Every day at 7am or so you get a badly typed status message providing some information about how the town is doing. You could say that things are pretty bad at this point.
I wanted to investigate Rubin's laboratory properly. Maybe something left behind would yield a clue? To get there I just need to take a short walk on the streets to the south.
Wait... There's an Executor standing outside Old Vlad's home. Maybe that's why his son was so upset? Of course! Knowing that someone in his family would succumb to the Sand Dirt... The Olgimskiy family is also very important to the actual running of the town, and even if I don't particularly liked him as a person, I can't let that stop me from saving his life.
: You are too late, Doctor. There is nothing you can do here.Bachelor: I have the Panacea! Let me in so I can cure him.
Executor: Hahaha, you have the cure for death? Wonderful!
Bachelor: That can't be! He was healthy just a few days ago and showed no sign of the Sand Plague. Why are you standing guard outside his house, then?
Executor: This is a wake. Didn't his honorable son scream and yell at you? It was your actions that led to this, after all. When you lied to protect your precious Adherent, you refused to hand the real culprit over to the Order.
Bachelor: That still don't explain how Old Vlad died. Was he murdered?
Executor: You could say that. The Olgimskiy family has very strong ties, and when the father found out what his precious son had done, he knew he had to cover it up. He just took too big of a risk.
Bachelor: Risk?
Executor: Maybe he was used to having his way with the workers that toiled hard under him? He confronted the Order, trying to scare them off. He did not get his way this time. These are desperate times.
Rubin is alive!
:
Oh, it's you again! I didn't think I would meet you again. They let me
go... But this cannot be right. I was sure George would put me to death
for my crime.Bachelor: That means your guilt isn't nearly as great as you think, my colleague. This is great news!
Rubin: But it was sacrilege! Or have you not understand what destiny had in store for Simon?
Bachelor: Tell me the truth, Rubin. Is Simon still alive?
Rubin: What do you mean? Of course he is dead! By now there is not even a tiny bit of life in his body.
Bachelor: Catherina Saburov returned from her journey with the spirits and has announced that Simon has returned. She was very upset about it.
Rubin: Hmm, well, Catherina... Klara certainly did something to her when she took away the crown of the Mistress from her. Is that exactly what she told you? It's impossible. With my own hands I took Simon's body apart into the smallest particles and transformed him into the White Vaccine.
Bachelor: Are you sure that the body you took was Simon Kain?
Rubin: Do you think I don't know what he looked like? Do you think that he can be compared, in figure, force and majesty, to anyone else on this earth? After all, whose blood except for that of the superhuman Simon could, battle for so long with the disease and almost defeat it?
Bachelor: You have to understand, I have never seen this Simon Kain in life. The only person I hoped to meet when I came to this town. And you kept the body well hidden. What should I believe?
Rubin: Fine. Ask the Kains yourself! If they let you go after you do something like that, then that means they really don't consider me a criminal either. Let them explain where Simon is! I have told you everything already.
Bachelor: By the name of Isidor, your teacher, tell me... Is this the truth?
Rubin: ... It is all true. I burned everything that couldn't be used to make the vaccine. It isn't possible for me to have confused him for someone else. The vaccine that was made from his very body is responsible for the lives of hundreds of people. I will give you my word of honor.
Bachelor: All right. So again my way goes to the home of the Kains. Just as it did the day I arrived, directed here by Isidor.
Seems like the army is taking extra care to guard the train station. I guess quite a lot of the supplies are still being unloaded and brought to the city hall. I guess it makes this route pretty safe, at least.
No. The southwest of the town is a complete and utter mess this day. You encounter plenty of arsonists, heat seeking clouds of deadly disease, and of course the most dangerous enemy of all, the Rat!
All of hell is chasing me! I just ran as fast as I could toward the tall residences of the Kains. Anything that stands in my way tastes the divine wrath of my rifle.
Aglaja in her cathedral seems to have an honor guard as well. Are they keeping the trouble out or Aglaja in? It's hard to tell.
When I entered Victor's room I found him staring at me with a far off look in his eyes. Then he shook his head and stood up suddenly to greet me.
: The consciousness has not fully returned to me... I can hardly imagine how much must have changed here since then.Bachelor: I need to ask a question. I hope it's not too straight-forward.
Victor Kain: Ask. I shall answer as clearly as anyone can. Do you know why the spirits always talk in riddles? I asked this question myself before. I know that allegories are not necessary for me to draw conclusions of my own visions. Now I know the answer. Their consciousness is fragmented.
Bachelor: Is it true that Simon Kain is alive?
Victor Kain: What exactly do you think life is?
Bachelor: Strange. I've answered that question so many times during my professional career, but now I don't know what to tell you.
Victor Kain: Do you believe in the immortality of the soul?
Bachelor: No, I do not.
Victor Kain: But even after your death people still hold you in their memories.
Bachelor: I guess. But that's not the same at all.
Victor Kain: Why then did you ask me this question about Simon?
Bachelor: Catherina is rather upset. She is sure that Simon has returned, and is here.
Victor Kain: That is so? Tell me, did Catherina speak about Simon only? Was she so angry that she didn't even notice the presence of another person here? Someone the merest idea of which should have made that girl hysterical?
Bachelor: No... She only mentioned Simon. She was very definite about that.
Victor Kain: So you want to know the truth about Simon. Then you will know, if it is that important to you. George Kain, ardently seeking a way to give eternal life to his brother, has devoted himself without any rest to the Memory of Simon. He has filled himself with it. Catherina saw that, but she is very negligent in her visions.
Bachelor: I think I'm starting to understand. But you are saying Catherina really can see visions, and they have some truth in them?
Victor Kain: If Catherina starts spreading rumors about the return of Simon, the people of this town will think they do. If it comes to that, tell them that George Kain has gone mad. He has imagine himself to actually be Simon, and it was the waves of this that Catherina felt. Talk to George, and he will tell you himself that this is the best course of action.
Bachelor: Why would he want me to tell people he's a madman?
Victor Kain: Go to him. The conversation with him will open your eyes to the truth. You are an observant person. Gossip would only hurt all of us. In case you encounter some resistance, please accept this money. It will be useful to shut some especially wide mouths.
Summary: Rubin is back and unharmed. He is absolutely sure that he stole the body of Simon Kain and that the potency of the vaccine made from the tissue is definite evidence that it actually was Simon. Can we trust him? He seems to have some unrealistic ideas of who Simon actually was and most of his work was done in secret.
Victor Kain didn't provide us with a clear answer, despite his assurance that we would soon know the truth. He didn't seem like himself, but on the other hand all of the Kains are completely nuts.
He asked us to talk to George about a plan to counter what he called the 'gossip' from Catherina.
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