Chapter Summaries

A Piao and her companions solved the Sundial and discovered a map pointing to the Huanglan Compendium, which linked A Piao’s identity to Jinzhou. Sanhua said the Magistrate wanted Lu Li to accompany A Piao, so they prepared to go together.

• A Piao set the Sundial to Wei Hour and the south, revealing a map marked with destinations and the words “Huanglan Compendium.”
• Yangyang explained that the Huanglan Compendium was Huanglong’s secret database and concluded that A Piao’s identity was connected to Jinzhou.
• A Piao asked whether the Frontier was Jinzhou’s center and said the Magistrate had requested to meet her alone.
• Sanhua arrived wearing Lu Li’s sunglasses and said the Magistrate had asked A Piao to bring Lu Li along so they could look out for each other.
• A Piao agreed to travel with Lu Li, and Yangyang wished them a safe journey.

Lu Li and A Piao solved the Huanglan Compendium’s musical mechanisms and entered the archive, where Scar confronted them. Scar attacked A Piao, but a blast of ice froze him from behind.

• Lu Li and A Piao found a hidden entrance inside Frontier and followed the path through a water-filled chamber to the Gong Tone Platform.
• A Piao identified the missing Tone Vessels and worked through the musical puzzles, while Lu Li joked and mostly left the work to her.
• After gathering all the Tone Vessels, Lu Li and A Piao followed the golden path into the Huanglan Compendium and connected A Piao’s Terminal to its database.
• Scar appeared behind them, thanked Rover for leading the way, and threatened to destroy the archive.
• Scar slashed at A Piao with a glowing card, but Lu Li drew Yamato to Scar’s neck before an unseen ice attack froze Scar in place.

Lu Li, A Piao, Sanhua, and Jinhsi cornered Scar, and Lu Li defeated him with a devastating sword technique. Scar was shackled and captured, while Lu Li was left too exhausted to speak.

• Sanhua and Jinhsi attacked Scar, but he broke free of Jinhsi's Dragon Shackles and began to teleport away.
• Lu Li appeared behind Scar, cut through the card in his hand, and used Judgment Cut to destroy the light dome that would have let Scar escape.
• Lu Li unleashed Red Skies: Shadowless, overwhelming Scar with a storm of slashes and leaving him badly wounded.
• Sanhua shackled Scar as he recognized Rover and wondered who Lu Li was; Jinhsi checked on A Piao and Lu Li.
• Lu Li was too drained to speak after using Red Skies: Shadowless, so A Piao gently massaged his shoulders.

Jinhsi and A Piao interrogated Scar after his capture, learning about the Fractsidus’s plans for Jué, the Threnodians, and the Lament. Scar then revealed a secret about Jué to Jinhsi, leaving her shocked and warning that a greater disaster was about to unfold.

• Scar offered to share what he knew if A Piao joined the Fractsidus, but A Piao said she already knew everything.
• Jinhsi arrested Scar and ordered him to answer their questions.
• Scar explained that the Fractsidus wanted to imprison Jué, awaken the Threnodians, and bring about a new world through the Lament.
• Scar admitted that another Fractsidus Overseer was likely operating within Jinzhou and warned Jinhsi that the Fractsidus’s plans would continue.
• Scar whispered a secret about Jué to Jinhsi, then claimed Jué had prophesied what was happening and that a greater disaster was coming.

Lu Li and Jinhsi questioned Scar’s claims about Jué and discussed the Black Shores as a possible source of clues about A Piao’s identity. Jinhsi proposed a job for Lu Li, who asked if she meant becoming her personal bodyguard.

• Scar told A Piao that the Fractsidus had a place for her, but Lu Li stopped his laughter and ordered the Midnight Rangers to take him to prison.
• Jinhsi said she needed to find Jué and confirm Scar’s claims before revealing what he had said about the Sentinel.
• Jinhsi explained that Jué guided Jinzhou and had directed her to send the awakened one to Jiyan in the Norfall Barrens when the rain flowed upward, but said the battlefield was currently too dangerous.
• Jinhsi told Lu Li and A Piao that the Black Shores had asked about A Piao and could potentially offer help, while Lu Li admitted he had considered taking over both the Black Shores and the Fractsidus.
• Jinhsi offered to find Lu Li a job, and he asked whether he could be her personal bodyguard.

Lu Li accepted Jinhsi’s offer to work as her personal intelligence officer, and A Piao glimpsed a connection between her past and the Black Shores. After the group reunited, Yangyang shared a tale about Jinzhou’s history and the Curved Blade Campaign, which began with the former general Goshu Lin.

• Jinhsi offered Lu Li a million Shell Credits a month to share what he learned on his travels, and he accepted.
• Jinhsi gave A Piao a photograph of the Black Shores’ flower token, and A Piao saw an image of herself wearing one.
• Jinhsi warned that the Fractsidus Overseer might be watching A Piao and promised to find Jué; Lu Li said he had Encore’s contact details.
• Lu Li and A Piao left the Frontier and joined Chixia and Yangyang, who relayed warnings from Bai Zhi about unusual Tacet Field activity.
• A Piao recounted what happened in the Huanglan Compendium, and the group wondered why Jué had directed her to find Jiyan.
• Yangyang began telling the story of the Curved Blade Campaign, describing Jinzhou’s struggle against the Faceless Calamity and General Goshu Lin’s decisive attack.

Yangyang recounted the Norfall Barrens disaster, Jiyan’s emergence as a leader, and Jinhsi’s appointment as Magistrate at a young age. A Piao revealed Jué’s instructions to meet Jiyan in the dangerous Norfall Barrens, while Lu Li suspected the woman in red was a Fractsidus Overseer.

• Yangyang told how General Geshu disappeared during the Norfall Barrens disaster and Jiyan led the Midnight Rangers to safety, later becoming Jinzhou’s general.
• Lu Li and the others discussed Jué choosing Jinhsi as Magistrate, and Yangyang said Jinhsi had been only thirteen or fourteen when appointed.
• A Piao said Jué had instructed them to go to the Norfall Barrens at a certain time and find Jiyan.
• Yangyang warned that the Norfall Barrens were dangerous, and A Piao noted that Fractsidus Overseers still lurked in Jinzhou.
• Lu Li suspected the woman in red was a Fractsidus Overseer because she had been able to boss Scar around.

Lu Li and the others sought a way to contact the Black Shores and decided to use the black-flower photograph to draw its members out. After learning Verina had gone to survey the hills behind Jinzhou, they headed there to find her.

• Lu Li proposed waiting for the Fractsidus to make its next move, then tried calling Encore to ask about the Black Shores, but the number was out of service.
• Lu Li suggested showing the black-flower photograph to attract Black Shores members, and the group went to the Antique Bonsai Shop to ask Verina about the flower.
• Granny Lin Su said she did not recognize the flower and explained that Verina had already left to survey the hills behind the city.
• Granny Lin told Lu Li that the Starflower Verina had given him showed she valued him, and directed the group toward the waterfall and hills.
• Lu Li and the others left the shop and headed toward Jinzhou City's plaza.

Lu Li and his companions enlisted Verina to recreate a mysterious black flower, then split up to investigate who was following A Piao. Outside Jinzhou, Lu Li came across a confrontation between the Returnee Mutual Aid Society and Fractsidus over a man, his daughter, and several puppets.

• Verina examined the flower photograph and created four matching black flowers with her Resonance Ability.
• Yangyang noticed scattered black petals and disturbed Flow, and A Piao volunteered to confront their pursuer.
• Lu Li, Yangyang, and Chixia split up to search for Black Shores members while Verina returned to the city.
• Lu Li wandered outside Jinzhou and found a red-haired woman from the Returnee Mutual Aid Society facing two Fractsidus members who threatened to kill her, Li Rong, and his daughter.

Lu Li encountered Yinlin after she defeated two Fractsidus members, then chose to join the Returnee Mutual Aid Society to complete a system task. Yinlin unexpectedly accepted him despite his nonsensical answers and left him unsure what the society actually did.

• Yinlin used her lightning-controlling creature to kill two Fractsidus members, then noticed Lu Li watching from the bushes.
• Lu Li introduced himself as Scar and told Yinlin he wanted to join the Returnee Mutual Aid Society.
• Yinlin questioned Lu Li about his reasons for joining and the value he could offer, but he gave absurd answers.
• Yinlin told Lu Li he had passed, completing the system's first option and earning him a Fated Coin.
• When Lu Li asked what the Returnee Mutual Aid Society did, Yinlin said he did not need to know and told him to do his job.