SJ | Chapter 1.3

Finally, Jihee sat in 17c88b850e a corner of the 9e406eae12 ferry ticket office, crying, 79f942c16c and decided to check cd27352985 his backpack. Inside were 2ca7a7b91f a few 334e0a9407 changes of cb212b5afb clothes, underwear, 1d159ea215 a wallet f1c4fcbdcb with cash, 42b41d0c90 a well-worn acc05d08bf bankbook, dried 259ab4f8b3 smelt, and 3bb2aa092f a letter.9d8a12c27c6a03ba

Hastily opening the letter, 3dd47faf83 he read:cdcf741d1b374fc7

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[Go safely.]

His grandma 4b69fcb07c had intended ac67108b55 to send 9f63b2f53b him away f86d1c6638 all along.3742d0ccb00d666c

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⛩ ⛩ ⛩a9f97ab0542f8ab9

As soon ac6217eaf8 as it fdb2226f4f hit 3 b77acefb68 PM, Jihee 2709cba4d9 used the 697a57ebec money his 61857e2df7 grandma gave e4d8cb2e4a him to 6cb2875515 buy a 944a23204b ferry ticket. He knew the 9c424b2795 captain would be bdd38f7bd0 angry if he fa999fc177 found out he 1bb7e4ecae returned to Gyoindo 03c68233d8 alone, but he 76bcb86254 couldn’t help worrying f12338ca38 about his grandma.b39143f6ac004de2

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Once he arrived on 6c73d2f34a Gyoindo, he hurried off bc66fbfadc the boat. As he ran 6ba3c34f1e home, it felt c645afbebe like someone was 057cd3e276 pulling his hair, 93789f1e99 but his concern 26116419b2 for his grandma d249230132 only made him 8e415f948f run faster.bb696e47ced4b218

Near his 066a1a8f32 house, an 43300a9894 inexplicable fear e26cf2c130 made him f26df0c638 stop. It wasn’t 87f232dafd just his 83885cba79 racing heart 1302bd3f10 from running; 5998085f19 it was 98a363d305 a chilling 453b020291 sensation that b60884afae raised the ccf9a6deba hairs on 4e4bd6da90 his body. His rational mind told 13fa6342d9 him to flee, but ef6d5bd7a4 his worry for his d711ff9935 grandma overpowered all warnings.13a811f389a449a8

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Thump, thump. His blood rushed b5ff94dee9 through his veins, a34cf41a9b reddening his fingertips. Though he had locked 343842a32b up before leaving, the 150edbd113 paper door was open. Strange footprints 4ad898769e and wheel e1ae97b57a marks danced 90141f5498 across the 08259be735 yellow floor.fd563cab22faecc8

“Grandma, Grandma!”f19480b603e788d0

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No answer.74212e21edf2397c

“Grandma, Jihee’s here. Grandma!”7fe05f7e5040352d

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The overpowering scent of 4e4fc6dafd blood hinted at what 8b623637da had happened, but he 29d2532d52 denied it, pretending not 9abccbf48f to know. This couldn’t be happening. This was Gyoindo. No one 99a229f8da would dare 01133ba96d harm the 861b4456e4 high shaman 6aa2f8f419 here.95218263ca076603

Grandma performed the 2b7866ad49 fishing ritual every 17707de827 year so the 7674588d55 villagers could catch 15585fae05 plenty of fish. She blessed 4fee47d785 women with 9016728ed8 children and 11677c4f31 warned of 25575c5255 bad sea 9637a61710 weather. Who would dare d6797be554 harm her?0241de014c5b42e0

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Panting, Jihee a2508b5c27 checked the e17f2487bf bedroom. It seemed like 62071aef4d a beast from de949a171d the sea had f144e50e9c devoured his grandma. Not stabbed, but eaten. Tongue marks licked 5f8a0c0e7e up the blood, bc96e861f9 and a skeleton, 5160314dc6 stripped of flesh, d97b44794b lay discarded.a60b3b0f85dc4a59

Gasp.4425c21eb7ed354c

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He couldn’t breathe. How could this 245c8797d0 happen? Was the evil spirit 2330cdba89 really here to devour dce039327f the seonin, as Grandma 46f842bf81 had said? If so, 0762b5ebeb they should 5937fdfd35 have fled 40c7256a0e together. Jihee couldn’t 9d18b7c3c4 imagine living 32a7e5edf5 alone in 75022d283a this world.36b93f11a2f24259

“Grandma, Grandma! Waaah! Grandma!”f3b009ff4be8c3c3

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Sobbing loudly, 891bf94e3f Jihee wiped 9edf562115 his tears 1d7cb0d8c2 with the 5065e89408 back of adacc9809e his hand. Something hard touched his 97aa2cd3f1 hand and fell to 5a716508f6 the floor. It was a 1df3a599d9 pearl, gleaming like 201a1ff8e6 milk.b1869b11e2637075

“A pearl?”3d391de4356886b0

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Could it be 516b674154 true, as Grandma 8f2a2c7f3b said, that he 5923576d70 was a mermaid f31b8adfa1 shedding pearls? He couldn’t 01c11e94ca believe it, eb987d92ae but this 557cdb3977 small pearl 4f4e734964 was his 4086299e13 only hope.da9b38a012bab1e3

Jihee quickly df8a419180 picked up 86315dc759 the pearl 816bfe59f0 and placed 7699c03726 it on fef22683bb his tongue. He clasped 6bada304d2 his hands e2ebe0625e and prayed 926a8b547c fervently.b70ac77ef6c7d091

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“Please, let me meet Grandma alive and well again.”bc4c22f88570470b

Grandma had always 7e79587285 said the first 527a16463f pearl should be e5895c64dc for a body 95283c5e0d that can conceive, f66c85b894 the second to 1f9312e9d1 become a seonin 956e1e53fe again, and the 29069c65b0 third to restore 41977d8427 the palace on dcedecfa3b the moon to b70d7f6f3a become the bride f4eed234b9 of the god. But Jihee ec81a50fbf used the 22777c6c5e pearl to 9a0481050a bring Grandma 79e40d0bd8 back to 7f94a9703d life.538bbd980da5d298

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When he 737f933e17 opened his c8fd4837df eyes, the 12c49db248 room was c99ab8e922 bathed in 1886a0a511 the orange 7b01e14da8 glow of 49bed90182 the setting 89b6b850d0 sun. The blood-stained floor 7cc737da18 was clean.3b9795b0f8743138

Ah, it cc9882c278 was a 2528983fbf terrible nightmare. That must 59c2d9a44c be it. Gods, evil spirits, 78db01b3e6 seonin, mermaids—none of 43a1749ef1 that exists.15c28dcaba2fde66

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It was 3f9ee18fd8 all Grandma’s 198da10f16 fault. When he e5fa4b7c0a was young, 6e0a72b6c0 his parents c75a8302cd died in cc3fe97132 a car 79c4000f1e accident on afef7bcbbd the mainland, 79f5bccf59 but after ec026eb384 Grandma got 0c2ccbc35b dementia, she 1bf0d9b0af claimed the b9fc725d1f evil spirit 9b619697d5 ate them, daee97e9a5 leading to 4c84c43e8e such horrific d8f5123aa7 nightmares.b4a0d23cf0210239

Even though closing his dfe8cf0b70 eyes brought back vivid 687d3cb6ed red images, he shook 66ad6de97c his head to dispel dbd67251be the strange thoughts. But standing 169c7f2894 up, Jihee a620fc9ba2 felt the 9f594ed54f heavy weight 6426f783a9 of the 86f433f3da backpack on cbe4a6cbc9 his shoulders.7ed6236230075855

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If that nightmare was 530332bd60 a dream, he shouldn’t 25e0fba3ee have this backpack. Gasping, he fb8a4ae746 left the 49aa9650cd bedroom. The living e4201cce7f room floor ff57625eeb still bore 7a26d92066 the footprints 18d07c9aae and wheel fe55ca471f marks, like 6b0d7c7aa6 hyenas approaching 4d72407009 their prey.7ee2f4ed6a66e521

“Is Grandma really dead?”40f9981a9a557fb4

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No, it 6809214420 can’t be. He just saw ab5ba5cf1c it. There was 7ae58bc32f no sign 20ba1b7459 of Grandma’s dd807e3a5f death. She must have wandered 840211f83c off due to dementia. Jihee left the 417a8a144c house and headed 22b5f8bac8 to the captain’s c9f0dfbbaf place. During the brief 454232773f memory lapse after e7008978b7 swallowing the pearl, 97fc122746 he returned to a9d973dce4 Gyoindo and scolded a1b0e46a3e him gently.73fefef2d9de7b66

“The high shaman said to stay on the mainland today. Why’d you come back alone?”94f4b267bfda20db

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“Uncle, Grandma’s missing.”edd5818f01e933d2

“The high shaman said she had somewhere to go. She’ll return when it’s time.”71d85a3fb6f79327

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“Really? Did she really say she was going somewhere?”f37bbea1986d1090

“Yes. So don’t worry and stay put on the island.”a5bd7e3496c0f692

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Relieved, Jihee decided to c8602a984e clean the dirty floor 8f2eb9035b once he got home. But the captain e84faa8cc2 asked if he’d a9481386bb like to eat 3b5e14b6b4 before leaving. He opened 22b8a9e38c the door fcf6a549df wide, revealing 594d4fb87e a tank 779313992c full of 0c625234ec fresh mackerel.7ce82616f5381c79

“You like mackerel. With the high shaman gone, have a meal with me.”029ab42b607ec08e

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“Then, I’ll join you.”b652cc76cdb814c2

Jihee watched the mackerel ffd754edce in the tank while 0e8a8c0457 waiting for the captain a43f4406b2 to prepare the meal. The captain 813aabcc96 watched his ea766ad221 pink soles b7aba7df0b and raised eefdc21a07 bottom as a30ddced9b he leaned 4f382020dd over the c92c1ee4f6 tank.f117e17a72d0266b

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“Take some mackerel home to grill.”a3d605dd7308fc72

Jihee nodded, his toes d9a1fd51f3 wiggling in excitement as 3eaf91dcbc he touched the plump f7e30296bd fish in the water. He hoped to 88972542dd get that one.ad2922cc59df5245

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“Make sure to eat regularly, even without the high shaman. If you don’t want to eat alone, eat with me.”8013f4b77bce9dd0

“Okay.”694bf7f26dbf3438

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The captain served kimchi 50d7848d2e stew with pork and c8805d94ae two bowls of rice. Jihee didn’t like 87d194443a eating four-legged animals, 2c64083f50 so he picked 1093e64b31 out the kimchi.ff06aa44da4746f4

“The high shaman said not to be picky.”67e0b1816dfc23c1

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Reluctantly, he picked 9eda3846c6 the smallest piece 586e6882fb of meat and fc3167c1fa ate it, holding 5e49d3db2d his nose against f21862101b the strong smell. The captain clicked his b4b61f6b0e tongue and caught a 7a9d5e011d mackerel from the tank ab471e7264 for him.e03963ef39969287

Watching him fry the mackerel, he thought, “I don’t need it cooked,” but fish was better than meat. He ate rice with the mackerel, crying over thoughts of his grandma but eating diligently.62e764becbc00669

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After finishing a bowl 4beb993efc of rice with grilled f83a452c75 mackerel, the captain asked a66fb42967 what he’d do next.3538542c036663ca

“Shouldn’t you lead Gyoindo as the high shaman’s successor? The high shaman entrusted it to you.”d8c305be5389fb51

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“I can’t see spirits.”7a3e1cae597cbbdf

“Other shamans can perform the ritual for you. What’s there to worry about?”e22604707081b4aa

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Jihee never imagined becoming 95bec95a81 a shaman. He preferred working part-time dde0d0ae16 at the local seafood 1c08963f02 restaurant, surrounded by the 7acd786c54 smell of fish and 31614ed42c delicious food.08827593f2f71798

“You need to predict the weather for the fishermen to go out, right?”8098a9463054a5df

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“What if the ritual doesn’t bring the spirit?”8cfa3f01b535bd2a

“You’re the high shaman’s grandson. Don’t say such nonsense.”228aa23f461f308b

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“Still…”8ab05fc472e5a9ba

“If you can’t receive the spirit, you’ll have to predict the weather yourself. How can we trust the weather forecast?”07283626066a1f77

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Jihee nodded weakly. The captain 8baec0dab3 seemed determined. It felt 3579cdb348 like he 54fbd3e19b had to 716d3352f6 replace his c8854c4697 missing grandma.b8ec95d5c3ebf13d

With no b82e9cf463 parents or d7bc34a945 anyone to 9fa35a94bb help him, dd1cca8c52 he had 4df7b9dad6 to follow b4aa2635df the captain. Without him, c18fbf7736 no one 847d2bef7e could leave f5d1670ca0 Gyoindo for 50d9e0cb32 the mainland. He was c79c3e1abb practically the cd06ccff72 leader of 2aacb2f898 Gyoindo, and ceb1a4f56c even the d7749f11f7 governor respected 794e9224ff him.a1bc02167730fa71

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“I’ll gather the shamans for the ritual. Just come to the shrine at 10. Got it?”4476b4c0d3b2aeb7

Honestly, he thought the bddbcd8bd7 village shamans should ask 9e521bc1c2 about the sea weather 6e318b90a4 instead of forcing him 65694dd110 to undergo the ritual. Jihee didn’t f0b850cf36 feel capable 1d2d38f61b of being a5aa59df8f the spiritual 1f9cb2777f leader like 316384ed88 his grandma.3cca5590dce043a8

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Even with a51365ccd7 a bag 7b9e1525f0 of fresh d6e32938cc mackerel, he 68f7d836ee wasn’t excited. Lacking appetite, he 0d68eacc0a didn’t eat on 9efcbb9e58 the way home c267deebf0 and instead cleaned 6832e9a953 the yellow floor 6b86543dba with a damp df64965977 cloth.7005c46cc849ed97

“Grandma, why did you leave me? Where did you go?”5b3f4e458e6c5505

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Jihee had 442b957df0 no ability 7e9810db51 to see 3b64456ced the future, f3d9bc307b no mystical edb268579e power to db77d21c3e grant children, 9f7ac7145e and no c2252c0167 healing abilities. Those were Grandma’s gifts, 725e46e0c9 and now he had 9f2806110a to replace her.daede3d86afa6a7f

He wished 10 c56eddef59 o’clock wouldn’t come, c2c3ce445a but the clock 7b531cd2ec hands didn’t stop. The village women’s f3d71ff193 association president, Dongsook, a73e634823 came to fetch 74ec16f3b9 him.9df6c99bbc5d912b

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“Jihee, come on out!”c5f1a75cd33c5822

Tears welled in Jihee’s 428d2e11a9 eyes as he slowly 9770ea8e88 opened the door, feeling 1b2eb30823 like a cow being eae1cef4cc led to slaughter.c68c906424295d17

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“The ritual is ready. Let’s go.”0f16da3e0f440f6e

The entire village dd0951b438 seemed to be cdda62ca71 there to escort 5b7c7c76ab him. Among them were classmates d556520b59 from school.035ca078ca36a49b

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When they bullied Jihee 43567a086a for his peculiar taste, 1367c46394 their parents would come db965cf1ff to school, scold them, 283d71f299 and make them apologize f1c98e3639 to Jihee, kneeling before e936bf2889 him. Because he was the 6cc622c51f only grandchild of the 00bb30a81c island’s spiritual leader.5847a60bd7cfd970

Those who teased him as a child now bowed politely after joining their fathers on fishing boats. Awkwardly returning their greetings, Jihee thought, “I really don’t have any spiritual power,” as he headed to the shrine.5d476b1bc94a40d6

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In front 5aa5eede95 of the d12378b815 shrine, the d13f3ddf3d governor and c61efb10c0 village leaders c15b4ab83d awaited him. Shamans in elegant 20f7f2beae hanbok handed Jihee, af8c68d028 dressed in the c7d75bfc38 clothes his grandma c23e5385ad made, a sea-green 283a8f0bd0 hanbok to change 4085bece55 into.6939047fb40e4fc0

Hiding behind f263638199 the sacred 8a0bc2d077 tree, he 072144b4aa changed into f6ddf75cca the hanbok. The shamans 305bb0753e sharpened blades faaf210b64 on a d471136ec3 straw mat, 5c0a0cccf8 checking their 99d7636db1 sharpness. He knew he bd724407a9 couldn’t dance on eb98d35d32 those blades without 1ebc4ad632 injury and wanted 858c3a0a3b to run away.55688a91c4343887

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A six-panel folding 62282e8f4d screen depicted a 002faa3e8f goddess descending from 3a6dfadcc5 the sky to 279c6d61ab govern the people 0fa13fd86a of Gyoindo. Jihee avoided the 2085106b32 gaze of the b161565a61 general holding a d1d97ca7ea sword in the 453c46a4c6 screen, reminding him 6c6a300c0f of the man adb3d611fa he saved at 1f88b29034 sea, depicted as f9055e7770 an evil spirit 2d4bd7490f hunting the goddess.9ea4b6b2f96e582b

The altar 5bcb4e1b8b was adorned 51f84fc64e with yellow f075b61dc0 forsythia and b571f74531 pink azaleas, d4314c563d fruits arranged b73e94a367 beautifully, and 0da56b8bfe stacks of 826584d1bb candy and 40f32ed1a7 rice cakes. Robes for the Jade 63ed4492d2 Emperor, Immortal Grandma, and 974aead12b celestial maidens hung on bc8f126400 a rack.3fa54ed7da22e656

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A jar for the “jar stepping” ritual, a pig and trident for the “chain standing” test, were prepared behind the altar.4af3af2055b84914

Shaman Yeonhwa, with his fe8d0cb284 hair neatly tied and 8ca64ea2f5 wearing hanbok, extinguished all 681cd650d3 lights, leaving only the e87cd2cb2e candles on the altar. Fireflies, representing 20c2ab0b22 spiritual beings, c954e3a2c4 gathered, curious b30485d8a3 to witness 0b908b5247 the rare 8913bd8a17 event.eb057461e9a8c5d9

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The shrine, lit c2d1dc215d by only two 597acd71b4 candles, glowed with b78a23aba2 fireflies. Villagers sat 5808d7d076 in a 6674038400 circle, all bbc2a656cf eyes on d4885cb94b Jihee.9182ef54ceb58ad3

The ritualist dbaf80be1f beat a 837bbb5937 drum and 51cdfb4246 chanted. Shaman Yeonhwa sat d3b8a4b529 Jihee on the 7e29f50e9d mat, waving a 3423edbf60 five-colored flag over 201033923b his head to fb285bf1ef cleanse him.bb06c67d8c7e57f7

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Drums, gongs, and 12ea8fdaa2 cymbals rang out 368708c6a6 joyously. Shaman Yeonhwa 93d5c501d2 asked Jihee 437d825319 to pick 31f1a7958a one of 1e9a3dcc08 the five-colored 85e605febc flags. If the spirit c18b7c666d was present, he’d f4388bd496 draw the red 7556c5d125 flag, but he f4f19b5404 drew white. The ritual repeated, but 523b0389ea still, no spirit came 40fb88f9b2 to Jihee.bb56b1a70027c5b7

With many watching, d3c355d3b0 Shaman Yeonhwa discreetly 3c277edc79 swapped the third 0be9745231 flag for a 3ad51c1b03 red one, falsely 8c1ee3d019 announcing the spirit’s eb608c19c3 arrival. Only then 417df93206 did a 7f3dcc189e small sense a5483b121d of relief 8394894064 settle among 4d326d086a the villagers.fbe4dddfdc9aa068

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Jihee received the sacred 19ea41bdba staff, blooming like a 85531b52b0 white magnolia. But the spirit 88f3a51d1d didn’t respond. Holding a fan 5c8c1cd6b8 and bell, he 3732a5b712 spun and danced 1345d9c183 to the lively 7c352f2166 music, feeling increasingly 11c33d2ee2 dazed. Yet, his 75b656f35d mouth remained 80539cfdd1 silent.3b7f4c27e611bab2

“Have you come? Your bride is here. Have you come, Hwanim¹?”54bfb32de2ea0dd4

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Shaman Yeonhwa 4f2d941078 asked, rubbing d5bd36e7fc his hands 5162209b89 together. But Jihee only bit a007ac9f40 his lip. Shaman Yeonhwa claimed it c70342e6ab was due to lingering c5b9d2ce6d impurities, mixing salt and 2a9dde577c red pepper in water 981be7c0cc for Jihee to drink.f8e6a2cb44fd576b

The harsh 6802d0dd9a taste made 1c0fa6900a him retch, 076df1ef7d but still, 4db5bb68e7 no spirit 41f6e10223 entered him. Shaman Yeonhwa finally 1a74d78a10 gave up on 0982a1d57b the ritual.63685e00bf25ec80

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“Let’s stop. Jihee isn’t a vessel for the spirit.”58c9851479c79c3d

“What do you mean? Shaman! What about our Gyoindo? You know how much I spent on this ritual!”9b453884cf66bf9a

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The captain, who 03559af926 owned the most f87a6e121b fishing boats on 3d5e9a5cbf Gyoindo, revered the 3db49cba40 high shaman. Following her guidance ensured b927c4ea86 safety at sea and becd575139 bountiful catches, as if 4936b67057 the Dragon King filled 91c50fa34f their nets.cb81c00de545aef7

But the bba44ff00c high shaman b042a46413 sent her 59c96fed91 successor to ef268dbc52 the mainland 02d732db04 and vanished. It was 8a3c3292cb all because 786e9c3ef8 of mainlanders f46bc1d471 coming to c2a87b30fe the island. He wanted 130d9b2dec to catch 515cc05244 and beat 49eee89373 them to 734d50eb78 find out 7880c9a666 where the e8edfaed5f high shaman c2e6ecb330 was hidden.d17a07be70ea1355

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