The Musafir
It's Not Easy to Give a Flower
After a while, the Mantingan had already obtained some Death Scent Flowers that were worth selling. The remaining flowers will die by themselves, becoming fertilizer for new shoots later.
Indeed such is the law of nature that applies to the Aroma Flower of Death.
Mantingan approached Dara, showing the Death Scent Flower that he had managed to get. But Dara immediately moved away and closed her nose, her poor facial features indicating that she was very nauseous. The thin smiling mantle. He was used to the smell of the flower, but Dara was not.
“When running later, stay away from me!” Dara walked quickly away from Mantingan, as if not worried about getting lost.
Mantingan had no other choice but to follow Dara from behind. During the trip, Mantingan repeatedly shouted at Dara when the girl took the wrong path, many times Dara also diverted the direction of the road. That supposedly short trip became much longer as it was not the lead Mantingan. Mantingan was very grateful when he finally saw the encampment in front of him.
“Walking with you is really misleading and exhausting!” Dara exclaimed in annoyance. “Do not go to the river, I want to shower!”
Mantingan did not know what to answer when he saw Dara walking away. According to his calculations, it was Dara who made the trip take longer. But Mantingan did not bother if Dara blamed him. That's not a big deal. What's it thinking for?
The mantle moves into the storage room. There are some strong fabrics that Dara gives, Mantingan uses it to wrap the Death Scent Flower. If the flower does not immediately get a place that is impermeable, its foul aroma will invite flies to come. Without roots and life, the flower disintegrates when flies and insects arrive.
Mantingan calculated the acquisition of the Death Scent Flower that he had obtained today. All of them have seven flowers. With the estimated weight of interest Mantingan estimated, then the possibility of gold pieces that he will get amounted to 200 pieces of gold.
That's double the amount of money he's ever made, 100 gold pieces, that Birawa gave him. The smiling mantle was quite satisfied. With that kind of money, Mantingan could go to Suvarnadvipa though. But for now, Mantingan chose to multiply the supply before actually going to the opposite island.
Mantingan also wants to buy some heirlooms or medicines that are useful for increasing internal energy. In college for example, they use drugs to improve the quality of energy in their students. These drugs are commonly sold in urban herbal stores, many are also colleges that sell homemade drugs.
While heirloom, Mantingan can use as a comparator for his main weapon—Kiai Kedai Sword. Such as poisonous needles, flying knives, and others. To buy one heirloom alone requires a lot of money. For example, a poisoned needle, a pack containing 100 needles costs 100 gold pieces, while a bandela containing 500 needles costs 400 gold pieces.
For Mantingan, currently such an amount is still difficult to reach. Currently he only had one pack of poisonous needles given by his teacher. Whereas in an urgent fight, a black-flow swordsman needed more than a pack of poisonous needles.
Shortly afterwards, Dara returned in a fresher condition. He approached Mantingan and asked, “What flowers did you get, Mantingan?”
“Seven young flowers of medium weight.”
Dara nodded. “Then, I will sell everything for 500 gold pieces.”
The mantle scrunched his forehead. “For, my estimate of this profit is only 200 gold pieces only.”
Dara shook his head, he then explained, “In a war-prone situation like this, selling Death Scent Flowers or weaponry on one party for a cheap price would provoke a commotion from the other party.”
“Why can it be like that?” The man asked, astonished.
“It is difficult to explain. However, one thing is certain is that not selling flowers is too cheap. Politics always has a way to gain profit, so it is better we are the ones who take advantage.”
He was not at all happy even though he knew he would get more money. The war will still happen. It did not matter whether the Death Scent Flower was cheap or expensive.
“It looks like my intention to go home today should be canceled.” Dara said awkwardly.
The mantingan understood the situation, nodding slowly. “Siang is approaching twilight, it will be dangerous if you go home now.”
Dara nodded, with a hint of worry on her face she said, “Will but, I'm worried my people are looking for me. In a war-prone situation like this, it would be very dangerous in case of all the interferences and accusations as to why I lost myself.” Dara exhaled fretfully. “In your opinion, what should I do?”
Mantingan thought for a while, before replying, “Yourself is yours, then the answer should have come from yourself.”
“What if I'm yours?”
Mantingan bought eyes. I can't believe what he just heard. But her heart was relieved when Dara laughed crisply.
“Don't take it seriously, it's just a joke.”
And suppose only Mantingan knew. That it was actually unintentionally Dara said, but what she said was real. The real thing here is the reality. The fact that he wanted a Mantingan, could not be pent up again. Although he had been convinced from this afternoon, that he did not deserve Mantingan.
He never felt what he felt on Mantingan with another man. No one was truly able to captivate his heart. No one was really able to make his heart thump in awe. And nothing really makes it comfortable at once safe. Nothing, other than a young man named Mantingan.
In his eyes, the young man was the only hope. If he changes in a better direction one day, it's because of the young man. Not for anyone else Dara did that.
It was a pity that the so-called young man was not quite aware of Dara's feelings. Or he just doesn't want to realize it.
Mantingan does not want to fall in love anymore, other than Rara. Abu Rara still he has always, a sign of his love is still alive for Rara. A person like Dara could not replace Rara. If Mantingan already knew Dara's feelings, then it would be very troublesome. From a long time ago, Mantingan was avoiding anything that could make people feel hurt. The mantan must appreciate Dara's feelings if he already knows it, but the form of appreciation for the feeling of love is not as simple as giving a flower.
To divert the atmosphere, Mantingan took out something from his storage room. “Because, you even gave me so many fresh vegetables. It will rot if not cooked immediately.”
“Ya, then?”
“Beak.” Mantingan gave a sack of vegetables to Dara. “I want to shower.”
Dara raised her eyes. “You cheated!”
“No cheating. Didn't you yourself say that you're good at cooking?” The question of the Mantingan succeeded in getting Dara stuck. “For the common good .. You certainly don't want to try my cooking, do you?”
