Chapter Summaries

Hobart collected his Judge Extraordinary Characteristics and sold two Rose School characteristics to Byron while trading intelligence about the Judgment Group. He learned that two of its Vice Leaders were tied to organizations secretly supported by the Fosac Empire and Feneport Kingdom.

• Hobart collected the Judge Extraordinary Characteristics and his reward from Thomas at Blackthorn Security Company.
• Hobart sold the Madman and Werewolf Extraordinary Characteristics to Byron for 1,800 pounds.
• Hobart gave Byron portraits of three Judgment Group Vice Leaders in exchange for 600 pounds and one answer to a question.
• Byron identified Gale as a high-ranking member of the Intersea Mutual Aid Society, an Extraordinary Organization secretly supported by the Fosac Empire.
• Byron revealed that Steven, the Spirituality Cult's Guild Leader, was also a Vice Leader of the Judgment Group.
• Hobart connected the Judgment Group to the Feneport Kingdom and concluded that Gale likely served as a liaison between the Judgment Group and the Intersea Mutual Aid Society.

Hobart completed several profitable deals, paid Klein his share, and told him that his family would be visiting Backlund. After reviewing his battle and the requirements for acting as a Corrupted Baron, Hobart considered leaving Backlund to build his influence in the Southern Continent.

• Hobart collected money from Byron, gathered more than 13,000 pounds, and sent 11,000 pounds and the Judge's Extraordinary Characteristics to the Country of Disorder.
• Hobart arranged for Aputon to collect two finished water pumps and prepare them for sacrifice the next morning.
• Hobart paid Klein 2,200 pounds for his share of the bounty, the Sealed Artifact sale, and the Rose Bishop's Extraordinary Characteristics, then offered him 300 pounds for his divination.
• Hobart told Klein that his siblings would visit Backlund and that he could see them at the Roselle Memorial Exhibition on Sunday, but Klein declined.
• Hobart reviewed his battle and concluded that acting as a Corrupted Baron required influencing those around him and controlling a territory or industry, leading him to consider developing in the Southern Continent.

Aputon sacrificed two Water Pumps to the Creator, who accepted them, while Elliot prayed for two pumps at Hodges Copper Mine. The Creator granted Elliot’s request, and a terrifying power descended upon the altar.

• Aputon performed a ritual in his Warehouse and the Creator took both Water Pumps through the Bronze Gate.
• After the Creator praised his offering, Aputon decided to ask the Masked Man about the proper gesture of worship.
• At Hodges Copper Mine, Zachary and other Balk family members mocked Elliot’s plan to ask a god for Water Pumps.
• Elliot prepared an altar, offered gold and a bloodstained sleeve, and prayed to the Creator for two pumps.
• The Creator appeared in Elliot’s mind and granted his request, while Zachary and the others sensed a terrifying power descending.

After the Creator delivered two Water Pumps and ordered Elliot to treat the slaves as human beings, Elliot changed conditions at the mine and assigned people to install the pumps. In the Country of Disorder, Hobart examined the gold and learned that the wooden box contained a powerful but dangerous Sealed Artifact.

• The Bronze Gates appeared, and their pressure forced Zachary, the foremen, and the slaves to kneel as two Water Pumps descended; the Creator then commanded Elliot to treat the slaves as human beings.
• Elliot accepted the Creator’s command, gave the two Water Pumps to Zachary’s family, and assigned them to read the Loen manuals, operate one pump, and deliver the other to another Copper Mine.
• Elliot ordered houses built for the slaves, commanded that the slaves being punished on poles be taken down, and banned casual killings while raising their food standards.
• Zachary warned Elliot that better food would increase costs, but he accepted Elliot’s cold rebuke and agreed to carry out the orders.
• Hobart examined the gold in the Country of Disorder and used its authority to identify the wooden box as a Sealed Artifact left by a Sequence 6 Living Corpse of the Prisoner pathway.
• Hobart learned that the artifact granted steel-hard defense, resistance to some magic, swift movement, and frost spells, but also had severe negative effects.

Hobart examined a Sealed Artifact tied to the Desire Mother Tree, extracted a dangerous jade from it, and prepared to use its Extraordinary Characteristics. He then attended a Justice League gathering where Colatti joined the group.

• Hobart used the Country of Disorder to weaken the artifact’s werewolf curse, but could not alter its effect that made its wearer believe in the Desire Mother Tree.
• Hobart extracted a hard fragment from the artifact’s blood, attached it to granite, and created Cursed Jade, which could make an enemy sincerely believe in the Desire Mother Tree twice.
• Hobart gathered the artifact’s Prisoner pathway Extraordinary Characteristics together so they could form a Mystical Item, then planned to have the Balk Family receive one of his Blessed through Elliot.
• Hobart cleaned his Tang Sword, disguised it as a cane, picked up Jessica, and went with her to Viscount Glynt’s residence for the Justice League gathering.
• Audrey introduced Colatti, Earl Wolf’s youngest daughter, as a new member, and Hobart used the Psychological Spoon to make her and Jessica keep the group’s secrets.
• After the joining Ritual, Colatti sat behind Audrey and Jessica sat behind Hobart; Hobart looked at Carl’s swollen cheek and began the meeting.

Audrey observed the Justice League gathering and became convinced that Hobart was Emperor, while Hobart explained the consequences and limits of revealing the League’s secrets. The gathering continued with its members learning how they could refer to it without breaking its confidentiality rules.

• Audrey read the members’ expressions and mannerisms, then concluded that Hobart and Emperor were the same person.
• Hobart warned the members to keep the Justice League secret and used Carl’s injuries as an example of the punishment for trying to reveal it.
• Carl explained that she had slapped herself when she tried to tell her father about the Potion Recipe and main ingredient, then injured her face again when her brother questioned her.
• Jessica asked how members could discuss the League without being punished, and Hobart said they could call it “that organization” or “that gathering” without revealing members or confidential details.
• Hobart clarified that members could mention people they already knew in their ordinary lives as long as they did not intend to reveal their Justice League identities.

Hobart offered several initial Potion Recipes at the gathering, and Colatti chose the Apprentice pathway with help from Fors and Hobart. Xue sought the Interrogator recipe, while Fors asked Hobart for the Astrologer recipe or clues.

• Hobart listed the initial Potion Recipes he could trade, and Xue, Carl, Fors, and Glaint each described additional pathways available through the gathering.
• Colatti asked Hobart for a recommendation, and he suggested Fors's Apprentice pathway or Glaint's medicine-making pathway based on her desire to feel safe.
• Fors demonstrated her ability to pass through a wall, while Glaint displayed medicines and poisons he had concocted.
• Colatti chose the Apprentice pathway and bought its Potion Recipe from Fors for 280 pounds, then agreed to buy Hobart's main ingredient for 300 pounds.
• Xue asked for the Interrogator Potion Recipe, and Hobart offered the recipe and main ingredient while advising her to check other channels first.
• Fors asked Hobart for the Astrologer Potion Recipe or related clues, and Hobart said he had the recipe.

Hobart used a Justice League gathering to arrange trades and discover a new outlet for Extraordinary Characteristics and other goods. The meeting ended with Glaint accepting orders for potions and asking for help silencing the whispers in his ears.

• Hobart offered Fors the Astrologer Potion Recipe and main ingredient, and told Audrey that Psychological Alchemy Society members attended gatherings at the medical academy.
• Jessica bought the Barbarian Potion Recipe from Hobart for 500 Pounds and sold a Slow Whip to Carl and a speed-enhancing ring to Xue.
• Jessica ordered Corpse Dissolving Water from Glaint, while Hobart ordered poison and Jessica ordered spirituality-restoring potions for delivery to Hobart.
• Glaint asked the Justice League members if anyone could eliminate the whispers by his ears.

At a Justice League gathering, Hobart taught Glaint and Carl how to manage the Whispers caused by their potions, while Xue advised Carl on his role as a judge. Audrey then proposed defending Hobart’s reputation and asked Xue to accompany her to the East End.

• Hobart explained that Glaint could quiet the Whispers by truly acting as a Pharmacist, and Glaint decided to open a clinic and register with the Goddess of the Night Church.
• Hobart directed Carl to consult Xue, who advised him to make fair judgments, avoid disputes involving powerful people, and keep Justice League secrets from his family.
• Audrey proposed that the founders use their connections to counter newspaper smears against Hobart, and the other Noble children agreed to help.
• Audrey asked for advice about her trip to the East End, and Xue agreed to guide and protect her for 30 Pounds.

Hobart bought Alger’s dangerous travel Sealed Artifact, shattered it in the Country of Disorder, and recovered its Extraordinary Characteristics. At dinner, Christine invited him to travel with his mother, Donna, and Tyrone to the Rosed Islands, reminding him to choose carefully.

• Hobart agreed to buy Alger’s Sealed Artifact for 9,200 Pounds and arranged payment through Mr. Fool.
• Klein received the Gold Pounds and suspected Hobart could use a Level 0 Sealed Artifact to restore Extraordinary Characteristics.
• Alger prepared an altar and received the payment, while Hobart brought the bracelet into the Country of Disorder and shattered it.
• Donna and Tyrone visited Hobart at Fors’s apartment and told him Christine had invited him home for dinner.
• Christine told Hobart that his mother was taking Donna and Tyrone to the Rosed Islands and asked whether he wanted to join them.

Hobart chose to stay with Christine rather than travel with Monlisa, accepting the risks of tying his future to his father’s plans. He also asked Christine to arrange Mystical Items and discovered Christine might have the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe.

• Hobart invited Donna and Tyrone to welcome Elizabeth and the others and visit the Emperor Rosell exhibition before they traveled.
• Monlisa warned Hobart against getting involved in adult matters, but let him go speak with Christine.
• Christine explained that staying in Backlund would bring risks and tie Hobart’s future to his, while traveling with Monlisa would keep him safer but under hidden surveillance; Hobart chose to stay.
• Hobart told Christine he was Sequence 6 and planned to travel alone to the Southern Continent to digest his Potion.
• Hobart asked Christine to arrange Mystical Items from his Gatekeeper, Traveler, and Living Corpse Extraordinary Characteristics, and Christine agreed to contact an Artisan.
• Christine said he had once seized the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe and offered it to Hobart, along with his Folk of Rage Recipe.

Hobart reflected on Christine’s vast resources and prepared to leave Backlund, arranging his affairs and bringing several Extraordinary Characteristics to sell or hand over. At the train station, he met Elizabeth, Selena, Melissa, and Benson, and revealed to Benson that he knew Klein.

• Hobart realized Christine’s safe held extensive resources, including Extraordinary Materials, Characteristics, Sealed Artifacts, Mystical Items, gold, and documents.
• Hobart planned to leave Backlund, secretly return someday, and make arrangements for his Law Firm and finances.
• Hobart brought several Extraordinary Characteristics into the real world, sold the Barbarian and Apprentice Characteristics to Jessica and Colatti for 900 Pounds, and gave the others to Christine.
• Hobart took Donna and Tyrone to the train station, where he met Elizabeth, Selena, Melissa, and Benson.
• Benson asked Hobart why he had invited him and Melissa, and Hobart replied that he knew Klein.

Hobart took Benson and the others sightseeing and to dinner in Backlund, where he encountered Bernadette again. Their conversation ended with Bernadette revealing that she had sensed Hobart’s mysterious connection to the Creator, but she had not discovered his true identity.

• Hobart offered Benson help in Backlund and gave him Jessica’s Law Firm address.
• Hobart showed Benson, Elizabeth, Donna, and Tyrone Order Square and the Loen Kingdom Museum before taking them to the Intis Restaurant.
• Hobart spotted Bernadette at the restaurant, approached her, and exchanged teasing remarks with her.
• Bernadette said she had heard that the hidden existence called the Creator was awakening and admitted she had sensed Hobart’s connection to it.
• Hobart feared his identity had been exposed, then realized Bernadette had only interpreted a mysterious connection in his fate.

Hobart and Bernadette discussed the Creator and exchanged greetings before he returned to his companions. After dinner in Tingen City, Hobart began a private Mysticism ritual to investigate Elizabeth’s increasingly frequent nightmare, with Selena watching closely.

• Hobart reasoned that Bernadette may have learned about the Creator through the Hidden Sage or the Knowledge Wilderness, then admitted that he knew the Hidden Sage.
• Bernadette asked Hobart to pass her greetings to the Creator, and Hobart agreed before leaving their table.
• Hobart returned to his table, deflected Donna’s questions about Bernadette, and joked with the others about Backlund’s smog.
• After dinner, Hobart arranged for the group to stay at the hotel and asked Elizabeth about her recurring nightmare while Benson waited outside the reception room.
• Hobart erected a Wall of Spirituality, lit a candle, and added Amanda hydrosol, leaving Elizabeth and Selena dazed.

Hobart helped Elizabeth recover from her nightmares, then introduced Selena to the dangers of the Beyonder World and gave her an enchanted Key Ring. After Elizabeth and her family departed, Hobart returned to Queen's Avenue and remembered he could attend a gathering.

• Hobart used the Psychological Spoon and Amanda hydrosol to hypnotize Elizabeth and make her forget the Wumo Golden Horn Evil Monster.
• Hobart explained to Selena that the Beyonder World was dangerous, warned her about leaving her family if she chose to become a Beyonder, and gave her a Key Ring that deterred ordinary Wraiths.
• Hobart took Elizabeth, Selena, Melissa, Benson, Donna, and Tyrone to the Roselle Memorial Exhibition, where he spotted the disguised Klein.
• Hobart saw Elizabeth and the others board their train, noting that Elizabeth, Selena, and Melissa seemed changed while Benson's grief remained.
• Hobart returned with Donna and Tyrone to Queen's Avenue and remembered that he could attend a gathering.

Hobart considered joining a mercenary expedition to the tomb of a descendant of Antigonus and agreed to join after negotiating terms with Auston. After a new week began, he received potions for Jessica and returned to the gray fog, where he found Miss Magician had joined.

• Hobart heard Auston recruit members to explore an ancient tomb and agreed to discuss the expedition after the gathering.
• Hobart told Auston he was Sequence 6 and could help locate the tomb, then learned its owner was said to be a descendant of Antigonus.
• Hobart agreed to join Auston's team on the conditions that he could leave if he warned of danger and that he got first choice of one share of the spoils.
• Auston set the expedition's departure for Thursday morning at order square.
• Viscount Glynt's servant delivered the potions Hobart had reserved, and Jessica paid 26 pounds for her potions.
• Hobart returned to the gray fog and discovered that Miss Magician had joined the gathering.

Fors joined the Tarot Club as Magician and was stunned by the members’ wealth and access to a Level 0 Sealed Artifact. Hobart discussed the Stormy Sea’s origins and offered the members a group discount to learn how it formed, leaving Alger ready to trade.

• Klein introduced Fors as the Tarot Club’s new member, Magician, and the members greeted her.
• Hobart told the club that he had pulverized the Sealed Artifact containing the Traveler characteristic and planned to have an Artisan remake it as a Mystical Item.
• The members realized Hobart had used a Level 0 Sealed Artifact, while Fors was shocked by the artifact’s destructive power and the 9,200-pound transaction price.
• Alger recounted that the Nether Emperor had created the Stormy Sea while fleeing the Six Gods, and Hobart confirmed that the account described only the outward appearance of its formation.
• Alger agreed to trade for the deeper explanation of the Stormy Sea, and Hobart offered a lower per-person price if more members joined the transaction.

Hobart explained how the Nether Emperor’s fall distorted the Stormy Sea and revealed that a True God’s uniqueness came from the Uniqueness of their pathway. The gathering ended with the members learning that the Nether Emperor’s two Uniquenesses had triggered the sea’s lasting fury.

• Fors listened in bewilderment as Audrey and Derrick agreed to pay 700 pounds each to join Hobart’s information transaction.
• Klein sealed off Fors’s and Mr. World’s hearing and vision, and Hobart explained that the Lord of Storms could not calm the Stormy Sea because the Nether Emperor’s fall had distorted it.
• Hobart said the Stormy Sea’s violent climate came from the Underworld and Spirit World collapsing and merging after the Nether Emperor fell.
• Hobart confirmed that the Nether Emperor was the Ancient Death God, Undying Bird Gregaire, and said he had been trying to forge a new pathway while half-mad.
• Hobart explained that the Nether Emperor’s two unsealed portions of Uniqueness caused the Stormy Sea’s distortion, then told the group that a True God was unique because of their pathway’s Uniqueness.

Hobart explained that the Death's Key was the Uniqueness of the Death Pathway and told Alger that traveling through the spirit world could avoid the Stormy Sea's severe weather. He learned about a newly discovered island attracting pirate groups and offered Alger the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe, leaving Audrey startled by a thought.

• Hobart explained that the Death's Key was the Uniqueness of the Death Pathway, while Alger postponed asking about the Nether Emperor's second Uniqueness.
• Hobart told Alger that traveling through the spirit world could bypass the Stormy Sea's distorted weather and offered to rent a Traveler item or explore the ruin together.
• Hobart asked Alger about a newly discovered island southwest of Sera Island, and Alger described its location, Extraordinary creatures, and the pirate groups exploring it.
• Hobart offered Alger the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe for a base price of 1,500 pounds, and Audrey was startled by a thought.

At the gathering, Hobart traded the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe to Alger and arranged payment from Derrick for a previous debt. The members exchanged information about the Seven Gods and the Backlund Serial Killing Case before Hobart warned them about the Judgment Group.

• Audrey realized Hobart might know she was Justice, while she also knew he was the Emperor, and decided to keep their identities secret for now.
• Hobart gave Alger the Storm Blessed Potion Recipe, and Alger agreed to the price and asked the others to look for Dragon Eye Sea Eagle eyeballs.
• Derrick arranged to repay Hobart with four matching Sequence 8 main ingredients and one Sequence 9 main ingredient, then offered information about the Seven Gods in exchange for answers to his questions.
• The World traded with Derrick about Demon pathway Beyonders, and Hobart asked about the Backlund Serial Killing Case before warning the group about the Judgment Group in the Loen Kingdom.