Event synopsis: So Long, Adele
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So Long, Adele highlights Siesta's transformation to a nomadic city after the havoc in the 1097 Obsidian Festival and the stagnating economy of the city-state as the result of its tough transition from its over-reliance of tourism to a sustainable economy. Out of her interest to invest there, Swire plans to compete with the rivaling MountainDash Logistics in the city's redevelopment of an old district. Meanwhile, Adele Naumann arrives in Siesta under her friend's request to conduct geological studies onto the soon erupting Mount Siesta, and she eventually learns the truth behind her parents' death with the help from the "Little Black Sheep" that has been staying on her side.
Goodbye, Old Me
A Farewell Party
It has been two years since the Obsidian Festival fiasco, and the city-state of Siesta has since relocated to a nomadic plate dubbed "Nomadic Siesta" while leaving the "Old Siesta" behind to mother nature. But the migration has a cost: its economy is greatly affected as it transitions from its over-relied tourism to a more sustainable model. The Obsidian Festival is currently on a hiatus since the relocation is still ongoing. Many old sites have to be dismantled to pave way for new economic activities, and the "Old Siesta Fashion Street" too cannot avoid such fate. Most importantly, the Siestan folks are still unhappy with Herman's plan because the volcano at the old site remains dormant even though two years have passed from the fiasco, making them feel that they have been cheated by the city council.
While the commonfolk are complaining over the overbearing burdens, Herman and the city council are facing a new challenge from the outside. Since its relocation, Siesta has willingly integrated into Columbia's jurisdiction to seek its resources while retaining its autonomy. But now, the Columbian Congress is slowly pressurizing Siesta to accept its legislation, including imposing the unequal premium insurance policy onto the local Infected. Herman is upset of Columbia's interference on Siesta's politics, but he knows that openly challenging them will only bring the worse scenario. So, he seeks business cooperation with Eurill Pides' MountainDash Logistics in developing a sustainable business model that could free the city from its reliance on Columbia. Eurill gladly accepts it, for he grabs this opportunity to realize his dream in setting up an oversea logistics hub there.
Several familiar faces appear in this quite summer city. Swire, now the superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Department, is taking annual leave to have her vacation there, and she brings along Snowsant in assisting her set up her retail store business there. Following his father's footstep, Bison joins the bidding of the Fashion Street under the name of MDL's subsidiary, "Mountaincomm Trade," yet the matured boy decides to accomplish the job on his own. Seeing her family's business rival taking part of the bidding, Swire too joins the fray under name of the Schwire Group. Ceylon returns to Siesta as well to both witness the commercial bidding and assist her father in pacifying the Infected workers.
Adele Naumann, a.k.a. Operator Eyjafjalla, travels to Siesta to continue her geological survey there. She is invited to visit the newly opened Volcano Museum of Siesta by its curator, Professor Keller. Being a close friend of Katia & Magna Naumann — Adele's parents, Keller brings Eyjafjalla to see the great works of the Naumanns along with their surviving relics after their tragic death like the uniforms they had worn. In hopes to carry on the Naumanns' last wish, Keller requests Eyjafjalla in helping her record down the upcoming eruption of Mount Siesta.
Fluffy Puffy!
Eyjafjalla also meets Professor Kahn in the museum who is here to observe the eruption as well. However, he seems to be holding grudges against Keller for a long while by showing an unhappy face to her. Eyjafjalla then learns the reason from Kahn's own account: he could not understand Keller's intention to invite Eyjafjalla for the survey which could worsen her Oripathy symptoms. Most importantly, it appears that Kahn has a distrust over Keller which causes him to remind her to be cautious.
Eyjafjalla is puzzled by Kahn's reaction. Just then, she hears someone speaking to her in thin air. Then, she is gathered up by pink mist. The being reveals himself as Dolly, a "Sovereign of Sheep" who has been staying her on her side as her pet — the "little black sheep." Dolly not only reveals to Eyjafjalla that he personally befriended the Naumanns, but also, he wants to cheer up the girl. So, he casually comes out a "game" with her that could help her search for the clues of the Naumanns' legacy. He gives her three key words to win the game: "North Wind," "seed," and "fur."
Swire and Snowsant underestimate Bison's willingness to achieve his goal. He plans to run an international trade fair to please both the locals and the entrepreneurs. By doing so, he wishes the locals could understand their effort to dismantle the Fashion Street. Swire then turns her attention to a local bar, the "White Volcano," run by Enis Visser and his adoptive mother Harley. She hires Enis as her temporary guide to communicate with the locals, and in turn, she will help him save the bar from the verge of dismantlement. So, she comes out a bizarre plan for the bidding: building a water park in the Fashion Street. Not only it could revitalize its tourism, but also, most of the old buildings in the Fashion Street could be preserves.
Eyjafjalla wanders around the city to search for Dolly's clues. She befriends a lot of friendly locals and tourists alike along the way, like Enis who saves her from her coma and Byrd the Columbian songstress, and Costa the grumpy civil servant and the son of the Mockingbird Café barista. Eyjafjalla admires Byrd's performance, and the song she sings turns out to be the first clue, a song about the North Wind. According to Byrd, her inspiration of the song is from a couple of geologists, surprisingly being the Naumanns, who hoped to witness a legendary phenomenon where Mt. Siesta will turn into pure white, hence the name for Enis' bar.
Dolly, while waiting for Eyjafjalla's clues, is being bored. So, he sends his naughty Little Black Sheep for fun, which assists Eyjafjalla in her search in some way. On the other hand, they can be a hassle to the city, resulting in a recent urban legend that describes the existence of "white monsters," Only a few handy are given the chance to spot them, seeming guiding them to some secrets.
Welcome, New Me
Journey of Life
The expo is around the corner. Swire needs a spot to showcase her project. So, she requests Pelipper Brown the gem collector to rent his hotel in exchange for a rare obsidian collection. Meanwhile, Bison cooperates with foreign companies to set up booths that exhibit foreign products which attracts the locals' curiosity. Eyjafjalla and others are greatly invited to enjoy the expo, and they have fun in Swire's hot spring pools.
In the expo, Eyjafjalla encounters Costa who helps plan out the event. She is surprised that Costa is an old friend of Keller. On one occasion, she even passes by an old abandoned café where she sees him having a coffee chat with Keller and accidentally eavesdrops their conversation. Revealing himself to be the son of barista who ran the once popular Mockingbird Café, Costa confesses to Keller that he has missed the time with the Naumanns since the café's close down. Now, the Little Black Sheep seems have shown to Eyjafjalla the second clue, the "seeds" which are actually bottle caps of "Volcanic Coffee" soda. That soda is unique in which it was the Naumanns who inspired Costa to create this recipe.
On one night, Eyjafjalla experiences a strange dream. There, she seems to have "seen" her "parents" as the "Gentle and Shrewd Creatures," They lead Eyjafjalla to purchase "courage," "luck," "love," and "memory" before their preparation to climb a volcano. Then, they lift up Eyjafjalla into midair and bring her to a hill top, only to see dark clouds gathering around the volcano peak. The creatures bid farewell to Eyjafjalla as they have to go before rain falls, but they comfort her that they will always be on their side regardless of the circumstances. They wish the girl to keep climbing the hills to avoid the flood of darkness.
The expo ends with a brilliant result. While most people prefer Swire's option, Bison's plan is still eye-catching. Nevertheless, Swire makes another daring decision: she will drop out of the bidding in exchange of her investment in Bison's subsidiary so that the two rivals will work together in business. Following that, the two young entrepreneurs take further step in their business venture. Bison decides to split Mountaincomm Trade from MountainDash Logistics as an independent corporation, and Bison seeks to utilizes MCT's independence from corporate control to further expand his father's dream. Swire, through a video record to her grandfather Adams, openly declares her business cooperation with the MCT despite the rivalry, wishing that cross-border trading will bring a brighter future not only to the family, but to Lungmen as well.
On Ceylon's side, while she helps settles the workers and the local Infected, she learns that there is still an ongoing illegal obsidian mining which results in the increase of their Oripathy. All the clues are pointing towards Pelipper's mansion and his gem collection. Despite being angry, Ceylon sympathizes his action because he, as the heir of a mining tycoon, provides the only job to the local Infected in this harsh period. She is even surprised that Pelipper once acquainted her late mother Barbara who once worked together with the miners. Just then, Little Black Sheep suddenly breaks into Pelipper's mansion, and Eyjafjalla is trying to stop them. Miraculously, Ceylon could see the Little Black Sheep, and she seems to have seen it as a clone of her mother. Nevertheless, Ceylon is grateful of the encounter and thanks Eyjafjalla for making this possible.
Memories of the White Lava
Just then, the two receive and urgent report from Keller: Mt. Siesta is going to erupt earlier than they predict. Ceylon heads back to evacuate the citizens away from the eruption zone. Eyjafjalla prepares her equipment as well for the survey, and this time, she wants to wear her mother's protective gear as a symbol of inheritance. While everyone is safe downhill, Enis' step-siblings suddenly goes missing. He hurries up to search for them at a nearby coast, but the rising waves almost drown them had not Little Black Sheep form a tough wall to protect them.
Eyjafjalla and Keller reach the peak, and they are amazed by the spectacular natural event. Kahn somehow follow after then, and he wants Keller to immediately stop the survey due to its danger. It is during this moment Kahn reveals the reason of his distrust over Keller: she is suspected to be responsible for the Naumanns' tragedy. In fact, he believes Keller might have betrayed the Naumanns by abandoning them during their tragedy and then selling off their research papers to the Leithanian Kurfürsten who sought to weaponize them. But there is no time for debate, for gushing lava is approaching them. Eyjafjalla personally shields off the lava with her Arts while withstanding the heat with her mother's gear, and Dolly aids her along the way through his Little Black Sheep. The gathering wool around her makes Eyjafjalla to uncover the final key word of the hunting game, and she realizes that the game is all meant to trace back the memories of her parents.
As the Little Black Sheep gathers up the volcano to enjoy the lava, its white wool somehow turns the volcano peak into white. Indirectly, they form the legendary "white volcano," and everyone downhill is privileged to witness the legend as a farewell to old Siesta.
After the eruption, Keller decides to elaborate the truth to Eyjafjalla. She shows her a disclosed secret governmental document that achieves her parents' research data. Keller elaborates that the Leithanian aristocrats intended to weaponize the Naumanns' research under Projekt Regenschauer, the "Downpour Project," at the dawn of that chaotic revolution against the Witch King. The Naumanns complied to their demand in exchange for their political neutrality and peace for their research and their daughter, and Keller was commissioned to become their intermediate. However, Keller had never betrayed her parents even until the last moment when they conducted their last survey on the erupting Mount Unna. She even volunteered to talk off the approaching envoys so that the Naumanns' survey would be undisturbed. As Eyjafjalla glances through the document, she sees a rather warming signature—Adele Keller, her professor's full name from which her name is taken. She is grateful that her parents value her as precious as their friendship with Professor Keller. In the end, she thanks them for such a wonderful vacation in this summer.
The relocation is still ongoing, but the folks are grateful to say goodbye with their old memories. Still, some of these memories are lucky to stay around. Some parts of the old Fashion Street, including Enis' bar, is preserved thanks to Swire's project, and Herman wants the site to bear witness for future generations.
Though someone seems to be late to the party. After a tumultuous journey, Ann-Maier Andieross has finally reached her homeland, but all she sees is just a piece of barren land being scarred by lava.