Seif was awakened by a knock on the door.

It would be more accurate to say this: someone has found a stepping stone and is using it to knock on his door. He could hear a thunderous sound coming from his bedroom.

He staggered out of bed, drowsy,

Exasperated in confusion. He rubbed his eyes, and he woke up. , peek through the peephole. He blinked. It looks vaguely familiar.

"Are you still alive, kid?"

Sev stumbled back. Where is that crazy old woman? It's too early. He wanted to go back to bed, climb under the covers, and sleep until dinner time.

Sadly, his neighbor knocked on the door harder than a rugged firefighter.

Sai secretly complained. He unlocked the door and pulled it open.

Mrs. Bickel filled the whole doorframe in a way that no other old woman could match. She looked at him for a long time, and then the corners of her mouth cracked, revealing a big smile.

"Did you just get up?"

He tilted his head back, looking at her wrinkled face and twinkling eyes. Her presence on his doorstep didn't make any sense. It felt like a strange dream, especially since the last thing he remembered clearly was that Maugne was coming at him with a murderous intent to kill him.

Sai shuddered. That's something he'd rather not think about. Instead, he has an equally tricky situation to deal with.

"Why are you here?" He asked cautiously.

"I want to ask you for help."

He stared at her. His help? This is even less meaningful than it was a minute ago. He has zero skills and even less knowledge about how to solve problems.

"I think you're in the wrong place."

"That's not right." She shook her head once, letting the fluffy silver curls bounce over her head. "That's the right place. Can I come in? “

"Why?" He wanted to ask why she insisted that this was the place to ask for help, but his groggy brain failed to produce anything more than the word. She laughs. "Why not?"

Sai wordlessly stepped back and allowed her in. He suspected that if she really wanted to come in, he couldn't stop her.

He dragged his hands to his face, hoping he would wake up sooner. "Isn't it early?"

Mrs. Bickle snorted. "Early? Kid, it's 11 o'clock. “

She passed him and told him to close the door. He had expected her to say something, how empty the place was, or how pathetic it was that he didn't even have a chair. But she didn't. She just walked to the living room and sat down on the carpet next to the coffee table.

"Good place," she said.

He stared at her wordlessly. Was she kidding? But she said it seriously, without a hint of sarcasm.

"Now," she continued, "if I had known it was a slumber party, I would have come more prepared." “

Sai remembered that he was wearing a worn-out t-shirt and his favorite shorts. It's the one he's most comfortable with, and that's why he likes it so much. But the downside is that they were a gift from his uncle, so they were covered with little green penguins, and Fong's sense of humor was really bad at times.

Sev fled back to his bedroom with a fire in his ears.

He closed the door and collapsed on the bed, covering his hot face with his hands. He was totally taking pictures of her with green penguins. It's a miracle she didn't laugh out loud. Now she'll think he's a fool.

It took a few minutes for him to dare to reappear, donning jeans and a slightly wrinkled but clean shirt. Beako

Madame did not move away from the coffee table. When she saw him, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"No Penguins 2"

His face felt like a volcano erupting. Of course, she had to show up the day he chose to wear those stupid shorts. It's all Finn's fault.

"What exactly do you need help?"

"It's not that hard." Her eyes sparkled, why did she assure him this?

"I just need to go next door and buy some groceries. What do you say? Will you help this poor old woman across the road? “

Sai didn't think she needed help crossing the street. She could kick a heavy box across the yard without much effort.

Still, he hesitated. He hadn't forgotten how she had fed him the best lasagna in the world last night.

"Do you want to buy groceries?" He asked cautiously.

"If you will."

He looked at her warily. This sentence does not fit the image in front of him. It is impossible for a shark not to swim through the streets and devour a school of helpless fish on its own. But he can't really say no to her, can he? When she was desperate to find him last night.

"Okay," he said. "I ......"

His stomach grunted. He blushed.

Mrs. Bicol smiled and stood up. "When we go out, we go buy lunch."

Just like that, Sef found himself wandering through the lobby of the mall with bags hanging from his arms. The mall is old and dilapidated, with narrow halls and faded paint. Its shoppers are no different. Mrs. Bicker walked ahead of him, and her tall figure could not disappear among the staggering few.

While his gaze wandered over every store they passed, it wasn't like there were many people – the most Seth saw at one time was one – Seth hastened to follow. He didn't realize that there were so many different places in this small mall. It's right across the street from the apartment complex and has everything from groceries to clothing.

He can find almost anything he needs here, and he doesn't even have to worry about driving and crowds.

Does Finn know this? Sai couldn't help but wonder. His uncle really thought of everything when choosing this place. He knew that big places and too many people were overwhelming, just as he knew that Sif would rather starve in his apartment than take the bus halfway through the city to visit a huge supermarket with a thousand different options and just as many strangers.

"Here," cried Mrs. Bickel. She walked into a dimly lit shop on the left. It looks rather shady. He couldn't even tell what it was selling because it had so many random things on its dark shelves. From kitchen utensils to hockey sticks, and tapes stacked between gorgeous purses and heels.

The smell of cigarettes filled the air, and he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose. There were no other customers in the store either.

Mrs. Bicker went straight to the back of the shop, leaving Seth embarrassed to do his best to avoid bumping into anything in the narrow aisle.

When he caught up with her, she was leaning against a worn counter, chatting with a short, bald man with a pencil-thin beard.

"Look," she said, "that's the way it is. Did you see that? “

The bald man nodded. He has a wanted face, and his sparse beard is strange.

He didn't dare to stare at him for too long, lest the shopkeeper notice.

Ivan held a lit cigarette between his two fingers. He blinked when he saw Saf. "Yes, yes. I see it very clearly. “

Sef felt that he had turned the wrong corner, and ended up in a place that did not belong to him. The smoke scratched at his throat and made him cough. He covered his nose with his sleeve.

"Sef," Mrs. Bickel turned to him. "This is Ivan. He's an old friend of mine. “

"Hello." Saifu said politely through his sleeve. "Nice to meet you."

Ivan took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled, adding to the gloom in the shop. "Hull said you just moved here, didn't you?"

Hull? Sey's eyes were on Mrs. Bickel.

He nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Okay, okay." The bald man waved his free hand at the surrounding shelves. "This is my shop. Whatever you need, I'll look for. Sold cheaply. Sounds good, right? “

"Really?" Sai was a little confused. He looked at Mrs. Becker.

She grinned. "Tell Ivan what you need, Seth. If I were you, I'd buy some chairs first. There is also a table. “

Sai stared at her. He could feel his ears start to heat and wished the shop was dark enough to cover it. She and Uncle Finn will get along well. Both of them said the same thing.

"What kind of chair?" Ivan asked. He had found a notepad, one that looked old enough to survive the two world wars. The paper has yellowed and curled.

"A couch?" Seth thought of his living room, where there were only stained rugs to sit on. "And a pair of kitchens, I think."

"Yes, yes." Scratches from the pen and paper followed. Foreign graffiti appeared on paper, not so much writing as abstract art. Ivan looked up eagerly. "What else?"

"I don't have much money," Seef said. He wasn't even sure if he could afford a couch.

"Don't worry," Ivan blinked. "My stuff was cheap. It will be no problem. “

That didn't sound like something a shopkeeper should brag about, and Seth was relieved to hear it. As long as it does its job, he doesn't care if it's ugly or shabby. He will accept what he can get.

"So, how about a table for the kitchen?" He said. "It's a small one. There are also some pillows. He thought of Uncle Finn's comments when he visited, and smiled. Yes, he's going to buy a pillow specifically for Finn.

"Uh-huh." Ivan wrote it all down. "What about the toaster? Do you need a toaster? “

Seif thought about it for a moment. Then he nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Wait here. Ivan stepped out from behind the counter and disappeared into an aisle. Seif barely had time to cast an inquiring glance at Mrs. Bicker when the little man returned. He held a shiny toaster in his hand with wires wrapped around it twice. It looks fairly new.

Ivan put it on the counter. "Two dollars."

The price raised Seth's eyebrows. It was much cheaper than he expected. He stared at the toaster suspiciously. "Does it work?"

"Of course! I tested it myself. Ivan patted the toaster as if it were a priceless treasure. With the hand holding the cigarette, the ash of the cigarette butt peeled off and fell into the toaster. Seth chuckled at this. But for the price, he really can't complain. "Okay, I think I want it."

"Good!" Ivan looked pleased. "You'll be back in two days. I'll take care of the rest. “

So fast? Seth could hardly believe it. "Okay. Thank you. “

"I'll bring it for you," said Mrs. Bicker.

Sey just nodded in agreement. An old lady offered to help him carry something that could be heavy, which was not even taken into account. He could already imagine her single-handedly moving a couch across the street.

She might even pile a table and two chairs on top of it and move it all at once.

He paid for the toaster, and they left the store.

"What's next?" He asked.

"Lunch," she said. "I know there's a place. Think of it as a reward for helping me today. “

He thinks it should be the other way around, because all he does is carry some bags. On the other hand, she introduced him to a potential black market dealer who had access to all sorts of suspicious goods. It's a bit worrying,

But if everything is as cheap as a toaster, then he will gladly accept it. Tuck sits at the coffee table with a phone in hand. Next to him was an empty plastic container with a fork stuck in it. Here's all that's left of the lasagna that Mrs. Bickel gave him yesterday.

Even if it's cold, it's a delicious dinner. Sadly not, but he hoped that Mrs. Bicker would do more. After all, she bought more cheese and lasagna while shopping.

He sent a text message to Uncle Finn, but there was no reply.

Finn usually doesn't reply within an hour, maybe he's still busy with work. Sai cautiously typed out another message.

"Are you going to call tonight? I have some questions about the game

He clicked send. It was a little over 11 p.m. He knew it was too late.

Sai put his phone down and curled forward. He felt conflicted. Part of him wanted to eagerly jump back to Elliona and see what other crazy situations came his way. He even had a lot of fun with the other players, though he was still unsure if he could believe their intentions.

Uncle Finn might tell him to give them a chance not to be so paranoid about everything.

But what about the man in black? Seth now has no doubt that Maudne is after him. Why, he didn't know. He wanted to ask Finn if it was part of a mission he didn't know about. There must be a way to get Maun to leave him, and he wants his uncle to give some hints.

But Finn didn't reply to his text message.

Sef checked his phone. Nothing. He sighed. It's possible that his uncle was working all night. If that's the case, he probably won't reply until tomorrow. There's no point in waiting any longer.

Sef stood up and walked to the door of his apartment, making sure it was locked, and he turned off all the lights.

He wanted to go back to Elliona. The world there was so vibrant and exciting that he found himself thinking about it all day. There, he can heal people with a word. It's amazing. Ha. As long as Maugne doesn't reappear.

I'll stay in a crowded place now, he decided. There's no way he's going to kill me in the middle of town, can he?