It wasn't that difficult to get in contact with Bastion or the others after learning that they spent most of their time in the Training Hall, extracting the highest value from their current attributes.
Not only did they focus on perfecting their control over their current attributes, but they also focused on ironing out the kinks in their utilization of Accel Shift and Surge Step.
Of course, Alice practiced differently.
Her focus was more directed to learning invaluable techniques that any Elementalist or Spellcaster, in general, must know—Quick Casting and Mobile Casting.
Naturally, there were other invaluable techniques an Elementalist could learn. Still, they weren't as essential as learning these two techniques—which was considered the foundation of any skilled Spellcaster.
Kieran, himself, had employed two of these techniques in his training inside the Ancient Rune Oasis, so he was aware of its immense value.
Not just in a learning setting, but even in a heated battle environment.
As long as one could focus well enough, these techniques would serve one well, perhaps even getting them out of the most dangerous of circumstances successfully!
After considering the fact that Bastion and the others were currently inside the Training Hall in preparation of completing the last steps of their Advancement, Kieran decided that it would be best to meet them there.
In the end, he had business with the Adventurers' Guild regardless. More than one kind of business in fact. However, before he could shift his attention to worrying about the matters related to the Adventurers' Guild, or Zenith Online for that matter, Kieran had to address something else.
Exiting the training area, Kieran met with Dr. Riley in private, gesturing for her to follow him. Once they were alone, which didn't really mean much, considering there was nothing in particular Kieran needed to hide, Kieran decided to warn her.
"Due to what I'm about to do, it's likely that I'll start to be targeted by presences that you're familiar with. Should that happen, I ask that you don't take my side to ensure your safety," Kieran voiced.
His statement came across as odd, making Dr. Riley knit her brows and look at him strangely. "What do you mean by 'not take your side'? Are you insane or what? After everything we've been through, you think I'm not going to take your side?"
Kieran expected such an answer from Dr. Riley, but he couldn't help but grimace and sigh in response. "Believe me, you do mean a lot to me, Lillian. And this goes deeper than just referring to the treatment and shelter you've given me."
"If that's true, then why are you asking me not to take your side, belittling the small relationship that we've fostered? Huh? That isn't right. It makes me feel like our bond is superficial and nothing else," Dr. Riley muttered, her expression becoming soft and downcast.
Kieran understood where her sentiment came from, but he also understood the scope of Golden Brigade's strength. No, not just Golden Brigade—Apocalypse as well.
If he enacted his plan, it would implicate both of these grand presences. And by implicate, Kieran meant infuriate.
How would you feel if you spent hundreds of millions of dollars to secure an item, only to have a whimsical ploy enacted before your very eyes, snatching the illustrious potential away from you?
Surely you would seethe!
Which was why Kieran wanted to distance Dr. Riley from the blow back of it all.
This was especially true, considering that he would soon have a meeting with the Gamer Republic Corporation and whoever else that would expose his face and his pittance of an identity.
Nevertheless, once he left this place and his face was noticed, it would only be a matter of time before his location was found. Then, there was also the issue of the meeting itself. What if someone tailed him or somehow gained wind of his presence?
That could undoubtedly put Dr. Riley in jeopardy, especially because of her earliest revelation. The same revelation where she mentioned this facility was built using the funds of several Magnate Families, one of which included the Drake Family, the Magnate Family that formed the core of the Golden Brigade.
"I'm not trying to downplay the bond we've created. On the contrary, I'm trying to cherish it. I'm not sure I can become strong before hellfire rains down upon us. If I'm not strong enough, I need to at least ensure that you're protected. If nothing else, you can deny ever knowing me intimately," Kieran said, his expression becoming grim and serious.
It wasn't uncommon for wars inside Zenith Online to transfer over to the real world, simply because the benefits of it were that great, oftentimes transcending the value anything on Earth could muster.
For that reason, Kieran was prepared to see a reenactment of his past where there were several "mysterious" player deaths, but really it was just the result of in-game conflicts migrating to the real world.
Actual wars for territory, except this territory didn't involve Earth.
This was one of the reasons Kieran wanted to turn Altair and the others into soldiers at the earliest. They needed to be capable of defending themselves against tried and true soldiers that experienced ungodly amounts of training in preparation for such situations.
Noting the gravity of Kieran's words and the grimness of his tone, Dr. Riley remained steadfast in her decision and wording. "You said that you wanted me by your side. If doing so comes at the cost of danger, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice. Besides, in this line of work, danger is not a stranger to me."
Understanding that Dr. Riley wouldn't budge, Kieran could only look at her, watching with bated breaths as he considered something. "I've acquired enough money to buy a building… but I don't think we'll be making New Metro City our home."
"Wait… what? Don't just breeze past what you said. What do you mean you've acquired enough money already? It's been days! You said you needed a month."
"I suspected I would, but no. Not with my… fate, I suppose you could say. Anyway, this money is the reason I'm warning you. It's… the result of a scam—at least some shape of it."
Dr. Riley's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing Kieran with sheer disappointment radiating from her eyes. "What do you mean scam? What old lady have you used those good looks on? Did you take advantage of someone's helpless granny?!"
"No, no." Kieran immediately denied it.
Afterward, he went on to recount the experience he had with his previous player auction and selling off a massive amount of Gold Coins to secure almost $700 million in liquid funds.
Naturally, this came as a surprise because Dr. Riley couldn't fathom how costly a single piece of Gold was inside Zenith Online. More than that, she couldn't fathom how Kieran obtained such an edge over others.
Was this legal? Was Kieran human? Just what in the hell was going inside Zenith Online?!
These were the questions Dr. Riley asked herself repeatedly during Kieran's recount. Although it made sense, none of it made sense! It was similar to how a husband couldn't understand a wife's wanton expenditure of money on useless things!
If there were more use, it'd be more practical.
Sadly, Dr. Riley failed to see the value in this order Kieran described, not until Kieran listed them directly.
"Wait, if this is all true… you really should scam them! Some of these families move about hundreds upon hundreds of billions of dollars. They deserve to be scammed for how selfish and greedy they are. While they are grotesquely engorged, people are struggling to make ends meet day by day," Dr. Riley grumbled, her hands clenching into tight fists.
Once she learned that the scam involved the money of these gargantuan families, she couldn't care less about the specifics of Kieran's scam.
In fact, she advocated for him to pull more, but she also mentioned that they'd have to be modified to keep working.
If he repeated the same tactic, the pattern would be identified, and eventually, his ploys would be ignored. Granted, this only rang true if the item Kieran centered the scheme around failed to generate enough desire from the players, namely the large guilds.
"Do this as discreetly as humanly possible, but search for vacant land lots. It'll be even better if you can search for vacant lots with abandoned buildings to begin demolition and reconstruction," Kieran muttered.
"You… you're going to build something amazing from the ground up, aren't you?" Dr. Riley muttered, her eyes glimmering with awe and fascination.
With no intention of hiding the truth, Kieran nodded in response. "That's one of my aspirations. I promise something great will come out of this—even if it takes time. And in that process… the world should become a somewhat less chaotic place."
In terms of the world becoming a less chaotic place, Kieran left that wording to one's imagination. He didn't want to describe exactly what he had in mind, simply because it could be gruesome enough to churn one's stomach.
With a crack of his neck, Kieran eyed the X-hancers cabinet before him, mainly the waning numbers of the ones he could consume to re-energize himself. "Make sure to put in an order for X-hancers. Max out your status limit. I'll give you access to enough liquid funds to do so."
"I understand… and what will you do?" Dr. Riley questioned, her eyes somewhat watery and expectant.
"Me?" Kieran mumbled, his gaze locked on the cabinet for a few moments. After a while, he looked toward Dr. Riley with a faint smile. "I'll be aggravating that hellfire. Someone has to make it reach combustible levels, no?"
With a helpless sigh, Dr. Riley could only shake her head warily. "Don't get yourself hurt in the process."
"If I do… I know a beautiful doctor capable of patching me up," Kieran replied, ending his words with a killer wink.
Afterward, silence loomed as Dr. Riley clutched her clipboard against her face and exhaled hitched breaths.
