Chapter Summaries

Lorry defeated and killed "Bonebreaker" Sebas with the Knight's Hand and Fire Seed glove, then questioned his spirit about Rose School members returning to the Southern Continent. Sebas's answers pointed Lorry toward the mid-December trip as a possible escape route for the person behind the scenes, and Lorry asked where Sebas kept his savings and Sealed Artifacts.

• Lorry and a summoned Solar High Priest overwhelmed Sebas with holy light and Spirit Piercing, then beheaded him.
• Lorry used Evil Spirit Possession to extract Sebas's Beyonder characteristic and reflected on using the fight to practice as a Fire Thief.
• Lorry placed the Curse of Knowledge in Sebas's corpse and summoned his spirit to ask about Rose School members returning to the Southern Continent.
• Sebas said that members had been transported three times in December, with Steel and others handling the trips in the middle and at the end of the month.
• Lorry suspected that the person behind the scenes had fled in the middle of December and asked Sebas where his savings or Sealed Artifacts were.

Lorry returned after killing Bonebreaker Sebas, while Klein and Danitz recovered from their own battle and waited for him. Lorry asked Klein to channel a spirit for information about Rose School members returning to the Southern Continent, and Klein agreed because they shared a goal.

• Lorry ended the ritual, disposed of Sebas's corpse and Knight's Hand, and carried Sebas's head back.
• Danitz praised their victory and volunteered to check on Jodson, but Klein told him Bonebreaker Sebas was dead.
• Danitz doubted that Jodson could have killed Sebas, and Klein offered to bet on Jodson's victory before telling Danitz to stay quiet.
• Lorry arrived with Sebas's head and told Danitz to keep watch because he had diverted the Mandated Punishers.
• Lorry asked Klein to channel Scowal or Huntley for information about Rose School members returning to the Southern Continent, and Klein began the ritual without asking for payment.

Lorry learned that the Rose School’s Loen contact, Gibson, had returned to the Southern Continent, then separated from Klein and Danitz to evade the arriving Mandated Punishers. He recovered the pirates’ Beyonder Characteristics and cut off their heads to claim their bounties.

• Lorry questioned Huntley’s Spirit Body and learned that Gibson, a Rose School Lunatic who hated Loen, had returned to the Southern Continent to prepare for advancement.
• At Klein’s order, Danitz burned the summoned Spirit Bodies, and Klein decided not to pursue Gibson in the Southern Continent.
• Hearing the Mandated Punishers approach, Klein left with Danitz while Lorry promised to meet them within an hour and made Danitz Klein’s hostage against the bounty money.
• Lorry hid the corpses in another Dimension and escaped the Mandated Punishers, leaving only his bow tie behind.
• Lorry extracted the Harvest Priest and Serial Killer Beyonder Characteristics, then cut off Huntley’s and Scowal’s heads to collect their bounties.

Klein, disguised as Gehrman Sparrow, waited with Danitz for Jodson to return with the bodies and spoils from the fight against Scowal’s group. After dividing the bounty shares and recovered items, Lorry gave Danitz five seconds to choose between two Beyonder characteristics and the Sealed Artifact called the Flying Carpet.

• Klein told Danitz that his time was nearly up and asked him to write his last words while they waited for Jodson.
• Jodson arrived carrying a suitcase with the frozen heads of Scowal, Huntley, and Sebas, and Klein confirmed that Danitz would receive Sebas’s share of the bounty and everything on him.
• Klein assigned the items belonging to Steel to himself and proposed splitting the bounties for Steel, Blood-colored Thorn, and Scowal among the four of them.
• Jodson offered two recovered items to Danitz, saying he had not contributed to the fight against Steel and would forgo his share.
• Lorry revealed that Danitz could choose either the two items or the Flying Carpet, which he had taken from Huntley, and began counting down.

Lorry traded the Flying Carpet to Danitz and arranged for Danitz to deliver the bounty to the captain, then reflected on how the spoils matched the original division despite his choices. He assessed his gains from the hunt and planned to sell the Beyonder Characteristics, ending with substantial wealth and the Curse of Knowledge as his greatest reward.

• Danitz chose the Flying Carpet, and Lorry arranged for him to pass the bounty to the captain while warning him not to pocket it.
• Lorry agreed to ask Klein’s friend whether he wanted the item taken from Bonebreaker and what he would pay for it.
• Lorry returned to the harbor inn on Symeem Island and used a Ritual Silver Dagger to create a Wall of Spirituality before reviewing his gains.
• Lorry realized that the bounty and spoils had been divided much as they had been in the original novel, despite his own decisions.
• Lorry counted three Beyonder Characteristics among his gains and estimated that his money from the hunt would reach at least 18,000 pounds, with the Curse of Knowledge as his greatest reward.

Lorry gained the corpses of three Beyonders, giving the Curse of Knowledge new abilities and knowledge, and promised to find the person behind Parliamentarian Begat’s actions. At a Beria Family council in East Balam, Pali Beria Lorry assigned the family tasks to infiltrate local Beyonder circles and locate Gibson.

• Lorry considered the blood and knowledge gained from Sebas, Huntley, and Calm Scowal, which would expand the Curse of Knowledge’s abilities and his imagined creations.
• Lorry examined the White Bone Ring, told its occupant that the fiancée had joined the Nighthawks, and said he had a plan to begin waking them; he also vowed to pursue the person controlling Parliamentarian Begat.
• Pali Beria Lorry summoned the Beria Family and ordered its members to enter local Beyonder circles discreetly and gather intelligence.
• Pali Beria Lorry tasked the family with finding Gibson, a Sequence 8 Lunatic from the Rose School who had returned from the Northern Continent and was seeking to advance to Werewolf.
• Pali Beria Lorry offered family merit for locating Gibson and a Serial Killer Beyonder Characteristic for bringing him before her.

After the battle in Bayam, the Mandated Punishers investigated the deaths of several pirates and discovered that Flower Bow Tie Jodson had apparently killed a Sequence 5 Wraith. Alger learned of Jodson’s strength and was ordered to investigate him, while Klein wondered whether Jodson had been hiding his power from Danitz and others.

• Several Berias volunteered to search for Gibson so they could help younger relatives advance to Serial Killer.
• Berg reconstructed the Bayam battle and concluded that Jodson had killed Bonebreaker Sebas, though Cordova said the Mandated Punishers had no way to locate Jodson using his bow tie.
• Alger reported his experience to Bishop Joggori, who praised him, awarded him twelve thousand pounds, and revealed that Sebas had secretly advanced to Wraith before Jodson killed him.
• Joggori ordered Alger to investigate Danitz, his helper, and especially Jodson, whom he considered a dangerous new pirate.
• Alger decided to pray to Mr. Fool and ask the World for the truth about Jodson.
• Klein watched the sleeping Danitz and wondered whether Jodson had deliberately concealed his strength or simply considered Danitz too useless to tell.

Klein traveled to Symeem Island while Lorry, disguised as an ordinary gentleman, identified him and Laticia’s group as potential opponents. After divining the danger of confronting them, Lorry prepared to attack them separately and created a figure from a dark gold page, leaving the confrontation about to begin.

• Klein told Danitz to keep following him until the bounty arrived, then left to visit Symeem Island.
• Danitz wondered what Klein meant about Jodson hiding his strength and decided to contact the Golden Dream.
• At the inn, Lorry returned to his room, shed his disguise, and identified Klein and Laticia’s group through the gentleman’s memories.
• Lorry divined that attacking the group directly would be highly dangerous, but that dealing with them separately posed less risk.
• Lorry used the wind to learn where Laticia and her companions were staying, replenished his spirituality at midnight, and tore a figure from a dark gold page.

Lorry used the Nightmare and the Book of Dimensions to interrogate and kill Zachary and his two companions, learning about their abilities and Laticia’s Sealed Artifacts. After preparing for the fight, he transferred Laticia into another dimension and forced her into a dream.

• Lorry used Dream Infiltration and Dream Shaping to make Zachary reveal that he and his companions belonged to the Moses Ascetic Order and had come to explore an ancient elven ruin.
• Zachary identified Rob and Desia as Sequence 6 Scroll Professors and Laticia as a Sequence 5 Astronomer, and described their abilities and Sealed Artifacts.
• Zachary admitted that the group had used innocent people as experimental subjects, so Lorry killed him after ending the dream.
• Lorry interrogated and killed Laticia’s other two companions, but did not obtain Rob’s silver mirror Sealed Artifact, which he had left with Laticia.
• Lorry restored his spirituality, prepared his plan in another dimension, transferred Laticia there, and used Dream Infiltration on her.

Lorry fought Laticia, whose prepared Astronomer abilities and witchcraft scrolls nearly overwhelmed him. He stole her heart-shaped waterdrop ornament and struck her with lightning, leaving her sprawled on the ground.

• Laticia trapped Lorry in a Starlight Cage and prepared to kill him with Pillar of the Stars, but Lorry escaped with Traveler's Flash.
• Lorry attacked Laticia, but her prepared mirror absorbed his strike; she then used lightning scrolls against him.
• Lorry redirected Laticia's lightning with Distortion, but she returned the bolts to their original paths, forcing him to escape with Flash.
• Lorry used the Knight's Hand to prohibit witchcraft and Mirror Substitution, while Laticia activated a Sealed Artifact that struck him with fear.
• Lorry resisted the fear, stole Laticia's heart-shaped waterdrop ornament, and blasted her from the air with Lightning Strike.

Lorry fought the out-of-control Laticia with stolen abilities and a series of attacks, but failed to stop its relentless pursuit. Laticia caught him from behind and pierced his heart.

• Lorry used Lightning Strike and repeated Wind Blades on the motionless Laticia, but it rose with eyes covering its body.
• Laticia charged and attacked with gales and lightning, while Lorry retreated and changed the abilities available through the Curse of Knowledge.
• Lorry weakened Laticia with Bribery-Weakening, then amplified Execution, blasting through its defenses and tearing open its chest.
• Lorry used Summon Holy Light to make Laticia's eyes close briefly, then fled as it recovered and pursued him.
• Laticia appeared behind Lorry and plunged its hand into his back, piercing his heart.

Lorry killed the out-of-control Laticia with a carefully prepared illusion and a surprise shot, then collected the Book of Calamities and her other belongings. Back in the Real World, he learned that the silver mirror was the Demoness's Makeup Mirror, a dangerous artifact that could gradually transform a male holder into a woman.

• Lorry used an illusion, Psychological Invisibility, Holy Oath, and Amplification to catch Laticia off guard and kill her with the Sure-Hit Revolver.
• After resting, Lorry searched Laticia's corpse and recovered a bracelet, a heart-shaped ornament, a silver mirror, twelve scrolls, money, and the Book of Calamities.
• Lorry asked Sebastian to analyze Laticia's blood, but Sebastian refused, so Lorry destroyed the corpse and returned to the Real World.
• Lorry divined the Sealed Artifacts and learned that the Demoness's Makeup Mirror granted Mirror Substitution and Black Flame while gradually changing a male holder's body and self-perception.

Lorry examined the three Sealed Artifacts recovered from Laticia and considered their powers, drawbacks, and origins. He recognized the Calamity Bracelet as a likely scheme connected to the Calamity Queen Cohinem, but remained eager to use it despite his low Sequence.

• Lorry threw away the Demoness's Makeup Mirror after deciding he could not use it safely.
• Lorry read that Ocean's Heart granted several offensive abilities, but each use caused growing urges related to gambling, drinking, or women.
• Lorry decided Ocean's Heart could complement the Curse of Knowledge and planned to have it made into a bracelet.
• Lorry read that the sealed Calamity Bracelet held star-related abilities and powers tied to the Ocean, the Tyrant, and aquatic creatures, while its wearer would be infused with knowledge and develop an interest in Elves.
• Lorry connected the bracelet and Laticia's loss of control to the Book of Calamities and Cohinem, and suspected the artifact was bait intended to make him break its seal.
• Lorry concluded that his low Sequence would prevent him from using most of the bracelet's powers, though he remained excited by its potential.

Lorry stored Laticia’s witchcraft scrolls and went to sleep as a horde of venomous snakes gathered outside the inn. In Bayam, Danitz learned that his bounty had risen to 4,200 pounds and “Flower Bow Tie” had an 8,500-pound bounty, prompting him to flee, while Fors was caught resting when Xio returned home in Backlund.

• Lorry placed the witchcraft scrolls in another dimension and went to sleep, while venomous snakes gathered outside the inn.
• Danitz overheard that he and a companion had killed several pirates, while “Flower Bow Tie” had killed the advanced Sequence pirate Sebas.
• Danitz learned that his bounty was 4,200 pounds and “Flower Bow Tie” had a bounty of 8,500 pounds, so he hurried out of the Fragrant Leaf Bar.
• Fors took a break from writing at home in Cherwood Borough, and Xio caught her lying down as she entered.

Xio confronted Fors about neglecting her writing and Trickmaster work to oversee the factory, but Fors revealed that her shares had already earned her a substantial dividend. She also explained that she had enough money and Beyonder ingredients to prepare for her next potion.

• Xio brought Desi Pies and sweet iced tea to Fors and teased her about Albert visiting Empress Borough with snacks for Susie.
• Xio criticized Fors for spending her time checking the factory instead of writing or acting as a Trickmaster, and described how people in Backlund wore white masks after the Great Smog.
• Fors told Xio that her factory dividends had reached five hundred pounds, prompting Xio to complain about paying half a pound for two packs of masks.
• Xio pounced on Fors when she refused to refund the money, and Fors could not escape without risking harm or damage.
• Xio said Fors could save her dividends to advance to the next sequence, but Fors explained that she already had enough money and Beyonder ingredients for another potion.

Xio told Fors why she pursued money and advancement, and Fors promised to help restore her family’s honor. On Symeem Island, Lorry used the Book of Calamities to obtain mysticism knowledge from Sebastian and began studying divination and anti-divination methods.

• Xio shared her past with Fors and said she would give everything to uncover the truth and restore her father’s and family’s honor.
• Fors promised to support Xio and seek help from Lorry, while Xio insisted she would find it uncomfortable to be near him because she was an Arbiter and he was a Marauder.
• Lorry divined that Laticia had elven blood and that her loss of control had resulted from her bloodline resonating with the Book of Calamities.
• Lorry offered the Book of Calamities to Sebastian, who explained that it recorded the life and deeds of a high elf named Cohinem.
• Lorry chose mysticism knowledge as payment and received advanced divination and anti-divination techniques and complex rituals for borrowing deities’ powers.

Lorry used a Spirit Ascension ritual and dream divination to locate Kalvetua, while Klein unexpectedly shared the divination through a dream and sensed another disturbance nearby. The chapter left Danitz asking Vice Admiral Iceberg for a Sealed Artifact like Jodson’s.

• Lorry dismissed his weak Seer illusion and created a more capable Scholarly Man to perform divination.
• The Scholarly Man prepared a Spirit Ascension ritual, making Lorry’s room resemble a semi-spirit world environment.
• Lorry used a Psychiatrist to hypnotize himself and entered a dream in which he found Kalvetua suffering in a vast hall.
• Kalvetua met Lorry’s gaze, terrifying him awake, and Lorry identified the sea serpent by name.
• Klein woke from a dream in which he had performed divination for someone, then sensed an abnormal disturbance next door.
• Danitz told Vice Admiral Iceberg about his increased bounty and asked to buy a Sealed Artifact like Jodson’s.

Edwina heard Danitz’s account of Gehrman Sparrow killing Sebas and recalled Sebastian’s warning that Sparrow had once caused a demigod’s death. When Sparrow asked to join her in hunting Admiral of Blood Seniol, Edwina began their discussion by asking whether he had received an education.

• Danitz told Edwina what had happened and asked her for a Sealed Artifact, but she refused.
• Edwina recalled offering Sebastian a place aboard the Golden Dream and promising to help with his unfinished work.
• Sebastian warned Edwina not to confront Sparrow, saying he had caused a demigod’s death and that his chances were better if he followed Sparrow.
• Edwina reconsidered Sebastian’s warning after hearing that Sparrow had killed the Wraith Sebas.
• Sparrow entered and asked Edwina to work with him to hunt Admiral of Blood Seniol.
• Edwina agreed to talk and asked Sparrow whether he had received an education.

Lorry monitored Klein and Danitz’s visit to the resistance headquarters and realized that key historical events depended on crucial “nodes.” He then refined a three-part honorific name for himself and began a ritual asking the Book of Dimensions to open the door to his divine kingdom.

• Lorry watched Klein and Danitz enter the resistance headquarters, confirming that events were still following the course he had arranged.
• Lorry concluded that crucial “nodes” controlled whether his planned history could succeed and identified Duke Negan’s survival as one such node.
• Lorry tried to use the Book of Dimensions to respond to prayers and sacrifices, but his initial incantations failed.
• Lorry devised the honorific name “Unique Otherworldly Traveler, The Gentleman Thief Who Once Walked in Backlund, Holder of the Book of Dimensions.”
• Lorry prepared an altar and recited the honorific name, praying for the Book of Dimensions to open the door to his divine kingdom.

Lorry watched Sea God Kalvetua’s storm engulf Bayam before Sea King Jahn Kottman brought the weather to an abrupt end, and he prepared to leave as a citywide search began. Klein and Danitz joined Elland’s search for the missing fake archaeologists, while Klein secretly planned to locate Kalvetua using divination.

• Lorry opened an illusory door to store his unused spirituality materials, then read updates in the Book of Dimensions.
• On Sunday, Kalvetua’s storm flooded parts of Bayam until Sea King Jahn Kottman ended it, and Lorry decided to leave after breakfast.
• Elland told Klein and Danitz that the military and Church were searching Bayam for the vanished archaeologists, and Klein agreed to help.
• Elland returned the next morning to lead Klein and Danitz on a more thorough search, while Danitz asked whether Elland had found Jodson.
• Klein used a break in the search to head toward a public washroom, planning to use an item tied to Kalvetua and divination to locate the Sea God.