Recaps

Calvin led the Bloodhand Gang to ambush Cyril, but Cyril had prepared a trap and his men surrounded them. Lorry watched from hiding as the police intervened, then Cyril emerged with the Wanderers Mutual Aid Association.

• Calvin's men broke into a room they believed held Cyril and shot two men, but found no one inside.
• Cyril appeared from Room 603 and revealed that his gang had ambushed the Bloodhand Gang.
• Calvin led his men into Room 604 and ordered them to hold the doorway while someone summoned Chief Ward.
• Lorry watched from an alley as the police arrived and took Calvin, Iris, and other Bloodhand Gang members away before letting them leave.
• Cyril emerged from Apartment Building 3 with several dozen people from the Wanderers Mutual Aid Association.

Lorry tracked Cyril to a house at 39 Kingster Street and watched it while preparing to take revenge. After obtaining anesthetic at a Beyonder gathering, he saw Cyril return and began pumping the gas into the house.

• Cyril ordered Ben to keep watch on Calvin and his men, assigned Ban to handle the aftermath, and headed back to Cherwood Borough.
• Lorry followed Cyril to 39 Kingster Street, then rented a nearby room and planned to study the house before acting.
• Lorry spotted a coded notice for a gathering and decided to attend to obtain anesthetic for his plan.
• Lorry watched Cyril leave the house with his bodyguards and noticed three women there, then attended the Eye of Wisdom gathering and received four doses of anesthetic from the Fat Apothecary.
• Near midnight, Lorry saw Cyril and his men return to 39 Kingster Street and decided to act, pumping gaseous anesthetic through a tube inserted beneath the front door.

Lorry broke into Cyril’s home, incapacitated the household, and confronted Cyril after breaking his limbs. When Lorry revealed his face, Cyril recognized him and reacted with surprise that he had dared to come to Backlund.

• Lorry waited for the Hypnotic Gas to dissipate, entered Cyril’s house through an open window, and used liquid potion to put the bodyguards, maids, and Cyril’s woman to sleep.
• Lorry performed the Soundproofing ritual, dragged Cyril’s woman into a washroom, and prepared to confront Cyril.
• Cyril woke in pain with all four limbs broken and called for help, while Lorry told him nobody could hear his screams.
• Cyril pleaded with Lorry to spare him and offered to pay, but Lorry removed his False Face to reveal his identity.
• Cyril recognized Lorry and exclaimed that he had dared to come to Backlund, prompting Lorry to ask what he meant.

Lorry tortured Cyril for information and learned that Baron Percival had supplied the blue-black liquid and ordered the hunt for him. The revelations tied the baron to the Marauder potion and the death of the kind old man, and Lorry ended by asking where Cyril hid his money.

• Lorry cut Cyril and used healing medicine to keep him alive while interrogating him.
• Cyril revealed that he served Baron Percival, who had promised to make him a lord.
• Cyril said the baron had ordered him to expand the Pickpocket Organization, give a pickpocket the blue-black liquid, and bring Lorry back after Old Jack reported his disappearance.
• Cyril explained that the baron sent Glowa after Lorry with a supernatural treasure, and later warned Cyril that Lorry might come to Backlund.
• Lorry connected Baron Percival to the Bird's Beak, the Marauder potion, and the pursuit that led to the old man's death.
• Lorry revealed that he knew about Cyril's trap at 3 Neeson Street and asked where Cyril hid his money.

Lorry captured Cyril, extracted information about his hidden money, and drowned him while unconscious to avoid suspicion. With his revenge against Cyril complete for now, Lorry planned to investigate Baron Percival and deal with Old Jack, then found Miles waiting outside his door.

• Cyril offered Lorry his wealth in exchange for his life, then revealed the location of his anonymous bank account and the passphrase for his hidden funds.
• Lorry anesthetized Cyril, disguised himself as him with False Face, and sent Cyril's bodyguards to Sanson Bar.
• Lorry hid Cyril in a suitcase, left the house through a window, and drowned him while he was unconscious beside the Tussock River.
• Lorry considered how the disappearance might avoid attracting the Mandated Punishers and planned to investigate Baron Percival, gather the Marauder formula and ingredients, and deal with Old Jack.
• Lorry arrived at Iris Street and found his neighbor and sublessor, Miles, crouching outside his door.

Lorry learned that Young Roselle had become a hit, earning him a promising income, and used the proceeds from his manuscript and Cyril’s account to grow his savings. After failing to find the Marauder Potion formula at Mr. A’s gathering, he met the woman he had traded with before.

• Miles told Lorry that Young Roselle had sold so well that the underground publisher wanted more, and estimated Lorry would earn at least five pounds.
• Miles invited Lorry to an industry salon next month, while Lorry decided to prioritize advancing his Sequence and pursuing his revenge.
• Lorry found three hundred pounds in Cyril’s anonymous account, transferred it to his own account, and raised his savings to 530 pounds.
• Lorry attended Mr. A’s gathering to search for the Marauder Potion formula and asked the waiter to summon the woman who had traded with him before.
• The gathering ended without anyone offering the formula, and the woman entered the small room where Lorry was waiting.

Lorry asked Xio to investigate Baron Percival, then practiced Spirit Vision and went shooting at the Sugar Shooting Club. The chapter left him sending a paper to Inspector Gana through a newsboy at the police station.

• Lorry asked Xio to investigate Baron Percival and gave her his rented address for the results.
• Xio and Fors decided to ask Audrey for information about Baron Percival while Xio continued helping Audrey find Qilingus.
• Lorry studied the Eye of Wisdom gentleman’s notebook, learned to activate Spirit Vision, and anchored it to a finger gesture before stopping when his spirituality ran low.
• After sleeping, Lorry mailed the latest Young Roselle manuscript and practiced shooting at the Sugar Shooting Club.
• Lorry paid a newsboy to deliver a paper to Inspector Gana at the police station.

Lorry confronted Sergeant Gana at his home to learn why he had become wanted after the Koyar Village case. Gana explained that powerful people had intervened, but he did not know who was responsible, and he doubted Baron Percival was involved because the police chief supported the New Party.

• Lorry followed Sergeant Gana home and threatened him with a dagger so they could speak privately.
• Lorry revealed his identity and admitted he had caused gang boss Cyril’s disappearance because Cyril had sent Glowa to Koyar Village.
• Gana said the Koyar Village killings had been classified as a gang clash, leaving Lorry as the sole survivor and wanted suspect.
• Gana explained that he had protested the case’s handling but the chief had threatened his position, so he had chosen not to report Lorry.
• Lorry asked whether Baron Percival had interfered, and Gana said he did not know who was responsible and thought the baron unlikely because the chief backed the New Party.

Lorry investigated Baron Percival and learned more about Perry and his son from Inspector Gana, then grew suspicious that Percival had discovered the surveillance. After killing Old Jack outside the city, Lorry was confronted by a stranger who suggested that he might have been the prey all along.

• Lorry learned that his former partner was named Perry and that Perry’s son, Little Perry, had died in a local armed conflict.
• Lorry attended a Beyonder gathering but found no leads on the Marauder potion, then received the buyer’s report on Baron Percival’s movements.
• Suspecting the buyer had been spotted and that Percival was laying a trap, Lorry warned her to stop investigating and left Backlund.
• Lorry tracked Old Jack outside the city and killed him with his Serrated Dagger.
• A stranger dropped from a tree, praised Lorry’s patience and ruthlessness, and asked whether he had been the Hunter or the prey.

Lorry was captured by a Sequence 8 Provoker after killing Cyril and trying to track Baron Percival. Baron Percival offered to forgive him and provide further potion formulas if he retrieved something for him.

• Lorry shot at the man in black and fled, but the Hunter pursued him and explained that he had been watching the old man to lure Lorry into a trap.
• The Provoker baited Lorry into fighting, disarmed him, and forced him to surrender his revolver and Serrated Dagger.
• The man in black told Lorry that Baron Percival wanted to see him because he had killed Cyril and sent a bounty hunter to follow the baron.
• The Provoker and two bodyguards bound Lorry, took him by carriage to the baron's estate, and brought him before Baron Percival.
• Baron Percival offered to forgive Lorry and provide further potion formulas if he used his Beyonder power to retrieve something for him.

Lorry negotiated with Baron Percival for a complete Marauder potion, offering to complete the baron’s task in exchange. Percival agreed to provide the potion the next morning and had Lorry escorted to a guest room.

• Baron Percival explained that he had recovered verified Marauder and Swindler potion formulas from a dead Beyonder’s diary after Lorry’s failed advancement.
• Percival reminded Lorry that he had killed one of his subordinates and secretly followed a baron, then offered him the Swindler formula as a reward for completing a task.
• Lorry revealed that his Sequence abilities were incomplete and bargained for Percival to help him become a true Marauder.
• Percival warned that drinking another potion could cause Lorry to lose control, but Lorry accepted the risk and agreed to undertake the task.
• Percival agreed to send Lorry a complete Marauder potion the next morning and ordered his bodyguards to take him to a guest room.
• After Lorry left, the man in black hunting attire asked Percival whether he truly intended to give him the potion.

Baron Percival prepared to use Lorry’s Marauder advancement for his family’s return to power, while Lorry waited under guard and reflected on how he had been caught. Lorry drank the potion, and as disturbing symptoms appeared, Saul called for the guards to prepare for an anomaly.

• Baron Percival told Saul to ambush Lorry in case the advancement failed and to find escaped pickpockets as backup potion candidates.
• Lorry lay confined in the manor, realizing Baron Percival had anticipated his revenge and resolving to endure the advancement before seeking a way to escape.
• Saul brought Lorry the Marauder potion and told him he could refuse it.
• Lorry drank the potion and began shivering as buzzing filled his ears and painful lumps appeared beneath his skin.
• Saul saw Lorry’s abnormal symptoms and called for the guards to prepare to handle an anomaly.

Lorry survived his dangerous advancement and became a Marauder with unusually powerful observation, then met Baron Percival to learn the mission awaiting him. The baron ordered him to steal documents from Duke Negan’s study.

• Lorry endured the whispers, pain, and abnormal growths until his advancement succeeded, becoming a Marauder.
• Lorry discovered that his abilities had improved and that his Exceptional Observation reached nearly twenty meters.
• Saul escorted Lorry from confinement to Baron Percival’s banquet hall under heavy guard.
• Baron Percival congratulated Lorry and dismissed the servants before revealing the mission.
• Baron Percival told Lorry to sneak into Duke Negan’s study and steal several documents.

Baron Percival forced Lorry to agree to steal three political documents from Duke Negan’s study during a ball, then poisoned him to ensure his cooperation. Days later, Lorry infiltrated the duke’s mansion as a footman and began looking for a chance to slip away.

• Lorry recognized Duke Negan as a powerful and heavily guarded noble, but agreed to Baron Percival’s plan after Sol’s threat made refusal dangerous.
• Baron Percival named the three documents he wanted and promised Lorry the Swindler potion formula, money, and an antidote after the job.
• Baron Percival made Lorry drink a poison that would take effect in seven days, then left him confined until the plan began.
• At Duke Negan’s ball in Backlund’s Empress Borough, Lorry mingled with the footmen and discreetly surveyed the banquet hall.
• When the head footman approached, Lorry pretended he had stomach trouble, and the man told him to wait until he could leave without disturbing the guests.

Lorry used a bathroom break to sneak into Duke Negan’s garden and search for a route to the study, where he hoped to steal three documents for Baron Percival. He slipped past the guards with the Shadow Ring but spotted a golden-haired dog in the darkness.

• Lorry left the servants’ line on the pretext of using the washroom, then reviewed the duke’s security and planned a route to the study.
• Audrey Hall spoke with Baron Gramir at the ball and noticed that he seemed different from usual.
• Lorry found the garden entrance guarded by two armed men and decided to use the Shadow Ring instead of forcing his way in or climbing the high wall.
• Lorry put on the Shadow Ring, resisted its incitement to attack Baron Percival, and merged into the shadows to pass the guards.
• After entering the garden, Lorry prepared to remove the ring but noticed a large golden-haired dog nearby.

Lorry used the Shadow Ring to slip into Duke Negan’s study during the chaos caused by Qilingus’s death and stole three political documents. He escaped with a first acting principle for a Marauder, while Susie told Audrey about the frightening man she had encountered in the garden.

• Lorry realized the golden retriever in the garden might be Susie, Audrey’s pet, and escaped the guards using the Shadow Ring.
• Lorry reached Duke Negan’s study and waited while the two Beyonder guards investigated a disturbance at the banquet hall.
• Susie found Audrey and warned her that a dangerous power had frightened her in the garden.
• Lorry searched Duke Negan’s desk, found documents on election property restrictions, government personnel reform, and workers’ wages, and took them.
• Lorry escaped through a window after Qilingus’s death drew attention elsewhere, and he worked out his first acting principle for a Marauder.

Lorry reflected on how timing and outside help had enabled him to steal from Duke Negan’s residence and substantially digest his Marauder potion. After leaving the residence, he went to Sanson Bar to seek the formula, money, and antidote Saul had promised.

• Lorry concluded that the difficulty of a theft might determine how much his Marauder potion was digested, but decided to test the idea later.
• Baron Percival hoped Lorry had stolen three documents and planned to kill him after obtaining them.
• Baron Percival left the ball with Baron Ruth after Vice Admiral Hurricane’s assassination attempt disrupted the event.
• Lorry collected his wages, left the ducal residence, and continued by carriage to Sanson Bar.
• Lorry paid a homeless man to take a note to Saul in an alley and promised him more money when he returned.

Saul tracked Lorry to an East Borough rendezvous, intending to seize the goods and kill him, while using Sunfire to counter Lorry’s Shadow Ring. Lorry refused Saul’s fake antidote and hinted that Saul had become prey to another hunter.

• Saul waited near the Sanson Bar for the documents, then received Lorry’s demand for the antidote and an address in the East Borough.
• Saul dismissed the armed men he had gathered and followed the scent on Lorry’s note, tracking him through the streets.
• Saul caught sight of Lorry and confronted him, asking why he had not used the Shadow Ring.
• Saul threw Lorry a porcelain bottle that contained no antidote, but Lorry dodged it rather than risk trusting Saul.
• Lorry said the outcome was uncertain and asked whether Baron Percival had taught Saul that hunters could become prey to other hunters.

Lorry and a hidden Arbiter trapped Saul and uncovered Baron Percival’s plans to poison Duke Negan. Saul was taken into custody, while Lorry learned he would have to go with the Arbiter and wait to discover why he could not simply leave.

• Saul used Sunfire, revealing the man in the black trench coat wearing the Shadow Ring beside Lorry.
• The Arbiter stopped Saul from fleeing or attacking, while Lorry explained that he had lured Saul away from his home turf and told Duke Negan about Baron Percival’s plans.
• The Arbiter confirmed Saul had served Baron Percival and prevented him from committing suicide, leaving Saul to surrender.
• Lorry recovered his Serrated Dagger, and the Arbiter said they would wait for the police to take Saul to MI9.
• The Arbiter told Lorry he would come along and hinted that he could not simply leave as dark figures approached.

Lorry helped MI9 capture Saul and was brought to its headquarters, where he waited for Duke Negan. After Baron Percival prepared to face MI9 investigators and Duke Negan offered Lorry a reward, Lorry refused a job at the duke’s residence, leaving the man in the black trench coat ready to discuss how MI9 would handle him.

• The man in the black trench coat identified himself as MI9 and took Saul to the agency’s headquarters, bringing Lorry along.
• The man ordered officers’ memories dealt with and had Saul’s capture reported to Duke Negan, then told Lorry to wait with him.
• Baron Percival learned that Duke Negan’s butler and MI9 investigators had arrived, gave his old butler authorization to manage a vineyard, and inspected his family’s old armor and weapons.
• Duke Negan told Lorry that Baron Percival had instigated the theft, confessed in a suicide note, and that Lorry would be cured of his poisoning and receive the Mystical Item recovered from Saul.
• Lorry declined Duke Negan’s offer to work at his residence, and the man in the black trench coat began questioning how MI9 should handle an unaffiliated Marauder.

Lorry agreed to become an unofficial MI9 informant under Vera and received a rescue badge and Duke Negan’s reward, Sunfire. Vera began dealing with the poison in Lorry’s body, and Lorry later woke in an unfamiliar room on an unfamiliar street.

• Vera offered Lorry a place as an MI9 informant and explained that he could earn rewards, including Marauder pathway formulas seized from the Percival Family.
• Lorry accepted, and Vera named himself Lorry’s direct superior and laid out the rules for his confidential informant role.
• Vera gave Lorry a single-use badge to summon help and Duke Negan’s pendant, Sunfire.
• Vera used a gold pocket watch to make Lorry drowsy while preparing to deal with the poison in his body.
• Lorry woke in an unfamiliar room, looked outside, and found himself on an unfamiliar street.

After discovering that MI9 had hypnotically obscured parts of his memory, Lorry rested, checked his belongings, and returned to Iris Street, where Miles took him to a writers' salon hosted by Altair. The chapter ended as Lorry and Miles encountered a young woman arriving at the salon.

• Lorry realized that a hidden Spectator Pathway Beyonder had likely used hypnosis to conceal memories of his MI9 visit and detoxification.
• Lorry slept through most of the day, inspected Sunfire's instructions, and learned that the pendant had to remain in contact with gold.
• Miles met Lorry outside his home and hurried him to an industry gathering in Empress Borough.
• Miles told Lorry that the salon's host, Altair, had written the popular novel The Earl's Revenge.
• At a T-junction near the villa, Lorry and Miles stopped for an approaching carriage, and a young woman in a pale yellow dress stepped out.

Lorry attended Altair’s literary salon with Miles and encountered bestselling author Fors, while Fors noticed Lorry and learned that he wrote Young Roselle. The chapter left Fors interested in the connection between Lorry’s work and Audrey’s collecting of Emperor Roselle’s notes.

• Fors arrived at the salon, and Miles excitedly told Lorry that she was the author of Stormy Mountain Villa.
• Miles mistook Lorry’s surprise at seeing Fors for romantic interest and warned him about her standards for choosing a partner.
• Miles explained the salon’s self-service setup, then left Lorry to introduce himself to other writers and publishers.
• Fors praised Altair’s wine and asked about Lorry, whom Altair identified as the author of Young Roselle.
• Fors remembered that Audrey had been collecting Emperor Roselle’s notes and formed an idea.

At a literary salon, Lorry met Fors, negotiated to sell pages of Roselle’s Notes to her friend, and secured a trial publication for Young Roselle. On the carriage ride home, Miles warned him to stay away from the successful writer Alyosha.

• Fors approached Lorry and praised Young Roselle before asking to sit with him.
• Fors asked Lorry to sell five pages of Roselle’s Notes to her friend, and he named a price of fifty pounds; he gave her his address so she could respond within three days.
• Miles introduced Lorry to other writers, and a deputy editor-in-chief agreed to publish a thousand copies of Young Roselle as a trial run.
• On the ride home, Lorry noticed Miles seemed troubled and recalled that he had avoided Alyosha throughout the salon.
• Miles warned Lorry to stay away from Alyosha or he would come to grief.

After Miles told Lorry that Alyosha had plagiarized his and Lab’s detective novels, Lorry resolved to clear Miles’s name. The next day, Lorry received a letter saying Inspector Gana’s precinct chief had died during a gang operation.

• Miles told Lorry that Alyosha had stolen the plots of his and Lab’s manuscripts, then won the resulting lawsuits because they lacked evidence.
• Miles warned Lorry to keep his manuscripts away from Alyosha, and Lorry said he believed Miles.
• Lorry decided to find a way to clear Miles’s name rather than simply compensate him.
• Lorry selected a burial plot for the old man from Koyar Village, then checked his mailbox for Gana’s message.
• Lorry read that Inspector Gana’s precinct chief had died while leading an operation against a gang.