Chapter Summaries

Shade, Miss Annette, and Miss Bayes planned their assault on the ruins and discussed the dangers guarding the way to the Silver-Eyed One. Miss Bayes chose to risk sacrificing an eye to become a Chosen One, while the group arranged ways to counter the relics and seek outside help.

• Miss Bayes chose the Silver-Eyed One as her fated enemy and accepted the possibility of sacrificing an eye to become a Chosen One.
• Miss Annette used Shade's Blood Money to divine that the Silver-Eyed One was badly injured, no stronger than the sixth ring, and guarded by dangerous relics.
• Miss Bayes explained that the Silver-Eyed One's Greedy Silver Magic Eyes could turn victims into silver statues, and Miss Annette offered to handle protective talismans.
• Miss Annette described Thousand-Eyed Gargoyle No. 3765, which could be quieted with two Magic Eyes; Shade offered one, and Miss Bayes offered another.
• Shade volunteered to confront the Mirror Behind, while Miss Annette planned to counter the Maze Candle with a borrowed Compass-shaped relic.
• Miss Bayes offered to request relics from The Church, and Shade planned to ask Miss Galina for assistance before the group entered the ruins.

Shade, Miss Annette, and Miss Bayes planned to enter the ruins on Thursday night, using The Church’s operation against the cultists as cover. After making preparations for the coming mission, they joined the banquet’s dance, where Shade awkwardly stepped on both women’s feet.

• Miss Annette set Thursday night as the time to enter the ruins, while Miss Bayes agreed to investigate The Church’s operation and Miss Annette planned to scout the Printing Factory entrance.
• Shade said he would take a journey before Thursday and gave Miss Bayes Witch’s Copy Paper so she could help him copy the Sunlight Greatsword Thaumaturgy.
• The three agreed to meet at Shade’s home on Wednesday night to finalize their plan, and Shade kept the last Blood Money coin safe.
• Miss Bayes invited Shade and Miss Annette to dance, and the two women persuaded Shade to join them at the banquet.
• Shade danced with Miss Bayes and Miss Annette, stepping on Miss Bayes’s feet twice and Miss Annette’s once.

Shade left Mia in Miss Louisa’s care while preparing for an uncertain journey, then used the Primal Rift to create a second space signpost. The new signpost pointed west, and Shade touched it to begin traveling to an unknown destination.

• Shade asked Miss Louisa to look after Mia while he went on a long trip, and she agreed.
• Shade chose items and supplies for his journey and packed them into a suitcase.
• Shade entered the Space Labyrinth and sacrificed a White Stone Crystal to seek a new signpost.
• Shade chose west, and the Primal Rift created a second signpost pointing in that direction.
• Shade touched the new signpost, and the White Fog dispersed.

Shade used the Old Gods Statue to travel between his home and a distant circular chamber, where he discovered a passage leading to the sea. After preparing his gear and casting Underwater Breathing, he swam down the submerged passage toward the outside.

• Shade found that Space Movement had taken him to a clean circular chamber and confirmed that his suitcase had traveled with him.
• Shade returned to the White Fog region, used the signpost labeled 1, and teleported back to the statue beneath his home.
• Shade revealed a Hidden Wall and explored a damp passage inhabited by sea turtles, crabs, and other marine life.
• Shade found the passage flooded with flowing seawater and concluded that it connected to the ocean.
• Shade waterproofed his suitcase, secured himself to a rope, cast Underwater Breathing, and swam into the submerged passage.

Shade emerged from the Hidden Wall into the sea beside Coldwater Port City, where he learned Princess Leisha was staying under heavy guard. After settling into an inn, he set out to meet the friend keeping Mr. Lemmer's will.

• Shade swam through an underwater passage and surfaced among reefs beside a harbor on the West Coast of the Old Continent.
• Shade identified the city as Coldwater Port after finding a newspaper and learned Princess Leisha was staying at Sophia Manor.
• Shade entered the Golden Rose Inn under the false name John Watson, rented a room, and borrowed newspapers.
• Shade discovered Princess Leisha was inaccessible and found no useful local rumors or response from the Pirate's Blood Money.
• Shade borrowed an umbrella and went out to handle Mrs. Lemmer's request by meeting the friend keeping Mr. Lemmer's will.

Shade traveled to Coldwater Port City to find Jonathan Lemmer’s friend and verify the will entrusted to him. He met Jason Delar, who confirmed that Lemmer had died in a shipwreck, leaving Shade convinced Mrs. Lemmer’s inheritance was genuine.

• Shade walked through the Dock Area to No. 5 Mermaid Alley, where Jonathan Lemmer was said to live.
• Shade told the man who answered the door that he owed Lemmer money from a card game aboard a ship and had come to repay him.
• The man, Jason Delar, invited Shade inside and introduced himself as a Warehouse Dispatcher in the local Dock Area.
• Jason told Shade that Lemmer had died in a shipwreck, and Shade pretended to be shocked and prayed for the dead.
• Jason explained that he and Lemmer had become friends after meeting at a tavern and playing cards together for decades.
• Shade concluded that Mrs. Lemmer’s inheritance was genuine rather than a scam.

Shade discovered that Mr. Deral was conducting a blood-soaked ritual to remove a curse, then confronted him at gunpoint and demanded an explanation. Mr. Deral begged Shade to save him as Shade prepared to question him in the ritual room.

• Shade noticed through Blood Echo that blood was seeping from the ceiling of Mr. Deral's house, indicating something terrible was happening upstairs.
• Shade returned to the house in disguise, climbed to the second-floor window, and entered a room filled with blood, candles, skulls, and occult writings.
• Shade examined the ritual book and learned that Mr. Deral had copied a ritual seeking an evil god's help to remove a curse.
• Shade lured Mr. Deral into the corridor, disarmed him with magic, and held him at gunpoint.
• Shade ordered Mr. Deral into the blood-filled room to explain what had happened, and Mr. Deral begged him for help.

Shade learned that Jason Deral and his smuggling partners had been cursed by Mermaid Statues, which caused recurring nightmares and bizarre deaths. After confirming the curse did not affect Mrs. Lemmer’s inheritance, Shade killed Jason and used Soul Echo on his corpse.

• Jason Deral told Shade that he had taken Mermaid Statues from confiscated cargo and distributed them to his smuggling partners.
• Jason explained that the statue owners dreamed of a ruined palace and a giant rotting Mermaid, then began dying in strange ways; Mr. Lemmer had jumped into the sea.
• Jason said the surviving partners avoided the Orthodox Church to conceal their crimes, and his attempt to perform a curse-removal ritual had summoned Shade instead.
• Shade confirmed that the curse was unrelated to Mrs. Lemmer’s inheritance, then questioned Jason about blood and flesh in the room.
• Jason began to explain that the blood came from homeless people, but Shade shot him dead.
• Shade sprinkled Bone Powder on Jason’s corpse and used Soul Echo, causing the dead man’s phantom to appear.

Shade questioned Jason Delar’s phantom, found the Mermaid Statues and rare Weather Vane Bluegrass in his basement, then escaped as people closed in on the house. He returned to Saint Derain Square by way of the sea and the Space Labyrinth, while a red-haired young woman wondered whether she had seen him.

• Shade questioned Jason Delar’s soul phantom about the Mermaid Statues, the basement, and his money, then dismissed it.
• Shade found three covered Mermaid Statues, confirmed they were a Relic, and took Weather Vane Bluegrass and other materials from the basement.
• After spotting people watching the house, Shade escaped across the rooftops; a red-haired young woman identified as Your Highness wondered if she had seen Shade.
• Shade evaded pursuit by returning to his inn, then swam through an underwater fissure and used the Space Labyrinth to reach home.
• Shade discovered that a fish died near the Old Gods Statue, rested, bathed, and rode a carriage to Quill Avenue.

Shade returned to Miss Louisa’s apartment with Mia and a freshly caught fish, then joined her for dinner at a restaurant. The evening ended with Miss Louisa revealing that Princess Leisha had covered the meal on her tab as the two walked through the rain.

• Shade visited Miss Louisa again, brought her a sea fish, and collected Mia, who eagerly clung to him.
• Miss Louisa invited Shade to dinner, and Shade avoided explaining that his trip involved confronting the Silver-Eyed One.
• While washing his hands, Shade heard the woman’s voice and noticed that his hearing had become unusually sharp.
• Shade and Miss Louisa ate fish soup and butter-fried fish at a restaurant, where the chef prepared a boneless serving for Mia.
• As they walked toward Quill Street, Miss Louisa said the meal had been charged to Princess Leisha Cavendish’s tab.

Shade learned Laguerre's Leap and discovered that it let him teleport farther than its normal range while under God's Radiance. He prepared Weather Vane Bluegrass for Priest Augustus to process, then turned his attention to buying supplies and preparing for the ruins in three days.

• Shade inscribed Ancient Incantation on Weather Vane Bluegrass, prepared the required powder, and used Laguerre's Leap to teleport across his study.
• Shade learned the thaumaturgy could move him roughly twice its normal maximum distance under God's Radiance, but Professor Garcia had warned him to wait an hour between uses.
• Shade decided to ask Priest Augustus to make bluegrass extract and appraise the other items he had brought back from Coldwater Port, while lying low after Jason Delar's death.
• Shade planned to prepare for breaking into the ruins in three days and sent Miss Galina an express letter asking to visit that afternoon.
• Shade brought the Weather Vane Bluegrass to Priest Augustus, who explained its high cost and took him to an underground workshop to process it.

Shade sold Priest Augustus materials from Coldwater Port City, then visited Old John's pawnshop to prepare for his coming fight with the Silver-Eyed One. He tested a door-shaped Pendant with the Time Key and asked Old John for a suitable offensive relic; Old John returned with a mysterious golden candle stub.

• Shade showed Priest Augustus the extract and sold him the ores and labeled liquids for 11 pounds, and Priest Augustus explained how a Prayer Ritual worked.
• Shade visited Old John's pawnshop and raised his offer for the relic he had asked Old John to find to 200 pounds.
• Shade bought a tiny metal door Pendant and successfully inserted the Time Key through its keyhole, confirming the key could be used with it.
• Shade told Old John he needed an offensive relic for his coming fight and offered 350 pounds, but declined to reveal his opponent's identity.
• Old John returned from the back room with an old gray box containing a short golden candle stub.

Shade bought the Bordeaux Candle, a relic that granted near-undetectable invisibility, and tested its properties at home with Mia. He left with a versatile new tool but remained limited by his one-ring combat abilities.

• Shade learned that the Bordeaux Candle could conceal him and nearby items for just over seven minutes, but he had to extinguish it every forty-seven seconds and never answer a voice calling his name.
• Old John offered the candle for forty-three pounds, and Shade bought it after confirming the price could not be haggled.
• Shade returned home, tested the candle’s remaining burn time and ignition, and found that its invisibility could conceal both him and Mia.
• Shade confirmed that Mia could not detect him while he moved around her invisibly, and considered using the candle for escapes, infiltration, and surprise attacks.
• Shade reflected that his support abilities were broad, though his weak direct combat power remained constrained by his one-ring level.

Shade visited Miss Galina to ask for relics to help with his plan to defeat the Silver-Eyed One on Thursday night. She offered him the Ancient Witch's Golden Necklace in exchange for attending a cult banquet and retrieving the Metamorphosis Ring, leaving him with two operations to carry out that night.

• Miss Galina summoned Shade to her estate and heard his plan to attack the Silver-Eyed One while the Church raided the Blood of Mercury.
• Miss Galina explained that the Blood of Mercury would hold a banquet to summon an evil god through the missing Mr. Lawrence, and asked Shade to retrieve the Metamorphosis Ring there.
• Miss Galina promised that Tifa and her other servants would help Shade escape the banquet, and offered him a question about the Witch Council and her complete trust in return for the ring.
• Shade agreed to attend the banquet and obtain the Metamorphosis Ring before carrying out his own operation.
• Miss Galina lent Shade the Sage Level Relic Ancient Witch's Golden Necklace, which enhanced Thaumaturgy and spells used against non-Witch targets.

Shade borrowed Miss Galina’s cursed necklace and tested how it enhanced his Mystic Lock. Miss Galina explained the Church’s safeguards against the Lord of the Blood Feast’s descent, then asked Shade to report any strange female Sorceresses from the Church.

• Miss Galina explained that her necklace amplified the Witch Curse but could enhance Shade’s abilities, and Shade agreed to borrow it for his own use.
• With the necklace on, Shade operated the Mystic Lock and briefly changed the room into a snowy night sky beneath a Silver Moon without Miss Galina noticing the secret.
• Shade questioned whether the Orthodox Church could stop the Lord of the Blood Feast, and Miss Galina said the Church planned to control Mr. Lawrence and destroy the grand feast.
• Miss Galina revealed that the Church had brought a Level 0 Relic to Tobesk, guarded by the Thirteenth Ring Warlock “Sunlight Greatsword,” to confine a god in Saint form.
• Miss Galina asked Shade to tell her if he encountered any strange female Sorceresses from the Church.

Miss Galina warned Shade about a secret prophecy and discussed plans for Thursday’s operation. On Wednesday morning, Greta Wosente hired Shade to help arrange a funeral for her long-missing husband, whose skeleton had recently been found in her basement.

• Miss Galina told Shade that powerful organizations were searching for people connected to a secret prophecy and asked him to report any unusually gifted Sorceresses he encountered.
• Miss Galina explained her arrangements for Thursday’s operation, and Shade returned home with the Bordeaux Candle and Witches' Golden Necklace ready for the plan.
• Greta Wosente visited Shade with an escort and asked to hire him, though Shade warned her he was busy until Sunday.
• Greta told Shade that workers had uncovered her husband’s skeleton in the basement, and that Ridgewich Field had confirmed its identity and closed the case.
• Greta explained that her husband’s Brother had confessed to killing him decades earlier, but the Wosente Family now demanded a noble attend and deliver a eulogy before they would come to the funeral.

Shade agreed to read Mr. Wosente’s eulogy at his funeral in the East District of Tobesk Public Cemetery, planning to visit Detective Sparrow’s nearby grave as well. While preparing for a major operation, he noticed Mia was unusually insistent about getting more cat food but concluded she was simply a clever cat.

• Mrs. Wosente asked Shade to read the eulogy at her husband’s funeral and offered him 20 pounds, travel expenses, and a special-rules Rhodes Card.
• Shade agreed after learning the funeral would be held near Detective Sparrow’s burial place, which he planned to visit beforehand.
• Shade spent the morning practicing Thaumaturgy and adapting to the Ancient Witch’s Golden Necklace, which strengthened his Silver Moon Slash.
• Mia refused her reduced lunch, tugged at Shade’s trousers, and pointed toward the cupboard until he gave her more cat food.
• Shade wondered whether Mia could understand human speech, but recalled that Miss Annette and the woman’s voice in his heart had said she was an ordinary cat.

Shade attended Mr. Wosente’s long-delayed funeral, where he delivered a eulogy and met the dead man’s family. While Mrs. Wosente spoke, a ghost appeared beside Shade, and he suspected it was Mr. Wosente.

• Shade rode to Tobesk Public Cemetery and learned from the coachman that the Silver Parrot Milk Delivery Company had lowered its subscription price because of a warehouse problem.
• At the funeral, Shade met Mrs. Wosente and John Watsont, then delivered a eulogy for Mr. Wosente.
• After his speech, Shade sat near the church doors and received a note from a young girl, which he crumpled without pursuing.
• As Mrs. Wosente began speaking, Shade noticed a transparent middle-aged man standing beside him and realized the man was a ghost.
• Shade suspected the ghost was Mr. Wosente and searched his knowledge of ghosts for an explanation.

At Mr. Wosente’s funeral, Shade overheard Mr. Wosente and Mr. Mason’s souls reveal that Greta had killed her husband and that Mason had concealed the body and taken the blame. As the funeral procession continued, the two souls wondered whether Greta had truly forgotten the murder or deliberately avoided responsibility.

• Shade saw a soul beside him at the funeral, then watched Mr. Wosente’s soul appear and speak with Mr. Mason’s soul.
• Mr. Mason revealed that Greta had killed Mr. Wosente after learning about Miss Emma and his child.
• Mr. Mason explained that he hid Mr. Wosente’s body, while Greta believed her husband had left after an argument and Mason was imprisoned for the murder.
• Mr. Wosente and Mr. Mason questioned whether Greta had forgotten the killing or knowingly let Mason take the blame.
• Shade followed the funeral procession toward the Underground Tomb as the two souls continued beside him, unable to ask Greta what she remembered.

At Mr. Wosente’s funeral, Shade discovered that the two ghosts following the family intended to contact Mrs. Wosente through a living person. He revealed his power as a Ring Arcanist, stopped them, and agreed to ask Mrs. Wosente whether she had forgotten what happened that night.

• Shade waited outside the Underground Tomb while Mrs. Wosente and the coffin were taken inside.
• Mr. Mason and Mr. Wosente chose Shade as the person to control so they could question Mrs. Wosente.
• Shade confronted the ghosts away from the funeral party and used his Soul Echo and Silver Light to frighten them into submission.
• Mr. Mason and Mr. Wosente said they did not know why they had appeared or when they would leave, and Shade ordered them to stay away from Mrs. Wosente.
• The ghosts asked Shade to find out whether Mrs. Wosente had truly forgotten what happened that night, and Shade agreed to ask her.