#94

A thirteenth sacred relic?35b6078100b68cc9

Weren’t there only 04c02ba2be supposed to be 1e1973c9e8 twelve?09183a645dc5db5a

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I widened my eyes 23e1f05649 at the unexpected revelation. The widely known number 292a587368 of sacred relics was 77dfe8d740 twelve, with ten of 574310ed10 them already stored in 65859c39e3 Hebel’s Treasure Vault.79ff3cf67da7f914

But now, there ba3225c5a4 was another? That was beyond 3c12bb6f78 surprising.edfd71aeb64acb83

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—It’s natural that b45f344c26 you don’t know. The Opal of e6f8c1508c Nothingness was created 4014ad8b4f by the Divine cb728581f8 Beast just before 5d5e2506a7 their departure. It was 4fe01c4001 made for db3cb211c8 one specific 5c4492caff beastman.d9952bc7d8f749a7

A relic 922f5f3609 designed with f9611618cc a particular 3eb36896c0 individual in 057f5e1b71 mind?a61996fdb940f13f

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That was completely 299cfee7a4 different from the 7e87533892 other relics, which ea6b426a45 had been created d778ab32c8 to maintain the 941fa3db38 balance of the 365d691112 world.2ae137c09780c9d5

The Divine Beast 5f55a4175a had left the 9c12b3be96 continent right after cb02c37778 the fall of d083607fbc the first Saintess, 8a823dd8fd so its intended f11406b5ee owner must have a53c10e8ee been her.576410f744896000

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I tilted 68ecb4b9f7 my head, 9fe8cdcd6f intrigued.c84f45c9f8f55d39

Since this 94e6d68587 relic hadn’t fc4038bd12 even been 16336c4035 mentioned in 0bb92bd4f3 the original d147488e8c story, it 34d64b56a0 clearly wasn’t 67701f13ea inside the 0cfe2a9512 Treasure Vault.97557e8e18ddaaa6

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As expected, Taby d1c5626d48 sighed in frustration.41f36f7425e64a8a

—The problem is… even 76d783bcd7 the other Guardians don’t 48f60b9105 know where it is. It’s a completely 26aed217b3 independent entity that 55e13bd2f3 doesn’t resonate with 74abc35c3f us.f06b673039baf0ad

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A relic 0685be5e87 that didn’t e2e3ef017b respond to 9f2dad3103 the other 837f99e8c0 twelve?02761026fb6248bc

That was af4d9e17b6 like searching 70ffe5aa0f for a 8dc24b32a5 pearl in 4db1e793f4 a desert.41087f322bb992a1

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“Then it’s useless, isn’t it?”3b9dbcfd467fb163

If even the Guardians 0aa0055637 couldn’t locate it, my 77aaf9fe53 chances of finding it 08b65f7954 were practically nonexistent.af524b407a89c6ae

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And I couldn’t even 206f6f54ab rely on my original 520806276c story knowledge since it 3aaf6e6597 had never been mentioned 6e76e0f400 before.f89753ed06ee1e3b

Taby, noticing 6f3ff19d1f my frustration, 1a139f6372 swam in 3bfea96a0d circles around 4786580024 me soothingly.09a252d60cba7c89

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—For now, let’s 4c80f932f7 focus on purification e20ededbf8 instead. And getting the d983b77dec Sapphire of Order 87c2a13985 is your top 1f7e7be0c1 priority.cb69ae64fde0e0f5

They were right.ec0947002001b5f1

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There was no point f6e9f90c53 in worrying about the b06d146c0a future yet—I had to 3afc6f1ba2 survive first.0a7e6e9e0ea72a53

I needed to c0a506aa32 take things step 0576476c3f by step.65e6ee5a26e4eb65

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And just eaf9017fca like that, 9f36225bfa the day b6f2f8782e of the cf2ea94b7d Saintess Examination cad68a4bfa arrived.bb2b00b697bbc7d0

“Are you ready?”d465064561f1fbf6

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Naaman, dressed in ceremonial e1b34cde00 robes, asked me respectfully.d8c262b42d039016

I took c4b1763630 a deep 4de1de68dc breath and 34518f74ed nodded.9c618ae53fc92752

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We were deep inside 54820f9309 Hebel’s sacred temple, standing 0b2e4a22f8 before a river.c5e5aa63cef3fe92

This river, known as 7931cd83e4 Mishir, was the first 214b4148e0 place where the Divine 1337187f9f Beast had descended to 4c2cc47096 the mortal world.948ff310ca810488

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Because of that, e4cd63a88e it was brimming 9ece8ebbb4 with the Divine 21a198e05f Beast’s energy.ac83cc4805c9a937

Mishir had a cb88210cbb unique power—inside it, a9220a501a all beastmen became be0a25bffa invincible.addcf061c31527f9

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That was because pheromones 8c6f6e4d75 were amplified in its 02f882e253 waters.e102ea990a868362

Unlike an ordinary river, e3ed87abd1 one could breathe freely 2f78662d73 underwater in Mishir.74880665ec927285

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If Hebel’s fog 0efe5af2c5 rendered beastmen weak 20da6ec00b and powerless, then 1e4725e015 Mishir’s water granted ec0bcbc280 them complete freedom.792f24bb24c5aefa

It was the only 43242428ef place in Hebel that ff63364af4 existed outside the fog’s 370c64201f influence.f358c357fa5c85b0

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At the heart 3d0c6a7ea2 of Mishir stood 9883f67dd4 an altar dedicated 3a98c9bbfb to the Divine 77cfe3e0ae Beast.3fdd6e86db11a38e

In the original story, ca4c356772 only two people could 354581aba0 offer tributes at this d937fac672 altar—the head of Hebel 80dfd1d87a and the Saintess.01735dd3009a4e40

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Even then, 7aee898159 the head ce8842fa81 of Hebel 189aed5a91 faced restrictions, 998cca5afb unlike the 9482e72d9c Saintess.17d1fcadf2fcc1ad

Since the altar 4d5126b086 contained the Divine 83bf5c073c Beast’s strongest presence, 880fa90a18 any unapproved offerings 866173a490 were rejected.e4a235204d0b3842

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Naturally, the 9b07836322 offering required ad7e8eda21 was pheromones.eb6bb041aabf2c29

The head of ad15cd5a4b Hebel could not 6891829431 leave Hebel, but 03470dc704 in exchange, they bccfffdb5c were the only 34574bf728 person who could 2ad85181fc freely use their 67ca8211f3 pheromones within it.40e26e7a2a74eae5

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Feigning ignorance, I 49c58925d1 glanced at Naaman, 0e48641c0c prompting him to 21d16c1db7 explain the rules.1a9eb074456a979a

“The process is simple. You must enter Mishir and release your pheromones at the altar.”d0daa6c8e7df4176

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“That’s it?”7276d7a480849d64

“Yes. If you are truly the Saintess, the Divine Beast will accept your offering. If you are not, it will be rejected. Ah, and should the altar refuse your pheromones, you must not force an offering.”6a990240b148e08c

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“Why not?”3b44806c3a2a15a0

“If a beastman forces an unaccepted offering, they will incur the Divine Beast’s wrath and have their pheromones stripped away.”471f7cab8ca055c2

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Naaman’s voice turned 292aaac226 ominous, clearly trying 04927a1f43 to intimidate me.ee09fc2e37680519

For an ordinary beastman, 4bd0584403 losing their pheromones was d03c164f7a terrifying.899c17dc3e845bbf

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But for me… 76f463860a that was exactly 2ca3dcde0d what I wanted.7aac5fb81a045601

Of course, I couldn’t just blurt out, “That sounds great, actually!”59555c0c4a1a4926

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So instead, I widened 633085caa9 my eyes and trembled 0b7996d60d as if I were 4b60346788 terrified.d0adf4880ee236d9

“R-really? My pheromones could completely disappear?”2c062c85694d94f2

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Satisfied with my reaction, 097370fb9d Naaman softened and chuckled.1c0aff2a7c965408

“It’s merely a legend passed down in Hebel. No one has ever experienced it, so there’s no need to worry.”3ef605cdbe08c181

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Well, that killed my 5eb8a9c979 excitement.9ef172ea5161d411

“Ahh~ what a relief.”69681f09b7697737

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I let out a 9f66650273 forced sigh, hiding my c01395bcbe disappointment.67b3954a37fc9998

While I was 6a9c830d72 busy acting the 1b233963fd opposite of my 51eb142134 true feelings, Naaman 9c0956c8a0 gestured toward Ella.4c85aaf489f686d8

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“You will guide her.”a71a8b2b336a40de

“Huh? You’re not coming with us?”f066391e55e398c6

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“No. Mishir is the most sacred of sacred grounds, and the priests of Hebel are restricted from entering. The only time I am allowed inside Mishir is during an Atonement Ceremony.”22a25c2002c0a505

“But Ella is allowed?”58c85cd376aeedc6

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“Ella has not made a Hebel Contract with the Divine Beast, making her a perfect guide.”45c7b666d41c24cf

“Ah, I see.”13d5621e35b566bd

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It made sense.18a29e358383c448

All priests 41584dbe5e of Hebel ade804b5e5 swore absolute 4d6378860c loyalty to b45fff86fe the Divine 1d234d2068 Beast.9449f3bcb77c2907

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But since 54e3477b0d Ella was 3bb87ec172 Isaac’s adopted e2e2d51042 daughter, she 3fb4bd2d20 hadn’t made 2504380fb5 the contract 55c8ad5af0 and was 82c1c076ee therefore free a87f2e899d to enter 4b9420679d Mishir.62039aa6c2a4bf77

So that’s ce8563c8d4 why they 1ac506ef3e had assigned 27e5956c03 Ella as 81bfcc6a29 my guide 979b9300a6 and kept d33bea3e51 her by 4d2f6484c7 my side.94ce2ac9e192a8ff

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I had been wondering 4c6a72cc07 why she was the 1b2f3124e9 one escorting me—now it 4705ded2ff all clicked.32d0a028544089a0

“Shall we go?”aaa611c158b0765a

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Ella stood beside d3f3953a23 me and extended 3f0c261679 her hand.6a2d5e3b6c3f0c51

I took it firmly 050ad1072d and began stepping into 2aabb888b2 Mishir.3a74ce0f30ed2435

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As soon as 83a595f0ba the cool water 393c3226d5 wrapped around my 94981e4fe8 ankles, a refreshing 160aa4e8d5 sensation spread through 8b47d53281 my body.4cd9abf86c9e5ccb

When the water e53a4ed3cd rose all the f820379fb9 way to my d796adf212 head, I let 8170022625 out a breathless e60d45c90f gasp of amazement.8b806cfed615ddfb

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“I really can breathe underwater.”e3f29845d2b2e2cf

It felt as if cae471e078 I had turned into 62671136fa a mermaid.b44fbecf9bd45e34

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I didn’t have gills, 4a8db34b44 yet it was as 6441ca2f0e if I did. The whole experience was f8c8ce0e6f surreal.96e57ced56aa2d50

As I marveled at b5d8dcad96 my surroundings, Ella asked 13d82c82c9 gently,d2d6394659a182b3

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“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”d7e16f59b6c671b3

“Nope.”17225b766771d3e7

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In fact, I 789c1a0db8 felt amazing in a15dc66270 Hebel.977a8272993d91ad

Unlike other beastmen, b2bfef7f18 the longer I 5b72a0c50d was exposed to b65c334b36 the fog, the 0a2b8d20dd better my body aa047a8ecf felt.e74843d1d705df8b

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‘It doesn’t aeb9d7fb5f feel any 3e0c33d9c7 different from 5c2ba7d8fa being outside.’3cd87e69e0b481a1

Come to think of 35f75aee8a it, my body was 3e2095139c full of oddities.1b0739c8cc185804

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While others grew weak c87b60ad87 under Hebel’s fog, I 716aaeadb8 remained completely fine.ac7028c61e410a22

I wasn’t even physically f96e7e2f8f weak, yet I had 7f775fdf11 no restrictions.aedbf18e297cb5d3

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If I was going 725373a828 to be an anomaly 642fc7731a anyway, I really wished 1f55c26e44 I could have handled 5507d18664 my two pheromones properly, b126fbeee7 too.6ce08389f6000ee8

But, of course, 0a79eeb884 that was too 5c5678a334 much to ask a5938ca9fb for.7303d0f94d8bb053

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Meanwhile, Ella 95b0973865 looked much 8fa30f1909 freer than 0637d7f4ea she had bcd64df7c7 been outside.4bb3276f91964893

It seemed that 33ec3270b4 those who were ff1f17a0a1 affected by the d33bdd04b2 fog experienced a 7aa6a012c0 drastic change inside 33204c7230 Mishir.08c3e5b7a3054524

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In contrast, 391dffb80a I felt 07ada137c3 the same 876e077bd3 both inside 052095d859 and outside.15659f529f5a76cf

It was almost like 12bd3dad31 I was always in 9b7f3f07ad Mishir, even when I 0143fb2cd7 wasn’t.f351ca76fb77b8bd

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Ella spoke with 020043dc09 a note of 69c0bba5de excitement in her 487323d638 voice.36e2c9df7cf6b215

“That’s a relief. Since you aren’t affected by the fog, I was worried Mishir might be different for you.”ba8e594ea3094ff8

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“Not at all. It’s exactly the same in here as it is outside.”14605d43e069e1ef

“That’s fascinating.”109be83d58f9bb2f

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Ella glanced at 539475689b me curiously before 615fdc79f2 carefully leading me 338e521675 toward the altar.9eb716bebc3cc9a5

The path 053859650f to the 549c6ea498 altar was 7f4ea9effe made of 8ef134fdd7 pure gold.2198119a19103692

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At the end 042b59afec of this luxurious 2fbe3fd882 path stood a 40f0780fb3 massive golden altar.1f6c4112f1491ae3

A golden e045f30438 statue of 5c7c458104 the Divine 2eb6eb03e3 Beast coiled 5e1fb0612c protectively around af9e93ff20 it, exuding 783fafaa42 an overwhelming c8b86d3ca7 presence.e21462f99d0382bd

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“This is the place.”e2b30f1c864df5dc

“…Oh, wow.”45f9213fbc3db34a

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Just how much 8d480dddf1 money was this 873ded2447 worth?9461dd86146518bf

The golden altar a10a8dbc89 shimmered under the dd81030554 water’s refracted light, 208275f280 casting a mesmerizing 5525279018 glow.990c257700823221

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The statue 64f7432814 of the 6f808bd080 Divine Beast aa2184d9d4 embracing the c56aae5a74 altar was 0e870f32cd nothing short f85621d920 of magnificent.859c737c01a65386

Ella gestured toward the d4b1ea16b3 altar.e3ace03c999bbf25

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“Place your hands here and release your pheromones as you normally would.”5517e10f1375c650

“Like this?”46101a9143d90b36

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Following her instructions, I ed68355adb placed my hands on de4b2231ba the altar—78ae301ddc6f89f0

But the 7b843f09bf moment I 3f2e2b7880 did, a 550f92e7dc scorching heat 77a0311fdf surged through e1fea14cf2 my palms.ac5e671b4c9e261c

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“Ah!”0bf5bd4e7e365dab

Startled, I immediately b7f3dd335a yanked my hands f672756550 back.534a6e905586897f

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“Lady Cersia?”c98de495670045c4

“I-Is it supposed to be this hot?!”3a40ee4f99cd7217

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Clenching my aa06d441d5 fists to 215a4b3a38 shake off 8d508d0636 the burning 66127ad223 sensation, I 6f3574ccbe looked at 1b7c670dba Ella in 961c339a35 alarm.f1b545211bc953cc

But she only tilted b7ee857420 her head in confusion.67ce295a1336f4cc

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“Hot?”3297f73105704aa4

Without hesitation, e1e9f133cc she placed 51052c1b25 her own 3b1171ea57 hands on fe14056230 the altar, 00c9a35d81 completely unfazed.7932798058158c3c

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There wasn’t 6034b2a641 the slightest 54395d50af reaction.8bbf6d642792bb8c

She didn’t 16fe6e5b2f feel anything 30fbde9cee unusual at 04ea2601c5 all.f089489f90ab915e

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As I blinked in 741372a3cc confusion, Taby suddenly materialized 74d6b110e0 in their fish form.e05c1f26e005f6ad

—Oh, oops. The altar must c55a5d21ed be rejecting you 105f1a9102 because of my f7c6d627b5 power.6c299cbd672c19fd

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They flicked their tail 4a72b3ac6f innocently, but I shot 67da7d419b them a sharp glare.5d662e658f7b9d2b

‘Couldn’t you have warned e1c7d0cd09 me sooner?’f76001a66f29a2cc

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For a second, I 0a767f11ef thought I was about 7a2cd4cbad to fail the Saintess ad60d192c1 trial!d0f96f5210c93dd2

I let out c53c1f4aad a deep sigh, 339ba30480 waiting as Taby 41041cef00 hurriedly withdrew their b5669b6f10 influence from my 95f744c329 body.6239c821e4f8e61a

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Meanwhile, Ella added,8bd3051a50272379

“It’s probably because you’ve already contracted a Guardian. The altar rejects anything that isn’t pure pheromones.”83c4172c0d713664

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“You sure know a lot about Guardians.”e68eb8b62d54eceb

“I’ve heard plenty from Lord Isaac.”38dde5c2ece1deff

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She smiled sweetly and e38d560c48 stood by patiently.2d00ced0f33e164f

A moment later, I 7eb7e1c791 felt Taby’s energy completely 13f36078f8 retracting from me.c23f6ba1253013f3

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A sharp pang of 7c0ddd3c4a pain followed.2d75999a79c57dd9

It was a clear 7e4c754b17 sign that my body 160d99948d was still in an 9196497e41 unstable state.6ee7889ab1214f6a

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—Let’s finish this 7e7284de91 quickly. The longer this drags 952b7bd5ec on, the worse it’ll e7b05a6a10 be for you.c60d414db9171ab9

“Got it.”92460e162d1c01d4

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Steeling my resolve, I c9d811ec75 placed my hands back c438ec17a9 on the altar.360d9bf06ffedeaa

This time, it wasn’t 213412d6e4 hot.8693d4397c7ef399

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“Hoo…”0463e918691908c7

Why was I bd49edf7bf so nervous?6aacefbbe9e30769

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Taking several 1326d9cfca deep breaths, db2da4b42c I slowly 64261afc52 released my 1a8584c9ff pheromones into 6e9844dc04 the altar.77acc10dfc747efc