Chapter Summaries

After Hesta warned Anna and left, Chiba spoke with Anna about her feelings and their bets. The next morning, Ligo found Hesta exhausted but able to stand, and they went to breakfast, where the unusually crowded restaurant held injured passengers and soldiers.

• Hesta told Anna that someone like her belonged in hell, then left the study.
• Chiba told Anna she had been disliked and won their bet; Anna predicted Hesta would return the next night.
• Chiba said she had felt nothing when she fired at Anna and left, while Anna played music and held White Cat.
• Ligo found Hesta awake and discovered she could stand steadily, though she had barely slept.
• Ligo helped Hesta clean her bloodied wheelchair, and they went to Bishop Restaurant for breakfast.
• Hesta and Ligo found the restaurant packed with soldiers and injured passengers, including Agnes, Meyers, and Buli.

Hesta and Ligo learned at a morning meeting that Special Operations troops had boarded to target Bo Shanfu, but the sole surviving combatant from the theater had died while in custody. Silei and Gopelin arrived as Hesta questioned who had escorted the prisoner.

• Hesta asked why so many people had gathered at Bishop Restaurant, and a passenger explained that they held daily meetings to exchange information.
• The passenger said Special Operations troops had boarded in District 5 and that Sanders Land had claimed they came to assassinate Bo Shanfu.
• Mantel brought Anna into the restaurant, where Anna greeted Hesta before eating at a crew table.
• Hesta learned that the remaining combatant from the theater had broken free during his escort and died after jumping through a ventilation shaft.
• Hesta asked who had escorted the man, but the passenger hesitated as Silei and Gopelin entered the restaurant.

Hesta challenged Gopelin and Bernhard over their proposed cooperation, insisting that requests for Quicksilver Needles go through Silei. She then accused Gopelin of hiding the Ascending Bright Cruise Travel Guide, prompting Agnes to deny telling her about it.

• Bernhard introduced himself as the Ascending Bright's special operations deputy and proposed that his 446-person unit support the Quicksilver Needles in exchange for their help.
• Silei rejected Bernhard's request for a patrol unit, warning that scattering people would give the Chelated Being more opportunities to attack.
• Hesta disrupted the discussion by throwing a chickpea and a fork, then reminded Bernhard that requests had to go through Silei.
• Silei asked to postpone further discussion until that evening because she was not feeling well.
• Hesta asked when Gopelin would tell everyone about the Ascending Bright Cruise Travel Guide and accused him of already having it.
• Agnes stood up and angrily denied telling Hesta about the Guide.

Hesta confronted Gopelin over concealing the Guide and the plot that endangered her, while Gopelin explained that Robogriye had chosen to keep the Guide secret and attempt to follow its instructions. The discussion ended with Bernhard denying that the government troops had taken part in the previous night’s operation.

• Hesta recalled that the Guide advised them to return immediately and accused Gopelin of arranging an attack on her to make Chiba turn back.
• Gopelin admitted that the Guide’s first instruction was to return and said he had found it aboard the Ascending Bright.
• Gopelin explained that he had given the Guide to Robogriye, who chose not to reveal it, and defended Robogriye’s decision to face danger.
• Hesta challenged Gopelin for accepting a gamble that put her personal safety at risk.
• Bernhard stated that his government troops had stayed on standby on the third deck and had not participated in the previous night’s events.

Hesta left Bishop Restaurant after Gobelin’s role in the previous night’s events was exposed, while considering Anna’s possible involvement and the tangled motives behind the attacks. Rene Blombo offered to share information with her, but Ligo warned that his apparent loyalty might be a trap.

• Silei confronted Gobelin about the explosion and shooting at Grace Theater, and Agnes claimed they had not known about the attempted assassination of Bo Shanfu.
• Buli attacked Gobelin as the restaurant descended into chaos, while Hesta wondered whether to reveal that Anna was the mastermind; Anna left with Mantel.
• Hesta decided to leave with Ligo and Silei, saying the argument was giving her a headache.
• Rene Blombo followed Hesta and admitted he had meant to tell her Gobelin planned the previous night’s incident; Hesta gave him her room’s phone number.
• After Rene hurried back to the restaurant, Ligo questioned whether Hesta trusted him, noting that Agnes had used a similar tactic.

Hesta, Ligo, and Silei discussed the hunt for the attacker, and Ligo told Silei a story that reminded her of the maxim on Hesta’s Embarkation Notice. Hesta and Ligo went to the open deck, where Ligo asked how Hesta had known Gopelin had the “Guide” and why she had used Agnes as bait.

• Hesta tried to make Silei rest, but Silei insisted she would find time to sleep later and explained that she planned to stay ahead of the attacker by learning how the killer operated.
• Ligo told Silei the story of Dopros, who lost her left foot in battle after carefully tracking a mole on its sole.
• Silei remembered the maxim “Our metaphors guide our journey” from Hesta’s Embarkation Notice, then returned to the corridor.
• Hesta asked Ligo to walk with her on the open deck instead of going back to sleep.
• Ligo compared Hesta’s decision to save people with Silei’s involvement in the investigation, then asked how Hesta had known Gopelin had the “Guide” and why she had used Agnes as bait.

Hesta suspected Anna was connected to the note in the safe and worried that someone aboard the ship was plotting against her. Their conversation was interrupted when a Thorn Monk clinging to a flagpole died in a sudden explosion.

• Hesta told Ligo she thought the note in the safe and the events at Grace Theater were too convenient to be unrelated to Anna.
• Hesta wondered whether Miss Chiba knew more than she had let on and said she felt someone aboard was plotting against Anna.
• Hesta and Ligo spotted a frightened Thorn Monk clinging silently to a flagpole and considered calling Buli for help.
• A crew member called out to the Thorn Monk, who shouted that he did not want to die before his neck exploded.
• Ligo carried Hesta to safety as the headless corpse fell into Hesta's freshly cleaned wheelchair.

After another Thorn Monk was killed by a collar bomb, Officer Silei investigated the scene while Hesta and Ligo noted the killer’s daily pace. On the way to get a replacement wheelchair, Hesta asked Mantel about her signed book by Anna Kosolova, and Mantel offered to lend her another copy later.

• Hesta and Ligo found a dead Thorn Monk, and Ligo identified a broken metal ring as a collar bomb.
• Officer Silei questioned Ligo and a crewman, then the Thorn Monks recognized the dead man as Ashley.
• Hesta observed that the killer was striking at a rate of one Thorn Monk a day, and Ligo noted there were only twelve in total.
• Officer Silei told Hesta and Ligo to get a replacement wheelchair from Mantel while she examined the evidence.
• Hesta explained that Tulan had carved red flowers into her old wheelchair, then asked Mantel about her signed book by Anna Kosolova.
• Mantel described the book and offered Hesta one of her reading copies to borrow later.

Mantel took Hesta and Ligo to collect a book and shared memories of growing up near the North Cape forest. Hesta insisted that Anna was targeting her, while Mantel returned to her duties despite the Chelated Being aboard the ship.

• Mantel told Hesta and Ligo that another explosion had killed one of the Thorn Monks, then spoke about meeting Anna and admiring her books about forests.
• Mantel recalled living in North Cape until her town was relocated after someone contracted Chelated Disease, and described rescuing travelers from mud pits with her dogs and aunt.
• While Mantel went to fetch a book, Hesta asked Ligo why Anna seemed well liked by others but treated Hesta badly.
• Ligo suggested Anna might not be targeting Hesta, but Hesta said she knew Anna was targeting her.
• Mantel returned with a combined edition of Anna's books, lent it to Hesta for a week, and went to check the kitchen storage area despite the Chelated Being aboard.

Hesta reflected on the forest’s hidden networks after reading Anna’s book, and the Mother Trees brought Ava to mind. Later, she slipped out of her room at night and headed for Anna’s study.

• Hesta explained to Ligo how Mother Trees shared resources and warnings with other trees through fungal networks, then thought of Ava and became overcome with emotion.
• Chiba visited and said an unstable person had pulled a gun and hit a crew member, but reassured Ligo that Officer Silei was all right.
• Chiba noticed the Flagpole Key Hesta had found at the Maritime Museum, returned it to her, and said she would stand watch outside their room.
• After one in the morning, Hesta slipped out while Chiba had left an opening and hurried toward Anna’s study.

Hesta read Anna's letter, which revealed that every female passenger aboard the Ascending Bright was exempt from the game, and suspected Anna was targeting men aboard the ship. Later, Hesta entered Agnes's suite and confronted her about the guide at Grace Theater.

• Hesta found Anna's unsigned letter in the study and confirmed that Anna had written the message on the back of her Embarkation Notice.
• Hesta burned the letter, evaded the clingy white cat, and considered whether Anna was killing male passengers, including Bernhard and the soldiers killed by Zero.
• Hesta crossed the rain-lashed deck and looked back, suspecting that Miss Chiba might be following her.
• Agnes woke from shoulder pain and heard someone picking the lock; Hesta entered the suite and took Agnes's pistol away.
• Hesta said she had questions for Agnes, who accused her of framing her over a guide; Hesta replied that Agnes had told her it was in Grace Theater's prop safe.

Hesta confronted Agnes about the supposed passage in the prop safe, then treated her after she collapsed from exhaustion and a gunshot wound. Before leaving, Hesta learned about a fatal shooting during the day and that Gopelin planned to announce the full text of the “Guide” the next morning.

• Hesta challenged Agnes’s claim that the passage in the prop safe was an excuse to lure her to Grace Theater, and Agnes collapsed after Meyers told her to stop.
• Hesta examined Agnes, gave her an emergency injection, and assured Meyers that her wound was not fatal.
• Meyers told Hesta that Rene Blombo had accidentally shot and killed a crew member after an explosion outside caused panic aboard the ship.
• Meyers said she and others had searched for Mr. Robogriye in the captain’s quarters, and that Gopelin planned to announce the full text of the “Guide” at Bishop Restaurant the next morning.
• Hesta told Meyers to stay with Agnes, who would not wake before noon, then left without answering why she had saved them.

Hesta suffered a severe episode after mistaking a crew member for Sophie, and Chiba brought her back to Ligo. Chiba confronted Anna over Hesta’s worsening condition and demanded that she prevent it from getting worse, while Anna asked for one more day.

• Hesta saw a crew member whose face resembled Sophie, then experienced distorted memories and collapsed outside the ship.
• Chiba caught Hesta and carried her back to the room, where Ligo held her down during the episode.
• Ligo noticed Hesta’s bloody fingers and scratched neck, then comforted her by calling her Jane.
• Chiba confronted Anna, saying Hesta’s episode had begun two weeks earlier than expected and demanding an explanation.
• Anna said she needed one more day to investigate, and Chiba left saying she never should have placed any bets on her.

After Hesta woke from a panic attack, she told Ligo about her recurring dream of a woman beneath a frozen lake and revealed that Anna had provoked her. Hesta planned to hear Gopelin release the full text of the “Guide” at Bishop Restaurant, while Ligo realized Chiba already knew about Anna’s scheme.

• Hesta woke with her left hand strapped to the bed and learned that Chiba had brought her back after another panic attack.
• Hesta described her recurring dream of a firebird, a frozen lake, and a gigantic blue-eyed woman beneath the ice.
• Ligo shared how Miss Valenti had interpreted her troubling dreams as reflecting fears she had not consciously recognized.
• Hesta asked to go to Bishop Restaurant the next morning to hear Gopelin release the full text of the “Guide.”
• Hesta told Ligo that Anna had provoked her and described a note she had found in Anna’s study.
• Ligo concluded that Chiba already knew about Anna’s plan because Chiba had rescued Hesta in time.

Ligo urged Hesta to confront Chiba about her suspicions instead of preserving trust by avoiding difficult questions. Hesta believed Chiba would give no answer, but she and Ligo ended by planning a possible visit to District 12 next summer.

• Ligo challenged Hesta for refusing to ask Chiba why she had let Hesta roam outside despite promising to watch over her.
• Ligo told Hesta about her past conflict with Liz and argued that people should open the door to difficult conversations rather than keep their distance.
• Hesta said Anna's letter meant they had to enter the game themselves to understand everything, and insisted Chiba would not answer questions.
• Ligo invited Hesta to visit District 12, and Hesta suggested she might come as early as next summer.

Hesta questioned Rene about the previous day’s shooting after he claimed another accidental gunshot was inevitable while passengers still carried weapons. The chapter ended as she asked whether his gun had fired by accident or on purpose.

• Ligo asked Hesta why locals warned people away from cabins in the forest, but Hesta fell asleep before answering.
• Rene told Hesta that the previous day’s shooting had been inevitable, then joined her and Ligo for breakfast at Bishop Restaurant.
• Rene explained that he and the men at his table had first met aboard the ship and shared a connection through Mr. Robogriye’s support.
• Rene criticized Gobelin for handing out firearms and said another accidental shooting was bound to happen while people remained armed.
• Hesta asked Rene whether he had fired his gun accidentally or deliberately the previous day.

Rene told Hesta that he had killed a crew member to reach the Seventh Deck, where he and his companions found every building empty. Hesta agreed to protect the group as witnesses, while Rene warned that Agnes and Meyers might be scheming and that the Agnes sisters would never betray Gopelin.

• Hesta praised Rene's loyalty and pressed him to tell her the truth.
• Rene confessed that he had deliberately killed a crew member who blocked their way to the Seventh Deck, suspecting the crew was hiding something.
• Rene asked whether Hesta would protect his group, and she said she needed witnesses to answer for the ship's murders.
• Rene reported that he and seven others had found the Seventh Deck completely empty, including the captain's quarters and Navigation Museum.
• Rene warned Hesta that Agnes and Meyers might be pretending to be loyal, insisting that the Agnes sisters would never betray Gopelin.

Hesta learned that Agnes attended a banquet hosted by Robogriye, where the only clue Rene would share about its purpose was “The Fifteenth District.” As tensions over Gopelin’s delayed announcement of the “Guide” escalated, Hesta called out to him as he tried to leave the restaurant.

• Rene told Hesta that Agnes was well-known among those with access to Robogriye and had attended his banquet in District 1 as its youngest invitee.
• Hesta questioned whether Agnes had left Meyers behind and why Robogriye seemed not to remember her, while Rene defended Robogriye and blamed Gopelin’s growing arrogance for other problems.
• Pressed about the banquet’s purpose, Rene refused to explain but gave Hesta the keyword “The Fifteenth District.”
• As the passengers waited past 9:26, Gopelin stood to leave, prompting Thorn Monks to block the restaurant doors and demand the promised “Guide.”
• Bernhard disarmed one monk and had soldiers restrain the others, then proposed that everyone meet again at one o’clock after the absent people were found.
• Gopelin reopened the restaurant door and tried to leave, but Hesta called out to him.

Hesta challenged Gobelin and Bernhard’s authority at Bishop Restaurant, using her experience as a Quicksilver Needle to reassure the passengers and demand answers about the missing guide. Anna watched the confrontation from another cabin and began to understand how Hesta had led rescue operations despite her injuries.

• Ligo wheeled Hesta into the central aisle, where she told Bernhard to gather a list of people with alibis.
• Bernhard challenged Hesta’s authority, but she cited her experience fighting Chelated Beings and leading rescues before promising to keep everyone aboard safe.
• Gobelin questioned Hesta’s ability to protect the passengers, and Hesta identified herself as Jane Hesta, the survivor of Saint Anne Abbey and a genuine Quicksilver Needle.
• Hesta demanded that Gobelin explain why he was withholding the guide instead of merely claiming everyone was present.
• Anna watched the confrontation with Chiba and wondered how Hesta had managed rescue operations while seriously injured, then said she understood.

Anna and Chiba argued over what kind of person Hesta was, then wagered on Hesta’s next choice, with Anna risking the chance to take Chen Daoping and Chiba risking her recording. At Bishop Restaurant, Gopelin tried to explain why he could not hand over the Guide yet, but Rene accused him of smearing Mr. Robogriye and insisted Robogriye was in his cabin.

• Anna told Chiba that Hesta was an ordinary, loyal person who had taken on responsibilities she could not fulfill, but Chiba insisted Anna was wrong.
• Anna and Chiba wagered on Hesta’s choice: Anna wanted to take Chen Daoping away if she won, while Chiba wanted Anna to return the recording if she won.
• Anna praised the Two Caros piece, and Chiba left to check on Silei as Anna stayed behind with the white cat.
• Gopelin told the crowd that he could hand over the Guide only after everyone was present and said he would go retrieve Mr. Robogriye.
• Rene interrupted Gopelin, accused him of smearing Mr. Robogriye, and assured the crowd that Robogriye was resting in his cabin.