Up Where They Trade All Day in the Sun

Up Where They Trade All Day in the Sun

Quest giver

Kurenai

Location

The Ruby Sea (X:28.3, Y:15.3)

Level

62

Requirements

Custom Delivery level 4 with Kurenai.

Experience

 25,500

Gil

 0

Previous quest

The Seaweed Is Always Greener

Patch

4.3

“

Kurenai is ready to face Jikkan.

— In-game description

Rewards

• 1   Clam Chowder
• 1   Stuffed Chysahl

Steps

• Speak with Jikkan in Sui-no-Sato.

• Wait at the Ruby Price.

• Speak with Kurenai at the Rakuza District.

• Speak with Kurenai in Tamamizu.

Journal

• Kurenai is ready to face Jikkan.

Dialogue

Accepting the Quest

Kurenai: Forgive me, this is no time to wallow in despair. I must remain focused on our objective. Knowing Jikkan, he will exploit my transgression and turn it against our efforts at reform. But we cannot allow it to end this way.
Kurenai: My friends, 'tis not my desire to involve you in my personal dilemmas, but I can turn to no other. Pray accompany me back to Sui–no–Sato.

Optional

Kurenai: Jikkan will doubtless be paying Shiosai a visit. Pray go on ahead, [Forename]. Sanana and I will join you anon. 

Sanana: Well, that turned complicated fast. And there I was pondering ways for the House to get a foot in Sui-no-Sato's doors.  

Hisui: Should this spell the end of the princess's dream... Even if she has forgiven me, I could never forgive myself... <sob>

Shiosai: Judging by my visitors, I take it the charade is up.

Isobe: <chirp> <chirp>

Speaking with Jikkan in Sui–no–Sato (Cutscene)

Jikkan: There you are, Your Grace. You certainly took your time. Hmmm, but to look at the two of you side by side...
Jikkan: You truly are the spitting image of one another. Small wonder you were able to deceive us all this time.
Jikkan: But to the matter at hand. Princess, you of all people need not be reminded of our laws. Your place is at the palace, and there you shall return forthwith. Let this mark an end to any foolish talk of flirting with the surface.

Kurenai: Wait, Lord Jikkan. I have broken our laws and duly accept my fate. This, however, should not be confused with the endeavor to open Sui–no–Sato to the world.
Kurenai: Thanks to Sanana and [Forename], we have been able to ease some of the hardships our people have long endured. Had we insisted upon our adherence to tradition, their suffering would have continued.
Kurenai: I ask you to look to the past, Lord Jikkan. There was a time when our ancestors roamed the grasslands as nomads.
Kurenai: But refusing to be hobbled by tradition, they began to trade. They befriended the Kojin, from whom they acquired new knowledge. Knowledge that allowed them to build a home under the sea.
Kurenai: Our forefathers chose change. Had they not done so, we would not be who we are now. And now, as ruler, I judged it past time for another change. Our people suffer needlessly; if it is within our power to ease that suffering, is it not our duty to do so?

Jikkan: A noble sentiment...and a shortsighted one. By focusing on immediate gratification, you would lead us blindly into the abyss. The people could not possibly desire such a thing.

Shiosai: Many of our citizens feared the outside world, 'tis true. But owing to Her Grace's efforts, they are beginning to reconsider their long-held views.
Shiosai: Lest you doubt their motives, they are driven by far more than the desire for immediate, personal gratification. Nay, they have the future of Sui–no–Sato foremost in their minds. For such is the passion that they felt from their ruler, though they knew not that she walked among them.

Jikkan: They...they are misguided! They know not the horrors that lie beyond!

Sanana: Hmph, horror this, danger that... As a representative of the dreadful beyond, [Forename], why don't you give him a piece of your mind?

< What will you say to Jikkan? >
< You fear what you do not know. >
< You should see the world for yourself. >

< You feat what you do not know. >
Sanana: Well then, the best cure for that is knowledge, and nothing's better than the firsthand sort. That's to say, you need to get out there and see things with your own eyes. 

< You should see the world for yourself. >
Sanana: Ooh, practical, I like it! There's no substituting going out there and seeing things with your own eyes! 

(Both)
Kurenai: What a wonderful proposal! We may speculate endlessly, but there is only one way to know whether or not our fears are founded. Lord Jikkan, let us you and I venture forth and see the world!

Jikkan: M-Madness! If either you or I were to meet with misfortune, kami forbid...

Shiosai: You needn't worry on that account, my lord. This adventurer is the selfsame hero who purged the palace of wraiths and saved Lady Hisui. You could not be in safer company, here or anywhere else.

Kurenai: Lord Jikkan, this is my final request to you. Come with me. See the world with your own eyes. Should it be as you believe and fraught with danger, I shall abandon my dream and forever hold my peace.

Jikkan: ...Very well, Your Grace. I shall hold you to that promise.

Sanana: Then it's decided! Now, for the choice of destination, I recommend Kugane. It's close by, and you'll find people of all nations and creeds there, mingling and doing business.

Hisui: My place is beside the princess. Please allow me to come with you.

Sanana: I've certainly got no objection to that. Before we head out, though, it'd be best if you three changed into something a little more conventional. Lucky for you, I've got just the thing.
Sanana: [Forename], go on ahead to the Ruby Price. We'll join you once I've seen to their attire. 

Shiosai: Pray watch over the princess...and open Jikkan's eyes.

Waiting at the Ruby Price (Cutscene)

Sanana: Sorry for the wait! They're ready now.

Kurenai: Ahhh, never did I dream that I would one day don foreign attire. I feel like a different person.

Hisui: This excess of fabric would slow us in the water, but I suppose that is of little concern to land-dwellers.

Jikkan: Hmph, you behave as children with new toys. I for one could not cast aside these barbarian's rags and return to my own soon enough.

Kurenai: Forgive me, Lord Jikkan. I must confess, the prospect of setting foot in a city of the surface excites me, but I realize we are not here for amusement. I shall try to remain focused.

Kurenai: What think you, [Forename]? Do we not look strange in these garments? I took the liberty of arranging my hair to suit.
Kurenai: I am glad. I feared we would appear like the fish out of water that we are.

Sanana: Right, then! The idea being to improve your lives through trade, I reckon we start by going where the trading happens: the Rakuza District.

Kurenai: We defer wholly to you, Sanana. Let us seek out this Rakuza District. 

Optional

Sanana: Ahhh, the sights and sounds of trade, the scent of profit! This is where I belong!

Jikkan: Do I understand correctly? They decorate the shop's facade in order to attract passersby? Never would we have conceived of such an idea...

Hisui: That there could be so many people in one place... It fairly makes my head spin.

Speaking with Kurenai at the Rakuza District (Cutscene)

Kurenai: Such a vibrant place, overflowing with life! Never before have I seen so many shops all in a row!
Kurenai: Ahhh, it is all so fresh and new, I am afraid to blink lest I miss something...
Oh, oh! Might that be a traveling merchant, procuring merchandise to take back to his homeland? Whence does he hail, I wonder. Oh, oh! And over there!

Hisui: Pray excuse Her Grace. Long has she dreamed of this moment.

Sanana: Now, this is just one aspect of the outside world, and you mightn't want the same for Sui–no–Sato. But I daresay this turns your preconceptions on their heads.

Jikkan: Indeed, people of all races and nations appear to be gathered here. And there are countless kinds of wares being offered, many of which I have no name for. It is...eye opening.

Kurenai: With its port open to the world, Kugane has been nourished by the free flow of trade to become the rich and prosperous city we see before us.
Kurenai: Of course, where people of disparate cultures come in contact, some friction is to be expected. But with due caution, that energy can be harnessed as a force for prosperity.

Jikkan: It is as you say, Your Grace. The people of the surface are not all barbarians who wage only war. By daring to venture out into the world, Sui–no–Sato could stand to gain much.
Jikkan: That being said, I harbor one grave concern. And until said concern is addressed, I cannot offer my support to your endeavor.

Sanana: Ugh, what is it now? Let's hear it.

Jikkan: Long as we have kept to ourselves, I believe us ill prepared to engage with the outside world.
Jikkan: Were we to open our gates now, we would find ourselves flooded with wares from without. Wares superior to our own, upon which we would grow dependent. What wealth we have would be drained away, leaving us impoverished. We must have measures in place to prevent this outcome.

Sanana: What? That's it? Well then, you've got nothing to worry about. See, the beauty of trade is that it works both ways.
Sanana: All you need is a product of your own. Something unique to Sui–no–Sato, that can compete with anything else out there.

Kurenai: 'Tis a wonderful idea, I shouldn't doubt, yet I cannot help but worry. For generations we have lived in austerity. What could we possibly offer to the people of the surface, who know every luxury?

Sanana: You're not getting cold fins on me, are you? Don't forget, you have [Forename] and yours truly─your experts on all things to do with the outside world. We'll help think of something, isn't that right?

Jikkan: Very well. While you strive to conceive a suitable product, Your Grace, I shall turn a blind eye to your...unofficial activities. Should your efforts prove fruitless, however, you shall abandon your endeavor.

Kurenai: Thank you for granting me this opportunity, Lord Jikkan. And thank you also, my friends. I am truly blessed to know you.

Sanana: Enough of that, save it for when we've succeeded. Now then, our signature product isn't going to think itself up. Let's hurry back to Tamamizu and get to work!

Jikkan: Though the matter of opening Sui–no–Sato to the world remains unsettled, there is something I would say to you.
Jikkan: I have served Her Grace since she was an infant. In all these years, never have I seen her face light up with such unbridled joy. For showing that to me, you have my heartfelt thanks.

Speaking with Kurenai in Tamamizu

Kurenai: [Forename], my thanks again for accompanying us to Kugane. As has been decided, we seek a product that might represent Sui–no–Sato. Such is my next request to you.
Kurenai: En route back to Tamamizu, Sanana and I discussed the subject at some length. We believe that a marriage of our two worlds would be ideal─the bounty of the Ruby Sea, worked with the techniques of the surface.

Sanana: Aye, we take a treasure of the deep only Kurenai's people have access to, and give it a foreign touch. There's something to gain for everyone. With a concept like that, we're bound to come up with a winning product!
Sanana: We just need to...er, find something to base that product on. If it's to make a mark on the world, it has to be inherently valuable. I'm talking jewelry and the like.

Kurenai: Hmmm... These waters yield objects that may suit such a purpose, but I fear they are not of a quality to impress the folk of the surface.
Kurenai: In the course of our fishing and foraging, we often come upon pearl-producing clams and deep-sea crystals. But with our energies recently focused wholly upon survival, we do not pay them much mind.

Sanana: Pearls and crystals, you say? Kurenai, those things would be perfect!

Kurenai: T-Truly? I mean, they are certainly pretty, but they pale in comparison to such dazzling items as I beheld in Kugane.

Sanana: I'd wager that's because you've only ever seen your pearls and crystals in the ocean's dim light. On the surface, beneath the sun? They'd shine a hundred times as bright!
Sanana: And once [Forename]'s worked his magic on them, they'll become signature products to turn heads the world over─the pride and joy of Sui–no–Sato!

Kurenai: ...Well! You have given me newfound hope, my friends. I shall trust to your abilities, [Forename], and await your handiwork with bated breath!

Trivia

• This quest's title references a line in the song "Part of Your World" from the 1989 Disney film The Little Mermaid. Specifically, it references the following lines: "Up where they walk, up where they run / Up where they stay all day in the sun".