• 191
• Resident
  Hey now, I just paid my business taxes the other day.

• 202
• Merchant
  ...Now they want salt taxes too!? This is ridiculous!
  I don't even have a thousand ducats left to my name!
  How much do they need to take before they'll be satisfied?

• 203
• Tax Collector
  Hey, it can't be helped.
  It's all orders from the Countess...

• 204
• Voice
  You say that you cannot pay my taxes?

• 205
• Merchant
  ...Eep! C-Countess De Broglie...
  W-welcome to our squalid domai...

• 206
• Countess De Broglie
  Your salutations are unnecessary...
  Now...
  You say that you are unable to pay your taxes since last month?

• 207
• Merchant
  ...I'm so sorry! I haven't been able to make any money...
  But next month! No, next week, I swear I will have the money for you...!

• 208
• Countess De Broglie
  Another bald-faced lie...
  That's enough from you!

• 209
• Guard
  Ughh!

• 210
• Merchant
  P-please...
  Stop!

• 211
• What do you want to do?

• 212
• Stop them

• 213
• Pretend not to notice

• 214
• Countess De Broglie
  Oh ho...
  Who is this man who believes he is qualified to give me his opinion?

• 215
• Tax Collector
  Yes ma'am...
  ...
  It seems he is a Voyager known as Player, who has just come to this city recently.

• 216
• Countess De Broglie
  A Voyager...

• 217
• Countess De Broglie
  Fine.
  I will wait for you on behalf of this man.
  But if you still don't have my money the next time I return, know that there is a place waiting for you and your entire family at Chateau d'If!

• 218
• Merchant
  Y-y-yes ma'am!

• 219
• Merchant
  Thank you...
  If you hadn't stopped them, I don't know what would have happened to me...

• 220
• Guard
  It looks like you really don't have any money.

• 221
• Merchant
  ...Please.
  If you can just wait until next month...
  No, next week, I swear...

• 222
• Countess De Broglie
  Hmph.
  Very well.
  However, if you still don't have my money the next time I return, know that there is a place waiting for you and your entire family at Chateau d'If!

• 223
• Resident
  Thank goodness you're okay...

• 224
• Merchant
  But...
  All I did was make it through this situation.
  If I can't get enough money, then my whole family will be thrown in Castle If...

• 225
• What do you want to ask?

• 226
• What's Chateau d'If?

• 227
• Don't ask anything

• 228
• Merchant
  You can see an island on the other side of the bay, right? That's Chateau d'If.
  It used to be a fortress that kept the city safe.

• 229
• Resident
  But now, the "Cage Countess" has made a jail in its basement and has started throwing in anyone who disagrees with her.
  And ever since, that island has been terrorizing the people of this city.

• 230
• What do you want to ask?

• 231
• Who is the Cage Countess?

• 232
• Don't ask anything

• 233
• Merchant
  I see...
  You're a sailor, so it's no surprise you wouldn't know.
  The Cage Countess's real name is Countess De Broglie.
  She's so powerful even the royal family keeps an eye on her, and officials sent from Paris can't stand up to her at all.

• 234
• Resident
  Now she's been abusing her position to level salt taxes and special levies and take as much of our money as she can.
  And if we can't pay it, she just throws us in her prison.

• 235
• Merchant
  All we can do is secretly call her the Cage Countess while we live each day in fear...

• 236
• Merchant
  So...can I ask you to lend me some money? Just a little bit will do.

• 237
• Resident
  Don't be ridiculous! The Countess took all my money too.

• 238
• Merchant
  ...Then, could you introduce me to someone who does have money?

• 239
• Resident
  I wish...
  The only people with money to spare in this city all belong to the Countess.

• 240
• Resident
  ...
  ...Wait.
  Come to think of it, that Julien guy just came here from Paris.
  I bet he's made a killing off of all those Paris nobles.

• 241
• Merchant
  Come to think of it...

• 242
• Merchant
  ...Hey, you.
  You met Julien through that incident, right?
  Please! You have to introduce me to him.

• 243
• How do I answer

• 244
• Okay, I see.

• 245
• No.

• 246
• Merchant
  Please...
  My whole family's lives are on the line...

• 247
• Merchant
  Thank you! I won't forget this!

• 248
• Augustine
  Oh ho...
  You're that guy who was with Julien the other day...
  I think your name was Player, right?

• 249
• Merchant
  Father...?
  I thought that this church's bishop made the Countess so angry that she closed it down...

• 250
• Augustine
  I am Father Augustine, and I have been sent here by God and the bishop's will...
  Julien is...how do I say...a collaborator of mine.
  ...Sometimes.
  Now, what do you want with Julien?

• 251
• Merchant
  Yes...

• 252
• Augustine
  I see...
  That is indeed a desperate situation.
  But, I'm afraid Julien simply doesn't have that much money to lend.
  All of the money he makes selling art to nobles is spent on excavating for his treasure hunts.

• 253
• Merchant
  Then...maybe he could lend me an art piece, or something he excavated?
  The Countess loves treasure, and thinks nothing of spending huge sums to acquire it.
  So, if he could mortgage me an art piece, and would be willing to wait for me to pay it back...

• 254
• Voice
  Oh ho...

• 255
• Julien
  That sounds like an interesting proposition.

• 256
• Merchant
  Julien Clarence...!

• 257
• Merchant
  Julien...
  I've been looking for you...

• 258
• Julien
  A lust for power and a collector of art...
  It seems that this Countess De Broglie is exactly the person I have been searching for.

• 259
• Augustine
  Then, that would mean she is the one who possesses that thing you are looking for...

• 260
• Julien
  ...Ha ha.
  Probably.
  Very well.
  While I cannot lend you a work of art or excavated item, I will help you in your quest to earn money.

• 261
• Merchant
  Do...do you mean it!?

• 262
• Augustine
  Hmm...
  But you know, Julien, we don't have any money to fund such a quest, and time is short...

• 263
• Julien
  Don't worry.
  I have a strategy to earn money quickly and advance the plan...

• 264
• Augustine
  What could that be?

• 265
• Julien
  Ha ha.
  Just leave everything to me.

• 266
• Augustine
  Very well.
  Then let's see what you've got.

• 267
• Julien
  As a merchant of this city, I would like to ask for your help as well.

• 268
• Merchant
  Y-yes...
  Of course...!

• 269
• Julien
  While I am off stocking up, I want you to make sure that every art-loving noble in the county knows that something big is about to make its debut.
  That includes our little Cage Countess as well, of course.

• 270
• Merchant
  Y-yes sir!

• 271
• Julien
  Player, as a sailor, I will need your help as well.
  I need to go to Genoa to attain the stock I wish to borrow.
  However, I can't carry back all the works of art that I will need on a mere horse and carriage.
  So I would like to recruit you and your ship in assisting me.
  Of course, I am willing to pay handsomely for your help.
  Will you do it?

• 272
• How will you respond?

• 273
• Okay, I see.

• 274
• No.

• 275
• Julien
  I see...
  That is unfortunate.

• 276
• Julien
  Thank you.
  I shall be one step ahead of you, waiting at the harbour.

• 277
• Merchant
  Please, Player! Help us...!

• 278
• Augustine
  Please, Player.
  Won't you help us?

• 279
• Julien
  Well, Player, can I ask you for your help in getting to Genoa and back?

• 280
• How will you respond?

• 281
• Help him

• 282
• I'm afraid not.

• 283
• Augustine
  Just leave the Countess and the other nobles up to us and focus on stocking up on works of art.

• 284
• Merchant
  Thank you both, and good luck...

• 285
• Julien
  Genoa already, eh? I see I made the right choice in asking you for help, Player.
  The art merchant we seek is in the mansion facing the city square.
  Let's go see him, shall we?

• 286
• Art Dealer
  Hi there.

• 287
• Julien
  Long time no see.

• 288
• Art Dealer
  ...Oh! Why, if it isn't Julien!

• 289
• Julien
  Ha ha...
  Long time no see.

• 290
• Art Dealer
  I just got some great new items too.
  Some marble statues from Delphoi Hill in Athens.

• 291
• Julien
  Thank you, but today, I'm not here for the real thing.
  I would like things like those ones over there.

• 292
• Art Dealer
  ...?
  Come now, those aren't for sale.
  That's just a bunch of junk.
  A bunch of poor-quality bronze statues with visible seams whose creators are a bunch of unknowns.
  Needless to say, there are no buyers.

• 293
• Julien
  Ha ha...
  That's exactly what I want.

• 294
• Julien
  Okay, Player, let's take these back to Marseilles.

• 295
• Art Dealer
  I hope you'll buy some good things the next time you come!

• 24006
• One day on a street corner in Marseilles, Player came across a merchant who was crying to an official that he was unable to pay his taxes.
  Just then, a young woman appeared and threatened that if he was unable to pay his taxes again, his entire family would be thrown in prison.

• 24007
• Her name was Countess De Broglie.
  A person of great power and influence in the city, she often levied heavy taxes on the people.
  In addition, if anybody dared to speak out against her, she would have them thrown in the dungeon of Chateau d'If along the Marseilles coast, leading the people to secretly refer to her as the "Cage Countess" as they lived in fear of her.

• 24008
• Unable to even borrow money from anybody, the merchant figured that Julien, who did business with the various nobles in Paris, must have money and approached Player to ask for an introduction.

• 24009
• Augustino heard the merchant's complaint on behalf of Julien but declined, stating that Julien actually did not have that much money.
  However, once the talk turned to the fact that the countess was an art collector, Julien appeared from out of nowhere.

• 24010
• Julien suspected that the Cage Countess was the one in possession of the "that thing" and promised to provide the merchant with some money.
  He asked the merchant and Augustino to tell the Countess De Broglie and other art-loving noblewomen that a rather large piece would be made available before too long.
  And to the sailor, Player, he asked to go to Genoa together in order to help him purchase a piece of art.

• 24011
• Upon arriving in Genoa, Player went to visit the art dealer living in the mansion facing the square.

• 24012
• The art dealer warmly greeted Julien, who was a regular customer.
  The dealer picked out various items that he recommended.
  However, Julien was only interested in purchasing cheap items that were not worth anything.
  Even when the art dealer tried to stop him, he insisted it was what he wanted and continued on.
  Once he had finished loading the art onto Player's ship, he requested that they return to Marseilles.