Part 31: XXV: Pages of Close Companions
Chapter XXV: Pages of Close CompanionsOf course, we have more work to do on Ultimate Equipment, but let's indulge Aurel on his duel. He needs this battle, after all. The two knights
Good time and day for a duel.
OK, how about this spot?
It's fine with me. You ready, Lulua?
Yes... I'm here to help. Great. Give us the signal, Lulua. OK...
Hrah! Too easy!
Ungh! A-Aurel! Are you all right?! I'm fine. I was holding back. Holding back? ...Aurel... Your technique is quite impressive. I'm surprised that you have managed such mastery at your age. However, your blade lacks conviction. I do not get a sense that you fight with purpose. As such... I cannot relinquish to you the title of the Knight Supreme.*Sterk leaves*
Oh... I failed... I gave it my all, but was still beaten with ease... And he didn't even try his hardest either! Damn it! Damn it all! Don't worry, Aurel! It just wasn't your day, that's all! Next time, you'll-- Leave me alone.
Aurel...Well, best we leave him alone for now. While you're here, you might stop by the local trading posts here. Got some nice materials, they do. But, it seems like we might need to cheer him up back in Arland. Back to normal
Aurel. Oh, it's you... Well, sorry that it's just me! I, uh... Oh, come on, Aurel. Try to cheer up... Seeing you like this... It makes me sad... I'm sorry you feel that way, but I can't help it. I...lost. I didn't just lose either. I was absolutely destroyed. And after all that talk too... I'm pathetic. In the end, I was completely clueless... I don't think that I can... Haha, don't worry! Everything'll be "Aure-ight"!
Well, I figured if you were going to talk nonsense, I could too! Huh? Yeah. Coming from you... It can't be anything but nonsense, can it? You should be talking about how strong you are. You should be thinking of yourself as the strongest person around. You're confident and stubborn, yet good natured... That's the Aurel I know. So don't let this little setback get you down... You need to be confident! Lulua... Idiot. Huh?! Here I was trying to say something nice to you... Why do you have to insult me?! Hah! I'm just paying you back for the "nonsense". I suppose I can be stubborn sometimes. But you're right. I shouldn't give up just because I've been beaten once. Yeah, that's the spirit! I'll do whatever I can to help you! Let's try and do our best, Aurel! We'll take down Mr. Sterk eventually! ...Is that so? Haha... Hm? Oh, it's nothing. Hmm, what to do... I appreciate your kindness, but... As for your offer to help, I don't... No, wait a moment. Lulua. Do you remember this?
It might just be me, but on my first playthrough, I always read this item's name as "Burnt Resin". Maybe it's the game's font.
Indeed. You see, this is a material used for making swords. In fact, the Ultimate Sword that I've been seeking... The Ultimate Sword?! Indeed. Although, I only have an image of it in my head... There's something I'd like you to help me with. This Ultimate Sword that I seek... Can you procure it for me? The Ultimate Sword?! Where would I even start? I don't know. But I have a feeling that you can do it. You are the one who used "Alchemyriddle" to make the impossible, possible. Aurel... OK, I'll do it. When you put it like that, I feel like I can't let you down. I'll bring you the Ultimate Sword! So just wait a little! Thanks. I'll focus on my training until you return. I'm counting on you, Lulua. Sure thing! Leave it to me!
(It might be tough on my own. I'll go and talk to Cole first!)And that's just what we'll do. Riiiiight now. These next few scenes weren't exactly recorded in the order I put them here, but it makes the most sense like this. The Cole scenes are in this next video, since I believe those will be his last scenes for this thread. Making an ultimate sword
Ask me? That doesn't sound like you. Although, you do look more serious than usual. OK. I'll help you if I can. What is it you need? Well, actually...*fade for a strange discussion about ultimate swords...*
I see, you seek the Ultimate Sword... Yes. But I have no idea where to start. My only clue is this item... *shows Bunt Resin* So this is what you would use for the grip. Just what kind of swordsman is this fellow? Hmm. He's not really the type you knock you over in a single blow. More like he'll hit you with a flurry of quick attacks. I see... So technique over raw power... OK, I've got it! What, already?! Of course! Just like with you alchemists... A blacksmith needs to be able to think fast. I've managed to come up with the recipe. It's not going to be easy to gather the necessary materials though. I'll need you to take care of that for me. Alright? Of course! I'm looking forward to making the Ultimate Sword! Me too!Cole is kiiinda blowing hot air here, since seeing that scene just unlocks Aurel's final sword for crafting. The most difficult part of making it is having the recipe for Olgenrium unlocked, but by Chapter 10 you realllly should have this by now. You'll also almost certainly need to make a another Bunt Resin, since we've had no real occasion to have one since we gave the one we made way back when to Aurel at the start of the game.
It would behoove you to make this a "real" Ghostly Long Sword, since the game isn't mean and have Aurel "eat" this sword in order to continue his quest line. As I've mentioned, the Ghostly Long Sword is very important to unlock if you're making Ultimate Builds, since all the other sources of Enhance Items Level 5 are either DLC or very unworkable (like the Auric Armor). Yeah, making this thing so much is gonna be a pain, but you gotta make those sacrifices. Cole's gonna get real used to making this thing.
Wow! It's really impressive! Thanks. Although the blade is incredibly sharp, it's also very durable, and should be easy to handle. I have adjusted the weight balance, making it easy to swing repeatedly. And of course, the Bunt Resin. Aurel originally thought of this, but... Thanks to it, you can make minute adjustments. Basically, it allows for a great versatility of attacks. Anyway... I'm confident when I say this, it truly is the Ultimate Sword! Excellent! Thank you, Cole! Don't mention it. You were the one who gathered the materials for it, after all. Now, hurry and take it to your friend. I'm sure he's eagerly waiting for you. Yeah, he probably is. See you later! Likewise! Tell your friend hi for me! Hehe!I'll just go ahead and spoil it now, but don't equip the Ghostly Long Sword to Aurel just yet. You'll have your opportunity soon, but soon is not now.
I'm ready when you are. OK, very well then. Although... Heh. You appear to have changed considerably in such a short amount of time. What happened? ... Aurel! Lulua! Is...it finished? Yep yep! Of course it is! Um... Mr. Sterk? Yes. Aurel called me here. He said he wanted a rematch. Oh, I see... Hey, Aurel... It's alright. I've got the sword you made for me. Our rematch will be held in the same place. We'd like for you to attend again, Lulua. I'll be waiting for you there. *saunters off* Aurel... What about the sword? Hang on to it for me. I'll take it at the site of the fight. OK. I'll give it to you there then... Thank you. Let's get going.When you're ready for the rematch, just head to the Merulia Gate without a Ghostly Long Sword equipped, but in your Container. But now, we have a little vacation in the opposite direction.
Welcome back to the Rolling Hill, the last location returning from the older games. In particular, Totori. This was a pretty out of the way location for her, which you really only needed to visit once to kill the big Puni there, get the Hill Pioneer points if you made it there early enough, and some nice materials for the first part of the game. Here, it's good for killing the Marshall Puni in the back there, which is the highest tier Puni in the game. But as other Atelier protagonists might tell you, first among Puni is still a Puni. Killing these losers fulfills part of another Alchemyriddle entry, which more than makes it worthy of your time.
Other points of interest around are those rabbits. The Magi Rabbits here are by far the best way to grind EXP and money in the game. Thankfully, they're vulnerable to IK, so let's see just how profitable they are.
17k for a group of 4, on Very Hard with a highest Effect Fate Talisman is quite a chunk of change. Of course, if you have CHARISMA unlocked, it's even more profitable. If you haven't guessed by now, or you haven't started making Ultimate Equipment, buying all the raw materials is going to absolutely decimate your bank account, especially when you're dealing with the likes of Philosopher's Stones and Elixirs. Not to mention the cost of making equipment with Cole. These rabbits are by far your best source of money, at least in the non-DLC game.
Luckily, I have tooons of money, and more to the point, I have Ultimate Equipment made on my previous playthroughs, so I don't need to make multiples. My notion is I'm going to make one of each Ultimate Item (weapon for everyone, armor for everyone, Symbol for alchemists / non-alchemists, alchemist accessories) just to show how it's done, then just re-equip all my old stuff. If you don't have these luxuries, on your first playthrough particularly, then yeah, Rolling Hill is gonna be your home.
But hey, highest-tier Puni in the game deserves some respect. So, a video.
Sure hope you didn't bring along any of these items as your primary damage-dealing item. Luckily, I did not.
Yep, Whiteout definitely the most dangerous thing they can throw at you, mostly for its high Stun value. Lightning Field is also very annoying if you don't have Sterk / Aurel's Primal Art activated, which prevents that obnoxious knockback.
All that said, as long as you're not fighting against one their elemental vulnerabilities, these jellies should not prove to be a match for you. The white chest behind the Marshall Puni contains a Dragon Piece. Nothing you can't get from a Draconius.
Truly the face of overwhelming authority.
Speaking of Draconius... Really surprised there's no riddles for beating up one of these. Very annoying enemies. Luckily, you can hit them with elemental resistance debuffs. The other dragon around is the Draconia, which can be IK'd. No Dragon Pieces, though. Dragon Pieces are valuable, so consider that another incentive to frequent Rolling Hill.
Back in town, we finally have a decent Lululu Curry. If this doesn't cheer Eva up, I don't know what will.
I also made a much higher Quality Distilled Water. The one I've been using up till now was about 600 points worse Quality than this, so yeah, this'll make making high quality Supplements much easier. I used my Elixir in the (Lumber) category, for the record. I also Awakened it as a (Vapor) and (Medicine) item, because you can never have too many item categories on good materials.
And there's Infernal Mark, the last Special Trait we have yet to make any use of. There's one trait in particular I really really want to assign to my Ultimate Craft, and Infernal Mark is the key.
It's the trait created by Infernal Mark x Strong Throw, an item category we have yet to make any use of. Luckily, there's no big trait family for Strong Throw. It's literally just Power Throw x Power Throw+, which may even be unnecessary if you have Strong Throw on its own.
Demon Slowdown, now that's what we're talking about. You may notice that I hardly ever use non-Interrupt items. I've already decided that we're bumping up the difficulty of this playthrough to CHARISMA before the next major boss fight, and there's a particular gimmick with CHARISMA that makes this item penalty non-existant. A 150% WT penalty is about equivalent to the WT Meruru incurs by using Princess Edict, so it's a pretty nasty penalty. So now that this cat is out of the bag, our Ultimate Craft will have Demon Slowdown, Dragon God's Roar, and Sure Shot. Truly formidable. This particular Supplement is going to go into the Sunlite, which then becomes a (Fuel) with a Magma Stone Awakened Effect so it's ready to be used in the Ultimate Craft. So that's two categories of the Omega Craft synthesis covered.
One more brick in the wall. But now, since Lulua hit Adventurer level 80 at the Rolling Hill, and we've seen all of Jeltje's events prior to now, we have an event with her in Arklys. I should also note that everyone except Sterk has all of their techniques by level 80. Of course, Sterk is only an exception because he learns his Ultimate at level 90. Under the same sky
Jeltje?! What are you doing here?!
Heh, I am an adventurer, you know! I can go wherever I like! ...But seriously, I came to see your hometown, Lulua. Huh? You see, Lulua... I've made a decision. Pretty soon, I'm going to go out to look for my brother...to the Eastern Continent. You're going to the Eastern Continent...?You know, with all this talk of the Eastern Continent, seems some pretty viable sea lanes have opened up since Totori's day. The most Totori had known of it herself before building a ship of her own was that Gisela said that's where she was going, which indicates to me it was known that it existed, but basically nothing else about it. Even Totori herself never went much further beyond Piana's village, but in this game it's talked about a lot and people talk about going to it quite a bit. In addition to her demon hunting exploits, I like to think that Totori sinking the Ozean Kaiser is canon as well. While the Kaiser's waters were far off the beaten path, it was still there. The Flauchtraut has definitely gone to ground, though. That thing was the reason ships stopped sailing far off the shore of Arland's continent in the first place.
Yeah... So before I go, I thought I'd go have a look at a few places around here... And your hometown was on my list! ...Here you go.
Come on, Lulua, you're supposed to sign it! Write your name right in here! Whoa, really?! You really want me to?! I'm not an amazing adventurer at all! That's not true, Lulua. You're a great adventurer. So please, give me your autograph?She's right, you know. We have seen much of this world's depths since the start of this adventure.
...Yeah! If you really want it, I'd be happy to!*signs in a fade to black*
Hehe, got it! Ahh, this is a good one! Now I can set off without any regrets. Jeltje... I'll miss you... Heh, don't worry about it. Even if we're on different continents, we'll be under the same sky. And when we're both journeying under the same sky... It's like we're together, isn't it? I guess when you put it that way... I know, right? So nothing's going to change for us, got it? And I'm not actually leaving for the Eastern Continent immediately anyway. So we have time for plenty more chats before that! Haha, I guess that's true! And I have lots of things I want to talk to you about! That goes for me too, y'know? All right, Lulua? Yeah!
Getting toward the end of our adventure here... While I was looking through my Container, I discovered I didn't have any Ancient Powers (increase to (Bomb) power +10%), which we'll eventually use on our Ultimate Philosopher's Necklace. So we're off to Modis. But first, Arls. A captain's tale
No, it's fine. It's nothing to worry about. Niko and Mr. Sterk?! Wh-What are you doing here?! Oh, it's you, Lulua.
It's nothing. I was just apologizing to Mr. Sterk... For leaving the citizen guard. The citizen guard? What do you mean? Niko used to serve in the citizen guard. Really?! Is that true?! Yeah. When I lost my ship and was unsure what to do, Mr. Sterk approached me. But... I didn't really know anything about living on land. The strict rules of the citizen guard weren't for him. That's all it was. It's nothing to be upset about. Besides, I know who destroyed Niko's ship. In a sense, you could say it happened on my watch. So that's why I'm going to promise to help you back to the sea. I simply ask for your patience until I'm able to do so.Gisela destroying that ship must have been quite the scene. Thankfully she doesn't seem to be hanging around the Arland area much. Maybe off causing trouble on the Eastern Continent. For real this time.
Mr. Sterk! Hehe! Thank you! Thank you so much! No, I should be the one thanking you. I know that you've been helping a lot of people around here. Including... Requests that haven't gone through the proper channels. ...! Y-You've been found out... By not going through the proper channels, that means they were people that we've been unable to help.
If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to keep helping out with those requests. All right?That is, uh, certainly one way of looking at it. It's a good thing the Arland universe is so quintessentially wholesome about such things. Did you know NOCO, one of the artists of the Mysterious Trilogy, said she wants a dark Atelier? I think that'd be pretty interesting to see. After so many Ateliers that uh, aren't dark, though, it'd definitely be a change of pace for the writers.
Hehe! Of course! If you're asking me, Mr. Sterk, there's no way I'm going to refuse! I may not have been cut out for the citizen guard, but I'll do the best I can. Thank you. I'm counting on you, Niko. I won't let you down.See that you don't.
Ancient Power can only found in these crates in the Modis Ruins, just these crates, for...some reason. I'm pretty sure, at least. Definitely a strange thing to squirrel away a trait just here in particular but here they are.
Posted without comment... By the time I left Modis, it was October, so I got this special scene.
Let's see... It says something about a thing called "Dunkelheit"...
Hmm, I've heard that name before. Isn't it some rare flower that only blooms in early winter? Early winter? That means it's almost the correct season...
Correct. The Dunkelheit is a flower that only blooms in November. It is quite useful as an ingredient for alchemy. I would recommend harvesting it if you happen to come across it.I got this exactly on October 1, which I presume is the intention. As long as you return to the atelier sometime in the month of October, you'll get this scene.
Wow. A rare flower. Thanks, you two! The Dunkelheit blooms in November... Better not forget!Unfortunately the scene doesn't let you know WHERE it blooms, but that's why you go to the pause screen to get more details. Lulua mentions looking for it somewhere where the water and plants are especially pure. Luckily there's only a few locations that fit the bill and have materials we haven't found any of yet. The location? Eternal Spring. We have no business there this month, but we certainly do the next.
I warped back to Arland from Modis, and thanks to grinding easy enemies along the way to those crates to get her relationship level to 40%. Family duty
Ah! Yes...! I see...!
Hehe. All right, want to take a break? How about something sweet? Yaaay! Then I'll put the tea on!*fade for eating*
Hehe, wasn't it tasty, Lulua! Yeah, I'm in heaven! Heaven... Lulua...? Hey, Mom. I'm only asking you this because I'm so happy right now, but, um... Why'd you take me in? I've been wondering... Well, there's no reason, really. I just thought how fun it would be to spend time together. When I first arrived in Arklys... You were so kind to me, Lulua. We spent time together, and you talked about so many things with me.
Then... I talked it over with Mr. Benon, and decided. I see... Hehe, I'm glad. I'm relieved...somehow. It's not like there's something special about my birth or anything, right? Ahaha! I suppose not! If there was, I'd be nervous too!Well, Rorona may be pretty clumsy but she certainly seems to have an unintentional eye for alchemic talent, going by Totori and Lulua. But it's good to know Rorona had such a pure-hearted reason for adopting Lulua.
Hey, Lulua. I want you to have this. Wh-What's this? A recipe...?
The Frixell family... We actually haven't heard anything about Rorona's parents other than their extremely minor presence in Rorona. You like to think they're still based in Arland, wandering around and gathering materials they do not appear to know the value of.
Would you make this pie for me, Lulua? Mom! Of course I will! Ehehe, I'll make a super tasty pie!Big words, kiddo, considering the audience. Be sure you live up to them.
Yeah! Hehe, I'll be waiting.Back in the Wagon Atelier... The eastern land
You said you came from the Eastern Continent, right? I'm curious what it's like over there.
Sure, I'd be happy to tell you about it. Although, it's not like it's somewhere special or anything. First of all, do you know anything about the east? ...Ehehe. Heh... All right, the Eastern Continent lies to the east across the sea from us here on the Western Continent. Just recently we learned about many new settlements there, so now we're planning to explore and research the area. Hmm... And your hometown is also there, right? Yes, that's right. It's a very cold place closed off from the rest of the world by snow and ice. You could probably count its population on fingers of my hands. It was a desolate place, no comparison to a place like Arland. However, that's all in the past now! Nowadays, they have opened themselves to the highest level Alchemy and technology, and improved their living greatly! Wow! That's amazing! Who was behind the big transformation?
Since Totori taught me alchemy, I tried to make my hometown a better place. And it just kind of happened from there... Hehe. I learned that there were other settlements in the Eastern Continent.Presumably this is what Piana was doing during the events of Meruru. Rorona and later Totori only started teaching Piana alchemy, which she apparently had a natural aptitude for, very late in the events of Atelier Totori. All we knew from that game was Totori was going to bring her back someday to be scolded by her grandmother for leaving without permission, which, again, presumably happened before Totori left Alanya to live in Arls for a few years.
Wait a second. You're saying that the research into the Eastern Continent that is happening right now... Is all because of you?!
*Lulua collapses*
Haha! Ahaha. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. It was fun talking about my past. Even if it was only about my old little village. The world truly is a wide and wonderful place. OK... Hehe. That sounds great! Ah, thank you! Now then, shall I continue with my story? Yes, please do! Although, maybe we could grab some snacks first? In that case, I'll ask Chim Dragon to make us some tea. Hehe. We might be here a while. I hope you're ready for it!We're ready for something alright.
Unfortunately, the Globe Sphere isn't very handy as material. It's just a (Lumber) item and since Ancient Power isn't an attack item trait, it's wasted on anything that isn't an accessory. So really, Distilled Water is your only real choice, but it'll take a bit more work to make it either a (Metal) or (Mystery) item, which goes into the Philosopher's Necklace.
Well, Distilled Water is still a (Water) item, so it can go into a lot of items. Ultimately, I used this in a Rainbow Supplement that got Awakened as (Mystery), so we'll use this in a Philosopher's Necklace. Of course, the bigger problem now is moving a Ghostly Long Sword to both the (Metal) and (Mystery) slots of the Long Sword so we can get Enhance Items Level 5 in both the Necklace's Awakened slots. Yep, there's absolutely no limitation on having two of the same Awakened Effect on the same item.
Aurel's final sword. Yep, make sure to register a high quality Bunt Resin, too, since Ultimate Builds need a *lot* of Ghostly Long Swords. But the problem is, how do we make a Ghostly Long Sword into a (Mystery) item? Normally weapons can't be moved to any other synthesis, but they can be via Awakened Effects. This is where the Fool's Stone comes in. Used in any Awakened slot, it has an Awakened (Mystery) regardless of what item is being made. So that's exactly what we'll be using.
The results of a collab with Meruru... It's something, alright. There are only very few items that can fit into six different item categories, and this one of them. It's definitely a significant step forward for alchemy. Or something like that. Luckily, this Stone is the final step we need to start Awakening Long Swords into a Necklace. "But wait", you might be saying. "Where's the Awakened (Metal) item?" We've had it ever since we made our first Olgenrium, is what I'd say to that question. Very convenient item, this Long Sword.
By the way, don't worry about the Stinky Trash or Broken Items ingredients for this thing. You can make as high quality junk items as you want. It's just that they're, you know, junk.
By using an Olgenrium and a Fool's Stone, amazing how we've made this Long Sword into *two* of the item categories we need for the Necklace. Amazing technology. Such a pain you can't register weapons at Dragon's.
While, annoyingly, I can't make an Ultimate Philosopher's Necklace just yet, we can start making Ultimate Alchemist Armor. There is a bit of a catch, though.
Sylphid's armor chart posted:
Elixir (Awaken Lumber) -> Ancient Memory (Awaken as Medicine) -> Alchemy Coat (Alchemist set)
I tried to game things as much as possible, but the best alchemist armor, the Alchemy Coat, is a pain to work with. The only customizable part is via the (Medicine) part of the recipe, which is like, healing items, not the (Medicinal) category. Ancient Memory is one of Rorona's weapons and you can Awaken an Elixir to make it a (Lumber) item, which in turn goes into the Memory. The Memory's Awakened effect is Enhance Items Level 3, which we'll just have to live with. I couldn't figure out any way to get Enhance Items Level 4 or 5 onto an Alchemy Coat.
The Alchemy Coat is a pretty cool armor because you can equip different ones on alchemists depending on what item you want them using. Of course, we want Lulua to use bombs as much as possible, so she's getting this. I believe I've already pointed out that "Weaken Item" effects refers to WT time reductions, not weakened items. Just making sure. The full Ice Effect adds a layer of Magic Resistance, and you can also have Mastery (Food) or Mastery (Magic Items). All these Mastery Effects add 20% effectiveness to that particular category, so yeah, even more firepower.
Lulua is certainly set for armor for the rest of the game. My notion is that my endgame Piana will handle Healing Bells, while Rorona and Lulua handle bombs. Which means Piana would be better served with a Mastery (Magic Tools) Effect, but that would depend on me remembering that when I make her Alchemy Coat, wouldn't it? Next up is Lionela's final event, unlocked by fulfilling all of her special requests and taking and completing enough jobs for her. Say goodbye to Ms. Heinze for this game. Treasured friend
Huh? What's this?
Hehe. Just a little token of my gratitude. Something to say thank you for all the requests you've undertaken. Oh, Ms. Lionela! Thank you so much! Your determination and dedication remind me of a friend of mine. Hehe. Really? Yeah... She's an alchemist, too! She's pretty famous, maybe you know her. Huh? You don't mean...?! Her name is Rorona. She's my mother! ...Hm? Are you serious? You're Rorona's daughter?! I remember hearing that she had a daughter. And now that daughter is standing in front of me! Oh my! And there I am, prattling on about Rorona!
To be honest, I always thought Lionela always had kind of a thing for Rorona, even in the original Atelier Rorona. She has a scene with Rorona in Rorona+ where that impression only got stronger for me.
Why wouldn't you want her to know that? It's not the kind of thing have to hide. Yes it is! I'm terribly embarrassed! Please, Lulua! Promise me you won't tell her! Uh, sure. If you feel that strongly about it. I won't say a word! Phew. Turns out the world's smaller than I thought... I suppose it always has been. OK, Lulua?
Please do! I look forward to it!She gives you two 200 Quality Scale Cloths, which we can immediately give to Ficus whenever we want. Still, I think I'll keep him waiting for a bit. This whole Demon Crystal business seems rather shady if you ask me.
Unfortunately, the Philosopher's Stone I made a few updates ago is Lightning / Ice, not exactly conducive to making a Philosopher's Necklace with Alchemy Master L, which is the only Effect really care about. So I have to make a new one, and these Ashes are an important part of that. Thankfully, I won't have to mess around with Wrath / Universe this time, because the Stone is an (Elixir) item itself, and one of the ingredients for the Stone calls for (Elixirs). So it's one among many items that can make itself. Makes sense to me.
I actually went to Dusty Nail Canyon to see if I could get more Guardians and potentially continue the whole vital Curry storyline, but strangely, I just couldn't. I fished up Guardians from here once but nada since. I think I actually have a weird explanation for why this happening, but it involves something you might not think of and I'm not 100% sure about it. But, there is certainly something queer about like 16 fishes here in a row and no Guardians.
So here's the thing. Because Ateliers are typically pretty strange RPGs in terms of their progression, there's a lot of times where what triggers one scene can be a little unclear. Sure, I can easily articulate why a lot of scenes in this game pop up, but some are "It makes sense in retrospect". Atelier Firis was particularly bad about this, where, if you progressed one character's storyline too far before a big optional thing, you couldn't proceed on the latter before you completed the former.
As for this game, do you know why we haven't triggered any new curry recipes in a while? Because we still haven't given Eva her Lululu Curry. Now, if you don't know how the rest of the Curry Ending scenes play out, you'd have no idea why this was the case. You'll see why it is, and kind of why we need to give Eva her curry here to continue that particular storyline, but it wouldn't make sense on your first playthrough. This is why they pay me the big bucks. Anyway, Eva wants three batches of Lululu Curry, so make sure you have it registered at Dragon's for uh...future use, we'll say. Food everyone can enjoy
Huh? Lulua? What're you doing--- That smell...! Ehehe...! Sorry to show up suddenly, but I got some curry for you! Gather everyone, Eva! We're going to have a curry party! Come on, hurry! Um... Eh?! Sure, I guess!
Yeah! I've never had curry this good! Father, seconds!
Yeah! I want another too!
All right. I'll bring it over. Lulua's made more than enough to go around, so eat all you like.Everyone: Yay!
Hey, Lulua... Yeah? You know, you don't have to worry about everything. Hm? It doesn't matter where you're born or what the future brings... Because we'll always be family. Lulua... Come on, let's eat! You know I made this one just for you, Eva! Yeah... It's really good. So good... *sniff* Father... Could I...get another one, too? Oh, certainly, dear. Hehe... Oh, me too! Me too! Thanks, Father! Sure, Sure... Heh heh... There's still a lot left, so eat up!Everyone: OK!
Hehe...So, to continue the Curry Ending storyline, wait 10 days from this scene and have already fished up a Guardian from Dusty Nail Canyon or Large Conifer Forest. There will be a very short scene upon returning to the Wagon where Lulua feels the call of curry or some such notion and you'll get the recipe for Guardian Curry.
This is the Stone we'll be using in the Philosopher's Necklace recipe, because Alchemy Master L needs a strong Fire Elemental value. Because Silent Darkness can't be applied to accessories, we only need Dragon God's Wrath and Universe on this one.
As far as Ancient Power goes, it's really easy to move it via Distilled Water -> Black Supplement (Awakened Elixir) -> Necklace. Use Glow Grass to get a +5 Fire Elemental value to this Supplement for added insurance on getting Master L. At the end of this synthesis, I'm only 197 Alchemy experience points away from level 50.
And that's the ingredients to make an Ultimate Philosopher's Necklace. Just add Sulfite and you're done. The Necklaces I made on my previous playthrough all have Master L, of course, but not Philosopher's Wisdom at all, and this is about 200 Quality less than those. I think that's because I used Totori's final weapon for the Enhance Items Level 5 instead of the Ghostly Long Sword in the fourth slot, so I was able to use an Alchemy Activator to bump the Quality a bit. But obviously for the purposes of this LP, I have to assume the player doesn't have her DLC. Call me considerate. Wisdom is just exchanging a certain percentage of HP and MP and is entirely ignorable.
After I made this just now, all the alchemists got Necklaces I made on previous playthroughs. Crazy how that works. For this playthrough, outfitting everyone "legit" would be entirely a waste of time and money, because *I already did that last time*.
Speaking of alchemists, I also made a few copies of the Alchemy Coat alongside Lulua's, already made. The only one different from hers substantially is this one, for Piana. As I mentioned, she'll be on Healing Bell duty and Magic Resistance? I just thought that would be a bit more unique.
Ah jeez, we have a real crisis on our hands. The reason I'm screenshotting this? Well, if I'm ignoring Totori's final weapon, making Lulua's final weapon (by which I mean, Enhance Items Level 5 and the best Effects) is much more of a pain than almost everyone else. The problem is the only real customizable part of the Long Sword is the (Gemstone) part, and the only thing that has an Awakened (Gemstone) effect is the Rainbow Puniballs, which is both (Puniball) and (Mystery), neither of which is helpful. The answer? An item we're *about* to get the recipe for, which is the only item you can make that has an Awakened (Gemstone) Effect. The Styrom Board is an important part of that whole process.
Essentially, the process is to make this mystery item a (Supplement) item, Awaken a Styrom Board into a (Gemstone) item, use that in a Long Sword synthesis, and then Awaken that into a (Lumber) item, then finally to Lulua's weapon. See? A pain.
There are some things you are not meant to know, Eva. As far as actual progress to Ultimate Builds, though, I did make some progress after like 10-12 minutes of wasted footage.
Rorona's final weapon. Had to settle with Enhance Items 4 because I don't think you can Awaken the Long Sword as a (Gemstone), but it's only a 3% difference. Blazing Ice element with these items gives us Lux Ursa Major L and Enhance Items +15%. That's what it's all about. Lux Ursa Major L is a +15% boost to elemental damage. Don't *think* that applies to item damage. That's kind of the thing with getting these unique Effects: most of the time, they're really not gonna change much about Ultimate Builds. In a way, that's nice, because I don't need to go crazy figuring how to make everything completely optimal.
For the record, it's not possible to have two Enhance Items Awakened Effects on armor or weapons. Why? Because the only other customizable slot on both is (Armor Material) and (Weapon Material), respectively. There's no Awakened (Armor Material) or anything like that in this game. If it were (Metal), that'd be another story, but no. Those are both special item categories.
Niko's final. As always, Awakened Effect for this is pointless, but hey, +12 HP never hurt anyone. Blazing Thunder Boost Item gives us Dreamchaser Bonds L, which increases Faint resistance by 70 and increases support skill power by 20%. These are supportive skills, however. He doesn't have offensive Support Skills. Other side of the bar was Enhance Skills +12%, with a highest possible effect of +15%. Fascinating.
Sterk's final also went nice and quick. Blazing Thunder gave us War God's Awakening L and Add Stun +15. War God increases skill power by 15% and further increases depending on the WT he incurs as a result of using that skill. Works for me.
For Piana's final, had to make a Sunlite with a +5 Earth Elemental Point value but it worked. I got Lunar Ward L and Weaken Items +12% by using a Star Flower. Lunar Ward increases all stat boosts on herself by 50% and increases Magic damage by 20%. Pretty powerful effect indeed. So that's Ficus, Sterk, Niko, Rorona, and Piana all kitted out with their best weapons with the best traits. Halfway there.
Alright, after this, we got a lot lot of random bric-a-brac to get through, but that's the end of the game for you. If we're being real, there's probably about two hours left between us and the end of the game. And that's if you're watching all the story scenes. If you're skipping past them, then maybe an hour. Tops. Of course, that depends on how fast you can win, if you can win at all, against the final three bosses.
But what's not bric-a-brac is making a delicious pie. I also made a high-quality (remember 100+) Plain Pie for Dragon, but we're not giving it directly to him. Deliver it to Piana in Arklys. Rorona gets first dibs, though, obviously. Family legacy
Hehe, thank you! Well...time to dig in!
It's so tasty! Hehehe! It's to die for! Really? Woo! Does it have the Frixell flavor? Yep, exactly! And in exchange for a tasty pie...a present from me! Huh...?
What's this? It's a collection of my recipes. I tried to collect all sorts of recipes and the tricks of the trade. I may not be very good with my words, but I thought maybe if I write everything down... Hehe, what do you say, will you take it? Mom...! Are you sure? Of course. After all.... You are my precious daughter! *sniff* Mom...! Mooooom! Waaaaah! Thank you! There, there. You're so sweet and always do your best. If you keep it up... You'll make a wonderful alchemist! OK...! I will!
She's a true Frixell now. Now we're headed to Arls to deliver her Fool's Stone and deal with Ficus' request. An 846 Quality Fool's Stone is probably surpassing her expectations a bit, but that's Lulua for you. Always surpassing those expectations. Meeting of minds
Wooow! Huh? Is this...? Yes! This is the fruit of our collaboration! Hmm... Now that I look at it, it really is amazing. Wow. I can see some basic laws of alchemy got...broken here and there. How do I say this... Haha. Alchemy really has infinite possibilities, doesn't it? Yeah. But this is what I think! We were able to create something like this because we worked on it together! Which means... Hm? That the two of us are the strongest team...?!
I see...wow. OK, Lulua! Promise me we'll come up with more recipes? We might be able to make even more amazing items! Yeah, I think so too! OK, I'm all fired up!! Let's make even more amazing recipes! Woo-hoo! Yeah!!
Hehe. Looks like you two are having fun. Meruru is especially in high spirits since she got herself a junior now. ...Hehe. Maybe I'll bring some snacks by. Something that will help you work even harder.Hm...these two could be dangerous if left to their own devices.
Given how this man is dressed, not the most reassuring thing ever said... Now to deliver that Scale Cloth.
Wooow...! Thanks, Lulua! Hm, it's giving off a fine aura of power. This should do... Lulua. I'm going to do a little of my magic on this. Once it's finished, it'll be time for the real thing. The "Demon Crystal Destruction Show" will start! I'll come get you when I'm ready. So... Just wait a little while for me. Yes, of course. That's fine by me. I trust you, Ficus. Lulua... I'll be waiting. Do your best! Oh, I will! Besides, I can't let this fail...!I think we need to clear the air around here by giving Dragon that pie. See you in Arklys. Endless gratitude
Wow! Thank you so much! Let's give it to him right away. Whew... Mr. Dragon! Hm? Oh, it's master and Nano Master. Is everything OK? Well, you see... We've got something for you. A little present from both of us. I say "both", actually Lulua made it. Is that OK? A present? Yeah... Here you go! It's a...pie! Are you sure? Yeah, of course we are! It's all for you! See, I told you I"d make you a pie one day! Eat up! H-here I go...! *haumph* ...! Delicious! This is delicious, Nano Master! Haha, looks like that hit the spot. That's my Lulua! Hehehe. I'm glad! Hey, Mr. Dragon! Thank you so much for everything you do. Thanks from me, too. Sorry for working you so hard. You're a massive help to me. I can't imagine living without you! So... Here's to many more travels together!Well...a large part of that is because Piana is kind of a slob, but it's the sentiment that counts.
Master... Nano Master... Even though I'm still learning as I go, I'll do my best to support you wholeheartedly!
If you could just see fit to change my name-- No can do, sorry! Master! I implore you! We can't go changing your name at this stage. It'd freak people out. Ahaha. I really like your name, Mr. Dragon. You do? Well, if Nano Master likes it... I suppose I can live with it. To many more travels together! OK! That's the spirit! Haha! Hehehe. ^_^
Back in the Golden Plains, I've found that taking some easy requests for common enemy types, like rabbits, is a really good way to raise affection levels quickly. Especially with an insta-kill Craft, of course. For the record, Eva / Aurel / Ficus / Piana / Ficus all need 80% friendship level to get all their events. Rorona needs 60%, Sterk needs 70%, and I believe Meruru and Totori both get all their events when you finish all their "normal" events and they're at 80% friendship. Mind, there's usually a required 10-day gap between character scenes even if you are the appropriate friendship level.
I actually don't know if this game has a similar friendship level system to Sophie, where you couldn't raise friendship level past a certain point until you'd seen one of that character's scenes in their storyline. If you hit the max, their friendship level number would turn red and you'd need see the next of their scenes to raise it higher. Unless, of course, they were at 100 friendship level. If there is such a system in this game, I never experienced that at all.
For this game, after I completed this rabbit request I went to Night's Domain to kill more time until a restock at Dragon's and get more Dark Fireflies. Can never have too many of those things.
Upon warping back, I finally got a "Call of curry" scene. There are three of these, the first of which gives you the recipe for Guardian Curry, assuming you've caught a Guardian at some point, and here's where the point of confusion with Eva's events comes up, because what if you hadn't advanced her events far enough for her to get that request where you give her Lululu Curry? Would it interfere with the triggers of this scene? I do not know, and I'm not starting another playthrough to find out.
Having like a million ingredients for this thing certainly helped the quality... As of this scene, I'm only 38 Alchemy EXP points away from level 50. Curry of fish
Stia looking on with concern...
Of course! And I made sure to boil it carefully so it wouldn't lose its shape, then used the juices to build the flavor. After that, the filet was fried to keep all the flavor in, and bam! The perfect topping! A curry dish that's a "Guardian" through and through! It's probably the most perfect dish to ever exist, if I do say so myself. Ohh... Well, I don't doubt you... It's just...it doesn't look like what I was expecting... I mean, yeah, it came out looking a bit rough, but it tastes amazing! It encapsulates all the flavors of nature unlike any other food! Ahahaha!! You have to give it a taste, Eva! Oh, um... Sure, I guess... I will...later...Now, I think the reason you have to complete that whole Lululu Curry business is because Eva is is in all of these special curry scenes, and I guess Gust didn't want Eva to potentially be acting all cheerful and the same as usual for these scenes while she's still supposed to be depressed about the whole business with her family is up in the air? That's the only explanation I have.
Think this next scene comes up when Sterk is at 40% friendship level.
Mr. S-Sterk...? You're making a p-pretty scary face there... Am I? Sorry about that. I hadn't realized... The injury on my back is bothering me today... That might be why. An old injury?! Hmm, that doesn't sound good... I've got it! I'll make you some pain medicine! Dealing with the pain is probably really exhausting...A pretty old injury at that. Nobody feels like filling Lulua in on the details but he took it protecting Rorona against Suni Sterm in the Ster Highlands while Rorona was distracted gathering materials. You can see how similar Lulua and Rorona are by now.
Pain medicine? That's a good idea. Would you mind? Not at all! I'll bring it over as fast as I can! Just wait a bit, Mr. Sterk!
Might want to consider a paper bag...
Love getting a massive batch of requests I can immediately finish like this. This will tend to happen more toward the end of the game. The money means next to nothing for me, but it does matter that I got the final job board scene of the entire game. That's Arklys, Arland, and now Arls. The new patron
Sure! What is it? Well, the thing is... If you have time... Would you model for me? For a portrait? M-model for a portrait? I don't mind at all, but this is a little sudden... Ah, haha. Well, you see... I'm planning to put up a statue of you in Arls. So, as a preparation for that, I thought I'd paint your portrait. S-S-Statue?! A statue of me? Why?!I'm trying very hard to not spell "statute" here. Years of law school sure have done a thing to my brain.
Isn't it obvious? It's to celebrate the amazing contribution you've made to Arls. A small token of thanks for taking on so many requests for us. Huh, I mean, sure. I did a lot of requests... But a statue? This is too much... I don't think it is at all. I asked around and everyone pretty much agreed with me.
Do you really think so? I guess there's nothing I can say to change your mind... Then it's decided! Hehe. Everyone's going to be so pleased. Um, Lulua? Yes? I hope... I hope you won't let fame go to your head! Ahahah! I'll try not to! I just love Arls! I must admit, I'm looking forward to seeing how that statue turns out! I'll do my best! Hehe. See you around, Lulua!Too bad we probably won't see it done before the end of this game... But it does make Lulua the third Atelier protagonist I know to get a statue of her. The first is Meruru, obviously. The second? Nelke, depending on if you consider her an Atelier protagonist or not. Personally, I do.
After that, I intentionally wasted time walking to Arklys, then to Dusty Nail, then back to Dusty Nail to get the next Call of Curry scene. This one unlocks the recipe for...Dunkel Curry. This is highly unfortunate for most folk, since, unless you're planning to use that Ultimate Power Dunkelheit from Conifer, you actually can't make this, since, obviously, you need a Dunkelheit for it. But it's fortunate for me, because I got this on 11/5, which means we can go get that Dunkelheit...assuming we can find it. Wherever could it be?
Whenever it's November of the first full year, head to this area of the Eternal Spring to find your Dunkelheit.
I, of course, took this opportunity to grind out more affection levels for these five. Of course, if you're trying to play as efficiently as possible, Lulua should rarely be in the active party, because she obviously does not have an affection level for herself. It's like how in Escha & Logy you were actually, generally, better off not having the other protagonist in your active party because that was basically a wasted party member slot. Against endgame enemies, however, obviously that goes out the window.
But, Atelier games generally do not let you swap out the protagonist (though this game does allow you to), so why go against tradition? Firis was unique in that there were *four* party members you couldn't swap out once they joined your party, but that game's party system, among many of its other systems, was strange.
These purple flowers in the third area, to be exact. The Dunkelheit are fairly low quality, even with a Tonic (in the 100 Quality range), because this is still an early-game location. Still, they are definitely worth collecting for the special trait only Dunkelheit contain: Twilight Nectar. Unlike in Rorona, when you could only gather a finite amount of Dunkelheit per year in the Dark Woods, as long as it's November you can keep harvesting them. Still, you shouldn't need more than one trip to gather as much as you'll basically ever need. Do make sure to gather a lot, however, because the Dunkel Curry is incredibly valuable, though probably not for the reasons you're thinking.
Hey, at least the game told you about Dunkelheit this game. Rorona was very old-school in the "Doesn't actually tell you a whole lot" theory of game design.
Remember that Tera Bomb we made? Well, this is its effect, and the reason I'm using it is to grind usages for the second half of that riddle. Well, hope you're up to using it 30x. Again, a perfect excuse to grind affection levels for party members who might be lagging a bit. Upon going back to Arklys after exhausting all my usages of this, a scene. Piana was around uh...70% friendship? That sounds right.
Yes? What's going on? I'd like you to engage me in a little competition, no questions asked. As for what it's about...I want to see who can use this particular item better. T-teacher? I'm not sure about this... Actually, never mind. If you need my help, I'll do it! Thank you, Lulua. OK, bring me the item once you're finished. Remember, this is a serious competition. I want you to give it your best, OK? Sure thing.She wants a high-quality Elixir, and considering I have a few lying around that are super high Quality, yeah, this competition was over before it started. As usual, deliver it in Arklys. But we have our first character to get the ending flag of! (More than) friends forever
Eva...! Oh, Lulua! Welcome! Hehehe, I'm glad you're back to your cheerful self. Yup! Your Lululu Curry was exactly what I needed! It was so good! After eating, it felt like I was able to shake it all off. Hehe, that's good. So I guess, from now on... Yeah. I will stay here at Armster Orphanage. Because my true family is right here. I see! Hehe, that's so you, Eva. Yeah. By the way, Lulua...
So... I'm looking forward to all the time we'll spend together! Ahaha... It's a little embarrassing when you say it straight like that, but... I like you too, Eva! I'm looking forward to that as well!Once again "daisuki", but at least in Eva's case we know it's completely unambiguous as to what she means by that, thanks to that scene earlier where she rejects that marriage idea with the noble and says she likes Lulua in that sense.
Ohh yeah!
Hehehe! Tease them more! Hahaha! Agh, you little--! If you're going to be like that, no more curry! What! Not the curry! We better get out of here! Let's go! Bah, looks like we've lost! We won't forget this!*the children slink back under the bar*
They're such little rascals... Right? Ahaha! I suppose so. They are a handful, but so much fun...
One down, six to go. Of course, Meruru and Totori do not have endings.
I mentioned Dunkel Curry being super important in a way you're probably not expecting. Allow me to elucidate.
Sylphid's Omega Craft chart posted:
Fool's Stone -> Dunkel Curry (Awaken Mystery) -> Meteor (Awaken Plant) -> Omega Craft (Earth +5)
Easy money. The Fool's Stone is also a (Spice) item, so it can go directly into a Dunkel Curry. The Fool's Stone Awakened Effect is (Awaken Mystery) so it goes directly into a Meteor. In the Awakened effect slot for a Meteor, that Dunkel Curry turns the Meteor in a (Plant) item and then can be used in an Omega Craft for Earth Damage+5.
Why am I focusing on this in particular? Earth +5 from the Meteor is the strongest elemental effect we can get, so why not go with the biggest source of damage? That Earth effect is free additional damage, by the way. The Omega Craft's normal damage dealing source hits in any case.
But what if you wanted other elemental attacks? Then it gets a bit more complicated.
Sylphid's Ice Omega Craft chart posted:
Fish Sauce (awaken Vapor) -> Spirit Tears (Awaken Spice) -> Dunkel Curry (Awaken Water) -> Heavenly Parasol (Awaken Plant) -> Omega Craft (Ice +4)
Quite a few more steps, and a weaker elemental effect. You can see why the Earth one is more preferable to me. "Now wait", you might be saying. "Why not just have Omega Crafts for all vulnerabilities for any situation that may arise?" A good argument, but there is a biiiiiiiig catch on CHARISMA, the highest difficulty. If you're familiar with the highest difficulty modes for Firis and Lydie & Suelle, you'll know what I'm talking about already, but for those who aren't, I think a little hands-on experience would serve you well.
Suffice to say, when we do make our Ultimate Omega Craft, we'll be going with my Earth route, the others on a provisional basis depending on need. Anyway, ignoring all this for now, let's see the fallout from this latest
...Seriously? I guess... Curry of Flowers
What's that...? What do you mean?! It's Dunkel Curry! With lots of Dunkelheit! But why? No reason! I just thought it would be interesting to try! There are curries that use a lot of veggies, right? Those are delicious and good for you, yeah?! Similarly, I tried replacing those veggies with Dunkelheit. I thought it would make a curry that's way more "effective" than normal curry! I mean, it is an ingredient used in alchemy after all!
Stia's only getting more upset about all this...
There's no guessing! It's guaranteed! Ahahaha! Eva, once you try, you'll understand! So without further ado... Ehehe! I hope you're prepared for the energy shock of a lifetime! I'm prepared for...something.No rest for the weary with another scene in Arls.
Whew... You look tired, Ms. Keina. Did something happen? Oh, hi Lulua. Yeah, I'm in a bit of trouble. Lulua. Do you know about the Eastern Continent? Uh, yeah... It's a continent to the east of Arland! Yes, that's right. It's rich in materials, but remains a largely unknown land... There's actually a plan to explore the Eastern Continent. However, the ocean tides are severe, and it's impossible to travel there safely. So that's why we looked to establish a new sea route leading there, but...Makes you wonder how Totori did it back in her day if she was operating from incomplete information / sea charts. Perhaps when the dock finishes construction everyone should ask the people of Alanya how they did it.
Let me guess, you don't have enough people? Yes... We suffer from a lack of skilled sailors. We're trying to recruit people in Arls. (Skilled sailors?) If you happen to know of anyone, Lulua... Could you maybe ask them? OK, I will! Bye now! *walks away* (Niko is the best sailor I know. I should go see what he has to say!)Well, to be fair, you don't know he's a sailor of any repute. He says he is, but Lulua certainly has no evidence other than his word to that effect. But, let's humor him and ask anyway. Hope for the sea
Great news? What, like a way to make money? Um, I don't know if it pays well or not, but... *explains the thing with Keina* They want to develop a new sea route?! Really?! Are you sure about this?! I can't believe it! Hehe! It's got me all fired up! Ahaha! I thought you might be interested! You were the first person I thought of. Haha! Of course I'm interested! Trying to develop a new sea route is definitely a worthwhile job. Of course, it's also dangerous, but there's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment when it's done! And you said it's supposed to reach the Eastern Continent? To be honest, I have no idea what the seas are like out that way. That just makes it more exciting though! This is what I've been waiting for! That's great to hear! Ahaha! I see a sparkle in your eyes. Haha! I'll go and speak with Ms. Keina at once! Thank you, Lulua! See you later!
I probably should have made the previous Keina scene part of this video, but oh well. Only a few Niko events left to go. After this, I went to Hart Outpost to, you guessed it, grind more Tera Bomb uses. Grinding those affections levels is its own reward. Thanks to all that fighting, I got Rorona to 60%, so her last scene in Arland, but hardly the last we'll be seeing of her in this thread.
Ah, before that. The final Call of Curry scene. Now THAT'S a recipe to hit 50 on. Mother and Daughter Alchemists
Yes. Well, there have been difficulties along the way...but we're having fun! I see... Ahaha, too bad we can't help out too... Yeah... But we aren't any good at teaching, so...
Ahaha, it's fine. Everyone has their own path. We teach alchemy, and Ms. Rorona and Meruru use their alchemy to help people. Our paths are different, but both are necessary to spread alchemy. Yeah, you're right. Alchemy really changed our lives. Ahaha, it really did. If Totori never came, I wonder what would have happened to me...Probably nothing pleasant, that's for sure. Either escaping the village out into the freezing wilderness or sacrificed to a demon. Some rough choices.
Me too. That's why...if we all work for the sake of alchemy... Right. Surely, a bright future will come! Yes, that's right. We also have our rising star, Lulua! Right! So...let's keep it up, everyone! Yeah! We have to do it for alchemy, because it's so special to all of us!
Oh? Right. Teacher said something about having a curry party, so...
Meruru practically teleports from standing where she was at the start of this scene to where she is in this screenshot. Had to slow down the playback on the video to get this shot.
Mhmm. We were helping her out. Lulua, you'll have some curry too, right? Yes, of course! I-I mean, why didn't you tell me? Oh, um... Because... Well, there was so much to do. Right, Ms. Rorona? Uh, right! So much to do! So much, huh... Well, I guess if I get curry, it's OK! All right, Mom, I'll help out too! Let's make the best curry ever together! Of course! We can't cut any corners! All right, first let's buy the ingredients... You still need ingredients?! Ahaha, then I'll come with you! Righto, we'll be back in a little bit!
Oh, my...they really went. Hehe, why not? And I was just craving curry too... Ms. Totori... Don't tell me you planned this all out... Hehe, who knows? But, those two...What did I tell you? She's crafty.
Oh, you too? Rorona and Lulua... Yeah. Hehe.
Of course, we have one final step needed to truly be considered a successor to the great Rorolina Frixell. And hey, this is another item that can be put into six different item categories. Perhaps, uh, we might have gone too far here.
And that's it. The max level. For the record, there's no special scene or anything for hitting level 50. The only tangible benefit you get from reaching that rank is, of course, being able to make every item in the game, including ones yet to be discovered, and your base TP goes up to 60, which is what I think that "basic traits" message you get when you hit numerous Alchemy level benchmarks refers to. But, since this is the first Philosopher's Curry we've made, we of course have a scene. Curry of Philosophers
Lulua...I think you've gone a bit too far this time.
You can't, Lulua! There's no way I'm eating that! There's a stone in it! You can't even call that food! Pffthaha--No, Eva! You've got it all wrong! This is actually food...! Really! It's not just any stone! I mean, you can clearly see it's the Philosopher's Stone! Pffft--!
It doesn't matter if it's a Philosopher's Stone or a regular stone! A stone's a stone! Can you just try to think about the feelings of the person forced to eat that?! Now just wait a second, Eva! Let me explain! The Philosopher's Stone is all-powerful! It can be neutralizer and it can be medicine! What's wrong with it being food too?!
Although Lulua has certainly gone mad, there's no need for the heavy ordnance here...
If I have to make myself believe it's edible, I don't want to eat it! Eva... I feel that I get what you are saying... I really do. I mean, while I was making it, I had to have an honest conversation with myself about whether this was really OK... But once I saw the finished product... My body shook with antici...pation. I knew then that I wanted to try this curry. I wanted to see for myself what new world of flavors it would show me. ...
... ... That's why, Eva.... We have to eat this together, OK...? I can absolutely guarantee that this curry, though it doesn't look like much, is the most delicious thing you'll ever eat. Besides, if we taste it together, it's certain to taste even better! Lulua...
Someone finally calls out Silver-tongued Lulua.
It doesn't matter what you want, you WILL be tasting the curry!! AHH!! NOooooo!! Please, nooo! My teeth will shatter!!It's true, you know. When Rorona tried to prove the Philosopher's Pie was edible, she bit into it and shattered her tooth. Astrid had to make her a false tooth as a replacement. Like mother, like daughter.
That's not true!! I stewed it for hours! Come on, you can trust me!! AHH! NOO!! NOOOO!
We've actually had this recipe done since we made our first high-quality Crystal Ball, since you can find Star Pieces at Ster Highlands. But this is very important, because now we're going to make our first Ultimate Omega Craft. This is actually jumping ahead a bit, since this is an Alchemyriddle Chapter 11 riddle, but the gods will just have to forgive us for that.
Dropping Puni...of course, we're not actually going to use this. This is going right into the Omega Craft, as outlined above. I like to make like, triple sure I have dupes of all the ingredients for an Ultimate Omega before I actually make it. Just in case we need to make another of a different element, of course.
Normally, this is what my Ultimate Omega would look like. Obviously we'll use the Awakened Effect for the Meteor but, a part of me is unsatisfied. I dreamed there was a better way. There was.
And it involves the Sylph Breath. By using another Dunkel Curry to Awaken this into a (Plant), we can use this, and its Fire Effect of "Synthesis: Uses +2", to get more uses out of the Omega we're just about to make. By using this in any consumable item synthesis, you get two more uses out of it. This was actually unplanned at the time I recorded it. Normally that Black Supplement wouldn't add anything to final product, since everything was at 999 Quality, and I didn't want to mess with values. But this is where it all comes together.
Add some Sulfite, and we have our superweapon. That Sunlite has Demon Slowdown on it, for the record.
Another absolutely insane pile of TP, but we finally are truly powerful. Against a typical enemy, with no resistances or weaknesses against either Physical or Earth damage, this will do about 15k damage. Maybe 17k with a fully decked out Lulua with Enhance Item Awakened Effects on all her stuff. Let us show them the tyranny that equals authority as well.
This is actually a pretty powerful Primal Art, The Alchemist of Arland. Increases crit rate and the power of normal items, whatever those may be. It's mostly nice for that item increase and the fact Lulua and someone else handy in the backline, like Aurel, can hide and be safe from powerful AOE hits.
Finally done with all that Tera Bomb grinding.
Back in town I also made a Jar of Four Spirits and Awakened it as a (Gemstone), for Aurel's Ultimate Sword. Doing this also finished up Chapter 10's Advanced riddles. For his sake, mostly because it comes with a really nice Awakened Effect for him, giving him a 15% chance to shrug off a KO. I actually don't know if this kind of thing stacks, but I'm of the opinion it doesn't, because you basically build unkillable teams just by stacking Avoid KO everywhere, and I've never heard of anyone talking about a build like that.
These items + Freezing Earth Element gives us Hurricane Blade L and Critical Power Up +15%, which are definitely the best Effects for this thing. The Earth Effect is increasing his Accuracy rating which is uh, basically pointless. I mean, not entirely, since any kind of attack other than items can miss, but *only* if the affected character has Blindness on them. Otherwise, this Effect is entirely a waste. Hurricane Blade L increases skill power by 15% and reduces WT time by 15%. Quite good for Aurel. He'll be getting lots of turns.
Totori's is pretty easy, since an Azure Wing can directly Awaken a Long Sword into an (Elixir) item. No issues there. As far as Boost Items went, I used a Sacred Water to fill out the Ice gauge, which is Enhance Items +15%. Sacred Water can be found in Ancient Monastery if you're hurting for some.
Take it from a master of the craft, Lulua. Phantasm L is *quite* powerful. Increases all stat boosts on herself by 50% (doesn't count boosts from equipment) and increases item and healing power by 30%, which is a huge buff. Totori would be an absolute beast of a party member if she could use Interrupt as much as Lulua can.
For this item I'll never use, there is no "Immortal Demon" in this game. Pretty sure it's referring to an Eternal Darkness Demon.
Good to know. In fact, aside from that Rainbow, I'm pretty sure I've banked all the remaining Alchemyriddle entries just based on what we've done so far. Pinnacle is for making a high Quality Meteor / Pure Poison, Enshrouded in Light (Purple) is for finding a high Quality Quake Crystal / making a high Quality Komet, and Enshrouded in Light (Rainbow) is for making a high Quality Jar of Four Spirits and making the (Purple) Symbol we just got the recipe for. This also means we have all the Symbol accessories, so we can handle that part of Ultimate Builds. To be honest, the one I want to use on everyone, the Falling Star Symbol, I think it's impossible to get Enhance Items Level 5 on both Awakened slots ((Gemstone) and (Dragon)), but I really liked making rainbow weapons in Lydie & Suelle, and I'm doing that again.
Hmm, that sounds pretty good for Sterk, actually. Obviously I'm not using this particular one for Ultimate Builds, but I could definitely see building an Ultimate one for Sterk.
It just kills me I can't make these magic shoes, because I know what they are and they're awesome. Next chapter... But what we don't have to wait for is a Ficus scene that pops up when he's 80% friendship level.
Ficus! That look... Does that mean?! Yes. I'm ready to destroy the Demon Crystal. Really? Then it's time for the show! I wish it were, but... Before that, there's a specific time and place... To bring out my powers fully, I need the power of "night". Night? You mean like...Night's Domain? Yes, that's just the place. Very late at night, preferably. I see... OK, let's do that. We'll destroy the Demon Crystal...!
OK, will do!
Well, you definitely need to head to the deepest part of Night's Domain to finish Ficus' storyline while it's night, but luckily you can change the time of day from the world map via the Rest option. Or if you're really inefficient, you can waste time in-location. We also have a Meruru scene in the same spot. The alchemist adventurer
Ms. Meruru! Hello, how are you? Oh, Lulua. I was just thinking. About what I should do from now on... From now on? Yeah. It hit me back when we were talking before. Alchemists really do have unlimited potential. And I'm... I'm still so inexperienced... Unlimited potential...? That recipe we worked on before... If we had worked seperately, we would have never figured it out. Alchemy is the study of possibilities. Understanding how far you can stretch those possibilities is our grandest purpose. And to expand that purpose... I was thinking that I really need to study more. Oh... You're so serious, Ms. Meruru... Even though you're already an amazing alchemist... Ahaha... That's only because everyone around me is amazing as well... Like Ms. Rorona, and Ms. Totori too... Ahaha... That is true... Well, anyway! My goal still hasn't changed. As an alchemist, I will aim to help as many people as I can.
I see...! Ahaha! Wow, Ms. Meruru! It's really amazing how you think like that. Ahaha, really? But that's why, Lulua... If it's all right with you... I'd like for us to talk about alchemy together sometimes. I think if we work together, we're sure to get some great ideas. Yeah, you're right...! You know you can count on me! Ehehe, I guess we make a pretty awesome team, don't we! Hehe! Yes, I think so, too! We're number one!
Absolutely, Ms. Meruru! Ahahaha!And uh...also a Niko scene? This is a popular hangout lately.
Oh, Niko? Are you writing a letter? Oh, Lulua! Hehe. This is still somewhat of a secret. There is something I want to ask you though. Do you think you could help me? Help you? Well, sure... You will? That's great! I want you to make me a goddess statue. A goddess statute?! What do you need it for? You see, pirates always put a goddess statue on the bow of their ship, praying for the safe passage. It's kind of a custom. So I want the one I trust the most to make that statue. Before I board my new ship... I want you to be the one to make the statue for it. Will you help me, Lulua?! I see... In that case, I'd be happy to help you! Hehehe... I'll be sure to make you a goddess statue that'll answer your prayers! Ah, that'd be terrific! Thanks, Lulua!
Continuing with our Ultimate Builds, a typical Falling Star Symbol will have Enhance Items Level 4 and 5 for the alchemists. Yes yes, I know it says Enhance Items Lvl 4 there, but I haven't gamed any way to Awaken a Long Sword as a (Gemstone) item, so we'll just have to settle for a 12% boost instead of a 15%. For the (Dragon) slot, very easy if you have a Dragon Piece, since that be instantly used on a Long Sword. As you might guess, you can use a Dark Firefly to completely ruin that Magic Chaser XL and get a higher quality Symbol, for whatever good that does, but I dunno. I just like the look of "XL", you know? Obviously this is not entirely optimal because of that 4 instead of 5, but I believe I've made my position clear on rainbow-enshrouded weapons. With an Alchemy Activator, I got this to 677 Quality.
And, like the Philosopher's Necklace, after this I simply requipped all the Ultimate Falling Star Symbols on the alchemists and Music Note Symbols on the warriors that I made on my prior playthrough.
Everyone's got that guy's number. I actually forget what Sacred Edge L does, but let's just say "It's good, but unnecessary compared to the traits" and leave it at that. That's pretty much what they all add up to, with a few notable exceptions like Piana or Totori. That Ailments Resistance +20% is just to make her more unique.
Oh, I should explain this. The cameras were off for this scene, so I went back to an earlier save and recorded this scene, because this is what prompts this request to come up.
I haven't tested it, but I'm pretty sure this is the scene that pops up when you've made all the previous curry at a high enough Quality level. The next few scenes all kind of flow together, you see. The price of genius
Huh? Did you say something, Lulua? I said... It's not enough. It's not enough!! Not enough...? YES!! I finally realized! It's me! I don't have enough! VISION!! I don't have enough vision to prepare the Ultimate Curry! Ah. I see we're still obsessed with curry... I'm not obsessed! Anyway! I need time to think! What is the Ultimate Curry?! What is it that you need to create the Ultimate Curry?! Hehehe. Well, just saying "ultimate" over and over doesn't help. Yeah... Fine, I'll just make every single curry dish I can think of. Say, Eva? You'll try all the dishes I make, right? Of course! Just bring them to me when you're done.What she actually wants is 750+ Quality Lululu Curry, so I hope you still have some of that lying around. For now, since we're in Arland, it's time for Aurel's rematch against Sterk.
This is what happens if you either don't have a Ghostly Long Sword (you sold it or something or used it in a synthesis for...some reason) or Aurel is currently equipped with it. When you return to the Merulia Gate, you'll get this short little scene. Yes, it's silly if Aurel has it equipped going into this location, but just roll with it, alright? It's weird this is the one time the game will call you out on not technically having something that you've made. Successor
Of course. Lulua? Here.
This is...! I'm impressed. It's almost as if... It's like an extension of my arm itself! Thank you, Lulua. I can't express my gratitude enough. Heh, it's all right. We're friends after all. Just think of it as "noblesse oblige" too! Haha! Well said. OK then. I'm going to win this fight. Wait and see, Lulua. ...Okay.
Showdown at high noon. How fitting.
Let the battle begin! Grrrraaahhh!
Ngh! Hm?!Did he...?!
Aw, too bad... I think.
Ungh... It looks like I lost again... No, it was actually a draw. One of your strikes found its mark. A single strike? It must've just grazed you. Heh. Still, one strike is often all it takes. I am surprised. I never expected you to improve in such a short amount of time. And that sword of yours... It was made to maximize your technique. You've done well, Aurel. No, thank you for agreeing to face me. Mr...Sterk... Hehe.Looks like Sterk has yet another foe to keep in mind. Some things never change. When I got this scene, it was December, so that means another Arland Royal Fair. Despite the fact this country is a republic right now, but it's tradition, alright? Obviously I'm going to participate in some of the festivities, but since this update is already plenty long, let's finish up by finishing Ficus' business at Night's Domain. For this next scene, it obviously has to be night, and you have to go to the deepest depths of Night's Domain. This oughta be good.
Let's see what this nut has in store for us... The Greatest Show
Now... Lulua. Allow me to show you Ficus Finis' best magic trick ever. *gulp* Oh, Lulua. Don't be too surprised. Huh...? AHHHHHH!!!
Remember this blast from the past? It's Evil Face! The very same demon that Totori fought at the climax of her adventure has been alongside us since we first went to Orthogalaxen near the end of Chapter 3. Even though it's the same model, I don't know if the Tower Devil from Meruru's Makina Domain is supposed to be the same fellow, but it would go along with the Machina of God being Mana the whole time. If Tower Devil and Evil Face are supposed to be the same being, Tower Devil was awful sprightly for someone who got wrecked just a few years prior. But, yeah, the "final boss" of Totori has been a playable character in this game.
Heh...this is my true form. Now, for the Demon Crystal. No... The Rage Beast. You've been...very good to me. In the past I was ruled by misfortune. However, things are different now. As a human... I'll do whatever it takes to destroy you. The fury you bear, or my anger... Let's see whose is more formidable! YAHHHHHHH!!! Pilche! Lend me your strength!
That comment about Rage Beast is interesting. We don't exactly know what their relationship is, but it's interesting to think about that the reason Ficus was the way he was in Totori was because of Rage Beast making him much more violent and angry. Whatever the case, it's worth considering that Ficus' personality was always the "real" personality and it was the other lord of Liechten Soehnle that was making things unpleasant for Piana's village, but nobody knew about the Rage Beast except for Demon Ficus.
...Hahaha! It's finally...over. *pant* *pant* I'm exhausted. Usually I don't have to use all of my strength like this... Ahaha... That really surprised me. Who exactly are you, Ficus? ...Heh. I'm the traveling magician, Ficus. Doing stuff like that is all in a day's work. Anyway, I successfully destroyed the Demon Crystal. It was only with your help that I was able to do it, Lulua. Thank you. Don't mention it. I-I'm glad I was able to help. Now... Shall we go home? Yes. Ah, Lulua. Don't tell anyone what happened today, OK? Hehe, don't worry about that. No tricks or traps...
Yep, let's just leave it at that...