Arthur and Linus arrive outside Bandycross, a looming Gothic building surrounded by fog, reporters, and a large pro–magical rights crowd chanting support while counter-protesters jeer behind police barricades. Linus urges using a back entrance for safety, but Arthur insists on going through the front to refuse shame and fear.

As they cross the street, reporters spot them and swarm, shouting inflammatory questions about “the Antichrist.” Arthur attempts to defuse the moment with a joke about Lucy learning to crack eggs; the crowd is stunned, and Linus urgently reinforces that the world is not ending. A reporter, Dana Jergins, presses Arthur about why he was invited and implies he “possesses” dangerous children; Arthur corrects her language, and Linus angrily condemns the press for treating children like threats before pulling Arthur into the building.

Inside Bandycross’s imposing lobby, they are approached by Larmina, a nervous staffer who claims she has been asked by “a friend” to bring them in. She bypasses normal entry lines by taking them to a “VIP ONLY” security desk, persuading the guard, Duncan, to let them through despite the risk.

Larmina leads Arthur and Linus to a guarded elevator and uses a hidden key and controls to access a special route. She stops the elevator between floors, explaining it is one of the few places in the building without surveillance and that most of Bandycross is monitored.

Larmina reveals she is acting for Doreen Blodwell, a government secretary who has been reassigned after uncovering information about the hearing. To prove sincerity, Larmina gives Linus a familiar beach mousepad that once helped him endure DICOMY. Larmina warns the hearing has been “upgraded” to the Council of Utmost Importance and that minister Jeanine Rowder is involved, likely pursuing power. Larmina concludes the hearing is a PR campaign meant to destroy Arthur Parnassus’s reputation, leaving Arthur demanding to know why.