The Musafir

Dining Shop

The old man who owned the lontar shop came back shortly after, making the Mantingan daydream. Like what Mantingan ordered, he carried a neatly rolled up map. It is almost half fathom long.

“Can this fit into your bundle?”

The Mantingan received the map and nodded slowly. With a length that almost touched one fathom, then the map was quite a lot to fill the empty space inside the bundle. The coat bailed shortly after, then came out of the store. At that time he also found a market that was increasingly crowded by people.

It is actually quite unnatural if the market is this crowded during the day. The peak of the crowd of a market usually occurs in the bright time of the land, when the first cockroach was heard and the sun had not yet appeared in the slightest.

Mantingan felt that something unusual had happened so it did provoke a crowd. He then moved through the crowd of people who were not actually selling, so his suspicion was getting bigger. Over time he heard the cheers of people who sounded very happy and satisfied. The faster his steps through the crowd, he arrived at the point of creating excitement.

The crowd surrounded a number of people dressed in black who were gathered with their hands bound. Three city warriors stood behind them with each one holding a long lemongrass, and the mongoose glittered with blood overflowing it. The mantang also soon realized there were several bodies already lying headless. And it seems like this crowd is cheering for it.

From their clothes, Mantingan could know him. They are the robbers who attacked him a few days ago, the robbers who held him, the robbers who caused Uncle Rangga to die.

But even so, Mantingan still felt that the actions of the city's soldiers were inhuman. Being killed in public and being laughed at by the crowd is not commendable. There is no deterrent effect from the robbers, except only a threat to other robbers who will most likely choose to act recklessly and ignore the threat.

“This is not what they should be doing,” muttered Mantingan that was unwittingly heard by the person next to him.

“What would Sanak say? If only the words of the Sanak until heard by the soldiers, then the head of the Sanak will also be beheaded!”

“I didn't mean it, Brother. Unconsciously say it.” Mantingan replied with a faint smile on his face.

“Luckily your words were only heard by my kind and pitiful Sanak, so I will not report you to them.”

Mantingan felt that the person was too big of a mouth, but he also felt that arguing was not a good thing for now. He could only greet her and thank her as if she had saved his life. So the matter was finished, coinciding with Mantingan who decided to get out of there before seeing the other heads roll on the ground.

It was a bit difficult actually to get out of such a dense crowd, but Mantingan still managed to do so. In front of him was a restaurant filled with few people. Mantingan felt he had enough money to eat, from morning his stomach had not been filled. So he rushed to the shop.

Mantingan entered the tavern with no rejection from anyone else at all, even he was highly respected there. With such a fine silver robe, the Mantingan would be counted as a noble or at least a swordsman who had a high background, no one would dare to disturb him.

A middle-aged man came to greet him with a friendly face, “Mr Swordsman, it is a great honor for me because you have been willing to enter this dilapidated tavern ..”.

Mantingan cut off the man's words with a wave of his hand, already he had heard this kind of excessive praise from Uncle Rama. “What foods are available in this store, Mr?”

“This despicable danger does not deserve to mention the list of foods to Mr. Pendekar, so let the daughter of peril who came to serve Mr. Pendekar.”

The mantan does not care much about who will serve him, even though he does not really need to be served. What Mantingan wants to do is stop by and eat for a while before continuing the journey. His head was still disheveled thinking about the existence of Kembangmas which actually only exists in the story of the fairy tale.

It takes a seat in the corner of the store, that is where it can see all the contents of the store without having to look a lot and at the same time not being the center of attention. In the corner of the shop there is also a window that will be the path of escape if something happens.

When Mantingan took off his robe, a girl who was as good as him came. He wore a dress that could be said to be quite polite, in which his chest and stomach were covered by densely colored clothes. Her skin was pure white, and her hair was thick smooth and slightly wavy. Although acting as if coming to serve, but the look of his cold face was really unable to lie.

“What do you want to order?” ask the girl in a sharp tone.

The mantle frowned. “Sahaya thinks the arrival of Sisters is to mention what food is provided in this store?”

“T need not mention. From your clothes, I can see that you can buy anything here. But baby, I can't be bought with your money.”

 “I order a little more food, include vegetables and meat.”

"You'll get it.” The girl passed by without any glances at the Mantingan at all.

Mantenan could only shake his head before his mind was again centered on Kembangmas.

Once he was told about Kembangmas by his mother when he would not eat when he was five years old. His mother said if Mantingan did not want to eat, then he would never be able to find Kembangmas and beg for a miracle. That's why he came to this shop. Maybe after eating, kembangmas can be found soon.

It is also said that kembangmas is more than a stealth flower. Gembangmas can bring out miracles that are even difficult to think of in the mind though. Gembangmas can save the people from a cruel king, and can even revive people who have long died. But Mantingan knew that the story was most likely just a delusion. How can the benefits and wonders of Kembangmas be known while no one has ever found or just seen it?

Moreover, kembangmas is a single flower, in which the flower only amounts to one on the face of the earth. Is it possible that Kembangmas is in Dwipantara? Or even a place far away there, the Land of the Roof of Heaven maybe? Does he have to look for Kembangmas to that extent? Is his age not out of the hunt? Will his life be in vain?

 The mantan certainly could not ignore all of those possibilities, but he had considerable hope of continuing the odyssey to the extent that he could to find the Gembangmas. Mantingan believes, if his expectations are very great, then the universe will help him.

 The shopkeeper's daughter came back to Mantingan's table, breaking her daydream. He brought two dishes of food, one containing side dishes and vegetables, and the other one containing rice. The girl placed it on the table in an indifferent manner, then stood like a statue on the side of Mantingan.

 “What or something else is lacking, Sister?” asked Mantingan who was wondering why the girl was standing next to him.

 “Do not misunderstand, depraved man. The danger here is only on my father's orders to serve you. But don't expect me to serve you with pleasure!”

 The mantang simply shook his head and stroked his chest. It felt like there was something wrong in the girl's head.

 “Sahaya does not ask for your services or services from others. And really dangerous can say that self-hazard is a good person. You can go now, and thank you.”

 “You can't tell me to leave, please take back your words.”

“Why not?” Mantingan closed his eyes when his patience was felt to have reached the threshold.

"I'll be scolded by my father. PLEASE pull back your words.”

 Mantingan refrained from hitting the table, then said quietly, “I pulled my words, are you satisfied?”

 The girl nodded, Mantingan then began to bribe her food as if no one beside her was watching her. He hardly cared about the girl's whereabouts, and ate only while thinking about Kembangmas.

 But his way of eating was interrupted when he heard a thump so loud that the water in the jug shook. Manting quickly turned his head and found the shop door had slipped out of place, thrown deep into the tavern. The other customers who were eating were surprised, even more surprised than Mantingan.

A burly man with a large, double-edged sword entered into it. His face was violent and his snorting of breath sounded like the breath of a savage beast. He stared one by one at the shop, as if hinting that he was the one who kicked the door.

Mantingan as the most level-headed person inside the tavern quickly turned his head outside the window. He found that something similar was happening around him, even some bodies drenched in blood could be seen lying just on the ground. Mantingan recognized them from his black clothes, it was the same group of robbers. The group of robbers who once held him, who had killed Uncle Rangga, and who were beheaded in the presence of a vast delusion. Mantingan immediately predicted what happened, and his forecast was not good.

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