Chapter Summaries

Kallen entered a memory of Ankara and discovered that the anger and destructive urges she provoked resembled his hunger addiction. The memory revealed that Ankara was the hunger addiction the God of Order had removed from his own soul, leaving Kallen to question the accepted account of her sacrifice.

• Kallen resisted the voice calling him Dad and used the Eyes of the Dark Moon to confirm that Puer was nearby, though the voice kept pulling him back into the experience.
• Kallen recognized his sudden urge to destroy Ankara as resembling his hunger addiction and burned his own soul with a flame of light, causing Ankara to scream and easing his rage.
• Kallen embraced Ankara to test their connection, but his destructive impulse returned; after he pushed her away, he realized he was witnessing a memory fragment.
• Kallen watched Ankara reunite with the God of Order, admit she was hungry, and receive a bookmark on which to write the name of someone she wanted to eat.
• Kallen concluded that the God of Order had cast Ankara into the Ferocious Beast's maw because she was the hunger addiction he had stripped from his own soul.

Kallen reflected on the God of Order’s failed attempt to separate his hunger before recovering in Ankara’s paradise and sharing a meal with Mavario and Lister. Following Little Fairies carrying away scraps, Kallen discovered a hidden canyon filled with the enormous skeletons of dead gods, revealing that Ankara’s paradise was another God-Burial Land.

• Kallen concluded that Ankara had been created by the God of Order to separate his hunger, but that the hunger had eventually returned through her.
• Kallen awoke in the vegetable garden, recovered from bleeding, and spoke with Mavario before gathering produce for a meal.
• Kallen cooked fish for Mavario, Lister, and Puer, and Mavario shared that his grandfather’s death had left him without a home.
• After Little Fairies carried away the meal’s scraps, Kallen followed one with Mavario into the forest and through a bank of black mist.
• Kallen saw a deep canyon where Little Fairies tossed food scraps, then illuminated its depths and found enormous skeletons of deities.
• Kallen realized the Order God Church had sealed the place because Ankara’s paradise was another God-Burial Land, the Land of the Lost Deity.

Kallen and Mavario explored a canyon in the Divine Temple filled with sealed god skeletons and discovered the Order God Church was preserving them while faint calls for awakening stirred within. After the [Warning Bell] detected their presence, they escaped and Mavario arranged for Lister to take the blame; Old White mistook Lister’s arrival for a farewell visit before they ended up facing the teleportation platform together.

• Kallen and Mavario flew into the canyon and examined the sealed skeletons, clocks, Order Fires, and dormant magic formations.
• Mavario explained that the Church was preserving and nourishing the remains, while Kallen sensed many faint calls for awakening within the skeletons.
• Mavario detected the [Warning Bell] probing the area, so he and Kallen fled with Puer and Lister and returned through the teleportation magic formation.
• Mavario told Lister he would leave evidence of their trespass and promised to transfer him to a research department in a few years, while Lister lamented the lost fish soup.
• Old White mistook Lister’s arrival with his belongings for a heartfelt farewell, apologized for their past quarrels, and asked if he had anything else to say; Lister answered, “Together.”

Kallen returned to York City District after the assassination in the Dinge District and met with Chief Bishop Woforen, who called for retaliation. At the Pavarro Funeral Society, Kallen faced the funerals of Pavaro and Dinkum and realized how close his family and friends had come to dying; meanwhile, Neo used Kevin’s blueprint to arrange a change to the Headquarters offices.

• Kallen arrived in York City District and told Puer that Mavario’s friendship depended on understanding their changing relationship.
• Chief Bishop Woforen asked Kallen about the assassin, confirmed he was dead, and insisted that there must be retaliation.
• Kallen returned to the Pavarro Funeral Society and saw the memorial portraits of Pavaro and Dinkum, then thought of how the assassin might have killed everyone there.
• Kevin worried that Puer might have been harmed, while Neo reassured him that Kallen would be fine.
• Neo brought Kevin’s revised Formation Blueprints to the teams redesigning Headquarters’ Defensive Formation and asked them to swap the nameplates on the Big Captain’s Office and the Director’s Office.

Kallen returned to the Funeral Society and held a joint memorial service for Pavaro and Dinkum, while making arrangements to protect his household and confronting Alfred about the dangers of absorbing Kongpacini’s inheritance too quickly. At the funeral, Gus introduced himself as a follower of the Cavern Order God Church, and Bishop Byrne and Woforen arrived with warnings and expectations for Kallen’s future cooperation.

• Mrs. Lake told Kallen that she and her daughters would move somewhere safe, and Kallen agreed to have Puer check on them.
• Alfred activated his Succubus Eyes at Kallen’s request, revealing how dangerously he was forcing himself to absorb Kongpacini’s inheritance, but he insisted on continuing.
• Kallen learned that Xili would move with them, then helped Pike burn point vouchers in honor of Pavaro and Dinkum.
• Gus Land Salin arrived to pay his respects and introduced himself as a follower of the Cavern Order God Church; Bishop Byrne explained that the church’s followers often partnered with members of the Whip of Order.
• Bishop Byrne told Kallen that the Chief Bishop’s family funeral was about to begin and urged him to be ready to cooperate.
• Woforen attended the memorial, said he would seek a better Cavern Order Church partner for Kallen, and explained that his deceased family had insisted he bring Leon to the Funeral Society.

After Woforen resolved to launch a sweeping purge of York City District, Kallen reassured Leon that the church would avenge his family and returned to the Funeral Society. Bernie delivered Kallen’s promotion order, making him Director of the First Office of the Discipline Inspection Committee, while Neo learned that he would be assigned to lead the Second Office instead.

• Woforen, Byrne, and Harry agreed that the Whip of Order would purge corruption throughout York City District, and Woforen urged the younger generation to carry the work forward.
• Kallen told Leon that the assassin’s backers would be investigated and promised that their families would get revenge, then ordered Leon to stay focused until that revenge was complete.
• Neo brought Kallen three substitute Puppets, a barrier bracelet, and a fragmentary summoning scroll as compensation for changes to his office assignment.
• Bernie arrived with a commendation order announcing that Kallen would become Director of the First Office of the Discipline Inspection Committee.
• Neo discovered that he had been assigned to establish the Second Office, angrily demanded his gifts back, and then softened when Kallen pointed out that they now held equal ranks.

Kallen discussed his promotion and the coming Great Purge with Neo, then refused Gus’s offer to become his Church Partner. Gus returned with a new proposal, asking whether Kallen wanted to raise a dragon.

• Kallen accepted Neo’s gift and discussed how his promotion had brought him into the higher-ups’ attention, prompting Neo to urge him to make a high-profile showing during the Great Purge.
• Kallen and Neo planned personnel changes, including Muli becoming big captain, Alfred becoming deputy director, and Peige and Fanny transferring to Neo’s office.
• Kallen asked Kevin to examine the Incomplete Scroll, and Kevin indicated that Puer could help repair it too.
• Gus offered to become Kallen’s Church Partner in exchange for resources, but Kallen declined while offering to remain friends.
• Gus returned after leaving and urgently asked Kallen whether he wanted to raise a dragon.

Kallen turned down Gus’s request to secure protection for a bone dragon being created by Gus’s former Guide, but ordered an investigation into the creature before making a final judgment. On his promotion day, Kallen ate breakfast prepared by Madam Tang Li, accepted her warning to involve family elders in dangerous personal matters, and led his squad out to work.

• Gus told Kallen that his former Guide was using a dragon corpse to awaken a bone dragon and asked him to seek the Order God Church’s protection for them.
• Kallen refused Gus’s request, then instructed Alfred to investigate the bone dragon with help from Xinyali and authorized him to act on important findings.
• Kevin and Puer examined Neo’s fragmentary scroll and identified it as one part of a larger summoning spell art that Kallen believed Neo could help complete.
• Alfred told Kallen that his squad was assembled for his promotion, and Kallen learned that Madam Tang Li had come to make wontons and speak with him.
• Madam Tang Li scolded Kallen for handling the danger involving the Felsher Family without first telling his elders, and Kallen promised to ask her for help with family matters.
• Kallen addressed his assembled squad and led them out after they answered, “Yes, Director!”

Kallen attended a lavish commendation ceremony where he was promoted to Director of the First Office, while the Whip of Order’s leaders publicly celebrated its revival. After reading his prepared cue card, Kallen unexpectedly accused Bishop Yedel of violating Order Regulations and placed him under arrest.

• Alfred, Vic, and Kallen arrived at headquarters, where Minister Bernie’s coffins were being unloaded ahead of the ceremony.
• Neo visited Kallen’s office, discussed their lack of an operational plan, and slept there before the ceremony.
• Kallen read news about a coming peace agreement, turmoil in the Desert Order God Church, and a possible god-making experiment, then ate lunch with Philomina and Richard.
• Kallen and Neo attended the ceremony, where Harry, Woforen, and Bernie gave speeches and Bernie used coffins to dramatize his commitment to the Whip of Order.
• Bishop Yedel announced Kallen’s promotion to Director of the First Office, and Kallen accused Yedel of violating Order Regulations and placed him under arrest.

At Kallen’s commendation ceremony, the Whip of Order’s leaders used him as a scapegoat by forcing Bishop Yedel to his knees, setting him up to bear the backlash from a planned Great Purge. Neo intervened by arresting the other district bishops and publicly declaring that Minister Bernie would lead the purge, leaving the hall stunned.

• Kallen announced Bishop Yedel’s arrest, and the headquarters defensive formation chained him and forced him to kneel before Kallen.
• The assembled guests, Madam Tang Li, and Pilo, Liwen, and Mavario realized Kallen was being made a sacrifice to absorb opposition to the coming Great Purge.
• Woforen confronted District Chief Harry over using Kallen as the opening sacrifice, but Harry insisted the young man was the most suitable choice.
• Neo left his seat, confronted Bernie privately, then took command onstage and forced Bishop Yedel facedown beneath his boot.
• Neo named the other five district bishops as suspects and used the defensive formation to chain them in their seats.
• Neo declared that Bernie would lead the purge and presented Bernie’s coffin as proof that he would either cleanse York City District or die trying.

Neo protected Kallen by turning a commendation ceremony into a public confrontation between the Whip of Order and the Regional Administration Office. The upheaval spread through the Church’s factions, and the High Priest confronted Fudeng as the chapter ended.

• Neo stepped in front of Kallen, took responsibility for the conflict, and publicly challenged Minister Bernie, while reporters watched the ceremony erupt into a declaration of war.
• Liwen, Pilo, and Mavario analyzed the confrontation and suspected that higher factions had set events in motion for reasons beyond Kallen himself.
• Dawensi prepared to exploit the coming upheaval, while Memphis used his secret access to the chapel’s defensive formation to help protect Kallen.
• Vic and Alfred planned to use Leon’s grandfather’s evidence to redirect pressure toward the District Chief and Bernie, while insisting that guilty officials still face the law.
• Malin revealed that she had manipulated Steven into making arrangements against Bernie, then was struck down by the Whip Bearer’s black whip when she tried to enter his office.
• The High Priest confronted Fudeng over the public broadcast and warned that an unruly or useless subordinate would no longer be tolerated.

Malin and Steven learned that their plan in York City had spiraled into a crisis after the Whip of Order arrested the district bishops during a live broadcast. They devised a plan to contain the fallout by making Kallen and Woforen shoulder responsibility, then entered the Whip Bearer’s office uncertain how he would respond.

• Malin repaired her wound and entered Fudeng’s office, where she learned the High Priest had already told him about the crisis in York City.
• Malin warned Steven that the arrests had derailed his plan to use Kallen as a scapegoat, and Steven panicked at the Whip Bearer’s anger.
• Malin pointed out that Woforen might refuse to take responsibility for the purge, so Steven proposed having Kallen persuade him in exchange for an exceptional promotion and positions for Kallen’s allies.
• Steven planned to blame District Chief Harry and transfer him to a dangerous garrison post, while Malin agreed to support a broader internal rectification.
• Before entering Fudeng’s office, Malin told Steven that the Whip Bearer might react to his claim of ignorance just as Steven expected the Whip Bearer to react to the High Priest’s similar claim.

Fudeng recalled his long service to High Priest Norton and gave Malin and Steven one last chance to settle the York City District matter, while making clear he would punish them if they failed. In York City, Kallen took charge of the investigation, Bernie ordered an internal investigation of Neo, and Kallen warned Bernie that he would not let him drag others down with him.

• Fudeng summoned Malin and Steven, spoke about his loyalty to High Priest Norton, and ordered them to resolve the York City District matter quickly.
• After Malin and Steven left, Fudeng revealed that he had already given them a chance and froze the island, promising the Frost Dragon two pieces of meat when the matter was over.
• At the York City District headquarters, Bernie announced daily investigation briefings, and Kallen's squad escorted the bound bishops to the Luxury Detention Center.
• Vic assigned Leon to accompany the Chief Bishop and win his favor, while Laure backed away when Kallen and Neo approached.
• Bernie put the First Office in charge of the investigation and ordered an internal investigation of Neo; Neo joked as clerics escorted him away.
• Kallen ordered Alfred to bring in more Whip of Order Squads, warned Bernie against trying to drag him down, and promised to bring Neo Oil-Splashed Noodles with garlic.

Woforen warned Leon that the incident had escalated into a political crisis between reformists and conservatives, then refused District Chief Harry’s plea to contain it. Meanwhile, Kallen rejected Minister Bernie’s offer of promotion in exchange for cooperating against Neo and openly defied the threat from Bernie’s powerful patron.

• Woforen shared dinner with Leon, explained that the arrests could ignite a new conflict within the Order God Church, and praised Neo for drawing the storm away from Kallen.
• District Chief Harry asked Woforen to publicly take responsibility for the incident, but Woforen told him to get lost.
• Minister Bernie told Kallen that the people above wanted to calm matters and offered him a deputy minister promotion if he cooperated against Neo.
• Kallen dismissed Bernie’s warning that the upper ranks could crush him like an ant and said they should come after him if they dared.

Kallen visited Neo in the Detention Center, where they discussed the investigation, a proposed promotion, and how Kallen should respond to the people targeting them. After leaving to meet Anita, Kallen discovered she had killed the man following him and decided to leave the body where it would be found as a warning.

• Kallen entered the Detention Center with noodles, and the guards let him pass while the Investigators ended their questioning of Neo.
• Neo gave Kallen a blue Gem that could control some nearby Magic Formations, then told him to resist Bernie’s offer of a Deputy Minister promotion and demand better terms.
• Kallen refused to accept a promotion as compensation for being targeted and told Neo to continue following interrogation procedures and the Order Regulations during the Great Purge.
• Richard told Kallen that Anita was waiting at a Coffee Shop, and Kallen left the Headquarters building to meet her.
• Kallen sensed someone following him and warned the stalker by finishing a cigarette, but the man continued to pursue him.
• Anita emerged from an alley carrying the dead stalker, and Kallen told her to leave the body in a trash can so people would learn not to trifle with him.

Kallen met Anita to discuss Maira, the Gravekeeper Clan’s recall, and Anita’s planned visit to the Cavern Order God Church, then visited the Pottery Gallery and spoke with Bishop Byrne. He refused Byrne’s offer to join his department and affirmed that his intentions were guided by the Order Regulations.

• Kallen met Anita over fried rice, and she told him that Maira, a Gravekeeper Clan member and Light Believer with a position in the Desert Order God Church, had arrived but was avoiding her.
• Anita told Kallen that the Gravekeeper Clan was summoning members worldwide and that she planned to visit the Cavern Order God Church in half a month; Kallen advised her to wait for Neo before responding to the recall.
• Kallen went to the Pottery Gallery, where Selena welcomed him and Lemar revealed that Bishop Byrne was visiting the Workshop.
• Bishop Byrne asked to speak with Kallen alone, offered to groom him as his successor, and questioned him about the Great Purge and his intentions.
• Kallen declined to transfer to Byrne’s department and told him that everything he wanted to do was written in the Order Regulations.

Kallen and Bishop Byrne discussed how Kallen would pursue the bishops’ investigation despite the risk to his career. After staging an assassination attempt and refusing to reveal specific findings at the press briefing, Kallen declared that six bishops’ offenses were shockingly serious, leaving the crowd stunned.

• Bishop Byrne encouraged Kallen to follow his convictions, and Kallen said he would escalate the investigation even if it ruined his prospects for advancement.
• After spending the night at Lemar’s home, Kallen exposed his carriage driver as a spy and challenged him to attempt an assassination.
• Harry and Bernie discussed limiting the investigation and managing pressure from reporters and the church leadership.
• At the headquarters entrance, Kallen let the driver stab him, and reporters witnessed the apparent assassination attempt.
• Kallen moved the press briefing forward, refused to answer questions or disclose case details, and announced that six bishops had committed grave offenses.

Kallen escalated the investigation into six bishops while Bernie and Woforen maneuvered to contain the political fallout. Woforen eventually gave Kallen a case file with evidence against the bishops, revealing that the six he had arrested were the ones named in it.

• Kallen publicly accused six bishops, and Bernie agreed to provide him with Whip of Order squads while trying to steer the crisis toward a quick resolution.
• Kallen questioned Bishop Yedel, who refused to cooperate but revealed his hatred for Woforen and his belief that Woforen had betrayed him.
• Kallen rested while his briefings continued with increasingly vague accusations; the Regional Administration Office stalled, impeached Woforen, and installed Dunke as acting chief bishop.
• Bernie was told that the plan was to convict Yedel, preserve the balance of power, and remove Kallen from the Whip of Order without further punishment.
• Woforen invited Kallen to his study and gave him a case file containing evidence against district bishops, then revealed that the six bishops Kallen had arrested were all named in it.

Kallen received Bishop Byrne’s evidence against York City’s corrupt bishops and learned that Byrne would support him with Garrison Knights. At a public meeting, the Church’s leaders appeared to settle the dispute and prepare to release five imprisoned bishops, but Kallen secretly summoned his forces and declared that the real confrontation was just beginning.

• Kallen questioned Woforen and Bishop Byrne about the evidence against the five arrested bishops, and Byrne explained that the case file contained evidence against the district’s biggest offenders.
• Woforen advised Kallen to stay flexible in his methods while holding to his principles, then asked Byrne and Kallen to make noise at what he considered his imminent funeral.
• Byrne told Kallen that Acting Chief Bishop Dunke and District Chief Harry planned to blame Kallen and Neo, release the five bishops, and preserve the Whip of Order’s expanded powers; he gave Kallen a token to summon secretly deployed Garrison Knights.
• Kallen’s colleagues worried about the coming meeting, while Kallen told Neo to remain in custody until the operation was underway.
• At the public consultation, Dunke and Harry criticized Kallen and Neo and arranged the five bishops’ release, as reporters treated Kallen as a disgraced official.
• Kallen used Byrne’s token to summon the Garrison Knights, rejected Bernie’s offered handshake, and told him that the conflict had only just begun.

Kallen refused an internal investigation and led his companions out of the Whip of Order Headquarters, declaring that the five bishops could not be released. As Harry ordered his arrest, the Garrison stormed the headquarters, leaving the confrontation poised to escalate.

• Bernie offered Kallen an apology and farewell dinner, while Monaxi photographed Kallen and decided to stay for more of the story.
• Kallen set out with Alfred, Muli, Ventura, and Philomina to make arrests, and they subdued clerics sent to detain him.
• Ventura and Kallen overcame Kodar’s formation and reached the plaza, where the five bishops demanded an apology and District Chief Harry ordered Kallen seized.
• Kallen declared the bishops guilty and not to be released, while his companions prepared to fight and Ventura continued tormenting Kodar.
• Dozens of Eagle-Falcons and black-armored Garrison knights arrived at the headquarters, and Kallen told Bernie that he could now dream.