Ch. 824A reminder

At his ball, Klein spoke with Will Auceptin, who warned that an encounter with an Angel had slightly altered Klein’s fate and asked him to discuss dreams with Hibbert. Klein then returned to the party and invited Hibbert to dance, and she accepted.

  • Wilma Greattis resisted eating ice cream but had a few spoonfuls after Doctor Allen offered to finish the rest, then tried to learn what the other ladies had been discussing.
  • After the first three dances, Klein went to the washroom, where Will Auceptin warned him that an Angel had probably caused a slight deviation in his fate.
  • Klein realized the Angel might have been interested in Groselle's Travels, and Will said the resulting trouble could eventually be a good thing.
  • Will Auceptin told Klein that Hibbert had something wrong with her and suggested steering a conversation with her toward dreams; he also complained that the ice cream was too sweet.
  • Klein asked Richardson to have the kitchen reduce the ice cream’s sweetness, then spoke with Wilma Greattis before the next dance.
  • Klein invited Hibbert to dance, and she politely accepted.

Ch. 825A gift

Klein used a conversation about nightmares to probe Hibbert, then worried over his plan to steal an item from the Church of Evernight. Fors gave Xio an Interrogator Beyonder Characteristic, and Xio set out to pursue the potion formula and investigate Fors, only to sense that someone was watching her.

  • Klein told Hibbert about recurring nightmares and a fabricated dream interpretation, but she stayed cautious and revealed little.
  • Klein spoke with Bishop Electra about a business deal that might offend Baron Sindras, then reflected on his plan to steal an item from behind Chanis Gate.
  • Fors gave Xio an Interrogator Beyonder Characteristic as a gift, and Xio accepted it after trying to refuse.
  • Xio planned to earn military merits to obtain the Sequence 7 formula and continue investigating her family's past, while also intending to watch Fors.
  • After entering East Borough, Xio felt that someone had set their sights on her.

Ch. 826Two moments of disorientation

Xio investigated a suspected Aurora Order watcher and suffered brief episodes of disorientation that seemed to involve Fors. She reported the incidents to her Military Intelligence Section 9 contact, accepted a surveillance commission involving Viscount Stratford, and recognized him as her father’s former deputy.

  • Xio suspected an Aurora Order member was watching her and briefly imagined returning home with Fors before snapping back to the present.
  • Shermane met a girl in a black dress who offered to help him become a woman in exchange for following her orders and completing rituals.
  • Xio told the gold-masked Military Intelligence Section 9 man that she had been followed and experienced a lapse in memory; he said he would report the matter to his superiors.
  • Xio said she still had no leads on Trissy and asked for a new commission so she could earn merit toward the Interrogator potion formula.
  • The gold-masked man assigned Xio to report weekly on people Viscount Stratford contacted, and Xio recognized the Viscount as her father’s former deputy.

Ch. 827Mental Imprint

Klein monitored Hibbert’s nighttime trip into the sewers and used divination to confirm no major event would happen on Böklund Street in the next three days. At the Tarot Club meeting, Audrey presented three pages of Roselle’s Diary, and the chapter ended with her asking Klein about the new Card of Blasphemy beside him.

  • Xio agreed to watch Viscount Stratford’s contacts and was invited to join Military Intelligence Section 9 after becoming an Interrogator.
  • Klein noticed that Hibbert had triggered his mental marker and watched her enter the sewers carrying a Sun-domain charm.
  • Klein divined that no major event would occur on Böklund Street within three days and let Hibbert return safely before going back to sleep.
  • At the Tarot Club meeting, Audrey gave Klein three pages of Roselle’s Diary, while Cattleya offered no new pages.
  • Klein read Roselle’s account of High-Sequence mental imprints, which could influence Beyonder Characteristics and turn people into mental patchwork monsters.
  • Audrey noticed the new Card of Blasphemy beside Klein and asked which card it was.

Ch. 828And another

At the Tarot Gathering, Klein showed the members the Tyrant Card of Blasphemy, prompting Cattleya to suspect that Mr. Fool was seeking the Lord of Storms’ authority. The World offered several Sequence 5 Beyonder Characteristics for sale, leaving the members astonished and Cattleya wondering whether the Druid characteristic was meant for Frank.

  • Klein showed Justice the Tyrant Card of Blasphemy, and the members identified it with the Storm pathway’s Sequence 0.
  • Cattleya connected the card to Mr. Fool’s Sea God authority and suspected a struggle between deities.
  • The World told Alger he would give him an Ocean Songster characteristic to turn into a mystical item, and Alger agreed to find an Artisan.
  • The World offered a Black Emperor pathway Sequence 5 Mentor of Disorder characteristic for 8,000 pounds, and Audrey said she would consider buying it.
  • The World revealed that he also had a Planter pathway Sequence 5 Druid characteristic, leaving Cattleya wondering if he was offering it for Frank.

Ch. 829The growing Tarot Club

At the Tarot Club gathering, members traded rare ingredients and mystical items while advancing their plans. Audrey secured the final ingredient for her Hypnotist potion, and the gathering ended with Klein attributing a Mentor of Disorder characteristic to a curly-haired baboon.

  • Cattleya agreed to buy the Druid Beyonder characteristic from The World for 8,000 pounds.
  • Alger told Audrey he had obtained the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree fruit, and she agreed to pay him 2,000 pounds for it.
  • Cattleya offered the Wheel of Fortune card or a method to restore strength during weakness in exchange for Mythical Creature blood, and The World asked her to arrange a meeting with the Mystery Queen.
  • Cattleya offered The World the Marauder pathway item Severed Finger for 500 pounds, and Fors requested a cursed item from an ancient Evil Spirit and its residual spirituality.
  • Emlyn asked Derrick about a Sequence 5 artificial Vampire characteristic, but Derrick warned him that it carried serious mental corruption.
  • Audrey asked where The World had obtained a Mentor of Disorder characteristic, and The World said it came from a curly-haired baboon.

Ch. 830Impact

Audrey reported a rumor of madness linked to the Mind Dragon, and Klein explained that dragon-worship customs could help stabilize it. The Tarot Club then examined a mural showing three Angel Kings eating the City of Silver’s Creator, leaving Derrick devastated and questioning whether his people could ever be saved.

  • Audrey told the Tarot Club that an archaeological team in the Mind Dragon’s former region had gone mad and died, and Alger and Cattleya said the dragon was likely no longer there.
  • World said dragon worship could stabilize the Mind Dragon and advised watching for similar customs appearing elsewhere; Fool suggested that gods spread their faith to stabilize their condition.
  • Alger asked to show the mural he and World had found, and Fool gave permission for him to materialize it.
  • The Tarot Club recognized the three figures around the Creator as Angel Kings, with Audrey identifying them as the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Lord of Storms, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
  • Derrick realized the mural showed his Creator being eaten and concluded that the City of Silver’s hope for salvation was an illusion.
  • Alger dismissed the mural and asked Derrick whether he had finished investigating the former Chief’s mausoleum.

Ch. 831An appointment

At the Tarot Club, Alger urged Derrick to gather allies in the City of Silver, while Audrey agreed to treat Gehrman Sparrow if his mental illness returned. Cattleya then offered Frank Lee a Druid Beyonder Characteristic, despite growing uneasy about his experiments.

  • Alger told Derrick to make friends and unite people who could help save the City of Silver, leaving Derrick to consider the risks of involving them.
  • Klein had The World ask Audrey to treat him, and Audrey agreed to help if she could reach him when symptoms returned.
  • Klein arranged for Cattleya to send a crate of explosives with Severed Finger and warned the Tarot Club not to recall or draw the mural.
  • Aboard the Future, Cattleya visited Frank Lee and found him experimenting with wheat, mushrooms, and Rose Bishop cells to create food from monster corpses.
  • Cattleya offered Frank a Druid Beyonder Characteristic, and Frank eagerly accepted while Cattleya began to regret her offer.

Ch. 832A forgotten thought

Klein investigated the secret passage Hibbert was digging in the sewers and discovered that an unseen power repeatedly stole his thoughts, preventing him from detonating explosives. The explosives eventually went off anyway, and Hibbert canceled her operation after the blast, only to find a filthy gray rat on her balcony.

  • Klein sent Senor into the sewer passage, where Severed Finger reacted to an unknown presence deep underground, and placed five explosives around the cavern.
  • Klein repeatedly forgot whether he had detonated the explosives, concluding that a powerful Marauder-pathway being was stealing his thoughts and might be influencing Hibbert.
  • Klein planned to expose the secret passage to Saint Samuel Cathedral, but an underground explosion interrupted him, and he retreated above the gray fog.
  • Hibbert heard the tremor at Macht's home, canceled her operation, and saw a filthy gray rat appear on her balcony.

Ch. 833People coming and going

After the sewer explosion, Klein kept watch on the dangers around Böklund Street and negotiated with Will Auceptin over Admiral of Stars’ offer. Derrick struggled with the news that the Creator might be dead, while Klein’s dream was invaded by another presence after Will departed.

  • Klein learned that officials blamed the sewer explosion on gang members trading firearms and decided to watch Hibbert rather than investigate the sewers.
  • Klein wrote on the worn paper crane that Admiral of Stars had offered bargaining chips for Will Auceptin.
  • Derrick saw City of Silver residents praying and resolved to rebuild friendships by sparring at the training grounds.
  • Klein offered Will Auceptin a choice between seeing the Wheel of Fortune card and learning a method to regain strength while weakened; Will chose the method.
  • Will said the transaction would take place around early July, after his birth, and explained that the Mythical Creature blood was intended for one of Bernadette’s subordinates advancing in the Mystery Pryer pathway.
  • After Will disappeared, Klein detected a new force entering his dream.

Ch. 834Music of the night

Klein realized a demigod of the Marauder pathway was invading dreams to find him, then arranged for Bernadette to make Senor appear eroded by an Evernight seal. The chapter ended with Bernadette playing the Requiem Horn to begin the erosion, while its music stirred Klein’s longing for home.

  • A Marauder demigod invaded Klein’s dream, but Klein stayed lucid, escaped the sewer, and realized the experience had slightly digested his Marionettist potion.
  • Klein asked Cattleya to tell Bernadette that an angel had accepted a transaction and requested a meeting; Bernadette later agreed to meet him in Backlund.
  • Klein traveled to the southern bank of the Tussock River and met Bernadette on a path of pea vines suspended above the ground.
  • Klein asked Bernadette to make Senor appear to have suffered prolonged erosion from the core of an Evernight seal, and she warned that the process would eventually destroy him.
  • Bernadette said she could delay the erosion’s completion for at most two months, then used the Requiem Horn to play a sorrowful melody as Klein listened from a distance.

Ch. 835June arrives

Klein prepared to steal the Antigonus Family Notebook by arranging a way to enter the cathedral unnoticed, while Audrey received a dangerous mystical glove and found a safe way to carry it. After divining that the theft carried ordinary danger, Klein began his preparations to summon Arrodes.

  • Klein had Bernadette corrupt Senor’s appearance, then returned home and concealed the Wraith in a gold coin.
  • Audrey examined the black gauze glove made from the Mentor of Disorder Beyonder Characteristic and learned about its powers and severe negative effects.
  • Audrey decided to have Susie carry the glove in a little bag, and Earl Hall praised her solution as he reminded her of her birthday ball.
  • Klein planned to disguise himself as a servant after Sunday’s mass and hide in the cathedral until he could replace the Antigonus Family Notebook.
  • Klein divined that stealing the notebook involved danger within the normal range, set aside most of his belongings, and summoned Arrodes.

Ch. 836Infiltration

Klein infiltrated Saint Samuel Cathedral by disguising himself as a servant, then used Wraith Senor to incapacitate an internal guardian and take his place. He reached the underground passage behind the Chanis Gate and encountered Leonard Mitchell.

  • Klein confirmed with Arrodes that the Antigonus Family Notebook was in a Grade 1 Sealed Artifact area on the second level of Saint Samuel Cathedral.
  • Klein abducted a servant, took his appearance and clothes, and secretly entered the cathedral with the other servants.
  • Klein used Wraith Senor to find an internal guardian, possess him, and make him drink a sleeping potion.
  • Klein disguised himself as the guardian and followed the morning route to the concealed underground passage.
  • Klein passed the priest’s checkpoint and turned left at the underground crossroads, where he met Leonard Mitchell.

Ch. 837Within arm's reach

Klein entered Chanis Gate to retrieve the Antigonus Family Notebook, but just as he reached it, a mysterious woman appeared and erased him. The chapter left his fate unknown.

  • Klein encountered Leonard Mitchell at Chanis Gate and passed him without being exposed.
  • Klein entered the sealed area and waited through the first five minutes before descending to the second underground level.
  • Klein passed the Sealed Artifact "1-42" and found the Antigonus Family Notebook by following its summons.
  • Klein sent Senor's hand toward the notebook when he heard someone approach the room.
  • Klein saw the hooded woman who had erased Mr. A, then was erased before he could touch the notebook.

Ch. 838The town

After being erased by a powerful Church member, Klein awoke outside the mysterious Foggy Town, where he discovered that neither his messenger nor the Gray Fog escape route worked. He sent Senor into the town to investigate and encountered a beautiful woman approaching.

  • Klein awoke near Foggy Town, which he recognized as the place linked to disappearances in the Ruins of the Gods' Battle.
  • Klein checked his condition, found that he could not summon Azik's messenger, and failed to reach the space above the Gray Fog.
  • Klein decided to enter the town and sent Senor ahead while keeping his distance.
  • Senor saw abandoned homes with meals left unfinished and a mill still turning, reminding Klein of ruins on the main peak of the Hornacis Mountain Range.
  • Klein hid in the mill when he heard footsteps, and Senor saw a beautiful woman in a white robe emerge from an alley.

Ch. 839Things to watch out for

Klein, controlling Wraith Senor, met Panatiya in the foggy town and exchanged information about the place and its dangers. When Panatiya exposed a strange wound, Klein collapsed, and she revealed that she had found him inside the mill.

  • Klein used Wraith Senor to speak with Panatiya and learned that she suspected he was a member of the Secret Order.
  • Klein identified himself as Gehrman Sparrow and told Panatiya that a mysterious hooded woman had brought him to the town.
  • Panatiya said the town existed in a concealed state, that its church might hold the way out, and that people who ate food from the houses had vanished.
  • Panatiya warned Klein that the clear red moon made the town dangerous and showed him a wound she had suffered during one such change.
  • The wound revealed sinister patterns that overwhelmed Klein, and Panatiya entered the mill and whispered, "Caught you..."

Ch. 840Good luck (Thanks to Silver Alliance patron Loyal Wangcai)

Klein fought Panatiya, a Demigod Witch whose plague kept infecting him even as he fled. When the red moon pierced the fog, Panatiya retreated indoors, and Klein remembered her warning and sought shelter in another house.

  • Klein escaped Panatiya’s threads with a Paper Figurine Substitute, then ignited the mill’s flour and used fire to flee.
  • Klein sent Senor to attack Panatiya, but she burned the Wraith and destroyed him.
  • Klein tried to escape through flames, but Panatiya’s plague weakened him and left him coughing on the ground.
  • Panatiya identified herself as the source of a plague that could reach across the town and began eating Senor’s remains.
  • The red moon emerged from the fog, frightening Panatiya into a house and easing Klein’s illness.
  • Klein recalled Panatiya’s warning about the clear red moon, hurried into a house, and locked the door.

Ch. 841Figures Coming and Going

After escaping Panatiya, Klein recovered from the effects of her incomplete Mythical Creature form and navigated Foggy Town’s dangers while seeking refuge in its church. As he pondered the threat surrounding him, the shadows suddenly attacked.

  • Klein meditated until he overcame the madness and bodily mutations caused by seeing Panatiya’s incomplete Mythical Creature form.
  • Klein heard beastlike whispers outside and decided to reach the church, the place Panatiya had said she would not enter.
  • Klein found that Travel could not take him into the Spirit World, and his attempt to light a candle drew the street figures’ attention.
  • Klein used Traveler’s Door Opening to pass through walls and move closer to the church, then reviewed what he knew about Panatiya and Foggy Town.
  • Klein’s spirit intuition warned him as the shadows around him contracted and burrowed into his nostrils, mouth, and ears.

Ch. 842"Feeding"

Klein fought a shadowy opponent who revealed himself to be Mr. A, but the battle was interrupted by Klein's sudden cold and his enemy's overwhelming hunger. After feeding Mr. A Frank Lee's dried mushrooms, Klein questioned him about escaping the Ruins of the Gods' Battle, and Mr. A warned that the church and the outside were both dangerous as the crimson moonlight dimmed.

  • Klein battled the shadows with Creeping Hunger and other abilities while trying to avoid attracting the dangerous figures outside.
  • Klein's weakened constitution made him catch a cold, disrupting his control of Mr. A's Spirit Body Threads.
  • Mr. A emerged from the shadows, and Klein recognized him as the Aurora Order oracle, who attacked out of intense hunger.
  • Klein threw Mr. A Frank Lee's dried mushrooms, which Mr. A ate before retreating into the shadows.
  • Klein asked Mr. A how to escape and why he avoided the church, and Mr. A said the church and outside were dangerous and that everyone who disappeared reappeared beneath the crimson moon.
  • The crimson moonlight coming through the curtains suddenly grew extremely dim.

Ch. 843The Hanging Ones

Klein escaped Panatiya by entering the ancient church, where he discovered that the hanging figures whispered the same words he had heard after advancing. He resisted the force drawing his Spirit Body Threads toward the church’s altar and found a statue resembling the angel who had sent him to Foggy Town, along with another figure seated nearby.

  • Klein tried to use Mr. A to distract Panatiya, but Mr. A fled, leaving Klein to face the Witch of Despair’s plague and attacks.
  • Klein passed through the ancient church wall and found human figures hanging from the ceiling, murmuring “Hornacis... Flegrea...”
  • Klein used his Marionettist abilities to pull his Spirit Body Threads back as they drifted toward the church’s highest point.
  • Klein approached the altar and saw a many-limbed stone statue whose face matched the eraser angel beneath Saint Samuel Cathedral.
  • Klein noticed a figure sitting behind the statue.
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Page 42 of 72