"But?" Arya asked curiously.
"But, the one who kidnapped one of our citizens was Gento Ireng, his subordinate."
Arya was shocked again for a moment.
He just kept quiet, not knowing what to do.
Every now and then, he directed his gaze towards the skull pit and then at the group of Sedayu Village residents who were lined up irregularly in front of him.
After pondering for a moment and not finding a solution to the sudden incident, Arya then stepped closer to the group of Sedayu Village residents.
"I did hear the sound of bushes and small wood being pushed apart and broken and then a bang in the middle of the pit," Arya said frankly, "but, I didn't see clearly where the sound came from. At this time, I myself cannot help all of you to free one of the kidnapped residents. Because it is dangerous, it would be better if you all allow me to meet with the Head of Sedayu Village. That way, we can discuss this before taking action," said Arya Mandu to the villagers.
Hearing Arya's reasonable explanation, the villagers fell silent, until finally one of the old men spoke up.
"Okay, Kisanak, come with us. We will take you to meet Ki Darmo, the Head of Sedayu Village."
"Oh yes, before that, who is Kisanak and where are you going?" asked one of the curious young men to Arya.
"My name is Arya Mandu, I come from Mount Sumbing. Regarding where you are going, I myself am not sure because I am a wanderer," answered Arya.
"Oh, my name is Tarno. Come on, Mas Arya, we will take you to meet our village head," invited one of the residents of Sedayu Village named Tarno.
"Come on," Arya followed Tarno and the other residents.
A fairly large house with plank walls and a roof of clay tiles, with a large yard and a pavilion in front of the house with bamboo woven walls and a leaf roof on the left and right sides.
A middle-aged man appeared outside after Tarno, who had led the villagers, knocked on the door, while Arya stood with the other residents of Sedayu Village in the yard.
The middle-aged man looked surprised to see dozens of his residents gathered in his yard, it seemed he did not know about the kidnapping of one of his residents by Gento Ireng, the subordinate of the White Crocodile Demon Queen.
"What's going on Tarno? Why did you and the residents come to my house?" asked the middle-aged man.
"Forgive us Ki, we didn't immediately tell Ki Darmo that one of the villagers had been kidnapped by Gento Ireng. We immediately chased him to the depths of his skull." Tarno gave his report.
"What?! One of our residents was kidnapped again by Gento Ireng? Bastard..! The White Crocodile Demon Queen is really too much, we have to fight back because several of our residents have become victims." Ki Darmo looked furious, then approached the residents who were still standing in the yard.
In addition to being appointed as the village head, Ki Darmo was also a figure who was highly respected by his residents. As soon as Ki Darmo arrived in front of the residents, they all greeted him by bowing their bodies, as did Arya who reflexively followed the movements of the Sedayu Village residents.
At first, Ki Darmo did not feel strange when he stood in front of his villagers in his yard, but when his gaze fell on Arya, Ki Darmo's brow furrowed questioningly.
"Excuse me, Kisanak, this is not a resident of Sedayu Village, right? Because I've never seen Kisanak before?" Ki Darmo immediately asked a question.
"I'm sorry too Ki, I am indeed not part of the residents of Sedayu Village. My name is Arya Mandu, I come from Mount Sumbing," Arya answered respectfully.
"Then why is Arya suddenly here with the villagers?" he asked, squinting. He was suspicious of Arya's presence which was too coincidental.
Arya understood him. Respectfully, he explained to the elder of Sedayu Village. "When one of the villagers was kidnapped, I met the villagers on the riverbank. Coincidentally, I also heard a strange sound from the direction of the cliff and then in the middle of the pool in the river," Arya explained.
Seeing Arya who looked honest, Ki Darmo fell silent. Not long after, he nodded. "That's how it happened. If so, let's talk, Arya, in the pendopo," said Ki Darmo, who called Arya Nak.
This was because the head of Sedayu Village suspected that Arya's age was not much different from his daughter's age, Intan.
Not long after, they arrived at a pendopo in front of Ki Darmo's house.
Its size was approximately 5 x 6 meters, quite large and could accommodate most of the residents who came to sit cross-legged in it.
Arya then sat next to Ki Darmo and Tarno, while most of the residents who also came to the pendopo sat in a row in front of them.
The remaining ones finally stood in front of the pendopo.
"As usual, what we do when there is a problem or anything concerning the residents of Sedayu Village, we discuss it here to find a solution or a way out," Ki Darmo began their conversation in the pendopo in front of his house.
"That's right Ki, this time we will discuss how to overcome the residents' concerns over the kidnapping again by Gento Ireng, one of our residents," said Tarno.
"We have previously conducted night patrols in turns, but we were not successful in capturing Gento Ireng because he acted this time during the day when most of our residents were in the rice fields and fields," said Ki Darmo.
"Then what should we do Ki to prevent a similar incident from happening again? Meanwhile, none of us are able to follow the kidnapped villagers into the depths of the skull," Tarno asked again on behalf of the residents.
"Let alone follow them there, we are not sure we can even surround Gento Ireng in this village area. His occult knowledge is quite high, let alone the White Crocodile Queen," said Ki Darmo.
Arya, who was sitting next to Ki Darmo, had so far only heard the conversation between Ki Darmo and Tarno in the hall. He did not want to be presumptuous in joining in before Ki Darmo asked him to.
For a moment, Ki Darmo, Tarno and the residents who were sitting and standing in front of the pavilion were silent. However, Ki Darmo suddenly turned to Arya. He was curious about the young man beside him who seemed to have great strength in his young body. "Son Arya, what do you think we should do to prevent a similar incident from happening again?"