The duo had finally gotten out of the crowd a few minutes of struggle later, with Tom stopping himself from asking any details, lest they be overheard and cause Ansel trouble.
However, they didn't get far before another voice called out to Ansel, with a very familiar tone of voice.
Ansel's eyes twitched, he didn't seem to have female friends and/or exes with such a high-pitched tone of voice, right?
"Ansel…" the voice called again when she saw that they didn't pay attention.
The two men turned their heads to see two women approaching them with big, relieved smiles on their faces.
If others saw, they'd think they were old friends or something that finally found each other after suffering great wrongs.
Ansel recognized them as Nanny's daughter and the showy woman who called herself their neighbor.
Looking at the two women, Ansel could see that the environment obviously took a toll on them. Their faces had lost their previous smoothness, their clothing was well-kept but poor quality due to circumstance, and their skins had gotten rough and dark.
Despite all these changes, their core was the same: one was as haughty as ever, while the other one stood a step behind her as if willingly serving as foil.
Of course, Ansel's experienced eyes told him she was doing the exact opposite. He could even sense some low-key goading of the other woman to encourage the other to act like a spoiled brat.
It didn't help that the Peacock woman a.k.a. Ramona really was really a spoiled brat that magically still hadn't been fixed by the apocalypse AND the migration.
She did not hide the greed in her eyes when she saw him, which crept Ansel (and Tom, who wasn't even the target) very much.
"Ansel…" she repeated when he didn't answer, assuming he simply didn't hear, eyes ogling him maniacally.
Ansel was still as handsome as ever, Ramona thought greedily, and he was even cleaner than when they last saw him.
Not to mention, compared to the sorry state of everyone right now, Ansel was a massive light in the darkness!
Her gossipy nature also informed her that Ansel was among the people who brought all these goods here.
Not only did they bring food and condiments, but they also brought fabric!
She definitely can't miss him! She thought strongly, thinking of various ways to get Ansel to take her with him.
Ramona, at this time, was getting desperate.
Since they got here, she had been trying to attach herself to Micheal. At least, get attached to any one of his confidants.
Unfortunately, she had no luck for a while and had no choice but to settle with the lowest ranked people amongst the Lord's party—a plain-looking muscle-head named Paulie.
She couldn't help but send a furtive sideways glance at the woman beside her. She did not have any luck, but—for some mysterious reason—this woman did.
Ramona didn't know how she did it, but she managed to snag someone from the lord's inner circle—a man named Gingo, who was in charge of the lord's Treasury.
He was not very handsome, and a little older than they were, but the lord's decisions on where to place his money had a lot to do with this guy.
It was not an exaggeration to say he held the most power next to the lord himself.
But looking at the lively stalls, Ramona sneered. So what if you had money? What was money if you couldn't even eat a decent meal?
She had had enough of all those bland food!
At this thought, her stare at Ansel got even hotter.
"You're back?" She asked with a smile she thought was sexy. Ansel only nodded and gestured to walk away when Sandra beside her spoke.
"Althea… she… how is she?" She asked, appearing truly concerned.
"Hmn," Ansel responded and turned to her. He was still polite to Sandra. After all, it was her direction that led him to Althea.
"I found her, " He said, "Thanks to you."
He then handed her a small basket with a little of everything—one of his offerings, the food set.
Sandra blushed and was very flattered by the gift, while Ramona frowned in jealousy.
"This basket is actually a product from her industry. She's doing very well." He said, "You know her field. She's like a fish thrown into the water now."
Ansel took a deep look at the woman, pretending not to see her stiffened stance. "She was among the first citizens there and it was the first territory she settled in. She barely suffered."
Sandra gripped the basket when he heard how Althea was.
It was even her first territory! She didn't suffer at all!
Most importantly, she was the one behind these items? How?
She must still be so beautiful right?!
Ansel sneered when he saw the reaction she thought she was hiding well, politely excused himself, and led Tom to go on their way.
Ansel and Tom didn't get far, when he stopped walking. Tom was a little puzzled until the redhead turned to a direction with an unreadable smile.
Ansel stared back at another familiar face staring at him.
It was none other than the territory lord, Micheal, as well-put as always.
He was standing still and poised with a few of his guards and cronies beside him.
Interestingly, some of these guards were familiar.
It was Bruce and Artie, now guards, who were also pleasantly surprised at the sight of him. They didn't break character and run to him of course, but the brightness in their eyes was welcoming enough,
Ansel smiled back, happy for them. He also saw how hard they worked for this back then, and was glad they'd gotten the opportunity.
Micheal looked at him, and then to the Alteran team not far away. The man then sent a deep unfathomable look, but that same smile was plastered on his face.
Micheal walked over to him, stopping just over a meter away. "Shall we talk?"
Ansel gave him a knowing look and smirked. "Gladly."