Liberi Reader

Titi...

Fetch!

(Fetches the ball)

(Brings it back)

Who's the cutest little thing? You are!

Stop fooling around, Titi!

I've always wanted a pet, but my family wouldn't let me have one. Look how cute it is!

It's not a pet, its part of the museum's collection.

Tell that to Pepe. She's yelling at part of the museum's collection.

SAY THAT AGAIN?

I apologize, Pepe Khanum, but I am unable to answer. My memories of the trove's location remain vague.

You sure you don't want to stop her? I'm starting to feel sorry for that corpse cowering in a corner.

Well, try harder! Maybe you'll remember then.

I'm afraid that would be futile...

They who split my memories distributed them evenly across all the gems, to ensure that the secret could not be easily accessed.

There are five gems in total. You may have to find all of them before I can tell you the answer.

Where are the rest of the gems? You must know that, right?

(Shakes head)

You don't?

The army that defeated me consisted of many padishahs and lords ameer... They took the gems with them when they left.

It's like looking for a needle in a haystack...

There must be another way! Use that golden brain of yours!

Please, hanimefendi... have patience...

Then tell me something useful!

There is a faint resonance between the gems that I can sense if I am in their proximity.

Are you kidding me? You want me to take you across all of Sargon? This city alone holds thousands of gems!

I think I sense one faintly...

...

Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!

Look, Anat, she's trying to remove part of the museum's collection!

...

Pepe, Zubayr Effendi is a valued part of the museum's collection. We must ensure that he is stored under appropriate conditions, and I can't allow him to be exposed to the elements.

Leave that thought and do your research here. Do NOT go out.

Forty-percent increase in funding next year?

No.

Double?

My staff will be watching you at all times. Senebty.

What's come over her?

Zubayr Effendi, I know it's not exactly polite to ask a man for his funeral effects, but I would be remiss...

Can I borrow this for a couple of days?

(Spins rapidly)

...

Of course, hanimefendi.

You can come out now, Zubayr. There's no one here.

How do you go through a hole like that at your size? It's like you turned liquid or something.

My body is extremely flexible, allowing me to pass through narrow spaces.

I thought I would have to tear down the wall, if you couldn't get out.

There is no need.

Why didn't you use your Originium Arts? I almost hit my head crawling through the hole.

You didn't ask.

Well... you should close it back up. Wouldn't want anyone else to see it.

As you wish.

Centuries ago, there was nothing but sand. Now, tall buildings line the streets. Such prosperity.

Lamps line the banks of the river flowing gently through the city. It reminds me of Shar-Cheshmeh, built upon an oasis.

Shahr-Cheshmeh, the City of Springs? I thought it was just a legend. No one has found it in centuries.

No, it was very real. Its padishah was a despot who challenged the Shah's authority on multiple occasions. I had to pay him a personal visit.

And then?

And then it was no more.

Did... the whole city have to pay for the sins of a single padishah?

I did nothing but cut the padishah's head off and throw it into a spring. It was the chained slaves who burned the city to the ground.

If you visited yourself, you would be shocked by the filth and stink. They made sacrifices in the water, but the water system was... primitive.

Please, stop. I can almost smell it.

I see. Can we go to the river?

No, not that way!

It's early. The banks of the river are still brightly lit. Anat would kill me if someone saw the museum's collection walking the streets.

I know a place. Follow me.

Curator Anat, we've taken inventory of the collection. Here it is...

...Medjehtiqedti Khanum? What are you doing here?

Anat went to meet a guest, so I'm taking over some of the documents.

'The Padishah's statue wasn't damaged in an accident; it was missing one eyeball to begin with! Who wrote this?'

Ha...

How's my impression?

But it's true that the statue's records are wrong. Be careful next time.

R-Really? Let me see who was in charge.

Izaja and Inaja. I think they were under your...

Ahem... here, Age of Shadow exhibits counted twice. Make sure you double-check.

This is...?

My favorite place in the city.

You like empty streets.

It's not like this during the day. Everything in Menat-Ha'mait goes through here.

Merchants from all across the country come here to trade gems, furs, spices, crafts... people come from other countries too, often making large transactions.

If we're going to find a gem somewhere, this would be it.

Deep in the Grand Bazaar is a trading post dedicated to gems. Virtually every gem in the city passes through it.

Do you sense the gem we're looking for?

...

Are you listening?

Forgive me...

I am curious about the crafts being sold here. In my time, animal sculptures like these were guardians of tombs, companions for the dead.

Now, though, they are being peddled on the streets as everyday items.

Well... it's a decorative sculpture for home use. Twenty-five dinars.

From the murals on the walls, to the hieroglyphs all around... many things feel so familiar, yet so strange at the same time.

Perhaps we should go and see a few more places?

Medjehtiqedti Hanimefendi, the great families have sent inquiries.

The padishahs take the solemnity of Sargonian history so seriously. How do we explain this incident to them?

Just tell them it was an intern's mistake and we'll deal with it accordingly.

Deal with whom?

The acting curator, perhaps?

...Huh?

Is it really true, Titi?

There was unexplained access made using your pass both last night and this morning... what if someone investigates?

That can't be! I wiped all the records clean.

So you've finally admitted it.

I didn't... I...

Well, this I can cover up... but the mummy coming back to life, on the eve of the Flood Festival, is another matter.

What's your plan?

To keep the museum closed until things blow over.

No way!

Look at that badgir!

A windcatcher, yes, the most common type of tower here. Those openings catch the cool, high winds and guide them into the building through vents.

Cool air flows into the space below, pushing the hot air out the opposite side.

I didn't know you were an architect.

I'm not. But I met the talented architect who invented the badgir.

Do you sense the gems yet?

I'm sorry... I can't sense any nearby. Maybe I could tell you something else.

Are you not curious how the gems retain one's memory and consciousness?

Well...

I AM curious. I figured it was some kind of Sarkaz witchcraft related to the Zhayedan.

People in my time believed that life consists of three parts: Body, Name, and Soul.

Body is the physical vessel, and Name is the identity known to others. The Soul, however, is what truly makes us human; it is the emotions and experiences that form our character.

All three parts must be preserved together, in order for life to be eternal.

The Body can be replaced with something more durable. The Name can retain its meaning by being passed on through generations.

I know. That's the genesis of Sargonian noble heritage.

The Soul, however, is the frailest of the three.

During the Age of Shadow, it was discovered that part of the Soul can be preserved, in a manner of speaking, by etching it upon a pure gem with Originium circuits.

Like the gem in your chest...

Yes.

I've only ever read about it in ancient texts... Scholars call it superstition, borne out of a lack of understanding of the nature of life.

That is a misinterpretation.

However, the true mystery, the method by which a life's journey is engraved, has long since been lost to time.

Or, it might exist, to some degree... gems with engraved Originium circuits can still be found in this city.

Last year, a gem with Originium circuits that could change the ambient temperature in a small area was sold at auction for an incredible price.

Some things survive the test of time, only to become barely recognizable.

The sun's about to rise. We should get back before the museum opens. Let's go.

The museum is just ahead. I don't want to crawl through another hole. Why don't we use your Arts to make a shortcut?

One moment, Pepe.

Have you sensed the gem?

No...

I would like to see the sunrise.

The one thing that the passage of time cannot change.

...

Okay. Just for a bit.

How lucky. It is still bright, glorious, brilliant.

It still brings warmth.

Is it time to go back?

You can stay a while longer, if you like being in the sun.

We have a little bit of time.

The sun is up.

Four days... no, five, since Narantuya went missing.

Focus, Ajazi! This work requires attention to detail!

You're sure that the communicator fell into this drainage outlet when we left the museum, right?

I'm sure.

Well, we've been dredging through it every day, but we haven't found a shadow of it.

We can't reach Narantuya if we don't find it. if we can't reach Narantuya... what will we do?

...I remember Narantuya saying we should find a way to get money when she's not around.

You're right, Ajani!

We need to pull a big job.

That way, we can buy a new communicator and get in touch with the boss!

Let's go. We've got work to do at the museum.

Alright...

Huh?

Hey, Ajazi, I think I hooked something!

What do you think, Lazvar?

A hue like the night sky, and the wavy patterns it like lava gently flowing across it...

It was dug up from the deep Obsidian veins decades ago. It's a rare treasure today, given the state of Mount Siesta.

The gem vendors in town dare not give a hasty quote for it, and you've been away from the post these past few days...

There is no Originium circuit on this gem.

I'm afraid I cannot give you a high price for it.

Three hundred and seventy dinars.

B-But a Siestan collector offered a much higher price for it! The equivalent of thirty-seven thousand dinars!

Could you perhaps be mistaken?

You could always go back to that collector.

Ah, er, well, it's not that I don't trust the overseer's eyes and scales...

But if we were in Londinium, Lungmen, or Siesta...

We're in Menat-Ha'mait.

There are treasures here beyond reckoning. The sand beneath your feet was perhaps at one time gems brighter than the stars.

That is why we value the power of a gem far more than its appearance.

Three hundred and seventy dinars is the most I can give for an ordinary Obsidian, with no Originium circuits or special powers.

Can we really sell a rock that we reeled in from the sewers?

Even the roads in this city are paved with gems. Try holding it under the sun.

What am I supposed to see?

Nothing. It's like the plastic handle of my toothbrush.

Well, don't be discouraged, Ajani. It could help Narantuya's great endeavor, even if it's not worth much.

Like, she could enjoy ice water for an entire week once she comes back. Added with lemon slices and dried dates for sure.

Hey, you! Yeah, you, behind the counter.

Me?

Yeah. You're the receptionist, right?

Receptionist? No—

It's our first time here. We want to... to... what do we want to do, Ajazi?

To get this gem appraised and sell it for good money!

Yeah, that's right. Do you know where the queue for gem appraisals is?

...Give it to me. I can appraise it.

Wow, even the receptionist at the gem trading post knows how to appraise gems!

At first glance, it is a pale sapphire of low-purity.

Low-purity? Sounds like dried dates are off the menu.

Well, the lemon slices still have a chance.

The Originium circuits are clearly visible. Hm? This is...

What is it? Is there something wrong with the circuits?

Meh, never mind, Ajazi. The gem probably doesn't do anything, judging by his reaction.

...No, it does. The Originium circuits on this gem can induce excitement in small animals.

It makes small animals excited...?

Where are you going, Ajani?

Back to work at the museum, of course! You know how much money we're making per hour carrying boxes?

Forget that blue toothbrush handle! Can't afford to waste our time here!

Hey, wait for me!

Wait, your gem—

I was going to say I could offer fifty thousand dinars for it...

Meow...

Mio? You're back early.

(Dejected) Meow...

...It's okay, you tried. It's not easy to see him, is it?

...

Hey, Mio, try this.

(Touches the pale blue gem with a paw)

(Sniffs)

(Purrs excitedly)

(Rolls in ecstasy)

Glad you like it... what's that? You found your motivation again?

Alright, then, go with Woof to find the gems.

They've finally converged upon this city.