Chapter Summaries

Lumian rescued Jenna from a pervert in a cavern, killed the man, and used Spiritism to learn about his abilities and memories. After releasing the spirit, Lumian freed Jenna and found bottles of gas among the dead man’s possessions.

• Lumian resisted the pervert’s lust-inducing influence by stabbing himself with the Ritual Silver Dagger, then struck the man and killed him.
• Lumian bound and blindfolded Jenna while he created a Spirit Wall and used the Summoning Dance to question the dead man’s spirit.
• Lumian learned that the man could induce greed, appetite, and lust, and saw memories of actresses Charlotte Calvino and Jenna.
• Lumian released the spirit, freed Jenna, and searched the corpse, finding 8 felkine and three metal bottles.
• Jenna explained that one bottle held a gas that knocked her out and another contained an irritating gas that woke her.

Lumian rescued Jenna from a pervert who had incapacitated and abducted her, then used the corpse as a fresh offering for a ritual in an underground quarry cavern. He began invoking himself through a Three-Part Description, leaving the ritual underway.

• Lumian tricked Jenna into inhaling the irritating gas, which restored her strength, and showed her how he had identified it by smelling the bottle’s cap.
• Jenna memorized the dead attacker’s face and explained how he had lured and subdued her; Lumian reasoned that the man had stalked her and might have accomplices.
• Lumian and Jenna cleaned up the scene and concealed the corpse in a sack before leaving the underground passage together.
• Jenna went toward the surface while Lumian carried the corpse to a hidden quarry cavern and prepared an altar for a ritual.
• Lumian recited a Three-Part Description identifying himself as the king of pranks of Cordou Village, Aurora Lee’s younger brother, and Lumian Lee.

Lumian used a ritual to create a Prophecy Potion and questioned a corpse, learning where Guillaume Béné, Louis Lund, and Monsieur Eve would appear. Afterward, a vagrant was mistaken for the master of a wealthy household and came to accept the identity, while Lumian learned that Baron Brignais wanted to meet him.

• Lumian completed the ritual to make a Prophecy Potion, relying on the corruption within him to provide the necessary level.
• Lumian gave the potion to a corpse, which prophesied that Guillaume Béné would appear in the Red Princess District, Louis Lund on Market Avenue, and Monsieur Eve at the Old Dovecage Theater.
• Two footmen and a butler brought a vagrant to a house, where a beautiful woman claimed to be his wife and the vagrant gradually believed he was the master.
• Lumian returned to the Golden Rooster Inn, where Madame Fels told him that Baron Brignais wanted to see him at the Breeze Ballroom after dinner.

Baron Brignais ordered Lumian to attack a Stinger Gang leader, explaining that the gang’s unusual restraint suggested it was preparing something major. Lumian collected information on the leaders and requested weapons, while Brignais privately planned to use the dangerous assignment to break Lumian’s defiance.

• Lumian met Baron Brignais at the Breeze Ballroom, where Brignais ordered him to severely injure or kill an important Stinger Gang member to test the gang’s response.
• Brignais explained that the Stinger Gang had shown uncharacteristic restraint after Margot’s death, leading him to suspect it was preparing a major move.
• Lumian asked for details about the Stinger Gang leaders and their families, and Brignais described Black Scorpion Roger, Baldy Harman, Short Candlestick Castina, and Hammer Ait.
• Lumian identified a possible trap for Harman and requested the leaders’ routines, a pistol, ammunition, and a weapon; Brignais agreed to have Louis deliver them.
• After Lumian left, Louis questioned Brignais, who admitted he expected the assignment to force Lumian into obedience whether he succeeded or needed the gang’s rescue.

Lumian weighed whether to target “Baldy” Harman or “Hammer” Ait, then went to the Mill Ballroom to observe Ait. There, he encountered Jenna again, and she told him the identity of the pervert whose spirit Lumian had encountered.

• Lumian considered using the Savoie Gang’s information and resources to hunt either “Baldy” Harman or “Hammer” Ait, but postponed his choice until he received more details.
• Lumian encountered Roul and Michel bringing home a sack of rubbish, and Roul explained that they worked hard because they feared growing old without savings.
• Lumian disguised himself and went to the Mill Ballroom to observe “Hammer” Ait.
• Jenna performed a vulgar song, noticed Lumian, and invited him to dance with her.
• Jenna told Lumian that the pervert was Hedsey, who had once lived in Room 504 of the Golden Rooster Inn.

Lumian and Jenna discussed Hedsey’s supernatural gifts and investigated the Mill Ballroom, where Lumian identified “Hammer” Ait as a target. Jenna offered to help and explained how Lumian could bypass Ait’s armed guards and reach his room.

• Jenna explained how she and Franca learned that Hedsey had been having sex with multiple women each day, and Lumian told her his abnormal desires came from supernatural powers.
• Lumian watched “Hammer” Ait and his gang at the Mill Ballroom, then noticed Mr. Eve searching among the dance hostesses and streetwalkers for clues about Hedsey.
• Lumian suspected Mr. Eve’s gift powers were weaker than Hedsey’s and considered whether other people with similar gifts might be operating in the district.
• Jenna recognized that Lumian had come to target “Hammer” Ait and offered to help, citing her knowledge of the Market District’s ballrooms.
• Jenna told Lumian that Ait was in a second-floor room with ten armed thugs and described a route through the kitchen ventilation duct and neighboring room to reach the washroom window.

Lumian learned from Jenna that “Hammer” Ait was a Pugilist and reconsidered how to assassinate him in the cramped washroom. Jenna lent him her concealed pistol, and Lumian headed toward the Mill Ballroom’s kitchen to begin his plan.

• Lumian guessed that Jenna was an Assassin, and she was surprised that he also knew about the Instigator pathway.
• Jenna warned Lumian that “Hammer” Ait excelled at close combat and would have the advantage in the washroom.
• Lumian assessed his weapons and supplies, then asked Jenna about the washroom’s size and layout.
• Jenna gave Lumian her concealed six-shot pistol and explained that she carried it for protection.
• Lumian inspected the pistol, decided one close-range shot could weaken Ait, and went toward the Mill Ballroom’s kitchen.

Lumian infiltrated “Hammer” Ait’s room and discovered the gang was working to secure a parliamentary seat for a powerful figure. After hearing Ait pray to an unknown being, Lumian prepared a gas trap in the washroom and waited to strike.

• Lumian slipped through the kitchen ventilation duct and entered Ait’s room by climbing from a neighboring washroom window.
• He hid behind the bathtub curtain, arranged his equipment, and overheard Ait order his gang to pressure households into electing a candidate as Market District’s member of parliament.
• After Ait sent his subordinates outside, Lumian heard him pray to a being described as the “Lady who gives birth to deities” and sensed malice fill the room.
• Lumian prepared a vial of incapacitating gas and used a foul-smelling wad of paper to endure its effects as Ait approached the washroom.
• Ait entered the washroom, and Lumian released the gas before aiming Jenna’s revolver at the toilet area through the curtain.

Lumian fought Hammer Ait in a cramped washroom, weakening him with sedative gas and knocking him unconscious. After the thugs fled, Lumian revived the bound Ait to interrogate him, with only a few minutes before the gang could return.

• Lumian ambushed Hammer Ait, but Ait dodged the shot and used his strength to gain the advantage in the washroom fight.
• Lumian changed tactics, maneuvered around Ait, and provoked him into a furious assault while the sedative gas weakened him.
• Lumian counterattacked, broke Ait's ribs, struck his abdomen, and knocked him unconscious with blows behind the ears.
• Lumian used Ait's unconscious body as a shield and frightened the thugs into fleeing instead of shooting.
• Lumian tied Ait up, opened the window to clear the gas, and revived him with the vial before asking what he wanted; Ait asked what Lumian wanted.

Lumian interrogated “Hammer” Ait about Louis Lund, the Stinger Gang, and their powers, then killed him and carried his corpse to Baron Brignais. The chapter ended with Lumian revealing Ait’s body at the Breeze Ballroom.

• Lumian threatened “Hammer” Ait until he admitted that he had met Louis Lund, who was negotiating with “Black Scorpion” Roger on behalf of the madame he served.
• “Hammer” Ait told Lumian that “Lady Moon” belonged to the Night Tour Society and that Louis Lund was expected to visit Roger again the following weekend.
• “Hammer” Ait described Roger’s Warlock powers, the Stinger Gang’s other gifted members, and the beings who could bestow divine power; he also said the gang supported Liberal Party candidate Hugues Artois.
• Lumian killed “Hammer” Ait, bandaged his wounds, and carried the corpse through the streets to the Breeze Ballroom.
• Lumian dropped “Hammer” Ait’s corpse in front of Baron Brignais and identified it.

Lumian brought Hammer Ait's corpse to the Breeze Ballroom, forcing Baron Brignais to confront the danger of retaliation from Black Scorpion Roger. Brignais alerted the authorities by detonating dynamite on Market Avenue, making an immediate attack less likely, and ordered his men to hide the corpse.

• Lumian stunned Baron Brignais and Louis by arriving with Hammer Ait's corpse only hours after receiving the assignment.
• Baron Brignais learned that many people knew Lumian had killed Ait and feared Black Scorpion Roger would retaliate against the Breeze Ballroom.
• Lumian revealed that he had come to Brignais for protection, while privately hoping Roger's attack would clear the way for him to rise in the Savoie Gang.
• Baron Brignais set off two bundles of dynamite on Market Avenue to draw the attention of police and clergy and deter Roger from attacking.
• Lumian recognized that Brignais had thwarted his plan for now, and Brignais ordered Louis and the others to hide Ait's corpse before the police arrived.

After killing “Hammer” Ait, Lumian explained his method to Baron Brignais and collected Ait’s belongings, including a Pugilist Beyonder characteristic. The police warned the gangs to keep the peace, while “Black Scorpion” Roger planned revenge once the authorities’ attention faded; Lumian returned to the Golden Rooster Inn and called out Ms. Jenna.

• Lumian told Baron Brignais that he had used a gaseous knockout drug to kill “Hammer” Ait in a washroom.
• Police Inspector Travis Everett questioned Baron Brignais about the explosion and warned the Savoie Gang to avoid further trouble during the parliamentary election.
• Baron Brignais told Lumian that the police were watching “Black Scorpion” Roger and invited him to meet the boss the next morning.
• Lumian claimed Ait’s weapons and intelligence, then found 116 felkine, 17 kopek, spiked gauntlets, and a Pugilist Beyonder characteristic on the corpse.
• “Black Scorpion” Roger told “Baldy” Harman to wait until police surveillance weakened, then find an opportunity to assassinate Charles.
• Lumian reached Room 207 at the Golden Rooster Inn, noticed someone near the balcony, and called out to Ms. Jenna.

Jenna returned to the Golden Rooster Inn to retrieve her gun and learned that Lumian had killed “Hammer” Ait, while Lumian asked her about the Savoie Gang’s boss. After Jenna shared what she knew, Lumian went to bed thinking about the meeting scheduled for the next morning.

• Jenna asked Lumian how he had detected her, and he teased her about wearing perfume and having a slow reflex arc.
• Jenna guessed that Lumian had used knockout drugs to kill “Hammer” Ait, and Lumian returned her small Revolver without explaining how the drugs had failed to affect him.
• Jenna told Lumian that she had planned to assassinate Margot because he had raped a singer who once helped her.
• Jenna described the Savoie Gang’s boss as a powerful, clever businessman with many workers, a talent for fire, and a mystical item.
• Jenna advised Lumian to dress aggressively for his meeting with the boss, then left the inn; Lumian went to bed thinking about the meeting.

Lumian met Gardner Martin, sold him the Beyonder characteristic recovered from Hammer Ait, and was put in charge of the Breeze Ballroom. After taking over, Lumian found Red Boots Franca waiting in his new office.

• Baron Brignais brought Lumian to Gardner Martin’s villa, where Martin praised Lumian’s recent victories and asked about Hammer Ait.
• Lumian handed over the Pugilist Beyonder characteristic, and Gardner Martin paid him eighteen thousand felkine.
• Gardner Martin assigned Lumian to run the Breeze Ballroom, leaving Baron Brignais to keep an office there for his lending business.
• Baron Brignais told Louis and Sakota to follow Lumian, then left to handle trouble with the lending business.
• Louis told Lumian that Red Boots Franca was waiting in his office, and Lumian entered to find her sitting with her boots on the desk.

Lumian learned that Franca was a former man who had become a Witch, and that she was his sister Muggle’s fellow Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society member, Sleeve Sword. After Lumian told Franca that Muggle had died, they agreed to keep his connection to her secret while Franca offered to help him study Muggle’s Witchcraft Notes.

• Franca told Lumian she had recommended him for Brignais’s deputy position and warned him not to pursue Jenna.
• Lumian repeated a phrase from Muggle’s dream, prompting Franca to recognize their shared secret organization and reveal her code name, Sleeve Sword.
• Franca confirmed that she had changed from a man into a woman through the Witch pathway and claimed the Hunter pathway could restore her male body.
• Lumian told Franca that Muggle had died in the disaster and asked her not to tell the organization, since it could affect his investigation.
• Franca said she had met Muggle only once at a normal gathering, then gave Lumian her address and offered to help him understand Muggle’s Witchcraft Notes.
• When Lumian asked why she had joined a gang despite her secret organization and strength, Franca replied that it was a secret.

Lumian took stock of the Breeze Ballroom’s finances after becoming its owner, kept its arrangements unchanged, and offered Charlie a waiter’s job. After noticing the inn’s new cleaning women, he headed to the Boulevard District to tell Mr. K that he had completed his task.

• Lumian reviewed the Breeze Ballroom’s accounts with René and learned how its revenue, expenses, and profits were divided.
• Lumian told René to leave the ballroom’s arrangements unchanged for now and to handle the police officers until Lumian could speak with them himself.
• Lumian offered Charlie a waiter’s job at the Breeze Ballroom and told him that he had killed Ait “Hammer” and been given the business.
• Lumian learned that the Golden Rooster Inn had hired two cleaning women, including Elodie, who wore a wig and makeup.
• Lumian ate at the inn and took a public carriage to the Boulevard District to report to Mr. K that he had completed the task.

Lumian visited Mr. K after becoming a Savoie Gang leader, and Mr. K ordered him to earn Gardner Martin’s trust while urging him to consider worshipping his Lord. Lumian suspected Mr. K had manipulated events to steer him toward the Savoie Gang, accepted an offer to choose a Sealed Artifact, and went to report his progress to Madam Magician.

• Lumian bought a copy of Spiritism and realized its warnings about mystical communion might reflect real dangers and past incidents.
• Lumian reported to Mr. K that he had become a leader in the Savoie Gang and taken charge of the Breeze Ballroom and Golden Rooster Inn.
• Mr. K ordered Lumian to gain Gardner Martin’s trust, prompting Lumian to suspect Mr. K had arranged events to direct his choices.
• Mr. K urged Lumian to consider believing in his Lord, and Lumian agreed to think it over.
• Mr. K told Lumian he could use the finger in danger and promised another if it was used up, then invited him to choose a Sealed Artifact the following Thursday.
• Lumian left Mr. K’s finger in the Golden Rooster Inn and went to the Breeze Ballroom to contact Madam Magician and report his progress.

Lumian settled into a room at the Breeze Ballroom and summoned Madam Magician’s messenger, whose reaction revealed that old bones lay beneath the building. Madam Magician’s reply explained how Lumian should handle Mr. K’s worship and warned that fate and convergence would bring him into contact with more dangerous people.

• Lumian chose a room at the Breeze Ballroom and planned to rotate between it, the Golden Rooster Inn, and his safe house to reduce the risk of an attack.
• Lumian wrote to Madam Magician about completing Mr. K’s task, his concerns about the entity Mr. K worshipped, and the coincidences surrounding him, then summoned her messenger.
• The messenger complained that old bones beneath the ballroom made the place filthy and vanished with Lumian’s letter.
• Madam Magician advised Lumian to feign belief in Mr. K’s entity only under angelic protection and to avoid recalling its honorific name until after his next psychiatric treatment.
• Madam Magician suggested Mr. K was probably a Sequence 5 Shepherd and explained that corruption from Fate, Mr. K’s arrangements, and convergence could draw Lumian toward more evil god followers, Hunters, and Witches.

After taking charge of the Breeze Ballroom, Lumian enjoyed a feast, learned that his dance with Jenna had become gossip, and encountered the struggling playwright Gabriel, whose rejected script led Lumian to ask about the Old Dovecage Theater’s manager.

• Lumian reflected on the abilities of Shepherds and ordered dinner for himself, Louis, and Sakota at the Breeze Ballroom.
• Lumian read the newspapers and gossip magazines, then learned that the restaurant owner Divar had attempted suicide after his courtesan lover Perle appeared naked at a banquet.
• Lumian left the ballroom and heard Charlie boast that Jenna had danced closely with him; Lumian let the story spread and learned Charlie would begin work the next day for eighty verl d'or a month.
• Lumian found Gabriel drinking absinthe at the Underground Bar and learned that theaters, including the Old Dovecage Theater, had rejected his script.
• Lumian asked Gabriel who managed the Old Dovecage Theater.

Lumian secured Aurora’s Witchcraft Notes and tried to make a summoned Spirit World Creature copy them, but the slow Minotaur forced him to resume the work himself. Later, Giant Simon came to speak with Lumian at the Breeze Ballroom, and Lumian’s pointed remarks made clear he would not be intimidated.

• Gabriel told Lumian that theater manager Maip Mayer dreamed of making the Old Dovecage famous and earning the Legion of Honor of Intis.
• Lumian moved Aurora’s Witchcraft Notes into a suitcase to take to his safe house, then copied several pages at the Breeze Ballroom.
• Lumian summoned a Spirit World Creature to copy the notes, but the Minotaur wrote too slowly, so Lumian sent it away and continued copying himself.
• Louis told Lumian that Giant Simon had arrived and explained Simon’s resentment over the Breeze Ballroom and its dancing girls.
• Lumian learned that cheap smuggled liquor and no rent helped make the Breeze Ballroom profitable.
• Lumian confronted Giant Simon, hinted that they should leave each other alone, and reminded him that he had killed Hammer Ait; Simon then said he had something to discuss.