Previously:

"Ah~ Why are there so many people here… If I had known, I would have brought my carpet," A young man dressed in black mumbled while he pushed his way forward from the back. "How troublesome~, why don't I drive all of them away!?" He took another step forward and released a wave of black rukh to scare off anyone sharp enough to sense it.

Hope felt a sudden chill, and Aladdin's eyes widened when he passed them. The young magi could see an enormous swarm of black rukh swirled around the ominous stranger. Hope couldn't see it, but she could feel ill intentions rolling off him in large waves, and she didn't like it.

What was that? Aladdin wondered. For just a second now… I thought that man looked like a black sun…

Chapter 46: Black Sun

Hope froze when the suspicious stranger turned his head slightly, and his eyes met theirs. She exhaled a sigh of relief when he continued on his way without incident, while Aladdin stared after him, wondering if the glimpse he had caught of the black rukh was real, and what it could possibly mean.

"Oh, you're back, Banker," Ahbmad greeted an equally suspicious man inside the palace.

"Yes, I've returned, King Ahbmad," the veiled man said, tugging on his tunic to fan himself. "Balbadd is still as hot as usual. I'm about to faint from the heat." He laughed and turned slightly when he noticed Sinbad. "… Oh? A visitor?"

"He's the King of Sindria, who has come to visit," Ahbmad replied. "You should go and greet him."

"Understood," Banker said, pulling his veil aside as he turned fully to face the visiting king, revealing an odd face with a wide grin, heavy mustache, and mismatched eyes. "Nice to meet you! King of Sindria… I'm 'Banker' Markkio. I'm currently employed as Balbadd's financial advisor. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you, too," Sinbad responded politely, accepting the hand that was offered to him. "I hope to get along with you in the future!"

"No, no, it's my pleasure!!" said Markkio. "I feel very honored to even be able to have an audience with the legendary dungeon capturer Sinbad!!"

"Haha, that's nothing really," Sinbad said with a laugh. He sobered up quickly when he looked closer at the man in front of him. "…?" Those three dots on his forehead and the design of the staff in his hand were unusual, and there was something disturbingly familiar about him. "Have we met before?"

"No, it's my first time meeting you, my lord!" Markkio answered with a closed-eye smile.

"… Is that so…" Sinbad said with a small frown. He could have sworn…

"Ah~ Out of the way! Out of the way! Why's there so many people blocking the way today…" A familiar voice said from behind, making Sinbad turn.

"!" he gasped when he saw who it was.

"Ah!?" the teenager in black said, equally surprised, as he stopped and pointed at him.

Judar!? Sinbad thought, shocked to see his old enemy.

"Hey! If it isn't the 'Stupid King'!" Judar said with a grin before bounding over. "Why are you here?"

"Judar, do you know each other?" Ahbmad asked.

"You can say that!" Judar said with a laugh, leaning against Sinbad. "This guy here~ always gets in my way! Hahaha!"

"…" Sinbad was not amused. Why is Judar here!? he wondered, deeply concerned. Whatever the reason, it couldn't be good.

"Ah, Sinbad. Let me introduce him," Ahbmad said. "This is Judar, Oracle of the Kou Empire." Judar crossed his arms and smirked smugly as he stood before the older king.

Oracle of the… Kou Empire…!? Sinbad thought, startled.

"That's right, I'm currently employed as the 'oracle' of the Kou Empire!" Judar said proudly. "Even today, the reason why I'm here is also because of official business, you know?"

Has Judar already infiltrated the Kou Empire…!? And extended his clutches to Balbadd… Sinbad wondered warily while he watched him greet the banker. Then… that man is also…

"I'm sorry, Sinbad-ojiisan, but please leave for today," Ahbmad said. "I'll forget about the trouble you caused for now. I still have many government affairs to attend to."

"Wait a second," Sinbad said. "Our conversation isn't over."

"What are you referring to? Oh… that talk about reopening trade with Sindria? Sorry, but I can't fulfill that agreement," Ahbmad said dismissively.

"What do you mean by that?" Sinbad asked.

"I've handed all of Balbadd's trade authorizations… to the Kou Empire!" Ahbmad declared.

"…!?" Sinbad gasped, shocked by this twist of events. Had the younger king lost his mind!?

"Without the approval of the Kou Empire, Balbadd cannot trade with any other countries," Ahbmad concluded.

"Ahbmad… do you intend to let the Kou Empire control Balbadd?" Sinbad asked. For a country that was founded on free trade and depended so heavily on commerce for its livelihood, this was tantamount to a kiss of death. No wonder their economy was spiraling down the drain!

"My country isn't being controlled," Ahbmad replied calmly, not seeing the problem. "This is just a policy suggested by Banker to revive Balbadd's economy."

"That's right!!" Markkio said with a sickening grin and an ingratiating bow. "Connecting the economies of countries together peacefully! That is the job of 'Bankers'!" Sinbad flinched slightly when he felt an ominous shift in the man's energy. "Oh! Since you're a king too, do you want to try handing over your country's economic affairs for us to manage?" the man asked deviously with a predatory gleam in his eye and a dark and dangerous aura behind him.

There's no doubt! Sinbad thought grimly, observing the black rukh surrounding the Banker. Although this man bears a different appearance and name… he is from that organization! Furthermore, this country is already… Between the incompetent nobles, the downtrodden citizens, and the parasitic influence of Judar and the Banker… This country was already done for.

"Wait! I haven't finished what I wanted to say!" Alibaba yelled. "Promise me… as king! Promise me now… to protect those who are suffering!!"

Ahbmad yawned. "Sinbad-ojiisan, please remove that 'thing' from here. I can't understand the words of trash from the slums."

Alibaba couldn't believe his ears. He lunged forward angrily, struggling to break free from the guard holding him back, crashing against the crossed spears blocking his way.

"Don't Alibaba! We should withdraw first!!" Sinbad said urgently.

"Ahbmad!!" Alibaba shouted as the guards pushed him from the throne room. "Listen to me!!! We have no differences as humans!!" He was pushed back outside into the crowd. "Listen to me!!!! You bastard!!"

That night, many citizens crowded around the Fog Troupe's base, located at the lighthouse in the old slums. The clamor of the people filled the air. Many voices cried out "How did the negotiations go with the king!?" Inside, members of the Fog Troupe who stayed in were also in a state of panic. That was because during the time when Alibaba went for the negotiations, Cassim, Zaynab, and Hassan had disappeared without a trace.

"What happened to the negotiations?" one of the remaining men asked.

"From the look of things, it doesn't seem like it was successful…" said another.

"What'll become of us now… Will the military attack us?" asked the first man.

"No way! That's never happened before!" a third man protested.

"That was just because Cassim had a helper in the palace," a fourth man pointed out. "Now that the entire cadre is gone… we're all done for…"

A heavy, oppressive silence filled Alibaba's small room. He sat on his bed while Aladdin, Morgiana, and the twins waited for him to speak.

Alibaba-san… hasn't spoken a word since he's returned… Morgiana thought, growing concerned. It was late in the afternoon when he and Sinbad came back, and now the sun had set. Did the negotiations fail?

"…" Aladdin and Hope could see how deeply upset Alibaba was in the way he was hunched over, keeping his head down to avoid looking at them.

That bad, huh…? she thought sympathetically with a frown.

TAP. TAP. TAP. Faith had begun to tap her foot impatiently, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the dismal atmosphere. She had reached her limit, and was just about to snap, when Aladdin finally broke the silence.

"Alibaba, how did the negotiations go?" he asked with calm smile.

"!" Morgiana said, a little surprised by how quickly he cut straight to the point.

"…" Alibaba still couldn't bring himself to look at them. "I… couldn't say anything at all… Ahbmad didn't even see me… as a human at all…" He squeezed his hands together tighter. "I did what I could… but the results are still the same…"

"…" Morgiana and Faith didn't know what to say. Hope and Aladdin exchanged a knowing glance.

"That's not true, Alibaba. You can hear it, too, right?" Aladdin said kindly, referring to the noise of the anxious and excited crowd. "Just daring to face the king for negotiations, has moved the people this much."

"That's right. The evidence is right outside," Hope added calmly. "It's hard to take that first step. Sometimes it's the hardest thing there is, especially when you know there's high chance of rejection. But you did it. You did what no one else had the courage to do for themselves. Even if you didn't accomplish everything you set out to do today, you've still set an important precedence. Even if it's still one-sided at the moment, you've opened up a peaceful line of communication. And even if the king won't recognize you, there may be some individuals in other positions of power who will. This kind of political change doesn't just happen over night. It may creep and crawl in the beginning, but the important thing is to keep moving. This is not the end, Alibaba. It's just the beginning."

"That's right!!" Faith said, jumping onboard. "So why not just try hard again? Quit moping around! Stop lying to yourself and give it another shot!"

"See, Alibaba? The things you've done aren't for nothing," Aladdin reassured him with a smile. "Do you still think you didn't change anything today?"

Alibaba stared at his friends for a moment, stunned by their unwavering support. Then he gave them a grateful smile. "… Thank you."

"But… what do we do next?" Morgiana asked. "I believe we'll have to break the news to the Fog Troupe and the people outside…"

"But… the negotiations failed," Alibaba said anxiously, lowering his head again to cradle it in his hands. How was he supposed to tell them that after getting everyone so excited? "I don't really know how to start…"

"True…" Aladdin said quietly.

"Hmmm…" Alibaba groaned, wracking his brain for an answer. His friends weren't sure what to tell him. They all knew his words had to be chosen carefully.

"… Whatever you do, don't lie," Hope advised him. "It's better if they hear it straight from you."

Someone knocked on the door and opened it. The five friends looked up to see Ja'far standing in the open doorway. Masrur was behind him, but he was too tall for them to see his face through it. "Please follow me," Ja'far said. "Sin said we're going to announce the outcome of today's negotiations to the members of the Fog Troupe."

"!?" Alibaba gasped, startled that he would have to face the crowd so soon.

The twins, Aladdin, and Morgiana found what they deemed to be a relatively safe place to watch from the side while Sinbad and Alibaba got into position to use a pile of rubble against the side of the lighthouse as an impromptu platform to speak from. "Please step forward, leader," Ja'far told Alibaba, helping him up so he could stand beside the King of Sindria.

Alibaba was already sweating bullets, and he felt like his heart was in his throat. It was harder to focus on the encouragement his friends had given him now that he was in front of the crowd. He didn't know how he was going to face everyone.

Sinbad waited patiently for Alibaba to take his place next to him and waited for a moment to see if the prince would speak. When it appeared that Alibaba wasn't up to the task, Sinbad took it upon himself. He stood straight and proud while he addressed the crowd. "Everyone, let me say this straight," Sinbad said, speaking loud and clear so they could all hear. "The negotiations today failed."

"!!" A large, collective gasp of dismay was heard from the crowd.

"The opposite party has completely rejected our offer," Sinbad continued. "This means that we are now unquestionably in conflict with the military."

The members of the Fog Troupe began muttering anxiously among themselves. There was a heavy air of defeat. "Is… that so… It's over…" one of the men said solemnly.

"What do you mean by 'it's over'?" Sinbad asked calmly. "To begin with, for what reasons did you decide to fight for? To escape from poverty. To feed your family. Or you may not even have such a noble reason at all." He could see his words were having an effect on his audience. "However, for all your reasons, after all those acts of theft, for the first time today, you've had a negotiation with the king face-to-face. You guys… towards the people who mistreat you… for the first time, today, finally! Haven't you protested from a dignified position!!?" he finished strongly, forming a fist with his hand. "Remember the reasons for your actions! Don't forget it! Is there still anyone down there… thinking that it's the end today!?" In the place of those despondent and downtrodden looks on their faces from before, he saw only determination and grit. "Good," Sinbad said, nodding his head in approval. "If that is so, I'll lend you all my strength. I'll defeat whoever they send, and if you're chased out of this country, I'll accept you as my citizens!" he declared, ready to match their resolve.

"Sin… if we admit any more refugees, Sindria is going to suffer an economic crisis!" Ja'far whispered anxiously in his king's ear.

"Hahaha, I'll take care of those things!" Sinbad responded confidently before continuing his speech. "The world filled with many injustices. I'll welcome anyone who will stand up against them. After all, admitting those who suffer from such, that's the reason why my country was built."

Alibaba, Aladdin, Morgiana, and the twins all stared up at him in awe.

"Damn," Faith said, feeling hella impressed.

"How amazing," Aladdin said.

"Yeah, so that's a king…" Alibaba remarked, full of admiration. "Aladdin, you've made an extraordinary friend!"

"…" Hope felt that Sinbad was an incredible speaker with a lot of charisma, and she thought his country sounded a little like America, based on its policy of acceptance of those facing persecution elsewhere. She decided that if it really did come down to him having to take in Balbadd's citizens as refugees, then she would use her knowledge from her world to help in whatever way she could to avoid the consequences that she had faintly heard Ja'far mention.

They were all blissfully unaware of the danger that stalked them from above. Judar smirked as he looked down on the cheering crowd that had gathered around Sinbad. "Ah-ha, so this is where that 'Stupid King' ran to?" he mused aloud. A wicked grin stretched across his face. "Let me join in the fun, too~"