Bond Missions in Rise of the Ronin are a lot more important than the game would lead you to believe. Aside from providing insightful explorations into the ambitions of its incredible supporting cast, these missions allow you to unlock rewards and gear that you simply cannot get from exploring the open world.

Take Ine Kusumoto, for example. Her quest to cure cholera is simply touched upon in the story mission It Hurts To Be Good. It is through building a bond with her that your Ronin truly gets to see just how difficult that really is, and the passion with which she pursues her goal despite numerous setbacks.

To Protect As Well As Serve

Her Bond Missions also showcase how she takes mistrust from the locals in her stride and the manner in which her mixed parentage alienates her from the very people she tries to help. There is a surprising amount of depth to each character in Rise of the Ronin, and Ine is the perfect showcase of how the narrative touches upon the conflict arising from what the Japanese saw as an “invasion” by foreigners.

Ine’s Bond Missions begins with Fruit From Distant Shores, where she explores the possibility of using lemon juice to ease the suffering of her patients. Introducing your Ronin to the Scottish botanist Mr. Robert Fortune, she sees the lemons as a first step in developing a cure for the deadly epidemic.

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She refuses to give up when she discovers that the lemons are only a temporary solution, joining your Ronin on a search for medical texts in her next Bond Mission Ine’s Worries. She asks your Ronin to use restraint in dealing with any guards, showcasing her view that all life is valuable, and her reluctance to take a life in order to save one.

Her next Bond Mission takes her story further and sees her join forces with the reputed Japanese physician Shosaku Narasaki and his tenacious daughter Ryo Narasaki. Determined to bridge the gap between modern Western medicine and traditional Eastern remedies, she tasks your Ronin with obtaining the bark of a cinchona tree as a means to formulate quinine, a medicine she believes holds the key to curing cholera.

How To Complete the Cultivating The Cure Bond Mission in Rise of the Ronin

Once you speak to Ine at the Kanda Medical Schhol, she directs you to the location on the map shown above. Apparently, there is a rather dubious merchant here who claims to have the best quality of cinchona bark one could buy. Considering the urgency of the situation, it seems we have no choice but to indulge him.

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Head to the location and proceed through the town, keeping your ears open for any talk about the merchant in question. You will soon run into none other than Yukichi Fukuzawa, the Japanese samurai and scholar who is also in search of the merchant for the very same reasons! If you have been playing his Bond Missions as well, you will know that his visit to America has given him a lot of insight into what could be causing the spread of cholera.

Speak to Yukichi to trigger a cutscene. Your Ronin then ends up on a rooftop overlloking a large courtyard with a lot of goons between the two of you and your target. Rather a lot of guards for a simple merchant!

You could choose to fight off the goons and enter through the front door, or follow Yukichi’s suggestion to infiltrate the building from the rear entrance. Either way, you find the merchant you’re looking for. He is accompanied by a company of bodyguards. With Yukichi at your side, however, they should give you no problems.

Speak to the merchant once you have dealt with his guards to trigger a few dialogue choices based on the skills you have at your disposal.

As you can see, he continues to peddle his lies. Choosing any of the options at your disposal quickly shows him he’s not dealing with any ordinary customer, and he is quickly exposed. If only there was someone to make sure he gets justice for his crimes. Turns out, Yukichi is pretty well connected!

Report back to Ine at the medical school to trigger a cutscene and allow Yukichi to bring his newly acquired knowledge to your budding medical team and end the mission, improving your bond with Ine.

Making New Friends

Improving your bond with Ine and the Narasakis can be very helpful to your Ronin in many ways. Aside from unique gear, every bond level you achieve with these talented doctors rewards you with a medicine efficacy upgrade which lets you recover more heath from healing items!

Improving your bond with Ine can also let you pursue her as a romantic interest if you are so inclined.

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