Part 11: Part X: Hear the Legacy of a Plan

Part X: Hear the Legacy of a Plan

After the whole series of events at the Glass Factory, basically you have nothing left to do except get to alchemy level 15, at which point you get the Synthesis Skill "Apply Property". Truthfully, I don't exactly recall what this does at the moment, but I will when I start playing the game. After you get to level 15, this scene comes up.



But if anyone asked me if I was doing alchemy or not, I still wouldn't know... It's like I'm self-taught...or even creating my own style. I haven't been to exact with the measurements either. It's kinda scary, thinking that my style might be completely wrong. If there was someone I knew who was knowledgeable about synthesis, I could learn from them. Oh, I know, Mr. Keith! ...Probably won't teach me anything, so that's a no-go. But still, I'm curious to hear stories from people who know how to do alchemy. Hmmm...oh! I should go ask Marion! She gave me that book...!



Oh? What is it? As long as it's something I have control over...

I already finished reading that book you gave me last time. I was hoping you could spare me some other alchemy books, if you had any...

Oh, that book. I only got it by chance, so I don't have any other alchemy books. Back in my home country, I have a few more, but...

I see. Okay, thank you very mu-

Oh, but that book was forced on - I mean, given to me by Harry... When I first moved to Vierzeberg, as a sign of friendship or something. Maybe he has some more books...

So, Mr. Harry might. Okay, I'll go right on over and ask him!



*sniff*

Huh? Wh-Wh-Why did you start crying all of a sudden!?

Oh, no no, excuse me. I'm so happy, I was moved to tears... How magnificent it is that you have come to depend on me. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before! No one in Vierzeberg has shown even the slightest interest in the ruins of the ancient civilizations. But, you're different. I always knew you were a promising child! To honor your ambition and intellectual curiosity, I'll do whatever I can to help.

Wow! Thank you so much!

Now then, first of all, about that book you have, it's about one type of alchemy that became popular long ago... A book that recounts the secret art of Anciemy!

"Anciemy"...? Marietta used that word, too. I wonder if she got it from him...

An...ciemy?

The technique of turning precious metals into base metals! Through mystical means, it allows the creation of various things through a process called synthesis... That is the art! Isn't Anciemy wonderful!? Indeed, it's written in an ancient language, so even my superior brain can't quite comprehend it. It's really disappointing. If I could decipher that book, it would be a major breakthrough for my research!

Umm, Mr. Harry, do you have any other books like that?

Of course! I had lots of them. Though it's a shame that I have to point out that the operative word is "had"... But, they were all so complex that I lost my patience and threw - er, gave them all away.

Whaaat? Everything!? Wh-What a waste...

But don't fret. They may be historically rare documents, but there are ways to obtain them. If you truly have such aspirations, then I will be most generous with my cooperation. ...Although, with so many books, obtaining them all will undoubtedly be very difficult.

Difficult...?

To the south lies a deserted village. It is said that all of its inhabitants have disappeared. Further south beyond that village like a dense forest, where it's always dark, even during the day. Following the road even further will you lead you past the vast marshland and eventually to Hornheim... But it's dangerous if you stray from the road, because of all the wild beasts that infest the surrounding areas...

Umm...what are you talking about? It doesn't seem like that has anything to do with books...



The mistress of that mansion lives alone, surrounded by a massive amount of books.

A massive amount of books...? Then, the book I'm looking for...

There is a strong possibility. Of course, I've never been there myself, so I don't know any specific details. But, it is certainly a dangerous journey. It's no place for a girl like you to go...

You're right... I'll try to find a better way...

That's good. If it comes down to it, I'll organize a caravan. There's no way you'll ever be disappointed if you come to me for help.

(Yup, it was a good idea to come ask Mr. Harry!)

Actually...I'd really rather not wait. Nio is counting on me, and I don't have much to do until I get more alchemy books and learn more about alchemy. If I bring Linca along, I'm sure I'll be fine until I reach the mansion Mr. Harry was talking about. As I was passing by Mr. Harry's to go back to my room, I got in trouble again...

Excuse me, beautiful miss!



Whoa, hold on.

Umm...are you talking to me...?

That's right. Do you see any other beautiful misses here?

U-Umm, well...I don't think I'm particularly beautiful...

Oh, don't be so modest. You're quite beautiful.

No, what I- I think I'm, you know, normal...

I always get so embarrassed when someone says something nice about how I look. I just never know how to respond.

Well, I have a very tempting piece of information for a beautiful miss like you. I have a wondrous hairpin that will make your pretty hair look even more beautiful. How about it? Why don't you buy one?

Well, that's... (Urgh, how can I refuse...?)



I wonder what they're doing...?

Miss, you said you'd buy it a moment ago, right? Right? And now you're saying you don't want it? What are you trying to pull here?

Er, that's...I was just thinking about whether or not I should buy it...

You're the most troublesome type of customer. My life is riding on this job, you know?

I-I'm so sorry... Hmm...then I'll buy-

Okay, okay, stop right there. What are you doing, Ayesha?

Marietta! Well, umm, I was looking at this hairpin...

Who are you? We're negotiating a business transaction, so don't interrupt us.

Hmm...negotiating, huh? Mister, did you get permission to open a business here?

O-Of course. If you're trying to come up with some trumped-up pretext. I won't leave you-

Oh, that's weird... To open a shop in this town, you need to get a permit from Harry's Trading House... To get that permit, one always has to go through me. But I don't recognize you, mister.

Wh-Who are you...? Nrgh...! I don't know what's going on, but it looks like I better vanish.



Marietta, you saved me. Thank you so much!

You're welcome. But it's your fault, too, Ayesha. You have to take a firm stance at times like that, or you'll be taken advantage of.

You're right. I'll be more careful... (I guess I kinda get pushed around... I need to brace myself better.)

I'm just not very strong-willed, except when it comes to Nio...it's definitely something I need to work on in the future.





Just for reference, x Knowledge bonuses give you the bonus for making more items per synthesis. For example, Medicine Knowledge increases the number of medicine items when you make, you guessed it, a medicine item. Some important stuff, like items that make you travel faster on the world map or reduce gathering time, can also only be learned from memory events.



Music: Splendid Place

Like Harry said, south of Hallos Village is the Evershade Woods, with a nice location theme. For this journey, to the mansion Harry mentioned, you should prepare very well. Both the mansion and the location before it have some really resilient enemies, so bombs and healing items are strongly advised.

While I was still trying to figure out how to get through the woods, I saw Ernie!



Wow, I'm still not used to seeing you outside your workshop. But, I'm still worried... Are you okay?

I'm fine. I've gotten used to traveling!

That's when traveling's the most dangerous. There are a lot of things you can't predict in the hills and fields.

Really? Like what?

First, there's always the possibility of running into a vicious animal, or you might even get lost. I mean, there are times when you'll have to make your own path, right? And I'm sure there'll be other problems, too. Even I've ran low on drinking water, and fell off a cliff...

Ernie, it sounds like you've gone through a lot...

I've been doing this job for a while. I've experienced just about any kind of danger you can think of. Even if you're traveling along a main road, it can still be dangerous. So you should walk with travelers of merchants, or hire a bodyguard, okay?

Okay, I'll keep that in mind.



If you push yourself too hard and hurt yourself, you'll be in big trouble. Also, when you're going to sleep, make sure you keep the fire going. It's important to keep the heat and...

Hehehe, Ernie, you're always worried about me. You're like a mother... It makes me happy.

I mean, I've known you since you were little... In any case, I'd prefer if you said father...

Hmm...but you feel more like a mother. I'm sure that a mother would be as kind as you, Ernie.

Hmm, I can't really agree, but... Okay, I'm fine with being a mother, but in return, make sure you do what your mother tells you!

Okay, will do. Thank you for caring about me, Ernie!

Hehe, he's so helpful, but I really do have to be careful. That's why I always bring my friends along when I leave town.



These Steel Skins are the toughest enemies at this point in the game. They're pretty strong and tough to kill, so make sure you go all out against them.

When I finally made it out of the woods, I saw something incredible! Zweiteturm intro



Music: Just a Coffin and an Automaton





Huh? Whoooa... It's such a mysterious-looking building... Mr. Harry, this is more like...a tower than a mansion... I wonder what kind of mistress lives in this place...

I've never seen something like this. It's a really big tower. I can't even see to the bottom of it. It definitely seems like it's something that's meant to be really important, but I can't even guess why... The ancient library



Hmm, this is such an eerie place... Mr. Harry said it was a mansion, but... This is more like a ruin. Plus, it feels like something might pop out any minute now...

Welcome.

Hyah! Yes! Umm, excuse me for entering.

Please keep walking straight.

Ah, oh, umm, well, if you say so...

Please stop right there.

Wha -! Oh, yes!



Hmm...she definitely doesn't look like anyone I've ever met. She has something on her head, and mechanical wings...I guess she's not human. And she can control slags...I wonder how she does it.

I am very pleased to be able to welcome a guest like this.

Umm, what kind of place is this? It seems pretty old...

This facility was built 928 years ago. It contains various knowledge from around the world... It is a library. This place was called the Zweiteturm. We manage this facility as librarians. We are pleased to make your acquaintance.

So it's a library... And it's been here for such a long time... Umm, am I allowed to read the books here...?

Of course. This facility exists for that very purpose. Visitors are allowed to read various books freely, with few exceptions. We hold a collection of over 80 million books.

Y-You have that many books? That's amazing... I'd love to read some.

In addition, I can explain the contents of the books orally.

Does that mean you remember the contents of every single book?

It would be more accurate to say that I am capable of recalling the information at will. If you can specify the bookshelf number, then I will be able to recall it.

O-Okay. If I need anything, I'll come to you. But first, can I go look at the books?

Yes. Please walk freely throughout this facility. However, please not that some parts of this facility are currently experiencing malfunctions. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I ask that you contact us if you encounter any trouble. Now, please enjoy your stay.

(Some malfunctions... I wonder what they could be... Anyway, there are so many books from the past... Hmm, I wanna start reading them right away.)



Odelia is also running a shop, with some nice recipe books and a couple nice pieces of armor. I bought a couple of the books, and the two pieces of armor, because there are some pretty annoying enemy groups in this dungeon.

Also, this dungeon is friggin' huge. If I recall, this place has 8-9 floors in total, but the whole thing won't be open until fairly late in the game. Also, as nice as this dungeon's theme is, the final dungeon's is much better. As a final note, you can press start to access a short little menu where you can just jump straight to the world map, which especially helps in this dungeon.

Already on the first floor of the library, I ran into one of the malfunctions the librarian was talking about. I guess I should expect this from a place that's so old...



Umm, the slags here are docile, right? I didn't mean to intrude.



Huh? It looks kinda angry... H-Hold on a second!

A short battle ensued.

What really surprised me was this just attacked me all of a sudden. I wonder if I did something wrong... Oh right, you need to be quiet in the library. Maybe I was being too loud...

No. There is no fault to be found in your actions.

Whoa, you scared me!

Currently, this facility is experiencing malfunctions with several of its operations. It may cause some inconveniences for the visitors, but we ask for your kind understanding and cooperation.

I see. This is an old facility. I need to keep my guard up, like when I'm investigating a ruin.

In addition, bookshelves collapsed the other day, blocking the passage to the lower floor.

Ohh, then I guess I can't go any further...

Now, please enjoy the rest of your visit.

(A library where I don't know when I'll get attacked... I guess I won't be able to read a book in peace.)

There are indeed bookshelves blocking you from going further in the library, so just return and talk to Odelia. Also, these big blue slags have a neat ability where they'll actually throw a gatherable item at you, called the Luminous Gemstone. A few enemies do that, actually, but the first time it shows up is here.



Actually I don't know which sections have what kinds of books, and... I'm looking for alchemy books... Do you have them here?

So, books regarding alchemy. I will initiate the search. Please wait. There are 58,400 results. Should I read you the list?

Th-That many...? It's gonna be hard to read them all...

Except for a few rare exceptions, this facility has a variety of books. You may be able to narrow your search. Would you like to do so?

Umm, I'm looking for alchemy books about flowers. Would you happen to have one...?

Alchemy and flowers. I have included the key terms. I will initate the search again. Sending signal... Please wait one moment.

Okay, I'll wait.

Sending signal... Please wait one moment.

Okay...

An unexpected malfunction has ocurred. The database of alchemy search results has disappeared.

...Huh?



What...? I feel like I did something terrible...

Please do not worry. The only things that disappeared were the search result databases.

I see, so the books are different.

Yes. Only the search results have disappeared. This has had no effect on the actual books that are kept. I apologize, but please refer to the original book. Please head to the entrance over there. However, as I said earlier, the passage is blocked by the bookshelves that collapsed. We are currently performing repairs to the passage. Please wait one moment.

(I sure have had to wait a lot today...)

I heard the sounds of smashing from the floor below. I guess the librarian got her slags to destroy the bookcases. That's one way to do it.

Thank you for waiting. The removal of the obstacles is now complete.

Thank you so much, Ms. Librarian. You've really been a great help to me.

No. This is my job. The appropriate bookshelf you are looking for is 4-D 3. Now, I hope for your safe return.



Hmm...that's a strange thing to say...



This little red bastards down in Archive 3 are the most annoying foes the library has to offer on these upper levels. They're really strong, especially for this point in the game. Like with the Steel Skins, spare no expense in taking these things down. One benefit to fighting a bunch of slags is they'll drop equipment for active party members, which means Ayesha, Marion, and Linca all got better weapons. Archive 4 is your target. The search for knowledge



Here is 4-S. Hmm, this is so confusing... Umm, 4-D, 4-D...

4-D is here.

Oh, it's Mr. Keith! I haven't seen him since Hallos Village. I wonder what's he's been doing...

Huh? A visitor came here before me...?

Music: Purple Smoke

Romping around like that makes the dust rise.

Oh, I'm sorry for being so loud... (I made him mad again...)

Are you here to research something?

Yes, I was hoping to find some clues about my sister.

Hmm, that was a wise decision.

Um, what are you doing here, Mr. Keith? I mean, the entrance was blocked...

There are other ways to deal with entrances. I'm a bookworm. I've been her for some time now. But, I don't have to tell you anything. Just as you have your purpose, I have my own purpose for being here. So you should hurry up and get started on your purpose.

Aww...Mr. Keith doesn't have to be so mean to me.

Yes, sir... (Mr. Keith is as strict as always...) "Edible Wild Grass Encyclopedia", and "The Medicinal Properties of Poisonous Herbs"... There are so many books that're just on plants. It's impossible for me to read all of them... What should I do?

The book you need is the 16th one from the right.

Huh...? Oh, th-thank you.

...

(The 16th one from the right...is this one. The title is... It's so worn out, I can't read it. If he hadn't pointed it out for me, I never would've found it...) Excuse me, what is this book all about...?



I-I'm sorry. Of course I'll read it myself later. It's just that...I wanted to know why you recommended this book to me.

...Being interrupted while reading is my biggest pet peeve...but fine.This place has a lot of books that have been perserved in great condition. It's quite miraculous in this day and age. This collection of books is immeasurable. It's like my own personal paradise.

I think I understand. But, what does any of that have to do with this book?

Well, while I had confined myself to this paradise, devouring its knowledge in peace... A very noisy little girl came in one day.

Oh. That must've bothered you...

Is he talking about me...?

Indeed, she did. So, I decided to give her a book to occupy her and send her on her way.

Was that little girl...? Did I really bother you that much?

Precisely. In fact, even now, you continue to obstruct my studies.

Uhh, sorry... I didn't mean to disturb you.

However, I understand very well your thirst for knowledge. I've perused all the books in this section, and so far, that is the most appropriate book for you. That's why I recommended it to you. That's all there is to it.

(In this section... I wonder if he read all these books... Whoa...)

Hmm...he's been helping me all along, ever since I first met him... But he doesn't seem to want to admit that.

...Now I feel inclined to ask you a question, as well. Why did you come here?

To synthesize... I want to learn proper alchemy. I've always taught myself, so... Any alchemy book would've been fine, but I never thought there could be this many types of them. But while i was talking to the librarian, my focus kinda shifted to a book on flowers... I think I might've gotten a little greedy. Hehehe...

Hmph. If you came here to find an answer, I'm afraid you'll find no such thing.

Even with all these books? I came here hoping I'd find out something.

Naturally, you'll be able to find many fragments that will lead you to the answer. However, those fragments will only start to make sense once the seeker, herself, puts them all together. Alchemy requires more than just passing attention. There are many principles that form its underlying foundation. Furthermore, various methods exist between different practitioners, so the core heart of it is strictly hidden.

In other words, I won't find "this is the answer!" in any of these books, will I?

Of course not. Don't forget that even in the past, few people had the ability to use alchemy. It certainly won't be as simple as perusing a book and finding the answer right in front of you.

I see... I guess it's not as easy as I thought it would be...



As well as the inspiration to set foot toward the truth.

Inspiration... So, just having the knowledge isn't enough...?

In any event, the basics begin with knowledge. And acquiring knowledge begins with observing the phenomena. That book will help you get started. Okay, that should be enough for now. Leave before my mood sours.

Oh, okay. Thank you very much... (Mr. Keith is scary...but i think this is the longest we've talked to each other. I hope we can have a nicer conversation next time.)

Mr. Keith is a lot stranger than I first thought... It seems he really wants me to succeed, but he doesn't want to do all my work for me... I think I understand him better now. I just wonder if he's looking for something in particular. The way he talks is kind of strange, too, but I wonder if he's just a really serious guy. A mechanical new friend



Umm, I believe so. Am I allowed to borrow books from here?

Of course. This facility exists for that very purpose. Now, I will proceed to the procedures. Your name please, for registration purposes.

Oh, it's Ayesha. Ayesha Altugle.

Miss Ayesha Altugle. Please wait while I complete the registration.

Okay.

A problem with the transmission has occured. Forcing termination of the operation.

Hmm, I thought something was wrong...

I could not register you on the rental roster, but I shall remember you. The rental time limit is one year. If you do not return the item within that time, we will visit to remind you.

I can borrow it for a year? I feel like I'll forget to bring it back...



You can just call me Ayesha. Saying my first and last name is kinda long... Oh, I know. If you don't mind, can I ask what your name is?

...Odelia. That is what my father has named me.

Ms. Odelia... Nice to meet you!

Yes. Please let me know if you have any questions. This facility lacks visitors, and I am bored...

Hehehe, okay. I'll come again!



And, like Marion, Odelia is now a playable character if you have the DLC with no in-game announcement. As for what she does, I don't know, as I ended my latest recording shortly after recruiting her. Guess you and I shall find out next time.