Shirtaloon
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Chapter 920: Truly Outrageous Things
🕑 Added 2024-07-12 23:00:04 +0000 UTCThe Continental Council wanted Jason and his companions to stay while the aftermath of Boko’s destruction was being dealt with. As that would take months, if not years, they had decided to move on. Jason didn’t know when he would return to the city where he became an adventurer, and refused to let meetings and briefings be his last memory of the place. A local festival made for a good final day, so the team scheduled their departure for the day after.
Jason went out early to ride the water tunnel subway with its colourful mosaics, the same as he had on his first day in the city. Late morning, he and his friends joined Neil’s family in the park district for a picnic lunch. The park was busy, people out and about for the festival day. They joined some locals in a game of tri-ball that immediately went off the rails once the cheating with powers began. It started subtly, but soon the locals were watching wide-eyed as force tethers and magic barriers were used with shameless abandon.
It was early afternoon when they split up to attend the main festival area in the Divine Square. A massive open space, surrounded by temples, Jason’s first visit had also been his introduction to the gods. This time, he was less interested in religious pursuits than culinary ones. Food stalls had been set up in front of the houses of worship, boasting wares thematically linked to the gods they were fundraising for. It was a fun way for Jason to spend an afternoon, just another person in the heavy crowd.
The square was packed with people, stalls, stages and stands. This was courtesy of the religious festival, the specifics of which Jason hadn’t paid attention to. Rather than a sombre and ceremonious affair, it was more like a carnival. Families were everywhere, children eating food on sticks and playing games for dubious prizes.
There were stages where religious stories were being performed. These were the fun ones with heroes and monsters, not the weird ones about stoning people to death for having the wrong nipple ring or wearing purple during autumn. Some of the performances used actors while others were puppet shows that delighted the children and creeped out the adults. A few used illusion magic, although these seemed to be less popular. There was something impersonal about them that didn’t fit with the feel of the day.
Jason was roaming around, one hand holding an enormous drink he’d purchased in front of the temple of Ocean. It came with a decorative glass stein that showed off the blue colour. In his other hand was a candy on a stick from the temple of Lust. It was shaped like a dancing woman, using the stick as a pole.
Neil was with him as they went through every food stall and meal tent they could find. They were escorting three of House Davone’s young scions, Uncle Neil’s niblings. To Neil’s delight, they had refused to go along while he was wearing the clothes his aunt had given him. He was accordingly dressed well for once, showing off his actual physique instead of just looking chunky. That was especially valuable as Jason and Neil packed away their body weight in food, to the increasing astonishment of the kids.
Jason and Neil ran into their other friends from time to time. Zara, Sophie, Belinda and Estella were together, earning glares from the wives of staring husbands. Neil drew his own share of thirsty glances as the elf with gold-rank looks showed off how good he turned out to be with kids. Humphrey was with his mother, shoving one stuffed animal after another into his storage space as she won them. Clive was not present, being not beloved by several churches. They preferred people who found their divine relics to return them, rather than attempt to reverse engineer them.
There was a lull as the sun started to go down. People moved off to the feasting tables set up on the surrounding streets while the Divine Square was prepared for the evening. The festive atmosphere of the day would be replaced by a more ceremonial tone when the dinner feast was done.
The ceremonies were universally viewed as the boring part, but most people stayed because of the ending. The ceremonies would culminate with a release of sky lanterns, a cloud of lights, rising into the dark sky. Everyone was able to release their own lantern, many families making a craft project of it with their children.
That was still to come as people wandered out of the Divine Square at dusk. The stalls and stages were already starting to come down as they shuffled out. They would come back after long dinners of hearty winter food, even through the city never grew very cold.
Neil went off to join his family for the feast while Jason lingered in the Divine Square. Stalls came down as clergy emerged from the temples, putting up ceremonial displays with the help of volunteers. Jason found his way to a booth being packed up by a stocky bald man with skin so dark blue it almost looked black, marked by glowing sigils that looked like magic tattoos. He had broken down his booth and was loading the pieces into a large cart.
“Need a hand?” Jason asked.
“Oh, so the great and mighty adventurer is willing to do some manual labour?”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
All the pieces were lifted into the air by Jason’s aura, floated into the wagon and arranged themselves like Tetris blocks. Some of the surrounding stall workers glanced over before turning back to their own work. Even in a low magic city like Greenstone, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. Arash shook his head.
“Still can’t help but make a display of yourself, can you?”
“Hey, I’ve been here all afternoon, and no one even noticed. I didn’t have a loud and inappropriate conversation with any of the gods or anything.”
“Then I suppose I should thank you. If you’re going to magic things up anyway, can you do something about the cart, so I don’t have to haul it home?”
Jason touched the cart and it vanished into his inventory.
“Shall we, then?”
They walked together out of the Divine Square, Arash directing them towards his home.
“I have all the drinks made up and crated in the warehouse you rented,” Arash said. “You’re sure that ritual will keep them fresh?”
“If Clive says it’ll work, it’ll work.”
“Took me a week to make them altogether, even with my nephew helping me.”
“He’s as good at making the drinks as you?”
“Oh, he’s quite the talent. Which is good, given that his ambitions of adventuring went so terribly.”
“Bad experience with a monster?”
“No, he couldn’t bring himself to kill things. Even monsters. He even gets a bit funny at the butcher shop these days. That made it hard to pass the society assessment.”
“Fighting monsters is a fairly critical element.”
Arash gave Jason a side glance, Jason sensing the uncertainty in his aura.
“Something wrong?” Jason asked.
“I have a request. It’s not a small favour, and feel free to say no.”
“What do you need?” Jason asked.
“I’ve always been happy with my lot. Selling my fruit, making my drinks. I’ve got my family, my friends, and a successful business that I’m proud of. I never had a need to go out and see the world when I was happy right here. My nephew, though, he’s got the wanderlust. Wants to see the world.”
“Thus, the ambitions of adventuring.”
“Exactly, but he doesn’t have the killing in him. Which I am not sad about, but it does make things difficult for him. He wants the travel, the experiences, but those are hard unless you’re an adventurer or an aristocrat. Giving him essences was already as much as the family could fund.”
“No adventuring means no adventuring income.”
“Indeed. I honestly don’t think he would have done well, regardless. His results were middling at the training centre. Frankly, his talents lie elsewhere. I taught him to make drinks myself, and he worked the bar at the Norwich Distillery. He can put together near any drink you can think up, if you get him the ingredients. He’s kitchen manager there, now. He manages food service for the dinner crowds. And that cloud boat of yours looks to have room for a lot of people. I was wondering if maybe it could use a good bartender and kitchen manager.”
“My friend Emir keeps telling me I need to expand my staff. He’d definitely get to travel and have new experiences. But being around me isn’t always the safest place, even if you’re staying back on the boat. I’m not saying it’s dangerous, exactly; it’s an extremely well protected boat. But when only something truly outrageous can threaten you, only truly outrageous things do. Drastic things happen around me, from time to time. Like at Boko.”
“You had something to do with that? I had been wondering”
“I had quite a lot to do with it, sadly. We managed to get most of the people out alive, but not everyone.”
“I told him much the same myself when he started talking about becoming an auxiliary adventurer. That being around people who dive into danger is dangerous itself. But the young, you know? They’ll see a whole square full of people bowing before a god and stay standing like a damn fool.”
Jason chuckled.
“He should know that I’ll be leaving this world soon. We’ll be back, but he’ll be a lot more than just a portal away from home. If he finds he wants out, it’ll be some time before he can come home.”
Arash shook his head.
“That’s a warning that’ll work on someone like me, but the boy’s a little more like you, I fear. Another world. I can’t even conceive of such a thing. You know, I’ve never been further than Hornis, down south. But Jamar, I know hearing that would only excite him more. We all make our mistakes and learn our lessons, and he’ll be no different. I just want him to live long enough to learn from them. I imagine you made your share of mistakes, getting from where we met to where we are now.”
Jason let out a wincing laugh.
“You have no idea.”
“I’ve made my own, as well. But here, I always had family. Friends. Church. Community. There was always a helping hand when I needed it most.”
“You want to make sure your nephew is taken care of. Not left to blindly stumble through a big, dangerous world.”
“Just so.”
“I can tell you this, Arash. I’m very powerful, now. That’s not a boast, just a reality. And those mistakes I made came with hard lessons. Power comes with the responsibility to avoid hurting the people around you. To safeguard them. What happened in Boko taught me that all over again. Taking care of my people is what matters most to me, and it’s not just about safety from danger. The world can hurt you without leaving a scratch. If your nephew comes along, he’s one of my people. That means we go to the wall for him.”
Arash nodded.
“I know you’re a good man, Jason, but I also know that you’re a great man. And as you said yourself, people like that are dangerous to be around. When they make a statue of a someone, they don’t sculpt in all the dead folk around them.”
“No,” Jason agreed. “No, they do not.”
“I went to see the statue they put up of you, back when we thought you died saving the city. Was a little hard to find. Out of the way, and someone planted a bush right in front of it.”
Jason chuckled again.
“Yeah,” he said. “I know who that was. I’ll take your nephew with us, Arash. Jamar, you said his name was?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“The next few months should be relatively quiet. The messengers are wary of me now, and we’re mostly just touring around. It sounds like what the boy is looking for, and we can see if he’s a good fit. If not, I’ll portal him home before we go somewhere he can’t easily come back from.”
“I won’t say I like the idea, but I appreciate it. Honestly, I hoped you’d say no. But the boy has wanted an opportunity like this for a while now. Then you knock on my door, the best opportunity he could hope for. It would be an unkindness to not ask. And if we don’t let him go, it’s only a matter of time until he runs off into the night. We’ll wake up to a note explaining he signed up to fetch and carry for some adventuring team. Who knows if or how people like that will look out for him. They might use him as monster bait, for all we know. Standing next to you might not be the safest place, but I don’t know. I’d wager that, some days, it’s the safest place there is.”
The pair were well away from the Divine Square at this point. Jason stopped at a street junction as the aroma of roasted meat drifted up the street.
“You, know,” Jason said. “This cart is going to keep where it is. I could take it back to your place later.”
It was Arash’s turn to chuckle.
“I was going to join my family at the feast once I delivered the cart back. Would you like to join us?”
Jason looked contemplatively down the street where the smell was coming from, along with the sounds of laughter and celebration.
“I wouldn’t want to make a big deal of it. I mean, I know I’m not that famous, all these years later, but people remember. This time should be about friends and family.”
“Yes, it should. And yes, they do remember.”
“Great, let’s go,” Jason said, and set off towards the feast. “You can introduce me as John Miller.”
They joined the stream of people heading for the food tables.
“You realise they’re going to know who you are, right?” Aresh asked.
“My false identity is very rigorously put together. And I am excellent at maintaining it. Everyone says so.”
“Jason, very few silver rankers pass through this city, outside of the monster surges. Golds are almost never here, and my family know that you were a regular at my juice stand, all those years ago. If I show up with you, they’re going to realise immediately.”
“There are all these investigators here because of Boko. I could be one of them, taking the day off for the festival. I’m already making my aura read as silver rank.”
“That might work. Your being less handsome than most gold rankers will help.”
“Hey,” Jason said in mock affront. “How would you know what gold rankers look like? How many have you even seen in Greenstone?”
“Today? Quite a few, and they all turned heads, except for the one with the big chin.”
“My chin is fine,” Jason said defensively as he prodded it with his finger.
“I do remember it being larger. Memory is a funny thing, I suppose.”
Comments
Kenneth Welever
Remember that his favorite Bert tailor came to see him quite a while ago.
Frank Morgana
Glad he got to see Arash off. Missing the land lady was sad. But where are all the Berts Just hope Jamar calls him blasphemer too!
ShieldWolf
I could be wrong but I don't think those who use the bridge will become outworlders. They won't be going straight through the astral with only there souls. I think it will be more like how Jason and Ferra came back to Pallimustus. The bridge will be a boundary between soul and astral letting them take there body's.
Iain Grubb
Everyone he takes with him should end up with outworlder powers, can't remember what Rufus got but it wasn't a language pack, or did he not get any?
Feu et Glace
Wouldn't it blow the mind if Arash was the God of drinks or something in secret
Laura H
Friday, after I read this chapter, I went and bragged about Shirt to my husband for a very long time, and meant every word. He doesn't read any SF newer than Jules Verne so he'd never read HWFWM, but he also knows how hard good writing with great characterization is. There's a lot of good authors who create interesting characters, but remarkably few who do it as well as Shirt. Such a major talent! I am so glad I stumbled across HWFWM book 1 a few years ago and was so instantly hooked that I searched online until I found this Patreon, and have been reading every word since. Looking forward to this evening's chapter -- I can be confident it will be better than 98% of what I read in any genre!
Vincent Ciavone
Being the administrator of the system, I feel like this is something definitely in his ability, maybe not multiverse wide obviously, but I feel like atleast in the same battle of jason, he should be able to gift a relic through the system there, plus like shade, Gordon, and Colin have such great potential as buffs there, and Farrah with her connection to Jason could also influence the ability or something, there’s so much potential. I feel like it’s perfectly fitting in context for the title ‘Astral nexus’
Vincent Ciavone
You guys think there’s a situation where Jason has a ‘relic’ idk the only example I can think of is the chalice of heros or whatever, like for Jason what if he could bless a Colin leech to buff them or consume their enemies while donating their blood, or I guess as an astral king he could literally just forge an item out of his soul and maybe give it some domination aura effect since he is the hegemon and has always had aura proficiency
StarkRG
Aussie English is weird because, yes, biscuits are cookies, but also cookies are cookies, though cookies are also computery things that invade your privacy. Then there are chips and chips which are *definitely* not the same thing but are understood in context 99.5% of the time and, when they aren't you can say "potato chips" or "hot chips". Fries are also a thing, but they're a specific kind of hot chip. And don't even get me started on how adding 'o' to the end of something makes it shorter but it does. "Hot dog" refers to a bread roll stuffed with fillings rather than to a frankfurter. There's more, but I've lived here so long at this point it all seems normal.
StarkRG
Seems kinda superfluous since Jason can basically just *do* everything a mirage chamber can do, except for real, way better, and he can tailor it to fit the circumstances (diamond-ranker vs iron? no problem, he could even skew it in the iron's favour).
TechB
2 Things… 1st. Nice chapter. I wonder what’s in store for the (possible) new team member. 2nd. Random question - When are Clive and Jason going to set up a mirage chamber on the cloud ship or on Jason? I’ve been waiting for that since book 3.
Tim
No. It would have changed his aura among several other powers. Things might have gone very differently if he were relying on divinely granted abilities. He MIGHT have still ended up an AK but my guess is that he wouldnt have went through as much of the trauma that truly built him up. He mightve torn througj more cultists, but he mightve ended up deeper in than he needed to be and less equiped to deal with other threats, like the messengers, which we cant be sure the abilities Knowledge offered would be good against.
Tim
They know she exists. She's slept with at least a quarter of them.
Dirty Dibbler
So this comment is unrelated to this chapter, but I’m currently listening to book 2 chapter 13. After Jason is demoted to 1 star and subsequently broken up with by Cassandra, he’s approached by the acolyte of knowledge. The acolyte said “according to the goddess, your current abilities aren’t suited for your fated enemies, these gifts were crafted by her specifically to rectify this” With what we know now, Knowledge was aware of both the builder plot and the Purity plot that led to the messenger invasion, do you think Jason would have been better off accepting the gifts Knowledge was offering?
Javier Molinet
Are we gonna see the Bert's?
BloodStorm
I think bringing a few silver ranks to team up with Emi is a good idea. Like the young avengers
FarStryder
Wasn't she daring Neil for a while?
Max Garcia
The Continental Council can meet with Jason after they figure out whether Clive's wife really exists.
moonomers
Another member for Team Emi?
StarkRG
Well that's a mildly blasphemous thing to suggest.
StarkRG
What about Farah's protege? (I forget her name at the moment, I think it started with a K) I definitely think Heiram's granddaughter should go (I forgot what they decided there). Beth and Mos Cavendish's team? Hump's sister? Clive's wife?
Jeff McCulley
I find myself amused. First, we’ve got Vidal’s nephew Miguel tagging along as the Adventure Society Liason. Now we’ve got Arash’s nephew, Jamal. Who’s next? Where’s Emir’s daughter nowadays? It’s almost like we’ve got Astral Trek: The Next Generation. Or would that be Star Trek: The Nexust Generation?
Adrian
I think many of us here have read the entire series a few times. Or 6. Or 10 for the hard core. Even if you have a good memory. You end up picking up so much nuance on additional readthroughs
JB
I'm surprised we haven't seen Cassandra yet. I figured that could be our weekend cliffhanger
Hayden Leech
I wonder what Beth Cavandish is up to. The #1 iron ranker in greenstone. Followed up by Humphrey.
Douglas Davis
I'll be honest. That first book was so long ago now, I dont remember Arash at all.
JoeyRed
Did Jason just answer a prayer from Arash???
Alejandro Piña
It helped that no god showed up for a casual chat “yet!!!”
Jace B
And he didn't even call Jason blasphemer
Troll
Omg! That’s intense.
StarkRG
Arash mentions that they got him a full set.
Troll
What if the nephew doesn’t have essence’s.. lil tipsy so I don’t remember if it was blatantly said if he did…and Jason has an idea to test a new combo on him. Since we know that the throne has changed combos during and since Jason fixed it. Otherwise why point out the guy at all, Jason can make drinks like Arash.
Aaron Van Wormer
It’s getting to the point where Jason takes more walks than eats sandwiches and that upsets me.
Hodge Wasson
Everytime I read 'nibling' I automatically wince. It's actual normal meaning is fine and innocent; however, I live in Thailand and some of the old retirement age guys here use it to refer to the young girls they hook up with/pay for. So my brain automatically connects nibling to 60s+ white dude slobbering on a 20 something SE Asian girl.
Matt Turner
you too???
Nathan
These are my favorite chapters when I listen to the audio book. You realize it can’t be action every moment. We just had an absolutely massive fight scene.
Alex Schellenberg
Truely outrageous thing is what Clive's wife calls me.
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Rasta Williams
Yep this is already shaping to be my favorite book so far. Can't wait for more
Ira White
I'm glad Arash made the cut of people to get atleast a bit of recognition. He is a fun character.
Kelly
What? Did I completely miss it? What??
Kelly
See, this is why Clive is my favorite. I am glad we got to visit Arash again. I’m thoroughly enjoying all of the visits with old friends.
Jeff McCulley
The night is still young.
Justin
Just going to put this in as top ten descriptive phrases. “Clive was not present, being not beloved by several churches. They preferred people who found their divine relics to return them, rather than attempt to reverse engineer them.”
Kalanaere
Poor Jason and his chin. I am kinda disappointed that during all this reminiscing Knowledge didn't make a subtle appearance to whisper to Jason again
Jordan Brennan
Tyftc, such a wholesome moment ^_^
BloodStorm
This chapter was cool and was to see Arash again and bring on his family member. I’m all for world building but where is the line between world building and filler? I want the story to move forward already. It’s been 15+ years and he still hasn’t rebuild the bridge to earth
Scott Way
So glad to see arash again :)
Joanna
Check Shirt’s Patreon page. He reposted them just a week or so ago. Just hurry they have to come down soon
Josh Vanderpool
This is a very fun chapter. I like this:
The-DM-Dino
another amazing chapter! I am super excited for the light novel/comic thing
Preston Stokes
Always enjoy your work sir. Thank you for the mental escape today.
Rowdy Robby
Wow! Thanks Shirt. Never thought about making a list, but Arash is Top 10 Best Quotes. "When they make a statue of a someone, they don’t sculpt in all the dead folk around them.”
Justin
Great chapter! TYFTC!
Justin Fralin
I hope when Jason goes to leave the world, the gods give him a send off. He deserves it and I will miss them
Agent P.
Yay! we get a mini Arash tag a long
CritHappens
What race is Arash then? I don’t recall.
Zac Richards
Hey, I just switched devices and didn't have the PDF of chapter 11 backed up. Is there any way I can get that link?
Magus Iferluc
That Rick & Morty reference was great!
DJ Doughty
What a lovely chapter! Thanks so much. Felt like a warm hug!
David
I’m mostly just tired of hearing about it. It isn’t funny for me anymore, but whatever. Doesn’t ruin the story. The repeated talk about consequences is just as bad.
Ligeia
We still need a one-on-one reunion with Bert!
Zachary Blevins
I like that chapter I wish he had met up with the Taylor while he was there it was a good touch that the landlord passed away. It showed the passage of time. There was a few other people I thought maybe we would get a cameo or mention, but that’s OK
Doodlyboy15
Good question, I wanna know too
Blue Falcon
Wholesome
Stephen
I was halfway through this chapter and I was like man I wish he would link up with the juice guy cuz he was hilarious and I loved him and then Boom! Thank you so much for this! The landlady, juice man, and Bert are the only real greenstoners I was concerned with seeing
Jay Doubleyou Kay
I hope it never happens... Live action takes the things we love and butchers them into an unrecognizable horror show 95% of the time and then your labelled as toxic when you express your feelings about it. :(
Jay Doubleyou Kay
Uh oh... Lol
#savegarytheleonid
good job shirt!
Ninja Pugglesworth
I bet his son is just like him in that respect lol
Ninja Pugglesworth
What happened to the people of Boko?! Do they just stay in his soul? What happens when he leaves can he keep his soul open there?
Jay Doubleyou Kay
I thought that's where this chapter was going when it was just Jason and Neil hanging out around town. It may not have said it directly, but I'm going to imagine Jason and Neil at least talked about it a little bit while walking here and there.
Ninja Pugglesworth
I love this chapter! Thank you so much!
Other Tan
Cooks, makes drinks, doesn't fight, and a bit of wanderlust, it's like Erika's idea of an ideal match for Emi.
Gb
Man of this is ever made into live action. In order to just make the chin accurate thecactor will need a prosthetic.
Mike Zebill
I kinda wish when Jason sits down to dinner with Arash's family a bunch of gods would just pop in to join!
Alexander Dupree
That chin is still leading all his look
dakota dodson
Jason definitely wants to look like that. No way he can't just choose what his avatars look like to some degree
Sena
Neil was the one who left. So he doesn't need a wingman. He needs Cassandra to find closure and make a decision.
ReadingObsessed
Gold 🥇
David Cooper
And all along Jason has the population of a city tucked into a corner of his psyche. I suppose he could always dump them on Earth into one of his mostly empty possessions.
Daniel Wills
I really want to know what they do. They were very excited about Jason being in Greenstone a while ago and nothing yet.
Sena
ARASH! you religious son of a b. We missed you.
Daniel Wills
I doubt we’ll get much to flesh out the 15 years beyond what we already got. The story is going forward, not backwards. Once the series ends, Shirt could absolutely do a short story anthology about all the hijinks during the time skip. Re: Clive and the relics, he had one in the transformation zone. It’s how he figured out the Undeath priest revival thing. Hana Shavar (sp?) was cranky about it, iirc
Daniel Wills
Not sure if there’s a lot to be gained from that conversation, mostly logistical stuff that we (the reader) probably don’t need to be aware of.
David Cooper
And Cassandra....
jacob butler
I am waiting for someone to make a joke that they need a weapon when fighting the messengers and go Jason let me borrow your chin or back when they were basically using imagination powers someone should have used a giant chin to strike the undeath avatar
DT
I missed Arash so much thank you shirt
Russell Widger
Definitely feel like Cassandra is going to be one of the last people Jason sees before heading off back to Earth
Mike Wizowski
The Arash reunion is one I didn't know I was looking forward to honestly
Russell Widger
I took it to mean children who follow him around
Andrew Johnson
what happened to going to speak to the Duke of Boko? This chapter seems out of place. like a chapter was skipped. I like it but the chapter it just seems out of place.
Mist Sparrow
Lots of little tidbits that don't get their own story again. Clive found relics ??? What's the festival for? We got more information about Jason's new bartender than a heist that apparently happened during the time skip or the entirety of the draconian homeland . I'm losing hope for some flashbacks that flesh out the 15 year timeskip. Just frustrating.
deadly chibi
I'd been wondering about him
brian phillips
Biscuits! Ive been wondering when he would harass Arash 🤣
Namorat
I liked seeing Arash, but I can't wait to be back on earth now :D at least visiting ^^
Joanna
Mmm. Warm fuzzy feeling very much appreciated today! TYFTC
Superior_Shaq
I hope Dean and Jerrick tag along too
Joanna
That's more of a farewell line, I'm thinking
Gotrek65
I love all these side stories with old characters!
Ligeia
Yeah, Clive certainly changed from the awkward, bumbling magic researcher in the badly-fitting robe, didn't he though?
Brad Gammey
This chapter felt like a nice comfort going into the weekend, the calm before the next storm?
Zachary Ross
I kind of wish Jason could recruit Arash. He was hilarious in book one and he is hilarious now. This is a great callback.
Kyle Hunter
I think that Arash reunion is the best one so far! Great chapter!
PapaJohn
Poor guy’s bluddy chin
Wayward_Vagabond
What a lovely chapter to end the week on. ❤️
Ligeia
What a *nice* chapter! Thanks, Shirt -- you've made so many minor characters so memorable that we're anxiously looking forward to seeing them again 12 books later. And now we're meeting the next generation,how fun! I look forward to meeting Jamar. I bet he goes to Earth with Jason & Co. and learns about strange Earth drinks to bring back to Pallimustus -- and I hope he's treated well on Earth, since other than in Asano territories there aren't many nonhuman essence users. I hope he has the trip of a lifetime! How excellent, and I'm glad Jason the heretic is still fondly remembered by Arash and vice versa.
AfroMocha
Tftc
Kraede Epoch
That was nice. I really enjoyed this chapter. 😊
TimeDrawsNigh
Uncle Neil’s niblings === Neil’s branching out what he qualifies as food? 🤣
Jackjargon
This was sweet hope the kid has a fun time going further than he could ever imagine
james foster
Wow, three firsts on the same page hahahahah. Great chapter and juice drinks.
Joshua Batts
Clive "Let's Do Crimes" Standish back at it again, soft banned from the divine square. The world quakes in fear at the raw gremlin energy he'll have when he hits diamond...
buca117
Bummer dude. Should have just replied after you knew for a fact.
JonO
I absolutely loved the arash experience. It's what I wished a conversation with Gilbert would've been, but arash is good too.
Henrik Nørgaard
I hope we get to read Jason's reunion with Cassandra before they leave. Neil really needs a wingman to get things back on track!
Aaron Schwartz
Love this guy. I can’t believe they have this whole dialogue without him calling Jason a heretic
Louie Lewis
That’s a great one to end the week on. Thanks shirt.
Bingus McCready
TFTC!! Arash was towards the top of the list of people I was hoping Jason would run into. This was delightful to read
mhaj58
Great chapter, although I wonder how the Mercers are doing?
Brad Gammey
37th!
ShowBizGAL 1996
Biscuits = cookies!!
Travis Estes
1st
Danny Espinal
I'm first for once
John goode
1st
