Chapter Summaries

Theus faced hours of contamination emerging from within his body after the Type II Engine began operating, despite finding no contamination elsewhere. He suspected the engine violated some fundamental rule of the world and wondered what he had created.

• Theus detected contamination appearing inside his body, suspended class, and ordered the students to evacuate under Emergency Plan Three.
• The Banshees secured the experimental site and searched the island, but their patrols found no contamination outside Theus.
• Theus said the contamination was being purified as it formed, and it continued for several hours before finally fading.
• Theus learned that all patrols had found nothing unusual and connected the contamination's onset to the Type II Engine operating normally.
• Theus considered whether his teaching was wrong, then wondered if the world could not build steam engines or boil water as he stared at the roaring machine.

Chloe communicated through a blood-written diary about the island’s evil god and the plans of the Candlelight Society. Meanwhile, Theus concluded that the Pollution he experienced might not have been caused by Cognitive Interference, and one Banshee said it felt different from the Pollution in the sea.

• Chloe learned that Nora could not return, declined to interfere with the evil god, and said the ritual was ready for their god’s descent.
• Theus found that the island had remained safe overnight and decided to keep the factory operating while he investigated the Pollution.
• Theus told Connor to reassure the trainees, review the steam engine’s principles, and pay them overtime for staying at the experimental base.
• The Banshees and trainees said they had noticed nothing unusual about Theus, leaving him uncertain what had caused the Pollution.
• A small Banshee said the Pollution inside Theus seemed different from the Pollution in the sea.

Una revealed that the Pollution inside Theus during its recent descent felt different from the Pollution caused by Cognitive Interference, though it looked the same. Theus feared that Pollution would make scientific progress impossible, but Monica offered to pursue science in humanity’s place.

• Una told Theus that the Pollution inside her during the recent descent felt different from the Pollution she had encountered in the Abyssal Trench and during Cognitive Interference.
• Theus concluded that the descent of Pollution created vast quantities of it inside a person for hours, making it far deadlier than a single wave from Cognitive Interference.
• Theus worried that scientists such as Gaia could be killed or transformed by Pollution while advancing technology, making sustained scientific research impossible.
• The Banshees shared Theus’s distress, having embraced his scientific methods and benefited from his inventions and Symbiotic Pacts.
• Monica told Theus that she feared neither Pollution nor science and asked why she could not pursue scientific research if humans could not.

Theus argued with Monica about the cost of letting Banshees lead scientific research, insisting that civilization must keep moving forward despite painful sacrifices. After the Type II Engine ran safely, he planned further training and upgrades, then learned the Candlelight Society’s ship would arrive the next day with information about Beatrice.

• Theus told Monica that relying on Banshees to conduct research could lead to monopolized knowledge, oppression, and a divided civilization, but he would accept that cost if it was the only path to scientific progress.
• Theus asked Monica whether she still liked science after explaining that she might have to bear a heavy fate, and Una carried her away when his speech frightened her.
• After confirming that the Type II Engine and the surrounding area were safe, Theus lifted the emergency state and sent the trainees home under patrol escort.
• Theus planned to use the engine to train engineers and told Connor to have Alexei visit so they could discuss expanding the eastern experimental base.
• Connor told Theus that the Candlelight Society’s ship would arrive the next day and handed him information about Miss Beatrice.

Theus prepared to welcome Beatrice, a noblewoman from the Joan Family, and learned more about her family’s ties to the royal library and the Candlelight Society. At Castel Island, he met the Church’s ship carrying criminals and a sealed crate he suspected contained his previous body.

• Theus arranged scented soap, gift items, and Finier's perfume for Beatrice’s visit, then asked Connor about the Joan Family and its ties to the Candlelight Society.
• Theus reflected that Sister Chloe had shown no interest in his industrial plans and wondered whether the arriving Investigator would be as easy to deal with.
• Theus met Sister Chloe at the docks, where she pointed out the Church’s approaching sailboat and asked why he had come to receive the criminals.
• Theus explained that he was welcoming Beatrice because the Joan Family and he were both loyal to the royal family.
• The sailors brought the criminals ashore, and Chloe promised to perform an atonement ritual before sending them to Theus’s estate.
• The sailors unloaded a sealed wooden crate, and Theus suspected it contained his previous body.

Theus welcomed Beatrice, a Candlelight Society investigator, and used his carefully chosen appearance to impress her while arranging for Chloe to handle the handover. After the Society took the sinners and a cultist’s corpse to the church, Theus decided they had not discovered anything unusual and planned to investigate the workers’ bodies.

• Theus met Beatrice at the dock, and Chloe formally introduced them.
• Beatrice was flustered by Theus’s appearance, while he hoped she would help promote his soap.
• Theus sent Beatrice to rest and had Chloe oversee the handover, agreeing to pay more when she demanded it.
• Chloe said the sinners needed an atonement ritual and the cultist’s corpse should be buried in the church cemetery.
• Theus helped escort the people and crates to the church, sensed nothing unusual inside them, and decided to investigate the workers’ bodies.

Theus investigated the Candlelight Society’s interest in Worker Theus and checked whether the wound on his corpse had been altered. On the Golden Throne, Worker Theus unexpectedly turned to look at him, leaving Theus horrified.

• Beatrice said she felt unwell and would attend Theus’s dinner the next day, and Theus sent her soap and perfume while keeping her within the conventions of a young noblewoman.
• Theus questioned Connor about the Candlelight Society’s movements, learning that the workers had been settled near his experimental base and the cultist’s corpse buried at the church.
• Theus decided to investigate Worker Theus’s corpse and considered asking the Banshees for help, then realized he could inspect the vessel from the Golden Throne.
• On the Golden Throne, Theus saw that Worker Theus’s chest wound remained unchanged and avoided meeting the shell’s eyes.
• Worker Theus turned toward the Golden Throne and tilted his head as Theus watched in horror.

The author reflected on the struggles of writing the novel and decided to keep going despite its low readership. With the book going premium the next day, the author thanked readers and promised several updates while asking for support.

• The author recalled barely securing a contract after months of failed openings and feeling thrilled at first.
• The author considered cutting the story after its readership rose only from seven to ten, but chose to continue because writing brought happiness.
• The author described repeatedly revising the book’s early chapters, pacing, and characters to improve the story.
• The author thanked readers for their support and promised three chapters for the premium launch, hoping to post five.

Theus discovered that Worker Theus had begun moving after Pollution accumulated inside it, and he descended into the shell to investigate. He purified the hardened Pollution, but the shell returned to normal, leaving him unable to learn what had caused it.

• Theus noticed Worker Theus moving in his palace and tried to communicate with it, but it barely responded.
• Theus recalled Pollution appearing when the Type II Engine started and suspected it had accumulated inside the shell.
• Theus descended into Worker Theus and found himself in darkness, unable to see or move freely.
• Theus purified the shell’s hardened Pollution, heard a wail, and watched Worker Theus return to its ordinary state.
• Theus wondered whether unpurified Pollution could have made Worker Theus burn like a fuel source.

After purifying the Pollution in Worker Theus’s shell, Theus began hearing prayers whenever he looked at it and suspected the shell had gained divine authority. He and Ash hid near the church at night, and Theus prepared to secretly retrieve the shell by digging it up.

• Theus discovered that prayers sounded whenever he looked at Worker Theus’s shell and stopped when he looked away.
• Theus wondered whether purifying the shell had purified its original god and granted him the ability to hear believers’ prayers.
• Theus and Ash hid in the woods near the church, where Ash could not see through its protective barriers.
• Theus decided to investigate the Candlelight Society’s conspiracy and retrieve the shell without alerting Sister Chloe.
• Theus asked Ash whether she was good at digging holes.

Theus and Ash secretly excavated the coffin, but found only an ordinary wooden box and a black stone, with no corpse or sign of Transcendent power. As they fled, a red-robed figure began a ritual at the church, leaving Theus suspicious about what had happened to the body.

• Theus and Ash tunneled beneath the graveyard and located the buried box without disturbing the surface.
• Theus sensed no Transcendent power in the box, and Ash opened it to reveal a black stone instead of a corpse.
• Theus realized Worker Theus's body was missing and ordered Ash to restore the box and stone before they withdrew.
• Theus returned to the surface and had Ash restore the ground, then they went back toward the cave.
• A red-robed figure watched them leave, lamented that Theus worshipped decayed gods, and began a ritual as red-robed figures gathered at the church.

After discovering that the cultist’s coffin was empty, Theus suspected either the Candlelight Society or hidden cultists were setting a trap and ordered the manor and Banshees to prepare for danger. He descended into the worker Theus’s body to investigate, but woke beneath bright lights in an unexpected place.

• Theus realized the Candlelight Society had buried the coffin without performing any purification rites and questioned Connor about its burial customs.
• Theus told Connor that the coffin had been empty, then reasoned that the Candlelight Society might already know and could be using the corpse as bait.
• Theus ordered Connor to prepare guns and strengthen the manor’s guards, then placed the Banshees on Level III alert.
• Theus asked Ash to take command and descended into the worker Theus’s body to investigate the corpse.
• Theus opened his eyes beneath bright lights and wondered where he was, since he had expected to be inside a box.

Theus woke inside the body of an evil god summoned by a group of red-cloaked cultists and tried to learn who they were without revealing himself. The cultists turned against him, mistook him for the Moth Lord, and prepared to purify him.

• Theus awoke amid a ritual around a huge bonfire and realized the red-cloaked people had summoned an evil god.
• The cultists identified Theus as an Outer God, called for help, and sent believers to notify the local lord.
• Theus opened his eyes and questioned the cultists, who asked whether he was the Moth Lord.
• Chloe recognized Theus and ordered Kaeschi to purify him.
• A black shadow pinned Theus in place as the red-cloaked cultists turned toward their leader.

Theus was mistaken for a newly born Outer God after appearing in the cult’s ritual, and the Moth Chasing Flame cultists tried to protect him and put him to sleep. He was forced out of Worker Theus’s vessel, but gained a possible channel to the cult and returned to the manor, where Ash reported cultists on the island.

• The red-robed Moth Chasing Flame cultists split into groups, while Chloe and Priest Kaeschi tested Theus and concluded that his body contained no Pollution.
• Chloe told the cultists to protect the newly born Outer God, but Theus realized their shifting formation was affecting him and descended into another shell.
• Chloe warned the cultists that Theus was stalling, but they carried out the ritual and forced him out of Worker Theus’s vessel.
• Theus recognized the name Moth Chasing Flame and decided the cult might provide him with information in the future.
• Theus returned to the manor and received a Mind Link message from Ash reporting cultists on the island.

Theus rushed to join the Banshees surrounding a group of red-cloaked cultists, while Nini revealed how much she had deduced about his identity. After Theus confirmed that Chloe was a cultist, he and Nini arrived at the standoff and prepared to hear Ash’s report.

• Theus learned from Ash that the Banshees had surrounded red-cloaked cultists and hurried to meet them with Nini.
• Nini theorized that cultist Theus had taken over Lord Theus’s body and accused Ash of serving him, but Theus dismissed her theory as imaginative.
• Theus told Nini that Chloe really was a cultist, leaving her shocked and prompting him to question Chloe and Kaeschi’s true identities.
• Nini carried Theus across the island, and they reached the Banshees and cultists before Theus asked Ash what was happening.

Theus discovered that the red-robed members of Moth Chasing Flame were empty cocoons and that Chloe’s group had escaped, but he believed they remained on Castel and might contact him. Back at the manor, he invited Chloe of the Candlelight Society to the dinner welcoming Miss Beatrice.

• A patrol surrounded the red-robed cultists, and Theus went to investigate their standoff.
• Theus had Ash’s sea serpent bite one cultist and learned that the figures were empty shells woven from thread resembling cocoons.
• Theus learned that Moth Chasing Flame had relocated and taken the corpse, then told the Banshees to avoid attacking the cult unless necessary.
• Theus ordered Ash to watch the island for anything leaving and said he expected Moth Chasing Flame to contact him.
• Theus asked Connor to invite Chloe of the Candlelight Society to the dinner welcoming Miss Beatrice.

Theus punished Monica for breaking the Type II Engine and explained the danger of operating it alone. Monica then revealed that she had discovered a way to make Pollution burn more easily, leaving Theus astonished.

• Theus reflected that he had invited Chloe and signaled Moth Chasing Flame because he hoped to recruit their group.
• Theus learned that Monica had broken the Type II Engine and ordered her to copy the safety regulations as punishment.
• Theus explained to Monica that operating a Steam Engine alone could endanger her and others, and Monica began to cry.
• Theus asked how Monica had broken the engine, and she explained that she had been experimenting with burning Pollution.
• Monica told Theus she had found a way to make Pollution easier to burn by insulting it.

Monica explained to Theus how she discovered that scolding entity pollution made it burn more readily, then revealed that she had summoned a soul into a steam engine. The machine’s soul, Silly, refused to leave and would not work without coal imported by White Crow.

• Monica told Theus that scolding entity pollution made it burn better, and Theus wondered whether Cognitive Interference was involved.
• Monica explained that she had experimented with the pollution after Ash allowed her to participate, and that she had tried having her summoned sea snake, Silly, scold it.
• Monica said she had summoned a soul directly into the Type I Engine after realizing Sea Serpent Summoning could put a soul into a body.
• Theus asked whether the steam engine returned to normal, and Monica said Silly remained inside despite her efforts to cancel the spell.
• Monica told Theus that Silly was throwing a tantrum and refused to work unless it received coal imported by White Crow.

Theus ordered Monica to halt her dangerous experiments after learning that summoned souls could inhabit machines, but he began wondering whether the same magic could affect other objects and his own vessel. He ended the chapter alarmed to learn that Monica had already summoned several souls that refused to leave.

• Theus approved Monica a bonus for her work but still required her to copy the safety regulations and report new ideas before trying them.
• Theus told Monica to stabilize the Type II Engine and physical Pollution experiments before pursuing anything else.
• After Monica left, Theus considered using Sea Serpent Summoning on firearms and wondered whether different casters summoned souls with distinct personalities.
• Theus realized summoned souls might interact with his unusual vessel and ordered Monica not to summon any more until they understood the spell.
• Monica revealed that she had already summoned several souls and none of them were willing to leave.

Jeremiah learned that Count Theus was holding a banquet on Castel Island and hurried toward it, while Chloe and Lina debated his motives and prepared to attend. Theus, trapped in the worker shell’s dark inner space, decided to meet the Moth Chasing Flame cult in person and continue testing his abilities.

• Jeremiah stopped a Candlelight Society ship, learned that Count Theus was holding a banquet, and set sail toward Castel Island.
• Chloe and Lina discussed why Count Theus had invited the cult and concluded that Chloe had no choice but to attend the banquet.
• Lina found Isaac examining the patterns around a chained box and warned the imprisoned Lord Outer God that they needed an untainted place to free him.
• Theus failed to communicate with his worker shell and remained trapped in darkness, so he decided to meet the cult at the banquet and test whether Mind Link worked there.