Chapter Summaries

Lu Li and the others entered the Daughter of the Sea Urban Legend, where they learned nine rules governing the beach, mermaids, the prince’s ball, and the Goodman Caravan. After Ah San invited them to inspect the caravan camp, Lu Li agreed despite Pan Xiaoxiao’s doubts, saying they should keep up their act.

• Li Luo offered to kill the five Indian Players, but Lu Li warned her not to make the first move and said he needed her for a later plan.
• Qian Tongdan boasted that everyone should watch his performance once they entered the realm, and Lu Li accepted his offer.
• Twenty-five Players arrived on a beach, where crabs presented the rules of the Daughter of the Sea Urban Legend.
• Pan Xiaoxiao recorded the nine rules and suggested waiting on the beach, but Ah San invited the group to visit the Goodman Caravan’s encampment.
• Lu Li accepted Ah San’s invitation and told Pan Xiaoxiao they should see their act through by going to the camp.

Lu Li’s group headed through the fog toward the Goodman Caravan, where Qian Tongdan used his Prophecy to confuse Lanbir’s step count. The caravan appeared, but Lanbir could not see it and believed he had only walked fifty-four steps, leaving him in danger of crossing the realm’s limit.

• Pan Xiaoxiao agreed to go with Lu Li’s group to find the caravan, while five other Players joined them and ten stayed at the beach.
• As the group entered the fog, Lanbir tried to grope Pan Xiaoxiao, but Qian Tongdan ended up taking his hand and warned him off.
• Qian Tongdan used Prophecy to alter Lanbir’s perceived step count, making him believe he had walked forty-eight steps.
• The Goodman Caravan appeared and its lamps lit, but Lanbir could not see it, and the others realized he had become like fog and could not be touched.
• Amir and the other Players warned Lanbir that he had already reached the caravan and might be lost if he passed 150 steps, but Lanbir rejected their voices and insisted he needed to walk forty-six more steps.

Lu Li and Qian Tongdan covered up Qian’s trick against the Indian Players, then used an illusion and a disguise to make them believe they had been lost in the fog. The Indians accepted the explanation, while Lu Li’s group formed an alliance with five other Players.

• Qian Tongdan claimed the Indians’ companion had touched him, and Lu Li used [jealousy] to calm Amir and the other Indian Players.
• Lu Li told Qian Tongdan to handle the remaining Players, so Qian used [Prophecy] to disguise himself as Lanbir and vanish into the fog.
• Pan Xiaoxiao questioned why Lu Li spared the Indians, while five unfamiliar Players asked to form an alliance under an Oath Contract.
• After [jealousy] wore off, the Indians found the disguised Qian Tongdan and accepted his claim that they had been hallucinating and that Qian Tongdan had run away.

Qian Tongdan, disguised as Lanbir, convinced the Indian Players that Shahrukh was still trapped in an illusion and avoided exposing his disguise. Lu Li’s group covered up Qian Tongdan’s disappearance as the Players prepared to explore the caravan.

• Shahrukh questioned why everyone had seen the same connected events, but Amir and Gawara mocked him and dismissed his concerns.
• Qian Tongdan noticed Amir’s claim that Lanbir was a Kshatriya did not match the team’s actual caste ranks, so he avoided confirming it.
• The other Indians said Lanbir was a Vaishya and there were no Kshatriyas on the team, proving Qian Tongdan had been right to stay cautious.
• Lu Li asked whether they would continue examining the caravan, and Pan Xiaoxiao claimed Qian Tongdan had vanished after turning into mist.
• Qian Tongdan embellished the story of Li Luo trying to save Lu Li, and Li Luo glared at him after he invented details.
• Amir promised to protect Lu Li’s group and urged everyone to continue exploring the Secret Realm.

Lu Li and the other Players explored the Goodman Caravan, where he stopped to bargain for clothes despite the vendor demanding Mythic-quality items. The vendor offered four sets for two Mythic-quality items, and Lu Li agreed to the deal.

• Amir, Gawara, and Akshay praised Lu Li while claiming he was not suited to clearing Rule Realms.
• The fourteen Players browsed the Goodman Caravan’s endless wagons, and Gawara described the Ganges and its divine envoys to the others.
• A mohawked Player muttered that White Elephant Country would eventually have to raise a Monarch-class divine envoy, then awkwardly denied saying anything when the Indians questioned him.
• Lu Li stopped at a carriage displaying clothes and asked the hidden vendor about their price.
• The vendor demanded Mythic-quality items for the clothes, then offered Lu Li four sets for two such items as a first-transaction discount.
• Lu Li accepted the deal, alarming the bespectacled Player.

Lu Li traded two Mythic-quality items for four sets of noble attire, then pretended to regret the deal after Amir mocked him. As the group changed for the celebration ball, Amir began plotting to gather enough gold to buy the items back from the stall owner.

• Lu Li exchanged a heavy crossbow and a mirror for four sets of clothes, which the stall owner identified as Mythic-quality items.
• Amir mocked Lu Li for spending the items on ordinary attire, while Lu Li explained the clothes would help them follow the rules and stay safe at the ball.
• Lu Li asked to return the clothes, but the stall owner refused and offered to sell back each Mythic item for 20 gold coins.
• The stall owner said gold coins could be earned by completing the prince's quests and hinted that treasures might lie beneath the ocean.
• Amir decided he might gather 40 gold coins before Lu Li to claim the two Mythic items.
• Pan Xiaoxiao, Alisa, and Li Luo changed in a tent, while Lu Li changed in front of the others and drew attention to his muscular build.

Wan Jiaxi concealed his identity and watched Lu Li, while the Players returned to Bone Burial Beach and gathered for the prince's ball. Lu Li used noble clothing to enter with his group, preparing for the prince's mission as the other Players underestimated his plan.

• Wan Jiaxi decided to follow Lu Li's lead and keep his identity secret rather than reveal himself or imitate Lu Li too openly.
• The Players abandoned the overpriced goods and returned through the fog to Bone Burial Beach, where the prince's servants prepared the ball as night fell.
• Amir tried to force his way to the front, but a guard warned him that commoners had to make way for nobles.
• Lu Li entered the ball with Pan Xiaoxiao and the others in noble attire, while Amir mocked him for spending two Mythic-quality items.
• Lu Li prepared for the first-night mission he remembered from his previous life, while the Indian Players planned to take his items as their reward.

At the prince’s ball, the Players learned they all had to dance and received gold coins and tokens for obeying the rules. The prince then offered a twenty-gold-coin errand involving a red scale, and the Players rushed to volunteer.

• The prince welcomed the Players to his ball and explained that everyone had to dance or be expelled.
• Pan Xiaoxiao partnered with Lu Li and told him the prince would announce a mission after the dance.
• After all twenty-four Players danced, the prince gave each of them a gold coin and a token for visiting the outer palace.
• Amir planned to force other Players to surrender their coins so he could redeem a Mythic item and escape.
• The prince asked a Player to deliver a pale red scale to a Goodman Caravan merchant and return with the untouched item before sunset, offering twenty gold coins as a reward.
• The Players fell silent at the offer, then rushed to volunteer.

Pan Xiaoxiao received the prince’s task after Lu Li explained how noble attire and class affected the chances of being chosen. The prince’s response to Akshay’s challenge revealed a ruthless side, leaving the Players wary of him.

• The prince selected Pan Xiaoxiao to carry out his task, and she accepted while wondering why she had been chosen.
• Lu Li explained that the rules implied the prince favored nobles and merchants over commoners when assigning tasks.
• Alisa made suggestive remarks about Lu Li’s muscles, so Lu Li muted her in the group chat.
• Akshay challenged the prince’s choice, and an armored guard kicked him away and threatened him.
• The prince ordered that Akshay receive a gold coin as compensation, then departed with his attendants.

Amir and the other Indians collected gold coins and planned to kill four Players after Lu Li left, while Qian Tongdan disguised himself as Lanbir to manipulate them. Amir’s pendant exposed the impostor, and Shahrukh stopped Qian Tongdan from escaping with a Realm Escape Voucher.

• Amir collected eleven gold coins from Players who gave in to the Indians’ threats, bringing their total to seventeen.
• The four Players who refused to surrender their coins formed an alliance, while Lu Li secretly ordered a demon to watch the Indians.
• At sunrise, Amir told his teammates to prepare Realm Escape Vouchers and kill the four holdouts once Lu Li departed.
• Disguised as Lanbir, Qian Tongdan used [Prophecy] to make the Indians forget his instructions and tried to take their gold for safekeeping.
• Amir’s pendant broke the mental confusion, and he recognized that the supposed Lanbir was an impostor.
• Qian Tongdan tried to flee with a [Realm Escape Voucher], but Shahrukh grabbed his wrist.

Lu Li’s summoned creatures helped Qian Tongdan seize the Indian Players’ storage items at Bone Burial Beach. Qian Tongdan then used his Prophecy ability to confuse everyone and trick the four onlookers into escaping with Realm Escape Vouchers.

• Lu Li sent his summoned creatures to help Qian Tongdan and hand him the gold coins while Xing Anlin stood guard nearby.
• Shi Wenye’s group restrained the four Indian Players, took their storage items, and warned Qian Tongdan that they were about to lose control.
• Shahrukh broke free and chased Qian Tongdan, who ran toward four Players watching from the beach.
• Qian Tongdan revealed his Huaxia identity and promised the four Players four gold coins each in exchange for help holding off the Indians.
• Qian Tongdan used Prophecy to assume Lanbir’s identity and make everyone forget the previous three minutes, then told the Indians their storage items had been stolen.
• Qian Tongdan warned the four Players in Huaxia that they should escape, and they each used a Realm Escape Voucher.

Amir and the other Indian players realized their valuables had vanished, while "Lanbir" secretly kept their stolen loot and maneuvered Amir into taking his escape voucher. Meanwhile, Pan Xiaoxiao delivered an item to the Goodman Caravan and obtained a letter, as she and Lu Li prepared for the next day’s ball.

• Amir and the other Indian players discovered their storage items had been emptied, while "Lanbir" pretended to console them and concealed the stolen valuables.
• "Lanbir" prompted Amir to demand his [Realm Escape Voucher], then handed over a decoy Space Pouch that Akshay and Gawara searched.
• Amir asked the heavily armored guard whether losing their tour tokens barred them from the outer palace, and the guard said anyone entering or leaving the royal city without one would be killed.
• Pan Xiaoxiao delivered the item to the Goodman Caravan and insisted on receiving the letter connected to her task.
• Pan Xiaoxiao told Lu Li that the ball would admit only nobles and merchants and that noble attire could now be obtained for fewer items than the day before.

Lu Li bought all twenty-six sets of noble attire from the Goodman Caravan by paying with ten Perfect Quality [Stamina Power Bank]s, then headed with Pan Xiaoxiao and the others toward the palace outskirts. At Bone Burial Beach, he opened the quest letter and found a water-stained map marked with a rose.

• Lu Li bought the caravan’s remaining noble attire for ten Perfect Quality items after learning the price was ten Excellent Quality items and three Perfect Quality items.
• Lu Li and his group left for the palace outskirts while Amir and the other Players entered Misty Forest, and the groups passed without meeting.
• At Bone Burial Beach, Lu Li opened the letter Pan Xiaoxiao had brought instead of handing it to the heavily armored guard.
• Lu Li revealed a water-stained map of Bone Burial Beach and its surroundings with a rose marking one location.

Lu Li completed the prince’s delivery quest by bribing the heavily armored guard, then led Pan Xiaoxiao into the imperial city to search for clues around the palace. He split up the investigation and left Pan Xiaoxiao to choose an area while he relied on the other Players to uncover information.

• Lu Li photographed the map inside the letter, then handed it to the heavily armored guard with a gold coin.
• The guard accepted the bribe, gave Lu Li the prince’s reward, and completed the quest.
• Lu Li learned from Xing Anlin that the other Players were still in the realm and entered the imperial city with Pan Xiaoxiao after presenting their token.
• Pan Xiaoxiao listed three palace areas containing clues, but Lu Li told her to split up and share findings in the chat group.
• Lu Li said the other Players could help search and left Pan Xiaoxiao to choose an area while he chose none.

Lu Li refused to take Pan Xiaoxiao, Alisa, and Li Luo to the location marked on the map, then split the group up and secretly assigned guards to the women. At the Goodman Caravan, the Indians discovered that Realm Escape Vouchers were prohibitively expensive, and the caravan owner warned them that they might not even be able to attend the ball.

• Pan Xiaoxiao suggested that everyone investigate the map location together, but Lu Li refused, saying the others would hold him back.
• Alisa accepted Lu Li's decision, while Li Luo worried that she was a burden; Lu Li reassured her, and the group split up.
• Lu Li secretly paired Xing Anlin and the Five Fortune Ghosts with the three women to guard them.
• At the Goodman Caravan, Gawara found Realm Escape Vouchers, but the owner demanded 50 gold coins for one or valuable items in exchange.
• Gawara suggested robbing the caravan, but Amir warned that its owner was likely a strange entity; the owner said stolen goods would not work normally and taunted them about their approaching deaths.
• The caravan owner dropped five Visitor Tokens and demanded five First-Order Mana Crystals, telling the Indians to visit the palace grounds before sunset if they could attend the ball.

Lu Li reached a hidden spot beyond Hattlas Imperial City's wall, soulified his Levitation ability, and found a clue and a bloodstained dagger. Wan Jiaxi failed to buy noble attire and returned to Bone Burial Beach, where he could not find Lu Li or Amir as the ball preparations began.

• Wan Jiaxi photographed the mermaid statue's inscriptions and decided to visit the Goodman Caravan before sunset.
• Lu Li used Talent Soulification on Levitation, flew to a reef platform, and photographed the clue written in seashells.
• Lu Li picked up the bloodstained dagger and left noble attire and his visitor pass on the reef.
• Wan Jiaxi learned the Goodman Caravan had sold out of noble attire and could not learn who had bought it.
• Wan Jiaxi returned to Bone Burial Beach with several teammate Players and saw servants prepare the ball around a growing sand mermaid statue.
• Wan Jiaxi found that Lu Li and Amir were absent while other Players waited casually for the ball.

Wan Jiaxi waited for Lu Li to return and discovered that Lu Li had bought all the noble clothing needed for the realm. Lu Li offered the clothing in exchange for an Oath Contract, and most Players accepted as the sun sank toward the horizon.

• A Korean Player confronted Wan Jiaxi for muttering about him, then admitted he had no strategy and planned to rely on Lu Li.
• Wan Jiaxi asked Amir whether his group had bought all the noble clothing, but Amir denied it and was alarmed to learn the clothing was gone.
• Lu Li returned to the beach with three female Players and confirmed that he had bought up the noble clothing.
• Lu Li offered Wan Jiaxi the clothing for free if he signed an Oath Contract promising to follow his commands, with Lu Li's guarantee of safety written into it.
• Wan Jiaxi paid Lu Li an Excellent Quality item and signed the contract, and most other Players followed suit.
• Amir and the other Indians, along with Yellow Hair and the other Korean Players, refused to sign.

Lu Li made Amir and the other Indian Players sign Oath Contracts for noble clothes so they could attend the ball, while Yellow Hair convinced two female Players to wait and see whether the clothes were really necessary. The group remained divided over how to survive the coming night on Bone Burial Beach.

• Amir tried to avoid signing an Oath Contract by claiming the Indian Players had lost their storage items, but Lu Li offered credit with repayment terms.
• Amir tried to make only Shahrukh sign, but Lu Li required four more contracts and charged the Indians two Perfect Quality items each for deferred payment.
• Amir agreed to the contracts rather than abandon Gawara and the other Players, and they changed into noble attire.
• Yellow Hair told two female Players that Rule Five allowed even a ragged beggar to attend the ball and claimed they could survive without noble clothes.
• The two female Players grew uncertain and decided to wait before signing contracts with Lu Li.

Lu Li’s altered Oath Contract forced Qian Tongdan, disguised as Lanbir, to agree to pay one hundred thousand tons of gold, while three Players were left outside the ballroom. As night fell, Amir, Gawara, and Akshay used Challenger Cards to trap the stranded Players, and the guards refused to intervene.

• Lu Li had changed Lanbir’s contract to demand one hundred thousand tons of gold, and Qian Tongdan signed it while worrying about whether the Qian Family could gather enough.
• Yellow Hair tried to enter the ballroom without noble clothes, but the guards blocked him, and the two women behind him offered Lu Li Excellent Quality items for help.
• Lu Li demanded two Perfect Quality items from the women, who refused and revealed they had Realm Escape Vouchers.
• As a terrifying creature began crawling through the darkness, Yellow Hair and the women prepared to escape, but Amir, Gawara, and Akshay initiated challenges against them.
• The Challenger Cards disabled the trio’s escape, abilities, and equipment, while a guard dismissed their protests and warned that continued disturbance would get them expelled.

A female Player was killed after she provoked an armored guard who could breach the Challenger Barrier, exposing the danger of the realm’s rules. As Amir prepared to loot the remaining Players, Lu Li negotiated a share of the spoils and forced Amir to offer him seventy percent.

• A female Player cursed at the armored guard, who broke through the Challenger Barrier and bisected her with his axe.
• The surviving female Player and the onlookers panicked, while Lu Li recognized that realm rules could override the Challenger Barrier.
• Yellow Hair the Korean begged Amir for mercy and offered a ransom, but Amir refused and said the group would take his equipment and items.
• Yellow Hair the Korean asked Lu Li for help, and Lu Li explained that he could not intervene while the Challenger Barrier remained in place.
• Amir proposed splitting the loot fifty-fifty, and Lu Li asked which side would get fifty.
• Remembering his Oath Contract with Lu Li, Amir offered Lu Li seventy percent and himself thirty percent.