"…Oh joy, it's another Qeran leech. I'd better bolt down my possessions."

"Your Kingdom is a pox upon the world. Get out of my sight."

"Hmm? Who are you supposed to be?"

"Another Explorer, come to, 'light the way', was it?"

"Poppycock. You've no idea what you're doing."

"The world is panicking, and I sometimes feel I'm the only one who's still sane."

"I am Zachary, Lord of the greatest merchant's guild in Lencoter."

"Trade must go on, with Lencoter at the forefront. Will you join us, as a bastion of stability and wealth?"

>Yes

"Any merchant worth his salt is at least an amateur blacksmith. Take these, and try not to lose them."

>Given the Merchant's Soapstone, and the Smith's Anvil

"Travel between worlds. Forge equipment. Receive Souls and Lencoter Signets."

"That is your job. Everything else is purely secondary."

>No

"You're a short-sighted fool."

"Don't you know the only path to success is through honest work?"

"I came here too late. If I had been among the first here, I would have barred those damned leeches from entry, or else fed them to the Shades."

"I'm talking about the Yannites and the Qerans, of course. Downright worthless, the lot of them."

"Those prissy mages haven't worked a day in their lives. Their bodies are paper thin, their minds irresolute."

"And the less said about Qero, the better. I'd be happy if the Phantasm erased their stain from the earth entirely."

"Qerans are nothing but traitors and thieves. Never trust them, not one. They're all alike, anyway."

"Long ago, in the wars, Qero drained our resources, and killed our messengers without mercy."

"They used what they could steal to build rickety machines that belched black smoke into the air..."

"The only thing that should produce smoke is a fire, dammit! They were messing with the natural order of things, on top of everything else."

"I have never met a good Qeran. There is not a single one that would admit to their country's crimes."

"There's no smidgen of good among any of them, I say. And I'll keep saying it 'til I die."

"I hired a knight from Lencoter as my bodyguard. But he stormed off by himself. Bloody useless."

"He actually believes that the Kingdoms should've become one under Wuuheim. Can you believe it?"

"Lencoter was pure, and he would rather it be sullied by the stupidity of other Kingdoms."

"No, nations are more different than night and day. They must cling to their identities, lest they lose them."

"I refuse to be merely one of many. To be lost in a sea of mediocrity... it is a fate worse than death."

"Artemis does not understand this. And one day, it will lead to his ruin."

"There are greater threats to Kingdoms than invasions and unrest."

"The stagnation of trade is among the worst fates a country can undergo. It is like a disease, creeping through the underbelly."

"Fighting back requires patience, and sacrifice. But no one has the discipline for that anymore."

"That is why the guilds exist. To regulate every merchant, every trade."

"It's a dull job, but would you rather chaos?"

"This place is bothersome beyond bothersome. Why can't that Phantasm just up and disappear, so we can get back to our real lives?"

"Will we spend the rest of our lives down here in this blasted shadow? Surrounded by imbeciles and thieves?"

"It's a mess. A complete mess."

GREETING

"What is it that you need? I'm very busy."

INTERRUPTED MENU

"And just where do you think you're going?!"

FAREWELL

"Yes, yes, now be on your way."

POSITIVE TENDENCY GREETING

"Ah, it's you. You're just the one I wanted to see."

POSITIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL

"It's good to see someone else who sees the value of good hard work."

NEGATIVE TENDENCY GREETING

"What? Have you come crying for help?"

NEGATIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL

"Like a petulant child, in the end..."

FIRST KINGDOM REWARD

"Eight Signets. You're doing just fine so far."

"Take these. You'll be able to offer better services."

>Given the Bellow Holder and the Merchant's Charm

SECOND KINGDOM REWARD

"You've doubled your work effort. Commendable."

"But if you dig a large hole, you're given a larger shovel. Still, you must keep digging."

>Given the Demonic Hammer, and the Ring Mold.

FINAL KINGDOM REWARD

"You're a wonderful Smith, I must admit. I would proudly have you in my guild."

"But, you are just an Explorer, sadly. The most I can give you is this."

>Given the Giant's Bellows

LENCOTER CHAMPION BONUS

"You're an example to us all. An simple, honest person."

"Someone as well rounded as you deserves a weapon just as magnificent."

"Collect powerful Souls. Once you have two that resonate between the shadows, bring it to James."

"And he will show you Lencoter's Finest Creation."

>[Message Appears: Collect two special Souls to forge a powerful weapon.]

"Hmm?! Oh, thank goodness. I almost mistook you for a Shade."

"My name is Artemis. I am a Knight of Lencoter."

"I'm an Explorer now, though I did not mean to become one."

"I've found myself isolated from my fellows by this shadow… so it must be more than coincidence that we met in this place."

"The Aeon Ruins are plentiful in rare ore... do you need some?"

"I was hired by... Lord Zachary. To be his bodyguard. Needless to say, I have deserted him."

"He is a foolish thick-headed old man. Stuck in his ways, frightened to death at the prospect of change."

"Has he not seen that the world has already changed? With the advent of the Phantasm nothing will ever be the same again."

"You might have seen it. The Explorers that are more concerned with the spats between Kingdoms than the bigger picture."

"The Kingdoms are too different, too separated. For a long time, I was convinced that the world was united. But Wuuheim was the only thing keeping them from each other's throats."

"It's sickening to watch. They're like children, arguing in a field. It doesn't matter, none of it matters!"

"And still Zachary argues for the 'individuality' of Lencoter. If this is what individuality causes, then it's not worth having."

"I had the pleasure of visiting Wuuheim once, before it was destroyed."

"It was wondrous, prosperous, but the people all had these looks in their eyes..."

"Mournful eyes. As if they knew what was coming."

"Is peace simply... unattainable?"

"Imagine... if we actually defeat the Phantasm, banish the Shades... what then?"

"Will we fight over this small earth again? Will another Soul War begin? I am too young to know its horrors, but I shudder at the stories."

"I speak of unity, but I don't trust my fellow man to help prevent such a fate for this world."

"Mortals seem to thirst for some kind of conflict… I cannot even deny my own thirst, with all my fights with Zachary."

"How confounded this all is..."

"Maybe mankind deserves to be destroyed. For the slate to be wiped clean."

"Wouldn't the Phantasm, then, seem to be the mighty hand of God, sweeping across the landscape?"

"It already feels as if we have fallen into the netherworld. Confined to the afterlife, with each other as our eternal torturers."

"But no. If we are to live, we must reject darker thoughts. Think of hope, instead."

"If you ignore pain, it's as if it doesn't exist at all."

"Haha, I suppose that makes me thick-headed as well."

GREETING

"Do you need some ore? I have more than I know what to do with."

INTERRUPTED MENU

"Don't just up and leave! Who knows when we'll meet again?"

FAREWELL

"May our worlds meet again soon."

"'Ello there. I'm James, a simple Blacksmith."

"I'll get straight to the point. I'm here to forge armaments for the Explorers here. Not to chit-chat."

"Don't waste my time any more than you have to. Now, what do you need?"

"Did ye not listen to me at all?"

"Whatever. There's no getting through to the dull."

"A normal hammer and anvil can only do so much for a weapon before they warp and shatter from the strain."

"When a weapon seems to reach perfection, it must be exposed to a Bellow's wind."

"Only then can a weapon ascend to greater heights."

"I'm an old man, in case you haven't noticed. I was born during the Soul Wars, and lived through them just like everyone else."

"When Wuuheim came out swinging with their demons, we fought back the only way we knew how."

"Armies would fell demons at great cost, and bring their tainted Souls to us. We would forge them into weapons, so the heroes chosen by the Kingdoms could keep fighting."

"I never thought I'd have to perform Demon Blacksmithing again. But the Souls of the things here carry a similar light..."

"By the same token as Demon Blacksmithing, powerful Souls can also be forged into rings."

"But metal is fragile, and an ordinary ring of iron cannot contain demonic power."

"Bring me a Blank Ring instead. I will show you true Ringsmithing."

"Consider yourself lucky that you've never heard milord argue with his bodyguard."

"They just go on and on forever about how much they disagree."

"Sure, disagree, go ahead... but do you have to be so loud about it?"

"Some people care entirely too much about things..."

"And others just like to have something to be upset about."

"I used to have a brother, back in Lencoter. He followed me like a shadow."

"But he made some stupid mistakes and got himself exiled."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he followed me down here like a fool... he wasn't exactly too right in the head."

"He's a blacksmith by trade as well. Go ahead and humor him if you see him."

GREETING

"James never disappoints. What's your pleasure?"

INTERRUPTED MENU

"Efficient. I like your style."

FAREWELL

"I hate goodbyes. Just get going."