AC Mirage The Book Burner – Follow the Fiery Trail Walkthrough

The Book Burner Investigation Overview

Investigation type: Abbasiyah Bureau investigation, also called Al-Zarik
How it starts: At the House of Wisdom during the Ahmad ibn Musa investigation, when Fazil cannot tell you who burnt the books
Mission: Follow the Fiery Trail
Cases: The Caretaker of Books, Scriptorium and Find Proof of Zahra’s Involvement
Target: Zahra, the Order member known as Al-Zarik
Key characters: Fazil, the Caretaker of Books, Hunayn and Zahra
Unlocks: The Great Work case for Al-Rabisu

Mission Text:
“Fazil knows nothing. I remember from my wanderings that there is a Caretaker of Books in the House of Wisdom. He could help.”

1 – The Caretaker of Books

Case Text:
“The Caretaker might know more about the fire.”

At the House of Wisdom, someone has burnt books, and Fazil has no idea who did it. The Caretaker of Books might know more. This case has three clues: the note at the burn site, the Piece of Fabric and the Last Words.

Find the Caretaker of Books

Follow the quest marker to the second floor of the House of Wisdom library. The entrance to the library’s bottom floor is blocked by a group of guards who won’t let you in.

The Note at the Burn Site

Before you go looking for the Caretaker, search around the pile of burnt books in the courtyard. Pick up the note near the burn site. It tells you that the Caretaker might be in the Southwest Wing.

Reach the Second Floor

From the courtyard, you can see another way up. A scaffolding goes right up to an open window on the second floor, so you can skip the guarded entrance.

Once inside, take a moment to look around. There are two library wings next to each other. The guarded wing has a double staircase. Sneak or fight your way to the other end of the second floor to reach the second wing and its staircase. Use Eagle Vision to spot a body in the far corner of the lower floor.

Piece of Fabric

Get close and examine the Caretaker of Books’ body. You find a Piece of Fabric from a woman’s gown, so his murderer could be a woman.

Last Words

Also examine the documents spread out on the floor. The Caretaker wrote the name of a place on them in blood. This clue closes the case and reveals the next one, Scriptorium.

2 – The Scriptorium

Case Text:
“The Caretaker of Books alluded to this place”

This case starts with the Last Words clue from the library. Open the world map and follow the marker to the Scriptorium, another building on the other side of the river.

Get Inside the Scriptorium

The Scriptorium is heavily guarded. Next to the musician by the entrance, there is a crawl space through a crack in the perimeter wall.

Get the Scriptorium Key

One of the heavy guards carries the Scriptorium Key. To deal with the guards, hide in the tall grass and whistle to lure them to you. You can also use corner kills: stand close to a wall corner, whistle, and grab the guard as he comes around it.

Find Hunayn

The key opens a locked door on the other side of the courtyard, on the ground floor. Inside is Hunayn. He tells you about a woman called Zahra and shows you a mysterious book that he was forced to translate.

Search Hunayn’s Quarters

In Hunayn’s quarters, read the book on the table and the paper on the other table at the back of the room. They give you the clue that Zahra seems to reside at the Scholar’s Estate.

Then head upstairs and read the paper on the table. It gives you the clue that Zahra seems to go by the name Al-Zarik, another member of the Order. This closes the case and reveals the last one.

3 – Find Proof of Zahra’s Involvement

Case Text:
“Zahra, the scholar woman who kidnapped Hunayn.”

Follow the map marker to the Scholar’s Estate in the east of the district, where Zahra supposedly lives.

Enter the Scholar’s Estate

Nobody is home. Use Eagle Vision to spot the clues more easily. Interact with the training dummy outside. The estate also has one of the district’s gear chests.

The front door of the main building is locked and the back door is barred. Look up to the second floor: there is a barred window you can destroy to get inside.

Search Zahra’s House

You land in a small office. Read the book right by the window.

On the ground floor, read the paper on the table. It ties this investigation to the Al-Rabisu – Mastermind in the Shadows case about the Order building a dangerous machine, and reveals that Al-Zarik is an Order member under Al-Rabisu.

4 – Assassinate Zahra

Wait on the Roof for Zahra

After the last document, go to the marker on the roof and wait for your target to return. When Zahra arrives, assassinate her.

Leave the Scholar’s Estate

Leave the Scholar’s Estate to complete the investigation. The last clue you collect with the assassination unlocks the case The Great Work in the Al-Rabisu investigation. Return to Tabid Al-Nubi at the Abbasiyah Bureau to continue.