Secret Keepers and Forbidden Zones

==Steps==
# Go to the Duke's Office
# Talk to Wriothesley
# Follow Wriothesley
# Keep Exploring
# Follow Wriothesley and explore ahead
==Gameplay Notes==
* During step 4 & 5, the active party is limited to the Traveler.
* Completing the quest grants the .
==Dialogue==
;(Go to the second floor of Wriothesley's office)
: Sigewinne: Excuse me~
: Wriothesley: I take it Mr. Freminet's condition has stabilized?
: Sigewinne: Of course. I would not have left the infirmary otherwise.
: Wriothesley: I've been expecting those two, but might I enquire as to the purpose of your visit, Miss Sigewinne?
: Sigewinne: I wanted to check up on Miss Clorinde. How are you feeling?
: Clorinde: Mostly fine, I think.
: Sigewinne: If you don't mind, I'd like to perform another quick physical exam. It'll just take a few minutes.
: Clorinde: Alright, thank you for looking out for me. I'll take my leave for now, then.
:
: Paimon: Well, want to explain yourself, Wriothesley?
: Wriothesley: Haha, of course, but I'm not partial to the word choice of "explain." How about "enlighten"?
: Please enlighten us as much as you'd like.
: Wriothesley: But where should I begin? How about you start by asking me any questions you have？ You can start with whichever one you'd like to get answered the most.
: Paimon: Hmm... Then Paimon will begin. Did you know about Lyney's goals from the very beginning?
: Wriothesley: No, I just knew they were Fatui operatives sent to the Fortress by The Knave. As for their specific goals... I only figured those out as you made progress on your investigation.
: Paimon: You managed to monitor and stay ahead of them even though you didn't know what they were trying to do?
: Wriothesley: They came here with ulterior motives. I'm quite adept at discerning what that kind of behavior signals.
: Why didn't you stop them?
: Wriothesley: Initially, I thought their goal was just to investigate Childe's disappearance.
: Wriothesley: Lyney suggested that I had deliberately let him escape, but in truth, I didn't really do anything special to help or hinder him while he was here. Everything he did, from finding helpers to leaving this place, he did on his own.
: Wriothesley: Of course, it's inevitable that The Knave would make a big deal out of her fellow Harbinger's unexplained disappearance.
: Wriothesley: I'm also quite curious about where that Harbinger went, so I figured I might as well let the Fatui do their own investigative work. All I care about is the answer.
: Paimon: So you were hoping Lyney's group would just do your work for you...
: Wriothesley: You make it sound like that's a bad thing... Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I assume that Freminet has told you already — the ratio of Primordial seawater around the Fortress of Meropide is on the rise.
: Wriothesley: The forbidden zone has always been Lyney's target, and you also got roped into that investigation after running into him. I began to intervene out of concern for your safety, and also to prevent the Fortress from becoming entangled in more irksome matters.
: Paimon: Are the rumors true? That you're also a former criminal?
: Wriothesley: Why would you put it like that? Isn't staying here all day and serving as the manager of the Fortress a kind of sentence unto itself, another form of prison? I just happen to have some support from the rest of the inmates, that's all.
: Paimon: Oh right, Paimon wanted to ask — who invited Clorinde down here?
: Wriothesley: Me, of course. I paid her good Mora to come down to the Fortress for some field work.
: Wriothesley: As a Champion Duelist, Miss Clorinde can be considered to be an independent party. I needed to find an exceptionally capable person to help me get through the impending crisis.
: Paimon: And saving Freminet was a part of that crisis?
: Wriothesley: You can think of it like that, yes. Credit where credit is due, that boy is quite adept at diving. Had conditions not been as hostile as they were, he probably would have found the missing Harbinger already.
: So, the forbidden zone really exists?
: What's inside of it?
: Wriothesley: That's not something you should be asking after. Neuvillette only asked you to investigate Childe's whereabouts.
: Wriothesley: All I need to prove to you is that the forbidden zone had nothing to do with the Harbinger's disappearance. That should be clear now that you've spoken to Freminet.
: Paimon: But... we've already uncovered that there's something wrong with the infirmary, and we've answered a bunch of questions that you threw at us... Isn't it about time that you answer our last question in return?
: Wriothesley: You make a compelling case... Do you really want to know the answer so badly?
: Paimon: Yeah! Paimon really wants to know!
: Wriothesley: Even if the truth may not be pleasant?
: ...Yes.
: Wriothesley: Follow me.
;(Approach the marked area on the ground floor of the office)
:
: Paimon: There's a hidden door here!? And a whole basement behind it? You're pretty good at hiding stuff, Wriothesley.
: Wriothesley: It seems you've forgotten just what kind of place the Fortress of Meropide is.
;(Approach the circular metal plate)
: Wriothesley: Stand on the central plate.
: Paimon: Wait, is there a secret mechanism or — whoa!!
:
: Paimon: So this is the "forbidden zone"? Honestly, for a place so well-hidden, Paimon sure doesn't see anything special...
: And that is...
:
: Paimon: What a huge door!
: Wriothesley: There are three such isolation gates in total. Generally speaking, I'm the only one who's allowed to go inside. Hence the name, "forbidden zone."
: Wriothesley: Am I correct to assume you're going to run on back and tell your little Fatui friends everything?
: Paimon: Well, er, Paimon wasn't thinking of keeping anything from them...
: Wriothesley: Hah. Well, I'd advise you wait until you've seen the whole truth of this place for yourself before deciding whether or not to tell them.
;(Approach the switch)
: Paimon: Huh, so there's a switch on the side...
: Wriothesley: Stand back.
:
: Paimon: Whoa... They all just went up one by one...
: What's that in the middle of the room?
: Wriothesley: Go on, have a look.
;(Enter the central room)
:: (This room is really empty with nothing in here, which is quite strange on its own. There's also a device smack dab in the middle of the room, which looks like some kind of massive sluice gate.)
: Wriothesley: I've been interested in what lies beyond that gate ever since I assumed leadership of the Fortress of Meropide. Of course, it would be unwise to recklessly open it, but it'd also be risky and negligent to simply ignore any potential danger that could be behind it.
: Wriothesley: The readings on that dashboard haven't budged since the day when I first laid eyes on this place. But over the past year, the needle has crept upwards from its original position, likely because some parameter it's been tracking has changed, if only infinitesimally.
: Wriothesley: Normally, I would have ignored it, but I happened to have some free time when I noticed it, so I investigated. Any guesses what the reading could be tracking?
: The water pressure?
: The temperature?
: Wriothesley: Very reasonable guesses. I've considered both of those as well. Unfortunately, our dashboard is tracking something less ordinary.
: Wriothesley: The temperature should vary with weather and climate changes, so for something that rarely shifts, the water pressure is more likely. We ran a few tests to increase the pressure from the outside, but the readings didn't change at all.
: Wriothesley: Later on, a few more possibilities occurred to me, such as a potential connection with the Primordial Sea. I began to make a few preparations based on that hypothesis.
: Wriothesley: Over the past few days, the needle has moved again. With that and the symptoms that Freminet displayed after leaving the Fortress, I can now confidently conclude that the readings represent the concentration of Primordial Seawater in the seawater nearby.
: Paimon: The concentration of... Primordial Seawater!? But we're already under the sea...
: Wriothesley: And that is precisely the problem. We're at the bottom of the sea, and now we're surrounded by toxic seawater. Somehow, Primordial Seawater got mixed in, and the concentration is steadily rising...
: ...Primordial Seawater is continually leaking into the sea?
: Wriothesley: Yes, that's very likely.
: Paimon: But forget about the two of us, not even Neuvillette knows where the Primordial Sea could be, much less where we could find and plug a leak...
: Paimon: ...Oh... OH!
: Wriothesley: Seems like you've figured it out.
: Wriothesley: I believe the Primordial Sea lies directly beneath this sluice gate. For some reason, the Primordial Seawater levels have risen significantly, and it's now very close to us.
: Wriothesley: The indicators are now red. Although the gate still stands, some Primordial Seawater has already leaked out and mixed into the sea around us.
: Wriothesley: ...If this continues, soon it will no longer be able to hold back the Primordial Sea at all.
: And if the Primordial Sea is leaking through...
: If this gate falls, all of Fontaine will fall with it.
: Wriothesley: Yeah, you know what the legends say. If this place falls, then everyone in Fontaine will be turned into puddles in the span of a night.
: Paimon: But that's just too weird! Why would the Fortress of Meropide be built right above a sluice gate for the Primordial Sea? Who built this place, anyway?
: Wriothesley: Your expression tells me you think this might be part of a vast, complicated conspiracy. To be honest, you might find the actual answer may be exceedingly boring.
: Wriothesley: It's just that the secret of the "forbidden zone" had been long forgotten by the nation before I rediscovered it with my research.
: Wriothesley: There's no single "founder" of the Fortress of Meropide in any traditional sense. What we know about its history has been left to us by the people who used to live here.
: Wriothesley: When the previous Hydro Archon, Egeria, ruled the land, all convicted criminals from Fontaine were exiled. The people drove the criminals away like a wolf pack chasing away the banished.
: Wriothesley: The criminals received no sympathy of any kind from the people. They were exiled to the desolate seaside, where they experienced only pain, struggle, and the bone-chilling cold.
: Wriothesley: Some of them began to repent, and prayed to the Hydro Archon, asking if there was still anything they could do. The Hydro Archon took pity on them, and said: You may go guard my secret, deep underneath the waves.
: Wriothesley: And so, leaning on the power of the Hydro Archon, they gathered underneath the sea, and began to build a fortress. They became a community down there in the deeps, and over the years, helped it to grow.
: Wriothesley: As the number of exiles increased, more and more people joined the community. When the first group of exiles died, they left the yet-unfinished fortress to their successors.
: Wriothesley: The Hydro Archon continued to lend her support, allowing the fortress and what it stood for to continue growing ever larger. Before long, this dark underwater fortress became the sinners' only home.
: Wriothesley: And with that, the people here stopped referring to the Fortress as a prison. They saw themselves as repenting sinners, who would regain their freedom once they had sufficiently redeemed themselves.
: Wriothesley: But as time went on, people also realized that the Fortress was a lonely place. Once they had gotten used to life here, they could no longer feel comfortable living in the overworld.
: Wriothesley: Once they had finished serving their sentences, some people left, and some others chose to stay. They'd find some idle position, and let their withered souls fade away with the ancient secrets of the past.
: Wriothesley: ...After many, many centuries, few people still remember the reason for the Fortress' founding. Now, they just see it as an integral pillar of Fontainian society, as the place where criminals deserve to be sent.
: Wriothesley: Now and again, researchers manage to break one law or another, and live out their days in the Fortress. I learned all this from an elderly historian — everyone else just thought he'd made it all up.
: Paimon: But now you know, every part of that history is true...
: Wriothesley: Indeed. It's just as the prophecy says. If this gate fails, then everyone will be dissolved into the sea.
: Do you believe in prophecies?
: Wriothesley: To be frank, not really. But sadly, that hasn't stopped this prophecy from proving all too accurate.
: Wriothesley: Prophecies are troublesome things. Just hearing one will create the first wave of panic. Seeing signs of it will bring about the second, and actually witnessing it in real time, the third.
: So, as the Duke of Meropide, just what do you plan to do about it?
: Wriothesley: Let's go somewhere else. I want to show you something.
: Wriothesley: This is it.
: Jurieu: Your Grace! Perfect timing. The results from our latest round of experiments have—
: Lourvine: Wait, Jurieu, he's not alone!
: Paimon: Huh? Lourvine and Jurieu?
: Wriothesley: No need to panic, you two. I've already told them about our plan.
: Lourvine: What? After you warned us not to tell a single soul about any of this!?
: Jurieu: I'm skeptical as well. Are you sure they are trustworthy?
: Wriothesley: The results speak for themselves, don't they? These two may already know more than you could ever imagine.
: Jurieu: ...Alright then, if Your Grace insists.
: Lourvine: They seem harmless enough... So I'll trust them for now.
: Wriothesley: How about some reintroductions... This is Jurieu, one of the highest-ranked researchers from the Fontaine Research Institute. He used to work under Edwin. I trust that you've heard of Edwin?
: Yeah, we have.
:: Wriothesley: Good. Saves me a bit of time explaining.
: Edwho?
:: Jurieu: He's the one who blew the whole Institute sky high. Everyone knew he was a bit crooked in the head, but you're not a local, so I guess it's possible for you not to have heard of him.
: Wriothesley: Edwin's main areas of research were Arkhium and gravimeters. As his assistant, Jurieu is quite familiar with them as well. I hired him to be my technical consultant.
: Paimon: You... you want to blow up the Fortress of Meropide?
: Wriothesley: Ah, what a lovely idea. I'm already imagining it in my head.
: Jurieu: Gotta admit, I'm tempted as well...
: Lourvine: Guys, focus! Focus!
: Wriothesley: That taskmaster over here is Miss Lourvine and is also one of my technical consultants. While Jurieu used to be Edwin's assistant, she used to be Jurieu's assistant.
: Paimon: Oh, are they together?
: Was that really necessary?
: Wriothesley: See, everyone keeps asking this question. Are you two sure you're not a couple, and just using your work as a convenient cover?
: Lourvine: I... Your Grace, I am NOT in a relationship with this man!
: Jurieu: If I dated her, I'd officially be madder than Edwin!
: Wriothesley: Jeez, forget I said anything, then.
: Wriothesley: Follow me.
:
: Paimon: Whoa, there's another door that goes right up!
: Wriothesley: Your constant amazement makes it seem like the Fortress can do anything.
: Paimon: But Paimon really thinks everything's super cool!
: Is this just a normal room?
: Wriothesley: Let's spice it up a bit.
:
: Wriothesley: And here you go.
: This is...!?
: Paimon: What a huge... ship?
: Paimon: This is also a production zone that Paimon's never seen before... What's going on?
: Wriothesley: How much do you know about Fontainian history?
: Paimon: Er... Not much at all...
: Wriothesley: Then maybe you haven't heard of the story of ancient Remuria. To give you a quick rundown, Fontaine used to be ruled by the Remurian Dynasty.
: Wriothesley: According to legend, the Remurian King, Remus, came to this land after being inspired by divine revelation, and found the seer Sybilla, who had taken on the form of a Golden Bee. Taking the Golden Bee with him and riding on a huge ship, the Fortuna, he created his nation above the surging waves.
: Wriothesley: He called his nation "Remuria," and used the Fortuna to incessantly search for new tribes and islands, calling on them to join his empire.
: Paimon: There's a ship in this story, too...?
: Wriothesley: Where there's water, there will be ships. People believe that hope can always be found at the end of a voyage.
: Paimon: Do you believe that, too?
: Wriothesley: To a point, I think. As you've already seen, I have a whole factory's worth of labor, materials, and technology at my disposal. Certainly can't hurt to give it a try.
: Wriothesley: So, the moment I began to speculate that the Primordial Sea might lie underneath the gate, I also began this project.
: Paimon: Were you inspired by the legendary Fortuna?
: Wriothesley: Maybe. Fontainians need something to hold on to to cope with the impending disaster.
: This is a plan for the ages...
: Can't you share your plan with everyone?
: Wriothesley: Were the workers to find out the truth behind this ship, riots would destroy the Fortress faster than any catastrophe.
: Wriothesley: As the Fortress' administrator, I would never make such a reckless call.
: Wriothesley: Alright, that's enough talking for now. I'll need another three cups of tea to soothe my throat. Do you have any other questions?
: Wriothesley: Seems like you're good. Come on, I'll take you back.
:;(Wriothesley brings the Traveler and Paimon back to the Dormitory Block)
: Wriothesley: I'll leave you here for now.
: Paimon: Oh! Uh... Thank you so much.
: Wriothesley: No worries. But don't forget, it's up to you whether or not you want to share what you just saw. What you do from here on out will likely affect those three as well.
:: (He means that my actions now will decide the next steps Lyney's group takes.)
:: (...In other words, if I want to tell Lyney the truth, I must make him understand that we cannot afford excessive conflict right now.)
: Paimon: Yeah, we'll put a lot of thought into it for sure!
: Yeah, we will.
: Wriothesley: Great. I look forward to what happens next.
==Soundtracks==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==Navigation==