‘A Last Request’ is a grassroots mission that sees the Ronin coming to the aid of an old beggar with one of his deepest regrets before it’s too late. The quest is located on the Southern edge of the Noge district, past the bridge that leads to the city. It is accessible after the player completes the ‘Plot to Assassinate Harris’ Ronin mission.
Like many other Grassroots missions, this mission has multiple endings that are unlocked depending on the player’s actions and choices. For some reason, this one is bound to one critical choice and there’s no way for you to change the outcome of events once they’ve started. Let’s start with how the mission goes and then we’ll over the bad ending. Finally, I’ll go over what you need to do to get the good ending for this mission.
How to Start ‘A Last Request’ Mission
After the ‘Plot to Assassinate Harris’ concludes, a new mission marker will appear in the Noge district. This is where you will find the quest giver, a down-on-luck old man desperate to get something off his chest.
The old man is looking for his daughter and he is hoping that you may be able to help. At one point, the old man was a prosperous merchant. But a string of unfortunate events, including the sudden death of his wife, forced him to move to Yokohama. He claims that to make a fresh start in the city, he put his daughter in a geisha house.
The old man was never able to get back on his feet. He was so ashamed of the fact that has become so impoverished that he never went back to even see his daughter. He now wants us to find his daughter, hoping to get something to remember her by. A photograph, if nothing else.
If you accept the old man’s request, a new marker on the map will appear on a major roadway in the Yoshida-Shinden district. Going to this location, you will find a woman getting harassed by a couple of brigands.
The thugs are not that difficult so you should be able to take them down with relative ease. Approach the woman once the thugs have been dealt with. She reveals that she too was once a geisha in the city. When asked if she knew anything about Risa, the beggar’s daughter, she revealed that they had worked together.
The woman then asked if something happened to her.
This is the point where the outcomes branch out. This choice right here will more or less determine the ending you’ll get for the mission.
Outcome A: Lying to the old man
For this one, let’s see what happens when we choose the first option.
If you tell the woman that Risa’s father is looking for her, she will withdraw her precious concern and will start slyly talking about him. It’s obvious now that she knows the history between Risa and her father.
She makes an offer to pose as the estranged daughter. Maybe the old man won’t notice since he hasn’t seen Risa in years. In exchange, she wants a Silver Coin for her services. Alternatively, you can take a picture of the woman and give the photograph to the old man. Surely, the old man won’t notice the difference.
You will then return to the old man and present him the picture of his supposed “daughter”. The old man will take it, thank you, and that’s where the quest ends. It’s a bit of a letdown but it’s what we chose.
Outcome B: Going After the Real Daughter
Now, let’s see what happens when you don’t choose to deceive the old man for our convenience. Don’t worry. I too felt bad after hearing what the old man had to say. Honestly, I thought there was going to be more to this mission. I was wrong to assume that it was going to be that easy.
To start this alternative quest line, you’ll need to choose the “There’s something I need to tell her.” option when it is available. You’ll need a point or two in the “Persuade” category to unlock this option.
If you choose this option, she will tell you that a foreign merchant bought her contract and now lives together. Fortunately for us, she happens to know the address and is willing to give it willingly.
The estate where the couple lives is just down the road from your current location. You’ll get there quicker on a horse.
When you get to the address, you’ll find the place under siege by a group of thugs. There should be around half a dozen enemies inside the grounds. It is a good idea to take out the spotters on roofs and the patrols back before confronting the main group head-on.
Regardless of how you decide to take the group out, the sequence will end once all the thugs have been dispatched. The scene changes with the Ronin talking to Risa at the front door.
As it turns out, Risa’s mother is Dutch and her father can instantly tell if someone else is posing as her. There’s no hiding those eyes and hair for long.
You inform her that her father wishes to have her picture taken. She will resist the idea at first. But, if you have enough points in the Persuade category, you can choose the “It’s your father’s dying wish” option to win her over to the idea.
After taking the woman’s photo, you return to the old man and present the photo of his daughter. He finally has a reason to have hope. And that’s our good deed for the day. Feel free to cash in all that cosmic karma on pro-shogunate or anti-shogunate thugs. Or just the fugitives, in general.