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"Dear Mr. Azik:
"Since September began, the temperature in Backlund has fallen day by day. Recently, elderly people have even started wearing gloves when they go out.
"Just like last year, fog has begun to envelop this city. It is much thinner now than in previous years. Although I speak as if I am qualified to judge, I have actually been in Backlund for less than two years. Air pollution certainly cannot be completely resolved in a year or two; that will take at least five-year cycles. The good news is that the pungent smell in the air has diminished considerably. My Sanguine friend is very satisfied with the weather.
"Clearly, however, the change in the fog is not solely the result of efforts to control air pollution. Even Backlund's peculiar, perpetually overcast weather has been affected, with a noticeable increase in sunny days. Perhaps you can guess some of the reasons behind this.
"I wonder if you have been well in the Southern Continent lately?
"Because of that major event which ended just last week, the one we both know about, the situation in the Northern Continent has become extremely dangerous and unstable. Following that event, the Churches and the royal family seem to have begun gradually relaxing their control over the supernatural. People have developed some enthusiasm for it and yearn for those extraordinary powers. The Lord of Storms, whom we should now call the God of Thunder and Truth, has acquired the authority of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. He is now the True God worshipped in Loen and its neighboring countries, with a standing above that of the Church of Evernight. The royal family has also contributed greatly to spreading the faith, while actively publicizing the King's distribution of relief grain and visits to