Part 12: Update XI: An Alchemist and her Summer Vacation

This Assignment is going to be a doozy. Starting off, we'll be getting an event that will rob us of half of July, so getting to work faster is more important than ever. As for actually passing this Assignment, don't sweat it. Forge a relatively high quality Ice Bomb, register it with Hagel, and just turn those in when he restocks. We could worry about Spring Cups, but those are kinda annoying to forge and you've got bigger things to worry about than actually passing the Assignment. This method will only cost you around 3000 Cole or so, so assuming you aren't slacking off, that should be nothing to worry about. You could also buy Ice Bombs from Pamela, but we might as well use Wholesale if we can.

Speaking of money, this Assignment is going to be the start when you should start amassing a pretty sizable warchest. Around this time, but it starts in Assignment 6, your friends are going to start asking you for equipment. So Cordelia might be asking for a bullet, Sterk for a sword, Gio for the armor he wears, etc. Make these requests your top priority, because you could be getting up to around 5400 Cole for two days of synthing if you have the materials and you know what kind of ingot / cloth you should be making. You can start bringing in money extremely quickly during this period, and you should make an effort to do so.

As a final note, because I am bad at first grade math, we'll actually be getting three new locations this Assignment, with another one early-ish in the next Assignment. There's no way you'll have enough time this update to fully explore all those locations and still be bringing in a lot of money, but two of these locations will have materials for a pretty substantial upgrade to your weapons, and the last one for armor. At the very least, by the end of the year, have Rorona using the latest tier of weapons / armor / Gnardi Ring that emphasizes either speed or power. We're going to need it, but there's not much of a rush. Yet.

This next scene happens when the new Assignment begins, before you can even get back to the gameplay.



Hmm, nothing... Not in this one either...

Doing some research, huh? Are you looking up a new recipe for dinner?

No, I'm trying to look up an ingredient that might be useful for my next assignment. It's called Foamy Water...

Oh, work...how boring. Wait, did you just say Foamy Water?

Oh yeah, you should know where to gather it, right? Although, it's not like you would tell me anything...



Yeah, I know I should find it myself... Wait, what? You'll show me?

This is gonna be a dangerous mission... We better be well prepared for it. We will depart early in the morning, a week from today. It's gonna be me, you, and a few other members.

Okay...

Now, we don't have much time to waste... Hmhmhm, this is going to be exciting.

*Astrid leaves*



Well, I'll spoil a little bit what Astrid is talking about by saying the proceeding scene also needs Cordelia's friendship to be 30 or greater, Lionela's friendship to be 20 or greater, and Pamela needs to be in her shop. Otherwise, you get a pretty significantly different scene. I'll put that version under Bonus Content so as to not significantly break up the flow of the actual update. Like Astrid says, we only have until 7/8 until we're locked into the above event, so choose your days wisely. I'd advise not taking any new requests you can't complete before 7/8, because that 10 days you lose can be killer.

But first, we've got a new Esty request. Video goes until the screenshot of Rorona by herself.



Okay, sure... Oh, hey! You never let me ask you, so you're gonna have to explain this to me today!

Yeah, well, let's put that aside for now. Maybe next time, okay? Here's today's request!



This can be a vaguely tricky request, since there's nothing that inherently has Aromatic on it. However, anything you find in the field can have it, so if you've been harvesting a lot, you should have a few items that have it. Make sure to check traits before you forge the Wild Scent to make sure you don't accidentally cancel Aromatic out. Also not a hard request at all.

Another strange request... Esty, what are you...?

It's a secret...remember? I'm counting on you!

*Esty leaves*





For some reason, when you synthesize some items, you'll get a blue star next to their name, like so. I am entirely unclear what that's supposed to signify.

Since we've done it a few times before, this is the scene you get for completing the above request. Video goes until Esty says "...Ugh, I can't believe I'm being tossed around like this."



Yeah, Rorona just casually drops Esty's last name, even though I don't believe she's ever heard it, much less the player. NISA . Her name in the Japanese version is Esty Erhard, so it's a strange change, especially since Esty is a pretty classy character. NISA seems to have a strange sense of humor sometimes, so I guess this is just one of those instances.

Oh, thanks. I'll make sure to upgrade the Ticket items again.

Okay. So anyway, what are you using that item for...?

This again?

I know I'm getting on your nerves, but I'm really curious.



Rorona.

Ms. Zexis!

Master? What are you doing here?

Just running some errands. What about you?



You fool. You shouldn't get all nosey about a client's private life. Don't you have a thing or two that you don't want people to know?

Well, I guess...

This front desk lady also has very special interests and hobbies that she can't tell anybody about. You should be considerate enough not to ask her about it.

Even Esty can't keep up with Astrid. She really did bring this upon herself, but there's a definite foodchain here.

Ms. Zexis! You're making it sound like...

Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate...

Don't apologize! This is getting serious! Don't think...



Do you understand me? Now, go.

Yes. I'll see you later, Esty. I'm so sorry about everything!

*Rorona leaves*

Whew, that was close.

Yep, as if it wasn't obvious from Astrid showing up, it's Astrid leaving these unusual requests. Astrid's got some interesting hobbies if she needs this stuff, but it's another way she's testing her apprentice.

...Yeah, but now she has the wrong idea about me.

You deserve it. Just let it go.



Oops, it is really this late? I better get going, too. Keep up the good work.

*Astrid leaves*

Hey, wait!

...Ugh, I can't believe I'm being tossed around like this.



Cordelia asks for Arland Crystals a lot. Arland Crystals are an incredible pain to synth, especially three of them. Polish Powders really add to the day count, but take some time and register Polish Powder with Tiffani. It's another good "general" item that will save you a lot of time.



The solution to Cordelia's request? Register a Crystal with Hagel, and just buy from there. The trouble is that a high-quality Crystal can cost up to 1000 Cole, so we're losing a bit of money on this request. However, we really need to catch Cory up to everyone else, so I'll take the hit.



Another important request was this one. Not because Barrels are particularly valuable, it's just that this request reminded me it's also a good idea to Wholesale Barrels. It'll make the next Assignment, shockingly, child's play.



So, surprisingly enough, I was wrong about how Cordelia's requests are generated. I've not run into Glow Sand yet, so it appears her requests are generated within specific time frames. Still, 4,999 Cole is nothing to sneeze at, and I'm at around 100% Trust Level by now, simply because I need the money. I think we can hack it.

Once we've unlocked the next location on 7/18, you can gather Glow Sand. Unfortunately, 5 days back and forth is a bit of a tight fit, but I've got the solution. Now, you can actually take a little longer than the deadline says to complete a request, but you won't get the full reward for it. However, nuts to that. Just send Hom to the new location, then when the deadline comes up, bring her back. She'll probably have two, which you can just turn in. As long as you have a margin of around 10 days, you'll be fine. Oh, and another correction: you have to do 5 of 7 Cordelia requests, so we've only got one more after this.[/i]



Nectars are a pretty good general item. They're the first item that can revive, but remember only Rorona can use items. These will start turning up in requests Pamela or Gio can give, so take a couple days and make one that is in the 60-80 quality range, and drop it off at Tiffani's. But, this next scene showed up when I tried to go to Tiffani's. Just based on some recent experiments, I'm pretty sure you have to know how to make Nectar for this scene to show up. The recipe is one of the later areas of The Catacombs.Video goes until Rorona says " I should bring her some medicine later".



It seems like Tiffani is sick and the shop is closed.

Really? She is pretty frail...and she works way too hard.



Hey! That's inappropriate!

I know, but...I'm sure you all have thought about that before, too. Taking care of Tiffani while she's sick in her bed...

Well, I can't say I've never heard of Barney's little obsession before. Then again, between years of surfing the Internet and PYF, I've heard of more fetishes than I care to know...

You bastard! How dare you say such filth!?

Wh-what!? A man is allowed to fantasize!

Ahh, stop fighting! I'm worried about her... I should bring her some medicine later.

There is a follow-up to this scene, but the window is very small. I believe you have to have Nectar on hand by the day after this event happens, because Tiffani's shop is closed the day you see this event. If you don't have Nectar on hand, you can buy one from Pamela. Video goes until Rorona says "Well, please get some rest and feel better."



Naturally, you have a choice on whether to give Tiffani the Nectar or not. But, the choice should be obvious. It's Tiffani, after all.

Ms. Tiffani? This is for you...

Huh? Is this...medicine?

Yes. I heard you were sick again, so I thought you might want to keep this in your cabinet.

Oh... I'm sorry for making you worry. Um, how much is it?

Oh no! It's not like you asked for it. I want to give it to you as a "thank you" present for being so kind to me all the time.



Well, please get some rest and feel better.

But, since we've got a few shopkeeper events to take care of this update, this one takes place in Pamela's shop two weeks after she opens up. It just happened to show up for me in early July. Video goes until the screenshot of Pamela telling Rorona to hurry.



Hi, how is everything going here?

...Oh, it's you. *sigh*

You don't have to be so disappointed.

Well, no one is coming to my shop. I'm still as bored as I was before!

Hmmm, maybe people are afraid to come a shop that's owned by a ghost.



Discri- *sigh* Fine, I'm sorry. But I can't think of any other reasons...

Ughh... I should've just stuck with scaring Rorona...

No, please, not that! I'll try to think of something, okay?



Unfortunately, one of Rorona's few handicaps is a lack of business acumen. She definitely wouldn't know how to help a ghost out. But I know someone who can help, but sadly we can't meet him in July.



But just before we finish up the week, we can take care of the Yakuto Wolf. 2500 Cole is a pretty nice bounty, especially for a very low-effort battle, as he turned out to be. Unfortunately for him, he's so unmemorable there's really no point in taking screenshots of it. He doesn't have many tricks besides what he did in the video. He can't even be bothered to drop some good materials. Battle against the Yakuto Wolf.

But, now it's time for the main event of this update. For a rather long scene, it's strange that this isn't voiced. Ah well. That's something I'd actually like to comment on. I tried the Japanese voice track for Totori for a couple hours, and it really stood out to me how everything is voiced. Basically every bit of dialogue, no matter how insubstantial, is voiced. It's a big reason why I didn't use the Japanese voices, because there's some dialogue, like when you're talking to the shopkeepers to buy something or whatever, that is voiced, and frankly I don't need it to be voiced. I dislike interrupting spoken dialogue, and I just don't want to listen to it every time. Different strokes for different folks, and all that.



What's your problem!? Do you even know what time it is!?

*yawn* ...I'm still sleepy. Can you get me when we're there?

Whoa! She disappeared...

I will carry your stuffed animal.

...Master, why did you pick these people?

You'll see when we get there. Now, let's go!



Umm...are you sure I can go, too?

Why not? She invited you.

Actually, it might be a bad idea if you don't go.

Stuffed animals... They are so fluffy.

...I'm starting to worry. I hope we'll be okay.

*fade to black*





Whoaaa...

I never knew about this lake. It's so beautiful.

I'm glad you all seem happy.

I'm not!

Umm, I am!

We are here. Please, wake up now.

Hrrm...five more minutes...

Master, is this where we can find Foamy Water?

That's correct. But gathering near the water can be dangerous, so I prepared something to help us out.

Oh yeah, you were talking about preparing something... What is it?

Just hold your horses. Alright, you first.

Me? W-wait, what are you doing to me!? Stop! Get away!



Nooo! Stop!

*fade to black*

*sigh*

What's the matter?

I thought we came here to gather Foamy Water.

Of course. Do you think we're here just to hang out?

I don't believe you! What are we really doing!?



Well, it is a Summer vacation, after all. Another reason Female Hom is superior. This scene just would be off if we had five girls and a male. Just off. Still, never count out Astrid when it comes to getting stuff done. She just needs motivation, is all. That all said, I don't think anyone's going to mind too much if I get through this fairly quickly, especially since I don't really have much to add to it.

Oh, thanks.

Are you listening to me, Master!?

Stop yelling. Geez, what's your problem?

Clean air, a beautiful lake, and the girls hanging out in their swimsuits... It's like a utopia.

But we came here to gather ingredients!

You shouldn't stress out so much about work all the time. You need to tak ea break every once in a while.

But, you're always taking a break. You even prepared swimsuits for everyone...

And boy did it take a lot of work to find out everyone's size. But watching them have fun makes it all worthwhile.



In another entry in "Things I just noticed about this game", this CG and the previous one are actually one CG. If you look very closely in the bottom right of this screenshot, you can see a very small part of Rorona's right arm.

Aghhh! Get off of me! Brrr! You're so cold!

Hehehe! That's because I'm a ghost!

Ummm...

Hey you! Don't just stand there! Get this ghost off of me!

Uh, okay! Umm...may I?

Nope.

Okay...I'm sorry. She said no...

Gahhh! You're so frustrating!

Do they look like they're having fun to you?

Sure. They look like they're having a lot of fun.

Pamela's wearing a swimsuit, too? I didn't know ghosts could change their clothes.

Good eye, Rorona. That's all thanks to my skills and technique. I took a physical object, put it on a spiritual being, and then blended the...

I wish you would put that much effort into something useful...

Are you just gonna sit there and complain all day? It'll be better if you can just drop it and go have fun while you can.

Ugh...I guess...

You too, Hom. Get out there with Rorona.

Understood. Come on, Master.

...Alright. Cory, let me in!

Get this ghost off of me!

*fade to black*





That was so much fun!

*yawn* I'm tired... I'm gonna go take a nap...

I will carry the stuffed animal home instead.

I'm exhausted...I bet that ghost sucked out all my energy.



I can walk by myself!

I'm glad you all enjoyed yourselves, but it's not over yet. Going home is when the real fun begins.

We didn't come here to have fun in the first place... Oh no! Speaking of which, I need to look for the ingredients!

I can't believe you forgot about such an important thing.

B-but, you...I mean, sure I forgot, but...

Here, is this what you need? I got you covered.



When? Just look around. The foam's everywhere. I just scooped some up.

What!? Ah! You're right...!

I can't believe you didn't notice. You were playing right next to it the whole time. An alchemist should be wary of her surroudings at all times.

*sigh* I have nothing more to say.



You can feel sorry about that later.

Okay. Master...I kind of see why she's so confident in herself.

So after this scene, we can head to Nabel Lake. It's a pretty great location, if only for the fact it has some super chill music, as well as some pretty good materials. There's a lot of Glow Sand in Nabel Lake that can be used to make the next tier of weapons, but the general quality of it is pretty bad, so forge at your own risk. You might want to do it to make the next location we'll be getting a bit easier, but that's what Bombs are for.



The Bunny Tail here is a pretty good item to have on Rorona all the time. Lucky Drops is the chance of getting items after a battle, and Good Money is, as you might guess, more money. If you like the Bunny Tail, it'd be a good idea to upgrade it down the road, but it'll do for now. Not like any of these other items are particularly worth spending my tickets on.



That's some nice money there. Unfortunately for me (at the time, anyway), I couldn't match up the Rose Maiden icon with any of the sillouettes on Hagel's item creation screen. I was at a complete loss, but here's why.



For some reason, this game won't tell you outright what the result of a forge will be until you make it at least once. For the Rose Maiden option to show up, you have to make the Soft Dress? first, because the scene you get for the Rose Maiden refers to this coming scene. This scene happens when you make the Velvet Dress. Video goes until Rorona says "I don't think he'll do anything weird with it..."



Hmph! You're making it sound like I couldn't have made it.

It's not like that... You designed it, right?

...See? I knew it.

Huh?

So...you have a problem with this dress?

Umm...what are you talking about?



Well, I don't think any of us saw that coming. I guess even a guy like Hagel has a tender side. Still, he's got pretty good aesthetic sense for the most part. Some of the dresses he makes are just strange.

Aghh! N-no, I don't...

...Wait? Do you really do that every night?

*gasp* Crap, it's outta the bag... Just forget what I just said! Please!

Um, okay...sure... (I don't think anyone would believe me anyway...)

...Can I ask you for a favor, since I've already embarrassed myself?

Sure, what is it?

Umm...whenever you have time...can I get a picture of you wearing that dress?



Really!? Sweet! I knew you would agree! It's a promise, okay!? You swear!?

Whoa, he just got way too excited...

...I didn't think it through, but it'll be okay, right? I don't think he'll do anything weird with it...

But now that we've made the Velvet Dress, it's time to make good on that request.Video goes until the screenshot of Rorona talking about how sensitive Hagel is.



Hehehe. Since you already know my secret hobby... I made a special one... What do you think? Do you like it?

Hmmm... It's a little too much...

Gonna have to second Rorona again here. Purple's a really nice color, but it just doesn't work with this whole design. Hagel got a bit too carried away with his little hobby.

You don't get it. Girls' dresses are supposed to look like this.

But it's got thorns. Wouldn't it hurt to wear it?



But I'm supposed to fight battles in this...

...What's your problem!? All I'm hearing from you is complaint after complaint!

Whoa! Pops is mad... I-I'm sorry! I've said too much!

Yeah, yeah. Why is it that everything is like splitting hairs with you?

What!? Splitting hairs!? Hey, are you trying to say something!?

For all of Hagel's goofiness, he's not the kind of guy I'd piss off. Especially for Rorona. He's got to weigh like four times more than her.

I'm not the one who said it!

Hmph, fine. If you wanna go that far... I've got pride, too. Wait till next time. I'm gonna make something so good, you won't even think of anything to complain about!

*Hagel leaves*

Pops! *sigh* I made him mad...



After a few days of synthing for various requests around town, this event came up toward the end of July. However, it has a random chance of appearing after a synthesis any time after the 7th Assignment begins.



Oh, it's boiling... All I have to do now is... Huh? Where's the ingredient? Am I all out? Oh no...

Is something wrong, Master?

Homhom, I'm sorry but could you go buy something for me real quick? I can't leave the cauldron right now...

Of course. I will be right back.

*fade to black*



The sound of a creature... Where is it coming from? Oh...



Meow.

Please, get away from me. I cannot walk with you around my feet.

Meooow. Meooow.

I've always found "Meow" amusing quite because it's a total onomatopoeia. Every cat has a slightly different noise it makes for when it wants attention or something, where "Meow" would usually go. They usually go like "Mewl" or "Arrrr". I will say, though, I've had some pretty noisy cats over the years. However, everyone loves "Meow", so it works.

What should I do...? This is quite the predicament.

*fade to black*

So that's why you brought it back?

Yes. What should I do?

Well...hmmm... It looks like it's still a kitten.

Meow.

It is very warm and fluffy. It feels excellent to the touch.

Really? Can I touch it...?



Whoa! Why is it so upset with me? It doesn't seem to mind Homhom...

...Master, can we raise Little Meow here at the workshop?

Little Meow?

It makes a meow sound and is very little, so it is Little Meow.

I see. Well, I'll have to ask Master first...



Whoa! I never know when you're here...

...Why not, Grand Master?

Meow?

This is an alchemy workshop. I don't want it tipping over potions and getting its hair all over the place. That's why.

Astrid speaks the truth. If you've ever had cats, you know they shed everywhere. Especially if your mom is a cat lady, and there's no fewer than four cats wandering around the house at any given time. So. Much. Fur.

Master tips over potions all the time. Plus, this is not an it. This is Little Meow.

Homhom, you just totally insulted me...

Little Meow, Big Meow, whatever it is, my answer is no. Go leave it somewhere.

...Yes, Grand Master.

Meoow...

*Hom and Little Meow leave, fade to black*

...Master, Homhom looked sad.



That's not what I'm trying to do! Why can't we have a kitty?

Do you want some cat walking around, distracting you from your work?

I think it's a lot less distracting than having you wandering around here.

Oooh, this kitten's got claws. Already Rorona has come a long, long way since the start of the game.

Oh, are you giving me attitude? I see. So you really want me to punish you, huh?

Oh, no. That's not what I want. It just slipped out of my mouth.

...Hmph. Whatever. There's something more interesting than punishing you today.

Huh?





As promised, the alternate version of the first scene of the Assignment. Apologies for using Male Hom, but I accidentally chose a brother at that sibling choice, but it's not worth fretting over.

Hmm, nothing... Not in this one either...

Doing some research, huh? Are you looking up a new recipe for dinner?

No, I'm trying to look up an ingredient that might be useful for my next assignment. It's called Foamy Water...

Foamy Water? You can find that all over Nabel Lake.

Nabel Lake?

It's a lake to the East.

Not that many people know of it, since it's a little far from town. It's a beautiful place, though.

I never knew about that... Thank you. I'll go look around later.

Do you want me to come with you?

Are you really gonna help me? I didn't expect you to...

How can I pass up an opportunity to make you a brand new swimsuit?



No, thank you. I can go alone.

What...? Hom, Rorona is being unusually disobedient. Say something to her.

Yes. But, what should I say in this situation?

Well... *whisper* *whisper*

...Okay...understood.



Whaaaat...!?

Hey, keep it down. You heard us.

I apologize. Also, what are no boobs?

I can't really explain it with one word. There are other terms like flat chested or mosquito bites...

M-Master! Don't teach Homhom things like that!



Understood, Grand Master.

*Astrid and Hom leave*

...Hmph, I don't care. I don't have to wear a swimsuit to gather ingredients...


Forest Minstrel
Ghost in the Bear
Cauldron C Synth