Chapter Summaries

Hairore survived Sno’s attack in the sewer and came to his home the next morning seeking the truth about what happened. Meanwhile, political tensions rose across several nations, and Hairore’s questions left Sno recognizing her potential as a Cipher Scholar.

• Sno rescued Hairore from Teacher Listener’s swarm by using a Spirit of Words to move her out of its path, then warned her against advancing further as a Marauder.
• Klein read news of Intis urging Feynapotter to adopt a republic and of foreign powers backing rival claims to its throne, and suspected the world was nearing a major war.
• Klein’s butler Pamell told him that an unknown person had rung his doorbell the previous night.
• Helene complained that Sno had not hired a butler, and Sno offered her an annual salary of up to 100 pounds while joking about her debt.
• Hairore visited Sno and asked about the previous night, and Sno recognized her talent for remembering people’s builds and suggested she could become a Cipher Scholar.

Hairore insisted that she wanted to control her own fate, so Sno agreed to teach her about the Beyonder world in exchange for payment. Beneath St. Samuel's Cathedral, Leonard became a Soul Assurer and learned that Dunn and Daly would marry next month, then planned to disguise Klein as his female companion at the wedding.

• Sno challenged Hairore's assumptions about her family, her faith, and the dangers of the Beyonder world.
• Hairore said she wanted to control her own fate, and Sno approved her answer before agreeing to explain Beyonder ranks for a fee.
• Hairore paid Sno 427 pounds and 3 soli to learn what her teacher intended to do.
• Leonard left the silent room beneath St. Samuel's Cathedral as a newly advanced Soul Assurer and greeted Daly Simone.
• Daly told Leonard that she and Dunn would marry on the twelfth of next month at Saint Selena Cathedral, and Leonard decided to invite Klein in disguise.

Leonard told Klein that Captain Dunn and Miss Daly would marry next month, and the two met privately to discuss attending. Klein learned that Leonard planned to bring him as his female companion, leaving him stunned by the suggestion.

• Leonard prayed to the Fool to tell Klein about Captain Dunn and Miss Daly's wedding and asked to discuss attending in person.
• Klein arranged a meeting at a safe house through Sno, who warned Hairore that her teacher intended to parasitize and replace her.
• Leonard met Klein at the East Borough safe house, and they exchanged greetings after more than half a year without a private conversation.
• Leonard proposed that Klein disguise himself as his female companion so he could attend the wedding at Saint Selena Cathedral.
• Klein suggested that Leonard dress as a woman instead, but Leonard pointed out that Klein was a Faceless and had disguised himself as a woman before.

At a Tarot Club meeting, Klein read Roselle’s Diary pages and uncovered more about Perrdax’s experiments and his dangerous God Paradox plan. The revelations led Klein to suspect that Perrdax had arranged the ritual that brought Mr. Devil into contact with the Gray Fog, though he remained uncertain about the details.

• Madam Hermit and Mr. Devil each offered Roselle’s Diary pages to Mr. Fool, who accepted them in exchange for their requests.
• Klein read about Roselle’s madness after reaching Sequence Two, his use of anchors, and his discussion with Mr. Door.
• Klein learned that Perrdax had successfully empowered Zi Wei, Plum Blossom, and Four Pillars, and had discovered items beyond the twenty-two pathways.
• Klein read that Perrdax had devised the God Paradox plan to secure divine protection for his family against the Apocalypse.
• Klein connected Perrdax’s plan to Mr. Devil’s god reconstruction efforts and wondered whether Perrdax had arranged the dagger ritual that led Mr. Devil to contact the Gray Fog.
• Klein remembered Perrdax’s pocket watch and considered learning Zi Wei Dou Shu.

Klein realized the Purple Star might connect to a powerful being on Earth, then watched the Tarot Club discuss Paradox and trade items. The meeting ended with Emlyn presenting the Moon Marionette for identification.

• Klein wondered whether the Purple Star connected to a great existence on Earth and asked the Tarot Club members for their requests.
• Madam Hermit asked whether Roselle had joined a secret organization and whether a great existence named Paradox existed; Klein declined to answer the second question.
• Sno worried that Bernadette’s question had introduced Paradox to Klein earlier than planned.
• Derrick announced that he had become a Notary, and the Hanged Man explained the Sequence’s strengths and limitations.
• Derrick offered the Blade of Strength and Monster materials for an upgraded weapon from Sno, who agreed to make one.
• Emlyn presented the Moon Marionette and asked the Tarot Club members what it was.

Leonard asked Pallez about a Great Existence called Paradox, but Pallez knew nothing definite. Sno then brought them a demigod from the Jacob family and offered news in exchange for help with Jacob’s treasure, leaving Pallez to wait until he had digested the demigod before opening it.

• Leonard asked Pallez whether he knew of Paradox, and Pallez said no known Great Existence had used that name since the Fourth Epoch.
• Sno arrived at Leonard’s house with an amber containing a demigod from the Jacob family, whom he said had been searching for Jacob’s ancestor’s treasure and a Destiny Trojan Horse characteristic.
• Pallez agreed to Sno’s offer of two pieces of news in exchange for the demigod, despite Leonard’s surprise.
• Sno revealed that Ammon had eaten Jacob’s ancestor and left the treasure as bait, but said its contents were real and offered Leonard everything except the Destiny Trojan Horse characteristic.
• Sno said Mobet Zoroaster was in his hands, and explained that Mobet had been trapped in an ancient artifact before recently being released.
• Pallez agreed to help Sno open the treasure after digesting the demigod, but declined to write to Mobet because it would make Mobet suspect Sno was Ammon.

Klein divined that Friday’s operation against Mr. X carried acceptable danger, then heard Mr. Devil’s prayer while winding Ziwei Above the Gray Fog. Derrick received the Rebellious Greatsword, assessed its powers and risks, and went to sleep eager to test it in the morning.

• Klein used Ziwei to divine the danger of assassinating Mr. X and received the result “Moderately auspicious.”
• Klein began winding Ziwei Above the Gray Fog and heard a prayer from Mr. Devil.
• Derrick received the Rebellious Greatsword through the Gate of Light and read Mr. Sno’s translated manual about its abilities and side effects.
• Derrick judged that he could manage the sword’s risks and tested its physical enhancement by lifting it.
• Derrick suppressed his urge to try Devil Transformation at night, hugged the greatsword, and went to sleep.

Sno returned to the Ghost Empire after adventurers flooded the Northern Sea in pursuit of its treasures. The rules she had secretly planted were triggered earlier than expected, so she went to investigate whether the Lord of Order characteristic had reacted.

• Rumors that the Ghost Empire and its treasure were real drew adventurers and pirates from Bayram toward the Northern Sea.
• Sno appeared aboard the Black Pearl with two lucky pirates, and the vows and laws binding her vanished when she landed.
• Sno saw that Netip Town had rapidly grown as adventurers arrived and obeyed the rules posted at its entrance.
• Sno transformed back into Integra and headed toward the western woods to inspect the Ghost Empire after her planted rules were triggered ahead of schedule.

Adventurers and merchants built an operation around exploring the Ghost Empire, while Novat’s group used their purchases to map its interior. Intruder Belmont’s arrival and a fatal confrontation were stopped by Prince of Sounia Grove Augustus, who imposed a ban on violence.

• Adventurers gathered at the Ghost Empire’s western entrance, and merchants began buying their loot and supplying their expeditions.
• Novat and Cons discussed MI9’s map of the ship and planned to wait for Prince of Sounia before raiding its important compartments.
• Intruder Belmont entered MI9’s tent, examined their map, and answered Novat’s question about the Sanguine.
• Intruder shot and killed a man after claiming her spiritual intuition warned that he would attack her, provoking the other MI9 members.
• Grove Augustus appeared and declared that violence was forbidden, restraining everyone in the tent.

Integra approached Grov and proposed joining MI9’s exploration of the Ghost Empire, offering cooperation instead of a conflict. Grov accepted and agreed to a contract, while Loen’s leaders saw the Lord of Order as a chance to create another god.

• Integra restrained Lily under the Chaos Hunter’s decree and told Grov she had come to retrieve something important.
• Grov questioned Integra, verified that she was telling the truth, and kept his guard up despite easing tensions.
• Integra proposed joint exploration with the Sanguine, but Grov rejected that broader cooperation because of distrust between the factions.
• Integra asked to join MI9’s team, and Grov accepted because she was traveling alone and posed a manageable risk.
• Integra and Grov agreed to sign a contract before exploring for the Lord of Order and the Life-Giver.
• Grov recognized that the Ghost Empire’s Lord of Order characteristic could let Loen pursue godhood and potentially gain two true gods.

Grov and Integra led MI9 through the Ghost Empire's labyrinth, where they found increasingly valuable materials and noticed the ship offered surprisingly little resistance. Integra suspected the Ghost Empire might not be merely a living ship and used Calling Deer a Horse to test a theory, leaving Grov wary of her sudden behavior.

• Grov ordered MI9 to gather spoils and find lighting fixtures after his power cleared Monsters from their path.
• Integra examined the recovered materials and noted that their quality had improved as the team followed Novat's map.
• Grov explained that the Ghost Empire's changing rooms reflected the ship's own rules rather than human needs, and he avoided killing Monsters unnecessarily.
• Grov and Integra noticed the Monsters were unusually evenly matched and that the Ghost Empire seemed to offer little resistance to explorers.
• Integra suspected the Ghost Empire might not be merely a living ship, used Calling Deer a Horse on herself, and told Grov she had found a small problem.

Integra and Grov led MI9 through the Ghost Ship maze and discussed the possibility that the Ghost Empire was a trap. When they reached a bronze door that Integra identified as a source of the greatest terror to the Arbitrator Pathway, Grov invoked the First Law.

• Integra told Grov that the Ghost Empire might be a trap, and he asked her to explain her suspicion.
• Integra argued that the maze was too easy to explore and questioned whether Grov had brought any Sealed Artifacts from the Sun Pathway.
• Grov protected the MI9 group as they continued through the maze without losses.
• Novat identified a bronze door as the entrance to the captain's cabin.
• Integra froze before the door and said that it held the greatest terror for the Arbitrator Pathway.
• Grov drew a bronze talisman and invoked the First Law.

Grov and MI9 entered the Ghost Empire’s captain’s cabin to find a golden pool and a towering scale, which triggered deadly defenses. As Grov led the team in destroying the golden pipes, Integra stayed behind and shot at a golden Monster while trusting her chosen Timeline.

• Grov used the First Law to create an intricate Order Domain as he and the others approached the cabin doors.
• Integra opened the doors, revealing a golden pool, a network of pipes, and a giant scale that Grov recognized as their target.
• Grov’s attack triggered the cabin’s defenses, and he used the Crown of Thorns to protect the team and ordered MI9 to cut the golden pipes.
• The brass doors slammed shut, and golden Monsters crawled from the pool in a number greater than the MI9 members.
• Integra stayed apart from the group, drew her pistols, confirmed the Monster’s point in time, and fired.

Integra learned to identify which golden slime monsters existed on the true Timeline while Grov and the MI9 rookies destroyed the pipes feeding the chamber’s lake. After Grov’s attempt to strike the scales was interrupted, Integra warned him that the scales were not the Ghost Ship’s true core and that destroying them would bring consequences.

• Integra refined her ability to distinguish the real slime monsters from those on other timelines and shot only the real ones.
• Grov accelerated his spiral path to destroy the floor pipes while the MI9 rookies fought the slime monsters, leaving two dead and seven severely injured.
• The pipes’ destruction drained the golden lake, and Grov used a talisman to open a brief crack in the scales’ balance authority before throwing his spear.
• Integra shot the spear’s tip, slowing it long enough for the scales to spread its force among everyone in the room.
• Integra told Grov that the scales were not the Ghost Ship’s core and warned him not to destroy them.

Integra warned Grov that the scales were dangerous, but he ignored her and took them, allowing them to invade his body and transform him. As the chamber’s order domain began to collapse, Integra gathered the surviving MI9 members near her and waited for the Ghost Empire’s core to emerge.

• Grov realized that the chamber’s Justiciar-like design had influenced him into mistaking the scales for the Ghost Empire’s core.
• After Integra warned him, Grov told her to leave the scales alone, then reached for them when she stepped back.
• The scales drilled into Grov, whose talisman failed to stop the golden order from shattering his domain and injuring the MI9 members.
• Golden light from the damaged pipes dissolved the fallen members’ corpses and gathered liquid in the lake.
• Cons and Novat led the surviving MI9 members to Integra, who watched Grov transform into a brass-like, human-shaped set of scales as cracks spread across the chamber.

Integra revealed that Trunsoest had imprisoned himself aboard the Ghost Empire as an evil spirit and arranged the chamber to hide his revival plan. She wanted him to revive so she could claim the Lord of Order characteristics, and the chapter ended as she explained that the cage itself held those characteristics.

• Grov transformed into a scale, and the golden liquid formed a humanlike figure that spoke as Trunsoest.
• Integra explained that the chamber’s conspicuous scale, Blood Pool, and pipes were distractions, and that Trunsoest had judged himself and taken the form of a prisoner evil spirit.
• Trunsoest asked why Integra had not stopped Grov, and she said she wanted Trunsoest to revive despite expecting him to spare no one.
• Integra revealed that she intended to take the Lord of Order characteristics after Trunsoest revived.
• Integra deduced that the Blood Pool created anchors and a revival body, the scale maintained order and served as a trap, and the cage contained the Lord of Order.

Integra confronted the Night Emperor as his prison scheme neared completion, then helped Ammon steal the Sequence One characteristic. The chapter ended with the Night Emperor recognizing that Integra’s thrown monocle was part of another plot, just before an explosion.

• The Night Emperor explained how his rules trapped powerful beings and drew Inquisitor Pathway Beyonders toward the room, while Integra and Lily challenged his plan.
• Integra refused the Night Emperor’s offer and avoided provoking an attack by pointing out that fighting in prison would bring punishment.
• When the lightning patterns shattered, the Night Emperor reached for the brass-colored characteristic, but Ammon’s monocle appeared on Integra and redirected it.
• The Night Emperor invoked the rule against theft, while Integra used Provocation to exploit his evil spirit’s unstable personality.
• The Night Emperor deprived Integra of her Marauder powers, and she threw the monocle at him; he realized it was not a bribe just before it exploded.

Integra used a series of attacks and threats to force the Night Emperor’s evil spirit into a negotiation over the Lord of Order and Life-Giver characteristics. The Night Emperor recognized that Amon had maneuvered him into having little choice and finally conceded.

• Sno’s First Bomb and Integra’s gunfire distracted the Night Emperor, but his attacks barely affected the evil spirit.
• Integra switched targets, attacked Prince Grove’s golden scales, and used Fleeting Moment and Divine Profanity to disorient the Night Emperor.
• The Night Emperor unleashed laws against Integra, but she slowed them and pressed her Spirit-Flesh Blade against the scales, threatening to destroy them.
• Integra demanded the Lord of Order and Life-Giver characteristics, arguing that the Night Emperor could reclaim them later and had no way to trust her anyway.
• The Night Emperor understood that Amon had anticipated his resurrection and concluded he had no real alternative, then conceded.

Integra rescued the surviving MI9 members from the Ghost Empire and brought them to the Gargas Archipelago, where Sno began advancing to Karl Dragon aboard the Golden Dream. Sno survived the transformation by anchoring his existence to a fictional ancestor and choosing his true self among countless Timelines, but a brief glimpse of White Mist left a shadow over him.

• Integra left the Ghost Empire with the Lord of Order and Life-Giver characteristics after reshaping Prince Grove's body and helping the surviving MI9 members escape.
• Integra warned Novat and the other survivors to return to Backlund with their families' support, then took them to the Gargas Archipelago.
• Sno quietly prepared and drank the Silent Disciple potion aboard the Golden Dream after praying to the True Creator.
• As Sno's existence began to disappear, his consciousness merged with a fictional ancestor sleeping in a Cocoon of Light, allowing him to survive the transformation.
• Sno found his true self among versions across countless Timelines and completed his advancement to Karl Dragon.
• Sno briefly glimpsed White Mist and received a flood of knowledge that nearly overwhelmed his sanity.

After advancing to Sequence Three, Sno examined the Paradox Pathway’s abilities and learned that its characteristics had been sacrificed during the potion transformation. He discovered that his new side effect could make him vanish if he doubted his own existence, and steadied himself before it could happen.

• Sno reasoned that the characteristics used as supplementary ingredients had been sacrificed and would not remain among the characteristics he left behind if he died.
• Sno assessed his mental state, found it healthy, and turned his attention to his Sequence Three abilities as Karl Dragon.
• Sno reviewed his abilities, including Calling Deer a Horse, Within Reach, Yet Miles Apart, and Plum Replaces Peach, along with Three People Make a Tiger.
• Sno realized that Three People Make a Tiger had created a Perrdax ancestor who was advancing to Scholar of Yore and could serve as a vessel for his consciousness.
• Sno learned that fabricating an existence that truly existed could let the original descend upon the fake, then sensed his body vanishing when he questioned whether he existed.
• Sno understood the side effect’s trap and firmly steadied his mind to stop himself from disappearing.