Lost Gold Story 01-04
Overview
- "Guys, there's no point in hiding your cards now."
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x20
- Unlock Condition:
Emergency Medicine x50, 
Lumber x50, 
MRE x50, 
Drinking Water x50 - Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's first clear reward was:
Hunter's Badge x50
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Questioning
- (Key 1/5) Select "Staff on the ship"
- Unlock "Older friend"
- (Key 2/5) Select "Older friend"
- (Key 3/5) Select "Current situation"
- Unlock "Surveillance records"
- (Key 4/5) Select "Surveillance records"
- Unlock "Motive for the crime"
- (Key 5/5) Select "Motive for the crime"
Script
Cruise Ship Parlor
The terminal in Marius' hand is damaged. The panel on its rear shows obvious signs of corrosion.
Artem: The circuit board is completely corroded...
Luke: Looks like some kind of chemical was used.
Vyn: This was not an accident, was it? It was deliberate?
Marius: Yes.
You: So we now have to find out who did this?
You: Was there a problem with the terminal just now? How are things looking?
Marius: We're due to arrive at the island tomorrow, so staff were performing a sample test of the terminals tonight.
Marius: The terminal they sampled suddenly broke down after about an hour of operation.
Marius: Staff found that its circuit board had corroded. We're guessing that someone messed with it.
Marius: After investigating, we found that nearly half of the terminals had been tampered with.
Marius takes out a terminal that appears normal. He opens the sealed panel on the back.
On the inside of the panel, there is a tiny box containing a small amount of white powder.
Marius: All the faulty terminals had this small box inside. Regular movement and use causes the powder to leak out.
Marius: Personnel already ran tests on the white powder — it's sodium hydroxide.
You: Are they using sodium hydroxide because of its chemical properties?
Luke: Sodium hydroxide is a highly absorbent and corrosive substance, and it emits large amounts of heat after coming in contact with water.
Luke: It's very humid on the island, so our culprit is utilizing this chemical property to damage the terminals.
You: Was the warehouse storing the terminals being monitored? Did they record anything strange?
Marius: We have security footage, but it's already been tampered with.
Luke: Tampered? The footage was wiped or spliced?
Marius: Spliced and replaced.
Marius: Someone replaced the footage of the warehouse being entered with a loop of footage from a normal day.
Artem: What time on the footage was altered?
Marius: Daytime today.
Artem: Can you find out when the replacement footage was taken?
Marius: Our current belief is that it was taken before today's sabotage.
Artem: It appears that this entire operation occurred this morning.
Artem: Did the on-duty patrols notice anyone suspicious approaching the warehouse?
Marius: We asked all of them, but no one noticed anything.
Artem: Then, the suspect is likely aware of crew personnel schedules and work hours.
Artem: There may be a mole.
Vyn: Aside from the other treasure hunters, who else is participating?
Marius: Some are reporters who came to cover the event, while others are acquaintances who tagged along for the ride.
Vyn: Were you the one who confirmed invitations for the treasure hunters and other guests?
Marius: No. The only people I personally invited were you all.
Marius: I'm actually only helping organize this "Treasure Island" event. The real planner is an older friend of mine.
Marius: He couldn't use his own name for some reason, so he borrowed mine.
Marius: He was the one who invited all the treasure hunters and other guests.
Marius: He's also responsible for the flow of the event, the map's design, and the island's layout.
Luke: What about the staff on the ship? Are they all Pax personnel?
Marius: Yeah. I'm the organizer, after all.
Marius: Nosta and this cruise ship personally belong to me.
Vyn: Were all participants' identities verified as they boarded the ship?
Marius: Yes. Everyone boarded in a single-file line with their invitations. There weren't any impostors.
Marius: However, some guests came with friends or relatives. Their names weren't on the invites.
Marius: These people's identities are still being verified.
You: Marius, you said that your friend is the real planner behind this "Treasure Island" event.
You: If he can plan this kind of event, then is he also a treasure hunter?
Marius: Nah. My older friend is Bryce Thatcher. He specializes in outdoor sporting goods and owns a lot of popular brands.
You: Why did he set up this event? To advertise his brands?
Marius: Business was only one factor.
Marius: Bryce has always loved tales of things like treasure hunting, but he never had the time or energy for them.
Marius: Last year, he got severely ill and had a foot through death's door.
Marius: After recovering, he insisted on setting up a treasure hunt event because he wanted to become a real treasure hunter at least once.
You: This island had legends of treasure to begin with. Is that why he asked you to help with the event?
Marius: That's right. He actually had intended to buy the island's development rights, but it turns out that I was a step ahead.
Marius: So he had to settle for second best as the event's planner and sponsor.
Luke: Like they say, business is business. You rich people can be ruthless with your purchasing power.
Marius: At the time, I wasn't aware of what Bryce wanted to do, else I would've let him have it.
Marius: Not having the island wouldn't affect me.
You: (What kind of humble bragging is this...)
You: The terminals serve as locators and communicators. They can call for help if a participant has an emergency.
You: If the terminals are damaged, the most direct effect is that the treasure hunt becomes harder and more dangerous for the participants.
You: Could it be that... the suspect's trying to increase their own chances at winning? Like cheating on a test?
Vyn: If the suspect's objective was only the treasure, then this would be a simple matter. However, I fear that they are scheming something else.
You: Something else? You mean...
You suddenly recall the "Great Gold Heist" that everyone was talking about on the evening of the starting ceremony.
You: No way. Some people really believe that there's gold on the island?
Vyn: The possibility cannot be ruled out.
Vyn: Imagine if the staff did not discover that the terminals had been tampered with tonight. How might the situation evolve?
You: Then on the island tomorrow, many participants would find that their terminals are broken.
Marius: We've always had a contingency plan in case something happened to the terminals during the event.
Marius: The terminal data monitor on the ship monitors everyone's terminal position in real time...
Marius: If a terminal's signal disappears, the monitor will immediately issue an alert.
Marius: Staff will quickly head to where the signal disappeared and either replace the faulty terminal or conduct a rescue.
Vyn: If a large amount of terminals simultaneously malfunctioned, then your staff would be overloaded.
Marius: Yeah. The situation on the island would become chaotic.
Vyn: The treasure hunters came for profit, and the competition and animosity between participants was intense from the outset...
Vyn: If a surveillance "blind spot" were to appear, who knows what might transpire within.
Vyn: The chaos may serve as a cover for them to seize the gold, event prize, or other such riches.
Vyn's words cause everyone to sink into a momentary silence.
Marius: Guys, there's no point in hiding your cards now.
Marius: Why don't you all spill your reason for coming here.
