Chapter Summaries

At the royal ball, Hobart accepted Duchess Georgina’s offer to become deputy director of Military Intelligence Section 9 and learned that Princess Alice hoped he could help her contact the Creator. He began work two days later and met Operations Department director Chunas Kolger.

• Hobart attended the royal ball, where Duchess Georgina recruited him to Military Intelligence Section 9 as deputy director and arranged for him to start work the day after tomorrow.
• Hobart danced with Princess Alice, who revealed that she had helped arrange his position and asked him to help her receive a response from the Creator; he said the matter depended on the Creator’s will.
• Hobart danced with Audrey, who warned him that noble families hoped he would remarry to strengthen their status, and he told her about joining Military Intelligence Section 9.
• Hobart told Tyrone about Georgina’s offer and Alice’s favor, while Monlisa and Christine discussed his new post and the Royal Family’s interest in him.
• Hobart reviewed documents about Longtail Island and, on Wednesday morning, arrived at Military Intelligence Section 9, where he met Operations Department director Chunas Kolger.

Hobart investigated Longtail Island’s history and present conditions while beginning his work at Military Intelligence Section 9, then took Audrey to Backlund’s Night Market in disguise. The outing helped Audrey discover the lives of ordinary people and gave Hobart hope that everyday experiences could preserve his humanity.

• Hobart reviewed Military Intelligence Section 9’s files on Longtail Island and learned that the Royal Family suspected Megli, the Mountain God, was an angel of the Lawyer pathway who had empowered an indigenous king through a wooden crown.
• Hobart visited Longtail Island and saw the harsh colonial treatment of indigenous people, then visited South Colson, where Conrad reported that the Madmen were difficult to control.
• Hobart collected two Mystical Items from Wen Shidun and gave Audrey a shape-changing bracelet in exchange for 5,000 pounds.
• Audrey asked Hobart to take her to the Night Market, and they planned to slip away from the ball in disguise after discussing the security around her family’s home.
• Hobart helped Audrey disguise herself as Annie, and they explored the Night Market, sampling food and browsing stalls while Audrey experienced ordinary life beyond noble society.
• Hobart asked Audrey not to give up on him if he became cold and lost his human warmth, and Audrey promised she would not; they bought pulled pork for Susie before leaving.

Hobart settled into Military Intelligence Section 9, accepted a role in its ransom scheme, and invested in Isaac’s new plastic material while helping Norma seek her family’s release. A letter from Lafite revealed that the Tony Family worshipped the Mist of Uncertainty and that Lafite had been parasitized by one of Amon’s avatars, prompting the Messenger to propose a hunt.

• Audrey worried about Hobart’s concern for her, while Hobart declined most invitations and agreed to attend a banquet with Elizabeth.
• Chunas invited Hobart to join the East Balam Veteran Officers Club, and Byron asked him to mediate Lord Bradley’s case; Hobart recognized the request as a test and agreed to participate.
• Hobart invested eight thousand pounds in Isaac’s patent for a soybean-oil material and directed Gena to research hard and soft plastics.
• Hobart promised Norma he would discuss her father’s and brother’s case with Byron, then received Lafite’s letter about the Tony Family’s worship of the Mist of Uncertainty and its Marauder pathway Sealed Artifact.
• The Messenger told Hobart that Lafite had been parasitized by an Amon avatar and proposed hunting it for six Time Worms; Hobart postponed his decision and entered the Country of Disorder to recover his sealed memories about Amon.

Hobart joined forces with Beverly, Raymond, and the Tony Family to hunt the Amon avatar infiltrating Tony Manor, exposing it as the impostor who had replaced Valentine. After Hobart trapped the manor in a hidden space and Raymond attacked, two more Amon avatars appeared, revealing that the hunt was far from over.

• Hobart agreed to help the Messenger hunt Amon's avatar in exchange for three future fights, then established a spiritual contract with her and prepared Sealed Artifacts.
• Hobart used the Goddess of the Night's blessing to enhance a fruit-shaped Sealed Artifact and instructed Lafite to keep praying, which helped remove the Time Worm parasitizing him.
• Hobart met Osmon, confirmed that Amon's avatar had infiltrated Tony Manor, and gained the support of the angel Raymond and the demigod Valentine.
• Hobart exposed Valentine as Amon's avatar by questioning his reactions and testing his supposed plan, then summoned Beverly and blocked Amon's attack with the Order Crystal.
• Hobart used the Secrecy Fruit to hide Tony Manor and escaped with Lafite while Raymond attacked Amon's avatar.
• Two more Amon avatars appeared on a rooftop and warned Hobart that Amon's avatars never acted alone.

Hobart and his allies fought Amon’s avatars across Tony Manor, while Beverly and Raymond battled another avatar. Hobart helped the Holy Infant King defeat the Angel-level avatar, and the surviving Amon avatars were killed or driven off.

• Beverly and Raymond attacked Amon’s avatar together, but it exposed their fatal injuries and revealed that another Angel-level avatar was pursuing Hobart.
• Hobart used the Order Crystal barrier to enter the Country of Disorder, then projected his power and allies into the Secrecy World while Amon’s avatars sowed confusion among Tony Manor’s defenders.
• Beverly and Raymond recovered their strength beneath the Order Wood and renewed their assault as Hobart summoned the Holy Infant King and fought the Angel-level avatar alongside it.
• Hobart used the Sealed Artifacts 1-108 and 1-105 to kill several Amon avatars, while the Overturning Sea Great Saint and its allies ambushed and captured the fleeing avatars.
• The Holy Infant King weakened the Angel-level avatar, and Hobart helped restrain it until the Holy Infant King destroyed it; Hobart said it had to die because it knew too much.

Hobart and the Creator’s forces defeated Amon’s avatars at Tony Manor, where Hobart learned that the Mist of Uncertainty had bestowed permanent abilities on the family’s believers. He left Tony Manor allied with the Tudors and began assessing the Bestowed, whose powers appeared stable but whose new gifts had made them eager for conquest.

• Hobart restrained his urge to kill Osmon and Lafite, returned to the real world, and ordered Osmon to gather the Time Worms from the manor.
• Beverly and Raymond discussed the black-armored figure, their hope of restoring the Tudor Family, and the importance of staying close to Hobart and the Creator.
• Hobart questioned the Tudors about the Mist of Uncertainty, then distributed the sixty-eight captured Time Worms among the Goddess of the Night, the participants, and the Creator’s forces.
• Osmon agreed to keep Lafite at Tony Manor as a liaison, and Hobart warned him against using the Marauder Sealed Artifact carelessly before learning that young family members had received gifts from the Mist of Uncertainty.
• Hobart tested the Bestowed and discovered that Amon’s avatar might have stolen one recipient’s Bewitchment ability; he found no signs of madness, but learned the gifts had fueled the group’s ambition to conquer and rule more territory.

Hobart accepted a palace protection assignment and saved Princess Alice from a curse during her visit with the Queen, discovering that the attack was tied to her investigation into Edessak. The visit continued despite the assassination attempt, and Hobart noticed an evil force surrounding Duke Bowen.

• Hobart advised Osmon to stop supporting further bestowals while monitoring the Bestowed, then returned home and considered the risks posed by Amon and the Mist of Uncertainty.
• Hobart learned that Georgina had assigned him to protect the Queen, while he and Byron arranged Lord Bradley and his son's release in exchange for 30,000 Pounds.
• Hobart joined the Eastern Baylam Veterans Club, rested with Fors, and missed the Tarot Club after asking the Fool for leave.
• Hobart took over palace protection and rode with the Queen and Princess Alice to visit Duke Bowen.
• When a curse struck Alice in the carriage, Hobart found the cursed leg ring, transferred most of the curse to the canary, and learned that Edessak had given Alice the ring.
• Alice agreed to stop investigating Edessak's affairs, but the party continued to Duke Bowen's estate, where Hobart sensed an evil force around the Duke's spirit body.

Hobart investigated Duke Bowen’s suspected curse at the Queen’s request, then protected Alice during a Witch’s assassination attempt. After meeting George III and suspecting the King’s previous public appearances had been substitutes, Hobart was assigned to remain with Alice.

• The Queen asked Hobart to investigate whether Duke Bowen had truly been cursed and promised him advancement and royal support for Longtail Island if he made a breakthrough.
• A Witch attacked the Queen’s carriage, but Hobart protected Alice and drove the assassin away after the attack was disrupted.
• The Queen took Alice and Hobart to meet George III, who questioned Hobart about the assassinations and promised to find the culprit.
• Hobart suspected that the George III he had met before might have been a substitute rather than the real King.
• Alice asked Hobart to protect her and learn more about the Witch, and she invited him to dine in her private dining room.

Hobart spent the day protecting Princess Alice, who confided her findings about Edessak’s death and accepted his advice to pause her investigation. After completing his assignment at Earl Vincent’s ball, Hobart confronted Georgina about the Queen’s role in his transfer, then found himself facing questions from Audrey about arriving with Alice.

• At lunch, Alice asked Hobart about his rescue, the Demoness Church, and the assassination attempt, while Hobart avoided commenting on Edessak’s case.
• During a private walk, Alice revealed that the Demoness Church had moved slaves into Backlund, that Triss might still be alive, and that the Royal Family was cooperating with the Demoness Church and the Aurora Society.
• Alice told Hobart she wanted someone to know her findings in case she died, and Hobart advised her to stop investigating temporarily; Alice praised him as a potential adviser.
• Hobart and Alice attended Earl Vincent’s ball together, where their dancing and arrival in the same carriage sparked speculation among the Nobles.
• Hobart handed Clement the button and talisman, then used a staged wine spill to get Georgina alone and challenged her for withholding the Queen’s role in his transfer.
• After joining Audrey and Glaint, Hobart confirmed he had arrived with Alice but worried that confidentiality rules left him unable to explain why.

Hobart arranged trade and military cooperation, received a powerful new sword, and welcomed Azzik to tour Jeffrey City. The chapter also showed Selena and Freya returning to support their families, while Hobart’s tour highlighted the territory’s growth and agricultural plans.

• Earl Vincent approached Hobart at the ball after learning how Carl had benefited from Hobart’s official training system.
• Selena returned to her family in Tingen, gave Chris 30 pounds toward his wedding, and described her new life in Backlund.
• Freya reunited with Daisy, brought her clothes and food, and promised to pay her lodging fees.
• Hobart completed arms and steam-engine transactions, recruited an Extraordinary squad from the Balk Family, and received a transforming sword from Wen Shidun.
• Hobart used the sword and Azzik’s mark to open a fissure into the Underworld, then later welcomed Azzik and toured Jeffrey City with him.
• Hobart showed Azzik the planned New District and the wheat fields and vegetable plantations, explaining his plans to grow the city and expand agriculture.

Hobart showed Azik South Colson’s development plans and discussed how engaging with ordinary life could help Beyonders retain their humanity. After confiding his fears about growing colder to Fors and promising to support her growth, Hobart prepared for their Blood Moon experiment in the Country of Disorder.

• Hobart toured South Colson with Azik, describing plans for industry, entertainment, roads, bridges, railways, and land reform.
• Hobart and Azik discussed public investment, the Acting Method, and how integrating into ordinary life could help resist spiritual coldness.
• At dinner, Azik met Fors, then departed through the Spirit World; afterward, Fors told Hobart about the Life Toxin Bottle, and Hobart disguised his knowledge by claiming Christine was his adoptive father and Rex Trensoost his biological father.
• Hobart told Fors that his empathy had declined since reaching Sequence 4 and asked her to help him stay connected to the real world; Fors vowed to grow stronger and protect him.
• Hobart checked the laboratory’s progress, learned that a tungsten filament light bulb was nearly ready, and considered asking the Tarot Club for help with plastic research.
• On Sunday night, Hobart saw the Blood Moon, remembered his agreement with Fors to conduct an experiment, and entered the Country of Disorder.

Hobart used Distortion and Chaos to shield Fors from the Blood Moon’s whispers, then rewarded her with the Teleport Stone Statue and invited her to help take over Longtail Island. At the Tarot Club, Cattleya sought a way to contact Mr. Door, while Hobart warned her against pursuing the dangerous connection, and the meeting ended with Hobart offering three Time Worms for a way to gain temporary good luck.

• Fors prayed to the Creator during the Blood Moon, and Hobart distorted the connection between her and the Moon until the whispers stopped.
• Hobart gave Fors the Teleport Stone Statue and asked her to accompany him to Longtail Island and hold the fort there.
• Georgina told Hobart he would have a protection mission at the beginning of the next month, and he inferred it would involve members of the Royal Family meeting the Feneport Royal Family in Masi.
• Audrey realized Fors knew Hobart was Emperor and felt upset that their secret was no longer hers alone.
• Cattleya asked about Rosell and the Blasphemy Slate, then sought Abraham Family descendants who could help her contact Mr. Door; Hobart warned her that contact could bring corruption.
• Audrey asked for leads on Psychedelic Wind Chime Tree fruits, and Hobart asked about the School of Life and offered three Time Worms for a way to gain temporary good luck.

At the Tarot Club, Hobart explained the tangled history of the Moon pathway, revealing that the Original Moon and the Desire Mother Tree were connected to its conflicts and that the latter had obtained a Sequence 1 characteristic. He then warned the members that Gods Above the Gods dwelled in the starry sky, leaving them with a new precaution against corruption.

• Hobart revealed that the Time Worms he offered as payment came from Amon's avatars and warned Derrick to flee and pray to Mr. Fool if he encountered one.
• Derrick asked for advice on choosing a Sealed Artifact as a Notary, and Emlyn showed the members a dangerous Moon Envoy puppet from an Original Moon Believer.
• Hobart described the Moon pathway's divided influences, saying Lilith had apparently survived in some way, the Original Moon occupied the Crimson Moon, and the Desire Mother Tree interfered with the Original Moon.
• Hobart explained that the Desire Mother Tree had obtained a Moon pathway Sequence 1 characteristic from Torzna, who sacrificed it after Lilith fell, and said this helped explain the Original Moon Believers' conflicts and ties to the Rose School.
• Alger reported that a mountain near Bayam had been cut in half during the recent battle, and Hobart confirmed it was an aftermath of that fight.
• Hobart charged the members 1000 Pounds for precautions against Gods Above the Gods and warned them not to gaze casually at the starry sky.

Hobart warned the Tarot Club about dangers from the starry sky and shared intelligence about the Antigonus Family, Mr. Door, and the Original Moon. After the gathering, Klein asked Will Auceptin about a temporary good-luck deal, and Will named two Time Worms as the offered price.

• Hobart warned the members not to gaze at the stars, answer unknown calls, trust violent organizations, or underestimate abilities bestowed by Gods Above the Gods.
• Five Tarot Club members paid Hobart for intelligence about the Antigonus Family, Mr. Door, and the Original Moon.
• Hobart recounted how Spike Antigonus followed a call into the starry sky, encountered the Original Moon, and returned as its corrupted believer.
• Klein ended the gathering, performed the members’ sacrifices and Bestowal Rituals, then sent Will Auceptin questions on a fragile paper crane.
• Will Auceptin asked what Klein’s friend had offered for temporary good luck, and Klein said two Time Worms.

Hobart secured the churches’ approval for an Earth Mother Church presence on Longtail Island, then arrived to take control of the island and replace its administration. Yanis lost his position as governor as Hobart’s officials and soldiers began the handover and prepared to reorganize the territory.

• Hobart donated a Gravedigger Extraordinary Characteristic to the Goddess of the Night Church and received Archbishop Anthony’s permission to establish an Earth Mother Church cathedral on Longtail Island.
• Hobart donated a Storm Blessed Extraordinary Characteristic to the Church of Storms, which agreed to allow one Earth Mother Church cathedral under restrictions on its size, clergy, and preaching.
• Hobart attended an earl’s ball in informal clothes after his work at Military Intelligence Section 9 delayed him.
• Angus arrived at the Governor’s Office and told Yanis that Hobart and his officials would soon take over Longtail Island.
• Hobart’s soldiers dismissed the existing Governor’s Office staff, while Conrad and Angus organized the handover of civilian and confidential records.
• Hobart told Yanis that all industries on Longtail Island would pay taxes under Loen Kingdom law, while Yanis accepted that he was leaving his post.

Hobart used a banquet on Longtail Island to secure rubber and ore supplies while preparing factories and reshaping the island’s administration, then unveiled electric lighting at his Backlund ball. The chapter ended with Fors returning to South Colson and meeting a tourist named Spike, whose name she recognized.

• Fors used Hobart’s documents to expose wanted criminals among the Governor’s Office staff, and most of them fled.
• Hobart inspected Longtail Island, outlined plans for factories and new governance, and invited its plantation and mine owners to a banquet.
• Hobart arranged advances for rubber and ore, hired Bishop Jody to improve rubber yields, and assigned Freya responsibility for port security.
• At his Backlund ball, Hobart switched on the Earl’s Light, astonishing the guests with bright, steady electric bulbs.
• Hobart discussed Elizabeth’s university application with Lord Atwood, while the nobles recognized the business potential of electric lighting.
• Fors returned to South Colson the next morning and met a tourist named Spike, whose name seemed familiar to her.

April revealed to Hobart that she was his birth mother and warned him that she might face Loss of Control, while Hobart gave her an Order Crystal pendant to help protect her. Later, Hobart negotiated the Gnostic Society’s allegiance to the Creator and secretly took Audrey out for a night at the Night Market and a rented villa.

• Fors encountered Spike, whom she suspected was the contaminated angel Spike Antigonus, but Lady April took her away and warned her that he was dangerous.
• April told Hobart that she was his birth mother, gave him a bracelet containing her research into reviving his father, and said she might suffer Loss of Control during an approaching trial.
• Hobart gave April an Order Crystal pendant for protection, called her “Mother,” and saw her leave with her condition apparently improved.
• Hobart agreed with Jonathan on terms for the Gnostic Society to serve the Creator and prepare to act against the Demoness Church during the next Blood Moon.
• Hobart secretly joined Audrey after her mother left, and they traveled from the Night Market to a rented suburban villa to prepare a late-night meal.

Hobart shared a barbecue with Audrey, discussed their futures, and later traveled to Longtail Island, where he defeated a pirate attack and gained the residents’ support. He then returned to Backlund and departed for Masi with the royal delegation, discovering that Princess Alice was traveling with them.

• Hobart grilled meat for Audrey, told her about his plans to establish a country in the Southern Continent, and agreed to let her observe future Beyonder battles.
• Audrey admitted to Susie that Hobart had made her realize how little she had considered her future.
• Hobart received orders to join Loen’s royal delegation to Masi, where a demigod from the Fosac Empire might try to sabotage the exchange.
• Hobart visited Longtail Island, arranged to buy rubber, inspected its development, and toured the island with Fors and Donna.
• Pirates bombarded Longtail Island, but Hobart killed their leaders and forced the remaining pirates to surrender; he promised compensation for the damage and casualties.
• Hobart returned to Backlund and boarded the train to Masi, where he found Princess Alice among the delegation.

Hobart protected the Loen royal delegation during its exchange visit to Masi, survived a probing attack, and met Princess Aishe, who sought his help with the Castile Family’s interest in the Creator. As the delegations competed and discussed dividing Lenburg, Hobart sensed danger from an actor portraying Rosell during a performance.

• Hobart protected the train from an ambush by Bolunov’s forces as it crossed into Masi, while Leikemengte drove off the attacking demigod.
• Hobart received a secret note from Aishe, danced with her and Alice at the ball, and met Aishe at Teboni Square that night.
• Aishe asked Hobart to convey that members of the Castile Family wanted to believe in the Creator, and warned him that the Intis Republic and Fosac Empire planned to disrupt the exchange.
• Hobart learned that Loen and Feneport were negotiating how to divide Lenburg, while their royal members competed in activities during the visit.
• At a masquerade performance, Hobart sensed danger coming from an actor dressed as Rosell.

Hobart and Alice escaped the theater and evaded their pursuers while disguising themselves and traveling toward Masi. After the Ancient Scholar caught up with them aboard a train, Hobart broke through the marionettes pursuing them and fled with Alice.

• Hobart recognized that the actor playing Rosell was dangerous, escaped the theater with Alice, and learned that the actor had trapped them in a game while releasing the others.
• Hobart and Alice left the theater in Ludehi Town, disguised themselves as drunkards, and escaped the pursuers by running through the wilderness and boarding trains in the opposite direction from Backlund.
• Alice chose to continue toward Masi rather than return to Backlund, and Hobart and Alice traveled in disguises while evading the pursuing demigods.
• Hobart and Alice boarded a train bound for Masi, where the Ancient Scholar confronted them after disguising the other passengers as himself.
• Hobart stabbed a Historical Projection, then carried Alice through the train window and fought off pursuing marionettes with his sword and a rift to the Underworld.
• The Ancient Scholar arrived after Hobart escaped and noted that Hobart had several powerful items.