In Pursuit of a Phantom

In Pursuit of a Phantom is the second part of .
==Steps==
# Talk to Meng at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and find out what happened
# Go to the exorcism site
# Protect the Ley Line Monolith and fend off the enemies
#* Wave 1: 
#* Wave 2: 
==Dialogue==
;(Talk to Meng)
: Hu Tao: Meng, I'm back! I'm afraid we're still no closer to finding Big G.
: Meng: I see. Well, I'm just sorry for the trouble. We've already searched in all the likely places...
: Paimon: Who is this Big G anyway?
: Meng: I guess I should start at the beginning. My home was in the vicinity of Wuwang Hill. In my youth, I had a good many friends there.
: Meng: Big G was one of them. We were the best of friends, inseparable really. But one day there was an accident, and that was the end of him.
: Meng: I've never forgotten... Too many memories, I suppose. I often return to Wuwang Hill.
: Meng: But recently, after one such visit, I started to feel strange. Now, every night, Big G appears in my dreams.
: Meng: I can't help but wonder, did I disturb him somehow?
: Sounds like a tall story.
: That kind of thing doesn't happen.
: Meng: Perhaps. I don't have proof, but I can't stop worrying. I get more anxious every day.
: Meng: How would I ever come to terms with my childhood friend becoming an evil spirit?
: Hu Tao: That's why he joined Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. In place of a salary, I'm helping him deal with this matter.
: Hu Tao: And in fact, what Meng has said is entirely plausible. Spirits, on occasion, do find a way into our world.
: Hu Tao: But as for evil spirits, I think you're scaring yourself. Even I have only encountered malevolent forces a handful of times.
: Meng: But are you sure there's no danger? I couldn't bear for him to go around harming people.
: Hu Tao: You see what I mean? Look at the state of him. If we can't find Big G, it'll eat away at Meng forever.
: Hu Tao: Those people we found today were also Meng's childhood friends. I thought there was a good chance Big G might have hidden among them. But here we are, empty-handed.
: Meng: Wuwang Hill, childhood friends... Seems like we're out of leads...
: ???: Sorry, excuse me, is this Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
: Luocheng: My name's Luocheng. I've had this awful feeling recently, like something's staring at me.
: Luocheng: Some of my friends and I went to Wuwang Hill the other day on a dare. After I returned home, I fell ill... I've been having recurring nightmares, but the doctors can't find anything wrong with me.
: Luocheng: I think that... it's a curse, right? I've been cursed by a demon!
: Hu Tao: Say no more. There's no doubt, it's a demonic curse alright — and a serious one at that.
: Luocheng: You believe so too!? Then it's just like they say in the tales of old... The vengeful spirits of the gods who fell in the Archon War return to cast their evil curses upon mortals...
: Luocheng: And if the curse isn't lifted, it will burn through the body, laying waste to flesh and bone! Oh, what a wretched end!
: Luocheng: The symptoms I'm having are just like those described in the tales!
: Meng: Wuwang Hill? Hmm... No, I don't think it was a curse, it was probably just Big G—
: Hu Tao: Hold your horses, both of you. There's no need to creep each other out.
: Paimon: Isn't that exactly what you like to do, though?
: Luocheng: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor specializes in demonic stuff like this, right? Help me, I beg you! I'm too young to die!
: Hu Tao: Alright alright, don't panic. Leave it to me, you've come to the right person.
: Hu Tao: However, in order to lift the curse, we need a suitable location... and we need to make some preparations.
: Hu Tao: Come with me, my trusty assistants. I'm going to need your help.
: Meng: I—I guess I'll come too...
: Hu Tao: Help him make the preparations first. The incense exorcism, the one I taught you.
: Hu Tao: When you're ready, come and find me. Once we've finished with this, we'll get back to the Big G matter.
: Meng: Okay, I guess.
: Hu Tao: Right, let's go.
;(Talk to Luocheng or Meng again)
: Luocheng: Please help me, I don't want to die...
: Meng: Don't worry, the director is highly skilled, she'll help you find a way.
----
;(Interact with the Ley Line Monolith before meeting with Hu Tao)
:Observe Device: (No matter how you look at it, this is just an ordinary Ley Line Monolith.)
;(Upon arriving at the exorcism site)
: Paimon: So... what mysterious rituals are you gonna perform here?
: Hu Tao: No ritual at all. We just need to kill some time.
: Paimon: Eh!?
: Hu Tao: Wait, you didn't take all that vengeful god's curse stuff seriously, did you? They were eradicated ages ago!
: So why are we here?
: Hu Tao: You saw those two. One thinks he's been cursed, the other one believes his friend's turned into an evil spirit. It's hard to reason with them.
: Hu Tao: *sigh* Now you see why I believe that ordinary folks should be kept in the dark...
: Hu Tao: I've seen too many people lose their senses on account of things like this. If you want to calm them down, you need to convince them with something tangible.
: Hu Tao: And the best way to do that is to make a great show of destroying the bogeyman they believe in before their very eyes.
: Paimon: Uh... Sounds like that might work if you were trying to cheer up a three-year-old...
: Isn't it better to tell people the truth?
:: Paimon: You're onto something. After all, we're only afraid of what we don't know.
: How old are you, Paimon?
:: Paimon: Why would you ask that!?
:: Paimon: Paimon just wants to know why we can't tell everyone the truth!
: Hu Tao: Because you can't guarantee that telling an ignorant person the truth will improve the situation instead of exacerbating it.
: Hu Tao: What I can do is pretend to pull back anyone who believes their time is nigh. But, since the curse is imaginary, our fix will also be make-believe.
: Paimon: Makes sense, but... why would anyone believe that it's a curse?
: Hu Tao: Do you know the history of the Yaksha?
: Haven't heard about it.
: I know just some bits and pieces.
: Hu Tao: They once fought against the ancient gods. They fought brilliantly in a battle that engulfed the whole world in darkness. Although the gods were defeated in the end, their resentment persevered.
: Hu Tao: That resentment turned into a pestilence spreading amongst the ordinary folk. Hysteric people mistook it for "the curse of the gods."
: Hu Tao: The plague took the lives of many, which only furthered its spread, as the dead were a breeding ground for the disease.
: Hu Tao: Then, someone discovered how to prevent it from spreading: purify the air and burn the bodies of the deceased. The pioneers of these practices were, you guessed it, the founders of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
: Paimon: ...Paimon didn't see that coming. Really?
: Hu Tao: Yes. Anyway, it took many years, but eventually the plague was completely eradicated.
: Hu Tao: We've dealt with similar phenomena multiple times throughout the ages. Each time, we successfully restore the balance between life and death.
: Hu Tao: To sum it up, we are "gatekeepers," guarding the border for the sake of both the living and the dead, hehe.
: That's what you meant by "guarding the border"?
: Never knew Wangsheng had such a long history.
: Hu Tao: So when I say this "curse" is just a figment of the imagination, I say it with more certainty than most. But I also can't really go telling people that the ancient plagues were real, or it would incite panic.
: Hu Tao: Anyway, let's wait a bit more and get ready for the show. This Ley Line Monolith will make for a really great prop.
:
: Hu Tao: Ah, you're finally here! We just finished our preparations.
: Hu Tao: Now, look here. This device is used to drive away evil spirits. It'll absorb the curse inside you and cause it to take a physical form.
: Hu Tao: But don't worry, the Traveler here is a seasoned warrior and will assure our safety.
: Doing the dirty work again...
: You failed to mention we'd need to fight.
: Hu Tao: Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, haha! It'll be fine.
: Luocheng: Will that really solve my problem?
: Meng: Trust the director. She might look like a weirdo, but she's serious about everything she does.
: Hu Tao: Ugh, how can you call me a weirdo? I mean, wouldn't you say it's more... charmingly naive? Or... disarmingly different?
: Hu Tao: Alright, let's get down to business! My glamorous assistant, please activate the device!
;(After activating the Monolith)
: Luocheng: Is it really possible to materialize the curse!?
;(After defeating the first wave of enemies)
: Luocheng: I'm counting on you.
----
;(After the fight)
: Hu Tao: How are you feeling? Did the curse leave your body?
: Luocheng: Yes, I feel more invigorated than ever before! I'm cured!
: Luocheng: I can't express how grateful I am for your and the Traveler's help! If it hadn't been for you, the curse would've taken my life.
: Hu Tao: Ah, great! In which case, I guess now I can tell you...
: Hu Tao: *fanfare* You've been pranked!
: Luocheng: Eh? Wh—What?
: Hu Tao: This exorcism device? People like you wouldn't recognize it, but it's just an old Ley Line Monolith, deceptively effective at attracting monsters.
: Hu Tao: And those were real monsters, not a manifestation of your curse.
: Hu Tao: So riddle me this: If I didn't do anything to lift the curse, then what's the cause of your sudden recovery?
: Luocheng: The curse... wasn't real?
: Luocheng: ...Then why was I sick?
: Hu Tao: You caught a cold, ate something bad, or just scared yourself sick, it's anyone's guess... but I'm leaning towards the last option. It wouldn't be the first time in my career.
: Meng: How unexpected...
: Luocheng: I also didn't expect that, but still... I'd like to thank you.
: Hu Tao: Don't mention it. I found a way to deal with your fears this time, but I can't do it over and over again, so I'd appreciate it if you try not to give in to superstitions in the future.
: Hu Tao: Human life is short. Enjoy it while it lasts.
: Luocheng: Wow, I... What a weird thing to say.
: Luocheng: I—I shall head back. I'm sorry for troubling you.
: Meng: I feel relieved to see that it wasn't Big G's doing. However, unless he crosses the border, there will be no end to his antics.
: Meng: Since we are done with the matter at hand, can we resume our search for Big G?
: Hu Tao: I believe that won't be needed.
: Hu Tao: He found us first.
: Meng: Big G!?
: Big G: U—Um... I didn't mean to bother you... Any of you...
: Paimon: This is Big G? He's just a child!
: Hu Tao: Well, he is a spirit. It's quite normal that he looks just like he did when he left this world.
: Paimon: Umm, that's not what Paimon imagined when Paimon first heard the name "Big G."
: Hu Tao: Let's bring him back to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. We have much to do.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:En busca de un fantasma
pt-br:Encontre a pessoa que não existe