For Allah's sake, just take the extra gold!
Chronopedia Chapter Title: The Mali Empire
Good Guide: Ann Tickwittee
Location: Mali Empire
Year: 1324
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca has been delayed because Carmen's thief stole his caravan's only block of salt and he needs a replacement. Since salt was worth its weight in gold back then, Musa gives you his golden staff to trade with.
Tropes
- Big "WHAT?!": The goldsmith's response when you ask him whether gold is destroyed when it's melted.Goldsmith: What?! No, no! Gold never goes bad! What do you think it is, a banana?
- Call-Back: When the goldsmith mentions that gold can be reshaped endlessly, and you could own gold that once belonged to an Egyptian pharaoh, Ann Tickwittee refers back to the first case with Queen Hatshepsut.
- Fixing the Resource Scarcity: V.I.L.E sabotage an Mansa Musa's pilgrimage through the desert by stealing his salt supplies. Since salt is vital for desert travel (you lose a lot of it by sweating out heat), he sends the player and their Good Guide to trade for it. He even gives them his gold Staff of Authority as bartering material- that's how important salt is to him.
- Gold Fever: The goldsmith is a bit enamored by the substance he works with.Goldsmith: Why, it's glittery! It's malleable! It's valuable! It produces awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping jewelry! Iron and copper are important, but with gold I can really work some magic!
- Hold Your Hippogriffs: The goldsmith says, "hold your camels!"
- Oh, My Gods!: Mansa Musa says, "sand blast it!"
- Pilgrimage: This level sees Ann Tickwittee investigating the theft of some salt (necessary for preserving food) from Mansa Musa's caravan as they prepared to set out on their historic Hajj in 1324.
- Worthless Yellow Rocks: Gold is plentiful enough in Mansa Musa's empire that he has camel-loads worth of them, and even gives the player his golden staff to trade for some salt.
