Chapter Summaries

Ilena led Zheng Qing through an empty Alpha Castle and used a borrowed badge to enter Friedman's lounge and the 3A Club headquarters for an unexplained assignment. As they arrived, she remembered that she still owed Zheng Qing a gift for winning the hunting competition.

• Ilena cast three sleep spells to silence the waking portraits in Alpha Castle's corridor.
• Zheng Qing offered Ilena Illusionary Body Talismans, and the two concealed their tracks as they crossed the deserted castle.
• Ilena led Zheng Qing to Friedman's lounge, the headquarters of the 3A Club, and used a badge she had borrowed from someone to get the Alchemy Doll to let them in.
• Ilena told Zheng Qing that she had an assignment to do there and that the club members were away in the villa district.
• Ilena turned to Zheng Qing and remembered that she had not yet given him a gift for taking first place in the hunting competition.

Ilena invited Zheng Qing to Sir Friedman's lounge and offered him a congratulatory gift after asking about the demons he had killed on the hunting grounds. She wrapped the gift while he turned away, then handed him a square wooden box and asked him to take good care of it.

• Ilena showed Zheng Qing the lounge’s paintings and furnishings, including portraits of Tony J. Black and John Hugh Callen and a desk made from vampire coffin wood.
• Ilena asked Zheng Qing whether he had brought the Knight of Scepter, and he took the worn Tarot card from his Gray Cloth Bag.
• Ilena asked how Zheng Qing had killed so many demons and whether he had cheated, and he protested that a black tiger had killed them.
• Ilena explained that rumors had spread because Zheng Qing won Best Hunter after the hunting team rescued him, and he said people would soon find something else to discuss.
• Ilena decided to give Zheng Qing a treasured item, had him turn around to wrap it, and handed him a square wooden box tied with gold ribbons.

Zheng Qing received Ilena’s old notebook of unfamiliar talismans, then followed her to the terrace, where she replaced one of its carved balusters. The baluster swap caused no apparent disturbance, and Zheng Qing was left wondering why she had brought him along.

• Zheng Qing mistook Ilena’s gift box for a rune gun, then opened it and found an old notebook filled with unfamiliar talismans.
• Ilena explained that she had chosen the notebook because it suited Zheng Qing, and he put it away before following her to the terrace.
• Ilena described the terrace’s seventy-two carved balusters as images of spirits suppressed by wizards.
• Ilena tapped one baluster loose and replaced it with an identical one from her bag, leaving the terrace apparently unchanged.
• Zheng Qing asked whether he had only been there to supervise the replacement.

Ilena showed Zheng Qing the stone pillar she had taken and explained that its carved spirit was one of the gods suppressed by wizards. She revealed that she was a pure-blooded Gypsy medium who communicated with spirits, leaving Zheng Qing to learn what kinds of beings Gypsy spirit witches contacted.

• Ilena told Zheng Qing she had brought him along so he would know what she had been doing, then walked with him back to Jiuyou Academy.
• Zheng Qing asked why Ilena had taken the stone pillar, and she handed it to him to inspect.
• Zheng Qing saw that the carved Human-headed Serpent spirit resembled Ilena and wondered if she was descended from one of the suppressed spirits.
• Ilena explained that the seventy-two suppressed spirits had been gods of worlds that resisted wizard expansion.
• Ilena said she was a pure-blooded Gypsy who practiced spirit communication, and explained that mediums contacted entities such as undead, devils, and beings from Different Dimensions.

Ilena told Zheng Qing that the Gypsy Witch Coven was declining and that she had sought another way to improve her magic by attempting to advance her spirit communion technique. She clarified that she had never agreed to free the Moon God, and left Zheng Qing with a clearer understanding of her plan.

• Ilena described the Witch Coven's dwindling number of Registered Wizards and warned that its members might end up in Beta Town North District.
• Ilena said the coven's students had fallen short of First University's requirements and that she needed another way to advance.
• Ilena told Zheng Qing that she had communed with a being claiming to be a Moon God, which promised her the power of a senior Registered Wizard if freed.
• Zheng Qing warned Ilena against making a pact with an unseen being, and Ilena said she had made no agreement with it.
• Ilena explained that the marble baluster had been stained with the blood of seventy-two elves and that she wanted to use their blood to improve her spirit communion technique.

Zheng Qing asked Ilena about the school’s knowledge of the Gypsy witches, her missed classes, and how she knew the lounge would be empty. After learning more about her studies and the Wanderer Wizard, he offered to tutor her, and Ilena pointed out that Liu Feifei and Nicholas were dating.

• Ilena explained that the school knew about the Gypsy witches but usually did not interfere, and that the visiting students had memorized their textbooks yet struggled to master magic.
• Ilena told Zheng Qing that the Wanderer Wizard had revealed Friedman was taking his cousin to Sephrano’s clubhouse, and she described him as a Gray Wizard rather than a Dark Wizard.
• Zheng Qing offered to help Ilena review lessons and do homework together during his free evenings.
• Ilena hinted that tutoring together like Liu Feifei and Nicholas might make them seem like a couple, and Zheng Qing blushed.

Sir Friedman and Matthew Callan visited Mike Jin Sephrano at the Xiangqi Society’s candy-house headquarters on Gamma Street. Sephrano demanded to know what Friedman wanted, leaving the visitors’ purpose unrevealed.

• Sir Friedman explained to Matthew Callan that Sephrano had acquired Number Forty-Nine, Gamma Street, for the Xiangqi Society after earning money at the School Hunt Competition.
• Sir Friedman and Matthew entered the candy-house clubhouse, where bread-man attendants took their cloaks.
• Sir Friedman congratulated Sephrano on his new mansion and pointed out that the 3A Association’s headquarters stood nearby.
• The Wandering Wizard mocked Sephrano from a Picture Frame, and Sephrano had a wizard cover the frame with cream.
• Sephrano asked Sir Friedman what he wanted, while Matthew watched the tense exchange.

Sir Friedman brought his cousin Matthew Callan to meet Sephrano at Candy House, where the two traded barbs over their hunting teams and rumors involving Zheng Qing. Sephrano revealed that Xiangqi Hunting Team had climbed past 3A to rank eleventh.

• Matthew watched a sugar mantis flee Candy House while Sir Friedman and Sephrano exchanged insults.
• Sephrano mocked Matthew as a timid first-year, and Friedman defended him by naming his parents and Astronomy Class 08-1.
• Sephrano brought up rumors about a Nightmare Curse and a wild demon, then suggested Friedman speak with Zheng Qing.
• Friedman introduced Sephrano to Matthew as a Xiangqi Society leader and an associate of Augustus, while taunting him about his younger brother.
• Sephrano corrected Friedman and announced that Xiangqi Hunting Team had risen to eleventh place, ahead of 3A.

Glorious Hunting Team Path’s praise of the Xiangqi Hunting Team gave Sephrano leverage in a tense meeting with Sir Friedman. Friedman demanded a larger share of the Society’s profits and control over its Fishmen trade, and Sephrano decided to take the dispute to Augustus.

• Sephrano showed Sir Friedman Glorious Hunting Team Path’s latest issue, which ranked the Xiangqi Hunting Team among First University’s finest teams.
• Sir Friedman dismissed Glorious’s ranking and demanded that the Blood Fellowship receive sixty percent of the Hunting Month gambling profits.
• Friedman claimed that changes to trade with the Fishmen of Linzhong Lake required unanimous committee consent and said the previous agreement was only verbal.
• Sephrano objected that the new terms would leave the Xiangqi Society with no gambling profits and violate its agreement to manage the Fishmen trade.
• Sephrano said he would visit the Blood Fellowship clubhouse at Number 18 Gamma Street and speak with Augustus.

Sir Friedman confronted Sephrano at Candy House over the Xiangqi Society’s Moon Hunt profits and its agreement with the fishmen of Linzhong Lake. Friedman left after demonstrating his power, while Sephrano remained silent.

• Sir Friedman told Sephrano to share the Xiangqi Society’s Moon Hunt earnings with the Blood Fellowship, and Sephrano realized the Fellowship coveted the nearly three thousand Jade Coins.
• Sephrano challenged Friedman about leaving Sima Yi behind and argued that the fishman reserve belonged to him, while Matthew watched their tense exchange.
• Friedman insisted that Sephrano had to obey the Blood Fellowship’s ancient covenant and warned that breaking it would cost him its protection.
• Sephrano’s men moved to escort the visitors out, but Friedman used a gesture to make them collapse.
• Friedman told Matthew to put away his spellbook, then left Candy House with him after comparing Sephrano to a snail whose shell gave it standing.

Zheng Qing’s headache warning signs returned soon after his previous transformation, and he decided to use one of Andrew’s Transformation Potions rather than consult a professor. He planned to transform after Friday’s classes and remain near the dormitory, leaving his Saturday patrol unaffected.

• After another vivid red nightmare, Zheng Qing felt the familiar throbbing at his temples and suspected it was connected to the shadow that had escaped him during the Freshman Competition.
• Zheng Qing dismissed the idea of visiting the School Hospital or a professor and continued attending classes despite the worsening warning signs.
• On Thursday night, Zheng Qing decided to take a Transformation Potion, encouraged by the ten bottles Andrew had given him.
• Fatty Xin warned that transforming could make Zheng Qing miss Friday’s practical class and joked about what witches might do to him as a cat.
• Zheng Qing clarified that he would wait until after Friday’s classes, while Dr. Xiao advised him to drink the potion straight and transform earlier.
• Fatty Xin warned Zheng Qing about Werewolves, so Zheng Qing decided he would stay on the balcony with Tuantuan if necessary.

Zheng Qing prepared to use a commercial Transformation Potion and, after Xiao Xiao checked its instructions, chose to mix it with Osmanthus Honey and drink it. He fell asleep before transforming, while Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin realized they had forgotten the reason they had wanted him to transform as soon as possible.

• Zheng Qing examined the Transformation Potion Andrew had given him, and Xiao Xiao checked its packaging and instructions to confirm it appeared safe to use.
• Xiao Xiao explained the potion’s oral and injection methods, and Zheng Qing chose oral administration mixed with honey.
• Fatty Xin offered several kinds of honey, and Zheng Qing selected Osmanthus Honey, mixed it with the potion, and drank it.
• Zheng Qing rolled into his bed and fell asleep before transforming.
• Fatty Xin asked Xiao Xiao what he had meant to tell Zheng Qing, and Xiao Xiao admitted he had forgotten to remind him to transform as soon as possible.

After Zheng Qing drank a Transformation Potion, he endured its painful effects and transformed into a Big Black Cat rather than the small domestic cat he expected. Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin stayed on guard as the cat began examining itself in a wardrobe mirror.

• Zheng Qing's bed shook violently after he drank the Transformation Potion, and Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin feared the transformation might cause an accident.
• Zheng Qing suffered nausea and burning pain beneath the blankets until his consciousness fell asleep and green eyes opened in the darkness.
• A Big Black Cat emerged from the curtains, startling Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin because it resembled the black tiger from the Freshman Competition.
• Fat Cat Tuantuan approached the Big Black Cat and sat beside it, while the little sprites landed on its shoulders and back.
• The Big Black Cat ignored its roommates and opened Dylan's wardrobe to inspect itself in the mirror.

Zheng Qing discovered that, as a black cat, he could change his size by willing himself bigger or smaller, but the transformations consumed his magic. He was left worried that this contradicted Mondel's Law and might cause dangerous side effects.

• Zheng Qing returned to cat form and found that he had grown to about a meter tall, while Dylan's mirror scolded him for his size and appearance.
• Zheng Qing worried that the Patrol Team might classify him as a dangerous animal, then wished to be smaller and shrank to about half a meter.
• Zheng Qing repeatedly changed his size through focused thoughts, shrinking to a few centimeters and growing to nearly three meters.
• Zheng Qing continued experimenting until dizziness revealed that his magic was nearly exhausted, leaving him afraid that his transformation had violated Mondel's Law and might cause his mind to split.

Zheng Qing’s friends debated whether his transformation into a black cat had affected his will, until he revealed that he could speak and asked for more dried fish. He hinted that a talking Big Black Cat had inspired him, leaving Xiao Xiao to recognize the connection.

• Xiao Xiao recommended taking Zheng Qing to Professor Li, but Fatty Xin warned that admitting to using a restricted potion could bring serious consequences.
• Fatty Xin offered Zheng Qing dried fish to test whether his cat nature had overtaken his human nature.
• Zheng Qing transformed from a flattened black cat, took the dried fish, and shared half of it with Tuantuan.
• Zheng Qing spoke to Xiao Xiao and Fatty Xin, confirmed that he understood them, and demanded more dried fish.
• Zheng Qing said he had learned to speak by remembering someone else who could talk, and Xiao Xiao realized he meant the Big Black Cat his shadow had become.

Zheng Qing’s roommates examined his transformed state and concluded that his unusually stable Magic Power meant he had broken a law of the world. Zheng Qing decided to seek Professor Old Yao’s advice that night, confident he could protect himself on campus.

• Xiao Xiao questioned Zheng Qing about his consciousness, transformation, and Magic Power, while Fatty Xin lamented the dried fish Zheng Qing was eating.
• Zheng Qing explained that his Magic Power was stable at roughly half its normal level and intimidated Fatty Xin by enlarging his paw and extending his claws.
• Xiao Xiao concluded that Zheng Qing had violated the Mondel Paradox and broken one of the world’s laws, advising him to consult a professor soon.
• Zheng Qing considered leaving immediately to speak with Old Yao and reasoned that his ability to grow large or small made a trip across campus manageable.
• Zheng Qing asked his roommates to hang the Black Donkey Hoof around his neck so he could use it against anything dangerous and run back to the dormitory.

Zheng Qing searched the Office Building for professors who could examine what had happened to him, but found only ghosts and the Door Gods. After the Door Gods lit the corridor, a rat in a red vest appeared, and Zheng Qing followed it.

• Zheng Qing went to the Office Building to seek help from Old Yao, Professor Yi, or Professor Li, but their offices were empty.
• Zheng Qing questioned the Door Gods outside Old Yao's office, but they demanded a password he did not know.
• The Door Gods sensed something in the corridor and cast a spell that illuminated the building.
• A rat wearing a red vest and carrying a backpack appeared in the light, causing the Door Gods to retreat into their charms.
• Zheng Qing followed the rat out of curiosity, forgetting Doctor's warning not to cause trouble.

Zheng Qing, transformed into a Black Cat, followed a big black rat to a hollow beneath an oak by Linzhong Lake and waited for it to come back out. As night fell, the school’s patrol approached the spot where he was hiding.

• Zheng Qing followed the big black rat along a long detour from the Office Building to the Linzhong Lake rockery.
• The rat slipped into a narrow hollow beneath an oak, and Zheng Qing hid nearby instead of crawling inside after it.
• Zheng Qing waited in the bushes as nighttime animals came out along the lakefront.
• The school’s night patrol approached carrying Ghost-killing Wind Lanterns, and Zheng Qing shrank and hid behind the oak.

Zheng Qing hid as a shrunken black cat while three Patrol Team members rested nearby and discussed school rumors. Curly Haired Dog revealed that the Freshman Competition hunting ground had been a newly acquired secret garden where a sleeping Magic Dragon nearly attacked a freshman team, then hinted that a kitten’s gouged-out eyes might not have been an accident.

• Three Patrol Team members stopped at a bench, and Zheng Qing hid behind an oak without revealing himself.
• Zheng Qing recognized the perfumed wizard as Curly Haired Dog, whom he remembered from the special plane to school.
• Curly Haired Dog told the others that the Freshman Competition’s secret garden came from a remnant world brought back by Archwizards.
• The Fat Wizard said a sleeping Magic Dragon had nearly eaten a freshman hunting team, whose captain came from the Calen Family.
• The wizards warned the Fat Wizard not to discuss the suppressed brawl between the two academies.
• Curly Haired Dog suggested that the kitten found by the lake with its eyes gouged out might not have suffered an accident.

Jiang Xiao Mao struggled to climb a rockery while practicing her Targeted Transformation, and the patrol wizards mistook her for a stray kitten. As Curly Haired Dog reached to catch her, Zheng Qing recognized the Little White Cat as Jiang Yu in transformed form.

• The Fat Wizard spotted a small white figure on the rockery, and Curly Haired Dog led the other patrol wizards over to investigate.
• After the patrol wizards left, Zheng Qing remembered Jiang Yu had taken his Transfiguration notebook and realized the white figure was a Little White Cat.
• Jiang Yu struggled to climb the rockery because she was still adjusting to her Targeted Transformation Potion.
• Curly Haired Dog reached to catch Jiang Yu, while Zheng Qing watched from nearby.