Chapter Summaries

Nast’s Founding Ceremony secured the Pirate Duchy’s foundation while dividing the churches into two opposing camps. After the ceremony, Arianna handled ship registrations as Kronos returned to Backlund with Nosk and the Church of Steam and Machinery.

• The Church of the God of Combat’s representative backed down after seeing Arianna and realizing Jahn had defected to the opposing side.
• Nast praised the Three Great Churches, drawing the other churches’ attention toward the Church of Evernight, while Arianna reassured Kronos that her church feared no enemy.
• Nast’s Founding Ceremony lasted more than half a day, and most attending pirates registered with the Pirate Duchy, establishing its annual Pilgrimage Day and splitting the churches into two alliances.
• Arianna agreed to register the ships of the Church of Evernight and the Church of Steam and Machinery while Jahn struggled to prepare the Church of Storms’ information; Kronos called him “Trash!” and left.
• The next day, Kronos and Nosk returned to Backlund aboard a warship, where Kronos resumed researching material structure and working to digest his potion.

At the Tarot Club, Kronos sold Klein a Bright Light War Blade and revealed that the Church of Evernight was watching the Red Angel evil spirit. Later, Kronos followed a spiritual summons toward Bayam, leaving Old Fan to resume leading the warship’s crew.

• Klein used Mr. World to request an offensive Beyonder Item, and Kronos offered him a Sequence 5 Disease Triangular Dagger or a Sequence 6 Bright Light War Blade.
• Klein chose the Bright Light War Blade, and Kronos sold it to him at a low price.
• Mr. World asked Fors to check Williams Street, but Kronos said the Church of Evernight was already monitoring the Red Angel evil spirit and revealed that He had once been an Archangel.
• Kronos’s spirituality drew him toward Bayam, so he summoned Old Fan back to the warship through the Worm of Time and ordered him to lead the crew toward Backlund.
• Kronos left the warship and followed the spiritual pull toward its unknown source.

Kronos tracked a mysterious spiritual pull to Darkwill and discovered it came from the Dice of Probability. He chose not to keep the Uniqueness, leaving it with Darkwill to continue its journey to Oravi Island.

• Kronos searched Bayam’s bars and found the pull leading to Gehrman Sparrow and Darkwill outside an inn.
• Kronos recognized Darkwill and realized the Dice of Probability was attracting him because fate and time were complementary authorities.
• Kronos followed Klein and Darkwill onto a ship bound for Oravi Island, then entered their room after lightning struck Darkwill.
• Kronos took the Dice of Probability from Darkwill’s ring box and felt it urge him to merge with it, but refused.
• Kronos returned the die to Darkwill’s ring box, where it changed to one, and left it to continue toward Ricciardo.

Kronos helped Klein deliver the Dice of Probability, then returned to Constant City and learned that his mother might be troubled by the growing lifespan gap between herself and her Beyonder family. He left the study considering how to address her concerns.

• Kronos watched Darkwill recover after the Dice of Probability brought him close to death, then saw the die’s contingency briefly manifest as a miniature Snake of Mercury before he left.
• Kronos returned to Constant City, where Marquis Argel asked whether Annie should become a Beyonder; Kronos suggested she first learn about the Beyonder world and choose when she was older.
• Marquise Audrey Argel looked troubled as Annie asked Kronos and Marquis Argel about Beyonders, and they noticed her expression without discussing it at dinner.
• Marquis Argel told Kronos that Audrey might fear being the only member of the family without an extended lifespan, and Kronos realized he had overlooked the concerns of ordinary people around him.

Kronos proposed that his mother use the Moon Pathway to preserve her lifespan and appearance, then discussed the Argel Family’s growing political influence and a plan to secure control of the Sonia Sea Fleet. Marquis Argel agreed to study naval command after learning that Loen would face a war against every major power on the Northern Continent.

• Kronos suggested that his mother become a Vampire, and Marquis Argel agreed to discuss the blood-drinking requirement with her.
• Marquis Argel threatened to fake his death and make Kronos inherit the title, but Kronos refused and agreed to speak with his mother himself.
• Marquis Argel told Kronos that Argel Family recruits had passed the examination and that the family was building influence in Midseashire and Backlund.
• Kronos asked whether Marquis Argel would learn naval warfare, and his father agreed to prepare to command the Sonia Sea Fleet.
• Kronos confirmed that a major war was approaching between Loen and every major Northern Continent power, and Marquis Argel considered the family’s role in the conflict.
• Kronos outlined a plan to win over Sonia Sea Fleet personnel and take command after its current commander died, while Marquis Argel began preparing to study fleet command.

Kronos met Will Auceptin through Lady Arianna and negotiated over the Dice of Probability. He challenged Will to wager on whether he could survive a fight with Baoli Delau, and Will grew suspicious when Kronos proposed holding it after his birth.

• Marquis Argel discussed family business and his progress with astrology, then Kronos went to sleep and entered a dream summoned by Lady Arianna.
• Will Auceptin accused Kronos of switching pathways to bypass his blockade, and Kronos realized Will knew little about his current situation.
• Lady Arianna explained that Will had asked the Goddess to negotiate peace over the Dice of Probability, and Kronos offered to leave Will alone in exchange for the same.
• Kronos proposed wagering his life on a fight with Baoli Delau, promising to use only Hermit and Paragon pathway abilities.
• Kronos suggested holding the fight after Will's birth, prompting Will to ask how Kronos knew when he would be born.

Kronos settled his conflict with Will Auceptin through a fate-witnessed wager and obtained a promise of Wheel of Fortune Angel blood for Cattleya. Back at home, he persuaded his mother to become a Beyonder, and she successfully became an Apothecary.

• Kronos and Will agreed that the wager would settle their grievances, with Will promising to stop interfering if Kronos won and Kronos accepting death if he lost.
• Kronos asked Will for a drop of Wheel of Fortune Angel blood for Cattleya, and Will offered it as an apology gift.
• Arianna advised Kronos to try to get along with Will before ending the dream and letting him sleep until morning.
• Kronos's mother came to discuss becoming a Beyonder, and he explained that the Moon Pathway could give her a much longer life despite its Vampire Sequence requiring blood.
• The Marquise agreed to the path so she could spend more time with her children, and she successfully became an Apothecary using potion formulas and acting experience from the Sanguine.

The Marquise accelerated her potion digestion by treating patients, while Kronos returned to the Tarot Club and offered to help its members advance. Cattleya asked him for an Angel’s blood, and Kronos began explaining how its pathway could shape her future development.

• The Marquise treated people at Argel Manor and opened an herbal medicine shop beside Constant City's best hospital to see more patients.
• Old Fan asked Kronos to return to Pritz Harbor to handle Nosk's ship and witness Nosk's Alchemist advancement ritual.
• At the Tarot Club, Kronos offered potion formulas to the members, including Ocean Songster and Cataclysmic Interrer for Alger.
• Cattleya requested the Clairvoyant formula, but Kronos claimed he would take it from Bernadette, prompting Cattleya to withdraw her request.
• Cattleya asked for an Angel's blood instead, and Kronos explained that its pathway would influence her future development.

At the Tarot Club, Kronos advised Cattleya and warned the members about Adam before returning to Backlund. There, he secured Church of Steam and Machinery authority over personnel transfers in Loen and arranged to oversee Nosk’s advancement.

• Kronos advised Cattleya to pursue the Wheel of Fortune Pathway and offered to let her owe him for his help.
• Derrick described recent events in the City of Silver, and Kronos decided not to interfere with Mr. Fool’s plan to save its people.
• Cattleya identified Adam as Amon’s fellow Son of the Creator, and Kronos warned the Tarot Club not to speak or think of Adam’s name.
• Kronos returned to Backlund, where Old Fan told him that Greenton would visit Pritz Harbor to demonstrate the Church’s support for maritime affairs.
• Kronos dictated a reply to Pope Ivan, securing permission to transfer Church personnel across Loen and requesting Nosk’s Alchemist potion and time to assemble his crew.
• After Ivan approved the requests, Kronos told Old Fan that he would handle Nosk’s advancement while Old Fan managed the personnel assignments.

Kronos studied the Church of Steam and Machinery’s methods for the Alchemist advancement ritual and watched Nosk attempt it in Desi County. Nosk advanced successfully, filling another slot in Kronos’s own advancement ritual.

• Old Fan organized reviews across the Church of Steam and Machinery in Loen and transferred people out of Saint Hilleran Cathedral to strengthen Horamick’s influence.
• Kronos collected Will’s blood of a Wheel of Fortune Pathway Angel and gave one drop to Cattleya through Mr. Fool.
• Kronos studied three methods for completing the Alchemist advancement ritual and determined that Nosk would use the Church’s ritual-magic and Beyonder-item method.
• Kronos accompanied Nosk to a life-rich area in Desi County, where Nosk repeatedly extracted its life force until the hills and pond became a barren desert.
• Nosk drank the potion and advanced successfully, while Kronos sensed that another slot in his advancement ritual had been filled.

Kronos prepared Nosk and the Church of Steam and Machinery for Angel Greenton’s descent, using the gathering to draw attention away from his disguise as Horamick. Greenton arrived at Pritz Harbor and respectfully greeted Kronos, leaving him wondering why the Angel’s manner had changed.

• Nosk advanced to Demigod, and Kronos arranged for Hal and Todd to take control of him if Horamick’s identity was exposed.
• Kronos and Old Fan rotated Church personnel, assembled an all-Beyonder crew for Nosk’s ship, and prepared for Greenton’s descent.
• Kronos publicized Greenton’s arrival in Pritz Harbor, prompting secret organizations and rival factions to pull back their forces.
• Kronos anonymously bought factories in Saint George District and promised factory owners the Church’s protection, helping industry recover.
• Fors attended the gathering with Xio as Greenton descended on luminous wings and landed on the temporary platform.
• Greenton nodded respectfully to Kronos, surprising him because the Angel had not treated Horamick that way in their previous meetings.

Kronos, posing as Horamick, learned that Greenton wanted a new Angel to take over his position so he could serve the God of Steam and Machinery in the Divine Kingdom. Kronos negotiated for a vitality-restoring item and Greenton’s advancement experience, then demonstrated his value with his research on material structures.

• Greenton preached to the gathered believers, while Kronos wondered why the Angel had specifically asked to see Horamick.
• Greenton told Kronos he hoped he would advance to Angel and succeed him as Director of the Enlightenment Monastery, allowing Greenton to seek service in the Divine Kingdom.
• Kronos claimed his aging body might not survive advancement and asked Greenton for a vitality-restoring item and his Knowledge Mentor advancement experience.
• Greenton agreed to share his experience but required Kronos to prove his value before receiving the vitality-restoring item.
• Kronos showed Greenton his material-structure diagrams, impressing him, then took the papers back and asked whether they proved his value.

Kronos traded with Greenton for a Life Diamond and helped establish Nosk as the Mechanical General before returning to a peaceful Backlund. Amyrius then summoned Kronos to Bayam and explained that a powerful organization was trying to seize control of the Sonia Fleet, leaving Kronos to offer his assessment of the danger.

• Greenton agreed to give Kronos a Life Diamond in exchange for Kronos taking his position at the Enlightenment Monastery after advancing.
• Greenton handed the Flying to Nosk, who brought his followers aboard and became known as the Mechanical General.
• Kronos returned to Backlund, then traveled to Bayam after Amyrius invited him to discuss a dangerous situation.
• Amyrius told Kronos that Keith and an inspection team had died by suicide after trying to displace Sallandon, and that the Twilight Hermit Order was working to strip Amyrius of control over the Sonia Fleet.
• Kronos suspected the organization was securing military power ahead of war and warned Amyrius that he would likely be transferred away, though the Loen Kingdom would ultimately survive.

Amyrius learned from Kronos that the Twilight Hermit Order backed Sallandon and decided to lie low while secretly preparing to retake control of the Sonia Fleet. Kronos infiltrated the Navy Base during Amyrius’s diversion and waited for a chance to steal Sallandon’s personal seal.

• Kronos warned Amyrius that opposing the Twilight Hermit Order could cost him his position or his life, and Amyrius abandoned the idea of joining them.
• Amyrius asked Kronos to copy Sallandon’s personal seal while he drew the faction’s attention, planning to use forged orders to gather and eliminate Sallandon’s allies later.
• The following night, Amyrius attacked Sallandon’s position and lured two demigods away while Kronos entered the Navy Base using the Concealment Scarf.
• Kronos found Sallandon’s seal hanging at his waist and waited nearby as Sallandon and a Manipulator discussed Amyrius’s probe and the Order’s promises to restore Sallandon’s health.
• The two pursuing demigods returned and reported that Amyrius had revealed himself and questioned them, while Kronos understood that Amyrius had been buying him time.

Kronos gathered intelligence on Sallandon’s demigod guards, returned to Backlund, and received the Diamond of Life, which he gave to his grandfather. As April arrived, Cattleya advanced to demigod, the Tarot Club members continued their separate pursuits, and Old Man finished digesting his potion and prepared to advance.

• Kronos copied Sallandon’s personal seal, then told Amyrius what he had observed about Sallandon and his three demigod protectors.
• Kronos returned to Backlund, found Greenton’s notes unhelpful, and sent the Diamond of Life to Constant City for his grandfather, Old Man.
• Kronos learned that Cattleya had advanced to demigod with ritual assistance and kept her advancement secret.
• The Primordial Moon worshippers split from the School of Life and joined the Rose School, while Emlyn and other young Sanguine began hunting them.
• In April, Fors finished digesting her Trickmaster potion, Audrey accepted a commission, and the other Tarot Club members continued their progress.
• On April 14, Marquis Argel told Kronos that Old Man had finished digesting his potion and was preparing to advance; Old Man refused to switch to the Alchemist pathway.

The Old Man began advancing to Mysticologist using the Argel Family’s Elf Blood, but the Hidden Sage appeared and attacked him with torrents of knowledge. As the Old Man began transforming toward the Hermit Pathway’s mythical form, Kronos and Marquis Argel faced a desperate choice over whether Kronos should risk confronting the Hidden Sage.

• The Old Man chose to advance to Mysticologist with the family’s Elf Blood, and Kronos returned to Constant City to oversee the ritual.
• The Old Man completed the analysis ritual and drank the potion, but informational radiance revealed that the Hidden Sage had marked him.
• The Hidden Sage appeared in the room, failed to find the concealed family, and attacked with chaotic knowledge that disrupted the Old Man’s advancement.
• The Old Man began transforming into a knowledge torrent, and Kronos prepared to lure the Hidden Sage away while Marquis Argel maintained the Concealment Scarf.
• Marquis Argel stopped Kronos from going out to face the Hidden Sage, unwilling to risk his son’s life.

Kronos tried to draw the God of Steam and Machinery’s attention to drive off the Hidden Sage while saving his grandfather. The Hidden Sage overwhelmed him with knowledge, but Kronos struck the church’s sacred emblem, bringing the God of Steam and Machinery into the conflict.

• Kronos reassured Marquis Argel that he was a Sequence 3 and proposed drawing the God of Steam and Machinery’s attention through the nearby church.
• Marquis Argel released Kronos, who left him holding the Concealment Scarf and dashed toward the church.
• The Hidden Sage intercepted Kronos and flooded his mind with knowledge, causing him to collapse while Marquis Argel watched helplessly.
• Kronos used the Sun and Moon Seal to ease the pressure in his mind, then hurled a Spear of Longinus at the church’s Triangular Sacred Emblem.
• The God of Steam and Machinery noticed the Hidden Sage and reached from the Perfect Land to strike at Him, prompting the Hidden Sage to flee.

Kronos escaped the Hidden Sage’s attack and learned that his grandfather was trapped in a dangerous state of partial loss of control. Stiano gave Kronos a mission against the Moses Ascetic Order, while Amanises warned that the assignment was a test that could expose his concealed identity as Horamick.

• The Hidden Sage withstood Stiano’s strike and fled, allowing Kronos to return to Marquis Argel and find the Old Man partly transformed by informationization.
• Stiano summoned Kronos to the church and confronted him for exploiting the sacred emblem, but Amanises intervened on Kronos’s behalf.
• Amanises marked Kronos as Her Blessed, and Stiano assigned him to clear a Moses Ascetic Order stronghold said to contain one demigod.
• Amanises brought Kronos to Darkened Heaven and warned that Stiano might suspect his true identity and would detect any trace of a Scholar of Yore’s aura during the mission.

Kronos learned from Amanises that saving Old Man required a ritual known to the Moses Ascetic Order, so he sought Cattleya’s help and gathered the needed materials. After performing the ritual, he watched Old Man awaken, though his recovery was not yet complete.

• Amanises warned Kronos that hiding his Scholar of Yore aura would weaken him during the mission, but explained that Old Man’s condition could be treated with a Moses Ascetic Order ritual.
• Kronos returned to Marquis Argel and said he knew how to save Old Man, then traveled to the Future to ask Cattleya about the Hidden Sage’s attack.
• Cattleya gave Kronos a scroll recording the Moses Ascetic Order’s recovery ritual, and Kronos traded her his Deadly Crossbow in thanks.
• Kronos gathered the ritual’s supplementary potions and materials from the Sanguine settlement, then returned to his family manor.
• Kronos performed the ritual beside Old Man, sustaining his will with spirituality until Old Man’s shoulders twitched and he opened his eyes.

After the Old Man recovered enough to take the potions Kronos provided, Kronos sought Bernadette’s help against a Moses Ascetic Order stronghold. He traded information about Sharf, a descendant of Bernadette’s brother, for the Dawn of Elements’ support, and Bernadette agreed to assist him.

• The Old Man regained a clear mind, and Marquis Argel told him how Kronos had saved him from the Hidden Sage’s attack.
• Kronos gave the Old Man recovery potions and explained their required order, while Marquis Argel decided to move him near Constant City.
• Kronos went to sea and repeatedly recited Bernadette Gustav’s honorific name until she guided him to an island.
• Kronos asked Bernadette to help destroy a Moses Ascetic Order stronghold, offering information in exchange for the Dawn of Elements’ assistance.
• Kronos revealed that Sharf June was a descendant of Bernadette’s brother Ciel Gustav and gave her Sharf’s address in Bayam.
• Bernadette agreed to help Kronos and learned that he could handle the stronghold’s sole demigod while her people dealt with its other members.