Chapter Summaries

After Audrey warned the authorities about Qilingesi, the Pirate General’s assassination attempt failed, and he was killed by a powerful, unseen attacker. Meanwhile, Hobart reflected on his Mystical Items and became more eager to advance to Sequence 7.

• Klein relayed Audrey’s report about Qilingesi to the Hanged Man and sent Mr. Azik a letter about Qilingesi’s appearance at the ball.
• Audrey informed Earl Hall about Qilingesi, causing the assassination attempt on Duke Negan to fail as Qilingesi fled.
• Qilingesi recognized Hobart and his companions as the people who had exposed him, then was ambushed and killed by a force of enormous skeletons and dark water.
• Alger found Qilingesi dead, and Audrey later received his bounty and a gift from Duke Negan worth about Forty Thousand Pounds in total.
• After dinner, Hobart reflected on the control abilities of his Mystical Items and resolved to advance to Sequence 7 so he could use the Psychological Spoon more fully.

Hobart recovered from his fight with Qilingesi, while the family elders in the Town of Nonexistence decided to contact the Hidden Being. After completing Dominic’s case, Hobart attended to other business, and Klein discovered Old Neil on the verge of Loss of Control.

• Hobart realized he needed a life-saving Mystical Item and resolved to seek more commissions to earn money.
• Calvin told the family elders that the Hidden Being had interrupted an enemy angel’s descent and warned them not to test the gods, so the Clan Head proposed making contact.
• Hobart learned that Claude had confessed to masterminding Dominic’s kidnapping, received his fees, and accepted an invitation to Ulysses’s welcome banquet.
• Klein paid a gang to monitor Mrs. Sharon, then visited Old Neil after remembering he had been away sick.
• Klein broke into Old Neil’s home and found him circling an altar with emotionless eyes on his cheeks, apparently close to Loss of Control.

Klein tried to save Old Neil from losing control by appealing to the Goddess of the Night, but Old Neil destroyed his altar and attacked him. Hobart answered Klein’s prayer with the power of the Country of Disorder, restoring Old Neil’s body and mind before a living black eye appeared on the altar.

• Klein found Old Neil performing a ritual around a blood jar and secretly prepared an altar to beseech the Goddess of the Night.
• Old Neil noticed Klein, confessed that his research came from the Hidden Sage, and transformed as extra eyes appeared on his body.
• Old Neil destroyed Klein’s altar and attacked him, trapping Klein in the room as Klein dodged and hesitated to use his gun.
• Klein prayed to the Creator in the Shadow of Order, and Hobart sensed the prayer, entered the Country of Disorder, and sent the Psychological Spoon and its power to Klein.
• A throne of Sharp Swords appeared, and Hobart’s powers removed Old Neil’s mutations and restored his mind, causing him to faint.
• Klein turned toward the altar and saw a living black eye trying to jump into the blood jar.

Hobart used the Power of Order and hypnosis to restore Old Neil and suppress his obsession, then took a strange eye tied to the hidden being watching the Ritual. After the eye nearly killed him by exposing him to a flood of knowledge, Hobart contained it and began learning potion recipes from the knowledge he had gained.

• Hobart restored Old Neil’s body, concealed the infected part of his Spiritual Body, and used Hypnosis to make him forget his Ritual and obsession.
• Hobart sensed the eye on the altar had come alive and ordered Klein to sacrifice it to him.
• Klein performed the sacrifice, sending the eye through the Bronze Gates and making the Creator disappear from Old Neil’s room.
• Ince Zangwill recorded Klein’s unexpected survival and restoration of Old Neil, then grew furious at the quill mocking him.
• Hobart looked through the eye into an unknown land and nearly died when the gaze of a flame-like eyeball filled his mind with knowledge.
• Hobart placed the eye in a Stone Box and uncovered potion recipes, including those for Mystery Pryer, Savant, Combat Scholar, and Wizard.

Hobart recovered from the dangerous ritual that revealed new Potion Recipes and signs that the seal on the Western Continent had loosened, then attended a welcome banquet at Ulysses's villa. After making final preparations for an operation to save Tingen City, he arrived at Blackthorn Security Company and found Leonard speaking awkwardly with a woman.

• Hobart learned the advancement ritual for the Sequence 5 Astrologer and obtained Potion Recipes for the Mystery Pryer and Savant pathways.
• Mr. Fool told Hobart that the next week's gathering was canceled.
• Hobart met Elizabeth and her family at Ulysses's welcome banquet, where the military guests joked with him and Ulysses offered support for his plans.
• Hobart spent Friday conserving his strength and adjusting the negative-effect avoidance periods for his Sealed Artifacts and Mystical Items.
• Hobart arrived at Blackthorn Security Company on Saturday morning and found Leonard talking awkwardly with a woman in a wide-brimmed hat.

Hobart recognized Megose’s arrival as part of Ince Zangwill’s plan and urged Dunn and Klein to seek reinforcements from Saint Hall. As Ince decided to attack despite Hobart’s unexpected interference, Hobart revealed his abilities and proposed drawing Megose underground.

• Hobart recalled his plan to earn the Nighthawks’ trust, save Leonard, and help without risking his life.
• Megose identified Hobart as the “Order” who had once peered into the True Creator’s kingdom, and Hobart joined Dunn and Klein in the back room.
• Hobart warned Dunn and Klein that “0-08” had planned an evil god’s descent and told them to request a Saint from Saint Hall.
• Ince used “0-08” to conclude that Hobart would not disrupt his plan, then learned a detailed second telegram for aid had been sent and resolved to act.
• Dunn introduced himself to Hobart, who described his Sealed Artifact and Mystical Item and suggested luring Megose underground toward Chanis Gate.

Hobart and the Nighthawks fought Megose and the Spawn of Evil God after the infant was born early in Blackthorn Security Company. Hobart invoked the Creator’s figure and used the Black Eyes and Chaos Power to kill the Spawn, leaving the battle won but the team badly wounded.

• In Backlund, Daly received a telegram warning that an Evil God was descending in Tingen City and rushed to ask the Archbishop for support.
• Hobart lured Megose toward the basement, but she saw through the trap and attacked him before he returned upstairs to help Dunn, Klein, and Leonard.
• Dunn used Saint Selena’s Ashes while Hobart’s Order Wood and the others’ attacks weakened Megose, but the infant was born and Megose died.
• The Spawn of Evil God overwhelmed the team, injuring Dunn and Leonard and breaking Klein’s ribs, while Hobart retreated into the Country of Disorder.
• Hobart summoned the Creator’s figure, used the Black Eyes to stun the Spawn, and destroyed it with Chaos Power.

Klein was killed by Ince Zangwill, and Captain Dunn died as Hobart struggled to save him. With Ince escaping amid a clash between Anthony Stevenson and a Madness Magician, Hobart changed his Ritual and prepared to call on the Creator in the Shadow of Order.

• After the Creator vanished, Ince Zangwill appeared and pierced Klein through the chest.
• Hobart threw Saint Selena's Ashes to Ince, who took them and fled as Archbishop Anthony Stevenson arrived.
• The feather pen wrote a story that brought a Madness Magician to the reception hall, and the two Saints' powers forced Hobart to offer him the Order Wood.
• The Madness Magician took the ebony tree and left, while Anthony pursued Ince amid the chaos.
• Hobart saw that Dunn had died, then changed the altar's symbol to the Creator's and placed the Spawn of Evil God's Umbilical Cord before it.
• Hobart began the Ritual by addressing the Creator in the Shadow of Order.

Hobart preserved Dunn's spirit and hid his chance of revival, then collapsed after warning Leonard not to reveal the Creator. After waking, Hobart learned Ince had escaped and faced Daly, who grieved over Dunn's apparent death.

• Hobart sealed Dunn's spirit and Extraordinary Characteristics in a Stone Coffin in the Country of Disorder, then stored the Spawn of Evil God's Umbilical Cord nearby.
• Hobart warned Leonard about the monocle before passing out, and Leonard awoke to find Dunn and Klein apparently dead.
• Leonard learned from the voice of the old man that Klein could not be revived, while reinforcements arrived at the reception hall.
• After Old Neil performed a healing Ritual, Hobart woke and realized his actions had greatly digested the Barbarian Potion.
• Leonard told Hobart that Ince had escaped, and Hobart learned that Ms. Daly had arrived.
• Daly confronted Hobart over Dunn's death, then sobbed as Hobart comforted her and said Dunn had protected Tingen City.

After the battle in Tingen City, Hobart spoke with Leonard and Captain Thomas, then rested before returning to Backlund. He arrived with a box from Ulysses for Officer Christine, but realized he had forgotten to buy gifts for Donna and the others.

• Daly told Hobart to tell Captain Thomas that Zachary had supplied the information, while Leonard vowed to find Ince Zangwill after taking the Red Gloves assessment.
• Hobart told Thomas that he had received only fragmented information during Spirit Communication and that Dunn and Klein had stopped the Spawn of Evil God; Thomas confirmed Hobart's membership in the Backlund Nighthawks Squad.
• Hobart worried that the Madness Magician who took the Order Wood might pose a threat, then returned to the villa and slept from exhaustion.
• Hobart rested in Tingen City, wrote Leonard that he would leave, and prepared to return to Backlund the following morning.
• Ulysses gave Hobart a box to deliver personally to Officer Christine, and Hobart arrived in Backlund by train before remembering that he had bought no gifts for Donna and the others.

After returning from Tingen City, Hobart reported his casework, shared gifts with his colleagues and family, and recovered at home. On Tuesday, Xue revealed that she had found two heretics hiding in a Wharf Area factory and asked Hobart and Fors to help capture them.

• Hobart returned to Blanca Street, gave Fors and Xue gifts, then reported Mr. Dominic's case to Barton and received a 100-pound commission.
• Hobart calculated his travel expenses and income at the law firm, then went home and gave Christine the box from Ulysses.
• Hobart recounted his trip to his family over dinner and handed out the rest of his gifts.
• On Tuesday, Xue gave Hobart the addresses of Niccolo Shipyard and Tuma Hotel on Nicklow Street, and Hobart noticed that Dix's company was nearby.
• Xue said she had located two heretics in a Wharf Area factory and asked Hobart and Fors to help capture them.

Hobart received his police identification and rewards from Thomas, then advised Elliot not to join the Balk Family’s Council of Elders yet. Calvin explained that Elliot’s Bribor Potion digested slowly because he was bribing family members, and told him there was another method: “Bribe God!”

• Xue and Fors continued planning how to capture the two heretics while Hobart went to Blackthorn Security Company for his identification.
• Thomas gave Hobart a Bribor’s Extraordinary Characteristics, made him an Official Member, and awarded him three-fifths of a Judge’s Extraordinary Characteristics at Hobart’s request.
• Hobart placed the Bribor’s Characteristics in the Country of Disorder and shattered his Sheriff’s Characteristics to produce Extraordinary materials.
• Elliot asked Hobart whether he should join the Balk Family’s Council of Elders, and Hobart told him to wait for the time being.
• Elliot declined Calvin’s offer to join the council, then asked why his Bribor Potion was digesting slowly.
• Calvin said Elliot’s family members had little need for bribes and recommended that he “Bribe God.”

Hobart, Xue, and Fors carried out a surprise raid on the Textile Factory dormitory to arrest two heretics, but found a third man there as well. After killing all three, Hobart prepared to use Spirit Communication to discover the identity of the stranger.

• Xue explained the plan to ambush the two heretics, and Hobart added that his Inspector's identification could help them escape if workers interfered.
• Someone left a box containing a dead pigeon and a letter at Hobart's door, prompting Hobart to warn Xue and Fors that their enemies knew he had returned.
• Hobart, Xue, and Fors infiltrated the Textile Factory dormitory and discovered three men in the room instead of the expected two.
• The trio killed the Prisoner, the Cultivator, and an unidentified man in a brief fight.
• Fors examined the bodies, and Hobart prepared to perform Spirit Communication on the unidentified man.

Hobart used Spirit Communication to learn that the dead man was a Feneport Embassy spy and that Ambassador Tim had ordered two heretics sent away. Hobart and his companions escaped, then agreed to act as if they knew nothing while Hobart privately connected the embassy to Earl Vincent and George III’s plans.

• Hobart used the Spirit Medium Necklace to identify the dead man as Wayne, a Feneport Embassy staff member, and learned that Ambassador Tim had ordered two troublemaking men sent to the Southern Continent.
• Hobart, Xue, and Fors carried the body away before the security personnel reached the scene.
• Hobart told Xue and Fors that Wayne had been a spy, and they considered whether the Feneport Embassy had supported the heretical organization.
• Hobart persuaded Xue and Fors to treat the mission as an ordinary heretic operation and avoid drawing attention to what they had learned.
• Hobart privately suspected Ambassador Tim had tested Earl Vincent, who might be helping George III build a mausoleum, and wondered whether the Feneport Royal Family wanted to prevent George III from becoming the Black Emperor.

Hobart, Xue, and Fors collected the bounty for two heretics and sold their Extraordinary Characteristics, then agreed to stay together because the Feneport Embassy might be monitoring them. After returning to Blanca Street, Hobart went to the Law Firm and learned that a trial date had been moved up.

• Hobart sold the Prisoner and Cultivator Extraordinary Characteristics for 290 Pounds and 330 Pounds after the bounty officials confirmed the corpses.
• Hobart divided the 1,020 Pounds in earnings, taking a 51-Pound commission and splitting the rest equally between Xue, Fors, and himself according to their agreed shares.
• Hobart told Fors he had already obtained the main ingredient for a Trick Master potion, and the group agreed to stay together until they knew whether the Feneport Embassy was watching them.
• Xue stayed awake to keep watch while Hobart and Fors rested, then made lunch after Hobart woke.
• Hobart went to the Law Firm and received an official letter saying the trial date had been moved up.

Hobart responded to Arnold’s efforts to pressure him by arranging witnesses for Bob’s trial and asking allies to protect Bob. He learned that Ms. Daly had joined the Red Gloves and that his missing Ebony Staff had never been recovered, leaving him to suspect someone had deliberately taken it.

• Hobart learned that Bob’s trial had been moved forward and accepted an invitation to dinner from Arnold’s butler.
• Hobart asked Xue to find former workers from Arnold’s factory to testify and told Fors to summon Audrey and Viscount Glynt to an emergency Justice League gathering.
• Hobart injured the two men following him, then went to Obsidian Bar and met LuoLuota, his new contact after Ms. Daly joined the Red Gloves.
• Hobart asked LuoLuota to arrange protection for Bob, and she said the Church would likely send someone once the captain received his message.
• Hobart learned that his Ebony Staff had not been found at the scene where he left it and suspected someone had deliberately taken it.

Hobart secured Ikanse’s support for publicizing Bob’s trial before confronting Backlund’s merchant elite at a banquet. He refuted their arguments for social hierarchy and racial superiority, leaving the debate unresolved.

• Hobart told Bob that his trial date had been moved up and asked him to prepare.
• Hobart asked Captain Ikanse to have the church publicize Bob’s case truthfully, and Ikanse agreed to consult the Archbishop.
• Hobart attended a banquet at the Loen Kingdom Hotel, where Arnold and more than twenty others had seated him alone.
• Gusata argued that society should eliminate the weak and favor the strong, but Hobart countered that civilization depended on human care and cooperation.
• A gaunt middle-aged man cited alleged anatomical differences to justify racial hierarchy, and Hobart accused him of disguising an argument for enslavement as science.

Hobart defended the workers against Gusata and his associates, then discovered that the confrontation had fully digested his Barbarian Potion. He returned home and postponed taking the next Potion until after settling Bob’s lawsuit, while Xue reported that news from the assignments might arrive tomorrow.

• Hobart argued that racial theories justified oppression and that workers and the poor were driven by their conditions to seek change.
• Gusata threatened Hobart, but Hobart said the workers stood behind him and predicted that a country would one day protect equality and the weak.
• Hobart rejected Arnold’s invitation, called out the diners’ fear of the workers, and left; Gusata then told Arnold to deal with him that night.
• In a rental carriage, Hobart realized the confrontation had completely digested his Barbarian Potion and decided to settle Bob’s lawsuit before taking the next Potion.
• Hobart returned to No. 192, where Xue said the assignments had been sent out and Fors served fried Yellow Croakers for dinner.

After two would-be killers died in a scuffle at Hobart’s home, Hobart hid their bodies before Sheriff Rotor and the Loen Police could find them. He used his Inspector identification to stop their search and made Rotor pay 100 Pounds for the broken door, though Rotor had to leave a promissory note for the remaining 12 Pounds.

• Fors, Hobart, and Xue agreed on night watch shifts, but Fors sounded her whistle when two Villains attacked, and the three quickly knocked them down.
• Hobart discovered both Villains had died from their injuries, then realized the Loen Police had arrived suspiciously fast and hid the bodies in his room.
• Fors and Xue challenged the officers’ entry as Sheriff Rotor arrived and ordered a search without a warrant.
• Hobart showed Rotor his Inspector identification and allowed the search, which failed to uncover the bodies.
• Hobart demanded 100 Pounds for his custom-made doors, and Rotor paid what he could before writing a promissory note for the remaining 12 Pounds.

After a break-in, Hobart took Xue and Fors to the Blackthorn Security Company for protection, explaining how their enemies might exploit the investigation to keep him detained. The next day, he joined an emergency Justice League gathering and met its new member, Karl Vincent.

• Hobart, Xue, and Fors left their home after Hobart realized investigators could delay ruling that he had acted in self-defense, and he revealed that he had hidden the corpses with Mysticism.
• The three reached the Blackthorn Security Company, where LuoLuota told them that an attack on Bob had been stopped and arranged for them to stay the night.
• Hobart spent the night under the Nighthawks' protection, then left with Xue, Fors, and Borgia, who accompanied them as a show of support from the Church of the Goddess of the Night.
• Hobart, Xue, and Fors attended an emergency Justice League gathering at Viscount Glynt's residence, where Viscount Glynt introduced Karl Vincent as Earl Vincent's youngest son.