1. Just keep your eyes closed.
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2. It's going to be all right.
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3. I was orphaned by a living city.
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4. Ever changing, always in motion.
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5. A city controlled by a great machine.
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6. The Tiangong.
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7. The city is supposed to care for
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8. and protect us...
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9. but something is wrong.
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10. The mechanical mind
that rules the city is failing.
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11. A mad god,
for whom everything is just a game,
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12. fortified within the Palace of the Tiangong.
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13. How do you take revenge on a god?
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14. No.
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15. No, no, no, no, no, boy.
Not in there. Never.
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16. You...
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17. You, you're not going in there, are you?
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18. I am.
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19. Then... then you're crazy!
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20. You'll end up just
like the rest of us.
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21. We'll save a place for you!
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22. You're here to challenge the Tiangong.
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23. Yes.
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24. You're young.
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25. I'm the best Weiqi player in Chang'an.
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26. And arrogant as well.
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27. Wonderful.
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28. Come in, come in.
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29. We have a game to play.
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30. From this place, The Tiangong observes
and controls every aspect of the city;
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31. everything that has been,
everything that will be.
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32. "You may face the Tiangong
in any game of your choosing."
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33. I know the rules.
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34. Then you know
I have to tell them to you.
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35. "You'll have only one chance.
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36. As the all-knowing Tiangong
is responsible
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37. for the movements of our great city,
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38. and his moments
in the river of time are precious."
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39. "If you defeat the Tiangong,
you will take its power,
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40. its glory, and its burden.
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41. The fate of this city."
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42. But you won't win.
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43. Every last person
who's faced the Tiangong has come away
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44. stark raving mad.
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45. I know that.
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46. But I also know you're losing control.
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47. This city is crumbling.
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48. As the Tiangong's always known it would.
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49. When I say that I know everything,
I mean every thing.
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50. All of history, every cause
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51. and every effect:
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52. One domino knocks down the next.
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53. Even a human could understand this.
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54. But here is the world the Tiangong sees.
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55. Every fact, every moment.
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56. One thing leads to the next,
and to the next,
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57. and to what comes undeniably after that.
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58. For the Tiangong, there's no difference
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59. between remembering the past
and imagining the future.
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60. I know your every move,
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61. long before you make it.
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62. Okay, let's play.
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63. If you're so superior to humans,
why would you want to look like us?
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64. It's for you.
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65. But I'm afraid I have no face
that's not a disguise.
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66. How would you like me to appear?
You could play against yourself.
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67. Or any of the Weiqi masters
you studied with and long ago surpassed.
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68. Or yourself as a child.
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69. Your whole life is here.
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70. Everything you ever were,
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71. everything you'll ever be.
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72. I know where you begin and where you end.
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73. Pick a hand.
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74. You'll choose black.
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75. And I play white.
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76. Place the first stone.
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77. Why do you even bother playing games?
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78. If you know how everything turns out.
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79. I only know what will happen
because it will happen.
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80. So you control everything.
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81. I control nothing.
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82. But you move the city.
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83. As the Moon moves the tides.
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84. Cause and effect, that is all.
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85. You're going to tell me why you're here.
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86. Don't use that face.
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87. As you wish.
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88. You killed my parents.
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89. You have not been paying attention.
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90. Look.
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91. I know how this ends.
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92. Stop.
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93. I said, stop!
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94. There was an earthquake.
A demonic incursion.
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95. The demons had to be
returned to the underworld.
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96. Play your stone.
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97. You could have done anything.
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98. You didn't have to kill my parents.
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99. If the tide rolled in
and drowned your parents,
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100. would you seek revenge against the Moon?
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101. Yes.
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102. You'd rather make
the Moon an enemy
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103. than admit that cause precedes effect.
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104. You still don't believe me.
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105. Here. This mirror reflects
one second into the future.
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106. Nothing happens by chance.
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107. I could set the mirror
two minutes into the future.
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108. Or an hour.
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109. Do you want to see how this ends?
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110. And then drive yourself crazy
trying to avoid the inevitable?
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111. This is the point where people
start to go insane.
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112. When you face absolute proof
that you have no control.
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113. Your brain will try to convince
itself that it's making choices.
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114. That you have free will.
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115. That you're not just one more cog
necessarily spinning
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116. in a complex
but utterly predictable machine.
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117. You only think that way...
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118. You only think that way
because you are a machine.
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119. And you're not?
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120. Some machines are made of metal,
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121. some machines are made of flesh.
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122. The city of Chang'an is made of both.
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123. Wait. What?
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124. Is that real?
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125. How could you not know?
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126. We are playing for control
of the movements of Chang'an.
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127. That means we are playing with Chang'an.
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128. What we do here has consequences.
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129. Stop. Stop it.
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130. There are people out there.
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131. And this is the other point
at which people lose their minds.
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132. To be stuck in a destiny
you can't control,
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133. but still responsible
for the lives of thousands.
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134. You can't be perfect.
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135. You can't know everything.
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136. And you're failing. You're falling apart.
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137. You're falling apart.
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138. This city has been falling apart
more and more my entire life.
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139. Nothing lasts forever.
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140. My end, like yours,
is built into my design.
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141. Of course, if it's too much for you,
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142. why not just stay in the past?
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143. I have it all here.
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144. Because they're dead.
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145. No.
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146. They're only in the past.
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147. - They're gone.
- So certain,
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148. when you can't even bear to look at it.
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149. You ruined my life.
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150. You make me an enemy so you can hate me.
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151. Because once you start hating,
you can stop thinking.
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152. So show me.
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153. Show me how they died.
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154. The earthquake
tore the city open,
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155. releasing demons from the underworld.
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156. Citizens like your parents
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157. tried to fight them off,
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158. but there were too many.
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159. Just keep
your eyes closed.
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160. It's going to be
all right.
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161. The Tiangong gave up
a piece of the city that day
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162. to preserve the whole.
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163. My parents saved me.
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164. They chose to sacrifice themselves.
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165. It had to happen.
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166. Because they made it happen.
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167. How can you still believe that?
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168. Because I'm making the same choice.
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169. The board represents Chang'an,
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170. with us at its heart.
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171. What are you doing?
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172. You would say,
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173. exactly what I'm here to do.
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174. Stop. Stop this.
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175. You would sacrifice yourself?
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176. I can't win,
but I can choose how this ends.
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177. Despite everything I've shown you,
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178. you still somehow believe
you're making a choice?
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179. Play your stone.
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180. Then...
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181. I concede.
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182. This was a... fun game.
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183. What did you do?
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184. - I won.
- No.
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185. Not possible.
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186. Impossible...
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187. Inevitable...
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188. But... what happens now?
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189. Exactly.
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190. You're here to challenge the Tiangong.
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191. Yes.
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