Chapter Summaries

Lorry used Jodson’s appearance to lure King of Immortality Agalito away from the Golden Dream, intending to test the Abyss card while preparing to face the Pirate King. The Golden Dream reached safety, but Agalito’s crew reacted to Lorry’s claim that they had entered his home ground, and the chapter ended as Slayer Kircheis sensed danger.

• Lorry reviewed his plan, concluded that the Abyss card was likely what Agalito wanted, and decided to use the Pirate King as a test subject.
• Lorry stopped flying and greeted Agalito, who called him “Flower Bow Tie” Jodson.
• Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina safely landed the Golden Dream and told the crew Jodson had stayed behind to draw Agalito and the Death Announcer away.
• Danitz and the other pirates worried that Jodson had sacrificed himself, but Edwina insisted he was confident he could return alive.
• Slayer Kircheis mocked Lorry’s claim that this was his home ground, then stopped speaking as Malice Perception warned him of danger.

Lorry confronted Agalito, the King of Immortality, and used the Calamity Bracelet to unleash a Lightning Storm against the Death Announcer. As the ship’s protective fog thinned, Agalito ordered prisoners sacrificed to replenish it and tried to steer clear of the attack.

• Agalito recognized that Flower Bow Tie Jodson posed a lethal threat and decided to strike first with the Death Announcer’s Blatherer ability.
• Lorry anticipated Agalito’s attack, flashed behind the Death Announcer with the White Bone Ring, and prepared a counterattack.
• Agalito ordered his crew to shut off their senses, but Malice Perception warned him of danger, so he covered the ship in black fog.
• Lorry invoked the Calamity Bracelet’s Lightning Storm, and the lightning rapidly depleted the Death Announcer’s fog.
• Agalito ordered Kircheis and the other crew members to sacrifice prisoners, then began steering the Death Announcer away from the storm.

Lorry and the King of Immortality Agalito were unable to seriously harm each other, leaving both trapped in a stalemate. Agalito offered to stop fighting, but Lorry demanded a Demigod-level Mystical Item as payment.

• Lorry used the Calamity Bracelet to pin the Death Announcer with towering waves while Agalito’s attacks failed to affect Lorry’s emotions or desires.
• Lorry used Flash to avoid the Death Announcer’s ravings and hid his consciousness in another dimension, while Agalito realized he could neither reach nor easily escape him.
• Lorry considered leaving after testing the Calamity Bracelet and Cohinem’s bloodline corruption, but Agalito offered peace as the storm began to subside and warned that the navies of Intis and the Feynapotter Kingdom might find them.
• Lorry agreed to stop fighting only if Agalito left behind a Demigod-level Mystical Item, shocking the crew of the Death Announcer.

Lorry used the King of Immortality’s fear of the navy to demand Mystical Items, then survived Agalito’s attack and drove the Death Announcer away with a storm. Agalito escaped with only a dozen crew members and ordered his men to recruit anew while spreading a story that Flower Bow Tie Jodson nearly killed him.

• Lorry demanded three Sequence 5 Mystical Items from Agalito, who unleashed sound waves to attack him.
• Lorry withdrew his consciousness from the Marionettist illusion as malicious laughter stunned it, allowing Agalito to flee the Lightning Storm.
• Agalito used the Language of Foulness to make the illusion fall, but it escaped with a Paper Figurine Substitute and appeared nearby.
• The illusion cast Tsunami and Lightning Storm, forcing the Death Announcer to retreat after its crew and prisoners were killed.
• Agalito ordered Ghost Butcher, Slayer, and the survivors to recruit a new crew and publicize that Flower Bow Tie Jodson had nearly killed him.

Lorry extracted Cohinem’s mental will and angel blood from the Marionettist illusion, then sealed the blood away. In Backlund, Xio returned home and asked Fors when she had joined the secret gathering.

• Agalito told the second boatswain to inform the Church of Storms that Jodson was suspected of possessing a Sealed Artifact tied to a Sea King Beyonder Characteristic.
• Lorry used the Curse of Knowledge and Fire Seed glove illusion to identify and remove Cohinem’s mental will from the Marionettist illusion.
• Lorry extracted Cohinem’s angel blood, sealed it in a container, and placed it in another dimension.
• Lorry considered telling Fors that he had obtained the angel blood Cattleya requested, then began sorting the pirate spoils.
• Xio returned to the house she shared with Fors, and the two exchanged teasing remarks before Xio asked when Fors had joined the secret gathering.

Xio wondered whether The World’s unusual abilities meant he was secretly a half-human, half-god pursuing Fors, inspiring Fors to begin a new novel. Meanwhile, Lorry returned to the Golden Dream and made Danitz clean his room before going to see the captain.

• Xio told Fors that Mr. Fool had brought her to the Tarot Club after she investigated Williams Street, and Fors wondered whether her refusal of the original commission had led to Xio’s invitation.
• Xio asked Fors about The Hermit’s claim, and Fors rejected the idea that The World was a half-human, half-god because she knew he had advanced through potions.
• Xio speculated that The World might be hiding his strength to get close to Fors, and Fors seized the idea as inspiration for a new book.
• Lorry returned to the Golden Dream and found Danitz waiting outside his room after the captain had ordered him to come.
• Lorry told Danitz to clean his room before he returned, and Danitz reluctantly agreed after Lorry mentioned the Conspirer potion.

Lorry discussed the aftermath of Agalito’s attack with Edwina and offered her Beyonder characteristics recovered from the Death Announcer’s dead pirates. In Backlund, Fors told Xio about her Mystical Item, and they agreed to test its effects later before heading to the Factory District.

• Edwina offered Lorry compensation for protecting the Golden Dream, but he declined and assured her Agalito would not attack again.
• Lorry described the confrontation while withholding key details, then offered Edwina Beyonder characteristics from the dead pirates.
• Edwina agreed to ask the Golden Dream’s crew whether they wanted to buy the Sailor and Black Emperor characteristics.
• Xio noticed Fors’s improved skin, and Fors explained that it was an effect of the Demoness's Makeup Mirror.
• Fors agreed to lend Xio the mirror and suggested they test Xio’s idea later, then the two women set off for the Factory District.

Fors told Xio that the Angel had already obtained a drop of Mythical Creature blood for Madam Hermit. At Red Swan Castle, Uncle Evan reported that Percival's revenge had been carried out, then showed Alicia and young Percival a portrait of their ancestor that strongly attracted the boy.

• Fors explained that she needed to tell Madam Hermit the Angel had obtained the requested Mythical Creature blood, and Xio agreed to go first to the Metropolitan Association for Improving the Domestic Servants.
• Uncle Evan arrived at Red Swan Castle carrying a portrait and met Alicia and young Percival.
• Uncle Evan recounted how he had avenged Alicia's brother, and Alicia and young Percival thanked him.
• Alicia asked about her husband, and Uncle Evan said he was likely still traveling after leaving Loen.
• Uncle Evan showed them a portrait of a Percival ancestor, and young Percival asked to keep it as a memento of his father.

Klein learned that the Magician had already obtained the mythical creature blood Cattleya commissioned and passed the message along, leaving Cattleya scrambling to find payment. At Red Swan Castle, a transparent twelve-ringed worm emerged from the portrait Little Percival held and entered his mouth, then an aged voice spoke to him.

• While cleaning at Olavi hospital, Klein heard a prayer from the Magician and went above the gray fog to receive it.
• The Magician asked the Fool to tell Ma'am Hermit that the mythical creature blood had been obtained and the exchange could happen once she offered equal value.
• Klein relayed the message to Cattleya, who was shocked by how quickly the commission had been completed and struggled to find enough payment.
• Klein overheard that an elderly hospital patient had died alone and prayed for him, unable to feel happy despite his progress digesting the Faceless potion.
• At Red Swan Castle, Little Percival fell asleep clutching the portrait, and a transparent twelve-ringed worm crawled out of it into his mouth.
• Little Percival woke in terror, and an aged voice asked whether he was looking for it.

Lorry persuaded young Percival to consider becoming his host while concealing his presence from the boy’s family. Back aboard the Golden Dream, Lorry received Fors’s news that the Face Mask Factory’s First Manager planned to resign and wanted to meet him before he left.

• Lorry spoke to young Percival from inside the portrait, explaining that he needed a host to recover and hide from a dangerous enemy.
• Lorry told Percival he was a possible host and that he must keep Lorry’s existence secret, while allowing him time to decide.
• After the conversation, Lorry reflected that he had already established preliminary parasitism and planned to wait until Percival left the Sauron Family’s castle.
• The Messenger delivered Fors’s letter to Lorry aboard the Golden Dream.
• Lorry read that the Face Mask Factory’s First Manager planned to resign and wanted to know when Lorry would return so he could offer his thanks and apologies in person.

Lorry investigated why Qiao wanted to resign and decided to help him pursue the swindler who had ruined his family, hoping the trail might lead to the Dream Stealer formula and characteristic. His other leads mostly failed, while he spent his earnings buying Marauder pathway characteristics through the Tarot Club.

• Lorry divined that Qiao's resignation was connected to the swindler who cheated him out of his family fortune.
• Lorry reconsidered the swindler's likely Sequence and decided to get involved, telling Fors to inform Qiao that he would return within half a month.
• Lorry considered asking Edwina, Jodson, Pallez, and Cattleya for the Dream Stealer formula, but Edwina and Jodson did not have it and Cattleya made no progress.
• Lorry earned nearly twenty thousand pounds from selling spoils from the Death Announcer battle, then spent the money buying Marauder pathway characteristics gathered through the Tarot Club.

Lorry joined a barbecue feast aboard the Golden Dream and sampled the prized cheek meat from beneath a Merman’s eyes. Meanwhile, Klein reached Oravi Island and saw a newspaper headline announcing that Flower Bow Tie Jodson had defeated the King of Immortality.

• The Parasite ring condensed a second Worm of Time, and Lorry estimated that more could form after he spent his new deposit.
• Danitz invited Lorry to a barbecue after the crew hunted Mermen, and Lorry agreed when he remembered how much Klein valued Merman meat.
• Lorry joined Edwina, Danitz, Bru Walls, Orpheus, and the other pirates for a feast, where Bru Walls revealed he had kept the Mermen’s cheek meat for a select few.
• Lorry and Edwina tasted the Merman cheek meat while Orpheus played music and the pirates sang.
• Klein arrived at Oravi Island after acting as an old man and read a newspaper headline claiming Flower Bow Tie Jodson had crushed the King of Immortality.

Klein read reports claiming that Jodson had defeated the King of Immortality and reconsidered them after seeing Jodson’s enormous bounty and hearing that he wielded a powerful Mystical Item. The discussion led Klein to suspect that Jodson and Lorry might be the same High Sequence Marauder.

• Klein read a newspaper report claiming Jodson had defeated the King of Immortality and dismissed it as implausible.
• Klein found reports linking Jodson to the damaged Death Announcer and noticed his bounty had risen to 120,000 pounds.
• Klein asked a young adventurer about Jodson, and the adventurer said Jodson had used a powerful Mystical Item to defeat the King of Immortality and his flagship.
• Klein reasoned that Jodson might be stronger than a Mid-Sequence Beyonder and recalled that High Sequence Marauders could create avatars.
• Klein suspected that Jodson and Lorry were actually the same person.

Klein suspected that Lorry might be connected to Miss Magician and considered how to confirm it and warn her. The next evening, Lorry and Danitz reached Norgar Island to investigate rumors about a ghost ship, planning to start at an inn whose owner dealt in information.

• Klein recalled Lorry's familiar mannerisms and suspected that he had used Faceless abilities, then heard a rumor claiming Jodson stayed aboard the Golden Dream because of Vice Admiral Iceberg's charm.
• Klein dismissed the rumor but resolved to watch Miss Magician and Miss Judgment at the next Tarot Club gathering and find a way to warn Magician if his suspicion proved correct.
• Danitz told Lorry that they were nearing Norgar Island and explained that Edwina and the Golden Dream's crew were searching the nearby waters while the disguised pirates investigated local rumors.
• A native fisherman asked whether Danitz and Lorry wanted to dock at the port or Joy Valley; Danitz translated, and Lorry chose the port.
• After reaching shore, Danitz suggested finding lodging and then questioning people at a bar, mentioning an inn whose owner was an information broker.

Lorry followed Danitz to an out-of-the-way inn on Norgar Island, where Danitz settled an old debt with the owner and requested a local dish. The chapter ended with Danitz ordering fried Yamaha for Lorry to try.

• Danitz explained that Norgar Island’s Yamaha bugs had supposedly been eaten to extinction by Intis troops, though he admitted he had only heard the story from other pirates.
• Danitz led Lorry to a secluded inn and greeted its elderly owner, who recognized him from a visit years earlier.
• The innkeeper accused Danitz of leaving without paying his food and drink bill, and Danitz argued that his room deposit should have covered it.
• Danitz paid the innkeeper, collected keys for two rooms, and ordered a plate of Yamaha for Lorry.

Danitz and Lorry arrived at an inn run by an old information broker, who refused to help them and warned Danitz that his bounty made him recognizable. After Danitz disguised himself, they went to the bar street, where he spotted an old acquaintance and went to approach him for help.

• Danitz asked the old man for information, but learned he had retired from brokering and now ran an inn.
• Danitz explained to Lorry that the old man had once been Norgar Island's best information broker and had taught him the Norgar Language.
• The old man spotted Danitz's 5,500-pound bounty in a newspaper and warned him not to go to the bar street without a disguise.
• Danitz went upstairs to disguise himself, then accompanied Lorry to the Holy Water Bar.
• Danitz spotted a young man he knew and went to speak with him while Lorry waited.

Lorry and Danitz asked Hogg about the Ghost Ship legends and learned that a fierce group of outsiders had already sought information about them. Danitz then described the bar’s owner, Black Scorpion, and his towering deputy, Troll.

• Danitz brought Lorry to meet Hogg, the Holy Water bar’s head bouncer, and introduced Lorry as Jodson.
• Hogg said a dozen or so outsiders had arrived through navy connections and asked about the Ghost Ship legends.
• Danitz agreed to have Hogg pass a request for information to his boss.
• Lorry asked Danitz about the bar’s owner, and Danitz identified him as Black Scorpion, a former pirate with ties to locals, pirates, and the navy.
• Danitz said Black Scorpion’s formidable deputy was his childhood friend, nicknamed Troll.

Black Scorpion considered capturing Danitz and Jodson for their combined bounty, then Tego suddenly snapped Black Scorpion’s neck. Lorry and Danitz left the Holy Water Bar, unaware of the violence unfolding upstairs.

• Hogg told Black Scorpion and Tego that Danitz was in the bar seeking information about the Ghost Ship.
• Black Scorpion suspected Vice Admiral Iceberg might also be on Norga and initially judged Danitz’s bounty too risky to pursue.
• Hogg revealed that Danitz’s accomplice was Jodson, whose bounty raised the pair’s total to 460,000 Verl D'Or.
• Black Scorpion decided to hire soldiers and recruit warriors, planning to kill Danitz and Jodson and blame the deaths on the unknown Beyonders.
• Tego snapped Black Scorpion’s neck as Hogg watched in terror.
• Lorry told Danitz it was time to leave the bar and go back to sleep.

Lorry left the tavern with Danitz, then used his Troll avatar to steal money from Black Scorpion’s office. He reunited with Tego in a secluded alley and received three hundred thousand Verl D'Or, giving him funds for his plans in Backlund.

• Lorry ended the search for Black Scorpion and returned to the inn with Danitz, who asked how he had understood the men at the next table.
• Tego entered Black Scorpion’s secret passage, took a handbag of money, and convinced the guards that he had the boss’s authority to leave.
• Danitz warned Lorry that streetwalkers in Norga sometimes lured tourists into robberies, then assumed Lorry had gone off to meet women when he headed out alone.
• Lorry met Tego in a secluded alley and received checks and cash totaling three hundred thousand Verl D'Or.
• Lorry calculated that the money was worth twelve thousand five hundred pounds and planned to use it toward his Backlund plans, including buying the Dream Stealer formula from Leonard.

Lorry returned to the inn after deciding to bring his Dawn Knight avatar back to Backlund as Qiao’s bodyguard. There, Danitz confronted him over a supposed visit to a streetwalker and demanded that he treat the captain better.

• Lorry decided against impersonating Black Scorpion and arranged for his avatar, Tego, to return with him to Backlund.
• Lorry offered Tego a bodyguard job protecting Qiao while he searched for a swindler, then sent him and Black Scorpion’s money into another dimension.
• Lorry returned to the inn and found Danitz drunk in the lobby.
• Danitz blocked Lorry and claimed he could hide Lorry’s supposed visit to a streetwalker from the captain if Lorry promised to stop.
• Lorry grabbed Danitz and demanded an explanation, and Danitz insisted that Lorry treat the captain better.