In a certain part of the Arus Palace, within a safehouse, Pikes had changed into a fresh set of clothes and was preparing to set out once more. He was intent on causing trouble for the people of the slums, not out of personal enjoyment, but because it was all part of Merlin's plan. Though Merlin outwardly appeared to be assisting the United Nations mages in their effort to control the Arus Kingdom, behind the scenes, he harbored a far grander scheme—a plan known only to a select few. In Merlin's mind, chaos was far more intriguing than simple domination. He wished to see the entire continent descend into a state of disorder. The orders given to Pikes to oppress the slums were merely the first step in this grand design. Merlin wanted to stir up feelings of rebellion among the oppressed people, causing them to rise against the royal power of the Arus Empire. Then, leveraging his current position in Arus, he would use force to crush these rebels. In this way, the entire kingdom would slowly descend into anarchy, a result Merlin desired above all else. ... Meanwhile, after deciding to aid Will, Jin made it a point to meet with him and his companions every day at the inn. In the tavern on the first floor of the slum inn, Will, Lisa, General Lei, and Jin sat together, preparing to share the clues they had gathered and discuss their future plans. "Could you two relax a little?" Lisa glanced at Jin and General Lei, who were seated across from each other, their gazes locked in silence. "Not a problem. Please continue," Jin responded, though his eyes remained fixed on his brother, General Lei, sitting opposite him. "How about it, Jin? Would you like to switch seats with me?" Will, sitting beside Jin, smiled and suggested. "No, no need. This works perfectly," Jin replied without shifting his gaze. "Well, fine. Since you insist," Will sighed helplessly. "Let's get started," General Lei said, still glaring at Jin with a serious expression. "Alright. It's already the fourth day, and in three days, Arus will launch its offensive against Paralar. We've gained the support of the Beggar King Shaoen, who has promised to assist us in sowing chaos within the city," Lisa explained in an orderly manner. "Have you figured out how to create such a large-scale disturbance?" Jin quietly inquired. "Not yet," Will sighed in response. "Ah, so you haven't figured anything out at all. This is just a vague idea," Jin remarked, taking a sip of his beer with a resigned expression. "Indeed, our primary objective now is to find a way to incite chaos and scatter the palace's military forces," Lisa said gravely. "That shouldn't be too difficult. We can simply have Shaoen's men stir up trouble throughout the city," Will suggested. "No, we can't do that. It would be too obvious, and it would definitely attract the attention of those mages. They would trace it back to us, and not only would they investigate, but Shaoen and we ourselves would be at risk of exposure. That would cause us serious problems," Lisa said seriously, looking directly at Will. "Lisa's right. It seems she is quite familiar with the tactics of those mages," General Lei remarked, his voice tinged with danger. "Ah, that's because she's also a mage," Jin interjected, answering General Lei's question. "What? Lisa is a mage? Does that mean you come from the United Nations as well?" General Lei's expression suddenly grew tense. At the unexpected question, Lisa became anxious, her gaze shifting nervously between Will and Jin, as she fell silent. "I…" she stammered, unable to find her words in her nervousness. "Come to think of it, Lisa has never mentioned where she's from. I remember asking her the first time we met, but she never gave a clear answer," Will suddenly spoke up, sitting directly opposite her. "As far as I know, all mages on this continent come from the same place," General Lei said solemnly. "The United Nations…" Jin whispered under his breath. At these words, Lisa, who had been nervous, lowered her head completely. Her face turned as red as a tomato in autumn, the color of embarrassment and shame. "Lisa, where are you really from?" Will asked, his voice full of concern as he observed her strange behavior. "I…" Lisa whispered, her body trembling lightly with anxiety. "I… I truly come from the United Nations," Lisa sighed heavily, speaking slowly. "Really?" Will asked in disbelief. "Yes, but there are some things I am not yet ready to discuss. I just want to assure you that I've never lied to any of you. Though I come from the United Nations, I hate those mages just as much as you do, I despise Merlin. My desire to see Merlin dead is as strong as General Lei's, perhaps even stronger than any of yours." "Lisa, we've never doubted you. We can see that you truly loathe Merlin, although we still don't know why you feel this way," Will said. "It's a long story. I promise, once this is all over, I'll tell you everything without holding anything back," Lisa said, her gaze resolute as she looked at Will. "Alright, I believe you," Will said softly. "You should say, 'We believe you.' I never said I didn't trust her," Jin added, picking up Will's words. "Enough, let's focus on the matter at hand. Time is not on our side," General Lei said. "But it was you who brought this up in the first place," Jin remarked, clearly irritated. "Anyway, now we need to find an opportunity to incite a riot, but we must also find a way that won't alert the mages," Lisa said. "Mm... Sounds easy enough, but when you think about it carefully, no matter what we do, they'll find out," Jin said helplessly. The moment Jin finished speaking, the four of them fell into deep thought. Just as they were at a loss, a cry of pain and angry curses rang out from outside the tavern. "What's going on?" Will suddenly stood up, peering out the door. Meanwhile, the other patrons of the tavern, curious, ran outside to see what was happening. "Probably just another fight. This kind of thing happens all the time in Arus, especially in the slums," General Lei said, shaking his head in resignation. "Let's go have a look," Will suggested. The four of them, still without a clear plan, slowly walked out of the tavern and headed toward the crowd gathering nearby. Not far from the tavern, Pikes, with several of his subordinates, was openly beating the people of the slums in broad daylight. The other slum residents, though filled with rage, dared not step forward to resist, being unarmed. They could only watch helplessly as their companions were oppressed. "Why are they beating him?" Will, standing behind the crowd, quietly asked the person in front of him. "I don't know. That guy didn't say a word; he just started attacking anyone he saw," a slum resident answered, his voice filled with frustration.
