Chapter Summaries

Stone, the Catania Family’s consigliere, asked Trist to investigate a gang member murdered by the Glass Flower and report the findings to him. Trist agreed to pursue the case, requested more evidence, and left with a new lead.

• Stone introduced himself to Trist as the Catania Family’s consigliere and asked him to continue investigating Dr. House’s case.
• Trist realized Stone’s request was connected to a Catania Family member killed by the Glass Flower.
• Stone gave Trist the victim’s autopsy and investigation reports, which showed the gang member had died the night Trist met Xiya.
• Stone explained the Catania Family’s expansion and said he wanted the murderer brought to justice.
• Trist asked to examine the body and requested the victim’s movements, contacts, and meals from the past month.
• Trist left the instrument shop to return to Lu Ban and the others, thinking the case had become more complicated but that he had another lead.

Trist questioned a bartender and a factory worker about Dr. House and a mysterious woman, learning that House had been regarded as a generous doctor in Black Street. After finding no likely source for the paint on House and the woman, Trist and Xiya headed to the Red Dance Hall to investigate the woman’s identity.

• Trist questioned the bartender, who described seeing a mud-faced woman on Black Street before breaking his leg and confirmed that Dr. House treated him afterward.
• Trist asked whether Dr. House had treated a girl with a seriously ill relative, but the bartender could not identify her and suggested looking at the Red Dance Hall.
• Trist and Xiya visited a factory, where a coughing worker said Dr. House had cared for many workers and revealed that his own daughter had starved to death.
• Trist found no paint or coating at the factory that could explain the stains on Dr. House and the woman.
• Trist led Xiya toward the Red Dance Hall to investigate the prostitute’s identity.

Trist, Xiya, and Lu Ban identified the dead prostitute as Flora and investigated her workplace and sleeping quarters for clues linking her to Dr. House’s killer. Lu Ban noticed the absence of paint and coating smells, and the group headed to examine the Catania Family mobster’s corpse.

• Trist and his companions asked around the Red Dance Hall until a woman identified the dead prostitute as Flora, who had worked at Good Times.
• At Good Times, the counterwoman said Flora had known Dr. House, who treated the women, and that Flora had gone out several days earlier.
• The counterwoman led Trist, Xiya, and Lu Ban to Flora’s bunk, where Trist found a wooden flower pendant among her belongings.
• Lu Ban noted that Flora’s workplace had no perfume or paint smells, prompting Xiya and Lu Ban to consider what kind of person might have killed Flora and Dr. House.
• Trist decided to visit the Catania Family mobster’s corpse.

Trist investigated the Catania Family gang member’s corpse and found evidence linking the murder to the other cases, while the unusual paint offered a new lead. At midnight, Flora’s pendant drew him into a vision of a girl caring for a sick boy, where he recognized a wooden flower pendant like the one he held.

• Lu Ban, Xiya, and Trist visited a Catania Family restaurant and examined a gang member’s corpse hidden in its cold storage room.
• Trist found paint on the corpse and its clothes, confirmed the familiar perfume scent, and learned the gang member had no known connections to Dr. House or Flora.
• Trist studied the unusual pale-blue paint and planned to have Lu Ban compare the perfume scent at a shop the next day.
• Trist invited Lu Ban and Xiya to attend a banquet with him, and Xiya was excited about the feast.
• Trist examined Flora’s pendant at midnight, saw a flower bloom, and felt something stir inside him before a cold gaze interrupted the experience.
• Trist awoke in a vision where a girl brought a sick boy leftover food and medicine, and he noticed she wore a wooden flower pendant like his own.

After a polluted dream showed Flora living in a cheap apartment and using medicine supplied by Dr. House’s clinic, Trist investigated the clues and identified a nearby apartment to search. He told Lu Ban and Xiya he believed the dream’s owner was trying to warn him to stop something, and the group prepared to investigate.

• Trist woke from a dream about Flora, recognized the wooden pendant from it, and wondered whether the dream concerned her connection to Dr. House.
• Trist reentered the dream and noticed a medicine bottle whose label he recognized from Dr. House’s clinic.
• Trist searched a map and old newspapers, found the nearby House of Happiness apartment, and noted its address and contact person.
• Trist checked Dr. House’s patient records and found no formal record for Flora, leading him to suspect they had met through medicine distribution.
• At breakfast, Trist told Lu Ban and Xiya about his dream and investigation, then said the dream’s owner seemed to be urging him to stop something.

Trist, Lu Ban, and Xiya investigated the room where Trist had dreamed of a girl and discovered that Liz had died there a year earlier, while a Catania Family member had lived next door. Trist concluded the victims were connected and suspected the charity banquet might be the killer’s next opportunity.

• Trist recognized the vacant room as the one from his dream and searched its rental records with Lu Ban and Xiya.
• Xiya found that Liz had rented the room from May to October of Year 25 and died in an accident.
• The manager explained that Tack, who lived next door, moved out in October of Year 25 and that the Catania Family had been involved in a deadly gang fight around then.
• Trist decided to investigate Liz’s death, Tack’s whereabouts, and the Catania Family’s connection, beginning at the police station.
• Trist suspected Flora’s pendant and the dream were tied to Liz, and realized the killer’s victims were connected; he feared the Catania Family members at the charity banquet could be next.

Trist, Lu Ban, and Xiya uncovered records linking Liz’s death to a gang battle involving the Catania Family, but the files concealed many details. Trist planned to question the family at its charity banquet, and the three arrived at the hotel in the central district.

• Xiya used magic to uncover police records showing that Liz’s cause of death was concealed and her ashes had disappeared.
• Trist found that Liz and other civilians had died in a gang battle involving the Sharp Blade Gang and the Catania Family, while Mackey had been released on bail.
• Trist connected the deaths to the Catania Family and decided to question them at the evening banquet.
• Lu Ban, Trist, and Xiya traveled to the wealthy central district, where Xiya struggled with her rented gown and high heels.
• The three arrived at the hotel to attend the charity banquet hosted by the Catania Family.

Lu Ban and Trist attended a Catania Family charity banquet, where Trist explained the family’s members and the corruption behind its fundraising. They went to find Madam Martina and discovered that the Glass Flower had killed her.

• Xiya rushed to the banquet table and devoured food while Trist pointed out Peter Catania.
• Trist explained the Catania Family’s children to Lu Ban, and Lu Ban watched Madam Charlotte sing.
• Corsica delivered a stirring speech about helping the Ruined City, while Trist told Lu Ban that the charity donations were mostly a scam.
• Trist and Lu Ban asked a gang member to take them to Madam Martina.
• Trist and Lu Ban entered the lounge and found Madam Martina’s body twisted by the Glass Flower.

Lu Ban followed the killer’s colorful bodily fluid through a ventilation duct and into a sewer, where the unseen attacker caused his organs to bloom into a Glass Flower. Lu Ban regenerated with the help of grass growing inside him, returned to the hotel, and identified the killer’s escape route before Stone summoned him, Trist, and Xiya to meet the family’s father.

• Trist searched the sealed room and sent gangsters to summon the Catania Family while Lu Ban crawled through the ventilation duct.
• Lu Ban tracked the killer’s colorful fluid behind the hotel and into the sewer, where the unseen killer made his organs and bones bloom into a Glass Flower.
• Grass grew through Lu Ban’s body and gradually replaced his damaged organs, restoring him about an hour later.
• Lu Ban returned to the hotel and told Trist that the killer was a mutated being who had entered and escaped through the ventilation duct.
• Peter offered two million in rewards for information about the killer and for capturing him alive.
• Stone arrived and said the family’s father wanted to see Lu Ban, Trist, and Xiya.

Lu Ban and the other detectives investigated Martina’s murder and received Corneon’s support in pursuing the killer. Trist suspected the killer’s movements were limited and proposed using Lu Ban’s return to provoke him.

• Stone told Corneon that Martina had died the same way as Mackey, and Trist linked the murders to the incident at the House of Happiness.
• Corneon promised the detectives support and told them to ask Stone for whatever they needed.
• Stone explained how he had risen within the Catania Family and arranged to send the detectives information on the Sharp Blade Gang.
• Trist reasoned that the killer could not act freely and might be someone recognizable, then suggested that Lu Ban’s reappearance could make the killer panic and try to kill him.

Trist dreamed of Liz and Flora, realizing that Flora resented Liz and was not the dream’s owner. He concluded that the dream might belong to the killer, then spotted a mysterious woman on the street and leaned out to see her more clearly.

• Trist dreamed that a killer entered his office and caused his organs to bloom, then found himself viewing events from Liz’s apartment.
• He witnessed Tack of the Sharp Blade Gang beat Flora, give Liz money, and leave; Flora blamed Liz and slapped her before leaving.
• Liz cared for the dream-bound Trist and spoke of their plans, while Trist recognized the injured woman as Flora.
• Trist woke and reconsidered his theory, concluding that Flora was not the dream’s owner and that the killer might be.
• Trist looked out the window, spotted a beautiful woman holding a paper fan, and leaned out to see her better.

Trist suspected Stone was helping Liz's roommate kill members of the Catania Family so he could take control of it, and Lu Ban agreed that Stone might have been corrupted by Otherworld knowledge. When Stone arrived at the detective agency with a file on the Sharp Blade Gang, Lu Ban confronted him, saying he had fallen for their trap.

• Trist concluded that Stone was likely assisting Liz's roommate to eliminate the Catania Family's rivals and seize power.
• Lu Ban thought Stone was more likely corrupted by Otherworld knowledge than replaced, though he agreed Stone wanted control of the family.
• Trist proposed that Lu Ban meet Stone while Trist and Xiya hid nearby, but Lu Ban chose to wait alone at the agency.
• Stone arrived with a henchman and a golden retriever, bringing a file about the Sharp Blade Gang and its leader's deceased woman, Tack.
• Lu Ban accepted the file without opening it, called Stone by his real name, and told him he had fallen for it.

Lu Ban confronted Stone with the truth about the Catania Family and the murders, but Stone revealed that the golden retriever Liz was the real assassin. After Liz attacked Lu Ban, Trist and Xiya intervened, forcing Stone and Liz to flee.

• Lu Ban accused Stone of being manipulated by Mr. Corneon, who had used him to expand the Catania Family and planned to have him killed afterward.
• Lu Ban explained how the assassin had killed Flora, Dr. House, Mackey, and Madam Martina as revenge for a girl’s death, and said the assassin had also intended to kill Stone.
• Lu Ban shot Stone’s enforcer with Last Words, but Stone revealed that the golden retriever Liz was the assassin.
• Liz transformed into a sludge-like monster and attacked Lu Ban, turning his insides into a Glass Flower before tiny paw prints suppressed the transformation and he fell to the ground.
• Stone took the enforcer’s pistol and prepared to shoot Lu Ban, but Trist burst through the floor and Xiya blocked Liz’s curse with magic.
• Stone ordered Liz to kill Xiya, then fled with Liz when her barrier stopped the attack.

Xiya, Lu Ban, and Trist survived the Mud Monster’s attack on Trist’s Detective Agency, then pieced together how Dr. House may have created it and how it was tied to Liz and Stone. Trist connected the case’s clues to the Catania Family and the Glass Flower, ending with a wooden flower pendant in his hand.

• Xiya blasted the Mud Monster as it fled through the floor, and she confirmed that it and Stone had vanished.
• Lu Ban identified the sludge as an evil creature from another realm that could devour souls, imitate people, and grant life to corpses.
• Lu Ban and Xiya reasoned that Dr. House’s clinic and medicine may have been used to transform Liz into the Mud Monster.
• Trist considered the links among Stone, Dr. House, the Catania Family, and the Glass Flower, then found a wooden flower pendant in his palm.

Stone told Corneon that the Transcendents knew most of what had happened, and Corneon ordered him to kill them while presenting their mutual scheme for control of the Catania Family. When Detective Trist and his two assistants arrived, Corneon prepared an ambush, but they broke through the estate and confronted him.

• Stone reported to Corneon that the Transcendents knew most of what had happened, and Corneon demanded that Stone finish them.
• Corneon and Stone recognized that each intended to use the other, while Stone planned to seize the Catania Family after eliminating its members.
• A servant announced that Detective Trist and his two assistants had arrived, and Corneon sent Stone away before ordering an ambush.
• Corneon ordered his men to surround the parlor and kill the visitors, with Clydeman and Charles held in reserve.
• Gunfire and a commotion erupted in the courtyard, then Detective Trist and his two assistants smashed through the entrance and greeted Corneon.

Lu Ban and Trist confronted Corneon about his attempt to gain immortality by summoning an otherworldly monster. Trist explained how the creature had formed from Liz and the test subject and warned Corneon that it could not be controlled, just as sludge began dripping from the ceiling.

• Trist entered Corneon's room and said they had come in good faith after someone attacked them.
• Lu Ban warned Corneon that the monster could not grant immortality and would turn him into a walking corpse.
• Trist explained that Corneon had funded Dr. House's experiments to summon a monster and gain eternal life.
• Trist recounted how Flora's betrayal led Mackey to attack the House of Happiness, killing Tack and fatally wounding Liz as the test subject transformed early.
• The monster devoured Liz, later killed Dr. House, the test subject, Flora, and Mackey, and was kept near Stone in the form of a dog.
• Trist told Corneon the monster could not be controlled, and sludge dripped from the ceiling.

Trist’s group attacked Corneon, and Xiya and Lu Ban’s supernatural powers overwhelmed the sludge protecting him. As the building collapsed, Liz helped Stone escape, while Corneon was consumed by the sludge and became immortal.

• Trist tried to make Stone hesitate by warning Corneon that Stone could kill them both and blame the murders on traitors.
• Xiya blasted Corneon with Mistra’s Void Burst Technique, and Lu Ban used a Speech Bullet to disrupt the sludge.
• Stone fell from the ceiling as the sludge’s mutations receded, and Corneon was left gravely injured.
• Stone struggled with his mixed feelings about Corneon and realized he needed power to survive.
• Liz told Stone to run, then expanded the sludge to block Trist’s path as it devoured Corneon.
• A Glass Flower erupted through the building, and Stone disappeared beneath the rubble.

Lu Ban let Stone escape and advised Trist to blame him for Corneon’s death, then Trist touched the Glass Flower and saw the memory of how Liz died. The vision revealed that Liz had called him Ai Ou as she died, while the mud inside him awakened and killed the gangsters.

• Lu Ban explained that Stone’s escape gave Trist someone else to blame and predicted the Catania Family would fracture after Corneon’s death.
• Trist touched the Glass Flower and saw a memory of himself bedridden while Liz tried to help him escape armed men.
• Flora identified Tack’s corpse and ordered the gangsters to kill Liz and Trist.
• A gangster shot Liz, and gray mud erupted from Trist and killed the men who attacked them.
• Trist covered Liz’s body with mud as she told him to live on and named him Ai Ou.

Trist experienced Liz's memories and learned how Stone's dream of changing the Ruined City became intertwined with Liz, Ai Ou, and the Mud Monster. After waking in the hospital, he learned the Glass Flower case was considered solved and received a glass flower pendant before an unknown visitor knocked at his door.

• Trist witnessed Liz's memories of Stone, including his plans to reform the underworld and the events that led to the House of Happiness tragedy.
• Trist pieced together how Ai Ou suppressed the Mud Monster while Liz controlled the sludge and sought to help Stone, but the memories corrupted his mind and caused him to pass out.
• Trist woke in the hospital, where Lu Ban joked that the surgery had turned him into a girl, and Xiya told him he had been unconscious for about a day.
• Lu Ban told Trist that he was now famous for solving the Glass Flower case, while Stone's adopted son had murdered the Catania Family godfather and escaped.
• Lu Ban left Trist a glass pendant containing gray sludge, and an unknown visitor knocked at the door.

Lu Ban returned from the Ruined City task with a strange eye appearing on his body and received an 80% exploration rating. He used his Silence Points and three gathered materials to begin refining his Last Words.

• Lu Ban saw countless eyes open across his skin before they closed, though a nameless eye still seemed to open at the edge of his vision.
• The system declared the task complete, awarded Lu Ban 63,000 Silence Points and a Glass Flower, and gave him an 80% exploration rate.
• Lu Ban considered why he had missed a perfect exploration score, including the indirect evidence about Ai Ou and the mysterious woman near the slums.
• Lu Ban decided to refine his Last Words before upgrading his shop, using the Lucky Charm, Crane's Song Ascension Chronicle, Winter Wolf's Pale Heart, and 200,000 Silence Points.
• Lu Ban confirmed the refinement of his +2 Perfected Last Words and clicked Refine.