"You might be right," he agrees as he watches his plume of smoke drift upward. "Especially about it existing where I'm from and me not realizing. People get good at hiding things. People make dumb mistakes too, though. So if it's real, it's rare."

Individuals can keep secrets. Entire regimes can't, though they can spend a lot of money and manpower to cover them up. In between, the average population of people can't do either one.

"I shouldn't discount it entirely just because I've never seen that, but I've never seen an island get up and start walking, either." Though maybe that's a bad comparison, given he's heard the legends about Zunesha like anyone with a basic interest in mythology has. Or anyone who's met a mink, for that matter, but they're also few and far between.