#ref: wanderer: deluge wyrmlord

[lndslorepuzzler]

Under Deepspace 07: Moonlight Under Sea, pt 1-11

01: Investigation: Using the high-level access, FMC manages to find a news article from two years ago; a man shot and killed in his apartment, with no evidence about anything. After listening to the recording*1 and viewing the video, she gets an offer to take a bounty: the bounty on Qi Yu's head.

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02: Canvas Enigmas: FMC heads to Qi Yu's place, where she finds him on the floor. Luckily he's not dead, only asleep. All over the floor are sketches, each labeled with 'Lemuria.' When Qi Yu wakes up, he asked FMC to help him up; if she chooses to, Qi Yu yanks her to the floor, and they go out to eat. While at lunch with Qi Yu, FMC lets him know there's a bounty on his head in/from the N109 Zone, which he is already aware of.*2 He also notes that someone has been following them, and the two of them make plans to give the pursuer the slip.

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03: Secret Tracking: As it turns out, their follower is a reporter, looking for gossip re: Qi Yu's possible involvement in Raymond's death by drowning, as his painting vanished from Raymond's room without anyone else being in or out. There were also rumors that Raymond had cut up the skin of his arms and legs to look like fish scales. After some sufficient threatening, Qi Yu lets the reporter go with the suggestion that he make up for his reckless behavior by finding out who exactly has been spreading the rumors/trying to cover up information in the first place.

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04: Under the Waves: FMC and Qi Yu have a quiet moment in a sky garden; Qi Yu mentions that he daydreams in his studio all the time, and has difficulty remembering what the real world is actually like. He thanks FMC for "bringing (him) out of his dreams today." When FMC begins to leave, Qi Yu reminds her that they still haven't gone to find a replacement for the coral stones for his paintings. FMC is less than enthused, until Qi Yu offers his help to get her into N109. He says, "when you see the big picture, you need to use some bait... Trade intel for intel, gamble to make gambles with higher stakes. But whether or not you can play the game is up to you." He tells her that if she decides she wants to go through with it, she can meet him at Whitesand Bay the next day. She goes, of course; as it turns out, and according to Thomas, Qi Yu has rented a rowboat "for a date."

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05: Set Sail: Qi Yu and FMC head for Hat Island*3 while conversing about how Qi Yu is going to try and obtain a protocore to make paint. There's some exasperated banter, and just after making a comment about how he'd rather swim, the trip is interrupted by a very sudden incoming wave. The two of them arrive at Hat Island somewhat worse for wear. Interestingly, FMC says she's the reason they made it to shore in the first place, while Qi Yu announces that "(he'd) rather float in the sea than be on land."

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06: Spring Excursion: On the island, FMC explains field trips to Qi Yu, and he suggests that FMC resonate with the coral to see if she can pick up any Metaflux fluctuations; he stops her from accidentally breaking it, and assists her in resonating; he says, "Everything in this world has a unique, unmatchable frequency. That's why each life is isolated. But your Evol allows you to change your frequency. You can resonate with others. If you open your heart, you can establish a connection. And share your power."*4 It works, which visibly startles Qi Yu, and some Wanderers show themselves.

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07: COMBAT

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08: Weak Fiends: Qi Yu gives FMC the protocore they obtained. FMC is surprised that her resonating with the coral had any effect at all; she and Qi Yu decide to camp for the night. A cat with a metaflux injury makes itself known. Qi Yu is extremely upset about it.

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09: Withstanding the Storm: FMC drags Qi Yu to find the cat, which scratches him. Almost immediately, a 'Deluge Wyrmlord' arrives. It attacks, and Qi Yu splits the water with his Evol. He says, "Guess you like my blood a lot more, huh? Sorry to break it to you, but my fire can never be extinguished."*5

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10: COMBAT

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11: Indomitable Spirit: After defeating the Wanderer, FMC and QI Yu are dragged out into the ocean; seeing Qi Yu in the water, FMC tries to head toward him. After a brief exchange (and a flashback scene where Qi Yu says, "It's settled then. If you don't return, I'll... I'll chase you to the ends of the Earth.") FMC starts to sink, and Qi Yu is going to let her. He only hesitates because he 'hears' FMC ask him not to go. A little red fish appears over his heart. He reaches her, and says, "You forgot everything. Yet, you still insist... All right... This is your choice." His eyes flash completely blue, instead of their usual blue-pink, and we are given a glimpse of his 'real' Lemurian body as he heads towards the surface.

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*1, In hindsight, we will recognize this voice as Qin Che. It's likely that the two people with him are Luke and Kieran. *2, See World Underneath: Long Lost Treasures. *3, The MERMAN is taking his (probably) Long Lost Love out on a goddamn ROWBOAT. Just so we're all on the same page. *4, I believe this is the cleanest explanation of what exactly FMC's Evol is truly capable of, so far. *5, It can be universally agreed that it's a bit strange for the mermaid to have fire Evol, though that doesn't explain why the Wanderer appears after Qi Yu's blood, specifically. There may be some background lore happening there; also, I'm not entirely sure the English translation is 100% accurate.