On the Thesis of Wallace is a paper note in Fallout 76, introduced in the Night of the Moth update. It is one of six sacred tomes belonging to the Enlightened.
Location
The note can be found in the church of Point Pleasant in a display case to the right of the pulpit.
Transcript
On the Thesis of Doctor Wallace
as told by Wise Martin the Bearded
Our benighted brethren among the Dim Ones, even in their misguided worship of the Pretender, seek to know their false god better by increasing their understanding of him as a natural phenomenon. They make of him a supernal being, yet they have clamored and scrabbled for the writings of those who, like us, study the physical reality of the Mothman.
So it was that the Dim Ones sought the lost manuscript of Dr. Wallace, an entomologist of some small repute, who wrote his doctoral thesis on the moths of the Appalachian region. The Dim Ones believed these writings would unlock the mysteries of the Mothman, and bring upon them a clarity and Wisdom that even they understood they lacked.
The knowledge of one's own ignorance is the beginning of wisdom, as Benjamin Franklin noted. Yet even from this knowledge they reject the Truth of the Wise Mothman. They believed the thesis of Dr. Wallace would enlighten them, when enlightenment was already there for those who would Listen. The Dim Ones searched for his manuscript in the Kanawha County Cemetery, believing it entombed with him in the mausoleum there.
Here we see the folly of their deification of the Red-Eyed Pretender! For why should an entomologist be buried with their thesis? The Dim Ones imagined a sacred relic of divine truth, worthy of veneration and a hallowed resting place. Yet Dr. Wallace was not of their number, and to him the thesis was just another paper among many, notable only for securing his doctoral credentials.
Those who would seek his thesis, unblinded by the beliefs of the Dim Ones, would be better served stalking the libraries of the institution which granted Dr. Wallace his degree. I expect it waits there if it survived at all, moldering unread among the hundreds of other student works.
Perhaps it holds some small light that would help us understand the Wise Mothman's truth, but it is as likely filled with little more than a study of ordinary moths. It is no Grail awaiting a questing knight. The Wise Mothman is here, and for those ready to Listen, his Truth is not hidden.
Notes
- The note cannot be picked up.
- When interacting with the note to read it the title will show simply as "Sacred Tome" just like the other five tomes found in the church.
- In order to read the note, The Mothman Equinox seasonal event must be completed 15 times. Otherwise, a message will appear, stating that the player character is not ready to gaze upon the book.