It's Probably a Trap

“

Lyse is about ready to give up.

— In-game description

Rewards

Wait with Alisaie and Lyse on the Tasogare Bridge. Solo Duty. They are located at (12.4, 11.6).

Your search for passage across the Ruby Sea, as well as information regarding the whereabouts of Yugiri and Gosetsu, has come to a standstill. When presented with Alphinaud's masterful sketch, the few who do not refuse to answer your questions outright will tell you only that they turned the Roegadyn samurai away. Defeated, Lyse is poised to return to the Ruby Bazaar, before remembering a final name on the list provided by Hancock: Gyodo, a Namazu said to frequent the Shiokaze Hostelry

The short and supercilious Gyodo claims not only to have met with your Doman friends, but to have helped them secure passage on a ship to Othard. He is more than willing to do the same for you, provided you can pay an exorbitant and undisclosed price. Though eager to proceed, Lyse says she needs time to consult with the others, and Gyodo duly agrees. He warns you to hurry, however, as all must be arranged by nightfall.

Back at the Ruby Bazaar, your all-too-promising lead is greeted with skepticism, for Gyodo and his ilk enjoy a less than stellar reputation. Your comrades quickly conclude that the Namazu is attempting to lure you into a trap...and that for lack of a better plan, you may as well spring it.

The plan is simple: you will accompany Alisaie and Lyse to the Tasogare Bridge, where you will meet with Gyodo as agreed, while Alphinaud observes from a distance. Should anything untoward happen, you will return to the Ruby Bazaar with all haste, making every effort to avoid an altercation with the Sekiseigumi.

Gyodo's sudden but inevitable betrayal comes as no surprise, but the enthusiasm with which Lyse boots him into the air does. Though you have little to fear from the ambushers themselves, the city full of samurai drawn by the sounds of your struggle could present a problem...

Perhaps suspecting you of being the agents of foreign powers, the Sekiseigumi dispatch several patrols to the Ijin District, preventing you from reaching the safety of the Ruby Bazaar. All seems lost until a mysterious Kojin appears and bids you hide while he directs your pursuers to another part of the city. Your path now clear, you return to Hancock, and at last learn the identity of your savior: Soroban, a Kojin of the Blue. The jovial beastman duly confesses that he did not aid you wholly out of the kindness of his heart. A merchant by trade, he seeks to broker an agreement with Hancock, who is more than happy to do so. All the while, the unconscious Gyodo that Lyse carried on her shoulder to the Ruby Bazaar twitches...but you will have your answers from him soon enough.

Though plainly still annoyed by the whole affair, Lyse seems satisfied that she managed to bring Gyodo back alive. That said, it may be prudent not to leave her alone with the Namazu, lest she be tempted to find out how much further she can kick him...