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We entered the encampment and made our way through a regular line of tents. In the center of the tent is a tent for storing water. A large water bottle with a water purification system can be seen in the center.
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The people we pass are all standing around, working at a brisk pace. At a glance, many of them seem to be military personnel. They all glance at us with keen eyes.
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Roa pointed to a tent that was about two times larger than the others.
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I told Hippopo to wait for me with a tap on the neck. We went straight into the tent.
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The first thing I saw was a large, state-of-the-art communication device sitting on a table in the center of the tent. Several people are busily exchanging parchments with it.
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"Excuse me," I call out.
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"Rust! You're here!" I heard a familiar female voice over the comms device.
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I hear her get up from her chair with a clunk, and Karin comes around to face me.
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She is small, even for a woman. At first glance, one might mistake her for a child if one did not know that they are the same age. Her red hair, cut short, looks as fiery as ever.
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She comes up to me at once with a big stride and shakes my hand firmly.
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It's been a long time, Rust! What, have I aged?" He waved his hand with a buzzing handshake, looked up at me and said something rude.
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"Gohon. Mind your own business. I'll just add "like" to her name, since she's my boss.
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Karin's lips twist in amusement. To which I reply with a wry smile.
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"Well, Rust, I'm sure it was a piece of cake for you to get here, even if it is in the middle of nowhere. Did you have a problem with those two guys who went to pick you up? Kareen asked with a twinkle in her eye as she looked at Ary and Roa.
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Was that to welcome us?
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I see out of the corner of my eye how Ary and Roa turn their faces away from me with a pout.
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Hmmm... so that's how it is. So Kalin thinks that if anyone in this encampment is going to have a problem with me, it's going to be these two. She's been doing this for a long time. She wants to be the first to clash with them, and then build a relationship with them. Well, I don't intend to follow Karin's plan.
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"......Oh, no, I don't," he replies casually. But I can't help but frown and Karin laughs at me.
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"Well, that's all right then. Come on, we can't stand around here talking. Let's all take a break," Karin says to the crowd gathered around the communication device.
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Then, Karin lifts the communication device, which could be the size of several grown men, with one hand.
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Seeing this, the people around her rush to open up the space. One of them hurriedly lays a cloth on the ground. Kalin places the communication device on the cloth.
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"Come on, sit down, sit down! Sitting on one side of an empty table, Kalin points to an empty chair on the other side. Ary whispers in her ear.
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With a small nod and a wave of her hand, Kalene makes Ary move back.
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"Lois, tea, please!"
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Then everyone exits, leaving the entrance to the tent open.
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"Is there a problem if you made us leave all the way?" I ask, thinking, "Good grief.
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"Oh, that's Rust. Thanks for talking so fast. Well, we can talk over a cup of tea and reminisce if you like. And Karin.
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"Oh. This is a real mess. I thought life on the frontier was supposed to be easy. A carefree life where you can spend all day long without the local magic. I'll complain lightly on the pretext of getting to know each other.
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"Of course, it's important to get rid of the demons. It's important to remove the demons, because the crops won't grow. But I wouldn't ask Rust for help with such a simple job. <
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"...... don't do that. So, what's the trouble in the end, Lady Kalin?
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Kalin finally stops teasing. She crosses her fingers and stares at me.
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Kalene's face is that of a politician as she says, "First of all, I would like you to treat the endemic disease that is spreading in this encampment and find out the cause of it.
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