Ali asked Erold to come with him to get to know the city of Babylon, so that no one would deceive him, and also so he might know where to find his friend or obtain any useful information.
Before they left, Ali turned to Jasmin (in a tender voice): "Jasmin, do you want anything from the market?" Jasmin: "No."
Ali and Erold went out together. But moments later, Jasmin remembered with surprise and disappointment that there were no vegetables in the house. She tried to catch up with her father, but found no trace of him. She said (in a bored voice): "Fine… I'll get them myself."
In the market, Ali was telling Erold about the city: "Here in Babylon, there are many sorcerers; some of them can actually help you obtain information. We have some who are among the best sorcerers, but also some who are charlatans." Erold replied (in a calm voice): "Fine… I have nothing to lose, let's go."
Ali introduced Erold to the market: small shops selling food, others selling strange things; some valuable, and some just garbage. There were shops for sorcerers; those who sell potions, those who work in astrology and information gathering, and others who claim to possess incantations to increase physical strength. Erold smiled simply, as if he knew everything he was seeing, but he feigned ignorance and said: "I want to go to one of the great masters of astrology."
Ali was surprised and said: "Man, this is your first day in Babylon, and you want to go to the great sorcerers? This might bring you trouble. It's true that you can enter their shops, but their shrines are entered by no one; the place is guarded by sentries and requires a permit." Erold (with slight annoyance): "Pffft… Is there any way to get in there?"
Ali: "Yes. The Festival of Stars will be held tomorrow. It takes place in the sorcerers' shrines. If we want to enter, we need to bring something to offer them as a sacrifice… like a goat." Then Ali continued, explaining the types of shrines: "There is the Shrine of Knowledge, where sorcerers offer prophecies of what will happen in the coming days. They call them the Star Sorcerers and believe that you can gain the power of one of the stars. But honestly… I don't believe in this nonsense."
Then he continued mockingly: "And in the Shrine of Incantations, they teach spells to students. Their power varies according to the essence of each person's mind. And the Shrine of Love? That is dedicated to the naive, those looking for love in any possible way." Then Ali said with a clear tone of annoyance: "Damn them, man… they are all losers." Then he changed his tone and said indifferently: "And there is an old, dilapidated shrine that no one enters, even the rats stay away from it. If we want them to allow us to enter any of these shrines, we need to bring them a goat in exchange for their services."
Erold (with surprise): "Why don't they ask for money like the rest of the sorcerers? Is it possible they sell the goats?" Ali: "No… the people of Babylon cherish goats greatly. But I don't know why they demand them."
Moving to Jasmin. She returned from the market, and while she was exploring one of the alleys, three unknown men noticed her. She was trying to explore the city on her own, as she had dreamed of for a long time; for every time she went out with her father, he would tell her: "Babylon is like a hornet's nest; normal on the outside but terrible on the inside, do not try to discover it from within. This is dangerous, my child."
She entered the alley, and suddenly one of the men grabbed her and said: "Look what we have here! A gold denar or silver? How much will they pay for you in the slave market?" Jasmin's eyes widened in fear, the unknown man's hand closing over her mouth while she tried to speak. The other two men approached, one of them saying in amazement: "A beautiful girl! She might become a servant for the ministers, or even something better… in the royal palace!"
In another place, Erold felt something strange. He placed his hand on his waist and said: "Damn… I didn't bring my sword." Then he added with annoyance: "How could I go out without my sword?" He ran quickly, with Ali calling out to him: "Where are you going?" But the road was crowded with people, so he decided to climb and jump between the houses. Erold was a strange mixture of speed and agility.
He found the alley and stood atop the roof of a house overlooking it. He looked at the scene and analyzed the situation in his mind: "Three people… two are incautious, and the third is distracted… but I have no weapon." He noticed that the two men carried daggers on their waists and said: "So that's how it is…"
The two slave traders were talking to the man restraining Jasmin: "You are very lucky today, Oghrabi; what you found is not to be gambled on, but sold for a wealth of money," he said, laughing. Oghrabi replied, laughing: "That is why I will not gamble, man." Then he turned his back to them and said in a muffled voice: "Secure me until we get out of the tunnels."
A strange sound, like a rapid hum, was heard behind Oghrabi. Erold jumped like a gust of wind from the roof to behind the men. He pulled their daggers quickly and plunged them into their necks with total coldness, saying: "I think this rude child does not belong to you; let her go before you regret it, man."
Erold (with total coldness): "I told you… let her go." Oghrabi (angrily): "Damn you! I will kill her just as I killed my companions, I don't care about the money!" Erold (calmly): "Fine… I wanted you to live." Oghrabi: "You seem arrogant, man!"
Suddenly, Jasmin falls from his hands. Oghrabi looks at her, then at his left wrist… his hand is severed, and blood is gushing from it heavily. His hand fell beside Jasmin's face. She opened her eyes in amazement: "What happened?!" The man looked at his right hand… severed as well! He screamed: "What have you done?!" Erold (mockingly): "How are you still holding your dagger, man?"
The man fell while bleeding, only to notice that the tendons of his feet had been severed, and he said pleadingly: "Please… don't let me die like this." Erold untied Jasmin's bonds, ignored the man, and said: "Let's go, little one."
Moving to Ali, who was searching for Erold: "This man is crazy… if I don't find him, he will get into trouble." He sees a man with sharp features, long hair with some white in it, carrying a little girl on his shoulder. Ali shouted: "Jasmin?! What are you doing here alone? How did you two meet? And where did you go, Erold?"
Erold told him everything. Ali's features changed, and he said (with fear): "Slave traders… the cursed ones. They care for nothing but money. I will kill them! Where are they?" Erold replied coldly: "I killed them." Ali was shocked: "Three slave traders?! Alone?!" Erold said: "One of them mentioned his name… Oghrabi."
Ali was stunned: "O… Oghrabi?! Impossible! He was a knight in the royal court! He was expelled because of his severity… but he was one of the most skilled knights in Babylon! How did you kill him?!" Erold replied: "I was lucky."
Jasmin looked at him, still on his shoulder, and said: "Luck? Ha! If you are that fast, why didn't you catch me before I fell?" Erold (jokingly): "I wanted you to fall, you sharp-tongued girl." Jasmin screamed while choking him with her legs: "Who is sharp-tongued, you old man?!"
Ali laughed a little and said: "I haven't seen Jasmin like this in a while… Thank you, Erold. Truly, I thank you… I owe you my life." Erold: "Man, you are the one who saved me. This is just returning the favor." Ali smiled and said: "So be it then."