Charged by the Abbott for discovering the truth, Gurder takes Masklin and Grimma to an escalator which takes them to the General Manager's office. As Masklin begins searching the desk, they discover a memo to the staff saying that the store will be demolished. They are disturbed by a security guard (whom Gurder identifies as 'Prices Slashed', the Devil of their religious pantheon), but they manage to get past him undetected. They return to find that the Abbott has been talking at length with The Thing, and has reconciled his world view that 'Outside' is an extension of the Store. He decrees that the Nomes must return to their true home. This turns out to be his final command, as the Abbott dies shortly after.