Recaps

Mr. A recovered from the Aurora Society’s losses in Tingen and began instructing Sno on rebuilding their forces in Backlund. Their meeting was briefly derailed when Sno greeted him as “crazy beauty,” and the chapter ended with Sno asking about disguising the group’s teachings.

• Mr. A checked Sno’s Devil, prayed to the True Creator, and decided to use Sno to rebuild the Aurora Society’s strength in Backlund.
• Mr. A sent three letters and secretly watched Sno pray before emerging from the shadows to greet him.
• Sno instinctively called Mr. A “crazy beauty,” then realized it was a conditioned reflex and apologized.
• Sno paid for an expensive Intis breakfast, and Mr. A told him to recruit new members through Whispering and temptation in the Eastern District.
• Sno asked whether he could adopt any disguise, and Mr. A said he could promote ideas that did not conflict with the True Creator’s teachings.

Sno waited at an East Borough cemetery for Fors and Xio to arrive, then warned Fors that her Mysterious Item could cause Loss of Control. After he left, Xio pressed Fors about the danger, and the two decided to notify Audrey and call the police.

• Mr. A told Sno to stop buying lavish meals and focus on developing lambs and searching for Lanevus.
• Sno disguised himself, went to a remote East Borough cemetery, and spent three hours waiting while using Concept Swap.
• Fors and Xio teleported into the cemetery and encountered Sno, who greeted Xio as One-Fifty and recognized Fors.
• Sno warned Fors not to use her Mysterious Item unless necessary because it could cause Loss of Control, then disappeared into the cemetery.
• Fors dismissed Sno's warning as sales talk, but Xio remained suspicious and urged her to speak up if anything went wrong.
• Xio and Fors decided to notify Audrey and call the police, while Xio privately suspected Fors was hiding something from her.

Sno used his ability to approach a hungry young man in Backlund’s East Borough and offered him food in exchange for praying to an existence outside the Seven Orthodox Deities. After hearing that the young man was Penglir Manswell’s son, Sno asked if he wanted to become a Beyonder.

• Sno searched the East Borough for a suitable target while his ability made passersby overlook him.
• Sno offered a wary, injured young man a meal, and the young man followed him into a café after going three days without food.
• While they ate, Sno asked whether the young man would pray to an existence outside the Seven Orthodox Deities in return for daily meals.
• The young man said his father, Penglir Manswell, had led a gang until the Zimang Party killed him and seized the gang’s territory.
• Sno recognized the young man’s useful background and asked whether he was interested in becoming a Beyonder.

Sno recruited Jana Manswell and offered him a choice between potion advancement and power granted through faith in the Lord. Jana chose bestowal, and Sno healed his injured arm before teaching him the honorific name of a great existence.

• Jana told Sno he wanted to become a Beyonder and was willing to offer up his faith.
• Sno explained the potion and bestowal paths, warning that the Lord could reclaim power from anyone who betrayed his faith.
• Jana chose bestowal, and Sno used his ability to heal Jana's injured arm.
• Sno introduced himself as Crown Medz and renamed Jana as Foundation, Gabriel, then led him to a safehouse.
• Gabriel recited the words Sno gave him and learned they were the honorific name of a great existence.

Sno established the All Nature organization by granting three working-class representatives temporary Beyonder abilities through a prayer-based ritual. At the Tarot Club gathering, Miss Justice reported progress on finding Zilingus, Mr. Hangman sought information about him, and Sno provided another page of Roselle’s Diary before Klein continued toward Backlund.

• Sno appointed representatives named Victory and Glory in the Docks and Factory Districts and taught them the bestowal ritual, which let believers borrow his spirituality and Beyonder abilities through prayer.
• Klein left Daffodil Street without entering and waited at a cheap hotel near Tingen City Railway Station for the Tarot Club gathering.
• Miss Justice confirmed that Sno’s Blessed had likely received the three hundred and fifty pounds in compensation and reported new information about Zilingus.
• Mr. Hangman asked where Zilingus was, then said he expected to obtain a batch of Roselle’s Diary pages.
• Sno supplied a diary page describing his bestowal system, and Klein read it before resuming his journey toward Backlund.

Klein learned from Mr. Devil’s diary that a demigod potion formula had been obtained through an intimate encounter, and gleaned more about the Seer Pathway, Charon, and the Abraham family. At the Tarot Club, Audrey sought a Rainbow Lizard Dragon pituitary gland, and Alger offered to help obtain one if they found Zilingus.

• Klein read Mr. Devil’s diary entry about obtaining the Trick Master potion formula and ritual through a deep union of spirit and flesh.
• Klein learned that Charon had gone mad seeking a Sequence One formula and that the Abraham family had lost its demigods because of the Full Moon Whisper.
• Klein ended the diary discussion and gave the Tarot Club members permission to begin their free exchange.
• Audrey asked for a complete Rainbow Lizard Dragon pituitary gland, and Alger said he might obtain one in exchange for finding Zilingus.
• Alger explained that Rainbow Lizard Dragons were nearly extinct and offered to share the locations of islands where they could be found.
• Audrey said she had long dreamed of sailing the seas to explore primitive islands.

At the Tarot Club, Sno heard that Lanevus had arrived in Backlund carrying the Creator’s divinity and chose him as a temporary target while seeking direction and strength. He later bought a revolver from Kaspars Canlin, offered to heal his leg, and left him a warning to use in mortal danger.

• The Hanged Man told Audrey that substitute materials for the endangered Rainbow Lizard Dragon might exist, though he did not know what they were.
• Sno told the Tarot Club that Lanevus had arrived in Backlund with the Creator’s divinity and was resisting being replaced, while the weakened Aurora Society searched for him.
• Mr. Fool reflected on losing his family and recent companions, and decided to pursue Lanevus as a manageable goal while seeking a way home and greater strength.
• Sno visited Kaspars Canlin at the Brave Man Bar and bought a revolver and bullets, arranging for Kaspars to find him a combat instructor.
• Sno offered to heal Kaspars’s leg, but Kaspars refused because he had adapted to the injury and feared a sudden recovery would attract notice.
• Sno gave Kaspars a written phrase to memorize and recite only if he faced mortal danger, and Kaspars accepted it solemnly.

Foundation, Victory, and Glory used the powers granted through prayer to pursue different plans in Backlund, while Sno’s potion digestion accelerated and Mr. A headed to the East Borough. The chapter left Mr. A on his way to seek flesh and blood after noticing a disguised young woman.

• Foundation prayed for power, chose Arrowward and Body Strengthening spells, and set out to establish a gang in the East Borough.
• Victory chose Stamina Strengthening and Training Strengthening blessings and decided to grow stronger before acting in the Docklands.
• Glory used Eloquence Strengthening to argue that workers should unite around clear demands for fair wages and working hours.
• Sno told Mr. A that his Listener potion was digesting quickly after he developed followers, and he planned to learn firearms and hand-to-hand combat.
• Sno warned Mr. A that security in the West Borough would tighten because Duke Negan was holding a ball the next night.
• Mr. A left for the East Borough to seek flesh and blood, passing over a disguised young woman who appeared to be a noble.

Sno met Xio, who had tracked him down to ask about the Full Moon Whisper and its connection to Fors. After Sno invited her inside, he offered to explain the matter for a fee, and Xio agreed to name a price.

• After Mr. A left, Sno planned to write JoJo, but Lily alerted him to a visitor.
• Sno opened the door and greeted Xio with the nickname “One Meter Fifty,” prompting her to scold him and introduce herself.
• Xio explained that she had investigated Sno after worrying about Fors and the Full Moon Whisper, and had identified him as the author of Phantom Blood.
• Xio asked Sno about the Full Moon Whisper, and he invited her inside to talk.
• Sno brewed Xio high-quality black tea and said he would explain the Full Moon Whisper if she paid his fee.
• Xio, unwilling to show hesitation, told Sno to name his price.

Xio agreed to Sno's contract, accepting a debt of ten thousand favors in exchange for intelligence about Full Moon Whisper and her father. After sealing the room, Sno began by discussing her father.

• Sno offered Xio intelligence about Full Moon Whisper for ten thousand favors, explaining how commissions and other assets could repay the debt.
• Sno revealed that information about Xio's father could be included for free, and Xio resolved to accept the trade for both his sake and Fors's.
• Xio signed Sno's contract, which set terms for the intelligence trade and allowed her to dispute the value of the information.
• Sno sealed the room with Walls of Spirituality and began telling Xio about her father.

Sno told Xio that her father had been executed for discovering a secret of the Loen king, and explained that Fors's Full Moon Whisper came from a powerful existence tied to her mystical item. Xio left with Sno's messenger incantation, then realized his apparent cowardice had concealed extraordinary abilities.

• Sno warned Xio that mysterious forces limited what he could reveal and said her father was executed after uncovering a secret of the Loen king and intending to report it to the Church.
• Sno explained that Fors's Full Moon Whisper came from an existence comparable to or higher than the Hidden Sage, and that using her item deepened her connection to it.
• Sno offered advancement to Sequence IV or divine shelter as ways to reduce Fors's suffering, and mentioned secret beings as a riskier alternative; Xio rejected that option.
• Sno gave Xio his messenger's summoning incantation and said he would send her commission details through the messenger.
• When Xio's triangular spike fell, Sno vanished and appeared braced against the ceiling, and Xio later realized he had hidden his capabilities behind a timid act.

Klein arrived in Backlund and considered how to contact Mr. Devil and other local Beyonders without drawing Ince Zangwill’s attention. Meanwhile, Sno struggled to identify the third conditioned reflex caused by his potion, and the chapter explained how Mr. A’s observations shaped the True Creator’s perception of Sno’s prayers.

• Klein arrived at Backlund’s foggy train station and reflected on his progress digesting the potion and his need to find Magician ingredients.
• Klein decided to divine whether it was safe to contact Mr. Devil, whose Mysterious Item might protect him from Ince Zangwill’s investigation.
• Klein considered contacting Mr. Azk but feared that doing so could bring him back into Ince Zangwill’s field of vision.
• Sno discovered that his potion had given him three conditioned reflexes, but after two hours of searching he still could not identify the third.
• The narration explained that Mr. A’s observations could make the True Creator receive Sno’s prayers as sincere worship, while keeping Sno from direct corruption.

Sno met the retired knight Modred, whom Kaspars had hired to teach him combat skills. Sno paid ten pounds to learn nearly every offered discipline, including the Knight Breathing Technique, and was told he could teach it to others.

• Kaspars escorted Sno from the Brave Man Bar to Modred’s house in Cherwood Borough.
• Modred showed Sno a price list for combat training and explained that the Knight Breathing Technique could improve physical fitness but was obsolete beside potions and firearms.
• Sno asked whether he could teach the Knight Breathing Technique to others, and Modred said he could freely pass it on.
• Sno paid ten pounds for every listed discipline except horsemanship.

Sno mastered Modred’s breathing and training methods and saw how they could rapidly strengthen his followers. After receiving a letter from Sherlock Moriarty, he arranged a discreet meeting in Backlund and returned to sword training.

• Sno quickly memorized Modred’s breathing and training methods and considered combining them with Training Strengthening to improve his followers’ physical abilities.
• Modred began teaching Sno swordsmanship, but Sno paused when a letter appeared in his hand.
• Sherlock Moriarty wrote to Sno from Backlund, asking for intelligence assistance and a meeting.
• Sno reasoned that Sherlock’s letter had been sent at a divined time to avoid attracting Mr. A’s attention, then sent back an appointment at the Brave Man Bar on September 4th.
• Sno offered Modred potion formulas at cost, but Modred declined, and the two resumed practicing basic swordsmanship.

Sherlock Moriarty, disguised as Klein, met Sno in Backlund to ask for help entering Beyonder circles and acquiring an unregistered gun. Sno warned him about the danger of investigating Spectators, sold him protection from their perception, and left him with instructions to seek Kaspars for a weapon.

• Sherlock Moriarty approached Klein in a Backlund tavern, recognized him despite his disguise, and led him to a safe house.
• Sno gave Klein a makeup kit, criticized his disguise, and directed him to Kaspars at the Brave Man Bar for an unregistered gun.
• Klein told Sno that Mr. Fool had ordered him to investigate a Spectator, prompting Sno to warn that High Sequence Spectators could learn of anyone who spoke their name or codename.
• Sno offered to shield Klein from Spectators' perception for three hundred pounds, and Klein agreed to pay within a week.
• Sno used a talisman to make Klein seem insignificant to Spectators and warned him not to speak a Spectator's name or codename.

Klein sent Azk a letter with information about Zilingus and a request concerning the Sacrifice Ritual, then arranged for Xio to receive her first commission. Xio accepted the task to protect strike leader Mr. Lavish in Backlund, but wondered how to explain it to Fors.

• Klein checked through divination that it was safe to send Azk his letter, then used his messenger to deliver it.
• Fors noticed Xio was distracted, and a messenger suddenly appeared with a letter for Xio.
• Xio read Crown's commission to protect Mr. Lavish and assist Backlund's strike movement as an Arbiter.
• Xio decided the commission was acceptable and considered how it could help repay her debt, then wondered how to explain it to Fors.

Mr. A learned that Zilingus’s arrival had intensified the official searches in Backlund, so he decided to leave and entrusted the city’s branch to Sno. He gave Sno two Mysterious Items to help him recruit Beyonders and manage the branch, though Sno nearly panicked when he mistook one for a sign that Mr. A had been taken over by Ammon.

• Mr. A warned Sno to keep his efforts to recruit impoverished workers within limits, then asked about the searches in Backlund.
• Sno explained that Vice Admiral Hurricane Zilingus had arrived with an Extraordinary Item that could alter his appearance, drawing the Three Great Churches’ attention.
• Mr. A decided to recuperate elsewhere and assigned the search for Lanevus to others while telling Sno to develop followers and take charge of a Beyonder gathering.
• Mr. A gave Sno a shadow thread that let him use Shadow Ascetic abilities and exposed him to the True Creator’s whispers, which increased his Listener digestion without causing him to lose control.
• Mr. A offered Sno a Reader Pathway Mysterious Item; Sno feared it was a sign of Ammon’s presence, but accepted it after Mr. A explained its powers and side effect.
• Mr. A entrusted Backlund’s branch to Sno and said he would return within three months.

After Mr. A left Sno in charge of the Aurora Society’s Backlund branch, Sno settled into his new duties and dealt with the noisy Shadow Ascetic characteristic. Meanwhile, Xio went to meet factory workers, and Fors followed her out of concern before Xio reunited with Bodrat.

• Mr. A left Sno the Backlund branch, its funds, properties, two Extraordinary Items, the Shadow Ascetic Potion Formula, and four servants.
• Sno arranged for the butler to advertise a Beyonder gathering, then sealed the Shadow Ascetic characteristic in a tin box to quiet its whispers.
• Sno received a prayer at dawn and provided Mr. Fool with a wake-up service after feeding Lily.
• Fors woke to find Xio gone, followed her through the fog, lost her to a public carriage, and hired a carriage to pursue her.
• Xio reached the factory district and met Bodrat, who welcomed her as the Arbiter Lavish had sent.

Xio met Lavish to discuss protecting him during a factory strike, while Fors secretly checked that Xio’s assignment was safe. Meanwhile, Sno used Mr. A’s Mysterious Item to read rapidly and expand his knowledge, then considered how difficult it was for lower Sequences to defeat a Sequence V.

• Bodrat brought Xio to the factory district’s rest area, where Lavish urged the strikers to remain disciplined and avoid giving the capitalists an excuse to suppress them.
• Xio introduced herself to Lavish and began discussing her security duties and the strike’s plans.
• Fors used an Apprentice’s ability to listen in on Xio’s meeting, concluded that the job was not dangerous, and left the factory district.
• Sno rapidly read through Mr. A’s books while using sugar-salt water to manage the heat caused by his Mysterious Item.
• Sno reflected on the many exceptional abilities across Beyonder pathways and questioned whether a group of Sequence Nines could defeat a normal Sequence V.

Sno prepared for a Beyonder gathering while Audrey noticed that Baron Gramir might have been replaced and warned Earl Hall, prompting Klein to alert Mr. Hangman. Mr. Devil then asked Klein to warn Audrey against praying before an orthodox deity’s symbol, while Klein remembered he had done the same himself.

• Sno inventoried Mr. A’s stock, finding several Sequence Nine and Eight potion formulas but few valuable Beyonder Characteristics, and considered selling intelligence to maintain control.
• At Duke Negan’s ball, Audrey suspected Baron Gramir had been replaced and realized he might be Zilingus using Creeping Hunger.
• Audrey told Earl Hall what she had observed, then prayed to Mr. Fool in a secluded prayer room before a symbol of the Lord of Storms.
• Klein received Audrey’s prayer, warned her, and sent roughly edited footage to Mr. Hangman.
• Mr. Devil asked Klein to tell Audrey never to pray before an orthodox deity’s symbol, and Klein remembered praying to the Eternal Blazing Sun before the Evernight Goddess’s symbol.

Xio returned home exhausted after protecting a workers’ representative during a strike, while Fors prepared to attend Mr. A’s gathering. Sno hosted the gathering in Mr. A’s place, and his changed voice made Fors suspect his identity as tension rose among the guests.

• Xio returned to Fors’s home after spending the day protecting Lavish during a strike march, and she declined to attend Mr. A’s gathering because she was tired.
• Fors agreed to look for a Sheriff Potion formula and left for the gathering after Xio teased her about not writing.
• Sno arrived at the gathering with Lily, who had digested the Assassin Potion and become an Instigator.
• Sno noticed that at least three attendees harbored malice toward him after they submitted their trade requests.
• Sno questioned the guests about their curiosity, and Fors recognized his voice as Mr. Sno’s.

Sno took over Mr. A’s Beyonder gathering as Mr. V, offered intelligence trades, and issued a bounty for Lanevus. After the gathering, he avoided the disturbance in Empress Borough and left to teach Lily how to become an Instigator.

• Sno introduced himself as Mr. V and offered contract-backed intelligence services at the gathering.
• Fors considered buying information about the Full Moon Whisper, but she and the other attendees hesitated to trust the new host.
• Sno offered a hundred gold pounds or Sequence Seven-rated intelligence for a valid lead on Lanevus, a dangerous Sequence Eight Con Sorter.
• After the attendees left, Sno instructed the butler to prepare for possible official inspections and avoided the disturbance in Empress Borough.
• Sno returned toward his mansion with Lily and said he would teach her how to become an Instigator the next day.

Klein received Mr. Azk’s letter confirming he had obtained Creeping Hunger and warning Klein to stop investigating the Sealed Artifact holder. Xio and Fors learned that Zilingus had been killed in Backlund as they headed to the workers’ march.

• Klein woke to Mr. Devil’s prayer, then received a letter from Mr. Azk containing clues about Backlund’s unrest and guidance on the Sacrifice Ritual.
• Klein concluded that Zilingus was probably dead and returned to bed, postponing his study of the ritual.
• Xio told Fors that Lavish planned to keep marching for three more days to secure better treatment for workers.
• Fors said the Sheriff Potion formula cost 450 pounds and agreed to accompany Xio to observe Lavish.
• Newsboys announced that Vice Admiral Hurricane Zilingus had been killed in Backlund, leaving Xio and Fors stunned.

Sno scolded Lily after she caused a massive stray-cat-and-dog riot in the East Borough while trying to digest her potion. The Storm Church found no supernatural contamination but continued investigating, with Ace Snake suspecting someone had deliberately driven the animals mad.

• Sno explained that Lily had turned his small-scale animal provocations into a borough-wide brawl, leaving her unable to return to the East Borough for a while.
• Lily tried to charm Sno, who flicked her forehead and told her to incite humans instead.
• A Mandated Punisher reported to Ace Snake that investigators had found no supernatural contamination among the animals.
• Ace Snake ordered the investigation to continue, reasoning that someone must have caused the riot.

Lily used her charm to turn two Middle Class women against each other, then moved on to another street to avoid being caught. Meanwhile, Fors and Xio continued following Lavish’s long strike route, and Fors privately mocked an implausible claim about robbing Middle Class households.

• Angela tried to pet Lily, but the cat dodged her and rubbed against Merula instead.
• Lily escaped onto a rooftop after Angela failed to catch her and decided to move to another street for more dried fish.
• Fors complained about trailing Lavish for hours, while Xio explained his route and insisted Fors write about the strike.
• Fors privately ridiculed the claim that Middle Class households could yield dozens of pounds in stolen goods.