Chapter Summaries

After being summoned into Kilmainham Prison’s deepest levels, Charlotte learned that the prison secretly operated within a demiplane where the Empire erased prisoners’ memories and made them mine ruins. He witnessed Menilman’s former fiancé Zimmerman Axel Robin being stripped of his identity through the Emerald Book, while Charlotte’s Bloody Glory reacted to the divine artifact.

• Charlotte returned to work after moving into his new home, but Menilman assigned him triple his usual workload and he spent the night in his office.
• Menilman took Charlotte through the prison’s underground levels and revealed a hidden passage into the real Kilmainham Prison, a demiplane beyond the Empire of Fars.
• Menilman explained that the Empire sent prisoners to the demiplane, erased their memories, and made them explore ruins and excavate wealth.
• Charlotte saw Zimmerman Axel Robin restrained in an alchemy chamber as Menilman said he would be transformed into the memoryless, loyal Captain Huntington.
• The Emerald Book appeared and drew gray mist from Zimmerman, while Menilman’s battle aura flared and Charlotte’s Bloody Glory formed connections to the artifact.

Charlotte witnessed Zimmerman Axel Robin’s memories being erased with an imitation Emerald Scroll and helped sign the document that gave him a new identity as Huntington. After moving into Number 58 and settling in, Charlotte began inspecting the house’s spacious, dark basement.

• Menilman told Charlotte that the Emerald Scroll was an imitation and used it to erase Zimmerman Axel Robin’s memories, leaving him dull and unresponsive.
• The alchemists gave Zimmerman a new personality and identity as Huntington, and Menilman had Charlotte sign the required document.
• Menilman took Charlotte back to Kilmainham Prison and gave him half a day off.
• Charlotte ended his apartment lease, moved his belongings to Number 58, and arranged his books in the smaller study.
• Charlotte bought croissants and Dongli flower tea, returned home, and went down to inspect the basement with an oil lamp.

Charlotte practiced Bloody Glory and accidentally triggered a battle between the evil god in the diary and Agmilas, whose remnant consciousness fought to prevent the god from descending. Charlotte survived barely, while the diary threatened to return and claim the soul owed under their contract.

• Charlotte explored the basement, then rested at home and resumed practicing Bloody Glory.
• As Charlotte refined his Bloody Glory, its energy resonated with the Vampire Hand Axe, which absorbed his blood energy and sent strange energy back.
• The diary flew from the bookshelf, and the evil god within it accused Charlotte of deceiving it and demanded to know why he was still alive.
• Black mist poured from Charlotte as a crimson, skinless monster emerged from an endless corridor and identified itself as Agmilas, opposing the evil god's descent.
• The two powers battled through Charlotte's consciousness, tearing it apart and leaving him barely breathing in the wrecked room.
• The diary turned black, and a blood-written message warned that the evil god would return to claim the soul owed under their contract.

After surviving a clash between two evil gods, Charlot discovered that his spirituality and Insight had greatly increased, but the transformed diary imposed a deadly challenge. He learned he had 256 days to master fifteen labyrinths and draw a sixteenth or the Labyrinth of Agmiras would devour his soul.

• Charlot regained consciousness as Huang Haisheng, with both men’s memories, after the evil gods’ clash had shattered his consciousness.
• He discovered that his Insight rune had become eye-shaped and its range had expanded to cover all of Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58.
• Charlot touched the diary and learned it had become the Labyrinth of Agmiras, containing fifteen labyrinths and a countdown to the loss of his author status and his soul.
• He ate all the croissants in the room, then decided to ask the professors at Sheffield University how to master the labyrinths.
• Charlot recalled that the Blood Feast Meditation Method could summon an evil god if a practitioner meditated upon one of the nine vampire progenitors who had ascended.

Charlot discovered that the Vampire Secret Scroll required him to master the Adonis Secret Scroll within seven days or lose his soul to Carnstein. He practiced its Blood Flame Qi, advanced to Second-Order Transcendence, and delayed Carnstein’s arrival before heading to Kilmainham Prison to request leave.

• Charlot learned that the Vampire Secret Scroll was the Adonis Secret Scroll and that Carnstein would claim his soul if he failed to master it before the countdown ended.
• Charlot read the scroll and condensed a second Bloody Vortex in his chest, reaching Second-Order Transcendence.
• After practicing for several hours, Charlot saw that Carnstein’s arrival had been delayed by eighteen days and wondered whether continued cultivation could prevent it entirely.
• Charlot went to Kilmainham Prison to request leave in person, but Senior Menilman was absent, so Charlot waited two hours and left work early.

Charlotte left Kilmainham Prison with Anne Brittany and accompanied her to a Gorgia University fellowship gathering, where Anne introduced him by his newly elevated civil-service rank. The gathering left Belinda astonished by Charlotte’s status and wealth.

• Charlotte encountered Anne Brittany outside Kilmainham Prison, and she invited him to accompany her to a private gathering.
• Charlotte accepted Anne’s invitation and cultivated Bloody Glory during their carriage ride as Anne watched him.
• Anne and Charlotte arrived at Belinda’s home, where Belinda noticed Anne holding Charlotte’s arm.
• Anne introduced Charlotte as a Sheffield University graduate and First-Rank Chief Clerk at Kilmainham Prison.
• Belinda questioned Charlotte’s rank, and Anne confirmed his status by mentioning that he had recently bought a house for less than two hundred Écu.

Charlotte outwitted a group of cheating card players at a gathering and grew closer to Anne while continuing to struggle with his labyrinth research. After his brother agreed to dissolve Charlotte’s engagement, the fiancée arrived in Strasbourg and waited at his doorstep.

• Andre and several students invited Charlotte to play Takuro Cards, but Charlotte used his insight and card skills to beat their cheating and win nearly thirteen Écus and six Flors.
• Charlotte escorted Anne away from the gathering, and Anne admitted that Andre’s group often cheated people; she later took Charlotte home herself.
• Charlotte went on frequent dates with Anne and consulted Sheffield University professors, but he made no progress studying the Agmilas Labyrinth as his Bloody Glory cultivation advanced.
• Charlotte received his brother’s reply, a deposit certificate for five hundred and fifty Écus, and news that his fiancée would travel to Strasbourg to sign the annulment papers in person.
• After a date with Anne, Charlotte found a disheveled young woman waiting on the steps of Number 58.

Charlotte met his fiancée, Sylvie Martin, after she arrived in Strasbourg and had her belongings stolen. He helped her dissolve their engagement, then let her stay at his residence and offered to take her out for food, while Sylvie remained wary of the change in his behavior.

• Charlotte recognized Sylvie Martin and welcomed her to his residence after she complained that he had given her a fake address.
• Sylvie told Charlotte that her luggage had been stolen, and he gave her the documents to dissolve their engagement.
• Sylvie signed the dissolution papers, and Charlotte was relieved that he could now openly date Anne.
• Sylvie asked to stay until her father's remittance arrived and she received her civil service assignment, and Charlotte agreed to shelter her.
• Sylvie chose a room and asked for an oil lamp, clothes, bedding, and food, so Charlotte offered to take her out to eat.

Charlotte moved Sylvie Martin into his new home and calculated his remaining money while considering how to continue researching the Agmilas Labyrinth. At Kilmainham Prison, Madame Pascal told him Menilman Soumei might be transferred to the military and watched for his reaction.

• Charlotte took Sylvie Martin shopping, then asked her to call him Cousin to forestall gossip about them living together.
• Sylvie chose a spacious bedroom and looked forward to her new life, while Charlotte remained courteous and kept out of her room.
• Charlotte counted his savings at 593 Écus and considered buying research materials or finding a labyrinth expert.
• Madame Pascal visited Charlotte at Kilmainham Prison and said Menilman Soumei might lose her warden post and be transferred to the military.
• Charlotte realized Madame Pascal was using the transfer rumor to probe him for information.

Charlotte gained Blood Flame Qi, a new Bloody Glory ability that let him control the Vampire Hand Axe and consider fighting at range. Later, he met his former fiancée Sylvie Martin, who had joined Vinnie Arsenault’s Cat Detective Agency as an apprentice detective.

• Charlotte cultivated Bloody Glory until pale-gold runes formed a new supernatural ability: Blood Flame Qi.
• Charlotte used Blood Flame Qi to summon and control the Vampire Hand Axe, then considered developing long-range combat techniques with it.
• Charlotte went out for a walk along Champs-Élysées Avenue and encountered his former fiancée, Sylvie Martin.
• Sylvie introduced Charlotte to Vinnie Arsenault, who had helped recover Sylvie’s lost luggage and ran the Cat Detective Agency.
• Sylvie told Charlotte she had transferred from government service to become an apprentice detective after learning she might be posted to the countryside as a Third-Class Registrar.

Charlotte hosted Sylvie Martin and Vinnie Arsenault at his home, where Anne Brittany joined them and praised the Cat Detective Agency. The women chatted for over an hour, and Vinnie used Cat Spirit Magic to send her cats to buy refreshments.

• Sylvie Martin explained that she had become a Third-Class Registrar because she was a girl and said she had accepted a job at the Cat Detective Agency.
• Sylvie said she could not repay Charlotte yet, so he invited her and Vinnie Arsenault into his home for drinks.
• Charlotte said he believed women should be free to choose their own lives, and Anne Brittany arrived delighted by his view.
• Anne recognized Vinnie as the Cat Spirit Detective and learned more about the agency's female employees and Cat Spirit Magic.
• Vinnie formed a hand seal and sent her cats to nearby shops to buy sparkling wine and little cakes, surprising Charlotte.

Charlotte learned about the mysterious disappearance of seven families in Alcatraz District, then heard Anne warn him that Menilman was involved in a consequential case. After Sylvie left, Charlotte adopted three kittens from the Cat and Clover Coffee Shop but arranged for them to stay with their mother until they were old enough.

• A calico cat delivered a basket to Charlotte, and Vinnie Arsenault used Cat Spirit Magic to send it.
• Vinnie Arsenault discussed the disappearance of seven households and more than sixty people in Alcatraz District with Sylvie and Anne, but none of them found a lead.
• Anne warned Charlotte that Menilman had been implicated in a case with wide-reaching consequences.
• Sylvie packed her belongings and left with Vinnie, leaving Charlotte alone at Number 58.
• Charlotte visited the Cat and Clover Coffee Shop to buy coffee and adopted three kittens, paying for them to stay with their mother for a few more days.

After Warden Magru Teller dismissed Charlotte Mecklen and threatened him into informing on Senior Menilman, Charlotte chose to resist. He attacked Magru with a Vampire Hand Axe and burst through the office door.

• Charlotte returned to Kilmainham Prison after guards told him the new warden had signed a dismissal order for him.
• Magru Teller stripped Charlotte of his First-Rank Chief Clerk post and offered him work as a Temporary Prison Guard.
• Magru demanded that Charlotte report on Menilman and threatened to expose his handling of Supernatural Weapons.
• Charlotte decided not to betray Menilman and hurled a Vampire Hand Axe at Magru while activating Bloody Glory and smashing through the office door.

Charlotte escaped Kilmainham Prison after Magru tried to force him to slander Miss Menilman, then withdrew his savings and prepared to flee. As he set out to buy travel clothes, two armed young men in black coats blocked the street.

• Charlotte used Blood Flame Qi to escape through his office window and evade the Prison Guard Corps.
• Magru ordered the prison staff to keep quiet, but those who heard Charlotte believed he had tried to frame Miss Menilman.
• Charlotte returned to Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58, evaded a search party by diving into the Lucavaro River, and withdrew his 593 Écu in Flor banknotes.
• Charlotte decided not to return to his hometown and planned to buy hunting attire before fleeing.
• Two grim young men in black overcoats, each carrying a sheathed rapier, blocked Charlotte's path.

Charlotte was cornered by Fiery Steed Detective Agency detectives Wells and Addison, who were pursuing him for Kilmainham Prison. He killed Wells with the Vampire Hand Axe, and Addison fled, leaving Charlotte victorious but still wanted.

• Wells revealed that the Fiery Steed Detective Agency had tracked Charlotte through his divination and intended to arrest him for Kilmainham Prison.
• Charlotte fired his Magnum Hand Shuttle at Wells, who used his rapier to slice the bullets apart, while Addison blocked Charlotte’s Vampire Hand Axe with flames.
• Charlotte used Insight to assess the detectives and waited until Wells entered range before controlling the Vampire Hand Axe with Blood Flame Qi.
• The Vampire Hand Axe embedded itself in Wells’s neck and drained his life force, killing him.
• Addison fled after witnessing Wells’s death, misjudging Charlotte’s strength and choosing not to risk his life.

After killing Wells, Charlotte evaded pursuit and traveled out of Strasbourg to digest the detective’s life force. He advanced to Third Order and continued his flight with money and a weapon collection receipt taken from Wells.

• Charlotte took Wells’s wallet and a new Magnum Hand Shuttle, then left the scene without taking the detective’s rapier.
• Charlotte crossed into the Franche-Comté District, bought travel clothes and a suitcase at Wild Lily, and pawned his old clothes to the tailor.
• Charlotte hired a public carriage for a long journey outside the city and refined Wells’s life force during the ride.
• Charlotte condensed a third Bloody Vortex in his left leg and felt his Bloody Glory grow much stronger.
• Charlotte found five Écus, Flors, and a rapier collection receipt in Wells’s wallet, pocketed the money and receipt, and threw the wallet into the wilderness.

Charlotte left the carriage to evade his pursuers and sought shelter at Old John's house, where he met the Great Axe Adventurer Group. After claiming to be a Transcendence, he joined them under the false name Qian Nan and planned to travel with them to avoid drawing attention.

• Charlotte got off the carriage in a village and found lodging at Old John's house.
• Charlotte learned that the adventurers were heading to York Town to see White Wolf, who was choosing an heir for the Demon Hunter profession.
• Charlotte told the group he had taken the Knight's Path and was already a Transcendence, then asked to travel with them.
• Mason welcomed Charlotte into the Great Axe Adventurer Group, and Charlotte introduced himself as Qian Nan.
• Charlotte bought the group ale from Old John and drank with his new companions.

Charlotte traveled with the Great Axe Adventurer Group to York Town while evading the Fiery Steed Detective Agency, which passed through the village where he was hiding. In York Town, the group waited for White Wolf to return, and Charlotte took the first watch as his exhausted companions rested.

• The Fiery Steed Detective Agency arrived at Old John's house, where Charlotte hid in plain sight and stayed awake until the detectives left at dawn.
• Charlotte joined the Great Axe Adventurer Group on foot toward York Town, while Winterburn's team searched a manor and then continued along the road.
• The Great Axe Adventurer Group reached York Town and learned that White Wolf would not return until the following day.
• Charlotte went with Hannah and Hermontha to find drinks, but returned to the cabin with food and ale after the taverns proved full.
• Charlotte suggested taking the first night watch while Mason, Hannah, Hermontha, and the other teammates rested.

After keeping watch through the night, Charlotte met merchant Louis Smythe and Demon Hunter White Wolf in York Town, concealing his identity and reason for being there. He recognized a Vampiric Weapon among Louis’s wares, and Louis offered him a share of any profit if he could identify how to use it.

• Charlotte studied the Agmilas Labyrinth map overnight while keeping watch over his sleeping companions.
• At dawn, Charlotte recognized Louis Smythe among the group arriving with White Wolf and decided to approach him first.
• Charlotte introduced himself as Qian Nan, and Louis introduced him to White Wolf as a friend who had traded magic items with him.
• Charlotte invented a story about an ancient Orc Kingdom treasure map to explain his presence in York Town.
• After White Wolf left to bathe, Louis showed Charlotte wilderness equipment, and Charlotte spotted a Black Iron Ring bearing an Arthur Family branch crest.
• Louis told Charlotte he had paid ninety-five Écu for the ring and offered him thirty percent of the net profit if he could uncover its use; Charlotte asked whether Louis had sought an appraisal from someone skilled in Bloody Glory.

Charlotte Mecklen activated the Black Iron Ring and discovered it transformed into the Spear of Sharlons, a valuable Vampiric Weapon. He sold it to Louis Smythe for Blood Rose and two hundred Écu, then learned that White Wolf would not accept any of the Great Axe Adventurer Group as Demon Hunters.

• Charlotte infused the Black Iron Ring with Bloody Glory, transforming it into the Spear of Sharlons, and Louis Smythe recognized it as a top-tier weapon from the Sharlons Arthur Family.
• Louis Smythe offered to sell the spear at a major auction next year or pay Charlotte in advance, and Charlotte chose immediate payment.
• Louis Smythe gave Charlotte the Vampiric Rapier Blood Rose and two hundred Écu in exchange for the Spear of Sharlons.
• The Great Axe Adventurer Group watched Charlotte and Louis complete their deal, and Mason remarked that Qian Nan was no ordinary person.
• White Wolf emerged in clean clothes and told Charlotte that none of his companions could become Demon Hunters, disappointing Mason.