Feng Ye observed Krum.
The lines on his face. The heaviness in his shoulders. He was not just a warrior. He was a man who was broken and reformed. A man who had found a new purpose and meaning to his life despite his loss.
"And that's why you were watching the branch leader," Anne muttered. "You suspected him."
"I knew," Krum replied. "I couldn't act without evidence that he had bad intentions towards our interests, but today, the truth revealed itself."
Krum glanced again at Feng Ye.
"And you…You may be an Otherworlder, but so was he. You chose to stand with us. He chose to bring Redwood Town with him. That's enough reason for me."
He turned to Anne.
"Anne Lyon. I do know you. A talented mage that the adventurer's guild headquarters has taken a liking to. Your innate affinity with magic has gained the favor of elders there.."
His voice and expression softened slightly.
"To think that you were that young little girl many years ago…but yes I do know your parents."
Anne nodded. "Yes, my father was Alden Lyon. My mother was Mema. They spoke highly of you."
"Ahh… yes. Alden and Mema. Good folk. You were just a child back then…."
He paused to recall some of his dust-covered memories.
"And now, you are one who has gained the favor of the guild. A talent. The world truly moves fast."
His expression then became slightly serious.
"The guild will come asking questions. I'll be the one to answer them. For now, you both need to rest. We will speak tomorrow. There's many matters I need to handle."
He started to walk toward the ruined door of the office. Before stepping out, he halted. He glanced back at Feng Ye.
"If you are truly not like the others….make sure to stay that way. I'll keep your status quiet and watch."
With those final words, he stepped out leaving only Feng Ye and Anne alone in the office.
Feng Ye glanced at Anne as the door shut behind General Krum.
She dusted herself off. Stretching her arms upwards, she smirked at him.
"So….An Otherworlder, huh?"
Feng Ye calmly replied. "...You are pretty calm hearing about it. By the way, can you not call me that?"
"What? I think it suits you." She tilted her head innocently. "Mysterious, out of place, a little weird… That's definitely an Otherworlder."
"Just call me Ye Feng." Feng Ye calmly replied.
Anne shrugged as she casually kicked some debris from the broken bookshelves out of her way.
"Alright Ye Feng." Her voice seemed to contain playfulness.
Feng Ye was about to open his mouth to reply but paused before closing it again.
Feng Ye glanced at Anne, watching her smirk and lean in like they were old friends. It was out of place. It was jarring.
Only a few days ago, they were complete strangers. She and her party had treated him as a liability. Cold and cautious and at arm's length. It was as though they didn't know when he or Lucas would snap.
Now, he is seeing an entirely different side to her. One that was cracking jokes, smirking, and throwing out nicknames as though they were comrades.
The change seemed pretty abrupt. From the blood, monsters, and chaos, life and death seemed to enable her to warm up to him. A lot.
Perhaps, too much?
Maybe it was the exhaustion or the warmth in her eyes. For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt like someone saw him as an ally. Flora's was based on benefits and exchange, this seemed more genuine.
Anne glanced at Feng Ye with a playful smile. "What? Shocked?"
"Just… surprised," Feng Ye admitted. "You weren't exactly this talkative earlier. The sudden change is like I'm speaking to a different person entirely."
Anne grinned. "Ah, you noticed. Yeah, back then you were just some suspicious guy with a shady aura and no name. You robbed the bandit leader's sword, but you could have walked away. We didn't know if you had any goals."
"Does the status of Otherworlder surprise you?" Feng Ye glanced into Anne's eyes.
Anne tapped her chin as if pondering deeply.
"Hmmm…not really. Honestly, I figured you were weird from the start. The way you acted, and talked… and that inventory trick you pulled? That wasn't normal and only confirmed it."
She leaned slightly closer. Her eyes sparked with curiosity.
"So tell me. What's your world like?"
"Magic doesn't exist there. We rely on technology."
Anne grinned as though she had found that a magicless society was interesting.
"No magic? How does anything get done? You guys still live in caves?"
"We have cities. We use electricity. We fly through the skies in machines. We can talk across the world using tiny rectangle boxes called phones."
"Ohh!" Anne's eyes lit up as though struck by a realization. "You mean like the one that was at the Auction House."
"Yes, that one, though it sold for a high price surprisingly." Feng Ye nodded.
"Well, it is rare and from another world. Of course, it would be sky high." Anne's grin became larger. "But hey, it makes your world sound kinda… weak. No fireballs? No enchanted swords? No floating islands?"
"We had nukes," Feng Ye offered despite knowing Anne wouldn't understand.
Anne blinked with curiosity. "That sounds like a spell, is that spell?"
"…Let's not get into it."
She glanced at him with a knowing smile. "Mhmmm. Okay, I'll take your word for it, Otherworlder."
"Ye Feng."
Anne laughed again. Then she stepped closer. Her expression softened and became slightly more serious.
"But in all seriousness, you didn't have to stay, you know. You could've just slipped away unnoticed… but you didn't... So, I'll keep your secret. However..."
She locked her gaze with Feng Ye's. A calculating smirk returned.
"In exchange, I want you to join my party."
"Is this extortion?" Feng Ye narrowed his eyes slightly.
Anne shrugged. "If it is, it's the charming kind."
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to sign a contract?"
"Lucky for you," she leaned in closer. Her voice softened even more. "I don't need contracts. Just trust."
Feng Ye blinked. He was momentarily caught off guard by the closeness.
He wasn't sure what surprised him more. Anne completely seemed like a different person. Her forwardness and boldness are in stark contrast to the one he met days ago.
He cleared his throat. "You've changed a lot since we first met."
"I know," she replied. "The past several hours showed me that perhaps, having you join is best for both of our interests."
Feng Ye nodded. Indeed, for the past several hours, they had to blindly trust each other to ensure that could survive. Life and death forged friendships.
Anne at this time was in front of Feng Ye. She was literally an arm's length away.
She stared into Feng Ye's eyes.
"So, partner?"
Feng Ye exhaled slowly. He thought to himself. 'Perhaps, joining right now wouldn't be a bad idea. He had to make a trip to the capital anyways and it seemed that Anne was on her way there too to meet up with her party.'
Feng Ye looked up at Anne's face. She had an expression of anticipation. "Fine, I'll join. Temporarily. I also need to head to the capital."
Anne's face lit up as though she had won a bet. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint. Come on then, let's get out of this broken office. I'm tired of staying here now."
She extended a hand toward him. "Come on, partner. I'm getting real tired of this wrecked office."
Feng Ye let out a quiet chuckle and accepted her hand. Her grip was firm, steady. He pulled himself up as Anne grinned.
After Feng Ye was pulled up and stood. Anne turned and walked towards the exit. Before actually stepping out, she stopped and turned towards Feng Ye.
"Welcome to the party."