Endless Smoke

Endless Smoke is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Go to Northland Bank
# Leave the Northland Bank and talk to Ningguang
# Follow Ningguang and observe your surroundings
# Talk to Ningguang
# Follow Ningguang and observe your surroundings carefully again
# Talk to Ningguang
# Continue following Ningguang and observing your surroundings
# Talk to Ningguang
# Find the person following you
# Go back to Northland Bank for a confrontation
==Gameplay Notes==
* The correct suspicious person is blonde with blue eyes, wearing Snezhnayan clothing.
*Completing this quest grants the .
==Dialogue==
;(Go to Northland Bank)
: Ekaterina: Lady Ningguang...
: Ekaterina: I would hope that you're not here to create further trouble for the Fatui?
: Ekaterina: With all due respect, too much official pressure will risk driving our bank out of business.
: Ningguang: There is no need to be so hostile.
: Ningguang: I'm just here to talk business. So, are you in business or not?
: Ekaterina: That depends on the proposal. And it's not my decision alone.
: Ekaterina: But first, tell me. Why should we believe that you really are here for business?
: Ekaterina: Because if you're here to make us suffer huge losses like last time, then I'm sorry. But none of us here can afford that.
: Ningguang: Straight to the point, I see. Works for me.
: Ningguang: Traveler, we're leaving. Let's not waste any more of our time here.
;(Talk to Andrei)
: Andrei: Lady Ningguang...
: Andrei: Please go to the counter if there's something you need.
;(Talk to Ekaterina again)
: Ekaterina: I have a lot on my plate right now. You can see yourselves out.
===A Clumsy Cover-Up===
;(Leave the Northland Bank and talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: Do you see what I mean now? Their attitude was just as I expected.
: They were not even trying to hide their hostility towards you.
: Ningguang: That's for sure. Although our diplomatic relations with Snezhnaya haven't broken down completely, I dealt them a rather ruthless blow with the size of the reparations payment I imposed.
: Ningguang: This sum was paid by Northland Bank, so they are still wary of me to this day.
: So it is true. The Northland Bank is just an arm of the Fatui.
: Ningguang: Yes. With some exceptions, but that is more or less correct.
: Ningguang: If you encounter them in any other nations during your travels, be on your guard. They are more than just a commercial organization.
: Well, now I know... Does that make this trip worth it...?
: I guess I shouldn't have included this as an option...
: Ningguang: That's okay. My intention here was to show you some of the repercussions of that great battle.
: Ningguang: But that's quite enough politics for today. Let's get back to our fun little survival game.
: Wait a second.
: Can you sense it?
: Ningguang: Now that you mention it... Yes. We're being watched.
: I think they've been following us since we left Northland Bank.
: Ningguang: What are they plotting this time?
: Let's grab them and ask the question.
: Ningguang: Mm, my thoughts exactly. But we need to be discreet. If they realize we're onto them, we will lose the element of surprise.
: Ningguang: Let's act natural, determine who our tail is, then lure them somewhere more deserted, so we can catch them.
: Ningguang: Keep moving. Just walk forward at normal pace and don't do anything to give away that we suspect anything.
----
;(Follow Ningguang and observe your surroundings)
;(Talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: Okay, I think we have a few potential suspects.
: Ningguang: There's a lot of foot traffic here, but if you look closely, you'll see only a handful of people have been watching us constantly.
: Ningguang: But... I'm still not sure which of them is our tail...
: Let's keep going for now.
: Ningguang: Agreed. Whoever it is will continue to follow us.
----
;(Follow Ningguang and observe your surroundings carefully again)
;(Talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: I think we've narrowed it down a little further.
: Ningguang: But let's stay calm until we're 100% sure.
: Ningguang: It shouldn't take much longer.
----
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: What's the big idea? I'm enjoying the view here.
: Suspicious Person: Quit bothering me.
;(−1 Heart)
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: Have you seen my Mora?
: Suspicious Person: Never mind. I'll keep looking.
;(−1 Heart)
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: Shall I have noodles or rice tonight...
: Suspicious Person: Or maybe... what about both?
;(−1 Heart)
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: Nope, it's not here either... *sigh*
: Suspicious Person: I'm going to be in huge trouble when I get back home.
;(−1 Heart)
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: The words aren't coming. I need some inspiration.
: Suspicious Person: Maybe a drink would help...
;(−1 Heart)
;(Talk to a Suspicious Person during one of the "observe your surroundings" steps)
: Suspicious Person: Huh? What're you doing?
: Suspicious Person: Back off! Leave me alone.
;(−1 Heart)
;(If all Hearts are exhausted)
:
:You startled the person tailing you, causing them to flee. Observe your surroundings carefully and use non-conversational methods to ascertain your target.
----
;(Continue following Ningguang and observing your surroundings)
;(Talk to Ningguang)
: Ningguang: I think I have the answer.
: Me too.
: Ningguang: Let's get out of his line of sight and sneak up on him.
: Ningguang: Don't get the wrong person, though, or all our efforts will have been for nothing.
===The Snare===
;(Find the person following you)
;(If the player talks to the wrong person)
: Suspicious Person: What is it?
: Ningguang: Mmm, wrong guy.
: Ningguang: Ugh! He got away...
;(−5 Hearts)
: Suspicious Person: Hey. What is it?
: Ningguang: Mmm, wrong guy.
: Ningguang: Ugh! He got away...
;(−5 Hearts)
;(If all Hearts are exhausted)
:
:You chose the wrong person and startled the person tailing you, causing them to flee. Ningguang will have to come up with some other plan...
;(Talk to the right person)
: Suspicious Person: Ah! What are you doing!?
: Ningguang: Come now, did you really think we wouldn't notice you sneaking around?
: Suspicious Person: What? I... I'm not doing anything.
: Come clean.
: There's no use trying to deny it.
: Ningguang: I don't know what scheme Northland Bank has in the works, and I don't know what they're paying you.
: Ningguang: But let's make a deal. How cooperative you are now decides how much immunity I give you when this gets investigated.
: Suspicious Person: Uh... uh...
: Ningguang: Or do you seriously think Northland Bank won't throw you to the wolves when push comes to shove?
: Ningguang: Why don't you weigh the pros and cons and give me a clear answer before I retract my offer.
: (She is stern!)
: (She's not giving him a moment to breathe...)
: Suspicious Person: S—Sorry, Lady Ningguang. My assignment was just to follow you, I promise. That's it...
: Suspicious Person: When you showed up unannounced at Northland Bank, everyone was instantly on high alert. We figured you must be up to something, but your brief conversation left us none the wiser as to your intentions.
: Suspicious Person: We couldn't just overlook it. We had to get to the bottom of it before we could put our minds at rest.
: Are they really this guarded against you?
: Ningguang: I know they're wary of me, but this is still an overreaction, surely...
: Ningguang: This all feels very suspicious. There must be more to this than he is letting on.
: Ningguang: Hmph, I only took you there to demonstrate how tense things are. Somehow we only tested the waters but ended up with the catch of the day.
: Ningguang: Is there anyone else following us besides you?
: Suspicious Person: Yes. They would have seen this and reported back.
: Ningguang: Then we need to get moving. The longer they have to react, the fewer clues they'll leave behind.
: Don't you need to prepare?
: Don't you need more evidence?
: Ningguang: No time. I'll just have to improvise.
: Ningguang: Keep him with you. Do not let him slip away.
===Confrontation===
;(Go back to Northland Bank for a confrontation)
: Ekaterina: Argh! Are you saying that Ningguang hasn't done anything?
: Ekaterina: Impossible. She wouldn't have shown up here out of the blue without good reason.
: Ekaterina: Keep investigating. We must ascertain her intentions...
: Ningguang: So much commotion. This must be an important meeting.
: Ekaterina: Oh, great...
: Ningguang: It looks like I wasn't supposed to be privy to the contents of this particular meeting. This simplifies things.
: Ekaterina: So you are here to investigate us, after all.
: Ekaterina: Where did you get wind of this...?
: Ningguang: That doesn't matter.
: Ningguang: What matters is that I made a brief and inconsequential visit, and your first reaction was to immediately arrange a sizable surveillance operation with myself as the target.
: Ningguang: You couldn't have advertised your guilty conscience more clearly if you'd tried.
: Ningguang: You may as well come clean. You know I will not turn a blind eye to any violation of the rules in Liyue Harbor.
: Ekaterina: (Ugh, even if we cooperate with her investigation, she's bound to find problems even where there are none...)
: Ekaterina: Well, if you're such a stickler for the rules, you can carry out your investigation by the book. The Northland Bank has no obligation to cooperate. Even with a member of the Liyue Qixing.
: Ningguang: Fine by me. Then I'll take my time. But you'll be begging to tell me everything by the time I'm through.
===Ending: Feint and Riposte===
==Other Languages==
==Change History==