Chapter Summaries

Cyno and the others asked the three treacherous ministers to help Sumeru confront the crisis affecting Irminsul and Lesser Lord Kusanali. The ministers agreed to consider opening Aaru, and their summons awakened the sages Benu and Seshfenhe.

• The Ibis King Thoth, Sheep King Heryshaf, and Crocodile King Sobek met Nefer, Cyno, Sethos, and Cyrus after being freed from prison.
• Cyno explained Sumeru’s calamity, including the problem with Irminsul and Lesser Lord Kusanali’s unconsciousness under Apep’s care.
• The ministers learned that Sumeru wanted to open Aaru and use it to help contend with Irminsul, despite the risks surrounding the Scarlet King’s Golden Slumber.
• Nafis and the others asked the ministers to support opening Aaru, and Thoth asked Sobek and Heryshaf for their decision.
• The ministers agreed to discuss the matter with their former colleagues, and Heryshaf summoned the sages Benu and Seshfenhe, whose phantoms appeared.

The Seven Pillars voted to reopen Aaru, knowing its release would return the souls imprisoned there to the Ley Lines and end Al-Ahmar’s afterlife. As Aaru opened, Jeht reunited briefly with her father Jebrael before his soul flew away.

• Heryshaf urged the Seven Pillars to open Aaru so Sumeru’s people could rebuild, and Seshfenhe questioned the proposal and learned that Apep was treating the Grass God.
• Thoth, Heryshaf, Sobek, Benu, Apep, and Hermanubis’s proxy were named as approving Aaru’s liberation, despite the consequences for the souls and Al-Ahmar’s afterlife.
• Apep denied wanting any part in the decision, and Columbina teased him about whether he could defeat Al-Ahmar.
• The Seven Pillars reopened Aaru, revealing blue crystals as water rose and countless souls emerged and began to leave.
• Jebrael’s soul recognized Jeht, thanked her for the chance to meet again, urged her not to grieve, and then transformed into a bird and flew away.

Jeht said goodbye to Jebrael after finding peace in their reunion, while the liberated Aaru’s guardians offered to shield the Scarlet King’s Mausoleum from Irminsul. The scholars prepared to modify Aaru, and the former gods relaxed together as they awaited the specialists.

• Jeht thanked Paimon and the Traveler, then said goodbye to Jebrael and accepted his death.
• The spirits that had become birds disappeared, and Ibis King Thoth explained that Aaru had been opened for the scholars to use.
• Sheep King Heryshaf teased Thoth, while Crocodile King Sobek objected to being dragged into their banter.
• Ibis King Thoth offered to use Aaru to conceal conversations and activity inside the Scarlet King’s Mausoleum from Irminsul.
• Apep and Columbina discussed the power of ancient gods and their technology with Sandrone.
• Nefer asked who would modify Aaru, and Nafis said the scholars had already been contacted as the former gods chatted while waiting.

The Sky Screen showed Liloupar discussing growth and belonging with Jeht, followed by Nefer inviting Sethos to return to his homeland. Nafis and Cyrus reminisced about their student years and urged each other to stay cautious and look after themselves.

• Sonnet and Apep argued over the Dragon Sovereign Clan bringing the Heavenly Principles to their world, until Sonnet told them to keep watching the Sky Screen.
• Liloupar told Jeht that she had grown stronger and could protect the people and things that mattered to her, and Jeht hoped that was true.
• Qian Renxue compared her own growth with Jeht's and considered whether she should seek adventure, while the narration noted that guidance from Nicole might help her more.
• Nefer introduced herself to Sethos and invited him to set aside his burdens and return to his homeland, while acknowledging that their powers came from the Scarlet King's Seven Pillars.
• Nafis and Cyrus joked about their school days and Saghati's stories, then agreed to watch over Cyno and the others and to take care of themselves.

Cyno and Tighnari discussed Nefer’s skill at deception while she listened from the Secret Archive. On the Sky Screen, Kaveh and Alhaitham met the Three Kings to discuss renovating Aaru, and Kaveh recognized why the ancient structure depended on human craftsmen.

• Cyno and Tighnari discussed Nefer’s talents and noted that Sethos was keeping her occupied, while Nefer overheard them from the Secret Archive.
• Alhaitham introduced the Akademiya’s renovation team and outlined the project’s fields of work to the Three Kings.
• Benu demanded that the team show the same commitment as Aaru’s ancient craftsmen, and Kaveh tried to smooth over Alhaitham’s blunt replies.
• Benu warned the team to use Aaru’s main console carefully, then agreed to consider their proposal after Heryshaf and Sobek urged him to be lenient.
• Sobek explained that Aaru’s components required human operators, and Kaveh realized that human craftsmen had been essential to building it.
• Kaveh told Alhaitham that Heryshaf had been brushing off Benu, and Alhaitham said Heryshaf’s perfunctory rhetoric had earned him his title.

Kaveh and Alhaitham’s team prepared to connect the Akasha to Aaru, while Thoth revealed that Aaru inspired the Akasha and was built using Celestia’s technology. Thoth explained that Aaru was never completed before the Scarlet King died, leaving the scholars with the legacy of the Goddess of Flowers’s sacrifice.

• Kaveh and Alhaitham began preparations to modify the great terminal, while Ning Rongrong, Layla, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing watched their banter on the Sky Screen.
• Thoth visited the scholars and asked whether they knew that Aaru and the Akasha were linked.
• Thoth recounted the Three Kings’ Covenant, explaining that the Goddess of Flowers brought knowledge to Sumeru and that Celestia’s technology helped the Scarlet King conceive Aaru.
• Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Nahida reflected on the old fate of Sumeru, and Nahida urged Rukkhadevata not to blame herself.
• Kaveh concluded that connecting the Akasha to Aaru was feasible, while Thoth explained that Aaru remained unfinished when the Scarlet King died.

Ibis King Thoth explained how Aaru embodied the Scarlet King's love for the Goddess of Flowers, while Alhaitham argued that the gods’ bonds could be both a prison and a monument. Thoth revealed hidden mechanisms in Aaru for Kaveh and Alhaitham to inspect, and they began sorting through its records.

• Thoth recounted the Scarlet King's covenant with the Dendro Archon and his hope that Aaru could restore the past when the Goddess of Flowers was alive.
• Greater Lord Rukkhadevata reflected on the burdens she had carried after the Goddess of Flowers died, while Nahida reassured her.
• Alhaitham interpreted Aaru as both a prison and a monument and concluded that time answered all three questions.
• Thoth used his power to reveal mechanisms corresponding to Aaru's internal structure, and Kaveh and Alhaitham began examining them.
• Kaveh found an obelisk containing poetry, and Sobek asked him to delete it after Alhaitham confirmed it was private information.

Kaveh and Alhaitham continued investigating Aaru’s steles while the ancient kings joked among themselves. The chapter ended with Tighnari asking Kaveh about working with Alhaitham, and Kaveh beginning to explain their unresolved difficulties.

• Kaveh and Alhaitham reviewed records about Gurabad’s wars and the oasis civilization, including the craftsmen’s escape plans and blueprints.
• Kaveh returned to the surface and confirmed that the project had met its contingency standards, though Alhaitham warned there might be a second phase.
• Thoth, Sobek, and the other ancient kings traded insults, prompting Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata to reminisce about their antics.
• Columbina comforted Sandrone as Sandrone mourned that Pronia could not be repaired.
• Benu and Seshfenhe joined the kings’ argument and reflected on their long imprisonment and the companions they had lost.
• Tighnari asked Kaveh how the project was progressing, and Kaveh began discussing the problems that surfaced while working with Alhaitham.

Kaveh, Alhaitham, and Tighnari discussed their work and Collei’s progress, while Nicole praised Collei’s dedication. The Sky Screen then showed Sandrone’s memories of Alain creating and raising her, her completion of Faleu, and someone asking for Miss Guillotin.

• Kaveh and Alhaitham bickered about their differences before discussing Collei, whom Tighnari said was studying with Nicole and growing more cheerful.
• Shui Yue'er admired Kaveh and Alhaitham’s dynamic, while Nicole told Anya that Collei was diligent and had strong willpower.
• The Sky Screen introduced Alain as Sandrone’s creator and showed him building her.
• Sandrone recalled Alain teaching her to walk, draw, and learn after he caught her as she stumbled toward a dragonfly.
• Sandrone tested the completed Faleu in combat and considered leaving out its voice module.
• Someone called out to ask whether Miss Guillotin was there.

Sobek explained why Apep helped Nahida, and Nahida returned from the Grass Dragon King’s care. Apep brought her to the Scarlet King’s Mausoleum, where Ibis King Thoth appeared and drew Apep’s scorn.

• Sobek told the Traveler and Paimon that the Scarlet King had deceived Apep into swallowing him and passing his suffering to her.
• The Traveler explained that Nahida had helped relieve Apep’s long suffering, and Sobek concluded that Apep recognized her goodwill.
• Nahida’s voice reached the Traveler, and Apep appeared at the mausoleum with Nahida beside her.
• Nahida thanked Apep for sharing her vitality, and Apep warned her to manage Sumeru’s Irminsul and Ley Lines before sending her back.
• Ibis King Thoth emerged at the mausoleum, and Apep dismissed Al-Ahmar’s followers as vermin.

Apep departed after warning Nahida that she wanted no further contact, and Sorush brought the Aranara to the Scarlet King's Mausoleum. Nahida welcomed the newcomers and began arranging their help with the urgent work in Aaru.

• Apep rejected further contact with Nahida and left, while Sonnet silently questioned her change of heart.
• Sorush arrived with a group of Aranara, and the Traveler caught them when they began to fall.
• Nahida thanked the Aranara for coming and asked the Traveler and Paimon to help find them a place to stay.
• At the Scarlet King's Mausoleum, the Aranara greeted Nahida and assured her that those in Vanarana would protect it.
• The Aranara offered to help with Aaru's reconstruction, processing excess information, and restoring everyone's confidence.

Nahida blessed the Aranara so people could see and speak with them, while the Traveler and Paimon went to Caravan Ribat to investigate Ranbilika’s report of suspicious men. As Nahida and the scholars considered an unconventional way to reach Irminsul, Cyno and Nefer began searching for a possible traitor.

• Ranbilika told Nahida that two guilty-looking men had whispered secretly near Caravan Ribat, so Nahida asked the Traveler and Paimon to investigate.
• Nahida blessed the Aranara, allowing people to see and speak with them, and reassured them as they nervously met the gathered people.
• Nahida met Nafis, Kaveh, and Alhaitham, who explained their plan to use Aaru’s power to restart the Akasha and access Irminsul; Nahida warned that normal access would not work in Irminsul’s current condition.
• At Caravan Ribat, the Traveler told Cyno about Ranbilika’s report, and Cyno concluded that there might be a traitor among them.
• Cyno persuaded Nefer to help investigate by presenting the work as a chance to demonstrate her information-broker business, and Nefer agreed.

Cyno and Nefer investigated a suspected Fatui spy at Caravan Ribat, and Nefer approached him under a false pretext after spotting his antique coin. The Sky Screen cut off before she could continue, displaying a teaser about the Tsaritsa’s wrath.

• Cyno and Nefer identified three possible suspects and agreed that Nefer would approach one while Cyno waited nearby for her signal.
• Apep criticized Cyno’s cautious investigation, and Sandrone argued with Apep over whether she and her sister had betrayed the dragons.
• Nefer noticed the target examining an ancient coin and claimed she was searching for a friend after losing goods in a sandstorm.
• The target offered Nefer a ride, and she pretended to deal in discreetly sourced antiques to learn more about his coin.
• The Sky Screen cut off just as Nefer examined the coin, and Sandrone objected to the teaser about the Tsaritsa’s wrath.

The Sky Screen showed a song mocking the Fatui’s many internal problems, prompting Sandrone and Columbina to discuss the lyrics and Scaramouche’s former rank. It then returned to Nefer’s sting in Caravan Ribat, where she tricked a mercenary into revealing himself and led him toward Cyno.

• The Sky Screen played a satirical song about the Harbingers’ relationships, the Fatui’s secrecy and security failures, and its vacant or unknown seats.
• Sandrone and Columbina recognized the song’s targets, and Columbina explained that Scaramouche had been the Sixth Seat before Irminsul erased him from memory.
• The Sky Screen returned to Caravan Ribat, where Nefer questioned a mercenary who claimed to be selling gold from the Scarlet King’s Mausoleum.
• Nefer persuaded the mercenary to let her resell the gold and led him toward the main road while continuing to probe him.
• Cyno appeared and ordered the mercenary to submit without resistance.

Cyno captured the mercenary with the ancient coin and learned where he was supposed to meet his contact. Paimon joined Scaramouche on a surveillance mission, explaining that she wanted to become more useful, but the expected contact failed to appear.

• Cyno subdued the mercenary, seized the ancient coin, and interrogated him for the meeting location.
• Cyno sent Scaramouche to monitor the meeting site, and Paimon chose to accompany him despite the Traveler's concern.
• Paimon told Scaramouche that she feared being unable to help the Traveler and wanted to become a more useful friend.
• Scaramouche shared advice from his own experience with feeling powerless, encouraging Paimon to make the changes she wanted.
• Scaramouche noticed the contact had not arrived and asked Paimon to check for movement before they waited another hour.

Scaramouche suspected the captured mercenary had been abandoned as a disposable pawn, while Nahida explained that an intruder had entered Irminsul through death. The three kings agreed to help Sumeru, and Nahida began describing how Irminsul's invasion had restricted her powers.

• Scaramouche sensed that Cyno's captured mole had been abandoned and took the others back to the Scarlet King's Mausoleum.
• Layla suggested that the mercenary had been a disposable pawn, and Zhu Zhuqing concluded that the scheme had been meant to distract Sumeru from Irminsul's disaster.
• Nahida thanked the three kings, and Heryshaf and the others agreed to support Sumeru through the crisis.
• Nahida explained that Irminsul's problems prevented her from fully recovering and that an intruder had entered it through death.
• Thoth observed that the dead could not be kept from returning to the Ley Lines indefinitely, and Nahida said Irminsul had restricted her permissions and rejected all connections after the invasion.

Nahida and the others learned that Dottore’s plans had caused Irminsul to manifest and mutate, and Scaramouche identified Pantalone as the Fatui Harbinger behind the discarded spy. The group faced the growing threat as they prepared to continue investigating the disaster.

• Sheep King Heryshaf and Nahida discussed using Aaru to reconnect with Irminsul, and the Jinn, Aranara, and Pari agreed to help.
• Irminsul manifested as a gigantic tree in the rainforest, alarming Sumeru’s group and the people watching the Sky Screen.
• Nahida explained that Irminsul’s appearance signaled an evil experiment’s next stage and connected the crisis to Dottore.
• Nahida said Dottore’s remaining followers might be influencing Irminsul, while Nicole warned that otherworldly things were beginning to emerge.
• Scaramouche revealed that the captured mercenary spy had been a pawn from the beginning and identified Pantalone as Dottore’s assistant.

The Sky Screen showed the Captain’s plan to carry Natlan’s homeless souls, challenge the Archon of Death, and use his immortality curse against her. It then revealed how he had taken the souls of fallen Khaenri'ah and Natlan warriors into his heart, leaving the watchers moved by his sacrifice.

• The Sky Screen introduced the Captain and showed him explaining that he had carried countless souls within his heart for five hundred years.
• The Captain revealed his plan to become master of the Ley Lines and use his immortality curse to challenge the Archon of Death.
• The Captain recalled being named a Sky Pillar Knight and fighting Abyssal Monsters alongside Khaenri'ah and Natlan warriors.
• After his comrades fell, the Captain gathered their souls into his heart and declared that heroes could not be left without a home.
• Sandrone recognized the Captain’s resolve, while Shui Yue'er cried over his story and Shui Bing'er lamented his suffering.

Captain defeated the Archon of Death with the Curse of Immortality, returned the souls of his comrades to the Ley Lines, and found rest as an immortal monument in Natlan. After those watching paid tribute to him, the Sky Screen resumed the preparations at Aaru.

• Captain forced the Archon of Death to uphold the Curse of Immortality, then ascended to the Throne of Primal Fire with the souls of his comrades and returned them to the Ley Lines.
• The Night God, Citlali, and Mavuika described Captain’s five centuries of suffering, and Mavuika acknowledged that he had surpassed her plans and urged Natlan’s people to shape the future he created.
• The Traveler, Paimon, Ororon, Citlali, and Mavuika paid tribute to Captain, while viewers on Douluo Continent and The Moon mourned him and hoped he could rest.
• Back at Aaru, Nafis reminded everyone of the battle plan, and Nahida assigned Alhaitham and Kaveh to advance the renovation project.
• Cyno agreed to handle materials with Sethos and Scaramouche, who volunteered to help efficiently.

Nafis assigned teams to prepare Sumeru’s operation, while Cyno, Scaramouche, and Sethos gathered Primal Construct materials for Akasha Terminals. The chapter ended with Sethos asking how many terminals they needed to make.

• Nafis assigned Dori, Faruzan, Collei, and Nicole to the device’s technical work, and Dehya, Candace, and Nefer to negotiations, while Tighnari would support the teams.
• Nahida said she would travel with the Traveler to Natlan’s border, then later go with some of the group to the Eternal Oasis.
• Kaveh and Alhaitham told Nafis that Aaru needed further optimization and that they needed more Akasha Terminals for people without them.
• Cyno, Scaramouche, and Sethos went to the Scarlet King’s Mausoleum and processed Primal Constructs into materials, with Aranara providing recovery along the way.
• Sethos asked how many materials they needed, and Cyno said they needed one terminal for everyone who lacked one.