()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_The_Division_Grenade_Explosion</SE1><BGM>Campaion-58-3</BGM><黑屏2><BIN>568</BIN><震屏3><SE2>Gunfight</SE2>:...Pling. Boom!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Under the Fox Sisterhood's coordinated attack, the two heavily outnumbered Dolls can only scramble over to where the Doctor is.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_20Winter_Door_Close</SE1><震屏3>:After shoving the door shut with all her might, Stevens M520 walks over to Doctor Hume.
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
NPC_Stevens520(2)<Speaker>Stevens M520</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:Sorry, Doctor, we can't hold them back...
Erma(31)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker><Position>0,155</Position>||:There are too many of them!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Watching the two dejected Dolls from afar, Erma looks toward Reinette in confusion.
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Why were we so weak back then?</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>...No idea. I have absolutely no memory of this. I've only ever known the Doctor by one name—Arthur Hume.</color> +<color=#66CDAA>But I'm 100% certain this Louis Hume is the Arthur Hume I knew.</color>
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Huh? What's the point of changing his name then...?</color> +<color=#66CDAA>He clearly had the same face, and he even kept his surname.</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>...Is it part of her plan to let me see all this?</color>
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Seriously, what exactly are you after?</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>...It's not time to tell you yet.</color>
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Humph.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_rifle_finalshot_3h</SE1>:Bang-bang-bang!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Explode</SE1><controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=6</controll_shake><BIN>9</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:Boom!
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>568</BIN>:The not-too-sturdy door is soon broken down by Maggie, who is standing at the doorway with a haughty grin.
ColtWalker(6)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><GradientShow>2</GradientShow>||:We meet again, Doctor Hume. You're really not making this easy.
ColtWalker(6)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Miss Ponzi, if you don't leave right now, I'm going to call the police.
ColtWalker(6)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Pfft, go on then! +But in case you've forgotten, I'm an honorary director of a legitimate listed company, while you are a criminal with a prior criminal record. +If you call the police, there's no telling which of us they're gonna arrest.
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(6)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Giving me that sulky look again? You mad?
ColtWalker(6)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Since Miss Ponzi has taken such a liking to this lab... +Erma, Stevens M520, start packing up. We're moving.
ColtWalker(6)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Heh, are you sure you can afford to build another lab from scratch? +I took a peek at your account balance... It's squeaky clean.
ColtWalker(6)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Please save your concern.
ColtWalker(6)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Oh right, I suppose old-fashioned aristocrats like you prefer keeping cash to using virtual currency. +Catherine.
NPC_PP90(2)<Speaker>Catherine Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,200</Position>||<SE1>AVG_Cheerful</SE1>:Right. Sophia has opened all the safes in here. +Unless there's another hidden in this lab, all the gold bars now belong to us Ponzis! +It was rather disappointing though—I was hoping to see gold bars worth hundreds of millions, but the total worth ended up being less than 50,000. This Doctor is so poor his savings are even smaller than what Sophia has stashed away in her little vault.
NPC_CZ52(0)<Speaker>Sophia</Speaker><Shake><Position>0,170</Position>||:<size=50>!!! Miss Catherine, how dare you go poking around in my personal savings?!</size>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:But even as Sophia protests indignantly, Doctor Hume's face visibly grows pale.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:His reaction does not escape Maggie's eyes. She takes a seat on the desk in front of Hume.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||<BGM>GF_2022_Summer_AVG_4</BGM>:So, still planning to move?
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...What exactly do you want?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:As you said earlier, I don't actually know much about science. +I need an academic expert to sell my project. +This expert would ideally be a man with good looks. This will make it easier to attract investments through our official website.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:You want me to join you?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:That's right!
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Isn't your organization called the Fox Sisterhood? Would it not be inappropriate for a man to be a part of it?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Who says a sisterhood must be female-exclusive? If you want, I can call you Big Sister Louise...
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Or if it really bothers you so much, I don't mind changing our name to the Fox Siblinghood.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Right, enough joking around.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Your Project "Pilot Whale" ended in failure, but your idea was perfectly sound. You simply lacked investment. It's a brilliant concept worth developing. +All my projects are worth millions or even tens of millions. In this day and age, high-tech stuff is what sells. +You got a billion for your project, but my "Horn of Hope" stands a genuinely good chance of netting us ten billion.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Louis Hume's face twitches.
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Hume_ImFutue_Main</BGM>:Project "Pilot Whale"... was not a scam.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Deny it all you want. +Everybody thought it was.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Then they are not looking to the future. +I WILL make this project a success.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:Have you got any bargaining chips?
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:What?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:You know why people lose nine out of ten bets at the casino?
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...There are card sharps in casinos.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:...Tut-tut, only small casinos have card sharps. Large and legitimate establishments have no need for them. +The real source of profits for casinos is actually... +Gambling addicts who've lost it all and lack the money to turn the tables. +Especially once they've run out of loans they could borrow and are squeezed dry.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Here's an example. The easiest game—a coin flip. +Say you bet one Sardis Gold for each flip. The odds of getting heads or tails are an equal 50-50 chance, right?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Maggie fishes out a coin from her pocket, tosses it into the air, and then catches it neatly.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:But the game is always rigged against the poor, because if a man only has 50 Sardis Gold in his pocket, he won't be able to stay at the table after losing it all.
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:... +You are indeed an excellent social engineer. +But I'm afraid I wouldn't be a suitable business partner for you.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Of course you would. +Look, you may be an expert in Dolls, but I am an expert in humans. +And this expert says you have value. Does that satisfy you?
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...You cannot force someone to do something that cannot be done.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Doctor Hume gestures at Erma and Stevens M520 to start packing.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_File_Put</SE1>:Refusing to give up, Maggie puts her hand on a stack of research materials that Doctor Hume is just about to move.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:I urge you to reconsider. With your non-existent savings, reputation, and inheritance, can you still continue your research?
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:That's really not for you to worry about.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Are you really that upright of a scientist?
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Are we done yet? +Please leave.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Doctor Hume yanks the stack of research materials out of Maggie's hand.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:...Humph, heroes are only heroes because of their success. +Doctor Hume, your project was a failure, and you are known as a fraud. +You're in no position to hold me in contempt.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:I have my ends with "Horn of Hope", but they can be achieved with your means. +Join my project, and if you succeed in the end, then my "Horn of Hope" would simply be your financing plan that helps you on your way to success. Not exactly a straight line from point A to B, but still.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:I may not know science, but I know that expenses in scientific research can sometimes snowball even more drastically than what a top-tier scam can bring in. +So you need to make more money in order to sustain this research project, isn't that right?
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:... +What do you need me to do?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)||:I need your background, resume, social status, connections, and a few pictures. +Some investors may also drop in for a visit and we'll need some PR work done.
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:I am not a great communicator.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Don't worry, just leave that to me.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Doctor Hume mulls over this in silence for a long while.
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...I don't require a stipend. +But you must provide all funding for my research project.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:Deal!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Maggie shakes Doctor Hume's hand firmly.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position>||:...Hold on, I hope I'm not the one getting scammed here...?
NPC_Hume(5)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:This reluctant handshake marks the beginning of their partnership.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
NPC_Stevens520(2)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:The Doctor actually joined the Sisterhood...? That's outrageous!
NPC_Stevens520(2)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:So what if he joined the Sisterhood? Why is gender such a big deal?
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||:...
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||:Forget it. More importantly, it bothers me that I have no recollection of these events. +This is the first time I've seen the Doctor—and myself—like this.
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Same here.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:...
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Should I replay the "Horn of Hope" anchor point?
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:No need. Just go for the next relevant anchor point. +Run a search on Project "Pilot Whale".
Erma(14)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Found it.
()||<黑点1><SE1>AVG_magic_circle_start</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>9</BIN>:
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>GF_21summer_avg_Demon</BGM><黑点2><BIN>506</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Inside a musty old office. +The sky and street view are equally bleak through the window streaked with raindrops. +A man is standing in front of the window with his back toward the light.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>???</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:It's been a long time, Your Grace.
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Greetings, Old Misha.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:I must say, God isn't fair. +The first time we met, I was already an old goat, while you were as young and sprightly as you are today. +I remember back then, you went by the name... Maurice Hume.
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:I doubt you came today to make small talk and reminisce about the past.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:The paper you published under the name of Maurice Hume back in 2003, "Born from the Spring: The Advent of the Era of Post-Humans"—was it about the phenomenon observed in "that space"?
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Yes, I named it "GRCh38".
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:This paper demonstrated the core concept of Dolls and outlined the course of their future development, which caused quite a stir in the academic circle. +But then you just vanished without a trace.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:At that time, I was still too green and just wanted to recount the wonders, but the academic circle thought that the paper was far too fantastical and dismissed it as a piece of wildly imaginative "literary work". +Many science fiction editors even contacted me because of this. I had no choice but to change my name because of all the unexpected attention.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Which explains why you're here right now as Louis Hume, son of Maurice Hume. +May I ask, was your research successful?
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Unfortunately... God's favor didn't last.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:He closes his eyes with a slightly pained look.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:We are now faced with the conundrum that you predicted back then. +The complexity of the human brain is beyond our comprehension, which makes it impossible for humans to be fully self-aware, and this lack of complete understanding of ourselves fundamentally precludes any possibility of creating something human-like with the same structure as the human brain. +It's extremely difficult to beat these Dolls, which are all the rage right now, in a game of chess, but it's delusional to expect them to develop self-awareness like a one-year-old infant.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||:Even though I have secured the "design blueprint", a vessel that can realize the design continues to elude me.
NPC_Hume(0);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:You must not falter here. Not many could have survived the test. +But we both did, and what we gained there has helped me climb to my current position. +You should also present what you have seen and learned to the world, the complete model that "GRCh38" had shown you.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||:...I'm afraid this is beyond what I can achieve on my own.
NPC_Hume(0);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:If you feel limited by the extent of your own talents and available power, you could try joining an organization... such as us.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||:... +Aggravating as it is, some problems cannot be solved by money and resources.
NPC_Hume(0);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:It doesn't hurt to keep an open mind. +Genius never appears on its own. In this age of chaos, stars will be born in multitude. +Your Grace, it is time to share and make concessions.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||:... +It doesn't concern me whether the research papers are published in my name, nor do I particularly care about patents. +You should know that selfishness is not the reason why I refuse to make this public.
NPC_Hume(0);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Of course. However, sometimes you can be a bit too obstinate. +Or should I say... you need to learn how to think outside the box.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:...I'll try other alternatives.
NPC_Hume(0);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:The Fox Sisterhood is a well-chosen collaborator. They would certainly come in useful for your research.
NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>;NPC_Misha(1)<Position>0,50</Position>||:They are just a bunch of charlatans.
NPC_Hume(2);NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:...There are things that charlatans are much better at than us. +To some people, we are also villains doing vile things in the name of God.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Old Misha, we are not the same. +I have no desire to get involved in politics or be used as a tool in exchange for profit.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:Doctor Hume walks away from the desk and sits down on the sofa a few paces away.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:I gave up my family name and title as the Duke of Broglie because I want to be nothing more than a Doll engineer. That's how I want to live out the rest of my life—as Hume. +God may have blessed us with extraordinary longevity, but we are not immortal. +Old Misha, please allow me to pursue my own ideals, even if you may not share them.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:...Fine. +I just want you to know that you'll always have a friend in me. +We may not be able to reach a mutual understanding, but it doesn't change the fact that we are the only two survivors of the same cataclysm.
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:You honor me.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Looks like this is where we'll have to stop for today. But before you go, I have one last favor to ask of you.
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Please go ahead.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:I would like to place an order for one of your completed Dolls.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Can I assume this order is placed on behalf of the military?
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Indeed. You could think of it as a promise of collaboration. +If you accept it, you will be rewarded generously.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:I need some time to consider.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:Take as long as you need.
NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Thank you.
NPC_Misha(1)<Speaker>Old Misha</Speaker><Position>0,50</Position>||:I have taken up enough of your time. I'd best get going.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1>:Louis Hume rises to his feet and sees off the man who has been standing in the shadows.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点2><SE1>ClothingUp</SE1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:As the sound of footsteps recedes into the distance, Erma, who has been observing the conversation in silence, turns to look at Stevens M520.
Erma(29)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker><Position>0,155</Position>||:If Mother agrees to this collaboration... +...Which of us do you think will be sent away?
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Stevens M520</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:You, obviously! Because you're useless!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>ClothingUp</SE1>:On the other side of the room, the present Erma also turns to look at the present Stevens M520.
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||<BGM>GF_2022_Summer_AVG_2</BGM>:<color=#66CDAA>...He ended up sending you, didn't he?</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>...Yeah.</color>
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Was that old geezer the one who gave you the assignment?</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>...Yes, he gave me your coordinates and information about the PMC you've gone on to serve.</color>
()<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:<color=#66CDAA>Can he be trusted?</color>
()<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:<color=#66CDAA>Only God knows...</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><SE1>AVG_Door_Open_Close</SE1>:Louis Hume returns to the room.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1>:He silently picks up a stack of documents and sets up a comms connection.
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Good afternoon, Miss Ponzi.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||<BGM>GF_2022_Summer_AVG_4</BGM>:<color=#00CCFF>...What is it? Don't tell me you're asking for money again?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Sir, you've already exceeded your budget for the year... I can't squeeze out any more for you!</color>
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:That's not it. +I'm just wondering—the Fox Sisterhood also trades in the black market, right?
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>Why do you want to know? Can our over-the-table sources not meet your demand for materials?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>The Sisterhood is not a wishing well, you know...?</color>
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:I have a top-secret document that is probably worth as much as a whole year's tax revenue of any given country.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>God, please don't tell me it's your "Human Intelligence Research" again! It may be worth a lot, but nobody's interested, so stop wasting my marketing funds or my clients' patience!</color>
NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...This is the second edition. +The previous edition was purely theoretical and only explained in superficial terms the underlying structure of the machine's self-driving operation—a core which I've termed the "Spring". +I admit that this purely conceptual discussion can be a bit mystifying for our potential buyers. +But I'd like to make it clear that this new edition also elaborates on the production process and possible applications of the "Spring".
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>...So the first edition is just the preamble, and the second edition is the actual main text, yeah?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>For Christ's sake, with all this false advertising, I could be easily accused of being a fraud!</color>
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Are you not? +Besides, I once explained to you in great detail the structure of this paper, but you did not pay much attention.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)||:<color=#00CCFF>...Did you now?</color> +<color=#00CCFF>You must be mistaken.</color>
ColtWalker(7)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...I will hand over the text in its entirety to Miss Catherine Ponzi shortly. Please make sure she delivers it.
ColtWalker(7)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:<color=#00CCFF>Sure.</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.05</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_disconnect</SE1><CGDelay>0.4</CGDelay>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_magic_circle_start</SE1><黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The anchor point "Pilot Whale" terminates at that point. +Erma and Reinette are ejected back to the present.
Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:So Mother has been selling his research on the black market through the Fox Sisterhood...
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||:Yeah. The Doctor's research expenses were also a lot more costly than they had expected.
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:I don't think it was Mother's original intention to share his research.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:Tools are neither good nor bad themselves; it is humans who imbue tools with different significance. +In the hands of a farmer, a scythe is a tool for harvesting crops, but in the hands of a murderer, it becomes a weapon that sheds blood.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:Even a banana peel can be used as a murder weapon, let alone the Doctor's research.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:So what exactly was Mother's research?
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||:I don't know the specifics either. +Let's move on to another anchor point...
Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Okay.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_2023Slow_Keyboard_Correct</SE1>:Erma accesses the anchor point "Human Intelligence Research".
()||<黑点1><SE1>AVG_magic_circle_start</SE1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>9</BIN><CGDelay>0.5</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BIN>159</BIN><震屏3><SE1>AVG_Explo_Distance</SE1><controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=5</controll_shake>:Rumble... Artillery fire continues to bombard the target complex.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Even through the camera, the battle zone is clearly on the brink of collapse. +The buildings that used to stand tall and proud are now like fruits dropped into a blender as debris splatters everywhere.
NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_tele_connect</SE1><BGM>BGM_Hume_ImFutue_Full</BGM>:...Miss Ponzi, are you okay? +I can't see you clearly through the comms window.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)||:<color=#00CCFF>...Things aren't looking good.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Tsk, can't believe my business partner is the only one who actually cares whether I've kicked the bucket.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Well, you sound like you still have it in you to get yourself to an emergency shelter.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)||:<color=#00CCFF>The signal is a bit patchy here. I'm sending you a few websites. Help me check if the Fox Sisterhood is still at number one on these ranking boards.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Miss Catherine has been checking them every day. +You are indeed still at the very top of all the lists—you are the criminal with the biggest bounty on your head, the biggest total value of fraud, as well as the highest net worth.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(1)||:<color=#00CCFF>Ah, that's good to know.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Go find that old goat in the military. Stop playing hard-to-get and just accept their offer.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I think the Russians are a good choice—they're made of sterner stuff.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>These are unforgiving times for ordinary people.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(1)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Miss Maggie Ponzi calling herself "ordinary"? Even the birds would chuckle at that.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>...My point is, I'll leave you and Catherine all the funds that I have squirreled away.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>But at the rate you're spending, it won't last you more than a few years, so just get off your high horse and make a deal with that guy with the deep pockets already!</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Explo_Distance</SE1><controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=2</controll_shake>:The ceaseless rumble of artillery fire fills the brief silence between the two.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>If you ever get the chance, publish an autobiography in my name. I've even thought of the title—"The Legendary Queen Maggie and her Dark Empire"!</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Ugh, forget it. That's a lame-ass title. Get some Doctor of Literature to come up with something more classy for me.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position>;NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...You didn't manage to leave the bombing zone?
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)||:<color=#00CCFF>What, gonna avenge me?</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...I'm just a feeble Doll engineer.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>...Never mind. Even I can't really tell whose toes I've stepped on...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Anyway, that's that. I've put all my affairs in order. Got any more questions?</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...Miss Maggie, if you had the chance of being resurrected... I mean... +If you could be given a new lease of life, what kind of life would you want?
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>...I'm already a legendary queen. I've peaked. If I somehow survived this, it'd be all downhill from here.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Let's see, what else...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>If you'd be so kind as to take care of Catherine, who isn't actually my biological sister, and the Fox Sisterhood for me, I would be eternally grateful to Your Grace in hell.</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Alright, I have no further questions.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(0)||:<color=#00CCFF>Oh, hang on. I think I have another mansion in Frankfurt.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Don't mess with my interior decorations... Your Summer Garden is really garish and tasteless...</color>
ColtWalker(8)<Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:Sorry, I can't make any promises on that.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>;NPC_Hume(2)||:<color=#00CCFF>Actually, I have ANOTHER mansion. Was it in Bremen or Berlin?</color>
NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_Explo_Close</SE1><controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=5</controll_shake>:The bombardment resumes, this time much closer than before.
ColtWalker(8)<Speaker>Maggie Ponzi</Speaker><Position>0,210</Position><通讯框>||:<color=#00CCFF>Right. One last thing, for real.</color> +<color=#00CCFF>I don't mind if you give some other Doll my face. I mean, I'm drop-dead gorgeous...</color> +<color=#00CCFF>Just promise me this Doll won't run any petty scams on trains then get her ass kicked.</color>
NPC_Hume(2)<Speaker>Louis Hume</Speaker>||:...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>Explode</SE1><BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM><controll_shake>%%type_id=2%%duration=4%%delay=0.1%%range=5</controll_shake>:BOOM!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_whitenoise</SE1>:Pzzzzt... +On the other end of the comms channel, the chattering voice finally lapses into complete silence.
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||<BGM>GF_22W_BGM_2</BGM>:... +So the con artist of a generation ended up getting conned by the Doctor...
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:I actually think she also profited from this.
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:How so?
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Someone carried on her name so she would not be forgotten. +Though the Doll did end up running scams on a train...
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:...
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(15)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Besides, her legend is preserved in my anchor points. I will always, always remember her.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:...You once said the same thing to me.
Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:...
NPC_Stevens520(0)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:While we're at it, let's have a look at the anchor point "Legendary Queen" next.
()||<黑点1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>AVG_magic_circle_start</SE1><黑屏2><BIN>698</BIN><CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator><SE1>AVG_2023Slow_Keyboard_Correct</SE1>:Compose message. +Recipient—Maggie Ponzi.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator>:I don't know who is using this name, but since you wish to claim it, I assume you also intend to utilize the fortune and assets associated with the name. +This is the location where the casino train is stored. I will relinquish it to you on two conditions— +One, you are not to rename the Fox Sisterhood. +Two, I ask that you find a buyer for "Human Intelligence Research (17th Edition)". +I will let you figure out how to do that, since that is your professional area of expertise. +Kind regards, Arthur Hume.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator><SE1>AVG_2023Slow_Keyboard_Correct</SE1>:Reply to message. +Recipient—Arthur Hume.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<narrator>:Dear sir, we have collected your package and followed your instructions. However, it took quite a while to sell the book. A woman finally purchased it at a very low price a few days ago. +Kind regards, Maggie Ponzi.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<CGDelay>0.3</CGDelay>:
()||<黑屏1>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN><CGDelay>0.2</CGDelay>:
Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:I've run several searches. I'm fairly certain there are no other relevant anchor points.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:...
Erma(13)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Why aren't you saying anything?
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(13)||:... +I got it.
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Got what?
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)||:I've figured out where we'll find this so-called "Archbishop Hume".
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Position>0,60</Position>;Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:You have a solution for this bounty thing?
NPC_Stevens520(1)<Speaker>Reinette</Speaker><Position>0,60</Position>||:Yes. +I'm sure she knows everything about this...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<SE1>RunStep</SE1>:With a strange look on her face, Reinette rushes down the hallway without any further explanation.
Erma(17)<Speaker>Erma</Speaker>||:Wait up!
()||<黑点1>: