Strange Hinges & Clocks

There were no changes in recruitment quests for Karjalainen and Angie in Singapore GE. So, it is unlikely that the strange items (20 each) required by Viki's quest will be reduced, especially given Hrin's vague response.

I spent weeks in Dr. Torsche's Mansion Grand Library and managed only to acquire 8 strange hinges from the haunted desks. However, there is actually an easy way to acquire the strange items required by Viki's quest. You can farm strange items in Forgotten Territories (FT): Dr. Torsche's Mansion Annex.

I used a Lv65 Summoner Catherine with a one-day FT pass. In about 18-19 hours, I managed to acquire strange cogwheel x14, strange spring x16, strange tube x26, strange clock x22, and strange hinge x40.

Surprisingly, strange hinges (very rare drop in Grand Library) are so common in FT. Perhaps, the GMs rigged the drop rate to get people to buy FT passes, thereby making Viki an "almost-premium" RNPC.