| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Epilogue | |
| A Sudden Commission | Investigation Notes | ||||||
Conversation 1[]
| To the esteemed "Problem-Solver of the Seas": Since a certain famous detective ran off to chase a new case, our agency has received: Seven requests to find missing cats (complete with dried fish treats from grateful owners) Three cases of lost-and-found And one Ghostly Gold-Digger case. The client swore her garden was haunted: footsteps by the laurel hedge, and freshly dug flowerbeds sprouting new holes overnight. This lady, who just inherited a fortune, was losing sleep until I visited the site myself. Turns out, a family of groundhogs had quietly moved into her lovely garden. I suspect they escaped during the recent exotic pet craze ... Yesterday, I also made a trip to the library to return "Oceanus Sailing Log" just in time—almost overdue! Maybe that brought me some luck, because today, I finally got a proper case! Even if the client insists it's just about recovering a single valuable item— | ||
| Lady Truth, are you writing up a case log? | ||
| Of course! You're easily the most serious client our office has had in ages! (Not that I don't enjoy reuniting lost kittens with their owners, but a detective can't live on cat cases alone!) | ||
| Oh? I hope this commission isn't a letdown—it's a bit unusual. I can give you an overview now, but the official paperwork will take a few more days. | ||
| Huh, why's that? You look like this is urgent—or at least, it matters a lot to you. | ||
| Because the Ulliel family's hounds are still on the trail. Those proud trackers only ask for outside help when they're sure the "prey" is long gone. Reality will change their minds soon enough. In the meantime, let's go over what we know. | ||
| (That's odd... Lost-and-found cases are usually all about speed.) (Mr. Iridescence seems anxious, but he's not rushing me to the scene.) (The longer we wait, the more time the thieves have to fence the loot. After that, it'll be even harder to track down.) | ||
| Lady Truth, have you been following the news about the big "Joint Exhibition" led by Wightlow City Museum? With the museum's encouragement, several noble families have signed on. The show will feature 27 pieces of family jewelry, five of which have never been displayed before. Though it opens July 24th, the pieces were placed in Wightlow Bank's vault a week prior. But just yesterday, the vault was robbed. The thieves dug a tunnel straight into the vault, bypassing all the security. They made off with stacks of cash, gold bars, and a trove of valuables held for the exhibition. | ||
| (Tunneling... That's so old-school.) So, you want me to recover the stolen jewelry? | ||
| Others are chasing the rest. I just want you to find a single gemstone: | ||
 Click the highlighted area | ||
|
"Aurora" Weight: 96.68 carats Shape: Teardrop cut, rounded top, conical base. Precise facets, brilliant fire. Appears vivid jade green in sunlight. Clarity: Flawless. | |
| This is the record from when the family bought it. | ||
| "Aurora"... Is there something special about this gem? (I saw the museum's list—masterpieces and treasure galore.) (I didn't see "Aurora" listed; is must be one of the five never-before-seen pieces.) | ||
| Let's just say someone cares about it—a lot. If you recover other items, we'll increase your reward. But please, make "Aurora" your top priority. | ||
| (Mr. Iridescence explains things calmly, but I can't shake the feeling he's holding something back.) (People do get attached to special things. But if it's really that important, why not bring in more help?) (It's odd, but I've tracked down lost cats before—this should be a breeze!) Got it. So, right now, the family still hopes to catch the thieves themselves? | ||
| Yes, but they're prepared for disappointment. If there's no progress in a week, they'll hand it over to a more... seasoned detective. | ||
| Thank you for your trust. Forgive me for asking, but I understand the police aren't involved—do you plan to keep it that way? | ||
| Sorry, the Ulliel family wants to keep things quiet and handle it internally. | ||
| Still, I'd rather not just wait around, Mr. Iridescence. Can you share what you know about the case? | ||
Conversation 2[]
Click the highlighted area | ||
| I can't take you to the scene yet, but I've prepared some files. | ||
|
Crime Scene Information A photo of the stolen bank vault shows a clear branch in the center. Most safes are open, with several boxes scattered on the floor. | |
| Digging a tunnel like that must've taken ages. Didn't expect anyone to use such an old-fashioned trick these days. Any idea where the tunnel leads? | ||
| It comes out at a shop on the same street. The place changed hands three months ago, and the new owner is a total mystery. They've never shown their face, never renovated the storefront. We're looking into who they are. | ||
| Doesn't sound like an innocent bystander. The heist must've been planned at least three months back. All that time, and nobody noticed a thing. | ||
| There were city repairs the last couple of months—any noise complaints were chalked up to construction. | ||
Conversation 3[]
 Click the highlighted area | |
| A radio. It's a little old, but it works perfectly—clearly well cared for. | |
| Oh, Mr. Iridescence, why'd you bring this? Want to catch the news? But the heist hasn't even gone public yet... | |
| A witness said that on the night of the robbery, he accidentally picked up the thieves' radio chatter while tuning in—caught a bit of their conversation. Unfortunately, he didn't take it seriously at the time. Since it was just interference, he couldn't pin down the exact frequency. | |
| Was it just a similar band, or was the detector acting up... What did he hear? | |
| He overhead the thieves talking right before they entered the vault. At first, he thought it was a radio play or a prank. But when he heard "Wightlow Bank," he realized it might be real—a robbery in progress. He called the police, but they thought it was a prank and ignored it. | |
| What a shame! I get why the police dismissed it, but... If only they'd taken it seriously, maybe they could've caught the thieves in the act! | |
Conversation 4[]
Click the highlighted area | |
| By the way, does this radio really have that many features? | |
| It's been modified. Looks old, but it works as well as—or even better than—most radios you can buy today. | |
| You mean... we might be able to recreate the frequency crossover accident from that night? Let me give it a shot! I remember Wightlow's news station is at 8.5 MHz, right? | |
| That's right. Just tune this radio to 8.5 and you're set. | |
 Use the left and right buttons to tune the frequency to 8.5 | |
| Now broadcasting Wightlow City's municipal announcement: Beginning on the 15th of last month, the city council's inspection of old underground works in the Mill District, Limerick District, and other historic neighborhoods is nearing completion. Only about a week remains. The full schedule is published on page three of today's Wightlow Gazette. The municipal engineering office reminds everyone that work begins daily at 8 a.m. | |
| Mill District... isn't the bank somewhere around here? | |
| Yep, that's the place. | |
| The robbers found the vault so precisely—could it have something to do with the construction here? | |
Conversation 5[]
Click the highlighted area | |
| Besides the dedicated frequencies, there are still some public bands, right? I read about them in a book once. Whether you're doing community research or just a radio hobbyist, as long as you keep your transmission power within the allowed range, you can chat freely on those open bands... | |
| And to avoid interfering with regular communication, these license-free bands usually don't allow high-power transmissions. Lady Truth are you interested in this? | |
| Wasn't the witness that night a radio enthusiast? The frequencies he used must've been in this range. I want to see if I can experience what he did. | |
| Frequency crossover is pretty random—are you planning to just try your luck, Lady Truth? | |
| Hey, it's worth a shot! Besides, if the robbers managed to get through by accident, their frequencies couldn't have been very high either. Worst case, I'll just end up eavesdropping on some faraway chatter—kind of romantic, actually! | |
 Use the left and right buttons to tune the frequency to 2.3 | |
| Static... Di-di, di-di-di— (CQ CQ CQ DE GX2BEM GX2BEM GX2BEM PSE K) | |
| I'm picking up something! That's Morse code, and those are some special abbreviations—is this how hobbyists talk? | |
| Probably to save time. Do you know what those codes mean, Lady Truth? | |
| Hah, you're not going to stump me! I've been reading up these past few days. I'm not an expert yet, but I get the basics. On the radio, CQ is short for "seek you"—it's a general call out to other stations. DE GX2BEM means the call is coming from station GX2BEM. PSE is "please"—here, it's asking for a reply. And K means "over"—it's the end of the message, waiting for a response. Isn't it bad manners to butt into an ongoing radio conversation? Maybe I should just listen quietly for a bit... Still, it's lively. There's something magical about catching messages from far away— | |
Conversation 6[]
Click the highlighted area | |
| Huh, Mr. Iridescence seems in a good mood today. Happy? No, more like relieved. Did something good happen? | |
| I thought I was hiding it well. You really are sharp, Lady Truth. I do have good news for you. Since our family hasn't made any progress on the search, the Ulliel family has officially declined to hire you for the case. I've already spoken to the bank—they'll cooperate fully with your investigation. Here's an advance payment. The family hopes you can start right away and recover the gem. | |
| (So this is the "good news" Mr. Iridescence mentioned? Not sure the Ulliel family would agree...) Mr. Iridescence puts a thick envelope on the desk and slides it over to me. | |
| Also, given the circumstances, whether you succeed or not, Lady Truth, the family asks you to keep this case completely confidential. | |
| Woah, the Ulliel family really is as wealthy as the rumors say—classic old-school nobility. (Even if Mr. Iridescence's mood is a bit odd, the theft itself is definitely real.) (If I catch the thieves quickly, maybe I'll recover not just "Aurora," but other stolen treasures too!) I've been stuck reading reports for days without being able to visit the scene—I'm itching to get started. Don't worry, I'm taking the case! Time to see what these old-fashioned thieves are really like! | |