Dewi Purbalara immediately met Gento Ireng who was in the room where her throne was, without sitting down first, the White Crocodile Demon Queen spoke.

"The young man is in Serayu Village."

"That means he stopped by in that village before continuing his journey north as he said."

Gento Ireng was seen holding his chin, as if thinking about something.

"That's right, the young man stopped by Ki Darmo's house."

"Huh?! What business did he have that he stopped by the house of the Serayu Village elder, Your Highness?"

Dewi Purbalara shook her head, because she could only see but could not hear Arya's voice or conversation with Ki Darmo who was sitting in the pendopo at that time.

"If right now, Your Highness ordered me to meet the young man and invite him here, I don't think it's possible, Your Highness. Because surely Ki Darmo or the other villagers if they saw me would not let me get to the village elder's house," said Gento Ireng.

Dewi Purbalara remained silent and did not immediately respond. She then sat on her throne while thinking about something.

"You have to find a way to meet the young man. You can spy on him when he comes out of Ki Darmo's house."

Gento Ireng nodded, it seemed like he understood what Dewi Purbalara meant.

"Yes, your majesty. It happens to be evening and soon night will come, the right time for me to spy on the young man. If there is an opportunity, I will meet him directly," said Gento Ireng.

"Yes, go! Remember, you have to be careful not to be caught by the residents or Ki Darmo himself."

"Yes, your majesty, I will take my leave."

Gento Ireng stood up from his seat, after paying his respects he left the room.

***

Although the rain did not pour down on Serayu Village, the air that night felt very cold. Maybe because the wind blew incessantly around the village area, that's why when night came the air felt even colder compared to the afternoon.

After being entertained for dinner, Arya, who had been to the pavilion first, sat with his legs stretched out, suddenly folded his legs in a cross-legged position when Ki Darmo came to the pavilion after him.

"So, Arya concluded that the secret of the followers of the White Crocodile Queen was that they could enter and survive at the bottom of the skull because they wore a necklace with a white crocodile head pendant?" asked Ki Darmo.

Arya nodded his head, then he smiled as he turned his gaze to

A beautiful young woman came to the pavilion bringing two cups of hot coffee along with food on a plate.

"Please, Mas Arya, drink and taste it," offered the young woman.

"Thank you, Intan."

Arya's words were only responded to with a smile while nodding her head by the beautiful woman who was called Intan by the warrior, after placing two cups made of bamboo containing hot coffee and food, Intan went back into the house.

“I am very sure Ki, that necklace is what makes the followers of the White Crocodile Queen survive inside the skull.”

Arya reassured Ki Darmo about what he had said when they had dinner together inside the house, precisely in the front room of the Serayu Village elder’s house.

“Then how will Arya get the necklace if he wants to go into the skull to free the villagers who were kidnapped by the White Crocodile Queen?”

Being asked like that made Arya pause for a moment thinking about what he would do, while Ki Darmo waited for an answer from the warrior.

“The only way to take the necklace from Gento Ireng, if at any time he comes back to this village to kidnap villagers who will be made followers of the White Crocodile Queen,” said Arya.

Ki Darmo seemed to be stroking his beard which had partly turned white, there was a kind of doubt in his heart that it would come true in the near future regarding the way out that Arya had said.

That made Arya frown, wondering what the middle-aged man sitting in front of him in the pavilion was thinking.

“Ki Darmo is not convinced by what I said that the necklace with the white crocodile head is what allows the followers of the White Crocodile Demon Queen to survive inside the skull?”

“That’s not it, Arya, I also believe in what Arya said. My own problem is that I can’t be sure whether Gento Ireng will appear again in this village sooner or later,” said Ki Darmo.

Arya scratched his head, he also agreed with what Ki Darmo said.

They were both silent for quite a while thinking about how the warrior’s plan to free the kidnapped villagers who had now been enslaved by the White Crocodile Demon Queen would be realized soon, as Ki Darmo said they had to wait until Gento Ireng would reappear in Serayu Village while his appearance was unpredictable.

“I will think of another way to get the necklace with the white crocodile head pendant, Ki, so that my plan to free the kidnapped villagers can be realized soon.”

Ki Darmo, who had been sitting leaning back while stroking his beard, suddenly changed his sitting position by moving forward.

“Come on Arya, drink your coffee while it’s still warm, it won’t taste good if it gets cold,” Ki Darmo offered, first reaching for one of the bamboo cups containing the warm coffee.

Arya nodded, then reached for the other cup and together with Ki Darmo, they took a sip of the warm coffee inside.

When he took a sip of the warm coffee in the bamboo cup, Arya felt like there was a pair of eyes watching them from a distance in the dark of the night, that’s what makes a highly skilled warrior different from an ordinary person who doesn’t have the sensitivity like Arya felt.

“Apparently someone has been spying on me since earlier, I have to ask Ki Darmo for permission to leave this pavilion for a moment.”