I assure you , I had nothing to do with that box , - Lova said in response to his questioning stare . - She really entered the temple just now . Esmeralda’s unique bloodline allows her to resist or even ignore many forms of restrictions . That includes the Karmic suppression of the Sangha . Avoiding troublesome Karmic entanglements is a key skill for any good thief . -
Zac wasn’t sure what to believe . There was no way to confirm what was true and false , though his instincts told him Lova wasn’t making things up .
Besides , I killed too many monks in my heyday , - Lova added , looking a bit helpless . - I’ve spent four hundred thousand years reining in my killing intent and performing merit to whittle away the Karmic debt levied on my path . Esmeralda is a dear friend , but I wouldn’t undo my hard work by helping her rob one of their Lotus Pavilions . -
I’ve seen the things inside that temple . Will they come causing trouble because of this? - Zac asked .
What you see is not necessarily real , - Lova said , glancing toward the other side of the peak . - With the Dharma , the bounds between reality and fantasy are often muddled . Powerful belief can turn the unreal real , but it remains a rootless existence . Without sustained piety , creation will return to the bounds of illusion . This Lotus Pavilion was created from the belief of a powerful Arhat , but he is long gone .
The temples you see are echoes of memories that retain some of the original’s strength through the Karmic Link to the Sangha . The items within are in a state of perpetual uncertainty . They are real , yet they are not . By taking the items , you shift the needle toward certainty , but it was only possible by Akaniṣṭha sanctioning it . As to why the Sangha allows this , you should well understand . -
The backhanded nature of the Sangha’s gifts was nothing new to him . Every gift was a Karmic debt , every encounter a Karmic Link binding you closer to the Dharma . They were like a casino . Some would win when coming through the Sangha’s doors and walk away with riches , but the house always comes out ahead .
And everyone believed themselves to be destined for victory .
Was he any different? His eyes gleamed as he looked at the toad and the box she had her tongue wrapped around . - And you’re just giving this to me? -
Esmeralda shrugged and threw the box , and Zac’s heart lurched as he urgently grabbed it .
Esmeralda more enjoys the hunt than the prize itself nowadays . Outsmarting the defenses , breaking the restrictions , and seizing the item is an affirmation of her path , - Lova commented . - Oh , you probably shouldn’t open that thing . At least not unless you want to blow up this whole mountain . -
What! - Zac wheezed , his hand freezing just as he was about to open the lid .
The Sangha’s Lotus Pavilions are Dharmic cleansing arrays . The treasures consecrated within are usually calamitous items with immense fell Karma . Even if this is just an echo made real , it’s bound to be extremely dangerous . -
Why would the Buddhists consecrate something like that? - Zac asked , stuck between wanting to throw the box far away and not daring to let go .
The light shines the brightest after the darkness of the night , - Lova hummed , and Zac felt like she was talking about herself just as much as the box . - Eventually , the sin will be purified by the Buddhist Hymns and the soothing waves of the Brahma , and the calamitous item will become a Dharmic Instrument of great power . -
But until then . . . - Zac said .
Well . . . - Lova smiled . - The night is the night until daybreak arrives . Right now , you could consider it a bomb . If everything else fails , open the lid and run for your life . -
Zac warily looked at the box . When he first saw it , he’d thought it an incredible treasure considering its place of honor . Turns out those crazy monks put a doomsday device in their temple . Still , Zac didn’t throw the thing away . How many times had he survived by the skin of his teeth by blowing something up? You never knew when you needed a big bomb to get out of a jam .
Of course , it would be even better if you could continue the cleansing yourself , - Lova added . - The Lotus Pavilion has already done most of the heavy lifting , but I can tell the item within is not yet irrevocably bound to the Sangha . You might get a surprising prize if you continue to erode the fell Karma and resentment with your Dao . -
That got Zac’s attention . Even an echo of such an item , which Zac assumed was the same as a replica , had to be extremely powerful for someone at his level .
How long would I need to refine it? - Zac asked .
Not long , - Lova said . - A few centuries at most with providence as powerful as yours . -
Oh , - Zac grunted and stowed the box , though only after winding a rope around it a few times just in case .
