The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 57: Go

The Great Ming in the Box-Chapter 57: Go

The two sculptors were now a bit anxious.
The master craftsman had encountered a new problem!
The material from the immortal realm felt truly strange—hard to the touch, but when a chisel struck it, a hole could easily be dug. They feared their clumsy hand might accidentally damage it.
Fear and trembling! Fear and trembling!
The two of them looked at the enormous “picture.” The person to carve was genuinely ugly—slit eyes, a flat nose—neither way did he look like a good person, nor did they know why the Deity was carving such a figure.
“Do you recognize which god in heaven this is?”
“I can’t tell; I’ve never seen any god dressed like this.”
“If it’s not a god, it must be a monster.”
“Ah, your words reminded me. This could indeed be a monster. The Deity creates his statue, sticks a talisman paper on its back, then sets it ablaze. When the statue burns, the monster’s true body will scream, turn to ash, with its soul extinguished.”
“Yes, yes! The storyteller mentioned this spell; I was overjoyed when I heard it.”
“So the faster we carve it for the Deity, the swifter we can destroy this monster, and perhaps fewer good people will be harmed in the world.”
“Right! Let’s work quickly.”
The two sculptors glanced at the photo, turned to make a light cut at the model’s face, glanced again, made another cut…
Firm in their resolve to aid the Deity in “eliminating demons and protecting the Way,” they worked tirelessly, carving from morning till night, lighting a canola oil lamp to continue under its glow. Fearing an imperfect likeness might cause the wrong person to burn if the Deity’s spell misfired, they studied the “monster portrait” repeatedly, striving to carve an exact replica.
Even the finest wrinkle at the corner of the eye was carved with vivid precision.
The next evening…
Li Daoxuan was chewing on a warrior’s fried chicken leg at his computer when the box chimed with “dong, dong, dong,” a melodious bell sound.
This sound meant the little people were summoning him.
He leaned over to see Gao Yiye with the two sculptors kneeling before the great bell, worshipping the sky.
Seeing the Deity’s face appear in the clouds, Gao Yiye promptly ed, “ing to the Deity, the two sculptors have fulfilled your entrusted task without disgrace; it is complete.”
Li Daoxuan, “Huh? That fast?”
The two sculptors had dark circles under their eyes, looking weary but highly excited, loudly declaring, “If we can aid the Deity in eliminating demons and protecting the Way, we would die without regret.”
Eliminating demons and protecting the Way?
Massive question marks arose in Li Daoxuan’s mind, but he felt it unnecessary to probe deeper; these little people’s thought patterns were from another era.
Since they believed they were heroically defending righteousness, he let them enjoy it.
Whenever these two made something for him, he rewarded them with food—rice, flour, oil—all given before, so what to give this time?
Li Daoxuan pondered, dashed to the kitchen, and brought over his sugar jar.
Gently pinching a tiny bit of white sugar with his fingers, he set it before the two sculptors.
“Wow, sugar, such a big piece.”
“This is great, we can eat sugar.”
“This sugar is white and shiny, like ice.”
“From childhood till now, I’ve only seen dark brown or red-yellow sugar lumps; this is my first time seeing ice-like sugar.”
“This must be celestial sugar from heaven.”
The two sculptors were ecstatic and overwhelmed.
Sugar was quite valuable in the Ming Dynasty, nearly a luxury; the little heap gifted by the Deity could fetch a fortune if sold.
“Oh dear, the valuables at home keep growing,” one sculptor commented. “If not for the war-torn unrest outside, I’d love to take some to sell in the county town, trade for silver, and pay the artisan registration fee.”
The other sculptor chuckled, “What a coincidence! I also want to pay the artisan registration fee. In a few days, the Third Lady is heading to the county town; let’s go together—more people means more safety.”
“Eh? That sounds fantastic! It’s settled then.”
Li Daoxuan took the plastic model, moved it extremely close, and examined it closely. Tsk, this face was carved excellently, nearly identical to the photo. The only subtle difference was that the carved face looked slightly “ferocious.”
“Ah, a minor difference in aura. Not sure if the customer will like it, but send it to him first regardless.”
Li Daoxuan stepped out, hailed a taxi toward Cai Xinzi’s model shop, and casually called ahead, “Old Cai, I’m bringing your model; arriving in fifteen minutes.”
Cai Xinzi, “Eh? That quickly? Excellent! The customer lives close; I’ll call him to collect.”
Fifteen minutes later, Li Daoxuan entered the shop.
Cai Xinzi chatted with a young man—slit eyes, flat nose, rather ugly—identical to the photo guy, fiddling with an ornate robot.
The robot’s craftsmanship was beyond reproach, so detailed every armor plate could attach or detach. Its eyes lit up when powered, covered in blinking breathing lights, and all finger joints moved.
A remarkable piece worth twenty thousand yuan.
Spotting Li Daoxuan, Cai Xinzi hastily stood, “Sir, your pilot has arrived; final assembly can finish now.”
The ugly man beamed, leaping to his feet joyfully.
Li Daoxuan approached and handed over the plastic model.
The ugly man took it, scrutinizing the face left and right, then burst out happily, “Superbly done! This… this face… surpassed my expectations! So intricate, so like me. Hey, even intentionally made my expression fiercer—that’s perfect! A battle robot pilot about to fight should look menacing, radiating an ‘annihilate all enemies’ vibe. Haha, I adore it!”
Cai Xinzi smiled as she introduced, “My friend Li Daoxuan crafted this; his micro-sculpting is unparalleled worldwide.”
Li Daoxuan laughed, “Unparalleled? Just flattery; it’s my common trade.”
Their awkward chatter went unheard. The man gingerly opened the robot’s chest cockpit cover, set the model inside, sealed it—its cover was even transparent, showing the face clearly.
The ugly man roared with laughter, “Haha, so thrilling! See this? Don’t I look like an ace pilot? Ha! Take that… Eat this… High-speed Mega Particle Cannon…”
Li Daoxuan and Cai Xinzi exchanged a glance, thinking together: At this age, he’s still a chuunibyou.

Chapter 57: Go