Chapter Summaries

Colin and the others learned that Queen Amos, a powerful figure from Russell’s generation, had reached the First Miracle and left information that could help them prepare for the Land of Sin. Colin already knew the route, but he realized the journey would be dangerous, and Amos’s extreme attributes suggested she had briefly gained fourth-stage-level power.

• Colin concluded that the Land of Sin might lie in the future and that reaching it would be harder than he had expected.
• Russell recognized the dead woman as Queen Amos, owner of Dawn Future Island, and recalled that she had vanished from the Leaderboard after pursuing the path to the final land.
• Russell urged the group to search Amos’s belongings for information, but Colin said he already knew the direction to the Land of Sin.
• Colin reasoned that time distortion and the Suffering Church’s accumulated Miracles could make the journey dangerous, then continued deciphering Amos’s message.
• Colin read that Amos had briefly raised all her attributes above fifty, and he considered advancing Shana after the Trade Market recovered.

Colin read Russell’s diary about the Storm Sea and the expedition into the Land of Sin, where the team searched for the First Miracle. The diary revealed that the Twisted Holy Father was a colossal, wounded tree, and that the mission’s next stage never appeared.

• Colin asked Russell when her signal had stopped, and Russell estimated it happened after she went deeper into the Storm Sea.
• Colin read that the Land of Sin had no Gray Fog, but was covered in strange twilight, and that the team lost access to the Chat Channel.
• The diary described how Dr. Ke Luo optimized the armor, allowing the team to attempt a landing amid dangerous Aberrations and Little Miracles.
• The expedition encountered living Suffering Citizens, who said the First Miracle lay beyond the Temple of Suffering.
• The team found the First Miracle, the Twisted Holy Father, as a gigantic leafless tree that was continually wounded, spewed yellow liquid, and healed itself.
• The mission completed when the team approached the tree, but no next stage appeared, and the diary said their guardlessness led to a tragic fate.

Colin read a diary describing how the First Miracle had become a giant tree and how its influence secretly contaminated the expedition that encountered it. The diary ended with its writer, overcome by anger, deciding to stab himself to calm down.

• Colin studied the account of the First Miracle and reasoned that earlier Survivors may have arrived at the end of the Era of Suffering, before vanishing during the Great Cataclysm.
• Colin connected the Silent Watcher's use of the word “Outsiders” to the possibility that it had known about those earlier Survivors.
• The diary's writer described the expedition's return from the Land of Sin and the Stone Statue Aberrations that pursued them beyond their usual range.
• The writer realized that people on the island were dying, raging, and disappearing after being contaminated by the First Miracle.
• The writer described having a falling dream and losing control of his temper, then decided to stab himself to calm down.

Colin and the others read a diary describing how the Floating Island’s crew succumbed to madness and contamination, though the writer’s final decision to land on the Land of Sin did not match where the island ended up. Colin purged dangerous images hidden in the diary’s drawings and found evidence that the writer had burned the missing pages.

• The diary’s writer recounted killing people she believed were mad, then discovering Dr. Crowe’s corpse and realizing she had killed the missing people while insane.
• The writer said she restored some sanity, burned the place, and reset the route to crash the Floating Island onto the Land of Sin.
• Russell questioned why the island had not reached the Land of Sin, and Colin warned everyone to seek the Light Chasers if they noticed signs of contamination.
• Colin noticed the diary’s tangled drawings twisting into a dangerous vortex and used Holy Light to purify the contamination.
• Colin found more hazardous drawings and missing diary pages, then spotted ashes on the ground and concluded that the writer had burned them.

Colin read the final pages of Ms. Amos’s diary and found a prophecy that the stars would shine again before a catastrophe surged from underground, killing even gods. He sealed the diary and stored it in his Inventory, resolving to keep winning.

• Colin read Ms. Amos’s despairing notes about humanity’s inevitable end and reached the final page of her diary.
• Colin found Ms. Amos’s prophecy that the stars would shine again and a terror beneath the earth would bring about the end of all things, even killing immortal gods.
• Colin connected the prophecy to the underground, the Dreamscape, an unknown Great Miracle, the mission countdown, and the ultimate mission, Land of Sin.
• Colin considered whether the System might hold a way to turn things around, then sealed Ms. Amos’s diary and placed it in his Inventory.
• Colin remained determined to win and keep winning.

Colin and his companions detonated explosives beneath the Floating Island, but the blast only wounded the creature growing there. They fought the crawling Aberration called Reborn's Shell with holy artillery, and as it weakened, something Unknown began gestating on its head.

• Colin and his companions collected supplies and corpses from the Floating Island before withdrawing from its main structure.
• Colin ignited the fuse with Filthy Blood, and the explosives shook the island and unleashed chilling screams from below.
• Colin learned from the Prompt that the explosion had badly wounded the creature but had not killed it, and he warned the others to prepare.
• Reborn's Shell crawled out of the stairwell, and Colin recognized it as an unfinished vessel made from fused human corpses.
• Colin's companions fired holy artillery at Reborn's Shell, weakening it as it crawled toward them.
• When Reborn's Shell came within ten meters, flesh gathered atop its head and something Unknown began to gestate.

Colin killed the Aberration and claimed its body as a specimen before leading a thorough search of the Floating Island. The haul eased his supply shortages and included the Decoder's Monocle, while the island still required costly repairs.

• Colin stopped Shana from striking the dying monster and destroyed the terrifying remnant in its head with a spear of light.
• Colin ordered the Aberration's corpse sent to the rear for study, then sent teams to clear the island's remaining rooms.
• Colin learned that repairing the Floating Island would cost 62,154 Mist Points, then received the search teams' collected supplies and loot.
• Colin counted 137 Survivor corpses, 164 system servants, three Special Talent corpses, over a hundred tons of metal ores, and more than forty thousand Mist Points among the finds.
• Colin recovered over seventy bottles of red potion and seven mysterious items, keeping the Decoder's Monocle for himself.
• Colin's teams found five modified exoskeleton power armors, and he concluded that his group would rank second nationwide if compared with his own generation.

Colin used over 60,000 Mist Points to fully repair the Floating Island, Future Dawn, and learned its capabilities, energy needs, and potential speed. With the island restored and ready to fly, he led everyone to the surface and ordered it to take off.

• Colin spent over 60,000 Mist Points to repair the Floating Island, restoring it completely in about ten minutes.
• Colin learned that Future Dawn held three days of energy, could fly at roughly 300 kilometers per hour, and had several special functions.
• Colin declined Russell's offer to rename the island and kept the name Future Dawn.
• Colin considered placing the Underground Fortress on the island and converting an underground mall into a garage for War Chariots.
• Colin brought everyone to the surface and commanded Future Dawn to take off.

Colin and the Survivors watched the Floating Island rise and discussed its mysterious origins, how to leave it, and the cost of using its teleportation array. After stopping at seven or eight hundred meters, Colin looked down toward the Coastal Defense Line.

• The Floating Island rose smoothly, and Colin considered how its technology and materials differed from those of Earth and Gondor.
• A Survivor asked how they would get down, and Colin explained that teleportation cost ten Mist Points per use while a rope ladder or Little White could provide alternatives.
• The Survivors declined to spend Mist Points on teleportation, and Colin said they could earn wages toward purchasing the Light Chaser Extraordinary Trait.
• Colin ordered the Floating Island to stop rising at seven or eight hundred meters, then went to its edge and gazed down at the Coastal Defense Line.

Colin used the Decoder's Monocle to see through the gray fog and survey the Coastal Defense Line, the Fallen Races, and the surrounding sea. He identified a Gold-Eyed Bishop of the All-Knowing Eye, but the monocle's negative effects made Colin insult him instead of greeting him, and the bishop fled.

• Colin used the Decoder's Monocle to view the landscape from the Floating Island and examine the immense Coastal Defense Line.
• Colin saw more than seven hundred thousand Fallen Races gathered near the walls and noticed the harbor was filled with ships, suggesting the region contained many islands.
• Colin sensed someone watching him and spotted a Gold-Eyed Bishop of the All-Knowing Eye on the innermost wall.
• Colin tried to greet the bishop, but the monocle made him demand an apology and insist the man kneel before him.
• The bishop turned and jumped down from the wall, while Colin realized the monocle's negative effects were difficult to control.

Colin surveyed the western mountains and sensed a Great Miracle whose gaze filled him with guilt, then searched for the Holy Chrism Army, other cults, and fleeing Survivors. He found no sign of the hidden forces and planned to rescue Survivors, convert more Fallen Race, and wait for the second night.

• Colin dismissed the Gold-Eyed Bishop after the man jumped off the building rather than face him.
• Colin looked toward the western black peaks and felt a Great Miracle's gaze fill him with guilt and remorse.
• Colin concluded that the presence of the Holy Chrism Army and other cults was difficult to detect, leaving him unsure when they would attack.
• Colin spotted several groups of fleeing Survivors and estimated that the Floating Island could reach them within about an hour.
• Colin decided to focus on rescuing Survivors, converting more Fallen Race, and waiting for the second night.

Colin examined the strange darkness over the Great Snow Mountain and decided not to risk flying into it until he understood the danger. He then read a preliminary report on Gondor power armor and asked whether its excessive power consumption could be reduced.

• Colin saw that the sky remained black and oppressive, while pale light that seemed linked to the Gray Fog illuminated the area beneath the dome.
• Colin noticed the Great Snow Mountain remained dark as its cold and darkness spread, and he suspected the anomaly had cut off communication.
• Colin told a Survivor that flying over the mountain would not help rescue anyone and refused to enter it before learning more about the situation.
• Lu Huai sent Colin a preliminary report explaining that Gondor's exoskeleton armor used mature magnetic propulsion technology but consumed too much electricity.
• Colin asked whether the armor's power consumption could be optimized, while considering assigning a clerk to turn the researchers' findings into practical details.

Colin arranged for researchers to modify the Wrath-Bearer armor, then rebuilt Wind Turbines and manufactured more armor for the upcoming rescue mission. He ended the chapter by asking Russell to teach the others how to operate the military exoskeletons.

• Colin asked the researchers how much longer the modified armor would last and learned their work would take five or six hours; he directed them to coordinate with Roger about funding and future matters.
• Colin repaired and reinstalled the Wind Turbines, then retrieved the Wind Turbine and Wrath-Bearer blueprints from the Floating Island's warehouse.
• Colin used the blueprints and materials to manufacture three medium-sized Wind Turbines and fifteen sets of powered exoskeleton armor.
• Colin placed the new Wind Turbines in suitable locations as everyone watched the armor take shape.
• Colin asked Russell to teach the others how to operate the military exoskeletons, and Russell agreed that he could teach them despite never having used that model.

Colin used the Floating Island to support fleeing Survivors, coordinate a covert operation, and test the Wrath-Bearer armor as his forces grew. The Fallen Race learned Colin was behind the attacks, but Barton’s followers hesitated to retaliate against the powerful force in the sky.

• Colin ordered Russell to continue training with the Wrath-Bearer armor, told Li Hang to command the ground forces, and set up artillery to support fleeing Survivors.
• Colin’s rescue efforts drew more Survivors, many of whom joined his organization in exchange for the chance to earn extraordinary qualifications and access better supplies.
• Colin fired long-range artillery to aid Survivors and distract the Fallen Race while coordinating the conversion operation with Barton and the others.
• Over four or five hours, Colin helped guide Survivors to safety, and some of them used their resources to kill members of the Fallen Race.
• Colin tested the Wrath-Bearer armor and found that it let ordinary third-tier servants fight high-ranking Fallen Race members and offered protection against mental interference.
• Barton urged the Fallen Race to retaliate against Colin, but they fell quiet after another shell struck nearby and questioned how they could attack the Floating Island.

Barton rallied the factions battered by Colin’s bombardment, urging them to unite against the Floating Island. He promised to reveal a plan at a private meeting, leaving the leaders gathered to hear how they could defeat their powerful enemy.

• Barton and the Fallen Race escaped more than ten hours of bombardment and returned to the Coastal Defense Line, where they joined the other factions’ calls for revenge.
• Barton claimed his group had endured an even longer shelling, and the crowd believed him after seeing their wounds.
• With Dark’s mental influence helping, Barton persuaded the gathered factions that they must unite to fulfill their gods’ mission and fight their common enemy.
• Barton proposed a secret meeting for leaders only and promised that he, Urnot, and Dark wanted no share of the Floating Island, only revenge and a few enemies to punish.
• After the leaders questioned how the island and spoils would be divided, Barton announced that he would share his method for defeating the Floating Island.

Colin expanded the conversion operation along the Coastal Defense Line while trying to understand why the All-Knowing Church’s defenses had not detected his people. At the chapter’s end, Gold-Eyed Bishop Kales recalled ancient statues that suggested a troubling change in the gods’ images, then repented for questioning them.

• Colin learned that Barton had secured the leaders of the Fallen Race groups and ordered the conversion of mid-level members and those above them.
• Colin sensed that many more people had converted, though their faith was weak, and had Barton begin a second recruitment operation.
• Barton and his group returned to the Coastal Defense Line, where an invisible eye watched the area but could not see them.
• Kales sensed an unseen intrusion and used a secret technique to search the Coastal Defense Line, but found nothing.
• Kales recalled ancient statues showing the Enlightener with scales and a knightly god with the same scales, then knelt before the Enlightener’s statue and confessed his guilt.

The Enlightener discovered Colin’s actions, and Colin felt a divine gaze pressing down on him from afar. He sent Shana and the others to shelter, while the chapter left him questioning whether an unexpected incident had affected the information he received.

• The Gold-Eyed Bishop prayed to the Enlightener for an explanation of the miracle and its abnormalities.
• A gray-haired woman watched Barton address the Fallen Race, then was struck down by an unseen force after looking toward the Coastal Defense Line.
• Colin received a warning that he was being watched and realized the Enlightener had discovered his actions.
• Colin activated his BUFF abilities, ordered Shana and the others to hide, and moved alone to the edge of the Floating Island.
• Colin wondered whether the Enlightener had fed him misleading information, but the prompt said he had not received incorrect information and suggested an unexpected incident had occurred.

Colin endured the attention of a hostile higher existence until it vanished, then received an order to go up the mountain, likely toward the Graveyard of Peaks. He checked on Barton and learned that the Coastal Defense Line operation had continued safely and converted more than sixty thousand new members.

• Colin waited at the edge of the Floating Island under a higher existence's crushing gaze, afraid to turn around.
• After the pressure eased, a hoarse voice told Colin to go up the mountain, and he suspected it meant the Graveyard of Peaks and the Charred-Faced Holy Mother.
• Colin used his ability to confirm that the chilling presence had vanished and checked Barton and the others for harm.
• Colin questioned Barton, who said nothing strange had happened inside the Coastal Defense Line.
• Barton reported that the operation had gained more than sixty thousand new members, including six leader-level powerhouses and thirty-nine high-ranking members of Fallen Life.

Colin discovered that a curse was repeatedly spawning shadows that resembled him, despite its source being nowhere nearby. As the shadows became increasingly lifelike, he realized the curse might be trying to replace him.

• Colin noticed a shadow beneath him despite his Holy Light dispelling all shadows, and attacked it.
• Colin destroyed the shadow with Holy Light and identified it as a curse’s derivative manifestation.
• Colin repeatedly killed the shadows, but the curse’s source remained far away and did not appear.
• Colin noticed each new shadow becoming more detailed and increasingly identical to him.
• Colin realized the shadow seemed to want to replace him.

Colin discovered that the shadow imitating him was a Descender controlling the Group Activity Curse, and the two began communicating one word at a time. The Descender proposed negotiations, while Colin confronted him over the more than two thousand subordinates he had abducted and threatened to summon the System.

• Colin watched the shadow copy his appearance, then killed it when it began to speak and recognized it as a Descender.
• Colin realized the Descender was controlling the Group Activity Curse he had previously sealed underground.
• The shadow reappeared and spoke one word at a time until it told Colin, "I'm here to discuss terms."
• Colin suspected the Descender had taken more than two thousand of his troops and chose to negotiate to protect them.
• Colin used a monocle to glimpse a connection extending overseas, then asked whether the Descender feared him calling upon the System.