The Invitation

Monka knew himself well enough to understand that the path he followed and the Buddha's were fundamentally different. 

Though both sought to relieve human suffering, the ways in which they provided aid were not the same.

"The path we pursue may not be identical, but I must admit, Buddha is my idol, the one who gave me the inspiration to embark on the journey I'm on today. I will always respect him, even though I'm not really a monk."

This reasoning didn't strike Alex as strange. After all, he had lived for many years and heard the stories of countless people.

Those who had reached the level of an emperor all had legends circulating somewhere in the world. Hearing about them wasn't too difficult.

"Very interesting. So, can you tell me what your path is?"

Monka grinned at this question but didn't provide an answer. Instead, he asked:

"So, what do you think humans need to be happy?"