Guild Wars 2 – Readings on the Rise

This is the third mission for the Asura who chose to the join the College of Statics. You need seek the aid of Zojja to finish collecting all the pieces of the mysterious and powerful artifact. Head into Rata Sum and seek out the marker for the instance.

Once inside the instance, head up the steps to the marker to start a conversation with Zojja:
Zojja: “Pokka's message said you needed help, Savant. And I did promise, so here I am. Lucky for you I enjoy sticking it to the Inquest whenever possible.”
Hero: “That makes two of us. Our VOED readouts indicate the artifact we want is somewhere in that merchant's stall.”
Zojja: “Who, Flakk? No problem. I've known him for years, and he's give both ears to collaborate with me. I'll engage him in light conversation and draw him off so you can get a good look at his stock. Grab what you need and we'll move on. It's not really stealing. Think of it as Flakk's charitable donation to the cause of science in … in the name of a better understanding of the Eternal Alchemy. Or, just think of it as 'we need it more and we're smarter than him.' Whatever works.”
Hero: “Done and done. You turn on the charm … you can do that, right? And I'll swipe whatever's lighting up the VOED display panel.”

Let the two talk. Head over to the left of Flakk. There you will find a little item on the counter that is causing the VOED to go nuts. Easy as that. Now return to Zojja and talk with her for a while. She is intrigued by the process and will join you for the next part of the puzzle.

Head on out to Metrica Province and travel over to the Old Golem Factory Waypoint. It is from here you will find the entrance to the instance just a little to the North. Once inside it talk with Zojja again. She reports you have Inquest salvage teams to deal with in addition to whatever enemies were already around. Head to the North toward the bridge into the circled area. Use the VOED to get a fix on the item. It is well to the North of you. Head down toward the river and up it. As you approach it is time for another cutscene:
Salvage Director Gorp: “All right, you cretins. There's an antiquity in that lake that the Inquest wants. Hit the water and dive down deep. Flip over every algae-coated rock if you want to, and crush anyone or anything that gets in your way. Whoever finds that artifact gets bumped up a pay grade. Fail, and you'll get thrown down a well to practice underwater reclamation. Move out!”
Zojja: “That's a lot of Inquest trash polluting the water. I'll be surprised if all the fish don't go belly-up. We've definitely got some competition.”
Hero: “Competition? More like distraction. Come on, let's find the artifact. Any Inquest cranical-cracking that occurs will be pure bonus.”

Just run right past the Inquest and dive into the lake. Use the VOED a time or two to get a solid fix on the item's location. It is found at the bottom of the lake in the Northwestern corner of it. You will find it between some strands of kelp. Head on back up to the surface and toward the shore favoring the Western side of the lake. This will help you avoid the majority of the Inquest force that has gone into the lake. Once back on land just head for the marker that is on the shore. This will trigger another cutscene:
Hero: “All right, that's two pieces of the artifact in our hands. And from the look of it, there's only one more piece to collect. Looks as if the missing piece is the same size and shape as the one they stole from us in the first place.”
Zojja: “Then the only question is, how do we retrieve it? They'll definitely return to their base to study the artifact. That gives us two avenues of attack. One: we intercept them on the road. Two: we wait until they get it home then break in while the feel secure. It's your device, so it's your call.”

it is time to make your choice. If you go with the first option of ambushing them on the road, then you will begin “Unscheduled Delay”. If you opt for the second option, you will begin the mission, “Unwelcome Visitors.” The choice is yours.