Snowfallen Secrets Event
| Snowfallen Secrets | |
|---|---|
| Start Date | 2022-12-12 11:00 UTC +9 |
| End Date | 2022-12-26 04:00 UTC +9 |
| Duration | Approx. 14 days |
A user named "wither" published a post about a magician, causing an uproar.
That night, an accident happened to that magician.
Is this a coincidence or a trap?
What secrets are hidden under the thick snow?
During the event, complete the limited-time tasks on the "Obtain Clues" page to receive 
Draw Coins, 
Stellin, and other rewards. For each limited-time task you have completed, you will get 1 new clue, which will guide you to a designated place to inspect the scene or converse with characters to get further information.
Event Phases[edit | edit source]
The event is available in five phases which gradually open more content as time passes. These phases are timed as follows (all times shown in UTC+9):
- Phase 1: Dec 12, 11:00
- Phase 2: Dec 15, 04:00
- Phase 3: Dec 18, 04:00
Tasks[edit | edit source]
Note that for "Refute x arguments" or "Use x cards" tasks, 0-AP debates in DLC (e.g. Mysteries of the Lost Gold (DLC)) still count for these tasks.
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Magic Fanatic Complete the Passionate Magician task in Stellis |
Draw Coins x40Stellin x5000
|
| Truth Chaser Debate with Tabloid Reporter 1 times |
Draw Coins x40 Oracle of Justice IV x2
|
| Solve the Problem with Reasoning Use 50 Luke cards in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Bag of Dried Figs x6
|
| The Role of Absolute Rationality Use 50 Artem cards in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Fountain Pen x6
|
| Answer from Work Complete 10 daily jobs in Fieldwork |
Draw Coins x40Oracle of Justice IV x2
|
| Listen to Your Heart Refute 20 Intuition arguments in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Intuition Impression I x15
|
| Find Loopholes with Logic Refute 20 Empathy arguments in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Empathy Impression I x15
|
| The Meaning of Intuition Refute 20 Logic arguments in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Logic Impression I x15
|
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Blind Love Complete the Flowers for My Idol task in Stellis |
Draw Coins x40Stellin x5000
|
| A Test of Humanity Use 50 Vyn cards in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Vinyl Record x6
|
| The Power of Wealth Use 50 Marius cards in debates (not including Reviews) |
Draw Coins x40 Block Component x6
|
| Earnest Attitude Clear 5 Analytical Reasoning
|
Draw Coins x40 Empathy Chip I x10
|
| Stay Calm Complete 5 Crisis Intervention
|
Draw Coins x40 Logic Chip I x10
|
| Details Are Important Complete 5 Case Study
|
Draw Coins x40 Tablet x6
|
| Task | Reward |
|---|---|
| Free from Lost Thoughts Complete 5 Psychological Consults
|
Draw Coins x40 Intuition Chip I x10
|
| Peel off the Fake Mask Complete the Unconditional Trust task in Stellis |
Draw Coins x40Stellin x5000
|
| Misunderstandings Complete 5 Reasoning Techniques
|
Draw Coins x40 Wide-Angle Lens x6
|
| Real Help Complete 5 Legal Consult
|
Draw Coins x40 Oil-Painting Tools x6
|
| Soul-Searching Questions Complete 5 Psychotherapy
|
Draw Coins x40 Wooden Gardening Spade x6
|
| Reason for Justice Complete 3 Lawsuit(s) in Fieldwork |
Draw Coins x40Oracle of Justice IV x2
|
Limited-Time Stellis Tasks[edit | edit source]
One limited-time task is available in the Stellis System RPG map per event phase. These are recorded below.
Passionate Magician
The gentleman up ahead seems distressed. Go and ask what's the matter.
Young Man: Oh no, where is my ticket? I remembered I had it with me. Where is it?
You: Sir, don't worry. Let me help. What kind of ticket are we looking for?
Young Man: *Sigh* It's the ticket to the Winter Magic Festival. It took me a lot of effort to get one and I lost it!
Young Man: I'm a big fan of Emmanuel Parker. I grew up watching his show.
Young Man: If I don't get to see his retirement performance...
Young Man: I'll be so sad... I won't be able to function anymore, and I will regret it for the rest of my life!
You: (That's a bit of an exaggeration...)
You: Don't worry. Where were you before you came here? Let's split up. It'll be more efficient.
Young Man: Let me think... Well...
Young Man: I live on West Hemingway Heights Street and I took the subway to get here. I didn't really go anywhere else.
You: How about you keep looking around here...?
You: I'll go to West Hemingway Heights Street and look for it.
Young Man: Thank you so much!
Search for the entrance ticket based on where the gentleman had been.
You: Hmm... Mr. Ticket, where are you?
You: It's so small. I better be more careful.
You: (Not here... Let's look elsewhere.)
You: Ah, found you!
You: Ooops. It's just a flyer...
You: Yikes, time is running out. I better hurry up.
You: The wind is so strong today and it's a bit cold...
You: Hmm, the ticket is really light. Could it have been blown away by the wind?
You: I'll follow the direction of the wind and look for it!
Take the entrance ticket you found back to the gentleman.
Young Man: You're back. Ah! Is that...?
You: It's your ticket. I found it on the grass near the subway entrance on West Hemingway Heights Street.
Young Man: Thank you so much! I would have missed the show without your help.
Young Man: *Sobbing* You saved the day.
You: Sir... Don't you think you're overreacting?
Young Man: You have no idea how happy I am right now. These are tears of pure joy...
Young Man: I can finally watch Emmanuel Parker's magic show!!!
You: Congratulations, and don't lose your tickets again.
Flowers for an Idol
The person in front of the convenience store looks somehow familiar. Go have a closer look.
Young Man: ... What kind of flowers should I buy?
You: Hey, aren't you... the gentleman who lost the Winter Magic Festival ticket?
Young Man: You are the lady who helped me find the ticket. Hello again.
Young Man: I'm thinking of getting flowers for someone. Any advice you could offer?
You: Well, who are you giving them to?
Young Man: Emmanuel Parker, of course! He was injured during a prior performance and we fans want to send him our best wishes.
Young Man: But he doesn't take visitors, so we want to buy him a bouquet of flowers to show our support for him.
Young Man: The lady recommended gladiolus or carnations and I'm a bit torn over which ones to get...
You: I see.
You: How about gladiolus? Gladiolus are supposed to bring good health...
You: Plus, it's the flower of Stellis. It represents your wish for his speedy recovery.
You: What do you think?
Young Man: Makes sense. Gladiolus it is then! Thank you. You've done me another big favor.
You: You're welcome. I'm glad I could help.
You: How about carnations? Carnations are a symbol of blessings and gratitude.
You: It perfectly represents your sincere wishes for Mr. Parker.
Young Man: Hmm... Good idea!
Young Man: Many people send carnations when they visit the sick!
Young Man: I suppose it really is a popular choice. I'll go with the trend.
Young Man: Thank you. You've helped me with yet another problem.
You: You're very welcome.
Unconditional Trust
Hey, isn't that Mr. Fan up ahead, holding a great big pile of letters?
You: Hello, sir. What are you doing?
Young Man: Hey, you're the lady who found my ticket and helped me pick out the flowers! We meet again!
You: (What a strange way to refer to someone.)
Young Man: Huh!? My letter!
You: I'll help you pick them up... Hm? This is...
You: For Mr. Parker... Mr. Parker, we are here with you...!
You: Are these all letters to Emmanuel Parker?
Young Man: Yeah. Someone has been smearing and slandering Mr. Parker on the internet.
Young Man: We fans couldn't do much to help. So, we wrote these letters to Mr. Parker to cheer him up!
You: I wanted to ask you before, but I forgot... Why are you the one handling everything?
Young Man: Because I'm the president of the Stellis branch of The Emmanuel Parker Global Fans Association!
Young Man: Well... I have to go. I need to get to Southeast Stellis Street to pick up the letters collected by the vice president!
You: You're going all the way to Southeast Stellis Street holding this huge pile of letters? What if you drop them?
Young Man: I didn't expect the fans to be so enthusiastic, or I would have prepared a box.
You: I can pick up the letters for you. Send me the address.
Young Man: Really!? Wouldn't it be too much trouble for you?
You: That's okay. The letters mean a lot to the ones who wrote them. It would be a shame to lose even one.
Go to Southeast Stellis Street and pick up the letter from the vice president.
Young Woman: Hello, are you Miss [Player]? The president of the association told me the whole story...
Young Woman: These are all the letters I received. Thank you for taking them to him.
You: No problem...
You: (Wow, this is heavy... Are there only letters in here?)
Give the letter to Mr. Fan.
You: Phew, I'm finally here. This is quite heavy...
You: The vice president looks smaller than me, but she's strong...
Young Man: She is stronger than the average person...
Young Man: Thank you so much. You've helped us a lot...
You: Don't mention it. I hope that Mr. Parker realizes how much you all care for him.
Investigation[edit | edit source]
As the player completes tasks, clues and locations open up for investigation, as well as new stages in the group chat feature.
The Magic Troupe's Old Address[edit | edit source]
Event intro
Suburban Mansion
???: The show must go on.
???: Adeline, go and tell everyone that the show will continue as scheduled.
The middle-aged man's voice resounds firmly in the room, and the young female assistant immediately nods in response.
Assistant Lady: Okay. I'll go now.
After the lady leaves, the man is about to leave as well when Captain Morgan rushes to stop him.
Darius Morgan: Mr. Parker, I understand your feelings. But considering the situation at hand, I hope that you will cooperate with the police.
Darius Morgan: You were injured at the show earlier and the audience saw it.
Darius Morgan: It's hard not to think of the threatening letter that the suspect posted on the internet...
Emmanuel Parker: I don't know about any threatening letter! Whatever was written was nothing more than rumors about me.
Emmanuel Parker: My hand got hit by a prop and that's all. It's not a big deal. Why can't I continue my performance!?
Emmanuel Parker: Captain Morgan, I think I've made my intentions clear enough. The report has been filed and I've told you all that I know.
Emmanuel Parker: My only request is not to let this nonsense ruin our schedule for the show.
Emmanuel Parker: We have been preparing for the show for a long time and it can't be suspended just because of some dumb threat posted online.
Darius Morgan: But the current situation...
Emmanuel Parker: I'm sorry but I have some business to attend to. My attorney will take care of this matter.
Emmanuel Parker: Captain Morgan, please talk to my attorney.
Emmanuel Parker points to you, who is standing off to the side. He then turns around and strides out of the room.
Darius Morgan: ...
Captain Morgan sighs in distress and looks at you.
You can see the helplessness in his eyes.
Darius Morgan: I didn't know Themis Law Firm took on Emmanuel Parker's case.
You: Mr. Parker entrusted me with this case and I'm here to get a better understanding of the situation...
The man who just strode out of the room is none other than Emmanuel Parker, who Captain Morgan was just talking about.
He is the founder of Tuesday Magic Troupe and is known as the greatest magician of the century.
But what's more important to you and the NXX is that... Emmanuel Parker seems to have a connection to the case you all are investigating.
It all started three hours ago...
The conference room at NXX headquarters three hours ago.
NXX Headquarters Meeting Room
Marius: "The sordid past of the genius magician, Emmanuel Parker, will be revealed at the Winter Magic Festival."
Marius: "Cease all your deceptive performances now and repent your past."
Marius: "Or you will pay the price of your sin in front of your audience."
Marius: "You cannot escape the long arm of the law. The one who will judge you has already appeared. You must atone for your past sins."
Marius: ...
It's the day for your routine meetings. You step into the conference room and see Marius leaning back on the couch frowning at his phone screen.
You: What are you looking at?
Marius: A post on the Big Data Lab's magic forum.
Marius: A user named "Wither" posted it around 5 AM. It's now the top trending post on the site.
You read the post on Marius' phone word for word.
You: How confusing. Is this some kind of joke?
You: Hold on... Emmanuel Parker? That sounds familiar...
Marius: He's that famous magician.
Marius: He has performed countless magic shows on TV and has won tons of awards.
You: That seems to ring a bell! I watched his show when I was a kid.
Marius: Emmanuel Parker and his magic troupe would rent venues in amusement parks every winter and offer free magic shows.
Marius: A lot of kids looked forward to seeing it live.
You: I wasn't really into magic as a kid, so I don't remember much about him.
Marius: I believe he was one of the most popular magicians among children.
Marius: His magic troupe would rent venues in amusement parks every winter and offer free magic shows.
Marius: It formed a lot of people's childhood understanding of magic.
You: You seem to know him very well.
Marius: That's right. Watching Mr. Parker's magic shows was one of the joys of my childhood.
???: What are you all talking about?
Vyn's voice rings out behind you, interrupting Marius' enthusiastic speech.
You turn around and find that Artem and Luke are here too.
You: What a coincidence. You guys arrived at the same time.
Luke: We met right at the door.
Artem: I went to pick you up at your place but you already left.
Vyn: I guess I need to get here earlier next time.
There is nothing remarkable about what they are saying, yet you feel the atmosphere growing tenser.
You: Uh, I...
Artem: Ahem, let's get down to business. I heard you talking about Emmanuel Parker.
Luckily, everyone's attention is drawn to Artem and the subject changes.
Luke: Were you following that post too?
Marius: Yes. Today is the day for the annual Winter Magic Festival at Stellis Amusement Park.
Marius: Emmanuel Parker announced that he would retire soon due to health issues...
Marius: This show is his final solo performance, so it has generated a lot of attention.
Marius: The show started at 9 o'clock. It's now 10:30...
Marius: I believe the show is about halfway over.
Marius: I was looking for some posts about the show and I found this one instead.
Vyn: The poster must have timed it. He deliberately released the disruptive messages right before the show started.
Luke: ...My gut tells me that whoever it is, they are up to something.
You: Wait a minute! This sentence in the post— "Cease all your deceptive performances now and repent your past."
You: Does that mean that he wanted Emmanuel Parker to cancel today's show?
You: But the show has already started...
You: That means the magic troupe didn't notice the post and moved forward according to schedule.
You: Is Mr. Parker going to be... in danger?
Artem: If we look at it from that angle, the post is a personal threat to Emmanuel Parker.
Artem: A suspicious accusation like this is likely to trigger a public discussion.
Luke: That's right. The engagement with this post is unbelievably high. People are going crazy about the truth behind this.
Luke: People on the internet are betting on whether Emmanuel Parker's performance today will end well.
As of now, there are hundreds of thousands of comments on Wither's post.
The ambiguous words and embellished descriptions are likely to attract interest.
Obviously, the poster has achieved their goal of attracting attention.
Vyn: I think... this pathetic game can end now. No one is going to see the full show today.
You: What do you mean?
Vyn holds up his phone.
Vyn: Breaking news from half an hour ago. Emmanuel Parker had an accident while performing The Great Escape...
Vyn: The curved blade that was hanging from the top of the box suddenly fell and hit him right in the arm.
Vyn: The police are investigating it now but it's hard to tell if it was an accident or if someone planned the whole thing.
You: What!? How is Emmanuel Parker doing?
Vyn: The blade fell and cut his arm. Fortunately, it was a dull prop, so the wound is not too serious.
Marius: The words from the post came true... "You will pay the price of your sin in front of your audience."
You: Is this a coincidence or... a conspiracy?
Emmanuel Parker is an experienced magician. Checking props and stage equipment before going on stage should be routine for him.
It's possible that he missed it, but...
That post has cast an air of suspicion over the accident. It makes it seem more like a setup.
Luke: Marius, will you be able to locate the poster?
Marius: Shouldn't be a problem...
Marius quickly taps on his phone and sends a message.
A couple of minutes later, the screen lights up.
Marius: Not found!? Damn. We're probably dealing with another professional hacker...
Luke: Look, Wither just posted something 10 minutes ago.
Luke turns on the computer and quickly punches in some commands...
A website with poker cards shows up on the big screen.
You: It looks like... some kind of card game?
Luke: This is "House of the Draw". A poker website Wither just posted.
Luke: There are a series of tasks for the players to complete.
Artem: Tasks?
Artem flips through the tabs and clicks on the list. Each "task" is followed by a clue.
The clues are marked with "???" as if they are waiting for someone to unravel its hidden secrets.
Luke: Let me see...
Luke leans forward and takes a closer look at the website.
Luke: The deal is... when you complete a task, you'll be rewarded with a clue and get a secret item.
Luke: Clues are supposed to provide you with more breaking news, and the secret items can be exchanged for rewards.
Luke: It seems to be working. It has caught a lot of people's attention. The views are increasing tremendously.
You: What's that? Some kind of bounty?
Vyn: More like a trap, where the hunter hides in the woods and watches the prey getting caught.
You: ...
Marius: Even the Pax engineers couldn't track down the person who posted it... This could be a very well hidden problem.
Marius: Who knows what he's up to...?
Marius: I just don't want Big Data Lab to go through another organized hacker attack.
You: Should we... get in touch with Captain Morgan so we can figure out what's going on there?
Artem: Maybe. Or we can do it another way.
Artem hands you his phone.
It's a message from Celestine from not long ago.
Artem: Emmanuel Parker wants to hire Themis Law Firm to handle this PR case.
Artem: If we take the case, we can easily get information from Emmanuel Parker, himself, directly.
You: !!!
What!? That's way too much of a coincidence.
First, there are posts about Emmanuel Parker all over the internet, then he gets injured at a show...
And just when you're going to speak to the police, you receive Emmanuel Parker's case.
It's as if there's an invisible force pushing you from behind.
It's like... someone is arranging for you to walk into this ploy.
Artem: [Player], what do you think? Should we take the case?
You: I think we should.
You: This whole thing feels like a conspiracy...
You: Still, it's better to take part in it and check it out ourselves rather than speculating on the sidelines.
Vyn: I will support and respect all your decisions.
Artem: Then I will confirm the details.
Artem: Don't worry... I will be here to help you too.
You: To be honest, it is a good idea to take the case and get first-hand information from Emmanuel Parker ourselves.
You: But the situation is developing too quickly. I fear that there's probably more to the story.
Artem: I understand. It's unclear what's really going on considering our limited information.
Artem: But if we keep up with the investigation, I believe all the puzzles will be solved.
Marius: Right. Let’s take this opportunity.
You: Okay then. I will take the case.
And just like that, you become Emmanuel Parker's attorney.
Suburban Mansion
You: ...That's about it.
You briefly explain to Captain Morgan your reasons for being here.
You: As Mr. Parker's attorney, I came to get more information from the man himself.
You: I didn't expect to see you here too...
Darius Morgan: I see...
Captain Morgan frowns and pauses for a second.
Darius Morgan: You are right. The situation is a bit tricky.
Darius Morgan: Is it possible to ask your team to drop by the police station?
Darius Morgan: I'd like to update you on my side of the investigation. And I might... need your help too.
You: Of course. They are in the area. I'll tell them to come now.
You send a message in the group chat and everyone rushes over to join you.
Then, you drive to the police station with Captain Morgan.
Police Staiton
Darius Morgan: Everyone, let me be frank with you.
Darius Morgan: We are unable to locate Wither's address at this time.
Darius Morgan: Our guess is that he might have hidden his source code using some kind of new concealment technique...
Darius Morgan: ...It will take a long time to decode. That's why we figured we'd start with Emmanuel Parker, but...
Parker refused to cooperate.
It'd take a long time just to convince him.
You: So, Captain Morgan, what can we do for you?
Darius Morgan: I was hoping that you could disguise yourself as a regular netizen and take up the tasks Wither posted on the site.
Marius: You mean... you want us to follow Wither's leads?
Luke: I suppose Captain Morgan is counting on us to grab Wither's attention.
Darius Morgan: Correct. As long as someone continues to follow their clues, it will lure them into posting more updates...
Darius Morgan: Also, it buys us some time to monitor and decode their address.
Vyn: Not a bad idea.
Artem: It's a risky move though.
You: I agree. If the website keeps putting out information, it will inevitably increase the publicity around the case...
Darius Morgan: Good point. We'll try to keep it under control.
Darius Morgan: And I believe that the public is more inclined to find out the whole truth than manipulated fragments of it.
You: All right. I will cooperate with the police and follow-up on Wither.
You: After all, it's also my obligation to find the truth as Mr. Parker's attorney.
Marius: Count me in.
Marius: I have to figure out who he is, for the sake of Big Data Lab.
You: Sure. Let's investigate together then.
Artem: [Player], as your partner, it is my responsibility to investigate with you.
You: It's a great relief to have you on the team, Mr. Wing.
Luke: Artem is rather busy. I, on the other hand, have lots of time. I wouldn't mind joining you.
Vyn: Whenever you need me, I will be available.
For some reason, when they all talk together...
There's this strange feeling... The same feeling you had when you were in NXX's meeting room earlier.
You: No problem. We're a team. Let's do it together.
They nod quietly and no more words are said.
Captain Morgan takes the chance to speak his mind.
Darius Morgan: Brilliant. I will keep you updated on the police side of things.
Darius Morgan: At the same time, I'd like to be informed of your findings.
You: Will do, Captain Morgan.
You feel better now that things are somewhat settled.
The game is on. You need to follow through till the very end.
It's your desire and your responsibility to uncover Wither's motives and the whole truth.
Location Unlock: NXX Group Chat
 Text Message |
NXX: Magic Troupe Past Stories
|
|---|
Marius: Hey, Wither posted something. @All
You: What did he say?
Marius: Something about Emmanuel Parker's experiences before he became famous, as well as the magic troupe he worked for.
Marius: Same as before, apart from some opinionated descriptions...
Marius: The whole post is filled with anger and hatred for Emmanuel Parker.
You: Emmanuel Parker has performed in other magic troupes before?
You: As far as I know, the Tuesday Magic Troupe has been around for 14 years.
You: So he left the previous magic troupe a long time ago?
Vyn: He did. Why is Wither bringing up this ancient history now?
You: Anger... Hatred... Extremely opinionated descriptions...
You: What's the story between Wither and Emmanuel Parker?
Vyn: Based on his previous posts, Wither has been slamming Emmanuel Parker from the victim's point of view.
You: I feel like there's a lot of mysteries to be solved...
You: Is there any other information mentioned in the post?
Artem: According to him, the previous magic troupe disbanded soon after Emmanuel Parker left.
Artem: After that, no one has heard anything about any of the crew.
Artem: Emmanuel Parker is the only one who made his way as an internationally acclaimed master magician.
Luke: Is he implying that the disbanding of the troupe has something to do with Emmanuel Parker's debut?
Artem: It's a possibility.
Vyn: It looks like an investigation of his former magic troupe is needed.
Vyn: Marius, did Wither mention the exact address the magic troupe was at?
Marius: He did. The post says it's near where Emmanuel Parker's current Tuesday Magic Troupe is hosted.
Artem: That's in the Long Beach district.
You: But it's been a long time. Is it still there?
Luke: Good news. I just checked. Not only the troupe but its former assistant is still there too.
Luke: I have contacted him, and he agreed to let us investigate.
You: That's great. Let's hurry up and get over there.
Marius: All right, everyone. Let's get moving!
Vyn: ...
Artem: ???
Luke: What are you doing?
Marius: Don't you think shouting like this before we start an investigation helps hype everyone up?
Vyn: I guess I shouldn't expect much else out of you.
Artem: [Player] is coming with me. Meet you all in Long Beach.
Vyn: Okay.
Luke: Drive safe.
Marius: Wait for me. I'll be right there!
Vyn: - Tap to Continue -
Location Unlock: Site Arrival
Following the clues, you arrive at the former address of the Magic Troupe in Long Beach.
Just as you get inside, a middle-aged man wearing the troupe's uniform approaches you.
Troupe Assistant: Are you the investigation team that contacted me?
Troupe Assistant: I am Tre, the administrator of the place and the former assistant to the Magic Troupe. Nice to meet you all.
You: (So he is the assistant Luke talked to...)
You: Hello. Thank you for allowing us to visit.
Troupe Assistant: You're welcome. I'm glad I can be a help.
Troupe Assistant: Allow me to give you a brief introduction to the place. This used to be the File Room.
Troupe Assistant: After all these years, it is the only room that still has some old stuff left in it.
Troupe Assistant: Feel free to check everything, but please restore the room to its original state when you're done.
You: Thanks. We'll make sure to do that.
Troupe Assistant: The place has been under my care for years. If you have any problems, you are welcome to ask me.
You: All right. I appreciate your support.
Old Photo
According to the assistant, the room you are looking for is at the end of the corridor.
Although it's been maintained, you can still see the traces of time.
There is dust flying everywhere and the smell of the stale air marks the reign of time over this place.
You and Artem carefully search around the room and suddenly, something sparkles and catches your attention.
You: Mr. Wing, this cabinet the sun's shining upon... Something is reflecting the sunlight in here.
[Tap inspection point]
You get closer to see what is written on the memory card, but it's too dusty to be legible.
You: (Nothing can be seen... Let's look somewhere else.)
After looking over the memory card for a bit, you decide to go elsewhere in search of other clues with Artem.
You get closer to see what is written on the memory card, but it's too dusty to be legible.
You wipe the dust off with the wet wipes you carry. It's as if you are brushing away fragments of time.
Artem takes the frame from your hand and wipes it carefully.
After cleaning the frame for a while, you can finally make out what it is.
It's a picture frame. The color of the photo inside has faded due to time. You can barely make out that it's a group photo.
Artem: This must be the magic troupe photo mentioned in the clues.
The background of the photo seems to be a stage. There is a dozen young performers dressed in a variety of magic show costumes, and they are smiling brightly.
The magician standing in the middle can be vaguely recognized as Emmanuel Parker from the outline of his portrait.
You: The person in the middle has to be Emmanuel Parker. But who is that next to him? That person is also wearing a magician's costume and appears to be very close to Emmanuel Parker.
Artem: From the costume, it seems like that's Emmanuel Parker's assistant magician.
You: In the photo, Emmanuel Parker's body is obviously leaning towards the assistant... which probably means they are quite close to each other.
You: Emmanuel Parker is so famous now... and yet this assistant magician...seems to be a nobody.
Artem: Well, maybe something happened that people don't know about...
You: But... What does this have to do with Wither?
Artem: We'll see. There are probably other clues.
You: Ok.
Past Accident
The moment you walk into the room, the dust in the air makes both you and Marius begin to sneeze in succession.
You walk carefully around the room. Suddenly, you trip over something.
You: Ah. What is this?
You sweep the dust off of the object and it instantly fills the air.
Marius: *Cough*... Newspapers!?
[Tap inspection point]
You turn on your phone's flashlight and shine it into the dim corner so that Marius can easily read it.
Marius: Shocking Accident During Escape Magic. Assistant Magician Aiden Bridge Dies on the Spot: Magic Has Become a High-risk Occupation.
Marius: Magic show turns into a tragic accident. What caused the death of Aiden Bridge?
Marius: ...
You: The news is all about Emmanuel Parker and the accident he had during the magic show.
Marius: The headlines were all over the news. Seems like the accident had a huge impact back then.
You: Why does Wither want us to read this?
You: Does he just want to tell us that Emmanuel Parker also experienced a failure?
You: And that making mistakes doing magic should not be an issue of national concern?
You: I'm afraid the real cause of national concern is the accidental death of the assistant magician.
Marius: Miss, I just found a very interesting report. Look.
Marius hands you a piece of newspaper. It's a tabloid that often publishes alarmist reports.
The article he is showing you was published in the tabloid a year after the accident.
Marius: After the death of Aiden Bridge, Emmanuel Parker, who had retired from public life a year earlier, finally succeeded in performing escape magic again.
Marius: While marveling about his miraculous comeback, people were reminded of the skepticism they had about his performance a year earlier.
Marius: That's what makes Emmanuel Parker's success especially important.
Marius: I think in the future Emmanuel Parker will be a hit all over the world with his escape magic.
Marius: I just wonder if anyone will remember that Aiden Bridge died of suffocation in that water tank.
You: This reporter appears to be praising Emmanuel Parker for his success, but his article is full of conspiracy theories...
You: The reports we found earlier when Aiden Bridge's accident first happened...
You: Regardless of the length of the article, there seems to be some skepticism about the prospects of escape magic.
You: Emmanuel Parker successfully performed the escape again under the pressure of public scrutiny. It's no wonder that it caused so much sensation.
Marius: I think Wither wants us to read the report on purpose.
Marius: Could he and this reporter share the opinion that Emmanuel Parker has gained something from this accident?
You: Well, it does seem that this incident did Emmanuel Parker a lot of good.
You: But that's only our speculation.
You: No one would expect it to go that way before the accident happened.
Marius: That's true. Who could have predicted what happened back then...?
You: ...Why did Wither bring this up?
You: And what role did Emmanuel Parker play in the accident?
You: There are so many questions to consider...
Marius: Don't worry. As long as we continue to investigate, we will find the answers.
Damaged Wooden Box
The door to the room makes a loud and labored noise as you gently push it open. A thick layer of dust greets you.
Luckily Luke anticipated this and has instructed you to cover your mouth and nose earlier on.
You wait at the door for a while so the dust can settle.
You: Luke, I'm so glad to have you here!
Luke: It's nothing. Dust is a close friend to antiques.
Luke: Careful. Don't bump into anything.
[Tap inspection point]
Now that Luke mentions it, you notice there is a man-sized wooden box on the right side of the wall.
You: What is that?
Luke: It's a prop for escape magic, but... it seems to have been tampered with.
Luke points to a very large hole. It looks as if it was broken with an axe or some other heavy tool.
You: Magic props need to be customized and cost a lot of money. It is usually well taken care of. So, how could this wooden box be broken like this?
You: Unless...
You and Luke look at each other. His gaze makes you muster your courage to speak your mind, even though what you're going to say may be gut-wrenching.
You: "The old magic prop is soaked in the tears of the departed..." Does that mean something bad happened?
You: And as a last resort, someone had to destroy the prop...
Luke: It could have been a life-threatening situation.
You: Is this... evidence of Emmanuel Parker's failure?
Luke: But Emmanuel Parker is safe and sound now, so "the departed" part can't be referring to him.
You: Well, isn't Emmanuel Parker the only person who performed the escape magic?
You: It feels like we are stumbling on more and more mysteries...
Notebook
Vyn: The owner of this place seems to have left in a hurry.
Vyn: The notebook on the table is open.
Vyn: But it's covered in a thick layer of dust...
Vyn takes a handkerchief from his pocket and picks up the notebook.
The open page shows records of Emmanuel Parker's most famous magic trick—The Great Escape.
You: "Why? Why didn't it work? I've tested it several times."
In addition to some diagrams, there are some scribbled notes beside them.
Vyn: "This is it. Just a small change right here and it will work!"
Vyn: "Now, I finally can..."
The author seemed to be in some kind of frenzy.
The handwriting is more scribbled in the later part and after all these years, it has become completely illegible.
You: ...Unfortunately, the content of the notebook is unreadable now.
Vyn: It will be difficult to extract effective information from the contents of this notebook alone.
Vyn: However, we can take it as a whole to decipher the deeper meaning behind it.
You: What do you mean?
Vyn: Although the notebook has a lot of magic tricks in it, only the part about The Great Escape has ambiguous writing.
Vyn: Judging from the handwriting, the author was overwhelmed by his emotions as he wrote.
Vyn: The amount of readable text is limited, but it's enough for us to get a simple profile of the author of the notebook.
You: The notebook is a record of the operating principles of many magic tricks and the ways to improve them, which indicates that the author...
As you ponder, you pick up the notebook to carefully examine it again.
[Tap inspection point]
You: He is very serious about magic, and his notes are quite detailed...
Vyn: However, this is not directly related to our investigation.
You: Hmmm... Maybe I missed some important detail...
You: He knows a lot about magic. One could even say that he is an original.
Vyn: I feel that he pays special attention to escape magic.
Vyn: And that is the bit that is worth further investigation.
Vyn: Of course, we can assume that he focused on escape magic because it was his job.
Vyn: But judging from his writing and his state of mind at that time...
Vyn: I am more inclined to think that his interest in escape magic is out of a vicious intent.
You: I agree with most of your inferences, but... Isn't it a bit hasty to conclude that he has a vicious intent?
Vyn: This is a conclusion that I have reached using my experience and intuition.
Vyn: It is normal that you have some doubts.
You: Dr. Richter, I didn't mean to contradict you...
Vyn: That is all right.
Vyn: I have always appreciated your rationality. You refuse to follow others blindly, and instead you rely on evidence.
You: Huh!?
Vyn: We'll need more evidence to prove my theory. Let's keep looking.
Magic Troupe Member
The assistant here is a middle-aged man. He is wearing the Magic Troupe's uniform. It's as if he is ready to be on stage at any moment.
He quickly stands up when he sees you both. As he does this he almost loses his footing.
Artem immediately steps forward to help him and accidentally knocks over some beer bottles beside him.
The sound of the bottles appears to somehow wake the assistant, and he is now more aware of his surroundings. He greets you and motions for you to take a seat.
Troupe Assistant: What do you want to know? Hurry up and ask. I've got plans to drink with my friends!
You: We'll be quick about it.
You: How many members were there in the magic troupe back then?
Troupe Assistant: Well... We had several magicians, each performing a different kind of magic.
Troupe Assistant: There were actually more than ten involved, including magicians, prop masters, assistants, etc...
Artem: Can we get an exact number?
The old assistant relaxes against the back of his chair, closing his eyes and thinking for a while.
Troupe Assistant: Magic troupes went on tour everywhere. There was a lot of turnover.
Troupe Assistant: I can hardly remember since so many years have passed.
You: How was the magic troupe doing then, with so many mouths to feed?
Troupe Assistant: Well... It had always been mediocre before.
Troupe Assistant: Since... Since Emmanuel Parker developed the human escape trick, we've been gradually doing better...
Troupe Assistant: You know... People were calling him a genius magician.
Troupe Assistant: He became famous, and the number of people who came to see the performance slowly increased.
Artem: So you had a pretty good crowd after that?
Troupe Assistant: Well, whenever there was a Emmanuel Parker performance, the theater would sell out.
Troupe Assistant: And that's how Emmanuel Parker became the pillar of our magic troupe...
You: Then why did the magic troupe disband?
Troupe Assistant: Well... It was because our pillar, Emmanuel Parker, left.
Troupe Assistant: After he left, our audience got smaller and smaller. Soon we couldn't make ends meet and had to close down.
You want to continue with your questions, but the assistant stops talking. He seems to have remembered something upsetting.
Artem: I guess we'll have to find some other clues.
Aiden Bridge
You: The fastest way to get to know Aiden Bridge is to ask the assistant questions. He should know him very well...
Vyn: All right. Let us be on our way.
After a lot of looking around, you finally find the former assistant of the Magic Troupe in a corner of the old venue.
He has a glass of beer in his hand, and is still wearing the Magic Troupe's uniform.
You: (It seems that he has a deep affection for the Magic Troupe...)
You: Sir, can we ask you a few questions about the Magic Troupe?
Troupe Assistant: Okay, but be quick.
You: Do you remember Aiden Bridge?
Troupe Assistant: Of course! I could never forget him!
The stoic assistant looks sad now.
You: Your tone tells me that Aiden Bridge has left a deep impression on you.
Troupe Assistant: It wasn't just me. The newspapers at that time were reporting on him, day and night.
Troupe Assistant: You see, the door was constantly surrounded by reporters.
Troupe Assistant: Emmanuel Parker even had to ask me to keep brazen reporters from walking in the door.
You look in the direction he points at. There is a rusty iron door.
It looks so isolated. It's hard to imagine that it was once surrounded by so many people.
Vyn: Reporters? Why would there be reporters? Did Aiden Bridge perform some wildly successful magic tricks?
Troupe Assistant: Successful magic tricks? Hahahaha...
Troupe Assistant: On the contrary, his magic tricks were great failures...
Troupe Assistant: The failures were so great that he lost his life ...
You: What happened?
Troupe Assistant: Well, I don't know. I was new to the magic troupe. I didn't have much magic experience and didn't really understand all of it.
Troupe Assistant: What I remember is that... right in front of a large audience, Aiden had a fatal accident in the water tank...
Troupe Assistant: When I understood what happened and rushed up with the ax, it was too late...
You and Vyn remain silent. It takes a while for the assistant to calm down.
Troupe Assistant: Aiden was a very nice person who loved to study magic. Who could expect such an accident to happen...?
You: Did he have any family?
Troupe Assistant: Family? He seldom talked about anything other than magic...
Troupe Assistant: He seemed to have a child, but I don't know any more details.
You: Thank you. That's about all we wanted to know.
Troupe Assistant: No problem. I'm glad I could be of assistance.
Emmanuel Parker's Character
After getting the information, you and Marius plan to ask the assistant about Emmanuel Parker.
He seems to be expecting you, and is waiting for you with a beer.
You: Hello, there is some information about Emmanuel Parker that we would like to confirm with you.
Marius: Tell us anything you know about Emmanuel Parker.
Troupe Assistant: Okay. What do you want to confirm?
You: What kind of person is Emmanuel Parker?
Troupe Assistant: Well... actually, when I was in the magic troupe, I seldom interacted with Emmanuel Parker.
Troupe Assistant: I deliberately avoided having too much contact with him.
Marius: Why? As the pillar of your magic troupe, he was supposed to be very popular.
Troupe Assistant: Emmanuel Parker was a very serious person in his daily life.
Troupe Assistant: He was too straightforward. He was very good as a magician, but he didn't have good people skills.
Marius: Did people in the magic troupe dislike him?
Troupe Assistant: Not really.
Troupe Assistant: Emmanuel Parker was not very sociable, but his assistant Aiden Bridge was always there to help.
Troupe Assistant: So people were more in awe of him, instead of disliking him.
You: Can you tell us more about Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge?
Troupe Assistant: I can't remember the specifics...
Troupe Assistant: I just remember that Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge were best friends in the magic troupe.
Troupe Assistant: Or rather, Aiden Bridge was probably Emmanuel Parker's only friend.
Troupe Assistant: Although they often had disagreements about the magic show...
Troupe Assistant: Only Aiden Bridge could persuade him when Emmanuel Parker got himself into a rut.
Troupe Assistant: Is there anything else you want to know?
You: That's all for now. Thank you.
Marius: [Player], let's go see if there are any more leads.
The Magic Troupe's Old Address
Luke: [Player], check out this clue. Do you see anything strange about it?
You: Anything strange?
Luke: Wither is like a witness to the incident. He knows the details really well.
Luke: But there is one thing that Wither is completely unaware of.
You: You mean Wither doesn't know...?
You: ...That while the magic troupe is long gone, the old venue has been preserved?
Luke: Since Wither is so concerned about Emmanuel Parker, he should have known about the preservation of the old magic troupe venue.
Luke: But he doesn't seem to know that it was preserved...
You: Who is preserving the old venue, and why?
You: If the Magic Troupe has been disbanded, then this place shouldn't exist either.
Luke: That's right. As expected of my Watson!
Luke: I don't have an answer to your first question, but I have one for the latter question.
You: Huh?
Luke: Come on, let's go find the Assistant. He should know the answer to your question.
You approach the assistant and ask him the question.
He is surprised to hear it, but he soon laughs out loud.
Troupe Assistant: So you are curious why the old site is still being kept around?
Troupe Assistant: Can't it just be because I'm a nostalgic guy?
Luke: If that were the case, you would have maintained it and restored it to its former glory.
Luke: Besides, you have been here all day long. How do you even make a living?
Hearing Luke's words, his eyes light up a bit.
Troupe Assistant: You are perceptive.
Troupe Assistant: Part of the reason why I stay here is that I miss the old days...
Troupe Assistant: The other part is because it's a request of a friend.
Troupe Assistant: And you all know him.
You: Is it Emmanuel Parker?
Troupe Assistant: Man, you have guessed it all. No wonder my magic tricks don't get much applause...
Luke: Why did he ask you to stay here and keep everything the way it was?
Troupe Assistant: He didn't say much, but I can basically guess some of his reasons for doing so...
Troupe Assistant: The accident from years ago has always haunted him.
Troupe Assistant: Keeping the place as it was is like a reminder for him.
You: What kind of accident?
Troupe Assistant: It was the Magic Troupe's final show...
Troupe Assistant: While performing The Great Escape, Emmanuel Parker's assistant suffocated in a tank of water.
Troupe Assistant: This failed performance had a serious impact on the troupe's business...
Troupe Assistant: It drove us to the ground and we eventually had to close up.
You: So this is why the Magic Troupe disbanded...?
Troupe Assistant: Yes. Although it was an accident, Mr. Parker blamed himself for it. That's why it's been so hard for him to get over it all...
Troupe Assistant: Then again, no one could get over witnessing something like that easily.
After saying this, the assistant becomes a bit sad...
You: It looks like the accident really had a huge impact...
Luke: Let's stop bothering him and go check on some other things.
Truth I
NXX Headquarters Meeting Room
*beeping* The call ends with no one answering the other end of the line.
The name of "Mr. Parker" disappears as the phone screen goes black.
You: Mr. Parker must be busy again. He isn't answering my call...
You found something interesting while following the clues Wither posted.
Yet when you try to talk to Emmanuel as his lawyer, he always seems disinterested.
It's always either something like, "I'm busy, let's talk about it later" or "I have nothing to do with what you just said."
Tuesday Magic Troupe's assistant did call you back a few times though...
But as an assistant, her information is really limited, and she is unable to be of much help.
You: Forget it... I'll get a chance to talk to Mr. Parker later.
Luke: So, should we review the clues we've gathered so far?
Luke takes the initiative to change the subject. You nod along.
You: Hmm, let's see... where do we start...
You: We followed along with Wither's clues...
You: ...And went to the former address of Emmanuel Parker's magic troupe and did some digging.
Artem: There, we found an old photo of the magic troupe.
Artem: Parker was in the center of the photo. It was obvious that he was an important figure to the team.
Marius: Indeed. He was in lots of newspapers and magazines back then.
Marius: He's been experimenting with The Great Escape and some extreme magic ever since he got into the business.
Vyn: At that time, Parker did not perform alone on stage. He had an assistant named Aiden Bridge helping him.
You: Unfortunately, the assistant died in an accident during a performance...
Marius: It was all over the news. Much speculation arose.
Marius: Some said that The Great Escape was too dangerous, to begin with, and should be canceled. Others said that the magician made a mistake...
You: There were even rumors that he had deliberately used unsafe magic props just for the fame.
You: And it was those unsafe props that caused the accident.
Marius: The magic troupe broke up not long after that as a result of poor management. Parker also left the team and started his own business.
Marius: All that's left there was... only an empty old building and an assistant who remained out of a sense of nostalgia.
Luke: Yet all of this was an opportunity for Emmanuel Parker.
Luke: The media put a spotlight on him after the accident. It made him famous.
Vyn: Parker was the only one who benefited from that accident. He became a master magician, with great fame and fortune...
You: Hmmm... That's all the information we can deduce through Wither's leads up to this point.
You: All the leads point to Parker, and he does seem to be hiding something.
Artem: That's exactly what Wither can't wait to make public.
Marius: What's Wither's motive for trying to make the internet dig up these old stories?
Marius: Is it just to find some dirt on Parker? Or does he really have some hidden secrets?
Luke: Parker's attitude is also somewhat hard to explain at the moment. The less he cooperates with the investigation, the more he seems to be hiding something...
You: Hmm, so I think...
You: Maybe we should do some follow-up research and gather as much information related to Mr. Parker as possible.
You: ...It may help us better understand Wither's true intentions for the whole setup.
Luke: I agree! There is definitely a lot of suspicion around this Emmanuel Parker.
Marius: Me too. My intuition tells me that there's more to it than meets the eye.
You: With our limited resources, the safest thing to do should still be...
You: ...Tracking down Wither to find his true identity.
Vyn: Well... It is a rather practical plan.
Artem: Yes. That way we can find out what is going on with Parker through Wither.
You: Good, so that's it. We will continue to track Wither for now.
Everyone nods. Artem takes out his phone and messages the plan to Captain Morgan.
Around 10 minutes later, you get a response from Captain Morgan.
Artem: No news from the police yet.
Artem: Captain Morgan is asking us to stay put. Carrying on with our routine investigation should be good enough.
Luke: The only problem is that we've already checked everything that was posted online.
Marius: Be patient. Let's wait for a few days to see if Wither posts anything new.
Vyn: He will. Someone who thinks of themselves as a hunter will always put out the bait at the right time.
Vyn: As prey, we just need to be patient and wait.
Correct Answers[edit | edit source]
Clue 4: Focus on the Disappearing Box
Amusement Park Database[edit | edit source]
Location Unlock: NXX Group Chat
Text Message |
NXX: Emmanuel Parker and Others
|
|---|
Artem: Hey everyone, Wither posted again.
Marius: Right after I finished a meeting with the board. Great timing.
You: Mr. Wing, what did Wither say this time?
Artem: He basically judged Emmanuel Parker's character from a personal and subjective point of view.
Artem: Apart from that, there was some speculation about certain of Emmanuel Parker's behaviors.
Luke: Emmanuel Parker is very proud of his reputation as a so-called guru, thus making him extremely self-opinionated and bossy.
Luke: Anyone who's worked with him has had a problem with him and his attitude towards everyone was pretty bad.
Luke: Above are the statements quoted from Wither's post.
Marius: We agreed earlier that the investigation should focus on Emmanuel Parker.
Marius: Wither's posts just happen to provide us with some new ideas.
Vyn: Yes. What he mentioned overlaps with a lot of the information we learned from the magic troupe assistant.
You: Emmanuel Parker is utterly obsessed with magic, so it makes sense that he comes across as out of touch.
You: Wither has targeted him so forcefully. It seems like we made the right choice in deciding to investigate Emmanuel Parker.
Vyn: But, like we were saying, Wither's account is too subjective to be fully credible.
Artem: Wither stated in the post that he has proof for every word he says.
Marius: I saw that. He also shared the coordinates of the evidence. It's in the amusement park's database.
Luke: The post caused an uproar online. Legions of nosy people are looking into it all based on Wither's post.
Luke: If too many people get involved, it will definitely disrupt the pace of our investigation and things are likely to get further out of hand...
You: To avoid things getting worse, let's meet up at the amusement park right now! @All
Artem: Okay. I have contacted the amusement park. We can go there to investigate at any time.
Luke: I happen to have a case near the amusement park. I'll see you there right after I'm done!
Vyn: Cool. I don't have any plans for today, so I will be heading there soon.
Marius: See you there, everyone!
Vyn: - Tap to Continue -
Location Unlock: Site Arrival
After arriving at the amusement park and getting permission from the management, you enter the file room.
It's dimmer than you expect. The computer screen is basically the only light source in the whole room...
As you look around, a man in an employee uniform walks into the room and greets you.
???: Hello, there. I'm the administrator of the amusement park.
You: Hello, we are here to...
Before you can finish speaking, the administrator enthusiastically answers for you.
Administrator: I know. You are here to investigate Emmanuel Parker's case.
Administrator: I will do what I can to help!
Administrator: Feel free to check anything. Cabinets, drawers, shelves, etc.
Administrator: Oh, and the computer. Feel free to use it if you want to look up something.
The administrator is more cooperative than you could have ever imagined!
You: O-okay. Thank you...
Administrator: Don't mention it. Come to me if you have any questions.
He's gone in a flash and you haven't even had a chance to say "thank you."
You: He's so nice.
Performance Video
With the administrator's permission, you and Marius are able to access the amusement park's database.
You find a folder that contains the video recordings of the Magic Troupe's shows. The number of shows exceeds your expectations.
In the face of hundreds of video recordings, you and Marius don't even know where to start.
You: This is a lot... Which one should we start with?
Marius: How about these ones first? The Great Escape...
Marius: It's Emmanuel Parker's most famous magic trick and the reason for the case. Maybe we will be able to find something in it.
You: Okay. Sounds good.
Marius clicks and opens one of the videos.
[Tap inspection point]
The video was made many years ago. Despite being well-preserved, the picture quality is poor, and even the figures in the video are distorted.
After watching a few of the video records, you begin to recognize some patterns in them.
Although the scene and details vary, one thing is quite consistent across these performances...
You: The audience loved Emmanuel Parker's performance!
At the end of each performance, the audience thunderously applauds.
Marius: It is clear that Emmanuel Parker was a well-received magician when he was young, but... what I care about is not Emmanuel Parker.
You: Who do you care about?
Marius: Aiden Bridge.
You: Emmanuel Parker's assistant?
Marius: Yes, his part of the show received no less applause than Emmanuel Parker's.
Marius slides the video progress bar back to Aiden Bridge's solo performance. The audience's reaction is indeed very enthusiastic.
Marius: I recall the magic troupe's assistant said that Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge had a good relationship.
You: Well, Emmanuel Parker truly loves magic, and if Aiden Bridge was also good at magic...
You: It could explain why they were so close to each other.
Marius: Maybe they both appreciated each other's talents.
You: Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge... I just don't think this going to be a simple story...
Marius: I think you're right. So, we will need more clues.
You: Well then, let's search somewhere else.
Cooperative Magic
You: Mr. Wing, do you think the assistant mentioned in the clue could be Aiden Bridge?
Artem: It's possible, but we would need solid evidence to support it.
You: How about we go through the troupe's performance records? There must be something about it!
Artem: The performance records... According to the labels on the cabinets, it's got to be in this one...
Artem crouches down to open the cabinet at the bottom.
The performance form... According to the labels on the cabinets, it's got to be in this one...
You: Great... How are we supposed to find it...?
Artem: It's just like when we study a case. This is nothing compared to the number of case files we have to go through.
You: (Mr. Wing has such a unique way of comforting people...)
With this thought in your mind, you start to look through the records with him.
You: Huh...? Are these records of the magic troupe's performance?
You: Mr. Wing, have a look!
The sheet includes a record of the time for each performance, the number of audience members, and the specific content of the performance.
Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge always appeared together in the performer column.
You: They did so many performances together...
Artem: Yes. Although they sometimes performed separately...
Artem: The Great Escape was always one they did together.
Artem: Also, their collaborative performances were the most popular among the audience.
You nod your head and point to Aiden Bridge's name in the performer's column.
[Tap inspection point]
You: In addition to being Emmanuel Parker's assistant, Aiden Bridge seemed to perform some magic tricks on his own...
You: Could this also be related to our investigation?
Artem: Well, we should at least try to find evidence to tell us if it's relevant.
You and Artem start looking for other files, yet fail to turn up anything of value, after searching for a long time.
You: (Maybe I'm wrong... )
You: When watching escape tricks, the focus is always on the magician who succeeds in escaping...
You: His assistant is pretty much neglected.
Artem: The magician's performance is always exciting and dazzling, while the assistant's contribution is eclipsed.
Artem: But in reality... The work of an assistant is very important. In fact, it's essential.
Artem: Because the assistant needs to memorize the whole process very well.
Artem: This is to ensure that the assistant can fix the magic show as soon as something starts to go wrong.
Artem: In other words, Emmanuel Parker relied on Aiden Bridge for his safety. This shows the trust he had in Aiden Bridge.
You: So just like Wither said—Aiden Bridge was indeed a very important assistant.
You: Mr. Wing, shouldn't Emmanuel Parker be especially sad that he lost his partner?
Artem: ...
Artem: Hard to say. I'm not Emmanuel Parker...
You: What makes you say that?
Artem: I mean... I wouldn't put my partner in such a dangerous situation, ever.
You: ...Me neither.
You: (I just... hope I can soon become a person that stands and fights along by your side.)
Members' Views
Based on Wither's latest post, you and Vyn head to the amusement park office. You're trying to seek the administrator's help.
Upon seeing you, the administrator enthusiastically strikes up a conversation.
Administrator: Hello! I have been waiting for you here in case you couldn't find the information you were after.
Administrator: How is the case going? Is there anything I can help you with?
You: Yes. There are some questions I wanted to ask you.
You: Do you remember the Magic Troupe that performed here 15 years ago?
Administrator: Well, that was before I started working here...
Administrator: But I do know something that may help you.
The administrator's words give you hope, just as you are beginning to think that you will end up going back empty-handed.
Administrator: The members of the troupe had the habit of keeping records.
Vyn: Records?
Administrator: Yeah, like a summary of the day's work and other details.
After searching through the cabinet to his right for a while, he finally finds a thick file bag and hands it to you.
Administrator: Here we go. Have a look. See if there's anything useful in it.
He leaves just as you're about to thank him.
You and Vyn each take responsibility for half of the records and begin reading through everything page by page.
[Tap inspection point]
You: The journal l found is mainly written by the prop masters and magicians of the magic troupe...
You: The journal not only records what they encountered at work but also includes comments about their colleagues.
You: Several people had a similar view of Emmanuel Parker. They said that he was condescending, aloof, and hard to approach.
You: Other than his magic act, they had nothing good to say about him.
You: Only a magician by the name of Camillo Collings wrote that Emmanuel Parker is not as aloof as he seems...
Vyn: Is his comment similar to this one?
Vyn: Emmanuel Parker typically wears a cold expression. Any magicians who make any small mistake in the magic show would have to endure his harsh reproaches...
Vyn: But he is not as strict as he appears. Parker remembers everyone's birthday and is patient in teaching new magicians simple magic tricks.
You: Yes, that's pretty similar!
You: But Camillo Collings' comments have a pejorative tone, unlike the positive comments you read.
Vyn: What I just read was... Aiden Bridge's thoughts on Emmanuel Parker.
Vyn gently touches the logbook in his hand, his lips curving into a smile.
Vyn: It's interesting that this part of the journal has almost the same comments about Emmanuel Parker as the part you have.
Vyn: Aiden Bridge is the only one who has a completely positive opinion of Emmanuel Parker. He thinks of him as a mentor and a friend.
You: Based on our previous inferences, Aiden Bridge and Emmanuel Parker had a good relationship, so that makes sense.
You: But why are the reviews so polarized?
Vyn: Some people build up a cold and hash outer shell for self-protection, but in reality, they are actually warm and kind on the inside.
Vyn: Others are likely to misunderstand them if they are not close to them.
Vyn: Perhaps, Emmanuel Parker is such a person.
Vyn flips through the unread journal and gently frowns at the thick stack of papers.
Vyn: There are a lot of these... Trying to finish reading them here might be a little difficult.
You: Hey... you think the administrator might let us take these logs back to study?
Vyn: We can try.
Vyn: The administrator was quite enthusiastic with us just now. I think he will agree if we explain the situation to him.
You: Then why don't we try it together?
You: If we can take them back for a closer look, we might find more clues!
Vyn: Okay, I'll go with you to the administrator.
You: Okay!
Tourists' Reviews
After walking into the File Room, you and Luke begin searching for information related to the Magic Troupe.
Years of files cover the entire desktop.
Luke: This is a lot... It's gonna take hours just to read them all.
Luke: [Player], which part should we start with?
You: How about we start with the troupe's performance records and audience reviews?
You: The assistant didn't mention this part.
Luke: Okay. Let's go with your plan.
In no time, Luke finds a large number of feedback forms. Luke has always been so proactive.
Luke: These are feedback from the audience about the Magic Troupe.
Luke: We should be able to put together the audience's opinion with these.
You: Let's get started!
You: This is a mistake. There are far more than I expected...
After working for a long time, the unsorted questionnaires remain piled as high as a small mountain on the table.
It's impossible for the two of you to go through all of them in one day.
Luke: Let's try something else.
Luke takes out his tablet from the bag by his side.
Luke: I will put all the questionnaires into the computer by extracting the text...
Luke: And then I'll write a script to categorize and count some keywords.
Luke: That way we only need to look at the final summary table.
You: Wow, impressive!
Luke smiles shyly while scratching his head. Then, he gets down to work.
An hour later, Luke has extracted all the information into the computer and the final results have been generated.
Luke: Here it is! The audience's comments on the Magic Troupe's performance...
Luke: Emmanuel Parker was mentioned 7256 times and The Great Escape was mentioned 15,680 times.
Luke: The Magic Troupe has a 98% positive rating...
You: So the assistant was just being modest by saying that the Magic Troupe was doing okay...
Luke: Aiden Bridge was also mentioned quite a lot.
Luke: Although he didn't have a signature act like Emmanuel Parker's Great Escape, he was also heavily recognized.
You: That means...
Looking at the numbers on the screen, a thought pops into your head.
[Tap inspection point]
You: Emmanuel Parker is not as headstrong as Wither says.
You: Otherwise, he would never allow Aiden Bridge to have so much popularity. He would have quietly undermined him.
Luke: Yeah, I think you're right.
Luke: Firstly, they were partners for many years, so their tacit understanding and trust would naturally be unmatched.
Luke: Secondly, Aiden Bridge's own magic is also excellent, and his popularity is high...
Luke: Yet, he was still willing to play a role as an assistant in the escape magic.
Luke: This might also indicate that his relationship with Emmanuel Parker was quite good. Otherwise, he would just do things on his own, right?
You: Yeah, after all, the escape magic was the best part of the magic troupe's act.
You: Yet Aiden Bridge was willing to be Emmanuel Parker's assistant all the time, so their relationship was perhaps even better than we thought.
Luke: But if it was as we suspect, then many of Wither's words were incorrect.
Luke: At the end of the day, he still thinks that Emmanuel Parker should feel guilty about Aiden Bridge ...
You: Indeed, the more we investigate the whole affair, the more we feel...
You: ...That Wither's words were incorrect. Luke, what should we do next?
Luke: I've saved the compiled data. Why don't we go over the available information with everyone first?
You: Okay. Let's pack up and go back!
Emmanuel Parker's Personality
Administrator: Hello, welcome!
The administrator warmly greets you from afar when he sees you.
You: Hi, do you have time for a few questions?
Administrator: Sure. Whatever you need.
You: Can you tell us how long you've been working here?
Administrator: It has been four or five years since I officially started... But I knew the place pretty well before that.
Administrator: I grew up here. The roller coaster you see was...
The administrator seems upbeat, introducing you to the history of the amusement park over the past twenty years.
When he finishes his long introduction to the history of the amusement park, you and Vyn are finally able to chime in.
Vyn: What did you mean when you mentioned that you grew up here?
Administrator: After everything I said, this is what you care about...?
Administrator: All right. So, you guys are here to investigate Emmanuel Parker's former magic troupe? Do you know a magician named Camillo Collings?
Seeing neither of you react, he shakes his head and mutters something.
Administrator: So you didn't hear about how... The old man was boasting about his reputation back home?
Seeing that the administrator is about to rattle off on another long monolog, you immediately change the subject.
You: Excuse me, who is Camillo Collings?
Administrator: He is my father, and he was also a colleague of Emmanuel Parker's.
Administrator: He was very busy around that time and he didn't pay much attention to me, so I just hung around the magic troupe every day...
You: So you've known Emmanuel Parker since you were a kid?
Administrator: I used to hide backstage to watch his shows when I was a kid.
Vyn: Can you tell us about your impressions of him?
Administrator: We weren't super close, and I didn't know him that well.
Administrator: But as far as I can remember, he was always quite cold.
Administrator: He was even more intimidating than my dad, so I didn't dare to provoke him.
You: (Sure enough, most people have a similar opinion about Emmanuel Parker...)
Administrator: However, he was really serious about magic.
Administrator: I often saw him rehearsing for magic shows at midnight.
Administrator: I thought that a well-known magician like him didn't need to be so diligent...
Administrator: But then again, although his magic shows were excellent, he was really a perfectionist.
Administrator: There were at least seven or eight magicians who literally cried because he scolded them.
Administrator: Well... I don't know how those magicians view him, but my dad...
Administrator: I mean, my dad didn't speak ill of Emmanuel Parker when he mentioned him.
Vyn: What kind of things did your dad say about Emmanuel Parker?
Administrator: He thought that Emmanuel Parker was quite stubborn but that he never had any bad intentions.
Administrator: And it's universally understood that serious artists lose their tempers sometimes.
Administrator: Emmanuel Parker's magic was superb, so it was all fair game—he was endowed with talent as well as a bad temper.
You: Thank you so much for your time. I think we've got everything we need for now.
Hearing your words, the administrator takes a look at the notebook in your hand with suspicion.
He seems to be wondering if you actually wrote down all the important points he mentioned.
Administrator: Okay. Is there anything else you want to ask me?
You: Nothing for now. Thank you for your help.
Administrator: No worries. I'm in the neighborhood. Feel free to come to me when you have more questions.
Improved Magic
You: The improved version of The Great Escape? Hmm...
You: What is this? Does it have anything to do with the case?
Artem: If Wither mentioned it, then it likely is related.
Artem: But the thing is ... We didn't find anything about the improved version of The Great Escape in our previous investigations...
You: Why don't we ask the administrator? Maybe he knows something.
Artem: Sure... That's our best option for now.
You soon find the administrator.
You: Hello!
Administrator: Hi, are you here to ask about the modification of The Great Escape?
You: Huh? How did you know that?
Seeing your surprised faces, he scratches his head with an embarrassed smile.
Administrator: Well, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I just accidentally overheard a little bit...
Administrator: And I think I know something about what you were talking about...
You: Huh!?
He inhales slowly and smiles— he's obviously a bit proud.
Administrator: I accidentally overheard about it when I was a child...
You: ...
Administrator: Hey, it's not true that I like to eavesdrop on others since childhood!
Administrator: Ahem. Anyway...
Administrator: My dad used to work with Emmanuel Parker in the same magic troupe 15 years ago.
Administrator: One time, when I went to see my dad, I accidentally bumped into him talking to someone about the new version of The Great Escape.
Artem: Do you remember who he was talking to?
Administrator: Well, I think it was... his assistant, named Aiden Bridge.
You: !!!
Artem: Can you recall the details of their conversation?
Administrator: I can't remember it perfectly... After all, I was very young at the time. I didn't really understand much of what they said.
Administrator: The only thing I remember is that they were both quite emotional. I think they were arguing.
Administrator: Aiden Bridge said some things... "outdated" and, "not appealing to the audience"...
Administrator: Emmanuel Parker said, "It's none of your business." and "It's my call."
Artem: ...
You: ...
Administrator: But again, they argued a lot. They've had uglier arguments before, so it was nothing special.
You: Okay, thank you. I appreciate it.
Administrator: That's all you wanted to ask me?
Administrator: My old man told me to be more detailed, but they didn't even seem to want to know much...
The administrator mutters in a low voice before leaving.
You: Why is Wither telling us about the conflict between Aiden Bridge and Emmanuel Parker through the administrator, as well as the so-called new version of The Great Escape?
You: Mr. Wing, what do you think Wither is up to?
Artem: It's too early to draw conclusions, but I'm sure he has more in store for us.
You: True! Let's go and check out somewhere else!
Truth II
Police Station
Darius Morgan: Sorry. I'm afraid I have some news that is going to be disappointing for everyone.
Captain Morgan pushes the door open and walks in.
Darius Morgan: There has been no progress yet... regarding the true identity of Wither.
You: Is that because he is really good at hiding?
Darius Morgan: Yes, we haven't figured out a good way to track him yet.
Darius Morgan: We're also concerned that once this technology is discovered and widely used, the situation will spiral out of control.
Darius Morgan: There could be a lot more of these vicious cases.
Marius: This is a big challenge for cyber security.
Darius Morgan: Right...
Captain Morgan's tone reveals his anxiousness despite his seemingly calm demeanor.
Darius Morgan: I will find out who this devious guy is. No matter what it takes.
Darius Morgan: By the way, you have been following Wither's leads for some time... Any new discoveries?
You: Yes. We think that there might be some type of personal conflict between Emmanuel Parker and his former assistant, Aiden Bridge.
You begin to recount the investigative trip to the amusement park to Captain Morgan...
Darius Morgan: Aiden Bridge had an argument with Emmanuel Parker over the details of The Great Escape's performance!?
Captain Morgan frowns.
Artem: According to the amusement park administrator...
Artem: Aiden Bridge was dissatisfied with Parker's new magic trick, The Great Escape. He strongly protested against it several times.
Artem: Parker didn't listen, and the show went on as scheduled.
You: It was during that show Aiden Bridge died.
Darius Morgan: Do you mean to say they had problems with each other before the accident?
Vyn: From what we are seeing now, yes.
Vyn: But I do not think Aiden Bridge was the only one who had a problem with Parker in the magic troupe.
Vyn: They all found him a difficult person to get along with and nobody was willing to talk to him.
Luke: But management considered Parker a very talented magician. Plus, he was very popular with the audience.
Luke: So, they stayed out of the feuds between Parker and the other members.
Darius Morgan: Interesting... So there was a history between Emmanuel Parker and Aiden Bridge. And then Aiden Bridge died during Parker's show under unexpected circumstances...
Darius Morgan: That's what Wither's posts have been telling us.
Marius: Exactly, Wither is constantly leading people in that direction.
Darius Morgan: Are you saying that Wither thinks Parker had something to do with Aiden Bridge's death?
Marius: Yes, it's just...
Marius: Instead of speculating about it online, why didn't he just go to the police and report it?
Vyn: In my opinion, it is more about revenge for Aiden Bridge.
Darius Morgan: But...
Captain Morgan's frown deepens.
Darius Morgan: I've read the report for that case. It was ruled as an accident, not a murder.
Darius Morgan: Then why would he intentionally try to mislead the public?
You: Well...
You: Maybe Wither himself has a personal grudge against Emmanuel Parker.
You: Aiden Bridge's death is just a good excuse to attack him.
Marius: I agree. The truth doesn't matter to Wither.
Marius: What matters is that as many people as possible are convinced that Emmanuel Parker caused Aiden Bridge's death.
Luke: Wither's been manipulating the public and trying to make Parker a target.
You: Or maybe...there is some tie between Wither and Aiden Bridge.
You: He's always been suspicious about that accident, so he's trying to put pressure on the police to reopen the case...
You: ...By manipulating the public.
Vyn: He might be Aiden Bridge's relative, friend... or even a family member.
Vyn: Whatever he is trying to do... the singular purpose, in his mind, is to seek justice.
Artem: Maybe... we can catch a break from Aiden Bridge.
Darius Morgan: Looks like we will still need to find out what really happened to Aiden Bridge to learn about Wither's motive.
Darius Morgan: How about this... The police will continue to investigate where the posts originated and try to decode his identity...
Darius Morgan: As well as investigate Aiden Bridge's case and all the related information.
Darius Morgan: As for tracking Wither, we will leave that to you.
You: Got it. We'll take care of that.
Correct Answers[edit | edit source]
Aiden Bridge's House[edit | edit source]
Location Unlock: NXX Group Chat
Text Message |
NXX: Aiden Bridge's Story
|
|---|
Artem: Emmanuel Parker contacted our office just now, saying that he is pretty much recovered and is planning to continue to perform.
Luke: Wither posted again two minutes ago. There is a lot of new information this time...
Artem: What!?
Luke: He claimed that the Aiden Bridge's accident was intentionally caused by Emmanuel Parker.
Luke: Also, he mentioned that Aiden Bridge's family didn't receive any compensation after his death.
Luke: I looked it up and found that the family lived in North Stellis.
Luke: Although they have kept their house, no one lives there anymore.
Marius: The timing for this post cannot be a coincidence.
You: The law firm was just informed of Emmanuel Parker's intention to restart the performance. Nothing has been revealed to the public yet.
You: What was Wither's source for this information?
Marius: Could it have anything to do with his true identity?
You: I agree. He chose to expose all of this right before Emmanuel Parker publicly announces his return...
You: Obviously, he wants to ruin Emmanuel Parker's reputation and everything he has.
Marius: But why would he do that? Does he know Aiden Bridge?
Artem: Well, that's certainly something for us to consider.
Luke: Related to Aiden Bridge... and knows Emmanuel Parker well...
Luke: I think we're only a step away from the true identity of Wither.
You: Why don't we go to Aiden Bridge's house and check it out?
Marius: I'm in.
Marius: I looked up Wither's post and it mentioned one of Aiden Bridge's neighbors, an old lady.
Marius: If we can get in touch, we might be able to get some information out of her.
Luke: I'm in North Stellis on business. I can check out Aiden Bridge's neighborhood later.
Artem: Let's go together. It would be faster to spread out while we investigate.
Vyn: I have a patient I need to attend to. I'll meet up with you when I'm done.
You: See you at North Stellis?
Vyn: See you.
Vyn: - Tap to Continue -
Location Unlock: Site Arrival
After quite a detour in North Stellis, you finally find the alley where Aiden Bridge's house is located.
The road leads deeper into an alley. It is desolated and messy. It looks like no one has been here for a long time.
???: Who are you looking for, young lady?
A sweet and gentle voice comes from behind you.
You turn around and see a kind-looking elderly woman smiling at you.
You: Hello... Is Aiden Bridge's house in this neighborhood?
Granny: This empty one is Aiden's. Why are you looking for his house?
You: I just want to confirm something.
You: Do you live around here, ma'am?
Granny: Yes, I live next door to Aiden.
Granny: This alley used to be very lively, but now...
The old lady lowers her head and a hint of sadness appears on her face. She seems to be lost in thought.
You: (So she is the neighbor Wither mentioned in the post.)
You: Can I ask you something later after we take a look around the neighborhood...? If it's not much of a trouble for you, of course.
Granny: No problem. I'll leave you to your business.
Granny: I like to bask in the sun of the alley. If you have anything to ask, just come find me.
You: Okay. Thank you.
The lady nods her head, waves her hand at you, and feebly ambles away.
Aiden Bridge's House
Aiden Bridge's home is in a dark and narrow alley. The front door looks old and rickety.
The house is like a huddled-up old cat staring at passersby with hostility.
You: North Stellis was actually a bustling area. Time has changed that...
Vyn: Cities can be busy like the central business district or as dilapidated as what we see in front of us.
Vyn: North Stellis is under renovation. I believe it will improve.
You: Mm-hmm. It will!
[Tap inspection point]
You approach Aiden Bridge's house and look at the door in front of you.
You hesitate for a moment, worrying that you might break it inadvertently.
Vyn looks at you, smiles, and walks up. Then, with a gentle push, the door makes a creaking noise.
You and Vyn wander into the house— if it could even be called that.
It is so dark that you have to turn on the lights to see even though it's the daytime.
With the passage of time, almost all traces of life here have been erased. The room is desolate and depressing.
You: There isn't even any decent furniture...
You: We may not be able to find many valuable clues.
Vyn: The furniture is almost all gone, but the overall layout of the house is still recognizable.
Vyn: We could still get some information. You see...
Vyn: This must be the living room. As for the two rooms...
Vyn points you to the two smaller rooms on the inside. Each room has wooden bed frames in it.
Vyn: These must be the master bedroom and the spare bedroom.
Vyn: The master bedroom looks normal and doesn't seem to have any clues. However, the secondary bedroom... The size of that bed indicates that it was a child's bed.
Vyn: This suggests that Aiden Bridge did not live alone.
Vyn: So the information we learned earlier is correct. He had a child.
Vyn: That reminds me of something you said earlier.
Vyn pauses for a moment as if to prompt you. You begin to speculate out loud.
You: Although North Stellis is now dilapidated, it was a nice place 15 years ago...
You: I believe that having a house in this area indicates that Aiden Bridge and his family lived a good life here.
Vyn: Yes, no one could easily accept such a huge difference.
You: Well... Dr. Richter, let's keep looking for clues. I am sure we can dig up more of the story here!
Magic Files
A worn-out couch, garbage all over the floor, and a musty smell from years without sunlight.
This is what makes Aiden Bridge's old house.
As you approach the door, you find a few paper boxes stacked next to it. There are some files inside.
You: Mr. Wing, there are some papers here.
You hand Artem the files you picked up from the ground. Artem takes them, but he is in no rush to read them. Instead, he takes out a wet wipe and hands it to you.
You: Eh?
Artem: Wipe your hands.
You immediately freeze. Putting the wet wipe into your hands, Artem carefully shakes the dust off each piece of paper.
He carefully reads the contents, trying to put them in the right order.
As he does this, you notice that his ears are a little red.
You: (How considerate of him...)
Soon, your attention is drawn to the contents of the material Artem has put together.
[Tap inspection point]
You: Is this... the information about the escape magic?
Artem: Yes. But this information seems to be different from the magic troupe's records that were left in the archives.
Artem: For example, this...
Artem: The size of this water tank is two-thirds the size of the item used in Emmanuel Parker's show.
Artem: To perform an escape in such a confined space would not be easy.
After going through everything, Artem looks down and ponders for a few minutes.
Artem: So it seems that all the escape tricks included in this material had some risks to them.
You: It is reasonable that Aiden Bridge, as an assistant, was studying things about magic, but...
You: Why is his collection filled with so many extremely risky magic tricks?
As Artem listens to you, he frowns and locates the information again.
Artem: You see here, Aiden Bridge deliberately made a mark.
Artem points to a page where Aiden Bridge had drawn several circles with a red pen.
This section is also about escapes but compared to the magic performed by Emmanuel Parker...
The magic mentioned requires a quicker escape time, and the water tank used for the performance is narrower.
According to the remarks left in the margin, in some cases, magicians had made mistakes and died on the spot.
Even an amateur like yourself can sense the risks hidden in this magic.
Artem: Aiden Bridge used the red circle to mark such a dangerous magic trick. What was his intention...?
You: Was it because he wanted to perform this dangerous magic trick?
Artem: But the risk of this trick is so extreme.
Artem: Was there a special reason for him to perform such a high-risk magic trick?
You: Well, it's certainly strange.
You: But the higher the risk is, the more appealing the magic is.
You: Though, was it really necessary to pick such a high-risk magic? I remember that their magic troupe was doing quite well, wasn't it?
Artem: Even if it was for attracting an audience, it wouldn't really be necessary to take on such big risks, unless...
You: Unless what?
Artem: Nothing. It's just baseless speculation...
Artem: Hmm... let's take a look at some other places.
Insurance Payout
Marius gently presses the door to Aiden Bridge's house. It opens.
Marius: No surprise that the door wasn't locked. There is literally nothing to steal here.
Marius: If I didn't know that North Stellis used to be the downtown district of Stellis...
Marius: ...I would wonder if Aiden Bridge had the money to pay for his insurance.
You: Insurance?
Marius: Wither said in the post that Aiden Bridge had accident insurance.
Marius: But after his death, Aiden Bridge's family never received the money.
Marius: Wither believes that the money was taken by Parker.
You: What? Parker took the money? But how did he get his hands on it?
Marius: Now I know why Wither mentioned where Aiden Bridge's insurance contract was kept in the post...
Marius: He didn't think people would believe it.
Marius: So, according to the post...
Marius: It should be... here!
Marius rummages around in a box full of clutter and finally finds a few insurance contracts.
Marius: I have to admit that there is risk in doing magic shows, but no ordinary person would buy so much accident insurance now, would they?
Marius: This is like...
You lean toward Marius to get a better look at the papers while you finish his sentence for him.
[Tap inspection point]
You: Perhaps he was extraordinarily risk-conscious? After all, some magic tricks are quite dangerous...
Marius: Even if he was extraordinary risk-conscious, there would be no need to buy so much insurance, right?
Marius: It must be costly to buy so many policies at once... not to mention that it seems like his family couldn't afford all that...
You: That makes sense... The amount Aiden Bridge spent on these policies had far exceeded his needs.
You: (Did I miss something? Let's rethink this... )
You: Well, this may not be very nice to say, but I imagine he was expecting an accident to happen to him...
Marius: I think so, too.
Marius holds out his hand and points to the payout amount on each policy.
Marius: Although the exact amount of each policy is different, they are all at the highest end of the payout range.
You: The policyholder and the insured individual are both Aiden Bridge, and the beneficiary is Andrea Bridge...
Marius: Who is Andrea Bridge?
You: I recall that the administrator at the magic troupe's former theater said that Aiden Bridge had a child...
You: Could it be that Andrea Bridge is Aiden Bridge's child?
Marius: Well, judging from the ID number, Andrea Bridge was still a child 15 years ago...
He had a child and purchased insurance policies with high amounts... One can easily guess his intention.
Marius: Miss, I think we are thinking the same thing.
Marius: Aiden Bridge was planning insurance fraud before he died...
You: Though the law has a provision that when the policyholder and the insured person are the same, that person cannot also be the beneficiary.
You: But Aiden Bridge's choice to use his underage daughter as the beneficiary effectively circumvents this problem.
You: After all, if the beneficiary is underage, the premium is at the disposal of his or her guardian.
Marius: Since Aiden Bridge bought accident insurance, there is no need for a death to receive compensation.
You: If that's the case... Then maybe even Aiden Bridge didn't expect the accident during the final performance to be fatal.
Marius: If all that is true then Aiden Bridge should blame himself for the accident.
Marius: Wither said in his post that Aiden Bridge's family did not receive the payout.
Marius: So if that was true, not only Aiden Bridge's plans were in vain, he even caused his own death.
You: Yes, it all seems so ironic...
Marius: Another question-who received the payout?
You: Although Wither believes that Emmanuel Parker embezzled the money...
You: But according to our investigation, Emmanuel Parker was not actually eligible to receive it.
Marius: In other words, it's still a mystery where the money went.
You: Maybe... We can ask Captain Morgan to help find out who ended up getting it.
Marius: Yeah, the police are better equipped to investigate something like this.
Marius: Okay, so shall we find Captain Morgan and explain the situation?
You: Okay.
Andrea Bridge
When you find the old lady, she's leaning back in her rocking chair, looking through a photo album.
You: Granny, are you looking at old photos?
Former Neighbor: Yeah, when you mentioned Aiden today, for some reason, I started to think about the past.
Former Neighbor: So, I took out the photo album.
Former Neighbor: Oh right, you must be here to ask me about Aiden. Ask away.
You: Granny, where is Aiden Bridge's family?
Former Neighbor: Gone, all gone...
Former Neighbor: Aiden had already divorced his wife...
Former Neighbor: After what happened, his wife married someone else.
Former Neighbor: It's nothing, really. I just feel bad for Andrea, the poor child...
Artem: Andrea?
Former Neighbor: Yes, Aiden Bridge's daughter, Andrea...
Former Neighbor: I still have pictures of her as a child. Wait a minute, I'll show you guys.
Former Neighbor: Andrea was cute, lovable and intelligent. She would call me Granny every time she saw me...
The old woman rummages through the album as she talks about Andrea Bridge.
Former Neighbor: Here, this one.
Former Neighbor: Aiden took this photo of me and Andrea.
In the photo, a young girl in a pink dress snuggles shyly on the lap of a nearby adult.
The girl's smile is sweet, with an adorable innocence.
Former Neighbor: Aiden adored Andrea.
Former Neighbor: Their father-daughter relationship was special. She would wait out on the street for her father to come home every day.
The old woman points to something in the distance after saying that.
Looking in the direction she is pointing at, you see the sun is shining brightly at the end of a dark street.
It seems as though there is a young girl in a beautiful dress...
She bathes in the golden sunlight, her head outstretched in search of her father's figure.
Former Neighbor: Those were the good times. Little Andrea would always hide behind me.
Former Neighbor: How... did things turn out like this?
You: Granny, where did Andrea go afterward? Did she leave with her mother?
Former Neighbor: *Sigh*... it would have been great if her mother took her away.
Former Neighbor: It's a shame. Her mother was cruel-hearted and didn't care much about Andrea after the divorce.
Former Neighbor: After what happened, I never saw her come around asking about the child.
Former Neighbor: Andrea was intelligent and never asked, so I thought she really didn't care...
Former Neighbor: Then, one day, I went over to invite her to my place for a meal and discovered that she had disappeared.
You: Disappeared!? You mean... Andrea went missing?
Former Neighbor: Yes... She went missing... I never saw my dear Andrea again...
The old woman started to mumble, wiping the tears from her eyes. Then, she falls into a long silence.
Artem: Let's go. We shouldn't bother her anymore.
The Bridge Family's Debt
Marius: [Player], do you remember that old lady we met earlier?
You: Mm-hmm. Do you want to go talk to her?
Marius: Yep. No one knows me better than you, Miss.
You and Marius find the lady standing alone in front of Aiden Bridge's house. You wonder what she is thinking.
Marius: Hello, ma'am!
As soon as she realizes that it's the two of you, she smiles happily. It's like the gloom that was on her face a moment ago never existed.
Former Neighbor: Hello! You know, I haven't met such polite young people in a very long time.
You: Ma'am, do you live here alone? Where are your children?
Former Neighbor: *Sigh* I have a son. He is in prison...
You: Oh, I'm sorry...
Former Neighbor: It's okay. It's not a secret...
Former Neighbor: There is no one here to keep me company anyway...
After she says this, you realize that she is the only one living in the neighborhood.
Former Neighbor: It's strange, isn't it? Everyone hated me so much that they all left...
You: Why is that?
Former Neighbor: Because my son took a ton of money from them...
Former Neighbor: Anyway, it's good that they left. I ran out of courage to face them.
Former Neighbor: Aiden, who you came to investigate, was also a victim of my son's deeds.
You: Can you tell us more about that?
Former Neighbor: I only know a little. My son was engaged in some kind of online investment.
Former Neighbor: I didn't really ask for many details back then... because he was making such good money...
Former Neighbor: But later, the project went sideways and he had no one to turn to. So, he confessed everything to me.
Former Neighbor: He told me that many of our neighbors had invested in the project, and he asked me to lend him some money.
Former Neighbor: I had no money... so we had a big fight. During the fight, he accidentally said that Aiden had also put a large amount of money in.
Former Neighbor: He had been losing money for years, but he always thought he had a shot at turning everything around.
Former Neighbor: So he cajoled Aiden into investing, but actually, my son was using the money for himself.
Marius: What!?
Former Neighbor: *Sigh* Aiden believed his lies and... Well, he mortgaged his house.
Former Neighbor: My son was later arrested for fraud, but Aiden and all the neighbors' money was already gone.
Former Neighbor: I really want to help my son to make up for his actions, but there is no way I could pull it off in this life...
Former Neighbor: I sold everything I had, but it was just a drop in the bucket... This house was supposed to be sold as well...
Former Neighbor: My neighbors took pity on me and let me keep it so that I would have a place to live.
Marius: Does Aiden Bridge's family know about this?
Former Neighbor: No. Aiden didn't want his family to worry about it— so, he didn't tell them anything.
Former Neighbor: *Sigh* He was a good kid. It was all my fault... I ruined his family...
She feels so guilty. You and Marius feel bad for pressing the matter, so you comfort her for a while before leaving.
Abnormal Performance
You and Luke discuss the clues at hand while looking around Aiden Bridge's place.
You: Luke, who do you think this Wither person is?
You: I feel like Wither wants us to investigate Aiden Bridge's accident, but what's the motive?
You: If it's just for justice, then why would they know so much inside information?
Luke: My gut tells me that Wither has a deep connection with Aiden Bridge...
Luke: Many of their posts make me feel that they were a witness to the accident.
You: Maybe they really experienced it...
Luke: Let's stop speculating and ask the old lady if she knows anything.
You: Okay!
As you speak, you come to the corner of the street.
The old lady is sunbathing on a lounger by the road. When she sees you, she feebly stands up.
Former Neighbor: Anything I can help you with?
You: Can we ask you something about Aiden Bridge, ma'am?
Former Neighbor: Sure.
You: Ma'am, did Aiden Bridge show any unusual behavior or say anything strange before the accident?
You: If you know anything about it, please tell me.
Hearing your words, Aiden Bridge's old neighbor sinks into her thoughts.
Luke: Please, ma'am, don't get upset. We are just having a casual conversation. It's okay if you don't want to talk about it.
Former Neighbor: I don't know if it was abnormal. But I do clearly remember Aiden's words from back then.
Former Neighbor: After all these years, I have not forgotten his words.
Former Neighbor: In fact, Aiden lost a huge amount of money because of online investments from his past.
Former Neighbor: He had to mortgage his house to get the money, so it was definitely a big amount—he didn't dare to tell his family.
Former Neighbor: He was so worried about the money.
Former Neighbor: And I was very worried about him... but one day he suddenly seemed to be at ease...
Former Neighbor: He told me that he found a way to pay off the debt.
Luke: In what way?
Former Neighbor: I don't know. I asked, but he just told me not to worry about it.
You: So... How was the debt handled after Aiden Bridge's accident?
In the event that the mortgage on the property cannot be paid, the bank will apply for forclosure of the property.
The house in front of you is dilapidated, but there is no seal on the door. It's an indication that the place has not been taken by the bank.
Former Neighbor: Not long after Aiden's accident, a man claiming to be his colleague paid a visit.
Former Neighbor: He wanted to visit Aiden's family, but by then Aiden's wife had remarried, and his daughter was nowhere to be found.
Former Neighbor: *Sigh* He sat alone in the house for a long time that day. No one knew what he was doing in there...
Former Neighbor: Later, people from the bank told us that Aiden's debts had been paid off. Then I realized that the colleague may have helped to pay off the debt.
You: Do you remember that colleague's name?
Former Neighbor: Well... I remember that he was one of those famous magicians whose name has been mentioned on TV recently... Emmanuel Parker.
You and Luke are both a little surprised. But on second thought, it does make sense.
You: Everyone knew that Aiden Bridge was Emmanuel Parker's only friend, and now it seems...
You: Emmanuel Parker was Aiden Bridge's only friend, as well.
Former Neighbor: Is there anything else you want to know?
Former Neighbor: Otherwise, I would like to head back home. I have some soup on the stove.
You: That's all for now, thank you.
Former Neighbor: Don't mention it. I'm glad I could help.
The old lady smiles sweetly and slowly walks away with the help of her cane.
After seeing her off, Luke checks his watch.
Luke: It's getting late. We should head back.
You: Okay. I recorded everything she said. Let's go and share all the information we have gathered with everyone else!
Truth III
Near Aiden Bridge's House
In a corner near Aiden Bridge's place in North Stellis, Luke is furiously tapping the keys on his pad. The rest of the NXX team is waiting quietly at the side...
Luke: Done!
After punching the enter key, Luke turns off the screen.
Luke: I've sent the information I have so far to Captain Morgan.
Luke: And of course, I've sent an update to the bureau as well.
Marius: Isn't this a little premature? We are still investigating...
Marius: Shouldn't we wait until after Captain Morgan confirms Wither's identity before reporting?
Luke: This is just an interim report. When the investigation is all over, I will write an official one.
Marius: Okay. We have done all the investigation we can. Let's wait and see what Captain Morgan finds.
Artem: But...
Artem's head is down, as if he is thinking about something.
After being silent for quite a while, he finally speaks.
Artem: Apart from Wither's mysterious identity, the clues we have still need a lot of explanation.
Artem: Based on the information we have gathered so far, we know that...
Artem: Aiden Bridge's death had nothing to do with Emmanuel Parker, and it was an accident.
Marius: Yes. Aiden Bridge himself altered the magic prop...
Marius: Which caused the malfunction of the prop during the performance, and eventually led to the tragedy.
Artem: That is quite different from what Wither posted online.
Artem: According to our previous assumption, Wither's actions were an act of revenge against Parker.
Artem: And if so, the conclusion that Wither expected us to draw is that Parker was murdered by Aiden Bridge.
Vyn: But the version of the story we have uncovered is far from the one he wrote.
Vyn: Despite the fact that it's contrary to the information he put out on the internet... It's all so confusing.
You: True... A lot of the information we have gathered is quite different from what Wither has posted.
Marius: Hmmm, what is going on...?
All of you fall into silence with your heads down.
You feel so heavy. It's as if your heart is pinned under a giant boulder.
After thinking for a while, you decide to tell them what you have come up with...
You: Could it be that... Wither is being used by someone else who wants to take on Emmanuel Parker?
You: The information he posted might have come from someone else.
You: Wither was simply a middleman, spreading the story online on someone's behalf...
You: He had no idea the kind of results the message he sent out would lead to.
Artem: That's possible...
Luke: I think that's a reasonable speculation. If Wither was just a means to slander Parker...
Luke: Then he certainly wouldn't be verifying any of the information he posted.
You: I think Wither's behavior feels more like... he is trying to write the Parker's ending himself.
You: His hasty conclusions about Parker's behavior prevented him from caring about the facts...
You: Instead, he couldn't wait to spread any conclusions that would validate Parker's guilt.
Marius: So, Wither's behavior is just him pushing what he assumed about Parker's guilt?
You: Well, you could say that.
Vyn: Sadly, this kind of behavior is often impulsive and wrong.
As everyone is having further discussions about Wither...
Luke's phone screen suddenly lights up. The sound of vibration interrupts your discussion.
Luke: Hello, Captain Morgan. Yes, they are all with me...
Luke: All right. Got it.
Luke hangs up the phone and turns to look at the rest of you.
Luke: Captain Morgan has made progress. He wants us to meet him at the police station right away.
You: Great. Let's go!
Police Station
Captain Morgan rushes into the room and gets straight down to business without any formalities.
Darius Morgan: The police have cracked Wither's account and located the IP of the computer.
Marius: Seriously!?
Luke: Where is it?
You: Captain Morgan, do you already know who it is?
You can't help but shiver. You aren't sure whether you're feeling anxious or afraid.
Or maybe it's excitement— the long-awaited mystery is finally going to be revealed.
Darius Morgan: The person we have been looking for is right under our nose.
Artem: ...
Vyn: You mean...
You: Is it someone we know!?
Darius Morgan: I'm not sure, but I think you have met each other.
You: Is it someone from the magic troupe!?
Captain Morgan nods, verifying your suspicions.
Darius Morgan: The IP address of the last login into Wither's account is located near Emmanuel Parker's house.
Luke: Does that mean... Wither is Parker's neighbor?
You: Captain Morgan, can you go into more detail, please?
Darius Morgan: They used a new type of technology. It would be hard to locate them through the current investigative methodology.
Darius Morgan: Luckily, we have upgraded our tracking system and assigned more people to screen the addresses simultaneously.
Darius Morgan: Thanks to the screening, we have successfully located Wither.
Darius Morgan: Its user is in Stellis, close to both the Magic Troupe and Emmanuel Parker.
Marius: Have you IDed them yet?
Darius Morgan: After determining Wither's location, we immediately set out to investigate the members of the Tuesday Magic Troupe.
Darius Morgan: Combined with the information you sent us, we found one person to be highly suspicious.
You: Who?
Darius Morgan: Remember the photo of Aiden Bridge's daughter that you found?
Darius Morgan: We simulated what she would look like as an adult based on the photo. And it turns out that...
Captain Morgan walks to his desk. He turns on the computer screen and clicks on a file to show the picture to you.
You: She looks like...
This image of the young woman has obviously been artificially recreated.
But her facial structure and features tell you that...
She is the little girl in the photo you found.
Plus, it overlaps with someone else in your mind.
You: She looks like... the assistant to the magic troupe! Oh my! The assistant is...
Luke: She is Aiden Bridge's daughter, Andrea Bridge!?
You: But, I remember Mr. Parker addressing the assistant as... Adeline?
You: There was nothing special about Mr. Parker's attitude towards her...
Vyn: She might have joined the magic troupe under a fake identity and Mr. Parker does not realize it.
Artem: It seems that we need to pay Mr. Parker a visit and explain the situation to him.
Darius Morgan: Let's go together.
Darius Morgan: It's time to find out.
Truth IV
Suburban Mansion
An hour later, all of you arrive at Emmanuel Parker's house and knock on the door.
To your surprise, the assistant is also here. The two of them are sitting on the couch going through the details of the upcoming magic show.
Your guess is that Captain Morgan has taken control of the area after learning of Wither's location.
He picked this specific moment to confront them in person.
Darius Morgan: Mr. Parker, do you have time for a chat?
Emmanuel Parker: What's the matter?
You: Lately, I've been working with the police in a series of investigations.
You: And we have made progress, so I would like to give you some updates, Mr. Parker.
Emmanuel Parker: Really? Did you catch the person spreading the rumors online?
Darius Morgan: Not yet, but we have located her.
Captain Morgan assesses the expression on the assistant's face.
The assistant silently walks to Emmanuel Parker's side. Her face is a blank slate.
Darius Morgan: Mr. Parker, your reputation hangs on this case...
Darius Morgan: Not to mention that public opinion on the internet and the hacker hidden behind it are a threat to social order.
Darius Morgan: It's something we need to take very seriously. I hope we have your cooperation, Mr. Parker.
Emmanuel Parker: I usually don't care about rumors, but you are making it all sound so serious...
It's likely due to Captain Morgan's seriousness that Emmanuel Parker finally loosens his attitude this time around.
Emmanuel Parker: Okay. I'll do what I can to help.
Emmanuel Parker closes the file and hands it to the assistant beside him.
Emmanuel Parker: Adeline, you don't have to be here for this.
Emmanuel Parker: When we are all done here, I'll go over the details with everyone in the troupe.
Assistant Lady: Got it, Mr. Parker.
Captain Morgan reaches out and stops her just as she is about to leave.
Emmanuel Parker: Captain Morgan, what are you doing?
Darius Morgan: There are some things that I think she needs to hear.
Emmanuel Parker: ...
He frowns, obviously not understanding Captain Morgan.
At this moment, Vyn, who has been standing beside you, chuckles softly.
Vyn: Mr. Parker, as an outstanding magician, you should know that...
Vyn: Some things are just like magic. The source of all the illusions is right in front of us.
Vyn: Tricks were used to cover it up. That is why we couldn't see the truth.
Emmanuel Parker: What are you talking about? What cover-ups?
Luke: Mr. Parker, we think that...
Luke quietly exchanges a look with Vyn and continues...
Luke: Your assistant, going by Andrea Bridge, is actually Wither, the one who has been slandering you on the internet.
Emmanuel Parker: Nonsense! My assistant's name is Adeline Briggs, not Andrea Bridge!
You: (Adeline Briggs... Aiden Bridge... they sound kind of similar.)
Artem: Don't these two names sound familiar to you when you put them together, Mr. Parker?
Artem: Or did you deliberately ignore it? That's why you didn't figure out her real identity.
Emmanuel Parker: ...
Emmanuel Parker glances at the assistant beside him and falls into silence once again.
Marius: Mr. Parker, you must be wondering what evidence we have to prove it to you.
Marius: It's actually quite simple... Captain Morgan has Wither's location. You will understand after you check it out.
Captain Morgan holds up his phone to show Parker.
The screen shows the map of Stellis and there is a red dot flashing near Parker's villa.
Marius: Miss, even if you turn off your phone now, it is too late. Your account has been cracked.
At this moment, all eyes are focused on the woman standing next to the couch.
Her finger, which is about to turn off the phone, freezes in place.
Assistant Lady: Don't be ridiculous... I was just replying to messages from the troupe...
Marius: Are you sure?
Emmanuel Parker: That's enough!
Parker interrupts Marius with a stern voice.
Emmanuel Parker: I'll say it one last time! I have nothing to hide.
Emmanuel Parker: I refuse to go around pointing fingers at colleages just because of some crazy online rumors. You can't just go around accusing people over things like that.
Emmanuel Parker: It doesn't matter who you have located or what you have found out.
Emmanuel Parker: I intend not to let any trivialities interfere with my magic show!
Hearing this, you suddenly realize that your previous suspicions about Emmanuel Parker were wrong.
You thought he was hiding something and that's why he refused to communicate.
But that doesn't seem to be the case...
You: Mr. Parker, aren't you worried that if your assistant is involved in the case, it will cause problems for your show?
He looks at you and nods.
Emmanuel Parker: Exactly.
You are right. After all, in this world, there is a type of person who becomes obsessive and neurotic over certain things.
In his eyes, the only thing worth caring about is the magic show. Anything beyond that doesn't matter to him and he won't want to pay any attention to it.
Emmanuel Parker is one of those people.
You: As your attorney, I have my responsibilities.
You: I must be accountable to my client and to the case.
You: As my client, there are things that you have to know.
You open your pad to show him the information you have recently gathered and compiled.
You: It all started 15 years ago...
You try to be as brief as possible but it still takes you almost half an hour to recap the whole thing.
Luke adds a part to your story.
Luke: Aiden Bridge was in huge debt after a failed network investment...
Luke: To pay off his debts, he turned to desperate means—insurance fraud.
Luke: But Mr. Parker, you figured out what Aiden Bridge was up to at the time and you two had a heated argument over it.
Luke: Aiden Bridge was so vindictive that he tried to fake an accident during the magic show to kill Mr. Parker...
You: (Huh? We don't have evidence of that!)
Assistant Lady: That can't be! My father would never...
Marius: Miss Adeline... I mean, Ms. Bridge, are you admitting your identity?
Assistant Lady: ...
You: (I see... He did that on purpose...)
Now, it is too late for her to deny it.
Her face is the best evidence of the assumption. The anxious and annoyed look on her face has betrayed her.
Emmanuel Parker: Adeline... are you really Aiden's daughter, Andrea Bridge?
Emmanuel Parker: When I first saw you, I found your face a little familiar.
Emmanuel Parker: I thought it was just a coincidence. I didn't expect...
Assistant Lady: Didn't expect what? You didn't expect that you'd taken a monster under your wing, Mr. Parker?
Emmanuel Parker: Adeline...
Assistant Lady: Don't call me Adeline!
Assistant Lady: Now that the police are here there is no need for me to hide anything...
Assistant Lady: Yes, I am Andrea Bridge, and I am Wither.
Although you already knew about this, you are still a little shocked when hearing her admit it in person.
You: Ms. Bridge, were you acting alone when you created the "Wither" account and the website where you posted all the information?
Andrea Bridge: Of course not. I'm not a genius hacker. I don't know how to do that kind of stuff.
Andrea Bridge: There's a trading platform called Notro where I paid for someone to create the account.
Andrea Bridge: All I needed to do was to login into the account occasionally to see how people reacted online.
Andrea Bridge: I didn't expect you guys to figure it out at a time like this...
You: !!!
How is this possible... Shouldn't that trading platform be gone!?
NXX handled it personally...
You turn around and realize everyone behind you is wearing the same expression of shock.
You: (If Notro is still up, does that mean that our previous operation failed?)
All of this information is overwhelming...
It would be better to run a thorough investigation after the current matter is resolved.
You force yourself to calm down and continue the conversation with Andrea Bridge.
You: Let's get back to your father, Ms. Bridge.
You: The whole thing started with your father's debt...
With a sneer, Andrea Bridge slams the files in her hands onto the sofa.
Andrea Bridge: He wasn't in debt and he did not fake an accident...
Andrea Bridge: Don't you dare think you can trash my dad just because he's dead!
Andrea Bridge: No one knows what happened to my family over the years better than I do!
Andrea Bridge: All of this... all of this was caused by Emmanuel Parker!
Artem: Ms. Bridge, you blamed Mr. Parker for your misfortune and orchestrated all of this online revenge...
Artem: Don't you think you were being overly impulsive?
Andrea Bridge: I'm not impulsive at all. Does he ever really care about the people around him?
Andrea Bridge: I saw it clearly during my time as his assistant...
Andrea Bridge: He is a cold-blooded, cold-hearted machine! To him, nothing matters more than his magic show!
Andrea Bridge: He doesn't care if his assistants are in danger or if the members of the magic troupe are in trouble...
Andrea Bridge: All he cares about is his little magic show being perfect and the audience's approval of him!
Andrea Bridge clenches her hands into fists and her voice trembles with rage.
Andrea Bridge: He... he sacrificed my father...
Andrea Bridge: My father didn't have to be in that show...
Andrea Bridge: But he insisted that two people would make a better performance. If he hadn't forced my dad to go on stage, my dad wouldn't have gotten into the accident...
Emmanuel Parker: No, I didn't force him. Aiden asked to be in the show!
Emmanuel Parker: I secretly tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted on performing with me...
You: (Was the argument that the administrator saw actually Emmanuel trying to convince Aiden Bridge not to perform?)
Andrea Bridge: Hmph, my dad's gone now, so I guess you can tell any story you want.
Andrea Bridge: Let's just assume for a second that you didn't mean to hurt my dad and he did die by accident... If so, then why weren't we compensated?
Andrea Bridge: There should have been a large compensation from the Magic Troupe and my dad's insurance plan.
Andrea Bridge: But my family didn't get anything!
Emmanuel Parker: I saw the money get wired with my own eyes. Why didn't you get any of it!?
Emmanuel Parker: Have you asked your mother? She must know about that...
Andrea Bridge: Heh, she couldn't care less about me after she divorced my dad.
Andrea Bridge: She didn't even visit me once after dad had gone... How could she possibly know anything about that!? Don't you try to trick me!
Andrea Bridge becomes so emotional that it looks like she is about to rush up to attack Emmanuel Parker.
Captain Morgan grabs a piece of paper, the proof, and steps between them.
Darius Morgan: About that, I can prove that Mr. Parker did transfer the money to your mom.
Darius Morgan: As for how she distributed it... Well, it's not in the scope of our investigation at this time.
Andrea Bridge: What are you talking about...?
Andrea Bridge: She got the money? She... took it all?
The redness on her face caused by her rage begins to fade away.
She blinks as her face takes on more of a bewildered and helpless expression.
Vyn: Ms. Bridge, people are like magic... there is more to them than meets the eyes.
Vyn: Mr. Parker is obsessed with magic and does not consider trivialities.
Vyn: But that does not mean he does not care about other people...
Vyn takes the tablet from your hand and pulls up several files to show Andrea Bridge.
Vyn: These are Aiden Bridge's debt records. The payment receipts have Mr. Parker's signature on them.
Vyn: In other words, it was Mr. Parker who paid off your father's debt.
Andrea Bridge grabs the tablet and checks over the documents several times.
Andrea Bridge: How could he be the one to help us...?
Artem: Aiden Bridge desperately tried to cause an accident to get insurance compensation...
Artem: Sadly, the accident eventually caused an irreparable tragedy.
Artem: Mr. Parker, whom you have always harbored a grudge against, is as much a victim of the tragedy as you are.
Artem's voice is low but extremely firm.
Like the beat of a drum, his words strike everyone's heart.
Andrea Bridge: It just can't be... I have come this far to get justice for my father...
Andrea Bridge: For him to rest in peace... I have endured all kinds of suffering...
Andrea Bridge: And now, you are telling me that my dad is the guilty one!?
Andrea Bridge: You must be lying! Emmanuel Parker is the guilty one!
Andrea Bridge clenches her fists, looking totally unhinged. Her whole body is shaking.
You: (Oh no, how can I calm her down...?)
Before your thoughts can be turned into action, Emmanuel Parker begins walking toward Andrea Bridge.
For the first time, the renowned master magician humbly bends toward the young woman. For a moment, all of you freeze.
Emmanuel Parker: You're right. I'm the one accountable for all of this.
Emmanuel Parker: If I had noticed your father's situation earlier and helped him in time, perhaps nothing bad would have happened.
Emmanuel Parker: But I didn't notice it... I paid too little attention to the people around me.
Emmanuel Parker: For that, I am sorry...
Andrea Bridge stands there without saying anything in return.
She is so overwhelmed by her emotions that she does not react as Captain Morgan puts the handcuffs on her.
Parker tries to say something, but he shakes his head, speechless.
You: Mr. Parker...
Emmanuel Parker: ...
Artem: Is there something you want to say, Mr. Parker?
Emmanuel Parker: What will happen to her?
Emmanuel Parker: If I forgive her, can you reduce her sentence?
Artem: I'm sorry, Mr. Parker, but we don't have an answer to that question for the time being.
Artem: However, based on your forgiveness and Ms. Bridge's repentance...
Artem: I'm sure the court will give Ms. Bridge a chance.
Hearing the word "forgiveness," Andrea Bridge shakes slightly.
Emmanuel Parker: I don't know much about sentencing.
Emmanuel Parker: All I know is that the Tuesday Magic Troupe can't afford to lose a good assistant!
Emmanuel Parker: Adeline, no... Andrea...
Emmanuel Parker: You are always welcome whenever you want to come back to the magic troupe.
Andrea Bridge: ...
Andrea Bridge still has her head down. But you notice that her shoulders are trembling slightly.
You block the view from behind her before her penitent sobs are noticed.
You: Andrea, it's time to go.
You: As with magic shows, there always comes a day when the curtain falls.
You: When all this is over... you'll be free to come back.
Magic Show
Andrea Bridge is taken away by the police. Parker is so depressed that, for the very first time, he can't make it to the show.
However, the goings-on behind the scenes has not affected the cheers and applause from the audience.
Inside the theater, the exciting show has just begun, yet...
You: ...
Vyn: Is there anything that is currently concerning you?
With the gentle whisper in your ear, you begin to pour out your heart.
You: Yes. Although the Wither issue has come to an end...
You: There are still a lot of mysteries to be solved regarding that hacker trading platform, Notro, that Ms. Bridge mentioned.
You: Do you think... it's the same platform that we dealt with before?
Luke: It can't be. I'm pretty sure that we permanently destroyed that one.
You: But how could there be another one...?
You: Is it possible some hackers formed a platform and are following in the footsteps of the old website?
Luke: It's possible. As long as there is a network, there will be hackers hiding behind it.
Luke: We took down one trading platform but it doesn't guarantee that there won't be new ones.
You: !!!
Artem: The current technology can't completely prevent hackers...
Artem: While there may be hackers, there are also investigators constantly working on screening and maintaining order.
Marius: Exactly. There's a dynamic balance.
Marius: Don't worry, Miss. If we can take down the platform once, we can do it again.
Marius: Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just relax.
Marius: If you miss the show, you'll regret it later.
Marius smiles and winks at you.
Your irritation fades away— you can't help but smile along with him.
You: That's right! If we can fix it once, we can fix it again!
In the nebulous world of the Internet, threats always exist somewhere, so is the power to fight against them.
Like the enchanting magic show on stage... Behind all the splendid mystery is a group of people's hard work and perseverance.
You are honored that the people of NXX are a part of it all...
Correct Answers[edit | edit source]
Reasoning[edit | edit source]
There are two types of Reasoning debates available; Self Reflection is meant to be a source of Draw Coins for the player, while Soul Reflection is a series of optional challenge debates.
Self Reflection[edit | edit source]
These debates are meant to be done five times per day and each cost 
AP x20; players should clear the highest level they can 5 times per day to obtain the maximum Draw Coins for the House of the Draw (detailed below).
- Self Reflection I: 18051 rec. power, Draw Coins x25
- Self Reflection II: 59019 rec. power, Draw Coins x30
- Self Reflection III: 91189 rec. power, Draw Coins x35
- Self Reflection IV: 112978 rec. power, Draw Coins x40
Soul Reflection[edit | edit source]
These optional challenge debates have a high difficulty (200426 recommended power), cost no AP, and award 40 
S-Chips apiece on first clear. Completing all three of the "Soul Reflection" challenges grants the 
Celebration - Snowfallen Namecard. Players having a difficult time with these debates may wish to read over our Deck-building Tips.
Rewards and Campaigns[edit | edit source]
Truth Rewards[edit | edit source]
- Truth I: S-Chip x100
- Truth II: S-Chip x100
- Truth III: S-Chip x100
- Truth IV:
Surprise Performance Badge
House of the Draw[edit | edit source]
Use Draw Coins obtained from "Obtain Clues" and "Reasoning" to flip over cards and get a variety of rewards, including the event limited SR cards 
Marius "Love Berries" and 
Artem "Masquerade Passion", 
Tears of Themis, and enhancement materials.
House of the Draw consists of two reward pools. Obtain all rewards from the current pool to unlock the next. Pool 1 features Marius "Love Berries", and Pool 2 features Artem "Masquerade Passion". Tap on "Reward Preview" to check all the rewards in the current pool and which ones have already been obtained.
Players can flip over a random cell by spending Draw Coins x160. If you do not have enough Draw Coins, you can use S-Chips at a conversion rate of 1:1 to exchange for more.
| Reward | Prizes |
|---|---|
| Marius "Love Berries" |
1 |
 Selection Star SR x1 |
2 |
| Tears of Themis x1 |
2 |
| Stellin x30,000 |
2 |
| Oracle of Justice IV x12 |
2 |
 Logic Chip II x20 |
1 |
 Empathy Chip II x20 |
1 |
 Intuition Chip II x20 |
1 |
 Pass Key x8 |
2 |
 Stud Earring x8 |
2 |
 Bluetooth Earpiece x16 |
2 |
 Touch Stylus x16 |
2 |
| Reward | Prizes |
|---|---|
| Artem "Masquerade Passion" |
1 |
| Selection Star SR x1 |
2 |
| Tears of Themis x1 |
2 |
| Stellin x30,000 |
2 |
| Oracle of Justice IV x12 |
2 |
| Logic Chip II x20 |
1 |
| Empathy Chip II x20 |
1 |
| Intuition Chip II x20 |
1 |
 Senior Attorney's Badge x8 |
2 |
 Model Handgun x8 |
2 |
 Sapphire Cufflinks x16 |
2 |
 Tie Clip x16 |
2 |
S-Chip Cost[edit | edit source]
There are Draw Coins x840 available in the "Obtain Clues" task list, and up to Draw Coins x2770 from Daily Reasoning debates if the max difficulty debate is done five times per day. This is enough to flip 22 tiles for free, which will clear the first board fully. Players who cannot clear the highest level debate will find different numbers as follows:
| Highest debate cleared | Coins obtained | Pool 1 S-Chip cost | Pool 2 S-Chip cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self Reflection IV | Draw Coins x3,610 |
free | S-Chip x2,790
|
| Self Reflection III | Draw Coins x3,275 |
free | S-Chip x3,125
|
| Self Reflection II | Draw Coins x2,935 |
S-Chip x215 |
S-Chip x3,200
|
| Self Reflection I | Draw Coins x2,590 |
S-Chip x610 |
S-Chip x3,200
|
Snowfallen Secrets Event Shadow of Themis[edit | edit source]
During the event Shadow of Themis, SSRs 
Luke "Lukewarm Fragrance" and 
Vyn "Aimed At Your Heart" will have an increased draw rate.
- This event will have a Vision discount function. Attorneys can consume 8 Vision items to draw 10 cards at once. The Vision discount function can be used twice.
- The "one new SSR from event Shadow of Themis within every 100 draws" guaranteed count will carry over to double-SSR event Shadows of Themis (which use Tears of Themis to obtain Visions) and non-birthday event Shadows of Themis.
- Cards from "Snowfallen Secrets" will be added to the Shadow of Themis rotation. Stay tuned to the event announcements for schedule details.
- Each draw on the Event Shadow of Themis will grant the player
Trace of Tears x1.
Trace of Tears Exchange Shop[edit | edit source]
| Item | Cost | Limit |
|---|---|---|
 Vision Star SR |
10 |
4 |
 Mind Star SR |
10 |
4 |
 Vision Star MR |
10 |
4 |
 Mind Star MR |
10 |
4 |
 Logic Impression III x10 |
1 |
3 |
 Empathy Impression III x10 |
1 |
3 |
 Intuition Impression III x10 |
1 |
3 |
 Poetry Collection x5 |
1 |
3 |
 Smart Glasses x5 |
1 |
3 |
 Multipurpose Military Knife x10 |
1 |
3 |
 Pill Organizer x10 |
1 |
3 |
| Wide-Angle Lens x20 |
1 |
3 |
| Bag of Dried Figs x20 |
1 |
3 |
 Gilded Poker Cards x5 |
1 |
3 |
 Ceramic Tea Cup x5 |
1 |
3 |
 Pocket Watch x10 |
1 |
3 |
 Voice Recorder x10 |
1 |
3 |
| Wooden Gardening Spade x20 |
1 |
3 |
| Vinyl Record x20 |
1 |
3 |
 Home Deco Voucher x200 |
1 |
10 |
| Stellin x15,000 |
1 |
Unlimited |
| Oracle of Justice IV x6 |
1 |
Unlimited |
Mall Event Items[edit | edit source]
Privilege Pack[edit | edit source]
| Pack Name | Contents | Price (USD) | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
 Vision Privilege Pack |
|
 Gem x5
|
3/account |
Event Packs[edit | edit source]
| Pack Name | Contents | Price (USD) | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
 Snowfallen Romance Pack |
|
Gem x45
|
1/account |
 Snowfallen Vision Pack I |
|
$0.99 | 3/account |
 Snowfallen Vision Pack II |
|
$5.99 | 3/account |
 Snowfallen Vision Pack III |
|
$11.99 | 2/account |
 Snowfallen Vision Pack IV |
|
$19.99 | 2/account |
 Snowfallen Energy Pack I |
|
$0.99 | 5/account |
 Snowfallen Energy Pack II |
|
Gem x9
|
3/account |
Time-Limited Packs[edit | edit source]
| Pack Name | Contents | Price (USD) | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
 Draw Coins Pack I |
|
$4.99 | 2/account |
 Draw Coins Pack II |
|
$17.99 | 2/account |
 Draw Coins Pack III |
|
$31.99 | 1/account |
 Snowfallen Wish Box |
Gem x1
|
50/account | |
 Impression Enhancement Pack I |
Gem x3
|
10/account | |
 Impression Enhancement Pack II |
$0.99 | 5/account | |
 Value Financing Pack I |
|
$0.99 | 5/account |
 Value Financing Pack II |
|
Gem x18
|
3/account |
 Vision Material Pack |
|
Gem x9
|
6/account |
 Equalization Material Pack |
|
Gem x9
|
6/account |
 Mind Material Pack |
|
Gem x9
|
6/account |
 Infinity Material Pack |
|
Gem x9
|
6/account |
Cleaning Robot MIA Case • 
Howling Pumpkin • Shop Events (
Orchidshine Shopping Street • 
Sweet Summer • 
Nostalgic Winter • 
Another Year With You) • Memory Games (
Chubby Riceball Crisis • 
Rubis Museum • 
Murder Mystery • 
Fluffy Fuzzy Time Mini-Game • 
Enduring Light Mini-Game) • Cooking Trials (
Cooking Trials: Cookies • 
Cooking Trials: Riceballs • 
Cooking Trials: Chocolate) • Slide Puzzles (
Sweet Afternoon Tea • 
Season's Chronicle • 
HoHoLuck • 
Treasures of Time • 
Mystery of Bakerlon Mini-Game) • Mystery Boxes (
Candy Party • 
Love's Lucky Loot • 
Starry Starry Summer • 
Winter Wonders • 
New Year's Fortune • 
Gifts of Spring ) • Sudoku Puzzles (
Stellis in the Arts • 
Moon in Full Bloom • 
Riveting Edutainment) • Nonogram Puzzles (
Glimpse of the Oasis • 
Scenes of Snow • 
Celebration Memories)
