Chapter 133: A Coincidental Encounter With Anshel

As Aisha walked in, waves of emotions slowly stirred in her heart.

It was still the middle of the night, so the street was even more crowded than usual. Perhaps because the last time she visited the Association was during the day, and nights are usually when people are more active after getting off work and school.

Under the lights that shimmered and shone in every corner of the city, buildings just as gorgeous as the houses in the noble sector’s lane were sprawling on both sides of the streets. Stores were still open to customers, and many kids who lived with their parents on the island were running and playing in the streets.

It honestly depicted a peaceful and harmonious city.

It was an enviable sight to see for somebody who lived in a harsher and crueler world. But Aisha did not have the time to waste on reminiscing about her past life.

Using the map Amar had given her, she followed the line religiously. She only turned when there was a turn, rounded when there was infrastructure that obstructed the way, and stopped when there was a shuttle passing through.

She was amazed by how much the map knew about the island. It contained more details than the map that was publicly pasted on a wall for tourists to look at whenever they were lost. In particular, there were even places that were marked as someone’s house, a mistress’s, a noble’s hideout, etc.

What was even more surprising was that the Association’s headquarters were drawn in even more detail. A head with two horns and a long beard was even drawn on the top floor of the Association, while labeling it as the Chief Master of the Association’s bedroom.

Suddenly, she wondered if Nykos had a map of the Imperial Palace.

She passed more guards on her way down the street.

"Hey!" ℯℯ𝘭.

Aisha continued walking at the sound of someone calling, thinking it wasn’t meant for her.

The sound of footsteps hurrying behind her and shuffling got closer. Then, she stopped to turn.

A young teenage boy skidded to a stop; his dirty clothes were slightly torn, and his face was smeared with dirt. At a glance, anyone would’ve mistaken the boy for a beggar on the street. But Aisha recognized who it was under that mud.

"Anshel?"

A pleasant smile broke into the boy’s face. "You remember me!"

Aisha had met this boy back when she first visited the Association. He and his grandfather were begging at a stall at the deepest part of the black market for a husk of a broken energy stone. Aisha had only been curious about what those broken stones were and found them useless, giving them away to the pair of grandson and grandfather.

Yet, that act of accidental kindness had taken her to a spot where she might get a limitless supply of meat.

"How was it? Did you find what I gave you last time interesting?" Anshel asked, rubbing his hand on his shirt and smearing more dirt on it.

She hadn’t actually opened the wrapped-up monster corpse, saving it for the last when she no longer had any meat supply. If Zenick hadn’t gone missing, she’d be cleansing and cooking that said meat tomorrow.

Instead of answering the boy’s question, she tipped her chin on the dirt on his face and body and asked, "What happened to you?"

The last time they’d met, he wasn’t that dirty. At least, he looked more presentable than any other kids who were playing around on the street.

Anshel showed an ashamed expression, lips drawn straight, before he rubbed his neck. "This... I was working at a warehouse earlier and fell... Don’t mind it, I’m on my way to a well to wash this away."

Aisha didn’t continue the topic about the dirt on his body. But she could tell which of his words were a lie. For someone to just fall and get dirt on themselves, only the spot where they’d fallen would get dirty. Yet, his entire body down to the tips of his hair was smeared with dirt.

Besides, there were also the welts on his palms that he had hidden by pressing them to his shirt.

Even without seeing it closely, she could tell that those welts had come from a whip or something similar.

However, she didn’t put her nose in someone else’s business. She had a more urgent and important thing to do.

"Are you heading somewhere?" Anshel asked, following her. "I...I can guide you there if you want!"

Aisha took two seconds before agreeing. She tossed twenty ten-star credits at him, which he happily caught in his hand.

It really was done with a whip. While she tossed the coins at him, Anshel forgot to cover his hands to catch the money. Hence, he laid bare what he was hiding.

"You don’t need to take me anywhere. I want you to do something for me instead."

Anshel carefully kept his money and looked at her.

Aisha said, "I want you to go to this place and ask around for a man named Ricky. He looks like this."

She showed him a picture of a man with a slender body and tattoos all over his face. He looked fierce and like a criminal who had just successfully done a prison break. Green, moss-like hair and a hawk nose.

It was the Vice Captain that Zenick trusted the most. Theon hadn’t only given her the location where he had last met him; he also provided her with a clear photo of them while warning her to not approach them if she saw them.

But his warning was completely ignored by her. And Theon would regret showing it to her because that was how she recognized Styx and Marlon in Sector Nine.

"This man... is he dangerous?" Anshel showed some hesitation.

Knowing what he was worried about, Aisha told him honestly, "He is. But I’m not telling you to make contact with him or follow him. I just want to know who he is meeting while staying here. Can you do it?"

Finally, Anshel looked a lot more relieved. "Leave it to me! I know several boys who can—"

"No, Anshel." She stopped him mid-sentence. "Don’t tell anyone about this. You have to do it alone. But I can promise you that once you’re done, I’ll give you a thousand credits."

"R—really?! You’re really going to give me a thousand credits?!" Anshel’s eyes bulged out in utter disbelief. Then, after he made a gulping sound, he patted his chest proudly and declared, "Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to find out everything he did while staying here!"

Aisha was glad he was confident in doing this task.

But before she turned to leave, she reminded him again, "Remember, do not make contact with him. Avoid him immediately and run away if he sees you."

Anshel nodded and repeatedly told her he’d be careful.

However, Aisha couldn’t shake the unease within her, so she took out a dagger from her storage bag and handed it to him.

"Use this in case you’re in danger."

Anshel looked bewildered at the sight of the dagger. Then, his jaw slackened when Aisha showed him how to use it as a beginner.

After showing a few simple swings and teaching him to attack vulnerable spots, Aisha finally left and headed to one of her destinations.