Chapter Summaries

Hobart and Christine discovered that the Oil Painting cursed its victims through dreams, then used a Mystical Item to destroy the Wooden Figures linked to Hobart and his surviving teammates. They proceeded past the Dream Spirit Spider mural without triggering its effects, while Hobart reflected on the limits of his knowledge and explained the idea of virtue to Christine.

• Hobart realized Lina’s hint meant the Curse was in the dream and that the Oil Painting had created Wooden Figures linked to its victims.
• Christine used a Classical Bellows from his Briefcase to disperse Hobart’s Wooden Figure, and Hobart used it to remove the figures belonging to Auston and the other surviving teammates.
• Christine identified the mural’s spiders as Dream Spirit Spiders and explained that the Oil Painting used their power to enter dreams and kill people.
• Christine used a Gray Button to disguise himself and Hobart as fading spirit bodies, allowing them to pass the Dream Spirit Spider mural without disturbing it.
• Christine asked what distinguished humans from Beyonder creatures and beasts, and Hobart answered that virtue was the opposite of moral depravity and having no conscience.

Hobart and Christine explored the dream inside the Oil Painting, found a black Stone Throne, and escaped before disturbing its mysterious owner. Back in the waking world, Hobart sacrificed the painting and a Necklace to the Country of Disorder to learn their properties and strengthen the Necklace’s seal.

• Hobart and Christine reached the black Stone Throne, and Christine concluded the Oil Painting preserved the dream owner’s beautiful memories.
• Christine warned that the dream owner might awaken or corrupt them, so Hobart used travel to leave the great hall and Christine ended the dream.
• Hobart returned to his room, slept without being cursed or attacked, then traveled to Blanca Street after lunch.
• Hobart sacrificed the Oil Painting and Necklace to the Country of Disorder and learned the Necklace’s abilities and negative effects.
• Hobart resealed the Necklace to reduce the effects of prolonged wear and named it the Faceless Man Necklace.
• Hobart examined the Oil Painting’s properties and learned that its monster cursed anyone who saw it and invaded the dreams of people nearby.

Hobart resealed the dangerous Oil Painting, reassured those it had affected, and met with Klein, who asked about renting a combat-ready Mystical Item. That night, Hobart summoned two Underworld assistants, but the first spirit to appear mistook him for a lowly Baron and seemed unable to see properly.

• Hobart used the Power of Order to reseal the Oil Painting and left it in the Country of Disorder.
• Auston and the others told Hobart they had dreamed of the Oil Painting, and Hobart reassured them that it could no longer locate them.
• Hobart wrote to LuoLuota and then met Klein, who asked to obtain a Sun-pathway Mystical Item or rent another combat item.
• Hobart described the Teleport Stone Statue and Dream Stealing Pocket Watch, but Klein chose to think it over.
• Hobart returned to his apartment and summoned an Underworld spirit, who called him a lowly Baron and failed to notice where he was standing.

Hobart summoned and contracted with Hant Wen Jacob, the skeletal Celestial Horse Maximilian, and a coffin-dwelling messenger named Beverly Heather Tudor. He was stunned to recognize the messenger’s name as belonging to Christine’s great-aunt.

• Hobart contracted with Hant Wen Jacob, a blind knight who specialized in close combat and demanded a share of any spoils.
• Hobart summoned the flying skeleton horse Maximilian and contracted with it to carry him through the sky when needed.
• Hobart summoned a coffin-dwelling woman who agreed to deliver letters for three donuts each.
• Hobart wrote a messenger contract witnessed by El Moria, and the woman signed her name as Beverly Heather Tudor.
• Hobart realized that Beverly Heather Tudor was Christine’s great-aunt.

Hobart answered Lafite’s prayer after he recovered the Mutated Fire Rose Spider material from a grave in Connat. He eliminated the men watching Lafite, gave him a token to block divination, and took the material, leaving Lafite eager to serve the Creator.

• Hobart learned that Beverly had been drawn to his aura and agreed she could help him in a fight in exchange for donuts or cane wood.
• Hobart heard Lafite pray from the Country of Disorder and saw that Lafite had recovered the Mutated Fire Rose Spider material while two people watched him.
• Hobart appeared in the cemetery wearing a Black Crystal mask and killed the two Beyonders watching Lafite.
• Hobart used a potion to dispose of the bodies, gave Lafite a Black Crystal token to prevent divination, and took the wooden box containing the material.
• Lafite believed the Creator had recognized his efforts and left the cemetery without leaving traces.

Hobart escaped the Judgment Group’s cemetery trap with a Mutated Fire Rose Spider and Extraordinary Characteristics, then concealed his involvement from LuoLuota. Ambassador Tim cleared Hobart of suspicion and told Gale not to interfere with his plans, while Hobart tried to sell a Spirit Medium Extraordinary Characteristic to the Nighthawks.

• The Judgment Group’s leader found two dead watchers and an empty coffin at Bostan Cemetery but could divine neither the killer’s identity nor the target’s whereabouts.
• Hobart sacrificed the Mutated Fire Rose Spider and two Extraordinary Characteristics to the Country of Disorder, then planned to visit Bishop Utravsky and seek a Sequence 5 Potion.
• Hobart told Christine about the previous day’s exploration and said the Oil Painting had been entrusted to the Nighthawks for sealing.
• Ambassador Tim learned that Gale’s cemetery trap had failed, investigated Hobart’s whereabouts, and ordered Gale not to interfere with his plans after clearing Hobart of suspicion.
• Hobart told LuoLuota a fabricated account of an Ancient Tomb expedition and asked whether the Nighthawks would buy a Spirit Medium Extraordinary Characteristic.

Hobart offered the Spirit Medium Extraordinary Characteristics to the Nighthawks and received a commission from LuoLuota to kill Twilight Lieutenant General Bratov Ivan. He prepared contingency letters and sent Beyonder materials to Kelly before LuoLuota and Thomas arrived to discuss buying the characteristics.

• Hobart explained to LuoLuota why he wanted to sell the Spirit Medium Extraordinary Characteristics to the Nighthawks, and she agreed to ask her captain about the deal.
• LuoLuota gave Hobart a wanted poster for Twilight Lieutenant General Bratov Ivan and asked him to avenge her deceased colleague; Hobart agreed to help if he got the chance.
• Hobart judged that Bratov would be too dangerous to pursue before reaching Sequence 5, though the bounties from Loen and Intis totaled 70,000 Pounds.
• Hobart gave Jessica four contingency letters to keep and asked her to deliver a box of Beyonder materials to Kelly.
• LuoLuota and Thomas arrived at the Law Firm, and Thomas came to purchase the Spirit Medium's Extraordinary Characteristics.

Hobart finished arranging his departure from Backlund while Christine and Doffis kept their plans secret. After advising Lafite to leave Loen, he attended a Labor Law meeting and confronted an official who barred reporters from entering.

• Thomas offered Hobart 1,400 pounds and promised to buy Extraordinary Characteristics and Sealed Artifacts from him in the future.
• Christine secretly told Hobart to meet beneath a Big Pine Tree if they became separated and warned him to trust only her and Doffis after leaving Backlund.
• Lafite returned safely to Backlund, and Hobart reclaimed the Order Crystal before advising him to leave Backlund and Loen.
• Hobart considered helping Lafite escape Royal Family surveillance later but remained wary of Lafite's ambition.
• Hobart brought reporters to the Labor Law meeting, and when Quincy barred them from entering, Hobart threatened to publicize the incident.

Hobart challenged the Parliament’s closed-door drafting of the Labor Law and used the threat of involving reporters and Church leaders to gain entry to the meeting. After refusing to read the proposed outline, he argued that it was improper because workers were not represented among the social representatives, leaving the lawmakers to face his challenge to the drafting process.

• Quincy reported Hobart’s demand to the lawmakers, and Earl Wolf recognized that Hobart was protesting the way the Labor Law was being drafted.
• When the representatives objected to admitting reporters, Hobart threatened to invite Archbishops Anthony and Holamik, prompting Wolf to let Hobart and the reporters enter.
• Bazel suggested accusing Hobart and the reporters of leaking a confidential document if Hobart examined the agreed-upon bill outline.
• Hobart entered with Jessica and the reporters, exchanged polite greetings with the lawmakers, and accepted black tea from Quincy.
• Gusata offered Hobart the bill outline, but Hobart refused to touch it and argued that the drafting process was improper because no workers were among the social representatives.

After securing a change to the Labor Law committee, Hobart learned of Old Neil’s death and was shaken by how fragile life was in a world ruled by deities. At the Tarot Club, he spoke of his low spirits and Alger invited him to explore an Elven Race ruin, but Hobart said he might be unavailable for the next week or two.

• Hobart argued that workers should replace four representatives on the Labor Law committee, and the meeting approved the change.
• Hobart asked reporters to focus on the outcome rather than his role, then wrote to Captain Ikanse and Captain Thomas asking them to recommend workers for the bill-drafting process.
• Leonard Mitchell visited Hobart in Backlund and told him that Old Neil had died after his health deteriorated; Hobart later added the news to his letter to Sherlock.
• At the Tarot Club, Hobart told Audrey that bad news had made him abandon certain fantasies, and she offered to help if he needed it.
• Alger invited Hobart to explore a second Elven Race ruin, but Hobart said he might not have time in the next week or two.

Alger and Hobart agreed to split the spoils from a future expedition, while the Tarot Club discussed the Land Abandoned by God and the Giant King's Court. Derrick then asked for advice about returning to a dangerous temple ruin, and Alger urged him not to go.

• Alger asked Hobart to help explore the ruins and agreed to an even division of the spoils, with Hobart choosing first and offering compensation for anything Alger needed.
• Hobart told Alger that Olfers, the Iceberg Admiral's Second Mate, had appeared on the island and that the Admiral was interested in its buildings.
• Hobart explained that Giants and elves once sailed in search of their homelands, and told Derrick that the Giants' key to the Giant King's Court had sunk with them.
• Hobart shared a prophecy that the key to the Giant King's Court would reappear, then advised Derrick not to report his new knowledge to the Chief until he found clues himself.
• Derrick said he had become a Light Seeker and was assigned to a second expedition to the temple of the Fallen Creator, and Alger told him not to go.

The Tarot Club discussed the dangers of Derrick’s mission to explore ruins bearing signs of the Fallen Creator and helped him find a way to avoid it. Derrick planned to feign symptoms of Loss of Control before the expedition.

• Fors asked whether the Fallen Creator was the True Creator, and Audrey confirmed it while mentioning that his teachings had spread in Backlund’s Wharf Area and East End.
• Hobart said Silver City’s people should not have to suffer for their god’s failure, prompting Derrick to question his faith in the Omniscient and Almighty God.
• Alger warned Derrick that the ruins’ statue, murals, and inscription about Redemption Rose indicated severe danger and possible contamination.
• Alger advised Derrick to deliberately appear injured or show signs of Loss of Control so Silver City’s leaders would keep him off the expedition.
• Derrick realized he could deplete his spirituality before the mission and be isolated for treatment, while Klein and Audrey reacted to Alger’s scheme.

At the Tarot Club gathering, Hobart negotiated with World over removing corruption from an Extraordinary Characteristic and selling a Human-Skin Nether Shadow characteristic. Derrick also arranged to buy information about the Fallen Creator, while the Hanged Man offered to pay to hear it.

• Alger encouraged Derrick by arguing that his deception had been meant to protect Silver City from Loviya and the Fallen Creator.
• World privately asked Hobart about shattering a corrupted Extraordinary Characteristic, and Hobart quoted 500 pounds to shatter it or 3,000 pounds to return the corruption to World.
• World asked the gathering to look for a Human-Skin Nether Shadow characteristic, and Hobart offered his for 1,200 pounds, with the transaction set for that night.
• Derrick asked Hobart for detailed information about the Fallen Creator, and Hobart priced it at nine Sequence 8 main ingredients or four Sequence 7 main ingredients, allowing deferred payment.
• The Hanged Man offered to pay Hobart 300 pounds and cover one of Derrick's ingredients in exchange for hearing the information.

Hobart explained how the True Creator supported Solomon in founding the Solomon Empire and revealed that the True Creator had once been an orthodox god worshipped across the Northern Continent. He left the Tarot Club questioning why the Six Gods had permitted the True Creator’s church and Solomon’s empire to rise.

• Derrick agreed to let the Hanged Man join the transaction, and Audrey also offered to pay to participate.
• Hobart began sharing information about the Fallen Creator in exchange for Derrick’s payment, while Klein blocked Fors’s and the World’s senses and listened in.
• Hobart said Solomon became the Black Emperor with support from the True Creator and Redemption Rose at the beginning of the Fourth Epoch.
• Hobart explained that the ancestors of the Northern Continent’s four royal families had served as nobles under Solomon.
• Hobart revealed that the True Creator’s Church had once been the Northern Continent’s state religion until the Six Gods joined forces to destroy Solomon.
• Audrey reacted with shock, and Alger asked why the Six Gods had allowed the True Creator and Solomon to gain such power.

Hobart revealed that the Six Gods drove Solomon from power and sealed the True Creator in the Land Abandoned by God, then warned Derrick to be cautious about Elder Loviya and disclosed Redemption Rose’s loyalty to the True Creator. The meeting ended with Fors asking how the Emperor and the Sun would exchange materials, and Audrey hinting at the Tarot Club’s capabilities.

• Hobart explained that the Six Gods jointly defeated Solomon and drove the True Creator into the Land Abandoned by God, where the True Creator’s divine kingdom remained.
• Derrick asked whether Elder Loviya had been influenced by the True Creator, and Hobart urged him to stay patient and avoid endangering himself.
• Hobart revealed that the current Redemption Rose was an Extraordinary Organization loyal to the True Creator and far above the Aurora Society.
• Audrey said Hobart’s intelligence was worth much more than its price, and Fors asked how the Sun and the Emperor would exchange the transaction’s materials.
• Audrey told Fors that the Tarot Club’s upper limits were beyond anything she could imagine.

Hobart completed transactions through The Fool and returned to find General Camilla confronting Christine, Bruno, and other former Southern Continent comrades. Christine accused Camilla of betraying Rex and the Royal Family, then declared that she would eventually reclaim what the Royal Family owed her.

• Fors was surprised to learn that the Tarot Club used sacrifices to complete transactions, and Audrey explained that the club was more high-end than she imagined.
• Hobart asked The Fool whether he could report an absence from a gathering through prayer, and The Fool agreed; Hobart then left the gathering and returned to his work at the Law Firm.
• Hobart sacrificed the Human-Skin Nether Shadow characteristic to The Fool, received 2,100 pounds in payments, and sacrificed that money to the Country of Disorder after taking care not to reveal his travel ability.
• Hobart entered the living room and found Christine facing General Camilla, Bruno, and three other Commodores.
• Christine taunted Camilla about Rex's conviction and Camilla's history with him, then said the Royal Family owed her something and she would reclaim it in a way Camilla could not imagine.

Christine revealed that he had become a demigod and refused Camilla’s offer to remain in Loen, so the Military Department attacked as he and Hobart tried to leave. Hobart’s strange abilities disrupted the Sequence 5 attackers, but Abel’s kick sent him crashing into a wall without visibly injuring him.

• Camilla dismissed Christine’s warning about the gap between Sequences, but Christine removed his ring and revealed the demigod-level power he had concealed.
• Camilla offered Christine a promotion and noble title, but he refused and started to leave with Hobart.
• Camilla ordered her people to attack, and Christine exiled Abel before Camilla countered by forbidding banishment.
• Hobart stole Bruno’s ability to Prohibit and declared that breathing was forbidden, while Christine and Camilla began fighting.
• The attackers’ Extraordinary Abilities failed to harm Hobart, and Christine deprived Chipman of Distortion while Hobart weakened the Sequence 5s.
• Abel kicked Hobart into a wall, but Hobart stood up and dusted himself off as if nothing had happened.

Hobart escaped Backlund through the Spirit World with Christine and Doffis, but the city was sealed and a powerful gaze pursued him into the countryside. He reached the mountain meeting point, where Christine introduced the masked Mr. Allen, just as Doffis arrived and warned that someone had followed him.

• Hobart endured Bruno, Chipman, and Abel's attacks until his No Breathing Edict weakened them, then escaped through Doffis's Bronze Gates with Christine.
• Camilla ordered Backlund locked down, and the military sealed the city's exits as Hobart changed his clothes and fled by carriage to the suburbs.
• After divining that the next hour was unsafe, Hobart hid from a watching gaze in a farmhouse, used the Psychological Spoon to make the family forget him, and continued toward the meeting point.
• Hobart reached the mountain and found Christine with the masked Mr. Allen, whose voice sounded familiar to him.
• Doffis emerged from the Bronze Gates beneath the pine tree and warned Hobart and the others to prepare for battle because someone had followed him.

Christine killed King George’s son, Earl Kenen, and escaped with Hobart and their allies to the Feneport Kingdom. In Backlund, Fors and Xue learned of the betrayal and decided to contact Miss Audrey.

• Camilla and Earl Kenen tried to persuade Christine to surrender, but Christine revealed Absolute Kill and shot Earl Kenen dead.
• Hobart and Doffis held off Camilla’s people while Christine led the group through a hidden door in a tree and escaped to the Feneport Kingdom.
• A Feneport Kingdom noble welcomed Christine, Hobart, and the others after they returned from the Spirit World.
• Xue read a newspaper report announcing Christine’s betrayal and a 10,000-pound bounty on Hobart.
• Fors and Xue suspected the escape involved a struggle among Backlund’s upper ranks and hurried to contact Miss Audrey.

After Brigadier General Christine and his son Hobart were accused of treason and killing a Prince, Audrey learned that Christine may have rebelled after years of unfair treatment. Jessica received Hobart’s instructions for protecting his law firm and associates, while Daly stopped Leonard from rushing to investigate.

• Audrey heard Earl Hall, Earl Wolf, and Hibbert discuss Christine’s rebellion and learned that Christine had long been denied promotion despite his military achievements.
• Audrey concluded that Christine was likely the rebellion’s main figure and went to visit Viscount Glynt’s residence.
• Jessica read the report that Hobart had a 10,000-pound bounty, then opened his letter and learned he had left Backlund after arranging matters for the law firm and its associates.
• Jessica burned Hobart’s letter, mailed two letters to Xue and Sherlock, and took Hobart’s letter for Lawyer Barton to his office.
• Leonard set out to ask Thomas about Hobart’s alleged treason, but Daly stopped him and asked whether the Church had issued a statement.