With the inheritance organized, Leonard finally turned to his meditation. The intense mental work over the past two days seemed to have sharpened his focus. As he slipped into the meditative state, he noticed something unusual: his efficiency had increased significantly.
Half a day later, Leonard opened his eyes with a small but satisfied smile. Another 'earth ring' had condensed within his mental framework, and his 'mental power' had increased by 0.1—a small step, but an important one.
---
That evening, Leonard made his way to the port to meet 'Big Gold Tooth', who handed over the 'fake silver ore' as promised.
The crate was heavy; over ten kilograms of false silver. But Leonard ignored the bag of silver coins that Big Gold Tooth had offered alongside it.
"No need for the coins," Leonard said curtly, giving the man a cold look. The last time he'd mentioned silver coins, it had been purely to keep Big Gold Tooth nervous and compliant. "This is enough."