Lottie enters the faded ballroom of the Macintosh Hotel to run the midnight auction, masking nerves because she no longer has the Book of Safety and is relying on Cassie to arrive. She studies the gathered bidders—dangerous, wealthy, and impatient—and takes her place at the lectern, reminding herself she can escape through a mirror that hides a panic room and secret exit.

Okoro openly challenges her, demanding his confiscated book and objecting to being searched and handled. Lottie bluffs authority by offering him the chance to leave, counting on his desire for the Book of Pain to keep him in the room. When Pastor Merlin Gillette heckles, the Bookseller shuts down interruptions and announces that Elias, acting as Bookkeeper, has collected all special books and will remove them to a secure location until the auction ends.

A security man escorts Izzy and the giant Lund into the ballroom, and Lund hands Lottie the Book of Pain. Lottie displays the purple-and-green volume and confirms its authenticity, describing its ability to inflict suffering. Elizabeth Fraser counters Gillette’s religious outrage by stating the book can also remove pain, sparking a brief, nasty exchange that Lottie cuts off to keep the room under control.

When bidders demand a demonstration, the Bookseller refuses to let anyone use the book and invites skeptics to leave. The auction begins at fifteen million; after a tense hesitation, Ms. Li opens bidding and the price climbs through cautious increments. Okoro enters at twenty-five million, a Belarusian man raises to twenty-six, and Diego jumps to thirty million, trying to end the contest.

Before Lottie can push for higher bids, loud booms shake the hotel—first distant, then closer—unsettling the room and interrupting the momentum. A limping, shabby man in a raincoat and cowboy hat enters the ballroom; when he removes the hat, Lottie recognizes an unnaturally aged Hugo Barbary. Barbary raises an automatic handgun at Lottie and demands his book back.