Mr. Herman smiled. "Yes. Because back in the day, if you said the wrong thing, you could end up in the news with a caption like 'slipped in the bathroom.'"
Laughter erupted once again among them. The previously heated conversation now melted into lightness, carried by Mr. Herman's signature satirical humor. The urban forest remained cool, and their previously heated minds gradually cooled down as well.
After spending time in the city forest, they returned to Mr. Herman's house. The trip back felt more relaxed—the afternoon breeze was still quite refreshing, and the conversations from the forest still echoed in their heads.
Mr. Herman lived in a modest house that also doubled as a small shop. On the terrace, there were several long benches, while the front of the house was lined with shelves filled with various goods—sachet coffee, cigarettes, instant noodles, and light snacks.
As soon as they arrived, Marlon and Romo immediately unloaded the groceries they had bought that morning at the market. Riri helped arrange them on the shelves.
"Sir, here are the groceries from earlier," Marlon said, handing over the plastic bags.
Mr. Herman accepted the bags with a smile. "Wow, thank you! Even a small shop like this needs suppliers too, to stay competitive."
Romo chuckled. "So, the market competition we talked about earlier, does that include the war between small shops too?"
Mr. Herman laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Of course! But I take it easy. If the shop next door sells more, then that's their luck. If I sell more, then it's mine. But if someone starts cheating, now that gets me riled up."
The three of them chuckled quietly. After the goods were all neatly arranged, they moved into Mr. Herman's living room, where they usually held discussions. The room was simple—an old but cozy sofa, a wooden table piled with books, and a slowly rotating fan.
Marlon opened his laptop on the table. "Okay, sir, we're going to start processing the data from the video earlier."
Mr. Herman leaned back in his chair. "Go ahead. I'm curious too. I want to see this 'peaceful' market you said is only on the surface."
Romo also sat down, leaning into the sofa. "We're getting more curious ourselves, sir. At a glance, the market looked really peaceful. But after hearing the vendors' stories, it feels like there's a whole other world beneath it all."
Marlon began playing the video on the laptop. All eyes turned to the screen, replaying scenes from the market—the interactions between vendors and buyers, and the conversations they had secretly recorded.
Mr. Herman nodded slowly, then said in a casual tone, "This is what I was saying earlier. This world is full of masks. The peace we see with our eyes is often not the real peace."
Riri looked at the screen seriously. "So, what we've always thought was peaceful... might just be because we didn't see the darker side?"
Mr. Herman nodded. "Exactly. Just like this country."
Marlon gave a faint smile. "Like what we talked about in the forest, right, sir? Superficial peace. Looks calm on the outside, but inside it might be full of conflict just waiting to explode."
Mr. Herman gave a small smile. "That's it! That's why, if you want to find the truth, don't just look at the surface. Dig deeper."
Romo leaned back deeper into the sofa. "That means our journey is still long, huh?"
Mr. Herman chuckled. "Yep, still a long way to go. And be careful—because the deeper you dig, the more things you'll find that will blow your mind."
Marlon, Romo, and Riri exchanged glances. They knew this research was just beginning. And as Mr. Herman said, the more they sought the truth, the more they realized how complicated the world truly was.
After organizing the groceries in Mr. Herman's shop, the four of them sat in the living room. Marlon's laptop was already open on the table, ready to play the video from the market earlier that morning. But before diving into analysis, Marlon raised his hand, signaling to pause for a moment.
"Romo, before we discuss the results of our observations, I want you to explain something," Marlon said, leaning back in his chair. "What was the marketplace like during the time of Prophet Muhammad? How did Islam teach about trade systems?"
Riri nodded in agreement. "So we'll have a benchmark to compare with the market we saw earlier."
Romo gave a small smile, seemingly already anticipating the direction of the conversation. He adjusted his posture and began speaking in a calm tone.
"Alright," he said. "If we talk about the marketplace during Prophet Muhammad's time, we need to first understand the social and economic context of the Arabian Peninsula back then. The market was the center of economic life, a place where people from various tribes and nations gathered to trade."
Mr. Herman crossed his arms and nodded. "Okay, go on."
Romo continued, "Before Islam arrived, the trade system in Mecca was already quite advanced, especially due to its strategic location. The Quraysh people at the time relied heavily on cross-regional trade routes that connected Yemen in the south to the Levant in the north."
Marlon interrupted, "So even before the Prophet was sent, the marketplace already existed. But what were the rules like?"
Romo took a deep breath. "Well, before Islam, there were many unfair trade practices. For example, monopolies by the wealthy, very high-interest loans—what we'd now call usury—and cheating in measurements and scales. Low-quality goods were often sold at high prices, and the poor were frequently taken advantage of."
Mr. Herman chuckled. "Sounds like today's conditions. The difference is, it's just done in a more modern way now."
Romo laughed softly. "Exactly. When Prophet Muhammad was sent, Islam came with more just rules for trade. The core principles were honesty and fairness. Islam strongly prohibits usury, cheating in measurements, and monopolies that harm others."
Riri rested her chin on her hand. "How exactly did the Prophet build a fairer trade system?"
Romo nodded and thought for a moment before answering. "First, the Prophet led by example on how to be an honest merchant. Even before he became a prophet, he was known as 'Al-Amin,' which means 'The Trustworthy.' When doing business, he was always transparent about product quality, never cheated the scale, and always kept promises to customers."
Mr. Herman smiled. "So he didn't just preach; he actually walked the talk?"
"Exactly," Romo replied. "Then, as Islam spread, the Prophet began organizing the trade system more broadly. One example is his prohibition against monopolies. In Islam, if someone hoards goods and intentionally raises prices for personal gain, that's considered an unjust act."
Marlon squinted. "So how did Islam prevent unfair trade?"
Romo explained, "There were several rules. First, banning usury—so no excessive interest in transactions. Second, prohibiting stockpiling goods for price speculation. Third, transactions had to be based on mutual consent, with no coercion or deception involved."
Mr. Herman nodded repeatedly, then exclaimed, "Wow, if that were applied today, a lot of people would be behind bars!"
Everyone laughed quietly.
Riri added, "So, during the Prophet's time, the marketplace was more open and fair?"
Romo nodded. "Yes, because Islam teaches that trade is not just about profit—it's also worship. The Prophet once said that an honest and trustworthy trader will be with the prophets and righteous people in the afterlife. That means trade isn't just about money—it's about morality too."
Marlon fell silent for a moment, then looked at his laptop screen. "Okay, this is interesting. Now, let's see if the market we visited earlier has any resemblance to the Prophet's marketplace… or if it's the complete opposite."
Romo smiled. "That's exactly what we're going to discuss now."
Mr. Herman leaned back comfortably in his chair. "Alright, let's start uncovering that false peace."