The Book of Destiny pulsed brightly once more.
Aladdin naturally understood what it was trying to convey.
As the one who had caused all this, the Book of Destiny, embodying the concept of destiny itself, pulsed as though grieving and in indignation over the fact that they were fighting against a happily ever after.
It was nagging him to fix this. It simply could not tolerate what had been done.
But how could it be that easy to fix?
After ascending the throne, Aladdin had planned to hunt and explore the various subterranean worlds underneath the Seven Deserts, eliminate Mozenrath, Nasira, and other high and mid-profile villains in the Aladdin universe, and then take care of his wife while expanding the influence of the Empire across the Seven Deserts until it reached beyond its borders.
How was he supposed to leave all of this behind to pursue the princesses and save them from their doom?
Though the Book of Destiny didn't explicitly state that he was a transmigrator and merely an anomaly who wrestled against his initial fate, how was he supposed to reveal this to others without exposing this secret or short-circuiting their brains?
The only being who could possibly help him complete this task was Genie. Yet, how was he supposed to explain this to him as well?
He refrained from lying to Genie. But even if he wanted to, it was unbelievably difficult to lie to a being with near-phenomenal cosmic powers. Most of all, he didn't want to sour their relationship.
Aladdin was aware that Genie must have already sensed something about him, but since he hadn't stated it himself, it meant that it was something he had looked away from. Genie was very straightforward once you got to know him.
The only solution he could think of was to utilise his resources to the maximum capacity and handle this himself.
Sensing Aladdin's fluctuating expressions, the Book of Destiny pulsed once more.
Aladdin snorted and gently closed the book. He ignored its stern lecture about destiny and fate and focused more on his own thoughts.
"Rakim," Aladdin called out. He summoned the Oracle Sceptre and handed it to his imperial grand general.
"Your Highness," Rakim responded solemnly as he received the magical artefact.
He noticed the changing expressions on Aladdin's face, and although he didn't know what he had seen within the Book of Destiny, he understood that it wasn't a light matter.
"I want to summon the oracle with that sceptre and ask her about the current state of Mulan in China," Aladdin asked. He had gone to China with Jasmine on the carpet and returned within a night, so she was the closest he could meet.
Rakim's brows shot up. From the name, he could discern that it had its origins in the East. He had no idea why Aladdin was trying to use the oracle's knowledge on an unknown person.
Could it be one of his past friends? He held back his questions and nodded.
He focused his intent on summoning the oracle sealed within the sceptre.
Smoke-like magical energy shot upwards from the staff in spirals, and a familiar figure gradually materialised from the light and mist. As the Oracle appeared, the entire atmosphere around her became absurdly silent, as though sound had ceased to exist.
Her gaze focused on Rakim.
"I see all that has been, and all that will be," she said, with a familiar recitable introduction, her voice slow and calm, near emotionless yet mystical as it echoed across the silent environment.
"I am bound by the Rule of One: one question, one answer."
"Ask, and I shall answer."
"What is the current state of Mulan in China?" Rakim asked.
The Oracle raised her hand and swept forward, scattering dazzling moonlight dust into the empty space before her. The dust spiralled in the air, revealing a form that gradually took the image of a man with a feminine face, resolve as sharp as steel burning through his eyes, riding a horse through an open road.
"Under the empire's forceful conscription, Mulan has disguised herself as a man and fled from home to take the place of her crippled father, and is on her way to join the Imperial forces of China to fight against their most formidable enemy."
Aladdin sighed in relief. He was worried that it was too late; fortunately, it was at this moment that Mulan fled home disguised as a man, unaware that a small red Eastern dragon was trailing behind her.
He still had time to plan how to deal with the forthcoming issue.
With countless individuals under his rule, all he needed was to order them to take up the sceptre and ask the Oracle questions that he had desired. This way, he had a near-inexhaustible, all-seeing encyclopedia.
Standing beside him, Rakim was stunned that the person the Emperor had used his one-time-use oracle sceptre for was a man. Even upon realising that it was a woman from the oracle's explanation, his expression remained the same. He had only sighed in relief.
Could it be that this was a woman the Emperor had taken an interest in?
A flash of comprehension shone in his eyes. He looked at the woman again, this time with an evaluating gaze.
It was difficult to evaluate her beauty due to her disguise. However, he acknowledged the fact that she was a skilled horseback rider and a soldier. The Seven Deserts, most especially the Ababwa Empire, did not bother themselves with something as crude as gender bias, unlike where she was from, as long as they could get the job done.
He simply needed to find a way to distract the Empress, properly introduce Aladdin's new identity to her, improve their relationship with each other, offer her a chance to join the Imperial family, and whatever so-called formidable enemies there were would be crushed by their empire. In fact, they only needed their Emperor's presence to make all of this possible.
As long as she was willing to part with her nation and become a concubine, then he could kickstart the plan to revive the Imperial Bloodline.
Hook, line, and sinker.
Since no one was willing to do the work, he was willing to take on this burden himself. No matter how long it took, he was going to ensure that he saw the return of the Empire of Ababwa in his lifetime.
"Do you know her, your Majesty?" Rakim asked, staring at Aladdin with hidden curiosity.
"No. But I caught a few details about her from the Book of Destiny," Aladdin responded, finding a good explanation for why he knew about her.
Rakim nodded.
The fact that Aladdin didn't know her made this even better. This meant that he could manoeuvre different tactics to invite her to their Empire.
Rakim felt as though today was shaping up to be a fine day. He knew that good things were bound to come once Aladdin became Emperor.
"I hope that you can keep this a secret between us for now until I choose to reveal it to others myself," Aladdin said.
A flash of understanding shone on Rakim's face.
"My mouth is sealed," Rakim responded with a firm nod.
Aladdin furrowed his brows at the sudden shift in Rakim's behaviour but didn't dwell on it. Having been placed in a curse for so long, he was certain that he was eager to explore this new world.
Sensing her work was complete, the Oracle bowed her head slightly and vanished into magical smoke that dissipated back into the gem.
Rakim handed the sceptre back to Aladdin.
Aladdin received the sceptre and stored it in his storage ring.
"Go prepare the meeting with the foreign dignitaries. I want to complete my meeting with them before the end of the day," Aladdin said.
Rakim nodded. He bowed respectfully in Aladdin's direction before stepping down the stairs and exiting the throne room.
Aladdin remained calm in his mind before he teleported to his bedroom to check on Jasmine. He couldn't leave her unattended right after their wedding night.
After that, he went straight to his meeting with the foreign dignitaries.
Aladdin was able to complete his meeting at nine in the evening.
He teleported to the room where he had kept his father.
Cassim, who had just finished a banquet meal for dinner, was inspecting the gold-plated handle of the curtains when he sensed Aladdin behind him.
"You're here. I was wondering if you were planning on leaving your father alone until he aged." Cassim quickly turned and greeted him with a smile as he walked forward to hug Aladdin.
"Welcome, so how was work? Have you handled the things you needed to? I don't want to get in the way of you running your Empire."
Aladdin reciprocated his hug.
"I've completed enough tasks for today; otherwise, I wouldn't be here," he responded.
They walked and took their seats around a small round table.
"So how did you become the Emperor of this…?" Cassim asked the question that had been on his mind without hesitation.
//////
I feel like a machine.
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