Corpse Flower

"Black Fire Grass, Red Moon Flower, Purple 'Musi' Lily, White Water Leaves..." Marissa, with the help of Uncle Huth and Kamandhanu finally could gathered all the necessary ingredients. There were only two more ingredients that needed to be collected. They were Black Liquid of Rafflesia Arnoldii and Morning Guardian Blue Flame? What kind of buls*it names are this? Marissa's clone pulled her hair up in agitation. Although she didn't know about pharmacology, but at least she had read some when she was on Earth. The names of this plants... Were they all only grew in this parallel world, that's why most of the names were also unfamiliar and could be even said a bit strange?

'Forget it! At least now I've gathered almost the necessary ingredients, except for the two things.' Marissa thought. She then proceed to walk toward Uncle Huth and Kamandhanu, who was now guarding the bloody body that they found just as they prepared to leave the place where the mysterious membrane called as 'Devil Gate'.

That man is still unconscious up until now. But the most surprised thing was that this body was actually belong to an innocent man that might be possessed randomly by the soul of the man that Marissa was sure he was someone from 'Undying Race', because that was the system said previously. Marissa never expected it prior to this. She thought that this was the original body of that man who cast the curse all along.

Marissa talked a little to Mr. Angel, and asked him what was the 'Morning Guardian Blue Flame'. To Marissa's surprise, it was actually a type of flame that was produced innately by her as the descendant of the Heavenly Chicken. The pill that could exterminate the curse could only be produced by using that flame. If the flame that was used to concoct the pill wasn't coming from the Heavenly Chicken Tribe or other types of heavenly fire that were usually produced by the Mythological Tribes, then it wouldn't give any effects all.

'I actually possess that kind of ability.' Marissa lowered her chicken head and looked at her chicken feathers, feeling amazed.

After knowing that the 'Morning Guardian Blue Flame' could be actually produced by her, she felt relieved. It means, she only need to obtain that Black Liquid of Rafflesia Arnoldii, then she would be able to started learning alchemy or that skill called <Basic Skill of Medicines>. After that, she would be able to procure many pills in the future, selling them, and be a rich person. Wait, the most important thing now is to procure the pill that could prevent the victims from being possessed by the evil souls controlled by the 'Undying' man.

"Let's go search for the last ingredient." Marissa said.

...

Swoosh!

After flying here and there to search for the plant called Rafflesia Arnoldii, Marissa, Arya Kamandhanu, and Uncle Huth halted their journey for Marissa suddenly smelled something like a foul smell of rotten meat near the vicinity. After searching for a while, they finally found the so called Rafflesia Arnoldii.

Marissa never seen Rafflesia Arnoldii directly even if this rare plant was found in Sumatera or Borneo Island when she was on Earth. Nevertheless, because this plant was included into the list of 'Three National Flowers' together with White Jasmine and Moon Orchid in Indonesia, it always entered into the school textbook. So, Marissa already memorized what this corpse flower looked like since she was in elementary school. In her country, it was called Padma Raksasa or 'Giant Padma'.

This flower possessed a huge size, with diameter more than one meter and weights up to 11 Kg. It possess no leaves, stems, and roots. It looked like a blooming cabbage in maroon or magenta colour. This flower also called as 'Corpse Flower' or 'Devil Betelnut Box' because it produced a very stinking smell like a rotten corpse, and it catch insects as it's food.

...

Marissa looked at the giant flower and was instantly sure that it was the flower that she was searching for. Except... It's diameter and weight were too exaggerated to describe. Previously, it was said that it's diameter is about one meter? It's weight is up to 11 Kg? Buls*it! It's size now was clearly many times more that what had been described in her school textbook.

Looking at the smelly flower, Marissa was so speechless. She swallowed her saliva so hard. The size definitely could fit a five-storey building as large as three hundred meters square. If they weren't careful enough, didn't it mean that they could be swallowed entirely? What if the Rafflesia Arnoldii in this world didn't only eat insects but also human and any other creatures? This was too dangerous!

Then, how the hell the should extract the black liquid from this stinking flower? Should they chop it's buds? Or should they sliced it's giant petals until the core could be seen inside? Or should they stab it from below that looked like it's trunk?

"Let me try it first." Uncle Huth volunteered to try.

"Okay, please be careful, Uncle!" Marissa nodded her head.

"Mm." Uncle Huth acknowledged. Then, he took out something from his cosmos sack. It was an ordinary iron sword. Right after that, he threw the sword to that giant flower, and...

'Grab!'

'Munch! Munch! Munch!'

The iron sword was caught by something that suddenly came out from the core of the flower, located inside it's huge body that resembled a huge tube if it was observed from below it's flower petal. That thing looked like a long tongue in a red-blood colour. Following that, there was a sound that the sword was munched briefly, then the flower was quiet down again. It lowered it's petals and acted like a harmless creature. It's colour and form actually quite beautiful and full of aesthetic values if it didn't do anything, but it's stinking smell ruin all the values in a second. If not for how the three of them could control their ability to smell, they would be fainted from the foul odor it emit.

"This thing is quite scheming..." Uncle Huth commented.

Marissa observed the flower which was now resembled a shy little maiden. Little maiden, your sister! Marissa cursed on how the heck she possessed that kind of thought. That kind of personification was really out of the chart!

Sure enough! This thing was no longer the same with the rare plant she remembered when she was on Earth. It's size was multiple times bigger, and it was more dangerous. It possessed a bloody tongue and eat anything that came approach. It could even chew the iron sword easily. What was it that it can't eat now? What should they do?

"I will try to battle with it." Kamandhanu said as he slowly walked toward the giant flower.

"I will help you." Uncle Huth also stepped forward.

"Becareful, both of you." Marissa said with concern.

...

Hiyaaaaa!

Slash!

Hisssss!

Arya Kamandhanu and Uncle Huth were battling the corpse flower. Kamandhanu jumped up high and brandishing his sword to the huge maroon petal. The flower instantly produced a hissing sounds as if it was in pain, but that attack couldn't subdue it at all. Instead, it was getting angrier and abruptly closed it's seven giant petals before it's long bloody tongue came out of it's core once again.

That bloody tongue moved so fast toward Kamandhanu, intended to grab him and swallow him.

'Saipi Angin...!'

Arya Kamandhanu teleported to another direction before the bloody tongue could touch him. After that, he moved again to approach the tongue and sway his sword skillfully to slash at the creepy tongue.

Slash!

The tongue instantly groaned in pain because of the sharp sword successfully inflicted a wound on it's tongue. The wound that was on the tongue was severe enough that it abruptly bleed. The wound produced a black liquid that seemed to be the blood of the flower? So, the flower possessed blood on it's tongue, whereas it's petal that was as hard as a stone didn't possess blood? And the blood was actually the thing that Marissa needed to concoct the 'Blue Fire Pill'?

'I see...' Marissa finally understand. "Brother Bayu, Uncle Huth, please slash it's tongue. The black liquid that we need is there."

"Alright." Arya Kamandhanu who was now named as 'Brother Bayu', and Uncle Huth, worked together to slash the creepy tongue.

Hiyaaaaa!

They both jumped high, flying here and there to avoid the anger of the tongue.

Hissssss!

The huge flower suddenly moved and sway to the direction of Arya Kamandhanu and Uncle Huth interchangeably. It opened it's giant seven petals so wide while it's bloody tongue were slashing now and then to catch the two men who assaulted it. Every time it sway it's long tongue, it would hissed like a snake.

Finally, after about one hour of fighting, Kamandhanu and Uncle Huth could slashed the bloody tongue. It was now laying on the ground, convulsing profusely like a huge worm in fervor.

Marissa produced a small white ceramic vase out of nowhere, opened it and approached the now helpless tongue. With the help of Kamandhanu, she extracted the blood that looked like a sticky black liquid and put them in her ceramic vase. "Heheh, it's finally done. I didn't expect that we should fight with a flower." She said as she felt relieved to be able to collect all the ingredients for the pill.

"Let's go home. Later on, I will try to concoct a pill that could obliterate the evil souls, or at the very least suppress it for a period of time." Marissa said. Actually, she already told Kamandhanu and Uncle Huth about her plan to concoct the pill. When she told that the pill possessed such an effect, Uncle Huth was a bit skeptical, but choose to just believe in her. Arya Kamandhanu didn't say anything but believed in her silently.

Before they went home, they didn't forget to take the core inside the modified Rafflesia Arnoldii, and Marissa stored it in her system's storage. It could be very useful in the future.

...

On the way back home, about more than ten thousand meters away from Marissa's little shop...

"Eh, what is that?" Marissa and group suddenly looked toward a certain direction in which a huge river was streaming downward to the south. The river was rather big and deep. On the middle of the river was a young man fighting a group of crocodiles alone. The crocodiles were all on the peak level of Origin Core, with one was on the initial level of Nascent Soul. Looking at the numbers of the crocodiles, there were actually about forty of them.

Marissa and group decided to take a look. When they approached the river, the sound of the water streaming down the south was particularly loud. The young man kept battling and didn't realize their existence. When they flew closer, they realized that it was actually the popinjay-like hero, Jaka Tingkir.

When Marissa and group arrived, most of the crocodiles had been actually defeated by him. So, they didn't need to wait that long before Jaka Tingkir finished his battle with that reptiles. After he finished all that crocodiles, he descended to the ground in a very elegant and heroic manner, inviting the cheering, applauses, and exclamation from a certain group of bathing-maidens at the bank of the river. Apparently, there was a small village near the river. The group of maidens came from the village.

"Ah, Young Master Tingkir is so handsome and heroic!" A certain girl exclaimed.

"Aiyoh aiyoh, my heart beating so fast by the graceful action of Young Master Tingkir."

"Young Master Tingkir is so strong. He beat all that hateful crocodiles until all of them now got fainted."

"Young Master Tingkir, thank you for helping us, this fragile girls..."

"Young Master Tingkir, I love you..."

"Young Master Tingkir, I want to have a baby with you!"

"Mira, don't talk nonsense! Young Master Tingkir is only for me!"

"Mawar, you are the one who talk nonsense! How come Young Master Tingkir is only for you? Dream on!"

Looking at the girls fighting for him, Jaka Tingkir was feeling very pleased with himself. He felt so smug inside but he didn't show it. Instead, he gave a warm and charming smile, making the girls screamed again hysterically. They almost jumped into his embrace because of agitation and adoration.

Amid the excited atmosphere of the group of girls for meeting their idol, one of the crocodile suddenly jumped high up until it almost hit on one of the girls. The girl that was about to hit by the crocodile was scared silly. She yelled and almost fainted.

"Aahhhhhhh..." Following that, all the girls in the group one by one also started to scream.

"Little crocodile, how dare you! Now, back off!" Jaka Tingkir suddenly raised his hand and threaten the crocodile. The crocodile looked scared and hurriedly backed off. "Now, it's safe." He turned his gaze to group of beauties and smiled in assurance.

Looking at the heroic deed of their hero, the group of girls started to praise Jaka Tingkir once again, until the listeners who were currently hiding behind the dense packed of bushes couldn't take it anymore to see the situation.

...

"Heh, what hero? That Jaka Tingkir fellow must peeping at the girls earlier while they were bathing in the river previously. It must be because he almost got caught red-handed that he ordered the group of crocodiles to make a ruckus. After that, he would appear at the most appropriated time to save the situation. Heheheh, what a good trick! Young Master Tingkir is being mischievous again." Marissa commented through telepathy that only Kamandhanu could hear her. The one who conversed with Kamamdhanu was Marissa in her chicken form, not her puppet clone.

"Hmm? Again? How come you say so? It seems that you know a lot about many things. You even know the habit of him. Do you know Tingkir before this? Have you meet him prior to this? How come you looked like you know him so well?" The way Kamandhanu asked so many questions sounded as if he was feeling so annoyed.

"Uh? Of course. I'm the heavenly chicken." Marissa answered as a matter of fact.

Of course she knew it! Jaka Tingkir was also not less mischievous than Young Master Wiro. In the real History of Nusantara, Jaka Tingkir was on his way to the Kingdom of Demak that was established by Raden Patah, when he encountered the group of crocodiles. The King of Demak at that time was Sulthan Trenggana. Jaka Tingkir then got into a bloody battle with that crocodiles and then got praises afterward from all the peoples in the kingdom who heard the story. Peoples even created song for him because of his heroic deed. But in reality, he encountered the crocodiles because he was peeping at the bathing girls in the river. When he was so focus at his sacred moment in peeping the girls, a group of crocodiles suddenly attacked him, and that's how he got into a fight with crocodiles.

Such a heroic deed, indeed!

"Really?" Kamandhanu was a bit appeased by that answer. In his mind, as long as it's not because they knew each other, he would feel better.

"The show is over. Let's go home." Marissa suggested.

~~~~~

Quizz:

What do you think Jaka Tingkir was doing in the North Forest?

A. Nothing, he only want to have fun

B. He wants to flirt with the beauty in the village

C. He was on a mission issued by the Singhasari Academy

D. He came to North Forest to help Marissa and Kamandhanu

E. He came to hunt for a spiritual beast or to search for something