Seed's Footprints

(Idle)

Seed: You know Seed Sr.?

Kindly Elder: Of course I do, how could I not!

(Talk to Seed)

Seed: Hey mister, do you know Seed Sr.?

Kindly Elder: Know him? How could I not! Eleven years ago, he rescued my little girl from the Hollow!

Kindly Elder: Old buddy, I didn't expect to see you again...! But wait, weren't you called Seed? What's with the "Sr." part now?

Trigger: It's been eleven years after all, and codenames are bound to change over time. Sorry, Mister, but Seed Sr. is... struggling with conversation these days due to his health.

Kindly Elder: Ah, I see... Haha, we're both getting up there in years! Remember me? I'm old Li! My daughter Xiaoqi — you carried her out of the Hollow when she could barely stand. Ring any bells?

Seed: Hey Old Li, did Seed Sr. used to hang around Failume Heights often?

Trigger: *cough, cough*... When addressing an elder, you should use Mr. Li...

Li: Haha, no worries! I'm just happy to see my old benefactor again. I don't care what the little lady calls me! If my old buddy here can't speak, then let me do the talking!

Li: Eleven years ago, when the old capital fell, Seed Sr. braved the Hollow seven times, rescuing dozens of citizens. Heck, we have over ten folks right here in Waifei Peninsula who owe their lives to him!

Li: So we invited him to visit Failume Heights more often. In the following years, he'd drop by for half a day every few months, saying he needed to do some research in the Hollow... We'd treat him to a meal every time he came.

Li: He's quite the character: not only did he drink motor oil, but he also wanted to try human food! He went through everything on the Yum Cha Sin menu: har gow, egg tarts, char siu bao, you name it!

Li: You all have never heard an Intelligent Construct hiccup... now that's some powerful stuff that echoes for days! Ah old buddy, all this talk is making me nostalgic... how about we head over to Yum Cha Sin right now for old times' sake?

Trigger: Sorry, but we've still got a few missions...

Li: I see... No worries, it's not like we won't see each other again! When you suddenly stopped coming to Waifei Peninsula a few years ago, I was really worried... Never thought we'd meet again like this!

Li: You guys go ahead with whatever you need to do! Hey old buddy, give me a heads up next time you're free. I'll bring my daughter Xiaoqi along; she hasn't seen you in ages!

Seed Sr.: ...See you next time.

(Seed Sr. spoke?!)

Old Li is taken aback by Seed Sr.'s mechanical response, then waves at him with a smile before turning and walking away.
After making sure he's gone, Seed and Trigger look over...

Trigger: ...Proxy, just now, it was actually Seed controlling Seed Sr. remotely, playing pre-set system voice lines. Hope that didn't freak you out.

What are you guys doing?

Something related to Seed Sr.?

Trigger: Yeah, something like that... Seed recently found an old notebook in Seed Sr.'s luggage with records of his past activities around New Eridu.

Seed: I always thought it was just a really hard booster seat for me to use, until last week when I found out it could be opened...

Trigger: According to the notes, before his death, he had been going around New Eridu investigating medium to large Hollows, hoping to find a fissure that led straight into the depths of Hollow Zero.

Trigger: ...In other words, even as he was approaching death, he was still searching for a way to return to Hollow Zero, to uncover the mystery of Seed's origins and the truth behind the fall of the old capital.

Seed: I can't recall any more details about the Helios Academy and the fall of the old capital right now. But seeing how much effort Seed Sr. put into all this, I can't help but think...

Seed: ...Even if it leads nowhere, I just want to walk the path he walked, to see the sights he once saw.

Trigger: So I accompanied Seed to Failume Heights. This is our first stop, Ballet Twins Road is the second, the Outer Ring is the third, and Port Elpis is the fourth...

Trigger: I just didn't expect that someone would recognize Seed Sr. the moment we arrived. Looks like he had quite the social circle back in the day...

Trigger: ...Proxy, would you like to take Seed around the other places? No need to enter the Hollows, just take a walk nearby... with Seed Sr. in tow.

Trigger: As a fellow child of Helios Academy, I believe you're more suited to be the companion for this journey.

Thanks for your trust, Trigger.

I'll take the commission!

Trigger: I should be the one thanking you! Seed seems a bit uneasy... I'll leave her to you.

Seed: ...

Trigger: ...Seed?

Seed: ...Huh? Oh, sorry, I was spacing out... L—Let's get going!

(Idle)

Seed: ...

(Talk to Seed again, optional)

Trigger: Seed...? You okay there?

Seed: I'm fine... Where to next? Is it that place called Baily Twins?

Accompany Seed to Ballet Twins Road

 Accompany Seed to Ballet Twins Road

---

The next location marked in Seed Sr.'s notebook is Ballet Twins Road... Let's head there with Seed and check it out.

Ballet Twins Road

(Idle)

Seed: I feel like... I kinda know what's about to happen...

(Talk to Seed)

Seed: ...

Seed, you alright?

You seem a bit hesitant.

Seed: ...Proxy, back at Failume Heights, Old Li said that Seed Sr. eats human food, burps, and even rescued dozens of others besides me during the fall of the old capital...

Seed: And his investigation of the Hollows... These are all sides of Seed Sr. that I never knew about. Just thinking about it now makes me feel uneasy...

Seed: I never really thought about what the real Seed Sr. was like... Suddenly I feel like the him in my memories might become more and more unfamiliar as our investigation continues...

I don't think that'll happen.

He'll always be the Seed Sr. you know.

Seed: If you say so... I trust you.

Just as you are about to continue talking, a somewhat familiar elderly man walks over, his gaze fixed intently on Seed Sr....

Rhodes: Seed... are you Seed?! Oh my, it's been so many years since I last saw you... I was worried something had happened to you!

You're... the Ballet Twins' grandfather!

Mr. Rhodes, you know Seed Sr.?

Rhodes: You're... (‍WiseWiseText for Wise / BelleBelleText for Belle‍), the manager of that video store on Sixth Street! Why are you with Seed? And why are you calling him Seed Sr.? And who's this girl next to you?

You give Grandpa Rhodes a quick rundown of what went down...

Rhodes: I see... It's been years since we last saw each other. I had no idea so much happened to you, big guy...

Rhodes: The first time we met wasn't exactly pleasant... Right before my granddaughters' performance at the Ballet Twins, he suddenly showed up and tried to stop the show.

Rhodes: What a fool I was... Back then, I didn't know anything about Hollow safety protocols. I thought he was just causing trouble... But he said he'd calculated the Hollow fluctuation frequency and that the probability of a Hollow disaster was extremely high... He was right.

Rhodes: When the Hollow swallowed up the Ballet Twins, he rushed in first to save people, and afterwards, he helped us fight for compensation. Even though I used to curse at him... he really is a great person.

Seed: Seed Sr.... He actually knew how to calculate something as complex as Hollow frequency changes?

Rhodes: He said he's self-taught, found the books in the Defense Force library. Ah, my old friend, it's been years since we lost touch... things can never go back to how they were...

Rhodes: So, little lady, did that tale satisfy your curiosity?

Seed: Of course. Thanks, Rhodes~

Rhodes nods a goodbye, gives Seed Sr. a pat on the back, and hobbles away on his cane...

Seed: Proxy, I can't believe Seed Sr. single-handedly managed to calculate the arrival of a Hollow disaster and tried to warn people... He's incredible.

Seed, why do you look so down?

Seed: I'm fine... I was just thinking about how much he did back when I was still Flora and he was Seed, especially compared to the me of today...

Seed: Proxy, let's head to the next spot.

(Idle)

Seed: Blazewood, huh...

Accompany Seed to Blazewood

 Accompany Seed to Blazewood

---

The next location marked in Seed Sr.'s notebook is Blazewood... Let's head there with Seed and check it out.

Blazewood

(Idle)

Seed: Seed Sr., is this also part of the scenery you've witnessed?

(Talk to Seed)

Seed: Proxy, the scenery in the Outer Ring is pretty unique unique. I wonder if this was the same view Seed Sr. saw when he set foot here years ago...

What you see...

...Must be the same scenery

Seed: Really...?

Seed: Going by the usual tropes... if we just stand here, someone's bound to come looking for us, right?

No sooner had the words left her mouth than you hear "Seed, is that you?" from behind. Totally saw that coming...
Looking back, Old Demir is walking this way.

Old Demir: Seed, how many years has it been? I thought you'd been lost to the Hollow...

Old Demir...

Can you tell us how you got to know Seed Sr.?

Old Demir: "Seed Sr."? So you're not Seed?

Seed: He used to be Seed, but now I'm the one who's Seed, y'know.

Old Demir: Oh, my bad, my mind ain't like it used to be! I got it all wrong... So you're telling me that you, Seed, regressed into a little girl, right?

That's totally wrong!

The species don't even match!

You patiently explain the whole situation with Seed Sr. to Old Demir...

Old Demir: I see... you big lug, you're every bit as impressive as the hero of Cinder Lake!

Old Demir: When did I first meet Seed Sr. now...? Ah, I can't really remember. All I know is he used to drop by back when I still had the energy to run around the Outer Ring.

Old Demir: The Nitro-Fuel in the Outer Ring is pure, and the engine oil even purer. He's addicted to our oil, always can't help but come and spend half a day drinking... Though about ten years ago, he seemed to have reined it in.

Old Demir: The oil resources in the Outer Ring are constantly being targeted by Hollow Raiders and gangs, but he's stepped in to handle them a few times... And get this... he even fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Overlord Pompey himself!

Seed: Wow... another bunch of stories about Seed Sr. that I've never heard before...

Old Demir: Speaking of stories, there's this classic about him... let me think... what was it...

Old Demir: Oh yeah, he can chug three barrels of motor oil in one go, then spray it all out through every exhaust port!

Seed: Pfft...

Old Demir: This big lug, he seemed pretty slow at first, but man, was he a riot! Ah, but that's all in the past now... Can't believe after all these years, you can't even speak anymore, and you've been reincarnated as a little girl...

That's totally not what happened!

Old Demir mimes raising his glass to Seed Sr. and shuffles away, muttering to himself...

Seed: ...

That was an interesting story.

What do you think, Seed?

Seed: ...Yeah. It's hard to believe that back when Seed Sr. was still just "Seed," he'd be like that... I never imagined him as the kind of person who would end up drinking motor oil all night in the Outer Ring.

Seed: Proxy... does this "Seed" standing before you now bring shame to that codename?

Absolutely not!

You're everyone's pride and joy!

Seed: Sorry, I'm feeling a bit off... Let's just move on to the next location.

(Idle)

Seed: ...Is Port Elpis really the last one...?

Accompany Seed to Port Elpis

 Accompany Seed to Port Elpis

---

The last location marked in Seed Sr.'s notebook is Port Elpis... Let's head there with Seed and check it out.

Port Elpis

(Idle)

Seed: So this is where the trail ends...?

(Talk to Seed)

Seed: ...The scenery here is pretty nice.

Let's enjoy the breeze together.

Seed: Sure. Though I bet it won't be long before someone spots Seed Sr. and comes running over... With his connections, that's bound to happen.

Seed: I wonder what kind of person and story we'll encounter this time?

Sure enough, after a while, the sound of high heels echo across the wooden boardwalk. The newcomer finally comes to a stop, standing side by side with Seed.

Veronica: ...

Seed: ...

Seed: ...Dr. Veronica, why aren't you in jail where you belong? You're ruining the view, you know?

Veronica: You're still as annoying as ever, brat... I'm just here clearing my head, saw Seed Sr. around, and thought I'd check it out.

Veronica: As for why I didn't end up in jail... Would it sound absurd if I told you I picked the right side and someone had my back?

Seed: ...Nah. If Isolde can lead the Exaltists, nothing that happens in New Eridu surprises me anymore.

Veronica: ...Think what you want then. The conservative mechanist faction I'm aligned with has been rising to power lately... I'm just another pawn they've fished out to use.

Veronica: ...So, what are you doing around here with him, Seed?

Seed: Walking the path he once walked.

Veronica: ...Is that so? Have you finally realized what kind of life he sacrificed for your "blooming"?

Veronica: Even among military Intelligent Constructs, Seed Sr. is unique. He's always shown immense interest in humans... because humans can cry, laugh, and have naturally beating hearts.

Veronica: He wanted to understand how the "heart" works. So he imitated all sorts of human behaviors... eating, bathing, reading... and even raising you, a child of unknown origin.

Veronica: Other Intelligent Constructs can think and feel emotions too, but none value life as much as he does. He believes that his created purpose is to save as many people as possible.

Veronica: Back when I was just a rookie medic, he saved me from the frontline. He showed me that Intelligent Constructs aren't just humanity's creations and sacrificial pawns... They have real "hearts" of their own.

Veronica: Hah... what's the point of telling you all this anyway? You want to know his stories, and I've got a bunch of them... but I'm keeping those to myself, so, sorry about that.

Seed: ...Maybe the less I know, the better. The more I learn about Seed Sr., the more I feel... that the codename "Seed" is a distillation of his life, a complete story that I can never live up to...

Seed, don't sell yourself short!

You're his spiritual successor!

Veronica: Seed, don't get me wrong... I'm not telling you more stories simply because I hate you. Your Proxy is right... don't unilaterally decide you're not worthy of inheriting this title.

Veronica: You were the one who saved me. You were the one who controlled your rampaging power. And now, you're the only one who's followed Seed's path all the way here.

Veronica: The story of the great iron giant known as "Seed" has only reached a pause, not an end. I've seen how you fight... I believe you're the only one who can continue his story.

Veronica: No... saying it's a continuation would be unfair... If it were him, he'd definitely say something like—

Veronica: "This is your story, brand new and all yours. And me? I'm just the paintbrush in your hands."

Seed: ...Thank you, Doctor.

Veronica: Don't thank me... I'm not worth it. Besides, hearing that from you really creeps me out.

Veronica: Seed Sr.'s footprints must be scattered across many more corners of New Eridu... If you're interested, you should go looking for them in the future.

Veronica: But before that, remember, you are Seed. You should be proud of that.

Veronica walks up to Seed Sr. and gives him a gentle hug. She leans close to Seed, whispers something against her ear, then bows and leaves by herself...

Seed: ...

Seed?

Feeling better?

Seed: Hmm... I think I'm good now, Proxy~ Let's head back together~

Seed: Even though I still can't bring myself to like the doctor... I think she was right about one thing: becoming "Seed" is something to be proud of!

By the way... what did she whisper to you?

Seed: Just a little secret between the two of us~ Hey, can we hold hands on the way back?

"Cherish your Proxy. You're so lucky... to have someone willing to walk this journey with you."

Trust Rank Upgrade to Close with Seed

(Idle)

Seed: Heheh...

(Talk to Seed again, optional)

Seed: Heheh...

What's wrong, Seed?

Why're you laughing all of a sudden?

Seed: It's nothing... nothing at all, Proxy~

Seed: Hey Proxy, don't let go of my hand! You promised we'd hold hands on the way back!