Chapter Summaries

Hobart helped Bob pursue compensation and arranged for him to stay at the Night Church poorhouse. Christine then brought Hobart into Jacob Otto’s excavation team, where he found a warning in a Fourth Epoch ruin signed by his father, Rex Heller.

• Hobart rejected the defendant’s lawyer’s offer of 200 pounds and demanded 1,000 pounds for Bob.
• Hobart asked Daly to take Bob to the Night Church poorhouse so he would stay alive, then handed him over to her.
• Christine told Hobart that Jacob Otto’s team had found a genuine Fourth Epoch ruin and asked him to join the expedition with Doffis.
• Hobart and Doffis traveled to the excavation camp, where Jacob welcomed them and showed them the ruins.
• Hobart saw a warning about rabbits on an inner wall, signed by Rex Heller.

Mr. Hobart explored a preserved underground ruin with Jacob and Doffis, where clues connected the site to the Trensoost Family. Back at camp, he accepted a criminal case that could help him digest his Lawyer Potion.

• Jacob showed Mr. Hobart the ruin's warning about rabbits and explained that two team members had died exploring the underground section.
• Mr. Hobart recognized the black crown emblem as belonging to the Trensoost Family and discussed the family's possible ties to the Tudor Family with Doffis.
• The group returned to camp, where Mr. Hobart ate lunch and prepared to travel back to Backlund.
• Jacob introduced Dailun, who asked Mr. Hobart to help his friend Bill, who faced drunk-driving charges after colliding with another boat on the Tasok River.
• Mr. Hobart welcomed the case because he believed it would help him fully digest his Lawyer Potion.

Hobart gained a new client through Mr. Barton’s recommendation and prepared to defend Bruce Kent against charges of explosion and attempted murder. After investigating the case, Hobart arrived at Backlund Court for the Saturday trial, where both families and Fors had gathered.

• Dailun asked Hobart to defend Bill in a river-navigation case, and Hobart gave him the Law Firm’s address.
• Mrs. Kent, introduced by Mr. Barton’s butler, asked Hobart to defend her son Bruce, who had thrown an unlit homemade bomb into his former father-in-law’s yard.
• Hobart reviewed the indictment, accepted the case, and secured Mrs. Kent’s authorization to represent Bruce.
• Hobart visited Bruce in Minsk Prison on Friday to learn about the bomb and prepare his defense.
• Hobart arrived early at Backlund Court on Saturday, where the Kent and Huai En Te families gathered, and Fors came to take notes.

Hobart defended Bruce against charges of explosion and intentional murder, arguing that the mock bomb could not explode and that Bruce lacked intent to kill. The court rejected both major charges, sentenced Bruce to a fine and three months’ detention, and Hobart fully digested his Lawyer Potion.

• The prosecutor accused Bruce of throwing explosives into Huai En Te's yard and endangering the family and their neighbors.
• Hobart argued that the bomb could not explode, the fuse was ineffective, and Bruce had never lit it.
• The prosecutor shifted to intentional murder, but Hobart argued that Bruce had taken no effective action to kill anyone and had only committed an offense involving dangerous items.
• Hobart's defense persuaded the Judge to dismiss the explosion and intentional murder charges and sentence Bruce to a 30-pound fine and three months’ detention.
• Huai En Te demanded an appeal as the Judge left, while Hobart experienced a spiritual sublimation and fully digested the Lawyer Potion.

Hobart’s legal work helped him fully digest the Lawyer potion, and he discussed the role of law with Fors after Bruce’s trial. He told Christine he was ready to advance to Sequence 8, but Christine warned him about the difficulty of finding the recipe and materials and reminded him of his curse.

• Bruce thanked Hobart after his trial, then went to prison to serve his three-month sentence.
• Fors asked Hobart whether Bruce’s punishment was inappropriate, and Hobart explained why law had to rely on shared rules rather than personal moral judgments.
• Mr. Sean and Mrs. Kent paid Hobart their commission fees, and Dailun brought Bill’s wife to hire him to defend Bill.
• Hobart told Christine that he had fully digested the Lawyer potion, and Christine confirmed it after testing him.
• Hobart said he wanted to advance to Sequence 8, and Christine warned him about the difficulty of obtaining the potion recipe and materials and reminded him of his curse.

Hobart chose to advance despite the Heller Family curse, and Christine prepared and gave him the Sequence 8 Barbarian Potion. After enduring its painful effects, Hobart discovered his new abilities and wondered how to act as a Barbarian.

• Hobart decided to consume the Barbarian Potion soon so he could grow stronger and investigate the family curse.
• Christine warned Hobart to wait before advancing to Sequence 7 and promised to reveal secrets of the Heller Family after he Digested the Potion.
• Christine mixed the Barbarian Potion, and Hobart drank it, enduring intense pain and palpitations as his body changed.
• Hobart tested his new abilities, including stronger mental powers and a rational Berserk State that greatly increased his strength.
• Hobart considered how to act as a Barbarian and wondered what the Barbarian and Lawyer sequences had in common.

After advancing, Hobart explored the changes to the Country of Disorder, discovered a new Mystical Item, and prepared it as a walking stick. At a Beyonder Gathering, he recognized a Nightmare Heart Candle and decided it was time to make trouble.

• Hobart found that his spirituality and control over the Country of Disorder had increased, though the young man trapped in the pool had also become clearer and seemed more substantial.
• Hobart discovered that branches from a forest in the Country of Disorder could become one-use Order Wood, which could manipulate order beneath a temporary tree’s canopy and distort enemies’ attacks.
• Hobart named the branch Order Wood, set its activation incantation to “Order,” built part of a grand hall around the Iron Throne, and found that his True Sight through Star Projection had expanded.
• Hobart recovered his strength, fitted the metal Cane Head from his walking stick onto the Order Wood, and carried the disguised item to a Beyonder Gathering.
• A mercenary offered a candle that could help its holder enter an opponent’s Mind World, and Hobart recognized it as a Nightmare Heart Candle and resolved to start making trouble.

Hobart bought the Nightmare Heart Candle at a bargain and offered it to Bishop Utravsky for 3800 Pounds, arranging to settle the remaining debt through a dangerous fight. Utravsky listened as Hobart proposed that he confront the Beyonder Family hunting Hobart’s friend.

• Hobart outbid another Officer and bought the Nightmare Heart Candle for 1010 Pounds.
• After the gathering, Hobart arranged to meet Daly the next day and took the candle home before going to the Harvest Church.
• Hobart described the candle’s dream and personality-splitting abilities to Utravsky and offered to sell it to him for 3800 Pounds.
• Hobart calculated that Utravsky would still owe him 3750 Pounds after accounting for their previous debt and the Pharmacist Potion Recipe.
• Hobart offered to reduce the debt if Utravsky fought the Sequence 6 and two Sequence 7 Beyonders sent to hunt Hobart’s friend.

Hobart arranged for Utravsky to help him ambush the Tamara Family and obtained the Pharmacist Potion Recipe, which he sold to Glaint. He then recruited Daly as a second Sequence 6 helper for the coming battle, leaving its timing and location undecided.

• Hobart agreed with Utravsky on the debt terms, received the Pharmacist Potion Recipe, and promised to bring him the Nightmare Heart Candle the next morning.
• Hobart sold the recipe to Glaint for 270 Pounds and agreed to help him gather the ingredients; Glaint then asked his servant to write to Miss Hugh and Miss Fors for information.
• Hobart delivered the Nightmare Heart Candle to Utravsky on Monday morning, then visited Daly at Obsidian Bar to recruit her for the planned ambush against the Beyonder Family pursuing his friend.
• Daly agreed to help after Hobart explained how he had learned the origins of 2-355, and asked him to notify her of the battle's time and place half a day in advance.

At the Tarot Club, Hobart explained the Extraordinary Characteristic Conservation Law to Alger, with Audrey paying for the information. The gathering ended with the members considering how the law explained the conflicts between gods and Beyonders.

• Daly confirmed that Hobart had told the truth about 2-355, while Thomas wondered how Hobart could possess a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact.
• Klein and Audrey noticed that Hobart had advanced to Sequence 8 when the Tarot Club began.
• Alger thanked Hobart for helping him find hidden clues in the ruins and asked why the skeleton had left them behind.
• Hobart asked Audrey to pay 1,500 pounds for his explanation, balancing the information she had received from him and Alger.
• Hobart explained that the Extraordinary Characteristic Conservation Law meant the world's Extraordinary Characteristics could neither increase nor decrease.

Hobart explained why the Elven secret threatened the Church of Storms, then arranged to ambush the Tamara Family near Harvest Church with Aputon. The chapter left Alger investigating why the Abyss of Storms had ordered him to find Qilingesi.

• Hobart explained that the Elven secret could lead someone to claim a High Elf Beyonder characteristic and become a rival to the Church of Storms, and the Tarot Club ended its gathering.
• Alger received an urgent telegram from the Abyss of Storms ordering him to investigate Qilingesi's whereabouts.
• Xue and Fors discussed how much they had told Viscount Glynt about Hobart, and Xue decided she might warn Hobart.
• Hobart visited Gael Herbalist Shop and arranged to buy a Horn of an Adult Unicorn Pegasus and a Crystal of Crown Jellyfish Venom.
• Hobart met Aputon and told him to move near Harvest Church so they could ambush members of the Tamara Family, while warning him that he would only share the spoils if he played a major role.

Hobart helped Viscount Glynt brew the Apothecary Potion, then met Aputon at Harvest Church and spent the afternoon reading the Church of the Earth Mother's Saint Bible of Life. He went to Glynt's home for dinner that evening, while Aputon's situation remained unresolved.

• Aputon asked Hobart for the recently deceased corpse of a Tamara Family member and agreed to wait for him at Harvest Church after renting a house.
• Hobart bought potion ingredients, brewed an Apothecary Potion for Viscount Glynt, and advised him that an Apothecary could also become a Poison Master.
• Viscount Glynt invited Hobart to dinner in a hushed voice after Hobart sensed an unseen gaze during the brewing.
• Hobart met Aputon at Harvest Church, learned he had rented a nearby house, and told him to return to the church if he sensed danger.
• Hobart discussed hunger and meaning with Bishop Utravsky, then read the Church of the Earth Mother's Saint Bible of Life through the afternoon.
• Hobart dined at Viscount Glynt's home, where Glynt explained that he maintained elaborate meals to avoid rumors of financial trouble.

Viscount Glynt commissioned Hobart to find his missing family ring, which might contain the Glynt Family’s history and valuable records, while Hobart agreed to investigate only when it was safe. Christine warned Hobart that a choice he had made would affect him in about half a year, and Aputon later arrived at Harvest Church after sensing danger.

• Glaint explained that a Mystical Item had confirmed his watcher was gone and asked Hobart to retrieve his father’s missing ring.
• Glaint revealed that his father had died under suspicious circumstances, that the Glynt Family was a Beyonder Family, and that his father’s Extraordinary Characteristics were also missing.
• Hobart accepted the commission as a long-term investigation but said he would wait for clear clues and greater strength before pursuing it.
• Hobart told Christine he planned to use Aputon as bait, and Christine warned that a past choice of his could affect Hobart in about half a year.
• Hobart spent Wednesday morning reading at the Harvest Church, where Aputon arrived in a panic after sensing danger from the Astrologer’s Hair Strand.

Hobart assembled allies at Harvest Church to protect Aputon from a team of Beyonders, explaining their strengths and outlining a battle plan. After midnight, the enemy attacked Number 103, but a tall figure descended into the street as dawn light appeared.

• Hobart warned Aputon to use the Sealed Artifact to hold a Sequence 7 enemy and told Bishop Utravsky to prepare for battle.
• Hobart gathered Daly, 2-355, Xue, and Fors, then reassured Xue and Fors that Daly would monitor them rather than arrest them.
• At Harvest Church, Hobart explained that the church could interfere with the enemy’s divination and presented the group’s forces and rough tactical plan.
• After midnight, five attackers approached Number 103, sending two Sequence 8s toward the building across the street to target Aputon’s helpers.
• The three Middle Sequence attackers launched their surprise assault as dawn light appeared and a tall figure descended from the sky.

Hobart and his allies launched a planned attack on the enemy Beyonders, using Order Wood and coordinated abilities to gain the advantage. The Judge ordered a retreat, but Hobart had joined the fight with 2-355 while Xue and Fors finished off the Sequence 8 enemies.

• Bishop Utravsky opened the battle by attacking the three Middle Sequence Beyonders, while Aputon summoned a helper and an enemy Corrupted Baron weakened Hobart and Daly.
• Hobart used Order to grow Order Wood, strengthening Utravsky and Daly’s Undead beneath its canopy before distorting distance to reach Xue and Fors’s battlefield.
• Hobart used 2-355 to pull a Barbarian close, where he, Xue, and Fors repeatedly stabbed the two Sequence 8 Beyonders until they died.
• Daly summoned a second Undead that helped the skeleton pressure the Judge, while Utravsky pushed the Corrupted Baron toward defeat.
• The Judge shouted for his allies to leave, but Hobart had joined the fight with 2-355 as Xue and Fors cleared their battlefield.

Hobart, Utravsky, and Daly fought the three enemy Beyonders until the Corrupted Baron unleashed a devastating Sealed Artifact. Hobart recovered 2-355 and turned the battle around, but Judge charged toward Astrologer as Utravsky injected himself with a tube of blood.

• Hobart used 2-355 and the Order Wood to block Judge and Corrupted Baron while supporting Utravsky and Daly.
• Corrupted Baron used a Sealed Artifact that weakened the defenders, damaged their spirituality, and temporarily deprived Hobart of control over 2-355 and the Order Wood.
• Daly summoned an Undead to save Hobart from Judge's attack, and Utravsky distracted Judge long enough for Hobart to bury him with 2-355.
• Hobart freed Judge, threw Astrologer before Aputon's spirit, and buried the incapacitated Corrupted Baron.
• Judge charged toward Astrologer, and Utravsky injected himself with a tube of blood as Hobart watched him.

Hobart, Utravsky, and Daly defeated the Judge and the other Beyonders, then cleaned up the battlefield and divided the spoils. Hobart took the Black Gloves, several Extraordinary Characteristics, and the cash, while Daly received the remaining characteristics and crystal ball.

• Utravsky killed the Judge while Hobart and Daly held him in place, and Hobart forgave Utravsky's debt for his help in the battle.
• Aputon's summoned spirit attacked him after killing the Astrologer, but Hobart drove it away with pages from a notebook, and the Order Wood vanished.
• Hobart used 2-355 to remove the corpses and erase signs of the battle, while Daly helped the Extraordinary Characteristics emerge.
• Hobart promised Xue and Fors the Trick Master Potion Recipe and advised them to visit a church to avoid divination.
• Aputon found 63 Pounds, 6 Sule, and a crystal ball, and the group divided the Sealed Artifact, five Extraordinary Characteristics, cash, and crystal ball according to their agreement.

After the battle, Hobart examined the black glove Sealed Artifact and proposed trading it to the Nighthawks for access to 2-355 and several other benefits. Daly left with the spoils, while Thomas watched from the Clock Tower and was impressed by Hobart’s performance.

• Hobart learned that the black glove came from a Law Enforcer and could inflict severe spiritual damage or death, but its use carried dangerous costs.
• Hobart offered Daly the glove in exchange for the remaining usage rights to 2-355, an External Staff identification, one Bribor Extraordinary Characteristic, and two Barbarian Extraordinary Characteristics.
• Daly said the Nighthawks captain would decide whether to accept the trade and left with 2-355 and the other spoils.
• Hobart refused Daly’s offer to dispose of the corpses, saying they belonged to Aputon, then asked for a room where he would not be disturbed.
• A Nighthawks Squad Member reported to Thomas that Daly had signaled the battle ended without unexpected incidents, and Thomas reflected on Hobart’s impressive performance.

After defeating the Corrupted Baron, the Judge, and the Astrologer, Hobart used the Country of Disorder to recover from the Sealed Artifact’s damage and communicate with the Baron’s spirit. He learned the Bribor and Corrupted Baron potion recipes and began asking about acting as a Barbarian.

• Thomas recognized that Hobart’s Mystical Item was unusually powerful, exchanged a signal with Christine, and withdrew with his team.
• Christine told Doffis to give Hobart time before helping him handle the corpses, and explained that the Nighthawks had provided the Sealed Artifact and likely the tree-growing Mystical Item.
• Hobart moved the three corpses into a bedroom and entered the Country of Disorder, where it purged the damage to his Astral Body caused by the Sealed Artifact.
• Hobart stored the spoils in the Country of Disorder and used its spirituality with the Spirit Medium Necklace to communicate with the Corrupted Baron’s spirit.
• The Corrupted Baron’s spirit revealed the Sequence 7 Bribor and Sequence 6 Corrupted Baron potion recipes, including their ingredients and the requirement to gather materials for the latter.
• Hobart asked the Corrupted Baron’s spirit how a Barbarian should act.

Hobart questioned the spirits of the Tamara Family members, learning about the family’s Backlund properties and obtaining several Potion Recipes. After Aputon chose to worship the Creator instead of the entity in his father’s notes, Hobart identified that entity’s Honorific Name as belonging to the Mist of Uncertainty.

• Hobart learned through Spirit Communication that the Tamara Family operated Niccolo Shipyard and Tuma Hotel in Backlund.
• Hobart saw the family’s secluded gathering place but could not determine its location because the image dissolved into strange Gray Fog.
• Hobart obtained Potion Recipes for Sheriff, Interrogator, Judge, Trick Master, and Astrologer before the spirits dissipated.
• Hobart noticed the symbol on Aputon’s altar caused intense unease and stopped Aputon from speaking the entity’s Honorific Name aloud.
• Aputon chose to worship the Creator, and Hobart replaced the altar symbol with the Creator’s symbol and gave him the Creator’s Honorific Name.
• Hobart sacrificed the note to himself and identified its Honorific Name as that of the Mist of Uncertainty.