Pluto Volume 6 Act. 40 The Wise Man of Sand - Page 3 - Act. 40 : The Wise Man of Sand Man: All right, Gesicht. Come on back. We'll handle the issue of Darius XIV's attempted suicide. The United States of Thracia are too self-righteous. We'll settle this one head-on. We're getting tired of the president's way of doing things. The problem now is with your body. Dr. Hoffman is worried about the concentration of Zeronium in your body from that blast. Gesicht: Thank you, sir. However, I'm on the verge of discovering the truth of this case. Man: Huh? - Pages 4 & 5 - Man: Really? Then you have a bead on the real culprit...? Gesicht: Yes, but I think this is what humans would call... A hunch. Just a hunch. Man: A... hunch? A robot with a hunch? Wait, Gesicht!! Gesicht!! [Samarkand, Republic of Persia] Act. 40 : The Wise Man of Sand - Page 6 - Traders: Hey, buddy, nice and cheap!! Take a look! You won't believe your eyes when you see this carpet! It was woven by human hands! Not a robot!! Hey buddy, check out these scavenged parts from the battlefield!! They're all still usable!! Hey buddy!! Outta the way!! (clank)(clank) Gesicht: Are you all right? - Page 7 - Gesicht: Can you stand? Grab on... Robot: Thank you, mister. Gesicht: No problem... Robot: My balance has been bad since I got busted in the war... Gesicht: I see... Take care. Robot: Oh... Mister... - Page 8 - Robot: Buy some flowers. Gesicht: Sorry, I'm in a hurry. Robot: You can use credit. I've got a reader here. Gesicht: I'm a traveler. I'm just going to be leaving soon anyway... Bye. Robot: Wait... mister. - Page 9 - Gesicht: Sorry for making you wait. Abra: No... You came right on time. Gesicht: Gesicht, Europol. Abra: Abra, Minister of Science of the Republic of Persia. - Page 10 - Abra: What's the matter? Gesicht: Nothing... Uh... I'll have a coffee. Abra: I'm a scientist, don't hold back. They have energy catalyst here as well. Gesicht: It won't be necessary. Abra: Your expression says, "What about you? Why don't YOU have an energy catalyst, rather than coffee?" - Page 11 - Abra: Your identification systems are not malfunctioning. I lost most of my body in this previous war. Gesicht: I apologize for my rudeness... Abra: No need... Thank you for coming out all this way. I would like to show you something. I want you to see the way this country is rebuilding after the war... - Page 12 - Abra: A country that was reduced to nothing has bazaars again. Do you know him? Gesicht: Oh... Just ran into him... Abra: Those children are the most unfortunate of all. The economy is recovering, but the children on the street have no place to turn to. What we still have yet to do is provide them with a future of opportunities... - Page 13 - Abra: You understand that, don't you? Gesicht: Yes... Abra: ...So? What did you want to ask? Gesicht: I'll make it quick, since you seem to be busy. What is the connection between you and Darius XIV? Abra: A good one. He was a very kind man to his faithful citizens. He often said that he would turn our desert into a land of green. Gesicht: A land of "flowers"... Would you say? - Page 14 - Abra: Yes. Gesicht: Do you know the man named Goji? Abra: Can't say I do. Gesicht: You are the Minister of Science. You cannot be unfamiliar with the name. During Darius' reign, it was only the genius scientist Goji who helped Persia build all those sophisticated robot soldiers... Abra: So the rumors say, correct? - Page 15 - Abra: It is true that the name appears in the Bora Investigation Report. But his existence has not been confirmed. Even I do not know who he is. Gesicht: What about the Tenma A.I.s you imported? Abra: On the subject of rumors, shall I tell you what I've heard? Dr. Tenma and this genius scientist created the world's greatest A.I. together. Gesicht: The world's greatest...? Abra: Yes. However... It was so high-level... The robot never awoke. - Page 16 - Abra: Even now, it is said that robot sleeps beneath Darius' palace. What do you say? Would you like to search for this sleeping beauty? Oops, time for me to go. Pardon me... Gesicht: Thank you for giving me your time... One last thing before you go... I'd like you to look at this. (bmmm) - Page 17 - Abra: Hmm? A man standing in a field of flowers...? Gesicht: Do you recognize this man? - Page 18 - Abra: I do not. Gesicht: Thank you for your cooperation. Abra: I hope you solve your case as soon as possible. Gesicht: I'm very sorry for being confused as to whether you were human or robot. Abra: That's quite all right. Gesicht: This happened to me once before. When I met Atom. - Page 19 - Abra: I see. Well, he IS that superb of a robot. Gesicht: Yes. And I just finally identified you as a human. You lied. You said you had never seen the man in the field. But my systems classified that as a "lie." - Page 20 - Gesicht: And a robot does not lie. Robot: Buy some flowers, mister. - Page 21 - Gesicht: You're still here? Robot: You can buy just one. Please? Gesicht: Your employer will be angry if you try to sell to customers like me. Trader: Hey pal, want to buy a charm? Carry this on ya, and you'll find the answers to the troubles in your life. It's a Wise Man of Sand Goji charm. Gesicht: Goji...? - Page 22 - Trader: Yes! God gave life to the sand. It became the legendary sage who taught the king of ancient Uzbek the truth in life, then returned to sand once more. Gesicht: The Wise Man of Sand... Goji... <