Operation Stronghold Defense/Story

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Stronghold Guard: Hoard Guard Unit!

Main article: Stronghold Guard: Hoard Guard Unit!

Quest Description

In Nod-Krai, you encounter a messenger named Blue Bolt, who seems to be testing a certain mechanical defense unit...

(Talk to Blue Bolt or Sproutie): Blue Bolt: Oh hey there, (‍Traveler‍)! Hello, Paimon!; Blue Bolt: Since we ran into each other, wanna see my weasel, Sproutie? I've got it with me, and it's super adorable!; Sproutie: ...Meow?; Blue Bolt: Hey, hey, hey, that's not how you're supposed to sound, Sproutie! I don't think the two of them here understand Ashru's tongue anyway.; Sproutie: ...Coo?; Blue Bolt: No, speaking like finches won't work here either. Miss Basima has already returned to Sumeru to recuperate.; Blue Bolt: I'm sorry, Sproutie is clearly a little confused after hanging out so much with the other animals. It can't quite find its own wavelength, heh heh...; Blue Bolt: I should let it rest for a while.; Are you an animal expert too?; Are you a friend of animals too?; Paimon: Hmm... Why does Paimon get the sense that you're talking to us like we're already old friends? Did you run a background check on us or something?; Blue Bolt: Relax, relax... We're on the same team...; Blue Bolt: I work for Miss Yelan, and you're her absolute, top-tier, number-one guests. I don't even need to tell you how close that makes us, right?; Yeah, that does make you one of us.; Any friend of Yelan's is a friend of ours too.; Paimon: Gosh, you should've said so sooner! Paimon was getting a little nervous for a second there...; Paimon: Anyway, what are you doing here in the middle of nowhere with Sproutie?; Blue Bolt: We're standing guard here... Or rather, I'm checking to see if my "Hoard Guard Unit" can actually work properly.; "Hoard Guard"?; "Guard Unit"?; Blue Bolt: Since we're on the same side, I guess there's no harm in telling you...; Blue Bolt: I have a supply point hidden underground, not far from here. However, the gate's been getting busted open by monsters left and right lately.; Blue Bolt: So, at great personal expense, I had the Whiz-Kid Mechanic over at Clink-Clank Krumkake Craftshop build me my very own guard unit.; Blue Bolt: Ahem, more accurately speaking, it's really more like a security system. One that's capable of identifying deployment locations, with multiple functions that can be combined in various ways.; Blue Bolt: Talk about good timing! The Whiz-Kid is showcasing her work at a convention soon. She sold me this set as an early test run.; Blue Bolt: So, I set up a layered defense for the supply point. It's an open invitation for our honored guests — I mean, monsters — to walk straight into my trap.; Blue Bolt: Now, not only can we test out different ways to protect the supply point, but we'll also gather plenty of data for the Whiz-Kid. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!; You've managed to snag yourself one of Aino's creations, I see.; That does sound rather interesting.; Blue Bolt: Wanna give it a whirl? I've already used them to fend off quite a number of monsters. It's quite the stress reliever, actually.; Blue Bolt: Come on, give it a try. You can let off some steam, and I might be able to learn something from your approach at the same time!; Blue Bolt: Of course, you'll be handsomely remunerated. Since we're all on the same team, it's only fair that I pay you twice the standard consultant rate.; Too right! We're on the same team, so you can't be stingy!; Heh, you're too kind...; Paimon: Hmm... Yeah! Helping you is helping Yelan anyway, so everybody wins!; Paimon: Alright then! We'll show you what experience looks like in practice!