Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

As expected, Shirley's face showed a strange expression. He stood up, leaned close to Leo's ear, and whispered:

"Did someone slip a card into your room last night?"

No...no.

Leo shrugged, somewhat embarrassed, and tried to explain, but couldn't think of a concise way to describe his actions last night. In his panic, he couldn't explain it clearly.

Amidst the merriment, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

Seeing the lively atmosphere before her, Mian smiled.

Considering what might happen today and the mental state of everyone except Ain who stayed up all night yesterday, this is undoubtedly the best start to the day, which is why Mian made that witty remark.

"Okay, okay, enough joking around."

Mian held the coffee cup in her hand, the smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.

"We had some results from our research on the spellbook last night. It's a bit complicated to explain, but simply put, I now have the means to use certain spells, and a small tool to help me cast them. How's your matter going?"

The prop naturally refers to Ryan. But now, in front of everyone, Mian didn't intend to reveal this, not even fully telling Leo, who was present at the time. The purpose was to keep Ryan's existence as a trump card, just in case.

Shirley's eyes widened slightly. He had clearly noticed that Mian had deliberately hidden some parts of the painting, but this tough guy, who was both rough and meticulous, did not show any lack of understanding. He simply nodded, then turned on his phone and placed the screen in front of Mian.

Shirley's eyes widened slightly. He clearly noticed that Mian had deliberately omitted some details in his words, but this tough guy, who was both rough and meticulous, did not show any lack of understanding. He simply nodded, then turned on his phone and placed the screen in front of Mian.

A clear photograph was displayed on the screen. The subject of the photograph was a longsword, or rather, an exquisitely crafted sword.

Its lines are smooth and powerful, and the blade seems to embody moonlight and killing intent. Even in a static picture, you can feel its hidden sharpness.

The handguard is carved with intricate yet not cumbersome crescent and wave patterns, the fine engravings reflecting a cool halo under the light. The handle is wrapped in some kind of dark, uniquely textured wood, and at the end is inlaid a subtle but exquisitely polished dark blue stone.

The entire piece exudes an extraordinary refinement and restrained fierceness. Whether it is the exquisite selection of materials or the details of the craftsmanship, it far surpasses Shirley's previous mass-produced products and is dozens of times more exquisite than the "foundational work" he originally made for Mian.

Just as Mi An was carefully examining the photos on her phone, appreciating the luxurious texture emanating from the screen, the shard of mirror in her pocket suddenly heated up again without warning.

Without making a sound, Mian reached into the inside pocket of his coat, his fingertips touching the warm lenses. He pulled one corner out slightly and quickly glanced at the lenses—a line of familiar white lettering was slowly appearing on the surface.

[You saw the sword crafted with the artisan's painstaking effort. At a glance, you recognized that while it was far inferior to the holy sword, it was sufficient as a temporary substitute to unleash even a fraction of His Majesty's power.]

Mian was somewhat surprised by the evaluation given by the Golden Finger—this was probably the first time that the Golden Finger's descriptions were somewhat consistent with reality.

Does this mean that the cheat code has undergone some changes?

Mian thought this to herself, but didn't show it. She simply put the shards of mirror back into her pocket and then calmly admired the photo on her phone.

"What a fine sword."

Upon hearing this, Shirley's face immediately lit up with a proud smile, her chin slightly raised, and her mustache stood up.

"That's right. Bro, this is my trump card that I've been holding back all night! I don't know why, but around 10 pm last night, I was in really good shape, even swinging a hammer felt different! (Ahem, of course, that's a metaphor; there was no hammer last night, you know what I mean.)"

He rubbed his calloused hands together, a smug gleam in his eyes.

"Because of your request, I used high-quality materials from the shop to make this sword, and with my performance last night, it's not just beautiful to look at now. If I sharpen it, it will be very easy to use!"

"Um."

Mian nodded, and then spoke:

"From this day forward, this sword will be called 'Ifaratamuya,' or 'The Lion Slayer.' It is not a work of art you crafted yesterday, but a weapon once wielded by His Majesty the Sultan who established his formidable reputation at the site of divine manifestation during the Third Catholic Crusade. It was lost to history until we discovered it."

Ifaratamuya, this is the Sumanan word that Mian just learned this morning, meaning crescent sword. Mian's hasty learning of Sumanan from Ryan was not only for easier spellcasting, but also to add a touch of history to this precious sword.

To this end, Mian specifically asked Ryan what historical accounts he could easily apply without being easily detected as wrong. Ryan, being a self-taught "fisherman," spent most of his time in his teacher's study, discovering spells that might be hidden in historical texts, and thus was adept at various unofficial and obscure histories.

Thus, the sword that had once been held by His Majesty the Sultan and used to kill the Crusader leader came into being.

"I understand, I understand. I promise I won't let it slip."

Shirley patted her chest, looking confident. But soon, a look of worry appeared on her face.

"But will this thing really help, against that guy?"

Shirley spoke cryptically, but there was no doubt that she was referring to Matt, who had suddenly come to her yesterday.

Mian simply nodded and said:

"With sufficient preparation, there will always be no problem. If we are outmatched in strength, then we can only put more effort into our acting and props. At least judging from yesterday's performance, that guy has his own agenda. As long as we can fool him this time and use this opportunity to gather intelligence on the Celestial Cult, then the road ahead for us will be smooth sailing."

"What if we fail to fool them and a fight actually breaks out?"

"Then this sword also has other uses."

Mian stood up, stretched his joints, and his face was filled with a resolute, cold expression.

"Like cutting off that guy's dog head."