1. No matter when I look,
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2. the night sky is always beautiful.
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3. So why...
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4. Why must our world be an ugly place?
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5. It's because the Earth
is at the center of the universe.
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6. But wouldn't that make it special?
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7. To be at the center
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8. is to be at the bottom.
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9. At every location on Earth,
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10. heavy objects fall downward.
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11. That is because Earth's center
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12. is the lowest point in the universe.
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13. That's how God created things.
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14. But why?
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15. God made the Earth
a lowly place full of corruption
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16. to remind us that humankind
is helpless and sinful.
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17. The sky above looks so beautiful
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18. because you are gazing at it
from this corrupt realm.
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19. If Earth is at the bottom of the universe,
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20. why don't the stars fall from the sky?
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21. I don't know.
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22. We humans can only comprehend
the realm in which we live.
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23. The heavens are sublime, solemn,
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24. sacred, and sweeping.
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25. They don't mingle with the lowly Earth.
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26. Sorry. Have I kept you waiting, Oczy?
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27. Not at all, Gras.
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28. The stars look so beautiful
on such a clear night.
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29. It never fails to amaze me!
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30. Every evening, the stars share
the rich splendor of their glow.
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31. Don't you ever have a look?
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32. With your eyes,
I'm sure the stars are quite vivid.
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33. No, uh... I...
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34. I don't like to gaze at the sky.
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35. I see.
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36. Oh, that's right!
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37. Today marks one year
since you transferred to our chapter.
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38. When work is done, let's celebrate.
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39. My treat, of course.
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40. Oh, uh... Thank you very much.
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41. Now then. Let's get to work.
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42. ON THE MOVEMENTS OF THE EARTH
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43. THE FACT THAT THIS WORLD
IS FAR MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN HEAVEN
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44. I'll do it.
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45. Thanks.
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46. We're members of the Civilian Watch.
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47. I will serve as witness.
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48. Please allow us to wear masks
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49. so that we may avoid personal retribution.
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50. Now, let's begin.
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51. Commence the duel.
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52. W-Wait!
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53. It was Count Nastula
who I challenged to a duel!
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54. Why does someone of my stature
have to fight you peasants?
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55. Count Nastula hired us
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56. to fight as his champions.
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57. I believe you approved it too.
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58. B-But if I...
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59. If I lose, I'll die!
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60. Correct. That's the way it works.
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61. Gotcha!
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62. N-No...
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63. I don't want to die.
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64. I know! I have money!
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65. Let's make a deal!
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66. You have nothing against me, right?
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67. Murder is a terrible sin!
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68. You don't really want to do this, do you?
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69. Well...
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70. To be honest, I really don't.
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71. I-In that case—
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72. But this is my job.
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73. B-Burn...
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74. in...
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75. hell.
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76. I've handed over the body.
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77. That takes care of tonight's work.
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78. Still, your reflexes impress me.
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79. You really do have good eyes.
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80. Huh? Are you okay?
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81. D-Do you think he went to heaven?
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82. You're concerned?
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83. I'm worried.
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84. Doing this work, I've seen
many people face imminent death.
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85. But not a single one
seemed to die in satisfaction.
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86. They all passed away in terror.
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87. As if they saw the entrance to hell.
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88. Could it be that
only a handful of people go to heaven?
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89. If so, a murderer like me
will never make it.
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90. Oczy.
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91. What do you like best about our world?
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92. Why ask me that?
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93. It's inappropriate to like anything
about this corrupt realm.
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94. Come on, that's not true!
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95. Enjoyment can't be bad.
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96. With nothing to look forward to,
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97. our souls plunge instantly into darkness.
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98. Things like love, dreams, and hope
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99. should never be cast aside!
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100. I guess you're right.
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101. I'll rethink my outlook.
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102. Oh, sorry.
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103. I've made you nervous.
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104. Please be frank,
and tell me what you really think.
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105. But... my opinion doesn't matter.
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106. Don't be so shy!
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107. We've known each other for a year.
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108. Don't hold back!
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109. I believe expectations
are bound to be betrayed.
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110. You'll be less hurt if you give up
from the very beginning.
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111. Or rather, nothing enjoyable
ever happens in life anyway.
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112. The only ones who can be happy
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113. are a select few born with that privilege.
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114. For those who aren't chosen,
even trying to be happy is useless.
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115. Our world is sick.
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116. And that's why
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117. the only hope is in heaven.
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118. Heaven is wonderful.
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119. I wanna go now.
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120. Just kidding.
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121. In other words,
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122. because there's nothing
perfect or eternal here,
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123. you can't trust anything?
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124. No, I—
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125. I get it!
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126. In truth,
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127. I was just like you not long ago.
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128. But then I found it.
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129. Something worthy of absolute hope.
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130. Wanna know what?
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131. No, not particularly.
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132. This time, you can feign interest.
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133. I want to know.
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134. - Hey, those guys...
- Yeah, they're assassins.
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135. Here we are.
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136. Two cups of wine, please!
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137. Huh?
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138. This tavern is frequented by the nobility.
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139. Duelists like you should leave.
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140. I'm sorry if we've offended you.
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141. However, this tavern
is also open to us guild members.
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142. So I hope you'll allow us to stay.
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143. - You've got it wrong, Gras.
- Huh?
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144. With people like him,
you have to be more direct.
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145. I'm sorry for being born!
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146. C-Cut it out! That's enough!
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147. I'm sorry for being born!
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148. See? If you apologize sincerely,
they'll forgive you.
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149. Uh, right.
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150. Thanks for that.
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151. Now then. Let's pick up where we left off.
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152. Left off?
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153. Huh? You know!
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154. We were talking about the hope I found.
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155. Oh, right. Of course, I remember.
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156. Here it is.
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157. It contains my observations of Mars.
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158. Mars?
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159. What's that?
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160. I guess we start there, huh?
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161. You're aware that the constellations
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162. are always arranged the same, right?
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163. Their appearance never changes,
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164. and every night,
they move from east to west
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165. until morning comes.
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166. But one day,
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167. as I was looking aimlessly
up at the stars,
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168. I noticed something incredible.
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169. Among the fixed constellations in the sky,
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170. some stars move!
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171. They move ever so slightly
in a single night.
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172. But if you watch for days,
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173. their positions clearly change!
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174. I was fascinated,
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175. so I asked a monk.
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176. The moving stars are called "planets,"
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177. and I learned there are as many as five.
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178. The one I found
had the most obvious movements of all.
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179. It's a planet called Mars,
and it has a fiery red glow.
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180. From that day on,
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181. I decided to record
the trajectory of Mars.
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182. And what did I find?
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183. Mars moves through
the constellations in a circular path!
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184. For one month, six months, or a year,
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185. its circular orbit continues without fail.
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186. Swaying grass,
flowing rivers, wavering flames...
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187. There are many things that move in nature,
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188. but none as consistently as this.
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189. It is true perfection!
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190. Then I realized something.
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191. This world certainly is
corrupt and disorderly.
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192. It could never match
the grand perfection of the sky.
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193. Even so, we can still
gaze at that perfection!
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194. Humankind can recognize perfect things.
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195. And unlike the sun,
we can look at Mars directly.
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196. The Earth gives us the best seats
in the house for observation.
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197. Looking at it that way,
humankind and the Earth aren't so bad.
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198. Thanks to that realization,
I feel positive about everything!
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199. And now, after two years of observation,
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200. the orbit of Mars
will complete its circle.
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201. The grand finale will soon be here!
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202. Oh? Wow.
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203. That's a pretty big stretch.
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204. That's a pretty big stretch.
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205. It must take a lot of will.
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206. The perfect circular path of Mars?
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207. I envy you peasants and your ignorance.
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208. I'm sorry to draw your attention again,
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209. but nothing you say
will change how I feel.
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210. Go ahead and laugh all you want.
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211. No, I'm sorry for interrupting.
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212. Feel free to enjoy yourselves.
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213. However, you did choose
the wrong time to begin observation.
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214. Otherwise, you would have noticed sooner.
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215. Whatever you say.
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216. Th-This can't be!
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217. What's wrong?
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218. Every day...
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219. It moved every day for the past two years.
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220. Lately,
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221. I'd noticed that
the movements seemed slower.
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222. But today...
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223. Mars went completely still.
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224. It hasn't moved at all since yesterday.
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225. How could this be?
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226. I waited two years,
and it was about to complete its circle.
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227. Why?
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228. Hey, Oczy!
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229. Done with work?
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230. No, I'm on my way now.
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231. It must be tough
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232. being paired with a weirdo like Gras.
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233. Not at all.
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234. He's a very optimistic person.
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235. That's the problem!
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236. Gras used to be
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237. a fairly average guy.
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238. He complained as much as anyone.
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239. But at one point,
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240. his entire family died of the plague.
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241. That was when
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242. he lost all hope
and tried to end his own life.
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243. H-His life has been that tragic?
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244. The biggest tragedy
was that he failed to die.
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245. The Church forgave him for that sin,
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246. but the truth is that
he regretted having survived.
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247. He said, "Is this really my fate?"
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248. But then, over the past year or two,
he's suddenly grown cheerful.
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249. When I asked him why,
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250. he said he'd been stargazing.
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251. "The stars are a message
from my family in heaven," he said.
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252. Be careful.
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253. Unstable people like him
are unpredictable.
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254. Things like love, dreams, and hope
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255. should never be cast aside!
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256. It bent.
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257. It bent
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258. in the opposite direction.
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259. The perfect circle is broken.
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260. It's hideously deformed.
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261. Is this really
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262. my fate?
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263. Good evening.
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264. Hello. Shall we go?
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265. Will there be no stargazing tonight?
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266. Well...
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267. As you said,
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268. maybe it's a mistake to expect
something from this world,
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269. rather than from heaven.
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270. Anyway, today's task is...
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271. Now there's a change.
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272. We're guarding the transport of a heretic.
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273. A h-heretic?
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274. They may be communing with the devil.
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275. - Better be careful!
- Huh?
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276. Are you from the Civilian Watch?
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277. I'm the inquisitor, Damian.
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278. The men from the Watch are here.
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279. Let's go, Nowak.
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280. What are you looking at?
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281. A charm.
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282. I guess the boring shift begins now.
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283. Is it okay to remove your mask?
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284. There's no harm in being seen
by a heretic who's about to die.
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285. Oh? I see.
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286. How unfortunate that it should be raining.
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287. It means I can't see the stars.
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288. Aren't you two
interested in the night sky?
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289. Stargazing can be quite relaxing.
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290. We're not allowed
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291. to speak with you.
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292. Could you remain quiet?
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293. Will you strike me if I don't?
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294. To tell the truth,
I pity you too much to hit you.
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295. Why defy the very church
that brings you salvation?
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296. Why would you give up
your own place in heaven?
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297. Unfortunately for you,
execution is unavoidable.
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298. But you could still reconsider
and recant before you die.
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299. How merciful of you.
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300. But you're the ones who should reconsider.
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301. Will the Church
really bring you salvation?
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302. More importantly, does the heaven
they speak of really exist?
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303. A heretic like you would never understand.
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304. And what exactly do you understand?
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305. You all turn blindly to heaven
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306. as a way to escape
the hopelessness of this world.
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307. We know what you're trying to do.
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308. You're playing on our anxieties,
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309. so you can push us toward despair.
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310. No.
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311. You're the ones pushing despair away.
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312. The philosophy of today
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313. was born when an elderly Athenian drank
from a poisoned chalice 2,000 years ago.
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314. The Church of today grew from grief
over a young man's crucifixion
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315. 1,500 years ago.
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316. Humankind is known to produce new hope
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317. from the ashes of tragedy.
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318. Temporary relief from pain
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319. will never change reality.
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320. But primal suffering,
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321. seething frustration,
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322. or even your own despair
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323. can be turned into hope.
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324. Yet, you close your eyes to that despair
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325. and turn instead to the thirdhand
guarantee of life after death.
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326. Hope will never smile
upon people like you.
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327. I've had enough of your drivel!
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328. You know nothing!
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329. Gras, get a hold of yourself!
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330. Don't fall for the heretic's trap!
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331. "Heretic," huh?
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332. I know all too well why you fear
people who are called that.
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333. It's not because you don't understand me.
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334. It's the opposite.
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335. Deep down,
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336. you yourselves do not
fully believe in heaven.
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337. You don't speak for me.
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338. In fact, there is no heaven,
and death is the end.
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339. Isn't that what you think?
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340. It's not.
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341. I understand why you worry.
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342. Losing your appointment
in the afterlife is hard.
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343. Don't say another word.
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344. But in fact, you...
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345. No, all humankind
should confront that possibility.
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346. Stop it.
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347. The simple possibility
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348. that your beautiful heaven doesn't exist!
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349. I asked you to stop!
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350. Worse, you ignore the fact that this world
is far more beautiful than heaven.
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351. What are you—
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352. You want to believe it too, don't you?
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353. That this world
is a wonderful place worth living on.
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354. Forget it. That's enough.
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355. It's ridiculous.
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356. If we stop and think,
it's all baseless rambling.
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357. I have evidence.
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358. Is that so?
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359. Well, you don't have it here.
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360. No, it's right at this spot.
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361. Right on that mountain you see now.
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362. All the evidence
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363. is in a stone chest
hidden on the mountainside.
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364. Now, do you understand
the position you're in?
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365. On this very night,
you two have been given
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366. the momentary chance
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367. to change your own lives
for the first time.
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368. Will you stick to the comfort
of lifelong self-denial?
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369. Or will you risk everything
for self-affirmation?
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370. The choice is yours.
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371. So, what will it be?
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372. A-As if...
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373. Huh?
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374. Please.
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