Luo zheng tells the group that the cave is much more dangerous now that the toad is gone. He suggests that they call off the expedition this year. He also tells them that the nocturnals have formed an alliance with them, thus they cannot lose Luozheng. They decide to go back to the core of the cave, where the map is blank. Luo asks if he can enter the core. Most have marked the outer zone, but the map doesn't show where the core is. He asks the king to hold the pearls for him. The king says that the tide of Chaos has made it unsafe for them to explore the cave by themselves. He tells them to take out their map and figure out a safer route. He then asks the nightkin to leave their mission to him. He says that he has received a message from Luo, who wants to kill him.