Recaps

Kronos waited for Boots at the Grizzly Bear Bar, then attacked him after he finally arrived. After a prolonged fight, Kronos wore Boots down and agreed to spare him if he worked for him.

• Boots repeatedly delayed his arrival, demanding another hundred pounds before agreeing to come to the bar.
• Boots arrived around two in the morning, and Kronos used the Eye of Time to study his unusual future timelines before attacking.
• Boots used robot-like thinking to dodge and counter Kronos, while Violent Bear guarded the door.
• Kronos activated the Vampire's Heart and changed to a counterattacking style, healing his injuries as Boots's spirituality ran low.
• Boots asked to work for Kronos, and Kronos accepted his offer.

Kronos captured Booze, continued preparing his businesses and plans, and attended an Eye of Wisdom Beyonder gathering in Bridge Borough. There, he bought sleep medicine and offered to purchase potion formulas and Beyonder items.

• Kronos and Violent Bear tied up Booze, and Kronos sent him to the manor so his family could question him about Monster Pathway formulas.
• Kronos introduced Gner to his company managers, checked on his businesses, and decided he would fight one more opponent before advancing to Sequence 7.
• Kronos spotted the Ernst Trading Company advertisement that revealed the time and entry code for an Eye of Wisdom gathering, then withdrew five thousand pounds.
• Kronos attended the gathering in a hooded robe and mask, bought ten bottles of sleep medicine from a plump Apothecary, and asked whether the Apothecary formula was for sale.
• Kronos announced that he wanted to buy potion formulas and Beyonder items, then looked toward Eye of Wisdom.

Kronos attended a gathering where he bought a Slumber Charm, traded information about missing blood, and tried to arrange a custom dagger and acquire Beyonder items. After leaving, he avoided the Grizzly Bear Bar and remembered to arrange fresh blood for the Beyonder items at his other residences.

• Kronos bought a Slumber Charm and asked about other charms, then arranged to discuss commissioning a weapon with its seller.
• Black Snake offered the Secrets Suppliant potion formula, but Kronos declined and instead identified Sanguine as possible thieves behind the missing blood at East Borough Hospital.
• Kronos warned Black Snake and an Apothecary about the dangers of seeking out the Sanguine, then collected ten pounds from each for his information.
• After the gathering, Kronos asked the middle-aged weapon seller to make him a nimble, sharp, possibly poisonous dagger and learned that the seller wanted the Lawyer potion formula.
• Kronos asked Eye of Wisdom to keep him in mind if he ever sold Beyonder items, then left the gathering and avoided the drinking contest at the Grizzly Bear Bar.
• On his way to the villa in West Borough, Kronos remembered that his other houses needed fresh blood prepared for his Beyonder items.

Kronos returned to Empress Borough and met Philip, explaining that he needed to fight a powerful Sequence 8 Barbarian to finish digesting his potion. They arranged for Kronos to disguise himself and spar with Duke Negan’s bodyguard, leaving Kronos close to advancing to Sequence 7.

• Kronos returned to the Empress Borough villa, where he continued refining formulas and learned that Gner had gathered information on the Black Skull Gang’s leaders.
• Philip visited Kronos and described accompanying Duke Negan on inspections of the navy alongside several noble families.
• Kronos told Philip that he needed to fight a strong Sequence 8 Barbarian to digest the last traces of his Melee Scholar potion.
• Kronos used a Beyonder item to disguise himself as Philip, and they arranged for him to visit Duke Negan’s house the next morning under the pretense of applying for a bodyguard position.
• After Philip left, Kronos anticipated that the fight would complete his potion digestion and allow him to take the Sequence 7 potion.

Kronos went to Duke Negan’s villa to test his combat abilities and advance his potion digestion. After sparring with a Barbarian and a Keeper of Knowledge, he realized that ordinary fights no longer helped, leaving a visit to the Black Skull Gang as his next option.

• Kronos arrived at Duke Negan’s villa disguised as a job seeker, and Duke Negan recognized him as a Beyonder but let Philip take him to the backyard.
• Philip had a bodyguard test Kronos, and Kronos struggled against the Barbarian’s strength while his potion digestion nearly finished before abruptly stopping.
• Kronos asked for a weaker Sequence 7 opponent, and Duke Negan arranged for him to spar with Mr. Alred, a Keeper of Knowledge.
• Kronos felt no potion digestion during the second fight and concluded that ordinary sparring could no longer help him, so he decided to visit the Black Skull Gang.

Kronos learned that the Ironclad Project was nearing procurement and hurried to work with Professor Portland on new material formulas that could make Walter Factory a major supplier. He offered Portland a substantial stake and a role leading the factory, tying the professor’s future to the business.

• Kronos reassured Philip that he was close to advancing and said he planned to sail with his family’s merchant fleet afterward.
• Duke Negan told Kronos that the Ironclad Project was about to begin procuring materials, giving him a chance to profit by developing specialized steel with Professor Portland.
• Kronos left Negan Villa for Backlund University, eager to discuss his material formulas with Portland.
• Portland praised Kronos’s formulas, and Kronos proposed working together and bringing him into Walter Factory.
• Kronos offered Portland thirty percent of the company, asked him to transfer his patents to Walter Factory, and invited him to lead its technical work.

Kronos and Portland spent several days testing and improving material formulas at the Walter Factory while Gner gathered information on the Black Skull Gang. After arranging support and weapons for an attack, Kronos sent a coded telegram to Argyle Manor and prepared to move against the gang the night after tomorrow.

• Kronos and Portland tested the formulas at the factory, reproducing most of them and using Portland’s expertise to improve one of his patented materials.
• Gner reported that the Black Skull Gang’s three leaders met regularly, appeared to be low Sequences, and could potentially be attacked at their headquarters.
• Kronos warned Gner that the gang was linked to powerful organizations, then admitted he had exaggerated to curb Gner’s overconfidence.
• Kronos planned to contact his family for assistance and attack the gang the night after tomorrow, while Gner returned to surveillance and arranged to buy weapons.
• Kronos rested for seventeen hours, then sent Argyle Manor a telegram saying he was coming home for worship the day after tomorrow.

Kronos and Gner attacked the Black Skull Gang after its members extorted Marquis Argyle, but Kronos called off the fight after warning the gang leaders. They escaped when Kronos sensed powerful Wraith reinforcements approaching, and he realized he had underestimated the East Balam Restoration Society.

• Kronos learned that his father had given Booze a Sequence 7 Potion before killing him to make a weapon for Kronos.
• Kronos and Gner ambushed the Black Skull Gang’s guards and fought the leaders Moreira, Lima, and Godopus inside their headquarters.
• Kronos knocked Moreira unconscious and disabled Godopus’s rifle, then stopped Gner when Lima offered to negotiate.
• Kronos identified himself as a member of Marquis Argyle’s family and warned the gang not to trouble the Marquis again.
• A Nightmare joined Kronos and Gner as they left, and Kronos explained that he had sensed five powerful Wraiths approaching.

After Kronos returned to Argyle Manor with Gner, he warned Marquis Argyle about the dangerous organizations and wraiths they had encountered. He advanced to Sequence 7 Warlock and discovered that the Time Stone had gained a time-reloading ability, then took Gner around the manor to test his Eye of Time.

• Kronos told Marquis Argyle that the East Balam Restoration Society, the Eternal Life Society, and the Numinous Episcopate were connected to the Black Skull Gang, and that powerful wraiths had threatened them.
• Marquis Argyle purified Kronos with the Sun Ring and told him to stay at the manor until the fleet was ready to sail.
• Kronos explained the danger to Gner, who agreed to stay at the manor for a few days instead of returning to Backlund.
• Kronos prepared and drank a Sequence 7 Warlock potion in the chapel, successfully advancing under the protection of the God of Steam and Machinery.
• Kronos discovered that the Time Stone's Concealment of Time lasted three hundred days and that Time reload could restore him to a saved state once per week.
• Kronos took Gner on a tour of Argyle Manor, using the opportunity to test the Eye of Time.

Kronos studied the Argel Family’s Spell Grimoire and realized its exhaustive teachings had hindered generations of Warlocks from advancing. Marquis Argyle revealed that the family had deliberately accepted those limits to reassure the Royal Family, and Kronos left determined to pursue his own path in secret.

• Kronos strengthened the Eye of Time, tested his Beyonder items, and spent several days studying the family’s Spell Grimoire.
• Kronos found that the grimoire’s countless derivative spells had left little room for innovation and had stalled the Argel Family’s advancement.
• Kronos confronted Marquis Argyle, who explained that the family had avoided seeking Sequence 4 formulas and obeyed the grimoire’s constraints to reassure the Royal Family.
• Marquis Argyle told Kronos that the Royal Family trusted the family only while it stayed out of politics and produced no demigods, and urged him to keep any attempt to break free secret.
• Kronos let go of his resentment and understood the sacrifices his family had made, while Marquis Argyle hoped he could surpass the kingdom’s founder and resolve the Hidden Sage’s curse.

Kronos learned why the Argel Family distrusted the Church of Steam and Machinery, then hid his private spell experiments behind an act of grief. As the Bowen Trading Company's fleet prepared to depart, he traveled with his family to Pritz Harbor and shared a rare day together before setting sail.

• Marquis Argyle told Kronos that the Church of Steam and Machinery had likely killed their ancestor Botu after he agreed to join the church and change pathways.
• Kronos left the study acting grief-stricken because someone in the manor was watching him, then read Ancestor Abner's spells and reconsidered his plans for studying the Criminal pathway.
• Kronos decided to investigate the power of time to advance his acting, but repeated attempts to understand Concealment of Time left him baffled.
• Kronos secretly practiced spells in his room while his family believed he was dispirited, and Marquis Argyle kept them from disturbing him.
• After the Bowen Trading Company's fleet finished loading, Marquis Argyle took the family to Pritz Harbor and arranged for Benjamin to buy them a fine house.
• Kronos, Marquis Argyle, the Marquise, and little Annie spent the evening walking together by the shore before Kronos's departure the next morning.

Kronos secretly departed by ship under the alias Klein, after friends and family saw him off and equipped him with a cache of powerful Beyonder items. He began his first sea voyage with Gner, confident in his disguise and preparations.

• Philip saw Kronos off, shared a drink with him, and gave him contact details for fleets, island bases, and trusted people.
• Portland assured Kronos that the Walter Factory and its patents were in good hands, while Beck Yardinis reported that Kronos's companies were awaiting the right opportunity.
• Kronos concealed his identity and boarded the ship with Gner, posing as a relative of Benjamin Bowen and using the alias Klein.
• Alone in his cabin, Kronos opened Marquis Argyle's gift and examined the Lucky One Cane, Mystic Pouch, Azure Brooch, Elf Charm, scrolls, potion, and his existing equipment.
• Gner invited Kronos onto the deck, where Kronos watched the crew work and admired the sea during his first ocean voyage.

Kronos and Gner arrived at Damir Port, where Kronos gathered information about the island and its surroundings. They reached the village near an extinct volcano, but Kronos stopped Gner from seeking lodging so he could preserve his planned Warlock cover story.

• Kronos and Gner disembarked at Damir Port and told Benjamin they were going to ask around for information.
• Kronos chose the Bird and Fish bar while Gner questioned patrons about nearby sights and villages.
• Kronos overheard that Edwina Edwards had become Vice Admiral Iceberg and that Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt had recently crushed several pirate crews.
• Gner learned that a sizable village lay south of town near an extinct volcano, whose warm caves were used to dry cured meat.
• Kronos rented a carriage, and he and Gner reached the village by evening; Kronos stopped Gner from asking a family for lodging to avoid undermining his Warlock disguise.

Kronos and Gner investigated a Phoenix-related presence in an extinct volcano after Kronos heard mysterious cries in his sleep. They followed the traces into a widening fissure, where they continued toward the source.

• Kronos and Gner spent the night in their carriage on the mountain and used sleep potions to rest.
• Before dawn, Kronos heard cries that revealed an image of a Phoenix to him, though Gner heard nothing.
• Kronos explained the Phoenix's legendary history and persuaded Gner to scout for a possible Spirit World entrance.
• Kronos used a spell to sense the Spirit World's presence, and the two traced it to a hole beside the meat-drying hut.
• Gner knocked out the caretaker, and Kronos and Gner crawled into a fissure where the Spirit World's presence was strongest.
• After crawling past a fork, Kronos and Gner felt the temperature drop and continued as the fissure widened enough to walk through.

Kronos discovered a drop of Phoenix blood beyond the Spirit World entrance but retreated because he could not reach it safely, then returned to the village and used a dramatic Warlock disguise to accelerate his potion digestion. He left still needing to find a way to create spells, the final part of his acting method.

• Kronos used his Eyes of Mystery Prying to spot a drop of Phoenix blood bearing the authorities of death and the Door Pathway beyond the Spirit World entrance, then retreated with Gner.
• Kronos collapsed the tunnel branch leading to the entrance to keep others from reaching the blood before he grew strong enough to claim it.
• Kronos and Gner returned to the carriage, left the cured meat untouched, and agreed to pose separately while Kronos went into the village.
• Kronos dressed as a hooded Warlock and floated into the village, causing the villagers to believe a deity had arrived and accelerating his potion digestion.
• Kronos estimated that learning spell knowledge and acting as a Warlock covered most of his potion, but he still had no progress on creating spells or using the power of time.

Kronos posed as a traveling warlock in a village and used spells to clear its fields, earning the villagers’ admiration. He stayed to accept their hospitality while Gner arrived to buy cured meat, and Kronos left the villagers eager to seek his help.

• Gner watched Kronos practice his mystic act from a hillside while roasting a rabbit.
• Kronos introduced himself to the villagers as a warlock and agreed to clear the weeds from their fields.
• Kronos used his Weed-Clearing and Levitation Spells throughout the morning to clear more than three hundred mu of farmland.
• The villagers thanked Kronos and invited him to eat, while Gner arrived to purchase their volcano-smoked cured meat.
• Villagers brought food and heirlooms to the chief’s home, but Kronos found nothing valuable among the objects and offered to help them for free.

Kronos and Gner staged a performance to win the village’s trust while Gner bought its volcano-smoked cured meat. After Kronos demonstrated several spells at Gner’s challenge, the villagers believed in him and his potion digestion advanced.

• Kronos warned Gner with a look, and Gner persuaded the village chief to show him the underground smoking pits by promising to buy all the cured meat.
• Kronos used the Eye of Time to tell the villagers that Gner had once been a soldier from Backlund whose fate intersected with theirs.
• Gner returned, agreed to buy all the cured meat, and joined Kronos and the village chief for lunch.
• Following their plan, Gner called Kronos a swindler and challenged him to demonstrate spells in front of the villagers.
• Kronos made fire, lightning, water, and wind at Gner’s request, convincing the villagers and advancing his potion digestion.
• Gner admitted he was wrong, and Kronos reassured him while keeping up his Warlock act.

Kronos and Gner returned to the harbor with five carts of cured meat, which Kronos purified before it was loaded onto the ship. After resting and buying an Adventurer's Handbook, Kronos waited for the ship to depart for its next stop and continue his search for treasures.

• Gner bought the village's cured meat while Kronos used his mystic act to read two villagers' pasts and futures, then escaped invisibly.
• Kronos changed his appearance to Klein and waited for Gner, who arrived hours later with five full ox carts of meat.
• Kronos explained that the cured meat carried traces of the Spirit World and arranged for the villagers to unload it near the harbor.
• Kronos performed a purification ritual on the meat, and Benjamin sent workers and carts to move it onto the ship.
• Kronos bought an Adventurer's Handbook, returned to the ship, and slept until morning.
• After breakfast, Kronos read the handbook on deck while waiting for the ship to depart for its next stop.

Kronos ordered the fleet to bypass Bansy Harbor because of its extreme dangers, despite the captains’ protests, and warned Gner to stay away. After reaching Tiana Harbor, Kronos had made no progress in finding materials for time spells and left his room to look for opportunities.

• The fleet sailed past Bansy Harbor, and sailors mocked Kronos’s decision as rumors of his dislike for the port spread.
• Benjamin worried about the growing complaints, while Kronos told Gner he would tolerate the fuss unless it interfered with work.
• Kronos warned Gner that Bansy was dangerous enough to avoid until he became an angel, and Gner resolved to stay away.
• Kronos spent the voyage testing materials for time spells, found no responsive materials, and considered investigating the Marauder Pathway if his research failed.
• The fleet reached Tiana Harbor, and Kronos left his room in a miserable mood to ask about opportunities.

Kronos and Gner prepared to explore Tiana Island, with Kronos collecting a map and local information while Gner asked around at bars. Kronos learned about remote mountain villages and persuaded a bookstore owner to mark their locations for him.

• Gner told Kronos that his potion was digesting quickly, and Kronos gave him the Sequence 7 Weapon Master formula to watch for its ingredients.
• Kronos sent Gner to gather information in bars while he searched for a detailed map and planned to meet him at the harbor that afternoon.
• Kronos visited a bookstore and recognized its owner as a Beyonder connected to the Church of Knowledge.
• The owner described Tiana Island's mountains, iron mine, settlements, and the deep-mountain villages where he sourced wild delicacies.
• Kronos claimed he was an adventurer and a believer in the God of Steam, then asked the owner to mark the remote villages on his map.

Kronos gathered information about three struggling mountain villages and a mysterious illness in Saint Luo Village, then planned a rushed expedition to investigate them. He and Gner entered the mountains, where Gner shared his wilderness knowledge as they headed toward the first village.

• Kronos got the locations of three mountain villages from Boss and left him ten pounds for the information.
• Gner reported that people in Saint Luo Village had fallen ill but recovered after spending three days outside it, leading Kronos to suspect a supernatural cause.
• Kronos planned a three-day route through the mountain villages and Saint Luo Village, then assigned Gner to buy outdoor supplies while he gathered food and other necessities.
• Kronos and Gner rode to the mountain entrance at dawn, left the horses, and continued on foot.
• Gner explained the terrain and likely dangers as Kronos struggled to keep pace and listened to his wilderness advice.

Kronos realized his long-distance plan was unrealistic after struggling through the mountain trail with Gner, but continued toward the first village. There, he accelerated the growth of the villagers’ butterfly trees, then fled when they began treating him as a god.

• After three hours of travel, Kronos admitted his plan was too ambitious, but set off again with Gner to reach the next village before nightfall.
• Kronos arrived near the first village and heard the villagers’ requests, until a child asked him to help their parents’ butterfly trees grow.
• Kronos cast a Rapid Growth Spell and transformed the villagers’ young butterfly trees into mature trees in minutes.
• When the villagers knelt and called him their true god, Kronos cast an Invisibility Spell and disappeared.
• Gner laughed at Kronos’s predicament, while Kronos complained that he had not expected the villagers to take their reverence so far.

Kronos and Gner camped in the wilderness after a tiring day of travel, but Kronos failed to keep a proper watch while Gner slept. A black panther crept up and killed Kronos with a single bite.

• Kronos and Gner stopped halfway between villages and made camp before nightfall.
• Gner caught two unfamiliar animals, and he and Kronos cooked and ate them.
• Kronos used a sleeping potion and rested while Gner kept watch through the first half of the night.
• Kronos woke around one o’clock and took over the watch, while Gner went into the tent to sleep.
• Black Panther crept toward the distracted Kronos, then lunged and crushed his head in its jaws.

Kronos survived an ambush by an Evil-Patterned Black Panther and worked with Gner to kill it. As they moved camp, Kronos reconsidered his recklessness and resolved to be more cautious in the dangerous world around him.

• Time Reload revived Kronos after Black Panther killed him, and Kronos struck the panther with the Lucky One Cane.
• Gner joined Kronos, and the two fought Black Panther with the cane and spells until the panther faked a powerful attack and fled.
• Kronos flew after Black Panther and immobilized him with thorns, and he and Gner killed the panther.
• Kronos identified the creature as an Evil-Patterned Black Panther and agreed with Gner to move camp and bring the valuable corpse with them.
• Kronos set up a Wall of Spirituality while Gner slept, then reflected on how the ambush had exposed his carelessness and changed his approach to survival.

Kronos sent Gner back to the harbor with the Evil-Patterned Black Panther so he could continue the journey alone. Gner reached a bookstore run by a Church of Knowledge informant and began processing the panther, while Kronos headed toward the second village.

• Kronos insisted on traveling alone and told Gner to return to the harbor with the Evil-Patterned Black Panther.
• Gner agreed, left Kronos, and followed his instructions to seek help at the bookstore near the harbor.
• The bookstore owner agreed to process the panther in exchange for one-third of its remaining meat and bones.
• Gner drained the panther's blood and skinned it while the owner purified the blood with a ritual.
• Gner carefully removed the panther's head and spine intact, and the owner prepared to extract its brain and spinal fluid.