Chapter Summaries

Li Wen settled into the Royal Capital and surveyed Camelot before visiting a bookstore in the scholars’ district to gather information about the Sunday Secret College. After overhearing apprentices complain about its restricted access to knowledge, she began forming a plan.

• Moria told Li Wen he would report to St. George's Grand Cathedral and seek help investigating Great Blood, while Li Wen planned to act alone.
• Li Wen bought a detailed map of the Royal Capital and spent half a day surveying its districts and landmarks.
• Li Wen entered the Quill bookstore in the scholars’ district and listened to Arcane Academy apprentices discuss their advancement assessments and study-credit restrictions.
• Li Wen recalled the Sunday Secret College’s rigid hierarchy and began devising a plan after hearing the apprentices’ complaints.

Li Wen used her knowledge of magic and alchemy to impress two Sunday Secret College apprentices and establish her claim that she was Master Libavius’s disciple. The older apprentice accepted her explanation of his failed Sun Dew Potion and eagerly sought her guidance.

• Li Wen overheard two apprentices discussing Aether Flow Sculpting and told them that stabilizing the medium, not guiding the aether, was the key to success.
• The younger apprentice confronted Li Wen, while the older one questioned her knowledge and learned she claimed to be an alchemist from Sigrut and Master Libavius’s disciple.
• The older apprentice tested Li Wen by describing how his Sun Dew Potion produced white crystalline sediment instead of turning golden.
• Li Wen explained that Light-Perching Grass reacted poorly with Serpent Vulture Blood and advised stabilizing the grass juice with moonstone powder or full-moon exposure.

Li Wen impressed Allen with a simple explanation of an ancient potion formula, then arranged to enter the Arcane Academy’s library as a research consultant. She left Allen and Roy to prepare the application and gave them the name Mephisto.

• Li Wen explained the formula’s principle as light and turbidity, leaving Allen ashamed and deeply impressed.
• Allen apologized and begged Li Wen for guidance, while Roy followed his lead.
• Li Wen said she sought ancient texts in the Arcane Academy’s library but would soon leave Camelot.
• Allen and Roy proposed hiring Li Wen as a consultant for a potion research project to gain her access to the library’s public reading area.
• Li Wen agreed to help, gave Allen the address of the White Deer Inn, and identified herself as Mephisto.

Moria arrived at St. George's Grand Cathedral and met Bishop Valeus to report the stolen great blood and the prophecy about its return to Camelot. They realized The Truth Society might dilute and distribute the contaminated substance to reach thousands of people.

• Moria entered St. George's Grand Cathedral and told Grigori that he had come from Canaan to investigate a sacred relic theft.
• Grigori introduced Moria to Bishop Valeus, who dismissed him so they could speak privately.
• Moria recounted how Zotes had used the great blood, how he recovered the sacred relic, and how Nasha had replaced the great blood with a fake before dying.
• Moria told Bishop Valeus that a diviner had prophesied the evil thing had returned to Camelot, the nest of royal power, and was grasped by ten thousand rather than held by one person.
• Bishop Valeus concluded that The Truth Society planned to break down and dilute the great blood, then mix it into something that could reach large numbers of people.

Li Wen witnessed a violent raid on Raphael's Curio Collection and learned from the White Elf shopkeeper about its black-market trade in the addictive potion Taint of the Holy Moon. The shopkeeper suggested the Investigation Bureau’s forces might actually be supernatural beings working for a noble, and Li Wen asked why she was sharing this with her.

• Li Wen watched players flee Raphael's Curio Collection as masked pursuers and the Kingdom Investigation Bureau's enforcers overwhelmed the street.
• The White Elf shopkeeper explained that Raphael's Curio Collection secretly sold illegal goods, especially Taint of the Holy Moon.
• The shopkeeper described how Taint of the Holy Moon caused irreversible addiction and said outsiders often risked stealing it for profit.
• The shopkeeper suggested the shop's noble patrons had used the Investigation Bureau's name and privately raised supernatural beings to attack the thieves.
• Li Wen asked the shopkeeper why she was telling her about the shop and its backers.

The White Elf shopkeeper asked Li Wen to steal an ancient relic from Raphael's Curio Collection, offering money or knowledge in exchange. Li Wen remained unconvinced until the shopkeeper revealed a black Feather Bookmark as another possible reward.

• The White Elf shopkeeper told Li Wen she recognized her as a stranger from another land and wanted to hire her for a dangerous commission.
• The shopkeeper explained that Raphael's Curio Collection had obtained an ancient relic from her old friend through disgraceful means and showed Li Wen a map of the building.
• Li Wen questioned why the shopkeeper would not retrieve the relic herself, and the shopkeeper said her movements were watched while Li Wen could act anonymously and risk death.
• The shopkeeper offered Li Wen money and access to rare books, but Li Wen showed little interest in either reward.
• The shopkeeper revealed a black Feather Bookmark and presented it as a reward that might interest Li Wen.

Li Wen learned from the White Elf shopkeeper how the Arcane Academy’s seven rival schools were divided and what they believed. The shopkeeper explained that the ordinary raven feather was a token of the secretive Raven School, and Li Wen realized the Keeper of Secrets had followers within the Academy.

• Li Wen examined the black feather and asked whether it was an ordinary raven feather.
• The White Elf shopkeeper explained that the Arcane Academy was divided into seven schools founded from the legacies of the Seven Sages.
• The shopkeeper described the schools’ beliefs and influence, including the declining Root School and the feared Silent Syllables.
• The shopkeeper revealed that the feather represented the Raven School, whose members gathered and guarded secrets despite being pushed to the Academy’s fringes.
• Li Wen connected the Keeper of Secrets to the Raven School and realized that followers of the deity were present in the Arcane Academy.

Li Wen accepted Iluri’s commission to steal an ancient Stone Tablet from Raphael’s Curio Collection and studied the dangers guarding it. She prepared alchemical tools for the theft and waited for nightfall.

• Iluri warned Li Wen that Raphael and his Guards included a Stage Four Penalized One, then gave her a blueprint and a black Feather Bookmark for the commission.
• Iluri revealed her name and privately recognized the Calm Sun’s mark on Li Wen.
• Li Wen returned to the inn, set a warning array, and studied the collection’s layout and the enemies guarding Raphael’s bedroom and secret chamber.
• Li Wen analyzed the likely threats posed by the Penalized One, Raphael, and the Spirit Channeling Guard.
• Li Wen crafted Misty Veil, Oil of Concealment, and Soul-Eroding Paste, then waited for nightfall.

Li Wen infiltrated Raphael's Curio Collection to steal an ancient Stone Tablet and reached Raphael's bedroom. As she prepared to enter, she heard a scaled creature approaching behind her.

• Li Wen used the Oil of Concealment and the Misty Veil to sneak onto the collection's roof and enter through a skylight after Corrosive Feathered Insects destroyed its lock.
• Li Wen followed Iluri's map through a trophy corridor and an abandoned alchemy lab, avoiding traps and patrol guards.
• Li Wen crossed the corridor guarded by a Stage Four Penalized One during his absence and reached Raphael's bedroom, where the ancient Stone Tablet was stored.
• Li Wen paused at the bedroom door after detecting a cold-blooded musk and hearing scales scrape closer behind her.

Li Wen killed Raphael’s giant serpent guard and entered the repository’s secret chamber. There, she found Raphael dead on the floor, leaving the cause of his death unknown.

• Li Wen spotted Raphael’s giant serpent waiting above the corridor and dodged its attack.
• Li Wen poisoned the serpent with her Crow Feather Dagger and used Tower's Collapse to kill it quietly.
• Li Wen checked the chamber door for traps and alarms before slipping inside.
• Li Wen lit a candle and discovered Raphael’s bloodied corpse beside the bed.

Li Wen found Raphael dead in his bedroom, killed through a ritualistic disembowelment, and discovered that the Stone Tablet had been taken from his hidden chamber. She left the archive with evidence of a powerful unknown force’s involvement, giving her new information that could become a bargaining chip.

• Li Wen examined Raphael’s corpse and recognized that his organs had been arranged for an ancient ritual of visceral divination.
• Li Wen searched Raphael’s bedroom and opened a hidden chamber by pressing a concealed scale beneath the jade serpent statue.
• Li Wen found the pedestal where the Stone Tablet had been stored empty, with only faint magical residue remaining.
• Li Wen concluded that Raphael’s killer had taken the Stone Tablet and considered using this discovery as a new bargaining chip with Iluri.
• Li Wen restored the hidden entrance and slipped out of the archive without leaving a trace.

Li Wen confronted Iluri over the hidden dangers and missing information in her mission to retrieve the Stone Tablet. Iluri revealed that it was one of seven rune stones tied to the founding oath of the Kingdom of Arthur, leaving Li Wen to consider who killed Raphael and why.

• Li Wen told Iluri that Raphael had been murdered in his gallery and described the Divination Ritual and the stolen Stone Tablet.
• Li Wen accused Iluri of withholding information and treating her as bait, while Iluri admitted she had underestimated the situation and warned that the killer was powerful.
• Li Wen offered Iluri the Feather Bookmark to end their transaction, but Iluri began explaining the Kingdom of Arthur’s founding oath.
• Iluri said seven mages divided the oath into seven rune stones, which their families guarded as pillars of the kingdom’s foundation.
• Li Wen asked whether the Stone Tablet was one of the seven rune stones.

Iluri told Li Wen that the killers who murdered Raphael may have sought the seven rune stones to uncover the mysterious Kingkiller, a force tied to royal succession and bloodshed. She revealed that Queen Elizabeth was nearing death, leaving Li Wen to connect the news with Victoria’s search for objects that could reverse death.

• Iluri explained that the Magic Script on the Stone Tablet contained the original oath of the seven mages and might be tied to the search for the rune stones.
• Iluri described the Kingkiller as an uncertain but potentially powerful figure, organization, or artifact associated with royal upheaval, and Li Wen wondered if Raphael’s killers sought it.
• Iluri told Li Wen that Queen Elizabeth had little time left, shocking her because the Queen had remained alive in Li Wen’s previous life.
• Li Wen connected the Queen’s condition to Victoria’s concealed trip and her possible pursuit of the Sage's Ovum Sheath and the Undying Flower.
• Iluri described Arthur’s history of short-lived monarchs and suggested that the royal bloodline had borne a heavy price since the kingdom’s founding.

Li Wen renegotiated her commission with Iluri after the Stone Tablet was stolen, agreeing to investigate the Raven School in exchange for valuable magical equipment and access to information. She left the bookstore carrying two protective items and a token to guide her to the Raven School.

• Li Wen told Iluri that the original commission no longer applied and offered to return the Feather Bookmark.
• Iluri offered Li Wen the Grasp of Shadows and asked her to investigate the Raven School for information about the Stone Tablet theft, the dirty divination, and Kingkiller.
• Iluri explained that the Raven School was hidden beneath Raven's Nest in the Arcane Academy's outer court and that the bookmark would guide Li Wen there.
• Iluri gave Li Wen the Sage's Protection amulet, which could block one lethal attack before shattering.
• Li Wen accepted the new commission and its rewards, then left the bookstore.

Li Wen reviewed her equipment and supplies as she prepared to enter the Sunday Secret College, reconsidering a demonic contract that could summon an instant-death spear. While sorting her belongings, she found an old envelope addressed to Miss Melina and discovered Hackenlo Street was nearby.

• Li Wen equipped the Grasp of Shadows and Sage's Protection, then assessed the strengths and limitations of her other gear.
• Li Wen reconsidered the Blood Contract tied to Tilroggzak as a possible weapon against highly defended enemies, though changing its target would require finding and killing a demon.
• Li Wen uncovered a wax-sealed envelope and an unknown brass key that had belonged to the Fire Mage she killed.
• Li Wen read the envelope's address to Miss Melina at 21 Hackenlo Street and found the street only two blocks away on her map.

Li Wen decided to return the Fire Mage’s remaining belongings to Miss Melina at 21 Hackenlo Street before infiltrating the Arcane Academy. After observing Camelot’s tense streets and watching the house, she knocked on its front door.

• Li Wen chose to return the Fire Mage’s letter and key to Miss Melina and dispose of the ring rather than risk keeping the relics.
• Li Wen changed into an adventurer’s jacket and walked through Camelot, where guards and Golden Lion Knights patrolled in greater numbers.
• Li Wen witnessed two plainclothes men seize a street speaker and force him into a black carriage.
• Li Wen located 21 Hackenlo Street and observed its peaceful house, garden, and maid before concluding that Miss Melina lived there comfortably.
• Li Wen crossed the street and knocked on the front door of Number 21.

Li Wen delivered a letter, ring, and Copper Key from the Fire Mage to his sick sister Melina, concealing his death and saying his research was going well. Melina read the letter, reacted with shock and worry, and resolved to keep the items safe.

• Li Wen visited the frail Melina and said she had come at Mage Bernier's request.
• Melina asked whether her brother was well and whether his research at the Arcane Academy was going smoothly.
• Li Wen told Melina that the research was going well and gave her a letter, a ring, and a Copper Key.
• Melina opened the letter and read it, shifting from joy to shock, confusion, and worry.
• Melina said she would keep the items safe and offered Li Wen money for delivering them.

Li Wen discovered that Melina had Withering Leaf Syndrome and that the Copper Key could connect her to the danger surrounding Mage Bernier’s attempt to save her. She traded an improved suppressive prescription and ingredients for the key, then left Melina with instructions and advice to seek a healthier place.

• Li Wen recognized Melina’s symptoms as Withering Leaf Syndrome and inferred that Mage Bernier had risked his life to find a cure for her.
• Li Wen warned Melina that the key could attract dangerous attention and offered to exchange it for a better treatment prescription and its main ingredients.
• Melina accepted the trade, giving Li Wen the key in return for the prescription and ingredients.
• Li Wen advised Melina to keep the formula secret and consider moving somewhere sunnier if her brother’s research took too long.
• Li Wen left Melina’s home with the Copper Key and walked into the afternoon sunlight of Camelot.

Li Wen discovered that Arcane Academy trackers were following her after she visited 21 Hackenlo Street. She escaped their ground pursuit and aerial surveillance by hiding in a spice merchant's wagon, leaving the city with the caravan.

• Li Wen noticed two trackers and an aether tracking spell following her through the craftsmen's district.
• She used Grasp of Shadows to pass through a warehouse wall, escaping the trackers but spotting a Scrying Eye overhead.
• Li Wen ran into the southern district market, where the crowd hindered the pursuers from catching her.
• She used Grasp of Shadows again to pass through a fabric stall, causing a commotion that distracted the trackers.
• Li Wen hid beneath the canvas in a spice caravan wagon, and the moving wagons carried her away from the market.