Bring the Translator

"These are my wife, child, and grandchildren. They were the victims of the Mongols' atrocities when they tried to attack Kediri."

The tragedy that befell them was not much different from Gendis, who slowly approached as if she could feel what the old interpreter was experiencing.

"Grandfather, Gendis can understand what you've been through. Gendis lost both of her parents, but she rose up and believes that one day she can seek revenge on them."

"Are you Ki Wardiman's grandchild? Where is he now?" the old interpreter asked.

"He's at his hut, Grandfather..."

"Call me Ki Besat. But tell me, what was your purpose for coming here?"

Jagat explained that his presence here was on Ki Wardiman's orders, as he was now Jagat's mentor for a training session. A training session that involved Ki Besat's expertise in Mongolian and Chinese languages.

Ki Besat furrowed his brow slightly, puzzled by Jagat's explanation. He asked again, "How can that skill be used to seek revenge against the Mongols? But I've known your grandfather for a long time, Gendis. Very well, now can you bring my three belongings?"

"What do you mean, Grandfather?"

"Bring my belongings to your hut? I want to be close to them. Perhaps Ki Wardiman knows a way to revive them. Hurry, help me wrap them up."

Without waiting for a response from his two guests, Ki Besat swiftly grabbed some fabric and began wrapping his wife first. Jagat and Gendis could only remain silent, unable to say anything.

After finishing the wrapping, the three bodies were placed on a horse-drawn cart to be transported. It was getting dark, and they had to leave now because Jagat felt uneasy about Nyai Nanta's henchmen.

Traveling at night would be safer than during the day, and the horse-drawn cart made their journey easier as they left the village. Jagat had asked Ki Wardiman, who was sitting behind the reins, to speed up the pace of their two horses.

From Ki Wardiman's acceptance earlier, it was clear that Ki Wardiman was facing some problems with someone. The information that he was a translator for Nyai Nanta had proven to be false. It was evident that this old man was hiding from the crowd.

But what kind of crowd was he avoiding? Why didn't Nyai Nanta's henchmen say anything to him?

The darkness of the night was pierced by the fast pace of Jagat and Gendis' two horses, pulling the cart provided by Ki Wardiman.

They took a brief rest at the edge of a nearby forest, as Jagat estimated that Tuban was now far out of reach. They wouldn't be bothered by Nyai Nanta's henchmen anymore.

However, in doing so, Jagat added more enemies to his list: the Kentabuana school, Sawung Bumi, and Nyai Nanta's henchmen. He didn't know how his newfound ability would affect his martial arts skills. But at least Ki Wardiman had given him an idea that he could quickly absorb his opponent's skills at first sight.

And that ability had to be supported by strong inner power. It needed to be cultivated until the learned techniques became perfect.

"Imitating martial arts techniques?" Jagat asked at the time.

"I won't call it Imitating Martial Arts, because what you see and learn will certainly be different from the trained skills of your opponent."

That was Ki Wardiman's response when explaining his new ability. He could memorize things quickly without missing a single detail. This included reading and memorizing writings, observing movements, and recalling them for personal use, in other words, imitation.

Ki Wardiman even mentioned certain books that contained writings composed of seemingly random letters. Like encrypted codes difficult to decipher for ordinary human eyes.

As a book thief, Jagat found this explanation intriguing because books were typically created to be easily studied and written, ensuring quick understanding. But the books Ki Wardiman referred to were vastly different.

Ki Wardiman didn't mention the name of that book, but it only made Jagat more curious about his abilities and intended to study them further with Ki Wardiman's help.

And now he was asked to bring a Mongolian interpreter. Ki Wardiman informed Jagat that he would learn the Mongolian language to test his abilities.

On the third day of their journey, Jagat finally managed to bring Ki Besat to the training hut. Ki Wardiman was walking towards a stack of firewood as the day was turning into evening, and the place needed the warmth of a burning fire.

The two old men embraced each other, reminiscing about their shared past. They inquired about each other's well-being. Ki Wardiman was brought to the cart containing his three belongings—his wife, child, and grandchildren.

Ki Wardiman could feel the pain experienced by Ki Besat and tried to understand why he still held onto the three lifeless bodies.

"I only hope that I can find a way to bring them back to life, my friend," Ki Besat whispered. "Perhaps you can help me."

"I'm sorry, my friend. This ability is only possessed by beings from the supernatural realm. I'm not capable of it."

"So it seems. Very well. I will search for those supernatural beings after I assist you here. Now, what should I do for this young trainee?" Ki Wardiman asked.

"Just wait a moment. Were you serious about what you said earlier, Ki Besat? Bringing them back to life?"

"I am serious, Ki Wardiman. They are my invaluable possessions. I will do anything to bring them back to this world."

Seeing the sincerity in Ki Besat's eyes as he looked sharply at the three bodies now lying beneath the tree, Ki Wardiman fell silent and shifted his gaze to Gendis, his granddaughter.

"I will help you later, but please assist me in completing this young trainee's training first."

Ki Besat nodded in agreement, and the designated time for Jagat's training was set for the following morning.

Ki Wardiman had prepared everything necessary for Jagat's training, focusing primarily on auditory exercises after the previous days' emphasis on visual training.

Jagat had to be able to hear every word spoken by Ki Besat in Mongolian, along with its translation, for effective communication and expanding his vocabulary.

Jagat Wengi was also forced to sharpen his hearing, which he had actually possessed from the beginning. However, the difference now was in hearing someone speak Mongolian.

Gendis watched the training with incredible admiration. Her duty was to deliver food, drinks, and other necessities, and all she could do was silently praise and smile as she peeked from a distance.

Weeks went by, and Gendis witnessed rapid changes in Jagat. His proficiency in Mongolian and Chinese languages improved rapidly, and Ki Besat praised Jagat's ability to further enhance his skills.

Ki Besat believed that Jagat could create new techniques and combine them into one, based on what he saw and heard. And this training could be put into practice if two skilled warriors were present before them.

However, Ki Wardiman rejected the idea, as it was highly unlikely to find trustworthy warriors in the present day. Both the white and black martial arts factions seemed no different. Since the collapse of two kingdoms simultaneously and the emergence of a new kingdom called Majapahit, the two martial arts factions had become like lost chicks without a mother.

Each sought their own stage to showcase their power, with vengeance and pride at stake. Bringing warriors to this training hut would be futile, and Jagat's abilities would raise questions among them.

They would undoubtedly be envious of Jagat's skills and could potentially take his life.

However, Gendis had a different thought. She had heard that the Sawung Bumi sect was a reputable white martial arts faction in the martial arts world. Some of them were known to assist the weak, including during the Mongol invasion of their village.

Sawung Bumi aided in the village's recovery, rebuilding the houses destroyed by the cruelty of the Mongol soldiers.

Therefore, Gendis set out to find the disciples of Sawung Bumi while she was away from the training hut. She would return with supplies and two disciples from Sawung Bumi.

Gendis' search naturally led her straight to the sect's location. Since their disciples had joined the ranks of the Majapahit warriors, Sawung Bumi had been actively accepting new disciples.

And Gendis' presence at the martial arts sect certainly evoked similar thoughts among the elders. One of the elders asked Gendis.

"You are a beautiful young woman. Why would you want to become a disciple of this sect?"

"I don't want to become a disciple, Master Warrior. I simply seek assistance from the sect because I know that this sect consists of kind-hearted individuals."

Gendis then recounted her firsthand experience of witnessing the generosity of Sawung Bumi when they assisted in the recovery of her village.

"What can we help you with?"

Gendis then explained that her grandfather, a healer, was currently treating a young man who now needed the assistance of two warriors to test his abilities.

"Is the young man being treated by your grandfather also a warrior?" the elder asked.

"It seems so, as I have seen him run like you gentlemen often do."

"Body agility?"

Gendis nodded quickly and added that with his agile body, he could swiftly move from one tree to another.

"Which sect does your grandfather's patient belong to?"

Gendis shook her head. She didn't know Jagat Wengi's origin, but she mentioned that Jagat was brought by a Majapahit officer named Arya Mandana.

The elder's face showed a slight surprise. With slow, non-threatening steps, he left Gendis alone in the reception hall.

Unsuspecting, Gendis observed her surroundings and noticed small huts under construction at the back. Little did she know that those huts had been destroyed by the Kala Racun gang.

The elder returned with an old man and a woman slightly older than himself.

"What is your name, child?"

"My name is Gendis, sir."

The old man, who was none other than Ki Rapala, the grand master of Sawung Bumi, kindly asked Gendis to tell the story of Arya Mandana, with the last question surprising Gendis.

"Is the young man brought by Arya Mandana named Jagat Wengi?"

"Yes, sir. Do you know him, sir?"

"Yes, my child. We know him. You can bring these two warriors for your grandfather's treatment. Go."

Confused, Gendis remained silent and didn't have time to ask many questions. If only she had known that the two warriors she was bringing were harbingers of death for Jagat Wengi.