Chapter Summaries

Ed hosted a farewell dinner for the departing workers, then the Antasia carried Gray and three Soul Returner envoys east toward the Graycast Corridor. After Xilǐ'er and Radish left the ship for the Eternal Domain, Xilǐ'er reached his granted territory and announced his return to his people.

• Ed prepared a team dinner with unusual meals for the gathered employees, and everyone toasted to the return of order.
• The guests watched [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] arm-wrestle Jerry as the dinner ended.
• The Antasia set out for the Graycast Corridor with Gray, Bennett, and the Soul Returner envoys, who scattered seeds to mark a route back to the Second Holy See.
• After a week of travel, Xilǐ'er and Radish departed north for the Eternal Domain while the Antasia continued east.
• Xilǐ'er traveled northeast for two days, reached his granted territory, and greeted his people as he returned from war.

Xilǐ'er was summoned to meet both kings while Gray and the players traveled toward the Great Labyrinth City in the Graycast Corridor. Gray explained that the city they had spotted was only an outlying satellite city, and planned to take the players to city hall before going his own way.

• A red-robed knight arrived at Xilǐ'er's castle and ordered him to come see the king immediately.
• Xilǐ'er fetched Radish and learned that both the Immortal King and the King of Domination wanted to see him.
• Gray's group encountered numerous Blood Corpses on the road, but found no dead humans along the way.
• The players mistook a distant satellite city for the Great Labyrinth City, and Lion Hidden in the Eyes deleted a forum post announcing their arrival.
• Gray told the players they would pass several more cities before reaching the capital, then planned to leave them with a suitable city hall contact.

Li Yu ([Dawn Ah]) processed reports of possible Psionic Energy phenomena while working on a secure internal network. His junior Lü Yang ([Backstabbing Expert]) hurried him toward an urgent incident, hinting that someone might be living in another world.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] wondered why the objectives list had grown, and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that [Dawn Ah] had requested information about the Graycast Corridor’s flesh-and-machinery combinations.
• Li Yu checked the internal network and sorted reports of unusual biological phenomena for further investigation.
• Li Yu reflected on the growing threat of Psionic Energy and the preparations being made for a possible collapse.
• Lü Yang arrived and told Li Yu that something major had happened, then asked whether he remembered the ending of the film “Source Code.”
• Li Yu recalled that the protagonist had lived peacefully in another world and realized the connection to the urgent incident.

Li Yu learned that officials were considering permanently immersing a fatally wounded soldier in World of Disorder, but feared the game would eject him when his body died. He proposed asking the NPC who summoned players to accept the soldier, leaving the meeting to consider what price the other side might demand.

• Li Yu and Lü Yang attended a meeting where officials explained that a dying peacekeeping soldier might be placed in permanent immersion in World of Disorder.
• The meeting discussed the risks that the game might reject the plan or eject the soldier as his real-world body failed.
• Li Yu reasoned that the soldier would need World of Disorder to accept him and raised his hand to offer a proposal.
• Li Yu suggested asking the NPC who summoned players, since players had learned important details about the game by asking rather than relying on written information.
• A meeting participant asked what the other side would demand in exchange, and Li Yu acknowledged that the operator might be monitoring them.

Li Yu proposed bringing a real-world soldier into the World of Disorder to train its forces, and Ed agreed the plan could fill the vacancy left by Xilǐ'er. Li Yu met Ed to explain the soldier's unusual circumstances, but the chapter ended before he revealed them.

• Li Yu persuaded the conference attendees to consider sending a soldier to the World of Disorder as a trainer.
• Ed learned from Little Green about the meeting and decided the soldier could be useful, though the soldier would need to die in reality to remain permanently in the other world.
• Li Yu entered the game as [Dawn Ah] and asked to speak with Ed.
• Li Yu began explaining that the soldier was a soul whose body had not yet been reshaped, while Ed asked what made him unusual.

Dawn Ah persuaded Ed to let the dying soldier descend into the World of Disorder, and Li Yu’s team began the risky treatment with the soldier’s consent. Ed reconstructed the soldier’s body and welcomed him as a true Soul Returner.

• Dawn Ah told Ed that the soldier’s soul was fading and admitted he barely knew the man but did not want him to meet that end.
• Ed agreed that the soldier would descend into the world, and Dawn Ah returned to Li Yu with the news.
• Li Yu told the assembled professors that Ed had agreed, while the doctor obtained the wounded soldier’s consent for the risky treatment.
• The doctor placed a special helmet on the soldier, who saw a login message and felt himself fall as his heartbeat and breathing steadied.
• Ed recreated the soldier’s body, gave his starting attributes a small blessing, and welcomed him to the World of Disorder as a true Soul Returner.

A dying man arrived in the World of Disorder, where Ed restored his body and welcomed him as a Soul Returner. He reunited with [Early to Bed and Early to Rise] and [Dawn Ah], who explained that he would live in this world like an NPC, while leaving unresolved whether it was real or virtual.

• Ed used vines to bring the man back to life and told him that someone had asked him to help prevent the man's soul from dissipating.
• Ed lowered the man into the castle, where [Early to Bed and Early to Rise] and [Dawn Ah] were waiting to take him to a tavern.
• The man recognized [Early to Bed and Early to Rise] as his attending physician and thanked [Dawn Ah] for helping him qualify for the treatment.
• At the tavern, [Early to Bed and Early to Rise] explained that the man would live in the World of Disorder with only one life, unlike players who could respawn.
• [Early to Bed and Early to Rise] said that he and others were still investigating whether the world was real or virtual, and cited a microscope discovery that the world had no microorganisms.

After discovering that A Huan could not use ordinary player functions, Dawn Ah and Early to Bed and Early to Rise helped him register on the Root Network and confirmed that he had become a local. In the real world, doctors learned that A Huan had lost all vital signs, leaving them to decide how to report his apparent consciousness transfer.

• A Huan learned that the world’s locals explained microorganisms and other phenomena through rules and Psionic Energy, then discovered he could not call up the game system.
• Dawn Ah and Early to Bed and Early to Rise helped A Huan register an account through a mutated plant, choosing the name A Huan.
• The three found that A Huan could access some Root Network services and enter Dungeons, but could not use player features tied to the real world.
• Dawn Ah and Early to Bed and Early to Rise escorted A Huan to Tiya's father's inn before returning to the real world.
• The associate attending physician told the middle-aged doctor that A Huan had lost all vital signs, and the doctor decided to report the situation for others to handle.

Ed observed how winter affected the Tree Worship Church and the Holy Crusaders while the Dragonborn remained unfazed, then turned to monitoring his players. As Gray and the Second Holy See's delegation reached the Great Labyrinth City, security gates dropped and armed soldiers surrounded the Antasia.

• Ed noted that winter left Tree Worship Church members and Nuolun's Holy Crusaders sluggish, while the Dragonborn showed no effects from the cold.
• Ed opened his Player Observation Journal to watch how the players handled the season.
• Lion Hidden in the Eyes posted a video of the group arriving at the Great Labyrinth City, where Gray denied being the person the half-dragon had mistaken him for and Bennett stared helplessly, bound in vines.
• Gray argued with two security inspectors, who explained that inspections had tightened because of the Blood Corpse revival and possible action by the Eternal Domain.
• Heavy metal gates dropped at both ends of the passage, and nearly a hundred armed soldiers entered and surrounded the Antasia.

Gray and the Antasia's crew were inspected at the Graycast Corridor port, where guards investigated whether anyone aboard was an uncontained Blood Corpse. Bennett revealed that he was a Blood Corpse, prompting the captain to order the whole group arrested and interrogated.

• Three armored guards landed on the Antasia and held [Shit Appraisal Master], [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] at blade-point.
• A guard warned Gray Gris that his name was on a death list and said they would check his identity and search for uncontained Blood Corpses.
• The guards questioned [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], who proved they were not vampires by denouncing the vampire progenitors and demonstrating his plant abilities.
• Other guards reported finding grain aboard the Antasia, briefly softening the captain's attitude toward Gray and the others.
• Bennett admitted he was a Blood Corpse and urged the guards to arrest and kill him, so the captain ordered everyone arrested and interrogated.

Three interrogators questioned the captured players about the Blood Corpses, the count, and the overloaded Antasia, but each prisoner responded with antics instead of useful information. The interrogators grew frustrated as [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], and [Shit Appraisal Master] remained uncooperative in their own peculiar ways.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] told the interrogator that the group came from the Second Holy See and that the count had ordered the Blood Corpses aboard the Antasia.
• The interrogator ordered water torture after [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] answered his questions flippantly.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] ignored the interrogator and asked about machinery, railway standards, alloys, and ventilation while guards whipped him.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] performed a puppet show instead of answering questions, prompting one subordinate to laugh.
• The interrogator ordered his subordinate to chop off the laughing subordinate’s offending body part.

Ed watched the three imprisoned players turn their interrogations into absurd performances while Gray tried to convince the Graycast Corridor warden that the Second Holy See was real. Gray remained in custody as the authorities checked his identity, his earlier report, and the circumstances of Bennett’s capture.

• An interrogator ordered his subordinates to sever [Shit Appraisal Master]'s hands, and the player continued his hand-puppet routine with the severed limbs.
• Ed watched the three players frustrate their interrogators and hoped Gray would resolve the misunderstanding with the Graycast Corridor authorities.
• Gray told Warden Bennett that he was the Antasia's chief engineer, then recounted his encounter with the Corpse Tide and the Second Holy See.
• The warden suspected Gray had been bewitched by a Blood Corpse and said the authorities were testing samples from the envoys and their supposed grain.
• Gray urged the warden not to torture the three envoys, while the warden assured him they faced only simple intimidation and limited sampling.
• The warden said Gray would remain detained until the authorities verified his past report, identity, relatives, and the circumstances surrounding Bennett; Gray accepted the delay.

Gray was officially recognized as alive and reunited with Nora, then arranged for the release of his three player companions. He went home after agreeing to return the next day about the impounded Antasia, while the players left with Bobby for the Core.

• The archives confirmed Gray had reported the new power in the western Wilderness of Chaos months earlier, and Bobby, Gray's fellow disciple, and Nora arrived to verify his identity.
• Gray was declared alive again, reunited with Nora, and asked Scarface to release his three companions.
• Scarface apologized to the players, who accepted and offered advice on improving the prison's security checks before Bobby led them away.
• Gray told the players he would handle a grain handover and the Antasia's illegal modifications, then agreed to return the next day while the prison held the fortress and its chief engineer, Bennett.
• Bobby explained that Great Labyrinth City's prison changed its routes and structure, then heard the players describe how they had endured their interrogations.

After being released from prison, the three envoys settled into a guesthouse in Great Labyrinth City and reported their progress on negotiations with the Graycast Corridor. They logged off for the night after discussing the region’s isolation and preparing for possible bodily changes.

• Notary Bobby arranged rooms for the three envoys and gave [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] a gold-plated city insignia that allowed them to move freely for two days.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] explained that the group had deliberately provoked their interrogators to create leverage for future negotiations, and the players discussed their plan.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] uploaded a photo of the insignia, and Ed updated the players’ quest progress to show that they had reached Great Labyrinth City.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained why few factions sent envoys to the Graycast Corridor, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] concluded that the Tree Worship Church sat on a continental transportation hub.
• The players discussed the Graycast Corridor’s Random Alienation phenomenon, and [Shit Appraisal Master] gave the others [Cocoons] before they logged off for the night.

Gray explained the mutually beneficial trade between the Graycast Corridor and the Second Holy See to its senior officials, who began inspecting the Antasia and considered sharing bio-armor technology. The chapter ended with Bennett revealing that he hoped Lord Antos would destroy the Corridor, and Gray shocking him for his treachery.

• Gray calmed the Blood Corpses with Bennett’s whistle as the ministers inspected them and the modified Antasia.
• Gray told a minister that the Second Holy See had given him Bennett and the fortress, and that the two sides could trade bio-armor technology for food and crop seeds.
• A minister praised Gray’s risky efforts and promised to give the Second Holy See an unreleased bio-armor blueprint if the trade route succeeded.
• Gray asked Bennett what he thought of the officials gathering in one place, and Bennett said he hoped Lord Antos would destroy the Graycast Corridor.
• Gray scolded Bennett for his treacherous idea and shocked him.

Three players explored Prosthetics Street in Great Labyrinth City, where a VIP insignia turned a prosthetics shopkeeper into their guide. The chapter ended when [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] noticed dragon scales embedded in a mechanical arm.

• The three logged in without mutations and planned to test how Random Alienation affected someone without a [Cocoon].
• They strolled through the Graycast Corridor and visited Prosthetics Street, where [Shit Appraisal Master] took photos.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] admired the prosthetics in a shop and reached toward a heart-and-lung implant, but the shopkeeper struck his hand with an iron rod.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] showed the shopkeeper their Great Labyrinth City insignia, and its VIP status prompted him to offer an enthusiastic tour.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] spotted dragon scales set into a mechanical arm, and the shopkeeper praised his eye for detail.

[Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], and [Shit Appraisal Master] learned that an Amber Dragon scale-powered mechanical arm could slow its targets and paid the shopkeeper for the source of the scales. The shopkeeper revealed that he found them on an ancient battlefield and still possessed a large scale, leaving [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] poised to ask about buying it.

• The shopkeeper showed [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] that eight Amber Dragon scale fragments in the mechanical arm slowed anyone it struck.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] asked to meet the craftsman and learn where he found the scales, while [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] offered to pay for the information.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] produced ten gold coins, and the shopkeeper accepted them in exchange for revealing the scales came from an ancient battlefield north of Great Labyrinth City.
• The shopkeeper described the battlefield between the Graycast Corridor and the Eternal Domain, where the Twin Kings had fought an Amber Dragon decades earlier.
• The shopkeeper said he had lost an arm and an eye on his expedition but still had a translucent scale the size of a head, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] asked if he would sell it.

The players learned from the prosthetics shopkeeper that the Amber Dragon was likely still alive, then Bobby hurried them to meet Graycast Corridor’s Grand Foundry Master. The chapter left them on their way to the Core, with their Antasia and expertise making them potential alliance partners.

• The shopkeeper told [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] that the Amber Dragon was probably alive because its scale still held power, and he described other prosthetics made with dragon scales.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] tried to recruit the shopkeeper, but the old mechanic declined and suggested other shops and apprentices instead.
• Bobby arrived at the prosthetics shop and told the three players that they could meet the Grand Foundry Master later that day.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] told [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] he planned to seek reimbursement for the ten gold coins as intelligence expenses, since the Amber Dragon’s survival could matter in future dealings.
• Bobby explained that Graycast Corridor’s ministers had praised the Antasia and that the faction wanted a partner able to provide food and exchange knowledge about mobile fortresses and intelligent Blood Corpse control.

Bobby escorted the three players into the Graycast Corridor’s palace to meet the Grand Foundry Master, while Ed lost contact with them near the palace’s innermost room. The players found the Grand Foundry Master in an enormous mechanical library, where he explained that he was no king and was unaccustomed to royal grandeur.

• Bobby led the three players to the palace entrance and left them to meet the Grand Foundry Master.
• Guards verified the players’ identities, escorted them through the palace, and explained the audience etiquette.
• As the players approached the innermost room, Ed’s vision and audio degraded until he lost contact with them.
• The players entered a vast circular library filled with rotating bookshelves, mechanical systems, and archived designs, and found the Grand Foundry Master working at a desk.
• The Grand Foundry Master had mechanical arms arrange chairs for the players and asked Lion Hidden in the Eyes what he had imagined the room would look like.
• Lion Hidden in the Eyes said he had expected an imperial palace, and the Grand Foundry Master replied that he was no king or emperor and was unaccustomed to such things.

The Second Holy See’s envoys negotiated with the Grand Foundry Master of the Graycast Corridor, agreeing on technological and economic cooperation while clarifying that neither side would be obliged to join the other’s wars. After the envoys left, the Grand Foundry Master descended into a dark space and asked whether anything had been found.

• The Grand Foundry Master explained that the library held the Graycast Corridor’s accumulated knowledge and machine designs, then invited the envoys to discuss relations.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] and [Shit Appraisal Master] presented their roles as chief and deputy envoys, while [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] introduced himself as their bodyguard.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] and the Grand Foundry Master discussed peaceful relations and the possibility of technological, economic, and military cooperation.
• The Grand Foundry Master assured [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] that the Graycast Corridor would not demand help against the Eternal Domain or intervene in the Second Holy See’s counteroffensive against the Holy City.
• The three envoys left the library and discovered that their screenshots, recordings, and audio had been obscured.
• The Grand Foundry Master descended beneath the library and quietly asked whether anything had been found.