Kino no Tabi:Volume9 Chapter1
“Land of Records” —His Record—
The spring meadow was bursting with color.
The ground was multicolored from many different kinds of flowers blooming at the same time; it was as if a rainbow descended from the sky and glued itself on the ground. The bed of flowers was being illuminated beyond the horizon with the gentle daytime sunlight. In one place, flowers of the same color were grouped together, and in another place, a diverse range of flower colors were mixed together, giving birth to an entirely new hue.
A motorrad (Note: A two-wheeled vehicle. Only to note that it cannot fly) was running slowly on a single road dividing the flower meadow. It leisurely rode through the damp, dark brown road, the sound coming from its exhaust held back.
It was a luggage-laden motorrad. Boxes were attached on both sides of its back seat, and there was a bag on top of the carrier.
Its rider was wearing a brown coat, the collar of which was opened to allow the warm air in. The long, excess hem was wrapped up to the thighs. She was wearing a brimmed hat with flaps covering the ears; strapped around it was a pair of silver-framed goggles that was already peeled off in places. She was around her mid-teens, with short, black hair and a fearless expression on her face.
“It’s such a beautiful place. Really,” the driver shared her impressions with a cheerful tone while riding the motorrad.
“I agree. This is a nice place,” answered the motorrad.
“Spring is so great, isn’t it? Mornings and evenings are still cold, but when riding in the daytime, the coolness of the air doesn’t freeze you over. It’s really painful when your fingers are freezing. When it’s warm, I can ride absentmindedly.”
“Hmm. Well, how many springs have you seen Kino? Fifteen? Thirty? Or maybe, 300?”
The rider called Kino answered with a laugh, “Was it that long already? I’ve already forgotten. What about you, Hermes?”
“I don’t remember,” the motorrad called Hermes replied jokingly.
“I guessed as much,” Kino replied with a look of comprehension.
“Hmm? Why?”
“Well, Hermes——. Ah, I see it.”
Underneath the horizon ahead of them, the gray-colored walls slowly came into view from the middle of the flower fields.
“Say, that country must be wonderful to suit a place as wonderful as this. I wonder if it’s a good country?”
“What is a ‘good country’ to you, Kino?” Hermes asked, paying no heed to the change in topic.
Kino answered immediately, “The food is delicious and cheap. Inns with showers are cheap. ——And if possible, both are free.”
“Something like that out of the blue...”
“What about you, Hermes?”
“Fuel, parts, and service costs are cheap. And if possible, entirely free!”
“I knew it. ——But it’s not like we can come across such a convenient country so easily... Well, it’s fine as long as it doesn’t overcharge.”
“I guess so. More than that, pray that there’s a skilled mechanic over there.”
“Now then, what kind of country will it be like?”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Hermes said.
Kino nodded. “Me too.”
And then she accelerated.
“——How much the food is? Well, since you’re a traveler, we can’t accept any money from you. In the first place, all basic food necessities are distributed in this country.”
“——Price of the fuel? Everything’s being distributed, you see. If we receive any money, we’ll get an earful from our boss.”
“——Payment for motorrad service? It’s not like there’s no fee, but since the technology is so advanced in this country, basic fine-tuning is as easy as changing a light bulb.”
“——The cost for this inn? Miss traveler, you are a guest so we can’t take any money from you. Please enjoy your stay. It’s just for three days, but to tell you the truth, it doesn’t make any difference whether you stay for one or two months.”
“——Replenishing your travel supplies? If there’s anything you need, just grab anything you want. Don’t be shy.”
The evening of the second day since they entered the country.
“What a great place!”
“What a great place!”
Kino and Hermes mused while in the park at the country center.
Tied with a rubber string on Hermes’ carrier was a box of goods Kino was able to get for free. The box contained portable rations, persuader (Note: a gun) bullets, liquid gunpowder, and a bag of new underwear.
The black-jacketed Kino was sitting on a bench beside Hermes. A revolver-type hand persuader was suspended from her right thigh. A vivid flower field, similar to the ones outside the country, could be seen inside the spacious park.
“Kino, what they call ‘heaven’ should be a place like this. I’m sure of it.”
“Then that means the people living here are heaven dwellers…? Indeed, everyone have bright faces, as if they live their lives in happiness from the bottom of their hearts... It’s the first time I’ve seen such a country.”
“Isn’t that great?”
“Yeah, but if that’s the case——”
“Yeah?”
“If the people in this place die, where do they go?”
Hermes returned a cold tone to Kino’s question. “Who knows? Anyway, do you really believe that there is such a thing as heaven, Kino?”
“……”
Kino fell silent. And then, a warm wind blew and shook her hair. Amidst this warm and snug atmosphere, Kino replied, “Well, it doesn’t really matter.”
“I guess so.”
After a while,
“In the restaurant we’re in earlier, I asked a person why this country can afford such a splendid feast——” Kino opened her mouth to speak.
“Oh?”
“It was because they’re rich. Be it grains, meat, or fish, this country was abundant with food resources, so there’s no way the citizens would starve. Moreover, the progress in technology and medicine are used for the happiness of the people. Besides that, they strictly regulate their population so that it wouldn’t increase any more than necessary, so it seems like they can continue living in abundance and peace for several hundred years more,” Kino said in a yearning tone, with a hint of jealousy, while leaning on the back seat of a bench and looking up at the sky.
“This place is heaven, no doubt.”
“Sure is...,” Kino muttered, shut her eyes and fell silent.
Hermes suddenly spoke with a dramatic tone, “‘And with that, lazybones Kino couldn’t find it in herself to leave this laid-back country. Therefore, Kino’s journey ends here. And she lived happily ever after——’”
Kino opened her eyes and lowered her face. “Don’t decide just like that, Hermes. I have no intention to stop just yet.”
“But you know Kino, if you stay here, you’ll never have to go hungry until you die.”
In reply to Hermes’ words, Kino muttered with a serious expression, “You have a point…. And so I’ll dispose of the useless Hermes, and borrow a small room…”
“‘——was what I thought, but Kino did not end her journey. To be continued!’”
The next day, the morning of the third day since they entered the country. Kino woke up at dawn as usual.
While being bathed by the morning glow flowing in through the wide windows, Kino practiced her quick draw with the revolver she called ‘Canon’. Afterwards, she did a thorough maintenance, inserted bullets inside, then returned it to her holster.
Kino spent a long time in the shower, as if she was reluctant to part with it, and then ate the large serving of breakfast carried to her room.
Kino laid out her luggage on top of the room’s carpet, checking in detail the number and condition of each item. Then she let out words of thanks to her old underwear, and left them outside the bag after folding them up carefully.
After she has loaded the bag on Hermes and firmly fixed it up with strings,
“Now then…,” Kino muttered, keeping her determination to herself. She took one big breath, and then,
“Wake up!”
While yelling, Kino pounded on Hermes’ seat with both fists.
She pounded.
And pounded for a while.
And pounded stronger.
“Aren’t we leaving yet? It’s already the third day.”
“Let’s leave at the last minute.”
“Whatever.”
“It’s heaven, after all.”
“Whatever.”
The jacketed Kino and the luggage-laden Hermes were in the same park as the previous day. It turned into a café, with chairs and tables lined up on the stone paving right beneath the blue sky. It was past lunch so there were only a few people. Kino was sitting at the last row of tables. On top of the table was a pot of green tea, a cup, and a finished plate of dessert. Hermes stood on his center stand opposite her.
A young waiter pushing a rubber-tired wagon approached. He asked if Kino wanted a second cup of tea.
“Kino, aren’t we leaving yet?”
“I’ll have one more cup,” Kino requested, and the pot was immediately replaced with a new one. Kino poured some into her cup. Steam and aroma arose from it.
“Jeez, why don’t you become a citizen of this country then?”
Just when Hermes said this with an annoyed tone, a man sat on the table to their right. It was a thin man who seemed to be in his forties. He was neither wearing office nor work clothes. He was only wearing simple slacks and a long-sleeved shirt.
“……”
Kino looked at the man. The man’s cheeks were gaunt, and the corners of his eyes were wrinkled — it carried extreme exhaustion. It was not like he was tired just now; it was as if his lethargy lasted all throughout the day, weariness solidified on his face.
The man glanced at Kino and Hermes. The moment he was about to say something, the waiter approached, so he requested tea.
When the waiter left,
“Hello.” Kino bowed in greeting.
“Ah, great weather, isn’t it? ——A traveler, huh? That’s nice,” the man answered with a calm voice, indifferently, with no hint of unpleasantness.
“I am Kino. This here is my partner Hermes. We stayed in this country since the day before last. I’ll be leaving today, though this is a very nice country,” Kino said.
The man carried the tea cup to his lips. “Isn’t it,” he answered without any change in his tone. “Except for me, everyone thinks this country is a good place. —— Yeah, it is such a wonderful country. —— No doubt about it.”
“Except for you?”
“What do you mean?” Hermes asked.
The man answered with the same expression and tone as before, “I am not supposed to say this to anyone… but if it’s to a traveler who is leaving today, I suppose it won’t hurt.” Then he continued,
“You see, I don’t die.”
The blue sky, the greenery and the flowers blooming in profusion in the park.
While looking at these, the two people seated at the end of the café exchanged words.
“Did you just say ‘I don’t die’?”
“Yeah. ——I don’t die.”
“Then that means you have lived for many years already?”
“No. ——That’s not quite right. The me here right now is not yet 28 years old.”
“....... Then, how?”
Before answering Kino’s question, the man quickly drained his cup of tea.
“Through continuation of memories. ——My memories are being carried on.”
“What was that again?” Hermes asked.
“There are memories from a long, long time ago inside me. ——Memories before I was born. ——Memories of other people who lived here before. ——Memories before that. ——And memories before that. ——And before that. ——And before that. Off the top of my head, I have memories of five humans. Basically, it’s nothing but several lifetimes continuing on end.”
“That’s a bit... Well, this may be rude, but is that for real? Maybe you’re mistaken, or confused...,” Kino asked while looking at the man. The man answered, gaze still straight ahead.
“Four generations ago—— I was twenty years old at the time, and like you, I thought that the memories of another lifetime which appeared inside my head were only hallucinations or delusions. That’s what I believed. And so, out of the desire to clarify things, I investigated. Eventually, I found records.”
“......”
“That ‘me’—— certainly existed. It was a man who died in an accident when I was just five years old. That man’s wife was still alive, and I met with her. ——I remember everything so well; things that I’m not supposed to know. The wife’s hobbies, way of talking, and so on—I guessed them all correctly, it was so creepy. ——Even though I loved her, she told me to stay away from her. Even though it has been close to a hundred years since then, I could still clearly remember it. ——The memories of the generation before that have become rather blurry though.”
“What did you do after that?”
“After that—— I lived that life. Eventually, I got married, and died from an illness at around fifty, if I remember correctly. The next is another man’s—— and as expected I had memories from when I was five. I tried to tell my parents about the things that I recall, but they wouldn’t let me. Eventually, they got angry, so I gave up trying to tell them. The parents from that lifetime——, well except for that, they’re kind.”
“What happened after that?”
“That life also came to an end. If I’m not mistaken, when I was around thirty, I drowned in a lake. The next one is another man’s life. I got married, had children, and lived long enough to see my grandchildren. The next one was the life before this one. And now——”
“......”
“......”
“It doesn’t really matter whether you believe it or not.”
“I don’t know whether that story is possible or not, but I can’t think of any reason why you would lie to us here now.”
“You’re an interesting one, miss traveler,” the man said without smiling, and then, “It’s been quite a long time since I last met a traveler——”
“Hmm... you mean your previous lifetimes? What kind of traveler did you meet?”
The man pondered over Hermes’ question for a while with a countenance as inexpressive as ever.
“The ones I met before... as to which me it was, I don’t remember, and I have already forgotten... was a man and a woman riding a small, battered, yellow car. I say meet——, but I was actually only a child back then, so I only remembered the woman alighting from the car, asking me for directions. The woman thanked me graciously. It was a long-haired woman. Ah! She was wearing a revolver similar to the one on your hip, miss traveler. No, it was exactly the same type. I could clearly remember it, because it was on my eye level.”
“... Those people, how did they behave in this country?”
“Ah. Afterwards those two——, since everything is free, ate until we thought their bellies would burst, and took everything they could get until the tires of their car almost broke, then left. It became news. That greed became the talk of the town for a while. I also had that impression about those two.”
“......”
Kino kept silent, while Hermes asked, “Well let’s get back on topic. If that story of ‘not dying’ is the real deal, isn’t that amazing?”
“I thought so too, a long, long time ago—— I became conceited with thoughts that I’m special, or close to being a God. I thought it was so wonderful to get to live in this laid-back country for eternity.
“Really?”
“Yeah. To live a person’s life, to remember about different people. In my next life, nobody would know me. To do everything again from the beginning. To repeat everything again. But about two generations ago, I already began to despise it all. I’m already tired of it. I’m already sick of it. I’m so tired——”
The man took the pot and poured tea into the cup without looking. He continued to pour blindly, and returned the pot when he the cup was exactly eighty percent full.
“I’ve had enough. I don’t want to do anything anymore. Living endlessly. Having new memories——whether it be good or bad, I’m already tired. It’s so heavy.”
“Heavy, huh...?”
“It’s heavy. It’s as if the memories are attacking me. It’s as if they surround me and beat me with a stick all at once. ——But even if I commit suicide it will still be the same. I don’t want the painful memories because even those would remain. To pass time doing the lowest work without doing any thinking——, to do the same thing every day and prevent making special memories——, during my previous life, I started living with that thought in mind. I want to stop but I can’t. It’s like a wheel running continuously——. I wondered many times over whether this isn’t hell. I even thought, I might as well go insane, maybe then I would be at peace. But I am scared. What if my memories from being mad remained? Such a thing——, I definitely don’t want them to get carried forward.”
“......”
“And so I won’t make memories. I’ll leave each day in the same way, and forget each day. I’ll do my best to forget.”
“Eh, then isn’t today a bad thing then?” Hermes asked without restraint. Then the man drank his tea in one gulp. He stood up aimlessly, slowly turned his head, and looked down at Kino and Hermes.
“Who are you?”
The man only muttered these words with eyes which seemed to have awakened, and walked away.
“For that guy, even heaven must be terrible.”
Hermes spoke when the man disappeared. And then,
“Master’s story was true after all. I was surprised.”
“......”
While the still silent Kino drank her cold tea,
“Miss traveler, did that man tell you anything?” The waiter who came to tidy up the man’s portion asked her with a worried look on his face.
“When we mentioned how much we liked this country, that person said that he didn’t agree,” Kino said, and the waiter displayed a look of relief.
“That guy always sits in that place at this time of the day, but he doesn’t say much, so it was a little strange for him to do that today. ——It’s good as long as he didn’t give you any disturbing thoughts.”
“What kind of person is he?” Hermes asked.
“Who knows? He almost doesn’t talk to other people, so I have no idea.” The waiter shrugged. And then,
When I noticed that he was talking to you, I was really surprised. I won’t forget that for a while.”
“That’s for dinner.”
“Like teacher, like student.”
Night was already approaching when Kino, who was in front of the gates, hung big cloth bags containing free stuff she obtained on Hermes’ handlebars. Inside were meat for steaks from the butcher, and fruits she got from the fruit seller.
“The next time we come to this country, let’s have a sidecar attached to you, Hermes.”
“Stop it.”
After bowing to the immigration inspector who went to see them off, Kino passed through the gates while pushing Hermes along. After passing through the tunnel-like gate, and when she has taken a step into the flower fields outside the country,
“Miss traveler!”
They were called out with a loud voice. Kino looked around, and faced six men. They have different ages, but everyone was wearing white robes.
“We apologize for the intrusion, but we only wanted to talk to you for a bit. It won’t take much of your time,” said a middle-aged man who seemed to be the oldest among them.
Kino put down Hermes’ side stand. The men standing in front of Kino bowed lightly, and the man before,
“Miss traveler, in the morning, while you were in the café at the central park, you were spoken to by a man, right?”
“Yes.”
“Yup.”
“To be honest, we are doctors from this country, and that man is under our care. We would like you to tell us what kind of things he told a traveler who doesn’t belong to this country.”
“......”
Kino thought for a moment, and then answered, “Um, that person told me a pretty weird story about his personal history. —— That he had memories of other people in the past, generation after generation. That is, that he doesn’t die.”
The men in white robes were evidently shocked with Kino’s words. One of them eagerly ran his pen on a thick file that he was holding.
“T-that time, how did he appear while saying that? Did he say that calmly? Or does it look as if he was lying?”
“If I were to choose between the two, it was calmly.”
“Was he sweating or stammering in particular?”
“Not at all,” Hermes answered. Kino also shook her head sideways.
“It doesn’t seem to me like he was lying. But his story was really outrageous.”
“I see...”
And then the men talked to each other about something in low voices, nodding and shaking their heads from time to time.
“What do you think?” Hermes talked in a small voice so that only Kino would hear.
“I would like to know what they’re talking about.... But it doesn’t look like they’re going to tell us.”
“That’s boring.”
“Boring alright,” Kino returned. She thought for a bit, and murmured, “Since we don’t have anything to lose, let’s try trapping them into answering our questions...”
“Oh, I agree. Kino is so mean.”
“I would like to know the truth if it is within my ability.”
And then Kino talked to the men who were in the middle of their discussion.
“By the way——”
The men in white robes who seemed to have forgotten about Kino turned around. And then the middle-aged man spoke, “Ah, I’m sorry. It took quite some time, ——Thank you very much. You were a big help.”
“There’s one thing I would like to ask, though...”
“Huh? What is it?”
“This country is such a great place to live in. I actually thought it a pity that I have to leave,” Kino said.
“That’s right!” Hermes agreed from behind.
“We’re happy to hear that.”
And then, Kino questioned the men who had broad smiles in their faces. “It strikes me as odd how a neurotic person like that appeared in such a wonderful country. Maybe no country is perfect, after all?”
The men’s smiles twitched.
“Yeah! Something’s terribly wrong. You guys are psychiatrists, aren’t you? Why did that guy become like that? The environment must have something to do with it.” Hermes said. A young man looked obviously offended with his words. The elderly man put his hands on his shoulder to pacify his anger.
“Miss traveler. This is a rather big misunderstanding. I believe you have seen how wonderful our country is with your own eyes.”
“Yes, indeed. That’s why I’m interested to know what could have possibly happened in this wonderful country for that man to go insane. As doctors, you probably won’t be too happy with it, but if you can, please tell me,” Kino stated her request frankly.
“Ah, but Kino, these guys don’t know a thing, that’s why they’re asking us about it, right? Then it’s no good,” Hermes said in an extremely rude manner.
The young man who was on the verge of exploding backed away, and the middle-aged man walked to Kino and Hermes. He was wearing a rather stern expression, and began to speak fast,
“It would be really troublesome to us if you, who don’t even know the truth, start spreading bad rumors about our country. Please believe me when I say that there is not a single person in our country who has fallen mentally ill.”
“I understand that. But we are truly surprised to meet someone who would tell us such things, and to top it off, doctors are examining this person...”
The middle-aged man gave a big nod.
“Fine then. As matters stand, we will definitely be misunderstood. We can tell you the truth...”
The men behind were stunned at these words, but he restrained their protests with one hand,
“But, you can never step inside our country a second time. Will that be okay?”
Kino contemplated for some time while being pestered by Hermes. And after she agreed with the condition, the middle-aged man told her at last,
“Fine, then I will tell you everything.”
The other white-robed men at the back said nothing, and only observed the course of events. The sun has inclined greatly to the west, shining inside the castle gates. The white robes of the men were dyed a light orange.
“Everything that man said was the truth.”
“......”
“What in the world?”
Kino remained wordless while Hermes let out an exaggerated exclamation of surprise.
“Inside that man, there are memories beyond his generation. These are ‘true facts’. These are absolutely not assumptions or delusions. And also——, you already know don’t you?”
“That you doctors carried it out...”
“That’s right. A long time ago, our ancestors successfully performed an experiment: immediately after death, they took out that person’s memories and transplanted them into another person. This was a system created to tackle eternal life, which everyone yearned for at least once in their lives.”
“Wait a minute. Even though that person inherits memories, it doesn’t change the fact that he dies, right? Having one or two people carry the same memories is not the same as ‘immortality’, is it?” Hermes asked.
The middle-aged man admitted this with a rather delighted look on his face.
“Exactly. That person will die, of course. But the people who inherited his memories would misunderstand, coming to the conclusion that they live forever because they have past memories.”
“That’s true.”
“However, for someone else, the fact that ‘a person who remembers about me’ will continue to exist doesn’t change. This is a system for others to see that ‘someone is continuing to live forever’.”
“I see...”
“I get it.”
Kino and Hermes confirmed their understanding.
“You mean, that person received the memories at least four times?” Kino asked.
“Yes. From his resulting behavior, we can say that for certain. Those memories were definitely inherited, and even now, continues to accumulate. He is a test subject of an enormous national experiment. Be it by illness, accident, or old age, at any rate, once he dies, a person will be chosen at random to receive all the memories accumulated until now.”
“Then the person who will be the container for the memories... will become a sacrifice?” Hermes asked.
“It’s fine even if you see it that way. There are children of parents who, under the strict birth limit, accepted this possibility, but adhered to the chance that it won’t be the case. When the test subject dies, the memories will be transferred to a five-year-old among these children.
“Therefore, if you were lucky not to be ‘used’, you can have children more than the specified limit,” Hermes said. The middle-aged man nodded firmly.
“Yes. And there are many such people in this country.”
“I understand.... Please continue.”
“Yes——. But the point is that ‘an experiment is ongoing’. At least, you must understand that this is not a country who spouts out mentally-ill people.”
“I understand that. I withdraw my statements earlier. I apologize.”
“That’s right. I’m sorry.”
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man gave a big nod albeit somewhat proudly.
“Incidentally, what is the purpose of this experiment?”
“Eh? Oh. To learn ‘how many generations the human brain can withstand accumulating memories from’.”
“Then, if the results come out, and if things go smoothly, what will you do? You will do this to everyone?”
The middle-aged man vehemently shook his head in reaction to Hermes’ question.
“Preposterous! It’s just the opposite.”
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
“Although we developed this system, no matter how much we look at it, we can only conclude that it should not be used. The conclusion our ancestors came to, that ‘it is a mistake for humans to have another person inherit their memories at their convenience.’ was correct. Even now, we think this way, and we believe that if this system were to be utilized, it will be the end if this country.”
“But the experiment...”
“But the experiment...”
Kino and Hermes said the same thing at the same time.
“... the experiment will be continued, right?” Kino finished the question for both of them.
“Yes. It is to completely prove that ‘this system is wrong’.”
“......”
“......”
“So that it will never be used, we have to prove how dangerous this system is. If we do so, then no one will ever think that this is a ‘wonderful’ thing.”
“Well, I suppose that’s right...”
“This experiment began with forty test subjects. During the course of the study, we expected that by the third generation, the accumulation of memories will become unbearable. Thirty-nine of the test subjects exhibited this. They all went mad.”
“......”
“......”
“He is the last one. If he becomes insane, then the danger of this system will be 100% proven, and this system will be sealed for eternity. We will continue to observe, investigate, and take records generation after generation—— until the day he becomes insane.”
Under the pallid moonlight, amidst the flower fields bathed with its brightness.
“I’ll try to roast it properly today.”
The black-jacketed Kino was holding up two skewered steaks above a bonfire made from dried grass. It roasted, and the sound of fat falling off was heard.
Hermes was parked beyond the bonfire, the moonlight and the fire being reflected off his tank.
While carefully roasting the meat, Kino sprinkled a pinch of salt and pepper from a small bag. She didn’t forget to prepare a plate, knife, and fork on top of the bag unloaded from Hermes.
“What a wonderful steak. I won’t be able to eat something like this for a while. ——I will memorize its taste, so that I won’t ever forget.”
“Penny-pincher!” Hermes said with an appalled expression.
“Being able to forget things you want to forget, and being able to remember things you want to remember, is such a great thing, you know,” Kino said as she quickly reversed the meat.
Kino put the grilled meat in the plate and started to eat. When she had finished the meat, she cut up the fruits and ate it up.
“I’m happy,” Kino muttered as she looked up at the round moon.
“There are a lot of things, but I’m happy that I can remember after all. ——It’s likely that I feel warm right now because I remember the cold of winter.”
“I don’t really get it,” Hermes grumbled with no interest, and teased, “It may be that motorrads completely forget things once they sleep at night.”
“That may be true. Nope, I’m sure it is,” Kino moved her gaze to Hermes and returned a meek expression.
“Oh, why?”
“Well, Hermes can’t wake up properly in the morning even if I take the trouble of telling you the night before: ‘We’re leaving tomorrow so wake up early.’ I reminded you last night, too.”
After Kino answered the question, Hermes kept silent for a good dozen of seconds before speaking.
“You did?”
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