This was the moment when he really felt that he had come to another world. But the hustle-bustle here also looked so familiar that he almost thought that he had returned to Earth.
But it was just a moment as the different styles and appearances of the people here welcomed the otherworldly traveller to this new world.
'Nulis City, huh? Finally, I'm here.'
Anom took a deep breath and began following after Crystal, whose steps seemed to have gained a spring as she joyfully hopped towards her home.
Suddenly, he felt some movement behind him. Although they were faint, Anom was already able to detect minor disturbances that didn't fit with the natural vibe of a place. This ability of his was strengthened further after he began gaining control over his internal energy.
That's why, while the movements behind him were minute, they didn't escape his notice. Anybody else would have considered them as a part of the city noise. But Anom recognised those footsteps which seemed to be travelling through the narrow and uncrowded alleys of the city. The people whom the footsteps belonged to were trying to reach somewhere quickly.
Anom didn't think that it was a coincidence that those people left the moment him and Crystal entered the city.
He already had a guess about what was going on, but just to be sure, he decided to follow them.
"Come with me!" His voice broke Crystal out of her happy daze.
She looked and found Anom running opposite to the direction of her house.
But she didn't have the time to stop him as he had already run far ahead of her. Helplessly, she could only suppress her urge to run back home and followed after Anom.
Anom followed the people running inside the back alleys closely. He also made sure that no one else related to those people was following him.
Soon, they reach a major intersection filled with a large crowd. Currently, it is one of the busiest times of the day when people are out to grab dinner, walk around the city with friends or just visit the pubs to get a drink.
The route those sneaky people were using also ended with her and they would have to pass through this intersection if they wanted to reach the next pathway.
Anom also stopped at a corner and kept his eyes on the place those people would emerge from.
He didn't have to wait for long as two people emerged from that alley.
The two were dressed in casual clothes that didn't make them stand out from the crowd. Both of them had hoods covering their faces. But that didn't stand out either, as there were many people with similar getups all around the city.
If not for Anom focusing on that alley… Well, he would still have recognised them.
The two of them kept a distance from each other as they walked towards the next alley. But although their movements were smart, the style of their movement technique gave them away.
They both used similar style of walking. It showed that they were trained with strict discipline and made good soldiers…
"But not good spies," Anom muttered and just as he was about to follow after them, a huffing and panting Crystal came from the back and grabbed his hand.
"Where… are… you going?" she said while trying to catch her breath. When she and Anom were in the forest, the speed at which they travelled together was set at a pace which would not tire them out quickly. But now that Anom ran at his full speed, she had to put in all her strength just to keep him within her sight. She finally caught up with him when he stopped at this intersection.
Anom looked ahead to where the sound of the footsteps had disappeared moments ago.
Crystal followed his gaze and frowned, "Why were you going towards that area? That place is… where the enemies of my family live." Her voice was filled with unmasked anger and hatred. Well, it was normal as she hated the enemies of her family for forcing them to such an extent and there was even a possibility that someone within her family was already swayed by their offers.
She was not someone who liked to mess with other people and preferred to live her life peacefully with her family. But now these people wanted to destroy her family for their personal gains without giving them any way out. Even a gentle girl like her couldn't help but get angry.
Anom walked towards her and patted her on the back. "Let's go."
She nodded and started following in the direction that she was going towards initially; her home.
In her anger and depression, she even forgot to ask Anom for the reason he ran to that place.
On the way, Anom asked her, "Can I stay at your house for tonight?"
His voice awoke Crystal from her depressed mood as she thought about his words and replied hurriedly, "Of course. Did you really think I'm that heartless to let you wander on the streets when you know nothing about this place? In fact, you can stay with me as long as you want. I can even help you find a job. Or you can work for my family." She spoke in a casual way but her words seemed as if they were well thought of before she spoke them.
"Oh? Stay with you as long as I want? And work for your family? Like what? Your personal bodyguard? Well, well, aren't you the passionate one?" Anom chuckled at her words and couldn't help but tease her.
"W-Who is being passionate? I-I meant you can stay at m-my house as long as you want. And you have good fighting skills, so maybe you can work as a guard or something." Crystal stuttered while trying to give a reason for her offer.
"Hmm… Looks like you were so passionate about only helping a friend." Anom frowned.
"Yes, yes. I wanted to help you as a friend." She hurriedly parroted his words to save herself from embarrassment. But she soon regretted it.
"Huuu… I'm sorry. I must have misunderstood your feelings. Let's go." Anom sighed as he continued walking while shaking his head.
All of a sudden, Crystal felt a weird sense of loss. She wanted to say something but she herself didn't understand what. She continued following after Anom and kept furrowing her shapely eyebrows.
Meanwhile, Anom, who was walking in front, had already started chuckling. He really enjoyed Crystal's cute reactions after teasing her. But the reaction this time was outside his expectations. He had thought that she would erupt in anger but she ended up getting embarrassed instead.
"What a weird girl." He muttered while shaking his head.
Both of them kept walking and soon arrived in front of an open area. Across this place was a group of imposing structures with a lofty mansion in the middle.
Anom stopped to look at this grand and posh sight.
'This place resembles some of the palaces and royal households that I had sneaked in back on Earth.' Anom really had an urge to try out whether the security of this place was challenging. But although he was confident in his skills, he was not stupid. This was a new world and he still had no idea about the workings of that place.
'First, observe.' As he was lost in his thoughts, Crystal, who was beside him spoke, "That is where my Safaira family lives." Her mood was clearly better than before after she caught sight of the place which she had missed so dearly when her life was in danger.
Before she could sprint forward, Anom spoke, "We were discovered when we entered the city."
Crystal turned towards Anom and frowned. She was about to say something, then remembered the moment when he ran after someone.
"Don't tell me you were following the people sent by them?" she asked.
"I noticed some people leaving stealthily as soon as we entered the city. I followed to the intersection where you caught up with me. I was following them to see their destination, but you have given me the answer already.
Crystal realized it was as Anom had analysed before. The enemy was sure to make a move. Her happiness about returning home disappeared as she once again became worried about her family.
Anom sighed as he said, "I didn't tell you all this to make you depressed. You should be thinking of ways to counter the enemy's moves. Worrying won't do you any good."
His words broke her out of a dark mood as she clenched her fists. She took a deep breath and said, "You're right. I will make sure my family survives this situation. I won't let those bastards destroy the legacy of my Safaira family." Her voice was filled with determination as she made up her to make the enemy pay bitterly.
But her heroic aura didn't last for long as Anom ridiculed her, "Looks like I pumped you up a bit too much. Girl, you get swayed by your emotions easily. You were depressed when you had no solution and now you have firmed your determination to keep your family safe, which is a good thing. But don't let your emotions stand in your way, because soon you will have to make some decisions that might shake that determination of yours." Anom spoke in a serious manner as he tried to make her see the situation rationally, and not get influenced by her personal emotions.
Crystal lowered her head as she mulled over what Anom had criticized her for.
She then asked, "What kind of decisions were you talking about?" She knew that the main focus of his whole speech was this point.
"The decisions where you are required to go against your own family members." Anom stayed silent for a while before telling her. He then continued walking towards the Safaira Family.
Crystal kept standing at her spot for a while before she took a deep breath and followed after Anom.