He paused before adding, "With your permission, I shall go to Biyakis to oversee their relocation. Those who comply shall be saved, and those who resist shall perish."

Abdin gave a curt nod. "Tell them of the fate awaiting them if they prove stubborn." He paused before adding, "I want you to spread this message throughout every corner of Biyakis before Tairen returns. And... don't try to escape or play smart because I can certainly find you wherever you hide."

Leader San felt a chill down his spine. He had no intention of fleeing and leaving his son or the Will of San behind, but the threat still frightened him. It seemed that the Commander hadn't fully forgiven him yet.

"Renga, Cemu," Abdin said, turning his attention away from San. "I need law and order restored in the castle. No one should be allowed in, regardless of their status. You can leave now, and I don't want to be disturbed. If you need anything, seek Princess Juwaira."

Princess Juwaira? Renga and Cemu couldn't figure out what Abdin meant, unlike leader San who had already met the princess. Abdin spoke a few words about the princess before sending them out.

Shortly after they left, he retrieved the princess from his bag of holding. She was still unconscious but already healed. The necklace she wore glowed, and her body absorbed the light, healing her once more.

For a few seconds, Abdin scrutinized her. He still felt annoyed with her, partly for not following his orders and causing Munniq to learn about the loop. But he also felt sorry for her because he was the reason she found herself in such a state. She wouldn't have ended up in that position if he hadn't used her as bait for Silver Mask.

After much thought, he decided to pardon her, at least for the time being, especially after recalling how she had chosen to reveal the truth to him at the cost of her men, who were being held hostage.

From a positive perspective, inviting the princess into the loop had served its purpose of keeping Silver Mask away. The man still hadn't shown his face, and Abdin felt that he owed her for that and his prolonged stay in the current loop.

Now that he thought about it, he remembered that one of the Archbishops tailing him had a skill for tracking down cultivators by their scents. Perhaps he could even use the princess to trick them if they ever found him.

He felt his face instinctively crease. The mere thought of those Archbishops always spoiled his mood. He couldn't wish for Juwaira or anyone to fall into their traps. Moreover, he still believed that Rin's story didn't quite add up.

Finding the castle as early as Rin did after just a few days in the empire couldn't possibly be true. Abdin had prepared himself beforehand and had changed his appearance several times before settling down in Biyakis. Tracking him down would have been difficult and almost impossible unless someone was giving out information about him...

The face of Yunus instantly came to mind. If he had been alive for as long as he claimed and had been tracking Abdin's movements, it was only fair to think that he knew about the enmity between Abdin and the clerics.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The easiest way for him to get rid of Abdin was to set the Archbishops on his trail. He frowned at that thought, recalling how the clerics had almost captured him at unlikely times in the past. Yunus had probably been their informant all along.

He clenched his teeth. Yunus likely had a hand in Rin's appearance at the castle. The world was vast, and the journey from the West where the clerics were based to Biyakis took years. There was no way they could have tracked him down so quickly if they weren't informed.

Half of the suffering he had endured in his life and the frequent changes in his appearance were likely all because of Yunus.

Yunus! The hatred he felt for his cousin suddenly tripled. He never thought that cousin of his would have a hand in all this. How could he possibly suspect a man whom he believed to have died a long time ago?

Eventually, he placed a hand on Juwaira's forehead, steadily feeding her soul with pol. Hours later, the princess awoke.

Abdin was still unsure of what to do with her. She lay still on the table, unable to meet his eyes. Abdin stood up and strode to the window, giving her a chance to laboriously lift herself and sit on a chair.

None of them spoke for some time before Abdin asked, "What are you going to do for the castle?"

He had pardoned her, but he didn't want to let her know just yet. That would make her more cautious in the future.

"I will agree to everything the Commander says," she said, her eyes fixated on her feet.

Slowly, he turned to face her. "What do you know about time?"

The question caught her off guard. She had expected Abdin to start by giving her a thorough tongue-lashing.

"Time?" she questioned.

"Exactly. Time cultivation," he affirmed.

She thought quietly for a while before replying. "Someone told me that time isn't real." She recalled the words of the Shurein chief palace scholar.

Abdin frowned upon hearing this.

"He said that it is only the sun and moon that move," Juwaira continued. "The terms 'sunrise' and 'sunset' were invented to describe when the sun shines and sets, giving rise to the invention of clocks and calendars. According to him, these concepts are not real but were created by humans.

"He believes that the world remains stationary and unchanging, but everything happens simultaneously. The only things that rotate are the sun and moon, which led humans to create the concept of 'time' to better understand their lives."

Abdin sighed when she finished. This was an uncommon perspective, but the scholar was also right in his way. Truly, without the sun and moon, the calendar would not exist.

"I understand," he said. "But let's assume that there is time and there is time travel." He chose this topic because there was something he wanted to convey to her.

"There are skills that can accelerate time and decelerate time, skills that can stop time and reset time. I possess the time-resetting skill, known as the time loop. I initiated you into it earlier by having you swallow the black Ayrid.

"In addition to me, my cousin Yunus is also in the loop. I used to think he was dead, but I recently discovered that he has been alive. Munniq is probably already in the loop now. There are two of you. Both of you will die when I do. However, it is different for Yunus, as he will remain alive afterward, and the world will continue. If that happens, he could take control of my soul and harm me."

Juwaira raised an eyebrow. She didn't fully understand his explanation but sensed that he needed her to do something for him.

"I will do whatever the Commander wants me to do," she replied.

Abdin gave a small smile.

"You will live as long as I live. And when I move forward, I will make sure to take you with me."

Juwaira narrowed her eyes. She was already filled with apprehension about what he was about to ask. The last time they had a conversation as intense as this, they ended up using the black Ayrid.

"I am going to place a marker in time," he said. "This is the only way to ensure that Munniq and Yunus won't succeed if I don't make it."

He took a yellow Ayrid from his bag and handed it to her.

A yellow Ayrid symbolized the rainy season, particularly the last rains. Many scholars from Yusta'Diyum had written books about the virtues of that season and the importance of seeking cultivation during that time.

But she couldn't see how it related to their discussion.