They had arrived.
Just as the car crossed into the town's edge, Zhao Yang tapped the brakes twice. Not because of any obstacle— but because an old woman was calmly using telekinesis to move a tree off the road.
Chen Mo glanced over.
"What tier is she?"
He Xuan:
"Not sure. But her magnetic field is stable, and the tree's moving smoothly."
Lu Ye:
"At least late Tier Three."
Lin Lan:
"She's horticulture-type."
Hu Hao:
"I thought she was mental-type."
Zhao Yang:
"I thought she was traffic control."
They decided not to ask.
The town wasn't large— but its magnetic density was absurd.
He Xuan recorded as they walked:
"S-Town · Population: ~1800 Ability-user ratio: 78% Elemental types: Less than 5%."
Chen Mo:
"What about the rest?"
He Xuan:
"Utility, construct, lifestyle… Occasionally, philosophical types."
Hu Hao:
"What do philosophical types do?"
He Xuan:
"Make you question your existence."
Zhao Yang:
"Already happening."
They passed a bakery. The air smelled like cream— and magnetic fields.
The owner was a Tier Four construct-type. She could generate edible pastries directly in the air.
Zhao Yang stared at a floating strawberry cake.
"That's insane."
Chen Mo:
"You want one?"
Zhao Yang:
"I want to learn."
Lin Lan:
"Don't. No one wants a cake made of blood mist."
They kept walking. A child on the roadside was folding paper cranes with magnetic manipulation. The cranes could fly.
Hu Hao watched.
"How old is he?"
He Xuan:
"Eight. Magnetic frequency stable. Consciousness layer clear."
Lu Ye:
"I was still eating dirt at eight."
Chen Mo:
"You haven't improved much."
"Asshole."
They pushed into the town center, hoping to find a place to stay.
Problem was— the locals weren't exactly welcoming.
They knocked on the door of a hotel. A Tier Five spatial-type stood at the entrance.
"You're outsiders?"
Zhao Yang nodded.
"We won't disturb."
She looked them over.
"Your magnetic fields are unstable."
Chen Mo:
"We just fought a Tier Six zombie."
Her reply was flat.
"Then you're even more unstable."
The door closed.
Next, they tried a guesthouse. The owner was a Tier Three time-type.
"How long are you staying?"
He Xuan:
"Tentatively three days."
Owner:
"I can make it feel like one hour."
Hu Hao:
"How do you charge for that?"
Owner:
"By your perception."
They chose not to stay.
Eventually, they found an empty house on the town's edge. Not abandoned— just vacated because the previous resident ascended too fast and literally flew off.
Lin Lan scanned the field.
"Stable. No residue."
Lu Ye:
"Furniture's still here."
Zhao Yang:
"I can power the induction stove."
Chen Mo:
"Then we stay."
They moved in. The house was small— but enough.
The living room's magnetic field was clean. The kitchen smelled a bit off. The bedroom was slightly damp.
Hu Hao sank into the sofa.
"Better than the base."
Zhao Yang opened the fridge. Inside was a glowing slice of cake.
"Can we eat this?"
Lin Lan:
"You can try."
Zhao Yang:
"I can also not try."
The cake went dark.
"Guess the previous resident died."
He Xuan set up the recorder. Lu Ye constructed a backup particle man on the balcony. Chen Mo stood at the door, watching the town's flow of ability users.
Some used magnetic fields to do laundry. Some brewed coffee with their consciousness layer. Some built flower sheds with construct-type abilities.
Hu Hao:
"No one here fights."
Zhao Yang:
"They don't need to."
Lin Lan:
"Their powers are too practical."
He Xuan:
"But the magnetic frequencies are too uniform. Like they've been tuned."
Lu Ye:
"Like someone's waiting for us."
Chen Mo didn't speak. He just stared into the distance.
He knew— this town wasn't simple.
They weren't chased out. They weren't welcomed either.
They just forced their way in— and found a place to stay.
For now.