Aladdin reappeared before his private workshop.
His princely garments vanished, and a simple black long-sleeved linen shirt paired with trousers and a thick leather apron over it appeared on him. On his feet were a pair of thick leather boots, and on his hands were skin-tight gloves, with goggles over his eyes.
In an instant, Aladdin went through a complete change of clothes.
Since he was blacksmithing, he decided to fit the role more closely, even if all of his attire was magically enhanced to the same level to prevent any unexpected situations from arising.
Since he had no idea where the story of Mulan had gone wrong, he planned to finish things sooner and head to China as soon as possible. Before then, he would strengthen his magical artefacts and complete the other sets he could make at the moment.
***
One month later.
"That's enough for the journey," Aladdin said as he changed out of his work clothes back into his princely garments. He stored the items in his storage ring.
During this period, he had created and refined various artefacts over and over again, using his extensive and growing knowledge of magic. He has also improved his blacksmithing skills by accumulating more experience.
One of his major improvements was Black Legacy, which was far more powerful and incomparable to what it had been before.
During this period, he also created equipment for Abu as he would be joining him on his journey.
If it wasn't for the extensive creative knowledge that he had brought over from his former world, allowing him to synthesise new formulas on those foundations, Aladdin knew he could have run out of ideas by now.
But it was precisely because of this that he had made this wish. He wanted to have the power he wanted, the way he wanted it.
Aladdin stepped out of his workshop. Rather than teleporting, he walked through the garden on the path leading to the palace passageway.
He wanted to clear his mind for a bit. He could roughly guess that Mulan had left home for six to nine months during the story. With one month spent on preparation, there were now about five to eight months left.
It could be the former or the latter; he wasn't certain until he confirmed it first.
What was left was how he should approach her. Should he do so by first seeking an audience with the Emperor of China and explaining his intentions to help them defeat the Huns in exchange for establishing trade routes and cultural exchanges?
Or should he head over to meet Mulan secretly, make it an unexpected meeting, and express his intentions to help her?
The former was easier, yet difficult because it could take years for a proper formal agreement to be reached, as no nation, especially in this present age, would make itself look weak by accepting help from another powerful force, especially when it was a battle in which they still had hopes of victory.
Most of all, he would need to deal with foreign diplomatic affairs himself, which was another issue entirely. All of which would render his preparations useless, as by then, Mulan might have already been dead.
The latter was far more efficient, but that would only be the case if he could find her. Fortunately, he had the oracle to help with combing all of China in search of Mulan, as the animated movie didn't explicitly state the geographic region she came from, or where the military force that had faced the Huns resided.
Then, he could guide her through her battles and continue to assist her until she won the war and returned to her family.
After much contemplation, Aladdin opted for the latter.
Ababwa already had its hands full making new arrangements for its citizens in the new world they had found themselves in and taking care of Agrabah. There was no need to add a hegemony like China to the list.
Aladdin stretched his shoulders and vanished.
Within an office embellished with luxurious wooden furniture and decorations, Rakim tended to various paperwork on his desk. Suddenly, he halted his actions upon sensing Aladdin's arrival.
"Your Majesty."
Rakim stood up and bowed towards him. He rose and asked, "Have you completed your preparations?"
He knew that Aladdin was heading to China because of the woman he had seen in the Book of Destiny.
After finally receiving the Empress's speech of approval to expand the imperial lineage, although Rakim was depressed that Aladdin had allowed him to face her alone, his joy for the expansion surpassed it, causing him to look forward to Aladdin's journey.
"Yes. I've come to let you know of the forthcoming plans," Aladdin said. "Sit."
He gestured to the chair as he took his seat as well.
"I'll be leaving for China tomorrow. I don't know when I'll be back, so I'll be leaving everything for you to handle. The Empress will be busy with Agrabah and won't be able to handle the affairs of Ababwa at the same time, so I'll be leaving everything to you," Aladdin said.
"Rest assured, I'll ensure that the Empire becomes even more prosperous when you return from your journey," Rakim responded, eager to showcase his loyalty to Aladdin.
Aladdin already knew where his true loyalty lay since he was specifically created by the Genie for this nation. However, he didn't say anything. He simply nodded.
"How's my father?" he asked.
"He left with his band of twenty men two weeks ago. He had wanted to meet you, but after learning about the preparations for your journey, he decided to leave and visit later, after you returned," Rakim responded.
Aladdin nodded and said, "Inform the Imperial Court Magicians to monitor their every move, and send four guards to my office."
"I'll do so, Your Majesty."
After he finished speaking, Aladdin vanished.
Meanwhile, Rakim returned to his task, this time with more enthusiasm than before. He felt incredible pride that he had such a competent Emperor and looked forward to his return.
The Emperor's Imperial Office,
Aladdin looked at the four guards that Rakim had sent to him. They were all dressed in the standard Imperial Ababwa uniform, with scarves over their heads and faces, and swords sheathed at their waists.
Aladdin summoned the Oracle Sceptre from his storage ring and gave it to the first guard.
"Think about summoning the entity sealed within it, and ask her, 'Where is the dark sorceress Nasira?" Aladdin said.
He wanted to check on the status of both his current and potential enemies to know if he could handle them before leaving for China.
The guard nodded with a resolute gaze. He received the Oracle Sceptre and summoned the entity within.
Smoke-like magical energy shot upwards from the staff in spirals, and an ethereal entity gradually materialised from the light and mist.
The Oracle materialised.
An invisible territory isolated them, causing the sounds outside to almost cease to exist.
"Where is the dark sorceress Nasira?" the guard asked without hesitation.
"After her battle with Emperor Aladdin Ababwa, and sacrificing half of her soul as a result, the dark sorceress Nasira wanders through the subterranean world in search of a way to restore her soul and flesh," the Oracle said.
The Oracle stretched her hand forward, and countless flickers of light appeared, shimmering like stars, transformed into a scene of a being wearing a faceless mask, draped in a black cloak, with two figures, hidden in a cloak as well, marching in front and behind it protectively under a dimly lit sky.
After a few seconds, it vanished.
Aladdin frowned. The only relief was that losing part of her soul had severely damaged her. Yet, Aladdin knew that if she got her hands on an item like the fruit from the Tree of Renewal, she could restore her soul to full and then find a way to restore her body.
He couldn't track her since she was wandering across the subterranean worlds. He also had no time to chase after a wandering ghost, yet he couldn't allow her to restore her body.
And most of all, Genie hadn't yet returned from his vacation.
Haa! This was so stressful!
Aladdin calmly massaged his temples.
"Ask her if Mozenrath is plotting against Agrabah, Ababwa, or their rulers," Aladdin said to the second guard.
The second guard nodded and repeated the question to the Oracle.
"The evil sorcerer Mozenrath is currently establishing his forces across the subterranean world, the Land of Black Sand, after seizing power from his master. A cruel and wicked young man with a lust for power, comparable to only a few. He does not seem to hold any grudge or conspiracy against Agrabah, Ababwa, or their rulers."
The Oracle responded.
Aladdin sighed in relief. It seemed that nothing had changed. He was glad that it hadn't.
"Ask her if Shan Yu, the ruthless leader of the Huns, has done anything to go against his fate," Aladdin turned to the third guard and said.
The third guard stepped forward and repeated the question to the Oracle.
The Oracle was silent for several moments.
//////
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