49. Watching the World Transform

Shallan meets Adolin at a fashionable winehouse overlooking the warcamps and discovers an unexpected rapport with him. During their conversation, she learns about plateau runs, chasmfiends, and Dalinar's plans for peace with the Parshendi, while sharing Jasnah's theories about the Voidbringers and parshmen. The chapter culminates in a highstorm approaching, which Shallan observes with fascination from the open terrace before retreating to shelter.

Shallan arrives at an exclusive winehouse terrace in the Outer Market, where Adolin awaits her at a private table. She is initially anxious about the exposed eastern-facing location but learns it is a fashionable gathering spot to watch approaching highstorms. Their conversation begins awkwardly as Shallan attempts to appear refined, but she quickly abandons pretense by asking practical questions about bodily functions in Shardplate, which delights Adolin and leads to genuine conversation. He describes a plateau run where he captured a chrysalis alone, and Shallan sketches various chrysalis types from her research. When she identifies his description as matching a yu-nerig, she theorizes that systematic harvesting of chasmfiends over five years may be depleting their population—a slow-breeding species. Adolin suggests he might arrange for her to visit the Shattered Plains to study living chrysalises, possibly accompanying his father and Jasnah. Shallan then reveals Jasnah's research on the Voidbringers and asks how difficult it would be to remove parshmen from the warcamps, shocking Adolin with the suggestion. He agrees to speak with his aunt Navani about meeting with Shallan to discuss Jasnah's work. Adolin confides in her about his father's visions, Sadeas's betrayal, and his current dueling strategy to strip highprinces of their Shardblades. As a highstorm approaches, people evacuate the terrace. Shallan becomes transfixed by the stormwall, sensing something alive within it, and counts six seconds between the servants closing the doors and the storm's impact. After moving to gender-segregated sitting rooms within the mountain for shelter, Shallan reflects that despite her teachers' likely disapproval of her approach, Adolin has developed genuine interest in her. She notes the coldness of other women present but dismisses their disapproval, focusing on her larger goals of finding Urithiru and obtaining information from Brightlord Amaram.