Chapter Summaries

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.

Sno helped Lavish turn a workers’ strike into a growing movement by giving him a book and enhancing his ability to hold listeners’ attention. After the march expanded across several factories, Sno received a prayer, while Triss was confronted in Tingen by a mysterious woman.

• Sno watched Glory lead thousands of workers through the West Borough as they demanded reasonable working hours and wages.
• Sno’s enhancement made workers listen closely to Lavish, whose lessons and the book “The Current Situation of the Rune Working Class” inspired them to join the strike.
• Lavish’s movement spread from one workshop to three large factories in three days, and Sno left to continue training with Modred.
• That evening, Sno heard layers of prayers addressed to him.
• In Tingen, Triss considered leaving the city after nearly digesting her potion, but a graceful woman appeared, immobilized her, and reminded her that she had once been a witch too.

Madam Sharon restrained Triss and prepared to bring a man to her, but Triss digested her Witch potion and prayed to the Traveler from Distant Time and Space for help. The chapter ended with her appeal hanging unanswered.

• Madam Sharon restrained Triss with spider silk and teased her about an arranged encounter.
• A maid summoned Madam Sharon to the mayor, and Sharon warned Triss not to try to escape before leaving.
• Triss recalled the cat's warning that she relied too much on Extraordinary Abilities and realized that her Witch potion had been digested.
• Triss decided to seek another way out and recited a prayer to the Traveler from Distant Time and Space.

Sno used an enhanced consciousness projection to control Triss and help her escape Madam Sharon’s manor, directing her toward Backlund. Triss boarded a train for the city while Sno withdrew his consciousness and went to sleep.

• Sno rejected the systems’ vote and enhanced Pavlov's Dog's Consciousness Projection ability to reach Triss.
• Triss’s body became invisible and phased through the spider silk restraints as Sno’s power guided her through Madam Sharon’s web-filled room.
• Sno-controlled Triss tore her evening gown for movement, performed difficult acrobatics to avoid the webs, and phased through a wall to escape the manor.
• Triss sensed that Madam Sharon’s contingencies had vanished and received the word “Backlund” as her next destination.
• Triss boarded a train from Tingen to Backlund, while Sno withdrew his consciousness, prayed to Mr. Fool, and fell asleep.

Trissy arrived in Backlund, found a likely broker, and set out to find work while waiting for further instructions. Meanwhile, Sno received a commission for Klein to investigate whether Mr. Meras's wife was having an affair with a famous writer, whose identity sounded familiar to Klein.

• Trissy bought better-fitting clothes, searched local newspapers, and found contact information that likely belonged to a broker.
• Sno let Trissy roam freely and sorted through his mail, finding three job commissions.
• Mr. Meras asked Klein to investigate his wife and offered ten pounds if Klein found evidence of an affair.
• Mr. Meras said his wife wrote letters to a famous writer and often went out, and Klein suspected he knew who the writer was.

Klein reviewed Mr. Meras’s commission to investigate Mrs. Meras and used divination to assess its risks. Though the results suggested a low danger and no deliberate targeting, Klein grew suspicious of the unusually comprehensive dossier and decided to investigate anyway.

• After Mr. Meras left, Klein studied the documents and concluded that he was a businessman seeking entry into the nobility through his wife.
• Klein went Above the Gray Fog and divined that investigating Mrs. Meras was dangerous and involved a Beyonder incident, but was not clearly aimed at him.
• Klein considered possible explanations for the supernatural involvement and cautioned himself against letting suspicion distort his judgment.
• Klein divined that the commission was not intended to target him and decided to investigate rather than leave a possible danger untouched.
• Klein noticed that Mr. Meras’s dossier contained far more information than an affair investigation required, then changed into cheap clothes and prepared to go out.