Part 23: R-17 - Kill the Past

Today is 'Kill the Past'. Not a piece of music, though. Flower, Sun and Rain, The Silver Case and Moonlight Syndrome (which I just bought, incidentally), are all part of the same universe, linked by the idea of "kill the past". As I mentioned in the last update, Killer7 was to be a part of this series originally, though was changed during development. It still makes mention of kill the past though. Anyway...





Today is a special day. Get up and get ready.





I will wait until you have finished your coffee, then.

Why the big hurry, anyway?

You have realised the truth, haven't you?

What truth?

About what is happening on this Island.

Yeah, pretty much...

The manager has vanished. Don't you find that odd? You really are slow.

Am I, Sue? I think you are the slow ones. Simply accepting apparent occurrences within reality at face value? That's a very dangerous thing for people to do. Events are often multilayered, complex. That's one thing that my job has taught me. The things people say and the things they do... Those are only a part of the truth. You are accepting too much. Over-thinking everything.

Well then, Mr. Mondo, from everything you have experienced so far... How would you explain all this?

Does it have to be explained? I don't believe it does. The truth is more simple, purer, closer at hand. This could all be... Arranged at the convenience of a single person?

A single person? Who might that be?

Someone who is waiting for me... But that doesn't really matter. Time will teach me the answer. So I'm heading for the goal. I'm almost there, aren't I?

Yes, you are drawing close.



Well, that sounds a bit odd. I mean, what you think, and the position you are in... I don't really care about all that any more. I live through my work. Live through searching for people's lost items. Focussing on my work is very important to me. Edo hired me for a job. And that's the simple reason why I am here. So I'm going to the airport. Because that is my job... The single, solitary source of my existence. So, had enough of my lecturing?



Though that's how the young should think, I suppose.

Well...

I may be overly kind, but that's just in my nature.

Defiant, aren't you...?

As you get older, you learn to control things through logic. That's what getting old means.

I don't want to end up like that.

Yeah, you'd be better off if you can avoid it.

You mean, I should defend myself?

That's the principle. But the cogs don't perfectly mesh.

Eh?

You'll understand one day, Sue...

Just putting me off, aren't you?

You're a tough one, aren't you...?

Yes. That's just my nature.



I'm heading to the airport.

There's someone I want you to see first, Mr. Mondo.

Who? Not Stephan! Please don't say Stephan!

Mr. Charbonie is not staying here any more, actually.

So, who...?

Go to Room 301... The future will open for you. Your hint is Turtle. Well then...


Here we are, Room 301.


There's no-one to be found though, except this recorder type thing...





That's the mystery here. The hint... Turtle. Yeah, I'm sure I saw a photo of a turtle somewhere... Decipher the turtle!



When hurtling into mystery, mysteries call up more mystery. What is a mystery without mystery when mystery proceeds? Hurtle on toward the ideal of solving all mystery! Open! Catherine! Let's solve the mystery of the turtle!

This is pretty much the same puzzle as in R-01, looking at photo settings:



The settings are 100, 2.8. The difference here is that we add the two numbers, instead of putting them in sequence.







Eleki Island is awaiting you.

...... Eleki Island is awaiting you.

...... Eleki Island is awaiting you.



Eleki Island again, is it...?



Lady Ritz has something very important to tell you. Will you please come to our cottage?

That old lady again?

You will come with me, even if I have to knock you out.

OK, OK, take the boxing gloves off...

She is waiting for you. Please, hurry.

What about you?

I'll be here.

Why?

I need to take care of her.

You're pretty busy, aren't you? But... just who are you?



That isn't what I mean...

It isn't?

You're not just a regular nurse, are you? That old lady is no naturally occurring phenomenon. And you work for her, so I doubt you are naturally occurring either.

I'm a nurse. Nothing more. Would you like me to nurse you, perhaps?

I'd love that!



Now, please, to the cottage.

Let's go back to the cottage and talk to Sundance Ritz...



Thanks to you I am here, and able to talk with you.

Hold on... So when we met before... that wasn't just a dream?

Everything that happens could be called a dream. But the most important thing... Is just whose dream this all is. Once you know whose dream this is, you will be able to tackle the problem.

Whose dream is it, then?

Isn't that what you are here to find out?

I'm here to open the gate.

And I will teach you how. But first, you must come to know... Exactly what it means to open that door.

...Which is?

You've heard about the legend of this Island, haven't you?

Yeah. From your nurse, too.

That legend is half-fiction, half-truth. Because I was alive at the time of the legend.

The time of the legend...?



I belonged to a small ethnic group. We were herders, ranchers... And we raised very special animals. Those animals were cursed. Due to those animals... We were attacked by other tribes... And that became our way of life. Then, he appeared.



The man who attacked us! He attacked us, long, long ago... And obtained our cursed animals. When that happened, God entered his eye. And the son of that man is now here on the Island. You will meet his son, before long.

What kind of man is he?

You'll know him when you meet him. One of his eyes is silver...

A man called Kamui?

That name is part of the man. Through the ability of that power to invigorate life... It is possible to obtain anything, even eternal life. In other words... he is a god!

This is all just fairytales.

Which is why so many bizarre things are now happening here.

This is all the dream of the man with a silver eye?

Perhaps...

And I will meet him when I solve the dream?

You will.

The man knows the secret of the Island?

He does.

So how do I open the gate?



To Eleki Island...

You will bring order to the chaos in this land.

That's a big role.

That is your fate.

I wish someone had warned me about all this in advance.

It is predetermined.

That's not true. Sure you're not heading into senility? Fate is just what other people want you to do. It means nothing to me. Am I wrong?



Think whatever you like.

I will.

Then go, Sumio Mondo! You will be alone from now on! Do everything alone!




Now, onto Eleki Island...




Here we find the cave that was opened in the previous day.


We find ourselves in another maze. It's fairly simple stuff. Just pick the right paths in the forks.


Eventually, we come out the other end...


Onto a boat?


There's a guy here...



Who're you?

Does that really matter? I cast my name away, along with my past.

You and everyone else around here, buddy.

This Island attracts a certain kind of person, it's true. It's that kind of place.

Sounds as though you know what you're talking about.



It's been a lot of fun, your little adventure, Mondo-man.

Great. Someone else I'm not going to like. Just what is your point, then? You've called me here for a reason, I take it?

Calm down. This will take a while to explain.

There's a lot of exposition in this script.

Oh, that can't be helped. How else can we set up the ending?

I'll bear with you then.



So, moving on. Sumio... It's been a while since I heard that name.

??

There was this hard-headed old timer once. You see, well... I got caught up in things, or was at least a third party to them...

I don't really see what you're trying to say.

This guy, he was gay. Fixated on a younger colleague of his... That caused all sorts of trouble, too.

Come on, he wasn't gay!

No, he was. I can't understand that, personally.

You can't?

Well, anyway. The young guy in question, his name was Sumio.

Sumio? What was his surname?

Kodai.

Sumio Kodai...

Oh, I wouldn't expect you to know him. But I'm sure he'll be making his move soon.

...









This thing causes all sorts of trouble, I'm telling you.

The old lady said this... That God entered the eye of a man...

This isn't a god. It's a demon. A bringer of disaster. A god of destruction!

I was also told that you know the secret of this Island.

What do you want to know?

What is this place?

An abandoned factory... A certain breed of animal was raised here. Animals raised by a tribe called Sundance.

Sundance?

That's the old lady's name. This place is a manufacturing plant for these animals.

Manufacturing animals...?



Because, sometimes, very rarely, something can be obtained from them. The silver eye. I don't really know how it works myself. But the silver eye is dangerous, that much is clear. It was coincidence that I ended up with it, anyway.



Yeah. Vanished. Maybe because they didn't harvest as many silver eyes as they wanted?

You're going to have to explain more about this silver eye thing...

Rich people across the world are desperate to get their hands on one. It's worth more than the most expensive riches of the world. You have to scoop out your own eye... And place the silver one into the socket. Power fills you... And after that, you cannot die.

Eternal youth... And eternal life...

That's right. But at the same time, you come under the power of the silver eye yourself. That's why it is the power of a God, but also a stinking curse...

So that's the deal?

And it was made here. Or at least, they tried to make it. I discovered this and came to the Island. And then... it happened.





You caused it?

It seems that it's what I wanted. And that's all I know. If more than two silver eyes exist in the same place... Then the will of God is invoked... And that's what's happening here.

Hold it. You mean there's another silver eye nearby?

Yep. On this Island. I can sense it. That's why I need your help, searcher. I want you to return time to normal. That is my sincerest wish.



Where is the terminal for this train?

The airport.



The last of them, I believe.



The eye scooped out. Then there will only be one.

You're crazy.

Yeah... But, Sumio Mondo... Me and you, we're friends. We can do this, together. Am I wrong?

You are.

You can do it alone?

Yeah. You'll only get in the way.

Gotta love that enthusiasm! Excellent, excellent.

Tokio Morishima. Return time to normal.

If that's what you want. Connect your charming partner to my eye. Time will return... No need to hold back.





There's going to be a hint in here somewhere. He's a writer, no doubt about it. I can see the indents on his fingers from long hours holding a pen. He's got an article in the guidebook, I'm sure. I just need to decipher his contribution!



When hurtling into mystery, mysteries call up more mystery. What is a mystery without mystery when mystery proceeds? Hurtle on toward the ideal of solving all mystery! Open! Catherine! Let's deal with this eye!

Page 47 of the guidebook has the article written by Tokio, or should I say Taro Turtle...



The date he talks about is key.





R-17 Ending:






---
Phew. One more day left. Added Tokio Morishima and the Hyena to the OP, and that's every character in the game. Bonus content is some very early screenshots of the PS2 version, from 2000. It's quite interesting, it looks a lot like how The Silver Case is presented, though a lot more colourful. They must have changed the gameplay during development.