Recaps

Shade entered the Time Corridor and was sent to Hope Town in the Fifth Epoch to witness the Innocent Creator’s final wish. He met the Old God’s Saint, who healed him but said Shade was too weak to witness the wish, and Shade asked what an Ancient God was.

• Shade learned that Father of Infinite Tree was watching him and that the Ancient God of Time had given him a trial to witness the Innocent Creator’s final wish.
• Shade stepped out of the white fog into Hope Town and entered its Toy Store after the townspeople noticed him.
• Shade was overwhelmed by the Innocent Creator’s divine presence, but the Saint healed him and protected him from the god’s essence.
• The Innocent Creator told Shade that he was too weak to witness the final wish and said he needed God’s Radiance, which It could not explain.
• Shade asked the Innocent Creator what an Ancient God was.

Shade traveled to 1068 of the Fifth Epoch and encountered the Old God Innocent Creator during the fall of the Old Gods. He returned to the present with a new spell and a damaged Time Key, then told Professor Garcia about the dangerous journey.

• The Old God explained that the Ancient Gods had fallen and offered Shade a story before sending him back to the present.
• Innocent Creator told Shade about creating an Eternal Fire and springs for a Witch Princess, then granted him the spell False Immortality.
• Shade returned to Room Number One at 6 Saint Derain Square and learned that his mission was incomplete and the Time Key was damaged.
• Shade told Professor Garcia that he had traveled to 1068 of the Fifth Epoch and encountered a shop in Hope Town.
• Professor Garcia realized the year was not safe, promised to report the incident to the Academy, and urged Shade to rest.

Shade recovered from his encounter with the Old God Innocent Creator, learned he had gained the spell False Immortality, and reported the incident to the Academy. He decided to preserve the damaged Time Key’s two remaining uses until he understood God's Radiance, then set out for the Seer Association.

• After Professor Garcia left, Shade found the water gone and the Time Key cracked, while the woman in his head explained that their unusual abilities came from his soul’s peculiar nature.
• Shade reflected on the thirteen Old Gods and his failed mission, and resolved to seek Priest Augustus’s thoughts about God's Radiance.
• Cat Mia joined Shade, and petting her helped him recover from the encounter’s lingering mental effects.
• The next morning, Shade sent the Academy his own report, and Professor Garcia replied that the mission’s rewards would be decided after the History College assembly.
• Shade locked away the cracked key, considered his new spell False Immortality, and chose not to use the key’s remaining chances before understanding God's Radiance.
• Shade prepared to visit the Seer Association while the woman in his head affirmed that his soul was special.

Shade visited the Tobesk Branch of the Seer Association to have his Founding Series Silver Moon card authenticated. He waited in the crowded first-floor reception room, unaware of the result as the chapter ended.

• Shade went to the Seer Association and studied its building, its Genesis Series Rhodes Card paintings, and notices about a major tournament.
• Shade asked the receptionist to authenticate his Silver Moon card and learned that the association destroyed cards it judged to be counterfeit.
• Shade insisted on proceeding, paid the fee, and received a number for the authentication queue.
• Shade entered Waiting Room 13 and waited among other people seeking card authentication.

While waiting at the Seer Association, Shade watched a Rhodes Cards game and accepted Mr. Lavende’s invitation to play one round without money. Shade won with exactly 21 points, and Mr. Lavende asked him to play again.

• Shade listened as a group discussed war between Delarion and Kassenric, trade with the New Continent, and Rhodes Cards.
• Mr. Lavende invited the gathered men to play Rhodes Cards for small stakes, and Mr. Pangdun won one round while Mr. Luke and Captain Severell lost.
• Mr. Lavende asked Shade to play a money-free round, and Shade introduced himself as Detective Shade Hamilton.
• Shade drew Sun 13, Stars 7, and Stars 1 to reach 21 points and defeat Mr. Lavende.
• Mr. Lavende expressed surprise at Shade’s beginner’s luck and invited him to play another round.

Shade brought the Founding Silver Moon, Sun 3 to the Seer Association for appraisal, and its appraisers recognized it as a potentially genuine card missing from their records for 127 years. The association began a formal examination while Shade asked them to keep the discovery confidential.

• After his number was called, Shade left the card-game gathering and entered the appraiser's room with his Founding Silver Moon, Sun 3.
• The first appraiser inspected the card, became alarmed, and hurried to fetch help from the Seer Association.
• Cindyia Mark, vice president of the Tobesk branch, brought Shade to a reception room and arranged a more thorough appraisal in his presence.
• Shade asked whether the association would publicize the card, and Cindyia Mark assured him that it would protect his interests.
• Cindyia Mark told Shade that the association had last seen the card 127 years earlier, when Stiwell Byron Baron used it in a tournament final, and asked where it had been since.

Shade learned that the rare Origin · Silver Moon card was likely genuine and arranged for a final appraisal and a possible sale through the Seer Association. As he left, Mr. Lavende approached him with a detective commission and led him to a reception room upstairs.

• Three appraisers concluded that Shade's Origin · Silver Moon, “Sun 3,” was most likely a genuine Founding Series card, though headquarters would need to confirm it in a week.
• Mr. Mark gave Shade a provisional appraisal certificate, warned him not to use the card casually, and explained that the association would not buy it but could broker a sale.
• Shade accepted a free ten-year Seer Association membership and received the association's brokerage rates.
• Shade returned to the first-floor hall intending to leave, but Mr. Lavende offered him a commission.
• Shade sensed that Mr. Lavende was an ordinary person and followed him to a reception room on the association's second floor.

Shade accepted Baron Lavend’s commission to play Rhodes Cards against Baron Rwanda at a banquet, relying on a lucky draw despite his lack of experience. After arranging the details, Shade redeemed his cane and sold it to Old John for ten pounds.

• Baron Lavend asked Shade to help him defeat Baron Rwanda in a Rhodes Cards game at Lake View Manor’s Sunday banquet, offering payment even if Shade lost.
• Shade initially declined because he did not know how to play, but agreed after drawing three cards totaling six and signing a commission contract with Baron Lavend.
• Baron Lavend planned to mail Shade an invitation and asked them to pretend to meet by chance at the banquet.
• Shade visited Old John Pawnshop to redeem his cane, then sold it to Old John for ten pounds.

Shade settled his debts, learned Moon Shadow Illusion, and agreed to keep caring for Little Mia after her owner sent money and delayed her return. Before he left for a study gathering, Mrs. Lawrence arrived to discuss the investigation of her husband’s mistress, and Shade gave her the report Sparrow had prepared.

• Shade sold the antique walking stick to Old John for twelve pounds and five shillings and received a new stick.
• Shade learned Moon Shadow Illusion and tested it on Little Mia, frightening the cat before comforting her.
• Miss Mia Goode wrote to Shade, asking him to care for Little Mia for at least six more months and sending ten pounds for the cat.
• Shade received the household bills and planned to attend the study gathering at Doctor Schneider’s Clinic.
• Mary Lawrence arrived seeking Sparrow Hamilton, and Shade told her Sparrow had died and handed her the report he had prepared.

Shade warned Mrs. Lawrence that Lady Lasoya was dangerous, but Mrs. Lawrence insisted she had powerful connections and planned to use Sparrow Hamilton’s report to keep track of her husband and Lasoya. After Mrs. Lawrence left, Shade worried that she might bring Misfortune upon herself.

• Mrs. Lawrence read Shade’s report and asked why he had delayed giving it to her.
• Shade said he had ended the investigation because Lady Lasoya was connected to dangerous illegal organizations.
• Mrs. Lawrence rejected Shade’s warnings, saying she knew powerful people who could help her.
• Mrs. Lawrence paid Shade two pounds, took the report, and said what happened next would not involve him.
• Shade warned Mrs. Lawrence again as she left, then watched her carriage disappear and worried about her safety.

Shade discussed the Blood of Mercury commission with Doctor Schneider, then attended a Study Group with Miss Louisa and Doctor Schneider. They advised him on strengthening his Thaumaturgy, and Miss Louisa sent him to Old John’s shop for moon-related items as Shade continued studying The Mad Light Chaser.

• Shade visited Doctor Schneider and discussed the possibility that Mrs. Lawrence’s helpers could be powerful Ring Arcanists, then paid the doctor the six pounds he owed.
• Miss Louisa arrived, but Priest Augustus did not, so Shade, Miss Louisa, and Doctor Schneider began the Study Group without him.
• Shade described his meeting with Professor Garcia and shared what he knew about Peter, the Believers of the Lord of the Blood Feast, curses, and Thaumaturgy while concealing his experiences in the past Spacetime.
• Miss Louisa and Doctor Schneider told Shade to master his healing Thaumaturgy and understand the Silver Moon more deeply before pursuing other powers.
• Miss Louisa gave Shade Old John’s address, and Shade recognized the shop as the pawnshop owned by John Jones.
• Shade told the group that The Mad Light Chaser read like disconnected, illogical rambling after he had finished all forty-three pages.

Shade discovered that his ability to understand every language could help Miss Louisa translate an ancient occult book, though reading it caused him pain. He agreed to translate it over two weeks in exchange for the rare spell Frog's Leap.

• Doctor Schneider explained that books containing mad knowledge could cause headaches and advised Shade not to rush his Spirit Rune studies.
• Doctor Schneider discussed the difficult Aether Mechanics course, while Miss Louisa described her plans to prepare for exams and her struggle with Ancient Language.
• Shade understood the runes in Miss Louisa's book, Chasing the Four Elements: Wind and Fire, and identified one as meaning “Abyss.”
• Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa accepted Shade's explanation that his Spacetime Spirit Rune had helped him understand the language.
• Miss Louisa asked Shade to translate the book within two weeks and offered him the rare spell Frog's Leap in return.

Shade met with Doctor Schneider and Miss Louisa, then learned and tested the spell Frog's Leap at home. The chapter ended with Mia imitating his jump and Shade enduring the lingering smell and taste of the spellcasting materials.

• Doctor Schneider told Shade he planned to pursue the Academy bounty for Falsified Philosopher's Stone and warned him to stay out of the danger.
• Miss Louisa said she planned to study at home and prepare for her exams, while Priest Augustus sent word that he was busy arranging Saint Prayer Day.
• Shade learned Frog's Leap using frog viscera, skins, and dried legs, enduring an unpleasant ritual to master his sixth spell.
• Shade tested the spell in his living room and leaped into a full spin before landing steadily.
• Mia imitated Shade's leap, turned in midair, and settled back onto the sofa.
• The frog materials left a foul smell and taste that lingered into the next morning.

Shade visited Old John Pawnshop to find an affordable relic for studying Silver Moon Thaumaturgy. Old John showed him the Poet Level relic Silver Moon's Pearl, and Shade saw the Silver Moon when he touched it.

• Shade went to Old John Pawnshop and recited the contact code Miss Louisa had given him.
• Shade told Old John he wanted a relic related to the Silver Moon and said he could spend around fifteen pounds.
• Old John fetched Silver Moon's Pearl, a Poet Level relic once recorded by Serkeses Higher Medical College.
• Shade touched the pearl and felt a cold sensation as he saw the Silver Moon before his eyes.

Shade bought the Moonlight Orb from Old John after bargaining and learned that Blood of Mercury possessed a Destiny-related relic. He then arrived at Lake View Manor for Little Clown’s dinner party, where he unexpectedly spotted a familiar Black-Haired Maid.

• Shade learned the Moonlight Orb could reveal the Silver Moon but risked driving its holder mad if they touched it too long, and he bought it for twelve pounds and seventeen shillings.
• Old John told Shade that Blood of Mercury possessed a weakened Keeper of Secrets relic linked to Destiny that could locate lost objects.
• Shade traveled to Lake View Manor, a property of Count Clown, for a dinner party hosted by the Count’s second son, Little Clown.
• Shade wandered the manor grounds, ate from the buffet, and handed out his business cards while waiting to meet Baron Lavend.
• After night fell, Shade spotted a familiar Black-Haired Maid among the guests.

Shade attended the gathering at Lake View Manor, where he noticed an Orthodox Church Ring Arcanist Squad and learned that the strange young woman he had encountered was one of the Chosen Ones. He stayed at the manor and joined a discussion about whether people could safely migrate to the New Continent.

• Shade recognized the Black-haired Maid and saw young ladies on the manor terrace before exploring the gardens and lakeside grounds.
• Shade passed a Church Ring Arcanist Squad entering from the racetrack gate and sensed the elements of Miracle, Enlightenment, and Whisper among them.
• Shade recognized a nervous young woman in the squad, and the voice in his mind told him she was a Chosen One whose presence foreshadowed a major event.
• Shade decided not to leave the manor, reasoning that he could avoid danger by staying away from suspicious places.
• Shade returned to the banquet table and joined men debating the feasibility of large-scale immigration to the New Continent.

At the Lake View Manor banquet, Shade spotted Mr. Lawrence with Lassoya, then joined Baron Lavend and his friends to play Rhodes Cards. The chapter left Shade watching Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda prepare to stake their special-rule cards in a match.

• Shade noticed Mr. Lawrence arriving with Lassoya in a crimson gown and wondered whether Mrs. Lawrence’s helper planned to confront her.
• Baron Lavend recruited Shade to join his group, and Shade helped maintain his cover by enthusiastically discussing Rhodes Cards.
• Shade told Baron Lavend’s friends that a Founding Series card had reportedly appeared in Tobesk City, winning their interest and acceptance.
• Shade followed the group to the Grape Arbor, where Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda sat down to play Rhodes Cards.
• Baron Lavend staked Flower 13 from the Northern Cities series, while Baron Rwanda chose Stars 6 from the Ancient Fairy Tales series as his stake.

Shade watched Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend compete for valuable Rhodes Cards while keeping an eye out for the major event he had been warned about. He spotted a second Church squad and, later, Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, but the chapter ended before either encounter led to action.

• Baron Lavend and Baron Rwanda began a best-of-three Rhodes Card match, with Mr. Kandela shuffling and dealing.
• Shade used Blood Echo to inspect Baron Rwanda’s deck, then noticed a Ring Arcanist Squad from the Church of War and Peace approaching the manor.
• Baron Rwanda drew Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and won the first round against Baron Lavend.
• Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend each chose a friend to play the next round as night fell.
• Shade spotted Doctor Schneider walking in the garden with a friend, and Doctor Schneider noticed Shade beneath the Grape Arbor.

Shade encountered Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, where the doctor secretly gestured to him without explaining what was happening. Shade then joined the decisive Rhodes Cards game, where his suspiciously strong luck continued as he drew cards against Baron Rwanda.

• Shade saw Doctor Schneider at Lake View Manor, but the doctor silently made complicated gestures that Shade could not understand.
• Sir Soral beat Mr. Sikh by reaching 21 points, tying the card contest at one win each.
• Baron Lavend selected Shade to play the final game against Baron Rwanda, who questioned whether Shade was a fair opponent.
• Baron Rwanda offered an extra 20 Pounds, and Baron Lavend agreed that Shade could keep the stake if he won.
• Shade used Blood Echo to identify Baron Rwanda's first two cards, then drew Sun 1, Stars 9, and Moon 11, leaving him astonished by his luck.

Shade won the Rhodes Cards match against Baron Rwanda despite his improbable luck, securing Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and helping Baron Lavend win two of the three matches. He left the banquet with the card and continued searching for Doctor Schneider, still wondering whether the Dice of Destiny had affected his luck.

• Shade won the second and third rounds against Baron Rwanda, who grew suspicious and demanded that the deck be inspected again.
• Baron Rwanda revealed Flower 13, Northern City City, and Shade rolled a twenty, allowing him to draw Sun 8 and win the fifth round.
• Baron Rwanda honored the wager by giving Shade Ancient Fairy Tale · Match Girl and giving Sir Soral twenty pounds.
• Baron Rwanda and Baron Lavend urged Shade to take good care of the special card, which Shade stored in his notebook.
• Shade declined Baron Lavend's invitation and followed Doctor Schneider's earlier route while considering the cause of his unusual luck.

Shade learned that his Another Me had used the Fate’s Die and his unusual fate to resist an attempt to kill him, while telling him the attacker would eventually appear. He met Priest Augustus at Lake View Manor and learned that the Orthodox Church had investigated Lassoya and confirmed he belonged to Blood of Mercury.

• Shade admired the moonlit lake and learned that contact with the Four Elements could strengthen his spirit, soul, and body.
• Shade’s Another Me explained that it had used his fate and the Fate’s Die to strike back against someone trying to kill him.
• Shade found Priest Augustus at Lake View Manor and told him he had seen Doctor Schneider, two Orthodox Church Ring Arcanist Squads, and Mr. Lawrence with Lassoya.
• Priest Augustus explained that Mrs. Lawrence had reported Lassoya to the Orthodox Church, which confirmed he was a member of Blood of Mercury.

Priest Augustus told Shade that the Church planned to arrest Jack Deon and sent him to warn Louisa while he went to find the Doctor. Shade was waylaid by the drunken Captain Rades, whose antique revolver appeared to be a relic, and the chapter ended with Rades’s friends giving the gun to Shade as compensation for his torn clothes.

• Priest Augustus explained that Jack Deon had used a Blood Spirit School ring to change his sex and warned Shade not to interfere with the Church’s planned arrest.
• Priest Augustus sent Shade to find Louisa and warn her while he went into Lake View Manor to find the Doctor.
• Captain Rades grabbed Shade in the courtyard and insisted that his antique revolver had made him shoot others instead of himself.
• Captain Rades tore off Shade’s right sleeve while showing him the revolver, and his friends restrained him and gave the gun to Shade as compensation.

Shade searched Lake View Manor for Miss Louisa and overheard two people discussing a Witch Council operating in Tobesk. He avoided getting involved and returned to the garden, where he found a young poet crying at the Grape Arbor.

• Shade accepted a revolver marked "Gun of Kindness" and received Captain Rades's address before continuing his search for Miss Louisa.
• Shade spotted a Golden-haired Girl near the stables and followed, but heard a man and Jenny talking instead of finding Miss Louisa.
• Shade overheard Jenny claim that a great Witches of the Witch Council was in Tobesk City, then slipped away to avoid trouble.
• Shade searched the manor and garden again without finding Miss Louisa and returned to the Grape Arbor.
• Shade found a young poet there holding a wineglass and shedding tears.

Shade encountered a blasphemous presence, foreign spies, and a Church of the Sun and Earth Ring Arcanist Squad while wandering Lake View Manor. He warned Dorothy Louisa that the Church planned to arrest Jack Deon, then met Luvia Annette as the manor’s crisis drew closer.

• Shade felt a blasphemous presence beneath the Grape Arbor but crossed the area safely and entered the Garden Maze.
• Shade overheard a Kassenric United Kingdom spy speaking with someone called Nightingale and left without getting involved.
• A Church of the Sun and Earth Ring Arcanist Squad questioned Shade, and its captain used his power to make Shade forget seeing them.
• Dorothy Louisa found Shade, and he told her Priest Augustus expected the Church to arrest Lassoya, also known as Jack Deon, that night.
• Luvia Annette approached Dorothy and Shade carrying two glasses of wine, prompting Shade to wonder what was about to happen.

Shade learned that Blood of Mercury planned to summon the evil god Lord of the Blood Feast at Lake View Manor that night, and Luvia and Miss Louisa went to warn the people in the main house. Shade suspected the garden held part of the summoning ritual, but a dangerous Ring Arcanist confronted him beneath the grape arbor and demanded payment for the luck he had given Shade.

• Luvia told Shade and Miss Louisa that Lassoya had come to obtain a material for Blood of Mercury's plan to summon Lord of the Blood Feast.
• Luvia and Miss Louisa hurried toward the main house to bring out Priest Augustus and Doctor Schneider, while warning Shade to stay away from it.
• Shade recalled the Blasphemy Elements near the grape arbor and suspected that the garden contained a node in the summoning ritual.
• Shade returned to the grape arbor and found a middle-aged man waiting for him beside the Stone Table.
• The man revealed his burned left arm and told Shade that his Gift of Fate had run out and it was time to collect payment.