龍城路 (RYUJO) 1/2

The mirror merchant hasn't returned since he entered the hutongs alone.

Kowloon's backstreets all lead to large labyrinths called "hutongs". The word "hutong" means "alley", but our hutongs are city blocks that were built so haphazardly, they choked the qi flow. The mirror merchant entered the hutongs to fix the qi flow, so if you plan to find him, ask the locksmith for help.

You're entering the hutongs? Then find the mirror merchant!

By the way, you do have an access card, don't you?

Then go hire a navigator! If not, you'll have to go alone...

Oh, well. Maybe the mirror merchant didn't venture too deep this time. The Chungking Garden gate is behind the shrimp peelers' shop. The locksmith should have unlocked it for you.

Let me guess...

You came here from Yang. On a mission, I take it? Well, don't get too lost. Vengeful ghosts that us locals call "guilü" wander these back streets. These dangerous guilü are born when malice possesses inanimate objects. The mirror merchant... most likely didn't stand a chance against them.

You're not from around here.

Do you plan to look for the mirror merchant inside the hutongs? Heh-heh. Don't waste your time. The malice will swallow you up well before you get that chance!

Do you know what "wangren" are and how they're born?

When humans deeply resonate with an object, they risk eventually becoming half-human, half-object monsters. Tell me. If you were a wangren, what object would you be?

You like microwaves, huh... Lucky for you, no shops sell those!

You like electric fans, huh... Lucky for you, no shops sell those!

You like refrigerators, huh... Lucky for you, no shops sell those!

I saw the mirror merchant!

He was in Chungking Garden. You're a feng shui master, aren't you? That means you have to help him!

You can enter Chungking Garden from the side of my parents' shop, but don't tell anyone I told you.

If you-know-who finds out that I was around Chungking Garden, I'll get in biiig trouble!

Don't tell anyone I told you, but the mirror merchant is inside of Chungking Garden!

Eight Star Sword acquired.

You hear about the mirror merchant? Well, he entered the hutongs and never came back outside. He said the disrupted qi flow was caused by the bagua mirrors turning the wrong way. He went to the mirror chamber inside of Chungking Garden. I haven't seen him by his store. I guess he hasn't returned yet.

You hear about the mirror merchant? ... Yeah. He entered the hutongs and never came back outside. He said the disrupted qi flow was caused by the bagua mirrors turning the wrong way. He went to the mirror chamber inside of Chungking Garden. I haven't seen him by his store. I guess he hasn't returned yet.

If you're sure about entering the hutongs, you'll want to take this. It's the Eight Star Sword. This sword is preloaded with three elements of malice for you, but it wasn't made for absorption. It's no Seven Star Sword, but the mirror merchant already took that.

The Eight Star Sword is a substitute sword that can't absorb evil.

If you encounter a guilü, shoot at it with the malice loaded in the sword. That's how we cleanse the hutongs of those vengeful ghosts.

The hutongs are a maze, so hire a navigator to keep from getting lost.

If you'd like to know more about navigators, ask the mainspring merchant.

The Eight Star Sword is a substitute sword that can't absorb evil.

If you encounter a guilü, shoot at it with the malice loaded in the sword. That's how we cleanse the hutongs. of those vengeful ghosts.

The hutongs are a maze, so hire a navigator to keep from getting lost.

If you'd like to know more about navigators, ask the mainspring merchant.

Looking for the mercury dealer?

He's... been of a bitter sort since the death of his younger sister. No one uses mercury now anyways. Oil is far more practical!

The hutongs are rife with danger! People used to live in them, but now, you mustn't venture too deep inside. I sell my oils out here now. Helps the time slide by.

You know who I am, right? Obviously... This is the gate to Chungking Garden, but I'm not opening it for you. Not while you're empty-handed. See, the mirror merchant already has the Seven Star Sword. You'll have to ask a storekeeper in the area for a substitute.

Mercury acquired.

Paid 100z.

What... do you want from mmme? All I've got is this lousy mmmercury. Take what you want, just not for free. It'll be 100 zi zaat.

You know... bank notes? Mmmoney? Here, we call it "zi zaat". Go ahead, take what you want. Just cough up 100 zi zaat...

What good is mmmercury anymmmore? ... If you're done, get lost.

Well, not too lost, or you'll end up like that mmmirror mmmerchant, hehe.

This is no place for strangers to hang around, understand?

Or... do you seriously think you're welcome in this city?

How did it go? Is the mirror merchant safe?

... Really? Thank goodness!

He's no spring chicken, so I'm grateful that you'd help him out.

Are you going back into Chungking Garden to find the mirror chamber? I've heard there are several of those chambers in the hutongs, but only the mirror merchant would know for sure.

I can shoot you an e-mail once the mirror merchant returns, but you'll need an access card to use Kowloonet.

The bagua mirror needs fixing, but so far, you're the only soul here who can confront the malice. I can e-mail you once the mirror merchant returns, but you'll need an access card to log onto the terminal. It doesn't matter whose access card it is, so long as it gets e-mail. Try looking for one in Kowloonfront.

Say, you're not going to enter the taxidermist's little contest, are you? It's being held over in Kowloonfront. The taxidermist wants folks to catch three malices, or "the Three Corpses". A few challengers entered the hutongs to join the hunt, but none returned.

Eerily, I've heard the Three Corpses spawned from yet another district.

To catch the Three Corpses, you'll need a certain bottle. I had a few, but the taxidermist bought them all up, hehe.

To catch the Three Corpses, you'll need a certain bottle. I had a few, but the taxidermist bought them all up, hehe.

Wanna know what's on my mind? Dreams. My dreams are... exceptional, heh-heh!

Did you find the mirror merchant? ... I guess you wouldn't be holding that Seven Star Sword if you hadn't. If you're helping with his mission, you have quite the job on your hands.

Once the mirror merchant returns, we can talk in more detail.

For now, would you mind checking out Kowloonfront for us, just in case anything is going on there?

The malice torments other districts too, not just Lung Shing Road. You should check out Kowloonfront.

How are you after entering the hutongs? ... Goodness, you're something else! I'd be too scared to do all that! Haven't gone back there in years.

If it helps, Chungking Garden isn't the only hutong on Lung Shing Road. Go ask the locksmith for details.

You rescued the mirror seller, only for him to venture deeper in in search of the key to the Keyhole Centre? I hope he makes it out before the malice grows even stronger.

Hire a navigator before you come in again.

Chungking Garden is massive. And just so you know, there is more than one mirror chamber.

Hehehe, all this mmmercury is useless to me now, hehehe. It can't help me worth a dammmn.

This is no place for strangers to hang around, understand?

Are you here to buy something, or do you have a few screws loose? Wee-hee-hee-hee!

If you're here, I take it you read that e-mail I'd sent you.

"HOR695-1T" is my User ID. If you're reading e-mails now, it's clear that you have an access card. You can also use it to hire navigators. Just find "Kowloon Navi Service" on the terminal, then press the "HIRE" button. Just remember what the mirror merchant told you: you can only enter the mirror chamber once you break the barrier.

Did you hire a navigator yet? You should, because without one, you'll never survive the hutongs!

Supreme Magnet acquired.

I found all of the keys! Now you can break the barrier!

Just be careful, because like I mentioned, the compass doll is surely possessed by malice.

That doll remembers the correct angles for the bagua mirrors.

To correct every mirror, we absolutely need that doll!

What can we use to... Oh! Wait! I have a supreme magnet!

Once you encounter the doll, awaken it with that magnet. Otherwise, the doll's malice might possess you first... After reclaiming the doll, use it to realign the bagua mirror!

Look who's back on Lung Shing Road! Tell me, did the taxidermist give you a Corpse bottle? Mind if I see it?

... Yep, that's the genuine article.

The Three Corpses are malice, born from rotted sawdust elsewhere in Kowloon.

Since drifting to Lung Shing Road, they've worked to stay undetected. They may slip up if you cleanse the hutongs connected to Lung Shing Road. Hehe, let's hope nobody in the district gets possessed in the meantime!

Restore the qi flow in the hutongs so the Three Corpses run out of places to hide on Lung Shing Road. They may try to possess people who have darkness in their hearts. Heh, could you be one of them?

To catch the Three Corpses, you gotta use a bottle.

That whatchamacallit sword won't help you here. Nothing beats a good purpose-made bottle. Heheh.

Let me tell you about my dream! Heh-heh, no matter how tired I get, it's always the same dream!

Keyhole Centre Key acquired.

The mirror merchant found the last key. I'm grouping them onto a ring for you. Give me a little time to finish.

Done! I've grouped the four keys. This will open the Keyhole Centre.

All you have to do then is find the mirror chamber, got it?

There are four unique hutongs connected to Lung Shing Road. The one you rescued the mirror merchant from is Chungking Garden. The other three are Fu Shin Court, Bailey Street and Sha Kok.

They each have one mirror chamber. Enter Chungking Garden's basement.

Find the Keyhole Centre there and use the keys to break the barrier.

Break the Keyhole Centre's barrier in the Chungking Garden basement to find the mirror chamber inside. But, before you go, what did the mirror merchant say about the compass doll again?

What do you know about Fu Shin Court?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Nothing? Really? Oh, dear...

Good! You found the mirror merchant! If you can do that, I bet you can also get rid of that creepy doll deeper inside of Chungking Garden!

Hey, it's me. ... Don't tell me you forgot already.

Going to the Keyhole Centre, are you? Did you retrieve that key the mirror merchant found for you? If you don't have all four keys, the Keyhole Centre won't open. But you knew that, right? Then you also know to hire a navigator before you go in.

How many timmmes do I have to say it? My mmmercury's plain, old mmmercury.

Back in the old days, mmmercury was seen as an effective mmmedicine. There's nothing special to it now.

Is the malice really getting stronger? If so, how weird... I can't feel it or anything!

Going into the back streets, aye? Feel free to shatter a few bones in there.

I have plenty more you can swap them out for, not that they're the freshest. I've got nothing but old bones.

Ack! I heard someone was comin' in from the Front, but you scared me! I'm still preppin' to open shop, but feel free to drop by later.

Actually, there's somethin' I'd like to get delivered soon. The boiler's fire went out after a pipe broke, so I need time to fix it.

Most all of my clocks are broken, but they could have working parts inside. If you need a broken clock, I'll keep an eye out for a nice one.

An e-mail came in for you, but the text was all messed up and illegible. Looked creepy. Maybe you can read it?

No one controls Kowloonet per se, but no one maintains it either. That's why it's so haywire today.

You found the compass doll, right? That thing will make realigning each bagua mirror a cinch. I've no doubt that the qi flow will return to our district once you do.

Are you hunting the Three Corpses? That malice possesses humans, you know.

Those who carry darkness in their hearts...

As you restore our qi flow, several humans here may wind up possessed. We'll be needing that malice mirror...

A guilü in the hutongs probably has the malice mirror by now.

Heh! Feeling good about yourself?

Expelling malice from the hutongs only displaces it somewhere else. Funny how that works, huh! Hehe...

All righty, let's see who those Three Corpses run off and possess. This'll be good, hehehe. Hehe...

Ahaha! What a weird dream I had!

My house suddenly caught fire, and the floors and ceilings lit up in seconds. Only, it never got any hotter. I stood in its red flames just fine.

My body fat melted and my skin peeled, but I felt neither heat nor pain. Heh-heh, no heat and no pain...

Heh-heh, my body melted and peeled, but I felt neither heat nor pain.

Well, well! You broke the barrier!

Your next stop is Fu Shin Court. If you run into a door there that won't open, use a wire on it. Any thick wire will do. If it were me, I'd ask the clockmaker if he had a broken clock I could use. Assuming it had a wire inside, I'd find a way to pluck it out!

Find a way to pluck the wire out from inside that broken clock. It'll help you open doors that won't open by regular means.

Have you ever heard the word "wangren"?

Let's say you're FIXATED on a boiler. Before long, you start to see yourself AS a boiler, and before long, you you magically BECOME a boiler! That's how a person becomes a wangren.

At some point, their delusions broke free, transforming them.

That example was actually about... my friend... who became a wangren.

The wangren population is growing. Some residents become wangren by imagining themselves as an object. If a wangren's delusions ever stop, they fully transform into an object.

Remaining a delusional wangren sounds better than becoming an inanimate object, don't you think?

Yuck! It's that creepy doll! If you ask me, all of the bad stuff going on has to be that thing's fault! I bet it's also what locked the mirror mer... Okay, maybe not, but... still!

Did you... commme out here to ask about Veronica...? No, huh...

Then forget I said anything! Listen to mmme, okay? Just go hommme!

My head's been hurting more and more, but I have no honest idea why. My head is... It's splitting so badly!

Did you know you can scrape on bone using the red-hot tip of a blade?

As you scrape, strange designs will emerge over the surface of the bone. Those designs predict the future. Hohoho, then again, no matter how lucky a burnt bone says you are, the owner of that bone is dead! You're only lucky it wasn't yours.

What a design means in pyromantic scapulimancy depends on the "seer".

Thick Pipe acquired.

Hey, look what I've got for you! It's a deluxe thick pipe.

It should be able to reconnect the boiler's torn fuel pipe. Take it with.

Boiler Man's fires will melt anythin'. He's just that tough... I hope this helps you help him.

Broken Clock acquired.

"What good is a broken clock?" If you're asking that, you still don't get how this city operates. I have an idea, go visit the locksmith before you head into the hutongs next.

One broken clock, coming right up! The clock can't be used as-is, but it can be stripped for parts.

No matter how broken, clocks are reminders for us that time burns.

Now, if you head down this alley, you will stop at Fu Shin Court.

Listen. Fu Shin Court has a large boiler within its walls. The boiler burnt most anything until its fuel pipe tore. Its fire has been out ever since.

All our e-mails keep glitching.

What's more, I've heard the power on Bailey Street's about to give. Are these two issues related?

Is that because the malice that was pushed from the hutongs is bleeding out here in the form of the Corpses? Well, it doesn't matter to me. I haven't... so much as wondered yet who around here might be... possessed.

Anyways, what's the deal with the screw merchant lately?

There's a chance the malice mirror itself carries some level of malice. You'll have to use it correctly.

Oh, I know! It ought to be fitted with an auspicious frame, no? I should have one lying around.

The qi flow feels way closer to normal, I've noticed.

So, have you found anyone who might be possessed by one of the Corpses?

You know... the old shoe merchant is pretty suspicious, don't you think? He'd be a riot to watch either way. Hehehe, like my hobby, it's more fun to see where the pieces fall. Watch it go niiice and slooow, hehe.

HEH-HEH-HEH! No matter how much I burn, I feel no heat. No matter how hot,

I feel no burns. I'm... I'm crackling. I'm on fire! HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!

According to the mirror merchant...

after the malice left the hutongs, Lung Shing Road has been haunted by it in the form of the Three Corpses. If the Three Corpses are malice, can they really possess humans too?

Just... so we're clear, I don't have any darkness in my heart, g-got it?

Whatever happens, the malice must be eradicated from the hutongs.

That's why your next stop is Bailey Street.

A couple doors run on electricity. As in, they're automatic doors.

Like most automatic doors, sadly, they're useless without electricity. That means you'll need electricity.

Lubricant acquired.

Huh? "Darkness in the heart"? My heart's clean as a whistle!

It's full of thoughts of my friend.

All things considered, this may be my one chance to help my friend.

My friend, the power generator... Mind coming back later? I'm putting something special together for you.

The guy acting as the big power generator was an old friend of mine.

He's been working hard to generate electricity, so he may be dried up.

Won't you take this lubricant I prepared for you?

Use it on him, and he'll generate electricity again, good as new.

Yes, he's a wangren, but I wonder if that only makes him happier...

We can't take this away from him, or he'll only become an object.

Now's my last chance... I have to help...

I can't let my friend go without a fight, but there's nothing I can do.

... Anyways, the entrance to Bailey Street is behind the mercury dealer.

You know, that doll reminded me of this one time when the mercury dealer got spooked by an apparition.

He must've thought the apparition looked like his dead little sister.

The mercury dealer is acting awfully skiddish lately. I wonder why...

I don't believe in anything... Nope... Not one thing!

Aren't you satisfied? Then go hommme! I said, "Go hommme!"

This back alley is named Bailey Street. There are powered doors inside. Actually, I set that up myself. I remember it well, too...

The first door I ever installed since moving here years back...

Sometimes the electricity would crackle and singe my fingers.

If you want to open the automatic door, find the power generator.

Put the screw in the hole... Screw it in...

Force it back out the wrong way, and you'll strip the screw threads! Then, you'll never get it out. Augh, my head... really hurts...!

Bones have hollow insides.

No matter how strong your bones may be, their insides are hollow.

But what do you suppose fills the bones of someone taken by malice?

Mica. Such bones get packed chock-full with black mica.

That mica works like a thick mass of malice sediment, hohoho, only getting harder and denser.

A dense mica grows inside of human bones possessed by malice.

Who is possessed now, I wonder... Hohoho, whoever they are, they're hiding around here somewhere!

I got an e-mail earlier from the wig merchant on Lung Chun Road.

They said the qi flow there is startin' to go out of control.

I replied to them, saying that thin's here have started gettin' better ever since you showed up. So what gives, huh? Why is Kowloon goin' off the deep end like this?

Did that old clock prove useful? Out of all my wares, that clock was the most broken one I had in stock.

Who was that strange-looking guy? The man messing with the terminal, is he a friend of yours? Mind taking a quick look for us? If anything else goes wrong with that terminal, we'll all be sorry!

What happened? Did the Hongtou fix the terminal?

If only they didn't dress so weird...

Did you know that the Three Corpses were born from sawdust?

That's right. And the people in another district are collecting so much, it's up to their ears! Don't they realise all they're REALLY collecting is bad luck?!

Have you been to Sha Kok? The malice mirror is in there, but it needs an auspicious frame.

One made of turtle shell will do, but they're no longer on the market.

People doubt people. Que sera, sera. It's malice that's bad, so we have to do all we can to avoid possession.

As nice as this place is, people keep interrupting my hobby time.

Were any of those drifters meandering about friends of yours? I'd assumed they were here for the Corpse hunt... So, have you found all three yet? Can you tell whom in our district has been possessed by the malice? Surely you have an guess by now!

Why're you talking to me? Go find that malice mirror! A guilü inside of the hutongs is bound to have it, so go!

Handed over Access Card.

Access Card acquired.

Ah, you got the machine working. Your next stop is the mirror chamber in Sha Kok. That'll be the last one. Are you good on money, by the way? See, Sha Kok runs entirely on money, and don't forget your access card. It works as a key card to open doors, but the feature isn't free. Exploring the place won't be cheap, so keep an eye on your wallet.

Here. Let me borrow your access card and add the "key card" feature to it. Come pick it up from me later.

Stand in front of a door and use this access card to open it.

Remember: it's only functional in the hutongs of Lung Shing Road, and only when you have money for the door fees.

All right, your card is ready.

Keep an eye on your funds, okay? You can enter Sha Kok through the gate up near the mirror merchant.

Listen. Stay on top of your money.

No one knows who's controlling the money in Sha Kok, let alone how. It's all a one big mystery, just like everything else in this city.

Oh, you're back?

How did it go? Had enough of the guilü in the hutongs? Gee, who would've thought...

If the guilü ever disappeared, maybe I'd muster up the courage to finally go see my friend.

Everyone's spreading rumours about whom might be possessed! The district's in shambles....

The mercury dealer's sister got sick, so to help her, he rubbed mercury all over her body.

In ancient times, even emperors revered mercury as a precious medicine, but a lot of people died after drinking it.

Thin's are gettin' worse and worse. You're not gonna jostle a few mirrors and call it a day now, are you? Every corner of Kowloon's in trouble!

Psst! I don't want to make a scene, but I hear those red hooded guys who passed us have psychic powers. I saw them when I was in Kowloonfront. Now, who are they... Oh, right. They're are members of "Hongtou".

Are you in cahoots with those Hongtou guys?

You... you do know everyone finds them obnoxious, don't you?

They think they're sooo important.

Seems someone sent you another e-mail while you were in the hutongs, but did it deliver? You should check your mailbox frequently in times like this.

Put that away! If you're so bored, go read some e-mails in Kowloonfront!

Simply cleansing the hutongs won't spell out a happy ending. You've still got work to do.

Put that away! If you're so bored, go read some e-mails in Kowloonfront!

Handed over Malice Mirror.

Framed Malice Mirror acquired.

You fixed the bagua mirrors! All four started working again. So, did you find the malice mirror?

There she is! But, hmmm... Using it in this condition wouldn't be ideal, so I'll frame it for you. Just wait until I'm done framing. The Three Corpses are in our district, but do you know where?

Shady people act shady. That's all the advice I have. Just wait until I'm done framing.

I got the frame on! The malice mirror is ready to use. Just show it to anything you think looks suspicious. It'll suck up the malice right into the Corpse Bottle!

I meant to ask earlier, but did you know that human corpses can also be possessed by malice? Thankfully, the malice mirror will still draw out any malice.