Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

"Zara, what are the characteristics of a 'skuas'? You know what I mean."

Mian nudged Li Zhaoning's arm and asked in a low voice.

"That's really a difficult thing to say."

Li Zhaoning gripped his chin, a look of utter distress on his face.

"After all, the biggest characteristic of the 'Skuas' is that it has no characteristics. If the 'Skinbreaker' simply lacks offensive spells specific to its path, the 'Skuas' doesn't even have spells of its own."

Mian was taken aback.

"There's another way?"

"Um."

Li Zhaoning nodded.

"Because the 'Skuas' and 'Gladiators' paths to ascension seem to have emerged very late. By the time they were born, the systems of other paths were already fully developed. Therefore, those who achieved extraordinary status through these two paths embarked on extremely unusual routes."

"Gladiators are a more purely physical force than 'Minions,' completely refraining from using magic. Instead, they rely on constant battles to please the gods in exchange for power, storing this divine power through their wounds."

"The 'Skuas,' however, went to the other extreme. They traded their frail, even crippled, bodies for adaptability to all magical pathways. Other types of superhumans need to obtain permission to cast spells within the 'Outer Wall,' and some spells even require divine permission. The 'Skuas,' however, seem to be able to bypass this in some way, stealing divine permission."

Li Zhaoning shrugged, revealing a helpless expression.

"But physical disability is not exclusive to 'skuas'. Those who pursue ascension often lose parts of their bodies. So it's really difficult to identify a 'skuas' at first glance—especially since it's an animal that can't speak."

"At the very least, it is a disability."

Mian said this, and then stepped forward.

"Carol".

Mian tried to make her tone sound casual.

"Have you considered... taking it to an animal rescue organization? Maybe they can take better care of it and heal its wing?"

Carol paused in her feeding, a look of obvious bewilderment on her face, as if Mian had proposed a concept she had never heard of before.

"A rescue...rescue organization?"

She repeated herself in confusion, her gaze shifting between Mian and the birdcage. It was as if she had never thought about it before. She simply instinctively pulled the birdcage closer to herself, with an instinctive protective posture.

While a poor person really doesn't need to care about animal protection news, it still seems a bit abnormal for a free-spirited person.

"Have you named it yet?"

Li Zhaoning interrupted, his sharp gaze scrutinizing Carol's expression, not missing a single change in her face.

Carroll shook her head again, this time with a hint of embarrassment.

"Name? No... we just call it 'Bird'."

She gently stroked the cage, her eyes tender.

This reaction caused Mi An and Li Zhaoning to exchange an even more serious look.

Carroll lived with the bird for almost a year, and despite the deep affection she had for it, she never even gave it a name.

This close yet distant relationship undoubtedly indicates that the relationship between the two parties is far more complex than that between an ordinary owner and pet.

Just then, Ain, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke, her small voice carrying a hint of curiosity and an inexplicable sense of closeness.

"Sister, can I... touch it?"

Carol paused for a moment, looked at Ain, then at the skuas quietly feeding in the cage, and nodded hesitantly.

"It's possible, but it's a bit fierce, so you have to be careful..."

While giving her instructions, she carefully opened the cage door.

An unexpected scene unfolded. As soon as the cage door opened, the skuas with the broken wing showed no aggression or panic. Instead, as if sensing something, it lightly leaped and landed directly in Ayn's outstretched arms. It even adjusted its position, resting its head on Ayn's arm and making soft purring sounds. Its docile and affectionate demeanor was completely different from Carol's description of it as "somewhat fierce," and also quite different from its nature as a bird of prey.

Mian tentatively reached out a finger and gently touched the feathers on the skuas's back. The skuas moved slightly, turned its head to look at Mian, its eyes seemingly scrutinizing her, but it did not dodge or attack, but simply buried its head back in Ain's arms.

It accepts Mian's touch, but is far less affectionate and dependent on her than it is on Carol and Ain.

"Hey, it seems like the lord is being treated differently."

Li Zhaoning raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the peculiar sight. Following Mi An's example, she cautiously extended her finger, wanting to touch the clearly extraordinary bird.

However, her fingertips had not yet touched the feather—

"Gah—!"

A sharp, piercing cry rang out! The skuas abruptly raised its head, its previously docile eyes instantly turning fierce and piercing, as if it had spotted its prey. With lightning speed, it extended its beak and, with a fierce force, precisely pecked at Li Zhaoning's fingers!

"hiss!"

Li Zhaoning winced in pain and quickly withdrew her hand. A clear red mark was left on her fair finger, which was throbbing slightly.

Wow!

Li Zhaoning waved her hand, complaining with a mix of annoyance and amusement:

"Hey, little guy, there are four of us in this house, why are you targeting me? Do I look like a dried fish or something?"

Seeing Li Zhaoning's exaggerated expression, Mi An smiled helplessly and comforted her:

"Perhaps it's just a little shy, or... sensitive to certain scents?"

Mian narrowed his eyes, a feeling creeping into his mind that the skuas's reaction was not accidental.

After calming her companion, Mian turned to Ain and asked softly:

"Ain, why do you suddenly want to hug it?"

Ai Yin held the now docile skuas, rubbing her face against its fluffy feathers, her eyes somewhat dazed, as if recalling some distant and blurry scene.

"I don't know...it just feels kind of familiar."

She murmured:

"They're a bit like...the little birds in cages in the castle. Sometimes when the guards in white coats take me for checkups, I sometimes see them in the white rooms. Sometimes they're like this, quietly, as if afraid of being discovered..."

"castle?"

Mi An and Li Zhaoning both felt a chill run down their spines.

The "castle" that Ain refers to is undoubtedly the Black Sand Mental Hospital, which is suspected to be a secret cult stronghold where she was imprisoned.

At this moment, Carol was looking at the bird nestled in Ain's arms with a gaze that was a mixture of relief and sorrow, her voice carrying a strange emptiness:

"Isn't that little bird amazing...? If it weren't for it, I might be dead by now..."

Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the hem of her clothes, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused, as if she were immersed in some kind of illusion of being protected and relied upon, repeating herself softly.

"I can't get caught... I absolutely can't..."

This abnormal mental state, this severe distorted perception of real time, combined with her almost pathological obsession with and protectiveness towards the skuas...

Li Zhaoning clenched her teeth for a moment, then pulled Mi An aside and whispered:

"I suspect Carlo might have been hypnotized by this bird."