Insulted Intelligence

Quest giver: Erik
Location: Ul'dah - Steps of Thal (X:10.6, Y:13.1)
Job: Monk
Level: 35

Required items: 1 Aetherometer
Experience: 15,840
Gil: 0
Previous quest: Brother from Another Mother
Next quest: A Slave to the Aether
Patch: 2.0

“

Professor Erik seeks to measure the aether of more ancient battlefields.

— In-game description

Rewards

Unlocks

Thunderclap

Steps

Place the aetherometer at Bloodshore.

Retrieve the aetherometer.

Deliver the aetherometer to Erik at the Goldsmiths' Guild.

Journal

Professor Erik seeks to measure the aether of more ancient battlefields.

Professor Erik has skillfully manipulated you and Widargelt into conducting even more research on his behalf. Travel to Bloodshore in eastern La Noscea and place the aetherometer he has given you at an appropriate location.

You have measured the aetherial currents at Bloodshore. Retrieve the aetherometer.

Deliver the aetherometer and the invaluable data it contains to Professor Erik at the Goldsmiths' Guild in Ul'dah.

It seems that the aetherometer in your keeping suffered some damage on your latest outing. Professor Erik asks that you visit him again later after he has time to see to its repairs and determine where next to send you in search of aetherial data.
- ※The next monk quest will be available from Erik upon reaching level 40.

Dialogue

Accepting the quest

Erik: Ah, just the pupil I was hoping to see. I was a hair's breadth from setting out on my own. Hmmm, to look at you... Yes, I daresay you appear to have been growing in brawn at the expense of brain.
Erik: Right, well, let us measure some aether, shall we? And by we I mean you. Oh, and the monk simpleton, of course. Though, contrary to his nature, he has already set out for the destination I assigned him.
Erik: Thinking perhaps that you are far too stupid to take, much less understand, aetheric readings? It is true——you are stupid. But the aetherometer shall do all the work for you, and transmit the data back to me.
Erik: As souls more, ahem, suited to action, the monk simpleton and yourself need only carry the device on your person and set about beating on things as you always do. It shall capture data as you trudge about hither and yon.
Erik: Aether is not only the source of all magicks, but also the fount of all life. Yet despite its ubiquity, it remains imperceptible. When a living thing dies, the aether comprising its life is released. When this discharge takes place, a portion of that aether remains, lingering in the physical world.
Erik: No doubt you have...<babble>...aetherial crystallizations...<babble>...physical manifestations...
Erik: ...Apparitions of the deceased...<babble>...luminescent glow...<babble>...known as the aetherial threshold!
Erik: In short: the more violent and dramatic the loss of life, the greater the amount of aether left behind, either in its imperceptible form or in crystallizations. And where are the most lives lost in this manner?
Erik: Cemeteries!? No, false, you idiot! Battlefields! Do you not see? With aetheric readings of those locations, we can discern the scale and more of the battles that took place there!
Erik: As for those fool beliefs the monkhood keeps——chakra and spiritual energies and whatnot——if I were to allow that they truly exist, I would be inclined to say they are one and the same as aether itself.
Erik: The aether churning around these ancient battle sites comes to naturally settle in the surrounding life——both plant and animal, though more so in the latter. It accumulates within them. Felling these beasts then releases that aether, causing a surge that resonates with the aether within you, causing it to expand——the so-called opening of the chakra. By this, the very power of life itself within you grows.
Erik: A watered-down explanation, but adequate for one of your mental prowess, I believe. Mine own wife never had the patience for such things either, nor my passion. She cursed me and my work, took our children, and returned to Ala Mhigo...
Erik: <sigh> But now is not the time for that tale.
Erik: The area I am placing in your charge is Bloodshore in eastern La Noscea. Place this aetherometer in an appropriate location, and after a spell, retrieve it and bring it to me.
Erik: I obtain the data I require, and you and the monk simpleton are afforded the chance to indulge your——how shall I put it?——charming little backward fantasies. All are happy.
Erik: Ideally, I would prefer you have a knowledgeable understanding of Bloodshore's history, but I fear we lack the time for me to educate you. I need hardly tell you that my research takes precedence over your schooling.

Delivering item to Erik

Erik: Have you brought the aetherometer?
Erik: Hmmm... It seems the device has suffered some damage. I suppose such things are unavoidable in this line of work. I must see to its repairs at once. That is, after all, why I put up here at the Goldsmiths' Guild.
Erik: My aetherometer is no ordinary device. I came up with the elaborate design myself, had the finest engineers at Garlond Ironworks draft the schematics, and then commissioned the most talented goldsmiths to fabricate it.
Erik: Widargelt delivered the results of his outing not long ago. I must insist that you take your leave of me now. There is a wealth of data for me to analyze, and I fear that simply having you nearby will somehow affect the processing power of my brain.
Erik: Repairing the aetherometer and determining which locations to next investigate will require some time. Why don't you go and train those muscles of yours or whatever it is you do in my absence?