I'm alive! Sorry for keeping you all waiting.
Originally, I was planning to do another intermission chapter, but I hadn't updated in a while and really wanted to get a start on the 'The Azran Legacy'. So I hope you all enjoy my interpretation of the last of the prequel games.
djinn - Thank you so much. I think he's slowly starting to trust some people, but all of his progress will be overhauled in this arc. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Dikratsblim - Thank you so much, you're too kind. I'm so glad to hear you like the more original chapters; they're really fun to write and allows me to explore the Layton franchise (Laytonverse?) more and more. I can't wait to kick off the next arc and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, thank you so much for reading like always.
Fiction Fan 369 - In regards to your first review; thank you so much. It's amazing to hear from another reviewer. It made me laugh to think that Edgar's harem is formed over a syndicate over him, but you are pretty much spot on. Not as if that's going to slow him down.
In regards to your second review; I'm glad to hear you enjoyed its entirety. I'm not a big fan of replacing canonical characters with OC characters either, but I was new to writing at the time and found it hard to involve Luke into the story without being overshadowed. Nevertheless, I'm thrilled to hear that you like it despite it. I'm quite proud of how I wrote Emmy's and Edgar's relationship and so I'm so glad to see how much you like it. I will be more than happy to answer your questions:
Will you be doing all the Layton involved games, including the Ace Attorney crossover and squeal dulology?
Yes, I will. The Ace Attorney crossover is going to be a quite challenge due to the game's mechanics, but I will try my best. I will do Katrielle Layton and the Millonaire's Conspiracy, but I will do my own (improved) version which should be a bit more interesting.
Who is part of Edgar's harem?
So far; Emmy, Janice, Flora (two years older than in cannon), Amelia, Angela (maybe), Aurora (maybe) and Maya Fey. If you like to suggest anymore than please do so.
Will we be seeing more original arc's and one shot cases?
Definitely, they're fun to write. There is another game called Mansion of the Deathly Mirror but it had never been made. However, the synopsis of the story is online so I could probably create my own version based on it.
Will Emmy and other prequel characters return when you get to the original trilogy?
Either in the original trilogy or during my original chapters. It would be great to see.
Do you have a plan for when you make the harem official?
At this stage...no. But as the story progresses I will come up with a exact time.
Will Luke play a bigger role as the story goes on?
He will, but, right now, he needs to be at school and having a proper childhood
Thank you all for your questions and I hope you'll enjoy the next arc.
The Puzzling Adventures Of Edgar Cipher:
The Azran Legacy
Prologue
Out of all the many adventures Edgar has been on…this one is, by far, the one he does not recall fondly.
It was an adventure filled with regrets; choices that should never have been made, paths that should have been taken, words that should never have been spoken. If he could, he would go back to the start and change it all, but he knew that it was impossible. What happened is not what he wanted, but what was needed to be done.
In order for lies to unfold, sinister plans to be revealed and truth to appear…everybody had to suffer.
This case would take him, the Professor and Emmy further then they have gone before. They had circumnavigated the globe, battle strong enemies and solved plenty of puzzles on the way; all in the pursuit of a mystery that has been lost for millennia.
The mystery of the Azran Civilisation.
It all started on one afternoon in London…
Gressenheller University, London
"...I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm just saying you're not right," Edgar said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Emmy sighed as she walked beside him, "Why must you always be stubborn. I mean you've never been to the place. How could you make such a judgement without properly experiencing it."
"Because I know that I'm right."
"The World News and hundreds of Londoners agree with me," Emmy smirked proudly as they stepped into the main building of the university, "You can't argue with that. The Whitehall Chippie is by far the better the fish and chip shop."
"No it isn't," Edgar shot back, "Bill's Chip shop in Lambeth is far superior...well, in London anyway. I'm sure there's better ones up north."
It's another day in London; Monte D'Or and the Masked Gentleman is far behind them and Edgar has not returned to the ordinary daily life of working for Professor Layton at the university. It was clear to him that a weight has lifted of the Professor's shoulders after the rediscovery of Randall being alive; despite the troubles, Layton's conscience is clear and he seems to be more happier than usual. He has seen him send letters to Randall in prison and eagerly read his old friend's replies; judging by the Professor's frequent chuckles whenever he read them, their friendship was slowly and surely coming back.
Layton would also write and receive letters from Angela, Dalston and Henry back in Monte D'Or informing them of progress on rebuilding the vibrant city. Much to his surprise, Edgar would receive letters from Angela as well. She had told him that she had moved out of that giant mansion and moved into a much smaller home closer to the city hall. She had also planned to get more involved in the city's administration and rebuilding rather then wait all her life in that empty house. Edgar was happy for her; he could tell in her writing that she was much happier now.
Currently, Edgar and Emmy were enjoying what's left of their day off while Layton was holding classes on Mycenaean pottery. They had planned to meet up with him in his office afterwards which was where they heading...whilst having their usual friendly spat.
"You know what, next week we'll go to both and compare two and then we can finally both decide that I was right all long," Emmy declared as they walked down the slightly crowded hallways towards Layton's office.
Edgar gave a challenging laugh and smirked defiantly, "Fine, but we need to come up with a good scoring system; not just on taste of food."
"How do you mean?"
"I mean the ambiance of each shop, the wait time, the... 'je ne sais quoi' of the experience."
Emmy cocked an eyebrow, "How are we supposed to score the 'je ne sais quoi'."
"Je ne sais pas. C'est le point. 'Je ne sais quoi' est inconnue," Edgar remarked in French.
"Tu es absolutement irritant," Emmy muttered back before she smirked competitively, "Fine, we'll discuss it tomorrow morning. Right now we should be catching up with the Professor."
Before they could continue however they heard somebody call out their names.
"Emmy! Edgar!" they turned around and saw Megan, one of Layton's students, run up to them carrying a bundle of fliers in her hand. She was a young woman with short blond hair, fair skin and soft brown eyes wearing a smart black and white dress and daisy hair clip to hold up her fringe, "Glad I caught you guys. How you been?"
Edgar smiled, "Good thank you. How you doing?"
"Stop it. She has a boyfriend."
"I was only saying hello," he said in offence to Emmy's sharp remark.
Megan, however, giggled at their behaviour, "I see you've guys don't change much," she joked before she handed Edgar and Emmy a flyer, "I was wondering if you two would like to go to our party? All of us are gathering together after school next week; there's going to food, music, dancing and a lot of fun."
Emmy looked over the flyer and hummed, "Well, I don't know. We're pretty busy next week with the Professor," she muttered before looking up at her, "I'll check our schedule and see-"
"Wait a minute," Edgar interrupted as he read over the flyer, "This says that it's couples only."
"That's right," Megan chirped, "We would have done it closer on Valentine's day but-"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Emmy suddenly cried pointing from her to Edgar, "We're not a couple."
Megan laughed in amusement...
...
...
...
...suddenly her eyes widened in surprise, "What really? No way."
"Yes, of course we're not. Who told you that?" Edgar asked accusingly.
"Nobody. It's just you guys are always together. We just assumed that you were."
"We!?"
"Most of the class."
Emmy's and Edgar's bowed their heads in despair as a small dark cloud appeared above them, "My reputation," that moaned, "ruined by him/her."
"Aren't you guys taking this a little too seriously," Megan deadpanned.
"Wait!" Edgar shouted, making her jump, "We're not always together! We do other stuff with other people!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Emmy agreed, "We only work with each other. That's the reason why you made up the assumption that we're a couple."
"I wasn't actually the one who-"
"You see! We're colleagues. We're not romantically involved in any way!" Edgar declared, earning a firm nod from Emmy.
Megan merely sweat dropped, "Oh, so are you two working now?"
"...Well, no. Today's our day off."
"And you happen to still be together...despite declaring that your just colleagues," she pointed out, making them blink owlish at her, "Interesting...tell me, what did you do today."
Emmy hmphed, "Well, if you must know, we watched a film and then had dinner after."
"So...you guys went out on a date."
"It was not a date," Edgar retorted, "In fact, it was the opposite because it was Emmy's turn to choose and she on purposely choose a film I would hate."
"That is payback for last week when you decided that we go would mudlarking on the banks of the Thames."
"Well, jokes on you, because I enjoyed the film. I thought Meryl Streep was phenomenal."
"Jokes on you as well, because I also enjoy going mudlarking."
"Liar."
"I study archaeology, of course I would like it."
"And that's why I..." he hesitated slightly, "why...I...I choose to do it," he admitted shyly, much to Emmy's surprise.
"Oh...well..." Emmy uttered as he avoided eye contact, "I knew that you liked Meryl Streep and that's why I choose the film today."
"Who doesn't like Meryl Streep. She's a cultural icon," Edgar said, looking down at his feet with a shrug.
Silence fell between them as they tried to come up with anything to say in response; Megan watched them for a few seconds before she spoke up.
"And you then went to a restaurant?"
"Yeah," Edgar muttered, "It was an Italian restaurant not too far away. We go there because they do large portions and Emmy always steals from my plate."
"I only take the prawns," Emmy admitted, "Because you don't like shellfish."
Another long silence fell between them once again; Megan merely smirked and began to back away from them, "Anyway, must dash. Once you figure out...what's going on then feel free to come to the party. See ya!" she called as she turned her back to them and walked away.
They both stared at her after her as she disappeared down the hallway before they slowly turned to each other; their faces filled with disbelief.
"Have we been…accidentally dating?" he asked in astonishment.
"I think so," Emmy answered in confusion, "No, it can't be. Isn't that something we have to…agree on before it happens."
"You make it sound like a business meeting," he deadpanned, "But I'm not sure. Never been on a date before."
"No, nor I," she hummed before she gasped in realisation, "Wait! Don't you have to be at least attracted to the other person to be on a date."
Edgar blinked in confusion before his eyes widened, "Of course! You can't go on a date with somebody you don't like. Otherwise…what's that point! If we don't find each other attractive then we're not going on dates, we are simply going on outings with each other."
"Exactly! I for one do not find anything about you attractive or desirable in any way."
"Ditto for you."
"You find every woman attractive," Emmy deadpanned, "but I'm glad to hear it."
They both shook hands and continued on their way to Layton's office.
….
….
….
….
"Well," Edgar eventually spoke up bashfully, "and I mean this in a totally platonic way, but I think you're…quite…quite beautiful."
Emmy flinched slightly as he cheeks turned slightly red. She coughed into her fist, closed her eyes and turned her head away, "Thank you…I suppose you're quite…handsome…for an idiot."
…
…
…
"And I suppose you're eyes are pretty as well."
"Yes, and you can be pretty charming sometimes."
"I like it when you beat someone up to a pulp with little effort."
"The way you're kind to children is adorable."
"I like that when you get really excited about something you go can't stop giggling."
"I like the way your eyes light up when you think of something mischievous."
At this point, they couldn't even look at each other as their faces were red in embarrassment and the heads began to steam. Emmy suddenly whipped around and pointed a finger accusingly.
"But other than that, you're the absolute worst."
"And your personality is utter rubbish," Edgar retorted with a smirk as he began to walk faster, "and you have terrible taste in chip shops."
Emmy gave a fake gasp and quickly followed him, "You take that back, Pig!"
"Make me, Princess!"
Layton's Office
Edgar casually walked into the office without knocking and made his way to his favourite seat. On his way, he spotted Layton sitting at his desk whilst reading a letter and gave a simple wave.
"Hey Prof, we're back," he said as he slumped into his seat as Emmy walked in and closed the door behind her.
"Hello you two," Layton greeted without looking up from the letter, "How was your day?"
"...Great thank you," Emmy chirped although rather hesitantly as she glanced over at Edgar, "Nice and rested for tomorrow's duties."
"Professor's pet," Edgar snarked, earning a look from her.
"Actually," Layton said, as he got up from his chair, headed across the room and handed Edgar the letter he was reading, "I need to inform Dean Delmona that I need to cancel classes for a few days. I've just been informed of something...interesting that we need to see to."
The two assistants were surprised by this. Edgar immediately looked down at the letter while Emmy read it over his shoulder. It read:
Dear Professor Layton of Gressenheller University,
I am writing to you of a matter of utmost importance that I have encountered. Whilst on an archaeological dig, I came across a specimen that I have never, in all my years in the field, have ever encountered before; a truly remarkable find that shall sensationalise the entire archaeological community:
A living mummy.
I know that this sounds ridiculous, but please do not misunderstand; I am very serious. I predict that this specimen have been preserved for centuries or millennia years old and has not shown any signs of deterioration.
As a fellow archaeologist and gentleman, I beseech that you come to my location and see for yourself and perhaps shed some light on the situation. My airship, the Bostonius, will be waiting for you at the London Aerodrome where it will take you to my dig site. Expect cold weather at your destination and pack appropriately.
Please be quick, there isn't a moment to lose.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Desmond Sycamore.
"Desmond Sycamore," Emmy gasped as she finished the letter, "I don't believe it."
Edgar frowned slightly, "Who's Demond Sycamore?"
"Professor Sycamore is a renowned archaeologist who specialises in the Azran Civilisation," Layton answered as headed to the door, "He is very popular amongst other archaeologist."
'Azran,' Edgar wondered, 'Why is it always the Azran? The name keeps cropping up more and more. I feel like it's following me.'
"So does that mean we're on another case then?" Emmy asked enthusiastically.
"Indeed it does. If Professor Sycamore requests our help then we should assist immediately," Layton said as he opened the door and stepped out of it, "Not only that, but I'm rather intrigued by this 'Living Mummy' that he has found. Pack your belongings you two; we have another case to solve."
London Aerodrome
It was the next day and the Aerodrome was a hive of activity; porters ran around and operating machinery which loaded and unloaded cargo from the aeroplanes, mechanics were busy repairing the many aircrafts and pilots and their crew wondered about as they waited for take off. Edgar, the Professor and Emmy were in the midst of this hustle and bustle, trying to make their way through the crowds.
"Who knew that this place was going to be so hectic," Emmy said as she carried a rucksack on her back, "It's a wonder anybody finds anything in this place."
"It is one the major airports in London. I can only assume that it's always like this and people have grown accustomed to it," Layton replied as he held his suitcase close to him to avoid hitting anyone.
Edgar scanned the crowded area before his eyes landed on something, "Sycamore mentioned an airship, didn't he? You don't suppose it's that one."
He pointed to the distance to where an aircraft was fuelling up beside a station. It had an orange painted metal compartment about the size of a two storied house with six windows at the front, a door on the side, a large metal propeller on the back and a wooden underbelly. Attached to the top of it was a large white balloon which had a metal orange point at the front and had two giant propellers on the either side of it which were attached to the compartment and the balloon by two long poles. As they got closer to it, they saw, on the side of it, the name 'The Bostonius' written in black bold letters. There was a stairwell which allowed them to climb up from the ground and in through the door.
"This is it," Layton confirmed as he stepped on to the stairwell, "I assume that somebody is waiting for us on the inside."
They climbed up the stairs and into the airship; as they looked around, they eyes widened in fascination. The interior of the airship was lavishly furnished; there were two levels into total. The lower deck looked like a living room in a fancy mansion with wooden cabinets lining the walls and purple sofas surrounding a large wooden table, curtains hung from the doorways, white walls which had circular windows as well as number of decorations hanging on it like pressed wild flowers and display boxes of taxidermy butterflies. At the centre of the table there was a bouquet of beautiful white flowers in a vase. The upper deck at the front of the room can be accessed by a small set of stairs from the lower deck; this was where the airships cockpit was where a wide range of controls, levers and buttons which the pilot can use from his comfy chair. They were currently standing on a wooden landing; they descended the stairs and looked around the interior of the Bostonius in amazement.
"This is fantastic," Emmy said, "I don't think I've been in something as fancy since we went to Monte D'Or."
Layton chuckled, "I admit that this is very luxurious. We have to be sure not to get carried away."
Pop!
They both turned around to see Edgar already laying on one of the sofas with a fizzy drink in his hand, "Found the mini fridge," he said taking a sip from the bottle.
Emmy and Layton sweat dropped at his behaviour.
"Welcome abord the air Bostonius," a new voice greeted out of nowhere.
They turned and looked up at the entrance to see an elderly man standing on the landing. He had a long face, wavy brown hair, moustache and goatee and wore a maroon coloured butler suit. The man didn't seem to mind them entering without permission nor Edgar lounging on the sofa; he merely gazed at them through tiered eyes before slowly descending the stairs.
"Hello, my name is Raymond. Please allow me to extend my greetings on behalf of Professor Sycamore," he grumbled in his thick Scottish accent.
"Hello there, Raymond," Emmy greeted cheerily while Edgar gave him a lazy wave.
"Thank you for your warm welcome. I am Hershel Layton," the Professor greeted with a tip of his hat.
Raymond hummed in satisfaction as he stepped onto the lower deck and made his way across the room towards one of the curtains hanging on the wall, "Now, since everyone is here, we can begin to prepare to take off for our express journey to the dig site," he stood next to the curtain and turned to them, "However, I'm afraid that I must first perform a simple check to confirm your identity."
Edgar gave him an odd look, "Sure. You want to check our passports? Mine's in my bag."
"Alas," Raymond said in slight amusement, "That is not what I meant, Mister Cipher. Professor Sycamore insists on a different form in order to determine that you are who you say you are," he reached up and grabbed a hold of the curtain, "My apologies for spring it on you, but you have to agree...this is much more fun," he tugged on the curtain which collapsed in a heap on the floor to reveal a large map of the world, "Somewhere on this map is our destination and your task is to simply determine what that destination is," he gave a small smirk from under his moustache, "Not much for a challenge for all of you, I'm sure," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a brass watch, "You have five minutes starting from...now."
(Puzzle Start)
"Wait! That's it?" Emmy cried in disbelief, "Only a world map and five minutes. That's hardly fair."
Edgar sighed and got onto his feet, "There's no point arguing; we're only wasting time. If Sycamore wants to challenge us then let him do so. We've had harder puzzles."
"Indeed," Layton hummed as he glanced at the map, "And I think I know the first clue. In his letter, Professor Sycamore mentioned that would should pack for cold weather conditions. That should be a start."
"Right, so the location is going to be either in any mountainous regions, anyway in the Artic circle and the entire continent of Antarctica," Edgar muttered as he got closer to the world map, "that just about narrows it down to...around 40 percent of the world. Great," his eyes widened when he spotted something, "Hey, what's this?"
Layton and Emmy came over and looked down at what he spotted. Along the lower part of the map's frame was a little bronze plaque with an inscription. It read: 'Quo Magis Spectas, Minus Vides'.
"My Latin's a little rusty. Can you read it, Prof?"
"I can. It says 'The more you look, the less you see'," Layton translated before looking up at the map and then around the room, "I believe it's is referring to the map itself. Maybe there's other clues around the Bostonius."
"Looks like we have to think outside the box," Emmy added as went to one side of the room, "I'll start checking here for anything while you two search another place."
Layton nodded and began to search around as well. However, Edgar stayed behind and glanced over at Raymond who were watching them calmly and, ever so often, looking down at his watch.
'Think outside the box,' Edgar thought before he walked up to the butler, "Earlier you said that this was an express journey to the dig site; does that mean we're not stopping to refuel."
Raymond gave a small nod, "Indeed, it does, master Cipher."
"So we have enough fuel to get us there?"
"Indeed, master Cipher."
Edgar gave a small smirk, "And how far are we capable of going on one fuel supply?"
He saw a ghost of a smile on the elderly man's lips as soon as he asked that.
"The Bostonius is capable of travelling 650 miles on a full tank without refuelling."
"Perfect. Have you got a compass and pencil...oh and can I draw on the map?"
Raymond reached into his pocket and pulled out the exact equipment as if he was expecting him to ask him that, "You may do as you wish, master Cipher."
Edgar took the two utensils, went to the map and began to calculate how far 650 miles is on the map using the scales provided in the bottom lower corner of the map. Once he was able to do that, he used the compass and pencil to trace a neat circle with the centre point being their location in London. He turned back to his companions who had stopped their search to see what he was doing.
"I just worked out our perimeter. The location must be within this circle otherwise the airship would need to refuel. We stand a better chance of finding our destination."
Emmy frowned as she looked at the map, "That's good that you were able to narrow it down, but we are looking for cold places and there are plenty inside the perimeter. We have two mountain ranges: the Pyrenees and the Alps, we have some parts of Norway and there so many small islands in the North Sea. It's possible that we're only going as far as the Highlands in Scotland."
Edgar looked at the map and frowned slightly, "I suppose you're right. We need to find more definitive proof."
"Perhaps," Layton interrupted, catching their attention as he pulled out one of the flowers in the table vase, "this could help us."
They looked down at the beautiful flower in his hand. It had white thin fuzzy petals that stuck out of the centre in a double-star formation, in the centre were six small yellow clusters of pollen. It looked rather delicate and Layton had to be sure not to hold it too firmly.
"A flower?" Emmy asked before her eyes widened in recognition, "Wait, a moment. Isn't that an edelweiss?"
Edgar got a closer look, "Small and white, clean and bright...it sure looks like it. But aren't they really rare."
"Indeed they are," Layton said as he gently put the flower back in the vase, "It grows in deposits of Limestone and can only be found in the most rugged of mountain ranges like the Alps and the Carpathians."
"Alps," Edgar murmured as he glanced at the map, "With the perimeter, that narrows it down to France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria and Switzerland. "
"We can eliminate France from the list since the Alps are not rugged enough for Edelweiss to grow," Emmy said, "How long do we have?"
"Three minutes, miss Altava," Raymond said.
"Damn, we need to be quick," she muttered as she searched the room. Her eyes landed on the case of taxidermy butterflies hanging on the wall, causing her to gasp in realisation, "Of course, butterflies."
"First flowers, now butterflies?" Edgar remarked.
Emmy leaned in close to the case, "I read about it recently. Butterfly species vary depending on what flora is growing in the area as terrain and soil can grow different flowers and produce different nectar that some butterflies prefer. This means that archaeologists can easily identify what sort of land they are working on depending on the butterfly species. However, some butterfly species can only be found in one particular area of the world; for example there's a species of butterfly that can only be found near Fort William in Scotland. Assuming that this species can only be found at our destination, all we have to do is look them up," she moved back and began looking through the cupboards before she gave a triumphant cry, "Aha!" she exclaimed as she took out a book which had a butterfly on the cover, "A book on lepidopterology. Let's see," she opened the book and began flicking through, "No, no, no, yes! Here it-" she stopped and frowned in confusion, "Hold on. What's this?"
Layton and Edgar looked down at the book in her hands and saw what she was talking about. Emmy had found the page she was looking for, but instead of a few paragraphs of detailed analysis on the butterfly, there was just one sentence. It read:
'As it flutters high in the air, the butterfly can see two things;
If it looked South East, it could see three giant teeth protruding from the ground.
If it looked North East, it could see the bridge where I hear travellers resides within?'
"It would seem that Professor Sycamore is really pushing our capabilities," Layton hummed, "He's on purposely making it harder because we're getting closer to the answer."
"Maybe," Emmy murmured, "The compass points must be the destination we're trying to find so all we have to do is figure out what the 'things' he's referring to are. But I can't make heads or tales of it. Giant teeth? Bridges? Travellers?"
Edgar frowned as he read the passage over and over again, "That last lines reminds me of a cryptic crossword clue. A question mark usually indicates that there's a double mean in the clue. I can't think of anything in 'bridge' or 'travellers' so let's focus on 'resides' and 'within'."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, what's another way of saying resides?"
"Stay? Occupy? Inhabit? Live in?" Emmy suggested.
Layton shook his head, "I believe you are looking to closely at it. The clue is 'travellers resides' remember."
"Two minutes," Raymond told them.
"I see, 'travellers resides', 'travellers resides', 'travellers resides'," Edgar muttered over and over, "Like a camp, hotel or-" he gasped suddenly, "OH! Inn! A 'travellers resides' can be an inn."
"That works because another way of saying 'within' is 'in'," Emmy pointed out, "But a bridge inn? There's got to be hundreds of inns near bridges."
Layton hummed, approached the map and searched the area. His face lit up when he spotted something, "I see. It's not talking about an inn, but rather something that sounds like 'inn'. Hence, 'I hear'."
Emmy and Edgar rushed over to the map and looked at where he was referring to. Their eyes fell on one place in western Austria, causing them to gasp in realisation.
"Innsbruck," Edgar uttered, "The bridge over the river Inn."
"One minute," Raymond said.
"Not only that," Layton continued as he pointed to a city in Italy called Trento, a little further down South from Innsbruck, "Trento used to be called, by the Romans, Tridentum. Referring to it's three hills."
"Tridentum," Emmy chuckled, "It means 'Three-teethed place'. That means our destination is between those two cities."
"30 seconds," Raymond reminded.
They searched the areas between the two cities, looking around the mountain areas at every small town, village and settlement, but nothing seemed to jump out out at them.
"Twenty seconds."
Edgar furrowed his brow in concentration before his eyes landed on one town that was hidden between the mountains. It was so small that he didn't notice it the first few times.
"10 seconds...nine...eight...seven..."
'It must be it,' he thought, 'But what if I get it wrong.'
"...six...five...four..."
'I have to try!' Edgar shouted in his head as he spun around to face Raymond.
"...three...two...one..."
"Froidborg! Our destination is Froidborg!" he announced before the butler could finish.
Raymond raised his eyebrows slightly at his answer, not saying anything for a few seconds. After a while, he gave a firm nod.
"Correct. Our destination is Froidborg."
(Puzzle Solved)
Emmy and Edgar sighed in relief as Layton hummed contently.
"Congratulations," Raymond grumbled as he ambled his way towards the cockpit, "You have solved master Sycamore's puzzle and proven that you are the real Layton and co. We shall take off in a few minutes."
"That was awfully close," Layton said, "Well done, you two. That was all a team effort."
"Good thing to," Emmy said with a broad smile, "It'll be bad if we failed at the first puzzle we came across."
"I wondered what would have happened if we got it wrong?" Edgar wondered.
"If you failed," Raymond replied over his shoulder, much to their surprise as they didn't think he was in earshot, "I would have still taken you three to the destination you wrongly guessed and left you there," he told them before he nonchalantly made his way to the front.
They sweat dropped at his reply.
"I can't tell if he's joking or not," Edgar muttered.
"Me neither," Layton hummed in slightly concern.
And with that, Edgar, Layton and Emmy set off on another adventure that will start in the mountain town of Froidborg. There they will encounter the specimen that Sycamore had discovered and unknowingly run into danger that would take them across the globe and push their friendship to the limits. Many truths will be discovered and lies unfurled as the continued the pursuit of the mystery...of the Azran Legacy.
That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed this short, but sweet introduction.
I decided to change the first puzzle slightly so it was more appropriate for writing format. I should start doing that more rather than just relaying on the source. Also Meryl Streep is now canonical because she's a cultural icon.
I honestly can't wait to write more of this arc and we will finally get onto the original series from then on.
Thank you all for reading :)
Omake - Daily Life of Victor Soul's OCs
Living Room
"...alright, next question," Victor said as he leaned back in his armchair, "On a scale of one to ten; how much does Tanjiro Kamado from 'Demon Slayer' deserve a harem?"
Lewis Fleetwood, whilst still stroking Victor's cat who was sat on his lap, hummed curiously, "Can we get some context for the scale."
"One being Kazuya from 'Rent-A-Girlfriend' and 10 being Rentaro from 'The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really Love You'."
Night Terror looked away from the fire blazing in the fireplace and cocked his hooded head to the side, "That is rather an extreme scale. I mean Mister Kazuya is absolute scum while Mister Rentaro is, as the children say nowadays, a Good Guy Greg."
Charles Roberts, who was sat on the sofa next to him, looked up from his cup of tea and gave him an odd look, "I don't think they do say th-"
"Shh, he's still learning," Victor whispered at him.
They looked over at Night Terror and sweat dropped when they saw the Phobos hum happily; proud that he was able to contribute something to their conversation...even if it was a meme from a decade ago.
Michael Timere walked into the living room carrying a newspaper under his arm, "Is this really the sort of dull conversations you lot usually have," he muttered in annoyance before he walked over to Edgar who was sat on another armchair drinking his tea, "Here. I think your post got mixed up with mine again," he said offering the newspaper to him.
Edgar took the paper and grinned up at him, "You better have not read my mail."
"Shut up," the blind teen grunted before he sat down in his own chair.
Edgar chuckled before he opened the newspaper and began reading it while sipping his tea.
"Perhaps we should do something else," Victor sighed as Michael made his way across the room and lean against the fireplace.
"What about monopoly?" Charles suggested.
"Mister Edgar always cheats at that game," Night Terror said, glaring at said teen smirking as he read the paper, "How about we partake in a game of Twister?"
"Not after the last time we played," Lewis sighed, shoving slightly at the memory of being dog piled by a giant Phobos, "Charades, maybe?"
"Veto," Michael growled, earning a small sheepish apology from Lewis.
Victor hummed in thought, "Well, there has to be something interesting we can do-"
sPPPPPPPPPTTTHHHHHH!
They all jumped when Edgar, out of nowhere, did a spit take; spraying droplets of tea everywhere.
"Hey! What the hell was that-"
Victor stopped mid-scold when he noticed that Edgar was not paying attention; his wide eyes fixed on one single page of the newspaper he was reading. He gripped the paper tightly and began to shake; he looked like he had just seen a ghost.
Charles was the first to speak, "Edgar are you alright?"
In response, Edgar jumped to his feet, tossed the paper onto the chair and sprinted out of the room, "Oi! Vic!" he called out from out of the room, "Where's the spade!?"
"Downstairs cupboard where it always lives!" Victor called back, "Why do you need it!?"
After some clattering and hanging from outside, Edgar appeared at the door with the spade sling over his shoulder, "No time to explain. I just need you to play 'March Of The Swivel Heads' by the English Beat," he hurriedly told him before running off again.
"What!? Why!?"
"JUST DO IT!"
Victor and the OCs stared blankly at the doorway for a few seconds as they tried to process what just happened. Eventually, Lewis sighed in realisation.
"He's going to do an eighties movie reference, isn't he?"
[Play 'March Of The Swivel Heads' by the English Beat]
Edgar ran out of the house, down the front path and out of the main gate as fast as he can with a spade slung over his shoulder. He continued to sprint into the local town, darting left and right down roads, paths and alleyways as he took every shortcut he knew. He climbed over fences, cut through back gardens, sprinted through a shopping mall, ran past two pretty women on the street….
…
…
…
…he walked back to the pretty women, holding out his hand and flashing them a flirty smile.
"Hi, my name's Edgar. Nice to meet you," he greeted, much to the women's bafflement.
Once he was done with that, he skidded around a corner and ran across a busy motorway; managing to avoid every car that was about to him him.
Finally, he saw the wrought iron fence up ahead. He narrowed his eyes and focused; he raised the spade over his head and, once he was close enough, chucked it over the fence and making it land blade first into the soft turf on the other side. Seeing a convenient streetlight not too far away, he dashed over to it, shimmied up it until he was high enough, pushed off and leaped over the fence before he landed on the ground on both feet; he picked up the spade and continued his journey as he passed the groundskeeper.
The elderly groundskeeper, who just witnessed what he did, gave him an odd look before looking over at the wide open gate a few meters away from where jumped the fence.
"What was that for? Closing time is not for another two hours," the groundskeeper mumbled to himself.
The cemetery was eerily quiet at this time of day. The rows and rows of cold gravestones stuck out of the ground like crooked teeth; partially illuminated by the glow of the evening sunset. The only sounds that was heard was the singing of birds and the heavy rapid footsteps of Edgar. He ran down the pathways between the gravestone rows; his eyes looking at every single tomb inscription as he went.
Eventually, he spotted the one he was looking for and slowed to a stop in front of it. He smiled warmly as he read the inscription.
"Hello old friend," he uttered.
Victor's House
"I wonder what was that about," Night Terror murmured as the other OCs stared at true doorframe bafflement.
"I think I know," their attention was turned towards Victor who was reading Edgar's newspaper. He smiled and showed everybody the page with an amused smile on his face, "It looks like I need to continue Edgar's story."
They looked at the newspaper and saw, in thick black letters, that it read:
'Nintendo announces "Professor Layton And The New World Of Steam" game.'
Cemetery
Edgar looked down at the gravestone before him; patches of moss and grim had covered most of the front, but still he was able to read the inscription as if it was new:
'Here lies the Professor Layton Fanbase
2007 - 2017
RIP'
He smirked and raised the spade so it pointed down at the grave, "Wakey, wakey!" he cried as he struck the blade into the soft ground, "We've got puzzles to solve!"