Essential Classic

Essential Classic is a quest in .
==Steps==
# Go to the entrance to the Akademiya
# Wait for Faruzan
# Go to the book vendors at Treasures Street
# Go to the antique shop at Treasures Street
# Go to Puspa Café
# Talk to Maddah
==Dialogue==
===Doing Paperwork Sure Is Tough!===
;(Go to the entrance to the Akademiya)
: Collei: I can't believe she rushed right in after we arrived. She's really headstrong... *sigh* How did things turn out like this?
: Did I end up giving her a bad idea?
: You seem quite scared of her.
: Collei: No, not really. Madam Faruzan is a brilliant scholar — even Master thinks so. If she's really going to teach me how to read, it'll definitely be much better than me bashing my head against the wall.
: Collei: It's just that she can get a bit TOO passionate sometimes. I don't know how to handle that.
: The way she treats you...
: ...Is completely different from how she treats researchers.
: Collei: Maybe it's because she wants to take me in as a student?
: Collei: It's just like that researcher said: the Akademiya has completely changed during the 100 years that Faruzan was gone.
: Collei: I don't really get it, but it does seem like Haravatat's students aren't optimistic about the prospects of doing research with her.
: Collei: Students who are interested in mechanisms and applications of the elements generally enroll in Kshahrewar and Spantamad.
: Collei: Madam Faruzan also refuses to accept random students just to make up numbers. She still hasn't found a student she likes, even after all this time back.
: So she's a teacher with no students...
: Collei: But she seems to like my attitude toward learning, so she often asks me if I'm willing to become her student.
: Collei: Agh, it's because I'm a slow learner that I have no choice but to stay up late and study! Whenever she compliments me, I feel really guilty...
: So you're scared of her because...
: ...She keeps asking you to become her student?
: Collei: It's not that... Madam Faruzan respects my choices. She hasn't been trying to persuade me, especially since she knows I need to rest and recuperate.
: Collei: She sometimes brings food to Gandharva Ville for me, and each time, she says that Master can't find out...
: That sounds like something a grandmother might do for her granddaughter...
: Collei: Now that you mention it, it does feel a bit like that. ...Do I really look that young?
: Faruzan: Collei, , thank you for waiting. The issue has been resolved.
: That was fast!
: Faruzan: I argued with the higher-ups and convinced them of the practicality and necessity of educating the general public.
: Faruzan: If I'm not mistaken, they're the students of my classmates' students. They're a lot less forceful than their predecessors, though. I'd say they caved rather quickly.
: Collei: A—Amazing...
: (Were they convinced...)
: (...Or were they coerced?)
: Faruzan: It's just that we need to fill in every single page of the application. Tch, it's been a century, but the Akademiya is as picky as ever.
: Faruzan: Let's see now, what do we need to fill in... Course name, learning objectives, teaching methods, course materials... Hmm, I suppose we can fill in the course name last.
: Our learning objective is to teach people to read, right?
: Faruzan: That's a bit too general, I'd say. After all, this class's target audience isn't toddlers or children, but rather people who already know the basics of reading.
: Faruzan: As such, we'll need a more specific learning objective. How about... proficiency in reading and writing?
: Collei: That's true! If we use children's teaching materials, we'll only end up wasting a lot of time on things that students would already know...
: Faruzan: And you have your job as a Forest Ranger, Collei. People who attend this course in the future are also likely to have life commitments. We need more effective teaching methods.
: So, other than teaching materials for children...
: ...What other learning methods does Collei use?
: Collei: Hmm... Master always tells me that practice is the best way to learn. That's why I often ask him to help me find simple books to read.
: Faruzan: It must have been difficult to get books in Sumeru in recent years, no? Tighnari really went the extra mile for you.
: Faruzan: Expanding literacy is a capital notion. Now that the Akademiya is easing restrictions on the circulation of books, there should be more people who have become interested in reading. It's a great time to conduct this course.
: So we've got teaching methods sorted out.
: How do we choose our course materials, then?
: Faruzan: Hmm, so that's next on the list... I fear that I'm at a loss as to which books youngsters like nowadays. Would "The Legend of Antara" be too old of a story?
: If even a centenarian like you finds that tale old...
: How old is that story, exactly...?
: Faruzan: Hm, fair... Collei, what have you been reading lately?
: Collei: Me...? I've been reading light novels from Inazuma. I heard that ever since we were allowed to sell books in Sumeru again, some people set up stalls at Treasures Street to sell light novels. I've been meaning to go there and check it out!
: Faruzan: Light novels? This is my first time hearing about such a thing, but I doubt I will procure suitable teaching materials from the House of Daena... Treasures Street it is!
: Collei: W—Wait for us, Madam Faruzan!
: Collei: Gah, you wouldn't think someone as fast as her is over 100...! Let's pick up the pace and catch up to her!
;(Continue to Finding Teaching Material Sure Is Tough!)
===Finding Teaching Material Sure Is Tough!===
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Faruzan, optional)
: Faruzan: (Got to pick a true classic...)
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Farruq, optional)
: Farruq: (These folks had better be buying...)
;(Go to the book vendors at Treasures Street)
: Faruzan: What a long and mildly ungrammatical title. And why is the cover so colorful?
: Farruq: Is this your first time seeing a light novel, ma'am? They're the most popular of books nowadays. Would you like me to recommend something?
: Faruzan: Fine. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover, after all. May we browse through the books here?
: Farruq: Of course. Why don't you try this one? It's "Outlander Brigade: When the Wind of Death Blew Towards the Blond Samurai"!
: Collei: Ah, I heard that this book's author describes action in vivid detail.
: Faruzan: Hmm... Now, I've only skimmed through a few pages, but it feels like it's all fight scenes. There are only subjects and predicates, and the syntax is a tad simple.
: Collei: S—Subjects? Predicates?
: Faruzan: The protagonist just ends up fighting in every scene with no proper build-up. Will anyone even enjoy a story that's only comprised of fights?
: There might be people out there who will.
: It's for readers who don't care about plot.
: Farruq: Uh, how about "The Good Thing About Being Reincarnated as a Hilichurl Is That I Only Need to Eat Sunsettias to Become Stronger"?
: Collei: A reincarnation story? Those are pretty popular right now.
: Faruzan: "Isekai"? What in the world is that? Also, why does it become stronger by eating Sunsettias?
: Those are what we call "tropes."
: Faruzan: "Tropes"? Ah, those fictional rules used to push the plot forward, yes? They're definitely effective in achieving a distancing effect.
: Collei: Uh, sorry, what is this distancing effect?
: Faruzan: However, this book doesn't explain how reincarnation correlates to becoming stronger. Such an illogical rule will affect the coherence of the story. Will readers really accept this?
: There might be people out there who will.
: It's for readers who don't care much for logic.
: Farruq: H—How about this? I had to fight tooth and nail to get this in stock!
: Collei: Oh! That's the latest volume of "Onibudou"!
: Faruzan: Hmm? Now that's a rather normal title length. ...Oh, Collei, do you like this series?
: Collei: Y—Yes, but I—I don't like it THAT much! Ha ha...
: (She clearly recognized it as the latest volume with a single glance...)
: (Is she embarrassed to admit that she likes books like that?)
: Collei: Uh... Madam, are you going to use this series as teaching material?
: Faruzan: Let me see... The dialogue flows quite well, but there are too many phrases here that I don't recognize.
: Faruzan: "Third Eye of Perception," "Illusory Mirror," and so on. Are these terms that are tied to tropes?
: Collei: Haha, I also thought those names were strange when I was reading them...
: She was able to say those phrases in such a serious tone...
: I guess that's a language researcher from Haravatat for you...
: Faruzan: It's impossible to derive the meaning of these phrases in isolation. Also, their morphological properties are quite pedestrian, really.
: Faruzan: Or did the protagonist purposely create these strange names to disorient their foes?
: I think it's because such names are "cool"...
: I think it's because such names are "fancy"...
: Faruzan: So there's no deeper purpose? My, it's quite hard to understand stories written these days.
: Collei: Y—You're right... It's such a weird book, haha... but you keep wanting to read the next page...
: Faruzan: *sigh* Even the most popular book in Sumeru back then had greater depth than anything written today.
: The most popular book back then?
: Faruzan: Yes — a Vahumana researcher wrote it while researching folk legends.
: Faruzan: The plot had many twists, the world-building was fantastic, and even the writing could withstand scrutiny. When it was still being published, many people in the Akademiya were reading it.
: Faruzan: Even the sages back then all described the story as a timeless classic. The series must have concluded after so many years, right? Perhaps it's even more popular now.
: Farruq: Is there a book like that in Sumeru? I've never heard of such a thing before. What's the title?
: Faruzan: It's called "Tales of Shahryar." Do you sell it here?
: Farruq: Tales of Shahryar? I don't think I've heard of that before. When was it published?
: Faruzan: About 100 years ago...
: Farruq: 100 years ago? Are you pulling my leg? What sort of book can remain popular for 100 years?
: Faruzan: "The Legend of Antara" is popular to this very day, isn't it? I just heard someone telling it a few days ago in a cafe.
: Faruzan: If an old story like that is still being shared, then "Tales of Shahryar" must be even more popular.
: Farruq: Even if that is the case, I really don't carry that book here in my store...
: Faruzan: What? Hmm, is that because of the Akademiya's strict control over books in recent years?
: Faruzan: I can't believe they've allowed the people of Sumeru to become so uncivilized. How can they not know about the Tales of Shahryar?
: Farruq: Tales of Shahryar... Oh wait, I think I heard an antique seller on the other end of Treasures Street mention that name before.
: Farruq: I mean, it is a book from 100 years ago... Why don't you try asking for it there?
: Faruzan: Tales of Shahryar is considered an antique now? How could the Akademiya have let such an excellent work of literature be forgotten like this?
: Faruzan: , Collei, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. Let's meet at the antique seller's.
: Collei: Madam, wait! Oh no, this is bad...
: What's wrong?
: Collei: You asked me why I'm scared of Madam Faruzan, right? It's not because I don't know how to respond to her kindness...
: Collei: It's because I'm afraid of that ancient language she researches, because I can barely understand any of it. What if she uses ancient texts as teaching material!?
: That book's only 100 years old, Collei...
: I doubt this counts as a book written in an ancient language...
: Collei: Even so, what if researchers from 100 years ago liked to use ancient languages in their books? We've got to catch up to her!
;(Talk to Farruq again, optional)
: Farruq: A book that was popular 100 years ago? It doesn't sound like something that'd be popular now, to be frank.
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Derafsh, optional)
: Derafsh: (Who in their right mind would have any interest in this?)
;(Go to the antique shop at Treasures Street)
: Faruzan: Found it! The fifth volume of "Tales of Shahryar"!
: Collei: Wow, you actually found it!
: Derafsh: I never thought that this book would ever get sold...
: Faruzan: All right, that's our teaching material secured. We also now know what to call this course: "Analysis of Classical Texts." After all, this book is definitely worthy of being called a classic!
: Collei: C—Can I take a look...?
: Collei: Phew... Luckily, the language being used here isn't ancient at all. I can recognize a few words here and there... Huh? But why aren't there pictures in this book?
: Faruzan: As long as the writing is good, readers won't need any illustrations to imagine the scenes.
: Faruzan: Worry not, I shall thoroughly explain the difficult sections. You'll like this book, I know it!
: Faruzan: Ah, after all this time. I wonder if Aliyah and Aziz ended up together. And who obtained the Desert Gem in the end...?
: Faruzan: Sir, do you have the subsequent volumes of this series?
: Derafsh: Uh, I don't think so.
: Faruzan: Is that so? And here I thought I could finally read the ending... Never mind, I'll keep searching for the later volumes myself.
: Faruzan: If I'm to use it as a teaching material, it's better to start earlier in the series. Where are the first four volumes? Why aren't they all together?
: Derafsh: Uh, I don't have those either. Actually, this is the only volume I have.
: Faruzan: Is this series really that popular?
: Derafsh: No, no, no. It's not popular at all. Rather, there's absolutely no demand for it.
: Faruzan: No demand? Impossible! Back then, I'd come across at least three groups of people talking about it during a single stroll at the Akademiya!
: Derafsh: Seriously? No one told me that this book was anything special when I first got it.
: Faruzan: Where did you get this from? Can you still contact the seller?
: Derafsh: I'm afraid not. This book was sold together with a whole bunch of antique furniture. I didn't even notice it initially.
: Derafsh: Otherwise, the matra would've come knocking... Wait, is this book actually worth a lot? It can't be, right?
: I'm afraid not.
: It doesn't look valuable.
: Faruzan: That's impossible! No matter how strict the Akademiya was, there's no way "Tales of Shahryar" could have fallen into such a state...
: Derafsh: Ah, I do remember a passerby skimming through the book a few days ago. However, he simply sighed and left.
: Faruzan: He sighed? Why would he react like that? Given the quality of "Tales of Shahryar," he should've been entranced after a single glance.
: Faruzan: ...I'm sorry, Traveler, Collei. Please give me a moment. I'd like to look through this book first.
:
: Faruzan: ...Why is there another misunderstanding between Aliyah and Aziz? Also, why is there no mention of the Desert Gem at all?
: Faruzan: ...And a new character is introduced with no foreshadowing at all? Also, what are all these new names and terms?
: Faruzan: Is this really the "Tales of Shahryar" I know...?
: Faruzan: *sigh*
: Derafsh: Well, that passerby reacted in much the same way.
: Who was the passerby, in any case?
: Derafsh: It's Maddah from the cafe over there. You know, the fellow who spends all day telling "The Legend of Antara."
: Derafsh: Since that's also a very old story, maybe he knows a thing or two about that, uh... Tales of... uh, whatever it's called.
: Collei: Then let's go ask around at the cafe... Um, Madam Faruzan?
: Faruzan: ...Oh, yes... Let's go.
;(Talk to Derafsh again, optional)
: Derafsh: Anyway, is there anything else here that has caught your eye? As long as the price is reasonable, I can give you this book as a bonus!
;(Continue to Being a Classic Sure is Tough!)
===Being a Classic Sure is Tough!===
;(Use Nahida's All Schemes to Know on Maddah, optional)
: Maddah: (That book I saw earlier... Ah, what a shame.)
;(Go to Puspa Café and talk to Maddah)
: Maddah: *sigh* Another day, another empty room...
: Collei: Excuse me, but are you Maddah?
: Maddah: Yes. Are you here to listen to my story?
: Collei: Uh, well, we actually came to ask about something else.
: Maddah: *sigh* I see...
: Collei: S—Sorry...
: Maddah: It's fine. I'm used to it, more or less. So, how can this terribly unpopular storyteller help you?
: Faruzan: Do you know about "Tales of Shahryar"?
: Maddah: Huh? "Tales of Shahryar"? Why, I can barely remember the last time anyone talked about it.
: Maddah: My master always talked about how incredibly popular that book used to be. However, I tried reciting a few chapters of it at the cafe, and I found that it's even less popular than "The Legend of Antara"...
: Faruzan: Your master?
: Maddah: Yes, the one who taught me how to be a storyteller. He said that "Tales of Shahryar" was written by his master's master's master.
: Maddah: He also said that this great-great-grandmaster was an Akademiya researcher, and that even the sages liked the series!
: Maddah: He wrote four volumes back then, and the reviews just got better and better! You couldn't find a single person in Sumeru who hadn't read his books.
: Faruzan: And then? What happened next? Why doesn't anyone know about "Tales of Shahryar" now?
: Maddah: Oh, it's hard to tell when it comes to trends. One day, everyone likes stories like that, and the next day, their tastes change completely.
: Maddah: Instead of writing a proper ending, this great-great-grandmaster kept trying to extend the story...
: Maddah: To tap into popular trends, he added a lot of tropes. Then, starting from the fifth volume, the reviews started to go downhill.
: Faruzan: How could that be...? Then, what happened to "Tales of Shahryar" in the end?
: Maddah: In the end? There's no ending. The great-great-grandmaster tried to write a few more volumes, following whatever trends were popular at the time, but the trends kept changing right as he published his books.
: Maddah: He got so infuriated that he stopped writing altogether and focused on his research instead.
: Faruzan: What...? So there's no ending? The readers didn't care?
: Maddah: Haha, by that time, only a very small number of people were reading "Tales of Shahryar."
: Maddah: Anyway, my master probably exaggerated. How could a work possibly have been that popular?
: Maddah: The only tangible thing my great-great-grandmaster left is the original draft of "Legend of Antara."
: Maddah: He also left behind many theses from his research phase. When my master talked about "Legend of Antara," he'd even quote from those theses.
: Maddah: My master is a much better storyteller than me. Even when we're telling the same story about Antara, he's always able to draw in a huge crowd!
: Maddah: But even he won't recite "Tales of Shahryar" due to its ever-changing writing style and its lack of an ending.
: Faruzan: So Antara's story is the one that lasted through the years...
: Maddah: Well, not even sages can definitively ascertain the quality of something like a story. In the end, only time can separate the classics from the fads.
: Faruzan: Only time...?
: Collei: Madam Faruzan...?
: Faruzan: It's been a hundred years... Perhaps some things I once believed to be great aren't so after all.
: You know, I think...
:: The story's decline might not have been due to changing trends...
:: It doesn't matter if it's a classic or a fad. What matters is that you like it.
: You don't have to worry about that.
:: The story's decline might not have been due to changing trends...
:: It doesn't matter if it's a classic or a fad. What matters is that you like it.
: Collei: Y—Yeah! Master helped me find a lot of famous books at first, but in the end, I realized that I couldn't get into them...
: Collei: No matter how good those stories are, I can't improve my skills if I can't bring myself to read them in the first place. I think the best books for me are the ones I like!
: The problem here is not actually about improving your reading skills...
: ...But I suppose the principle is the same.
: Faruzan: ...Indeed.
: Faruzan: That is true. Readers' interests and trends of a time are not things that are so easily predicted.
: Faruzan: What was popular a hundred years ago could be completely forgotten in modern times. And yet a hundred years, as far as history is concerned, is but a blink of an eye.
: Faruzan: If "Tales of Shahryar" hadn't chased after trends and instead stuck to its original style from start to finish...
: Faruzan: It might have stood some chance of gaining renewed popularity... No, even if that didn't happen, at least it would be a work that was true to itself.
: Collei: Huh? Our conversation just got a lot more serious...
: Maddah: I don't really get what you're talking about, but it does sound sensible. Looks like I also have to hang in there and tell Antara's story well!
: You should think about the present first.
: You should think about your income first.
: Faruzan: Hah, how unseemly. I almost got carried away because of a single book. Well then, we should get back to the matter of our teaching material... It looks like we can't use "Tales of Shahryar" now.
: How about "The Legend of Antara," then?
: Faruzan: No, it's much too old.
: Maddah: Oh...
: Faruzan: Collei, you found a book that you liked at the book stall, yes?
: Collei: Um... Yes, but I don't really—
: Faruzan: Then we'll use that book as our teaching material. Now that I think about it, using a book that you like is the most suitable choice for teaching you how to read.
: Faruzan: As for the Akademiya... As long as we come up with an appropriate course name, we should be able to get away with this...
: I propose "Appreciation of Popular Literature."
: Perhaps "Analysis of Popular Literature" might do the trick?
: Faruzan: My, it sounds like you've dealt with the Akademiya before! Let's go with that.
: Faruzan: Now then, let's return to the book vendor in a bit and buy the latest volume of this "Onibudou" for Collei.
: Faruzan: Ah, but if I wish to use it as teaching material, I have to read it first.
: Collei: Huh? Um... Uh...
: Faruzan: Speaking of which, other than "Third Eye of Perception" and "Illusory Mirror," I also espy some unfamiliar phrases from the readers' messages at the back of the book.
: Faruzan: Such things as "Even if it reminds me of my dark history, I still can't help but be drawn in by the story," and "The author has written all the things that I only dare whisper into a tree hollow!"...
: Faruzan: Why do people use "dark history" to refer to awkward or embarrassing memories? Is this some slang that was invented in the last century?
: Faruzan: If one of our learning objectives was researching linguistic changes over the past hundred years, it might make it easier to get these books approved as teaching material.
: Maddah: Oh, I can tell you what that's all about! Apparently, in their youth, some people used to imagine themselves as someone "burdened by fate," "fighting against the world," et cetera.
: Maddah: But as they grew older, they started to become embarrassed by such memories. Some would write those fantasies into novels, while others would entrust such tales to tree hollows...
: Collei: M—Maddah! You know, I suddenly have the urge to hear a story about Antara!
: Faruzan: Huh? Why so suddenly?
: I think we can ignore the whole dark history thing, just for now...
: It's good to reminisce on an old tale in a while.
: Maddah: Heh, I knew it — there will always be people who love the golden oldies! Ahem. Now, let me tell you all about the ancient hero, Antara...
;(Proceed to Ending: Stories of the Past)
====Ending: Stories of the Past====
==Other Languages==
==Change History==