Part 129: Unfortunately, resolving the broader situation may still take time.

-Town Where The Lights Went Out-











-Obstructive Existence-



I found these to be a lot easier than the Thunder Quakes back at the start of Chapter 5.



You've got good old Evil Eye and Thunder God Kick, for one...



...but their lightning attack is also only single-target.



None of these enemies can reflect arts either.











-Strepitoso Fight-









Bugs: fixed.





This'll make a nice souvenir for Kloe.



-Town Where The Lights Went Out-



Bridget: I can understand he feels the pressure to get the situation under control as the new mayor, but...I wish he wouldn't get so wrapped up in it.





Solomon: We'll need to ask for support in terms of food and fuel very soon, after all. Now then, time to go greet the new mayor.



Hey, it's been a while. Looks like you're doin' well.
Belden: Haha, yeah, thanks...My dad ended up becomin' mayor, so I'm helpin' out. Given the sit, even just doing whatever needs to be done is a lot of work.
Whoa, so you're seriously working, huh.
Belden: Well, it's still basically just a part-time job. But no point in worryin' about it. I'll just keep workin' like I am.
If you're ready to do that, you'll do fine...Keep it up.
Belden: Y-Yeah. Thank you very much. Anyway, I'm gonna do my best, slow but sure. It's a rough time, I know, but you guys take care too, Agate.



Dario: I have returned to manage the mayoral house after the new mayor was good enough to speak to me. Together with old comrades I am reflecting on the happiness of having work. I shall serve loyally and faithfully as if born anew. Should you have any business here, please speak to me.



Secretary Dels: U-Um...Thanks very much for the other day.
Ahhh, you're the victim from the hotel case. How's the head?
Secretary Dels: Much better, thanks. So, what's your business today at the manor?
Hmm, we don't really have any, to be honest.
Please, don't mind us. We just came to observe the situation.
Secretary Dels: Patrolling inside the town, then? Ever hard at work, huh. Well, should anything happen, I'll be here. I've been appointed as the mayor's secretary, so if there's anything I can do, let me know.
Oh, yeah? Congrats. Well, then, we'll be sure to contact you if anything comes up.
Secretary Dels: Yes, please don't hesitate.



Mayor Norman: I believe I came to you for your help with the hotel case during the election.
Ahh, that case. That was a memorable one, huh? Not often a mere door commits such a heinous act.
Huh? Just what kind of case were you on...?
Mayor Norman: Oh...How embarrassing. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself once again. After all, I'm in a bit of a different position than when we last met.
Oh, yeah, that's right.
Mayor Norman: I'm Norman, recently elected to the post of mayor. I hope to continue our cooperation in the future.
No, the pleasure is ours.
Congratulations on your election.
Mayor Norman: Hm, thank you. Still, I can't afford to sit back and enjoy my victory in this situation.
Yeah, seriously. Talk about a disaster right after you get into office.
Mayor Norman: To be totally frank with you, there's not a whole lot I can do. While the original chaos has settled, the orbments still haven't been restored. In this situation, there's little I can do aside from providing on-the-spot aid to the citizenry.
However, I believe that's the best response at the moment. Unfortunately, resolving the broader situation may still take time.
Certainly, this isn't the kind of situation that's solved in a day. Careful planning will be needed in preparation for this being a long-term issue.
Mayor Norman: Hm, you think so too, huh? It is a bit nerve-wracking to have this as my first job as the new mayor, but...I shall take it as a sign of the Goddess' faith in me and hold on somehow. We're dedicated to weathering this crisis. I'm counting on you to help resolve this issue as soon as possible.
Got it. You do your best too, Mayor.
We shall serve to the best of our abilities.



Jabu: There's ferries by the warehouses, so if you're headin' to the North Block best ya use those. Lately our members have been workin' as guides. Use the ferry if you're headin' to the North Block, all right? The sign of a guide is this kickin' red bandana!



Portos: This should allow us to make sure the citizens get food supplies and basic needs stuff. It seems there's a great deal of criticism being put on the new mayor, but...Both the mayor and I want to protect Ruan. I intend to work with him and continue to support the lives of our citizens.



Terence: Our members are all out right now. Didn't you see them all yelling, 'the dock is over here'? Seriously, that Rocco. What a boring thing he thought up.



Picaro: Please wait in line.
What's all this about?
Something seems to be causing a lot of confusion.
Middle-Aged Man: You kids looking to cross over to the other side?



Middle-Aged Man: What do I...? Don't you know the Langland Bridge isn't working and stuck raised right now? Thanks to that, we've got to use boats to get across the river now. And this is the dock we're using!
The bridge is stuck? Oh, man...
Well, that's...inconvenient, to say the least.
Middle-Aged Man: No kidding it's inconvenient. Frankly, I don't think the city can take much more of this. At the direction of the mayor, rides are free. But...thanks to that, we end up backed up half an hour.
That's a bit more of a wait than I expected.
It has to go there and back. There's not much anyone can do.
Well, how about it, Estelle? Shall we cross over?
Um...



Doesn't look like there's any other way across, so...
Let's get in line, then.









Murray: Onto the boat, now, come on.
Okay!
Thank you.





Herio: That island-like thing appeared in the sky and now orbments won't work. *sigh* I really don't feel like walking all the way back to the capital. Passing through the Kaldia Tunnel without the orbal lights is something I could never do. I wonder when the airships are gonna resume service. If it's going to drag on, maybe I should go back and help the mayor.



Bargo: Per, peher...Pherthons wishing to croth, please head down. D-Dammit. I bit my tongue again...PER-SON-S wishing to cross...There. *phew* All right, got it perfect. Not gonna bite my tongue again!



Ernest: In this situation it is terribly difficult to maintain our normal services. I wonder how long this situation will persist...



Burt: Persons going to the South Block, please enter the hotel. You can reach the ferry port from the first floor of the basement.



O'Neil: Even I've never seen a phenomenon like this before. Putting that aside, speaking of things I've never seen...We're continuing to sell these new model glasses from the Central Factory. They're quite the convenient tool in places where the lights are out, apparently. If you don't have any, you should buy several.
If you're approaching the Kaldia Tunnel from this direction, O'Neil's Duty-Free has all the Night Goggles you need.



Todd: My brother's great, so I'm sure he's already fixed his orbal engine. We've got to do our best and do the same! I-I'll do my best and not give up!
Samario: Even us engineers don't know the reason the orbal devices have stopped working. If Clive was here, maybe he'd know something, but...I'm sure he's working hard on board the Arseille as part of their crew. I've got no choice but to do what I can.



Father Theodore: Somehow things calmed down after a bit, but I was pretty worried for a moment, there. How much we rely on orbal devices day to day...Recent events have certainly shown us just that.
Sister Frieda: The moment orbments became unusable, the city all but erupted...Enraged mobs of citizens pushed into the guildhouse and mayoral mansion...Thankfully, Father Theodore was able to persuade them somehow, but things were moments from a riot.





We're helpin' direct the citizens just like we were told. The bridge is out of order, so if you're headin' to the South block, you gotta take a boat from the hotel.
The other members are all holdin' up their positions too.
There's a surprisin' lot of dedicated guys in our group.
Yeah, they're doin' good.
If you see anyone slackin' off, come tell me immediately. I'll give 'em a good punch.
Y-Yeah...



What's THIS all about?
Y-You guys...
A-Agate...
I saw you guys here and there in the South Block, but...What are you up to?
R-Right...So this was Rocco's plan. We've been doing guide work and patrols in the city for a while now.
N-No way...
You're not kiddin', are ya?
So...you're essentially a neighborhood watch?
Nah. Nothin' that formal. We were just havin' a meetin' about the future of our gang.
Wow...I dunno, it's just such an about-face that it's hard to believe.
Still, it seems it's true.
Well, we don't need you to believe us anyway.
This ain't for anyone's sake...We're doin' this on our own to settle things our way.
...Anyway, let's get back to business.
Y-Yeah.
If you wanna go to the South Block, use the ferry. You can reach the port from the basement of the hotel.
The city's mostly cooled down, but we still don't know what might happen.
We're gonna keep up our guard and our patrols.
I have patrol and tour duty from morning till night.
Man, I kinda get what it's like for bracers now.
You can't cross via the bridge, so you gotta use a boat to get to the South Block, okay? You can get to the dock from under the hotel.
Stay gold.



Tobias: Not much we can do without a single orbal device working. They're not broken either...*sigh* I wonder what's going on.
Oh, right, of course. Don't worry, though! I THINK we have a little something to help with that.
Tobias: Oh, what's that?
Let me explain.


Tobias: Huh, that's incredible. The machines are right here, so wanna give it a try?
Yeah, if you don't mind.
Well, then, if you'll let me borrow the equipment for a moment...


Tobias: Ohh, things are looking up. The orbal energy's returned to the machinery. I'm sure it's just a temporary patch, so if you wanna tune your equipment, now's your chance. Still, that's one incredible device. If you don't mind, could you leave one here?
I wish we could, but...
I'm sorry. They're needed for an important mission.
Tobias: *sigh* I guess that was too much to hope for. Well, bring that when you come by. If you do, you'll be able to use the factory like normal.

Delivering ZFGs to all the Bracer Guild offices is a point of no return, and if I finish it now I'll be locked out of a couple things. So Jean's just going to have to wait.



All alone, in the dark, amid slowly mounting panic.

Stiff upper lip, Jean! Turn that frown upside down!



Now let's go gambling.

-Welcome to Le Locle-



Spiridon: Even in such difficult times as these, my doors are always open. We pride ourselves on antique machines that require no orbal power to run properly.



Lottelio: Seriously, the guy has a poker face like you wouldn't BELIEVE. It'd be kinda funny if he was actually freaking out and just wasn't letting it show on his face, though, right?



Alund: So now I'm here for another challenge! You know how it is. Gotta make a little mira to beef up that travel fund before the scheduled liners resume, right? I totally sucked when I started, but now that I'm starting to get the hang of things, it should be easy enough to win.



Fuego: You were in a most impressive match when last we met.
Ahaha...Oh, yeah. Guess we were, weren't we? Not that I was all that big a help during said match...
Fuego: My, no need to be so humble. If I may, I would be glad to serve as your opponent at any time. Please enjoy our games at your leisure.
Gunter: Hey, it's a dark and harsh world out there now. Why not play a few games to ease your troubles before you go? It's times like this where you need to make sure you have a little fun.

Fuego's poker game is where the big money is.





You start with five cards, and a rate of 1.



You can choose to hold or change any of your cards. You have one chance to make some sort of winning poker hand, even a simple pair.



A good hand will increase the rate--the multiplier on your payout. After a win, you can choose to cash out or keep going to try and multiply your rate even further. If you can't make any hand with your two draws, though, you lose your bet and your multiplier.



With a maximum starting bet of 10 medals, poker is slow to get going, but multipliers stack up exponentially. Even with nothing but pairs, just a little bit of luck and patience can turn a few hundred medals, into this.





The maximum rate is 9999, for a 99,990-medal payout--well, technically 99,980. RIPOFF.

Lavantar has some nice new prizes, too.





I'll take a couple of each of these.





-Obstructive Existence-



Just like with the Vanguard roadblock on the Elize Highway, the real threat here is those little jerks with the petrifying lasers.







Agate has been Muted. Oh horrors.









And that's the last bounty fight ever.



-Looking Up at the Sky-

At the first beach on Gull Seaside Way, you can head south along the coastline as well as north.



I've almost caught every type of fish. There are just three or four left.







I tried to go to Jenis Royal Academy, but the front gate was locked. The learning doesn't stop for trifles like insurmountable nationwide power failures, or ancient flying fortresses returned from banishment.



-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-



But, if I don't do it Matron Theresa's gonna have it even harder...
Hey, Clem. Seems like you're doing well.
Ahhhhh! J-Joshua!!
It's been a while, Clem.
I heard from Estelle that you've been working hard to help out.
O-Of course! I'm not slacking off on weedin' or takin' care of the chickens or anything. I gotta work hard for everyone.
Yeah, good thinking.
I know there's a lot that's tough right now, but help out everyone you can, okay? We're doing our best to help out too.
Haha, got it!
I'll do my best to help as much as you, Joshua! I'll keep everyone at the orphanage safe!



Um...Is...Is it you, Joshua?
Yeah...It's been a while, Mary. Did I surprise you? I know I'm dressed a bit differently.
N-No, not at all!
Your clothes are, um...really cool!
Haha...Thanks.
If you're looking for Matron Theresa, she's inside. You should say hi!
Ahaha...I'm sure she'd be happy if you did.



Whooooa, it's Joshuaaa. You seem kinda different.
Different, but you still look cool, so I gueeeeeess it's okay.
Haha...Thank you.



Hi, Daniel. It's been a while. Have you been a good boy?
Yeah!
I decided to help Matron Theresa, just like Clem! Today, I watered the plants!
I see. Good job, Daniel.
Heeheehee.



Welcome.
Matron Theresa...I'm very sorry to have worried you.
Joshua, please, stay with Estelle from now on.
That is all I would ask of you.
...I will.
Thank you, Matron Theresa...
Heehee. I see now that there was no need to worry.
I'm sure Kloe's very relieved.
That reminds me.
Matron Theresa, about Kloe...
Yes, I hear she's in the capital.
Sieg delivered a letter from her to me.
Ahaha, I see.
That's Sieg for you.
Based on her letter, she's having plenty of trouble on her side, too. From the content, I could feel a very decisive will to face some kind of problem directly.
I don't know what kind of decision that represents, but...I'm confident that girl will find her own path.
Awww...
Yeah, I think so, too!

Next time, we'll continue north through the rest of the Ruan region...and on back to Bose. Sorry, Jean.