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I forgot to allow comments, it’s fixed now! SORRY!
Chapter 27: The events during their travel
*RattleClattleRattleClattle* the carriage rocked noisily. It’s already been 12 days since the three departed from Rezotikumog.
They’ve already transferred to different carriages three time. The twelve days weren’t only uneventful carriage rides as the three stopped at various towns and cities along the way.
Riding together with the three was a bespectacled man in his 20s and a merchant lugging along his merchandises. The former is named Stad and the latter is named Chinton.
After riding together for three days, those two became friendly enough to converse with the trio. What more could they do? Long carriage rides are strenuous and boring so their only reprieve was in the form of human interaction.
ćSo Stad is currently studying to become a government officialć(Kousuke)
ćYup. I’m currently returning since I picked up the corresponding materials for the third exam. Once I pass the third and fourth exam, I can become a government officialć(Stad)
A slightly exaggerated scene of Stad carrying his goods lovingly could be seen.
ćThe third exam, I see. The only place that would be holding such a thing is the Zerupia Kingdom, correct?ć(Alice)
ćThat is precisely soć(Stad)
At Alice’s inquiry, Stad gave an enthusiastic nod.
ćWow, that’s amazing Stad-san. It’s a little surprising since you look more adventurous than studiousć(Chinton)
“You can’t judge a book by its cover”, it was exactly so as Chinton admired Stad’s goals.
Stad gave a wry smile, as if used to hearing such statements.
ćSo exactly what must you do for Zerupia’s government exam?ć(Chinton)
ćIt’s held once every 3 years and it can take up to a year to finish. The exam involves a test on knowledge, etiquette, dynamism or the ability to take action, and inventiveness. A certain level in each is expected of those working in the government, at least that is what those in Zerupia believe.
The topics themselves do not change, but the contents of the examination never repeats from one year to the next. It can be a fight between the examinees, or they demand the examinees to multiply the given money by X, or they may just give some oral or written exams.
Their irregular testing method is a way to gauge the worth of the potential candidates.
Anyone who can successfully clear through everything within the first four months can become a government official. By anyone, it pertains to the entire populace, even those that are not of the nobility.
A rarity, correct?ć(Alice)
ćReally? Where I’m from, it was common knowledge that anyone can become a part of the government, even commoners. It just required some effortć(Kousuke)
For Kousuke, who grew up in a country where the social standings of an individual did not matter, seeing people becoming limited or endowed due to their birthrights left a sense of incongruity in him.
ćIt seems it’s quite different from where you’re fromć(Alice)
ćWhere I’m from, only the nobles held government positionsć(Viare)
At Viare’s comment, Chinton nodded in agreement.
ćThere have been some rumors that none have passed the exam in these recent years, is that true? I also heard that even though this person didn’t finish within the 4 months, he was still acceptedć(Stad)
Stad asked Alice, in hopes of relieving the doubts he had about the exam and his future.
ćFrom what I can remember, there was a man who successfully completed all of the exams perfectly approximately 20 years ago. Other than him, I haven’t heard of anyone else passing in a similar fashion.
By the way, the man in question is the current prime minister of Zerupia and he’s apparently the third son of a merchant household. Since he couldn’t inherit the household, he took the exam on a whim and managed to perfectly passć(Alice)
It was a surprise even for the prime minister then since he simply wanted to gauge his current bearings. In the end, he left such a record in history and immediately became a part of the elites. Even now, he would lecture his colleagues and subordinates that the future is unpredictable and everyone should give it their all.
ćIf someone is able to produce a similar results they’ll likely be accepted, even if it exceeds the 4 monthsā time limit. Well, his case was a bit special to begin withć(Alice)
ćAre you from Zerupia?ć(Stad)
ćNo, I’m notć(Alice)
Stad asked as he was dumbfounded that Alice knew more about his country than he did.
ćYou’re quite well informed I seeć(Stad)
ćJust some knowledge among a few of my friendsć(Alice)
And also the fact that she’s lived a very long life.
ćWhat was the exam like this time around? Since it’s the third part of the test, I’m guessing it’s the dynamism one?ć(Viare)
ćThere’s a town around twelve days away from Zerupia, I was tasked to go there to acquire and return with their special product. Well, to be specific, it just had to be a special product from any town at least ten days away.
I could have hired some adventurers to gather the necessary materials, but I lack the funds so I personally left to get itć(Stad)
ćI feel that you would fail if you had someone else get itć(Viare)
Alice shook her head at Viare’s doubtful comment.
ćYou don’t necessarily have to do it yourself. Whether the examinees do it themselves or have others do it for them, it’s still using their own resources, be it through connections, money or their own strength.
In the end, if they use Viare’s view as the basis, it would require the examiners to observe and confirm every examinees’ movements.
It’ll be a waste to mobilize so much manpower, especially since there are many still taking the exam and the difficulty of the content is not highć(Alice)
ćBut the current prime minister’s actions must have been observed, how else could he have gotten a government position if they didn’t know?ć(Viare)
ćTL: For Viare, sheās unusually astute eh?ć
ćEven without someone observing him, if his actions were showy enough then it would suffice. For example, investing a large amount of money to buy various special products from all the surrounding towns. This would be enough to start a rumor, correct? With the rumor becoming conviction, the examiners can determine that this person has enormous financial power and also has the courage to utilize it in full when necessaryć(Alice)
ćThen wouldn’t others try to imitate this?ć(Kousuke)
Towards Kousuke’s inquiry, just like with Viare’s, Alice shook her head.
ćI’ve heard that the examinees will fail if their methods are deemed an imitation of someone who passed.
If it was done without prior knowledge or if the examinee truly struggled to materialize the results, then it’ll be considered a pass thoughć(Alice)
As everyone else was feeling enlightened by Alice’s explanation, the carriage suddenly stopped. In comparison to the schedule given by the coachmen, this stop was not planned. Becoming curious, Chinton called out to the coachman.
ćWell, there are some people blocking the road aheadć(Coachman)
ćCan you ask them to move aside for a bit?ć(Chinton)
ćYes, I’ll ask them. Heeey, we want to go through, would you mind moving to the side for a moment?ć(Coachman)
The coachman called out towards the four approaching men.
Showing little reaction to his yell, the four men continued their approach towards the carriage.
ćMm? What’s wrong with those fellas?ć(Coachman)
ćIs something the matter?ć(Viare)
Viare asked the coachman after hearing his mumbling.
ćThose fellas are holding some vegetablesć(Coachman)
ćVegetables? Is it something they harvested?ć(Viare)
ćIf it’s from a harvest then they would have a lot more of it and some sort of basket or carriage holding them. Those fellas only have one piece of vegetable eachć(Coachman)
ćWhat’s up with that?ć(Viare)
ćEven if you ask me….ć(Coachman)
Not understanding how they reached their current condition, the coachman had no choice but to keep the carriage stopped. He would have dashed through them if they looked like bandits, but seeing that none of them had any weapons the coachman was baffled about their identity.
Once the four were close enough the coachman called out to them once more.
ćWe can’t pass if you stay on the road like that. I’m sorry but could you move to the side?ć(Coachman)
ćYa’ll aināt passinā!ć(???) ćTL: YOU! SHALL! NOT! PAAAASSSSSS!!!ć
The four stood side by side to completely block the road. The man holding a pumpkin stepped forward slightly and spoke. The other three was holding a carrot, a radish and a burdock respectively. ćTL: The radish is the Japanese kind, Daikonć
ćWhat do you mean we can’t pass? We need to pass.
I don’t want to force our way through and hurt you fellasć(Coachman)
ćI’m pretty sure they’ll dodge if you force your way through thoughć(Kousuke)
The coachman earnestly pleaded as he did not want to resort to violence.
ćYa’ll wanna pass? Give us them shinies!ć(???)
ć…… Wha? Y, you fellas are bandits?!ć(Coachman)
ćYUP!ć(Bandit#1?)
ćFellas.. If all of you are bandits then don’t you think what you’re holding is a bit.. odd?ć(Coachman)
ć””””They nice and plump right?””””ć(All four of them) ćTL: I sprayed my tea reading thisć
All four of the ‘bandits’ proudly raised their vegetables.
Taking a closer look, it’s color and shape, they were definitely nice and plump, at least Kousuke thought so as he peeked over the coachman.
He asked for the coachman’s opinion too and got a nod back.
ćI agree, they look great, but ya’ll being bandits and your vegetables.. How are they related?ć(Coachman)
ćThese are camouflaged weapons! Ya jus’ noticed? Us just waltzed up to ya’ll but did ya’ll run?ć(Bandit#1)
ćThe thought of escaping didn’t really cross my mindć(Coachman)
ćThat’s right, that’s right!ć(Bandit#1)
The pumpkin bandit proclaimed proudly.
ćIf we’s been carrying swords and bows, you’s plump lambs woulda ran the moment ya’ll saw usć(Bandit#1)
With that kind of logic, at first glance their “camouflage” plan was on the right track.
However, amidst his moment of admiration, the coachman felt that their ambush spot was too weak as nothing besides these “bandits” were blocking them.
Compared to the usual bandit ambush, the coachman was still in an advantageous position.Ā Still though, what these “bandits” might do may suddenly flip the table. ćTL: Unlikely, you have three overpowered people in the carriage.. A dragonslayer, an old witch and girl that can control magic distortionsć
ćI get that they’re camouflaged, but are they really weapons? No, they’re definitely not weapons…ć(Coachman)
ćYa dissin’ vegetables?!ć(Bandit#1)
The pumpkin holding bandit was seriously angry… To the point of self-mockery.
ćYa see my pumpkin!? Smashin’ this fella on yo heads gonna hurt!ć(Bandit#1)
ćObviously…ć(Coachman)
ćYa see? A WEAPON!ć(Bandit#1)
ćIs it wrong to think that you fellas should be using a sword instead?ć(Coachman)
The coachman’s opinion was the same as the rest in the carriage.
ćFuu~ Swords are a joke when you’s as great as us!
Guess us’n gotta teach ya’ll a lesson first!ć(Bandit#1)
With his proclamation, the pumpkin “bandit” walked up to a tree that was a little thicker than a light pole.
The pumpkin “bandit” swung his pumpkin at the tree.
Everyone in the carriage felt that the pumpkin would shatter on impact, but they were wrong. The pumpkin didn’t have a single scratch. The tree on the other hand was carved out on the impact point.
ćWhaa?!ć(Coachman)
The coachman couldn’t help but shout out in shock. Everyone in the carriage were equally shocked.
Next, the carrot “bandit” held his carrot like a dart between his thumb and index finger and threw it at the tree. The carrot spiraled through the air like a bullet and pierced deeply into the trunk.
Furthermore, the radish “bandit” dashed toward the tree and stabbed the radish into the tree. The radish left a clean hole in the tree. That thrust clearly showed a high level of spearmanship.
And finally, the burdock “bandit”. Holding the burdock with one hand, he swung it down hitting nothing but air, but the path in front of him was cleaved open.
None of the vegetables were harmed in any way.
ćWh, wha WHAT ARE YOU!?ć(Coachman)
The coachman cried out in fear and surprise.
ćThe vegetable squad, TEAM NOUGYOU!
Mother Nature is our blade, we’s the baddest of the bads, the ultimate bandits!
Are you afraid? Beg for ya’ll lives! Leave e’ery shinies you’s got and ya’ll can live!ć(Bandit#1)
ćUrgh…ć(Coachman)
ćTL: Nougyou = agriculture, but team agriculture sounded awful.. in hindsight the vegetable squad sounds awful too XDć
Unlike their queer appearance, their skills were real so the coachman began to consider their demands. Much to the coachman’s regret, since the road they were on was usually safe with little to no monsters and bandits, he didn’t hire any guards.
When he noticed, the carriage was already surrounded by the 4 vegetable bandits. The coachman sighed heavily since he knew that if he tried to do anything suspicious, they would immediately attack.
ćEveryone, please accept their demandsć(Coachman)
The coachman collected himself and announced.
ćI am against this! I finally got my hands on this special product after much effort! I refuse to let myself get robbed by these thugs!ć(Stad)
ćI just got these merchandises too…ć(Chinton)
ćBut they’re actually strong and we don’t have a single guardć(Coachman)
Viare quickly glanced toward Kousuke. Noticing her, Kousuke was about to move but was stopped by Alice. She felt that she could handle this much by herself so she held him back.
And then, Alice whispered quietly towards the coachman.
ćWould you like me to blast them away with magic?ć(Alice)
ć…… Is that alright?ć(Coachman)
ćDespite how I look, I’m a former adventurer. I was given designated requests in the past as wellć(Alice)
ćIs that true?ć(Coachman)
He was skeptical of her claims since Alice looked so young and frail. The coachman even assumed that she retired because she was too weak to continue.
ćIt can’t be helped. Hereć(Alice)
Alice pulled out her status card and allowed the coachman to view her current abilities.
Seeing the information displayed on the card, the coachman’s eyes went wide.
Much less himself, even his adventurer friends could not compare to her strength.
ćI.. I… Pl.. Please forgive my rudeness!ć(Coachman)
Wanting to prostrate himself, the coachman’s face turned blue.
ćKeep quiet, you. And don’t apologize over this… Alright, keep them distracted for a bit longer while I prepare my spellć(Alice)
ćRo.. Roger!ć(Coachman)
With his hope to survive rekindled, the coachman returned his gaze back to the pumpkin bandit to buy some time.
ćH, Heyć(Coachman)
ćWut? Hurry and bring them shinies outć(Bandit#1)
ćThere’s someone inside that’s refusing. The other’s inside are trying to convince him so can you give us a moment?ć(Coachman)
ćMm…. fine, make it quickć(Bandit#1)
Since Stad’s refusal before was loud, the bandits knew someone inside was being uncooperative so they were convinced by the coachman’s story.
ćWe’s ain’t got much patience, ya hear?ć(Bandit#1)
ćG, got itć(Coachman)
The coachman turned back around towards the carriage interior, pretending to tell them the bandit’s response.
ćS, So.. You fellas have been active around these areas for a while, yes?
It’s just, I heard that there weren’t any bandits on these roads hereć(Coachman)
ćRobbin’ fat lambs like ya’ll, we’s been doin’ it for a while yea. You ain’t wrong, us’n got here jus’ ten days ago. Other roads jus’ gittin too hot ya seeć(Bandit#1)
ćNo wonder. That reminds me, you fellas are the vegetable squad so are there others too?ć(Coachman)
Since he needed to buy some time, the coachman asked out of curiosity.
ćYa ya, the grain squad and the fruit squadć(Bandit#1)
ćSo do all of you grow your own produces?ć(Coachman)
ćWha? Ya serious? Of course. We’s farmersć(Bandit#1)
ćFarmers? Not bandits?ć(Coachman)
ćA bit a farmer and a bit a banditć(Bandit#1)
ćSo why delve into banditry? You can survive well with just farmingć(Coachman)
ćHmph! Ya’ll jus’ dun understand so keep yo trap shut! Ya know ābout barren lands? Yea them farms dried up. No harvest, but them fat nobles dun care, we’s still taxed the same. Friends, families, we’s all suffering but we still gots to pay!
Then yea, big boss came ’round and saved us all when we’s felt it was over!ć(Bandit#1)
ćAnd the big boss was using a vegetable weapon too?ć(Coachman)
ćBig boss’s fava beans are #1!ć(Bandit#1)
When the beans are launched, due to their irregular shape their trajectory is equally irregular, making them difficult to dodge.
ćI can somewhat understand what your big boss is thinking, but why vegetables as weapons?ć(Coachman)
Their weapon choice truly baffled the coachman.
At that moment, suddenly, with the carriage as the epicenter, a shockwave exploded out. The trees shook violently and the bandits were blown away.
Unlike the coachman who knew it was Alice’s magic, the bandits were in a befuddled state, not understanding what happened. The attack was too sudden for them, none of the bandits were able to protect themselves in time.
They were bleeding, but seeing them struggling to get up, it was clear none were dead.
ćLet’s see how it went. Oh, I guess it subdued them nicely. Well then, what shall we do with them? Leave them alone or maybe capture and hand them over to the officials?ć(Alice)
ćLet’s bring them in for the officials to handle. It’ll be for the best if they can find out the other’s locations to make this road saferć(Coachman)
Alice nodded in agreement with the coachman’s judgment. He then called out the rest in the carriage to help tie up the bandits before treating their wounds. It was planned to keep them asleep with magic throughout the trip, but if their wounds aren’t treated then they would likely constantly groan and moan, making it unbearable.
With all the issues settled, the tied up, unconscious bandits were shoved into the corner of the carriage and the group resumed their travel.
Upon reaching their destination, the coachman explained the situation to the guards and handed the bandits over to them. Afterwards, the bandits were successfully interrogated, but the rest of the bandit organization were too scattered to be fully apprehended. The scale of their organization was clearly a lot larger than what Kousuke’s group thought. The amount of individuals suffering from exploitation seemed to be a lot more numerous than expected.
According to the information the guards had, there were two other similar incidents in the area and upon further investigation the conclusion that those two incidents were incited by two other organizations was met.
One group was the Animal Husbandry team, using their farm animals and eggs as weapons. There were reports that the victims suffered being blinded by the thrown eggs while cows and bulls charged through their ranks.
The other group was the Fisherman Pirates team, using everything the bountiful sea offered. Pierced by shuriken clams, bludgeoned by bonitos, whipped by eels, such things have been reported.
During their harvest or peak seasons, despite the largeness of their organization, the amount of banditry and victims was small due to them being focused on their actual jobs. Thus the gathered information was vague and minimal due to their sporadic activity.
Furthermore, rather than amassing a fortune, many within those organizations are more keen on replacing and re-establishing their previous life before the exploitation. Thanks to that, as long as they get what they want and are able to maintain their lifestyle they will not treat the victims poorly. ćTL: Treated poorly like kidnapping the young and strong for slave use, assaulting the women for pleasure and killing the old because they’re low valued goodsć
Since these bandits are the typical farmers or fishermen, it’s difficult to confirm their identities at first glance.
The army was troubled by this since openly capturing all these farmers and fishermen was out of the question.
This unusual situation was actually brought forth by the 3 gods in charge of agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing respectively.
The “theater and drama” idea that Kousuke provided actually had other ideas mixed in, such as a squadron or a specialist group. Using that as a hint the gods of agriculture, animal husbandry, and fishing randomly endowed an individual each with power.
Similar to Rider’s transformation, the three that were endowed with power could “transform” when combating against ‘ruffians’.
The three dubbed themselves as The Crop Slasher, The Crasher of Games, and The 100% Catcher to combat villainy and oppression. And as if destined, the three met and created the “Worker 3 Squad”.
Soon financial backers and tool creators joined as avid supporters, swelling the size of the “Worker 3 Squad”.
The 3 gods at fault did not do this to protect the innocent, but to get some entertainment from the various consequences brought about by the squad’s actions.
They were just indulging in their self-interest.
Despite this clearly interfering with the lives of mortals, the rest of the gods allowed it just for its entertainment value. Either way, it wasn’t a world changing thing.
Oblivious that he was the catalyst for this incident, Kousuke was swaying in the rocky carriage. It wasn’t until many years later that he learns of the “Worker 3 Squad’s” existence.
Without pause, the group arrived at the port city, got onto a ship heading to Sebushik and waved their farewell to the Kalhode continent.
Five days after since they boarded the ship, Kousuke was alone on the continent of Ezenbia that was below Kalhode.
He was rescued on the beach, where he was buried head first. This was the current situation of his return trip to the Sebushik continent.
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Sorry folks, I fixed the comments. I accidentally turned it off XD
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Sooo… he somehow went to getting on the ship to have his head on sand while being lost ??… how did that happen!??!
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Clarified in the next chapter.
Find out next time on DRAGON SLAYER KOU!
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….wtf just happened…?
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The biggest headache of my life… ;-;
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this is hilarious!!! lol
the weapon is really unique!! hahaha
thanks for the chapter XD
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Joke chapter~
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More or less, still funny though.
Might have something to do with the “worm infestation” though so it can’t be completely written off as a joke.
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…I don’t remember a worm infestation at all. Chapter?
Oh, and thanks for this chapter, which caused me to reassess this novel once again… š
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The Rafdewum infestation near Rezotikumog (Ch26). It’s possible they migrated from the area those vegetable bandits are from.
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He was rescued on the beach, where he was buried head first. This was the current situation of his return trip to the Sebushik continent
___________________
Whut?
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Find out next time on DRAGON SLAYER KOU!
No really, I was just staring at that sentence for about 5min before understanding what happened lol
It’s clarified in the next chapter.
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Thanks for the new chapter.
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Thanks 4 the chapter!
Huh???
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Did his hair turn red before boarding the ship?
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Some extreme weirdos, the gods and farmers it is. It’s kinda become like Arifureta, these idiots really want a God Slayer to be born…
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It would make sense to have a God Slayer around to deal with these mischief God’s. Thanks for the chapter.
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XD
I frill-kick love this chapter~
So Random!
So Epic!
Made me think of Gin no Saji… BUT WITH MAGIC AND ACTION!!!!
Wooooo!
Damn, what happened to the ship?
Did it “Template Sign: Storm at Sea”?
Or did he get thrown overboard…
Waifu and Mom…fu(?) what happened to them?
I guess I’ll just have to…
FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON DRAGON SLAYER KOU!~
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Before I forget, I wanted to comment this in the past chapters but procrastinated…
Kou and Viare really acts like newlyweds from time to time and it’s so cute~
They don’t even realize it~
( X u X) b
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thanks š
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I’d pay money to see people get beat with any of those items. Reminds me of that one hilarious video where angry dude got his ass kicked by spongebob mickey mouse squirrel from Ice Age and a bunny
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thanks for the chapter, when release the next?
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What a wonderful story I;m glad that I started Reading this. Also your notes throughout each chapter I greatly appreciated them as they imparted knowledge I didn’t have, and your commentaries added delightful spice to the chapters. Thank You.
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so,did you drop this series, btw thanks for the chapter
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so.. when does the next chapter get released?
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Once again he created something that make the Gods happy for entertainment in relieving their boredom and once he’s a situation where something flashy and heroic are needed.
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It’s funny but I can’t help feeling the effort of the author is misplaced.
It feels like one of the filler episodes in Naruto and the like.
If you couldn’t come up with anything good I would rather you didn’t do anything.
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