Medical Disputes on the Ship of Fools

Stelle
Caelus

Mission Type

Trailblaze Mission

Chapter

Welcome to Arcadia

Requirements

Trailblaze Mission Here's Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame completed

Starting Location(s)

Planarcadia - Dovebrook District

Previous Mission

Next Mission

Here's Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame

The Discreet Charm of a Streamer Girl

Rewards
Summary
Characters

1,500

160

15

600

180,000

You and Himeko followed Sparkle into the "World's End" Tavern to investigate Sparxie and the memetic virus she's using to control Graphia Academy. In the "Golden Confessional," aided by Sampo, you unearthed Sparxie's hidden troubles. At "Fatal Joke," Zhongshan revealed the root cause of Sparkle's desire for attention, and the solution to purge Sparxie is to "cremate Sparkle." Sparkle refused to sacrifice herself and headed to the storage area to retrieve the "Anti-Sparkle Weapon," but walked right into Sparxie's trap. Ultimately, you obtained the memetic weapon "Banana," bestowed by Aha as your counter-measure, and rushed toward Graphia Academy for the final showdown.

"Narrator", Ashveil, Azurewing, Blazeweaver, Dawnlance, Giovanni, Himeko, Magnus, Paraprince, Sampo, Sparkle, Sparxie, Trailblazer, Zhongshan

Medical Disputes on the Ship of Fools is the eighth part of the Trailblaze Mission chapter Welcome to Arcadia. It automatically begins after completing Here's Your Fifteen Minutes of Fame.

Steps

Head to Dovebrook and find the entrance to the tavern
Travel through the passage in the painting to the other side of Dovebrook to have a look
Ask the drunkard by the road
Try to find the entrance to the tavern near Dovebrook
Enter the World in Canvas and find the entrance to the tavern
Shatter the Moon and find the key to the Tavern (0/3)
Enter the World in Canvas and find the entrance to the tavern
Enter the tavern through the passage in the painting
Enter the tavern and find Sparkle
Talk to Sparkle
Try to open tavern's door
Enter the back of the tavern's bar
Head deeper into the tavern
Continue onward through the passage in the painting
Continue onward and enter the Golden Confessional
- (Optional) Walk around and try your luck (0/2)
Try to approach the Golden Throne
Use the pipe to reach the Golden Throne
Talk to "Sparxie's Worries"
Clear "Sparxie's Madness"
Head to Fatal Joke
Continue onward through the passage in the painting
Keep moving forward and enter "Fatal Joke"
Head to Exam Room 1 for consultation
Enter the room and check the medical records
- (Optional) View the other patients' medical records
Talk with Sparkle's fellow patients
Talk to Zhongshan
Talk to Sparkle
Step forward and smash the glass!
Head to the Fools' storage area
Continue onward through the passage in the painting
Continue forward and enter the storage area
Investigate the Stellar Jade immediately!!
Shatter the Stellar Jade and bring it back to the Express
Defeat the enemies that appeared
Leave the storage area
Head to the light orb "Blisstar"
Enter the light orb and witness the miracle
Reach out and receive the "Gift of The Laughter"
Check out the "Gift of The Laughter"
Escape Ashveil's pursuit and leave the tavern

Gameplay Notes

Step 3 can be skipped by proceeding directly to the Tavern entrance.

Dialogue

Head to Dovebrook and find the entrance to the tavern

Mission Description

"Whether looking up or down, they all see the same Phantasmoon when gazing at the sky." Sparkle left behind this riddle as a hint to the tavern's location. Looks like the entrance to the "World's End" won't be so easy to find...

Dovebrook District

(Go to mission location): ▶ Himeko: Many generations ago, the Dovebrook was already a river flowing with countless legends.; ▶ Himeko: It's no surprise the door to the tavern lies hidden among them.; ▶ Himeko: Legend has it that the master painter Graphia once drew water from the Dovebrook to wash her paintbrushes.; ▶ Himeko: Many later artists followed suit. Hence, its other name, the "Painters' Stream."

(Investigate the Daybreak Squadron, optional): Red-Haired Youth: Can't believe those Synwish Syndicate folks would stir up such a commotion right when Phantasmoon is at its fullest... What's your take on this, Blue?; Blue-Haired Youth: At this very moment, there's barely any dark force that isn't coveting the Phantasmoon Games and the power of Aha...; Blue-Haired Youth: That means, out there are countless villains, while the heroes are few and far between.; Yellow-Haired Girl: These little thugs are like those swarms of disposable grunts in a movie's big finale. They just go "yee-yah" and make a racket, but can't stir up any real trouble.; Yellow-Haired Girl: No need for you guys to transform. I can take care of them all by myself.; Red-Haired Youth: Come on, Yellow, did you forget again? We Daybreak Squadron are heroes who protect Planarcadia, not some street gang picking fights!; Red-Haired Youth: Tell me, what are we fighting for?; Yellow-Haired Girl: For everyone's happiness and smiles!; Red-Haired Youth: Good, now's not the time to expose our identity. Let us watch over this land under the Phantasmoon, protecting the peaceful slumber of...; Gray-Haired Youth: Boss, aren't we heading back yet? The director's been waiting for us for ages.; Gray-Haired Youth: And as I said before, the Synwish Syndicate isn't as bad as you all think. You know, they won't hurt anyone.; Red-Haired Youth: Gray, fall back. Let me face off with these evil villains for a bit longer.

Sequence 01
Himeko recalled her student days, when she was beating up street thugs and sending them packing into Dovebrook to stand up for her juniors. Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye, and the once reckless Himeko had become the Astral Express's Navigator.
(Approach the marked location): ▶ Himeko: Looking at Dovebrook's scenery... memories from my student days just come flooding back.; Himeko's student days?; Tell me, tell me! I want to hear all about it!; ▶ Himeko: They're not exactly interesting memories. Back then, Dovebrook District was teeming with gangs. There were hooligans running around everywhere, and some really loved messing with the students.; ▶ Himeko: I was taller than my peers and happened to be training in martial arts. To stand up for my juniors, I would occasionally... get into scraps with the thugs on the streets.; ▶ Himeko: The people who fell into the Dovebrook river would cover the surface like bean sprouts in noodle soup... It all feels like it was just yesterday.; Himeko, noodle master!; A thug falling into the water... what a scene!; ▶ Himeko: Sometimes the thugs fell in. Other times, I took the plunge myself.; ▶ Himeko: Back then I was a bundle of restless energy. The teachers always said I was like "a wind-up toy that never stopped banging its drums and cymbals," stirring up a commotion wherever I went.; ▶ Himeko: In the blink of an eye, fifteen years have passed. Hard to believe someone as reckless and willful as me became the Navigator of the Astral Express.; ▶ Himeko: Now's not the time to wax sentimental. We've reached the banks of the Dovebrook, so where's the "tavern" entrance hidden?

Travel through the passage in the painting to the other side of Dovebrook to have a look

(Investigate the Interplanar Jump! pipe of the Synwish Syndicate, optional): ▶ Himeko: "Under Synwish Syndicate requisition"... Looks like we'll have to find another way across.

(Enter Interplanar Jump!): ▶ Himeko: According to the business card, the "tavern" is near the Synwish Syndicate headquarters.; ▶ Himeko: Let's check the other side of the river.; Media:Tutorial Interplanar Jump! Reflection in the Water.mp4
In "Interplanar Jump!," there are special water surfaces. Some special imagenae (such as platforms with "eyes") will appear in the water's reflection, where Trailblazemon can "stand on" and use them to explore more areas.
In "Interplanar Jump!," there are special water surfaces. Some special imagenae (such as platforms with "eyes") will appear in the water's reflection, where Trailblazemon can "stand on" and use them to explore more areas.

(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Ask the drunkard by the road

Sequence 02
A drunk by the roadside told you a joke about Dovebrook: Someone once tried to cross it by stepping on a pedestal of light, only to discover it was merely the moon's reflection on the water — shattering at the slightest touch.
(Approach the Drunkard): ▶ Drunkard: Hey folks... have y'all heard the joke about the Dovebrook?; Come on, tell us!; ▶ Drunkard: One day, a criminal escaped from prison. He ran for his life, but just when freedom seemed within reach, the Dovebrook blocked his path.; ▶ Drunkard: With his pursuers closing in, the man prayed to the river: "I am hammered by the law, stained with filth. O pure, flowing waters, please do not swallow me."; ▶ Drunkard: A voice from the Dovebrook replied, "There's a pedestal of light upon the water. Step on it, and you can cross!"; ▶ Drunkard: The criminal wept: "What pedestal of light? It's only the moon mirrored on the water, an image that shatters at a touch! If I step on it, I'll fall in and drown!"; ▶ Drunkard: Hahaha, guess how the Dovebrook answered him?; ▶ Drunkard: The Dovebrook said, "You're not 'hammered' at all. Otherwise, how could you still tell the moon from a pedestal?" Hahaha... HAHAHA!; What are you even talking about?; What are you implying?; That's such a dry joke...; ▶ Drunkard: I-It's fine... You don't have to buy me a drink. As long as I can make you laugh! Hahahahaha!; ▶ Himeko: That joke sounds like a hint. Could he be a Fool from the tavern?

▶ Himeko: Maybe, if we find the "fragile moon" he mentioned, we'll find the way into the tavern.

Keep your distance from the drunk.

(Idle dialogue from the drunkard): The moon's reflection... so fragile, it shatters at a touch...

Try to find the entrance to the tavern near Dovebrook

(Attempt to leave the area, optional): ▶ Himeko: Focus on finding the tavern entrance right now. There'll be plenty of time to wander later.

Sequence 03
Himeko noticed something odd about the moon's reflection in the water, and suspected it may be the entrance to the tavern. She asked you to take a closer look together.
(Approach the Interplanar Jump! pipe): ▶ Himeko: Sparkle's riddle says this... Whether looking up or down, they all see the same Phantasmoon when gazing at the sky.; ▶ Himeko: We've gazed at the sky already, so next...; We go find where the Phantasmoon is.; ▶ Himeko: From this angle, the moon's reflection is right here. It does look strange in the water.; ▶ Himeko: If what the card says is true, and the Fool's riddle is the key to entering the tavern, then this moon must be the door lock.; ▶ ▶ Himeko: Come on, (Trailblazer), let's take a closer look at this strange "moon."; Step into the reflection in the water.; Take a closer look?

Enter the World in Canvas and find the entrance to the tavern

▶ Himeko: Keep going, chase that "moon's reflection."

(Idle text from Wispae)

"Ferryfae": Kitties and raccoons, don't you dare judge me

"Ferryfae": Mortals, ghosts, gods, and monsters... All must cross the river here

"Ferryfae": A forgetful Fool fishing by the riverside

"Ferryfae": Actors from beyond the sky once sang their songs here

"Ferryfae": An old friend returns to fish out the moon's reflection in the water

"Ferryfae": Sing your song and walk your path, nameless traveler

"Ferryfae": We've arrived, dear customer~

▶ Phantasmoon's Shadow: Th-There's an intruder!

▶ Phantasmoon's Shadow: Stay back!

Shatter the Moon and find the key to the Tavern (0/3)

(Go through the Teleporter): ▶ Himeko: Looks like the Fools are guarding the moon's shadow tight.; ▶ Himeko: ...Find the switch and blast through the obstruction.

(Step on the switch): ▶ Himeko: Shatter the "moon" lock, and we're one step closer to the tavern.

(Approach the switch): ▶ Himeko: Let's try again!

(Step on the switch): ▶ Himeko: Something's back there... Is that a key?

(Approach the switch): ▶ Himeko: The "moon" is about to break. Let's try again.

(Step on the switch): ▶ Himeko: The key has dissolved into the water... the water's surface is about to change.; ▶ Himeko: Look, the tavern's shadow has appeared.

Enter the World in Canvas and find the entrance to the tavern

(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Enter the tavern through the passage in the painting

(Enter Interplanar Jump!): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): If we follow this path ahead, we should reach the tavern.

▶ Himeko: Watch out!

▶ Himeko: I almost forgot. You're a full-fledged Trailblazer now...

(Unlock Achievement Wine Be My Surest Haunt)

Enter the tavern and find Sparkle

Sequence 04

You and Himeko entered the "World's End" Tavern, though this was only the part connected to Planarcadia. Sparkle taught a disrespectful Fool a lesson, then invited you to sit down and talk about Sparxie.

(Approach the marked location)

▶ Himeko: ...So this is the "World's End" Tavern?

▶ Stumbling Fool: No, no, no, allow me to correct you. If you think this is all there is to the tavern, you're sorely mistaken.

▶ Stumbling Fool: Like a single grape on a great bunch, this is just the part where the tavern connects to this world...

▶ Himeko: Sorry, but this looks... like a regular lounge?

▶ Stumbling Fool: Hahaha, the so-called "Planarcadia" isn't really an "arcadia" either, but who's complaining? Life goes on, doesn't it?

▶ Stumbling Fool: If you're looking for something that's "true to its name," take a ride on the Astral Express! Funny thing is, it's literally a train, you know? Can't find a single trace of astronautical engineering on it!

▶ Stumbling Fool: Uh... wait, you two are... Navigator of the Astral Express, and the raccoon on board, right? I've seen you in the news.

Nice to meet you.

What raccoon? I'm the Galactic Baseballer!

▶ Stumbling Fool: HAHAHA! Friends, a big shot is here! A real knee-slapper incoming!

▶ Fools: Are they really from the Express? You're not some cosplay enthusiast, are you?

▶ Fools: Express folks come to the tavern too? Do they even have a sense of humor?

▶ Fools: Hey hey hey, can I get your autograph? Sign the sole of my foot! I'll never wash it again!

▶ Sparkle: Everyone, curb your curiosity! These two are my guests. Even the most mischievous among you should know when to stop, and mind your manners!

▶ Stumbling Fool: Well, well, if it isn't little Sparkle? We've all heard your joke...

▶ Stumbling Fool: Take the Mask from a Masked Fool, and what's left's but a fool...

▶ Sparkle: Oh my, wouldn't a Masked Fool be better off without the fool? An empty mask sounds even better, no?

What did you do to him?

▶ Sparkle: Put him on mute for two hours. If no one flushes him down the "Golden Confessional," he'll be back to hassle me again in two hours.

Is he still alive?

▶ Sparkle: Alive... ish? Depends how you define "alive." Most Fools won't even admit they're alive, so he isn't exactly dead either.

Did he just say "your joke"...?

▶ Sparkle: Don't take an idiot's words too seriously, unless you want to join them?

▶ Sparkle: Alright, now I can finally entertain my guests without interruptions. You two, this way. Let's talk about the impostor.

Talk to Sparkle

Step Description

Without an invitation from a Masked Fool, it'd be nearly impossible for a common person to find this "tavern."
Sparkle's here too. Let's chat with her about Sparxie.

"World's End" Tavern

(Attempt to leave the area, optional): ▶ Sparkle: Hey hey, Gray Hair, where are you headed?

(Talk to Ashveil, Optional)

▶ "Narrator": The man's weary gaze sizes up the young person before him for a moment. He offers a slight nod in greeting.

▶ "Narrator": Your curious gaze circles him. Is that thing by his side a... talking monkey?

A Slumbernana Monkey?

▶ Ashveil: What's that?

Your monkey can talk?

▶ Ashveil: He's not mine. His freedom belongs to himself.

▶ "Narrator": Kid, I believe you're confusing me with some other primates you've met.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Sorry, my mistake.

(Interact with the Stumbling Fool, optional): The staggering Fool lies quietly on the ground. Compared to before, he's become small and thin, a size perfect for carrying around.

Sequence 05

Sparxie once impersonated Sparkle and removed several items from the storage area, including a canister of memetic virus, which she used to control Graphia Academy. To find a way to counter this, you would need to dig up more information.

(Talk to Sparkle)

▶ Sparkle: Alright, you two, first round's on me. What'll it be?

I'm underage. A glass of water please.

Give me the strongest and most hardcore drink you've got!

No thanks. I'd like to stay sober.

▶ Sparkle: Ha! This is a tavern. Even if you don't drink a drop, the Fools' jokes and pranks will turn your world upside down until you can't tell sky from ground!

Let's cut to the chase!

▶ Himeko: We're not here to drink. Time's ticking. Did you find anything on Sparxie?

▶ Sparkle: Don't pull a long face. You'll sour the vintage in the cask. While you were gone, diligent little Sparkle was gathering intel non-stop, and didn't waste a single minute.

▶ Sparkle: Sparxie... She did come here disguised as me.

▶ Sparkle: I called Giovanni. You might not remember him... he's the poor sap who drew the short straw to manage the storage area recently. Old Gio told me that a week ago, "I" came here and took a few things...

▶ Sparkle: Among them was a vial of memetic virus.

▶ Himeko: A memetic virus... No wonder she could take over Graphia Academy and distort March and Welt's cognition, making them believe they're a student and teacher.

She wants to turn everyone into monkeys?

She wants to turn everyone into fools?

She wants to undercut Dr. Primitive's business?

▶ Sparkle: Close enough. The so-called "SparxiCon" is a front for spreading a memetic virus.

▶ Himeko: Knowing that isn't enough. What type of memetic virus is she spreading? What are the symptoms? We need more on her plans and actions before we can counter it.

▶ Sparkle: Thought of that already. So I visited a few friends and learned where the imposter's been haunting. To dig up details, we'll have to get hands-on.

▶ Himeko: Lead the way then.

Try to open tavern's door

Step Description

Sparxie took several items Sparkle had stashed in the tavern, including a canister of memetic virus, which explains how Sparxie managed to control Graphia Academy. And the upcoming SparxiCon is most likely just a front to spread the memetic virus.
To crack this case, we need to dig deeper into Sparxie's plan and movements. Better comb through the tavern for any clues about Sparxie.

"World's End" Tavern

▶ Sparkle: Let's move. Stay close.

Sequence 06

Sparkle lead you and Himeko to a melancholic door with a sign that read: "Aha and Mourning Actors — Keep Out." To open the door, you'd have to tell a joke as a fare.

(Talk to I Am the One Who Knocks!)

▶ Melancholic Door: Abandon all despair, ye who enter. If you want to pass, then amuse me.

▶ Melancholic Door: By the way, hate to ask... You're not Aha THEMSELF, are you?

No!

▶ Melancholic Door: Well, that's a relief. Heh, not like I could tell if you were or stop you, right?

That's right, I am Aha!

▶ Melancholic Door: No, you're not Aha. Heh. You've got that smooth-talker air, but you're not.

▶ Melancholic Door: If you were Aha, a wave of your hand would cure my melancholy. You can't do that, can you?

What does that have to do with anything?

▶ Himeko: Isn't this the tavern of the Elation? Don't you welcome The Laughter gracing you with THEIR presence?

▶ Melancholic Door: You're wrong. It's not that THEY are unwelcome. See that? The Fools put up a sign over there: "Aha and Mourning Actors stay clear from the door!" ...Stay clear!

▶ Sparkle: Ridiculous as it sounds... it's true. After six hundred and sixty-six invitations to Aha went unanswered, the younger Fools voted to expel The Laughter from the Path of Elation.

▶ Himeko: I get it. It's like students expelling a teacher from a classroom. The action is meaningless... The message is loud and clear, though.

▶ Sparkle: All right, Mr. Doorway, I assure you that none of us three is Aha, and none is a Mourning Actor.

▶ Melancholic Door: Ho, it's Sparkle. Hmph, is it really Sparkle? It's not someone else pretending to be Sparkle? I can't tell, and I don't care.

▶ ▶ Melancholic Door: Listen up, gray-haired (lad./lass.) If you want me to open, pay the toll with saying a joke. I've been waiting for the one joke that can cure my melancholy.

▶ Melancholic Door: Now, amuse me.

You let out a deep sigh. Looks like you'll have to show them what you're made of—

"A joke."

▶ Melancholic Door: Uh? And then...?

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): I said it. "A joke."

The door fell silent for a moment.

▶ Melancholic Door: Poor child... A bad joke is more pitiful than melancholy.

Want a joke? No. Way!

▶ Melancholic Door: Huh? What?

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Didn't catch it? "No joke, Mr. Doorway," or "There's no way I'll tell a joke." Interpret as you like. By Akivili above, I can't believe I've come to explaining jokes to a door...

▶ The door fell silent for a moment. Struck by your terrible joke, it suddenly burst into a terrifying laugh, like being hit by a barrage of machine gun fire, before falling into a deathly silence.

Be a-door-able and open the door now!

It's just a door, what a lame joke collector. Maybe there's just some uninspired stand-up comedian hiding behind it, stealing inspiration from everyone who walks through?

Door won't open? Well, that's not a-door-able.

Enter the back of the tavern's bar

▶ Melancholic Door: W-What are you going to do?

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): I'm gonna "break" you open.

Sequence 07
According to Caustide's account, Narrator deduced that Dan Heng was one of the three people who swindled the mask. Ashveil and Narrator tracked the Express Crew to the tavern, hoping to follow your trail and find a lead on the mask.
(Approach the marked location): ▶ Ashveil: Didn't expect you to have the pull to get me into the tavern. As expected of a detective's assistant.; ▶ "Narrator": Back when I still had a sense of humor, a Fool gave me an invitation. You can thank him for that.; ▶ "Narrator": You're really going to see the Stellaron Hunters case through? They can only pay you in dirty money, you know.; ▶ Ashveil: What else can I do? The boys need the money. Credits aren't black or white. They're ones and zeros.; ▶ "Narrator": All right. I reached out to Caustide. He said that one of the three people who stole the mask looked familiar. He might've seen them in the news.; ▶ "Narrator": Based on his description, I spent ages sketching the suspect's portrait, and I suspect it might be Dan Heng, the Nameless from the Astral Express.; ▶ Ashveil: Ah, Caustide... We owe him another favor. No paying this one back, huh? Speaking of which, Dan Heng... That's a Xianzhou name, isn't it? Where have I heard that name before...? It sounds so familiar.; ▶ Ashveil: So, which one of these three is Dan Heng? The one with gray hair? The redhead? Or that black-haired girl who looks like she's ready to stir up trouble at any moment?; ▶ Ashveil: No, don't tell me yet. Let me guess.; ▶ Ashveil: I know a bit of the Xianzhou language. The word "dan" can mean "red." So Dan Heng... is the lady with red hair, right?; ▶ "Narrator": Your deduction skills never fail to impress. Fine, I'll just give you the answer. None of these three is Dan Heng. Do you even watch the news?; ▶ Ashveil: TV, newspapers, the internet... it's all fake news. What do you expect me to look at?; ▶ "Narrator": Let's get down to business. I couldn't find any trace of Dan Heng's actions. It's like someone wiped them clean.; ▶ ▶ "Narrator": So I decided to try a different approach. Keep tabs on the other members of the Express Crew. Maybe following their trail will lead to clues about the mask.; ▶ Ashveil: Nice work, Mister N. They're heading deeper into the tavern. Follow me.

Head deeper into the tavern

▶ ▶ Sparkle: I see, (Trailblazer)... the tavern not inviting you sooner was their loss.

▶ Sparkle: Come on in.

(Enter the wine cellar): ▶ Himeko: Is the drink in these barrels really brewed from jokes?; ▶ Sparkle: Yep. You know your stuff, ma'am!; ▶ Himeko: Just heard some rumors, that's all.

Sequence 08

You saw the light orb known as "Blisstar," which held the same importance to the tavern as the Phantasmoon itself. Next, you headed to the Golden Confessional, where Sparxie had reportedly been seen.

(Approach the marked location)

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Where's this...?

▶ Sparkle: Ta-da! Welcome to the dazzling lights of the "Blisstar"!

▶ Sparkle: The heart of the tavern, Planarcadia's dazzling dance floor. There are some tasteless Masked Fools who consider this place the secret to keeping the laughter going...

▶ Sparkle: If life's cruel, don't beg for fairness. Dance! Shake away that sadness until it's all well-mixed with the joy in your body.

Blisstar?

▶ Sparkle: That huge light orb up there! For a tavern, it's as essential as the Phantasmoon in the sky. If we get the chance, I can take you inside for a real eye-opener.

▶ Sparkle: Speaking of which, two months ago some idiot, after downing hundreds of drinks, had the bright idea to knock it down with a Super Overlord Spinning Top.

▶ Sparkle: So we had to reinforce the Blisstar with a steel frame around it and seal it inside the World in Canvas.

Doesn't the drinksmith care about this nonsense?

▶ Sparkle: You know how the Masked Fools are... Spiking drinks with hot sauce and tossing firecrackers down the toilet.

▶ Sparkle: Being a drinksmith is a tough gig. No one volunteers. Since Bragiprevious drinksmith vanished, the Fools have been drawing lots to take turns as temporary drinksmiths.

Can't Aha take care of this place?

▶ Sparkle: ...Aha? Take care? Weren't THEY banned from the tavern?

▶ Sparkle: And given The Laughter's personality, if THEY "took care" of it, THEY'd just egg someone on to blow the place sky-high.

▶ Himeko: This Fool you're talking about... It wouldn't happen to be Sparxie, would it?

▶ Sparkle: If it were, I'd already be tied to that light orb as the scapegoat.

▶ Sparkle: Anyway, the next stop is the Golden Confessional. The eyewitness says Sparxie was there.

▶ Himeko: The Golden Confessional... What kind of place is that?

▶ Sparkle: A place where you can let go of all your worries. Well, words won't do it justice. Let's go see it for yourself.

Continue onward through the passage in the painting

(Enter Interplanar Jump!): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): The steel frame actually opened.; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): The wispae here actually change color with the lights.; ▶ Sparkle: Just another night at the tavern... Fun, right?
(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Continue onward and enter the Golden Confessional

(Approach mission target): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): So many... sinks?; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Why bring us here?

Sequence 09

Fools who had drunk too much poured out their thoughts at the Golden Confessional. When you arrived, you found Sampo waiting there.

(Approach the marked location)

▶ Sparkle: Witnesses say a week ago "I" came to the bar, knocked back a few shots of "Bomb's First Drop," then headed here.

▶ Sparkle: The Golden Confessional is an emergency shelter for Fools who've had one drink too many. Here, we shed our excess baggage before marching light-footed into the next second.

Wait... isn't this just a bathroom?

▶ ???: The Golden Confessional is THE Golden Confessional, not some random bathroom!

A golden... throne?

▶ ???: Well well, looks like ol' Sampo's become the king without a crown!

Phew, it doesn't smell as bad as I imagined...

▶ ???: Of course! This is just a place where everyone comes to let off some steam.

▶ Sampo: Well, well, if it isn't my old friend! Sparkle said you'd be coming to the tavern. Old Sampo's heart is bursting with joy!

▶ ▶ Sampo: And a teensy bit of sorrow. How did Sparkle beat me to inviting my number-one (buddy/bestie) to the tavern for a drink?

Sampo, it's you!

▶ Sampo: Missed me, old friend?

I knew I'd find you here!

▶ ▶ Sampo: You knew? And what made you link me to this place? That's kinda harsh, (bro./sis.)

▶ Sampo: Hello, Miss Himeko. Long time no see.

Sequence 10

Sparkle once sought Sampo's help, claiming someone was impersonating her and causing trouble in the tavern. Sampo agreed to help you search these "thrones" where people spilled their troubles, to look for information about Sparxie.

▶ Himeko: Mr. Sampo, hello. What business brings you here this time?

▶ Sampo: No business, just here to repay an old favor.

▶ Sampo: Miss Fool here sent me a message asking for h-e-l-p. Someone's been parading around the tavern, impersonating her.

▶ Sampo: Well, now this is some juicy news! Miss Sparkle's usually the one impersonating others, but look how the tables have turned. The trickster's getting a taste of her own medicine!

▶ Sparkle: Shush, Sampo. I brought you here to repay a favor, not to gossip about me.

▶ Sampo: Oh, I've suffered the embarrassment of losing my mask myself. Thanks to Miss Sparkle's mercy, I didn't end up stranded. So here I am today, ready to help you out, no questions asked!

▶ Sparkle: Alright then, let's get to work!

▶ Himeko: Get to work? What are we doing?

▶ Sampo: Naturally... We'll fish around in these "thrones" where humans dump their worries and find the worries that Miss Sparxie left behind.

Sequence 11

Sampo produced the Emotional Impact Drill, which could bore out memoria fountains infused with emotions. He asked you to choose a drilling spot and began searching for Sparxie's worries.

▶ Himeko: You want us to... unclog your toilet?

Here? Dig up worries?

Don't make this kind of jokes!

▶ Sampo: I'm not joking.

▶ Sampo: Don't be too shocked, you two. Let me share a little secret about how we Masked Fools stay mentally healthy...

▶ Sampo: Drink a mood-lifter like "Bomb's First Drop," and all the harmful memoria in your body — you know, the pain, the worries — gets purged in one go.

▶ Sampo: That's how Fools pull pranks and have a blast without a shred of guilt.

▶ Himeko: So all that memoria has settled under this bathroom. And you want to sift through it to find Sparxie's worries... and catch her thoughts before she acts?

▶ Sparkle: If luck's on our side, maybe we'll even dig up the secret to beating her. What's wrong, ma'am? You don't look so hot.

▶ Himeko: I've got no objection to the task, but... doing this bare-handed? I refuse.

▶ Sampo: Don't worry, when has ol' Sampo ever come unprepared? Trust me, I won't let you get off that easy!

▶ Sampo: Emotional Impact Drill!

▶ Sampo: Sorry, wrong gadget. This one.

▶ Sampo: Hey, have you heard of a dowsing rod? Well ...Forget it, I'll spare you the theory.

▶ Sampo: I tuned the drill bit to resonate with Sparkle's temperament. It'll drill out memoria fountains with similar emotions.

▶ Sampo: But fair warning: Use it carefully! It's been a week since Sparxie was here. Keep your guard up in case something else comes bursting out.

With so many toilets, where do we start?

▶ Sampo: Well, If you ask me... leave it to luck.

▶ Sparkle: We don't have time for luck. My radar says that pompous imposter would pick the highest spot to vent...

▶ Sparkle: Exactly, the "Golden Throne." Give it a try!

▶ ▶ Sampo: (Bro,/Girl,) pick a spot to drill and start mining that gold!

(Optional) Walk around and try your luck (0/2)

▶ Sparkle: Sampo, does this thing even work?

▶ Sampo: Of course it works! Don't you trust your old pal Sampo?

(Interact with the toilet to the right): Sequence 12
You attempted to drill into Sparxie's worries, but instead uncovered a monster crawling up from the sewers.; Violent splashing sounds came from the bucket, as if human worries were about to burst forth.; Suddenly, something emerged from the sewer!; Is this what's bothering Sparxie?; What in the world is this?; ▶ ▶ Sampo: Watch out, (bro!/sis!) Must be some weird thing a Fool dumped into the sewers, huh?

(Begin battle against Autonomous Wand ×1; Aggressive Reading Material ×2)

▶ Sampo: Which irresponsible exorcist did this?

▶ Sampo: The tavern's sewer system is not a dump!

(Battle ends)

(Interact with the toilet to the left): Sequence 13
After violent splashing sounds, something emerged from the sewers. But to Sampo's mind, this didn't seem like the kind of "trouble" Sparkle was talking about.; Violent splashing sounds came from the bucket, as if human worries were about to burst forth.; Suddenly, something emerged from the sewer!; Come forth, Sparxie's worries!; What in the world is this?; ▶ Sampo: Huh? That doesn't seem like something she'd be worried about.; Sequence 14
You unearthed the troubles of a Mourning Actor. She once disguised herself as a Fool and sneaked into the tavern, telling sorrowful stories at the bar, only to be praised as an unprecedented Masked Fool.; ▶ Melancholic Worries: After going through all this trouble to sneak in... Thought I'd go down in a blaze of glory if I got caught...; ▶ Melancholic Worries: ...What the heck is going on with this place!? Have the Masked Fools really fallen this far?; You are...?; ▶ Melancholic Worries: Me? I'm a Mourning Actor! Isn't it obvious?; Not in the least.; What exactly makes you "mourning"?; ▶ Melancholic Worries: Can't you tell? I'm very sad right now!; ▶ Melancholic Worries: Let me tell you about my tragic mission: After the tavern issued a ban on Mourning Actors, I painstakingly snuck in here to reveal to them the truth that "destiny is eternally sorrowful."; You pulled it off!?; ▶ Melancholic Worries: I failed! I smashed every obstacle during the infiltration, only for the outcome to smash me!; ▶ Melancholic Worries: Yesterday, I went on stage at the bar and revealed my true identity to everyone and told them a tragic tale, bracing myself for their harshest punishment and farthest exile.; ▶ Melancholic Worries: But they... these Fools kept whistling from below, and some bought me several rounds. Someone even came up on stage to hug me, praising me as "the unprecedented Masked Fool".; ▶ Melancholic Worries: This is... utterly humiliating!

Try to approach the Golden Throne

(Approach the marked location): Sequence 15
You moved closer to the towering golden throne, but it was simply too massive, and there was no way to climb up directly. With Sampo's guidance, you spotted an ascending tube beside it.; You draw near the throne that is radiating an aura of supreme power. It's unquestionably made of solid gold.; Every atom that makes it up came from neutron star collisions and supernova bursts... Yet the Masked Fools forged these precious tears of the stars into vessels to hold human worries. Perhaps in their eyes, this was their way of playing a cosmic joke.; You notice a problem: Compared to the towering throne, you're way too small to reach and dip the Drill Bit into the water.; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Sampo, how did you get up there just now?; ▶ Sampo: Oh right, silly me. Through that pipe on the side.

Use the pipe to reach the Golden Throne

(Enter Interplanar Jump!)
(Unlock Achievement Trailblazemon Digivolves to...): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): What's this? A plunger?
(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Sequence 16

You used the Emotional Impact Drill on the golden throne. Sparkle quickly realized that what surfaced from the sewers was none other than Sparxie's trouble.

The golden throne emanates a dazzling aura of authority. You're genuinely afraid you might slip and fall right into it.

You forcefully thrust the drill bit into the toilet!

Suddenly, the toilet starts gushing water violently, and something emerges from the drain!

Come out, Sparxie's worries!

▶ Sparkle: See? What did I tell you? The impostor's worries have appeared!

Talk to "Sparxie's Worries"

Sequence 17

Sparxie's Trouble said she can feel people's desperation for attention, and wanted to use a memetic virus to convert everyone into Sparxie. Recognizing you as one of the Nameless, Sparxie's Trouble attacked.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: What a rare sight! Sparxicle used to always connect with everyone online. But now, for the first time, she's meeting her fans through the sewer network!

▶ Sparkle: Sorry, but we're your haters!

▶ Sparkle: Come clean now! What are you planning to do with that memetic virus you stole? Use SparxiCon as a front to turn everyone into mindless zombies, or dancing monkeys?

▶ Sparxie's Worries: How could I ever harm my dearest, most beloved fans?

▶ Himeko: You took an entire school of teachers and students hostage and turned them into your puppets to help you enter the Phantasmoon Games. You're going to argue that you did it all "for them"?

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Of course I did! From the very first day I was created, I've been doing exactly what my creator asked of me: listening to every fan's questions, empathizing with their pain and troubles.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: They feel insecure about being ordinary, cry when ignored by those they like, and strive to stand out because they desperately want others' approval...

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Sparxie hears every wish, and she answers!

▶ Sparxie's Worries: During these Phantasmoon Games, I'll grant their wishes through the Ceremony of the Master of Elation...

With a memetic virus?

By brainwashing them?

▶ Sparxie's Worries: No. I'll give each of them a choice... the choice to become "me."

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Because deep down, every one of them longs to become Sparxie. To wear this dazzling mask, capture the internet's attention, and bask in praise.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: You must have heard that saying: "In the future, everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame."

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Now, that moment has come. SparxiCon will turn every spectator into me.

▶ Sampo: For reals? She plans to use a memetic virus to turn everyone into herself?

▶ Sampo: Ah, the answer was right there in the riddle all along! ...y'know, I gotta say, that's very Sparkle.

▶ Sparkle: As expected of my impostor. You're absolutely bonkers!

▶ Sampo: Sis, is now the time to be tooting your own horn? Just thinking about being turned into a copy of you... I can't even force a smile!

This isn't Elation.

This is sooo elating!

▶ ▶ Sampo: (Bro,/Girl,) what part of this is elating?

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Oh? And who gets to define "elation"? The Laughter? The Fools? The IPC? Or... every "me" seeking joy on the arcadian internet?

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Contrary to popular belief, the masters of the Phantasmoon Games were never us, the Supplicants, but the spectators watching us.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: Sadly, the Interastral Peace Network showed people other worlds in the cosmos. Once horizons widen, expectations climb... nothing they hear or see feels fresh, interesting, or thrilling enough.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: And everyone fears that they're outdated, uninteresting, or unexciting in others' eyes.

▶ Sparxie's Worries: So the world's like a derailed train, racing toward thrills and madness... Nameless of the Astral Express, am I wrong?

Would a bundle of worries even recognize us?

Are you really just a bundle of worries?

▶ Sparxie's Worries (?): Bingo, you got it! I'm a part of her...

▶ Sparxie's Madness: Wherever there's a screen, wherever my audience is... my eyes and ears will be there too.

▶ Sparxie's Madness: I want to see how far you and this outdated model can go. The harder you struggle, the more spectacular it'll be when I livestream the Astral Express crew's "derailment" at SparxiCon!

▶ Sparxie's Madness: I'm looking forward to your resistance, Nameless.

▶ Sampo: Heads up, everyone! She's getting serious!

Clear "Sparxie's Madness"

(Begin battle against Hell Humor ×1; Hell Humor ×1; Enclave of Laughter ×2): ▶ Sparxie's Madness: Oh man, the other day I ran into this fan...; ▶ Sparxie's Madness: They insisted on showing me some "gallows humor" jokes they'd found online, saying they were absolutely hilarious.; ▶ Sparxie's Madness: But all he did was show me a video of someone being killed by the Antimatter Legion, then burst out laughing.; ▶ Sparxie's Madness: Come, let's all enjoy this "gallows humor" together!
(Battle ends)

Sequence 18

Himeko reflected on how the Elation in Planarcadia now feels foreign to her, and asked about preventative measures against the memetic virus. Sparkle suggested that she knew of a place where they might find an expert in memetic virus removal, while Sampo bid you all farewell.

▶ Sampo: Listen Sparkle, you only asked me to do your "dirty work," but you never said anything about being your thug! You owe me compensation for emotional damage.

▶ Sparkle: Everyone's going to become "me" soon! Sampo, crawl out of your money pit for a moment, will you?

▶ Himeko: To think Planarcadia's "Elation" would end up like this...

▶ Himeko: Back when I still lived in this place, the internet was just for sharing information. Live-streaming and virtual idols? We'd never even heard of them...

▶ Himeko: Coming back now feels like stepping into a foreign land... like returning home only to find home isn't where it used to be.

Either way... this is definitely not elation.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): It's just madness wrapped in a cheerful shell...

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): She's convinced that we'll be powerless to stop her plan even if we know what it is, but I'm not ready to roll over just yet.

▶ Sparkle: I know, I know. Even I don't want to turn into that phony's look-alike... though we're not that different.

▶ Himeko: Since the Fools stash dangerous things like memetic viruses in the tavern, I assume they must've also prepared some countermeasures?

▶ Sparkle: Haha, ma'am, you give us Fools too much credit. This is the tavern, not the well-ordered Herta Space Station.

▶ Sparkle: But I do know a place! With some luck, we might find a memetic virus clean-up expert.

▶ Sampo: Alright, alright, now that you folks have a lead and no shortage of fighting spirit, old Sampo's calling it a day.

You aren't coming with us?

▶ Sampo: The Astral Express always has a way of handling crisis-es, doesn't it? With the big shots here, a sidekick like me doesn't need to steal the spotlight.

▶ Sampo: If you run into real trouble, you can always ring old Sampo then. Hehe, I'll even give you folks a special discount... Sorta.

▶ Sampo: Well then, farewell, everyone!

Head to Fatal Joke

▶ Himeko: So, where are we heading next?

▶ Sparkle: ...Let's check out "Fatal Joke."

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Fatal Joke? What kind of place is that?

▶ Sparkle: Maybe... some kind of "hospital."

Continue onward through the passage in the painting

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): This place feels more like a maze than a tavern.

▶ Sparkle: Well, it IS a space-time maze after all!

(Enter Interplanar Jump!): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Man, I really wish we had one of these light orbs on the Express.
(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Keep moving forward and enter "Fatal Joke"

Sequence 19
You, Himeko, and Sparkle arrived at the "Fatal Joke." A voice crackled over the intercom, requesting that the patient "Akivili" with the medical condition "Stellaron" proceed to Exam Room 1.
(Approach the marked location): ▶ Himeko: ...Why is there a hospital hidden inside the tavern?; ▶ Sparkle: Well, because those who can become Fools are all a bit sick in the head. Not your regular headaches and fevers, but... matters of the heart.; ▶ Sparkle: Every time someone goes bonkers and stirs up trouble in the tavern, like scattering Nosewalker parasite ticks in every corner, or spiking the beer barrels with truth serum that makes people spew insults...; ▶ Sparkle: For each time the whole place goes topsy-turvy, there's always some Fool who, in the spirit of the Elation, volunteers to treat them. Yep, they get sent right here, to "Fatal Joke."; ▶ Sparkle: Strange, why isn't there even a fake doctor around today?; ...Fake?; So there aren't any real doctors here?; ▶ Sparkle: Even if some Fool claims to have a legit medical license, you wouldn't dare trust them, would you?; ▶ Hospital PA System: Attention patients: Please refrain from eating beef hotpot in the hallway. If you wish to dine, please invite the hospital director to join you. Thank you.; ▶ Hospital PA System: Would Dr. Hartman from Plastic Surgery please report to the director's office immediately? This hospital doesn't even have a plastic surgery department... Who on earth are you?; ▶ Hospital PA System: Dr. Zhongshan from Mental Health Care, please report to Exam Room 1. We're one player short for cards. Thank you.; ▶ Himeko: ...Is this a theater or a hospital?; ▶ Hospital PA System: Alert! Patient detected ahead! Patient detected ahead! Please line up in an orderly fashion for registration and wait for the doctor to begin consultations.; ▶ ▶ "Nurse": Patient #01: Akivili! Is there a (Mr./Miss) Akivili?; ▶ ▶ "Nurse": (Mr./Miss) Akivili, diagnosed with Stellaron symptoms per the records, are you present? Please proceed to Exam Room 1.; ▶ ▶ Sparkle: ...They called you by name, (Mr./Miss) "Akivili." You might as well go take a look.

Head to Exam Room 1 for consultation

Sequence 20

According to Zhongshan, your symptoms merely necessitated further monitoring. It was Sparkle's case of "loss of self" that required immediate intervention. Having recently treated several individuals infected by a memetic virus, Zhongshan had provided their case files for your review.

▶ Zhongshan: You're finally back, "Akivili."

▶ Zhongshan: I've reviewed your clinical records. Your Stellaron symptoms are stable. Continued observation will suffice.

Who are you?

▶ Zhongshan: I'm your presiding physician.

(This option is only available if you completed Bestial Ferocity: The End)

Oh, Zhongshan, it's you!?

▶ ▶ Zhongshan: Haha, (Trailblazer)! Talk about fate! Ever since our little escapade with the Unshackled on the Xianzhou, I've been wondering when someone as interesting as you would grace our tavern.

▶ Zhongshan: Next time you come to the bar, I'll treat you to a drink with topology olives and Barnsley fractal pepper.

▶ Zhongshan: Good news for you: you don't need to rush into treatment just yet. Though I can't say the same for Miss Sparkle over there.

▶ Zhongshan: Patient #02, Miss Sparkle, please come in!

▶ Zhongshan: Hello there, Miss Sparkle.

▶ Sparkle: You're one of the few who didn't mistake me for that impostor, "Doctor."

▶ Sparkle: But just a reminder: Yours truly isn't sick. I'm perfectly healthy.

▶ Zhongshan: Everyone who comes here says they're perfectly healthy.

▶ Zhongshan: I've seen so many patients, and you're among the most severe. I could already make an initial diagnosis at first glance. Your ailment is... "loss of self."

▶ Zhongshan: If someone can transform into ten thousand characters, would she still remember her original self?

▶ Sparkle: Good question. But if someone could become ten thousand characters, does the original even matter anymore?

▶ Sparkle: By the way, doc, are you familiar with any treatment protocols for memetic viruses?

▶ Zhongshan: Memetic viruses! I've heard about it. The city sent over a few cases. The patients had one thing in common: They were all heavy internet users.

▶ Zhongshan: The medical records are in the room. You can take a look if you want.

Enter the room and check the medical records

(Talk to Zhongshan again, optional): ▶ Zhongshan: The medical records are in the room. You can take a look if you want.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Is this... Duomension City? How is that possible?

▶ Sparkle: The tavern's spatial structure is bizarre to begin with. It's not that strange to see Duomension City here.

(Investigate the medical records on the desk, optional)

You casually browse through the documents on your computer desktop, finding those unarchived medical records are a real parade of characters.

A patient claims to be Ena incarnate, and those who give them a thumbs up are blessed pathstriders of the Order.

The next record is even more absurd. The patient claims that HE is Ena, and that the person who claims to be Ena is actually Yaoshi who has gone mad.

Next page, the patient searches everywhere for the "Space Bar," believing that their system lacks a jump function. Next page...

(Quick read)

Medical Record: Yao Guang

Name: Yao Guang
Sex: Female
Homeland: Yuque
Species: Humanoid, Category: Celestial Subspecies
Department: Temporal Department

Chief Complaint:
The patient suffers from an unusual chronological disease. The disease has lasted for 30 years, and causes skips of space-time induced misplacement.
The disease has temporarily been dubbed "Temporal Dislocation."

Present Illness:
Thirty years ago, the patient experienced an accident in an extrapolation array, leading to symptoms of temporal displacement. No similar cases have been reported to date.
During episodes, the patient unconsciously deviates from their current spacetime coordinates, leaping through the spacetime continuum and reappearing at incorrect temporal points. According to previous diagnostic records, temporal displacement ranges approximately ±1 to 12 hours, accompanied by spatial displacement within a radius of 15 kilometers.
The cause of the episodes remains unknown, and the pattern of occurrence is still unclear, though there is a suspected increase in frequency.

History:
Infinite lifespan in a stable state, with no risk of becoming mara-struck.

Follow-up Report:
The patient is in good spirits, with stable breathing, clear speech, and normal physical condition. There is no trend of disease progression.
After wearing the "Nexus Sapientiae," the frequency of displacement episodes has decreased.

The patient's self-awareness remains uninterrupted during temporal leaps, and brain function remains highly active post-displacement, suggesting a possible maintained connection with the spacetime structure of the Deca-Light Reflection Barrier.
Following displacement episodes, the patient exhibits a temporary decrease in blood pressure and blood sugar. Cardiopulmonary function and bone density remain unaffected by spacetime displacement.

Prescription:
Carry sugar pills and ensure regular intakes of sugar.
Attached is a long-term leave permit. (Declaration rejected by the patient)

Treatment:
Schedule a visit to the clinic upon feeling unwell

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): No way... Are these... General Yao Guang's medical records?

You instinctively look away. Some things are better left unknown.

Sequence 21

Zhongshan explained that clearing the memetic virus hinged on helping Patient Zero recognize reality. The room became a sickbay. While Zhongshan drew up Sparkle's diagnostic report, she asked Sparkle to first consult with the other patients in the ward.

(Investigate bookshelf)

▶ Zhongshan: The medical records are on the bookshelf, first file on the left.

(Quick read)

"Sparxie Virus" Cases and Treatment Plans

Affected by the Supplicant Sparxie, the "Sparxie Virus" is spreading outward from Graphia Academy to surrounding areas. The Department of Aberration Defense has activated the Phantasmoon Games emergency response plan, established quarantine zones, and is providing targeted treatment to infected civilians. Based on infection vectors, several preliminary treatment protocols have been established. All academy memetic treatment facilities are advised to reference these protocols when receiving patients. Details are outlined below.

To ensure the safety of medical personnel, this report has been treated with memetic scrubbing procedures and is safe to use.

Text-Based Transmission

Infection Vector & Symptoms
The "Sparxie Virus" possesses the ability to spread through written text. Upon viewing and comprehending virus-laden text, the memetic agent infiltrates the patient's self-awareness, causing them to continuously repeat phrases such as "I love Sparxicle" and "I want to become Sparxicle." The condition worsens with each repetition, gradually transforming their self-awareness into that of Sparxicle. It should be noted that patients infected via text are highly likely to have been exposed to compound infection from both auditory and visual memetic vectors. Soundproofing measures must be strictly implemented during treatment.

Treatment Plan
Immediately isolate the patient to prevent secondary exposure to the memetic virus. All treatment equipment must be disconnected from the network after memetic decontamination. Then, following standard prescription procedures for textual memes, inject the patient with massive amounts of redundant, harmless information to dilute and overwrite the "Sparxie Virus" in the patient's cognition. Text frequency should be maintained between 22 to 26 characters per second, with each treatment session controlled within 0.5 system hours.

Audio Transmission

Infection Method and Symptoms
The least harmful variant, with distinct phase differentiation. In Phase One, after hearing specific trigger words, "Sparxicle" invades the auditory system, replacing all information the patient hears with "Sparxicle." In Phase Two, all sounds produced by the patient are replaced with "Sparxicle," and they become contagious. The transmission method at this phase is extremely covert. For example, patients will hide "Sparxicle" within fragmented speech, using patterns like "Hey, what should we have for dinner tonight? How about Sparghetti and meatballs with xicle sauce?" Please exercise extreme caution.

Treatment Plan
Expose the patient to high noise environments. This will continuously disrupt the normal functioning of their auditory organs (No need to worry about damage to the patient. We've imported advanced medical equipment from the Interastral Peace Corporation. There won't be any permanent residual damage.) Then, the correction device will be used to control the patient's vocal organs and force them to read the Intellitron Basic Emotion Test and explain the rules until the patient is free from the memetic influence.

Visual Transmission

Infection Pathways and Symptoms
High-risk infection type: When the patient is exposed to patterns containing the "Sparxie Virus" on the network, their cognition will rapidly become infected. Memes will cover their visual senses, causing the patient to perceive all faces as "Sparxie" and their own face will also shift into being "Sparxie." Additionally, there are also extremely dangerous infected individuals who will sport Sparxie on the surface of their retinas, and anyone they gaze upon will become infected.

Treatment Plan
Enclose the patient in a dark room and separate them from direct visual contact. Use counter-memetic images provided by the IPC to train patients with visual functions to precisely remove the memetic virus engraved in their visual system.

Currently, the "Sparxie Virus" continues to spread, with potential for memetic mutation. If any unusual situations are discovered, report them immediately to the Department of Aberration Defense. Do not attempt to handle it on your own.

▶ Himeko: Are there already victims in the city?

▶ Zhongshan: To eliminate the memetic virus, helping Patient Zero face reality is a crucial phase of the treatment.

▶ ▶ Himeko & Sparkle & (Trailblazer): ...!

▶ Sparkle: What's happening?

▶ Zhongshan: You've never been to Fatal Joke before?

▶ Sparkle: That's not surprising. I don't spend much time at the tavern. And to reiterate: I'm perfectly healthy.

▶ Zhongshan: Haha, I love patients who deny their illness. I'll personally shatter their self-confidence.

▶ Zhongshan: Miss Sparkle, I'm going to write up a detailed diagnosis report for you! In the meantime, why don't you chat with your fellow patients who share your affliction?

Talk with Sparkle's fellow patients

▶ Sparkle: Gray Hair, let's go. I don't want to waste any more time with this quack.

▶ Zhongshan: Miss Sparkle, please wait in this room until the consultation is complete.

Sequence 22
The Weakened Mask spoke of a malady it once bore: the sickness known as "Fool." From this rot, a persona called "Sparkle" emerged. She used it to endure the pain of many roles, but now, the mask has successfully cast her out.
(Check in with the patient on the left): ▶ Weak Mask: Hey there! Are you also troubled by the same illness as me?; ▶ Sparkle: What illness do you have?; ▶ Weak Mask: I once suffered from a disease called "Fool."; What kind of disease is "Fool"?; ▶ Weak Mask: A Masked Fool named "Sparkle" grew out of me, slowly becoming one with me. She used me to bear all the pain caused by her performances, left me battered and bruised, while she slipped away from everything...; ▶ Weak Mask: But I was lucky enough to find this tumor called "Sparkle", and I... expelled this malignant growth from my body.; ▶ Sparkle: You're just a tool I discarded!

(Check in with the patient on the left again, optional): ▶ Weak Mask: No, I don't want "Sparkle" to grow out of me again...

Sequence 23
The Sad Mask claimed it was Sparkle's very first mask: the "Sparkle-Type Persona." Once, it garnered endless, fervent adoration for her, but had since been cast aside and forgotten.
(Check in with the patient in the middle): ▶ Sad Mask: Sparkle, do you still remember me?; ▶ Sparkle: More people got my name right today than in the past week! I'm so touched!; ▶ Sad Mask: I am your original mask... the "Sparkle Role" mask.; The Sparkle role?; ▶ Sad Mask: The archetype of a bright maiden doomed for a short life: the avenger who perishes with her nemesis, the lover who dies for love, the young artist driven to madness...; ▶ Sad Mask: You used me to win fame, applause, and countless eager gazes... so why would you cruelly cast me aside?; ▶ Sad Mask: Please, wear me once more...; ▶ Sparkle: The worst thing an actor should do is be tied down to one type of role.; ▶ Sparkle: Do yourself a favor and stay down!

(Check in with the patient in the middle again, optional): ▶ "Sparkle-type Character" Mask: Please... put on all the masks, even if you don't have that many faces...

Sequence 24
The Smiling Mask reported that it adhered to Sparkle's directive to remain emotionally elevated, but was similarly abandoned. Now, the mask could no longer smile, and only wanted to shriek, wail, and devour Sparkle whole.
(Check in with the patient on the right): ▶ Smiling Mask: Hehe, Sparkle, you're back!; ▶ Sparkle: You seem happy.; Is it really happy?; ▶ Smiling Mask: Y-Yeah. I'm keeping my spirits high, just like she asked!; ▶ Smiling Mask: Sparkle, Sparkle, you're the one who told me that a smiling mask will never have bad luck, aren't you?; ▶ Smiling Mask: This world doesn't want to see too much sadness, cruelty, rage, or pain... You told me that I just need to smile, no matter what.; ▶ Smiling Mask: I did everything you asked... but why did you abandon me? Right now... Right now, I just want to scream! To cry! To shout!; ▶ No-Longer-Smiling Mask: I just want to... DEVOUR YOU WHOLE!!!; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Just how many masks have you thrown away?; ▶ Sparkle: Don't worry about it! Everyone sheds just as many versions of themselves in a lifetime...

(Check in with the patient on the right again, optional): ▶ No-Longer-Smiling Mask: Come on, let me eat you! I'll swallow you whole!

Talk to Zhongshan

Sequence 25

As a mere mask, Sparxie was the one the world loves, while no one cared for the Sparkle underneath. Zhongshan's countermeasure was to "cremate Sparkle." By burning the person, the Sparxie persona would lose its spark and become a dead thing.

▶ Zhongshan: Miss Sparkle, I have your results. Your main components are madness, humor, and a theatrical personality. Unfortunately, the proportions are badly imbalanced. You're beyond saving.

▶ Zhongshan: But the silver lining is, your mask has fallen off! She's free at last!

▶ Sparkle: And that's where everyone's misfortune began. None of the masks I've cast off ever had such strong opinions or such a temper.

She's not just your virtual persona...

Is Sparxie also one of your Fool's Masks?

▶ Zhongshan: She no longer needs to be corroded by your cancer of rationality. Now, she can do anything that you wanted to do but didn't dare to do.

▶ Sparkle: Ha! As if there's anything Miss Sparkle wouldn't dare to do!

▶ Zhongshan: For example... you don't dare wear any one mask for too long.

▶ Sparkle: ...

▶ Zhongshan: Like a butterfly shedding old skin, you keep discarding every mask, just so you won't be defined or bound by them. You're afraid to stop, to be stuck in some stereotype. You're afraid that one day you won't be "elating" enough...

▶ Zhongshan: ...That's why you drew Miss "Sparxie," and became her online.

▶ Zhongshan: As a dazzling mask, everyone confides in her, everyone wants to be her, everyone feeds her their clever ideas. You thought this would inject new life into your "elation"...

▶ Zhongshan: But sadly, once the mask is on, you become its accessory. People care only about the image the mask paints. No one cares about the you beneath.

▶ Zhongshan: And that is why she came to life!

▶ Zhongshan: Human recognition and desire will flow through the internet, providing nourishment for her to bloom: She'll become a bewitching flower, conforming to everyone's wishes, letting them wear her, become her, and blossom across all of Planarcadia! What a beautiful sight...

Doctor, do you have a way to stop her?

▶ Zhongshan: "Stop"? You mean... "treat," yes?

▶ Zhongshan: Cremate Sparkle. That's the best treatment I can prescribe.

▶ Sparkle: Pfft. And here I thought you had something clever.

▶ Sparkle: After all, there's only one radical cure for all suffering: make oneself disappear, right?

▶ Zhongshan: Miss Sparkle, don't think I'm joking around with you. I only misbehave outside the tavern.

▶ Zhongshan: But here I am a doctor, without quotation marks. My treatment is real and effective. Generally, when a Fool vanishes, their mask loses its power and becomes a dead thing. You're two sides of the same coin, after all.

▶ Zhongshan: But as for "Sparxie"... I can't say for sure. During SparxiCon, she'll be worn by millions of ordinary people in Planarcadia, feeding her with sustenance and strength. Your window of opportunity is therefore fleeting...

▶ Zhongshan: Go on, lie down on that bed and say goodbye to your friends. Press that button, and the "nurse" will come wheel you away.

▶ Zhongshan: There's a door in the tavern that absolutely, positively, leads to a still-burning star in Sedounirama. The "nurse" will send you there, and that'll be the end of it.

▶ Sparkle: And if I say no?

▶ Zhongshan: Then I'll have to... be impolite.

▶ Sparkle: ...?

▶ ▶ Zhongshan: Miss Sparkle, (Trailblazer), the choice is yours. As for me... By The Laughter above, I've got to catch the next ship out of this dump.

Talk to Sparkle

(Idle dialogue from Sparkle): ▶ Sparkle: Hey! What's going on! Why am I pinned here!?; ▶ Sparkle: Gray Hair? Ma'am Navigator? A little help?; ▶ Sparkle: You need me! I can help you defeat Sparxie!

Sequence 26

On the verge of being cremated, Sparkle yanked the battery out of the button in your hand, refusing to die. She claimed she has figured out a way to stop SparxiCon. At that moment, applause erupted around you.

(Talk to Sparkle)

▶ Himeko: The mask of the Masked Fool represents what you wish to become. You use it to focus your power, but the mask will gradually bind you as well.

▶ Himeko: That's why you've been avoiding Sparxie all this time. She didn't just steal a vial of memetic virus... She stole your strength.

▶ Himeko: No wonder the Fool at the bar joked: when a Masked Fool loses their mask, what remains is just a fool.

▶ Sparkle: ...

▶ Sparkle: Yes, every Fool has at least one such mask. Not mere decoration, but a part of our destiny, crafted by our own hands...

▶ Sparkle: It might be a Mourning Actor mask you took a liking to and stole from them. It might be a head accessory you personally sketched in a moment of inspiration. Or it might be something that one day fell from the sky and latched onto your face...

▶ Sparkle: To become a Fool, one must experience at least one such instance of destiny: the moment of masking one's face.

▶ Sparkle: Through the mask's eyeholes, we gain a different perspective, finally seeing how the universe is simply churning with endless jokes and the absurd nature of our existence as living beings.

▶ Sparkle: The mask is what we want to be. And now, this impostor is more "me" than I am.

▶ Sparkle: Do it! Press the button, call the nurse, and cremate Miss Sparkle!

▶ Sparkle: At least then the impostor will lose her power for a little while. You should be able to take her down easily, right?

▶ Sparkle: Uh... you're not actually going to press it, right?

▶ Himeko: Give us a moment... to hesitate, to think.

▶ Sparkle: Waiting is torture, you know. You're not doing this on purpose to punish me, are you? Hey, Gray Hair! Say something!

(Don't press the button)

▶ Sparkle: Hahaha, I knew it! Gray Hair, you're still the same warm-hearted Gray Hair I know!

▶ Sparkle: Psst, let me tell you something. While no one was looking, I already popped the battery out of the button. This was a test, and you passed!

(Press the button)

▶ Sparkle: Unbelievable! Gray Hair, is your heart colder than Belobog's Ice Out of Space!?

▶ Sparkle: Hehe, I took the battery out of the button earlier while no one watched. It was a test, and you failed!

(Frantically mashing buttons!)

▶ Sparkle: Hey hey hey! Gray Hair, have you forgotten our friendship? You'll make the button smoke at this rate!

▶ Sparkle: Too bad. I took the battery out of the button earlier while no one watched. It was a test, and you failed!

▶ Himeko: Since the Fool made her choice, she must have a plan to reclaim the Mask, right?

▶ Himeko: If you dare say "no," I'll press THIS button and let the orbital cannon "cremate" you for real. Your sticky little fingers aren't fast enough to steal this battery, are they?

▶ Sparkle: There's a way! There's always a way!

▶ Sparkle: Miss Sparkle will definitely take responsibility and work together with everyone to stop SparxiCon!

▶ Himeko: What's with this applause?

▶ Sparkle: Have we... been watched the whole time?

(Unlock Achievement Blazing Smile)

Step forward and smash the glass!

(Interact with Sparkle, optional): Sparkle finds herself bound to the bed by an invisible force. This irresistible power you've experienced yourself on mornings when you just can't get up. No one can defeat it!; Sparkle was pinned to the bed! Who knows what trick Zhongshan pulled: invisible ropes from myths? An unseen giant hand? Telekinesis?

Sequence 27

Fatal Joke revealed itself as a theater. Sparkle said she had a few Anti-Sparkle Weapons in her collection, enough to make Sparxie regret this. Sparkle asked you and Himeko to follow her to the storage area.

(Smash the glass)

▶ Sparkle: So the audience watched our every move in that "treatment"? ...Is this a hospital or a theater?

▶ Himeko: That's life for you. While there's life, there's judgment. In every unseen corner, countless judging eyes are watching, diagnosing, and writing their own "prescriptions."

▶ Sparkle: I must admit, Fatal Joke is a fascinating place. Real shame I didn't come check it out earlier.

▶ Himeko: Ignore the spectators. They're just here for laughs. They won't help, and couldn't if they tried.

▶ Himeko: You said you had a way to stop Sparxie. Let's hear it. What's the plan?

▶ Sparkle: I've got a few... "Anti-Sparkle Weapons" in my collection.

What's that?

▶ Sparkle: The name says it all. These are items Miss Sparkle collected in my past adventures, and weapons that my fierce rivals once used against me.

Why would you go against yourself?

▶ Sparkle: I've always had this premonition that one day Miss Sparkle would become an unstoppable terror in this universe. Someone has to find a way to stop me before that day comes!

▶ Sparkle: On a trip, I met a girl who shared my tastes.^{[Note 1]} She had quite the knack to be a Fool.

▶ Sparkle: In our battle of wits, she nearly turned me into Sparkle paste using the local "Tumbleweed" specialty. She also had a massive mech with beam cannons up the wazoo, ready to blast away any time.

▶ Sparkle: I quietly replicated those powerful goodies from my travels. With these Anti-Sparkle Weapons, that impostor won't know what hit her!

▶ Sparkle: I gotta say, I'm quite the visionary!

▶ Sparkle: You two, let's head to the storage area next. I've already contacted Giovanni. He's doing an inventory check of the lost items there.

Head to the Fools' storage area

Sequence 28
Paraprince sent intel: no sign of March 7th or Welt, but he saw Sparxie directing students to dismantle the wave mural in the school.
(Approach the marked location): Messages
Paraprince
Paraprince
Beep boop! Frontline reporter bringing fresh intel!
This is bad news! Something weird is happening to all the students in the school!
This furbo thinks... I'm getting infected too! I can't breathe!
Anything unusual?
(Trailblazer)
Anything unusual?
Have you seen a student with pink hair?
(Trailblazer)
Have you seen a student with pink hair?
Paraprince
Human students have way too many hair colors! I can't tell which one you're looking for. But this furbo will keep trying!
Have you seen a male teacher wearing glasses?
(Trailblazer)
Have you seen a male teacher wearing glasses?
Paraprince
I haven't!
Paraprince
Something's not right! They're taking down the wave mural from the school!
Beep beep, detecting movement heading towards this furbo's position!
Do remember my contributions to the club, President!
Talk later!; ▶ Himeko: Intel from the school?; The undercover journalist didn't find the hostages.; The undercover journalist discovered something unusual.; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): The furbo journalist couldn't find March or Mr. Yang, but they did spot Sparxie taking down the wave mural in the school courtyard.; ▶ Himeko: Oh? That's noteworthy. Looks like Sparxie's busy making preparations too. But why do all this?; ▶ Himeko: Never mind her for now. Let's check out the Fools' storage area.

Continue onward through the passage in the painting

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): This tavern is huge!

▶ Sparkle: Eh, it's alright. I just wish there were more fun spots around here.

(Enter Interplanar Jump!): ▶ Himeko: Wait... there are that many people under the dance floor...?
(Exit Interplanar Jump!)

Continue forward and enter the storage area

Sequence 29

Giovanni, the storage area's keeper, greeted you. Sparkle's storage list was a complete mess, so Giovanni asked Sparkle to go in herself and find where the Anti-Sparkle Weapons were stored.

(Approach the marked location)

▶ Sparkle: Hey, Gio. What are you doing up there?

▶ Giovanni: Working my tail off for you, tallying the losses! Wait, who'd you bring with you?

▶ ▶ Giovanni: Oh, it's (Trailblazer)! I knew you'd step into the tavern and become one of us someday. Those with the makings of Masked Fools are naturally drawn to one another.

▶ ▶ Himeko: (Trailblazer), you sure know quite a few Fools.

▶ Giovanni: And the lovely lady behind you... you must be Miss Himeko, Navigator of the Express. A pleasure to meet you.

▶ Himeko: Mr. Giovanni, just call me Himeko.

▶ ▶ Giovanni: Normally only Fools may enter, but since Sparkle brought you, and (Trailblazer) is practically an old friend, I can make an exception as the caretaker. Let me show you around...

▶ Sparkle: Gio, cut the spiel. Sampo says you recite that intro so often he's grown calluses on his ears...

▶ Sparkle: Want the Fools' treasure, souvenirs, and prank gear? Come to the Grand Treasury storage! They've stashed everything here.

▶ Giovanni: You stole my line again.

Are you trying to advertise to thieves or what?

▶ Sparkle: Pfft. With our theft rate, that tagline's probably to blame.

That line... sounds familiar?^{[Note 2]}

▶ Giovanni: Picked it up on a trip to another world. You've heard this phrase too, haven't you?

▶ Giovanni: I'll admit, it's catchy. That's why I used it as a slogan. Storage area visits went up by 26% after that.

▶ Sparkle: Business first. Did you see my pickup message I sent? Where's my stored Anti-Sparkle Weapons?

▶ Giovanni: Your storage list is a total mess. You never leave any notes! If I hadn't been called to audit, who'd know how many surprises you got stashed away? As for the "Anti-Sparkle Weapons"... I'd love to know what on earth that's supposed to be?

▶ Giovanni: Bah, why don't you go in and look for yourself!

▶ Giovanni: As requested, I've linked the vault entrance to your collection room.

Investigate the Stellar Jade immediately!!

Step Description

Is this... a Stellar Jade? How beautiful it is! Wait, why is it so huge?
No, I must investigate this Stellar Jade immediately!!

"World's End" Tavern

(Approach the marked location): ▶ Sparkle: Gio, did the impostor leave this behind?; ▶ Giovanni: How should I know? I've been doing inventory all this time. I only just now noticed something fishy about this thing.

▶ Sparkle: Huh. What's this?

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Whoa, that's one massive Stellar Jade!

▶ Sparkle: Let's go in and take a look.

Sequence 30
You gazed upon a massive Stellar Jade. It seemed to be beckoning you forward. Himeko called out urgently, but you could no longer resist the Stellar Jade's allure.
(Investigate the Stellar Jade): Stellar Jade... There are many theories about where these gems came from. Some say they're light that cooled and crystallized after the primordial universe took shape. Others claim they're the crystallized essence of ancient Leviathans, formed over billions of years.; Without a doubt, its mesmerizing beauty could be traded for everything in this universe — material pleasures, Light Cones of the Garden, ancient Relics, and the devotion of others...; There's such a huge one right in front of you, big enough to drive everyone crazy... That's right, you want it! You really want it! You're about to go into a frenzy—; My precioussss...^{[Note 3]}; Is it talking to me?; ▶ ▶ Himeko: (Trailblazer), wake up!; ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): ...Huh?

Shatter the Stellar Jade and bring it back to the Express

Step Description

Stellar Jade~ Oh, my Stellar Jade!
Do you hear that? The Stellar Jade is calling out to me, it wants to come home with me!
When fortune knocks, you gotta answer! Today I'm gonna smash it to bits and bring it back to the Express!
Hehehehe!

"World's End" Tavern

▶ Himeko: This rock... is dangerous.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Dangerous? I'll smash it with one swing!

▶ Sparkle: You got it. Smash every last one and bring 'em all back.

Sequence 31
You fell into Sparxie's trap. While stealing the memetic virus, Sparxie reassembled the other Anti-Sparkle Weapons into a monster and launched an attack against you.
(Shatter the Stellar Jade)
(Obtain Stellar Jade ×60): ▶ Sparxie's Voice: Enjoy the surprise gift? Haha, Stellar Jade is the perfect bait for catching the Nameless.; ▶ Sparkle: How generous of you. First time I've seen a thief steal something and leave something even more valuable in the vault.; ▶ Sparxie's Voice: Isn't this exactly the type of phantom-thief flair we Masked Fools adore? Remove a carefully curated piece, and leave a gift in place to soothe the owner.; ▶ Sparxie's Voice: Heh, a jumbo-sized Stellar Jade is surely worth a jar of Memetic Virus and a few "Anti-Sparkle Weapons," wouldn't you say?; ▶ Sparkle: ...And you stole my other prized pieces too!?; ▶ Sparxie's Voice: That worthless junk? Consider it a complimentary vault cleaning.; ▶ Sparxie's Voice: Before SparxiCon begins, I'd like a little warm-up entertainment. Old model, and the Nameless, you should be able to break out of this room, right? Don't disappoint me now.

Defeat the enemies that appeared

Step Description

Oh no! How could Sparxie be so devious, using a Stellar Jade as bait to lure me into a trap!
Regardless, let's deal with the enemies at hand first.

"World's End" Tavern

(Begin battle against Sparxie's "Gift" ×1; Assistant Graffiti: Slacker ×1; Assistant Graffiti: Rusher ×1): ▶ Sparkle: ...We're done for, game over!; ▶ Sparkle: My Anti-Sparkle Weapon has turned into a failed science project...
(Battle ends)

Sequence 32

Himeko came up with a way to suppress the memetic virus: manipulate the waters of Dovebrook in the imagenated landscape mural to wash over the school. Giovanni recommended taking a look inside the Blisstar orb before your departure.

▶ Sparkle: Gio, the security here is an absolute mess!

▶ Giovanni: You're in no position to talk. Even the drinksmith here is a temp. Count yourself lucky I'm kind enough to help tally your storage.

▶ Sparkle: She didn't just steal my power and my collection... she completely destroyed Miss Sparkle's reputation! This is... the worst day ever!

▶ Giovanni: Correction: Miss Sparkle's "worst day so far."

▶ Sparkle: Want to make fun of me? Go ahead.

▶ Himeko: Don't get me wrong. I also don't think "gear tumbleweeds" and "giant mechs" would work on someone spreading memetic viruses.

▶ Himeko: I thought of a way just now that might suppress the memetic contagion at Graphia Academy...

As expected of Himeko. You have a backup plan?

▶ Himeko: You can fight fire with fire, but a memetic virus can be scoured away with "water."

▶ Sparkle: What do you mean?

▶ Himeko: Our informant at the school reports Sparxie is removing the central mural there.

▶ Himeko: The imagenated mural "Worldbreaker Waves" is said to be a work left behind by Graphia herself. Legend says the wave comes from the Dovebrook river-water she used to wash off her painting mistakes. The artists say it is blessed. That's why they kept it in the school.

▶ Himeko: I couldn't understand why Sparxie went to such lengths to tear it down. Now I do. "Painting mistakes" are redundant information that stain a painting. A memetic virus is redundant information that stains the mind.

▶ Himeko: If someone knew how to harness this Dovebrook wave to wash over the school, they could cleanse the infection she spread. That's why Sparxie wanted to hide the mural.

So the solution lies within the school?

▶ Himeko: Exactly.

Maybe we can ask Dan Heng to use cloudhymn?

▶ Himeko: The waves on the painting aren't physical water. Only those versed in the art of imagenesis can control them.

▶ Himeko: As a Graphia Academy alumna, I know a bit of traditional painting. Right now, our most directly effective plan is to break into the school, regain control of the mural, and use it to suppress Sparxie's movements.

▶ Sparkle: Let's go! I'll make this impostor pay a hundred-fold!

▶ Giovanni: Looks like our paths must part in haste. I wish you all fair winds on your journey ahead.

▶ Giovanni: Oh! If any of you feel uncertain about what's next, here's a small suggestion: Take a detour inside the "Blisstar" light orb.

We don't have time to waste.

▶ Giovanni: A quick prayer to the gods before battle hardly counts as wasting time, does it?

And what is that place?

▶ Giovanni: For us Masked Fools, that light orb holds the same significance as the Phantasmoon hanging above.

▶ Giovanni: Deep within the orb, everyone can find the divine revelations of the Elation.

Leave the storage area

Step Description

To stop SparxiCon, we need to find a way to resist and eliminate the memetic infection spread by Sparxie. Giovanni suggested we check out the light orbs in Blisstar before heading into battle.
I wonder what goodies we'll find?

"World's End" Tavern

(Approach the marked location): ▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): This doesn't look like where we came in...; ▶ Sparkle: Don't worry. I had old Gio open a shortcut.

Messages
Paraprince

Paraprince

Beep boop! President, we've got another situation here!

Well done!

(Trailblazer)

Well done!

Got any new intel?

(Trailblazer)

Got any new intel?

Paraprince

After that mean lady ordered students to take down the wave mural, this furbo has been keeping a close watch!

Beep beep... Found it! Where they're keeping it!

This is just one of them! I'll keep at it and find the rest!

Holy furboly! That lady seems to have spotted me! My fate is sealed... all for the President!

Furbo?

(Trailblazer)

Furbo?

...Are you okay?

(Trailblazer)

...Are you okay?

Paraprince

Of course it's not okay

Sending a spy to infiltrate this place... Nameless, you've got some tricks up your sleeve, huh?

However, you're running low on both time and odds

Don't get cocky!

(Trailblazer)

Don't get cocky!

I'm coming to finish you!

(Trailblazer)

I'm coming to finish you!

Paraprince

Pick up the pace! Don't keep me waiting in suspense~

Sequence 33

Paraprince, who infiltrated the school, had been caught by Sparxie, and our intel was cut off. You needed to pick up the pace.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Darn it...

▶ Himeko: They found something else at the school?

The undercover journalist got caught.

▶ Himeko: We need to pick up the pace.

Head to the light orb "Blisstar"

Step Description

To stop SparxiCon, we need to find a way to resist and eliminate the memetic infection spread by Sparxie. Giovanni suggested we check out the light orbs in Blisstar before heading into battle.
I wonder what goodies we'll find?

"World's End" Tavern

Sequence 34

Sparkle explained that sealed within Blisstar is a miracle connected to Aha, and only a Masked Fool could unlock its doors. The light orb refused Sparkle entry, yet opened a path for you.

(Approach the marked location)

▶ Himeko: Giovanni said we could find the divine revelations of the Elation inside the light orb? Don't tell me this orb is another tavern room?

▶ Sparkle: Bingo! Your intuition's spot-on. It isn't just a light-polluting orb. Think of it as a shrine for Fools.

Wasn't Aha banned from entering?

▶ Sparkle: The youngsters only revoked The Laughter's right to enter the tavern. They don't reject things associated with THEM.

A shrine to worship Aha?

▶ Sparkle: Pfft, "worship" sounds a bit too serious, no?

▶ Sparkle: Most Masked Fools treat The Laughter like an invisible, mischievous drinking buddy. Fine for a mental toast, but if THEY really come looking for you, it's usually bad news.

▶ Sparkle: Inside this light orb is a miracle tied to Aha. It responds to any Fool who approaches.

▶ Sparkle: Let me show you something mind-blowing. Here we go. Open sesame...

▶ Sparkle: I said! O-PEN! SE-SA-ME! Open sesame... Sesame? Open?

▶ Sparkle: ...No way! So in THEIR eyes I don't even count as a Masked Fool anymore? What a "wonderful surprise"! The impostor stole my identity too!

Sorry for your loss...

A Fool who has lost her Mask.

▶ Himeko: The good news is, at least one of us is still a Masked Fool.

▶ Sparkle: Hey, that's way too harsh!

(Unlock Achievement Masked Instant)

Enter the light orb and witness the miracle

(Approach the marked location): ▶ Sparkle: I hate to admit it... but Gray Hair, it's opened for you. The light orb has acknowledged you.

Sequence 35
Inside the light orb was Aha's Echo of Primordial Laughter. If you reached into the fissure, you can grasp a Gift from The Laughter. Sparkle urged you to step forward and try.
(Enter the Blisstar): ▶ Himeko: So this is the miracle you meant?; ▶ Sparkle: Yes. Among the Masked Fools, a myth is told...; ▶ Sparkle: "When the Master of Elation climbed the highest boughs of the Tree of Existence, THEY glimpsed the cold, abhorrent void. The stars turned like machinery, and all meaning yielded to nihility."; ▶ Sparkle: "THEY gazed further, until THEY witnessed a newborn fall and cry as if wronged beyond measure. Then THEY burst out laughing. That crystalline laughter tore through the cold, dead universe, echoing through the realms to this day."; ▶ Sparkle: Many think the laughter that tore apart the cosmos is just a metaphor... but sadly, it's real.; ▶ Sparkle: The tavern folks call this thing the Echo of Primordial Laughter. It tore open a spatial rift.; ▶ Sparkle: They say other tavern branches have this too... in multiple locations. No one knows how many there are or what their existence means. When we shout into it, there's no echo. Toss in trash, and it merrily swallows it all.; ▶ Sparkle: No one knows if this thing will keep widening and swallow the tavern whole... Either way, it just sits there, right over there, motionless grinning at us forever.; So how do we get this divine revelation that Giovanni mentioned?; Will it tell us what to do?; ▶ Sparkle: Just stick your hand in there.; ▶ Sparkle: It's said at a turning point of destiny, a Fool need only reach into the rift and grasp something. The tavern folks call it The Laughter's Gift.; ▶ Sparkle: No one knows what this thing will bring to those who seek it... fortune or otherwise? But one thing's for sure: your destiny's bound to get much more chaotic.; ▶ Sparkle: Hey, Gray Hair, wanna give it a try?; Reach your hand in there...; Hold on, let me take a deep breath.

Reach out and receive the "Gift of The Laughter"

▶ Sparkle: Ready to try your luck? Reach into the fissure, and you'll find a gift from The Laughter.

Reach your hand in there...

Hold on, let me take a deep breath.

Sequence 36

You pulled out a Banana, a memetic virus that could convert people into monkeys, allowing them to resist Sparxie's infection. Meanwhile, Ashveil and his assistant arrived at the light orb.

With trembling unease, you reach into the gaping fissure. Just pretend it's like the mouth of that Amphorean Verax Leo, you keep telling yourself.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Akivili have mercy... in Akivili's name... please don't hurt me... My hand doesn't taste good...

Your hand seems to plunge into a soft, swirling fluid, and a bizarre monkey screech echoes in your ears, reminding you of an ominous story about wish-making.^{[Note 4]} Then you sense that you've touched something.

Got it!

Let me feel around.

Check out the "Gift of The Laughter"

Angular and blocky, it hurts to hold, with a slight stinging sensation, like stepping on a small toy part hidden in the carpet.

▶ ▶ (Trailblazer): Is this...

▶ Himeko: Huh. What's this?

You know for sure you've seen this thing before, right there in Penacony.

The extraordinary experience of fighting alongside "The Dazzling Ninja" AKA Rappa against the "Osaru Evil Ninja" flashed through your mind. The answer, like a banana hanging in the sky, compelled you to reveal its origin—

That banana... I've seen it before...

It's a memetic virus banana.

▶ Sparkle: The Laughter above, THEY really answered! But what's THEIR deal giving you another memetic virus?

To fight virus with virus...

To grant temporary immunity...

▶ Himeko: Ah, now I get it.

▶ Himeko: Audiences infected with the Sparxie Virus naturally won't be able to resist Sparxie... We'd end up like that soon after breaking into the school. But if we're already infected with another memetic virus... Well, that changes things.

▶ Himeko: And this banana serves exactly that purpose... to buy us some time to resist.

▶ Himeko: The Elation really has a twisted sense of humor, huh? All right, let's move!

▶ Sparkle: Who are you two? Haven't you heard the rule? Only one Fool's allowed in here at a time.

▶ Ashveil: Who am I? Just a passing detective, and his assistant.

▶ Ashveil: Have I been asleep too long? Or has humanity sunk so low they don't even care if they turn into monkeys?

Sequence 37

Ashveil threatened you to drop the Banana. Sampo appeared and covered your retreat with a smoke bomb. Ashveil decided to continue the pursuit and told Narrator to return to the office and stand by.

▶ "Narrator": Meanwhile, the ignorant criminals believed they had discovered a "treasure" that could change their destiny, completely unaware that what they held in their hands could shatter the sanity of the entire world.

▶ Ashveil: Hey, Mister N, cut the narration when it's time to fight.

▶ "Narrator": Well, I gotta do something, right? *shriek* Like this?

▶ Ashveil: Whatever floats your boat. Now listen up, you three. Put that banana down and walk away, and I'll let bygones be bygones.

▶ Ashveil: But if you try anything funny...

▶ ▶ Sampo: If you wanna get to them, you'll have to get through these little toys first!

▶ "Narrator": ...

▶ Ashveil: Tch, are these folks really the Nameless? In all my years, I've never seen the Nameless dealing with memetic viruses.

▶ "Narrator": The real deal. Just some Nameless passing through.

▶ Ashveil: Mister N, I've got to go after them. You won't be able to keep up with me. Just head home and wait for the news.

▶ Ashveil: I swear I won't let the tragedy that happened to you repeat itself in this world.

Escape Ashveil's pursuit and leave the tavern

Sequence 38

Preparations were complete, you were about to head to Graphia Academy to confront Sparxie. Sampo escorted you back to the city through the tavern's secret passage.

▶ Sampo: Over here! This way! Run faster! You don't wanna get caught by that guy back there, do you?

▶ ▶ Sampo: Yo (bro,/sis,) just how many troublemakers did you people manage to tick off when you landed?

So who was that just now?

▶ Sparkle: I swear, Miss Sparkle definitely hasn't gotten involved with someone like that.

Didn't you leave already?

▶ Sampo: My eyelid's been twitching all day. Knew something was bound to go wrong. You know old Sampo's got a soft spot for his regulars, so I couldn't help but come check on you folks. And what do you know? I was right.

When push comes to shove, Sampo's the one we can count on...

▶ Sampo: Good ol' Sampo came through with top-notch service, saving your lives in the nick of time.

▶ Himeko: Thank you, Mr. Sampo.

▶ Himeko: Now that we're all set, it's time to head to Graphia Academy for the rescue mission. Mr. Sampo, do you know which door in the tavern can get us back to the city the quickest?

▶ Sampo: Haha, you don't even need to ask! When it comes to knowing all the "secret passages" and "shortcuts" in this tavern, you won't find anyone who can match old Sampo...

▶ Sparkle: Then lead the way!

Notes

↑ Reference to the Honkai Impact 3rd x Honkai: Star Rail collaboration.
↑ Reference to Gold Roger's quote from One Piece:
"My wealth and treasure? It can be yours if you want it! Search for it! I left everything in that one place."
↑ Reference to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.
↑ Reference to "The Monkey's Paw."

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Medical Disputes on the Ship of Fools
Chinese (Simplified)	愚人船上的医患纠纷
Chinese (Traditional)	愚人船上的醫患糾紛
Japanese	阿呆船での医療トラブル
Korean	우인선에서의 의료 분쟁
Spanish	Conflicto médico en la nave de los Bufones
French	Litiges médicaux sur le vaisseau des Fous
Russian	Ссора врача и пациента на корабле дураков
Thai	ข้อพิพาทของแพทย์ และผู้ป่วยบนเรือคนเขลา
Vietnamese	Tranh Chấp Y Tế Trên Thuyền Kẻ Ngốc
German	Medizinische Streitigkeiten auf dem Narrenschiff
Indonesian	Perselisihan Dokter dan Pasien di Kapal Masked Fool
Portuguese	Disputas Médicas no Navio dos Tolos

Change History

Released in Version 4.0

[Create New History]

Navigation

[1] Reference to the Honkai Impact 3rd x Honkai: Star Rail collaboration.

[2] Reference to Gold Roger's quote from One Piece:
"My wealth and treasure? It can be yours if you want it! Search for it! I left everything in that one place."

[3] Reference to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.

[4] Reference to "The Monkey's Paw."

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[Note 3]

[Note 4]