“Wake up you lazy bum! Come down, today you will follow us to the town,” mother’s voice sounded beside his ear, with a little shake to his shoulder. A little beam of warm light shot out from the gap of the window’s frame.

Nick slowly got up from his bed, looking dazed at the opened door, without her mother’s silhouette to be seen. Maybe she came down to prepare breakfast. Yawning, he stretched his slightly stiff body, cracking sounds here and there over his joints. Drowsiness was still there, he got near and opened the window, feeling the cold breeze and the warm faint sunlight, enjoyed it till drowsiness gone.

He came down to the bathroom washing his face and teeth-brushing. Looking at his reflection on the mirror, satisfied with his look, he smirked.

“It’s still too early for you to care about your face, boy!”

His father came inside to do his morning stuff while not forgetting to make fun of Nick after seeing him inside.

“Since you have my gene, you don’t need to worry about your look at all!” Huang Wei couldn’t help bragging in front of his son.

“That’s what I’m worried, luckily I inherited mother’s look more, with only dad’s hair and eye color,” Nick touched his hair, acted like he was serious but his eyes betrayed him with its mischievous glint.

“That’s why they said kids are ignorant, how would your beautiful mother like me if I’m not a handsome man!”

“That’s why you are so lucky.”

“Darn kid, you…” 

The duo kept their words-fighting in the bathroom. Helena prepared breakfast while giggling happily because they praised her indirectly.

---

His family arrived at the station, there were already some villagers waited the train the same as them.

“Why are we leaving so early, you usually never worked this early, right?” Nick asked them while looking at the big clock a few meters away that showed it was still six past thirty in the morning. He observed the people around him. There were not many differences between their life with the people from earth before the emergence of the portal and the mysterious energy. Its influence just made people’s lives better, at least that was what he saw. 

“I need to check the stuff before I sent them of course,” Huang Wei said lightly.

“You should do that yesterday instead.”

“Your dad just wants to do the last check, so we need to go early,” Helena responded before her husband could say anything. It amused her to see this father-son always bickering with each other, but they were in public, so she interrupted before they start another round.

Three minutes later, the train came. The people around them boarded it. Since it was still early in the morning, there were already some people inside but not to the point of being crowded.

It was fifteen minutes trip. The station in Springfield Town was located near their store, it was less than ten minutes walk. The town was like any other town, with more people coming back and forth, more buildings, and more transportations.

Their store was on a business street. There were some business varieties, so it seemed like there was already an integrated system used by the one that managed this town, good then. 

They arrived in front of the store. He looked at the name’s plank, “The Ancient Anvil”. Interesting name, Nick chuckled inside. He came inside while their parents left him alone as they started their cores for the day. 

Nick looked around the front room, it was used as a display for several cold weapons. Sword, bow, hammer, spear, javelin, and many other weapons laid there on the display table or hanged on the wall. They were not looking fancy or anything, they looked plain like weapon with no ornaments to distinguish them with their kinds. People like Nick that didn’t know anything about weapons only had one thing in mind that all the weapons here could be used. Right weapon to be used, not a mere display.

Besides his family, there was a big sister in that display room sitting behind the receptionist table, but she was pulled by her mother inside, maybe to talk about something. I’ll ask about her later. Then Nick went inside to find his father was checking the tools on the open back of a car. Nick silently came up, looking at several items there, among them were weapons like the front display he had seen but better in his eyes. He waited for his father to finish, it was quite rare for him to see the serious side of him.

A moment later, Huang Wei finished checking the items, then glancing at Nick at his side.

“Alright, you will follow me to Roberts Family.”

---

The Ancient Anvil and the train station were located in the southeast part of the town, whereas the Roberts family residence was located in the north. It would take some time to pass through more than half of the city, especially at this early.

Nick seated beside his father that drove the pickup. Realized it will take some time and didn’t have any intention to start a conversation with his father afraid distracting him, he took a book from inside his backpack that he brought.

Glancing at his son from the corner of his eyes, his mouth twitched a little.

“Say, what are you still bringing your book? You should play more and make some friends. I never saw you with your friend,” Huang Wei sounded so helpless.

“They were boring and childish, always playing some silly games. It’s so embarrassing, so you can’t blame me for that!” Nick answered with his eyes still glued in the book.

“Kids do kid’s stuff, what is so embarrassing about that,”

Not getting the answer, Huang Wei continued, “I know you are quite smart, but can’t you pretend a bit. Your mother is quite worried that you don’t have any friends. At least make a friend to show it to your mother.”

Now Nick turned his gaze at his father, quite dumbfounded by his logic. I understand if it was a girlfriend, but a friend? You really can think, dad! 

“Alright, I’ll think about it.”

“Good, you can start when we get to Roberts family residence. Listen, there is someone of your age there, her name is Miss Lillian Roberts. Don’t be rude and make sure to befriend her, okay? Your mother and I are planning for you to attend the preparatory school in this town, both of you can be in the same school.”

Suddenly the conversation shifted to the boring stuff, he could careless listen to his father anymore.

---

The Roberts Residence was not on the main roads, even parts of them were outside of the town. It was quite huge for Nick. It was something like an aristocratic residence. Now after looking at the residence in front of him, he realized what his father said before, they were the biggest family in this town.

Following his father from behind, Nick turned his head looking around him. Even he never came to a private garden this big in his previous life. Seeing his father was busy talking with some old man wearing a butler outfit, he took the chance to walk away without telling him. He was quite curious and a little excited about the new environment. He wanted to know more about what was in this huge garden. Seeing some fruit trees resembled apple trees, he approached it.

“Who are you? I have never seen someone like you before!” he suddenly heard a girl’s voice from behind.

Turning his head, there was a girl his age with both hands on her waist. She was wearing a pink-white-short-sleeve dress down to her knee with full of frills. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. She was a quite cute and lovable little girl, but her gaze glued on him suspiciously.

“Hello little girl, how are you?” Nick pretended to be a good big brother, smiling at her. Too bad it didn’t work.

“Who are you calling a little girl? You are the little one, you should say big sister instead! Ah not right, you haven’t answered my question. Tell me, who are you little boy?” got distracted for a moment, she shook her head and was a bit angry at him.

Nick was speechless, forgot that he was also ‘little’ like she said.

“Cough, sorry big sister. I was with my father from the blacksmith store to deliver some items here. I got lost because this place is too huge,” couldn’t bother to argue with her, he mixed some truth and lie to answer her.

“Ah, you are from The Ancient Anvil store? You should say so! I thought you were committing robbery in daylight. Hahaha!”

Come on, I’m a kid. Such a thing is impossible, alright! But seeing the girl in front of him, he felt it was not good to voice his thought.

“So, I’m Lillian, Lillian Roberts. What’s your name?” she put her arm forward while smiling.

“Ah, you are Miss Lillian. Hello, I’m Nicholas, Nick for short.” He shook hands with her. So this was Lillian, huh.

“What Miss Lillian! You are like an uncle, you know that! So, how old are you Nick?” she frowned her brow and didn’t loosen her hand.

“I’m five years old now.”

“See, so don’t talk like an uncle okay. Call me big sister from now on!”

“How do I know if you were older than me without telling me yours?”

“I just know! And don’t ask a lady about her age, it’s rude!”

“But you are a girl, not a lady.”

“A girl will grow into a lady, so I’m a lady too!”

“But you were the one that said you were the older one, not me!”

“I have never said that!”

“Yes, you are. You told me to call you ‘big sister’!”

“Oh, so the little brother dare to talk back to his big sister now, huh?!”

“I’m sorry!”

“What?”

“I’m sorry big sis!”

“Accepted! There you go, hahaha!”

Feeling smug for winning the argument, Lillian was grinning happily. Meanwhile, Nick was speechless for him to argue with a girl, and a kid nonetheless. 

So for the entire day, Nick was dragged by Lillian to accompany her playing, arguing, or anything. His plan to explore was accomplished in interesting ways. Huang Wei knowing his son’s situation couldn’t bother to care. He only picked him up in the afternoon. Poor Nick, he only realized that he was already ‘sold’ by his father.