Part 16: Part XIV: Hear the Desolation of a Desert
Part XIV: Hear the Desolation of a DesertI'll definitely have to think about what Mr. Keith said about alchemy. Although it's true alchemy can be really dangerous, it's my only way to Nio. A trip across the sky
This is just a guess, but...missy, is this your first time in the hot air balloon?
Oh, yes. It's so...big when you see it up close... Yup, it can carry a lot of people at once. How about it, wanna come aboard? Eh, I am interested, but I think I'll just look at it for now... I'm not mentally prepared for it... Haha, I guess anyone who's never flown before would be confused if they were suddenly told they had to fly. I'm very proud of my balloons. Feel free to take a good look but not to the point that you poke any holes. They're really magnificent balloons. Can something this big really fly...? What's that, missy? So you do want to ride one? Go ahead and hop on! Don't be shy. Though, I do have to charge you a small fee. A journey through the sky on a balloon... How much is it?
Come talk to me whenever you wanna ride a balloon.The exact fee is 100 Cole. You can go to two places at the moment: Homunculus Village and Salt Desert. You can go to either at the moment, but make sure you go to both. Both are very important for getting the next special flower.
Music: Invitation Flower -Autumn-
My favorite world map theme is this one. When I first played this game, I thought this was going to be a really late-game location. But nope. Though, the final real dungeon of the game is located in this area of the map. It's a bit of an odd ball, though. Also, Ayesha can pick up flyers while traveling this area of the world map. Quite a lucky find, those flyers blowing into the balloon like that. Pana is also on-board the balloon.
Music: A Far, Far Distant Place
Welcome to the Salt Desert. There's not much going on at the landing area, but there is a gathering spot just off-screen, which is like a clown car in terms of how many materials it gives you. Even with the Corrective Glasses, it takes more than a day to get everything from it. In the next area that opens up, a scene. The merchant girl
The scenery's the same, no matter how far I go. Phew, I'm exhausted... I should take a break under the shade of that ruin...
...Heeey... ...Huh? I thought I heard something... ...Heeeeeey...!
Someone's over there... It's not an illusion, is it? It looks like she's waving. I guess I'll go over there... Wow, I'm really surprised! I never thought I'd meet a person from somewhere else in a place like this. Hahaha...me, too. I haven't seen anyone until now... Hello, Miss Cityfolk. It must've been hard to walk in those shoes! Hahaha, it was challenging, since they kept burrowing into the sand... The ground around here is hard, so you should take a little rest. You're right. Maybe I should... Phew, I think I feel a lot better. My feet feel much lighter now. For some urban girl, I'm sure you're not used to getting your feet stuck in sand with every step... Some merchant guy, who's a regular out here, complains about that every time he comes out here, too.Merchant guy...?
Wow, that merchant must be really passionate if he comes all the way out here... He comes out here for business. What did you come here for? I'm here...to search for something. Like...medicinal ingredients. Oh, I'm an apothecary. My name is Ayesha. Oh, you're an apothecary! My name is Tanya! I gather salt from this lake with my family. Oh, salt... I see.
That's amazing! I've never heard of a desert of salt before. But...it's true this stuff doesn't look like normal sand.
Hehe, yup, yup! You probably use salt that we dug up every day. No one else really sells salt. But enough about me! It's your turn, Ayesha. I wanna hear stories about the city. Like, what's it like, and what everyone does. Hehe, sure. Let's see, what should I talk about...? I told her all about the disappearance of my sister, and everything I've done since then. She seemed really interested in my story, especially when I mentioned I ended up living in the city. Her eyes really lit up. Could Tanya be interested in what city life is like?
Hrrmm, I think I recovered from my fatigue with this nice long rest. I should probably get going again. I'm glad I got to hear a lot about the city. I hope I get to see you again somewhere! Yup, I hope so, too!
Music: Salamander
Salamander's pretty awesome. I don't remember it being as cool as it was. Anyway, there's some really mean wolves roaming around here, as well as the nasty ol' bears. As for attack items, I'd strongly advise getting Bright Crafts for them. It does a lot of AoE damage, and it has a pretty good chance of inflicting Blind.
Speaking of battles, it's around this time in the game your characters will start hitting level 30 and getting their super moves (maximum level is 50, FYI). The system works the same as it did in Meruru. Once a character's super gauge gets to 100%, you can activate their super move. Also as before, making a super move the killing blow in a fight gets you a special animation and music for it (Ayesha, of course, has no super move). In my game, Marion was the first to get it, but if you don't have DLC characters, Linca will almost certainly get her's first. You can check out our favorite gunslinging gofer's super move here.
Music: Heat Haze
Salt Desert Mountain is absolutely enormous. I'd go as far as saying this is the single largest location in the game. It's friggin' huge, with a lot of enemies and a lot of materials. Enjoy your stay. It took me 14 minutes myself to defeat all the enemies and gather all the materials. I'm actually cheating a bit by linking Heat Haze above. It doesn't actually play here, but it does play in the next area of Salt Desert that unlocks, and hey, I doubt anyone will care much.
Oh well, enough of this. Once you make a full loop across the Salt Desert and return to the LZ, a new scene comes up. You don't have to complete all the (Travel) x tasks, but you do have to go to every Salt Desert location. This video is one of those ones that incorporates two scenes. The desert flower
Oh, hello, Tanya. *huff* *huff* Good, I caught up to you. Were you really in so much of a rush that you ran after me? Is it something urgent? Umm, no, nothing urgent. I just really wanted to talk to you. I just got so excited, thinking about how I'd get to talk to someone I know... So I ran here with all my might! I'm so glad that you'd run so hard for me. The only people who live in this region are all part of my family. My grandma, grandpa, mom and dad, and me... I also have a little brother, but he can't talk yet. I can't let an opportunity like this get away. I see. If you don't mind that it's me, I'd love to talk to you. Yes! Umm, what should we talk about? Umm, well... I know, about the city! I wanna hear about Vierzeberg! Sure. Umm, in Vierzeberg, there are...I told her all about how Vierzeberg is teeming with buildings and people, of how you can visit so many stores and have so much opportunity. I've always lived in the country before Mr. Harry lent me that room, so I can definitely understand her enthusiasm!
Hmhmhm, it was so much fun to talk to you that long! Big cities really are amazing... I wanna live in a two-story house! That's right. You've never lived in a town before... Is living out here really that difficult? Not really. I have a house and a family, and food and salt. But all in all, I still have a hankering for city life! But grandpa says it's ridiculous to wanna leave the land that we've been living on for generation after generation. Generation after generation...? Your family's lived here that long?
The people of the salt lived around here. But, we're the only family that's left. So before this area became a wasteland... I wonder how long ago that was... I don't know. But back then, instead of this wasteland it was a plain... And that plain stretched way far off into the distance, like a giant, green carpet... Back then, the people of the salt grazed cattle in addition to mining salt. I see. I'm sure it used to be an endless plain... (Huh? An endless plain... I think I read that in that book...)After this line, the voiced scene linked above starts.
Hmm, maybe this place'll have what I'm looking for... You said something like that before... I didn't ask, since I thought it might be something personal... But, what is it that you're looking for, Ayesha? Well, it's a flower. A certain flower that only blooms once every 100 years in a plain. Oh, but if that plain has become a wasteland, then maybe the flower withered and died as well... Oh, hold on! I'm not sure if it's once in a hundred years, but... I've heard a story about a flower that's always been a bud! And, it's not too far from here. Would you like to go see it? Yes, I'd love to go! Okay! Then I'm gonna go back home and let them know where we're going. After that, I'll meet up with you near the flower. So, the bud is located... Okay, I have a good idea of where it is. I don't think I'll get lost. Okay, then I'll see you later! Buh-bye for now!The place Tanya told me about sounds like somewhere near the amazing lighthouse I saw while walking around. It's not that far!
Whoa! That's such a big bud...
That even back then, it was always a huge bud. Then, maybe it's been like this for about a hundred years... Isn't it marvelous? It doesn't look like it's withered at all. It looks just like the flower in the book... I wonder how I can get it to bloom... I asked my grandpa, and he said this flower lives a really, really long time... And like you said, it only blooms once every hundred years. So for a hundred years, this plant stores up nutrients, preparing for the flower to bloom... And when the time is right, its flower blooms for a few days. But, it's been a looong time since its last bloom. My grandpa hasn't even seen it bloom. I see... Maybe that's because this area has become a wasteland... In that case...if i give it some nutrients, maybe this flower will bloom! Ooh, Ayesha, that's gotta be it! I feel like that'll do the trick! But, how do you prepare a hundred years' worth of nutrients? I think I can do it by synthesizing something with plenty of nutrients...! Really!? You know, I'm starting to get really excited now, too! You just might be the only person who can make this flower bloom... All right...I'm gonna do this!
Hmmm, but do I know any recipes to supply a bunch of nutrients to a plant? I don't think so... The man at the balloon pier said the balloon could go to either Salt Desert or Homunculus Town. I want to see where they live! It must be so cute! Homunculus Town intro
Music: Sparkle
Ahhh, they're all so small and fluffy! And the houses are all small and cute! It's like right out of a fairytale! The balloon ride was scary, but I'm glad I came. Hehe, I wonder if they'll let me pet them...The major reasons you want to come to Hom Village at the moment is one, it's important for Marietta's sidequest, and two, one of the Homs is selling a couple recipe books, and higher tier equipment than Marietta sells. Now, to make the desert flower bloom, you need to make three Tonics, and the Hom is selling the recipe for Tonics. Simple, huh?
In addition to the needed Tonic recipe, one of the books gives you the Dragon Scale Icon recipe, which is an incredibly valuable accessory that my characters were using in the video earlier in the thread when I crushed Keithgriff. It's only level 36, so we're not that from being able to use it. Otherwise, once you pick up those two books and whatever equipment you want, you should get going.
Phew, that was an amazing journey. I met a new friend, I found the flower I wanted to, and I even got to visit the Homs' village! I've got a lot to do!
Hey Ranun, before you get off, carry this.
Why? I told you that I graduated from doing labor. Does your conscience not ache from making a weakling like me carry such a heavy thing? Come on. You'll bite your tongue if you keep talking. Hmph. A first-class singer like me would never do such an unsightly thing as - oww! See, what did i tell you? Ranun, you always say one word too many... That's the way I live. Goodness, I don't want to carry anything that weighs more than my instrument. I gave you a ride here, didn't I? I'll consider this as covering your ticket price. That's sneaky. If that's the case, why didn't you tell me this beforehand? Cuz I knew you'd complain if I told you. After wer'e done, I'll treat you to the meal of your choice, okay? You think you can bait me with food? You're thinking too lightly of me. However, if you say any meal, then I'd like the daily special from White Crow... Food after working tastes even more delicious. Come on, let's get this over with.
Oh, the White Crow? That reminds me, I should get go visit Mr. Kyle.
U-Umm, this is a tavern, right? Are you sure I'm allowed to come in?
No, no, no, hold one there, Ayesha. As you can see, this is a place to drink, as well as a place to eat. My aim is for this tavern to be a place where anyone, from lousy men to cute girls, can come freely. So there's no need to hold back. I see, so that's why the interior is round and kinda cute... Hmhmhm, I did my best to make sure that girls would say this place is cute. Anyway, I'm the owner, as well as the cook, and the bartender, Kyle! Wow, it's amazing to be so young and have your own shop... I've worked diligently at a lot of places to save up enough money to open this place up. Although, I repeatedly got fired for talking to girls while I was working! I see. Ah-haha... (I-I wonder if I should feel bad for him...) But, I've said good-bye to my days of youth. I'm serious about my job now.
I have good food and cute sweets, too. Now that you mention it, something smells really delicious. Yup, I'm preparing my daily special. My cooking is really great! (Whoa! My stomach just rumbled!) Umm...did you hear that? Ha! A loud stomach is proof that your body is healthy. Come on and eat something. Hehehe, I guess I will. What do you have on your menu?
Won't be found on my menu, so don't worry. I-I see... But, I do put all my skills into whatever I cook. I hand-pick the ingredients, as well. My motto is to provide yummy food at cheap prices. Mr. Kyle, your motto sounds very lovely. It helps me a lot! Mr. Kyle... Hmm...that doesn't really strike me well... Let's see... Call me "Mix Master". Doesn't that sound cooler? I've always wanted to be called a "Master". Haha, okay, I'll call you Mix Master from now on. All right! Then I'll go get your food ready for ya!Kyle is also selling recipe books, the last shopkeep who does. Now, if your basket is really full after returning to Hornheim, you'll get a scene with Kyle where he opens up the final workshop. Unfortunately, since I returned to Vierzeberg from Oesten to resupply, that didn't happen. I wonder if you can force that scene just by stuffing your basket full from your Container, then going to Hornheim. I'll have to check that out next time I record.
Well, speaking of Vierzeberg, time to head back. A sick cow.
I wonder if something's wrong... She's crouching down by the road... Nanaca, is something wrong? Can you stand?
Kyah! Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that. No, no, I'm okay. Is something wrong with the cow? Yeah. We were walking fine until just now, and then she suddenly lost all her energy... Poro, what's wrong? Does your tummy hurt or something?
Moooo... Whoa, she's in so much pain, she sounds like a piggy. Ayesha, what should I do? Maybe it's an acute sickness... Is it okay if I take a look? Let's see... Huh? The area around her tummy is hard... And it looks like her intestines aren't moving. This is... Is it some kind of bad illness? Th-Th-That sounds serious... No, no. This is, well...it seems like it's stuck. It? Umm, well...constipation. Ooh... I see... My goodness, I told you a million times not to eat any weird grass. Bad girl! Oink moo... Oh, I know of a good medicine! Medicine? Yup. I don't have it on me, since I have to make it differently for animals, but... If the symptom's as light as this, medicinal herbs might do the job! Give me one second. I think I saw it growing around here...
Bitter Moss Grass should work. I read about it in one of my favorite books back at the workshop. It can clear constipation if someone eats it without it being mixed with something. It's a good thing it grows around here, Nanaca seems really worried, and Poro seems really uncomfortable. Cows can feel pain, too.
Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm sure these medicinal herbs will do the trick. They're a little bitter, so I wonder if she'll eat them... Don't worry, she's not picky about her food. She's so greedy, she's a handful. Oh, she ate it! I'm glad. Okay, good girl. I'm happy for you. Now, say thank you to Ayesha. Oink moo!
Whoa, already!? Goodness, that's really embarrassing... Hahaha, maybe her intestines started moving after eating the herbs, and...now she went to go do her business... My, her business... Anyways, thank you, Ayesha! You really helped me out! No, no, I'm glad I was able to help. Hehehe! Ayesha, you were like a veterinarian! You looked so cool! A veterinarian... That's a great job... (I'm glad she's okay now. But, overeating isn't good for you...)
It seems like you've helped Nanaca. Thank you. Hyah! Mr. Brother! How long have you been here? Juris, your bad habits are coming out again. You're hiding your presence too much! Hrm, I didn't mean to scare you. No, no, I'm sorry I got scared. Sorry. I just unconsciously hide my presence... In any case, this is a nice opportunity to thank you. Because of Nanaca's job, she can't help but estrange herself from people. I'd appreciate it if you could keep being friends with my younger sister from now on, as well. Hehe, of course. I'm happy that I made more friends. If you see her again somewhere, please say hello to her. Bye. Whoa, I've never seen my brother talk to someone for that long before. Huh? That was long!?
I see. Could it be that your brother...doesn't like other people? I don't think so. I think he's just a quiet guy... He's often by himself in the forest or up in the mountains, so he doesn't interact with people that often. Hehe, I guess the same's true for me, too. What kind of job does he have? Since you mentioned forests and mountains, is he like a lumberjack? Simply put, he's a huntsman. He's off running after beasts most of the time. I've heard that animals horns can be used as ingredients for medicine, so... You two might already have some kind of connection, Ayesha. Yeah. Maybe your brother's helped me in some way before... I wish I could've given him a more proper greeting... He wanders off as soon as he's done with his business... But if you can be friends with my brother, it'd make me happy, too. You're right. I'll greet him properly the next time I see him. Hehehe, yes please.Oh, I know! Mr. Keith is still waiting for what I'll show him, and I haven't seen Ms. Odelia in a long time. I should go to the Zweiteturm.
Ayesha, you should come visit this place more often. So you're bored? Now that I think about it, what do you usually do, Ms. Odelia? I do nothing. If you must now, I am on standby. Oh, standby? That sounds hard...I think? Yes. Over what seems like an endless passage of time, I continue to wait for my next order... It is very hard and boring. However, those are my orders. The rental of books and the work that is in conjunction with that were originally 50% of my duties. Keeping and maintaining this facility was 40%, and 10% was maintaining myself... However, no one has visited this facility for a long time, and excluding the 10% for my self-maintenance... The remainder of my 90% is spent on standby. The straightforward explanation is that I simply do nothing from morning till night. I see. Doing nothing... That must be hard... Th-Then, maybe you should read a book... Since you are in a library... My brain is directly connected with the library. There is no need for me to read the books. Th-Then, take a nap or eat meals... Ayesha, I have no need for meals. I do not require sleep, either. Huh!? That's no good! Ms. Odelia, eating and sleeping are the basics for living a healthy life. I know! I'll bring something tasty next time! Is there anything you like to eat?
However, speaking of food...I feel like I do have an old memory...
Master, what is this?
This? This is something I have prepared for you. It's been exactly one year since you were born, so it's a present for you. See? It smells sweet, doesn't it? Now, go ahead and open it. Today might be the last day I'll ever get to spend with you...Although the game is using Keith's model here, I think that's just for laziness' sake. The Zweiteturm, as Odelia said, is really old, Keith's in his 40s, I think, and I think he's only been in Ayesha's region of the world for a short time. There's no way he could have created Odelia.
Master, thank you. Hehehe, I wonder what it is.
I cannot recall from such an old memory, but I feel as though it was very fascinating... I have heard that sweet love is something that exists. I would like to taste it. I-I don't know about the love part, but I can bring you some sweets. Anyways, let's try eating some together! I'll make something sweet and bring it next time!
So, since you got this assignment from a special event, I don't recall if there's any particular qualifications for it. Like, I have no idea if it's possible not to pass this with less than 10 stars. Maybe it is, and I just don't know. Anyway, there's really nothing to this assignment. Remember, Keith's reason for this assignment was testing what kind of alchemist Ayesha really is. Approval.
Mr. Keith, umm... I brought the requested item. So you came. You have a good amount of determination. Now, let's see what you have... This is it. I may not fully understand what alchemy is yet... But I made this with all my might. I can see that. Okay, you pass. Okay, please don't be too hard on me... Huh? What did you just say? I said you pass. Are you dissatisfied? No! It's just that, you didn't even look at it that carefully... With such a primitive thing as that, I can fully understand it with just a glance. For the time being, just rejoice that you have passed. I am happy, but...I worked really hard on that, and you dismissed it so lightly... Fine then... Do I really have to explain everything? First, whether you're worthy to be an alchemist can be determined by looking at your workshop. And whether you have the talent to be an alchemist...this is much more simply seen. A skilled alchemist will find their way to the truth with their sense, not their reason. You have been synthesizing with rough estimates and intuition, correct? That's not something that many people can do. In my opinion, you have plenty of talent for alchemy. I gave you that task simply to check and confirm my suspicions. I-I see... So you weren't just picking on me... Of course not. Did you really think I'd do something that meaningless? I guess you wouldn't. I think you'd say that it's a waste of time.
It may have been I who showed you this path, but... You probably would've arrived at alchemy eventually, even if you were studying on your own. Keep devoting yourself and don't disappoint me. Y-Yes, sir. Thank you very much. And, just as a passing remark while I'm thanking you, I have one favor to ask... I decline. I-I haven't even said anything yet! I have an idea of what you were going to ask. I don't plan on becoming your teacher. How did you know? Well, I think it'd be better if I had a teacher, rather than teaching myself everything... I'm not a good enough person to become someone's teacher. However... If you really get into trouble, come to me. That should be enough for now. I'm already in a lot of trouble! I don't know if I can get into more trouble than I am right now... Just give it up... Now, about that reward I promised you... I've already given it to you. Huh? But I didn't receive anything from you... But you did, when I gave you this task. That is it. Oh, that weird vessel? What is it, exactly? I'm sure it must be something special, but it kinda seems ordinary...
And that is all. Farewell. (There he goes... Leaving when he decides to, as always... But, I'm kinda happy he approves of me...)Mr. Keith is really dismissive, but I wonder why he spends all his time reading? Well, at least he won't take alchemy away from me, and I'm doing something right. I'm sure I'll see him again soon.
I brought my own ingredients. I really appreciate this opportunity. Let's grill some meat today. First, can you cut the meat? Cutting is my forte. Leave it to me. Now, I shall cut it. Please wait one moment. ...Huh? Hah!She completely sliced that monster apart...
Sorry for the wait. How was that? I thought it was a satisfactory strike. Linca, there's nothing left of the meat... I thought it would be best to use this sword, since I am most familiar with it... You can't. If you want to cook, you need to learn how to use a knife. I see. Understood... Now, let's try it one more time using a knife. Yes. Then I will be right back. Huh? You're not gonna cut it here? A large, open space is most suitable for this maneuver. When you want to swing a weapon, if there are obstacles nearby, things will not turn out so well. ... Hah!
(I can't even see the blade! Wow, this is amazing! It's like I can see Linca's fighting spirit rising... I cooking...supposed to be like this?) Sorry for the wait. I went to go cut the meat with a knife! It was easier to use than I thought. This would be a useful backup weapon! Umm, you did cut it very well, but still... Please try to use the cutting board from now on. Hmm, so the procedure is important when it comes to cooking... Understood. Then next exercise is to grill the meat. The trick is to use the high heat and cook it fast. Now, let's try it!
I have learned the secret to grilling meat. High heat and cook it fast. The way of cooking is even easy for me to understand. Cooking and battling are similar... Both are quick as lightning, and a race against time... I feel like even I can do this now! In any event, I shall keep the high flames in mind. Thank you very much! (Hmm, I feel like that was a bit extreme, but it could be okay...)I guess Linca might have talent for cooking, but something doesn't seem right about this. I hope it's just me...