Chapter Summaries

Lorry sold the Bird's Beak, bought False Face and three pages of Roselle's Diary, and successfully performed a ritual that silenced his bedroom. Meanwhile, Xio showed Fors the Mystical Item she had bought, leaving Fors worried about its effects.

• Lorry accepted the blonde woman's offer of 680 pounds and a promise for the Bird's Beak, then paid Mr. A 500 pounds for False Face.
• Lorry bought three pages of Roselle's Diary for 15 pounds and later counted his remaining cash at home.
• Lorry performed a Soundproofing ritual, which silenced the sounds inside his room and from the street outside.
• Xio returned home after taking commissions and showed Fors the Mystical Item she had bought at the gathering.
• Fors looked at the item and began to ask Xio whether she had considered something.

Fors helped Xio come to terms with an expensive Mystical Item that would make tracking a target difficult, while reminding her of a meeting with Miss Audrey. Lorry traveled to East Borough in disguise and rented a room opposite the apartment building Detective Stuart had investigated.

• Fors pointed out that Xio's new Mystical Item had a long beak, and Xio realized she could not wear it while tracking her target.
• Xio told Fors she had spent 680 pounds on the item and owed its seller a commission, and Fors advised her to use it for now.
• Fors reminded Xio to meet Miss Audrey at Phillips Department Store, and Xio asked Fors to accompany her to a future gathering.
• Lorry disguised himself with False Face and set out for East Borough to conduct reconnaissance.
• Nono recommended a doctor to Lorry, who declined and continued to 198 Neeson Street.
• Lorry bargained with the landlord and rented Room 713 for one month, opposite Apartment Building No. 3.

Lorry surveilled Cyril throughout the day, tracing him from his apartment to the Sanson Bar, the dock district, and the pickpockets' headquarters. Although his observations confirmed Cyril's apparent residence, Lorry sensed that the easy answer might be a trap and went out to test his suspicions.

• Lorry watched room 604 across the street and waited until Cyril appeared on the balcony with his two attendants.
• Cyril and his attendants ate lunch, went to the Sanson Bar, then left and traveled toward the dock district.
• Lorry followed Cyril at a distance, waited for his return, and discovered that he had also visited the pickpockets' headquarters.
• Lorry returned to apartment building 198 that night and saw Cyril arrive at room 604, where his attendants checked the room and closed the curtains.
• Lorry questioned whether room 604 was a trap, analyzed Cyril's movements, and slipped out to test his suspicion.

Lorry went to the Red Thorn Bar to sell information about One-Eye Cyril, but the Bloodhand Gang recognized his bait and cornered him. The gang’s green-haired woman ordered him to meet its boss, threatening to kill him if his information proved worthless.

• Lorry dismissed reporting Cyril to the police or Three Great Churches because he feared their ties to the Wanderers Mutual Aid Association would put him in danger.
• Lorry entered the Red Thorn Bar, where he spotted a wanted notice bearing his own photograph and hid his reaction.
• Lorry told the bartender he wanted to sell information about One-Eye Cyril, then went to the dance floor while waiting for a response.
• A green-haired woman invited Lorry to dance and led him toward a private room, where two Bloodhand Gang men surrounded him.
• The woman ordered Lorry to meet the gang’s boss and warned that he would die if he had no valuable information.

Lorry sold Calvin information that One-Eyed Cyril was staying at 3 Neeson Road, then escaped the Bloodhand Gang’s private room after killing Turner. Calvin and his men raided the address, where they prepared to storm Room 604 and kill everyone inside.

• Lorry told Calvin that Cyril and three followers were at Room 604, 3 Neeson Road, and Calvin ordered his men to gather for a raid.
• Calvin kept Lorry in the private room under Turner’s watch and promised him a hundred pounds if the information proved true.
• Lorry hid above the washroom door, killed Turner, and escaped while Turner’s men were misled into guarding an empty room.
• Calvin’s armed men confronted Hank at 3 Neeson Street and ordered one man to watch him while the others went upstairs to Room 604.

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.