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[Assistant] As for the rumor mongers and troublemakers, Roland sneered and looked at the two police chiefs, Vader and Renee Med. I think I don't need to tell you what to do with them. They hastened and nod. Of course, your majesty.


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[Assistant] Once Neverwinter finished discussing the wartime order and the related policies, Pasha raised a question which was likewise the greatest concern for everyone. How are you going to attack the demons near the tequila ruins?


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[Assistant] The safest way is to set up artillery positions near it to destroy the demon's red mist supply equipment. Roland measured roughly on the map with his fingers.


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[Assistant] Now our Longsong cannon can hit targets 10 kilometers away. After some adjustment, it'll shoot even farther.


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[Assistant] Without red mist, the demons in the ruins will quickly die. Roland did not brag about his weapons at all.


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[Assistant] Considering the operational convenience and the limited transportation capacity, he had not adopted 152mm caliber for the first generation Longzom cannons.


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[Assistant] As a result, they could not match an ideal cannon whose caliber was 152 millimeters in many respects.


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[Assistant] However, he was able to quickly convert them by enlarging their chambers and using separate loading ammunition instead of fixed ammunition.


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[Assistant] By doing so, their range would be remarkably increased even if the other parts of the cannons such as the barrels and wheels remained unchanged. Got it.


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[Assistant] Your Majesty, the Tequila Witches are willing to fight this battle for you.


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[Assistant] Tequila survivors were undoubtedly the most aggressive ones in the Battle of Divine Will.


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[Assistant] They would take the lead without any hesitation when combating demons.


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[Assistant] But I still need to solve a few key problems to implement that plan. Roland shook his head.


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[Assistant] Without adequate preparation, it's hard for us to gain a foothold when faced with an attack from the demons.


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[Assistant] The North Slope Mine of Neverwinter was going to witness a great event.


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[Assistant] A new railway linking your stacking yard and the furnace area was being cleaned for the last time.


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[Assistant] Different from the iron coated wooden rails in the mine, the new railway was wider and could support heavier cargo loads. It was made of pure steel and looked very heavy.


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[Assistant] The amount of steel used to build it was enough to make the armor and swords for a regular nightage. But now it was fixed on the ground and exposed to wind and rain.


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[Assistant] Any lord of this era would think of this construction as an enormous waste of iron and believe that only a spendthrift would leave metal to rot like this.


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[Assistant] When Roland led the conference participants to the or stacking yard, most of the officials were astonished by the railway and begun to stir since not every department in City Hall knew the details of what it was.


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[Assistant] It impressed everyone with its imposing size and its aura of strength, even if most of them had no idea what it was used for.


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[Assistant] They would never believe that their king who had greatly surprised them so many times during the past years was a spendthrift, but they could hardly recover from their shock.


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[Assistant] In their view, laying cast steel bars on the ground was no different from using gold royals to pave a road.


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[Assistant] This was cast steel which could be sold at a high price in any city.


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[Assistant] However, Neverwinter could afford to build such a railway.


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[Assistant] After the blast furnace for ironmaking and the converter for steelmaking were completed, Neverwinter's industrial foundation no longer relied so heavily on the witch's power.


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[Assistant] The converter still needed Anna to heat and melt the iron for the first step, but it was much more advanced than the star of steel. It could be called a miracle in this era.


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[Assistant] The smelting industry of the North Slope Mine had also been significantly upgraded due to the reconstruction efforts made by the Ministry of Construction.


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[Assistant] With the help of Lotus, they had taken bold actions to blast away the ceiling of the mine.


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[Assistant] By doing so, they had made part of the mining area a huge open pit, and most of it was an iron mine.


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[Assistant] Neverwinter's steelmaking industry had stepped on a brand new stage in the last year.


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[Assistant] In Greycastle, its monthly steel output was greater than all the other cities combined. This result was within Roland's expectation.


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[Assistant] He took it for granted that modern factories would be far more efficient than blacksmiths.


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[Assistant] Otherwise, he would not have worked so hard to create the industrial equipment.


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[Assistant] As for the railway here, it was part of his experiment of using a railway to connect the mining area, the smelting area, and the wharf.


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[Assistant] As the narrow gauge rail did not differ from the broad gauge rail in terms of material usage and load carrying capacity, he made 1.5 meters the standard railroad width.


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[Assistant] The number was easy to remember and building road beds for this width of railroad was within the reach of low disability.


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[Assistant] The sleepers were cut out of wood logs and the ballast was from rubble collected during the mine reconstruction.


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[Assistant] The railway looked exactly like a railroad in modern times. But it was still a half-done project.


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[Assistant] Because no factory had been involved in this project yet. Anna had used her Blackfire to process and install the railway for the experiment by herself.


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[Assistant] Since the Greycastle Unification War, the construction of the other half of the railway had remained suspended.


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[Assistant] To further satisfy the officials' curiosity, Roland instructed the workers to unveil something that was placed at the end of the railway.


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[Assistant] When the canvas, which was dusty and covered with fallen leaves was removed, the people saw a black steel vehicle standing right in front of them. Your Majesty, is it a steamer carriage?


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[Assistant] Petrov, the governor of the Longsong area, stuttered in amazement. Roland was not at all surprised by Petrov's thought.


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[Assistant] With more and more steam engines being put into use in Neverwinter, the officials were getting familiar with these cumbersome, but powerful machines and even actively adopted them in some traditional fields, such as irrigating the farmlands and loading and unloading cargo on the wharf.


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[Assistant] Given that, they immediately recognized the steam engine which was shaped like a barrel and installed in a steel frame in the main part of the vehicle.


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[Assistant] In the beginning, the factories producing steam engines and the accessory equipment had only been able to handle orders from Roland, but now they could also handle some requests from City Hall.


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[Assistant] City Hall's orders usually had special demands, but the factories could easily meet them by changing the combination of gears, shafts and engine holders. Roland considered this change to be a good start.


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[Assistant] The people of this era were becoming more proactive in creating things.


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[Assistant] He thought that the reason why Petrov called the vehicle a steamer carriage was that the concrete boats driven by steam engines were called paddle steamers.


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[Assistant] It sounded like an acceptable name, but Roland did not want to give up the naming rights.


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[Assistant] After all, it was a vehicle of aeromaking significance.


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[Assistant] From its birth, it had a profound influence on the world, even though its first prototype was slower than a horse-drawn carriage.


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[Assistant] It had many different shapes and engines during its development, but its name remained unchanged. It's a train. Roland corrected Petrov. It's the key to solving the transportation problem.


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[Assistant] Do you mean that you want to build a railroad like this one across the grassland for a train? Bear have had a hard time getting his tongue around the new word.


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[Assistant] What if the demons suddenly attack the workers and cause trouble for the railway construction project?


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[Assistant] First of all, I want to build two railways side by side to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.


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[Assistant] Secondly, I'm not proposing building a railroad across the grassland.


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[Assistant] I intend to build one that starts from the misty forest and then turns to the east at a spot near the tequila ruins. Roland told everyone his plan.


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[Assistant] By doing so, LEAF can protect our railroad system from the demonic beasts during the months of demons every year.


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[Assistant] As for the demons, it's a close contest between us.


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[Assistant] Any place we can get to buy train can be our battleground since the train can transport enough cannons and shells for us.


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[Assistant] Even if the demons manage to destroy some sections of our railroad system under heavy shellfire, we can still solve the traffic problem by building and repairing the railways at a higher speed.


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[Assistant] He had discussed the construction speed problem with the advisory department.


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[Assistant] They found that they could build the railway sections between the misty forest and the tequila ruins faster than the sections on the grassland, despite the former being longer than the latter.


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[Assistant] This was because the former sections were located in the forest controlled by leaf.


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[Assistant] With her help, the weed and vines would clear the ground for the construction workers, saving them the trouble of doing it themselves, which was tremendously helpful to them.


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[Assistant] She could also create slopes for water drainage and structure the forest to help Hummingbird transport the construction materials.


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[Assistant] Lotus would be in charge of building the road bed for the railways.


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[Assistant] The Ministry of Construction would send workers to pave the ballast, install the cross-ties and railways, and ANNA would seamlessly weld the metal parts together.


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[Assistant] With everyone working together, they would be able to complete the railway sections between the forest and the tequila ruins before the end of the winter.


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[Assistant] When that happened, the Tequila Ruins would be within the range of the Longsong cannons.


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[Assistant] Will it really be possible for us to extend the railway deep into the barbarian land?


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[Assistant] Hearing Roland's plan, Barov, who had already witnessed many miracles, still widen his eyes in disbelief.


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[Assistant] It took the Ministry of Construction more than half a year to complete an ordinary road linking the border area and the Long Song area.


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[Assistant] And this Kingdom Main Street was less than one-fifth of the distance between the forest and tequila.


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[Assistant] Are you sure that Mr. Carl will be able to complete such a task? The officials began to whisper among themselves.


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[Assistant] The Kingdom Main Street was the first large-scale construction Project Roland had initiated after Longsong Stronghold merged with Border Town.


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[Assistant] It had employed about 2,000 workers and had been considered a waste of resources by many people back then.


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[Assistant] Now this new railroad project was even more unbelievable.


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[Assistant] Considering its limited construction period, many officials believe that it would be an impossible mission even if all the workers in Neverwinter were to be hired for this project.


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[Assistant] Carl Van Bate, the Minister of Construction, remained silent and seemed to be racking his brain for a proper solution. Roland was clear about their concern.


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[Assistant] At present, there were many ongoing construction projects in the city.


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[Assistant] They were justifiably worried that the expense of this railway project would be too enormous for the city's limited resources.


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[Assistant] However, in fact, as compared to the road's cement pavements which needed high quality materials and roller compaction, the railway's roadbed building and ballast pavement were much easier.


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[Assistant] As for the final step of installing the rails, it only looked complicated, but it was actually the fastest step of the entire construction process.


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[Assistant] Roland had watched Anna's demo of welding the metal parts with black fire.


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[Assistant] She could weld a bar to two tracks at once, and the average time for welding each joint was less than 10 seconds.


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[Assistant] In comparison to the traditional bolts or the hot-melting connections used in the modern world, her ability not only substantially improved the wielding quality but also saved a lot of manpower and material. Roland felt that her work couldn't be any more perfect.


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[Assistant] To compensate for the distortions that could be caused by thermal expansion, there were still invisible gaps left in between the tracks. But on the surface, they were seamless.


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[Assistant] This meant that when the train was running on these tracks, the passengers inside it would not experience the frequent shaking or hear the constant clatter that were part of modern trains.


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[Assistant] Anna had finished welding this section of the tracks in just half a day.


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[Assistant] This was why Roland made the construction period for the railroad project so short.


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[Assistant] Leaf probably needed only five days to place the cross dies and rails in a section of a given length, while the workers used to take ten days to build and pave a road bed of an equal length.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, Anna needed just one day to weld the same section of railroad. She had ample time and was able to take it slow.


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[Assistant] Maggie could take her to work in the morning and bring her back to the castle in time for lunch.


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[Assistant] Roland did not want to explain the details of the witch's abilities to the officials, since not everyone knew the witch as well.


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[Assistant] Meanwhile, he predicted that the construction period could be even shorter if he could find some relevant witches from Sleeping Island who were willing to offer help for the project.


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[Assistant] However, he had not yet had a chance to ask Tilly about her witch's abilities, since he had gone straight to the wolf girl and then to the meeting immediately after he had arrived at Neverwinter.


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[Assistant] Seeing Roland ignore Barov's question, the officials turn their eyes to the train.


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[Assistant] In contrast to the seamless rail, which appeared very futuristic, the train itself seemed to be an antique. Its steam locomotive was divided into two parts.


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[Assistant] The front part consisted of a fourth generation steam engine and a transmission device, and the rear part was a coal car.


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[Assistant] A driver's cabin was located between these two parts from where the drivers could control the speed of the train, add coal to the boiler, and blow the steam whistle.


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[Assistant] Due to the interruption caused by the Jaya Castle Unification War, this steam locomotive was still just an unfinished prototype, yet it was already much better than the first generation steam locomotives of the world where Roland had lived before.


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[Assistant] Its steam engine adopted crankshafts instead of flywheels and drive belts.


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[Assistant] Instead of gears, which could easily get stuck, a mechanical linkage which moved seamlessly was utilized to connect the wheels on both sides of the locomotive to the engine.


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[Assistant] Roland had simplified his design for the locomotive as much as possible.


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[Assistant] As a result, it looked as if he had just patched all the main components together.


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[Assistant] When compared to a modern train, it had numerous defects.


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[Assistant] It had no mechanical brake and needed manpower to turn the capstan to stop the train.


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[Assistant] As the driver's cabin was on the connecting beam that linked the front and rear parts of the locomotive engine, the drivers would be disturbed by the constant shaking and vibrations caused by the steam engine when driving the train.


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[Assistant] It was not equipped with any electrical device, so the drivers and the other workers on the train had to blow the steam whistle or shout to each other to communicate.


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[Assistant] However, it was already the best design possible based on the current technological capabilities of Neverwinter.


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[Assistant] He had to build this prototype first, and then gradually improve it, just like what he had done with the first generation steam engine. Your majesty, what's the carrying capacity of this thing?


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[Assistant] Kyle Cichy, the Minister of Chemical Industry, asked with curiosity, Is it any higher than that of a concrete boat?


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[Assistant] I think its cargo capacity should be almost five or six times that of a concrete boat.


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[Assistant] Roland was satisfied seeing the surprised looks on the official's faces. But this is just the beginning.


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[Assistant] I'm still waiting for the test results, but it definitely won't be slower than a concrete boat.


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[Assistant] In this era, horse-drawn carriages and some other pack animals were the principal forms of transportation on land.


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[Assistant] On the bumpy and soft ground, their transportation efficiency was low.


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[Assistant] Besides, carriages did not have any rubber tires or any other kind of shock absorption measures, so their wooden wheels often got shattered by the repeated shaking on the road.


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[Assistant] Under such circumstances, the Kingdom of Greycastle used ships as the main mode of transportation.


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[Assistant] In the inland rivers, the steam-powered boats, which did not need to move with the help of the wind, quickly outshone the traditional sailing ships.


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[Assistant] Given that, in the view of the officials, the concrete boats were already extremely fast and efficient carriers.


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[Assistant] Hearing that a train would be able to travel faster and carry more cargo than a concrete boat, they fell into silence.


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[Assistant] They instinctually wanted to deny such a possibility, but felt reluctant to do so, since they were afraid that it might turn out to be true.


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[Assistant] Seeing the bewildered officials, Rowland could not help but feel proud.


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[Assistant] If he had told them such a thing two years ago, he would have been regarded as a lunatic.


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[Assistant] As the war was fast approaching now, and he had failed to improve the boats, he wanted to use this new invention he built to boost his subjects' morale.


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[Assistant] After all, he had not exaggerated the strength of the train.


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[Assistant] After all, the steam engine was only the first generation of industrial power sources.


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[Assistant] Once the trains could be equipped with internal combustion engines, they would become the dominant mode of transportation on land. Your majesty, could you please show us how it works? Barov asked after a while. Yes, but not now. It still lacks some key components. We need another week to complete it. Roland shook his head.


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[Assistant] According to the plan you gave to the Ministry of Construction before the Unification War, you intend to use the railway to connect the mine to the wharf, right? Barov asked. Yes. Roland sensed that Barov had something else to say.


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[Assistant] Such a powerful vehicle will boost our people's morale and greatly help the city hall and our war propaganda work. Barov spoke out his idea.


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[Assistant] Is it alright to let all your subjects witness this incredible scene on the day of the train's test run?


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[Assistant] Roland immediately understood what kind of propaganda effect Baruff wanted to achieve and was pleased to see that his city hall director had learned to guide the people's opinion during these years. As you wish, he smiled and said.


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[Assistant] However, Roland did not move since he was greatly surprised by Tilly and Ashes, who came close to him swiftly after hearing the alert.


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[Assistant] The extraordinary stood in front of them until he grabbed his wrist. He felt something as cold as a metal around his wrist.


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[Assistant] He looked down and saw the ring on Tilly's finger shining a bright blue light.


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[Assistant] Obviously, she was ready to fly with him down into the mining area in case of emergency.


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[Assistant] Somehow Roland forgot about the danger and focused his mind on Tilly.


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[Assistant] Unlike Nightingale who trusted him wholeheartedly, Tilly had not yet recognized him as her brother. She was too smart to be deceived.


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[Assistant] She called him brother just to maintain good relations with him.


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[Assistant] In fact, there was still an invisible barrier between them. And because of Tilly's attitude, Ashes always seemed a little restrained in front of him.


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[Assistant] He was unable to explain to Tilly that what Prince Roland had done to her back in the palace had nothing to do with him.


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[Assistant] Given that, he had lied to her and never expected much from her. However, now he felt relieved.


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[Assistant] He found that he had already won her trust and recognition as an ally, even if she might still have a doubt about his identity.


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[Assistant] The officials also came to their senses now and started to shout.


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[Assistant] The people voices, together with the alert, turn the scene into pure chaos. The noises recalled Roland from his reflections.


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[Assistant] Seeing such a tense situation, he could not help knitting his eyebrows and thought, maybe the frontier guards have already spotted some demons? He looked to the west and was lost in thought.


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[Assistant] Now that Sylvie is on the watch for demons, the alarm can't be false.


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[Assistant] And the Frontier Guard's highest alert must be about the demons.


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[Assistant] I heard that they should remain dormant for some time since they don't have enough red mist. Did their supplies arrived at the tequila ruins recently?


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[Assistant] He wanted to go to the city wall to have a look personally, but he quickly gave up the idea.


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[Assistant] He did not want to increase the burden for the Frontier Guards since Nightingale and the main force of the First Army had not arrived yet.


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[Assistant] When they walked down the north slope mountain, he summoned Wendy and said to her, regardless of the situation, send me any news from the city wall as soon as you receive it. Yes, Wendy promised with a solemn face.


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[Assistant] Watching the enemies approaching quickly, Sylvie felt her hands were wet.


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[Assistant] It was not the first time for her to see demons, but they still made her feel stressed out.


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[Assistant] She counted the number of the devil beasts who were flying toward Neverwinter in a horizontal line.


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[Assistant] In the Eye of Magic, every detail of the enemies was clearly discernible.


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[Assistant] Just like Alathea had mentioned, not every devil beast took a mad demon on its back.


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[Assistant] Two of them looked just like pack horses and carried bone vessels which looked like bumps on their backs.


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[Assistant] She zoomed in and saw the red mist surging inside the bumps.


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[Assistant] Obviously, they were their missed tanks for this long distance raid. But, why are the demons launching an attack so early?


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[Assistant] For the moment, they should stay close to the godstone mineral vein at the tequila ruins, waiting for the bloody moon.


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[Assistant] Sylvie was bewildered by the sudden appearance of the demons.


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[Assistant] Fortunately, the Frontier Guard's quick response made her feel relieved.


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[Assistant] They had already removed the cannon covers and gotten ready for the combat.


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[Assistant] If the enemies continued to fly in this direction, they would come within the cannon's range in seven or eight minutes.


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[Assistant] Miss Sylvie, someone called to ask which direction the enemies were heading for.


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[Assistant] And if they plan to enter the city can you estimate which blocks they will fly over? The guard who was in charge of communication asked.


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[Assistant] In order to transmit the information about the enemy's situation on time, Roland had moved the wind-up telephone prototype, which had been made in the backyard of the North Slope Mountain, to the city wall.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Apart from the telephone line linking Neverwinter and Longsong Stronghold, it was the first telephone line in the city.


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[Assistant] Limited by the length, the telephone at the other end of the line was installed at the entrance of the third border city.


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[Assistant] Roland had arranged two guards to assist Sylvie in communication and had sent two God's punishment witches to protect her.


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[Assistant] Road number five or number nine, Sylvie wiped the sweat from her hands. But they may also fly toward the square. There are still some people left behind.


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[Assistant] She was worried that once the devil beasts rushed into the crowded market the consequences would be disastrous. I got it.


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[Assistant] The guard picked up the phone and repeated what Sylvie had to the person at the other end of the telephone line. Wait. Sylvie suddenly raised her voice. They're ascending. Are they planning to fly over the city wall? The guard was anxious, but they slowed down at the same time.


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[Assistant] Now the guards on top of the city wall should be able to see them directly.


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[Assistant] Before she finished her sentence, she heard the vague noise of gunshots coming through the phone.


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[Assistant] The guards of the city wall were elite soldiers of the first army who had taken part in the snow mountain exploration. They remained calm at the sight of the demons.


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[Assistant] Several teams took turns to fire and tried to maintain a low rate of fire in an attempt to conserve bullets. At this moment, Sylvie noticed a problem.


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[Assistant] For the guards, hitting targets in the sky was much harder than shooting down some demonic beasts or God's punishment warriors on the ground.


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[Assistant] As they were unable to predict the enemy's movements in the sky, they had no idea which angle they should use.


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[Assistant] As a result, the Devil Beasts remained intact after several rounds of firing and now they were only about 150 meters away from the city wall. They stayed more than 100 meters above the ground and thus the guards had to lift their barrels to aim at the enemies.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The soldiers drastically increased their firing rate, but still failed to hit any target.


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[Assistant] In the blink of an eye, four beams of white light came down to the city wall and struck at the defenseless guards.


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[Assistant] The wall built by Lotus was unable to protect them from attacks coming from the sky.


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[Assistant] Beyond Sylvie's expectation, instead of launching the second round of attacks, the demons only emitted some weird noise after their arms withered and threw several animal skins down.


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[Assistant] After that, they turned around and flew toward the grassland. That was where they came from. This sudden attack ended just as suddenly. After a while, they disappeared over the horizon. Sylvie could not bear to see the situation of the city wall. The guards who got impaled by the bone spears were dead.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] No matter how hard the other soldiers shook them, they would not open their eyes again.


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[Assistant] The blood coming from their wounds formed a pool of blood under their bodies.


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[Assistant] The animal skins left by the demons were slowly falling through the air, turning out to be pictures.


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[Assistant] The most striking one among them was a portrait of a big wolf.


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[Assistant] Roland asked in a deep voice while looking at the animal skins on the table. His face was expressionless.


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[Assistant] The demons had launched a surprise attack on the city wall and had left behind a provocative message.


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[Assistant] However, now is not the time for him to react to this provocation.


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[Assistant] Furious as he was, he still tried his best to keep control of himself.


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[Assistant] The officials nervously glanced at each other, but none of them dared to answer the king's question.


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[Assistant] No one wanted to further irritate the enraged king by vocalizing the meaning of the self-explanatory pictures. Undoubtedly, the big wolf was Lorda.


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[Assistant] The other pictures depicted common people who were down on their knees, a witch who was tied up, a city wall that was on fire, and the ruins of a city littered with corpses respectively.


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[Assistant] They looked like quick, crude drawings, but they were still easy to understand. This series of pictures was a threatening ultimatum.


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[Assistant] The demons wanted Neverwinter to hand the wolf girl over to them, and they asked the common people to lay down their weapons and surrender.


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[Assistant] Otherwise, they would totally annihilate the defenders and burn down the city.


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[Assistant] Roland glanced around and exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down.


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[Assistant] He found that the officials had lost a lot of their fighting spirit, and some of them even looked terrified.


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[Assistant] Fortunately, none of them tried to advise him to give the witch to the demons.


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[Assistant] Your majesty, this isn't just a threatening letter from the demons. It's a trap.


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[Assistant] In the middle of this stressful atmosphere, a beam of light suddenly appeared and expanded next to a wall and then Pasha's voice rang in his head. Sylvie has told me what happened. Never believe anything the demons say. It's another one of their old tricks.


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[Assistant] She sounded anxious as if she was worried that the king might make a hasty decision.


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[Assistant] Roland immediately comprehended the implications of her statement. Did something similar happen to you before?


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[Assistant] To be exact, it happened to a lore of the common people, Pasha said seriously.


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[Assistant] During the first battle of divine will, the demons used this trick to create a divide between the common people and the witches. That was how they nibbled the land of dawn away step by step. The ancient witch continued to explain the trap.


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[Assistant] During the first battle of Divine Will, the demons not only acted aggressively on the battleground, but also plotted against the Wythes.


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[Assistant] They often lured a lord of a city to hand over the witches to them in exchange for postponing the attack on that city.


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[Assistant] Back then, the common people and the witches lived together peacefully.


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[Assistant] Though the witches were only a minority, they did not have to hide their abilities. As a result, they could be recognized easily.


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[Assistant] Hoping to survive the war, the cities where the witches were in a weak position usually chose to make a deal with the demons.


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[Assistant] As a result, many witches who had just returned from the battlefield were caught or executed by people of their own cities.


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[Assistant] In such a situation, the estrangement between the witches and the common people was gradually aggravated, and then, after a complete betrayal, the witches broke irretrievably with the common people.


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[Assistant] In the middle of the First Battle of Divine Will, two major cities located in the central part of the land of Dawn built two coalition forces to fight against the demons.


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[Assistant] One of the coalition forces was controlled by the witches, and the other one was led by and consisted of the common people.


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[Assistant] During a fierce battle, the common people's army surrendered to the demons all of a sudden.


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[Assistant] The witch's army withdrew, but was besieged by their former ally.


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[Assistant] The common people even used weapons made of god stones of retaliation to fight them.


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[Assistant] The witches were exhausted and had lost more than half of their warriors during the previous battle against the demons. They resisted strongly but still lost.


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[Assistant] After that, the leaders of the witches were beheaded in public, and the common people sent some of the remaining witches to the demons while enslaving the rest of them. The Union named this incident the Red Betrayal. We consider it a profound lesson for us.


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[Assistant] From that day on, the witches and the common people have grown apart.


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[Assistant] The cities that surrendered to the demons did not survive as long as they had hoped.


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[Assistant] Forcing the common people to betray the witches was just the first step of the demon's plans.


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[Assistant] If the demons' outposts were close enough to the cities, they would never hesitate to conquer them.


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[Assistant] The Lord who initiated the red betrayal was no exception.


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[Assistant] He followed the demon's orders and helped them in building missed storage towers and outposts. He even provided them with intelligence services.


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[Assistant] However, in the end, he couldn't enjoy his old age in peace.


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[Assistant] It's said that he was imprisoned in his castle by the demons and was starved to death.


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[Assistant] There were also some rumors that said that he was killed by a group of vengeful witches when he fled his domain after finding out that the demons planned to eliminate all of humanity.


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[Assistant] After the first battle of divine will, human beings lost the land of dawn and most of our domains became uninhabitable.


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[Assistant] Since then, the sight of the red mist on the horizon had become a lingering nightmare.


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[Assistant] The Witch Union rose from the ashes of this defeat and became the ruler of the Feral Plains for next few hundred years.


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[Assistant] At the end of the story, Roland heard a shocking rumor from Pasha.


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[Assistant] There was also hearsay among the witches in the upper levels of the Union, according to which the demons learned this trick from the human beings themselves. What did you say?


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[Assistant] Roland asked and then quickly realized that Pasha only told the rumor to him.


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[Assistant] All the officials in the hall looked startled, wondering why the King raised such a question.


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[Assistant] It was rumored that long before the beginning of the First Battle of Divine Will, back when the demons were no different from beasts, some person got in contact with them and taught them knowledge, Pasha said in a low voice.


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[Assistant] A few people believe that this explained why the senior demons looked like human beings, but the three chiefs thought it was absolute nonsense and forbade the people from talking about it.


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[Assistant] As a result, only the witches in the upper level of the Union still remember this rumor.


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[Assistant] Roland held his breath and tried to talk to the ancient witch through his mind. Do you believe it? I'm not sure.


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[Assistant] To his surprise, Pasha was uncertain about the rumor.


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[Assistant] If it's true, then it means that we have to be extremely careful when communicating with the demons.


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[Assistant] After a moment of thought, Roland asked Pasha about a specific detail of the rumor. Was the person in the story a witch or a common person? Pasha sighed lightly.


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[Assistant] Some people said it was a witch and some said it was a common person. What an unreliable rumor, Roland thought.


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[Assistant] He agreed with the three chiefs of the union on their decision to stop the rumor.


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[Assistant] After all, no matter how the demons came about to become the enemy of all of humanity, they still had to guide their followers to defeat them. He changed the subject.


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[Assistant] If a lord remained unmoved by the demon's offer, what would they do?


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[Assistant] They'd keep harassing him or even send an army to the city to besiege it until the Lord surrendered, Pasha said.


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[Assistant] Suit the subjects first, and then we'll hold a memorial ceremony for the soldiers who died in combat. It's the best way to raise the spirits of the mourning people. Roland stressed each word with due strength.


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[Assistant] As for the demons, I'll let them know that things are different now. This isn't the first battle of Divine Will anymore.


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[Assistant] But I can tell you of my master in Morocco. He traveled the king of the throne when everything else had failed. Halt!


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[Assistant] There was a young lady, a governess at the hall, that Mr. Rochester fell in. But the fire! I suggested. I'm coming to that, ma'am. That Mr. Edward fell in love with.


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[Assistant] The servants say they never saw anybody so much in love as he was. He was after her continually. They used to watch him, servants will, you know, ma'am, and he set store on her past everything. For all, nobody but him thought her so very handsome.


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[Assistant] She was a little, small thing, they say, almost like a child. I never saw her myself, but I've heard Leia, the housemaid, tell of her. Leia liked her well enough.


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[Assistant] Mr. Rochester was about forty, and this governess not twenty. And you see, when gentlemen of his age fall in love with girls, they're often like as if they were bewitched. Well, he would marry her. You shall tell me this part of the story another time, I said.


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[Assistant] But now I have a particular reason for wishing to hear all about the fire. Was it suspected that this lunatic, Mrs. Rochester, had any hand in it? You've hit it, mum.


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[Assistant] It's quite certain that it was her and nobody but her that set it going. She had a woman to take care of her called Mrs. Poole.


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[Assistant] An able woman in her line, and very trustworthy, but for one fault, a fault common to a deal of them nurses and matrons, she kept a private bottle of gin by her, and now and then took a drop over much. It is excusable, for she had a hard life of it, but it still was dangerous.


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[Assistant] When Mrs. Poole was fast asleep after the gin and water, the mad lady, who was as cunning as a witch, would take the keys out of her pocket, let herself out of her chamber,


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[Assistant] On this night, she set fire first to the hangings of the room next to her own, and then she got down to a lower story, and made her way to the chamber that had been the governess's.


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[Assistant] She was like as if she knew somehow how matters had gone on and had a spite at her, and she kindled the bed there. But there was nobody sleeping in it, fortunately. The governess had run away two months before.


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[Assistant] And for all Mr. Rochester sought her as if she had been the most precious thing he had in the world, he never could hear a word of her. And he grew savage, quite savage on his disappointment. He never was a mild man, but he got dangerous after he lost her. He would be alone too.


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[Assistant] He sent Mrs Fairfax, the housekeeper, away to her friends at a distance. But he did it handsomely.


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[Assistant] He settled an annuity on her for life and she deserved it. She was a very good woman. Miss Adele, a ward he had, was put to school.


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[Assistant] He broke off acquaintance with all the gentry and shut himself up like a homemade at the hall.


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[Assistant] He would not cross the doorstones of the house except at night.


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[Assistant] When he walked just like a ghost about the grounds and in the orchard, as if he'd lost his senses, which it is my opinion he had.


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[Assistant] But a more spirited, bolder, keener gentleman than he was before that midge of a governess crossed him, you never saw, ma'am.


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[Assistant] I've often wished that Miss Eyre had been sunken to sea before she came to Thornfield Hall.


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[Assistant] Osu Lazlo? Yes? You'll come with us. We have a warrant for your arrest. On what charge? Captain Renoir will discuss that with you later. It seems that destiny has taken a hand.


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[Assistant] That's such an iconic sound.


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[Assistant] No, I'm joking, uh, I really like the queens.


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[Assistant] Oh yea, that one. I guess the British are just talented. Like, oh my god, like I didn't realize like half of these people were like, British. And I'm like,


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[Assistant] Free water with the exclamation point for the added emphasis. Last time we tried getting through a short chapter while being post sick and not, I would say completely recovered. But I'd say at this point now, uh, besides, you know, just a random odd cough to get whatever


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[Assistant] Unk is trapped. It's a very low rate of coughing.


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[Assistant] The not coughing ratio, so I'm very happy with that. My voice feels a lot better.


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[Assistant] To do character voices and things like that, and we were talking to the bone carver before. And the bone carver was basically like, ehh, I'm not really gonna help you. But, if you get this, you know.


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[Assistant] You know, we, we found out his relationship as well. Uh, you know, the witch, the witch in the woods and all that fun stuff. So he does have siblings here and we know of one we've encountered them. So let's see what happens now that they're coming back from the bone carvers in chapter 24.


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[Assistant] When we return to the townhouse in the height of summer afternoon heat,


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[Assistant] Cassian and Azrael drew sticks for who would remain in Volaris that night. Both wanted to join us at the Hewn City, but someone had to guard the city, part of their long-held protocol. And someone had to guard a lane, though I certainly wasn't about to tell Lucian that. Cassian, swearing and pissy, got the short stick.


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[Assistant] And Azrael only clapped them on the shoulder before heading up to the house to prepare.


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[Assistant] I followed after him a few minutes later, leaving Cassian to tell Rise the rest of what the Carver had said. What he wanted.


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[Assistant] There were two people I needed to see up at the house before we left.


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[Assistant] I should have checked in on Elaine earlier. I should have remembered that her would have been wedding was in a few days, but I cursed myself for getting it. And as for Lucian, it wouldn't hurt, I told myself, to keep tabs on where he was. How that conversation with Azrael had gone yesterday. Make sure he remembered the rules we'd set.


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[Assistant] I was trying not to wince as I walked down the halls of the House of Wind. Grateful Azrael had gone ahead.


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[Assistant] I'd winnowed into the sky above the highest balcony, and since I figured now was a good time as any to practice flying, I'd summon wings and fall in 20 feet onto hard stone.


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[Assistant] A rallied wind kept the fall from cracking my bones, but both my knees and my pride were significantly bruised by my graceless tumble through the air. At least no one witnessed it.


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[Assistant] My stiff limping steps at least had eased into a smoother gait by the time I found Elaine in the family library. Still staring at the window, but she was out of her room.


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[Assistant] Nesta was reading in her usual chair, one eye on a lane, the other on the book spread in her lap.


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[Assistant] Only Nesta glanced my way as I slipped through the carved wooden doors. I murmured, hello. Shut the doors behind me. Elaine didn't turn.


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[Assistant] She was wearing a pale pink gown that did little to compliment her sallow skin.


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[Assistant] Her brown gold hair hanging in loose, heavy ringlets down her thin back. It's a fine day, I said to them. That's the arched and elegant eyebrow. Where's your menagerie of friends?


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[Assistant] I leveled a steely look back at her. Those friends have offered you shelter and comfort.


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[Assistant] And training or whatever Amarin was doing. Are you ready for tonight?


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[Assistant] Yes. Nesta merely resumed reading the book in her lap. Pure dismissal.


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[Assistant] I let out a little snort that I knew would make her see red, and strode for a lane. Nesta monitored my every step.


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[Assistant] Panther, readying to strike at the merest hint of danger.


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[Assistant] What are you looking at? I asked Delaine, keeping my voice soft, casual.


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[Assistant] Her face was wan, her lips bloodless, but they moved, barely, as she said, I can see so very far now, all the way to the sea. Indeed, the sea beyond the sidra was a distant sparkle. It takes some getting used to. I can hear your heartbeat if I listen carefully. I can hear her heartbeat too. You can learn to drown out those sounds that bother you.


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[Assistant] I had entirely on my own. I wonder if Nesta had as well or if they both suffered hearing each other's heartbeats day and night. I didn't look to my other sister to confirm it. Elaine's eyes at last slid to mine the first time she had done so.


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[Assistant] Even wasted away by grief and despair, Elaine's beauty was remarkable.


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[Assistant] Hers was a face that could bring kings to their knees and yet there was no joy in it. No light, no life. She said, I can hear the sea even at night, even in my dreams, the crashing sea and the screams of a bird made of fire.


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[Assistant] It was an effort not to glance to Nesta. Even the townhouse was too far to hear anything from the nearby coast. And as for some firebird, there is a garden in my other house. I said, I'd like for you to come tend it if you're willing.


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[Assistant] Elaine only turned toward the sunny windows again, the light dancing in her hair. Will I hear the earthworms writhing through the soil? Or the stretching of the roots? Will the bird of fire come to sit in the trees and watch me? I wasn't sure if I should answer. It was an effort to keep from shaking.


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[Assistant] But I thought Nesta's eye, noting the glimmer of pain on my eldest sister's face before it was hidden beneath that cool mask.


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[Assistant] There's a book I need you to help me find, Nesta," I said, giving a pointed stare to the stacks to my left. Far enough away for privacy, but close enough to remain nearby should Elaine need anything. Do anything.


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[Assistant] Something in my chest cracked as Nessa's eyes also went to the window before lane. To check, as I did, for whether they could be easily opened.


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[Assistant] Mercyfully, they were permanently sealed, likely to protect against some careless fool forgetting to close them and ruining the books. Likely Cassian.


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[Assistant] Nesta wordlessly set down her book and followed me into the small labyrinth of stacks, both of us keeping an ear on the main sitting area.


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[Assistant] When we were far enough away, I threw up a shield of hard wind around us keeping any sound inside. How did you get her to leave her room?


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[Assistant] I did it, Nesta said, leaning against a shelf and crossing her slim arms.


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[Assistant] I found her in here. She wasn't in bed when I woke. Nesta must have panicked upon finding a room empty. Did she eat anything?


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[Assistant] Now, I managed to get her to drink some broth last night. She refused anything else. She's been taking in those half riddles all day. I dragged a hand through my hair, bringing strands for my braid.


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[Assistant] Did anything happen to Trigger? I don't know. I check on her every few hours. That's the clincher jaw. Was gone for longer yesterday though. While she trained with Ameren.


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[Assistant] Rise and inform me by the end of it, Nesta's rudimentary shields were solid enough to amrendine my sister ready for tonight. But there, beneath that cool demeanor, guilt. Panic.


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[Assistant] I doubt anything happened, I said quickly. Maybe it's just...


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[Assistant] Part of the recovery process. Her adjustment to being fey?


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[Assistant] Nesta didn't look convinced. Does she have powers like mine? What exactly are those powers, Nesta? I don't know.


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[Assistant] Don't think so, unless this is the first sign of something manifesting.


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[Assistant] It was an effort not to add. If you talk about what went on in the cauldron, perhaps we'd have a better understanding of it. Let's give her a day or two, see what happens if she improves. Why not see now?


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[Assistant] Because we're going to the Hume city in a few hours. And you don't seem inclined to want us shoving into your business. I told her as evenly as I could. I doubt Elaine does too.


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[Assistant] Nesta stared me down, not a flicker of emotion on her face, and gave a curt nod. Well, at least she left the room. And the chair.


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[Assistant] We exchanged a rare calm glance, but then I said, why won't you train with Cassian? Nesta's spine locked up.


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[Assistant] Why is it only Kassian that I may train with? Why not the other one? Azrael? Him? Or the blonde one that won't shut up? If you're for referring to more...


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[Assistant] Why must I train at all? I'm no warrior, nor do I desire to be.


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[Assistant] Make you strong. There are many types of strength beyond the ability to wield a blade and end lives. Amaryn told me that yesterday. You said you wanted our enemies dead. Why not kill them yourself?


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[Assistant] And I snap my barrier of hard air down entirely at the thought of stalking footsteps. Then there's sudden halting.


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[Assistant] I gripped Nesta's arm to keep her still, just as Lucian's voice blurted, you, you left your room.


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[Assistant] Nesta bristled, teeth flashing. I gripped her harder and threw a new wall of air around us, holding her there.


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[Assistant] Weeks of cloistering Elaine had done nothing to approve her state. Perhaps the half riddles were proof of that. And even if Lucian was currently breaking the rules we had set,


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[Assistant] More steps. No doubt closer to where Elaine stood at the window. Is there anything I could get for you? I'd never heard my friend's voice so soft. So tentative and concerned.


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[Assistant] Perhaps it made me the lowest sort of wretch, but I cast my mind toward them. Toward him. And then, it's in his body. His head. Be thin. She must not be eating at all. How can she even stand?


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[Assistant] The thoughts flowed through his head one after another. His heart was a raging thunderous beat and he didn't dare move from his position a mere five feet away. She hadn't yet turned toward him, but the ravages of her fasting were evident enough. Utter. Smeller. Taster.


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[Assistant] The instincts were a running river. He fisted his hands at his sides. He hadn't expected her to be here.


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[Assistant] The other sister, the viper, was a possibility, but one he was willing to risk.


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[Assistant] Aside from talking to the shadow singer yesterday, which had been just about as unnerving as he'd expected, though Azrael seemed like a decent enough male. He'd been cooped up in this windblasted house for two days, the thought of another one had been enough to make him risk Risen's wrath. Just wanted a walk.


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[Assistant] Just Minda had been all laughter and mischief, too wild and free to be contained by the country life that she'd been born into. She had teased him, taunted him, seduced him so thoroughly that he hadn't wanted anything but her.


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[Assistant] She'd seen him not as a highlord's seventh son, but as a male. Had loved him without question, without hesitation. She had chosen him. Elaine had been... prone at him.


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[Assistant] He glanced toward the tea service spread on a low lying table nearby. Going to assume that one of those cups belonged to your sister.


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[Assistant] Indeed, there was a discarded book in the viper's usual chair. Cauldron helped the male who wound up shackled to her. You mind if I help myself to the other?


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[Assistant] Tried to sound so casual, comfortable, even as his heart raced and raced so swift he thought he might vomit on the very expensive, very old carpet.


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[Assistant] From Sangriva, if the patterns and rich dyes were any indication. Risen was many things, but he certainly had good taste.


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[Assistant] This entire place had been decorated with thought and elegance with a penchant for comfort over stuffiness.


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[Assistant] He didn't want to admit he liked it. Didn't want to admit that he found the city beautiful. That the circle of people who now claim to be Fyra's new family.


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[Assistant] It was what long ago he'd once thought life at Tamlin's court would be.


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[Assistant] Then it had been drawn, terrified, then utterly blank and numb, her hair plastered to his head, her lips blue with cold and shock, looking at her now. She was pale, yes, the vacancy still glazing her features, but he couldn't breathe as she faced him fully.


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[Assistant] She was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen. Betrayal. Queasy and oily. Slid through his veins. He'd said the same to Jesminda once. But even the shame washed through him. The words. The sense chanted. Mine. You're mine. I am yours, mate.


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[Assistant] Her eyes were the brown of a faun's coat, and he could have sworn something sparked in them as she met his gaze. Who are you?


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[Assistant] He knew without demanding clarification that she was aware of he, of what he was to her.


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[Assistant] I'm Lucian, seventh son of the High Lord of the Autumn Court, and a whole lot of nothing.


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[Assistant] He told the shadow singer all he knew of his surviving brothers, of his father, his mother. He kept some details irrelevant and utterly personal to himself.


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[Assistant] Everything else, his father's closest allies, the most conniving, courtiers and lords, he handed it over. Granted, it was dated by a few centuries, but in his time as emissary, from the information he'd gathered, not much had changed.


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[Assistant] It all acted the same under the mountain anyway, and after what had happened with his brothers a few days ago,


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[Assistant] There was no tinge of guilt when he told Azrael what he knew. None of what he felt when he looked toward the south, toward both of the courts he called home.


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[Assistant] For a long moment, Elaine's face did not shift, but those eyes seemed so, so focused a bit more.


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[Assistant] She said at last, and he clenched his teacup to keep from shuddering at the sound of his name on her mouth. From my sister's stories. Her friend. Yes. But Elaine blinked slowly. You were in Highburn. Yes. It was all I could say. Betrayed us.


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[Assistant] He wished she'd shoved him out of the window behind her. It was a mistake. Her eyes went frank and cold. It was to be married in a few days.


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[Assistant] He fought against the bristling rage, the irrational urge to find the male who claimed her and shred him apart. The words were a rasp as he had instead said, I know, I'm sorry. She did not love him. Want him, need him. Another male's bride, a mortal man's wife, or she would have been. She looked away toward the windows. I can hear your heart.


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[Assistant] She said quietly. He wasn't sure how to respond, so he said nothing and drained his tea even as it burned his mouth. When I sleep, she murmured, I can hear your heart beating through the stone.


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[Assistant] She angled her head as if the city view held some answer.


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[Assistant] He wasn't sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, no lady, not. Her tooth and shoulders seemed to curve inward. No one ever does. No one ever looked. Not really. A bramble of words, her voice strained to a whisper. He saw me. You will not know. Her thumb brushed the iron ring on her finger. Another male's ring, another marker that she was claimed. It was enough. I had listened enough, learned enough.


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[Assistant] Nesta was gaping at me, even as her face had leeched of color at every word uttered between them. Have you ever gone into my? No, I rasped.


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[Assistant] How she knew what I had done, I didn't want to ask. Not as I dropped the shield around us and headed for the sitting tea.


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[Assistant] I flashed Nesta, Glare, Abolution, Rose. I came for a book.


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[Assistant] Lucian didn't head for the stacks, he just went to the open doors. He paused right between them and said to me, to Nesta, she needs fresh air. We'll judge what she needs.


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[Assistant] I could have sworn his ruby hair gleamed like molten metal as his temper rose, but it faded, his rusted eye fixing on me. Take her to the sea. Take her to some garden. Get her out of this house for an hour or two. Then he walked away.


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[Assistant] I looked at my two sisters, hoisted up here, high above the world.


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[Assistant] You're moving into the townhouse right now, he said to them, dilution who paused in the dim hallway outside. Anesta, to my shock, did not object.


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[Assistant] Neither did rise when I sent my order down the bond, asking him, Cassian, and Azrael to help move them.


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[Assistant] No, my mate just promised to assign two bedrooms to my sisters down the hall, on the other side of the stairs, and a third for Lucian on our side of the hall, well away from Elaine's.


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[Assistant] 30 minutes later, Azrael carried Elaine down, my sister silent and unresponsive in his arms.


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[Assistant] Nessa had looked ready to walk off the balcony rather than let Cassian, already dressed and armed for guarding the townhouse tonight, hold her.


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[Assistant] So I nudged her towards Ryze, pushed Lucian towards Cassian, blew myself back. Or tried to, again.


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[Assistant] I soared for about half a minute, savoring the cleansing scream of the wind before my wings wobbled, my back strained and the fall became unbearably deadly.


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[Assistant] I windowed the rest of the way to the townhouse and adjusted vases and figurines in the sitting room while waiting for him. Asriel arrived fast.


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[Assistant] No shadows to be seen. My sister a pale, golden mass in his arms. He too. Or his Illyrian armor.


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[Assistant] Elaine's golden brown hair snagging in some of the black scales across his chest and shoulders.


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[Assistant] He set her down gently on the foyer carpet, having carried her in through the front door.


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[Assistant] But Elaine did not balk from him, did not shy away as she nodded. Just once.


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[Assistant] As real graceful as any courtier offered her an arm. I couldn't tell if she was looking at his blue siphon or at his scarred skin beneath that she said. Beautiful.


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[Assistant] Color bloomed high on Azrael's golden brown cheeks, but he inclined his head in thanks and led my sister toward the back doors into the garden, sunlight bathing them.


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[Assistant] A moment later, Nesta was stomping through the front door, her face a remarkable shade of green. I need a toilet.


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[Assistant] I met Ryza's stare as he prowled in behind her, hands in his pockets. What did you do?


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[Assistant] His brows shot up, but I wordlessly pointed Nesta toward the powder room beneath the stairs. She vanished, slamming the door behind her.


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[Assistant] Cassie and Lucian appeared, neither looking at the other, but Lucian's attention went right to the hallway toward the back, his nostrils flaring as he scented Elaine's direction and who she'd gone with. A low snarl slipped out of him.


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[Assistant] Relax, Ryze said. Ezreal isn't the ravishing type. Lucien cut him a glare. Mercifully or not.


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[Assistant] I asked him the same thing I said, crossing my arms. He said he went fast.


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[Assistant] Nesta vomited again, in silence. Cassie inside at the ceiling. She'll never fly again.


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[Assistant] The doorknob twisted and we tried, or at least Cassian and I did, not to seem like we'd been listening to her. Vanessa's face was still greenish pale, but her eyes burned.


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[Assistant] There was no way of describing that burning, and even painting it might have failed.


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[Assistant] Her eyes remain the same blue gray as my own and yet molten ore was all I could think of. Quicksilver set aflame.


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[Assistant] She advanced a step toward us, all her attention fixed on Ryze. Kassian casually stepped in her path, wings folded in tight, feet braced apart on the carpet, fighting stance. Casual, but his siphons glimmered.


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[Assistant] Do you know, Cassian drawled to her, that the last time I got into a brawl in this house, I was kicked out for a month.


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[Assistant] Nesta's burning gaze slid to him, still outraged but hinted with incredulity.


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[Assistant] But the burning, molten gaze became mortal, or as mortal as one of us could be. Until Lucian breathed, What are you?


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[Assistant] Nesta's gaze flicked to the carpet, then to a spot on the wall. I wished to go to my room. It took a moment to realize she'd spoken to me. I cleared my throat. Up the stairs, on your right, second door, or the third, whichever suits you. The other's for Elaine.


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[Assistant] We need to leave in, squinted at the clock in the sitting room, two hours. A shallow nod was our only acknowledgement and thanks.


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[Assistant] We watched as she headed up the steps, her lavender gown trailing after her, one slender hand braced on the trail, or the rail.


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[Assistant] I'm sorry, Ryze called up after her, her hand tightened on the rail, the whites of her knuckles poking through her pale skin, but she didn't say anything as she continued on.


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[Assistant] Is that sort of thing even possible? Cassian murmured when the door to her room had shut. For someone to take from the cauldron's essence?


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[Assistant] It would seem so. Ryze Muse then said to Lucian, the flame in her eyes was not of your usual sort, I take it. Lucian shook his head. No.


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[Assistant] I held Ryze's gaze as if it were again the tether that had kept me in this world. I think the power is death.


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[Assistant] Casting gave him a solemn nod, but Ryze rubbed his jaw away, thinking that he simply said, only Nestor would not just conquer death, but pillage it.


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[Assistant] No wonder she didn't wish to speak to anyone about it. Didn't wish to bear witness on our behalf. It had been mere seconds for us while she'd gone under.


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[Assistant] I had never asked either of my sisters how long it had been for them, inside the cauldron.


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[Assistant] Azrael knows you're watching. Rise drawled from where he stood before the mirror in our bedroom, adjusting the lapels of his back jacket.


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[Assistant] The townhouse was a quiet flurry of activity as we prepared to leave.


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[Assistant] Morrin Amarin had arrived half an hour ago, the former heading for the sitting room, the latter bearing a dress for my sister.


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[Assistant] I didn't dare ask Amarin to see what she selected for Nesta training.


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[Assistant] Amara had said days ago, there were magical objects in the Court of Nightmares that my sister could study tonight while we were occupied with Keir.


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[Assistant] I wondered if the Ouroboros was one of them, and made a note to ask Amron what she knew of the mirror the Carver so badly desired. Which I'd somehow have to convince Keir to part with tonight.


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[Assistant] Lucien had offered to make himself useful while we were gone by reading through some of the texts now piled on the tables throughout the sitting room.


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[Assistant] Amarin had only grunted at the offer, which I told Lucian amounted to yes.


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[Assistant] Cassian was already on the route, casually sharpening his blades. I'd asked him if nine swords were really necessary, and he merely told me that it didn't hurt to be prepared.


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[Assistant] And then if I had enough time to question him, then I should have enough time to do another workout. I'd quickly left throwing a vulgar gestures.


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[Assistant] My hair, still damp from the bath I'd just taken. I slid my heavy earrings through my lobes and peered out our bedroom window, monitoring the garden below.


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[Assistant] Elaine sat silently at one of the wrought iron tables, a cup of tea before her.


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[Assistant] Uh, across the gray stones, sunning his wings and reading look to be a stack of reports, likely information on the autumn court that he planned to present to rise once he'd sorted through it all.


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[Assistant] I'm serious, I turn toward him and cross my arms. What decides it? Who decides it?


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[Assistant] Rise strained as lapels before plucking an invisible piece of lint from them. Faith. The mother. The cauldron swirling eddies. Rise.


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[Assistant] He watched me in the reflection of the mirror as I strode for my amoir, flinging open the doors to yank out the dress I selected. Scraps of shimmering black.


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[Assistant] A slightly more modest version of what I'd worn to the court of nightmares months ago. You said your mother and father were wrong for each other. Tamlin said his own parents were wrong for each other.


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[Assistant] I peeled off my dressing robe. So it can't be a perfect system of matching. What if?


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[Assistant] I jerk my chin toward the window to my sister and the shadow singer in the garden. That is what she needs.


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[Assistant] Is there no free will? What if Lucian wishes the Union but she doesn't? A mating bond can't be rejected.


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[Assistant] Bryce said mildly, eyes flickering in the mirror as he drank in every inch of bare skin I had on display.


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[Assistant] There is choice. And sometimes, yes. Fawn picks poorly. Sometimes. Fawn does nothing more than some. Reordained, I guess.


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[Assistant] Work, uh, who will provide the strongest offspring.


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[Assistant] At its basis level, it's perhaps only that.


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[Assistant] Some natural function, not an indication of true paired souls.


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[Assistant] A smile at me, at the rareness perhaps of what we had.


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[Assistant] For the females. It's usually easier to ignore, but the males, it can drive them mad.


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[Assistant] It is their burden to fight through, but some believe they are entitled to the female. Even after the bond is rejected, they see her as belonging to them.


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[Assistant] Sometimes they return to challenge the male she chooses for herself. Sometimes it ends in death. It is savage and it is ugly. It mercifully does not happen often, but...


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[Assistant] Many mated pairs will try to make it work, believing the cauldron selected them for a reason.


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[Assistant] Only years later will they realize that perhaps the pairing was not ideal. In spirit.


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[Assistant] I scrounged up the jeweled dark belt from an armoire drawer and slung it low over my hips.


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[Assistant] So you're saying she could walk away and Lucian would have free reign to kill whoever she wishes to be with?


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[Assistant] Rise turned from the mirror at last, his dark clothes pristine, cut perfectly to his body. No winks tonight.


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[Assistant] Not free reign. Not on my lands. It's been illegal in our territory for a long, long time for males to do that. Even before I was born. Other courts? No.


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[Assistant] On the continent, there are territories that believe the females literally belong to their mate. But not here.


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[Assistant] Balloon would have our full protection if she rejects the bond.


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[Assistant] I pulled out a pair of sandals that laced up my bare thighs and jammed my feet into them before beginning work on the bindings. You know better than I do, but I'll say that Lucian is loyal, fiercely so. So is Asriel. Asriel, Ryze said.


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[Assistant] Has been preoccupied with the same female for the past 500 years.


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[Assistant] Wouldn't the mating bond have snapped into place for them if it exists?


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[Assistant] Right as eyes shuddered, I think that is a question Azrael's been asking himself every day since he met Moore. He sighed as I finished one foot and started on another.


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[Assistant] Am I allowed to request that you not play matchmaker? Let them sort it out. I rose, bracing my hands on my hips. I would never meddle in someone else's affairs.


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[Assistant] He only raised a brow in Silent Challenge, and I knew precisely what he referred to.


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[Assistant] My gut tightened as I took a seat at the vanity and began braiding my hair into a cornet on top of my head.


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[Assistant] I needed to be sure that he wasn't about to try and grab her to sell us out. He handed me another. And did you get an answer to that? We worked in unison, pinning my hair into place. I think so. It wasn't just about what he thought. It was the feeling. I sense no ill will, no conniving. Only concern for her and sorrow, longing shook my head. Do I tell him what I did?


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[Assistant] I just pin- pinned a hard to reach section of my hair.


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[Assistant] You have to deem whether the cost is worth us, eh, as to aging your guilt.


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[Assistant] The cost being Lucian's tentative trust in me, this place, crossed the line. What you did to ensure the safety of people you love. Didn't realize, trailed off shaking my head again. He squeezed my shoulder. Didn't realize what? Shrugged, slouching on the cushioned stool, that it could be so complicated. My face warmed. I know that sounds terribly naive.


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[Assistant] It's always complicated and it never gets easier no matter how many centuries I've been doing it. I pushed around the extra hair pins on the vanity the second time I've gone into his mind and say it's the last to be done with it.


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[Assistant] I blinked, lifting my head. I painted my lips in the shade of red so dark it was nearly black, and they now pressed into a thin line. He clarified, what's done is done. Agonizing over it won't change anything. He realized it was the line you didn't like crossing, so you won't make that mistake again. I shifted to my seat. Would you have done it?


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[Assistant] Price considered, yes. And I would have felt just as guilty afterward.


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[Assistant] Hearing that subtle, something deep down, I nodded once. Twice.


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[Assistant] You want to make yourself feel a little better, he added. Lucian did technically violate the rules we set, so you were entitled to look into his mind, only to ensure the safety of your sister. He crossed the line first. That thing deep in me eased a bit more. You're right. And it was done.


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[Assistant] I watched rise in the mirror as a dark crown appeared in his hands, the one of Raven's feathers that I'd seen him wear. Or its feminine twin.


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[Assistant] The tiara, which he gently, reverently set before the braid we'd pinned into place atop my head. The original crown. It appeared atop Ryza's head a moment later.


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[Assistant] Together we stared at our reflection. Lord and Lady Knight. Ready to be wicked.


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[Assistant] He purred into my ear. My toes curled at the caress in that voice, at the memory of the last time we'd gone to the Court of Nightmares, how I'd sat in his lap where his fingers had drifted.


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[Assistant] I rose from the bench facing him fully. His hands skimmed the bare skin along my ribs.


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[Assistant] Between my breasts. Down the outside of my thighs. Oh, he'd remembered too.


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[Assistant] This time, I breathed kissing the tendril of tattoo that peaked just above the collar of Ryza's black jacket. I get to make your bag. And that, my friends, was the end of chapter 24. Woo! Okay, now we're getting somewhere. We are getting somewhere.


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[Assistant] Let's go. We had, that was a lot of talking. Uh, I apologize for the longer chapter. Uh, but I, I guess, I guess it makes sense. A lot of this needed to come out before we went to the Court of Nightmares. And I'm just glad we didn't like, exactly go to the Court of Nightmares with this long chapter. Uhm.


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[Assistant] But again, I am getting a, I'm trying not to hate too much, I'm trying to bring this into the eye of world building, but it does seem like there is a lot of, uh, what would you call it, like, a lot of addiction right now of,


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[Assistant] Stuff happening and people discussing things with each other, and I get that you kind of need to make it more human and stuff, but I felt like, I felt like a, you know, a lot, a lot that,


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[Assistant] Has already been said that they're kinda like saying to each other again?


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[Assistant] But again, I am not, I'm not a person that writes a story. I have no idea of how to build a world or anything like that. And I think.


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[Assistant] That these long sections, these long sections that create that diction that


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[Assistant] That kind of like back and forth between characters creates the bond that we ourselves are learning about in this book, you know? Everyone's gotta bond with each other and they've gotta like...


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[Assistant] Understand how everyone works in a way and we're getting little bits of backstory, but there's a lot of characters. So every person has to give their little piece of backstory. And I'm going to stop giving my backstory at the end of this and let y'all enjoy the rest of your day. So stay beautiful, stay hydrated, and we will see you in the next chapter. Bye.


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[Assistant] America is voting on its future. The wealthiest New Yorkers too.


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[Assistant] New York was hit hardest by the pandemic and the poorest worst affected.


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[Assistant] Eight months, one city, three worlds. The city's upper, middle and lower classes. This film shows an idealised city traumatised while taking a look behind New York's glittering facades and lays bare one of America's biggest failings, inequality.


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[Assistant] Spring 2020 and actor Kevin Smith Kirkwood takes a walk on Broadway.


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[Assistant] Theaters are closed. He and his colleagues are out of work.


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[Assistant] New York confirmed its first coronavirus case on March 1st. Two weeks later, the city started going into lockdown.


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[Assistant] But by the end of the month, the US metropolis had become an epicentre of the global pandemic.


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[Assistant] Sirens. The only sound to break the silence in a city usually pulsing with life.


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[Assistant] New York's world-famous theater district Broadway closed quickly.


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[Assistant] In a normal year it would attract millions of visitors.


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[Assistant] It's where Kevin had fulfilled his lifelong ambition to become an actor and singer. An ambition he reached despite the odds.


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[Assistant] His breakthrough came with the award-winning musical Kinky Boots, which saw Kevin also dress up as a woman.


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[Assistant] He was finally on the verge of his own directorial debut at a small theatre outside New York.


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[Assistant] A few blocks away from Broadway, Tiffany's on Fifth Avenue.


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[Assistant] That's where Emerita Ramoon works, or did, until March.


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[Assistant] Emerita lives in a high-rise in the South Bronx, New York's poorest borough. Tiffany's gift boxes remain empty.


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[Assistant] Emma Rita pays $1,300 for a two-room apartment. A rent that was manageable while she still had a job.


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[Assistant] Emerita's parents came to New York as Latin American immigrants.


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[Assistant] And ended up somewhere that couldn't be further from the affluent center of Manhattan.


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[Assistant] Now the dream is over. Emma Rita no longer has her job.


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[Assistant] She has to send her children to stay with other family members because money is so short.


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[Assistant] Father Ian became a multi-millionaire at the luxury goods brand Coach. Today he is an independent director for the shoe company Crocs and a board member of the cosmetics firm Natura.


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[Assistant] For some, quarantine outfits are the in thing.


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[Assistant] By April, New York is experiencing days that will deeply scar the city's collective memory. Under lockdown, anyone who can stay at home does so.


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[Assistant] As many as 800 people a day are dying in the city's hospitals.


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[Assistant] Bodies have to be stored in refrigerator trucks behind the clinics.


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[Assistant] Why was the city so badly affected? And who was the pandemic affecting worst?


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[Assistant] Although this divide existed in the city long before the pandemic, it has now become a matter of life and death. New York.


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[Assistant] With its 8.4 million inhabitants, five boroughs, all divided into unequal neighbourhoods. There are parts of Manhattan where almost everyone is white.


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[Assistant] But that's not the case in the Bronx, where people of colour are the majority.


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[Assistant] In New York, there's a close correlation between skin color and income.


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[Assistant] Residents in the poorest parts of the Bronx and Queens are mostly black or Latino, and it's here that most New Yorkers are dying of the coronavirus. Health is a luxury not everyone can afford.


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[Assistant] Unrest and looting overshadow the peaceful protests at racism and social injustice.


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[Assistant] For Emerita Maroon, racism is an all too familiar part of life.


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[Assistant] She knows the chance of catching COVID-19 in this district is much higher than in Manhattan.


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[Assistant] Within a kilometre radius of Emerita's house in the South Bronx, 10% of residents define themselves as white.


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[Assistant] The average annual household income is just shy of $27,000. Almost half the residents here live in poverty or are at risk of poverty.


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[Assistant] Before the pandemic, 13% were unemployed.


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[Assistant] It's June and Emerita hardly leaves her apartment. She's waiting and hoping for a job and to see her sons. One of them is spending lockdown with his father. The other son is with Emerita's mother. Emerita herself couldn't afford to feed them all.


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[Assistant] That Mexican nail designer Alicia is on a house visit today.


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[Assistant] She's prepared to take the health risk in order to earn that kind of money. For the Bickley family, work doesn't entail a health risk.


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[Assistant] The virus reaches the Hamptons in April but arrives more slowly than in New York City.


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[Assistant] Within a kilometre radius around the Bickley home, 90% of residents define themselves as white.


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[Assistant] Around 2.6% live close to or below the poverty line.


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[Assistant] At the peak of the crisis, seven times more people were dying in New York than in the Hamptons.


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[Assistant] So how do society's more privileged members deal with such social injustice during a deadly pandemic? Is it okay to carry on showing off one's wealth?


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[Assistant] Kevin lives for performing, but now his life is an intermission. An actor and singer without any earnings, and perhaps more importantly, without a stage. Although, not exactly.


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[Assistant] For Kevin, church has taken the place of the theatre.


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[Assistant] Religion is an anchor for Kevin, especially now.


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[Assistant] After church, back in Queens. Kevin's Neighborhood, Astoria.


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[Assistant] In the one kilometre area around Kevin's apartment, 74% of residents define themselves as white.


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[Assistant] The average annual household income is around $74,000.


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[Assistant] 11% live around or below the poverty line.


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[Assistant] The number of coronavirus cases here in April was around 40% below the New York City average.


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[Assistant] Emerita Ramoon doesn't feel at all safe in the Bronx, but now she's got something to look forward to.


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[Assistant] Her youngest son Isaac is coming home in four days time.


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[Assistant] It's June, and after almost three months of total lockdown, New York cautiously begins to open up again.


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[Assistant] Some businesses like hairdressers are allowed to reopen under certain conditions.


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[Assistant] At the same time, the effect the pandemic has had on New York is becoming clear.


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[Assistant] Unemployment has risen to above 20%, almost the level it was at the time of the Great Depression.


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[Assistant] Our research shows that in May, one million New Yorkers were suddenly left without work.


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[Assistant] The number of people who could no longer afford to feed themselves doubled to over 2 million. A crisis already existed. The coronavirus exacerbated it.


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[Assistant] By early May, almost a quarter of New York's uptown apartments are empty.


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[Assistant] It's July the 1st, not far from the Bickley residence.


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[Assistant] The protesters are demanding that instead of punishing the poor, the city should tax its billionaires.


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[Assistant] The protest doesn't make it as far as the Bickley family's house. Ian will be prepared to pay higher taxes. He tries to play his part.


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[Assistant] He's become a mentor to people like James, his former intern who's just finished college.


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[Assistant] For Sophie, the everyday life of an influencer doesn't stop because of the coronavirus.


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[Assistant] In Southampton, shopping is allowed again with a mask.


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[Assistant] In this bastion of the ultra-rich, there's barely a sign of the catastrophe ravaging other parts of the country.


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[Assistant] Kevin is putting on a performance in his own front room.


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[Assistant] It's part of a theatre project that combines monologues and dance, documenting New Yorkers' experiences of the pandemic. The director gives instructions via conference call.


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[Assistant] Dance might help Kevin process the experiences of the past few months, but it won't earn him much money.


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[Assistant] It's August and in New York, case numbers have fallen significantly. Even the Rockefeller Center is open to visitors again. Kevin has to dig into his savings because there are no more subsidies available.