Little Herta tilted her head in confusion and followed Chen Li's gaze forward. Then her delicate little face instantly fell.
Under a streetlamp not far ahead crouched a white, long-eared, catlike mascot.
It sat primly atop a metal trash can, and above its fluffy head floated an [NPC] virtual nameplate glowing a deep blue.
"My lord, isn't that... Kyubey?" Pearl visibly froze when she saw the creature, then turned to Chen Li.
This creature with an NPC tag was one of those Incubators called "Kyubey" that had previously turned every member of Dawn Squad into Magical Girl mascots.
"Clearly," Chen Li said with a nod.
"But..." Pearl frowned slightly.
Pearl knew that the Curio her lord possessed could transfer lives. Since dozens of Happiness Research Society members had been turned into Kyubeys, it meant her lord had harvested "lives" from even more Kyubeys.
Which raised the question: if Kyubeys had originally been official staff at Origami University, where had her lord gotten all that material in the first place?
"Oh, Kyubey. There are more of these things in New Penacony now than stray dogs on the roadside." Before Pearl could voice her doubts, Little Herta spoke casually.
"Is that so?" Pearl was somewhat surprised.
"Since last night, as the Boundary Stone's coverage expanded and various Worldviews were loaded, Kyubeys have gradually become active throughout New Penacony. This morning, their numbers even exploded."
"But strangely enough, after eleven this morning, the number of Kyubeys on the streets dropped sharply. I thought they'd triggered some sort of accident. Turns out Sparkle recruited them as guide NPC labor for the exhibition." Little Herta folded her arms, sounding utterly unfazed.
"I see. Then do these free-range Kyubeys also possess the ability to grant other people's wishes?" Pearl nodded in understanding, then looked curiously at