機構學者 摩遜

"The problem with Steam Chateau No. 2 has not been resolved."

"If this continues, my research will be ruined." Moson choked back a sob.

"Rick asked you to look for me? Wow, he's a true friend. And it's great that you're here; I desperately need helpers!"

"My steam chateau is surrounded by mischievous Jelly Rabbits, vile cannibal plants, and a bottomless swamp."

"This is the worst problem we've faced since we traveled here from Jale."

"My Steam Chateau No. 2 accidentally sank into a swamp and cannot be moved. It's stuck in the sludge, and some obnoxious creatures prevent us from trying to pull it out."

"Could you chase the creatures away from Steam Chateau No. 2?"

"It sits in the swamp, its every gear flooding with water and mud. Ivy has begun to grow on it."

"If the gears got stuck, we'll have a lot of trouble getting it back into working order," Moson muttered, concern lacing his voice.

"Let's not worry about that yet. Please shoo away the nearby creatures!"

"Did you chase away the creatures?"

"Before they come back, I need to start trying to unearth the Steam Chateau. I can't let it sit there much longer."

"Thank you for the help."

"Just as I feared." Moson frowned.

"Wetlands vines wound their way around the Steam Chateau's gears."

"I need some oil to loosen their tangles."

"A creature called the Whiterock Spider lives in the west of the Wetlands; its runny eggs make an excellent alternative to oil."

"You'll find eggs scattered on the ground near the spiders' cave. Bring some to me."

"Whiterock Spider's Eggs will help us untangle the vines, but beware; nearby spiders are not so itsy-bitsy, if you know what I mean."

"%n%, you must be careful."

Thank you for finding these spider eggs. Looks like we have enough to help us get the Steam Chateau No. 2 out of the swamp. Moson smiled as he checked each perfectly smooth, round egg carefully.

"Misty Wetlands holds so many secrets. Exploring this area has truly been a life-changing experience," explained Moson.

"To prevent accidents from happening, please deliver this letter to the invention association in Jale for me."

"Give it to inventor Ptolemy."

"Ptolemy will be glad to know that there is a giant Mechanical Fortress submerged to the east of Misty Wetland."

"I must find the entrance to conduct an inspection! Maybe I can activate it externally..." Moson mumbled to himself.

"My Steam Chateau No. 2 hasn't moved an inch."

"%c%, you're still here? I asked you to bring the Letter to Ptolemy in Jale. Did you do it yet?"

You told Moson what Ptolemy said.

"I know Ptolemy will be interested discovering a Mechanical Fortress," Moson said confidently.

"Although the rescue team is on its way, we've no time to relax. I have more tasks for you to complete."

"Water eroded the iron chain I used to drag Steam Chateau No. 2 up from the swamp. It's completely unusuable."

"I need you to kill some Female Whiterock Spiders; the web they used to build their nest is tougher than iron chain."

"Go west to find the Whiterock Spiders' nest. Try to get as much web as possible, tiger. You don't mind if I call you tiger, do you?"

"To tell the truth, I wouldn't ask you to provoke the Female Whiterock Spiders if it weren't absolutely necessary."

"If you get stuck in one of their webs, you're as good as spider chow, so watch where you step."

"You're alive! We should call you Spiderman! Nobody's used that name yet, have they?" Moson carefully checked the spider webs.

"Thank you, %n%."

"I might need you to help me again soon."

"To make a long story short, this is all because of an alligator. They call him the Great Lake Overlord, Graegos, but I like to call him 'crocodilly.'"

"We invaded its territory, and it chased us. That's how my Steam Chateau No. 2 ended up mired in that swamp."

"It often appears near the central area of Eifell Marsh. I'm pretty darn peeved at it, to say the least. I'd like to teach it a lesson," Moson said angrily.

"If I wasn't so excited about discovering the giant Mechanical Fortress, that foolish alligator would not have succeeded in attacking me. I was just distracted, that's all."

"I could take out that gator, no problem."

"You slaughtered the alligator! Nice one!"

"Hess and I have been so worried about getting attacked that we haven't been able to sleep a wink." Moson pointed out the dark circles under his eyes. "Look at me, I'm hideous!"

"I'm glad everything's resolved now. I plan to put some cucumbers on my eyes to depuff them; I learned that from this month's issue of Glamour!"

"Remember the Mechanical Fortress I discovered in the north?"

"Although we cannot enter the Mechanical Fortress, when Steam Chateau No. 2 comes near it, it sends out excessive radiation warning."

"Can you help me collect some of the Radioactive Fruits from the area? I want to study them so I can understand how the Mechanical Fortress affects them," Moson explained.

"I'm no biologist, but I believe this is a new variety of fruit," Moson asserted.

"%c%, did you bring me any fruit yet?"

You gave the Radioactive Fruit to Moson.

"I think this just might be a mutation of a swamp plant." Moson carefully examined the Radioactive Fruit.

"I think Ferola will be very interested in this. Very interested, indeed."

"Clearly, the Mechanical Fortress affects nearby animals and plants. We need to look into this carefully."

"Can you contact ecologist Ferola?"

"A while back, he got impatient and left the team to conduct his own investigation. He last reported from an area on the swamp's northwestern route. He probably hasn't gone far, so you can find him there."

"%c%, my device received a faint distress signal from the northwest."

"Someone needs help," yelped Moson.

"Move quickly! You should find the source of the signal on the way to Belcar Plateau."

"Please investigate this for me."

"You found the rescue signals?"

You explained the story about the caravan to Moson.

"Well done. You helped them a great deal. You've a good heart, %n%."

You gave the Electromagnetic Wave Amplifier to Moson.

"So this is from the caravan?" Moson tinkered with the device.

"It's just a little thing, but I bet, with a few tweaks, I could strengthen its power."

Moson adjusted the Electromagnetic Destruction Device.

"I'll increase its amplification; that should benefit us greatly."

"Can you conduct some experiments for me?"

"Take this Electromagnetic Destruction Device to Mechanical Fortress. Use it, and observe what happens. But be careful; the Mechanical Fortress might try to defend itself."

"I wonder if the Mechanical Fortress will try to defend itself against the electromagnetic waves."

"What do you think could be hidden inside?"

You told Moson about the guardian robot.

"A robot's guarding it? I guess I should have seen that coming. We all knew it was going to be something... a goblin, a spirit, a cursed statue... if it had to be something, I'm glad it's a robot, I guess. Well, I guess we'll have to find another way to get in."

"I need some time to think about it."

"Domo arigato in advance, %n%."

"Take a look at my darling Steam Chateau No. 2. The swamp mud and water are away at her beautiful outer layer." Moson seemed personally hurt.

"If she's going to survive the Wetlands, she needs a suitable exterior. Flying Insect's Skin will probably work well."

"Could you get some? I'll happily buy it off of you. I think you can get it from the insects in Eifell Lake."

"Wetlands Flying Insect's Skin is heat, humidity, and corrosion resistant, plus, it's got a tangy zip when you add it to ranch dip! But seriously, those flies wouldn't survive a day without their tough skins."

"Producing a layer of skin to cover Steam Chateau No. 2 will take a long time, and we'll need lots and lots of flies," commented Moson.

"You brought the Flying Insect's Skin? Wonderful!"

"Please accept this reward."

"Unfortunately, this won't be enough; this will barely cover one section of my Steam Chateau. Bring me more if you can," Moson begged.

"Have you heard of Huyi Village? It is located in Lost Highland at the west end of the world. A few years ago I went on an expedition and met the local village leader, Kumahachi."

"The place is fraught with problems. If you have time, please go help them."

"Go west from Scorching Wind Desert to reach Lost Highlands. You'll find the small village in the northeast."

"The fortress could be operated by a kind of special electromagnetic wave, but there must be something else, too."

"Based on the data gathered by the detector, the fortress constantly emits electromagnetic waves. These waves have gotten more powerful lately, and they affect nearby creatures."

"This indicates that the factory may just be open, but we need more information. I must ask you to investigate."

Any information about the Mechanical Fortress?

"You're back! And still alive!"

"So this fortress was used for military purposes... fascinating."

"But about their energy source... you said they combined electromagnetic waves and magic? They used magic fusion?"

"I've never heard of that," Moson said, furrowing his brow. "I thought only the elderly were obsessed with magic."

"Anyway, thank you for unraveling the secrets of the fortress!"

"Always in such a rush... youth is wasted on the young."

Moson looks at you and smiles.

"I was just the same when I was young--bouncing of the walls!
But when it comes down to it, the pursuit of truth is all that one can really cherish."

"Jarrow you say? He was here a few hours ago.
A rather irascible character he was, but strong-willed nonetheless."

"There have been many sightings of mysterious creatures on the northern coast of late...
Your friend went to investigate, but I haven't heard anything back from him."

"Before he set off, he left something for you to do...
He wants you to help the investigation into the monster sightings."

Moson hands you a slip of paper with several materials written on it.

"Take him some green crocodile blood and
the toxic stringers from the caustic blood wasquito. They may come in handy in the fight against the monsters."

"Hmm... this really is a mysterious find!"

"These writings are a valuable reference after all. Over the next few days, I'll return to the source of the electromagnetic waves to investigate."

"With this mysterious radiating material, I feel like I'm closer than ever to discovering the underground city."

"The last time I looked for the source of the magical radiation, I accidentally discovered an underground passage. Unfortunately, my Mecha malfunctioned. I had to resort to human strength - or lack thereof - and I couldn't pry it open."

"Legend has it that the Dead Key has mysterious powers, and can open any magic seal. That's the only way we'll get to the underground city. So, will you help me out?"

"Perhaps this gate won't open because it's been magically sealed."

"After all this hard work, I still can't get the door open... it's pretty disspiriting. But I suppose we at least know where the main door is. We should definitely be able to get it open within the next decade or two..."

You watch as Moses, holding his machine, begins to inspect the area.

See if I can find something from the primary defense system.

"What is this chip?"

"You wish to decipher it, right? and why me?"

"What about the device for deciphering?"

"Well, someone from the Quill Investigation Team did come and borrow it before, but he never returned."

"It really caused a lot of trouble, and it's going to seriously affect the progress of our research on the Mecha Fortress."

"The device should no longer be loaned out, not even to Sprite Messengers."

"... Well, I can't lend it to you, but I can help with the analysis."

"The assistant has the device now. Take it to him for analysis."

*Continue to the next chapter

The primary defense system should be the most common line of defense against intruders, and there should be many battle records.

It just requires a professional device to decipher it.

"Is the analysis done? Let me see..."

"It's the battle record of the Mecha Fortress's primary defense system."

"It seems that most of them are the records of the encounters between the adventurers and the Sprite Messengers, with detailed countermeasures for each battle."

"... Huh?"

"There seems to be a very short record."

"It's not normal to be defeated at once, is it? This record even lists the pursuit of the opponent's actions when he was on the run, so it does not seem that he ran away at first sight."

"The fight was ruled out at once? What the hell is it..."

"... I have a bad feeling..."

*Continue to the next chapter

Hope to find the recording device and listen to the recordings inside.

If it's not possible, please take it to a professional for deciphering.

"What's the matter, you want me to help parse the audio?"

"Let me check it out."

"... This is a very old recording device. It's not as easy to keep as a new one."

"Let me check what's inside..."

"... I've heard the recordings."

"If it wasn't for the fact that I had it now, I wouldn't have believed it."

"The first half is about the scouting records of the Mecha Fortress, and everything is fine in this part."

"But in the second half, there was a new recorder, who seemed to be a companion of the investigator in the first half, and whose voice sounded younger."

"In the latter one, he said that two of the four people who went down together had died, and he came to look for the last companion, but didn't find them, and only the recording was left."

"In addition, he also found a strange thing, there seems to be interference with space and time in the deepest part of the Mecha Fortress, even the mechanical watch does not work properly there."

"The young man also researched and concluded that the last companion may have been separated from the others because of time and space, and he could only hope that the recording device would return to its original owner."

"Unbelievable! I thought it was some kind of prank, but..."

"I checked the time recorded on the device and the second half was recorded 7 years ago, but the first half was recorded this year."

"It's really unbelievable... and creepy."

*Continue to the next chapter

"The Mechanical Fortress?" Moson asked, confused.

"I am doing research here on the abnormal electromagnetic wave phenomenon in the Wetlands. Based on my results, the giant machine in the northeastern Wetlands is indeed emitting electromagnetic waves."

"I believe it is a large Mechanical Fortress built in ancient times."

"I have seen some descriptions of it in ancient literature."

"The civilization built robots driven by a special kind of energy. They were quite popular."

"I believe that fortress is some kind of factory, but I don't know how it ended up in its current state."

"We need to investigate that area and get more information about the fortress. I wonder what kind of power the ancient people used to support such a big building!" said Moson.