Chapter Summaries

The Short-Eared Elf revealed that he used Aeldra’s heart and Vanessa’s spine to help seal the vampires, then explained the plan to capture the vampire grand dukes. He described how the plan was meant to exploit the dukes’ abilities, but the chapter ended before he explained what went wrong.

• The Short-Eared Elf said Aeldra’s Domination and Vanessa’s Solidification could be used to seal and reinforce the vampires.
• The Short-Eared Elf revealed Aeldra’s heart in his staff, causing Kebola to collapse in pain outside the barrier.
• The Short-Eared Elf transformed the staff into Aeldra’s heart and Vanessa’s spine, then explained that he and his allies had rescued infected races while lying low.
• The Short-Eared Elf said the vampire progenitors would gather at the True Blood Alliance meeting, giving his group a chance to seal them all.
• The Short-Eared Elf explained that Antos and Adelaide were to be sealed first, after which Rosalind’s hunger would drive her to attack the other grand dukes.

The Short-Eared Elf recounted how he and the elven assassin ambushed the vampires, trapped Hall in a crystal seal, and endured his attempts to bargain for release. Hall revealed that he had spent thirty years trying to bribe the elf before realizing he was pretending to sleep, and the elf finished his account by inviting more questions.

• The Short-Eared Elf explained that Wens, Rosalind, and York sent envoys instead of attending the alliance meeting, prompting Vanessa to consider ending the alliance.
• After obtaining what he needed from Aeldra, the elf and the assassin infiltrated Klaf City and launched a surprise attack, injuring Vanessa and targeting Hall.
• The elf described how Hall gathered his lineage’s power, then weakened his infectiousness, allowing the elf to trap them both in a lava space filled with crystal seals.
• The elf said he pretended to sleep through Hall’s offers to release him, while Hall remained trapped and conscious for eighty years.
• Hall’s clone revealed that he had spent thirty years trying to bribe the elf before believing the elf was truly asleep.
• The Short-Eared Elf finished his story and asked whether anyone had more questions.

[Do Some Farm Work] told the Short-Eared Elf mage that people had been affected by a strange compulsion to recite the elves’ name, but the effect seemed to have vanished after their awakening. As the Soul Returners went to investigate, an unexplained voice spoke again, alarming Collins and prompting him to demand answers.

• [Do Some Farm Work] described how people had reacted whenever they mentioned the Short-Eared Elves, and the mage tested the phrase on Collins without seeing any effect.
• [Do Some Farm Work] guessed the contamination had disappeared when the elves awakened, and the mage asked the Soul Returners to verify whether it remained.
• The elf mage promised the group a favor if the contamination was gone, and four Soul Returners fell asleep to check with their contacts.
• Collins asked whether the Short-Eared Elves were a real race or subspecies, and the mage promised he would learn the answer someday.
• An unseen voice asked to speak, [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] tried to stop it, and Collins demanded an explanation from her.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] explained the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess and its Machine Spirit to Collins, who recognized the technology’s potential for the Graycast Corridor. The Machine Spirit asked Short-Eared Elf to teach it teleportation, and Collins prepared to report the invention to the Great Labyrinth City.

• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] explained that the mobile fortress had a soul, and the elven mage confirmed that it was true.
• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess asked Short-Eared Elf to teach it how to teleport and showed that it could form handlike roots.
• Short-Eared Elf praised the Machine Spirit’s talent and said he would consider teaching it later.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] described how Machine Spirits were created and how they stored memories and controlled Blood Corpses.
• Collins asked who invented Machine Spirit technology, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] named Gray Gris, Nora Gris, and Antasia.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] told City Lord Collins that Gray Gris was alive in the Second Holy See, despite the Great Labyrinth City having declared him and his wife dead. After the fortress passed inspection, Collins asked the Soul Returners to bring the Machine Spirit to the Great Labyrinth City and demonstrate it to the Grand Foundry Master, which could affect Gray's eligibility in the ongoing election.

• Collins recognized Gray Gris's name and said the Great Labyrinth City had sent an obituary praising Gray's trade route to the Second Holy See.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] insisted Gray was alive, and Collins confirmed that Gray and his wife had already been memorialized as dead.
• Collins ordered a thorough search of the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess, and the guards found no problems.
• Collins explained that the Machine Spirit could be a strong candidate in the Grand Foundry Master election and asked the Soul Returners to demonstrate it in the Great Labyrinth City.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] considered City Lord Collins's proposal to travel to Great Labyrinth City and waited for her companions before deciding. After logging out, she learned [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] planned to ride across the Wilderness of Chaos to reach Gray and warned that Gray's chance to become Grand Foundry Master could be lost, though the route still held about two hundred thousand Blood Corpses.

• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] postponed answering Collins's proposal until her four companions woke up and they could discuss it.
• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess asked to learn a powerful spell, so [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] uploaded two volumes of Calculus for the Machine Spirit to study.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] told the absent Soul Returners that the day's activities had ended and that special dialogue with the Short-Eared Elves and Collins would have to wait until tomorrow.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] told [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] that the group was buying Hoofed Beasts to cross the Wilderness of Chaos and reach Graycast Corridor.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] warned [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] that Gray and his wife had been declared dead in Graycast Corridor, and that Gray might miss his chance to become Grand Foundry Master.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] resolved to tell Gray to set out immediately, but [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] warned that an estimated two hundred thousand Blood Corpses remained along the route.

[Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] learned that Gray might receive player support in the Graycast Corridor election and sought Ed’s guidance before the group acted. Ed reviewed the reports and traced the conversations behind the news.

• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] ended a call with his younger sister after deciding to report the news to Ed and discuss possible support for Gray.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] told his companions to delay their Hoofed Beast purchases and explained the election news he had received.
• [Howling Pothos], [Concrete Mixed with Spaghetti], [Zhongde], and the others debated whether supporting Gray would interfere in local politics or risk a Machine Spirit rebellion.
• [Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop] changed his meeting request so the whole group could ask Ed for advice before approaching Gray.
• Ed received the meeting request and used Little Green to review the siblings’ conversation and trace Collins’s exchange with [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop].

Ed decided to help Gray and the Graycast Corridor adopt Machine Spirits to strengthen them against the Eternal Domain, while the Soul Returners discussed the consequences of widespread mechanical modification. The chapter ended with Traditional Eccentric Wheel arguing that plant-based mediation could reduce the pain and incompatibility caused by mechanical upgrades.

• Ed concluded that Machine Spirits could quickly boost the Graycast Corridor’s combat strength and resolved to help introduce the technology, even if Gray could not become Grand Foundry Master.
• Ed considered the Second Holy See’s relative calm as its forces pursued Stained Ones in Fitz Province and moved to take over Yiluo'en Province.
• The Soul Returners arrived in Ed’s study, and Chocolate Ice Cream Scoop recounted their encounter with the Graycast Corridor from a perspective shaped by a desire for grand spectacles.
• Traditional Eccentric Wheel said people in the Graycast Corridor had begun replacing body parts more freely, while Lion Hidden in the Eyes pointed out the dangers of the Corridor’s distorted conditions and Blood Corpses.
• Traditional Eccentric Wheel argued that plants could mediate mechanical modifications, reducing side effects and improving compatibility, as Gray’s wooden mechanical arm demonstrated.

Ed and the Soul Returners agreed to support Gray’s bid to become Grand Foundry Master, while ensuring he returned safely to the Graycast Corridor without forcing the outcome. The Soul Returners joked about the rewards and dangers of helping Gray rise to power, then arrived at the Antasia as Ed finished guiding Noya through a quest announcement.

• [Traditional Eccentric Wheel] argued that supporting Gray would benefit their faction, the Graycast Corridor’s people, and ties with the Second Holy See.
• Ed secured the Soul Returners’ agreement to help Gray and escort him home safely, while leaving the contest’s outcome to chance.
• The Soul Returners joked about possible jobs and titles, and [Zhongde] worried that their imagined role in Gray’s rise might end like tragic historical examples.
• [Great Wei Boxing Champion] reassured [Zhongde] that they did not have to become loyal ministers, mentioning the Weibo Headquarters Troops.
• The Soul Returners reached the Antasia, where Gray noticed their group and wondered why one member looked embarrassed and indignant.
• Ed finished guiding Noya through revisions to produce a reasonably acceptable quest announcement.

Gray learned that he had passed the second round of the Grand Foundry Master election and agreed to return to Great Labyrinth City with Nora and Antasia. The Soul Returners launched a large escort quest and began preparing for the journey across the Wilderness of Chaos.

• The Soul Returners told Gray and Nora that Gray had passed the election's second round, according to his obituary, and was still eligible to run.
• Gray agreed to return to Great Labyrinth City after learning that five hundred Soul Returners would escort him and that the sealed grand duke had already been dealt with.
• Gray and Nora began packing the mobile fortress, while the Soul Returners divided up tasks to prepare Hoofed Beasts, food, tools, and weapons.
• Ed's escort quest filled all five hundred participant slots in under three minutes, though some underleveled players chose to join anyway by paying for their own mounts.

At the Mortgage Tavern, [Western Sharpshooter], [Gill's Cuisine], and [Aluode] learned about Ed's new escort mission for the Graycast Corridor and decided to join. They prepared their gear and left to customize their Hoofed Beasts, with [Western Sharpshooter] bringing a keg of drink along.

• [Western Sharpshooter], [Gill's Cuisine], and [Aluode] overheard patrons discussing a new escort mission and learned that Ed had posted it for the Graycast Corridor.
• [Western Sharpshooter] asked whether the Graycast Corridor could make guns and decided to join the mission in hopes of finding a way to get a revolver.
• [Gill's Cuisine] and [Aluode] agreed to accompany [Western Sharpshooter] on the escort mission.
• [Gill's Cuisine] and [Aluode] gathered their equipment and found [Western Sharpshooter] carrying a keg of drink beneath his arm.
• The three left the tavern to customize their personal Hoofed Beasts.

The players confirmed that the Short-Eared Elves had helped end the lingering symptoms and learned they planned to travel to the Great Labyrinth City. Collins then announced that qualification checks for the next Grand Foundry Master would begin in three days, prompting [Do Some Farm Work] to suspect the current master was dying.

• A courier carrying letters from Satellite City No. 42 sped toward the Great Labyrinth City as another courier passed him on the road.
• [Do Some Farm Work] and his companions confirmed that the Short-Eared Elves’ awakening had ended the symptoms affecting people’s subconscious minds.
• The elven mage promised the players a favor and said he and his companion would travel to the Great Labyrinth City before visiting the Son of God and returning to Elf Island.
• Collins announced that candidate qualification verification would begin in three days and voting for the next Grand Foundry Master in five days.
• [Do Some Farm Work] noticed Collins’s furrowed brows and suspected the current Grand Foundry Master was dying.

[Do Some Farm Work] learned how the Grand Foundry Master election worked, then discovered Gray might miss the required qualification review because his team was crossing the Wilderness of Chaos. The Soul Returners agreed to travel to the Great Labyrinth City with the elves aboard the fortress and help Gray restore his eligibility.

• Collins explained that eligible voters were qualified adults of at least Low Tier, that votes carried different weights, and that voters would travel to the Great Labyrinth City for the election.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] learned that Gray had already set out through the Wilderness of Chaos, and Collins explained that candidates had to attend the official vote even though their achievements could be reviewed without them.
• [Do Some Farm Work] and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] decided to warn Gray's convoy and asked whether reaching the Great Labyrinth City within three days would let Gray complete qualification certification.
• The elves offered to travel with the Soul Returners aboard the fortress, and the Machine Spirit eagerly agreed to take them.
• Collins gave the elven mage a travel permit and said he would entrust Gray's supporting votes to someone reliable before the group departed.

The group traveled toward Great Labyrinth City while the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess practiced splitting its attention by driving, drawing shapes with its roots, and singing. After most of the Soul Returners logged off to escape the noise, the vehicle reached Great Labyrinth City on the third morning.

• The group traveled for three hours along the Graycast Corridor’s well-maintained road after leaving Satellite City No. 42.
• A Short-Eared Elf mage taught the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess to practice drawing different shapes at once without interfering with its driving.
• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess practiced with its roots and branches while singing, disturbing the Soul Returners in the cabin.
• Three Soul Returners logged off on the first day, Do Some Farm Work logged off the next morning, and [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] endured the journey.
• The group saw Great Labyrinth City’s walls on the third morning and arrived there.

The Soul Returners reached the Great Labyrinth City after surviving its drivers’ dangerous antics, then split up to handle errands and explore. The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess went to a local shop for maintenance while the group began its stay in the city.

• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess dodged reckless drivers on the way to the Great Labyrinth City’s gates.
• Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop and Do Some Farm Work presented the two halves of a brass token, and the guards verified their identity and let them enter.
• The players took in the city’s metallic landscape and wondered what its residents ate and did for fun.
• The King of Fall Resistance, I Guess pointed the group toward Old Harlun Small Fortress Maintenance Center for repairs.
• The Soul Returners split up: Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop went to deliver news to Gray’s master’s junior fellow apprentice, Do Some Farm Work went to the city hall about Gray’s household registration, and the other three began mapping the area.
• Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop paid Old Harlun a gold coin, and the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess began a full parts-maintenance service from Old Harlun and Little Harlun.

[Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] told Fener’s junior apprentice brother that Gray Gris and Nora Gris were alive and returning, then informed him that they wanted their funeral money back. Meanwhile, [Do Some Farm Work] could not get Gray socially resurrected because Great Labyrinth City’s staff required Gray to appear in person.

• The elven mage gave [Do Some Farm Work] a wood chip enchanted with a Psionic Energy Formula and left with his companion for Great Labyrinth City.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] found Fener’s junior apprentice brother and told him Gray Gris and Nora Gris had survived and would arrive within three days.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] relayed Gray’s demand that his uncle return the funeral money, and the mechanic wept over having nearly spent it all.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] left after checking on the mechanic and bought metal parts that might make gifts for the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.
• [Do Some Farm Work] failed to get Gray socially resurrected because Great Labyrinth City’s staff insisted on seeing Gray in person.

[Do Some Farm Work] tried to speed up a report about machine spirits by crediting Gray with the discovery, while Little Harlun mistook the voice inside the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess for a disabled young noble. The question of whether artificial prosthetics could channel psionic energy reached an elven mage, leaving the answer unresolved.

• [Do Some Farm Work] decided to report the machine-spirit discovery elsewhere in city hall and credit Gray, hoping to avoid waiting for him to reach Great Labyrinth City.
• Little Harlun heard the voice inside the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess ask about psionicists and people without hands while he serviced the fortress.
• Little Harlun concluded that the hidden speaker was a disabled, psionically gifted son of an important figure and told Old Harlun his theory.
• Old Harlun suggested that children with congenital disabilities could be fitted with artificial prosthetics, but neither he nor Little Harlun knew whether they could control psionic energy.
• An elven mage repeated the question about controlling psionic energy with artificial prosthetics.

The elf mage reunited with the gray-robed Grand Foundry Master and asked about the accelerated selection and another old acquaintance. Meanwhile, the Soul Returners learned that Gray’s resurrection could not proceed without Gray appearing in person, though [Do Some Farm Work] had secured the machine spirit patent.

• The gray-robed Grand Foundry Master explained how he planned to complete psionic circuits for mechanical-path ability users and reminisced with the elf mage about their talents before the Demonic Tide.
• The elf mage asked what had happened to another old acquaintance and requested to see him after hearing that the Grand Foundry Master had accelerated the selection process.
• The Grand Foundry Master used an engraving knife to open a concealed platform beneath the library floor and led the two short-eared elves downward.
• Little Harlun brought the freshly polished King of Fall Resistance, I Guess out of his workshop, and the Soul Returners gathered inside it at dusk.
• [Do Some Farm Work] reported that Gray’s resurrection had failed because city staff demanded Gray appear in person and would detect disguises from their detailed records.
• [Do Some Farm Work] said he had obtained the machine spirit patent, despite failing to revoke Gray’s death record.

With only sixty hours left to save Gray’s candidacy, the Soul Returners found that his journey was slowing, he lacked public support, and his path to the election depended on several difficult steps. Just as they agreed to use their High Tier favor to help him, two Short-Eared Elves appeared and someone objected.

• [Do Some Farm Work] explained that Gray could obtain the Machine Spirit patent and qualify for the election if he reached Great Labyrinth City, returned to public life, and arrived before the deadline.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] reported that Gray had passed only halfway through the Wilderness of Chaos and that exhausted Hoofed Beasts were dying, making the expected travel schedule unrealistic.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] said Gray’s master’s junior brother had spent much of Gray and Nora’s condolence money on booze, but the remaining bereavement payments were safe.
• [Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop] reported that Great Labyrinth City’s residents cared about the election but did not know Gray or support him.
• [Do Some Farm Work] asked the other three Soul Returners for permission to use their shared High Tier favor, and they agreed.
• A familiar voice refused as two Short-Eared Elves appeared inside the cabin of the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.

The elven mage explained that Ed and the Second Holy See could not directly interfere in Gray Gris’s bid to become Grand Foundry Master, but that the Grand Foundry Master had accepted their help in leveling the contest. [Do Some Farm Work] realized they might still be able to act indirectly, and asked what the mage and Ed could do.

• The elven mage told the Soul Returners that the Grand Foundry Master had forbidden him from interfering and that further direct aid from the Second Holy See would overstep the bounds.
• The elven mage relayed the Grand Foundry Master’s letter thanking the Second Holy See for helping Gray Gris, while asking that the election remain fair.
• Ed read the letter, understood that Gray lacked time and a team of supporters, and concluded that the Soul Returners were the only likely variable in the contest.
• The elven mage told the Soul Returners they could stir things up without angering the Grand Foundry Master.
• [Do Some Farm Work] asked whether the mage and Ed were unable to intervene at all or only unable to intervene directly, and the mage asked what he wanted done.