| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Epilogue | |
| A Sudden Commission | Investigation Notes | ||||||
This page is currently being worked on. Please don't edit!
This article is currently being edited and we ask users to not edit this page until the editor who added this template has removed it. If this rule is not adhered to, we reserve the right to revert your edits without explanation. Once it is no longer being actively edited, please remove this template. If any content is still missing, the relevant template should be on this page instead.
Finale[]
7-1 Warning in the Shadows[]
| Sorry, even though the job was finished, I still dragged Mr. Nether Pact all over the place with me. | |
| Don't worry about it, Lady Truth. Like I said, I'm happy to help however I can. | |
| Now that the police are here, it won't be long before they fill in this tunnel. Looks like we won't be able to use this shortcut again. (After the job was declared over, Mr. Iridescence stayed behind to talk to the police. I have no idea what he said to them.) (Maybe, thanks to his Ulliel connections, he can help the police pin down their crimes more accurately.) | |
| So, Lady Truth, what did you want to find out this time? | |
| There are still a lot of unanswered questions... but this time, I'm just here to find someone and get an answer. | |
| Nether Pact and I made our way back to the Market. | |
| Is the answer you're looking for here, Lady Truth? | |
| I'm not sure. But if I don't ask, I know I'll never get an answer... (I have so many questions swirling in my head: everyone acts with a motive. The robbers hit the bank, but what were they really after?) (Flint wanted money, and the Manager was trying to cover up her own crimes.) (But what about Antimony, the mastermind? What did she want? Or was there something in the vault that drew her in?) (Flint said he took valuables that were easy to sell, but Antimony left with a small stash of her own.) (I went over the list. Most of what Miss Antimony took was just paperwork, with only a couple of valuables in the mix.) (She returned all the high-value items, but some of the documents are still missing. Miss Antimony said paper's easy to lose or damage, so those files might be gone for good.) (In the end, the bank had to write it off as lost and ask the original owners to come in and reissue their documents.) (Among the missing items were bonds and regular documents, but also name important files and confidential letters.) (What could Antimony want with those? That kind of intel seems more up Mr. Gold Foil's alley.) | |
| I spotted Mr. Gold Foil at the front desk and hurried over. | |
| Mr. Gold Foil! | |
| Lady Truth, what can I do for you? | |
| I wanted to ask—was it really just four people in the crew that robbed Wightlow Bank? From start to finish, only four were involved? | |
| You've forgotten again. We never sell information that could reveal someone's identity. | |
| (This suspicion is a shot in the dark, but the scattered clues in my mind just won't let me drop it.) Then can you at least tell me if Miss Antimony used the pneumatic tubes to send anything today? (I can't forget the clue I overlooked at first—the first vibration from Antimony's clinic...) (What was really moving through those humming pipes? Was that Antimony's real goal?) (And if you trace the system back, it all leads to Mr. Gold Foil, who controls the whole system.) If she did send something, could you find out exactly what it was and where it went? | |
| (Mr. Gold Foil looked up from his papers and gave me a faint smile.) | |
| That's the question that comes with a price tag. But I'd like to give you a hint. Call it a thank-you for cracking the case so quickly. | |
| Why thank me? This whole thing didn't involve you directly, did it? | |
| Some things are better left untouched. Flint and his crew made too much noise this time, drew too much attention. The underground world doesn't need that kind of spotlight. It belongs in the city's shadows, and shadows aren't meant for daylight. | |
| A single bank heist can really stir up that much trouble? | |
| That's actually what I wanted to tell you next. As far as I know, Antimony did use the pneumatic system today. As for what she sent, it was probably just a few sheets of paper. | |
| I knew it! She was after a specific document in the vault? Did she get it? Who did she send it to? | |
| Maybe she sent it to your client? | |
| Huh? No way! Mr. Iridescence and I have been together almost the whole time. If you said Miss Antimony sent you a message, I'd be more likely to believe that. | |
| Sorry, just kidding. You can't afford the rest of the answer right now, so I'll keep it to myself for now. | |
| That's fine—I'm sure I can figure it out on my own! | |
| If you're set on digging deeper, then that wasn't a joke. Lady Truth, you really need to watch out for your client. If you're so good at reading people, didn't you notice your client is hiding a massive lie? | |
| You mean... Mr. Iridescence? | |
| Iridescence, and the whole Ulliel family. They're dangerous. Extremely dangerous. If you want the real truth, you have to be careful with them. Or else... | |
| Or what? | |
| Or you might bring even more trouble down on yourself—and your loved ones. Your client moves through the underground like he owns the place, carries special drugs, and knows how to put pressure on people. If a "desk worker" can do all that without the family's backing, then he's no ordinary folk. And if all Ulliel desk workers are like that, the family's even scarier than you think. | |
| (I did sense Mr. Iridescence was hiding something from me. But...) Mr. Gold Foil, you're not exactly the helpful type. Why do you keep warning me? | |
| File:GoldFoilEmotionalGuidance.png | |
| Let's just say I'm making an investment. I see some interesting possibilities for the future. I doubt you haven't noticed. After all, the Ulliel family isn't the type mess up even a basic gem report. I did some digging on the people who attacked you—they're just hired hands. The mastermind is staying well hidden, but it's not Antimony. She happened to be talking with me at the time, discussing a partnership between her group and "Hermes." | |
| (Even thought I know Mr. Iridescence is lying, I never old anyone—it's his private business.) (And since it's a lie with no proof, it should be less likely to spread than the truth. So, how did Gold Foil find out?) (Was it "Hermes"? That underground intel network that seems to know everything—even about the surface world?) (Gold Foil isn't lying to me; I can feel that. But he's not telling me everything, either.) (It's like he's carefully choosing which truths to share—there are still bigger secrets hiding in the dark.) Wait—you must know something you're not telling me, right? Mr. Gold Foil, can't you just give me a hint? You must know what Miss Antimony took, and who she sent it to. Even just a clue about what was on that paper! | |
| That's all I can say. You two should get going. If you're really that curious, why not ask the so-called Mr. Iridescence yourself? | |
| ("So-called"...) | |
| At some point, the guard showed up beside us, ignoring my protests and Nether Pact's. He grabbed us both and escorted us out. He marched us straight to the exit, watched us climb out, and made sure we were gone. | |
7-2 Vows Under the Sun[]
| Why did I get kicked out too... | |
| Uh, sorry about that, Mr. Nether Pact... Should we try another way back in? | |
| I-I'll head back on my own. You still wanted to talk to Mr. Iridescence, right, Lady Truth? | |
| (After talking with Gold Foil, there was something I wanted to ask Iridescence before leaving.) That's true. But before we get into that, Mr. Nether Pact, do you have a moment to talk? I have a few questions for you. | |
| Of course, Lady Truth. Go ahead. | |
| First question— Earlier, we were in such a rush to recover the gem that I didn't really check in on you... Is everything alright? Are you having trouble adjusting? | |
| Don't worry, Lady Truth. I'm doing just fine here. | |
| Alright, then onto my second question. Can you tell me why you're here? Miss Sway vouched for you... I doubt she'd send you to a place like this for no reason, right? | |
| I'm here to look into an old case. Miss Sway found out that a key figure in that case is active around here, and I agreed to help with the investigation. | |
| This old case... does it have anything to do with Mr. Gold Foil? | |
| What makes you think that, Lady Truth? | |
| Just a hunch. You seem really interested in Mr. Gold Foil and the market he runs, but you're also careful not to let him notice you. | |
| Sharp as always... Miss Sway suspects that Mr. Gold Foil knows something about the case, and he might still be holding crucial evidence. I haven't found any leads yet, but I did notice that "Hermes" recently started paying a lot more attention to the Ulliel family and their research institute investments. That was right after Miss Antimony arrived. The theft hadn't happened yet, and the Ulliel family's investigator hadn't gone underground. | |
| Why not just ask Mr. Gold Foil directly? Maybe he wouldn't mind answering? | |
| That would tip him off that someone's still digging into the old case. Miss Sway doesn't want to give Mr. Gold Foil any more leverage. For example, this time, Mr. Gold Foil is helping you, probably because our actions could benefit him in some bigger way. | |
| I see. Do you mind telling me more? I might be able to help with the research too. (I just sent back the Oceanus documents I researched for Mr. Inference. Wait, hang on.) No wonder Miss Antimony looked so familiar! I saw her in a news report—she was a passenger on that research vessel! | |
| Lady Truth, what are you talking about? A research vessel? | |
| Oh, it's nothing! I just suddenly figured something out. Mr. Nether Pact, if you ever need help, please don't hesitate to ask! Here's my address—you can always reach out. I'd be happy to help! Now, I should ask Miss Antimony about... Wait, where did she go? (I said goodbye to Mr. Nether Pact and looked outside the vault. Only Mr. Iridescence and a few Ulliel family members were still there.) | |
| Miss Antimony went to point out the locations where the rest of the stolen goods are hidden. I've sent people with her to mark the spots. | |
| I see... Will that take long? I wanted to talk to her a bit more. | |
| To make sure everyone's story matches, someone from the Ulliel family will be with her the whole time. I'm afraid it won't be possible for you to speak with her alone. | |
| Even though the stolen items have been recovered, the Ulliel family still doesn't want this incident reported publicly? | |
| That's right, and we'll be giving you generous compensation. We hope you won't mention this job to anyone. | |
| (Mr. Iridescence seems intent on keeping me away Miss Antimony. Or am I just imagining things...) (Mr. Gold Foil mentioned that Miss Antimony delivered a document at the time.) (When we first found Mr. Flint, Mr. Iridescence did search through the files at his hideout...) (Mr. Iridescence obviously isn't the one Miss Antimony sent the package to, but is he after that document too?) Let's leave Miss Antimony aside for now. Mr. Iridescence, I have a question for you. Is the Ulliel family really only interested in getting back the "Aurora" gem? | |
| ...... | |
| File:IridescenceEmotionalGuidance.png | |
| Yes. We were only trying to recover "Aurora." | |
| (He's lying.) | |
| Are you still worried about the items that weren't recovered, Lady Truth? The police just finished their inventory. Most of the valuables and artworks have been returned. The main things missing are bonds and paperwork. And those can be replaced as long as you have the right documents, so it's not a big deal. | |
| Is that so? Then... I guess I can relax. (Am I lying, too?) | |
| The job's done. Thank you for your help, Lady Truth. The Ulliel family will send your payment to your office tomorrow. And that radio—you can keep it if you like. Consider it a souvenir from this case. Also, you might her rumors about me or the Ulliel family from others. Most rumors aren't true, so I hope you'll take them with a grain of salt. As they say, the head of "Hermes" is the ultimate businessman—always neutral and serving no one but himself. He kicked out our investigators, then personally delivered intel to us and steered the investigation. He's a dangerous man who only acts for profit. Please be careful, Lady Truth. Well then, I'll be off. | |
| Wait a second, Mr. Iridescence—about what you've been hiding with this job. Isn't there something else you want to tell me? | |
| Those details aren't related to the case. Knowing more will only complicate things. Even so, do you really want to dig deeper? | |
| I'll decide for myself what's too much trouble. If the root of that trouble is criminal, I can't just ignore it—I'm a detective. | |
| I believe you. But now isn't the right time for a detective to get involved. Maybe next time. When we meet again, I'll bring you a real case. | |
| Mr. Iridescence turned to leave, his staff crowding around him until I could barely see him anymore. All I could make out was Snow White on his shoulder, waving a fluffy paw at me. | |
| I returned to my office alone. Everything looked exactly the same as when I left. Sunlight slanted across my desk, but I didn't feel that usual sense of relief that comes after finishing a job. The radio was still tuned to the underground frequencies, broadcasting the distant joys and sorrows of strangers straight into my ears. I clutched the badge that was never returned to Mr. Flint, this symbol of honor, and listened to Story Enthusiast's detective tale to its end. In the story, the clever Frey saw through the villain's plot, uncovered their entire operation, and rid the city of its crime syndicate. And me? Maybe tomorrow some lady will show up at my office, asking me to find her missing pet. In this almost dreamlike sense of normalcy, I sat and wondered—did I really finish my job? | |
| (It feels like everyone's celebrating the case being wrapped up, but I know that's not the whole story.) (My contacts on the street say the Ulliel family is still quietly sending out investigators, searching for something.) (This story isn't over yet. I haven't found all the answers.) (Just like the vast world hidden beneath the city. In its shadows, there are still secrets lying in wait.) | |
