Chapter Summaries

A handsome man received Sno von Pandax’s letter and the Antigonus Family Notebook, then read its contents. In Tingen City, Dunn Smith and Leonard investigated Sno, while Klein’s divination warned them to be cautious; Dunn questioned Sno at his hotel.

• A Monster delivered Sno von Pandax’s letter and a notebook to the handsome man, who tore up the letter and opened the notebook.
• Sno’s letter explained that he had killed Heinason Farsent and Sirius Arapis, recovered the Antigonus Family Notebook, and asked whether he should help a Con Sman connected to the Lord’s descent.
• Dunn Smith identified Sno as a suspicious Backlund native and decided to investigate him with Leonard while Klein stayed in the carriage.
• Klein divined that investigating Sno was not dangerous, but warned Dunn that Sno might have Counter-divination ability.
• Sno sensed Klein’s divination and felt sleepy just before Dunn knocked on his hotel-room door.
• Dunn questioned Sno about Heinason Farsent, and Sno revealed that he had stayed at the hotel because the diviner warned him that his life was at risk.

Dunn and Leonard investigated Sno in a dream and found no clear signs that he was dangerous. After they left, Sno revealed that he was a transmigrator who had intercepted a notebook and was using a powerful Golden Finger to resist dangerous knowledge and interference from The Writer.

• Dunn questioned Sno in a dream, and Sno claimed he was a wealthy veterinarian who feared the Waltz Faction Leader's gang.
• Dunn escorted Sno toward the Police Station in the dream, where Sno remained compliant and hid behind him when danger arose.
• Leonard reported finding no Extraordinary Items or signs of mysticism in Sno's room, aside from an ordinary silver antique knife.
• After Dunn and Leonard left, Sno reflected that Heinsohn Vincent was dead and that he had intercepted the notebook, removing two triggers that could worsen Dunn's mental burden.
• A gallant white horse appeared in Sno's mind, and repeated murmurs drained his spirituality before stopping.
• Sno blamed the ordeal on the pen and revealed that he was a transmigrator whose Golden Finger involved the Origin Quality White Horse is Not a Horse and the Uniqueness A Foot of Rod.

Sno’s Cross-Pathway advancement and the costs of his Paradox Path abilities were explained as he kept his protections active. He sent a black kitten to meet a young woman who had obtained notes for him, and the chapter ended with her asking what else he wanted.

• Sno’s White Horse is Not a Horse imprinted a second Mental Imprint onto potions, forcing him to digest two roles and endure the Donkey of Buridan’s indecisiveness.
• Sno’s fused Uniqueness, A Foot of Rod, supplied nearly limitless spirituality so he could keep Concept Swap active and shield himself from dangerous knowledge.
• Sno used the kitten to send it through a window while he rested and recovered his spirituality.
• The kitten entered a young woman’s bedroom, and she confronted it about avoiding the contact method she had provided.
• The kitten explained that it would not use a Witch’s communication method, and the young woman said she had already obtained the notes Sno wanted before asking what else he needed.

A Black Cat warned a transformed woman that her Demoness acting was too conspicuous and explained how she could eventually become a man again. After trading Assassin potion formulas for information, the woman learned the adjacent Hunter Pathway’s Sequence IV and heard that the Sorceress Cult’s interest in giving men Assassin potions was closely tied to her.

• The Black Cat criticized the woman’s obvious plan to harvest the lifespans of people about to die and warned her against being affected by the potion’s Mental Imprint.
• The woman asked whether she could become a man again, and the Black Cat explained that the Hunter Pathway’s Sequence IV could change her back.
• The woman traded Assassin Pathway formulas from Sequence Nine to Sequence Seven for the name of the adjacent Pathway and its Sequence IV, which the Black Cat identified as Hunter and Iron-Blooded Knight.
• The woman asked for a freebie, and the Black Cat offered to reveal a secret about the Sorceress Cult in exchange for a complete set of Assassin potion materials.
• The Black Cat revealed that the Sorceress Cult fed Assassin potions to men because the woman was its most satisfactory work, then suggested offering the materials to Our Lord.
• The woman rejected praying to an unknown evil god and insisted they arrange a location to exchange the materials.

Sno risked using the silver knife to beseech Mr. Fool, hoping to avoid the danger of failing to digest his Secret Speaker Potion. Klein heard Sno warn that an evil god was about to descend upon Tingen and decided to investigate, while Sno was unexpectedly drawn into the Gray Fog.

• Sno realized that after a month, he had digested less than one-tenth of his potion and feared the Aurora Society would punish him for insufficient devotion to the True Creator.
• Sno sealed his room and used Concept Swap on the ancient silver knife to try to beseech Mr. Fool.
• Klein noticed Sno's plea and heard him say that an evil god was about to descend upon Tingen.
• Klein decided to investigate the warning before Sno's connection to the Gray Fog ended.
• After Sno's apparent failure, Crimson Radiance burst from the knife and carried him into the majestic hall, where Mr. Fool examined him across the Bronze Long Table.

Klein summoned Sno von Pandax, who revealed that the Aurora Society was preparing the descent of an evil god in Tingen and that a hidden seed could threaten the city and Loen Kingdom. Klein allowed Sno to pray to him to digest his potion and invited him to join the Monday gatherings under the codename Devil, leaving Sno to continue gathering intelligence.

• Klein recognized Sno von Pandax as the suspect from earlier and asked him to explain his prayer and his connection to the Aurora Society.
• Sno explained that he had joined the Aurora Society to survive, was forced to take the Secret Speaker Potion, and sought Klein’s help digesting it.
• Sno told Klein that he had killed two Secrets Suppliants plotting the True Creator’s descent, but they had already planted a seed in Tingen that could destroy the city and possibly the Loen Kingdom.
• Klein decided not to report Sno and offered him an opportunity to exchange information for benefits, permitting him to pray to Klein to digest his potion.
• Klein invited Sno to the Monday gatherings and told him to choose a Tarot Card codename; Sno chose Devil and hoped to break free of his restraints.

Sno used prayers to Klein to digest his Secret Speaker Potion and wondered whether the feedback came from the Celestial Venerable imprint within Origin Castle. He resolved to stay cautious and plan for the Apocalypse, while a young woman searched Dragon Bar’s underground market for Extraordinary Materials.

• Sno disguised his prayers to Klein as prayers to the True Creator, and the prayers steadily cracked the potion’s shell.
• Sno concluded that feedback from Klein might come from the Fu Sheng Xuan Huang Celestial Venerable imprint within Origin Castle, but warned himself not to trust the idea.
• Sno reminded himself that he needed to reach Sequence IV before the Apocalypse and began planning his next moves.
• A veiled young woman bought Queen Bee Grass from a seller in Dragon Bar’s underground market.
• The young woman found no Abyssal Demon Fish eyeballs and decided to check another gathering before seeking out other people.

Klein was woken by Sno’s prayer and reluctantly answered him, helping Sno digest his potion. Sno then wrote an adaptation of JoJo while planning to plant clues that would lead Klein to suspect the Perrdax family had a transmigrator ancestor.

• Klein woke at six to Sno’s prayer, saw four black dots on his hand, and went Above the Gray Fog to answer it.
• Sno felt his potion shell crack further after receiving Klein’s response and began his day by writing in his room.
• Sno reflected that Trissy had killed the two Secrets Suppliants, while he claimed responsibility to impress Mr. A and fit in with the Aurora Society.
• Sno typed an adaptation of JoJo on his improved typewriter, intending to pass the time and attract Klein’s attention as a source of intelligence.
• Sno planned to leave subtle clues that would make Klein suspect one of the Perrdax ancestors had been a transmigrator, allowing Sno to conceal how he knew so much.

Sno made Paradox Charms and received a letter from Mr. A approving his actions and promising a Listener Potion once his potion was digested. He planned to return to Backlund, but the marked date on his calendar suggested Mr. A might come to Tingen first.

• Sno performed a ritual to himself and engraved the infinity symbol on one-penny coins to create Paradox Charms.
• Sno put the charms away and stayed inside, avoiding the Night Watchers while following a carefully planned daily routine.
• A twisted spirit delivered Mr. A's letter, which praised Sno's decisiveness and said the intercepted notes could be exchanged for a Listener Potion.
• Sno recalled how the Aurora Society ranked its unstable members and recognized the value of his identity and connections as a veterinarian.
• Sno burned the letter, noticed a red circle on his calendar, and suspected Mr. A would visit Tingen before he returned to Backlund.

Trissy traded supplies with the Black Cat for information about the Sorceress Cult and learned that the Cult may be shaping her into a vessel for a true god’s descent. The Black Cat revealed its warning as part of their bargain, though Trissy remained unsure why it had told her so much.

• Trissy exchanged tin boxes and herbal powders with the Black Cat for information about Yegor Einhorn and the Hunter Pathway’s ruling families.
• The Black Cat explained that the true god of the Assassin Pathway had ascended from male to female, influencing the pathway and making Assassin potions more dangerous for women.
• The Black Cat told Trissy that resembling a pathway’s true god could make potion digestion easier, but warned that becoming immersed in the role could let the potion alter her personality.
• The Black Cat revealed that the Sorceress Cult might be training Trissy to become a vessel for a true god’s descent.
• Trissy asked why the Black Cat had shared information worth more than a Sequence Nine potion, and it claimed the information was worth less.

The Black Cat warned Trissy that learning the reason behind its dealings would draw her into dangerous struggles, then used a crude ritual to send the potion materials away. In Tingen, Sno prepared the potion for Lily and urged her to drink it.

• The Black Cat told Trissy that knowing the truth would make her a continuing participant in deadly conflicts, and Trissy chose to think it over.
• The Black Cat performed a Sacrifice Ritual, and Trissy helped send the box of potion materials through a cloud-and-mist gate.
• The Black Cat declared the transaction complete, told Trissy she could pray to its Lord, and slipped into the city’s shadows.
• At the Fragrant Tree Inn in Tingen, Sno used the Summoning Gate and the delivered materials to prepare a Sequence Nine potion for Lily.
• Sno handed Lily the potion and told her to drink it.

Sno visited Dunn at the Zouteland Street police station to confirm whether their earlier encounter had been a dream and asked how he could become a Beyonder. Dunn warned him about the dangers and suggested joining one of the Three Great Churches, while Sno ended by asking for a reliable Seer.

• Sno used Pavlov's Dog abilities to train Lily to meditate and continued working on his manuscript, Phantom Blood.
• Sno left his hotel with Lily and his manuscript and went to the police station on Zouteland Street to see Dunn.
• Dunn took Sno into an office and listened as Sno explained how the dream and signs of tampering had unsettled him.
• Sno asked whether he could become a Beyonder, and Dunn warned him that the Beyonder world was dangerous and suggested the Three Great Churches.
• Sno thanked Dunn and asked him to recommend a reliable Seer.

Sno established himself with Dunn as an ordinary person who understood the Beyonder world, then joined the Tarot Club above the Gray Fog as the new member Mr. Devil. He offered to provide Emperor Roselle’s diary and waited for Mr. Fool to begin the members’ exchange.

• Sno left the Police Station after Dunn declined to recruit him, having secured permission to move around Tingen as an informed ordinary person.
• Sno arrived above the Gray Fog as Mr. Fool introduced him as Mr. Devil to Miss Justice and Mr. Hangman.
• Miss Justice asked what a Beyonder pet could do for its owner, and Mr. Hangman explained its potential uses.
• Miss Justice provided another page of Emperor Roselle’s Diary, and Sno said an elder in his family had identified Roselle’s notes as a diary.
• Sno waited for Mr. Fool to invite the members to communicate.

At The Tarot Club, Sno answered Miss Justice’s questions about the Arbiter and Apprentice pathways, then warned that high-ranking Spectators could alter fate. The warning left Klein fearing that his own coincidences were part of a larger scheme, and he encountered a dangerous young man and cat at the Fortune Telling Club.

• Miss Justice paid Sno with Extraordinary Materials for information about the Arbiter Potion and the Beyonders who could bypass doors and locks.
• Sno explained that the Arbiter pathway was controlled by the Augustus and Castia royal families, while the Apprentice pathway was held by the Abraham family and several secret organizations.
• Sno told Miss Justice that high Sequence Spectators could alter other people’s destinies, alarming Klein as he recalled Mr. Azk’s comments about his fate and his own many coincidences.
• After returning to reality, Klein considered seeking help but decided his only option was to strengthen himself.
• Klein arrived at the Fortune Telling Club, where his Spiritual Intuition warned him that a handsome young man and the cat on his shoulder were dangerous.

Klein met Sno von Pandax at the Fortune Telling Club and agreed to divine his future fortunes. After confirming that revealing everything to Sno posed no danger, Klein tried to read Sno’s future Above the Gray Fog but found his divination blocked by White Mist.

• Miss Angelica introduced Sno von Pandax to Klein, who led him into the Amethyst Room for a divination.
• Sno’s Aether Body twisted as though he were losing control, but he calmed himself by tossing a coin and chose an astrolabe reading.
• Klein asked Sno for his personal details and then sent him outside while he drew the astrolabe.
• Uneasy about Sno’s knowledge and the danger facing Tingen City, Klein checked Above the Gray Fog and found no danger in laying everything bare to Sno.
• Klein attempted to divine Sno’s future fortunes Above the Gray Fog, but White Mist obscured the vision and shocked him.

Klein discovered that divinations about Sno’s fate were blocked, then learned Sno was seeking a Seer’s help to find the con artist Lanevus. Sno offered later Seer Potion Formulas and warned Klein to flee Tingen if he was not an official Beyonder.

• Klein found that divinations involving Sno’s fate pointed toward White Mist, while divinations about his actions worked normally.
• Sno revealed that he needed a Seer’s assistance and offered Klein the later Seer Potion Formulas in exchange for help.
• Sno explained that he had sought a young Seer to cultivate and believed Klein was not an official Beyonder.
• Sno asked Klein to find Lanevus, a con artist likely to be a Sequence Eight Con Sorter, and warned him to flee Tingen unless he was an official Beyonder.
• Klein agreed to try to find Lanevus and asked Sno for information about the Beyonder world in return.

Klein learned the location of Lanevus's former residence from Sno, while Sno discovered a woman carrying what he believed was a divine child and summoned Mr. A to Tingen. Klein later heard Sno's prayer and froze after learning what it contained.

• Klein asked Sno about Sequences that could create coincidences, and Sno gave him the address of Lanevus's former home at 62 Howes Street and two gold coins.
• Klein suspected Sno had mistaken him for a member of the Secret Master Association and decided to investigate the house, but Mr. Gracis arrived at the Fortune Telling Club before he could leave.
• Sno watched the Fortune Telling Club, then wrote to Mr. A that a woman he had seen carried a child of God and had encountered Night Watch Heretics.
• Sno asked Mr. A to come to Tingen and protect the child, then prayed to the Fool Above the Gray Fog before going to sleep.
• Klein heard Sno's prayer, went Above the Gray Fog, and froze after listening to its opening sentences.

Klein summoned Sno Above the Gray Fog to learn why he had reported the Evil God Progeny to the Aurora Society. Sno explained that the progeny and the events in Tingen were part of a Spectator’s plan, leaving Klein to realize the danger had been orchestrated around him.

• Klein recalled Sno’s warnings about the Evil God Progeny, the incoming Oracle, and a Spectator, then summoned Sno Above the Gray Fog.
• Sno explained that he traced the Secret Supplicant seed in Tingen to Lanevus and tried to draw the Secret Master Association into the investigation.
• Sno said he saw a woman carrying the True Creator’s progeny and wrote to the Aurora Society’s Oracle, expecting him to arrive in Tingen within two or three days.
• Sno explained that he chose the Oracle because Tingen’s official Beyonders were too weak to handle the threat, while the Oracle’s departure from Backlund could draw stronger officials to the city.
• Sno revealed that a High Sequence Spectator or a Spectator pathway item had planned the events in Tingen and created the Evil God Progeny as a pawn.

Sno met with Mr. A and described the woman carrying the Lord’s descendant, whom she believed was the child of the Con Sorter. As Sno recounted strange events in Tingen, Mr. A suspected a powerful Beyonder was orchestrating them.

• Sno prayed over dinner until Lily sensed someone entering, and Mr. A emerged from the shadows and sealed the room.
• Mr. A asked about Sno’s letter, and Sno said he had seen an ordinary woman carrying the Lord’s descendant and learned about the Con Sorter from Heinsohn Vincent.
• Sno explained that he had encountered the woman at the Fortune Telling Club while disguised as someone seeking divination.
• Mr. A asked Sno to recount everything that had happened in Tingen over the past half month.
• Sno reviewed reports of the Antigonus family notebook, Sirius’s death, and other incidents, leading Mr. A to suspect the influence of a Mid or High Sequence Beyonder.

Sno’s maneuvering drew Mr. A to Tingen, where the Red Gloves interrupted his attempt to take Magaos and forced him to flee. As 0-08 searched for the force disrupting its script, Klein was summoned with the Nighthawks to a meeting about an unknown major development.

• Sno prayed to Mr. Fool and reflected that Mr. A might take Magaos away from Tingen.
• 0-08 began writing that Mr. A would find Magaos, but an unseen hand altered the script to bring the Three Great Churches and Tingen’s official Beyonders after him.
• Mr. A located Magaos’s residence, but the Red Gloves intercepted him before he could reach her.
• Mr. A used Dream Invasion to escape, and an older Red Gloves member concluded that he had spared the squad and ordered word sent back.
• Sno realized that Mr. A’s arrival had drawn official attention and disrupted Ince Zangwill’s plans, while the rest of his scheme depended on Mr. Fool.
• Klein and Old Neil were summoned to the captain’s office alongside Frye, Kenley, Royale, and Seeka Tron.