Chapter 6
- Back to Theo's story. Musket drives everyone to the town of Kessel, where they check into an inn under the name of Mynheer Bloomsa. Las Bombas says he has a reservation, when he doesn't. He then pulls a trick—LB drops a gold piece in front of a guy sitting down near them. The dude gives the money back, and LB claims that money ain't a thing for him; the dude introduces himself as Skeit, an alderman.
- Las Bombas claims money doesn't matter to him because it's only metal and he's mastered the science of alchemy, which allows him to turn anything he wants into precious metals—Skeit is impressed and offers the crew his room while they're at the inn.
- Unhappy, Theo tells Musket that Las Bombas doesn't have an honorable bone in his body. Musket kicks him and disagrees, saying LB saved his life by buying him away from a "factory" that produced beggars and maims them—at least LB treats him well. He might be fanciful, but maybe Las Bombas doesn't like the bleak world before him and uses his imagination a lot.
- This makes Theo uncomfortable—maybe Las Bombas isn't completely bad, like he thought before.
- Las Bombas stops by and says they should get out of there before Skeit comes back; in his hand is a knotted handkerchief.
- He says he showed Skeit an alchemical experiment in which the alderman put his coins next to LB's because Las Bombas's coins have special powers that allow them to multiply money. They wrapped the coins up and let them sit overnight, but LB stole the package and put another fake one in its place. He opens the package, only to find that Skeit outsmarted him and took the money—LB has the one with the pebbles. Curses.
- Las Bombas says you can't trust anyone, that the world's full of thieves… to which we say, ha.