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You haven't had much success improving the village. You climb up onto the village's highest point and look down, trying to figure out what to do, but then Chief Kothis himself at last leaves his house. He looks at you, his expression determined now, no longer haunted, then walks down toward the Specular pavilion. You recognize the telltale flicker of the temporal rift. It's been two months, and Dr. Sabbatine is making contact.

In minutes, almost everyone has gathered around the pavilion. Controllers stoke the furnace and operate the damaged machine while Therko and Vecla study the contraption. Alexius just waits nervously, green-tinted fingers drumming on his tattered jacket cuff.

"I've completed my analysis," Dr. Sabbatine says at last. "The good news is that you can fully repair the Specular. The bad news is that we are missing several items that cannot be fabricated on my end. If you cannot find a way to manufacture or recover the items, you will be stranded permanently."

Your hand suddenly itches. You glance up at the crooked gray mountain in the sky. Its insides seem to shift like smoke trapped in a glass jar, spelling out words you can't quite recognize.

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