Ryuu ga Gotoku: Kenzan Part #18

Part 18: More sidequests

Anyway, we still have more business to take care of in Rakugai.

Just north of the blacksmith there's a flashy guy holding court.

The man on the left appears to be struggling to draw a sword.

(What's going on?)

Well?

Hnnnng! I.... I give up.

What a shame. Now, who else? If any one of you can draw this enchanted sword from its sheath, your every wish will be granted! Who will try next? It's only 100 mon for a chance to make your dreams come true! Any takers?

(An enchanted sword?)

I see we have a warrior in the crowd today! How about you, sir? Would you care to try? Only 100 mon!

Damn right we will.

Sure, I'll give it a shot.

Thank you very much. That's 100 mon. Go ahead and give it a good pull.

Hnnng!

Well, Kiryuu may be Miyamoto Musashi, but he's certainly no King Arthur.

I think he's almost got it, folks!

Hnnnnnng!

*creak*

*crunch*

Oh no....

*SNAP*

Huh? What happened!?

Shit!

Hey! What's going on? This sword's a fake. You made it so it couldn't be drawn, didn't you?

No! I mean, um....

You lying cheat! I don't believe this!

Wait everyone! I don't, uh....

Shut up! Let's get outta here!

Wait, don't go! Dammit! Now what am I going to do? Look what you did to me!

Those screens are actually the whole fight: three swift blows right out of the gate.

D-Damn! How'd you get so strong?

That's enough. I don't want to hear about you pulling this kind of stunt again.

Fine.... You win. This wasn't my idea in the first place, you know.

What are you talking about?

I owe a lot of money to the Takeya Family. You know, the yakuza? So they made me run this scam to help pay it off.

How much did you borrow?

1 ryou. But the interest they're charging is so high the debt just keeps getting bigger. Now even the sword's broken and I have no way to make money.

Hey!

It's them!

So, you get some good cash today?

Um, well, actually I'm sorry to say.... the sword is broken. It seems they caught on to my scam.

Huh? What the hell happened!? How'd you fuck this up, you little shit!?

I'm so sorry!

Shut it! Whatcha gonna do about the money you owe, huh? HUH? And now you gotta pay for the sword you broke too! That was some expensive shit. So let's see.... You got another 10 ryou you owe now!

Whaaaa-!? I can't pay that!

Tough luck, asshole! You wanna see what's gonna happen to your family if you say no?

Please, don't do anything to hurt them!

Ha ha ha! Then you'd better start working harder!

Hey. That's going too far.

Huh? Are you the fuck who broke our sword? Get ready to die, shithead!

Two fights for the price of one.

I used a much crappier sword for this fight that we could build with an instruction manual that came from the lockers. It can eventually be turned into something better, but not with the ingredients accessible to us in this chapter.

What the hell happened?

Don't ever come near this man again if you know what's good for you.

Shit! Let's get outta here!

Um, I should say.... Thank you.

An old woman comes running up.

Grandmother! What are you doing here?

You've been acting strange lately, so I followed you. I can't believe you got mixed up with those thugs.

I'm sorry, grandmother! I never thought you'd find out.

You act like you're still a child.

She turns to Kiryuu.

Thank you very much. I don't want to think about what would have happened to my grandson if you hadn't helped him. It isn't much, but please take this as a token of my gratitude.

Received [Legend of the Defeat of the Nue and Mizuchi].

To tell the truth, this sword may very well be magic after all.

Eh? What do you mean?

My wish certainly came true. You learned the error of your ways, and that's all I ever wanted.

Grandmother....

Come on, it's time we went home. Thank you again, sir.

Got 1500 Experience Points

Well, our reward was a bit of a mouthful, but it's actually a very nice prize. As you can probably guess, it's a weapon crafting book. It teaches the recipes for a single very powerful tachi/kodachi pair, the former of which is both the best Enchanted Sword in the game the only one not associated with the swordmaker's sidequest. Unfortunately, one of the ingredients required won't be available until Chapter 9.

It's kind of weird how there are so many swords and we get so many recipes early on, but can barely build any of them. But in Chapters 9 and 10 suddenly we'll be able to build about two hundred of them. Except that a few are obviously better than the others, so the vast majority are utterly useless. I guess most of the weapons being crap though is an unavoidable side effect of have 227 different swords in the game.

By the way, a mizuchi and a nue are two creatures from Japanese mythology, probably also familiar to you if you like Shin Megami Tensei games.

Anyway, nearing the Forest Road we can see an ailing man lying on the ground.

Are you alright?

Uhhhh....

Hey! Snap out of it!

De.... moooon....

(....... It's no use. He's not going to wake up. Maybe if I brought him some medicine.)

So now we can run back to the pharmacy (either one) and get a top-level health restoration item, then bring it back here. I'm sure you can imagine the journey, so no need to screencap it.

(Two minutes later....)

Take this!

Ahh....

Do you feel better?

Y-Yes.... Are you the one who helped me? Thank you. I'm much better now.

Don't strain yourself. Now who did this to you?

Ahh.... A demon....

Huh?

The demon at home.

A demon!? You're saying a real one did this? That's just stupid!

I'm not... lying... It was... a demon...

(Could there really be such a thing?)

Please, sir... come to my place... see for yourself...

We definitely have to check this out.

I wonder if my sword can even defeat such a creature... Well, there's only one way to be sure. I'll go.

Thank you, sir.

Lead the way.

[VOICE INSIDE]: G'AHHHHHH!

This... is my house.

[VOICE INSIDE]: Uooohhhhh!

(That's a bloodthirsty scream if I've ever heard one.) I'm coming in!

[MAN'S WIFE]: Uoohhh!

.......

That's it, right there!

Open your eyes! That's a person!

That's my "Demon Wife".

How can you talk like that about your own wife!?

I can't help it! She's completely out of control!

[MAN'S WIFE]: UUWAAAHHHH!

(She's coming this way!)

Oh no! We have to get out of here!

Whew! Is she always like that?

Huh? Oh no, not at all. She's usually really sweet, though it might be hard to believe.

Then what happened to make her like this?

I don't know. Sometimes she just suddenly gets dark and.... well, you saw.

And you have no idea why?

If I knew I wouldn't be in this situation. Tell me, what should I do?

Let's take a peek inside and see what we can find out.

(? There's a hole in the door. I can see what's going on through here.)

Didn't you beat the shit out of a guy for doing the same thing just the other day, Kiryuu?

[MAN'S WIFE]: Ahhhhh! Uuooohhhhh! Dango! I want a dango! I want one!

Remember from the last update that a dango is the rice-based snack that Kouetsu wanted from the tea house.

[MAN'S WIFE]: Why!? Why!? Why can't my husband understand!? He promised me! That bastard! Give me my dango! Uohhhh!

So? What did you hear?

Something about dango and a promise you made to her. She's hungry, maybe?

A dango... and a promise... I've got it!

What?

My wife loves kusadango. When we got married I promised her I'd bring her one every month. But lately I've been so busy with work I've kind of been forgetting.

I see.

I have to hurry and get a dango for her!

Can you?

...no. I'm still too sick to travel that far. Would you... go and get one for me?

Alright.

Oh, thank you! You can get one at the riverside tea house.

You could run all the way over there, but unlike Kouetsu this guy doesn't care if you scrape an old kusadango out of the bottom of your item box.

Did you... get a kusadango?

Is this what you wanted?

Handed over [kusadango].

That's it! It's just like I always used to buy! Thank you so much, sir. I think as long as I give her this everything will be fine.

You think so?

Huh?

You don't have a clue why she was really upset, do you?

What do you mean?

She isn't angry because she didn't get to eat dango. She's angry because you broke your promise to her.

....you're right. I've been so focused on my work I haven't been paying attention to her. Thank you. From now on I'm going to make my wife my first priority. Here, this is one of the things I sell for my job. I'd like you to have it.

Received [Large Potted Crysanthemum].

You've really opened my eyes. I won't make the same mistake again.

Got 1500 Experience Points

Well, we saved a marriage and got to dispense life advice. If there'd only been more face-punching this would've been the archetypal Yakuza sidequest.

Anyway, you may remember that in the last chapter we met a little boy named Mametarou struggling with his homework. Dango boy over there happens to live just across the street from him, and the kid's in trouble at school again.

How is your work going?

Hi, mister! Thanks for helping me out before. Now I get the right answers a lot more than I used to. I really shocked my teacher! I've got homework again today too, and I've been trying hard, but it's really tough and I can't get these last five questions. Could you help me out?

Sure, we can feed him the answers like a good tutor.

Alright, I'll give it a try.

Thanks, mister! This is what I have to do today.

"Write the words in kanji." So which ones don't you know?

Umm, this one. How do you write it?

The answer is #2.

Okay, I see! How about this one?

The answer is #2.

That makes sense. This one's next.

The answer is #1.

Really? Okay. How about this?

The answer is #3.

Wow, that's hard! One more.

The answer is #2.

Okay, I see it now! You know everything, mister!

Heh.

I'm sure I'll get a good score on the next test. Thanks!

Got 1000 Experience Points

Just a few steps to the east of here, there's a very oddly dressed woman.

Over here! I've been waiting for you.

Huh? What do you want?

Oh no! I can see a very dark future in store for you! Something terrible is sure to happen!

What the hell-!?

I am the world-renowned fortune teller, Abe Harumi. I can tell anyone's future with just a single meeting. The shadow of evil stalks you at every turn. It's terrible! Terrifying! Uwooh!

The shadow of evil?

Death himself! Soon you and everyone you care about will be dragged into the abyss!

Sounds like a load of crap to me. Are you sure?

Absolutely! But there is still a chance to save yourself from this grim fate!

Oh yeah?

You must purchase this talisman!

A talisman?

Yes. I have blessed it and enchanted it with magic spells of protection. This is the only thing that can save you! It can repel the shadows that wish you harm and send them back to hell! All you have to do is buy it at a reasonable price.

And how much are you charging?

A mere 100 ryou! Compared to the lives of your loved ones it's quite a bargain.

You know, if she hadn't gone so incredibly over the top with the price she probably would've had Kiryuu in the bag. He can be an enormous sucker in these sidequests.

Yeah right. I'm leaving.

Hey, hold on there! If the price is too steep I can go as low as 80 ryou! How does that sound?

I'm not paying that.

Heh heh heh... Then don't be surprised if a terrible fate befalls you!

Suddenly, Kiryuu is surrounded.

What the-!? Who are these guys?

Heh heh. They're the "shadow of evil". You see? My prediction came true. Ha ha ha! Send this tight-fisted bastard to hell, boys!

Ahhhh! He's too powerful! I apologize, sir!

How long have you been pulling this scam?

We just started today. You were our first mark. I never thought it would turn out like this. I'm no good as a fortune-teller. Thanks to you I realize the error of my ways.

Good.

100 ryou was way too high a price! Next time I'll make it something more reasonable, like 10 ryou.

.......

This is for you. I cast many magic spells upon it, and it is yours now. Please take it.

Received [Talisman of Cheating].

(Could this piece of junk possibly do anything for me?)

I apologize again. Heh heh. You will have a bright future now!

Got 1000 Experience Points

The talisman actually does have an effect: we can use it to cheat at the dice game once. It can't be bought in stores, but it is one of Gyoutensai's inventions, so there's another way to get one besides this.

Whew! Two more sidequests left to go, and they're both in Kawaramachi.

There seems to be quite a crowd gathered around.

(What's going on?)

Two thugs are harrassing a civilian, but he doesn't seem too concerned.

You think you can beat me, asswipe?

We're gonna kick your ass!

Hmph. That's my line. As long as I have my magic sword you'll never defeat me.

What'd you say!? We'll see about that!

The screen fades out...

...and the man kicks their asses through the magic of editing.

Ugh... How did you...? He's too strong...

Ha ha ha! With my strength and this enchanted sword I'm unbeatable! Do you want some more!?

(Enchanted sword?)

We're... we're going.

Cowards! Ha ha!

[CROWD]: Yeah! You showed 'em!

The crowd disperses and the swordsman approaches a woman.

What did you think, Oshizu? I'm pretty tough, right?

.....

What's wrong? You always said you wanted a strong man, didn't you? That's why I searched everywhere for this sword, so I could be that kind of man. This sword grows more powerful the more money I have. And with it I can protect you forever.

You fool! You can't buy everything with money!

What?

I don't need fake strength like what you have now!

She runs away.

Hey! Oshizu, wait! Dammit! I have money, I have power. What else does she want?

Her voice comes from off screen.

Stop! Get away from me!

Huh? That was Oshizu's voice!

(That cry came from up the street.)

I guess Kiryuu was stalking that guy even after the battle?

Punk! You think you can do that to my boys!? I'll give ya a real fight!

Damn! I've run out of money!

Whazzat? Can't lift your sword now, eh? Ha ha ha!

Please stop! I'll do whatever you want if you don't hurt him!

Oooh! That's startin' to sound like a good deal. Heh heh! Then get over here!

.....

Hold it right there.

Huh? Who the fuck are you?

Keep your hands to yourself.

What'd you say!?

W-Wait... I have to be... the one to save Oshizu...

Kisukemon...

Even if I don't have money or power.... I'll protect you!

Ha! You're gonna regret that! Whatcha gonna do, city boy?

I won't lose to punks like you!

Fade out.

Ahh!

Kisukemon! Are you okay!?

Ha ha ha! How's it feel gettin' knocked on yer ass in front of your woman, huh?

That's enough!

Huh!? You want a turn too? We'll fuck you up just like that asshole!

Uh.... We won't forget this!

Kisukemon!

Oh, Oshizu, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you.

What?

After all the trouble I went through to get that enchanted sword, and now I've lost both my power and my money. I'm sorry. I was a fool. I thought money could buy happiness, strength, love... But I was wrong. I see that now. I don't deserve you.

That's not true! Even when your sword was useless, you still stepped up to protect me, even when it put you in danger. That's all I could ever ask for.

Oshizu....

Kisukemon....

Thank you so much for your help. This is for you.

Received [3 ryou].

Please take this as well.

Receved [Enchanted Sword - Money Eater].

I don't need it anymore, and selling it doesn't seem appropriate. You have our gratitude.

Got 1500 Experience Points

This sword scares me. I think it reduces your cash with every swing, but by how much I don't know and I'm afraid to find out. I'll give it a shot one of these days to see though.

Anyway, the final sidequest of Chapter 6 is just down at the western end of Kawaramachi, right near the entrance to the Yoshioka Dojo "area" (which we'll see next update).

There's a merchant here trying to make a sale, but not having much luck.

Say that again!

Again? Um, well, if you use this salt... uh, your wife's cooking will be good, um, no matter how bad a cook she... is.

You calling my wife a bad cook!? What the hell!?

No! I didn't mean it that way....

I'm never shopping here again!

What's the matter?

Hm? Oh, nothing. I'm just not very good at this. I can't ever seem to make a sale. I know my products are good though. Here, have a taste.

Wow, it's delicious!

You see? If it was just a competition in taste I'd have the most successful shop in town, but I don't have the charm and silver tongue that you need to move merchandise. I really envy the Hanaokaya.

Hanaokaya?

It's the shop next door.

He's a smooth talker. If only I could be like him.

(A smooth talker, eh?)

So we can head next door and chat up the shopkeeper there as well.

I have only the finest products in town! One taste and you'll be hooked! And for a beautiful young lady like you there's a special price today only: 1000 mon!

You certainly have a way with words. Okay, I'll take one.

Just as she takes a taste an older woman comes running up.

Wait! The stuff I bought from you always falls apart as soon as I get it home!

Oh, uh, it's supposed to!

Oh my! You almost tricked me, you rotten man!

Both of them walk away in a huff.

What's wrong?

Huh? Oh, nothing. My business just isn't going well is all. I know how to talk the talk, but no one wants what I have to sell. Sometimes I really envy Kyosuke. He's got some great products.

(So the Hanaokaya has poor products and Kyosuke's not much for customer service. Looks like they're both in trouble).

Missing the glaringly obvious solution to their problems, Kiryuu struts off.

Then another man comes running up to him. (This is the best screenshot I could get, since the camera angle during the conversation hid him behind Kiryuu).

Hey there! I've got a real good sword for sale that improves your business.

A sword that's good for business? How does it work?

It has a mysterious power. It calls out to people and draws them to the wielder.

Oh yeah?

What do you say? If you have this your business will never fail!

Why would you want to sell it? You're a businessman, aren't you? I would think you'd want to keep it for yourself.

Oh, well... I've already made enough money. Ha ha! I just, you know... want to give someone else a chance.

....I see. Then how much are you asking?

A mere 100 mon!

Really? That's it?

Yeah, I've gotten so rich I can't stand the sight of money anymore so it's going cheap.

We'll take that.

I'll buy it.

Thanks!

Received [Sword of Beckoning].

Will this really work?

Without a doubt! You'll see the effects soon enough, I guarantee. See you!

(I should give this to one of those merchants from before. But which one?)

In fact, you have to. This isn't considered a usable weapon for Kiryuu.

Now we decide. It doesn't matter who you give it to for completion's sake, but I usually choose Kyosuke since I want to encourage people to buy good stuff.

Oh, you're the guy from before. What can I do for you?

Actually, I just acquired this sword and I thought you could use it.

What? Why give this to me?

It's called the Sword of Beckoning and it's supposed to draw people to you. I think it will improve your business.

Handed over the [Sword of Beckoning].

Are you sure you want to give this away? Thank you very much.

The screen fades out and there's the sound of a stampede.

Huh? What was that sound?

Again a fade, again a stampede sound.

C-Customers! It really works!

[CROWD]: Get 'em! Kill that bastard!

Welco- eh!? What just.... happened?

[CROWD]: YAHHHH!

Whoa whoa! Hold on! What's going on here?

(So that's it. The man who sold it knew this would happen.)

Please help me, sir! I don't know what to do!

Alright.

Looks like Kiryuu is going to "help" by slicing the crowd into kibble. This is easy since they're all unarmed. It's also not very exciting.

That's pretty much the whole battle right there.

What the hell is this thing? It doesn't bring in customers, just bloodthirsty thugs!

I didn't know....

What's going on, Kyosuke-san? Hey, that's a fine-looking sword you have there! Can I take a look?

No, don't!

Huh?

More stampeding sounds.

[CROWD]: We'll kill you!

Whoa! Who are these guys?

Quick, throw the sword away!

He complies.

That was a close one.

[OLD MAN OFFSCREEN]: Huh? What's this sword doing lying here?

Ahhh! Help!

And suddenly he's surrounded as well.

Oh no! He's just an innocent bystander! Please save him!

Okay.

The fight goes about the same as the last one.

What the hell just happened!?

This man brought me a sword said to attract people to the holder, and this is the result. But without the sword my business will just go back to the way it was before.

I'm sorry.

I see. But you know, you don't need some magic sword to make your dreams come true. It just takes good old-fashioned hard work. I mean, so far my shop hasn't been doing so well, but I'll make it.

That's true. But just seeing so many people crowd around was....

A new crowd suddenly appears.

Huh?

We've been acting like fools and missing what was right in front of us!

What are you talking about?

Have you ever seen so many customers at either of our shops? This is what could happen when we work together!

You're right. But don't you want to keep your own place?

Nah. I'll come here and work with you. You've got the top products, and I'm sure I can get them to sell!

You're right! With your salesmanship and my goods we can't lose!

He turns to Kiryuu.

Now that we've got a good business plan we don't need this sword anymore. You can have it back.

Received [Sword of Beckoning].

We'll be fine now.

Come back and shop with us sometime.

I will. Good luck.

Got 1500 Experience Points

The Sword of Beckoning ups the random encounter rate but it's pretty strong. The thing is, Kenzan has a weird system for random battles. They appear only in certain "hotspots" along the most narrow parts of the map (Higashiyama Street in Rakugai, the Forest Road, Mountain Road, etc.) and the rate is always pretty high anyway. I mean, the Forest Road has 3 hotspots and at least 2 of them and often all 3 will have thugs waiting for Kiryuu even without the sword. Using it just guarantees all 3 spots will be manned instead.

That makes three out of five enchanted swords collected, and ends the sidequests of all kinds for this chapter. But I also ran around collecting the last of the currently accessible locker keys: