The girls spend some time waiting for one of the other landmasses to orbit by them so that they can make the jump and continue their journey. The first one to come within jumping distance is Lastation, the fog-covered Steampunk-ish land ruled by Black Heart. The tunnel is populated with bats and Hornets, which drop red bottles of liquid called Detoxin, which allows the girls to use some of their more advanced item skills when combined with Reflex and other components.
Contrary to Neptune's belief, Black Heart isn't responsible for the Steampunk look of her land - it's just the way the inhabitants of Lastation like it. IF and Nep love the way the place looks, but Compa finds it boring.
- Enemies: Bat, Hornet
- Treasures: 7 Reflex, and two chests with a total of 5 Detoxin
Basilicom Revolution
The party arrives in Lastation and heads to the Basilicom to obtain information on the locations of powerful monsters. However, once there...a messenger known as Moderator turns them away, saying that if the Lastation Defense Force can't fight them off, then the girls don't stand a chance against them. They don't take kindly to the Moderator's arrogance, so they leave to try and get some info from the townspeople.They take a look at an update from Black Hart's personal blog, a PR piece about her home land. Lastation seems to be in a constant state of "under development", but this gives them an opportunity to produce new inventions at a rapid clip. Black Heart herself doesn't seem to take much interest in having to update, thinking of it more as a job than a hobby.
The Current Lastation
The party decides to collect information while taking miscellaneous bounty jobs. They learn of a small factory suffering from monster attacks. Neptune and Compa are surprised to see that their client, President Chian of Factory Passe, is a young woman rather than a burly man. Chian says that the monsters started attacking their carriages and trains and need their help to stop them. She is pleased with Neptune's enthusiasm, and hopes that they can do the job quickly.Stray?! (skit)
Monster damage is being reported at Lastation's center. What sort of monster lurks in the shadows now?IF heard a rumor that the monsters in question made weird noises and attacked their prey from all directions. The girls think they hear one of them while examining a junkyard, but it turns out to be a robotic dog that was abandoned by its owners after they were no longer popular.trivia The dogs seem to take a liking to their new "master", Neptune.
The girls read a new short update from Black Heart's blog about noodle soup, and find a dog-related quest posting on Lastation's bulletin board.
Doggie Delusion
Client: BoyI went to the Sealed Ruin with my pet Pochi, and we were attacked by a Stray Dog. Pochi died protecting me... Please, someone go avenge my dearest puppy!
Recommended Level: 6
The lower level of the Sealed Ruin is larger than the one in Planeptune, so Neptune's party takes extra precautions when exploring so that they don't get lost. In their search, they find a chest piece for a fire-based unit called the Blaze Heart. Neptune notes that it looks out of place with the Grand Heart parts, so she chooses not to put it on until she finds more. IF gets annoyed by the rash of weak monsters assaulting them and slowing them down, so Compa uses her Descent Bell to lure a small group to them. When they defeat the group, the rest run away scared, allowing them enough time to go after the boss unimpeded.
- Enemies: Bat, Hornet, Cockatrice
- Treasures: Black Pins
After completing that quest, they head off to the den by Merchant Way to fight the monsters attacking the caravan. Chian requests that they fight off five Cockatrices, as they appear to be the ones behind the attacks. IF finds a Studded Bracelet inside a hidden treasure chest, but decides that Compa needs the defensive boost more than she does.
- Enemies: Cockatrice
- Treasures: 10 Reflex, 4 Gelatin
Compa notices that Neptune's CPU alter ego is much more confident than Nep's normal form, but IF still has trouble getting along with either. When they get back, Chian gives them a reward of 1000 credits, and Neptune notes that it's barely the same as the monetary rewards they've received so far from side quests. Compa blames their lack of funding on a monopoly from a local company called Avenir, which Neptune imagines is some sort of evil conglomerate preying on and driving away smaller businesses like Factory Passe. As they can't go to the Basilicom to figure out how to deal with Avenir and help Lastation's economy move along, they figure that they need to try visiting the other landmasses to gain more money and help manage their travel expenses.
Factory Passe
Chian, from Passe, gather the trio to her factory home to discuss an important matter. Even she is having trouble keeping her life in order since Avenir came along and took away most of their business, as she's had to take out a second job and get help from her mother. The Basilicom and the goddess don't seem to be interested in helping, so Neptune reasons that they've got to take on Avenir themselves.Chian mentions that there's a Technology Expo just around the corner, and the company with the best item presented at the Expo is awarded a Trophy ("What an achievement!" Compa says) and a meeting with the goddess. With the monsters still roaming about, she warns the girls that she may submit more and more requests while she handles the preparations.
