Within a single day, news swiftly spread among the citizens of Thira. The accounts detailing the attack on the Noble Trader Association and the actions of the white-robed man became the main topic of discussion in Thira.
Everyone tried desperately to identify the goals of the white-robed man. And thus, rumours sprouted one after another. It spread like wildfire capturing the attention of everyone. However, no one knew the origin of these rumours.
Some said that the white-robed man was a terrorist, just like the black-robed men that attacked the city. According to them, he was trying to disrupt the peace of the city. Their allegation further claimed that he attacked the Noble Trader Association due to their considerable help in rebuilding the city.
Moreover, they also speculated that he might attack in the future. But next time, it will be some other organisation that he might target. Gradually, Alex, the white-robed man was painted as an evil villain who was preparing to destroy Thira.
If they were given a little more time, their boundless imaginations would likely have conjured an image of the white-robed man as a grotesque monster, sporting four legs, six arms, and ten heads.
With each passing moment, the speculations and rumours spiralled further into realms of unfettered fantasy.
However, Soon a deluge of information was revealed by the general public that witnessed the incident. They speculated that the Noble Trader Association was colluding with the black-robed men after seeing Alex's cards. The white-robed man was actually waging a solitary war against the villains that dare to collude with the evil bastards that destroyed their city. Even the white robe he wears was a symbol of his pristine will to combat evil, they said.
After sharing the information, they cursed the people who were spreading misinformation in the pubs and flea markets. And they took out the Joker card to show as evidence. This quickly captured the attention of the public. Those who were clouded by doubt began to realise the severity of the actual events that happened.
In fact, those who were spreading lies about the white-robed man were paid to do it. If not, there would not have been a completely different contradicting story about his actions. And who paid them to do it was not hard to guess.
It might either be the Noble Trader Association or the evil organisation.
Yet, before the public could comprehend the true nature of the rampant misinformation, their anger surged to unprecedented levels. Their ire was stoked as they came to a distressing realization: the individuals they once regarded as the city's saviours were, in fact, collaborating with the very malevolent organization that had ravaged their city.
The bitter truth proved difficult to swallow, intensifying the flames of anger within their eyes. However, their determination remained resolute as they made their way towards the headquarters of the Noble Trader Association, driven by the belief that they deserved an explanation—nothing less.
Initially, it was merely a few dozen individuals, but their numbers multiplied swiftly, culminating in a peaceful procession comprised of hundreds of people, united in their purpose. They all wanted an explanation.
—-
The shocking actions of the white-robed man had a debilitating impact on Penthe. He found himself unable to intervene and prevent the destruction of their headquarters, leaving him in a precarious position. As a result, other members of the association swiftly turned against him, placing him in a dire predicament.
Considering the white-robed man's revelation about their association's ties with the black-robed men, Penthe found himself devoid of any more excuses. The only viable course of action left for him was to peacefully resign from his position as the leader of the association, as he felt powerless to do anything else. Regrettably, stepping down from his position would entail losing his authority and influence. In his current vulnerable state, it would undoubtedly lead to dire consequences or even death.
His only hope was the intervention of the black-robed men. But he couldn't contact them at all during the past few hours. Kalina, the princess of the ice phoenix tribe was observing him closely. She even interrogated him once. He can't contact the black-robed men like this.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Penthe found himself caught between a rock and a hard place, faced with a difficult situation and a challenging dilemma.
—----
Meanwhile, Alex decided to visit blue gem city. He required an alibi to fool Kalina. So, he was going to make one right now.
Teleporting to the Blue gem city, Alex promptly went towards his shop, the Spice Garden. Dhairya happily welcomed Alex inside. Although curious about his purpose, he decided to let Alex speak first.
"I need more metal cards and a mask, one with a special function to change the voice," Alex spoke while chewing on some roasted peanuts.
"Metal cards…I can arrange for that to be made. But why do you need a mask? Wouldn't the hood on your robe be enough to cover your head and face? Or did you have a change of plans?" Dhairya inquired.
"I came across someone familiar during my extracurricular activities. Someone that I may or may not interact with. Even though I can change my voice with energy, in case of an emergency, I want a mask that can change my voice." Alex elucidated.
"Who did you meet?"
"Kalina."
"Oh! No wonder you asked for a mask. She knows more about you than the people of the Stonehead tribe. You might not be able to fool her even with a mask and a voice change." Dhairya voiced his opinion. "After all, she knows about all your abilities and skills."
"That's why I rushed here. I want to create an alibi to show that I was in Blue gem city all this while. No one other than you knows that I can travel great distances instantly. So, it would be much easier to fool her. Even if she doubts my identity, she would not be able to conclusively say that I am the white-robed man."
"Hm." Dhairya nodded while hearing Alex's explanation. "It seems like you have thoroughly planned everything. When do you need the masks and the cards?"
"By the end of this month. Kalina might visit you during this time, so be prepared to deal with her." Alex warned. Alex was sure that Kalina might be suspicious of him. She would definitely come to check on his whereabouts.
"Okay, I will try to rush it. Refining magical tools takes time, so I can't give you any guarantee."
"Then, I am leaving. I will visit some places in the city before returning to Thira. That way, I can secure my alibi."
"If you want to visit someplace, go to visit our restaurants. The kids from the woodland tribe are working there. They said they created a new sauce."
Alex was pleasantly surprised to know that. Even before he knew it, his action had created an environment in which innovations were possible. The naughty kids from the woodland tribe that he taught a lesson to have become real chefs.
"Okay," Alex said before leaving Spice Garden.
—--------
Unknown to Alex, Kalina was cooking up her own schemes. When she questioned Penthe, he vaguely mentioned that a person visited with a tier 4 warrior from the void fish tribe to clear up a misunderstanding.
This made Kalina look into the person. And while doing so, she came across the name 'Meru'.
In an instant, all of Alex's plans to hide his identity were destroyed. Even without much thought, Kalina realised Meru from the stone head tribe was the white-robed person. His skills matched exactly with the white-robed person.
'What was he doing wearing white robes?' She thought. Nonetheless, it seemed like he was trying extremely hard to hide his identity. So, she decided to play along and not reveal his identity. While at it, she also decided to not reveal to Alex that she knew he was the white-robed man.
If he was willing to fool her, she was willing to fool him back.
Even though Alex knew her, he tried to fool her by disguising his identity. If he had said one word, she wouldn't have extinguished the fire to save the allies of the evil organisation. But he didn't. This fact frustrated her.
Anger, frustration, disappointment. A plethora of emotions went through her mind. Finally, after taking a moment to think, she calmed down.
A smile blossomed on her beautiful face when she finally realised that she had outsmarted Alex for once. He had no clue that she knew his identity. This meant that she could use it to her advantage. It also means that she could see Alex(Meru) making a fool out of himself while trying hard to hide his identity.
She chuckled while just imagining the scenario of Alex trying hard to hide his identity.
However, her joy was short-lived as she saw Penthe moving away from her observable range. Penthe had somehow received the news that the citizens of Thira were flooding the streets asking for an explanation from the Noble Trader Association. He was up to no good, Kalina was sure about that.
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