Ancestor's Drill Bit
Stellar Jade x 60, Trailblaze EXP x 350, Credit x 25000, Condensed Aether x 5, Shield x 200
Go to the Workshop to check on Molly
📍 Jarilo-VI Neverwinter Workshop
Serval sends you a message to thank you for helping Molly and invites you to accompany Molly in the "Workshop."
According to Serval, Molly hasn't recovered from that accident. Go to the "Workshop" to check on Molly when you're free.
According to Serval, Molly hasn't recovered from that accident. Go to the "Workshop" to check on Molly when you're free.
🏃♂️
Move
Serval
Or... we could just dismantle it?
Molly
No no! That will destroy the contents inside...
Molly
Listen, Miss Serval. If you shake the box lightly, you can still hear the clanging sound of water —
Molly
It is probably some kind of vinegar that is used to dissolve papyrus. It's sorta like those kinds of mechanisms where the file would be automatically destroyed if it were forcibly opened.
Serval
Hmm... Looks like it shouldn't just be taken apart, or should I say, it'd be hard to non-destructively take it apart. This can be quite the hassle. Let me take a closer look.
Molly
What I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't even try to take it apart!
Options
Are you guys in trouble?
(Leave them alone for now.)
Serval
Yo, {NICKNAME}, to what do I owe the pleasure? If you have something that needs fixing, just leave it there. I'll have a look after I first figure out how to take apart Miss Molly's heirloom tin box...
Molly
Do! Not! Take! It! Apart!
Molly
Oh! I—I'm just, a little anxious... I didn't mean to, Miss Serval! Sorry!
Serval
Hahaha, I'm just joking. Rest assured I won't damage it.
Options
Don't you have to go back to work, Molly?
Is the shop not opening today, Serval?
Don't you two have work to do?
Molly
The thing is... after what happened last time, I took a long vacation. I feel like I need to switch my mind to something else...
Molly
I mean, there's nothing but chores left for me in the military right now, and also, I messed with some big-wigs that I shouldn't have. I don't know if I should stay in the Technology Division anymore... ugh.
Serval
Don't worry. Pela has sorted it all out. But I do understand your concerns. You can think this over in my workshop, and stay as long as you want.
Serval
Of course it's open. But I haven't had much business recently, so I've been helping Miss Molly here with her family heirloom.
Serval
I have to say, even by today's standards, the craftsmanship of this little box is highly advanced. I can't just ignore an item this interesting.
Serval
Haha, the workshop is still open. It's just that there's been no business recently...
Molly
After that incident last time, I took a long vacation. I feel like I need to switch my mind to something else.
Molly
I mean, there's nothing but chores left for me in the military right now, and also, I messed with some big-wigs that I shouldn't have. I don't know if I should stay in the Technology Division anymore... ugh.
Serval
Don't worry. Pela has sorted it all out. But I do understand your concerns. You can think this over in my workshop, and stay as long as you want.
Molly
Anyway, as you can see, Miss Serval and I are trying to figure out the mystery about my family heirloom together. The one we brought back from the last incident—
Molly
I remember my father telling me, "This is the 'insurance' left for us by our ancestors... When there is no other way, find a way to open this iron box."
Serval
But we haven't made any progress other than finding a puzzle engraved on the box. I wanted to just take it apart, but Molly wouldn't let me...
Molly
Ugh... What were my ancestors thinking? Why would anyone in dire need have the time to solve puzzles? Way to mess with their children!
Options
So what does the puzzle say?
Don't they leave a key as well?
Serval
That's the problem. We can't even read the puzzle. To us, it's just a bunch of letters that we've never seen before.
Molly
We thought about that. Logically speaking, a box like this can only be opened with the corresponding key.
Serval
But this box doesn't use a pin tumbler lock mechanism at all, and the shape of the keyhole is so odd. Seems like what it needs is not so much a key, but something like a screw or a drill...
Serval
Apparently, Miss Molly's ancestors didn't leave us any such oddly shaped key, so we have to bite the bullet and solve the puzzle. But in any case, we have to decipher what the puzzle is first.
Molly
Decipher... Oh, yes! Miss Serval, {NICKNAME}, could this be the Silvermane Guards encryption technology? After all, our family has worked in the Technology Division for generations, so it won't be a stretch to presume that my ancestors used codes from the Guard, right?
Serval
Makes sense. But I was expelled from the Guard a long time ago. I have no idea about that kind of thing...
Molly
Oh, I only once heard my colleagues from the Intelligence Department talking about this. I don't know the specifics. After all, I am just an entry-level employee, and I don't usually encounter these things at work.
Molly
I'm out of ideas now... {NICKNAME}, what do you think?
Options
Silvermane Guards... Should we ask Captain Gepard for help?
Intelligence Department. Maybe ask Pela for help?
So, Serval, please dismantle the tin box...
Serval
Haha, you wanna ask my brother for help? It'd be much easier to steal the Silvermane Guards' master cipher codebook. My brother wouldn't know a thing about encryption. He usually just leaves this kind of work to Pela...
Molly
No! I told you, we're not gonna take it apart...
Serval
Haha, {M#he}{F#she} is only joking. If only Pela were here. She's always clever with these sorta things...
Serval
You are right, Pela! How could I forget. She's an intelligence expert!
Molly
Oh, I believe Miss Pela mentioned that she would get a new magazine just before she left this morning.
Serval
New magazine, huh? I see... She often spends her off days at the bookstore. Come on, let's go find her.
Serval
Well... I think there's still a way to non-destructively take it apart. You see the structure here...
Molly
...Miss Serval!
Options
Are you guys in trouble?
(Leave them alone for now.)
Serval
Yo, {NICKNAME}, to what do I owe the pleasure? If you have something that needs fixing, just leave it there. I'll have a look after I first figure out how to take apart Miss Molly's heirloom tin box...
Molly
Do! Not! Take! It! Apart!
Molly
Oh! I—I'm just, a little anxious... I didn't mean to, Miss Serval! Sorry!
Serval
Hahaha, I'm just joking. Rest assured I won't damage it.
Options
Don't you have to go back to work, Molly?
Is the shop not opening today, Serval?
Don't you two have work to do?
Molly
The thing is... after what happened last time, I took a long vacation. I feel like I need to switch my mind to something else...
Molly
I mean, there's nothing but chores left for me in the military right now, and also, I messed with some big-wigs that I shouldn't have. I don't know if I should stay in the Technology Division anymore... ugh.
Serval
Don't worry. Pela has sorted it all out. But I do understand your concerns. You can think this over in my workshop, and stay as long as you want.
Serval
Of course it's open. But I haven't had much business recently, so I've been helping Miss Molly here with her family heirloom.
Serval
I have to say, even by today's standards, the craftsmanship of this little box is highly advanced. I can't just ignore an item this interesting.
Serval
Haha, the workshop is still open. It's just that there's been no business recently...
Molly
After that incident last time, I took a long vacation. I feel like I need to switch my mind to something else.
Molly
I mean, there's nothing but chores left for me in the military right now, and also, I messed with some big-wigs that I shouldn't have. I don't know if I should stay in the Technology Division anymore... ugh.
Serval
Don't worry. Pela has sorted it all out. But I do understand your concerns. You can think this over in my workshop, and stay as long as you want.
Molly
Anyway, as you can see, Miss Serval and I are trying to figure out the mystery about my family heirloom together. The one we brought back from the last incident—
Molly
I remember my father telling me, "This is the 'insurance' left for us by our ancestors... When there is no other way, find a way to open this iron box."
Serval
But we haven't made any progress other than finding a puzzle engraved on the box. I wanted to just take it apart, but Molly wouldn't let me...
Molly
Ugh... What were my ancestors thinking? Why would anyone in dire need have the time to solve puzzles? Way to mess with their children!
Options
So what does the puzzle say?
Don't they leave a key as well?
Serval
That's the problem. We can't even read the puzzle. To us, it's just a bunch of letters that we've never seen before.
Molly
We thought about that. Logically speaking, a box like this can only be opened with the corresponding key.
Serval
But this box doesn't use a pin tumbler lock mechanism at all, and the shape of the keyhole is so odd. Seems like what it needs is not so much a key, but something like a screw or a drill...
Serval
Apparently, Miss Molly's ancestors didn't leave us any such oddly shaped key, so we have to bite the bullet and solve the puzzle. But in any case, we have to decipher what the puzzle is first.
Molly
Decipher... Oh, yes! Miss Serval, {NICKNAME}, could this be the Silvermane Guards encryption technology? After all, our family has worked in the Technology Division for generations, so it won't be a stretch to presume that my ancestors used codes from the Guard, right?
Serval
Makes sense. But I was expelled from the Guard a long time ago. I have no idea about that kind of thing...
Molly
Oh, I only once heard my colleagues from the Intelligence Department talking about this. I don't know the specifics. After all, I am just an entry-level employee, and I don't usually encounter these things at work.
Molly
I'm out of ideas now... {NICKNAME}, what do you think?
Options
Silvermane Guards... Should we ask Captain Gepard for help?
Intelligence Department. Maybe ask Pela for help?
So, Serval, please dismantle the tin box...
Serval
Haha, you wanna ask my brother for help? It'd be much easier to steal the Silvermane Guards' master cipher codebook. My brother wouldn't know a thing about encryption. He usually just leaves this kind of work to Pela...
Molly
No! I told you, we're not gonna take it apart...
Serval
Haha, {M#he}{F#she} is only joking. If only Pela were here. She's always clever with these sorta things...
Serval
You are right, Pela! How could I forget. She's an intelligence expert!
Molly
Oh, I believe Miss Pela mentioned that she would get a new magazine just before she left this morning.
Serval
New magazine, huh? I see... She often spends her off days at the bookstore. Come on, let's go find her.
Go to the Book Merchant and find Pela
📍 Jarilo-VI Administrative District
Molly, who is currently homeless, has become a friend of Serval. When you find them, they are working on Molly's family treasure, the mechanism box, as if they had been partners for years.
The two decide to ask for Pela's help because they find nothing. Go to the Book Merchant's place with them to find Pela.
The two decide to ask for Pela's help because they find nothing. Go to the Book Merchant's place with them to find Pela.
🏃♂️
MoveServal
Hi Fizz! How's business?
Fizz
Aha, if it isn't Serval. Business? Same old... But it's a nice way to earn a living. Every now and then, I can read leisurely like this.
Fizz
Ah, are you here to pick up that book? Sorry, there seems to be something wrong with the publisher. I haven't received it yet.
Serval
Well, no worries. It's not like I need the book right away. I actually came to see Pela. Was she here earlier today?
Fizz
Miss Pela? Ah! She just went back to get money. She should be back soon.
Options
Are books sold here that expensive?
Can't believe that she didn't bring enough money...
Fizz
Here is what happened. Miss Pela wasn't aware that this new magazine has a venue-limited edition, and she only brought enough money for the regular edition...
Molly
So... what kind of magazine is this? What is the venue?
Serval
I am guessing it's fan fiction of that... Tale of the Winterlands. They have both novels and comics. They write about the... relationship... between the characters from the original novels.
Serval
But they are all created by fans, and some of them are completely unrelated to the original works. I think they have meetings on a regular basis to share their ideas.
Serval
Pela is an important member of the Tale of the Winterlands fan club. They all call her... um, what was it...
Options
I never knew Pela was good at this kind of thing...
The Guards really live interesting lives
Oh, Artem, you are so gentle...
Molly
Well... Smart people are just good at everything.
Molly
*sigh* Maybe I'm the only one in the Guards who spends all day sulking.
Molly
Huh? What did you say?
Serval
Hey, looks like you and Pela have a lot in common, {NICKNAME}.
Pela
Yo Fizz, I'm back!
Fizz
Ah, right on time, Miss Pela is back!
Pela
... Why are you all here!?
Pela
So, Fizz... Um... This is kinda embarrassing, but could you do me a favor and reserve that limited edition for me... Seems like I'll have to buy it a bit later. Also... You didn't let them see the new edition, did you?
Fizz
Of course not, hehe.
Pela
Oh, good. Thank you, Fizz. My dignity as an intelligence officer has been saved...
Pela
So what are you guys doing here? Don't tell me you're here to buy books 'cuz I won't believe it.
Options
We need your help to decipher something.
I wanna read Miss Pela's masterpiece...
Molly
Yep. You see, Miss Serval and I found a line of code on my heirloom tin box. Can you take a look, Miss Pela?
Pela
...Serval.
Serval
Yes? How can I help, Miss Pela~
Pela
Serval, you big mouth! I'll sort you out once we get back to the workshop...
Molly
Um... Actually, Miss Serval and I found a line of code on my heirloom tin box. Miss Pela, can you please take a look?
Pela
I mean, I could... Let's go back to the workshop and talk about it in detail.
🏃♂️
MoveMolly
Oh, Miss Pela isn't here?
Serval
Let's go and ask Fizz.
🏃♂️
Neverwinter WorkshopTalk to Pela and go to the Corridor of Fading Echoes
📍 Jarilo-VI Neverwinter Workshop
Pela's embarrassment piqued your curiosity, but now isn't the time to tease her...
You've discovered a clue written on the family heirloom that points you towards an old fort called the Corridor of Fading Echoes. Go with Pela to explore it.
You've discovered a clue written on the family heirloom that points you towards an old fort called the Corridor of Fading Echoes. Go with Pela to explore it.
Ancestor's Drill Bit
Serval
So, Pela, now that you had a look, what do you think?
Pela
Well, I think you guys are probably on the right track. These disorganized letters certainly resemble cryptography. However, given that this was created 600 or 700 years ago, it most likely uses a completely different encryption algorithm.
Molly
So, what encryption algorithm did they use then?
Pela
Let me think... I remember that in Chapter 2, Section 4 of the 7th Edition of the Silvermane Guards Cryptology, it says, "In the early days of the Guards, Richard Balakin, the intelligence officer and chief of the Technology Division, popularized the earliest encryption method within the force."
Pela
"All the letters are shifted four places backward in the alphabet, and the ciphertext can be obtained this way; the reverse can also be used for decryption."
Options
So let's try it out.
How do you remember that so clearly...
Pela
That's just one of the basic skills of an intelligence officer. So don't underestimate me.
Pela
So, according to this method...it should be... I got it! Here it is: "The key"... "At the mountain pass"... "Waiting," "That place is"... "The Supreme Guardian"... "The place of operation"? In addition, the inscription is "Richard Balakin."
Molly
Based on the surname, this Richard is indeed my ancestor. Wait, isn't this the guy Miss Pela just mentioned? And what on earth does this mean anyway?
Options
Could it be the location of the next clue?
Get out of Belobog, Riddler!
Molly
You are right! There are two locations mentioned in this sentence...
Molly
...What is a Riddler?
Serval
"The mountain pass," "the place of operation of The Supreme Guardian," I'm guessing it's referring to the fortress that was eroded by the Fragmentum?
Pela
And the "key" must be referring to the key that opens the box. In other words, this ancestor hid the key of the heirloom tin box in the Corridor of Fading Echoes.
Molly
Uh oh... Even for the Guards, it is difficult to set foot in the Fragmentum, let alone ordinary citizens like us, especially if you want to go searching around inside.
Molly
What do we do? We've finally found a clue. Do we have to give up after all?
Options
We can help you find it.
I visit the Fragmentum like it's my home...
Molly
Even for a seasoned traveler like you, the Fragmentum must be too perilous to go into, or so I've heard.
Pela
Then your home must be quite the hell hole...
Molly
Are you really going to help me find the key? Thank you so much! But I don't wanna pressure you into this. Safety should always be the number one priority!
Pela
Don't worry. I'll look after {M#him}{F#her}. Miss Molly, just wait in the workshop with Serval.
Pela
Without further ado, let's go now. Are you ready, {NICKNAME}?
Options
Let's go.
Let me get prepared first...
Pela
Then let me know when you're ready. I'll wait for you right here.
Ancestor's Drill Bit
Pela
What's up, are you ready, {NICKNAME}?
Options
Let's go.
Let me get prepared first...
Pela
It's okay. I'll wait for you here when you're ready.
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