Chapter Summaries

Klein warned Dunn that a woman connected to Lanevus might be carrying an Evil God Progeny, prompting the Tingen Night Watchers to tighten security. Meanwhile, Ince Zangwill revised his script to divert the official Beyonders and weaken them, convinced his plan would succeed.

• Klein told Dunn that his informant linked Heinason Farsent to Lanevus and that his spirituality had stopped him from examining a woman claiming to carry Lanevus’s child.
• Dunn suspected an Evil God Progeny was in Tingen and ordered the Night Watchers to draw equipment, travel in groups, cancel leave, and notify the Red Gloves.
• The Feather Quill mocked Ince Zangwill’s failing plan, and Ince reconsidered how to manipulate the official Beyonders.
• Ince wrote a new script in which the Evil God Progeny empowered Magaos, Mr. A and the Aurora Society distracted the authorities, and Tingen’s Beyonders became strained and vulnerable.
• Ince finished writing and believed his plan would let him obtain everything he wanted.

As Tingen and Backlund grew tense, Sno joined the Tarot Club and explained that an Aurora Society Oracle had come to Tingen after signs of an Evil God Progeny appeared. The chapter left Alger beginning to explain the Aurora Society’s Oracle and Saint system while Sno considered why the unrest might be tying down official Beyonders.

• Sno waited anxiously for Klein to collect the Clown Potion Formula, but Mr. A and Klein had not contacted him.
• At the Tarot Club gathering, Sno and Audrey said they could not obtain Roselle’s Diary pages, and Alger was relieved that he had no pages to offer either.
• Audrey described Backlund’s canceled gatherings and social events, prompting Sno to connect the unrest to events in Tingen.
• Sno told the club that an Aurora Society Oracle had arrived in Tingen after signs of an Evil God Progeny were discovered, and that the city had been placed under martial law.
• After Audrey asked about the Aurora Society, Alger began explaining its Oracle and Saint system based on what he had learned from the Three Great Churches.

At the Tarot Club, Sno explained the threat posed by the Aurora Society’s Evil God Progeny, and Alger reasoned that the Society was provoking incidents in Backlund to keep the churches’ elite Beyonders away from Tingen. Afterward, Sno stayed away from Backlund and found Trissy preparing to move again.

• Sno told the Tarot Club that Mr. A was a Sequence V Beyonder and that the Evil God Progeny could be a demigod and vessel for an evil god’s descent.
• Alger proposed that the Aurora Society was targeting Backlund’s nobles to force the Three Great Churches to divert their elite Beyonders from Tingen, and Audrey recognized the plan’s plausibility.
• Klein ended the Tarot Club gathering and wondered whether he could have used a lock of a woman’s hair to find her above the Gray Fog.
• Sno decided not to return to Backlund yet and considered what to do next while Lily ate dried fish.
• Trissy disguised herself and prepared to flee from nearby official Beyonders, but Sno found her through Lily’s body and teased her about killing three people for him.

Sno hired Trissy to warn Old Neil, a Night Watcher corrupted by The Hidden Sage, and expose his danger without killing him. Trissy agreed and learned a little about the crisis unfolding in Tingen, though Sno kept most details secret.

• Sno asked Trissy to attack Old Neil without killing him and reveal that The Hidden Sage had corrupted him.
• Sno explained that Old Neil was a Sequence Nine Mystery Pryer and Night Watcher nearing Loss of Control, and Trissy agreed to warn him as a Witch.
• Sno gave Trissy Old Neil’s description and offered payment in answers or a Sequence Six Assassin formula.
• Trissy asked about Tingen’s situation, and Sno said an Aurora Society Oracle was searching for something while the Three Great Churches pursued him and someone else planned to steal it.
• Trissy asked for a more reliable way to contact Sno, who advised her to pray to his lord or make an ordinary person pray for her.

Trissy learned that Tingen’s crisis involved the Aurora Society and the True Creator’s divinity, while Sno investigated the scheme surrounding the Holy Son. After sharing his findings with Mr. A, Sno asked to return to Backlund, citing the destruction of the Waltz Faction.

• Trissy realized that Tingen’s lockdown targeted a specific person and began planning how to expose Old Seer’s corruption without drawing attention to herself.
• Sno entered Tingen’s sewers and met Mr. A, where he reported that coincidences surrounding Heinsohn Vincent’s notebook and the Holy Son pointed toward a scheme targeting the Church of Evernight.
• Mr. A concluded that the conspirators might use the Holy Son to distract official Beyonders while carrying out their plan, and resolved to watch the Church of Evernight.
• Sno asked Mr. A for permission to return to Backlund, explaining that the Waltz Faction had been wiped out and that the Aurora Society’s forces there faced a major threat.

Triss warned Swain that Old Neil had been corrupted by The Hidden Sage and was close to losing control, prompting Swain to summon Dunn Smith. Meanwhile, Sno returned to Backlund after arranging the publication of Phantom Blood and reflected on his house’s proximity to Mr. A’s secret-gathering venue.

• Triss asked Swain about the dwindling crowd at the Dragon Bar, and he recalled her earlier purchase of ingredients.
• Triss told Swain that Old Neil was corrupted by The Hidden Sage and would lose control within a month, then vanished before Swain could seize her.
• Swain ordered Morik to find a patrolling Night Watcher and bring Dunn Smith to the bar.
• Sno finalized the publication of Phantom Blood with the Tussock Newspaper and returned to his house in Backlund.
• Sno noted that Mr. A’s secret-gathering venue stood directly across from his house.

Klein learned that Old Neil was safe but would need treatment, while Sno continued living cautiously in Backlund and prepared for his Tarot Club meeting. At the meeting, Sno presented a diary page that revealed he had obtained the Seer Potion formula, leaving Klein stunned and excited.

• Dunn told Klein that Old Neil had survived and would remain in the cathedral until the Night Watchers could send him to Backlund for treatment.
• Triss was shocked when saving Old Neil had digested far more of her potion than killing civilians had.
• Sno stayed indoors in Backlund, destroyed his contingency plans, and asked Lily to keep watch while he slept.
• Sno attended the Tarot Club and presented a page of Roselle's Diary.
• Klein read Sno's diary entry about obtaining the Seer Potion formula and struggled to maintain Mr. Fool's composure.

At the Tarot Club, Klein read a diary that appeared to belong to another transmigrator and suspected it was connected to Mr. Devil. Sno arranged a delivery with Miss Justice, while Klein’s divination revealed that a family elder of Mr. Devil had mentioned Roselle’s Diary.

• Klein read diary entries about someone gathering Seer Potion ingredients and learning that a Seer’s abilities depended on mystical knowledge.
• Sno declined a reward and explained that Mr. Fool had allowed him to offer sacrifices through prayer, prompting Mr. Hangman to reconsider Mr. Devil’s background.
• Miss Justice offered the materials Mr. Devil needed, and he arranged for them to be buried in the woods in Queen District after five that evening.
• Klein ended the Tarot Club gathering and divined why he thought the diary was connected to Mr. Devil.
• Klein heard that a notebook left by an elder in Mr. Devil’s family had mentioned Roselle’s Diary, and he wondered whether the elder was a transmigrator who came after Roselle.

Audrey sent Susie to bury a package and watch for its recipient, but a black cat named Lily retrieved it and brought it to Sno. Susie reported that the cat felt like a lady, leaving Audrey curious about its nature and pathway.

• Audrey hid a package in Susie's pouch and instructed her to bury it in the woods and watch for whoever collected it.
• Susie buried the package and hid in the bushes, where she saw Lily dig it up and noticed Lily had spotted her.
• Susie fled back to Audrey and reported that a cat had taken the package and seemed like a lady.
• Lily returned to Sno with the Sequence Eight Potion Formula, and Sno praised her, stored the Extraordinary Materials, and promised to bathe her.
• Lily reacted with disgust to Sno's mention of a bath and jumped from his shoulder.

Tingen remained under pressure from Aurora Society fanatics, while Trissy continued feeding dangerous information to the official Beyonders. The Black Cat sent her to investigate Elizabeth and offered to answer questions, but refused to explain how the Acting Method digested potions.

• Aurora Society members poured into Tingen to protect the approaching Evil God Progeny, overwhelming officials with relentless attacks and corruption.
• Trissy used her ability to relay warnings about threats around the city, keeping the official Beyonders busy with investigations.
• The Black Cat contacted Trissy through her mirror and assigned her to find Elizabeth, a student at Yvontes Public School whose family owned an estate in Lamud Town.
• The Black Cat told Trissy to report a haunting to Mr. Moretti if Elizabeth was troubled by a wraith or ghost, or otherwise tell a Seer that the town's ancient castle held clues about his altered fate.
• Trissy asked how the Acting Method digested potions, but the Black Cat said her 1,300-pound allowance was not enough to buy the answer.

Trissy bargained with Black Cat for an explanation of potion digestion and learned that acting disguises a Beyonder’s Mental Imprint to overcome the imprint inside a potion. She suspected the Sorceress Cult wanted her to be assimilated by the Primordial Demoness, but Black Cat cut off their connection before she could ask more.

• Trissy negotiated with Black Cat and paid a thousand pounds for an explanation of potion digestion.
• Black Cat explained that Beyonder Characteristics retain Mental Imprints and that acting lets a Beyonder steal the potion’s power while keeping their own identity.
• Black Cat warned that losing oneself in the act could let the previous owner’s imprint merge with the Beyonder’s spirit, and mentioned that resurrection techniques cost five thousand pounds.
• Trissy connected Black Cat’s explanation to the Sorceress Cult’s plan to make her a vessel for the Primordial Demoness’s descent.
• Trissy realized Black Cat had ended their connection and complained that she still had three hundred pounds’ worth of questions.

Sno digested the Donkey of Buridan potion but still felt a trace of instability, so he went out to practice making decisions and visited Kaspars. Kaspars warned him to stay away from Eisinger Stanton's Beyonder gathering for now, while the chapter ended with speculation about Origin Quality and the protagonist's own Origin Quality.

• Sno finished digesting the Donkey of Buridan potion but felt his spirituality destabilize when he considered two options, so he used a coin to choose breakfast.
• Sno decided to keep acting as Donkey of Buridan, reopened his business, and left Lily behind before traveling in disguise to the Bridge District.
• Sno visited the Brave Man Bar and asked Kaspars about Eisinger Stanton's Beyonder gathering.
• Kaspars said the gathering was still operating but its atmosphere had been strange, and advised Sno to wait until the attention died down.
• Sno accepted Kaspars's warning and agreed to wait before attending the gathering.

At the ninth Tarot Club gathering, Sno tried to secure the Clown Potion Formula for Klein by offering diary pages and potion formulas for trade. Klein read the new diary entries, including a provocative account and speculation about the Primordial One, while the story left his exchange with Sno unresolved.

• Sno worried that Klein lacked a way to obtain the Clown Potion Formula and planned to offer it through the Tarot Club.
• Klein regretted losing access to Sno’s formula and struggled to find a reason to ask him for it as Tingen remained tense.
• At the ninth gathering, Klein introduced The Sun, and Justice and The Sun traded for potion formulas.
• Sno offered a page of Roselle’s diary for a powerful destructive item and proposed selling his batch of potion formulas through the members’ channels.
• Klein read the submitted diary pages and was startled by Roselle’s claim that a Secret Master Association higher-up tasted good.
• The final diary entry proposed that the Primordial One deliberately divided and recombined its powers to reorganize them.

Klein examined Panredax’s diary and learned that the Seer pathway included a Faceless potion and a search for live mermaids, then watched Sno trade low-sequence potion formulas with the Tarot Club. Audrey paid Sno for the name of a Psychology Alchemist Association member who could help her pursue the Spectator pathway.

• Klein read Panredax’s diary, which mentioned The Fool, the half-Sequence Zero Antigonus, the Faceless potion, and the need to find a live mermaid.
• Audrey told the gathering that the proposed public examination and selection of administrative officials had won approval and was expected to be implemented early next year.
• Sno presented potion formulas for the Seer, Assassin, Apothecary, and Lawyer pathways, offering to sell Mid Sequence formulas through suitable channels.
• Audrey asked Sno about obtaining a Spectator Sequence Seven formula, and he advised her to attract the attention of noble Psychology Alchemist Association members.
• Audrey offered Sno one thousand pounds for a member’s identity, and Sno wrote down the name of a former regular customer.

At the Tarot Club, Sno took Alger's commission to find Zilingus in exchange for help investigating disappearances at sea, while Audrey offered to assist. Back in his room, Sno reviewed his schemes and worried that Ince Zangwill still had not acted, so he began preparing to push Mr. Witch into stirring things up.

• Audrey learned that Madam Dairav's younger sister belonged to the Psychology Alchemist Association, and Sno advised her to attract the Association's attention at social gatherings.
• Alger commissioned Sno to find the whereabouts of Zilingus, the pirate known as Admiral Hurricane, and asked Mr. Fool for help from his Follower.
• Sno accepted the commission and asked Alger to investigate disappearances at sea, promising a separate reward even if Zilingus remained unfound.
• Audrey offered to help find Zilingus, and Alger described the pirate and his Mysterious Item, Wriggling Hunger, to the Tarot Club.
• Sno returned to his room, reviewed and burned his notes, sent Lily away, and worried that Ince Zangwill had not yet acted in Tingen.
• Sno began writing a script to persuade Mr. Witch to add fuel to the chaos.

Klein weighed the cost of obtaining the Clown Potion ingredients and cautiously prepared to contact Sno von Pandax, while Audrey planned to approach Viscount Grellint through a social event. Sno sought an introduction to Grellint’s literary circle, and the chapter left his request in Madam Norma’s hands.

• Klein considered how to afford the Clown Potion ingredients and decided he could not report his progress to the Church without raising suspicion.
• Klein went Above the Gray Fog and divined that writing to Sno von Pandax would not be intercepted or attract attention before composing his letter.
• Audrey planned to attend one of Viscount Grellint’s salons or balls, hoping to spread word of her interest in becoming a Psychiatrist and give Xio and Fors a task involving Zilingus.
• Sno visited Madam Norma to examine her dog Hill and asked her to introduce him to Viscount Grellint’s literary circle.

Sno attended Viscount Grellint’s literary salon, where he used his Sequence Seven ability to conceal himself from observation while approaching Fors Wall. After speaking with Fors, he crossed paths with Audrey, whose thoughts became unreadable to Spectators.

• Sno arrived at Viscount Grellint’s salon and mingled with the guests, drawing on his predecessor’s social experience and connections.
• Sno activated his Sequence Seven ability to avoid detection by Spectators and other Beyonders in the banquet hall.
• Sno introduced himself to Fors Wall and praised her novel, then exchanged brief conversation about his serialized story, Phantom Blood.
• Sno left Fors after making a small impression, and Audrey arrived at the salon, attracting the guests’ attention.
• Audrey brushed past Sno, after which Spectators could only perceive the information she wanted them to see.

Sno protected Audrey from the Psychology Alchemists and received an anonymous offer of Sun Domain charms from K. Unable to establish a messenger contract on his own, Sno asked Mr. Fool to tell K that he would buy three charms for three hundred pounds each.

• Sno empowered Audrey with misdirection to protect her from the Psychology Alchemists and then returned to mingling at the banquet.
• Sno returned to his mansion and found an anonymous letter offering Sun Domain charms that could reach Sequence Six in power.
• Sno considered how to obtain a contract for a messenger and decided to seek help from Old Master of the Eye of Wisdom before taking risks.
• Sno prayed to Mr. Fool and asked him to tell K that he would purchase three charms for three hundred pounds apiece.
• Klein heard Sno's prayer, went Above the Gray Fog, and touched Mr. Devil's star.

Klein arranged for a message and protective charms to be sent to Sno in exchange for Mr. Devil’s diaries. Sno used a charm to gain entry to a Backlund gathering, where he asked for a contract and bought Contract Paper from Old Master of the Eye of Wisdom.

• Klein decided to relay Mr. Devil’s message through a disguised projection and told Sno that one diary would be free while the charms would take one to two weeks to make.
• Sno received Klein’s message, praised Mr. Fool, and went to Brave Man Bar with a protective charm for Kaspars.
• Kaspars accepted the charm, disguised Sno, and brought him to a secret gathering in a dark house.
• At the gathering, a fat man asked to buy a Medullary Crystal of the Spring of Elves, and Sno later asked for a contract effective on Low Sequence and below.
• Old Master of the Eye of Wisdom offered Sno a Mysterious Item that produced Contract Paper, and Sno agreed to buy it for two hundred gold pounds per sheet.

Sno summoned a spirit world creature and contracted with it to serve as his messenger, naming it Dodo. After dismissing Dodo, he concluded that no powerful being had appeared because he was not a hidden backup plan.

• Sno used perfume and Concept Swap to restrict his summoning to spirit world creatures affected by the ability, then recited the messenger incantation.
• Sno used a coin and Paradox Charm to slow the summoned spirit’s movement enough to see and speak with it.
• Sno explained the messenger’s duties, negotiated terms with the spirit, and wrote a contract witnessed by his honorific name.
• The spirit accepted the contract, Sno named it Dodo, and the Contract Paper turned to ash as their connection formed.
• Sno released the Paradox Charm and dismissed Dodo, then took the absence of any demigod, angel, or other powerful being as evidence that he was not someone’s backup plan.