Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group clarifies why the Alchemy Workshop appeared as a possible shelter upgrade: facilities are linked to existing professional expertise and specialized equipment.
• Vivian’s shelter lacks both a profession and specialized facilities, reflecting her sheltered, wealthy, shut-in background.
• The discussion turns to restoring the Dormitory, whose calming effect was previously believed to come directly from the World Will.
• Esmeralda corrects this assumption: the World Will intervened only because no one had previously created the effect themselves. The Dormitory’s calming properties can therefore be reproduced through enchantment.
• The enchantment process is more complex than ordinary enchantment. A facility’s effects must first be established through carefully defined objects and furniture—for example, a Dormitory must contain beds or equivalent sleeping arrangements.
• This “definition” requires enormous Magic Power and highly skilled craftsmanship, comparable to carving a precise pattern rather than making random marks.
• David connects the process to the smoke, hammering, and construction sounds that appear whenever a shelter upgrades, suggesting those phenomena may involve the same technique, though Esmeralda cannot confirm it.
• David proposes buying Migration Scrolls from the Black Witch and moving several subordinate shelters with Dormitories into the Pure Magic Zone for experimentation.
• Vivian raises the issue of materials, correctly suspecting that a calming enchantment may require rare or special components. Esmeralda suggests testing the versatile Fantasy Tree mentioned earlier by The Tower.

Character Developments

• David demonstrates strong analytical ability and quickly turns the meeting’s theoretical information into a practical research plan. His initial confusion gives way to excitement once he realizes facilities can be modified through enchantment.
• Vivian remains primarily a recorder and executor rather than a theorist, consistent with her lack of professional experience. However, she contributes an important practical insight about material requirements and displays some familiarity with enchantment.
• Esmeralda provides crucial insider knowledge but admits the limits of her understanding, emphasizing that even her connection to the World Will does not give her complete access to its methods.
• Vivian’s background is reinforced: despite living in a luxurious shelter, she has no profession because she has never worked or developed specialized skills.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge replacing divine intervention: What appears to be the World Will’s unique power may actually be a technique mortals can learn and reproduce.
• Theory as the foundation of progress: Even without a complete procedure, understanding the underlying principle makes experimentation possible.
• Definition and construction: Facilities are not merely rooms; their functions depend on the objects, arrangements, skill, and magical energy used to define them.
• Limits of knowledge: Esmeralda’s partial information shows that proximity to a powerful entity does not guarantee complete understanding.
• Practical experimentation: David’s plan reflects the transition from speculation to organized research.

Character Interactions

• Esmeralda explains the relationship between shelter facilities and professions, while Vivian admits she lacks both.
• When Esmeralda corrects David’s interpretation of the World Will’s role, he is shocked but quickly recognizes the implications.
• David asks increasingly technical questions about enchantment, and Esmeralda answers by describing the need for definitions, materials, Magic Power, and craftsmanship.
• Vivian mostly records the discussion but challenges the group with the material problem, prompting Esmeralda to suggest using the Fantasy Tree.
• The meeting ends with the participants aligned around an experimental approach: relocate shelters, investigate the Dormitory’s enchantment, and test whether the Fantasy Tree can supply the necessary materials.

Chapter Summary: “Now, This Is What You Call Professional”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group discusses the Fantasy Tree, an extremely versatile material that can transform into anything its user imagines. It is widely useful for construction, travel, combat, theft, and other practical purposes.
• The group checks on the tree’s growth several months after Lan Qingyou recruited people to cultivate it. The tree has grown to four or five times its original size.
• However, the current supply is only sufficient to produce spiritual items for the manor’s residents. Using it to repair the Shelter’s Dormitory would require halting that production, forcing the group to choose between the two uses.
• The Tower advises that only a fingernail-sized piece of Fantasy Tree may be necessary for the Dormitory’s repair, combined with other materials.
• David invites Ruan Qingyi/The Star, Ingrid/The Sun, and Lan Qingyou/The Tower into the discussion to avoid misunderstandings and seek expert advice on enchantment and construction.
• Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid propose that repairing Shelters requires more than ordinary enchantment: the materials must match each Shelter’s elemental or structural attributes.
• Lan Qingyou offers her large supply of thousand-year-old meteorites as a possible repair material for stone-based Shelters.
• Ruan Qingyi recognizes that the meteorites could be used as building blocks or ground into powder to create powerful Meteorite Ink, making them suitable for large-scale Shelter repairs.

Character Developments

• David/The Magician demonstrates practical leadership by identifying the need to inspect the Fantasy Tree and bringing in specialists instead of relying solely on the group’s existing knowledge.
• Vivian/The High Priestess acts responsibly as secretary, immediately contacting Lan Qingyou and coordinating information between participants.
• Lan Qingyou/The Tower is shown enjoying a rare moment of leisure while bathing, but she also reveals her immense resourcefulness and stockpile of valuable meteorites.
• Ruan Qingyi/The Star and Ingrid/The Sun establish themselves as genuine experts in enchantment. Their immediate identification of overlooked technical issues elevates the discussion from speculation to professional planning.
• Ruan Qingyi becomes particularly enthusiastic about the meteorites, recognizing their versatility and potential for mass production.
• The group’s researchers are excited by the possibility of creating a “Shelter (Pseudo)”, potentially allowing ordinary people to benefit from Shelter-like facilities.

Significant Themes

• Resource management and difficult choices: The Fantasy Tree is powerful but limited, forcing the group to decide between producing spiritual items and repairing the Dormitory.
• Collaboration and specialization: Progress comes from combining the group’s different skills—leadership, research, construction, alchemy, and enchantment.
• Professional expertise: The chapter contrasts the group’s initial assumptions with the specialists’ deeper understanding of Shelter attributes and material compatibility.
• Innovation and democratization: The possibility of enchanting buildings suggests that Shelter-like protection may eventually become available to people who do not possess true Shelters.
• Practicality and versatility: Both the Fantasy Tree and meteorites are valued because they can serve many functions, from construction materials to weapons and magical components.

Character Interactions

• David and Esmeralda discuss the Fantasy Tree’s growth, while Vivian independently confirms its condition with Lan Qingyou.
• Vivian informs Lan Qingyou that she should remain available after the meeting, though Lan Qingyou continues relaxing in her bath.
• David consults Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid about repairing the Dormitory, and both quickly point out that Shelter attributes must be considered.
• Ingrid explains that different Shelter types possess different affinities—for example, tree-based Shelters have wood attributes and stone buildings have earth attributes.
• Lan Qingyou contributes her meteorites as a solution, prompting Ruan Qingyi to develop several practical applications for them.
• The group moves from a vague discussion about using Fantasy Tree material to a more concrete and scalable repair plan centered on meteorites and specialized enchantment.

Chapter Summary: “I Refuse”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The group plans to consolidate shelters modeled after the stone houses to prepare for the threat posed by Kesuya’s avatars.
• David asks Lan Qingyou to sell them roughly one hundred shelters or related materials. Lan refuses, explaining that such basic goods are an important source of income for young Black Witches.
• Lan argues that, as the Black Witch Patriarch, it would be unfair for her to compete with inexperienced witches who depend on selling basic potions, scrolls, and other alchemical products to establish themselves.
• David accepts her reasoning and arranges for procurement teams to buy the necessary goods from ordinary Black Witches instead.
• While waiting for the purchases, the people at the manor organize military forces and dispatch advance teams. Because Kesuya’s avatars possess powerful mental attacks, only individuals with sufficiently strong mental strength can participate.
• Vivian asks Lan to lend Black Witches to their forces. Lan explains that she had already sent experienced veterans from the Transmigrator era, including the Giant Slayer Squad and other powerful witches, to assist.
• These witches are first assigned to defend the Land of Abandonment and nearby territories, which are considered the foundation of their power. They will later help deal with threats elsewhere.
• Vivian initially suggests distributing one or two witches among each team, but Lan points out that the situation is a full-scale battle against powerful enemies, not a Dungeon or Portal expedition. Concentrating the witches into stronger combat units is therefore more effective.
• Once preparations are complete, the group begins researching the Dormitory while continuing their other duties. Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid, both experts in advanced enchantments and runes, also begin collaborating.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou: Demonstrates strong moral responsibility and leadership. Although she could easily provide the requested goods, she refuses because doing so would undermine young Black Witches’ livelihoods. She also shows strategic awareness by mobilizing veteran witches immediately after learning of the crisis.
• David: Accepts Lan’s refusal without resistance and adapts by purchasing supplies from other Black Witches, showing flexibility and respect for her reasoning.
• Vivian: Takes an active role in coordinating the defense and seeks cooperation between the various races. She adjusts her assumptions after Lan explains the scale and nature of the conflict.
• The veteran Black Witches: Their past experience, combat ability, research talent, and strong mental power make them especially valuable against Kesuya’s avatars.
• Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid: Their participation emphasizes their importance as specialists in enchantments, runes, and large-scale preparation.

Significant Themes

• Ethical leadership over personal convenience: Lan refuses to exploit her position or monopolize a market, prioritizing the growth of weaker members of her community.
• Economic support and social development: Basic goods are portrayed as essential opportunities for young witches to build careers and advance.
• Collective responsibility: Every race and organization contributes through procurement, research, defense, or specialized expertise.
• Preparation and strategic organization: The group carefully considers personnel requirements, mental defenses, deployment methods, and resource distribution before confronting the enemy.
• Strength through cooperation: The crisis encourages collaboration between different races and combines combat power with technical knowledge.

Character Interactions

• David’s request and Lan’s refusal create the chapter’s central exchange. Lan explains that selling directly to the group would deprive young witches of customers, and David immediately agrees to use normal procurement channels.
• Vivian consults Lan about borrowing Black Witches for joint operations. Lan reveals that she had already anticipated the need and deployed veteran forces.
• Vivian proposes spreading witches among different teams, but Lan corrects her strategy, explaining that the current operation requires concentrated strength rather than small support units.
• The chapter concludes with the wider group cooperating on research into the Dormitory, particularly through the combined expertise of Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid.

Chapter Summary: “Listening with Great Interest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Star and The Sun take responsibility for the most important part of the group’s construction project: adapting enchantment and rune formulas for use in buildings rather than equipment.
• They disagree over the best construction method:
  • The Sun favors directly engraving the formulas, believing it would be faster and more practical than using a Crystal Pen.
  • The Star argues that engraving is too risky, since a single mistake could ruin the entire building.
• Their debate stalls until The Tower intervenes and reminds them of the basic principle of Semiotics: pursuing the simplest or most efficient method can create greater complications when foundational steps are skipped.
• The Star and The Sun realize they have neglected the fundamentals of their disciplines for decades because they had become experts and relied on instinct.
• They accept The Tower’s criticism and agree to restart from the earliest stage of the construction process rather than seeking shortcuts.
• The discussion is then disrupted when The Tower reveals that she is receiving a massage from one of her Household Magic Puppets while participating in the meeting. She enthusiastically advertises the puppet’s other functions, including cleaning, cooking, organizing, beauty care, and nail treatment.
• Her sales-pitch-like interruption destroys the formal atmosphere. The Star and The Sun resume arguing more emotionally, while The Tower listens to their quarrel with amusement.

Character Developments

• The Star shows caution and responsibility, prioritizing accuracy and avoiding catastrophic mistakes. She also demonstrates humility by accepting that she was being too hasty.
• The Sun values efficiency and practical application, preferring a faster engraving method. Like The Star, she is willing to acknowledge her mistake once The Tower explains the problem.
• The Tower acts as the voice of reason by recalling the forgotten fundamentals of Semiotics. However, she is also playful, eccentric, and easily distracts the others with her casual use of a Household Magic Puppet.
• The three women’s relationship is shown to be close and comfortable. Their disagreements are intense but not hostile, reflecting mutual respect and familiarity.

Significant Themes

• The danger of overreliance on expertise: Mastery can cause people to skip basic procedures, leading them to overlook important details.
• Efficiency versus thoroughness: The chapter emphasizes that shortcuts are not always efficient, especially when beginning a complex project from scratch.
• The importance of returning to fundamentals: The forgotten first principle of Semiotics teaches that simplifying a process too aggressively can make the final result more complicated.
• Learning and intellectual humility: The Star and The Sun readily accept criticism, reinforcing Tarot Villa’s atmosphere of scholarship and continuous improvement.
• Comedic contrast: Serious academic debate is repeatedly undercut by The Tower’s casual behavior and enthusiastic product advertisement.

Character Interactions

• The Star and The Sun engage in a technical disagreement based on their different specialties—enchantments and runes—but neither initially persuades the other.
• The Tower mediates by reminding them of Semiotics, a field shared by both disciplines and the basis of their friendship.
• The Star and The Sun recognize their shared mistake and agree to change their approach.
• The Tower’s massage-puppet demonstration shifts the interaction from formal collaboration to playful bickering.
• By the end, The Tower is entertained by the renewed argument rather than attempting to restore order, highlighting the trio’s affectionate and humorous dynamic.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou finishes a lengthy magical discussion with Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid about creating an enchantment. They agree to use complex Podoan Symbols supported by compression techniques, while rejecting Meteorite powder as ink in favor of Deep Sea Ink.
• After the discussion, Lan Qingyou enjoys a massage from one of her housekeeping Magic Puppets and prepares to take another bath. She has designed the puppet partly to exercise and massage her legs, hoping to prevent muscle atrophy and preserve the possibility of walking again if she is cured.
• Although the situation is urgent and the final confrontation with Kesuya is approaching, Lan Qingyou allows herself to relax because the outcome is absolute: victory means survival, while defeat means everyone dies.
• While bathing, she examines reports from the Giant Slayer Squad, which has attacked Kesuya’s Clones in the Land of Abandonment. The squad defeats three clones with ease.
• The clones are physically weak but possess powerful mental-contamination abilities, making them dangerous to people with insufficient mental strength. The Giant Slayer Squad, however, is strong enough to resist them.
• Lan Qingyou notices that the clones look bizarre and poorly assembled, appearing to be combinations of random body parts—eyes, fingers, hair, and teeth—rather than complete beings.
• She concludes that the clones seem mass-produced or assembled on an industrial “assembly line.” Since Kesuya’s influence does not appear to control them, she suspects an unknown human creator.
• Intrigued by this mystery and eager to demonstrate her abilities, Lan Qingyou decides to investigate, metaphorically preparing to “throw stones” and show her skill.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou shows greater concern for her physical condition. She actively plans to prevent muscle atrophy in her legs, revealing her determination to regain mobility and maintain hope for a cure.
• She also demonstrates confidence in her extraordinary mental strength, remaining unconcerned about the clones’ psychic attacks.
• Despite the crisis, Lan Qingyou permits herself comfort and rest, suggesting a more balanced attitude toward her own needs.
• Her curiosity and competitive pride emerge strongly. She is fascinated by the strange construction of the clones and feels compelled to investigate partly because she wants to display her expertise.
• The Giant Slayer Squad is portrayed as overwhelmingly powerful. What they expected to be a dangerous battle becomes an effortless victory, leaving them disappointed rather than threatened.
• Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid contribute to the enchantment planning, though their ideas differ; Ruan Qingyi’s suggestion of Meteorite powder is rejected as impractical.

Significant Themes

• Preparation versus relaxation: Even with the final battle approaching, Lan Qingyou recognizes the importance of caring for herself and preserving her body.
• The limits of specialized power: The clones are formidable in mental attacks but physically fragile, illustrating the weaknesses created by extreme specialization.
• Mass production and artificial creation: The clones’ mismatched bodies suggest that they were manufactured rather than naturally created, raising questions about their origin and purpose.
• Curiosity and intellectual challenge: Lan Qingyou is drawn to mysteries not only because they may be dangerous, but because solving them offers stimulation and a chance to test her abilities.
• Absolute stakes: The approaching conflict is framed as all-or-nothing—there is no middle ground between survival and total destruction.

Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou collaborates with Ruan Qingyi and Ingrid in developing the enchantment, rejecting an unsuitable proposal while helping settle on a workable method.
• Her housekeeping Magic Puppet provides her with a massage and assists her bathing routine, reflecting Lan Qingyou’s growing use of magical creations for personal care.
• The Giant Slayer Squad communicates its progress through the group chat, sending photographs and impressions of the defeated clones.
• Lan Qingyou indirectly assesses the squad’s performance and the clones’ abilities through these reports, using their battle results to form a theory about the clones’ artificial origins.

Chapter Summary: “Storm Island in Turmoil”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After bathing, Lan Qingyou returns to the Alchemy Workshop and begins another research project. Her work remains unpredictable because she has many interests and frequently shifts focus after reaching major breakthroughs.
• Outside, the battle against Kesuya’s avatars intensifies. The Long-lived Species either evade the avatars or destroy them through specialized extermination squads of roughly fifty to one hundred mentally powerful fighters.
• A separate reporting network tracks newly appearing avatars and informs the command center. Because few battlefield participants possess strong leadership skills, overall command has been entrusted to Chu Yuan, the Lion King of Tarot Villa.
• Chu Yuan coordinates the defense from a massive sand table representing Storm Island. Colored flags identify squads, while black flags represent the Witch Race’s forces.
• When a new avatar appears at Dawn Coast, Chu Yuan orders the Witch Race’s Thirteenth Squad to respond after ensuring nearby civilians are evacuated.
• Despite the continuous destruction of avatars, new ones appear even faster, creating a serious manpower problem. Black Witch squads are especially valuable because their portals allow rapid deployment, and they can eliminate avatars more efficiently than mixed squads.
• Reports arrive from locations across Storm Island, showing that avatars are appearing in many regions. Chu Yuan notices that their locations seem to be gradually moving toward a particular area, though the pattern is unclear.
• Suspecting that the appearances follow a hidden order, Chu Yuan orders historical reports to be organized chronologically. A dynamic map is created, allowing him to connect the locations in sequence.
• The resulting lines appear to form symbols resembling magic circles. Shocked by this discovery, Chu Yuan immediately sends the image to the group chat for others to examine.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou remains absorbed in research and demonstrates her restless, highly curious personality. Her activities contrast with the urgent crisis unfolding outside.
• Chu Yuan proves himself an effective and experienced commander. He calmly manages reports, troop deployments, civilian evacuation, and resource shortages while relying on his instincts to identify the hidden pattern behind the attacks.
• Chu Yuan’s beastly instincts become an important investigative tool, convincing him that the avatars’ movements are not random even before he can prove it.
• The Black Witch’s forces, though sometimes less efficient when mixed with Transmigrator witches, become essential because of their ability to use portals and rapidly reinforce threatened locations.

Significant Themes

• Order hidden within chaos: The seemingly random avatar appearances conceal a deliberate structure.
• Strategic cooperation: Different races and factions combine their abilities to defend Storm Island, with combat squads, reporting teams, commanders, and researchers each serving distinct roles.
• Limits of manpower: Even coordinated forces struggle because the avatars are appearing faster than they can be eliminated.
• Science and investigation amid crisis: Lan Qingyou continues research while Chu Yuan analyzes battlefield data, showing that understanding and experimentation are as important as direct combat.
• Unseen manipulation: The avatars’ apparent movement toward a central purpose suggests that a hidden force may be directing events.

Character Interactions

• Reporting officers deliver battlefield intelligence directly to Chu Yuan, who responds with evacuation and deployment orders.
• Chu Yuan coordinates with the Witch Race and relies on their portal-based squads to cover distant regions.
• He delegates the chronological organization of avatar sightings to otherwise unoccupied personnel, turning the command center into a collaborative investigation.
• After discovering the possible magic-circle pattern, Chu Yuan shares the image with the wider group, inviting others to help interpret the mystery.

Chapter Summary: “The Center of the Encirclement Was the Land of Abandonment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Judgment discovers a diagram tracking the locations and appearance order of Kesuya’s clones. He suspects the numbered points might form a symbol or magical array.
• The High Priestess explains that The Star and The Sun are occupied constructing a calming enchantment for the Dormitory, while The Tower is available but may be difficult to reach during research.
• Judgment contacts The Tower, Lan Qingyou, for assistance. She quickly determines that the numbers form neither a magical array nor a symbol.
• Lan Qingyou instructs him to connect points bearing the same number. Following her directions, Judgment reveals a series of concentric, irregular circles.
• At first, the circles appear to represent Kesuya’s clones encircling Storm Island and advancing inward toward the former headquarters of The Order.
• After reviewing newer maps produced every few minutes, Judgment realizes the circles are not converging on the island’s center. Their true destination is the central-western region—the Land of Abandonment.
• Lan Qingyou reveals that she has already evacuated the area and expects it to become the next battlefield. She orders Judgment’s forces to stay away, claiming that she and the Black Witch will handle the region.
• The chapter hints that Lan Qingyou’s insight is connected to the mysterious Star Dragon King’s body beneath the Land of Abandonment, which she and the Necro Race have been investigating.

Character Developments

• Judgment/Chu Yuan: Demonstrates his responsibility as battlefield commander by urgently analyzing the clone movements and seeking expert help. He initially misinterprets the pattern but quickly recognizes the strategic danger once the circles begin narrowing.
• Lan Qingyou/The Tower: Shows exceptional expertise and perceptiveness, identifying the significance of the numbered points almost immediately. Her prior investigation of the Land of Abandonment allows her to anticipate the battlefield’s destination before Judgment does.
• High Priestess: Acts as a practical intermediary, directing Judgment to contact Lan Qingyou and clarifying the other researchers’ unavailability.
• The Star and The Sun: Though absent from the main action, they are shown contributing to the group’s larger defense effort by developing a calming enchantment.
• The Black Witch: Is positioned as Lan Qingyou’s partner in defending or investigating the Land of Abandonment.

Significant Themes

• Pattern recognition and hidden strategy: Seemingly meaningless data becomes a crucial tactical map when viewed from the correct perspective.
• The limits of central command: Judgment’s command center cannot function alone; specialized knowledge and cooperation are essential.
• Preparation versus reaction: Lan Qingyou has already evacuated the threatened region, showing the value of long-term investigation and advance planning.
• The Land of Abandonment as a mystery: The area is revealed to be more than a neglected territory, likely concealing the Star Dragon King’s body and attracting the movement of Kesuya’s clones.
• Encirclement and inevitability: The shrinking circles create a sense of an approaching confrontation that is steadily forcing all sides toward one location.

Character Interactions

• Judgment and the High Priestess discuss the difficulty of contacting the researchers.
• Judgment privately consults Lan Qingyou, initially doubting her quick answer but then following her instructions.
• Their exchange highlights the contrast between Judgment’s urgent, practical command style and Lan Qingyou’s calm professional confidence.
• Lan Qingyou informs Judgment that she and the Black Witch will take responsibility for the Land of Abandonment, while Judgment’s forces are warned to remain away.

Chapter Summary: “Preparing for Battle”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou recalls the Necro Race’s long-running search for a space large enough to contain a mountain. Although the search produced no results, their periodic reports kept the matter in her mind.
• When she notices forces converging on the central-western region, she suspects the destination may be the Land of Abandonment, a place repeatedly connected to major and mysterious events.
• Her suspicion is based on Chu Yuan’s earlier map, which suggests that Kesuya’s avatars were emerging from the outside and moving inward. If correct, the outer regions should become progressively safer.
• Lan Qingyou immediately contacts Helen and orders the inhabitants of the Land of Abandonment to gather and retreat toward the cleared outer areas.
• She instructs Diana to withdraw half of the Giant Slayer Squad to guard the evacuees, while the rest continue hunting newly appearing Kesuya avatars.
• The veteran Transmigrators in Eureka are assigned to defend the Land of Abandonment. Although they lack the Giant Slayer Squad’s specialized experience against enormous magical beasts, they possess extensive combat experience from developing the Karim Continent.
• Lan Qingyou personally opens a Portal to Abandoned City and establishes a temporary command center there. The city is chosen because it can accommodate hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of people, lies on high ground, and offers a strong vantage point over the surrounding region.
• Diana reports that observation posts have been staffed by veteran members of the former 88 Witch Corps. Notable members include Nightingale, Erika, and Catherine, all powerful witches now holding important positions.
• Lan Qingyou monitors rapidly updating intelligence through her Cards and Magic Eye. The sheer volume of reports reflects the scale and chaos of the crisis.
• Evacuation proceeds slowly because Chu Yuan has limited personnel available, while Lan Qingyou’s forces are already fully deployed.
• Lan Qingyou remains in communication with Alisa, whose Masquerade forces and White Witch Legion are also responding to the crisis across the continent.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou demonstrates strategic judgment and decisiveness. Though uncertain about the Land of Abandonment’s importance, she chooses to act on her intuition rather than risk ignoring a possible threat.
• She takes on a direct leadership role, coordinating evacuations, battlefield deployment, reconnaissance, and defense while personally traveling to Abandoned City.
• Diana functions as Lan Qingyou’s overall commander and organizer, efficiently deploying troops and veteran witches to observation posts.
• The veteran witches are shown to have become reliable leaders and defenders. Former members of the 88 Witch Corps now occupy influential positions and are trusted with critical assignments.
• Alisa reveals the burden of leadership within the White Witches. Because her faction has fewer experienced veterans, she must personally lead the White Witch Legion and support its less experienced members.
• Alisa envies Lan Qingyou’s advantage: Lan Qingyou can rely on a large number of seasoned fighters, while Alisa’s forces consist largely of newer evolutions and Artificial Humans.

Significant Themes

• Preparation amid uncertainty: Lan Qingyou has no proof that the Land of Abandonment is the crisis’s focal point, but the scale of the threat makes precaution necessary.
• Leadership and responsibility: Both Lan Qingyou and Alisa must organize large forces despite incomplete information and limited resources.
• The importance of experience: Veteran fighters and long-standing local knowledge are presented as crucial advantages during a continent-wide disaster.
• The Land of Abandonment as a center of mystery: The region repeatedly attracts major events, suggesting that it holds an unresolved secret or hidden significance.
• Cooperation and large-scale mobilization: Black Witches, White Witches, Transmigrators, the Giant Slayer Squad, Eureka, and other groups coordinate to contain Kesuya’s avatars.
• Unequal resources: The contrast between Lan Qingyou’s experienced Black Witches and Alisa’s newer White Witch forces highlights the different challenges faced by each faction.

Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou contacts Helen, directing her to warn and evacuate the Land of Abandonment’s population.
• She works closely with Diana, who reports on deployments and commands the defensive arrangements.
• Lan Qingyou relies on the veteran witches—including Nightingale, Erika, and Catherine—to operate the observation posts.
• She communicates with Chu Yuan, whose map and limited troop availability influence her strategy.
• Lan Qingyou exchanges updates with Alisa, comparing their responses to the crisis. Their conversation emphasizes their differing military resources and Alisa’s envy of Lan Qingyou’s experienced forces.

Chapter Summary: “Like a Massive Military Camp”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou reveals that she is preparing for a possible battle in the Land of Abandonment. After investigating the recent crisis, she suspects that this region—home to the Black Witches—may be the center of the incident.
• She has cleared the area and gathered a large force, intending to confront whatever may appear. However, she does not know exactly what is coming and refuses to make definite predictions.
• Alisa, having already destroyed dozens of Kesuya’s clones, considers joining Lan Qingyou to investigate the situation and gain combat experience.
• Lan Qingyou invites Alisa to the Abandoned City, where Alisa arrives through several linked Portals because she has never previously visited the location.
• Alisa discovers that the city and surrounding Land of Abandonment have been transformed into a huge military camp, with roughly two hundred thousand Black Witches deployed.
• Most of the forces are powerful Transmigrators or witches who evolved more than a century ago. Less powerful Black Witches remain behind in Eureka as intermediate personnel and guards.
• Even Eureka’s Flight Control Room staff have been brought to the battlefield, forcing the remaining personnel to learn how to operate Eureka in their absence.
• Lan Qingyou’s forces are taking extensive precautions because the enemy’s identity and abilities remain unknown.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou demonstrates her characteristic caution and strategic mindset. Although she disguises her reasoning with exaggerated or unreliable claims, she takes the threat seriously and prepares for the worst.
• Alisa shows increasing willingness to participate in dangerous conflicts. Her stated reasons—curiosity and the desire for combat experience—reflect her practical, self-interested nature rather than simple altruism.
• Alisa also recognizes the seriousness of the situation, understanding that Kesuya’s defensive actions suggest that the coming threat may be extremely dangerous.
• The Black Witches left behind in Eureka are dissatisfied at being excluded, but they accept their supporting role and begin training to maintain the organization’s operations.

Significant Themes

• Fear of the unknown: Neither witch knows what may emerge, making uncertainty more frightening than any confirmed enemy.
• Preparedness and caution: Lan Qingyou emphasizes gathering overwhelming forces and learning about an opponent before engaging.
• Trust and secrecy: Both Lan Qingyou and Alisa are secretive and only partially believe what the other says, creating a relationship based on familiarity, skepticism, and mutual understanding.
• Hierarchy and responsibility: The chapter highlights the difference between elite combatants and the intermediate personnel tasked with maintaining Eureka and supporting the main force.
• Pragmatism over heroism: Alisa’s offer to help is motivated largely by personal interest and experience, while Lan Qingyou readily accepts her as an additional fighter because the situation demands every available advantage.

Character Interactions

• Alisa questions Lan Qingyou about the sudden military preparations, while Lan Qingyou gives a deliberately vague explanation.
• Their conversation shows that both understand each other’s dishonest or evasive habits: Alisa doubts Lan Qingyou’s explanation, and Lan Qingyou likewise suspects Alisa has concealed motives.
• Despite this mutual distrust, they cooperate easily. Lan Qingyou invites Alisa to the Abandoned City, treating her as a useful ally and “free fighter.”
• Upon seeing the massive deployment, Alisa compares the city to a military camp and asks about the White Witches, implying that their movements may also be relevant to the unfolding crisis.

Chapter Summary: “What Was the Key?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Alisa returns after nearly a day of leading the White Witch Legion in hunting and destroying Kesuya’s Clones.
• She reports to Lan Qingyou at Tarot Villa’s command center, where Lan has been studying battlefield intelligence and reports.
• Alisa reveals that nearly every Clone has been using contaminated monsters unique to the Karim Continent as its host body.
• These monsters are far stronger and more bizarre than the creatures normally found on Storm Island, making them effective containers for Kesuya’s Clones. The stronger the host, the stronger the Clone.
• Lan realizes that the appearance of these Karim Continent monsters on Storm Island may not be random. It suggests the influence of a deliberate hidden force, much like the World Will’s earlier actions.
• Alisa emphasizes that this discovery is still not the central issue, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger as Lan asks what the true “key” is.

Character Developments

• Alisa is shown as an experienced battlefield commander and a high-level figure comparable to Lan Qingyou. Despite her exhaustion, she remains composed and analytical. Her reaction to the Clones’ corpses also suggests that she sees them as more than mere experimental materials.
• Lan Qingyou is established as an exceptionally powerful researcher and strategist. She initially becomes excited by the possibility of an amusing discovery, but quickly shifts into serious analysis when she realizes the implications of the contaminated monsters.
• The chapter highlights the different strengths of the two major groups:
  • Tarot Villa functions primarily as an academic and research organization, with Chu Yuan being its main large-scale military commander.
  • Masquerade is more combat-oriented and has a larger number of capable commanders.
• Alisa and Lan are treated as equals in power and perspective, making Alisa’s firsthand opinion especially valuable to Lan.

Significant Themes

• Hidden manipulation and conspiracy: The use of Karim Continent monsters as Clone vessels suggests that a deliberate force is shaping events behind the scenes.
• Power and perspective: The chapter stresses that individuals of different ranks and Magic Power levels perceive problems differently; high-level figures like Alisa and Lan can recognize patterns others may miss.
• Research versus warfare: Tarot Villa and Masquerade represent contrasting approaches—scientific analysis and organized combat—yet both are essential to responding to the crisis.
• The nature of materials: The corpses and monster bodies are valuable as alchemical resources, but their significance extends beyond simple utility, hinting at deeper questions about life, identity, and experimentation.
• Preparation and desensitization: The monsters previously transported to Storm Island may have served as a gradual introduction to the far more dangerous realities of the Karim Continent.

Character Interactions

• Lan dismisses Diana after receiving her report so she can hear Alisa’s assessment directly.
• Alisa teases Lan by calling her discovery “interesting” but not amusing, briefly deflating Lan’s enthusiasm.
• Their conversation shifts from casual banter to serious investigation as Lan understands that the monsters’ origins imply outside interference.
• Alisa deliberately withholds the most important information, building suspense and prompting Lan to ask what the real key is.

Summary of “Chapter Error 1191”

• Plot and events: No narrative events occur. The chapter is unavailable because of a technical error, and readers are instructed to read the next chapter first.
• Character development: No characters appear or undergo development.
• Themes: The text focuses on interruption, accessibility, and the relationship between technology and reading. It also emphasizes troubleshooting and user support.
• Character interactions: None occur, as this is a technical notice rather than a story chapter.
• Overall: This is a site error message explaining that certain iPhone Safari versions may freeze. It recommends using Google Chrome or reverting to the default font, which may resolve the problem, and invites readers to report continued issues.

Key plot points and events

• Lan Qingyou admits that the cause of the pollution devastating the Karim Continent remains unknown, despite her earlier visit. She brought Eureka along this time to explore the region from the air.
• The pair discuss Kesuya’s Clones, which use human bodies as vessels. Their enormous numbers suggest many people were trafficked from Storm Island, perhaps through the Demon Race’s longstanding slave-trading network.
• Alisa challenges Lan Qingyou’s assumption that the victims were recent captives. Her examination of their cells suggests the bodies are more than a hundred years old, meaning they may have been on Karim before Lan Qingyou crossed over.
• Alisa recalls that people fleeing Lan Qingyou’s large-scale curses hid in Dungeons. When the World Will removed the Dungeon portals and protective barriers, they were exposed to Karim’s polluted environment and may have mutated into the creatures now being used as vessels.
• Lan Qingyou decides to investigate by contacting Sherlock, a slave trader who settled on Karim. She asks whether he still has slave-trading connections on Storm Continent. Sherlock, already nervous after losing a base and hearing of an attack on Victoria’s side, receives her message uneasily.

Character developments

• Lan Qingyou is initially unsure about the pollution and its victims, but recognizes that her past actions may have had unintended consequences. She shifts quickly from speculation to seeking firsthand answers.
• Alisa demonstrates her expertise through her analysis of the mutated tissue and offers a plausible explanation linking the mutations to Lan Qingyou’s curses and Karim’s environment. She also reproaches Lan Qingyou for forgetting the curse incident.
• Sherlock is shown to be frightened and under pressure after recent losses and reports of further attacks.

Significant themes

• Unintended consequences: Lan Qingyou’s past attempt to avenge the Black Witches may have driven people into conditions that caused their mutation.
• Uncertainty and investigation: The origin of the pollution and the history of its victims remain unresolved; the characters pursue evidence rather than settle for assumptions.
• Exploitation and responsibility: The discussion connects the victims’ condition to human trafficking and raises questions about who enabled it.

Character interactions

• Lan Qingyou listens to Alisa’s scientific findings, then reacts with surprise when Alisa connects the mutations to her past curses.
• Alisa explains the likely chain of events and presses Lan Qingyou to remember her role in it.
• Lan Qingyou turns the discussion toward action by contacting Sherlock, while his anxious response hints that he may know more about Karim’s trafficking networks.

Plot points

• Lan Qingyou messages Sherlock about his former slave-trading routes. Though Sherlock is startled to find her on his friends list, he eventually accepts that she must have added him earlier—during a meeting he does not remember because he was under an illusion.
• Sherlock confirms that he sold slaves while the Order existed. Most went to Demon families, but some were bought by Long-lived Species seeking to maintain or increase their populations after settling on the Karim Continent.
• Those groups paid with goods such as ore, gold, and alchemy materials. Sherlock also profited as a middleman, including by smuggling food from Storm Island.
• Lan Qingyou suspects these details may support Alisa’s theory but still thinks another force could be involved. She asks about the fifth of the five major Demon families, but Sherlock says he does not know its name.

Character developments and interactions

• Sherlock is intimidated by Lan Qingyou and answers cautiously, especially when she presses him about his business. His fear of her—and of the Red Witch she might bring—makes him quick to comply.
• Lan Qingyou is persistent and suspicious: she probes Sherlock’s answers, notices his immediate response about his buyers, and keeps searching for missing information.
• Their exchange is an uneasy interrogation, with Lan Qingyou applying pressure and Sherlock trying to satisfy her without provoking her.

Significant themes

• Power and fear: Sherlock’s willingness to answer reflects Lan Qingyou’s control over the conversation.
• Trade and exploitation: Slavery is portrayed as a profitable system serving population needs, while Sherlock’s wider business illustrates how control of trade routes creates wealth.
• Incomplete knowledge and suspicion: Even after Sherlock’s account, Lan Qingyou doubts that she has uncovered the whole story.

Chapter Summary: Intelligence on the Moxi Family

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou questions Sherlock, Patriarch of one of the Five Great Families, about the mysterious Moxi Family.
• Sherlock admits that he has never seen the Moxi Patriarch or any family members. Although the Five Families hold regular meetings, the Moxi Family’s members remain hidden because meetings are conducted in complete darkness.
• Sherlock explains that the Moxi Family replaced the Steve Family after Zakhak, a major Steve figure, was killed by Marshall/Old Ma.
• The Moxi Family seemed to emerge suddenly, and Sherlock does not know how it rose to prominence.
• Lan Qingyou reasons that the Moxi Family could not have become one of the Five Great Families without help from at least one of the existing families. She suspects betrayal or collusion among the original families.
• After questioning Sherlock, Lan Qingyou ends the conversation and shares the information with Alisa.
• Alisa concludes that their theory is likely correct: the Moxi Family may consist of people who hid on the Karim Continent to escape Curse Magic. The remaining question is how many of them fled there.

Character Developments

• Sherlock becomes defensive and emotionally agitated when Lan Qingyou calls him and the other family leaders villains. He insists that his actions—including slavery disguised as “coordination” and grain smuggling described as “transportation”—were necessary to save lives.
• His reaction reveals both his guilt and his tendency to rationalize morally questionable actions as acts of necessity.
• Lan Qingyou remains skeptical and openly contemptuous of Sherlock’s excuses. She maintains control of the exchange, gathering information without revealing her true identity or interests.
• Alisa gains confidence in her hypothesis after receiving confirmation from both Lan Qingyou and Demon Race intelligence.

Significant Themes

• Moral self-justification: Sherlock reframes harmful actions as humanitarian efforts, showing how people excuse exploitation when they believe—or claim—that their goals are necessary.
• Betrayal and political ambition: The rise of the Moxi Family likely resulted from one or more Great Families betraying the others for strategic or economic advantage.
• Secrecy and hidden power: The Moxi Family’s concealed identity and meetings held in darkness emphasize the importance of secrecy within the Demon Race’s political structure.
• Historical manipulation: The apparent replacement of the Steve Family may not have been a natural political shift, but the result of deliberate interference by powerful factions.
• Prejudice and isolation: The Demon Race is rejected by other races because of its reputation for evil, forcing its members to rely on one another while encouraging ruthless competition within their own society.

Important Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou and Sherlock: Lan Qingyou interrogates Sherlock about the Moxi Family. Sherlock provides limited information and becomes upset when she condemns his morality, while Lan Qingyou dismisses his excuses.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa: Lan Qingyou reports the results of her conversation, helping Alisa validate her theory about the Moxi Family’s origins and refuge on the Karim Continent.

Chapter Summary: “A Joke Between the Two”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Alisa and Lan Qingyou discuss the danger of the Kesuya’s Clones being deployed across Storm Island.
• Tens of thousands of clones are already present, but both women realize the true number could be far greater. Many people from the past fled into Dungeons, and their descendants or former identities may now be appearing as clones.
• Possible numbers range from hundreds of thousands to millions or even tens of millions. While such numbers would normally be manageable, Kesuya’s Clones possess overwhelming mental abilities and can defeat most people simply through Mental Pollution.
• Tarot Villa and Masquerade have jointly assembled fewer than ten thousand combat squads. Each squad requires fifty powerful fighters, including at least five Black Witches, who are essential because of their Resurrection Art and Portal abilities.
• Summoning-type Black Witches are largely ineffective because their summoned creatures cannot withstand the clones’ Mental Pollution.
• The two organizations cannot spare many more fighters because they must defend the Land of Abandonment, protect newly awakened Black Witches, and maintain other strategic positions. Veteran forces such as the 88 Witch Corps and Giant Slayer Squad are already occupied.
• Alisa proposes that, if the clones were gathered in one place, they might be destroyed with a large-scale attack. Lan Qingyou admits that her Meteor Fall or its enhanced form, Meteor Shower Descent, could potentially wipe them out.
• However, using such magic would reduce the Land of Abandonment to ruins. The women therefore hope the clones will not all converge there.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou is shown as cautious and strategically minded. She recognizes the scale of the threat and weighs the need to preserve both her forces and the Land of Abandonment. Despite her concern for the territory and the people connected to it, she begins considering whether the battlefield could be moved elsewhere.
• Alisa demonstrates strong tactical awareness and acknowledges Lan Qingyou’s overwhelming destructive power. Though she presents her suggestions as jokes, she genuinely worries about the consequences of a large-scale battle and the burden it would place on her own territory.
• Both women are revealed to share a pragmatic willingness to sacrifice territory if necessary, while still hoping to avoid such an extreme outcome.

Significant Themes

• The danger of overwhelming numbers: Even a small fraction of the former population could become an unstoppable threat when transformed into powerful clones.
• The limits of available power: The organizations possess strong fighters, but their forces are too limited to confront millions of enemies directly.
• Sacrifice and strategic necessity: Victory may require destroying the very territory the characters are trying to defend.
• Attachment and responsibility: Lan Qingyou’s concern over the Land of Abandonment contrasts with the idea that a person without bonds would have greater freedom to act.
• Humor amid crisis: The women use jokes to discuss grim possibilities, masking anxiety and highlighting their close understanding of one another.

Character Interactions

• Alisa and Lan Qingyou engage in a candid strategic discussion, each following and expanding on the other’s reasoning.
• Alisa suggests gathering the clones for a mass attack, while Lan Qingyou explains the devastating cost.
• Lan Qingyou counters by joking that the battlefield should instead be moved to Alisa’s Desert Oasis, provoking a playful exchange.
• Their shared laughter suggests mutual trust, familiarity, and perhaps an unspoken understanding of the emotional weight behind their “jokes.”

Plot points and events

• Alisa tells Lan Qingyou that her ecological restoration project with Teacher Jiang has made its first major progress: Seaside Town has been restored to roughly the condition it was in a thousand years ago.
• The restoration is not exact, since species, climate, and other conditions have changed, but the ecosystem is thriving. The team expects to gather seeds and cells for further cultivation, eventually allowing plants, insects, and animals to repopulate naturally.
• Alisa estimates they could restore about 30,000 square kilometers in a year. Lan Qingyou considers this slow compared with Karim Continent’s vast scale, but Alisa argues that restoration will accelerate as seeds multiply.
• Both acknowledge that these plans depend on surviving Kesuya, the threat facing Karim Planet.
• Alisa notices Lan Qingyou repeatedly drinking an unfamiliar potion. Lan Qingyou reveals it is a Race Advancement Potion, startling Alisa, who realizes that witches may be able to advance beyond their current racial classification.

Character developments and interactions

• Alisa takes quiet pride in the ecological project, especially in what she and Jiang Lan have accomplished in only a few months. She explains its limitations and promising prospects with confidence.
• Lan Qingyou, usually uninterested in restoration work, recognizes its practical value: more habitable land could give the Black Witches space to live and work. Her repeated use of the potion, however, shifts the conversation toward a potentially groundbreaking discovery.
• Alisa moves from proud presenter to astonished questioner when she learns about the potion. She reproaches Lan Qingyou for revealing such an enormous development without warning.

Significant themes

• Rebuilding and survival: Ecological restoration offers hope for a livable future, but only if the planet survives its greatest threat.
• Incremental progress: A limited initial restoration could expand rapidly as the ecosystem becomes self-sustaining.
• Transformation and discovery: The Race Advancement Potion raises the possibility of surpassing the witches’ established racial limits.

Chapter Summary: “Has It Finally Come?!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou reveals to Alisa how she created a powerful advancement potion by combining three different Evolution Items.
• She credits the process to “magic,” deliberately concealing Esmeralda’s Fusion Magic Eye, since it is another person’s private ability.
• Alisa is shocked by the possibility and immediately recognizes the potential research value of the technique.
• Lan Qingyou offers Alisa the formula for free, explaining that she wants Alisa to advance quickly and become another powerful combatant.
• Alisa accepts the formula and considers sharing it with the Masquerade organization.
• Lan Qingyou agrees, but warns Alisa to test and adjust the formula herself first, since differences between alchemists may affect the result.
• Lan Qingyou explains that the potion requires three Evolution Items: two with opposing compatibilities and a third capable of balancing them. This compatibility is crucial to making the brewing process stable.
• The potion is extremely difficult to produce. Even among advanced alchemists, Lan Qingyou estimates that only one in ten might succeed.
• Lan Qingyou has shared an inferior version of the formula while keeping the more advanced “Four-in-One” version for herself, preserving her strategic advantage.
• Diana arrives with urgent news: Pandora reports that Kesuya’s avatar has appeared near the coast of the Western Region of the Land of Abandonment.
• Lan Qingyou reacts with fierce anticipation, signaling that the expected confrontation with Kesuya is finally beginning.

Character Developments

• Alisa demonstrates her scientific curiosity and competitive spirit. Rather than being discouraged by Lan Qingyou’s breakthrough, she immediately decides to research and reproduce it so she will not fall behind the Witch of the Tower.
• Lan Qingyou reveals herself as both generous and calculating. She shares valuable knowledge, but her motive is partly self-serving: stronger allies will provide more combat power and more opportunities against Kesuya.
• Lan Qingyou also shows discretion by protecting Esmeralda’s secret ability and refusing to disclose the true source of the fusion technique.
• Diana continues acting as an efficient liaison and delivers the crucial intelligence that moves the story toward its next major conflict.
• Kesuya, though not physically present, becomes an increasingly immediate threat through the appearance of his avatar.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as power: The formula represents a major advancement in alchemy, and access to it could dramatically alter the balance of power.
• Cooperation mixed with self-interest: Lan Qingyou helps Alisa, but her generosity is motivated by the practical need for more strong fighters.
• Secrecy and trust: Lan Qingyou carefully hides Esmeralda’s Magic Eye, showing that powerful abilities must be protected from unnecessary exposure.
• Research and competition: Alisa’s response reflects the drive to keep pace with rivals and turn another person’s discovery into a new field of study.
• Preparation for war: The discussion of formulas, compatibility, and combat strength builds toward the coming battle with Kesuya.

Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou explains the potion’s origins to a skeptical Alisa, who gradually accepts the account and becomes eager to investigate it.
• The two exchange knowledge as fellow alchemists, with Lan Qingyou offering practical guidance about compatibility and brewing.
• Alisa tries to determine whether she can distribute the formula, while Lan Qingyou allows it but advises her to test it first.
• Their conversation reveals a relationship built on cooperation, rivalry, and mutual strategic benefit.
• Diana interrupts their discussion with news of Kesuya’s arrival, abruptly shifting the mood from scholarly discussion to imminent battle.

Chapter Summary: “Give Up This Area”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa receive reports that abnormal activity has appeared in multiple directions around the Land of Abandonment.
• The disturbance first emerges in the west, followed by weaker reports from the north and south, and finally the east.
• Based on the order in which the disturbances appeared—and the Land of Abandonment’s location in the central-western region—the two confirm that the advancing “Ripples” are converging on the Land of Abandonment.
• Diana reports that the large Black Witch teams stationed there remain capable of handling the current threats. These teams consist mostly of powerful early-batch Transmigrators with individually developed magic.
• Lan Qingyou and Alisa contact their respective commanders to assess the ongoing battle:
  • Chu Yuan reports that Kesuya’s Clones have temporarily stopped spawning, though he cannot guarantee they will not return.
  • His forces have killed slightly more than 110,000 Clones.
  • Alisa’s side has killed approximately 100,000.
• The combined kill count exceeds 200,000, leading Lan Qingyou to realize that the Dungeon’s total population—and the number of enemies still capable of appearing—may be enormous.
• Rather than attempting to defend every part of the territory, Lan Qingyou decides to abandon one section of the Land of Abandonment.
• She orders Diana to evacuate everyone from that area immediately, effectively surrendering the territory to the incoming forces.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou demonstrates calm strategic judgment. Once the reports confirm her prediction, her anxiety disappears and she quickly shifts from observation to decision-making.
• She shows awareness of the limits of her forces and recognizes that preserving strength is more important than defending every inch of land.
• Alisa acts as Lan Qingyou’s trusted counterpart and advisor. She waits for the evidence, confirms Lan’s reasoning, and allows her to make the final decision because the territory belongs to Lan’s side.
• Chu Yuan is portrayed as exhausted after directing the prolonged battle, despite his formidable strength. His careful record-keeping also reveals his organized and methodical approach.
• Diana functions as a reliable messenger and subordinate, promptly delivering intelligence and carrying out Lan Qingyou’s orders.
• The chapter also emphasizes the pride and reputation-consciousness of the Witch of the Tower, who would resist openly shifting responsibility for the Black Witches’ crisis onto a White Witch.

Significant Themes

• Strategy over pride: Lan Qingyou chooses to abandon territory rather than waste resources on an unwinnable or unnecessary defense.
• Information and deduction: The sequence of reports allows Lan and Alisa to infer the geographic origin and movement of the Ripples.
• The overwhelming scale of the crisis: More than 200,000 enemies have already been killed, yet the forces still may not have reached their limit.
• Leadership and responsibility: Lan Qingyou must make a difficult decision affecting the entire Land of Abandonment, while Alisa supports her without taking control.
• Pride and appearances: The witches’ unwillingness to appear weak or dependent influences how they respond to the crisis.

Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa exchange information and jointly verify the Ripples’ movement pattern.
• Lan communicates with Chu Yuan through a Card, questioning him about the Clones and the battle’s casualty figures.
• Alisa reports her own side’s kill count, allowing the two women to assess the scale of the conflict together.
• Lan jokingly suggests guiding the enemies toward the Desert Oasis, prompting Alisa’s skeptical eye roll.
• After their discussion, Lan summons Diana and gives the decisive order: evacuate the threatened area and relinquish it.

Chapter Summary: “Withdraw or Act Directly?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Patriarch orders all Black Witches to withdraw from the Land of Abandonment. Despite not knowing the reason, every witch obeys immediately, including Diana, who had been closest to Lan Qingyou.
• Only Lan Qingyou and Alisa remain behind to confront the expected enemy.
• The two women wait for the true force behind the Kesuya’s Clones, recognizing that the clones may only be a preliminary attack rather than the ultimate threat.
• They speculate that whoever created the clones must be extraordinarily powerful. Instead of attacking Storm Island directly, this mysterious enemy has gone to the trouble of producing and teleporting enormous numbers of clones, suggesting a larger hidden purpose.
• Roughly five minutes later, the Abandoned City begins to shake, signaling the enemy’s arrival.
• More than ten thousand grotesque, blue-gray Kesuya’s Clones appear throughout the city. Their bodies are malformed and barely resemble humans.
• The clones unleash powerful mental attacks, but Lan Qingyou and Alisa resist them easily. Offended by the women’s calm, dismissive attitude, the clones rush toward their terrace.
• Alisa asks whether they should fight playfully or finish the battle efficiently. Since she wants to return to her research, she chooses direct action.
• Lan Qingyou prepares to unleash a devastating attack. Because the other witches have evacuated and removed their belongings, the entire Land of Abandonment can be destroyed without risking lives or property.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou remains composed, analytical, and confident. She is curious about the hidden mastermind and even expresses interest in meeting whoever devised such an unnecessarily elaborate plan.
• Alisa demonstrates her practical and impatient nature. She is bored by waiting and has no interest in prolonging the battle, preferring to return to researching the Race Advancement Potion.
• Diana and the Black Witches show their absolute obedience to the Patriarch’s command, withdrawing without hesitation even though they do not understand the order.
• The Kesuya’s Clones are revealed to retain traces of human pride and dignity despite their low intelligence and grotesque, semi-degenerate forms. Their wounded pride drives them to attack Lan Qingyou and Alisa.

Significant Themes

• Obedience and hierarchy: The Black Witches follow the Patriarch’s order unquestioningly, emphasizing the strength of their chain of command.
• The unknown mastermind: The chapter builds suspense around the true enemy, suggesting that the clones are only a minor component of a much more powerful and deliberate plan.
• Appearance versus power: Although the clones are hideous and physically incomplete, their mental attacks make them dangerous. Their appearance does not determine their threat level.
• Efficiency versus spectacle: Alisa and Lan Qingyou debate whether to make the confrontation entertaining or simply end it quickly, ultimately choosing efficiency.
• Destruction without consequences: The evacuation allows them to use overwhelming force freely, removing the usual concerns about collateral damage.

Character Interactions

• Lan Qingyou and Alisa exchange casual, sarcastic remarks while waiting, highlighting their comfort and familiarity with each other.
• They jointly analyze the enemy’s behavior and agree that the clones are likely not the real threat.
• When the clones attack, Alisa consults Lan Qingyou about their approach. Lan Qingyou invites her to decide whether to “have some fun,” but Alisa rejects unnecessary theatrics.
• Their conversation reinforces their contrasting personalities: Lan Qingyou is curious and occasionally playful, while Alisa is focused, efficient, and eager to resume her research.

Chapter Summary: “There Are Exceptions Too”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As Lan Qingyou begins her attack on the Land of Abandonment, a group of Black Witches gathers on the Coral Coast across the strait.
• The group includes veteran Transmigrator witches and several talented native-born witches who were brought along by their mentors to fight beside the Patriarch.
• Before they can participate, however, Lan Qingyou orders everyone to retreat. From the coast, they witness countless meteors descending in perfectly straight lines toward the Land of Abandonment.
• Pandora explains to her student that the “meteor shower” is actually Lan Qingyou’s enormous, disaster-level spell.
• The attack begins, producing deafening explosions and powerful shockwaves across the sea.
• Diana realizes why the witches had to withdraw: the Land of Abandonment is completely packed with Kesuya’s Clones, and Lan Qingyou’s massive attack needs a wide area. Remaining nearby would risk the witches being annihilated so thoroughly that resurrection would be impossible.
• Although most of the witches remain steady in the violent wind, one unnamed witch is apparently blown away along with her hat, providing the chapter’s comedic ending.

Character Developments

• Lan Qingyou is presented as overwhelmingly powerful, capable of unleashing a spell on a scale that reshapes the sky and devastates an entire region.
• Pandora appears as a respected mentor and loyal follower of Lan Qingyou. She encourages her student to pursue the goal of eventually developing similarly powerful magic.
• Pandora’s student and the other native-born prodigies are shocked and inspired by Lan Qingyou’s strength. Their understanding of magic expands, and they begin treating the Patriarch as an ultimate goal to surpass.
• Diana demonstrates clear judgment by recognizing the tactical reason behind Lan Qingyou’s order to retreat.
• The veteran Black Witches’ deep loyalty to Lan Qingyou is emphasized. They admire her for making them witches, sharing magical knowledge, and improving their chances of survival.

Significant Themes

• Power and aspiration: Lan Qingyou’s spell shows the vast gap between the Patriarch and even talented witches, inspiring the younger generation to set more ambitious goals.
• Mentorship and legacy: Pandora’s guidance reflects how knowledge and ambition are passed from the older Transmigrator witches to the newer native-born generation.
• Loyalty and gratitude: The Black Witches’ obedience stems not only from fear or discipline but from genuine respect for Lan Qingyou’s past help and leadership.
• Strategic restraint: Retreat is portrayed not as cowardice but as a necessary response to overwhelming, large-scale power.
• Comedy amid danger: The chapter balances the terrifying spectacle of war with the humorous exception of one witch being blown away.

Character Interactions

• Pandora corrects her student’s mistaken belief that the falling objects are meteors and reveals that they are Lan Qingyou’s magic.
• She encourages the girl to work hard if she hopes to research magic on that scale, strengthening the student’s determination.
• The younger witches collectively react with awe and competitive admiration, recognizing Lan Qingyou as someone worthy of surpassing.
• Diana and the other witches observe the battlefield from a safe distance and understand the necessity of the Patriarch’s orders.
• The group’s otherwise composed response to the explosions ends with one unfortunate witch being swept away by the shockwave, reinforcing the chapter’s title and comedic tone.