#94

A thirteenth sacred relic?eba85c5d33f8ce2e

Weren’t there only f3bd76b306 supposed to be 38ad8e82e1 twelve?a9e2135bb7183b05

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I widened my 1a8f3d567b eyes at the ad11afb28b unexpected revelation. The widely known 3222f18075 number of sacred 146ea38114 relics was twelve, f49536b503 with ten of f9de2d272e them already stored b8a54638d2 in Hebel’s Treasure 79c5be6754 Vault.052375b4e04d4788

But now, 82ea9e1f2e there was 2db843a811 another? That was beyond surprising.5116ac723b5b3cd8

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—It’s natural that you 6578f21199 don’t know. The Opal of Nothingness f43405a92e was created by the 11643e8de5 Divine Beast just before 7e0b30a88d their departure. It was made 22b94fb9bf for one specific 4bc254c9d3 beastman.dd8d944a1ef3a20c

A relic designed 53f6ee8875 with a particular 896b4a664d individual in mind?6fbf3b34e844d1a7

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That was completely 239b819089 different from the 83b51e28c4 other relics, which 4143eb2469 had been created 010563e824 to maintain the dfb818daf4 balance of the e40a456fbb world.9a3131123a20e6a0

The Divine 7282b1c37c Beast had bb0c14e762 left the dad500d584 continent right f44d973f14 after the 1b13fc3609 fall of e5ec59b8a0 the first a3327977bf Saintess, so 2890a746cb its intended 34cc0a6b89 owner must 1d05bb7f72 have been 12e68aaaed her.d4395499b3425c84

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I tilted my head, aca70d5060 intrigued.c6980a22cd4ac7c5

Since this relic hadn’t 9b689b22a7 even been mentioned in c46eaa4732 the original story, it dac8a9265d clearly wasn’t inside the 1c07eae743 Treasure Vault.748e53b087d59567

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As expected, 103d557259 Taby sighed f48fce32f1 in frustration.69773c5ac4b3849b

—The problem is… even ee1f41f3f6 the other Guardians don’t 69709acef5 know where it is. It’s a completely independent cd28ef7058 entity that doesn’t resonate 5a8d66a451 with us.0e781fcbb8862d30

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A relic that didn’t 9ec72171da respond to the other 1e667b7474 twelve?96e88926faa563fb

That was like 078b080d61 searching for a 74e0fdfa6d pearl in a a2eaa9eabc desert.3c87c792221d35b3

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“Then it’s useless, isn’t it?”bff8cf8d0f93c622

If even the 88b10c91c5 Guardians couldn’t locate 49b8eeea41 it, my chances 9efd4e913a of finding it 4ed0d97ae7 were practically nonexistent.aef8a708333ba2ef

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And I couldn’t 843dc00040 even rely on ef56fbac20 my original story 13138b138a knowledge since it 5ba09fd80a had never been 7caae1cb67 mentioned before.90abfd6d439a23ce

Taby, noticing 50d8be84de my frustration, aa05078d17 swam in e8553b34dc circles around 088a688785 me soothingly.0aadbd8c9ca45d35

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—For now, 61958bf088 let’s focus 5ae713b7a9 on purification b9180da2bf instead. And getting 2955c9ec23 the Sapphire 0e86462825 of Order c5fc35fb52 is your ae0ab737bd top priority.7dd6e7a2452ec79c

They were right.4b73299a75c45ceb

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There was 9fe27d0750 no point dc0a76f075 in worrying 9835b4f422 about the 34d73676c6 future yet—I 0d0fcd47d3 had to e89e88ce5e survive first.549d7cb8d054a10f

I needed to 3aaefadb41 take things step 089f2e4176 by step.f06c0ff5ed9d1b3f

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And just 52d8e600af like that, d2bac42f36 the day 4b853f9e34 of the edc7954a2c Saintess Examination 3372a88a61 arrived.64f4bb736a232e67

“Are you ready?”37f59957b31d7df3

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Naaman, dressed in eda9ede592 ceremonial robes, asked baed22e0a3 me respectfully.902e0451b36a23a0

I took a 551dc08227 deep breath and 7f271d015a nodded.dc79534d3d38b24d

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We were deep 23ce1b76c0 inside Hebel’s sacred 3b868e4844 temple, standing before e1f5056a40 a river.51b909f88b0c797c

This river, c13ce86ef1 known as 11fec2c733 Mishir, was 909b5cc244 the first c05dfa059f place where b71090ca77 the Divine df61893c66 Beast had 70aa223f3e descended to 617cbfa8ab the mortal 88c6354032 world.16b904a88c29146e

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Because of that, it edb7115529 was brimming with the 64d32010a4 Divine Beast’s energy.e48f95b0fdf34373

Mishir had a 4f6b7fda0c unique power—inside it, 71e5829db4 all beastmen became dd7ed4bf57 invincible.f84a74360c5ff8f1

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That was 99cc7c6f97 because pheromones 69215e1d22 were amplified 4545496c8f in its 317cae4723 waters.3addda86707b0952

Unlike an ordinary bf3432e6b0 river, one could 5c60397bac breathe freely underwater bc5ba85466 in Mishir.c9cb0d81af8f3191

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If Hebel’s fog rendered c22f7cb176 beastmen weak and powerless, 9adcb499f8 then Mishir’s water granted cc899c5704 them complete freedom.226bfa3b5e3880b5

It was the d4c580d2aa only place in d276162140 Hebel that existed 65ff3b7d9d outside the fog’s 1b94be311e influence.15f703ec1589e250

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At the heart 4512c290e4 of Mishir stood 3c506b5466 an altar dedicated 9dfa65ab80 to the Divine 00ff37f986 Beast.55638593c5b93f2d

In the 2bfd740257 original story, 9a855d9b2c only two 5b1b1eb02c people could 8ab21e56ca offer tributes 9bf323ca6b at this 3eb9565dce altar—the head 8354ace4c7 of Hebel fa50343804 and the 086269dab1 Saintess.f5858897203bc50c

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Even then, the head eaf04cf1ec of Hebel faced restrictions, 0413159040 unlike the Saintess.8f5ddf1fc9bce7b5

Since the altar contained dfa93a880a the Divine Beast’s strongest 72a84b326c presence, any unapproved offerings f9c7cbbe07 were rejected.4d5a877901d6ec80

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Naturally, the 654de745c5 offering required 2d58f52927 was pheromones.926e684395ab1702

The head of 6b73bae841 Hebel could not 7b1fbdb8dd leave Hebel, but cb9929291a in exchange, they ccf6cb4bdb were the only 81c18a7652 person who could 880c628af8 freely use their 879379030d pheromones within it.6c56169c8bb63e86

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Feigning ignorance, 601cf0aa3b I glanced 94f6d09548 at Naaman, dfd82a1f3f prompting him 4fceefc1ca to explain 805a3d3ec1 the rules.a82bc129e67bc959

“The process is simple. You must enter Mishir and release your pheromones at the altar.”663d3a7bfd54c9ce

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“That’s it?”61dc671855b08b0d

“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.”2a185c19653f4637

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“Why not?”3c7e2323ca3cfc46

“If a beastman forces an unaccepted offering, they will incur the Divine Beast’s wrath and have their pheromones stripped away.”a30c872c8e9a8ff4

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Naaman’s voice 73cf0539c7 turned ominous, 1165ec9601 clearly trying 285b6a28dc to intimidate 0d3626306f me.1e9b275b776f6964

For an 14a87f8eb0 ordinary beastman, 2080accab4 losing their 4cc92d8703 pheromones was 41dc660b21 terrifying.5763c999d8477667

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But for 2bdbe6ff82 me… that 2006e6717d was exactly 6ba13d5bd0 what I e697e8e9b8 wanted.8ec3131a5dbe5d19

Of course, I couldn’t just blurt out, “That sounds great, actually!”8a2dbd7f7ba2d47c

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So instead, 405b89be4d I widened 5b7cdeec99 my eyes 84287bb81d and trembled c66e2e9e7e as if e4777d2a3f I were cad8574324 terrified.8119b0bcc666c89e

“R-really? My pheromones could completely disappear?”dcad20974182adc0

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Satisfied with my reaction, 0dc23eaf40 Naaman softened and chuckled.fa1fc791447d1bd6

“It’s merely a legend passed down in Hebel. No one has ever experienced it, so there’s no need to worry.”370c6d1edd96a8a2

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Well, that killed my d78defbe07 excitement.72ca530c7d4372d1

“Ahh~ what a relief.”93e950cad2fdf3ef

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I let out ba5ebca426 a forced sigh, ed1a54bdb4 hiding my disappointment.dcaa8dd8b689109a

While I 5abe4dcde7 was busy 1ab44acf44 acting the f1560617cd opposite of 168c30c913 my true c7259cbe32 feelings, Naaman e42e5c217a gestured toward 3f0e9a636d Ella.ada31b80d89ee66b

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“You will guide her.”42925a3246eafd04

“Huh? You’re not coming with us?”1249c59a26c9d701

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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.”975273a0d2eb62fa

“But Ella is allowed?”2c9b2044ca3d1454

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“Ella has not made a Hebel Contract with the Divine Beast, making her a perfect guide.”4d32e6bee76e70b0

“Ah, I see.”61efc018966c5372

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It made sense.ee4d3ba4c9d192ef

All priests of Hebel 1bec8a180a swore absolute loyalty to 93b1fadeea the Divine Beast.e0b629d8585ad172

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But since Ella was 7bedebca4e Isaac’s adopted daughter, she 47e736c5d5 hadn’t made the contract 325e8f54a3 and was therefore free 725dcb9420 to enter Mishir.dbf0297641092fc1

So that’s why they ec14848a08 had assigned Ella as fefaf3d5d3 my guide and kept 8827933b17 her by my side.4745eea268492554

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I had 47b0e0fb0a been wondering 2cfc9d85ad why she 75ed2db74e was the 168cf64a74 one escorting d1f3d082cb me—now it 910ea7ea7c all clicked.30e3b6711bb41b7b

“Shall we go?”f18e83400db6c6a1

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Ella stood beside e3d0d6337e me and extended f8b6d4fb5a her hand.72cca42a36d68265

I took it firmly fb00af6ad4 and began stepping into 083e43a253 Mishir.575f3e2f1b5d3788

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As soon 25fb504e9b as the ea0f771051 cool water 2fd4a9df90 wrapped around a7383b620c my ankles, 575a486e17 a refreshing 34a71c7029 sensation spread 0b6ed5bed2 through my 3d2822f394 body.ac93fb753cd06ef7

When the 636cf9ec00 water rose 58bde31caf all the e75643bb61 way to 53b91829b7 my head, 1c69a91f2b I let 3fda416077 out a 02655ed81d breathless gasp 3edcfbbf4c of amazement.9823d2fe1889bc1a

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“I really can breathe underwater.”a1382af8b6b24593

It felt as a7da799dd9 if I had bcaa563475 turned into a 1500eed40a mermaid.e108d0dcffa0623b

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I didn’t 082e67c651 have gills, 80189bd0a4 yet it 83c7b6eff0 was as 07e85e4801 if I 008130b92e did. The whole experience was 44bb33d317 surreal.0e013f2a91de805b

As I marveled 5a09eb0c28 at my surroundings, 73c865c61d Ella asked gently,259a0f0fdaa66ddd

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“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”5575840ade27bb87

“Nope.”39b52d07d4467e92

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In fact, I 6a9148db69 felt amazing in 229439334b Hebel.db4a9419e1f64116

Unlike other f13662464c beastmen, the b421a47a4f longer I d632317dc9 was exposed f40dc7f985 to the 4aac26fc77 fog, the 84f154cdec better my 07a1e71998 body felt.e9b52dd6e1548c61

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‘It doesn’t feel 11da5e443d any different from 3fb0806080 being outside.’9c150c97539f7481

Come to think of 1d0460f4a8 it, my body was 0fe88079c1 full of oddities.8da80eae5fa912eb

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While others grew b753086e1c weak under Hebel’s 30c0976241 fog, I remained 71fb2d9f34 completely fine.37575f2cf45e229e

I wasn’t even physically 8fddd046c4 weak, yet I had 20df3f55ce no restrictions.7ace0c622407888a

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If I 76b8ecf594 was going 88777cfbdd to be d6f6328655 an anomaly bc04171a96 anyway, I 96dcd55633 really wished 7061ff0472 I could 3ffe874300 have handled 24fb332cfa my two 565223d02b pheromones properly, d8045b06ae too.1982332c80b47442

But, of 10f31c1690 course, that e711e94790 was too b1fe7f4161 much to 35df8f0fdf ask for.3376837fcffaea64

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Meanwhile, Ella looked much 163be0eaa4 freer than she had d213aeced5 been outside.059e5959ee4d34ca

It seemed that those 81d3654282 who were affected by 94b02ae85a the fog experienced a 84e7075eda drastic change inside Mishir.0827da96b3075c88

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In contrast, 2af7d895f2 I felt b32a377b08 the same 17336cb566 both inside 99a9a111d5 and outside.012150105570d1e5

It was d242c8c0f6 almost like e5816e0d68 I was 43bbb8fbfd always in b09646019e Mishir, even 4813b5cafe when I d3ba07c224 wasn’t.b772f2144fdb1546

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Ella spoke f534d56fd2 with a 5cf3998648 note of 2e05d8d826 excitement in 50e3a74dee her voice.8fe0c147bfc689d8

“That’s a relief. Since you aren’t affected by the fog, I was worried Mishir might be different for you.”61cc93bd4005b099

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“Not at all. It’s exactly the same in here as it is outside.”dd94e0620f4e269f

“That’s fascinating.”8f2e247d86f22326

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Ella glanced 9853450160 at me 3d603375ef curiously before c56802ef4f carefully leading 3ba6ab117e me toward b10f1219e6 the altar.63dca9bce8a33309

The path 0b05b5ec78 to the b0e5eb6f8a altar was f06e7ff779 made of 76c79ab2bb pure gold.f3622ca6b60e1d48

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At the end 29d7365573 of this luxurious 528dd7382a path stood a b68dc59456 massive golden altar.dc32640d6005f05c

A golden 97deafd996 statue of e9ab31e357 the Divine da1440d462 Beast coiled ebb4354db3 protectively around 185b2c74dc it, exuding 65e9aa9884 an overwhelming b6bb41591b presence.d4f5d2d77a19af3f

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“This is the place.”51b849e36e12f43a

“…Oh, wow.”d69031cbbfc384aa

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Just how much c646a7b077 money was this 657a8997bf worth?d554e587fcad7c87

The golden altar shimmered 5933e27d36 under the water’s refracted d25f9b2cc0 light, casting a mesmerizing 93a64f8b5c glow.f8edbd6b1fbf23eb

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The statue of the 5b4473d620 Divine Beast embracing the 6c3e6e6e12 altar was nothing short 7fb14dee19 of magnificent.84ba5dd4b7b4658b

Ella gestured c80d1342a1 toward the ccee16f449 altar.fa9317fe110ccb7c

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“Place your hands here and release your pheromones as you normally would.”5fa7c3c99c694192

“Like this?”4e31b275e7c29e95

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Following her instructions, I 7db3dfc037 placed my hands on 1f036590ca the altar—e4db97cf05892f15

But the moment I ce52e9d45f did, a scorching heat 3314f3e96c surged through my palms.209320556c7592aa

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“Ah!”fdc9afd8fcdd7406

Startled, I immediately 9b70e42875 yanked my hands b96dd12685 back.7fa5d2eead8d28ed

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“Lady Cersia?”688b5362a1abd454

“I-Is it supposed to be this hot?!”70a601656cb17fcb

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Clenching my fists df41e0d820 to shake off c52b9329db the burning sensation, df24101afa I looked at eee83daf17 Ella in alarm.3aaa6b308567407e

But she only tilted 67fbf24575 her head in confusion.74258e3c73a5e212

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“Hot?”9fed15ed21b961b9

Without hesitation, 38066dee5f she placed 554f8a2eca her own 9cc2e0f848 hands on 1b2f1d14a6 the altar, 8da25357b6 completely unfazed.c40ca9cdfdd5e6fd

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There wasn’t the 010f69e76d slightest reaction.f49334d52b5a9a62

She didn’t 652a04fa4f feel anything e28e75fd71 unusual at fedd0c364f all.0e4c687757269dc1

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As I blinked in 9d77e7e632 confusion, Taby suddenly materialized feb2de07a0 in their fish form.272f8230f98e94a1

—Oh, oops. The altar must be ab8f035650 rejecting you because of 18cf7ad240 my power.713b79d723105ce1

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They flicked their 5ad63d8a7d tail innocently, but 23e567856a I shot them 54ae946ac3 a sharp glare.acba071e57a1a8af

‘Couldn’t you have warned 4d8ffb9d29 me sooner?’efd9a723003faf52

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For a second, eb3497b398 I thought I 10f198f1d9 was about to fa3eccf9b2 fail the Saintess cc24eb1222 trial!7eb15f2fe3e6bd0f

I let out dd1748368c a deep sigh, 7637479fed waiting as Taby 6f5e36e40b hurriedly withdrew their d8058c1b8d influence from my e896e4e9ec body.552bdb5e82872df1

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Meanwhile, Ella added,6a06a6e327e41069

“It’s probably because you’ve already contracted a Guardian. The altar rejects anything that isn’t pure pheromones.”70f2aa3c21c3e513

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“You sure know a lot about Guardians.”d08c5f8b96c0a445

“I’ve heard plenty from Lord Isaac.”600b6fd920d62290

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She smiled sweetly 3604edb979 and stood by adf1bb9e48 patiently.45e443d93b551178

A moment later, 93ee879221 I felt Taby’s 7d2b1f5194 energy completely retracting d0c33d414f from me.4f372c6959f2af45

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A sharp pang fb56ab2a79 of pain followed.1b028b4fdf0cee31

It was a a19392dace clear sign that ed56edfb25 my body was 00d168a371 still in an cf8b64306d unstable state.7ed254c538a72942

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—Let’s finish this quickly. The longer this drags c33d500ead on, the worse it’ll b818450486 be for you.7eed156644900606

“Got it.”5d9466352a97719b

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Steeling my resolve, 281b10031c I placed my 3247acf4f2 hands back on bb31292883 the altar.e602053c17b592cf

This time, it wasn’t 13b69a5451 hot.415c88cd1839b284

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“Hoo…”4800beb5f8f190fd

Why was I so 33e897ec5f nervous?1b7d4a8485a02955

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Taking several deep breaths, 5b1c36c854 I slowly released my c9b5a945f2 pheromones into the altar.bb5c76251611adc6