Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Falan’s Care for Hill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill reads further about his mother, Melanie, and discovers that she was not the innocent, helpless woman he had imagined. After being seriously injured, Melanie withdrew from the princesses’ faction, remained in the manor during her final days, and left Adrian to manage the aftermath.
• Count Perast considered exploiting Melanie’s assets, but Adrian’s presence intimidated him into abandoning the idea. Melanie’s valuable possessions were largely overlooked because the count did not understand magical storage items or the true nature of an alchemist’s wealth.
• During her illness, Melanie began spending more time with Hill. Recognizing his talent, she taught him seriously and demanded much from him despite being bedridden. These lessons formed most of Hill’s positive feelings toward her.
• Melanie’s laboratory was destroyed in an explosion, and Adrian later rebuilt one for Hill. Lina also concealed or removed evidence that might have revealed Melanie’s true nature.
• Hill realizes that his idealized image of Melanie was largely created by his own assumptions. He believed she was kind and had merely been mistreated, when in reality she was a capable schemer who had simply fulfilled her basic responsibilities toward him.
• Falan visits Hill after noticing his distress. He confirms that he always knew Melanie was not innocent and explains that Perast and the princesses had schemed against one another because Melanie was dangerous in her own right.
• Falan deliberately kept the truth from Hill, fearing that his gentle, nature-aligned personality might cause him to reject society entirely or become isolated if he learned too soon.
• Hill accepts that Melanie did not truly wrong him, though he remains embarrassed that others may now view him as naïve. He worries that the book’s portrayal of him as an “innocent little fool” will damage his image as a powerful Legendary mage.
• Falan assures him that Melanie’s actions did not violate noble or magical conventions and that the scandal will mainly damage House Perast’s reputation. He then leaves to complete his Semi-Divine Artifact.

Character Developments

• Hill: Comes to terms with Melanie’s morally ambiguous nature and recognizes that his own idealization blinded him. Although embarrassed by his naïveté, he shows emotional maturity by distinguishing between Melanie’s character and the way she treated him. He also understands how important Falan’s protection and affection have been in preventing him from becoming isolated.
• Melanie: Is revealed as neither a pure victim nor a wholly loving mother. She was manipulative and politically involved, but she still taught Hill sincerely, cared about his magical development, and did not neglect his basic needs.
• Falan: Demonstrates deep, protective love for Hill. His decision to conceal the truth was motivated by concern for Hill’s emotional stability and fear of losing him to the Wilds or to complete isolation.
• Adrian: Though mostly discussed rather than shown, he is established as a powerful and reliable protector who deterred Perast and helped preserve Melanie’s and Hill’s interests.
• Lina: Is portrayed as fiercely loyal to Melanie and willing to defend her, criticize Perast, confront the Kral family’s servants, and hide damaging evidence from Hill.

Significant Themes

• Idealization versus reality: Hill’s belief in Melanie’s innocence came less from evidence than from his own assumptions and desire to interpret her favorably.
• Family and unconventional love: Hill does not require unconditional maternal affection, while Falan’s quiet protection becomes the more genuine familial bond in his life.
• Protection through concealment: Falan’s secrecy is presented as an act of care rather than betrayal, showing that withholding truth can sometimes be intended to preserve someone’s growth.
• Nature, morality, and personality: Hill’s connection to nature has made him increasingly aligned with the Good Alignment, but Falan fears that excessive idealism could make him vulnerable or drive him away from the world.
• Reputation and political morality: Melanie’s behavior is shown to be common within noble society, where actions are judged less by morality than by whether they break established rules or become public.
• Self-awareness and maturity: Hill’s embarrassment gradually gives way to a more balanced understanding of his past and of the people around him.

Important Character Interactions

• Hill and Melanie: Their relationship was based more on instruction, gratitude, and mutual practicality than on deep mother-son intimacy. Melanie taught him seriously, while Hill responded by trying to meet her expectations.
• Hill and Falan: Falan reassures Hill after his disillusionment, explains why he concealed the truth, and openly admits that he did not want to lose his grandson. Hill responds with warmth and affectionate amusement.
• Falan and the Perast family: Falan’s authority and status were enough to deter Count Perast from exploiting Melanie’s property. He also views the count as consistently foolish in his political and marital choices.
• Lina and the Kral family’s servants: Lina frequently clashes with those assigned to care for Manton and openly condemns Perast’s behavior, contrasting with Melanie’s more restrained silence.

Chapter Summary: “Hill Almost Got Set Up Again”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Falan leaves, Hill learns that Liszt and Adrian already knew about Madam Melanie’s history but deliberately kept it from him. Liszt explains that revealing the information would only have encouraged people to investigate further.
• Hill realizes that the biography being written about him may have uncovered—or nearly uncovered—a much more dangerous secret: Melanie may have given Count Perast a permanent sterilization drug.
• Hill pieces together the evidence:
  • The count had no illegitimate children while Melanie was alive.
  • The countess and count appeared married publicly but lived separately.
  • The count’s lack of additional children continued even when Melanie was pregnant.
• Hill concludes that Melanie’s actions, though morally questionable, had not violated noble expectations as long as they remained secret. The real scandal was that she may have prevented the continuation of a noble bloodline.
• He reflects on Melanie’s possible motives and recognizes that, despite everything, she may have developed genuine maternal affection for him. This realization brings Hill unexpected happiness and emotional relief.
• Hill considers the widespread success of his biography. Because the Knowledge Church can reproduce and distribute it rapidly, his name and reputation will soon spread across the human world and possibly to the Elves and Dwarves.
• He realizes that the book’s portrayal of him as exceptionally pure and “Nature’s Favored” could generate enormous positive feedback, potentially enough to help him become a god.
• However, Hill rejects the possibility of allowing the World Will or outside forces to push him directly into godhood. He reaffirms his desire to leave his territory, experience the wider world, and decide his own future.
• Hill rereads the biography to check for vulnerabilities, especially regarding his interactions with the Undead.
• He is horrified by the Undead’s ability to identify him from a photograph showing almost nothing but a hood, chin, and hands. The biography also deduces that he continues secretly visiting Undead markets because his cooking puppets keep pace with the arrival of new Undead goods.
• The chapter ends with Hill hoping the Undead never discover how he currently disguises himself, while Nasilia sleeps after deciding that the stored chapters are sufficient.

Character Developments

• Hill: Moves from embarrassment and suspicion to deeper understanding of his mother and emotional acceptance of his past. He acknowledges his suppressed desire for maternal love and feels genuinely happy at the possibility that Melanie loved him. He also becomes more determined to control his own destiny rather than accept forced apotheosis.
• Liszt: Demonstrates practical loyalty and emotional judgment by withholding information he believes would only distress Hill or encourage further investigation.
• The Tower Spirit: Is portrayed as highly rational and objective, sometimes understanding Hill’s emotions and instincts better than Hill himself.
• Melanie: Though absent, becomes more complex in Hill’s thoughts. Her actions may have been manipulative or scandalous, but Hill now interprets them partly as an expression of maternal love and protection.
• The Undead: Continue to act as relentless investigators and observers, gathering information about Hill through seemingly insignificant clues and publicizing it for entertainment and speculation.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus secrecy: The chapter explores how hidden actions can remain socially acceptable until exposed, especially in a society governed by noble reputation and bloodline traditions.
• Maternal love and emotional inheritance: Hill confronts feelings inherited from the other half of his soul and finally allows himself to recognize his longing for his mother’s affection.
• Control over one’s destiny: Hill refuses to become a god merely because circumstances, the World Will, or accumulated faith make it possible. He values freedom and experience over power.
• Reputation and unintended fame: The biography may make Hill famous worldwide, even among people who misunderstand or mock him. Public perception becomes a source of power regardless of its accuracy.
• Social hypocrisy and noble bloodlines: Noble society tolerates affairs and illegitimate children, but views anything threatening hereditary succession as far more serious.
• The Undead’s omnipresent curiosity: Their documentation, photography, and speculation make secrecy increasingly difficult, even for someone as cautious and powerful as Hill.

Important Character Interactions

• Hill and Liszt: Hill confronts Liszt about hiding Melanie’s history. Liszt defends the decision as a protective measure, arguing that suppression would have made the Undead investigate more intensely.
• Hill and the Tower Spirit: Hill recognizes that the Tower Spirit’s detached reasoning may have influenced Liszt’s decision and briefly dismisses him while considering the implications.
• Hill and Melanie’s memory: Though they do not interact directly, Hill mentally revisits Melanie’s life and reinterprets her behavior as possibly motivated by love for him.
• Hill and the Undead: The biography creates an indirect confrontation. The Undead have tracked his habits, identified him despite his disguises, and publicly speculated about his movements, leaving Hill impressed and alarmed by their investigative abilities.

Chapter Summary: “The Popular Ring-Running Quest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill remains secluded in his Mage Tower, focusing on studying Wind Law magic while the Undead gather outside his territory.
• The Undead become obsessed with obtaining Hill’s colorful, magical rabbits. A spectacular rabbit parade in the royal capital makes them fashionable, causing demand to far exceed supply.
• Xue Yunfeng Alliance struggles to accommodate newcomers, while older members receive priority access to Hill’s valley and its rabbits.
• Liszt’s upgraded Sray Shop becomes the starting point for the 200-ring quest. Undead players must travel across different locations to collect materials, and many merchants quickly develop a wholesale and retail trade network around the quest.
• To prevent players from completing the quest too easily through purchasing materials, Hill instructs Liszt to include location-specific or time-sensitive objectives every few rings.
• Players who complete enough rings gain increased access to Sray Shop, while completion of the full quest is required to obtain a rabbit.
• Long-term Undead residents of Hill’s territory are offered a special version of the quest. Completing it grants them direct access to the valley without queuing, recognizing their loyalty and good behavior.
• Hill’s settlement continues to grow, with more than thirty Undead households and fifteen native residents. The female Knights and merchant families choose to remain, though the merchants begin planning for their children’s education at the King’s Academy.
• The Ring-Running Quest becomes financially self-sustaining: player-submitted materials are converted into alchemical goods and sold through Sray Shop, covering the quest rewards.
• Hill continues preparing a Wind Law Magic Book for William, hoping it will help undermine the Mage Association’s plan to monopolize magical education.
• The chapter ends with a humorous aside about William’s strict academy rules and the sleeping Silly Cat.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Hill remains detached from the rabbit craze and focuses on magic, but he demonstrates fairness by rewarding loyal permanent residents with special valley access.
• Liszt manages the practical operation of the Ring-Running Quest and Sray Shop, effectively organizing a growing economic system.
• The Undead players shift from adventurers into merchants, traders, and organized factions. Their obsession with rabbits reveals how strongly fashion and scarcity influence their behavior.
• Xue Yunfeng Alliance attempts to regulate membership and preserve opportunities for its established members.
• The permanent Undead residents show loyalty to Hill by remaining in his territory and respecting its rules rather than rushing to claim rabbits.
• The female Knights and merchant families choose stability in Hill’s town over leaving, suggesting that they have grown comfortable and trusting of the community.
• William is portrayed as an unusually practical ruler. His academy’s contracts protect students from exploitation and ensure that it can eventually become financially self-sufficient.
• Adrian reacts with amused disbelief to William’s detailed rules, comparing them favorably to the God of Contracts.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and fashion: The rabbits become valuable not only because of their nature but because they become fashionable and difficult to obtain.
• Fairness and earned privilege: Hill distinguishes between loyal residents and newcomers, granting benefits according to service and trust rather than treating everyone identically.
• Player-driven economics: The quest unintentionally creates markets, supply chains, merchants, and commercial specialization among the Undead.
• Rules and loopholes: The Undead are portrayed as constantly searching for ways around established systems, forcing Liszt and Hill to design quests carefully.
• Education and institutional reform: William’s academy challenges the Mage Association’s elitism by making magical training accessible while using strict contracts to prevent abuse.
• Community and belonging: Hill’s territory gradually develops into a small settlement where both Undead and native residents choose to stay, despite having opportunities to leave.
• Hill’s opposition to the Mage Association: Completing the Wind Law Magic Book becomes personally meaningful to Hill because it may help William’s academy defeat the Association’s attempt to control magical knowledge.

Chapter Summary: The Semi-Divine Artifact About to Be Born

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill reflects on William and the limitations of even powerful gods in understanding ordinary people’s struggles. He believes William’s experiences have given him a deeper sense of justice and fairness.
• After completing an Advanced Magus-level Wind Law spell, Hill creates several sets of cyan Magic Books containing his research. He sends one set to Falan, hoping it may help with Falan’s own understanding of Wind Law and the creation of his Semi-Divine Artifact.
• Hill deliberately sends Old Cat on the delivery mission through a Ring-Running Quest. He knows Old Cat dislikes being slower than his friends and takes amusement in imagining his frustration.
• Liszt informs Hill that Falan has summoned him urgently, suggesting that the Semi-Divine Artifact is nearing completion. Hill immediately flies to Falan’s Mage Tower using his exceptional mastery of Wind Law.
• At the top of the tower, Hill sees Falan’s enormous spherical artifact, which has been under construction since Falan was a Magus. Falan activates a highly complex magic array, transforming the sphere into a crystal-ball-like object known as the possible Myriad Laws Orb.
• The artifact rapidly fills with different elemental and magical properties. Hill and Adrian attempt to observe the process, but Falan’s speed and the complexity of his work quickly overwhelm them.
• Hill ultimately focuses on memorizing the artifact’s intricate magic array, recognizing that such Legendary-level formations cannot simply be copied without genuine understanding of the laws and runes involved.

Character Developments

• Hill demonstrates both growing magical power and continued emotional insight. His Wind Law mastery now allows him to fly faster than anyone else on the continent, and he is capable of observing advanced Legendary-level alchemical work.
• Hill’s playful, mischievous side appears when he intentionally sends Old Cat on an inconvenient quest simply to enjoy watching his reaction.
• Old Cat remains obedient and loyal to Hill, though he is predictably irritated by being forced to travel slowly while his friends complete quests ahead of him.
• Falan is revealed as an exceptionally dedicated and powerful Alchemical Mage. His years of preparation, immense spiritual power, and mastery of spell combinations allow him to activate the artifact with astonishing precision.
• Adrian shows practical flexibility by secretly using a Teleportation Array despite the mage community’s traditional resistance to divine spatial magic. He also becomes anxious when he cannot keep up with Falan’s spellcasting.
• William remains absent from the immediate events but continues to influence Hill’s thinking, particularly regarding justice, sacrifice, and trust.

Significant Themes

• Justice and lived experience: The chapter contrasts the detached understanding of gods with the practical suffering experienced by ordinary people, emphasizing why Hill respects William.
• Trust and loyalty: Hill cooperates with William because he trusts his character, while Old Cat’s willingness to follow Hill’s orders reflects the loyalty within their group.
• Knowledge versus imitation: Advanced magic cannot be mastered by merely copying diagrams. True comprehension of laws and magical principles is necessary to reproduce Legendary-level formations.
• Tradition versus practicality: Adrian’s use of Teleportation Arrays illustrates how mages publicly resist divine magic while privately relying on it when circumstances demand.
• Dedication and creation: Falan’s artifact represents years of persistence, research, and refinement, highlighting the enormous effort required to create something approaching divine power.
• Humor and competitiveness: Hill’s teasing of Old Cat and the closing joke about missing votes provide comic relief amid the serious magical breakthrough.

Character Interactions

• Hill’s memories of William establish mutual respect and explain why Hill supports William’s actions.
• Hill sends magical materials to Falan as both a practical contribution and a gesture of cooperation.
• Hill manipulates Liszt into assigning Old Cat a Ring-Running Quest, creating a humorous conflict between Hill’s amusement and Old Cat’s annoyance.
• Diamont receives Hill at the Mage Tower and directs him to Falan’s laboratory.
• Hill and Adrian discuss Teleportation Arrays, the Mage Association, and the mages’ uneasy relationship with divine spatial magic.
• Hill and Adrian observe Falan’s artifact together, though both struggle to follow Falan’s rapid spellcasting.
• Falan silently begins the artifact’s activation once everyone important has arrived, while Hill studies the process and preserves the magic array in his memory.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill, already an Artifact Alchemy Grandmaster, observes Falan completing the complex refinement of a crystal ball into a Semi-Divine Artifact.
• As the artifact is completed, Falan must subdue it in a battle within his Mental Sea. The artifact’s power attracts attention from Gods, Demigods, and Legendary figures.
• William warns the hostile powers that the area is protected by the Space-Time Pantheon. While most Gods and Demigods withdraw, several Legendary figures remain nearby, hoping to seize the artifact before Falan fully controls it.
• Hill summons four Legendary Elemental Lords and creates powerful tornadoes to defend Falan’s Mage Tower. When a Legendary Swordsman attempts to break through, Hill defeats him with a sword enhanced by Thunderous Wrath.
• The remaining Legendary observers retreat once Falan nears success. After fully subduing the artifact, Falan demonstrates its overwhelming power by firing thousands of spells at a distant mountain, annihilating the entire area and killing several attackers.
• Back inside the Mage Tower, Falan announces that commissioning a Semi-Divine Artifact will cost five times the materials, with only one finished artifact produced.
• Falan and Adrian discuss who may seek the artifact first, likely Valencia of the Sorcerer Tower, who can communicate with Demigod Magical Beasts through spiritual magic.
• Falan confronts Adrian about abandoning artifact alchemy. Adrian admits that he finds it boring and prefers pursuing potion-related laws. Though concerned about Adrian’s path toward Legendary status, Falan agrees not to force him, provided Adrian can still understand Legendary blueprints.

Character Developments

• Hill demonstrates his extraordinary combat strength and defensive abilities. His mastery of elemental forces, spiritual power, and weapon-enhancing spells allows him to protect Falan against multiple Legendary threats.
• Falan successfully creates and controls a Semi-Divine Artifact containing all fundamental laws. His cold response to potential customers and his effortless destruction of a mountain emphasize his immense power and confidence.
• Adrian openly chooses to reject artifact alchemy despite Falan’s expectations. He intends to find his own path to the Legendary realm through potion alchemy and related laws.
• Falan and Adrian’s relationship becomes more candid: Falan respects Adrian’s independence but warns that abandoning artifact alchemy may weaken his future prospects.

Significant Themes

• Power and deterrence: The Semi-Divine Artifact is so powerful that even Gods and Demigods hesitate to challenge the Space-Time Pantheon for it.
• Individual choice versus expectation: Adrian refuses to follow the path Falan wants for him, choosing personal interest over the safer or more prestigious route.
• Mastery and specialization: The chapter contrasts Hill’s broad mastery of combat and artifact-related abilities with Adrian’s desire to specialize in potion alchemy.
• The cost of power: The artifact requires years of rare materials and enormous wealth, making it accessible to very few people.
• Friendship and communication: Valencia’s relationship with Magical Beasts highlights the difference between possessing a natural bond and merely convincing others that one is harmless.

Important Character Interactions

• Hill and Adrian: They quietly observe Falan’s refinement, with Hill sympathizing when Adrian loses track of the complicated rune sequence.
• Hill and the Legendary attackers: Hill decisively defeats a Legendary Swordsman and helps deter the remaining intruders.
• Hill and Falan: Hill protects Falan during the artifact’s most vulnerable moment, and Falan acknowledges his contribution afterward.
• Falan and Adrian: Their conversation centers on Adrian’s future. Falan expresses concern, while Adrian firmly asserts his independence. Falan ultimately accepts his decision but sets a condition that Adrian must still understand Legendary blueprints.
• Falan and potential customers: Falan responds coldly to congratulations and establishes an extremely high price for future Semi-Divine Artifacts.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Falan explains the nature of his newly completed Myriad Laws Orb, a Semi-Divine Artifact based on spatial laws. Each facet contains a miniature spell space capable of storing limitless elemental energy.
• The Orb can release enormous numbers of spells in rapid succession and could eventually unleash Demigod-level power if allowed to accumulate enough energy.
• Hill and Adrian admire the artifact but recognize that only someone as proficient in multiple laws as Falan can use it effectively.
• Hill gives Adrian two sets of newly created Wind Law Magic Books, asking him to keep one and deliver the other to the king for use at King’s Academy. This demonstrates Hill’s desire to spread magical knowledge and reassures Adrian that he does not resent him.
• Falan teaches Hill and Adrian the structure of a powerful Charging Formation, explaining that only certain nodes must remain unchanged while other law runes can be adapted.
• Hill leaves before Adrian must memorize the extremely complicated crafting process for the Myriad Laws Orb, realizing that the calculations will be exceptionally difficult.
• The chapter explains why Falan dared to create the artifact despite the danger of attracting divine or Demigod-level enemies: William has promised to intercept anyone who tries to seize it.
• Hill reflects that the Mage Association has suffered another major defeat by angering Falan, an Alchemy Grandmaster capable of creating genuine Semi-Divine Artifacts.
• Meanwhile, William receives a visit from Valencia, the master of a Sorcerer Tower. She directly signs an alliance contract with him, showing that more Legendary Sorcerers are beginning to trust Salar.
• The growing appeal of Salar’s policies—especially permission for Sorcerers to establish independent branch-based cities—causes Fire and Water Sorcerers who once distrusted William to reconsider an alliance.

Character Developments

• Falan is shown to be even more formidable and politically confident. With William’s protection and Adrian’s connection to Salar, he feels less need to conceal his abilities or restrain himself against the Mage Association.
• Hill demonstrates generosity and political maturity by sending his magic books through Adrian instead of bypassing him. He also understands the strategic value of the Charging Formation and considers adapting it for the Elemental Lords’ homes.
• Adrian remains envious of Hill and Falan’s abilities but accepts his responsibility to learn the Myriad Laws Orb’s complex manufacturing process. He appreciates Hill’s lack of resentment over Adrian’s earlier political choice.
• William continues strengthening his alliance network and successfully attracts powerful Sorcerers through practical policies rather than relying solely on divine authority.
• Valencia emerges as an influential and independent Legendary Sorcerer who is willing to formally align with William, signaling a major shift in the balance of power.
• The Mage Association is increasingly isolated after alienating both Falan and many independent Sorcerers.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: The Myriad Laws Orb represents immense destructive potential, but its use depends on extraordinary knowledge and control.
• Knowledge as a legacy: Hill’s decision to distribute new spells reflects the importance of preserving and spreading magical learning rather than keeping it exclusive.
• Trust and reconciliation: Hill’s gesture toward Adrian repairs tension between them and shows that political disagreements need not destroy personal bonds.
• Political realignment: Salar’s willingness to accommodate different Sorcerer branches gradually undermines the Mage Association’s influence.
• Innovation versus tradition: Falan’s artifact marks a new level of magical craftsmanship, one that differs fundamentally from artifacts created by Gods or Demigods.
• Security through alliances: Falan’s willingness to act depends heavily on William’s promise of protection, highlighting how individual power must be supported by political alliances.

Character Interactions

• Falan and Hill: Falan explains the Orb and the Charging Formation, while Hill listens carefully and recognizes both the artifact’s value and its limitations.
• Hill and Adrian: Hill gives Adrian the magic books through him, reassuring Adrian that he bears no grudge. Adrian responds warmly and briefly resumes his familiar gesture of rubbing Hill’s head.
• Falan and Adrian: Falan forces Adrian to study the Orb’s crafting method, creating an amusing contrast between Falan’s extraordinary ability and Adrian’s difficult apprenticeship.
• Falan and William: Though William is not present in their conversation, his promise to protect Falan’s artifact enables Falan to act more boldly.
• William and Valencia: Valencia’s direct alliance with William reflects growing confidence in Salar and strengthens William’s political position.
• Sorcerers and Salar: Fire and Water Sorcerers gradually shift from suspicion to acceptance after seeing Salar’s willingness to provide them autonomy, security, and suitable places to settle.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Valencia, Master of the Dillant Sorcerer Tower, visits William after all Legendary Sorcerers approve a permanent alliance between the Sorcerer Tower and Salar. William carefully reviews and signs the contract after having it examined by the God of Space-Time and the God of Contracts.
• During afternoon tea, Valencia explains why the Sorcerer Tower abandoned its alliance with the Mage Association and joined Salar’s Space-Time faction:
  • The Demon Warlock branch, despite its Chaos-aligned bloodlines, fears complete demonization and rejection by the Noble Temple.
  • Because William’s Supreme God was once a Demon Warlock, these Sorcerers trust that the Space-Time Pantheon will not discriminate against them.
  • William promises to ask his Supreme God how the Demon Warlocks can be treated, satisfying Valencia.
• Valencia describes the Mage Association’s betrayal. It had known that the Elves and Dwarves were foreign races connected only loosely to the world’s laws, but concealed this information from the Sorcerer Tower.
• The Tower’s former master, Meg, became furious over the deception and handed the leadership to Valencia. Prince Dillant’s death may have been connected to the Dwarves, and Meg may have wanted the Tower to eventually seek revenge.
• A powerful Semi-Divine Artifact appears in the west, apparently connected to Archmage Falan. William warns watching Gods and Demigods not to interfere.
• Bolanio arrives to protect Falan, summoning all four Elemental Lords and unleashing powerful wind, lightning, and hurricane magic. William and Valencia recognize his extraordinary strength.
• Valencia reveals that the Sorcerers see Bolanio as proof that Sorcerers can independently develop laws and create magic. They suspect the Mage Association is suppressing him because it fears a Sorcerer capable of surpassing traditional limitations.
• William confronts Valencia about Alexis, the Water Law Legendary who has been researching one of Hill’s spells while dismissing Hill’s assistance. Valencia admits Alexis is motivated by his obsession with becoming the Water God, though she acknowledges that his behavior was disgraceful.
• William concludes that Hill has deliberately avoided confronting Alexis, likely because he knows Alexis has little chance of becoming the Water God through the spell. He also reflects on Adrian’s decision not to break completely with the Mage Association.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates caution, diplomacy, and political strength. He welcomes Valencia warmly, supports the Demon Warlocks, protects Falan, and shows clear personal concern for Hill’s safety and dignity.
• Valencia emerges as a politically capable but fiercely protective leader. She is willing to form a new alliance to secure the Sorcerers’ independence and defend Bolanio’s future. Her displeasure with Alexis reveals that Hill is especially important to her faction.
• Hill/Bolanio is portrayed as the Sorcerers’ “hope of the future.” His ability to create original magic and complete laws independently challenges the idea that Sorcerers are merely dependent offshoots of Mages.
• Meg is revealed to have been deeply angered by the Mage Association’s concealment of the truth and may have transferred leadership to Valencia partly to prepare for retaliation against the Dwarves.
• Alexis is characterized as talented but arrogant, shortsighted, and driven by desperation to become a God. His treatment of Hill damages his standing with Valencia and William.
• Adrian appears cautious and constrained by his noble background and concern for inheritance. William feels he suppresses his identity as a Mage too much by refusing to fully sever ties with the Mage Association.

Significant Themes

• Alliance and betrayal: The Sorcerer Tower’s break with the Mage Association is driven less by ideology than by the realization that it was treated as a dependent rather than an equal ally.
• Identity and prejudice: Demon Warlocks seek acceptance despite their bloodlines, while the chapter emphasizes that Sorcerers are not a separate species but a different kind of Mage.
• Independence versus dependence: The Sorcerers want political and intellectual independence from the Mage Association, especially after seeing Hill prove that they can create their own paths.
• Hope and innovation: Hill’s originality represents a possible future in which Sorcerers develop laws and magic without relying on traditional Mage institutions.
• Personal ambition versus collective interest: Alexis’s pursuit of godhood contrasts with Valencia’s effort to protect the entire Sorcerer Tower and Hill’s long-term potential.
• The burden of history and revenge: Meg’s anger over Prince Dillant’s death and the Dwarves’ secrets shows how concealed knowledge can create lasting resentment and political conflict.

Character Interactions

• William and Valencia engage in a cordial but strategic conversation: she seeks protection and recognition for the Sorcerers, while he evaluates her motives and offers measured support.
• William reassures Valencia that he will advocate for the Demon Warlocks, strengthening trust between Salar and the Sorcerer Tower.
• Valencia explains the Mage Association’s betrayal, and William reframes it as the Association treating the Sorcerers as dependents rather than subordinates.
• William and Valencia observe and praise Bolanio’s defense of Falan, though Valencia notices William’s unusual concern for him.
• William directly challenges Valencia over Alexis’s behavior. She reluctantly defends Alexis’s motives but clearly does not approve of his actions.
• William’s internal judgments contrast Hill’s patience with Alexis’s arrogance, reinforcing William’s belief that Hill is both powerful and unusually self-controlled.

Chapter Summary: William’s Ever-Changing Face

Key Plot Points and Events

• A newly completed Semi-Divine Artifact appears in the west and immediately kills three Legendary beings, demonstrating its overwhelming power even before reaching its full potential.
• William observes the event through Hill’s church and reflects on Falan’s extraordinary alchemical abilities, believing that Falan might have become the Mage God had he pursued broader magical studies.
• Valencia discusses the political importance of Semi-Divine Artifacts and argues that the Mage Association is deeply influenced by the Dwarves and Elves, especially Lawbound Legendary beings seeking to escape the world.
• William rejects the idea that the Space-Time Pantheon should compete with other divine factions for prominence. He states that its goal is simply to ensure the world survives, not to become the brightest or largest power.
• William exposes Valencia’s attempt to manipulate him against the Mage Association. He bluntly points out that she has already sensed the Silver Moon Goddess’s awakening and criticizes her for pretending ignorance.
• Valencia realizes that William’s sudden change from playful banter to cold impatience was deliberate: he was warning her not to place the Mage Association openly in opposition to Salar.
• She apologizes and clarifies that she was trying to preserve the Sorcerer Tower’s independence. William agrees not to interfere in the rivalry between the Sorcerer Tower and Mage Association.
• The newly formed elemental power draws Elemental Sprites and the Elemental Lord’s attention. Merkel warns Magical Beasts and other creatures not to absorb too much of the concentrated elemental energy, which could destroy their bodies.
• Hill considers creating a massive array containing every type of Element Law but realizes that he lacks several rare materials, particularly high-level materials associated with Water, Wood, Metal, and other special Laws.
• The Undead continue supplying Hill with materials through Sray’s official shop, while the Ring-Running Quest and teleportation network have helped create a flourishing merchant economy.
• Hill concludes that the time for the coming conflict may be approaching. The Space-Time River is visibly preparing for war, while the Elven and Dwarven Pantheons remain inactive and apparently overconfident.
• Hill suspects that several apparently minor or neutral gods—including the Knowledge God and Goddess of Agriculture—are secretly far more important than the Elves and Dwarves realize. Their divine forms contain imagery of the sun, moon, earth, and stars, suggesting hidden ties to larger preparations.
• Hill reflects on the mysterious origins of these gods and suspects that the Sun Elves and Earth Elves may still exist in transformed or concealed forms.
• The chapter ends with Hill visiting the small Moon Tree within the Oak. He worries that the Silver Moon may abandon the Moon Elves if their descendants remain weak and endangered after the coming Elven war.

Character Developments

• William demonstrates his political sharpness and emotional flexibility. He shifts from friendly humor to ruthless intimidation in an instant, using sarcasm to expose Valencia’s motives and reinforce Salar’s neutrality.
• Valencia recognizes that she underestimated William’s ability to dissect every word and hidden intention. Though irritated by his insults, she becomes more cautious and reaffirms the need to maintain an alliance with the Space-Time Pantheon.
• Falan is presented as an extraordinary mage and alchemist whose mastery of many Laws may rival or exceed that of the Mage God.
• Hill continues developing his understanding of elemental Laws and preparing for the coming war. He also shows concern for the fate of the Moon Elves and remains curious about the concealed identities of several gods.
• Merkel acts responsibly by warning Magical Beasts about the dangers of excessive elemental absorption.
• The Silver Moon Goddess becomes increasingly significant, both as a newly awakened power and as a potential protector—or abandoner—of the Moon Elves.

Significant Themes

• Political manipulation and distrust: Valencia’s attempt to sow discord reveals the fragile alliances among Salar, the Mage Association, and the Sorcerer Tower.
• Power versus cooperation: William refuses to pursue supremacy, emphasizing survival and the endurance of the world over divine prestige.
• Hidden strength: Several gods and factions appear weaker or less active than they truly are, suggesting that the coming war will reveal unexpected powers.
• Arrogance and miscalculation: The Elven and Dwarven Pantheons may underestimate humanity because of its smaller number of visible gods.
• The cost of power: Concentrated elemental energy can empower Elemental Sprites but destroy flesh-and-blood beings, showing that great power is dangerous when absorbed improperly.
• Identity and transformation: The chapter repeatedly questions the true origins and forms of gods, elves, and other beings, emphasizing that appearances can conceal profound changes.
• Loyalty and survival: Valencia seeks to preserve the Sorcerer Tower, while Hill worries about whether the Moon Elves are strong enough to retain divine protection.

Important Character Interactions

• William and Valencia: Their conversation moves from discussion of the Semi-Divine Artifact and factional politics to sharp personal criticism. William exposes Valencia’s manipulation, forcing her to apologize and clarify her position.
• William and the Mage Association: Though he remains formally neutral, William makes clear that Salar will not tolerate attempts to turn the Mage Association into an enemy.
• Hill and the Elemental beings: The appearance of the elemental power attracts Elemental Sprites and the Elemental Lord, while Hill studies how to make use of it through array construction.
• Merkel and the Magical Beasts: Merkel protects the beasts by warning them against absorbing dangerous concentrations of elemental energy.
• Hill and the Moon Tree: Hill’s visit shows his emotional concern for the Moon Elves and his uncertainty about whether the Silver Moon Goddess will continue supporting them.

Chapter Summary: Prelude to the Battle of the Elves

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Undead are preparing intensely for an approaching war. Casual players led by Old Cat are producing handicrafts, while Black Rose and other veteran players are stockpiling alchemical supplies and equipment.
• The Undead have adopted a relentless “ten-shift” work system, collapsing from exhaustion before returning to work when alarms sound. This alarms Martha, who fears the alchemical machinery will break down.
• Liszt reassures Martha that the equipment is durable enough to last tens of thousands of years. He and Hill also discuss Martha’s personality, which was modeled after Hill’s exaggerated fictional interpretation of the real Martha rather than her actual “iron-willed” character.
• Liszt reports that the Undead’s expedition will begin in one week. They will spend another week traveling to the border between the Dwarf Kingdom and the Elven Forest, where they will summon additional Undead and establish a Teleportation Array.
• Five giant ships built by Adrian will transport the army, each supposedly carrying one million Undead. Their enormous capacity is made possible by spatial expansion.
• William formally declares war on the Elves and Dwarves through a broadcast across Salar. He frames the conflict as humanity and the world’s other inhabitants resisting centuries of domination by the two invading races.
• William announces that he will lead the Undead army to attack the Elven Forest and Dwarf Kingdom in three days.
• Shortly afterward, William sends Spencer to Hill with a request: Hill must escort a Salar delegation to Wolf King Valley so that the Wolf Clan can formally sign an alliance with Salar and the Space-Time Pantheon.
• The Silver Moon Wolf God has agreed to a temporary offensive and defensive alliance, though he refuses to leave Wolf King Valley. Hill accepts the task and prepares to transport Spencer and the accompanying Knights.

Character Developments

• Hill: Becomes increasingly involved in the coming war despite being unable to directly attack the Elves and Dwarves as a Nature Sorcerer. He remains embarrassed and uncomfortable about Martha’s personality, since it was based on exaggerated fanfiction traits rather than the real person. He also continues acting as a mediator between William, the Wolf Clan, and other factions.
• Liszt: Functions as Hill’s intelligence officer and administrator, carefully tracking the Undead’s movements, supplies, and war preparations. He is also revealed to have created Martha’s personality from Hill’s fictional preferences, unintentionally producing an overly cute and careless version of her.
• Martha: Demonstrates concern and responsibility toward the Lord’s Manor and its equipment, though her anxious, flustered behavior contrasts sharply with Hill’s idealized image of the original Martha. The Undead enjoy interacting with her because of her adorable personality.
• William: Publicly adopts the role of revolutionary war leader. His declaration presents the coming invasion as a liberation campaign for humanity and the world itself. He also works diplomatically behind the scenes by securing the Wolf Clan’s alliance.
• Spencer: Acts as William’s trusted envoy and intermediary. He is eager for Hill to complete the Wolf King Valley mission, partly because he has many other duties and apparently volunteered—or was selected—for the task.
• Silver Moon Wolf God: Though reluctant to become involved, agrees to cooperate because of Silver Moon’s decree. His alliance gives Salar and the Space-Time Pantheon important military support.
• Adrian: Continues contributing to the war effort through his giant ships and his difficult training under Falan to refine the Myriad Laws Orb.

Significant Themes

• War mobilization and industrialization: The Undead’s nonstop labor, mass production, and immense transportation capacity show how their game-like nature transforms warfare into an industrial-scale campaign.
• Liberation versus imperial control: William portrays the Elves and Dwarves as long-standing invaders who have suppressed humanity and other races. The war is framed not merely as conquest, but as a struggle for self-determination.
• The relationship between fiction and reality: Hill is troubled by the gap between the real Martha and the fictionalized version used to create the Tower Spirit. The chapter explores how fictional interpretations can distort real identities.
• Supernatural alliances and political strategy: The coming war depends not only on military strength but also on agreements among Salar, the Space-Time Pantheon, the Wolf Clan, Silver Moon, and other factions.
• Human agency versus larger powers: Humanity has historically lived under the influence of powerful external races and Gods. William’s speech emphasizes the desire of humans, Magical Beasts, and Gods to reclaim control over their own fate.
• Duty and reluctant cooperation: Several characters participate in the war effort despite reservations—most notably the Wolf God, who accepts the alliance only because of Silver Moon’s command.

Character Interactions

• Martha anxiously confronts Hill about the Undead’s treatment of the alchemical factory, prompting Liszt to explain that the equipment is effectively indestructible.
• Hill questions Liszt about Martha’s personality and criticizes the way his fictional preferences were turned into her characterization. He warns Liszt to use more disciplined models for future Tower Spirits.
• Liszt briefs Hill on the Undead’s expedition schedule, troop transport, and preparations for war.
• Hill watches William’s public declaration and wonders why William reveals Silver Moon’s existence, suspecting that her followers may soon become active.
• Spencer meets Hill as William’s envoy and requests that he escort the Salar delegation to Wolf King Valley.
• The Wolf God communicates directly with Hill through the silver rope made from his fur, asking Hill to deliver the alliance contract on Silver Moon’s behalf.
• Hill agrees to transport Spencer and the Knights, while accepting William’s gift as compensation for the assistance.

Overall Significance

The chapter transitions the story from preparation to open war. The Undead army is fully mobilizing, William publicly declares hostilities against the Elves and Dwarves, and Salar begins securing powerful allies. At the same time, Hill is drawn deeper into the political and military conflict through his unique connections to the Tower Spirits, William, and the Wolf Clan.

Summary: “Knights and Wolves’ Secret Contest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Spencer secretly brings an entire Knight Order to Hill’s territory under the pretense of military training. He leaves their attendants and mounts behind and explains that King William wants the location of Wolf King Valley kept secret.
• Spencer has evaded spies by repeatedly taking his troops on training excursions and using a magical treasure from William to detect and eliminate pursuers.
• Hill reveals the silver ship powered by the Wolf God’s illusionary wolf-fur rope. The rope conceals the ship’s route and makes it invisible to outsiders, though its divine power is limited.
• Spencer jokes about the Wolf God’s “stinginess,” while Hill explains that the rope is only a temporary imitation of a Divine Artifact. Hill also recognizes that Spencer is deliberately speaking provocatively but safely, relying on William’s protection.
• During the journey, the ship passes beyond the God of Space-Time’s Divine Realm and becomes surrounded by concealing clouds. Spencer questions why Hill is needed if the rope itself can guide the ship. Hill explains that the Wolf God distrusts humans because of the murder of his brother and the Goddess of Lakewater, though he will obey the Silver Moon’s will.
• As they approach Wolf King Valley, Hill warns Spencer’s forces to prepare. The journey and arrival are effectively a test of trust between the human Knights and the wolves, with Hill serving as a neutral Witness.
• Vultures announce the ship’s arrival to the wolves. Once inside the valley, the concealment fades, revealing a vast, fertile grassland.
• Spencer immediately admires the land’s potential for raising horses, revealing how valuable the valley would be to humans. Hill suspects that the valley’s secrecy is necessary because Spencer—or other humans—might eventually covet it.
• A large force of high-ranking Dire Wolves arrives to receive the Knights. Many are at the Sky Knight level, creating a dangerous balance of power. Spencer suppresses his interest in the land and adopts a formal, cooperative attitude.
• Hill observes that the wolf population has grown dramatically, overwhelming the valley’s ecosystem. Herbivores are frightened and barely surviving, while rabbits remain the only animals that appear energetic.
• The human and wolf leaders begin a silent contest of strength and intent. A young White Wolf leader faces Spencer, while several ancient wolves watch from beside the Silver Moon Altar.

Character Developments

• Hill: Acts as the neutral mediator and Witness. He becomes increasingly cautious, recognizing that both sides are testing one another and that trust could collapse instantly. He also notices the ecological consequences of the wolves’ rapid growth.
• Spencer: Reveals himself as bold, teasing, politically perceptive, and confident in William’s protection. He brings overwhelming military strength but restrains his apparent greed once he realizes the wolves are powerful and numerous. His admiration of the valley may be genuine, strategic, or both.
• William: Though absent, his influence is central. His protection allows Spencer to speak provocatively, and his political interest in concealing the valley shapes the entire mission.
• The Silver Moon Wolf God: Is characterized as distrustful, vengeful, and cautious toward humans because of past betrayals. His wolf-fur rope demonstrates both his power and his reluctance to give humans unrestricted access to divine resources.
• Wolf leaders: The younger White Wolf appears proud and confident, while the older wolves seem experienced, cruel, and cunning. Their presence suggests that the wolves are prepared for conflict if negotiations fail.

Significant Themes

• Trust and suspicion: The meeting is built around mutual distrust. Hill’s role as Witness is necessary because neither humans nor wolves fully trust the other.
• Power and deterrence: Both sides arrive prepared for violence. Spencer brings more than a hundred Knights, including many Sky Knights, while the wolves assemble numerous powerful Dire Wolves.
• Racial prejudice and historical grievance: The Wolf God views humans as descendants of his enemies, while humans see his territorial ambitions as justification for opposing him.
• Political maneuvering: Spencer’s jokes, William’s protection, the secret journey, and the staged military presence all reveal a contest of influence beneath the supposed diplomatic mission.
• Greed and territorial exploitation: Spencer’s immediate thoughts about breeding horses expose the danger that humans might exploit the valley if they learned its location.
• Nature out of balance: The wolves’ uncontrolled multiplication has disrupted the ecosystem, showing that their growing strength comes with destructive consequences.
• The limits of divine power: The magical rope is powerful but temporary, emphasizing that divine artifacts and blessings are valuable, restricted, and not freely available.

Important Character Interactions

• Hill and Spencer: Their conversation mixes irritation, humor, and political calculation. Spencer probes Hill about the rope and the Wolf God, while Hill explains the situation and quietly evaluates Spencer’s motives.
• Spencer and William: Although William is absent, Spencer’s behavior shows their close bond. Spencer relies on William’s protection and deliberately invokes his authority.
• Hill and the Wolf God: Hill acts as the Wolf God’s trusted intermediary, understanding his history and explaining his distrust of humanity to Spencer.
• Spencer and the wolves: Their first encounter is a restrained confrontation. Spencer’s Knights display military strength, while the wolves answer with overwhelming numbers and powerful leaders.
• Hill and the valley’s leaders: Hill observes rather than intervenes, positioning himself as an impartial witness while studying the young White Wolf and the ancient wolves gathered near the altar.

Chapter Summary: “Human-Wolf Alliance, a Flick of the Silver Moon Goddess’s Skirt”

Key Plot Points and Events

• At the Silver Moon Altar, Hill observes the wolf-human alliance ceremony and suspects that the Silver Moon Goddess, along with other powerful gods, is watching.
• Spencer leads a human Knight Order to meet six powerful Dire Wolves, headed by a large, cunning black wolf.
• The two sides establish a loose offensive and defensive alliance:
  • They promise mutual nonaggression.
  • Neither side will betray the other while fighting the Elves and Dwarves.
  • Neither is required to provide military assistance.
  • Territory belongs to whoever conquers it first; abandoned territory may be taken by the other side.
• The wolves sign the agreement by pressing their paws onto the document. The contract transforms into two streams of silver light, one traveling toward the Space-Time River and the other apparently toward the moon or Silver Wolf constellation.
• Hill serves as a witness but avoids direct interaction with the wolf leaders. He makes clear that, despite his neutrality, he considers himself human and would support humanity if war broke out.
• Spencer and his Knights leave with Hill aboard his airship. They discuss the broader political and divine forces behind the agreement.
• Hill notices that the contract was signed by several major human rulers, churches, and the Noble Holy Alliance—but not by most human nations. He speculates about the divided Noble Church and the possible influence of the God of Nobles.
• Once they enter the Space-Time God’s domain, the Wolf God’s influence disappears. Spencer openly treats the distant northern lands as part of Salar’s future sphere of control.
• Spencer reveals that a nephew has magical aptitude and may study alchemy at King’s Academy, hoping Hill will help connect the family with Adrian.
• Near Hill’s territory, Spencer notices the large number of Undead gathered around Hill’s alchemy workshop and asks whether Hill can provide magical horses. Hill explains that powerful wild Magical Beasts generally cannot yet form contracts with humans.
• The chapter ends with Spencer envying the Undead’s Magical Beast companions, especially their elephants and rabbits.

Character Developments

• Hill: Remains observant, cautious, and politically aware. He refuses to romanticize the conflict between humans and wolves, recognizing himself firmly as human despite his neutral position. He also becomes increasingly suspicious of divine manipulation and the hidden purpose behind the ceremony.
• Spencer: Is shown as practical, relaxed, and personable rather than rigidly noble. He casually eats Hill’s pastries, uses magic to dry his hair, and speaks openly about his family’s ambitions. His comments also reveal strong loyalty to Salar and confidence in its territorial expansion.
• The Wolf Kings: Display hostility and suspicion toward humanity but remain willing to cooperate when they judge the humans not to be an immediate existential threat. Their interest in studying the Knight Order suggests a desire to improve their own military coordination.
• William and the human powers: Though absent, William’s political influence is evident. Salar appears to be the dominant human power, while other nations and factions struggle to maintain independence or neutrality.
• The Silver Moon Goddess: Her presence is never directly confirmed, but Hill senses her divine power. The chapter implies that she deliberately used the ceremony to make her influence visible to the wider divine world.

Significant Themes

• Political alliances and mutual distrust: The agreement is less a true partnership than a temporary arrangement preventing betrayal while both sides fight common enemies.
• Human expansion and territorial competition: The “first conqueror owns the land” rule foreshadows conflict between humans and wolves even after the alliance is signed.
• Divine observation and manipulation: The ceremony may be staged not merely for the participants but also for the gods watching from the Starry Sky. The Silver Moon Goddess appears to use it as a public demonstration of power.
• Identity and loyalty: Hill’s neutrality has limits. He may avoid provoking the wolves, but he ultimately identifies with humanity and will support it in a genuine conflict.
• Military organization versus individual strength: The wolves possess formidable bodies and power but lack the coordinated formations of human Knights. Their study of the Knight Order hints at a future increase in their military threat.
• Salar’s growing dominance: Spencer’s casual assumption that distant northern lands belong to Salar reflects the kingdom’s expanding influence and the weakness of rival human nations.
• Technology, magic, and social change: Magical airships, teleportation arrays, alchemy, and Magical Beast contracts show how rapidly the world is developing through the interaction of magic and practical innovation.

Important Character Interactions

• Spencer and the Wolf Kings: Their formal negotiation establishes the alliance, with both sides carefully assessing the other’s strength and intentions.
• Hill and Spencer: Their relaxed conversation reveals mutual familiarity and trust. Spencer feels comfortable dropping noble formalities, while Hill responds with humor and sharp observations.
• Hill and the wolves: Hill deliberately keeps his distance, acting only as a witness because he does not trust the wolf pack and does not wish to encourage false neutrality.
• Spencer and Adrian: Though Adrian is absent, Spencer’s plan to ask him about his nephew’s alchemy studies shows the Knight’s connections with influential mages.
• Spencer and the Undead: Spencer is fascinated and envious of the Magical Beasts associated with Hill’s Undead population, particularly the elephants, while dismissing their rabbit companions humorously.

Summary

• Key events: The narrator announces that it is the final day to earn double monthly votes and urgently asks readers to contribute their votes. Despite completing three days of a planned seven-day update streak, the narrator remains well short of the goal of 1,000 votes.
• Character development: The narrator is portrayed as exhausted but determined, emphasizing their effort through the image of worn-out paws from typing. Their desire to obtain 50 fan titles motivates the appeal.
• Themes: The passage focuses on reader support, persistence, promotional goals, and the humorous dramatization of exhaustion.
• Character interactions: There is no direct dialogue or scene involving multiple characters. Instead, the narrator addresses the audience directly, playfully pressuring them to donate any votes they have.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Spencer asks Hill about his shop, Sray’s, which contains expensive goods as well as flawed practice items sold cheaply in the miscellaneous section. Spencer takes the Knight Order to browse and plans to teleport back afterward.
• Xue Yunfeng informs Hill that most former family members are eligible to board the ship. He asks Hill to kill anyone who causes trouble in the valley, with the families promising to expel offenders and hold recruiters accountable.
• Xue Yunfeng also reveals that Edgar has become a Knight and enlisted at the southern frontier’s Border City to avoid being recognized in the capital.
• Hill returns home, bathes, and falls asleep beneath an unusually bright moon.
• Meanwhile, William and Spencer discuss the alliance treaty with the Wolf Clan. William explains that Spencer must represent him because the wolves respect strength rather than political rank, while Hill will serve as protection.
• They discuss Hill’s growing importance: his Legendary status, Silver Moon Blessing, Nature Sorcery, Dwarven semi-divine shield, influence over magical beasts, and relationship with the Undead.
• William and Spencer wait beneath the moonlight, suspecting the Elven God-King may attack Silver Moon again.
• The Elven God-King fires an arrow at Silver Moon, but she counters with an illusion and mocks him for fearing his divine “father” and “father’s wife.”
• Silver Moon declares that old debts are being repaid. William realizes her true Divine Artifact survived and that the prior attack accomplished little beyond injuring the Hunting Goddess.

Character Developments

• Hill continues to gain authority and responsibility. He agrees to manage possible disorder among the Undead and demonstrates confidence in his ability to handle threats through his own power and the Elemental Lords.
• Xue Yunfeng shows careful organizational planning, emphasizing accountability within the families and trust in Hill’s authority.
• Edgar takes a decisive step toward rebuilding his identity and career by becoming a Knight and leaving the capital.
• William is portrayed as strategically cautious and protective. He relies on Hill as an insurance policy while recognizing the political and military risks of dealing with the Wolf Clan.
• Spencer becomes increasingly impressed by Hill’s territory, food, magical resources, and Nature Sorcery. He also shows concern for the safety of his king and curiosity about supernatural events.
• Silver Moon shifts from victim to active aggressor, confidently retaliating against the Elven God-King and exposing his vulnerability through mockery.
• The Elven God-King remains largely silent but reacts angrily to Silver Moon’s taunts, suggesting both hostility and personal tension.

Significant Themes

• Power and deterrence: Hill’s Legendary status and Silver Moon Blessing make him a crucial protector in political negotiations.
• Accountability and governance: The Undead families establish systems of responsibility to prevent disorder in Hill’s territory.
• Nature’s abundance: Hill’s Nature Sorcery enriches the land, strengthens magical beasts, and creates resources that others covet.
• Hidden strength and deception: Silver Moon’s supposedly destroyed Divine Artifact was an illusion, reinforcing the danger of underestimating powerful figures.
• Revenge and accumulated debts: Silver Moon’s counterattack frames the conflict with the Elven God-King as an unresolved debt finally being repaid.
• Cultural adaptation: The Undead’s preferences for cute creatures, especially rabbits, and their growing influence reshape the behavior of magical beasts and local communities.

Character Interactions

• Spencer and Hill discuss Sray’s shop and its affordable goods before Spencer leads the knights away.
• Xue Yunfeng respectfully negotiates with Hill over the management of the valley and updates him about Edgar.
• William and Spencer exchange views about Hill’s abilities, the Wolf Clan alliance, the magical beast contracts, and the effects of Nature Sorcery.
• William reassures Spencer during Silver Moon’s illusion, explaining that she is retaliating rather than attacking them.
• Silver Moon directly taunts the Elven God-King, turning the confrontation into both a magical counterattack and a public humiliation.

Chapter Summary

• Silver Moon and the Moon Elves: Spencer and William wonder why Silver Moon ignores the Moon Elves. William explains that the great silver tree once present on her halo has disappeared, suggesting that Silver Moon has not decided how to deal with them. They pity the Moon Elves, believing their race was destroyed by the foolish Hunting Goddess.
• The Moon Elves’ hidden future: In reality, Hill has preserved the Moon Elves through a newly sprouted Moon Tree. Their bodies remain dormant, but their souls and race still survive. Hill deliberately chose not to tell Silver Moon about the tree, believing the Moon Elves should eventually develop independently rather than become controlled by another deity. Their future will be determined by natural growth and their own choices, not by Silver Moon’s will.
• Silver Moon’s rejection: Hill concludes that the Moon Elves’ connection to Silver Moon effectively ended when the Hunting Goddess fell into evil and killed Nature’s Deer. Silver Moon, whose Chaotic Good alignment demands absolute goodness, instead chose the human sorcerer Valencia and other Chaotic Good followers. She appears unwilling to reclaim the Moon Elves, particularly because their former divine lineage became associated with evil.
• Hill’s decision: Although Hill had once considered asking Silver Moon to restore the Moon Tree to her care, he ultimately abandons that idea. He believes he has no right to bind the Moon Elves’ destinies to a goddess who might control them again. Their long sleep will not harm them, and they will eventually be able to choose their own lives.

The Elven God-King’s Humiliation

• A tremendous noise draws Hill’s attention to the stars. Comparing the heavens with his recorded star chart, he confirms that one leg of the Elven God-King’s Astral Divine Throne has been bitten off.
• Silver Moon’s illusion distracted the Elven Pantheon while the Silver Moon Wolf God charged out in his massive true form, bit off part of the throne, and immediately fled back to Silver Moon.
• Silver Moon then placed a ring-shaped divine artifact around her halo, while the wolf inserted his own star into it and spat out the stolen throne fragment. She transformed the fragment into a giant bone for him, completely ignoring the furious Elven God-King’s roaring accusations.
• With the Space-Time River flowing again and Silver Moon and the wolf now allied, the Elven God-King cannot retaliate without confronting both of them.

Character Developments and Interactions

• Hill becomes firmly committed to respecting the Moon Elves’ autonomy. His refusal to reveal the Moon Tree reflects his growing concern for freedom and self-determination.
• Silver Moon is shown as detached and uncompromising. She refuses to restore the Moon Elves and favors new, morally aligned followers instead.
• The Silver Moon Wolf God demonstrates boldness, aggression, and loyalty, directly attacking the Elven God-King and treating the stolen throne leg as a trophy.
• The Elven God-King suffers a public humiliation but receives no support from the Elven Pantheon. This silence suggests either that he is too authoritarian for his followers to defend openly or that his position and influence within the pantheon may be weaker than assumed.
• Hill speculates that the Moon Elves’ former marriage alliance with the Elven God-King may have involved deeper political or personal motives beyond bloodline and divine status.

Significant Themes

• Freedom versus divine control: The Moon Elves’ future represents the possibility of escaping the authority of gods and choosing their own destiny.
• Alignment and moral legitimacy: Silver Moon’s rejection of the Moon Elves reflects the importance of Chaotic Good principles and the consequences of association with evil.
• Power and humiliation: The attack on the Elven God-King reveals shifting alliances and undermines his authority.
• Independence from tradition: Hill values natural development over restoring old hierarchies, while the Moon Elves’ fate suggests that inherited divine systems may not deserve preservation.
• Political instability among gods: The silence of the Elven Pantheon hints at hidden tensions and possible weaknesses within the divine order.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill realizes that Silver Moon’s unexpected actions have properly activated the Chaos Faction and goes to sleep under the moonlight, pleased with the outcome.
• His ancestral bloodline shows him a vision of the ancient past, when the world was still whole and the Earth Goddess, Silver Moon Goddess, and Sun God lived together peacefully.
• In the vision, Silver Moon reveals that she secretly obtained three powerful World Tree seeds from another Elven world. The gods discuss protecting the seeds and preventing connections between worlds.
• The three deities toast the future of their world, but Hill feels sorrow because he knows that the Earth Goddess will eventually disappear or suffer a devastating fate.
• After waking, Hill concludes that his Earth Bear ancestor may still be alive, possibly because the ancestor preserved his bloodline in hopes of seeing the Earth Goddess awaken again.
• Hill begins drawing the Earth Bear but hides the portrait, fearing that depicting a demigod might attract its subject’s attention.
• Instead, he paints Three Gods Drinking Together, depicting the three deities celebrating beneath a massive tree. He adds a golden bear paw behind the tree as a tentative gesture toward reconciliation with his ancestor.
• After painting continuously for two days, Hill completes the work at the moment when sunlight and moonlight shine together.
• The Sun and Silver Moon Gods leave portions of their divine power in the painting, transforming it into a powerful Semi-Divine Artifact.
• The artifact automatically gathers sunlight and moonlight and grants numerous blessings, including protection from fear, charm, mind control, and illusions; increased morale and courage; mental recovery; combat endurance; holy light; exile of otherworldly creatures; and a devastating anti-evil attack called Scorching Radiance.
• Hill is impressed but uneasy, particularly because Scorching Radiance could indiscriminately kill nearby people aligned with evil.

2. Character Development

• Hill becomes increasingly connected to the ancient divine history of his bloodline. He moves from curiosity about his ancestry to emotional recognition of the Earth Goddess’s importance and the suffering of his Earth Bear ancestor.
• Although Hill resists fully acknowledging the Earth Bear as his ancestor, his decision to include the bear’s paw in the painting shows that he is beginning to seek reconciliation.
• Hill’s artistic abilities and magical craftsmanship continue to develop. His painting becomes more than a work of art: it serves as a vessel capable of containing and channeling divine power.
• Silver Moon Goddess is shown as lively, curious, and impulsive, contrasting with the more cautious Sun God and gentle Earth Goddess. Her actions demonstrate both her adventurous nature and her concern for preserving life.
• Earth Goddess is characterized as nurturing, intelligent, and devoted to creating life and culture.
• Sun God appears stern and cautious, focused on protecting the world and maintaining its stability.
• Hill’s view of the ancient gods becomes more personal, especially toward the absent Earth Goddess, whom he now understands as someone deeply loved and mourned.

3. Significant Themes

• Memory, loss, and inherited grief: Hill’s ancestral visions preserve moments of happiness, but those memories are inseparable from the tragedy that followed.
• Hope amid destruction: The ancient gods’ toast to the future contrasts with the present absence of the Earth Goddess, yet Hill believes there may still be time for her return.
• Family and reconciliation: Hill’s relationship with his unknown ancestor is emotionally complicated. His hidden bear-paw detail symbolizes a cautious willingness to acknowledge his heritage.
• Art as creation and preservation: Hill’s painting recreates a lost moment and becomes a semi-divine object, suggesting that art can preserve history, carry emotion, and even generate new power.
• Divine power and responsibility: The artifact’s blessings are extraordinarily useful, but its indiscriminate anti-evil spell shows that immense power can also create danger.
• World-building and divine origins: The chapter expands the history of the gods, the unfinished world, the World Tree, the origins of Elves, and the connections between different worlds.

4. Character Interactions

• The ancient gods share a warm, familial gathering. The Earth Goddess hosts the meal, Silver Moon provides music and enthusiasm, and the Sun God offers practical warnings.
• Silver Moon’s discovery of the World Tree seeds sparks discussion about life, divine artifacts, world boundaries, and the future creation of new beings.
• The Earth Goddess gently restrains Silver Moon’s curiosity, while the Sun God reinforces the need for caution and protection.
• Hill observes these interactions through his ancestral vision rather than participating, making the scene both intimate and painful for him.
• Hill’s interaction with the revived Sun and Silver Moon powers is indirect but significant: after completing the painting, their divine remnants recognize the work and empower it.
• His imagined relationship with the Earth Bear ancestor remains unresolved, but the painting’s hidden golden paw shows Hill reaching toward that ancestor without being ready for direct contact.

Chapter Summary: “Money-Making Opportunity from the Sun and Silver Moon for Hill”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill reflects sadly on the Sun and Silver Moon’s visit and realizes that the Earth Goddess’s recovery is far slower than expected. The incomplete planet and damaged World Tree suggest that the Earth Goddess may not fully revive until the world itself is restored.
• The oil painting of the Sun, Silver Moon, and Earth Goddess has become a permanent Semi-Divine Artifact after receiving the two Gods’ blessings. Its divine nature makes it extremely valuable and nearly impossible for ordinary enemies to destroy.
• Hill initially struggles to understand why the Sun and Silver Moon gave him such powerful blessings. The painting contains abilities designed for commanders and armies, but Hill is a solitary Nature Sorcerer who wants no part in ordinary warfare.
• He eventually realizes that the Gods likely created the artifact as an indirect gift for William. Because they cannot directly bestow equal divine gifts upon William, a future God under the God of Space-Time, they used Hill as an intermediary.
• Hill discovers that the painting can be copied. A miniature version retains one-fifth of the original’s power, making each copy a Legendary-grade war treasure with tremendous mental-power recovery abilities.
• He produces eight copies, keeping two for Falan and Adrian and placing seven in a small box for William. The artifact can restore even Hill’s enormous Mental Sea almost instantly, especially when exposed to sunlight and moonlight.
• Hill travels to William’s palace, where William immediately recognizes the importance of the copies. He mounts five paintings on the Sky Ships transporting troops, keeps one for himself, and gives another to his officials to assign.
• William decides that the paintings’ holy power will prevent corrupt or excessively selfish people from misusing them, since prolonged exposure may purify desires and cause people to confess their wrongdoing.
• Hill is sent to the treasury to choose a reward, successfully turning the divine painting into a major financial opportunity.

Character Developments

• Hill: Becomes more perceptive about divine motives and remains firm in his refusal to participate directly in wars that would kill ordinary civilians. However, he adapts pragmatically by creating copies of the artifact and using them to support the war indirectly. His humor and self-control are shown when he pretends not to notice William’s teasing about his Earth Bear ancestry.
• William: Demonstrates his strategic intelligence and ability to recognize valuable divine gifts immediately. He treats Hill generously, offers him access to the treasury, and distributes the paintings carefully among the Sky Ships and government institutions.
• The Sun and Silver Moon: Their actions reveal that they are planning beyond the immediate purpose of the painting. Their blessings provide both a means of aiding William and a powerful tool for the coming war.
• Liszt: Acts as Hill’s practical assistant, helping him relocate and display the enormous painting.
• The officials and ministers: Their likely reaction to the artifact is established: although they may initially compete for it, the painting’s purifying aura may ultimately make them reluctant to keep it nearby.

Significant Themes

• Indirect divine intervention: The Sun and Silver Moon cannot openly empower William, so they use Hill and the painting to influence mortal events without violating divine restrictions.
• The cost and consequences of war: Hill distinguishes between fighting to protect the world from the Elves’ Legendary warriors and participating in wars that harm ordinary people. His moral hesitation emphasizes the difference between necessary defense and political conflict.
• Power and responsibility: The paintings are immensely powerful, but their usefulness depends on who controls them. William distributes them strategically, while Hill avoids using them for personal combat.
• Purification and morality: The artifact’s holy aura does more than restore mental power; it can expose selfishness, encourage repentance, and deter corruption.
• Divine artifacts as economic opportunity: Hill unexpectedly turns a sacred gift into a source of wealth by discovering that the artifact can be duplicated without losing its essential function.
• The damaged world and delayed restoration: The ruined planet and weakened World Tree symbolize the incomplete recovery of the Earth Goddess and the broader damage suffered by the world.

Important Character Interactions

• Hill and Liszt: Liszt asks where to place the painting, and Hill installs it behind his main seat in the Mage Tower’s hall.
• Hill and the divine powers: Hill mentally questions the Sun and Silver Moon’s motives and concludes that the painting was meant to assist William indirectly.
• Hill and William: William summons Hill immediately upon his arrival. He jokes about Hill’s ancient Earth Bear bloodline, while Hill defensively challenges him to a contest of strength. Their exchange remains friendly and humorous.
• William and the government: William directs Spencer to place five paintings on the Sky Ships and assigns the remaining copies to himself and the government. He trusts the artifact’s holy nature to prevent factional struggles and abuse.
• Hill and the treasury authorities: William grants Hill permission to select any reward from the treasury, compensating him for providing the Legendary-grade war treasures.

Chapter Summary: Entering the Salar Treasury

Key Plot Points and Events

• William and Hill arrange Oil Paintings infused with the powers of the Sun God and Silver Moon on Salar’s airships.
• William intends the paintings to protect Salar’s citizens and expose hidden spies. The Sun God’s power rewards honesty and would reveal anyone harboring malicious intentions, even if they were not technically aligned with evil.
• Hill suspects William has another reason for placing the paintings on his own ship but does not discover William’s true motive: he values the paintings’ ability to purify people’s hearts and is amused by the possibility of spies being exposed.
• The chancellor leads Hill to Salar’s treasury, a heavily protected building near the Ginkgo Treant. Its defenses, created by the Alchemy Grandmaster Falan and strengthened by William’s divine array, are powerful enough to kill even a Legendary.
• Entry requires two keys: one held by the chancellor and another controlled through a branch of the Ginkgo Treant, reflecting William’s careful security measures.
• Inside, the treasury is managed by numerous Legendary Alchemical Golems and divided into seven enormous vaults containing money, Elemental Crystals, materials, potions, alchemical tools, books, and treasures.
• Hill ignores the vast gold and crystal reserves and instead selects unfamiliar alchemical instruments, rare materials, and several plant-based treasures.
• He rejects most of the remaining treasures because they are weak, familiar, or saturated with blood and violent power.

Character Developments

• William is shown to be strategic, security-conscious, and politically shrewd. He protects his people while also using the Oil Paintings to expose potential traitors. His willingness to let others misunderstand his motives highlights his secretive and playful nature.
• Hill remains principled and highly perceptive. He values useful, natural, and intellectually novel objects rather than wealth or weapons. His sensitivity to divine power allows him to notice distinctions between the Sun God’s restrained presence and Silver Moon’s more flamboyant power.
• The chancellor is portrayed as honest and practical. He trusts William’s systems and admits that the treasury’s defenses are too powerful for him to sense personally.
• The Sun God is implied to still be hiding His presence while quietly observing events in the mortal world. His concealed influence contrasts with the arrogance of the Elven and Dwarven Pantheons.

Significant Themes

• Security versus trust: William cannot read minds, so he relies on divine artifacts, magical defenses, and strict procedures to protect Salar.
• The exposure of hidden intentions: The Oil Paintings symbolize truth and moral purification, revealing that patriotic motives do not necessarily make someone morally harmless.
• Power and restraint: The Sun God’s subdued presence and Silver Moon’s stronger display suggest different approaches to divine influence.
• National wealth and longevity: The enormous treasury reflects William’s confidence that Salar will survive for hundreds of thousands of years.
• Nature versus violence: Hill is drawn to living, plant-based treasures and rejects weapons and artifacts associated with bloodshed, suggesting his moral opposition to destructive power.

Character Interactions

• William and Hill collaborate while arranging the Oil Paintings, though William keeps his deeper intentions secret.
• Hill and the chancellor discuss the treasury’s defenses and the contributions of Falan and William.
• The chancellor escorts Hill into the treasury but is not permitted to enter the inner vaults, leaving Hill to choose his own rewards.
• Hill’s reactions to the treasury reveal his sharp contrast with William: William values strategic utility and control, while Hill prefers natural vitality, craftsmanship, and objects free from corrupting violence.

Chapter Summary: “The Only Thing in the Treasury Worth Hill’s Attention”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill examines the thousands of Dwarven treasures stored in Salar’s treasury. These artifacts are powerful but horrifying, as their use consumes living creatures’ souls and produces their anguished cries.
• He reflects on how prolonged reliance on such weapons corrupted human nobles and contributed to the God of Nobles’ gradual descent toward evil.
• William has placed the treasures inside a Purification Formation rather than distributing them to the nobles. Hill studies the formation, improves it with additional lines, and modifies it to use natural power, sunlight, and Silver Moon Blessing.
• Discovering that William has permitted him to cast spells inside the treasury, Hill uses nearly half his mana to cast Natural Blessing, weakening the bloodstained aura of the treasures. The remaining purification must occur gradually over time.
• Hill then ignores the treasury’s other valuables and goes directly to the archive. He takes a wheeled book chest and begins examining the magic books one by one, intending to read everything unless William personally removes him.
• The chancellor leaves the treasury after realizing Hill will remain in the archive indefinitely. William explains that books are essentially the only treasures Hill truly wants.
• William reflects on Hill’s behavior and concludes that Hill’s lack of arrogance and ambition makes it increasingly unlikely that he is a transmigrator.
• The chapter ends with a lengthy recollection of the God of Space-Time’s history: his arrogance, conflict with the Gods of Contracts and Nobles, imprisonment in the Abyss, and eventual decision to strip the God of Contracts of the Justice divine office.

2. Character Developments

• Hill demonstrates his strong moral opposition to the soul-consuming Dwarven artifacts. Rather than seeking power or valuable materials, he instinctively works to purify them.
• His actions also reveal his practicality and kindness: he improves the formation before using magic, saving resources while making the purification more effective.
• Hill’s greatest personal interest remains knowledge. He shows near-total disregard for treasure, potions, and status, choosing instead to read Salar’s accumulated books.
• William is portrayed as observant, thrifty, and trusting. He allows Hill to use magic within the treasury and is amused rather than offended when Hill purifies the artifacts without asking for compensation.
• William’s trust in Hill deepens, while his doubts about Hill being a transmigrator grow stronger because Hill lacks the superiority and ambition William associates with transmigrated individuals.
• The chancellor acts as a practical counterpoint to Hill, leaving once it becomes clear that Hill will spend an unlimited amount of time in the archive.
• The God of Space-Time is presented as courageous but flawed. His past arrogance and inability to recognize his own limitations contributed to his falling-out with the God of Contracts.

3. Significant Themes

• Power versus morality: The Dwarven treasures represent the danger of valuing strategic power over compassion. Their use gradually erodes the moral character of those who depend on them.
• Trust and responsibility: William’s permission for Hill to cast spells in the treasury reflects significant trust. Hill responds by acting responsibly and using his abilities to repair rather than exploit.
• Knowledge over material wealth: Hill’s indifference to treasures and obsession with books emphasize intellectual curiosity as a higher value than power, status, or luxury.
• The corruption of ideals: The God of Nobles’ fall shows how institutions and leaders can become morally compromised when they repeatedly justify cruelty for survival or advantage.
• Pride and self-awareness: The God of Space-Time’s history illustrates how pride, even in an otherwise principled person, can lead to isolation and disastrous conflict. His later recognition of his own mistakes marks an important contrast between courage and humility.
• Justice and betrayal: The God of Contracts’ abandonment of Space-Time and later corruption of justice and contracts complicate the ideas of loyalty, fairness, and whether a divine office should remain with someone who has betrayed its principles.

4. Character Interactions

• Hill and William: Their relationship is defined by mutual trust and understated understanding. William recognizes Hill’s nature and habits, while Hill accepts the opportunity to purify the treasury without demanding payment.
• Hill and the chancellor: Their interaction is brief and indirect; the chancellor accompanies Hill out of courtesy but ultimately leaves when Hill settles into the archive.
• William and the chancellor: William reassures the chancellor that Hill’s behavior is expected, explaining why books are more valuable to him than any other treasure.
• The God of Space-Time, the God of Contracts, and the God of Nobles: Their past relationships form the chapter’s major historical conflict. Space-Time depended on Contracts, clashed with Nobles, was tortured and imprisoned by Nobles, and eventually retaliated by removing Contracts’ Justice divine office.

Chapter 238 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The God of Space-Time reflects on his former faith in the Gods’ fairness and admits that he had been naïve about their selfishness.
• His conflict with the God of Contracts is effectively resolved. Although they will not become friends, the God of Contracts’ open admission of guilt and willingness to accept the consequences ends their hostility.
• The God of Nobles remains Space-Time’s unresolved enemy. Space-Time casts him into the Abyss, intending to see whether he falls completely into Chaotic Evil or retains enough reason to follow his own path. Since the God of Nobles’ Divine Kingdom has already shattered, Space-Time is no longer overly concerned with him.
• The God of Space-Time now focuses on traveling among the stars and finding a way to restore the broken world.
• William approves of Space-Time’s choices but confirms that he will remain an independent soul rather than merge with Space-Time again. Their approaches to the divine path are fundamentally different.
• William continues to speculate about transmigrators, believing Hill is too cautious and principled to be one, while Melanie seems more likely—but is viewed as foolish and hedonistic.
• Hill’s cautious personality is explained: his strict upbringing and fear of the world’s laws led him to memorize rules and avoid unnecessary risks. His habits later became an advantage, allowing him to survive and progress safely.
• Hill spends the day reading through William’s library and collecting crystals, eventually being stopped by the warehouse’s management core. He is satisfied with the compensation William offers.
• William prepares to leave before dawn with five floating ships carrying the Undead. The Undead board in an orderly fashion, with hostile groups apparently separated. Many major PvP families successfully obtain places in the expedition.
• Hill duplicates the Semi-Divine Artifact again, but learns that only one copy can be made at a time. Another duplication requires roughly a year for the Gods’ divine power to recover, along with suitable sunlight and moonlight.
• Hill decides to give an Oil Painting to his grandfather, Falan, but chooses not to give one to Adrian because it might burden him with the need to provide an adequate return gift.
• Falan is astonished by the painting’s origins. Hill explains that after experiencing Earth Bear’s memory dream, he painted three Gods raising their glasses in blessing. The sun and Silver Moon were pleased and transformed it into a Semi-Divine Artifact, which can also produce weaker Legendary-grade copies.
• Falan concludes that Hill’s incredible progress cannot be explained by luck alone. He believes Hill’s greatest strength is not merely receiving blessings, but consistently making the correct, non-greedy choices.

Character Developments

• God of Space-Time: Moves beyond his old resentment toward the God of Contracts and adopts a more detached, purposeful outlook. His main goal is now restoring the world.
• God of Contracts: Accepts responsibility for his betrayal and returns to his proper divine position, ending his enmity with Space-Time.
• God of Nobles: Is left to determine his own fate in the Abyss, with the possibility of becoming either a Chaotic Evil being or a rational but evil figure.
• William: Maintains his independence from Space-Time and continues judging others through his own experiences. He still suspects hidden transmigrators but increasingly regards Hill as harmlessly foolish rather than suspicious.
• Hill: Demonstrates his habitual caution, diligence, generosity, and strong self-restraint. His good fortune is balanced by his ability to avoid greed and dangerous experimentation.
• Falan: Gains a deeper appreciation of Hill’s character, recognizing that Hill’s success comes from sound judgment as much as from external blessings.
• Adrian: Remains focused on his path toward Legendary and is deliberately kept uninformed about the Oil Painting so that Hill does not create additional pressure for him.

Significant Themes

• Gods as flawed individuals: Divine beings are shown to possess personal desires, selfishness, and the capacity for betrayal.
• Forgiveness and closure: Space-Time does not restore his friendship with the God of Contracts, but he accepts the end of their grudge.
• Free will and responsibility: The God of Nobles is left to choose his own fate, while Hill’s success is attributed to the choices he makes rather than destiny alone.
• Caution versus reckless curiosity: Hill’s fear and rule-following protect him, contrasting with William’s willingness to test boundaries.
• Luck and merit: The chapter questions whether Hill is simply blessed by luck or whether his judgment and restraint make him deserving of that luck.
• Different paths to power: William and Space-Time pursue different forms of divinity, while Hill follows a cautious mage’s path rather than seeking dangerous shortcuts.
• The World Will’s influence: Hill is widely viewed as a tool rewarded by the World Will, though Falan believes Hill retains meaningful personal agency.

Character Interactions

• Space-Time and the God of Contracts reach an uneasy but complete reconciliation after the latter admits his mistake.
• Space-Time’s treatment of the God of Nobles reflects his desire to let enemies reveal their own nature rather than immediately destroying them.
• William and Space-Time acknowledge that their future paths have diverged, though William respects Space-Time’s decision.
• William mentally compares Hill and Melanie while considering the possibility of transmigrators.
• Hill interacts with William’s library and warehouse systems, receiving books and crystals as part of their arrangement.
• Hill later sends Falan an Oil Painting and explains its creation, prompting Falan to reassess Hill’s extraordinary progress.
• Falan contrasts Hill with Adrian, recognizing that Hill’s effortless-looking advancement is emotionally difficult for those who struggle toward Legendary power.

Chapter Summary: Undead Truth or Dare

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hill returns to his manor at dusk, where nearly all the Undead in his territory have gathered to watch the expedition on a giant screen.
• His villagers, including families and children, fill the manor’s dining area. The relaxed gathering highlights the close-knit, peaceful nature of Hill’s territory.
• The broadcast focuses on the Legendary Oil Painting Hill sold to William. The painting can force people with improper intentions or hidden secrets to reveal the truth if they remain within sixty meters for too long.
• Despite warnings, the Undead’s curiosity leads many people to test the painting. The ship’s hall becomes chaotic, and William seals the area so combatants can only fight physically.
• Witness, the commentator, reports several outrageous incidents:
  • A Knight discovers that his Priest friend had an affair with his wife and may have fathered her child, leading to a brutal fight.
  • A male Mage is exposed for cheating on four women, two of whom were sworn enemies. The women temporarily unite to attack him, though the rival pair still occasionally fight each other.
  • The Mage had set his pain sensitivity to the maximum, making his punishment especially severe.
• Witness mocks the victims and treats the unfolding conflicts as entertainment, while the people watching from Hill’s manor react with shock and amusement.

Character Developments

• Hill is shown as a content and successful lord. He takes pride in his small but harmonious territory and enjoys seeing his villagers and their children gathered together.
• Falan’s earlier reflections emphasize Hill’s steadfast personality: although opportunities and temptations may have surrounded him, Hill consistently pursued what he truly wanted rather than becoming greedy.
• William appears practical and prepared. He anticipated that the Oil Painting would cause disorder and designed the hall to restrict combat.
• Witness is characterized as sarcastic, shameless, and highly entertained by other people’s misfortune. He gleefully narrates the scandals while making jokes at the victims’ expense.
• The exposed Knight, Priest, Mage, and women are not deeply developed individually, but their reactions reveal betrayal, jealousy, rage, and the consequences of dishonesty.

Significant Themes

• Truth versus secrecy: The Oil Painting forces hidden wrongdoing into the open, demonstrating that secrets eventually carry consequences.
• Curiosity and recklessness: Even with explicit warnings, people willingly enter the painting’s range, showing the Undead’s inability to resist dangerous mysteries.
• Justice and exposure: The artifact functions as a supernatural form of judgment, punishing deception and revealing immoral behavior.
• Comedy through chaos: Serious betrayals and violence are presented humorously through Witness’s commentary, blending dark fantasy with slapstick and satire.
• Community and belonging: Hill’s peaceful gathering contrasts sharply with the disorder aboard William’s ship, emphasizing the warmth and stability of Hill Territory.

Character Interactions

• Hill observes his villagers, while the Undead girls play affectionately with the children and the parents watch happily.
• The Knight attacks his Priest friend after learning about the Priest’s affair with his wife.
• The four women unite against the cheating Mage, with the two former enemies cooperating briefly despite still striking each other.
• Witness interacts with the crowd through mocking narration and even deliberately steps on the injured Priest while pretending not to notice him, reinforcing his cruelly comedic personality.