Assuming you have no objections, let us make our way directly to the city outskirts.
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If we time our arrival just right, you may be lucky enough to see why I have yet to set foot in Eulmore─despite my best efforts to do so...
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Come. From here, we must head west, and then cross a small bridge...
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Kholusia seems peaceful, does it not? Almost...familiar? I had a similar impression of the Crystarium. Even in this distant world, people are much the same.
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<sigh> To think that whenever a calamity struck the Source, a reflection such as this one─with all its culture and history─was being erased from existence...
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Quickly, someone's in trouble!
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Oh, thank the fates, y─ Look out!
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My poor heart... Thank you, young sir.
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Ah, there you are! In my haste, I lost my bearings... But I see you have the situation well in hand. Fine work!
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Just a few bruises from where I fell. Nothing compared to what was in store for me before this brave soul came to my rescue.
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I honestly thought I was done for. My feet are not as swift as they once were, and I knew there was no one left to hear me scream. Not that I let that stop me!
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<sigh> I should probably leave my old house behind and queue up outside Eulmore with the rest of them.
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Doubt those fancy lords and ladies would welcome an old crone like me... Still, even a shack near the gate has to be safer than staying here!
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One would hope. Either way, I suggest you avoid wandering alone, lest you make the sin eaters' task any easier.
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Thank you again. You saved my life. Now, I'm sure a strapping lad like you has little to fear, but I wouldn't linger long in this place. There's naught to be had here but cobwebs and memories.
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'Tis as the lady says. Many in these parts have abandoned their homes to live in Eulmore's shadow.
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Should the sin eaters descend upon this region, there are precious few with the strength to fight them off...
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Speaking of which, what have you been told of these monsters?
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Ah, yes. Alisaie would be well qualified to speak on the subject.
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Compared with Amh Araeng, Kholusia is almost a haven... But as you saw, we cannot let our guard down. Had you arrived but a few moments later, the sin eaters would have claimed another victim.
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A brief history, then...
'Twas not long after the Flood swallowed the better part of the world that the sin eaters first appeared, some beastly, some beauteous.
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Yet regardless of their form, all seem incapable of speech, and all are driven by the same insatiable appetite for mortal aether. They are predators─and we are their prey.
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Kholusia suffers from far fewer attacks than most regions, but even so, the list of the sin eaters' victims grows longer by the day. A tragedy without end...
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Still, we have won a small victory this time, at least. Now, shall we press on?
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We need to return to where the road forks and follow the path that leads west...
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Mmm, do I savor it piece by piece, or gobble it all in one go...?
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Ah, Eulmore, you taunt me with your promised bounty...
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Now you understand why my attempts to enter the city have thus far come to naught. The dubious privilege of residency must be won via a contest with ever-changing rules...
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They say this policy has been in place for the past two decades, ever since Eulmore's current ruler came into power.
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Yet from what I have seen, it does more harm than good. Not only does it distract people from our shared struggle against the sin eaters, it robs them of their self-sufficiency. I have tried to propose ways they could improve their lot, but my words invariably fall on deaf ears.
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The attitude is so entrenched now, I worry that─ Well, mayhap you should take a turn around Gatetown, and judge the situation for yourself.
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Go, take the measure of Gatetown. I shall wait here.
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Still here, are you? Can't blame you for wanting a slice of Eulmore's pie. If you ask me, you should ditch that sour-faced brat and make a home for yourself here!
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Gatetown's not much to look at, aye, but at least it's safe. And the meol is the best thing I've ever tasted!
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Just look at it... Can you imagine a more beautiful city?
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Every day, I dream of the life that waits for me inside those walls. Oh, will they ever pick me...?
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You've seen what Gatetown has to offer?
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These people can no longer fend for themselves. They've become dependent on handouts of meol, and believe Eulmore is the answer to all their woes.
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Yet no matter how I frame my encouragement, they seem unwilling─nay, unable─to conceive of any other way of life...
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