The Culture of the Past

is a Quest in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.
==Journal==
* Deliver the Elpis staples to Hinageshi.
==Objectives==
* Deliver gathered from the Hungering Gardens to Hinageshi./Deliver gathered from Anagnorisis to Hinageshi./As a botanist or miner, deliver to Hinageshi.
==Script==
script 	script
 	
Hinageshi 	You know, on our return voyage to Sharlayan, the professor said he'd been duly inspired and eager to continue our work. What culture do you suppose he intends to study next?
 	
Hinageshi 	Ah, Professor. Now that we're all gathered, might we discuss your plans moving forward?
Tankin 	Yes, of course.
Tankin 	Our research thus far on the lifestyles of peoples in various regions has proved quite enlightening. However, after much deliberation, I have concluded that to merely compare and contrast locations alone will not suffice. No, we must consider different time periods as well.
Hinageshi 	Oh my. Well, I suppose that means we will be studying Allag, then? I can think of no other bygone cultures worthy of scrutiny.
Tankin 	And I understand full well why you would reach that conclusion. However, I recently happened upon records that suggest there exists a civilization that predates Allagans. A civilization older than time, far more advanced than one might believe possible.
Tankin 	It sounds a fantasy, I know. But if it truly exists, I wish to recreate that paradise.
Tankin 	Please, tell us all you know.
Hinageshi 	A facility for the testing of creation magicks... Fascinating!
Tankin 	Were it anyone else I would call them mad, but you did travel to the moon...
Tankin 	I realize I am asking a great deal of you, but if there is a way to procure relics from that age, I would be eternally grateful. I will make what preparations I can for your return.
Hinageshi 	This may yet prove to be the discovery of a lifetime! Anything you can bring back to us will surely prove a boon to his research.
 	
Tankin 	I find it immensely more constructive to prove, rather than disprove, the existence of past civilizations. And with your help, I believe we can do just that.
 	
Hinageshi 	You know, a part of me thinks it odd that we now strive to emulate an ancient civilization. Would that not, after all, mean we are taking a step back? Though, if this Elpis is as advanced as you say, perhaps it will prove to be a step forward.
 	
Hinageshi 	Goodness me, you really did it! If I may ask, how exactly did you come by this...? Perhaps I'm better off not knowing.
Hinageshi 	Goodness me, this material is unlike anything I've ever seen. Honestly, I find it hard to believe it is as old as you say... All the better for our work, I suppose.
Hinageshi 	These minerals are possessed of immensely high concentrations of aether. Whatever could they have used this for?
Hinageshi 	I was not expecting the materials to be quite so...large. However did they manage to use them for crafting, I wonder?
 	
Tankin 	F20223Welcome, friend, to our humble abode...01
Hinageshi 	I beg your pardon, Professor?
Tankin 	Oh, my apologies, Hinageshi. I was simply imagining what the people of Elpis might have sounded like.
Tankin 	Ahem. We did our best to recreate their culture based on what you have told us. Frankly, it felt like I had wondered into a faerie tale at times, but I do find their way of life has its merits. They do not waste time on the frivolous. Everything has a clear, functional purpose.
Hinageshi 	Perhaps, but I find their clothes make it rather difficult to go about one's duties...
Tankin 	It is entirely possible they did not need to engage in physical labor. Their proficiency in creation magicks may have led to the decline of their physical frames. Wielding writing quills and such was no doubt a simple matter, but it is unlikely they could bear anything weighty.
Hinageshi 	What role do you suppose these masks played, exactly? Mayhap, they were averse to showing their faces?
Tankin 	I would posit that they distinguished each other not by their outward appearances, but by their aether. Or, perhaps, they all led such fulfilling lives that they simply had no need to express themselves as individuals.
Tankin 	To think that such a sophisticated civilization vanished in but the blink of an eye. I wonder if all cultures are ultimately destined to meet the same fate.
Hinageshi 	We will discover that answer in due time, I'm sure. Though part of me wishes we could live like this forever.
Tankin 	Haha, an interesting idea, Hinageshi, but I am not so sure it is a wise one. Still, it is gladdening to see you enjoy the cultures of the old world so.
Hinageshi 	Oh, no. That's not what I meant. Not exactly...
Hinageshi 	I was merely thinking how nice it would be if every day could be like this, experiencing new ways of living together.
Hinageshi 	Studying the length and breadth of a people's history as a whole, we could see naught but trends and tendencies. Like this, however, taking a glimpse of their lives, day by day, the parallels between our cultures become quite clear.
Hinageshi 	Even these ancients of Elpis no doubt enjoyed the simple pleasures of life as we do, taking each day as they came.
Hinageshi 	It would be oh-so lovely if we could do the same. Enjoying the simple pleasures of life. One day at a time.
Tankin 	Why, Hinageshi...
Tankin 	You are exactly right! I sometimes feel I learn more from you than I do my own research.
Hinageshi 	You flatter me, Professor, but I've said nothing worthy of such praise.
Quest complete.	Quest complete.
Category:Studium Quests in Final Fantasy XIV