"How? Are you able to fulfill my request?" Eyang Guru repeated his question. He looked straight at Nyai Dhira.
She quickly nodded, agreeing to his terms. "Yes, Master. I will do my best to make the potion."
Eyang Guru looked pleased. But then he raised one eyebrow to see that the young girl in front of him was not looking at him, but instead continued to stare in another direction. The old man then realized.
"Hmm, what are you looking at, girl?" he asked startling Nalini. He actually knew what made the young girl in front of him act in such a way.
"Have you never seen a young man before?" he added. Eyang Guru then signaled Arya Dipa to come closer.
Nalini immediately realized and was very embarrassed. Her cheeks turned red. "Mercy, Eyang Guru. I was just surprised," Nalini replied softly and quickly looked down. Then she heard the young man's footsteps approaching them. The pounding in her heart became even more frantic.
"Teacher, what are we going to do next?" asked Arya Dipa who was already standing beside his teacher. Occasionally his eyes also stole glances at the two women who were there. The young man wondered how they could enter his master's secret place.
"Do you see these two women? I brought them to this place because they were chased by a villager who was infected with a plague. I think he already knows what kind of disease it is, he just hasn't found a cure yet," explained Eyang Guru. The man then stepped towards a cupboard containing a pile of medicine.
"Have you checked?" she asked Nyai Dhira and Nalini without turning around. She herself was busy reading the inscriptions on each box.
"Mercy, Master. We've seen some of them, but we don't know what's in all the boxes." Nyai Dhira replied, still bowing behind Eyang Guru.
"Isn't there a description on each box? You just need to read it, no need to check one by one," said Arya Dipa. His hands were clasped in front of his chest, typical of a soldier's style. The muscles at the base of his arms bulged, showing a strong physique that was used to practicing martial arts.
"Can't read." Nalini's voice was short. She glanced at the young man, and for some reason he had the courage to speak up. Inwardly she was also annoyed, maybe he thought everyone was the same as her. In fact, most villagers had never learned the alphabet, including herself. Unlike the nobility and the educated.
Arya Dipa lowered his head and stared at Nalini for a long time. "So you can't read?" he said with emphasis. She thought the girl was smart enough judging by her pretty face, but it turned out she couldn't read. Arya held back her smile.
"How can you read if there is no teacher. Do you want to be my teacher?" asked Nalini angrily. She felt her pride was hurt.
Nalini's words made Arya laugh. She took another look at the girl in front of her. Their ages did not seem to be far apart. The girl had fair skin and a sharp nose. If she lived in the township, she would have been the object of desire for young men.
"Why are you laughing? I'm serious." Nalini made a sour face as she looked at Arya. She had always wanted to learn, but a simple girl didn't seem to have the opportunity.
"Girl!" Nyai Dhira reminded her daughter. Nalini understood that her mother told her to be polite to people she just met. So she moved away from Arya and followed her mother.
"Mercy, Master. I want to ask, is the plague spreading?" Nyai Dhira asked Eyang Guru. He himself had suspected that the disease that attacked the villagers was not an ordinary case. It had spread very quickly, especially to her immediate family.
Eyang Guru nodded at Nyai Dhira's question. "Yes, ma'am. The plague has become more widespread. When I met you, I was on my way to see the situation in the villages. There are already many victims and it is getting more and more disturbing, it must be dealt with immediately. If not, it could cause chaos," he explained. Eyang Guru's left hand stroked his gray beard, thinking hard.
"So, did you know at that time that we weren't criminals like the villagers accused us of being?" asked Nalini. Emotion no doubt welled up in her heart. They hadn't even had time to tell the pandita-like man, but he already knew.
"Yes, girl. I already know, so I brought you to this place. A place that is actually very secret. I hope you will also keep this secret tight." The old man said sincerely. The look in his eyes was both calm and stern.
"Thank you, Eyang. We will keep this place a secret." Nalini's eyes filled with tears, she repeatedly put her hands together in front of her chest and offered a respectful bow.
"Eyang? You call him 'grand father'? Hey, young lady, don't you know who the person in front of you is?" Arya Dipa was astonished and thought calling Eyang to his lord sounded a little impertinent.
"Arya..." This time it was Eyang Guru who reprimanded his student. He did not want his identity to be known too soon by the two women in front of him.
"Mercy, Master." Arya Dipa immediately looked down and stopped his rant. Occasionally she still stole glances at Nalini, who immediately made a frowning face. Arya Dipa shook his head. 'What a strange girl,' she said to herself.
Arya Dipa then approached Eyang Guru, helping to get the medicine boxes as instructed.
"Master, why don't you send the usual healer?" asked Arya Dipa, unable to hide his astonishment. He knew his teacher could command anyone, but why would he ask a female healer he barely knew? The plague that was raging was also a heavy one, could she really make the potion?
"Arya, are you unresponsive to the situation in the township? The officials are actually utilizing this chaos to pursue their own interests. Those who want to be in power elbow each other out of the way, those who want to make a fortune sell medicines at exorbitant prices. While the sick can't wait, their lives are at stake at the slightest delay," explained Eyang Guru clearly. The man was clearly well versed in politics.
Arya Dipa then nodded his head. His teacher's reasoning made perfect sense.
Nalini, who was also listening, slowly approached Arya again. "Sir, is the condition that bad? In other places there are also many people who died from the plague?" she asked.
Arya Dipa nodded quickly. "Yes, many have died. As we traveled here, we even found unburied bodies strewn across the streets."
Nalini shuddered in horror. She had never been away from her village, so she had no idea what was happening in faraway places.
"Master, have you found out what caused this outbreak?" Nyai Dhira asked instead as her hands skillfully sorted through a pile of herbs.
Eyang Guru shook his head as he raised his right hand. "I don't know yet. I have assigned some people to research and find the cause."
Nyai Dhira thought hard. Her forehead wrinkled repeatedly. "If we don't know the cause, how can we make an antidote?"
Eyang Guru nodded his head. "Yes, you are right. Do you have any guesses as to what the cause is? Let's sit down and brainstorm," a wise invitation.
The four of them then sat cross-legged and faced each other.
Nyai Dhira turned to Nalini. She hoped her daughter would help solve the complicated problem. "If you look at the cases I dealt with, the victims came from the same family or neighboring houses."
"Is the disease contagious? It's true that some families get sick all together," said Nalini. She remembers her neighbors at the end of the village, all of whom were hospitalized.
"If it's contagious, we must immediately restrict the movement of people, Master." Arya Dipa added. The young man was not to be outdone by Nalini.
Eyang Guru was still listening and listening carefully to the conversations of the people in front of him.
"Master, but many consider the plague to be an attack by spirits. Is that true?" Nalini spoke up again. It was easiest for uninformed villagers to conclude that the plague was the work of invisible beings.
Arya Dipa laughed at Nalini's words. Feeling laughed at, the girl scowled and glared. Her gaze clearly held resentment at being belittled.
Instead of stopping, Arya wanted to annoy Nalini even more. "What kind of spirits do you think are causing disasters everywhere? Tell me to come out so I can face you," she said proudly while girdling her waist.
Nalini looked away angrily. She knew the young man was deliberately picking a fight with her.
"That's it, that's it. You just got to know each other, why all the fuss?" Nyai Dhira whispered to her daughter. "Mr. Arya is right, if it was the work of spirits, there is no way the victims would be that many."
Nalini still wore a sour face. Her gaze was still threatening Arya. "If you know it wasn't caused by spirits, then what?" Nalini asked half-urgently. She was sure Arya Dipa couldn't answer that either.
The young man smiled faintly. He then put his palms together in respect to his teacher. "Master, I have a suspicion that the plague came from rats." Arya Dipa said that with a serious face.
Nalini was stunned to hear it. "Huh? Rats? How is that possible?" said Nalini, holding back her laughter. She thought Arya Dipa must be making a joke.
"Ouch!" Nalini felt her arm sting. Nyai Dhira pinched her, signaling her to be quiet and behave. "Sorry, Mbok."
"Let's listen to Mr. Arya's explanation first," Nyai Dhira asked politely. As a healer used to dealing with many people, she knew Arya Dipa came from a wealthy family. Her son could be in trouble if he continued to feud with him.
Arya Dipa corrected his sitting position before speaking. "Look, Master. I heard that a plague like this has happened in other countries. The cause is rats. They destroy rice plants and spread disease. People who eat the rice get sick," he explained. He looked at each person listening to his explanation.
Everyone remained silent until Arya continued to explain. "The first area to be affected this season failed to harvest. Their rice plants were submerged in water and rats multiplied uncontrollably. Then reports came in that people were suffering from strange diseases," she added.
"Yes, it's true, it's very strange. Those affected by the plague will suddenly feel weak, have a high fever, seizures, and can even lose their blood. In a few days, if you don't have a strong immune system, you won't be able to survive." Nyai Dhira replied. She agreed with Arya's explanation.
Eyang Guru nodded, the matter was now clear. The man then stood up and picked up a chalk stone. He drew a map of the kingdom's territory on the floor.
"The first thing we do is restrict the movement of people. Areas that are clearly affected by the plague will be sealed off to prevent the disease from spreading further. At the same time, we will treat the sick and protect the healthy." Eyang Guru explained the steps they would take.
"That's right, Master. We are running out of time, we have to deal with it immediately," said Arya Dipa. "I'm ready to mobilize people to close the roads," he continued enthusiastically.
"What should we do then?" asked Nalini. She still didn't know what to do.
"You help your mother make a sample of herbal medicine to cure the plague, Nduk." Eyang Guru responded to Nalini's question.
Nalini nodded and moved towards the kitchen. "I'll heat the water to brew the potion," she said quickly. She nodded to Nyai Dhira who began gathering the ingredients.
"When we're done, we'll head back to the township. There happen to be two riding horses. We can ride these healers. How about Arya?" asked Eyang Guru. He had planned to take Nyai Dharmi and Nalini out of there on horseback.
Nalini who had not gone far stopped and looked back. "My mother and I are going with you?" she asked half surprised. Everything felt so fast and sudden.
"Yes, you can ride my horse. If you want," Arya Dipa said calmly. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Nalini glared. Riding together with that annoying young man? Seriously.