Chapter Summaries

Alexander Hoy asked Julian to investigate Sharon, his uncle’s widow, whom he suspected of manipulating and possibly killing the former Baron Khoy. Julian recognized that Sharon was a powerful Demoness whose affairs were tied to deeper political schemes, and agreed to help for an additional fee.

• Alexander Hoy told Julian that Sharon had claimed part of the Khoy estate after marrying the previous Baron Khoy and had disrupted the family foundation.
• Alexander said he suspected Sharon had ulterior motives and might have caused his uncle’s death, but he lacked evidence.
• Alexander revealed that Sharon was involved with married Member of Parliament Maynard and asked Julian for guidance, fearing the political consequences of an investigation.
• Julian realized Sharon was a Sequence 6 Demoness connected to wider schemes involving 0-08 and the Twilight Hermit Order.
• Julian decided he could use the Aurora Order against Sharon and agreed to help Alexander for extra payment.

Julian took Alexander Hoy’s money and directed him to secretly alert the Church of the Lord of Storms about possible Aurora Order activity in Tingen. Later, Julian warned Hanass Vincent that the Nighthawks might target Aurora Order locations, prompting Hanass to insist they report the information to Mr. Z.

• Julian charged Alexander Hoy four thousand pounds to help deal with Madam Sharon and accepted two thousand pounds up front.
• Julian told Alexander to have an unconnected person report several addresses in Tingen to the Church of the Lord of Storms as possible heretic locations.
• Julian met Hanass Vincent at the Divination Club, and Klein Moretti briefly greeted them before leaving.
• Julian told Hanass that the Nighthawks might soon join forces with the Mandated Punishers against the Aurora Order, with targets near Sirius’s and Lanevus’s residences.
• Hanass reacted strongly to Lanevus’s name and said they needed to report the warning to Mr. Z.

Klein grew suspicious of Hanass Vincent’s relationship with Julian and used divination Above the Gray Fog to investigate whether Hanass knew of and sought information about the Nighthawks. His attempts to confirm the second question produced strange results, and the chapter ended as the Tarot Club meeting began with Julian present as Mr. Tower.

• Julian learned from Hanass that Mr. Z was an Aurora Order Oracle and bishop who had approved recruiting Lanevus for reasons tied to a crucial matter.
• Klein returned home and went Above the Gray Fog to divine about Hanass after noticing his close association with Julian, the Nighthawks’ external consultant.
• Klein’s coin divination indicated that Hanass knew of the Nighthawks and harbored definite hostility toward them.
• Klein’s attempts to divine whether Hanass was trying to obtain Nighthawks information from Julian produced unusual results, leaving Klein suspecting that something was unusual about Julian.
• Klein prepared a new honorific name for the Fool, then began the Tarot Club meeting with Miss Justice, Mr. Hanged Man, and Julian as Mr. Tower.

Julian, the Tower, forged a Roselle diary page to warn Klein about reality-shaping powers connected to the Church of Evernight and introduce Beyonder Characteristics. The meeting ended with Julian asking whether Audrey and Alger were ready to trade for the knowledge behind potion ingredients and the Acting Method.

• Audrey, Alger, and Julian each reported finding pages of Roselle's Diary, and Julian fabricated a page describing Hermes's account of the ability to script reality.
• Klein was astonished by the diary's claims about reality-shaping powers, the Church of Evernight, and Beyonder Characteristics.
• Audrey thanked Julian for warning her about someone following her and said her brother had arranged an investigation.
• Audrey asked why the potion ingredient Julian arranged to deliver looked like a heart despite her expectation that a potion required two main ingredients.
• Julian said the question related to why the orthodox Churches controlled the spread of the Acting Method, then asked whether Audrey and Alger were ready to complete their trade.

Julian asked the Tarot Club for rare Mimic Disaster Beast materials and an easy-to-carry offensive Beyonder item. Alger offered two items for sale, and Julian chose the pair of framed glasses, leaving their purchase to be arranged.

• Julian asked Audrey and Alger to find Mimic Disaster Beast irises and bone powder, or provide information about the creatures.
• Alger explained that Mimic Disaster Beasts could replace and parasitize other creatures, and that they had been exterminated on the Northern Continent and were now rarely seen at sea.
• Alger offered to watch for the creatures at sea, while Julian considered asking Derrick for help once he joined the Tarot Club.
• Julian requested an offensive Beyonder item of at least Sequence 7, and Audrey offered to pay a reasonable price.
• Alger described an ear stud that produced holy attacks and a pair of glasses that enabled offensive spells, both priced between 2,000 and 2,400 pounds.
• Julian chose the framed glasses, which filled their wearer with overwhelming whispers and knowledge.

Julian explained why orthodox churches restrict the acting method, beginning with the Law of Conservation of Beyonder Characteristics and how its spread could threaten the churches’ control and high-sequence Beyonders. The discussion left Mr. Hanged Man warning that even Saints and Angels could become prey to unaffiliated Beyonders.

• Julian chose the Warlock Beyonder item over the Solar High Priest item because its abilities suited him better and its side effects concerned him less.
• Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice agreed to complete the transaction, and Mr. Fool said they would discuss how to contact one another afterward.
• Julian explained that Beyonder characteristics remain after death and that the total quantity within each pathway stays constant.
• Miss Justice asked whether churches could prevent the danger by limiting the number of Sequence 9 Beyonders.
• Mr. Hanged Man explained that potion formulas and ingredients circulated among unaffiliated Beyonders, whose advancement could threaten official Beyonders and even make Saints or Angels their targets.

Julian explained why orthodox Churches restricted the Acting Method, and Alger learned that shared acting principles could digest potions from related Sequences at the same time. After Alger paid Mr. Fool with information about Angel families and the Blasphemy Slate, Miss Justice asked what would happen if an ordinary animal drank a Sequence 9 potion.

• Mr. Hanged Man described how orthodox Churches used restrictions on the Acting Method to limit advancement and prevent defections, and Julian added that the policy also reduced administrative risks.
• Miss Justice asked whether hostile forces could offer Beyonders the means to advance, but Julian said a fuller answer would require payment and more time.
• Mr. Hanged Man said Julian's explanation confirmed his decision to pursue advancement outside the Church of the Lord of Storms.
• Mr. Hanged Man asked whether acting as a Seafarer had helped him digest his Sailor potion, and Mr. Fool explained that shared acting principles let him digest both potions simultaneously.
• Mr. Hanged Man gave Mr. Fool information about Angel families and the Blasphemy Slate as payment, then Miss Justice asked what would happen if an ordinary animal drank a Sequence 9 potion.

Audrey asked whether an animal could survive drinking a Potion, and Julian explained how his owl and her dog had gained Beyonder traits. The Tarot Club ended after the Fool taught its members how to contact him and praised Audrey’s civil service examination efforts; Klein then helped Melissa prepare dinner, where she invited him and Benson to Selena’s birthday dinner.

• Audrey asked whether an animal could survive accidentally drinking a Potion, and Julian said his owl had become a Beyonder animal through a special trait of certain Sequences.
• Audrey revealed that her dog Susie had accidentally drunk a Potion, and Julian explained that animals which survive can gain Beyonder powers and increased intelligence.
• Klein taught Alger, Audrey, and Julian the ritual for contacting the Fool and recited his three-line honorific name, leaving Alger and Audrey shocked.
• Audrey reported her efforts to promote the civil service examination, and Klein encouraged her before ending the gathering.
• Julian left with Ethan, while Klein returned home and helped Melissa cook before Benson arrived.
• Melissa told Klein and Benson that Selena and her parents had invited their family to Selena’s birthday dinner.

Julian brought historical artifacts to Mr. Azik, then revealed that he knew Azik was an Undying and proposed a long-term cooperation to help uncover his past. He asked Azik to accompany him to an ancient ruin outside Tingen, where they might find treasure and clues to Azik’s identity.

• Klein and Benson agreed to attend Miss Selena’s birthday and left the gift choice to Melissa.
• Julian brought a medal and a brass bottle to Mr. Azik, who dated them to periods of the Tudor Empire and the Trunsoest and Augustus families.
• Over dinner, Mr. Azik told Julian that he had sensed a dangerous presence around him and had investigated him because of his connection to Klein.
• Julian revealed that he knew Mr. Azik was an Undying who had lost his memories and offered to help uncover his past once he grew stronger.
• Mr. Azik agreed to cooperate with Julian, who asked him to help explore a suspected ancient ruin outside Tingen.

Julian prepared to investigate the Antigonus Family ruins with Mr. Azik and received the Warlock glasses from Mr. Hanged Man, using them to create a new Flash Spell. On the way to the ruins, Julian’s conversation with Mr. Azik seemed to complete the digestion of his Four-Color Seer potion.

• Mr. Azik agreed to accompany Julian to the Antigonus Family ruins, and they planned to meet at Khoy University the next morning.
• Mr. Hanged Man sent Julian the Warlock glasses, which gave him spell knowledge and the ability to prepare up to three spells.
• Julian used his knowledge of optics to create a Flash Spell that could blind and injure enemies, especially in dark places.
• Julian and Mr. Azik traveled by carriage toward Tingen City’s North Borough, then continued on foot along a mountain trail.
• Julian explained how his Beyonder ability revealed that their carriage driver had young children, and Mr. Azik said their friendship made him feel more alive.
• Julian heard a cracking sound within himself and realized that his Four-Color Seer potion had been fully digested.