Lucky Teros Scuto Rubro manages to get to the Detective's building in the flanks of the army, which still doesn't have him in its sights. He takes a chance and throws himself through the skylight, knocking himself out.

Meanwhile, Korul Xufol and half of the Delegation of Lokos arrives at the maze where the Resistancers had previously encountered the first bickbearels. But Korul is unlucky, and the weather changes, causing them to be attacked in a huge downpour by a swarm of bickbearels, from the air and from the maze. The Delegation loses and has to retreat, battered, back down where they came from.

Teros wakes up in the same room as Vidia, and to his great joy he meets the Detective there, as a caregiver, this time. It is not clear to him whether it is Yiraldo, but he is with Vidia, so that is very nice, and to their great satisfaction, the head of Angus Scuto Rubro, who the Detective had stolen from Shante and Hotan's lab.

Odia is escorted by Lieutenant Merie Wezem Tenebris with her cutter to the reserve base, on orders from the army top. On the spot, Merie is given authority over the reserve base, against her expectations, so that her superiors can focus on the siege of the Decadomum.

The new composition of the Resistancers, Modi, Cali, Eep, Ristato and Vlad, free themselves from the bottom of the Absconditrum and continue their journey toward Tridecapolis, to the Palace of Aponte and to their famous library, with Ristato as their guide, who teaches them much along the way about the Covenant, the Manifesto and the Legend of Geapa.

At the filthy Poison Puddles, to the great dismay of Shante Wiberi and her servants, the younger and angry Angus Scuto Rubro awakens. Angus has not become the brainless zombie that Shante and Hotan needed to unlock the ray cannons, but much too smart and too savvy. Hotan's elixirs did a suspiciously good job, and Shante has to flee after a fight with the new Angus. Angus Scuto Rubro soon discovers that there is war in the city, and he thinks that his plan, Angus' plan, has succeeded. So he rushes to Tridecapolis in his new body…

In Lokos, the other half of the split Delegation of Lokos, led by Patrol Guard Pyotr Yeena and innkeeper Toke Pat, receives a surprise visit from the unexpected Tyrian Alliance, who have no intention of waiting for a surprise attack from the Auctoritas Tenebris army...