Chapter Summaries

Chen Lun developed and tested new Pale Hand techniques after absorbing Nature Faction knowledge, creating Snake Parasite and demonstrating its destructive power. He implanted it in Golov, Barton, and Morey for a test, leaving them uncertain about what would happen next.

• Chen Lun reshaped his Pale Hand snakes into realistic giant pythons and accidentally blasted a huge crater into the garden while testing their combined strength.
• Chen Lun restored the damaged garden with Restoration and spent the afternoon refining his abilities.
• Chen Lun created Snake Parasite, a seed that could kill or protect its host by releasing white snakes, then tested it on an owl and observed its effects.
• Chen Lun summoned Golov, Barton, and Morey to test Snake Parasite on them, implanted it with a quick motion, and confirmed it was done.

Chen Lun perfected Snake Parasite and equipped the Circus members with protective parasites, then respected Connie’s choice to remain ordinary and opened his collection of mystical books to the team. As winter brought port closures, rising prices, and protests to Peacock City, the Circus faced a worsening situation in the city.

• Chen Lun refined Snake Parasite into three grades and implanted a powerful version in every Circus member, including Connie.
• Connie declined Chen Lun’s offer to become a Transcendent, explaining that she feared the mystical world and wanted to remain human; Chen Lun accepted her decision, and the others promised to protect her.
• Chen Lun shared his collection of mystical and mythology books with the team, and Maggie found new inspiration in the books on her faction.
• On December first, snow and freezing waters shut down Peacock City’s east district port, while the slaughterhouse closure drove up food prices and residents took to the streets in protest.

Chen Lun attended a charity auction hosted by the Harrington Family and the Simon Family, bringing Fuluoyin and deciding to donate money to help Peacock City's poor. After discovering officials from the Containment Bureau and True God Churches were present, he sent a small snake to eavesdrop on their gathering.

• Huoyiner and Tracy invited Chen Lun to the charity auction, and he agreed to attend.
• Chen Lun dressed formally and took Fuluoyin to the banquet in Peacock City.
• Huoyiner and Tracy welcomed Chen Lun and Fuluoyin, then escorted them to a private box.
• The auction began, and Chen Lun decided to contribute to the relief effort while observing the guests.
• Chen Lun sent a small snake into the neighboring box to listen in on the Containment Bureau and True God Churches.

At a charity banquet, Chen Lun learned that major supernatural powers were competing for the True God Church seat left vacant by the Red Apple Church. After receiving a mandatory Murder Club assignment to hunt the Red Apple Church, he considered helping the Club win the seat and gaining its rewards and protection.

• Amos asked Mobus whether the Hailing Group could melt the ice in Peacock City's eastern harbor, and Mobus said he needed support from his superiors.
• Abigail explained that the True God Church election was drawing the Hailing Group's attention, and Chen Lun realized the competition had begun earlier than he remembered.
• Abigail said the Nature Church and the Mutual Aid Society were among the factions seeking the vacant seat, while Mobus hinted that the Hailing Group supported the Nature Church.
• The banquet attendees sensed Spirit World fluctuations from Chen Lun's private room, and the Faceless Attendant delivered him a letter ordering all Murder Club members to hunt the Red Apple Church.
• Chen Lun read that the Murder Club would reward contributors and expel members who refused, then considered helping it win the seat for the benefits to himself and his alias, Joko.

Chen Lun decided to bring the Circus into the conflict between the Murder Club and the Black Knife Brotherhood, then spent the charity banquet with Froy. The chapter ended with him applying lipstick to Froy as she felt her devotion to him deepen.

• Chen Lun burned the letter, decided the Circus should make its official debut, and received Froy’s unconditional support.
• Chen Lun recognized two senior investigators disguised as waiters and told them to give his regards to their team leader, Amos.
• Chen Lun bid 1,000 Gold Pounds on Tracy’s custom lipstick, then accepted it from her after the auction.
• Chen Lun told Froy that his heart had room for only her and gave her the lipstick.
• Chen Lun applied the lipstick to Froy, who felt her devotion to him grow.

After sharing an intimate moment with Froy at the auction, Chen Lun acquired a Mysterious Book containing Deep Sea Faction knowledge. A Containment Bureau team leader then told him Mona had recommended him for the Empire Tribunal, leaving Chen Lun to consider the opportunity while preparing to fight the Red Apple Church.

• Froy and Chen Lun shared a kiss and embraced after she asked whether she was pretty.
• Chen Lun bought an old bookcase and discovered among its books a Mysterious Book about the Deep Sea Faction’s Sequence 8 knowledge.
• Chen Lun left the banquet early with Froy, and Containment Bureau Team Leader Amos approached him outside the carriage.
• Amos told Chen Lun that Mona had recommended him for the Empire Tribunal and that his candidacy depended on accomplishing further deeds for the Empire.
• Chen Lun said he would do his best and mentioned his plans to lead operations against the Red Apple Church, though he preferred the freedom of building the Murder Club into a True God Church.

Chen Lun sent Jack’s Circus to hunt the Red Apple Church across Rock State’s ten Red Calamity Zones, and the team entered its first quarantined city. As hundreds of fallen believers pursued their carriage, nearby players watched in disbelief while the coachman remained calm.

• Chen Lun told the Circus about his plans, and his companions pledged to help destroy the Red Apple Church’s supernatural forces.
• Two days later, Fuluoyin presented Jack Spade’s team credentials to Aodimang, who let the Circus pass through the barricade into the quarantine zone.
• Fuluoyin announced that Jack’s Circus would hunt the Church in the city and then travel through all ten Red Calamity Zones in Rock State.
• Aodimang hoped Jack’s arrival might save the city from the Red Apple Church, which had overwhelmed the Containment Bureau.
• Independent players defeated two fallen believers and discussed the dangers and rewards of fighting in the Red Calamity Zone.
• The players saw hundreds of fallen believers chasing the Circus’s carriage while its coachman calmly smoked.

Chen Lun’s Circus traveled through Rock State’s Red Calamity Zone, drawing players’ attention as the carriage’s weapons and Maggie’s poison killed pursuing Fallen Believers. When Red Apple Church clerics blocked their way, Chen Lun led his companions into battle, leaving the fight raging as players watched.

• Maggie’s green smoke killed hundreds of Fallen Believers pursuing the carriage, while Golov’s red threat rating led players to identify him as one of Jack’s men and follow the Circus.
• Inside the carriage, Chen Lun praised Maggie’s growing strength and planned to clear Rock State’s Red Calamity Zones before sending information to the Round Table Knight Council at a critical moment.
• Golov reported that Red Apple Church clerics were blocking the road, and Chen Lun ordered the Circus to prepare for battle.
• Chen Lun led Fuluoyin, Noah, Maggie, Antonio, Golov, Barton, and Morey against the clerics while Connie and Alexis remained in the carriage with the Black Crystal Craft Puppets.
• Fuluoyin attacked with a giant scythe, Noah prepared to support the team, Maggie summoned her mad bull, and Antonio transformed into a massive fighter as the Circus overwhelmed the church forces.
• The bishop lost an arm to Antonio and nearly fell to Maggie’s bull, while players arriving at the scene watched the battle in shock.

Jack’s forces overwhelmed the Red Apple Church in battle while he watched from a distance. The red-robed bishop was engulfed by their attacks, and the watching players were left wondering why the Church called Jack a vampire bleeding it dry.

• Connie stopped Alexis from leaving the carriage, reminding him of Jack’s orders and the Black Crystal Craft Puppets guarding it.
• The Black Crystal Craft Puppets killed players who tried to approach the carriage, prompting the other onlookers to abandon thoughts of stealing from it.
• The Blind Girl, Maggie, and Noah defeated several priest ghouls, while Golov, Barton, Morey, and the puppets killed the Red Apple Church’s Monks.
• The red-robed bishop fought Antonio and accused Jack of bleeding the Church dry after recognizing several of its treasures among Jack’s allies.
• The Blind Girl, Maggie, Noah, the gunmen, and the puppets surrounded the bishop and buried him under their attacks as Jack watched.

Chen Lun’s Circus cleared Red Apple Church strongholds across Rock State, earning growing renown as the Containment Bureau praised their work. As the Circus arrived in Songsha City, a Faceless Attendant brought Chen Lun news that the Murder Club had lost many members after its all-out hunt directive.

• Chen Lun ordered the Circus to destroy the Red Apple Church in a city, and the Containment Bureau’s Aodimang learned that the church had been wiped out.
• Over the next week, Jack’s Circus cleared Red Apple Church branches in nine cities and twenty-four towns, raising Chen Lun’s regional renown to 56.
• Chen Lun led the Circus toward Songsha City and warned his companions that the main city’s Red Calamity would be more dangerous.
• A Faceless Attendant appeared inside the carriage, and Chen Lun stopped the Circus members from treating him as an enemy.
• The Faceless Attendant told Chen Lun that many Murder Club members had left after the Round Table Knight Council ordered an all-out hunt against the Red Apple Church.

Chen Lun arrived at Songsha City to help fight the Red Calamity and learned that the Red Apple Church was contained inside a dangerous domain. He agreed to cooperate with the Containment Bureau and Moon Church, but refused to work alongside the Black Knife Brotherhood.

• The Faceless Attendant rewarded Chen Lun with wine, money, mystical substances, and Sequence 8 knowledge for three paths.
• Chen Lun and his team reached the isolation zone, where acting Adjudicator Coleridge introduced him to Bishop Tobine and Black Knife leader Roxanne.
• Roxanne called Chen Lun the Spade Knight and implied that he was the fugitive Joko, but Coleridge and Tobine stopped their subordinates from confronting him.
• Coleridge explained that the Red Apple Church's forces were trapped inside the Nightfall Domain, which weakened mystical powers and prevented people from entering or leaving.
• Chen Lun agreed to cooperate against the Red Calamity but said he did not want to operate alongside the Black Knife Brotherhood.

Chen Lun and Bishop Tobine led their group into the Nightfall Domain to support the fight against the Red Apple Church, while Coleridge and Roxanne battled the church’s forces at a sacrificial plaza. The Red Apple Church trapped both groups and sent Rose Team to intercept Chen Lun’s party, while Roxanne and the Black Knife Brotherhood disappeared ahead.

• Coleridge split the forces into two groups, and Tobine gave everyone sand from the Moon Church’s Silent Night Quicksand to protect them from the Nightfall Domain.
• Chen Lun ordered his Circus companions to kill the Black Knife Brotherhood if they acted suspiciously, then followed Tobine’s group into the fenced-off district.
• Tobine warned Chen Lun that he sensed ill intentions from Roxanne and her assassins as the group approached the cathedral district.
• Chen Lun’s group found Coleridge and Roxanne fighting Red Apple Church forces at a bloodstained sacrificial plaza, where a ritual unleashed corrosive blood rain.
• A swarm of bats flew toward Chen Lun’s group, and Rose Team appeared behind them to block their escape.
• Coleridge realized the Red Apple Church had ambushed the reinforcements, but Roxanne and the Black Knife Brotherhood vanished, claiming they would go ahead and help.

Chen Lun faced the Red Apple Church, the Black Knife Brotherhood, and the Rose Team in the Nightfall Domain, splitting his allies to hold off the other groups while he challenged the Red Apple Bishop. The chapter ended with Chen Lun impaling the Bishop through the heart after losing an arm, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Chen Lun’s card attack badly wounded the Red Apple Church’s Priests, while the Bishop survived by transforming into a Ghoul.
• Chen Lun sent Fuluoyin, Noah, Anton, and the Craft Puppets to fight Roxanne’s Black Knife Brotherhood, and asked Bishop Tobine to hold off the Rose Team.
• Chen Lun declared he would handle the Red Apple Church’s forces and said, “Ten minutes,” before flying to confront the Bishop.
• Fuluoyin’s group struggled against Roxanne, and the Faceless Attendant sent a warning to the Round Table Knight Council.
• Chen Lun fought the Bishop and five Priest Ghouls in the air; after the Bishop tore off his left arm, Chen Lun drove the Silver Sword into the Bishop’s heart.

Chen Lun fought the bat-winged bishop while aiding his Circus allies and using strange abilities to overwhelm the bishop and the Ghoul priests. After the bishop recovered from Chen Lun’s crushing attack, Chen Lun warned him and the priests that something had been placed inside them, and the bishop suddenly screamed in pain.

• The bishop’s claw strike appeared to be redirected into a Ghoul priest, and Chen Lun’s severed arm regenerated as the priest died.
• Chen Lun’s transformed arm exploded among the other Ghoul priests, then he teleported behind the bishop and devoured one of the wounded priests.
• Chen Lun healed Fuluoyin and the other Circus members with red cards while continuing to battle the bishop.
• Chen Lun battered the bishop with Pale Hand and Pale Snake Pillar, driving him into a crater despite the bishop’s powerful regeneration.
• Chen Lun asked whether the bishop and priests felt something extra inside them, and the bishop screamed in agony.

Chen Lun killed the Red Apple Church bishop with Snake Parasites and Death-Burning Fire, then arrived to confront Roxanne while Fuluoyin, Antonio, and Noah held her off. Roxanne faced Chen Lun as he warned that the ten minutes were nearly up.

• The bishop and five priests were consumed by the Snake Parasites Chen Lun had planted in them, and Chen Lun beheaded the bishop.
• Chen Lun burned the bishop's head with purplish-red fire, revealing to the dying bishop that Jack was connected to Spade Knight Joko.
• Fuluoyin, Antonio, and Noah used the Snake Parasites Chen Lun had given them to endure Roxanne's attacks and keep fighting her.
• Chen Lun appeared before Roxanne carrying the bishop's burning head, and she questioned how quickly he had arrived without injuries.
• Chen Lun told Roxanne that it was her turn and that the ten minutes were almost up.

Chen Lun defeated Homa Rotov’s Saint avatar before Round Table Knights Mulenga and Peggy arrived, then learned more about the conflict between the Black Knife Brotherhood and the Murder Club. The chapter ended with Chen Lun asking why Higher Beings used avatars.

• Chen Lun’s Pale Knight form overwhelmed Homa Rotov’s avatar, and Homa threatened him before Peggy exposed the Attached Finger recording device.
• Mulenga and Peggy arrived, praised Chen Lun, and Peggy destroyed the finger that could have sent information to Homa’s true body.
• Homa warned that the Death Twin Stars would escape confinement, then destroyed his avatar; Chen Lun received the kill reward and Homa’s mystical substance.
• Peggy gave Chen Lun her token, while Mulenga and Peggy explained that the Black Knife Brotherhood worshipped the Death Twin Stars and opposed the Murder Club’s King of Slaughter.
• Chen Lun learned that the Death Twin Stars had emerged from the remains of the fallen Bone-Burying Old Man, then asked Mulenga and Peggy why Higher Beings used avatars.

Chen Lun learned that Higher Beings could create Avatars, then warned Mulenga and Peggy that the Twilight Tea Party was backing the Black Knife Brotherhood in its bid for the vacant True God Church seat.

• Mulenga and Peggy explained that Creating Avatars was a power unique to Higher Beings and made them difficult to kill.
• Peggy said the Round Table Knight Council's members kept their true bodies hidden and used Avatars in the Mortal World.
• Chen Lun told Mulenga and Peggy that a third party was helping the Black Knife Brotherhood compete for the vacant True God Church seat.
• Chen Lun identified the Twilight Tea Party as the faction backing the Black Knife Brotherhood.