Tears of Themis – Symphony of the Night (end)

Symphony of the Night event has just launched on 20th Oct and will last till 3 Nov. I’m ebbing with excitement to get it started. Though Mihoyo can probably do better in romance storytelling, what I appreciate about them is how they go the extra mile to create new game play with every event, making it a treat in the box for players. On the same note, celebrating Halloween must be a really big thing with these games because during these two weeks, four other games I’m playing concurrently are holding their own events –

1. 22 Oct – 1 Nov: Mr Love: Dream Date “Wonderland After Dark”,

2. 20 Oct – 29 Oct: 100 Sleeping Princes & the Kingdom of Dreams “6th Anniversary Endless Sky”,

3. 20 Oct – 29 Oct: Ayakashi: Romance Reborn “2nd Anniversary From One Millennium to You”, and

4. 20 Oct – 7 Nov: Pokemon Unite “Halloween Festival”

Alas, I’m swarmed with work for at least the next two days so I will need to practice some discipline and put off starting these events for a couple of days… or not.

The Story

One afternoon Luke receives a mysterious box. Later he gets a call from an unknown person who commissioned him to locate a missing hacker using the clues found in the box. If he doesn’t take up the task, this person threatens to hack into Big Data Lab. Just as Luke was contemplating this, he receives a call from Marius. Indeed, over the last few days, Big Data Lab had experienced multiple hacks which they have managed to fend off. However, they are concerned that its firewall may not hold up in another large scale cyberattack, which would also threaten the cyber security of everyone in Stellis City.

Luke decides to call the NXX team together to brief them on what has happened as it now concerns the city at large. As Luke will be busy trying to trace the IP of the unknown hacker, he has tasked you to solve the mystery of the box. (I’m sorry, you want me to what? I’m the middle of doing lounge decoration here!) With the help of DAVIS, you learnt that this is a Vesper Box and by completing the tasks in the box, it will reveal clues to the missing person’s location as well as the story surrounding this case. As your team members are concerned about letting you alone to investigate the case, they have set up a group chat and will take turns to accompany you. Though Vyn is most available, Marius takes a swipe at him that he cannot trust someone who sleeps till 9am. Ouch!

How to Play?

There are altogether 7 truths to reveal with the help of the Vesper Box. It will be lit up in turn as each truth unfolds. To complete each part, there is a basic order to follow.

Complete tasks. The Vesper Box will provide four new tasks everyday. For every task completed, you will obtain one new clue. I like how the tasks are designed because it requires you to hunt for the activity to be performed. E.g. ‘Interact with close friends now and then’ actually means talking to Kiki. But when and where do you talk to Kiki – apparently in one of the study debates!

Read Clues. The clue will either reveal some new information surrounding the mystery or guide you to a location you need to go. 6 different locations will be available during this event.

Update chatroom. Because none of the guys can bear to let you investigate alone, you will need to update your findings in the chatroom and listen to them banter a bit. Then one of them will volunteer to accompany you depending on their availability.

Investigate the location. With the help of your partner for the investigation, you will scout the location and either find something or trigger some event.

Learn the Truth. Once you’ve unlocked all the clues available on each part of the Vesper Box, you will be closer to learning the truth behind this case. Get the correct deduction to uncover the truth and receive S-chips as a reward.

As per how it’s done with Mystery of the Lost Gold, I will uncover and reveal the story as it progresses over the next few days. Only a bit disappointed that this event is not voiced. Stay tuned!

=========================================

20 Oct – Day 1 (I got Marius’ SSR on my 20th pull! Thank you Mihoyo!)

The first clue instructs you to head to Big Data Lab. Since it’s near where Marius is, he offers to go with you. When you got there, DAVIS updates that he has already pinpointed the location of the source signal, which is at the old site for Pax Technology in the Industrial Zone. Marius grumbles that DAVIS should have notified both of you earlier.

You: But, it does feel like a wasted trip… The next time something like this happens, I’ll clarify the exact location before notifying you…

Marius: No way! How could I let you investigate on your own first? Come on, I was just joking, it’s not like I actually didn’t want to come. I ought to be thankful for coming. It’d be a huge pity if I wasn’t the first person to accompany you here.

You: Agh…what are you saying? DAVIS is watching.

DAVIS: Huh? Is there something that I can’t know? I think your conversation is fine…

I think so too actually but perhaps dear Marius always has a way to twist it around. Goes to show AI still cannot pick up on nuances.

Next stop is the old site for Pax Technology. After informing the group, Luke behaves like a mother hen and refuses to let you go there alone. Luke had to go Hulk to open the metal gate with his bare hands. As you looked around at the abandoned server room, you realised that no one had been here in awhile. Suddenly the lights went out and Luke quickly led you out of the place. You figured that this signal source could be left behind by the client and had something to do with the missing person rather than himself. Luke agrees with your perspective and both of you decided to come back another day with a light source.

Your third clue says that “Notro” is the origin of this whole incident. You return to Big Data Lab to ask DAVIS what he knows about Notro, a hacking platform. He shares that it is platform where clients place hacking commissions on the platform which members can take on orders in return for handsome rewards in the form of virtual currency. Marius added that the platform has completely changed in the last two years as orders are no longer limited to hacking, it now includes intelligence spies and assassins. Considering that the unknown client could be someone from Notro…

Marius: Things would be very dangerous if that’s the case. Looks like I’ll need to stick with you as much as possible. I’d be worried if you left my sight…

DAVIS: I will verify the client’s identity as quickly as possible to reduce her chances of encountering danger!

You: Wow… Thank you DAVIS!

Marius:… DAVIS, no one asked you.

DAVIS: ??

Poor AI dude is clueless to Marius’ intentions, and poor Marius being outed by a robot!

================================================

21 Oct – Day 2 (Been such a busy day at work I didn’t have time and energy to do much)

The fourth clue of the day revealed that Notro’s top member Medilla had hacked into Notro platform three years ago. This forced the platform into an outage for a short time. After this incident Medilla left Notro. DAVIS commented that Medilla’s hacking methodology is very similar to the recent attacks on Big Data Lab and wondered if he might be responsible for them. DAVIS thinks he could be Notro’s ally since he was once a high-level member. Marius, on the other hand, felt that it was unlikely. Medilla might have turned on Notro after realising how dangerous it had become and thus gone into hiding. Marius wonders if the missing person that NXX had been commissioned to find could be Medilla.

================================================

22 Oct – Day 3

Your next clue brings you to Abyss, a bar where you can exchange special information about all kinds of under-the-table deals in Stellis City. After updating the chat about information you had found about Notro, Medilla and the location of the next clue, Vyn offers to accompany you there since he is familiar with the place – he did go there in Episode 2 to get evidence for Marius’ case.

When Vyn enters the bar, the barkeep was less than happy to see him. They traded verbal blows with one another as Vyn tried to fish for information about the people who might be responsible for the recent disturbances. The bar keep gives a friendly warning to Vyn to stay out of matters that had nothing to do with him. When you tried to say something, Vyn grabs your hand and replies coolly, “I do not like meddling in others’ business, but I have never shirked a challenge.”

With that he led you quickly out of the bar. It is only when you are a distance away from Abyss, that Vyn tells you that there was a killer in the bar, and he asked you to promise him to never come here alone and utter a single word.

=================================================

23 Oct – Day 4 (Finally the weekend is here!)

You and Luke decided to pay a second visit to the abandoned server room to search for any belongings that could have been left behind by Medilla. Luke manages to restore the power supply. While he tries and hack into the computer, you search around the drawers for useful documents. After Luke manages to connect to another computer that shares data with this computer, he sends the address to DAVIS for him to trace the location. In the meantime, you found a notebook in the drawer.

Luke reads through the coded notebook and his expression turned grim. The notebook contained information about Centipede, the hacking AI that Notro developed and is used primarily by Notro for intelligence gathering. You guess at the purpose of such a tool and whether it is a computer virus. Luke said it was unlikely or it wouldn’t be able to support this much hacking activity. He believed the tool was probably developed as a tool to steal information, which made it even more imperative for Medilla to destroy it even if it affected his business.

Examining the dusty notice board next to the workstation, Luke found that Medilla had left some clues about Centipede’s potential whereabouts. You traced the complex diagram and wondered if it could be kept at Notro’s core station, a deeply hidden and heavily defended place. You thought that it would seem counter-intuitive to keep something so important at such a conspicuous location to which Luke said it had to be stored in the deepest of recesses. Luke commented that Medilla’s disappearance is probably a case of complex and international crime, which he may need to report to his superiors if things got more serious. When he asked if you were afraid, you confidently replied negative as you have Luke with you to protect you.

The next clue brings you a relatively shady part of town, the Old Street in North Stellis. As Luke is busy analysing the code used to attack Big Data Lab, Artem who had just finished his work agrees to accompany you there. Artem asked the security guard if he knew anyone who hadn’t returned to the apartment building in awhile but his questions were met with suspicion. Without trying to push the agenda, Artem suggests that you return another time, satisfied having learnt where Medilla had stayed before he went missing.

When a new clue surfaced, you and Artem returned to the Old Street. The security guard confronts you again, this time Artem reveals that the missing person is actually your client. He manages to convince the guard that you were not dodgy individuals. After which he lets you go on your business. At the main gate to the apartment building, a sheet of paper showed the reported electricity meter readings of all the households. One particular unit 202 had not reported it electricity meter readings for a month. Artem was doubtful that NXX would be able to resolve this case on its own – considering that Medilla had been missing for so long, that it was related to the dark web and international crime… but he was willing to try for your sake.

Claiming to be acting on instructions of your client who lived in unit 202, you asked to go to his apartment to collect a package. You were surprised to learn that Medilla had ordered everything he needed online. Artem conjectured that this went beyond online shopping addiction and he must have had a reason to behave like this – either he was hiding his tracks or he was in some kind of trouble. You wondered if it could be due to physical disabilities. Artem doubted it was the reason as the area did not have any handicap friendly facilities either.

=======================================================

24 -25 Oct – Day 5 & 6

Vyn messages you to check on you after the recent visit to the Abyss. He was concerned if you may be unduly affected by what he had shared. When Marius questioned further, he refused to share more. To break up the tiff, you informed the team that a new task location has been revealed – Stellis Junior High School’s archives room. Vyn suspects that Medilla could have been a student there. Since he was in the vicinity, Vyn volunteers to accompany you for this investigation.

Thanks to his reputation and his offer to serve as a mental health coach for the school for a month, the principal agreed to let you access the archives for the purpose of research. To expedite the process for the investigation, Vyn came up with a game plan. He enlisted the help of DAVIS to look through the scanned versions of the physical documents in the archives and compare it against the online records. He surmised that many hackers tend to erase their information from their school database after graduation, so by running such a comparison, it would be the fastest way to sieve out information about Medilla. You however were hesitant about the approach.

You: But, Dr Richter… I’m afraid that scanning physical files with our phones is not compliant with laws and is possibly illegal.

Vyn: Then should you satisfy your conscience by foregoing the safety of someone who has been missing for an entire month?

You: !!!

Vyn: Do not forget: every second we delay increases the danger for the missing person… I will delete all the scanned records after we finish, and DAVIS will also destroy the scanned data. Does hearing this… make you feel more at ease?

You: Ah…

Vyn: I am not asking you to approve of such extreme measures, but everything I do is to prevent even greater dangers from occurring. I hope you can understand.

I think this is the first time Vyn has been so direct and sharp with you in his desire to find the missing person. He did try to soften the blow later. Have to give him respect for this – he doesn’t do things just to make you like him.

The scanning reveals nothing out of the ordinary. Thus Vyn had to fall back on the client’s earlier instructions to speak to the archives manager. Vyn learnt that the school’s archives had been hacked a few years ago with the criminal intent of identifying targets for abduction or extortion. Their plans were however foiled by a mysterious hacker and informant, whose location had been traced back to Stellis Junior High School. With this information, Vyn was able to narrow down the period when Medilla attended school year and scanned through the graduation photos to pinpoint if any had been manipulated.

With the help of DAVIS, Medilla’s high school photo was identified. He looked like he didn’t fit in with the others. Vyn said that he displayed symptoms of social anxiety disorder, which drove him to avoid reality, and became obsessed with becoming a hacker to fight against Notro alone. Vyn commented that some people are born to be alone… You quickly responded that Vyn would be able to help him face life with a healthy mind, so this renewed your vigor to quickly find Medilla.

Searching through the school archives on key events that had happened, you also learn that the hacking incident involved the potential kidnapping of the school belle. However she managed to escape kidnapping thanks to the tip off from Medilla. Since then she claimed to have a special relationship with him. You wondered if she had disguised herself to be the hacker to help Medilla. Vyn instead surmised that she had used the cover of being Medilla’s girlfriend to fend off would be suitors. Given their relationship, Vyn suggested speaking to this girl would be the next direct action to expedite the search process.

Further clues led you to search the lower cabinets in the archives. You found a portrait of the school belle which had been lovingly drawn by Medilla. It seemed rumours of their relationship could have been real after all. As you comment on how beautiful the relationship is, Vyn is less than rosy-eyed about it. Vyn sounds really cynical during this event.

Vyn: Do you believe that a person who erases all trace of their existence is someone who can uphold their promises? Even if the process appears beautiful, this type of love is futile.

He believes that they have already broken up. This completes all the available clues in this location. Vyn shares that Medilla had likely broken up with the girl to protect her from the life of danger he would be living. At that moment, a female voice spoke up. It was the girl from the portrait and Medilla’s ex-girlfriend. She shared that Medilla had completely disappeared from her life against her will and hoped that you would help locate him and let her know even if he was dead.

=================================================

26 – 27 Oct – Day 7 & 8

You return to Medilla’s apartment with Artem to see a commotion on the ground floor. Owing to his disappearance and non-payment of his rental, the landlord has taken to clear his apartment and put everything on sale at the flea market or via an online auction. He shared he was pleasantly surprised that he had managed to get rather good bids for Medilla’s old laptop and other equipment. Scanning through Medilla’s belongings, it seemed that he had well prepared for this day to come more than 3 years ago. Artem seemed rather worked up over this as he resolved to find Medilla – someone who gave up on his livelihood so as to pursue his choice of career.

With this, you have collected all the evidence from the Old Street in North Stellis.

You receive new clues from the client which led you and Marius back to Big Data Lab. Marius asked DAVIS to verify the authenticity of a contract that was supposedly signed between Medilla and Pax Technology two years ago. In return for Medilla’s help to protect Pax Technology from attacks from Notro, Pax would offer physical protection to Medilla as well as financial support for him to analyse Centipede and other hacking tools that Notro possessed. This was also why Medilla was working at Pax Technology’s old server room. You wondered if the contract with Pax was made before or after Medilla attacked Notro. It seemed only logical that Medilla used the pretext of defending Big Data Lab from Notro in return for Pax’s protection before he launched his attack on Notro.

You head over to The Abyss with Marius this time round. He behaves exceptionally anxious thinking that there could be a killer here.

Marius: I wouldn’t have been this nervous if I came here alone, but… if anything goes wrong, I’ll get you out of here immediately.

Awwwwww…..

There was some commotion at the bar between some foreigners and the bar owner before they left. Marius quickly pulls you behind him to shield you and they left without a second glance. Marius goes up to the bar counter as he observed some watermarks left there, like a secret message between the hitmen. The bar owner raised his eyebrows when he recognised Marius and left him to his own devices. With no one watching, Marius snapped a photo of the cipher and sent it to Luke to decode it.

Luke relayed that it was a message reporting that the target is still under surveillance and these hitmen had been hired to come to Stellis to carry out the job. Obviously the target is Medilla. Luke added that since there was a killer involved, it would be better that he accompanied you here in future, much to the chagrin of Marius.

True enough, at your next visit to Abyss, Luke insisted on accompanying you. Thankfully you did not bump into any of the potential killer this time round. Luke did a quick scan of the surroundings and based on the patterns used in the previous message, he was able to find out other messages left behind by the hitmen as a status update. The fluorescent message left on the paintings on the wall indicated that Medilla had already left the country but the killer would continue to pursue him until their objective is met.

You pondered over his choice to leave the country as it would put him in greater harm considering that Notro is an international cybercrime group. Luke remarked that his escape could be more than just trying to hide from his killers but also to divert their attention away from those around him.

Luke: How much courage did it take him to make such a choice? How much determination does it take for one to leave his loved ones behind… to go elsewhere, to a place far away…? (Luke was probably speaking for himself as well.)

With another clue, a new and final location is revealed – Stellis Harbour, which was the last known location of Medilla’s celluar signal. You decided to head there with Artem to determine Medilla’s whereabouts even though it was highly possible that he had already erased this information. The address led you to a harbour warehouse. Artem conjectured that Medilla might have boarded a cargo ship posing as a freight manager instead of departing via a passenger ship where records were harder to manipulate.

==================================================

28 Oct – Day 9

You receive a clue from your client, directing you to return to the server room as he would like to meet you. When you and Luke arrive there, the place is empty except for a defense program running on the laptop. It took Luke about 2 hours to break through the wall of code. He was shocked to hear an electronic female voice addressing him. Could Medilla actually be a girl or is this the client who had commissioned you to investigate the missing person case?

The voice introduced herself as Lilith, your client who is actually an AI assistant that Medilla had created while working with Pax Technology. She was modelled after DAVIS. Since his disappearance a month ago, she thought he had abandoned her thus she sent out the commission via the Vesper Box in a bid to find him. She implored Luke to save Medilla from the evil clutches of Notro. Luke assured her that he would see this case to the end.

Back at the Big Data Lab, you learnt that the Notro platform had crashed about a month ago. As a result, all the data has been lost and it’d take at least half a year to fix it. Marius thinks it will be unlikely that Notro can recover from this as Medilla might have found some way to cripple and compromise Centipede. After searching online for more information about this, an announcement from caught your eye. In the manifesto, Notro apologised for the loss of the platform and promised that justice will be served to the perpetrator. You bet that Notro meant it as a death threat, rather than an assurance of getting Centipede up and working again.

With this, you have discovered all the clues linked to the Big Data Lab. Marius promises to find and protect Medilla as a friend to Pax Technology and after all he had sacrificed to take down a criminal organisation like Notro.

===============================================

29 Oct – Day 10

Back at Stellis Harbour, you and Artem interview the warehouse manager, hoping to trigger his recollection of events that happened a month ago when his shift had been replaced by a young man. After checking through the email records, it was evident that Medilla had sent that forged email and used this to get out of the country. You wondered if Medilla had to infiltrate the freight company to achieve this or if he had hacked into the computer system on the day itself to leave as little traces as possible. This is the only clue available in this location. Artem encourages you to keep your chin up. Since the search might widen into international waters, Luke’s help may need to be enlisted.

You returned to Abyss with Vyn and was notified that the killers had already left after completing their mission. The barkeep brought you the whiskey they had ordered and on its label was a crossed out M clearly indicating who their target was. Vyn thanked the bar owner for offering such information despite the risk to him. With the finality of Medilla’s whereabouts, all that’s left is to return to NXX to inform the team members. This also completes all the clues available in this location.

You: Everyone might feel disappointed and sad, but… isn’t this the truth we’ve been chasing this whole time? Bravely facing the truth is the only way we can pay respect to everyone’s hard work!

Vyn: Even if the truth is cruel, it is the only thing you have been pursuing… I should have known as much. You have been strong this entire time. Looks like I have no need to worry over you. Let us return. We will share the news together.

The last clue leads you back to the abandoned server room to report the death of Medilla to Lilith and close the case. Luke wanted to also extract Lilith’s AI program from the workstation so as not to leave it in unknown hands. When Lilith learnt of Medilla’s death, she was not surprised by the outcome and in fact the whole Vesper Box idea was conceived by Medilla before he took down Centipede. It seemed that Medilla’s intent for seeking Luke out wasn’t so much to locate him but rather to complete his final request.

With the last available clue in this location, Lilith reveals the true request after having gained her trust – to take Lilith to Notro’s core station so that she can destroy Centipede herself.

===================================================

The Truths Revealed

Truth 1: Medilla is approximately 21 years old and is suspected of having a mental health condition. The last person he spoke to regularly was his girlfriend from high school and there is currently no one in contact with him. Since his ex-girlfriend led to a dead-end, the team will need to continue their search elsewhere.

Truth 2: Medilla went missing one month ago after living in North Stellis for about three years ago. He had made preparations to abandon his residence and possessions and flee alone, should he come under danger. Artem is anxious that time is running out in their investigation to find Medilla.

Truth 3: Medilla was suspected of destroying Centipede, the information-stealing tool used to support Notro’s platform. In retaliation, Notro sent hitmen after him and he fled Stellis City. Due to his attack, Notro is temporarily unable to conduct activities online. The team fears Medilla’s safety the longer the investigation drags.

Truth 4: It has already been one month since Medilla left from Stellis Harbour to another country. He prepared never to come back as he left no traces of his identity or his departure. It seemed like the only way to locate Medilla would be to seek Lilith’s permission to reveal information to NSB, and also considering this case has wider security implications.

Truth 5: Medilla has already been assasinated. It seemed the only way forward is to expose this case to higher authorities and use the opportunity to get rid of Notro once and for all. Marius offered his connections if the case has to be dealt overseas.

Truth 6: Medilla was the real client. He used the Vesper Box to forge trust between Lilith and Luke. That way, Lilith would trust Luke to bring her to Notro’s core station to completely destroy Centipede after Medilla sacrificed himself to paralyse it.

Truth 7: With the go-ahead from Luke’s superior to take down Notro and Centipede, DAVIS located Notro’s core station. It was then Lilith’s turn to take down the firewall that Medilla had put up.

Lilith: Compared to the physical world, cyberspace is a whole other world on its own. A world where humans, programs and AIs coexist. A place much wider than the world you see in front of your eyes.

Marius: As a result, there are more dark hidden corners, aren’t there?

Lilith: Yes. The rules here are completely different from those of your world.

Vyn: To create a new world order in a world of chaos. I’m sure the rules of survival there are much more interesting.

Artem: Without a centralised authority, law and order are left in the hands of private organisations or skilled hackers.

Luke: Therefore, when problems occur, there needs to be a hero to stand up and defend the justice of that world.

You learnt that after Lilith takes down the firewall, she would also cease to exist having fulfilled her mission. She asked you to promise her to destroy Centipede.

Vyn: We will witness the destruction of Centipede on your behalf. Rest assured. You can leave the rest to us.

Marius: For an ally of Pax, I won’t allow that thing to remain at large.

Artem: There are still many places in the world that are not protected by law. But if we work hard to change this, then such places will slowly dwindle by the day.

Luke: Life may be extinguished, but courage and justice will not. Even if his existence is erased, what he has done and everything he has accomplished will never disappear.

After Luke punches the code to annihilate Centipede, you hear the last words of Medilla, thanking you for aiding him in this fight against evil. With the case wrapped up, the NXX members head off in separate directions to tie up the loose ends. Marius offers to treat you to dessert at his newest cafe which earned a comment from Vyn that the best desserts need not be served at a café. Then Vyn takes his leave to inform Medilla’s ex-girlfriend about his death and deeds. Though he will be busy researching more about helping people with social anxiety issues, he assures you he will always have time for a date with you. Artem then asked you to accompany him back to the law firm to catch up on the cases. Vyn chides him for being so merciless but Artem told him not to interfere. Artem later softens his demeanour and apologises for being so strict. He decides to help you catch up on your examinations instead as work can still be put off.

This brings this case to a poignant conclusion. I was a bit sad to learn that Medilla was killed in the end and this probably reflects the reality that many silent heroes lose their lives everyday to protect us from the vices of the dark web.