Recaps

Theus enjoyed an ordinary morning in Blood Port, where the growing industrial city and its lively residents made him happy. After hearing that the Prince wanted news from the delegation to the Mechanical Cathedral, Theus logged into Worker Theus's account in the Northern Territory to check for updates.

• Theus admired Blood Port's factories, railways, and busy residents before reading about explosions in Gem Bay, crowded hospitals in Castel, and a strike attempt by Blood Port's Tribunal.
• Theus visited the banshees' duty room and advised Monica to attack Nini after seeing Nini cheat at cards.
• Theus ate in the cafeteria beside the Prince, who asked about the delegation to the Mechanical Cathedral and said he wanted a result before starting a war.
• Theus declined Monica's stargazy pie, returned to his office, and asked Ash to hold off visitors while he rested.
• Theus logged in as Worker Theus and opened his eyes in the Northern Territory.

Theus reunited with Gwen, helped suppress the pollution inside Beatrice, and learned that Gaia and Zoe’s delegation had traded for technology, destroyed the Mechanical Cathedral, rescued the Pope, and organized rebels against Rhine. Gwen wondered whether Zoe’s constant muttering through connections had helped her succeed and suggested that she and Theus try it too.

• Theus woke on the icy plain and saw Gwen arrive carrying a mass of white fog.
• Gwen complained that Zoe’s constant talking and singing through the link had kept her awake, and Theus wondered if Zoe was mentally ill.
• Gwen connected Theus to Beatrice, and Theus used life force to suppress the pollution inside her.
• Theus contacted Castel and learned that Gaia and Zoe’s delegation had acquired technology, defeated the Mechanical Cathedral, brought back the Pope, and organized rebels to attack Rhine.
• Gwen speculated that Zoe’s muttering through connections had helped her achieve so much and asked whether she and Theus should try it too.

Beatrice remained trapped in the furnace, suffering from relentless pain and Pollution eruptions until strange whispers seemed to soothe her and restore her awareness. She told Gaia and the Faithguard Army what she had heard, leaving them disturbed by the bizarre story and debating whether its scientific claims were true.

• Beatrice’s consciousness began to sink as her pain and hallucinations overwhelmed her, but she heard strange whispers teaching about forces and universal gravitation.
• Beatrice’s condition briefly improved, and she recognized Zoe before another eruption of Pollution sprayed over her.
• Gaia observed that Beatrice erupted whenever she focused on it, so the stokers hung a bucket around her neck to protect those nearby.
• Gaia asked what had changed, and Beatrice excitedly recounted the warped story she had heard, forgetting to spit while she spoke.
• The Faithguard Army called the story blasphemous and attributed the knowledge to an evil god, while Zoe said its basic physics concepts were correct.

Theus’s whispers spread knowledge through stories, drawing Beatrice and others into unfamiliar lines of thought. The chapter ends with several people hearing the whispers, including a seemingly mad Skinwearer who may still be listening.

• Castel’s group debated whether Theus was an evil god, while Beatrice reflected on how the whispers had taught her new ways of thinking and subtly shifted her [Anchor].
• Little Bu woke after falling asleep over the Holy Scripture and recalled a whispered explanation of steam engines, prompting her to recognize the illustration in the book.
• At a church food distribution point in Lower Rhine, a believer heard a whisper about gravity and wondered whether Upper Rhine might fall from the dome.
• A group prepared to shoot a Skinwearer who had fallen into madness, but someone stopped them after noticing that he seemed to be listening.

Theus told stories through Gwen’s threads, and the whispers helped stabilize Gwen and suppress the mist’s erosion and Pollution. Gwen discovered that Theus was her [Anchor], while Lina, having heard his whispers, decided to follow them to find him.

• Theus and little Gwen discussed broadcasting his stories through the threads, and Theus agreed to keep telling them while avoiding a direct link that might spread Pollution.
• After Theus returned to Castel, Gwen confirmed that his stories had stabilized her and suppressed the effects of the mist and Pollution.
• Gwen entered the Sea of Unconsciousness and realized her [Anchor] pointed to Theus, whom she recognized as her [Anchor].
• Gwen repeatedly ordered the skeletal beast to strike the ice encasing Worker Theus, but the beast’s claws shattered against it.
• Lina heard Theus’s whisper, grabbed a thread, and resolved to follow it until she found him, calling him her father.

Bettis ran her fish-and-chips shop in Blood Port while saving money and donating to Empire Truth to learn where little Gwen had gone. Yami visited with Duke Alvaray, leaving Bettis stunned to find herself casually speaking with a powerful noble.

• Bettis sold fish and chips, saved her earnings, and donated to Empire Truth to search for little Gwen in the Northern Territory.
• Yami arrived at Bettis's shop with Duke Alvaray while they were in Blood Port to handle paperwork.
• Bettis shyly shook Alvaray's hand and gave him fried fish.
• Bettis realized Alvaray was a duke and asked whether he was important.
• Alvaray boasted about his family's imperial history while eating the hot fish, and Bettis listened in disbelief.

Theus defended his decision to let Alvarez return to the Northern Territory and explained that he judged people by their choices rather than their status or origins. The prince tested Theus’s principles before their planned war against Rhine, then said he needed time to prepare for a ritual of his own.

• Bettis sold fried fish to Alvarez and reflected on how Castel and its institutions had helped her.
• Theus told the prince that he had released Alvarez because he believed Alvarez could bring change to the Northern Territory.
• Theus reported that Zoe and Gaia’s diplomatic mission was returning by airship with Pope Beatrice, whose poor health made travel by train risky.
• The prince asked how Theus would deal with Beatrice, and Theus said his response would depend on her choices rather than her titles or origins.
• The prince asked when they would begin the war against Rhine, then said he needed time to prepare for a ritual.
• Theus watched as Yami and Alvarez headed to the station to travel to the Northern Territory.

Yami, Alvarez, and Hunter traveled from Blood Port toward the Northern Territory to help Alexei develop the region. At the crowded station, Alvarez spotted new trading opportunities and began considering how to rebuild his influence with Hunter’s help.

• Yami and Alvarez said goodbye to Bettis, met Hunter at the station, and prepared to travel north under Theus's special pardon.
• The three men discussed their assignments: Yami would help establish an academy, Alvarez would support Alexei, and Hunter would recruit scholars for Castel.
• At Blood Port station, Yami and Alvarez noticed unfamiliar southern island traders and northern seaborne merchants among the travelers.
• Alvarez explained how the Northern Territory's rail connections and changing sea trade could help the region overcome its isolation.
• Alvarez hinted that Hunter could help him establish a merchant caravan and rebuild his standing in the Northern Territory.

Hunter, Yami, and Alvaray saw the Banshees escort Patriarch Ignati and the Silent Temple priests onto the train bound for the Northern Territory. After the train left, Theus discovered the Banshees had been pretending to behave properly and immediately celebrated their freedom, despite other Silent Temple priests still being on the island.

• Hunter spotted a formation of armored Banshees at the platform, and their psychic presence quieted the startled passengers.
• Yami guessed the Banshees were seeing someone off, and Hunter and Alvaray recognized the group as Patriarch Ignati and the Silent Temple priests.
• Yami and the others realized the Banshees had adopted a formal image around the priests after their church prayers impressed them.
• The train departed for the Northern Territory with the Silent Temple delegation, prompting Yami to reflect on how far he had come and their mission to investigate the White Calamity.
• Theus read the Banshees' Mind Link messages and learned they had resumed celebrating and complaining as soon as Ignati left.
• Theus noted that most of the Buriers were still on the island and that the Silent Temple priests could be as formidable as the Banshees.

Theus returned to Castel aboard the bizarre Assault Coffin, a ship pulled by banshees and designed by Tata. The banshees carried him toward the sea in a spectacle at the docks, while Nini documented the procession.

• Theus decided to return to Castel and inspect the research work Tata was temporarily managing.
• Theus chose Tata's Assault Coffin to carry documents from the Mechanical Cathedral back to the island.
• The banshees gathered to pull the coffin, and Theus lay inside its heavily padded cabin as Ash closed the sliding lid.
• Eight banshees carried the Assault Coffin toward the shore while Monica dangled from its side and Nini recorded the scene.
• Theus prepared to use his return ability to reach Castel after the banshees launched the coffin.

Theus discovered that the previously motionless white-robed priest reacted when he attempted [Descent], but he had to leave before he could investigate why. After arriving in the Assault Coffin, he woke to Banshees performing CPR and climbed out once the Symbiotic Pact healed his broken ribs.

• Theus grew bored on the Golden Throne and noticed that the white-robed priest's robe bore a flame emblem like Castel's.
• Theus used [Descent] on the priest twice, and each time it trembled as if trying to raise its head before becoming still again.
• Theus wondered what had caused the priest to move, then remembered that the Assault Coffin had probably arrived and switched his attention to Lord Theus.
• Theus woke in the opened Assault Coffin as Banshees tried to revive him, and Monica broke several of his ribs with chest compressions.
• The Symbiotic Pact healed Theus's ribs, and he climbed out of the Assault Coffin.

Theus returned to Castel and visited Tata's testing grounds, where Tata revealed that experiments with the storm generator had caused a Silent Temple Burier to become blackened. Tata then explained his new research into converting Pollution inside the human body into lightning.

• Theus reassured the Banshees that he understood their panic, while Ash silently confirmed she had kept his condition secret.
• Theus reached Castel's docks, rejected the Banshees' offer to carry him in the Assault Coffin, and ordered the coffin sealed except for emergencies.
• Theus traveled by subway to the testing grounds and waited for Tata's storm-generator experiment to end.
• Tata greeted Theus with a group of delighted researchers, and Theus mistook a disheveled Silent Temple Burier for someone whose race Tata had changed.
• Tata explained that he was testing whether Pollution caused by internal corrosion could be transformed into lightning, inspired by Theus's mention of bioelectricity.

Theus discovered that Tata had been experimenting with generating electricity by running lightning through human bodies, with help from eager Silent Temple Buriers. At the testing ground, Tata showed Theus a modular ritual system that let ordinary mortals assemble and operate the supernatural Storm Generator.

• Tata told Theus he had found that lightning could activate Pollution and generate electricity through human bodies, after several coyotes failed to survive the experiments.
• Tata revealed that Silent Temple Buriers had volunteered for the experiments and enjoyed being electrocuted, while Theus worried about their reckless enthusiasm.
• Tata explained that Nora had introduced him to the Buriers because his experiment required complete bodies, and Theus agreed to inspect the Storm Generator.
• Tata showed Theus ritual circuits etched onto modular metal plates, with universal interfaces that let workers assemble rituals using a manual.
• Tata announced that ordinary engineers with no supernatural abilities or knowledge had built the supernatural ritual powering the Storm Generator.

Theus saw the value of Tata's modular rituals but objected when Tata demonstrated a storm generator powered by a human sacrifice. Helena proposed making the immobile device wearable and using it to attack while moving.

• Theus agreed that standardized ritual modules could let ordinary people use transcendent powers more efficiently than training a few Transcendents.
• Tata replaced the storm generator's coyote with a human, using pollution from the blessing to produce electricity.
• Helena entered the ritual module, endured its electric arcs, and directed a lightning strike that destroyed the test targets.
• Theus recognized Helena and criticized the generator's immobility and the danger it posed to Transcendents.
• Helena suggested welding the ritual plates into a moving frame so she could attack with lightning while mobile.

Theus approved a mecha research project named the Chloe Trojan Horse Project, intended to help Nora and Chloe, and allowed Monica to join. Meanwhile, Alvarez and his companions faced a dangerous storm as their train crossed the tundra, where Yami heard a voice telling them to run.

• Theus realized Castel's steam technology and the Mechanical Cathedral's documents could make a mecha possible, then approved a research project with funding for Tata.
• Theus let Monica join the project, and the team named it the Chloe Trojan Horse Project without Chloe knowing.
• Alvarez woke Yami and Hunter and told them a storm was approaching as their train crossed the tundra.
• A train attendant said the train would pass through the storm, so Alvarez and his companions secured their luggage.
• Yami heard what sounded like a voice telling them to run.

Yami decoded a warning from an airship as a tornado tore across the wasteland behind it. The airship’s crew planned to turn away and lure the storm off the train’s path.

• Yami recognized Morse code in a steam whistle and decoded the word “Run,” alerting Hunter to a possible collision.
• The train made an emergency stop, and Ignati shielded Yami and Hunter from falling luggage.
• Ignati spotted an airship overhead, and the train began moving backward as it approached.
• Hunter realized the storm was chasing the airship, and the passengers saw a tornado swallowing debris and railway track.
• Yami decoded the airship’s message and learned that its crew intended to change direction to lure the storm away.

Ignati proposed using Castel’s Storm Generator modules to fight the storm pursuing the train, and Gaia agreed to help supply Pollution. As the Faithguard Army and the [Buriers] prepared a generator inside a stripped carriage, they found the modules needed more room and began cutting into the wall.

• Ignati told the group he could counter the storm with Storm Generator modules and asked the Faithguard Army to contact its commander.
• Gaia appeared through an avatar and agreed to help Ignati, explaining that the modules could be assembled on the airship but that transporting their heavy crates there was impossible.
• Gaia promised to provide Pollution, while the Faithguard Army and the [Buriers] cleared the carriage to make room for the generator.
• Yami studied the instruction manual and directed Hunter and the [Buriers] as they arranged the rune modules across the carriage floor.
• A [Burier] used a longsword to cut into the carriage wall when the modules did not fit, explaining that the weapons had been given to them by Castel.

Ignati and the others assembled a Storm Generator aboard the train, with Gaia bringing Beatrice to supply the pollution it required. Ignati connected to the approaching tornado and lightning filled the storm, while the ritual panels began to glow around him.

• Yami arranged the ritual rune templates in the carriage, and Ignati prepared to start the Storm Generator.
• Gaia returned with Ruo An and Beatrice, who produced enough pollution to fill a bucket and power the ritual.
• Ignati and the [Buriers] poured Beatrice's pollution into the modules and began the ritual.
• Ignati connected to the approaching tornado, which became wrapped in lightning and sent electricity racing along the wet tracks.
• The Storm Generator's rune panels glowed and surrounded Ignati with clusters of ball lightning.

Ignati used the Storm Generator to unleash the storm’s stored electrical power and destroy the hurricane pursuing the train. As the [Buriers] considered turning toward Castel, Ignati realized its technology had changed the world and recalled the Great Sage Bruno and the Mechanical Society, while white fog encircled the area.

• Ignati used the Storm Generator to channel the storm’s electrical energy into repeated lightning strikes that shattered the hurricane.
• The train stopped after the storm dispersed, and the passengers and [Buriers] reacted with awe at Ignati and the Storm Generator.
• The [Buriers] considered Castel and its coming war with the Candlelight Society, thinking of Nora and Castel’s ties to their allies.
• Ignati reflected on how Castel’s technology had stopped the storm without sacrifice and realized that it had changed the world.
• Ignati remembered the Great Sage Bruno, the Mechanical Society, and the [Named One] as white fog spread around the railway and storm.

Gwen watched Ignati destroy the White Calamity, then noticed Beatrice’s uncontrollable Pollution breath and remembered that [Named One]s could not be eroded by corruption. The chapter left Gwen with a new insight about her resistance to Pollution.

• Gwen considered sending Bone Hordes toward the train so Ignati’s lightning could destroy them, and wondered whether Theus could use the ritual iron plates to control lightning.
• Beatrice stepped off the airship and accidentally blasted Pollution through a train window, tearing apart part of the carriage and frightening the [Buriers].
• Gwen watched the corruption spread and struggled to recall the knowledge she had gained from the Forgotten’s memories.
• Gwen remembered that [Named One]s feared no corruption and could not be eroded by it.

Theus learned that Little Gwen could handle pollution and asked him to use the Storm Generator’s lightning to help her control White Calamity. Their discussion led Theus to question why ordinary weapons had failed against the Pirate King, while aerial bombs had defeated the [Loving Mother], and he suspected the Sea God’s connection to an Orthodox Church might explain the difference.

• Little Gwen discovered that, as a [Named One], she was not afraid of pollution and tried handling some from Beatrice’s fountain.
• Theus returned to Worker Theus’s body and found Little Gwen playing with pollution; she explained that Castel’s Storm Generator had shattered the storm.
• Little Gwen asked Theus to strike her with the Storm Generator’s lightning so she could consume White Calamity’s power and gain control of the Temple of the Forgotten faster.
• Theus realized that lightning might count as Transcendence, unlike aerial bombs, and recalled that bombs had failed to hurt the Pirate King inside the Stellar Furnace.
• Theus wondered whether the Sea God differed from the [Loving Mother] because the Sea God Church was one of the five great Orthodox God Churches.

Theus arranged for Gwen’s Storm Generator testing ground and planned to bring Beatrice to Castel for treatment. As the delegation’s airship neared the city, Beatrice reflected on how far she had come and learned that she would be taken straight there.

• Theus promised Gwen a Storm Generator testing ground near the Calamity Prison Court and arranged airship transport to bring Beatrice to Castel for treatment.
• Beatrice practiced firing polluted breath at an iron ball and grew comfortable living inside the Steam Engine, whose Machine Soul had come to accept her.
• An airship spotted the delegation and reported that the railway had been badly damaged, delaying the train and requiring repairs.
• Gaia told Beatrice that the delegation would bypass Blood Port and head to Castel so she could receive treatment.
• Beatrice remembered arriving in Castel as a farmer’s daughter and realized that the fireworks’ star now stood before her.

Beatrice woke from a rare dream when Zoe came to tell her they had arrived at Blood Port. As Beatrice marveled at the city below, Gaia recalled fleeing its famine as a child with her family.

• Beatrice dreamed of childhood memories, Hela holding the Triple Crown, and fleeing into the Steam Engine before Zoe's knocking woke her.
• Zoe told Beatrice the Steam Engine had stopped her from opening the furnace door and revealed that they had reached Blood Port.
• Beatrice looked through the porthole and marveled at Blood Port's factories, high-rises, harbor, airfield, and railway station.
• Gaia told Beatrice that she had been born in Blood Port and fled famine with her father to Castel, where her family survived on fruit and fish.

Beatrice traveled with Gaia and Zoe toward Castel for treatment, longing to visit the rapidly rebuilt Blood Port but only seeing it from the airship. She spotted the immense Steel Ark on the way and began to suspect Castel had changed since her last visit.

• Beatrice asked to visit Blood Port, but Gaia and Zoe told her she needed treatment in Castel first.
• The airship passed over Blood Port, and Beatrice watched the city wistfully before continuing toward Castel.
• Beatrice mistook the Steel Ark for an island and learned from Gaia and Zoe that it was a gigantic steel ship.
• Beatrice marveled at the Steel Ark's immense scale and noticed the calm waters near Castel, which made her look forward to seeing the island again.

Beatrice returned to Castel and was stunned by its modern steel ships and the heavily armed church, which bore little resemblance to the island she remembered. Zoe pointed out that the dark clouds over Castel were the Skyveil Behemoth, though Beatrice still could not see it.

• Beatrice watched the orderly steel ships below and recalled arriving in Castel years earlier aboard a decrepit Church vessel.
• Zoe drew Beatrice to the window to see Castel and the Skyveil Behemoth, but Beatrice mistook a square building for a second volcano.
• Beatrice recognized the distant structure as a church and protested that it was too large and bristled with Gatling guns to be a Candlelight Society church.
• Beatrice asked where the Skyveil Behemoth was, and Zoe pointed toward the dark clouds covering Castel.