Chapter Summaries

Iver, Lu Lu, and Sherlock hid in an abandoned chemical plant and reasoned that the surviving Ascender Ke Ke might have two Paths. Sherlock identified a remote-controlled Iron Hook Demon as their likely enemy and warned that they needed help to survive the ritual, while Iver realized he might have made it harder.

• Iver led Lu Lu and Sherlock into the chemical plant and explained its layout as a place to hide.
• Sherlock warned that Luo Le’s Path of Adaptation made her a dangerous hunter, then reasoned that Ke Ke was likely the fifth survivor with two Paths.
• Sherlock recalled a series of ritual murders and a Demon Scholar who had inherited an Iron Hook Demon from a master believed to be on Glass Island.
• Sherlock inferred that the Iron Hook Demon had killed Luo Le by tracking a curse and warned that the fast, ambushing demon would be difficult to defeat without help.
• Iver touched his nose and suspected that he had accidentally increased the ritual’s difficulty.

Iver, Sherlock, and Lu Lu waited inside an abandoned chemical plant while Sherlock investigated its history and Iver traded stories and arguments with him. The conversation ended when Lu Lu suddenly became violently ill, coughing up blood and black clots.

• Iver and Lu Lu passed the time talking while Sherlock explored the chemical plant and found water, sulfuric acid, and documents.
• Sherlock deduced why the plant had been abandoned, then teased Iver about his smooth talk and praised his knowledge.
• Iver explained his views on sharing wisdom and claimed that he would one day save Avalon and the world from peril, and Sherlock believed him.
• Lu Lu nearly dropped the sleeping Little Iver when she stood up, but Sherlock caught the child before he fell.
• Lu Lu suddenly suffered intense abdominal pain, vomited dark blood, and began coughing up black clots.

Iver and Sherlock treated Lu Lu and drove off the Iron Hook Demon, while Iver realized he could use the Shepherding Method to control it. He left the others behind to draw the demon out and hunt its master, keeping his true abilities hidden from Sherlock.

• Sherlock partially dispelled Lu Lu's curse and restrained the Iron Hook Demon with a Sulfuric Acid spell while Iver continued treating her.
• Sherlock realized the demon's master might curse Iver next, but Iver finished dispelling Lu Lu's compound curse and healed her injuries.
• The Iron Hook Demon was recalled, and Iver told Sherlock and Lu Lu that they had already won because the demon could no longer track Lu Lu.
• Iver took Sherlock's paper knife and left alone, claiming he would sacrifice himself to keep the demon away from Little Iver.
• Iver planned to use the Shepherding Method to control the Iron Hook Demon and uncover its master's identity, beginning his hunt while Sherlock and Lu Lu believed he was going to die.

Iver endured the Fever Curse and pieced together how a desert Curse Master had targeted his family, causing his parents’ deaths while sparing him. As the Iron Hook Demon began to materialize, Iver greeted it and stabbed himself in the neck with a paper knife.

• Iver retraced his route to the abandoned warehouse, where the Fever Curse finally took hold and weakened him.
• Iver deduced that a skilled Curse Master from the desert had used the Iron Hook Demon as a tool to finish off cursed targets.
• Iver concluded that the Curse Master had cursed him as a child and that Bishop Mathers had likely dispelled the Curse, while Julio and Annie had gone to Legal Square and died protecting him.
• Iver realized that the killer’s targets had been Julio or Annie, not him or his cousin, and resolved to confront the Curse Master about his motive.
• As the Iron Hook Demon began to appear in the warehouse, Iver calmly asked whether it hurt or was hungry, then drove a paper knife into his own neck.

With the ritual nearly over, Iver sacrificed his life to the Iron Hook Demon and took control of its evolved form. He used Anti-Summoning to reach the Curse Master, Aziz, learned that James Moriarty had hired him, and left determined to find Aziz again.

• Iver realized there was not enough time to reach Legal Square, so he decided to use the Iron Hook Demon’s summoning link to reach the Curse Master.
• Iver cut his throat and offered his soul and mana to the Iron Hook Demon, which evolved into a Greater Demon called the Deformed Limb Demon.
• Iver awakened inside the Deformed Limb Demon and answered the Curse Master’s call, causing Aziz to use Anti-Summoning and pull him to his location.
• Iver seized Aziz and demanded his name and employer, and Aziz identified himself and named Professor James Moriarty.
• Iver crushed Aziz’s head, warned him that he would find him, and was left troubled by Moriarty’s involvement.

After the ritual ended, Sherlock promised to investigate Bone Carver and Fox while reporting Lu Lu’s mistakes to the Queen. Iver ranked first with a score of 2900 and received two rare traits, Vessel of Burning and Radiance and Tainted Light.

• In the Brown Hotel, a young gentleman and his maid noted that the ritual was almost over.
• Sherlock told Lu Lu he would report the ritual and her errors to the Queen, and said he would investigate Fox when he could.
• The ritual collapsed, showing images of the participants’ actions before the world turned to sand and returned Iver to the light-filled chamber.
• Iver received his settlement scores, completed the mastermind objective, and ranked first with 2900 points.
• The stag wounded Iver with its thorn, and he received the traits Vessel of Burning and Radiance and Tainted Light.

Iver chose Vessel of Burning and Radiance during his advancement, gaining larger Light and Fire Mana pools and confirming that he could pursue rare traits at his next advancement. After realizing the Advancement Ritual’s trait choices might reflect a participant’s actions and evaluation, he considered testing that theory at the next New Moon Ritual as the other participants woke.

• Iver reviewed the effects of Tainted Light and Vessel of Burning and Radiance, then chose Vessel of Burning and Radiance.
• The Candle Holder departed, and Iver awoke from his dream to find that his Priest advancement to level ten had succeeded.
• Iver checked his new traits and Mana pools, which showed a Light Container at level one and a Flame Container at level two.
• Iver decided he would still try to compete for first place in the next Full Moon Ritual, while taking care not to reveal too much in any highlight replay.
• Iver reasoned that his ritual behavior may have influenced the traits he received and considered testing the idea during the next New Moon Ritual.
• The other participants gradually opened their eyes.

Isabel woke after successfully completing the New Moon Ritual, and Yanis explained how failure could help her prepare for future competition. Isabel told Yanis she had chosen Nimble Voice and asked her to invite Mr. Iver to the Silver and Tin Palace sooner because she wanted to meet him.

• Isabel woke from the ritual and told Yanis she had advanced successfully.
• Yanis explained that early ritual failures could teach Isabel about competition without causing lasting harm, and reassured her that her victory showed her ability.
• Isabel told Yanis she had chosen Nimble Voice as her Path characteristic.
• Isabel asked Yanis to invite Mr. Iver to the Silver and Tin Palace sooner so she could meet and talk with him.

After reviewing the settlement visions, Sherlock identified Lars Graham as a likely suspect and asked Edward Moriarty to investigate the Sweater Brotherhood with him. Edward prepared to go, but James Moriarty instructed him to contain the Pelican Bar investigation, protect Iver and Yulia, and leave the Society’s secrets alone.

• Sherlock recovered from the settlement and studied Lars Graham’s dossier, linking him to the white Maiden Ghost in the seminary uniform.
• Sherlock called Edward and asked him to investigate the Sweater Brotherhood, which might be connected to the people behind the Pelican Bar.
• Edward gathered his weapons and prepared his griffin before James arrived and said he was leaving for the Theocracy for about two weeks.
• James ordered Edward to clean up the Pelican Bar matter, stop searching for the missing letter, and protect Iver and Yulia while he was away.
• James refused to identify the minister connected to the Society and told Edward that Iver had begun his first advancement ritual.

After cleaning his ritual site, Iver arranged for Lily to accompany him to school and attend lessons while pushing his wheelchair. Lily, who had long wanted to continue her education, tearfully accepted, and Iver left her with a chance to pursue a future beyond her life as a maid.

• Iver ground the Dream Realm-tainted White Crystal pendant into powder and reflected on how Forget-Worry Water had once helped him after Yulia's death in the game's main storyline.
• After finishing the ritual cleanup, Iver told Madam Lowe that his room could be cleaned and met his personal maid, Lily.
• Iver offered to take Lily to school with him so she could attend lessons while pushing his wheelchair.
• Lily worried that her father had forbidden her from going to school and that accompanying Iver might invite gossip, but Iver reassured her.
• Madam Lowe encouraged Lily to thank Iver, and Lily tearfully accepted the offer.

Iver planned to use Royal Law University’s resources to advance quickly enough to face the Fallen Angel, whose descent would unleash a world-ending crisis in about a year and a half. With Professor Moriarty away in the Theocracy, Iver accepted an invitation to a royal banquet and chose Lily to accompany him.

• Iver reviewed the languages, courses, and books at Royal Law University that could help him deepen his knowledge and advance his Path.
• Iver recalled how the Rosy Cross Society’s Ouroboros Ring Ritual would summon the Fallen Angel, whose arrival would lead to the destruction of the Society, the Stibium royal family, and much of the world.
• Iver realized he had only a year and a half to two years to reach the Sixth Level, and that university resources would be essential to his progress.
• Oswald told Iver that Professor Moriarty had gone to the Theocracy and that Master Edward might be away with Sherlock.
• Oswald informed Iver that the Silver and Tin Palace had invited him to a private banquet, and Iver asked Lily to accompany him.

Sherlock and Edward reached the Sweater Brotherhood’s hidden base at an abandoned chemical plant, where Edward uncovered a link to the Noble Red Society and smuggled Alchemy Bombs. After they captured and searched an assassin, Edward confirmed that a batch of bombs was stored at the plant.

• Sherlock led Edward through a garbage heap concealing traps and showed him the route to the Sweater Brotherhood’s base.
• Edward privately considered the Noble Red Society’s political ties and his loyalty to his adoptive father, Professor Moriarty.
• Edward told Sherlock about the Inspectorate’s Redstone investigation into Alchemy Bombs smuggled from the Pelican Bar.
• Sherlock and Edward sensed an assassin nearby, restrained him, and Edward used the Soul Searching Spell to search his memories.
• Edward learned that the Sweater Brotherhood had ties to the Noble Red Society and that a batch of Alchemy Bombs was stored in the abandoned chemical plant.

Iver visited Princess Isabel at the Silver and Tin Palace, where she welcomed him with a dinner chosen to suit his tastes. Master Yanis appeared through her painting ability and joined them, leaving Iver to speak with the renowned artist.

• Oswald sent Lily with Iver across Avalon Bridge to the royal side palace.
• Iver and Lily admired the lake and griffins as they crossed the bridge.
• Princess Isabel welcomed Iver and served dishes selected because she had learned what he liked.
• Isabel invited her teacher Yanis to join the dinner after remembering her teacher’s reminder.
• Yanis appeared beside the table using Reflection in the Painting, and Iver recognized her ability.
• Iver told Yanis that he liked Visiting the Acropolis Temple, Golden Dawn, and Crystal Sea.

Iver explained Yanis's paintings and the dangerous history behind her work, then began interpreting her first magic painting, “Visiting the Akropolis Temple.” He left off describing the painting's story as Yanis listened, promising a reward if his interpretation had substance.

• Isabel praised Yanis's “Crystal Sea,” and Yanis explained how its magical effects changed with the light and cooled the Silver and Tin Palace.
• Isabel asked Yanis about her more powerful paintings, and Yanis described works tied to the Nine Pillar Gods, Angels, Apostles, and alternate histories.
• Iver recalled how creating “Skull in Amber” with the Amber Angel's essence had made Yanis lose control and become a phantom demon whose paintings transformed the world around her.
• Yanis asked Iver to interpret her three paintings, offering him a reward, and Iver confidently accepted.
• Iver began describing “Visiting the Akropolis Temple,” recounting how Hippocrates climbed the mountain to seek medical knowledge from the Apostle Akropolis.

Yanis recognized Iver’s talent for the Path of Beauty and offered him her treasured painting, “Golden Dawn,” after he declined to change Paths. In return, she asked him to accompany Isabel during a future advancement ritual, leaving Iver wondering whether he should reveal that he was Isabel’s “Mr. Fox” before they advanced together.

• Yanis praised Iver’s balanced understanding of art and suggested that he walk the Path of Beauty, but Iver politely refused.
• Isabel felt proud that Yanis had recognized Iver, while Yanis recalled her friendship with Queen Sophia and explained why Isabel had become her student.
• Yanis offered Iver her masterpiece, “Golden Dawn,” and Iver was relieved when she attached a condition to the gift.
• Yanis asked Iver to wait for Isabel and advance alongside her during a future Full Moon Ritual if their progress allowed it.
• Iver wondered whether he should tell Isabel that he was Mr. Fox before they entered a ritual together.

Iver planned to guide Isabel’s growth and help her overcome her fear of the unknown without repeating the losses of her original history. At a banquet, he began preparing her to discover that he was Fox, hoping the truth would give her confidence and keep their relationship free of suspicion.

• Iver decided Isabel was a trustworthy future teammate and that he would help shape her growth rather than wait until her next advancement.
• Iver recognized that Isabel’s anxiety and tendency to avoid the unknown made a sudden confession likely to frighten her away, so he planned a gentler approach.
• At the banquet, Iver chatted with Isabel and Yanis, deliberately showing similarities between himself and Mr. Fox so Isabel might suspect their identities were the same.
• Iver reasoned that Isabel would feel safer if Fox were someone she could openly trust and introduce to her family, rather than a mysterious figure who could remain only a secret friend.
• Iver planned to reveal his identity himself before Isabel could catch him in the deception, hoping that her own wish for Fox to be Iver would build her confidence.

Iver, Isabel, Yanis, and Lily shared a long dinner at the Silver and Tin Palace, where Isabel agreed to give Lily student status and Yanis discussed living arrangements and Iver’s old reputation. The evening ended with news that Sherlock Holmes had come to take Iver home, while Iver was left wondering about a possible older sister.

• Isabel invited Lily to sit and eat with her, Iver, and Yanis, and Iver asked for Lily to be admitted as a student at the Royal Law University.
• Isabel agreed to arrange Lily’s student status after Yanis assured her she had the authority to do so.
• Yanis proposed that Iver and Lily live in a separate dormitory room, while Iver rejected moving out because Yulia needed care and protection.
• Yanis teased Iver about his reputation as a popular playboy and revealed that the Moriartys’ adopted children, including Iver, drew attention and affection.
• A servant reported that Edward Moriarty could not come because of a warehouse fire and that Sherlock Holmes had arrived to pick up Iver.

Sherlock joined Isabel, Agnes, and Iver after investigating the Sweater Brotherhood and reported a major lead in the Pelican Bar case. Isabel ordered him to pursue Bone Carver and postpone investigating Fox, while Agnes revealed that she had given Iver the national treasure painting “Golden Dawn.”

• Sherlock greeted Isabel, Agnes, and Iver and realized that Isabel had been drinking with them, signaling her favor toward Iver.
• Sherlock told the group that he and Edward had found the Sweater Brotherhood’s gathering place and Alchemy Bombs, and that the bombs had passed through Customs with proper paperwork.
• Sherlock asked Isabel whether to investigate Bone Carver or Fox first, and Isabel chose Bone Carver while setting Fox aside.
• Agnes asked Sherlock to watch out for Iver and said she would have “Golden Dawn” delivered to his home.
• Iver told Sherlock that Agnes had given him “Golden Dawn” after they had a pleasant conversation, leaving Sherlock stunned.

Iver learned about Sherlock’s friendship with Edward and heard that the warehouse fires involved Flame Essence, then returned to Moriarty Manor to find Yulia severely injured and bound while Edward struggled to hold her together. The chapter left Iver facing Yulia’s unexplained, flame-like condition.

• Sherlock warned Iver to choose a Path he genuinely preferred and explained that talent without interest could lead to torment.
• Iver asked how Sherlock knew Edward, and Sherlock recounted their university friendship and how Edward rescued him after a griffin attack.
• Sherlock told Iver that a second warehouse fire resembled the first and explained how Flame Essence could make even stone burn.
• Iver recalled that he had killed Veronica, the suspected cause of the earlier fire, and left Sherlock unsure who was behind the new incident.
• Oswald took Iver to Yulia, where Iver found her bound in silver chains, barely conscious, and covered in glowing cracks that leaked flame and blood-like sweat.
• Edward used the chains to hold Yulia’s shattered body together as Iver arrived.

Iver and Edward discovered that Yulia’s uncontrolled Phantom Demon power had caused the warehouse fires, and Edward sealed the Paradox Flame Butterfly before Iver treated her. Yulia recovered and slept safely, while Iver was left with a burning sensation in his arm; Edward promised to monitor her and planned to take Iver to meet Dr. William Wayne Westcott about the Fire Essence.

• Iver realized that Yulia’s leaked Fire Essence had caused the warehouse fires, and Edward explained that he had forced the Paradox Flame Butterfly back inside her with a sealing spell.
• Iver used the Illumination Spell to treat Yulia, but a dangerous heat entered his left arm before he stopped the treatment.
• Iver and Oswald cleaned Yulia and removed the Fire Essence from her body, then replaced the contaminated bedding and put her to sleep.
• Edward explained that Yulia’s accumulated Phantom Demon power had been triggered by her worry over Iver and that she had gone alone to an abandoned warehouse to vent it.
• Edward said he had reinforced Yulia’s seal and would check on her daily, then told Iver they would visit Dr. William Wayne Westcott about the Fire Essence.