Recaps

After earning a perfect entrance-exam score, Xie Yu was drawn into a struggle involving a murderous mage, a fate-substituting artifact, and powerful officials. He gained 3-0771’s loyalty and prepared to use it against Wig Brown while Yize investigated unfairness in the exam.

• Xie Yu used his ability to befriend objects to persuade the exam paper to reveal answers and lend him ink, then completed a perfect exam despite its barriers against commoners.
• Xie Yu met Doctor Kaiming, joined his clinic as an assistant, and learned that Kaiming’s teacher Wig Brown was a dangerous spirit mage who had killed students.
• Wig Brown used a fate-substitution talisman to take Kaiming’s identity, but Xie Yu recognized the impostor and bluffed his way into taking Sealed Artifact 3-0771 and Kaiming’s cane.
• Fry brought Xie Yu to Minister Yize and the provincial education officials, who sheltered him because his perfect score had attracted powerful attention.
• Xie Yu learned that Wig Brown had killed Kaiming and agreed with 3-0771 to punish him, while the cane explained the conflict between noble factions and efforts to give commoners access to magic.
• Xie Yu chose to avoid Wig Brown’s funeral after Yize warned him of the risks, but raised 3-0771’s favorability to 100 and permanently activated its magic.
• Xie Yu discovered a Flame Gold-Melting Potion concentrate hidden in Kaiming’s cane, while Yize confirmed his score and secured resources for his education.
• Xie Yu ordered 3-0771 to study magic, obey him unconditionally, kill Wig Brown, and fly back on its own, as Yize revealed that advanced exam questions favored another province.