Arya laughed softly, shook his head with quiet amusement, and stopped paying attention to her. He turned his gaze to the enormous snake not far in front of him, and began walking toward it with the expression of someone who had just found an interesting new toy. Victor, Wira, and the others who were watching couldn't help frowning in disbelief. "What is he doing?" No one answered, because something even more startling happened — as Arya kept walking calmly forward, the snake suddenly let out a low hiss and took a step back. "Hm?" Wira, Victor, and everyone else watching finally understood, with quiet shame, that they had been underestimating Arya this entire time. But even that realization wasn't the end of it, because Arya's voice reached them next. "Interesting. You've been cultivating for nearly five hundred years and you've clearly developed some degree of awareness. So — how would you feel about coming with me and guarding my home?" Everyone, including Thalya still sittin

Faced with that indifferent, almost arrogant manner, Thalya couldn't decide whether to be angry or just defeated. "Hey, wait!" But seeing that Arya was about to leave, she moved to stop him and this time approached with her most charming smile. "I didn't introduce myself properly earlier. Let me try again. My full name is Thalya Coldway, from the Coldway family in Australia. You may not have heard of us, but the Coldways are one of the most influential families in the world. An old family with deep roots in history and culture. We seek out and collect rare and valuable artifacts — antiques, accessories, historical relics of all kinds, anything with genuine significance." "Given your abilities, you must have access to remarkable items. And if not, we could certainly source things for you. As it happens, we're holding an auction in Surabaya in a few days. If you're interested—" "You want the bones inside the cave." Arya said it before she could finish, reading her intentions withou

"Alright, Daddy was wrong. Next time there's an opportunity, Daddy will bring Ara along on the trip. Okay?" "Really?" Kiara's expression softened slightly, something hopeful appearing behind the pout. Arya nodded with genuine commitment and smiled. "Absolutely. But before that, Ara has to do well at school first. When the holidays come, Daddy promises to take Ara traveling abroad." "School?" The pout returned immediately, and with it a distinct note of grievance. "What's so good about school? Besides Viona, everyone there is boring and annoying. All they do is run around and cause trouble for the teachers. They can't even read or count properly." "Hm?" Arya's expression shifted into something more serious. "Aren't you still in kindergarten? What's wrong with playing and learning at the same time? Can you read and count? Isn't that primary school material?" "How hard is reading and counting?" Kiara answered with the casual dismissiveness of someone who found the question barely

Lana Wijaya. His memory of her was not sharp at the edges — the years between worlds had softened certain details — but what remained was clear enough. A woman of remarkable temperament and presence, one that had apparently stayed with him across thousands of years in another realm. Now he was back. And he still hadn't found her. He didn't know what she looked like now. Whether she was alright. Whether she was in the kind of situation that needed him immediately or could wait a little longer. He didn't know any of it. Only that finding her was why he had come to this city. The shop assistant's question had reminded him, in the simplest possible way, that he couldn't afford to let it wait much longer. "Sir, are you alright?" The woman was watching him with quiet concern, clearly noting that he had gone somewhere else entirely for several long seconds. The question pulled him back. He blinked, and smiled. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about something." "I see..." She look

With no better option, Arya constructed a lie — that his five-year disappearance had followed a mountaineering accident, that he had been rescued by local villagers and had lost his memory, and that only a few months ago had he finally remembered who he was and decided to return, only to discover he had a five-year-old daughter waiting for him. As for Lana, he was deliberately vague. He said only that she had important matters she needed to resolve and hadn't been able to care for Kiara. He didn't explain why she had gone or where. He was looking for her now. Gavin listened to all of it and didn't believe a word. But he also knew Arya well enough to recognize the pattern. This was a man who rarely lied unless something serious was at stake. And because Arya wasn't telling the full truth, Gavin understood that whatever was actually going on was too significant to share openly. He didn't push. He simply promised to help find Lana if he could. They worked through several bottles of w