Elder Jaya’s Apology

"Mom, I just contacted Bro Ku. He was asking how much longer the closed-door meditation would take going forward, just now. He would like to remind you that we still need to fulfill our promise with Lord Suria."

Hana was surprised by Kuro's question and reminder. She stopped eating the fruits gathered by the birds and washed them down with a cup of water. There were two hours more of idle time before the next session with her husband.

Kuro had never stopped her from cultivating. In fact, he pushed her to do more rather than less. 

She scrunched her brow and started to seriously think. There must be a reason. Asking about the time showed that there was a deadline for something soon. She hadn't heard any news about Kuro's success in hunting down the Terra Worm yet, hence, there must be something else. 

Something else that involved the Sanctuary birds.

Kuro's mind was guarded heavily, increasing her suspicion. She could just barged in and forced it out of him, but she chose to believe that whatever he was scheming was for the benefit of the Serpent's Lair. 

"Alright, Mommy will wrap up soon. Just a little more. A few more days, or a week at most. Make the arrangement, Shi-chan. Also, prepare all the ingredients needed to make the advancement meal. Mommy will write the list down afterward." 

"Noted, Mom."

...

Alan reached the east entrance of the aborigine village with his butler, Miles, and five other confidants harboring the precious mana herbs in mana-resistant metal briefcases. With the help of his efficient butler, he already swapped the bodyguards with the ones who had clear allegiance to him, leaving only Silas whom he trusted. 

It was still quite early and the weather was pleasant, but all of them were sweating with their clothes stuck to their bodies, except for Butler Miles, of course. He looked like he just arrived after a leisurely morning stroll. The briefcases were by no means light, contrary to their slim appearance.

The young boys lounging around the bare bamboo stall, presumably a guard post, stared at him with a curious but knowing gaze, as if they were loudly saying, "Ah, these are the foreigners that our Spiritual Healer dislikes so much! Why are they here again?", before ignoring them altogether to return to their animated chat.

Unsure of what to do, Alan turned to Miles as his eyes asked what should they do next. 

Wait for the aborigines to welcome them or just go in? 

In contrast to the great fanfare at which Arash had been celebrated upon arrival, no one was welcoming them or even paying them any mind. 

Feeling deeply conflicted with the lack of response, Arash prompted Miles to engage with a random young aborigine boy standing nearest to them to alert Elder Jaya of their arrival. He wasn't planning to create animosity before they could even meet with Arash.

After a few incomprehensible exchanges, the kid's eyes lit up as he heard Jaya's name as if a switch had just been flipped. He nodded vigorously and left his other two friends with a wave. The boy sprinted off like a gazelle with a goofy grin and a practiced friendly smile, as if he had done the act on a daily basis. Or maybe, the tip Miles included simply did its job.

A few minutes later, the same kid appeared and signaled them to follow him inside, to their surprise. Alan and Miles looked at each other questioningly but elected to keep quiet. 

They have been repelled time and time again from approaching the village before. 

What was the difference this time?

It was the first time their group was permitted to enter the village grounds. They walked on a neat pebble trail while looking around to observe the scenery in front of them; their previous visit stopped them outside the village as there were long wooden branches arranged around the perimeter, serving as makeshift fences. 

The village grounds were peppered by bamboo houses on stilts at intervals; they were on the smaller side at the edge of the village but increased in size as they walked further in. The village itself was surprisingly clean and neat with small tasteful ornamental shrubs growing at certain locations in an attempt at landscaping. 

After tens of meters in, they walked beside a spacious area with a group of Bateq ladies and kids in sarongs tied at their chests. They were gossiping while working on unknown meats and veggies, presumably cooking together. Two large pots were in the middle of the clearing, and something was already brewing with a meaty smell. 

It was the first for Alan to see the womenfolk of the Bateq tribe as the ones he usually saw scurrying about outside were men or boys. All of them had generic olive to bronze-colored skin with tight curls for hair. They have similar features as if everyone were related. Additionally, they looked fit without unnecessary fat hanging at their waist like city dwellers.

They trudged the stone-covered trail cautiously while being blatantly observed by the womenfolk like a procession of circus animals; they practically stopped doing their work to gawk with open mouths. Alan could imagine that their entrance must have been quite a shock for them too.

Surprisingly, there were small shoplot-like concrete-based living quarters at the edge of the village and an enclosed shaded area with a miniature telecommunication tower attached on top. Judging from how loud it sounded, it might be a generator room. The location was deserted from any villagers, though.

The village was not as backwater as it seemed. 

He had thought that a village harboring a reclusive expert would have been more... mythical, of sorts. It turned out it was a village on the verge of adopting modernization.

Alan wasn't sure how he felt about the incongruity.

"Welcome, Sirs. Welcome!" Elder Jaya plastered a complicated smile while greeting them warmly, again, to their confusion. The whole village had a totally opposite vibe from their first visit with his newest subordinate, Arash.

"Thank you for having us, Elder. We're quite... overwhelmed with the warm reception this time." Butler Miles started with small talks to ease the atmosphere. He became the proxy to converse with Elder Jaya due to his obvious seniority while Alan and the rest observed their interaction. He lightly insinuated their vastly differing treatment this time. It was plain as day that the whole village antagonized them to the end during the last visit.

The elder sighed knowingly and he started to brew a cup of thin watery red tea with dollops of brown sugar inside with a smile. He spoke in clear, slightly accented English.

"In truth, our village is somewhat like a tourist attraction to foreigners as a way to generate revenues. It is a government effort to exhibit our culture as a national heritage. We receive quite a number of tourists from overseas yearly. Including this year, it's our eighth year."

Elder Jaya passed the brewed red tea to everyone with a good-natured, proud smile. Evidently, there was a trace of boasting in his tone. Once he saw no one drink the tea provided, he poured and sipped his own to demonstrate that it was safe to drink with a knowing glance. He sighed contentedly, evidently feeling pleased with the taste and aroma.

"In return, the government agencies involved worked together to provide us with compensation in the form of a resident doctor, landlines, and generators operating on diesel. We were taught to do a bit of agriculture, predominantly how to grow cassava for self-sustainability rather than exports, and the kids were given the opportunity to attend the nearby government school."

"Ahh... that is wonderful. Progress is always great." Butler Miles nodded amiably while sipping the hot tea as a show of accepting the elder's hospitality. 

The old elder visibly exhaled in relief. He perceived the butler's willingness to partake in the refreshment as accepting their apology. He took a deep breath as he observed his cup of red tea in resignation. Alan patiently waited to hear the rest of the story; it was always a good idea to collect more in-depth information on this mana-wielding tribe.

"We do not need to keep on relocating like a nomad anymore as per our tradition. At least, for the ones who wanted stability, who wanted to move forward, I personally don't wish to interfere. We also didn't stop our fellow villagers to continue following our traditions of moving from place to place if they wished it. As such, these people here, are the ones who embraced the future, and I am their representative to mediate the efforts graciously given to us."

"It was tough, as Bateqs did not understand the concept of money, much less doing basic math. But we persevered through, thanks to our rising star who had broken all traditions and moved up through the ranks to lobby for us. Looking at all these developments, we knew that until today, he still looked after us in his own way."

Elder Jaya chuckled with a sigh.

"Then, where does Tok Silihan come in? I presumed this must be your question, right?"

Alan and Miles nodded in acknowledgment as they concentrated on listening to the rest of the tale.

"He has been our leader for a very long time." 

Elder Jaya narrowed his gaze as he recalled distant memories.

"I remember my grandfather told me this; never, ever crossed our last Spiritual Healer when he appeared. Thus, we treated you, our fellow guests, quite wrongly in his presence. It truly defies the code of conduct we learned for welcoming international visitors to our humble abode. We are eternally filled with regret. Apologies." 

"No matter, Elder. We understand your difficulties. Seniors are always like this. We do need to respect and prioritize their needs first." Butler Miles chuckled lightheartedly; a show that emphasized that they would put the matter to rest.

"In my lifetime, this is the second time I have met him. He occasionally dropped by to check out on our wellbeing. The last time he was here was twenty-some years ago. Hence, he didn't know the updated trends. We were once a very reclusive tribe who solely relied on the land for sustenance." 

"Before all these, em, developments, Tok Batin Silihan has been extensively described orally from an elder to the younger generation as our leader and protector, not just for us Bateqs, but for the land as well. And I believed that to be so."

The elder took a deep breath and observed the group meaningfully.

"Since you've brought over the Spiritual plants requested by our Tok Batin, it must mean you believed in his Spiritual Healing abilities. I request that, like us, you gentlemen would be magnanimous enough to take no offense for his, erm, inelegant countenance. He means no harm, and he really has the skills to support his arrogance. He is the best of the best in this region when it comes to spiritual-based disease afflictions. You are lucky. He stopped accepting requests a long time ago."

"Thank you for your explanation. We're glad we have come to some sort of agreement with the Tok Batin. We would greatly appreciate it if you could inform the esteemed Elder of our arrival. As I know, our team member, Mr. Arash had arrived before us to prepare for the medical session. Somehow, we have lost contact with him."

"But of course. Currently, Tok Batin Silihan is in closed-door meditation. We will need some time to alert him. In the meantime, why don't you esteemed gentlemen join our cultural immersive program? We have three, absolutely delightful packages for your perusal..."

Elder Jaya's heartfelt expression turned into a seasoned business smile as he introduced the tour packages to Alan and co....

...