Singkarak City is one of the most densely populated cities in the Mortal World.
Trade never stops in this city, with commercial activity continuing all day and all night. Singkarak City is alive around the clock. When night falls, entertainment venues spread throughout the city, staying open until morning.
The city is still located within the Nusantara Archipelago, the most densely populated island chain in the Mortal World. Almost everyone in the Mortal World chooses to live in the well-developed Nusantara Archipelago rather than in the other island chains.
Nearly all the people of the Mortal World, especially those living in the Nusantara Archipelago, reside here.
"This city is so lively, Sakya!" Kirani exclaimed. "You should buy some fresh clothes. You really stink!"
"Are there even any clothing sellers in this city? As far as I know, we make our own clothes!" Sakya replied.
"Here, you can buy clothes for just a few silver coins!" Kirani explained.
Kirani then took Sakya to one of the clothing vendors at a market in Singkarak City.
"Let's buy you some clothes first, Sakya! It wouldn't be good if people mistook us for beggars planning to beg in Singkarak City!"
Kirani and Sakya Kumara looked somewhat different after changing out of the shabby, dirty clothes they had worn during their two-day journey through forests and swamps.
"Let's eat first!" Kirani urged.
Sakya simply went along with Kirani's wishes because his stomach was hungry too. "Strange..." he thought. "If hunger wasn't this noticeable in the Demon World, why is it so intense in the Mortal World? Is it because I'm inside a human body?"
Sakya Kumara also had no idea how to easily find the Divine Physician Adheswara amid the city's massive population.
He remembered something his father had once taught him about communicating with fellow demons when they were outside their territory.
If they were near a demon in human form, they would feel a special vibration that only fellow demons could sense—a sign that the human they had encountered was actually a demon.
He could ask a demon who had lived in the Mortal World for a long time about the whereabouts of the Divine Physician Adheswara. Perhaps they knew where this renowned physician was.
Demons in the Mortal World took on the appearance of humans or swordsmen, because swordsmen would fear their true forms as inhabitants of the Mortal World.
So it was no wonder demons greatly favored human forms, in which everything felt clear and distinct. Their demon forms were utterly different from human forms.
"Do you have any idea how we can find this Divine Physician Adheswara?" Sakya asked Kirani after they left the food stall.
"I don't know either, Sakya... How do you usually communicate with one another? I mean, how do you tell that someone is a demon, since everyone in the Mortal World takes human form!" Kirani replied.
"According to my father, you sense a certain vibration when you're near a demon!" Sakya said.
"Then just give it a try... Maybe it'll work!" Kirani suggested.
Sakya Kumara continued walking with Kirani, trying to sense the special vibration he had been told about and find the demons scattered throughout Singkarak City.
Half a day had passed as Sakya and Kirani searched through Singkarak City, but they still hadn't found a single demon he could detect.
Singkarak City wasn't small either. They had only explored half the city, yet they were already exhausted.
Suddenly, Sakya felt a vibration in his body. "I think I can sense a demon nearby, Kirani!" he said.
"That's great, Sakya... After nearly a whole day of searching without results, this is wonderful news!"
A small-food vendor could be seen stationed in a park in Singkarak City.
"Sir... forgive me for asking so many questions. I can sense a vibration that only our kind can feel, if you understand what I mean," Sakya said to the food vendor.
The vendor looked startled, but then nodded to show that he understood Sakya Kumara's meaning.
"May I know who I'm speaking with?" Sakya Kumara asked.
"Thaxos..." the food vendor replied. "My name is Thaxos... Is there something I can help you with?"
"I'm Sakya Kumara. I've come to Singkarak City to find the Divine Physician Adheswara. Do you know this renowned physician, Sir Thaxos?" Sakya asked.
The man suddenly knelt before Sakya. "Forgive me for failing to recognize the Demon Prince who has come to visit our city!"
"Rise, Sir Thaxos... In the Mortal World, I'm no different from the rest of you. We're all just outsiders here!" Sakya said.
"How did you recognize me? I'm not in my true form!" Sakya exclaimed.
Sakya Kumara was puzzled. How could Thaxos recognize him immediately when he was inside this dead human body?
"I'm a demon with the ability to see a demon's true form inside any body! It's simply my fate to possess such an ability... so I could immediately see the prince inside this dead human body!" Thaxos explained.
"So you didn't sense a special vibration—you saw who I really am?" Sakya asked.
"Exactly, Prince Sakya! I don't know where the Divine Physician is, but I can take you to a demon who knows every demon living in Singkarak City," said Thaxos, who selflessly offered to help Sakya and Kirani.
"Who is this demon, Thaxos? Is he a demon like us too?" Sakya Kumara asked.
"Exactly, Prince... He's a demon like us too!" Thaxos answered.
Thaxos immediately packed up his stall and prepared to escort Sakya to the demon who could lead them to the Divine Physician Adheswara.
"I hope this demon knows where the Divine Physician Adheswara is," Sakya said hopefully as he followed Thaxos.