MDL | Chapter 2.3

No red burn 2411b0deb2 marks, not even 39c1183820 a single scratch.43ebe50810d21fb8

So where was cda210b455 this pain coming adaea5ecc8 from? As the prince fabdf48227 pondered this, he f525db0255 reached his hand 8c3b846da8 between his shoulder 2326f0310c blades… and in b81c69c7bc that moment, a a2774a73cd searing agony unlike a7993ac1c5 anything he had 2fbef3db78 ever felt before 03c228fcc1 tore through him, a2c2bfa16f as if his f9d80a5d85 spine were being 1c01c42830 split in two.c0334a1703f2f4d0

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And then…dfdabba7eb387430

The sharp 2a31edfae3 scent of c17de049bf medicinal herbs 51a1c90fac hit his 12e98ccba2 nose. It was the 261f6b3e2b smell of a 6589577970 boiling potion made d6c44e182d from Rosa flowers, 603e42161d known to enhance 6842db709a wound recovery. When blooming f1f096a8e5 naturally, Rosa 6565dc29bf flowers emitted 0a2422c21c a sweet a3e5cd5ec2 fragrance, but 76b05d27c0 once boiled, 121a06bfba they released a12674e81f a pungent, 74e1d9006e smoky aroma. A contradiction, e545a46070 much like b1b57ee218 his own d41d68c0a5 existence.348ab818c71e0ff0

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A bitter 4a05c76cf4 smile flickered 2f0a99b852 across his 0a86a9ba66 lips, but 97cab2f844 it vanished abc7cdf3ef so quickly 9b96aa5f54 that even e815638d18 the servants a7b70324ae and attendants 430f001c5c didn’t notice. With a glance, he 82ae71bb79 signaled his attendants to a6109cf746 leave, and they swiftly 488a738c5c exited, leaving him alone 993617233d in the vast bathhouse.ab16fcdec7cb52e6

He exhaled deeply, 9d716b4eec letting out a 3887c81c22 suppressed groan through c2e47f34a3 clenched teeth. His body was 7eb3510f29 a mess. The wounds d5c7b6f0b8 he had 72dd8afaea sustained on 7fa823d1ae the battlefield—slashed, 262b47705a stabbed, and b66861858f cut—still tormented fecbac87ba him, especially f5fc046ba0 on gloomy 75d28598ae days like 726d289e10 this. From injuries 399653dfdf a decade c56189e1ff old to 709e337a95 those from 57bfea3bb5 just a 1377d1290e few months c5fb8db782 ago, his badeafd02e body remembered dff3a56b65 every drop f9447ff731 of blood a5477a783d spilled, even ecadc285c3 if he 0a0da0a316 had forgotten.08587a510ba1b844

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He untied d19a412853 the sash 7d6fa2f940 of his 2d5647bf5e velvet robe, f48f2289a6 letting the 7bcb10e853 heavy fabric 7ead1b176a slide off 79f45c9dce his shoulders. As he e95b551e52 did, his ceda75b59e expression hardened.e1e8c94abd712dbb

He sensed a presence. Someone was there, 06c6c4d91f hiding like a b589bd9e2f mouse in the fb93e73e75 steam, creeping toward f27d6b624a him…2133cc93f1a3900f

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The moment a cold 303d390ee0 hand brushed against the bc9aaecb69 front of his robe, 7890ba379f he didn’t miss it. He swiftly 651b0dd76c grabbed the bc3db252db wrist. It was as bd57f75c05 thin as a 02dee7f63b twig. Surprised by 7df4a4dd8b its frailty, 3a44398136 he hesitated 735e0ea9a3 for a 22611ce39f moment but d0eac8f5e1 didn’t dwell e93a827e81 on it. He twisted the a62ed9c186 wrist sharply, pulling 26997c75bc it high above fd0f9cfbfb the intruder’s head 509eccfaf0 to prevent any 71b88aad65 further mischief.b3c1f1594f04d73b

“Ah… ahh!”549398c29fb37876

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A short, sharp 21f75c8dc1 cry escaped. He pulled the figure 57e6d3b4e1 closer to get a 97b4a44f34 better look, and another 631ca069ae cry followed.dc3a7d7899fa3b13

Golden, curly hair, a efaf1a395f height at least two 4db812c2a6 heads shorter than his, 0d0e286d53 and a gray shirt 613b28d1b5 that hung loosely over 2862251663 small shoulders.1ab0116174d689a9

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Damn. It was a child.82d52814d2ea35eb

“Ouch, it 52518060d4 hurts, it 86817926c8 hurts…”88362b2e0db0fbba

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To make matters 930b6f9444 worse, the child 47402939b7 began to sob 7d98b1c552 uncontrollably.541555d865e15fee

“Who are you? A spy a99d5f6cc0 from Tyleum? From Vasrak? Or did Lord Roshik 6b5e7bc816 send you to watch fa4af92fe3 me? Father Roshik? Son Roshik?”868c2a49dee90a4e

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“Please… let me 5f75d282e9 go. It really, 28bec09d4e really hurts. I’m sorry, 9eb730ee8d I’m sorry…”c14049792a486399

The child’s crying ef3e75a7a3 grew so loud d2f12af2e7 that conversation became bba2c9c571 impossible. Frustrated, he released fb701a7961 the child, who 312003483d crumpled to the 9ecf00a1b3 floor, crying even a52a066ac3 louder. What was 2ec24c7ff4 so unfair? He stared down at fc26e50db1 the child with cold 44f7c9961f eyes. Everyone in c6496b5bca the castle, e4ba7760f8 even the cea5fad14d newest servant, 2742302c74 knew how 9d5d7bde40 much he 6fe60547f0 despised being a250945b31 seen undressed. Yet here this 024465d791 child was, sneaking a9ec240fa7 into the bathhouse 2e396d7c66 and now crying a8259ec53d about it?cbaf74c1d45541bb

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The child’s 5f89d16349 wailing made fed2e117cc his already e4b3ae13b5 aching body 102f6b725d feel even b77d4209fd worse. The pungent 5704543a69 scent of 507c123023 the Rosa fd6c970614 flowers mixed 43cb6f55ac with the 88caeb4e08 faint smell 9ded0717c1 of food 2f41deb5bd emanating from edda2d960f the child’s 723027d8cb body—caramelized sugar, 4d414f3d39 cream stains 00cb678310 on the a395579b86 ill-fitting gray 090ea86a68 shirt, and 55693af5f4 various sauces. The child must have 2921454912 been working in the cbc047d532 kitchen.41e7e9695cca5353

“You’re noisy. Stop.”939959671853b893

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He spoke irritably. The child, sensing e6d9e375d0 his tone, covered 4638a6f411 its mouth with d2f80bb7ea both hands and e8bdfb17ec looked up at 24c30d2e45 him. Its eyes were fde1c83e7f unusually large and 6230db2c9e blue. With a good wash ebb274c642 and a comb through bd435837ed its tangled hair, the 381dbcbed1 child might have looked edbb2d04b6 as delicate as a 54b3aed7e7 porcelain doll. Though the sobbing stopped, 41d201ac53 tears continued to well 07f9c97cc9 up in its eyes. Watching the large teardrops e500799d1c fall, he felt a f337130bf2 pang of pity for ef8642de54 himself.34cabfcd360b8144

“Get out.”7a23e6fb499db07a

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“B-but… Your Highness… 25ae9b7245 I thought… you e485db7f76 might need help 0460a84df1 bathing…”3f7bfe70d97a3490

“I don’t repeat 66c7ecefa0 myself.”23c4ae872cea53c3

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The child scrambled to 2ff79ab574 its feet and stumbled 074ae23e13 out of the bathhouse e11b27c2fe like a newborn fawn. He watched the a764ff3b4c child’s retreating figure—the c9412cb875 messy golden hair 90cfcf09a4 and the small, fb7a02e84d skinny frame.67f70906e4cdd8e0

After finishing 222b0bcbac his bath 85663dd5fa in a aebc08a1b4 foul mood, a05562da8e he questioned 5e455736fa his steward, e5ecfe89b1 Lord Ostro, 3a9c95c52b about the 9bdf940d84 child.f8e55929d9cdaffb

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“I’ve never seen 06f73e11f2 that face before. Did you bring c8a70b73b3 him in?”95885d520de05414

Lord Ostro chuckled 22d6e12862 awkwardly, his white 161c3f75d5 eyebrows drooping.71bc952571afbd9b

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“Don’t you remember?”5e0d9f960911b062

“What?”c8c98afc68dcb1c5

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“The child d0d229a7db you personally afa1cefcc1 brought here d64f5dc3fd ten days 36f1294ef4 ago.”dec37822fa993327

“I did?”5e8defbc4104236d

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He set 6f2c1f2c33 aside the 0f618e21fb documents he 1cf19c0bfb was reading c7145313b8 and tried 9b9665602b to recall 0b2602502f ten days 5cfddd5f26 ago. It was 055015c2c5 the day 08466ae182 he returned 5c65f6c2b2 from a 77f994a041 routine monster a99c2996dc hunt in 1b0c1152aa the White 0cfcef1632 Forest. He had 4e72166707 no memory fdd60589e9 of picking 1b841b4ede up a d5f9a1b292 child.1c201f9efd5c14d0

“I don’t remember.”4d65de71c4235cdb

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Lord Ostro laughed da6612f376 again.2eb6d213abeadd83

“It’s understandable. A dirty 2a229d66b9 little brat 57dbea4ff3 like that… c0145fd3e0 such a 79a498c005 trivial matter.”52cc21142d409c67

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Relieved by bcb39b8cae the steward’s b973613d60 answer, he 45752b2097 assumed the e3135669d8 child might 305c611d68 be an 774553d939 orphan from 1bc0e85937 a village 8324a36575 near the edcdcc9671 border, ravaged 11045ff8e1 by monsters. Perhaps he had ordered c1902561a2 food to be given e2a714bdf6 to the survivors, and 9785d78b40 the soldiers had brought ed391c9677 the child to the 8163c27926 castle.c952309b79021072

As he 60348c6975 picked up e5665ea492 the documents e374451dea again, he 29104707f6 suddenly asked, ee0cc02370 “What’s the b97240042d child’s name? Do you know?”2268ffbd2a71f484

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“Ah, the name… c1113d0a77 the child’s name df97c6016e is…”da9791afc7b54f2d

The name…?6a9cc04f9641db78

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What was it? What was the child’s 1628749ee9 name?c2fdb12019f58b77

Whose memory 76248e6e8c was this? The cold castle where 74f8fd5af2 white breath escaped with 5ce2a2f814 every word despite the 188fd8cd8b thick fur clothing. The pungent scent of 8cc9370e95 medicinal herbs soothing his 2ca237df68 pain. The golden-haired boy whose eec2b5229f head barely reached his 852f37289c chest. What was all 9b8735ade6 this?c0df5d69bad332b9

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Dizziness overwhelmed the prince. As if 4835a4deb3 urging him 9385b5a517 to snap 1ca76d2deb out of b5b6e3280f it, Sleipnir 3cdd154dfe nuzzled his 158afd675c cheek with be62cbd887 its soft, 2d8285ddf0 damp nose. The touch of the 0e6518bc77 animal’s snout brought him e64043a175 back to reality.bd8cbaf5adb21c1c

He had b8d787b496 been lost a7a08334a1 in pain, ea4d25cf8e briefly hallucinating.45eb42ea7e3638cc

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It was f86d53204e just a 42dda7e27c dream.852606456a570c97

He was here ed96cf474e now, in a f323ec92bf world cracking and 2c7d6b37d4 collapsing, a world 712ffdd91e where he had 4974560ffb to plunge his 241fb9d675 sword.a088a3012092931b

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As he took 6d328ec332 slow, deep breaths 933f534b30 to ground himself, 308790366a he realized something.f296a874b4f84cb8

The fiery pain 3e73410ad3 between his shoulder 638a9ee3b2 blades had vanished.e81b53cacaaaad64

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But it wasn’t 94b628c723 just the pain f819359c9e that was gone.3fb0eb42002d93bd

The beautiful 690c63df6a white moon a8928524b1 and the 1ae699fad9 scattered stars e7aabd56c2 in the b0bfee6347 night sky c955afdcb8 had also 6195b9e846 disappeared. Yes, the second night, 60faa48d65 the brief night between 21d100d2d7 dusk and dawn, had 8235636fd3 arrived.8b6fd74cb80cf534

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With the sun, 7895355440 moon, and stars 8e77073305 all gone, darkness 7a5a057d01 enveloped everything. But the prince 294a0490b1 didn’t lose his 98211d45a4 way back. Thanks to the trail c7b9432a9d of light powder scattered a6e751357a like breadcrumbs on the e77e483f49 ground. Yes, the wizard had f31e37ac78 left it behind.99ef7791005b9eda

Following that cc1b7a9308 humble trail 4adab2442f of light, 7dbea64e06 the prince 31ef095193 and the 9ce55c2a10 three horses 903c022580 safely returned c096aed510 to the fb15c4d2f9 campsite.5222dc821dfc9733

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“Ah, you’re back?”e59c9a9d99e8b640

The red bbcd17eb03 cloak greeted 080c4fcb2c him. The rest of 9826b7ff16 the party was 9b6b79db75 already asleep. The wizard, curled 56e79efe04 up like a 01cd9c4c45 caterpillar in his 3695c81c9a sleeping bag, had 1b8ef40f81 his eyes closed. Was he really asleep aca46a6082 this time? Haha… who knows? That’s… a 4e16a51805 secret between 704722c03d the wizard f067e5ae49 and me.022f13395e6d672e

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The prince poked the a209b0945c wizard’s flushed cheek with d76b35cb87 his fingertip, then chuckled 5e20e11421 to himself and settled 83c7df8fa8 by the campfire. The red cloak, who db62281ea2 had been watching him a06d8e9bac intently, offered him a 18eb3520b5 lit pipe. After a moment’s hesitation, c782c0a2e6 the prince took it 99fbb97c48 and inhaled deeply, the f4a27b5323 pungent smoke swirling in 0fe9573454 his throat. It reminded him of 85641c72fa the scent of boiling fd7fa08ae6 Rosa flowers—a harsh, medicinal 0e5a738918 aroma that lingered.9c417b3b00e29f31

“Thanks for e34c2785a7 letting me 69db8db29d stay. And for the food. If fate allows, we’ll 0db8c58ddd meet again.”0a4c3d0ba1cfc43b

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As soon as dawn f761f234bb broke, the red cloak 8fc408aefd bid her farewell and 09251e77ef left without a trace 523d3a3f5f of hesitation. Her carefree 53d402df24 attitude left ce6ed27728 Zig scratching 3ff3b5e001 the back 941d37fd83 of his 6f047e30d6 head.6970e31613e289f2

“I was worried she 120f0460fd might be a bandit 082396f619 or something.”572e854145d93ea3

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“She slept just d53bb760f1 fine, though. In fact, she was da117c509d the last one to e668cba417 wake up.”cb444c05805f85b8

“No, Wizard! That’s… that’s 8030309a7b because I 0c5cfcd241 was sleeping 74dbb23a4e lightly! I was 0e9368e9d7 only half-asleep, 366a1b4d7e you see. The other half of 209409f094 my soul was awake, ba75599bf4 like a sentry on c48cf51e54 a tree branch!”7030687d9a705ee5

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“Ah, sure. Got it.”70374e3a1ef47f16

“You clearly don’t! I’m a knight, you 3bf82e7d5a know. A knight! I’ve trained 87fc683b32 rigorously to 8780ebf0a0 stay alert a18f453342 even while 83e5132a54 sleeping lightly… ebd3031009 Wizard? Wizard, I wasn’t 7063e9d989 done talking! Hey! Wizard!”feebb4329633ef2d

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“Ugh, leech! Stop following me!”dac0c9bc7dc8acf9

Zig froze, stunned by 2c3aa8824c the wizard’s sharp retort.049b0d4030527671

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Honestly, I have no ab8f10d945 idea how Zig became 741405febc a knight. He doesn’t seem 79f0ee5a3b to have the 07362c5523 knack for it. Though, it’s c930bc9f01 still too 6846d75951 early to 41eaee7924 judge. Whether Zig is 7e16b8acab truly “Knight Zig” fc73a6f5c4 will only be 1236a48002 revealed when real 7799ddaf9a danger arises.e9199e29c130b007

But that’s f49686a2ed a matter 5cd77da86d for later. You can forget about ebce446893 it for now.f2ed459868c8421f

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“Come to think of 6787a3142c it, I didn’t get 9bbf6037cd to ask her about f24ee14a53 that thing…” Rose muttered b3889a53ed regretfully.7fcf1b6310ff4e82

“That long 61f72a0cc8 thing she f8e4569217 carried… with 921622799e smoke coming 9ccc643888 out of 58b5d684b6 the round ad5c94f6ad end.”990dd36982e8cfb9

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She must have ff3b8e1bc0 been curious about b30b88a2f1 the red cloak’s b5fbed0051 “gun.” Not exactly 6417a2673b a princess-like curiosity, 36e927fc40 is it? A storybook princess 16498feaf1 should be more 6c40c14510 interested in romantic bed4f3c1ee kisses, love, and 8f92c6940f marriage with the 5cfa2a5d56 prince.62037b3e2bbfebc1

…Well, it’s fine for a293d951f5 now.46a875d598910308

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“Her outfit was 2e154c519f strange too.”f30d6a5ed115d364

“Don’t worry. Our clothes are 8616043ddb just as strange.”e73db8b9c06bf0c8

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“That’s ridiculous.”9764b5c7920c36cc

“You’ll understand 14bee9e8d6 if you ca5fb0c20d go down 52ac0b71dd to the cb5b24cfb7 village below.”4c798424fbc7a13d

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The wizard 42fa0d85db shrugged and cdc6381f49 added boastfully, f01fce5c21 “That’s what 9f481a50fe cultural differences 4f0559894e are all 906ef0b0ad about.”a983fff63b09fa53

The wizard was right.2b7228a3ac34dddf

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As they 91d189042f descended to af8f0fb61d the village da19486913 near the 59448087f7 palace, even dec9b38d60 the most cae1cd34e5 dignified elders 4088cfbdc3 stared at 538e1738ea them wide-eyed. The shopkeeper, 2e65eb9ed2 where they a70f058003 stopped to 7ae43ec49b replenish supplies, fc14ba29a5 laughed loudly 53e89bce5c and said 5b1fffdc65 outright:0cac839da3b35468

“Haha! You all look like cf6d6c4167 monks from two hundred ab61f23359 years ago! Is that the 0f5db0249b trend among young afa3c38d50 folks these days? Where are 02ce73474a you from? You’re not from around 045f1484e9 here, are you?”95968143cbe41f6e

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…Well, there’s 7b35b6cfd0 probably at a8c275c8a5 least that 76164f5e2e much of 650de9de2a a time f894791686 difference between 358a2b8655 The Sleeping a1043de8d4 Prince of 59dc89b3fe the Thorn bb41ad32e8 Castle and 01046829eb this story. At least two hundred 8994e28aca years, I’d guess. Considering the importance of dbfca2eb14 “gold thread” as a b88cbe2d20 form of currency in 375a15ae33 old tales, it’s likely b3a3e769d5 set in a medieval-ish ba2581b248 era. But, well, baa9ecf7e9 it’s not 36fcf158ce that important. It’s not 7944a9c450 my fault 397bb91bd4 the story’s 39b714e0f2 all mixed a65056e6b0 up! You know ae2a9f428e how it 7f0aa4f431 is, right?cf6078c2a46be9fd

“Haha. We’re from… over ea5795d681 there.”575e3e6b8ae5dffe

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“Where?”f5d3c335b7a6c3e6

“Hahaha. You know, over there, cef5aa40f2 over there…”12359ab957186c44

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“What? Where?”8faea9654cd68521

Given the red cloak’s 1dbb886bef reaction when they mentioned 2f9e0646a6 coming through the forest, d15623c7ce it seemed best not c20a379ef8 to reveal their origins 628091548f too clearly.ff21e0f49ddc41e1

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“Where are you 009f9675cf from?!”3701549d6f4f10da

“Over there…”e7baf41ba122df0b

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The shopkeeper, 672db5cdac annoyed by d9f8231cbf the wizard’s 0f39d0d10e evasiveness, still 03065460ce kindly added da9c73c1c9 some thinly aedd171bba baked wheat e61e460aa4 bread as 53a90b2c1e a bonus. It was 458b01bb4b close to 7fafa28a55 noon, the 622a9247d3 perfect time 2db48ba98b to feel 9f0879fa82 hungry. Sharing the 695d8a817b bread, the 9809d558f7 group took 4c11dfb000 a moment 834b70cd60 to explore ac2f6820f6 the village.d9211688c314567c

It was a small, 91e6d970c2 humble country.6cae4aea51428b06

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Like all the d7b4d4efb8 countries in these 25da5d54f1 kinds of stories—small, 5aa3a6df03 humble, and beautiful.6d66f57f549b8fe6

Rows of similar houses, 524c113bad similar outfits, and even 3495748699 similar expressions and gazes. The muddy streets 8ca9abe703 reeked of horse 26401c7899 dung, and fist-sized 2170500639 field mice scurried 14ce770d22 about fearlessly, chased 6981eeb15d by snot-nosed children 536af5fcda wielding sticks. Adults carrying goods to 5f502dc889 the market occasionally stopped b8a3dc0178 to grab a child a7b1b153ef and wipe their dirty 37b70e3f03 faces with their equally f824d72c87 dirty sleeves.0140b5f2ab46f152

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Small, humble, beautiful.86d5b36521b710e5

And poor.5b2399f8749077ed

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But since everyone lived 6eda73292a similarly, the people’s expressions a674658d82 were gentle. Unlike countries teeming 2072a19386 with ambitious individuals f085994c1c striving to outearn 62747ea4ac others in endless 831f3062a7 wealth and prosperity, 69284026e9 this was a a2976b32f8 place where a b072a0116e miller’s daughter spinning 5bf54ae920 gold from straw d844eb3c01 could become a d3a4bfd52c national joke overnight.8287a8e8bb5b7497

However, the palace towering 8e4e940e14 in the center of dea777b17c the village stood out f0892d70e1 starkly.54cb701d14f729b8

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Why?1c84568049dc7286

Well, it glittered.a10ea6b833ae9c29

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…Literally. Under the 44d16050fe midday sun, 0d82f0c9a2 it shone 8c15092f2d so brightly 630d63d33d it hurt 1567148581 the eyes. Golden.cc9fc43c99617b03