Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Zhi Wu explains the design of his Dreamscape Game, which trains people to resist pollution through gradual exposure. Players repeatedly encounter increasingly polluted words, building resistance over time.
• He created the game using the Typo System to bypass taboos against writing polluted language and purchased the necessary phrases on the black market, sacrificing his ancestral home, fields, and even participating in medical experiments.
• Zhi Wu reveals that his family was killed by an unknown sect testing polluted words. He recounts the horrific deaths of his father and younger brother, and his mother’s mental decline before her death. He still wears the unfinished sweater she knitted for him.
• His story deeply affects the group. Bu Tianque breaks down in guilt, repeatedly apologizing for their earlier defeat, while others are visibly moved.
• Chen Yu supports Zhi Wu’s goal and decides to help improve the Dreamscape. He assigns the group various tasks: contacting Mr. Yun, conducting a survey about Dreamscape Games, investigating local sects, warning the Inspectorate, and preparing for possible violence.
• Shao Lingyun returns with survey results gathered from local Demonic Path organizations. After compensating him for his work, Chen Yu examines the data and realizes that the situation in Righteous Qi Prefecture is worse than expected.

Character developments

• Zhi Wu shifts from a normally silent, withdrawn figure to an energetic and articulate designer when discussing his project. His personal history reveals deep trauma beneath his calm demeanor, but also his determination to protect others from suffering.
• Chen Yu becomes more committed to restoring Righteous Qi Prefecture and treats Zhi Wu’s work as valuable rather than inadequate. He takes practical leadership by organizing the group and preparing both reform efforts and retaliation.
• Bu Tianque is overwhelmed by remorse, suggesting she feels responsible for the group’s earlier failure and the suffering around them.
• Shao Lingyun demonstrates resourcefulness by gathering reliable information through Demonic Path networks, while Chen Yu’s insistence on paying him highlights their professional and somewhat comedic working relationship.
• The group as a whole becomes more united, emotionally affected by Zhi Wu’s story, and ready to take action.

Significant themes

• Trauma and resilience: Zhi Wu transforms personal tragedy into a system meant to help others survive pollution.
• The human cost of unchecked power: The sect’s experiment shows how innocent people can be treated as disposable test subjects.
• Responsibility and repair: The characters respond to suffering not only with sympathy but with plans to rebuild the region and protect its people.
• Memory and attachment: Zhi Wu’s unfinished sweater symbolizes his bond with his lost family and his refusal to let their memory disappear.
• Hope amid despair: Even a flawed Dreamscape can provide people with greater resistance and a chance to reclaim their homeland.

Character interactions

• Chen Yu questions Zhi Wu about the Dreamscape’s construction and the source of the polluted words, then offers encouragement and physical reassurance.
• Zhi Wu’s confession silences the group and prompts Bu Tianque’s emotional collapse.
• Chen Yu coordinates Wang Chuyun, Shao Lingyun, Deng Zixing, and Wang Jingting, assigning each a role in the coming campaign.
• Chen Yu and Shao Lingyun exchange humorous remarks about payment and “cursing” him through financial compensation, briefly easing the otherwise grim atmosphere.

Chapter Summary: “Classics Auto Chess”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu studies the conditions in Righteous Qi Prefecture, where bureaucracy, clan control, strange sects, Demon Confucian contamination, poverty, and poor infrastructure make promoting Dreamscape Games difficult.
• Unlike wealthier regions, residents prefer simple mahjong games, which provide immediate entertainment and even affect their daily meals. Dreamscape Games are viewed as complicated, unpleasant, or potentially connected to evil cults.
• Chen Yu identifies the major obstacles: difficult approval procedures, limited equipment distribution, low public acceptance, and the region’s extreme wealth gap.
• Wang Jingting leaves to apply for government benefits, joking that he will “kill some people,” while Chen Yu reassures Zhi Wu that he is determined to create a Dreamscape despite the difficulties.
• Inspired by mahjong, tile combinations, speed, and the idea of gradually accepting contamination, Chen Yu develops a concept. He rests on Wang Chuyun’s lap while thinking, benefiting from Bu Tianque’s influence and increased mental clarity.
• After an hour, Chen Yu announces that he has found the solution and later completes a playable demo in only half a day.
• Wang Chuyun and Bu Tianque test the demo. Chen Yu explains that players begin with two random tiles, buy more from a shop, and combine identical tiles to evolve them from one-star to three-star units.
• The prototype features attack and defense statistics, with more advanced skills and card packs planned for later versions.
• Bu Tianque recognizes the core mechanic as a form of mahjong matching. Chen Yu confirms this and names the game “Classics Auto Chess.”

Character Developments

• Chen Yu demonstrates adaptability and confidence. Although initially overwhelmed by the region’s many problems, he chooses to experiment rather than overthink and quickly transforms local preferences for mahjong into a new game concept.
• Wang Chuyun becomes increasingly affectionate and emotionally invested in Chen Yu. She enjoys supporting him, lets him use her lap while thinking, and secretly worries about whether she is revealing her feelings too obviously.
• Bu Tianque shows a noticeable emotional change after having cried the previous day. She expresses a desire to cherish the people around her because of their fragility, suggesting growing empathy and a more benevolent outlook.
• Wang Jingting remains evasive and humorously defensive when Chen Yu criticizes Righteous Qi Prefecture, escaping the conversation under the pretense of handling political matters.
• Zhi Wu is anxious that his circumstances have created trouble for Chen Yu, but Chen Yu reassures him that the project was already something he intended to pursue.

Significant Themes

• Adapting to local culture: Chen Yu realizes that success requires building on familiar entertainment rather than forcing people to accept complicated foreign concepts.
• Creativity through constraints: Poverty, bureaucracy, contamination, and low technological adoption initially appear to make the project impossible, but they inspire a simpler and more accessible design.
• Transformation and combination: The game’s merging mechanics echo the chapter’s broader idea of combining apparently unrelated elements—mahjong, strategy, speed, and contamination—into something new.
• Emotional growth and attachment: Bu Tianque’s changed attitude and Wang Chuyun’s growing affection highlight the importance of valuing relationships and protecting fragile lives.
• Prediction and confidence: Chen Yu trusts the future he has glimpsed, using that certainty to overcome doubt and continue developing the Dreamscape.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu teases Wang Jingting about Righteous Qi Prefecture’s lack of “culture,” prompting Jingting’s comic retreat.
• Chen Yu comforts Zhi Wu and tells him not to feel guilty about the project’s difficulties.
• Wang Chuyun supports Chen Yu physically and emotionally while he develops the idea, though she becomes embarrassed about her behavior afterward.
• Bu Tianque critiques Wang Chuyun’s awkward romantic performance but also reveals her own newfound tenderness toward others.
• During the demo test, Bu Tianque challenges Chen Yu’s simplistic design, while he insists that the gameplay must be tested before the visuals are judged. Their exchange establishes the game’s basic mahjong-inspired auto-battler mechanics.

Chapter Summary: “Interesting Gameplay”

Game mechanics introduced

Bu Tianque learns the rules of Classics Auto Chess while playing beside Wang Chuyun. Players match identical mahjong tiles, merge them into stronger units, and arrange them in rows before battles begin automatically. Front-line units fall first, allowing back-row tiles to advance. Victories and defeats both provide five coins, which can be spent on tiles, items, or shop refreshes. Players can also lock purchases for later. The goal is to win ten matches while suffering no more than five losses.

Increasing strategic depth

Beginner mode initially seems simple, but asynchronous battles against simulated players add unpredictability. Intermediate mode introduces tile skills and dramatically expands the strategy:

• Characters generate extra coins and specialize in economic growth.
• Dots perform powerful area attacks.
• Bamboo units can revive or reproduce after dying.
  Individual tiles also possess unique skills, while food items improve attributes and Trait items grant permanent abilities. Higher-star tiles become much more than stronger stat blocks because their skills improve significantly with each upgrade.

Characters’ reactions and development

Bu Tianque finds the basic mode only mildly interesting but becomes fascinated once skills and deeper strategy are introduced. She regrets being unable to affect reality directly so she could participate more fully. Wang Chuyun and Chi quickly become absorbed in the game, recognizing that it is easy to learn but difficult to master. Wang plays for five hours before reluctantly stopping, enthusiastically praising the game.

Strategic discussion

Wang and Bu Tianque analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each tile type. They conclude that characters dominate the economy, dots possess high offensive power, and bamboo offers strong revival potential but can be countered by characters. They also consider mixed compositions and the possibility of using characters early for income before switching to another strategy at key matches. They identify the third, fifth, and seventh rounds as important opportunities for changing tactics and acquiring high-level tiles.

Future game content

Chen Yu explains that advanced mode will introduce additional tile sets and a Confucian Classics mechanic. During battles, random corrupted quotations will activate, gradually corrupting players while increasing their resistance, tying the game’s supernatural setting more closely to its mechanics.

Character interactions

Wang works closely with Bu Tianque and Chen Yu, pulling Chen Yu into the discussion and physically refusing to let him leave because she wants to keep playing. Bu Tianque and Wang enthusiastically debate strategies while Chen Yu watches with satisfaction. After leaving them immersed in the game, Chen Yu gathers Shao Lingyun, Jiang Wen, Deng Zixing, Zhi Wu, and Wang Shanzhang in a secured room and begins preparing to read a contaminated forbidden book.

Major themes

The chapter emphasizes the appeal of accessible yet highly strategic games, the balance between randomness and planning, and the way entertainment can captivate even powerful supernatural beings. It also contrasts the playful experimentation of the auto chess game with the ominous return to forbidden-book research, signaling a shift from lighthearted amusement to dangerous supernatural activity.

Chapter Summary: “I Know Who to Ask for Help”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu has completed the beginner and intermediate modes of “Classics Auto Chess,” but the advanced mode remains unfinished because the team must first determine the contamination level of the Classics.
• Wang Shanzhang prepares the Reading Club with emergency medicines and Spirit Stone gifts, warning everyone that contamination can be invisible, delayed, or originate from earlier passages. He advises using defensive abilities such as a Dao Heart or Dao Fruit.
• Chen Yu opens a mysterious, cursed book purchased from the black market. The book is itself a Mystic Object and requires a surprising amount of his strength to open.
• The book immediately releases terrifying contamination. Chen Yu experiences the surrounding space compressing and flattening him into two dimensions, suffering an actual injury before managing to shut the book.
• He then realizes that his perception has been distorted. Wang Shanzhang appears to transform into words, and the world becomes a deceptive textual illusion. Chen Yu attacks the false image, escapes through a Void, and uses his Heavenly Demon Eye to expose the world’s true structure.
• After forcing his way back into the office, Chen Yu warns everyone to stop reading because the book is far more dangerous than expected.
• Wang Shanzhang and Zhi Wu inspect the book and conclude that Chen Yu’s intelligence and blessings from Wenchang Star Lord may be making him especially vulnerable.
• Chen Yu learns that people who understand contaminated text quickly may suffer contamination more rapidly, while those who understand less may be safer. Realizing he needs someone better suited to deal with the book, he says, “I know who to ask for help.”

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Demonstrates his physical strength, resilience, and powerful Heavenly Demon Eye, but also discovers that his intelligence is a liability against cognitively triggered contamination. He becomes more cautious and recognizes the need to seek specialized assistance rather than relying solely on brute force.
• Wang Shanzhang: Acts as the group’s safety supervisor, giving detailed warnings and preparing emergency remedies. He remains calm and analytical while investigating the book and identifying the relationship between comprehension and contamination.
• Zhi Wu and the Reading Club members: Serve as observers and participants in the investigation, though they are visibly shocked by Chen Yu’s experience and his sudden reappearance.

Significant Themes

• Knowledge as both power and danger: Chen Yu’s intelligence allows him to understand the contaminated text immediately, but that same understanding accelerates the contamination.
• The hidden danger of perception: The book does not merely attack physically; it alters reality, disguises falsehoods, and traps victims in textual and spatial illusions.
• Preparation versus underestimation: Despite Wang Shanzhang’s extensive precautions, the group realizes that the book’s threat is beyond ordinary expectations.
• Knowing when to seek help: Chen Yu’s final realization emphasizes that strength and cleverness are not always enough; survival may depend on finding the right specialist.

Character Interactions

• Wang Shanzhang teases Chen Yu about using a Dao Fruit but confirms that it can help resist contamination.
• After Chen Yu is affected, Wang Shanzhang repeatedly asks what is wrong, though the question initially comes from a false, contaminated version of him.
• Chen Yu attacks the false Wang Shanzhang, tests the real one, and confirms his identity when Wang blocks the punch with foxtail grass.
• Wang Shanzhang questions Chen Yu about his excellent examination results and Wenchang Star Lord’s blessings, leading them to conclude that high comprehension may increase susceptibility to contaminated writing.
• The chapter ends with Chen Yu deciding to contact someone more suitable to handle the dangerous book.

Chapter Summary: “Brother, I’m Here”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After the National College Entrance Examination, Xu Feng, Ma Daqiang, and Ye Wuxia visit a casino near Confucian Grove to relax.
• Despite entering with only five yuan, the trio repeatedly wins at dice, accumulating more than ten million yuan. Their success draws a crowd and terrifies the casino owner.
• The owner initially suspects cheating but changes her attitude after learning that Xu Feng is one of the Xu Family’s heirs. She agrees to transfer the winnings to an account designated by him, hoping to build a relationship with the powerful Xu Family.
• Xu Feng distributes some chips to Ma Daqiang and Ye Wuxia, then leaves after giving the casino owner his business card.
• Xu reflects that although the exam is over, his real struggle has begun. The Xu Family has been weakened after Qiu Bufan defeated their ancestor and imposed an unequal contract, while Xu Feng himself has been stripped of much of his capital.
• The trio discusses their future plans:
  • Xu Feng intends to attend Xuanyuan University to study business management.
  • Ma Daqiang is uncertain because his expected university connection has disappeared.
  • Ye Wuxia plans to attend vocational college despite his low score.
• Xu Feng worries that his remaining seventy million yuan is insufficient to rebuild his career and wonders how Chen Yu once rose from student to billionaire.
• Just as Xu Feng feels overwhelmed, Chen Yu appears and asks the three to help with a project, offering them high salaries. Xu Feng sees this as the opportunity he has been waiting for and eagerly accepts.

Character Developments

• Xu Feng: Becomes more anxious and determined. Though still outwardly treated as a wealthy heir, he knows the Xu Family is in crisis and that his own position is precarious. He demonstrates resourcefulness by using his reputation to obtain funds, while also showing humility and insecurity about building a business without Chen Yu’s support.
• Ma Daqiang: His extraordinary luck is emphasized, as he wins repeatedly at gambling. However, Xu Feng recognizes that gambling can damage Ma Daqiang’s luck, so he takes responsibility for absorbing the consequences.
• Ye Wuxia: Remains carefree, eccentric, and philosophically optimistic. He treats his low exam score and vocational-college prospects as advantages rather than failures, contrasting sharply with Xu Feng’s worries.
• Chen Yu: Appears at the crucial moment as a successful and confident figure, offering Xu Feng, Ma Daqiang, and Ye Wuxia work. His arrival renews Xu Feng’s hope.

Significant Themes

• The end of youth and the beginning of real struggle: Finishing the examination removes both restrictions and protection, forcing the characters to confront adulthood and competition.
• Luck versus responsibility: Ma Daqiang’s supernatural luck produces the gambling winnings, but Xu Feng accepts the backlash and manages the money, showing that fortune must be controlled responsibly.
• Status and influence: Xu Feng’s former identity as a Xu Family heir allows him to turn a dangerous financial situation into an opportunity, even though his actual power has diminished.
• Different definitions of success: Xu Feng values business achievement, while Ye Wuxia embraces a simple, carefree life. Their contrasting attitudes question whether wealth and ambition truly bring happiness.
• Friendship and opportunity: Chen Yu’s unexpected offer gives Xu Feng renewed confidence and reinforces the importance of trusted companions during crisis.

Character Interactions

• Xu Feng manages the gambling session while Ma Daqiang and Ye Wuxia participate, revealing their complementary abilities and close friendship.
• The casino owner shifts from suspicion and hostility to politeness once she learns Xu Feng’s identity, illustrating how social status governs relationships.
• Xu Feng and his friends discuss their futures, with Ye Wuxia teasing Xu Feng about his unhappiness and mistaken identity as “Chen Yu.”
• Chen Yu’s sudden appearance transforms Xu Feng’s despair into excitement. Xu Feng interprets the offer as proof that Chen Yu is a true friend and vows to demonstrate his abilities.

Chen Yu tested whether Ye Wuxia, the reincarnated avatar of a Star Lord, could resist corruption, discovering that Ye Wuxia remained unaffected because he could not understand the knowledge. Chen Yu then proposed a plan to gain more followers for the Foolish Star Lord.

• On the way to the printing plant, Ma Daqiang asked Chen Yu why Heaven-and-Earth True Person had stopped speaking to him, while Xu Feng took notes on Chen Yu's conversations.
• Chen Yu brought Ye Wuxia into the book-filled office and asked him to read The Analects, but the book slapped him as soon as he tried to open it.
• Ye Wuxia fought back and battered The Analects to pieces, then read its text aloud without understanding its meaning.
• Chen Yu and Wang Shanzhang realized that Ye Wuxia resisted corruption because he could read the words but lacked the understanding corruption fed on.
• Chen Yu called out to Ye Wuxia and asked whether he wanted the Foolish Star Lord to have more followers.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Wuxia reveals that believers can worship the Foolish Star Lord, exciting Chen Yu. However, Ye’s severe contamination infects Chen Yu with an illusion, prompting Chen Yu to order Ye to stay away until he is purified.
• In a meeting, Chen Yu summarizes what they know: most Confucian Sect Classics are contaminated, and intelligent people are especially vulnerable. He proposes using the Foolish Star Lord’s power to isolate and neutralize the contamination.
• Ye explains that worship requires no ceremony—only a verbal declaration. Mistakes and the regret they cause serve as nourishment for the Foolish Star Lord. Excessive nourishment grants luck but also makes believers increasingly foolish.
• Chen Yu realizes the Foolish Star Lord’s power could create a self-reinforcing cycle of stupidity, mistakes, luck, and further blessings. Despite its dangers, the deity can also ease emotional pain and offer help.
• Ye reveals that the Foolish Star Lord was originally used against the Void Star Lord and is valued by other Star Lords because it can separate pure Golden Core cultivation for them to consume. Chen Yu compares this relationship to fattening and exploiting livestock, recognizing the brutal power dynamics among the Star Lords.
• Chen Yu develops a plan for the Classics Auto Chess Dreamscape. Players will temporarily become believers of the Foolish Star Lord, allowing their frustration and regret to be converted into useful effects such as improved luck and better card draws.
• Instead of harvesting players’ negative emotions directly, Chen Yu plans to purify contamination and exploit the resentment of the unknown Star Lord responsible for releasing it. This will generate large amounts of Negative Emotions while protecting ordinary people.
• The project is formally launched. Chen Yu asks Ye Wuxia and Ma Daqiang to test the game, believing that if they can clear it, most players will manage it easily.
• The team discusses competing with mahjong rather than existing Dreamscapes, hoping to attract even younger players. Chen Yu promises full salaries and generous bonuses, convincing the initially skeptical Wang Shanzhang.
• After playing the game for five hours, Wang Shanzhang abandons his doubts and realizes the Dreamscape is already so addictive that it may not need promotion.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes increasingly strategic and morally pragmatic. He identifies both the dangers and benefits of the Foolish Star Lord and designs a resource cycle that protects players while exploiting contamination.
• Ye Wuxia functions as the source of crucial information about the Foolish Star Lord, though his contamination makes him dangerous to approach.
• Wang Shanzhang shifts from skepticism to admiration, moved by Chen Yu’s apparent selflessness and generous wages. Ironically, after testing the game, he becomes convinced of its appeal for a different reason: its addictive quality.
• The Foolish Star Lord is portrayed as both benevolent and dangerous. It can relieve suffering and grant luck, but its blessings encourage stupidity and create a potentially destructive cycle.
• The unknown Star Lord behind the contamination becomes Chen Yu’s intended target. Chen Yu plans to turn its resentment into a source of power.

Significant Themes

• Exploitation and power relationships: The Star Lords manipulate and consume one another, revealing that divine alliances are built on exploitation as much as cooperation.
• The danger of addictive systems: Foolishness, luck, mistakes, and rewards form a cycle that mirrors addictive game mechanics.
• Moral pragmatism: Chen Yu accepts sacrificing certain benefits and manipulating enemies if it protects ordinary people and strengthens the Dreamscape.
• Subjective guilt and emotion: Even imagined mistakes can nourish the Foolish Star Lord, emphasizing that emotional reality matters more than objective truth.
• Competition and cultural influence: Chen Yu wants the Dreamscape to replace or rival mahjong, especially among younger generations.
• Irony: Chen Yu presents the project as something beyond money, while its success ultimately depends on creating an irresistibly entertaining experience.

Character Interactions

• Ye Wuxia’s excitement causes Chen Yu to be pulled into an illusion through Ye’s contamination, leading Chen Yu to distance himself from him.
• Chen Yu questions Ye about worship, sacrifice, blessings, and the Foolish Star Lord’s history, using Ye’s answers to shape the Dreamscape’s design.
• Chen Yu assigns Ye and Ma Daqiang the demanding role of testing the game’s difficulty.
• Wang Shanzhang challenges Chen Yu’s confidence, financial planning, and ability to compete with mahjong. Chen Yu responds with reassurance, strategic thinking, and generous compensation.
• Wang Shanzhang and Zhi Wu are deeply impressed by Chen Yu’s supposed lack of concern for profit, though Wang’s private thoughts reveal that he is also willing to support the project through extreme measures.
• After experiencing the game firsthand, Wang Shanzhang’s skepticism disappears, replaced by recognition that the Dreamscape is exceptionally addictive.

Chapter Summary: “Your Tricks Never End”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wang Shanzhang continues testing Classics Auto Chess and is impressed by its Async Competitive Mode, which records each player’s battle state while randomly matching opponents with comparable win-loss records.
• The mode solves major problems associated with traditional mahjong in Righteous Qi Prefecture:
  • Players do not need to gather at the same time.
  • Random matchmaking prevents players from being scammed by dishonest professional substitutes.
  • The game avoids the overly restrictive, luck-based rules adopted by local mahjong parlors.
• Wang enjoys the game’s strategic depth, particularly the combinations among the Characters, Circles, and Bamboos factions. He praises Chen Yu as a genius, while Chen modestly credits those who came before him.
• Wang asks how Chen plans to incorporate the “pollution” into the game. Chen explains that players will earn points from playing cards and use them to buy:
  • Visual effects and character appearances.
  • Minor attack and defense improvements, capped at fifty points.
• Chen plans to anthropomorphize the cards, assign each faction a color, and base the characters on historical Grand Confucians who will recite lines from the Classics. Deliberately misreading the lines will reduce the pollution’s effects.
• Wang suggests genderbending the historical figures to make the characters more appealing. He demonstrates by drawing an extremely provocative swimsuit design.
• The two then enthusiastically brainstorm numerous costumes and character archetypes, including swimsuits, wedding dresses, yandere versions, gyaru designs, menswear, revealing gowns, and other fan-service-oriented outfits.
• Chen discovers that Wang secretly writes novels. Wang’s work, Enemies Can Never Become Dao Companions, is ranked seventh on a fiction website and reveals his strong preference for tomboy characters. Another Grand Confucian, Mr. Yun, writes a popular romance novel.
• The chapter ends with Chen realizing that Righteous Qi Prefecture may be even more eccentric than Longevity Prefecture.

Character Developments

• Wang Shanzhang becomes increasingly enthusiastic about Classics Auto Chess and demonstrates a strong understanding of both game design and popular character appeal.
• His public image as a dignified Grand Confucian contrasts sharply with his secret interests in erotic character design and romance fiction.
• Chen Yu proves himself to be an inventive game designer who understands how to combine simple systems into complex strategies. He is also pragmatic about monetization and the management of pollution.
• Chen’s respect for Wang shifts into amused disbelief after seeing Wang’s artwork and discovering his writing career.
• Wang and Chen develop a more relaxed, conspiratorial relationship, openly discussing ideas that would normally be considered scandalous.

Significant Themes

• Innovation through simplicity: Simple mechanics can produce deep strategic variety when combined thoughtfully.
• Accessibility and social change: Async competition modernizes mahjong by removing the need for physical gatherings and reducing opportunities for cheating.
• Commercialization and entertainment: Skins, character designs, and light stat boosts provide a way to integrate pollution while making the game more attractive to players.
• Tradition versus adaptation: Historical and Confucian figures are reimagined through modern, highly stylized designs, showing how old cultural elements can be repackaged for contemporary entertainment.
• Hypocrisy and hidden identities: Respectable elders and scholars secretly enjoy provocative art, fiction, and niche genres, challenging conventional expectations of morality and dignity.
• Absurdity and satire: The chapter humorously exaggerates the gap between Righteous Qi Prefecture’s scholarly reputation and its residents’ eccentric tastes.

Character Interactions

• Wang praises Chen’s talent, while Chen responds modestly and credits his predecessors.
• Wang questions Chen about the pollution system, leading to a collaborative discussion of cosmetics, historical figures, and gameplay bonuses.
• Wang shocks Chen by proposing genderbent versions of Grand Confucians and showing him a revealing swimsuit sketch.
• Chen jokingly tries to recruit Wang after retirement, even suggesting hiding him in a Shelter, though Wang finds the idea ominous.
• Their conversation evolves into an outrageous costume-design session before Chen discovers Wang’s secret identity as a novelist.
• Wang assures Chen that other Grand Confucians would approve of the genderbent designs, reinforcing the chapter’s portrayal of the prefecture’s unconventional culture.

Chapter Summary: “The Best Compliment”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu communicates with Lian Qu about the art requirements for his Dreamscape game. Lian Qu recognizes Wang Shanzhang’s distinctive art style and jokes with Chen Yu before rushing off to mock Heaven-and-Earth True Person for wanting to take Ma Daqiang as a disciple.
• Chen Yu delegates parts of the project:
  • Lian Qu handles the art direction.
  • Wang Shanzhang may assist with artwork.
  • Dao Lingyun works on the user agreement.
  • Ma Daqiang and others review the written material.
  • Chen Yu focuses on gameplay and polishing the beginner experience.
• Chen Yu identifies Ye Wuxia and Ma Daqiang as unpredictable but potentially valuable contributors to the project.
• Ye Wuxia tests the game and becomes confused by the fusion system, prompting Chen Yu to realize that his tutorial assumes too much knowledge from players unfamiliar with fusion-based Dreamscapes.
• Chen Yu revises the tutorial to explain fusion rules, special mechanics, and shop refreshes more clearly. He also adds discounted items and template-based card selection to reduce the amount of strategy and numerical analysis required from players.
• Through repeated testing with Ye Wuxia—and occasionally Ma Daqiang—Chen Yu refines the game for over ten hours.
• Ye Wuxia eventually plays smoothly, wins eight consecutive rounds, and develops a coherent lineup. Although he ultimately loses, he declares the game the best Dreamscape he has ever played.
• Encouraged by this praise, Chen Yu becomes confident that the game is ready for a full-scale launch.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Becomes more aware of the responsibility of game design. Instead of blaming player confusion, he recognizes shortcomings in his tutorial and adapts the game to suit inexperienced players. His confidence rises dramatically after Ye Wuxia’s praise.
• Ye Wuxia: Acts as an important test player. Though he struggles with technical concepts such as probability and fusion limits, he demonstrates that enjoyment does not require deep numerical understanding. His successful progress proves that Chen Yu’s revisions work.
• Lian Qu: Continues her teasing, lively relationship with Chen Yu and Heaven-and-Earth True Person. She is competent and willing to handle the art work but enjoys mocking her rival even more.
• Ma Daqiang: Remains an unpredictable project member and possible testing partner. Though he has less direct involvement in the chapter, Chen Yu relies on him to help evaluate uncertain design choices.
• Heaven-and-Earth True Person: Mentioned as wanting to recruit Ma Daqiang, a decision that Lian Qu finds absurd and entertaining.

Significant Themes

• User-centered creation: A creator must respond to player confusion rather than expect players to understand unclear systems.
• Accessibility versus complexity: Chen Yu simplifies the game’s mechanics through tutorials, templates, and guidance without removing its strategic possibilities.
• Different kinds of intelligence: Ye Wuxia’s lack of interest in probabilities does not prevent him from enjoying the game or making effective choices based on intuition.
• Teamwork and delegation: The project succeeds through the combined efforts of artists, writers, testers, and designers.
• Encouragement and recognition: Ye Wuxia’s simple compliment gives Chen Yu powerful validation and renews his ambition.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and Lian Qu exchange sarcastic messages about art, lewd imagery, their rivals, and Heaven-and-Earth True Person’s decision to recruit Ma Daqiang.
• Chen Yu and Ye Wuxia work closely in a testing-and-revision cycle: Ye Wuxia points out areas of confusion, while Chen Yu changes the game to improve the player experience.
• Chen Yu consults Ma Daqiang when uncertain about whether a gameplay adjustment is necessary.
• Lian Qu and Heaven-and-Earth True Person remain locked in a humorous rivalry, with Lian Qu eagerly seeking opportunities to tease her.

Chapter Summary: “You Have Problems Too”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Editor-in-Chief Lei informs Chen Yu that the publishing house’s applications to operate legally have repeatedly been rejected by officials in Righteous Qi Prefecture, who appear to be deliberately targeting them.
• Wang Shanzhang suggests killing the obstructive officials, but Chen Yu rejects this approach, recognizing that the deeper problem is systemic: power itself has become corrupted, so replacing officials would only produce more corrupt rulers.
• Editor Fu admits that he has begun wanting to solicit bribes from the Grand Confucians he deals with, illustrating how even relatively minor authority gradually causes people to adopt the corrupt behavior surrounding them.
• Chen Yu concludes that following official procedures is pointless and decides to publish illegally, taking advantage of legal loopholes.
• The publishing house plans to sell books for five yuan each, including disposable Dreamscape-compatible External Display Devices and cartons of eggs as promotional gifts. The stated purpose is book sales, but the real goal is to distribute and promote Dreamscape Games.
• Fifty thousand copies of the first book are printed: Mr. Yun’s romance novel After the National College Entrance Examination, Our Friendship Changed.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei contacts a secondary distributor, who is impressed that Chen Yu’s publishing house secured Mr. Yun’s work. The distributor becomes more respectful after learning that Chen Yu is the national entrance-examination top scorer.
• The distributor is skeptical of the plan to promote Dreamscape Games in Righteous Qi Prefecture, believing games cannot succeed there. Lei, however, begins to believe Chen Yu may actually make the scheme work.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes more pragmatic and willing to abandon conventional morality and legal procedure when institutions are fundamentally corrupt. He embraces an unconventional, quasi-illegal strategy to spread Dreamscape.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei shifts from a cautious professional into an enthusiastic participant in Chen Yu’s schemes. His loyalty is strengthened by his high salary, which makes him overlook the increasingly questionable legality of their actions.
• Editor Fu recognizes that power is changing him, but excuses his desire to take bribes by blaming the corrupt environment and the people who encourage bribery.
• Wang Shanzhang remains inclined toward violent solutions, though Chen Yu restrains him.
• The secondary distributor initially doubts Chen Yu’s business plan but becomes more respectful because of Chen Yu’s academic reputation and begins to suspect the young boss may be capable of succeeding.

Significant Themes

• Systemic corruption: The chapter argues that corruption is not limited to individual officials; the institution of power itself has become diseased.
• The corrupting influence of authority: Even decent or minor officials begin to imitate the greed and abuses of those above them.
• Pragmatism versus legality: Chen Yu decides that rigidly obeying rules is useless when the system is designed to block him, so he exploits legal ambiguity instead.
• Satire of bureaucracy and social status: Righteous Qi Prefecture’s absurd bureaucracy is contrasted with its deep respect for academic achievement, especially the prestige of a top examination scorer.
• Commercial promotion disguised as publishing: Books serve as a cover for distributing Dreamscape technology and games, blending business, entertainment, and subversive strategy.
• Moral compromise: Several characters rationalize questionable behavior by blaming the environment, suggesting that people often excuse their own corruption by claiming they were shaped by corrupt institutions.

Character Interactions

• Lei apologizes to Chen Yu for failing to obtain approval, prompting Chen Yu to diagnose the larger institutional problem.
• Wang Shanzhang’s violent response clashes with Chen Yu’s more strategic understanding of corruption.
• Editor Fu and Zhi Wu argue over whether corrupt officials are responsible for their own behavior or merely products of a rotten system. Their “latrine” metaphor highlights the disagreement between blaming individuals and blaming the environment.
• Chen Yu interrupts the argument and redirects everyone toward a practical solution.
• Lei and the secondary distributor discuss the new book, Chen Yu’s identity, and the promotional gifts. The distributor’s final remark—that Lei and Chen Yu “have problems too”—underscores how bizarre and audacious the publishing scheme appears.

Chapter Summary: “Your Weakness”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Editor-in-Chief Lei finalizes a publishing deal with a bookseller for a new book, negotiating details such as copyright, pricing, payment, print quantity, and the requirement that the included gifts be sold with the books rather than separately.
• The publishing house prints 50,000 copies, priced cheaply to expand distribution and establish a market. The books are transported and distributed throughout Righteous Qi Prefecture through bookstores, newsstands, and post offices.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei becomes anxious about the book’s prospects, since the publishing house has never printed a book before and has arranged little promotion. He hopes the sales will boost morale and support Young Master Chen’s broader plans.
• The chapter shifts to Little Chubby, a determined elementary-school student from a poor coal-mining town. He believes he is destined to save the world and overthrow the villainous Bu Tianque.
• Little Chubby is intensely competitive with his classmate Little Red, a physically imposing and extraordinarily intelligent girl who surpasses him in both fighting ability and academics.
• Desperate to surpass her, Little Chubby studies obsessively, sacrifices sleep, uses his family’s money to obtain educational resources, and secretly investigates Little Red’s daily habits.
• He discovers that Little Red visits a newsstand every day. Because she is poor and too proud to buy books, she earns fifteen minutes of reading time by helping the owner with chores.
• One day, Little Red spends her entire browsing period reading a newly arrived book, After the National College Entrance Examination, Our Friendship Changed, instead of scanning newspapers and reference materials as usual.
• Little Chubby notices her unusual interest and concludes that he has discovered her “weakness.”

Character Developments

• Editor-in-Chief Lei is shown to be experienced, cautious, and commercially shrewd. Although nervous about the publishing house’s first major venture, he protects its interests through careful contract negotiations.
• Little Chubby is revealed as ambitious, insecure, hardworking, and fiercely competitive. His grand dream of saving the world contrasts humorously with his immediate goal of defeating Little Red academically.
• Little Red appears physically powerful, academically gifted, disciplined, self-reliant, and proud. Despite her poverty, she refuses to ask for charity and finds a dignified way to access books and knowledge.
• The bookseller and publishing house demonstrate a practical willingness to take risks, using low prices, free gifts, and broad distribution to test and build the market.

Significant Themes

• Ambition versus reality: Little Chubby imagines himself as a future savior, yet remains unable to overcome a classmate in everyday competition.
• Hard work and talent: His extreme effort cannot close the gap with Little Red, emphasizing the tension between determination and natural ability.
• Poverty and dignity: Little Red’s inability to buy books does not diminish her desire for knowledge; she preserves her pride by working in exchange for reading time.
• Commercial risk and uncertainty: The publishing venture reflects the anxiety of launching an untested product and relying on distribution, pricing, and public interest.
• The discovery of weakness: Little Chubby believes Little Red’s interest in the new book offers him a strategic opportunity to finally defeat her.

Character Interactions

• Editor-in-Chief Lei and the bookseller engage in tense but professional bargaining, each guarding against being exploited.
• Little Chubby’s rivalry with Little Red drives his actions. He envies her strength and intelligence and secretly follows her routine to find a way to surpass her.
• Little Red interacts with the newsstand owner through an informal exchange: she performs chores in return for limited access to books.
• Her unexpected fascination with the newly published romance-style book catches Little Chubby’s attention and gives him hope that he has finally found an advantage over her.

Chapter Summary: “I’ve Been Corrupted”

Plot points and events

Little Chubby returns home to his wealthy coal-boss father’s mansion and is scolded for failing to behave like the spoiled heir his parents expect. His father criticizes him for not flaunting expensive possessions, bribing classmates, or using money to gain influence. He announces that Little Chubby will become class monitor, receive a large daily allowance, and be forced to spend it on classmates.
His parents are horrified when they discover his excellent score of 99 and his desire to study, believing academic ambition is shameful for a rich family. However, they become delighted when they find him reading the novel After the National College Entrance Examination, Our Friendship Changed, which they consider a “dirty book,” and encourage him to read fiction and play games instead of studying.
Little Chubby reads the entire novel, becomes deeply moved by its story and characters, and develops admiration for its author, Mr. Yun. He then begins the included game, Classics Auto Chess, intending to finish quickly so he can do his homework. Instead, he plays through the night and realizes that the game has completely absorbed him.

Character development

Little Chubby is portrayed as unusually diligent, principled, and academically motivated despite being raised in a wealthy, corrupt, and indulgent household. He dislikes using money to manipulate others and dreams of studying hard and becoming useful. His reading experience reveals a sensitivity to literature and romance, while the game exposes a new vulnerability: despite his determination, he can be irresistibly drawn into entertainment. By the end, he jokingly concludes that he has been “corrupted.”

Character interactions

His father constantly pressures him to embrace a life of wealth, laziness, and social manipulation, while his mother supports those expectations. Their discovery of his high score causes panic, whereas his interest in fiction and gaming earns their enthusiastic approval. Little Chubby’s internal resistance contrasts humorously with his parents’ misguided attempts to “educate” him into degeneracy.

Significant themes

The chapter satirizes wealthy parents who mistake indulgence and corruption for proper upbringing. It reverses conventional family expectations: instead of demanding academic success, Little Chubby’s parents fear he may become hardworking and respectable. The story also explores parental influence, class privilege, the conflict between personal ambition and family values, and the addictive power of literature and games.

Chapter Summary: “Games Need to Be Played”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Chubby is brought to a private hospital because he believes he has been “contaminated” after spending an entire day playing Dreamscape Game instead of doing his homework.
• The doctor finds no physical or mental abnormality beyond sleep deprivation and obesity. Little Chubby describes becoming unable to stop playing: he skipped homework, sleep, food, and hygiene despite knowing he was acting irresponsibly.
• His wealthy parents are pleased rather than concerned, interpreting his intense gaming and refusal to cooperate as signs that he is finally becoming more mature and socially engaged.
• The doctor assumes Little Chubby has simply become addicted to an unusually entertaining game and asks to inspect it.
• Little Chubby opens Classics Auto Chess, initially making the doctor think it is a simplistic, visually appealing game. However, the doctor soon recognizes its surprising strategic depth, polished presentation, attractive character designs, strong voice acting, and variety of tactics.
• As Little Chubby plays, the doctor becomes increasingly fascinated and eager to try the game himself. When Little Chubby refuses to give up his turn, the two begin arguing and physically tussling.
• Seeing their child interact so naturally with another person, Little Chubby’s parents become emotional and conclude that playing games has helped him grow.

Character Developments

• Little Chubby: Initially appears spoiled, insulting, and obsessively addicted to the game, but his behavior also reveals genuine strategic enthusiasm and a strong desire to share or defend his gaming experience. His willingness to argue and roughhouse with the doctor suggests improved social engagement.
• The Doctor: Begins cynical and financially motivated, secretly wishing Little Chubby had a serious illness so he could profit from treatment. He later shifts from professional skepticism to genuine fascination, becoming just as eager to play as the child.
• Little Chubby’s Parents: Their unusual approval of his gaming reflects their relief that he is finally showing stronger emotional and social reactions. They interpret his conflict with the doctor positively rather than as misbehavior.

Significant Themes

• Games as social and emotional development: The chapter humorously argues that games can help people mature, interact, and express themselves.
• Addiction and immersion: Little Chubby’s inability to stop playing shows both the dangers and pleasures of highly engaging entertainment.
• Appearances versus depth: Classics Auto Chess seems simple at first, but its strategic complexity quickly becomes apparent.
• Parental expectations and unconventional parenting: The parents see excessive gaming and fighting as positive milestones because their child has previously lacked normal social responses.
• Shared enthusiasm and human connection: The doctor’s transformation from observer to eager player demonstrates how games can create common ground between people.

Character Interactions

• Little Chubby repeatedly challenges and insults the doctor, while the doctor responds with restrained professionalism and sarcasm.
• The doctor questions Little Chubby about his symptoms and behavior, gradually realizing that the problem is not illness but overwhelming enjoyment of the game.
• While watching the game, the doctor begins offering strategic advice, criticizing Little Chubby’s reliance on summons and pointing out his tactical mistakes.
• Their disagreement over who gets to play escalates into playful roughhousing, which delights Little Chubby’s parents and convinces them that the game has brought about meaningful social progress.

Chapter Summary: “You Again?!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Little Chubby defeats the doctor in a real-life fight, boasting about his lifelong talent and determination to become academically successful. He insists he will stop falling behind and go to school to improve himself.
• His parents bring him to the doctor, worried about his obsession with studying and his contradictory desire to play Dreamscape Games. The doctor concludes that Little Chubby is healthy and may eventually develop a strong “Dao Heart.”
• The doctor explains that Little Chubby’s parents are followers of the Foolish Star Lord, whose wealthy followers often discourage their own children from studying while judging other children’s academic performance. The parents consider Little Chubby’s second-place ranking inadequate.
• The doctor advises them to understand their son by participating in the Dreamscape Game themselves. They reluctantly try it, but struggle to reach even the beginner level.
• After school, Little Chubby accompanies Little Red to the newsstand. When she discovers that the game magazine she likes is sold out, Little Chubby gives her his own copy.
• Little Red does not recognize him, despite their being classmates and academic rivals. Hurt and embarrassed, Little Chubby runs home crying.
• Seeing his parents playing the game, Little Chubby angrily declares that he will abandon Dreamscapes and focus entirely on studying so he can defeat Little Red academically.
• His resolve lasts only one day. When the second volume of the magazine arrives with new game content, he unconsciously buys it, installs the game, and plays for five hours.
• Horrified by his inability to resist the game, Little Chubby calls the doctor and claims he has been “contaminated.” The doctor responds with exasperated recognition: “You again?”

Character Developments

• Little Chubby: His pride, competitiveness, emotional sensitivity, and inner conflict are emphasized. He wants to be a serious scholar and defeat Little Red, but remains irresistibly drawn to gaming. His generous gesture toward Little Red reveals that he cares about her despite treating her as an archenemy.
• Little Red: She remains socially detached and forgetful, failing to recognize Little Chubby even though he considers her his greatest rival. She appreciates his kindness but cannot identify its source.
• Little Chubby’s Parents: They are initially anxious about his academic ambitions but are also hypocritical and overly concerned with rankings. After the doctor’s advice, they try playing the Dreamscape Game themselves, though they quickly become absorbed in it.
• The Doctor: He acts as the chapter’s rational voice, diagnosing the family’s real problem as misunderstanding rather than illness. Despite being physically defeated and repeatedly annoyed, he continues trying to guide them.

Significant Themes

• Parental expectations and misunderstanding: The parents mistake their son’s conflicting interests for a disorder instead of accepting his individuality.
• The absurdity of academic competition: Little Chubby treats second place as failure, highlighting the exaggerated pressure placed on students to be the best.
• Free will versus temptation: Little Chubby’s determination to study repeatedly collapses when confronted with the addictive appeal of the Dreamscape Game.
• Kindness and recognition: Little Chubby’s sincere but awkward gift goes unnoticed by Little Red, creating both comedy and emotional frustration.
• Hypocrisy and contradiction: The parents’ attitudes mirror Little Chubby’s own conflict: they condemn or discourage certain pursuits while becoming fascinated by them themselves.

Character Interactions

• Little Chubby physically overpowers and verbally mocks the doctor, while the doctor tries to counsel him and his parents.
• The doctor challenges the parents’ belief that their son’s second-place ranking indicates failure.
• Little Chubby attempts to help Little Red by giving her the magazine, but her failure to recognize him deeply humiliates him.
• At home, Little Chubby clashes emotionally with his parents over the Dreamscape Game, only to succumb to it himself the following day.
• The chapter ends by reestablishing the comedic doctor-patient dynamic, with Little Chubby returning in panic and the doctor responding with weary disbelief.

Chen Yu celebrated the publishing house’s rapid sales and the success of Classics Auto Chess, which was drawing players and generating negative emotions from an unknown calamity. His celebration was interrupted when Mr. Lu, an influential Future Cult officer, arrived and asked him to stop distributing the game.

• Chen Yu learned that both volumes of his first book had sold out, while Classics Auto Chess reached fifty thousand concurrent players and generated negative emotions from an unknown calamity.
• Chen Yu asked Wang Chuyun about volume three and discussed expanding the publishing house’s publications.
• The Chief Inspector of the Confucian Grove told Chen Yu that a representative of the Future Cult wished to see him, prompting Qiu Bufan and Wang Shanzhang to prepare for a fight.
• Mr. Lu entered Chen Yu’s office, introduced himself as an officer with authority in part of the Future Cult, and asked Chen Yu to stop distributing Classics Auto Chess.

Chapter Summary: “I Have to Release It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Mr. Lu, a representative of the Future Cult, arrives at the publishing house and urges Chen Yu to stop releasing Classics Auto Chess.
• Wang Shanzhang reacts threateningly, but Mr. Lu insists that he has no hostile intentions and offers to be searched.
• Mr. Lu carries a paper bearing the words [Open and Candid], written by the Evil God Bu Tianque. Once unfolded, the paper forces everyone nearby to speak truthfully, though they may remain silent.
• Chen Yu confirms through Bu Tianque that the paper is genuine and recognizes that its contamination is unusually restrained, functioning almost like a supernatural law.
• Mr. Lu explains that the Future Cult is divided into multiple factions. He belongs to the Stabilization Faction, which monitors danger ratings and intervenes when regions approach a critical threshold.
• He reveals that the danger rating of Heaven Origin and surrounding regions has repeatedly declined whenever Chen Yu became involved, while the release and sales of Classics Auto Chess have caused the rating to rise rapidly.
• The danger rating has already crossed the Yellow Line and is approaching the more dangerous Red Line, beyond which a major disaster is expected.
• Mr. Lu explains that the Great Qian World is already unstable due to inequality, knowledge monopolies, Outer God invasions, Star Lord conflicts, and recurring calamities. Chen Yu’s actions are unusual because they have repeatedly helped stabilize Heaven Origin.
• The Future Cult had previously considered eliminating Qiu Tianyu because his activities consistently increased regional danger, but he unexpectedly became a Star Lord instead.
• Mr. Lu reveals that some members of the Future Cult even worship Chen Yu, viewing him as a possible contingency or future divine figure.
• When Chen Yu asks what will happen if the Red Line is crossed, Mr. Lu says the danger appears connected to money, with bankruptcy being the most likely result.
• Rather than being deterred, Chen Yu concludes that he must release the Dreamscape Game immediately.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes more aware of the broader consequences of his game releases. Although he is uneasy about being monitored and worshipped, he remains practical and focused on his financial goals.
• His suspicion toward Mr. Lu decreases after the truth-enforcing paper confirms that Mr. Lu is speaking honestly.
• Chen Yu’s accidental role as a stabilizing force in the world becomes clearer. His influence extends far beyond publishing and gaming, even though he does not fully understand why.
• Mr. Lu is established as a calm, informed, and pragmatic member of the Future Cult. He is not acting out of personal loyalty to Chen Yu, but because he wants to preserve regional stability.
• Bu Tianque is shown to possess extraordinary control over contamination, able to compress it into a contained rule-like power. Her smug reaction to Chen Yu’s thoughts reinforces their antagonistic, mocking relationship.
• Wang Shanzhang remains protective and quick to threaten anyone who appears dangerous, though Chen Yu restrains him.
• Zhi Wu demonstrates his specialized resistance to contamination by safely searching Mr. Lu and handling the supernatural paper.

Significant Themes

• Truth and manipulation: The [Open and Candid] paper creates an atmosphere in which deception is impossible, allowing the characters to discuss dangerous matters with unusual certainty.
• Stability versus progress: Mr. Lu views Chen Yu’s game as a destabilizing force because it raises danger ratings, while Chen Yu sees its release as necessary—especially once he learns the crisis may result in bankruptcy.
• Unintended influence: Chen Yu has repeatedly improved regional stability without intending to become a political or divine figure.
• The danger of economic systems: Money is presented as a supernatural or societal force capable of pushing the world across a catastrophic threshold.
• Fate, worship, and unintended divinity: Chen Yu’s growing reputation within the Future Cult hints that he may become an object of worship despite strongly rejecting the idea.
• Contamination as power: The chapter contrasts uncontrolled, aggressive contamination within Classics with Bu Tianque’s refined ability to shape contamination into laws and effects.

Character Interactions

• Wang Shanzhang threatens Mr. Lu, but Chen Yu intervenes and questions him instead.
• Mr. Lu cooperates with Zhi Wu’s search, using the truth paper to prove his sincerity.
• Chen Yu mentally consults Bu Tianque and Wang Chuyun about the paper, leading to humorous exchanges and revealing Bu Tianque’s teasing personality.
• Chen Yu and Mr. Lu engage in a direct discussion about the Future Cult, regional danger ratings, and Chen Yu’s unexpected stabilizing influence.
• Mr. Lu attempts to persuade Chen Yu to stop releasing the game, but his explanation has the opposite effect: learning that the Red Line may mean bankruptcy convinces Chen Yu that release is even more urgent.

Chapter Summary: “Plans for the Future”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu decides to deliberately pursue bankruptcy in Righteous Qi Prefecture, despite Mr. Lu warning that the region is corrupt, dangerous, and controlled by officials who may target Classics Auto Chess.
• Mr. Lu explains that Chen Yu’s success and influence make him a tempting target for the local bureaucracy. Although serious injuries are possible, he has seen no likelihood of anyone dying.
• Since bankruptcy would allow Chen Yu to use mana to cover his companies’ expenses and wages at an unfavorable exchange rate, Chen Yu views the plan as a rare opportunity to secure a vast reserve of Positive Emotion and strengthen his future position.
• Chen Yu warns his companions that the operation will be dangerous and offers them ten months’ wages and transportation to Longevity Prefecture if they choose to leave.
• Nearly everyone chooses to stay, motivated by loyalty, personal convictions, financial needs, or a desire to improve the polluted and corrupt Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• Wang Shanzhang is deeply moved by their willingness to help and vows to protect them unless he dies.
• Mr. Lu advises Chen Yu not to release Classics Auto Chess and to shut down or minimize his publishing activities. Chen Yu deliberately misinterprets this as encouragement to publish illegal magazines and accelerate his bankruptcy.
• Mr. Lu gives Chen Yu a contact number for emergency assistance before departing.
• Afterward, Wang Chuyun confirms that she will remain beside Chen Yu, even if it means dying with him. The two leave together to begin their preparations, provoking Bu Tianque’s jealous annoyance.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu becomes even more determined and reckless. Rather than being discouraged by the dangers, he embraces the possibility of bankruptcy and sees it as an opportunity to secure his organization’s future.
• Mr. Lu acts as a cautious adviser, recognizing Chen Yu’s talent but worrying that his youth and optimism have led him to underestimate the power and cruelty of Righteous Qi Prefecture’s bureaucracy.
• Wang Shanzhang shifts from skepticism and concern to emotional commitment. He is touched by the group’s courage and takes personal responsibility for their safety.
• The supporting group demonstrates strong loyalty:
  • Editor-in-Chief Lei stays to support his grandson and contribute to a moral cause.
  • Zhi Wu remains because of his desire to help people resist pollution.
  • Shao Lingyun is inspired by the righteousness of the plan.
  • Jiang Wen stays because Righteous Qi Prefecture is his homeland.
  • Deng Zixing treats participation as an unavoidable duty.
  • Editor Fu agrees in exchange for a sufficiently large bonus.
• Wang Chuyun openly affirms her loyalty and emotional closeness to Chen Yu, declaring that she will stay without needing to be asked.
• Bu Tianque becomes comically jealous when Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun display their closeness.

Significant Themes

• Idealism versus corruption: The group chooses to confront a rotten system rather than retreat, even though success may be unlikely.
• Sacrifice and collective responsibility: Each member accepts personal risk for the chance to improve Righteous Qi Prefecture and help people suffering from pollution.
• Defiance and reckless ambition: Chen Yu turns a warning about collapse into a strategy, reflecting his unusual willingness to exploit danger for long-term gain.
• Unexpected righteousness: Wang Shanzhang reflects that even deeply corrupted places can produce people willing to act selflessly when circumstances become desperate.
• Loyalty and solidarity: The group’s decision to remain together emphasizes that their strength comes not only from Chen Yu’s plans but also from their shared commitment.
• Romantic affection and comic relief: Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun’s understated but obvious bond contrasts with Bu Tianque’s irritated jealousy.

Important Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and Mr. Lu: Mr. Lu repeatedly warns Chen Yu to be cautious, but Chen Yu twists the advice into justification for more extreme action. Their exchange highlights Chen Yu’s unconventional thinking and Mr. Lu’s exasperation.
• Chen Yu and the group: Chen Yu gives everyone a genuine chance to leave, showing that beneath his recklessness he cares about their safety. Their unanimous or near-unanimous decision to stay strengthens their bond.
• Wang Shanzhang and the group: Moved by their courage, Wang Shanzhang promises to protect them personally.
• Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun: Wang Chuyun assures him that she will not abandon him, and they leave hand in hand to begin the dangerous plan.
• Bu Tianque and the couple: Bu Tianque complains that Chen Yu and Wang Chuyun are flaunting their affection, providing the chapter’s closing comedic moment.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Yu records Mr. Lu’s warnings: continuing Classics Auto Chess may lead to bankruptcy, while converting his publishing business into a magazine would make bankruptcy happen even faster.
• Rather than being discouraged, Chen Yu interprets this as guidance from the vanished “Future Star Lord” and decides to deliberately pursue the plan.
• He intends to expand Classics Auto Chess dramatically and publish a magazine filled with game guides, essays, and unconventional ideas designed to influence the people of Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• Chen Yu begins planning a Story Mode for the game. Players will become ordinary people transported to Mahjong World and experience randomized roguelike adventures, events, rewards, and outfit-drawing systems.
• The Story Mode will feature feminized versions of famous Grand Confucians, each with distinct personalities and historical-inspired traits.
• Because developing Story Mode will occupy most of his time, Chen Yu delegates management of the publishing house to Editor-in-Chief Lei.
• He grants Lei and the other editors a 30% salary increase, promises overtime pay and meal reimbursement, and tells Lei to contact him only when necessary.
• Chen Yu casually reveals that bankruptcy could cost him approximately eighteen to twenty billion, horrifying Lei, who had assumed the losses would be only a few million.
• Lei concludes that the publishing house is now involved in a project attracting enormous attention and possible danger. He tells Editor Fu to remain at the office and begins arranging the difficult process of magazine publication.
• Since Chen Yu plans to publish illegally, they will bypass ordinary magazine registration requirements and instead rely on booksellers’ cooperation and increased profits.
• Lei realizes that the greatest practical challenge is recruiting enough writers to fill an eighty-page magazine while maintaining backup contributors. He begins reviewing a list of Grand Confucians for potential writers.

Character Developments

• Chen Yu: Becomes even more committed to his bizarre “bankruptcy plan.” He treats financial ruin as a form of liberation and enthusiastically expands both the game and magazine projects. His confidence and eccentricity are emphasized by his casual attitude toward losing tens of billions.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei: Changes from a cautious subordinate into a deeply alarmed project manager. Learning the possible scale of Chen Yu’s losses makes him realize the immense stakes and potential dangers surrounding the publishing house. Despite his fear, he accepts responsibility and starts organizing the magazine.
• Editor Fu: Remains practical and relatively unaware of the true situation. His casual estimate of Chen Yu’s losses highlights how completely he misunderstands the scale of the project.
• Zhi Wu: Has been transferred from the publishing team to the game team, leaving Lei and Fu to manage the magazine operation.

Significant Themes

• Irony and misunderstanding: Chen Yu believes he is following advice toward bankruptcy, while others see his actions as a massive and potentially influential business venture.
• Freedom through failure: Chen Yu views bankruptcy not as a disaster but as a way to escape wealth and regain independence.
• The danger of wealth and influence: Lei’s fear reflects the risks of handling a project worth tens of billions in a society where powerful groups may compete to exploit it.
• Creative ambition versus practical limitations: Chen Yu imagines elaborate game systems and characters, while Lei must deal with staffing, publication schedules, contributors, and logistics.
• Subversive ideas disguised as entertainment: The game and magazine are intended not only to entertain but also to spread unusual or “heretical” concepts throughout Righteous Qi Prefecture.

Character Interactions

• Chen Yu and Editor-in-Chief Lei discuss the magazine transition, Chen Yu’s upcoming game update, and Lei’s new responsibilities.
• Chen Yu reassures Lei with generous salary increases and benefits, unintentionally deepening Lei’s anxiety by revealing the enormous potential bankruptcy loss.
• Lei and Editor Fu discuss Chen Yu’s supposed bankruptcy. Fu gives a wildly underestimated figure, while Lei keeps the truth to himself.
• Lei orders Fu to remain at the publishing house, framing the workplace as a place that must be guarded because of the project’s enormous value.
• Lei begins reassessing the Grand Confucian list to recruit enough writers for the magazine.

Chapter Summary: “We Never Played It”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At Heaven Origin Office and Heaven Origin Press, Editor Fu meets with several senior Grand Confucians who have arrived immediately after Editor-in-Chief Lei announced plans for a new magazine.
• The magazine is intended to be published biweekly, with its first issue due within three days. Editor Fu asks the Grand Confucians to contribute manuscripts.
• Initially hesitant because of the rushed schedule and concerns about being associated with Chen Yu’s ambitious plans, the Grand Confucians reconsider when Editor Fu reveals generous payment terms:
  • Two thousand per thousand words, with no upper limit.
  • High-quality illustrations count as written content.
  • Additional publishing and piracy-related compensation after reaching one hundred thousand words.
  • Overseas distribution, publicity, readings, adaptations, reviews, and promotion through Chen Yu’s hugely popular video platform.
• The financial incentives overwhelm the Confucians’ concerns. They leave determined to write as much as possible and finally prove their worth while securing money for themselves and their descendants.
• Their enthusiasm collapses when they read the actual submission requirements. The magazine focuses on Dreamscape Game guides, game discussions, game-related fiction, jokes, and the “Irreverent Research Institute.”
• Since the elderly scholars have never played games and do not understand gaming culture, they are baffled by the assignments. The chapter ends with their collective frustration: “We never played it!”

Character Developments

• Editor Fu demonstrates strong negotiation skills and a practical, businesslike personality. She anticipates the Confucians’ fears, reassures them that they may withdraw, then decisively wins them over with increasingly attractive financial and promotional benefits.
• Editor-in-Chief Lei is established as the driving force behind the new magazine, though she does not appear directly. Her sudden announcement creates the rushed situation.
• Chen Yu is portrayed as extraordinarily ambitious and willing to spend heavily on his projects. His goal is not immediate profit but the creation of an influential gaming magazine, even if it causes him to lose money.
• The Grand Confucians shift from suspicion and self-preservation to enthusiasm and greed-driven determination. However, their confidence is undermined when they discover that their traditional scholarly knowledge is nearly useless for the gaming-focused publication.
• Editor Fu’s internal thoughts about marriage, age, and her career add a humorous contrast to the serious business discussion, revealing her anxiety about feeling old despite being only twenty-four.

Significant Themes

• Money as motivation: The Confucians’ moral and political hesitation disappears once they learn how much they can earn.
• Generational and cultural misunderstanding: Traditional scholars are completely disconnected from gaming culture, creating a sharp contrast between their expertise and the magazine’s subject matter.
• Innovation versus tradition: Chen Yu’s modern, game-centered media project challenges the established literary and scholarly system.
• Calculated persuasion: Editor Fu uses both financial incentives and promises of fame to manipulate uncertainty into cooperation.
• Ambition and risk: Chen Yu is prepared to invest without concern for profit, suggesting that the magazine is part of a much larger plan.
• Humor through incompetence: The elderly Grand Confucians are eager to work but lack even the basic experience needed to write about games, producing the chapter’s central comic tension.

Character Interactions

• Editor Fu formally questions the Grand Confucians and uses small gestures, such as awarding a little red flower, to create a mockingly bureaucratic atmosphere.
• The Confucians nervously discuss manuscript length, illustrations, and possible commercial content, revealing their uncertainty about the new project.
• Editor Fu counters every concern with increasingly lucrative terms, turning their fear of political association into excitement over money and prestige.
• After the meeting, the Confucians enthusiastically examine the guidelines together, only to realize that they cannot contribute meaningfully because they have never played Dreamscape Game or understood its culture.

Chapter Summary: “Waiting”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of elderly Grand Confucians misunderstand what “Dreamscape Games” are, jokingly assuming they involve naked people fighting.
• A Grand Confucian introduces them to Classics Auto Chess, a game provided by Editor Fu. They initially expect something profound but soon discover that its mechanics resemble mahjong.
• The scholars become absorbed in the game, analyzing probabilities, luck, tile selection, and the influence of the Foolish Star Lord. They quickly master its strategic elements.
• Word spreads, and more than thirty Grand Confucians gather by the roadside to play and discuss the game.
• An Inspectorate officer rudely orders them home, highlighting the lack of respect and compassion toward the elderly in their society.
• On their way home, the scholars enthusiastically plan articles about the game, including strategy guides, character analyses, economic discussions, and fictional stories.
• One scholar calls his granddaughter, revealing that he raised her after her parents were killed by the Bu Tianque cult. Despite his poverty and illness, he reassures her that he is eating well.
• Rather than eat, the scholars choose to write. They spend the cold night laboriously typing articles on their phones and send them to Editor Fu at dawn.
• The chapter ends with them waiting for a response, physically exhausted but emotionally energized.

Character Developments

• The Grand Confucians move from confusion and suspicion about Dreamscape Games to genuine enthusiasm and intellectual engagement.
• Their scholarly abilities remain sharp despite the loss of their Dao Method Seeds, poor health, poverty, and social marginalization.
• Playing the game temporarily restores their sense of youth, purpose, and community.
• One Grand Confucian’s phone call reveals his deep affection for his granddaughter and the personal tragedy behind his current circumstances.
• Their decision to write through the freezing night demonstrates perseverance, dignity, and a desire to contribute despite their declining bodies.

Significant Themes

• Renewal through play: The game gives the elderly scholars vitality and makes them feel young again.
• The value of knowledge: Even after losing their status and powers, the Grand Confucians retain insight and analytical skill.
• Social decay and neglect: The rude Inspectorate officer and the scholars’ poverty reflect the broader collapse of Righteous Qi Prefecture.
• Generational relationships: The granddaughter’s concern contrasts with society’s general disregard for the elderly.
• Hope amid suffering: Their writing represents a final effort to create something meaningful, even as they struggle against illness, cold, and exhaustion.
• Community and shared purpose: The game unites isolated scholars and inspires them to collaborate creatively.

Character Interactions

• The Grand Confucians jokingly correct one another’s misconceptions about games and enthusiastically debate strategy.
• Their discussions blend gaming theory with Confucian analysis, probability, luck, and religion.
• The Inspectorate officer treats them harshly, while the scholars respond meekly because of their weakened condition.
• The scholars encourage one another’s writing plans and share ideas for articles.
• One scholar’s tender conversation with his granddaughter reveals a strong family bond and prompts the others to show concern, though he quickly redirects the group toward food and writing.
• Ultimately, they choose to work together through the night, supporting one another as they wait for Editor Fu’s response.