A Refuge in the Sands

A Refuge in the Sands is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Look for the client in Port Ormos
# Follow the client
# Search for the client in the nearby area
# Ask the client about their strange behavior
==Dialogue==
===Searching for the Commissioner===
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Badawi, optional)
: Badawi: (I still need some more Mora...)
;(Approach Badawi)
: Badawi: Kaveh? What are you doing here...?
: Kaveh: I—I've changed my mind. Uh... I was overreacting earlier. Can we try discussing the project some more?
: Badawi: My apologies as well. Now that I think about it, some of my requests were indeed a bit unreasonable.
: Badawi: If I chose you to create the design for my project, I should have a bit more faith in your vision.
: Kaveh: Ah, thank you for understanding. Mutual trust is the basis for good communication. Now that we've got that out of the way, I think we can have a more productive conversation.
: Kaveh: To be perfectly honest... your commission request has been the most peculiar one I've ever received.
: Kaveh: Even now, I still know nothing about the building's intended purpose. All I know is that you want to build something in the desert for public use.
: Kaveh: I am aware that overly specific requests will restrain the architect's artistic freedom. However, knowing nothing about the intended purpose of the building also means I have no idea if I'm on the right track.
: Kaveh: I've produced several draft proposals for you to choose from, and you've rejected every single one. If we don't get on the same page, it could be a decade before we can finally break ground on this project.
: Badawi: Yes, I've given this some thought already. I think we can go with the general direction of the latest proposal that you just showed me.
: Badawi: It's just...
: Kaveh: Hmm? Just what?
: Badawi: Putting the building design aside, can we get some less expensive materials for the floor tiles? I know someone in the business, and the red bricks he sells can go for pretty cheap.
: Badawi: The timber here as well. We should be able to find some substitutes...
: Kaveh: Ahh... Please give me a moment, my head's starting to hurt again. Just please hold on for a second...
: Kaveh: So, let me get this straight, you want to reduce the cost of the project, right? But if we implement your suggestions, then I'm afraid we have to scrap the entire design.
: Kaveh: Architectural design cannot be neatly split into discrete parts — any change to one part of the design will affect the quality of the whole thing. I decided to utilize high-end timber for this section because the weight-bearing structure requires the supporting materials to be durable and strong.
: Kaveh: Same with the tiles... Switch them out, and the entire mural will have to be redesigned. More importantly, if we make such a change, both its practical functionality and aesthetic value will take a great hit.
: Kaveh: If all you need is a building with a roof that can keep people dry in the rain, you shouldn't have commissioned me. Many architects would be able to build you one of those while charging far less in commission fees.
: Badawi: Actually, I... *sigh* Please tell me, are you absolutely sure that there's no room for any changes in this draft of the design?
: Kaveh: I think the most important thing for me is to understand what you would actually like to get. If you could tell me more about your vision, I might be able to work with the design some more. You are the client, after all. You should have the final say on how the project turns out.
: Badawi: I... want to build something unique. Something quiet and warm inside, a refuge that can block out the world outside.
: Badawi: I want all who enter this building to be able to temporarily forget everything that's going on outside of the building, and just focus on their task at hand.
: Kaveh: Hmm... that's a bit more information than last time, but it's still extremely vague. To put it another way, every rich person who wants to build a mansion for themselves would request something like this.
: Kaveh: We've gone through many proposals, and this draft is already the cheapest one. Cutting costs by substituting building materials will not only detract from the overall effect of the building, it also won't save you much Mora in the grand scheme of things.
: Badawi: Thank you for giving it so much thought. Please give me some more time to mull over the budget... I'll get back to you once I've figured out a solution.
: Badawi: I still have a few business meetings that I must attend, so I'm afraid I'll have to leave for now. You can just leave the proposal as-is. I'll get in touch once I've given it some more thought.
: Kaveh: ...
: Why do I feel like he's hiding something?
: Kaveh: I also have a similar feeling.
: Should we follow him and see if anything unusual comes up?
: Kaveh: Uh... Is that really okay? I mean, what he does now is none of our business...
: Kaveh: He does seem really suspicious, though. He dresses like a rich person, but when you talk to him, he hardly sounds the part.
: He sounds super frugal, too.
: Kaveh: That's actually pretty common. Not all rich people are spendthrifts. Many are just as if not more stingy than him.
: Kaveh: The more Mora some people have, the more they love interfering with people's lives — like constantly reminding you to pay back your debts, or hinting every other day that it's time for you to pay rent.
: Kaveh: Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not even sure this person really wants to work on this project with me. Putting his vague requests aside, he's still finding excuses to procrastinate even when we've decided on a plan.
: Kaveh: Who knows how long construction will take if he keeps delaying things like this... We should find him again and get some clearer answers. The sooner we can break ground on this, the better.
;(After following the client)
: Kaveh: Huh, where did he go? I could have sworn he went this way...
: Kaveh: Let's keep looking.
:
: Kaveh: Hey, look! Isn't that Badawi? It sure looks like him, but he's dressed completely different now. What is he up to?
: Roya: Didn't I tell you before? I'm not looking for more workers.
: Roya: Plus, aren't you a bit old for physical labor? If something happens to you, I won't be able to pay for it.
: Badawi: Oh, you won't have to worry about that. I grew up as an Eremite mercenary, and worked in the desert my entire life. My body's still in great shape.
: Badawi: I don't have many talents, but I still have my muscle. If you need someone to unload goods or drive away sumpter beasts, I'm your man.
: Roya: You used to be an Eremite mercenary?
: Badawi: I know there are a lot of bad apples in our ranks, but most are just trying to make a living. We're not that greedy by nature, and will do our best when given a job.
: Roya: Hmm, let me think...
: Roya: I'm sorry, but I still can't take you in. I don't have any open positions right now and don't have the Mora for anything more. How about this... why don't you try your luck somewhere else.
: Badawi: Okay, okay... *sigh*
: Kaveh: He used to be a member of the Eremites? Huh, from the way he dressed, I would have thought he was a merchant from the rainforest... Let's ask him about it.
===Concealed Circumstances===
;(Talk to Badawi)
: Kaveh: We meet again.
: Badawi: Huh? Why are you guys here?
: Kaveh: That's what we wanted to ask you. Who are you? Why did you dress up like a merchant to talk to me about our project?
: Badawi: ...
: Kaveh: There's no need for us to continue this project if you still want to keep hiding things from us. I don't work with individuals I can't trust.
: Badawi: Believe me, I didn't have any bad intentions... It's just...
: Badawi: Alright, there's no point hiding anything anymore. The building I'm trying to commission you for is not really a personal residence for me, but rather a library for children living in the desert.
: Kaveh: A library...? Funded entirely by yourself? Shouldn't this be the responsibility of the Akademiya?
: Kaveh: I've heard that the Akademiya will be looking to prioritize the desert with the allocation of educational resources and materials. It sent over a large shipment of regular goods just last month.
: Badawi: You're right, and I was aware of these happenings as well. I just figured... what I want to do is a separate effort from what's already being done by the Akademiya.
: Badawi: The desert is too vast. Even if the Akademiya spends a lot of effort trying to disseminate knowledge in those parts, it might still take decades, if not centuries, to reduce the educational gap that already exists between the two regions.
: Badawi: And what's more... I don't know if the Akademiya would ever reverse its stance in the future.
: Badawi: All I know is that as a desert-dweller, we should not wait passively for good things to happen to us. If we only did that, we'd never be able to stand up and hold our heads high.
: Badawi: I don't have much longer left on this world, so I just want to use whatever time I have to contribute something to my homeland.
: Why didn't you just tell us that from the start?
: Why did you feel like you needed to lie?
: Badawi: I didn't want you to know that I came from the desert. I've lived in the desert my entire life, and there wasn't anyone here that I could trust. I figured I needed as much safety as I could get.
: Kaveh: To the point that you even disguised your identity? That's certainly taking "playing it safe" to the next level... Hold on, don't tell me you've also been scammed before?
: Badawi: When I first came to Sumeru City, I brought a lot of Mora hoping to find an architect that I could work with.
: Badawi: Someone agreed to take on the project, and even took a sum of Mora from me, but then disappeared without a trace.
: Badawi: After that, I heard that there are a lot of untrustworthy people in this business. Some would run as soon as they've been paid, while others would deliberately use expensive materials and take a cut of the construction funding.
: Badawi: I spent a while collecting information in the city, and eventually learned that you're the most famous architect in all of Sumeru. I figured that you wouldn't need to make Mora by scamming people, so I decided to reach out to you...
: Badawi: By the way, how did you know I was scammed? I don't think I've ever mentioned that to anybody.
: Kaveh: Just a hunch. A while ago, I accepted an offer to work on a project in the desert, and was also scammed out of a large sum of Mora.
: Kaveh: I ran into someone who was living in a pretty run-down house. I noticed a load-bearing wall on the verge of collapse and suggested that I build a new house for him.
: Kaveh: He said that he had no way to pay for it, so I loaned him some of my own Mora, and told him to get some stone and timber from the local vendors. Soon after that, I found out that he had gone gambling with all the money, and lost everything, down to the last coin.
: Kaveh: And after that, he even borrowed Mora from me twice more, using a different excuse each time. I didn't even suspect him of any wrongdoing until he hired a group of mercenaries and tried to ambush me in his own house.
: Kaveh: According to him, I looked like an easy target because I was an Akademiya scholar who didn't have any family or friends in the desert. Hmph, what kind of person would just look at someone else and think "this guy looks like an easy target"?
: Badawi: ...Those kinds of things do happen every once in a while, yes. Folks like him are the exact reason why us desert-dwellers' reputation have gone down the drain! I must apologize to you on their behalf.
: Kaveh: It's alright. You were also scammed by someone from Kshahrewar, after all. I should apologize to you on their behalf.
: Kaveh: Ultimately, neither of our experiences had anything to do with the desert or the rainforest. People who are new to an area are always easy targets for criminals.
: Bad people are everywhere.
: Kaveh: Yeah, you'll find both good and bad people everywhere... I can't understand the logic of those who like to take advantage of others, but I have to accept their existence as a fact of life.
: Kaveh: Anyway, I digress. Let's return to the topic at hand. Did you keep rejecting my designs because you thought I was deliberately using expensive materials to take a cut as a middleman?
: Badawi: That's what I was afraid of initially, yes. I eventually understood that you weren't out to cheat me... but unfortunately, I still don't have nearly enough Mora to pay for the design you proposed.
: Badawi: I've done the math, and know that we should be able to make it if we cut some corners. However, after our conversations, I can see that you're passionate about your design, and I'm quite fond of the proposal as well.
: Badawi: So... I decided to try and see if I can afford your proposal as is. I've been looking for work every day, and in another month, I should be able to cobble together enough Mora together to meet the budget.
: Kaveh: By "cobble together," you mean you're going to spend your entire life's savings on this project? But then, what will you do if something unexpected comes up, and you find yourself stuck with no emergency fund?
: Badawi: To be honest, I haven't really thought about that. I mean... when you've lived to be my age and something happens, you can't really call it "unexpected" anymore.
: Badawi: All I want is to build this library before I leave this world, so that the children of the future would have some books to read, and the desert-dwellers would be able to learn their letters and pick up some practical knowledge.
: You seem really passionate about this project.
: Badawi: A while ago, I heard that the Akademiya had decided to recruit a number of exceptional children from the desert. Of course, this is welcome news. But as someone who spent their entire life in the desert, I still have a few concerns.
: Badawi: I know the desert life and can predict what the problems will be. Many children from the desert have had neither the interest nor the proper environment to learn.
: Badawi: So even if the Akademiya would take them in, once they enter the halls, they might find themselves surrounded by other children who look and act very differently from them. And as a result, they might become socially isolated.
: Kaveh: ...Yes, I can imagine that.
: Kaveh: My father passed away at an early age. Even though I had a good number of friends during my years at the Akademiya, for some time, I still sensed many critical looks in my direction.
: Kaveh: I'm sure a child coming all the way from the desert will have an even harder time.
: Kaveh: But let's bring this back to the building itself. I think you said that you want this building to be quiet and warm, with its doors serving as a solid barrier to block out the sound and fury outside and allow one to focus on the book in their hands.
: Kaveh: Building it according to the current plan will be quite costly. Even if I don't charge you any commission fees, I don't think we'd be able to keep it under your budget...
: Kaveh: Hmm... Any ideas on what we can do?
:
:;(+2 Hearts)
:: Kaveh: A slightly different style? Hmm, give me a minute...
:: Kaveh: Most architects would probably prioritize cutting costs and removing extra features in this situation. Indeed, converting the building into a simple bungalow would solve most of our problems... However, I do not think this would be the best solution.
:: Kaveh: While it's true that the aesthetic value of a building is often viewed as an afterthought, neglecting it has some long-term negative consequences. It is especially undesirable in this situation as the library will serve a high number of children, many of whom would have never been exposed to structures that may be considered elegant or beautiful.
:: Kaveh: To completely give up on the more aesthetic design would mean stripping the children of an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of architecture. I share Badawi's sentiments in wanting to preserve a more complex design.
:: Kaveh: However, if we can reduce the ornate aspects of the design while maintaining its fundamental elegance... Which is to say, we won't touch the arches and stone pillars, but make changes elsewhere... Hmm, this is definitely a first...
:: Kaveh: To make up for the loss of regular details, we would need to put a lot of extra effort into the layout, lines, and color.
:: Badawi: I see... Would that really be okay?
:: Kaveh: It just increases the difficulty of the design. You should feel lucky that out of all the architects in the city, you chose to approach me. Most of the others would have given up on this project by now.
:: Kaveh: As for inspiration... I think I might have something in mind, but I'd need to visit the site to make sure. Where do you want this place to be built? Tell me the exact location.
:: Badawi: . Although it wasn't my childhood home, I think it'll be the best site for such a building.
:: Kaveh: Okay, then we can pay a visit to Aaru Village.
:: Badawi: Is there something I can do for you? I've already caused you a lot of trouble before, and now, you're revising the design again because of me... Which draft are we even on now? It's making me feel terribly guilty.
:: Kaveh: Let me think... You said you used to be an Eremite mercenary, right? In that case, you could help us clear out some monsters that are blocking the way to Aaru village.
:: Kaveh: We want to keep the roads clear, and reduce the loss of materials during transport to a minimum. If everything goes well, that'll help us save some Mora.
:: Badawi: Alright, just leave it to me! Haha, if there's anything I'm good at, it's clearing out monsters!
:: Kaveh: What are you waiting for, then? Let's pack up, and get ready to go.
:;(Go to Field Study)
:
:: Kaveh: Sponsor the project? You mean... convince wealthy merchants to join our cause, and pool their money together to build the library?
:: Kaveh: That does make sense. A library is a big project, and it's going to be hard to fund it with just a single person's Mora.
:: Kaveh: What do you think? If we can find others to sponsor the project, we could potentially increase the size of the building two or threefold.
:: Badawi: It's all fine with me. But... where do you think we'll be able to find these sponsors?
:: Kaveh: Well... You're right, if I really think about it, I'm not too familiar with many big name merchants...
:: Can we ask Dori?
:: Kaveh: Her? Hard pass. With her shrewd and greedy personality, she would never put Mora into something like this.
:: Maybe she can connect us with some of her contacts?
:: Kaveh: Hmm, now there's an idea. She probably won't say no if all she'll need to do is to make some introductions instead of spending Mora.
:: Kaveh: Let's go and pay her a visit.
:;(Go to Attempted Persuasion)
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:Un refugio en medio de las arenas