The Grand Row of pillars had returned to its sacred, eternal silence.
Qiao Ming walked down the three-hundred-pace nave. His bare calloused feet splashed lightly through the quarter-inch of crystal-clear water that lined the central marble runnel. The air was warm, smelling of pure beeswax, damp lime, and the clean stone water that flowed from the deep foundation underground water beds.
Overhead, the soaring groin-vaults of Carrara stone reflected the gentle, amber glow of the oil-sconces, creating a vast cathedral of quiet soft glow. From the three hundred statues of Carrara marble and hard speckled rock came the eternal murmur. The soothing, four-hundred-and-thirty-two-hertz tone that washed over his spirit like warm rain.
He stopped before each statue in turn, inspecting the stone bases, the plumb-lines, and the carved robes. Not a single finger had chipped. Not a single stone drapery had fractured. The statues had spoken, defended their keeper, and returned to their peaceful sleep.
He brought his Folded brass star-compass to the central altar stone base and recorded the sector census.
The instrument confirmed that all three hundred assets were sound and whole. Ringing balance stood at ninety-nine point nine percent. Drainage rate was smooth-flowing and stable. All load-bearing joints were undisturbed.
