The Moon-Bathed Deep (Quest)

The Moon-Bathed Deep is the first part of the The Moon-Bathed Deep World Quest Series.
==Start Location==
NPC Location Tsuyuko 1.png|Start location
NPC Location Tsuyuko Context 1.png|Additional context
==Steps==
# Talk to Tsuyuko at Mouun Shrine
==Dialogue==
:Tsuyuko: Hello, guests from afar. My name is Tsuyuko, and I am a shrine maiden at the Sangonomiya Shrine. Are you here to help?
: Help...?
:Paimon: We've only just met! What does she mean, "help"?
:Tsuyuko: Haha, sorry for being rude...
:Tsuyuko: It's just that I made a wish previously, and according to the divination result, there will always be help on the way whenever I am troubled or having a hard time.
:Tsuyuko: So you, O helpful guests, must be here to assist me, right?
: That's just an excuse, isn't it?
::Paimon: Well, whatever, let's just hear what she has to say first...
: Okay.
::Paimon: How is this any way to ask for help...
:Tsuyuko: Thank you so much, then. Let me give you the backstory.
:Tsuyuko: The deep pool directly across from the Sangonomiya Shrine is the entrance to Enkanomiya. Legend has it that this place was the origin of the Watatsumi people.
:Tsuyuko: In days of old, the beauties of Watatsumi were renowned for their soft skin, which would conceal seven types of skin blemish...
:Tsuyuko: ...This, of course, being mostly a consequence of our ancestors' lack of sunlight in the depths of Enkanomiya...
: *coughs*
: So, uh, about the reason you need help...
:Tsuyuko: Oh, sorry. In the past, I would usually give guided tours to people coming to Watatsumi Island, so I just...
:Tsuyuko: Well. In order to commemorate Watatsumi Omikami and our ancestors, we traditionally bring tributes that we let sink down towards Enkanomiya.
:Tsuyuko: It has been said, and it is recorded in our ancient writings, that our ancestors from Byakuyakoku relied on the meager light of the Dainichi Mikoshi in order to survive the sharpened claws of the Dragonheir of the Depths.
:Tsuyuko: That was up until a few thousand years ago, when the Watatsumi Omikami came and defeated the Dragonheir of the Depths and led us back to dry land. That was where we would build our new home on Watatsumi Island — Sangonomiya.
:Tsuyuko: And the underwater nation of Byakuyakoku was henceforth named Enkanomiya, in juxtaposition to our new homeland Sangonomiya, which stood high above the ocean surface.
:Tsuyuko: Of course, legends are just legends. For example, the Shogun's Army rallies itself around the god-subduing legends from Narukami.
:Tsuyuko: The theme of sacrifice and remembrance serves a similar purpose for us. It is a weapon we arm ourselves with as we battle to protect what is ours.
:Paimon: Is this something a shrine maiden should be saying...?
:Tsuyuko: It's true that shrine maidens shouldn't be speaking like this, but I am only human. I believe that we should look at history and folklore in a critical light.
:Tsuyuko: I apologize, I digressed again... In short, Watatsumi Island's "Holy Soil" problem is acting up again.
: "Holy Soil"...What is that?
:Tsuyuko: Just as the human heart runs deep and water flows downhill, the spirit of Watatsumi Island constantly feels the call of Enkanomiya, down in the depths.
:Tsuyuko: As a result, our soil is slowly bleaching, becoming Holy Soil. If this continues, Watatsumi Island will one day become a desert as pale as the moonlight.
: That sounds scary...
::Tsuyuko: Does it, though? To me, it's nothing more than just a superstition spread by the elderly. Although there may be some truth to it, it still lacks logical credibility.
: So how can we solve this problem?
:Tsuyuko: According to tradition, every several centuries, we must take advantage of a moment when the spirit veins flow smoothly to break the barrier that blocks the connection between Enkanomiya and Sangonomiya...
:Tsuyuko: We will need to dive down to Enkanomiya and retrieve a Jade Coral Branch left behind by our Omikami, which was used to suppress the Dragonheir of the Depths.
:Tsuyuko: Then, we must use the Jade Coral Branch to perform the Watatsumi Mitama Omatsuri ritual, thus causing the sunken "spirit" to return, which will stop the erosion of the Holy Soil.
: Wait, if we remove the thing that's suppressing the Dragonheir of the Depths...
:Tsuyuko: You deduce correctly.
:Tsuyuko: We have many Jade Coral Branches that can be used for this suppression, but if this continues, the Dragonheir of the Depths may one day break through the barrier and invade Watatsumi on the surface.
:Tsuyuko: So, I want to ask you if you could...
: Retrieve the Jade Coral Branch?
::Paimon: 's really good at finding things!
: Eliminate the Dragonheir of the Depths?
::Paimon: is great at fighting all kinds of monsters!
:Tsuyuko: At this stage, that is not what we need...
:Paimon: You mean you're gonna ask for our help again at a later stage?
:Tsuyuko: ...Hmmm... Well, let's see how it goes?
:Paimon: How what goes? Your next fortune slip!?
:Tsuyuko: Ahem. I will need to trouble you to visit the Goshou Rocks on Watatsumi Island.
:Tsuyuko: The Goshou Rocks are the five nodes of the barrier that separates Sangonomiya and Enkanomiya. They were set up by the founding clergy of the Sangonomiya along with our Omikami.
:Tsuyuko: If you want to dispel the barrier and enter Enkanomiya, you will have to break these five seals.
:Paimon: Sounds dangerous...
:Tsuyuko: Indeed, it would be very risky to break the seals rashly. After all, many years have passed, and no one in our generation knows what dangers lie beneath.
:Tsuyuko: Very few reliable records exist to begin with, and most of them are ancient texts lacking in detail. They offer little of value.
:Tsuyuko: Perhaps the Dragonheir of the Depths is waiting below for a chance to strike... Or who knows? There might be a more dangerous monster than the Dragonheir that has infiltrated the area, waiting for the moment when the seal is loosened?
:Tsuyuko: Or perhaps the ruins of the past have been buried under coral and sponges, never to be found again?
:Tsuyuko: Or worse still... maybe there's nothing to be found down there but a hollow cavern and lots of seawater?
:Tsuyuko: Whatever the case may be, standing here wildly speculating will not bring us the answer.
:Paimon: She makes a lot of good points, but let's face it — it'll still be us doing the work.
:Tsuyuko: Anyway. Since Enkanomiya has not been visited for so many years, perhaps some treasures left by the ancestors are still in there.
:Paimon: Trea— Ahem! , Paimon thinks that helping locals to solve their problems is cause enough for us to act!
: ...You have a way with words, Miss Tsuyuko.
:Tsuyuko: You flatter me. So, let's get to the point. The Goshou Rocks are in five locations, namely the "eye," "fang," "fin," "tail," and "heart."
:Tsuyuko: First is the seal known as the "eye" on . Look, it's right over there.
:Paimon: Then why don't you just go yourself?
:Tsuyuko: Hehe...
:Paimon: What do you mean, "hehe"!?
:Tsuyuko: The seal has been in place for a long time, and the ritual to break the seal is now unknown to most people...
:Tsuyuko: In addition, due to the current situation, it is difficult for the Divine Priestess to spare time to hold a grand ceremony to break the five seals in time.
:Tsuyuko: I'm ashamed to have to admit all of this to an outlander, but... the only person I can rely on is someone knowledgeable and well-informed, like you.
:Tsuyuko: Plus, if everything goes wrong, your identity as an outlander will help us to...
: Find a scapegoat?
:Tsuyuko: No, no... nothing like that... I would call this a case where "ignorance absolves guilt."
:Tsuyuko: If the is used as the base of orientation, the "fang" is located in the and the "fin" is located in .
:Tsuyuko: Lastly, there is the "tail" on the .
:Tsuyuko: Near each of the four seals is a stone tablet that records ritual-related matters... But they have stood for many an age, and the handwriting is now barely legible.
:Tsuyuko: By obtaining the "Spirit Pearl" of these four seals, you can unlock the fifth seal — the "heart."
: Sounds complicated...
:Tsuyuko: It's okay, if you are afraid that you will forget, please look for me at the Sangonomiya Shrine, and I will go over the steps with you again.
:Tsuyuko: Finally... I know it is poor etiquette to simply stop you in your tracks and entrust such an important matter to you on an unofficial basis. Please accept my apologies for this.
:Tsuyuko: But in any case, this is a matter of great importance to Watatsumi Island... The Sangonomiya Shrine will be very grateful for your aid.
;(Talk to Tsuyuko at Sangonomiya Shrine)
:Tsuyuko: You're back. Is there something I can do for you?
: About the locations of the Goshou Rocks...
::Tsuyuko: The is on the , the is on the , the is on the , and the is on the .
::Tsuyuko: Near each of the four seals is a stone tablet that records ritual-related matters... But they have stood for many an age, and the handwriting is now barely legible.
::Tsuyuko: By obtaining the four "Spirit Pearls" of these four seals, you can unlock the seal of the "heart".
::Tsuyuko: And at the , we break the barrier, retrieve the Jade Coral Branch, perform the Watatsumi Mitama Omatsuri ritual...
::Tsuyuko: ...But the knowledge I gained at the Akademiya tells me that the spread of Holy Soil is due to Watatsumi Island's geological make-up.
::Tsuyuko: As the seawater encroaches on land, the soil dries and hardens. The saline and alkaline components will leach the land's nutrients away and render the soil inert, thus rendering it no longer suitable for agriculture.
::Tsuyuko: The Jade Coral Branches contain Omikami's power, and they can replenish the missing elements in the soil, thus staving off the effects of bleaching.
::Tsuyuko: Ahem. Sorry, I digress.
: About the names of the Goshou Rocks...
::Tsuyuko: Ah, you must want to know why these seals are named the way they are?
::Tsuyuko: The Omikami has an envoy, and the clergy set a seal upon its skeleton and used its power to break the connection between Watatsumi and Enkanomiya.
::Tsuyuko: If you don't believe me, you can look at the map yourself. The bulge on the left is the "eye" and the one stretching out at the bottom right is the "tail"...
::Tsuyuko: Okay, don't look at me like that! That's the explanation I got from my fellow shrine maidens! It's hard for me to accept it too!
: So, what's with the "Holy Soil"...
::Tsuyuko: Basically, the bleaching of the soil is said to be due to absorption of the spirit of Watatsumi Island by Byakuyakoku. If it sinks all the way to the bottom, then Watatsumi will become a desert.
::Tsuyuko: But thanks to the suppressive power of Sangonomiya Shrine and our Omikami's might, which our Divine Priestess has inherited, this Holy Soil has not spread to encompass the rest of the island.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:Abismo plenilunado (Misión)
pt-br:Profundezas Banhadas pela Lua (Missão)