"What are the Angholi soldiers doing there?"
"Just listen to him, Munra," said a man older than all those under the tree. "Do you want to go somewhere? You seem to be in a hurry?"
"I'm sorry," Munra said later.
"I managed to get close and hear the conversation of the soldiers," the man continued. "They are waiting for the arrival of other soldiers from the Kingdom of Maghabea."
"That's a long way off," Munra said. "Waiting for the arrival of soldiers from the northwest country?"
"Absolutely," said another man. "At the earliest, maybe at dawn, they arrived in the forest on the east side. That's if they use the fastest horse."
"Yeah, that's true," said some of them.
"They planned to attack the Eastern Country after the arrival of the Maghabean Kingdom's soldiers," said the man who sat leaning against the tree, continuing his story. "Opening a new way to get there. Conquer the Forbidden Forest."
"They've all gone mad!" Munra said. "For thousands of years, no one has been able to conquer the Forbidden Forest. Why do they think they can do that? They will only give their lives for the magical guardians of the Forbidden Forest."
"I think," said the oldest man, "sooner or later, they will indeed invade the Eighth Land. Not only the Kingdom of Angholi and Maghabea but the seven kingdoms will attack the Land of Purbha."
"Those people," said the man who sat leaning against the tree. "I don't know what's going on in their heads? What if it turns out that the inhabitants of the Eighth Land retaliate against them? The victims are all of us who live amid their existence. This Vashara will suffer even more than now."
"Yes, that's true." Some nodded their heads in agreement with the man's words.
"They say that they are the noblest of us Sudra people," said another man. "But in reality, their attitude and nature are nothing more than an animal."
Again, a few nodding heads justified the remark.
"I wonder," said another man sitting on the ground, "why did they do all that? I mean, they're willing to die in the Forbidden Forest. For what?"
"Didn't you hear the old man's words?" said another.
Meanwhile, Munra just listened to the people arguing.
"They want to control the eighth land which is said to have abundant natural wealth," said the man who had called Munra earlier.
"Yes, I heard that," said the man who sits on the ground. "The Eighth Country, the Kingdom of Purbha... give me a break! None of that exists. It's just a myth."
"What myth?" said the man who sitting leaning against a tree.
"Just because no one has ever made it through the Forbidden Forest doesn't mean that rich country doesn't exist."
"Yea, that's true," said several mouths supporting the old man's words just now.
"Yeah, right!" the man sitting on the ground snorted.
"Listen," said the one sitting back against the tree, "the seas surrounding the land are so foggy that the people who use the ship never make it through it all. And if they're unlucky, their ship will be destroyed into the rock. The people of the Kingdom of Irisana in the northeast and the Kingdom of Angholi on the southeast side had already ascertained this truth. While the only road available to get to the country in the east is only behind the Forbidden Forest."
Several heads were nodding because they had heard the same news.
"Think about it," said the man, again. "If that land doesn't exist, then why did the gods present such a difficult barrier to break through?"
Everyone was silent. It's true what the man said. All of those obstacles must exist because of protecting something, and that something is what the people of the seven kingdoms call the Eighth Land, including the people at Vashara.
That country might really exist, Munra thought. Otherwise, it would not have been like the old hermit he had met this morning had asked Aryan to go there.
Yeah, the country must exist.
"I don't know," said the man sitting on the ground.
He still has difficulty believing the existence of a country that has only existed in hereditary stories.
"To me, it sounds like believing in the existence of the Ancient Kingdom of Prayanagara that once existed in Vashara, but the truth is… Vashara is nothing more than a Land of Slaves. The land is vast but arid, even the rivers or the gulf, we can't expect much. They said Prayanagara is a kingdom that is very rich and abundant, even beyond the Land of Purbha. Tsk! The remains of the ancient kingdom were never found. Prayanagara is just like Purbha, just a bedtime fairy tale."
"It's up to you, whether you believe it or not," said the eldest of them. "That's your right."
Everyone is immersed in each other's thoughts. Some truly believe that the two kingdoms ever existed, some do not believe at all, some are still hesitant.
In the end, they just disbanded.
Munra immediately headed for his house which was about 50 feet from the old tree. The house itself is more worthy of being called a cattle pen. It only consists of walls made of woven bamboo. So is the front door. And the roof of the hut is made of dry grass that is arranged in such a way and layers.
But before Munra entered his house, he first moved his pedati-cart to the left side, adjacent to the resting female buffalo.
Munra grabbed the grass, which was just a bundle from inside his cart, carried the grass on his shoulder, and took the grass to a place not far from his house.
The place that Munra went to was a building that was quite large and spacious. The building itself looks much better than the other buildings around.
The owner of the building was called by the name of Juragan by the Sudra people. The nickname means merchant. They are a group of people who are middlemen of what people like Munra have produced. Grass, firewood, and other toils of the residents of Vashara.
"Aah, Munra," said the forty-year-old owner of the building. "Is today a special day for you? Is it?"
TO BE CONTINUED ...