Chapter Summaries

At the Tarot Club, Hobart revealed more about the ancient gods and their attendants, while the members discussed Bansy Harbor and a deadly clash with the Judgment Group. The gathering ended with Fors explaining the operation, and Gehrman Sparrow arrived in Bayam and demanded that Danitz identify the pirate contact points.

• Hobart described the ancient gods’ attendants, including Calamity Queen Goxinaim, Olernia, Herabergen, Salinger, and Medici, and said Lilith’s fall had involved betrayal.
• Emlyn learned that the Blood Ancestor had not truly fallen and asked Alger how to gain support from a powerful person while concealing information.
• Klein told the Tarot Club that Bansy Harbor’s old sacrificial customs had returned, and Hobart linked the harbor to surviving descendants of Red Angel Medici.
• Audrey reported that more than twenty Beyonders had died in a clash at Balan Fisheries Company, and Fors revealed that she and two companions had attacked the Judgment Group.
• Klein ended the gathering, then arrived in Bayam aboard the White Onyx and asked Danitz to reveal the pirate contact points.

Hobart paid for the Extraordinary Characteristics, arranged study-group expenses and construction materials, then set out to hunt Twilight Lieutenant General after receiving intelligence from Edwina. Misfortune led him aboard Blood Admiral’s ship instead, where he openly said he was hunting Twilight Lieutenant General.

• Hobart paid Aputon for the Blessed’s study arrangements and custom train, chose Extraordinary Characteristics as Aputon’s compensation, and offered to process the Blessed’s spoils.
• Hobart moved construction materials into the Country of Disorder, identified the raided-tomb eyeballs as Sequence 5 auxiliary materials, and paid Klein the remaining 700 pounds.
• Edwina informed Hobart that Twilight Lieutenant General’s fleet had fought Blood Admiral’s fleet, so Hobart used travel to search for the weakened pirates.
• Hobart found an enormous fleet in a storm, dived underwater, and entered its flagship after its crew discovered him.
• Hobart learned the ship was Blood Admiral’s Flesh and Blood Tree Ship and told Blood Admiral that he wanted to hunt Twilight Lieutenant General.

Hobart fought Senior and the pirates aboard the Flesh and Blood Tree Ship, using the Oil Painting and Sealed Artifact "1-102" to turn the dining room battle against them. After killing Klarin and seizing him and Byrd as spoils, Hobart escaped the ship on a summoned Skeleton Horse.

• Senior gave Hobart a piece of wood linked to Bratov, then demanded 3,000 pounds for the untouched breakfast and used his crew and captive girls to intimidate him.
• Hobart attacked with the Oil Painting and unsealed "1-102," summoning Mirror World monsters that distracted and threatened Senior's crew.
• Hobart fought off the pirates' attacks as the Mirror World creatures seized Olied, Cesar, and Byrd, while Senior and Klarin pressed him in close combat.
• Hobart summoned Hunt to occupy Senior, then killed Klarin with his blade after using Charm and disrupted the Chief Sailor's attempt to reinforce the dining room.
• Hobart rescued Byrd by cutting off the leg trapped by a monster, grabbed the dying Klarin, and tried to escape with Travel, but Senior blocked him and attacked with a soul-piercing shriek.
• Hobart fled through the pirates on the storm-lashed deck, summoned a winged Skeleton Horse, and rode away from the Flesh and Blood Tree Ship.

Hobart escaped the Flesh and Blood Tree Ship with Maximilian’s help, sold Extraordinary Characteristics to the Sanguine, and used the proceeds to fund construction in Jeffrey Territory. The chapter ended with Steven and Sandora investigating the attack on the Judgment Group and realizing they faced the same unknown enemy as in Backlund.

• Hobart escaped the pursuing Chief Sailor on Maximilian, whose red flames caught the Storm Blessed, then traveled to Pontegal Island and finished off Byrd while Klarin was already dead.
• Hobart gave Hunt the Living Corpse Extraordinary Characteristic and let Maximilian take Byrd’s characteristic, then arranged through Alger to collect the 9,400-pound bounties for Klarin and Byrd.
• Hobart returned to Jeffrey Territory, prepared for the wedding with Doffis, and traveled to Backlund to sell seven Vampire, two Potion Professor, and one Crimson Scholar Extraordinary Characteristics to O'nes and Aiwen for 33,000 pounds.
• Hobart sacrificed the money to the Country of Disorder, bringing his gold reserves above 50,000 pounds, and considered inviting Princess Aishel to his wedding as a Blessed of the Creator.
• Steven and Sandora investigated the Balan Fisheries Company, found a taunting message, and concluded that the Judgment Group’s unknown enemy was likely the same one they had encountered in Backlund.

Hobart prepared for his wedding, confessed his feelings to Fors, and arranged a large self-funded print run of her new book. He then met Princess Aishel and invited her to the wedding, hoping her presence would lend the event prestige.

• Hobart prayed to the Goddess of the Night, received an explanation that his recent misfortunes had also been rewards, and got a letter and forty talismans from Edwina.
• Hobart handled several transactions, paid Edwina and Alger, helped prepare for Doffis's wedding, and received a visit from Bishop Simpson and two Druid Teams.
• Hobart confessed to Fors, and she accepted his feelings; they agreed to end their contract and marry, then discussed whom to invite.
• Hobart and Fors arranged to publish her book themselves, with Hobart ordering 60,000 copies and paying for printing and nationwide distribution.
• Hobart summoned Aishel and asked her to attend his wedding; Aishel realized he intended to use her royal status to expand the wedding's influence.

Klein exploited Kavetuva’s death to reach the Sea God’s underwater ruins, seize the God of the Sea Scepter, and recover several dangerous remains. The next morning, his Messenger delivered Hobart’s wedding invitation, revealing that Fors was the bride.

• Hobart persuaded Aishel to attend his wedding by presenting himself as an Attendant of God, and Aishel agreed.
• Hobart switched the five villas in Jeffrey Territory to Ming Style décor and began overseeing their designs.
• Klein divined that Kavetuva had nearly died, traveled to the Sea God’s underwater ruins, and found the dead serpent’s Extraordinary Characteristics gathering into a scepter.
• Klein fought the corrupted Sea God priest with the God of Death card and the Living Corpses, then wielded the scepter to strike the priest with lightning.
• Klein took the God of the Sea Scepter, Kavetuva’s lingering spirit in a stomach pouch, and three dangerous Extraordinary Characteristics before returning Above the Gray Fog.
• The Messenger delivered Hobart’s wedding invitation to Klein, who learned that Fors was the bride.

Hobart and Fors’s wedding invitations reached friends and acquaintances across Backlund, Tingen, and Pritz Harbor, prompting many of them to decide to attend despite Hobart’s reputation as a traitor. At the Tarot Club, the members welcomed Cattleya as the new Hermit, and she was startled to learn that Mr. Fool could read Roselle’s diary.

• Audrey, Thomas, Leonard, Barton, Benson, Utravsky, Ulysses, and Dorian each received Hobart and Fors’s wedding invitation, and many resolved to attend.
• Melissa worried that attending a traitor’s wedding could threaten Benson’s upcoming exam, but Benson insisted Hobart had not betrayed them.
• Emlyn declined Utravsky’s invitation to attend the wedding, while Ulysses eagerly agreed and asked Dominia about the bride.
• Hobart began the Tarot Club meeting and noticed Cattleya had joined as the Hermit.
• Audrey presented one page of Roselle’s diary, Fors presented three pages, and Derrick shared new legends of the Ancient Gods.
• Cattleya was shocked that Mr. Fool appeared able to read Roselle’s diary, and Audrey noticed her strong reaction.

Emlyn bought the Potion Professor characteristics and paid Hobart to learn who had betrayed Lilith, while Hobart explained his theory that the Harvest Goddess had done it to pursue the Moon pathway. The gathering ended with Hobart arranging to buy demigod-level materials and Alger recounting Kavetuva’s death, leaving Cattleya to suspect that the Fool had taken the Sea God’s place.

• Emlyn bought the Potion Professor characteristics from Hobart for 3000 pounds and spent another 3000 pounds on information about Lilith’s betrayal, with several Tarot Club members joining the transaction.
• Hobart said he suspected the Harvest Goddess had betrayed Lilith to pursue godhood through the Moon pathway, but he could not confirm what later happened to Her or reveal more about the gods’ dealings.
• The World asked about the Moon pathway’s Uniqueness being with the Goddess of the Night, and Hobart stopped the discussion, warning that the matter involved secrets among gods.
• During free trade, Hobart asked the members to find Black Mist Lord Tree sap, and Alger offered to help him obtain 20 milliliters.
• Alger described Laticia’s discovery of the Elven Ruins and Kavetuva’s death, prompting Cattleya to recall the Fool holding a scepter with a divine aura of the sea and storms.

At the Tarot Club, the members realized Mr. Fool was responding to Kavetuva’s believers, while The World sold remnants and Extraordinary Characteristics from Kavetuva to Emperor. The group then funded a transaction in which Emperor revealed that the Six Gods had joined forces to destroy the Solomon Empire and drive the True Creator into the Land Abandoned by God.

• Mr. Fool explained that Kavetuva had become a demigod through the relics of Goxinaim, leading several members to infer that Mr. Fool had taken over Kavetuva’s authority.
• The World privately offered Emperor and Hermit Kavetuva’s spirit remnants and three corrupted Sailor pathway Extraordinary Characteristics, and Emperor agreed to buy them.
• The World asked Emperor for information about the Fourth Epoch empires, and Audrey, Alger, Emlyn, Fors, Derrick, and Cattleya joined the funded transaction.
• Emperor explained that Solomon became the Black Emperor with support from the True Creator and Redemption Rose, whose known members included Uroboros and Medici.
• Emperor revealed that the Six Gods, excluding the God of Steam and Machinery, undermined the Solomon Empire, caused Solomon’s fall, and drove the True Creator back into the Land Abandoned by God.

Hobart explained how the Six Gods allied against Solomon and the True Creator, revealing that betrayal, rival pathways, and the factions’ growing power drove the conflict. He then began the history of the Solomon Second Empire, saying Solomon revived after the First Empire fell and founded it himself.

• Cattleya asked why Tudor and Trensoost betrayed Solomon, and Hobart said the Six Gods promised each of them a Sequence 1 Black Emperor characteristic.
• Hobart revealed that he was a Trensoost descendant and said detailed information about the Blood Emperor and the Trensoost Empire would cost 5,000 pounds.
• Hobart explained that distrust and conflicts between Adjacent Pathways divided the Six Gods, while the True Creator and Solomon’s powerful Angel allies threatened their position.
• Alger asked whether a Shepherd could shepherd gods, and Hobart conjectured that it might be possible but would carry immense risks and allow a revived god to become the Shepherd’s enemy.
• Hobart said the Six Gods united against the True Creator after Solomon’s faction backed the Nether Emperor’s Balam Kingdom, and that believers were another reason for their conflict.
• Hobart said Solomon revived after the First Empire fell and established the Solomon Second Empire, shocking Cattleya.

At the Tarot Club, Hobart revealed that Solomon had revived and explained the coordinated attacks on the Blood Admiral’s forces, while World admitted to carrying out the Bayam hunt. After the meeting, Cattleya reported her suspicions, Klein considered using Red-Haired Irene’s identity to reach Tracy, and Audrey struggled with her feelings as a wedding approached.

• Hobart said Solomon had revived before the Six Gods backed other emperors and the Second Empire fell, and he offered further intelligence about the Tudor and Trensoost Empires.
• Cattleya described the attacks on the Blood Admiral’s crew, and Hobart admitted he had hunted the Third Mate and the captain of the third ship because they belonged to the Rose School.
• Hobart said the Bayam hunt had been a coincidence, and World admitted he had carried it out for the same reason; World then showed the Tarot Club a portrait that Cattleya identified as Red-Haired Irene.
• After the gathering, Cattleya decided to seek intelligence from Hobart and sent a letter reporting that someone was collecting Rosell’s diaries and that the Black Emperor might be able to revive.
• Klein considered disguising himself as Red-Haired Irene to get close to Vice Admiral of Disease Tracy, but hesitated over cross-dressing.
• At Earl Hall’s estate, Audrey wondered whether she had feelings beyond friendship for him and told Susie she had never expected to be like other girls.

Hobart separated and refined Extraordinary Characteristics, then used Kavetuva’s stomach pouch to create the Overturning Sea Great Saint. He brought the Balk Family’s young members to Connat for study and unveiled Jeffrey Territory’s new train, leaving its residents to ride through the town’s expanding districts.

• Hobart separated the Extraordinary Characteristics into usable portions and transformed Kavetuva’s stomach pouch into the Overturning Sea Great Saint.
• Hobart sent thirty-six young members of the Balk Family through the Spirit World to Connat, where Aputon prepared them for a month of study at factories.
• Hobart showed Fors and Donna the train delivered to Jeffrey Town and announced free rides for residents during its first three months.
• Hobart, Fors, Donna, and the townspeople rode the train as Hobart pointed out the completed station area, renovated old district, and expanding new district.

Hobart toured the developing territory with Fors, received Beyonder Weapons as a wedding gift, and welcomed his parents to Jeffrey Town. Christine then showed him Rex’s hidden inheritance, including a vast fortune, law firm proceeds, and a Fallen Earl Extraordinary Characteristic.

• Hobart showed Fors and Donna the train route, Full Moon Lake, and the town’s developing resort and auction districts.
• Hobart received a letter from Jessica containing two Beyonder Weapons made by Kelly as a wedding gift, along with news that the materials could produce weapons far more efficiently than expected.
• Three days before the wedding, Christine, Monlisa, and Tyrone arrived in Jeffrey Town, where Hobart and Donna welcomed them and Fors received a gemstone necklace from Monlisa.
• Christine took Hobart through the Spirit World to a hidden cave in the Balchis Mountain Range and revealed Rex’s inheritance of gold, gemstones, valuables, and law firm shares worth hundreds of thousands of Pounds.
• Christine gave Hobart a Black Crystal containing the Fallen Earl Extraordinary Characteristic, which Rex had left for him to receive upon reaching Sequence 5.

Hobart received Rex’s inheritance and learned about his path to becoming a demigod, while preparing to protect his territory amid warnings of coming trouble. As his wedding guests arrived, Princess Aishe attended with a fleet and hinted that Hobart’s investments had drawn dangerous envy.

• Christine gave Hobart Sequence 4 Extraordinary Characteristics, Rex’s clues for finding Sequence 3 ingredients, and an account of Rex’s Arthur Great Lawyer identity and advancement ritual.
• Christine told Hobart to prepare for a major event in Feneport City and warned that they might have to abandon their current title; she also gave him the Law Firm’s earnings and three Mystical Items.
• Hobart inspected the money and gifts, kept the funds as reserves, reconsidered how to secure his territory, and brought Selena to Jeffrey Territory to live with Freya.
• Princess Aishe arrived in Jeffrey Territory with three warships, and Hobart explained that his inspected guards were a security force rather than a private army.
• Aishe warned Hobart that people envied his investments and urged him to protect his assets; Christine then explained Aishe’s royal position and her place in the succession dispute.
• Hobart continued receiving wedding guests, and Jeffrey Town filled with nobles, tycoons, and their entourages.

Hobart collected Klein and Azzik before they confronted Tracy and Katerina aboard the Black Death over documents related to the God of Death. Katerina agreed to copy the documents, while Hobart asked about the Red Priest pathway’s Uniqueness and concealed the origin of his mask.

• Hobart welcomed Demigod Darnell to the Lord's Manor and spent the evening with Fors before setting out to find Klein.
• Hobart found Klein dressed in women's clothing, then brought him to a hotel where Azzik soon joined them.
• Klein explained his investigation into the God of Death documents and his attempt to assassinate Tracy, and Hobart joined Klein and Azzik as they traveled to the Black Death.
• Klein confronted Tracy about the documents and Irene, while Katerina agreed to make Azzik a copy of the documents.
• Hobart asked Katerina whether the Primordial Witch had obtained the Red Priest pathway’s Uniqueness, then claimed his mask was a family inheritance.

Hobart and Fors held their wedding at the Lord's Manor, bringing together friends and guests from Backlund and Fenebote. After the ceremony, the celebrations began with a cake-cutting contest, and the chapter ended as the bride and groom prepared to compete for the knife.

• Azzik gave Hobart a mark that let him enter the Underworld and command or repel some Undead, then left to sleep.
• Hobart and Klein arranged for guests from Backlund to travel through a Traveler's Gate from an abandoned factory to the Lord's Manor, where Selena and Freya helped receive them.
• Klein recognized Melissa and Benson among the guests, while Audrey, Princess Aishe, and many of Hobart's other friends and associates also arrived.
• Hobart walked Fors down the aisle, where Bishop Simpson blessed them, they exchanged rings, and Hobart kissed his bride.
• Princess Aishe delivered Fernando II's blessing and announced that the king had granted Hobart the former Wright Viscount's territory; Hobart praised the king and led the guests in chanting slogans.
• Hobart and Fors began Fenebote's cake-cutting contest, in which they and their attendants would try to remove each other's shoes to win the knife.

Hobart and Fors celebrated their wedding in Jeffrey Territory, then hosted nobles and tycoons for an Extraordinary auction in the back mountain. The first item sold for 3,800 Gold Lire, while Klein watched Hobart’s success with envy.

• Hobart and Fors celebrated their wedding with a cake fight, a village train tour, and a lively dance before spending their first night together.
• Hobart and Fors woke together, and Hobart showed Fors how to attune her spirituality to the Sealed Artifact in their bedroom.
• Hobart entertained the nobles, discussed Jeffrey Territory with Aishel, and told reporters about his Youth Hostel and support for art students.
• Hobart completed transactions with Alger and Little Sun, then brought Fors and Donna to the back mountain for the Extraordinary auction.
• Hobart opened the auction by selling Kelly’s Beyonder crossbow for 3,800 Gold Lire, while Klein watched from the audience and envied the proceeds.

Hobart’s auction house earned a fortune from rare Beyonder goods and launched regular auctions and private trades, establishing a promising economic pillar for Jeffrey Territory. After Klein returned to Bayam, Darnell negotiated with Hobart over Arbiter pathway characteristics, and Hobart offered set prices and a smaller supply than before.

• Hobart auctioned an Interrogator Extraordinary Characteristic for 8,000 Gold Lire and a Mystical Item bracelet for 23,000 Gold Lire, with Aishel driving both prices higher.
• Hobart announced a schedule of monthly auctions and began a free-trade gathering, where he offered requested materials, recipes, and answers to Extraordinary questions.
• Hobart returned Klein to Bayam, then met with Darnell, who apologized for Bunier’s earlier behavior and renewed the Tudor Family’s deal for Arbiter pathway characteristics.
• Hobart kept the earlier basic prices, with higher prices for Middle Sequence characteristics, but limited the offer to twelve Arbiters, ten Sheriffs, two Interrogators, two Judges, and one Punishment Knight.

Hobart completed another sale of Arbiter pathway characteristics, expanded his plans for Jeffrey Territory, and faced Princess Aishe’s warning against auctioning higher-Sequence characteristics. After exploring the Oil Painting’s dream with Fors, he prepared to face the demonic wolf alone, keeping the Country of Disorder’s secrets from her.

• Hobart sold Darnell a batch of Arbiter pathway Extraordinary Characteristics for 52,800 Gold Lire and discussed the territory’s future income and tourism plans with Fors.
• Hobart completed the next-morning transaction with Darnell, gave Philip funds for construction materials, and saw guests off at the dock.
• Princess Aishe warned Hobart not to auction Middle Sequence or higher Arbiter characteristics, but agreed to buy his Judge characteristic for 8,000 Gold Lire.
• Hobart took his family on a scenic train ride, and Christine said she would leave the next day with Monlisa and Tyrone.
• Hobart brought Fors into the Oil Painting’s dream, extracted spirituality from the demonic wolf Wooden Figure, then sent her to rest before confronting it alone.

Hobart hunted down the Mist Demon Wolf, Archibald, and made it his servant after learning it knew the location of the City of Yadro. Back at his territory, Hobart prepared to attack the Demons across the lake, advanced Shier’s Hunter training, and began arranging further plans for his domain.

• Hobart tracked the Mist Demon Wolf with its spirituality and used the Overturning Sea Great Saint to capture it in the mountains near Bokelon Manor.
• The Mist Demon Wolf revealed that it had found the City of Yadro and a bottle of white mist there, and Hobart absorbed much of its contamination before ordering it to serve as his attendant.
• Hobart took Archibald to his territory and ordered it to remain obedient while he assessed its loyalty and prepared to investigate the City of Yadro.
• Hobart, Bishop Simpson, Helen, and Angus agreed to march against the Demons across the lake the next morning, and Hobart sent them a challenge through Viscount Teuton.
• Hobart confirmed that Shier had digested his Hunter Potion and promised him the next Sequence’s Potion after he helped select promising soldiers for the guard unit.
• Hobart ordered Corwin to inspect spring plowing and recruit aspiring doctors, then went to Backlund to buy Shier’s potion materials before the Tarot Club began.