Chapter Summaries

Arthur convinced Jennifer that her employer had used her and her companions as pawns, then warned her to leave South Los immediately and stay away from the sea. Jennifer escaped with Bagua’s corpse, while Arthur inspected the suspicious whistle she had offered.

• Jennifer offered Arthur a Protective Copper Coin and a whistle in exchange for information, and Arthur dismissed the coin as an imitation.
• An invisible force knocked the whistle away, and Arthur said Auben had tampered with it as Lady "Anna" examined it.
• Arthur told Jennifer that her employer had hired her and her companions as pawns and that their fates had been decided from the start.
• Arthur advised Jennifer to leave South Los immediately and avoid the sea, addressing only her.
• Jennifer discovered Wallace had abandoned her, loaded Bagua’s corpse into the carriage, and drove away.
• Arthur checked that the whistle was safe, picked it up, and reacted with surprise.

Arthur examined the powerful but dangerous Forward March whistle and deduced that a Death Poetry Society member might be behind the counterfeit checks and related attacks. He then praised Wiggins’s takeover of part of Rat Street and tasked him with opening an honest general store, setting the next stage of their plans in motion.

• Arthur inspected Forward March, stored it in the Athos Box, and considered how its brief boost could leave him weakened or dead afterward.
• Arthur reasoned that the person who hired Jennifer and the others may have ties to the Death Poetry Society, Truda, and the Old Lion’s financial advisers, and that the completed checks could be copied and used as counterfeits.
• Arthur imagined letting his Auben identity take the blame while he waited for the conspirator to make another move.
• Wiggins reported that he controlled a third of Rat Street and had recruited twenty-one carefully vetted people, with enough resources to recruit more.
• Arthur granted Wiggins control of the territory’s proceeds after taxes and instructed him to open a general store with fair prices and normal-quality goods.

Arthur entrusted Wiggins with the Goodbye Worries General Store and learned that Cook had joined their side, while the Shire District police force grew more energetic under Arthur’s influence. Simon reported that James had disappeared, and Maltz suspected he had fled.

• Arthur named the shop the Goodbye Worries General Store and entrusted its management to Wiggins.
• Arthur went to the police department, where Maltz worried that his cat Chief was eating too little while Pendragon devoured his food.
• Arthur told Maltz that Cook had joined their side, and Maltz saw how Arthur had energized the officers and his new allies.
• Simon reported that James had disappeared, his men were under control, and his mistress had been taken into custody.
• Maltz speculated that James might die on the road while trying to escape.

Arthur and Maltz investigated James’s apparently abandoned home at 4 Moon Street, where Arthur suspected James’s lover Jane was hiding something. James returned after they left, but Jane poisoned him and approached him with a kitchen knife, repeating Arthur’s advice to rely on herself.

• Arthur and Maltz brought James’s bound men to 4 Moon Street and found the house unusually lavish but tidy.
• Jane told Maltz that James had disappeared that morning after mentioning a little trouble the night before.
• Arthur noticed Jane’s eagerness for the house to be searched and advised her to put out rat poison and rely on herself.
• The search found nothing unusual, and Arthur repeated his warning before leaving with Maltz and the others.
• Jane waited in fear until James returned, then served him tea laced with poison.
• As James collapsed, Jane approached with a kitchen knife and murmured, “You have to rely on yourself!”

Jane killed James and escaped South Los with his corpse, then joined Jennifer, who was also fleeing with a corpse, on the journey to the Inner Bay. Meanwhile, Arthur received an invitation from Auben.

• Jane repeatedly stabbed James to death, wrapped his corpse, and collected the carriage, supplies, and six bodies he had prepared at 5 Moon Street.
• Jane loaded James's corpse into the carriage and left South Los, while Arthur watched her depart and the Golden Peacock vanished from 4 Moon Street.
• Jennifer, stranded beside her broken carriage with Bagua's corpse, accepted Jane's offer of a ride to the Inner Bay.
• Jennifer put Bagua's corpse beside James's, tethered her horse to the carriage, and traveled with Jane toward the Inner Bay.
• Arthur frowned as he looked at an invitation from Auben.

Arthur received a forged invitation in Auben’s name and arranged for Malinda to come home for dinner, while preparing to make her deal with the danger behind it. He practiced the Hand of the Void with Pendragon in his arms, then blamed the exhausted cat for being too heavy.

• Arthur examined the invitation signed by Auben and concluded that its sender likely had bad intentions, confirming Auben was alive and had committed murder.
• Arthur paid a child to summon Malinda home for dinner and sent the neighborhood children racing to fetch Alvin, the bakery apprentice.
• Arthur asked Alvin to buy prepared food for an intimate guest and gave him a Gold Ticket, with any change serving as his tip.
• Arthur let Fuginn follow Alvin, left Muninn watching the house, and cuddled Pendragon while considering what to charge Malinda for the invitation.
• Arthur practiced flying with the Hand of the Void while holding Pendragon, became exhausted, and told the astonished cat to lose weight.

Arthur invited Malinda to discuss a deal involving Auben’s invitation and the Cat Cave Core Mystic Art, but refused to act as bait for the enemy. He declared that he would face whoever came to 2 Kirk Street, and thunder and Pendragon’s growl punctuated his words.

• Arthur treated Pendragon to dried fish and received a lavish dinner from Mrs. Andor’s apprentices, tipping Alvin generously.
• Malinda arrived at 2 Kirk Street, where Arthur showed her Auben’s unopened invitation and proposed trading for the Cat Cave Core Mystic Art.
• Malinda offered Arthur a Mystic Art that controlled flames and questioned him about a missing member of the Death Poetry Society.
• Malinda asked Arthur what he would charge to act as bait, but Arthur said he had promised someone and could not take the role.
• Malinda asked what he would do if the enemy came to 2 Kirk Street, and Arthur welcomed them as thunder sounded and Pendragon growled.

Arthur exposed and defeated an impostor posing as Malinda, then confronted a cloaked man calling himself Shadow Snake Xiudik, who demanded the last descendant of the Blood Clan. Arthur began a battle incantation and rose into the sky as the chapter ended with him speaking of the creation of heaven and earth.

• Malinda left 2 Kirk Street, but a disguised impostor returned first and was stabbed by Arthur before turning into clay.
• Arthur shot a second Malinda impostor with the Thunder Gun, then struck another with the Little Emperor Cannon after recognizing that the real Malinda would feel nauseated around him.
• The wounded impostor asked how Arthur had seen through his disguise, and Arthur explained that he had failed to imitate Malinda’s aversion to men.
• A cloaked man calling himself Shadow Snake Xiudik arrived and demanded that Arthur reveal the last descendant of the Blood Clan.
• Arthur invoked his battle oath, rose into the night sky as Fuginn and Muninn circled him, and began reciting words about the creation of heaven and earth.

Arthur frightened the people watching 2 Kirk Street into retreating, strengthening the impression that the Creados family were powerful [Black Cat Followers]. After collecting the impostors’ belongings, he discovered three intriguing items and began planning a new game.

• The person calling herself "Shadow Snake" Xiudik used a Mystic Art to escape with the unconscious impostor, leaving their clothes and belongings behind.
• Arthur descended, collected the dropped items, and returned to 2 Kirk Street, while the people hiding nearby mistook his bluff for a dangerous Mystic Art and withdrew.
• Arthur watched the crowd retreat through Fuginn's and Muninn's eyes, turned off the powder magazine's ignition switch, and gained Bluff and Intimidation experience.
• Arthur reflected that he was using the incident to convince people that Creados were powerful [Black Cat Followers], preparing them to accept the [Cat Cave] and the family’s invented bloodline.
• Arthur picked up Pendragon for comfort, then abruptly rose after obtaining three items and started plotting a new game.

Arthur equipped the Paralysis Ring and sent the Exquisite Puppet and Faux Emperor's Drum with his ravens to begin his plan on Shaded Lane. As a carriage arrived at midnight, the puppet took the form of Auben and proclaimed the start of slaughter.

• Arthur put on the Paralysis Ring and examined the Exquisite Puppet and Faux Emperor's Drum.
• Arthur gave the Faux Emperor's Drum and Forward March to Fuginn, and the Exquisite Puppet to Muninn.
• Arthur watched Shaded Lane through the ravens as a carriage approached from Garden Street at midnight.
• The ravens dropped the puppet onto a lawn, and it transformed into Auben and took the Faux Emperor's Drum.
• Auben conjured a cloak and declared, "Blood flows, slaughter never ceases!"

Malinda arranged for Arthur’s enemies to follow the Blood Marquis’s carriage, believing Arthur had secretly mastered Cat’s Grace · Orange and could handle himself. As the carriage headed toward 5 Moon Street, Malinda connected its destination to the missing District Chief James and formed a startling suspicion.

• Malinda watched Kirk Street and wondered what the Creados family wanted in South Los.
• At midnight, the Blood Marquis’s battered carriage approached, but it vanished in mist when Malinda’s people lit explosives and reappeared near Shaded Lane.
• Malinda sent twelve followers after the carriage and learned from a note that Arthur had mastered Cat’s Grace · Orange.
• Malinda realized Arthur’s pursuers would keep following the carriage and let the rival groups confront each other while her people slowed down.
• The carriage headed toward 5 Moon Street, near the home of missing District Chief James, and Malinda began to suspect a connection before an explosion sounded.

The pursuers tried to stop the Blood Scion from entering 5 Moon Street, but a trap and a sudden supernatural mist turned their attack into a deadly struggle. Six Blood Brides appeared in the mist, and the remaining pursuers fled.

• A cloaked pursuer attacked the Blood Scion with a volley of stones, but the Blood Scion dissolved into mist and reappeared inside the gates of 5 Moon Street.
• Rock transformed into a Stone Giant, tore down the gates, and was killed when the scrawny old horse exploded, releasing poisonous smoke.
• The Blood Scion entered 5 Moon Street as the divided pursuers grew suspicious of one another and gray mist swallowed Moon Street.
• Scarlet-eyed monsters killed or wounded pursuers who fled alone and broke through several defensive circles.
• A pursuer dispersed the mist with a gale, revealing six Blood Brides in wedding gowns, and the survivors decided to run.

The Lady of the Long Night and the Blood Scion prepared to fight while the Blood Brides slaughtered the fleeing pursuers. Auben emerged from the mist, commanded the Blood Brides and terrified everyone present, then demanded that the Blood Scion identify him as the Blood Scion stumbled and revealed his face.

• The pursuers fled as the Blood Brides hunted them, while the Lady of the Long Night watched the Blood Scion outside 5 Moon Street.
• The Blood Scion taunted the Lady of the Long Night and claimed that her Medium lover had betrayed the Blood Clan.
• The Lady of the Long Night summoned her Undead Warriors, and the Blood Scion called forth six Blood Brides as the two sides faced off across 5 Moon Street.
• Auben appeared in the mist, and his heartbeat drove the pursuers into panic and made the Blood Brides prostrate themselves before him.
• Auben demanded that the Blood Scion tell him who he was, then burst the six Blood Brides apart and sent the Blood Scion stumbling back until his face was revealed.

Arthur, posing as Auben, accepted Freeman’s ring and discovered it bound its wearer to a contract that could expose Arthur and leave him vulnerable. He prepared to use the [Exquisite Puppet] to fulfill the contract while keeping his own identity and safety separate from Auben.

• Freeman presented Auben with the Blood Marquis’s ring and demanded that he honor a contract in exchange for restoring Freeman’s youth.
• Arthur realized a veteran member of the Death Poetry Society had set a trap to force him to accept the ring or suffer its Death Curse.
• Arthur ordered the [Exquisite Puppet] to put on the ring, appearing to accept the contract as Auben.
• The ring, [Devoted Blood], revealed that its wearer had to create a Blood Slave or Blood Fighter to fulfill the contract, with Freeman’s transformation likely requiring a dangerous loss of blood.
• Arthur recognized that the trap was aimed at identifying and weakening him, but decided to proceed through Auben and the puppet.

Arthur used the Blood Scion to honor Freeman’s contract, turning him into a young and powerful Blood Fighter while encouraging the crowd to covet the same bargain. As the Blood Scion acknowledged a favor owed to Malinda, Arthur sensed the hidden Death Poetry Society member’s blood react to his plan.

• The Blood Scion told Freeman he would receive payment for returning the Blood Clan’s legacy but would not become a blood descendant, then pierced his heart with a scarlet spear.
• The spear transformed Freeman into a youthful, powerful Blood Fighter, while [Devoted Blood] drained the [Exquisite Puppet] and enraged the incomplete Vampire Ancestor Insect inside the ring.
• Arthur welcomed the Vampire Ancestor Insect’s anger, reasoning that he had fulfilled the ring’s contract by offering his own blood through the puppet.
• Arthur used Freeman’s restored youth and strength to stir the crowd’s greed and establish the Blood Clan legacy as the basis for future transactions.
• Arthur sensed the hidden Death Poetry Society member’s blood grow hot and accelerate, then the Blood Scion told Malinda he had always remembered the favor he owed her.

The Blood Scion used frost power to reveal and pursue the Death Poetry Society figure who had been hiding behind Freeman, drawing the Lady of the Long Night into the fight. As she and her undead charged after the figure, the Blood Scion vanished, while invisible [Hands of the Void] swept the battlefield.

• The Blood Scion unleashed frost power across Moon Street, and Freeman knelt before him in hopes of gaining more power.
• The Blood Scion formed an ice-crystal arrow with the [Blood Child] and sent it after the figure hiding behind Freeman.
• The figure unleashed a pallid current that filled the area with deathly stillness, but the ice arrow shattered against it and snow fell over the scene.
• The Lady of the Long Night recognized the figure as the Death Poetry Society bastard who had provoked her and sent her undead after him.
• The Blood Scion dissolved into mist and disappeared as the surviving pursuers collapsed, unaware that four invisible [Hands of the Void] were sweeping the battlefield.

Arthur secretly looted the corpses on Moon Street, where the survivors descended into a bloody frenzy and fled after realizing what they had done. Back at the Medium's Hall, he repaired the [Exquisite Puppet] with most of his gold, considered learning alchemy to hide future expenses, and opened the [Athos Box] as its loot spilled across the desk.

• Arthur used [Shadow Concealment] to search the corpses on Moon Street and leave without being noticed.
• The surviving followers fought over the corpses and loot until only seven remained, then fled in horror after recognizing their victims.
• Freeman emerged from hiding and praised the bloodshed as his father's symphony, while the raven returned to 2 Kirk Street as undead approached.
• Arthur put the [Exquisite Puppet] in the cash box, and it consumed 234 gold coins to restore itself.
• Arthur considered learning alchemy to conceal his need for gold, then opened the [Athos Box] and spilled its loot across the desk.

Arthur sorted the spoils from the [Athos Box], inspected several arcane items, and found that the only mystic art among them had been recorded in Herke's handwriting. The discovery left him facing a clue connected to Herke.

• Arthur catalogued the weapons, potions, scrolls, arcane items, mystic art, and money from the [Athos Box], then packed the healing scrolls into his coat.
• Arthur examined [Tyr's Caress], a silent, invisible sword, and wondered about the little girl and orange cat mentioned in its history.
• Arthur considered using poison with the [Illusion Fireworks Tube] but put it away, then wore [Lannister's Heightening Insoles] and playfully lifted Pendragon overhead.
• Arthur picked up the [Stone Pellet Art] and recognized Herke's handwriting on its yellowed paper.

Arthur learned Herke’s Stone Pellet Art and considered its potential, then discussed the previous night’s events with Malinda over breakfast. After Malinda asked about Arthur’s relationship with the Blood Scion, Arthur turned the questioning back on her and asked who she was.

• Arthur learned the Stone Pellet Art for 1 XP and decided to wait until daybreak before testing whether ordinary mystic arts increased his spirituality.
• Arthur considered obtaining a Fire Lizard Sac to learn Abdul’s Fire Control Art and went to sleep in the Medium’s Hall.
• Malinda brought breakfast to 2 Kirk Street and told Arthur that her curse would help her find the man who had escaped her.
• Arthur told Malinda that two swindlers had fooled him with a claim that he had encountered Xiudik, the Dark Serpent.
• Malinda asked about Arthur’s relationship with the Blood Scion and warned that Hunters might pursue the Child of Chaos.
• Arthur gave Malinda a vague account of his promises with the Blood Scion, then asked her who she was.

Amuel of Talin visited Arthur under orders from the Countess of South Los, offering him an appointment and healing potions while investigating Dark Serpent Xiudik. Arthur hinted that the Dark Serpent he encountered was not what he seemed, then sent Amuel away without explaining further.

• Amuel revealed her identity and explained that Freeman had exposed a sleeper agent within the Sixty-Six Advisors, prompting an investigation of Arthur.
• Amuel presented Arthur with an upgraded appointment letter and offered him six healing potions as compensation for Talin's probe.
• Arthur said there was something wrong with the Dark Serpent he had encountered, prompting Amuel to use a crystal beetle named Nono to confirm the figure had been Dark Serpent.
• Arthur refused to explain further and ordered Amuel to leave, warning her not to use Malinda's face with him again.
• After Amuel climbed into the carriage driven by Edwin, she quietly asked whether Arthur was Edwin's father.