Chapter Summaries

While Shen Qin clung to Xu Shi, he trained Pan Feng and gathered intelligence about the Sea God Stones. After learning the stones had little practical value as Rust Fog ore, Xu Shi realized they might still offer a profitable opportunity and prepared three plans for Jiang Chengcheng to choose from.

• Shen Qin followed Xu Shi everywhere and massaged him, while Xia Ke'an complained about his laziness.
• Xu Shi sparred with Pan Feng, using dirty tricks that made her miserable but helped her improve.
• Pan Ling reported that their group had collected about one hundred thousand Sea God Stones and that the Church and royal family had likely obtained even more, calling them Sea God Stones internally.
• Jiang Chengcheng told Xu Shi that the stones varied greatly in quality, contained little Rust Fog, and were poor for synthesis or weapon-making, though they were malleable.
• Xu Shi recognized a potential opportunity in the stones and wrote three possible plans for Jiang Chengcheng to choose from.

Xu Shi explained his plan to use the Sea God Stone to create a tulip-style economic bubble in the Hualan Empire, hoping to undermine it gradually without provoking its powerful factions. After Xia Wuyou exposed that all three paper balls held the same tulip drawing, Xu Shi left with her and Jiang Chengcheng for a jokingly described special lesson, while Shen Qin held back from joining them.

• Xu Shi explained that he would use the Sea God Stone to recreate Tulip Mania and gradually destabilize the Hualan Empire while avoiding a direct confrontation with Cheng Gujian and the Church.
• Xu Shi told Pan Ling that the Church and royal family held large Sea God Stone reserves and assigned her to draft detailed rules based on his plan.
• Xia Wuyou arrived and asked what the other two paper balls contained, then used her powers to take and open them.
• Xia Wuyou discovered that all three paper balls showed tulips, and Xu Shi jokingly threatened to give her an evening study session.
• Jiang Chengcheng volunteered to attend as an observer, and Xu Shi vanished with her and Xia Wuyou while Shen Qin decided to wait for another chance.

Xu Shi and Pan Ling manipulated the market for Sea God Stones by buying them from ordinary people and planning to promote them as valuable goods among the nobility. The scheme began spreading through the Hualan Empire as Grand Duke Gu Jian asked what was happening.

• The Trade Station advertised high prices for Sea God Stones, drawing a crowd and attracting its first seller, a militiaman who had received the stones as a reward.
• The seller revealed that the army had given Sea God Stones to militiamen, prompting people to seek out soldiers and speculate that the stones might rise in price.
• Xu Shi praised Pan Ling for arranging private trading, warehouses, and pawnshops to help expand the Sea God Stone market.
• Pan Ling proposed promoting the stones to nobles as ornaments that could increase strength and prolong life, and Xu Shi approved the plan.
• Grand Duke Gu Jian asked what was behind the people's recent trading of Sea God Stones.

Dongfang Xiao ordered the royal family to join Xu Shi and the Church in trading and processing Sea God Stones, while Cheng Gujian promised to invite Xu Shi to the palace when he recovered. After Cheng Gujian left, Dongfang Xiao revealed a sinister side, and Xu Shi learned that the royal family and Church had followed his plan, leaving him ready to change roles.

• Dongfang Xiao questioned Cheng Gujian about Xu Shi's Sea God Stone trade, and Cheng Gujian concluded that Xu Shi was making luxury goods to profit from them.
• Dongfang Xiao ordered Cheng Gujian to have the royal family buy and process Sea God Stones, and asked him to convey her thanks to Xu Shi and invite him to the palace once he recovered.
• Dongfang Xiao asked Cheng Gujian to carve her a Sea God Stone bird, then smashed it after he left and threatened a lady official to keep quiet about her behavior.
• Pan Ling told Xu Shi that the royal family and Church had launched Sea God Stone trading and crafts, just as he had predicted.
• Xu Shi concluded that both factions had misunderstood his plans and prepared to change roles.

Xu Shi ordered Pan Ling to manipulate the Sea God Stone market, then explained that he would send her to study in Night Sin City once the situation settled. As prices surged and people poured into the trade, sellers began offering contracts that let buyers obtain Sea God Stones on credit, setting up the next stage of the scheme.

• Xu Shi told Pan Ling to raise Sea God Stone buying prices, reduce the purchase units, keep stones circulating, and make other goods cheaper while favoring payments in coins.
• Xu Shi teased Pan Ling, then promised to teach her about finance and send her to Night Sin City for formal study; when she asked about his status there, he told her she would know when she grew up.
• Sea God Stone prices climbed rapidly as the royal family and the church followed Xu Shi's prices, prompting nobles and ordinary buyers to sell possessions and rush into the market.
• As buyers ran short of money, a man offered Sea God Stones through contracts requiring only a deposit upfront and full payment within a month at the current price.
• A hopeful buyer trusted the Royal Seal on the contract and ordered a large package of Sea God Stones.

Sea God Stone trading became a contract-fueled boom, and Empress Dongfang Xiao privately feared a catastrophic price plunge even as Cheng Gujian reassured her. On Silver Pine Island, Xu Shi enjoyed the island’s electrification and played at the beach with Xia Ke'an while preparing to meet the empress.

• Buyers and sellers across the empire shifted from spot trades to contracts, driving Sea God Stone prices to one hundred times their former levels per unit of weight.
• Dongfang Xiao questioned Cheng Gujian about the contracts and the market, then accepted his assurances while suspecting a severe crash could follow.
• Dongfang Xiao learned Xu Shi had replied that he would travel to the capital soon and ordered Cheng Gujian to send him to her upon arrival.
• Xu Shi saw Silver Pine Island prosper after Pan Cheng’s residents accepted electrical renovations, with further personnel support arranged from Night Sin City.
• Xu Shi played on the beach with Xia Ke'an, who teased him about the empress and his plans to meet her.

Sea God Stone prices crashed, threatening citizens, the royal family, and the Church with enormous losses, while Dongfang Xiao ordered Cheng Gujian to find a solution and planned to speak with Xu Shi. At sea, Xie Qingyan became agitated and rejected Xu Shi’s attempt to help her, her eyes turning completely black.

• Trade Stations across the Imperial Main City posted Sea God Stone prices that had plunged to forty silver coins per hundred grams, devastating citizens who held stones and buy contracts.
• At noon, prices halved again to twenty silver coins per hundred grams, prompting panicked selling and leaving many traders facing ruin and debt.
• Dongfang Xiao questioned Cheng Gujian about the losses facing the royal family, and he promised to find a way to resolve the crisis.
• Dongfang Xiao agreed that Xu Shi should be consulted, and Cheng Gujian said Xu Shi was expected to arrive the next day.
• On the ship to Silver Pine Island, Xu Shi teased with Xie Qingyan and Xia Ke'an, but Xie Qingyan grew unusually upset and knocked away Xu Shi’s hand.
• Xie Qingyan told Xu Shi not to touch her, and her eyes turned completely black.

Xie Qingyan revealed that her new Replicate Ability was mentally corroding her, possibly through a remnant of Sea God, and Xu Shi considered using his ability to counter it. When Xie Qingyan agreed to let him, Xu Shi refused, leaving his plan unresolved.

• After Xie Qingyan's eyes turned black and she lost her temper, Xu Shi asked Ye Shanshan whether she had noticed anything unusual.
• Xu Shi followed Xie Qingyan to her room and confronted her about hiding the side effect of her new ability.
• Xie Qingyan explained that strange whispers had been attacking her consciousness since she regained consciousness, and Xu Shi suspected a remnant of Sea God was responsible.
• Xu Shi considered using his ability to counter the mental corrosion, and Xie Qingyan deactivated her Ability Nullification and gave him permission.
• Xu Shi clenched his fist and told Xie Qingyan he would not use his ability on her.

Xu Shi rejected Xie Qingyan’s offer to use Malice Entropy on her, then proposed seeking Dongfang Xiao’s purification ability to counter the Sea God’s corruption. After arriving at the Imperial Main City, Xu Shi met Cheng Gujian, who challenged him over the Sea God Stone affair, and asked to meet the Empress alone.

• Xu Shi refused to use Malice Entropy on Xie Qingyan because prolonged mental influence might damage her, and suggested Dongfang Xiao’s holy light could purify the Sea God’s corruption.
• Xie Qingyan teased Xu Shi about pursuing Dongfang Xiao, and he pulled her into his arms before they joined the others.
• Xu Shi, Xie Qingyan, Pan Ling, Xia Ke'an, Shen Qin, and Ye Shanshan arrived at the Imperial Main City, where citizens regarded them with hostility over the Sea God Stone crisis.
• Xu Shi told Pan Ling that the turmoil was only the beginning and reminded her to ensure she could clean up the consequences of her plans.
• Cheng Gujian confronted Xu Shi in his carriage about causing the Sea God Stone affair, and Xu Shi defended their cooperation before requesting a private meeting with the Empress.

Xu Shi met privately with Dongfang Xiao to negotiate over the damage caused by the Sea God Stone trade, but he rejected her offer to buy back his goods and challenged her authority. He acknowledged her political predicament and said he was willing to help the Hualan Empire, provided she accepted his conditions.

• Xu Shi and Dongfang Xiao exchanged polite greetings, and she asked how he had devised the Sea God Stone trade.
• Xu Shi said the royal family had acted unjustly during the campaign against the Sea God and that his retaliation was reasonable.
• Dongfang Xiao pointed out that Xu Shi had bought property and livestock cheaply, then offered to purchase his holdings for the royal family at a fair price.
• Xu Shi refused, saying he could earn more by reselling the goods himself, and questioned why he should negotiate with Dongfang Xiao instead of Cheng Gujian.
• Dongfang Xiao asked what Xu Shi wanted, and he said she did not set the price and admitted he was willing to help her if she accepted his conditions.

Xu Shi negotiated an alliance with Dongfang Xiao, offering to cover the Sea God Stone losses, oppose her enemies, and bring reforms to the Hualan Empire. He demanded her holy-light aid for his wife, permission to establish a new religion, and that Dongfang Xiao become his slave; she accepted the final condition after a long struggle.

• Dongfang Xiao asked Xu Shi to state his conditions, and he offered to give the royal family his Sea God Stone stock for free and help her confront Cheng Gujian.
• Xu Shi explained why he had chosen to ally with Dongfang Xiao and showed her Silver Pine Island’s development, arguing that he could help reform the Empire.
• Xu Shi gave Dongfang Xiao a carved bird that reminded her of a gift from Cheng Gujian, and she angrily knocked it off her desk before apologizing.
• Dongfang Xiao agreed to let Xu Shi use her holy-light ability to treat his wife and to issue an edict allowing him to establish a new religious sect.
• Xu Shi made his third condition that Dongfang Xiao become his slave, and she questioned how he differed from Cheng Gujian.
• After Xu Shi promised to keep his word, Dongfang Xiao took the collar and accepted his condition.

Xu Shi secured Dongfang Xiao’s agreement to become his slave, then began establishing control over her while arranging a cover for his visits to the palace. He transported her to his Liminal Space and ordered her to kneel, leaving her to submit despite her humiliation.

• Xu Shi persuaded Dongfang Xiao to accept their contract and planted a subtle seed in her by pinching her cheek.
• Xu Shi demanded that Dongfang Xiao wear a collar and call him Master; after she reluctantly did so, he excused her from wearing it or using the title in public for now.
• Dongfang Xiao asked how she should address Xu Shi, and he chose the title Imperial Tutor as a public explanation for his palace visits.
• Xu Shi reassured Dongfang Xiao that his daily visits could be justified by treating his wife's illness, then took her to his Liminal Space.
• Xu Shi made a collar and revealing clothes appear on Dongfang Xiao and ordered her to kneel; she bowed her head and began to address him as Master.

Xu Shi finished Dongfang Xiao’s first Liminal Space training session and confirmed that time passed four times slower inside. After reassuring her that he would honor their agreement, he reunited with his family, explained his plans to Cheng Gujian, and was approached by Lu Baiyan for a meeting at the church.

• Xu Shi checked on Dongfang Xiao after training, teased her by claiming he would break their deal, then assured her that the trade contracts and market-stabilizing funds would be delivered.
• Xu Shi reunited with his family and Cheng Gujian, where Shen Qin openly criticized Cheng Gujian for failing to help Xu Shi before.
• Xu Shi told Cheng Gujian that Dongfang Xiao had agreed to help Xie Qingyan and that he planned to establish a new church in the main city.
• Xu Shi told Xie Qingyan privately about his arrangement with Dongfang Xiao, while Xia Ke'an asked how he intended to establish the new church.
• Lu Baiyan approached Xu Shi outside the palace and invited him to the church for a brief conversation.

Xu Shi accepted Lu Baiyan’s invitation to the Church’s cathedral, where his curiosity about Night Sin City softened Xu Shi’s suspicions, though he refused to abandon his allegiance to the Church. The Saintess then opened negotiations by asking what the Church would have to offer for Xu Shi’s cooperation.

• Lu Baiyan invited Xu Shi to the Church on its behalf and accompanied him to the cathedral with his group.
• Xu Shi showed Lu Baiyan pictures of Night Sin City on his Communication Bracelet, and Lu Baiyan eagerly asked about them.
• Xu Shi invited Lu Baiyan to help foster exchanges between the city-states, but Lu Baiyan said he remained a Templar Knight first.
• Xu Shi arrived at the cathedral and met the Saintess and several Templar Knights, while sensing a powerful figure concealed behind a door.
• The Saintess asked Xu Shi what price would persuade him to cooperate with the Church.

Xu Shi negotiated with the Church, which sought aid and technological cooperation on terms equal to those granted to the royal family. He demanded Qin Yiyan as his personal maid and Luo Yu’s head; when the Church refused, he challenged them to kill him and left cooperation at an impasse.

• Xu Shi asked the Saintess for her name, learned that she had none beyond her title, and provoked Qin Yiyan by calling that pitiful.
• The Saintess outlined the Church’s requests for economic help and technological exchange, and Xu Shi agreed to discuss cooperation.
• Xu Shi demanded that Qin Yiyan serve as his personal maid and that Luo Yu’s head be given to him as a ball.
• The Saintess rejected the demands and offered other guards and an apology from Luo Yu, while the Pope said the Church would not trade a knight’s life for cooperation.
• Xu Shi refused the counteroffer, challenged the Church to kill him if it wished, and declared that they had never been close enough for severing ties to matter.

After rejecting the Church’s offer, Xu Shi explained why he intended to establish a new faith with the royal family’s backing, while Pan Ling tried to uncover his reasoning. Xu Shi later discussed the plan with Xia Ke'an and confronted her about hiding that she could change back.

• After leaving the Church, Xu Shi tested Pan Ling’s judgment, and she concluded that their side should avoid trusting a Church willing to betray its own people.
• Pan Ling questioned why Xu Shi would not cooperate with both the Church and the royal family, and he explained that the Church’s interests fundamentally conflicted with their plan to establish a new faith.
• Xia Ke'an took Pan Ling shopping in exchange for an answer, but admitted she did not know the reason and offered to ask Xu Shi instead.
• Xu Shi told Xia Ke'an that she would lead the new religion, with Pan Ling’s mind-reading and his own ability helping create convincing prophecies and strengthen believers’ faith.
• Xu Shi revealed that he had planned the strategy since the Sea God campaign and had used the Sea God Stone trade to weaken the Church’s influence while securing royal support.
• Xu Shi asked Xia Ke'an how long she had planned to hide that she could change back, and she reacted in shock.

Xu Shi confronted Xia Ke'an about hiding that she could freely switch between her child and adult forms, and she admitted she had feared he would make her stay an adult. After she changed back, they became intimate, but Xia Ke'an asked to speak with Wuyou first, so they stopped before going further.

• Xu Shi explained that he had inferred Xia Ke'an could control her transformations from her behavior during the campaign against the Sea God and from her reaction to his bluff.
• Xia Ke'an admitted she had concealed her ability because she preferred being his daughter in her child form and feared he would not let her change back.
• Xu Shi asked Xia Ke'an to change into her adult form, then kissed her and carried her to the bed.
• When Xia Ke'an asked to talk to Wuyou before they went further, Xu Shi agreed to stop and let her sit up.
• Xu Shi asked Xia Ke'an for a different kind of intimacy, and she agreed while teasing him about their father-and-daughter act.

Xia Ke'an revealed her adult form and her true identity to Xu Shi’s family, after which Xu Shi outlined preparations to establish a new cult against the Church. The group began assigning tasks, and Xu Shi named the cult the Sacred Fire Cat Cult.

• Xia Ke'an transformed into her adult form before the family, revealing that she was Xia Yuanqi, the Eldest Miss of Refraction.
• Xu Shi explained that he planned to establish a new cult, assigning Shen Qin to contact Silver Pine Island and Pan Ling and Xia Ke'an to practice recruiting and coordination.
• Xu Shi assigned security work to Shen Qin and Ye Shanshan, while telling Xie Qingyan to focus on recovering from her illness.
• Pan Ling offered Xia Ke'an milk or yogurt, prompting an embarrassed reaction that Xu Shi recognized as connected to their private history.
• When Pan Ling asked the new cult’s name, Xu Shi named it the Sacred Fire Cat Cult.

Xu Shi, Xia Ke'an, and Pan Ling opened the Sacred Fire Cat Cult and used free food and Xia Ke'an’s revelations to win the trust of Imperial Main City residents. After their first successful day, they prepared for an even larger crowd, and the next morning the streets outside were already packed.

• Residents mistook the renovated building for a blasphemous gathering, but entered when they learned visitors could receive free eggs.
• Xu Shi tried to put cat ears on Xia Ke'an, while Pan Ling welcomed the visitors and explained the cult’s charity.
• Xia Ke'an revealed where a man had lost his purse, and he returned with it, convincing the crowd that her guidance was genuine.
• More visitors lined up for revelations, and Xia Ke'an advised them until nightfall before Xu Shi sent them home to rest.
• After the visitors left, Xia Ke'an admitted the work had been easy, and Xu Shi predicted the next day would be the main event.
• The following morning, a huge crowd filled the streets outside the cult.

The Sacred Fire Cat Cult attracted more visitors as Xia Ke'an’s predictions gained credibility, while Xu Shi planned how to sustain the church with vague fortunes and future leadership. After the day’s work, Pan Ling asked whether Xia Ke'an’s prophecies changed the future or merely revealed it, leaving Xia Ke'an unable to answer.

• Xu Shi, Xia Ke'an, and Pan Ling organized visitors into a queue and private consultations as the Sacred Fire Cat Cult drew a larger crowd.
• Ye Shanshan stopped a man from trying to take extra free milk and sent him back to the line.
• Xu Shi explained to Xie Qingyan how vague fortunes could help the cult grow and remain influential after Xia Ke'an was no longer its Saintess.
• Pan Ling reported that attendance had doubled, while Shen Qin said Xia Ke'an had remained safe.
• Pan Ling asked whether Xia Ke'an’s prophecies changed the future or simply revealed it, and Xia Ke'an admitted she did not know.