The next day, they met again, ready to travel to the spirit world and finally visit the Kingdom of Lengara.
Alfin chose to manifest Jono, his most handsome khodam.
Not to be outdone, Dukun Rosso summoned his own most charming khodam—though, unfortunately, he had named him Mamat.
Mamat had the look of a handsome, clean-shaven Arab man, completely human in appearance. His main strength? Pure charm.
"With this khodam, I've gone on more dates with lady jinn than I can count," Rosso boasted, puffing his chest out.
Rai sighed. If only his compatibility with that super-khodam hadn't been stuck at 2%, maybe he could've competed with Mamat's elegance.
Instead, he chose to summon Caca—a stunningly beautiful woman with flawless porcelain skin and eyes that shimmered like rubies. Her long, vibrant red hair cascaded down her back like silk, giving her an exotic and captivating charm. Though she occasionally radiated sparks of fire or electricity, her appearance was otherwise perfectly human.
Rai thought about it more seriously. Since a natural khodam could only hold nine fused khodams, and he already had three, he started regretting one of them—the one made purely for adult activities.
Now he worried: what if his super-khodam turned out to be overly sensitive, constantly emitting an alluring scent, or worse—became… wet with the slightest stimulation? And what if that wetness never stopped?
Still, since he already had her, Rai figured he might as well test fusions like Lala + the Mature Woman, or Lala + the Spy Girl before combining three at once.
Dukun Rosso opened the portal as usual.
Rai and Alfin expected to see an ancient kingdom—stone castles, horses, maybe robed sorcerers. But instead, what greeted them was a modern city, filled with floating vehicles, glowing futuristic buildings, and digital billboards hovering in the air.
"What the—?" Alfin blinked.
Rosso grinned wide. "What's wrong?"
"Is this… really the place?" Alfin asked, still stunned.
"Haha! You thought the spirit world didn't have technology? They're way more advanced than the real world," Rosso said with a smug chuckle.
"So, what should we do first?" Caca asked, her eyes scanning the massive city skyline. Even Jono looked overwhelmed, unsure where to even begin.
"Since we're entering the city of jins, the first thing we need is jin currency," Rosso explained.
"How do we get that?" Jono asked.
Rosso grinned and led them to a modest-looking building tucked between two larger structures. It didn't seem special at first glance, but it was operated by a khodam—meaning it was a facility managed by a fellow shaman.
Inside, Rosso exchanged his rupiah for jin currency at a 1:1 ratio. Caca and Alfin followed suit.
"Where did you get so much money?" Caca asked Alfin, noticing his confident smile.
"From hunting jins last time," he said casually. "I collected drup and exchanged them for cash."
"You're pretty smart about using your skills," Rosso commented, clearly impressed.
"Well, I go to college, and thanks to your guidance, I figured out one way to earn money," Alfin replied gratefully.
As they walked through the streets, the trio began to distinguish between khodams and jins. There was a clear difference: jins were often surrounded by a faint mist—sometimes blue, white, red, or other colors, depending on their element or type.
"Aren't you worried… about talking openly about hunting jins in their own city?" Caca asked cautiously.
Rosso turned to her with a calm look. "You've only been here three times, haven't you? But Alfin's probably visited dozens of times now while hunting and doing business."
He continued, "There are two kinds of jins you'll see here. Some are intelligent—like humans—while others are wild, like animals. The wild ones are the targets we hunt. In fact, the intelligent jins often buy the drup we get from the wild ones. That's how some of us make our jin money."
"So, where are we headed now?" Caca asked.
"I plan to take you to two places," Rosso said. "One is the synthetic khodam market, and the other is the spiritual knowledge bazaar. Since you both already have spiritual energy, it's time you learn how to use it better."
Alfin and Caca were more interested in visiting the khodam marketplace. To them, the spiritual knowledge bazaar sounded more like a bookstore. Caca, in particular, already had several similar books stored away in her father's warehouse.
Still, mastering spiritual arts wasn't as easy as flipping through a book.
Take blood sorcery, for example—it required the caster to obtain the target's blood and store it inside a doll. The doll would then need to be bound with a chant that synchronized it with the victim's body.
Once the link was complete, anything done to the doll would affect the real person.
There were also curses involving fingernails or strands of hair, which could be placed into metal or poison. These cursed items would then fly toward the target, drawn by their DNA. These were known as long-range targeted attacks.
And then there were even simpler methods—ones that used only a photograph and the power of intent. Some dark arts could target people just by imagining their face.
The most outrageous method of all? A curse using nothing but the target's name.
Although, with that one… there was always the risk of hitting the wrong person.
They continued walking through the marketplace until they reached a store selling artificial khodams. The scent of incense filled the air, and strange symbols lined the walls.
Caca suddenly stopped in surprise.
"Ah! Aren't you the one I bought a khodam from last time?"
The vendor smiled broadly. "Wow, wow, nice to see you again. How about using the Lightning-Fire Princess? A customer who wants to use a handsome male khodam."
Alfin and Rosso exchanged amused looks. They both knew Caca's real identity outside this world, and the irony wasn't lost on them.
Caca frowned. "What did you just say?"
"Sorry, customer," the seller said quickly. "Don't worry, even though we've met before, business has grown. I needed a bigger place, and now I have a wider variety of khodams to offer."
Alfin glanced at a display case and pointed. "Whoa, that one looks good! How much for him?"
"Fifteen million," the seller replied.
"Wait a minute," Caca said, narrowing her eyes. "Didn't you sell me mine for twenty-five million?"
The seller shrugged. "Well, customer… it's not easy selling a khodam just for his looks. Not many shamans are looking to charm female jinn."
"Too bad I've only got ten million right now," Alfin muttered, scratching his head.
The salesman leaned forward. "Think about it—what good is being strong if you can't gather information? This guy is handsome enough to strike up a conversation with any female genie. If you want to find a girlfriend, you need a good look. Strength isn't everything."
He then smiled slyly. "Because I sympathize with your situation, we're offering credit—pay five million now, and cover the rest by hunting jinn. If someone else buys him before you, your chances of getting the right info could slip away."