Chapter Summaries

Fu Qian watched Frank and his friends recover from their unexplained sleep on the beach, where Frank drank a bottle of Quicksilver Storm and unleashed a thunderous roar. After going to the bathroom, Frank returned to find he had somehow stripped down to his underwear, realizing the masked stranger he had seen was familiar.

• Fu Qian regained his senses while observing Frank and his friends wake on the beach and debate whether to leave.
• Frank drank Quicksilver Storm, a local potion, and roared loudly, drawing cheerful roars from people across the beach.
• Frank went to the bathroom to clear his head and saw a strangely dressed person wearing a distinctive mask.
• Frank returned to his friends wearing only his underwear and recognized the masked person as someone familiar.

Fu Qian posed as Camus Greda and went to the address Camus had given him, where he met the people organizing an operation. After Weihle examined Camus’s cursed condition, Fu Qian learned he was not Crow Feather.

• Fu Qian left Frank behind and hurried to Camus’s address before the evening gathering.
• An elderly man opened the door, and Fu Qian entered while claiming to be Camus Greda.
• Marco challenged Fu Qian, who showed his semi-transparent, cursed hand to unsettle him.
• Weihle stopped Marco, examined Fu Qian, and said Crow Feather might be able to help with his condition.
• Weihle explained that Fu Qian’s hand bore the Blood God Curse, then scrutinized his mask.

Fu Qian, Marco, Weihle, and Ariel discussed the planned operation and its forces. Weihle revealed that their goal was to hunt Hamadus, the God of Noise.

• Fu Qian explained that the mask concealed his divine aura but risked eroding his will, and warned Weihle and Marco he could turn Marco into a puppet if he lost control.
• Weihle said Crow Feather might help treat Fu Qian’s Blood God Curse, though he could not promise Crow Feather would appear in person.
• Weihle revealed that he and Crow Feather were the operation’s two demigods, prompting Marco to protest that their enemies in Dunis made the plan nearly suicidal.
• Ariel arrived as their ally, and Fu Qian confirmed that Ariel could not detect the truth behind his mask.
• Weihle announced that the operation’s goal was to hunt Hamadus, the God of Noise.

Weihle explained the plan to summon the weakened God of Noise, Hamadus, during the Carnival of Noise and assigned Fu Qian and Marco to activate talismans at separate locations. As Fu Qian accepted his assignment at Phoenix Palace, his unstable abilities visibly worsened, and he said the demigod seemed to be getting impatient.

• Weihle told Marco that Hamadus had awakened in a weakened, unstable state and described a plan to summon him during the Carnival of Noise.
• Weihle explained that Fu Qian and Marco would activate talismans at Cross Square and Phoenix Palace while the Count of Valentin of Dunis sounded a horn at the harbor lighthouse.
• Marco chose Cross Square after Weihle described the crowds and Night Watcher presence at both locations, and Fu Qian accepted Phoenix Palace.
• Marco smashed a table after Fu Qian taunted him, and Weihle stopped their argument by reminding them that none of them were truly human.
• Weihle noticed that Fu Qian's right hand had changed, and Fu Qian said his abilities were becoming unstable as the demigod grew impatient.

Fu Qian concealed his true condition while trying to keep Weihle and Ariel from suspecting him, and learned more about the mask and the Sage. Weihle returned with word that Crow Feather would arrive shortly.

• Fu Qian faked the rapid worsening of his curse to reassure Weihle, then asked when Crow Feather could help him.
• Weihle questioned why Fu Qian would not remove the mask, and Fu Qian claimed its effects were difficult to reverse and that it slowed the curse.
• Marco left for Cross Square to scout the area for the next day's operation, while Weihle went to contact Crow Feather.
• Ariel asked about Fu Qian's mask, and Fu Qian said it had belonged to a Lady and contained the will of the Sage.
• Weihle returned and told Fu Qian that Crow Feather would arrive shortly.

Fu Qian met Crow Feather’s remote manifestation, who offered to free him from the Blood God Curse by transferring his will into a doll. As the transfer began, Fu Qian reversed the process and punched the doll.

• Weihle warned Fu Qian that Crow Feather had not promised to lift his curse, while Ariel cautioned him about demigod-level imprints of consciousness.
• Weihle sensed Crow Feather’s arrival and used his cane to create a shadowed space where the landlord Old Man appeared as Crow Feather’s remote manifestation.
• The Old Man gave Fu Qian a bald doll and explained that Fu Qian could transfer his will into it, leaving the curse behind in his original body.
• Fu Qian began transferring his will while separating out the curse-tainted fragments of consciousness.
• Fu Qian suddenly sent the curse-tainted fragments into the doll, drew its pure self-awareness into himself, and punched it.

Fu Qian revealed that he had retained an incomplete Mythical Form in hopes of becoming a demigod, despite the lingering Blood God Curse. Weihle allowed him to keep his role in the next day’s operation, and Fu Qian headed to Phoenix Palace to prepare.

• Ariel purified the Blood God Curse’s corruption and dispelled the environment Weihle had created around Crow Feather’s manifestation.
• The landlord Old Man exposed faint curse patterns still remaining on Fu Qian and demanded to know what he was trying to do.
• Fu Qian revealed his transformed left hand and admitted he was keeping the incomplete Mythical Form so he could ascend to demigodhood.
• Crow Feather left the landlord Old Man’s body, and Weihle removed the barrier and returned the remaining talisman to Fu Qian.
• Fu Qian told Weihle he was going to Phoenix Palace to familiarize himself with the site of tomorrow’s operation.

Fu Qian tested the Native Council’s suspicions, then went to Phoenix Palace and the neighboring opera house to investigate the Carnival of Noise’s trumpet-blowing sites. At the opera, he spotted Veil and Lita being watched by a demigod from the Night Watchers, while his disguise kept him unnoticed.

• Fu Qian left the Native Council without fully lifting his curse, having concluded that their method might have exposed whether he was truly Camus.
• Fu Qian accepted operating funds from the Old Man and traveled to Phoenix Palace, then headed for the neighboring opera house when its security kept him out.
• Fu Qian bought a ticket and noticed Veil and Lita attending the annual opera about the God of Noise and the God of War’s wife.
• Veil explained the opera’s connection to the Carnival of Noise, while Lita complained about having to learn its story.
• Fu Qian sensed a Night Watchers demigod monitoring the Veil sisters and noted that the demigod ignored him despite his conspicuous disguise.

Veil explained to Lita how the Mythological Era ended after a catastrophe severed the gods’ responses and led to the first Night Watchers. Fu Qian approached the sisters and revealed himself to Lita as the man who had once been surnamed Lu.

• Veil told Lita that ancient believers gained power through devotion to their gods, while unbestowed supernatural power was considered heretical.
• Veil recounted how the sun and moon vanished for weeks, the gods stopped responding, and the catastrophe left many Forbidden Zones and countless casualties.
• Veil explained that some abandoned believers protected humanity themselves and formed the earliest Night Watchers when the sun returned.
• Fu Qian connected the old faith-based powers to pacts made by sinners and angels, then decided to investigate why the Night Watchers were on high alert.
• Fu Qian approached Veil and Lita, disguised as Old Man Lu Ming, and told Lita he had once been surnamed Lu before finding his true self.

Fu Qian warned Veil and Lita to leave Dunis because he sensed danger, though he admitted he did not know what was coming. After they dismissed his intuition, he revealed to himself that the warning was a ploy to draw the attention of a demigod and learn what had put the Night Watchers on alert.

• Lita recognized Fu Qian, and Veil took her outside the auditorium to speak with him.
• Fu Qian apologized for his past offense against Veil and warned the sisters that danger was brewing in Dunis.
• Veil questioned Fu Qian about the danger, but he said he did not know what it was, and she refused to abandon their plans for the Carnival of Noise.
• Fu Qian commented on Lita's repaired hand and left the theater, while Veil wondered whether a crisis really was brewing.
• Fu Qian decided that his warning was meant to reach the demigod inside and prompt the Night Watchers to investigate him.

Fu Qian let two Night Watchers follow him and learned that a mysterious Lycanthropy Disease had put Dunis on high alert. He realized the Native Council’s plan to slay a god the next day would unfold amid intense scrutiny, and wondered how Crow Feather, Weihle, and the others intended to proceed.

• Fu Qian noticed that Old Joe and Jimmy were following him and listened as they discussed investigating his identity.
• Fu Qian removed a grotesque mask beneath his outer mask, then revealed his face as Old Man Lu Ming, startling and angering the Night Watchers.
• Old Joe and Jimmy discussed Lycanthropy Disease, suspected Fu Qian might match a person in their files, and decided to report him.
• Fu Qian concluded that the Night Watchers were investigating the disease and wondered how the Native Council would attempt to slay a god under heightened security.

Fu Qian used Clear Dream to question Night Watcher Old Joe about unusual gatherings in Dunis, hoping to learn what might have caused Lycanthropy Disease. Old Joe identified the Old Seminary as a gathering place for several groups, while Jimmy watched in confusion.

• Fu Qian decided to investigate the cause of Lycanthropy Disease after concluding that Weihle and the others were hiding details about their mission.
• Fu Qian approached Old Joe and used Clear Dream to make him answer three questions.
• Fu Qian asked Old Joe about cults and groups with unusual interests, while explaining that he had once been involved in something similar.
• Jimmy returned and found Fu Qian and Old Joe chatting amiably, but did not interrupt because he trusted his senior.
• Old Joe told Fu Qian that groups with unusual interests had to register with the authorities and named the Old Seminary as a gathering place.

Fu Qian questioned Old Joe and Jimmy, then investigated an abandoned seminary under Night Watcher surveillance. Inside, he found strange symbols and manuscripts, and came face to face with Ariel, who asked why he was there.

• Fu Qian asked Old Joe and Jimmy whether sinners could find redemption, then left after Old Joe admitted he had no answer.
• Old Joe told Jimmy that Fu Qian had admitted to being Lu Ming and seemed remorseful, and decided they would not follow him.
• Fu Qian found an abandoned seminary guarded by Night Watchers and slipped inside to investigate.
• Fu Qian discovered crude symbols and scattered manuscripts in a searched room and sensed two unusual presences.
• Ariel greeted Fu Qian in the room and asked why he had come, and Fu Qian said he was investigating strange events at the opera house.

Fu Qian investigated a remote site linked to Lycanthropy Disease and told Ariel he would not risk his life blindly for the plan. Their conversation was interrupted when a Night Watcher entered the room, leaving Ariel to control the encounter.

• Fu Qian suspected Ariel had come to watch over a place important to his goal and said he was investigating information about Lycanthropy Disease.
• Fu Qian told Ariel he might abandon the plan if he found unexpected dangers, because he would not act as a sacrificial pawn.
• Fu Qian examined drawings of deformed, spider-like creatures and concluded the site might be where Lycanthropy Disease originated.
• Ariel agreed that the Night Watchers had a reason to guard the site, then noticed one approaching the room.
• A Night Watcher entered and found Fu Qian talking with Ariel, who calmly called Fu Qian a clever guest.

Fu Qian learned that Ariel had staged a story about the Night Watchers to test his loyalty and intended to capture the hunters during the planned operation. After Fu Qian tried to escape, Ariel explained how he had sabotaged the gun and distorted the distance to the window, then confirmed that the operation would proceed as planned.

• Ariel claimed the Night Watchers had prepared a trap for the hunters, and Fu Qian quickly questioned him about the plan.
• Ariel said the Night Watchers would act when Fu Qian made his move, and that they would keep Fu Qian under guard until then.
• Fu Qian attacked the trench-coated Night Watcher and tried to escape through the window, but his gun misfired and the window seemed farther away than expected.
• Ariel revealed that the Night Watcher had been an actor and that his story had been a test of Fu Qian's allegiance.
• Fu Qian explained he had refused to surrender because he did not trust the Night Watchers to treat prisoners well.
• Ariel admitted he had made the gun more likely to misfire and altered Fu Qian's perception of the window to prevent noise and test his reaction.

Fu Qian read Ariel’s intentions during their tense conversation and learned that Crow Feather had organized the Lycanthropy Disease plan. After leaving the Old Seminary, Fu Qian noticed he was being followed, then met Brother Marco on a bridge in Haicheng.

• Fu Qian concluded Ariel wanted the plan to proceed smoothly and asked whether Ariel and Crow Feather’s people had created the Lycanthropy Disease.
• Ariel denied creating the disease but said Crow Feather had organized the plan, and warned Fu Qian to do his own part without interfering.
• Fu Qian left the Old Seminary and confirmed that the Night Watcher Ariel had affected was safe but had no memory of their encounter.
• Fu Qian noticed two young men following him and stopped on an arched bridge, where they quietly slipped away as Brother Marco approached.
• Brother Marco greeted Fu Qian as Camus Greda and asked how he was doing.

Fu Qian confronted Marco, who had tracked him down and accused him of being a Night Watcher spy posing as Camus. Marco attacked, but Fu Qian revealed overwhelming tentacle-like power and destroyed him.

• Fu Qian realized Marco had hired people to follow him and confronted him about spying on his route.
• Marco accused Fu Qian of being a Night Watcher spy who had killed Camus and admitted he had used local youths to discover where Fu Qian would be.
• Marco transformed his arms into whips and attacked Fu Qian with lashes and flying nails.
• Fu Qian dodged Marco's attacks and fired Air Bullets at him.
• Marco unleashed whips made of red leeches, but Fu Qian countered with a massive arm of black-and-red tentacles that disintegrated Marco.

After killing Marco, Fu Qian grew more suspicious of Weihle and the Native Council’s plan and decided to disrupt it by keeping both talismans unactivated when the festival horn sounded. He watched the Carnival of Noise gather from a dockside bar, where Veil and Lita passed him without recognizing him, as the parade approached the lighthouse.

• Fu Qian found Weihle’s talisman on Marco’s remains and concluded that the talismans might not be essential to the plan.
• Fu Qian decided to keep both talismans and potentially interfere with the Godslay scheme when the horn sounded.
• Fu Qian watched Frank and his crew celebrate at a bar near the docks as the Carnival of Noise crowd gathered and Night Watchers spread through the area.
• Veil and Lita passed Fu Qian, who hid his identity with an extra mask, and Veil failed to recognize him.
• Fu Qian joined the crowd as the parade lights appeared and an important figure arrived beneath the lighthouse.

At the Carnival of Noise, Fu Qian watched as a planned disturbance drove Supernaturals and revelers into a roaring frenzy, creating the Tide of Noise. A Night Watcher demigod tried to silence the crowd, while Fu Qian held back and waited for the tide to grow strong enough to summon Hamadus.

• Veil reassured Lita as Count Valentin prepared to blow the horn atop the lighthouse, while Fu Qian spotted the Old Man, Weihle, and Crow Feather’s puppet nearby.
• Valentin sounded the horn, and answering blasts from across Dunis set off cheers as revelers drank Quicksilver Storm.
• Two Night Watchers went mad after the horn sounded, roaring the name of the God of Noise, and Veil pulled Lita away from them.
• The roar spread through the crowd and affected many nearby Night Watchers, forming a Tide of Noise that began overwhelming people’s minds.
• A Night Watcher demigod tried to suppress the din with a command to be silent, but Fu Qian stayed put and did not crush his talisman.

Fu Qian watched Valentin use a strange glove to amplify the lighthouse horn, driving the crowd into a frenzy and overwhelming the sleep-inducing suppression. A Night Watchers demigod and Weihle fought to stop him, and Valentin, the glove, and the horn finally fell apart as the clamor and waves froze.

• Valentin tore the antique horn from its stand and sounded it with a garishly colored glove, magnifying its influence over the crowd.
• Fu Qian saw Frank's group and thousands of others succumb to the clamor while a black curtain slowed the people around the lighthouse.
• A huge shadow rose from the sea as an old woman in black robes appeared and tried to seize Valentin's gloved hand.
• Weihle blocked the old woman's attack, and she destroyed the darkness and everything atop the lighthouse in an attempt to stop Valentin's guidance.
• Valentin, the glove, and the horn fell apart, ending the clamor as the furious waves froze in midair.