Story Reader / Event Story / The Meandering Three / Story
Alright. Your turn.
What? That was quick! I thought we were swapping every half an hour!
Yeah. That was half an hour.
Sigh. Fine. I guess pushing the car is less tiring now with this money.
Noctis will definitely overspend.
Impossible! I'm the best at managing finances!
Sure. You can keep the money, then. Make sure to double it in 3 months.
Right. If I lend it with an interest rate of 70%...
Don't worry. I'll throw away the trash Noctis has in the lounge when he is in jail.
Will I get court-martialed for this?
Yes? Yes.
I don't think financial crimes apply to Constructs... but I don't remember for sure. Give it a shot, and we'll find out.
Simply put, don't get too hung up with this bounty. Save it for the inevitable future when you need to clean up your mess.
Hmm... The car is much lighter after Noctis got out.
It's because of my muscles! Muscles!
Unlike you, whose claws are heavier than your brain!
But claws tear muscles apart!
Ha! Is that a challenge?
What is this? Kill one, lose one free? Sounds good to me.
...Forget it.
Hey, Captain! How far away are we from the extraction point?
I don't want to push anymore.
Let's see... We'll be there after this part of the no man's land. Another 30 km or so.
We've completed our mission already! Why is it still so exhausting?!
It is a sunny day—a little too sunny, perhaps. The sun shines blatantly upon the asphalt road that lies within hundreds of miles of deserted fields and sands.
The physical conditions of humans have determined that such an environment is not ideal for their survival. However, this place is a paradise for some other life forms.
Lizards, bharals, hares, wolves, the flying vultures...
...And the members of Cerberus, who are pushing their car on an endless highway.
That's it?
That's it.
This film thing looked kind of blurry.
I still looked pretty handsome, though!
Right.
So... he shot this during the journey?
I guess.
Dammit. Is this violating my image rights?
I saw him hold up his camera occasionally. So this is what he was recording.
Oh, by the way...
What happened to the money in the end? The bounty?
I know we happened to take care of that thug from the mechanic's shop, but this money still counts as illegal income to Babylonia.
...I can't believe we took care of our mission target right at the beginning.
That bedridden commandant must be bored. Sending us to take care of some bully on the surface?
We have to do all the dirty work—
Vera suddenly gives Noctis a kick.
Be glad you're not locked up.
Fine. At least we got the bounty.
You were paid by a bunch of Scavengers who were not Babylonia citizens. Sure, you can spend it, but it'll land you in jail, like No. 21 said.
I want a new audiovisual terminal.
Sure, fine. We'll have to find a way to legitimize the money first.
What if we invest in WGAA for some grenades?
No one's going to willingly lose their money like this.
What about movies? Didn't 21 say something about a movie with a red motorcycle?
I'm kind of interested.
"Light"? Beardy told me that's the name of the movie.
It's an old movie. I wonder if they can find it.
The new audiovisual terminal I want may have this movie on it.
As she says that, No. 21 takes out the film roll from the projector and examines it in detail.
Be careful. We borrowed it from WGAA.
The people there said they stopped producing films like this decades ago. The machine itself is pretty expensive as well.
While No. 21 curiously looks at her own images on the film, a note falls quietly from the tin box holding the roll.
I don't know where you are now. I bet you'll be back on Babylonia at some point.
So I feel like it's safer to send this film to Babylonia.
Although I still have to lie in this clinic for a while, the doctor in the settlement said I should be able to get back on my feet soon.
I still have a job to do, after all.
I took the opportunity to finish editing this footage.
I've been recording every now and then with my camera ever since I met you.
My editing is pretty shit.
I'm bad at critiquing movies, and I'm bad at making them, too.
But... I think the most important thing is to "see."
It's already very impressive that I can record what I've experienced.
I think this is the best gift I can offer you.
Oh. One more thing.
I never told you how that movie ended.
The knight reached the top of the tower, but he didn't find any relics.
But the gods gave him a spark of hope and told him the catastrophe would pass one day.
Golden crops would cover the land again, and the sun would brighten the sky once more.
It's a cheesy ending, but it's a good ending as well.
Perhaps I wanted to live because of Zack and this movie.
Anyway... Thank you.
As for the film in your hands, I've privately given it a name.
That's all. I have to keep going and try to find the old fella's daughter.
Perhaps we'll see each other again in a conservation area one day.
With plenty of whisky and movies.
Wait. The doctor just told me you paid for my medical bill with the bounty?
Goddammit. How many more times do I have to owe you?!
—For Cerberus
The Meandering Three
Beardy
