Chapter Summaries

After reporting on the Baskerville affair, Li Wei learned that supernatural forces might be involved in unrest and mysterious deaths in the Mericia District, and that Military Intelligence Section Seven might soon need him there. He stayed in Fog City to study at the Imperial Library, where perfect recall made learning enjoyable, until a girl asked to borrow his book.

• Li Wei gave the old butler a cautious report on the Baskerville Family legacy, and the old butler said the Empire had once abandoned plans to aid workers affected by steam engines after the Luddite movement began.
• The old butler warned Li Wei that the Holy Lord Church, the remaining Luddites, and possibly the Republic of Francis were conspiring to spread unrest through rituals and monsters.
• The old butler told Li Wei that officials in the Mericia District were dying under suspicious circumstances amid an independence movement, and that Li Wei might be called in if supernatural powers were involved.
• The old butler said the Queen planned to honor Li Wei at the New Year's banquet, and Li Wei asked Benjamin to improve his weapons' armor-piercing power.
• Li Wei visited Mr. Richard, then went to the Imperial Library and discovered that he could recall every book he read with perfect accuracy.
• A girl wearing glasses asked Li Wei to lend her the Imperial Record of Mysterious Species Legends.

Li Wei left the library after Military Intelligence Section Seven ordered him to investigate supernatural attacks in Mericia. Erin booked him a first-class ticket on the supposedly unsinkable North Star, leaving him worried about the ship’s fate.

• Li Wei spent over half a month studying in the library and gained Occultism, Linguistics, and Natural History skills.
• Li Wei investigated the white-haired girl who often sat near him and found that she was a normal international student at the Royal Academy of Medicine.
• The old butler told Li Wei that rebels in Mericia were working with a mysterious group that controlled a transparent supernatural monster called the Phantom Killer.
• Li Wei agreed to travel to Mericia and deal with the supernatural threat before unrest began.
• Erin booked Li Wei a first-class ticket aboard the North Star, a newly launched liner billed as unsinkable.
• Li Wei recognized the ship’s resemblance to a famous disaster and asked Erin to make him a swimming doll.

Li Wei boarded the North Star for its maiden voyage and noticed the liner seemed to have too few lifeboats. At lunch with the captain, company representatives, and other passengers, he heard Claire insist the ship was unsinkable, leaving him uneasy about the voyage.

• Li Wei boarded the North Star, settled into his first-class suite, and arranged for the Doll Bird to scout ahead for icebergs.
• The North Star left the harbor, and a steward invited Li Wei to lunch with Captain Edward and other prominent passengers.
• Li Wei recognized Annie Branson, who had discovered the coal essence deposit that made her aunt and uncle wealthy.
• Li Wei asked about the North Star's apparent lack of lifeboats, and Claire claimed the ship itself could serve as an enormous lifeboat because it was unsinkable.
• Li Wei privately wondered whether he could still get off the ship after hearing Claire's answer.

Li Wei attended the North Star’s first-class ball, where Howard advised him to value present happiness rather than seek certainty about love. After Li Wei returned to his room and slept, a steward woke him to ask for help with a murder aboard the ship.

• Li Wei sat out the ball and spoke with Howard about his past marriage and the uncertainty of love.
• Howard introduced Li Wei to Rosalie Porto, the wealthy young woman dancing with her husband.
• Li Wei left the ball, reflected on Howard’s advice, and went to sleep.
• A steward woke Li Wei and told him that a murder had occurred aboard the ship.

Li Wei took charge of the investigation after Rosalie Porto was found shot dead in her suite aboard the North Star. He documented the untouched scene and began collecting evidence, leaving the identity of the killer unresolved.

• Li Wei learned that Rosalie Porto, whom he had seen at the ball, had been found dead in her room with a gunshot wound to her temple.
• Li Wei ordered the chief of security to bring a photographer, a doctor, sailors to guard the scene, and a sound recorder, then asked old Mr. Howard to witness the investigation.
• Li Wei recorded the date, time, location, and names of those present before directing the photographer to document the crime scene.
• The doctor reported that Rosalie had one fatal gunshot wound with burn marks, but said an autopsy might not be permitted by her family.
• Li Wei obtained the doctor's signed and thumbprinted medical certificate, then prepared graphite powder, paper, a brush, and adhesive tape to collect fingerprints.

Li Wei investigated Rosalie Porto’s murder aboard the ship and learned that her husband, John Porto, had once been involved with her close friend Elaine Decron. The maid accused John and Elaine, and Li Wei found Rosalie’s pistol missing from her handbag as he prepared to question Elaine.

• Li Wei determined that the killer had to be among the Porto party staying on the starboard side, and the doctor estimated Rosalie’s death occurred between midnight and two in the morning from a small-caliber gunshot.
• Li Wei questioned the corridor guards, who said Rosalie returned alone at eleven, followed by her maid, while her intoxicated sister Selena Porto was escorted back to her room by a gentleman.
• Alisa Chris told Li Wei that John had been Elaine Decron’s boyfriend before Rosalie married him, and she suspected John and Elaine killed Rosalie after she caught them together.
• Alisa said Rosalie had sent her away after asking for brandy, but she could not remember whether she locked the bedroom door; she also said Rosalie carried a rose-red pistol in her handbag.
• Li Wei inspected Rosalie’s handbag and found the pistol missing, then decided to hear Elaine’s account.

Li Wei questioned Elaine Declone and John about their relationships with Rosalie Porto and their whereabouts after the ball. Their accounts confirmed that Rosalie had learned of their arrangement, and Li Wei prepared to question the butler, Mr. Byrne, next.

• Elaine told Li Wei that she had encouraged John to marry Rosalie and claimed they spent the night together in the lounge; the bartender confirmed seeing them there.
• Elaine said she knew Rosalie had a gun and asked Li Wei to catch Rosalie’s killer.
• Annie explained that Elaine’s devotion to Rosalie resembled the attachment younger students sometimes felt toward older girls at school.
• John told Li Wei that Elaine had urged him to pursue Rosalie, but Rosalie did not know Elaine had agreed to their arrangement.
• John said Rosalie overheard him and Elaine discussing the arrangement, and he stayed in the lounge because he feared she would shoot him.
• Li Wei finished questioning John and decided to question the butler, Mr. Byrne, about what he was hiding.

Li Wei questioned Mr. Byrne and Selena Porto about Rosalie Porto’s murder while weighing the suspects and their motives. After revealing that he already knew the killer, he learned that the murder weapon had been found in Mr. Linton Byrne’s room and ordered everyone to gather at the crime scene.

• Li Wei questioned Mr. Byrne, who said he had left Rosalie alone and claimed not to know where her gun had gone.
• Li Wei and old Mr. Howard suspected Mr. Byrne knew more than he admitted, then discussed Selena Porto’s possible motive.
• Selena described Rosalie’s relationships with John, Elaine, and Chris, and said she had no interest in inheriting the family fortune.
• Li Wei said he had already identified the murderer but was waiting to establish the motive.
• A sailor reported that the murder weapon had been found in Mr. Linton Byrne’s room, and Li Wei ordered everyone to gather at the crime scene.

Li Wei solved Lady Porto’s apparent murder, revealing that she had killed herself and that Mr. Byrne had taken her gun to protect the Porto Family’s reputation. Selena learned how John and Elaine’s scheme had contributed to her sister’s death, and Li Wei left the family to settle their dispute while he went to lunch.

• Li Wei gathered the group and announced that Lady Porto’s death was not a murder case but a suicide.
• Li Wei used photographs of the footprints and the close-range wound to show that Mr. Byrne had not shot Lady Porto.
• Li Wei explained that Mr. Byrne had removed the gun to conceal the suicide, then cited gunshot residue testing as evidence that Lady Porto had fired it herself.
• Mr. Byrne admitted taking the gun after finding Lady Porto dead and said he had acted to protect the Porto Family’s reputation.
• Li Wei explained that Lady Porto had discovered Elaine’s scheme involving John, and Selena blamed them for her sister’s death.
• Selena demanded that John and Elaine be sent to second class, while Li Wei dismissed the argument and decided to have lunch.

After solving the Porto case, Li Wei received a Hunter Set from the system and rested aboard the North Star. An eerie sound from the sealed suite terrified Selena and the guards, and Chris woke Li Wei to report that a ghost had appeared.

• Li Wei explained how forensic evidence could support future investigations, and the system rewarded him with a basic treasure chest for solving the case.
• Li Wei opened the chest and obtained a Hunter Set with minor bonuses and a one-click outfit change feature.
• News of the Porto heiress's suicide spread among the ship's passengers while Li Wei relaxed and sent the Doll Bird to scout.
• Selena and several guards heard an eerie sound coming from the locked luxury suite and broke down its door.
• The guards and Selena screamed at what they saw inside the suite, and Selena ordered them to fetch the detective.
• Chris woke Li Wei and told him that there was a ghost.

After Elaine and John drowned mysteriously in the suite, Li Wei moved in to investigate the supernatural cause. That night, he fought Elaine’s ghost and found himself in a vision of a ruined, sunken ship.

• Li Wei learned that Elaine and John had died by drowning despite being found in the enclosed suite, and he arranged for the others to move out.
• Li Wei took the suite, triggering the “Ghostly Voyage” quest to find and destroy the cause of the anomalies.
• Li Wei reasoned that Rosalie’s rapid revenge killings suggested a catalyst beyond her resentment and considered whether the Porto Family had brought a supernatural object aboard.
• Elaine’s ghost attacked Li Wei in bed, but he shot her and watched an iron chain drag her away.
• Li Wei followed Elaine into the corridor as the suite transformed into the wrecked passage of a sunken ship.

Li Wei followed the supernatural presence aboard the North Star to the Mail Hold, but an attack threw him back into his bedroom before the ship faced an iceberg. He discovered the presence had spread through the ship and ordered the second mate to take him to the Mail Hold to save it.

• Li Wei used Soul Sight to locate a pulsing supernatural light beneath the deck, in the Mail Hold.
• Li Wei ignored the ghostly cries and illusions, then burned John when he attacked on the stairway.
• A ship’s whistle and a surge of seawater swept Li Wei away, and he awoke soaked in his bedroom.
• Li Wei rushed to the deck as the crew reported an iceberg ahead and found that the helm and engines would not respond.
• Li Wei saw that threads from the Mail Hold’s growing light had spread throughout the North Star and ordered the second mate to take him there.

Li Wei raced to the mail hold to stop the North Star from colliding with an iceberg after its helm and engines mysteriously failed. He destroyed a ship in a bottle that matched the North Star, restoring control just in time for the ship to slip past the iceberg.

• The North Star's captain discovered that the helm was locked and the engine room could not release steam pressure as the ship bore down on an iceberg.
• Li Wei warned the second mate against using the Elevator and hurried with him toward the mail hold.
• Workers armed with tools blocked their path, but Li Wei used the Persuader and his abilities to injure them and clear the way.
• Li Wei found and shot a ship in a bottle resembling the North Star, and a red light flew from the model into his Ring.
• The second mate alerted the captain that the problem was resolved, and the helm and engines began working again.
• The captain slowed and turned the North Star, which narrowly passed the iceberg.

After Li Wei stopped an attempt to turn the North Star into a Ghost Ship, he reported the danger to Military Intelligence Section Seven and claimed the Ghost Ship core as a reward. The liner then faced a violent storm, and the second officer approached Li Wei with another request for help.

• The captain confirmed that the North Star had suffered a sealed breach, reduced the ship to three-quarter speed, and gave Li Wei authority to investigate further.
• Li Wei told the captain and second officer that the ship had been targeted, then sent Military Intelligence Section Seven the parcel’s tracking number to trace its sender.
• Li Wei considered the factions that might want the North Star sunk and received a Ghost Ship core from the completed mission.
• On the third morning, a fierce storm battered the North Star while Li Wei, Annie, and Mr. Howard watched from the café.
• The second officer approached Li Wei and said the crew needed his help.

Li Wei investigated reports of eerie calls near the North Star’s repaired machinery compartment and searched beneath the ship for their source. He discovered an enormous, dazzling white soul glow lurking behind the passenger ship.

• The captain told Li Wei that sailors had heard strange calls outside the hull and explained that the route’s waters were poorly documented.
• Li Wei went to the machinery compartment with Andrews, who inspected the repaired bulkhead and listened to it with a stethoscope.
• Li Wei questioned Ryan, who described hearing an animal-like sound from the depths several hours earlier.
• Li Wei sent the Doll Bird underwater to inspect the hull and used Soul Sight to search for a sea monster.
• Li Wei spotted a massive white soul glow behind the North Star and sent the Doll Bird toward it.

Li Wei watched a deep-sea creature follow the North Star and searched for ways to defend the ship, while Annie argued that legendary sea monsters could not exist. When an engine failure stopped the liner and the creature charged, Li Wei lost his Doll Bird and opened the wooden crate he had brought aboard.

• Li Wei told the captain that a creature was following the North Star, and the captain revealed that the ship carried a Whaling Harpoon Launcher.
• Li Wei discussed sea monsters with Annie, who argued that enormous legendary creatures were scientifically impossible.
• Li Wei noticed that the creature seemed to shrink as it continued following the ship through the storm.
• A shadowy figure sabotaged an engine, forcing the North Star to stop, and the creature rushed toward the ship.
• Li Wei sent the Doll Bird toward the creature, which swallowed it, then returned to his cabin and opened his wooden crate.

Li Wei activated the Ghost Ship Core to hide the North Star from a sea monster, then used a remote-controlled, collapsible lifeboat and a harpoon to kill the creature. The storm subsided, and Li Wei ordered the second mate to haul the monster aboard.

• Li Wei activated the Ghost Ship Core, cloaking the North Star in mist and confusing the approaching sea monster.
• Li Wei had the sailors launch a collapsible lifeboat and steered it as bait into the monster’s mouth, where it unfolded and lodged in its throat.
• Li Wei ordered the sailors to aim the whaling harpoon cannon at the monster as it erupted from the sea.
• Li Wei fired a harpoon into the monster’s mouth, and after the storm passed, he saw its body floating beside the North Star.
• Li Wei told the second mate to gather sailors and haul the dead monster aboard.

After killing a massive sea monster, Li Wei watched the crew haul its corpse aboard and let Annie study it, hoping her report might help weaken monsters. He then turned to the ship’s suspicious mechanical failure and asked to speak with the crewman blamed for it.

• The North Star resumed its voyage, and sailors and passengers gathered to see the enormous sea monster Li Wei had killed.
• Li Wei dismissed the captain’s excitement and wondered whether the monster could be eaten, while the captain predicted Li Wei would earn fame and a royal commendation.
• Annie asked to dissect the monster, and Li Wei agreed on the condition that she send her research report to the Exploration Editorial Department.
• Li Wei asked the captain about the previous night’s mechanical failure, and the captain said investigators suspected a crewman had shut down the pressure-boosting system by mistake.
• Li Wei doubted the failure was accidental and asked to speak with the crewman confined to the brig.

Li Wei exposed a Luddite’s sabotage of the North Star and revealed that the sea monster had already been killed, then the ship reached Mullers Port safely. After speaking with reporters, Li Wei headed to the Governor’s Mansion to begin his work in Mericia.

• Li Wei interrogated Mr. Damon, who admitted sabotaging the North Star’s engines to keep the ship in the sea monster’s path.
• Li Wei told Damon the monster had been killed and the ship was sailing again, while the Chief Inspector prepared to report the terrorist attack to the captain.
• Li Wei later learned the Luddites had planned to use the cursed ship in a bottle and the sea monster to sink the North Star and turn it into a Ghost Ship.
• The North Star sailed without further trouble and arrived at Mullers Port, where reporters gathered to see the ship and the frozen sea monster.
• Li Wei gave brief interviews about Lady Porto’s case and the sea monster, then went to the Governor’s Mansion for his work in Mericia.

Li Wei learned that the Empire and Mericia were nearing war as the Queen tightened imperial control and Mericia resisted. At General Thomas Geller’s residence, he heard that a supernatural Phantom Killer had murdered officials and imperial investigators, and set out to investigate.

• Li Wei concluded that war between the Empire and Mericia was almost inevitable and that the Queen’s tea tax and new laws were weakening Mericia while preparing for forceful control.
• Parliament appointed General Thomas Geller governor and passed laws strengthening his authority, while Mericia formed the Continental Federation and threatened to suspend trade with the Empire.
• Li Wei arrived at the governor’s residence and asked General Thomas Geller about the Phantom Killer, who had murdered several of Geller’s advisers.
• General Thomas Geller described how the Phantom Killer attacked him through a mirror and said three imperial investigators later died from poisoned wounds.
• Li Wei decided to investigate the surrounding area.