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... "Player."
Su Ming'an, hidden in the closet, heard the princess herself utter this word.
He was somewhat perplexed.
In the different world replicas, these NPCs' attitudes towards players varied greatly.
Some clearly knew that this group of "outsiders" were players and even viewed them as invaders, while others, like Sevya who heard his exchange with Iris, seemed to have their automatic blocking systems on and showed no amazement, as if nothing was out of ordinary.
But evidently, this Tulip Princess belonged to the former category.
As for the reason behind these NPCs' divergent behaviors... Su Ming'an leaned towards the theory that beings like the princess were awakened NPCs.
They were quite special, able to realize that their world was not real, aware that it was all a game.