To finish “Imprisoned by the Riddles of Reality,” find Anchoresses Brun and Chao in the Anchorhold at Alexandra Monastery, retrieve both books, then choose which argument to support. Chao’s book is in the upper library, reached through the “Be a Hero” route; Brun’s is in the upper scriptorium gallery, reached through “Betray Your Values.” The choice determines whether you receive robes or a heavy machine gun.
Start the quest in the Anchorhold
This side quest takes place in Alexandra Monastery on Golden Ridge during the main quest “On the Trail of the Traitor.” In the monastery’s main hall, find the Anchorhold beside the large central tree. Speak to Anchoress Brun and Anchoress Chao through the room microphone and agree to look for their texts.
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Chao wants Only Real Numbers: The Casualties of Appeasement (Second Edition) by Exemplar R. Kuang. Brun is looking for Conflict and Deescalation Theory: An Examination by Archivist A. Maler. The route descriptions and outcomes below are reported by GamesRecon’s walkthrough, updated July 19, 2026; they are guide-reported details rather than an official developer guide.
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- From the Anchorhold, head toward the hostage area and take the right-hand entrance marked “Be a Hero.”
- Continue through the upper library rooms until you reach the balcony area.
- Look for a vent in the left corner. Follow it into the room where Chao’s book is on a desk.
The walkthrough also reports a direct alternative: at the balcony, open the locked door with Engineering level 5 or the Brawny trait.
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Find Brun’s book in the upper scriptorium
- Return to the split by the hostage area and take the left-hand entrance marked “Betray Your Values.”
- Go upstairs into the scriptorium.
- Climb the wooden planks covered with yellow cloth to reach the upper gallery, then jump across to the far platform.
- Check the table for Brun’s book.
Submit both books and choose a side
Return to the Anchorhold and place the books in the Anchorite Drawer. The final dialogue lets you support Chao, support Brun, or reject both arguments. The guide reports these outcomes:
| Choice | Reported reward |
|---|---|
| Support Chao | Repellent Awakened Seer Robes |
| Support Brun | Sawed-Off Heavy Machine Gun |
| Reject both | Minor loot |
Choose based on which named reward you want: Chao’s option gives robes, while Brun’s gives a Sawed-Off Heavy Machine Gun. The source recommends Chao’s armor, but that is the guide author’s preference, not a universal verdict on which reward is better.
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Other reported completion rewards
GamesRecon also reports +1 reputation with The Order of the Ascendant and additional loot from the drawer. It gives quest XP as around 1,000–1,200 depending on difficulty, so treat that range as approximate rather than a fixed amount.
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