I am going to update this post with new information I find during my quick run through with Lux/Lejes this week.
I will test fighting that trick later. It seems fairly important to be able to kill it to have money early game if at all possible. It would replace an apprentice battle.
Valsu should be the apprentice, he can be killed with B Power, defend, attack, attack. It does not look feasible to kill him without a B Power unless we can defend, crit, defend crit. No B Protect needed though.
The ring in Pandam isn't far off track (6k)
The Ice cloak is exactly 20 steps off the path both ways (5k)
(640 frames + x)
The Telaine treasure room (15s away from the Moon Rune) has 8400 gold in 3 items and an M Water and a few potion 2's (probably not necessary) on top of that.
EDIT:
Lejes is most certainly the character we want to main. Lux and Olvan are literally unable to survive Gorsia's double hit magic spells at the level required. Strategic F. Shield and M Water is the only way to survive until he runs out of magic. We need 9 potn 3's and at least 3 M Waters to guarantee we can win.
The threshold level is around Lux = 23 which requires around 25 S Brains. Hopefully that amount of grinding won't take longer than 15 minutes. I really don't think it should. One short battle takes around 1200 frames = 20 seconds or so.
I don't recall if I mentioned that the new plan is to stock up on 9 vacuums in Tiffana 2-3 times. There are S Brains around Luze and S Brains around Brush. I'm not sure how close the ones around Brush extend towards Bilthem.
We HAVE to be level 21 to steal gear, perhaps this is the minimum level threshold. Olvan = 32600, Kamil = 26200, Lejes = 14260, Valsu = 14260, Esuna = 19350. This is 92410 if we steal from everyone but Valsu. This puts us quite close to the needed 129k.
EDIT2: Old Test Run up to Wind Rune (pretty much)
http://dehacked.2y.net/microstorage.php/info/1478841859/7th%20Saga%2C%20Lux%20-%20Brantu.smv
Huge long Post of Route (Will make into a new post when complete.)
Lemele-
(Manipulate Wilme to Bonro Weapon Shop)
Start - (30 XP, 200 Gold)
Collect: Lemele Castle Opal, Mirror
Collect: Potion1 in town
Purchase 2xB Power (0 Gold)
Rablesk-
Collect: Potion1
Save at inn
Castle Aran-
Collect: Opal
Die (Must set trick first attack to petrify here.)
Rablesk-
Collect: Pr Seed
Collect: Whistle
Sell: 2x Opal
Buy: B Protect, 3x Potion1
Gold = 40
Castle Aran-
Whistle Romus (Level: 3)
Collect: Power Seed (All seeds given to Lux shortly after collection.)
Cave of Earth-
Collect: A Seed
Kill Trick, get Emerald drop (Costs 1xMirror, 1xB Power) (Level: 4)
Kill Pison (Costs 5x Potn1, 1 B Power, 1 B Protect)(Level: 5)
Bonro-
Gain's House
House of Healing
Tavern
Weapon/Armor Shop
Recruit Wilme
House by Dock
Gain's House
Collect: Map
Zellis-
Recruit Brantu in Inn
Melenam Cave-
Collect: Wind Rune
Enter Melenam-
Wind Rune Rablesk-
Sell: Emerald
Sell: Coat
Purchase: 2x B Protect (200)
Wind Rune Lemele-
Purchase: 5x B Power (500)
Purchase: 9x Potn2 (900)
Purchase: 5x Potn1 (100)(More or less)
(Be sure to use ALL of these vs Red Pison)
Wind Rune Melenam-
Exit out other side.
Cave-
Kill Red Pison (Use all potions)(Level 8)
(Costs 2 B Power, 2 B Protect, All Potions.)
Let Wilme Die
Collect: M Water
Eygus-
Set Valsu (Lv. 13) to Patrof as Sage moves.
Pell-
Step in and out of town.
Guntz-
Collect: P Seed
Talk to elder (Max-1) times.
Wind Rune to Pell-
Recruit Digger Quose in Tavern.
Wind Rune to Guntz-
Collect: Water Rune
Patrof-
Enter Dungeon
Patrof Dungeon-
Collect: A Seed
Collect: Pr Seed
Collect: Recovery
Patrof Castle-
Fight Valsu
(Use 1 B Power, 2 remaining)
Wind Rune to Entrance
Bone-
Recruit Perole
Collect: A Seed
Wind Rune Bonro-
Boat to Pandam
Pandam-
Wind Rune to Entrance
Exit
Brush-
Enter/Exit
Tiffana-
Purchase 9 Vacuums
Wind Rune to Brush-
Engage and Vacuum 9 S Brains while walking towards Bilthem
(Level = 15)
Walk the other 1/2 of the path to Bilthem, Enter town
Wind Rune to Tiffana-
Purchase 9 Vacuums
Wind Rune to Tiffana/Brush-
Engage and Vacuum 9 S Brains while walking around Tiffana/Brush
(Level = 18)
Wind Rune to Tiffana- (Takes as much time as if we walked into town.)
Purchase 9 Vacuums
Purchase 1 M Water
Wind Rune to Tiffana/Brush-
Engage and Vacuum 9 S Brains while walking around Tiffana/Brush
(Level = 20)
Wind Rune to Pell-
Kill 2x Brain (Manipulate 2x Recovery)
Kill 2x Brain (Manipulate 2x Recovery)
*Apprentice Responses Change* (Esuna?/Kamil/Olvan = Join)
Kill 2x Brain (Manipulate 2x Recovery)
(Level = 21)
Somewhere before Serpent
-------
Can Recruit Esuna (Lv. 22)*
Can Bonro Weapon/Armor Shop*
Can Steal Esuna's Gear*
Recruit Kamil (Lv. 22)
-------
Wind Rune to Pandam-
Collect:Ring
Wind Rune to Entrance
Padal-
Purchase: 8 B Agility (to hold spot in inventory later?)
Purchase: 7 Potion2
Purchase: 8 B Protect
Collect: Recovery (Check which first)
Activate Prosa (Say no.) (Check which first)
Wind Rune to Tiffana-
Exit
Baran Castle-
Collect: Potion2
Collect: Recovery
Collect: Ice Cloak
Kill Serpent (Costs 2 B Power.)
(Let Kamil Die.)
M Water Kamil
Collect: Sapphire
Wind Rune to Padal-
Exit
Telaine-
Walk to Prosa (Around the left?)
Collect: Moon Rune
Wind Rune to entrance
Cave of Beore-
Exit to Luze
Luze-
Kill Dragon (No items)
(Do not check pedestal)
Sky Rune must be in Olvan or Esuna's* possession.
-------
Can Bonro Weapon/Armor Shop*
Can Recruit Esuna (Lv. 22)*
Can Steal Esuna's Gear*
Recruit Olvan (Lv. 22)
Collect: Sky Rune
-------
Wind Rune to Bilthem-
Collect: Exigate
Doros Castle-
Collect: Amulet
Collect: Star
Collect: V Seed
Collect: Potn2
Collect: M Water
Collect: Harp
Kill Doros
(Costs 4-5 Potn2, 2 B Agility)
(Let Olvan Die.)
M Water Olvan
Wind Rune Brush-
Fortune Teller Rarsa (100 G)
Brantu - Flying Machine
Valenca -
Exit
Cave of Kapel -
(Loss of Magic)
Exit
Guanta -
Enter/Exit
Cave of Silence -
Collect: M Water
Kill M Pison (costs nothing)
(Let Olvan Die.)
Collect: Moonlight
Exigate
M Water Olvan
Recruit Lejes
Wind Rune Guanta-
Exit
Gorfun-
Kill Monmo (Minimal Cost, lots of time.)
Kill Gariso (Costs: 2 B Agility, 4-5 Potn 2)
Pharano-
Collect: Emerald
Collect: Recovery
Purchase: 8 B Power
Purchase: Max Potion 2
Purchase: Max Potion 3
Ligena:
(Manipulate Airship)
Melenam:
Get Lux a tuneup
Exit
Palsu:
Sell: Lejes’s Gear
Sell: Emerald
Purchase: Max Gear minus Kryn (129k)
Melenam:
Tour Lab
Talk to one person on the way out.
Exit/Reenter Town
Kill Foma (costs 2-3 Potn3)
Airship:
Purchase: Max Potn3
Purchase: 4 B Agility
Purchase: 3 M Water
Collect: Agility Seed
Barrier Cave:
Kill Goron
Kill Griffan
Talk to Saro
Death Warp (lose half gold)
Airship:
Purchase Max Potion 3
Village: Collect Runes
Gorfun:
Kill Gorsia
Sometime after vacuuming S Brains:
Wind Rune Bonro- (tested more optimal than purchasing earlier because of item scrolling for vacuums)
Purchase: (For Gear Steals) FireAx (70) x2 + PetrST (180) + PsyteAR (700) x2 + SilkRB (800) + XtriSH (70) x2 + scarf (1200)
After M Pison
*Apprentice Responses Change* (Esuna?/Lejes = Join)
List of shops we will make purchases at: Lemele, Rablesk, Rablesk, Lemele, Tiffana, Tiffana, Tiffana, Padal, Bonro (weapon/armor), Pharano, Palsu (Weapon/Armor Shop), Airship (Post Foma), Airship (Post Griffan)
Nitrodon - "location changes occur every 4-11 battles (uniformly randomly) plus twice throughout the game Eygus and Pandam/Dowaine depending on character (and possibly North Tower, I haven't checked that)" Value at 5121