At the orphanage on adoption day, Vermes wakes Vis, who organizes the children for interviews. When the visitor arrives, Vis glimpses the man from the prison, Hospius, and retreats to the garden, deducing the search for him is deliberate. Summoned back by Brixia and threatened by Matron Atrox not to sabotage the event, Vis is ushered into the library.

Inside, Hospius reveals himself as Quintus Ulciscor Telimus, claiming Military-sanctioned deception. He probes Vis about the Bibliotheca, prompting Vis to fabricate a lover’s alibi. Ulciscor exposes the lie by issuing a Vetusian death threat; Vis’s reflexive reaction proves comprehension. Ulciscor presses about the Sapper and asks Vis to cede Will to test a theory. Vis refuses despite threats and lavish promises.

From Vis’s refusal and behavior, Ulciscor infers Vis has never undergone the Aurora Columnae, which he believes explains Vis’s immunity to the Sapper. Seeking secrecy and leverage, Ulciscor offers a deal: at least a year without being asked to cede and the possibility of a future without ceding. He reveals he found Vis’s hidden travelogue and had tracked him—implied via an imbued coin—making clear both his reach and the stakes.

Ulciscor then shifts to a rigorous examination of Vis’s education, testing history, law, economics, philosophical ethics of Will, its distribution mathematics, and theories about the Cataclysm. Despite gaps, Vis holds his own, drawing on Bibliotheca study. Matron Atrox repeatedly interrupts with refreshments; Ulciscor remains focused while assessing Vis’s temperament and the previous night’s fight, concluding Vis shows composure but rough edges that can be refined.

Finally, Vis deduces aloud that Ulciscor imbued the coin to follow him. Ulciscor confirms this by showing a silver triangle and, having reached a decision, tells Vis they will inform the matron of the good news—signaling Vis’s selection and a path forward under Ulciscor’s protection, in exchange for silence and cooperation.