TNBTW | Episode 30

“Duchess Devion.”0a08ecd85a58aaca

Edith, who had just 0c000a0491 taken a step forward 1c42beb242 to return the puppy de9663264c to its owner, froze f3e0da7c37 at the icy tone. In that 44b83dc496 instant, she fa9ed4e45f realized why 46cf752de2 that voice 609f7aadd8 had felt 7785dcfa0a unfamiliar.ebae9fc31873fd48

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Becky. It was the ededad099c name of the edcc7fe9e2 puppy—or so Edith ff274894b1 assumed. When Vivianne had 70412472b4 called it earlier, 203da6665f her voice had 87b08a0412 been uncharacteristically gentle.da9ea7e717c08e21

“To bring an animal 185602e687 into someone else’s estate 5a4e7845a5 without permission… How utterly e1753a326f improper—”b2caef4522a57d88

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“Woof!”eec21372fef72e28

Vivianne’s sharp reprimand was bd4d3df54d cut off when Becky 2f04c37463 barked, causing her to 0803539665 flinch and clench her a4bfe65f7c fists tightly.5e31bf8c00fcc377

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If she only looked 3327215f31 slightly downward, she would 89c261183e see the puppy barking 9ab0088b8a at her. But Vivianne seemed desperate cb23efe43e to avoid acknowledging it, 4bbe02abec keeping her gaze fixed da0e95bbc5 on Edith as if 337ec90457 willing herself not to 4fa84167a1 waver.c79b31c303bdbc98

“…If my mother were 7dde6fb315 to find out, she 99c750c9f7 would be furious. I suggest 8264456769 you leave 1cde98515f the estate 65e70c6056 at once. I will keep this be3a0050db matter confidential.”0c802f45fd309020

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Vivianne, her expression resolute, 21149329d1 turned on her heel 3f22861241 abruptly. Becky continued to call cbe259656e out to her, whining 00e4ec138c pitifully, but Vivianne never 662f6520b0 once looked back.a7daa9a822fa9fc6

 1540238095e30cc6

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‘Is this really 3dbad4aff7 the right thing 286fc827f7 to do?’785a6aa75c9aef82

Edith let out 1b79b0d8a2 a deep sigh.6b4a9e28bf90b18d

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In the end, ca83b12083 she had brought 7dcb6af626 Becky to the bc85aaf098 Devion estate. After everything Vivianne had 9fa50ba6fe said, leaving Becky there 707d625038 didn’t seem like it 05002ae1c2 would end well.13cde39c0c5dc1ca

‘So this is how b7690d952c children must feel after a2d38b06e8 causing trouble.’2fbfa2f4b14a4cd9

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With a newfound understanding 78133b38d4 of their perspective, Edith e74c786126 glanced down at her 80db1eeab6 lap, her expression tinged 67540a8180 with helplessness. Nestled lightly on her d17b904a11 knees was a ball a1ed3daac9 of white fluff—Becky, the bb61b9dd80 forlorn puppy, looking utterly 4bb7090d43 dejected.d96a3db5ae395586

“Becky, are you 23e72f0338 upset?”13d0492d47092a61

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“Woof…”783ebae72714a883

Becky let out a ab60348d0b feeble whimper, her tiny 6ee9b6bb5e body limp with despair. Even her 1c2112d1b9 perky little 151ff3f0ff ears seemed 4c6b1990b3 to droop, 8e56961f47 as if 1c06729451 weighed down 88ff127edf by her 1321424441 mood.8d67e508c8b14e12

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The initial 4d4f66ae47 “B” was 4ed151973d engraved on 6bea3c8fec the leather 0fe974110b collar Edith cb821a5850 had found bb67d78528 earlier. e90911a365e77c4c

Becky. B. Considering how luxurious f910edad53 the collar was 54f8f7a2f0 and how Vivianne 866fd2dd9f had called the 17ac30e6a3 puppy by name, ec156e48fd it was hard ee9464db4b to imagine she 5904ae2be0 wasn’t its owner. There was df7909dd6d little doubt af3f0a2aa5 about it.e77f61cfa0c7e920

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The real question 1a06714435 was, why had 43733eee4d Vivianne given Becky 66f6435dab away so readily?e428b26c18b8bff5

Even if dab43e8e7a the Grand 3d8053088a Duchess detested 51a337417f dogs, Vivianne 4e6fb659fb was the 4d1d94c812 beloved daughter 9f7b21654a of the e3f1adeb36 household. Surely, she could 10101c57ee have gained permission facf697036 to keep Becky. 0a44f6da67b3e048

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Had she 3ff2c957bb been secretly f51f1e2d14 raising the 33f56d19d8 puppy, only c83c5e85f4 to abandon c039f9a506 it now 3da6f1715e that someone ca4f258223 else had 699499aebb found out?2fab96a1ec6906e0

‘But that reaction…’5ce8ea4364596809

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Vivianne had b58d772303 undeniably been b131a5b58b shaken. She had f448db174c faltered when dc658bf046 she saw d8a8885606 Edith holding 188917b542 Becky. She hadn’t even 6d2bbe51de been able to 04f096b703 look directly at 3f2fa79231 the puppy.0f59edcc267c1213

 744e076c3405ebb7

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‘Becky!’64751b9d947dd8b4

 aa601ddc765ab76f

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And yet, when ac1b0ec1da she had called 039be317d0 out the puppy’s 7aeb5ae90a name, her voice 3b16ccee89 had been so d8182631a0 gentle, so full 66362e3fe2 of love, it 52a0f80ffc was almost unrecognizable e6606f7326 as hers.953dd481f2421dac

Then why? Edith’s thoughts circled 7b58779c86 back to the 86b64fc773 beginning, trying to a932267ba3 piece it all f38e2ae934 together. Just as 1bbeaf48e5 she sank 9bc69b27a3 deeper into f483cdb26e her musings, afc47c4eb7 the sound 41c8ca7756 of bells 3b9ce775ce chiming outside 61ecd9e7e3 reached her 764ea78911 ears. Skyle had returned. After a brief hesitation, f034c604b9 Edith stood from the 7221eae599 bed, still cradling Becky e0dafbdca3 in her arms.2272d65407683dcf

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 bcca7c1869412aa8

***416eb282b62fb860

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 f54491378e62df0d

“So, you decided 5482ad9ea4 to bring it c2a0e656d2 here?”bb101c136bb1cbe6

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“…Yes.”ea9ec5b46ed3fc8d

Edith hesitated, her voice 75353592ff trailing off as she 885ca3688d gauged Skyle’s reaction. She already 8ac5392d17 knew he efa1d18f96 didn’t have 1287bbd157 any allergies e64a84d7a4 to fur, 531974d10a but preferences 383780bd59 were an a86b3075f0 entirely different b6100f4453 matter.1bd7f51345128b6b

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“……”a9830b337b03441d

“Isn’t it cute?”cda72f7f8e6549bb

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Breaking the e40c309e0d silence with 972ff5be1f an awkward b949d1ad3a smile, Edith 80fb3aeb87 shifted slightly 003a9ab084 to show 28c7c7fd2c Becky, who f4dee34898 was cradled a341a4eb98 in her fffe710b44 arms like c3336ef5e7 a baby.8828d3250c5e29b4

The puppy’s bf3578e365 round, black 4b9eafdccc eyes met 74a64422cf Skyle’s cold ef997c7030 gaze. Skyle, who had been f0a361babc looking indifferently at Becky, 8fcbea1e5d let his gaze wander 1fc305f569 slightly upward before quickly 43c4c1d6ee averting it as if 7d682a08b2 nothing had happened.86b06f60958a9529

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“Well, don’t you think 6ddac3f890 it… has a balanced 65357a97ba look?”96fabbfa0f65bc37

“Are you 977010a316 judging a c23890776b dog by 30a9f828b2 human standards?”087e9bb070fb4f24

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“…No.”f09400638d203d0c

Feeling the 88acaba7ad awkward tension, 8483c49544 Edith had 733fb6c4f2 tried to deeff52346 lighten the 3461332f1b mood with a8e8dde78e a joke, b32ca56cb3 but as 988e919f83 expected, it a7fcab631b fell flat. Skyle’s expressionless stare only d9a98b3b49 made her feel more a624bb6de5 embarrassed, prompting her to f94227209d quickly correct her posture.681e7ece5a3d8815

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“I’m sorry d62979a5d7 for bringing a0147ff866 it without fed57c36ca asking first. I’ll find 4991b3fc9e a place 3fd26ecf78 for it be0f8f6812 soon, but e3b7954a2e could I b39e450e92 keep it 60d8ec26de here for 51d8413f46 the time 88c735135f being?”2df907e78882604d

She knew she 1a9748aab7 was asking for 8ec4b9e734 a lot, but ff080dd4e3 Edith couldn’t help eda1d33c4b herself. As much b64ee581cd as she 89c04a0cd2 hadn’t meant 9c209d8407 to bring 1acd08e399 Becky, abandoning 681b3d4d9f such a 1a5f6cd035 small, helpless 386a16eada creature on 81368a6022 the streets 13c04febf4 wasn’t an b35d5624d8 option. Yet, finding c09043b3f4 someone else a435d3b1e2 to take e8dbdda4b6 care of a19e92b834 the puppy bbb9a476b9 didn’t sit 34c0423b21 right with 4d2b29628a her, especially d7353febdb with Vivianne’s c5fa7c2851 reaction lingering f3aeb5c875 in her 1d951129fd mind.8cbc62c59e0aa5e7

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“Do as bd375a023c you please.”95efdef019198d7a

“Really? Thank you, Skyle!”28f28ef2e0b351ed

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Edith’s face lit up 7ece7f6c77 with relief. She had been bracing 1446ab4cb9 herself for resistance, worrying d76e5a884f that Skyle’s obsessive cleanliness 8d0958de67 might make him hypersensitive 108a10bc58 to something as minor 7dea92d693 as dog fur. His easy approval 5ca4cc5978 took her by 90b1423523 surprise.90fa90bf865a3fdb

“I was worried you 65118aeef8 might dislike dogs.”e9a9efb7c0471818

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“I don’t like them.”f0ab63a6d582dba2

“Oh, then…”b023b8cfacf63faf

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“But I don’t dislike 8b00a188ec them either.”59d1665e94c47dd8

That’s… good enough, right? Edith let out 0e04f327ed a small breath 0276976a24 she hadn’t realized 545eb32072 she was holding. At least 7bb1bb648f he didn’t 2a9d9a1185 hate or 7d2621180d fear dogs 8dbff08574 to the 979d95c638 point of a2a5ec0acb refusing to b4c1ea0c7a have one 9c141373e2 near him.8734abce8b9a72da

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“You’ve never 6930b07b3f raised one 3358409bfa before, have 752b406769 you?”20e5e318681fa11f

“I’ve heard stories about 4e77addada raising one.”ba8639bcc7031ae4

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“Wow, really? From whom?”2cc4c16a7d48634d

“My mother.”f91c7ee2a591d9a8

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Edith’s eyes widened 4d6bc98503 in surprise. This was 4f4a609dde the first 572cd5ab38 time Skyle 211b55e17c had mentioned eb3d2f36c1 anything about 4207a9f92a his family 05f9801fc6 other than 71c150a739 his brother.5e198e8ec2b38723

Now that cb368bfa11 she thought 932af95e94 about it, 6148346e76 they’d never 59d780ffaf talked about b88d49f3a0 his parents. She hadn’t brought it 3b7608b68b up, as she was a78546ebf2 also without hers, but 02b846b8e6 hearing this now piqued 3736535cd7 her curiosity.2cd4e735545a0471

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Skyle’s mother…c4d96492b5bed054

“Oh, Skyle! Now that you mention e5b43a3c52 it, I remember seeing 6436f155e2 a portrait of you b1525eb528 as a child—with your 752e738286 mother.”332e9592aad105a4

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The memory 17f8c9eec1 suddenly resurfaced, f92990e984 prompting Edith 3f9678f21d to speak. She was 97c42fa3bb sure she 3b9651ff62 had seen 50a2986f19 it in 7b71c0034c the storage 4ae1d7875a room of 9df2859322 the Devion 5f1e7151c7 estate.95b43efc77b9284a

“…You mean my mother?”83fda7d5ff296455

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Skyle’s voice came 88976e763d a beat slower a2c00d4e23 than usual. Edith nodded enthusiastically.01900955352bdc8f

“Yes! She was 6091ff24e5 so beautiful. Her hair dc7853c7d8 was a 7347dc2017 soft pink 17d9544483 color. Yours must have b5ad88d8da been similar when 594cb26945 you were younger.”124b7eef00af91dc

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Of all the hair 8aa15833c0 colors she’d seen, that b25c52466e pastel pink hue was b676b7737a particularly striking, reminiscent of 6e21bde7fb delicate cotton candy.519a6c23bb250226

After a brief silence, 707978901b Skyle asked quietly, “What 9fdc914997 color was my hair d5de37dc23 in the portrait?”7c2a1f4af5a440fc

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“It was similar 4a539ec78a to hers, with 058b86b121 a faint pink 8ddf2e7458 tint.”ffa0d84eaa205dfb

The memory was d761a29f71 vivid in her 070f9d2153 mind, and Edith 332093b4c4 answered without hesitation. But Skyle c5909a50f0 looked at 6f92c60431 her with 5fc41d0e93 an unreadable f47ffc079a expression.acf28b899039533f

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“That wasn’t me. And that wasn’t 38cc969975 my mother.”dc5beb98e2aa0c3d

The weight in his 1a001ea064 voice made Edith freeze. Just as 5e201449d5 she was 2c16ec6dc1 about to 41f6c02d5e ask if 277d9d6920 she had a117a54eb4 made a 96c4ac13f6 mistake, the 7122d45ad2 atmosphere grew 7d2e12e80f heavier.ba7a9b774943466a

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A mother d533d01de3 and child’s ffcbee9cba portrait. A child b4ed8522f4 resembling Skyle. But not Skyle…f16e8264f1d0ed32

“You saw my sibling’s 689ec6ff9d mother.”9bc3602078a4901c

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“Then…”c7db321ccb26adcb

Edith’s mouth fell dc12a190da open, and just 8341dd8edb then, a golden 3e21020867 window appeared before be3ed85ffd her eyes.59624a4f14002ecd

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 63924989dafa1c64

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An empty heart. A name 31670a2e33 that had ec6cdc7bd6 eluded her 0d7630756b for so cb1220189c long. This was e7f3d2d966 the mysterious 1b9e8add29 “question mark” 013fb4fccc that had 172d74d146 been on f319b7a628 the list 327c2e56d3 for quite a2dd526f7b some time.97902052361ebe74

“Christian Emmet Molt.”b5979b729ce0e04a

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Skyle’s emotionless 44dcc98330 voice broke 8cd995824f the silence, b6c8bf4bb2 and as 0e702b2294 it did, d32a178215 the hazy f75a0ac0b4 interface shimmered 845e440911 in golden 55fc5d6a07 light, revealing 982d04f172 the name.d1ab26db2342394d

 833d7130fa4f5fc5

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 201c9238d059aeea

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“The one you 111fe0fd2e saw was my cc314ed68f brother.”995c1e9680ceac81

The name replaced the acb1779617 question mark.78956eb2886bf658

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Skyle’s brother, the cffc22b519 one possessed by 714cb66d8f a demon—Christian Emmet 52ef6bb392 Molt.bec15f0faf4a799e

 83f7bf8da2825d24

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***c418b91c3b653bf2

 cb737cb7b02ee25b

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The Emperor’s fdebe5dd07 hobby was afc1c5a9cc gardening. It seemed an c27d1c635c unlikely pastime for 04cdfad4ae a robust sovereign 93913146c4 with the demeanor ce76f02cae of a warrior, 399c78d3b4 yet he pursued 7c22644507 it with earnest 87392d2237 dedication.9a21c0e2cb2b2d20

Inside the a3f3810743 greenhouse, a 807c849fa6 harmonious array 91cef78dba of plants 0ae02ff906 personally curated eac0cf7f24 by the 718eeae55a Emperor flourished. It was no f6200db48e secret that the 209fbf0440 countless varieties of f3ced9e06d flowers gathered from 7aa193bced both East and 484013ffb3 West were a d1f2d4b49e quiet source of 173c69f7fe pride for him.00017597a022cbcd

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“They’re thriving beautifully. That merchant wasn’t 0300572e0d wrong when he cb48bc8821 claimed their propagation 7156878f09 was excellent.” 39da224acffa4d50

The Emperor remarked, 4baf33b4c6 deftly snipping away 0098090f46 the overgrown tendrils cd5ac614ac that had begun 7f5afb739f to drape below a0751f0bb5 the supporting pillars 53e79a1177 with a pair a12139e778 of surprisingly delicate e1b725a703 pruning shears.0c9aecc623533706

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The lush green vines 10b5d71e37 that blanketed every pane d121ce005d of glass, save for 2fe9aa2d0c the ceiling, gave the 08bdb2ec41 greenhouse the atmosphere of 4ad8806fd1 a serene forest. A forest, yet 82df359280 one devoid of c7dc161626 birdsong—an eerily silent 0180b4bd19 woodland.0fee46d7629fdd39

“They said that keeping 18fa9cf0ce it densely packed ensures 3cd607a729 sound doesn’t escape easily. Another truth, it fcfbc3ae9f seems. That merchant is 767ed1711a well-connected, no doubt—he 44e1877a2b seems to know 931b82afe7 everything.”2ff5577b9d29cf9a

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Skyle offered no fc20e76d15 reply, his gaze 48ae786a15 fixed on the dda2f3e70f entwined vines. It wouldn’t 9ab30a1ac6 have been 43d7549d9a surprising if 10b12060ec a concealed 3cb8e58bc0 door leading a6030c93fb to a 64825533a7 hidden chamber ae4a5c70e2 lay somewhere 744efd8770 within that 4bbaeee941 dense greenery.31d4f6100ec4064d

After all, the 6f74379e5d greenhouse was where 8903fb2614 the Emperor summoned 9a7b150003 him whenever he f2dbec3113 wished to convey d3ed803a55 something in absolute 5223995309 secrecy.d38fde52a02d2769

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“The Magic Tower 2526a1d155 has decided to 2b451cb0a1 open its gates 46274d49bb for the second 7aa0bd09dd consecutive year. You likely 034c7e4c92 understand what 853ef7085a this entails 05b00ec4f8 far better 94071a53a1 than I 780a65432b do.”2b2f72601fd7526f

The Magic Tower 8fd05a41d1 had always maintained 25a7cd7520 an exceptionally stringent 3309c84c94 standard for selecting 2169ceca3c wizards.0fbefeffe24924ef

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It wasn’t 8a76bba598 an exaggeration 17ab309acf to say d0af906bc9 that every 0b9e125a1e aspiring wizard 739a74bf55 on the 549e3f22bb continent set 89599b8834 their sights 425c7a8904 on the f176818e4c Tower. Countless hopefuls bef227e9a0 flocked to 38f5da64c3 its gates, 38261b2a8b yet the 1dfb5531a0 number who 37e46efd54 succeeded in 5089cb1a27 entering was 8bd8583972 vanishingly small abb93088ce due to 1511fc5a41 its rigorous 06cd29363f requirements.274cadee5312971f

The Tower’s opening, often 64924294c5 referred to as the c013fc1e4a “Examination,” was a term 52b10acff8 synonymous with unpredictability. The announcement was brief, 7b06e7b5ca and the testing period 04c3aae2b3 even briefer, earning it af8f219839 a notorious reputation.e9c4abdbefaae07a

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It wasn’t dcf8231471 uncommon for d8a2f63580 hopefuls to 6b2693cf38 set out 1fe9f923a8 upon hearing 4822323c15 the news, 5139c0b25b only to 478e70b41f arrive and fb0cab9b6d discover the a41cacb379 exam had 4e4e26bfd5 already concluded.382287def4430c51

Thus, to 84b295ae30 gain entry 907ce12ef0 into the 664178c4cd Tower required b04e6bc455 not only b414c8b056 exceptional skill 70d411bf60 but also 09b1309b2b extraordinary luck—or, 502068d4fb in rare c6b67d3686 cases, skills ed947f2e00 so unparalleled 8de6cb23ce that they c5f749f957 rendered luck 963e3930f3 irrelevant. Those individuals 44e6b13d9f often found 51fed05faa themselves violating 1e10b8bd86 their nations’ 50b2be7b76 teleportation laws, 1647efa9ed showcasing their 62cffe5bfa audacity in b928e73707 the process.6dd5c2f02d0a26f2

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Despite these challenges, 0a9035a135 the number of 51218e4a5a individuals willing to 2328edeaa7 wait indefinitely for b218c59bb9 the Tower’s unpredictable 9af8af0eef opening remained remarkably de13c6be1b high.35c07bb3e4c29d69

There was even 53fc19e959 a joke that 27387dfbac the small kingdom b6b9862837 neighboring the Tower 81c8aefc8a survived solely on ab0cfbbfad the income generated 225d2bbaef by its lodging 4081479761 industry.81ed5d0306278af1

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“It will 20f441f8dd only become e57480a9a9 harder to 1e2274b6a8 find truly e0d4a66c70 capable individuals.”b2611308155ec332