Speaking, Richard applied force with his hand, and the broken Stone Cone immediately pulverized into dust. Then with a twist of his hand, without any evident casting of a spell, the dust transformed into a neatly shaped stone block.
"You—what—" Wan An stared at the stone block in Richard's hand, dumbfounded, unable to grasp what Richard really wanted to say.
"Do you know," Richard began, speaking slowly to Wan An, "from the beginning, I had considered that I might be exposed. Even without you, someone else would become suspicious of my identity over time. Once suspicions arose, it would become difficult for me to maintain my charade.
The identity I've disguised myself with is that of Guluo's student. Yet Guluo has died, unable to vouch for my identity. Therefore, once questioned, I would struggle to respond. Conversely, looking at it from another angle, if I wanted to solidify my identity, then Guluo must die, and it had to be in an acceptable manner known to all."
