Chapter Summaries

Duma gathered more than twenty-two thousand Soul Returners for the campaign against Black Pine City, and Duolin’s advance squad established a teleportation network outside the city. The Holy Crusaders spotted the preparations but stayed behind the walls, leaving the enemy’s purpose unclear.

• Duma discovered that over twenty-two thousand Soul Returners had answered his call, despite only ten thousand being registered in the legion.
• Duolin led a hundred-strong squad to a clearing outside Black Pine City and ordered civilians to plant Resurrection Tree and Teleportation Tree saplings.
• An armored Blue Dragon announced that the Teleportation Trees at Black Pine City were ready, and Duma sent logistics units carrying more saplings through first.
• The logistics reinforcements planted additional Teleportation Trees, expanding the teleportation capacity outside Black Pine City.
• The Holy Crusaders spotted Duolin’s small force, but the grand knight commander refused to open the gates and charge, then wondered why the enemy was planting trees.

Duma ordered the rapidly multiplying Soul Returners to attack Black Pine City, overwhelming the Holy Crusaders with their numbers. As the battle began at the north gate, Luorui'er Fitz prepared to flee through a tunnel with her family.

• Holy Crusaders watched teleportation trees produce people carrying saplings, and the grand knight commander ordered preparations for an attack and requested reinforcements.
• More Soul Returners emerged from the trees as Duma arrived and commanded them to launch their attack on Black Pine City.
• The Soul Returners spread out and charged the north gate, beginning the assault on the city.
• Luorui'er Fitz learned that over ten thousand rebels were attacking the north gate and ordered the Fitz residence sealed.
• Luorui'er confirmed that the escape tunnel was ready and that the laborers had been killed, then prepared to leave with her family.

As the Soul Returners attacked Black Pine City, [Shit Appraisal Master] and seventeen companions fused into a towering Treant Aggregate. Accompanied by musicians and a legendary transformation theme, the treant charged toward the city gate, poised to join the assault.

• [Shit Appraisal Master] shared eighteen-segment Citrus Complex and nutrient-rich resin with his companions to prepare for fusion.
• The eighteen Soul Returners fused into a ten-meter-tall treant whose roots absorbed nutrients and whose bark-covered body grew stronger.
• Liberated clerics advanced with the Soul Returners, playing a song players recognized as a legendary transformation theme.
• [Shit Appraisal Master], controlling the Treant Aggregate, charged toward Black Pine City's walls as the defenders lost their nerve.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] looked toward the nearby city gate, believing the Treant Aggregate was one step from true godhood.

The Soul Returners breached Black Pine City's north gate with the Treant Aggregate and routed its commander, while [Ginseng Rooster] led the militia to the Archbishop's estate and seized a messenger. The chapter ended with [Ginseng Rooster] confronting the guards and calling the militia's action armed wage collection.

• The Treant Aggregate charged into Black Pine City's north gate, destroying it and allowing the Soul Returners to flood into the city.
• The grand knight commander fled the north wall, leaving its defenders in disarray as [Shit Appraisal Master] considered attacking the city's barracks.
• A messenger tried to deliver urgent military intelligence to the Archbishop but was refused entry by the guards at the Fitz estate.
• [Ginseng Rooster] approached the messenger, squeezed his wrist, and had the militia seize and bind him.
• [Ginseng Rooster] faced the estate guards and called the militia's action armed wage collection.

[Ginseng Rooster] led the militia in seizing the Fitz residence and redirecting their anger toward the south gate, using a fabricated story to turn them against Luorui'er. At the gate, players ambushed its grand knight commander, but he resisted their attacks as reinforcements rushed to his aid.

• [Ginseng Rooster] broke through the Fitz residence with the militia and ordered them to search for wages while he headed for the archbishop's fortress.
• [Ginseng Rooster] presented buried chests of tree seeds as the militia's wages and claimed Luorui'er had escaped through a tunnel, with [Forget-Sorrow Mint] helping the militia believe him.
• [Ginseng Rooster] persuaded the militia to seize the south gate instead of pursuing Luorui'er, and he ordered the tunnel blocked after learning Soul Returners were approaching its exit.
• [Ginseng Rooster] told the grand knight commander that the militia had come to reinforce the south gate, then revealed that they planned to attack him.
• Four players fired balsam seedpods at the grand knight commander, and [Ginseng Rooster] joined the melee as the commander fought back and Holy Crusaders rushed to help.
• [Dragon Roar Egg Yolk] called for the players to immobilize the commander, and they changed tactics to slow his movements.

The Soul Returners seized Black Pine City's southern gate after [Dragon Roar Egg Yolk] injected the grand knight commander with four dangerous drugs. Meanwhile, [Why Not Q] and the Gungnir reached Archbishop Luorui'er's tunnel exit, where the Fitz Family's steward emerged to hold them back while urging his lady to escape.

• [Dragon Roar Egg Yolk] injected the grand knight commander with four "Dragon" drugs, and he collapsed, convulsing.
• [Ginseng Rooster] urged the Holy Crusaders to surrender, and the southern gate fell as the remaining defenders fled or gave up.
• Ed sent the Gungnir to escort [Why Not Q] and other Soul Returners to Archbishop Luorui'er's tunnel exit.
• [Why Not Q] warned the Gungnir about a poison-skilled servant, and the group identified the tunnel's location.
• The Fitz Family's steward emerged from the tunnel armed with poisoned maces and told his lady to escape while he fought the surrounding enemies.

The Soul Returners seized Black Pine City and pursued Archbishop Luorui'er through the underground passage beneath his mansion, while Gungnir knights held his guards at the tunnel exit. The Soul Returners advanced toward the battle as the old butler struggled to break the knights’ coordination.

• [Why Not Q] asked the Gungnir knights to hold off the old butler while he and his companions dug a hole to plant the rescued children.
• The old butler and his household guards emerged from the tunnel and fought the Gungnir knights, whose teamwork kept them from suffering serious injuries despite being outmatched.
• The Soul Returners took the remaining defenses of Black Pine City, and [Ginseng Rooster] led more than a hundred players to Luorui'er's mansion to enter its secret passage.
• [Ginseng Rooster] found the decaying bodies of workers who had been forced to dig the tunnel before the company killed them.
• The old butler smashed a Hoofed Beast and pinned its rider, but three Gungnir knights blocked his attempt to finish the fallen rider.

Gungnir and the Soul Returners clashed with Luorui’er’s household retainers after her Forget-Sorrow Mint and bloodied spider lily drove both sides into a frenzy. As the battle turned into a deadly melee, [Ginseng Rooster] used a temporary Root Network seed to contact Boss Ed.

• Gungnir’s coordinated attacks wounded the old butler, who accidentally revealed that Luorui’er had emerged from the tunnel.
• Luorui’er released the full strength of her symbiotic plant, intensifying everyone’s strongest emotions and reviving her fallen retainers.
• Luorui’er planted a blood-red spider lily and ordered her retainers to kill the rebels, while the Soul Returners called for her capture and the destruction of Black Pine City.
• The retainers, Gungnir members, and Soul Returners fought a bloody battle in which many were killed or gravely wounded, and the retainers underwent Tree Transformation.
• [Ginseng Rooster] recognized that the battle had gone out of control and used [Dragon Roar Egg Yolk]’s temporary Root Network seed to contact Boss Ed.
• The blood-red spider lily crumbled to dust in a muddy pit as [Ginseng Rooster] waited for Ed’s reply.

Luorui'er fled the fallen Fitz Province after accepting a new task from Cardinal Sailesi, while players subdued the berserk half-treants on the battlefield. The players then discovered a widespread bug that left many of them trapped in unresponsive bodies.

• Luorui'er told Cardinal Sailesi that Fitz Province had fallen and accepted his new assignment before escaping into the woods.
• Luorui'er reflected that opposing the rebels had been a mistake and considered fleeing the church if Sailesi gave her another dangerous task.
• Players emerged from the temporary teleportation point, killed the half-treants, and restrained the berserk players.
• [Good Times Don't Last] contacted [Shit Appraisal Master] outside the game and asked him to kill his unresponsive body so he could respawn.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] killed [Good Times Don't Last], then found urgent forum posts showing that numerous players were trapped in the same bugged state.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] showed the forum posts to the players around him.

Ed investigated how Luorui'er had escaped and concluded that Cardinal Sailesi was manipulating events from the shadows. After restoring the injured Gungnir members, Ed returned to Black Pine City determined to advance his power.

• Ed arrived at the Root Network, stabilized the Gungnir members, and questioned the resurrected [Good Times Don't Last] about the battle.
• [Good Times Don't Last] explained that Luorui'er had used a symbiotic plant to enrage both sides, while Luorui'er disappeared unnoticed.
• Ed judged that a high-tier individual had interfered and suspected Cardinal Sailesi was helping Luorui'er from afar.
• Ed examined [Forget-Sorrow Mint] with Little Green and "Little Blue" and confirmed it could not drive players completely insane.
• Ed used the plant to restore the Gungnir members, gave them several days off, and returned to Black Pine City.

Ed left Duma in charge of the Second Holy See’s campaign against the Tree Worship Church while he turned his attention to the Blood Corpses in the Wilderness of Chaos. He introduced Noya as Duma’s contact for administrative matters, and Duma wondered whether Geliwusi had decided what to do about the Holy City.

• The Soul Returners captured Black Pine City, and Ed planned to turn its churches into a dungeon, an Adventurers’ Guild branch, and a charcoal plant branch.
• Ed told Duma to manage the Tree Worship Church front and handle any cities whose leaders chose to join the Second Holy See.
• Ed insisted that surrendered Stained Ones still had to be investigated and punished according to the severity of their crimes.
• Ed told Duma to send Soul Returners who surpassed Low Tier Middle Grade to the eastern front, where the grand duke was nearing revival.
• Ed introduced Noya, a blue dragon remnant soul in his Root Network, as Duma’s contact for resources, Soul Returners, and quests.
• Duma considered writing to Geliwusi to urge him to decide whether to join the Second Holy See.

Cardinal Geliwusi received a warning from Duma about the Son of God and weighed the risks of leaving the Holy City. Back in Valhalla, [Shit Appraisal Master] learned that [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] was nearly finished building a new mobile fortress for the next expedition.

• Duma used Geliwusi’s intelligence channel to send a letter urging him to meet the Son of God and bring Luxiusi and Sailesi.
• Geliwusi destroyed the letter’s lower half and took the remaining intelligence about the Demon to the cathedral.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] returned from Black Pine City and found [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] assembling a new mobile fortress in [Orc Workshop].
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that Gray’s blueprints had helped him build a vehicle designed to carry a Resurrection Tree, while [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] gathered Blood Corpses.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] asked whether the fortress could carry [Good Times Don’t Last], and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] agreed on the condition that they did no business along the way.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] told [Shit Appraisal Master] that Antasia had awakened as a machine spirit after encountering a grand duke’s power and carrying something created by Ed. Seeing a chance to give their own vehicles intelligent assistants, [Shit Appraisal Master] urged them to build one quickly and visit the grand duke’s sealed grounds, though they still needed Gray to tell them where it was.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that Antasia could communicate through the combined voices of Blood Corpses inside its engine.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] said Gray believed Antasia had awakened after exposure to a grand duke’s ability and while carrying a World Tree statue created by Ed.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] showed [Shit Appraisal Master] a Resurrection Tree seed, which could satisfy the condition involving Ed’s creations.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] realized the machine-spirit method could help his team equip mass-produced vehicles with intelligent assistants and offered to speed up their build.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] persuaded [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] to visit the grand duke’s sealed grounds early, and they decided to ask Gray where they were.

[Shit Appraisal Master] persuaded [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] to lead a small group on an early trip to the sealing grounds to provoke the Grand Duke and test their theory. Ed learned of their plan and turned it into a special exploration quest, leaving [Shit Appraisal Master] excited to set out.

• [Shit Appraisal Master] convinced [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] that his high trust with Gray made him a suitable choice to leave early.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] agreed to take [Shit Appraisal Master], [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], and [Good Times Don't Last] in his vehicle.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] split up to prepare the vehicle, gather supplies, and ask Gray for the sealing grounds' location.
• Ed learned of the plan from Little Green and decided it could benefit his plans.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] received a special quest to explore the Wilderness of Chaos and plant Stability Anchors, earning silver coins for each one deployed.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] and [Shit Appraisal Master] built a smaller mobile resurrection tank and set out with [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and [Good Times Don't Last] for the Grand Duke’s sealing site. On the bumpy journey, the group began debating what to name the vehicle, leaving [Good Times Don't Last] to offer his suggestion next.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] returned with ten harmless Blood Corpses and reported that the nearby Wilderness of Chaos had been largely cleared of them.
• [Good Times Don't Last] bought twenty more Blood Corpses from [Soaring Clouds], and the group completed the mobile resurrection tank.
• Gray gave the group the approximate location of the Grand Duke’s sealing site and warned them that the trip would be dangerous.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] and [Good Times Don't Last] fought over the steering wheel as the tank jolted along, until [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] took control.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] asked the group to name the tank, and [Shit Appraisal Master]’s suggestions, “Om” and “Ad Space for Rent,” were rejected.

The four contestants named their mobile fortress King of Fall Resistance, I Guess after [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] secretly altered the painted name for a joke. As the fortress crossed a barren desert, they heard someone calling for help and turned toward a patch of suspected quicksand to investigate.

• [Good Times Don't Last] proposed the name King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, and the group unanimously approved it.
• [Good Times Don't Last] found plant-based paint, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] painted a different, joke version of the name on the fortress.
• The four laughed at the name, and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] suggested strengthening the fortress's armor to suit it.
• [Good Times Don't Last] heard cries for help, and the group spotted a person apparently trapped near a patch of quicksand.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] steered the fortress toward the cries while the others armed themselves, planning to rescue the person and deal with any enemy afterward.

[Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Shit Appraisal Master], and [Good Times Don't Last] rescued the Eternal Domain knight Charlie and his horse from quicksand. Charlie revealed that the Eternal Domain had killed Antos and was hunting the vampires to extinction, then set off for Valhalla to deliver the news.

• [Good Times Don't Last] tried to rescue Charlie from the quicksand with a vine, but [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] instead crossed planks laid by the others and pulled him out.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] recognized Charlie as a messenger from the Eternal Domain and told him that they were warriors of the Second Holy See.
• Charlie announced that Their Majesties had slain Antos of Flesh and Blood and would continue hunting vampires until the race was eradicated.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] realized the Eternal Domain had taken Antos's body and kept quiet about the players searching Klaf City for Adelaide.
• Charlie asked for directions to the Second Holy See's capital, and [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] pointed him toward Valhalla.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and the others pulled Charlie's horse from the quicksand, and Charlie rode toward Valhalla to reunite with his delegation.

After reporting Antos’s death, the players continued toward an unknown sealing site while the first-wave teams in Klaf City mapped the underground tunnels and searched for Grand Duke Adelaide. [Howling Pothos] noticed a blind spot in their exploration: the Blood Corpses that had dug their way down may have been summoned by someone powerful.

• The players speculated about what had happened to Antos and his lineage, then decided to travel quickly toward the unknown sealing site.
• The first-wave teams continued mapping Klaf City’s tunnels and estimated that they had charted roughly a third of the city.
• [Retreat Drum Player] and [Elderly and Children Fly First] proposed different locations to explore next, each citing clues that Adelaide might be nearby.
• [Howling Pothos] recalled that Blood Corpses had dug the tunnels leading into the dungeon and reasoned that a powerful Blood Corpse must have summoned them.

The players suspected Adelaide was sealed near Rotting Corpse Dark Lake and set out to investigate it. On the way, they found a carved arrow and calligraphy suggesting that members of the Eternal Domain were also exploring Klaf City’s underground passages.

• Howling Pothos reasoned that Adelaide may have stopped directing the Blood Corpses after noticing the invading players and proposed investigating Rotting Corpse Dark Lake.
• Howling Pothos, Retreat Drum Player, and Elderly and Children Fly First agreed to investigate the dangerous area, then led the players out through Klaf City’s underground caves.
• Benevolent Father Above found an unfamiliar carved arrow and calligraphy at an unexplored passage marked on the players’ shared map.
• Howling Pothos recognized the lettering from Antos’s sealing site and Gray’s Antasia and concluded that someone from the Eternal Domain had left it.
• Retreat Drum Player wondered whether another exploration team was underground, while Elderly and Children Fly First offered to check the map’s edit history.

[Elderly and Children Fly First], [Retreat Drum Player], and [Howling Pothos] realized the Eternal Domain expedition might be ahead of them in Klaf City, so they hurried toward Adelaide while debating whether they would fight their supposed allies. After several hours of travel, they reached the tunnel leading to the [Rotting Corpse Dark Lake].

• [Easily Soluble in Water] said someone had marked a passage three or four days earlier, suggesting the Eternal Domain expedition might have followed their route.
• [Retreat Drum Player] ordered the players to hurry and skip detailed exploration, while [Elderly and Children Fly First] warned that the Eternal Domain might steal their target again.
• [Howling Pothos] reasoned that Adelaide probably had not been found because the Blood Corpses had not entered a collective frenzy, though [Retreat Drum Player] warned that they might fight the Eternal Domain if it stood in their way.
• The three captains agreed that the [Rotting Corpse Dark Lake] held an enormous number of Blood Corpses, possibly more than half of those in Klaf City and the surrounding area.
• The players ran through the underground passages for several hours and reached the smooth stone tunnel leading to the [Rotting Corpse Dark Lake].