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[Assistant] It would be more appropriate to replace the man with number 76. Of course, Yorko was simply thinking about it.


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[Assistant] After all, the black letter did not belong to him and 4,000 gold royals were far more than Otto's budget.


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[Assistant] Spending an additional amount of money privately would probably cause a fallout with the Lewashi family, which was one of the three families.


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[Assistant] After entering the cave, Yuriko realized that most of the channels were naturally formed and the light of the torch seemed brighter due to the narrow terrain.


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[Assistant] Moreover, the dark sky could be faintly seen through many of the shafts at the top of the cave.


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[Assistant] The crisscrossing paths led into the deeper limestone caves where some were already transformed into hotels, while others were hung with barrel signs, just like an underground town.


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[Assistant] You can simply pass the invitation letter to me before you leave the underground. After you confirm the goods are fine, number 76 said with a smile, I'll complete the rest of the procedures for you.


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[Assistant] You can also visit our pub, casino and hot tub.


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[Assistant] Black Money provides any services, both for fun and relaxation. Is all the money written down in the black letter? Yes. What if someone wants to buy the guide?


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[Assistant] You just need to pay 500 gold royals to black money. Number 76 smoothly answered as if she was accustomed to such questions and asked, Sir, do you wanna buy me?


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[Assistant] Getting along is not about how long we've spent together, but how much fun we've got. Yorko avoided the question and said, What do you think? You're right. She chuckled. Anyway, may I see what you look like?


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[Assistant] No way, number 76 shook her head and said, unless you buy the guide, the guide isn't allowed to privately take off their mask. It's the rule of black money. But you mentioned that you can provide any services.


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[Assistant] Of course, number 76 touched her red lips and flirtatiously said, It doesn't hinder me from serving you, sir. Yorko felt even more excited. We're here. This is your room.


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[Assistant] Number 76 brought him to a wooden door at the end of the cave carved with number 76, the same as her number. The room is divided into the inner room and outer room. I'll sleep in the outer room tonight. You can call me whenever you need anything.


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[Assistant] Yorko lifted his eyebrows and asked after he opened the door, This is the outer room?


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[Assistant] The cave was narrower in the front and wider at the back, and the outer room was only big enough to accommodate one person.


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[Assistant] It was probably similar to sleeping in a stable, as the ground was only covered with a layer of wheat straw.


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[Assistant] After all, it's difficult to find a suitable room under the ground.


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[Assistant] The guide indifferently waved and opened the second room door for him. Additionally, the inner room was not spacious either.


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[Assistant] Yurko saw the witch he bought from the auction once he walked into the house.


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[Assistant] She was firmly cuffed by the iron hoops on the wall with both her arms and legs open wide while her mouth was stuffed with a piece of clean white silk. She struggled with fear once she saw that someone walking in.


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[Assistant] He was immediately scolding black money in his heart while twitching his lips twice.


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[Assistant] He thought that the house was at least divided into several compartments with a cage especially used to imprison the slaves, but it turned out to be so shabby.


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[Assistant] How could I enjoy a long night with number 76 in this case? Performing a live porn in front of a witch? Give me a break. It'll be even worse than directly doing anything to her.


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[Assistant] Yorko frowned even deeper when he thought of Otto's order to earn the witch's trust. Does black money have other rooms?


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[Assistant] I mean those with extra charges, he helplessly asked.


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[Assistant] Considering some of the customers have higher requirements of the room, we also offer the semi-open houses which are closer to the ground and rooms next to the underground river.


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[Assistant] The way that businessmen make money was indeed outrageous. How much is the cheapest room? Three gold royals per night.


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[Assistant] This price is enough to pay for a half a month stay at the hotel in the inner city of the King's City.


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[Assistant] However, this amount is nothing as compared to 4,000 gold royals. Ado Luwashi shouldn't mind. Consider it as a processing fee.


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[Assistant] You go out and wait for me for a moment. He pondered for a while and said, I have something to talk to the witch about. I'll call you when I'm done.


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[Assistant] Yes, sir, number 76 said respectfully and left the room.


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[Assistant] As Yoruko took off his coat and walked toward the witch, she struggled even harder and looked terrified.


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[Assistant] As long as you don't make any noise, no one is going to hurt you. Everything will be fine. Please nod twice if you understand.


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[Assistant] The witch stopped struggling and stared at Yoruko for a long while as if she could not believe what she had just heard.


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[Assistant] The ambassador had to repeat it as softly and slowly as possible.


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[Assistant] The witch was very beautiful, but the childish little girl was really not his cup of tea. She finally nodded this time.


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[Assistant] Yoruko was relieved and he reached out to remove the silk cloth from the witch's mouth. Who are you? she asked after coughing slightly.


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[Assistant] Someone who has come to save you. Yurko sat down on the bed and asked, Do you have a name?


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[Assistant] Amy, she paused and said, Why don't you release me if you're here to save me? What if you run away?


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[Assistant] I don't have another 4,000 gold royals to buy you again if you get caught. Yurko opened his arms and said, you'd better be chained for safety and it'll prevent raising any suspicion. I'll set you free tomorrow after we leave, okay? Really? Amy suspiciously asked. She's so gullible.


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[Assistant] No wonder she was discovered and reported, he quietly thought. She's lucky to bump into me this time.


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[Assistant] Not only that, I'll introduce you to a place where the witches gather. There are a lot of companions waiting for you.


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[Assistant] You don't have to keep hiding. Yoruko stood up and said, So, you just need to patiently wait until tomorrow. Do you understand? Hold on, where are you going? I'm going to enjoy a sweet night, of course. He grinned.


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[Assistant] When Yorko was just about to call for number 76, there was a sudden noise in the outer room along with the noise of heavy items muffling.


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[Assistant] It happened very quickly and the outer room returned to silence after a few seconds. He probingly asked, but no one answered.


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[Assistant] Yorko was not sure what had happened outside, but it definitely would not be good.


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[Assistant] Is black money not supposed to be a regular auction organized by the powerful local businessmen except for the goods being illegal? He cursed Otto for 10,000 times in his heart.


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[Assistant] The auction price was first wrongly estimated and now someone is coming for me. I wouldn't have agreed with him if I knew it would turn out like this.


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[Assistant] Yorko looked around and tried to find something to defend himself, but there were no weapons in the room except for some tools to torture the slave.


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[Assistant] At this moment, someone pushed open the door and nipped in.


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[Assistant] Yurko knelt on the ground without any hesitation and said, Please spare my life. I'll give you anything you want.


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[Assistant] However, the person did not stop but pounced towards him.


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[Assistant] After he finished saying, he subconsciously held his head down and leaned to one side, hoping to dodge the attack. No, Annie! Amy shouted at the same time.


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[Assistant] The cold wind that swept by his cheeks suddenly stopped along with Amy's voice. Yorko tilted his head and noticed that it was a wooden stick, which looked like it was broken off from the chair.


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[Assistant] He would probably immediately pass out if he was really beaten.


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[Assistant] You've been cheated again, Amy, she said while shaking her head.


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[Assistant] She was really the one who was bidding with Yoruko as she knew the auction price so clearly.


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[Assistant] However, how could she recognize Yoruko and follow them all the way to the room number 76 when everywhere else was dark other than the bright displaying booth in the limestone cave?


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[Assistant] Yorko knew that it was about his life and his persuasion this time would be for himself instead of his old friends or damn Otto. I didn't lie to her.


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[Assistant] I'm the ambassador of Greycastle, and saving the witch is the king's order. Ambassador of Greycastle.


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[Assistant] Yorko knew that this approach worked when the hand that was holding him down from the back slightly shook. Yes, have you heard of Roland Wimbledon?


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[Assistant] The fourth son of King Wimbledon III, King of Greycastle, who's especially kind to the witches.


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[Assistant] He firmly believes that there are no differences between the witches and ordinary people, and he even fought against the church in order to allow the witches to freely live in his domain. These are all true, I swear.


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[Assistant] Annie might not know who was Roland, but the news that the church was defeated by the Kingdom of Greycastle and Cold Wind Ridge was indeed well known among the people in the city of Glow.


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[Assistant] He even knew that the news was spread by Hill Fox and his assistants.


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[Assistant] The church had always been the greatest enemy of witches. It was likely that whoever defeated the church would win the witch's kindness and respect for whatever reasons.


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[Assistant] The hand that was holding him down on his back was a lot more relaxed as expected.


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[Assistant] And then he had been turned over and pulled up from the bed. Yorko could only see the attacker's appearance now. Annie.


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[Assistant] Was probably a woman, but she looked extremely handsome and her body was exceptionally burly even when it was covered by a cope.


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[Assistant] Both her dashing eyebrows were slightly pointing upwards and her narrow eyes looked energetic.


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[Assistant] It'll be even more dangerous if she doesn't believe me and sneaks out. Where are you going to take her?


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[Assistant] Annie, who was obviously not as easily persuaded as Amy, was doubting Yorko's statement. Giving her to the King of the Kingdom of Grey Castle? Of course, not. He quickly changed his words after saying halfway, My old friend doesn't treat witches as slaves.


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[Assistant] There were a lot of witches living in his domain like the normal people and they even formed an organization to specialize in protecting the witch's right. Enough! Annie angrily interrupted. Yorko quickly shut his mouth. He heard all these from Hill when they were talking.


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[Assistant] He heard that his majesty curbed the disease spread by the church with the witch's help during the outbreak of demonic plague in the King's city.


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[Assistant] It was obviously a good thing, but Yuriko was not sure why Annie did not look so happy about it.


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[Assistant] It sounds just like the blood thing association. Annie coldly said they used to promote themselves in this way as well. Blood, what? Yorko startled, but his heart sensed something wrong.


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[Assistant] Witches can only believe as themselves, not the noble's promises.


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[Assistant] She scanned the room and quickly found the key hanging on the wall. Wait, are you bringing her with you? It's underground here. Don't you see the guards outside the cave when you came in? How are you going to get out? You don't have to worry about it. I have my way. Annie unlocked and released Amy.


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[Assistant] After that, she grabbed Yoruko and walked one of his foot on the verval. You really don't want to think about it.


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[Assistant] Yoruko got bolder when he realized that Annie was not trying to kill him.


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[Assistant] He was trying to convince her for the last time while he obediently let Annie locked him up.


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[Assistant] It's more appropriate for me to bring her out, and I'll give her to you when we leave the courtyard.


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[Assistant] It'll neither easily raise any suspicion nor causing any problem in this case.


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[Assistant] It does sound great, but it's also possible that I'll be welcomed by swords and god stone instead. Annie remained unmoved and said, I had made a big mistake because of my credulity before and it won't happen again.


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[Assistant] After Yorko was firmly locked, Annie dragged number 76 inches.


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[Assistant] She tied both her hands to her back and locked one of her foot as well. Why didn't you kill her?


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[Assistant] He could see the blood stain on number 70 SIXS head, who was apparently badly beaten up and still currently unconscious.


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[Assistant] However, she was still alive judging from the slight movements of her chest.


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[Assistant] It'll not be too late for me to kill both of you after I rescue Amy. Annie's words made Yorko shivered.


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[Assistant] But I'll not kill you now as we perhaps owed the King of the Kingdom of Grey Castle a thank for defeating the Church. However, it doesn't mean that I'll believe him unconditionally. I'll bring your words to His Majesty.


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[Assistant] Besides, you can come to the embassy to look for me if you need any assistance.


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[Assistant] Of course, it's best not to as we can also save a lot of effort. Yorko quietly thought to himself, and it may be for the better as I've tried my best.


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[Assistant] Even my old friend can't blame me as I can't force them if they're not willing to go to the Kingdom of Grey Castle.


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[Assistant] Annie turned around and stared at him for a long while before she carried Amy and left the room.


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[Assistant] Yorko pushed number 76 with the other foot, but the latter was completely irresponsible.


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[Assistant] After such unexpected turns, he found himself surprisingly calm.


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[Assistant] The underground auction, the 4,000 gold royals he wasted on a witch, the public attention he drew, and then the attack of the witches.


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[Assistant] Over one night, he experienced more than he had ever experienced during the past 20 some years of his life. Hm.


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[Assistant] This thrilling and stimulating feeling seems not to be as bad as I imagined.


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[Assistant] Of course, Yoruko would never agree to experience it once again. He had a fitful night.


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[Assistant] It was already noon the following day, by the time they were found by a servant of the black money.


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[Assistant] Ben Yorko was quickly transferred to a spacious and comfortable room.


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[Assistant] Not only was he served soft bread and freshly squeezed juice by the servants, but he was checked by the maids from head to heels as well, even including his manhood between his legs.


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[Assistant] Also at his request, Otto Lewashi, who had been anxiously waiting outside, was taken into the limestone cave. What happened?


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[Assistant] As soon as Otto saw the ambassador, he asked eagerly, I heard that you got injured. I need a private minute with this gentleman.


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[Assistant] Yoruko dismissed the servants sent by black money before describing the whole story in detail. I was almost killed because of you. It was so close. I nearly lost my life.


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[Assistant] Fortunately, they found I was so kind and tender to the witch that I bought at the auction.


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[Assistant] If it were someone else, he would certainly be dead and cold now.


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[Assistant] Complaining had been an ace up his sleeve, which brought him good fortune in the kingdom of Grey Castle for many years.


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[Assistant] Even if he could not get any practical benefits, at least he could make others feel guilty or sympathetic for him, which he might take advantage of in the future.


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[Assistant] Otto seemed to be so worried now, so he would certainly do something to compensate him.


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[Assistant] As expected, Otto appeared very uneasy and said, this happened due to my negligence. I will certainly compensate for it after we go back. What about the 4000 gold royals? The witch escaped from your room.


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[Assistant] That's the territory of black money, so I guess they won't charge you for the auction. Then didn't you save a lot of money?


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[Assistant] Yorko teased, you saved the witch, and at the same time made good use of the black letter.


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[Assistant] The black letters will be remade for each exhibition, so I can't say it's wasted or not. Otto forced a smile and said, but it did save us the gold royals.


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[Assistant] Yorko suddenly remembered what number 76 had whispered in his ear.


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[Assistant] You just need to pay 500 gold royals to black money. Sir, do you wanna buy me?


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[Assistant] Compared to 4,000, 500 seemed to be a more reasonable number.


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[Assistant] Perhaps he could let Auto pay again as the compensation for the shock he experienced.


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[Assistant] Yorko cleared his throat and prepared to speak when the bedroom door was pushed open.


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[Assistant] A man with a silver mask came, accompanied by two attendants.


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[Assistant] He appeared to be quite old, as his dark brown hair was mixed with white hair.


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[Assistant] He wore a loose silk robe with a particularly eye catching black dragon head logo on his chest. I'm in charge of the exhibition.


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[Assistant] You can call me Silver Mask, he said with a slight bow. Black Money apologizes for what happened to you. Fortunately, you were not injured in the accident.


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[Assistant] We have begun to investigate how the witch fled, and we'll inform you once we found her whereabouts.


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[Assistant] We won't deduct the payment from the black letter unless you still want the witch when we capture her. Ahem. I see, Yoruko cleared his throat.


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[Assistant] After all, he, instead of Ado Luwashi, was the one who bought the witch, so he had to continue to feign his interest in her. Don't give her to anyone except me. The 10th round will always be valid. As you wish.


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[Assistant] By the way, I wonder how the attacker got in the exhibition. These villains hijacked other visiting guests.


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[Assistant] At an outskir house, we have found two other victims who were robbed of the black letter, Silver Mask replied. More than one villain? Yes, this was a premeditated act, he nodded.


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[Assistant] No, she fled after hearing that I was the ambassador of Grey Castle.


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[Assistant] Yorko shrugged and said, hasn't the black money ever thought of a more reliable way of checking the identity?


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[Assistant] If anyone can enter just by an invitation letter, I am afraid it is not the first time that this kind of thing happened.


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[Assistant] You're definitely right, said Silver Mask with laughter, but it's also the charm of black money.


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[Assistant] Compared to the risk, people prefer to get their favorite goods without revealing their identity.


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[Assistant] Of course, when issuing black letter, we will carefully consider our clients, including how much they care about the black letter and their ability to keep it.


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[Assistant] I remember there were many guards in the passage from the cave to the yard, and she could not possibly get out while carrying an injured witch.


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[Assistant] Is it possible that they are still hiding somewhere in the cave, waiting until you're off guard? Silver Mask shook his head. They crept out of the vent.


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[Assistant] Several iron bars were burned, which should be caused by a witch's ability. So this is the escaping route prepared by Annie.


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[Assistant] And it seemed that more than one which participated in this rescue. Otto did everything for nothing.


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[Assistant] In that case, there's nothing you can do about it, said Yurko. He then pretended to ask casually, how's my guide now? She'll be severely punished by black money.


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[Assistant] As a guide, it's her responsibility to protect her distinguished guests. She's no longer qualified for this position. Can I see her? Do you mean, you want to punish her personally? No, Yorko looked at Otto. I want to buy her.


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[Assistant] Silver Mask nodded after a moment of silence. I see.


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[Assistant] Since she can no longer be a guide, it's a better choice to give her to you.


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[Assistant] Just take it as the compensation of black money for this accident. Silver Mask bowed again and said, I hope we can meet here again.


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[Assistant] Chapter 655. In the depth of the limestone cave.


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[Assistant] Holding the stone of lighting, Banach Lothar walked step by step toward the depth of the black money.


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[Assistant] It was such a steep ramp that he had to stumble along it even with the help of his servants. I finally become old. Sadness suddenly appeared in his heart.


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[Assistant] Since he was 20, he had taken over the family business and had created a giant chamber of commerce which was rich and powerful.


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[Assistant] His struggle and excitement during those years were beyond description.


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[Assistant] Even if he only received an honorary title as a knight, his reputation and status were not lower than that of the three noble families in the Kingdom of Dawn.


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[Assistant] However, it did not mean that his great achievement could be passed down to future generations.


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[Assistant] In fact, as the scale of the Chamber of Commerce continued to expand, the foundation was already at stake.


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[Assistant] In those days, in order to consolidate the strength of the Chamber of Commerce, many large businessmen, even the upper noble, were invited to join the Chamber.


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[Assistant] Banach had five sons and one daughter, among whom the most outstanding one was his fourth son, Viktor Lothar.


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[Assistant] Even though he was only 21 years old, he had shown extraordinary business talents.


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[Assistant] But at this age, he could not overpower those crafty partners yet.


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[Assistant] The Chamber of Commerce was not the private property of the Lothars. Therefore, if he forced them to accept Victor to take over his position, he was afraid that he would face strong oppositions.


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[Assistant] By that time, the Chamber of Commerce would be broken into pieces, and what was worse, his children might lose their lives.


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[Assistant] What if he abandoned the giant chamber he had created in his whole life? Banach was indeed unwilling to do so. Pondering over this, he suddenly slipped. Sir, watch your steps. The servants around him immediately held him on his arm.


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[Assistant] Banach stumbled about a few steps before he managed to stand steadily. Obviously, his body had lost the vigor of youth.


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[Assistant] He was already 69 years old, and how many times could he try to walk along such a steep ramp? He had to hurry up.


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[Assistant] Once he thought of the promise given by the Oracle, flames of hope were lit in his heart again.


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[Assistant] Only after he became one of them could he solve this seemingly insoluble problem forever.


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[Assistant] Gradually, the ramp downward became flat and the air became moist.


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[Assistant] Banach faintly heard the sound of the undercurrent hitting the rock like continuous thunder, dull and solid.


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[Assistant] Honestly, he did not like such a place, which was secretive enough, but gave no sense of security.


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[Assistant] He always feared that one day the water would crush the cave walls and completely engulf the cave.


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[Assistant] Several tunnels had turned into deep pools due to the flow backward of the undercurrent and eventually had to be closed.


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[Assistant] The black money only occupied a small part of the cave group.


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[Assistant] If Banach had enough time, he could even make it into an underground city.


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[Assistant] When he arrived at the bottom of the ramp the light instantly became bleak.


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[Assistant] The stone of lighting was still shining but it was no longer bright enough for him to see the rock walls on both sides as the size of the cave suddenly increased several times larger. The sound of the undercurrent became extremely loud. It seemed that a branch was passing underfoot.


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[Assistant] I have to walk the last part of this road by myself, Banach slowly said.


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[Assistant] The servants dared not to persuade him anymore due to his years of authority, so they just said, Yes, sir, please mind your steps.


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[Assistant] After leaving the cave hole, he carefully walked to the center of the cave.


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[Assistant] The cave at the bottom of the limestone cave group was very strange, which was shaped like an island.


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[Assistant] It was surrounded by bottomless gullies and the central bulge rock hill was connected with the ramp by a narrow stone bridge.


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[Assistant] When he walked through the bridge, he was surrounded by darkness while the magic stone could only illuminate as far as several dozen meters.


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[Assistant] If he were not directed by the yellow light at the end of the bridge, Banach would even feel as if he was walking in the abyss of hell and the roaring sound of water at the feet was the whining of the ghosts and evil spirits.


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[Assistant] Mist gradually rose around, and the scope of the light was further reduced due to the too much water vapor.


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[Assistant] He knew he had to be particularly careful as green moss was likely to grow on the bridge.


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[Assistant] If he had slipped down from the bridge, even the Oracle could not save him.


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[Assistant] In the moist air, Banak Lothar finally reached the central stone island.


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[Assistant] He was panting when the guards of the Oracle turned to walk backward and said, Come with me. Master Oracle has been waiting for you for a long time.


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[Assistant] Having no time to complain, he took a deep breath and followed the two guards' footsteps.


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[Assistant] The top of this isolated island-like rock hill was about 100 paces wide and the place to meet the oracle was located within the rock hill.


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[Assistant] Before stepping on the rock stairs around the hill, Banach noticed that behind the limestone cave there was an extremely spacious cave which echoed with the ramp he had met earlier to form a straight line. That cave was larger and much closer to the rock hill.


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[Assistant] In the light of the magic stone, he found that it was a standard round cave and its edge was very smooth as if it was carved by men.


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[Assistant] If he guessed right, the guards of the Oracle entered the Kingdom of Dawn through these underground passages.


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[Assistant] When he finally entered the Rock Hill, he had been too tired to stand straight.


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[Assistant] Fortunately, the oracle would not mind his posture when meeting him.


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[Assistant] The guards brought a soft cushion and asked him to sit down in the stone room which covered about 10 square meters.


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[Assistant] Then they drew the heavy cloth curtain to block the sound of the undercurrent. Are you ready? One of them asked. Yes, please allow me to meet Master Oracle. Banak wiped the sweat from his forehead.


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[Assistant] Though his body was exhausted, his heart was full of expectation.


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[Assistant] At these words, the stone of lighting on his hands suddenly flashed, and so were the magic stones in the hands of the two guards.


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[Assistant] Then the three magic stones were extinguished in turn, and darkness enveloped the stone room.


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[Assistant] As it was not the first time that he had seen such a scene, Banach did not feel surprised. Instead, he was full of amazement and awe at the power of the Oracle.


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[Assistant] Soon a purple light curtain rose from the ground, turning the darkness around into a different view.


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[Assistant] It was also the deep underground, but red lava flowed beneath it.


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[Assistant] Countless rivers of flames gushed from the rock holes and converged at the bottom to form a cobweb-like picture.


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[Assistant] Above the flames was the body of the oracle, a giant blob hanging on the rock wall with numerous plant-like roots.


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[Assistant] The tangled epidermis bulged rhythmically as if it was breathing hot air.


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[Assistant] It had neither eyes nor mouth, but it could see and talk to him by directly echoing in his mind. This was the real appearance of the Oracle.


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[Assistant] It did not need to transform into a human figure because it self meant extraordinary. Banach Lothar respectfully lowered his head.


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[Assistant] Instead of speaking, he only needed to whisper in his heart to give the answer.


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[Assistant] He found that although this way of communicating was hard to get used to in the beginning, it was actually a faster and more effective way. Meanwhile, he also found it harder to lie in this way. Banach told the Oracle what had happened through his thoughts. Holy Oracle, something unexpected happened.


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[Assistant] They didn't accept the invitation from Ambassador of Greycastle. This is my mistake.


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[Assistant] The oracle did not blame him, but said wistfully, it's hard to predict what people are thinking. Do you have any remedial measure? They've got to accept the ambassador's invitation. It's just a matter of time. He paused for a moment. Because of his majesty Appamoya's new policy. Tuck, common man.


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[Assistant] Bonoc was startled and asked, what can I do for you, holy oracle? I don't like this witch removal policy. Can you guarantee that nobody will be hurt? Aye.


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[Assistant] Banach did not know what to say, because he knew that once this policy was implemented, it would be inevitable that some witches were caught or even killed.


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[Assistant] Given that the oracle had only ordered him to drive the witches to go southwards into the western region of Grey Castle without ensuring the safety of their lives, he thought it would be none of his business to care about how many would survive during the journey. Is this what you think? The oracle raised her voice in a sudden.


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[Assistant] All her tentacles wriggled and the underground hot lava started to surge, showing her anger. Don't forget what I said. Before the doomsday, every witch is crucial.


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[Assistant] From the way she reacted, Banak gathered something had gone wrong and then realized that he had been talking with her through the thoughts.


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[Assistant] In this way, everything he thought would be directly transmitted to her.


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[Assistant] He quickly explained, No, holy oracle, I remember every word you've said.


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[Assistant] I don't want to hurt anyone innocent either, but if I do it that way, it'll take a longer time and require a rearrangement of my people.


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[Assistant] After all, not everyone has the courage to defy the king's rules and at the same time keeps this secret.


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[Assistant] Banach breathed a sigh of relief as he had witnessed those guards' abilities.


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[Assistant] Generally speaking, knights were not able to compete with them at all, and some less capable ones could not even see their movements clearly.


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[Assistant] If two or three guards fought together, they could easily defeat twenty to thirty knights, which also showed the extraordinary power of the oracle. I can complete the third step of the plan in two weeks. Alright, just do it. Holy oracle. Banak hesitated and continued. Are the witches that important? Do the deities only bless them?


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[Assistant] In terms of wealth or power, I'll make a better, the oracle interrupted, a better choice for the chosen one? You've got no idea.


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[Assistant] Neither wealth nor power will be useful when the doomsday is approaching.


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[Assistant] The deities are looking for a savior who knows how to use the divine power instead of a secular spokesman.


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[Assistant] Common man, you're helpful. Indeed. So when the mission is completed, I'll give you an appropriate reward, such as immortality, but you also need to recognize your own position. Banach knew about the doomsday.


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[Assistant] Every 400 years, a bloody moon would appear in the sky, and then the gates of hell would open.


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[Assistant] Demons would come swarming out of the gates, slaughtering the human beings across the continent, and the person who could resist these cruel enemies was the chosen one.


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[Assistant] Today, he knew more about the Chosen One through the talk with the Oracle.


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[Assistant] She seemed to be searching for someone who can directly connect to the powerful deities, and this someone must be a witch. Not wanting to give up now, he asked again, but...


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[Assistant] Are you sure that the Chosen One was definitely among the witches in the Kingdom of Grey Castle?


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[Assistant] The oracle remained speechless for a while, which was an unusual thing.


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[Assistant] After that, she said, no one knows the answer.


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[Assistant] This is just another try, and we've tried this for many times in the past hundreds of years. What if we still can't find the one this time?


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[Assistant] We'll keep searching until the doomsday when the human world is completely destroyed.


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[Assistant] Thinking that it would be meaningless to become immortal if all the human beings died, Banach smiled bitterly and promised, I see. I'll do my best to complete the task.


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[Assistant] All the blobs tentacles danced simultaneously, which indicated that the oracle was content. Here's another thing I wanna ask. Is the church really defeated?


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[Assistant] Since the news that the church had suffered a crushing defeat had reached the Kingdom of Dawn, the oracle had paid particular attention to this issue.


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[Assistant] She had even ordered Banach to send his men to the Cold Wind Ridge to confirm it.


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[Assistant] Yes, at the foot of the Cold Wind Ridge, the battlefield looked as if it had been trampled by demonic beasts, with deep pits and trenches everywhere. Around it stood thousands of grave mounds.


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[Assistant] According to the locals, they were built by the king of Greycastle.


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[Assistant] He had bought all the dead bodies of his soldiers back to the western region and burnt and buried all the church's dead people at the spot.


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[Assistant] Merchants who came back from the Hermes Plateau told us that prosperity had already left the Holy City and there was only a dead silence in it.


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[Assistant] Hearing this, the oracle's voice instantly turned soft. This is their end.


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[Assistant] The underground scene went out like ebbing tides, quickly leaving them in darkness.


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[Assistant] The magic stones flickered several times and then lit up the stone room. Everything that had happened was just like a dream now.


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[Assistant] A guard came up to Banach and gave him a porcelain bottle, saying, here's the medicine for this time. Drink it. Holy Oracle was very pleased with your recent work. The, thanks, your Holy Oracle.


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[Assistant] With great excitement, Banach took the bottle and swigged down all the liquid inside it.


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[Assistant] Right after this, he felt a warm torrent flow out of his stomach to rejuvenate his whole body.


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[Assistant] This medicine could make him feel dexterous and quick in action, but this effect would not last for a very long time. It could not make him live longer, either.


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[Assistant] Based on what the oracle had said, it could only improve his health and relieve fatigue and restore the body's vigor in a short time.


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[Assistant] She had said that before he was bestowed immortality, he needed to take this medicine to mend his weak body.


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[Assistant] Otherwise, the great pain during the process of turning into an immortal would tear him into pieces.


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[Assistant] Her honesty in telling him the truth about this medicine further strengthened his faith in her, as he believed that if this was a fraud, she would only need to offer him this magic medicine whose rejuvenating effect could attract lots of noble men and wealthy merchants like him.


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[Assistant] Three years ago, he had had to move around sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a servant.


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[Assistant] Now, at least he could stand and walk on his two feet. This was the improvement the medicine had brought him.


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[Assistant] He was confident that if he could get immortality after completing the mission the Oracle had given him, all the naughty problems he had now would be solved smoothly.


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[Assistant] He lifted the curtain door and walked toward the rock stairs of the hill with his back straight and his head held erect.


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[Assistant] Feeling totally different from the time he had walked to the stone room, now he felt energetic even in the humid cold winds.


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[Assistant] His steps were steady, and the roaring underground river sounded like horns encouraging him to move forward.


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[Assistant] Roland poured himself a cup of tea and looked at Nightingale. Would you like some? Yes, thank you.


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[Assistant] Lying on the couch, she was reading a newly written play by May with great interest.


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[Assistant] She was holding the book with one hand and a piece of dried fish with another hand.


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[Assistant] Since Anna had talked to her, she had disappeared for two days.


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[Assistant] When she returned, she looked relieved, free and easy as she had been before.


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[Assistant] Since her return, Roland felt that she kept smiling at him and sometimes peeped at him with eyes full of vitality. Take what she was doing now as an example.


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[Assistant] She put her feet on the tea table and moved her robe to one side, revealing her long slim legs and black tight stockings.


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[Assistant] She did not avoid him at all and would only conceal herself when someone else came into the office.


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[Assistant] This attractive posture made it hard for the prince to focus.


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[Assistant] He could hardly stop his eyes from involuntarily moving to the side sometimes.


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[Assistant] As a result, he had not finished even a single blueprint in the first half of the morning.


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[Assistant] He complained in his heart, I knew I shouldn't have asked Saria to paint these stocking-like leg warmers.


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[Assistant] He took a cup of delicately fragrant tea to her and said, Here's your tea. She put down the book and took the tea with both hands. She sniffed at it and said, Ah, nice tea. Could you please add a lump of sugar for me?


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[Assistant] He found that she enjoyed both salty and sweet food, and no matter how much she ate, she would never get fat.


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[Assistant] When he had been in his lethargy, she had lost lots of weight and looked much thinner than before. But after he had woken up, she had quickly gotten back her normal weight. Her weight seemed to have an upper limit.


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[Assistant] When she reached it, she would stop gaining any more weight.


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[Assistant] He had nagged her to stop eating too much or she would get fat. But now he realized that was not a problem for her at all.


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[Assistant] He added a lump of sugar to her tea cup and returned to his desk.


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[Assistant] After painting several strokes on the paper, he still could not stop himself from being curious and said, Nightingale, um, what indeed did Anna tell you? Well,


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[Assistant] She nimbly slipped out of the couch and instantly appeared on his desk. It's a secret. Can't you even tell me?


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[Assistant] After a little hesitation, she shook her head and said, No, I've promised Anna.


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[Assistant] He could go to ask Anna directly, but as a person of normal EQ, he knew he must stop mentioning this thing repeatedly.


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[Assistant] At least, from Nightingale's reaction he could tell that Anna was not angry.


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[Assistant] Roland was stunned and looked up. His gaze met hers.


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[Assistant] In the warm autumn sunshine, her long blonde hair shone, her skin glowed and her face looked exceptionally beautiful. Time seemed to stop at this moment. Thank you for telling her what I feel.


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[Assistant] In the afternoon good news came from the Ministry of Construction.


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[Assistant] Neverwinter's first converter steel mill, a steelmaking facility recently designed by Roland, was completed at the North Slope Mountain.


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[Assistant] Despite that it was called a steel mill, it looked more like a simple iron shed with a new large piece of equipment in it.


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[Assistant] Different from all the previous furnaces, this equipment was made of pure steel, supported by an angular grate and covered with heat resistance coating.


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[Assistant] Its surface was dark grey and dull, making the machine look towering and thick in the sunshine.


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[Assistant] When Roland arrived at this new furnace area with his city hall officials, this new furnace had been surrounded by a large number of curious, experienced workers. Your Majesty, can this stove make steel? It doesn't even have a fireplace.


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[Assistant] Lysia of the Ministry of Construction had asked the same question, but he had still built it up in strict accordance with Roland's design. This converter's components were all processed by Anna.


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[Assistant] With Hummingbird's help, their heavy weight had not caused any trouble during the construction, which was finished in just a week.


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[Assistant] Roland smiled and said, in nature, fire isn't the only thing that produces heat. Let the workers get ready for the equipment's first test run.


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[Assistant] Roland had compared three most frequently used steelmaking facilities, open hearth furnace, converter, and electric furnace.


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[Assistant] He had firstly ruled out electric furnace because of the lack of necessary conditions and decided on a converter after a long and thoughtful consideration.


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[Assistant] With the simplest structure among the three choices, an open hearth furnace was similar to a traditional smelter in terms of operation, but it also had a significant drawback in energy consumption.


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[Assistant] It required a huge amount of fuel and steel making, which would definitely pose a threat to Neverwinter's limited supply of energy resources.


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[Assistant] Given that its coal mines were located far away at the source of the Redwater River and that its coking plant was just put into use and could barely meet the demand of the blast furnace iron smelting, adapting open hearth steelmaking would soon lead to an acute shortage of fuel.


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[Assistant] Choosing a converter would avoid such a problem, as it hardly cost any fuel.


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[Assistant] It kept the liquid iron at a high temperature to continue the smelting process, using the heat generated by the oxidation of impurities contained in pig iron, such as manganese, silicon and carbon.


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[Assistant] The other shortcomings of an open hearth furnace included occupying a too large area and a long smelting time.


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[Assistant] To make the best use of fuel, a regenerator should be built for an open hearth furnace to heat the air in advance. And making each batch of liquid steel would take this facility over half a day.


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[Assistant] By comparison, a converter took up less room, as it needed no additional device and its orbit could double as a transmission line for the liquid steel. It also worked more efficiently.


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[Assistant] Each of its smelting processes only took dozens of minutes and this smelting time could be further shortened to 15 minutes when the technology was mature.


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[Assistant] In view of these two points, Roland decided to choose converters as the main facilities for Neverwinter's steel production.


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[Assistant] She nodded and walked up the stairs to the top of the converter.


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[Assistant] She summoned her black fire to melt the iron ingots into liquid iron in a short time, and the hot red liquid soon lit up her face.


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[Assistant] He planned to use the liquid iron produced by the blast furnace for this steel mill in mass production. That was the reason why he built it here in the furnace area.


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[Assistant] He said to the leader of the steelmaking team, now follow my instructions. Insert the blowing pipe into the furnace mouth.


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[Assistant] This was the first time for them to use a converter, but for these experienced workers who had operated similar equipment, controlling this pipe was as easy as controlling a trailer.


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[Assistant] In the booming noise of the steam engine, a steel pipe slowly fell into the furnace from the top.


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[Assistant] The other end of the pipe was connected to a coated flexible tube which led to an air pump driven by a steam engine.


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[Assistant] When the oxygen-rich air was inhaled into the converter, raging flames sparked to life at the furnace mouth.


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[Assistant] Orange sparkles splattered from the furnace, looking like fireworks.


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[Assistant] Roland got a sense of fulfillment, feeling the hot air blowing on his face.


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[Assistant] He saw these flames as an emblem of human beings entering a new era.


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[Assistant] As the liquid iron rolled over and over in the converter, the silicon and manganese in it were oxidized first, after which it was the turn of the carbon and the pit iron.


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[Assistant] At a temperature of nearly 1,500 degrees, the carbon reacted with the oxygen in the air, producing carbon monoxide and a lot of heat which made the liquid boil in the furnace.


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[Assistant] The flames gushing out of the furnace mouth almost enveloped the blowing pipe in the grate.


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[Assistant] That was why Roland made them coated with heat resistance coating.


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[Assistant] A large amount of hot carbon monoxide were forced outward.


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[Assistant] It mixed with the air outside and burnt violently, looking as if the furnace were set afire.


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[Assistant] The noise is caused by gas expansion even down the booming sounds of the steam engine.


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[Assistant] As this scene easily evoked an image of an erupting volcano, all the people moved backwards simultaneously in fright, except Roland, who still stood in the place, with both of his hands behind his back.


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[Assistant] He faced the strong hot winds, totally besotted with the awe-inspiring roars of the surging steel liquid.


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[Assistant] He thought it was a pity that he could not use pure oxygen in this process at present due to technological limitations. Otherwise, the flames would shine even more brightly.


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[Assistant] When oxides of phosphorus and sulfur, which were the last elements that were oxidized, reacted with limestone and became furnace slags, the flames began to dim and the liquid iron became molten steel. As the furnace slags were lighter, they were floating on it.


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[Assistant] The workers could pour the liquid steel out through the steel tapping hole by tilting the furnace as easily as pouring a cup of tea.


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[Assistant] To prevent the slags from entering into the steel ladle, a modern steel mill would use a slag-stopping ball, a slag-stopping spear or infrared detection, which was beyond Neverwinter's technical capacity.


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[Assistant] Given that, Roland came up with a simple solution which was not pouring out all the liquid.


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[Assistant] He instructed the workers to erect the furnace when there were still some liquid steel in it. And then he asked them to dump all the left liquid steel together with the furnace slags.


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[Assistant] As he was not pursuing productivity efficiency, he did not care about such a little waste.


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[Assistant] Besides, when he collected enough wasted liquid steel, he could put them back into the furnace to make steel again.


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[Assistant] To ensure the quality of the steel, the last step was to eliminate excess oxygen in the liquid steel.


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[Assistant] The alumina poured in Neverwinter from Longsong Stronghold could make excellent deoxidizers.


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[Assistant] A bucket of pure aluminum extracted by Lucia was added to the liquid steel and soon aluminum oxide furnace slags and excess liquid aluminum started to float to the surface.


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[Assistant] At this moment, the whole steelmaking process was accomplished.


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[Assistant] Seeing the bright molten steel being poured into the mold and turning into steel ingots, all the officials of City Hall were too stunned to utter a word.


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[Assistant] In this era, people usually relied on blacksmiths to hit on the hot iron repeatedly for a long time to produce steel, and a whole set of steel armors would be treasured as a family heirloom. No one had seen that steel could be made this way.


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[Assistant] Star of Steel had been able to produce lots of steel, but it was run by magic powers.


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[Assistant] They all knew that without Anna and Lucia, it could hardly produce anything.


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[Assistant] However, this time was different, as converters steelmaking required no magic power, but common workers.


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[Assistant] They realized something after witnessing this whole manual operation.


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[Assistant] They were clear that they could not create another star of steel, but they could certainly build more converters and train countless workers. Given that, steel was no longer a rare material.


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[Assistant] A huge amount of this solid metal would be produced at the foot of the North Slope Mountain to replace those soft and fragile materials, such as wood and bronze.


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[Assistant] Roland was happy to see the surprise and excitement on the official's faces.


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[Assistant] He believed that they would not be excellent leaders if they were not thrilled by this brand new steelmaking process.


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[Assistant] Common workers might only be amazed by the steel ingots in front of them, but the officials should see the changes and the future brought by this new technology.


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[Assistant] By now, Neverwinter's coal and iron compound manufacturing industry had been formed.


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[Assistant] Mining, iron making, steel making, and steel casting processes could all be completed by common people.


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[Assistant] With a fast growing population and a rapidly expanding education, Roland now felt that he could hear the steel wheels rolling over the ground, ushering in a new era.


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[Assistant] As to the quality of this first batch of rolled steel, he decided to let Lucia check it.


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[Assistant] After that, he could base on her results to adjust the air blowing time and to improve the slag's removing methods. He felt good seeing this achievement.


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[Assistant] However, he did not want to have a rest after that, as he still had lots of work to do with the memories he retrieved in the dream world.


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[Assistant] As he had completed all the primary textbooks, he planned to search for some professional books on machinery.


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[Assistant] He needed high-performance processing equipment as Neverwinter would soon be able to produce a large amount of steel.


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[Assistant] Those simple machine tools he had made previously could hardly process some high-end products, such as long song cannons, heavy machine guns, and grenade fuse. Where could he find those books?


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[Assistant] He believed that the library of the school was the place he should go.


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[Assistant] It had been said to be a place full of romantic encounters, but he had had none during all his visits to that place when he had been a student.


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[Assistant] Despite that, he had really read lots of books there including many on mechanical design. After dinner, he went to bed early.


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[Assistant] As traveling in the dream world could not count as a rest, he would be very tired for the first day in that world.


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[Assistant] Besides, it was impossible for him to take an afternoon nap in his apartment there without an air conditioner and hot weather.


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[Assistant] Under such circumstances, he had to sleep early and save energy for his activities in the dream world.


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[Assistant] Waking up in that world, it was still a clear sunny morning in the midsummer.


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[Assistant] He looked at his mobile phone at the bedside and saw a dozen missed calls.


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[Assistant] He touched the screen and found that all of them were from second hand goods dealers. They had also sent him many text messages. Hey, bro, do you have any more armors? One of my friends wants to buy some to shoot a film. If you do, call me.


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[Assistant] If you're unsatisfied with the prices, we can talk about it. Come on, bro. Could you give me an answer? Roland slid to the last message.


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[Assistant] It was from his bank, telling him that the remaining balance of his account was 3600 yuan and 1500 yuan of it was remitted by Zero's parents as her living expenses. The money could support him for quite a long time.


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[Assistant] He tapped with his finger to delete all the messages and put on his t-shirt and shorts before going into the living room. At this moment, Zero was still in bed.


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[Assistant] Not wanting to wait for the little girl to wake up and make breakfast, he directly walked downstairs and found a small rice noodle restaurant in the lane.


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[Assistant] He thought that as he had money now, he must give himself a treat which was not available even in the king's city of Grey Castle. After all, the kingdom had no rice at all.


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[Assistant] Soon, a steaming bowl of rice noodles fresh from the pot was served for him.


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[Assistant] While eating the breakfast, he looked at the apartment building.


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[Assistant] By now, he had only visited the second-hand bookstore and the small internet cafe two blocks away, busy with making money and memorizing books.


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[Assistant] This was the first time for him to have leisure to sit down and observe the residence of the apartment of souls.


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[Assistant] Hey, I'm Chip Foose, we're here at Foose Design and today I'm going to talk about proportions in design and, uh, let's just call them things that don't belong. Recently I was asked about, you know, when I first look at a car that I'm going to build,


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[Assistant] Those don't belong there. And, you know, an example is, you look at a Ferrari Testarossa, you know, 1980s Ferrari Testarossa, the front overhang on that car is a city block long and your ramp angle is, you have none.


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[Assistant] When I talk about proportions, I'm talking about, you know,


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[Assistant] Out of proportion because it looks larger than it should be on the car. And that's what the front overhang does to me on the 70 Cuda and also that side glass, the rear corner, that sharp angle.


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[Assistant] You know I don't mean to bag on the Kuda because I absolutely love the 70 Kuda. It is my favorite year. I've had one. I unfortunately sold it to, uh,


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[Assistant] One of my customers, because he bugged me for so long about getting it, I finally caved in and sold it to him after we had built the terracotta.


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[Assistant] You know, it was an expensive car to build for the Metropolis brothers. And I knew I was never going to be able to spend that kind of money to build a car for myself. So I let mine go because I had the opportunity to do what I really wanted to do to a 70 Cuda. And I love the way their car came out.


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[Assistant] So this is just a quick sketch, but on a stock 70 Cuda, the things that really jumped out to me that needed to be changed were, and I've got it drawn soft here, there's a very sharp corner right here.


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[Assistant] But the Kuda has a beautiful soft corner at the windshield. Rolls back and it's got this sharp corner here. Has a real hard square door handle.


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[Assistant] Proportions of the front fender. Where that stock wheel was.


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[Assistant] Daylight opening or that back window really helped to balance the shape of the top to work with that. They did it on the Challenger, like I said, but on the Cuda, they kept that one really square. I know it differentiated the two cars, but I think they should have on the Cuda softened both of them.


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[Assistant] Put all the front suspension two inches forward. So when we got the chassis here and we dropped it underneath the car, the wheels were already pushed forward. Then we just simply cut up, forward, and down on the front wheel well.


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[Assistant] And it's not that I'm making changes to make changes. I'm making the changes to make it better. I don't want people to look at the car and say, wow, they did this and this. I want them to look at the car and think, why is that car so much better than I remember it? And then they discover what we actually did.


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[Assistant] Time passes, even when it seems impossible, even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does, even for me.


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[Assistant] Charlie's fist came down on the table. That's it Bella, I'm sending you home.


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[Assistant] I looked up from my cereal, which I was pondering rather than eating, and stared at Charlie in shock. I hadn't been following the conversation. Actually, I hadn't been aware that we were having a conversation. And I wasn't sure what he meant.


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[Assistant] I am home, I mumbled, confused. I'm sending you to Renee, to Jacksonville, he clarified. Charlie watched with exasperation as I slowly grasped the meaning of his words. What did I do? I felt my face crumble.


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[Assistant] It was so unfair. My behavior had been above reproach for the past four months. After that first week, which neither of us ever mentioned, I hadn't missed a day of school or work.


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[Assistant] Charlie was scowling. You didn't do anything. That's the problem. You never do anything. You want me to get into trouble? I wondered, my eyebrows pulling together in mystification. I made an effort to pay attention. It wasn't easy. I was so used to tuning everything out, my ears felt stopped up.


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[Assistant] Trouble would be better than this, this moping around all the time. That stung a bit. I had been careful to avoid all forms of moroseness, moping included. I am not moping around.


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[Assistant] Wrong word, he grudgingly conceded. Moping would be better. That would be doing something. You were just... lifeless, Bella. I think that's the word I want. This accusation struck home. I sighed and tried to put some animation into my response.


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[Assistant] I'm sorry, Dad. My apology sounded a little flat, even to me. I thought I'd been fooling him. Keeping Charlie from suffering was the whole point of all this effort. How depressing to think that the effort had been wasted.


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[Assistant] Bella, he hesitated, scrutinizing my reaction to his next words. Honey, you are not the first person to go through this kind of thing you know. I know that, my accompanying grimace was limp and unimpressive.


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[Assistant] Listen honey, I think that, that maybe you need some help. Help? He paused, searching for the words again. When your mother left, he began frowning. And took you with her, he inhaled deeply. Well, that was a really bad time for me. I know dad, I mumbled. But I handled it, he pointed out. Honey, you are not handling it. I waited, I hoped it would get better.


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[Assistant] He stared at me and I looked down quickly. I think we both know it's not getting better. I'm fine. He ignored me. Maybe, well, maybe if you talk to someone about it, a professional.


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[Assistant] You want me to see a shrink? My voice was a shade sharper as I realized what he was getting at. Maybe it would help. And maybe it wouldn't help one little bit.


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[Assistant] I didn't know much about psychoanalysis, but I was pretty sure that it didn't work unless the subject was relatively honest. Sure I could tell the truth, if I wanted to spend the rest of my life in a padded cell. He examined my obstinate expression and switched to another line of attack.


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[Assistant] Look, I said in a flat voice. I'll go out tonight, if you want. I'll call Jess or Angela. That's not what I want, he argued, frustrated. I don't think I can live through seeing you try harder. I've never seen anyone trying so hard. It hurts to watch. I pretended to be dense, looking down at the table. I don't understand, Dad.


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[Assistant] First, you're mad because I'm not doing anything. And then you say you don't want me to go out. I want you to be happy.


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[Assistant] I think you'll have a better chance if you get out of works. My eyes flashed up with the first small spark of feeling I'd had in too long to contemplate.


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[Assistant] I'm not leaving, I said. Why not, he demanded. I'm in my last semester of school. It would screw everything up. You are a good student, you'll figure it out. I don't want to crowd Mom and Phil.


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[Assistant] Your mother's been dying to have you back. Florida is too hot.


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[Assistant] His fist came down on the table again. We both know what's really going on here, Bella, and it's not good for you. He took a deep breath. It's been months. No calls, no letters, no contact. You can't keep waiting for him. I glowered at him. The heat almost, but not quite, reached my face.


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[Assistant] It had been a long time since I'd blushed with any emotion. This whole subject was utterly forbidden, as he was well aware.


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[Assistant] I'm not waiting for anything. I don't expect anything, I said in a low monotone.


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[Assistant] Bella, Charlie began his voice thick. I have to get to school, I interrupted, standing up and yanking my untouched breakfast from the table. I dumped my bowl in the sink without pausing to wash it out. I couldn't deal with any more conversation.


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[Assistant] I'll make plans with Jessica. I called over my shoulder as I strapped up my school bag, not meeting his eyes. Maybe I won't be home for dinner. We'll go to Port Angeles and watch a movie.


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[Assistant] The plus side was that I got a really good parking spot. The downside was that I had free time on my hands. And I tried to avoid free time at all costs.


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[Assistant] Quickly, before I could start thinking about Charlie's accusations, I pulled out my calculus book. I flipped it open to the section, we should be starting today, and tried to make sense of it.


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[Assistant] Reading math was even worse than listening to it, but I was getting better at it. In the last several months, I'd spent ten times the amount of time on calculus than I'd ever spent on math.


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[Assistant] As a result, I was managing to keep in the range of a low A. I knew Mr. Bronner felt my improvement was all due to his superior teaching methods. And if that made him happy, I wasn't going to burst his bubble.


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[Assistant] I forced myself to keep it at it until the parking lot was full, and I ended up rushing to English. We were working on Animal Farm, an easy subject matter. I didn't mind communism. It was a welcome change from the exhausting romances that made up most of the curriculum.


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[Assistant] I settled into my seat, pleased by the distraction of Mr. Birdie's lecture.


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[Assistant] Time moved easily while I was in school. The bell rang at all too soon. I started repacking my bag. Bella, I recognized Mike's voice and I knew what his next words would be before he said them. Are you working tomorrow?


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[Assistant] I looked up. He was leaning across the aisle with an anxious expression. Every Friday, he asked me the same question, never mind that I hadn't taken so much as a sick day. Well, with the one exception months ago. But he had no reason to look at me with such concern. I was a model employee.


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[Assistant] Tomorrow is Saturday, isn't it? I said, having just had it pointed out to me by Charlie, I realized how lifeless my voice really sounded. Yeah, it is, he agreed. See you in Spanish. He waved once before turning his back. He didn't bother walking me to class anymore.


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[Assistant] I trudged off to calculus with a grim expression. This was the class where I sat next to Jessica. It had been weeks, maybe months, since Jessica had even greeted me when I passed her in the hall.


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[Assistant] I knew I had offended her with my antisocial behavior, and she was sulking. It wasn't going to be easy to talk to her now, especially to ask her to do me a favor. I weighed my options carefully as I loitered outside the classroom, procrastinating.


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[Assistant] I wasn't about to face Charlie again without some kind of social interaction to report. I knew I couldn't lie, though the thought of driving to Port Angeles and back alone, being sure my odometer reflected the correct mileage just in case he checked, was very tempting.


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[Assistant] Jessica's mom was the biggest gossip in town, and Charlie was bound to run into Ms. Stanley sooner rather than later.


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[Assistant] When he did, he would no doubt mention the trip. Lying was out. With a sigh, I shoved the door open. Mr. Varner gave me a dark look. He'd already started the lecture. I hurried to my seat. Jessica didn't look up as I sat next to her. I was glad that I had 50 minutes to mentally prepare myself.


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[Assistant] This class flew by even faster than English. A small part of that speed was due to my good goody goody preparation this morning in the truck. But mostly it stemmed from the fact that time always sped up when I was looking forward to something unpleasant.


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[Assistant] I grimaced when Mr. Barner dismissed the class five minutes early. He smiled like he was being nice.


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[Assistant] Jess, my nose wrinkled as I cringed, waiting for her to turn on me. She twisted in her seat to face me, eyeing me incredulously. Are you talking to me, Bella?


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[Assistant] Of course I widen my eyes to suggest innocence. What, do you need help with calculus? Her tone was a tad sour.


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[Assistant] No, I shook my head. Actually, I wanted to know if you would go to the movies with me tonight. I really need a girl's night out. The word sounded stiff, like badly delivered lines, and she looked suspicious.


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[Assistant] Why are you asking me? She said, still unfriendly. You were the first person I think of when I want girl time. I smiled. And I hoped the smile looked genuine. It was probably true. She was at least the first person I thought of when I wanted to avoid Charlie. It amounted to the same thing.


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[Assistant] She seemed a little mollified. Well, I don't know. Do you have plans? No, I guess I can go with you. What do you wanna see?


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[Assistant] I'm not sure what's playing, I hedged. This was the tricky part. I racked my brain for a clue. How didn't I heard someone talk about a movie recently, seen a poster? How about that one with the female president? She looked at me oddly.


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[Assistant] Bella, that one's been out of theater forever.


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[Assistant] Oh, I frowned. Is there anything you'd like to see? Jessica's natural bubbliness started to leak out in spite of herself, as she thought out loud.


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[Assistant] Well, there's that new romantic comedy that's getting great reviews. I want to see that one. My dad just saw Dead End and he really liked it. I gasped, grasped at the promising title. That's the one about za- What's that one about?


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[Assistant] Okay. She seemed surprised by my response. I tried to remember if I liked scary movies, but I wasn't sure.


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[Assistant] Sure." Jessica smiled at me with tentative friendliness before she left. My answering smile was just a little late, but I thought that she saw it. The rest of the day passed quickly, my thoughts focused on planning for tonight.


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[Assistant] I knew from experience that once I got Jessica talking, I would be able to get away with a few mumbled responses at the appropriate moments. One only minimal interaction would be required.


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[Assistant] The thick haze that blurred my days now was sometimes confusing. I was surprised when I found myself in my room, not clearly remembering the drive home from school, or even opening the front door. But that didn't matter. Losing track of time was the most I asked from life.


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[Assistant] I didn't fight the haze as I turned to my closet. The numbness was more essential in some places than in others. I barely registered what I was looking at as I slid the door aside to reveal the pile of rubbish on the left side of my closet under the clothes I never wore.


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[Assistant] My eyes did not stray toward the black garbage bag that held my present from last birthday. Did not see the shape of the stereo where it strained against the black plastic. I didn't think of the bloody mess my nails had been when I'd finished clawing it out of the dashboard.


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[Assistant] I yanked the old purse I rarely used off the nail it hung from and shoved the door shut


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[Assistant] Just then, I heard a honk horn honking. I swiftly traded my wallet from my school bag into the purse. I was in a hurry, as if rushing would somehow make the night pass more quickly. I glanced at myself in the hall mirror before I opened the door, arranging my features carefully into a smile and trying to hold them there.


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[Assistant] Thanks for coming with me tonight, I told Jess as I climbed into the passenger seat, trying to infuse my tone with gratitude. It had been a while since I'd really thought about what I was saying to anyone besides Charlie. Jess was harder. I wasn't sure which were the right emotions to fake.


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[Assistant] Sure, so what brought this on? Just wondered, as she drove down my street. Brought what on? Why did you suddenly decide to go out? It sounded like she changed her question halfway through. I shrugged. Just needed a change.


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[Assistant] Do you mind? I asked. No, go ahead. I scanned through the stations until I found one that was harmless. I peeked at Jess's expressions as the new music filled the car. Her eyes squinted. Since when do you listen to rap?


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[Assistant] I don't know, I said a while. You like this? She asked doubtfully. Sure.


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[Assistant] It would be much too hard to interact with Jessica normally if I had to work to tune out the music too. I nodded my head hoping I was in time with the beat.


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[Assistant] The question hadn't started her talking like I hoped it would.


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[Assistant] It's hard to talk at work. I mumbled. And then I tried again. Have you been out with anyone lately? Not really. I go out with Connor sometimes. I went out with Eric two weeks ago. She rolled her eyes and I sensed a long story. I clutched at the opportunity.


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[Assistant] Eric Yorkie? Who asked who? She groaned, getting more animated. He did, of course. I couldn't think of a nice way to say no.


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[Assistant] Where did he take you? I demanded, knowing she would interpret my eagerness as interest. Tell me all about it. She launched into her tail, and I settled into my seat more comfortable now. I paid strict attention, murmuring in sympathy and gasping in horrors as called for.


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[Assistant] When she was finished with her Eric story, she continued into a Connor comparison without any prodding. The movie was playing early, so Jess thought we should hit the Twilight showing and eat later. I was happy to go along with whatever she wanted. After all, I was getting what I wanted. Charlie off my back.


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[Assistant] I resisted the urge to cover my ears and start humming. I had not bargained for romance.


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[Assistant] I thought we picked the zombie movie. I hissed to Jessica. This is the zombie movie.


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[Assistant] Then why isn't anyone getting eaten, I ask desperately. She looked at me with wide eyes that were almost alarmed. I'm sure that part's coming, she whispered. I'm getting popcorn, do you want any? No thanks. Someone shushed us from behind.


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[Assistant] I took my time at the concession counter, watching the clock and debating what percentage of a 90-minute movie could be spent on romantic exposition. I decided 10 minutes was more than enough, but I paused just inside the theater doors to be sure.


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[Assistant] I could hear horrified screams blaring from the speakers, so I knew I'd waited long enough.


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[Assistant] You missed everything, just murmured, when I slid into my seat. Almost everyone is a zombie now. Long line. I offered her some popcorn. She took a handful.


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[Assistant] The rest of the movie was compromise of gruesome zombie attacks and endless screaming from the handful of people left alive. Their numbers dwindling quickly.


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[Assistant] I would have thought there was something in, there was nothing in that to disturb me, but I felt uneasy and I wasn't sure why at first. It wasn't until almost the very end, as I watched a haggard zombie shambling after the last shrieking survivor, that I realized what the problem was.


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[Assistant] The scene kept cutting between the horrified face of the heroine and the dead, emotionless face of her pursuer, back and forth, as it closed the distance.


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[Assistant] And I realized which one resembled me the most. I stood up.


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[Assistant] Where are you going? There's like two minutes left. Just hissed. I need a drink. I muttered as I raced for the exit. I sat down on the bench outside the theater door and tried very hard not to think of the irony. But it was ironic, all things considered, that in the end,


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[Assistant] It was depressing to realize that I wasn't the heroine anymore. That my story was over.


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[Assistant] Jessica came out of the theater doors and hesitated, probably wondering where the best place was to search for me. When she saw me, she looked relieved, but only for a moment. Then she looked irritated. Was the movie too scary for you? She wondered. Yeah, I agreed. I guess I'm just a coward.


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[Assistant] That's funny, she frowned. I didn't think you were scared. I was screaming the whole time. But I didn't hear you scream once. So I didn't know why you left. I shrugged, just scared. She relaxed a little. That was the scariest movie I think I've ever seen. I'll bet we're going to have nightmares tonight.


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[Assistant] No doubt about that, I said, trying to keep my voice normal. It was inevitable that I would have nightmares, but they wouldn't be about zombies. Her eyes flashed my face anyway.


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[Assistant] Okay, Jess started talking about the male lead in the movies as we walked. I nodded as she gushed over his hotness, unable to remember seeing a non-zombie man at all.


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[Assistant] I didn't watch where Jessica was leading me. I was only vaguely aware that it was dark and quieter now. It took me longer than it should have to realize why it was quiet.


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[Assistant] Jessica had stopped babbling. I looked at her apologetically, hoping I hadn't hurt her feelings. Jessica wasn't looking at me. Her face was tense. She stared straight ahead and walked fast. As I watched, her eyes darted quickly to the right, across the road, and back again. I glanced around myself for the first time.


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[Assistant] Half a block ahead, the streetlights started up again, and I could see farther down, the bright golden arches of the McDonald's she was heading for. Across the street, there was one open business. The windows were covered from inside, and there were neon signs, advertisements for different brands of beer glowing in front of them.


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[Assistant] The biggest sign, in brilliant green, was the name of the bar, One-Eyed Pete's. I wondered if there was some pirate theme not visible from outside. The metal door was propped open, it was dimly lit inside, and the low murmur of many voices and the sound of ice clinking and glasses floated across the street. Lounging against the wall beside the door were four men,


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[Assistant] She glanced back at Jessica. Her eyes were fixed on the path ahead and she moved briskly. She didn't look frightened, just wary, trying to not attract attention to herself.


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[Assistant] I pause without thinking, looking back at the four men with a strong sense of deja vu. This was a different road, a different night, but this scene was so much the same.


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[Assistant] One of them was even short and dark. As I stopped and turned toward them, that one looked up in interest. I stared back at him, frozen on the sidewalk.


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[Assistant] Bella, just whispered, what are you doing? I shook my head, not sure myself. I think I know them, I muttered.


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[Assistant] What was I doing? I should be running from this memory as fast as I could, blocking the image of the four lounging men from my mind, protecting myself with the numbness I couldn't function without.


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[Assistant] Why was I stepping dazed into the street? It seemed too coincidental that I should be in Port Angeles with Jessica, on a dark street even. My eyes focused on the short one, trying to match the features to my memory of the man who had threatened me that night almost a year ago.


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[Assistant] I wondered if there was any way I would recognize the man, if it was really him. That particular part of that particular evening was just a blur. My body remembered it better than my mind did, the tension in my legs as I tried to decide whether to run or to stand my ground.


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[Assistant] The dryness in my throat as I struggled to build a decent scream. The tight stretch of skin across my knuckles as I clenched my hands into fists. The chills on the back of my neck when the dark-haired man called me sugar.


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[Assistant] There was an indefinite, implied kind of menace to these men that had nothing to do with that other night. It sprung from the fact that they were strangers, and it was dark here, and they outnumbered us. Nothing more specific than that. But it was enough that Jessica's voice cracked in panic as she called after me.


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[Assistant] Bella, come on. I ignored her, walking slowly forward without ever making the conscious decision to move my feet.


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[Assistant] I didn't understand why, but the nebulous threat the men presented drew me toward them. It was a senseless impulse, but I hadn't felt any kind of impulse in so long. I followed it.


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[Assistant] Something unfamiliar beat through my veins. Adrenaline, I realized, long absent from my system, drumming my pulse faster and fighting against the lack of sensation. It was strange why the adrenaline was there when there was no fear. It was almost as if


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[Assistant] Were an echo of the last time I had stood like this on a dark street in Port Angeles with strangers. I saw no reason for fear. I couldn't imagine anything in the world that there was left to be afraid of. Not physically at least. One of the few advantages of losing everything.


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[Assistant] I was halfway across the street when Jess caught up to me and grabbed my arm. Bella, you can't go in a bar, she hissed. I'm not going in, I said absently, shaking her hand off.


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[Assistant] I just want to see something. Are you crazy? She whispered. Are you suicidal? That question caught my attention and my eyes focused on her. No, I'm not. My voice sounded defensive, but it was true. I wasn't suicidal.


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[Assistant] Even in the beginning, when death unquestionably would have been a relief, I didn't consider it. I owed too much to Charlie. I felt too responsible for Renee. I had to think of them. And I made a promise not to do anything stupid or reckless. For all those reasons, I was still breathing.


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[Assistant] Remembering that promise, I felt a twinge of guilt.


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[Assistant] What I was doing, but what I was doing right now didn't really count. It wasn't like I was taking a blade to my wrists. Jess's eyes were round, her mouth hung open. Her question about suicide had been rhetorical. I realized too late.


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[Assistant] Go eat. I encouraged her waving toward the fast food. I didn't like the way she looked at me. I'll catch up in a minute.


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[Assistant] I turned away from her back to the men who were watching us with amused curious eyes. Bella, stop this right now!


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[Assistant] It was his voice. I was exceptionally careful not to think his name, and I was surprised that the sound of it did not knock me to my knees, did not curl me into the pavement in a torture of loss, but there was no pain, none at all.


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[Assistant] In the instant that I heard his voice everything was very clear, like my head had suddenly surfaced out of some dark


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[Assistant] Go back to Jessica. The lovely voice ordered, still angry. You promised. Nothing stupid.


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[Assistant] I shook my head, trying to understand. I knew he wasn't there and yet, he felt improbably close, close for the first time since, since the end. The anger in his voice was concern, the same anger that was once very familiar, something I hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime.


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[Assistant] Option one, I was crazy. That was a layman's terms for people who heard voices in their heads. Possible.


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[Assistant] Option two, my subconscious mind was giving me what it thought I wanted. This was wish fulfillment, a momentary relief from pain by embracing the incorrect idea that he cared whether I lived or died.


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[Assistant] Projecting what he would have said if A, he were here, and B, he would be in any way bothered by something bad happening to me.


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[Assistant] I could see no option 3, so I hoped it was the second option that this was just my subconscious running amok, rather than something I would need to be hospitalized for.


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[Assistant] My reaction was hardly sane, though. I was grateful. The sound of his voice was something I feared I was losing. And so, more than anything else, I felt overwhelming gratitude that my unconscious mind had held onto that sound better than my conscious one had.


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[Assistant] The trait- the trade-off was the never-ending numbness. Between pain and nothing, I'd chosen nothing.


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[Assistant] I waited for the pain now. I was not numb. My senses felt unusually intense after so many months of the haze. But the normal pain held off. The only ache was the disappointment that his voice was fading. There was a second of choice.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] The wise thing would be to run away from this potentially destructive and certainly mentally unstable development. It would be stupid to encourage hallucinations. But his voice was fading. I took another step forward, testing.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Bella, turn around, he growled. I sighed in relief. The anger was what I wanted to hear. False, fabricated evidence that he cared. A dubious gift from my subconscious.


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Very few seconds had passed while I sorted this all out. My little audience watched, curious. It probably looked like I was just dithering over whether or not I was going to approach them. How could they guess that I was standing there enjoying an unexpected moment of insanity?


[User] Please transcribe this text

[Assistant] Hi, one of them called, his tone both confident and a bit sarcastic. He was fair skinned and fair haired, and he stood with the assurance of someone who thought of himself as quite good looking.