The next afternoon, in the outskirts.
After driving through the night, Lisa and Will swapped places. Lisa was now driving the carriage, racing through an endless forest, while Will rested inside the carriage's cabin.
The Kingdom of Arus lies at the northernmost edge of the circular continent, Roland. Arus City, nestled deep within the mountains, is perpetually covered in snow. However, neither Will nor Lisa had ever been there, so they had no choice but to rely on General Lei to guide them.
"I have a younger brother, who should be about your age," General Lei suddenly spoke as he sat in silence opposite Will.
"Really?" Will replied dismissively.
"However, two years ago, he suddenly left Arus and vanished without a trace."
"Why did he leave?" Will asked, instinctively.
"He left a note saying he found life in Arus boring and decided to venture outside," General Lei continued.
"Your brother sounds a lot like me. I also left a letter for my family and escaped from Paralar," Will remarked.
"No, you're not alike," General Lei suddenly burst into laughter.
"He's not nearly as strong as you. Though he has some ability, he carries himself with a carefree, reckless attitude. I wonder where he is now. I hope he hasn't gotten involved in the war. With his strength, he wouldn't survive long," General Lei's expression turned serious as he spoke.
"By the way, General Lei, have you figured out how to expel those mages controlling your country?" Will asked.
"I haven't come up with a concrete plan yet, but we can start by building a resistance," General Lei replied.
"A resistance?"
"Yes. The United Nations controls all the ministers and nobles in Arus to dominate its influence. However, they overlooked one thing—the gangs and thugs in Arus City," General Lei said solemnly.
"Find them? Is that possible?" Will seemed surprised.
"Of course. Gangs are a considerable force," General Lei replied.
"No. What I mean is, will they really help us?" Will pressed.
"That's something we'll have to negotiate. I believe they wouldn't want Arus to fall to a foreign power," General Lei said.
"Well, then I'll leave the negotiations to you."
"Understood," General Lei nodded.
"But we need to hurry. It's already the second day, and in five days, Arus will send troops to attack Paralar. We must resolve this before then," Will said.
At that moment, the carriage slowly came to a stop. Lisa stepped down from the front of the carriage and opened the door to the cabin.
"Put on your cloak. I can already see the snow-capped mountains," Lisa said, pulling out their prepared cloaks and donning one herself.
"Snow-capped mountains? Weren't we just in the forest?" Will asked, skeptical. He leaned out of the carriage to take a look. Lisa was right—after passing through the forest, a massive snow-capped mountain loomed before them, and a narrow, winding path stretched toward it.
"General Lei, this cloak is for you. Put it on," Lisa said, handing him a cloak.
"Little girl, you seem to have misunderstood. I don't need it. I grew up in this land, and my body is well accustomed to everything here," General Lei chuckled.
"General Lei, you should still put it on, and wear the hood too. We're entering Arus secretly, and you wouldn't want to be recognized by the people of Arus, would you? Otherwise, all our efforts would be wasted," Lisa insisted, forcing the cloak into his hands.
After hearing her reasoning, General Lei reluctantly accepted the cloak and put it on.
"Alright, Lisa. I'm well-rested now. Let me take over driving," Will said as he jumped down from the cabin and moved to the front of the carriage.
"Are you sure you can handle it? The mountains are ahead," Lisa asked.
"Well, how will I know if I don't try?" Will said, not looking back.
With a loud "Giddy up!" the carriage set off again, heading toward the towering snow-capped mountain.
...
That night, deep within the snow-covered mountains.
After a full day of travel, Will and his companions finally arrived at the heart of the snow-capped mountains. As night fell, the warmth of the sun disappeared, and the air became even colder. The silence was eerie, broken only by the sound of hooves crunching on the snow and the creaking of the carriage wheels. After a long journey, Will spotted a faint flicker of light in the distance—torches burning brightly. Surely, this was the gate to Arus. With renewed hope, he urged the horses on, urging them faster, despite his exhaustion.
"Stop!" A guard suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, blocking their path.
"At this late hour, you wish to enter the city?" the guard asked.
"Ah, yes, yes. We've just returned from our hometown after a long journey," Will replied, his voice sounding weary and apologetic, as he lowered his hood.
"Is it just you?" The guard eyed them suspiciously, drawing his sword and slowly moving toward the carriage.
"Ah, no, my wife and father are with me. We returned together from our hometown," Will blurted out in panic. The guard opened the door to the cabin, where Lisa and General Lei sat still and silent. To avoid being recognized, General Lei had pulled his hood down as low as possible. After confirming Will's words, the guard sheathed his sword, closed the cabin door, and returned to his post.
"You're allowed to enter," the guard said, signaling to the sentries on the city wall. The gates slowly creaked open, and Will immediately urged the horses forward, rushing into Arus City.
"Your guards let us in that easily? I was preparing to use magic to control him for a while," Lisa teased General Lei.
"It wasn't that easy to let you in. It's just that not everyone has the will to come this far. Most of those who make it are locals, except for those damned mages," General Lei replied bitterly.
"So, where do we go now? We need a place to stay," Lisa asked.
"Find an inn in the slums. It's usually chaotic there," General Lei suggested.
"The slums? You actually have such divisions?" Lisa asked in disbelief.
"I know it's not right, but it's a tradition in Arus, and there's little I can do about it," General Lei muttered.
At that moment, the carriage began to slow. Will hurried to the cabin and opened the door.
"I think we're in trouble."
"What's wrong?" General Lei asked, alarmed.
"Follow me," Will said, running toward a signpost by the roadside.
"What is it...?" Lisa began to ask, but stopped in her tracks, stunned by what she saw. Following Will's pointing finger, she noticed two wanted posters pinned to a sign on the roadside in Arus. The posters featured portraits of Will and Lisa.
"Have we been exposed?" Will murmured in surprise.
The next morning, inside a dilapidated inn in the slums.
"The primary issue now is to determine whether we've already been exposed," Will said seriously, sitting on a worn-out chair.
"Could it be that someone from Paralar betrayed us?" Lisa furrowed her brow, contemplating.
"Hmm, I don't think so. If that were the case, General Lei would have been taken away by them long ago," Will replied.
"Exactly, I agree with Will's assessment. If someone from the Paralar Empire had betrayed us, we would have already been captured. Once they have us, there would be no obstacles to their attacks. That would have been their ultimate goal," General Lei said solemnly.
"Therefore, I suspect that after Merlyn returned, he created these wanted posters based on his memories. He must have anticipated that you two would come to Arus to find him," General Lei continued.
"Hmm, I think that's likely as well. But since it's already come to this, we should remain extra cautious. If we stir up trouble now, all our efforts will be in vain," Will said.
"Hmm." Lisa and General Lei both replied in unison.
At that moment, a loud and chaotic argument erupted outside the inn. Will and his companions immediately tensed, like startled birds, and carefully assumed a defensive stance, not daring to move recklessly.
Will's face remained stern as he listened intently to the sounds around them. After scanning the surroundings, he walked cautiously over to the only window in the room. He carefully peeked out, noticing a brawl in the street outside the inn. Five or six burly men were attacking a raggedly-dressed individual. After confirming there was no one watching them, Will nodded slightly, signaling General Lei and Lisa to relax. The two slowly made their way to the window.
"It looks like another conflict between the nobles and the commoners," General Lei said, exasperated.
"What's going on?" Will asked.
"It's probably just another case of nobles passing through this main road and encountering the commoners, who then cause trouble, leading to this situation," General Lei explained.
"Does this happen often in your country?" Lisa inquired.
"Hmm, not infrequently. The country is roughly divided into three parts. To the north of Arus city is where the nobles and palace ministers reside, what we call the Upper District, and it's guarded by specialized soldiers. We are currently in the South District, the slums, where all kinds of people mix—thieves and bandits are common. Whenever a murder or theft occurs in the Upper District, the guards come here to search for suspects. And the end of this main road leads directly to the royal palace," General Lei said, his gaze fixed on the snow-covered Arus palace in the distance.
"Isn't anyone going to stop them? That man could die if this continues," Will exclaimed, rushing toward the door.
"No, Will, you can't go out there yet!" General Lei tried to stop him, but Will's speed was swift, and before General Lei could finish his sentence, Will had already burst out the door.
"General Lei, stay here. I'll keep an eye on him," Lisa said as she quickly followed Will.
Will stormed down the inn's creaky staircase, running straight toward the main road. The street was already crowded, mostly with people from the slums. They wore tattered clothing, their eyes numb as they watched their fellow commoner being beaten. Not one of them stepped forward to stop it. Will stood at the back of the crowd, preparing to push his way through when Lisa suddenly grabbed his arm.
"You're a wanted man now," Lisa whispered urgently.
Her words snapped Will out of his impulse, and he looked around, realizing that no one had noticed him yet. He quickly lowered his hood and ducked his head to avoid drawing attention.
"Will, look to your right!" Lisa suddenly exclaimed.
Will turned to the right and was stunned. Standing behind the group of burly men was a person he recognized. He was shorter in stature, with a thick beard on his chin, and he was missing his right hand.
"P-Pix?" Will muttered in shock.
"That's right, he should have been taken by the bounty hunters called by Jin," Lisa said, pulling her own hood lower to avoid being recognized by Pix.
"Could it be that the bounty hunters who took him and Pix are working together?" Will asked, his expression darkening. At this moment, neither of them dared to move. Any action could draw the attention of their "old acquaintance" nearby.
"One of the thugs who was beating the man stopped and pointed at the bloodied person lying on the ground. "Next time, don't get in our way, or you'll regret it!"
"Alright, let's go," Pix said, his voice dripping with arrogance as he addressed the thugs. The crowd of onlookers slowly began to disperse. Just as Pix turned to leave, he casually glanced over his shoulder and swept his eyes across the crowd. Among the hurriedly departing people, it seemed that Pix had spotted a familiar face. His gaze lingered on the direction where Will and Lisa were standing, but the moving crowd made it difficult for him to see clearly. He furrowed his brow, slightly confused.
Will and Lisa stood frozen, sensing that Pix might have recognized them. Will instinctively reached for the short sword hidden at his waist, ready to spring into action if necessary. Just then, a pair of hands suddenly appeared behind them, covering their mouths and pulling them forcefully into a nearby alley in the slums.
"Pix, is something wrong?" one of the thugs asked, looking at the motionless Pix curiously.
"No, nothing. I must have imagined it," Pix replied, turning his head away and clearing his throat before walking off toward the direction of the palace with the thugs.
At that moment, Will and Lisa, whose mouths were still covered, were dragged into the depths of the alley. Though their mouths were covered, they desperately tried to shout, hoping someone would hear them. In a moment of quick thinking, Lisa bit down hard on the hand that covered her mouth.
"Ah!" The person covering their mouths cried out in pain, immediately pulling their hands away and bending down to rub the bitten spot.
"Who are you?" Lisa demanded, extending her hand toward the person. This figure, like Will and Lisa, wore a cloak and a hood.
"Heh heh heh, are you planning to attack me?" The person stood up slowly, speaking in a mocking tone.
"You know me?" Lisa asked in surprise.
"Of course, and I also know that the young man next to you is named Will," the person said, pointing to Will.
"Who are you?" Will asked, confused.
"Ah, I didn't expect you two to forget me so soon," the person said as they slowly removed their hood. Will and Lisa stared in astonishment, their expressions shifting from shock to excitement.
"Jin!" Will and Lisa exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with joy.