The tireless Zino continued its relentless journey towards the Lake of Madian Azar, paying no heed to the small group that had been gathered nearby for an hour. This apathy was mutual, to the point that even the thunderous roar of the mighty river was now inaudible to them. Their voices had returned to normal conversation levels instead of the shouting they had employed earlier:

"Absurd!"

"Do you seriously believe that Speid-cheshman has opened its gates to representatives who aren't even from Parsin after all these years?"

"What's more, she thinks the Sepid-cheshm people have accepted their words!"

"I didn't say they've 'accepted' it, but it seems the divs have managed to engage with the Sepid-cheshm people."

"Absurd!"

Parisa cast a knowing glance at Shahab to dissuade him from repeating the word yet again and motioned for the others to listen to Suzanne's explanation. She then placed her hand on Suzanne's knee and inquired softly, "Why do you believe this? Why trust the words of a dying div?"

Suzanne responded, "Because it was a profoundly peculiar thing to mention in such a dire state!"

Shahab chimed in, asserting, "He was clearly attempting to intimidate you! It was his last-ditch effort to seek revenge, even after being captured."

Suzanne gestured wildly and responded with fervor, "No! I'm telling you, he was speaking the truth! The scenario is entirely plausible. Eke-Tash was renowned as a master of infiltrators and a great traitor-maker. With his actions and the individuals he managed to coerce into betrayal, as well as the potential presence of his agents from the outset, it's conceivable that when the Sepid-cheshman gates closed forever, he may have dispatched some of his infiltrators. Now he's attempting to establish connections between his people on both sides of the Sepid-cheshman borders. Perhaps not for the immediate future... perhaps for a much later time... but it's a beginning..."

Rubina interjected, "Have you forgotten? After halting Dara Shah's army, he perished along with all the prominent divs accompanying him! The Sepid Force of Farnas vanquished them."

Suzanne shook her head. "These are speculations buried in old texts! The truth is, no one ever laid eyes on a body, neither from Dara Shah's army nor from the divs! It is plausible that he was never dead all this time and has now escaped the valley by any means possible. Perhaps his master has harbored revenge all these years and has now devised a new scheme, summoning his formidable servant from the valley!"

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Suzanne's words left the conversation in a state of suspended contemplation, punctuated by yet another pause. After a brief pause, Parisa spoke up, saying, "Suzanne, do you know how long it's been since anyone heard a word about Murdai Khin?"

To support her assertion, Shahab adopted a markedly different tone, adding, "Exactly! From the very beginning, very little has been mentioned about Murdai Khin. No one has seen him up close. The only information we have about him comes from divs captured during the ancient wars, and none of them claimed to have seen him up close either."

Suzanne inquired, "What are you getting at?"

Shahab elaborated, "I'm suggesting that Eke-Tash was a cunning div. Smarter than the rest of them. In reality, he was the true leader during the wars, and he likely orchestrated the creation of stories and legends about an imaginary leader named Murdai Khin in their own lands. He merely had to play the role among his own kind. That's all there is to it!"

Suzanne, hands on her chest, pressed, "What's the likelihood of your theory being true, really? It's not a hundred percent, is it?"

Shahab retorted, "Don't mince words..."

Suzanne maintained her stance, asserting, "I'm not mincing words. If it's not a hundred percent, then there's a small percentage that supports my unexplored theory. And the significance of that small percentage is so great that we must acknowledge it overshadows the entire objective of our seemingly childish mission."

Shahab muttered the word "childish" in frustration under his breath, but the others remained silent as the group's leader continued, "Now that we understand what's of greater importance, we must face the potential consequences of this theory. One of them is that at any time, from any place, Eke-Tash's followers could emerge, and we all know that among the three human races, the divs harbor the deepest resentment towards us for what we've done to them."

Rubina then inquired, "So, what's your suggestion?"

Suzanne paused and immersed herself in thought. She realized that returning home was not an option for her, not this soon, not without gathering more information, and especially not after the promises she had made and the promise given to her. However, she also needed to inform Ashuban about the events as quickly as possible. She was certain that if anyone else were to send the message, Shahab would likely remain behind and use the smaller group to make her life more difficult. To successfully complete the mission assigned to her by kazhamuz Tarikan, she needed to maintain her focus, and she knew she had to consider the potential destinations carefully. If Abandar contained such divs, who knew what other changes had transpired in the hidden corridors of power in Parsin? After some contemplation, Suzanne finally responded.

"We have no choice. We still need to gather valuable information for Ashuban. However, there's no longer a need to visit Raboramona, especially as it would take us far from Ashuban and place us deep within enemy territory. We'll only explore the significant locations in Parsin that played a crucial role in past wars. We'll start with the closest ones, and we'll return when we obtain the first important, reliable piece of information that can be considered an achievement. Let me think… the closest place would be..."

"Farnas!"