CHAPTER 22: Justice for a Loyal Heart

The heavy thud of the wooden door slamming shut before dozens of villagers left a suffocating silence hanging in the front yard. The sea of people who had just been prostrating and screaming hysterically froze stiff. Some stared blankly at the bolted entrance, while others collapsed limply into the dusty earth, realizing that the door of forgiveness had locked fast against the greedy.

Amid the desperate crowd, two middle-aged figures stood side by side near the back. They were Mbok Min and little Pak RT. Their clothes were simple, tattered, and their faces mirrored the same anxiety gripping the rest of the villagers. Yet unlike Kasim or Mardani, who had arrived led astray by blind panic, Mbok Min and little Pak RT had never once hurled abuse. On that pitch-black night days ago, they were the two souls who had quietly knocked on the door with humility, trusting Danu when the entire world mocked him.

They bowed their heads, preparing to slip away and leave the rundown yard with heavy hearts.

Suddenly...

Creak...

The groan of the wooden front door sliding open slowly cut through the quiet.

Instantly, the dozens of villagers who had turned to leave whipped their heads around in a surge of hope. Kasim, his face caked in dust and tears, scrambled forward a few inches, convinced Danu had softened and cracked the door for them.

"Danu...! Young Danu... you changed your mind...?" Kasim whimpered hopefully.

Yet Danu paid no heed to Kasim or the mass crowd gazing up at him with yearning. Stepping across the threshold, Danu stood tall. His sharp, glacial eyes swept over the sea of human beings before him, finally locking onto the two figures standing at the very back.

"Mbok Min. Little Pak RT," Danu called out in a deep, calm voice carrying clearly across the yard. "Please, step forward."

Instantly, dozens of pairs of village eyes snapped backward, blinking in confusion at Mbok Min and Pak RT. A wave of restless whispering rippled through the crowd.

"Eh? Mbok Min and the Pak RT...?" a villager muttered in disbelief. "Why are they being singled out by Danu?"

Kasim's eyes bulged, glaring with a mix of envy and bafflement at the elderly alley-end neighbors. "Pak RT... what have you two been hiding from us all this time?!"

Little Pak RT and Mbok Min exchanged pale, uneasy glances. They felt deeply self-conscious suddenly occupying center stage before a starving village. With trembling steps and bowed heads, the two elders walked slowly through the mob as the crowd automatically parted to clear a path. Glances burning with envy, curiosity, and massive question marks shadowed every step they took.

The moment Mbok Min and little Pak RT reached the stoop of the doorway, Danu greeted them with a warm, gentle smile—an expression entirely divorced from the icy mask he had flashed the rest of the town.

"Come inside, Mbok, Pak RT. Don't stand out here," Danu invited cordially, ushering the two elders across the threshold and into the house.

Once Mbok Min and little Pak RT were safely inside, Danu glanced briefly at the crowd outside, then calmly pulled the wooden door half-shut, sealing off the sea of humanity left staring in bitter regret.

Inside the modest shack, Pak Slamet already stood waiting with misty eyes, having set out two wooden chairs by the table for their special guests.

"Please, sit down, Mbok... Pak RT..." Pak Slamet rasped, his voice trembling under the weight of deep emotion. "You must be exhausted walking all the way out here amid the village chaos."

Mbok Min settled shakily onto the wooden stool. Glancing back and forth between Pak Slamet and Danu, a choked sob finally broke from her lips.

"Pak Slamet... young Danu..." Mbok Min stammered, pressing her hands together over her chest. "We honestly didn't mean to crowd in with the mob out there... we just... we just wanted to say thank you for the secret shallot seeds young Danu gave us that night."

Little Pak RT nodded eagerly, chiming in with tear-filled eyes. "It's true, young Danu! Thanks to your instructions and guidance, the little shallot patch we planted secretly in our backyard grew into an absolute marvel overnight! The stalks are sturdy, the greens fresh, completely untouched by the rotting spore storm that leveled the village farms!"

Hearing that confession, Pak Slamet’s eyes widened in profound shock. He turned to gaze at his son with immense, swelling pride. "So... so that night you really did hand out seeds of salvation, Dan?"

Danu nodded calmly. Walking over to the kitchen corner, he lifted two medium-sized burlap sacks packed full of premium-grade super shallot seeds cultivated through the system's guidance. Danu carried the heavy sacks over, setting them down right at the feet of Mbok Min and little Pak RT.

The sacks weighed heavy, radiating a sharp, soothing wave of organic freshness.

Mbok Min gasped, staring at the sacks of elite seeds with a bated breath. "Dear God... i-is this... what sack is this, young Danu?"

"These are second-stage super shallot seeds, along with a complete written guide for organic care and nutrient schedules," Danu answered in a gentle yet absolute tone. "I'm handing all of this over to you two free of charge. Use these seeds to expand cultivation across the empty patches around your home."

Little Pak RT reached out toward the seed sacks with trembling hands, treating them as though cradling the rarest gems on earth. Swallowing hard, a wave of guilt hit him. "But... but young Danu, elite seeds like this must cost a small fortune in the city markets. Why are you being so generous, handing all of this out for nothing to people who have nothing?"

Danu offered a faint smile, dropping to a squat before Mbok Min and little Pak RT to lock eyes with them directly.

"Because when the whole village laughed at me, belittled me, and pelted me with stones at the hall... the two of you were the only ones who chose to stay silent, listen, and place your trust in the truth," Danu said with sincere conviction. "True justice isn't handed out to those who scream the loudest when disaster strikes. Justice belongs to hearts that remain genuine and loyal from the start."

Hearing those profound words, Mbok Min’s emotional defenses completely shattered. The elderly woman could no longer hold back her tears; pushing herself up from her stool, she dropped straight to her knees before Pak Slamet and Danu.

"Mbok! Don't do this!" Danu exclaimed in surprise, reaching out to hoist the old woman up.

Yet Mbok Min shook her head rapidly. Reaching for Pak Slamet’s weathered hands, she pressed her lips to the back of the old man's fingers amidst a choked, profoundly grateful sob.

"Thank you... thank you so much, Pak Slamet... young Danu..." Mbok Min wept openly, kissing Pak Slamet's hands over and over. "You've pulled our family back from the brink of starvation... we could never repay your boundless kindness as long as we live..."

Pak Slamet wept right along with her, bending down to help Mbok Min to her feet while patting her shoulder softly. "There, there, Mbok... stand up. This is fate. The honest and sincere will always find their own path."

Little Pak RT stood up as well, wrapping a warm arm around Danu's shoulder with eyes shining with tears of relief. "We promise you, young Danu... we will tend these crops with everything we have, and we will stand as living proof that sincerity always triumphs over greed in this village."

Danu nodded firmly, returning little Pak RT's embrace.

At that exact second, amid the warmth and emotion filling the modest room of the rundown shack, something extraordinary stirred within Danu's field of vision.

The empty air before his eyes rippled violently. The translucent holographic screen of the Sacred Farming System flared to life automatically, spinning a graceful vortex of golden light that shone softly without stinging the eyes.

A triumphant digital melody hummed gently inside Danu's skull, followed by bright golden notification text slowly typing itself into existence:

[PRIMARY SYSTEM NOTICE: SPECIAL MISSION COMPLETED]

Early-Stage Humanitarian Social Mission: "Sovereignty of the Loyal Heart" completed 100%. Moral Validation: Human loyalty tested through social storm trials. Human Sympathy Energy Synchronization Successful.

[LEVEL-UP ALERT]

The Sacred Farming System has achieved absolute evolution!

Unlocking access to the Advanced Agriculture Module and County Expansion Map!

Danu stared at the golden notification display with sharp, gleaming eyes. A confident, triumphant smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His long journey from an oppressed farmhand's son to a sovereign lord of food security had just taken a magnificent step into an even grander chapter.