That afternoon, Sancaka and his friends didn't go straight home with the chilies they had picked. Their attention was drawn instead to the Dharma who had suddenly appeared on the road.
Now they were sitting together with the Dharma under a tree—except for Karna, who stood outside the shade. For some reason, he didn't seem interested in joining the conversation. So in front of Sancaka and his friends were only Bima and Arjuna.
Under the tree, Sancaka was the most talkative. He said that he would keep working hard so that one day he could become a Dharma like Bima and Arjuna. He also said that he admired Bima for saving his life, and that moment had inspired him to help others by becoming a Dharma.
Bima smiled upon hearing the praise.
"Becoming a Dharma is something chosen by the gods of the sky. So, you young ones who wish to follow in our footsteps…" Bima said, pointing at them one by one.
"You must study diligently in school, always do good deeds, and help others," Bima continued. "There will come a time when you are chosen to become Dharma."
Sancaka and his friends listened enthusiastically.
Then Bima suddenly asked, "Since we're here, we'd like to ask—have any of you ever seen a Bloodstone?"
"We don't know what a Bloodstone is," Sancaka answered.
Arjuna and Bima exchanged sharp glances, then Arjuna whispered something into Bima's ear. Sancaka noticed that their reaction didn't look good.
Bima turned back to them.
"Bloodstone is a material that stores the highest level of energy in Uranion. It looks like an ordinary stone, but it contains glowing red particles that make it different from other stones."
"Can it be made into jewelry?" Tara asked.
"It can," Bima replied. "Bloodstone can be refined into jewelry. But for us Dharma, we don't use it that way—we use it as fuel."
"You use it for cooking?" Abas asked.
"For cooking, yes, it's possible," Arjuna said. "You could ask your parents to cook using Bloodstone oil. But for the Dharma, Bloodstone is used for—"
"We're not interested in using Bloodstone for jewelry or cooking," Bima suddenly interrupted. "Bloodstone is often used as a reactor."
"What is a reactor, Uncle?" Sancaka asked.
Arjuna and Bima scratched their heads and looked at each other, thinking about how to explain it to the children in front of them.
Then Arjuna began to explain, "A reactor is a machine that converts biological and magical energy. It can transform the core of a Bloodstone into controlled power. With this, a Bloodstone Reactor can be used for the needs of society and for the knights."
Sancaka and his friends nodded, though Arjuna and Bima weren't sure whether they actually understood.
"You've imagined what the red stone looks like, right? Now let me ask—have any of you ever seen such a stone?" Arjuna asked.
"I think I know, Uncle," Sancaka said.
"I don't know," Gatot replied.
"I've seen it," Abas said. "I once saw some farmers carrying stones like that."
"Where did they take them?" Arjuna asked quickly.
"As far as I remember, there were stones matching what you described. The farmers were carrying them on carts. They took them into a forbidden cave, and when they came out, their carts were empty," Abas explained.
After that, Arjuna whispered to Bima again. Whatever they were discussing, Sancaka and his friends didn't suspect anything.
Sancaka then glanced at Karna, who stood a little farther away. Karna had his arms crossed, his eyes wide and watchful.