The brave warrior Nazmir returned his gaze to where his mother Zulfira and Old Man Shalfanu were sitting and said to them:

> “There is no escaping it. I must head to the palace of King Balwanu, assassinate him, and then claim my father’s inheritance. Only then will I fulfill my father’s wish—to destroy every tyrannical kingdom and finally establish justice within it.”

When Nazmir reached this point in his speech, Zulfira placed her hand on his shoulder and said:

> “My beloved son, deep in my heart I have always known that once I told you who your father truly was, you would immediately prepare yourself to avenge his murder. You will gain strength and courage from me through my prayers for your success. You must prepare yourself and head toward the City of Zalmura. Do not listen to any tyrant you encounter along the way.

Show compassion to everyone deserving of mercy, help those in need of assistance, and above all, do not waste your time lingering too long in the forest. Truly, within seven days you will set out for the City of Zalmura together with Zaki Jummar.”

After Zulfira finished speaking, Old Man Shalfanu added:

> “Nazmir, I want you to know that I was born in the City of Zalmura. I grew up there, married there, and spent nearly fifty years of my life in that city. There is no place in it that I do not know, and I am familiar with its secrets. Before you depart, we will sit together and I will tell you how to enter the city and the paths you must take to succeed.”

When Old Man Shalfanu finished speaking, Zulfira stood up and said:

> “We should allow you to rest now, for darkness has covered the land. When morning comes, my son Nazmir will gather wood to build a small hut, because we will remain in this forest until he returns from the City of Zalmura.”

Old Man Shalfanu and the brave Nazmir stood up, left the hut, spread their bedding outside, and lay down to sleep. Zulfira, Salzirat, and Sumairat lay down inside the hut.

This is what happened in the forest beyond the City of Zalmura, after the brave warrior Mai Zaki saved their lives and Old Man Shalfanu brought them there.

---

Meanwhile…

When the sun reached the middle of the sky, it coincided with the moment King Balwanu finished preparing himself in his chamber. At that time, nothing was on his mind except reaching the house of the sorceress Amrishatu so that they could go together to the sacred cave of Boka Kurbasu.

After completing his preparations, he left his chamber and headed toward the palace gate. Everywhere he passed, soldiers hurried forward and bowed in greeting, yet he did not even glance at them. He walked with nothing but pride and arrogance.

Upon reaching the palace gate, the War Commander approached him, saluted him, and said:

> “My lord, where are you going without allowing me to prepare and accompany you to ensure your safety?”

Hearing this, King Balwanu smiled and replied:

> “Commander of War, I order you to prepare fifty soldiers to escort me to the house of the sorceress Amrishatu within thirty seconds.”

The War Commander responded:

> “O King of Kings, thirty seconds is too long. I swear by the power of your warriors, they will be here within ten seconds.”

After saying this, he mounted his horse and rode off at full speed. Before six seconds had passed, he returned with several mounted warriors dressed in full battle gear. At that same moment, a servant arrived holding the reins of the horse King Balwanu usually rode. The king mounted his horse and released the reins, while the remaining warriors and the War Commander followed closely behind him.

As they entered the city, wherever crowds of people saw King Balwanu and his entourage, they scattered as though they had seen death itself. Even merchants were not spared—they hurriedly gathered their goods and fled to their homes. Anyone who failed to quickly pack up their merchandise and was caught by King Balwanu’s warriors would immediately be beaten with a long whip measuring twenty-five arm-lengths, until they stopped moving. Their goods would then be trampled under the hooves of the warriors’ horses.