As the group travels by boat through the flooded heart of Venice, Balthazar turns the journey into a history lesson for Alex. He explains that Venice and Troy were both shaped by the old Carthaginian Empire, whose conquests, engineering, and magic once dominated the Mediterranean. He describes how Carthage later collapsed under pressure from the elves and internal weakness, and how Venice itself was partly ruined when the ancient dam across the Po burst fifty-two years earlier, flooding the richest districts and leaving the city half-drowned.

From a balcony across a flooded way, the group studies the illusionist’s house they have been sent to rob. Alex thinks the building looks plain, but Jakob notes that no one goes near it, and Marangon says local people believe it is cursed. Using special lenses, Balthazar confirms that the house is heavily protected, with at least three strong enchantments and traces of a bound entity inside or within the walls. He also finds materials that prevent him from seeing clearly into the house, which means the job will be more dangerous and uncertain than it first appeared.

Back in a decaying apartment overlooking the target, Balthazar decides to use the room as the base for his rituals. He makes clear that he cannot solve the problem alone, so someone will have to enter the house itself. Jakob immediately understands this and orders Baptiste to go in with him. While Diaz, Alex, and the others listen, Balthazar dictates an increasingly demanding list of magical supplies for Marangon to gather, including proper ritual tools, fresh nightshade, and even the recently dead bodies of twins so the group can communicate between the apartment and the house.

Jakob tells Alex and Brother Diaz to remain in the apartment, with Baron Rikard nearby, in case the plan goes wrong. He then inspects the knife Duke Michael gave Alex and gives her a harsh but practical lesson: because Alex is small, weak, and untrained, she must never fight fairly. Jakob teaches Alex to hide the knife, act frightened, lure an attacker close, and stab repeatedly at the gut, groin, or throat until the threat is dead. The lesson leaves Alex facing the violence ahead more directly, and it underlines that this burglary is likely to become a fight for survival.