Chapter 41

• A few months had passed since Ayu and Daniel stood together for the first time on the green rice field embankment. They had made a silent vow, accompanied only by the calm breeze. The village had slowly begun to change—not modern in the sense of a city, but alive—full of spirit and enthusiasm to preserve what had been passed down for centuries and to protect it wholeheartedly.
• The cultural curation group founded by Ayu had begun to grow. They named themselves “Wana Dharma”—which means guardians of the forest of wisdom. It wasn’t just traditional youth anymore, but also some mothers, elders, even children who joined the weekly discussions that always carried a specific theme. They learned together: about history, about life philosophies, about how to tell the stories of their ancestors in a more honest and complete way, and about how to maintain harmony in accordance with Tri Hita Karana.
• Daniel, who had initially been just a listener, now began to bravely give training sessions on cross-cultural storytelling ethics. He prepared simple modules—not to lecture, but to accompany the community. He knew, as an outsider, he had no right to speak too deeply about the land that had now become his home. But he believed the knowledge and technology he had could serve as a bridge to connect the two cultures. Not to change them, but to strengthen the foundation that already existed and explore it further.