Chapter Summaries

Aaron attended an auction with Clark and Bruce, waiting for an artifact with a strong historical aura to appear. The Green Forest Ring of Power sparked a bidding war, and Lord Rake raised the price to 3,000 pounds as Aaron sensed some danger.

• Aaron watched the early lots go by without bidding while Clark bought a clay bottle and an inscribed copper sheet.
• The auctioneer unveiled the Green Forest Ring of Power, and Clark was shocked to see the long-lost relic offered for sale.
• Bruce explained how Auclair Sothos rebelled against the Fabri Dynasty and how the ring disappeared during the War of Broken Oaths.
• Aaron suspected the ring was not the genuine one he had worn, sensed danger through his spirituality, and divined that it was bearable.
• Bidding for the ring began at 2,000 pounds, and Lord Rake raised the price to 3,000 pounds.

Chris Toya began vomiting swarms of black insects at the Auguf Auction House, revealing that something had gone wrong as the Investigation Bureau moved to arrest him. The insects killed an investigator and surged toward William Mark while Percy Anias brought the dangerous Dollhouse Strange Object into the building.

• Sinderson Kappler ordered his patrol squad to arrest Chris Toya after he left the auction house, and Percy Anias warned that arresting him inside would cause a disturbance.
• Chris became ill in William Mark's private box, scratched open his face, and left for the washroom.
• An investigator following Chris found him vomiting black winged insects, which swarmed over and killed the investigator.
• Sinderson ordered Percy to activate the Dollhouse, and Percy carried the released Strange Object into the auction house with two investigators beside him.
• William Mark went to check on Chris, but investigators pinned him in the corridor as a tide of black insects emerged from the washroom.

At the auction, Aaron followed Liliat Thorne and saw her disguise herself and attempt to steal the counterfeit Green Forest Ring of Power, then returned to investigate the danger he had sensed. Meanwhile, the Investigation Bureau contained Chris Toya’s transformation inside the Dollhouse and detained witnesses for examination.

• Percy and Sinderson trapped the mutated Chris Toya inside the Dollhouse, where agents fought the monster while Percy carried the case away.
• Aaron left the auction, followed Liliat Thorne, and saw her disguise herself and use a talisman to stun coachmen before hiding beneath Lord Rake’s carriage.
• Aaron returned to the auction house and saw Percy depart with Investigation Bureau agents as another team secured the affected rooms.
• An Investigation Bureau agent told William Mark he would undergo examinations after witnessing the supernatural incident.
• Aaron returned home to 33 Gold Rose Street and asked the maid for lunch and iced lemonade.

Aaron postponed exploring the Sothos Mausoleum until he could advance and gathered information about materials for his next advancement. At an underground gathering, the Beyonders learned that the Benjamin case had been solved and that the Green Forest Ring of Power had vanished after its purchase.

• Aaron used divination to decide that exploring the relic would be safer after he advanced, then considered asking Nicholas Inam about Yao-related materials.
• Aaron ordered Scarface to watch a wall on Weasel Street for new symbols and bring him copies.
• Scarface soon delivered Aaron a new diagram of symbols, and Aaron attended the August 27 underground gathering.
• Miss White Dove asked for help dispelling a curse and learned that Beast was probably dead and his territory had changed hands.
• Jazz announced that Chris Toya of the Green Forest Church had been arrested and executed for teaching the Benjamin killer.
• A Beyonder reported that Lord Rake had bought the Green Forest Ring of Power at the Auguf Auction House, but it had vanished on the way home.

Aaron tried to purify Miss White Dove's curse, but the spell revealed a high-ranking Evil Spirit and cursed him as well. Her account of an underground mausoleum led him to suspect the curse came from the Sothos Mausoleum and that White Dove might be Lilliat Thorne.

• Aaron noticed Miss White Dove watching The Cleric, Nicholas Inam, and arranged to meet her privately.
• Miss White Dove admitted that an ancient relic had cursed her with weakness and nightmares, and Aaron began a purification.
• Aaron's purification exposed a male Evil Spirit, failed, and left a curse attached to him.
• Aaron questioned Miss White Dove, who revealed that she had dreamed of an underground mausoleum.
• Aaron connected the curse to the Sothos Mausoleum and wondered whether Miss White Dove was Lilliat Thorne in disguise.

Aaron used his meeting with Nicholas Inam to learn that he had found another Yao Beyonder and offered him money to search for materials. Later, Aaron ambushed Miss White Dove at her safe house and revealed that he knew she was Liliat Thorne.

• Aaron paid Miss White Dove 100 pounds after lifting part of her curse, then asked Nicholas Inam whether he still wanted Secret Lore of Yao.
• Aaron deduced that Nicholas had obtained a Yao inheritance and offered him 50 pounds to find Yao materials, plus a further reward if he succeeded.
• Miss White Dove escaped through a sewer and went to her safe house in the Iver Bridge District.
• Aaron used a phantom in a Raven Mask to confront Miss White Dove and claimed that worshipping the Spirit of Void could save her from the curse.
• Miss White Dove put the phantom to sleep and tried to remove its mask, but Aaron struck her from behind while concealed by the Shadow Ring.
• Aaron revealed that he had identified Miss White Dove as Liliat Thorne.

Aaron captured White Dove and forced Liliat Thorne to join his sect, but her prayer to the Spirit of Void unexpectedly connected her to Aaron and brought about a miracle. He purified her and then tested whether he could use the Power of Secret Source to affect his own body.

• Liliat woke tied to a chair in Aaron's safe house, where he revealed that he knew her identity and recognized her Sothos ancestry.
• Aaron gave Liliat the choice of dying or joining his sect, and she chose to recite the Spirit of Void's divine name.
• Liliat's prayer formed a mystical connection with Aaron, who sent his spirit to her and used the Power of Secret Source to purify her from an Evil Spirit's malice and some advancement-related mental problems.
• Aaron saw a black curse on his physical body and sent it over ten days' worth of the Power of Secret Source to test its effects.

Aaron purified Lilliat’s curse and spiritual contamination through the Spirit of Void, then recruited her as a believer and asked her to surrender the replica of the Green Forest Ring of Power. After Aaron returned home, Lilliat went to her father and told him she had received a response from a hidden being.

• Aaron used the Power of Secret Source to purify Lilliat, then freed her from her bonds.
• Lilliat accepted Aaron as the Spirit of Void’s emissary and agreed to hand over her replica of the Green Forest Ring of Power.
• Aaron told Lilliat to contact the Iron Fist Gang if she needed help, and agreed to look into Rapier while warning her not to preach or recruit.
• Aaron found the danger around the Green Forest Cathedral unchanged and wondered whether corruption had reached the Investigation Bureau.
• Lilliat returned home through a window, warned her father Vernon Doran against divining her fate, and told him about the Spirit of Void’s response.

Lilliat told Vernon that an unseen being had answered her, and he feared the danger despite her curse being lifted. Aaron received the imitation Green Forest Ring of Power from Lilliat and used divination to confirm its origin, strengthening his suspicion that an organization stood behind Beast and the Sothos Ruins excavation.

• Lilliat refused to reveal the Spirit of Void’s name to Vernon, who warned her against seeking help from the unseen being and urged her to rest.
• On September 1, Aaron checked the Iron Fist Gang’s territory and went to the docks in disguise to meet Scarface.
• Scarface gave Aaron a package from a disguised woman, and Aaron instructed him to keep her identity secret and regularly change the gang’s code.
• Aaron opened the package at 33 Golden Rose Street and found the stolen imitation Green Forest Ring of Power.
• Aaron suspected Beast had acted as an organization’s mouthpiece and used pendulum divination to confirm the ring’s origin matched the previous result.

Aaron attended an underground gathering, watched a newcomer named Hound recruit companions to explore ruins, and bought a Sunbird feather from Nicholas Inam. He then offered Nicholas information about the Benjamin case, leaving Nicholas to decide whether to hear more and verify Aaron’s claims.

• Aaron received word of an underground gathering, entered wearing his Rapier mask, and noticed that Hound seemed hostile toward the attendees.
• Hound introduced himself as a former associate of Beast and sought companions to explore ruins, while Lilliat held back and Clark stopped Bruce from responding.
• Aaron traded as usual and then met Nicholas Inam in a private booth to buy a complete Sunbird feather for 750 pounds.
• Aaron told Nicholas that Chris had been framed and was not the mastermind behind the Benjamin case, and Nicholas reacted with disbelief.
• Nicholas chose to hear the rest of Aaron’s information directly and said he would verify it himself.

Aaron sold Nicholas intelligence about the Green Forest Cathedral's mastermind and learned the mastermind might be a Non-Human Existence. After a suspicious Hound questioned him and supplied spiritual materials, Aaron returned home to prepare to advance to Light Shepherd.

• Aaron told Nicholas that the mastermind was hiding in the Green Forest Cathedral and might have opened the Fourth Primordial, then sold him the intelligence for 300 pounds.
• Aaron left the Calendula booth with the Sunbird Feather and encountered Hound, who questioned him about his dealings with Beast and Beast's death.
• Hound used a talisman to assess Aaron's Primordial level, then offered to continue trading Beast's materials with him.
• Aaron left with corrupted spiritual materials, suspected they could be used to track him through a mystical connection, and planned an anti-divination ritual.
• Aaron returned to 33 Golden Rose Street, checked the materials, and prepared to advance to Light Shepherd.

Aaron prepared and completed the ritual to advance to Light Shepherd, resisting the light’s attempt to overwhelm and control him. After gaining control of his new power, he considered the dangers of advancing further and tested the enchantments he could now place on objects.

• Aaron brewed the Light Shepherd potion using purified materials of Yao and a Sunbird Feather, then began the advancement ritual in his sealed bedroom.
• As the potion’s light threatened to tear apart Aaron’s body and make him submit, he activated the ritual seals and forced the light under his control.
• Aaron opened the Second Primordial, Stability, and became a Light Shepherd, realizing that the true Path of Yao meant mastering light and could draw the attention of the Age Controller at its source.
• Aaron tested his new abilities by shaping a ray of sunlight and temporarily enchanting his hidden sword with light.
• Aaron reflected that he could now accumulate more spirituality and eventually attempt to advance to Forge-Maker.

Aaron prepared to explore the Sothos Mausoleum by crafting three kinds of supernatural bullets with his Light Shepherd abilities and the Spirit of Void’s power. He finished with thirty Radiant Bullets, twenty Filth Bullets, and six Evil Spirit Curse Bullets as a powerful trump card.

• Aaron explained that the Spirit of Void allowed him and its followers to advance through multiple stages without suffering the usual corruption and side effects.
• After breakfast, Aaron returned to his room and decided to prepare weapons for exploring the Sothos Mausoleum.
• Aaron used spiritual materials and a ritual to make Radiant Bullets effective against evil creatures and spirits, and Filth Bullets that could contaminate Beyonders.
• Aaron repeated the process to produce thirty Radiant Bullets and twenty Filth Bullets.
• Aaron used the imitation Green Forest Ring of Power and its Evil Spirit curse to create six bullets that immediately inflicted a high-rank Evil Spirit’s curse.

Aaron crafted a face-changing skin mask and met Liliat Thorne at the docks under the identity of the Divine Envoy. Liliat revealed her Sothos lineage and explained that the Soren Family had hunted her family for generations.

• Aaron used Mr. Benjamin's remaining skin to craft a mask that gave him a fixed new face and decided to use it as the Divine Envoy's disguise.
• Liliat Thorne went to a secluded dockside meeting and greeted Aaron, who wore a silver Raven Mask over his altered face.
• Liliat told Aaron about a recent gathering and asked about Mr. Rapier, then revealed that her true surname was Sothos.
• Aaron asked whether anyone was hunting or pressuring Liliat, and she named the Regicide, the Soren Family, as her sworn enemies.
• Liliat said the surviving direct Sothos descendants had formed the Green Banyan Council and explained that the Soren Family also had purple eyes.

Aaron learned about the Green Banyan Council’s history and the dangers of Underworld Evil Spirits from Lilliat, then went to Wickhanno Racecourse to survey the area near the tomb ruins. He left intending to use a nearby estate and stable as cover for exploring the ruins.

• Lilliat explained that the Soren Family descended from Sean, who had been expelled from the Sothoth Family, and described the Green Banyan Council’s occult paths and lost knowledge.
• Aaron invited Lilliat to explore the Sothoth noble’s tomb, but she declined and warned him that Underworld Evil Spirits were immortal, inhuman, and prone to madness.
• Aaron thanked Lilliat for the information and disappeared into the darkness.
• The next morning, Aaron traveled to Wickhanno Racecourse, the closest convenient cover for reaching the ruins.
• Hank showed Aaron around the stables and introduced Supernova, but Aaron said he wanted to ride while surveying the area and planned to buy a nearby estate.

Aaron discovered that an organization tied to Beast was secretly excavating the ruins, then infiltrated their camp and entered the underground passage. The organization ordered its members to pursue and kill him before he could reveal its secret.

• Aaron rented a black stallion from the stable and rode with Old Rem into the woods, where he found outsiders digging at the ruins under the cover of clearing land for a farm.
• Old Rem told Aaron that the outsiders had ties to gangs, discouraging local farmers and officials from interfering.
• Aaron used a Crimson talisman to give Chanivet an erotic dream, then slipped out of the stable and approached the camp in disguise.
• Aaron overheard the camp members discussing Spirit Repellent Oil and a man named Hark who had died in the ruins, and concluded they were connected to Beast and Jazz.
• Aaron sent an illusion toward the underground entrance to distract the guards, then slipped past them and entered the passage.
• The organization's leader ordered the entrance secured and sent someone after Aaron, insisting he had to be killed.

Nicholas Inam broke into the underground storeroom to investigate the cathedral’s hidden corruption, where Cleric Thomas attacked him with a swarm of insects. After destroying Thomas with a powerful talisman, Nicholas opened the storeroom and found a huge, sinister cocoon.

• Nicholas resolved to expose the person who had framed Chris and took a high-grade talisman with him to search the cathedral.
• Nicholas ruled out Chris’s quarters and the treasury, then broke into the underground storeroom using wire to pick its lock.
• Nicholas found Cleric Thomas guarding the passage, with a black bug on his lifeless eye.
• Thomas unleashed clouds of insects, and Nicholas used the talisman to engulf them and Thomas in white flames.
• Nicholas opened the underground storeroom and discovered a symbol-covered cocoon with something dark and powerful moving inside.

Aaron explored the Sothos Mausoleum, killing its guardians and evading a group of Beyonders who pursued him. He fought their powerful leader with specialized bullets, and an Evil Spirit Curse Bullet appeared to possess the man as he pleaded for help and twisted his own head around.

• Aaron entered the Sothos Mausoleum, shot a low-level Beyonder, and destroyed a vengeful spirit with a Radiant Bullet.
• Aaron explored the subsidiary burial chambers and killed a beastlike attacker after luring him into shooting an illusion.
• Aaron sensed pursuers and hid in a subsidiary tomb while a group of Beyonders followed him, led by a burly man who recognized Wood's ring and Aaron's scent.
• Aaron dodged the leader's attacks and blinded him with Light, then fired bullets that polluted the man's spirituality.
• Aaron struck the burly leader with an Evil Spirit Curse Bullet, and a ghostly noble merged with him as he twisted his own head around.

Aaron killed Kyle and most of the Bone Worship Society followers, then learned about the mausoleum and its dangerous lower levels. He descended to the second level, fought a powerful Spirit Realm creature, and prepared to lure an Evil Spirit into appearing.

• Aaron interrogated a wounded Bone Worship Society follower, learning that the group served the Lotus Eaters and that Spet, their leader, had gone to a Lotus Eaters branch.
• Aaron learned that Kyle and Oliver had been overseeing the camp, and that the mausoleum’s second level was filled with wraiths while the third level lay beyond the Bridge of the Dead.
• Aaron abandoned the captive and descended to the second level, where his purifying radiance drove off wraiths in the passage.
• Aaron found a higher-level Spirit Realm creature in a tomb chamber and destroyed its tentacles with purifying radiance and Radiant Bullets.
• Aaron collected several valuable crystalline bones, then exposed Evil Spirit Curse Bullets and used his bloodline and a prayer to lure an Evil Spirit.

Aaron purified and possessed the Evil Spirit in the Inverted Pyramid Tomb, then discovered that it was the failed elector Auclair Sothos. He identified the Green Forest Ring of Power as the cursed object anchoring Auclair’s obsession.

• Aaron’s spirit left his body as the Evil Spirit possessed him, and he merged with it.
• Aaron used the Power of Secret Source and the Spirit of Void to purge the Evil Spirit’s madness, leaving it vacant.
• Aaron possessed the purified Evil Spirit and used it to travel through the tomb to its third level.
• Aaron read the murals and writings, learning that Auclair Sothos had built the tomb to advance into an Evil Spirit but lost his humanity.
• Aaron found the Green Forest Ring of Power on Auclair’s skeleton and realized it was the object anchoring the Evil Spirit’s obsession.