[Author's Note: Ethiopia pictures (cw nasty scarring on one of them); Dallol pictures.]
And so with one thing and another, the investigators meet up in an office to prepare to leave New York.
A large tent has been erected over the base of the Obelisk of Axum.
Nearby, they see four idle diggers.
Someone is outside the tent smoking with an irritated expression.
🤔
"Hey Mr. Aarons, do you think we could ask the diggers what they've found before we ask the people inside the tent? Just in case they know anything."
"Sure."
He has a short conversation and then says, "There's a tomb under the obelisk. They don't know what's so terribly interesting about it to the Emporium."
"I see. I guess we should ask the Emporium people, then."
They can head over to the tent and see if the smoking girl wants to talk. "Hello! Are you with the Emporium of Bangkok Antiquities?"
"We're anthropology students from the University of Los Angeles. We came here looking for information about a dig site that was destroyed in 1926. We managed to track down Bartolo Acuna yesterday, and he seemed to think we might find this site of interest, too, as long as we're already here."
"I guess? It's super boring though. Even Louise thinks so and she loves boring things."
"Yeah she's all like 'ugh, this is another site of the Forgotten God, we were trying to look for information about the Liar,' blah blah blah."
"It's some old god she got out of books or something. My aunt thinks all this stuff is super important for some reason."
"Huh. Do you know what she was hoping to find? Something about the Liar?"
"They think the god was in jail or something. Who would put a god in jail? But when I asked Louise that she just sighed and started EXPLAINING things." Anchisa is very oppressed.
"Huh! Do you think Louise would be interested in talking to us about it? If she has time?"
"Probably? She's off at the Cathedral of St. Mary today but you can talk to her this evening if you want. Or you can talk to Mariam and Joan, they're in the tomb right now studying things."
Hmmmm why would she be at the Cathedral of St. Mary. Probably the obvious reason is if she is not a cult member and is instead Catholic, but still, hmmm. "Thanks! I wouldn't want to interrupt people if they're in the middle of something important, d'you think the people in the tomb would mind?"
"They'll probably be like 'blah blah this is a boring Liar site, Anchisa we're going to have to drag you off to SCOTLAND.' Where even is Scotland. Is it near Norway."
What is this person even DOING here. " - well, I guess we can ask. And if they're busy we can wait for Louise to come back."
"Okay. I guess you can like wait in the tent or something? While I go get them."