Chapter Summaries

Stelle dreamed that she was Cocolia and heard a strange voice speak of Eternity, then woke to find her baseball bat missing. Meanwhile, Ye Yan and Silver Wolf helped the Silvermane Guards defeat Fragmentum Monsters, and Ye Yan began his promised weapon modifications.

• Stelle dreamed she had become Cocolia and approached a Stellaron during the Eternal Freeze.
• A voice addressed Stelle and spoke of the Lord of Eternity and the “Book of Eternal Virtues,” before she woke in the Goethe Hotel.
• Stelle discovered her baseball bat was missing and despaired over losing her signature weapon.
• Silver Wolf used Ye Yan’s amber hammer to wipe out the Fragmentum Monsters at the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone.
• Ye Yan explained his visit and offered to modify the Guards’ weapons, while Gepard welcomed his help and introduced him to the front line.

Ye Yan upgraded Gepard’s instrument-case Bulwark with amber and the power of [Eternity], strengthening its defensive abilities and adding a hidden gun. The chapter left Gepard with a new weapon for protecting Belobog and its defenders.

• Gepard asked Ye Yan about Silver Wolf’s amber hammer, while Ye Yan examined the guards’ weapons and criticized the Bulwark’s limitations.
• Ye Yan used a toolbox and sparks to upgrade Gepard’s Bulwark with amber and the power of [Eternity].
• Ye Yan explained that the upgrade strengthened the Bulwark’s protection for Gepard and the Silvermane Guards.
• A concealed gun muzzle extended from the Bulwark, revealing its new ranged attack capability.

After Silver Wolf left Belobog, Ye Yan headed to Everwinter Hill to continue his plans. In Boulder Town, Silver Wolf and Sampo secretly watched High Seat Blake comfort cleric Lante, who had become infatuated with a portrait of Yaoshi and feared he had betrayed the Church of Eternity.

• Silver Wolf left Belobog after joking that the area ahead held a final boss, while Ye Yan went to Everwinter Hill and looked at the dormant Engine of Creation.
• Sampo returned to Boulder Town after escaping the Silvermane Guards' prison and warned Seele that his prison break could draw the Supreme Guardian's attention.
• Silver Wolf and Sampo hid in the Church of Eternity and listened as cleric Lante confessed that a painting of Yaoshi had stirred his desire for Idrila.
• Blake reassured Lante that the Church permitted love for anything except Nanook and the Antimatter Legion, then whispered a holy incantation to him.
• Lante declared himself clearheaded after repeating the incantation, while Silver Wolf and Sampo silently judged the Church's followers as lunatics.

Stelle tried to pray to the Aeon of [Eternity] to find her missing baseball bat, then discovered Ye Yan had borrowed it. Ye Yan quizzed her about [Eternity], and she faced one final question about the name “Milk Tea Demon.”

• Seele sarcastically dismissed Sampo after hearing his account and left.
• Unable to find her bat, Stelle tried several prayers to [Eternity], finally offering Ye Yan’s milk tea as a sacrifice.
• Ye Yan arrived at Stelle’s door with her baseball bat, apologized for borrowing it, and agreed to teach her how to grab things from a distance after she answered his questions.
• Stelle correctly answered Ye Yan’s questions about the Church of Eternity’s presiding head and Ms. Herta’s age.
• Ye Yan asked Stelle to explain exactly what “Milk Tea Demon” meant, leaving her sweating as she prepared to answer.

Stelle and the others emerged from the hotel under Ye Yan’s invisibility blessing and found Silvermane Guards surrounding it, with Bronya accusing them of conspiring with an escaped prisoner. Meanwhile, Ye Yan visited Clara and Svarog in the Mechanical Settlement, where Svarog had attacked him despite his attempt to offer milk tea.

• Stelle admitted she had barely learned the object-retrieval skill and was exhausted after practicing all night.
• Dan Heng noticed Silvermane Guards gathering outside the hotel, and the group went out to observe them while hidden by Ye Yan’s blessing.
• A guard announced that Bronya was waiting to apprehend the supposed infiltrators, and Bronya declared that they were plotting rebellion.
• A guard reported that the blue-haired prisoner had escaped, and Pela and Dan Heng suspected the group was involved in a jailbreak.
• Ye Yan met Clara and Svarog in the Mechanical Settlement, where Clara explained that Svarog distrusted people and had attacked him.

Ye Yan repaired Svarog and began trying to change his views, while Stelle and her companions struggled to clear their names after Bronya barred them from defending themselves. Cocolia convinced Bronya that the outsiders served the Aeon of [Eternity] and planned to overthrow Belobog’s faith in [Preservation].

• Ye Yan repaired Svarog, who reassessed him as no threat to Clara and agreed to communicate amicably with him.
• Ye Yan told Clara and Svarog that he knew them through the Aeon of [Eternity] and planned to help Svarog change his database.
• Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng appeared before the Silvermane Guards to explain themselves, but Bronya denied them a chance to speak, so they turned invisible and retreated.
• Dan Heng said Ye Yan had read their messages but not replied, while Stelle suggested they hide in trash cans.
• A guard reported that a blue-haired criminal had entered the Fragmentum, and Bronya considered whether the others had gone there too.
• Bronya recalled Cocolia claiming the outsiders served the Aeon of [Eternity] and intended to replace Belobog’s seven-hundred-year faith in [Preservation].

Ye Yan introduced Clara and Svarog to the Church of Eternity and discussed the Stellaron, while Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng followed Bronya into Backwater Pass. The trio was exposed after finding a Sampo plushie among unconscious guards, and Bronya accused them of conspiring against Belobog.

• Ye Yan shared the Church of Eternity’s teachings with Svarog, who concluded that its followers were companions worth befriending.
• Clara carried Ye Yan’s milk tea to distribute among the vagrants, while Ye Yan explained that Svarog could now discuss the Stellaron with him.
• Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng followed Bronya and the Silvermane Guards into the Fragmentum-corroded alleys of Backwater Pass.
• Bronya found her second squad unconscious beside a plushie resembling Sampo, and the trio’s invisibility spell wore off.
• Bronya accused the trio of aiding Sampo and said the Guardian believed they had fabricated their identities to undermine the Architects’ control of Belobog.

March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle fought Bronya and the Silvermane Guards before Sampo used a knockout gas to help them escape. Meanwhile, Cocolia followed the Stellaron’s plan to provoke the Aeon of [Eternity], and Sampo brought the travelers to Natasha’s clinic, where Stelle introduced herself as a believer in [Eternity] Yite.

• March 7th tried to explain that the Astral Express Crew had not insulted [Eternity] Yite, but Bronya ordered them to surrender, and Stelle and Dan Heng prepared to fight.
• The trio defeated most of the Silvermane Guards, but Bronya resisted until Sampo disguised himself as a guard and released knockout gas.
• Sampo was surprised that Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle were unaffected by the gas, then agreed to talk instead of fighting.
• Cocolia worried that slandering the Aeon might bring disaster, while the Stellaron urged her to destroy the old world and welcome the new world’s Eternity.
• Natasha treated Sampo’s injuries as he explained that he had brought Bronya and the four outsiders to the Underworld, hoping they could help [Wildfire].
• Natasha recalled Ye Yan’s visit and the strange objects he had shown her; at the clinic, Stelle introduced herself as the Galactic Baseballer and urged Natasha to believe in [Eternity] Yite.

Ye Yan watched the Underworld Fight Club before agreeing with Silver Wolf that he should fight and promote his Aeon. March 7th beat Hook at hide-and-seek to learn Ye Yan’s whereabouts, then arrived with Stelle and Dan Heng as Ye Yan prepared to face a robot squad in the ring.

• Silver Wolf suggested Ye Yan fight in the Club and promote his Aeon, and Ye Yan agreed.
• March 7th persuaded Hook to play hide-and-seek by promising to join The Moles and won with Stelle’s help.
• Hook told March 7th, Stelle, and Dan Heng that Ye Yan had returned to the Fight Club after visiting Clara.
• The group heard rumors about Ye Yan outside the Club, and Dan Heng suspected Sampo had invented his supposed history as a Silvermane Guard.
• Dr. Dig introduced Ye Yan, nicknamed the Little Black Dragon of the Abyssal Face, and announced his match against Svarog’s robot squad.

Ye Yan defeated the Automaton Soldiers in the Fight Club semifinals by teleporting them away, while Silver Wolf watched and remembered her humiliating run-in with the Church of Eternity. After reuniting with March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle, Ye Yan learned that Cocolia had branded them servants of [Eternity] and laughed when he heard how March 7th and the others had beaten Sampo.

• Ye Yan opened a digital gateway and sent the Automaton Soldiers to the Church of Eternity, winning the semifinal as the crowd cheered.
• Silver Wolf recalled her defeat by Presiding Seat Blake and the consolation bar of soap he had given her.
• Ye Yan left the Fight Club and reunited with March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle, who explained that their invisibility had failed and recounted their recent troubles.
• Stelle's mimetic compass detected Silver Wolf, forcing her to hide behind Ye Yan until the tracking stopped.
• Dan Heng told Ye Yan that Cocolia had summoned her and called the group evil servants of [Eternity] seeking to undermine Belobog.
• March 7th described how the group had beaten Sampo, and Ye Yan laughed at the thought of the amusement-seeker becoming the amusement.

Ye Yan’s group exposed Sampo’s fake injuries and persuaded him to lead them to Wildfire. At the Great Church of Eternity, Blake learned of Antimatter Legion activity and prepared to set out against them.

• Ye Yan and his companions returned to Natasha’s clinic, where Sampo said Bronya had beaten him after waking up.
• Dan Heng asked Sampo to take them to Wildfire, and Ye Yan tore off Sampo’s bandages to reveal that his injuries had healed.
• Sampo agreed to introduce the group to Wildfire as an apology to Natasha.
• Blake learned that the Intelligence Department had detected faint Destruction-related fluctuations near the Xianzhou Luofu and discussed the possibility of trouble there.
• The priestess reported a new Antimatter Legion signal, and Blake announced that he would set out at dawn to fight them.
• Blake had the priestess recite the Eighth Article of the Creed: kill the Antimatter Legion and beat up Destruction.

Sampo led Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Ye Yan through Boulder Town, where they encountered Seele and Bronya arguing over the Underworld’s plight. After Bronya apologized for her remarks and recognized the group’s power, she thanked Ye Yan for helping Belobog’s defenders, leaving March 7th surprised that something had happened the previous night.

• Blake and a priestess discussed striking back against those who slandered their god before a patrol knight announced that another oracle had descended.
• Sampo led the group to find Wildfire, where they saw Seele rescue Bronya from vagrants and then argue with her about the Underworld.
• Seele told the group that Wildfire’s chief was busy at the Great Mine and said they could find her at its entrance.
• Bronya apologized for insulting the Supreme Guardian in front of the group and explained that she had been ordered to arrest them.
• Bronya thanked Ye Yan for giving the front lines in the Restricted Zone a brief respite the previous night, surprising March 7th.

Bronya explained why Cocolia had accused Ye Yan and his companions of serving the Aeon of [Eternity], then agreed to work with them to uncover the truth. After meeting Oleg and arranging a visit to Svarog the next morning, the group returned to the Goethe Grand Hotel, where Ye Yan volunteered to keep watch overnight with Dan Heng.

• Bronya told Ye Yan and his companions that Cocolia had accused them of spreading [Eternity]'s influence and committing atrocities, and explained that she wanted to join them to find answers.
• The group met Oleg after helping resolve tensions between the vagrants and [Wildfire], and agreed to visit Svarog at the Mechanical Settlement the next morning.
• Svarog treated Ye Yan and his companions warmly, surprising [Wildfire], and left with Clara after the discussion.
• Oleg sent the group back to town to rest, while Ye Yan reflected on his shop and drank milk tea.
• At the Goethe Grand Hotel, Dan Heng proposed keeping watch, and Ye Yan agreed to share the duty with him.

Bronya volunteered for the night watch, and Ye Yan confronted Aha before speaking with her about Belobog's crisis. The chapter left Ye Yan offering the troubled Bronya a bedtime story as she struggled to understand Cocolia's decisions.

• Bronya volunteered to take the night watch, saying she had learned too much from Oleg to sleep.
• Ye Yan caught Aha's mask and punished the Aeon of Elation before sending it away with a cup of milk tea.
• Ye Yan met Bronya outside the Goethe Grand Hotel, where she asked him about the Stellaron and whether he could stop the Eternal Freeze.
• Bronya confessed that she doubted what Ye Yan had told her and questioned Cocolia's choices after seeing the Underworld's condition.
• Ye Yan offered Bronya milk tea, urged her to rest, and suggested telling her a bedtime story.

Ye Yan transported Bronya into memories of an elven planet devastated by the Swarm and introduced her to its surviving holy maiden. The memories ended with the royal city in ruins and the girl alone, while Ye Yan hinted that he had later raised her.

• Bronya told Ye Yan that Belobog's war had left its people in endless despair, and Ye Yan explained that tragedies like it were common across the universe.
• Ye Yan snapped his fingers and placed Bronya inside fragments of past memories, where she found a silver-haired girl kneeling among the aftermath of a battle.
• Ye Yan explained that the girl was the Aria Elf Clan's holy maiden, whose people celebrated their once-in-a-millennium festival and followed the teachings of an Eternity Pathstrider.
• A Swarm invasion overwhelmed the elves, devoured their people, and brought down their sacred tree as a planet-sized Star-Eating Borer appeared.
• The royal city collapsed, leaving the holy maiden as its sole survivor, and Ye Yan recalled that he had later taken her in and helped her grow.

Ye Yan explained to Bronya how the Swarm had remained after Tayzzyronth’s fall, while Tingyun awakened in the Church of Eternity after escaping Phantylia. Tingyun met Blake, who recognized the power of [Eternity] within her and prayed to Lord Yite after being called a Riddler.

• Bronya reflected on the disasters caused by the Antimatter Legion and the Swarm, and Ye Yan told her that the great Amber Lord had brought down Tayzzyronth.
• Tingyun woke in a church bedroom and recalled how her power had blasted Phantylia and the Antimatter Legion grunts away before she arrived on the unfamiliar planet.
• A priestess brought Tingyun breakfast, and Tingyun left her room to find Blake staging a ceremonial welcome in the cathedral.
• Tingyun recognized the cathedral’s hourglass from Ye Yan’s earlier description of the Church of Eternity.
• Blake sensed the power of [Eternity] within Tingyun, then prayed to Lord Yite for forgiveness after the priestess said he sounded like one of the Riddlers.

Tingyun recalled overhearing foreign archaeologists argue about Yite and the Church of Eternity, then explained her ordeal to Blake at the Great Church. Blake recognized the signs of a real Destruction threat and pledged to escort her home and mobilize the Church to aid the Xianzhou Luofu, just as the church dome’s stained glass began to crack.

• Tingyun wondered why Yite had saved her and remembered stories about the Aeons from Mr. Xiyan and Ye Yan.
• At the Sleepless Earl teahouse, Tingyun and Mengming overheard masked archaeologists debate whether Yite existed and discuss supposed relics tied to the Church of Eternity.
• The archaeologists persuaded the brown-haired skeptic to visit the Church, then left without paying their bill.
• At the Great Church of Eternity, Tingyun told Blake about the attack and mentioned the title [Lord Ravager].
• Blake linked the attack to [Destruction], promised to escort Tingyun home, and vowed to send the Church’s forces to aid the Xianzhou Luofu.
• A crack appeared in the church dome’s stained glass as Blake spoke.

Blake summoned the elven priestess Fulisina, who welcomed Tingyun to her church before Blake resumed discussing an escort to the Luofu and support for the Xianzhou. On Jarilo-VI, the Astral Express crew gained Wildfire’s support, while Bronya’s visit to Rivet Town deepened her despair over her inability to help the Underworld or preserve anything.

• Blake summoned Fulisina, whose dramatic arrival and declaration of Eternity caused the priestess beside him to faint; she then introduced herself to Tingyun as an accomplished elven priestess.
• Blake ignored Fulisina and returned to discussing escorting Tingyun to the Luofu and bringing an army to support the Xianzhou.
• March 7th woke at the Goethe Grand Hotel, and Ye Yan explained that Bronya had gone out alone after his bedtime story failed to help her sleep.
• Seele relayed Oleg’s message that Wildfire would unconditionally support the Astral Express crew’s plan, despite his doubts about it.
• Bronya told herself that she had volunteered to accompany Seele to Rivet Town for medical supplies, but the trip and what she had learned about the Underworld left her despairing over her inability to help or serve as Supreme Guardian.

Bronya recovered from her self-pity after Seele confronted her, while Ye Yan’s group prepared to visit Svarog. At the Church of Eternity, Fulisina recognized the Aeon’s blessing in Tingyun and offered the Church’s support, while Sampo met Silver Wolf before Ye Yan’s group arrived.

• Seele reminded Bronya of the Underworld’s hardships, and Bronya thanked her for helping her regain her resolve.
• March 7th questioned Ye Yan about screams the group had heard, but Seele led everyone onward to meet Svarog.
• Fulisina sensed the power in Tingyun and declared that the Church of Eternity would support the Xianzhou.
• Tingyun realized that the Aeon of [Eternity] might be on the Xianzhou, while Blake eagerly anticipated seeing THEM again.
• Silver Wolf discussed Blake and Ye Yan with Sampo, then disappeared shortly before Ye Yan’s group arrived.
• Sampo greeted March 7th and the others, complaining that they had not thought of him after he helped them the previous day.

Ye Yan took the Astral Express crew to the Mechanical Settlement, where they found he had brought Clara plenty of milk tea. On the Xianzhou Luofu, Blake realized Ye Yan had not rejected him, only to learn that Ye Yan had already left.

• Sampo offered to guide the group through the Mechanical Settlement, but Ye Yan opened a portal and took them there himself.
• Stelle recalled finding the trash-can-shaped Curio called the Gate of Myriad Paths in the Simulated Universe.
• Blake and Fulisina admitted that they knew Ye Yan was on the Luofu, and Tingyun revealed that he had left several days earlier.
• Blake realized Ye Yan's closed milk tea shop had not meant that Ye Yan had rejected him, and he celebrated.
• At the Mechanical Settlement, the group found milk teas arranged for Clara and commented on how much Ye Yan had given her.