On his way to work, Sancaka rode his horse toward the village gate. His horse passed through the marketplace. Along the way, he noticed a family loading many सामान into a cart. The cart was already tied to two donkeys, ready to be pulled. Sancaka approached them to greet his friends.
"Abas, Tara, good morning," Sancaka said while still on his horse, before dismounting. "Are you going somewhere far? Why is your cart loaded with so many things?"
Abas and Tara stopped what they were doing after hearing their names. Sancaka saw that Abas had been tightening the rope that tied the donkeys to the cart, while Tara was placing fruits and food into it.
"Oh, Sancaka, what are you doing here?" Abas asked.
Sancaka stepped closer to Abas since they were nearer to each other. "I'm heading to work and happened to pass by your house," he said. "So, where are you and your family going?"
"We're going to…" Abas trailed off and looked up at the sky.
"Today, Abas and I are going to Jayakarsa City," Tara continued his sentence. "We're going to try selling our farm produce in the big city. We've also chosen a strategic location so we can attract buyers."
"Yes, that's right," Abas added.
"That sounds interesting," Sancaka said, pleased to see his friends motivated to earn a living. "If I may ask, where exactly is this strategic location in Jayakarsa City? And was it recommended by someone or did you find it yourselves? If I know a good spot in the city, I can tell my mother—she really wants to sell her harvest there."
Tara and Abas didn't answer. They looked at each other with confused expressions.
Suddenly, Sancaka added, "Oh right, Gatot is in Jayakarsa City, isn't he? That means you might run into him there."
Tara turned back to Sancaka, raising her eyebrows as if she had just gotten a good idea.
"That's right! We might meet Gatot in the city," Tara said. "And coincidentally, Gatot told us about a good market location. We heard it through word of mouth."
She nudged Abas with her elbow.
"Yes, that's true. Gatot helped us find a place to trade," Abas added.
"Oh, I see," Sancaka said. Then he noticed, near the cart, an elderly couple and two small children playing tag. "Is your whole family coming along too?"
"Yes, we're bringing everyone in the household to Jayakarsa City," Tara replied.
"Do you need a guard to accompany you on your journey?" Sancaka asked. "If necessary, I can call for a knight—"
"No need," Tara interrupted. "We've already hired a group of mercenaries to escort us during the journey."