Chapter Summaries

Klein and Alice stopped Cynthia, who had been corrupted by the Mother Tree of Desire, and Klein purified her with the power of The Sun. Afterward, Alice found Cynthia's cracked necklace and urged Klein to divine its origins.

• Alice encouraged Klein as Cynthia's body collapsed into a mass of flesh, and Klein changed into Gehrman Sparrow and distorted Cynthia's repeated words with Creeping Hunger.
• Alice ordered Klein to purify Cynthia, and he engulfed her in sacred light from The Sun's domain.
• Cynthia revealed that the Mother Tree of Desire and the Naturism Sect were responsible, then died as Klein purified her again.
• Alice joked about the Naturism Sect and Stargazy Pie, while Klein questioned her about dangerous knowledge of the Cosmos and stars.
• Alice picked up Cynthia's cracked rhinoceros horn necklace and asked Klein to divine its origins.

After Klein and Alice investigated the aftermath of the Ninth Law, Lü'er An tracked down the Celestial Sect and captured its leader, Follet Ken. Klein prepared to question him while Alice studied the sect and its leader.

• Alice woke Lü'er An, and Klein ordered him to treat the injured and investigate the Celestial Sect and Cynthia's associates.
• Klein avoided thinking further about the Cosmos and wondered why the Mother Tree of Desire wanted a child with him.
• Alice startled Klein by covering his eyes, then disappeared when she heard Lü'er An approaching.
• Lü'er An reported that the Celestial Sect preached nudity and indulgence, and that its leader was a Sequence 8 Lunatic.
• Lü'er An brought Follet Ken to Klein and explained that Follet had repeatedly traded sanity for power and was near mental collapse.

Klein interrogated Follet Ken about Cynthia’s Fertility Necklace and learned it could corrupt a man into serving the Mother Tree of Desire. Alice realized how close she had come to danger, then urged Klein to punish Lü'er An, but Klein spared him by invoking his late father’s lesson.

• Klein questioned Follet Ken about Cynthia and the necklace, while Alice struggled to control her urge to interfere.
• Follet Ken explained that the necklace was meant to help Cynthia conceive a child with Extraordinary Ability.
• Klein asked about the necklace’s other purpose, and Follet Ken admitted that it could corrupt a man into becoming a Blessed of the Mother Tree of Desire.
• Alice realized that Cynthia’s prayer in her earlier revelation could have exposed her to the Mother Tree of Desire and considered ways to prevent such a threat.
• Lü'er An accepted responsibility for failing to monitor Cynthia’s relatives and offered to face a Military Court, while Alice urged Klein to grant his wish.
• Klein refused to punish Lü'er An immediately and said his late father had taught him to forgive a subordinate’s first mistake.

Klein questioned Follet Ken about the Rose School and the Mother Tree of Desire, while Alice repeatedly unsettled the captive. After Follet Ken confessed to his crimes, Klein prepared to kill him and asked Alice which four gods supposedly had him as their Blessed.

• Alice used Misfortune Tide to make Lü'er An fall to his knees and sob, and Klein calmed the situation before sending him away.
• Klein asked Follet Ken about the Rose School and the relationship between the Mother Tree of Desire and the Bound God.
• Follet Ken revealed that he belonged to a Rose School branch, served Zatwen, and believed the Bound God was an incarnation of the Mother Tree of Desire.
• Alice joked that Klein was about to become the Blessed of four gods, then frightened Follet Ken with questions about the Bound God.
• Klein pulled Alice away from Follet Ken and asked about his crimes; Follet Ken confessed to murder, fraud, and exploiting believers and women.
• Alice agreed that Follet Ken deserved to die, and Klein raised Creeping Hunger before asking her which four gods he was supposedly blessed by.

Klein pressed Alice about becoming a Blessed of the Goddess and whether she could regard humans as her own kind, then tried to ask her about St. Folsen. Emlyn returned before she could answer, and Klein and Alice told him about the disasters that had struck during his absence.

• Alice vanished after Klein threatened to feed her to Creeping Hunger, and Klein ordered Lü'er An to arrange arrests targeting the Celestial Sect and the Rose School.
• Klein asked Alice whether she might harm humans, and she admitted she did not know but was less likely to do so than before.
• Klein asked Alice what had happened with the St. Folsen, but she was interrupted when Emlyn appeared at the window.
• Klein told Emlyn that his secretary had been injured, his younger brother had been removed as governor, and Cynthia had mutated into a monster and been purified.
• Alice told Emlyn that some of his guards and servants were infected and undergoing treatment, then said she wanted to have a child with him.

Klein and Alice told Emlyn about Cynthia’s last words and the events surrounding her death, while concealing some details. After Emlyn accepted the Fertility Necklace and directed them to collect their reward, Klein and Emlyn exchanged clothes, and Klein left with Alice.

• Alice relayed Cynthia’s last words to Emlyn, who sincerely thanked her.
• Klein recounted the events surrounding Cynthia’s mutation and death, while withholding the Mother Tree of Desire’s true target and Alice’s arrangement involving Adam.
• Emlyn said Klein’s choice had been right and explained that he had changed his plans about Cynthia for certain reasons; Alice suggested a helpful Writer might have intervened.
• Klein gave Emlyn the shattered Fertility Necklace, and Emlyn told Klein and Alice to collect their reward from Bilt.
• Klein and Emlyn exchanged clothes, then Klein asked Emlyn if they could leave together and departed with Alice.

Klein confronted Alice about the doom she had added to the St. Folsen and heard how she tried to ensure the passengers would survive its shipwreck. After sending Klein back to his hotel, Alice stayed to remind him that he still had not received his payment.

• Alice gave Klein an ice cream for Valentine's Day and awkwardly admitted she had eaten it earlier.
• Klein asked Alice what she had done with the St. Folsen, and she confessed she had added doom to the ship out of boredom.
• Alice explained that she had made sure the shipwreck would not harm anyone aboard, and said the event might fulfill Emlyn's prophecy.
• Alice sent Klein back to his hotel but stayed, then reminded him that he had not received his payment.
• Klein told Alice that her way of thinking was becoming more human.

Klein wondered whether acting as Alice could help him digest the Faceless potion, but her chaotic and dangerous persona made him reconsider. The next day, Alice and Klein went to the Sweet Lemon bar, where an anxious newcomer arrived and searched the room.

• Alice teased Klein about his slow advancement, then secretly woke him after he went to bed.
• Klein asked whether acting as Alice could help him digest the Faceless potion, and Alice warned that it might mean going to the Forsaken Land of the Gods and becoming Amon's toy.
• Alice and Klein met Bilt Brando at the Sweet Lemon bar the following day.
• Alice ordered two Sweet Lemons and handed one to Klein while a nervous, black-haired man entered and headed toward the Black Boxing area.

Gehrman Sparrow collected the rest of his payment from Bilt and learned about the Mystical Item made from a Murloc Swim Bladder. He and Alice discussed the form of a messenger-summoning ritual, and the chapter ended with Bilt asking how they had concealed themselves from the officials Admiral Emlyn mentioned.

• Bilt paid Gehrman Sparrow the remaining 500 pounds and an azure cufflink, which he explained could help its wearer move underwater and withstand damage.
• Alice teased Klein about the cufflink, and Klein named it Salted dried fish after Bilt described its drawbacks.
• Bilt said an Artisan could craft a ritual for summoning Spirit World creatures onto spiritual materials, and Alice suggested several possible forms before Klein settled on a harmonica.
• Klein wrote down the messenger-summoning ritual, and Alice warned that failing to pay a summoned Angel a gold coin might lead to trouble.
• Bilt asked Gehrman Sparrow how he and Alice had concealed themselves from Secretary Lü'er An, Governor Auston, and Miss Cynthia.

After concluding business with Bilt, Klein left the Sweet Lemon bar with Alice, who joked about gambling and robbing a casino. On the way, Klein urged her to take a class and told her about a truth-telling Sealed Artifact that might help her find her Sequence 4 potion ingredients, leaving Alice intrigued but wary because it belonged to the Machinery Hivemind.

• Alice and Klein ended their meeting with Bilt by enthusiastically echoing his business farewell before leaving him behind.
• Alice spotted a young man celebrating after a black boxing match, then asked Klein whether they could gamble their way to a fortune and rob the casino if it refused to pay.
• Alice shouted that she would behave after Klein rebuked her, then trotted after him and explained that it seemed more sincere by human standards.
• Klein suggested Alice take a class and offered ways to learn about her Sequence 4 potion ingredients, including asking the Tarot Club, Mr. Azik, or a Sealed Artifact.
• Klein explained that the Machinery Hivemind's 2-111 mirror required truthful answers and could impose a task or punishment for refusing; Alice was excited by the prospect but hesitated because it was inside the church.

Klein arranged for Reinette Tinekerr to deliver Edwina’s letter to Alice, who rejected Reinette’s offer to become her messenger until she knew what Reinette wanted in return. At the Tarot Club, Alice asked about two powerful monsters and predicted the St. Folsen would sink with everyone aboard surviving, prompting Alger to ask whether she had saved a passenger he had met.

• Klein wrote to Edwina about Alice’s schooling and asked Reinette Tinekerr to deliver the letter to Alice.
• Reinette Tinekerr asked Alice if she needed a messenger, but Alice told her to return after deciding what she wanted and could offer in exchange.
• At the Tarot Club, Alice asked about Misfortune Phantoms and Crow-Shadow Serpents, and Cattleya described their abilities and great strength.
• Alice asked Cattleya for a container for Mythical Creature Blood, then predicted that the St. Folsen would sink but all its passengers would survive.
• Alger said he had met a passenger from the St. Folsen who survived at sea and asked Alice whether she had helped him.

At the Tarot Club, Cattleya struggled to find a legend to record about Alice, who refused to reveal her past connection to Evernight and joked about selling her Mythical Creature blood. Alice tried to assert authority over the World, then privately asked Klein whether Amon liked her because he saw her as Klein’s substitute.

• Alice told Cattleya she had no suitable earlier deeds to use as a legend and said they could not reveal that Evernight had once been her Blessed.
• Alice admitted she had recently asked Evernight to take her Mythical Creature Form so she could pet her, shocking the Tarot Club members.
• Alice asked whether she could sell her Mythical Creature blood if she ran short of money, and the World warned her that she could win money at casinos instead.
• The World told Alice to shut up, then advised her that acting naturally would make her more frightening than trying to look stern.
• Alice privately asked Klein whether Amon liked her because he saw her as Klein’s substitute.

Alice recovered a dream of her past life in which Shen Yinghuan and Song Shu created her character, choosing her birthday, appearance, and Lucky One as her initial Sequence. She realized her current face had been modeled on Shen Yinghuan’s and was left fearing the significance of Song Shu’s words about their inseparability.

• After the Tarot Club, Alice received Edwina’s reply and sent it to Klein through a Sacrifice Ritual.
• Alice divined her birthday and dreamed of Shen Yinghuan choosing February 5, 1334, and the Lucky One Sequence while creating her character with Song Shu.
• Alice woke and recognized that her face resembled Shen Yinghuan’s, modified to look Loën.
• Alice recalled Briel Rose’s resemblance to Song Shu and became alarmed by Song Shu’s claim that they were inseparable.

Alice visited Ian at Bravehearts Bar to ensure he kept her identity secret and gave him pages from a novel to sell. After Ian feared she would kill him, Alice proposed a gamble that could decide whether he was allowed to leave.

• Alice went to Bravehearts Bar in her school uniform and learned from the bartender that Ian was in Card Room Number One.
• Alice locked and sealed the room, reminded Ian of their earlier encounter, and asked whether he had revealed her secret; Ian shook his head so hard that he twisted his neck.
• Alice handed Ian five pages of "The Taste of an Iron-Blooded Knight Is Really Good" and told him to sell them.
• Ian pleaded that he could help sell Roselle's notes, but Alice suggested killing everyone involved would prevent her secret from leaking.
• Alice offered Ian a gamble, promising to let him go if he won.

Alice made Ian play a card game after frightening him with her power, then deliberately let him win. Ian told her he felt like a toy whose life depended on her amusement, and Alice realized she had treated his life too lightly and apologized.

• Alice restored Ian's health and proposed a card game to decide the winner.
• Ian shuffled the cards and asked Alice to deal, wary that she might control the outcome.
• Ian drew a 2, while Alice revealed an Ace and falsely claimed she had lost so Ian would win.
• Ian accused Alice of treating him like a toy and asked what she needed him to do.
• Alice recognized that Ian was serious about his life and apologized.

Alice made Ian recite her honorific name and left him with instructions to sell her diaries. She then arrived aboard the Golden Dream, where Edwina questioned her about her age and powers, and Alice claimed she had accidentally swallowed a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

• Alice told Ian to pray to her, taught him her honorific name in Ancient Hermes, and reminded him to help sell her diaries.
• Klein brought Alice to the Golden Dream, where she met her future teacher, Edwina.
• Edwina asked Alice about her name, age, schooling, and why she had stopped studying.
• Edwina questioned whether Alice was a Beyonder, a Middle Sequence Beyonder, or a Saint.
• Alice told Edwina that she could be considered someone who had accidentally swallowed a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

Alice joined Edwina’s crew aboard the Golden Dream, where Dunn reluctantly showed her around and introduced her to the pirates. Her fear of a crewman’s monocle reminded everyone of an unnamed figure she feared, while Alice insisted the man could not possibly be like him.

• Edwina told Alice that her condition was unusually good and suggested Dunn introduce her to the Golden Dream’s crew.
• Alice asked Dunn to show her around, first acting shy and then dropping the act when he angrily called her out.
• Alice asked whether Edwina had been secretly watching the crew, and the pirates’ reactions confirmed that she had stopped.
• Dunn agreed to introduce Alice to the crew after she mentioned that Gehrman had told him her name and said, “Five thousand five hundred pounds.”
• When Dunn introduced a crewman wearing a monocle, Alice put on Amon’s monocle and said she had trauma involving people who wore one over their right eye.
• Alice said the crewman could not possibly be like “Him,” startling the pirates and prompting them to look to Dunn for an explanation.

Alice met several of the Golden Dream’s officers and learned about their abilities and Dunn’s rivalry with Yodson. After she declared that her hometown followed monogamy, she warned Yodson that wearing a monocle over his right eye might help him advance to demigod.

• Dunn introduced the first mate, Bru Walls, and Bru calmed Dunn when Alice teased him.
• Bru introduced the second mate, Orpheus, whose praise of the sun led Alice to ask if he liked the captain; the crew’s reactions suggested that they all did.
• Dunn asked whether Alice was secretly in love with Gehrman, and she answered by explaining her hometown’s rule of monogamy.
• Yodson introduced himself as the third mate and disclosed that he was worth 5,200 pounds, less than Dunn.
• Dunn described Yodson’s strange ability to imitate others’ powers and revealed that Yodson had once tried to win the captain’s heart.
• Alice suspected Yodson was a Thief and advised him to wear a monocle over his right eye to advance to demigod.

Alice explained that the monocle’s former owner was Amon, an Angel of the Marauder Pathway, and joked that the ship’s crew could be combined into “Big Amon.” The conversation ended with Alice suggesting that Dunn’s Sequence might have helped attract Amon to the ship.

• Yodson hesitated when Alice offered him the monocle, and she explained that it enhanced theft but made its wearer unable to taste food.
• Alice revealed that the monocle’s owner was Amon, the Angel of Time, prompting Yodson to realize that wearing it could make him an avatar of Amon.
• Alice joked that Bru Walls, Yodson, and Dunn formed three parts of Amon, while Yodson and Dunn considered how Alice had earned Amon’s praise as a Provoker.
• Yodson moved farther from Bru Walls, and Alice regretted that the crew had separated before they could become “Big Amon.”
• Alice asked Dunn whether he was a Sequence 7 Pyromaniac and suggested that drawing Amon to the ship might count as causing trouble.

Edwina tried to persuade Alice to visit Lümborg to study Mysticism, but Alice suspected she was being manipulated and instead described an oppressive exam-focused school system. The chapter ended with Edwina comparing Alice’s proposed system to a prison, and Alice defending prisoners’ rights.

• Edwina called Alice into the captain's cabin and asked whether she had considered visiting Lümborg to learn Mysticism.
• Alice suspected Edwina was interfering with her choices and wondered whether she belonged to the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom.
• Edwina asked whether Alice intended to stay and study Mysticism systematically, and Alice asked whether the lessons had textbooks.
• Alice proposed strict uniforms, schedules, exams, rankings, curtailed breaks, and heavy homework for the students.
• Edwina said Alice's system sounded suitable for a prison, and Alice protested that prisoners had human rights.