Lost Gold Vyn Investigation 02-04
Overview
- "How so? Please do explain."
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x20
- Unlock Condition:
Emergency Medicine x260, 
Lumber x65, 
MRE x195, 
Drinking Water x130, 
Climbing Rope - 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 x75, MRE x225, Drinking Water x150, Climbing Rope
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Choice
- It's impossible for Zachary to have known about the gold riddle back then
Script
You: (The way ahead is getting steeper and steeper... I better be careful...)
Vyn: You do not look well. Do you have a fear of heights?
You: No, I'm not usually afraid of heights. It's just... Looking from this angle...
Vyn: Let us go find rope first, then.
You: Huh? It's fine, I can manage by myself.
Vyn: However, I cannot.
Vyn: On a mountain such as this one, even minor mistakes can lead to serious injury. I need assurance.
Mountain
After a long trek in the forest, you finally arrive at the mountains.
Zachary Clarke: "Isis remains among the Nile's reeds, mourning for you in the dark swamp."
Zachary Clarke: The marsh in the riddle is at the foot of the western mountains. We can bypass the marsh if we ascend the mountains.
You: You're not worried that the treasure might be in the marsh we're bypassing?
You: The poem also mentions reeds too. How do you explain that?
Zachary Clarke: This poem was actually written backwards, so all the descriptions refer to the first line's "secret residence."
Vyn: How so? Please do explain.
Zachary Clarke: You should know that Nosta used to be a maritime prison for criminals from Nation A.
Zachary Clarke: Nosta has no buildings aside from prisons, so this "secret residence" no doubt refers to a prison.
Zachary Clarke: There are several prisons here, so we need to confirm which one it is by looking at the other sentences.
Zachary Clarke: I checked the map of Nosta. This prison on the mountain is the only one that has a marsh nearby.
Zachary Clarke: Also, there will be a river running below us called the Night River, echoing the poem's "sailing on a boat of night."
Zachary Clarke: The reeds you mentioned are by the river.
You take out your phone and use the tracking app's map to verify the locations of the marsh and the Night River.
You: You did your homework before you came.
Zachary Clarke: Of course.
Zachary Clarke: To prevent the other treasure hunters from finding the gold by accident, I had to come over right after landing.
Zachary Clarke: I studied the surrounding topography before coming.
Vyn: Do you know where Joshua went to pay respects to his fallen comrades?
Zachary Clarke: Yes. It's inside a cave to the northwest. I'll show you.
As Zachary speaks, he comes closer to look at your phone. You quickly step back.
You: Stand right there. I'll get out a paper map.
Zachary Clarke: ...
You hand the paper map to Zachary. He almost immediately points out the exact location of the cave.
Meanwhile, you suddenly notice something strange about the map...
You: (Strange, this area of the mountains isn't reflected on the map...)
Before you can figure out this oddity, Vyn speaks.
Vyn: Nosta has always been uninhabited. The current map was drawn by an archaeological team in the 1950s.
Vyn: A virtual map of the island was only created two months ago, when Pax Entertainment decided to use this island as the event location.
Vyn: Zachary, you were looking at the old map the last time you were here, were you not?
Zachary Clarke: It... It was the old map...
Realizing that he might've said the wrong thing, beads of sweat form on Zachary's forehead.
Vyn: On the map from the 1950s, no such marsh exists.
Vyn: Because back then, the swamp at the foot of the mountains had not yet formed.
Vyn: So, were you really mapping an ocean fishing route the last time you came to Nosta?
You: Zachary, dealing with criminals is your job. You should be good at telling when people are lying, right?
You: But it looks like you're better at detecting lies than telling them.
You: What you told us back at the camp was full of holes. Do you think we'd believe what you said?
Zachary Clarke: ...
Zachary Clarke: Fine, I admit that I hid something from you.
Zachary Clarke: The last time I was here, I checked the area's topography in addition to the fishing route.
Zachary Clarke: I also feared that the map wouldn't be accurate...
Vyn: In other words, you had known about the riddle to the gold even back then?
Zachary Clarke: Yes.
Zachary's firm reply makes you realize what Vyn's questions are hinting at.
You: I can't believe you're still lying at this point.
You: You already admitted that you're a greedy person.
You: You knew about the riddle of the gold, and you had even figured out where the gold was hidden...
You: But you didn't attempt to dig up the gold for yourself, even when Joshua was in prison.
Zachary Clarke: I—I told you, Joshua has something on me.
Vyn: According to the latest international price of gold, the value of the gold here is more than 40 million.
Vyn: Take a page out of Joshua's book. Even if you gave a fraction of it back to the government, it would still be considered as a good service.
Vyn: By that time, would they still bother to investigate your selling activities?
Vyn: You could even say that you did it to gather intelligence.
Zachary Clarke: I...
You: Nosta's development only started recently.
You: The last time you were here, it was still deserted.
You: You came here alone to explore. Weren't you worried about your safety?
Zachary Clarke: I came in an ocean fishing boat. There were many sailors, and they were all physically capable.
You: (He's making sense...)
[back to choice]
You: Now tell us the truth. When did you get the gold riddle?
You: What were you really doing the last time you were here?
