He eagerly anticipated the treasures his soldiers would bring back. He wondered about the Forty Thieves' reactions upon seeing that the Hand of Midas, which they had tirelessly pursued, was now his. With it, wealth would never be a concern again.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
"Five minutes are over," Jasmine said as she strode into the room with Abu in her arms.
Rakim and the flying carpets followed behind them.
Abu leapt out of her arms and moved to the top of the bed.
Jasmine pushed Aladdin to lie down on the bed and lay beside him.
"Rakim…" Aladdin wanted to ask for updates about the soldiers who had been sent to collect the magical items.
However, before he could utter another word, Jasmine clamped her hand over his mouth. She narrowed her eyes at him fiercely before turning to Rakim.
Rakim wanted to speak, but quickly swallowed his words. Seeing that Aladdin didn't utter another word, he also kept silent. He didn't want to earn the ire of the future Empress by getting on her bad side.
Rakim nodded. "I'll be taking my leave. Please rest easy, Your Highness. The maids will be here to attend to you," he said.
Then he turned around and exited the room.
Carpet and his sister soared out through the windows, heading toward the city.
***
Within a large grim castle,
In a dimly lit room,
A wide magic circle was drawn at the centre of the room. At its centre was a vial containing a white, purplish wisp.
At this moment, the magic circle shone brightly.
The surge of magical energy flowing across the magic circle slowly gathered at the centre and poured into the vial. The vial trembled and shook as the wisp grew larger and bounced around within it.
Suddenly, the vial shattered, scattering across the floor, and the wisp shot into the air. It slowly expanded until it took the shape of a woman.
If Aladdin were here, he would have instantly recognised the familiar face.
It was none other than the dark sorceress, Nasira.
The moment she appeared, she collapsed on her knees.
Before attacking Agrabah, she had taken precautions to ensure that her soul wouldn't vanish like her brother's in case she fell in battle by dividing her soul into two parts. The first she left in her body, while the second she safely stored within her castle.
It had taken her a great deal of time and effort to cast aside her pride and accept the possibility that she might die. But the death and disappearance of her brother had been so strange that she couldn't afford to leave any loopholes in her plans that might result in her defeat. The cost was negligible compared to the outcome.
So even if she died, she would live to fight another day.
Nasira looked at her palms and stretched out her hands as though attempting to grasp the air. But she couldn't feel it.
After thirty minutes of regaining her composure, she attempted to sense the other half of her soul that had perished alongside her body during the battle against Aladdin.
However, when she tried to sense it, she felt nothing.
She tried again. Once more, she sensed nothing. It was as though it had vanished from existence.
"No!! NOOOO!!!" Nasira clutched her arms tightly against her chest and screamed out, "AAHHHH!!!" Her voice was filled with a mixture of pain, anger, and frustration before finally settling into hatred, "ALADDINN!!"
The magic circles on the ground shone brightly as magical energy surged through them, filling the atmosphere with an immense, almost suffocating pressure that pushed the tables and chairs against the walls.
At this moment, her hatred for Aladdin, as well as the Genie working with him, had reached its peak. She didn't know how Aladdin had managed to convince a powerful being such as a Genie to do his bidding.
Regardless of what lengths she had to go through, she would capture that Genie and make it her slave, inflicting upon it the same pain that she and her brother had endured.
After calming down, a sudden realisation struck her.
Her brother was dead. He couldn't be revived.
Nasira collapsed to the side, her body sprawled across the magic circle. She hugged herself, as though trying to comfort herself.
But there was no warmth in a soul, much less hers, which had been split in two.
The easiest way to hate someone is to love them, or to have them harm someone or something you love. The easiest way to love someone is to first hate them, or to share in something that both of you hate together.
Nasira understood this concept. But she couldn't understand its depths until today.
Nasira wept. She bawled her eyes out over the magic circle beneath her, soaking it with tears and emotions she had been holding in.
***
Three days later,
Empire of Ababwa,
Despite feeling recovered on the day he had awakened, Aladdin was forced to rest for an extra three days. He didn't reject it, and although he hadn't chosen to admit it, he had been feeling the mental pressure after encountering Nasira, even though he had defeated her.
During this period, he hadn't caught a glimpse of Genie. Genie had only appeared briefly to Carpet and the others to bid them goodbye before heading out on his holiday.
Aladdin was only worried because he didn't know when Genie was going to return.
Aladdin strode down the hall with Jasmine and Rakim walking beside him.
"Have you received any updates on the items I asked to be collected?" Aladdin asked, looking through the paperwork in his hands.
"We haven't collected all the items yet, though we've made progress with a few of them, such as the Hand of Midas. Fortunately, we were able to spot the Vanishing Isle and make our way in to retrieve it before it vanished once more," Rakim responded.
"The maps you provided have proven to be reliable. With the help of the magic carpets, reaching the various other locations has eased their travels. They should be arriving any moment now."
"If this treasure is truly as the legend claims, then we might never have to worry about expenses draining our treasury again. We might even usher in a golden age of unprecedented wealth, not only for the Imperial Household but for every citizen of Ababwa as well," he added.
"You're right. However, we still need to be careful so we don't collapse the economy across the Seven Deserts by possessing so much gold that it becomes worthless. Besides, the item is cursed, and there is a reason its wielders never live long enough to enjoy their wealth," Aladdin responded.
"The safest thing to do is seal it within its own vault in the imperial treasury. Inform the craftsmen of the task. I will personally reinforce the vault magically after they are done."
He glanced at Rakim.
Although he didn't doubt Rakim's loyalty, he didn't know if Rakim could be swayed by the Hand of Midas, since it was, after all, one of the most powerful treasures capable of helping an individual create wealth to rival that of Ababwa.
With enough gold, it was even possible to buy magical treasures out of the hands of powerful secret sorcerers or organisations and use them to do their bidding.
It was better not to lead others into temptation and hope for the best, but to prevent it from happening, or at least keep it within the constraints of one's control.
"True. Your thinking is brilliant as always, Your Highness. I will ensure your orders are relayed to the craftsmen," Rakim responded.
"What is the response from the foreign dignitaries?" Aladdin asked.
Before Rakim could respond, Jasmine quickly replied, "They have insisted on meeting you. And many of them are prepared to make the journey to Ababwa. Apparently, your dazzling heroism in arresting the Forty Thieves and saving Agrabah single-handedly from the dark sorceress Nasira, by slaying her, both of whom are considered fearsome in their own leagues, was enough for the foreign dignitaries to deem you a potential ally and trading partner."
"They are willing to offer negotiations that will aid Ababwa to prosper in the long run. However, they still aren't aware of Ababwa's true might. To them, it's still just a small nation with incredibly powerful magical backers struggling to survive and needing to ally itself with the Kingdom of Agrabah. They've no idea how wrong they are."
"What was your response?" Aladdin asked.
Since Jasmine had taken charge of the matter herself, it meant she must have already resolved it.
"I told them to wait until after our wedding. Then, they will be given the privilege of visiting Ababwa to further discuss these negotiations," Jasmine responded.
She turned to Aladdin and asked, "What do you think?"
Aladdin nodded. "Let's do as you say. Complete our wedding first before proceeding to handle everything else," he said.
Soon, they arrived within a wide courtyard with Imperial Guards and Court Magicians stationed on both sides of the entrance.
//////
Author's Note:
A quick update for everyone.
I don't believe chapters that are already publicly available elsewhere should remain locked behind a Patreon paywall.
Therefore, all chapters that have been released publicly on Webnovel and other sites will also be available to both free and paid members on Patreon.
Paid supporters will still receive early access and other Patreon benefits, but I want Patreon to be a place where readers can easily catch up on publicly released content as well.
Thank you for all your support. It means a lot to me. I mean it!