That morning, Randa looked busy carrying several bags.
Meanwhile, his snow-leopard-patterned cat lay lazily inside its carrier. From time to time, the cat glanced at its owner—who kept pacing back and forth loading things onto his motorcycle—with a gaze that was half-lazy, a little curious, yet full of expectation.
Just as Randa was nearly done packing, a familiar middle-aged woman approached.
"Where are you off to, Randa? You've got so much stuff with you," the landlady asked curiously.
"Oh, this, Ma'am. I haven't been feeling well lately, so I'm heading back to my parents' place. I can rest more there, and someone will be around to look after me."
The landlady nodded, agreeing it was the wiser choice. She thought Randa could recover without inconveniencing the other tenants.
"Well then, take care on the road. And don't forget, rent's due in a few days!"
"Of course, Ma'am," Randa replied with a smile.
Once she left, Randa started his motorcycle. The worry that had once lingered on his face was gone. He no longer feared losing his job—because now, he had a powerful cheat.
If he wanted, he could work in videography. But the memory of being scolded and humiliated by his former boss still stung, making him reluctant. Randa no longer wanted to work under anyone else. He wanted to build his own business, to be his own boss.
He might have hesitated before, but ever since gaining the cheat, his doubts and fears had completely vanished.
After an hour's ride, Randa finally reached his parents' home. It was still in the same city, though while he had been renting in the center for convenience, his parents lived out on the edge of town.
He soon stopped in front of a small grocery shop attached to their home and began unloading his bags.
Hearing the sound of his motorcycle and the bustle outside, his family came out. Their faces lit up with both surprise and delight.
"Randa! When did you get here? Why didn't you tell me first? Come in, come in!"
"Just now, Mom," Randa answered, kissing her hand respectfully.
Moments later, a cheerful teenage girl came rushing out.
"Brother!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, Nisa," Randa replied with a smile.
Nisa kissed her brother's hand, but her attention quickly shifted to the cat carrier he was holding. With excitement, she unzipped it and pulled out a snow-spotted cat.
"Hey, little Jasmin! Did you miss mommy?" she teased.
The cat looked reluctant at first, clearly unimpressed by Nisa's enthusiasm, but eventually gave in, letting her pet it with an adorably annoyed expression.
Meanwhile, Randa finished moving his belongings inside.
"Where's Dad, Mom?" he asked.
"Oh, he's out feeding the cows," she replied casually.
Randa nodded, and after resting for a moment, he walked toward the cattle shed.
His family ran a small grocery store in front of the house, managed a three-and-a-half-hectare fruit farm, and raised several cows.
After a short walk, Randa arrived at a simple yet neat and clean cowshed, where a middle-aged man was busy cleaning.
"Dad!" he called out.
His father paused, curious, then looked up in surprise.
"Randa? When did you come home?"
"Just now, Dad," he replied casually.
Randa approached, kissed his father's hand, and joined him in tidying up the shed.
As they worked, his father asked about his job. Randa could only give a faint, bitter smile, saying things were fine. Not because he wanted to lie—he just didn't want them to worry.
Besides, he no longer cared much about that job. With the cheat he now possessed, he was confident he could sustain himself in the future.
Once they were done with the cows, they returned home. His mother had already prepared all his favorite dishes, and he ate heartily.
After a short rest, Randa took a walk around the orchard to check on things.
The farm had once been only two hectares plus the cattle business. But during the pandemic, Randa had dabbled in crypto after friends persuaded him. He started with ten thousand dollars in Bitcoin. To his surprise, it skyrocketed to a hundred thousand.
The wild price swings made him anxious. Though still heavily in profit, he decided to sell everything. With the proceeds, he bought another one and a half hectares near the family farm, including five ponds covering 0.5 hectares and some facilities.
At first, he regretted selling, afraid Bitcoin would climb higher. But soon after, its price crashed. Some of his friends only managed to sell at half the profit he'd made.
Seeing that, Randa felt relieved. "Good thing I wasn't greedy," he thought.
Later, when tempted to return to crypto, he heard of people going bankrupt—not from Bitcoin, but from riskier coins. The fear stuck with him, so he held back, though he still kept an eye on the market from a distance.
Randa walked slowly, his eyes sweeping over every corner of the land. What had once been just two hectares had now expanded to more than three and a half.
On the western side, a full hectare of Pakchong grass swayed in the wind, providing feed for the twenty cattle grazing busily there.
Not far away stretched a one-hectare fruit orchard: 25 durian trees, 25 rambutan, 25 mango, and 25 orange, all neatly lined in rows. Among them stood 50 coconut trees, while a hundred banana clumps flourished, their leaves waving as if to welcome him home.
At the back, the ponds shimmered in the glow of dusk. Five ponds covered a total of five thousand square meters, four of them teeming with 20,000 tilapia darting about, their movements scattering ripples of light across the surface.
Meanwhile, on the eastern side, half a hectare of woodland stood quietly—300 pine and teak trees rising tall, filling the air with cool freshness. And on the last plot, another half hectare bloomed with spices—pandan, lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, galangal, and bay leaves—perfuming the breeze with their fragrance, like the family's own living apothecary.
As he took it all in, warmth filled Randa's chest. These were not just numbers on paper; they were living proof of his family's years of hard work.
Looking at the thriving orchard, Randa felt delighted. Nearly everything looked healthy and full of life.
This reminded him of his family's heirloom book: The Book of Long Life.
It wasn't anything magical like in the movies. Rather, it was a compilation of preservation techniques from around the world. His ancestors had been merchants, and in trade, two things mattered most: transportation and product quality.
If transportation took too long, products spoiled. If quality dropped, they couldn't be sold far away. Yet, long-distance trade was the most profitable.
So, his family began collecting preservation methods—some extremely costly at the time, even bizarre ones like processing animal waste. After much research and experimentation, they succeeded in extending the shelf life of various goods, leading to the creation of The Book of Long Life.
While some methods seemed outdated, others remained invaluable. For instance, silage techniques from cold countries had helped them produce high-quality cattle feed. Another was making superior compost that boosted crop yields—especially effective in Indonesia's two-season climate.
That was why Randa had chosen to major in agriculture.
Now, seeing his own farm, he realized he could have been independent all along. But family pressure had pushed him toward a "formal" job for the sake of experience. He could only smile bitterly.
He knew his parents didn't want him to become a farmer or rancher—since in Indonesia, farmers were often looked down upon. But now, he didn't care. He had his "cheat."
"I wonder… is Tirtha water really as amazing as they say? If I combine it with the methods in The Book of Long Life, will the effects multiply?"
Just imagining it filled him with excitement. With renewed passion, he set to work improving his farm, losing track of time until night fell.
Covered in dirt, he went to bathe at the nearby waterfall.
"Ahhh, that feels great!" Randa sighed after splashing around.
As he was about to leave, his eyes lingered on the waterfall.
"Wait… isn't this the perfect place to build a Tirtha water pool?" he murmured.
Without delay, Randa fetched a hammer, hoe, and other tools. He began stacking stones around the waterfall—no cement, no glue—just clever arrangements, thanks to his Level 1 Masonry skill.
Slowly, a cylindrical structure took shape, half a meter wide and one and a half meters tall, with seven levels. Each level had a hole in the center and a water outlet.
He filled it with sand, fibers, stones, and charcoal from around the area. As water flowed through, it trickled down level by level.
Though he poured in a lot, only a few drops emerged, always falling on the same spot regardless of the flow.
He discarded the first drops, then placed a container underneath. Soon, he had barely a teaspoon of liquid. Without hesitation, he drank it.
Immediately, sweetness touched his lips, and a refreshing sensation surged through his body.
"Ahhh, so refreshing!" Randa exclaimed in delight.
He circled the structure, bewildered.
"Strange… how can something so simple have such an incredible effect?" he muttered.
But he didn't dwell on it. What mattered was the boundless potential of Tirtha water for his farm.
"Hehehe… looks like my dream of being my own boss is about to come true!" he said with hope.