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"Ohhhh, nooo! I forgot, Arya already took our car. Now, how are we going to get to Trowulan?"
"You're right, Bima."
"Is there any vehicle around here we can use?"
"I don't see any vehicle nearby."
"Hmm, wait, everyone! I think I know a way."
"You know something, Roro?"
"Yes, Jay. Please wait a moment."
"What are you going to do, Roro?"
"Those who always escorted the Queen around her kingdom, those who aided her during wars, and those who helped her travel from the palace to the southern shores... I summon you now—come forth!"
Creaaak... Neighhh... (Sound of whinnying)
As soon as Roro finished chanting her spell, a horse-drawn carriage appeared from the direction of the beach. It was pulled by six horses: three black and three white. Curious, we all ran towards the shore to get a closer look.
"Look, there! By the beach—it's a carriage!"
"Let's go, everyone!"
"Yeah!"
We all ran toward the carriage. It was summoned by Roro's magic. The carriage had emerged from beyond the sea.
"Wow, amazing! This is beautiful. It's pulled by six majestic horses. Truly incredible."
"You're right, Jay. Such a lovely carriage."
"I'm curious… are these golden accessories real?"
"Haha, I think it really is made of real gold, Yusa."
"Roro, did you summon them?"
"Yes. The Queen told me to summon her carriage for us to ride."
"So, your sponsor can talk to you?"
"I think so, Jay. I don't remember clearly. But I think I heard her voice in my dream. I couldn't see her clearly because everything was dark in the dream."
"Then… was the voice I heard yesterday my sponsor talking to me in my dream?"
"I don't know, maybe, Yusa. I don't fully understand it either."
"Last night, nothing strange happened to me. Does that mean my sponsor doesn't want to talk to me?"
"Me neither, sis. I didn't experience anything strange last night. How about you, Jay?"
"I heard something, too."
"Heeeh, so the three of you have heard your sponsors already. Why haven't I?"
"I think when the time is right, your sponsor will speak to you too, sis Loka."
"Maybe you're right, Roro. Alright then, let's continue our journey using this carriage. Bima, can you drive it?"
"Leave it to me, sis. Come on, everyone, hop in! Our long journey continues."
[Hidden Quest Successfully Completed! You have received a special item to summon your Pet: "Ocean Bracelet - Grade A"]
[Pet Obtained: "South Coast Queen's Carriage"]
"Look, everyone! I completed a hidden quest!"
"Wow, congratulations, Roro! You're amazing!"
"Thank you, Yusa."
"What did you get as a reward?"
"This bracelet with a little bell. According to its description, I can use it to summon this carriage. Now I won't need to use magic or mana to call it again."
"Well, congratulations, Roro. And thank you for the ride. If everyone's ready, let's go! Hyaaah!"
Neighhh... (Sound of horses whinnying)
And so, we continued our journey to the Trowulan Dungeon. We traveled in the magical horse carriage Roro had summoned. Bima took the reins and drove the carriage.
"This carriage is super fast! At this rate, we'll get there quickly."
"You're right, Yusa. Especially with six horses pulling it. That means it's meant for speed. We'll arrive in no time."
"Bima, how long do you estimate it'll take to reach Trowulan?"
"If the horses don't get tired quickly, I think we'll arrive in two to three days, sis."
"Alright, seems like that's the fastest possible route to Trowulan."
The six horses ran with incredible speed. Even though the carriage carried all five of us, it moved swiftly. If the horses kept this pace, we would arrive in no time. It was faster than a car.
"This is so much fun!"
"You're right, Jay. It really is. This is actually my first time riding a horse-drawn carriage. I never had the chance before, but it turns out to be enjoyable."
"This is your first time, Yusa?"
"Yes, Jay. Back when I was still a lawyer, I never saw carriages on the roads. Not in Bandung or Jakarta."
"Yeah, it's hard to find carriages in busy cities like those. Maybe only in amusement parks."
"In Yogyakarta, though, you can still find many carriages, especially near the palace or the town square."
"Roro's right. Carriages are a tourist attraction there. Jay, is this your first time too?"
"No, Loka. I used to ride carriages at the zoo. But this one feels different—it's much more exciting."
"Totally."
Sound of galloping horses
Just about one hour after leaving Parangtritis Beach, we saw a tall temple in the distance to our left. A magnificent structure—I immediately recognized it. I was surprised by how fast we were traveling. In just one hour, we had already reached the Prambanan subdistrict. That towering structure was the famous Prambanan Temple.
"Hey, look! That's… Prambanan Temple!"
"So beautiful."
"That temple really is beautiful. I used to go there during holidays."
"Yeah, it's a famous tourist destination. It used to be really crowded."
"Want to stop by?"
"No, no, Bima! I think we need to stay focused on reaching Trowulan. Enough sightseeing for now."
"Haha, alright, Jay."
"Hey, Jay. I think I know why you don't want to go there."
"Shut up, Yusa!"
"Alright, let's keep moving. Get ready, everyone. I feel like we'll reach Trowulan by tomorrow."
"Are you sure, Bima?"
"What makes you so confident, Bima?"
"Yes, sis. These horses are special. We've been going for over an hour, carrying a heavy load, and they show no signs of exhaustion. I believe, if these horses truly belong to the Queen of the South Coast, then they're built for endurance—especially in battle. They'll keep running unless we stop them ourselves."
"Then these really are special horses. Not your average kind."
"We're very lucky to ride this carriage. If we reach Trowulan, these horses will have helped us immensely. And it's all thanks to Roro. Without this carriage, we might never have made it."
"You're right, Jay. We're lucky to have a friend like Roro."
"Hehe, thank you, everyone."
On the way, we chatted and enjoyed the view of the cities. Since the first appearance of the gates, things have improved a lot. We saw people living their lives as normal again. No more burning buildings. No more wrecked cars along the roads. The highways were still empty due to the lack of vehicles, but everything seemed to be healing.
Noon...
The sun climbed higher, and its rays grew hotter—clear signs that it was midday. We decided to take a break under the shade of a large tree. As we ate lunch, we made sure to give the horses some water to keep them refreshed for the journey ahead.
"Guys, how about we rest for a bit? There's a big tree up ahead—we can take shelter there. It's really hot now."
"You're right, Bima. Let's rest for a while. We still have time before reaching Trowulan. And we need to stay in good shape."
"Yeah, Loka. I agree. Let's rest under that big tree."
"Alright then, a short break it is. Come on, horses—let's pull over."
We finally stopped under a tall shady tree—an ideal place for a short rest. Bima parked the carriage close to the tree, so the horses could stay out of the sun and catch their breath.
"Okay, everyone. We're here. Let's get down. I'll give the horses some water."
"Ahhh, it's nice and cool here. I could fall asleep."
"After two days at the beach, now we're already sweaty from just a few hours on the road. This heat is no joke."
"Hahaha, you're right, sis. I'm sweating too. Sorry, but I need to take off my shirt—it's soaked."
"Yeah, the heat could make us sick if we push too hard. Good thing we found this tree."
"Hey sis, do you have more water?"
"Yes, it's in the back."
"Bring all of it, Bima."
"Alright."
"Wait, Bima. I'll help you."
"Me too."
"Thanks, Jay, Yusa."
"Roro, come help me with the food."
"Okay, sis."
I helped Bima and Yusa carry the water—for us and for the horses. Meanwhile, Loka and Roro prepared lunch.
"Yusa, Jay, bring the drinks to sis. I'll water the horses first."
"Got it, Bima."
I took the drinks to Loka, who was arranging the food. Yusa helped me set everything up. Bima stayed to hydrate the horses.
"Loka, where should I put these?"
"Just leave them there, Jay."
"Okay."
"Jay, where's Bima?"
"He's watering the horses."
"Can you call him? The food's almost ready."
"Sure thing."
I went over to Bima, who was still with the horses, and invited him to join us for lunch.
"Bima, come on—Loka says the food's ready."
"Oh, alright, Jay. I'll be there soon. Go ahead without me."
"Alright."
.
.
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To Be Continued