Recaps

Aaron told William that his family descended from an ancient Beyonder bloodline and had been hunted, then persuaded him to stay and fight. The next morning, Aaron used coffee divination to confirm that William was a descendant of the Sothoth Family and warned him to keep his faction discreet.

• Aaron told William that a dark force had likely caused his parents' deaths and that he planned to use William as bait; William chose to stay and fight.
• Aaron ordered William to work overtime at the Hunter Bar, where William made him coffee and learned how to perform coffee divination.
• Aaron interpreted the coffee grounds as confirmation that William descended from the Sothoth Family.
• William asked who his enemies were, but Aaron dismissed the question and ordered him back to work.
• William asked about Isabet, and Aaron warned him to keep his faction quiet to avoid the Investigation Bureau.

Aaron brought William into the Black Queen District and assigned him to represent the bar’s Beyonder business, then met with Gantis to discuss magical-item forging. The chapter ended with Gantis recognizing Aaron as a master Craftsman.

• Balkin told William that Aaron wanted to see him after work, and Aaron led him through a hidden entrance to the Black Queen District.
• Aaron promoted William to handle the bar’s Beyonder business and gave him potions to deliver to Alexander or Langley Tannis.
• Gantis recognized Aaron as the Craftsman behind the magical items and invited him to discuss forging.
• Aaron left William in the market and followed Gantis to the castle’s third floor.
• Aaron and Gantis exchanged forging knowledge, and Gantis praised Aaron as a master Craftsman.

Aaron met Halsey Quinn Enzos, the castle’s owner, who asked him to craft a magical item using strange Spirit Realm materials. Halsey revealed that he wanted an item that could teleport objects over a great distance, and Aaron examined the materials before agreeing to consider the challenge.

• Gantis told Aaron that Halsey wanted to meet him, and Halsey arrived to speak with him.
• Halsey asked about Aaron’s craftsmanship, the destruction of Vulture, and his willingness to accept magical-item commissions; Aaron revealed his face as Green Potter.
• Halsey vanished because of one of the castle’s negative effects, then returned after Aaron and Gantis waited and drank tea.
• Halsey described finding the castle and a Spirit Realm coordinate, then explained that he had captured Stephink Essence to use in a teleportation item.
• Gantis demonstrated how the Essence’s smaller eyes teleported back to the vicinity of the main eye.
• Halsey clarified that he wanted the item to teleport objects, not people, and asked for the greatest possible range.

Aaron agreed to try crafting mystical items from Stephink Essence for Halsey's plan to build a logistics network across Plymouth. Before leaving, Aaron asked about the Blood Robe Club, and Halsey warned him about its dangerous Gourmet Association members; afterward, Halsey and Gantis confirmed Aaron had not reached the Fourth Primordial and discussed cooperating with him.

• Halsey asked Aaron to craft items that could transmit goods through the Spirit Realm, explaining that he wanted to establish a logistics network across Plymouth.
• Gantis explained that his teacher had died and his conflict with the Craftsman Brotherhood had strained Halsey's ties with the organization.
• Aaron accepted Stephink Essence from Halsey and agreed to attempt the crafting without guaranteeing success.
• Aaron asked Halsey about the Blood Robe Club, and Halsey warned that its gourmets might serve dark cuisine made from Spirit Realm creatures.
• After Aaron left, Halsey determined that Aaron had not reached the Fourth Primordial, and he and Gantis agreed that he would be a valuable partner.

Aaron forged two pairs of Exchange Drawers, keeping the better pair and planning to deliver downgraded versions to Mr. Halsey after delaying a week. In Green Forest City, Lilliat received word that a letter from Mr. 'Yasuo' had arrived at her safehouse.

• Aaron examined the Stephink Essence Eyeball and other materials, then forged four Exchange Drawers overnight.
• Aaron explained that his pair could transport ordinary items and spiritual materials between Plymouth and Green Forest City, while the pair for Mr. Halsey had shorter range and harsher side effects.
• Aaron decided to delay delivering Mr. Halsey's cabinets by a week so no one would learn how quickly he could forge them.
• Lilliat found Green Forest City quiet after Divine Envoy Yasuo and Mr. Rapier had left, and she detoured toward a bakery.
• The spirits told Lilliat that a letter from Mr. 'Yasuo' had arrived at her safehouse, and she planned to retrieve it that evening.

Aaron met Lilliat in the Spirit Realm and gave her an Exchange Drawer, then tasked her with gathering intelligence on the blood descendants targeting her. Meanwhile, William visited the Blood Robe Club, where a disturbing suspicion arose as Quentin presented a young girl onstage.

• Aaron gave Lilliat an Exchange Drawer and warned her that the Spirit Realm was dangerous because of its inherent contamination.
• Aaron asked Lilliat to collect information on the rebellious blood descendants targeting her, and she resolved to complete the task perfectly.
• William went to the Blood Robe Club in the Black Gold District to speak with Quentin.
• Quentin told William to watch a special attraction, then led a young girl onto the stage, prompting William to suspect something dreadful.

William escaped the Blood Robe Club after discovering that Quentin had marked him as an ingredient for a future meal. The next day, Aaron identified the mark as a sign of sacrifice and prey, then began divining why William had been drawn into the club.

• The Old Count used Wonira Salibato as an assistant to grow a pomegranate tree through invisible arts, while William realized the club’s members were preparing people as food.
• Quentin revealed that he had marked William as an ingredient for a future soup course, and William punched him before fleeing the club.
• Quentin told the other gourmets that William could not escape his curse mark and that Blood of Decay had selected him as a sacrifice because of his Sothoth bloodline.
• The next day, William showed Aaron the red mark on his neck and begged for help after recounting his escape from the Blood Robe Club.
• Aaron explained that the mark identified William as prey and suspected an outside force had influenced him, then asked him to interpret a divination.

William’s divination revealed that he faced a likely death within a week, while Aaron received intelligence about the Blood of Decay, a secret cult hunting Sothoth descendants. Aaron suspected the cult’s patron was the Mother Tree of Flesh and considered whether its members could provide materials for his advancement to Furnace.

• William divined darkness and a symbol for a week, and Aaron explained that William would likely die in a dim alley three nights later.
• Aaron told William to keep working while he watched him, and William returned to the bar in a daze.
• On the third day, Aaron collected a letter and documents about the Blood of Decay from the Exchange Drawer.
• Aaron learned that the Blood of Decay worshipped the Mother of Night, hunted Sothoth descendants, and had multiple Non-Human Existences, including Bokin Soren and Lofman Soren.
• Aaron suspected the Mother of Night was the Mother Tree of Flesh and considered whether a Blood of Decay ruin could supply the Crimson remains he needed to advance to Furnace.

Quentin ambushed William to harvest the spirituality of his Sothos bloodline, but Aaron possessed William and turned the tables on him. After learning who had framed William, Aaron left the alley with Quentin as food for Roberts's Magic Insect Box.

• Quentin attacked William in an alley, wounded him, and planned to extract his Tower spirituality for the Blood Robe Club.
• William stood up as Aaron possessed him, and his wounds healed as his eyes shone purple.
• Quentin fled but found the alley exit blocked by insects, which restrained and overwhelmed him.
• Aaron questioned Quentin, who named Raphael Soren of Blood of Decay's hunting squad and identified its leader as Lofman Soren.
• Aaron pressed a deathly hand to Quentin's head, then left the alley while possessing William.

Aaron learned that Blood of Decay had hired the Blood Robe Club to hunt Sothos's direct descendants, and he used Raphael's testimony to track the hunting party's leader, Lofman Soren. On his way to Lofman's manor, Aaron witnessed Magician Kebo Phil escape a jewelry company with a powerful mystical item but continued toward his target.

• Aaron concluded that Blood of Decay had used the Blood Robe Club to pursue Sothos's direct bloodline, including Xia Ya's nearly extinct branch.
• Aaron possessed William's body back in the rented room, then sent Auclair to find Lofman through Raphael.
• Raphael planned to leave Plymouth after Xia Ya's last surviving descendant was killed, but Auclair's presence forced him to flee the streetwalkers and kill himself in an alley.
• Using Raphael's testimony, Aaron headed for Lofman Soren's hiding place in an aristocratic manor outside Plymouth, intending to attack before the hunting party could relocate.
• Aaron saw Kebo Phil escape Jinfeiler Jewelry Company using a cane that nullified Beyonder abilities, but ignored the fugitive and continued toward the outskirts.

Aaron attacked Lofman Soren at Baron Jacques's estate, but Lofman countered with a deadly curse. The curse destroyed Auclair, leaving Aaron's black iron box and Revolver behind.

• Lofman Soren killed a maid and discussed Blood of Decay's plans before Aaron shot him in the head.
• Lofman revived, drained the blood of living creatures in the estate, and fought Aaron with blood magic as Demon Beetles devoured his blood mist.
• Lofman transformed into bats, wounded Auclair, and recognized him as the evil spirit from the Auclair Ruins.
• Lofman tore out and destroyed his own heart to cast a curse through the wound he had inflicted on Auclair.
• The curse reduced Auclair to ash, leaving a black iron box and a Revolver on the floor.

Aaron revived Auclair and killed Lofman, then left Baron Jacques's manor with a relic from Crimson. William woke safely at home, thanked Aaron, and returned to work at Hunter Bar, where Aaron warned him to avoid the Blood Robe Club and said the Blood of Decay would likely stay quiet for a while.

• Aaron used the Power of Secret Source to revive Auclair, who shot Lofman and helped destroy the crimson bats with Demon Beetles.
• A fire consumed Baron Jacques's manor as Aaron left with a crimson fang taken from Crimson.
• William woke in his rented room, realized his wound had healed, and guessed that Aaron had saved him.
• William bought a newspaper reporting several crimes and disasters from the previous night, then went to Hunter Bar to thank Aaron.
• Aaron told William to avoid the Blood Robe Club and said the Blood of Decay would likely lie low after losing a Non-Human Existence.

Isabet worked on Mary Street and learned about a new cleric and a church blessing where attendees would receive bread. Meanwhile, Aaron commissioned Halsey to investigate Baron Jacques and negotiated for rare advancement materials, leaving Halsey to search for remnants tied to the Chrysalis, Tower, and Shadow paths.

• Isabet reflected on her difficult childhood and her improving prospects as she walked through Mary Street.
• Mrs. Xiuge told Isabet that Cleric Smith had been replaced by Cleric Im and invited her to a weekend blessing ceremony that would provide rye bread.
• Aaron decided to turn his inquiry into Baron Jacques and the Blood of Decay into a bounty-hunter commission through Hunter Bar.
• Halsey and Gantis tested the Exchange Drawer Aaron had made, and Halsey praised the finished product.
• Aaron asked Halsey for high-tier materials, specifically spiritual remnants of Non-Human Existences from the Chrysalis, Tower, or Shadow paths.
• Aaron said he planned to use incomplete-inheritance blueprints to forge Non-Human-grade mystical items, and Halsey agreed to search for the rare remnants.

Aaron arranged for Halsey to investigate Baron Jacques’s connections and posted a public bounty as cover. At a church service, Isabet discovered Cleric Im was distributing a strange pendant and wine that drew her into a contract.

• Aaron asked William to post a 100-pound bounty for information about Baron Jacques’s social connections and the arson at his manor.
• William had Manager Balkin post the bounty, and bounty hunters took note of the task.
• Aaron paid for Carl’s drinks and noticed William and Isabet exchanging flirtatious looks.
• Isabet attended Cleric Im’s service and noticed his teachings emphasized the Holy Spirit’s connection to radiance.
• Cleric Im gave Isabet a pendant depicting a bound human figure and Mrs. Xiuge offered her a cup of wine.
• After drinking the wine, Isabet felt herself enter a contract and lost the desire to report Cleric Im.

Aaron learned through coffee divination that Isabet was dead and that her death was connected to a religious site, leaving William determined to find out what had happened. That night, Aaron met a masked trader who offered a mysterious Chrysalis legacy for sale.

• Aaron teased William about his feelings for Isabet, then divined that she was dead and that her death was connected to a religious site.
• William rejected the news at first, then hardened with resolve when Aaron identified the religious connection.
• Aaron met Halsey's contact, Mr. Cocoon-Man, at Halsey's Moving Castle to inspect a Chrysalis legacy.
• Cocoon-Man opened a box containing a luminous silkworm-cocoon-like object left behind by a transforming high priest.

Aaron traded the Witch Pendant and 3,000 pounds to the Cocoon-Man for a contaminated remnant of a Chrysalis-pathway Non-Human Existence. Meanwhile, William tracked down Mrs. Xiuge at a church and confronted her over Isabet’s disappearance.

• Aaron recognized the cocoon as a Chrysalis remnant and agreed to trade for it despite its spiritual contamination.
• Aaron and the Cocoon-Man haggled before settling on the Witch Pendant and 3,000 pounds for the remnant.
• After the Cocoon-Man left, Aaron thanked Halsey and began planning for the remaining ritual requirements while avoiding further trades through him.
• William watched Mary Street Church until Mrs. Xiuge emerged, then followed her.
• William confronted Mrs. Xiuge about Isabet and drew his revolver when he realized her claim that Isabet had gone to the countryside to marry was a lie.

William discovered that the Church of the Holy Spirit on Mary Street was tied to an evil god, but Mrs. Xiuge died before she could explain. After Carl rescued William from Cleric Im, Aaron entered the cordoned-off church and found Isabet’s charred corpse bound to an altar.

• William questioned Mrs. Xiuge, who said Isabet was dead and then killed herself when she could not reveal the church’s secrets.
• William found a pendant depicting a blood-red figure bound to a black thorn tree and realized it involved an evil god.
• Cleric Im attacked William, but Carl shot Im, rescued William, and took him away.
• William told Aaron that the church’s believers were bound by contracts and gave him the pendant.
• Aaron used the Spirit of Void to enter the cordoned-off church and found an evil altar with Isabet’s charred corpse bound to an iron pillar.

Aaron investigated Isabet’s murder and discovered that the secret chamber had been used by the Desire Spirit Sect to sacrifice her and gather spirituality. His divination placed the sect’s powerful leader in Plymouth, so Aaron left clues for the authorities and decided not to pursue the group himself.

• Aaron used Isabet’s corpse to divine her final experience and saw the Desire Spirit Sect sacrifice her to the God of Suffering.
• Aaron recognized the ritual as a way for a religious order to draw spirituality through believers’ worship and considered the risks of such practices.
• Aaron divined that the sect’s leader was in Plymouth and followed the Crimson and Dark paths, but the intense interference suggested the leader had opened six Primordials.
• Aaron destroyed the statue, left clues about the Desire Spirit Sect and a Crowned One, and exposed the secret chamber to the police.
• Back in his bedroom, Aaron decided to leave the investigation to the authorities until he had advanced to Furnace.

At the Investigation General Bureau, Fiona reported evidence that the Desire Spirit Sect had infiltrated the Church of the Holy Spirit, while Xisthos revealed that the Sodoma family was obstructing the investigation. The Bureau faced a one-month deadline to find Aaron Yugus and traces of the Count of Green Forest’s arrangements before pressure from outside overwhelmed them.

• Fiona told Jacob that a clue from the Mary Street Church case pointed to the Desire Spirit Sect and recommended screening Church of the Holy Spirit clergy in Plymouth.
• Jacob approved Class Two screening for suspicious clergy and said he would not let Lord Ferret interfere.
• Xisthos revealed that the Sodoma family in Mitra Palace had obstructed the Bureau’s investigation of the Desire Spirit Sect.
• Xisthos explained that the Count of Green Forest’s return signaled the opening of the gate of Longevity and that the royal family and Upper House wanted the Bureau to find the Count’s arrangements and Aaron Yugus.
• Fiona said the Bureau had lost Aaron Yugus’s trail after discovering the Oak Ring’s stronghold, and Jacob proposed using Lady Fireworks and the Book of Prophecy to overcome the interference.
• Xisthos said the Bureau could resist outside pressure for only one month, and Jacob and Fiona resolved to act.

Aaron discussed the bar’s staffing and William’s recovery with Balkin before the magician Kebo Phil arrived, claiming to have solved the arson at Baron Jacques’s manor. Kebo revealed himself through an illusion and escaped after turning Aaron’s shotgun blast into a New Year’s gag.

• Aaron asked Balkin about William’s recovery and told him to hire two young, attractive waitresses to replace Isabet.
• Kebo Phil entered the bar and presented a report claiming that Green Potter was responsible for the arson at Baron Jacques’s manor.
• Aaron offered Kebo eighty pounds, but the report appeared blank to him while Balkin read the name Green Potter.
• Kebo revealed his identity as a magician, and Aaron aimed his shotgun at him.
• Aaron fired, but the shotgun produced streamers and a Happy New Year pennant instead of bullets.
• Carl fired at Kebo as he vanished in a cloud of smoke.

After Magician Kebo Phil attacked Hunter Bar, Aaron explained that Kebo was a Shadow Beyonder staging incidents to build influence for advancement. Kebo then met a Desire Spirit Sect cultist in a sewer and learned his performance had helped the sect investigate the bar and its ties to Baron Jacques's estate.

• Carl warned Aaron that Magician Kebo Phil was a dangerous criminal, while Aaron compensated the bar's patrons for the disturbance.
• Aaron reassured William, explained Kebo's Shadow abilities, and suggested Kebo was creating influence for a Fourth Primordial advancement ritual.
• Kebo told a Desire Spirit Sect cultist that he had drawn attention to the bar and tested its connection to the arson at Baron Jacques's estate.
• Kebo concluded that the sect's goal was to get the bar investigated, and the cultist warned him against growing arrogant.

After Kebo Phil agreed to cooperate with the God of Suffering’s cult, Aaron moved to protect the Hunter Bar and sought information about the magician. He learned that Kebo Phil had announced plans to steal Queen Mary’s diamond necklace at the Royal Art Exhibition.

• Kebo Phil accused the cult of using him, then agreed to cooperate so he could advance toward becoming a Shadowless One.
• Aaron told Halsey about Kebo Phil’s attack on the Hunter Bar and arranged to move the castle entrance to avoid drawing the Investigation Bureau’s attention.
• Aaron said he would hide with William for a while and asked Halsey for information about Kebo Phil.
• Halsey revealed that Kebo Phil had sent a postcard announcing he would steal Queen Mary’s Heart of the Ocean at the Royal Art Exhibition on February 11th.

Aaron and Halsey concluded that Kebo Phil planned to steal the Heart of the Ocean as part of a ritual, and Aaron went to the royal exhibition with William to meet the announced challenge. They entered the crowded exhibition hall, where Aaron examined the royal collection and heard a guide describe the Sothos Cloak.

• Halsey told Aaron that Kebo Phil's planned theft of the Heart of the Ocean could be the final ritual element needed to open the Fourth Primordial.
• Aaron gave Balkin management of the bar and ten percent of its shares, then disguised William and brought him to 27 Phoenix Street as his manservant, Walson.
• On February 11, 1027, Aaron and William arrived at the Kingdom Art Exhibition, where high-society visitors gathered to witness Kebo Phil's announced theft attempt.
• Aaron and William passed inspection and entered Exhibition Hall No. 1, where a guide explained the history and supposed noble bloodline of the Sothos Cloak.

Aaron suspected that the Magician had arranged a concealed trap at the Royal Exhibition Hall, so he watched the exhibits and then set up nearby to wait. The trap was sprung when an elderly man collapsed beside the Ocean Star display and a talisman on his bloodstained handkerchief released white mist throughout the hall.

• Aaron considered why generals needed extraordinary abilities, then viewed the Iron Crown of Founder and Queen Mary's necklace at the exhibition hall.
• Aaron noticed his premonition of danger calm after he moved away from the Heart of the Ocean display and concluded that a concealed plan had been arranged.
• Aaron took William to a nearby restaurant, secured a private room overlooking the exhibition hall, and began divination while waiting for the Magician's move.
• An elderly gentleman approached the Ocean Star display, began coughing blood, and collapsed as guards and disguised Beyonders gathered around him.
• A delayed-activation talisman on the gentleman's handkerchief flashed and exploded, filling the exhibition hall with pungent white mist.

Kebo Phil stole the Sun King's iron crown and escaped the exhibition hall by glider after using magic to scatter the Investigation Bureau’s forces. Aaron recognized that the gliders were a diversion and prepared to enter the Spirit Realm while William protected him with Roberts's Magic Insect Box.

• Haixinge stopped a puppet doll from stealing the Heart of the Ocean and ordered investigators to guard the other displays.
• Kebo Phil stole the Sun King's iron crown, then used a grappling hook and a magical cane to escape the exhibition hall.
• Three gliders drew the pursuers in different directions as Kebo Phil fled across the rooftops.
• Aaron told William that the gliders were only buying Kebo Phil time and gave him Roberts's Magic Insect Box to guard him while he tried to enter the Spirit Realm.