The Glass Cannon Podcast - Time For Chaos S3 | E2 – Fearful Symmetry

Episode Date: July 19, 2025

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Don't tell people that. I want them to know. I want them to be part of our lives. Don't joke me when I'm full of charcuterie. So we've got a full house this week. You know, it's a big occurrence. We don't normally have our guests from the other side of the country here.

And so we've got a full staff back here. And of course, our Director of Marketing, Brian McDermott comes in from Philly, which is just a real pain in the ass drive. And on top of it, he brings one of his world famous charcuterie boards. And we didn't know this was happening. We were like, we get up, we go back there. I mean, there's a spread. Yeah.

Spread in a half. It looked like Alec Baldwin was going to be back there to eat. Yeah, exactly. Not us. Why Alec Baldwin? I thought you were making a really weird gunshot for like a reference. I was like, ah. It just felt like it was reserved for like, oh, this can't be for us. This must be for Alec Baldwin. He's earned it. balled with. Right. He's earned it. Pheee!

Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Oh, but now I just feel, I feel a little cheese drunk. I feel a little cheese drunk. Yeah. It was a brie, there was a rosemary something situation. Oh my gosh.

The mozzarella that was in the, oh my gosh. I forgot about the mozzarella. So good. The mozzarella. I had so many mozzarella balls. Ha! We had so many balls. Oh god.

We ate that, then we got sandwiches. Yeah we were like, go ahead and get a sandwich. Just get more food. I can't possibly fit a sandwich. I'll go to Fit Tricia. So I walk up there and I get a shake that's like a matcha chip, cocoa nib protein shake. 50 grams of protein. I didn't need more dairy is what I realized. I was like, I'll be healthy. Now I'm just like, I'm so full of protein. I didn't need more dairy is what I realized. I was like, I'll be healthy.

And now I'm just like, I'm so full of milk. And I don't think I like matcha. That's right. Before you sit down and record, folks, it's important to just drink a tall glass of warm egg nougat. I'm going to make Troy do some jumping jacks, shake up his stomach. For real.

I just went back there to that amazing charcuterie board. And just have myself a big handful of prosciutto, basically at a whole baguette's worth at ToastPoints. And then it was like, dude, do I want a 12-inch tuna sub? Yes, I'll also have that. You can't get a good sandwich in LA. It's impossible. There's no place.

I also added another beverage into my pile of beverage. You get a lot of beverages going on over there. I do. I need a variety. That's good. Number four for the day. You were, right when you jumped back there, you were like, you got that lemon dill hummus and you went after it.

I'm still tasting it on my tongue. It was so fucking good. Yeah. McD did one charcuterie board for us during Gatewalkers one time. He did the spread and he brought that lemon dill. It's Ithaca is the brand. Yeah, it's a good brand. And it's this lemon dill hummus that is just chef's kiss. It's so good, so good.

Yeah, it's good for the vocal cords. It's good for the energy levels and the general breath. Oh yeah. This is why you gotta be in the same room. So you can smell that dill on a man general breath. Oh, yeah. This is why you gotta be in the same room. Since you can't smell that dill on a man's breath. You can't get visceral like this. When you're in the same room. It's nothing worse than a remote charcuterie room.

I know I know when you guys have eaten when we're online. A charcuterie board remotely is only one person gets to enjoy it. Right, unless you kind of coordinate it somehow. And now we get to sit in a room together with our hot breath talking for three hours. Hot dill breath. of coordinated somehow. And now we get to sit in a room together with our hot breath talking for three hours.

Hot dill breath. I breathe on you before I fall asleep on you. How's New York treating you? Have you spent any extended time here? I was here, I've been here, my dad is from Brooklyn. So that means nothing. I barely went there. But no, I've been out here a handful of times, work stuff, fun stuff.

Yeah, but like Ross is saying off air, I have never really spent a lot of time in Queens or Astoria. Do you say, people say Astoria just to be fancy so they don't have to say Queens? No, cause Queens is huge. Astoria is just like- Astoria just helps narrow down the-

A city within a city. Okay, it's like saying Williamsburg as opposed to Brooklyn. Yes. You're like narrowing down the part of the- When you- The neighborhood. When you send someone're like narrowing down the part of the neighborhood. When you send someone a letter, it's very long of the things.

So, Astoria, Queens, New York. You got Jamaica Queens, you got Astoria Queens, Elmhurst, Woodside, different little neighborhoods. And you like it here, you like it here? Yeah, I mean I went to Manhattan yesterday, I walked through Central Park. I did. Did the whole thing.

Played Frisbee with a random local. I did, yeah, I know. I did see a man, I told Ross this, we were walking. It was perfectly New York, where I watched a man, as I was talking to my buddy in the background, just reveal himself in full Elizabethan attire, as he was on a park bench and unzipping what was like a classical, like a lute of some kind

or whatever, and was about to start. I thought you were going to say unzipping is fly and masturbating. No, why is habit having that? But then it's classic New York. Classic New York. Which would also be classic New York. Rob didn't and was about to start. I thought you were gonna say unzipping his fly and masturbating. No, lies have exciting facts, but then Harlequin's in New York. Classic New York. Classic New York. And Rob didn't even say hi to me. Yeah.

I was like, I'll see him tomorrow. I'll see him tomorrow. This is what he always does. But then this poor man's sheet music blew into a pond. Oh, no. And the camera being my point of view, the travel pass was like, oh, god damn it, fuck shit. I was like waddling over.

I was like, New York. Not even Alas. I know, Zooms, my sheet music. I finished my life's work. No, I need not make a second copy, for I shall go play it in the now. To all of the centralized parks, to all of the centralized. There'll be time for copies. Oh, that's New York, baby.

Now you are from here or lived here for a long time. I grew up here, yeah. Yeah. You like coming back? It is nice to be back. I've never been to Astoria either. So this was kind of, this is very nice. Although today was the first day I was out

because I spent, I was such a nerd. Yesterday I spent all day like studying for our final exam. I went over all of the handouts from what we're using. What is it? Foundry. Foundry. I went through all of them again just to make sure I remembered everything, which was really helpful because I got to, I was like, I made some dots in the-

It's fresh. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot there and you, we, we, you learn a lot, but there's so much else going on. It doesn't sink in. So it's good to go back. There's a reason why classic evidence boards are things that hang up where you can see everything. Because like they just put all clues in a drawer. You know what I mean? It's like when you keep seeing handouts over and over and then see them all together, you can start being like, wait a minute.

And that's always fun. So no, I was a total nerd yesterday. So today was the first day being out and about. And this is a super cute neighborhood. It is fun. Yeah. Yeah. And this is a great location in this neighborhood.

This is like one of the best. Because when we were looking for places, we were like, oh, to be right on 30th Avenue would be amazing because there's so many great restaurants and bars and coffee shops and stuff right on this stretch. One charcuterie board doesn't cut it. You can still go in. Right. Your little charcuterie board, really. That's the name of the neighborhood. This is a little charcuterie, a story of Queens. Charcuterie Road.

Charcuterie Way. And Ross, you went on a coffee tour yesterday. Yes, yes, yes. This is also my first time in the charcuterie district of a story. While Nora was busily beavering away, learning everything that would be useful for our campaign, I was just strutting mindlessly around Queens going from espresso to espresso. It was great. I found some wonderful little bakeries, had a fantastic little blood orange pistachio scone. Oh, you're in a pistachio kick. I'm the pistachio kid, baby. I had a pistachio croissant this morning.

Hi, hoarding some Dubai chocolate in your little pistachio over there. I'll never tell. I had to do something because all my fucking sheet music blew away. So you zipped up and winged out some coffee. I drowned my sorrows in pistachio. Drowning in pistachio.

Well, I'm so glad you guys are here and I look forward to a few episodes from now where we actually get to hang out at nighttime and then I figure out how to drive home. Out of the meantime, stick right around. We'll be back. And now we're getting into it. Stay tuned. Introducing TurboTax Business, a brand new way to file your own T2 return, all while getting help from an expert who actually knows small businesses. Got a tattoo studio, toy store, tiny but mighty taco stand? We've got someone who gets small business taxes inside and out.

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Love movies? Love classic movies? So do we. Ticklish Business is the podcast where classic film is discussed in modern times. Hosted by me, film journalist Kristen Lopez, and my co-host, author Emily Edwards, we dive into the golden age of cinema with fun, heart, and serious expertise. As published film historians and lifelong classic movie buffs, we bring insider insights, deep research, and lively debates with a variety of special guests, ranging from celebrities like Holly Madison to T. Sam Luminary's Dave Carver and Eddie Muller, and even family members of old Hollywood legends. Subscribe now to Ticklish Business on your favorite podcast app,

and let's talk about old Hollywood legends. Subscribe now to Ticklish Business on your favorite podcast app and let's talk about old Hollywood today. Oh, hey, welcome back. We're doing a show. I want to thank our sponsor, Chaosium, our good buddy Brian Holland. He's just, he's so wonderful. He's such a great champion for everything we do. And we owe so much to him for going to the old Chaosium brass and tell them, you got to check out these glass cannon guys. But really, thank you to Chaosium. They make the best products in the biz. They got a lot. We play, you just finished a Pendragon run that Nora was on a few months back. That was so much fun. Fantastic. Oh, Pendragon, masterpiece. Masterpiece.

You going to play some more, you think? Oh, I think so. It would be hard not to. Yeah. Especiallypiece. You're going to play some more, you think? Oh, I think so. Yeah. It would be hard not to. Yeah. Especially with the way it ended and stuff. Man, so much drama. Yeah, you'd get a kick out of Pen Dragon.

Probably. Yeah. Yeah. But today we're going to play a little 1920s call of Cthulhu. I got my calendar. I'm trying to use my handouts as much as possible. I got the 1925 calendar here. So there's February 17th, which actually was an eclipse in history.

So I used that as the date to let you guys know there was a ticking clock. Maybe you had about two weeks and you were like, what are we going to do with two weeks? Let's go to the countryside and look into ghoul taint. But now you got a 30-day journey. You spent a couple of weeks convalescing off air. Like before we started recording today, we were like, you know, let's get through all of this skill improvement, get some more sanity, see voyage sanity. Well, Joe just twiddled his thumbs. But did you guys either improve any skills

or gain new skills? I gained no new skills, because I didn't roll well enough. And the skills I did improve, I'm a little better at driving an automobile now than it was before. I didn't roll well enough. And the skills I did improve, I'm a little better at driving an automobile now than I was before. I don't know how I learned that on a boat, but maybe it's too exciting. Go-kart track.

Just reading a magazine about driving. Exactly. Popular mechanics issue number one. Or you ask the captain, why didn't I take a spin at this? It's just like driving a car. Yeah, and it probably was. Like a Packard. And then, which maybe didn't exist. I'm not looking it up. Fuck it. That's Joe. You got to get used to this part where we don't look anything

up. Or Troy will want to, and then we'll yell at him to not look something up because he gives a shit. Oh, especially period accuracy stuff. I despise looking it up. Yeah. It's the worst. We don't do it. Actually, the car alarm wasn't invented until 1927. Jack, Jack, we'll correct you. Yeah. Did you guys get corrected on windshield wipers

or something? Yes. It was something very mundane. It might not have been Time for Chaos. It might have been another 90 Toys Call. And also something about pantyhose. They didn't have windshield wipers yet.

That was just like, what the? How did they draw it? And when you guys put pantyhose, you and Margot put pantyhose over your head. Oh, yeah, that's what it was. They're like, pantyhose on a, da, da, da, da, da, da, da. But I think even when we were playing Ross, it was like, they're silk.

And we're like, oh, right. Yeah, I think at the time, I think y'all did that. And I was like, looking it up. And yes, they didn't have like, nolons. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They would have, you would be asphyxiating yourselves. I believe it was Margot's panties that you put over your head. It was.

It was great. I'm sure they made the trip. I'm sure they made their beavered away. You just beavered those away in your suitcase. You guys are sickos. Sickos and freaks a lot here. Did you improve any skills, Kurt? I did.

So the new thing, I upped a whole, the lot of them. Did you improve any skills? I did. So the new thing I upped a whole whopping two points in was Feyruz's charm because we all know how good she is at flirting. She's quite a charmer. So now I have a whole 17 points in charm. Oh, okay. But, and the other things were like pretty much half and half.

I did, Feyruz did a lot of parkour on this ship. It appears to be yourself. Jumping from thing to thing to improve her dodge roll, which is now at 31. Sweet. Because I would like to move out of the way in one of these combats. Right, of bullets.

Of bullets. You tend to fight back because it makes more sense. I always fight back because my stat for that is so much higher. That's a lot more dangerous, as you'll learn, or probably remember from what little you've played. Dodge is safer because Ty goes to the runner, but fight back, be higher. You know what amazes me every time,

I haven't played a lot of Call of Cthulhu, but I've played enough that every single time I get into it, whatever character I think of is always, this is one of the things I love about Call of Cthulhu, but I've played enough that every single time I get into it, whatever character I think of is always, this is one of the things I love about Call of Cthulhu, it's always for me non-combat oriented, right? It's always like a regular person, and I enjoy making that and you make up the sheet. And for some reason, every single time

when it comes to the horror at the end, I'm always like, I don't have any dodge! Every time. It's just not something you invest in early and but you always need it. Yeah, important one to have. Yeah. So this time I was like, I better get some I will say my highest stat right now in the things that I improved is spot hidden, which is now at an 85. I'm going to see everything in those papers.

Now, what's really cool about that is if you improve that again in the next development phase and get above 90, any skill you improve to beyond 90, you immediately get 2D6 sanity points to sort of show. Really? That's a cool rule. Because you're like, it has to do with like self-perfection or something. Because you perfected that skill, you get a sanity boost. Wow.

I don't think it's happened yet. Yet again, Margot was the closest to having that happen. Yeah. I've never gotten that far in Cthulhu. So that'd be a fun little boost. No one could use it more than old Vaughn. I guess I should have pumped stuff into credit rating because that would have been the only way I could have gotten this. That would have been amazing. You reach perfection in your credit rating. That would boost anyone. That would boost anyone's sanity for real.

Some wise investments, but I think that to me sounds, that sounds like cheating almost. Gaming the system. Power game. That's not my way. The, I did improve just one. I rolled so bad to improve these skills. Like, so I, but I did succeed in being able to add an additional skill. And so I figured on a long, we said like month long sea voyage. Now Marion, it's come out,

does speak a little bit of the local language of where we're going to. So in my head, I've maybe asked to borrow a book from him, from his heavy case. Maybe we just talk. Or we just talk. Maybe you tutor me. Yeah. What else are you going to do? What else are you going to do? I think that I wanted to add language, Chinese, which encompasses the local dialects and disparate language groups that would be- Oh, is that how the rules work?

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I spent how the rules work? Yeah, yeah. Oh, I spent different amounts on Shanghais versus Cantonese. I think maybe what that means is because I've got, I added a skill of Chinese that what I'm getting is more of a sort of like almost baby talk. You can ask what the bathroom is. Exactly, super debased beginner that I might be able to convey a thought just slightly better than someone who has nothing. Yeah. Slightly better than nothing is exactly what I've got. I rolled to improve that skill and I could

do it and then I rolled to improve it and I got a one. I have two points of training. Oh, man. Well, you're just getting started. Just getting started. Conversation. One of the harder languages to learn. Yeah. There you go.

I also get the sense that Vaughan is probably pretty distractable in these tutoring sessions Just getting started. One of the harder languages to learn. Yeah. There you go. And I also get the sense that Vaughan is probably pretty distractable in these tutoring sessions and maybe not the... Yeah. Vaughan, Vaughan, are you with me? Oh yes, I was just staring out of the portal. The sea. I was just thinking about my own resurrection.

What horrors lie beneath. The vast sea, yes. I will say, though I don't participate in any of these yet, these roles. I just want to give you one glimpse because you were talking about charm. Charm is the single highest stat of Mary and Wesley Walsh. Oh, okay. Nice. So just you're aware, if I'm not playing him quite right, he's extremely charming.

So we get you to talk. In his sort of foppishness. What's he, what are you working with over there? He has an 85 in charm. Holy shit. Nice. Yeah. 85 in charm.

Very, very charming. This is great. Charming fellow. What's your highest, you said credit rating. What's your highest? Stat of all of them? Yeah. Are you stealth?

No, stealth is only 64. I improved that a little. Brawl is an 82. Whoa. Awesome. You're getting close. I'm getting close. You could do it with one improvement.

I thought I was the charmiest. I was a 76, but now I got fucking big dick charm over here. Which I think is also gonna piss off Carter. Can a dick's charm. Can a dick's charm. He really took a leap there. He just dropped that charm dick right on you. It's quite the penis, Mary.

And to find out how do you do. Here's what it says in terms of communication. Oh, wow. Must have to throw some baggage overboard there. Now we know it was in that suitcase. It was underwear. Regular rass. Oh my God. It says, although at the time someone who spoke only Shanghaiese would be unable to understand either Mandarin or Cantonese and vice versa, this campaign takes the liberty

of permitting a degree of comprehension between all three in order to smooth character interaction. Those wishing for a more historically accurate interpretation of the language, the campaign is now available on the Internet. And if you're interested in learning more about the campaign, please visit www.michaelpeter.com. And if you're interested in learning more about the campaign, Mandarin or Cantonese and vice versa. This campaign takes the liberty of permitting a degree of comprehension between all three in order to smooth character interaction. Those wishing for a more historically accurate campaign may wish to dispense with this conceit. Be aware, however, that this could severely hamper any ongoing investigation. No one will be able to talk to anyone. That sounds like a blast.

But what's nice about you speaking some Shanghais and Cantonese and Mandarin as well? I just did spend points in Cantonese and Shanghais. So wait, so Shanghais is different than Mandarin? Yes. I was going to say because you were saying Cantonese and then the other one, but that's different. Yeah, I had nothing in Mandarin. OK.

Outside of the settlement, investigators must speak Shanghais or have interpreter guides. You may have noticed the thing called compradors on one of the things they do. So I Yeah. On one of the things that you- So I presume, I operated under the assumption that he's gotten to know the language enough that he has a passing understanding of it. But I think that based on what you sent us about the setting, he would still benefit greatly from an interpreter if you're going out into the wider city.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. You would need the services of a comprador also if you're going to do any financial transactions. Even if you spoke the language, it's kind of like you don't do it yourself. You hire someone to do that. Okay. So that's something you could do, but it really depends on where your investigation takes you.

I also think that, and Marion could even mention this on the ship as he's trying to help his shipmates, his companions here get up to speed on the culture there. What he knows of it is that one of his advantages in learning the language and speaking the language is still using an interpreter and acting like he doesn't know the language, just because it helps to understand

what other people are saying. Culturally, they don't like talking to you, even if you could speak the language. They want to speak to a comprador. OK. Let's talk a little bit. Well, I just wanted to briefly mention, any time you succeeded the skill and you don't push or use luck,

check it. And those are some of the skills you had a chance to boost here between sessions. You roll against it. If you fail, you add a D10. You also had the chance and I don't think we did this for going from America to London of improving two skills you've already improved or learning a new skill and that's how you learned Chinese. Let's talk about a group luck roll here. First, let's do a luck improvement roll and I would like you to join as well. You want to fail against your luck score and if you do –

Do you have a max luck possible? Because I mean that's kind of where I am right now, right? You're at max luck. No, it's a – it can – It can go beyond your – It can go beyond your accent. Okay. You're fucking kidding me. No, I succeeded. It can go beyond your exit. It can go beyond your exit. OK. Fucking kidding me. Let's get it.

No, I succeeded. My luck's at a 26, and I rolled a five. This is Nora. Yeah, but she does. This has happened to me all last season. This is why everyone's still alive. I said it too. I rolled a 20 under 32.

I rolled a seven under 43. Oh my god. Rich get richer. All right, so you get a D10 in luck. Now. None of us did. No, none of us. Oh, I'm sorry. You succeeded. Yeah.

We all succeeded. I was like, what does this mean? What do you mean? Yeah. You didn't hear her. Yeah, I misheard you. Okay. That's okay. This happened. Rich luck. That was bad luck this time. Let me ask you, who has the worst luck? Mine's at a 26.

Mine is at a 43. Yeah, I've got 32. Okay. So we're going to do a group roll right now, and that means you rolled it. I am sorry, guys. You can do it. Gonna figure, does the boat sink? Roll the same exact thing you just rolled. A Leviathan comes from the deep.

This time I want a roll. This time I want a roll. Roll up new characters. And I rolled a fucking 98. That's what you needed. What? That's what I needed. That's a fumble. As your score is less than a 50, that's a fumble.

Okay. Okay. Well. Registering that. I will. This card is not, this was not for season, not for episode two. What is our episode two card? First, tell me about strike.

Okay. So this, to nobody's shock is exactly what it means. So that was our last episode card. This was for episode one. We were recovering and gaining strength. So it is very straightforward. Other meanings are power, energy, action, courage, and magnanimity. But let's fucking find out what's, this is not off to a great start, so let's see what the cards are for today.

You pulled new friend with long penis. What do you want this could mean? I pulled a penis card, what is this? That's from a different deck. These tarot cards. That's from that novelty deck. That's from that novelty bachelorette party deck. I got a tarot card at a bachelorette party.

Okay, so. These cards are paid as well. So somebody tell me when, somebody tell me when to speak. When. Alright. Top card or cut? Top. Oh. This is the

Seven of Cups. I will not say what this is the Seven of Cups. I will not say what this is. I've heard of the Seven of Cups. Yeah, this sounds familiar. Seven sounds lucky. Isn't Seven lucky in Chinese? Look it up. I'm not going to look up Seven.

Don't look it up. I will for next time. We will find out next time, but I'm not mad at it. Okay. This is interesting time. But I'm not mad at it. Okay, okay. This is interesting, yeah. I'm not mad at it. I don't think this relates, but in traditional Chinese culture,

seven represents the combination of yin yang and five elements, lucky number seven. Metal, wood, water, earth, and fire. Okay. I studied, well, I studied Chinese medicine. So we learned a lot of five elements. It's really cool. That's sweet. Step out of caps. All right, China, you touched upon it. And I'd like actually you to talk

a little bit more about it because I think you're much more versed in this than I am. But the sort of broad strokes, probably getting some of this incorrect sort of look at what China's like. It really is a time of political upheaval and unrest. The dynasty, dynastic system has ended and as they're trying to form a new government, everybody's fighting with each other. So you've got the communists, Chiang Kai-shek, all this stuff and all these gangs. You mentioned it. I mean, you did a really good job of doing it. Yeah. There's another part that I didn't mention which – and this is bringing it back to Vaughn, who you told me was a war veteran of World War I, of the Great War as we would call it,

is like this is a huge turning point for China at this time because in 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the end of the Great War, China gets really shafted, it seems, in this exchange where the Treaty of Versailles, America, France, Britain, sort of just decide to give Japan all of Germany's territories in China at the time. The Chinese are irate and this causes a real upheaval, a revolt of a kind right around that time between 1919, 1921 of the people saying, get all these foreign powers out of here. We want them all out. You start to see more communist sympathy and stuff like that as people are trying to push back against anything that is like those Western cultures. And then also not just communism, but also the idea of recapturing traditional Chinese culture. And so, yeah, that is one of the reasons that this unhappiness is one of the reasons that these crime syndicates

and stuff like that, it seems, are able to get a foothold in government and the police forces because the police forces are even – there's an international police force and there's a local police force. There's police forces that are British, American, and French that are policing by their own laws in these areas from their own countries. And they're all just taking payoffs. They're all taking payoffs from Chinese gangs who are all sort of buying their way into these systems. Also, just insane. You and you know, maybe even, yeah, I don't know how Marion would even describe it, but like, as an American.

You're talking about extradality? Yes. Yeah, you can only be tried under the laws of your native country if they belong to one of these. As an American, as- You're talking about extrality? Yes. Yeah. You can only be tried under the laws of your native country if they belong to one of these countries. So like if you commit a crime- Even if you commit a crime in China. If you committed a crime in Shanghai, like legally, you're allowed to immediately be

tried under your own laws and not Chinese law. And none of the Chinese are able to benefit from this. If they break the law within the concessions they're called, which are like the territories that are – Like Western held. Yeah, Western held territories. Not like militarily held, but just like – Gifted or whatever. Financially, politically held areas on the outskirts of Shanghai. They're like – Yeah,

they operate two different, completely different law systems. Yeah. So, it's a pretty wild situation. And I think that- For Americans and British living here like kings, too, right now, while they're like- Right, if you had little money back home. Poor Chinese people struggling to survive right next to a concession where Americans are living with like, you know, not slaves, but basically people have to do it. It's a crazy town. There's a whole chunk of the city that's Western, in terms of architecture and everything,

I think is like Western influence. They were calling it the Paris of the Easter or whatever because of the 1800s. Yeah, they're beautiful buildings, beautiful architecture that has come up. But this all started in the Industrial Revolution in the 1840s, 50s, and then in the late 1800s, you have England sort of, well, before that getting Hong Kong and then really in what, 1898 or something like that, getting that 99-year lease to operate all business in Hong Kong. And so Hong Kong then explodes in financial free port kind of stuff

over the next 20, 30 years. Yeah, anyway, it's very interesting time. At least it's not complicated at all. We just kind of work our way right through it. Yeah. Well, it's interesting. London is pretty much characterized by the fog. Here, it's a powder keg waiting to explode and you've got all this other stuff going on as well. But you do have a couple of leads. Just to remind you as've got all this other stuff going on as well. But you do have a couple of leads. And so just to remind you as you go into this, and I don't know how much you're telling your new friend, if anything really, that's something to think about as well. Well, that is an interesting question because you ended the last episode with like the skyline of

Shanghai, what skyline? Well, it was more like a metaphorical skyline. But like pulling, like getting close there, assuming, you know, weeks had passed. Like, is that what happened? Because if so, I might want to talk about what? Yeah, I'm going to keep you on the boat. I'm not going to say, all right, you're in Shanghai, what do you do? I want to keep you on the boat so that we can figure out how much or how little you're going to get involved. Yeah, what are you really doing here? But let's go over the leads again, because it won't be long.

You'll have a quick stop in Hong Kong and then the next stop will be Shanghai. You've got this matchbook now. This is a new thing that Jonah Kensington mentioned of a bar that maybe Jackson frequented while he was in Shanghai called the Stumbling tiger bar. Both in New York and London, you also found success like going to museums and libraries. Even the scoop that you went to in London, like there's some research opportunities. You could go to the Shanghai Museum. You could look for a good local paper to perhaps do some research at back articles. Things just keep that in mind.

Then of course, you have the name Ho-Fang, Ho-Fang import export to the honorable Ho-Fang you saw at one point Apparently, this is a business on Kaoyang Street, which you saw on the crates you found in London And then just as we were mentioning before although English is widely spoken in China at the time If you needed to leave the city, you would most likely need to seek the services of a comprador. They could be guides. They could handle these transactions, but maybe this guy, this new fella can cover a lot of ground for you.

Let's get back on the boat and we'll say that you want to be arriving in Hong Kong for a quick stop or do you want to be leaving Hong Kong? Next stop, Hong Kong! says the captain. Can on a string. Next stop, Hong Kong! And the stumbling tiger bar was in Shanghai. Right. Yes.

Yes. Everything, all the leads that we've got are local to Shanghai. Why don't we have us leaving? How about we can just do it in character and say, so, Vilius, is this your stop? Are you just making your way to Hong Kong or going all the way through to Shanghai? Going all the way, old man.

Oh, I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad to hear it. Yes, indeed. I should be able to make myself at least a little bit understood, thanks to my tutelage under your watchful eye. Yes, it's... I'm happy to hear you're making the quest all the way through. Many of the Londoners, of course, disembark in Hong Kong and don't continue on to Shanghai. There aren't very many of us there, you know. You'll be rather, like me, a fish out of water. Yes, well, I suppose we're rather used to it. And I think this is hard for, like, I've

been to Hong Kong before. I came through Nepal. I did some mountain climbing after the war. Oh, really? Yes. Came through Hong Kong, left, went up to... Went down to British Honduras, went up to San Francisco for a little while. Rode the train. This is all, of course, years and years ago.

And you were in the service in France? Yes, so you know, Walsh, I've never asked, were you in France? I was lucky enough to not go myself. I was a bit old at the time and was able to offer my services on the mainland. Much more aid-level stuff. I actually aided a colonel, so it was a little more than secretarial work, really. But I feel terrible for anyone who was sent over there. But you are lucky. We're lucky you survived. Yes. Yes. There was luck with the Hand of providence that moved to keep me alive, although it's

a rather difficult to think of a blessing. At many, many a long night wondering why. Why? An entire flower of, an entire flower of youth and an entire generation hewn down like wheat. One enormous house of murder as far as I'm concerned. Indeed. I was very lucky.

A little too old for the trenches, and my son a little too young to be drafted. So that is fortune indeed. Pray, I shall pray, that you, that we are never called to such an account again. I agree. I think that that's part of what I try to embrace in my teachings. Though focused as they may be on various forms of religion, I do try to get across to these young people how important it is to avoid this kind of conflict. As I've said before, Shanghai is a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. And if they can reason their way through these things, hopefully they won't come to the point of killing each other. Yes.

Reason should be our viceroy. Reason is in the conscience, perhaps. I believe the way the Almighty speaks into our souls. Although I cannot prophesy what shall become of us there. We are moving into very, very strange waters indeed. And if you call Shanghai a powder keg, I will say the squad and I are a rather sparky bunch. Aeros looks over to Carter.

She's like, do you have any threes? I don't even know what fucking game we're playing. Was this Canasta? What is this? Go fish. Go fish, oh. Did they play Go fish in 1920? Oh, goldfish. I always thought it was goldfish. How do you mean, Vaughn? What is your business in Shanghai? If you don't mind me asking,

that could, um, what, get you into trouble? And I think I've spent enough time with Walsh now to take the measure of him somewhat. And I think even as affable as Vaughn was in that first meeting in the last episode, he's still paranoid and eyeing the other passengers all the time, wondering whose gaze is lingering a little too long. But he gets the sense that Walsh is trustworthy, I think. that Walsh is trustworthy, I think. And do you think we have spoken at all about letting this fellow that we've become rather accustomed to into the secret to which we're unraveling? It's hard to say. I know for sure when when Marion does ask this, Faerus perks up and stops focusing on the game and is now focusing on this conversation and kind of darts a nervous look at both Carter and Vaughn.

Okay. I mean, there's been times in the past where I feel like Carter is just completely violent. When we first met Desmond, I like went off. Went off. just told him everything So I don't think he's necessarily the bastion of secrecy through to right. Yeah, you did give him the the card first thing Yeah, um I will say by the way go fish seems to been around since the 15th century. Oh my god Just screwed up there is no Go Fish. I know you're on tender hooks.

Everyone can breathe now. Go Fish is, is, is. Perhaps similar to a game called Andare e Piscere. Andare e Piscere. It is not anachronistic, thank God. Okay, Fawn takes out an iPhone and no. No. I think, just taking in those looks, I got a little card that was given to you

when we first made your acquaintance. Oh, yes. Mystery squad. Yes, our droll. Very funny. Very droll. Very funny. Yes, rather cracking. Your performance.

Carter's just like, halfheartedly trying to do the laughter. We're doing it for two weeks now. Yeah, I'm just over it. Well, my fiance, as I say, rather like yourself as an academic. And we are all of us academics after a sort, seekers, you might say. And we are... Perhaps that is all I should say. A mystery is no longer a mystery if it goes around being divulged. What? What I think we can at least offer is that a dear friend of ours

has passed in a Way that leaves us with some questions unanswered. Yes, and we are all attempting to as it were solve That mystery and we are just the squad to do it. Yes Well, I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend and we've lost more than one actually Yes, yes I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. And we've lost more than one, actually. Yes. Yes. Uh, quite right, Tillinghast. Ah, well, I did not mean to pry. I suppose I've never asked, but, um, in your researches,

our dear departed friend was rather of the, um, theological persuasion as well, although of theologies of a distinctly more, um, bespoke variety. Have you ever run across any publications by a gentleman by the name of Jackson Elias? And his face changes. Jackson Elias, is your friend? Was, yeah.

He's died. Did you know him? No, no, not personally, no, but I've read all of his work. He is quite an impressive mind on the subject. Yes, indeed. He was murdered. Most terribly, yes. Where, when?

New York, however long ago. However long ago. Sometimes it feels like months ago, sometimes it literally feels like years ago. New York. And he tells him the date. Yeah. My goodness, I had no idea.

I suppose it wouldn't have been covered in the major newspapers or spoken about globally. Indeed, his thoughts, his writings were very counter whatever you would say. Not exactly for the mass consumption. His was an interest in theology, most unorthodox. Yes. And it started to affect him, we think, based on the stuff that we read and letters that he wrote, as he was returning to the

States. It wasn't looking good for Jackson, just upstairs, you know what I mean? Yes. The sort of research that Elias was undertaking, the sort that we all were undertaking, mere exposure to it as a way of meddling with one's faculties, Mr. Walsh. He's just sort of lost in thought for a moment. He's cleaning his glasses. I tell you this for your own sake, and to ask you to be wary when you ask people what sort of mysteries they are on the trail of. Perhaps it's best to let some sleeping dogs lie, why, that's a good man.

And you would know, he wrote primarily about death cults around the world, the last of which he published in 1923 before his death, called The Hungry Dead, which exposed the modern day survival of a Peruvian and Bolivian death cult that came from the time of the conquistadors. What you wouldn't know right now is that they were part of that discovery as well.

That's where they met Larkin. So they would not have been mentioned in a book by name. I can't imagine. I don't think he was like, and these are my friends along the way. Special thanks to you. Yeah. The names of the names. Maybe we're in the special thanks.

But you know what? Maybe the names are changed. Maybe he does mention his people and they, and maybe there's a moment here where you're, you start to wonder like the descriptions of these people. It was a description of a man who wore a mask on his face. That traveled with Jackson. What? Yes, but it wasn't painted. He says, yeah, I think he's going to say,

Ulvon, I was hesitant to speak with you of the work that I do. I have, after all, taken this time away from teaching to work on my book. I did have some personal affairs to deal with back in London, but I wanted to return early to Shanghai months before I'm required to be back in the classroom to continue this work. And I've been doing a great deal of research over the years on these sorts of books around, if anybody's listening or could overhear, these sorts of cults. Really? Yes. I, of course, was, well, not of course. You don't know me for anything, but I was raised Catholic. My father was Irish, my mother French, and I was always very faithful and wanted to study it. I almost became a priest at one point, then realized it wasn't for me.

And I wanted to have my focus be on learning all I could know, not only about the history of where our religion comes from, but also its myths, its mystery, and what the theology of it all means in our minds. When I first spoke to you, Vaun, you were so passionate about your faith that I hesitated to even mention the sort of courses that I have evolved to teach over the years. I don't teach Catholicism anymore. I have focused a lot of my academic energy

on the sort of things that Jax and Elias was interested in. And not all death cults, of course, but also the magic and mysticism of the ancient world, medieval world. There is much to learn there, and I've become a bit of a hobbyist, you could say. I always thought I'd meet him, he says as he looks off to the sea. I always imagined meeting'd meet him. He says as he kind of like looks off to the sea.

I always imagined meeting him one day. Can't believe he's died. He's a very kind man and a very good friend to all of his friends. Well, that is so good to hear. And he loved my manuscript. Your manuscript? Yes, old boy.

You see, I'm a bit of a writer and scholar myself. Are you indeed? More of a fiction slash non-fiction kind of world that I'm working in. It's sort of a memoir, if you will, of our adventures. Within adventures? Oh, we are... I mean, the mystery squad. Wait, wait, wait. You didn't travel with Elias. That's how we met.

That is how we met. You made Mr. Elias. This whole time I'm thinking you are friend, neighbors or some such. I had no idea you went on his adventures. I've always dreamed of doing something like that, but thought that is a fantasy life. Oh oh yeah we hung with them in Peru you read his No. Oh yeah. The mask!

There it is. Yes. Yes, we were there. I'm afraid that since then, it's been, since his death, it's been nothing but a whirlwind of discovery of this cult and that cult and this strange, intertwining spider's web of conspiracy. Mr. Walsh, in maybe a day or two... Doctor Walsh.

Doctor. Forgive me. Doctor. You worked hard for that. Tell you what, I'll allow it once. I'm kidding. You're too kind. I'm kidding. Twice. I don't make anyone else, I don't make anyone call me lieutenant.

Yes, seems you have a particular set of interests. Rather amenable with our own. Yes, seems you have a particular set of interests. Rather amenable with our own. We have already pressed upon you to give us a sense of the lay of the land, where we're headed into the Powder Keg, as you call it, and to give us a crash course in the local Lingua Franca. But, um... We... I was already going to attempt to ask you to continue your guidance and you've been so kind as to offer us a place to lay our heads.

I wonder if you wouldn't like playing a somewhat more active role in our search. Because what is described in Elias' work is but the tip of an iceberg floating just above the surface of an ocean of impossible and unplumbable depths. The cults of which he writes are legion, seemingly thriving actively today in every corner of the world. And they're connected. To me it was always... I don't want to say rumor, that's not the right word.

I just felt that it would never... Pop its head enough above the ocean, as you spoke of it. Yes. So as to ever... Effect me, or... Be something that I would ever witness myself. I pray for your sake that it never does, Mr. Warden. He looks, he can see like the crazy in Bonzai's eyes, you know?

He's like, I can see. He attributed it to the war at first, and now he sees like maybe there's something else there. Wait, sir. Those... the mystery of Elias' murder... has led you to Shanghai? It has. Yeah, and London before that.

But how? What does Shanghai have to do with Elias? Perhaps we should all go into my stateroom. Somewhere where there are fewer prying eyes. Yes. Indeed, that would be excellent. Do we info dump them all now, or should we just, like, as the door's shutting? The door shuts, and you know,

you love to decide for yourselves, off camera, how much you tell them, but I can't- Right as the door's shutting, Car's like, Vaughn, your fucking room is bigger than mine, man. What if we did a psych roll on how much we trust to tell him at this point? Well, that's interesting. Yeah, kind of try to read him a little bit

before you start talking. You haven't mentioned Carlisle Expedition yet, but I imagine that's where this is going. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, do a psych roll on it. Do you have a good psych? If anybody else wants to jump in on this, please do. Could I factor in a charm roll somehow in there? Yeah, I think the charm would help set the difficulty if it's technically an opposed roll, but they're really just trying to read you. What is your charm skill?

85. 85. That's at least a hard, you would need at least a hard success, possibly even extreme. I think it's just a hard success. Well then I would need to roll a 14 or better. Let's see. What do you have? I don't have to roll it.

My psychology is a 29. You just set the DC big. 29? My psychology is a 29, but because of opposing his Charm roll, which is so high, I would have to get a hard success or better okay so if anybody else wants I have a 59 in psychology fucking roll

away man so I would have to get a 29 I got a 24 under 29 rolled in 99 you succeeded I succeeded chief fun I fumbled fumbled. Yeah This is so I maybe maybe I could second very trust. Oh Jesus. Maybe I just Plop all the books that I have like Let's compare notes for the actual like Tomes. Here's what I'll say how I want you to resolve the 99 You let slip something you wish you didn't. What do you think that is? What's something that like after Carl's expedition, we imagine that's all coming out. Something you say. I mean, something personal.

Maybe murdering police in an arson. No, I told people about that. Yeah. No, we tell everybody about that. Maybe it's something more personal, like as a suggestion, obviously, maybe it's something that Feyruz did on her own, whether it's the books you've been reading or the... I think he's onto something that's very interesting to like mention that you were involved in that art.

Oh, and then my father was there because there's all the orders all about us. And then when she says the order is all about us. And which order is that? Ah, the order of... That's not important. What's important is that we went through all this stuff and now maybe my success comes in.

Wait, wait, what did he need you... because of... You had a regular success? I had a hard. Oh, you did have a hard. I had a hard success. 24 under... 59. Okay, you had a hard success.

All right, so what do you think? Do they get any sense that you couldn't be trustworthy? I mean, you get the sense that, I think there's a certain danger to being so charming, right? Like, tell me about it. Right, being so likeable can be a little suspicious in and of itself. Outside of that, I would say,

I don't know, you don't know this guy that well. And he, with your success, I would say you get the sense he's not telling you some things about himself. I mean, I guess it would be, is this, is he in a fucking cult? Like, is it cl- He was squaring away, you know, taking care of business in London, right? You don't know what that was, though, but it doesn't seem... His enthusiasm about Elias and these cults seems extremely genuine. Great, all right. See, yeah, I think we lay the majority of it on him.

Like, everything that happened in London. Everything? The deaths? Everything happened in New York. Yeah. Yeah. You're in a whole- You're sure they were cultists? There were many cultists.

A, they had robes. B, they had real fancy knives. C, they were summoning fucking horse demon flying creature things. I can't ask you to believe everything that we're telling you I understand how difficult say a spiritual experiences to actually convey it is like telling someone a dream and hoping that they shall be as interested as you in the in the depths of your own which reminds me Vaughn I

had a crazy dream I wanted to tell you about anyway wonderful telling has cracking will we will get to that. It was a parachute. Wonderful. One of your flying dreams. Yeah, I can't wait. This one's slightly different than the last one I told you. But keep going. Um...

In any case... These were... ...cruel. Sadists of the worst order. In infiltrating their home, we found poor devils imprisoned by them. Being subject to all manner of utterly ghastly brutality. And the thing is, is there are multiple cults that are, the similarities overlap slightly, but they're different by different names, worshipping different gods, but at the same time, genders are very

similar and they're all tied together to this, well, one of the stops we're at is one of the shipping places. And so it seems entirely overwhelming at times, but we have to find out these connect. Yes, so Elias is murdered by this black tongue cult, bloody tongue cult. And did he write about this cult? I don't know if it was mentioned at all in the hungry death I think he was working on a new book that there was never I think he was trying to get the bottom of them It was after what happened in Peru that led him to like start exploring more. That's what led him to the bloody tongue That's what led him to about the Carlisle expedition. Okay Let's see how this plays out because I am also operating with a 70 in a cult.

And this is more of an academic understanding, not a practicing understanding. Yeah. So what do you have heard of the Bloody Tongue? I don't think so. This is super underground shit. Yeah. Okay. So this, by this cult, you called it, what was it?

The Bloody Tongue. The Cult of the Bloody Tongue. And they are related to a cult in London. The Order of the Black it, what was it? The Bloody Town. The Cult of the Bloody Town. And they are related to a cult in London. The Order of the Black Pharaoh, right? The Order of the Black Pharaoh and Irish. And they were sending shipments to Shanghai. Yes, and there's even another one in Australia that we haven't even, it's the Cult of the Sandpads.

And what's overlapping in some of these is that they're using the same weaponry, it looks like, during their rituals. And... Have you determined, I'm sure you haven't, but any sort of master connection between all of them in terms of, do they report to someone or some organization?

There's something about other, like the gods of the region in some stories get the shit beat out of them by some other god that's not from there and they either get trapped, Yes. They get cooked. The overlapping similarity in broad strokes is that these gods that are being worshipped and the death cults and the sacrifices that are made to these gods, whichever location we're talking about, because there are many that we have found so far, The overlining, the thread is that these gods that are being worshiped and

and are these rituals that occur, they're not indigenous to the land that they are on and from. And there seems to be certain legends from the indigenous peoples of those areas that claim that the gods that are indigenous to that area have somehow tricked them or imprisoned them in some way. But then now they're being summoned. And we've seen with our own eyes these monstrosities. Terrible, terrible creatures, winged bats with different anthropomorphic heads that don't match their bodies and... The dragon, do we tell you about the dragon?

We told you about the dragon. All right, this is getting into an area where it's like... It may be best if certain articles of what we've... I'm gonna do my own psychology. You might wanna take your giant penis and leave. Okay, so I've got a 40 psychology, and I just rolled a 13. Trying to discern whether or not... That got a 40 psychology. And I just rolled a 13. Trying to discern whether or not

you're just talking to crazy people. Yeah, are they just, no, like, I don't, it's not that I don't believe that they were with Jackson Elias, but has this driven them so insane that they are talking about seeing things that were not really there, versus, yeah, is this just like,

trying to determine if we are they telling us yeah yeah or you're embellishing things for your fictional story you're writing right like you definitely see that that not being there there in Vaughn's eyes that you said you were originally attributed to his veteran status but now you see maybe there's something else there I think with favorites and Carter you got a hard success I'm saying saying as fuck right now. Yeah. Yeah. He's saying this nonsense and you're like just nodding along with it, you know. You believe they're in their right mind. Yeah. What you didn't mention and you at a certain point may want to mention that you're going to say it. Maybe.

Regardless of what may strain your credulity of our story, yes, Elias was also on the track of the members of this Carlisle expedition in the last place where one of them, one of these individuals that was found, killed back in Africa. Yes, I'm familiar with it. We were on the trail of Mr. Jack Brady, and he has been spotted in Africa. Yes, I'm familiar with it. We're on the trail of Mr. Jack Brady. And he has been spotted in Shanghai, strangely alive after his apparent murder. Yes, Jack Brady was murdered.

He was killed by locals in Africa. We have two different instances that tell of physically witnessing Jack Brady, in once in Hong Kong, in Shanghai, by two different people who, two different circumstances. And speaking of the organization of the various terrible cults that we've come into contact with. Their theology not withstanding, they are murderers and we've seen the results of their bloody-minded exploits

with our friend Elias and we know that they are moving towards some inevitable consummation. There is a great work at hand, and they are about it, rest assured. Time is very much of the essence. There is someone to whom people that we were investigating in London is reporting. A certain individual who's styling himself a viper. individual who's styling himself a viper. Yes, this pale viper seems to be at the center of something, some big conspiratorial network.

And how did you see this? It's a letter of some sort? That's when we broke into the... The telegram. The crumbling detail. The one that burned, didn't we talk about this already? The one that burned to the ground? Yes.

That one. The name has been referenced more than once. Okay. Well. But if it shocks you very much to know that we have, well, I didn't burn down anything. I wasn't there. I did. I did.

But having met the, having met the advishman that you brought with you on the particular expedition, I can't imagine that the entire village and town was sent up into conflagration. But yes, conventional law has been strained from time to time by our little band because our enemy will ruthlessly do the same. You saw these winged beasts in London. And Peru and New York. And the zombies too, they were the living dead. You're speaking of an imminent threat to London,

to the people of London. Who would ever believe us? That's the thing. Not just to London, Mr. Walsh. And I may even like take your forearm. Mr. Walsh like... Die! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHW. I speak to you not by your title, but as a man. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH A. Man to man and soul. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH mystery we are unraveling is not just our friend's death, though... that murder, like all murders, cries out for vengeance. These forces are attempting... if I may borrow a language from theology, they are attempting to immunitize the eschaton. Huh?

To... to bring a... I mean, I know what you're getting at. It's because I've lived it, not because I know anything. We are working. As it were, ta-ta-ta. I don't know what any of those words... Enslave the world! He does this a lot. Also, you're our doctor... of this stuff.

And I'd never heard of that. Also, don't take this the wrong way, but a lot of people that we've told this to have died. I don't think that's going to happen to you. But, you know. Well, at the very least, it is... it is fascinating, and I... I wonder if I may... You've told me all of this in confidence, I know, but it would help me a great deal if I may, if I... You've told me all of this in confidence, I know, but it would help me

a great deal if I could write some of these things down. I could try to remember what it is. There are so many threads here. How do you keep all of this information in your head? Carter reaches over to his bag, he's like, you can start with this. And he just hands you the book that he's been writing. Everything's in here. It's also titillating Telling us is asked me to do some some editorial Advisement and there are some rather spicy chapters. Yeah, don't read the last chapter. It gets pretty sad and I Pretty personal. I don't want you reading the last one.

In fact, give me those pages. So she pulls out whatever's happened in the last month and a half. I appreciate your putting your trust in me as it comes to searching for what happened to Jax and Elias. I would very, very much like to help. I'll read this and see if I- It's a page turner, you're gonna wanna make sure

you drink a lot of water, cause you're not gonna wanna get up. The second edition will include fan art. Mm. Ah, okay, excellent. I'll read this and see if I... It's a page turner. You're gonna want to make sure you drink a lot of water, because you're not gonna want to get up. The second edition will include fan art. Okay, excellent. And again, as you can see, it's the adventures of Carter, Tillinghast, and Pals. I think you must stay with me. I think you must stay with me in Shanghai.

It would be safest. How big is your place? Yeah, we've got a room snob thing. A little money goes a long way in Shanghai. Very well. We've got a very nice place provided by the university. You could be traveling academics. Of course, you are a student.

You could be studying abroad, doing a fellowship of some kind. I don't know. We'll figure it out. And I could explain to the university that I've got a few extra people staying with me and helping with my book and perhaps sitting in on a few classes or some such and we'll make it look good. Yes. That way you'll have a place to stay.

I trust the people that work in this campus building and I think it would be a good place to start. That is incredibly kind and generous of you. So I really appreciate both your help and providing us a place to stay. I do have to learn about all of these adventures that we've been on, if you do choose to undertake this with us, at some point you will see something that your mind will tell you is not real, and that you might not be able to comprehend. Are you okay with that? I believe I am. I believe you, Fyrus, and thank you for that.

Every fiber in your being will tell you that, oh, this is... this cannot be, this cannot exist. I do not wish... I never wished to close away what is true, just because it is frightening. I believe that is my job, it is my duty to search for truth, not only for my students, but for myself. And for a long time, I have studied cults such as this, magics of the ancient world. I have always kept what you could call a healthy distance from it.

But circumstances have changed. I've plateaued, let's say, in that form of knowledge. Some colleagues I know have met, and I knew people like Jax and Elias probably, also dabbled in practice. Just not something I've ever attempted, well, with one exception. But otherwise, I've never gone down that road,

but I believe I'm ready. I never quite got around to making that pamphlet I suggested after Desmond's. We've had a lot going on. We've had a lot going on. So you've experienced an eldritch horror. Yeah. It's just someone going like...

He kicked up. Um, yes, you've been very kind, Dr. Wolf. We can only ask one more favor of you, and that is your discretion. Because as we have intimated, our path is a dangerous one. To be about our business is... ...to court danger. I promise you. I will say nothing... ...of Elias, your connection to him...

...or any of this... ...business you're working on. We are working on. Now. It must be kept secret. For so many reasons. Excellent. I think that means you're an official intern. Welcome.

The Mystery Squad. We'll have some cards printed up. And Vaughn reaches into the, has had nice, this is his stateroom. He's got a nice bucket. He's like, yes. To the Mystery Squad. And like, sharing veins with everyone. This is part of it.

Heavy drinking. Yes. And mild arson. And what?, click, click. This is part of it. Heavy drinking. Yes. And mild arson. And what? Mild arson. Mild arson. Accidental murder. Let's go find out those bastards who killed Elias.

Here, here. Toast. Just close in on the glasses clinking. We black out. We'll be back after this break. Ah! Oh! Oh!

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! I'll be back after this break. Visit bestwestern.com for complete terms and conditions. could all use a vacation. Apply now and get up to 60,000 points. So many points. For more info, visit bemo.com slash eclipse. Visit us today. Sensing conditions apply.

Summer's here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a WellGroom Lawn delivered, but you can get a Chicken Parmesan delivered. A Cabana? That's a no, but a banana? That's a yes a nice tan. Sorry. No, but a box fan happily Yes, a day of sunshine. No a box of fine wines Yes, Uber eats can definitely get you that get almost almost anything delivered with ubereats order now alcohol in select markets product availability

May vary by regency app for details Before we get back into it, you, Nora, just said we've already hit the mark on the Seven of Cups. We have, man. I'm sorry. I got impatient and a little nosy. I'm like, oh, we're the halfway mark. Let me see. Let me see what this is. And let me just let me read it to you. Let me find it. Okay, so Seven of Cups. Strange chalices of vision. So it says fairy favors, images of reflection, imagination, sentiment, things seen in the glass of contemplation.

Some attainment in these degrees, but nothing permanent or substantial is suggested. So we've been sitting here, reminiscing over like the things that we've seen, and it's just contemplating the future, literally everything that we've been doing in this first half. Nailed it.

Okay. The cards never lie. The cards never lie. The cards never lie. End of season two. Yeah, we'll see you next year. All right, so I think it's best to speed forward and get to Shang. Are you ready? I'm ready. I don't know why I prepped anything. I'm

just watching the master class here. But I said also right before we came back, like the integration of this character now just seems completely, it makes total sense. You're now staying with him and he's in the adventure and I have no questions about it. Which is hard to do, this laden to the adventure, but I love it. It makes sense. And for you, someone, you even said, you were like, oh, I always imagined of doing something like that, reading these books. And now you have a chance to do it. Yeah, there's an interesting, one of the things I want to experiment with with this character is like there's an interesting fine line in the academics of occultism between studying it and practicing it, you know?

And even among the academic community, it's like there's those who do, there's those who don't, and there's those who do and don't tell anybody, right? Like kind of a dirty little secret. Right. And so he, at least from what you can tell, has not practiced, he said, except for one little thing. And it's like, I think that's why I explained him coming in at Max Sanity, you know, and not having any Cthulhu mythos score, even despite having a high occultism. See how he's doing in a few ups.

Exactly. You know, we can, even despite having a high occultism. See how he's doing in a few ups. Exactly. You know, we can, we see you get out of the boat. So wait, can we pause for a second? Can I throw a little thing out as we're leaving the boat? Please, please. So- Shanghai! Oh, thank you, Captain.

I think as we're walking, I don't know if Marion is kind of walking ahead, but maybe Faerû is as close as to Carter as they're kind of walking ahead but maybe Beirut is closest to Carter as they're kind of getting off and Carter looks back at the deck of the boat and I'm not looking this up but the if there was a swimming pool on the boat because the last time we were all on a big liner it was the four of us with Margo and while you guys were having that amazing scene where you were proposing she and I were like we're going to the pool or whatever. We like went up to the pool. No like There's like a water slide or whatever So I think just as we sort of like are about to disembark off the thing Carter kind of like throws one last look

And there's a pool on the deck of the boat or whatever. It's like the last time we Run a boat like this. There was all four of us And we got this fucking guy now. It's like the last time we went on a boat like this, there was all four of us and we got this fucking guy now, which is great. I really miss her. Throw him in the pool. So he says that to Faeruz? Like on the way, yeah, that's all. I know you miss her, we all miss her. I, I trust Margo, that for whatever reason she did this, she did it for your safety. Are you, do you know what she's talking about,

about you being in danger? Fuck no, I don't know anything, which I would rather cross reading that. Okay, all right, let's double check it. If you want to talk about anything with that whole situation, you know me and Vaughn are here. I don't know what it means. What does she know that I don't know? It's both, it's more than what both Vaan and I know, so... I do wish you were here right now though. Because I do have a lot of questions. Yeah.

She'd be saying something in her incredibly tactless way about the nature of our predicament. Also, she had the camera. It came in very handy. She had the camera and she had the fucking shotgun. How good are you with a firearm? What's that? I don't need to bring him in.

As you say, he's like, what's that? He turns around and then he trips on the end of the game plan. Splash. Any firearms you brought with you are confiscated at customs. Oh shit. Oh, okay. You can apply for a license and have something,

you know, within a week or so, maybe. You might get a license to be able to purchase firearms. But everything was confiscated. If you tried to hide it it was still found and that's the result of your 99 you know there might be other means of acquiring weapons and knowing what you're what you could be up against you may want to do that certainly you could get knives I don't know if you could buy a bucking katana, but you could get stuff to help you in hand-to-hand combat if it came to that.

But you do not have access to guns right now. You do have someone who lives here. Maybe, I don't know, if you have firearms, you built the character, you tell me. Also on the point of weapons, should we have the Desmond keep the power? The sceptres? Yeah. Also with the crime syndicates

and all the things you were talking about, would it be able to just purchase a gun on some black market? Like we'll be okay, I would think. Yeah, I mean, there are ways of procuring guns through underhanded means, but then you could be in debt to one of these gangs and And now I have and I have other way future favorite

Yeah, I have that mask the one that Margo left right was that the original mirror mask from season one yes That's the one where she put it on and saw the death orgy on the pyramid right which one shit on the pyramid. Right, would you explain so? Wanna see some shit? What's up? What about this? Um. Oh.

Oh god. Yeah, it's like a prank. Marion, and then when he turns, he just shoves the mask. Oh, sweet Jesus. Oh my god. No, no. I'd say you.

Welcome to the club. We could certainly. That's how we hasten and trash them. Just thrashing around, trying to rip the mask off. We can see you checking into Marion's house. We could do all that, but I kind of want to get you into it. So like, assuming you've settled in, where do you want to go first? What do you want to do?

Wow, it's like we're going right into it. With the leads that you have, I mean, you know. Yes, this is your bed, you can sleep here and... Yeah. Wonderful, wonderful. Yeah, lovely accommodations, old man. You can see him turn around and just like the... Right? It's... Totally...

It's quite beautiful. ...tactless and gentle face, like... It's fantastic. Look at how much space you get! Yeah. In... In Shanghai. Rather impressive, isn't it, Vaughn?

Yes, it's delightful. The acme of comfort. Hahahaha! I mean, it's no gigantic B&B, right? Yes, yeah. Oh, wait a minute. You're... You're like, gonna crush my cigarette out? I mean it's no gigantic B&B right? Yes. Oh wait a minute. You're- You're like, gonna crush my cigarette out?

That's sarcasm. But you live in some grand, uh, state. Oh, far from it old man, I'm just the scion of a bed and breakfast family. Well you're English. You must have heard of Eagles Grange. Eagles Grange? Yes, of course. A lovely country house.

You're Eagles Grange? Well, the Villiers family, yes. E.G.B.N.B. now, baby. Realized it was that Villiers. Yeah. Well, so I guess apologies are in order for my house then. So sorry. No, I would.

He's kind of like smiling. We thank you. We thank you, Graysley, for your kindness and generosity, don't we? Yes, of course. Of course, dear. And there's just nobody who can help me with these bags? Is that?

Oh, no, no, no. Yes, they'll help you. Oh, there is? Yes. All right. Please. Feel as though I should do penance. Takes your bags.

I'll sell them off to wherever you're staying. Yeah. Speaking of Leeds, and would this be, and you said it's like a, just so I can picture it a little bit more in my imagination, that this is a building owned by the university? Yeah. It's sort of like imagination that this is a building owned by the university? Yeah. It's sort of like a, it is a house.

It's a residence on a street with several residences, but they're all owned by the university. You can see they're all kind of attached to this campus. It looks like it's all, well, actually it's not all, there's a mix. There's a mix among the houses between what appear to be Europeans as well as Chinese as well. Great. Instructors and stuff like that. And yeah, and administrative staff and stuff that live in these houses and everything. But it is really just part of the city. That's at least

how I imagine it. Great. Yeah. Perhaps we pass the university library, would have some maps in English that we could find, we could locate the stumbling tiger bar and the- Oh, the stumbling tiger, I know that. Oh, lovely. Well, that's great,

because I will definitely need to drink after this. But we could also- I've walked past it a hundred times, I've never gone in. Oh, great. Amazing, and then- You're gonna fit right in. Yes, sometimes it takes an out of towner

for you to really see your city like a tourist. I believe you're right, Vaughn, I believe you're right. And then perhaps find the location of Ho- and maybe some information on the owner's ownership of Ho-Fang Import-Export. Mm-hmm. Is that something that I would be familiar with? Just the name. We have the street.

You've heard of Ho-Fang. Okay, so Ho-Fang, is it a big, it's a big business? Like a trading? He's a big heard of Ho-Fong. Okay, so Ho-Fong, is it a big, it's a big business? Like a trading? He's a big shot. Import, export. Perhaps we could look up maybe some history on it and something, anything pertaining. Yes, I know the name, but I'm afraid nothing else.

So let's look into that. Just so, well, not to get up to our old tricks right away, but perhaps we could split up. Well, I would like to go with whoever's going to the bar. Actually, that would be me. And also, I would also like to go- Looks like you're on your own telling us. Guess I'll go with you, sir.

Good luck at Hull Bank. Tim! Yes, we're off to the bar. You tell us how that warehouse is doing over there. And I also would like to stick with the person who knows where we're going. Perhaps let's all reconnoitre there at the stumbling tiger, just to lubricate our sense. Lubricate, take the edge off, and then we can... Let's split the party so quickly.

This is fun. And then we'll head out. It's all downhill from here, by the way. Yeah, I'm enjoying it while we're at it. Some drunkens, shirt sucking, and... A lot of shirt sucking. It's all downhill from here, by the way. I've enjoyed it while I was... Drunken shirt sucking and... A lot of shirt sucking. Shirt sucking?

Clearly you haven't met old Bill. You haven't met old Bill, who was in the habit of getting plastered, and if you should happen to accidentally spill your drink on yourself, he will. Suck the beer out of your. That sounds like a Troyan piece. Suck it right off. Yes, you've got it. You've got it right there.

Locked right in. As you've already discerned over the past couple of days, bars and places of recreation are just crammed with the most delightful assortment of eccentric. Let's see who's in the Stumbling Tiger. Sure, the Stumbling Tiger. Yes, I believe this is it. Here we are. So let's get a little geography of where you are.

This is just northeast of the confluence of the Wangpu and Suchao rivers. It's a district of bars, gambling dens, flower girl houses, which is sort of like the Chinese equivalent of brothels, though it isn't necessarily just for sex. It could be for companionship or someone that just wants to have someone play music for them all night, but there's also prostitution there as well. It's kind of like a seedy part of town, so it's kind of weird that he was like, oh yeah, I walk by there all the time. Maybe you've just learned a few things about Larry and Wesley Walsh. As we're taking the vibe of the neighborhood, it's like, come down here often, do you, Doctor? I'm a flower girl, I'm like, hello, Doctor, hey, Doctor. Doctor, Doctor, morning.

Hey, Cathy. You're quite well known around here. Marie, Joan. As I said, I'm down here all the time. A patron of the arts. Wait now Troy, when we got to London last time you fucking dropped this map on us that had a million different, had like a key the size of my head for the different, remember that? It was like numbers for everything.

You got one for Shanghai? I will have a map for you next time. I do have a map. I have a million things. No pressure, I'm not putting the, going to this bar. Let me see the bar. Let me see. I want to check the map to make sure. I have it right here. Sometimes the maps tell you things that I want to check again. So I do have a map of Shenmue. It's awesome, but sometimes the maps are like, here's the headband guy. Final boss. Final boss in 19? What is that? But you are down near the docks, there's dock workers, the former factories, or the factories of the former American concession are all down here. And as you're walking by, there's like a bunch of workers outside of a factory picketing

and striking, ah, ah, ah, ah, chanting. Yes, and would have loved this. Yeah. You get that sense of political unrest everywhere you go in town, and it's really fierce down here. And then you get to 10 Lantern Street, where you see a bar and a tasteful sort of image of a tiger that's had too many drinks. This must be it.

I want that on a t-shirt. That should definitely be a t-shirt. That should be definitely a t-shirt. Just a drunk tiger. Just Chester Cheetah but a tiger. Chinese characters. It just says strength. In both Chinese characters and English. Someone's grabbing seven cups tonight. It's like a drunk tiger's tripping over a stone and it says in both Chinese characters in English the stumbling tiger bar You know that at some point Jackson Elias may have come here because he left behind this matchbook at Jonah Kensington's office back in New York Yeah, you know I want to I want to impress upon you the the scents and the smells This is probably for most of you except Vaughn.

And obviously you, you've been here before, but for you too, this is certainly the most exotic place you've ever been. Much different from London and your time in America. So you walk in. Vaughn Johnson Sorry, when is this? Oh, yeah. I think it would be fun if you guys arrived on April 1st, April Fool's Day. April 1st, 1925 is a Wednesday.

April 1st. Okay. You're arriving April 1st. So basically, if Mieser House was February the 17th, at least a week or so towards the end of February is when you left and it took you a little over a month. You landed Shanghai on April 1st. Love it. All right.

Spring has sprung. You walk in, the stumbling tiger bar looks like just one large room. There's another room in the back that looks like a toilet. And that's it. It is large. It is dark. It is large, it is dark, it is dirty. Lurid green and magenta posters of Chinese songstresses and film stars decorate the walls. The light is simultaneously harsh and inadequate. Decades of cigarette smoke and, you know, shots at a spittoon give the air this heavy, damp, moldering quality.

It smells in here. In fact, you feel if you stayed in here for more than a day, you would get tuberculosis. There are maybe less than a dozen people in here, all men. Feroz, you are the only woman as you walk in. Looks like mostly dock workers, factory workers. Yeah, you've been in this position before. Currently. Laborers.

Everybody's drinking hard liquor. Right now in your real life. Fantastic. Great stuff. All laborers, they're all drinking hard liquor. There's a man behind the bar. He looks to be of Eurasian descent. Definitely not 100%

Chinese. He's got the butt of a cigarette wedged between his nicotine stained fingers. He's smoking in one hand, smiling and talking with a couple patrons. He's kind of like got a glass wedged in his arm that he's really vigorously cleaning. He smokes, he puts the cigarette down, cleans the glass a little bit more. Laughing and talking with people. What do you guys do? Charming place.

I should like to try whatever the signature drink of this particular bar is. Troy. Oh, so do you go up to the bar? Yeah, no time like the present. The guy waves a finger at the people he's talking to. Yes, how may I help you? Hello, yes. Does your bar have a signature drink?

Signature drink? Yes, of course. Or the most popular, what would that be? Oh, it's called the Tiger Spa. And what does that have in it? Oh, a little bit of everything. Then we shall have four of those. Sounds fantastic. I've never sold one. Hold on.

Just rings out the bar mat into four shot glasses. Oh, I see what he meant by a little bit of everything. I have not cleaned in a month! Oh, it's like a Long Island ice tea. Just this gray water goes to Clem. He grabs just like what looks like a random assortment of bottles. Looks like he's making it up as he can. Or he's got like scotch and tequila he's mixing together.

Oh yes, this should be good and a little bit of grenadine. Fish water and Hennessy. And it's just this sort of dark brownish black concoction smells very strong and he tells you how much it is Yeah Yes, of course. We went through a costume. Thank you darling. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Where are you from? You're not from here All over really.. London, myself. London? Yes, the same.

To Londoners. America. America. Oh, to Londoners, to Americas. Ah, what brings you to Shanghai? We have a restaurant called Spice It Up. Oh. And we are just trying to capture world cuisine.

Yes. Ah. Just taking in capture world cuisine. Yes. Just taking in all the spices. Doing a new thing called fusion. Yeah. We're like Marco Polo, but as a group. And less colonization. Italian. Yes.

He's not really getting all of this. Neither am I, so it's fine. Oh my. Oh. The tiger's pocket. Oh my. The tiger's pocket has a scratch. It's a poor decision. Very good.

Very, very good. Yes, chin, chin, old man. Ah, yes. Enjoy. Ah! Yes, that's a little hair on your back. Carter's okay with it. Spice it up.

Yes. Oh, there is loses some sanity. Business venture. I didn't know you could mix gin and scotch and tequila. Wow. Yeah, what, so we were coming here to just kind of get the vibe. You can sit down at a table. It was almost like a picture to sit down and, and Vaughn does so with down and and Vaughn does so with his glass of I-Core in front of him just looking around this this this room and imagining Jackson here like flipping that matchbook in his fingers. I can't believe he was here.

Yes. This very place. We gotta ask about Jack Brady. Yes. Ask who about Jack? Well, I can talk to the bartender. Can I roll something to just kind of look around? We have a picture of him?

A vibe check? Yeah, a vibe check. Like, is there, aside from the barman who we've met and is absolutely charming, is there anyone else in here that seems of note? Or maybe an old timer or a barfly? Someone who looks like a regular. Yeah. Yeah, you don't even have to roll a check for that.

There's not that many people in here. You can kind of take the measure of the people that are in here. The bartender seems to know everybody and everyone seems to enjoy his company. But there is one guy at the end of the bar who looks like – he's not Chinese. He looks Japanese. He's like dressed like a foreman, a laborer. And he is probably the most drunk person in the bar. And he's having a really good time to himself.

And he's trying to talk to other people and sometimes they're engaging and sometimes not. And he's just having a great time and he's drinking, slams his hand on there. Another one, another one. Interesting. Okay. But beyond that- This is our old Bill. He's already done the job of, you know, loosening his tongue.

I was going to buy him a drink, but he seems to be halfway to the floor already. Now, we don't have a photo of Jack Brady. I wonder if you would or not. I feel like that's something you could have procured along the way. Eventually. I don't think it's that crazy to think. There have been so many articles.

So many newspaper clips. Yeah, newspaper clips. There were also pictures of the whole group. Yes. That were like, you know. What about Elias? Don't you have a picture of Elias? Yeah, you have pictures of the whole group that were like, you know, it was like... What about Elias? Don't you have a picture of Elias? Yeah, you have pictures of Jackson Elias.

Yeah, absolutely. I don't think it's crazy to think you wouldn't have photographs of these people. Yeah. All right. On your research. I mean, I feel like probably maybe the most useful might be this barman. Unless anybody has another... Barman?

You mean bartender? The bartender or the drunk guy? Or the drunk regular. I'm sorry if that was unclearman? You mean bartender? The bartender or the drunk guy? I'm sorry if that was unclear. Yes, the bartender. Bartender. Ah, okay. I mean, we could split. We get two of us go talk to the bartender,

two of us go talk to the drunk guy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'll talk to the drunk guy. Perus, let's... Oh. Oh, no, what would you do?

I was gonna say, let's talk to the drunk guy. Seems like fun. Yes, lead the way. Alright, right? Vaughn and I will tag team the bartender. An unbeatable combination. Yeah, here we go, baby. Man, I've missed this.

Yes, alright. Alright, let's start with the bartender. You come back up. How was the tiger's pho? It was good? Unforgettable. Yes, I actually want another one. Oh, alright.

I've been drinking very heavily lately. What did I put in it? Come on, something new. Change a different one. Yeah, um, cough medicine. Ah, Cody. Um, tell me, old man. Yes?

I've been looking to, now Brady is English too, yeah? Brady's American. American, okay. Former too. Yeah, Brady's American American. Yeah Maria a US Marine. Yeah, um, as you can see old man, our little band is rather cosmopolitan from folks hid from hither and yon Looking for another American. What if you get a lot of Americans here? Oh, we get people from all walks of life Yes. Yes, I don't doubt it. I was wondering if you've ever seen, and if I do have a photo of him or a rendering.

Actually, I think what I have is a drawing by Margot Sauer, like a super almost photorealistic charcoal drawing of Jack Brady's photo that we saw in some archive. And I'm wondering if you've ever seen a American looks rather like this. And he looks at it. He's back at you. I had to tell from a drawing. Of course. Can I do a psychology role in this dude? from a drawing. So of course, um. Can I do a psychology roll on this dude?

Yeah. Okay. With that sort of reaction you just did so deftly. Just what psychology is largely for. Yeah. What's going on with this guy? What's his deal? What's his deal?

I rolled a 62 over 59, so I'll spend three points of luck. Woo, first. Quite a regular success. He knows who that is. Okay. I take a bill and wrap, put it underneath the drawing. Like, yes, I understand. Sometimes the devil of the thing, especially when one of these damned modern artists has

done a portrait, you can't tell whether it's fish or fowl. Maybe you should have a second look, old man. And he gets, he sees what's going on here and he wants to play this game. Oh, you know, I see the lighting in here is so bad. Of course, yes, this is Jack Brady. Yes, sir. So you have seen him there? Oh, yes, but I haven't seen him in a very long time. In fact, I'm fairly certain he's no longer in Shanghai.

Why would you say that? It's just he had some business to attend to. He would come in a lot, very nice man, but he hasn't been in a long time, so I assumed he's no longer here. Did he live in the area? Did he, was he crashing somewhere? I served drinks, I don't know about people's addresses and whatnot. He's a friend of yours.

Yeah. Acquaintance, yes. Well, all of us Americans know each other. I don't know about these guys. All Americans know each other. All Americans know each other. It's not as large a country. There's six or seven people in that country.

Yeah, roughly a dozen, I'd say. We're sort of new to the colonizing game in terms of relatively speaking. Though, yes. Anyway, Vaughn? But you saw. Yes, excellent handoff there, Tilly. This is a perfect pincer maneuver we're doing here. Excellent handoff there, Tilly.

Perfect pincer maneuver we're doing here. So, but you did see him, but alas, he's cut out, as it were. What sort of company did he keep, if not with a gentleman of means and good reports such as ourselves? Oh, he mainly kept to himself, yes. And he has that money that you gave him in his pocket. He's just kind of like fingering. And another bill comes out. Yep. It's like, I wonder, yes, it's strange working in a place rather like this.

I find that gin and all manner of spirits have a way of of pooling the blood and clarifying things, but sometimes it makes the memory foggy. I wonder if you can't cut through the fog a little bit. Ah, yes, it's gin and palm olive. I had a concoction. Yes, I thought I tasted something emulsifying. Give me a...

Give me a. Fairuz and Marion, give me a spot hidden. Check as you approach the other man. Spot hidden. I rolled a 65 under 85. 85 spot hidden. That is how you play Call of Cthulhu. I got a 27 under 45. Okay.

All right, so you both notice as you're approaching this other man and hearing them talk that this drunk man does seem to be keeping an eye on the conversation that Carter and Vaughn are having with the bartender. Even though he's drunk, he's just kind of like looking over there from time to time out of the side of his eye. He takes this second bribe from you and pulls you in. Great. Really nice.

He says, Mr. Brady, he's a very private man, very nice man. I believe he's gone to Rangoon to carry out a deal with someone named Charlie Gray. Yes, big money man down there. to carry out a deal with someone named Charlie Gray. Yes, big money man down there. I think the deal has to do with guns. Yes, I didn't inquire any further. It's not my business. There are some things that I'm just better off knowing about, right, my friends? Too right, too right.

But you've given us a great deal to think about. Thank you very much. And it's good to know that we have a reliable source of information on a stand, the value of remuneration. What? Yes, I'm an endless source of information. What's your name? Fergus Chum. The people around here call me Mick Chum. My father was Scottish and my mother was Chinese. Mick Chum? Mick Chum, yes.

Okay. And since we are friends, you may call me Mick Chum as well. Okay. Let me go to Faerûz and, uh, Marian. You come over to this guy and, uh, he's like, Hello! Oh, hello. Oh, hello, how are you? And I'm going to just impose myself between his eyeline

of like their conversation. He kind of like leans on the bar between that guy and Carter and Vaughn's conversation. So I would say on the way over there, we probably both looked at each other. So he just kind of like does a little sidestep to the left I'm in the way I pictured in my mind and cuts off that sort of line of sight. Just like hello How are you? This guy's like early 30s close crop black hair and Japanese And he's like good good good, but do I know you? No, no, I'm afraid we are out celebrating.

We've just returned back into town, thought we'd go out for a drink and seem like you're having a good time. Celebrating, well, you came to the right place. Exactly. Never a line at the stumbling tiger. It's my friend here's birthday. Oh, happy birthday, McChum, McChum.

Oh, please, that won't. No, I insist. Oh, happy birthday! McChum! McChum! Oh, please, that won't... No, I insist. Oh, he gets shy. Three of those tiger claws. All for him. It's all for... What about you? What are you for?

Something with a grenadine in it. And one tiger's claw with grenadine. Yes. Tiger's claw with nail polish. Nail polish remover. As she burps and there's a bubble coming out of her mouth. Fire. Well, happy birthday.

Thank you. Sweet 16? He said yeah. You are too kind. No. We're here celebrating. We're getting back into town. Back into town?

From where? From London, actually. I went home to visit London. I met this lovely young woman. We're getting back into town and just back into town. Well, from where town from London actually I went home to visit London. I met this lovely young woman She's going to start a business here. Oh, I am yes. I Not London is it's not it's actually a fake one that I had to learn during Charm School and Boarding School in order to appear of a higher means in society. American! Yes.

Look at that. You're pretty good. And you were in London as well. I was. Like I had mentioned, another friend of mine and I are opening up a restaurant. Fusion. It's a brand new concept. Oh! So these are other friends. Hey, bring them over. Let's all meet. Huh? You there. You have the birthday party.

This, uh, remember? It's my birthday card. Oh, it's, yeah, Marion's birthday! Put those drinks on me. Give them their money back. These are on me. Oh. Oh, kind of you. Yes, it's the them their money back. These are on me. Oh. Oh, kind of you. Yes, it's the least I can do. I got nobody to talk to.

These guys are tired of hearing me chat. So, London starting a restaurant. Yes. Fusion. Friends. Yeah, Fusion, friends, we're all just, gaggle of friends. Yes. Gaggle of friends.

Give me a, give me a check of the, I want to say psychology variety. Oh no. Please, let me get. If anyone has like anthropology. I do. Or even like acting. That's, I do, but it's bad. Yeah, you could do anthropology, but this would be I'm curious about

Psychology as you're talking to my psychology is higher. I Rolled a 20 under 29. Okay, so regular Got one. I failed click 68 over 40 a failure failure failure Okay, and you rolled a 20 under 29? Yes. 20 under 29, regular success. Okay. Okay. It just seems very interesting.

He's got a lot of empty glasses in front of him and he's definitely, you know, seems inebriated. But you don't know why he isn't like on the floor. This guy must be like a professional drinker. Because he's sloppy and he's had a lot if these empty glasses are any evidence. But you're shocked that he's still standing. Especially if he's drinking these concoctions that McChum is making.

And he's been eyeballing us before we came over. Yes? Yeah. So yes, we are... What's your deal? Yeah, what is your deal? My name is... Talk about us.

Sojay, Sojay, Sojay Taro, yes. I work nearby in the docks, and I come here every day to unwind. Tough job. Good for you, Good for you. Seems like a good place. You seem to know everybody here. Well, I just recently started working here

a few months back and McCharm and I have become fast friends, isn't that right, McCharm? And he's just like, he's like tired of this guy. And I always wondered this about Don. London Rangers falling down! Yeah. Ah! How do you, oh, you know what I want to do? Yes.

Do you remember there was an episode of the Brady Bunch, which I did not watch heavily, but this one stuck in my mind. I did, so please continue. Okay. There's, um, there's, I think they accidentally, they hit a guy with their car. Not like, not like he's on a,

They threw the baseball and he turned his neck? Yes, yeah, yeah, so they don't believe that he's actually hurt his neck so in court I think it's in court they like throw something throw a book and the book hits the ground he goes like this Which he couldn't have done if his neck was really hurt I want to do that on this guy to see how drunk he is. Oh Okay, so what do you do you throw a book on the floor? Yeah reaching the fair Ruz's back. No I

I Yeah, reaching Feroz's back, no. I want to spill, I want to like do the thing where I like spill something towards him and see how fast he's able to like recover the glass break. You know what I mean? I want to test his reflexes. Okay, okay, interesting. If he's shit faced, it'll be like, you know. Okay.

Something like that. All right, so you're gonna physically drop a glass towards him. Yes. Okay. Yeah, I'm holding it, I'm standing over him, I haven't sat down. And I'll just like, whoa! And like, go to like drop this thing.

And he just grabs it out of midair. Oh, good catch! Holy moly, thank you. My goodness. Lucky me. You are cut off. I have had a lot of tiger's feet, or whatever this is called.

Tiger's claws. Tiger's claw. Yeah. Lucky me. Thanks, yeah, you saved most of it too. I've had a lot of tiger's feet or whatever this is called. Tiger's claws. Tiger's claw. Lucky me. Thanks, yeah, you saved most of it too. A mess. Yes, that's good stuff. Did you spill? I'll buy you another one. No, no, there's enough in here to keep me going.

My friend, you are too generous. Thank you so much. I've got no one, so. We've taken enough of your time. Would you like to join us? I'm not going to keep standing here. I need to sit down. No, no, you you you you keep to yourself. Thank you though for the offer. Are you sure?

I wouldn't want to impose. Please it would be no imposition at all. You've just bought us all drinks. We want to know people. Nobody else in here seems quite as fun. Troy. Underbread. When the drinks arrive, I would like to try a sleight of hand to switch his drink with my drink. Okay, and your drink is not like not as alcoholic or?

Well, no, what I'm trying to see or maybe I'm trying to see if he's drinking alcohol by switching the drinks around. Okay, okay. Yeah, but does he also have what looks like a tiger's paw with grenadine? alcohol by switching the drinks around. Okay, okay. Yeah, but does he also have what looks like a tiger's paw with grenadine? I can attempt to mix one of yours with his. All right, so it looks like he's drinking whiskey. You give me the slight of hand.

And it's gonna be against his spot hidden essentially. But it's unopposed, because he's not looking. Oh, that's a good face. It's not a good face. Oh, that's a bad face. Because I rolled triple zeros. So that's a one hundred. That's a one hundred. That's a fumble.

That is a fumble. Nora. Oh my god. I spilled my drink on him. That's your third fumble. I know! I'll tell you what happens is, you know, we're talking and he just puts his hand on your wrist. What's going on, madam?

I am an engaged woman, sir. I'm not making a pass at you, madam. I'm trying to do something with my drink. Is this in full- Me?! Yeah, this is like at our table. Yeah, it's dark in here though, and there are CD customers everywhere you look at somebody the wrong way You wouldn't be surprised that they stabbed you yes, listen

I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot here see I was so impressed by your drinking skills, and I just I wanted to know if You would accept my challenge to shots one for one And that's why you were grabbing my drink? Yes. Does this have anything to do with- I'm sorry, this is an American custom.

He hasn't let go of your wrist. This isn't a totally American thing for people's birthdays. We fuck with strangers. Yes, I'm sorry, that didn't translate. Give me a deception roll. Uh oh. Or you can dig yourself into this hole. Can I aid her?

He has not let go of your wrist. Uh, what is, what do I roll? Deception's another thing, it's- Give me a deception roll. So far you can dig yourself into this hole. He's not let go of your wrist. What do I roll? Deception's another thing. It's not, it's, yeah, what do I roll here? It'd be fast talk or persuade. Persuade maybe? It'd be persuade or fast talk, yeah.

Oh, god. It sounded kind of like a fast talk. That's not good for me. Somebody wanna jump in here? Because I rolled a 44 over 10. Yeah, may I? What were you attempting to convince him of? She was trying to do a... You know, this is just, yeah, this is just, oh, it's an American custom.

I will try, if that's allowed. Yeah, please. Okay, that's also a failure. Since I jumped in to talk while she was doing it and I said, please somebody. Yeah, this is a very tense moment here. This is very tense, which is why I rolled a 2. Under 66. Oh wait, do you want fast talk or persuade?

Either. Okay, well if it was a 2 for fast talk, which is not great for a con man for some reason fast Talks always been rough. It's always been shitty, but the fast talk was a five and I rolled the two So alright so fail fail barely succeed. I mean technically a hard to take only hard He lifts his hand You know what? I think I'll keep to myself. Enjoy your night.

And he just- Sojay! Grabs his drink and moves down to the other end of the bar. Leaves it there, leaves the money, and walks out. What happened there? He was sober. He was, I was lying. We should be mad at him. We should have walked out on him for lying about drinking.

And also, very forward with me. Yeah, you touched the lady's hand. Yes, I- I was moments away from hurling him for you! He was moments away from giving him a thrashing! Well, it seemed to me as though you wanted to talk your way out of it and continue your little spice deception But if we wanted to continue cultivating that friendship, I didn't think it quite cricket to go smashing him through the window Which is now a chum comes over What was that all about? Who is that man? I asked you my chum. Hey, miss Taro. Hey, that's you big jump. Yeah

It's a be a chum. Who is that? Is he a regular? A new regular, yeah. He's been in here the past couple months. He's here almost every night. But I had not seen him before. He seems to be dressed like a workman of some sort. You know the project.

So he works at the docks. He is, I suppose. Have you verified this, McChum? I did not follow him to his job. It's gonna be really hard going forward. Have you verified this, McChum? I did not follow him to his job. It's gonna be really hard going forward. Yes, of course, McChum. Why is his name McChum in the book? Is McChum in the book?

Steady on, McChum. I think you've given us just enough to go on. I suppose you haven't followed him to his job, but maybe somebody bloody well should. If only because I think if he if he is aware of something you shouldn't be aware of, then one should know where he goes. And if he's not, if he's just a rake and a bounder who has laid hands on my fiance, then someone ought to give him a bloody good thrashing! And Vaughn stands up and leaves to follow him. Oh, he's really committed to the bit.

Wow. Ah. Um, should we follow... Is he going to... Yeah, I just want to ask... ...pubble that man in the street? I just want to ask... Is he going to bubble, I just want to that man on the streets What I just quit a bubble that big jump straight. Yes Do you know if this guy started showing up around the same time that Jack Brady stopped showing up? I?

Don't know it's funny you mentioned Jack Brady though because he when he first started coming in inquired about mr. Brady as well This guy Taro did yes, and I told him probably as much as I told you, and he never asked about it again, but he has been in ever since. This guy was looking for Brady. I'm going after Vaughn, and he gets up and heads out after Vaughn. Okay. Go outside.

Into the night. Catch on the flip, McChum. Toodles! You all go into the night catch on the flip big jump Toodles You all go into the night. Yeah, it's fun. Uh red light district Okay Wacky Wednesdays! Two for one! I'm busy right now. Yeah, when Vaughn popped his head out, you know, like a pretty substantial amount of, not like an hour, but like just a minute or two past, as I go out into the into the street,

do I see Tarot as I whip my head back and forth trying to clock him? Yes, you get out there first and you look and there's just, it's not like a throng of people, but there's a lot of activity on the streets here and heavily shadowed, you know, obviously some light coming in, but there's just a lot going on. Give me a spot here. Wait, did you call him Taro?

Yes, there was that. That's his last name. Taro. Oh, Taro, okay. Because I didn't know if he was giving different names. Okay, Sojay Taro. Sojay Taro, yeah. That is a regular success.

Regular success. 67 under 78. Alljay Taro, yeah. Um, that is a regular success. Regular success. 67 under 78. All right, so you get out there, heart maybe pounding a little bit, um, and you look and you see that close-crop back black hair and it looks like it turns a corner, uh, up ahead just past one of these flower girl houses. I try to maintain pursuit and not lose him. So I weave through the crowd, fending off the advances coming hard and fast. Yeah, I mean, they are. You know Dr. Marion.

Are you Dr. Marion's friend? Put in a good word for it. I come to that corner, I will kind of cautiously peek around it to see if I can spot him. All right, you look around the corner and it's not quite an alleyway, not quite a street, somewhere in between. And it goes up maybe 50 feet or so and then it turns to the right, turns to the left and continues on. It looks like it continues on like right towards the water.

You get up there, the rest of you get out. Give me a, as long as one of you succeeds on a spot hidden, I'll say you can see where Vaughn is going. If not, you lose Vaughn. Shouldn't be walking around here by himself. I failed. It's not a very good idea. 65 under 85.

I'm there! Rolled a 99. Under. Ope, over. Over, excuse me. If it's. 45, yeah, so. So that's a fumble.

Alright, so I'm gonna say... What is your roll, Carter? 48 over 20-something, so I think it's a regular failure. Regular failure, alright, so let's interpret this. I'm gonna say you trip and fall. You don't take any... No, we've established rather clumsy Feddo. He just... God damn it!

Shred in the mud, all the girls laugh. Ha ha ha ha. They laugh at you as you go like face down in a mud puddle and you see just like, that's gotta be Vaughn just slipped into what looks like an alleyway or a small street. Vaughn, we come back to you. You walk towards this intersection and just when you get to the turn point,

you hear the cocking of a gun Don't turn around around don't turn around Don't worry old man, I wouldn't dream of it Presses the butt of the gun against your back. What do you know about Jack Brady? I think I know nearly the same amount as you, old boy. Seems as though you are asking about him yourself, why? Why do you want him?

Just something to talk over, old man. And then, Faeruz, I would assume you, and eventually the others coming around, he hears that. Combine time. Yeah, and he starts to like, turn. You notice that he's like, let up a little pressure on your back. Do you do anything? I whip around and try to get control of the gun.

Yes! I didn't think we'd be rolling these dice, but, uh. that he's like let up a little pressure on your back. Do you do anything? I whip around and try to get control of the gun. Yes. I didn't think we'd be rolling these dice, but, uh, all right, so go ahead and give me, what is your dex? Oh my god, we're getting into it. I am, this is playing with so much fire. That's why I mean, oh my god, so funny. God, this is like, Vaan could die right now. Fae'ruis needs to stop talking to men of ours.

Yeah, Fae'ruis turns the corner and just hears POP! We'll see you next week. Don't you dare. Wabam! Wopah! Alright so I'm gonna see in terms of, alright so what is your dexterity? 40. Okay. His is higher. Yep. So. So he shoots me. So you try to grab the gun. That's what your intention is, right? And he is... Extracted.

He's gonna try and get into a better position so that he can have the gun on both of you guys. So he is going to attempt to push you down to the ground so that he has the upper hand. Do you wanna try and fight back to grab the gun, like a maneuver to try and grab the gun? Cause it doesn't seem like he's shooting you so much as like putting you in a weak position. Okay he's almost trying to like kind of roll out of the way and and get me almost like hostage like right easy easy

style. Because right now he has his back to someone coming this way he wants to get you down on the ground so that you're in a weak position so that he can like you know hold you hostage. So go ahead and give me a bra roll you're in a weak position so that he can like, yeah, hold you hostage. So go ahead and give me a brawl roll. You're trying to fight back by taking the gun. I don't like the look of that face. That is a failed brawl roll, a 66 over 55. Okay. Spend luck.

You can spend luck on a combat roll. I'll spend it. To turn it into a regular success. That's right. He failed. God. So, in the attempt to push you, you grab the gun, and now you have the gun. Tell us what you know about Jack Brady! I think, okay, so maybe I can say- And now you have the gun Great

I think okay, so maybe I can say that a 90-dacks that um that uh yes He was he's doing that super elegantly But maybe it's so cramped in here like he kind of stumped because this is a lucky break Something throws off his balance in such a way that I can suddenly grab it. I do I have full control of the gun. Yeah, it's in your hand. I'm Easy easy easy old boy do we can we now here you guys come and you're now you're surrounding him He's got the gun trained on the so J taro and the three of you come up Marion covered in mud Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are we? Jesus What did you get that? I? Got it out of his hand old man Whoa whoa whoa, what are we? Oh, for God's sake!

Not cool. It seems though he's acquainted with Mr. Brady as well. So I think that perhaps now that our cooler heads can prevail, we can continue our conversation and I will uncock the pistol. Now that we've got him surrounded. Are you friends with Brady? No. Be honest. Sir, we are not. Are you enemies of his?

Maybe. Okay. We need information from him more than anything. Well, I believe Jack Brady is involved in something shady. Possibly even the development of a powerful and deadly new weapon. Would this weapon, perchance, be using... Parts? Parts?

Machine parts of highly intricate nature? I'm not sure. I know he has some connection to a fanatic militia. They're training in an empty warehouse on the south side of the river. Who... who are you? I am a Japanese naval officer. I've been undercover here coming to the stumbling tiger, along with a few other locations where evidently Brady was last seen in the hopes of tracking him down. There are private militia all over China and Brady seems to have got tied up with one of them. He's training these soldiers or something. Sort of a bad track record, old man, with elite sects of sorts, break-off organizations, fanatics.

I'm wondering if you happen to know if this particular band of rabble rousers goes by any particular name. Is this militia known by any sort of call sign by which they know one another? I only know the leader of the group. I don't know what they call themselves. I'm sure they have some fun name like the Green Gang or one of these other upstart groups. Who's the leader? His name is Chu Min. I've watched him plenty. Unlike Brady, this Min visits the Autumn Morning

Tea House every day. I haven't been able to figure out why. You've never been inside this tea house to see his dealings there? I did not want to get too close. I know Brady is connected somehow, anyone who's anyone has guards or some sort of henchmen that they use. And most of these private armies in the city are intent on murdering each other. I despise the decadence that allows such disorderly conduct. But what Brady is tied up in, something much darker, he's training a militia for something

and I'm out to stop it. Are you aware that Jack Brady is legally dead? What do you mean? He was pronounced dead from an expedition. And therein lies our interest, old boy, is that this Jack Brady who's currently training a group of fanatic militiamen just to the south of you, he's also declared dead and buried, rent into a thousand pieces in Africa. He is also connected to an organization that is shipping strange components, one to this very city.

This must be a happy one. And if you've pumped McChum for information with the alacrity that we have, if you've given any order, if you've been a chum pumper like us. That is the episode title. Then you are- Chum pumper. Chum pumper.

Then you probably know that Brady's right now off practicing some sort of gun deal. I don't think that's true. Oh no. Are you saying that Tom gave me bad intel? Yes, because he gave me the same intel and I followed up on it. This connection that he mentioned, Charlie Grey, I spoke with him via telegraph. He seemed to confirm that Brady was mixed up in some sort of gun dealings, but the stories did not match up. I think McChomp knows more than he's letting on, but I'm biding my time, because I feel as if Brady, if he's going to make himself known again, he will return to that bar.

Oh, well. And I suppose we better keep eyes on it. Can I have my gun back? Yes, but can we get some of these somewhere? What? Weapons? I think... well, the enemy of my enemy, as they say proverbially, is sometimes my friend. Yes. Perhaps we could help each other with information. Yes.

You could disarm me so easily. Clearly you are skilled. Oh, you don't know the half of it. You're a buddy friend here. His skill level is yet to be determined. Is this a revolver? Uh, yeah. I flip the barrel open, shake out the bullets.

I'll just be hanging onto these old man. Security, you understand? Of course. I have more bullets. Well, I-we seem to have more people. Well, at least for now. But I should like to cooperate since it seems as though our interests are, for the moment, rather aligned and you've been most helpful.

So granted at the barrel of the peace. You're a naval officer. You have no connection to the police force. No, no. And you are doing this on orders from Japan? Yes. And you're working alone? Uh, yes.

What are you're working alone? Uh, yes. What are you trying to stop? Well, we fear that this weapon is being assembled by common turn advisors to the local communists to use either against the Chinese government or worse, against foreign powers, including my country. Or perhaps yours. We do not know, but that is my job to figure it out. It seems as if our purposes may be somewhat aligned. And this McCharm, the information he gave you, it led nowhere.

Yes, I feel as if McCharm is... In on it. ...lying, either to protect himself or to protect Brady. Do you think he was protecting Brady or do you think he was just taking a bribe, or has he not taken any bribes? Given him plenty of bribes. Is he pocketing money because he's making money? Have you followed him?

He seems like a man that knows many things. I have followed him. He leaves the bar he goes to his humble home. Sometimes he stops at the flower girl houses. I've never followed. No. Who would go into such an establishment? I just go back to my hotel. Yes, of course.

She's eyeballing both him and Marion. Why would I go there? They're both saying like the same thing. We keep looking around. They didn't go to the Wannan. Disgraceful. Disgraceful. I't go to the water on the street disgrace I just got basic cable I can't say we're all totally aligned with your government's interests old man but this Brady character has taken on a most

unsavory palette my eye yes if he comes back to the stumbling tiger, you're there to put eyes on him? Yes, I'll be there every night. I do feel as if he will return, but in the meantime, perhaps you look into this two men, see if you see something that I don't. Eight eyes are better than two. Yes, and our eyes would be under considerably more protection if we were going about armed. So perhaps our first little article of good faith can be, you're procuring us some of that firepower

you're so quick to employ. I know what you are asking of me. Yes. Should those be used in unsavory manner? Well, if you get them in an illicit manner, then there's nothing tying it back to you. That's not like... We're not asking you to write to your government or give us government-sanctioned weaponry.

Just, you gotta know where we can get it. It's not an official requisition. We're asking you to do a favor for someone that didn't just shoot you for pulling a gun on him. Yes. In the French concession, there is a tea house called the Lucky Fortune. The bartender there goes by the name of... Good job. He's also a McJob. McPow! Jim! McPow!

McBuddy! McFwend! Aww! Lucky fortune. There's a bartender there by the name of Zhang. He is with us. You can leave a message with him to get to me. I will take into consideration what you have requested.

Perhaps if you find out more information, I would be more willing to provide you with what you ask. Yes. Share and share alike, old man. Yes. We go poking about, we'll offer what we have, and if Brady shows up once more darkening the door of the stumbling tiger, we wish to know that. Very good. You've made a powerful ally. I hope I have. Made the same.

And where is it that we can find you when needed? Just leave a message. The lucky fortune. I will find you. This is exciting. Every person, any person of authority that we've worked with in the past has always come out on time. Always been. Always. It's always been great. Military, police, always on the up and up.

Yeah, and they always survive. Good night. Bye bye. Just gonna, I'm gonna walk back where those flower houses are. She'd definitely not go into them. And definitely not ask for Susie. No, I would ask for her. She doesn't work.

So I would ask for, uh, if it doesn't work. Yeah. Sojay Taro, covert naval officer, walks down the alleyway. Just like into the night. It totally reminds me of a covert naval officer. Just Team America-ing it across the street. You just hear, Sojay! Mr. Taro! And you are left there in this alleyway. First night in China, April Fool's Day.

Perhaps you've made a couple new friends. Yeah, powerful friends. And we'll see you next week. Oh, is it time? Flu! Flu! Hatch up! Time! Time! Boo! Boo! Hick-chum! Hick-chum! Hick-chum!

Whatcha think, chum pumpers? I honestly thought that was a name you just fuckin' pulled out of your ass. And it's written in this book for 30 years. Hick-chum. Hick-chum has existed. Oh boy. Oh man.

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We'll get everything loaded over to the boat and we'll lock up the truck. Don't leave anything behind. Wait, is that it? That's where we're going? Yeah that's it. Sealskin Rock. Whoa. Return to the mysteries in Don't Mind, Sealskin Rock.

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