124

You push open the tavern’s creaky door and step into a low-ceilinged room that is poorly lit and furnished. The air is thick with the smell of burning tallow, and customers sit hunched and unspeaking over their glasses of warm rice wine. The one-armed tavern keeper flashes a toothless grin. ‘Wanna room?’ he mutters. You nod and place two coins on the counter and he tosses you a key engraved with the numeral ‘1’.

Your room is located at the rear of the tavern, next to the communal lavatory. You draw upon your Kai skills to suppress your sense of smell and prop a solitary chair beneath the door handle to keep it shut. Apart from the chair, a bare mattress of straw is the only other item of furniture. It is a warm night and you have no need of a blanket and so you lie on the mattress and use your satchel and Backpack for pillows. Soon you have fallen into a deep sleep.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0—4, turn to 341.

If it is 5—9, turn to 223.