Chapter Summaries

Li Xiang and Lillian surveyed the harem while gathering fruit, looking for gaps in its strict guard routines. Shrike caught Li Xiang wandering, escorted her back to her hut, and left intrigued by her.

• Li Xiang and Lillian used fruit gathering as cover to observe the harem's layout and guard rotations.
• Li Xiang searched the lanes for gaps between guard shifts while noticing the other girls' vacant expressions.
• Li Xiang collided with Shrike, who blocked her attempts to pass and grabbed her arm.
• Li Xiang claimed she had lost her way, but Shrike insisted on escorting her back to her room.
• Shrike walked away from Li Xiang's hut, then stopped to gaze at its closed door with growing interest.

With Revival Fluid ingredients nearly exhausted, Senku’s team built a remote-controlled mechanical mouse to carry a message into the harem and revived Chrome and Ukyo Saionji from recovered statue fragments. Kohaku caught the mouse during a patrol distraction, but the chapter ended before she could read its message.

• Senku explained that the cave had enough ingredients for only two more batches of Revival Fluid and said the team needed to contact the infiltrators to search for platinum.
• Senku and Grandpa Fossil built a remote-controlled mechanical mouse, while Gen, Nikki, and Soyuz restored Chrome and Ukyo Saionji from fragments.
• Senku secured a message inside the mouse, and Gen and Little Watermelon sent it toward Kohaku and Ginro near the harem.
• Ginro distracted Daran by pretending to be lost, giving Kohaku a chance to catch the mechanical mouse.

Li Xiang and Kohaku learned from Senku that platinum was hidden in the Harem’s central tree and began planning to retrieve it. After Lillian suggested Shrike liked Li Xiang, Li Xiang remained convinced he was provoking her and vowed to kick him once the mission was over.

• Kohaku delivered Senku and Gen’s message to Li Xiang, revealing that Ukyo and Chrome had been revived and that platinum was hidden in the Harem.
• Kohaku told Li Xiang that something was sealed inside the largest tree at the Harem’s center, where the platinum was likely kept.
• Li Xiang, Kohaku, Lillian, and Ginro agreed that the women would distract the guards while Ginro sent the platinum and Mechanical Mouse out to coordinate with Senku’s group.
• Ginro described how guards had harassed him, and Li Xiang advised everyone to avoid fights while protecting themselves from unwanted advances.
• Lillian suggested Shrike liked Li Xiang, but Li Xiang insisted he was picking fights and vowed to kick him after the mission.

Ukyo Saionji and Chrome woke from petrification in makeshift leaf coverings while Senku’s group discussed the platinum hidden in the Harem and the unknown Petrification Device. That night, Li Xiang and Kohaku tried to break open its hiding place but were nearly caught, forcing them to retreat and wait for another chance.

• Ukyo Saionji and Chrome revived naked except for leaf coverings, and Ukyo made rough clothes from vines, bark, and fibers.
• Chrome and Nikki went to gather food while Senku, Gen Asagiri, Ukyo, and Soyuz discussed the infiltration team and the need to understand the Petrification Device.
• Senku said he had sent the team a secret message confirming platinum was hidden in the Harem, while Kirisa secretly began watching Lillian because she seemed suspicious.
• Li Xiang and Kohaku sneaked to the great tree at night and tried to break open its rusted compartment with stones.
• After a guard heard them and thrust a spear into their haystack hiding place, Li Xiang twisted aside with Kohaku and avoided being struck.
• Li Xiang and Kohaku decided to pause their plan until security relaxed, then slipped back to their room unharmed.

After security tightened across the Harem, Thorn questioned Kirisa about its affairs, and Kirisa concealed the suspicious outsiders he had noticed. He began secretly following Li Xiang and her companions, but Li Xiang caught him and teased him, leaving him flustered.

• The Harem doubled its security after the commotion at the main tree, frustrating Li Xiang and her companions.
• Thorn reported to the silent chief that he had expanded the Harem selection and added several beautiful candidates.
• Kirisa told Thorn that the Harem was peaceful, though he had noticed suspicious outsiders and chose not to report them.
• Kirisa began secretly watching Li Xiang, Kohaku, Ginro, and Lillian in hopes of uncovering something suspicious.
• Li Xiang realized Kirisa was following her, stopped in a deserted corridor, and caught him when he bumped into her.
• Li Xiang teased Kirisa by suggesting he wanted to sleep in her room, then left him embarrassed and flustered.

Li Xiang and Kohaku stole platinum from the central tree while Ginro distracted Xudi, and their message brought the precious metal back to Senku’s group. Back in the Harem, Li Xiang proposed that she and Ginro distract the guards and higher-ups by seducing them, and Ginro reluctantly agreed.

• Li Xiang and Kohaku recruited Ginro as a lookout and sneaked beneath the central tree to break open its platinum cache.
• Xudi stopped Ginro and invited him to the Rear Courtyard Garden, where Ginro kept him occupied while Li Xiang and Kohaku retrieved platinum.
• Chrome caught the Mechanical Mouse carrying the platinum and Li Xiang’s message, and Senku confirmed they had enough metal to make Revival Fluid in batches.
• Ginro returned to the shared room, where Li Xiang proposed that they attract the guards’ attention so Kohaku and Lillian could work undisturbed.
• Ginro reluctantly agreed to try Li Xiang’s plan to seduce the guards and higher-ups.

Li Xiang tried Lillian’s advice for winning someone over, but her attempt to appear weak ended with her splitting a chopping block in front of Shrike. When Shrike later brought her flowers and invited her on a picnic, she accepted, leaving the two of them with a budding date planned.

• Li Xiang asked Lillian for advice and learned to act vulnerable, play innocent, and keep someone guessing.
• While pretending to be weak as she chopped firewood, Li Xiang split both a log and the chopping block, and Shrike found her.
• Shrike took the axe and finished the firewood while Li Xiang abandoned her first attempt at the advice.
• Shrike returned with a bouquet of flowers and told Li Xiang he thought they suited her.
• Shrike invited Li Xiang to a picnic on Back Mountain, and she agreed.

Li Xiang went on a picnic date with Shrike, following Lillian’s advice while trying to understand his intentions and strengthen her position. She affirmed that she wanted to survive and reunite with her friends, while Shrike listened and showed genuine approval, leaving their relationship on a warmer note.

• Li Xiang prepared for her date with Shrike, carrying food and fruit in a bamboo basket.
• Shrike met Li Xiang at the alley and carried her basket as they walked along a woodland path, asking about her life and what she wanted.
• At a flower-filled clearing on Back Mountain, Li Xiang told Shrike that she wanted to live peacefully with her friends and would keep them close in her heart.
• Li Xiang reflected on how Senku and her other companions had become like family, and Shrike was captivated by her sincerity.
• Shrike questioned how Li Xiang could fulfill her hopes while trapped in the Harem, and she declared that she would survive and reunite with the people she loved.
• Shrike accepted Li Xiang’s resolve with genuine approval, and they resumed their picnic.

Li Xiang survived a frightening encounter with Thorn, then met Ginro to exchange intelligence and learned that Thorn had ordered the Harem’s women to take turns personally attending their absent master. The order left Shrike and Kirisa worried about Li Xiang, though she was merely distracted.

• Shrike escorted Li Xiang back to her courtyard, while Thorn secretly watched them and identified her as an intruder.
• Li Xiang glimpsed Thorn in the shadows and hurried inside, then spent the night trying to calm herself.
• Li Xiang met Ginro, who complained that Xudi had repeatedly touched him, and they wondered why the Harem’s leader remained unseen.
• An emergency bell summoned the Harem’s residents to the plaza, where Thorn announced that the women would take turns attending their lord, starting with the first south-side courtyard.
• Shrike and Kirisa saw Li Xiang staring blankly and mistook her distraction for fear, while Li Xiang remained unconcerned.

Senku and the Science Kingdom revived Tsukasa and built oxygen tanks so they could reach the deep seabed and recover their companions’ statue fragments. Tsukasa joined the effort despite discovering that part of his hair was missing, and the group prepared to begin the underwater recovery.

• Gen Asagiri, Ukyo, Nikki, and Watermelon explained that the remaining statue fragments lay too deep underwater to retrieve without oxygen tanks.
• Chrome suggested building equipment that would let them breathe underwater, and Senku praised his idea.
• Senku used the platinum to make Revival Fluid and revived Tsukasa, the only companion whose statue had been fully reassembled.
• Senku organized the construction of high-pressure oxygen tanks, and Tsukasa and Nikki helped fill them with compressed oxygen.
• The group completed three oxygen tanks, and Tsukasa discovered that the hair on the left side of his head was half-length because Gen Asagiri could not find all the missing fragments.

Tsukasa, Chrome, and Nikki retrieved petrified fragments from the seabed, and the group painstakingly reassembled and revived their companions. Senku organized the reunited Science Kingdom into teams, which began quietly reducing the guards around the Harem.

• Tsukasa led Chrome and Nikki in clearing rocks from the seabed and retrieving petrified fragments while Ukyo and Watermelon kept watch on shore.
• The group assembled the fragments into complete statues, and Senku used Revival Fluid to awaken the companions, with Taiju waking first.
• After learning that Kohaku, Li Xiang, and the others were still in the Harem, the newly awakened companions prepared for battle.
• Senku divided the group into reconnaissance, attack, and logistics teams, with Homura, Watermelon, and Gen Asagiri scouting, and Hyoga, Tsukasa, and Nikki attacking.
• The reconnaissance team tracked guard patrols, while Tsukasa and Hyoga silently captured isolated guards and hid them, thinning the Harem's perimeter defenses.

Shrike followed the Harem guards’ kidnappers to a hidden cave and discovered that Senku and the others had returned from petrification. After confessing that he liked Li Xiang and offering to keep their secret, he hesitated when Senku asked whether he would fully abandon his faction for her.

• Shrike noticed that many Harem guards had disappeared and waited overnight to catch whoever was taking them.
• Tsukasa, Hyoga, and Senku’s team subdued guards and carried them along a hidden path to a secluded cave, with Shrike secretly following.
• Shrike entered the cave and found Senku, Gen, Ryusui, Nikki, and many others alive despite having been petrified.
• When the group surrounded him, Shrike demanded a one-on-one fight, but Yuzuriha stopped the confrontation to ask about Li Xiang and the others.
• Senku’s group tied Shrike up, and Shrike surrendered, promising not to tell Thorn what had happened.
• Shrike admitted that he liked Li Xiang, then fell silent when Senku asked whether he would abandon his faction completely for her.

Shrike admitted that he wanted to follow Li Xiang and promised to protect her and the others inside the Harem. After learning that Thorn had ordered every woman to attend to him in turn, Senku released Shrike and prepared the group to move against the Harem soon.

• Shrike told the group that meeting Li Xiang had made him want to leave his old life and seek the freedom she represented.
• Nikki doubted Shrike’s sincerity, while Little Watermelon argued that he could help protect Li Xiang, Kohaku, and the others.
• Shrike promised to guard the women from the shadows and revealed Thorn’s order that each woman take a turn attending to him.
• Senku released Shrike after warning him to keep his promises and protect their people until the assault on the Harem.
• Shrike left the cave, and Gen and Ryusui welcomed him as an ally who could strengthen the Science Kingdom and guide them through the Harem.

Thorn ordered the women of the Harem to prepare performances, and Li Xiang decided to make a bamboo flute for hers. After Shrike brought her the tools and fresh scallions she requested, she finished the flute by hand, ready for the talent show.

• Thorn ordered every woman in the Harem to prepare a talent and perform on a newly built stage coordinated by Kirisa.
• Li Xiang settled on making an instrument for her act and asked Shrike to provide tools and fresh scallions.
• Li Xiang selected bamboo, cut and smoothed it, then carefully measured and drilled the flute's finger holes.
• Li Xiang fitted a scallion's inner membrane over the bamboo flute's membrane hole and finished the instrument.

Li Xiang discovered that Shrike had secretly joined the Science Kingdom, ending her anxious effort to keep him from being exposed. The group then focused on stabilizing their infiltration and making Kirisa their next target.

• Chrome planted packets of purified petroleum on hidden roof beams while Homura and Gen Asagiri kept watch.
• Li Xiang spotted Gen Asagiri and hurried away with Shrike, then ran into Kohaku and Lillian as Gen and Ryusui approached.
• Gen Asagiri revealed that Shrike had switched to the Science Kingdom's side, and Li Xiang scolded everyone for keeping it from her.
• Li Xiang stopped pretending, tugged Gen Asagiri's ear, and told the group to focus on their work.
• Li Xiang said their priority was to keep the situation stable and get Kirisa under control.

Li Xiang and her companions performed at Thorn’s Harem talent show, where Li Xiang’s bamboo flute performance drew thunderous applause. The group withdrew to a secluded corner to celebrate, but someone suddenly opened the door and let in a rush of cold air.

• Lillian performed a gentle melody, and Kohaku followed with a graceful dance that caught Thorn’s lustful attention.
• Ginro impressed the audience with a spirited spear routine despite his delicate appearance.
• Li Xiang played “Red Dust Inn” on her bamboo flute, captivating the audience and earning thunderous applause.
• Kohaku praised Li Xiang, and Li Xiang promised to play for her again after everything was over.
• The group gathered in a secluded corner, where Shrike gave Li Xiang wildflowers and Gen Asagiri teased Ginro about his performance.
• Someone pushed open the door behind them, and cold air rushed into the corner.

Kirisa arrived to compliment Li Xiang’s flute performance, but Tsukasa restrained him after he discovered the group hiding in the Harem. Li Xiang challenged Kirisa’s loyalty to the chief, and he agreed to hand over the Petrification Device and explain how it worked, leaving Thorn and his soldiers as the Science Kingdom’s remaining opponents.

• Kirisa entered the room seeking Li Xiang, then noticed Shrike, Kohaku, Ginro, and others before Tsukasa tied him up.
• Kirisa accused Shrike of betraying the chief, while Shrike said he cared only about living happily on his own terms.
• Li Xiang asked Kirisa for the Petrification Device and its operating principles, then questioned whether he served the chief or the ideals he once believed in.
• Kirisa reconsidered his obedience after recalling the girls imprisoned in the Harem and agreed to give Li Xiang the device, on the condition that the Science Kingdom protect innocent girls and island natives.
• Kirisa explained that the device could control the range and timing of petrification, and promised to retrieve it that night.
• Shrike warned that Thorn was dangerous, while Ryusui declared that the Science Kingdom would defeat him and his soldiers.

Kirisa prepared to hand the Petrification Device to Li Xiang’s group, but Thorn summoned him and demanded the device for himself. Thorn took it and revealed he planned to set traps for the “clever rats” in the Harem, leaving Kirisa fearing for Li Xiang and her companions.

• Kirisa left Li Xiang and the others, then returned to his quarters with the Petrification Device hidden on him.
• A guard summoned Kirisa to Thorn, whose questions about the performance and Li Xiang’s instrument made Kirisa uneasy.
• Thorn demanded the Petrification Device, and Kirisa reluctantly handed it over to avoid exposing his betrayal.
• Thorn announced he would use the device to set traps for the clever rats in the Harem, then dismissed Kirisa.
• Kirisa left Thorn’s quarters in a cold sweat, worried about what would happen to Li Xiang and her companions.

Senku ordered the Science Kingdom team to prepare for battle but remain on standby as Tsukasa and the others infiltrated the Harem to meet Kohaku’s group. After the team regrouped and Ginro reunited with Kinro, Kohaku discovered that Li Xiang was missing, leaving everyone alarmed.

• Senku gave the Science Kingdom team Revival Fluid and ordered them to stay at the village base until they had the Petrification Device or further instructions.
• Tsukasa, Hyoga, Nikki, Ryusui, Yo, Kinro, Little Watermelon, and the others infiltrated the Harem and gathered in a secluded hut with Kohaku and Homura keeping watch.
• Kohaku said Kirisa had agreed to find a chance to bring them the Petrification Device, and she left to notify Ginro and Li Xiang.
• Ginro reunited with Kinro, who initially failed to recognize him and was startled by his appearance.
• Kohaku found Lillian and returned with her, but she and Shrike could not find Li Xiang anywhere in the Harem.
• Kohaku told the group that Li Xiang was missing, and everyone became alarmed.

Thorn recognized Li Xiang as one of the outsiders and had her summoned, exposed, and chained inside his residence. He left to deal with the others, leaving Li Xiang captive and waiting for a chance to escape as Senku’s group prepared for battle.

• Thorn recovered the Petrification Device and ordered a guard to bring him the black-haired, black-eyed woman from the performance.
• Li Xiang followed two guards to Thorn’s residence, where he stared at her and accused her of pretending to be someone she was not.
• Thorn summoned soldiers, who chained Li Xiang’s wrists and ankle to a pillar.
• Thorn told Li Xiang he would return after dealing with the outsiders, then left her alone in the room.
• Li Xiang assessed her chains and tried to conserve her strength, expecting Senku’s group to notice she was missing and come looking for her.