22. pelikerta.
Thursday September 19th 1925.
Mr. Troxler had agreed to meet Mr. Lin tonight. Dr. Descours and Mr. Revelli accompanied him, while Mr. Walker and Mr. Borel visited a chinese historian and translater, Mu-Shien. He cannot help them with their questions about the Tale of Priest Qwan, but promises to start his research on the matter after a week, when his current project is finished.
Mr. Lin lives on the Yu Yun road, in a big, beautiful house. The servants, beautiful young chinese women receive us, but only allow Mr. Troxler inside the house to meet with Mr. Lin. Room is dark and soundproof, and Mr. Troxler finds himself inside with an approximately 90-year old man, with one of his servant girls sitting on the floor next to his chair. Mr. Lin is very interested in Mr. Troxler’s inquiries about chinese researchers and books. He wants Mr. Troxler’s help with the location of Jack Brady, and is prepared to pay for it – $2000 and the girl at his feet. Mr. Lin explains that Mr. Brady had stolen his 7 Cryptical Books of Hsan – which he wants back. He also knows, that the only copy of Tale of Priest Qwan in Shanghai is owned by Ho Fong.
Walking inside the room, Mr. Troxler realizes that there’s something moving behind the curtains that the walls of the room are covered with. After a while, he is not certain, if the cause of the movement is human at all – something is watching and listening them. Before Mr. Troxler can leave, Mr. Lin gives him 8 days to deliver his knowledge of Mr. Brady – otherwise it is going to cost him his teeth.
As we all return to the hotel, we decide to all leave the hotel at the same time, in different directions, to fool our followers. We are to meet at 11 o’clock at Fergus’. Mr. Revelli and Mr. Borel set out to meet the medium Mr. Lung, whose ad we saw in the paper. He is a weird little man, afraid of Revelli and Borel for some reason. He is very theatrical, sprouting slogans, fanning incense at Revelli, and disappointed when none of his tricks have any effect. At last, he explains, that he has been visited by spirits, Zu and Wei, who have given him insight. Zu is the Wind of the Skies and Wei the Nail that binds us All, both are demons from hell that Mr. Lung has made a deal with.
All changes, when the cat that has been walking around their feet changes form, and grows into the size of a tiger – it’s mouth grows up large and its fangs are suddenly a foot in length. At some point, it has grown another head with a gaping maw as well. The thing shreds Mr. Lung quickly to pieces, and focuses on the two other men. Borel succeeds in escaping through a window, but Revelli can’t get the windows open – as if something was holding them shut. Mr. Revelli is hurt by the thing’s bite, and Borel returns to the house. It’s only when Mr. Revelli desperately throws some clay coins he got from Mr. Lung at the thing, it disappears in a puff of dust. The men return, bloody, to Fergus’ bar, and are quickly routed back to the hotel for some first aid.
Friday September 20th 1925
On friday, our investigations to find some trace of the books or Mr. Brady continue. Mr. Walker and Mr. Borel meet with a banker, Roland Birken, while Mr. Descours and Mr. Troxler meet with a japanese translator and expert on pirates on the chinese-japanese waters, Mr. Takashima Shoshuke. Mr. Birken works in bank and is surprised to hear that european visitors have come to see him. He has delivered some occult texts to London, to a certain Mr. Alistair Crowley. He can tell some interesting tidbits about the Tale or the 7 Books, but in his opinion, the latter one is just a myth.
The lead on the Lantern Street 88 massacre has gone cold – the woman working at the house, who got attacked, can only tell us little, and the hospital staff has no knowledge of the rest of the victims. On the other hand, the neighbours of the collapsed Seamen Club can recognize the now lost american John Smith, when shown the picture of Jack Brady. Also the neighbours of the burned monastery recognize Brady.
We return to the lunch at the hotel, and during it, we receive word that Mr. Moon Shie is waiting of us at the lobby. The person there is not, however, Mr. Shie. When questioned, a familiar man behind us turns around, introduces himself as Mr. Jack Brady, and suggests that it is high time for us to speak.