Chapter Summaries

Kexi battled Christopher inside the layered script world while Scar delayed Changli, giving Kexi time to escape. Elsewhere, the fake Kexi stabbed Jinhsi and drained her power, leaving Changli to pursue him as Sanhua called Baizhi for help.

• Kexi used Camellya's and Jinhsi's powers to attack Christopher, but Christopher escaped through the script world and left Kexi trapped among its endless layers.
• Scar received Christopher's signal and let Changli pass after delaying her, while Selina and the Pleiades tried to hold back the others.
• The fake Kexi stabbed Jinhsi, smeared blood across her face, and siphoned off her power as she lay unconscious.
• Changli found Jinhsi, attacked the fake Kexi as he fled, and then handed Jinhsi to Sanhua before setting off to catch him.
• Sanhua called Baizhi to help the badly wounded Jinhsi, while Yangyang, Lynae, and Sigrika reacted in shock.

Kexi escaped Christopher’s scenario only to be framed for stabbing Jinhsi, and Changli and Sanhua turned against him. After synchronizing with Changli and completing his task, Kexi fled in a crimson mech, leaving Carlotta to discover Jinhsi’s injury.

• Kexi escaped Christopher’s scenario space, then dodged Changli’s attacks as she accused him of killing Jinhsi.
• Changli brought Kexi to the injured Jinhsi, and he realized Christopher had used a fake version of him to frame him.
• Sanhua attacked Kexi after Baizhi explained that Jinhsi’s lung had been pierced, while Changli restrained Sanhua.
• Kexi froze time, synchronized with Changli, and completed his second task before time resumed and the others caught him in an intimate position with Changli.
• As the women attacked, Kexi summoned a crimson Threnodian Armament mech and escaped, promising Carlotta he would prove his innocence.
• Carlotta docked the Pleiades’ wages, then noticed Jinhsi’s condition and asked what had happened to Magistrate Jin.

After Kexi escaped, Carlotta faced accusations that he had tried to kill Jinhsi, while Alex used the incident to threaten Montelli and demand Kexi’s return. Carlotta promised to uncover the truth within three days as Changli agreed to the deadline and took Jinhsi away.

• Christopher and Scar discussed Kexi’s escape, then turned their attention to Rover and Phrolova.
• Rover approached Carlotta and the others while guests spread rumors that Montelli had attacked Jinhsi and might provoke a conflict with Huanglong.
• Carlotta denied that Kexi would kill Jinhsi, but Changli insisted she had witnessed the attack.
• Alex accused Montelli of attacking Jinzhou’s magistrate and silenced Phoebe when she tried to defend Kexi.
• Carlotta promised to bring Kexi back and explain what happened, and Alex gave her three days before the Order would act.
• Changli agreed to Alex’s deadline and sent Sanhua and Baizhi to take Jinhsi away.

Carlotta and her allies insisted that Kexi was innocent, but the Order issued a wanted notice for him on suspicion of assassinating the Magistrate of Jinzhou. Meanwhile, Phrolova escaped her Resonance Suppressor and prepared to deal with someone at the Montelli after Christopher told her to help make arrangements for Rover.

• Female Rover, Augusta, Juno, Lupa, and Yangyang supported Carlotta and defended Kexi, while Suisui argued with Yangyang and left when she refused to give up on him.
• Alex reported the incident at Montelli Manor to Fenrico, who ordered Kexi Montelli placed on the wanted list but warned that he should be kept alive.
• Christopher and Scar found Phrolova in the wilderness, where she refused to explain her strange outfit and demanded they remove her Resonance Suppressor.
• Scar blasted the suppressor off, killing Phrolova temporarily; half an hour later, she regenerated completely and regained her Resonance Energy.
• Christopher told Phrolova to help make arrangements for Rover before the carnival, and Phrolova decided to change clothes and settle the score with someone at the Montelli.

Kexi and Chisaki secretly worked together to make a fortune selling barbecue in the Forest of Tranquility, then discussed meeting Chisaki’s family. When they returned to Star Torch Academy, Lynae and Sigrika saw them acting affectionately and reacted angrily.

• Kexi sold cheap barbecue made from yesterday’s leftovers while Chisaki displayed identical food at triple the price, leading customers to believe they were rivals.
• Kexi and Chisaki revealed they were working together, using their contrasting prices to draw in customers and sell out their stock.
• Kexi counted tens of thousands of Shell Credits and told Chisaki she should take him to meet her family, making her blush and stammer.
• Kexi and Chisaki returned to Star Torch Academy, where Lynae pointed out their affection to Sigrika and called Kexi a bastard for hooking up with another woman.

Kexi discovered that the mech he received was Aleph-1 and learned he needed to gather energy to unlock its weapons and equipment. After checking into an inn in Egla Town, he was identified from a wanted notice, and Alex set out to capture him.

• Kexi inspected his mech and argued with the system when he realized it looked like Aleph-1 rather than the Threnodian.
• The system explained that Kexi could unlock equipment by absorbing energy from high-energy units, including Fractsidus members.
• Kexi considered how to clear his name after Christopher framed him for Jinhsi's attempted assassination, and decided to lie low until he could speak with Jinhsi.
• Kexi checked into the Wavecrest Inn in Egla Town, where the innkeeper recognized him from the Order's wanted notice and reported his location.
• Alex gathered a group, including Gladiator Junrock and Abyssal Patricius, and headed to the inn to capture Kexi.

Kexi planned to find Rover to track down the Fractsidus and learn about Jinhsi, but the Order arrested him for her attempted assassination. Brant rescued him on Carlotta’s orders and began taking him to the Fool’s Troupe as the Order closed in.

• Kexi decided to seek out Rover, hoping to find the Fractsidus and ask about Jinhsi’s condition.
• Alex arrived with Ordo guards and Echoes, presented Kexi’s arrest warrant, and tried to take him into custody.
• Kexi fought off the guards and climbed out the window, but someone grabbed his collar and swung him away on a grappling line.
• Brant introduced himself as Carlotta’s rescuer and told Kexi that she was under pressure to hand him over but was trying to protect him.
• Brant said he was taking Kexi to the Fool’s Troupe, then urged him to hurry as the Order pursued them.

Brant rescued Kexi from the Order and brought him to the Isle of Lament, where the Fool’s Troupe lived among survivors exiled by the Order of the Deep. Kexi settled into a cabin at Fool’s Elysium, but Roccia continued to avoid him and called him a pervert.

• Brant escaped the Order’s pursuers with Kexi and sailed away from shore with Roccia aboard their boat.
• Brant explained that the Isle of Lament was a place of exile where pilgrimage-ship survivors had formed the Fool’s Troupe and used plays to speak despite the Order’s restrictions.
• Brant sailed into the island’s harbor and showed Kexi around the troupe’s cavern home, Fool’s Elysium.
• Brant gave Kexi a cabin and said he would need to stay on the island while the Order’s warrant remained active.
• Kexi approached Roccia as she worked on a device, and she called him a pervert and a lolicon before leaving inside Pero’s chest.

Kexi met Baldorio, a former carnival laureate, and learned about the performance planned for the day after tomorrow, where Rover and the Montelli Family's second young lady would lead. After failing to find Brant, Kexi summoned Selina with an iris and reached her through his terminal.

• Kexi recited a poem to deny being a lolicon, but the troupe members took it as further proof.
• Baldorio invited Kexi to stay at the haven for fools and explained that he had once been exiled for protesting the Order's control of the carnival.
• Kexi told Baldorio he could write love letters, and Baldorio invited him to join the carnival performance the day after tomorrow.
• Kexi learned that Rover and the Montelli Family's second young lady were the leads and planned to surprise Rover and confront the Fractsidus if they caused trouble.
• Kexi could not find Brant, who had gone out to sea, so he picked an iris and performed a summoning ritual for Selina.
• Selina answered Kexi's terminal and asked where he was.

Kexi learned that Jinhsi remained unconscious and the Montelli elders were challenging Carlotta’s leadership because she protected him. With the Order giving him three days to prove his innocence, he asked Selina to monitor Jinhsi and support Carlotta while he searched for a way to expose Christopher.

• Kexi told Selina he was hiding on the Isle of Lament and learned Jinhsi had not woken up, leaving him without a witness to prove his innocence.
• Kexi asked Selina to watch Jinhsi and find out what Rover was doing so he could use her to track down Christopher.
• Selina told Kexi that Luca and other Montelli elders were calling a family meeting to challenge Carlotta’s position as head of the family.
• Carlotta confronted Kexi over the trouble he had caused and warned that the Order had given the Montelli three days to produce evidence.
• Carlotta berated Luna, the Pleiades, and Selina for failing to protect Kexi, then left for the meeting room.
• Kexi asked Selina to support Carlotta at the meeting and promised to put an end to the mess.

At a Montelli family meeting, Luca pushed to expel Kexi and remove Carlotta as family representative, arguing that protecting Kexi endangered the family. Carlotta opposed his motion to expel Kexi, but the chapter ended before the vote on her position was held.

• Luca warned Carlotta that the Order’s deadline and the shutdown of Montelli’s merchant ships put the family at risk if it continued to shelter Kexi.
• Sera said the shipping losses threatened Montelli’s finances and could force Vito’s terminal laboratory to stop work, while Vito argued that surrendering Kexi would only invite further demands from the Order.
• Marta reported that Alex had met with Fenrico and that Changli had given Montelli forty-eight hours to respond, without naming Kexi in her document.
• Luca invoked the family charter and proposed expelling Kexi and holding a new vote on Carlotta’s position as family representative.
• Enzo read the ballots on Kexi’s expulsion: Luca voted in favor, Sera and Vito opposed, Marta abstained, and Carlotta opposed.

Carlotta halted the vote to remove her as Montelli family head after learning that Jinhsi had awakened and could identify her attacker. Luca agreed to postpone the vote for up to five days, leaving Carlotta to seek Jinhsi’s testimony and manage the Order’s deadline while Fractsidus threatened the coming carnival.

• Luca’s motion to remove Carlotta as family head began, and Carlotta challenged the basis for accusing Kexi of assassinating Jinhsi.
• Selina announced that Jinhsi had awakened and could speak, giving Carlotta a chance to obtain firsthand testimony.
• Carlotta asked to postpone the vote until Jinhsi could testify, promising to hand Kexi over if he was proven guilty.
• Luca postponed the vote for no more than five days, while Sera, Vito, Marta, and Enzo each offered Carlotta limited support.
• After the others left, Selina relayed that Kexi had said he would handle the problem, and Carlotta doubted he could do so.

Kexi learned that the Order and the Fractsidus planned to sabotage the carnival, then paid Brant to let him join the troupe’s performance. He chose to play the demon king’s prince and devised a scheme to propose to the heroes, including Carlotta.

• Kexi learned that Jinhsi had awakened and could help clear his arrest warrant, then went to eat with Brant.
• Brant told Kexi that the Order was working with the Fractsidus to recreate the disaster from ten years earlier and that the troupe planned to stop them with Carlotta at the carnival.
• Kexi insisted on joining the performance, and Brant agreed after Kexi paid him three hundred thousand Monnaie.
• Kexi reviewed the improvised play’s roles and chose to play the demon king’s prince.
• Kexi told Brant to have the prince propose to the heroes and promise to help overthrow the demon king, and Brant accepted after Kexi offered more money.

Kexi spent the day irritating Roccia and then planned his next steps: checking on Jinhsi and visiting the Everard Vault for Echoes and a sword. He fell asleep fantasizing about defeating his enemies and proposing to Carlotta, who rejected him in his dream.

• Baldorio offered Kexi Green Juice Laurel Salad, but Kexi claimed he had a delicate stomach and slipped away while Brant ate it.
• Kexi tried to befriend Roccia and take her wrench, but she called him a pervert and threatened to have Pero bite him if he called her onee-san again.
• Brant told Kexi that teasing Roccia only made her ignore him, and Kexi said he wanted to get to know everyone on the island.
• Kexi planned to find Selina and persuade Jinhsi to speak so the wanted notice could be withdrawn, then visit the Everard Vault for Echoes and a sword.
• Kexi fantasized about confessing to Carlotta and keeping her from marrying anyone else before dreaming that she rejected his proposal.

Kexi dreamed that Francis revealed he and Carlotta shared a mother, then woke relieved that it was only a nightmare. He left the island in Aleph-1 to return to Ragunna and see Jinhsi, leaving Brant stunned at the dock.

• In Kexi’s dream, Francis told him that Carlotta was his blood sister because they shared a mother, and Carlotta confirmed she had known the truth.
• Kexi woke in a cold sweat, convinced the revelation had only been a dream.
• After breakfast, Kexi told Brant he was going back to Ragunna to see the awakened Jinhsi and clear up their misunderstanding.
• Kexi summoned Aleph-1 from the sea and flew off toward the southwest, leaving Brant soaked and bewildered.

After the reception hall explosion, Luna realized the Fractsidus had secretly planted the bombs and discovered Phrolova was missing. Phrolova then ambushed Luna in her room, restrained her, and slapped her twice in revenge.

• Karenina asked Luna whether she had arranged the explosion, and Luna denied it.
• Luna concluded that the Fractsidus had planted the bombs and framed the young master.
• Luna noticed Phrolova was missing and planned to report it to the Second Miss.
• Phrolova ambushed Luna while she slept, suspending her from a Tacet Discord and fastening a Resonance Suppressor around her neck.
• Phrolova reminded Luna that she had made her smell chicken shit, then slapped her on both cheeks.

Phrolova took revenge on Luna for tormenting her, then left her bound and gagged beside the chicken coop. Luna was alive but helpless as dawn approached.

• Phrolova whipped and slapped Luna, naming the ways Luna had humiliated her.
• Phrolova had Hecate spin Luna around until she felt sick.
• Phrolova threatened Luna with a knife but put it away after remembering Kexi's words.
• Phrolova stuffed her stockings into Luna's mouth, and Hecate bound her and carried her to the backyard chicken coop.
• Phrolova left Luna on the ground as the chickens gathered around her.

Kexi recruited Selina to help him enter the Everard Vault and retrieve Bloodleaf Viburnum, which he planned to use to gain Baizhi’s help in seeing Jinhsi. Before they reached the vault, Kexi warned Selina that helping him could get her expelled from Montelli, and she had not yet answered.

• Kexi learned from Selina that Jinhsi was recovering under Sanhua and Changli’s watch, while Baizhi sought Bloodleaf Viburnum.
• Selina told Kexi that Luca had failed to remove him from the family, but his second sister had five days to explain herself or step down.
• Kexi went to the Everard Vault and decided Selina could help him access its secured lower level.
• Selina arrived, embraced Kexi, and agreed to help him enter the vault using authorization he had obtained from Zani.
• Kexi told Selina the plan could lead to her expulsion from Montelli and asked whether she would still help him.

Selina confessed that she would stay beside Kexi even if Montelli expelled her, and asked whether he would still keep her as his secretary. Kexi reassured her that he would support her, and they continued toward the vault to work.

• Selina told Kexi that her feelings for him mattered more than her standing with Montelli and that she was willing to follow him wherever he went.
• Selina recalled their dance and song at the sanatorium courtyard, then asked whether Kexi would still want her as his secretary if she had nothing else to offer.
• Kexi told Selina she was already his secretary and said she looked more beautiful than anyone when she danced.
• Kexi promised to support Selina if Montelli expelled her, saying he would use compensation from his second sister or earn money himself.
• Selina tearfully accepted his promise, vowed to remember his words, and followed him toward the vault.

Kexi and Selina went to the Everard Vault to collect Bloodleaf Viburnum, but the receptionist exposed Kexi as a wanted criminal. Albert intervened, pretended not to recognize him, and escorted him and Selina onward while firing the receptionist.

• Selina showed the authorization and collected a pass card to retrieve two Bloodleaf Viburnum plants with Kexi.
• The lower-level receptionist demanded that Kexi remove his hood, and Selina defended his right to enter as a guest authorized by the second young lady.
• Albert arrived and ordered Kexi to uncover his face, allowing the guards to pull off his hood.
• The receptionist recognized Kexi as a wanted criminal, but Albert claimed he was Mr. Chonghua, a Huanglong merchant, and the guards denied recognizing him.
• Albert fired the receptionist and led Kexi and Selina toward the rare goods vault.