Dragon Quest IX Side Quests

In-Game Description

"Marco, who teaches swordsmanship at Swinedimples, wants to put you to the test. He's asked you to find a red signpost that's somewhere out there in the world, then come back and tell him what's written on it."

This is a totally obscure side quest, but then again, there are quite a few of those in Dragon Quest IX. You'll be able to undertake this side quest at Swinedimples Academy, but only after you've completed a few prerequisites. First of all, you must have already defeated Dreadmaster at the Old School. And you must have someone in your active party (whether it's your main character or one of the three accompanying characters) that has a sword skill of 30 or higher. Once you do, head to the main school building at the academy, and go to the church. To the left of the pews, you can find the man you seek.

Speak to this man, who is an expert swordsman. He'll give you rather vague instructions on what to do. He wants you to find a red signpost somewhere out there in the world, read what it says, and then return back to him with that message. Just where is this red sign? It's located in a rather obscure place. Take a look at the world map. The two major continents that dominate the western edge of the map are key. The island with the red signpost is in the middle of them. The easiest way to do this is to teleport to Alltrades Abbey. Run northward along the world map to your boat, and then sail in a westerly direction. This will bring you to the little river that separates the two continents. At the far end of this river (which sits horizontally, buffering the two continents), is an island you can land on. This is where the red signpost is located. Don't be fooled – you won't see the signpost until you actually land on the island itself. Read both sides of the signpost to be safe. Once you've garnered its words, return to Swinedimples Academy, speak to the man in the church, and you'll receive a Warrior's Sword for your hard work.