Part 4: Chapter IV: The Vanished Side of the Past World

Back and forth

Hey, Shallie. Thanks for coming.

How's the own?

Not well. Though it has nothing to do with you crashing your ship into the harbor.

Don't worry about it. It's time for the Union to show its true strength.

We're so sorry...

I don't mean to sound rude, but... Can I ask you to repair our ship, too?

That would be impossible at this time.

Oh... I see...

Simply put, the resources required to repair your ship are not in the Union's budget. We have no room to accomodate your request, but let me think... Have you tried the Perriend Corporation yet? They go by the "Corporation" for short.

The Perriend Corporation?

Like I mentioned before, they have quite the influence in the city. It may be hard to win their trust, but it wouldn't hurt to introduce yourselves.

There's no need to send him over there...

Our goal is to solve problems in this city, and their goal is to solve problems in their village. It doesn't matter if they work with the Union or Corporation as long as the situation is resolved.

Solle...

Wow, you're such a softie.



Either way, if you end up making a connection with Gerard Perriend, you'll have a much easier time here.

Will the people be more accepting of us?

I guess you could put it that way...

I understand. We'll try going to the Corporation now!

Good luck.

...Thank you, Solle.

Just doing my job.

Do you really expect them to get Perriend's support?

No. Not right away, at least. He's easier to get along with than he first seems, but he's still very protective of the Corporation's influence over Stellard. He won't be easy to persuade into anything that he doesn't think will make him a profit, or benefit Stellard. Them crashing their ship into the city is not going to help them, either.

Still, it could be that Shallie and her friends could end up being a bridge between the Union and Corporation.

If only we had the time to worry about things like that. Do you have the budget numbers for the harbor repair?

Right here.

Let's see...




Butting heads

Are you sure this is the way?

When we went to the fountain, I saw the sign on the building. It's just past this house.



Music: Spitting Chairman

Yes?

(Oh, this person looks familiar to me... Maybe from town...?)

Do you have business here?

Um, we're here to meet Mr. Gerard Perriend...

The chairman? ...What do you need?

We've come from Lugion Village. Lately, the water has begun drying up, so we came here to find a way to save the village. We came from across the Dusk Sea...

You crossed the sea? So you're the young lady responsible for that ship?

Y-yes! Are you... Mr. Perriend?

Yes, indeed. I'm Gerard Perriend. I represent the Perriend Corporation.

I'm Shallistera Argo, and I've come from Lugion Village, across the Dusk Sea...

I know that already. Why did you come here?

Uh, well...

We were told we should really come and talk to you, since we're here in town.

And you are?

...Kortes Argo. I'm like...a relative of Shallistera.

...What do you mean "like" a relative?

Everyone in our clan shares the same last name. We're all family, though we may not be blood related.

Oh...



...You heard about that, huh...

Hah, I practically run this city on my own. Of course I would know.

We're so sorry it took this long to introduce ourselves, Perriend. We were attacked, and the damage...

I don't care about your journey. Your ship damaged this city... That is all I care about.

We came here to find help! But we've caused so much trouble instead... I don't know what to do... Nobody from the city will listen to us. I know it's our fault, but...

Linca!

Yes.

I'm leaving the rest to you. I have things to take care of.

Understood.

W-wait!

He's gone... This was a total waste of time.

Shallistera, was it? I'm Linca, Mr. Perriend's secretary.

Linca?

We already know what you're going to ask of us.

What?

So the old man already knew we were going to come here?

In the meantime, why don't you try working for the people in this city? It would help you to learn about this city in the long run.

Know the city?

What are you good at? I could find you some appropriate jobs...

Um, I'm an alchemist. I'm still not the best, but is there anything I can do to help?

An alchemist, huh? In that case, there are a few jobs requested from the Corporation. Are you interested?

Yes! Of course!

Very well. I'll forward the job requests to the Union, and you can accept them there.

The jobs we've done so far are pretty small jobs, gathering materials from near Stellard. I really want to do more work so we can prove ourselves!

I see... Well, there is an outstanding request to survey some ruins to the north.

Why is it outstanding? There are a lot of adventurers that work in and around Stellard, one of them should have been able to do it by now.

Well, these ruins in particular are known to be extremely dangerous and toxic. If you do accept this job, please be very careful.

Well, what do you think, Shallie?

I think we should try it. If we can jobs like this, we can definitely gather better materials and help the city even more.

Alright then, we'll accept it.

Very good. Please turn your survey report in to the Union. Also, here at the Corporation we sell a wide variety of materials. Some of them may be good for alchemy. Are you interested in purchasing any?

Of course!

I understand. Well, if that's all you need...

Yes! Thank you very much.

Thanks. At least not everyone from the Corporation is like Perriend.

The Chairman can be difficult, but he's not as bad as he seems at first. If you can work hard for the city, I'm sure he'll come around.

I see... Well, thanks again, Ms. Linca.





Whew...

Are you okay, Shallie?

Yes... Time to give it our best shot.

Yeah.



We should get ready.

Yes.






A man obsessed

You're so hard-working today.

Yep! There's still so much I don't know, even about beginner alchemy. Master Wilbell did a great job getting me started, but I have to learn by myself.

That's wonderful, Shallie. Oh? It sounds like someone is as the door.


Al is here!

Hey!



Al? What's up?

I have something to ask. I snuck out when my father wasn't looking.

Again?! You're the heir to a serious business, you need to focus on studying more.

Ugh, you sound like Linca when you say that...

So what was your question?

Honestly...





Shh!! Not so loud!

I can't help it! You've always been obsessed with automatons. You've never found them before...

Ah, but I have a new book here, and it says the ruins to the north are where you can find automatons everywhere! This was written by a well-known explorer, which is why I'm sure the information is true.

Really? This all sounds a little fishy.

No way! He was a great explorer!

What's his name?



Who the heck is that? I've never heard of him. Sorry, I'm not that interested...

Please! I wanted to go myself, but Linca always finds me...

But... Ruins are dangerous!

Shallie... I'll pay you well!

PAY me? ...Well, I don't know...

Okay, well, how about i throw in a meal from our chef?

That's what I'm talking about! How generous of you!

Spared no expense! Okay, I'm counting on you! Make sure to bring back all the automatons you can find! I'm sure there's hundreds there!

I'm not sure about hundreds, but...are you sure Perriend will be okay with bringing back so many automatons? He's never seemed interested in them.

Well, I have plenty of room for them, don't worry.

Okay... Hey Albert, why do you like automatons so much, anyway?

I wish I could explain, Shallote, but there's simply no time to waste! Some other explorer might take them before you get to the ruins, so you should get going soon! Farewell!



Waiiit a second... Is this really okay?? ...I feel like his obvious disregard for spending could be a serious issue. But I'm getting a reward, so I don't have a reason to say no!







We're headed to the Baskes Region. It's on the map, but relatively little is known about the wildlife or species that live there. Surveying this area would definitely be good for improving your reputation, Shallie.

I hope we'll be okay...



Wow, the branch growth in this area is incredible... No wonder how it's hard to survey this area.



Alright, I think I see a way past the forest through here. Follow me.


Encounter in the night

Music: Shining Zoospore

The Land of the Dead. Where fungi gather to grow into mushrooms, and those merge to become even bigger... That's how the mushrooms grow here.

So like... A sea of mushrooms.

Yep. Not many people come here.

...I'm not sure about that.

Huh?



Let's say hello. Maybe he knows something about the kind of place this is.


Um...excuse me.[/i]

...

Hello?

...

Master, I believe these people are speaking to you.

Hm? Oh...



Music: MARIA ORIGIN

Are those... Tribal clothes? If all of you want to go on pointless journeys, go somewhere else.

Pointless journey?!

We came here to stop the water in our village from drying up! That is NOT pointless!

A drought? I'm saying, it's pointless because all you're doing is focusing on one event. Droughts are just one of the things happening on our world.

What do you mean?

Even if the drought in your village is resolved, the world will still be thirsty.

But I have to save my village! Do you know how?

And why are you asking me that? Do you think I'll know?

Well...

Enough. ...We're leaving, Odelia. I'm done.

Yes, master.

Wait! Please... Why were you here?

I don't need to answer that. What a waste of time. Goodbye forever, I hope. (Maybe this area is less interesting than I thought. Still, one more stop today.)



Jurie, have you ever seen that man before?

No, I've never seen him before.

I wonder what he was doing here?

And that woman, could she have been an automaton?

An "automaton"?

It's a product of ancient alchemy with machines that can talk and act like people. From what my father told me, they were much more common a long time ago than they were today. Even now there's only a few that are known to exist.

One thing's for sure, that man is certainly no average traveler.

Hopefully we don't run into him again, though.








The energetic witch

Are you going out, Shallote?

Yeah. Al wanted me to find an automaton in the ruins to the north. He said he'd pay me a lot if I could find one and bring it back.

Are you taking Miruca with you?

Of course!

That's good, she's a good friend. Be careful out there.

I know. See you later!



Master Wilbell! How did you guess?

The Perriend kid told just about everyone. He looked really happy and he kept talking about automatons.

Agh... Jeeze, Al, why? Do you think it's reckless?

Why?

Well you did come all the way out here just to stop me...

Stop you?! Haha!! Actually, it's the opposite. I'm going with you.

Really? ...Why?

Because I'd be too worried if it was just you.

Liar.

How did you know...? Wait, who are you?

That's Miruca. She's a childhood friend of mine, and an amazing alchemist who studied in Central.

Well, not really an alchemist, but a--

What! Oh... I see. An alchemist...

So you're Shal's "master".

Kind of... I guess?

Mmm.



No no! Not at all. It would be reassuring.

That's good. Let's go!



I can't believe I get to travel with you so soon! This is awesome!

Haha, well don't get careless now. Now let's see... Let's fight that monster over there, and I'll show you what Wilbell's grand magic can do!







Music: We Still Have Work to Do

Heh, too easy.

That was incredible! Can you show me how to do that?

That...might be a little hard...



Ugh, what is this place?

I don't know, but I don't think we'll find automatons around here. Let's just get through here as soon as possible.



We can't forget about the materials around here. Some of them look pretty valuable.



What is this thing?

Hm...looks like a Slag Coin. There's not too valuable, but some people out there collect them.

It doesn't look good as a material, but slags are mysterious creatures. Maybe it can be used for something?









I guess we didn't learn that much.

Miss! I'm so glad you're safe.

Thanks Teo. Kortes and Jurie did a great job of helping me fight some of the slags in the ruins.

Shallie, do you still need time to prepare your report?

Yeah, I haven't written anything outside of my notes since I left the ruins. I need to get started and make sure I do a good job on it.









Ancient factory

Urgh, this place is creepy...! That's why I didn't really want to come here...

You won't be able to work if you complain about something as minor as this...

I just don't like dirty places...

I'm fine.

No way. Really? Oh, is it a lot like your house? Like, a huge mess everywhere, things growing in the kitchen and stuff?

Eww... Do you really live in a place like that?

What! No!

Yeah it is! I clean up after you all the time when Jurie isn't around.

Jurie?

Miruca's older sister. She really, really looks up to Miruca.

Huh.



And this place doesn't look anything like where I live, don't blow things out of proportion.

It'll be easy if you think of it as alchemy training.

What does this have to do with that?

Quit your whining. If you don't want to do it, I'll just go home.

Wait! Okay okay I got it. Uuhh, I'll do my best!

Okay, let's go!

By the way...

You're not done yet?

I've never seen an automaton before... How do we look for one?

...I wish you'd have asked that before we got here.

I know what they look like. We'll be fine.

Wait, you HAVE seen one?

Yep. I've been through quite a bit...

Awesome! Just what I would expect! Alright, we better get looking!



Music: Sandy Sea -Ruins-

There are slags everywhere, but I haven't seen any automatons. We should go further in.



It looks like this area might be an abandoned factory. The machines they're using here seem very ancient.

An abandoned factory? But why would the slags come here?

Slags are drawn to ruins for some reason. Though, they've been found almost everywhere. They're usually not violent, but they are very territorial. I don't think we'll have many problems as long as we can find the automaton soon.


Surprise attack

Whoa, is that a person?!

It's shut down, but there's no doubt that it's an automaton.

Really? ... It looks just like a human...

We should head back now that we've found it... I'm so tired of walking.

Are you not used to going to going on adventures like this?

Not really. Most of the work I do is for the people in town, and Imbuing doesn't require as many ingredients as alchemy, so I don't need to leave town very often

Hm...



What?! AHHhhhh!



Wow, there's so many of them...

Don't worry. We can do this.



Let's finish this!



Only one left!



Heh...too easy...



I wonder if they were "Guardians"...

"Guardians"?

Mmm never mind. Let's go.



We're going to keep going?

Well, if we found an automaton here, maybe there's one in the Ruins of Frozen Time, too.

"Ruins of Frozen Time"?

It's a really ancient ruin located northeast of Stellard. No one knows exactly why it's there or what it does. This will be my first time going there!







Music: Gate of Mirages

These are amazing...

Doesn't look there's anything here. We should be safe when exploring.



Hey, isn't that...


Man on a mission

Wait a minute! There's something I can use as a catalyst... I mean, material here! Ooooh, I can sense something rare over there!

Wait! Master!

...What are we gonna do with this?

I'm sure Al will up the reward if we bring them both back... I'll just grab it...



Its feet look stuck in the ground...

What!!

Isn't one enough?

Yeah, but... (Does that mean its been here so long that its feet have melded with the ground...?)

What are you doing?

Um, I'm just trying to recover this automaton...

Hmm. You know about these? I didn't realize there were people around here with knowledge about them.

(What's with this old dude...!)

That one will not work.

(And who's the cutie?! How do they even know each other?!)

Why won't it work?

It's doing its job here.

Job?

Hhm. I guess that is as much as you know. If you don't know what this place is, you should leave. There would be problems if you wake something up with your inept fumbling...

What the...?! Are you saying you know what these ruins are?!

And if I did? Stand aside and let me investigate.



If you don't understand its true value, just leave.

What the heck! And just who ARE you!

May I have a hand.

Of course.

Mm.

(He just IGNORED me?!)

I'm finished here. Let's go. Goodness, it's just one nuisance after another today.

Yes master.



What's with that guy!? What a creep!

It sounded like he was investigating the ruins. Still, you probably shouldn't have talked to him like that.

Hey come on! I just wanted to know what he was doing.

Still, you shouldn't demand strangers to identify themselves.

Grr...

Hey, how much time were you planning on standing around?



Ornery old guy?

He was pretty scary looking, but he had a cute girl following him around!

Huh? (Scary looking, angry old guy with a cute girl following him. Couldn't be...) Shall we head back? You're done now, right?

Yep! I gotta deliver this to Al!