Time: 7:00 AM
Location: Avaloria Dorms, The Octagon Academy.
"Master, wake up, it's time to get going!"
Ya, ya, I am already awake, can't you play a song or something why do you have to be jumping and bumping on my head? I asked Aria.
"You never told me to play you a song!" replied back Aria.
I just face-palmed, the only thing I could say was, "For an entity supposed to be a fragment of the ancient and divine, aren't you pretty dumb!"
I could feel that she didn't take my sarcasm well, but she remained silent and just told me to hurry lest I want to be late for my first day.
I know, finally, I got out of bed to get ready.
So, this is my general schedule for today:
The classes begin at 9 AM. The first one is a normal homeroom class. Followed by a history session and then the basic magic theory class. Afterward, we break off for lunch, and then the final classes are generally introductory sessions on fighting skills and exploration skills, and mock battles, Finally, we will then be off for the day. Since it's the first day, it's pretty light today, and as this week will past the schedule will become more tight and proper.
The first class is by the homeroom teacher wherein she will detail everything about the college including the training areas, the accessible areas, the library, and of course: The Restricted rooms/areas and other stuff as well, including the general schedule for the semester exam and all, that usual college stuff. I don't have the map of the college with me right now, but today, I will get one, as I am particularly bad with directions, and I definitely need to stay away from those restricted areas. I thought maybe, after coming into the body of Railan, I may not have to worry about my lack of direction but I realized a few things since yesterday regarding my body.
1. The messages I see, cannot be viewed by anyone else, including Aria, who is mind-linked with me through the "ancient ceremony". Truth be told, this "ancient ceremony" sounds like a fancy and cool thing, but I have been a reader for a long-time and if I had to say, just-just for an objective perspective, every novel, every fantasy literature has to have something called "An Ancient Ceremony", I mean ya it makes sense from the perspective of the whole novel and stuff, but I have been reading novels since young and now, I am(was), this 30-year old man, it's kinda cliche but I love it, however, my criticism just this one for Mr. Kian H is that he kinda skim-passed this whole explanation of the ritual, you know in the novel, unlike other fantasy literature, I thought maybe it would be explained and he "intentionally" did that but as one of his editors for the anime told in an interview that, Mr. Kian didn't actually have a proper explanation of the ritual when he personally asked him while he was overviewing some of the artwork for the anime and the funny thing is, he still used "ancient ceremony" so casually in the novel that each and everyone of us, the readers and/or the anime watchers felt, "ya it's normal" or "oh!, that makes sense, its was due to a ritual actually". But regarding the specifics, when asked what is this ritual, everyone would give some random or half-baked logic but never a concrete explanation. So, this is my first objective in living my life as Railan: learn more about this ritual, as it would not interfere with the original story and at the same time satiate my hunger to solve every plot hole or unexplained event of the original novel. Ya, I think as the reader this is my objective here.
2. I can kinda feel the emotion of the original Railan in me, sometimes. That happened twice actually yesterday, first during my long speech at my mansion and second, during the conversation with Cerci. Maybe, those are some like involuntary emotions as Railan grew up with no parents, sure Farkas and Cerci and his entire entourage, supported him but he essentially dealt with the world without a protective envelope of his parents and might have been viewed with pity, or you know, with hatred even, as he was the only one who survived the curse while rest died, so maybe some repressed emotions came out upon hearing the name of his mother and father and knowing more about them. Ya, I mean I kinda feel for him( or myself, technically) and this also explains his attitude to being rude or dismissive of people so that he doesn't get hurt himself, kinda like an involuntary protection mechanism. I feel for him but still, those people in his mansion were essentially "his people". And ya, I get it being the son of the famous "Sir Simon Braveheart" isn't easy, I do get it, the reason for him being kinda like an asshole to others. So, this brings me to the second objective of my life as Railan Braveheart: make the "Braveheart household" proud of having Railan as the heir and master.
Man, I need to get some enchanted notebooks, today and just write down all the stuff, I know about this world and my objectives. Ya, today is a big day, It officially marks the beginning of my life as Railan Braveheart, son of Sir Simon and Madam Amelia Braveheart. Just now, I felt it again, this time excitement and happiness as soon as I said those words. This just confirms my suspicions about the above point.
"Master, can you hurry up, despite waking you up on time, if you don't reach the class in time, it's all useless," said Aria, I could definitely feel that little anger in her voice.
Yes, I should probably get ready now!
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Time: 9:10 AM
Location: First-Year Classroom, The Octagon Academy.
{As Kalkin stepped into the classroom, he was immediately captivated by its grandeur, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of its expanse. His eyes widened, taking in the vastness that lay before him, and he couldn't help but be in awe. The only thought that echoed through his mind, reminded him that he would forever struggle to fathom the immensity and sheer scale of these classrooms and the Octagon Academy, in general.}
"Wow, it's freaking huge, Man!" It was none other than Debraj, the muscle head. He was followed by Riya, Maria, Albert, and Liam.
"Oh, Hi everyone it's nice to meet you once again," I said in a formal manner as Nobles should do.
"Oh, you are already here, it's nice to see you again, ah, ah, Railan," they all said as if they were startled by my demeanor. Ya, it seems I am still too much of a bother to them, they don't feel relaxed around me.
"So, are the rest of our "team" coming ?" I asked which surprised everyone there. They all stared at me with blank expressions as if unable to comprehend what I said.
"You mean as in the group for training by representatives, yes, they are," replied none other than Riya.
"Hmm, ok, it's good, don't mind me, you guys carry on, I'll take my leave but if you need any help, I am sitting in that corner. " I said with one hand in the back and the other directing to that area and I took my leave and just went there. See, I know they are probably afraid to talk to me, there is no one in the continent of Eldoria, who doesn't know about that whole curse story and the fact that my father, who was the most renowned Explorer and Adventurer in the world passed away when I was going to be born. Even if people, don't necessarily believe in the curse, they still believe that I am a person with ill fortune and associating with me is no good, as my being born caused the death of my entire family ( as well as other adventurer families who were with my father on that ship) and all those who associated whether to treat it or just to assist died. Since I survived, I am a subject of hate, Rumors, and all that. I mean personally, I haven't experienced it, but these emotions of Railan that I feel and the expression I see on people's face tells me everything. So, I don't want to be a burden on them, so I'll just maintain a professional partnership with each of them and just spent my time in this world.
Soon, the class started flooding with people. Then, it was time for the main characters to show up. I sat in the far end, away from the eyes of the students, and yet, at a spot adjacent to those expansive windows, that displayed the panoramic view of Eldoria's picturesque landscape, I somehow felt solace. Through the transparent glass, my gaze fell upon the enchanting vista of rolling hills, their gentle peaks harmoniously aligned with the very level of those towering windows. The sight offered a momentary respite, a respite from the weight of the perceived curse that plagued my existence, reminding me of the enduring beauty that existed in this fantasy world, of which I am now a part. Just then, a new message popped up:
You have learned a little about yourself, you have now found a new perspective about yourself and the world around you.
It is true when someone finds a new perspective on life, it often means that they have opened up to different ways of thinking, seeing, or understanding the world around them, especially, in this case, it's also another way of acknowledging yourself.
25 SP has been awarded
The 25 SP awarded is immediately spent.
Now, the messages won't pop up suddenly, you can view them, when you want, however, a pop-up will always be present as a small icon until you view it.
You can also view your SP score by just thinking about it.
Current score: 0 SP
What, what is this? suddenly, and why do these messages keep popping up?
"Hey, Aria, you hear me?" I silently called for her in my head.
She didn't reply, "Hey, are you ignoring me, I know you can hear me!"
"What is it, master,"
did you feel the connection breaking? right now between us?
"No, I don't remember, I was busy talking with Cerci, Do you have any more questions for me, I am also very busy"
"Aren't you in a totally different mood today, what's with that?"
"I am the same, I am a divine existence you know, so, if you don't have any questions for me, I am leaving" and there she cut off.
man, what's up with her, I don't understand, how can she be such a child, I mean she is the fragment of divine knowledge, you know.
While I was busy in my thoughts, The MAIN CHARACTERS OF THIS WORLD, started to enter the classroom one by one.
First, it was none other than, Siddhanth, the hero, I was kinda, of fangirling over him, just then:
THE POKER FACE is activated for you, no one will be able to decipher your emotions.
This ability is really a God gift from heaven, I joined my hands and made a "namaste" pose as I bowed before god in my mind. Now, while my exterior looks stoic and calm, my mind was going crazy, in front of me was none other than Sidhaanth, the catalyst to bring peace to the world, the number-1 ranking character amongst the top hero polls all over the world.
Then, it was none other than, the entry of the Heroine, Elena, or should I say Elora Silverspoon, as she goes by currently. She is breathtaking and obviously, she sat on the first seat in the middle of the class, ya, she is a typical scholar student, did I just see her looking at me for a sec, naa, must have been the windows, I mean I am kinda taking up this place for the outside view as well. She then glanced over at Siddhanth, I could see her eyes widening in response, just for a moment, then she calmed herself, I knew it, she felt it, The pure Mana of Siddhanth. The special ability of the Royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Sylvanara, The Mana Sense, every member of the Sylvanara royal bloodline has this ability, albeit with a different flavor to it. The ancestors of the royal bloodline must have mastered some ability and now it has become sort of like a meta attribute of the bloodline itself. One explanation that I can derive is maybe they mastered the "area sense" ability, the ability to actually perceive the surroundings essentially, and then instead of expanding the area of the ability they expanded the ability to perceive Mana, and maybe it slowly became richer and richer and became the MANA SENSE.
The ability is special, cause it not just allows one to understand or "sense" mana better in a person but also makes them, proficient in wielding surrounding mana. It is said that the King and the younger brother of the King of Sylvanara have honed their ability to the point that they can seal mana points not only in people but also in Mana Beast and magical creatures themselves. The only reason why the younger brother lost to the King in the battle of Mana Sense was due to efficiency. This ability uses a lot of inner Mana of the person using it, which has been a problem for Sylvanara royal family for years and that is why they use it less often, however, the King not only mastered the ability but also somehow found a way to actually reduce the Mana consumption itself, allowing him to use it for longer durations. Man, I still get the chills from the animation and adaptation of the fight between both the brothers in a mock battle when Siddhanth would travel with Elena to Sylvanara to improve his own efficiency in utilizing Mana, and this is where Elena would realize her feelings for him as something far more than just friends.
THE POKER FACE is on active status and is constantly trying to shield your emotions
Ya, man, this message had to pop up right now. I get it though, even I can imagine myself grinning like an idiot while trying to remember that awesome fight scene and that romantic scene. Luckily, this ability is keeping me calm.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Just as I was lost in my thoughts and thanking my ability, someone said to me:
"Hey, you move aside, I want to sit here," It was none other than the Prince of StormGarde, the future best friend of Sidhanth, Prince Salem. Ya, he is kind of like this only, a typical "Macho" sort of guy in public as he has to maintain this 'Prince of StormGarde" mannerism as the King and father of Salem, evaluates people solely on the basis of their strength. So he maintains this attitude to please his father, he actually just wants to view the outside beauty because he has that artistic fervor in him and that sense of freedom to guide him. However, he hates people, who try to curry favor from him and try to flatter him, as everyone knows who he is, so they just do what he wants and that's what irritates him, as no one wants to stand against him, challenge him, make him feel like he is "not a Prince" but just a normal guy with whom people can agree and disagree. It was Siddhanth who despite being from the same kingdom and being a commoner, treated Salem, as equal and not as someone untouchable, and when Salem lost to him in the fight, he felt freed from the shackles of his father and found a friend in Siddhanth.
As I was about to go back into my fan mode, I was brought back to reality by Aria, "Hey how can he talk to you like that, do you want me to teleport him, no one talks to my master like that!
Oh, you are back now?
"Do you want me to teleport him or not?" asked Aria, I could feel a little attitude in that voice.
"No, I can handle this much stuff," I replied her back.
"As you wish" and again she is off.
"Did you not hear me, I told you to move, go, go sit somewhere else!" said Prince Salem, in a more authoritative tone.
"Oh!, Prince Salem of StormGarde, it is an absolute pleasure to make your acquaintance, My name is Railan Braveheart, heir to the Braveheart Household and a fellow first-year student, from the Kingdom of Avaloria," I said with genuine delight and excitement while maintaining proper noble behavior.
"Oh, ya, ya Railan whatever, just move ok, I will be sitting here," said Salem as gestured for me to just move out of the seat.
"Oh, I am so sorry, Prince Salem, I didn't know you wanted to sit here, I apologize," I could clearly see, Salem's face filled with disgust, as he thought of me the same as those people he despises the most, but I continued, "I apologize, I didn't know about it, however, as you already know, I came here before and have been sitting on this seat for quite some time now and I actually like the outside scenery, so I am afraid I cannot fulfill this task you have bestowed upon me, I suggest you come early the next time and occupy this seat before anyone else, as you are aware by the rules of The Octagon Academy, one cannot exercise his "Noble" or "Aristocratic" privileges and must treat everyone as equal. Moreover, I didn't particularly find your demeanor towards me as one abiding by the rules of the Academy, however, knowing it's Prince Salem, who is known to be very thoughtful and strong since childhood I believe you'll understand me and pardon me for not being able to grant you your wish. If you have nothing to say anymore, I'll excuse myself" I finished and sat down in my seat.
Everyone, in the entire class, was silent the whole time, I continued my monologue, they seemed to be looking at me as some sort of an idiot who dared to displease the Prince and by extension the King himself, while I could clearly see a few of my class members(my dorm mates to be exact) worried about me, but I know Salem more than anyone in this entire classroom, including even Siddhanth at present, I knew it, what exactly is going on in his mind. Right now, this is verbatim what Salem must be thinking:
"I found someone, for the 2nd time, someone who didn't treat me as a Prince, but as an equal, though he was mindful of the status, he didn't let it affect his decision, this guy, he is different from the rest, I made a huge mistake, my prejudice got the better of me, and I insulted someone, who could have truly one day become my friend. I need to apologize to him, right here and right now," To be honest, I don't want him to apologize to me, just leave it.
"I apologize to you, the one named Railan, it seems, I broke a fundamental rule and principle of the very institution that will be our sacred home forever, I apologize and hope that we can move forward from this incident, and as an apology, I declare that this very seat will belong to my fellow classmate Railan of Avaloria for the entirety of the year and anyone willing to sit here must defeat me in a mock battle in the presence of the homeroom teacher and, I humbly invite you Railan to my dorm room later this evening to properly host you and apologize to you." I knew it, this was gonna happen, I could have taken the easy route and just given him the seat, but he is a lead character, and I didn't want the lead characters to hate me actually and this here leads to this.
I could see the entire class, in shock, my dorm mates relaxing while all the classmates, murmuring with each other, until one student from the Kingdom of Stormgarde, shouted, "This is such a wonderful display of sincerity from the Prince himself, he truly believes in the principle and abiding by it, he even apologized to the other person, such a display is worthy of the great, to acknowledge one's mistakes and apologizing for it. This is the future of StormGarde, Long live the prince." Everyone around started to clap and the entire classroom was filled with the sound of the clap, as everyone praised the Prince. I just sat and accepted the offer, there was nothing more I could do at the moment. Little, did I know that I now had a few eyes watching me.
As the clapping sounds settled, I noticed that it has already been 30 minutes since the class started but where is the homeroom teacher?
Ya, I know it, she is late, the clumsiness queen, that took over the hearts of the Fandom, the typical "waifu" character as many describe her Miss Aurora Quillspire. When Mr. Kina H. introduced her, this was the headline he mentioned in the character book he released at the end of the first year of his novel publication: Don't think her off as just a clumsy character, mind you she is strong, she is not only the homeroom teacher for the first year but also the Head of the Committee that oversees the fight regulations and maintains barriers in the student fights.
The moment she entered the class, she fell down, and everyone went from being excited to being "awhhh" in a moment, that's when she pulled herself back up using her magic and all the papers that were on the floor wandered into the air and piled up clearly on the table in front of the students.
As she walked herself in, my heart started beating fast, and it wasn't due to Railan, this time I clearly knew it was me, she is 28 years old according to the official database at this time, a captivating figure with graceful curves, hiding a stunning countenance behind her long, elegant glasses. Man, the moment she pushed her glasses back up, I just couldn't look at anything besides her. Luckily, I was not the only person, who thought that way, many boys or I should say young adventurers just entering adulthood were captivated by her beauty.
While we were mesmerized by her, she cleared her throat and introduced herself: "Hello, to all the students here, I am your homeroom teacher and also your history teacher Miss Aurora Quillspire. I apologize for the delay, I had to settle a fight between some of your 3rd-year seniors, so I apologize for the delay in today's session. Well, I do hope you guys, all fly with graceful colors and become respectful mages, swordsmen, adventurers, whatever you all aspire to be, by the time you all graduate from his academy. If you are confused, don't worry, we teachers are here to guide you and assist you in every way possible. But the first thing you all need to do is to dream, because only when you dream, that's when you are totally unbounded, dream as high as you want, and we will provide you with the path, even if you want to forge new paths, we are here for you, after all, this is the place to help you grow, it is a place to make you the pillars of tomorrow. The second thing we want from you all is dedication, dedication to fulfilling those dreams, and dedication to becoming pillars that will support this world. Therefore, I want you all to pledge to me that you will do these two things, and so do I, on behalf of all the teachers, pledge to you all that we will work as hard as you guys to deliver the best in the world, nothing but the best. With this pledge, we shall now begin the first class for the batch of 1763-67."
What a powerful speech, everyone stood up and pledged to devote themselves to the task, even I was moved and poured out all my heart in the pledge. Just when we settled, Miss Quillspire said:
"Oh!, Miss Mohini, I noticed you are using a concealing spell, to hide, as you slowly settled down near Mr. Railan, may I ask you why you are using a concealing spell in the midst of the class, and why you are moving around in the entire class, all this time while using that spell."
Just then, Mohini revealed herself, she was literally standing behind me, and I didn't have any idea. "Miss, I couldn't find a proper seat, and I didn't want to disturb anyone, she said, while making that cute pouty face.
It's just too much beauty in front of your eyes, I mean first with Miss Aurora and now Mohini, well, how to describe her, she is beautiful, well, every female character in this world is beautiful, it's because of the mana enriched environment, but even amongst them, the heroine's or the named characters are just a league above the rest, Railan is also good looking by the standards of my world, but here he wouldn't be counted in the top league. I am even here in this world, an average-looking guy.
Man, if I had to say, I would rate her beauty on an equal footing to Elena, my heart is racing so fast right now, luckily my THE POKER FACE is still in effect.
Mohini belongs to the Kingdom of Celestia, The Kingdom of Celestia unlike the other kingdoms, doesn't has a king system, instead, they have several heads for several things, like even the forces have been divided into three parts, aerial, ground, and water, so as to avoid the monopoly of one person. Then there is a rule/law-making body, consisting of again three heads, that covers local or general public rules, then state rules, which includes the method of conduct of the kingdom of Celestia when hosting or going to other kingdoms and other rules for like the nobles and state as a whole, and a third head that looks into wartime rules, including rules to settle disputes in the army and between armies, etc. Finally, they have an independent, judicial council consisting of three heads and within them, several small judicial councils to handle disputes between farmers to make sure that a proper rule is passed, one that doesn't inhibits or give powers to only one person or body. So in general, it's like a rudimentary system of the government system from the world I was a part of. So, they are very proper in that regard. They have a figurehead which I should say is more of a tribal head, as Celestia is essentially a conglomerate of once divided 3 tribes scattered in the Mountains of Celestia. The ancestral Leaders of the tribes met and decided to join after what they call a "divine revelation" Each of them had one night and established the Celestia we know today and appointed a figurehead that acts as the head when dealing with other kingdoms, which they called "Vajra". And, they are essentially the Elves in this world, Author Mr. Kian H, didn't describe them as elves anywhere in his novels. However, in every other fantasy novel, anime, or game, the features he described, painted them as Elves, and even the editors of the anime confirmed that "while Mr. Kian never explicitly told them to draw Elves, he described them and even showed pictures of characters from other anime that were elves when explaining about them, so while drawing characters from Celestia we themed them as Elves only."
"You may sit down, Mohini" and she happily came and sat down beside me and looked up at me and smiled and then turned back her attention to Miss Aurora, such a sweet name. Well, I don't know what she was trying to accomplish while using a concealing spell and why she decided to sit beside me when technically, every other major character has a vacant seat beside them. But, I know one thing for sure, this is not the real Mohini, and she is currently employing a fake persona to fool everyone around her. I need to be careful, though she is technically, never portrayed as a bad character, she is shady in the way she deals with things and I don't want to deal with anything related to her.
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Mohini's POV:
( She enters the classroom, using her concealing spell while everyone is praising Prince Salem)
What is everyone doing?
She immediately uses her ability to read the minds of the people around her,
"This Railan, guy, who does he think he is, he is nothing but an ill fortune, we can't let our golden Chance to be friends with Prince Salem and other Prince and Princess of the Kingdom go to waste." said one guy.
This Railan Guy, he needs to be taught a lesson, us being equal to Commoners, never." said another Noble
"It seems the rumors about him are true, he is a stupid individual, he tried to ridicule the Prince, doesn't he knows he is making the enemy of the entire Stormgarde? Fool" said another
"I just hope Mr. Railan is alright, there," said another girl, she looks like a commoner from Avaloria.
Who is this Railan Guy, he seems interesting, Prince Salem, hanh, right he is sitting there on the top left.
"I am so happy to have met Railan, he truly treats me as an equal, I am happy he accepted my proposal."
Oh, these stupid people, have no idea what Prince Salem is thinking, who is this Railan?
Railan, I have heard the name, my father warned about him, he told something like, that cursed one is also there!
Oh!, yes I remember now, Railan Braveheart the douche of the Braveheart or so he is called.
But what does he look like?
"Oh, this is Princess Elena, let's see what she is thinking?"
"Railan? And she is remembering an incident on the first day of the academy with him?"
Let me scan further, ya that unusual Mana Sense ability of the Sylvanaras is interfering with my mana, f**k it, I can't observe more, just give me his face, no that meta attribute of hers is too strong, however, I got it, I can now make out, it's that guy who is sitting and observing the outside! From the info I gathered, he refused to let Prince Salem sit in his place. He is daring I would say that at least.
And there is another interesting person here, despite being a commoner, his looks say otherwise. I can't believe with such rich mana he is a commoner.
Man, now let's see, who are you Mr. Railan, I focused all of my mana into my eyes to observe his thoughts, nothing I could read nothing.
How is this possible, Just then the teacher entered the classroom falling, I can't read this teacher's mind too, however, she is using an item, the ring on her finger to block all her thoughts and I don't want to risk anything right now.
Let me go and see this Railan guy, maybe he is also hiding a tool to block his thoughts. I slowly went close to him, constantly trying to focus my mana to read his thoughts but to no avail, how is he doing that, I have never met anyone in my life, whose thoughts I couldn't read, I mean there are people far stronger than me who are able to actively block their thoughts or use some tool like that teacher but someone of my age and I am unable to observe his thoughts, it's impossible.
I need to get closer, I need to touch him to directly read his thoughts through the mana channel in his body, and just then:
"Oh!, Miss Mohini, I noticed you are using a concealing spell, to hide, as you slowly settled down near Mr. Railan, may I ask you why you are using a concealing spell in the midst of the class, and why you are moving around in the entire class, all this time while using that spell." ,
Damn, I can't believe that teacher saw through my level 4 concealing spell, I need to go as planned before, time to play cute.
"Miss, I couldn't find a proper seat, and I didn't want to disturb anyone," I said while making a cute pouty face.
"You may sit down, Mohini" and I quickly sat down beside him, keeping my act, and smiled at him, I think I can read his thought now, though it's still very hard, but it seems whatever that was blocking is slowly losing its effect.
"cute name" that's what I heard. Is he referring to me?
I don't know why I became a little restless. It's not like I haven't been completed before, but somehow this seemed sincere, in a way.
Man, whatever, it is it's really getting in the way, of reading his mind.
"Not real .. Mohini", my body stiffened, does he know me from somewhere have we met before, my mind started racing!
And I tried to read more of his thoughts:
" I .. want .. her"
"What does he mean? is he referring to me, does he want me?
Someone, who went against Prince Salem, knowing that he is the son of the King of Stormgarde, known as the Berserker, as well as made connections with both Celestia StarBorne and Elena, on the first day of the Academy and endured the Aura of Aurelius Skythorn without any issues, he cannot be ignored, he is worth observing, and I also need to know more about why he wants me, the real me he says, my face reddened a bit, as I thought about it and said it to myself.
I need to observe him and act friends with him for now at least!
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To be continued