Chapter Summaries

Edward visited Steven in Tingen, learned that he planned to move to Backlund, and received Mr. Azik’s messenger instructions. Edward then discussed his plan to go to sea and act as a Mental Patient, with Audrey excited to visit him through the Vanishing Cabinet; he prepared to contact Mr. Azik for a ride.

• Edward visited Steven, who told him Mr. Azik had explained Priscilla’s inherited trait and that he planned to move to Backlund.
• Steven gave Edward Mr. Azik’s instructions for summoning his messenger, and Edward offered to help him in Backlund.
• Edward told Audrey he planned to travel by sea to act as a Mental Patient and joked about forming a pirate fleet with her and Lilith.
• Audrey realized she could visit Edward at sea through the Vanishing Cabinet and eagerly asked when he would contact Mr. Azik.
• Edward set up a ritual and began calling Mr. Azik’s messenger.

Edward visited Harvest Church to borrow Father Utravsky’s Mental Terror Candle and test whether he could help with the bishop’s hidden past. The chapter ended with Edward rescuing Emlyn from Maric while Father Utravsky fought the wraith-like Miss Sharron, and Emlyn calling for everyone to stop because it was a misunderstanding.

• Edward sent a letter to Mr. Azik, adopted the identity Gehrman Sparrow, and later went to Harvest Church without receiving a reply.
• Edward asked Father Utravsky for the Mental Terror Candle, and the bishop agreed to let him test it on Emlyn before attempting the commission.
• Two zombie-like men abducted Emlyn from the church, while a hooded man carried him away and Father Utravsky pursued them.
• Father Utravsky fought Miss Sharron after she briefly immobilized him, while Edward confronted the man carrying Emlyn and recognized him as Maric.
• Edward used spells to distract Maric, rescued Emlyn, and vanished with him as Emlyn shouted that the fight was a misunderstanding.

Edward’s mistaken identity led Sharron and Maric to rescue Emlyn, but their visit also allowed Sharron to help Father Utravsky eliminate his evil personality. Edward received the Mental Terror Candle, heard from Azik that he would need to wait a few days, and began the next morning by welcoming Klein and Dunn to his home.

• Edward revealed his identity to Sharron and Maric, and Emlyn angrily complained that he had been mistaken for Edward and rescued from the church.
• Sharron offered to help Father Utravsky eliminate his evil personality through possession, and the priest agreed without resistance.
• Sharron completed the possession, Father Utravsky thanked Edward and gave him the Mental Terror Candle, and Emlyn was left to clean up the church.
• Azik’s messenger delivered a letter saying Azik needed a few more days to finish business concerning Priscilla’s future.
• The next morning, Edward read about the upcoming Roselle exhibition and received Klein and Dunn, whom he invited to celebrate with a hug.

Edward reunited with Dunn and Klein, who weighed whether to return to life as the threat from Ince Zangwill remained. In Backlund, Audrey agreed to meet Princess Helena about mysticism and joined Edward in his suitcase to discuss something.

• Edward, Dunn, and Klein thanked each other for surviving the Lanevus incident, and Dunn said he might prefer to remain dead because he was tired of his old life.
• Edward suggested Dunn ask Daly for her opinion, and he warned Dunn and Klein that Ince Zangwill could still be a threat.
• Lilith spotted Zimang Party members watching Klein’s building, and Klein told Edward about the assassination attempt by Meursault and the Intis ambassador.
• Edward recommended that Klein find Maric through Kaspars at the Bravehearts Bar, while Dunn said he would probably visit Daly.
• Viscount Glaint told Audrey that Princess Helena wanted to meet about mysticism and missing maids, and Audrey agreed to go with him the next day.
• Audrey entered Edward’s suitcase, where she and Edward said they each had something to discuss.

Edward used the Mental Terror Candle to explore Audrey’s consciousness and search for signs of Salazar Slytherin, but found nothing unusual. He left Audrey resolved to inspect herself after advancing, and teased her about how adorable she had been as a child.

• Audrey told Edward that Princess Helena wanted to meet her and shared her suspicions about Glaint, so they agreed to investigate at a salon while avoiding Prince Edessak and the Demoness.
• Edward explained that he wanted to use the Mental Terror Candle to check whether Salazar Slytherin still existed, and Audrey agreed despite worrying about the risks.
• Edward entered Audrey’s memories and witnessed scenes from her childhood and youth, including her first meeting with him, but found no sign of Slytherin.
• Edward returned to the room and told Audrey he had found nothing, while Audrey said she would examine herself after advancing to Psychiatrist and pray to Mr. Fool if anything seemed wrong.
• Edward told Audrey she had been adorable as a child, and she stared at him without replying.

Edward destroyed the Zimang Party after its members tried to attack his home, then returned with the gang boss’s money and records. He ended the night by persuading Lilith to start learning to read.

• Lilith subdued the Zimang Party members who broke into Edward’s home, and Edward used divination to decide to target the gang’s boss.
• Edward infiltrated the Zimang Party’s neighborhood and used Imperius Curses to spark a violent gang-wide fight.
• Edward entered the boss’s villa, killed the surviving boss with spells, and took more than four thousand pounds along with the gang’s ledgers and letters.
• Edward returned home, where Lilith celebrated frightening him and played with the gold coins.
• Edward persuaded Lilith to begin reading lessons, and she happily agreed.

Edward recovered a page from Roselle's Notes before a mysterious princess reclaimed them, while Mr. A recovered from his injuries by consuming gangsters. The next day, Edward and Audrey attended Viscount Glaint's salon, where Audrey met Helena to discuss special topics in private.

• A chestnut-haired princess reclaimed Roselle's Notes from Edward and vanished after wishing him sweet dreams.
• Highlanders searching the Zimang Party's villa were swallowed by a mass of flesh, which transformed into the recovering Mr. A.
• Edward learned from the newspaper that the Aurora Order had claimed responsibility for the Zimang Party's destruction and planned to attend an Extraordinary Gathering.
• Edward disguised himself as Annie and accompanied Audrey to Viscount Glaint's salon, where his pendulum detected a small degree of danger.
• Audrey reunited with Helena, who chose to discuss their special topics in the salon rather than move to a private room.

Edward recognized Trissy at the salon and learned that she believed someone was manipulating her life and that people were disappearing from Prince Edessak’s manor. Fearing that Annie would be targeted after meeting Trissy, Edward bound Prince Edessak and fled with Trissy.

• Helena told Audrey that eleven people had disappeared from Prince Edessak’s manor and asked for help investigating Trissy.
• Prince Edessak arrived at the salon with Trissy, and he asked Audrey’s maid Annie to accompany her to the washroom.
• Trissy identified Edward as a man who knew who she was and offered him a reward for contacting her companion to help her escape.
• Trissy explained that she felt her personality and desires were being changed and said most missing manor workers had not been involved with her.
• After Trissy left the washroom, Edward feared Annie would disappear and used Vera Verto to bind Prince Edessak before escaping with Trissy.

Edward deliberately exposed his disguise during an attempted abduction of Trissy, who was captured again, and the salon was called off. Audrey offered Glaint a cover story for the incident and later heard Edward explain why he had acted.

• Edward refused to take Trissy away, disappeared, and left her to be restrained by Edessak's guards.
• Edessak's men found the unconscious Annie and concluded that someone had impersonated her to abduct Trissy.
• Helena asked Audrey to investigate Trissy, while Audrey watched Helena leave and promised to think about it.
• Audrey told Glaint that the abduction had been an experiment and warned him to keep quiet about anything he knew.
• Audrey returned to her carriage, where Annie questioned why she kept getting knocked unconscious.
• That evening, Audrey learned Edward had exposed his disguise because he feared Trissy might harm Annie.

Edward confronted Danitz when the pirate broke into his home, then captured him and questioned why he had returned. Edwina arrived, apologized for Danitz, and offered compensation, leaving Edward to ask what she really wanted from him.

• Audrey told Edward that Helena offered thirty thousand pounds to help drive Trissy out, and Edward warned Audrey not to take risks or meet Helena again.
• Danitz used a compass to find Edward and threatened him, but Edward disarmed and bound him after Danitz's revolver jammed.
• Edward questioned Danitz about whether he had come alone, and Danitz denied that Edwina was nearby.
• Edwina entered Edward's home, apologized for Danitz's actions, and offered to compensate Edward tenfold or let him punish Danitz as he wished.
• Edward asked Edwina what she wanted, and she told Danitz to go outside.

Edwina investigated whether Edward was her missing cousin, then agreed to lend him Groselle's Travels and help him find a guide for his sea voyage. She handed Danitz over to Edward, who brought him to Harvest Church to seek redemption, where Bishop Utravsky asked if Danitz was to stay like Emlyn.

• Edwina showed Edward a picture and explained that a missing younger male cousin might be the person in it, but Edward said he was sure he was not her cousin.
• Edward asked to borrow Groselle's Travels and requested help finding a guide for his planned sea voyage, and Edwina agreed to both requests.
• Edwina told Danitz she had agreed to let Edward deal with him as he pleased, and Edward offered to take him somewhere to cultivate himself.
• Edward led Danitz in chains to Harvest Church, where he found Bishop Utravsky praying and Emlyn asleep.
• Edward explained that Danitz was a pirate who probably had not done anything bad, and Bishop Utravsky asked if Edward wanted to leave him there for redemption like Emlyn.

Edward moved to the East Borough with Lilith, then took Audrey on a walk through Backlund’s poorer districts, where she saw the hardship ordinary people endured. On a public carriage, an unfamiliar woman paid Edward one hundred pounds for his explanation of a story.

• Edward left Danitz at the Harvest Church with Emlyn and Father, then moved with Lilith from 88 Minsk Street to an inn in the East Borough.
• Audrey climbed out of the Leather Pouch, heard why Edward had moved, and joined him for a stroll through the East Borough.
• Edward and Audrey rode a public carriage toward the Harbor Borough, where Audrey witnessed poverty, pollution, and indifference to suffering.
• Edward told Audrey that the upper classes knew about the poor but often chose to ignore their conditions.
• An unfamiliar woman asked Edward about the story behind “covering your ears while stealing a bell,” then handed him one hundred pounds as payment.

After Audrey considered starting a charitable fund, Edward received a message from Christine promising what he wanted: the subsequent potion formulas for the Apprentice Pathway. He learned that Black Bird sought phoenix feathers to evolve, then headed to Christine’s address in Backlund with his notebook.

• Audrey asked Edward about setting up a Charitable Fund, and he encouraged her to do what she wanted as long as it was safe.
• Black Bird delivered a letter and told Edward that phoenix feathers contained energy that could make it evolve.
• Edward received Christine’s message asking him to bring the notebook to her in Backlund, and he arranged for Black Bird to wait for replies between deliveries in exchange for more feathers.
• Christine replied with her address at the Carpensa Hotel, and Edward prepared to go there with Lilith.

Edward returned Christine’s notebook to Lawrence Nord and learned that Christine had died five years earlier, though she had returned without memories of her death. He signed a contract promising to investigate what happened to her, leaving him bound to uncover the mystery and help keep her safe.

• Edward visited Christine at the Kalpensa Inn and followed her to meet Lawrence Nord, who returned the notebook and asked her to leave them alone.
• Lawrence told Edward that Christine had died five years earlier, though he had attended her funeral and ruled out several explanations for her return.
• Lawrence explained that Christine had fragmented memories and wanted to find the Family Treasure and avenge her parents, who had been murdered by a family traitor.
• Lawrence offered Edward the Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 formulas in exchange for a promise to investigate Christine’s past, with a signed Contract binding the agreement.
• Edward signed the Contract, which turned to ash, committing him to keep the matter in mind and potentially seek the truth through Christine.

Edward obtained the Scribe and Traveler potion formulas from Lawrence and began seeking ingredients, while Christine revealed that the Abraham Family book's missing key might be overseas. At the Bravehearts Bar, Edward asked Maric for help finding ingredients and met the woman who had paid him for stories, ending with an offer to contact her with more tales.

• Lawrence gave Edward the Scribe and Traveler formulas, and Edward burned the paper after memorizing them.
• Christine told Edward she had taken the golden book from Lanevus and believed its key was not on the mainland, so Edward asked her to return once she had solved the mystery.
• Edward prayed to Mr. Fool to pass his request for potion ingredients to Mr. Hanged Man and Mr. Sun, and Alger and Derrick received it.
• Edward asked Maric to find some Scribe potion ingredients, and Maric agreed to help in exchange for canceling his and Sharron's commission.
• Edward met the woman who had paid him for a story, told her the tale of a man pretending to play the yu, and offered to send her future stories directly.

Edward attended the Eye of Wisdom’s gathering, sold a storage wallet for eight thousand pounds, and asked Isengard Stanton about finding a Polymath Beyonder Characteristic. He returned to the hotel wealthy and found Lilith waiting after her day of catching rats.

• Edward attended the Extraordinary Gathering and heard the Fat Apothecary hire Black Snake to clear beasts from the Backlund Bridge sewers.
• Edward offered his Storage Beyonder Item for sale, and the Eye of Wisdom agreed to buy a small one for eight thousand pounds.
• After the gathering, Edward demonstrated the wallet to Isengard Stanton and sold it to him for eight thousand pounds.
• Edward asked Isengard about obtaining a Polymath Beyonder Characteristic, but Isengard said he was searching for one himself.
• Edward Apparated back to the hotel and gave Lilith a dried fish while she told him she had caught rats.

Edward searched for the ingredients needed to advance to Scribe while preparing to leave Backlund for the sea. After Azik arrived and recommended Bayam as a place to begin his pirate-hunting career, Edward agreed to go there with him and another companion.

• Edward considered asking Lawrence for an Asman's Brain and buying the ingredients for Scribe, while worrying about the Sanguine-owned castle that might contain an Ancient Wraith.
• Trissy escaped prison and entered the sewers to retrieve a lock of hair, but she encountered a pair of scarlet eyes and fled.
• Lilith brought home a rat, and Edward suspected it might be a Marauder Half-God before confirming it was ordinary and destroying it.
• Azik arrived, explained that Priscilla had become a Beyonder, and thanked Edward for helping Klein.
• Azik recommended Bayam for Edward's first voyage, and Edward agreed to go after saying another person would join them.

Edward, using the name Gehrman Sparrow, arrived in Bayam with Danitz and Lilith, learned about the city’s factions and pirate trade, and decided to build a fleet by taking a ship and replacing a Pirate Admiral. He brought Danitz to a pirate tavern to begin, with Danitz reluctantly following after Edward reminded him of his bounty.

• Azik examined the stark white bone, identified it as a dangerous Death Pathway Mystical Item, and took it to study and improve.
• Edward told Danitz that Azik was a Grounded Angel, then renamed Danitz Fire Fist Ace and said he had temporarily joined Edward’s fleet.
• Danitz introduced Edward to Bayam’s factions, including the Church of Storms, the Loen Military, the Resistance Army, pirates, and the native population.
• Edward decided to attract major pirates, seize a ship, and replace a Pirate Admiral; when Danitz tried to leave, Edward pointed out Danitz’s three-thousand-pound bounty.
• Danitz led Edward and Lilith into the Old Gurgich Tavern, a pirate service point in Bayam.

Edward seized the Iron Hook and killed the pirates he judged to be serious criminals, leaving a small crew to serve his planned fleet. He learned that Iron Hook John had recently been transporting supplies for an unnamed powerful figure.

• Edward forced One-Eyed Kedge to take him and Danitz to the Iron Hook, anchored off Bayam.
• Edward bound the pirates aboard the ship and transformed Iron Hook John into a dog as he tried to flee.
• Edward questioned the pirates and used Legilimency to judge their crimes, killing sixteen and sparing seven men, including Kedge.
• Edward learned that John had been transporting supplies for an important figure, then turned John into a dog and caged him.
• Edward handed Danitz his revolver and prepared to use the Iron Hook and its surviving crew for his fleet.

Edward recruited pirates for a planned treasure hunt while preparing to become a famous Pirate Hunter, and he brought Audrey to Bayam to discuss his Mental Patient acting. The chapter ended with Edward explaining that Loen tolerated Bayam’s pirates because suppressing them would cost more than the gains.

• Edward burned Mangy Dog’s body and ordered Ketch to recruit pirates, promising them a share of the spoils and fifty pounds for joining.
• Edward and Danitz Apparated back to Bayam, where Danitz learned that Lilith could speak and heard Edward’s plan to become a well-known Pirate Hunter.
• Edward sent Danitz out, brought Audrey to their inn room, and explained that he had begun acting as a Mental Patient by combining the genius and lunatic roles.
• Edward and Audrey toured Bayam, saw pirates, impoverished locals, and domineering Loen gentlemen, and discussed why Loen did not eliminate the pirates.
• Edward told Audrey to focus on her charitable fund in Backlund rather than trying to save everyone in Bayam.