Chapter Summaries

At the Tarot Club gathering, Audrey proposed two potential members and received a task to assess them by investigating Lanlus in Backlund. Audrey also settled the outstanding payment for the Beckland assassination, while World asked to issue tasks and collect materials.

• Audrey asked Mr. Fool to let two discreet Beyonder women from Backlund join the Tarot Club, and he told her to test them with a task to investigate Lanlus.
• World asked whether he could issue tasks and collect materials at the gathering, and Audrey told him to wait until after Mr. Fool's reading.
• Alger delivered the remaining six pages of the diary and said he would bring the final page next time.
• Mr. Fool praised Audrey for resolving the Beckland matter, and Audrey offered to pay the Blessed 15,000 pounds in total, with 5,000 pounds still owed after the assassination fee.
• World asked if they could speak, and Audrey answered him on Mr. Fool's behalf.

At the Tarot Club gathering, World sought several Beyonder materials and information about impoverished nobles, offering weapons, formulas, and pathway knowledge in exchange. He left the story by privately asking Audrey what she knew about the Witch Sect, and learned she already knew about the Witch Potion.

• World requested the True Root and sap of a Mist Tree Man, the Medullary Crystal of the Spring of Elves, and the spinal fluid of an Evil Striped Black Panther.
• Derrick offered to help find Mist Tree Men after he advanced and joined a suitable patrol squad, asking for a weapon in return.
• Audrey requested the Psychiatrist potion formula and materials, while Alger asked World to find the Wind Blessed formula and Alice offered to help gather materials.
• World commissioned Audrey to compile detailed information on impoverished nobles in the Kingdom of Loen, and she asked for unknown information about Beyonder Pathways as compensation.
• In a private discussion, World asked Audrey about the Witch Sect, and Audrey said she already knew the effects of the Witch Potion.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey learned more about the Witch Pathway, while The World traded with Mr. Fool for information about the Sauron family. After the gathering, Alice read Roselle’s diary and learned about his children’s Beyonder inheritance, leaving her to wonder what fate awaited Bonaparte.

• The World explained that the Witch Pathway’s Sequence 6 was Joy and warned Audrey about its acting requirements and the Witch Sect’s twisted practices.
• Audrey asked Alice whether an animal drinking a Witch Potion would become human or simply more attractive to its own species, and Alice said she had never tested it.
• The World asked whether the Sauron family still had High-Sequence powerhouses in Intis, and Klein agreed to answer in exchange for a Sequence 7 formula.
• Alger invited Alice to meet in Bayam next Thursday, and she accepted.
• Alice read Roselle’s diary entries about Bernadette, Charles, and Bonaparte inheriting Beyonder characteristics, then wondered whether Bonaparte became an Angel.

Alice read Roselle's final diary entry and learned that Sequence 0 was the level of a True God, prompting her to fear she might not be human. After reassuring herself by examining her body, she met her new neighbor Evelyn Greenland and agreed to go for a stroll.

• Alice read Roselle's account of creating the Blasphemy Cards and learned that each Divine Pathway had a Sequence 0 corresponding to a True God.
• Alice wondered whether she was a Potion Ingredient for someone's advancement and feared she might not be human.
• Alice examined herself in the mirror and pinched her arm to reassure herself that she was human.
• Evelyn Greenland visited Alice, and they discovered they both preferred juice.
• Alice accepted Evelyn's invitation to go for a stroll among the crowds.

Alice spent time with Evelyn in Backlund and learned that a serial killer was still targeting women. Later, she met Klein above the Gray Fog, where they discussed her possible role in a Sequence 0 advancement before Alice raised a disturbing possibility about transmigrators and Klein cut off their connection.

• Evelyn took Alice to Aunt Jenny's ice cream shop, where Aunt Jenny warned them about the serial killer targeting women in Backlund.
• Alice suspected the killer's ritual had protections against spirit mediumship and divination, and hoped no one in Backlund would become part of its price.
• Klein met Alice above the Gray Fog and asked whether she was all right after she had left earlier.
• Alice suggested she might be a Potion Ingredient for someone's advancement to Sequence 0 and considered the Blasphemy Slate or Blasphemy Cards as clues.
• Alice speculated that a Mythical Creature might reincarnate within human consciousness as a supposed transmigrator, so Klein cut off her connection to the Gray Fog.
• Klein brooded over Alice's theory above the Gray Fog before descending to meditate.

At the Backlund gathering, Klein sold two Sun Pathway potion formulas while Alice considered how to investigate Fat Apothecary. Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom used a strange ring, which triggered a memory from Alice’s past as Huanhuan before the chapter ended with the gem shining gold.

• Alice attended the gathering and watched Klein, disguised as a new participant, offer two potion formulas for sale.
• Fat Apothecary and a hooded man showed interest, and the man bought both formulas after bargaining with Klein.
• Klein required the buyer not to resell the formulas at the gathering, and Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom agreed to witness the deal.
• Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom took out a gem-studded ring, and Alice saw Huanhuan’s memory of sitting a math test.
• The ring’s green gemstone suddenly shone with brilliant golden light.

At Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom’s gathering, Klein completed a notarized potion-formula sale and bought the Axe of Hurricane from Lady Daly. The mysterious Fortune Accessory remained unsold as the gathering continued.

• Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom notarized Klein’s potion formula, completing the sale after Klein counted the money three times.
• The Fat Apothecary sought Medullary Crystals from the Spring of Elves but received no response.
• Lady Daly offered the Whip of Slowness and the Axe of Hurricane, explaining their effects and prices.
• Klein asked whether the Whip of Slowness could restrain Wraiths, and Lady Daly said it could not.
• Klein outbid another man for the Axe of Hurricane, which Old Gentleman Eye of Wisdom appraised before the attendant handed it over.
• Alice noticed that the seller of the Fortune Accessory still refused to lower the price, leaving it unsold.

Alice attended a Beyonder gathering, where her question about Black Snake revealed that the Fat Apothecary had survived and left the sewers. After locating his herb shop through a dream, she confronted him and left him with a warning not to reveal their meeting.

• Klein offered a reward for the complete Spinal Fluid of a Striped Black Panther, but no one responded.
• Alice startled the gathering by asking whether Black Snake had died, then told the others that Fate had shown her what happened.
• Alice bought two healing potions from the Fat Apothecary and learned that he had stopped going to the sewers after reporting the beast to the police.
• Alice dreamed of the Fat Apothecary's herb shop and visited it the next day in a changed appearance.
• Alice questioned the Fat Apothecary about contacting the School of Life and warned him to keep her visit secret.

After dreaming that Evelyn Greenland would be attacked by a monster, Alice used a strand of Evelyn’s hair to locate the danger in Backlund’s North District. The chapter ended with Alice unsure how to save Evelyn, as her divination failed.

• Alice suspected that Mercury Serpent had noticed her because of the Beyonder Characteristic she had swallowed or the disturbance she had caused in the River of Fate.
• Alice dreamed that Evelyn Greenland froze in terror as a huge dog approached her on a dark street.
• Alice learned from Mrs. Greenland that Evelyn was away and would sleep at her aunt’s house that night, and she suspected the dream’s danger would occur that evening.
• Alice searched her home for one of Evelyn’s hairs and used it to confirm that the danger was in Backlund’s North District.
• Alice considered preventing Evelyn from going out but failed to divine a clearer answer with a coin.

Alice followed Evelyn after suspecting someone had tampered with her fate, hoping to protect her from a looming disaster. When a Demon Hound attacked them, Alice confronted it as Evelyn fled toward the Church of Evernight, and Alice experienced a strange slowing of time accompanied by a distant rumble.

• Alice disguised herself and traveled to Cherwood District to find Evelyn, confirming that a novice had tampered with Evelyn's fate as a warning to her.
• Alice followed Evelyn through the evening streets, keeping her identity hidden and staying back when Evelyn grew uneasy.
• Evelyn spotted a Demon Hound and ran, knocking Alice down as the creature attacked them.
• Alice pressed Evelyn aside and evaded the Demon Hound's claws, then told Evelyn to run to the Church of Evernight.
• As Alice faced the Demon Hound, its movements appeared to slow into clear frames, and a distant rumble sounded again.

Alice rescued Evelyn from a Demon Hound, which fled before attacking her, and investigators later connected it to a serial murder case. Alice’s divination then showed Charlie King crossing paths with Evelyn, leading her to suspect he had advanced to Sequence 5 as a Winner.

• The Demon Hound abruptly stopped its pounce and Ran Away, and Alice told Evelyn to seek help at the Church of Evernight.
• Alice checked Evelyn’s injuries, explained that she used to be with the Church, and left without accompanying her.
• Investigators discussed Evelyn’s clue that the serial-murdering “Devil” was a dog and wondered why it had sensed danger from Alice.
• At an inn, Alice wrote down the person affecting Evelyn’s Fate and struggled to restrain her Desire for Destruction.
• Alice divined that Evelyn would bump into Charlie King and suspected he had become a Sequence 5 Winner capable of giving others bad luck.

Alice saw a vision of Klein killing Lanlus and arranging Tarot Cards around his corpse, then joined Klein in the sewers to witness Lanlus’s arrival. As Klein attacked, Alice stopped time to examine the moment, leaving the confrontation suspended.

• Alice saw visions of Lanlus fleeing through the sewers and Klein standing over his headless corpse beneath a spread of Tarot Cards.
• Alice told Klein to place the Wheel of Fortune and The Fool cards at the center of the scene, but a terrifying divine aura interrupted them.
• Alice and Klein entered the sewers, where she asked him to draw Lanlus’s attention while she confirmed something.
• Lanlus appeared, and Klein threw a Tarot Card that made him lean backward.
• Alice paused time as Lanlus dodged, observing the moment in a state similar to the one she had experienced with a Demon Hound.

Alice killed Lanlus after using her visions of possible outcomes to predict his movements, and she and Klein escaped with a mysterious gathering badge. Above the Gray Fog, Alice revealed that she had an ability resembling Klein’s and asked him to help her kill Charlie King, whom she intended to use as the main ingredient for her Sequence 5 potion.

• Alice shot Lanlus along his likely escape paths, then emptied her revolver into his head after he fell.
• Klein searched Lanlus’s belongings while Alice recovered her Tarot Cards, and they arranged the cards around his corpse before the Nighthawks arrived.
• Alice and Klein left before Lanlus’s Beyonder Characteristic could precipitate, taking only a badge inscribed with an invitation to join a gathering.
• Above the Gray Fog, Alice showed Klein the disturbing vision she had seen on Lanlus and said she had an ability similar to his.
• Alice told Klein that Charlie King had threatened her and asked him to help kill Charlie, who had reached Sequence 5 and could become her potion ingredient.

Audrey learned that Lanlus’s body had been marked with Tarot Cards, while the Tarot Club discussed the suffering of Backlund’s poor and arranged a private conversation about Alice and Alger’s secret code. The chapter ended with Alice preparing to explain that only people from her era could answer it.

• Glaint told Audrey that Lanlus had died with the Wheel of Fortune and The Fool cards placed on his body, and Audrey realized a Tarot Club member had done it.
• At the Tarot Club meeting, Audrey praised the completed task, and Klein reflected on how Backlund’s poverty made the city fertile ground for evil gods.
• The World described the harsh conditions faced by workers and families in Backlund, shocking Audrey and prompting Alice to recognize how little she understood about the era’s poor.
• Alger submitted the final page of Roselle’s Diary, and Klein invited the members to converse freely.
• Alice asked Klein for a private conversation and told Alger that their secret code could only be answered by someone from her era.

At the Tarot Club gathering, Alice taught Alger a Mandarin secret code, while the World sought materials and offered a rare Sun Pathway formula in trade. The chapter left Alger preparing to compare Top Sequence secrets with the World under Mr. Fool’s judgment.

• Alice taught Alger the secret code, and they agreed on a time and place.
• Derrick told the World he had earned enough merit to advance to Sequence 8 and planned to obtain materials for their trade.
• Alger reported that a major pirate gathering would soon take place on the Sonia Sea, where the requested materials might be available.
• The World offered an incomplete Sequence 4 Unshadowed Potion Formula for the materials and additional payment, but Alger refused it.
• The World proposed trading Top Sequence secrets instead, and Mr. Fool agreed to compare them and judge their value.

At the Tarot Club, Alger traded for a detailed supplement to a secret he knew, while Alice investigated the Devil Pathway’s danger-sensing abilities and suggested that the new Pirate General, Lady Daly, might be a Witch. Alger began explaining the pirate hierarchy, leaving Alice and the others ready to learn more about the sea.

• Mr. Fool clarified that Mr. World’s secret supplemented Alger’s knowledge, and Alger agreed to trade for it in exchange for Evil Striped Black Panther spinal fluid and a Medullary Crystal from the Spring of Elves.
• Alice asked Derrick whether Devils could sense danger, and he confirmed that Devils could detect threats and identify their source.
• Audrey and Alger speculated about why a Devil might flee during a fight, while Mr. World suggested that a demigod could have been nearby.
• Audrey asked Derrick about the Dragon Pathway’s Sequence 7 formula, and he said he would trade it for a Sun Pathway Sequence 7 formula.
• Alger reported that Lady Daly had subdued Qilingus’s fleet, renamed his ship the Black Death, and claimed the title Vice Admiral of Disease; Alice suggested Daly might be a Witch.
• Alger agreed to tell the group about the four Pirate Kings and the other Pirate Generals.

Alice and Derrick explained the Devil’s murder ritual and why Potion Formulas rarely circulated, while Audrey learned that the suspected serial killer was a dog. The meeting ended with Derrick asking the others to identify a god depicted in a half-destroyed temple beneath the City of Silver.

• Audrey asked about the Backlund serial murders, and Alice revealed that the suspected killer was a dog she had encountered while rescuing a girl.
• Derrick explained that Devils used an ancient ritual to advance, describing its required victims, timing, and consumption of their organs.
• Alice connected the Demon Hound’s behavior to the dangerous influence she believed lingered around her.
• Alger and Alice explained that Potion Formulas were rarely traded because they were hard to verify and using them without the Acting Method risked loss of control.
• Derrick described a half-destroyed temple in the Depths of Darkness and asked which god its bloodied, upside-down statue depicted.

At the Tarot Club, Alice identified the City of Silver’s statue as the True Creator and learned a Roselle diary entry might explain her encounter with a Mercury Serpent. After meeting Evelyn, Alice was questioned in a dream by a Nighthawk investigating the Wild Beyonder, and she pretended to be Briel Rose.

• Alice told Derrick that the Fallen Creator was also called the True Creator and controlled the Mystic Prayman Pathway, whose Sequence 5 was a Shepherd.
• After the Tarot Club ended, Alice read Roselle’s diary entries about unsealed High-Sequence Items attracting Beyonders, witches tasting good, and a hidden Blasphemy Card.
• Alice met Evelyn Greenland and comforted her about the frightening encounter with thugs.
• Alice dreamed that a Nighthawk questioned her about Evelyn, and she claimed to be Briel Rose and said she had met Evelyn while visiting Mrs. Greenland.
• The Nighthawk asked Alice how she had become a Beyonder.

Alice met Alger in Bayam and explained that she had died in Tingen before awakening in an unfamiliar era. She left him with the mystery of her past and her connection to the Fool.

• Klein told Alice about an upcoming Roselle memorial exhibition, and she said she did not want to keep a Blasphemy Card unless it came from the Fate pathway.
• Alice arrived in Bayam, reflected on the pirates and poverty she saw, and met Alger at a tavern.
• Alger said his investigation had linked Alice to a Nighthawk named Alice Kingsley who died in the Tingen incident, and Alice confirmed she was that same person.
• Alger wondered whether Alice could be the True God walking on Earth, while Alice asked about his curiosity regarding her relationship with the Fool.
• Alice told Alger she had awakened without memories in an unfamiliar era and that the Fool was the only trace of her past she had found.

Alger took Alice aboard his ship, and her excitement about sailing kept her awake until Klein pulled her Above the Gray Fog to discuss a bounty. Alice woke to a violent storm and suspected it was connected to her as she asked a sailor to take her to the ship’s helm.

• Alice asked Alger whether his crew would question their voyage, and he explained that they were exploring at sea and had been paid to take her where she wanted to go.
• Alger brought Alice aboard and refused to let her attend the pirates’ gathering, so they set sail without her.
• Unable to sleep from excitement, Alice prayed to Klein, who asked what might happen if he claimed a bounty for the Devil being a dog.
• Alice told Klein that the Nighthawks might question him in a dream, then fell asleep counting Dumplings.
• A storm violently rocked the ship, and Alice asked a sailor to take her to the helm because she suspected the unlikely storm was connected to her.