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sirenjose · 5 months

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Teahouse Tales Analysis

Translations of the backstory (by Pascal): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L_Lk5zmhuSHJMzS0ERV0jVHb-nWXgddwZJjT8oyJPmM/edit#

Translation of the event (by Pascal): https://docs.google.com/document/d/131Uuz69qVe6wJEOqnAx8LSWSdZyGUutg7kTd1zmNtUs/edit#

Teahouse Tales trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-_qrWTpzbs

Teahouse Tales was the 2nd anniversary event for the Chinese version of the game. The setting for this event is a teahouse run by the owner Lady Thirteen (Michiko). Besides going there to drink tea, secretly the main customers of this teahouse are those who have “committed” something. They come to this teahouse “without direction in life”, “at the end of their rope”, seeking “salvation” and “financial aid”. Lady Thirteen hears out what they have to say, and if she believes them, she may decide to help them. The reason they go to Lady Thirteen is because she controls the town’s “information lifeline” and there’s nothing “she doesn’t know” or “a person she can’t protect”.

To support her she has her assistants Flying Guillotine (Wu Chang) and Sparrow (Norton). Flying Guillotine is a former famed assassin who now serves as her head waiter. He takes orders at the teahouse but also is in charge of “some of the boss’ more fearsome transactions” (meaning he likely kills for her when she needs it).

Sparrow is her second waiter. His role is to gather information and act as a “silver tongue” (based on the trailer), as he is “a master in the slick and sly, skilled in observation and indirect questioning, digging out and analyzing information amidst merrymaking”.

People go there to drink tea, but the teahouse also secretly gives aid to those who’ve committed crimes and come asking for help from Lady Thirteen. Lady Thirteen knows everything, as she controls the town’s information lifeline. Regarding her helpers, Flying Guillotine helps Lady Thirteen maintain order and eliminate potential problems, while Sparrow is in charge of gathering information. The player comes to the teahouse because they need her help with the photo album they have (of all their memories of the Manor). In return for helping with the photo album, Lady Thirteen asks the player to do a job for her: check gift boxes for poisonous gifts and help identify a traitor planning a “rebellion” against her.

One note about this event is that, depending on the choices you make during the event (based on the answers you give to questions you’re asked), you can get 1 of 2 endings: one where you side with Flying Guillotine, and the other where you side with Lady Thirteen.

After reading through the events and both endings several times, I believe there is for the most part only 1 timeline, with the events being given to us out of order and scattered about. The 2 endings aren’t mutually exclusive (Lady Thirteen’s ending occurs some time before Flying Guillotine’s ending). Each little bit of the event we get helps to fill a hole in the story we read in “Bone-Eating Gift”.

Bone-Eating Gift begins with Lady Thirteen having the player help her out by checking for poisonous gifts in return for assisting with their photo album. On Day 2, the player asks Lady Thirteen why she picked them to help her. She explains it’s because they are a “no-strings attached” outsider. They’re fresh, not familiar with anyone or anything at the teahouse, unbiased (at least for now), and only care about getting the photo album, thus making them the most suitable person to find the traitor for her. It also may be possible she has the player checking giftboxes as a way of testing the reaction of others at the teahouse (to further help her discover who the traitor is). The very next day, as a result of their talk with Lady Thirteen, it’s mentioned that the people at the Teahouse look at the player differently, while Sparrow and Jade Dew (Emily) notably keeping their distance from the player.

Day 4 has the player mention to Lady Thirteen that she should pay attention to Sparrow, because he’s been “acting odd” recently. This question makes Lady Thirteen unhappy, as she gives the player a “distasteful” look, before stating “He has remained by my side for a long time; He will not betray me”. The day after, the player is talking to Flying Guillotine who warns the player about Lady Thirteen and about how they should be careful about trusting her, before pointing out a window “at the child kneeling in the cold, wet snow”.

On Day 6, it’s mentioned today is Lady Thirteen’s birthday, and Sparrow thinks it’s a good day for lighting fireworks. The player asks if he’ll wish Lady Thirteen a happy birthday, but he says “No need, she just needs to know I’m here”.

The final day of Bone-Eating Gift brings up the fact Lady Thirteen is investigating Silver Steed (Freddy). She also gives the player their photo album before telling them “you and I both have what we want; and with this, you have my thanks”.

In the ending where you side with Flying Guillotine, we learn from Jade Dew about Flying Guillotine’s past, and why he wants revenge on Lady Thirteen. “The noble son of aristocrats studying abroad, who suffered until his family was broken and people had died. And every last part of it was because of Lady Thirteen; because of her ‘trade’”. Later, with the help of the player (they don’t really seem to directly help out. They just seem to support Flying Guillotine and not help Lady Thirteen) and Jade Dew, who gives Flying Guillotine a gun, Flying Guillotine kills Lady Thirteen.

In the ending where you side with Lady Thirteen, it starts with Bohea (Mike) asking Sparrow about where to put some goods, though they freeze when the player enters the room. Sparrow tells the player not to worry (about what he was doing), but when the player asks if they were doing some kind of business, he smiles and “put up a finger and shushed: ‘You must keep this private’”. After this (at this time, it’s said that the player is watching fireworks), it’s said that the player gets Sparrow in trouble: “I knew of business, but not how to do it, and I got discovered; Sparrow was punished for it”. The player feels guilty for getting him punished, but Sparrow tells them not to feel bad, “Lady Thirteen is my biggest benefactor. This job really is my responsibility, too” and says just to stand by their side next time.

Later, Sparrow tells the player not to sleep in “because of unnecessary questions” before saying they should go deliver refreshments to Lady Thirteen. Right after, he says “I believe she might be in danger” (the “Drops of water leaking from the roof ran down his neck” might actually be sweat, potentially to show he’s nervous). With Lady Thirteen, we find her with Silver Steed (Freddy), who’s apparently been beaten and dealt with harshly. Sparrow at this time is described as indifferent to him and what’s going on. Lady Thirteen says she’s trusted Silver Steed, but apparently he’s “gone and palmed off” Lady Thirteen’s goods, which is the reason for his current miserable state. She takes a stack of deeds from Sparrow, before saying to Silver Steed, “These are all your worldly possessions. Oh, not only that, but I just remembered. Your wife is newly pregnant, isn’t she?”. This apparently breaks Silver Steed and makes him freak out. He says he’ll talk, but before he finishes speaking, he’s shot and killed.

Now that I’ve summarized all of that, let me talk about what I think happened.

I’ll start with the beginning of Lady Thirteen’s ending, where the player finds Sparrow and Bohea talking about goods of some sort that Sparrows says is a “private” matter. Sparrow’s actions and behavior in this scene, especially since he doesn’t explain himself and he’s already been keeping his distance from the player, should be the reason why the player brings up to Lady Thirteen that Sparrow is acting “odd” and that she should keep an eye on him. The reason why they tell Lady Thirteen to be wary of him stems from Lady Thirteen assigning the player to help her identify the “traitor” at the teahouse.

Regarding the goods that Sparrow and Bohea had been handling, I believe these goods were for Lady Thirteen’s birthday. The reason why it was “private” is likely because he was trying to plan a party for her without her knowing. That’s why he didn’t want to tell the player what he was doing. It also fits considering soon after these events we hear about Lady Thirteen’s birthday. Things Unfortunately, things don’t go well for Sparrow and his plan after the player tells Lady Thirteen that Sparrow is suspicious, as this leads to him being “punished”.

Remember that one day mentioned a child kneeling out in the snow?

That was Sparrow.

Poor Sparrow is betrayed by the player and punished by Lady Thirteen all because he was trying to plan a surprise birthday party for Lady Thirteen.

This is likely why he tells the player he isn’t going to wish Lady Thirteen a happy birthday, and why her simply knowing he is here is good enough. He had just been punished by Lady Thirteen due to being suspected of being the traitor because of the player’s comments about him. We know Sparrow isn’t the traitor as he’s described as being completely loyal to Lady Thirteen. Lady Thirteen reflects these same feelings about Sparrow when she talks about him. Even though Lady Thirteen knows he would never betray her and that he isn’t the traitor, she is forced to punish him anyways to keep up appearances for the real traitor, to seem unbiased and on guard. Sparrow, because he is so loyal, accepts this and appears unbothered, with his only desire to help her out however he can. If Sparrow were to wish her happy birthday right after his punishment, it would ruin the image she’s trying to display to everyone and hinder her attempts to find the real traitor.

From her “distasteful” expression we know she was just as unhappy about having to punish him, but also aware that she now didn’t have a choice.

This scene explains the part when it says the player was “discovered” (aka they made a mistake) and Sparrow was punished. The mistake was the player suggesting that Sparrow was the traitor because they thought Sparrow was suspicious from whatever he was doing with the goods. The punishment was where we see Sparrow (the “child”) kneeling out in the cold ice and snow. Bohea was likely helping Sparrow out because he is the kind of person who wants to make people “smile” and “a rowdy crowd always makes him forget his fears”. Mike is a happy person who likes having fun, so it’s not surprising he'd be willing to help Sparrow plan a birthday party.

Switching now to Flying Guillotine’s ending, the beginning of this ending, where Flying Guillotine asks for the player’s help to get his revenge, occurs before Lady Thirteen’s birthday. One part I want to discuss is when Flying Guillotine says “Silver Steed has been discovered”. This comes after Lady Thirteen finishes her “speech” at her birthday celebration (and after Jade Dew gives Flying Guillotine a gun). Silver Steed being “discovered” should refer to the scene during lady Thirteen’s ending, where she kills Silver Steed for betraying her. This may refer to Silver Steed’s body being discovered from the Lady Thirteen ending, when he is killed for betraying her.

Silver Steed was also mentioned at the end of “Bone-eating Gift” on Day 7, which is the same scene Lady Thirteen gives the player the photo album and says “you and I both have what we want”. If Lady Thirteen has what she wants, this should refer to her goal of discovering the traitor, and relate to the “business” she is said to have with Silver Steed that day. Therefore, this implies that Bone-Eating Gift Day 7 happens before Lady Thirteen’s ending, after which is Flying Guillotine’s ending. This also implies the player didn’t leave immediately after getting the photo album, potentially staying at least long enough for the Lady Thirteen’s birthday.

So Silver Steed is killed before Lady Thirteen’s speech and before Flying Guillotine kills Lady Thirteen. If these 2 scenes happen near in time to each other, this could also mean that when Sparrow says he thinks Lady Thirteen is in “danger”, he’s sensing Flying Guillotine is getting reading to carry out his revenge and kill Lady Thirteen. This could also mean those “fireworks” were for Lady Thirteen’s party, and the “refreshments” he was brining to her were also from the party.

If Sparrow was at least in the previous scene when Silver Steed is killed, that means he is still alive and somewhere at the party. But the fact that we don’t hear about him at all afterwards, or anywhere in Flying Guillotine’s ending. I don’t think Flying Guillotine would’ve killed Sparrow. His only target was Lady Thirteen, the one he deemed guilty of killing his family, so he could fulfill his revenge. I don’t think he would’ve done anything to Sparrow once he accomplished what he wanted to do. But from there, we don’t really know what happens to Sparrow after Lady Thirteen is killed.

It's also possible, based on Silver Steed’s description (“What can compare? The gold clutched in your hand; is there anything more valuable?”) plus Freddy’s background that Silver Steed may have been involved if not mostly responsible for whatever led to Flying Guillotine’s family dying. It’s mentioned that Lady Thirteen’s “trade” is what caused it to happen. And if you compare this and the outcome to Freddy’s background, where he tricks Leo to buy a debt-ridden factory so he could take Martha from him and eliminate Leo (not to mention Leo and Martha both die, while Emma is orphaned), it fits really well with what happens to Lady Thirteen. Leo would be like Flying Guillotine’s family, regarding them getting a bad trade and getting killed as a result, with Flying Guillotine being similar to Emma since he, like Emma, is all alone now (Sparrow is similarly left all alone like Emma after Lady Thirteen is killed). Silver Steed being taken out by Lady Thirteen could relate to Freddy being taken out by Leo in the diaries.

From various bits during the event, I think Lady Thirteen may have known about Flying Guillotine and his desire to kill her for revenge. She likely knew why as well, which may have been part of the reason she had Silver Steed killed. She should’ve known about the “trade” that got his family killed, and if she finally learned that Silver Steed was the “traitor” that got them murdered, she likely wanted to eliminate him as a way to try to get revenge for Flying Guillotine’s family. Lady Thirteen is also continuously mentioned to know everything. Therefore, there’s a chance she knew Flying Guillotine was coming to kill her. She may have even let him do it. Maybe it was another way to make it up to him (help him end his suffering over his family’s death by letting him carry out his revenge).

During the “Sixth Tale”, it mentions Lady Thirteen has a photograph of everyone from the teahouse. The idea of a “family” is important to her. “On Lady Thirteen’s face hung a smile. ‘Not a single victory happens without relying on those by your side’”. Based on this, it’s possible that Lady Thirteen cared about Flying Guillotine as well, even though she likely knew he wanted her dead, and maybe that was part of the reason why she may have let him kill her (it depends on how involved she really was in his family’s death, and thus maybe she wanted to make up for her mistake).

To Lady Thirteen, the real “traitor” was likely Silver Steed, and she got what she wanted by killing him, but she likely also knew Flying Guillotine was the one who wanted to murder her for revenge. If she knew her death was coming, maybe she tried to send Sparrow away. Unfortunately, it’s probably more likely that Sparrow was around when she died, especially with how loyal he was to her and how much he cared about her. He may have even ended up having to watch his adopted mother get murdered right before his eyes.

I’m going to talk about Lady Thirteen a little bit.

In the backstory for Teahouse tales, it’s mentioned this teahouse is located in a Chinatown in Europe. This goes with Lady Thirteen’s skin description which describes her as a “foreign beauty”, referencing how Lady Thirteen isn’t from Europe. Her design notes also specifically refer to her as a “Far Eastern beauty”. This matches with her backstory, as we know she’s from Japan. Specifically, from her 1st deduction, her hometown was likely Eversleeping Town.

Michiko’s Deduction 1

Hometown: This is the last stop for our ancestors and the starting point for our journey.

A diary: Before entering, I called it Forever Sleep Town. Those moving objects really catch your eye on in those quiet, sleepy streets.

Sometime after this, 1 of her backstories from her release references she became the “best dancer in Yoshiwara”. Based on deduction 3 (and her backstory), we know she meets Miles at a banquet, after which they get married and he takes her back to his hometown. Considering Mr. Donnelly is at Lakeside, and Lakeside is near the manor, this likely confirms Miles’ hometown was in England. This fits with how the teahouse was stated to be in Europe and how Lady Thirteen is referred to as a foreigner.

Going back to the design notes for Lady Thirteen, it specifies that the purpose for her teahouse is for her own survival as well as to “protect those like her, her compatriots staying abroad, defenseless, while also collecting valuable information to exchange”. Lady Thirteen was far from home, all on her own, without any friends or support. She initially created this teahouse as a way to ensure she could make ends meet and ensure she could survive. But she began meeting others like her, who were potentially people also from the far east, and she sympathized with them due to her own circumstances. That’s when she decided to utilize the teahouse as a method to gather information, which she could use to help those that came to her for aid (meaning she likely used the info both for the sake of knowledge to help those wanting salvation, but also to improve her own finances which she could then give to those asking for financial help).

Due to being on her own in a foreign land from the far east, she had to become vicious to endure the foreign environment. This fits with her skin description, which talks about “the only way” to keep herself safe was by using other people: “For a beautiful woman who lived in a foreign country, perhaps the only way for her to keep herself safe... is to obtain sufficient leverage on people. Lady Thirteen always said, ‘Kindness alone withers the roses. Only the valuable nutrients will keep roses alive’”.

She wanted to ensure she wouldn’t get trampled upon by those who’d look down on her for who she was, and as a result of constantly socializing and working with people who aren’t always truthful or don’t always have the best intentions. As we see in her design notes, “in the world of Chinatown, no man dares overthrow her dynasty”. Lady Thirteen succeeded in building up her image as a “venomous woman, all snake fangs and scorpion’s sting”, “flirtatious”, “a manipulator, one who kills decisively”, “unyielding”, “clever and resourceful, ruthless, but never losing her kindness”. This allowed her “dynasty” to be protected for some amount of time.

Until Flying Guillotine starts planning his revenge.

If Lady Thirteen was killed due to Flying Guillotine wrongly believing she was the reason his entire family died, this could relate back to Michiko’s backstory. In her backstory, Miles’ father Mr. Donnelly really hates Michiko (similar to how Flying Guillotine really hates Lady Thirteen). After Miles has to leave for India on a business trip (he’s an army officer according to Michiko’s backstory), Mr. Donnely uses that chance to murder Michiko and then hide her body. When Miles returns, his father lies and insists that Michiko had eloped with a servant and stole some of the family’s property, though Miles doesn’t believe this. This can parallel the rumor that Lady Thirteen was the reason all of Flying Guillotine’s family had died.

Speaking of Lady Thirteen being killed, I want to briefly discuss the snake hairpin that she has in her hair in the Teahouse Tales poster.

The reason I want to draw attention to it comes from how this same hairpin can be seen during the Teahouse Tales trailer alongside Flying Guillotine.

The hairpin appearing next to Flying Guillotine while talking about a “conspiracy” to “end an era” is meant to further represent how Flying Guillotine is the one starting a “rebellion” and planning to assassinate Lady Thirteen.

We know Flying Guillotine was indeed forming a “rebellion” based on the various mentions of all those he is likely working. The first and most obvious is Jade Dew from his ending, who is literally the one to give him the gun and comments “looks like the plan was a success” with a “cheery smile”. Then there’s potentially Silver Steed (even though he may have been the one actually responsible for Flying Guillotine’s family dying, it’s possible Flying Guillotine didn’t know this, and it’s possible Silver Steed intended to betray him later) and Lantsang, who Flying Guillotine tells the player to find for him and let her know “Silver Steed has been discovered”.

This hairpin being used to symbolize her being killed also parallels Michiko’s backstory. Specifically, it fits with her deduction 5, which mentions a “hatpin”, which was likely the object Mr. Donnelly used to kill Michiko after Miles had left for India.

Michiko’s Deduction 5

Feelings: This is a completely different kingdom. The women wear exaggerated hats.

Buckle Hatpin: A delicate butterfly hatpin. It is 6 inches long and has a very sharp tip.

This seems to be confirmed by her deduction 9, which once again references the hatpin at the same time as mentioning a “grudge” and how “he must know”.

Michiko’s Deduction 9

Grudge: Unrequited love, endless complaints.

A diary: He really doesn't know anything? No, that hatpin... he must know. He has to know.

On to comparing Sparrow to Norton.

A one-word summary about Sparrow is that he is a good boy that’s completely loyal to Lady Thirteen.

Yes, Sparrow does watch Lady Thirteen kill people and isn’t bothered by it, but for the most part otherwise, he is a good kid. At the very least, Sparrow never kills anyone himself, and everything he does is for Lady Thirteen. Yes, she’s said to be ruthless, but it also mentions during the “Second Tale” (from the anecdotes or “Tales Proven” according to the translation) that she is still capable of mercy: “A beauty who kills decisively and ruthlessly, but in her hidden depths one catches a glimpse of rare mercy”. Therefore I don’t think she’s completely evil, which is backed up by her design notes which state: “ever and resourceful, ruthless but never losing her kindness, in the eyes of the people, she had long surpassed such descriptors as good and evil”. As such, I don’t think Sparrow would be completely evil either for following her. In any case, Sparrow being a good boy could parallel how Norton really is, despite how he seems in his deductions. At the very least, it could be referring to how he used to be before his parents died and/or before he went to the 13 mines. He, like Sparrow, never directly killed anyone, though his actions (or lack of action in the case of Sparrow at the teahouse) due lead to people dying.

Sparrow is also described as loyal. This can combine with how he’s described in that “Second Tale” I mentioned earlier: “Sparrow may be a master of cunning, but to those he cherishes, he is sincere and pure”. To me, that sounds like Norton is the kind of person who has a small, but close-knit group of friends (kind of like the ones introverts have) vs. other people who are more the type to have large groups of friends. Him being sincere and pure to those he cares about can also be a mirror for Norton and how he is. We might be able to see this with Ronald and Inference in Golden Rose Theater. Ronald, like Norton and how he acts in his official tweet responses, isn’t the type to really form relationships. He is mostly a loner that pushes people away when they try to get too close, and tends to avoid social interactions whenever he can. But Ronald apparently does see Inference as a friend (and he is mentioned to really trust the Detective and describes him as one of the only 2 “good” people in his mind).

There’s also the strong bond between Sparrow and Lady Thirteen. This could be a hint towards how Norton felt about his parents before they died. That may also maybe explain why he is so extreme in his deductions and acts the way he does, because losing them hurt him so badly. Just like how much it likely hurt for Sparrow when he found Lady Thirteen dead, and just like Ronald felt when he had to deal with the death of his father.

The fact Sparrow and Ronald both lose a parental figure may help imply Norton himself lost his parents at an early age. The fact Lady Thirteen and Ronald’s father were both betrayed and essentially murdered, and it was by someone they were close to, could hint towards what happened to Norton’s parents. Someone close to them, that they trusted, betrayed them and got them killed. The only person we know related to Norton’s parents is Benny. If Benny is essentially represented by Scrooge in Golden Theater and Marshall in Season 10 Essence 1 (the essence with Andrew’s Desolate Sands skin, specifically based on the description for Gold Digger in the Chinese version), not to mention what we know about Benny and his strong desire of “returning to the mine” to find gold, it could be a way of hinting that Benny caused Norton’s parents to get killed for a reason related to that and/or to his greed.

Sparrow is constantly described as being smart: with how he constantly watches the player (being on guard until he finds out more about them, and/or just making sure to watch out for Lady Thirteen to guarantee the player doesn’t do anything to harm her), how he’s described as having “day-to-day sharpness and slick wit”, being called a “master of cunning”, being the one in charge of gathering information, etc… This links to Norton being quite smart himself. It’s related to his willingness to learn, his desire to improve his skill and ability, eagerness to learn new techniques, etc… That was why in the letters of recommendation he’s mentioned to not stay with any one employer or place for very long. He’s getting different experiences, so he’d learn more things and be better at his job (and at mining). Then there’s also how he had to be incredibly smart and talented to be able to utilize magnetic prospecting after Norton changed from being a miner to a geological prospector (after getting the meteorite chunks which he made into his magnets)

The fact Sparrow looks innocent and childlike, but in fact uses this advantage to gather information (make people drop their guard with him, get them willing to talk to him or talk more than they would otherwise) is similar to how Ronald in the Golden Rose Theater gathers information as well (to use against Scrooge so he can get revenge and also so he can become the owner). This relates to how Norton is a good actor. He’s good at pretending, getting people to see him a certain way, and good at hiding his true intentions and how he’s really like (someone who doesn’t like social interaction or making relationships, a loner, someone desperate to change his fate, etc…). The character relations page even references this when it talks about how Norton trying to gather information from the old miners in hospice and how he managed to swindle Benny of the list of 13 mines.

Finally, there’s also how Sparrow is described as “listless” during the scene Lady Thirteen kills Silver Steed.

Listless means: having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless; indifferent. I think this may be a good description for how Norton normally is, especially if you think about some of the tweet responses he gives that are a bit darker than his other, happier ones. It could also relate to how Norton is after the accident. He was traumatized by the entire thing, to the point he desperately wants to avoid the “darkness of the mine” and changes his job to geological prospector just to keep from having to go back into the mines. He’s guilty over the deaths of the miners (which his Soul Catcher skin hints at, as well as how in at least 1 of his tweet responses he mentions “don’t forget” in regards to the Golden Cave), which is why he’s somewhat self-destructive (the fact he smiles when you down him in game, meaning he seems to be happy about possibly dying or suffering). Basically, the accident really changed him, leaving him in a state you could describe as “spiritless” or “indifferent”.

These descriptions can apply to Norton in general too. He essentially doesn’t really care about anyone, which also relates to how he pushes people away, avoids social interactions, and is pretty much “indifferent” and shows “no interest” in a lot of things, except for himself and changing his fate.

To go to Sparrow’s skin description, it states how he’s never been shown kindness. This sounds similar to what we see in the Famitsu article. This article talks about how, before Norton went to the 13 mines, people were intimidated by him and how hard he worked to escape his fate. Then it goes into how, after the accident, people didn’t comfort him and actually avoided him, despite how he was currently in the hospital recovering from the injuries he received as result of the accident. Then there’s how Norton is a miner. They were treated horribly back in those days (essentially just like slaves) and working conditions were incredibly bad (there was a really high chance of dying on the job, and owners didn’t care about spending money on protections, health, or safety). Not to mention they were pretty much paid next to nothing, so Norton, especially since his parents had died and left him alone, was really poor. Basically, Norton has lived a tough life just like Sparrow.

About the other parts of the skin description, Sparrow having to blend into the adults’ world relates to Norton having to grow up (and mature) quickly after his parents died. With them gone (and at an early age too), he had to learn to take care of himself. He had to get a job to get food and some shelter, and as a miner he also had to deal with horrible conditions, a horrible environment, and horrible people. And all of this he had to do on his own.

Regarding Sparrow learning to disguise himself, this goes back to Norton (and Ronald) being “actors”. They pretend. They act a certain way around people and they don’t really show their true selves (not to mention they keep people away mostly, while Ronald literally wears a mask). Based on Sparrow’s description, learning to disguise himself seems to have been necessary for his survival (the same way Lady Thirteen had to according to her design notes), so its likely that Norton had to learn to do the same for the same reason.

Moving on to another thing I want to take note of, for Sparrow’s skin, I want to mention how his magnets actually have a message written on them.

The left one is “smooth sailing”. This is an idiom that means “to have a pleasant journey”.

The right one is “may you invite fortune and become more and more treasure”. This is another idiom that means “we wish you success and riches”.

Both are the sorts of things Sparrow would wish for himself (and for Lady Thirteen).

For the first one about “smooth sailing”, this relates to one of his deductions that talks about not being unlucky forever. Smooth sailing can also relate to Norton’s goal, to change his fate and have a more “pleasant journey” than the one he currently has. Pleasant meaning he doesn’t need to work at a job where he’s paid extremely little despite working so much, where he has to risk his life everyday surrounded by people who only care about themselves, and working for employers who only care about money and not at all for their employees. A journey where he doesn’t need to worry about whether he’ll live to see tomorrow or have enough food on his table.

For the second idiom that says “may you invite fortune and become more and more treasure”, this obviously relates to what Norton wants, meaning his desire to change his fate and acquire wealth. It could also specifically relate to how the 13th mine is his last hope and to his wish to find gold there.

Another note about Sparrow’s lion hat is that (in Chinese) it might be a symbol for driving away evil or bad energy/spirits, famines, and plagues. Basically, it protects people and things from threats and harm (or from spiritual influences), and may also bring good fortune.

A symbol for driving away evil (spirits) could relate to Norton and him being affected by the meteorite. The good fortune bit again relates to Norton’s desire to change his fate and acquire wealth. For Sparrow, this might mean he’s hoping to protect Lady Thirteen, kind of like how in that one part of Lady Thirteen’s ending he comments on Lady Thirteen being in danger. This could also mean that Norton is good at noticing things and has good instincts.

The very last thing I’ll point out to go with Sparrow being loyal to Lady Thirteen is how we can see in one of the posters for the event that Norton signed his name on a contract (of sale I think?).

This could be the scene when Sparrow first joined Lady Thirteen. It could be a way for Sparrow to prove his loyalty. It may also relate to how Lady Thirteen essentially adopted Sparrow (after she found him, whenever that was).

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sirenjose · 8 months

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Wu Chang's 2023 Character Day Letter Analysis (+ Qi Shiyi Analysis)

Letter Summary (Short)

Jose's father performs trades for others with some of his cargo as collateral

Umbrella eventually sold to Qi Shiyi

Theories

Jose's father, Joaquin Baden, is performing trades in the Mediterranean Sea, with some of his cargo (including the umbrella, with the receipt signed by "Bourbon", who's likely Sam) as collateral.

Based on the umbrella's involvement and the fact their voyage will take them to a new "specified area" of the Mediterranean, this should take place during Jose's 1st letter. The voyage Joaquin never returns from.

Based on the reference to the "Bourbon" signature and "list of goods", this should connect directly to Jose's 2nd letter. The "signature on my father's ledger of goods". This means that the "ledger of goods" Jose saw belonged to Joaquin's ship, which we know was called the "Parthenope" from Jose's 1st letter, from the voyage his father disappeared from.

Also, the fact Jose in his 2nd letter says he's seen this handwriting "once before" makes it sound like Sam was only involved with the Badens on this 1 voyage (aka, he doesn't regularly work with them).

Based on how it says "again", it seems they've sailed to the Mediterranean Sea to perform these trades before (they just go to different areas of it each time), meaning this is likely not the 1st time they've done this.

Could this be the "special missions" assigned to the Baden family by the royal family in Jose's deduction 5?

If so, is Villhelm Lamb potentially connected to the royal family?

It doesn't say what Joaquin earned as part of performing this trade. Yes, he gets his cargo labeled as collateral back, but what did he get in return? Money? Or was it just one of his tasks in service to the royal navy?

“Villhelm” relates to the Old German name William apparently, and can have meanings including “protector”. Lamb is explanatory enough.

I do wonder if it’s possible Villhelm Lamb could be the manor owner (aka, he used a fake name). It could be a real person and not a fake name, but like I said, it’s just something I wonder.

If it is a fake name, we know it can’t be Sam (or Demi) based on the “Bourbon” signature. Sam we know is a “colleague” of the manor owner based on Demi’s 3rd letter, and it was confirmed in Demi’s release backstory that Sam did go to the manor (specifically, it says he was “offered a job as a bartender” but it’s likely this wasn’t the complete truth considering what we know he worked on while there based on Demi’s 3rd letter).

We know Sam’s “masterpiece”, which the manor owner also refers to as a “drug” and “reagent”, used the same “raw materials” as the manor owner’s, likely referring to the fern known as “Delphi” based on Vera’s 4th letter.

We know the materials the owner used were supplied to him via the 2nd anniversary package (which says “new specimens arrived”, “before the next restock”, and “I must find someone else to help me supply”). Demi’s 1st letter talks having “extracted 9 samples from the things they brought back from the Mediterranean Sea”. Considering what we know Joaquin was doing in the Mediterranean, these “things” likely came from the Badens, and may have been the “Delphi” ferns.

All of this is why I do wonder if Orpheus could’ve been Villhelm Lamb.

If anything, the meaning of the name Villhelm, “protector”, relates to what Alice says Orpheus promised her in the 2nd anniversary package “…person who promised to protect me forever”. (Orpheus’ S-tier, Hollow, in his design notes even mentions “he once thought he could use his way to protect his island, everything he loves”).

Going even further, “Lamb” ties to Alice based on her Source of Evil, who’s description even says “Perhaps ‘purity’ is merely the lamb’s disguise – it’s in truth the origin of all sins and the source of evil thoughts”, while her design notes even say “the little girl is the lamb”.

Ergo, maybe Orpheus chose the name “Villhelm Lamb” as a nod to him protecting Alice.

With how it says “the Promisee shall put up a shipment of goods as collateral”, it sounds like it was Joaquin (or maybe Sam, who seems to be the one inspecting the goods?) chose to offer the umbrella as collateral. Was it because they didn’t think it valuable?

Moving on to Qi Shiyi, it seems like “Legwraps Huang” (in the Chinese version, the line here is “脛巾の黄三児より” had his friend Chang Chip (though earlier it said the “last word has been altered many time”) meet him at a harbor about the umbrella he that came into his “possession”. According to Legwraps Huang, he acquired it from a “friend working on a foreigner’s fleet”. The umbrella should be the same one Joaquin put up as collateral, Wu Chang’s, while the “foreigner’s fleet” should be the Baden’s.

It is unknown who this “friend” is, but there is something interesting about “Chang Chip”, especially after Legwraps Huang comments “Do you remember boarding that huge ship together back then?”. What’s interesting is that “Chang Chip” was the name of 1 of the 6 Chinese survivors of the sinking of the Titanic (there were 8 Chinese passengers in the third-class cabins on the titanic total). The other 5 were Lee Bing, Fang Lang, Ah Lam, Cheong Foo, and Ling Hee (the 2 that died were Len Lam and Lee Ling). These 6 eventually arrived in the UK to support the sailor shortage during World War I. Chang Chip apparently grew ill and eventually died 2 years later due to pneumonia.

I find this especially interesting as Demi’s 2nd letter is apparently written “on the Back of an Old Ferry Ticket”. This “ferry ticket was for a trip from Southampton to New York. It had not been used”. Southampton to New York was the route the Titanic took the day it sank. Considering Legwraps Huang describes the boat as “huge”, it seems fairly certain the boat is meant to parallel the Titanic. Though the Titanic sailed in 1912, which is a few too many years ahead of what the time period of the game currently, which is still sometime before 1900, at least until/after the Final Game.

Considering Huang describes Chang Chip as “wearing one of those jackets made by foreigners”, this seems to fit with what we know from history about them going to the UK and becoming sailors.

As such, it’s likely that Legwraps Huang is meant to be 1 of the 5 other Titanic Survivors (excluding Chang Chip).

Even though Sam didn’t board that ship, maybe Sam and Huang somehow did know each other, for Sam to be the “friend” Huang got the umbrella from. I mean, Sam’s signature as well as the umbrella were “circled” according to Wu Chang’s letter, so maybe it’s possible.

I have 1 other idea. Based on the letter, it’s likely that Legwraps Huang got the umbrella when Joaquin failed to fulfill the task with the required items, at which point Villhelm Lamb may have given away or sold the shipment of goods left to him as collateral by Joaquin. In which case, Villhelm Lamb may be the “friend” Legwraps Huang referenced. And technically, this idea and the theory Villhelm Lamb could be Orpheus aren’t mutually exclusive, as the manor owner (if he is Villhelm Lamb) could’ve sold the umbrella as he also didn’t see it as something valuable (and if he really is in debt to Count Barriere and then Lily, he might need the money anyways).

If Joaquin and the Parthenope did sink while attempting to retrieve “the goods from the specified area in the Mediterranean Sea”, that would also imply their wreck was likely in the Mediterranean. In that case, that means the wreck at Lakeside Village (which we know has to belong to Jose’s father based on what can be found in the ship: https://twitter.com/SirenJose/status/1558166028022173696?s=20) likely wasn’t the wreck from Joaquin’s disappearance.

Though that does mean it could’ve been their wreck from the “nightmarish waters” incident, when they sailed through the area marked as “dangerous” to avoid a storm and any “delay[s]” (if most of the crew perished according to Jose’s deductions and it took 2 months before they could sail home, especially if the waters are described as “nightmarish” and “dangerous”, it is highly likely they did shipwreck).

The large shipwreck at Lakeside is referenced in several letters, including when Volcker went there to investigate, and in another letter that mentions an old man is living in the shipwreck. This means the shipwreck is from before the Lakeside villagers disappeared, and could’ve potentially been there for a long while, which would fit if it was from the wreck right before the DeRoss tragedy (https://twitter.com/SirenJose/status/1682410040664244224).

Another important point is that, if the umbrella was being used as “collateral” and would only be returned if Joaquin provided the goods desired from the specified area, that means the “them” that the “cannons couldn’t kill” wasn’t Wu Chang. The umbrella wouldn’t have even been on board the ship when it sank, instead being held by Villhelm Lamb for at the time. If the umbrella wasn’t on board, it means they couldn’t have been behind whatever the crew were trying to kill. It’s still possible due to possessing the umbrella at all that the were the victims of the umbrella’s misfortune, even though it wasn’t with them at that time.

It still seems like if the crew were trying to kill something with cannons, but failing, that may mean they were hallucinating. If Wu Chang wasn’t behind the hallucinations, what then? Well, we are aware of something that can cause hallucinations, something the manor owner himself created, who may have even been the “Villhelm Lamb” who requested Joaquin and his crew go to the specified location.

Even if the owner isn’t Villhelm Lamb, we do know Sam, who was the one to actually sign the “ledger of goods” for Joaquin’s ship that day, does work for the owner. And in Demi’s 2nd letter does say “Despite our many attempts, the new mice all died in fear with no exception”. “New” would fit with the idea Sam was only involved with the Badens this one time (based on Jose saying he’s only seen the handwriting once before). “Mice” could just be a way to refer to test subjects, and we already know the manor owner and Sam have both performed experiments for their drugs on people. The manor owner experimented with all the participants of his game. With Sam, he at least tested on Demi’s mother based on him commenting on Demi having the “same curious drug resistance as her crazy mother”. There’s also how Demi’s deductions reference him having “observation diar[ies]”, not to mention if Dovlin was the drug he was trying to perfect, and we know he’s let others at their bar have the drink, but not Demi interestingly (suspiciously), he may have also used the customers of their bar as test subjects. That may have been why, when it wasn’t working well enough, he had to go to the manor. Finally, the part about the “mice all died in fear with no exception” could relate to how we know the crew were freaked out about some “them” that they tried (and failed) to kill with the cannons, with the part about all dying “with no exception” can connect to how, unlike the “nightmarish waters” incident, the entire crew “with[out] exception” died this time.

Aka, the manor owner or Sam are possibly the reason for Jose’s father’s disappearance. Or both considering Demi’s 2nd letter references “start[ing] the game immediately” aka the manor owner’s games as we know Sam was the manor owner’s “colleague”. If Joaquin really was involved in the DeRoss tragedy, it’s possible Orpheus chose them as the “mice” as part of his revenge. Though Sam does say “this is clearly not what he expected to see”, but that could simply refer to them all dying, but not necessarily that he didn’t want to make them hallucinate or suffer. He may have not expected it simply because he wanted to continue to use them for more experiments, like he does for the participants of his games, who he is willing to reuse in multiple rounds or experiments.

We see that Chang Chip eventually sells the umbrella, as well as his store, to Qi Shiyi. The umbrella is specified to be sold at a “discounted price”, which sounds like Chang Chip wanted to get the umbrella off his hands and away quickly. This may mean he was a victim of the bad luck that seems to follow that umbrella (which would semi parallel the real Chang Chip’s fate).

As for the addresses, we can actually find these locations in the in-game Chinatown map.

“Blessed Luck, Ramyhurst Street”

We know this is the location of Chang Chip’s, and later Qi Shiyi’s, store based on the sign (you can check the Chinese version of Wu Chang’s letter to confirm).

“Royal Scenery, Ramyhurst Street”

We know this is the other location, “Royal Scenery”, due to connecting it to Chinatown’s backstory. In it, we see that Lin Jingfu is the owner of Yujing Pavilion (aka 御景轩, the same name used in the Chinese version of the letter). The backstory talks about him excelling at making clay sculptures, and his art was so popular he was always in short supply. Lin Jingfu we know is who Qi Shiyi is staying with, as he is a “distant relative” of Qi’s “Uncle Lin” aka “Lin Congbin” and Qi is sent to him when Lin Congbin dies.

We know from this deduction that Lin Jingfu is pressured (potentially by his family or wife) to “kick her out”. Qi becomes an assassin to earn some money and ensure she doesn’t starve (she is described as a “motherless beggar” in her deduction 7), potentially for Tang Jiashi considering how the Tang family businesses have been closing in Qi’s last deduction, as well as how Qi talks about Tang Jiashi not being able to get in touch with her, or maybe someone else if not Tang Jiashi. That’s why Qi’s deduction 8 says “many wealthy businessmen in the city were found dead. It’s a suspected case of hired killings due to unethical business practice”. It fits considering we already know Qi’s design notes say she studied “martial arts... to survive and get revenge”.

Earning money in this way is likely how she was able to eventually earn enough to buy Chang Chip’s antique shop, which again matches with how her design notes says she “[fled] the country, even crossing the ocean, before finally living among ordinary people as an antique dealer”.

This here may be the part in Qi Shiyi’s story where she attempted to “rid her hands of the stains that plagued them and attempt a new life as an ordinary person”. This means she likely stopped performing assassinations and sought to go clean and earn whatever she needed from her new antique shop. Considering her parents were described as “scholars”, so maybe being the owner of an antique shop was in some way related to what her family used to do, which could’ve been why she was willing to attempt to be an “ordinary person” and “rid her hands of the stains that plagued them” (aka, stopping all her assassination attempts and revenge).

Considering the mention of “Xie” in her deduction 2, it’s possible Qi’s family, the Xiao family, knew or were friends with the Xie family. If it is the same “Xie” as Xie Bi’an, considering Wu Chang’s backstory states how “people believed that Xie Bi’an (White Guard) resided in the umbrella”, it’s possible that his family kept the umbrella as a keepsake (or relic of the deceased). At least until the 2 families were executed for “colluding, conspiring to rebel, sowing discord among the people, and seeking to do harm to the government”. Whether or not they actually did what they were accused of, we don’t know for sure. They could’ve been innocent (maybe similar to Wu Chang in his backstory), or maybe they weren’t. All we have is that Qi Shiyi’s backstory says “the Xiao family's decision to shut out the outside world was the reason for their downfall”. After they were killed, she was taken in by Lin Congbin “an old servant of the Xiao family who’d returned home from an illness… The two of them were destitute like beggars”. Qi attempts to get revenge via assassination (on the emperor potentially), but only his “double” actually died. It is then that she is forced to flee, after which she’s taken in by Lin Jingfu and everything we’ve already discussed.

Going back to her trying to live like an “ordinary person”, we know however that peace didn’t last forever for her, as “that manor decided to steal away the most important person in her life...”. The person that was “[stolen] away” was likely Tang Si from Qi’s deduction 10, who she potentially befriended, as Qi’s backstory trailer says “And for her safe return”. Qi goes to the manor to retrieve Tang Si (we have no way to know right now how she ended up there), and this is likely how Wu Chang’s umbrella ended up at the manor before Jose arrived.

Therefore, based on this, it’s possible that Qi Shiyi was in an earlier game before Jose, potentially Game 1 (after Game 0) as that is the 1 game before Jose’s (game 5) that we have no knowledge of any of the participants (though I do wonder if Lily could also be in game 1 as she is tied to Galatea, from game 0, and she may want Orpheus to pay his debt to help Simon, and Orpheus does also appear in game 0, so maybe game 1 could make some sense for her if not the final game).

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