In the Traveler's dream, as that beep sounded in their ear, at Silaya's residence:
Silaya, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.
"The System... has begun operating..."
The next morning, Paimon yawned and grumbled, "It's all your fault for sleeping in! We're going to be late! Hurry up and let's go meet Dunyarzad."
The Traveler and Paimon arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place with Dunyarzad.
"Good morning, Dunyarzad. Sorry we're late."
"It's alright, I just arrived too early."
"You don't seem very energetic. Didn't you sleep well?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. Let's go browse those stalls over there."
"Sure... Hey, Traveler, what are you spacing out for? Come on!"
The Traveler's expression was strange. Everything before her felt strangely familiar, as if... she had experienced it before.
[Is the stream lagging?]
[No, this scene is different from before. Dunyarzad's condition is clearly worse.]
[What's going on?]
[A time loop? Or...]
[The "framework restructuring" they mentioned earlier must be referring to this...]
The reappearing scene confused many viewers. Some perceptive players recalled the notification sound the Traveler had heard before falling asleep, but with limited information, everyone remained puzzled.
The Traveler, Paimon, and Dunyarzad strolled through the market, the sense of familiarity growing stronger with each step.
Soon they arrived at the Flower Knight's stall, where five boxes of candies, each with a different flavor, were displayed. Paimon wanted the Sunsettia flavor.
The stall owner said, "Alright, these five candy boxes are numbered one through five from left to right. Which number do you choose?"
Traveler: "I'll choose number four."
"Mmm~! Amazing! Number four is exactly the Sunsettia flavor!"
Paimon: "Ha ha! I told you your luck was extraordinary, and I was right!"
Traveler: "Just now... it didn't feel like just luck."
Everything happening before her eyes gave the Traveler an intense sense of déjà vu, as if she had genuinely experienced the same events at some point in the past. But...
No matter how hard she tried to recall, she couldn't remember exactly when.
It all seemed to be caught in a... loop.
To test her theory, the Traveler temporarily bid farewell to Dunyarzad and took Paimon to a restaurant, where she ordered a charcoal-grilled flatbread.
Under normal circumstances, she would never have come to this restaurant or ordered this dish. If it truly was a time loop, doing something different might reveal something.
After finishing the charcoal-grilled flatbread, the Traveler fell silent. The taste wasn't unpleasant, and... she was certain she had tasted this flavor before!
The Traveler sank into deep thought: Could it be that I've tried this method to find a breakthrough before?
As they left the restaurant, they spotted Dunyarzad sitting alone on a bench.
Despite realizing she might be trapped in this time loop, the Traveler still felt guilty for having left Dunyarzad alone earlier.
Paimon: "What a coincidence, Dunyarzad! We've run into you again. Why are you resting here by yourself?"
"Oh, I ran into some thugs earlier, but thankfully Dehya helped me out. I felt a bit unwell afterward, so I'm just resting here for a while."
"Thugs? Oh no! Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Dehya got a minor scratch on her arm, but it's nothing serious."
"That's good... but I still feel like you haven't been truly happy today, even though the Sabzeruz Festival is something you've been looking forward to so much."
"No, I've always been like this. Overexertion and strong emotions can worsen my condition. Besides, no matter how special today is, it's still just one day. After who knows how many more 'days,' my time will come to an end."
The Traveler frowned. Dunyarzad's words...
She apologized to Dunyarzad for suddenly leaving earlier and asked if she had experienced the same strange sense of familiarity.
Unfortunately, Dunyarzad didn't share the same feeling.
Afterward, the trio headed to the Zubayr Theater together.
The Grand Sage and his assistant had already arrived early, scolding Nilou and banning the performance of the Dance of Sabzeruz.
This time, the Traveler keenly observed Silaya and Chu Xi's actions, quietly following them with Paimon.
But what unfolded before their eyes completely shattered the Traveler's sense of déjà vu. Silaya, with Chu Xi in tow, strode confidently up to the Grand Sage and his assistant. Under their surprised and wary gazes, she pulled out a club and knocked them both unconscious on the spot.
Traveler: "???"
For Silaya, who had already gone through countless loops and disguised herself numerous times, there was no need to hide her true nature anymore. After all, he wasn't a real person; beating him up wouldn't have any real consequences.
Even though she had beaten him up countless times, Silaya still couldn't resist the urge to strike him whenever she saw him.
Fortunately, he would always reappear the next day, full of energy, allowing Silaya to vent her frustrations thoroughly.
Paimon's jaw dropped as she pointed behind Silaya. "Silaya, Chu Xi, over there! Someone's chasing us!"
Paimon and the Traveler were both tense, but Silaya and Chu Xi remained calm.
They leisurely led the Traveler and Paimon through the maze of nearby houses, weaving through narrow alleys and around corners.
To the Traveler and Paimon's astonishment, even though the Akademiya guards' footsteps were clearly just a few meters away, Silaya's evasive maneuvers allowed them to narrowly avoid detection every time.
Once the pursuers had completely withdrawn, the Traveler turned to the two women.
Silaya made a shushing gesture and led them back to her home.
Silaya brought out a pile of fruit. The Traveler suddenly asked, "Aren't we having grilled meat?"
"You're not tired of it yet?" Silaya replied.
The Traveler's eyes lit up. "Silaya, do you know...?"
Silaya waved her hand dismissively. "Even if I told you, you'd forget by tomorrow. Let Lord Kusanali handle this. You've met her several times already, uh... but you probably won't see her if you stay here today, and you wouldn't remember anyway."
Paimon's little head couldn't grasp any of this. Clutching a slice of watermelon, she asked between bites, "Silaya, what are you talking about? Why can't Paimon understand a word? What's this about Lord Kusanali? We've never met her!"
Silaya sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. She'd tried explaining things to Paimon before, spending ages getting her to understand, only for the little sprite to forget it all the next day.
She couldn't be bothered to repeat the effort.
Silaya sliced the fruit and presented it to the pair. "Don't overthink it. Get a good night's sleep. Lord Kusanali will explain everything tomorrow."
In truth, they would still be unable to break the cycle tomorrow, but Silaya didn't reveal this.
After all, by tomorrow, they would have forgotten everything from today.