Recaps

Klein killed Mithor King, the Sweet-Talker, and grazed his spirit, gaining two abilities from the Lawyer pathway. He then entered the underground area and used Dragon Might against Oz Kent and the group of men accompanying him.

• Mithor used his Beyonder abilities to deflect Klein’s bullet and attack, but Klein dodged and pursued him into the bar’s entrance to the underground area.
• Klein unleashed Dragon Might, frightening the guards and patrons, but Mithor soon resisted its influence and struck a powerful punch that missed Klein.
• Klein evaded Mithor’s punch, used Spirit Piercing to stun him, and shot him dead at close range.
• Klein chained the underground door shut, grazed Mithor’s corpse, and discovered that Mithor had been a Sequence 6 Baron of Corruption whose spirit granted him Distortion and Bribe-Weaken.
• Klein headed underground to find food for Creeping Hunger, but Oz Kent emerged with a large group of subordinates, prompting Klein to use Dragon Might again.

Klein used Creeping Hunger’s Dragon Might and Distortion to clear Oz Kent’s underground market, then killed Oz after learning about his crimes and collected his Beyonder characteristic and money. He brought Creeping Hunger above the gray fog to return the borrowed abilities, while Elland and Oz received orders to continue cooperating with Klein and secretly investigate him.

• Klein combined Dragon Might and Distortion to drive away or incapacitate Oz Kent’s subordinates, then used Psychological Suggestion to learn about Oz’s crimes.
• Klein killed Oz Kent with Creeping Hunger and took Oz’s Beyonder characteristic and wallet.
• Klein carried Mithor King’s corpse out of the Fragrant Leaf Bar and told Oz Kent to remember his bounty.
• Oz Kent told Elland that Gehrman Sparrow had killed Mithor King and Strongman in minutes, and Elland agreed to report the incident.
• Mr. Luan ordered Elland and Oz Kent to continue their cooperation with Klein, secretly investigate him, and spread news of Mithor King’s death.
• Klein counted his earnings and brought Creeping Hunger above the gray fog to return its abilities to Miss Justice.

Klein released the Psychiatrist’s spirit, learned she had no knowledge of Groselle’s Travels, and arranged a transaction with Audrey for her Beyonder Characteristic. Meanwhile, Blue Eyes Mith fled Bayam after realizing Gehrman Sparrow had killed Sweet-Talker Mithor, while Darkwill pursued a clue from his teacher and collapsed beside a die.

• Klein questioned the Psychiatrist’s spirit, heard how Qilangos had killed her, and received her Beyonder Characteristic after she declined to make any final request beyond wishing to live again.
• Klein sent Audrey a message saying she could prepare for the transaction, and she asked to wait two or three days so she could settle her debt to Mr. Fool’s Blessed at the same time.
• Blue Eyes Mith learned that Gehrman Sparrow had killed Sweet-Talker Mithor and Oz Kent, recognized Gehrman as the adventurer he had reported to Oz’s men, and fled Bayam with his companions.
• Darkwill recalled his teacher Roy King’s instructions to buy a die from Mapel’s Grocery Store, then purchased it and saw a red one facing upward after it fell.
• Darkwill stepped toward the die, suddenly lost his balance, and collapsed beside it.

Darkwill discovered that the milky-white die was a dangerous artifact and learned from Roy King's hidden letter to take it to Oravi Island. He planned to hire Gehrman Sparrow as a bodyguard, while Tracy learned that Gehrman had killed Mithor and decided to watch his movements.

• Darkwill fell, picked up the die, and found that it seemed to influence events when a patrolling officer accepted his false explanation about a banana peel.
• Darkwill found Roy King's hidden letter, which warned him not to seek help from the School of Life and instructed him to deliver the die to Carnot on Oravi Island.
• Darkwill realized his attempts to rescue Roy King might have exposed him to the traitor, so he planned to change lodgings and leave Bayam for Oravi Island.
• Darkwill decided to seek Gehrman Sparrow as a bodyguard and left to post notices in bars frequented by adventurers.
• Tracy received word that Gehrman Sparrow had killed Mithor and suspected he had used Creeping Hunger to imitate Qilangos's Dragon Might.
• Tracy abandoned her idea of leaking information about Gehrman and decided to track him, while Klein waited at the Teana Inn for his bounty.

Klein met Ralph, who invited him to believe in the Sea God, then accepted a three-day bodyguard commission from Darkwill. After divining that the danger was manageable, Klein agreed to travel with Darkwill for payment and help obtaining a powerful offensive mystical item.

• Ralph approached Klein in Swordfish Bar and invited him to become a believer of the Sea God Kavithua, but Klein asked instead whether he had any powerful offensive mystical items.
• The bartender told Klein that Darkwill had a commission for him, and Klein agreed to meet the Apothecary in Billiard Room 3.
• Darkwill asked Klein to protect him during a three-day trip to another island, while the owl Mr. Harry assured Darkwill that Klein would not sell him out.
• Klein left to perform a divination above the gray fog and learned that the danger of Darkwill's commission was acceptable.
• Klein negotiated one thousand pounds for three days and required Darkwill's organization to help him obtain a powerful offensive mystical item, then accepted three hundred pounds in advance and the rest at their destination.

Klein took a bodyguard job escorting Darkwill from Bayam to Oravi Island, while Ince Zangwill discovered evidence that 0-08 had manipulated his actions during the night. As their ship prepared to leave, lightning struck Darkwill, and the strange die changed from four to two, leaving Klein concerned about the threat they faced.

• Darkwill paid Klein 300 pounds and checked into a luxury suite with him at the Teana Hotel.
• Ince Zangwill found 0-08 outside its locked case and read that his reflection and fingernails had changed, while someone had erased the clues to his nighttime activities.
• Oz Kent gave Klein an advance of 5,400 pounds for his bounty, and Klein said he was leaving Bayam to protect Darkwill.
• Klein and Darkwill boarded a passenger liner for Oravi Island, but a storm delayed its departure.
• Lightning struck Darkwill, and Mr. Harry the owl told Klein to give him a bottle of medicine.
• Darkwill recovered and found the die showing two instead of four, while Klein demanded an explanation so he could protect him properly.

Darkwill concealed the ivory die’s significance from Gehrman Sparrow, but its worsening effects forced him to seek help. Klein eventually realized that the die had clouded his judgment, leaving him convinced that it was dangerous.

• Darkwill told Gehrman Sparrow that a fate-related secret organization had cursed him, while hiding the die’s identity; afterward, the die showed six and Harry urged him to tell the truth.
• Klein worried that he could not counter bad luck and decided to watch Darkwill closely until they reached Oravi Island.
• The die changed to one, and Darkwill nearly died in his sleep before Harry woke him; Darkwill rushed to Gehrman Sparrow and admitted the die was making him unlucky.
• Gehrman Sparrow dismissed Darkwill’s warning as a joke and suggested throwing the die into the sea, while Darkwill failed to notice it had changed to three.
• Above the gray fog, Klein recalled how he had accepted Darkwill’s implausible explanations and judged that something was wrong with the die.

Klein learned that the Die of Probability was a Grade 0-level artifact that manipulated luck and could endanger everyone around its holder. After managing its escalating accidents aboard the ship, he devised a way to intimidate it temporarily, ending the chapter as he brought it near a Beyonder Characteristic tainted by the True Creator.

• Klein asked Will Auceptin how to deal with the die and instructed Darkwill and Harry to watch it while he protected Darkwill from a string of accidents.
• The die turned to two, and Klein rescued Darkwill from a stray bullet before preventing several more mishaps until the die rolled four.
• Klein read Will's explanation that the Die of Probability controlled event probabilities, could threaten even demigods, and could be temporarily quieted through intimidation.
• Klein rejected using the gray fog to seal the die and decided to suppress its influence by intimidating it.
• Klein took the die into the bathroom, brought out the Eye of All-Black, and offered the die a concert.

Klein used the Die of Probability to keep it quiet and protected the passenger ship through a storm, while Fors discovered signs of digging in an abandoned chapel. Reviewing her report, Klein suspected that the evil spirit had secretly recruited members of the Einhorn and Sauron Families through Macht Pound.

• Klein intimidated the Die of Probability into staying quiet for twelve hours, and it settled on four.
• As a storm battered the passenger ship, Klein used the Sea God Scepter to protect it while Darkwill and Harry watched the die.
• Fors found finger marks in a small dug-out pit inside an abandoned chapel on Williams Street and reported the anomaly to Mr. Fool.
• Klein connected the foreigners on Williams Street to the Einhorn and Sauron Families, both tied to the Red Priest pathway.
• Klein suspected that Macht Pound had become the evil spirit's unwitting servant and had spread the news to draw those families in.

Klein confirmed that Macht Pound had changed unnaturally and arranged for Fors to report the danger on Williams Street to the Churches without exposing her to unnecessary scrutiny. He then questioned Arrodes, learned Leonard Mitchell was in Backlund investigating the Lanarvus and Capim cases, and agreed to hear about Leonard’s secret.

• Klein divined Macht Pound’s condition and saw signs that the baronet was behaving unnaturally.
• Klein had the World send Fors a discreet report about suspected high-ranking Feysac and Intis spies on Williams Street, and Fors hired Xio to deliver it for seventy pounds.
• Klein summoned Arrodes and asked where he could obtain a mystical item capable of stealing Beyonder powers; the mirror showed him twelve possible sources.
• Klein asked where Leonard Mitchell was staying and learned that Leonard was at 7 Pinster Street in Backlund, investigating the Lanarvus and Capim cases.
• Arrodes asked whether Klein wanted to know Leonard Mitchell’s big secret, and Klein answered yes.

Klein learned from Arrodes that an angel of the Zoroast Family was parasitizing Leonard and that the Die of Probability was the Wheel of Fortune pathway’s Uniqueness. Emlyn visited Leonard in Backlund to ask about a mystical item that could steal Beyonder powers, and Leonard invited him inside after ending the dream.

• Arrodes revealed that an angel of the Zoroast Family was parasitizing Leonard Mitchell, and Klein considered how to warn Leonard without provoking the angel.
• Klein asked Arrodes about the Die of Probability and learned that it was the Wheel of Fortune pathway’s Uniqueness and should be handed to a Mercury Snake.
• Klein decided to deliver the die to Oravi Island and give it to the School of Life, while planning to seek advice from Mr. Azik and Will Auceptin about Leonard.
• Emlyn traveled to 7 Pinster Street and drank an azure potion before meeting Leonard at the door.
• Emlyn said he wanted to buy a mystical item that could steal Beyonder powers, recognized that Leonard had drawn him into a dream, and showed him the badge from the World.
• Leonard ended the dream and invited Emlyn inside to talk.

Emlyn reported Leonard Mitchell’s 7,000-pound price for the power-stealing mystical item, and Klein agreed to buy it. While Klein waited aboard the passenger liner, a dangerous visitor approached, but the Die of Probability forced the newcomer to leave; the ship later neared Oravi Island.

• Emlyn visited Leonard Mitchell, who offered his single power-stealing mystical item for 7,000 pounds, and Emlyn said he would consider the deal.
• Klein agreed to pay 7,000 pounds for the item and set aside an additional 500 pounds for Emlyn’s risk fee, while ordering him to wait until the next day before completing the transaction.
• Klein dealt with the Eye of All-Black and waited aboard the passenger liner with Darkwill and Harry the owl as the Die of Probability remained quiet.
• Klein sensed an approaching threat as a black-robed man emerged from a rift above the ship, so he rolled the Die of Probability and requested a result of one.
• The die landed on one, and the black-robed man vanished after searching the area; Klein reassured Darkwill that he did not need to know what had happened.
• After several uneventful hours, Klein saw a towering lighthouse as the passenger liner neared Oravi Island.

Gehrman Sparrow and Darkwill delivered the Die of Probability to the School of Life on Oravi Island, where Life Councilor Ricciardo sealed it and agreed to help Gehrman find an offensive mystical item. Ricciardo promised to repay Gehrman’s fee with good luck, but Gehrman lost money at a casino and returned to confront him.

• Darkwill delivered the Die of Probability to Carnot, who revealed that the die had begun to awaken after Darkwill dropped it.
• Carnot admitted he was a failed product of the Church of the Earth Mother’s human transmutation and led Gehrman Sparrow and Darkwill to the injured Life Councilor Ricciardo.
• Ricciardo sealed the Die of Probability inside a looped object inscribed with symbols related to Will Auceptin.
• Ricciardo agreed to search for a powerful mystical item for Gehrman and told him to win his 700-pound fee at Oravi’s casinos through good luck.
• Gehrman lost 30 pounds at blackjack and returned to the bridge arch, leaving Ricciardo speechless when he reported the loss.

Klein collected his payment from Ricciardo and concluded that the gray fog interfered with fate-related powers. Meanwhile, Emlyn bought the mystical item Kindling, whose hidden Worm of Time was destroyed by Klein, and Klein prepared to advance to Sequence 5 once his Faceless potion was fully digested.

• Klein arranged for Darkwill to win money at casinos, received the remaining 730 pounds from Ricciardo, and deduced that the gray fog had disrupted Ricciardo’s luck-bestowing power.
• Emlyn paid Leonard 7,000 pounds for Kindling, a red glove that could steal a target’s Beyonder power but caused its wearer to lose items and one of his own powers.
• When Emlyn sent Kindling above the gray fog, a tiny face appeared on it, and Klein used the Sea God Scepter to destroy the face and retrieve a dead Worm of Time.
• Leonard asked the aged voice within him about the removed aura, but the voice had found no clues and Leonard decided to act as if nothing had happened.
• Klein examined Kindling, postponed using it to steal corruption from the Eye of All-Black, and planned to seek mermaids after digesting his Faceless potion and preparing the Marionettist potion.

Audrey gave Susie the Psychiatrist potion, while Leonard’s investigation connected Sherlock Moriarty to several cases. On Oravi Island, Klein exposed a swindler impersonating Gehrman Sparrow and continued searching for ingredients for his Marionettist potion.

• Audrey prepared the Psychiatrist potion for Susie, who drank it and successfully advanced.
• Leonard questioned Daisy in a dream and learned that Sherlock Moriarty and reporter Mike Joseph had appeared in both the Lanarvus and Capim cases.
• Leonard received information linking Sherlock Moriarty to Emlyn White’s disappearance and grew serious upon recognizing the name.
• Klein visited the Sweet Lemon bar on Oravi Island to seek the remaining Marionettist ingredients.
• Klein caught a man impersonating Gehrman Sparrow and threatening adventurers, then drove him from the bar with a warning shot.

Klein met Bilt Brando in Oravi, joined the Adventurers' Mutual Aid Society, and bought Sonia Golden Spring water before Bilt was called away. In the City of Silver, Derrick learned Lovia's quarantine had been lifted, then the Tarot Gathering began above the gray fog.

• Klein met Bilt Brando, who explained his plan for a loose alliance to help adventurers facing pirates and offered members favorable trading terms.
• Klein gave his name as Gehrman Sparrow, joined the Adventurers' Mutual Aid Society, and bought one hundred milliliters of Sonia Golden Spring water for thirty pounds.
• A guard summoned Bilt, whose expression turned cold and murderous, and Klein left the Sweet Lemon bar without asking about the matter.
• Derrick went to the City of Silver library to find ancient records for Mr. Fool and encountered Lovia, who told him her quarantine had been lifted.
• Klein watched the crimson lights gather above the gray fog, and Miss Justice greeted Mr. Fool as the Tarot Gathering began.

Klein read Roselle’s diary and discovered that Roselle had seen the same grayish-white fog after recreating the silver medallion that caused his transmigration. The meeting then turned to trading, where Alger sought the Ocean Songster potion formula from Cattleya.

• Klein read Roselle’s account of exploring the Abyss’s border, where the expedition found dead devils and spreading corrosion before Roselle ordered a retreat.
• Klein read Roselle’s reflections on feeling more attached to the world after Bernadette was born, while warning himself to guard against losing his humanity.
• Klein learned that Roselle recreated his silver medallion, saw a boundless grayish-white fog, and could not activate it; Klein connected that fog to the mysterious space beneath the ancient palace.
• Klein invited the Tarot Club members to begin, and Derrick held back his questions about Elder Lovia’s release while waiting for guidance.
• Alger asked Cattleya to look for the Ocean Songster potion formula, and she agreed to keep an eye out for it.

At the Tarot Club, Cattleya asked for a demigod-level mystical item while the members discussed the release of Lovia and the City of Silver’s possible dependence on the True Creator. Derrick agreed to investigate the Chief’s plans, and Cattleya asked whether Amon was the son of the Creator.

• Cattleya requested a demigod-level mystical item with tolerable negative effects, and Alger agreed to watch for leads.
• Derrick told the Tarot Club that Lovia had been released and that the Chief had returned to the City of Silver.
• Fors suggested Lovia’s release was tied to the Chief’s expedition, and Alger reasoned that the City of Silver’s leaders might protect Derrick as a counterweight to the True Creator.
• Derrick asked whether the City of Silver might be destroyed by the True Creator, and Alger said the possibility remained while advising him not to panic.
• Derrick thanked Alger and said he would find out what the Chief and the Council of Six intended to do.
• Cattleya asked whether Amon was the Fourth Epoch Tudor Empire’s ancestor and the son of the Creator.

The Tarot Club discussed Amon’s identity as a son of the Creator and the mysterious Adam, then learned more about the Angel Kings and the Marauder pathway. After the meeting, Klein examined Emlyn’s memories of Leonard and confirmed that Leonard knew about the old man.

• Cattleya said Amon and Adam were rumored to have been born within the original Creator, and Audrey learned that Adam had left almost no trace in history.
• Audrey explained that Amon was likely the Angel of Time, one of the Angel Kings, and that Derrick’s memories of the City of Silver contained no information about Adam.
• Cattleya confirmed that Amon belonged to the Marauder pathway and that a Worm of Time could be used in rituals or high-level charms.
• Klein privately asked Emlyn to manifest his memories of Leonard Mitchell and confirmed that Leonard knew about the old man, though Klein could not tell whether he understood the danger.
• The World told Audrey that something unusual had happened on Williams Street and that he had notified the Churches of Evernight and Steam; Cattleya then left the meeting.

The author recapped a difficult January of illness, travel, and delayed updates, and reflected on how he had learned to prioritize smooth plot development while writing Lord of the Mysteries. He announced a reduced update schedule from February 2 through February 12, with normal updates returning February 13.

• The author said travel, family matters, writer's block, and two bouts of illness had left him short on chapters and caused occasional late updates.
• The author noted that Lord of the Mysteries was nearing two million Chinese characters and described how he built its plot from a prepared structure.
• The author explained that he had learned to value smooth transitions and groundwork, and that he now spent more time considering and eliminating possible plot developments.
• The author said volume three was especially challenging because its traveling story required him to leave established supporting characters behind and introduce new ones, while later developing Tarot Club members' storylines.
• The author announced one daily update at 12:30 p.m. from February 2 through February 12, with normal updates resuming February 13.
• The author said the novel would likely continue beyond 2019 and asked readers for their February monthly votes.

Bilt Brando heard that Gehrman Sparrow had wounded Vice Admiral Ailment, while Klein sent Mr. Azik a letter asking about a parasitized host and a Worm of Time. After taking a day to enjoy Oravi’s sunset, Klein began volunteering at a medical charity and was recognized from a newspaper portrait.

• Sothoth told Bilt Brando that Gehrman Sparrow had severely wounded Vice Admiral Ailment aboard the Black Death and then hunted down Mithor the Sweet-Talker.
• Bilt told Sothoth he had met someone claiming to be Gehrman Sparrow, and they discussed checking newspapers to identify him.
• Klein wrote to Mr. Azik about a parasitized person and asked how to warn the host, as well as how a Worm of Time could be used.
• Klein saved Will Auceptin’s fragile paper crane for an important message, then spent the day watching the sunset from Mount St. Draco.
• Klein went to the Oravi Medical Aid Foundation to volunteer at hospitals, but the staff member recognized him from a newspaper portrait of Gehrman Sparrow.

Klein registered as a volunteer at the Oravi Medical Aid Foundation, endured basic training that involved scrubbing a filthy toilet, and decided to keep trying despite his doubts. At the Sweet Lemon Bar, he asked Bilt Brando to arrange an Artisan to make a Merfolk swim bladder into an underwater ring and to investigate putting a Spirit World summoning ritual on an item.

• Klein registered to volunteer with Juana at the Oravi Medical Aid Foundation and began training with Graya.
• Klein scrubbed a filthy toilet during his first training session, then left the foundation and resolved to continue volunteering while pursuing his goal of becoming a Marionettist.
• Klein met Bilt Brando and Sothoth Yang at the Sweet Lemon Bar and asked them to find an Artisan.
• Klein gave Bilt a Merfolk swim bladder to be made into a ring that would help him operate underwater, and asked the Artisan to see whether a Spirit World summoning ritual could be fixed onto an item for at least a year.
• Sothoth invited Klein to join a pirate hunt in the east, but Klein declined and left without asking about Bilt and Sothoth's unusual behavior.

Klein considered Bilt Brando and Sothoth Yang’s offer to impersonate an important figure, then accepted after learning the target was a Demigod. The chapter left him preparing to stand in for Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt, while a powerful Feysac spy surrendered to authorities in Backlund.

• Sothoth Yang jumped down to intercept Klein and brought him back to Bilt Brando to hear about a mission.
• Bilt explained that the man chosen to impersonate an important figure had died, and offered Klein one thousand pounds and three Artisan commissions for acting as the replacement.
• Klein said he would decide that night so he could divine the mission’s danger above the gray fog.
• A powerful Feysac spy and the Sauron Family’s people surrendered when Nighthawks and church forces surrounded them in Backlund.
• Klein returned to the Sweet Lemon bar, demanded five hundred pounds in advance, and learned he would impersonate Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt, a Demigod.

Klein agreed to impersonate Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt and studied his appearance and mannerisms at a banquet in Oravi. Meanwhile, Leonard learned the truth about the underground ruins in Backlund, and Amyrius identified Klein as a Beyonder.

• Bilt explained that Amyrius would be easier to impersonate while he stayed in Oravi, and Klein accepted the assignment and studied the prepared information.
• Leonard learned from the Old Man that the ruins beneath Williams Street belonged to the Tudor-Trunsoest United Empire, and Archbishop Saint Anthony ordered the Red Gloves to destroy them without entering.
• Klein followed Bilt into the governor's banquet and memorized Amyrius's appearance, uniform, and behavior while observing him from a distance.
• Bilt led Klein to a storeroom, where Klein transformed to resemble Amyrius, but Amyrius immediately recognized that he was a Beyonder.

Klein agreed to impersonate Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt under a magical contract and received a powerful charm to help maintain the disguise. After exchanging clothes with Amyrius, he prepared to take the admiral’s place for five days.

• Amyrius confronted Bilt about hiring Klein and warned him that the tramp’s death and Klein’s appearance were suspiciously coincidental.
• Amyrius forgave Bilt for his first mistake, and Bilt reaffirmed his loyalty.
• Amyrius had Klein sign a five-day contract restricting his conduct while impersonating the admiral, including his behavior around Miss Cynthia.
• Amyrius gave Klein the charm called the Ninth Law, which could create an imposing presence and impose restrictions on a target.
• Klein and Amyrius exchanged clothes, and Klein looked at his reflection and declared that he was now the admiral.