"Why is there such a vast expanse of open space beneath the palace?" General Lei looked up at the ceiling of the sewer.
"Ah, I'm not entirely sure. But... I think this area was originally meant to be a basement, though it seems they never finished the construction. So, it was left abandoned," Shaun said as he walked into his palace, gesturing wildly to show General Lei around.
"King of Beggars, may we enter now? The stench in this sewer is unbearable," General Lei complained.
"Haha, of course, my friend. Come, let's retire to my chambers for a proper discussion," Shaun said, leading the way into his palace, with General Lei, Will, and Lisa quickly following.
As they followed Shaun, they entered his room—a large chamber, yet cluttered with many unnecessary items. Oil paintings, lamps, luxurious sofas... The room contained everything one could expect, yet all of it appeared worn, as if it had been left untouched for years.
"Your collection is impressive," General Lei sneered.
"Flattery, flattery. These are all things I've scavenged from the noble district. You noblemen, so wasteful! You throw away perfectly usable items just because they've aged a little," Shaun smiled as he spoke.
"Ah, this is our affliction. We are surrounded by mountains, rarely venturing outside our own world, ignorant of what lies beyond. Thus, we've become complacent," General Lei spoke solemnly.
"That doesn't sound like something a noble of Arus would say," Shaun remarked, his tone suddenly serious.
"The Jiliu family rose slowly from the lowest rungs of this very nation. From childhood, our education has taught us to push forward, to keep our sights set on the future," General Lei said, his words causing the room to fall silent.
"Enough of this. Let's return to the matter at hand. We've strayed far from the topic," General Lei cleared his throat and continued.
"So, General Lei, what brings you to me?" Shaun asked.
"King of Beggars, do you wish to return to life above ground?" General Lei asked, his expression grave.
"Return?" Will and Lisa echoed in unison.
"Yes. Do you think this man has always lived in the sewers?" General Lei mocked Will and Lisa. At his rhetorical question, neither of them responded. They both flushed, lowering their heads in silence.
"Ah, how should I put it... I suppose I've grown accustomed to it here. Sometimes, life underground is better than above, at least there are no betrayals," Shaun said with a bitter smile.
"Betrayals?" Will looked at General Lei with confusion, sensing there was much more to Shaun's story.
"Shaun was once a renowned antique collector in the kingdom of Arus. A young, talented man, and quite handsome, which made him very popular. He had a beautiful girlfriend, and they were deeply in love, perhaps on the verge of marriage. But one day, the king's son, a decadent and reckless young man, took an interest in her. One night, the prince tried to assault Shaun's girlfriend, but she refused, and in a fit of rage, he killed her..."
"It wasn't an accident!" General Lei's words were interrupted as Shaun suddenly shouted, his calm demeanor replaced with rage.
"Sorry, not an accident. But the prince had already conspired with the judge. They gave the girl's family a bribe to frame Shaun. As a result, Shaun spent ten years in prison, and when he was released, he found that he had lost everything—his home was now occupied by others, leaving him with nothing but the life of a beggar," General Lei spoke gently, recounting Shaun's story. Will and Lisa remained silent, listening intently, while Shaun kept his head lowered, not uttering a word.
"Well, that's the story. Now, let's get to business. Shaun, do you want to return to life above ground?" General Lei's tone shifted, becoming more serious again.
"Of course... I want to... reclaim... everything!" Shaun suddenly jumped to his feet, shouting with intense emotion.
"Good. Help me with this task, and I promise you won't have to stay here any longer," General Lei said confidently.
"General Lei, what exactly do you want from me?" Shaun asked, his brows furrowing tightly, almost as if they might meet in the middle.
"I need you to help me overthrow the current Empire of Arus," General Lei sneered.
"What? Overthrow Arus? That's impossible! How could we possibly bring down a country with just a handful of people? Do you know that right now, Arus is being..." Shaun started, bewildered.
"I know, I know. Arus is currently under the control of a group of mad mages. That's precisely why I've returned. These two have helped me secretly return—this is Mr. Will and Ms. Lisa," General Lei introduced, motioning to Will and Lisa, who both removed their hoods in acknowledgment.
"You two are... the fugitives everyone is after?" Shaun stared at Will and Lisa in shock.
"Yes, it's us," Will said with a smile.
"Why is General Lei, who should be imprisoned in the Paralar Empire, working with people from Paralar? What are you really?" Shaun asked, still confused.
"As I said before, Arus is under the control of a group of crazy mages from the United Nations, far to the East. Because of the incompetence of the royal family, we have no means of stopping them. So now, I have returned to drive these mages out of Arus," General Lei said solemnly.
"Are you mad? Do you have any idea how powerful these mages are? They possess powers far beyond human capabilities. They can summon storms and monstrous creatures. You've never seen the scene where a single mage can destroy an entire Arus army, or you wouldn't have such absurd ideas," Shaun said in terror, his body trembling at the mere mention of mages.
"I know. That's why I need your help," General Lei replied.
"How... do you want me to help?" Shaun asked.
"I need you to sow chaos within the Empire of Arus."
"Sow chaos?"
"Yes." At these words, General Lei finally broke into a confident smile.