Wendy seed to have endless questions.
When Dominica was present, Wendy was relatively quiet. Ron had thought that was her nature, but he was surprised to discover that the real Wendy was an incredibly curious soul. It felt as though her curiosity had been suppressed for far too long.
This made Ron wonder.
Wendy, a mber of the Fiora royal family, was also a Nen user with considerable talent. Who would suppress soone like her? People like Wendy usually got whatever they wanted with ease.
Unless Wendy wasn't an ordinary mber of the Fiora royal family.
"When this mission is over, if you're interested, I can take you to the Sky Arena and Zoldyck Estate for so fun."
Wendy's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll invite you to visit Fiora. It might not be as exciting, but there are still so fun places to explore."
"Deal," Ron said with a smile.
Ron had already decided he would visit Fiora.
The more powerful traits absorbed by the "Essence of the Observer" ability, the stronger his Nen Beasts would beco. The V5 and the Kakin Empire were two of the most powerful entities on the human continent. Absorbing their traits would undoubtedly lead to the creation of formidable Nen Beasts.(t/n cant fair for him to go to the dark continent and Absorbe essences there)
With Morena, he had already established a connection with Kakin. If he could form a friendship with Wendy, his plans for Fiora would proceed much more smoothly. Wendy's invitation was a good starting point.
---
"Wendy, do you have any theories about this town?" Ron asked.
Wendy thought for a mont. "These people are alive but seem to be in a puppet-like state. Yet, there's no special Nen aura on them."
"So, either the perpetrator is vastly stronger than us, or their ability is incredibly unique…"
"But if it's the forr, they should've acted already. Uncle Dominica has left. If soone wanted to deal with just the two of us, why would they hesitate?"
"And if it's the latter, it doesn't match the Nen styles we know from Taris."
Ron nodded. He understood why Dominica had left. Part of it was to scout the area, but another reason was to use Ron and Wendy as bait to lure out the hidden enemy.
Wendy had realized this as well, which was why she pretended to let her guard down.
---
Not long after, Dominica returned.
"I didn't find anything unusual. Let's call it a day. It's getting late, and we can reassess tomorrow," Dominica said.
"Alright."
"ok."
The night passed quietly without incident.
Early in the morning, a middle-aged woman and a young girl greeted them.
"What would you like for breakfast, dear guests?"
"Sothing simple will do."
"Very well. We'll prepare it right away. Please head to the dining area shortly."
The middle-aged woman went to the kitchen while the young girl stayed in the courtyard, cleaning with a tool in hand. When Ron glanced over, the girl noticed and smiled at him.
Ron and the others went to the dining area, and breakfast was soon served. Everything seed normal; there was nothing suspicious about the food.
After breakfast, Dominica suggested, "Let's go have another look around."
The three of them left the inn and walked through the streets of the small town. The scene was almost idyllic—workers heading off in uniforms, people chatting casually, and others exercising in their courtyards. The town appeared orderly and serene.
However, this very sense of order made Ron and the others feel increasingly uneasy.
"These people are *too* predictable."
"It's as if everyone is a puppet."
The eerie atmosphere lingered as they entered a small shop.
"Welco, dear guests. What can I get for you today?"
The three glanced around but said nothing, leaving shortly after.
"Thank you for visiting! Please co again."
Back on the street, Ron stopped a random passerby to ask for directions. The person answered patiently, even going so far as to enthusiastically recomnd local delicacies and nearby tourist spots.
The trio then split up briefly, hoping to expose a weakness or provoke an attack from the hidden enemy.
But no attack ca.
After half a day, they regrouped at the sa shop as before.
"Welco, dear guests. What can I get for you today?" The shopkeeper greeted them with the sa cordial smile.
"Did you notice anything unusual?" Dominica asked Ron and Wendy.
Wendy shook her head. "I visited several shops. They're all operating as normal, and the shopkeepers are exceptionally polite to everyone, even when I made complaints. They didn't show the slightest hint of annoyance."
"Their politeness doesn't feel real," Wendy added. "People have individuality. They're not robots. It's possible for one or two shopkeepers to have exceptional custor service, but for every single shopkeeper in town to behave this way? That's not normal."
Ron recalled the people he had encountered. One after another, their behaviour had been the sa.
It reminded him of a scene he had witnessed in teor City's old Garbage district—people moving like emotionless robots, following rigid rules without humanity. Yet, the people in this town were even worse.
At least in teor City, people reacted differently when they saw a baby. Here, no one reacted to anything at all.
---
"Dominica, have you ever played video gas?" Ron asked.
"No. Why?"
Dominica, being traditional, had no interest in such things.
"What about you, Wendy?" Ron asked.
Wendy glanced at Dominica before nodding slightly. "I've played before."
Ron said, "Don't you think the people in this town are similar to NPCs in video gas?"
Wendy froze, and then her expression shifted to one of realization. "That's it! I kept feeling sothing familiar about this town. Now that you ntion it, these people are just like NPCs in gas."
"But they're living humans, and we haven't fallen into any illusions," Wendy said.
Ron smiled. "Shall we test it?"
He stood up, walked to the shop door, and exited.
"Thank you for visiting! Please co again."
Ron re-entered.
"Welco, dear guest. What can I get for you today?"
He exited again.
"Thank you for visiting! Please co again."
Ron repeated this several tis, stepping in and out of the shop. Each ti, the shopkeeper recited the sa lines with the exact sa expression and tone. The shopkeeper's smile never wavered—it was perfectly chanical.
Watching this, Ron was reminded of the NPCs in Greed Island, which were purely constructs of Nen. But these people were different—they were living beings.
Wendy furrowed her brow, deep in thought.
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