Flashing back to the time after Riko taught Rudi Sanggoro a lesson.
At the Mercure hotel room, Alda and the others had just finished showering. They changed into cleaner clothes and ate immediately, for they hadn't eaten all day, and then gathered in the living room, watching TV there.
"Why did you deal with them all so quickly?" Dion asked Riko.
He was curious since usually Riko would play with his prey, torturing and making them suffer, but this time he didn't witness that.
"I am bored with them, so I just broke one of their legs and then came here," replied Riko.
Tama was surprised, wondering how Dion managed to ask first, as he usually was so laconic, but now this was progress since he initiated the inquiry.
"Is the Setiadi family's home very far from here?" Alda asked curiously.
Having never stepped foot in Emerald City before, she had no idea about the city.
"Pretty far if we take the bus, we'd need the whole day and even then we'd still have to walk a long way to reach the steep hillside roads!" Riko responded.
They no longer paid any attention to the earlier incident in the lobby, considering it a trivial matter.
"Oh no, what if we just buy a car! This isn't the mountains—let's take advantage of the available transportation!" Alda immediately suggested.
She figured that this wasn't some remote martial arts school atop a steep mountain, so they could use a car for travel and spend the money they had.
Since on the mountain, the Button family had given her a lot of money which was useless there, whereas now in the secular world money was most important to most people.
"Yes, I agree with what Alda said!" exclaimed Tama.
"Yeah, me too...!" Dion chimed in.
"If you all agree, what can I do?" Riko responded flatly.
"So, shall we buy now or tomorrow?" Alda asked the three of them.
"It's better now, so we can leave early tomorrow morning towards the Setiadi family's home!" Tama quickly replied.
"Alright, let's go now!" Alda said.
"You go ahead, I want to rest...!" Dion didn't want to join them.
He thought it a boring task, and in his opinion, such matters only needed two people, so he chose not to go.
"Okay, Alda and I will go now, the rest of you rest!" Riko interjected.
"Fine..!" Alda agreed.
Eventually, they concurred, and two of them promptly left the Mercure Hotel.
*
Once outside, Alda and Riko hailed a taxi in front of the Mercure Hotel, and they both got in without further ado.
"Sir, please take us to a car dealership!" Alda said.
"Right away, sir..!" the taxi driver replied.
The car proceeded along the busy city streets crowded with other vehicles, and because of the traffic, their taxi ride was prolonged.
"What kind of car are you looking for, sir?" the taxi driver inquired, aiming for clearer instructions.
"A car that fits more than 4 people and can navigate hillside roads!" Alda answered.
He wasn't too familiar with current car releases. He understood older models well but was out of touch with the latest.
"Okay, now I know!" the taxi driver confirmed and focused on driving.
*
The taxi stopped at a car dealership with various brands.
Here, they specialized in luxury and elegant SUVs and off-road vehicles.
Riko and Alda got out, and before leaving, Alda pulled a million rupiah out of his pocket.
"Thank you, sir!" Alda said as he handed over the money.
"This is too much," the taxi driver mentioned, surprised.
"It's fine..!" Alda replied briskly, departing immediately after.
Before leaving the Mercure Hotel, they had withdrawn cash just in case, as not all transactions in Emerald City were electronic, so they preferred to carry cash.
The taxi driver was left dumbfounded, as the distance from the hotel was very short, less than 10 minutes under normal driving conditions.
Yet, he had just made a million, which astonished him.
"Extraordinary young people, but their attire seems too ordinary!" muttered the taxi driver before driving off.
Riko and Alda stood in front of the grand and magnificent dealership doors, which housed famous brands from all over the world.
However, this dealership highlighted the sale of SUVs and off-road vehicles more prominently.
Riko looked around the majestic building, hands on hips. After being nudged by Alda, they finally entered the car showroom.
But because their clothing appeared plain, casual even, the salespeople at the dealership ignored them.
Alda was surprised; he had come to make a purchase but was not greeted by any salespeople, recalling that as a child, when he accompanied his father to buy a car, they had received a warm welcome.
Why was it the opposite now? He glanced at his clothing, reminded of the last incident in the lobby of the Mercure Hotel.
'Darn, do people now judge others based solely on their attire?' Alda thought to himself.
Having lived over a decade on the mountain, Alda's perspective was different from the wealthy city dwellers.
Furthermore, living in a luxurious home serviced by attendants until 13 affected his social life recollections unfavorably.
And before he could adjust to the social life of the rich, Alda was sent to the mountain by his grandfather after his parents died mysteriously.
His grandfather, discerning the situation was not straightforward, immediately secured his talented grandchild, someone potentially proficient in martial arts and business like his parents.
So his grandfather preferred to inoculate Alda! Because for someone as clever as Alda, the secular world was easily learned.
The two stood at the doorway for quite a while until a beautiful saleswoman, emerging from the restroom, noticed them and swiftly approached.
"Gentlemen, may I assist you with anything?" the saleswoman asked courteously.
Yet, just as she did so, a jeer came from a distance.
"The newbie has done it again, obviously not using her eyes!" a senior saleswoman, lounging on a plush guest seating bench, exclaimed.
Other salespeople joined in the remarks, creating a noisy atmosphere on the floor.
"I'm looking for an off-road vehicle!" Alda told the attractive showroom saleswoman.
While Riko glanced at the group of women sitting across the way, not saying a word, but his look expressed his displeasure with their manner of speech.
"Sir, I'm sorry for this situation. Please, let me show you the vehicles you might be interested in..!" the beautiful woman said, with a genuinely apologetic expression.
Though the humiliation came from her seniors, for some reason, she felt deeply embarrassed in front of the two guests.
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