Chapter Summaries

Lin Yuan discussed crafting the Explore the Sea cannon with the Moge Golem, who explained how equipment ranks worked and revealed the cannon’s exceptional potential. Lin Yuan decided to craft it with his available materials before facing Crawler 9527, even though it could not reach its true double A-rank form.

• Lin Yuan asked the Moge Golem about Explore the Sea, and the golem became excited when it learned he had the Blueprint.
• The Moge Golem explained that Lin Yuan’s C-rank bone and wood, combined with a D-rank Transcendent Core, were enough to craft a B-rank Explore the Sea.
• The Moge Golem outlined the Transcendent rank system, from A+ and double A-rank to S-rank and true Authority Holders.
• The Moge Golem warned that a double A-rank Explore the Sea was the true beginning of the cannon series and could eventually become a racial divine artifact.
• Lin Yuan decided not to wait for the rare materials needed for a double A-rank cannon and planned to craft Explore the Sea as a trump card before facing Crawler 9527.

Lin Yuan forged the cannon "Explore the Sea" from materials that could advance in rank, and the Moge Golem hinted that the weapon could eventually reach Double A-rank. After Lin Yuan equipped it, he fired its first shot at the Moge Golem, preparing to obtain the Academy Legacy.

• Lin Yuan explained that the Bone Material, Tree of Life wood, and Great King Puppet Octopus core used in "Explore the Sea" could advance in rank, astonishing the Moge Golem.
• The Moge Golem said no known metal could advance in rank, but suggested Lin Yuan could still make "Explore the Sea" Double A-rank after obtaining the Academy Legacy.
• Lin Yuan forged the ornate dragon-shaped cannon and learned it was B-rank Limit Transcendent Equipment that added 8,500 strength and produced one round every 24 hours.
• Lin Yuan moved his other cannon to make room for "Explore the Sea" in a weapon compartment, then fired the new cannon at the Moge Golem.

Lin Yuan defeated the Moge Golem and received the Artisan Academy legacy, the Divine Artisan Core. After bidding farewell to Moge, he learned that the Core could transform an artisan-type production machine into a Divine Artisan Forge, but it needed to be installed quickly to prevent it from fusing with nearby objects.

• The Moge Golem congratulated Lin Yuan, entrusted him with the Academy Legacy, and advised him about upgrading Explore the Sea and completing the New World blueprints.
• Lin Yuan asked Moge for his real name so he could make a gravestone, but Moge refused and continued chatting with him.
• Moge reminisced about Blue Star and his teacher before his light faded and his head dissolved back into the Divine Artisan Forge.
• Lin Yuan found the forge's mechanism, opened it, and waited for its red-hot core to cool before collecting the Divine Artisan Core.
• Lin Yuan examined the Core in the Treasure Collection Room and learned it could create a Divine Artisan Forge, improve metal components, and might unpredictably fuse with nearby objects if left alone.

Lin Yuan installed the Divine Artisan Core aboard the Lin Yuan and began improving Explore the Sea while keeping his strength unchanged. As he and Lilia headed back, they heard a battle nearby and found Rose, Rock Bear, and other players fleeing from the Academy's Dean puppet.

• Lin Yuan fused the Divine Artisan Core with the production machinery, creating a Divine Artisan Forge that began improving Explore the Sea through forging.
• Lin Yuan confirmed that storing Explore the Sea in the forge did not lower his strength and decided to leave with Lilia.
• Lilia called Lin Yuan Ordinary Captain because he was no longer a noob, and Lin Yuan wondered about her mysterious origins.
• Lin Yuan and Lilia heard a battle while retracing their route, so Lin Yuan drew the Holy Hall Light Blade and went to cut through the room's wall.
• Rose, Rock Bear, and a group of players fled from a short, scholarly-looking puppet who was the Academy's Dean.

Rose and Rock Bear coordinated an attack on the Dean Puppet, but it survived Rock Bear’s blow and threatened them both. Lin Yuan burst through the wall and knocked the puppet down, then entered the room and asked where the boss was.

• Rose and Rock Bear took cover from the Dean Puppet’s gunfire and planned a joint attack.
• Rose used Charm to disrupt the Dean Puppet’s aim, creating an opening for Rock Bear to strike.
• Rock Bear smashed the Dean Puppet into the floor, but it escaped with gun recoil and aimed at Rose and Rock Bear.
• Lin Yuan cut through the wall and kicked a steel panel into the Dean Puppet, knocking it down.
• Lin Yuan entered the room, saw the players staring at him, and asked where the boss was.

Lin Yuan rescued Rose and Rock Bear from the Dean Puppet, then tested his newly increased strength against its armored second form. As he toyed with the boss, Rose learned that Lilia served under Lin Yuan and resolved to become strong enough to stand by her side.

• Lin Yuan apologized for kicking the steel plate too far, but the Dean Puppet emerged from beneath it and transformed into a suit of exoskeleton armor.
• Rose and Rock Bear declined Lin Yuan's offer to let them fight the boss, and Rose explained that they had been trying to escape.
• Lin Yuan trapped the charging Dean Puppet in a corner and defended against its attacks to practice using his new strength.
• Lilia joined Rose and Rock Bear and revealed that Lin Yuan was her captain, not an ordinary crew member.
• Rose resolved to become strong enough to stand beside Lilia, while Lilia thought Lin Yuan might someday gain supreme power.

Lin Yuan defeated the Dean Puppet and activated the Artisan Academy Central Controller with Rock Bear’s energy block and the Dean’s Token. He discovered the controller could manage much of the academy and found an option to enter students’ final exam results.

• Lin Yuan tested his strength against the Dean Puppet, then split it in half with the Holy Hall Light Blade and survived its explosion unharmed.
• Lin Yuan introduced himself to Rock Bear and Rose as Zero and asked how to power a tablet dropped by the puppet.
• Rock Bear supplied an energy block, and Lin Yuan inserted it along with the Dean’s Token to activate the Artisan Academy Central Controller.
• Lin Yuan examined the controller’s access privileges and used it to browse puppet controls, production plans, and academy maps, while learning some areas were beyond his authority.
• Lin Yuan found the student roster and teaching and examination records, including the option to enter students’ final exam results.

Lin Yuan used his highest control authority to pass every player in the Academy Entrance Exam and received his own Badge. This fulfilled the conditions for the Bronze Thirteen Artisan Academy Instance to end early, and as he left with Rock Bear and Rose, he learned that exceptional players could be marked as seeds of Paradise.

• Lin Yuan changed every player's assessment result to Passed, triggering the system to issue Badges to those without them.
• Lin Yuan received a passing Badge and considered upgrading Explore the Sea and building a Level Four Hull.
• The system announced that all players had passed and all locations had been explored, ending the Instance early and opening its boundary.
• Lin Yuan left the labyrinth with Rose, Rock Bear, and their companions, then agreed to add Rose and Rock Bear as friends.
• Rock Bear explained that exceptional players could be marked as seeds of Paradise, facing greater challenges in exchange for greater rewards.

Lin Yuan learned more about system-marked Seed players from Rose, then discovered that the Instance Boundary remained after the system announced the Instance was over. He suspected the original boundary had vanished and a new one had appeared, leaving the cause of the expanded boundary unresolved.

• Rose told Lin Yuan that major organizations competed to train potential Seed players, who might avoid following an organization's prescribed Transcendent Path.
• Lin Yuan and the others emerged from the tunnel and found players waiting outside because the Instance Boundary had not disappeared.
• A passerby told Rock Bear and Lin Yuan that the boundary had moved about a kilometer beyond the harbor, allowing players to board their ships but not leave the Instance.
• Lin Yuan wondered whether the original Bronze Thirteen Artisan Academy Instance Boundary had disappeared and a new boundary had formed in its place.

Lin Yuan deduced that the Crawlers had trapped the players inside the Academy with a second barrier, then planned to use artisan puppets to build a bridge so he could attack it. Just as he was about to give the order, the Academy Controller reported an unfamiliar lighthouse nearby.

• Lin Yuan questioned a passing player and concluded that the barrier around the Academy was not the Instance’s original boundary and had likely been created by the Crawlers.
• Lin Yuan told Rose and Rock Bear his theory, then wondered whether the missing organizations’ teams had discovered the Crawlers’ plan.
• Lin Yuan decided to break the barrier himself but realized he had no ship and could not safely board another player’s vessel.
• Lin Yuan used the Academy Controller to plan a temporary bridge to the barrier, with the puppets able to build it in fifteen minutes.
• The Academy Controller reported a lighthouse one kilometer from shore that had not previously existed and was not an Academy structure.

Lin Yuan and the players investigated a giant lighthouse that had appeared beside the Artisan Academy, suspecting it might be connected to a Crawler and the barrier. As they approached, they discovered the lighthouse distorted space and realized its four sides might correspond to the four final Route Instances.

• Lin Yuan learned that 115 players not listed as Academy students were at the lighthouse and led Rock Bear, Rose, and the others to investigate.
• The group climbed the Academy wall and saw the enormous lighthouse, its floating searchlight, and the many ships docked around its base.
• Lin Yuan decided to approach the lighthouse by bridge rather than return to the Academy entrance and sail there, and puppets rapidly built a Temporary Bridge.
• As the group neared the lighthouse, the empty space around its base expanded while the docked ships appeared to compress, leading Rose and Lin Yuan to identify spatial distortion.
• Lin Yuan connected the lighthouse's four directions to the four final Route Instances leading from Paradise to the Gate of Departure.

Lin Yuan concluded that the lighthouse linked the four final Instances and let players reach their shared spatial node, then led his group to its top. There, they met players from other Instances, but the Crawlers and Air Force Bro were nowhere to be seen.

• Lin Yuan theorized that the lighthouse was the center where the four final Instances overlapped and that the Crawlers had sent an avatar there to influence them all.
• Lin Yuan led his group across the bridge to the lighthouse, where they found an empty island and a single entrance.
• Inside the tower, Lin Yuan found a large elevator with destinations corresponding to the other three final Instances and selected the tower top.
• The elevator carried Lin Yuan and his group through the lighthouse's warped spaces to its top, where many players had gathered and were waiting.
• Rock Bear greeted Crazy Tiger, while other players expressed surprise at Rose's transformation.
• Lin Yuan searched for familiar players but found no sign of Air Force Bro.

Lin Yuan learned that Bai Ling had been investigating the strange tower platform and reappeared there with an injured Howling Wolf. The chapter left him reunited with Bai Ling as she and her group emerged from a spatial gate.

• Lin Yuan noticed that familiar members of major organizations were absent and wondered whether they were coordinating across all four Instances.
• Rock Bear introduced Lin Yuan to Crazy Tiger as the person who had soloed the hidden boss, and Crazy Tiger said the major organizations had disappeared from the other Instances as well.
• Crazy Tiger explained that the players were waiting for Bai Ling, who had detected a problem on the platform and vanished while investigating it.
• A beam flashed above the platform, and Bai Ling, Howling Wolf, and his team appeared in its center.
• Howling Wolf sat down injured and drank a potion while Bai Ling muttered solemnly beside him, and Lin Yuan recognized her from Rubber Island.

Bai Ling’s attempt to deal with a powerful monster had left Howling Wolf injured, and she secretly regretted misjudging the danger while other players praised her supposed foresight. When Lin Yuan and Lilia arrived, Bai Ling misread Lin Yuan’s greeting as a veiled instruction and realized he might help her face the threat.

• Rock Bear and Mad Tiger asked Howling Wolf about his injuries, and he explained that the cramped space had made it impractical to bring them along when he confronted the monster.
• Bai Ling berated herself for underestimating the monster and worried that she had no plan, even as the other players praised her calculations.
• Lin Yuan greeted Bai Ling, and she recognized him as the terrifying being she knew as Zero.
• Lilia greeted Bai Ling, whose Inspiration sensed that Lilia, Lin Yuan, and the Coffin shared powerful, mysterious connections.
• Bai Ling interpreted Lin Yuan’s greeting as a reminder to cooperate with him and keep his identity secret.
• Lin Yuan asked what Bai Ling had been doing near the light, and Bai Ling realized he might help her escape the situation she believed offered certain death.

Bai Ling explained that the lighthouse was only the spatial hub and that the hidden source of the warped Instances was tied to a powerful light monster. Lin Yuan learned that Retainer 9527 was likely behind the trap, then followed Bai Ling into the hidden passage to confront the monster.

• Bai Ling told Lin Yuan that the lighthouse was not the control hub and that the source of the spatial distortion was hidden elsewhere.
• Bai Ling explained that the lighthouse’s light was connected to the hidden source and that a monster could lead them to the being behind the barrier.
• Lin Yuan identified Retainer 9527 as the likely mastermind and warned Bai Ling that the Crawler was strong and had a high-level supernatural treasure.
• Bai Ling led Lin Yuan and Lilia through a concealed spatial passage by stepping along a specific route, and Lilia briefly lost sight of Lin Yuan after stepping off course.
• Bai Ling warned Lin Yuan that the light monster was ahead, and Lin Yuan entered first while Bai Ling followed.
• On the platform, Howling Wolf reassured Crazy Tiger and Rock Bear that Bai Ling must have a plan as she disappeared with Lin Yuan and Lilia.

Howling Wolf, Crazy Tiger, and Rock Bear watched Bai Ling and Zero’s team confront the light monster, and the controlled beam across the sea proved Bai Ling’s prediction right. After Howling Wolf and Crazy Tiger drank Dragon-Head Dog’s Saliva and could only bark, Rock Bear barked at Rose too, revealing his feelings for her.

• Crazy Tiger doubted Bai Ling’s prediction and bet Howling Wolf that she would fail, offering Dragon-Head Dog’s Saliva as the stake.
• Crazy Tiger noticed Rock Bear staring at Rose, and Rock Bear insisted that he admired her as a warrior.
• Rock Bear bet that Zero would defeat the light monster in a minute, while Howling Wolf predicted the fight would take at least half an hour.
• A steady beam swept across the sea, showing that Bai Ling and Zero’s team had brought the light monster under control.
• Crazy Tiger and Howling Wolf drank Dragon-Head Dog’s Saliva and barked when Rose approached them.
• After Rose playfully asked whether the men wanted to be her dogs, Rock Bear barked too, startling Howling Wolf and Crazy Tiger.

Lin Yuan used the Eyeball Snake’s beam to break the Spatial Barrier and reveal the lighthouse’s Observation Deck, earning the other players’ admiration. As the beam swept across the sea, something appeared in the distance.

• Rose considered recruiting Rock Bear, Crazy Tiger, and Howling Wolf to help her survive the dangers beyond the Gate of Departure and support Lady Lilia.
• Little Black’s cannon blasted the Eyeball Snake out of Lin Yuan’s shadow, but its speed kept Lin Yuan from catching it.
• Lilia stopped the Eyeball Snake by making it crash into the Coffin, and Bai Ling explained how its beam could reveal the person behind the Spatial Rift.
• Lin Yuan squeezed the Eyeball Snake and swept its beam through the mist, exposing the Observation Deck and ending the Spatial Barrier.
• The players watched Lin Yuan in astonishment as Rock Bear’s people praised his deeds, and Lin Yuan’s beam revealed a change over the distant sea.

Lin Yuan and Bai Ling exposed Retainer 9527’s hidden island and confronted him across the sea. As the Artisan puppets built a bridge toward the island, Lin Yuan discovered that the Crawler was distorting space to keep them away.

• Bai Ling used her cracked turtle shell to locate the crystal hiding Retainer 9527’s island, and Lin Yuan illuminated it to reveal the island.
• Retainer 9527 appeared, spoke to Lin Yuan and Bai Ling through the beam of light, and flooded the sea between them with black mud.
• Lin Yuan ordered the Artisan Academy’s puppets to build a bridge toward the island while the players prepared to advance.
• The puppets’ bridge failed to get closer as Retainer 9527 stretched the distance through space, and Lin Yuan realized the Crawler could distort space at will.

Lin Yuan learned that Retainer 9527 was stretching space at the cost of his life and had been sent after him by Wayne Drake, the Oathbreaker. After Retainer 9527 revealed that the major organizations had secretly escaped, Lilia reported seeing Research Institute 3154 waiting on a strange boat, reminding Lin Yuan of the box Wind-Ear had given him.

• Bai Ling sensed that Retainer 9527 was burning through his life, body, and Transcendent Power to keep the space stretched, so Lin Yuan realized the Crawler meant to take them all down with him.
• Lin Yuan coaxed Retainer 9527 into naming Wayne Drake as the person who had punished him and stripped away his future, but a phantom severed hand projected from the crystal calmed the Crawler and restored his hostility.
• Retainer 9527 said he had secretly let the major organizations leave through the Gate of Departure, and Lin Yuan told Bai Ling that their teams might already have fled.
• Lilia told Lin Yuan she had seen the Research Institute man in a white coat, Old Three, waiting on a strange boat while holding something.
• Lin Yuan remembered that Wind-Ear had given him a box to open when he saw Research Institute 3154.

Lin Yuan used the Sea Route Compass to help the major organizations reveal their ships and join their compasses’ power, flattening the spatial distortion between the lighthouse and Crawlers’ island. With the route cleared, he led the players across the newly built bridge to confront Crawlers.

• Lin Yuan opened the metal box and found a Sea Route Compass, then gave it to Bai Ling to identify the direction it pointed.
• Bai Ling guided Lin Yuan’s light toward Research Institute 3154, whose compass helped reveal the ships of the major organizations and their players.
• The compasses’ golden light joined together, restoring Crawlers and his island to view and flattening the distorted space between the island and the lighthouse.
• Lin Yuan ordered the puppets to dismantle their crooked bridge and build a straight one toward Crawlers’ island.
• Lin Yuan crushed Eyeball Snake, then led Bai Ling, Rose, Rock Bear, Crazy Tiger, Howling Wolf, and the other players onto the bridge to confront Crawlers.