After meeting the Septimii who have ceded Will to him, Vis asks for a moment alone before Placement, claiming the extra Will is difficult to adjust to. Livia refuses to let him leave the compound because a large crowd has gathered outside and could conceal an assassin, but she allows him to walk within the complex. Vis uses the chance to search for a balcony, hoping to reach Eidhin and recover the rest of his Will before the examination.

On the balcony, Vis is intercepted by the scarred stranger connected to Relucia and the Anguis. The man confirms that the earlier questioning was a mendax animus test, says Vis passed it, and then reveals that Vis has an ability called Adoption, which would let him take control of Will already imbued into an object by someone else. He also admits that he spread word of Vis’s presence to draw the crowd, both to create lax security and because Vis’s public reputation is growing into that of a hero for ordinary people. Before disappearing, the stranger orders Vis to attend the Festival of Pletuna in five months, hidden by a mask and a disguise for his missing arm, and to master Adoption by then; in return, he promises the names of every senator who knowingly sent Vis’s friends to die on Solivagus.

With little time left, Vis steps onto the balcony and turns the crowd’s excitement into a political speech. He publicly pledges support for Magnus Sextus Aquila’s land reform campaign, appealing to the suffering of common citizens, while slipping the Cymrian phrase “Cerbyd nawr” into his speech to secretly tell Eidhin that the carriage is leaving immediately. Livia drags him back to the courtyard, but once the carriage exits the gate, Vis leans out to greet the crowd, allowing Eidhin to touch him unnoticed and return the rest of his Will. Vis hides his relief as he realizes he will face Placement with his full power restored.

During the ride, Livia tells Vis they are going to Sciacca and explains that Placement will test his raw capabilities, such as strength under self-imbuing and his ability to imbue and maintain objects. When Vis tries to build a better working relationship, Livia finally states the source of her hostility: she does not trust him, she believes he is using her father’s grief for his own revenge, and she cannot forgive that her brother trusted Vis and still died. The chapter ends with Vis traveling toward Placement in tense silence, now stronger but facing both political consequences and deep personal resentment from Livia.