Recaps

Percy learned that the Sothos Mausoleum expedition had ended in disaster and was ordered to act as a liaison to the Invisible Cult rather than fight it. Aaron visited Clark, discussed the possibility that he was possessed by an evil spirit, and heard Clark’s plans to write about the Count of Green Forest.

• Percy was released and learned that the investigators deployed to the Sothos Mausoleum had all died.
• Jacob told Percy that Aaron Sothoth was believed to be behind the disaster and ordered him to serve as a bridge to the Invisible Cult while halting hostile actions.
• Percy accepted the order, shaken by the Investigation Bureau’s decision to yield to the Invisible Cult.
• Aaron visited Clark and hinted that an evil spirit might have possessed him after the events at the mausoleum.
• Clark advised Aaron to seek help from powerful Yao or Underworld cultists, and Aaron explained that the ruined site was contaminated and unlikely to attract visitors for long.
• Clark revealed his plan to publish a book challenging mainstream historical views of the Count of Green Forest, and Aaron wished him success while privately warning himself not to let Clark write about his embarrassing past.

Aaron returned home and learned that William Mark had been defrauded and was struggling to avoid bankruptcy. That night, Aaron completed his advancement ritual, unlocked the Third Primordial [Sublimation], and became a Forge-Maker, but sensed that a great existence would threaten him at his next advancement.

• Aaron returned to Gold Rose Street and found William Mark waiting, distraught after a swindler named Eugene had cheated him out of a large sum of money.
• William Mark offered Aaron a 5% share in his textile factory for 1,300 pounds, and Aaron promised to decide the next day.
• Aaron told Sylvia he might soon take over a fixed asset and offered her the chance to manage it as a professional manager.
• Aaron prepared an advancement ritual and used Sarsrofi's spiritually lingering core to begin unlocking the Third Primordial.
• Aaron saw a pure white sun in the Spirit Realm and drove his mind back to the real world before a great existence could descend.
• Aaron completed his advancement and became a Forge-Maker, gaining pure white vision and recognizing that his next advancement would bring him face-to-face with that great existence.

After opening the Third Primordial and becoming a Forge-Maker, Aaron tested his new abilities and examined several Non-Human-grade mystical items and their dangerous costs. He reviewed the requirements for opening the Fourth Primordial, Furnace, and faced the need to secure a Yao Age Controller’s blessing despite the danger it posed.

• Aaron discovered that becoming a Forge-Maker had transformed his body and enhanced his spiritual perception, including his ability to identify mystical items.
• Aaron assessed his chances of forging Roberts of the Insect Hive’s remnant and concluded he was far less likely to succeed with the Blood Cup bishop’s remnant.
• Aaron identified the Witch Pendant’s, Bone Statue’s, and Mourning Bell’s negative effects and decided he could not keep the Witch Pendant or Bone Statue.
• Aaron brewed and drank a hair-growth tonic, then considered the difficulty and danger of advancing to the Fourth Primordial.
• Aaron reviewed Furnace’s advancement materials, ritual, and great achievement, including the requirement to obtain a Yao source existence’s blessing or bestowal.

Aaron considered the materials needed to open the Fourth Primordial and become a Non-Human Existence, then began forging a mystical item from the Amber Insect Egg. He completed a semi-finished crystal and used a ritual to purify it, leaving its supernatural ability to be awakened and solidified.

• Aaron identified the Mourning Bell as a possible source of Underworld spiritual essence and counted two of the seven required advancement materials as accounted for.
• Aaron refused to help William Mark, then considered using the swindlers as a sacrifice for a forging ritual.
• Aaron used Spirituality Identification and illusory flames to forge the Amber Insect Egg into a diamond-like semi-finished crystal.
• Aaron performed a ritual calling on the Creator Above the Creator, the Absolute Observer, and the Spirit of Unknown Void, offering a fallen soul.
• Aaron left his body and purified the crystal, expelling twisted black mist that might have carried negative effects from Roberts's lingering spirit.

Darian found a strange diamond and quit his job, but its influence drove him to confront Old Eugene over their stolen money. Old Eugene killed Darian and took the diamond, then became consumed by it as he left the hotel.

• Darian found a glittering diamond, hid it, and resigned from Detective Duwei's agency without giving his prepared excuse.
• The diamond's Spirit Language words [Pride], [Greed], and [Wrath] stirred Darian's arrogance and anger until he tracked Old Eugene to the Emerald Beauty Hotel.
• Darian demanded at least 1,000 pounds from Old Eugene, who handed him a wallet and then cut his throat with a hidden blade.
• Old Eugene found the diamond on Darian's body, became entranced by it, and left the hotel with it.
• Old Eugene hesitated when he passed children playing in a garden.

Old Eugene murdered Feili, Xili, and Jackson while pursuing renewed youth, but Jackson’s death completed the ritual that created Aaron’s Roberts's Magical Insect Box. Aaron tested its Puppet Insect by making a passerby report the murders, leaving the police on their way to the villa.

• Driven by jealousy and greed, Old Eugene changed course to kill Feili and take a larger share of the stolen money.
• Old Eugene killed Xili, then stabbed Jackson during their fight and searched for the missing diamond.
• Jackson revived and attacked Old Eugene, swallowing the diamond before vomiting out a black beetle that flew to Aaron’s box.
• Aaron used the beetle and his crafted vessel to complete Roberts's Magical Insect Box and learned how it summoned and controlled different insects.
• Aaron summoned a Puppet Insect and sent a passerby to alert the officers to the murder at the villa before the man forgot what had happened.

As Green Forest City settled after the ruin’s destruction, Aaron weighed the danger of the Rainy Night Butcher and the Banquet Attendants against the risk of his identity being exposed. He considered leaving the city, while Sylvia reported that William Mark was selling his house after recovering only part of his stolen money.

• Aaron reflected that survivors knew the Count of Green Forest was still alive, but the Investigation Bureau and the few witnesses had kept the secret contained.
• Aaron read reports of the Rainy Night Butcher’s murders and a photographer’s encounter with a Banquet Attendant, then wondered what the creatures were seeking in Green Forest City.
• Aaron decided he might need to leave because he was only a traveler and his identity was increasingly likely to be exposed.
• Sylvia told Aaron that residents were uneasy about the killer, and that some young people were getting married because they believed he targeted virgins.
• Sylvia explained that William Mark was selling his house and dismissing servants because only part of his stolen money had been recovered.

Aaron arranged a gathering for the Invisible Cult’s Green Forest City members and helped Liliat understand the magical item she received. The group settled how to handle the Sothos Museum’s transfer before Aaron asked Liliat what reward she wanted.

• Aaron sent invisible insects to invite the members to a gathering and reconnoiter the meeting place.
• Aaron gathered Liliat, Nicholas, Percy, and Rapier, identifying Rapier, Cleric, and White Dove as official members and Crow as a temporary member.
• Liliat showed the group the Truth Balance and asked Aaron about its use and effects.
• Percy explained that the Investigation Bureau had agreed to transfer the Sothos Museum to the mysterious person who provided information about the ruins, and Liliat revealed that she was that person.
• Rapier offered to place a housekeeper under one of his false identities in charge of the museum, and Aaron approved the arrangement.
• Aaron told Liliat that his test for her was complete and asked what reward she wanted.

Aaron told the Invisible Cult gathering that its attention would move away from Green Forest City and announced that he would leave, while Percy reported murders involving Spirit Realm creatures and traces of Beyonder powers. After the meeting, Aaron disguised himself as Rapier and headed to the site of the latest murder.

• Lilliat asked about the sleeping immortal's condition and his ties to the Invisible Cult, and Aaron said they were allies who had completed their mission.
• Nicholas asked what to do after Sarsrofi's death and the Sunset School's withdrawal, and Aaron told him to continue his previous work.
• Rapier announced his upcoming journey, and Percy told the group about murders linked to Spirit Realm creatures and possible Beyonder powers.
• Aaron said the Invisible Cult would shift its attention away from Green Forest City, gave Lilliat, Nicholas, and Percy separate safehouse addresses for correspondence, and ended the gathering.
• Aaron left in disguise and went to No. 27 Bocolin Street, the location of the latest reported murder.

Aaron searched for the serial killer and discovered that the culprit was his former companion Clark Das, whose supernatural abilities had driven him to prey on people. Clark admitted that the combined influence of his Ghoul and Druid powers had overcome his self-control, leaving Aaron to confront him.

• Jelena walked home from her factory shift and was lured into a secluded alley, where a masked figure killed her and devoured her organs.
• Aaron used divination to search for the killer, followed a faintly obstructed trail into the sewers, and heard a woman's muffled scream.
• Aaron broke through a sewer cover and found a tall, masked man crouched over Jelena's corpse.
• Aaron recognized the killer as Clark Das and removed his mask, while Clark admitted that his Historical Retrospection powers had caused him to lose control.
• Clark explained that his Ghoul and Druid abilities had combined to intensify his cravings, and Aaron realized he had overlooked the warning signs.

Aaron confronted Clark Das after Clark succumbed to his hunger and began turning into a Ghoul. Clark chose to die by poison after asking Aaron to guide Bruce to his school and publish his archaeological manuscript, and Bruce learned the next morning that his teacher had died.

• Aaron recognized that Clark’s fall came from his own choices and agreed to exile him from Green Forest rather than kill him.
• Clark gave Aaron his school’s token and asked him to take Bruce Field to Connelly Earse in Plymouth and publish a manuscript about the Count of Green Forest’s archaeological discovery.
• Clark drank poison intended to kill Ghouls and died as snow covered his body; Aaron took an ice-crystal-like monocle and carried the corpse into the sewer.
• The next morning, Bruce rushed to Clark’s home and learned from the maid that Clark had supposedly died of a sudden heart attack.
• Bruce saw Clark lying peacefully in bed and burst into tears.

After Clark Das died, Bruce inherited his estate and arranged to publish Clark’s final book before leaving for Plymouth. Aaron then hired Bartolo Rogel to handle the transfer and trusteeship of Sothos Museum, revealing that he planned to acquire Sothos Castle.

• Aaron told Bruce that Clark had died from losing control as a Beyonder and gave him Clark’s suicide note and the Eye of Ancient Meng school token.
• Bruce decided to bury Clark and then leave for Plymouth, as Clark had wished.
• Bruce inherited Clark’s house and bank funds, and he arranged with bookseller Dicte Ken to publish Clark’s final work about Aaron Sothoth.
• Aaron asked lawyer Bartolo Rogel to handle legal matters for his planned acquisition of Sothos Museum, housed in Sothos Castle.
• Bartolo was astonished when Aaron confirmed he meant the oldest building in Green Forest City.

Aaron arranged to reclaim the Sothos Museum and leave Green Forest City, entrusting the museum to Sylvia. As the city learned of the museum’s sale and a new book about the Count appeared, Lilliat and Nicholas each recognized clues connected to the mausoleum and Rapier.

• Aaron hired Bartolo Rogel to handle the paperwork for reclaiming the Sothos Museum and told him he would pay by the hour.
• Aaron told Sylvia he planned to leave Green Forest City before the end of December and offered her the job of managing the museum.
• Lilliat bought Clark Das’s posthumous book about the Count and recognized its illustration as a mural from the mausoleum’s fourth level.
• Nicholas saw the museum and its curator, considered tracing its new ownership to uncover one of Rapier’s former identities, then decided against investigating and ordered his carriage onward.

Sylvia became director of the Sothos Museum and promised to keep it open, while the Investigation Bureau linked Aaron Yugus to the Invisible Cult and the Green Forest Church case. Jacob and Fiona suspected Aaron had survived the tomb and might be joined with a vicious spirit, making him their key target as signs of a Longevity One’s designs threatened the mystical world.

• Sylvia signed the final documents to become director of the Sothos Museum and told Bartolo she would keep it open without raising ticket prices.
• Percy reported to Jacob that Aaron Yugus had used forged papers, lived at No. 33 Gold Rose Street, and was likely the Invisible Cult member codenamed Rapier.
• Percy explained that Sylvia’s history with the Benjamin household connected Aaron, the Green Forest Church case, Roberts, and the Invisible Cult’s White Dove.
• Fiona told Jacob that divination of Aaron had been disrupted, and Jacob identified him as the original Purple Eyes who had joined the tomb expedition.
• Jacob and Fiona considered whether Aaron had been parasitized by the tomb’s vicious spirit and concluded that he was a dangerous figure tied to a Longevity One.

Bruce and Aaron traveled by train toward Plymouth City, discussing Invis's rise and the Age Controller Dawnbreak. Snow stranded them overnight at Yanan Town, where they went to the Black Blood Bar for food and drink.

• Aaron joined Bruce on the train to Plymouth City, where Bruce was traveling to inherit another portion of Clark Das's estate.
• Aaron and Bruce discussed Invis's victories and Bruce's teacher's theory that Dawnbreak had helped Sun King Arthur establish industrial civilization.
• The train stopped at Yanan Town because heavy snow blocked the route, and the conductor told passengers to stay overnight and return before eight the next morning.
• Bruce and Aaron walked into town to celebrate the New Year and entered the Black Blood Bar.
• Bruce ordered Golden Honey Wine while Aaron chose lemonade, and the bartender recommended the bar's local specialty, haggis.

Aaron left a bar in Yanan Town with a drunken Bruce and headed toward the train station as his Danger Premonition intensified. In the fog, he fought off monstrous Spirit World creatures and reached the station after his Demon Beetles cleared the way.

• Aaron learned from locals that people should avoid wandering outside late on New Year's Eve, then left the bar with the drunken Bruce.
• Aaron noticed the town's streets were empty and the lantern light was being swallowed by dense fog as he headed for the train station.
• A male train attendant appeared and asked Aaron for light, but screamed when Aaron's grip on Bruce had become a swaddled monster.
• Aaron burned the phantom baby with Spirit Language and destroyed its head with a Radiant Bullet.
• Aaron released Demon Beetles from Roberts's Magic Insect Box, and they devoured the monsters and surrounding mist.
• Aaron reached the small town's train station.

Aaron entered the Dream Realm to find Bruce, who had been drawn into it while drunk in Yanan Town. He found Bruce in a strange forest and freed him from a vine, but a forest fairy then offered to reveal the place’s secret.

• Aaron concluded that Bruce had entered the Spirit Realm in his physical body and prepared to rescue him while protecting his own body on the train.
• Aaron used Auclair’s evil spirit to enter the Dream Realm and discovered that Yanan Town corresponded to a specific region there.
• Aaron followed a divination through a dark forest and found Bruce drunkenly walking along a tree branch before a vine caught him.
• Aaron ignored the forest fairy who appeared nearby and severed the vine, dropping Bruce to the ground.
• The forest fairy asked Aaron whether he wanted to know the secret of the place.

Aaron rescued Bruce from the spirit-world manifestation of the Child of Misfortune and learned more about the failed Divine Child’s descent. The two continued toward Plymouth, where Aaron planned to help Bruce find Mr. Connelly Earse before they parted ways.

• The Forest Fairy revealed that the purple moon was a dead, corrupted Divine Child and tried to overwhelm Aaron with mystical knowledge and monsters, but Aaron escaped with Bruce.
• Back in Yanan Town, Aaron connected the Divine Child’s corruption to the Sun King Arthur, Dawnbreak, and other Age Controllers, and concluded that the spirit-world region had tainted Yanan Town.
• Bruce woke in the train station with no clear memory of the night, while Aaron regretted rescuing him and learned that Bruce had experienced only a pleasant dream.
• Aaron told Bruce they would reach Plymouth soon and that he would help him find Mr. Connelly Earse before they parted ways; Bruce then asked Aaron to lend him money.
• Aaron showed Bruce the Carnivore’s Satchel, a storage-space magical item, and took out tools and purified spirit powder.

Aaron made permanent human-skin masks so he and Yasuo could change identities before the Investigation Bureau traced them to Plymouth. After Bruce realized Aaron had become a Craftsman, Aaron prepared for the journey and considered how to obtain the blessing needed to advance to the Fourth Primordial.

• Aaron modified the Carnivore's Satchel and used its barrier to make human-skin masks.
• Bruce saw Aaron crafting the masks and realized he had opened the Third Primordial and become a Craftsman.
• Aaron explained that the Yao path and secret rituals helped reduce madness after advancement, and Bruce congratulated him on finding a school.
• Aaron put his materials away and reflected on the wealth and mystical items he had taken from the Bone Worship Society and the mausoleum.
• Aaron planned to seek a Yao society in Plymouth and obtain a trace of Dawnbreak's power to meet the requirements for advancing to the nonhuman Furnace.

Aaron and Bruce arrived in Plymouth, where Aaron drew the attention of the authorities while guiding Bruce to meet Connelly Earse, the contact his teacher had requested. The chapter left them in Earse's underground workshop as he introduced himself as a Druid.

• Aaron considered how to advance to the Fourth Primordial and feared that the Age Controllers would attack him because the Yao pathways had been castrated.
• Aaron and Bruce arrived in Plymouth, and Aaron deliberately let observers see his undisguised face to draw attention toward the city.
• Aaron and Bruce took a horse-drawn cab to Mercury Street after Bruce chose to avoid the subway.
• Aaron and Bruce found the watch repair shop at number 7 Mercury Street and told the apprentice that Bruce was Clark Das's student.
• Connelly Earse welcomed Aaron and Bruce in his underground workshop and identified himself as a Druid.

Aaron and Bruce met Connelly Earse, who explained the Oak Ring Druids and the legacy Bruce’s teacher had left for him. Connelly preached about Mother Nature and showed Aaron a Secret Lore, whose first page startled him.

• Connelly Earse welcomed Aaron and Bruce, recognized Bruce as Clark’s student, and learned that Bruce’s teacher had died.
• Connelly explained that Clark had wanted Bruce to undergo a Historical Retrospection ritual and inherit a place in the Eye of Ancient Meng School.
• Connelly identified himself as a Third Primordial Druid of the Oak Ring and showed how his flesh-and-metal palm could form tools.
• Connelly described Mother Nature, the Oak Ring’s god, and its rival Druid faction’s differing beliefs.
• Connelly opened Secrets of Nature to show Aaron a portrait of Mother Nature, and Aaron was startled by what he saw.

Aaron saw a portrait of Mother Nature and recognized its two faces as Lin and Olivia, leaving him shaken by the possibility that they had become powerful hidden existences. He resolved not to approach them under his true identity and asked Connelly for help finding a Beyonder circle in Plymouth.

• Connelly showed Bruce and Aaron the Secrets of Nature, whose portrait of Mother Nature depicted a goddess with two faces resembling Lin and Olivia.
• Aaron wondered how Lin and Olivia could have survived the ancient upheavals and risen to become hidden existences, while fearing the portrait might be a trap.
• Connelly explained that the portrait showed only one of Mother Nature's many forms, and Aaron waited for danger that never came.
• Aaron decided he would keep his distance from Mother Nature and never contact Lin and Olivia using his true identity.
• Aaron discussed mysticism with Corneli and asked Mr. Ers to recommend a local Beyonder circle in Plymouth.

After leaving Connelly Earse and Bruce, Aaron disguised himself and entered Plymouth, where he began planning how to find housing and investigate the city’s Transcendent organizations. He ended the chapter considering the Investigation General Bureau’s occult connections and the possibility of tracing a Tower-path Non-Human Existence.

• Connelly Earse gave Aaron directions to a secret gathering, and Bruce reluctantly said goodbye to him.
• Aaron left the clock shop, changed his appearance, performed an anti-divination ritual, and safely joined the crowd.
• Aaron entered Plymouth and reflected on the city’s districts, including the hidden Black Queen District controlled by Transcendents.
• At Cat's Eye Cafe in Jeston District, Aaron read international news and planned to find modest lodging and investigate groups such as the Craftsman Brotherhood and Sunset School.
• Aaron considered approaching the Investigation General Bureau, puzzling over its Yao talismans and possible ties to Dawnbreak or another Age Controller.
• Aaron reasoned that Xisthos followed the Tower path and considered using him to find clues about a Tower-path Non-Human Existence.

Aaron entered the Black Queen District, a hidden gathering place for Plymouth’s mysterious traders, through a marked stall door in the Hunter Bar washroom. He identified the hall as the mystical item Halsey’s Moving Castle and learned that its owner could be teleported anywhere in Plymouth at random.

• Aaron reflected on Plymouth’s hardship and visited the Hunter Bar, where he considered becoming a bounty hunter despite his wealth and status.
• Aaron entered the bar’s seventh washroom stall and used a symbol on its door to open a passage into the Black Queen District.
• A masked man welcomed Aaron to the gathering, and Aaron surveyed the hall and its visitors.
• Aaron used his ability to examine the hall and identified it as Halsey’s Moving Castle, a powerful teleportation item with a dangerous effect on its owner.

Aaron explored a hidden-world market in the castle, examined wanted posters, and rejected the dubious wares offered by a black-toothed witch. He bought a collection of spiritual materials from the sisters Lily and Jesita, who appeared delighted by his lavish payment.

• Aaron entered the castle hall and inspected wanted posters for Victor Carlo and Kebo Phil.
• Aaron browsed the market and refused a bark scroll ritual and a book of secret lore offered by a black-toothed witch.
• Aaron considered buying contaminated materials but avoided purchasing too many to prevent attracting attention.
• Aaron approached Lily and Jesita’s stall and selected ores, Spirit Realm creature tissues, and spiritual remnants, including contaminated materials.
• Jesita quoted a price of nine hundred and ninety Gold Pounds, and Aaron paid without haggling.