Reith held out his student ID card as this was the only way he could convince the guard.
The Alliance Spire stood behind them, tall and sharp against the sky, its dark glass walls lined with faintly glowing magic runes.
The outside plaza was quiet, unlike the last time where people were bustling around.
This time, it was only a lot of guards standing firm at each corner.
"Pfft. Anyone can get a student ID." The guard’s face hardened.
"You have to use something else." The man reached for his weapon and the tension grew.
Reith quickly removed his cap and displayed his face.
"I’m the one who was involved in the last accident, there’s no way I can fake that. You must have seen this face on the posters, news, mobile devices?" he hurriedly said, but then his shoulders sank.
This man didn’t look like he recognised Reith.
"Rod, let him be." Someone’s voice echoed from the door.
At this time, Rod’s sword was already drawn and he was imagining the moment he would show his boss his achievement.
Getting rid of an imposter.
"He’s a criminal, Mr. Kane." Rod turned back, his sword still pointed at Reith’s neck.
Reith was sweating buckets despite his calm look. How did this man not recognise him though? He thought the news of the Alliance attack was shown to everyone.
Kane stepped forward.
"I don’t want to repeat myself," he said with a smile, placing his hand on Rod’s shoulder.
The guard narrowed his gaze at Reith, but when Kane tightened his grip, he placed the sword back in its sheath.
"I’m sorry about that." Kane spoke to Reith while Rod walked back to his initial position at one of the building pillars.
Reith nodded but he was still a bit tense. He didn’t even know this person.
"I’m sorry, I don’t–"
Kane beckoned on Reith to come closer.
"This is probably the first time you are seeing me," he started, walking to the entrance of the building.
He pushed the door open and continued.
"I’m the new administrator of the Alliance Spire and Leon put me in charge here in case of you know what."
Kane had quite a jovial tone and it somehow found a way to relax Reith.
Inside, the vast lobby stretched into a space with polished floors and shiny surfaces.
A pillar stood in the center, holding a massive crystal, twice the size of a normal human. The crystal pulsed with energy and Reith instantly knew it was what gave the Alliance its magical power.
It was strange that these new things had recently been implemented and it all looked good.
Reception desks lined the sides while cultivators walked past in steady strides.
Some were talking to receptionists, some with their teams, and others were collecting what looked like mission rewards.
Besides that, Reith was focused on the casual way this man called the Regional Insignia’s first name, which meant they had quite a close relationship.
The air cooler was doing its job as everywhere felt cool and sharp. The feeling helped lower Reith’s tension.
Would this man be on par with that powerhouse?
He thought and couldn’t help but feel quite expectant.
"Why wasn’t the guard able to recognise me?" Reith asked the question bothering him the most, and this caused Kane to pause in his tracks.
"The news of the Alliance Spire wasn’t published and it was only mentioned amongst most of the cultivators but not to the regular human," Kane explained, taking a wet tissue to wipe his hand after remembering that he had touched the door.
"But people wouldn’t understand the incoming danger?" Reith raised a brow.
Kane nodded and tossed the tissue into a nearby bin.
"No one wants a city filled with panicking citizens. It would make a lot of things harder for us. So why not let the citizens live in peace." Kane smiled with his eyes.
"But that’s like a fake peace. What if something happens again and affects not just a building but the whole city?" Reith asked as he tried to match Kane’s walking pace.
"I bet you’d understand once you have your own city. But right now, it’s the Regional Insignia’s decision to keep things under the carpet, and we’d be ready for another invasion no matter how big."
With Kane’s new tone, Reith understood the conversation was at its end, but it didn’t settle right with him.
A way to make the citizens happy?
He would have cursed but it was against his values.
Or were his thoughts due to his limited perspectives?
Suddenly his phone beeped and he looked at it. It was a message from Isho.
–Where are you? I wanna show you my new technique.–
Reith gulped and dropped the phone back into his pocket. He knew Isho would figure out that his message was seen, but future problems were meant for future issues.
"How do I become an adventurer?" Reith immediately brought forth the reason he had stepped into this place.
Kane turned and took a good look at him.
"You have a technique, I see. Lightning element? What’s the name?" The man was straightforward.
Reith felt like all his secrets were instantly exposed.
"I should have known you’d find out." He sighed in defeat, causing Kane to chuckle.
"Oh please, I’m levels way above you. So it’s only normal," Kane explained, patting the boy’s shoulders.
"But at the rate you’re growing, you’d surpass me soon."
While they had this conversation, everyone in the Alliance was looking at them, especially the staff.
This was the same administrator they had always seen frowning. Now he was all smiles with this youngster?
Even one of the receptionists who had tried for months to get a smile from Kane felt her heart twist at the sight.
What kind of person impressed him this much?
Reith nodded, unaware of the murmurs around him.
"It’s called a Lightning Whip Strike," he answered.
"Hmm." Kane nodded. "That’s okay, let’s not waste time. Do you know the class of your technique?" he asked as they stepped into one of the elevators.
"No." Reith shook his head. He was also trying to see the buttons Kane had pressed, but it was futile. Kane had massive hands.
"No problem then. I’d find out when I see it."
The elevator came to a stop and they walked out of it. They passed through a wide lobby and headed into a corridor.
Reith was quick to notice that the materials used in building this side of the building were a lot different.
The walls were slightly darker, and there were inscriptions on them.
Guards were standing in every corner and they nodded in respect when they saw Kane, though their curious gazes landed on Reith.
However, there was no problem—especially if the strongest man in the building was the one guiding this kid.
"Where are we going to?" Reith asked, unable to handle the suspense anymore.
"We don’t want the normal humans up there screaming, so I’m taking you somewhere more spacious," Kane said without even turning back.
They came to a stop in front of a steel door. Kane pressed his right hand over a glowing panel on the wall.
At the sound of an automated beep, the doors slid open.
Walking inside, Reith came face to face with a spacious training hall.
"It’s even bigger than the one at the academy," he said out loud, his eyes slightly widening.
Kane walked past Reith, his coat swaying lightly. He smoothened the collar of the coat and spoke.
"I’m sure you can sense the difference in the air." Kane started with a slight grin. "The walls here were built with Clover Stones."
"Yes. It reinforces the whole place when techniques are unleashed by cultivators. We have two of these actually. There’s one on the upper floor, just below the lobby space. This is meant for stronger cultivators and I brought you here for privacy." Kane’s grin widened.
Reith couldn’t understand why all this was happening to him.
He suddenly felt like some over-pampered character written by a sleep-deprived author.
That was impossible. Nothing like that ever happened in reality.
"Silverwave told me about you standing up to take a beating for her. And that was all I needed to know that you were truly strong. Your heart is in the right place." Kane’s gaze turned soft.
Reith didn’t know what to say.
"I think you are mistaken," he muttered. He didn’t know about his heart being in the right place.
Because at that time, his heart had told him to run far away and save his own self. A feeling of desperate wickedness.
But why he had stood in front of the villain? It was something else.
A nudge. An emotion. Something that ran deeper than the desires of his heart and he couldn’t explain it.
"It doesn’t matter. You did it and that’s all." Kane replied, walking to the center of the room.
"Now." He clapped his hands once, the sound echoing in the training hall. "Show me what your Lightning Whip Strike can do."