Secrets of the Tomb Artifact BAS-III: Missing Statue
Overview
- Stage Cost: None
- First Clear Rewards:
Astral Memory x20
- Unlock Condition: Exploration Knowledge level BAS-III
- Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's first clear reward was:
Antiquated Coin x150
Guide
- Hover to view spoiler content.
Script
Tomb of Ita
Artifact Discovery
You: Curator, look at this puppy... Uh, it is a puppy, right?
You excitedly show the curator the artifact you had just found. It is a small sculpture in the form of a puppy, which appears very lifelike, and utterly adorable.
Museum Curator: Haha, although they are similar, this isn't a dog. It's a juvenile jackal.
Museum Curator: Jackals are animal worshipped in the ancient Khaimit. It is said to be the guardian of the underworld in legends, one that can also protect the world.
Museum Curator: So people would put gorgeous jewelry on it, give it nice offerings, and pray for reincarnation and rebirth in the underworld.
Museum Curator: Look at those golden decorations around the eyes and ears.
You: Yeah, it's bright gold and quite beautiful.
You: That being said, the other jackals all look so dashing and bold. Why does this one look so hapless, yet adorable?
You: Just look at its paw pads. Aren't they cute? I really wanna squish them.
Museum Curator: Yes, the jackals that we usually see are adults. A juvenile one is quite rare indeed.
Museum Curator: The literature mentioned that juvenile jackals like this are usually placed in rooms of the royal family's children to pray for their safety during their growing years.
You: Thank you for explaining things!
Just as you are about to hand the baby jackal over to the curator, a black shadow suddenly appears. Before you know it, the statue in your hand disappears.
You: !!!
Museum Curator: T-The statue!
You: Wait, Stop!
You immediately chase after the shadow. However, the unseen figure moves rapidly, and after a few paces, you run out of breath and can no longer keep up.
At the very end, you can only look on as a jackal-shaped silhouette disappears from the main gate.
You: Phew, was that... a dog? Am I seeing things? A dog stole the sculpture???
Museum Curator: ...That seems to be the case. There are quite a few people raising dogs in the nearby villages, and there're also stray dogs loitering around...
Museum Curator: It might've interpreted the sculpture as food. This isn't good... If those mutts get their paws on the sculpture, that would mean...
The curator runs up to you, similarly out of breath. He sighs when he thinks about the sculpture's fate.
You: The nearby villages... Curator, let's go there and look for it.
Museum Curator: That sounds good. But you have to watch yourself. These stray dogs have bad tempers. Don't get bitten.
You: Leave it to me!.
Ita Desert
A stray dog could've run off with the statue. Quickly check the nearby villages.
You: Hello, little one. Have you seen a sculpture that looks like a puppy dog?
Boy: Sculpture? Big Black seems to have brought something like that back.
You: Big Black?
Boy: My doggie friend! Hmm, I'm good friends with all the dogs here!
Boy: Wait a minute, why are you two looking for it?
You: This sculpture is a very important artifact. We need to find it.
Boy: Important artifact? What does it have to do with me? Big Black is my good friend, I'm not going to help you!
You: So, you know where the sculpture is now?
Boy: Of course, I know, but why should I tell you?
Luke: Be a good kid and tell me? After finding the dog, we will buy your favorite snacks, okay?
Boy: Really? Then I want the biggest fruit ice cream at the bazaar! Fresh fruit, not the canned one!
Luke: The biggest one? No problem. I will buy it for you right away as long as you tell us.
Boy: Then, don't cheat! Liars will have to swallow a hundred needles!
Luke: Of course not. Come on, let's pinky swear.
Boy: ...This is more like it. He dropped the puppy up north in the desert, so go find it yourselves.
Boy: Don't forget my ice cream!
Luke: No problem, you can rest assured!
North Desert
Go to the desert to find the stray dog as the boy said.
After searching for a while, Luke and you finally arrive at the place the little boy had pointed out.
There is no sign of the dog at all in the endless sands, only the sculpture sitting next to a small cave.
Strangely enough, there are several toys with dog-like shapes next to the cave, including tattered puppy dolls and dog ornaments from souvenir stores.
You: Look, Luke. There are so many dog toys here!
Luke: Hmm... and they appear to be all black. They seem to resemble the jackal sculpture quite a bit.
Luke: The sculpture is right there! I'm going over!
Luke quickly picks up the precious sculpture.
Luke: Great, it seems to be undamaged.
You: Phew, that's good.
You: But... what are those?
After confirming the intactness of the statue, you finally breathe a sigh of relief. You then start to feel curious about what is in front of you.
Luke: This cave... looks like the place where a wolf or a dog resides.
You: So... these toys...?
Luke: Well, I'm not very sure. Now that the stuff is here, we have to keep our promise. So let's go buy the kid some ice cream.
You: Yup. We can also ask him about the cave. I think that he might know something about it.
Rubis Street
Follow through on your promise and buy the boy an extra-large fruit ice cream at the markets.
Luke: Hello, I want an extra-large fruit ice cream. The one with fresh fruit.
Shop Owner: Okay, one minute.
You: Excuse me, the sales of fresh fruit ice cream must be good, right? Do the kids like it?
Shop Owner: They do like it. But sales are rather average.
Shop Owner: Look, Khaimit is short of water. Fruits are not easy to grow here, so Fresh fruits are much more expensive.
Shop Owner: So, not everyone can afford it every day.
You: I see...
Shop Owner: Here's your ice cream!
Luke: By the way, please give me a portable ice pack.
Shop Owner: No problem. Here, all packed. With our special invention to keep it cool, it won't melt for hours!
Luke: Thanks a lot.
Shop Owner: You're welcome, please come back again!
Bring the ice cream to the boy in the nearby village as you promised.
When going back, you see the little boy playing with several stray dogs. One of these dogs was black and particularly notable.
Luke: Here you go. Is this the ice cream you wanted?
Boy: Yes, that's it! Mm! Yum!
The boy takes the ice cream and eats it with gusto, pointing out the black dog for us.
Boy: You are just in time. Look! This is Big Black, the one who brought back the sculpture.
Boy: Have you found it yet?
The wolf-dog named Big Black barks and lays at his feet again.
When you take a closer look, it surprisingly looks similar to Khaimit's jackals.
You: Got it. By the way, we found a little cave where it put the sculpture. Do you know what that is?
Boy: A cave? Oh, that's where Big Black used to live.
You: He used to live there?
Boy: Yes, Big Black used to have a brother, but it died a few months ago from an illness...
Boy: Since then, Big Black often looks for dog toys to put next to the nest, hoping that its brother will come back to life.
Luke: ...
Boy: But those are torn, tattered, and definitely picked up from elsewhere. Big Black won't just take things from others without reason.
Boy: As for the... sculpture, I guess it looked like its brother.
You: Is that so...
Luke takes out the sculpture and walks to Big Black, gently patting its head.
Luke: Big Black, this thing is very important, we'll take it away first.
Luke: If we find a toy similar to your brother, we'll be sure to bring it back to you.
Looking at the sculpture and then Luke, Big Black replies with a woof in response.
Boy: Okay, okay, Big Black has agreed. Now that you've found the thing, hurry up to go back.
You: Yeah!
Rubis Museum
Return to the museum and hand the statue you recovered back to the curator.
You: Curator, we've got it! It was taken by a stray dog, but it's still in one piece!
You both tell him about what happened earlier.
Museum Curator: I see... It sounds like Big Black is the hybrid offspring of a jackal and a dog.
Museum Curator: There are fewer and fewer wild jackals nowadays. So, the nature museum is recently promoting a wild jackal protection scheme.
Luke: Protection scheme? That's great!
Museum Curator: Yes. Thank you so much again.
You: You are welcome. If you need anything else, just give us a shout.
Summary
