Chapter Summaries

Theus learned from Chloe that evil gods were born within shells rather than summoned from elsewhere, and he tried to uncover their nature by guessing while she only rejected incorrect answers. Chloe’s silence at the end suggested that evil gods could speak to people but did not listen to them.

• Chloe explained that an evil god was produced within a shell, prompting Theus to compare them to Machine Souls born in steel.
• Chloe said the nature of evil gods was dangerous secret lore and promised to explain it after she completed a ritual.
• Theus proposed guessing the secret while Chloe only corrected wrong answers, and Chloe agreed the method might avoid pollution.
• Chloe rejected Theus’s guesses that evil gods embodied negative emotions, came from another world, or were fallen deities.
• Chloe struggled to answer whether evil gods could communicate, and Theus guessed that they spoke to people without listening.

Theus deduced that evil gods were created when individual will used Cognitive Interference to make them descend into the world. Chloe explained that Moth Chasing Flame pursued truth despite the danger, leaving Theus to reckon with the society’s careful but reckless devotion to knowledge.

• Theus learned from Chloe that evil gods could speak but could not hear, while summoning a Machine Soul did not cause Pollution to descend.
• After Chloe rejected his guesses about evil gods, Theus connected their creation to ordinary people’s Cognitive Interference and proposed that an individual’s will could summon one.
• Theus realized that cultists might create evil gods through worship and that the Church restricted knowledge to prevent Pollution and destruction.
• Theus worried that he might be insane and tried to stabilize himself by firmly believing that he was normal.
• Chloe reassured Theus that evil gods required stringent conditions, then explained that Moth Chasing Flame carefully pursued truth because it longed for it.

Theus offered Chloe his blood as a possible way to remove the corruption causing her headache. As Chloe drank from his wounded thumb, Theus noticed that the Symbiotic Pact had not healed him, leaving him puzzled.

• Chloe asked Theus how he purified corruption, and he said the ability came from a secret connected to the Banshees and could not be replicated.
• Theus suggested that his touch or blood might help Chloe with the corruption in her body, and she agreed to try drinking his blood.
• Chloe bit Theus's thumb and drank as blood flowed into her mouth.
• Theus checked the Symbiotic Pact and realized it had not healed the wound on his thumb.

Chloe proposed that Theus test whether his blood could dispel Pollution by placing his hand inside her body, revealing the Nymph ability of bodily reconstruction. She also explained that immortality was a curse that could bring endless torment, leaving Theus shocked by what it meant for Nora and the Silent Temple’s Transcendents.

• Theus learned that drinking his blood had not affected Chloe’s Pollution, and Chloe reasoned that the blood needed to enter her body by another method.
• Chloe asked Theus to put his hand inside her body, and he cautiously accepted after she explained she would not be harmed.
• Chloe revealed that a Nymph could reconstruct her body and let Theus push his finger through her pupil into her unusual internal structure.
• Theus asked Chloe about Nora’s immortality, and Chloe described the Silent Temple’s immortal Transcendents as pitiful and tormented.
• Chloe told Theus that the Silent Temple’s choir was filled with wailing heads and recounted a legend that immortality’s first second would pass only when a diamond mountain was worn flat.

Theus discovered that purifying Chloe's Pollution had caused her to attack him, and used the Symbiotic Pact to channel his vitality into her and cleanse her body. Afterward, he gained Chloe's exceptional sensory vision, realizing it was a [Nymph] ability.

• Theus reflected on the twisted costs of immortality and how the world's gifts could bring suffering.
• Chloe abruptly seized Theus's wrist and crushed it while remaining unresponsive.
• Theus realized that Chloe's Pollution may have fused with her body and spirit, and that purifying it was harming her.
• Theus wounded his own hand, allowing the Symbiotic Pact to treat them as one and send his purifying vitality into Chloe.
• The Pact's vitality healed Chloe as it cleared the Pollution throughout her body, and she went still.
• Theus's perception changed, letting him see around himself and through Chloe, and he recognized the ability as a [Nymph]'s sensory vision.

Theus unexpectedly purified all of Chloe’s Pollution, but the strange episode left both of them with missing memories and unanswered questions. Theus suspected something was wrong and decided to leave while Chloe proposed they go upstairs to handle the others.

• Theus realized he could see through Chloe’s eyes while his finger was inside her eye, then withdrew his hand and saw the word [Shell] flash through his mind.
• Chloe abruptly sat up, delighted that Theus had purified all the Pollution in her body, and said she remembered nothing about what had happened while she was unconscious.
• Chloe noticed that Theus’s blood covered her face and torn habit, and Theus explained that she had struggled while he healed her.
• Chloe used her Transcendent vision to check them both and found no abnormalities, but she could not explain her memory blackout.
• Theus told Chloe he would leave and urged her to investigate what had happened; Chloe apologized for nearly crushing his hand and suggested they go upstairs to deal with the others.

After Theus was injured during an experiment with Chloe, the Banshees surrounded Moth Chasing Flame’s church, suspecting Chloe had harmed him. Theus calmed them and left with his people, then asked Chloe whether she felt a connection between them.

• Chloe climbed out of the underground room and faced the Banshees, who had arrived after Theus’s health suddenly worsened.
• Theus told Finier that he was safe and that the incident was a misunderstanding, while Ash reported that she and Nini were returning.
• Theus explained that Chloe had taken the greater risk, and Finier released the detained Moth Chasing Flame believers before the Banshees left.
• Chloe apologized, and Theus suggested they conduct future experiments at the testing grounds.
• Theus asked Chloe whether her Transcendence pathway could cause sudden loss of control or memory, then asked if she felt a connection between them.

Theus and Chloe discussed the strange connection between them after Chloe’s loss of control, and Theus suspected it had formed when he purified the Moth Lord. He warned Chloe that Lina’s vessel might be dangerous, then learned Ash’s investigation in the outer seas had uncovered trouble beyond the Fishmen.

• Theus agreed with Chloe that a connection between them might explain her loss of control and memory, and later linked it to his purification of the Moth Lord.
• Chloe explained that she and the Nymphs had taken shelter in a Candlelight Society church because its defenses made it safe.
• Theus and Chloe agreed to investigate their connection and repeat the experiment more cautiously at the eastern testing ground.
• Theus warned Chloe that Lina’s vessel might have moved and urged her to relocate it to the Eastern Test Site; Chloe agreed to strengthen its restraints.
• Theus contacted Ash, who reported that the outer-seas investigation had gone badly and that the trouble might extend beyond the Fishmen.

Theus questioned the banshees' plans to attack the Fishmen after learning their reconnaissance had focused on eliminating small squads and locating the main force. Ash revealed that the Fishmen appeared to have tamed Pollution, leaving Theus to consider a threat the banshees had not accounted for.

• Theus returned to the cave and found the banshees arguing over whether to attack the Fishmen, while Monica backed a plan to let the factions fight each other before she struck.
• Nini threw Monica into a pit that led to the sea, then summoned Ash to explain the reconnaissance.
• Ash showed Theus a map locating the Fishmen's main force southeast of Castel, near the Masha Archipelago, but neither Ash nor Nini knew where the Fishmen had come from.
• Nini argued that the banshees could easily defeat the Fishmen, showing Theus drawings of their fights and describing the banshees' strength and defenses.
• Ash told Theus that the Fishmen seemed to have tamed Pollution.

Theus learned that the Fishmen had enormous Pollution-like creatures and questioned why their society revolved almost entirely around mining. He suspected the Fishmen were themselves enslaved or compelled to mine, and the chapter left him investigating the mysterious Blackstone they extracted.

• Ash and Nini told Theus about enormous, snake-like creatures with auras resembling Pollution at the center of the Fishmen settlement.
• Theus warned the Banshees not to rush into attacking and asked them to explain the Fishmen’s numbers, activities, and labor roles.
• Ash and Nini described a society made up mostly of miners and warriors, prompting Theus to question what the Fishmen did with the ore they mined.
• Theus proposed that the Fishmen might be slaves or compelled to mine and deliver ore elsewhere, but the Banshees said they had never seen where it went.
• Theus learned that the Banshees had mined only Blackstone but did not know what it was, and he suspected it was connected to Pollution and Transcendence.

Theus consulted Chloe about the forgotten Sea God Church and learned that memories lost unconsciously could be sunken memories, recoverable only under the right circumstances or by engraving them deeply into the soul. With little information about the Fishmen and the polluted deep sea, Theus decided to send a team to investigate their settlement.

• Chloe identified the Sea God Church and explained how willpower could engrave memories upon the soul so they would resist being forgotten.
• Theus wondered whether Mind Link could store and share sunken memories, while Chloe said written records might help but would not reliably preserve them.
• Chloe warned Theus that the deep sea was dangerous for Transcendents and said she knew little about Fishmen because the churches had withdrawn from the coast.
• Theus asked Ash whether a team could approach the Fishmen settlement, contact the polluted long snake, and withdraw safely.
• Ash said about twenty Banshees with two support teams could manage the mission, and Theus ordered them to prepare.

Theus watched Ash organize a Banshee assault to investigate the Pollution serpent and test the Fishmen’s hidden forces. After assigning roles and making Nini her backup commander, Ash led the Banshees through their Mind Synchronization ritual and declared the battle underway.

• Theus left operational command to Ash after observing how quickly the Banshees planned and prepared the assault.
• Ash assigned Una to collect a sample from the Pollution serpent, with Nini supporting her and researching the creature.
• Ash tasked five Banshees with drawing out the Fishmen’s hidden strength while the remaining squad members protected Una and covered the retreat.
• Ash named Nini as the successor to command if Ash became unable to lead, explaining that Nini’s flexible thinking could solve problems strength could not.
• The Banshees performed Mind Synchronization, and Theus joined them through the Symbiotic Pact.
• Ash and the Banshees declared that the battle had begun.

Ash led the Banshees in a surprise assault on the Fishmen mining near the pollution serpents, while Una collected a sample of the black flesh. The Banshees then spotted massive masses of Pollution expanding nearby and prepared to retreat.

• Ash and Nini watched the Fishmen mine and located pollution serpents buried beneath the seabed.
• Ash ordered the Banshees to attack the Fishmen guarding and working at the nearby mine.
• The Banshees charged down from the coral reef, slaughtered the Fishmen, and overwhelmed their camp.
• Una tried to cut into a pollution serpent, then Ash and the Banshees opened it so she could collect a lump of black flesh.
• Una and the Banshees saw huge masses of Pollution expanding nearby, and Ash ordered everyone to fall back and prepare to break out.

The Banshees struggled to escape a swarm of fast pollution sea urchins while protecting Una and the box she carried. Nini sacrificed the box to lure several sea urchins into a trap and detonated its explosives, leaving the blast’s aftermath unresolved.

• Ash drew three pollution sea urchins away from the squad while Nini took command and led the others toward Second Team.
• Five new sea urchins joined the pursuit, overwhelming the squad and injuring several Banshees.
• Nini ordered Una to throw away the box, and the sea urchins swarmed after it.
• Nini told the Banshees to activate Flesh Magic and take cover as three sea urchins struck the box.
• The box broke open to reveal snake flesh and metal spheres containing sea snakes and nitroglycerin, and Nini triggered their explosion.

The Banshees’ attack on the Fishman settlement failed after Pollution sea urchins trapped them, and a nitroglycerin blast caused heavy damage but no decisive victory. Back at Castel, Theus reassured the injured team and declared that they would eventually have to fight the Fishmen to defend their home.

• The Banshees witnessed the blast create a towering Water Tomb, while the Symbiotic Pact drained their life force to spread the damage among them.
• Nini found that the explosion had killed the nearby Fishmen and left her fellow Banshees alive, but dazed and injured.
• Nini ordered a retreat, and the Banshees returned to Castel while Ash escaped the pursuing sea urchins and came back by a different route.
• Nini told Theus that the mission had failed to recover flesh from the Pollution Serpent, and he said their reconnaissance had still revealed the enemy’s strength.
• Theus told the Banshees that Castel was their home and rallied them to fight the Fishmen and defend it.

Theus learned that Pollution Serpents might be creating Sea Urchin Monsters and could be spreading north from the south toward Castel. He ordered Ash to scout their reach and the Banshees to prepare for total war.

• Nini and Ash told Theus how they lost the serpent flesh sample while fighting Fishmen and Sea Urchin Monsters, and Theus praised them for bringing the first squad back alive.
• Theus realized that Sea Urchin Monsters appeared where Pollution Serpents had passed, suggesting the serpents were used to create them.
• Nini and Ash suspected the Pollution Serpents might extend from the south near the Masha Archipelago and the Pirate King's Court.
• Ash told Theus he could evade the Sea Urchin Monsters alone, so Theus ordered him to scout the serpents' territory after resting and told Nini to prepare bombs to cover his retreat.
• Theus ordered the Banshees to halt the Pollution Serpents at Castel and mobilize for total war.

Theus demonstrated a steam engine to Castel’s workers and promised new factory jobs, mechanic training, and higher wages as steam power expanded production. He revealed that war was coming, forcing the island to shift its productive capacity from peaceful development to heavy industry.

• Theus showed Castel’s workers how a steam engine worked and warned that they would need to pass an exam to qualify for factory work.
• Theus offered mechanic apprentices an extra one Leo per day and promised that qualified mechanics would earn eight Leo daily.
• Theus explained that steam engines would power the island’s factories and increase production, making goods more plentiful.
• Theus told the islanders that war was coming and that Castel would have to redirect its industry toward war.

Theus rallied Castel’s people against the sea monsters and asked Zoe to write a story about an advanced-class student working with a banshee. Zoe realized his proposed reading exercise might reveal the Banshees’ existence to the public.

• Theus told Castel’s workers that enormous sea monsters were advancing toward the island and promised to lead them to victory.
• Gaia and Monica watched Theus’s speech, and Gaia described how helping make the nitroglycerin bombs had made her feel like a hero.
• Theus asked Zoe to write a story about a student researching alongside a banshee and have literacy-class students read it.
• Zoe asked Theus whether he intended to make the Banshee matter public.

Theus explained to Zoe how hope sustained Castel’s poorest residents and admitted that he would use any means necessary to keep their hope alive. He asked her to use her writing to guide his subjects, leaving Zoe to consider whether she would help him despite the moral cost.

• Theus told Zoe that the Banshees’ existence was known to students in the advanced class and urged her to understand the poor through direct contact.
• Theus described how Gaia found happiness in studying and being rewarded for hard work, showing Zoe that hope mattered beyond money or food.
• Theus said workers had chosen school even at the cost of becoming poor again, and that Connor’s report found every student who met the Banshees remained steadfast in supporting Castel.
• Theus admitted that he exploited the people’s suffering and would continue doing so to preserve their hope, then asked Zoe to guide his subjects with her writing.
• Zoe asked why Theus had told her the truth and why he cared so much about hope, and he answered that he could not let down the people who had sacrificed alongside him.

Chloe questioned Kyle and Hodge about stories told by the dead worker Theus, then explained how Castel’s factories would make steel and cement for coastal fortresses. She left the workers facing an unfamiliar production process as the Lord prepared to convert Castel’s factories to steam power.

• Kyle and Hodge remembered Theus, the worker who had told them interesting stories before the Candlelight Society called him a cultist and he died.
• Chloe overheard them discussing Theus and asked Hodge to recount the story he remembered about a merchant and overflowing water.
• Chloe let Kyle and Hodge go without punishment and invited them to ask questions about the factory.
• Chloe explained that the factory produced steel, sulfuric acid, and slag, and that steel and concrete would be used to build fortresses along Castel’s coast.
• Chloe said Castel’s factories would switch to steam power and some workers might be assigned to the understaffed cement factory; Hodge recalled hearing that cement production had once been troublesome and produced poor results.