The Luo Down is a main mission.
Contents
- 1 Overview
- 2 Conduct
- 3 Post-conduct
- 4 Rewards
Overview[]
The player must have completed Untilled Now.
Conduct[]
One day after both Untilled Now and Let's School are complete, there is an unknown man outside the player's workshop. He is looking around at the grass.
| ? | Sand Grass... grows year round in arid environments. The soil here is far too porous... it cannot maintain enough moisture for anything... |
|---|
He moves to another patch of grass.
| ? | This strain is better... but not by much. It's a wonder they're able to grow around here... |
|---|
He walks to the player's front gate and sees them.
| ? | Oh! Er... "howdy!" I'm sorry. I was just passing by and notice the Sand Grass around here... and then I had this urge to study them... |
|---|
| ? | You work here, right? It's a rather harsh environment... so, eh, can I ask you something? When you work, do you suffer from dehydration? How much do you sweat? |
|---|
- Yeah, I get tired all the time.
- It doesn't bother me.
- Huh...?
The third option gives no additional dialogue.
| →Yeah, I get tired all the time. |
| ? | Just as I presumed... |
|---|
- The man tries to stroke his beard, but realizes he doesn't have one.
| ? | Sorry, old habit. My wife told me to shave my beard or else... |
|---|
| →It doesn't bother me. |
| ? | Ah, but of course. With hardworking Builders such as yourself, it is no surprise Sandrock has seen such fast development. |
|---|
| Luo | Oh, where are my manners. My name is Luo, I'm a botanist. I just got here on the morning train, and I must say, this place is fascinating! I should have visited sooner! |
|---|
| Luo | Now, if you'll excuse me, I am looking for a brilliant botanist named Zeke. See you around! |
|---|
Luo leaves.
The following day, the player will receive a letter from Trudy.
| |
| Player, Since our previous attempt at planting the new forest got blown away by the sandstorm, I managed to convince a botanical expert, Professor Luo from Highwind, to provide some ideas on how to solve our issue. He accepted our invitation and arrived in Sandrock yesterday! I'm going to host a City Hall meeting to welcome Professor Luo and discuss our forest plan once more. As someone who helped with the initial test phase, I'd be delighted if you could join! Sandrock City Hall |
This begins the mission.
Head for City Hall[]
| Some planting experts have finally arrived in Sandrock. Head to City Hall to see what kind of insights they have to offer. | Head for City Hall |
|---|
The player can immediately go to City Hall to attend the meeting. At the front are Trudy, Luo, and Nia, who waves at the player when they come in. In the audience are Zeke, Wei, Justice, and Heidi.
| | Welcome everyone, and thank you for coming! I've called you all here to discuss how we'll move forward with Operation Greenland, which is what we're calling it now, it's much catchier than the "plan to plant trees." Anyway... |
|---|
| | We have wonderful guests visiting us all the way from Highwind who will be aiding us on this plan! Please say hello to Professor Luo and his assistant Nia! |
|---|
| | Professor Luo is a leading botany researcher in the Free Cities, you may know him for developing the Planter Box technique. The professor and his assistant will be staying with us for a while to study and solve the soil issue we're facing in the Outback. |
|---|
| Luo | Thank you for the kind words, Mayor Trudy. I hope that we can work together to discover the reasons behind the inhospitable top soil. I'm also interested in studying the declines in biomass productivity, particularly those due to anthroprogenic causes. |
|---|
| Luo | Oh no, I'm getting ahead of myself... Uh, it's a pleasure to be here, I hope we have lots of interesting academic discussions and discoveries! Nia, do you want to say something? |
|---|
| | Sure! It's so lovely to be back in Sandrock! A few of you have met me already, particularly Player! It's great to see you again! |
|---|
| | It's good to see you too, Nia! |
|---|
- You're that guy from yesterday!
- Nia! You're back!
- (Stay silent)
The third option gives no additional dialogue.
| →You're that guy from yesterday! |
| Luo | Ahh yes, I was poking around your workshop yesterday, wasn't I? If it weren't for you, I think I would have climbed to the peak of Mount Rocksand looking at plant samples before getting down to business, haha! |
|---|
| →Nia! You're back! |
| | Hehe, did you miss me? I can't wait to see everyone again, I've been itching to come back to Sandrock!
Nia(Relationship +5) |
|---|
| | Now that we've become acquainted, let's continue, shall we? |
|---|
| | So let's assess the situation. We have now conducted two reforestation experiments in the desert. |
|---|
| | The Little Woods near Gecko Station was a resounding success. Using algae obtained from the Shipwreck Ruins, we were able to create a sustainable top soil that supported trees. |
|---|
| | The second attempt was to plant a larger forest in the Eufaula Outback. This time the results were... less than satisfactory. The algae did not prove effective, and the per capita water consumption was much higher than anticipated. |
|---|
| Luo | I visited Zeke yesterday and he gave me a thorough assessment of the situation. His research was fascinating. Desert planting is a colossal task, it is remarkable you have been able to achieve what you have so far. |
|---|
| Luo | Regarding the algae, we'll first collect some samples from the Outback. Then we'll compare and contract the samples with those in controlled environments back in Highwind to see if we can observe any differences. |
|---|
Qi walks into the meeting and takes a place at the back of the audience.
| Luo | As for the water, I'm afraid I can't think of a solution right now... Based on Zeke's numbers, there will be a massive shortfall even if we somehow reduce the trees' per capita water intake. |
|---|
| | Well, we had water shortages before and we pushed through, if we just put our heads together and- |
|---|
| | Wait, there will be another water shortage in Sandrock? |
|---|
| | Director Qi? I didn't say that... |
|---|
| | Oh, that's good, because that would be adverse to my tea drinking habits. If we're ever low on water again, why don't we just use the water from the Starship Ruins? |
|---|
| | Wait, wait, wait, what? There's water in the northern ruins!? |
|---|
| | Sigh, ok, look, the Starship Ruins was a manufacturing and launch facility for aerospace vehicles, so of course there is water. Space flight takes a lot of water. They most likely even had an Atmospheric Water Generator. |
|---|
| | I simply haven't found the reservoir yet. I thought Justice would have told you that by now... |
|---|
| | I- what?! You didn't tell me anything, either! |
|---|
| | Oh, I thought it was just logical. I presumed that you understood this. My mistake. |
|---|
| | You... me, let's have a talk later! |
|---|
| | Is this really true? There might be a reservoir in the Starship Ruins? And they have a water maker? |
|---|
| | Oh... s-so it was a joke- |
|---|
| | Not "might," I'm 100% certain there is a water reservoir in that area. It might have a Atmospheric Water Generator. They were built into every space facility during the late Old World period. |
|---|
| Luo | Well, it seems to me that the water issue might no longer be an issue, haha! Certainly worth this little misunderstanding. |
|---|
| | Justice, can we get the Civil Corps out there to find this Atmospheric Water Maker? |
|---|
| | Uh... yeah, 'course we can. No problem. Player, how 'bout you join me for an excursion to the Starship Ruins tomorrow? |
|---|
- Sure thing!
- Will it be dangerous?
| →Sure thing! |
| | Haha, always rearin' to go, eh, Player? Love the go get'em attitude! |
|---|
| →Will it be dangerous? |
| | Very likely. I was only exploring in the safe areas, but these Old World bases were often guarded by combat robots. |
|---|
| | Hey, don't worry! We're gonna take care of it, it'll be fine! But do bring some weapons, Player! |
|---|
| | Well then Director, Justice and Player will go with you to find this generator tomorrow. They'll be sure to protect you. I await the good news. |
|---|
| | Wow! So I'm a high valued asset being protected by a team of specialists...! |
|---|
| | I remember this from that Gungam episode... |
|---|
| | Sounds like a plan, I'll start working with Mi-an and Heidi on plans for us to get that water into town. |
|---|
| | You can count on me. This is so exciting! |
|---|
| | I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the ruins tomorrow morning. Make sure you're prepared. |
|---|
| | You got it! We'll see you there! |
|---|
| | Then that's all for today's meeting. Thank you again, Professor Luo and Nia, for coming all this way. If there really is water in the Starship Ruins... this will change everything for Sandrock...! |
|---|
This ends the mission. The next mission begins immediately.
Post-conduct[]
Right after the meeting, the player can move towards the back of City Hall to hear a conversation between Trudy and Qi.
| | If I may ask, Director Qi, what are you doing here? |
|---|
| | I'm here to use the Telegraph. As you know, I'm suppose to report in to the Alliance once every week about my progress in the Starship Ruins. Although it is a pain, they are funding me and giving me on site protection, so contractually, I can't complain. |
|---|
| | How are you progressing...? I haven't seen much of you lately... |
|---|
| | It is a very big ruin, I'm only cataloging the most standout of technologies, I'll leave the rest to the other researchers and archaeologists... Even so, it'll take me a while. It is a very big ruin. |
|---|
| | Well, I'm glad you showed up. If we didn't know about this new water source, I don't know what else we could have done. |
|---|
| | Maybe the Light is finally looking out for us... |
|---|
Afterwards, the player can talk to Qi to ask him about the Starship Ruins.
| | I just got back from the Starship Ruins. It was filled with such fascinating relics and science... I couldn't sleep, I just kept on absorbing... |
|---|
- You absolutely sure there's a reservoir up there?
- You sure the water will be safe?
- Did you find anything else interesting there?
- I didn't see any water on my way through the ruin...
- I don't have any more questions.
The last option ends the conversation.
| →You absolutely sure there's a reservoir up there? |
| | It's a space facility, pretty much everything they need to send anything into space needs water at some point... |
|---|
| | Think about it. For the starship, they need water to make hydrogen for the fusion reactor and oxygen for the crew. Then they also need water to make antihydrogen for the antimatter engine, which by the way is very superlative but I have no idea how it works. |
|---|
| | On top of that, they still need extra water for the crew, for cooling down the launch structure during lift off, and even for muffling the shockwaves from the thrusters! |
|---|
| | Plus, I read it in a book. |
|---|
| →You sure the water will be safe? |
| | Could it be contaminated? Sure... but most likely it's fine...
Qi(Relationship +5) |
|---|
| | I read before that the filter systems used in the Old World pretty much insured all water were clean to use. In fact, they even had procedures to reintroduce minerals back into the filtered water because it was so pure. |
|---|
| | As long as the filters are still working and the reservoir doesn't have any cracks... hmm, maybe I should to revisit my math... |
|---|
| →Did you find anything else interesting there? |
| | Yes. |
|---|
| | I found a quantum communicator, but I don't know how to operate it. There's a user manual, but it doesn't even say how to turn it on! It's like whoever designed this wanted me to be confounded! Unlucky for them... I enjoy a good challenge. |
|---|
| | I also tested a cryocell, but it wasn't working. Which was good for me, and in turn, Sandrock, in the end. Beause I didn't really have a plan for if it did work... |
|---|
| →I didn't see any water on my way through the ruin... |
| | According to some of the base documents I found, there are several wings to this facility. You were in the starship launch section, there are others. |
|---|
| | I'd assume the reservoir and the Atmospheric Water Generator would be somewhere close by. |
|---|
| →I don't have any more questions. |
| | Sure, I'll meet you there tomorrow. |
|---|
Additionally, Nia will be shown as having a new mission available, and talking to her will show the following conversation:
NOTE: The following dialogue options are incomplete, and assume the Player is currently married. There are likely other variations if the player is not in a relationship (along with other possible conditions). [verify]
| | Haha! I saw the look on your face at the meeting! You didnt expect to see me here did you? |
|---|
- Why didn't you tell me you were coming?
- How long are you staying?
- I didn't expect you'd hide it from me!
| →Why didn't you tell me you were coming? |
| | Haha, I wanted to surprise you! |
|---|
| | Well someone got married without telling me! So consider us even. |
|---|
| →How long are you staying? |
| | Hmmm let me think... |
|---|
| | One... two... one hundred... |
|---|
| | Haha, I'm kidding. We'll have to see how much work I need to do. So it rests on your shoulders, Super Builder. |
|---|
| →I didn't expect you'd hide it from me! |
| | I wanted it to be a surprise! |
|---|
| | I kept wanting to tell you, but I managed to keep it a secret. Now I'll have your surprised face burned into my memory. |
|---|
| | Feels like the little games we'd play as kids again haha! |
|---|
| | Anyway, the real reason I'm here is so I can help with the soil problem. I told you I'd come back. So I didn't really lie did I? |
|---|
| | Now that you're super famous and everything, my parents weren't as worried about me to coming over here. |
|---|
| | They told me that I had a lot to learn from you, haha! |
|---|
| | Oh yeah, your Ma and Pa told me to make sure you take breaks, to remind you to take a vacation once in a while. |
|---|
If player is not married:
| | And also... your parents have been asking me about your love life... like I'd tell... |
|---|
| | You can tell me though, right? Seeing anyone special since the last time you saw me? Don't worry... I'll always support you! |
|---|
- No one, really.
- Yeah, there's someone I like.
- I've been waiting for you, Nia...
| →No one, really. |
| | Still no one? |
|---|
| | Oh come on! You've been like this since forever. Just focusing on your intrests, and not caring about anything else! |
|---|
| →Yeah, there's someone I like. |
| | Ah... really? |
|---|
| | Well it must be someone really special. |
|---|
| | Your parents are going to be so happy to hear this! |
|---|
| | I hope I can be lucky as you soon... |
|---|
| →I've been waiting for you, Nia... |
| | You... I...
Nia(Relationship +5) |
|---|
| | I'm holding you to that... |
|---|
| | Well... I think that's enough for today. I need to go and unpack. |
|---|
| | I promise I won't surprise you again next time! [Conversation end] |
|---|
| | Well, when I write home, I'll be able to tell your parents everything's okay! |
|---|
Go to answer "I'm safe, don't worry!" after this
If player is married:
| | But I don't think they need to worry. You're married now! You have someone to take care of you, right? |
|---|
| | C'mon then, fill me in! How are things going with you? I need to write back and let them know! |
|---|
- Everything's great! Sandrock's getting better all the time!
- Tired, but worth it.
- I'm safe, don't worry!
| →Everything's great! Sandrock's getting better all the time! |
| | Yeah! I didn't expect Sandrock to start working on a whole forest this quickly! I'm glad though, it gave me an excuse to visit! |
|---|
| | You guys really are amazing! After so many challenges one after another... you still kept your spirit high! |
|---|
| | I respect the heck outta this town. You've got to tell me all the stories later. |
|---|
| →Tired, but worth it. |
| | You know, before we came, Professor Luo told me that even though Sandrock has solved most of the planting issues, there're still many unknown factors that can derail the plan to be green again. |
|---|
| | I know it's not going to be easy, but coming here and working on this project will not only be great for my education, but also a memorable life experience! |
|---|
| | Most people will go through life never encountering an event so meaningful... |
|---|
| | But not you, right? You've been changing history since the first day you arrived here, haha! |
|---|
| →I'm safe, don't worry! |
| | Don't blame your parents for worrying! It's not everyday a part of the Alliance gets invaded by Duvos! We were all so frightened! I would have came right away if not for the Highwind government blocking all travel here for a duration. |
|---|
| | Sandrock is so far from the border, who knew Duvos would have the audacity to attack here? Your Ma's really unflappable, she told me everything's gonna be fine, to just put our trust in you. |
|---|
| | And she was right! You came through! Still... promise to never do this to me again... When the news first reached me, I couldn't even breathe! |
|---|
| | Now that I see you in front of me with my own eyes, I can finally be sure you're okay. |
|---|
| | Still, seeing my best friend working so hard to build this city... I just want to help out in some way! |
|---|
| | Well, I'm gonna go and get settled. I'll see you later, alright? |
|---|
There is no actual mission attached to this dialogue.
Conversations[]
Most of the townsfolk have special dialogue after the mission.
| | The professor coming to help us has given a lot of people hope. If an expert thinks it's worthwhile to come here... well... We'll see. |
|---|
| | Met the professor feller. Bit stodgy, but alright. Easier to talk to than our science guy. Say... you don't reckon it's possible... Every science guy is probably pretty okay compared to Qi? |
|---|
| | Ah, I can help with the disappearing Qi situation. If he ever doesn't stop in for his weekly purchase of tea leaves, I'll inform everyone that he's been missing six days at the most...! |
|---|
| | Qi knew there was a huge supply of water in the northern ruins, and he just now thought to mention it? Something about that... doesn't sit right with me... I mean, I know we're not besties or anything but I'm preeetty sure I've made it clear to him that I'm a pretty big fan... |
|---|
| | Hm... you can never go wrong calling in an expert, huh? And these people all have addresses; I should start sending letters to big shots like Luo, maybe get a bit of correspondence going... |
|---|
| | Sure, that professor feller's been vetted by the Civil Corps, has a distinguished career that dates back decades, and as such, his whereabouts can be accounted for across said decades down to the hour... But who's to say he's not a Duvos spy!? That's right, y'all thought I forgot! Heck naw, I've been on my toes ever since! And I advise you do the same, Player... Anybody could be a spy...! |
|---|
| | Professor Luo is super famous in the planting community! He even helped design the brochures we give out at the Temple. Ooooh... I could go get one autographed, couldn't I...!? |
|---|
| | Y'all are takin' Qi back up to the Starship Ruins... Eh... You got it covered right? I'm more into critters than computers. Unless... that is... you need back up? |
|---|
| | Huh? So the tunnel we worked so hard for didn't give us the water we needed, and it turned out there was plenty of water just up north the whole time? Well, that's how you know it's not a narrative and this is the real world! Although, we didn't notice it existed until it was incredibly convenient... |
|---|
| | Luo knows properties of many herbs... I'll try them in my own medicines. |
|---|
| | I love Professor Luo. It's so nice to speak to a scientist who actually seems to have the concerns of his fellow man in mind. Can we keep him? |
|---|
| | Eh... do you know anything about the planting community? I'm kinda smiling and nodding through a lot of these interactions; what, er, what did Professor Luo do, exactly, that makes him so famous? Uh huh? Yeah? Ooh, that is pretty cool... |
|---|
| | I think we can all learn something from Trudy's leadership; when you don't know the way forward, you ask the experts. I'm confident Zeke and Professor Luo will be able to figure out what the problem is. |
|---|
| | I wanted to have Professor Luo come talk to the kids, but... I'm afraid everything he's have to say is a bit too far over their heads. Nevertheless, it's always fun to meet an academic bigwig! |
|---|
| | "Professor." That's quite a title. Let me try it on. "Professor Jasmine, someone's let all the experimental bioweapons out of their testing cells!" Hm. Nope! Thiiink I'm good on that one... |
|---|
| | Had a chat with professor Luo, turns out he collects trains, too! I got him in on the newsletter, he didn't even know we had one. A great addition to the train enthusiast community of the Free Cities! |
|---|
| | Went ahead and did a little background check on ol' Professor Luo. Turns out...! He's completely legit, absolutely zero chance that he's been anything other than a plant nerd over at that botany school his entire life. |
|---|
| | I can recall a time here when half the guys who would hop off the train were just here to look at us like we were a circus sideshow... Now we got... business owners, professors... all kinds out here pushin' us along... |
|---|
| | Hm... so we must learn more about planting in order to defeat the desert. Knowledge indeed can be the greatest weapon in one's arsenal... |
|---|
| | Headed back up to them ruins, huh? I've had about enough of that place for a lifetime. You'll be alright. Watch ol' Justice's back, y'hear? |
|---|
| | I can't seem to get the rest of the family interested in this Luo fella's accomplishments. We're more of the animal husbandry type, but... it seems like such a great opportunity, I'll be looking to sit in on any lectures he might grace us with. |
|---|
| | Luo and Zeke are getting along great! You love to see it. A real meeting of the minds! I've also met your friend, Nia! She's cool, we should all hang out sometime! |
|---|
| | You've attracted experts to help with your efforts? I'll admit, I never would've expected something like this... I thought everyone would give up sooner... |
|---|
| | Your friend, Ms. Nia, is a real kind soul. She went out of her way to greet me last time she was here. Let me know if there's anything I can do for the two of you. |
|---|
| | I definitely did a double-take when I saw your new boss. Thought maybe... that weirdo Yan had broken out and come back for revenge! Justice had to explain to me the situation... quite the story! |
|---|
| | Did anybody notice that Qi had been gone for... however many days? I certainly didn't. Kind of a dangerous combination to be an explorer who never checks in with anybody regularly, huh? Let's get him to at least leave a note... |
|---|
| | I got excited, having new people coming to town, but I've talked to the professor and... we don't have much in common. How's your friend Nia? Will you convince her to let me do her hair...? |
|---|
| | Professor Luo's findings pop up in scientific literature from time to time. Given the chance, I'd love to pick his brain. |
|---|
| | Man, lotta big shots coming to Sandrock these days... I thought Musa would be the beginning and end of it, but, nah... now we got this professor guy, too! Maybe they'll hold one of them world summit things here sometime... |
|---|
| | Dang. I gotta work harder if I want a leading wood expert to come to Sandrock. Although... I can't really think of who that would be. The thing about wood is, it's kinda, like... wood. |
|---|
| | Apparently, Luo's boss was iffy on allowing the professor to come and help out, it was your friend Nia who sealed the deal. Look at you, Player! Friends in high places, huh? |
|---|
| | I got excited when I saw Professor Luo checking the ground with a magnifying glass... turned out he was just looking at some weak sauce daisy. |
|---|
| | Player, your friend works with Professor Luo? That's amazing! I'd love to do something like that. Maybe if I had a degree, I could aim for a better life... like assistant manager! |
|---|
| | It's so lovely see you reunited with your old friend! How's it going? Pick right up where you left off? Or maybe need a little time to get there again...? |
|---|
| | Slow day for the Commerce Guild, everything's on hold with planting til the research is done. They've got you going up into the ruins again? I see... Well, be careful. And... really think about whether this whole "two jobs" thing is good for your health or not... |
|---|
| | Luo is filling in a lot of gaps in knowledge that tend to arise when you've been working solo all these years. He can be a little harsh, but I think Mi-an and Nia soften him up whenever we need it. |
|---|
Rewards[]
Gols +10
