Chapter 511 Left Hand, Right Hand, Both are the Demon King's Guns
The Lionheart Knights' iron hooves came and went like the wind, and the setting sun dyed the sky outside Grand Village blood red.
Carrion-eating crows landed on the charred fence and cawed excitedly at the corpses.
It's lunchtime.
Only after confirming that the torrent of steel had disappeared on the horizon did the old village chief of Gelang Village cautiously peek out from his house.
He called over a few brave and strong young men, who, carrying shovels and sacks, trembled as they headed towards the barracks.
The few surviving kingdom soldiers also went with the Lionheart Knights. Hagmer needed to take them to the court to testify that the Lionhearts had not backed down in the face of the invasion of evil forces.
They just didn't win.
The barracks are now deserted, with only some leftovers from the Salvation Army inside, including corpses scattered on the ground.
Their leather boots and unburnt overcoats were considered family heirlooms by the villagers.
If you're lucky, you might even find a few silver coins.
This is not disrespect for the dead, but rather because the world is in a difficult state, and leaving them unattended could easily turn them into ghosts.
Or perhaps a plague will occur.
The old village chief silently made the sign of the cross on his chest, chanting "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes," and then assigned tasks to the young people.
Looking at the haphazardly laid-out corpses, the young man hesitated for a moment, then asked in a trembling voice.
"Village chief...is it alright for us to do this?"
The village chief glanced at him.
"Enough with the nonsense. Just do what I tell you to do."
"Yes, yes!"
The young man gritted his teeth and, without further hesitation, reached out to a relatively intact corpse.
The man seemed to be a respectable squad leader in life; although his tall combat boots were covered in mud, the leather was still shiny and smooth.
He happened to be missing a pair of boots, so he grabbed the boots and pulled them backward with all his might.
But at that moment, the damned corpse suddenly twitched and kicked him away.
The young man was kicked and rolled backward. Before he could even process what had happened, he heard a scream from the side.
Damn it!
"By Saint Sith above, the dead are here!"
"Run!!!"
Undead?!
The young man shuddered as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe.
With wide eyes, he watched as the person who had kicked him over suddenly sat up straight without warning, like a carp thrown ashore.
"Holy crap, that scared the hell out of me! Why is this NPC taking off people's clothes? Is he gay?"
"Gay? What's gay?" The other corpse sat up, shaking its drooping head and looking around.
"...It's so cold, have I arrived in the Arctic?" The third corpse looked calm, but its calm, mumbling sounds to the surrounding villagers like a wizard's incantation.
A spirit that can chant incantations is no ordinary spirit!
Everyone was terrified, and bloodcurdling screams echoed throughout the village. Even the old village chief who had brought people to collect the body turned tail and ran back towards the village in a panic.
"Hey, don't run away! Where's the newbie guide? I'm a newbie, what kind of start is this?!" The first ghoul to jump up yelled towards the village, his hoarse caw scaring away the crows waiting for their meal.
"Looks like we're pretty lucky...we were dragged into the main storyline right from birth." The seemingly calm corpse patted his trouser leg and stood at the entrance of the barracks, calmly analyzing the situation.
There are two starting options in "Cataclysm Online". One is the standard starting panel, where you are born directly in the newbie square of the Great Necropolis, and your background is that of an undead summoned by an acolyte.
By accumulating merits, one can change to other professions; it is said that accumulating enough points can even transform one into a succubus.
Many players come here specifically for this reason.
The strange thing is that those who have a penis want to experience what it's like to not have one, and those who don't want to experience what it's like to have one.
However, succubi are considered high-ranking demons, and becoming a succubus is quite difficult.
Besides the conventional opening, there is another type of opening – the “unconventional opening”.
This may sound like nonsense, but it is not.
If a player selects "Accept Reassignment" when creating a character, there is a tiny chance that they will be directly reborn as a monster other than an undead, or even a demon... and will be immersed in the ongoing storyline!
After their first death, players with an unconventional start will switch to a regular start, respawning as undead in the starting plaza of the Great Necropolis with contribution points and ghost money.
So far, they are all lucky. The only unfortunate thing is that they have only found loneliness, as ghouls are only one level higher than undead.
【Loneliness Like Blood】: "...If my understanding of the plot is correct, we should be the Holy Spirit."
[Burning Dermatitis]: "What is that thing?"
【Loneliness Like Blood】: "The expansion pack from last spring, go to the official website and find out for yourself."
[Burning Dermatitis]: "What do we do now?"
【Loneliness Like Blood】: "I don't know, maybe the Salvation Army is nearby? Let's go search in the forest first."
In the blink of an eye, about thirty "Holy Spirits" had stood up at the entrance of the barracks, all looking around with curiosity.
Some people stood still and threw punches, others took off their pants on the spot, and still others jumped around.
In short, very few of them were normal.
Just then, a figure seemed to emerge from the distant forest, waving in their direction.
The players' eyes lit up; the newbie guide had finally arrived, and they all scurried over to him.
Some people not only ran over, but also picked up the shovels and muskets scattered on the ground.
Veteran players might look down on these junk items, but newbies are not picky eaters.
Pick it manually!
Start!
One player grabbed a shovel, swung it around a couple of times, and was quite satisfied with this handy weapon.
In the distant forest, a Salvation Army soldier glanced blankly at his leader beside him.
"Captain... are these Holy Spirits really okay?"
The Salvation Army's accompanying chaplain said that the resurrected bodies were the souls of their ancestors, referred to as the Holy Spirit.
However, that ghostly appearance had no trace of holiness; it was even more abstract than the monsters under Novell's command.
The captain, standing under the oak tree, spoke calmly and expressionlessly.
"Our ancestors were just waking up and were quite excited... They'll get used to it."
Soldier:"……"
The Salvation Army soldiers were speechless, as was the old village chief hiding under the watchtower at the village entrance.
He had run away in such a hurry that he had dropped his pipe, and he could only silently pray that the monsters wouldn't steal it.
Fortunately, they were only interested in weapons and had little interest in anything else.
And a short while later, two people seemed to come from the woods by the village and waved to them.
Then the spirits followed them.
The old village chief was so frightened that his legs went weak, but he was a man of considerable age and quickly noticed something unusual about it.
“…Something’s not right. These guys aren’t like ordinary undead.” He muttered to himself, the fear in his eyes gradually turning into awe, as if he were witnessing a miracle.
The villagers standing around looked at each other in bewilderment.
They were holding pitchforks and matchlock guns, preparing to drive away the undead, when the old village chief suddenly uttered these words.
The village blacksmith swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice.
"Then, who are they...?"
"It is the Holy Spirit!"
The old village chief turned around, his cloudy pupils burning with fervor as he analyzed with unwavering conviction.
"Haven't you heard? The miracle of Wheatfield Village! The souls of our ancestors were not pleased with the children's cries of hunger, so they begged Saint Sith to let them return to the land they once lived on... They created a bountiful harvest for Wheatfield Village with their own hands and drove away the invasion of Chaos!"
At this moment, the villagers also remembered this matter, looked at each other, and the fear in their eyes actually dissipated a little.
They were certainly familiar with the fact that Grang Village was located north of Twilight City, right next to Sparrowwood Territory.
"By Saint Sith..."
"So it was our ancestors!"
A murmur rippled through the crowd, their eyes gleaming, even their last vestiges of fear transforming into a sense of pride.
Although they had never seen the saint, they had all witnessed the court that slandered her.
If we're talking about demons, those ruthless killers are the real devils!
And those two theologians who were hanged—although those two young men from the Holy City didn't seem like bad people, their arrogant, upturned-nosed manner certainly didn't make them good people!
Almost all the people of the Twilight Provinces had a bad impression of the King and the Papacy; otherwise, there would have been no Greenwood Rebellion, nor the corruption of Chaos.
The saintess, who was antagonized by the king and the papacy, naturally gained their favor.
The more the court portrays her as a monstrous demon, the more they will believe that those who only talk the talk are the real demons.
When this idea becomes a trend, even the dead can be interpreted as sacred.
Unexpectedly, the village of Gelang was also blessed by the Holy Spirit, and the faces of all the villagers were filled with joy.
Only one big, somewhat dim-witted guy scratched his head and asked a straightforward question.
"But...why did our ancestors take our shovels with them?"
“That’s because the weapons from the underworld couldn’t be brought here,” the old village chief quickly explained, continuing with certainty, “They must be dissatisfied with the Tribunal’s misdeeds, so they borrowed our weapons to deal with those who slandered the Holy Maiden!”
It's a pity that the two hanged theologians aren't here, otherwise their corpses would surely have been brought back to life by anger.
The underworld...
These barbarians are utterly blasphemous.
The idea of a river spirit is one thing, since spirits aren't exactly enemies of humans, but now they're even using the blasphemous word "underworld"!
It is clearly written in the Book of the Word that people have eradicated death.
There is no underworld in this world anymore!
...
The New Testament, which the saint did not write, was eventually written by the king's governor.
Luo Yan, who received this information from Sarah, had only one thought in his mind.
"...This is too blasphemous."
On the outskirts of Twilight City, light footsteps echoed in an unclaimed warehouse.
The dilapidated windows were sealed with black cloth, leaving only a kerosene lamp on a table made of wooden crates, its dim light flickering.
Beside the lamplight was an open map. Luo Yan stood beside the map with a playful smile on his face, as if he were admiring an interesting script.
The blue flags represent the Lionheart Knights' garrisons, while the red flags represent supply depots controlled by the council and the kingdom's barracks directly under the governor.
It was clear that the red flag had completely surrounded the blue flag and held an absolute advantage.
Just a month ago, the military deployment of the Kingdom of Ryan in the Twilight Province was a complete blank to the Salvation Army.
Now, with the support of the council and the Campbells, these devout warriors are able to move swiftly and strike wherever they are directed.
Luo Yan was very satisfied with their actions.
He had to say on behalf of Archduke Edward that the money was well spent.
The Campbellians avenged the "Winter Coup" without losing a single soldier.
"...Everything is going as you planned."
Sarah walked behind Luo Yan, like his shadow, and spoke softly.
"Governor Eralic persuaded Chief Justice Jiménez, who had lost patience with the king, through a forged New Testament. Although Hagmer was furious with Baron Eralic, he ultimately lacked the courage to kill the baron and could only endure the majesty of the court."
"At the same time, the Salvation Army launched an offensive under the guidance of the new 'oracle'. Over the past week, they have launched simultaneous attacks in seven different locations across the province, targeting Lionheart Knights' supply convoys and villages where Royal Guards and theologians are stationed."
"Currently, the theologians from the Holy City no longer dare to rely on the Kingdom's guards. Now they only dare to preach in the villages where the Inquisitors are stationed, and the Salvation Army generally does not attack there."
Luo Yan asked with great interest.
"Did the court not suspect Ellaric?"
Sarah gently shook her head.
"Currently, there is no indication of that. After all, the nobles' private armies are not inactive. Under the leadership of the council, they have achieved several victories and seized a lot of evidence of blasphemy... Not to mention suspicion, the court is extremely satisfied with them. The kingdom's knights cherish their reputation, but the people of the Holy Light Council do not."
As she spoke, Sarah lightly tapped her index finger on a major thoroughfare marked with a red cross on the map.
"Hagermer's once-proud heavy cavalry is now like a lion being toyed with by a swarm of bees. They are exhausted from running along muddy country roads, wearing plate armor weighing dozens of kilograms. Often, they have just arrived at an attacked outpost when smoke signals rise from the opposite direction... And now, stationed on the provincial frontier, they also face the predicament of supply shortages."
"Oh? Ellarik cut off their food supply?"
“He doesn’t have the guts,” Sarah said with a slight smile, “but he can get the Salvation Army guerrillas to steal the supplies that were originally destined for the Knights.”
Sarah has grown a lot through her training in the Academy and the Twilight Province.
She used to only use daggers, but now she has gradually come to understand how to use things other than daggers to manipulate her enemies.
Intrigue is an invisible dagger!
Luo Yan was very satisfied with her progress and nodded approvingly as he looked at her.
Sarah, who received the praise, smiled shyly. Although she didn't show her happiness very obviously, her cat ears, which swayed gently back and forth, still betrayed her joy and pride.
"Good, it seems we'll be able to close the net soon."
“It was all thanks to your guidance.” Sarah nodded humbly.
Luo Yan's gaze passed over the red cross on the map and looked toward the direction of Twilight City.
"And what about our chief judge? What has he said about the knights the king has appointed for him?"
"The chief referee is very dissatisfied, and is almost at the point of no return."
A mocking glint flashed in Sarah's eyes, as if she were looking at a mouse that had fallen into a trap.
"According to the information that Theresa obtained, Chief Justice Jiménez just approved a special fund this morning. This money did not go to the starving Lionheart Knights, but was directly allocated to Baron 'Elaric's' Council of Holy Light to expand the size of his private army."
"The Court of Justice no longer trusts the Knights, and the trigger was a recent major event. Earl Ed Tully Jr., leading the Council's militia, wiped out a Salvation Army stronghold in the Earl's territory of Ashmarsh and 'accidentally' found several cartloads of printed copies of the New Testament."
Greyswamp Territory is the main base of the Lionheart Knights, located next to Stillwater Beach Territory, where the Campbellians are stationed.
Luo Yan's face lit up with interest again, and his gaze fell on the map on the table. Sure enough, he saw a blue flag standing tall on the plot of land in the Gray Swamp Earl's Territory.
Of course, a red flag was also flying next to him, clearly indicating that the parliament's influence had penetrated the area.
That was quite a surprise.
"Yes."
Sarah smiled and continued in a gentle voice.
"The Knights' dereliction of duty allowed heretical printed materials to pile up right under their noses. If these New Testaments were delivered to Twilight City or other places, the consequences would be unimaginable... These are Eralic's exact words. Theresa saw him pointing his finger at Lieutenant Hagmer and cursing him in the central cathedral of Twilight City."
"Now, the Holy Light Council has been ordered to go to the Grey Swamp Territory to search for the workshops that printed these blasphemous publications. It should be soon that we have the results."
Luo Yan smiled, completely convinced of this.
The New Testaments that are considered the source of heresy were not printed in some underground workshop at all, but rather in a printing press controlled by the Punk in the southern Principality of Campbell.
Incidentally, this printing plant is also the supplier for printing newspapers for the Thunder City Daily.
Few people know that the Thunder City Daily was actually created by Punk.
The newspaper gained fame during the Collins Group's IPO and held a significant share of the Thunder City media industry. Later, during the "Winter Coup," the newspaper, as a staunch supporter of Edward, united the reformist citizens of Thunder City.
The Demon King's influence extends far beyond the economy; his infiltration into the information field began long ago.
The Holy Light Council will soon be able to find a "small workshop" for printing newspapers in the Ash Marshlands.
Because what the Campbellians packed up and sent to the Dusk Province wasn't just the printed copy of the New Testament, but also the printing press from North Peak.
We can allocate one to the courtroom then.
The Holy Light Council will use the heretical books printed by the Demon King to accuse the King's knights of blasphemy, thereby pleasing the Holy Inquisition and obtaining the power to check and balance the King's authority from them.
There is only one loser in this closed-loop chain, and that is the king of the Kingdom of Ryan.
"...The only thing to worry about now is that our King might suddenly overturn the table. Although the Radiant Knights don't have that ability, King Ryan does."
Sarah said respectfully as she watched the Demon King's retreating figure.
"Please rest assured, we have eyes and ears in the Governor's mansion. The reason we know Governor Ellarick's whereabouts so well is because he is under our protection."
She paused for a moment, then continued.
"Actually, it wasn't just our people; the nobles of Twilight Province and the Grand Duke of Campbell also made meticulous preparations... They knew the king's methods well, so they had already deployed their own pawns in Twilight City, always on guard against the king making a move against them."
"That's good," Luo Yan nodded with a smile and said gently, "Keep a close eye on the Lionheart Knights' movements for me. Although Mr. Hagmer is as politically obtuse as a stone, he is still a demigod-level powerhouse. Don't let him discover the puppets behind Governor Elaric. If anything unexpected happens, remember to report to me."
"Yes, my lord."
Sarah bowed deeply, placing her right hand on her chest.
When she looked up again, there was no one there; only a pale blue butterfly fluttered by and disappeared into the shadows of the old warehouse…
...
The nights at Colin Manor are always exceptionally long, as both Mr. and Ms. Colin are very busy.
Unfortunately, Vivian missed her target again this time.
The “accident” she confidently created caused no harm to anyone in the manor except to terrify the maid patrolling the corridor and the snoring Taff.
Later, the mischievous little devil was naturally punished and made to kneel on a small round stool to reflect on his actions.
But his stubborn gaze and the clenched fangs suggested that this guy would dare to do it again next time.
Actually, Vivian didn't want it to be like this either.
But with the start of school drawing ever closer, none of the wishes on her bucket list that she had ventured to the human world to fulfill had come true.
If she went back like that, how could she possibly brag to some succubus who had been cheating on her?
Seeing the Partridge family's growing interest in the Demon King, she became increasingly anxious.
or……
Can I ask my grandfather for help?
This was the first time Vivian had seriously considered this issue. As long as Prince Caesar supported her, that guy Roxie wouldn't dare to say a word.
At Colin Estate, breakfast today consists of foie gras, beef intestines, oatmeal, and bread.
In addition, the blood of the Minotaur.
Luo Yan eventually managed to get some Minotaur blood from the Adventurers' Guild.
Under the generous reward of the Demon King... no, Prince Colin, the ambitious young men of Thunder City flocked to the southeastern shore of the Whirlpool Sea, venturing into the territory inhabited by orcs, to search for alchemical materials for Prince Colin, who was dedicated to studying magic.
It's worth mentioning that while the Terror Demons are creatures of hell, the Tauren are not; they belong to a branch of the Orcs.
In the distant First Age, orcs, like elves, dwarves, and goblins, were the dominant races on the continent of Os, and at one time even controlled the most prosperous northern shore of the Whirlpool Sea.
However, with the rise of humans and the Holy Light, and the colonization of the Whirlpool Sea coast by the lizardmen during the Dragon God era, the orcs have now disappeared from the northern shore of the Whirlpool Sea, and their range of activity has shrunk to the relatively barren southern and eastern shores.
The way to distinguish between orcs and demons is simple: the former look more like wild beasts, such as Bloodblade Demon General Grak, while the latter only have a tail or ears that are different from humans, such as Sarah.
The demons' status in human society is roughly similar to that of "untouchables." Saint Sith neither opposes nor approves of them, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Orcs are probably the same.
In order to distinguish them from the truly evil demons of hell, some people call those hornless demons "demons," or turn a blind eye to their inconspicuous biological characteristics and simply do not mention race or religion.
For example, when Sarah wears a hood or headdress, no one pays attention to her ears, and no one casts strange glances at her; at most, they are attracted by her black hair.
In the continent of Os, gold symbolizes purity, silver represents aging, and black symbolizes mystery and desire.
Incidentally, since Vivian and Nanfu refused to leave, Luo Yan didn't dare to hire human servants, so he brought over a group of demons from Hell whose demonic features weren't very obvious.
The maid who was frightened by Vivian last night was not human, but a girl with fox ears.
Most of them were orphans from the temple, with clean backgrounds and relatively simple minds, introduced by Father Jeffrey, Luo Yan's godfather.
The young demons were very excited about working for the "hot" Councilor Luo Yan. After learning about this good opportunity, they happily brought their luggage to work.
In 1054 of the Os calendar, whether in Hell or on Earth, being a servant to a nobleman was a secure job, especially serving a nobleman of great renown.
After all, in this old era when humanistic thought was just beginning to emerge, the vast majority of people were either farm tools or the rice in their bowls.
From a helpless orphan to a source of livelihood, isn't that a leap in social class?
Moreover, this bowl can be passed down from generation to generation.
And so, Thunder City gained another group of "demons" walking in the sunlight.
Moreover, it was right in the prince's residence, and it was even from Shanghai.
These servants rarely interact with the outside world, and even the procurement of supplies is done directly by the Demon King's servants from the more "evil" Silverpine Town or even North Peak City in the Ten Thousand Ren Mountains.
Therefore, even if there is a St. Sis church just 500 meters away from the manor, there is no problem of it being exposed.
Who would dare to mess with the prince?
The prince acted a little late, and the next day the Royal Railways' tracks passed right by the church.
A maid with drooping fox ears pushed a serving cart, placing plates on a table covered with a white cloth. Another maid, tall and slender, carefully set out the cutlery; if one ignored the goat's tail beneath her crinoline, she looked almost indistinguishable from a human.
This includes the waiter standing by the door, whose distinctive feature is the scales on his ankles. There's also the waiter responsible for measuring the spacing between the cutlery; only upon close inspection can one see that his pupils, dotted with tiny stars, are different from those of ordinary people.
Seeing her favorite food, Vivian's face lit up with happiness, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Brother, was this prepared especially for me? Chirp... My heart is beating so fast! Is this what it feels like to become an adult?"
Seeing Vivian, who had started acting up early in the morning and was panting heavily, Luo Yan gently waved his wand, making her behave a little before she pounced on him for a snack.
“This wasn’t prepared especially for you. There’s also a portion from Nanfu, so you don’t need to get so excited… Also, don’t make a mess of the food, and remember to rinse your mouth after you finish eating.”
An invisible weight pressed down on Vivian's shoulders, causing the little apricot, wrapped in deep purple silk, to sink deeply into the velvet cushion of the dining chair.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
What terrifying magic!
The more Vivian squirmed restlessly, the deeper she sank in.
The crimson pupils became increasingly intoxicated by the weight on his shoulders, to the point that even the spellcaster couldn't help but feel a backlash, his wand becoming a little too hot to handle.
What kind of "magical damage reflection" is this?!
Fortunately, Luo Yan's shock did not last long.
When Vivian heard a certain unwanted name, her "self-amusing" gaze instantly turned murderous.
Sensing the inexplicable hostility emanating from the side, the cautious Nanfu's shoulders involuntarily trembled, and he almost dropped the soup spoon in his hand onto the plate.
He turned his head tremblingly.
"Brother, big brother... how about I give this portion to my sister? I, I actually... don't really like the blood of the Minotaur."
These days, there are actually vampires who don't like blood. The demons of Shanghai are getting more and more depraved.
Luo Yan glanced at Nan Fu.
"Nanfu, have you forgotten what I taught you? Don't reveal everything just because someone gives you a look."
“But, but… she is Vivian.”
"No matter who she is, look back at her the way she sees you. Have the courage to tell her that this is yours, and she can either step over your dead body or give you something in return."
Nanfu: "???"
Vivian's bad habits were partly due to her weak father spoiling her, and partly due to the cowardly Nanfu.
If you want to make Vivian more normal, it's not enough to just correct her; Nanfu also needs to be trained to be normal.
This is also for Nanfu's own good.
He didn't want his younger brother to become a simp, and it wasn't too late to make some changes.
Under the terrifying gaze of Councilor Luo Yan, Nan Fu's shoulders trembled slightly, and he shrank even smaller.
I?
Staring at Vivian?
With the strength of a silver-level vampire, he challenges a platinum-level genius vampire girl, the future vampire prince...
He felt that it would be easier for him to die.
Nanfu may be timid, but he's not stupid.
Although Councilor Luo Yan is indeed formidable, he won't really do anything to him, and this authority has an expiration date.
Once he returned to Shanghai, he would have many more opportunities to meet with Vivian, and he dared not offend this little princess.
There wasn't a single second-generation rich kid in Shanghai who wasn't afraid of her.
A chain of fear formed a closed loop, flowing silently across the table where only three people were seated.
Looking at the timid and cowardly Nanfu and his dignified older brother, Vivian's cheeks couldn't help but flush.
ah……
This is the taste.
That silent terror blooming in the blood was truly intoxicating!
It would be even better if there were some holy light as an ingredient.
"Hahahaha..." Youyou laughed so hard she rolled around on the floor, acting particularly unrestrained in the empty restaurant.
Only Luo Yan could hear the laughter.
He sighed, deeply understanding the helplessness of the gods when facing M.
When all punishments are interpreted as rewards, even Saint Sith and the Demon God would be at a loss.
Compared to housework, playing chess is definitely easier...
'Demon, Demon King, I have a plan to restore light to your restaurant—'
'Shut up, Youyou.'
'Ugh... Demon King, please at least let Yu-Yu finish speaking, okay?'
Ignoring Youyou's grievances, Luo Yan calmly picked up his teacup, took a sip, and moistened his dry throat.
At that moment, a servant dressed as a butler entered the dining room and stopped beside the long table.
"Your Highness, a gentleman is requesting an audience at the manor gate. He claims to have come at your invitation, but he has no invitation."
There are people like that every day; Luo Yan just asked casually.
"who?"
The servant answered respectfully.
"His name is Keynes, and he claims to be a professor at the Academy."
(End of this chapter)
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