Chapter Summaries

Arthur awakened the incomplete bloodline ability [Serpent Wings], which accelerated its restoration and could temporarily enhance one of his serpent abilities. After sleeping through his usual rest, he woke to Malinda bringing breakfast and asking whether he was busy tomorrow.

• Arthur's blood gathered in his heart, and a luminous serpent shadow appeared as his new [Serpent Wings] ability awakened.
• Arthur learned that [Serpent Wings] could enhance one bloodline ability for 15 seconds before entering a three-day cooldown, and he reflected on how difficult unique bloodlines were to awaken.
• Arthur ate all the emergency rations in the Secret Room, then hugged Pendragon while Kuliqi watched from the shadows.
• Arthur returned to the Medium's Hall and slept for six hours, leaving the ration stock empty but planning to make more.
• Malinda arrived with breakfast, had two skeletons clean the kitchen, and asked Arthur whether he was busy tomorrow.

Arthur and Malinda negotiated over the Beach ruins while she arranged to inherit Baron Kemail’s title early. Arthur agreed to a deal involving a share of the ruins and six new ships, leaving Malinda furious that he had eaten all the breakfast.

• Arthur saw through Malinda’s attempt to tease him and asked whether her accelerated inheritance plans would cause trouble.
• Malinda explained that the Count had arranged the timing after a hidden pawn reported that someone was interfering with the inheritance.
• Arthur recognized that the inheritance could help cover an expedition to the ruins near Beach, where Malinda wanted to use his professional explorers.
• Malinda offered Arthur a larger share of the ruins and new Cork Sailing Ships, and Arthur calculated that she had already given him seventeen ships.
• Arthur accepted Malinda’s offer, and Malinda yelled at him for eating all the food.

Arthur prepared for the Swordsmanship Tournament championship match after astonishing Malinda by eating an enormous meal, prompting her to resolve to grow stronger. At Earta Square, Byrne drew the bye as Arthur faced De'erqiao the Gale Sword in the arena.

• Arthur ate an enormous amount of food, and Malinda suspected he had gained a new Mystic Art or advanced his bloodline before leaving to work harder on her own strength.
• Arthur arranged a large dinner and bought ingredients to replenish his emergency biscuits before traveling to Earta Square.
• Arthur arrived at the crowded square, where the semifinal format changed because Lord Dubois and Lord Bath's nephew were too injured to compete.
• Arthur encouraged Byrne, who drew the bye, then stepped into the arena to face De'erqiao the Gale Sword.

De'erqiao attacked Arthur with his strongest wind-based sword technique in the arena, while Arthur calmly identified the attack’s weaknesses and advanced through it. Arthur left the spectators stunned as he reached a hidden De'erqiao and flicked away his sudden thrust.

• De'erqiao unleashed a tornado that broke apart into a thousand Wind Arrows aimed at Arthur.
• Arthur recognized eleven openings in De'erqiao’s attack, drawing on his experience with the Storm ability of his [General Puppet].
• Arthur walked calmly through the Wind Arrows as the spectators watched and he sought to earn more XP.
• Arthur approached a seemingly empty corner of the arena, where De'erqiao emerged with a swift sword thrust.
• Arthur smiled, called the thrust not bad, and flicked De'erqiao’s sword aside with one finger.

Arthur defeated Gale Sword De'erqiao with a single strike, and both De'erqiao and Byrne conceded their matches. With the championship match ending far earlier than planned, the Countess's female Chief Swordsman looked toward Arthur's tent for help stalling the schedule.

• Arthur snapped Gale Sword De'erqiao's blade with Deathly Aura Slash, and De'erqiao conceded, convinced Arthur had seen through his strategy.
• Arthur praised De'erqiao as a worthy swordsman, and De'erqiao and his companions celebrated before withdrawing from the remaining matches to seek an audience with Arthur.
• Byrne advanced to his match, then conceded to Arthur and left the arena, resolved to practice harder.
• The female Chief Swordsman realized the tournament had fallen far behind its schedule and looked toward Arthur's tent for a way to fill the time.

Arthur recruited De'erqiao's expedition team by offering them a share of future spoils and access to Mystic Arts, rituals, Cat Faction membership, and an Initiation Chart. After everyone signed his Contract, he stopped Little Wenna from asking about the ruins at the Beach.

• De'erqiao introduced Arthur to his expedition team, including the Codebreaker and Mechanism Disarmer Little Wenna.
• Arthur promised the team rewards after three Exploration Missions and offered to record the terms in a Contract.
• Little Wenna asked to exchange her share for Cat Faction Mystic Arts, and Arthur explained that she would have to join the Black Cat Followers and bind her future children to the faction.
• Arthur offered an Initiation Chart, prompting De'erqiao and the rest of the team to kneel and pledge to serve him.
• Arthur wrote his promises into the Contract, and every team member signed it.
• Little Wenna began asking about the ruins at the Beach, but Arthur shushed her and counted down.

Malinda Julius Caesar visited Arthur and asked to borrow De'erqiao and the others to deal with a blocked passage in the ruins beneath the beach. Arthur agreed, and De'erqiao volunteered his group, who were due to return to Bette Territory after the Swordsmanship Tournament.

• Malinda appeared in Arthur's tent, and De'erqiao and the others greeted her.
• Malinda told Arthur that a door blocked her way in the ruins beneath the beach and asked to borrow his subordinates.
• Arthur agreed to help under their existing cooperation, without adding conditions.
• De'erqiao volunteered himself and the others, hoping to strengthen their standing with Arthur.
• Malinda promised to send them back to Bette Territory after the Swordsmanship Tournament, and Arthur offered to buy her time.

After the championship match ended early, Arthur bought time by teaching the crowd basic swordsmanship and promoting his club. The chapter ended with Arthur surprised when the champion was officially announced.

• Julie asked Arthur to buy the show an hour, and he agreed to take the stage.
• Arthur explained why he had returned and told the crowd he would teach basic swordsmanship.
• Arthur used Julie’s size to illustrate why fighting a larger opponent was dangerous, then demonstrated how to find a sword’s center of gravity and swing it.
• The crowd practiced sword movements while Arthur’s [Beguiling] kept them engaged, and he directed those interested to his Jorjok Swordsmanship Club.
• Arthur thanked the Count of South Los, and he was surprised when the champion was officially announced.

Arthur Credos won the ninth South Los Swordsmanship Tournament, received the title of Knight, and unlocked achievements that brought his XP to 1,100. As the city celebrated, the female Chief Swordsman decided to recommend him as leader of the Sixteen Advisors, while an unknown expedition beneath a Harbor District beach encountered trouble.

• Arthur Credos was announced as the tournament champion and unlocked the Swordsmanship Tournament champion achievement for 200 XP.
• Arthur considered why his Medium achievement had not appeared and realized recognition from others in the same profession and sequence might be required.
• The female Chief Swordsman decided to recommend Arthur for the Sixteen Advisors and its leadership after he thanked the Countess for giving him a stage.
• Chief Swordsman Julie awarded Arthur a Fine Weapon-grade sword, 100 Sol, and the title of Knight on the Countess's behalf.
• Arthur unlocked the Knight status achievement for 500 XP, bringing his total XP to 1,100, as the crowd celebrated.
• An unknown expedition unfolded beneath a beach in the Harbor District, but it was not going smoothly.

Gale Sword De'erqiao’s team found a concealed entrance in the ruins after Malinda’s group had spent months searching for a way forward. Malinda and the others descended and discovered a Life-and-Death Gate 3000.

• Gale Sword De'erqiao recognized Uls as a Hunter and inferred that Arthur had sent his team to help Malinda.
• Malinda suspected Arthur had deliberately guided her into the ruins and reflected on how closely her interests had become tied to his.
• De'erqiao explained that Secret Doors could be hidden along the corridors rather than at the end of the ruins.
• Malinda asked De'erqiao’s team to search, and they found and opened a concealed door beside a corridor.
• Malinda, Uls, and the others descended the stairs and were astonished to find a Life-and-Death Gate 3000.

De'erqiao and Malinda discovered that the ruins’ three thousand Doors of Life and Death could only be tested by humans, so Malinda went to find Arthur rather than sacrifice lives. Arthur heard Kang Si'ang’s report about Bloody John’s return to Coconut Island and was asked whether to launch a surprise attack.

• De'erqiao explained that only one of the three thousand doors led to life, and Malinda’s smoke and undead were shattered when they approached them.
• De'erqiao confirmed that a human could reach a door, but Malinda refused to use people as probes and left to find Arthur.
• Arthur ate an enormous meal while Kang Si'ang reported that Bloody John had retreated to Coconut Island and sent trusted men to three deserted islands.
• Kang Si'ang proposed a surprise attack on Bloody John at Coconut Island, fifty nautical miles from Sisk Harbor.

Arthur sent the [General Puppet] to investigate Bloody John’s presence near Coconut Island while protecting Kang Si'ang from being discovered. At the Count’s residence, Julie recommended Arthur to lead the Sixteen Advisors, and Aisi Bonaparte South Los vowed to help Mrs. Susan get revenge on the other Credos.

• Arthur ordered Kang Si'ang to keep watch, then dispatched the [General Puppet] to discreetly investigate Bloody John and gave it the [Mask of Concealment].
• Arthur playfully sniffed Pendragon, who then charged at Kuliqi, before Arthur went to make emergency biscuits.
• Granny Kulin prepared late-night food for the Countess and her staff as Julie hurried to report what had happened at the Swordsmanship Tournament.
• Julie recommended Arthur as the leader of the Sixteen Advisors, and Mrs. Susan agreed that Arthur Credos was a valuable chess piece.
• Aisi Bonaparte South Los clarified that she meant the other Credos and vowed to help Mrs. Susan get revenge on him.

Malinda reported what she and the others had found at Life-and-Death Gate 3000, while Arthur secretly sent rats to scout the ruins. He expected an answer about the gate by the following evening, then reminded Malinda that she still had to face the hardest hurdle in inheriting her title.

• Malinda returned to 2 Kirk Street and teased Arthur as he made emergency biscuits.
• Arthur noticed Malinda had come back early and asked what trouble she had encountered, prompting her to recount the ruins expedition.
• Malinda described Life-and-Death Gate 3000 and its demand for three thousand lives, and Arthur expressed interest in the ruins.
• Rats from Kirk Street secretly reached the underground chamber to scout the gate while Malinda believed Arthur already knew which gate was correct.
• Malinda concluded that the thing she wanted was not inside the ruins and that this explained Arthur's willingness to make a deal.
• Arthur said they would know more by the next evening and reminded Malinda to prepare for the hardest hurdle in inheriting her title.

Malinda worried about dancing with Arthur at her title-inheritance banquet and tried to persuade him to wear her hunting outfit, while Arthur proposed pretending she had morning sickness. The conversation ended with Malinda asking whether Arthur was ready to become a father.

• Malinda explained that her title-inheritance ceremony would include a banquet and an opening dance with Arthur, which made her feel nauseated.
• Arthur warned Malinda that vomiting at the banquet would make her a laughingstock, and she suppressed her nausea.
• Malinda offered to have her hunting outfit tailored for Arthur, but he refused even when she threatened to seek Cat Faction or Cat Cave rank charts.
• Arthur suggested Malinda pretend to have morning sickness and claimed the Chief Swordswoman could be persuaded to help them play along.
• Malinda dismissed Arthur's explanation and asked whether he was ready to become a father.

Arthur helped Malinda prepare for her Peerage Inheritance Ritual, then indulged in the gold coins she left behind and began plotting to reach the Old Lion’s gold mine. Malinda continued enduring fittings for her formal outfit as the inheritance ceremony approached the next morning.

• Arthur and Malinda met at 2 Kirk Street, where Malinda left him a pouch containing 200 gold coins before vomiting and disappearing in a smoke ring.
• Malinda returned to 6 Whitebird Street and continued preparing for the ritual, including repeated fittings for her inheritance outfit.
• Arthur cleaned up Malinda’s mess, then ate gold coins and drank a stamina-restoring potion while reading.
• Arthur recalled the rumor about the Old Lion’s rich gold mine and considered sneaking into its refining warehouse to eat gold.
• Arthur began devising a plan to reach the mine and consume its gold.

Arthur considered ways to use the Old Lion’s gold mine and the Death Poetry Society, then spent the evening with Pendragon and Kuliqi. Malinda woke him before dawn and confronted him with a pile of calling cards.

• Arthur weighed using the gold mine to turn the Inner Bay and South County nobles against the Old Lion, or joining forces with the Old Lion against the nobles, while deciding he knew too little about Ehrad.
• Arthur teased Pendragon about fraud, and the cat attacked Kuliqi before Arthur ended their tussle with death aura.
• Malinda arrived at 2 Kirk Street at five in the morning and ordered Arthur to leave for Baron Kemail’s Manor before seven.
• Malinda asked whether Arthur loved or looked down on her and insisted she would never marry him, while Arthur said he was relieved she would not.
• Malinda threw a pile of calling cards in front of Arthur, who recognized them as calling cards.

Arthur explained that he had not arranged the visiting cards from Young Lissop and the nephews of Lord Dubois and Lord Bath, leaving Malinda to wonder why the two noble families had reached out. On the way to Baron Kemail's Manor for Malinda's Peerage Inheritance Ritual, Arthur distracted her with a story and Pendragon, while guests waited at the manor.

• Malinda showed Arthur visiting cards from Young Lissop and the nephews of Lord Dubois and Lord Bath, all requesting to attend her Peerage Inheritance Ritual.
• Arthur denied arranging the invitations, and Malinda wondered whether the Dubois and Bath families—or the Countess—had acted on their own.
• On the carriage ride to Baron Kemail's Manor, Arthur told Malinda a story about a lord punishing a murderer who claimed to be a child.
• Malinda answered Arthur's questions about justice before he handed her Pendragon, distracting her as she cuddled the cat.
• Arthur looked toward Baron Kemail's Manor, where a crowd was already waiting.

Fontel and Young Lissop met on friendly terms at the Doyle Manor, while merchant Brewer headed toward the Lady of the Long Night's succession ceremony convinced of his own importance. Brewer spotted something ahead that made him urgently order his carriage to speed up.

• Vic reminded Fontel to treat Arthur as an elder brother, and the Doyle party prepared for their journey to the succession ceremony.
• Albert and the guards raised their weapons when a fifty-strong cavalry troop approached, then relaxed after recognizing the Lissop Family's banner.
• Young Lissop greeted Fontel respectfully, and their shared affection for Arthur eased tensions between the Doyle and Lissop families.
• Brewer, newly wealthy from buying up failed merchants' assets, delayed his convoy so he could arrive alongside the Lady of the Long Night and claim prominence.
• Brewer saw something through his carriage window and shouted for his driver to hurry.

Arthur and Malinda arrived at Baron Kemail's manor after discussing how to use Brewer and other ambitious merchants to expand their influence in South Los. Their affectionate display convinced the onlookers that they were lovers, and Arthur made the manor itself appear to welcome them.

• Malinda explained Brewer's rise in South Los, and she and Arthur agreed to let him and other hungry merchants clash before taking advantage of the fallout.
• Arthur comforted Malinda with a reflection on how every stage of life brought its own uncertainty, then called her “Darling” as they arrived at the manor.
• Arthur and Malinda's tender exchange made the onlookers, including Young Lissop and Fontel, believe their romance was genuine.
• Young Lissop organized fifty South Town Cavalry members to greet them, while Vic laid a red carpet and Mary scattered flower petals.
• Arthur pointed toward the closed manor gates, and they swung open as if welcoming him and Malinda.

Arthur cleared the deathly aura from Kemail Manor and ceremonially welcomed Malinda as its new owner. As Malinda put on the Kemail family ring and aimed it into the Manor, Arthur suspected Baron Kemail had gathered the aura through slaughter and a misguided Mystic Art.

• Arthur swept the deathly aura from Kemail Manor, and the others saw the estate come alive as he invited Malinda to enter.
• Arthur and Malinda exchanged affectionate glances while Brewer tried to ingratiate himself with the nobles and was ignored.
• Arthur recalled that Baron Kemail’s scheme had involved deaths among the Manor’s servants and concluded that the baron had used deathly aura incorrectly.
• Arthur located the baron’s Secret Room while Malinda put on the Kemail family ring and aimed it into the Manor.