Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

As king, you should behave in a manner befitting your status. Even on a campaign against evil, when faced with a less-than-exquisite meal, you should eat slowly and gracefully…

Mian tossed the disappointing shard of mirror into his pants pocket, then picked up the bread with the hot dog in it and swallowed it in large gulps.

Two people, three hot dogs and bread, sat on plastic stools in front of the stall to eat, spending a total of 15 eagle dollars, paid with gangster money. This was Mian's first meal after arriving here, and he unexpectedly felt extremely satisfied.

The flavors of yellow mustard and sweet tomato sauce burst in her mouth, and the lethal amount of sweetness and the greasy aroma of inferior meat made Mian feel her soul tremble.

He shouldn't have been used to this kind of food that was excessive in every way, but unfortunately, he had just experienced a hangover, death, and a car accident. His body, which had been starving for who knows how long before, was lacking such a supplement. Even the fact that he was missing three front teeth couldn't stop him from wolfing it down.

Yes, it wasn't because I liked it that I ate so ravenously; it was all out of necessity, out of necessity!

"I'm hard (Ain), go slower."

Mian tried his best to move his mouth, which was stuffed full of food, and gave this reminder to Ain, who was eating even more voraciously than him.

At this moment, Ain was wearing Mian's coat, which covered her hospital gown. Apart from her conspicuous silver hair, she looked like an ordinary, dirty child, launching a fierce attack on her half-hot dog bread.

"Little friend, you're growing so fast, be careful you won't stunt your growth."

Mian reminded her again, but Ain ignored her at first, continuing to tear at the hot dog until she had swallowed it all. Only then did she pout her sauce-covered lips and say:

"Ain isn't a child, Ain is a knight, and knights should eat meat and drink wine heartily. My lord, let's go get some wine!"

"How old are you?"

"16".

Don't even think about it.

As a teacher, Mian simply refused the underage child's request, and then Ain, with teary eyes, said:

"But I can get you some juice from the supermarket."

"Yay! Long live the Lord!"

Seeing the happy expression on Ayn's face, Mian felt much more relaxed. Mian loved children, which was why he became a teacher. Seeing children suffering always pained Mian, and Ayn was no exception.

"Ain, how long have you been out of the mental hospital?"

After Ain licked the sauce off her lips, Mian asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time. Ain, still savoring the delicious food, subconsciously gave a normal answer.

"A week. Oh, no, that's not right!"

Ayn realized what was happening.

"My lord, I didn't run away. A silver knight can always leave his castle openly and honestly, and no one can stop him."

Mian complied:

"Alright, alright, do you still want to go back to the castle?"

"In no mood……"

"I think so too."

Ayn answered crisply and decisively. Although she tried to appear indifferent, Mian could still see her fear from the slight trembling in her shoulders.

According to the original owner's memories, the mental hospitals in Freedom City were usually in terrible condition, and withholding food from patients was considered the least serious crime. Beatings, assaults, forced blood draws, organ removal... For these mental patients who were not considered to have autonomy by outsiders, these profit-driven mental hospitals never hesitated to commit the most cruel crimes.

Although it seemed that Ai Yin had not yet suffered the most serious abuse, the occasional bruises peeking out from under her hospital gown and her emaciated body were enough to prove that the mental hospital she was in was definitely not a good place.

Moreover... Mian glanced at the newspaper he had bought from the newspaper stand next to him while buying hot dogs. On the page he was flipping through, a line of large characters occupied the most space.

"80% of the mental hospitals in the entire Federation are controlled by a secret cult!"

"The Secret Cult."

Mian murmured the word to himself, then searched through the original owner's memories for all relevant information.

Esoteric Buddhism is a collective term for sects that were once considered evil by Catholicism in the Old World and were suppressed. After the discovery of this New World, it was these esoteric practitioners who first crossed the ocean to build the foundation of the Ocean Federation.

Unlike typical heresies and cults, the conflict between Tantric and Catholic religions is not simply a matter of faith, but rather that they both attempt to reach the level of God through extremely evil and blasphemous means.

It was precisely this characteristic of Tantric Buddhism that caused it to trigger several disputes and conflicts affecting millions of people, even in the heretical nation of the Ocean Federation. It wasn't until 1937, with the enactment of the Federal Anti-Cult Act and the then-president's iron-fisted crackdown, that Tantric Buddhism finally came to an end, becoming a historical term.

Despite this, many still believe that Tantric Buddhism has never truly disappeared, but rather lies dormant in the shadows of the country, continuing to plot its schemes to communicate with the divine. Undoubtedly, the Gadda newspaper, which published this report, holds this view. In its narrative, Tantric Buddhism is rooted in gangs and slums, controlling mental hospitals and using their patients as sacrifices in its dark rituals.

Regardless of whether the newspaper report is true or false, even disregarding Ain's current role as a "knight," Mian, as a teacher, would not simply send Ain back to the mental hospital.

However, while reading the newspaper, Mian discovered something quite surprising.

Celestialism is not actually Tantric Buddhism!

The newspaper described nudism as a new cult, and while the wording was somewhat sarcastic, it acknowledged that it was a legitimate organization that had passed federal censorship. With hundreds of thousands of followers in several states near Liberty City, it was one of the most powerful cults to rise in recent years.

Celestialism reveres the beauty of the starry sky, believing that celestial bodies are part of the divine. It holds that people can draw closer to the divine through stargazing and meditation at high altitudes.

However, for some reason, it didn't seem to spread much in the Black Tower District of Free City, so much so that the original owner, a new immigrant who spent most of his time in the Black Tower District, the commercial center, had never heard of this heresy. It wasn't until he lost his job and ended up in the Duke's District that he came into contact with it.

But how exactly did the original owner of this body provoke the Celestial Cult? And what kind of targeting will this organization take against Mian?

Mian felt another headache coming on; he still couldn't recall any related memories.

Forget it, if I can't remember, I can't remember. My priority now is to get the Holy Sword, and then I'll figure out how to make some money.

With money and power, even if Mian doesn't believe in nudism, he can easily do whatever he wants to her.

"My lord!"

Just as Mian was having this thought, Ai Yin, who was opposite her, suddenly stood up from the plastic stool, her small, thin face full of nervousness.

"Danger!"

Before Mian could react, Ai Yin reached out and grabbed Mian's collar, pulling him down.

The howling wind swept overhead, and a bullet grazed Mian's hair.

There's a sniper!