Chapter Summaries

Lorry and Vera decided how to distribute the spoils from the operation, with Lorry donating his share to compensate the victims and taking responsibility for the porcelain factory. Vera also explained how Lorry could use his remaining MI9 merit and offered to lend him the Curse of Knowledge for the time being.

• Vera explained that he wanted the cash and jewelry to compensate the families of the ninety-two innocent victims, and Lorry offered to contribute his share as well.
• Vera corrected Lorry's sense of responsibility for the catastrophe and confirmed that Lorry still wanted to use his assets to help the victims.
• Vera arranged for Lorry to hand over the Manor for compensation while keeping the porcelain factory, with its value credited as merit and Lorry expected to protect the workers and plan a transition.
• Lorry chose to exchange his remaining merit for a powerful mystical item rather than wait for later Marauder Pathway potion formulas.
• Vera clarified that the Curse of Knowledge was not available for exchange, then offered to lend it to Lorry for the time being.

After escaping the failed investigation at Falk's Mountain Estate, Lorry reviewed his MI9 rewards and prepared to remove the Curse of Knowledge. The artifact revealed that Vera had promised it repayment for its assistance, leaving Lorry to face an unexpectedly harsh price.

• Lorry concluded that Altair was likely an evil god worshipper and accepted that Parliamentarian Begat could not be pursued casually.
• Lorry counted the Swindler potion ingredients and a powerful Mystical Item among his MI9 rewards, and decided to compensate Fors with money.
• At dawn, Lorry began removing his Mystical Items, but the Curse of Knowledge stopped him and demanded payment for fifteen uses of its power.
• The Curse of Knowledge offered Lorry three repayment options: 3,000 milliliters of Beyonder blood, a sacrifice of unfamiliar knowledge, or thirty exams based on its reading list.
• Lorry asked what would happen if he chose none of the repayment options.

Lorry accepted the Curse of Knowledge’s third option and began studying for a series of history examinations, even as Young Roselle’s success brought him fame and angry readers. Meanwhile, Klein read the novel and realized its writing style felt strangely familiar.

• The Curse of Knowledge warned Lorry that the White Bone Ring’s eternal life came from devouring Beyonders, and Lorry chose its third method.
• The Curse of Knowledge gave Lorry a long list of books to memorize for his first history examination on the Loen Kingdom.
• Lorry celebrated Young Roselle’s sales with Miles, who said readers—including influential nobles’ children—were furious with the novel’s author.
• Klein read Young Roselle at home, then recognized the source of his unease after finishing the book.

Lorry attended Eye of Wisdom’s Beyonder gathering, where Klein offered two Eternal Blazing Sun potion formulas for sale. After learning from the Curse of Knowledge that the disguised seller was a Sequence 8 Clown, Lorry negotiated to buy the formulas at a lower price.

• Lorry asked the Curse of Knowledge whether he could offer it mysticism knowledge from a Beyonder gathering in exchange for its help, and it agreed if the knowledge was new to it.
• Lorry arrived at Eye of Wisdom’s gathering and listened as a man in a flat cap offered the Sequence 9 Bard and Sequence 8 Light Supplicant formulas for sale.
• The Curse of Knowledge identified the seller as a Sequence 8 Clown, leading Lorry to suspect that he was Klein.
• Lorry learned the two formulas could offset one and two exams respectively, then offered 200 pounds for the Bard formula and 400 pounds for the Light Supplicant formula.

At a Beyonders’ gathering, Lorry spent heavily on potion formulas and talismans while Klein completed several transactions. Later, Lorry questioned the Curse of Knowledge about how his actions seemed to preserve events from the original novel, and it answered that he was part of history and was making it.

• Lorry bought the Hurricane Axe and the Corpse Collector potion formula, leaving himself with just over 600 pounds.
• Lorry traded his talismans to the elderly Eye of Wisdom for mysticism notes as the gathering continued.
• During the carriage ride home, the Curse of Knowledge warned Lorry that the elderly Eye of Wisdom might have noticed his sudden emotional shift.
• Lorry explained his doubts about Old Kohler, Fors, and his role in events that seemed to repeat the original novel.
• The Curse of Knowledge compared Lorry’s situation to a soldier trapped in a repeated life and told him he was not a spectator but a part of history.

Lorry reconsidered whether his actions had made him an active part of the plot and resolved to wait for a chance to test the idea without forcing events. At Vera’s home, he received two potion ingredients and a list of Mystical Items, then asked which one Vera recommended.

• Lorry wondered if he had saved Old Kohler and Fors and helped Klein because his presence changed the course of events.
• Lorry decided to stay calm and wait for a suitable opportunity to test whether he was a participant in the plot.
• Vera explained his habit of donating to workhouses and gave Lorry the Human-Faced Cage Grass and Bewitching Insect Swarm larva he needed for the Swindler potion.
• Vera showed Lorry descriptions of five Mystical Items, including their powers and drawbacks.
• Lorry asked Vera which Mystical Item he recommended.

Lorry chose the Lucky Money Bag, exchanged his Potion formulas for money, and received the Mystical Item from Vera. Vera then told him that Altair had been confirmed as a cultist and that Parliamentarian Begat had presided over MI9’s commendation ceremony for the case.

• Vera advised Lorry on five Mystical Items, and Lorry chose the Lucky Money Bag.
• Lorry gave Vera three Potion formulas for verification and exchanged his Merit for money.
• While waiting, Lorry saw a photograph of Vera with a white-haired man and vowed to make those responsible pay.
• Vera returned with the Lucky Money Bag, which contained fifteen hundred Pounds, and told Lorry that Altair had been confirmed as a cultist.
• Vera said Parliamentarian Begat had presided over MI9’s commendation ceremony for the case.

Lorry spoke with Vera about the investigation, requested a new identity, and received a portrait of Azik Eggers. He passed his first exam and performed the Ritual of Offering Knowledge, reducing his remaining exams to twenty-five before planning to digest his potion in the East Borough.

• Vera told Lorry that the Mountain Estate massacre case was nearly closed and that MI9 was still seeking Altair.
• Lorry asked Vera for new Identity Documents under the name Fitz Posner, and Vera agreed to arrange them.
• Vera gave Lorry a portrait of Azik Eggers and warned him that Azik was extremely dangerous.
• Vera gave Lorry a replacement badge and said its cost would be deducted from his future merit.
• Lorry earned an Excellent grade on his first exam, then performed the Ritual of Offering Knowledge and reduced his remaining exams to twenty-five.
• Lorry planned to digest his potion in the East Borough the next day.

Lorry discovered that the gangs had stopped carrying cash after someone robbed the Bloodhand Gang’s vault, and the East Borough had nicknamed the culprit “Gentleman Thief.” With gang members no longer offering much to steal, Lorry waited at Sanson Bar for Qiao, who arrived with several sheets of paper.

• Lorry found that the gang members he targeted carried almost no money and overheard two men buying coffee on credit.
• A waiter explained that the gangs had stopped carrying cash after the Bloodhand Gang’s vault was emptied and had curbed their behavior for fear of a nighttime attack.
• Lorry learned that people in the East Borough praised the thief as “Gentleman Thief” and protested inwardly that the nickname belonged to Klein.
• Lorry struggled to find worthwhile targets and considered changing whom he robbed to digest the Marauder potion more efficiently.
• Lorry waited at Sanson Bar for Qiao, who arrived unexpectedly and handed him three or four sheets of paper.

Lorry offered Qiao a job managing a struggling ceramics factory and arranged a meeting with him. Meanwhile, Xio mistook Lorry for Fors’s captor and followed them, only for an ambush to erupt as they left an alley.

• Lorry paid Qiao for his report and offered to recommend him for a manager position at a ceramics factory.
• Qiao accepted the job and agreed to meet Fitz Posner at the Savani Restaurant the following Wednesday.
• Xio spotted Fors walking with Lorry and believed he had taken her hostage.
• Xio drew her dagger and circled around the alley to ambush Lorry and rescue Fors.
• Lorry warned Fors to keep quiet about the cultists’ attack, and a figure suddenly sprang from the darkness at them.