Chapter Summaries

Fors asked the Tarot Club to avenge the Gentleman Thief Black Emperor, whom she believed had been killed, and offered a huge reward. Klein's divination revealed the man was alive and connected him to the theft at Capim's safe, while Audrey began suspecting Raven was Black Emperor.

• Fors said the Gentleman Thief Black Emperor was dead and offered cash, debts, Beyonder formulas, materials, and a Spirit World travel artifact for revenge.
• Alger and Audrey calculated the value of Fors's reward, while Derrick silently prayed for her.
• Klein divined the events at Capim's safe and saw a handsome man take the loot and say, “You get the nickname, I get the pounds.”
• Klein's coin divination indicated that the Gentleman Thief Black Emperor was still alive, and he told the Tarot Club that revenge was unnecessary unless the man was dead.
• Fors asked why the newspapers reported his death, and Audrey suspected Raven was the Gentleman Thief Black Emperor.
• Alger asked Fors whether she knew the Gentleman Thief Black Emperor in the real world.

At a Tarot Club gathering, Fors asked Mr. Fool whether her friend could join, but Klein’s divination suggested the man might bring negative changes, so he left the choice to the friend himself. Fors later told Xio that he was probably alive, just before an unexpected visitor appeared at their door.

• Audrey teased Fors about her friend, and Fors asked Mr. Fool whether he could join the Tarot Club.
• Klein divined that the man bore no ill will but might bring negative changes, so he told Fors to ask the man whether he wanted to join.
• The World revealed that more than one person had appeared at Capim Villa and asked Fors whether the man still wanted him to use the nickname “Gentleman Thief.”
• At the Posner Face Mask Factory, Lorry’s Anti-Divination Charm burned to ash after the White Bone Ring asked whether he would say goodbye to the girl who cared about him.
• Fors returned to her and Xio’s residence and said the man should still be alive; then Xio answered a knock and returned to the living room looking dazed.

A talking black dog named Albert delivered gifts from his owner, Lorry, to Fors and promised to protect her in Backlund. Suspecting Lorry might still be nearby, Fors used the Shadow Ring to sneak outside and search the street.

• Albert introduced himself to Fors and Xio, explained that Lorry had sent him to protect Fors, and said his owner had sailed for the Southern Continent.
• Albert gave Fors a twenty-percent stake in the Posner Face Mask Factory, the Shadow Ring, and an Ancient Hermes incantation for summoning a Messenger.
• Xio noticed Albert repeatedly looking toward the living room window and suggested that Lorry might not have left.
• Fors put on the Shadow Ring and went to the washroom, while Xio lunged at Albert to test him.
• Fors stepped through an illusory door, concealed herself in the shadows, and spotted a figure across the street.

Lorry reunited with Fors and explained that he had stayed away to protect her from the dangers around him, then prepared and drank the Mystery Pryer potion. The chapter ended as the potion’s knowledge overwhelmed him with pain and disturbing hallucinations.

• Fors confronted Lorry about hiding that he was alive, and he explained that Altair had stayed in Backlund, killed his superior, and was later killed by Lorry.
• Lorry admitted he had worried Fors would be harmed and had sent Albert and the Shadow Ring to keep her safe, then agreed to visit her home.
• Fors told Lorry that Xio had willingly helped her and that Dorian had invited her to visit a grave; they entered the house and found Albert and the dog exhausted amid the mess.
• That night, Lorry assembled the ingredients and successfully brewed the Mystery Pryer potion.
• Lorry drank the potion, and obscure knowledge flooded his mind as he writhed in pain and hallucinated surgeons examining him.

After advancing to Mystery Pryer, Lorry recovered from a frightening encounter and examined his new abilities. He discovered that the Book of Dimensions protected him from Amon’s influence and chose mystical investigations and archaeology as possible ways to digest his potion before heading to Ms. Beyoncé’s residence.

• Lorry endured pain and heard a voice say, “I see you,” then wondered whether Amon had targeted him with the Uniqueness.
• Lorry examined his Mystery Pryer abilities, including stronger mysticism knowledge, spiritual intuition, and deciphering.
• Lorry realized that the Book of Dimensions let Exceptional Observation reveal minute clues and that its dimensional space shielded him from Amon’s influence.
• Lorry concluded that he had digested a third of his potion by deciphering these mysteries and considered investigating supernatural incidents, exploring ruins, and interpreting dreams to continue acting.
• Lorry favored investigations and archaeology, then used Teleportation to reach 81 New Year Road, Ms. Beyoncé’s residence and the Lieutenant Colonel’s final assignment.

Lorry entered Beyoncé’s home intending to hypnotize her into forgetting the lieutenant colonel, but changed his mind after hearing her grieve and arranged for a harmless wraith to frighten her instead. Leonard investigated the haunting and declared the home safe, then noticed Lorry across the street as the aged voice in his mind called him filthy.

• Lorry debated with the Curse of Knowledge whether Beyoncé should be made to forget the lieutenant colonel, then entered her home in secret.
• After hearing Beyoncé lament the lieutenant colonel in her sleep, Lorry abandoned the hypnosis and summoned a weak wraith to frighten her.
• Beyoncé saw the wraith in her bathroom mirror, fled to a police station, and asked the Evernight Goddess’s church for help.
• Leonard investigated Beyoncé’s home and told the police that she could return whenever she liked.
• Leonard spotted Lorry sitting across the street, and the aged voice in his mind called Lorry far too filthy.

Lorry learned that the Curse of Eternal Life might contain the intact Spirit Bodies of its former users, giving him hope that he could resurrect Vera. After deciding to seek help in the Southern Continent, he was left considering how to bring Vera back, while Beyoncé was offered a chance to join the police organization that had cleaned her home.

• Leonard spoke with the aged voice in his mind about Lorry, who was a Sequence 7 of the Marauder pathway and carried power from above the Sequence.
• Lorry asked the Curse of Knowledge about protection from divination and chose to seek help in the Southern Continent rather than visit Lenburg over the New Year.
• The Curse of Knowledge revealed that Fors had left a soul imprint and that the Curse of Eternal Life imprisoned the Spirit Bodies of users who broke its rules.
• Lorry realized that the lieutenant colonel’s Spirit Body might be inside the Sealed Artifact and considered advancing his Sequence to retrieve it and resurrect Vera.
• Beyoncé returned to the police station, where a woman told her that her home was clean and invited her to join them.

Lorry arranged Beyoncé’s path toward joining the Nighthawks, donated £20,000 to the Church of Evernight, and secured an airship for his factory. He then invited Fors and Xio to vacation in Desi Bay, but Xio refused so she could keep earning merit for her next potion formula.

• Lorry watched Beyoncé leave with a woman in a police uniform, confident she would join the Nighthawks once she learned the position offered a chance to pursue Beyonder powers.
• Lorry collected a suitcase delivered by his demoness avatar and went to Saint Samuel Cathedral to meet Archbishop Saint Anthony Stevenson.
• Lorry donated £10,000 in cash, £7,000 in gold bars, and jewelry worth at least £3,000 to the Church’s orphanages and poorhouses.
• Lorry offered to provide free face masks to the Church, and Saint Anthony agreed to supply an airship and its crew for Lorry’s factory within a week.
• Lorry invited Fors and Xio to vacation in Desi Bay; Fors showed interest, but Xio refused because she wanted to earn merit toward her next potion formula.

Lorry warned Fors that Backlund would face another catastrophe before the new year and gave her information to share at a secret gathering. He persuaded Xio to leave with them, while Klein later read reports about Talim’s funeral and the charitable use of Raven’s book royalties.

• Lorry told Fors that the Demoness Sect, the Aurora Order, and the royal family were tied to an impending catastrophe in Backlund, and named the key figures and Sealed Artifact 0-08.
• Lorry used the Curse of Knowledge to seal part of Fors’s memories so she would only recall the warning at the secret gathering.
• Lorry teased Xio about refusing help, and she agreed to go with them after he hinted that he would otherwise be alone with Fors.
• Xio asked Lorry whether something would happen in Backlund, but he refused to tell her.
• Klein read Talim Dumont’s obituary and learned that Raven’s new book had gone on sale, with its royalties funding free face masks for people in need.

Lorry arranged a New Year gathering at a manor to protect his factory employees and their families from an impending catastrophe, while Fors brought the warning to the Tarot Club. The chapter ended as she announced that Backlund faced a disaster as severe as the previous catastrophes in Factory District and East Borough.

• Klein identified Raven as the Magician's friend and planned to collect free face masks from the factory.
• Lorry told Qiao to rent a manor for ten days over the New Year and invite employees and their families, with the factory paying for food and drinks.
• Lorry asked Qiao to invite Old Kohler and his friends, hoping they would include Liv and her family.
• Lorry reviewed his preparations, including warning Lady Arianna and relying on the Tarot Club and the Churches to learn of the coming disaster.
• Fors joined the Tarot Club's Monday gathering and warned the members that a major catastrophe was coming to Backlund.

Fors warned the Tarot Club that the Royal Family, the Demoness Sect, and their allies were plotting a disaster in Backlund, prompting the members to consider how to stop it. After Mr. Fool promised to alert his Blessed, Fors explained the abilities of the Blessed Pathway’s Sequence 6, Literature Lover.

• Fors reported the plot involving Edessak Augustus, Lady Despair, Mr. A, Trissy, Ince Zangwill, and Sealed Artifact 0-08 to the Tarot Club.
• Klein considered warning the Church of Steam and Machinery but feared Sealed Artifact 0-08 would target him, especially after his contact with Prince Edessak.
• Audrey encouraged the members by reminding them that the disaster had not happened yet and that Mr. Fool could help prevent it.
• Klein promised to inform his Blessed in Backlund, and the Tarot Club members relaxed.
• Audrey paid Fors one hundred pounds to explain the Literature Lover pathway, and Fors described its sequences and the four abilities of Sequence 6.

The Tarot Club learned more about the Blessed pathway and Lorry’s ability to withstand Sealed Artifact 0-08, while the Fool used the discussion to reinforce his image. The meeting ended with Lorry refusing the Gentleman Thief nickname and sending the Fool his regards, leaving Klein puzzled by Lorry’s willingness to play along.

• The Tarot Club discussed the Blessed pathway, and Fors explained that Lorry could safely discuss 0-08 after sealing her memories and receiving his warning.
• Klein reminded Justice not to speak or write the name of the organization outside, prompting the others to believe the Fool had helped his blessed one resist 0-08.
• The Hanged Man updated the World on the Beyonder Characteristic and Deep Sea Naga hair, then asked Justice about the organization and Duke Negan’s assassination.
• Justice shared information about her region and asked the Tarot Club to help gather the Beyonder Characteristics she needed to become a Psychiatrist.
• Fors told the Tarot Club that Lorry had given up the nickname Gentleman Thief and sent the Fool his regards.
• Klein wondered why Lorry had so readily played along with the act despite refusing to join the Tarot Club.

Klein decided to keep the Magician in the Tarot Club after divination confirmed there was no immediate danger, and he let Fors tell her mysterious ally about Roselle's Diary. As Fors and Xio prepared to leave Backlund for Desi Bay, Qiao arranged a holiday gathering for the factory workers.

• Klein divined that the Magician had not exposed the Tarot Club and chose to observe her rather than take action, then allowed her to tell the Blessed about Roselle's Diary.
• Fors was stunned by the discussion of having three or four children and asked the Sun to collect Beyonder Characteristics from the Marauder pathway.
• Audrey decided to tell her parents about the matter while omitting its dangerous elements, and Alger planned to find Deep Sea Naga hair and alert the Church to a suspected catastrophe in Backlund.
• Fors and Xio set out for Pritz Harbor to catch a ship to Desi Bay, with Xio thanking Lorry before angrily snapping at him when he pretended not to hear.
• Qiao rented a former baron's hunting grounds for two hundred pounds and planned to bring the factory workers, Kohler, and his friend there for the holiday.

Klein evaded the old butler’s attempt to bring him to the Prince and urged Old Kohler to get Liv and her daughters out of Backlund because danger was approaching. Meanwhile, a covert report described Lady Despair’s reaction to the new face masks and concluded that their appearance would not disrupt the plan while the Three Great Churches remained unaware.

• A clergyman at Holy Wind Cathedral received a ciphered telegraph, reacted with shock, and hurried away.
• When the old butler came to fetch Klein, Klein pretended to change, escaped through the window with Flaming Jump, and used Door Opening to flee toward a church.
• Old Kohler invited Liv and Freya to a countryside manor, promising free food and gifts, but Liv initially refused.
• Old Kohler warned Liv that Klein had urged him to leave Backlund because something bad might happen, so Liv told Freya to fetch Daisy and agreed to go.
• A covert report said Lady Despair had criticized the new face masks as unattractive, and its writers judged that the masks would not affect their plan while the Three Great Churches remained unaware.

Lady Despair began spreading the deadly smog through Backlund’s East Borough, while Klein fled through underground ruins after Azik confronted Ince Zangwill. The smog struck Liv’s family, leaving Liv and Old Kohler collapsed as Freya rushed to help.

• Lady Despair arrived in the East Borough after a failed teleportation and began thickening the smog, causing people to collapse and struggle to breathe.
• Azik urged Klein to escape the ruins and face Ince Zangwill alone, revealing that he remembered spending a long time at the Undying Sequence.
• Klein evaded patrols with distractions and Flaming Jump, then saw two hooded figures carrying corpses and decided to investigate.
• Old Kohler collapsed from coughing outside Liv’s home as the dense yellow-black smog surrounded the family.
• Liv began to collapse and urged Freya to put on a mask and take money to a clinic or church.

Liv and Freya struggled to survive as the poisonous fog sickened them, while Old Kohler stopped a neighbor from stealing Freya’s mask. At the Posner Face Mask Factory, Qiao realized the fog had become dangerous and rushed to organize masks and shelter for the workers and drivers.

• Liv told Freya where to find their savings and urged her to seek a doctor or clergy, while Freya promised to return with help.
• A neighbor attacked Freya and stole her mask, but Old Kohler grabbed the woman’s leg, causing her to fall and die.
• Liv comforted Freya as the girl fell asleep, then asked Old Kohler why he had cared for her family; he began to answer before freezing.
• At the Posner Face Mask Factory, Qiao learned that one of the hired drivers had died and recognized that the black-and-yellow fog was dangerous.
• Qiao ordered an employee to distribute masks, move workers to Warehouse One, and direct the drivers to Warehouse Two.

Lorry discovered that events in Backlund had diverged from the Book of Dimensions and hurried back to investigate, suspecting the Great Smog had begun early. After finding the Posner Face Mask Factory sheltering survivors and several dead, he prepared to distribute masks across the city.

• Lady Despair traveled by carriage toward the Posner Face Mask Factory.
• On the White Swan, Xio suffered from seasickness, and Lorry saw the Book of Dimensions’ account of events being erased and rewritten.
• Lorry suspected disaster had struck Backlund and told Fors he was returning, leaving her to care for Xio and write to Viscount Glaint.
• Lorry returned to his office and used elemental communication to survey the factory, finding people sheltering there, several corpses, and possible infected employees.
• Lorry boarded a concealed black airship and ordered its crew to drop masks first in the East Borough, Factory District, and Harbor Borough.

Lorry encountered Lady Despair, who recognized his hidden identities and lured him toward his office. Meanwhile, Klein entered the Light Gate in the underground ruins and discovered Mr. A preparing a sacrifice, leaving Klein in danger as Mr. A chose him as the final offering.

• Lorry left the airship and sensed a dangerous Beyonder approaching before he could reach his employees.
• Lady Despair identified Lorry as MI9 Informant Lorry, writer Raven, and factory owner Fitz Posner, then persuaded him to go inside with her.
• Klein entered the Light Gate and reached a hall where Mr. A was conducting a ritual after four followers sacrificed themselves.
• Klein decided he had to stop the ritual rather than escape, but Mr. A spotted him and declared that Klein would complete the sacrifice.

Lorry kept Lady Despair imprisoned inside the Book of Dimensions, taunting her while she tried to learn how he had captured her and resisted her charms. After revealing his deception and the Sealed Artifact that made him loathe women, he abruptly severed their connection when her hair transformed into a deadly threat, then sensed a mysterious woman at his office door.

• Lorry restored the office whenever Lady Despair destroyed its furnishings inside the Book of Dimensions, and he replenished his spirituality with a charm.
• Lady Despair asked how Lorry had learned of her, why he had made pathogen-preventing masks, and how he had resisted her charms, but he evaded her questions.
• Lorry demanded Marauder pathway potion formulas or a dance in exchange for answering; Lady Despair refused and attacked with ice spears.
• Lorry explained that he had tricked Lady Despair into entering the Book of Dimensions by pretending to succumb to her charms, and that a Sealed Artifact made him loathe human females.
• Lady Despair's hair transformed into writhing, dangerous shapes, so Lorry severed their connection and turned toward a beautiful, hooded woman holding a seven-stringed zither.

Lady Beauty erased the out-of-control Lady Despair, while Backlund’s authorities distributed protective masks and the Church of Storms dispersed the dangerous fog. As Klein faced Mr. A by the Tussock River, Lady Beauty appeared and erased him too.

• Lady Beauty told Lorry she looked forward to seeing him advance to a demigod, then played her seven-stringed zither and restored Lady Despair before erasing her from the Book of Dimensions.
• A black airship dropped protective masks over Backlund and broadcast instructions for people to wear them and avoid crowds.
• Earl Hall told Audrey that her family’s crisis response was mostly resolved, then explained that Fitz Posner’s masks had reduced casualties and that the Church intended to grant him a hereditary lordship.
• The Church of Storms sent a blue-green gale and lightning across Backlund, dispersing the blackish-yellow fog.
• Klein struggled against Mr. A by the Tussock River, but Lady Beauty appeared and erased Mr. A from the real world.