"Really... is this even possible?"

After Costate concealed his form, Ronald immediately thought to ask why he wasn’t given the same treatment, considering that a spell controlling air currents was different from the "Original Sin of Jealousy," having no restriction to effect only oneself.

Still, recalling Costate’s newly formed personality, Ronald remained silent.

Thus, one altered appearance, the other vanished invisibly.

With their individual methods, the two of them proceeded toward the settlement ahead.

Ronald bypassed the hill in front, stepping onto the vibrant grass underfoot, and before long, he entered the area.

—Almost no one noticed Ronald’s arrival.

These beast people, apart from gathering into tribes, were quite backward in other aspects, with no distinct division of responsibilities among the people, nor anyone assigned to guard the settlement.

Ronald merely ensured he wasn’t conspicuous and refrained from initiating conversations, thus smoothly wandering through the settlement; everything went extremely well.

What was even more remarkable with this smoothness,

was that he could understand the language of these beast people.

The language and text these guys used seemed to be inherited from some human language system, and linguistic expertise was equally effective.

Ronald, in an action akin to strolling, successfully gathered quite a bit of information.

First of all, this place is called Orel, a land under the rule of a certain monarch.

The beast people, with their ancient customs, respect and obey this ruler but don’t bear any tax-related duties in daily life. Especially this settlement, which is the most frontier tribe on Orel’s land.

Due to the influence of many factors here, the regulation level is exceedingly low.

Even the settlement itself gradually formed from the concept that group living aids survival.

"This scale isn’t small at all..."

Having gathered certain information, Ronald roughly understood the scope of this world, fearing it wasn’t inferior to the "Realm of Infinite Negatives."

He did not doubt whether the ancient holy capital was here.

But finding the location of the holy capital here probably would not be achieved in a short time.

Observing the beast people within the settlement.

At least among these isolated edge inhabitants, Ronald did not believe he could obtain any information related to the holy capital.

"Sir, what should we do next?" At this moment, a cautious inquiry transmitted from the air beside him.

"We’ll try one last time, and then we’ll leave," Ronald stated his plan and then added, "Avoid revealing our presence as much as possible."

Having spoken, Ronald continued to move.

Throughout his walk here, he had overheard quite a bit of information, naturally understanding which people held higher statuses and were suitable for intelligence gathering.

So he picked a beast person resembling an owl, appearing fairly pleasant, and Ronald approached him.

As Ronald’s target, this beast person naturally sensed the approach of the stranger.

Immediately, his yellow-ringed black eyes locked onto Ronald.

But he didn’t have time to ask questions.

The commanding voice with mystic power suddenly resonated in his ears:

"Come with me, don’t attract others’ attention."

"..."

The beast person’s gaze stalled, entirely unable to resist Ronald’s mystical speech control. Soon, he followed Ronald’s voice without a trace, heading out of the settlement.

Ronald had no intention of attracting attention.

Thus they didn’t venture far, merely finding a low-lying spot beside the hill to conduct the final inquiry.

"The human holy capital—have you heard this word, or anything similar?" Ronald asked.

"Never heard of it." The beast person immediately denied.

"Why do you live in the world of Song Forest?" Ronald proceeded with the second question.

"We..." the beast person paused for several seconds, never having contemplated the meaning of living here, finally shaking his head with a non-answer, "We’ve lived here for generations."

"..."

Ronald hadn’t expected to receive much important information, but such a response from the beast person still let his heart sink a little.

After adjusting his mindset slightly, Ronald continued:

"Then, do you know Song Forest?"

The beast person showed no hesitation this time:

"No."

"..."

Not knowing the essence of the world he inhabits?

By this point in the conversation, Ronald had essentially abandoned the possibility of obtaining more information, thus he posed the final question:

"Where is the center of Orel, where your ruler resides, how far away, and how to reach it?"

This time, the inquiry brought Ronald useful information.

He pointed inland, confidently stating:

"Go this way; depending on different people’s travel speed, it takes about two weeks to a month and a half to reach."

Ronald nodded with satisfaction.

Given the disparity in travel time, considering the various forms of beast people within the settlement, individual differences inevitably bring about such a result.

Converted to the speed of Ronald and Costate, it might take two to three days to reach the place mentioned by the other.

"Alright, you may return."

"Forget everything that happened here and live as usual."

Ronald concluded the questioning.

And the controlled beast person also stood up, under the final mystic command, and returned alone to the settlement, soon disappearing into the hill’s lowlands.

Swoosh—

At this moment, several air currents dispersed around.

After the light breeze vanished, Costate, who had been concealed, reemerged, naturally seeking Ronald’s guidance:

"Sir, is the current situation still unclear?"

Ronald expressed his views:

"The beings living here are unaware of their environment due to deliberate control by the ruler, most likely. In a way, this is also a sort of answer."

Costate murmured, his gaze thoughtful:

"So, is the ruler deliberately obscuring his people’s awareness?"

"Such actions would certainly consume considerable energy; I don’t think it’s a worthwhile endeavor."

Ronald wasn’t particularly troubled by this, shrugged as he said:

"After all, this world is sealed; such decisions might be made for stability or governance reasons. Furthermore, beyond all else, time proves ample for change."

"In conclusion, let’s proceed towards the ruler’s dwelling. Being the land’s sovereign, we’re likely to gain some information there."

With this said, Ronald gave Costate a slight smile.

Although unlikely, he proposed a very fortunate scenario to lighten their mood:

"And if luck is on our side, we might just run into those ’Nine Commandments’ fellows."