Part 48: Update XLV: An Adventurer and the Wharf

Howdy ya'll. We've got another update to get through, so let's just get mosey on out. If you'll recall, last time we ended things by nearly giving poor Filly a heart attack. After I took some requests to placate her, I decided to rank up. Silver Artisan is what put me over the top for Gold, so there's no reason to remain Silver.

Video goes until the screenshot of Cordelia talking about Totori.



Halfway. It'll be a while before I become a first-rate adventurer...

Of course it won't be easy. But maybe one of these days...

Will I really be able to?

Only if you keep it up. Don't get carried away or slack off.



*Totori leaves*



Give her a break, she's 14. Anyway, obligatory world map update time.



Not a whole lot was added this time. There's a couple new locations northwest of Arland that you can see in the screenshot (which means the isolated location northwest of the Golden Plains is now hooked onto something else), the last location of the continental coastline southeast of Alanya, and one location that's part of the Southwest Peninsula (due south of the Pixie Dance Floor from a couple updates ago).

Keep in mind that although it's going to be a little while until we hit the next rank, we still haven't touched any big locations in a while. Those are going to be massive rank point banks.



As far as the recipe book Cordelia gave us, it's yet another recipe that we're simply not equipped to utilize at the moment. But unlike Lemegeton (which, actually, has a pretty cool origin. It's evidently based on some 17th century grimoire, and probably better known as The Lesser Key of Solomon. It's apparently a book about demonology and summoning spirits and such. Neat, but what would Cordelia be doing with a book like that?), you really want to get the Speed Gloves as soon as possible. As you might guess, they significantly reduce the time needed to harvest.

It's not *the* most valuable recipe in the game, but it's pretty high up there. All you can do is just keep working on your alchemy level.



May of this year is a pretty boring one on my end. There's just not much we can do before June rolls around, and we definitely want to be in Alanya on 6/1. But I did get one scene with Marc by speaking to him.



This is out of the blue.

I got curious for some reason.



Me? Because Teacher taught me alchemy.

That's a simple response.





You don't have to force yourself to answer. I suppose it wasn't a fair question to begin with.

Ugh, never mind me, though. I was the one asking about you.

Because I like machines.

...That's it?

Everyone has simple reasons for what they do at first. Like yours.

I can attest to Marc's words, honestly. There's been quite a few things I've gotten into over the years for a very superficial reason (like, this series for instance), but I do not regret doing so. Perhaps you can attribute it to the Sunk Cost Fallacy, but eh. Considering I've played these three games for a combined total of...700+ hours, I'd like to think it's money well-spent.



So, I went back to Alanya (yes, again), and I ran into another Mimi scene. For the record, all of these Mimi scenes tend to happen in two week intervals, as long as her friendship level is high enough. Since I've been dragging her around a lot, her friendship level hit 60 long ago, so I never had any trouble making any of them show up.

Aside from the first, of course. This is the last one, which means Mimi events will start shifting to Arland. Anyway, Video goes until the screenshot of Totori thinking and Mimi stomping off.



Phew. That was great.

Thank you for the meal. I apologize for constantly intruding.

Don't worry about it. I'm happy to cook for more people. So what are you gonna do now?



You should just sleep over. You can use my bed.

I said I'm going back. Now if you'll excuse me.

You can visit us anytime.

*fade to black*





I know I shouldn't, but why do I feel so jealous?

Jealous? Of Ceci?

Well, that's part of it. More like this whole atmosphere.



I thought I should probably walk you back to the inn.

And you eavesdropped because you "probably" wanted to do that?



Oh, is that how you interpreted it?

Don't you have any siblings? I don't think I ever asked about your family.

I don't want to tell you.

Why not? Isn't it time you told me? So...will you?



What?

Nothing. I don't need to be walked. Just go home. Good night.





Well, I have just enough time for a trip to Nuse Grove to do another squirrel hunt (it's the 8/5 request) before the fabled 6/1. I did just that. And after I returned, another request put me exactly at the target date. So, here we go.

Again, I'd rather not spoil what this scene entails. You'll know.



Huh? Did Dad go out?

Yeah. I didn't expect it, either. He said he was going fishing.

That's rare. I wonder if I'll find him.

Just look carefully and you might be able to see him. I'm counting on you.

*fade to black*



Urgaaahh!



Dad?



Hi, Totori. Your timing is perfect. Can you give me a hand? I think I just caught something huge.

Huh? You want me to help?

Come on. Hold onto the fishing pole and tug when I tell you to.

O-Okay.

Here we go... Ready, and...!

Go!



Urgh... Wahhhhh!

Gragh!



Oh Rorona...

Huh? Wahhhh! T-Teacher?!

That's a bigger catch than I thought. Ceci would be really surprised.





She's alive! She's not quite all there, but she's definitely alive. We have to bring her back!

*fade to black*





Well, looks like without Astrid around, Rorona's a disorganized mess. Still, it's not all bad for her.

As an aside, I mentioned before Rorona is my favorite character design in this game, and I stand by that. It keeps all the elements of her original design, but she's aged visually in appropriate ways. Her hair is longer and more disorganized, and she's even wearing a cape. For whatever reason, she likes wearing both a shawl and a cape, but this is Rorona we're talking about, after all.

Phew... I thought I was done for this time around...

You scared me. I didn't think Dad would fish you out of the ocean.

How did you get into the ocean? Fully dressed, too.



Uni Grove? You floated from far away.

Just as a reminder, but Uni Grove is the first location immidiately east of Arland, so she's floated down almost the entire continent. Imagine if someone fell into the Nile at Victoria Falls and drifted all the way north to the Nile Delta.

Yeah, but thanks to that, I got to see you again. I guess I can consider myself lucky!

How is this lucky?! You could have died!

Hehehe... Sorry...

Judging by your appearance, you'll probably be okay. Let me make you a light meal.

Thank you. I'm starving...



...





I'm sorry. I'll try to make it a more normal meeting next time.

I don't mind, now that I know you're going to be fine. You haven't changed one bit.



Yes. I'm an adventurer now.

Adventurer? Congrats! Did you get to meet Cory?

Cory? You mean Cordelia? Yes, she taught me the ropes. She was also mad at you for being away for such a long time.

I thought so... Maybe I should go back...



N-No! I'm still doing that, too! Um...

*fade for exposition*

Oh, right. Your mom was an adventurer. I think I've heard her name. Gisela, right?

I've always wanted to search for her...





When I find my mom one of these days, I hope I can be as good of an adventurer as her.

Aww. Well, like I said, Totori is lucky to have someone as eccentric as Rorona as a teacher. I've always thought our two main characters here had a really nice dynamic.

On the one hand, with Totori, you can understand why she treats Rorona with such reverence. She's not only her affectionate teacher, but someone who gave her the confidence to do something that means a lot to her. Without Rorona, Totori would have never thought she had much potential or could do something with her life.

For Rorona, finding a student as capable as Totori allowed her to feel closer to her own teacher. Although everyone but her has a very negative impression of Astrid, Rorona knew Astrid better than anyone else and the kind of person she was. For Rorona, it's not about who Astrid is or was necessarily, but she'll always be her teacher, no matter what happens.

Totori...

Wah! W-Why are you crying?!

Because you're such a sweetie pie...



What? You will?



Now that it's set, I have to get ready. Come to Arland later. See ya there!

*Rorona leaves*

W-Wait. I can't get to Arland easi... She's already gone.



Well, unfortunately Rorona's going to have to wait for another scene. This also happens as soon as 6/1, but you automatically get Rorona's big event whenever you're in Alanya on or past 6/1. You have to go to the Bar for this. Video goes until Totori says "Did I just interrupt something bad?"



Hey, Melvie. It's been a while... How's Totori doing?

What do you mean? I don't know how to answer that.

You know exactly what I mean. Don't play dumb with me!





Beating me up doesn't mean anything.

It does, considering how she was before. She was the weakest kid in town. I think she was even weaker than the fish we can catch around here.

She's not that pathetically feeble! Stop mocking little Totori!

Fine, fine. I'm sorry. You can be such a pain. In short, she's growing up. That's what I wanted to say.



Hmm, that was a quick turnaound. But you don't look satisfied.

It's not that... I feel left behind...



What are you saying? You're maturing in your own way, too.



Ceci, Mel! What're you two up to?

Well, speak of the you-know-what.

What's that mean?

Just a talk between adults. Anyway, I'll see ya later.



*Ceci and Mel leave*

What's going on? Did I just interrupt something bad?



Nothing in particular. Anyway, back to Arland. Can't keep Teach waiting, you know. Video goes until Totori says "I'm looking forward to it".







There you are! I've been waiting for you to come back for a long time.

S-Sorry. You know Arland is really far away...

Let's go to my workshop. I finished preparing everything!

P-Please don't pull me!



By the way, I heard you used my workshop while I was gone.

Yes. Cordelia said it was okay.

Oh, here's some fun sequence breaking I discovered one time. One of Mimi's later events has Rorona in it. In it, I do believe Rorona and Totori speak briefly, and this can all be done before the wharf scene.

In a way, it still kinda makes sense, but not really. I just found it amusing enough to mention.



It wasn't as messy as I thought.

You thought it would be even worse?

Wait, no! I didn't mean that.

*fade to black*



We're here! It's sparkly clean now.

It doesn't look that different.

No way! I worked so hard to clean up...





Wait, it really is new.

Yup. It's a cauldron just for you.

Just for me...

It might be hard to share one, so I got it for you.

Thank you very much!







Why are you surprised...? You didn't want to live with me?

I do! I really do! I just didn't expect to hear it, so I got jittery!

Oh. You'll get used to it realy quick. If you need anything, just ask.

S-Sure! I'm looking forward to it!

And like that, our previous protagonist is now a recruitable party member. Rorona is a lot of fun to have on a team, but sadly, her usefulness decreases as the game goes on, for a reason I'll explain when we see her in battle again.



Well, I do like to stay in-character as much as possible, and there's no way Totori wouldn't want Rorona around just starting off. Of course we're bringing her along.

Now that Rorona is formally in the game (as opposed to a flashback-based existence), a whole load of Rorona-related events will start happening in Arland. This update is mainly focused on covering them all, so we can get back to the game next time. This next scene happens whenever you talk to Filly with Rorona around. Video goes until Filly says "I should get back to work".



Hi, Filly.

Oh, Rorona. Nice to see you again! I thought you hated me, since you hadn't visited in a long time.

I'm sorry, I've been busy with lots of other stuff.

Oh, Filly, do you know Teacher?





That's not true. She was mean to me all the time.

I never met her, so I wouldn't know. I'd like to meet her someday.

I think it's better if you never do. Besides, I doubt we'll see her again.

Huh? Why's that?





What happened?

I felt a dark chill down my spine... No way... It can't be...

L-Let's stop talking about Esty.

S-Sure. I should get back to work.

Quite. After taking a few more requests for some easy jobs near Arland, I returned to the workshop and got this scene. Video goes until the screenshot of Rorona thinking about her latest nickname.



Hello there.

Hi, Marc.

Sorry to intrude while you're working, but I need a favor.



Wh-What's wrong, Teacher?

W-Well, he's... *deep inhale*



Oh, you can't either.

You haven't changed one bit. Long time no see.

You know each other?

Not exactly. We are simply acquainted.

Totori! Why are you friends this meanie?!



Oh, I see. You did the same things to Teacher.

Now I know it was my misunderstanding. For that, I apologize.



You gave a really long name for me, but Totori gets to call you Marc? Totori! That's so not fair!

Huh? Why are you yelling at me?

Then you can call me Marc as well. I only did it because you refused to stop calling me Briney. I despise it.





I don't know about that...

Why not?! Of all people, I thought you'd understand!

Seems as though we have a unanimous vote here. Now I have no reason to argue with you anymore.

S-So, can I still call you Briney...?



See? He's still a meanie.

There, there. Calm down, both of you.

He might be weird, but Marc isn't a bad person... I think.

Okay. If you say so, Totori.

Let's leave it at that for today. I want to talk about work now.

Oh, I'm sorry. That's why you're here...





Unfortunately, neither Hagel, Iksel, or Tiffani have anything to say about Rorona coming back. Cordelia does, though, and this scene triggers after the Marc scene, whenever you re-enter the workshop. Video goes until Totori says "I wish I had a girl childhood friend".



I'm coming in.

Hello, Cordelia.

Where's Rorona?



Oh... By the way, how does it feel to run a workshop together?





What was that?

N-Nothing! Anyway, glad you're happy.

Yes. It's all thanks to you.

*fade to black*



I'm back! Hey, it's Cory!

Hey! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Cory in front of people!

But Totori's the only one here.

That's in front of someone!



I think "Cory" is a cute name. Can I call you that, too?

No! Never!

Ack! Y-You don't have to yell at me...



I'm not bullying her!

Then...can I call you Cory?



Wahh! I'm sorry!

You are bullying her! Why won't you let Totori call you that?!



Just me? Special?

Geez! Stop making me say these things! I take it back!







Let me go! Stop making that stupid grin!

No fair. They're having fun... I wish I had a girl childhood friend.

One of my favorite scenes in the game, to be honest. Anyhow, let's go test Rorona out in Uni Grove of all places. This scene is with a party of Rorona and Mimi.



Teacher? So she's Rorolina Frixell?

Hi, nice to meet you.



Huh? Mimiho Luliguh...?

Please, just call me Mimi. It's an honor to be able to work alongside such a great alchemist.



I'm not being particularly formal. As a member of the Schwarzlang family, this is how I am taught to act.

But when you're with me...

Quiet, you.

So you're an aristocrat. I guess you're kind of like Cory.

Cory?



What?! I'm nothing like her!

Ahh! I-I'm sorry...

E-Excuse me. I didn't mean to... I-I'll be going now!

*Mimi leaves*



Hehe. I think that's close to how Mimi usually is.

Oh, really? Yeah, she's just like Cory.



So, Rorona at least picked up a new trick since we last saw her on the field of battle.



Rorona decided to opt out of just bashing enemies with her staff. Instead, she's taken up the career path of a grenadier. Her basic attack is actually quite strong at the moment, doing about as much damage as one of Mimi's normals, with the added fire elemental damage that either increases or decreases damage.

As you might expect, an area attack gets weaker as the enemies get stronger, making her weaker than most other party members in boss fights. As something else going in her favor, though, she's still an alchemist, so she can reach into Totori's Basket and use items. Overall, she's definitely one of the better party members, but only if you have good items to use later in the game, otherwise she gets pretty outclassed.

For another Rorona event, you get this the first time you try to synth in Atelier Rorona after its owner has moved back in. Video goes until Rorona says "B-But..."





... Um...

Well? Aren't you gonna synthesize?

I was... But when you watch me, I get butterflies in my stomach...

Why? What's there to be nervous about?



I want to watch you synthesize... I know! Why don't we do it together?

Together? Is that possible?





Yeah! So, what were you going to make?

I wanted to start with a Supplement.

That, huh? Here are the ingredients. Let's start!

Sure.



T-Twirl... Twirl...



All done!

That was fast! Wait, what's this, Teacher?

What do you mean? It's a Supplement...

...Or not. It's a...

Yeah... It's a pie.



...She really hasn't changed a bit. Don't you remember how well the Dunkelpeit went last time you tried a pie pun?

That's not what I was asking. How did a pie come out anyway?

I don't know. Wrong ingredients? Or I did it subconsciously because I'm hungry right now...

That's a really big mistake...

Sorry! I really am! I'll be more careful next time. Let's try again.

Sure...



Medicine? Sure. What do you want to use as the ingredients?

Let's do a really basic one so we don't make a mistake. This and this. All right. Let's go. Ready? Twirl, twirl, twirl!





*item make noise*

Um, Teacher...

Hehehe... Another pie...



What are you talking about?! How did we make pie again?!

I-I don't know... But this might be a revolutionary discovery! If we synthesize together, everything turns into pies!

But I don't want to make pies, Teacher! You're just getting in the way, so you don't have to help anymore!

*gasp* B-But...

Oh dear. Totori's got a really feisty streak to her, and might end up a better alchemist than Rorona when all is said and done. Guess we'll just have to see how that all turns out. Anyway, after finally making something successfully (sorry Rorona), another scene. Video goes until Totori says "Now I'm even more confused".



What is it?

It's about this Container. The one in my workshop has the same...

Yeah. I connected the two. I thought it'd be conveneint if you're using both workshops.

Connected? You make it sound simple...

What's wrong? Did I cause trouble because of it?

N-No, not at all!





The anime studio? I liked xxxHolic just fine, but I can't say I'm particularly knowledgeable about their output...

Clamp?

Yeah. I took the two and went "clamp." I-I'll tell you more when you know alchemy better.

Clamp? Now I'm even more confused.

Don't strain yourself, Totori. It's not like the audience is ever going to know. Anyway, relatively short update, but next time more adventure than you can shake a stick at. Catch you all later.



Since I finally have some room to talk about it after an update is over, let's talk about Atelier Totori+. It's the Vita port of this game (Japan-only, so far, and likely to stay that way), and it features some neat extras. Not enough nice extras for me to consider putting down hundreds of dollars to find out first-hand, but the Internet can be a marvelous thing when it comes to research.

Anyhow, Totori+'s extras aren't anything mindblowing (that I know of), but are worthy of coverage. The first major change seems to be the Model Viewer, Cordelia, Iksel, and Ceci out of the box, without having to be downloadable content. Not bad.

Next major change is that you can finally change Totori's outfit. You have a few choices, including:


Sunflower Dress Totori (seems to be special DLC or something. Doesn't seem to be included in the package from what I can ascertain)


Maid Totori


Glasses and Bedhead Totori


One Piece Swimsuit Totori


Devil Totori (complete with a tail)


Nurse Totori (probably my favorite of the batch, honestly)


Another Totori swimsuit


Yet Another? (I guess the glasses are an item you can equip separately)


Oy, vey Totori


... Totori


On a brighter note, though, you get at least two new monsters, in an old location.



From what I've heard, it seems Orthogalaxen is open from the start of the game or something, but you are nowhere near ready to explore it until much later. But, two new bosses worth mentioning have apparently set up shop in its bowels.


One is...I guess a really beat up Iron Giant, or perhaps a variation thereof. Looks really cool, though.



And one is, I imagine, the new master of Ortho, who also looks hella cool.

On a lesser note, I guess there's some new equipment, as I definitely don't remember this staff.


But this one, honestly, confuses me. They seem to have changed the battle portraits from looking to the side to looking forward, but the other screenshots contradict that...anyway, one of them is wrong, but this is worth posting, I guess.


I think that's enough for right now, but I'll definitely include the rest when I have another update that gives me room.


Catch of the Day
Arland Gate
Rorona artwork
Rorona and Totori artwork