The Musafir
Pura Dalem; Percandian; Shop at Night
Does Mantingan want to become a warrior? Of course not. If the world were full of peace, Mantingan could calmly wander anywhere. Had the world been full of peace, Rara would not have been killed. Had the world been peaceful, Mantingan would not have been filled with this kind of grudge.
The flames of vengeance did not dim, and the sadness did not subside. If only Mantingan's sadness was likened to water inside his head, then Mantingan's head had currently been filled with water. With fire burning in the water.
It could be said at this time that Mantingan would actually be forced to become a swordsman.
But Mantingan will not challenge other warriors to fight with him, if he becomes a warrior later. The mantan wants to be a swordsman just to protect himself and his loved ones, and so that his duties are not contested.
In the end Mantingan set foot into the forest after a long thought.
Birds chirping unpretentious, stopping on branches and branches looking for signs of the presence of water. The trees swayed slowly in the dry wind. The forest was crying for the absence of rain.
***
The mantel stared straight ahead of him. He found several heavily armed soldiers. They were seen guarding the road, the same thing as Mantingan had met at the border of Sundapura.
They had been staring at Mantingan since Mantingan was still far away, and it was time for Mantingan to face them.
Facing them does not mean fighting with violence. The Manten will face them in the most peaceful way.
The mantan has no self-identifying card, which means he cannot pass this path except to sneak into the forest. But Mantingan could not do that, because the soldiers in front had already seen him, then there was no chance to dodge. After all, Mantingan had no intention of dodging this time.
“Good morning.” One of the soldiers advanced. “Can you show me your ID card?”
“I don't have it.”
The soldier looked at him suspiciously. “Do not have?”
“Ya,” Mantingan reply. “But Sahaya wants to make it, how can I make an identity card?”
The soldier then looked up from top to bottom and nodded his head, The Mantingan does not look like a black man whose face is fierce and full of murderous lust. It could be seen by him that Mantingan had a soft face, but that face was covered by something he could not explain until Mantingan looked unfriendly.
“If indeed you do not have an identification card and want to make it, then we can make it for you,” he said. “But it takes a little money.”
The mantle frowned, staring at the astonished soldier in front of him in wonder.
“No, no. I am not asking for bribes, but this is the way to get an identity card, at least for now.”
“How much money do I need to spend?”
“The amount is not much, just a piece of silver, because this is a service for the people.” The soldier stroked his chin. "If you make a self-identification card in your hometown, it does not require a single piece of money. But let it."
The mantan nodded, took out a silver piece from his coffers and gave it to the soldier.
“Alright, there will be some questions you must answer there.” The soldier pointed to where the other comrades had gathered.
The mantel follows the soldier. Once there, he answered every question honestly. Starting from the name, estimated birthdays, the name of the mother and father, to everything that concerns the interests of the identifier.
The bundles belonging to the Mantingan were also searched, and how shocked they were when they saw the many pieces of gold inside the bundle.
Obviously they were suspicious of Mantingan, this much money would be hard to believe if only a wanderer like Mantingan.
“Where did you get this money from?”
“Do I really need to answer?”
“Sorry, but this question really needs you to answer.”
The mantle breathed a long breath. There was no way he could tell the truth that he got the money from Birawa, and then they would ask him where the Birawa house was. They will never find a Birawa house, because there are masquerading sirens that can only be penetrated by people Birawa has allowed.
Mantingan could certainly find Birawa's house, because Birawa had allowed it. But it is not the same with those soldiers.
If Mantingan answered honestly, his journey would take even more time. There is even a possibility of him being thrown into prison.
“Is it wrong for me to say that I am a warrior who has just come down the mountain?"
The soldiers looked at each other.
“White flow fighter, right?”
“Aliran merdeka.”
They looked at each other again, then nodded.
“Can you make sure that you will not mess up in the city? You must know that there will be warriors from the kingdom who will finish you off if you mess up. You look like a good person, and I hope not to misjudge.”
“Yes, my current travel destination is Mount Kubang. I just crossed this area, and the chances are small if I stop by the city.”
“Good. You have convinced me that you are a good warrior. Please pass by, and welcome to Pura Dalem.”
The mantan walked back, leaving the soldiers behind him who were still on guard for some time.
Now he is in a safer area, because certainly a lot of guard from the soldiers of the city to the people of the black faction filtered. Even in the forest there was a guard from the forest soldiers, but their attitude was more unfriendly than the soldiers who guarded the road.
***
The mantan did not know where he was now, but the sky was dark. The moon hangs brightly in the sky with the stars.
Seen around. Around it it was filled with rubble of bricks and some buildings were left damaged. Mantingan knew that he was in an old bath complex that had not been maintained for a long time.
This is a great place to camp, but it is not a safe place. It could come robbers later tonight, so he chose not to stay here long. This place is too flashy.
If you keep walking, it is not safe.
The new mantan wanted to go into the forest to set up a tent, but he saw a point of light from a distance. It was not the village as Mantingan had discovered yesterday, because the dots of light he saw today were not many.
Most likely, the spot of light came from a tavern that was commonly set up by the side of the road. However, who still opens the shop at night and in unsafe conditions like this?
The man decided to visit the shop. If it is still open, they will receive guests to stay. Mantingan will still see the security conditions in the tavern. Anyone who still opened the tavern certainly had confidence in the strength he had.
The more Mantingan approached, the more visible the look of the shop was. The shop is a simple shop. It looks like a store in general. Inside the shop was brightened by lamps, while two torches were placed in front of the entrance. The door of the tavern opened, meaning that the tavern was still receiving guests.
“If you want to stay in, then you are not allowed to go out until the anniversary is bright.”
___
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