prof | Let's Play Umineko Chiru, Episode 7 Scene 6: The Secret Cargo

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BGM: Ballade Continuer

The crew of the submarine has been slowly suffocating in a tin can for days, the angel explains. They mostly just want fresh air and water right now.

She's the only one left who speaks English.

The commanding officer shouts impotently from the sidelines, mostly just mad that a beautiful woman showed up and isn't paying any attention to him.

Why would a high official like that come to Japan? You're saying he went through the Suez Canal and crossed the Indian Ocean to come all the way here?

That is a good point. If they wanted to reach one of their allies, Germany should have been much closer. So, why would they make the long trip to Japan?

It may have been part of some grand, outrageous strategy. I don't know all the details, but shortly after, I learned that this submarine's mission was far from a minor one...

It seems that the submarine was carrying something of immense value, although it's not clear what it was. It might be Beatrice's father himself - he's a big name in the RSI hierarchy.

With their commander dead, their submarine in ruins, and Japan not even sure why they're here, the long journey has ended in meaningless futility.

Meanwhile, Kinzo and Beatrice flirt shamelessly. Kinzo's never been to Italy, but he's fond of a number of Italian authors - Machiavelli, Alighieri, et cetera.

The topic eventually gets to the Ushiromiya family. They were rich, but far from noble.

Beatrice can tell that she hit a sore spot, and apologizes for treading on uncomfortable ground.

Kinzo doesn't have a family. It's all a daydream created by the elders.

Beatrice is the first person to call him Kinzo instead of Ushiromiya. To her, he isn't the property of his family.

Two strangers from far-apart worlds, trying to run away from their families.

So, by meeting Beatrice, you managed to regain your sense of self.

Or, as most people would put it, he cheated on his wife-- nggyaaaahh, ggrrrrkkk...

If you plan to continue being rude, I suggest you get in the habit of covering your butt.

Is there anything left of that submarine base today?

Yes, it's still there, close to Kuwadorian. It's in the shadows of a cove that can't be seen from the outside. After all, fishermen never approach this supposedly ill-omened island. It is unlikely that anyone besides me still knows of its existence.

is the two-kilometer-long underground passage between Kuwadorian and the mansion a remnant of that base?

That is correct. There was some nonsense about fortifying several locations across the island and connecting them with tunnels carved out of limestone caverns. I made use of that underground passage and built two mansions, one at each end of the island.

Bice actually doesn't know what the mission was - her father came to Japan to hide something. She has no idea what that thing was, but his plan was to hide along with it until the right moment, many years later.

Ensign Angelo has been on edge ever since they arrived, acting like this is enemy territory even though Italy and Japan are allies.

Kinzo suggests that this is just the time when a soldier acts cool so as to not embarrass themselves in front of another army.

A boat is supposedly coming, but it was delayed by weather and air raids. Nobody knows how long this crew will be stuck here. It's already been two weeks.

Still, it's not so bad. If a boat came, Kinzo and Beatrice would never see each other again.

If only these days could last forever...

Angelo asks Beatrice to translate something for him. It sounds serious.

Something rises from the cargo hold of the Italian sub.

Suddenly, several mysteries click into place.

This is the real secret cargo of the submarine. That which was to be hidden along with Beatrice's father.

The sub is taking on water, and Rokkenjima isn't outfitted to repair it. The gold has to be taken out of the sub, or it will sink along with it.

The war will end soon, likely with an Allied victory. This is a weapon for what comes afterwards.

Neither side wants their home nation to find out about this gold. Yamamoto, speaking through Kinzo, offers an alliance.

If the gold is to remain secret, it must stay here, on this island. As time goes by, rumors of secret Nazi wealth and the like could create more plausible explanations for where it came from, but right now it can't be moved.

Ensign Angelo and his men aren't happy with the idea of entrusting their treasure to the Japanese, but there's no other options at this point.

Rokkenjima has tunnels that could easily hide the gold, as long as the Italians could come to an agreement about accepting Japanese assistance.

Angelo's main worry is that the Japanese will demand something in exchange for their assistance.

As it turns out, he's right.

Tension skyrockets.

Yamamoto is no longer speaking as a soldier, but as an individual. He's blinded by greed.

Angelo says he'll consider 10%. Tension rises again.

Ostensibly, Angelo is trying to keep the gold out of every party's hands. However, the fact that he unloaded it from the sub at all suggests that he may also be planning to embezzle it.

Japanese and Italians alike, everyone is slowly being blinded by the enchanting glint of ten tons of gold.

There's only so long they can wait if they want to hide that gold. Yamamoto gives them until noon tomorrow.

However, embezzling and splitting the gold would also erase the meaning of their journey...

The country they felt obligated to serve had already fallen. That alone destroyed the significance of their journey. Not a happy story for them.

If it's bound to be meaningless anyway, wouldn't keeping hold of even just a few ingots be better than nothing?

Sure, if you want to calculate a straight-up profit and loss, but men aren't like that.

The arguments among the Italians get longer and longer, with no resolution in sight.

Someone finally suggests what everyone is thinking - if the Japanese won't cooperate, extreme measures may be necessary.

If they kill Yamamoto and a few of the tougher soldiers, the laborers should quickly surrender.

Everything descends into chaos immediately.

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