Master Lu Jian held the golden spatial cube in the palm of his calloused hand.
The miniature cube was forged from interlocking plates of sun-gold, star-sapphire, and fragrant celestial sandalwood. Faint blue runes circled its edges like miniature constellations, pulsing with ancient engineering secrets.
Across the vast Supreme Harmony Plaza, ten thousand guests watched the old architect with wide, skeptical eyes.
High on the northern terrace, Emperor Ji Wudao leaned forward on his golden dragon throne, his brow furrowed in contempt. Crown Prince Ji Hao was still hiding behind the black-armored executioners, his face pale and his boots shivering against the marble. The humiliation of pulling a road-roller for twenty-four hours still burned in his chest.
“What is that old fool holding?” Patriarch Wang whispered, fanning his fat face with a gold-leaf silk fan. “A toy puzzle box? Does Lin Mo think this banquet is a nursery school playground?”
Beside him, Young Master Wang Ba scoffed loudly. “He brought a wooden toy to the Son of Heaven’s banquet! His country academy probably cannot afford a real silver platter!”
Grand Preceptor Sima Quan sneered, adjusting his gold-threaded jade belt. “Lin Mo is merely bluffing to hide his shame after being assigned to the dog-table. Look at where they stand, right beside the drainage ditch. Let us see what cheap wooden shed he puts up in the mud.”
