Mercury Sets (27 April 1866)
- Back in 1866, Adrian Moody, Walter's father, has arrived in Hokitika. He goes to the post office to inquire after his son, and from the note he tries to forward to Water, we learn that he is repentant for his past mistakes. We also get some more information/backstory on why he left England and abandoned his wife. The end result is that he doesn't look quite as much like the villain we had supposed him to be.
- Elsewhere, Emery and Charlie Frost are sitting down to go over expenses and settle all the financials after the Justice's ruling. They arrange to make sure that Anna is financially solvent while Staines is doing his time and deal with other sundry matters.
- Elsewhere, Walter Moody is heading out on a long digging trip, giving up his room at the Crown and leaving his trunk at a warehouse in his absence.
- He meets a man named Paddy Ryan along the way who is headed in the same direction. They agree to walk together and tell each other their stories. And there you have the end of the narrative proper…But there are still 8 more sections and 100+ pages to go?