[You paid 30 years of lifespan and asked the beggar why none of the people here had shadows beneath their feet.] [Delighted by your generosity, the beggar told you excitedly, "Our shadows were bought by an important figure many years ago. Supposedly, this was to make it easier for us to distinguish locals from outsiders. Anyone we haven't seen before who has a shadow is an outsider!"]
"Rewind."
Distinguishing outsiders...
Mu You frowned.
That explanation was not exactly wrong. There were plenty of ways to assume a local's appearance, such as transfiguration or the skins players wore. But however their appearance changed, and even if they concealed their aura with a Relic, they could not put away their shadows.
So identifying friend and foe by their shadows was indeed an effective method.
Still, harvesting everyone's shadows just to distinguish locals from outsiders seemed rather like losing sight of the bigger picture...
After some thought, Mu You continued making choices.
[You chose to ask another question.] [You asked the beggar who the "important figure" who took their shadows was.] [The beggar looked at you in surprise, then suddenly waved his hands repeatedly. "I don't know, I don't know..." His gaze wandered, his expression both frightened and suspicious, as though wondering how you knew the term "important figure."]
"Rewind."
[You asked the beggar whether the "important figure" who took their shadows referred to someone from the Undead Society.] [The beggar looked at you with even greater fear, but stopped answering your questions and hurried away instead...]
"Rewind."
The people here seemed extremely wary of the Undead Society. That man who removed gu worms earlier had been the same, acting strangely the moment the Undead Society came up.
It seemed direct questions would get him nowhere.