Lost Gold Story 04-01
Overview
- "Even without the other murder weapons, I can make Joshua plead guilty with the diary and coin necklace."
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x20
- Unlock Condition:
Emergency Medicine x250, 
Lumber x250, 
MRE x250, 
Drinking Water x250 - Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's first clear reward was:
Hunter's Badge x50 - Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's unlock condition was: Emergency Medicine x300, Lumber x300, MRE x300, Drinking Water x300
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Script
Beach Ferry
When all four targets have been brought into custody, all members of the investigation team gathered at the pier at event's endpoint.
At this time, the winner of the Nosta treasure hunt has already been decided. The contestants all made their way to the endpoint.
Jack, Zachary, and Bryce are injured and are transported to the hospital, while Joshua is handed over to security.
Everything is properly arranged when you all encounter a bizarre situation.
You: You're saying that Zangr's missing?
The eccentric Zangr, the man you all had met before the event started, has disappeared from the dock.
Staff: Yes. 10 minutes ago, he was just sitting there, muttering to himself and fiddling with something.
Staff: Just now we heard a loud sound around here, so we thought something exploded. Then we discovered that he disappeared.
The staff member points to the place where Zangr was. Only a few broken stone slabs remain.
You go and pick up the stone slabs. Many "0" and "1" Arabic numerals are engraved on their surfaces...
You: What's this? Why do these feel like... binary code?
Staff: Zangr was very excited before he disappeared, saying that he "found the Universal Law"...
Staff: To be honest, we all think there's something wrong with that man. None of us dared talk to him...
Marius: A missing person is a serious matter. Inform the relevant parties and search Nosta carefully.
Marius: If you still can't find him after everyone has left, call for Nation A's police and let them look for him.
Having received Marius's instructions, the staff immediately move into action.
Vyn: That Zangr is quite an interesting character. If we can find him, I would like to have a conversation with him.
Artem: Rather than chat about irrelevant topics, let's talk business.
Artem: Luke, the riddle on this parchment must have something to do with your mission.
Artem: Did you find the stolen goods?
Luke: Their whereabouts are in the riddle. In the messages from earlier, you all said you also found things?
Pointing at Artem's parchment, Luke looks at Vyn and Marius.
Marius: Other than a riddle, I also found a stone carving.
Marius: Vyn, your messages asked us to pay attention to Egyptian elements. This was the only thing I found.
Marius: I see that... you have something similar?
Vyn: In addition to this stone carving, I also have a pendant with Isis' likeness.
Vyn: This pendant's owner was likely the bandit gang's second-in-command.
Artem: Speaking of jewelry, Zachary left behind a necklace when he attacked Jack in the cave.
Artem: This necklace can be used as evidence for Joshua's murder of Orson Barlow.
Vyn: As we were returning, I asked Zachary about the necklace. He said he dug it up during his first trip to Nosta.
Temporary Camp
Vyn: Zachary, why do you have that copper coin necklace in your possession? Does it not belong to Joshua?
Zachary Clarke: I found it the first time I came to Nosta, in that cave where I got injured.
Zachary Clarke: Besides the necklace, there are other bits and pieces put together, all in one box.
Zachary Clarke: I read about the Great Gold Heist. I instantly recognized the necklace as the weapon used to kill Orson.
Zachary Clarke: That's why I kept the necklace. I wanted to exchange it with Joshua in return for the smuggling evidence against me.
Vyn: Did he not agree to your proposal?
Zachary Clarke: No. He said I didn't have any evidence, that the necklace was part of his collection.
Artem: Joshua is clever. He was right: even if it were a weapon, there's no way to prove that he used it.
Artem: Jack untied the knots and found the gang's emblem inside, but that only proves it's related to the gang, not Joshua himself.
Artem: I was going to hand it over to Darius for forensic testing.
Marius: What a coincidence. This diary I got from Bryce should help.
Saying this, Marius takes out a diary.
Marius: This diary has Joshua's name and his handwriting. It details every one of his "collections."
Marius: Whenever Joshua killed someone, he'd take photos and number the weapon, then record his crimes in this diary.
Marius: To him, these are his "achievements" throughout the years. Sigh.
Luke: This diary was also mentioned in his phone call with Bryce.
Artem: The coin necklace's wooden sign has "17" on it. Does that mean Orson was the 17th person he murdered?
Vyn: Currently, we have collected sufficient evidence to bring Joshua to justice.
You: This...
While the four of them were discussing the case, you had looked through Joshua's diary.
Inside, the picture of the 16th weapon shows a nondescript string that is similar to a pendant's cord.
A black, unknown material on the string forms the shape of an "L."
You: You guys, look. Can we connect the 16th weapon with the Isis pendant that Dr. Richter found?
Luke: Isis is the goddess of life in ancient Egypt, and her headdress is a throne.
Luke: On some handicrafts, the throne is simplified to the shape of an "L."
Vyn: I did notice before that the pendant appeared to be incomplete. Now we have the answer here before us.
Vyn: In other words, the gang's second-in-command was also murdered by Joshua.
Artem: Their relationship was one-sided. Joshua manipulated her from the start.
Artem: Vyn, is the box that Zachary found still here?
Vyn: I had asked him about that. He said that he had discarded everything except for the copper coin necklace.
You: Such an injustice for Janet...
Artem: Janet wasn't the only murder victim recorded in that diary.
Artem: Don’t worry. Even without the other murder weapons, I can make Joshua plead guilty with the diary and coin necklace.
You: You're right!
Luke: Now it looks like the gang mutiny was orchestrated by Joshua, who used Janet's feelings for him.
You: That scumbag planned to kill everyone and keep the gold for himself all along.
Luke: What a shame. Janet probably never realized. She even gave Joshua clues about the mask.
Marius: Mask? So, it's not gold, but a golden mask that's missing?
Luke looks around to make sure that no one else is around, and then he tells you all about the secret of the Great Gold Heist.
Luke: This is what happened.
Luke: Aside from gold, one of the stolen goods was a cultural relic from the Museum of Egypt — the Golden Mask of Anubis.
Luke: When Joshua confessed to the location of the gold, it truly was all the gold that had been stolen.
Luke: The report that only two-thirds of the stolen gold was returned is factoring in the mask's monetary value.
Vyn: That explains why the riddle originated from the Book of the Dead. Everything now makes sense.
Before you can continue to analyze the clues, a staff member asks you to board the ferry back to the base camp.
You have to move your discussion to the ferry.
