"Laluri was from Nanata. Why would that tribe come here?" He shook his head and stretched his hand to pull something unseen from the air.

The space around his hand glowed and a card appeared between his fingers.

He stretched out his hand three more times in succession. A card appeared between his fingers each time and he placed all four in front of Juwaira.

On the first card, there was a picture of Abdin in a forest surrounded by men. A hand was about to grab his neck.

On the second card, Abdin was in a small castle. The castle was in flames but that hadn't prevented a huge hand from strangling him.

The third card showed Abdin standing unclothed in a room. He was entirely covered in an ant tattoo. Meanwhile, two unidentifiable men sat across him.

On the last card, Abdin was lying inside a river of hot water. More than half his body had melted and he looked dead.

For a long moment, Juwaira studied the cards before she eventually looked up at him.

A powerful wave of pol emanated from each card, giving her the feeling of something being alive and wriggling inside the cards.

"I don't understand, what are you saying?"

They were running out of time, with enemies lying in wait, so he went straight to the point and explained the story behind each card.

Each card told the story of a loop.

Juwaira waited until he was done. She even gave him time to call off the joke.

"You would just go back in time even if you get killed?" Juwaira was trying to come to terms with that fact.

He didn't reveal how the loop affected him or its cost. It was something she didn't need to know at the moment, or ever.

He rummaged through his bag and brought out a black Ayrid which he placed on the desk.

"I will give you a chance to eat this sacred seed. Every skill you learned and every cultivation progress you make, will be carried over to the next loop. And you will retain all your memories."

The whole thing was sudden, to say the least. The princess wasn't sure what to think or believe, that much was apparent on her face. She placed her elbow on the desk and looked him in the eye.

It was only after a long time that she realized he wasn't joking.

Despite his story sounding like a fairy tale, it seemed he believed everything he said. And he wouldn't just lie to her, right?

"Why haven't you given me this chance before?"

"Because I didn't need you then," he answered truthfully, attracting a glare from the princess. "Honestly, I didn't want anyone in the loop - you can understand why. But things have changed and I do now. Eating this Ayrid would give you an unfathomable amount of cultivation in a short period. In exchange, you'll help me evade Silver Mask for some time."

Stolen story; please report.

Abdin rubbed his temples. Very few knew how difficult it was to get a black Ayrid - he could only get one black Ayrid after every ten green ones, and getting a green ayrid cost him countless years of his cultivation - he wouldn't part with it without a deal.

Besides the rarity of the black Ayrid, there was always the risk of betrayal when inviting people to the loop. It was partly the reason he didn't want to invite anyone.

But he had little choice in the matter now. Silver Mask was after him and there was a world-ending disaster waiting to strike at any moment.

The black Ayrid was his Ace card.

"To help you escape Silver Mask?" She asked, obviously understanding why Abdin invited her now of all time.

Abdin nodded. "My goal is to raise my cultivation. Silver Mask wouldn't let me, so I need to erase my scent. I can only do that with the help of this Ayrid. If you swallow it, my scent would be in your body. Your job is to distract him for a few castle expansions before I kill him once and for all."

Juwaira slapped the desk and growled. "Do you think I am your slave? We have only agreed to serve you for ten years, and now you are coming up with something else. You aren't even ashamed." Her mouth frothed as she spoke.

Abdin was quiet for some time before he sighed. It was fine if this didn't work, but he was still disappointed. He reached out to retrieve the black Ayrid, but the princess beat him to it.

He stared at her, frowning.

"I am going to need this if what you said is the truth." She examined the Ayrid on her palm. It was difficult to know what she was thinking at the moment.

Abdin already had someone in mind in case Juwaira didn't cooperate. It seemed he wouldn't need that person anymore.

"So you are the one who married Manisa?" Juwaira asked thoughtfully.

Abdin did tell her what happened in Shurein during the last loop, but he didn't mention Manisa's name or identity. The two were stepsisters, and he wasn't sure how Juwaira would react if she knew the whole story.

He didn't mention the palace at all. And his marriage with Manisa was done in secret. Only three people knew about it. So how was she able to guess it?

His silence was an answer to her.

She was closer to Manisa's mother than all her father's concubines, and she often sought the older woman out for advice.

She found out that Manisa had gotten married two years after the marriage. There was nothing she could do about it then, so she feigned ignorance about the whole issue.

She didn't meet the husband and was later told that they weren't together anymore.

If she could remember it right, the husband's name was Ablud... No, it was Abdin.

"Abdin?" Juwaira asked.

"Yes." He answered wearily. The princess was smart, though not so much.

She shook her head, confused. She wanted to know how an old man like Commander tricked the young Manisa into marriage. And why?

She opened her mouth to ask but quickly shut it, realizing she already knew the answer.

"You have been stalking me since then? Everything you know about me is from her. That's why you married her."

She felt like strangling him. Despite not being born to the same mother, she still loved her sister and wouldn't wish such a calamity on her.

Abdin didn't look at it that way. For one, Manisa would never marry royalty - her father set the law as such. Second, she wasn't even recognized as a legal heir. Third, her cultivation wouldn't go beyond a thousand years. She would forever be at the foundation establishment stage. With all these factors against her, she would never get a husband as appealing as him. He wasn't just anybody.

Moreover, he had no intention of abandoning her forever. He still regarded her as his wife. And if everything had gone as planned, Biyakis would have already become part of his empire. He would have sent for her and would have already made her his empress. She would never be so honored but for him.

He couldn't explain his plans to anyone, his wife or otherwise.

"So you are going to invite her to the loop next?" She asked. Her voice was calm but Abdin could see the worry in her eyes.

"Only if you refuse."

They eyed each other before he placed a hand on the table, silently asking for his Ayrid back.

The young woman hesitated, attracting a chuckle from him.

"There's danger in this, I won't lie and say otherwise, but think about your cultivation. How much progress will you make if everything I'm saying turns out to be true and we survive through it? On the other hand, if you take the seed and it turns out to be nothing then you won't be missing anything."