Chapter Summaries

Klein recognized Ammon aboard the Grey Amber as Puthis and Integra confronted each other over the Box of the Ancient Ones. After Integra used the box to seal everyone on the ship, Leonard called upon the Fool for help.

• Klein recognized the monocled man as Ammon and weighed whether to flee or seek help.
• Puthis greeted Integra, who demanded that he lend her the Box of the Ancient Ones.
• Puthis handed over the box after sensing a gaze from the Lord's sanctuary.
• Integra used the box to seal the ship's passengers and crew, leaving Leonard, Klein, and the two believers outside it.
• Leonard recognized Ammon and recited an invocation to the Fool.

Klein responded to Leonard’s prayer and sent him a vision of the distorted fate surrounding the Grey Amber. Leonard shared it with Pallez, while Integra and Puthis confronted Ammon; the chapter ended with Ammon’s attempted escape interrupted by a bolt of lightning.

• Klein recognized Leonard’s prayer and ascended above the Gray Fog to contact him.
• Integra mocked Ammon and identified him as the Lord’s rebellious son, while Puthis tried and failed to flee through the shattered space.
• Leonard used Dream Invasion to show Pallez the vision Klein had sent, revealing that fate in the area had been thrown into chaos.
• Pallez stole Leonard’s sense of presence and waited to see how Integra and Puthis would test Ammon.
• Integra attacked Ammon with countless uses of Mental Pierce, but Ammon escaped by stealing the distance between himself and Puthis.
• A brilliant bolt of lightning struck Ammon as he completed his flash.

Klein and Integra helped Pallez trap Ammon’s avatar, but Integra revealed a monocle and declared that Pallez had fallen for her deception. The chapter ended with the nature of her trick unresolved, followed by an author’s note defending the translated wording.

• Klein interfered with Ammon’s fight from Above the Gray Fog while Pallez suspected the avatar was behaving strangely.
• Integra used her abilities and weapons against Ammon as Puthis and Pallez joined the battle.
• Pallez summoned an ancient clock that absorbed Ammon and his scattered motes of light.
• Pallez prepared to restore Integra’s stolen time, but Integra put on a crystal monocle and told him he had fallen for it.
• The author explained why the dialogue used certain translated expressions and gave “The moon is beautiful tonight” as an example.

Integra captured an Ammon avatar and freed the passengers, while Klein, Leonard, and their companions tried to understand what had happened. Soest halted the pursuit of the sinking Scylla to check whether anyone aboard had been parasitized.

• Integra pulled an Ammon avatar from her chest and hid it in her shadow, while Pallez reversed the damage to her body and left.
• Integra opened the jewelry box and restored the passengers, then warned Puthis to keep Ammon's presence secret and care for the Box of the Ancient Ones.
• Integra vanished after asking Leonard to keep her identity secret, and the Old Man told Leonard that she was a man he knew.
• Klein realized that the Dice of Probability was still playing dead, while Darkwill asked about the rescued passengers and Vice Admiral Deep Sea.
• Soest refused to pursue the sinking Scylla until his crew checked for parasites, noting that a True Creator believer had sealed the Parasitism ability.

Klein, still posing as Gehrman Sparrow after the ship’s terrifying encounter, was confronted by Integra, while Soest’s team completed a parasite inspection on Oravi Island. Leonard was then pulled into the Gray Fog just as he was about to ask Pallez about the Fool.

• Klein tried to settle his nerves after returning to the cabin with Darkwill and watched the Dice of Probability pretend to be dead.
• Integra appeared beside Klein, teased him, and asked him to team up with her before disappearing.
• Darkwill relaxed after Integra left, and Klein warned him to keep his mouth under control in case she was still nearby.
• Soest’s team completed a Prayer Ritual at a Church of the Night on Oravi Island, confirming that none of them had been parasitized.
• Soest said the civilians from the ship had been transferred safely to Bayram and planned for the team to rest before returning to Backlund.
• Leonard realized Pallez had avoided the Goddess’s investigation because his presence was no secret, then crimson light pulled him into the Gray Fog.

Leonard was summoned before Mr. Fool, learned that Klein belonged to the regular gathering, and accepted an invitation to join it. He returned to the Church of Evernight with a Star card as Klein watched over Pallez and wondered about Leonard’s unusual feelings toward him.

• Leonard appeared in Mr. Fool’s palace and cautiously asked why he had been summoned.
• Mr. Fool explained that Leonard would eventually provide help in exchange for the aid he had requested.
• Leonard asked whether Klein had come to the palace and learned that Klein was a member of the regular gathering.
• Mr. Fool allowed Leonard to join the gathering and told him to inform Pallez Zoroast rather than conceal it.
• Leonard drew a Star card and returned to the Church of Evernight while Klein monitored Pallez through the Crimson Star.

Leonard joined the Tarot Club as Mr. Star and tried to understand the members while recognizing Klein as Mr. World. Klein reviewed Roselle’s diary entries about his daughter and the Gray Fog before turning to Perrdax’s revelation about Assassin Cat.

• Audrey noticed the new member, and Leonard hurriedly greeted the Tarot Club as Mr. Star.
• Leonard studied the members and suspected that Klein’s cold demeanor was a disguise, while imagining that the True Creator, the Goddess, and Mr. Fool were involved in a larger plan.
• Klein read diary entries about Roselle exploring the Abyss, Bernadette’s second birthday, and Roselle encountering the Gray Fog.
• Klein reflected on Roselle and Perrdax finding a sense of belonging in the world, then focused on Perrdax’s claim that Assassin Cat could become human after advancing to Demoness.

Klein read Perrdax's account of turning a cat into Chocola, a Witch, and considered raising an Assassin Cat himself before deciding the cost was too high. At the Tarot Club meeting, Alger requested the Ocean Songster Potion Formula, and Audrey offered to look for it while Mr. Devil offered demigod-level Sealed Artifacts in exchange for more than a Sequence V formula.

• Klein read Perrdax's Diary describing Chocola's transformation into a Witch and Perrdax's plans to cultivate more cat Beyonders.
• Klein recalled the animal riot in Backlund and considered raising an Assassin Cat, but abandoned the idea because of the expense.
• Klein began the Tarot Club meeting after the Sun held back his news about Elder Lovia's release.
• Alger asked for the Ocean Songster Potion Formula, and Audrey said she would look for it.
• Audrey named a demigod-level Mysterious Item with bearable negative effects as the price, and Mr. Devil offered demigod-level Sealed Artifacts or help making one for labor costs.

At the Tarot Club, Sno offered Cattleya a custom Demigod-level defensive item for two hundred thousand pounds, but she could not afford it. The Little Sun then reported that Elder Lovia had been released, prompting the members to speculate about the Chief’s return and the True Creator.

• Sno quoted Cattleya two hundred thousand pounds for a defensive item made with a Devil characteristic, but she declined because she could not afford it.
• Sno offered to make a cheaper item using a Desire Apostle characteristic for thirty thousand pounds, and Cattleya said she would consider it.
• Cattleya offered to pay Alger five thousand pounds if she found the formula he wanted, and no one else made a request during the trading segment.
• Derrick told the Tarot Club that Elder Lovia had been released and that he had met her in the library.
• Alger asked whether the Chief had returned to the City of Silver, and Derrick confirmed it.
• Fors speculated that the Chief had released Lovia after returning from an expedition seeking a path outside the City of Silver.

The Tarot Club discussed the danger True Creator posed to the City of Silver, then Cattleya asked about Ammon and learned that Adam was the Creator’s other son. The gathering ended with Cattleya asking what the Kings of Angels were.

• The Little Sun worried that True Creator might destroy the City of Silver, and Devil explained that the city was unlikely to be destroyed soon but urged him to learn the Chief’s plans.
• Cattleya asked whether Ammon was the Creator’s son, and she explained that Adam was the other infant born when the original Creator divided Himself.
• Devil said Adam had influenced both the Fourth and Fifth Epochs and warned the club not to speak or record His name because He would notice it.
• The Little Sun asked whether Adam was one of the Kings of Angels, and Devil confirmed that He was while calling His name the safest among forbidden names.
• Cattleya asked Justice to explain what the Kings of Angels were.

At the Tarot Club, Audrey explained what the Kings of Angels were, and Leonard shared news of an encounter with one of Ammon’s avatars at sea. Emlyn learned that the Sanguine had escaped without being parasitized, while Klein wondered whether Leonard had recognized his connection to Gehrman Sparrow.

• Audrey listed the known and suspected Kings of Angels, and Derrick added that speaking certain names was dangerous.
• Cattleya asked about the Blasphemer pathway, and Leonard identified it as the Thief pathway before mentioning his recent encounter with Ammon’s avatar.
• Emlyn revealed that the Sanguine had sought the Ghost Empire’s treasure, and Leonard reported that they had seized Vice Admiral Deep Sea’s Scylla and escaped without Ammon parasitizing them.
• Leonard asked why the Sanguine had begun searching for the Ghost Empire, and Emlyn started explaining the information he had received from Mr. Devil.
• Klein suspected Leonard might have recognized him through the aura shared by Klein and Gehrman Sparrow.

Leonard told Pallez about the King of Angels and investigated suspicious shipwrecks with Soest, while Gehrman continued volunteering in an Oravi hospital. Integra guided the Black Pearl across the sea, apparently using it to lure something in.

• Leonard asked Pallez about Ammon's brother and the True Creator's sanctuary, and Pallez evaded his questions by calling the matter a secret.
• Leonard told Soest and their teammates that the Black Pearl had become a Ghost Ship with Sanguine and Arbiter characteristics, and Soest agreed they needed to investigate further in Pritz Harbor.
• Gehrman continued helping injured people in an Oravi hospital and answered a patient's teasing question about women visiting him.
• Integra played Binks's Beautiful Wine aboard the Black Pearl while Helene explained its connection to Emperor Roselle and Lily ate the ship's catch.
• Integra said the bait had already been laid and continued guiding the Black Pearl as she waited for a fish to take it.

Earnest Boyar revealed that the Sanguine and MI9 had joined forces to find the Ghost Empire, drawing the Churches into their plan. The factions faced the choice of cooperating for a share of the rewards or becoming Blood Servants.

• Earnest Boyar told the Storm Church, Steam Church, and MI9 representatives that the Sanguine had the upper hand and asked them to question MI9 about their goals.
• The Mandated Punisher deacon connected the search to Jack Trensost's disappearance and the missing squad and Sealed Artifacts, identifying the Ghost Empire as their target.
• MI9's leader explained that the Ghost Empire required skilled Seafarers, Artisans, and law enforcers to explore and operate aboard it.
• Earnest revealed that his Sealed Artifact Oath carried Lord Nabeus's Contract creature and offered to split the gains, threatening to make dissenters Blood Servants.
• The Storm Church Spectator deacon concluded that MI9 and the Sanguine had already reached an agreement.

The factions aboard the Scylla maintained a wary truce while the Machinery Hivemind used a compass to track Ghost Ships. The compass locked onto multiple targets, and David was asked to navigate toward one, but he pointed out that they needed to return to the surface first.

• The Storm Church and Machinery Church teams continued cooperating while MI9 and the Sanguine remained wary of each other.
• A Machinery Hivemind member explained why the Scylla could not use the Sanguine’s method for tracking Ghost Ships, then argued with the others over it.
• Earnest asked the Machinery Hivemind deacon why the directional compass was shaking, and the deacon said it had detected more than one target.
• Earnest assured the deacon that his oath could sense Sanguine servants, so the deacon adjusted the compass to filter out distant interference.
• The irritable Spectator summoned David to navigate toward the compass’s target, but David said they would need to return to the surface first.

After nearly a month of sailing in circles, the Scylla finally found the Angel-class Ghost Ship they had been pursuing. As the crew drew near, Jones’s receiver picked up Roselle’s “Sunia Pirate.”

• The factions aboard the Scylla grew restless during the slow voyage, but kept watch on one another rather than risk stopping or speeding up.
• Jones teased David about the ship’s route while playing a Robot fighting game, and the Machinery Hivemind deacon questioned whether their compass was working.
• The compass began shaking, and David alerted the crew that the target was close; the Blood Servants reflexively prepared to board before returning to their posts.
• Earnest and Mr. Spectator exchanged wary remarks about the Blood Servants and the Angel-class Ghost Ship as David and Marshall increased the Scylla’s speed.
• The crew spotted a bone-white mast and black skull flag, and Jones’s receiver began playing Roselle’s “Sunia Pirate.”

Integra revealed herself aboard the Scylla’s pursuing fleet after the living Black Pearl drew everyone’s attention. She identified herself as an adventurer seeking treasure, leaving the factions wary as the chase continued.

• Helene spotted the Scylla entering firing range, and Integra played the piano to accelerate the living Black Pearl while leading the pursuers around.
• A Machinery Hivemind lookout reported that the ship moved like a living creature, and Earnest linked it to the Life-Giver and the Ghost Empire.
• The Black Pearl changed its song, prompting Earnest to order the fleet to prepare for battle.
• Russ recognized Integra aboard the Scylla, and Bruce suffered pain when he tried to read her mind.
• Integra introduced herself as Integra Belmont and said she was an adventurer who wanted any treasure she could find.

The Beyonders grew wary after learning Integra and her maids had secretly lived aboard their ship for a month, while the Black Pearl began to sail away. Integra played Rochard’s music on a piano, causing the Black Pearl to slow down and harmonize with her, and she declared that she would claim the ship.

• The Beyonders considered whether Integra had leaked information about the Ghost Empire or Black Pearl, but MI9 came under surveillance as the factions avoided sending reports.
• David spotted the Black Pearl accelerating away, and the leaders refused to pursue it for fear of another Maryvis incident.
• Fran and the others discussed the Black Pearl’s strange fondness for Roselle’s music, and Cons suggested playing piano to attract it.
• Integra appeared with a piano and played Rochard’s Fourth Impromptu, prompting the Black Pearl to slow down.
• Integra declared the Black Pearl belonged to her, then changed melodies, and the distant ship began harmonizing with her.

Integra used her piano playing and demigod pressure to bring the Black Pearl alongside the Scylla, then led the other factions aboard the flesh-and-bone ship. She played the piano at its bow while the others began searching the cabins for the ship’s core.

• Integra and the Black Pearl’s piano matched each other’s improvised key changes as the ships drew closer.
• Integra warned the MI9 personnel not to interrupt the music, and her released pressure left them stunned and suffocating.
• The Black Pearl formed a bone-white bridge to the Scylla, and Integra boarded with her maids as Earnest left half the Blood Servants behind.
• The factions followed the sound of music to a grotesque piano at the Black Pearl’s bow, where Integra began playing alongside it.
• Bruce urged Fran to search for the ship’s core, and Fran led two archaeologists toward the cabins as Novat and Earnest sent searchers after them.

Integra guided the Black Pearl toward the Ghost Empire while the Sanguine and MI9 agents worried about the ship’s dangerous mental influence. As the scouts prepared to set out, Helene reported progress digesting her potion, and Integra explained how her castle could contain many Beyonder characteristics.

• Integra told Russ that the Black Pearl was taking them toward the mother ship, then played the flesh-and-blood piano to control it.
• Russ returned to the Scylla, where Bruce calmed him after the music’s influence disturbed him.
• Novat revealed that two missing Sealed Artifacts had added Mind Dragon and Bard Pathway characteristics to the Ghost Ship, alarming Flan and Bruce.
• Helene told Integra that setting fires in her heart had helped digest her Pyromaniac potion, while Lily reported a little feedback.
• Integra concluded that the scouts were close to losing control and told her companions to get ready to set off.
• Integra explained that her castle stored characteristics in separate modular areas and could be brought under the True Creator’s control.

Integra led the Black Pearl and the Scylla into the North Sea toward the Ghost Empire, while the surrounding creatures began behaving according to a strange order. After the ships passed through an unseen boundary, Integra experienced an illusion of returning to Backlund.

• Integra confirmed the explorers were ready and set sail toward the Ghost Empire with the Scylla following the Black Pearl.
• David and the others noticed local creatures acting unnaturally, and Earnest suffered a backlash when he tried to control an ordinary Giant Bear of the North Sea.
• David placed the ships in the middle region of the North Sea and suggested they might be nearing the dangerous sea region at the end of the Sunia Sea.
• Integra learned from the Black Pearl that its bloodline attraction was nearby, then listened to Heavenly Punishment as the ship crossed a boundary in the ice-filled sea.
• Integra's vision blurred, and an illusion of returning to Backlund spread through her mind.