Chapter Summaries

Hobart settled into the Fenebote Kingdom after defecting from Loen, while news of his treason spread through Backlund. Klein learned of the accusation and received Hobart’s letter, and Xue and Fors heard that the defection was unlikely to lead to war.

• At breakfast, Christine learned that Earl Bianchi knew he was a demigod, and she left with Bianchi to renegotiate the terms of his defection.
• Klein read a newspaper report accusing Hobart of treason and killing a Prince, then received Hobart’s letter containing the incantation for summoning his messenger.
• Klein learned from the letter that Leonard had been transferred to Backlund and thought of Old Neil.
• Xue and Fors learned from Audrey that Loen’s upper society expected no war over the defection, then Xue found a letter in their mailbox.

Hobart and Christine traveled toward Feneport City after discussing Christine’s plan and Hobart’s forthcoming title, while news of their treason spread across both kingdoms. As Feneport celebrated them as heroes and Loen condemned them, Hobart studied the Feneport language and the Antigonus notebook on the road.

• Christine told Hobart to accompany her to Feneport City to receive a barony and its fief, and Hobart questioned the suspicious timing of Earl Kenen’s arrival.
• Bennett Tamara read the report naming Hobart a traitor, ordered his subordinates to investigate Hobart’s faith, and planned to pursue him later.
• Selena, Melissa, and Elizabeth discussed the newspaper’s accusation against Hobart, and Melissa warned Selena not to write to him while the Royal Family investigated.
• News of Christine and Hobart’s treason spread through Loen, where Hobart became notorious, while Feneport newspapers portrayed them as heroes and invented a romance between Hobart and a princess.
• As Hobart traveled to Feneport City in an honored procession, he learned the Feneport language and read the handwritten Colin Antigonus Notebook, which contained records about the Antigonus Family.

Hobart read Colin Antigonus’s family records and discovered that Spike Antigonus, an angel of the Door Pathway, had answered the Fallen Mother Goddess’s call and returned as Her Blessed. The records revealed that a contaminated angel had survived for centuries without the Seven Gods detecting him.

• Hobart read that Colin’s ancestors had heard Antigonus’s ravings, searched for the Country of Night, and lost demigods to their attempts to contact him.
• Hobart learned that Spike Antigonus became a Door Pathway angel with help from a mysterious being who claimed to share a seal with Antigonus.
• Hobart recognized the being as Mr. Door and suspected the Fallen Mother Goddess had targeted Spike before his ascension.
• Hobart entered the Country of Disorder and used a ring to recall the pages he had only glanced at in the carriage.
• Hobart learned that Spike had entered the starry sky, returned three years later, and pledged himself to the Fallen Mother Goddess after encountering Her moon.
• Hobart concluded that Spike remained an intelligent, concealed angel contaminated by the Fallen Mother Goddess.

Hobart used the Colin Antigonus Notebook to uncover the Fallen Mother Goddess’s missions and speculate about Her relationship with the Desire Mother Tree. After tracing Colin’s Southern Continent investigations and the origin of the Oil Painting, Hobart burned the notebook’s descriptions of Spike and tried to heal himself from possible corruption.

• Hobart recalled that Spike had been corrupted by the Fallen Mother Goddess and that Spike’s notebook could corrupt unprotected readers, including Colin and his family.
• Hobart learned that the Fallen Mother Goddess had tasked Spike with investigating the Bound God and Fauvety, the Cosmic Dark Side, and suspected that She and the Desire Mother Tree had once cooperated over the Moon and Bound Pathways.
• Hobart recalled that Colin had traveled to the Southern Continent five times, where the Pas Kingdom and the Highland Kingdom fought over control of the region.
• Hobart found that the Oil Painting in Colin’s tomb had come from a Blood Worshipping Sect member and had been used in Colin’s search for Fauvety, though Colin had found no definite information.
• Hobart concluded that the orderly dream in the Oil Painting was unlikely to belong to Fauvety, then tore out and burned every description of Spike and cast a Healing Art on himself.

Hobart and his companions arrived in Ganalier, where the Garrison Commander welcomed them and tried to obtain intelligence from Christine. After falling asleep, Hobart entered a series of dangerous dreams in the Dream World, where the black cane helped him survive a fall into an abyss before he faced a steam train hurtling toward him.

• Hobart arrived in Ganalier with the convoy and saw the poverty outside the city walls.
• The Garrison Commander held a welcoming banquet, and Christine shared some military intelligence without revealing its crucial details.
• Bianqi told Hobart and the others that they would take a train to Feneport City the next day.
• Hobart dreamed that Lina claimed to be him, then found himself on a crumbling suspension bridge pursued by something terrifying.
• Hobart used the black cane to turn the abyss below into a rescue cushion and survive his fall.
• Hobart entered another dream, where ropes bound him to a stalled automobile on railway tracks as a steam train approached.

Hobart escaped a dangerous dream caused by contamination from the Colin Antigonus Notebook and discovered that the Clock of Order could erase it. After preparing to guard against further contamination, he traveled by train with his companions and arrived near Feneport City.

• Hobart used the Living Corpse Soup Spoon and the black cane to escape a dream train, then woke in Ganalier with the Order Crystal Wax Seal and Pocket Watch Key in his hand.
• Hobart realized the Colin Antigonus Notebook had contaminated his Astral Body and decided to seek help in the Country of Disorder.
• A bell from the Clock of Order dissolved the contaminated face that appeared on Hobart's body in the Country of Disorder.
• Hobart made an Order Crystal bracelet to wear while sleeping, checked that dangerous descriptions had been removed from the Notebook, and studied Feneport language until dawn.
• Hobart and his companions departed Ganalier by special train and reached the outskirts of Feneport City after traveling for a day and a half.

Hobart and Christine arrived at Alhambra Palace to receive noble titles from Fernando II, where they encountered Philip I, an ancient figure drawn to Hobart’s bracelet and the Brass Book. Philip I exchanged the bracelet for a ring, while the Country of Disorder continued to react, leaving Hobart unable to investigate it before the investiture ceremony began.

• Fernando II received Christine and Hobart and promised to grant Christine the title of Count and Hobart the title of Baronet the next day.
• Hobart and Christine arrived in traditional Feneport noble attire to await their investiture, then sensed powerful pressure as Philip I entered carrying a Brass Book.
• Hobart recognized the power of the Country of Disorder in the Brass Book and offered Philip I his bracelet after noticing Philip I stare at his wrist.
• Philip I gave Hobart a ring in exchange for the bracelet, and the Brass Book’s reaction caused the Country of Disorder to shake and its waters to boil.
• Philip I left with the bracelet and Brass Book, while Hobart concealed his discomfort and waited for the investiture ceremony to begin.

Hobart became Baron Hobart and received Jeffrey Territory, a dangerous, neglected region in Colson County, along with a run-down estate in Feneport City. In the Country of Disorder, he strengthened the seal on the family Curse and discovered two new stars, one of which showed a young woman in royal attire.

• Fernando II invested Christine as a count and Hobart as Baron Hobart, granting Hobart land east of Full Moon Lake that was named Jeffrey Territory, or Jeffrey Town.
• Fernando II appointed Christine Deputy Chief of Staff of the Capital Garrison District, while Hobart received a baron's estate and a carriage but no official post.
• Hobart arrived at his dusty, overgrown estate and entered the Country of Disorder, where the sealed figure was climbing toward the Iron Throne.
• Hobart reinforced the seal and added obstacles to the mountain path, deciding to wait until he became a demigod before trying to separate the figure from his spirit body.
• Hobart calmed the pool and noticed two new stars beside those representing Elliot, Aputon, Lafite, and Klein; one revealed a young woman in royal attire speaking with noblewomen in a garden.

Hobart recognized the object Philip I carried as the Trensoest Brass Book and realized it could let the Loen king become a Judgement pathway King of Angels. After confirming the Country of Disorder had returned to normal, he went to Christine’s mansion and exchanged his money for Fenebote currency.

• Hobart saw stars belonging to Alice, a Loen royal descendant, and Aishel, a Fenebote royal who served as a major general in the Northern War Zone.
• Hobart concluded that Philip I possessed the Trensoest Brass Book, which had provoked the Country of Disorder and caused two additional Judgement pathway stars to appear.
• Hobart realized that if Philip I accommodated the Brass Book, he could become a Judgement pathway King of Angels, but decided he was powerless to intervene.
• Hobart confirmed that the Country of Disorder had returned to normal and left for Christine’s Earl’s Mansion by rental carriage.
• Hobart stopped at a bank, learned Fenebote’s currency system, and exchanged his Gold Pounds for Gold Lire.

Hobart prepared his Feneport estate and learned more about the dangerous Fief he planned to visit. After deciding to travel there alone, he left his household funds with his butler and prepared to depart the next day.

• Hobart exchanged gold pounds for Gold Lire, then visited Count Christine's estate and learned that Doffis had hired servants for both estates.
• Hobart told Christine that he had made a bracelet, Wax Seal, and Pocket Watch Key from a crystal, while concealing the Country of Disorder.
• Christine arranged a dinner with Roderick, who explained that Hobart's fertile Fief had once belonged to a Viscount killed by bandits and warned Hobart to bring bodyguards.
• Christine suggested Hobart travel alone by public transportation and investigate the territory himself, and Hobart agreed with the plan.
• Hobart returned to his estate, told his butler he would leave for his Fief the next day, and provided 50 Gold Lire for expenses.

Hobart set out for his fief in Colson County, stopping to visit Christine and Doffis before traveling to a small town for the night. After examining Philip I’s ring in the Country of Disorder, he decided to ask Lafite about conditions in Backlund before making a possible return there.

• Hobart received approval to leave the capital and said farewell to Christine and Doffis, who advised him to think carefully and flee if necessary.
• Hobart instructed his butler to maintain the Baron Estate, then traveled southeast by public carriage toward his fief.
• At an inn, Hobart sacrificed the Colin Antigonus Notebook and Philip I’s ring to the Country of Disorder and learned the ring’s powers and dangerous effects.
• Hobart decided not to reseal the ring and stored it with the Dream Stealing Pocket Watch in a box made from an Order Crystal.
• Bored in the small town, Hobart prayed to the Great Creator for news about Backlund and sent his question to Lafite, who quickly responded.

Hobart returned to Backlund in disguise and visited Harvest Church to seek help for a seriously injured friend. After learning the Earth Mother Church could not restore the friend without terrible consequences, he offered a rare ingredient to build goodwill before leaving to establish a church in his Fief.

• Hobart learned that Backlund’s martial law had ended after news of Christine’s arrival in Feneport, then traveled to Harvest Church in disguise.
• Emlyn White recognized Hobart as the traitor reported in the newspapers but stayed to watch his conversation with Utravsky.
• Hobart asked Utravsky for help giving his seriously injured friend a body, but Utravsky explained that an Ancient Alchemist’s bodies were puppets that would eventually turn the occupant into a walking corpse.
• Hobart gave Utravsky a Mutated Fire Rose Spider as goodwill toward the Earth Mother Church and requested a bishop and God Servants for his Fief.
• Utravsky accepted the offering and agreed to convey Hobart’s request, while Hobart left instructions for future contact through Jessica.
• Emlyn threatened to report Utravsky’s dealings with Hobart, but Utravsky doubted the authorities would believe a vampire.

Hobart lured Bennett’s surveillance team to an abandoned factory, killed the two agents who followed him, and escaped to Niccolo Street. He then entered the Niccolo Shipyard office building, where he confronted a group of Tamara Family Beyonders.

• Bennett learned that Hobart’s family worshipped the Goddess of the Night and ordered his subordinates to investigate in Fenebote, but changed course when the Masked Man appeared on Rose Street.
• Hobart used the Masked Man disguise to draw out the surveillance team, killed two Sequence 8 agents at an abandoned factory, and took their Extraordinary Characteristics.
• Bennett mistook Hobart’s escape into the factory for an ambush and realized too late that Hobart had traveled to Niccolo Street.
• Hobart entered the Niccolo Shipyard office building and sensed that the gathered Tamara Family Beyonders were mostly Sequence 8s and Sequence 9s, with three Sequence 7s and one Sequence 6.
• Hobart strode out of the washroom toward the assembled Beyonders and attacked the first one to react with a blade wreathed in black light.

Hobart attacked Alva’s stronghold in Backlund, using the Order Wood and Stone of Loss of Control to overwhelm its defenders. After Alva and his Companions arrived and disrupted Hobart with Chaos and Corrosion, Hobart escaped their gunfire and struck back with Holy Light, leaving the four enemies engulfed in flames.

• Hobart grew the Order Wood through the hall and used the Stone of Loss of Control to disable the gathered Beyonders, then killed seven Sequence 7 and Sequence 8 enemies.
• Alva and Byrd reached the hall, where Alva used Chaos and Hobart mistakenly cast Holy Light on three monsters, causing them to flee or burn to ashes.
• Hobart stole Bribe, Open Door, and Record from Alva, Byrd, and Boris, but Alva’s Corrosion made Hobart stop to collect Extraordinary Characteristics.
• Alva and his Companions shot at Hobart, and Byrd’s ravings bullets forced Hobart to escape through an illusory door and heal himself.
• Hobart Flashed back beside Boris and used Holy Light again, setting Bribor and the other three enemies ablaze.

Hobart fought Alva, Boris, and Byrd, using Holy Light, his recorded abilities, and Hunt’s support to overcome them. He incapacitated Byrd and summoned the Underworld Gate, leaving Boris terrified and the battle still underway.

• Hobart attacked Boris, but Alva distorted his blade’s path and Boris recovered enough to roll away from the flames.
• Hobart used the black barrier to resist Alva’s Chaos and wounded Boris, then escaped Alva’s punch with Flash.
• Byrd struck Hobart with a recorded Flame Spear, but Hobart used a Paper Doll Substitute and appeared beside Byrd to attack.
• Alva’s allies arrived, and Hobart summoned Hunt, who drove Bennett and the Corrupted Baron back while Hobart pursued Byrd.
• Hobart used the recorded Death ability to incapacitate Byrd, then summoned the Underworld Gate, terrifying Boris and weakening Alva’s resolve.

Hobart and Hunt defeated Bennett and the Corrupted Baron, though Alva escaped. Hobart killed Byrd and Boris, divided the spoils with Hunt, and planted an Emperor tarot card among the corpses before leaving.

• Hobart saw Bennett use the Level 1 Black Glove to deprive him of the Dream Stealing Pocket Watch's ability, but Hunt resisted Bennett's Prohibition and attacked him.
• Hobart recorded Christine's Banishment and used it to banish Bennett, exploiting the fact that Bennett himself was only Sequence 5.
• Alva broke free from the Bronze Gate's pale arms and escaped while Hobart returned to help Hunt kill the Corrupted Baron.
• Hobart ended the summoning, killed Byrd and Boris, and used the Spirituality Connection Wine Cup to separate the Extraordinary Characteristics.
• Hunt chose several spoils and vanished, while Hobart planted the Emperor Card among the corpses and left through Travel.

Ryan Solomon arrived at the battlefield in Niccolo Shipyard after Hobart had left and found an Emperor Card, while another Beyonder searched the scene. Back in Kant Town, Hobart sacrificed his spoils to the Country of Disorder and assessed the valuable Extraordinary Characteristics he had collected.

• Ryan Solomon reached the shipyard after the battle and found corpses, missing Extraordinary Characteristics, and an Emperor Card.
• A veiled woman carrying a powerless piece of wood appeared, and she and Ryan recognized each other as Beyonders before leaving separately as police approached.
• Hobart returned to his room in Kant Town and waited to ensure his disguise had concealed his disappearance.
• Hobart sacrificed the Revolver, the iron sword, and the Extraordinary Characteristics to the Country of Disorder, then examined the Revolver's abilities and drawbacks.
• Hobart calculated that the Extraordinary Characteristics were worth about 13,000 pounds and began dismantling them.

Leonard investigated a massacre at the Niccolo Shipyard, where an Emperor tarot card pointed to a conflict involving the Tamara Family and Extraordinary characteristics. Klein and Audrey each learned of the card’s discovery, and Audrey suspected that Hobart had returned to Backlund.

• Leonard arrived at the shipyard and learned from LuoLuota and Borgia that the victims belonged to the Tamara Family and that witnesses had seen black fog around the office building.
• Leonard asked Pales about the Emperor Card, and Pales connected it to the Tamara Family’s Black Emperor pathway and suggested the case concerned Extraordinary characteristics.
• Klein read a report describing the massacre as a robbery and worried that someone was copying him, then divined that the case posed no danger to him.
• Audrey heard Earl Hall describe the crime as the destruction of a criminal gang’s hideout and learned that an Emperor Card had been found.
• Audrey suspected Hobart was the murderer and decided to ask him about it at the Tarot Club that afternoon.

Hobart traveled to Bugas City and attended the Tarot Club gathering, where Derrick asked about Amon after learning of a mysterious survivor from an old expedition. Hobart warned the others that there was only one Amon in the world, leaving them with a troubling revelation about Derrick’s neighbor.

• Hobart took the train from Kant Town to Bugas City and rented a room while waiting for the Tarot Club gathering.
• Derrick told the Tarot Club that he had feigned illness to be isolated at the bottom of the Round Tower, then asked whether its Sealed Artifact could detect his attendance.
• Derrick recounted how an expedition had met a man named Amon, who vanished on the way to Silver City, after which the returned members went mad or suffered Loss of Control.
• Alger explained that the Amon Family had been a taboo family of blasphemers who supposedly knew how to steal the power of gods and claimed descent from the Ancient Sun God.
• Hobart said the Ancient Sun God was the Omniscient and Almighty God and warned the group that there was only one Amon in the world.

Hobart explained the Ancient Sun God's fall and the Marauder pathway's abilities, helping Derrick find hope for Silver City while warning the Tarot Club about Amon. The chapter ended with Hobart revealing that the Marauder, Apprentice, and Seer pathways were adjacent, leading the others to suspect Mr. Fool belonged to one of them.

• Hobart confirmed that the Ancient Sun God had fallen and that the Land Abandoned by God was connected to His fall, prompting Derrick to grieve and ask how Silver City could survive.
• Hobart reminded Derrick that Mr. Fool and the Tarot Club offered a new source of hope, and Derrick thanked the members for their help.
• Hobart withheld the full explanation of why there was only one Amon until Audrey became a Psychiatrist, then explained that Sequence 4 Marauders could parasitize other people.
• Hobart explained that high-sequence Marauders could steal fate and identify people connected to them, and he advised Derrick to pray to Mr. Fool about Amon.
• Hobart revealed that the Marauder, Apprentice, and Seer pathways were adjacent, leading the Tarot Club members to infer that Mr. Fool belonged to one of those pathways.