Quesada's Swan

...into the entrance of Joch's cave, thank goodness. But there's someone missing again...

Jehk goes down the steps to congratulate us on passing his master's test!

Jehk: "You will master the Sword by joining courage, knowledge, and love."

Jehk: "I am Joch. The old man was an illusion."

Oh my god!!!

Hero's reaction is nearly the same as mine at this point.

I'm guessing Joch wanted to test us by fetching the rest of the Mana Seeds' powers.

Joch: "You weren't ready yet. Your ears could hear, but not your heart. I waited for you to find your inner strength..."

So I am right. He was, in a way, testing us!

Now our next task awaits...

We now have to stop Emperor Vandole and his minions from raising the Mana Fortress.

Joch: "Atop the coral you'll find the Tree Palace. Below lies the Mana Fortress. Something evil seeks the seals. HURRY!"

Everyone cheers as the party's health is restored.

So the sunken landmass southeast of the world is the Mana Fortress and the palace above is the Tree Palace...

I speak to Joch again, who wishes us "good luck!" He's not a person who saves games, I'm guessing.

At Mandala, I have Watts upgrade Excalibur into something more powerful...Masamune!

No superlatives are worthy enough to describe Masamune's benefits here!

I've got so much money...

Those enemies in Joch's cave are super-hard...plus, I'm regretting that I didn't take a screenshot of Joch's revelation.