Genosha truly was a wondrous nation. Peter and Wanda walked through the streets, observing the diverse array of mutants passing by. Wanda used her powers to conceal the bracelet on Peter's wrist, ensuring no one would recognize Peter as a visitor or suspect he was Spider-Man. They would simply assume he was a newly arrived mutant unfamiliar with Genosha.
This was a form of reciprocation for Peter's trust in her.
For mutants, if they merely possessed uncontrollable superpowers, they could try to conceal them. In the current era, superpowers had even become a form of capital to show off. However, the changes in appearance caused by the mutant gene had instead become the main reason for mutant discrimination.
Simply put, a significant portion of the population didn't fear "mutants with superpowers but normal appearances," yet they discriminated against "mutants with strange appearances."
"This situation doesn't just happen between ordinary humans and mutants; it happens among mutants too. When I first came to Genosha, many people also discriminated against those whose looks were distorted by the X-Gene." Wanda explained the dynamics of Genosha as they walked. They passed a "bird-man," who had a human physique but was covered in feathers, possessed a beak, and had strange limbs.
Wanda informed Peter that despite having hollow bones like a bird, this man still couldn't fly, and was instead met with aversion from those around him.
They also saw a blue-skinned man singing jazz by the roadside. His mutant ability was simply his blue skin.
"There are many like him. For example, there's a mutant whose neck is three times longer than a normal person's. That's the extent of his X-Gene manifestation; he has no other superpowers. These people were discriminated against in their hometowns. After coming to Genosha, mutants with greater abilities discriminate against those with weaker abilities, or those who have no other powers at all."
"My father wanted to build a homeland for mutants, not a new chain of mutant-on-mutant discrimination. He expended a great deal of effort to essentially eliminate this situation, at least on the surface."
After hearing Wanda's introduction, Peter asked curiously, "How did he manage that?"
"By having telepaths intervene. The perpetrators were given a thorough experience of what it felt like to be discriminated against and abused. Their appearance in the eyes of others was even briefly twisted. It was about making them walk a mile in someone else's shoes."
Wanda smiled and paused in front of an ice cream shop, asking Peter what flavor he wanted. Peter replied, "Chocolate," and was surprised to watch the shop owner's hand transform into chocolate ice cream, which was then scooped into a cone. The hand then transformed into vanilla ice cream, and he scooped a portion for Wanda.
"His power is... turning himself into ice cream?"
"Yes, transforming part or all of his body into ice cream. If he wasn't in Genosha, his business certainly wouldn't thrive. But this is Genosha. Most people here have very high body strength and won't catch a cold from eating a little ice cream in winter."
Wanda laughed and handed the ice cream to Peter. The two walked to a street corner, where a mutant with hydrokinetic powers was controlling the streams of water from a fountain. He wasn't demonstrating any fierce attack moves, but instead changed the water flow into various patterns, a beautiful, fluid performance that drew many onlookers.
They were no exception.
In Genosha, everyone could freely use their powers without affecting others, and it seemed everyone was abiding by this rule.
Peter knew, of course, that Genosha had its own laws, but its residents came from all over the world. Bringing them together was already difficult, let alone making them adhere to unified rules and laws.
How was it accomplished?
"Because... because they fear my father."
Wanda hesitated for a moment before giving what she believed was the reason: "I still remember a few years ago, my father would publicly execute criminals, hanging them outside the palace for all to see, demanding that everyone follow the rules he set."
"On the busiest day, he executed over seventy criminals. Although most were not killed, fear was instilled in everyone, and they began to live according to Genosha's laws, adapting little by little."
At this point, Wanda fell silent for a moment, then sighed with resignation.
"Perhaps once people are used to it, this kind of high pressure won't be necessary. At least from what I see, most people in Genosha are still pursuing an ordinary life and won't violate the laws."
Provided the laws aren't ridiculous, Peter muttered internally. This Genosha looked too good. Although Magneto had used a lot of force to stabilize the nation, overall, Genosha could be considered a paradise for mutants.
He just wondered how real this paradise was.
"Yes, many people fear mutants, and many others hope to turn mutants into soldiers and weapons, but they forget, or are unwilling to admit, that most mutants are just like them; they don't crave dangerous battles. They only came here because they were tired of endless discrimination."
Wanda and Peter talked and walked, finishing their ice cream. Venom, using Peter's vision, was checking if he could find Max Dillon (Electro), but so far, he had been unsuccessful.
But that was fine; Venom was free, so he might as well put him to work.
As they walked, Peter saw a poster of someone he knew. He paused in front of the Dazzler poster, and Wanda noticed, asking with a slight curiosity, "Are you her fan?"
"What? Oh, not really, I've just heard of her."
He had done more than just hear of her; on Earth-2149, he had met a Wanda and a Dazzler, but there was no need to mention that now.
"Then I highly recommend you attend one of Dazzler's concerts. Her power seems tailor-made for her music career."
Wanda finished and looked at Peter. The poster showed that Dazzler's new concert was scheduled for that evening, inviting everyone to attend.
Wanda was even more direct, telling Peter, "If you're interested, I can accompany you tonight."
"Let's talk about tonight when it's night."
"You're right."
Wanda nodded, then asked, "Shall we go get some lunch first?"
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