Lise and Setsuna return to Port Hedland as quickly as possible. They board a Randolph merchant ship to reach China. As misfortune chases them, it turns out that the foreman who runs the ship is in cahoots with the cult of the Sand Bat and tries to deliver them to creatures half-man, half-fish from the depths. Helped by a resourceful Chinese woman - Mei - they nevertheless manage to escape by borrowing a lifeboat.

Several days later, they finally reach the delta leading to Shanghai, and then Shanghai itself. Mei, a member of the Green Band, uses her connections to find a home. The group then visits the Stumbling Tiger Bar - Elias did indeed have a matchbox that came from there - but no clues emerge from their passage there.

At the suggestion of Mei's cousin Lin Wen-Chang, the group then visits the Shanghai Museum. The local curator gives them a list of 34 Chinese scholars who contribute to the museum. The investigators first visit Mr Dou- Wing, who claims to have sold a statuette resembling the Bloated Woman three years ago. He also gives the addresses of two colleagues versed in divination: Jia Zhao and Mr. Lung.

The group broke into Jia Zhao's home, but she did not answer. It turns out that she suffers from recurring nightmares and is depressed to the point. Lise manages to convince her to follow her to Lin Wen-Chang and tries to provide her with psychological support. Jia Zhao informs the group of the presence of a certain "Carl Stanford" who lives at Ho Fong. A sorcerer whom she has met and who undoubtedly turns out to be evil.

The next day, the group goes to see Mr. Lung. He welcomes them, as if he suspected their arrival, but act rather unpleasantly. He performs various exorcism rituals on his guests, as if he thought they were demonic in nature. When Lung takes physical action, Mei intervenes. Then, the stray dog posted in front of the building enters the room, now naked of any mystical protection. He reveals himself in the form of a demon dog sent by the Celestial Court to punish Mr. Lung, but Mei does her best to prevent him from carrying out his mandate. Finally, thanks to a clumsy gesture by the demon, the group manages to lock him in a magical wardrobe. Mr. Lung, grateful, offers them a divination according to which a terrible event will occur on an island located 500km off the coast of Shanghai. The group then has him escorted to a safe place (if there is a safe place at all, when being chased by the Celestial Court).

Finally, as the group leaves Lung's home, a strange drunkard who plays his role in an unconvincing way catches his attention. Stunned by surprise, the man is then questioned by the investigators, who manage to extract some information from him. He is said to work for the Japanese government and to have learned of the existence of a weapon developed by a local faction. He investigated the case and noticed the three women arriving. Noting that their objectives were not opposed, the four agreed to help each other. Next step: recognition at Ho Fong's.