Wandering Crossroads · Spider Web Bar.
The multicolored lights, accompanied by the frenetic music, cast downward, creating an otherworldly interior where everything takes on an odd shape, mingling with the flushed, bewildering faces of patrons lost in intoxication, rendering the place akin to a dream of disorientation.
Some indulge recklessly amidst the alcohol and dance, others murmur conspiratorial whispers in the darkness, shadows twisted grotesquely by the lighting, casting on the walls, mirroring those vibrant yet peculiar graffiti.
The air is thick with the heavy scent of alcohol, mixed with other indistinguishable odors, reminiscent of impure diesel, the sour decay of flesh, and traces of fresh blood...
Vika stands behind the bar, quietly wiping the glass in his hand, accustomed to this hallucinatory scene, he performs his duties with a blank expression, amidst the revelry, he seems to be the only sober presence.
Two men weave through the crowded throng, seating themselves at the bar, raising a hand to gesture at Vika. Vika nods, serving them two drinks.
"Vika, I recently found something good."
After draining his glass, a slight flush appears on the man’s face as he speaks mysteriously to Vika.
"Jello, what good thing?"
Vika doesn’t care much for these drunken men, but chatting with patrons is part of the job.
"A Mammon Coin, a brand new, never-before-seen Mammon Coin."
Jello carefully retrieves a handkerchief from his pocket, laying it on the tabletop, unfolding it to reveal a shimmering glow in Canyin.
In the dingy cloth, sits a Mammon Coin, spotless, devoid of even scratches, as if freshly minted from the treasury.
The most amazing aspect of this Mammon Coin is that its design differs from all known ones.
In the Wandering Crossroads, such occurrences are common; whenever a new urban legend emerges, a corresponding Mammon Coin follows, the presence of this coin undoubtedly indicates something.
A new legend has appeared.
"I know you’re the expert, Vika," Jello grins, "Can you discern anything from this coin?"
Vika is not only the bartender at Spider Web Bar but also its actual overseer. Given the bar’s absolute peace feature, Vika holds significant sway within the Wandering Crossroads.
Everyone seeks to curry favor with Vika to ease their paths in the Crossroads, and the best method is surely by gathering Mammon Coins, more accurately, different Mammon Coins.
To Vika, collecting different Mammon Coins is akin to stamp collecting. He doesn’t mind splurging substantial sums for some rare and precious Mammon Coins.
"I reckon I’m the first to discover this coin, I might be the only one holding it in the entire Wandering Crossroads."
Jello chuckles, aware of variations among Mammon Coins. Some are common, others exceedingly rare, and the one even Jello can’t identify is undoubtedly the latter.
It’s speculated the rarity of Mammon Coins relates to the spread of urban legends; the more people aware of a legend, the more coins exist representing it, vice versa.
Vika picks up the coin from the handkerchief, inspecting the emblem, then inquires.
"Where did you get this coin? Tell the truth."
"Well... quite the coincidence."
Jello considers, facing Vika’s piercing gaze, realizing honesty may serve him better if he wishes to remain here.
"I found it stuck in a public phone booth’s coin return, seems someone just forgot it there."
Vika doesn’t respond, eyes deep in contemplation.
"Is this some kind of church symbol?" Jello continues blabbering, "The emblem looks like a staff."
Vika caresses the surface of the coin; indeed, as Jello remarked, it resembles some church symbol, or perhaps a staff.
The emblem’s lower part is a cross symbol, atop the cross sits a circular symbol, further connected above by a semicircular symbol.
The symbols link together, forming this perplexing, bizarre depiction.
"Mercury..." Vika murmurs.
"What?" Jello catches Vika’s words, excitement flaring on his face, "I knew you’d recognize it."
"It’s neither some church symbol nor a staff, it’s an alchemical symbol, representing one of the seven metals in Alchemy, namely Mercury, or Quicksilver."
Vika grows intrigued by the coin, meticulously studying its nuances, elaborating to Jello.
"Alchemists view Mercury as an extraordinary metal, it transcends solid and liquid states, surpasses earthly and celestial realms, exists beyond life and death."
"Like something... unkillable."
The other man speaks, having mostly been drinking beside Jello, now breaking his silence, his voice deep as though narrating an ancient tale.
"Something unkillable, peculiar metal." Vika nods at the man, affirming his theory.
"Alchemists also regard it as a symbol of the serpent, its exact origin is unclear, but from church myths we learn, humans once resided in earthly paradise, tempted by serpents, consumed the fruit of wisdom, thus cast out..."
Vika spoke while another image emerged in his mind: a venomous snake coiled around the fruit of wisdom.
"Thus, in the eyes of some Alchemists, they regard the snake as a cunning, greedy pursuer of truth, all in order to swallow that fruit of wisdom."
"Oh... That sounds truly unsettling."
Jello was startled, but then his face broke into a smile. He rubbed his hands together, signaling to Vika with his eyes.
"Your debt is cleared."
Vika understood Jello’s implication and directly pocketed the coin, placing it close to him.
Jello nearly burst into laughter, but his joy was quickly replaced by curiosity. He cautiously asked Vika.
"Now that the coin has appeared, which legend does it represent?"
Vika decisively shook his head; he spent most of his time in the pub, and the chaos of the outside world was none of his concern.
"I do know of a strange occurrence recently," said a man nearby, "Have you heard of the Evil Spirit story?"
"Evil Spirit?" Jello wore a puzzled expression, "What are you talking about, Will, what is an Evil Spirit?"
"Haven’t you heard? It’s a legend that emerged after that stormy night recently, where many gangs were exterminated. The newspapers say it was due to mutual conflict... Is that possible? They’ve coexisted peacefully for so long, yet suddenly, they fought to the death, and everyone died without a single victor."
Will drank calmly, trying to numb his nerves. Recalling these stories felt like reliving a bloody nightmare.
"Fortunately, one unlucky soul survived; a kid named White told me these stories.
The reality of that night was that a monster known as the Evil Spirit barged in. White and his peers tried to fight back, swinging knives at it, firing their guns — the firepower was enough to kill someone a thousand times over, yet strangely, the Evil Spirit bled but didn’t die."
Will mimicked White’s tone, a mix of fear and despair.
"Only the constant flicker of gunfire could be seen, along with the echoes of cries in the darkness. White could only catch a glimpse of that terrifying figure under the brief flashes, and soon his comrades fell one after another, pierced by blades, crushed by the Iron Hammer..."
Will set down his glass, his murky gaze fixed on Jello.
"Imagine, Jello, imagine such a scene—no forewarning, the nightmare descended suddenly, you couldn’t discern the other’s motives, nor see their appearance. The only certainty was that people died one after another, you tried resisting, yet it was futile, as if once it arrived, all you could do was pray and repent."
"Is it fake?" Jello was unnerved by Will’s words, and he questioned firmly, "If the Evil Spirit is truly so dreadful, then how did White survive?"
"That’s the interesting part about the Evil Spirit," Will smiled, baring yellowed teeth, "It’s a selective Evil Spirit, not a beast indiscriminately thirsting for blood."
"White says he survived because the Evil Spirit told him ’he wasn’t on the list’, so... what list might that be?"
"The list of evildoers."
Suddenly, Vika, who was listening in, spoke up. With his head lowered, he continued wiping the glass in his hand, his mind recalling what he heard and saw at Norm’s clinic.
A blurry figure gradually clarified in his mind, and Vika remembered what he said the first time he came to the Web Pub.
"Yes, the list of evildoers," Will toasted to Vika before looking at Jello, whose face was turning pale, "White survived because he was still a child, joined the gang only days ago, hadn’t fired a gun, washed his hands clean of blood. Had his hands been stained, White might have died that night too."
"No, no, no, Will, it’s impossible, how do you know all this in such detail? White is just a story you made up!" Jello’s voice rose, trying to disprove his words.
"Because White is my nephew. I ought to thank the Evil Spirit, for it gave White a great shock to his psyche. After witnessing corpses and blood, this kid became much more obedient, never mentioned joining gangs again."
Will’s gaze was fixed on Jello, intentionally lowering his voice as he pursued further.
"This can be true or it can be a story, but why is your reaction so intense, Jello? Are you afraid the Evil Spirit has marked you for wrongdoing?"
"That’s none of your business." Jello stood up instantly, shooting an angry glance at Will, "See you tomorrow, Will."
"I also hope to see you tomorrow! Jello! Beware, the Evil Spirit is watching you!"
Jello quickened his pace, trying to cast away Will’s laughter from his mind, walking on damp, dark streets; the twisted, eerie street scenes always looked strange.
Cold gripped his body; winter was coming. As he wrapped his coat tightly, he bit a cigarette and lit it.
"Damn story," Jello muttered, "Damn Mammon Coin collection."
The Wandering Junction’s layout was complex; many didn’t live here. They mostly resided in the more habitable Qiushang Town, or around the Great Rift. Thus, those people hardly believed in the Tyrant, let alone the legends of the Mammon Coin.
Jello was one among the non-believers, collecting those coins only because this damn Wandering Junction used them as currency.
"Nothing like an Evil Spirit, just the ramblings of mad people."
Jello repetitively whispered as he walked toward the end of the road, oblivious to the twisted, bizarre architecture behind him, where a blurred figure had squatted for some time.
A man in a black coat, wearing a sinister mask, whose azure eyes reflected Jello’s silhouette, slowly opened his coat, withdrawing a worn Sheep Horn Hammer from within.