Chapter Summaries

Adwina and the others escaped the book and returned to her ship, where Sno used Ammon’s power to restore the group after they rapidly aged. As the survivors chose their next destinations, Sno realized their return had completed the Infinite Fruit ritual and asked Adwina to lend him the potion room.

• Adwina brought Danitz out of the avalanche-sealed cave, and the group returned to reality when Grossel opened the book’s door.
• Sno halted time’s passage and used the years drawn from Ammon’s mausoleum to restore everyone from the brink of death.
• Sno explained that Longzeel had genuinely digested his potion despite the false potion and could regain his power by drinking it again.
• Sia decided to find her people, Longzeel planned to search for his family in Backlund, and Grossel chose to wander after visiting the Giant King’s Court.
• Sno realized the giants and elves’ return had completed the Infinite Fruit ritual and asked Adwina to lend him the potion room.

Sno advanced to Demigod by consuming the potion, surviving the collapse and recombination of his body and soul with help from the True Creator’s gaze and the anchors of disrupted fates. After glimpsing an image connected to White Horse is Not a Horse, he continued with his plans and reasoned that Grossel and Sia were likely only around three thousand years old.

• Sno prepared the potion using the Demoness of Affliction characteristic and the page, then waited for Azao to suppress Ammon before drinking it.
• The potion shattered Sno’s body, soul, and sense of self, but the True Creator’s gaze disrupted the fusion and revealed the ritual’s purpose to his consciousness.
• Sno used ripples in fate and the anchors formed by people whose fates had been disrupted to piece himself back together and complete his advancement.
• Sno briefly saw an image through his new connection to White Horse is Not a Horse, but its details rapidly faded from memory.
• Sno dismissed his fears about what might lie behind White Horse is Not a Horse and decided to stick to his plan while relying on the Fool and God Almighty.
• Sno reasoned that Moon City’s history supported Grossel and Sia being about three thousand years old, rather than 3,722 years old.

After becoming a Lorenz Butterfly, Sno examined his new physical and spiritual abilities and learned three spells, including Fleeting Moment, which let him prepare causes in advance and produce their results later. He tested the ability’s limits and began exploring how to use it in combat.

• Sno discovered that his demigod body could withstand and recover from many injuries, while his fused monkeys let him redistribute soul resources and safely enter a partial Mythical Creature form.
• Sno learned that Chaos Aura disrupted nearby spiritual structures and that Chain Reaction could amplify or disperse spell-like abilities through prism structures.
• Sno understood Fleeting Moment as an ability that prepared causes in advance to produce later results, and found that its effects could take time to complete.
• Sno tested Fleeting Moment by firing his pistols dozens of times without bullets, preparing shots whose results could strike an opponent later, but learned it could not use talisman bullets.

Sno used his Paradox ability to disguise Grossel as a Feysacian man and offered him a letter of introduction, while the rescued travelers planned to learn about the modern era. Sno then left for Backlund through a Traveler’s Door, and Klein stayed aboard to speak with Grossel and pursue the book and key.

• Sno explained that he could disguise the rescued travelers, then used “Calling Deer a Horse” to make Grossel appear smaller and pass as a Feysacian.
• Sno described the ability as a conceptual illusion, offered Grossel charms and a letter to Lavish, and advised Mobet to seek information about present-day Ammon.
• Mobet said the group planned to adventure with Adwina while learning about the current era, and Sno urged them to study modern languages.
• Sno invited Klein to travel to Backlund with him, but Klein stayed aboard to ask Grossel about the Giant King’s Court and buy Groselle’s Travels and the enormous key.
• Sno used a Traveler’s Door from his spellbook to return to Backlund, and the chapter explained the limits of the Fleeting Moment ability he had copied from Puthis.

Sno returned from Backlund and prepared to help Audrey with a ritual before traveling to Bayram. Klein left the Golden Dream with a clue to the Giant King's Court, then asked Arrodes where he could find the Trick Master potion recipe and who had been aboard Connors Victor’s ship.

• Sno apologized to Audrey for returning late, explained the strain of adjusting to his advancement, and agreed to begin her ritual.
• Klein paid five thousand pounds for an enormous key and left the Golden Dream with Anderson, Groselle's Travels, and the key.
• Anderson departed for Bayram, while Klein walked toward the city and later contacted Arrodes before The Tarot Club.
• Arrodes revealed that Charon, who had lost control during his Sequence One advancement, had once provided the Secret Master Association’s High Sequence potions and might hold the Trick Master recipe.
• Arrodes showed Klein that the Antigonus Family notebook in St. Samuel's Cathedral could contain the formula, and Klein asked who the demigod aboard Connors Victor's ship had been.

At the Tarot Club meeting, Klein studied Roselle’s diaries and learned more about the Crimson Moon, pathway changes, and Roselle’s decision to become Sequence Zero. He was left stunned by the first line of Perrdax’s diary, which addressed Roselle directly.

• Audrey greeted the Tarot Club members and reflected on the progress she had made as a Psychiatrist after helping Mr. Devil.
• Madam Hermit submitted three pages of Roselle’s Diary and agreed to save her payment for future assistance.
• Klein read Roselle’s entries about the Crimson Moon, the Stone Hammer proof of a pathway change, and the Hidden Sage’s Uniqueness Activation.
• Klein read Roselle’s frantic, undated entry about becoming Sequence Zero and wondered what Roselle had discovered about other transmigrators.
• Klein turned to Perrdax’s Diary and saw its opening line: “Roselle, you bastard, I acknowledge this favor!”

Klein discovered in Perrdax’s diary that Roselle’s death was tied to the Black Emperor’s resurrection, and inferred that someone in Loen was preparing to become a new Black Emperor. At the Tarot Club, he answered Cattleya’s question about Roselle’s madness with what he knew, leaving the members shocked by the possibility that Roselle had already been a mad Sequence Zero when he was assassinated.

• Klein read Perrdax’s diary entry about repaying Roselle by protecting his resurrection and preventing a new Black Emperor from appearing.
• Klein connected the diary to Mr. Devil’s actions and concluded that George III was being helped to advance to the Black Emperor.
• Klein asked Cattleya whether she had decided on her request, and she asked why Roselle had gone mad in his later years.
• Klein told Cattleya that Roselle had suffered unknown stimulation and influence and seemed to have shown signs of madness before becoming Sequence Zero of a non-adjacent Pathway.
• The Tarot Club members realized Roselle may already have been a mad Sequence Zero when he was assassinated.

Klein oversaw the Tarot Club’s trading session, where Alger offered an uncharted island’s coordinates for two potion-related items and members arranged several other trades. After Derrick described the City of Silver’s hardships, Mr. World shared news about a dead pirate crew linked to human trafficking and the Backlund smog, then the chapter shifted to an explanation of why five rescued Beyonders had not promised their loyalty.

• Klein gave The Little Sun the Notary Potion formula and offered Alger the Ocean Singer Potion formula, while Mr. Devil provided a purified main ingredient for it.
• Alger offered the coordinates of a primitive island with ancient ruins and demigod-level Beyonder creatures in exchange for the formula and ingredient, asking to join the first expedition after advancing.
• Cattleya arranged trades with Fors and Audrey, then asked Mr. World about Mythical Creature blood; he said he had leads but would need at least three months.
• Derrick recounted the exploration of Afternoon Town and the hardships of the City of Silver.
• Mr. World reported that Connors Victor’s ship and crew had been destroyed, connecting the captain to the Colony Disappearances, human trafficking, and the Backlund Great Smog.
• The narration explained that the five rescued Beyonders had not offered promises because they needed to understand their situation and would not casually betray their beliefs or loyalties.

After dinner with Sno, Bernadette pursued Helmosuin to question him about the Pure Lights and Mr. Fool. Helmosuin died outside Sno’s home, and Sno erased his own traces before blaming Klein for the trouble.

• Klein planned to visit Raymond’s daughter in Conant City and then travel to East Chester County to investigate Senior Perrdax’s treasure.
• Bernadette told Sno that Odell had once been an informant for Dawn of Wisdom, then concealed her intention to seek Helmosuin for information about Mr. Fool and paradoxes.
• A divine announcement revealed Helmosuin’s location at 32 Black Pepper Avenue, so Sno went to bed expecting an uninterrupted night’s sleep.
• Bernadette woke Sno and directed him to the doorway, where he found Helmosuin dead on his steps.
• Sno used Calling Deer a Horse to erase his traces from the house and blamed Klein for the corpse appearing at his doorstep.

After MI9 and the churches found Helmosuin dead in Bayram, Arrodes identified his death as natural and punished Ikanser for answering its question incorrectly. When Ikanser used the mirror to investigate the house’s previous resident, the man in Arrodes’s vision noticed the mirror and asked whether it had been watching him.

• MI9 and the Machinery and Storm Churches investigated Helmosuin’s death at No. 33 Orchid Avenue, but they found no traces of the killer.
• Ikanser asked Arrodes who had killed Helmosuin, and the mirror showed the scientist dying naturally outside the house.
• Arrodes asked which existence the Seven Pure Lights of the Spirit Realm hated most, and it struck Ikanser with lightning after he answered incorrectly.
• Robert Davis ordered Ikanser to ask about the house’s previous resident, and Arrodes showed a man in Intis-style clothing.
• The man in the vision turned toward Arrodes and asked, “Is it you who has been watching me, Arrodes?!”

After Arrodes’s attempt to spy on a mysterious figure provoked a supernatural backlash, it punished Ikanser with a question and lightning. Meanwhile, Klein fled Bayram but was ambushed in the woods, where an unseen attacker disrupted his escape before he could summon Miss Messenger.

• A White Mist and maddening whispers struck back through Arrodes’s mirror, leaving the gathered officials incapacitated and Ikanser and Robert struggling to stand.
• Arrodes asked Ikanser to name the Angel from his erotic dream; when Ikanser tried to accept punishment instead, a red-tinged lightning bolt struck him down.
• Klein sacrificed his belongings to Above the Gray Fog, paid his inn bill, and left Bayram for the mountains to escape a dangerous pursuer.
• In the woods, leaves, branches, and debris attacked Klein, but he escaped their first assault by turning into a paper figurine.
• Klein burned through his clothes and paper figurines to free himself and reach his Adventurer’s Harmonica, but a voice declared that concealing oneself was forbidden.

Klein witnessed Sno battle Rose School demigod Shanks in the forest, then fled when their Mythical Creature forms unleashed devastating corruption. Mr. Azk took Klein into the spirit world as Bernadette Gustav appeared to block a colossal cursed hand.

• Sno expelled the Wraith possessing him and claimed Shanks as his target, while Klein spotted another enemy approaching.
• Shanks swallowed a small gray-mist-emitting figure and transformed as Sno became a sprawling Black Mist filled with eyes and mouths.
• Sno and Shanks fought in their Mythical Creature forms, corrupting the forest and unleashing attacks that also affected Klein and Señor.
• A giant cursed arm appeared from the darkened sky, and Klein blew the copper whistle and summoned his Messenger.
• Mr. Azk carried Klein into the spirit world, while Bernadette Gustav stood in the sky to confront the giant hand.

Sno escaped the battle with Bernadette, obtained a Secrets Sorcerer characteristic, and learned that a Knowledge Emperor characteristic was sealed by the Eternal Blazing Sun Church. After purifying the Silent Disciple characteristic, he arranged to meet Mr. World at an ancient tower, while Klein prepared to travel to Desi County first.

• Bernadette carried Sno away from the nameless hill, gave him a Secrets Sorcerer characteristic, and told him that the Knowledge Emperor characteristic was sealed as Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun Sealed Artifact 0-59.
• Bernadette left for Bayram, and Sno used Heavenly Punishment to purify the Silent Disciple characteristic, recovering several Alien Species Pathway characteristics.
• K asked Mr. Fool to tell Mr. Devil that he would reach East Chester County within a week and needed the treasure’s exact location.
• Sno prayed to Mr. Fool and asked Mr. World to meet him at the Ancient Tower near the source of the Khoy River on York Mountain.
• Klein received Sno’s message and decided to travel to Desi County before heading to East Chester County.

Klein traveled to an Ancient Tower in East Chester County and used the Sun Avatar to enter it, where he discovered illusory books that could be read through Spirit Body Threads. He learned that Rose Redemption preceded the Aurora Society and began examining a different supernatural system before Mr. Sno spoke to him.

• Klein reached the half-collapsed Ancient Tower after a grueling journey from Stoen Train Station.
• Klein used the Sun Avatar to pass through an illusory door after divining that it was safe.
• Klein found a study of illusory books and used Spirit Body Threads to pull out and read them.
• Klein discovered that Rose Redemption was the predecessor of the Aurora Society and that most renowned Gods and hidden existences had once belonged to it.
• Klein read about the Granting Registers system, but concluded that it relied on Gods and required more spirituality than he had.
• Mr. Sno spoke to Klein from the desk, asking whether Miss Justice had persuaded him to explore the sewers.

Klein traveled with Sno to Black Swan Castle, where he learned that the Storm Church was searching for Gehrman Sparrow and heard about a sealed ancestral treasure beneath the castle. The chapter left Klein at dinner, curious about the treasure and the unknown Rochard Language passage.

• Sno showed Klein how his ancestor's drawer transport window worked and brought him to Black Swan Castle.
• Klein was welcomed by the castle's spirit servants, changed into home clothes, and joined Sno for dinner.
• Sno warned Klein not to use his Gehrman identity because the Storm Church suspected him of disappearing after the battle in Bayram.
• Sno told Klein that an ancestral treasure lay beneath the castle, behind a door that required at least Sequence V of the Seer Pathway to open.

Klein visited the Perrdax family treasure trove with Sno and read a message from Roselle addressed to a future Seer. He opened the bronze gate and began a demanding trial involving Spirit Body Threads.

• Klein and Sno headed to the treasure trove, and Sno explained that seven Perrdax family members had advanced to Marionettist but none had passed the trial.
• Klein read Roselle’s message, which said a fellow countryman on the Seer Pathway could enter the gate if it was still before the year 1368.
• Klein and Sno connected the message’s date to the prophesied Apocalypse, and Sno gave Klein emergency rations before wishing him luck.
• Klein pressed his palm into the gate’s indentation, felt it draw on his spirituality, and saw illusory puzzle pieces appear.
• Klein realized he had to assemble thousands of pieces using Spirit Body Threads, a task that required Marionettist-level precision.

Klein entered a trial centered on hunting a Vampire in an ancient castle and learned that he could escape, but doing so would count as failure. He sent Senor to scout the castle while considering how to approach the hunt.

• Klein used his Seer's Spiritual Intuition to complete a thousand-piece puzzle, whose magic circle transported him to a dim cellar.
• Klein inspected the ancient Dice Roll Record and learned that he was a Vampire Hunter disguised as a private Detective, tasked with investigating an ancient castle.
• Klein read that a mysterious existence watched the castle, preventing him from using Ritual Magic there, and received a charm that could let him escape at the cost of failing the trial.
• Klein summoned Senor from the Iron Cigarette Case and ordered him to scout outside the cellar.
• Klein reflected on the scarcity of Demigods and the obstacles that kept unaffiliated Beyonders from reaching that level.

Klein cautiously explored the castle’s underground trial, only to discover that Sno was monitoring him and sending monsters into his path. After defeating a group of slimes with Senior’s ice-based powers, Klein found a treasure chest and argued with the Dice Roll Record over its mocking commentary.

• Klein used Senior to scout through a narrow doorway, then cautiously entered the corridor after finding no immediate danger.
• Sno watched Klein’s progress in the Book of the Keeper and decided to send him some minions, with Lily commenting that he looked unlikely to clear the trial.
• Klein encountered fourteen slimes and found that Senior’s physical attacks split them apart without killing them.
• Klein discovered the slimes had no Spirit Body Threads and ordered Senior to use his icy form, which froze and shattered them.
• A wooden treasure chest appeared after the slimes vanished, and Klein defended his cautious approach against the Dice Roll Record’s teasing.

Klein explored a Vampire castle trial and lost his powerful marionette Senior to Skeleton King Leoric, who could capture marionettes. Klein chose to leave Senior behind and continue toward the castle’s master.

• Klein used a coin to choose the corridor instead of the spiral staircase and sent Senior ahead as his marionette.
• Sno activated a workshop to prepare a special challenge for Klein, whose cautious reliance on marionettes frustrated him.
• Senior entered a graveyard beneath the castle as crimson moonlight appeared and Skeleton King Leoric seized him.
• The trial record offered Klein the choice of rescuing Senior or continuing toward the castle’s master.
• Klein decided not to challenge Leoric and realized that a marionette-sealing boss explained why the previous seven challengers had failed.

Klein explored the trial, acquired a Spear of the Dead, and defeated a revived swordsman by using his Magician abilities rather than fighting a duel. He opened the swordsman’s golden treasure chest and found a grotesque Treasure Chest Monster inside.

• Klein opened a bronze treasure chest and obtained the Spear of the Dead, a wand that could unleash a deadly bone spear.
• Klein climbed a broad staircase and spotted a blade strike through his premonition, then evaded it and fired at his attacker.
• Klein wounded the blue-robed swordsman with gunfire and Air Bullets, but the swordsman’s slashes struck a paper figurine while Klein reappeared behind him and shot him dead.
• Klein approached the golden treasure chest left by the swordsman and opened it, revealing a mass of vicious tentacles.