Letter E1-01

Welcome to Rokkenjima, members of the Ushiromiya family.
I am Beatrice, the alchemist for this family employed by Kinzo-sama himself.
I have served him for many years in accordance with our contract, but on this day, Kinzo-sama has announced the final suspension of that contract.
Therefore, I ask that you acknowledge my resignation from the position of family alchemist from this day forth.

And now, there is one part of the contract that must be explained to all present.
I, Beatrice, lent Kinzo-sama a vast quantity of gold under certain terms.
One of these terms specifies that all the gold is to be returned to me upon the termination of the contract. Furthermore, I am to receive everything of the Ushiromiya family as interest.

After hearing this, you may feel as though Kinzo-sama has been savagely ruthless.
However, Kinzo-sama did append a special clause to the contract so that you would have a chance to preserve your wealth and honor. If and only if that special clause is fulfilled, I will lose my rights to the gold and the interest for all eternity.

Special clause:
Beatrice retains the right to collect the gold and accumulated interest upon the termination of the contract.
However, if someone is able to discover the hidden gold of this contract, Beatrice must abandon these rights for all time.

The collection of the interest will proceed shortly, but if any one of you fulfills the terms of this special clause, I shall return everything, including the portion that has already been collected.
Furthermore, as the first step in this collection of Kinzo-sama's debt, I have taken possession of the Ushiromiya family 'Head's Ring', which signifies the passage of the Ushiromiya family headship from one individual to another.
I ask that you confirm this for yourselves by examining the imprint on the wax seal.
Kinzo-sama has already publicly displayed the location of the hidden gold within the epitaph under my portrait.
The rules apply equally to all who can read the epitaph.
If you discover the gold, I shall return everything to you.
Tonight, I ask that you enjoy your battle of wits with Kinzo-sama to the fullest. I sincerely pray that this night will be both intellectual and elegant.

--Beatrice the Golden