Wandering aimlessly, the two of them arrived at the outskirts of Milihua Town.
The enormous crops blocked their view, and they could only vaguely make out the commoners busy at work in the fields.
Walking between the low houses, they found that it was the busy season. Only elderly people with limited mobility and children a few years old remained at home.
Velin took out a piece of fruit he had bought and beckoned to a child of seven or eight.
At the sight of the plump fruit, the child could not stop drooling. He slowly shuffled toward Velin.
A few minutes later, appetite overcame reason. The child scampered up to Velin, his eyes filled with longing, yet he did not reach out to snatch it. He simply stood there and watched quietly.
"Here."
Looking at the little fellow, Velin handed him the fruit.
Cradling the plump fruit, the child took a bite and revealed a blissful smile.
With food production greatly reduced, he vaguely remembered that the last time he had eaten this kind of fruit was the previous time.
"Tell me a few things, and I'll give you a few more fruits afterward. How does that sound?" Velin crouched down and asked gently as he looked at the child's sallow face.
The child tucked the bitten fruit into his arms and nodded seriously.
"Then let me ask you this: over the past few months, have you noticed anyone behaving strangely?"
The child looked confused at Velin's words. "Uncle, I... I don't understand."
"I mean someone whose personality changed drastically. For example, someone who used to pick up trash to eat, then a few days later stopped picking it up and started only robbing others of their trash." Velin rephrased his words, trying to use a simple example to