Chapter Summaries

Lu Guan reunited with Dania after their battle, then entered the system’s white space to find Sora weakened by the Desolation. He offered to enlist his companions and help fight it, but Sora refused to risk Solaris’s only hope and told him to wait until he grew stronger.

• Dania woke early, climbed under Lu Guan’s blanket, and Jinhsi saw them through the partly open door before heading to the magistrate’s office.
• Lu Guan and Dania woke at seven in the evening, and Dania left for dinner while Lu Guan chose to remain behind.
• Lu Guan used the system to return to the white space and found Sora exhausted and visibly diminished by the Desolation.
• Sora explained that the Desolation could form Sonoros or corrupt existing ones, and that removing it required destroying what it controlled and exposing its source.
• Lu Guan offered to gather his companions to help Solaris, but Sora refused to gamble their only hope and asked him to grow stronger first.
• Lu Guan challenged Sora about her declining power and asked how much longer she could hold on.

Lu Guan accepted Sora’s help in finding manageable Desolation instances after she warned him of the danger, and he left determined to protect those he loved. A renewed sense of belonging to Solaris caused his Tacet Mark to begin forming a seventh star, while Sora continued suppressing the Desolation.

• Lu Guan challenged Sora’s attempt to keep him away from danger, and she agreed to mark safer Desolation instances while placing a protective blessing on him.
• Sora asked Lu Guan to call her Mom, then sent him back to reality and coughed up dark purple blood after he disappeared.
• Lu Guan reunited with Dania in the Frontier Court dining hall, teased her with a kiss, and thought about the Desolation marker near Qichi Village.
• Lu Guan realized that love and protecting others were the true sources of strength, and he vowed to protect Dania and Solaris.
• Lu Guan’s Tacet Mark began to form a seventh star, and Sora sensed the change before returning to suppressing the Desolation.

Lu Guan left Dania asleep and went to Qichi Village, where a dormant Tacet Field summoned a powerful Goat-Headed Wolf Tacet Discord. He lured it into a cave and attacked from above, but the monster recovered from its wounds and left him facing a seemingly unstoppable foe.

• Lu Guan left the Jinzhou Frontier Court after Dania fell asleep and traveled to Qichi Village.
• A Tacet Field awakened and summoned a Calamity Class Goat-Headed Wolf Tacet Discord, which attacked Lu Guan.
• Lu Guan wounded the monster with his abilities and arrows, then fled northwest to draw it toward an unstable patch of ground.
• Lu Guan used Polar Reversal to evade the Goat-Headed Wolf and make it fall into a cave, where it killed the Thundering Mephis.
• Lu Guan shot arrows at the trapped monster from above until it collapsed, but it soon recovered, pulled out the arrows, and returned to full strength.

Lu Guan discovered that the Desolation was a wolf in sheep’s clothing and defeated it by stripping away its fleece, obtaining a magical copy of Aesop’s Fables. He kept the encounter secret from Dania, who noticed his changed physique but chose not to press him, and he fell asleep after she left.

• Sora hinted that a Desolation’s weakness lay in the entity that made it up, and Lu Guan realized the monster’s fleece was its weakness.
• Lu Guan attacked the wolf in sheep’s clothing with Dismantle, then summoned seven Rikas to finish shearing it before his Resonance Power ran out.
• The Desolation dissipated, and Lu Guan retrieved Aesop’s Fables, which awakened as a book that could summon fable characters using Resonance Power.
• Lu Guan realized the Desolation’s power had strengthened his body and concluded that his first exorcism had succeeded.
• Dania smelled dust on Lu Guan and questioned him about his late-night activity; he claimed he had gone for a run and hid the truth about Sora and the Desolation.
• Dania noticed Lu Guan’s new muscles but trusted him enough not to press him, then left to get him food while he washed up and fell asleep.

Dania secretly stayed beside Lu Guan while he slept, aware of the burdens he hid and pledging to stand by him. Later, Lu Guan discussed the defeated Desolation’s book and the power he gained with “Sora,” who comforted him and began treating his unusual reaction to her.

• Dania slipped into bed beside Lu Guan, recognized that he was hiding dangerous responsibilities, and vowed to remain with him no matter what.
• Dania’s affection panel quietly disappeared from the system interface while Lu Guan slept.
• Lu Guan met “Sora” and admitted that fighting a Desolation had been mentally taxing and depended on using the terrain to win.
• Lu Guan showed “Sora” the copy of Aesop’s Fables and asked about the power that had entered his body.
• “Sora” explained that the power was a tonic to Lu Guan, then pulled him close and offered him a peaceful sleep.
• “Sora” noticed Lu Guan’s physical reaction and summoned a green light, saying she would treat him.

After two months in Jinzhou, Lu Guan regained his strength, spent time with Dania, and exorcised two more instances of Desolation. As his vacation ended, he learned the committee’s decision about Dania looked grim and contacted Black Shores representative Aalto, hinting that he had important information about its founder.

• Lu Guan woke beside Dania after recovering from exhaustion, then spent time with her watching a performance in Jinzhou.
• Lu Guan reflected on Jinhsi’s character and his limited chances to see her, noting her affection had reached 32.
• Lu Guan received a warning from Stardust Academy to return and messages from Lacerta saying the committee’s discussions about Dania looked unfavorable.
• Lacerta gave Lu Guan Aalto’s contact information and said Huanglong’s representative was still negotiating before the committee made its formal decision.
• Lu Guan sent Aalto a friend request and asked about the Deep Space Union’s plans for Dania.
• When Aalto said he could not disclose confidential committee discussions, Lu Guan claimed to have important information about the founder of Black Shores.

Lu Guan persuaded Shorekeeper to help protect Dania from the Deep Space Union by revealing the Fractsidus' experiments and their interest in her. Before departing Jinzhou for Lahai-Roi, he accepted an alliance token from Jinhsi, who wondered why Jué had urged her to befriend him.

• Lu Guan told Aalto that the Tuner founded the Black Shores and Shorekeeper managed it, prompting Shorekeeper to take over Aalto's account.
• Lu Guan informed Shorekeeper that the Bloom Bearers sent to Jinzhou had likely been killed by the Fractsidus, who had impersonated Chengxia to target Dania.
• Lu Guan explained that the Fractsidus had experimented on Dania, making her an incomplete Threnodian Resonator, and sought to capture her again.
• Shorekeeper verified Lu Guan's account through Tethys, agreed to have Aalto explain Dania's case to the Deep Space Union, and asked Lu Guan to bring Dania to the Black Shores.
• Lu Guan sensed the scent of Desolation near Norfall Barrens and decided to focus on Dania's situation before returning when Jué awakened.
• At Gunchao Port, Jinhsi gave Lu Guan an alliance token that allowed him to travel freely in Jinzhou and call for aid, then wondered why Jué had told her to befriend him.

Aalto told Lu Guan about the Deep Space Union’s divisions over Dania and delivered a black flower from the Shorekeeper. When a huge Tacet Discord attacked the cruise ship, Lu Guan struck it with Hollow Technique: Purple and began unleashing the power of a dangerous 60% overflow.

• Aalto approached Lu Guan aboard the cruise ship, introduced himself as a Black Shores guest, and gave him a black flower at the Shorekeeper’s request.
• Aalto explained that the Deep Space Union’s committee was divided over whether Dania should be imprisoned, studied, expelled, or protected under Huanglong’s laws.
• Aalto said Principal Lacerta opposed the committee’s proposals and wanted Dania to continue studying, while Lu Guan warned that self-interest drove the committee members.
• Aalto and Lu Guan discussed using the Black Shores’ authority and potential benefits to influence the committee’s stance on Dania.
• A giant sea beast Tacet Discord attacked the ship, and Lu Guan pierced its belly with Hollow Technique: Purple.
• Lu Guan’s resonance development reached 80%, triggering a 60% overflow as he summoned a golden warblade and the Lightning-Lord manifestation behind him.

Lu Guan defeated the newborn Kun and reassured Aalto that he could protect Dania, while Dania worried about the Deep Space Union and her classmates. After rumors about Dania spread across Stardust Academy, students rallied to support her, and Lacerta and Chisa suspected the Fractsidus was involved.

• Lu Guan killed the newborn Kun with a single slash, contained its relic, and warned Aalto that he would oppose the Deep Space Union if its decisions harmed Dania.
• Dania sought comfort from Lu Guan and worried that the Deep Space Union and her classmates would reject her; he reassured her that he would handle the situation.
• Rumors at Stardust Academy falsely linked Dania to calamities, Aleph-1, and the Void Matter Magnetic Storm.
• Sigelika and other students defended Dania, traced the rumors to an unregistered student, and formed a support club to oppose the Deep Space Union's leadership.
• Lacerta told Chisa she had only revealed the committee's plans, while Chisa and Lacerta suspected the Fractsidus leader was connected to the rumors and discussed seeking help from the Black Shores representative.

Dania surprised Lu Guan in a Huanglong-style outfit, and the two spent the voyage growing closer before reaching Lahai-Roi. At the dock, Deep Space Union personnel tried to take Dania into custody, but Lu Hes and Aalto stood in their way pending an assessment of her danger.

• Dania changed into a Huanglong-style dress for Lu Guan, who mistook her for the Voice of the Voiceless and then gave her a gilded hairpin.
• Dania teased Lu Guan as her senior brother, and the two became intimate aboard the ship.
• Three days later, Dania worried that the Deep Space Union would discover she was a Threnodian Resonator and have her expelled from the academy.
• Lu Guan told Dania that Aalto would represent the Black Shores in discussions about her situation and that they would go to the research institute for a test.
• When the ship docked, Deep Space Union personnel demanded that Dania come with them, but Lu Hes objected and Aalto asserted that no one could take her before his assessment.

Lu Guan confronted committee agents who tried to take Dania away, then brought her to the research institute for testing. The results confirmed her unusual Resonance abilities and stable condition, while Lu Guan prepared to see how the committee would respond to the evidence.

• Lu Guan blocked the committee agents, accused their leader of being a Fractsidus spy, and drove them away after warning him.
• Lu Guan said the committee's actions had broken the rules and took Dania to the research institute to provide the requested report.
• Mornye confirmed the Black Shores equipment was ready, and Lu Hes told Lu Guan that Principal Lacerta had been having trouble sleeping.
• Lu Guan gave Lu Hes cross-shaped pendants for Lacerta and others, joking that they were meant to wake people up.
• The test report identified Dania's Resonance ability as Illusory Bubble, linked her frequency to the Tacet Discord of Nihility, and found her overclocking threshold normal and highly stable.

Lu Guan delivered Dania’s safety report to Lacerta while Aalto wandered into the academy cafeteria and ordered Shockingly Delicious. Aalto opened a fermented-auks can, collapsed from its revolting smell, and woke in the infirmary asking whether the students really ate cafeteria food.

• Mornye concluded that Dania’s Rover resonance posed no danger to Lahai-Roi and gave Lu Guan a report confirming she could neutralize Aleph-1’s Void Matter magnetic storms.
• Lu Guan and Dania left Mornye after he gave her a mind-refreshing pendant, then Lu Guan showed Dania’s report to Lacerta.
• Aalto entered the academy cafeteria, ordered Shockingly Delicious, and opened the can while the students fled in alarm.
• Aalto inhaled the fermented-auks dish’s stench, collapsed, and was taken to the infirmary, where Lu Hes revived him.
• Aalto asked Lu Hes whether academy students normally ate Shockingly Delicious, and Lu Hes explained that they mostly ate nutrient gel instead.

While Lacerta and Dania entered the auditorium for the committee meeting, Lu Guan discovered that Chisa had been contaminated by Desolation after fighting a Tacet Discord in Darkhollow. He temporarily suppressed the erosion with his blood, learned Chisa had about three days, and resolved to confront the Deep Space Union’s treatment of Dania.

• Lacerta reassured Dania that Lu Guan was watching and led her into the auditorium, where the committee would discuss her situation.
• Chisa showed Lu Guan a purple-glowing dagger she had found beneath Darkhollow, and he recognized it as a vessel for Desolation and removed its influence.
• Chisa began suffering mental erosion, so Lu Guan fed her his blood, which temporarily eased her symptoms.
• Lu Guan explained Desolation and apologized for not warning others sooner, but Chisa comforted him and told him not to blame himself.
• Chisa estimated that Lu Guan’s blood could suppress the erosion for about three days, and Lu Guan grew angry at the Deep Space Union’s treatment of Dania.

The committee voted to imprison Dania or send her to a laboratory despite Lacerta’s appeal, and Lu Guan arrived after Aalto’s warnings went ignored. He killed the committee member who proposed experimenting on Dania and declared the vote invalid, then challenged the remaining members to oppose him.

• Lacerta asked the committee to reconsider Dania’s continued studies, but several members supported imprisoning or experimenting on her, while the Huanglong representative opposed and Kaiermei’er abstained.
• Aalto warned the committee that Lu Guan could destroy a Calamity Class Tacet Discord, but the sinister-looking man dismissed him and Aalto tried to leave.
• Lu Guan entered the hall and stopped the sinister-looking man from speaking by seizing his throat with a mysterious force.
• Dania clung to Lu Guan and told him the committee had discussed sending her to prison or a laboratory, then pointed out the man who proposed it.
• Lu Guan released the man, killed him with his Resonance ability, declared the vote invalid, and asked the committee who was in favor or against.

Lu Guan seized control of the Deep Space Union after killing a committee member, and Lacerta joined him in eliminating the committee members who opposed him. He revealed that Aleph-1 had been driven away and redirected the Union’s research toward Desolation, warning that Solaris could not hold out much longer.

• Lu Guan identified Uncle Liu as Huanglong’s representative and demanded that Lacerta identify committee members who opposed his orders.
• Lu Guan declared that he would take control of the Deep Space Union, and Lacerta used Disordered Memories to kill the committee members with ulterior motives concerning Dania.
• Lacerta and Lu Guan stood together as Kaiermei'er demanded to know their plans, while Aalto declared that Black Shores supported Lu Guan.
• Lu Guan told Uncle Liu that he had driven Aleph-1 away, and Dania and Lacerta offered evidence that Aleph-1 had left Solaris.
• Lu Guan presented Lady Xu’s Dagger and explained that Desolation was spreading across Solaris and could corrupt even the Lament, then warned that humanity had little time left.

After the auditorium attack, Lu Guan and his allies covered up the deaths and Huanglong took control of Lahai-Roi, provoking outrage in the New Federation and concern in Rinascita. Lu Guan replenished Chisa’s blood supply and departed for the Black Shores with Dania, while the unseen Augusta watched their ship and wondered whether Lu Guan could see her.

• Lu Guan ordered the Deep Space Union renamed the Dania Union, and Kaiermei'er fabricated a story blaming an unknown Tacet Discord for the auditorium deaths.
• Three days later, the New Federation’s investors learned that Huanglong had taken control of Lahai-Roi and erupted in anger, while Lu Yi’s colleagues praised Lu Guan’s actions at court.
• Carlotta heard the news on the radio and hurried to her grandfather’s study, suspecting that Rinascita would also be affected.
• Lu Guan confirmed Chisa’s condition, gave her more blood, and left a month’s supply at the research institute before preparing to travel with Dania.
• As Lu Guan and Dania sailed toward the Black Shores, Augusta watched from a glacial cliff and wondered whether he could see her; Lu Guan called her an electronic ghost from an academy story.

Lu Guan arrived at the Black Shores, where Dania accepted an internship and he met the Shorekeeper to discuss the Desolation and Solaris’s planetary will. The Shorekeeper had no answers about the Tuner of the Stars’ return, leaving Lu Guan waiting for further notice.

• Aalto offered Dania a tailor-made Bloom Bearer internship, and she agreed to join the Black Shores to master her abilities and help Lu Guan.
• The Shorekeeper led Lu Guan into a musical vision, where he recognized her as the Second Instance.
• The Shorekeeper told Lu Guan that Solaris’s planetary will had contacted her and asked him for information about the Desolation.
• Lu Guan gave the Shorekeeper a remnant left after he exorcised the Desolation, and she promised to share Tethys System simulation results.
• Lu Guan asked about the planetary will and the Tuner of the Stars, but the Shorekeeper said she did not know why the will had contacted her and had been told to wait for further notice about the Tuner.

Lu Guan urged Shorekeeper to work with the Deep Space Union to find a way for others to fight the Desolation, then learned about her connection to the Black Shores' founder and her fears about Tethys. He left after encouraging her not to give up, asking her to play the rest of her unfinished piece when they met again.

• Lu Guan proposed that the Black Shores and Deep Space Union cooperate to develop a way to fight the Desolation using objects it had possessed.
• Shorekeeper recalled how the Black Shores' founder had created her and taught her to value choice, and she played the unfinished piece she had hoped to share with her.
• Lu Guan realized Shorekeeper might sacrifice herself to become Tethys's core and asked whether she had truly decided to do so.
• Lu Guan told Shorekeeper not to give up hope and asked her to play the second half of the piece for him and the founder.
• Lu Guan left the Sonoro, and Shorekeeper thanked him for listening as an Echo-energy tear fell from her eye.

At Stardust Academy’s delayed opening ceremony, Principal Lacerta delivered a mournful speech about the attack while Lu Guan admitted he had altered it as a prank. Lu Guan and Lacerta discussed Dania’s future with the Black Shores and research at the academy, while Dania’s reunion with Sigelika ended with a candy prank.

• Principal Lacerta told the students that a Fractsidus attack had killed Deep Space Union Committee members and praised Dania for stopping Scar.
• Lacerta discarded a speech passage naming unfamiliar victims and improvised a statement about Stardust Academy’s ideals, while Lu Guan secretly applauded her.
• Afterward, Lu Guan admitted he had changed Lacerta’s speech to test whether she could keep a straight face, and told her Dania had joined the Black Shores.
• Lacerta told Lu Guan that Professor Mornye had shifted her focus from the artificial sun project to research on the Desolation, and Lu Guan said the Black Shores would send researchers to help.
• In the cafeteria, Sigelika reunited with Dania and offered her Rainbow Beanie popping candy from Doctor Lu; Dania ate one and shouted Sigelika’s name in anger.

Lu Guan, Dania, and Sigelika tried Lu Hes’s experimental Rainbow Bean Popping Candy, which gave each of them strange effects, while Lacerta took a packet to test on Chisa. Later, Lu Guan learned that Sora’s power was becoming harder to suppress and discovered Sigelika’s affection had risen because of his bond with Dania, who confronted him over it.

• Dania forced Sigelika to eat Rainbow Bean Popping Candy, making Sigelika hiccup whenever she spoke.
• Lu Guan ate the last candy and began speaking backward, while he and Sigelika used tablets to communicate and teased Dania about her glowing eyes.
• Lacerta asked Lu Hes for more candy so she could record Chisa’s reaction, and Lu Hes warned that the candy was still being tested.
• Lu Guan spoke with Sora in the system space, where she said the Desolation’s return was expected and the Arbiter would arrive at the appointed time.
• Dania confronted Lu Guan about Sigelika’s closeness, and Lu Guan discovered that Sigelika’s affection had risen through his bond with Dania.
• Dania decided to keep Lu Guan from pursuing other women, and her love points increased.