"Has Pix gone mad? Why on earth is he randomly beating people in the street?" Will muttered to himself.
"Isn't he afraid they'll rebel against him?" Lisa inquired.
"Hmm, unless someone is protecting him from behind. It must be the one who gave him the addiction stone. He's surely nearby," Jin said, his expression grave.
"Someone gave him the addiction stone? You mean Merlyn?" Will exclaimed, suddenly enlightened, looking at Lisa in surprise.
"Yes! It's him. Merlyn is certainly behind Pix's protection!" Lisa affirmed.
"Who?" Jin asked, confused.
"Oh, right, I haven't told you about Merlyn yet," Lisa whispered to Jin.
"Let's go. There's nothing more to see here," General Lei, who had been standing behind them, murmured.
"Right, we shouldn't waste any more time," Will said, leading the way back to the inn.
...
Once back at the inn, Will and his companions began discussing their strategy.
"Perhaps we could use Pix," Jin murmured to himself, his voice serious.
"What?" Will asked, confused.
"If Pix continues like this, he will eventually provoke a rebellion from the people in the slums. When that happens, they'll surely direct their long-standing grievances toward the noble district and the palace. At that point, the entire kingdom of Arus will descend into chaos. This will present us with the perfect opportunity to strike at the palace," Jin explained slowly.
"Mm, that's a good idea. Maybe we can have Shaoen's men stir things up a bit more," General Lei added.
"Yes, the stronger the reaction, the better. It will provoke an even greater response from others," Jin continued.
Sitting quietly, Will and Lisa watched as Jin and General Lei exchanged ideas, not wishing to interrupt them.
"Now, let's go and pass this information on to Shaoen," General Lei said, rising swiftly.
"Right, let's go," Will responded, standing up and heading for the door.
"Oh, by the way, you two mentioned you were going to tell me something about Merlyn," Jin said from the back, addressing Will and Lisa.
"Alright, alright, we'll tell you as we walk," Lisa sighed, resigned.
...
Soon after, Will and his group entered the sewers. After navigating through the dark tunnels, they arrived at the lair of Shaoen, the King of Beggars.
"Ah, my friends, didn't expect to see you so soon! And now there are four of you?" Shaoen said, seated in a high-backed chair outside his lair, smiling as he greeted them.
"He's my brother, and he's with us, so you can rest easy," General Lei replied, answering for Will.
"Ah, welcome, welcome! Let's go inside and talk," Shaoen said, rising from his chair and leading them inside.
"Did you come today with a plan to create chaos?" Shaoen asked, sitting down on a plush sofa he had scavenged. Will and his companions took seats on a patched-up couch opposite him.
"Mm, more or less, which is why we came to consult with you," General Lei responded.
"I'm all ears," Shaoen smiled.
"Jin, why don't you take the floor?" General Lei said, looking at Jin seriously.
"Fine, fine," Jin answered reluctantly.
...
Meanwhile, as Pix continued to oppress the people of the slums, a black crow flew overhead. After circling for a moment, it landed on a nearby rooftop, its sharp eyes fixed on the scene below. Suddenly, a blinding white light emanated from the crow's body, transforming it into Merlyn, who stood on the roof, watching Pix's actions.
"That fool must be sick in the head. Does he only know how to beat people?" Merlyn sneered, observing Pix from above.
At that moment, Will and the others returned from Shaoen's lair and were walking slowly back to the inn.
"Is Pix still beating people?" Will exclaimed in surprise as he noticed the crowd gathering ahead. He immediately dashed toward the crowd. Just as Will was about to push his way through, a large man standing in his way suddenly stepped back, knocking Will to the ground. Will's hood was knocked off his head in the process.
"What? That kid!" Merlyn exclaimed with sudden excitement, his eyes watching closely as Will fell.
"Get up, let's go," Jin quickly rushed to Will's side, pulling his hood back into place and helping him to his feet as they hurried toward the inn.
"Four people? What's this about?" Merlyn thought, watching the group of four walk toward the inn. His mind raced with suspicion.
"Aside from that kid, the female mage must be here as well. But who are the other two?" Merlyn wondered, narrowing his gaze on Jin, who was standing beside Will.
"Now, there are four of them in the house. It's not time to confront them yet. Let's let Pix investigate their intentions first," Merlyn thought, then spread his wings and flew swiftly toward the palace.
...
Back at the inn, the four didn't linger in the tavern. They made their way quickly upstairs to their room.
"Didn't anyone notice you?" Jin asked nervously, shutting the door behind them.
"No, why?" Will asked, still puzzled.
"Why? Your hood fell off! If Pix saw us, we'd be completely exposed. Not only would Pix know we're here, but Merlyn might find out we're in Arus too," Lisa said seriously.
"There were too many people around; Pix probably didn't see," General Lei replied, then slowly removed his own hood.
'General Lei!' Merlyn, now a crow, perched on the branch outside Will's window, staring intently at them.
'What is he doing with them? Are they aligned now?' Merlyn thought, his mind buzzing with questions.
'Who's the other man? I've never seen him before. He's not from Arus, but I didn't see him in Paralar either,' Merlyn pondered, his attention shifting to Jin.
'There are four of them now in the house. It's not yet time to make a move. I'll let Pix figure out their purpose first,' Merlyn decided, and with that, he spread his wings and flew quickly toward the palace.