Even in the dregs of Mukurogai, Ryoma can form bonds with the various inhabitants of Kyo. Interact with specific NPCs (many of which have introductory substories) and your bond will increase, potentially triggering new events, scenes, activities and battles. Persist and you’ll max out your bond, often earning gifts and virtue. This page will cover all the bonds you can forge with NPCs on Mukurogai in Like a Dragon: Ishin!.
Bond with The Servile Beggar¶
You’ll find the Servile Beggar starting in Chapter 3, on the first floor of Mukurogai. He’ll be sitting in a corner east of the gate that connects Mukurogai to Rakugai, northeast of the Mukurogai Arms Dealer. You can forge a bond with the Servile Begger by completing Substory 34 - The Servile Beggar, where you’ll be introduced to your transactional relationship with the Servile Beggar. To complete this Substory you’ll need to talk to the beggar and give him some food, specifically anything that falls under the “Produce” tab of your “Inventory” menu. You can either growth this food or purchase it from the Greengrocer in Fushimi - the latter being somewhat appealing as doing so will increase your bond with the Greengrocer. Feed the better any produce to complete the Substory and forge a bond with the Servile Beggar.
You’ll build up your bond with the Servile Beggar the same way you started it - by feeding him various bits of produce. To do this, return to Fushimi and enter and exit Teradaya, which will reset the Servile Beggar’s dialog, then visit the Greengrocer and buy more produce if necessary. Return to the Servile Beggar and feed him to significantly increase your bond. Fortunately this won’t take many visits. Each visit the Servile Beggar will vow to pay you back one day, an empty promise that goes unfulfilled until your bond increases to 60%, after which Ryoma will scold the Servile Beggar after feeding him. The Servile Beggar will counter with some harsh realities, at which Ryoma will pivot to being encouraging, sharing his dream of a more equitable society. This will fill the Servile Beggar’s bond meter up to around 80%.
To max out your bond with the Servile Beggar, you’ll have to seek him out in Rakugai, where he’ll relocate following Ryoma’s encouragement. Specifically, you’ll find him along the northern end of East Umekojicho, standing along the western wall of Scarecrow Chateau. Talk to him and you’ll get some good news regarding the Servile Beggar’s life trajectory, and he’ll make good on his promise to pay you back by giving you some Precise Machinery. This will also max out your bond, earning you 2,250 Virtue.
Bond with Mahjong House Residents¶
Starting in Chapter 3 you can visit the Mahjong Spot in Mukurogai, building a bond with the layabouts there by participating - and we use that term loosely - in games of mahjong. You’ll find this Mahjong Shop along the southwestern edge of Mukurogai’s first floor, just west of where the Boatman will ferry you back to Fushimi.
Talk to the Shopkeeper (also variously known as “Receptionist” and “Mahjong House Owner” - whatever the game feels like calling him at the moment) and pick the option to “Buy mahjong sticks”. The good news is these tokens only cost 1 mon each. The bad news is you need 25,000 of them to participate in any mahjong matches. This will set you back a painful 2 ryo, 5,000 mon, but if you’re any good at mahjong you can potentially win some of it back. If you’re terrible at mahjong, even more good news! - you don’t actually have to play any mahjong to max out this bond, which is well worth the loss of 2 ryo, 5,000 mon.
Once you’ve purchased the requisite mahjong sticks, head on over to the “Beginner Table” and pick the option “Sure” to play, and once you’re in the next screen, just pick “Quit Game”. With that done, go to leave the area and the Shopkeeper will talk to you, starting a bond. Return to the Beginner Table, start up a game, then quit and leave to earn more bond. Repeat until your bond bar is 80% full, at which point when you leave you won’t get any dialog from the Shopkeeper. Leave Mukurogai and return to Fushimi, enter and exit Teradaya, then return to the Mahjong Spot on Mukurogai. When you enter, the Shopkeeper will ask you to try a game at the “Advanced Table” - never fear, you can start a game, then quick and it’ll count. Your bond should max out shortly after your first (aborted) game at the Advanced Table. For brightening up the mahjong house, you’ll be rewarded with a Charming Doll, as well as the traditional 2,250 Virtue. Righty-o.
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