Chapter 88 Why?



As Alex approached the headquarters of the Noble Trader Association, the devastation and destruction became increasingly apparent. The dome, once a symbol of beauty and architectural artistry, now stood charred and blackened. The surrounding area was strewn with debris and remnants of the attack that had taken place earlier.

When he stepped forward, he could see the exact effect of his attacks. Outer walls were cracked and broken in multiple places. Windows shattered in the intense heat revealing the charred inside of the building.

The entire building was in disarray. 

It was almost three in the morning. And yet, Alex could see the guards scrambling to and forth when he approached the building. They were trying hard to prevent further destruction. 

Suddenly, Alex was hit with a sense of guilt. But quickly it was replaced by his true emotion.

'I should have destroyed it completely.' He thought. If he had destroyed it in its entirety, he could have saved the guards from dangerous manual labour. 

Although slightly evil, his reasoning was on point. The partial destruction of the headquarters was the only reason the guards were forced to dive into the building to extinguish the fire. So, completely destroying it would have been greatly helpful.

'So, let me help you guys.'

When Alex approached the building, the guards noticed his presence. Alex was the reason for their suffering. How could they forget his menacing presence? 

His white robes once again captured their attention. Within a second, they unsheathed their swords and launched an attack against Alex.

However, Alex remained indifferent to their attack. Disregarding any potential consequences, he carelessly hurled a handful of Joker cards at the approaching guards. Swiftly, he utilised his teleportation abilities, ascending above the dome. Reflecting on his previous encounter, where he resorted to unleashing fifty fireball spells, incinerating the entire structure, he resolved to take a different approach this time.

Recognising the need to conserve mana, Alex retrieved a stash of dried wood from his inventory and proceeded to stack it up on the dome's surface. Within seconds, he had the entire roof covered in dried wood.

With precision, he showered the wood pile with a generous coating of cooking oil before igniting it using a single fireball spell.

As the flames ignited, a resounding "swish" echoed through the air, giving birth to a colossal blaze that soared several tens of feet high.

He gazed upon the second version of the blazing fire with a sense of pride. Alex couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. He was thrilled to realise that his diligent efforts had yielded the desired outcome, proving that his newfound approach was not only smarter but also less wasteful. 

Like before, in front of Alex's teleport ability. The guards were unable to do anything to prevent his action. They gazed at Alex, that disappeared and reappeared after lighting the whole building on fire, not knowing what to do. He was beyond their reach.

This time, the fire was more pronounced and harder to extinguish. With just water, it would take ages before the guards could douse the fire. They realised it quickly and decided to surrender to fate.

However, their plans to surrender were abruptly halted as their attention was captured by the sight of an individual fearlessly soaring towards the raging inferno. Astonishingly, even a seasoned tier 3 warrior would find themselves overwhelmed in the face of such an intense blaze. Yet, this figure nonchalantly ran into the heart of the inferno without a care in the world.

As if to defy the scorching flames, a colossal ice shield materialised around the person's body, safeguarding her from harm. In a mesmerising display, the ice shield melted, transforming into a cascading downpour that descended upon the roof of the building.

Within minutes, the entire roof was doused with water. 

Alex, who looked at it from the sidelines felt a headache rising. It only took a moment for him to realise who the figure that extinguished the fire was. 

It was that damned princess, Kalina. Alex was exasperated.

'Why is she here? Why is she helping the Noble Trader Association?' Alex rubbed his head while thinking. 

Where ever he went, this princess haunted him. She was worse than the ghosts from horror movies. 

'It wouldn't be surprising to see her rise from the depth of the dilapidated well to pull me down with her. Jokes aside, I need to find her reason for helping the Noble Trader Association. After all, it might just be her acting righteous and helpful, but it could also be something else.

When a building is burning right in front of her, how can she not help the 'people'?

Anyway, he decided to not mind her presence. One way or another, he was going to destroy the Noble Trader Association today. Even her presence wouldn't force him to change his goal. 

Alex was now wearing the white robes which hid his identity pretty. Adding a mask with it would be enough to hide his identity from Kalina temporarily. Now that she is here, it was better to use her as his pawn rather than letting the control of the situation flow to her.

___

After dousing the fire, Kalina moved away from the building. She curiously inquired about the incident.

She was surprised to know that the fire was not natural. Some person wearing a white robe was the one that lit the entire building on fire.

First, he appeared calmly before the building. He threw some cards at the guards before killing some of their members.

After that, he lit the building on fire and escaped. But later, he reappeared to light the building on fire once again.

The white-robed person was a menace. His intent was unclear, and his actions were decisive. He didn't even bother giving an explanation before killing people and burning their headquarters. 

It took a while for Kalina to get a full grasp of the situation. And the supposed card that the man threw garnered her attention. 

She quickly ran around to find the card. But no one was willing to give them to her. Even after showing her goodwill by saving people and extinguishing the fire. No one was willing to trust her and hand over the cards.

This further intensified her will to investigate. She believed that a secret was hiding behind the card.

After realising that she wouldn't get her hands on the cards. She decided to hear the detailed version of the eyewitness testimony. 

And when she heard it, she was surprised to hear about the card displaying a holographic image of a white-robed person stepping on a black-robed person.

'Was it related to the evil organization that wrecked Thira?' Kalina felt like a bomb exploded in her mind.

If the image shown is right, the white-robed man was in an antagonist relationship with the black-robed people, the evil organization.

So, the answer to the obvious question of why he attacked the Noble Trader Association was instantly revealed. It didn't take her long to realize that the Noble Trader Association might have some relationship with the evil organization.

If so? Was she in the wrong when she helped them extinguish the fire? Kalina's thoughts wandered.

'No, not yet. I can't trust the actions of the white-robed man entirely until his motivations are clear.' Kalina said to herself while waiting for a chance to confront the white-robed man.

Due to her action, the white-robed man was unsuccessful in destroying the building. So, she thought he might return and waited patiently. If he was an ally, she wouldn't mind not interfering in the fight between the Noble Trader Association and him.

But if he was just here to cause chaos. She didn't mind taking him down.

_____

Alex didn't know what Kalina was thinking. Nor did he care about it. His only worry was her recognising his identity. After all, she knew about his abilities. She might doubt him if he used all his abilities in front of her. 

Even if she recognised his identity, it wouldn't do him any harm. But it leaves behind a point of failure in his plan.

If that dumbass, Kalina spilt the beans to someone. It might make his life miserable. So, he had to hide his identity by any means necessary.

To distinguish the white-robed man as a distinct individual, he realized the importance of establishing an alibi. Restraining himself from utilizing his full range of abilities seemed like a foolish approach, one that could potentially jeopardize his life. Therefore, devising an alibi to divert her attention appeared to be a wiser course of action.

If Alex were to make a deliberate appearance in Blue Gem City and inquire about Kalina, it would establish a concrete alibi, compelling her to consider the possibility that he could not be the white-robed individual. After all, the ability to traverse thousands of kilometres in mere seconds was an extraordinary feat unique to Alex alone, unmatched by any other individual on the entire continent. Not even Kalina's formidable grandmother, a tier 5 warrior, did not possess such extraordinary capabilities.

With just an alibi, he could make Alex and the white-robed man separate individuals. The same set of skills and abilities may cause some doubt. But she wouldn't have definite proof to prove they are the one and the same.