Chapter Summaries

Ed ended Noya’s three-day resurrection-fee discount after it drew players to Klaf City and drained his funds. He reassured Seraphina that his money was recovering, took her to the Hive, and promised the Hive Will permanent ownership of Klaf City’s new sea of flowers.

• Ed raised the resurrection fee from five percent to fifty percent after Noya’s discount ran for seventy-two hours.
• As player fees began replenishing his account, Ed asked Seraphina to waive his security deposit, but she refused.
• Ed offered Seraphina a meal of hajimi and took her to the Hive to obtain royal jelly.
• Ed told the queen bee that he had reached High Tier and promised the Hive Will permanent ownership of the new sea of flowers on Klaf City’s surface.
• The queen bee happily embraced Ed after hearing his promise.

Ed and Seraphina left the hive after the queen bee named itself Kara, while the Swarm prepared to relocate its capital. On their way back to the Second Holy See, Ed discussed repaying his debt to Seraphina and teased that he could teach her how to create money out of thin air.

• Ed asked the queen bee for royal jelly, and it gave him and Seraphina cups of the sweet drink.
• The queen bee told Ed to call it Kara, then ordered the Swarm to assemble and prepare to relocate the capital.
• Seraphina explained that she could open a spatial rift because her earlier visit and Ed provided a coordinate marker.
• Ed denied that he had used Kara's name to hint that he would repay Seraphina, then asked whether he could settle his debt with something worth the money owed.
• Seraphina agreed to accept something of equivalent value, but rejected Ed's offer to teach her a secret economics lesson in exchange for lowering his loan interest.
• Ed claimed his knowledge was worth more than the price and said it was about creating money out of thin air.

Ed explained credit money to Seraphina and agreed to teach her in exchange for a 1.5 percent interest rate. He then returned to Klaf City, where Xilǐ'er waited, uncertain of where to go and struggling with the realization that he was no longer human.

• Seraphina calculated the Soul Returners’ deposits and discovered that their total exceeded the one million gold coins Ed had borrowed from her.
• Seraphina agreed to learn about credit money after Ed accepted her demand for at least 1.5 percent interest.
• Seraphina returned to her study, while Ed traveled back to Klaf City and awakened in the tree by the Rotting Corpse Dark Lake.
• Xilǐ'er told Ed he did not know where to go and had only just realized he had stopped being human.
• Ed demonstrated instantaneous Alienation and questioned Xilǐ'er's insistence on becoming human in a world changed by the Demonic Tide.
• Xilǐ'er said the vampire grand duke and the Amber Dragon were his enemies, while the King of Domination and the Immortal King were the ones he served.

Xilǐ'er struggled with his conflicting feelings toward the Twin Kings, and Ed urged him to set those questions aside and travel. Ed offered him the choice of becoming a free knight or joining Valhalla, and Xilǐ'er knelt to swear eternal loyalty to him.

• Ed advised Xilǐ'er that the Twin Kings had made decisions suited to their positions and that he should put thoughts of gratitude or revenge aside for now.
• Xilǐ'er said the Second Holy See was the farthest place he had traveled, having spent most of his life in Duke Frostblade's Territory or fighting in the Demon Realm.
• Ed suggested Xilǐ'er take a vacation, but Xilǐ'er refused because he considered it presumptuous.
• Ed offered Xilǐ'er a choice between becoming a free knight and serving as his subordinate, promising normal benefits and a permanent blessing if he joined.
• Xilǐ'er chose to serve Ed and knelt to offer his eternal loyalty.

Ed formally made Xilǐ'er his knight, granting him new combat enhancements and assigning him to carry a message across the provinces and to the Holy City. Xilǐ'er accepted the mission and received Ed’s wooden staff as his token.

• Ed told Xilǐ'er that his loyalty depended on being paid, and explained that he would receive a fixed salary rather than land or a substantial noble title.
• Xilǐ'er accepted Ed’s terms, and Ed invested him as a knight with Noya’s sword.
• Ed used vines to modify Xilǐ'er and Radish, giving Xilǐ'er enhanced regeneration and attacks that could inflict negative effects while preserving his Blue Dragon legacy.
• Ed told Xilǐ'er he could no longer resurrect as an Eternal Domain knight but expected his overall combat strength to remain undiminished.
• Ed assigned Xilǐ'er to visit provinces outside the Second Holy See and the Holy City, announcing that the Son of God would bring the captured Oathbreaking Cardinal Cuiske there on pilgrimage two months later.
• Xilǐ'er accepted the mission and received a tall wooden staff from Ed.

Ed assigned Xilǐ'er to serve as a vanguard officer against the Tree Worship Church and said the Second Holy See would avoid an open break with the Eternal Domain for now. Meanwhile, Gray sent a few hundred players to investigate a sealed site in the Wilderness of Chaos where an unknown vampire grand duke might be waiting.

• Ed gave Xilǐ'er a wooden staff and ordered him to report to Duma, share responsibility for the war against the Tree Worship Church, and later help [A Huan] train Gungnir.
• Ed returned to his study in Valhalla, where Seraphina resumed her economics lessons with him.
• Gray addressed several hundred players gathered in Valhalla and warned them that their destination might hold an unknown vampire grand duke.
• When a player asked whether Gray would join them, he made excuses about his injuries and the Antasia's repairs, then entrusted the mission to the players.
• The players found their target marked near the Graycast Corridor and set out for a usable Teleportation Tree a few hundred li away.

A week after becoming trapped with King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, four players devised a plan to activate his machine spirit and turn him into the “Fall-Resistant Crocodile.” Their efforts brought the Teleportation Tree online ahead of schedule, and the chapter left them testing a machine while a newly arrived player had been told it was an escape room.

• Traditional Eccentric Wheel, Shit Appraisal Master, Good Times Don't Last, and Lion Hidden in the Eyes planned to activate King of Fall Resistance, I Guess’s machine spirit and transform him into the “Fall-Resistant Crocodile.”
• The players transplanted the Teleportation Tree into the fortress and fed it blood, making it grow and gain teleportation ability after aberration.
• Retreat in the Face of Difficulty teleported out of the tree in a cocoon, surprising the four players and prompting Shit Appraisal Master and Lion Hidden in the Eyes to improvise an explanation.
• Lion Hidden in the Eyes told Retreat in the Face of Difficulty that their activity was an escape room.
• Several days later, Traditional Eccentric Wheel pulled a switch on a newly built machine as the group wore helmets and prepared for the test.

[Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] visited the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, but declined to stay after seeing Blood Corpses trapping the crew between decks. When a major battle beneath Klaf City distracted players from the vessel, the four seized their chance to renovate it, starting by expanding its power compartment.

• [Retreat in the Face of Difficulty] explored the power compartment and upper deck, then left through the Teleportation Tree after the four described the vessel as an unsolvable escape room.
• The four continued their plan and received several visitors, but none stayed to help, while forum reviews brought more attention than they wanted.
• Ed led the Soul Returners into battle against Grand Duke Adelaide beneath Klaf City, and the resulting news wave pushed discussion of the vessel out of sight.
• The four recognized the lull in attention as a chance to improve the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess and began expanding its power compartment.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] inspected the Blood Corpses and concluded that the compartment had wasted space, proposing to cram more into it.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] reorganized the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess's engine compartment and had the others capture Blood Corpses to expand its power. He then visited [Do Some Farm Work] in Valhalla to ask for help, but the chapter ended as he offered a potentially dangerous idea.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] compressed the Blood Corpses' workstations to free space for additional power components.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] found that [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Shit Appraisal Master], and [Good Times Don't Last] could not make precise parts, so he sent them to catch more Blood Corpses.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes], [Shit Appraisal Master], and [Good Times Don't Last] opened a small hole in the ceiling and captured Blood Corpses one by one.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] traveled to Valhalla and asked [Do Some Farm Work] for help.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] offered [Do Some Farm Work] a more effective way to look professional and warned that it might be dangerous.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] recruited [Do Some Farm Work] to help modify the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, increasing its power so the crew could dig out of their pit. Facing a tight deadline and a shortage of durable drill parts, [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] sought help from [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop].

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] convinced [Do Some Farm Work] to join the project after showing him the blueprints.
• The five-person crew upgraded the fortress to eighty corpsepower by installing pedal mechanisms powered by Blood Corpses.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] proposed fitting the fortress with a drill, conveyor belt, and one-way valve to excavate upward and escape in about a week.
• [Do Some Farm Work] warned that the drill parts would wear down quickly, while [Good Times Don't Last] and the others realized they had little time before Gray's forces arrived.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] went to Valhalla to recruit someone with exceptionally high Plant Compatibility, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] spotted him in the Greenhouse half a day later.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] joined [Traditional Eccentric Wheel]'s group and helped transform the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess into a tunnel-boring machine. With the fortress nearly ready to operate, [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] persuaded the group to pursue activating a machine spirit before escaping.

• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] entrusted her Greenhouse to [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] and went to Rotting Corpse Dark Lake to join the others.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop], [Traditional Eccentric Wheel], [Do Some Farm Work], and the others spent three days building a massive cutting head and conveyor system into the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.
• The group finished the fortress's first major transformation, leaving it one step away from ignition and giving it space for its Blood Corpses and crew.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] argued that a machine spirit could guide the fortress underground and make escape easier, convincing the others to try activating one first.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that a machine spirit needed a fortress and Blood Corpses, as well as a creation of Ed's, and began reviewing the conditions he had discussed with Gray.

The players sought a way to create the powerful shock needed to activate Ed’s Teleportation Tree and attract the attention of the sealed grand duke. They recruited [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] for his psionic compatibility, then began planning a performance to draw the grand duke’s notice.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that the Teleportation Tree needed a shock from the sealed powerhouse, which might only react to a powerful outside threat.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] reported that too few Blood Corpses remained on the upper deck to attract the grand duke, and the players rejected a plan to make a physical commotion because opening the door was too dangerous.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] suggested creating a harmless psionic energy shock instead of a physical disturbance.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] recruited her brother, [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop], after he arranged for [Ever-Changing Master Ye] to watch the Greenhouse.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] joined the team aboard the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, and the players began planning how to put on a show for the sealed grand duke.

[Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] led the players in building and firing a huge electrical psionic device, which killed or incapacitated Blood Corpses outside their fortress. The discharge also stirred a sleeping presence underground, while the players celebrated reclaiming the top deck and learned that Dragonborn players could now teleport without suppressing their Red Dragon genes.

• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] devised a plan to combine electrical psionic circuits into a powerful firecracker and took command of the players building it.
• The players learned that several hundred companions were approaching and hoped to show them their machine spirit and super fortress within three days.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] pulled the lever, sending a wave of psionic electricity from the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.
• A sleeping being underground sensed the lightning-like fluctuation and sent a probing pulse toward its source before mysterious power forced it back into slumber.
• The discharge killed or incapacitated Blood Corpses outside the fortress, allowing [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] to spot the players’ temporary control of the top deck.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] told [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] that a recent optimization let Dragonborn players use Teleportation Trees without suppressing their Red Dragon genes, then explained that the electrical blast had taken seven players a full day to charge.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] and his companions tried to create a Machine Spirit in the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, but their plan seemed to fail and the fortress’s drilling machinery stopped working. After a tremor restarted it on its own, [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] realized a Machine Spirit had awakened—and that it was crying.

• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] described his progress practicing elemental Psionic Energy.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] announced that the group had induced a grand duke’s psionic fluctuations and told everyone to record their attempt to create a Machine Spirit.
• After waiting several minutes with no apparent result, [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] pulled the lever to start the fortress’s drill, but it sprang back up and stopped the machinery.
• A violent tremor knocked [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] down, and the lever dropped by itself as the drill and conveyor belts began running again.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] went to the lower level and listened to the eighty Blood Corpses, discovering that the newly awakened Machine Spirit was crying like a child.

[Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that the newly awakened King of Fall Resistance, I Guess was too young to help the players and could need decades to gain the experience of Antasia. The players realized the infant Machine Spirit controlled their fortress and might not understand their attempts to escape.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] revealed that the players had activated a Machine Spirit and jokingly called them all its parents.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] asked how to level up the Machine Spirit, but [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that it needed time to accumulate experience rather than an experience potion.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] said the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess might need seventy years to reach Antasia's level because it lacked accumulated memories.
• The players realized they could not leave the fortress without the Machine Spirit's consent unless they used the Teleportation Tree.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] wondered whether the Machine Spirit would later complain about its family of origin.

The players realized the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess had become a newborn Machine Spirit that could not understand them, so they decided to learn how to raise it. Twelve hours later, [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] logged back in with three education books.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] and [Do Some Farm Work] joked that the Machine Spirit might develop dangerous habits, alarming the others.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] created a group chat, and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] explained that the fortress was moving without a clear destination because its Machine Spirit could not understand them.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] asked for advice on early childhood education, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] said she would consult a friend studying the subject.
• The players tidied the fortress, agreed to gather materials for the next day, and logged off while it continued digging underground.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] called her friend, explained that she and her companions wanted to raise a newborn friendly monster in World of Disorder, and received recommendations for educational books.
• Twelve hours later, [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] returned to the game with three professional books on education.

The group compared their plans for educating the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess after [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] confirmed it had spent the night digging in random directions. Their proposed reading materials ranged from early-childhood education to structural mechanics and 3D printing, leaving the group stunned.

• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] checked the map and found that the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess had dug about two kilometers in random directions over twelve hours.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] asked the group to compare what they had learned, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] uploaded three books on early-childhood care and education.
• [Do Some Farm Work] uploaded two volumes of Structural Mechanics and argued that the machine spirit should learn about tunnels and structural safety.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] urged everyone to share their materials, and [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] uploaded a book about early-childhood mathematics.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] uploaded a book on 3D printing technology, prompting [Do Some Farm Work] to tease him for taking the same approach.

The group debated what to teach King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, and uploaded an eccentric assortment of books to the shared library. [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] was left wondering how they would actually teach the Machine Spirit everything they had gathered.

• [Good Times Don't Last] argued that King of Fall Resistance, I Guess needed to learn safety and uploaded a Mechanical Troubleshooting Skills Manual.
• [Shit Appraisal Master] admitted he had attended a diploma mill and uploaded Principles of Economics for future trading runs.
• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] said the Machine Spirit’s life on the road could lead to a mental breakdown and uploaded Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] uploaded a Newborn Machine Spirit Soothing Guide, then explained that machines might work better when treated with superstition.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] confronted [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] with blades, lowered them after his explanation, and wondered how the group would teach King of Fall Resistance, I Guess the collected knowledge.

The group chose to focus on raising King of Fall Resistance, I Guess rather than searching for the grand duke, and began planning how to teach the Machine Spirit. Meanwhile, [Aloof Gold Block] encountered [Pizza Heart], [My Buddha Ciba], and [Namo Goose Rice Tofu] in the Wilderness of Chaos, where they armed themselves as he approached.

• [Lion Hidden in the Eyes] tested whether King of Fall Resistance, I Guess could hear and understand speech, but the Machine Spirit only responded with growls.
• [Good Times Don't Last] proposed choosing between finding the grand duke and raising the Machine Spirit, and the group unanimously chose to raise King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.
• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] warned that the Machine Spirit was too weak to survive an encounter with the vampire grand duke, so the group began discussing how to train him.
• [Aloof Gold Block] rode his Hoofed Beast through the Wilderness of Chaos and spotted three players traveling by carriage.
• [My Buddha Ciba] took the reins, [Pizza Heart] assembled a dagger-axe, and [Namo Goose Rice Tofu] aimed a drawn bow toward [Aloof Gold Block].

Aloof Gold Block caught up with the three players, learned that they had fought off nomadic bandits, and joined them to search for the sealed grand duke. North of the party, the bandits were swallowed by moving quicksand.

• Aloof Gold Block met Namo Goose Rice Tofu, Pizza Heart, and My Buddha Ciba, who explained that they had set out four days earlier and that Clear Soup Master had gone alone to investigate the Tree Worship Church.
• My Buddha Ciba told Aloof Gold Block that the trio had fought off a group of robbers three hours earlier and had stayed alert in case they returned.
• The players discussed the nomads and the Second Holy See, then Aloof Gold Block learned the bandits had fled north.
• Aloof Gold Block proposed that the four form a temporary party and search for the sealed grand duke, and the trio agreed.
• A dozen or so li north, moving quicksand swallowed the saber-bearing nomads on horseback.