Chapter Summaries

Colin learned that the witches reproduced by eating fruit and that a trait could make men who ate it become pregnant, possibly with fatal consequences. He shared food with Vanessa and the other witches while asking about the Temple, but they knew nothing about the witch who had arrived in the World of Suffering.

• Vanessa told Colin that the witches had never seen a man and reproduced by eating fruit from a special tree, with every child born female and the mother losing much of her strength.
• Colin realized the fruit’s influence could forcibly impregnate men and might be connected to Abundance Feast, though it did not seem to be attracting that force’s attention.
• Colin invited the witches to eat and talk, then told Vanessa that he and his companions had come from another world through the Treasure Map and asked about the Temple.
• Vanessa warned Colin that the Temple was dangerous and guarded by beings stronger than her, while the witches knew nothing about the witch who had arrived in the World of Suffering.
• The witches eagerly ate Colin’s food, while Vanessa embarrassedly tried to stop Irene from overindulging beneath the table.

Colin learned that the Forest Daughter’s fall had transformed the world into a vast woodland and turned many people into Crawlers. Vanessa revealed that intense light had covered the world before the Forest Daughter fell and two other gods vanished, leaving Colin suspecting a war among gods.

• Colin asked Vanessa about the Divine Calamity, and she said the world had changed 134 years earlier when her people lost their god.
• Vanessa explained that the Forest Daughter’s blood had spread across the land after Her fall, causing trees to cover the world and loyal believers to go mad.
• Colin asked about the enemy behind the disaster, and Vanessa said the region where two other True Gods had been worshipped was now lifeless woodland.
• Vanessa recounted survivor notes saying intense light covered the world for several days before the two other gods vanished and the Forest Daughter fell.
• Colin focused on the account of the world being covered in intense light and suspected a war of gods had taken place.

Colin learned that the intense light described in the land’s records was likely connected to the Source of Light and a catastrophe from more than a century ago. After revealing that he planned to return a dead witch to the Forest Daughter’s Temple, he told Vanessa that he and the others would leave in seven days, prompting her to ask if she and her sisters could go with them.

• Colin concluded that a deity connected to the Source of Light had likely arrived in the world and been involved in a catastrophe that caused the fall of the Forest Daughter and other powerful beings.
• Colin told Vanessa that he suspected a terrible disaster had occurred more than a hundred years earlier, without revealing his connection to the light.
• Colin showed Vanessa a decayed head and the belongings of a witch who had died searching for light in the World of Suffering, explaining that he intended to return her to the Forest Daughter’s Temple.
• Vanessa recognized the dead woman as a genuine church-recognized witch, and Colin stored her remains and belongings away.
• Colin told Vanessa that he and his companions planned to leave the world in seven days, and Vanessa asked if she and her sisters could leave with them.

Unable to take Vanessa and her people out of this world, Colin pretended to serve a slumbering Sovereign and offered the witches a way to help awaken it. Vanessa accepted the idea of gathering blood samples in exchange for support, while Colin left their eventual escape as an uncertain promise.

• Colin told Vanessa that only people bearing a mark could return with him, and that he could not take anyone else.
• Colin claimed they worshipped the great Sovereign who stood above countless radiances, and the Survivors and Servants played along with his story.
• A light appeared over Colin, and he said their Lord was asleep but could awaken and bless them through their efforts.
• Vanessa offered to help, and Colin asked her to gather blood samples to strengthen their power.
• Irene asked whether Colin could provide more food, and Colin promised help and support through equivalent exchange, convincing Vanessa that the Sovereign was a true god.

Colin and Vanessa agreed to trade food for traits while Colin also offered to purify blood and provide weapons. As Colin’s group prepared to advance toward the Temple, Vanessa’s team tested explosives, and Colin realized the damp climate could make them difficult to store.

• Colin asked Vanessa to choose children with minor abilities to become Light Chasers and gave her instructions for establishing a prayer channel.
• Colin and Vanessa agreed that her team would hunt Crawlers and Fusioners in exchange for food, with blood purification and weapons provided free.
• Colin’s group set out toward the Temple and planned to clear a safe route through the Defiled Guardians.
• Colin gave Vanessa’s team artillery tubes and Explosive Barrels to practice using against Fusioners.
• Irene tested an artillery tube and said it was easier than casting spells, while Colin noticed the high humidity could spoil the explosives.

Colin parted the centuries-old ice fog with a burst of light, opening a wide route toward the Temple. He outfitted a War Chariot with artillery and prepared to lead everyone through the passage.

• Colin ordered the rear to produce moisture-proof gunpowder and brought the group to the edge of the ice fog.
• Vanessa warned that Guardians were far stronger inside the fog, so Colin decided not to enter it directly.
• Colin unleashed a sphere of light that melted and pushed the ice fog aside, creating a broad passage.
• Colin summoned and upgraded a War Chariot, then had servants attach metal carriages and four Persuader Type 2 Howitzers.
• Colin explained the artillery to Irene and the witches, then opened the War Chariot and told everyone to get in.

Colin led the War Chariot along a road of light through the frost, swiftly defeating the Temple Guardians they encountered. He reached a remarkably intact temple and learned that he needed to place the Witch’s Head on its altar, while suspecting the structure might be a wonder capable of triggering a divine descent.

• Colin created a road of light that cleansed the path and strengthened his and the Light Chasers’ abilities as the War Chariot advanced.
• A Frost Giant attacked, but Colin killed it quickly with a spear of light and artillery, exposing the witch within and collecting blood and valuable items.
• Colin and his companions defeated at least ten Temple Guardians, leaving Vanessa stunned by their speed and coordination.
• Colin reached a well-preserved temple with a square base, thirteen pillars, and massive living vines, after encountering no guardians for half an hour.
• The prompt told Colin to place the Witch’s Head on the altar and warned that danger might arise; Colin suspected the temple was a wonder that could bring about a divine descent.

Colin and Vanessa led a small group into the ancient Temple and found evidence that it had once been a palace for the Forest Daughter. The group reached its central hall without incident, where Vanessa identified a dead witch as a likely deity-favored high priestess.

• Vanessa refused to leave and took several witches with her to explore the Temple while the others stayed behind with Shana and Little Girl.
• Colin led a small group up the Temple stairs and examined murals showing a nonhuman deity worshipped by people in leaf garments.
• As he climbed, Colin questioned whether the Forest Daughter had truly died, since Vanessa might not have been able to judge a god's condition.
• Colin and the others reached a domed hall with a red-carpeted path and a massive gemstone-studded Stone Throne that appeared to be made for the Forest Daughter.
• Vanessa explained that the site was likely one of the Forest Daughter's palaces and said the dead witch was probably a deity-favored one.

Colin placed the Witch's Head beneath the Stone Throne, triggering the temple bell and a vision of a former witch praying to the Forest Daughter. Her account of Gray Fog and the human realms’ prolonged resistance conflicted with Vanessa’s story, leaving Colin wondering what had happened to the Forest Daughter and what now sat on the throne.

• Colin carried the Witch's Head toward the Stone Throne while Vanessa and the others waited behind.
• The Witch's Head began trembling violently, so Colin set its box down facing the throne.
• A rusted bell appeared in Colin’s vision and then rang three times above him, while blurry figures emerged outside the hall.
• A black-robed witch appeared before the Stone Throne and prayed to the Forest Daughter, lamenting Gray Fog’s spread and the fall of several human realms.
• Colin heard the witch’s account and noted that it contradicted Vanessa’s version of the past.
• Colin realized the Forest Daughter might already have been gone when the witch prayed and wondered what now occupied the Stone Throne.

Colin witnessed a memory of the witch receiving Light characteristics and a Treasure Map from the Forest Daughter before leaving to seek reinforcements. As the vision ended, a powerful voice from the Stone Throne said Colin had succeeded, and he used Light Burst to escape the anomaly.

• Colin concluded that the Forest Daughter and two other True Gods had vanished, and wondered whether the figure on the Stone Throne was truly the Forest Daughter.
• An invisible vortex delivered Light characteristics and a Treasure Map to the praying witch, leading Colin to suspect the Forest Daughter had once been a Survivor.
• The witch received an oracle and departed with the Light characteristics to find the bearer of Light and bring back reinforcements.
• As the vision began to fade, Colin felt a gaze from the Stone Throne and heard an unseen voice say, "Looks like you succeeded."
• Colin triggered Light Burst, dispersing the surrounding anomalies and returning to the present.

Colin escaped the temple after completing the second-stage mission and claimed its rewards. He examined the Water of Life, Ancient Tree of Life Seed, and Temple Construction Blueprint, considering how they could strengthen him and his followers.

• Colin led Vanessa and his subordinates out of the temple and ordered the convoy to leave the icy fog.
• After reaching safety, Colin submitted the mission and received a Temple Construction Blueprint, Mist Points, a Special Talent Summoning Card, Water of Life, an Ancient Tree of Life Seed, and Black Bread.
• Colin learned that the Water of Life could greatly increase his self-healing and help awaken the Ancient Tree of Life Seed.
• Colin discovered that the seed could grow into an immense intelligent tree that might defend his territory and throw objects at enemies.
• Colin examined the Temple Construction Blueprint and learned that the Temple could gather believers' faith and transmit its power to him.

Colin chose a site near his original landing place for the temple and upgraded his war chariot to Level 3. As the group traveled through the Witch’s Forest, the chariot crushed Crawlers and gathered loot, while Colin considered how to finance Survivors’ purchases of Frost traits.

• Colin asked Vanessa to recommend a temple site, and she pointed out a place near where he had arrived.
• Colin upgraded the Level 2 War Chariot to Level 3, intending to leave it for the witches and station some people in the witch world as ambassadors.
• Colin and the others boarded the new war chariot and drove toward his original landing site, crushing Crawlers and fighting off Fusioners along the way.
• Colin considered lending rescued Survivors money to buy Frost traits and planned to leave the arrangement’s details to Roger.

Colin returned with the witches and built his first temple, while Vanessa revealed that a mysterious voice had told the witches to leave their home. As Colin prepared to establish a focus for worship, he learned that a symbolic emblem would avoid believers’ assumptions influencing him.

• Vanessa left most of the witches behind and told them they would return in three hours, and Annette asked why they had to leave their home.
• Vanessa told Annette that a mysterious voice had instructed them to leave, and Annette accepted her explanation.
• Colin suspected the treasure near the witches’ destination was something they relied on to survive, so he chose not to pursue it until he knew them better.
• Colin cut down trees and used the system to build a temple, then explored it with Shana, Irene, and the others.
• Colin considered erecting a statue of himself, but a prompt advised him to create a symbolic emblem instead to prevent believers’ ideas about his appearance from affecting him.

Colin established a protective halo around the Temple and assigned Yuan Jie and Xu Yi to garrison it while he prepared for their departure in five days. After Irene warned of a dangerous monster attracted by the light, Vanessa arrived with more than twenty girls.

• Colin created a symbol of pure light and used Thorns of Suffering to surround the Temple with a protective halo.
• Colin left about one thousand Mist Points for emergencies and ordered Yuan Jie and Xu Yi to station a team at the Temple.
• Irene warned Colin that the light might attract a monster that removed people’s heads and parasitized their bodies.
• Colin told the garrison what he knew, warned them to stay vigilant, and planned to prepare defenses before departing in five days.
• Vanessa arrived at the Temple with more than twenty girls wearing tattered leather robes.

Vanessa brought the frail little witches to Colin, and their fear of being abandoned stirred her guilt. Colin promised they would be cared for, assessed their poor health, and began arranging help for them before the story left them in Shana’s care for baths and clean clothes.

• A little witch begged Vanessa not to abandon her, revealing that the tribe had previously taken away children with weak witch bloodlines.
• Vanessa reassured the children that no one would ever be abandoned again, and Colin echoed her promise as he arrived.
• Colin examined the little witches and judged their health poor, but said he could treat them and eventually prepare them to become Light Chasers.
• Colin offered a roasted potato to one girl, who shared it among the other children, and he asked Shana to take them to bathe and change into clean clothes.

Colin brought the little witches to the Temple, trained them while hunting tainted lifeforms, and earned a large amount of Mist Points over five days. As the Treasure Map’s countdown began, he left two Survivors behind to protect the witches and warned them that some dangers in the area moved unpredictably.

• Colin and Shana settled the little witches in the Temple, where Colin learned their names and told them to pray three times a day.
• Colin took the group, including the little witches, out in the war chariot to hunt tainted lifeforms, earning nearly four hundred portions of Frost Trait over five days.
• The System briefly awakened, yielded no answers to Colin’s questions, and indirectly urged him to retrieve its component soon.
• When the Treasure Map began its final ten-minute countdown, Colin comforted the reluctant little witches and asked two Survivors whether they had decided to stay.
• The two Survivors chose to remain, and Colin instructed them to protect the witches and stay nearby without his orders because dangerous entities could move across the area.

Colin secured the Temple and its valuable resources before returning with his group to his territory, where he planned an expedition for five days later. After resting, he was interrupted by Roger, whose appearance startled him.

• Colin reinforced the Temple, left Parchments and Synthesis Tables, and arranged a Level 3 War Chariot and daily check-ins to protect its resources.
• Colin and his group returned from the Witch World, and the special stone door shattered behind them.
• Colin learned that only about one-third of the local Survivors had joined his organization and used a mysterious power to stop others from watching him.
• Colin returned to his territory, rested, and planned an expedition for when the System opened again in five days.
• Roger knocked at Colin's door, and Colin was startled by Roger's appearance.

Colin discussed the Graveyard of Peaks with Roger after Roger reported on the territory’s condition and internal affairs. The Graveyard had been devastated, but its exchange areas remained accessible, and Colin planned to recover Floating Stones while seeking a better safeguard for the newcomers.

• Colin learned Roger had worked over three hundred hours of overtime and asked why he had come in person.
• Roger reported that the Graveyard of Peaks had been badly damaged in the divine war, but Colin confirmed its exchange areas could still be entered.
• Colin decided the group could turn in its Aberration flesh and later search the ruined area for valuable materials and corpses.
• Roger asked whether the Floating Island could be recovered, and Colin said it was destroyed but they could gather Floating Stones to build a Level 1 island.
• Roger warned that the many Graveyard of Peaks residents joining the territory could not all be restrained with badges, and Colin said he would use the temple to create a contract-like safeguard.

Colin considered Lin Yilan’s invitation to explore ancient ruins but remained uninterested without more information, while Roger outlined the growing scale of the Great Expedition. The chapter left Colin contemplating Lin Yilan and the possibility that she was a Descender who could cooperate with him.

• Roger gave Colin an invitation from Lin Yilan to explore ruins believed to predate the Era of Suffering.
• Colin suspected Lin Yilan was a Descender acting as a spokesperson and wondered whether other Descenders were avoiding him because his role was exposed.
• Colin told Roger to inform Lin Yilan that he might consider the expedition but needed more information to be interested.
• Roger reported plans for a fleet of one Level 3 warship, eight Level 2 warships, and more than thirty Level 1 warships, along with hundreds of war chariots.
• Colin helped Roger advance to the second stage of Light Chaser, sent him away to rest, and returned his thoughts to Lin Yilan.

Colin outlined the expedition’s goals and discussed plans with Shana for the upcoming trade fair, coordination with Barton, and a trip to the Red Leaf Forest Archipelago. After they went to sleep, Colin became conscious within a hazy dream.

• Colin decided that the expedition was urgent for uniting the Survivors, expanding their territory, investigating the Hall of Light, and preparing for possible System failure.
• Colin told Shana they might travel to the Red Leaf Forest Archipelago for the trade fair and to coordinate with Barton’s operation.
• Colin planned to learn about the past disaster from the tribal elders and have Barton try to persuade his fellow tribesmen to cooperate.
• Colin and Shana went to their shared room, talked as they prepared to sleep, and eventually fell asleep.
• Colin enjoyed a deep sleep, then became conscious within a hazy dream.