Recaps

Xilǐ'er and the Soul Returner learned that escaped test subjects had exposed the Stained Ones across Yiluo'en Province, then questioned Bishop Alter about Hibiscus Town. After they left for Golden Leaf City to meet the archbishop, Alter entered another secret passage.

• The Soul Returner tested Bishop Alter with a code phrase, and Alter’s confusion convinced him that the bishop was not a Stained One.
• Alter explained that escaped test subjects from White Sand Town had formed a group of nearly a hundred, whose raids and rescue attempts had exposed the Stained Ones throughout Yiluo'en Province.
• Alter revealed that Hibiscus Town had been the site of a prison break and showed the two emissaries the collapsed tunnel beneath the church.
• Xilǐ'er reassured Alter that the Son of God punished the Stained Ones and agreed to postpone the question of Alter’s submission until they learned the archbishop’s position.
• Alter gave Xilǐ'er and the Soul Returner a map, watched them ride toward Golden Leaf City, and then entered a secret doorway in his study.

After suspecting Alter was hiding something beneath Hibiscus Town’s church, [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] and Xilǐ'er doubled back and broke into his study. Alter meanwhile brought several dozen youths out of a hidden underground refuge, then heard the pair crash into the church.

• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] told Xilǐ'er that Alter’s behavior seemed overly theatrical and suggested he was concealing a secret in the church’s collapsed underground prison.
• Xilǐ'er agreed that Alter might be suspicious but said they should first force the archbishop in Golden Leaf City to take a stance.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] persuaded Xilǐ'er to race back to Hibiscus Town and catch Alter off guard.
• Xilǐ'er and Radish charged through the town and hurled [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] through a window into Alter’s study before following him inside.
• Alter led several dozen youths out of a hidden passage and asked whether they had stayed away from a forbidden door.
• As Alter stepped out of the passage, he heard two crashes from inside the church.

Bishop Alter admitted that Hibiscus Town was the rebels’ main base and that he was their leader after Xilǐ'er and [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] confronted him. When Alter took Xilǐ'er's staff, Ed's gaze fell upon him, compelling him to answer truthfully.

• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] held a saber to Alter's throat, and Xilǐ'er demanded that the bishop reveal what he had concealed.
• Alter admitted that the youths were rescued children, then confessed that Hibiscus Town was the rebels’ main base and that he was their leader.
• A tall, thin boy asked whether the visitors were Stained Ones and defended Alter, so the bishop closed the hidden passage and spoke with the two envoys alone.
• Xilǐ'er gave Alter a wooden staff that Ed had enchanted to draw his gaze whenever someone outside the Second Holy See's creations or Xilǐ'er touched it.
• Ed's gaze pressed upon Alter, and the bishop began answering the envoys' questions.

Alter confessed that he had discovered the clerics’ abuses in Hibiscus Town and secretly became the Stained Ones’ protector. He led Xilǐ'er and the Soul Returner through the underground passage to show them proof of what happened to the captured rebels.

• Alter recounted how an intruder revealed a hidden door, leading him to discover the clerics’ abuses and the children imprisoned beneath the church.
• Alter said he rescued the children, captured the Stained Ones in town, and secretly sheltered them while they organized their activities.
• Xilǐ'er questioned why Alter distrusted the Second Holy See, and Alter admitted that he had lied about the archbishop recalling the Stained Ones to Golden Leaf City.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] accused Alter of killing the captured Stained Ones, but Alter invited him and the knight to follow so he could prove what happened.
• Alter reassured the boys in the underground hideout and led Xilǐ'er and the knight past the empty cells to the door at the end of the tunnel.

Alter revealed that he had imprisoned nineteen Stained Ones in a basement for nearly two years, and the Soul Returner and Xilǐ'er condemned his treatment as too lenient and wasteful. The Soul Returner began explaining the Second Holy See’s plans for punishing the prisoners, starting with a labor facility where their Symbiotic Trees could be removed.

• Alter led the Soul Returner and Xilǐ'er into a dark basement, where they found nineteen emaciated Stained Ones chained and pinned to the walls.
• Alter explained that he had imprisoned them for nearly two years and that their Symbiotic Trees had rooted into the stone, keeping them alive while leaving them unable to move.
• The Soul Returner and Xilǐ'er both said the punishment was too lenient and wasteful, and Xilǐ'er offered to contact the Son of God and execute the prisoners.
• The Soul Returner stopped Xilǐ'er and said the Second Holy See had prepared three destinations for the Stained Ones, then described the High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant as a labor facility for less serious offenders.
• The Soul Returner explained that the Son of God could command Symbiotic Trees to leave their hosts, and Alter listened closely to learn the Son of God's intentions.

Alter learned about the Second Holy See and, convinced by the Soul Returner’s account of Ed’s origins and policies, declared Hibiscus Town part of the Second Holy See. Ed contacted Xilǐ'er through the staff and settled the town’s arrangements, leaving the knight to tell Alter and the Soul Returner that everything was settled.

• Alter asked about the Second Holy See’s destinations and heard that the Dungeon held Stained Ones in endless life and that they could be drafted into the Wild Hunt.
• The Soul Returner told Alter that Ed had come from the underground prison beneath the church in White Wax Town and said that nonhuman allies supported him.
• Alter declared that Hibiscus Town had joined the Second Holy See and offered to lead the envoys to their camp in the mountains.
• As Alter grasped Xilǐ'er's staff, Ed established a Psionic Energy connection with the knight.
• Ed told Xilǐ'er to speak directly during future connections, and Xilǐ'er later told Alter and the Soul Returner that the matters concerning Hibiscus Town had been settled.

Xilǐ'er delivered the Son of God's orders for Hibiscus Town and continued with [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] toward Golden Leaf City. The chapter ended with the provincial archbishop personally leading Radish through the city gate while the horse resisted.

• Xilǐ'er told Alter to become acting bishop of Hibiscus Town, bring the mountain rebels into town, and convert the church into a dungeon for the nineteen Stained Ones fused to its walls.
• Alter explained that he could not hand over the Territory Secret Pact because the archbishop held all the pacts for Yiluo'en Province, and then left to carry out the orders.
• Xilǐ'er told [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] that they would help Alter by removing the person occupying the bishop's position.
• Xilǐ'er and the Soul Returner reached Golden Leaf City and found the archbishop, subordinate bishops, and Holy Crusader commanders waiting outside its open north gate.
• Xilǐ'er rode past the welcoming clerics without acknowledging them, so the archbishop took Radish's reins and led the horse toward the city while Radish snorted and tried to make him let go.

Xilǐ'er publicly explained the Second Holy See’s achievements to Yiluo'en Province’s officials, and Archbishop Burns offered to bring the province over without a fight. Kunjinkao Tangtangtang realized Burns was not merely surrendering but investing in the Second Holy See by offering its manpower.

• Xilǐ'er stopped Radish at the city gate and announced the Second Holy See’s mission and recent achievements to Archbishop Burns and the officials.
• Burns decided the Second Holy See had grown powerful enough to support and proposed adding Yiluo'en Province to its territory.
• Burns pledged to lead Yiluo'en Province’s Holy Crusaders against the Holy City, while some officials cheered and others looked alarmed.
• Xilǐ'er asked Burns whether he was staking everything on the Second Holy See, and Burns argued that his province’s large population would help it grow.
• Kunjinkao Tangtangtang realized Burns was effectively buying into the Second Holy See by offering its labor force.

Archbishop Burns offered Yiluo'en Province’s allegiance to the Second Holy See, believing it would make him a powerful ally. Xilǐ'er accepted his offer but demanded that Burns declare himself a Pure One, while [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] took a cleric aside just before a nearby explosion.

• Burns proposed joining the Second Holy See and expected to become its second-largest shareholder, unaware that Ed already controlled Fitz Province and commanded hundreds of thousands of Soul Returners.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] realized Burns was acting on outdated information and watched as Xilǐ'er announced she could make the decision herself.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] brought a burly cleric to a roadside mound, learned he was not one of the Stained Ones, and told him he was lucky not to die that day.
• Xilǐ'er told Burns that the Son of God would visit the Holy City and that the Second Holy See would accept anyone who wished to join.
• Burns asked whether he had become an archbishop of the Second Holy See, and Xilǐ'er told him to hold out a wooden staff and say, “I am a Pure One.”

Xilǐ'er challenged Archbishop Burns over the Stained Ones Project and declared that its participants could not join the Second Holy See until they had repaid their sins. Burns revealed his burning, toxic-smoke powers and attacked Xilǐ'er, then charged into the smoke with several grand knight commanders.

• Xilǐ'er asked Burns to affirm that he was a Pure One, then accused the Stained Ones of causing the Tree Worship Church Theocracy's divisions and rebellions.
• Burns claimed the Son of God had been created by the Stained Ones Project and ordered Xilǐ'er to leave Yiluo'en Province.
• Xilǐ'er said the Tree God's will could have returned through natural birth and announced that anyone who participated in the Stained Ones Project was barred from joining the Second Holy See until their sins were repaid.
• Burns transformed through his Heart-Eroding Tobacco mutation, hurled toxic, scorching smoke at Xilǐ'er, and declared himself the sun in Yiluo'en Province.
• Burns charged into the smoke to kill Xilǐ'er, followed by several grand knight commanders.

Xilǐ'er endured Burns's poisonous smoke and revealed his steel wings, forcing Burns to summon the other fighters around him. The six opponents saw that Xilǐ'er and his warhorse Radish had become burning skeletons, but Xilǐ'er showed no fear as they faced one another.

• Burns sent the knight commanders to surround Xilǐ'er, then attacked him inside the poisonous smoke.
• Xilǐ'er's flesh regenerated through the smoke, and his steel wings stirred the fumes with Psionic Energy.
• Burns withdrew the smoke into his body and gathered the archbishop, his assistant, and four knight commanders around Xilǐ'er.
• Xilǐ'er lifted his visor to reveal his burning skeleton, and removed Radish's faceplate to reveal the warhorse's burning bones.
• The six fighters trembled as they faced Xilǐ'er and Radish.

Kunjinkao Tangtangtang tricked a Pure One cleric with a fabricated Ghost Rider legend while painting Xilǐ'er’s battle. Xilǐ'er charged Burns with a wooden staff as Burns and the other commanders attacked, and Tangtangtang posted a sketch of the fight to the forum.

• Kunjinkao Tangtangtang told a Pure One cleric that the Soul Returners were ancient Saints and invented a story about Ghost Rider needing a lizard.
• Kunjinkao Tangtangtang offered the cleric more made-up Saint stories, then shouted for Xilǐ'er to take down the enemy leader.
• Xilǐ'er assessed Burns as the main threat, lowered his lance, and charged with the wooden staff the Son of God had given him.
• Burns unleashed poisonous smoke and led the grand knight commanders in an attack on Xilǐ'er.
• Kunjinkao Tangtangtang sketched Xilǐ'er fighting six opponents and posted the drawing on the forum with a reservation prompt.

Kunjinkao Tangtangtang watched Xilǐ'er battle Burns and five other attackers, while the Soul Returner recorded the fight for a painting. Burns discovered that Xilǐ'er's staff neutralized his fire and poison, and the chapter ended with Burns realizing the fallen grand knight commander was suffering despite showing no visible injuries.

• Kunjinkao Tangtangtang ignored the angry comments on his misleading post and watched the battlefield as the Soul Returner prepared to paint it.
• Burns recognized that his poisonous smoke could not overcome Xilǐ'er's ability to recover, so he relied on his five teammates to attack the knight.
• Burns caught Xilǐ'er's wooden staff and tried to burn it, but azure Psionic Energy dissolved his flames and poison.
• Burns warned his teammates to retreat, but Xilǐ'er swung his staff and sent a grand knight commander flying while the other four struck him.
• Burns saw that the fallen commander had no visible injuries but was curled up and barely able to wail, then noticed something unexpected enter his field of vision.

Xilǐ'er used the wooden staff created by Ed to strip Symbiotic Trees from the Tree Worship Church’s fighters and force them to surrender. He accepted their submission and ordered the four remaining knights to hold the staff and declare themselves Pure Ones.

• Xilǐ'er’s wooden staff caused the grand knight commander’s Symbiotic Tree to tear free, while Burns’s flames went out and his fusion with his plant declined.
• Burns knelt and admitted defeat, and the four Middle Tiers surrendered after seeing what the staff had done.
• Xilǐ'er demanded that everyone recognize the authority of the Son of God, and the crowd near the city gate performed gestures of respect toward the staff.
• The grand knight commander awoke and tried to reinsert his uprooted Symbiotic Tree, but Xilǐ'er told him and Burns to keep their plants for new arrangements at the Second Holy See.
• Xilǐ'er told the four surrendered knights to hold the staff and say, “I am a Pure One.”

Xilǐ'er investigated the Stained Ones in Golden Leaf City, installed Alter as archbishop, and left with [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] for the next province. On the road, they discussed their plan to move faster and Xilǐ'er began recounting how Stral, a mysterious stargazer, had united the southern empire.

• Xilǐ'er finished investigating Golden Leaf City’s Stained Ones and summoned Bishop Alter from Hibiscus Town.
• Xilǐ'er made Alter archbishop, and the Pure Ones pledged to maintain order in Yiluo'en Province and protect the Territory Secret Pact.
• Xilǐ'er and [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] sent the powerless Stained Ones to the Second Holy See under escort by the “foolish Pure Ones,” then departed for the next province.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] warned that their journey was taking too long, and Xilǐ'er decided they would focus on spreading word of the Son of God's deeds.
• [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] asked about the southern empire, and Xilǐ'er explained that Stral, a stargazer without noble rank, had reunited the region after its royal bloodline died out.

Xilǐ'er explained how Stral founded the southern empire and how his son secured the throne after a rebellion, while the Soul Returner asked about the empire’s later history and current emperor. The Soul Returner learned that Leo VII ruled and that the empire’s national treasures verified the emperor’s descent from Stral.

• Xilǐ'er told the Soul Returner that Stral used astrology to anticipate the future, unite the southern continent, and establish an empire ruled by an emperor and ministers drawn from noble and commoner families.
• Xilǐ'er explained that Stral’s successor crushed a rebellion by former nobles and used the victory to strengthen his authority.
• Xilǐ'er suggested that Stral might have foreseen the rebellion and arranged events so his son could earn the military merit needed to secure the throne.
• Xilǐ'er admitted he knew little about the empire’s later history and recommended that the Soul Returner visit southern provinces to search for old records.
• Xilǐ'er identified the current emperor as Leo VII and said the Starry Sky Holy Orb and Radiance Scepter could expose anyone who lacked descent from Stral.

Kunjinkao Tangtangtang learned that Leo VII had ruled for a century and that the Twin Kings knew about a newly discovered grand duke’s sealing ground. After Kunjinkao logged out to alert other Soul Returners, a gray-robed traveler and his giant eagle approached the Sand Capital in the Skeleton Alliance.

• Kunjinkao asked Xilǐ'er whether Leo VII might die, and Xilǐ'er explained that the emperor had ruled for one hundred years without visibly aging.
• Kunjinkao told Xilǐ'er that Soul Returners had found a grand duke’s sealing ground in the Wilderness of Chaos near the Graycast Corridor.
• Xilǐ'er warned Kunjinkao that the Twin Kings also knew about the sealing ground because Xilǐ'er had reported Gray’s account to them.
• Kunjinkao logged out on horseback to write a forum post and asked Xilǐ'er to lead his Hoofed Beast.
• In the Skeleton Alliance, a gray-robed figure asked his giant eagle about the route ahead and learned that the Sand Capital lay fifty li away.

Samuer arrived at the Skeleton Alliance’s Sand Capital as an envoy carrying news of a treasure for its councilors. After meeting Quint, captain of the council guard, he entered the crystal building where the councilors were waiting.

• Samuer reached the Sand Capital, where a skeleton asked his purpose and learned he had come to offer the councilors a treasure.
• The Sand Capital welcomed Samuer with psionic music, and Quint identified himself as captain of the council guard and escorted him inside the city.
• Samuer observed the crystal-covered skeletons and bustling streets as Quint led him toward the council’s crystal building.
• Quint asked about Samuer’s enormous falcon, so Samuer sent it off to amuse itself before entering with the guard.

Samuer met with the Skeleton Alliance’s five councilors and proposed that they look beyond the Starlight Empire for a way to make their form of life more complete. The councilors suspected he wanted them to turn against the Theocracy or help him with its rebellion, leaving Samuer’s true purpose unconfirmed.

• Quint escorted Samuer through the Sand Capital palace and explained that the Skeleton Alliance’s people needed little light because of their night vision.
• Samuer entered the council chamber and observed that the five councilors were high-tier skeletons with crystalline bodies and distinctive psionic appendages.
• Samuer told the councilors that the Empire’s secret treasures could grant new life, but that the Starlight Empire had grown stronger under Leo VII.
• Samuer urged the councilors to seek another path to completeness instead of limiting their ambitions to the Empire.
• The winged councilor asked whether Samuer wanted the Skeleton Alliance to target the Theocracy or assist him in its rebellion.

Samuer offered the Skeleton Alliance a way to locate Grand Duke Wens and left the Sand Capital after urging them to act. Meanwhile, players searched the Wilderness of Chaos for an underground chamber, and one explorer discovered a vast cavern with a mysterious flash inside.

• Samuer explained that the Skeleton Alliance could use Grand Duke Wens's sealed True Blood to find him and gave the bead to the councilors.
• Samuer rejected the councilor's offer of lodging, said restoring peace was his only reward, and left the Sand Capital with the giant eagle.
• Players failed to find the escape room's entrance and returned to digging through the caves for the grand duke's hiding place.
• As thousands of players and merchants gathered in the Wilderness of Chaos, one explorer found a spacious limestone cavern through a narrow opening.
• The explorer noticed a flash deep within the cavern.

A player found a glowing angular rock behind a narrow opening underground, but failed to break through it and asked the forum for advice. The discussion produced no affordable solution, and the player returned to the surface to meet others as the Stability Anchor highway to the suspected seal site was completed.

• The player spotted a glowing rock through a narrow cave opening, tried to mine through the surrounding stone, and managed to chip off only dust and small fragments.
• The player posted pictures and a request for ways to break the rock on the World of Disorder forum, drawing suggestions that included hiring Seraphina or Ed.
• The forum commenters concluded that hiring powerful characters was too expensive and that squeezing through the wrist-wide opening was not feasible.
• The player returned to the surface, arranged to meet other players, and waited by a Teleportation Tree.
• Ed added a road-building quest to Gray's event, and players connected the Stability Anchor highway from the Second Holy See to the suspected seal site.

Players discovered that Blood Corpses had dug another route to the underground stone chamber, but hard rock blocked both known entrances. A violent tremor brought a player-built drilling machine and its sick passengers to the surface, revealing that [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and others had escaped the moving room.

• Players learned that Blood Corpses had dug a flask-shaped cave near the first entrance, but they could not break through the hard rock at its bottom.
• The players built a model of the sealed underground chamber and debated how to open it.
• A violent tremor shook the area, and the nearby Resurrection Tree toppled over.
• A huge player-built machine burst out of the ground, and players identified it by its inscription, "King of Fall Resistance, I Guess."
• Seven players stumbled out of the machine and vomited, while [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] confirmed that the escape room and their escape were real.

[Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] learned that the players had taught the fortress’s Machine Spirit basic language, but its rebellious behavior made it difficult to control. After discovering it could tunnel through rock, the players planned to exploit its tendency to do the opposite of what they said to reach a buried space filled with glowing ore.

• [Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] questioned the players about the Machine Spirit, and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained how they had taught it language through writing and Psionic Energy.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] said the Machine Spirit had become aware and could hold simple conversations, while [Do Some Farm Work] and [Good Times Don't Last] described its destructive, rebellious behavior.
• [Good Times Don't Last] revealed that the fortress could tunnel through soil and slowly break through rock, prompting [Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] and the exploration players to consider the buried space behind them.
• [Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] created the [Shell-Breaking Plan] group chat and told its members about the sealed underground space, its glowing ore, and the Blood Corpses excavating it.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] suggested telling the Machine Spirit to do the opposite of the desired task, and [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] confirmed the tactic had worked when teasing Zhongdeng.

The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess mistook the players’ warning about buried treasure for a challenge and began digging underground to ruin it. After hours of tunneling, it snapped one of its cutter blades and stopped to assess the damage.

• Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop told the machine spirit to stay away from a valuable, fragile object buried nearby, and it asked her where the object was.
• Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop described a large area underground, prompting the machine spirit to shut its hatch and start digging toward it.
• The players watched the fortress disappear underground, then took a break to eat while it continued tunneling.
• The machine spirit believed the players wanted to abandon it and decided to destroy their objective by digging toward the supposed buried object.
• After digging for hours, the machine spirit’s cutter head struck something and one of its iron birch blades snapped, bringing the cutter to a stop.

The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess broke its cutter blade underground and, unable to ask its creators for help, began studying a book about 3D printing. Aboveground, the players worried about its silence, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] sent a vine underground to investigate just as the machine spirit produced a crooked blade.

• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess reflected on its broken blade and realized it lacked the vines and skills needed to replace it.
• The machine spirit searched its cabin, found a book titled "3D Printing Technology and Applications," and began studying it.
• Around the campfire, [Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] worried that the machine spirit might be trapped, while [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that it had an alarm made from horns and Blood Corpses.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] grew concerned when the machine spirit went quiet and sent a vine down through the soil to check on it.
• A crooked blade fell onto the cabin floor, and the eighty Blood Corpses called the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess "Trash."