act35side

Welcome, Pepe.

Is this the Shah's treasure trove? It looks so much like the museum...

Your instincts are correct. Parts of the city felt familiar, even before my memories returned.

I believe its architects may have been inspired by the mausoleum.

What lies here, Zubayr?

The oil lamps on the wall light up, illuminating the hall with rays that meander through the mirror-smooth walls and pillars.

Countless ghostly shadows appear in an orderly procession in the hall.

So the treasure in the Shah's trove was... himself?

Was he a narcissist?

Of course not. My sister missed Father after he was gone, and she had me preserve his visage here.

A thousand years ago, historians preserved the words and deeds of my father using ancient technology they discovered, allowing him to appear, in a way.

I found something similar in Arsalan. It showed me an image of the Shah in a crystal cave.

I left it as such. I thought a descendant of Nightzmora would find it and follow the trail.

You hid it too well, Zubayr. No one else could have found it.

I hid it? I built a massive temple on top of it.

I guess it didn't stand the test of time. All I found were some ruins.

But it guided you here, where you awakened me.

That is the wonder of time. What seemed trivial at the time could, by fate and coincidence, cause the puzzle piece to fall perfectly into place.

There are even images of the Shah without his mask...

Arsalan wasn't the only site I've seen images like these. When I was little, while playing hide-and-seek, my brother and I stumbled upon a chamber where the dead lay in their sarcophagi.

I knew I would have to come into contact with these things eventually, but it was too much for a child of my age.

In my panic, I accidentally activated a mechanism and an image of the Shah appeared. At the time, I didn't know who he was—just some ghost trying to communicate with me.

He told me those sarcophagi were history buried in the sand.

When those from the future dig them up, they will serve as a bridge across the vastness of time, bringing history and the present together over the great river of time.

I remember the saying... it's what Father said to comfort my sister when our mother passed away.

I remember what he said to my sister, after she became Historian. You must not...

You must not let escape what made those heroes heroes so—each history has its reverse face.

So you've heard it.

It was the last thing the image said. I've never forgotten.

Looking upon the image of Lugalszargus, Pepe cannot help but feel a sense of absurdity.

She had spent so much time wondering what the Shah's treasure trove held.

Now, though, she realizes she has been chasing shadow after shadow.

She holds her hammer tight, fighting back the urge to swing it and drive away the visages.

But what she fears more is the notion that perhaps her family's duty and legacy are nothing more than shadows too.

Medjehtiqedti Hanim, I've contacted all your staff in the directory.

Anyone else crazy enough to come?

I'm not sure. A lot of the answers are very vague...

Thank you. Get a few more bottles of water for Anat, please.

At once, Medjehtiqedti Hanim.

Brave souls like Izaja and Inaja are hard to come by.

We only have a couple of hours, Anat.

The best thing we could ask of them is to make a run for it outside the city.

Sorry, Titi, but I'm busy comparing the city survey records and I don't have time to think about that.

But you know why I stayed. The same reason as you.

...Duty.

What about the two tourists, though? They have nothing to do with Zubayr's reanimation.

They don't even have much to do with the city. But now we're asking them to go into the sewers, do the most dangerous investigation, and try to block the sand from surging in.

Which is why I must do my best, so that their courage isn't wasted.

...I'll rub your ears.

Thank you, Titi. I needed that.

Look, this construction logbook mentions unusual geological structures.

I'll mark them down.

Say, Titi... I never managed to publish my research on Zubayr, and no one will ever know about our explorations of the subterranean structure of the city...

Will Father be disappointed that I died without leaving my 'name' behind?

Blame Pepe. Our dear Princess was just too good at her job—

—Lazvar Effendi?

I apologize, esteemed Overseer, but the museum is not in a position to offer hospitality during this emergency...

Please, no need for formalities. I'm no longer the Overseer; just a humble craftsman, free again at last.

The museum cannot guarantee your safety at this time. We must advise you to leave the city center as soon as possible, by any means possible...

After I handed everything over, I stood before the flowing sands with Zubayr Effendi for a while.

You saw him?!

I saw him attempt to repair one clay statue after another using Arts, but eventually he stopped and said to me, 'Such is our duty.'

I understand. Duty is what we uphold to the very end, without ever asking why.

To whatever end.

What can I do to save the city?

Alright, it's time to show my leadership skills. Soon you'll realize that you should've listened to me and stayed in the museum to protect the others—

We'll end up where we started if we turn left here.

...What the heck is going on? This hasn't happened before, in all my time in these sewers.

Let me just say that I've never gotten lost when leading my crew. This isn't an indicator of my incompetence.

I didn't say it was. Perhaps these winding passages were designed to confuse your sense of direction.

I overheard part of the conversation as the museum curators were perusing the survey records.

They believe these old sewers are just a small part of the city's underground structures, and they might be able to deduce a path to the deeper levels through historical records.

They had been assisting an archaeologist, trying to find clues that may lead to the site known as the 'treasure trove' in ancient documents.

If the former site of another massive building really is hidden beneath this city...

A treasure trove?

...Forget I said anything.

You don't seem afraid.

Afraid of what?

Isn't our job just to find the sand leak and close the gate to that section? If the gate's broken, we'll just seal it with the boards that we're carrying.

There is a good chance we won't find it.

Well... that would be a shame, since the city is getting buried in the sand, if we fail.

But we'll be the first to see the sand rushing up from deep down, and we may have time to call the museum and warn them to run. We'll be dead for sure, of course.

Wait... is this why you insisted on coming to the sewers?

Because it's dangerous, and you need to be at the front of it?

Narantuya, Aspasia, do you hear me?

Yeah, we're together.

We found a clue.

Listen carefully and you should find Lazvar's clockwork fowlbeasts... They're machines that resemble blue fowlbeasts.

We've estimated a few possible locations for the deep-level structures. If you can create an opening in the wall, the clockwork fowlbeasts can fly down and gather information.

With enough information, we should be able to find exactly where the sand is rushing in. But there is one caveat...

The clockwork fowlbeasts are unable to perform heavier tasks like toggling switches and plugging gaps... you will have to go into danger.

You must have seen it in the memories that I showed you. The circlet you're wearing is the same as my sister's.

It was passed down through the family.

I wondered why my family was so obsessed with recording the Shahanshah's history. Father had no answer; he simply said it was our inherent duty.

But now I see the answer is so simple: it is out of a daughter's longing for her father.

My sister always believed that he would return, someday.

She never saw that day. And I never got the chance to say goodbye to her.

All I had left for company after my sister's death was my father's shadows.

Leave your obsession with the City of Gold behind, Pepe. I know how to seal consciousness into a gem, and how to build a body that never decays.

You will have life eternal to experience, to discover, to record...