Chapter Summaries

Song Ren reflected on the bosses and characters he had encountered in Elden Ring, especially Morgott and Melina, and resolved to save Melina by using the Frenzied Flame himself. He defeated Radagon and the Elden Beast, but the ending cutscene left him shocked by what happened.

• Song Ren recalled Morgott’s hidden devotion to the Erdtree Dynasty and the sacrifices he made to protect Leyndell.
• Song Ren remembered Radahn, the Valkyrie, Ranni, and Fia, then focused on saving Melina from sacrificing herself to burn the Golden Tree.
• Song Ren obtained the golden needle and the Frenzied Flame, planning to become kindling himself and save Melina.
• Song Ren entered the Golden Tree and defeated Radagon and the Elden Beast with help from his Mimic Tear.
• Song Ren triggered the ending cutscene and was stunned when it did not match what he had expected.

After choosing the Lord of Frenzied Flame ending, Song Ren watched Melina vow to hunt down the Tarnished and found other players just as shocked by her betrayal. As players debated Melina’s role and pieced together Elden Ring’s lore, they realized the Golden Tree and Elden Ring were only a small part of the Lands Between’s long history.

• Song Ren watched Melina pick up the Tarnished’s burning Spectral Steed Whistle and vow to deliver Destined Death to the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
• Song Ren visited Elden Ring’s official community on Nebula Games and found players lamenting Melina’s role and contrasting her with Ranni, Fia, and the teacher.
• Players discussed Melina’s restrained interactions with the Tarnished and compared them with the more openly affectionate bonds offered by other characters.
• Players continued studying Ringology and connected clues from items, locations, character stories, and the six known endings.
• Players concluded that the Golden Tree era and the Elden Ring were only brief episodes in the long history of the Lands Between.

The chapter traced the Lands Between’s origins, from life and death and the rise of dragon civilization to the arrival of the Star-Gazers and the Golden Tree. It ended as the Star-Gazers’ research was about to disrupt the plans of every power in the land.

• The Life Forge and Destined Death gave rise to life and death, and the Queen with Nighttime Eyes’ Godskin Apostles hunted believers of the Outer Gods.
• The Fingers guided the dragons into establishing the first civilization, built on discipline and self-control.
• The Star-Gazers arrived and founded the Eternal City, while a Golden Meteor brought the Golden Tree and the Elden Beast to the Lands Between.
• The Golden Tree’s seed took root inside the Life Forge, consumed its authority, and established a law that denied true death.
• The Star-Gazers’ love of research set a colossal disaster in motion, threatening the plans of the Lands Between’s powers.

The chapter recounted the Star-Gazers’ history, the wars against the Astel and Scarlet forces, and the rise of Marika’s Golden Dynasty. It ended with Marika preparing to destroy the golden age she had helped create.

• The Star-Gazers’ research drew a meteor that sank half the Lands Between, forcing them underground, where they later turned from the Stars to the full moon for guidance.
• The Star-Gazers, Minotaurs, giants, and dragons fought the Astel race, while the Scarlet God and its insect forces invaded and made the Lake of Rot a brutal battlefield.
• After the war, the Star-Gazers of the Eternal City abandoned the full moon and worshipped the Night Goddess, while the Mimic Tears and Great Iron Balls were created in an effort to make her a king.
• Marika and Shadow Beast Malenia defeated the Goddess of the Night Eye, sealed Destined Death, and established the Golden Order and Elden Ring.
• Marika’s second children were the Omen twins Morgott and the Lord of Blood, so she created Radagon as an avatar of the Golden Order and sent him to wed Renala.
• Radagon and Renala had Ranni the Witch, Starscourage Radahn, and Praetor Rykard, and Radahn suppressed the stars as the Golden Dynasty reached its height.

Marika tried to perfect the Golden Order by manipulating the Night of the Black Knives and later shattering the Elden Ring, while Radagon opposed her by repairing it. After the Shattering War, Marika’s plan involving the Tarnished and Melina emerged as a final attempt to control the Ring’s repair and ensure Destined Death could strike anyone who threatened it.

• Marika sent Godfrey and the first generation of the Golden Dynasty to conquer new lands, then stripped them of their Golden Blessing and made them the first Tarnished so she could learn from their deaths.
• Radagon returned to the royal capital, abandoned Rennala and their daughters, and became Elden Lord, angering Ranni, Rykard, and Radahn.
• Marika secretly arranged for Ranni to steal Destined Death, and Ranni, Rykard, and their allies carried out the Night of the Black Knives, killing Godwyn and allowing Ranni to escape her Empyrean fate.
• The black blade shattered after killing two Demigods, scattering Destined Death and causing Deathroot and widespread deaths followed by resurrection; Marika recalled the Tarnished, but they failed to repair the Elden Ring.
• Marika shattered the Elden Ring while Radagon repeatedly tried to repair it, until the Shattering War broke out.
• Marika’s final plan involving the Tarnished and Melina emerged: Melina would promote the Ring’s repair while also serving as a contingency to deliver Destined Death.

The chapter recalled Elden Ring’s memorable characters and quests before comparing its endings with those of other Soulslike games. It ended by mocking players who chose the Frenzied Flame ending to provoke Melina, saying her era was over.

• The narrator described Elden Ring’s Easter eggs, oppressive and heartwarming stories, and memorable characters such as Sellen, Alexander, Kurara, Ranni, and the Turtle Priest.
• The narrator recounted how Alexander asked the Tarnished for a final battle, then entrusted his contents to them and inspired a little jar to begin its own journey.
• The narrator contrasted debates over the endings of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro with the supposedly obvious appeal of Elden Ring’s endings.
• The narrator said many players favored Ranni’s Age of Stars because she called the Tarnished her king and held their hand.
• The narrator joked that players chose the Frenzied Flame ending to make Melina regret ignoring them, declaring that her era was over.

Chen Xu reviewed Elden Ring’s player statistics and discussed upcoming replay modes and plans to license outside game characters. After explaining why a London bank robbery would likely be solved quickly, he had an idea for a future game.

• Chen Xu and Yang Xin discussed how Tree Sentinel and Margit had killed more players than Valkyrie and Elden Beast.
• Qin Yi told Chen Xu that Elden Ring’s Random Mode and arena mode were already in testing, and Chen Xu asked Meng Zuo to start contacting major game companies about character licenses.
• Yang Xin read a report that armed criminals had robbed a Lloyds Bank branch in London in ten minutes without injuring anyone.
• Chen Xu explained that banknote trackers and other security measures would likely help police catch the robbers, prompting Yang Xin to joke that society was safer because he became a game designer.
• Chen Xu mentioned a Fourth-Dimensional Pocket as a way to commit a perfect crime, and the idea sparked inspiration for him.

Chen Xu introduced a new PVE shooting game concept inspired by a news report about a bank robbery, revealing that players would take the roles of robbers in a game called Payday. He left the team clarifying that he wanted professional agents and solved robbery cases as research material, not criminals or former pro players.

• Chen Xu explained how bank robberies worked and why inexperienced robbers could endanger hostages, prompting Ruan Ningxue to joke that he sounded too professional to be trusted.
• Chen Xu told the team that their next project would be a satisfying shooting game for players recovering from Elden Ring.
• Chen Xu revealed that players would infiltrate locations, scout, gather information, plan robberies, and assemble teams and tools as the game's criminal characters.
• Chen Xu named the game Payday and described it as a hardcore-leaning PVE experience focused on satisfying progression.
• When the team worried that consulting former pro players would cause backlash, Chen Xu clarified that he meant professional agents and research into solved robbery cases.

Nebula Games’ overseas research sparked speculation about its next game, and the company released a trailer depicting a carefully planned bank robbery. The video ended just as the robbers were about to encounter the SWAT team, leaving the game’s action unresolved.

• Nebula Games’ overseas branch investigated robberies and police procedures in several countries and regions for the development of Payday.
• Media coverage of the research led players to speculate that Nebula Games was making an FPS about anti-terrorism or counterterrorism.
• Nebula Games released a video introducing Bain and his crime.net organization, then showed a crew of robbers preparing to hit First Bank of Washington.
• The crew seized the bank, restrained the hostages, and rushed to collect cash from the vault while police and SWAT officers approached.
• The robbers and SWAT officers were about to meet when the trailer’s progress bar ran out.

Players reacted to Nebula Games’ promotional videos for Chen Xu’s criminal-perspective game, “Harvest Day,” and learned it was a polished, map-based PVE VR game with advanced AI and stealth. Despite controversy over its subject matter, the game’s popularity kept rising as more details were revealed.

• Nebula Games released a promotional video that abruptly cut off, prompting players to speculate that they would play professional robbers.
• Chen Xu added warnings and a 17+ rating to “Harvest Day,” while online arguments over the game’s criminal perspective grew.
• Chen Xu released a second promotional video showing gunfire-filled action and revealing the game’s title as “Harvest Day.”
• Players learned that “Harvest Day” was a map-based PVE game with detailed visuals, improved shooting and action, and more capable hostage and enemy AI.
• Chen Xu planned larger maps and stealth-focused levels, with improved enemy awareness making stealth more challenging.

Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han eagerly started Payday and created bandit personas before choosing their first heist. After completing the Tutorial and assembling their team, they took the Four Stores contract.

• Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han waited for Payday to launch and picked the IDs Zhang Mazi, Song Silang, and Wang Dabiao.
• The three completed the Tutorial, learning the game's controls and improved hostage mechanics.
• Zhang Yi formed the team, and Wang Han joined as they discussed their outfits and gear.
• Song Ren suggested they begin with an easy job, so the three selected the Four Stores heist.

Song Ren, Zhang Yi, and Wang Han began their first Harvest Day contract, Four Shops, intending to scout and rob the stores quietly. Song Ren accidentally triggered the alarm, forcing Zhang Yi to abandon the plan and begin an armed robbery of the convenience store.

• Zhang Yi assigned Song Ren to scout the antique shop, Wang Han to scout the computer store, and himself to scout the convenience store and café.
• Song Ren found two armed guards and a safe in the antique shop, while Wang Han reported a guard and a possible office safe in the computer store.
• Zhang Yi identified an ATM in the convenience store, but the crew lacked the cutter needed to open it, so they discussed drilling the antique shop's safe instead.
• Song Ren put on his mask in view of civilians and Cameras, triggering a police assault before Zhang Yi had finished explaining the plan.
• Zhang Yi gave up on stealth, threatened the hostages, and smashed open the convenience store's cash register to take the money.

Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han fought police while trying to rob an antique store safe in Payday. After Zhang Yi accidentally killed a Hostage and incurred an 8,000 cleanup fee, the crew questioned whether the robbery was worth it as the police stormed in.

• Zhang Yi regrouped with Song Ren and Wang Han at the antique store, where Song Ren was drilling open a safe as police reinforcements arrived.
• Zhang Yi and the others opened fire on the advancing officers, then faced increasingly well-equipped SWAT officers and a stalled drill.
• Zhang Yi threw a grenade into the fight and received an 8,000 deduction after it killed a Hostage.
• Song Ren and Wang Han collected 7,500 from the opened safe and worried that the cleanup costs could exceed their stolen money.
• Wang Han watched the police swarm into the store, and Zhang Yi proposed restarting the mission.

Zhang Yi, Wang Han, and Song Ren became skilled at Payday heists and decided to redeem their failed first stealth attempt by robbing a car dealership quietly. After scouting the dealership, they settled on a no-shooting plan and began the operation.

• Zhang Yi, Wang Han, and Song Ren advanced through increasingly difficult Payday heists and developed their skills.
• After completing a jewelry store robbery, Zhang Yi suggested trying stealth to make up for their first failed attempt.
• Zhang Yi selected the One Skull Car Dealership Heist and bought assets to help them hide bodies and loot.
• The three surveyed the dealership, identifying its cameras, guards, civilians, rooms, and possible routes.
• Zhang Yi announced a quiet, no-shooting plan, and the trio named the operation "Wash Away the Shame."

Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han infiltrated a car dealership to find its manager and keycard, narrowly avoiding detection before killing a guard who surprised them. They hid the body and continued toward the security camera, still believing the operation had not been exposed.

• Zhang Yi led Song Ren and Wang Han through the parking lot, where Wang Han picked the back door's lock as the guards patrolled nearby.
• The three slipped inside just as a guard approached, then waited for his suspicion to fade before moving toward the dealership's security door.
• Wang Han prepared to use an ECM Jammer, but a guard opened the security door and spotted the masked trio.
• Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han shot the guard before he could raise the alarm; Zhang Yi took his radio and bluffed the person on the other end.
• Zhang Yi hid the guard's body in a trash can, and the three prepared to resume setting up the ECM Jammer.

Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han infiltrated a car dealership to steal a luxury car, but their plan unraveled when the keys were not in the manager’s office. The alarm sounded, and the trio were arrested after their first attempt at the heist failed.

• Wang Han installed an ECM jammer while Song Ren led the group to search for the bald manager and his keycard.
• The trio split up to find the manager, killing employees they encountered and hiding some of the bodies.
• Wang Han found the manager and took his keycard, then directed the others to meet at the coded door.
• The manager’s office held no car keys; a new objective required them to identify and hack a newly hired technician’s computer.
• The alarm blared as security guards and police responded, and Zhang Yi, Song Ren, and Wang Han were arrested five minutes later.

Zhang Yi, Wang Han, and Song Ren abandoned stealth after hacking the dealership computer and fought their way through the timed Car Dealership Heist. They escaped with three sports cars, stashed them at the dock, and celebrated their payout as Payday attracted more players.

• Zhang Yi and his crew took the bald manager’s key card, learned the new employee’s name, and hacked his computer to unlock the key room.
• After the access alarm sounded, Zhang Yi, Wang Han, and Song Ren fought the guards and reinforcements while Song Ren planted explosives outside.
• The three stole sports cars, drove through the blasted road into an underground tunnel, and escaped to the dock with seconds left.
• Zhang Yi, Wang Han, and Song Ren hid the cars in shipping containers, left in a Jeep, and celebrated their successful heist and million-plus payout.
• More players joined Payday, and crews formed across communities and livestreaming platforms to plan heists.

Players discussed how Payday combined the taboo appeal of robberies with realistic details and increasingly complex heists. As they advanced, they discovered that surviving tougher jobs required specialized builds, tactics, and map knowledge.

• Players praised Payday's criminal premise and realistic details, while sharing jokes and memes about the game on the Official Blog.
• The chapter explained that Payday received limited promotion and that its small early heists took time to reveal the game's deeper mechanics.
• Players used Skill Points to build specialized criminals and made choices about tactics, weapons, attachments, equipment, and heist conditions.
• Higher difficulties introduced dangerous enemies such as the Blademaster and electric-gun specialists, forcing players to coordinate skills, explore maps, and plan their escapes.

Players celebrated the announcement of World of Warcraft’s Wrath of the Lich King expansion and prepared to return to Azeroth to face Arthas. Meanwhile, Chen Xu focused on licensing dormant game IPs from major companies, which welcomed Nebula Games’ interest as a chance to revive them.

• Players grew excited after Nebula Games announced the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, which would bring Arthas and the Lich King into a raid.
• Returning World of Warcraft players recalled their past adventures in Azeroth and Outland as they prepared to take up their weapons again.
• Chen Xu reviewed the finalized plans for Wrath of the Lich King and focused instead on negotiating IP licenses with major game companies.
• Nebula Games approached companies whose well-known IPs had been shelved, and those companies welcomed the licensing offers as an opportunity to profit and revive their franchises.

Chen Xu revealed that Nebula Games’ new project would be a Fighting Game built around major licensed IPs. He explained how Super Smash Bros. had made the genre accessible to casual players while preserving depth, leaving the team to consider the project’s unusual direction.

• Nebula Games’ core team discussed the company’s recent IP licenses and speculated about a game combining major franchises.
• Chen Xu showed the team a proposal for an FTG, or Fighting Game, and confirmed that it was the new project.
• Chen Xu explained that Fighting Games were highly skill-based but difficult for newcomers to learn, which had contributed to the genre’s decline.
• Chen Xu described how Super Smash Bros. brought together casual accessibility, competitive depth, and gaming franchises in a way that transformed Fighting Games.