Chapter 571 Equilibrium Point
Chapter 571 Equilibrium Point
"Interesting." Medici leaned back and crossed his legs. "Why should you draw this line?"
"Not me, but us." Chloe glanced at Medici, then at Wayne Bates. "This meeting is to find a balance among us. New Bluebridge already has enough external conflicts; as the founders, we must minimize our internal conflicts."
After a pause, Chloe raised a point: "First of all, New Lanqiao was established through the cooperation of everyone here. The common goal of all parties is to build Lanqiao into a sufficiently powerful force, right?"
Medici nodded, and Wayne Bates and Leok Nash had no objections.
This is politically correct—whoever disagrees should step down from the negotiating table, and Medici is no exception.
Otherwise, what are you doing sitting here?
"Alright, then let's not use the 'each side' approach anymore; everyone is on one side." Chloe nodded in satisfaction. "Then let me be more specific about our objective: our army must be strong, our treasury must be abundant, and our production must be highly efficient. Does anyone have any objections?"
Equally irrefutable, no one disagrees with this statement.
"I'm glad we reached a consensus." Chloe nodded, then turned to Medici: "Mr. Medici, the scope of authority for 'War Red' is to make our army strong enough."
"I know that."
"Specifically, it refers to training and combat. Any measure that can improve the army's combat effectiveness is a matter of war." We have no right to interfere in internal affairs, but I must set three red lines here that cannot be crossed: "First, all profits obtained by the army must be turned over to the national treasury."
"Secondly, the funds for the development of the military should be allocated by the government in a unified manner."
"Thirdly, the military force must not be directed at ordinary people."
Medici frowned, ignoring the first and third points: "Who makes the decisions about allocating funds in your government?"
"I," Chloe said, "am the lord here, and I have the highest decision-making authority."
"So, even 'War Red' is under your command?"
"I have no right to order War Red," Chloe said calmly. "If I do, that would be overstepping my bounds." "But I would like to remind you of one word: win-win cooperation. If War Red doesn't want to waste manpower on administration, construction, production, and development, and doesn't want to waste precious time in meetings, then it would be best to trust the administrative capabilities of the United Government and trust that New Lanqiao itself is the most reliable support for the army."
Medici stared at Chloe for a while—he saw only determination in Chloe's eyes.
As if having made a judgment, Medici's voice rang out again, filling the silence of the room: "That makes a lot of sense. Cooperation—a word that represented naivety in my time. But perhaps things are different now, and I'm willing to take that risk."
"But I also have two conditions."
"Please speak."
"First, the proceeds can be handed over, but the allocation you give to 'War Red' must ensure my soldiers have enough to maintain a comfortable life. Second, half of the wealth we hand over must be redistributed to the army."
"Absolutely no problem." Chloe readily agreed. "Regarding the first point, how can the formation of a united government be without a representative of the 'Red Army'? The military will not be absent from the meeting on financial allocation; we can discuss the specifics then."
"And the second point is that I must also impose restrictions. The new allocations are unlikely to reach the generals and soldiers, because the first point determines that the military personnel already have enough salaries to maintain a comfortable life, so these additional allocations can only be used to improve the army's combat effectiveness."
"Just what I wanted." Medici chuckled.
With the "Red of War" issue resolved, Chloe breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Inovan has already scouted the Royal Guard in Lanqiao, so we can proceed now."
"Stop." Medici waved his hand and looked at Oswald beside him. "The general direction is set. Tell him about the trivial matters later. Let me repeat, I'm just an observer, an observer."
You're the one who talks the most in any meeting.
Chloe scoffed inwardly, then turned to the sprightly old man: "Lanqiao already has a considerable number of soldiers, including private troops spawned by the Baojia system, as well as the Nash family's powerful personal guard. Mr. Inovan has already conducted an investigation, and 'War Red' can start preparing for expansion now."
"Mr. Leok?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm here."
"We'll need your cooperation from now on—we're going to build a real, powerful New Lanqiao army."
"--no problem."
Losing military power is not a pleasant experience.
"I'm fine with it too," Oswald Medici said for the first time.
At this moment, Wayne Bates gestured, drawing all eyes to him: "Well, I've done a rough calculation. To protect our metropolis of one million people, including the surrounding territories, we'll need at least 20,000 troops. Considering the inevitable expansion later, it will likely require 30,000 to meet that requirement."
"Mr. Medici, am I right?"
"Without this, it's hard to call it an army." Medici chuckled, acknowledging Wayne Bates's assessment.
"Then we need at least five thousand officers and sergeants with command capabilities. That's no small number. Even if you add up all the talent in Lanqiao, it would be hard to find such high-end talent."
Oswald nodded solemnly.
When building an army from scratch, finding the right personnel is often the most critical challenge.
"I do have a small suggestion," Wayne continued. "I think there are definitely many difficulties in training the army, especially in developing the capabilities of lower-ranking commanders. The Church of Knowledge is willing to take on this responsibility, and in the future, we would like to learn how to fight on the front lines."
Oswald glanced at Medici.
When it comes to matters at the church level or the level of faith, he dares not make a decision rashly.
Medici nodded generously: "Our soldiers can certainly believe in knowledge."
Wayne Bates bowed humbly in thanks for his acceptance: "There is no need for faith; the god of knowledge and wisdom favors everyone who seeks knowledge."
Chloe glanced at Wayne Bates and said with a smile, "It seems the work on building the new church will have to proceed in parallel with the formation of the army."
She raised her head and looked around again:
Wayne Bates bowed humbly in thanks for his acceptance: "There is no need for faith; the god of knowledge and wisdom favors everyone who seeks knowledge."
Chloe glanced at Wayne Bates and said with a smile, "It seems the work on building the new church will have to proceed in parallel with the formation of the army."
She raised her head and looked around again: "Now that the most fundamental issues have been resolved, let's hurry up and start completing our respective tasks."
"Mr. Oswald, there are still considerable difficulties in opening the Old Lan Bridge's treasury directly to the army. Until then, I will use my savings—my secretary will arrive here in a few days with a list of my personal savings, 114,000 Rune pounds in foreign exchange—all for the army's initial construction. Please feel free to ask if you have any needs."
"After the meeting, everyone will sign a meeting summary together—ah, I have a feeling it will leave a resounding mark on history."
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Chapter 572 Transition Period
Chapter 572 Transition Period
The disease is still raging in Lanqiao.
The fourth calamity of the Aurora Festival, the effects of the plague crows' fall, have not yet been fully eliminated.
In the past, Chloe, as the "Witch of Pain," only had the ability to spread disease, but not to eliminate it.
Although the "Godfather" wrote that, theoretically, if the disease being spread was of the same origin as the disease brought by the plague crows, and the symptoms were mild and negligible, then those who were first infected with the witch virus could become immune, Chloe examined her own abilities:
There are no pathogens that are not fatal, and she didn't know how to determine if she shared the same origin as the disease brought by the plague crows.
The letter here uses the "Laporte Red," a letter sent by Medici to serve Chloe.
Because Thierry Faucon has not yet fulfilled his obligation to Medici to explore the "City of Calamity," they cannot yet break their contract as messengers, but neither of them has the idea of bothering a real angel to deliver the message.
Especially given that the messenger was not very dedicated.
The idea of eliminating the disease was shelved and left unresolved. Now, the difficulties that were once insurmountable have become much easier after Chloe was promoted to "Witch Hunter".
Sequence 6 "Dawn Knight" can fill a radius of 40 to 50 meters with dawn light. This ability has undergone a qualitative change in Sequence 4 "Demon Hunter", reaching more than 200 meters in the early stages of general advancement. This is certainly due to Chloe's "demon hunting" since Backlund, which allowed her to digest some of the magic potions, but the fact that a large area of dawn light can effectively purify diseases is beyond doubt.
In recent days, every morning, Chloe has been following a map to walk across the land of Lanqiao, the area most severely affected by the epidemic, to purify the air of disease.
This made her rarely appear at her own residence.
The Church of the Seven Gods and envoys from various countries in the Northern Continent all wanted to visit this young new lord of Lanqiao to test her attitude towards the church and the country, and to see if Lanqiao would remain neutral as before.
But Chloe's idea was simple: to clean up her own mess first.
The damage the aurora borealis has done to Lanqiao is irreparable.
The tsunami was broken up just before it hit Lanqiao, but an extreme downpour followed. Although not fatal, it caused severe flooding in the city, leaving many houses teetering on the brink of collapse after the earthquake.
Faced with the dilapidated city, Chloe had made up her mind to directly replan the city's construction on the existing foundation after the arrival of the experts and architects of the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, so that New Lanqiao could take a step towards modernization.
There is undoubtedly the influence of Emperor Russell in this—this policy, which adheres to the spirit of the "Patriotic Health Campaign" and the "Capital Sewers and Public Toilets Improvement Plan," is the most commendable measure during Russell's rule, directly changing the urban landscape.
Without destruction, there can be no construction. From now on, we must etch Emperor Russell into the minds of the people of Lanqiao.
Chloe's daily routine consists of cleaning up severely affected neighborhoods in the morning, working with Wayne Bates to develop the framework for the new government, and then fulfilling her duty as a "demon hunter" in the evening, traversing the city in search of any trace of evil.
But today is different.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Chloe propped her head up on her elbow in her mansion, her eyes flashing with deep red, and ancient, mottled bronze tables and chairs came into view.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."
At the head of the table closest to the bronze table, Miss Justice lifted her skirt slightly, her cheerful voice echoing above the gray mist.
"Don't worry, these glasses that have been manifested can seal your voyeuristic eyes."
After responding to the members' greetings, Mr. Fool's first words were addressed to "The Hermit" Cattleya.
At the same time, he looked at Chloe and nodded to her.
Um?
Chloe narrowed her eyes, as if she had thought of something.
It seems that I wasn't the only one promoted last week; the "Hermit" lady did too.
Previously, when the "Hermit" was first struck, the glasses that could seal the "Eye of Secrets" had already manifested.
This seems to originate from an item used by "Star Admiral" Cattleya in the real world.
This time, the "Hermit" lady began to doubt the effectiveness of the glasses—meaning that the glasses in the real world might have lost their original effect.
Her ability to "see through secrets" has improved.
However, Mr. Fool is reserved and will not take the initiative to announce such things on behalf of the members.
"Mr. 'The Great Fool,' this time there's a page from Emperor Roselle's diary."
The tarot reading officially begins with the "hermit" speaking.
This time, a new Roselle diary has appeared after a long absence, it seems that the "mysterious queen" has finished her work.
Chloe waited quietly for Mr. Fool's reading time to end, and then it was time for free discussion.
Upon seeing Audrey, the "righteous" one, raise her hand slightly, Chloe immediately understood her purpose.
At the beginning of the meeting, everyone noticed an extra patina-green cross among the items on Mr. Fool's desk.
In Mr. Fool's eyes, this is an item of equal status to the "Blasphemy Card"!
"Dear Fool," does the cross in your hand have any special meaning?
"Uh, if the answer requires an equivalent exchange, please let me know what I need to do."
Mr. Fool smiled and looked at Audrey, the Justice: "This is no big deal."
"It is a relic of that ancient sun god."
Upon hearing this, Chloe's first reaction was to observe "Sun's" expression, though he remained focused on listening.
On the contrary, the new members, "Judgment" and "Magician"—who also seem to be friends in real life—felt an unnatural surprise.
Did they offer this to Mr. Fool? They had come into contact with this cross left behind by the ancient sun god before, but they did not know that it was so important.
Before she could continue speculating, she heard Mr. Fool continue, "Its level isn't too high; it only corresponds to those without darkness." Its greatest function is to cleanse the mental pollution within extraordinary traits, helping those who have consumed excessive potions to extract their excess traits, and allowing those who don't want to stay in the mystical world to return to normalcy.
The One Without Darkness—this is Mr. Sun's next sequence.
Chloe instinctively turned her attention back to the "sun," and sure enough, she saw his delighted expression: "Dear Mr. 'Fool,' may I find a way to exchange for this item?"
"As long as you're willing to pay the price."
Mr. Fool nodded slightly.
Upon hearing this, Chloe was reminded of herself.
The price—I wonder what price I'll have to pay to get Mr. Fool to grant me the potion from the God of Knowledge and Wisdom.
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Chapter 573 The Conspiracy That Emerges
Chapter 573 The Conspiracy That Emerges
"Justice" Audrey inquired about the main materials for advancing to Sequence 5 "Dreamwalker," while the newly arrived "Judgment" Miss was tasked with finding someone to keep an eye out for potion recipes for Sequence 6 and Sequence 5 of the "Arbitrator" pathway.
So she is indeed a Sequence 7 "interrogator"—most likely connected to the military and nobility.
Chloe examined the situation carefully and made an accurate judgment in her mind.
In fact, besides Miss "Judgment", the Tarot Club has another new member who has been judged by Chloe to be an official extraordinary.
"Star" is a lazy man who, during his first Tarot gathering, proposed to purchase a "magical item" with a "strength level 2" seal.
The official tone was delivered so smoothly, just like someone familiarly applying for a sealed artifact before a mission.
He never purchased extraordinary materials or potion recipes from the Tarot Society, seemingly confident of advancing through the Church's channels—a stark contrast to the "Hanged Man."
Furthermore, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that "stars" have a strange sense of trust and closeness to "the world".
Although Chloe knew that "The World" had once worked as a detective in Backlund, when he accepted commissions at Tarot meetings, he often appeared in the mysterious world as "German Sparrow".
This explains why "Star" knew Gehrman Sparrow's deeper identity; for an official Extraordinary, this was by no means ordinary.
Or perhaps, the fact that an official extraordinary individual joins the Tarot Club is itself extraordinary.
After the mutual commissions and transactions, it was still "The World" Gehrman Sparrow who started the conversation: "The Church of the Night received intelligence from Major General Chunus Colger, the deputy director of MI9, confirming that King George III of Rune was hiding a secret—he secretly sent people to excavate the Blood Emperor's ruins, colluding with the Witch Cult and King Joe III of Psychological Alchemy—colluding with the Witch Cult?"
Chloe frowned.
So, the real culprit behind the smog is actually the king?
So he—so he wanted to pin the blame for the witch cult on me?
So why did they eventually give up and let it end up being left unresolved?
Is it because I unexpectedly escaped, and they found that framing me again wouldn't work?
It seems the Schkeven family also knew that the King was colluding with the witch cult, and even took the initiative to take on the task of handling the aftermath—but they set their sights on me.
For so long, my crime hasn't been determined, as if this never happened at all. I even thought the king really wanted to protect my "knighthood" status—
No, there's no need to keep thinking about these things.
Chloe relaxed her furrowed brow and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
Violence brings power. She is now a demigod with her own territory, and there is no need for her to rely on the royal family's approval and the ridiculous aristocratic system to maintain her authority with a false "lord" title.
This honorary title of "Lord" could become a sword aimed at the Kingdom of Rune itself. Didn't the King of Rune obtain the crown of the Byron Empire and call himself the Emperor of East Byron?
It's perfectly reasonable and legal for your lord to govern a piece of land in East Bairan, isn't it? As the lord, you have no right to interfere with what I do on the land I've conquered.
Chloe relaxed a little, hearing Mr. "The World" continue in a deep voice: "George III, for the sake of the 'Blood Emperor' ruins on the Stryven section of the Tasok River, colluded with the Witch Cult and the Psychological Alchemy Society to traffic people and fabricate missing persons cases, leading to the Backlund Great Smog Tragedy—"
"The Witch Cult's representative in the early stages was Panatia, the Nightingale of Despair, and later it was Katarina, the White Saint. The Psychological Alchemy Society was represented by Herwin Lambis—"
"Herwin Lambis has disappeared. He's been labeled a cultist and is wanted by the three major churches." "Justice" Audrey said, sharing what she knew. "I—I received his guidance in the Psychological Alchemy Society."
In order to advance her career, Audrey has joined the "Psychological Alchemy Society" under the watchful eye of Mr. Fool.
Although they successfully obtained potion materials from Sequence 8 to Sequence 5, their deep involvement in the secret organization was also exposed.
During her several meetings with the Psychological Alchemy Society, Audrey would have revealed her true thoughts long ago if it weren't for Mr. Fool's help.
As she is about to be promoted to Sequence 5, she naturally came into the sight of Herwin Lambis, a member of the Psychological Alchemy Council.
This is a demigod—far superior to those members of the psychological alchemy society we've been fooling in the past.
Therefore, regarding Herwin Lambis's disappearance, the one who truly faces danger is Miss "Justice" Audrey.
"I will keep a closer eye on Herwin Lambis's whereabouts," Audrey broke the brief silence and added.
The "trial" also turned its gaze to the "world." Gehrman Sparrow said, "I am investigating a matter that also involves the King's secrets. If you need my cooperation, please don't hesitate to ask."
The Tarot Club is now gradually turning its attention to the King—Chloe, having realized this, steered the conversation back to herself after the topic had ended: "With the help of Mr. Fool, we thwarted the Aurora Club's plot in East Bayron. Mr. Z died on the spot, and I am now in control of Lanqiao."
She turned her gaze to "The Sun" Derrick and smiled, "'The Sun' Mr., the 'Aurora Society's' exploration of the city has failed, so you can rest assured now."
Before he could respond, Chloe turned to the "Fool" and said, "Mr. Fool, thank you for saving the people of Lanqiao. The new Lanqiao will forever remain the site where the sea god 'Kavituwa' established a church, to guide people in praising your mercy."
This is the only thing Chloe can do for Mr. Fool right now—after all, eliminating the natural disaster at Lanqiao was done directly by Mr. Fool, something that cannot be obtained at any cost.
"Well done."
"Fool," Klein chuckled.
Chloe paused, recounted her battle with "Mr. Z" at Lanqiao, then looked around and said:
After Mr. Z's death, eight extraordinary characteristics were extracted from his body. I decided to first collect everyone's needs through the Tarot Club's channels.
"They are: 'Secret Prayer' pathway sequence 5 'Shepherd'; "
"Prisoner" pathway sequence 5 "Wraith";
"Sailor" route sequence 6 "Wind Follower";
"Warrior" pathway sequence 6 Dawn Knight;
"Monster" pathway, Sequence 7 Lucky One;
"Corpse Collector" pathway, Sequence 7: The Psychic;
"The Seeker" pathway, Sequence 7 Wizard;
"Apprentice" path Sequence 8: Magic Master.
"In addition, I killed two Sequence 7 hermits—their traits were also among those available for selection."
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Report it hereChapter 574 No Longer an Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 574 No Longer an Equivalent Exchange
Killing a "shepherd" grants so many extraordinary traits!
For a time, Chloe's popularity even surpassed that of "The World"—or at least the former "The World," Gehrman Sparrow.
Even he had never used so many extraordinary traits. The extraordinary traits Chloe could use this time were worth at least 4 in total.
Taiwan Novel Network is super practical, you can choose from t ͎ ͎ w ͎ ͎ k ͎ a ͎ ͎ n ͎ .
It's 10,000 pounds.
Of course, it's more likely that items like "The World" Gehrman Sparrow, which don't sell, are mostly extraordinary characteristics that are unrelated to members of the Tarot Club or that members no longer need. If there is demand, they would either be given to friends or made into magical items.
Next, Chloe recounted the abilities of these extraordinary methods. This information was derived through divination using Mr. Fool's magic mirror.
This is to help members of the Tarot Club determine their own needs—perhaps someone wants to buy them and turn them into weapons, but they must first understand the abilities of the corresponding extraordinary sequences.
However, with so many extraordinary characteristics, even the wealthy and powerful "Justice" Audrey was at a loss.
"I need the 'Windbringer' trait."
The Hanged Man looked at Chloe first.
He then looked at the head of the bronze table: "Mr. Fool, may I rent the relic of the Creator's Cross for a period of time, for a day or a few hours?"
"Yes," the "Fool" replied simply.
"Thank you for your kindness." The Hanged Man nodded and looked at Chloe again. "Miss Power, I need the extraordinary traits of the Wind Favorite and, using Mr. Fool's cross, to restore them to low-sequence extraordinary traits so that I can train newcomers in the Sailor pathway."
So that's his purpose. Oh, right, he's now under Medici's command, a member of "War Red," and the founder of the Navy—
When he explored some unknown place with Gehrman Sparrow last time and gained the "Ocean Singer" trait, the "Hanged Man," who had already become the "Ocean Singer," clearly hadn't considered this yet.
Chloe chuckled inwardly and nodded in agreement: "No payment is needed. I will perform the ritual after the Tarot gathering and offer it to Mr. 'The Fool'."
Equivalent exchange is predicated on the absence of other exchanges of benefits, and on fairness and impartiality.
When Alger the Hanged Man is a member of the "Red of War" and a key force in building the New Lanqiao army, especially since his special ability is to train new recruits for the army, it seems inappropriate for him to be so petty.
Alger knew what "Power" Chloe expected. He nodded and said, "I heard that Newland Bridge has spent money to order three ironclads through the Colonial Company, each with nearly half the tonnage of the Pritz. It would be best to equip each ship with a navigator."
As a naval commander, Alger was undoubtedly appointed by Medici to be in charge of the construction of the naval forces and had the right to know these matters.
£24,000—Chloe herself was the one who facilitated the deal. She just silently repeated the number to herself, feeling her heart bleed.
Of course, the cost of three ironclad warships was only roughly equivalent to three Sequence 5 Extraordinary Ones. Chloe inexplicably felt that this price was reasonable and silently accepted it.
Moreover, Chloe and Newland Bridge were incredibly lucky to secure this order.
After two similar warships were sunk by the "Black Emperor" in the last operation, the military in Loen became suspicious of its existence and refused to accept the remaining orders. This made Backlund Arms Company eager to recoup its investment in the project and seek a suitable buyer—the East Byron Colonial Lord, the current Lord, plus £24,000 in cash. Chloe was certainly qualified for this position.
Faced with Ruen, only existing warships are worth purchasing. If they were to order directly from the shipyard, during the one-year manufacturing cycle, the true nature of New Lanqiao might be exposed, thus ruining the existing deal.
Chloe has ordered the port to be renovated in preparation for the commissioning of three ironclad frigates in two weeks.
Regaining her composure, Chloe looked at Alger, the "Hanged Man," and said, "So, our sailors—"
"The sea god followers of the Rosede Islands will send their core members, and Medici also has its own methods." Alger spoke vaguely, clearly realizing that the majority of people at the Tarot Conference were Runes, and it was not appropriate to discuss military secrets directly.
Chloe realized this and stopped talking.
After watching Chloe, the "Hermit," finish her conversation with Alger, the "Hanger Man," she interjected, "Miss 'Power,' congratulations on becoming the new lord of Lanqiao. The Mysterious Queen received this news some time ago and asked me to convey to you that the second batch of aid will arrive soon."
Which account would you like the funds to be deposited into?
"Intis Industrial Credit Bank," Chloe said without hesitation.
Emperor Roselle's influence was well-established in Intis, and Intis's parliamentary system was destined to lack the ability to make quick decisions. It was indecisive and hesitant. As long as the Emperor Party was there and the conflict did not get out of control, it was virtually impossible for them to turn against Newland Bridge.
The future development of New Lanqiao will depend on the talents recruited by Intis who admire Emperor Roselle. Moreover, in the absence of fundamental conflict, it is safest to rely on Intis for the procurement of resources, arms, and so on.
Unlike Rune and Fennepot, there are likely angels with the "Arbitrator" pathway who, if they sense the Black Emperor's resurrection, would attack without hesitation.
And Fussac's "Church of the God of War" would not let Chloe go either—as a Saint of the "Warrior" path who was outside of control, she would inevitably become a thorn in the side of the "Church of the God of War".
In Chloe's vision, when New Lanbridge begins to expand, the order in which it turns against the Northern Continent nations should be: Fursac, Fenneport, Rune, and finally Intis.
The Central and Southern countries, led by Remnburg, were controlled by the Church of Knowledge and would never turn against Lanbridge, which was also supported by the Church of Knowledge.
However, the industrial base of the Central and Southern countries is still inferior to that of the established powers, making it difficult to rely on them for rapidly building up an army.
As for why Rune was ranked so low, Chloe believes that, after all, she is still Rune's lord on the surface. Even if Rune has doubts about Chloe's actions, he will not immediately turn his attention to this "one of his own".
"The Hermit" Cattleya nodded: "The money will arrive within three days. In addition, according to the Queen's instructions, I have arranged for two cargo ships fully loaded with medicine to go to Lanqiao."
>
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