Chapter Summaries

After Luvia divined that Big Mouth Sparrow was likely in Arcadia City, Shade decided to travel there and investigate, possibly uncovering a connection to his origins. He prepared to use Ellie’s luck blessing to locate a Space Labyrinth entrance, leaving Luvia worried as he set out.

• Grandma Qishala kept Shade in Elf King's City until late afternoon, then asked Emilia whether she danced for him.
• Shade told Luvia about Big Mouth Sparrow, and she used Pendulum Divination to locate him in Arcadia City.
• Shade explained Arcadia City's history and strategic importance, then decided to investigate Big Mouth Sparrow there.
• Shade planned to ask Margaret for information about the Gray Gloves safe house and travel using the Space Labyrinth with Ellie's luck blessing.
• Shade ate the blessed apple, prepared relics including [Night Watchman], and set out to locate the Space Labyrinth entrance while Luvia worried over him.

Shade used Ellie’s apple and a White Stone Crystal to reach the Space Labyrinth’s exit in an abandoned library in Arcadia City. After briefly returning home to reassure Luvia, he went back to survey the city and its districts.

• Shade entered the Space Labyrinth, ate Ellie’s apple, and spent a White Stone Crystal to locate the southeast exit.
• Shade emerged in a basement beneath an abandoned printing house and discovered that the building above was a long-closed library.
• Shade identified the location as Arcadia City, returned home, and told Luvia he had arrived safely.
• Luvia stayed home while Shade set out again to inspect the area around the library.
• Shade surveyed Arcadia City from the street and library roof, observing its districts from Candlekeep Library down to the Outer City District and Grey Rock Pass.

Shade investigated the abandoned Blue Ink Library in Arcadia City and learned that its owner, Mr. Laibury, had lost the right to operate it after his son was imprisoned for helping the Delin Orr Restorationists. Mr. Laibury invited Shade inside and offered to discuss selling the library if Shade helped him with a task.

• Shade learned from Luvia about Arcadia City's libraries, mystic organizations, and history before traveling there alone.
• Shade discovered that the Blue Ink Library had been shut down after young Laibury printed pamphlets for the Delin Orr Restorationists.
• Shade spoke with a bartender, who explained that the library still belonged to old Mr. Laibury and directed him to Hissk Alley.
• Shade found Mr. Laibury at number 8 Hissk Alley and asked to buy the library.
• Mr. Laibury said he would consider giving up the library if Shade helped him with something, and Shade introduced himself as John Watson.

Shade agreed to try to recover three inherited manuscripts for Old Mr. Laibury in exchange for the Blue Ink Library, then traveled to Candlekeep Library to investigate the hardest one. The chapter left Shade standing before the library, surprised by its palace-like grandeur.

• Old Mr. Laibury asked Shade to recover the original Mark I Steam Engine design, a rare 1688 plant book, and Newcastle's original Wuthering Heights manuscript in return for the Blue Ink Library and 300 Crowns.
• Old Mr. Laibury explained that the manuscripts were held by Baron Ramsay, Candlekeep Library, and Lady Astley, respectively, and described the library's costly entry rules.
• Shade agreed to try to recover the manuscripts and decided to visit Candlekeep Library first while waiting for news about Gray Gloves.
• Shade rode through the city with a talkative coachman, who shared local information during the journey uphill.
• Shade reached Candlekeep Library and found that it resembled a majestic palace.

Shade explored Candlekeep Library, obtained a membership, and discovered that powerful anti-detection rituals limited his abilities inside. While searching for the Summer Night Collection, he heard a young woman coughing and offered to call a doctor; she declined, and Shade continued searching nearby.

• Shade registered at Candlekeep Library as John Watson and received a bronze membership badge.
• Shade toured the library, found Mr. Laibury's rare-plants book, and saw that its detection abilities were restricted by powerful anti-detection rituals.
• Shade searched the literature section for the Summer Night Collection, hoping to use it to surprise Leisha and Dorothy.
• Shade heard a young woman coughing badly and offered to call a doctor, but she said it was an old problem and declined help.
• Shade resumed his search near the woman and wondered whether the Summer Night Collection was shelved close to her.

Shade encountered a frail witch in Arcadia City's library, and their misunderstanding led to a dangerous chase and a random teleport. He recognized her as the ailing Great Witch of Chaos and ended up supporting her on a hill in the Outer City District.

• Shade found that someone had taken the library's only copy of Summer Night Collection and chose to leave without confronting her.
• The witch attacked Shade, but his touch stabilized her Chaos power, and he realized she was a witch whose illness and restraints were severely weakening her.
• The witch fled through the library using Chaos magic, while Shade pursued her and learned her constitution caused Four Elements Imbalance through touch.
• At a second-floor window, the witch used Random Teleportation, and Shade's Great Sin Chains bound them together as they vanished.
• Shade found himself in the Outer City District with the half-conscious witch and recognized her as the Great Witch of Chaos he had previously helped with Star Dew.

Shade treated the injured witch with Star Dews and protected her with thaumaturgies, then defeated two Arcanists who came after her. He discovered that her elemental imbalance was severe and began feeding her his blood to temporarily ease it.

• Shade summoned a camp, stabilized the witch with a Mystic Lock and False Immortality, and gave her Star Dews to restore her Life Force.
• Two female Ring Arcanists approached, and Shade incapacitated them with Crimson Moon moonlight and chains before binding them on the hill.
• Shade examined the witch and found that her chaotic Four Elements and an unknown force had badly damaged her body and soul.
• After learning that his blood could temporarily relieve her illness, Shade cut his palm and dripped blood onto her lips, which she unconsciously swallowed.

Shade revived the witch Wei Ge Valeria Astley with his blood, and she awakened, confessed her attraction to him, and apologized for attacking him. She identified the two captured men as members of the Emerald Alchemy Association and invited Shade to her home to explain their conflict and her history.

• Shade used his blood to restore the unconscious witch, but she awakened and bit his hand for more.
• Wei Ge Valeria Astley recognized that Shade’s appearance was an illusion, sensed his unusual gender, and asked to pursue him.
• Wei Ge introduced herself, apologized for attacking and biting Shade, and learned that he was using the false name John Watson.
• Wei Ge identified the two bound attackers as members of the Emerald Alchemy Association and said they had come to cause trouble over a complicated history and a powerful relic.
• Wei Ge invited Shade to her home to discuss his connection to the Council, explain her story, and compensate him.

Shade traveled with Wei Ge Astley to Fragrant Residence after rescuing her, learning about the wartime refugees and her plans to keep his abilities secret. The chapter ended as she explained her family’s rise through the spice trade and the origins of her home’s name.

• Shade followed Wei Ge Astley from the hill with two prisoners, hoping to learn more and recover the original manuscript of Wuthering Heights.
• Wei Ge Astley explained that refugees fleeing the war had gathered along the Outer City District, where jobs and shelter were scarce.
• Two carriages arrived, and Wei Ge Astley’s Witch Followers loaded the prisoners into one before taking Shade toward the city.
• In the carriage, Wei Ge Astley said she would keep Shade’s healing ability secret and asked what he wanted in exchange for continuing to treat her.
• Wei Ge Astley explained that wartime sentries checked carriages at district gates and that their destination was Fragrant Residence in the Upper City District.
• Wei Ge Astley told Shade that Fragrant Residence was her inherited home, named for the spice warehouses tied to her family’s trade.

Shade accompanied Wei Ge Astley to Fragrant Residence in Arcadia City, where they discussed her health, her plans for an apprentice, and the cause of her illness. She revealed that her mother had encountered an Unknown Level Relic called the Emerald Record while pregnant with her.

• Miss Astley brought Shade to Fragrant Residence and arranged for two prisoners to be taken to its underground cells.
• At lunch, Shade offered to treat Miss Astley again, but she declined and explained that his earlier treatment had briefly restored her health.
• Miss Astley told Shade that Eve was her follower and that she hoped to recommend her as an apprentice to the Great Witch of Knowledge and Wisdom.
• Miss Astley explained that she was recording her knowledge for a potential Chaos apprentice in case she died from her illness.
• Miss Astley revealed that her mother, a Ring Arcanist from the Emerald Alchemy Association, had encountered the Unknown Level Relic called the Emerald Record while pregnant with her.

Shade learned how Wei Ge Astley’s mother had been tied to the Emerald Alchemy Association and how the search for the Emerald Record had shaped Wei Ge’s life and illness. After agreeing to let Wei Ge deal with the captured Alchemists, Shade met her apprentice Eve MacDonald.

• Wei Ge told Shade that her mother had belonged to the Emerald Alchemy Association, had apparently found the Emerald Record or a vital clue, and died after being gravely injured while pregnant with her.
• Wei Ge explained that the relic’s influence had affected her body and soul since before her birth, and that the Association had been searching for her and her mother’s clues for years.
• Wei Ge said her magic had failed and she had fainted after Shade appeared, allowing the Alchemists to track her; Shade agreed that she could interrogate and later release the two men he had knocked unconscious.
• Wei Ge offered Shade a room in her house, but he declined and urged her to take his blood to help her weakness; she refused, expecting to recover as the world’s elemental balance stabilized.
• Eve MacDonald returned carrying books, and Wei Ge introduced her as her apprentice while asking her to keep Shade’s visit and identity confidential.

Shade discussed how to obtain three manuscripts with Wei Ge Astley, who offered to use her family’s influence and connections to help him. After agreeing to meet her again, Shade left with a path toward completing his search for the books and reaching the local Space Labyrinth.

• Miss Eve MacDonald corrected the Great Witch of Chaos for using a masculine pronoun, and Shade confirmed that he was male and could resist the Witch Curse.
• Wei Ge asked Shade to keep her existence from the other witches, and Shade agreed to say that he had healed her and she wanted to help him.
• Shade asked Wei Ge to accept his blood before he explained his need for three books from the Blue Ink Library quest.
• Wei Ge offered him the original manuscript of Wuthering Heights and proposed using her family’s influence to obtain the Blue Ink Library and its books, but Shade chose to obtain them himself.
• Wei Ge arranged for Shade to collect Wuthering Heights the next day and meet Baron Ramsay at a Friday banquet, and she promised to find a way to obtain the rare-plant book from Candlekeep Library.
• Wei Ge asked Shade to call her Wei Ge, and he agreed on the condition that she accept his blood.

Shade brewed Blood Brew from his blood, and Wei Ge Astley found that it eased her illness enough to support normal activity. She commissioned him to investigate powerful outsiders connected to the Emerald Alchemy Association, and he planned to visit her injured follower the next morning before exploring Arcadia City's black market.

• Shade used Blood Brew to fill several crystal bottles, and Wei Ge tasted it in tea and felt her health improve.
• Shade told Wei Ge he was searching for someone in Arcadia City but did not yet need her help with that search.
• Wei Ge commissioned Shade to investigate powerful outsiders who had contacted the Emerald Alchemy Association and agreed to introduce him to her injured follower the next morning.
• Shade accepted the commission and asked Wei Ge to direct him to the local black market.
• Wei Ge marked the black market's location in an Arcadia Exploration Guide and warned Shade to avoid the Outer City District's edge near Grey Rock Pass.

Shade visited Wei Ge Astley, who became fascinated by his unusual nature and planned to pursue him despite Eve MacDonald’s concerns. He then entered Candlekeep Library’s black market, bought a dangerous relic, and asked the merchant about recent events in the city.

• Shade declined Wei Ge Astley’s offer of a carriage and left Fragrant Residence after agreeing to visit her again the next morning.
• Eve MacDonald told Wei Ge Astley that she had investigated Shade, and Wei Ge explained that she sensed both order and chaos within him and intended to pursue him.
• Shade walked to Candlekeep Library, entered its underground black market, and bought the [Flesh Compensation] relic from the Black Market Merchant.
• Shade bought local materials and paid the Black Market Merchant three crowns to ask whether anything new had happened in the city.

Shade investigated Arcadia City’s unusual situation and learned that three Thirteenth Ring Warlocks had gathered at the Creation Church headquarters, while the city’s birth rate had risen abnormally. After returning home, he told Winnie about the Emerald Record, and she explained its potentially extraordinary power to create life.

• Shade questioned a Black Market Merchant, who reported three Thirteenth Ring Warlocks at the Creation Church headquarters and offered several possible reasons for their unusual redeployment.
• The merchant told Shade that Arcadia City’s birth rate had been unusually high for three years and that rumors of local Mother of Venom cultists remained unconfirmed.
• Shade returned home and learned that Luvia, Dorothy, and Miss Galina would not visit that evening, while Margaret needed more time to investigate the Gray Gloves.
• Shade told Winnie about meeting Wei Ge and the Great Witch of Chaos, his investigation, and the Emerald Record.
• Winnie explained that the Emerald Record held thirteen ultimate secrets of alchemy and might be able to create life from nothing if it unleashed its full power.

Shade learned that only divine power was likely to cure Wei Ge Astley’s congenital condition, then entered a new Time Corridor mission in the Fifth Epoch. The mission tasked him with helping the One-armed Prince complete a birth at the Foul Blood Factory, and Shade recognized the god as the Lord of Flesh Aberration.

• Shade asked Winnie how an Unknown Level Relic could cause congenital problems and concluded that he would seek Long-Haired Luvia’s help to save Wei Ge Astley.
• Winnie joined Shade in the bath, and they kissed while the cat waited outside for its late-night snack.
• Shade brought Winnie’s food to Luvia at the Seer Association, where Luvia told him she would be working late and sleeping there.
• Shade returned home, entered the Time Corridor with his Time Key, and learned that his mission was set in autumn of Year 3030 in the Fifth Epoch.
• The Father of Infinite Tree assigned Shade to assist the One-armed Prince with the birth of new life at the Foul Blood Factory, and Shade recognized the god as the Lord of Flesh Aberration.

Shade entered the Foul Blood Factory, escaped a blood-soaked operating room where a tumor-like entity was forming, and found three Witches sheltering in an adjoining room. He recognized none of them, but the oldest Witch was identified as Melody Gustav.

• Shade reviewed the mission involving the One-armed Prince and confirmed that he had no known connection to the ancient evil god.
• Shade entered the Foul Blood Factory and found himself bound to an operating table among rows of corpses being drained of blood and crushed bones.
• A blood-colored tumor began forming a face on the ceiling, and Shade sensed that his flesh was slipping from his control.
• Shade broke free, ran through a red metal door, and shut out the factory's strange sounds behind him.
• Shade found three Witches sheltering in a small room and identified the pink-haired Witch as a likely Ruby Dragon and the black-haired Witch as a halfling.
• The golden-haired human Witch was revealed to be named Melody Gustav.

Shade encountered three witches trapped in the Foul Blood Factory and persuaded them that he was human by answering their questions and using Dark Moon Grace to restore their strength. They introduced themselves and explained how strange letters had brought each of them to the factory.

• Melody Gustav, Gina Rosa, and Linor Bladewei threatened Shade and questioned him because the factory created humanlike monsters.
• Shade answered their tests, recognized that they were trying to detect whether he had been born in the factory, and explained his reasoning.
• Shade used Dark Moon Grace to restore the witches’ strength and offered the Silver Light as proof of his identity.
• Melody Gustav explained that a blank registration parchment had invited her to help a new life be born before she appeared in the factory.
• Gina Rosa and Linor Bladewei said that strange letters bearing the same invitation had led them to the factory.

Shade met three Witches in the Foul Blood Factory, learned how its shifting rooms and Blood Mist worked, and used his flesh-reshaping thaumaturgy to heal their scars. The Witches explained that completing four Life Furnace rooms might reveal a way out; they had finished one and were seeking the others.

• Shade entered the Witches’ sanctuary and introduced himself as Shade Hamilton, a detective and travel writer.
• Old Witch Melody Gustav, Miss Bladewei, and Miss Gina Rosa explained that the Foul Blood Factory produced Flesh Creations and contained shifting rooms filled with harmful Blood Mist.
• The Witches described how exposure to the Blood Mist caused flesh buds and showed Shade scars left by removing them.
• Shade used Thaumaturgy—Active Mud to replace the scarred flesh on Miss Gina Rosa’s hand, then offered to treat the other Witches’ injuries.
• The Witches said the sound of a crying child guided them to Life Furnace rooms, where they had to add requested flesh material to reach safe resting rooms.
• The Witches had completed one Life Furnace and believed that completing three more might lead to the factory’s end.

Shade treated the Halfling Witch and agreed to travel with the three Witches through the Foul Blood Factory, where they planned to find a way to restrain whatever the Life Furnaces might create. After Gina hypnotized him, Shade dreamed of the Dragon Maids at afternoon tea, but a shrill cry suddenly shattered the scene.

• The three Witches told Shade that the Factory was connected to a god forging an evil Flesh entity and that they planned to add something to a Life Furnace to restrain its creation.
• Shade learned that earlier groups had entered the Factory, then agreed to accompany the Witches and warned them he could stay for only eighty minutes.
• Shade asked Gina to hypnotize him so he could listen for the mysterious crying, and he fell asleep to her lullaby.
• Shade dreamed of Fiona, Miss Wilde, Illustrious Miss, Gina, and an unfamiliar Black Dragon gathered for afternoon tea.
• A shrill cry shattered Shade's dream.