Riddles Awaiting Answers

Riddles Awaiting Answers is a World Quest in the Institute of Natural Philosophy, Fontaine.
==Steps==
* The quest is obtained automatically upon entering The Narzissenkreuz Ordo after completion of Unfinished Comedy.
# Talk to Caterpillar
==Dialogue==
;(Talk to Caterpillar)
:Paimon: Well, this is the Narzissenkreuz Ordo!
:Caterpillar: Hmm. There are no longer any ceremonial items here, nor has there been a Dispelling Ritual conducted for a long time. Nonetheless...
:Caterpillar: Yes, the familiar setting is stirring my memory. This is the right place.
:Paimon: Maybe there might be clues that we've overlooked, but that you could spot off the bat!
:Paimon: So, have you found anything?
:Caterpillar: All I see are memories of a past and things that were that shall never again catch up to me. Does that count?
:Paimon: Well, Paimon doesn't wanna interrupt your reminiscing, but that doesn't sound like what we're looking for.
:Caterpillar: Perhaps, but my past is inextricably intertwined with the Narzissenkreuz Ordo, the chief culprit of the great sin.
:Caterpillar: As such, some of my memories may yet be helpful to you.
:Paimon: Then, could you start telling us about them, Caterpillar?
:Caterpillar: I should warn you that I was not in the inner circle several hundred years ago, so I don't know everything about the incident.
:Caterpillar: But I was personally mentored by Narzissenkreuz, who should be the origin of all this.
:Paimon: Narzissenkreuz...? Isn't that...
:Caterpillar: "There's a prophet lying dormant in all of us, and when he wakes, one more evil shall walk the world"...
:Caterpillar: That's the sort of person he is.
:Paimon: Well, since we've got this opportunity, is there anything else you want to ask, ?
: Tell me about yourself, Caterpillar...
::Caterpillar: About me? I thought we got acquainted well enough during our jailbreak.
::Caterpillar: But I understand that you're asking about something deeper.
::Caterpillar: "Now, I shall perform a terrible feat that never been done before and will never be done again..."
::Caterpillar: "...I will expose someone's true self before all, without any facade or masks... and that someone shall be myself."
::Paimon: Wow, that's really... a lot. Paimon doesn't doesnt think she can lighten this atmosphere up at all...
::Caterpillar: Lanoire has already gone home, did she not? We have to face a more complicated world now.
::Caterpillar: The time for things from under the age of nine is over. Next, we probably need the experiences from age sixteen or so—
::Paimon: Huh... What? Uh, the "experiences from sixteen or so"?
::Caterpillar: The first voice I heard while in this body was that of Narzissenkreuz.
::Caterpillar: Other than speaking of the redeeming powers of the Holy Blade of Narzissenkreuz, he also preached thus:
::Caterpillar: "The body is just a shell. Even the body of a hilichurl can bear sentient consciousness."
:: Did he create you, then?
::Caterpillar: Perhaps he did. I've tried to unravel my own origin, but the answers I got were all pretty vague.
::Paimon: Poor you...
::Caterpillar: Well, I don't really feel that way.
::Caterpillar: I have discovered, after all, that most humans do not know the reason why they were born, and yet they still live happily.
::Caterpillar: Also, it is not quite correct to say that he "created me."
:: How so?
::Caterpillar: Creation is a feat for a god... If we may call the one above a "god."
::Caterpillar: In the tenets of Narzissenkreuz, do you know what is most critical in creating someone?
::Paimon: What is it?
::Caterpillar: It's imagination. Imagining a person, down to the last detail, akin to an Oceanid imagining a creature in the wild.
::Caterpillar: There's a story that tells of a powerful mage-priest imagining his own son, only to realize he himself was the product of someone else's imagination.
::Caterpillar: Sorry for digressing, but I feel that this information is relevant to your questions.
::Paimon: Well, that didn't make anything clear, but...
::Paimon: Do you have any other questions?
:;(Return to option selection)
: About the Narzissenkreuz Ordo...
::Paimon: Since you find this place so familiar, what could you tell us about it?
::Caterpillar: Actually, as I recall, most of the people in the Narzissenkreuz Ordo were very kind.
::Caterpillar: Narzissenkreuz's teachings just contained many radical ideas that were, perhaps, difficult for people to accept.
::Paimon: That doesn't sound good at all...
::Caterpillar: Narzissenkreuz would lead ceremonies with the Holy Blade, in accordance with the ancient dictates.
::Caterpillar: They call it "Tri-Factor Excision" in Liyue, and in Sumeru, "Shattering Atmagraha." He called it "Renunciation of the Ego."
::Caterpillar: He believed that one's own will is an obstacle, and that accidentally receiving a Vision while seeking the path is a guaranteed path to destruction.
::Paimon: So... After someone gives themselves up, what happens to them?
::Caterpillar: Well, they stay quite normal, actually. It is said that people cannot perceive the truth, because a body with a self sees the world filtered through the five senses.
:: That doesn't sound so scary, then.
::Caterpillar: However, I never found out for what Narzissenkreuz's ultimate purpose for collecting all those wills and selves was.
:: Can you elaborate concerning Narissenkreuz?
::Caterpillar: Another time, perhaps. There is so much to be said... I'll need time to process it all.
::Paimon: Do you have any other questions?
:;(Return to option selection)
: About what happened all those years ago...
::Caterpillar: Many years ago, the one then called "Lord-Artificer" Guillotin and Narzissenkreuz had an intense clash.
::Caterpillar: Guillotin was even called the "White Cavalier of Protection" back then...
::Paimon: Pffft.
:: Is that a better title than Honorary Knight?
::Caterpillar: Well, if we're comparing impressive titles, I submit "Chrysalis of the Phantasmic Moth."
::Paimon: Bwahahaha, just what kind of weird title is that!?
::Caterpillar: ...The title that the Ordo gave me. See, I'm Caterpillar, a creature that turns into a chrysalis before completely metamorphosing into a butterfly.
::Paimon: S—Sorry.
::Caterpillar: I suppose the name contained the wings of hope that I would mature into a human.
::Paimon: Do you have any other questions?
:;(Return to option selection)
;(After asking all 3 questions)
:Paimon: Even though we learned a lot...
: There's still more questions that will need answers...
:Caterpillar: I'll have to pore over the records and try to piece it all together.
:Caterpillar: So, I'm afraid you won't always find me here.
:Paimon: Fontaine can be dangerous for you as it is now...
:Caterpillar: I'll disguise myself, and rely on the methods I've developed to do what I must. I'll survive.
;(If both The Final Question and Unfinished Story have been completed)
::
::Seymour: Negative. Danger. Danger. Activity by Narzissenkreuz Ordo remnants detected.
::Seymour: , Paimon, and Ann, please find a safe place immediately.
::Seymour: Annihilation mode activated.
::Ann: I didn't know you could do that!
::Paimon: Whoa, Seymour, calm down! This is...
::Caterpillar: We meet again. What did the White Cavalier of Protection say about you? Ah, yes. "This is my little invention."
::Seymour: Affirmative. I am... *garbled mechnical noises* protoype, with a large number of bold design elements.
::Seymour: ...The priority level of this topic has been downgraded. Please lay down your arms and surrender.
::Caterpillar: Seymour, listen to me. I've already surrendered to .
::Seymour: Is that so?
:: Yes, totally.
::Seymour: Very well. In that case, we can continue to discuss my extraordinary design.
::Caterpillar: I am Caterpillar, as you know. Speaking of which, how's the young lady you were protecting doing?
::Caterpillar: ...Wait a moment. Why did I say something like that?
::Paimon: What's wrong?
::Seymour: You are correct. I am looking for the master I should protect, Ma—
::Caterpillar: Mary-Ann. Or, as you might call her, Mary-Ann Guillotin.
:: ...Mary-Ann Guillotin!
::Seymour: ... *mechanical noises* ...*the mechnical noises slowly become clearer* Guillotin.
::Seymour: Correct. My designer. Guillotin.
::Paimon: Caterpillar, is this your memories from hundreds of years ago, y'know, getting clearer?
::Caterpillar: No. This is a memory from before my birth, something akin to an elephant recalling its previous life while meditating.
::Seymour: I do not understand. Previous lives do not exist.
::Caterpillar: Not for you, at least.
::Caterpillar: Thanks to you, it seems that I've encountered a potential breakthrough I had never imagined possible. Perhaps I might find the secrets to my own birth after all.
::Seymour: Though I do not understand, I am glad to have been of service.
::Ann: Anyway, h—hello, Caterpillar... Have we met?
::Caterpillar: My memory is fading, so that is quite possible. If I may be so blunt, what is your relationship with the Red Empress?
::Ann: The Red Empress? I have no idea who that is, though the name kind of rings a bell.
::Caterpillar: Then let me try another name... What is your relationship with Lyris?
::Ann: How do you know that name?
::Ann: I went through many adventures with Paimon and just to find out that she was merely a character in a story.
::Caterpillar: Do I? Hmm. Ah. I think I know what's going on.
::Caterpillar: I'm also a victim of riddles, so I shan't play dumb — I'll tell you everything I know.
::Caterpillar: Lyris did indeed exist. She was an Oceanid as well, and Narzissenkreuz's name for her within the Ordo was the "Red Empress."
:: What's going on here?
::Paimon: Paimon feels like it's all connected!
::Paimon: Still, when we first got here, Paimon couldn't help but notice... The clock here doesn't seem very accurate, does it?
::Caterpillar: Ah. That.
::Caterpillar: Simply put, it's the Doomsday Clock.
:: Doomsday Clock?
::Caterpillar: When the clock strikes midnight, the apocalypse will come.
::Paimon: Huh? Doesn't this mean that the end of the world is almost upon us?
::Caterpillar: Huh, that really does take me back. When I was here before, they thought the apocalypse was still far away, and that though it wouldn't happen in our generation, we should stop it for the sake of the future.
::Caterpillar: If the clock is accurate, then it is not far off now. Perhaps we shall lay ourselves down to sleep tonight, and the sun shall not rise in the morn. Perhaps the sea shall evaporate tomorrow.
::Caterpillar: Or perhaps we are already living in the apocalypse, and the good times have long ended.
::Paimon: Hey! Get serious! Will the apocalypse really come?
::Caterpillar: First, what we see is just a "clock," not the apocalypse itself. When it comes down to it, time is merely a tool humans use to measure changes in all forms of matter.
::Caterpillar: Narzissenkreuz was the one who used the "world-formula" to calculate the beginning of the end, and built this device.
::Caterpillar: As such, I cannot answer your question, dear Paimon. Because this is all it is — a clock.
::Paimon: That's true...
:: Anyway, let's share our findings...
::
::Seymour: Input logged.
::Ann: Elynas...
:: Did you think of something?
::Ann: I don't know. I'm not sure. It's like water boiling off into gas. I can't see it, and I can't quite grasp it, either.
::Paimon: Oh. Any thoughts or leads, Caterpillar?
::Caterpillar: Hmm... Can't say that I don't, but I'm still trying to sort some things out, so let's discuss this later.
::Caterpillar: Right. I kept forgetting to ask you something.
::Caterpillar: , Paimon, I'm very grateful for everything you've done for Lanoire. So, is there anything that I can help you with?
::Paimon: Huh? Do you mean... anything? Just like making a wish?
::Caterpillar: Haha! It should be something within the scope of my abilities, of course. You did free Lanoire and I from prison, but I'm no Jinn in a bottle.
:: So, what would your wish be, Paimon?
::Paimon: Hmm, if that's the case, then Mora... No, wait, yummy food...
::Paimon: Aah! There's so much that Paimon wants, but...
::Paimon: We've been having lots of fun traveling together, so we don't really need anything special. Instead, Caterpillar, can you help us help Ann and Seymour?
::Ann: Paimon...
::Paimon: , what do you think? Is that a good wish?
:: That'll do, Paimon. That'll do.
:: S'all good.
::Caterpillar: I understand. Then, let us work together.
::Ann: Yeah!
::Seymour: Understood.
::Caterpillar: Now, I plan to work with Seymour and Ann to see if we can use our experiences and the information available here to figure something new out. , Paimon, let's meet back here later.
;(If The Final Question has been completed but not Unfinished Story)
::Seymour: Negative. Danger. Danger. Activity by Narzissenkreuz Ordo remnants detected.
::Seymour: Disk Defragmentation Emergency Interruption.
::Seymour: , Paimon, please find a safe place immediately.
::Paimon: Whoa, Seymour, calm down! This is...
::Caterpillar: We meet again. What did the White Cavalier of Protection say about you? Ah, yes. "This is my little invention."
::Seymour: Affirmative. I am... *garbled mechnical noises* protoype, with a large number of bold design elements.
::Seymour: ...The priority level of this topic has been downgraded. Please lay down your arms and surrender.
::Caterpillar: Seymour, listen to me. I've already surrendered to .
::Seymour: Is that so?
:: Yes, totally.
::Seymour: Very well. In that case, we can continue to discuss my extraordinary design.
::Caterpillar: I am Caterpillar, as you know. Speaking of which, how's the young lady you were protecting doing?
::Caterpillar: ...Wait a moment. Why did I say something like that?
::Paimon: What's wrong?
::Seymour: You are correct. I am looking for the master I should protect, Ma—
::Caterpillar: Mary-Ann. Or, as you might call her, Mary-Ann Guillotin.
:: ...Mary-Ann Guillotin!
::Seymour: ... *mechanical noises* ...*the mechnical noises slowly become clearer* Guillotin.
::Seymour: Correct. My designer. Guillotin.
::Paimon: Caterpillar, is this your memories from hundreds of years ago, y'know, getting clearer?
::Caterpillar: No. This is a memory from before my birth, something akin to an elephant recalling its previous life while meditating.
::Seymour: I do not understand. Previous lives do not exist.
::Caterpillar: Not for you, at least.
::Caterpillar: Thanks to you, it seems that I've encountered a potential breakthrough I had never imagined possible. Perhaps I might find the secrets to my own birth after all.
::Seymour: Though I do not understand, I am glad to have been of service.
::Paimon: In that case, why don't we exchange information?
::Paimon: Since Seymour's here, maybe you'll be able to find some special records or something, Caterpillar.
::Seymour: I do not understand, but I determine the likelihood of success to be: high.
::
::Caterpillar: So, Jakob has emerged...
::Caterpillar: I have another hypothesis about all this, but to prove my conjecture, I still need to conduct some onsite investigations. If you could accompany us, Seymour, that would help a lot.
::Seymour: This is a decision that will help restore my records. I will accompany you.
::Caterpillar: Very good. In that case... , Paimon, once I am 90% confident, I will inform you.
::Paimon: Great!
;(If Unfinished Story has been completed but not The Final Question)
::Ann: *Yawn*...
::Paimon: Huh? Ann, you're awake!
::Ann: Oh... Good morning, Paimon, Knight .
::Paimon: Oh, allow Paimon to introduce you two. This is our Oceanid friend, Ann. Ann, this is...
::Caterpillar: My name is Caterpillar. A pleasure to meet you, Ann.
::Ann: Likewise, Caterpillar... Huh. Have we met?
::Caterpillar: My memory is fading, so that is quite possible. If I may be so blunt, what is your relationship with the Red Empress?
::Ann: The Red Empress? I have no idea who that is, though the name kind of rings a bell.
::Caterpillar: Then let me try another name... What is your relationship with Lyris?
::Ann: How do you know that name?
::Ann: I went through many adventures with Paimon and just to find out that she was merely a character in a story.
:: What's going on here?
::Paimon: Yeah, what's going on? Do you know Lyris, Caterpillar?
::Caterpillar: Do I? Hmm. Ah. I think I know what's going on.
::Caterpillar: I'm also a victim of riddles, so I shan't play dumb — I'll tell you everything I know.
::Caterpillar: Lyris did indeed exist. She was an Oceanid as well, and Narzissenkreuz's name for her within the Ordo was the "Red Empress."
::Paimon: Wait? What? So what happened to her?
::Caterpillar: I don't know, though I do have a hunch.
::Ann: Can you tell me?
::Caterpillar: I fear this hunch isn't worth bringing up. Besides, I suspect that you've already figured it out, being as smart as you are. Am I wrong?
::Paimon: Figured what out?
::Ann: The first thing you said to me...
:: "My name is Caterpillar..."
::Ann: No, the next line!
::Ann: What my relation to the Red Empress — or Lyris the Oceanid, is...
::Paimon: In that case, you should visit Mary-Ann in the Annapausis, Caterpillar.
::Paimon: Maybe that will confirm your hunch.
::Caterpillar: A reasonable suggestion.
::Ann: I won't be troubling you this time, Knight , Paimon. I'll go with Caterpillar.
:: Are you sure?
::Caterpillar: Trust me.
::Ann: And me.
::Paimon: Okay, then... We'll see you back here later.
;(If neither The Final Question nor Unfinished Story have been completed)
::Caterpillar: If I find anything worth mentioning, I'll let you know immediately.
::Caterpillar: Or if I'm not around, I'll leave a note behind, you know, like one of those forgetful .
::Paimon: Oh, okay then... You take care.
::Caterpillar: You too.
:: We'll wait for you.
::
==Trivia==
* The aforementioned Doomsday Clock might be a reference to the actual Doomsday Clock created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which is a symbolic clock signifying how close the world is to a human-caused global catastrophe.
* The Traveler saying "That'll do, Paimon. That'll do." is a reference to the ending of the movie when Farmer Hogett looks down at Babe and says: "That'll do, pig. That'll do."
==Other Languages==
==Change History==