Chapter Summaries

At the Mechanical Settlement, Svarog gave the group access to records about the Stellaron while Ye Yan and Sampo discussed Sampo’s promised reward. On the Xianzhou Luofu, Blake and Fulisina learned that Ye Yan had joined the Astral Express and fought over who would get to see him.

• Natasha revealed to the group that she was Wildfire’s real leader and that Oleg had acted as her representative.
• Svarog approved the retrieval of the highest-encryption Stellaron records as Bronya and Seele prepared to hear the truth.
• Ye Yan asked Sampo whether he could become the god of fun, and Sampo praised his potential as a candidate for the Aeon of [Elation].
• Blake told Tingyun and Fulisina that Ye Yan had defended the surrounding planets from the lord of [Destruction] and likely traveled with the Astral Express.
• Blake and Fulisina argued over who would accompany Tingyun and claim the sole chance to meet Ye Yan.

Tingyun tried to prevent Blake and Fulisina from fighting, but their soap-flipping ritual ended with a strange miracle that convinced them fate had chosen their path. Blake invited Tingyun to travel with the Church, while the Astral Express crew discussed the uneventful mission on Jarilo-VI and discovered a bar of soap in the parlor car.

• Tingyun left the church when Blake and Fulisina insisted on settling their dispute privately, then returned and found them flipping soap to decide who would accompany her.
• Ye Yan's voice spoke to Tingyun, and an unseen force made the soap stand upright, which Blake and Fulisina took as a sign from Lord Yite.
• Blake invited Tingyun to travel with the Church, and Fulisina agreed to accompany her back to the Xianzhou Luofu as a Church representative.
• Himeko and Welt discussed the reduced Fragmentum activity on Jarilo-VI and how Ye Yan had made Stelle's mission free of setbacks.
• A bar of soap rolled onto the floor of the Astral Express parlor car, catching Himeko and Welt's attention.

Blake Hale and Fulisina boarded the Astral Express, where Himeko and Welt learned they were seeking Ye Yan. Blake tried Himeko’s coffee and struggled to drink it, while Fulisina genuinely liked it.

• Welt shielded Himeko when the soap exploded, and Blake appeared amid the smoke with a powerful surge of Imaginary Energy.
• Himeko and Welt questioned Blake, who introduced himself as the sole Chair of the Church of Eternity and revealed Fulisina from hiding.
• Fulisina sensed Ye Yan’s traces aboard the Express, and Blake explained that they had come to find and invite him to visit the Church.
• Blake praised Himeko’s coffee despite nearly spitting it out, while Fulisina said it tasted good and suggested taking some back to the Church.

After learning that the Stellaron caused Jarilo-VI’s disaster, Bronya struggled with the collapse of her beliefs while the crew urged her to face the truth. Meanwhile, Blake and Fulisina arrived in the Administrative District seeking Ye Yan and the Church’s followers, but someone warned them that the Silvermane Guards were searching for them.

• Svarog’s records confirmed that Jarilo-VI’s leaders and its Guardians had concealed the Stellaron’s role in the disaster, and Dan Heng wondered why Cocolia had changed so drastically.
• Bronya questioned whether her beliefs had been lies, while Seele and March 7th comforted her and encouraged her to trust the crew.
• Ye Yan recalled how Aha and Akivili had sparked a civil war in the Church of Eternity, leading its believers to accept their differences as family, before he spotted two black meteors falling from the sky.
• Himeko and Welt confirmed that Ye Yan was on Jarilo-VI, and Blake gave them Church-made soap that could also be used as bombs.
• Blake and Fulisina entered the Administrative District in disguise; Fulisina sensed Ye Yan near the Goethe Hotel and felt drawn to the Perpetual Motion Workshop.
• Someone interrupted Fulisina and warned her that the Silvermane Guards were searching the city for her.

Blake and Fulisina took refuge in Serval’s workshop after learning the Silvermane Guards were searching for their companions, while Blake condemned Cocolia for slandering Eternity. In Boulder Town, the Astral Express crew prepared to search for the Stellaron, and Stelle revealed that she had been having dreams.

• Serval hid Blake and Fulisina in her workshop and explained that the wanted notice targeted their companions.
• Blake and Fulisina reacted with anger when Serval described the notice calling them “vile disciples of Eternity.”
• Serval said the wanted companions might be in the Fragmentum or the sealed Underworld, then offered Fulisina work at her workshop; Blake declined to help there.
• The Astral Express crew met at the Goethe Grand Hotel and discussed their plan to find the Stellaron, noting that its location and Cocolia’s changed attitude remained unexplained.
• Stelle told the group that she had also been having several dreams.

Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Ye Yan discussed Stelle’s dreams and the Stellaron before returning to Boulder Town without a clear answer. Meanwhile, Blake searched Rivet Town for Ye Yan, where he secretly overheard Seele and Bronya talking about Seele’s past.

• Dan Heng reasoned that Stelle’s dreams might be connected to the Stellaron and concluded that the Aeon of [Eternity] had not cast it down.
• Ye Yan urged the group to rest and think about the dreams the next morning, while March 7th complained that he avoided helping unless a crisis demanded it.
• Silver Wolf vented to Ye Yan about losing games, and Ye Yan praised her self-reflection as one of his Eight Virtues of the Aeon of Permanence.
• Blake arrived at the abandoned orphanage in Rivet Town, destroyed the Fragmentum Monsters around him, and hid when Seele and Bronya approached.
• Seele told Bronya about growing up in Rivet Town, being taken in by Chief Oleg, and learning from Natasha; Bronya called her difficult childhood wonderful before apologizing.

Bronya and Seele bonded over their hopes for reconciliation between the districts, while Bronya resolved to confront Cocolia about the hidden truth of the Stellaron. Blake introduced himself as the Church of Eternity’s chair, offered help against the Fragmentum, and departed as Bronya prepared to return to the Upper District.

• Bronya told Seele how constrained her upbringing had been, and Seele agreed to help her build a bridge between the Upper and Lower Districts.
• Bronya decided to ask Cocolia directly why she had concealed the truth and ordered outsiders who knew about the Stellaron to be hunted.
• Blake appeared before Bronya and Seele, introduced himself as Chair of the Church of Eternity, and gave them soap as a token of goodwill.
• Blake said he would not attack Cocolia and offered to clear the Fragmentum Monsters from the streets before leaving through a portal.
• Bronya gave Seele a letter for the outsiders and returned to the Upper District, while Seele promised to risk her life to save her if she faced danger.

Ye Yan and the others met with Seele and Sampo to discuss returning to the Upper District, where Bronya had gone ahead to confront Cocolia. Bronya left Stelle a letter explaining her decision and asking the group to contact the Landau siblings if anything happened to her.

• Ye Yan offered to take Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng back to the Upper District, while Seele explained that Bronya had already returned there.
• Seele said a blond man called the Church Chair had opened a portal and helped Bronya leave, alarming Sampo and confirming Dan Heng’s suspicions about Chair Blake.
• Ye Yan said he and Chair Blake got along well when Stelle asked if he knew him.
• Seele gave Stelle the letter Bronya had left for the group.
• March 7th read Bronya’s explanation that she planned to speak with Cocolia and her request that the group seek the Landau siblings’ help finding the Stellaron if anything happened to her.

Dan Heng’s group split up to meet the Landau siblings, with Dan Heng and Sampo heading toward the Restricted Zone and March 7th, Stelle, and Seele going to the Administrative District. Meanwhile, Bronya returned to Cocolia to explain what had happened and prove her resolve.

• Sampo told Dan Heng and March 7th what he knew about Gepard and Serval Landau, including Serval’s estrangement from her family and her workshop.
• Seele reported that Blake planned to clear out Fragmentum Monsters, and Ye Yan said he was on the front lines of the Restricted Zone.
• Dan Heng proposed splitting into two groups: he and Sampo would meet Gepard, while March 7th, Stelle, and Seele would meet Serval.
• Ye Yan opened Gates of Myriad Paths to the Restricted Zone and the Administrative District and gave the group an invisibility buff before they set off.
• Bronya recalled how Cocolia had comforted her the previous night, then entered the Guardian’s room the next morning, determined to explain herself.

Bronya confronted Cocolia about the Stellaron and the suffering in the Underworld, then followed her toward the truth as strange voices spoke to them. Meanwhile, Ye Yan’s group returned to the Upper District and entered the Neverwinter Workshop, where Ye Yan came face-to-face with Fulisina.

• Bronya challenged Cocolia’s orders and demanded to know why she had abandoned the Underworld and sent Silvermane Guards into the Fragmentum.
• Cocolia agreed to show Bronya the truth, and Bronya heard the Stellaron’s voice before a bell silenced it and an unfamiliar voice spoke of Eternity.
• Ye Yan, March 7th, Stelle, and Seele returned to the Administrative District and decided to visit the Neverwinter Workshop to investigate the cold.
• The group entered the workshop, where Ye Yan and Fulisina stared at each other in stunned silence.
• At the Restricted Zone’s front lines, Dan Heng recognized Blake.

Ye Yan reunited with Fulisina at the Neverwinter Workshop, where she revealed herself as the Emanator and founder of the Church of Eternity and tried to recruit Stelle. At the restricted-zone front, Blake confronted Dan Heng and Sampo with a bar of soap while Gepard and the Silvermane Guards watched in confusion.

• Ye Yan found Fulisina at the Neverwinter Workshop, where March 7th and Stelle mistook her for a possible Astral Express companion.
• Fulisina recognized Ye Yan as an Emanator of [Eternity] and praised him as resembling Lord Yite.
• Stelle's bat flew toward Fulisina, who caught it and declared Stelle qualified to join [Paradise] because she sensed the powers of [Destruction] and [Eternity] in her.
• Fulisina announced that she was the Emanator of [Eternity] and founder of the Church of Eternity, then insisted Ye Yan call her a holy maiden rather than a priest.
• Blake faced Dan Heng and Sampo at the restricted-zone front while holding a bar of soap, and Gepard and the Silvermane Guards struggled to understand their cryptic exchange.

Fulisina revealed herself as the Church's Holy Maiden, while Stelle introduced Ye Yan as the Milk Tea Aeon. Serval believed the crew's account of the Underworld and explained how her research into the Stellaron had led to her expulsion, leaving her to wonder whether Cocolia was still herself.

• Fulisina claimed the Holy Maiden's title, and Ye Yan explained that an Emanator of Eternity could become one.
• Stelle introduced Ye Yan as the Milk Tea Aeon, prompting Fulisina to take offense at the nickname.
• Serval arrived at the workshop and listened as the crew described the Underworld, the Stellaron, and Bronya's letter.
• Serval said the Architects had discovered the Stellaron's connection to the Fragmentum but concealed their findings.
• Serval explained that Cocolia had expelled her before she could investigate the Stellaron in person.
• Serval recalled that Cocolia had changed after becoming Supreme Guardian and wondered if the real Cocolia had disappeared.

Serval joined the group as they planned to reach the Stellaron, while Ye Yan revealed he had already won Gepard over. As the group prepared to head for the restricted zone, Silver Wolf arrived and overheard a familiar voice.

• Serval noticed Dan Heng was missing, and March 7th explained that he had gone to find Gepard on the front lines.
• Ye Yan told Serval that he had improved Gepard's weapon, and Serval explained that the Stellaron was likely in the northern snowfields beyond the restricted zone and Fragmentum.
• Ye Yan offered to teach March 7th a derivative of the Gate of Myriad Paths, while Fulisina accepted his milk tea.
• Stelle revealed that a Stellaron was inside her body, and the group decided to find the Stellaron before confronting Cocolia.
• Silver Wolf entered the restricted zone to fight Fragmentum Monsters and overheard a familiar voice talking about soap and the Church's kindness.

Blake captured Silver Wolf, Sampo, and Dan Heng, then tried and failed to recruit Silver Wolf into the Church of Eternity. Meanwhile, Ye Yan’s group crossed the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone toward the Fragmentum, with Ye Yan preparing to open a Gate of Myriad Paths.

• Blake bound Silver Wolf, Sampo, and Dan Heng with invisible threads after Gepard left, and Silver Wolf angrily admitted she had come to play on her own.
• Blake invited Silver Wolf to join the Church of Eternity, but she refused, prompting him to drop to his knees in sorrow.
• Ye Yan, Fulisina, Stelle, March 7th, and Serval passed unseen by the Silvermane Guards, while Fulisina obeyed Ye Yan after he stuffed red sausages into her mouth.
• Serval explained that the route north crossed a mechanical bridge leading into the Fragmentum, which the group would have to pass through.
• Ye Yan said he would use his Gate of Myriad Paths instead of searching for the bridge’s control terminals, and Stelle recalled losing to him in games despite his poor skills.

Ye Yan and Fulisina discussed visiting Paradise and Fulisina explained how a mysterious book had inspired her holy-maiden persona. At the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, Gepard agreed to help the group reach the snowfields, and Fulisina invited him to join the Church of Eternity.

• Ye Yan told Fulisina the Astral Express would reach the Church in three jumps, and promised to see the Paradise she and Blake had prepared.
• Fulisina recounted how a book with chuuni instructions had led her to recite grandiose phrases to Ye Yan, and Ye Yan told her to send Tingyun safely back to the Xianzhou Luofu.
• March 7th and Stelle discussed their expectation of negotiations turning into fights while Serval and Seele talked about resisting Cocolia and saving Bronya.
• At the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone, Serval told Gepard she would stand with the others, and March 7th showed him Bronya's letter.
• Gepard explained that he would not oppose the group and offered the Silvermane Guards' help crossing the corrupted Fragmentum, though he refused to rely on outsiders for strength.
• Fulisina praised Gepard's spirit and invited him to join the Church of Eternity.

Serval, Gepard, and the others prepared to confront the Fragmentum and find the Stellaron, while Fulisina revealed her plans for Cocolia and Jarilo-VI. When the Restricted Zone gates burst open, they discovered Blake and Dan Heng already fighting the monsters outside.

• Serval reflected on how Gepard had protected her and decided to speak with him before heading out.
• Serval told Gepard she intended to find the Stellaron and hoped Cocolia could return to her former self, while Fulisina said she would grant Cocolia new life and leave the details to Blake.
• Gepard warned the group that the monsters beyond the Restricted Zone gates would overwhelm the Silvermane Guards and leave the visitors to fight alone.
• The gates suddenly exploded open, and Blake and Dan Heng appeared outside, battling a huge stream of Fragmentum Monsters.

Blake and Dan Heng fought Fragmentum Monsters while Ye Yan and the others watched, and Blake staged a dramatic collapse after noticing Ye Yan’s reaction. Stelle rushed to his side, only to realize the blood was ketchup.

• Blake released Silver Wolf, then took Dan Heng to fight Fragmentum Monsters while using bound Sampo as a shield.
• Blake hurled soap at the monsters as Dan Heng tested Cloud-Piercer’s new abilities, and Stelle recorded the battle.
• Ye Yan and the others arrived, and Blake noticed Ye Yan’s expression before making himself fly backward with an exploding bar of soap.
• Stelle cradled the apparently dying Blake and mourned him, but she noticed his blood smelled like ketchup.

Ye Yan’s group defeated the Fragmentum Monsters while Blake pretended to be dead, and Serval stayed behind with Gepard to guard him. The others entered the Fragmentum maze in search of the Stellaron, where Fulisina invited Stelle to join the Church of Eternity and Stelle asked for Credits.

• Gepard, Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, Seele, and Serval fought the Fragmentum Monsters while Blake lay unconscious and Sampo complained that everyone had forgotten him.
• After the battle, Serval decided to stay with Gepard and Blake, while Ye Yan’s group set out to find the Stellaron before Cocolia noticed.
• Stelle revealed that she had a Stellaron inside her, and Serval entrusted the mission to the group.
• Ye Yan’s group entered the Fragmentum maze, where Dan Heng reasoned that the Stellaron was likely in the snowfields north of Belobog.
• Fulisina said she was beginning to understand the power of Eternity and invited Stelle to join the Church of Eternity.
• Stelle accepted the invitation and asked the Church to bestow Credits, prompting Fulisina to condemn the pursuit of money.

Fulisina used her staff to clear Fragmentum Monsters from the snowfield, where the group discovered echoes of a conversation between Bronya and Cocolia about the Stellaron and a promised new world. When the echo declared that [Eternity] would return to [Destruction], Fulisina shattered her milk tea cup.

• Fulisina summoned her staff and transformed the snowfield, trapping Fragmentum Monsters in miniature hourglasses inside ice crystals.
• Fulisina offered the cleared snowfield as a token of the Church of Eternity's sincerity, and Ye Yan noticed two remaining afterimages nearby.
• Seele, Stelle, and the others approached the afterimages and heard Bronya ask Cocolia where they were.
• Cocolia told Bronya that the ruins had once been Belobog's northern border and said the Stellaron would make them the cradle of a new world.
• Bronya questioned whether Cocolia believed the Stellaron, but Cocolia said it had preserved hope and promised they would witness a new world.
• The afterimage declared that [Eternity] would return to [Destruction], and Fulisina shattered her milk tea cup.

Ye Yan and the Astral Express Crew listened to Cocolia’s lingering projection explain her rejection of the Architects and her plans for a new beginning, but Ye Yan destroyed the projections when they began to affect March 7th. Stelle then repeated the Stellaron’s messages, revealing that Bronya was likely bait, and the group prepared to rescue her.

• March 7th and Stelle tried to stop Ye Yan and Fulisina from reacting to Cocolia’s projection, while Dan Heng suggested they keep listening to Bronya and Cocolia’s conversation.
• Cocolia’s projection argued that the Guardians had been shortsighted and that she would choose a new beginning rather than repeat their mistakes.
• Bronya asked why Cocolia had called the outsiders villains of Eternity, and the projection’s reply left March 7th dazed until Ye Yan snapped the images away.
• Ye Yan asked Stelle to reproduce the voices from her dreams, and she repeated messages that warned of Eternity and called Bronya dangerous.
• Seele concluded that the Stellaron knew the crew was coming and Bronya was likely bait, but vowed to save Bronya and destroy the Stellaron.
• Fulisina promoted the Church of Eternity, and the group set out to rescue Bronya.