Chapter Summaries

Jacqueline and Catherine prepared to start over in South Los, while Arthur and Malinda formalized their partnership over Dordot Harbor’s revenue and discussed the danger of an ambush. As Malinda left with the twins, the box containing part of Mihailo twitched, and Arthur smiled.

• Catherine showed Jacqueline the belongings she had taken from West Berlin Castle and proposed that they ask Malinda for work watching the Marquis’s agents in South Los.
• Jacqueline revealed that she had ordered the Church of Pain to leave Dordot Harbor and spread across West Berlin to build a force of her own.
• Arthur gave Malinda a contract for a ten-percent share of Dordot Harbor’s revenue, and Malinda signed it.
• Malinda warned Arthur that the Red Knights might ambush the Eastern, but Arthur sent her two hundred men back to South Los to protect their businesses.
• Arthur told Malinda that her safety mattered more than the businesses, then led her downstairs to leave with Jacqueline and Catherine.
• After Arthur and Malinda departed, the box containing part of Mihailo twitched, and Arthur smiled.

Arthur used Joe, possessed by Mihailo, to draw the Old Lion’s attention toward South Los while Malinda returned there, agreeing to bring Aunt Mary’s egg tarts. After earning a large XP reward for saving Dordot Harbor, Arthur looked ahead to the rest of his journey and turned to Pendragon to ask for a favor.

• Arthur watched Joe seek help from the Old Lion through a barrier after the Lead Box twitched.
• Malinda realized Arthur intended to use her to distract the Old Lion, stepped on his feet, and announced she was returning to South Los.
• Arthur told Malinda the Eastern would not leave that day, and she agreed to bring Aunt Mary’s egg tarts for dinner.
• Arthur received 5,000 XP for saving Dordot Harbor and another 1,000 XP because more people had heard his name.
• Arthur tried to appease Pendragon with treats, then held the cat and asked it through their Contract to get on its knees.

The Lady of Pain, still inhabiting Joe, recruited Greisa Hamlet to join her against the Medium of South Los and agreed to share her experiences in the shadows. After she and Greisa signed a Contract, Old John arrived at Joe’s door to question him on the Medium’s behalf.

• The Lady of Pain ended her call with the Old Lion and used a hidden Communication Stone to contact Greisa Hamlet.
• The Lady of Pain offered Greisa a Seed of her power in exchange for an alliance against the Medium of South Los.
• Greisa demanded the location of the temple in the shadows, but the Lady of Pain said she did not know it and agreed to give him a detailed account of her experiences there.
• The Lady of Pain and Greisa reached an agreement and signed a favorable Contract.
• Joe returned to his original appearance, but Old John knocked at his door and said he had questions on the Medium of South Los’s behalf.

Joe, inhabited by Mihailo, was questioned by Old John about Yura and Lucius’s disappearance, then went to meet Arthur, the Medium of South Los. Mihailo’s confidence was interrupted when Arthur’s fat orange cat knocked a Lead Box toward Joe.

• Old John questioned Joe about Yura and Lucius, and Joe claimed they had not returned since the previous night and that he had stayed in the cabin.
• Old John told Joe to go to the upper-cabin terrace so the Big Boss could question him.
• Mihailo had Joe tidy his appearance before he went to meet Arthur, while privately believing Arthur was wary of her.
• Arthur began speaking to Joe but stopped when his fat orange cat started batting a Lead Box off the table.
• The cat shoved the Lead Box across the floor until it struck Joe’s boot, enraging Mihailo inside him.

Arthur trapped the Lady of Pain inside a custom-made Lead Box coffin after using Pendragon to help expose her. He placed the coffin beside two incomplete [Mikhailo's Greater Touch] items and proposed a game of counting sevens.

• "Mihailo" tried to get Joe to pick up the Lead Box but grew smug when Arthur's reaction convinced her that he was testing her.
• Pendragon scratched Joe while escaping his arms, and Arthur led Joe into the cabin to treat the wound.
• Arthur froze Joe and the Lady of Pain with the [Evil Spirit Orb], then used [Tyr's Caress] to fit them into the custom-made Lead Box coffin.
• Arthur praised Pendragon for helping him capture a deity, while the Lady of Pain realized Arthur had deceived her.
• Arthur set the Lead Box containing part of the Lady's body beside two [Mikhailo's Greater Touch (Incomplete)] and предложил playing a game of counting sevens.

Arthur tormented the Lady of Pain with counting games while Abel devoured her power through [Mikhailo's Greater Touch (Incomplete)]. After she completed the first round and began the impossible second, Arthur sent Abel into the small Lead Box to feast, leaving the Lady screaming in pain.

• Arthur challenged the Lady of Pain to count to one thousand, threatening punishment for mistakes.
• Arthur had Abel devour a strand of [Mikhailo's Greater Touch (Incomplete)], and Mihailo sensed the danger it posed.
• Mihailo counted to one thousand without error, and Arthur set the next game: subtract seven from one thousand until reaching zero without saying seven.
• The Lady began counting down by sevens, and Arthur admitted he was toying with her.
• Arthur sent Abel into the small Lead Box to feast, and the Lady of Pain wailed from both boxes.

Arthur planned to use Mihailo’s pain to draw out hidden allies among the deities, while preparing support from the Marquis of West Berlin and the Countess of South Los. After Abel regained more of his body, Arthur inspected the greatly improved Devoted Blood and considered cultivating blood kin.

• Arthur decided to make Mihailo experience pain so she would contact hidden allies, whom he hoped to capture and question.
• Arthur planned to enlist the Marquis of West Berlin and the Countess of South Los, while keeping a place for the Old Lion in his backup plan.
• Arthur saw that Abel had regained a torso but still lacked limbs.
• Arthur read the upgraded Devoted Blood description and learned that it granted stronger vampire abilities, expanded servant limits, and control over Abel.
• Arthur considered using the ring’s improved powers to cultivate descendants.

Arthur questioned Abel about expanding the Blood Clan’s power and realized that single-use Mystic Arts could attract enormous numbers of worshippers and provide him with XP. Abel warned that Arthur’s plan resembled the path to becoming a god, which had driven others mad, and begged him not to pursue it.

• Arthur learned that Abel’s restored Blood Descendants would include three Blood Brides, ten stronger Blood Warriors, and larger numbers of Blood Slaves and Blood Fighters.
• Arthur asked whether Abel could let people use a Blood Clan Mystic Art once without making them formal Blood Descendants, and Abel said it was possible but inefficient.
• Arthur saw single-use users as a way to gain XP from thousands of people calling his name and spreading word of their granted power.
• Abel said it could create around five hundred single-use users if supplied with enough blood or gold, but more would cause them to explode.
• Abel recognized that Arthur might be trying to become a god, recalled that such beings often went mad, and pleaded with him to stop.

Arthur used the possibility that Mihailo could avoid the poison of faith to devise a plan for concealing the source of his growing strength and drawing powerful people into dangerous experiments. He secured Abel’s agreement to delay eating Mihailo and signed fifteen additional Contracts before leaving for dinner.

• Abel told Arthur that demigods could not become true deities without genuine divine fire, though it hesitated over gaps in its memories.
• Arthur suggested Mihailo might know how to avoid the poison of faith and planned to use that claim as an explanation for his strength and bait for powerful people.
• Arthur wondered whether Abel’s insect form was connected to Mihailo’s transformation into the Lady of Pain, but Abel had no memories or spiritual answer.
• Abel said it could fully recover by eating Mihailo, and Arthur told it to wait while offering the possibility of becoming even stronger.
• Abel signed fifteen Contracts that extended Arthur’s control to its descendants, and Arthur headed to the kitchen for his dinner appointment.

Malinda visited Arthur with egg tarts, and they shared a meal of her pastries and his beef noodle soup. She inferred that Arthur wanted her to deliver a message to her older cousin about the Lead Box coffin, then left to do so as Arthur settled into a light doze and Grindelwald opened his eyes outside Dordot Harbor.

• Malinda arrived with a box of egg tarts, and Arthur praised the caramel ones she had made.
• Arthur served Malinda his homemade beef noodle soup, and she recognized its North County cooking techniques.
• Malinda connected the noodle soup and the Lead Box coffin to a hidden matter involving North County and asked Arthur what they had to do with each other.
• Arthur silently denied any connection, and Malinda inferred he could not speak freely and wanted her to pass a message to her older cousin.
• Malinda agreed to help and left after finishing her noodles, while Arthur watched her go and leaned back as if dozing.
• Grindelwald opened his eyes outside Dordot Harbor.

Grindelwald watched a dispute over the Inner River God Cult’s donations turn violent, then revealed his power as a massive figure rose from the river. The chapter ended with Grindelwald asking whether the Inner River God would truly accept the cult’s followers.

• A group of cultists demanded that Toran hand over the sixty thousand gold coins in donations, while most onlookers stayed neutral.
• Mr. Gwen drew a flintlock and Toran drew his sword as the armed men threatened them.
• The long-faced leader stepped on a venomous snake, and dozens of snakes set by Arthur bit him and the other attackers.
• Mr. Gwen declared that the snakes proved the Inner River God was present, and Grindelwald stepped out of his tent.
• Grindelwald asked the Inner River God whether it would accept the followers, and an enormous figure rose from the river.

Grindelwald presented the great serpent Nidhogg to the Inner River God Cult, winning the devotion of its leaders and forcing its neutral members to submit. After Nidhogg accepted their prayers and vanished into the Inner River, the cult members turned to Grindelwald for what would come next.

• Toran and Mr. and Mrs. Gwen knelt before Nidhogg, each fervent for different reasons, while Grindelwald judged them fit to lead the Black Cat Followers' first organized outer branch.
• The terrified neutral members of the Inner River God Cult fell to their knees before Nidhogg.
• Grindelwald told the neutrals that the demand for their allegiance came from his lord, making Nidhogg respond with reverence.
• The cult members recognized Arthur Credos as the being Nidhogg revered and recited prayers to their god.
• Nidhogg calmed, nodded to the faithful, and disappeared into the Inner River, after which they all looked to Grindelwald.

Grindelwald persuaded the Black Cat Followers to follow Toran and help reclaim the church, while Arthur used Nidhogg and the cult to expand his influence. Grindelwald then visited the catatonic Lucius and asked whether he wanted his real memories back.

• Grindelwald told the congregants that Nidhogg had pardoned them and urged them to save other followers who were still being deceived.
• Toran accepted the role of High Priest, vowed to restore the church under Nidhogg's command, and led the congregants toward several territories and forts.
• Arthur approved of the followers' response and relied on the Inner River Church's former shipping network to supply the personnel he lacked.
• Arthur calmed Nidhogg after the serpent stirred up a dangerous current in the Inner River, promising to let it run wild in three days.
• Grindelwald brought food and drinks to Lucius, who remained sunk in a daze, and asked whether he wanted his real memories back.

Grindelwald told Lucius that recovering his muddled memories would require strength and training, then recruited him as a Trainee Member of the [Black Cat Followers]. Lucius was left trapped in a deadly test under Acker, tasked with finding the source of unseen attacks before daybreak.

• Grindelwald offered Lucius pointers for sorting through his memories and proposed godslaying, which Lucius accepted despite his fear.
• Grindelwald summoned Aivor and Acker, whose presence overwhelmed Lucius's sharpened perception.
• Grindelwald said Lucius would train under Aivor and Acker and might become a full member if he graduated.
• Acker began a six-hour combat test in the room, cutting Lucius while ordering him to locate the attacks or die.
• Aivor left to observe in secret, wondering what made Lucius worth the Big Boss's attention.

Aivor wondered why Arthur had shown Lucius mercy, while Arthur prepared to test the Lady of Pain’s limits and left her trapped in the Lead Box coffin. Arthur’s prank enraged her, and he settled outside to watch the stars, thinking the time had come.

• Aivor rejected the idea that Arthur sympathized with Lucius and wondered what Arthur was trying to do.
• Arthur caught Pendragon playing with an Animal Chess piece, scolded him, and washed him with lemon water as punishment.
• The Lady of Pain accused Arthur of hypocrisy, and Arthur revealed that he had been testing what she could do while imprisoned.
• Arthur called Kili, who urinated on the Lead Box coffin and provoked the Lady of Pain into furious screams.
• Arthur left the upper cabin with his Orange Tea, reclined beneath the stars, and thought that it was almost time.

A hidden creature devoured Silverhand Aymot’s expedition after a cache of gold coins lured them into a trap, then headed for the white passenger ship. Deep in the forest, a stone statue consumed the blood of a captive and its cultists before fleeing because it feared being caught.

• Silverhand Aymot led six men into a hidden chamber, where a powerful suction force dragged them into a flood of gold coins and killed them.
• Aymot’s deputy and three men entered the ruins, froze at the sight of the gold, and were swallowed by an enormous mouth along with the horses and belongings.
• The creature that devoured the expedition headed toward the white passenger ship after a woman promised it enormous benefits.
• A cloaked leader brought a bound traveler to a stone statue and sacrificed him, but the traveler exploded and killed the cultists.
• The statue absorbed the traveler’s blood and the cultists’ blood, then moved deeper into the forest to escape the person it feared.

Mr. Smith and Mrs. Smith learned that Mihailo’s request for help threatened their peaceful life, so they planned to leave Bette for the Inner Bay. The next morning, Arthur prepared to depart aboard the Eastern, where Yekaterina was left rooted in surprise by what happened.

• Mr. Smith saw that a believer had been sacrificed and worried that the danger could threaten his life with Mrs. Smith.
• Mrs. Smith received Mihailo’s plea for help but refused to get involved and decided that she and Smith had to leave Bette.
• Mrs. Smith persuaded Smith to visit the South County Swordsmanship Tournament in the Inner Bay, and he agreed to go with her.
• Arthur prepared the Eastern for departure while Yekaterina came to see him off as part of her family’s public alliance with Creados.
• Yekaterina was caught completely off guard by what happened and stood rooted to the spot.

Yekaterina discovered that Arthur’s retreat from her came from his devotion to Malinda, and she felt envious of their love. Before Arthur left, she warned him that the Red Knights and other forces had gathered along the Inner River, and he welcomed the chance to make a grand spectacle.

• Yekaterina approached Arthur, who stepped back from her and admitted he was allergic to women.
• Arthur smiled when Yekaterina mentioned Malinda, and Yekaterina recognized his happiness and envied their love.
• Yekaterina reflected on her parents’ love and wished she could meet a man like her father.
• Yekaterina warned Arthur that the Red Knights, local nobles, and other riffraff had joined the Old Lion’s eldest son along the Inner River.
• Arthur welcomed the news and resolved to stir up a storm that the whole world would hear about.

Arthur sailed away from West Berlin after assuring Yekaterina that the Red Knights would be destroyed. A covert report about Charlie's romantic history alarmed Geerjisi, while Arthur received word aboard the Eastern that a plan had been completed.

• Arthur told Yekaterina there would be no more Red Knights, and she shouted that she would be looking forward to it as the Eastern departed.
• Geerjisi received a confidential report detailing Charlie's many mistresses and dramatic acts of devotion, then hurried to warn the Marquis of West Berlin.
• Observers saw Geerjisi contact someone and sent reports to their employers as the Eastern sailed away.
• Arthur sweetened his orange tea, wiped meat sauce from Pendragon, and reflected on sincerity and money.
• Arthur answered a flashing Communication Stone, and an unseen caller told him the job was done.

Old Maha brought his son and farmhands to meet the Red Knights, but Sadi’s men killed the farmhands and forced Old Maha into their plans for a major job and a staged death. Sadi led him to meet the boss, and Old Maha wondered whether they were headed to South Los.

• Old Maha told Young Maha that he would introduce him to the Red Knights, while keeping their connection secret from the farmhands.
• Old Maha’s group met Sadi, and the Red Knights seized them from behind and knocked Young Maha unconscious.
• Sadi revealed that the Red Knights had killed the farmhands and planned to retire after a major job, bringing Old Maha with them because the boss trusted him.
• Sadi ordered Old Maha to claim that river pirates had killed him and plundered his farm, then led him to meet the boss.
• Old Maha asked Sadi whether they were going to South Los.