The continuation of an atmospheric mystical novel set in a fantasy reality—seemingly different, yet surprisingly reminiscent of our own.
After the disappearance of Captain Ryzhkov, the district gendarmerie attempts to bring its third magical department back into operation. Its responsibilities include overseeing the otherworldly, keeping records of witches, subduing minor evil spirits, and battling sorcerers and mages.
In mid-autumn of 1901, a dispatch arrives from the capital of the Russian Empire with a strict order: immediately begin searching for the shamans who set out from the provincial town of N- with the troupe of the splendid theater “Payachchо,” but never made it to the capital.
Will the marvel-workers of the N- gendarmerie manage to find the trail of the missing Fang He and Siu Lin? Will the director of “Payachchо” cover for the magician and his assistant? And which part of this story will be determined by the Secret Society of Free Sorcerers and Mages?