Zoltan arrives at the Temple, paying a visit to Arch-Inquisitor Raphael Melchizedek in his "new" office. Melchizedek questions Zoltan about his trip to the Forbidden Zone, but relates that a matter of more importance concerns Necropolis … and just what connection this entity has to Zoltan's adopted daughter Pouncer. Melchizedek shares a great number of facts and speculations about the nature of Necropolis, her relationship to a "ghost" called Amaranth, and a supposed "Temple Scout field trip" to the Nagai Empire. Zoltan is angered by much of what he hears, but keeps his emotions bottled, for fear of having his reactions misinterpreted by the Arch-Inquisitor. Zoltan is strongly encouraged not to leave Rephidim without letting the Temple first know of his intended destination.