Substory 42

You can kick off this substory at the start of Chapter 7, specifically during the day. Make your way to the docks in South Fushimi Ichibangai, west of the Teradaya Inn. Look for two residents chatting; approaching them will trigger a scene about mysterious Black Ships. If the group of people near the docks doesn't appear right away, just get into a random fight or leave the area and come back – they should spawn then.

Head over to the group of people you just found to trigger another scene. You'll learn that a Black Ship has docked, causing quite a stir. A man disembarks, insisting it's time for Japan to open its borders. Approach him and ask what he's doing there. He'll then drop to his knees, claiming he's suffering from seasickness. Your next task is to find a way to help him feel better.

To figure out the best remedy for seasickness, you'll need to chat with some nearby folks. There are three people you can talk to: the man standing right in front of the seasick sailor, a woman to his left, and another man to his right. Each of them will offer a different suggestion:

• Man in front: Suggests giving the sailor Sake.

Woman to the left: Suggests helping him sweat it out.

Man to the right: Suggests giving him umeboshi.

The correct remedy is the umeboshi. If you choose this option first, you'll miss out on a couple of extra scenes and a fight that would have happened if you'd picked the other options. If you don't currently have any umeboshi, you can buy some from the Fermented Goods store in Rakunai. The quickest way to get there is to hop on the Palanquin near the Fushimi docks (west side) and take it to Kurogane Smithing in Rakugai. From there, just follow the path east and then north. Once you've got the umeboshi, return to the sailor and offer it to him.

After the sailor devours the umeboshi, he'll start feeling much better. He'll then introduce himself as Monsieur Pony and explain his reason for being there: he wants to establish trade between Japan and the West, and the item he's bringing back is... umeboshi.

Just as you're about to say your goodbyes, an extremist group known as the Sonno Joui will interrupt. A fight breaks out, and you'll need to defeat these ruffians. Don't worry too much; this fight is pretty much like any random encounter you'd run into.