented that the Mana Tide prevented him from sending news about Lan Qingyou and Alisa, two skilled Title Holder alchemists.
• Duke Taylor dismissed the alchemists’ importance but ordered that they be given usual benefits and lodging at the Alchemy Academy when they reached the Imperial Capital.
• After the rain stopped, Lan Qingyou and Alisa learned that Adams would see them off and help arrange the letter’s delivery.
• Adams introduced Lan Qingyou and Alisa to Arthur, the merchant in charge of the caravan they would escort.
• Adams revealed that Arthur’s family held a count’s title in the Imperial Capital, and Arthur inferred that the women were more important than ordinary alchemists.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa accepted Adams’s books as payment and joined Arthur’s caravan bound for the Imperial Capital. Adams watched them depart, hoping their status as Title Holders would benefit the Duke Faction and his family.

• Arthur introduced himself to Lan Qingyou and Alisa as a count’s third son who had become a merchant.
• Adams gave Lan Qingyou and Alisa a cartload of books, which they divided between them and stored in the Herb Bag.
• Arthur urged the group to leave for Black Stone Ridge, explaining that the Mana Tide had delayed the caravan’s departure.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa boarded the carriage, and Arthur led the caravan south while Adams watched them go.
• Adams ordered his warehouse cleared for weapons and medicines expected from the Imperial Capital and reflected on the benefits the two Title Holders could bring his family.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa traveled with Arthur’s caravan toward the Imperial Capital, studying potions and learning that the Sorrowful Swamp lay ahead. Arthur described the swamp as strange, piquing the alchemists’ curiosity as the caravan prepared to camp for the night.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa spent the journey reading, shopping for books, and trading Life Potions with Arthur’s caravan for native potions to study.
• Alisa tested the native potions by drinking them and analyzing their effects inside her body.
• Arthur told Lan Qingyou that the caravan would reach the Imperial Capital about three days after crossing the Sorrowful Swamp.
• Lan Qingyou looked out at the golden-lit swamp and asked Arthur whether it was dangerous.
• Arthur said the Sorrowful Swamp was strange, and Lan Qingyou and Alisa eagerly asked him to explain.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa learned why travelers hurried through the Sorrowful Swamp and discussed what might be killing the Empire’s investigation teams. Arthur explained that no one who entered the swamp to investigate had ever returned, and the group prepared to pass through it quickly.

• Arthur told Lan Qingyou and Alisa that a monster in the Sorrowful Swamp made its victims wail and that travelers crossed the swamp between nine in the morning and five in the afternoon to avoid staying overnight.
• Lan Qingyou questioned Arthur about the monster, but he admitted that nobody knew what it looked or sounded like or how it behaved because every investigation team had died.
• Alisa reasoned that the swamp’s monsters might be powerful, numerous, or part of a conspiracy, since even teams of over a hundred people had never returned.
• Arthur said the Empire had tested those theories and ruled out a conspiracy, but it still did not know whether powerful monsters or large numbers of monsters were responsible.
• Arthur warned Lan Qingyou and Alisa to stay near the road and cross the swamp within ten hours, explaining that caravans usually did not even stop for lunch.

Alisa and Lan Qingyou discussed the swamp’s mysteries, and Lan Qingyou decided to investigate while Alisa stayed out of her way. Lan Qingyou unleashed powerful Magic toward the swamp, leaving Arthur and the caravan bracing for what came next.

• Alisa suggested investigating nearby trade and travelers to test whether people in the swamp were secretly gathering there, while Lan Qingyou wondered if they might be self-sufficient or moving around.
• Lan Qingyou showed interest in the possibility of a spirit-type magical creature that could repair souls, but told Alisa she had nothing to do.
• Arthur grew puzzled when the women did not set up camp, then watched Lan Qingyou float from the carriage and sweep her hand toward the swamp as Magic Power surged around him.
• Alisa warned Arthur to keep the caravan and its easily spooked Horned Horses clear, and he ordered the horses unhitched and led aside.
• The caravan hands and guards followed Arthur’s order, then witnessed a scene they would never forget.

A meteorite hurtled toward the camp at the edge of the Sorrowful Swamp, and Arthur realized Alisa and Lan Qingyou had likely summoned it. The women stayed behind as the caravan fled, while Arthur concluded the meteorite was aimed at destroying the swamp.

• A fiery meteorite appeared in the sky and plunged toward the caravan camp.
• The servants, guards, and Arthur fled when they realized the meteorite was heading their way.
• Alisa and Lan Qingyou remained in place, and Alisa waved for Arthur to leave.
• Arthur recalled Alisa's warning about the Horned Horses and Lan Qingyou's gesture, and suspected the women had summoned the meteorite.
• Arthur saw a transparent Magic Protective Shield in front of the meteorite and concluded it was aimed at the Sorrowful Swamp.

Lan Qingyou’s meteorite devastated the Sorrowful Swamp while her protective shield kept the camp safe. She and Alisa went to inspect the crater, leaving Arthur convinced Lan Qingyou had reached Meteorite Rank.

• A meteorite struck the Sorrowful Swamp, destroying it and leaving a smoking crater, while Lan Qingyou’s protective shield protected the camp from the blast.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa discussed how to improve the protective shield as Arthur realized Lan Qingyou had summoned the meteorite.
• Alisa confirmed to Arthur that Lan Qingyou had caused the impact.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa headed to the crater to investigate, while Arthur and the guards stayed behind to set up camp and wait for them.
• Arthur concluded that Lan Qingyou was beyond Orichalcum Rank and must be Meteorite Rank.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa reached the meteor’s crater in the Sorrowful Swamp, where Lan Qingyou collected the magical meteor material for making cauldrons. As Alisa asked what was really in the swamp, Lan Qingyou spotted something nearby, and Alisa saw a sight that made her scalp go numb.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa flew to the meteor’s impact site after crossing part of the Sorrowful Swamp without finding any unusual creatures.
• Lan Qingyou retrieved the still-warm meteor and explained how atmospheric heat, Magic Power, and compression had made it a special material.
• Lan Qingyou showed Alisa her meteor-made cauldron and said the new material could help expand potion production.
• Alisa asked what was in the swamp, and Lan Qingyou pointed toward something that made Alisa’s scalp go numb.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa encountered a named race of underground creatures called Zeduo in the Sorrowful Swamp and watched one begin a revolting transformation. As the creature approached, it launched a mental attack at Alisa, who recognized the ability.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa spotted thousands of humanoid creatures with metal whips trailing from their heads and holes leading underground.
• Lan Qingyou used the Magic Eye to identify the creatures as a mis-evolved race affected by mutant virus, and she noted they had individual names and primitive society.
• Lan Qingyou photographed the approaching creatures with a Card while she and Alisa prepared to attack.
• At roughly fifty meters away, the lead creature straightened and began changing shape as sludge poured from its mouth and coated its body.
• Alisa revealed that the creature had just attacked her mentally, dismissing the attempt as showing off in front of an expert.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa discovered that the Mimic Insects could copy people’s appearances and magic. After the insects copied them and unleashed a Meteor Shower and other spells, Alisa revealed her Rune Magic and destroyed the fake Alisas, leaving the fake Lan Qingyous to Lan Qingyou.

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa watched black sludge form a copy of Lan Qingyou, then saw the other creatures mimic both of them.
• The Mimic Insects surrounded them as countless copies of Lan Qingyou and Alisa appeared.
• The fake Lan Qingyous summoned a Meteor Shower while the fake Alisas used Rune Magic and Air Magic.
• Alisa revealed her Rune Magic, blasted the fake Alisas with runes, and left the fake Lan Qingyous for Lan Qingyou to handle.

Lan Qingyou redirected a rain of meteorites onto the Mimic Insects, then inspected one of the creatures and found its whip-like appendage made of bone. She offered Alisa a chance to try swinging it like a yo-yo, then wondered whether Alisa’s aversions came from having to consume potion ingredients.

• Lan Qingyou redirected the meteorites and adjusted their weight so they would strike the Mimic Insects without destroying Karim.
• Alisa asked whether the creatures were all dead, and Lan Qingyou said they were probably still hiding underground.
• Lan Qingyou picked up a whip-like appendage and realized it was made of flexible bone rather than metal.
• Alisa recoiled from the appendage, but Lan Qingyou offered to let her try swinging it like a yo-yo.
• Lan Qingyou asked whether Alisa’s disgust toward the creature came from having to eat potion ingredients when making medicine.

Lan Qingyou and Alisa returned from the Sorrowful Swamp after displaying their power, leaving Arthur and the caravan stunned by the Meteor Shower. Lan Qingyou gave Arthur a Britt Mouse and warned him that thousands more might be hiding underground, raising concerns about everyone who had entered the swamp.

• Alisa used her finger to suck up dirt, then flew back toward the caravan with Lan Qingyou as evening approached.
• Arthur and the caravan recovered from witnessing the Meteor Shower, which he believed could only have been cast by a legendary Star Rank archmage.
• Arthur spotted the returning women and ordered his men to bring out their prepared food and hot soup.
• Lan Qingyou tossed Arthur a Britt Mouse before sitting down to eat, and Alisa followed her.
• Arthur recognized the creature, and Lan Qingyou told him that at least ten thousand Britt Mice lived in the Sorrowful Swamp and might still be underground.

Arthur explained the Britt Mice’s history of cannibalism, deception, and eventual extermination to Lan Qingyou and Alisa after finding a rat near the Imperial Capital. Lan Qingyou said she had an idea about why the rats had mutated, leaving Arthur eager to hear her explanation.

• Lan Qingyou asked Arthur about the rat, and he explained that the Britt Mice had once infiltrated the Empire by taking the name of the Lushen Tribe.
• Arthur recounted how the Britt Mice enslaved and ate the original Lushen people, then killed nearly an entire Imperial investigation party.
• The Empire and Northern Barbarians united to wipe out the Britt Mice, who mutated by growing bone whips and tougher skin but were still exterminated in the hundreds of thousands.
• Arthur said he was surprised that Britt Mice had appeared only two or three days from the Imperial Capital and worried they might cause trouble there.
• Lan Qingyou said she had an idea why the Britt Mice had mutated, and Arthur eagerly asked her to explain.

Arthur learned that the Britt Mice mutated because they ate people, while a meteor shower near the Imperial Capital prompted Nicolas Flamel to warn Sima IX that its strange trajectories suggested unnatural interference. The chapter left Sima IX weighing whether to investigate the impact zone near the Sorrowful Swamp despite the risk of repeating past mistakes.

• Arthur explained that the Empire still offered a marquis title to anyone who uncovered the cause of the Britt Mice mutations.
• Lan Qingyou told Arthur that the Britt Mice had mutated because they ate people, leaving him stunned.
• Lan Qingyou, Alisa, and Arthur ate dinner and settled in for the night.
• A dense meteor shower appeared near the Imperial Capital, keeping officials at work as they awaited Sima IX's response.
• Nicolas Flamel argued that the meteors' converging trajectories indicated unnatural interference and recommended investigating the impact zone.
• Sima IX questioned whether sending an investigation team to the Sorrowful Swamp might repeat past mistakes.

Nikola volunteered to lead an investigation into the Sorrowful Swamp and the Meteor Shower, and the emperor sent the Flamingo Knights to protect him. Albert stayed behind, where he recognized that the Meteorite and the following shower were not truly connected.

• The emperor’s court discussed investigating the Sorrowful Swamp after the Meteorite changed the region, but nobody volunteered at first.
• Nikola offered to lead the investigation team, and the nobles and ministers praised his decision.
• The emperor proposed sending Albert with Nikola, but the court was told Albert was working with Master Baham; the emperor instead ordered the Flamingo Knights to protect Nikola.
• Nikola and the Knights Order set out for the Sorrowful Swamp that night.
• Albert watched their departure from a tavern and concluded that the Meteorite and the Meteor Shower had come from different sources.

After the Meteor Shower, the caravan prepared to leave the transformed Sorrowful Swamp, and Lan Qingyou offered to speed up their journey to the Imperial Capital with Mana Thrusters. The chapter ended with Arthur realizing the devices could help the caravan arrive that evening.

• At a gathering of Alchemy Department teachers, the alchemists discussed Albert's discovery, Nikola's escort by the Flamingo Knights Order, and the Meteorites' potential uses.
• The next morning, Arthur decided the group should hurry through the changed Sorrowful Swamp, and Lan Qingyou and Alisa agreed.
• Lan Qingyou asked Arthur to install devices she had made on the caravan's carriages instead of having his earth-element mages clear the blocked road.
• Lan Qingyou explained that the devices were Mana Thrusters that would propel the carriages, and Arthur realized they might reach the Imperial Capital that evening.