Chapter 189: Heavenly Lord Special Prize
Xing Honglang was greatly surprised. "An awards ceremony? What's that?"
The workers shook their heads. "We don't know either. We'll find out when we get there, won't we?"
"That's true," she conceded. "We'll know once we see it."
Xing Honglang waved to the two artisans and her subordinates behind her. "Come on, let's all go join the fun."
The group, along with the road workers, then headed towards the main fortress.
By then, the area in front of the main fortress gate was bustling with activity. People from the Short-term Workers Village and the Labor Offenders Village stood three deep, inside and out, before it.
When Xing Honglang's group arrived, there was no room left for them to stand, so they had to remain on the periphery, looking up at the fortress wall.
On the fortress wall, they saw San Shier, along with the Saintess Gao Yiye, who had dark circles under her eyes, clearly indicating a lack of sleep. Beside them stood three ordinary individuals dressed in artisan's clothes, none of whom appeared to be persons of great importance.
The lamp maker and Xu Dafu, newly arrived and understanding nothing, felt a flicker of unease as they watched the joyous crowd around them. *What's with the people in this village?* they wondered. *In Xi'an Prefecture, refugees fill the streets, and the whole city is gloomy and oppressive. How can everyone in this small village be smiling, with such a lively atmosphere? It's too strange.*
It seemed their joy stemmed from the fact that this place hadn't suffered from drought, and the crops had grown well.
Just then, San Shier raised his hand on the wall, making a downward gesture. The villagers immediately understood, instantly ceased their chatter, and the entire scene quieted down.
Xu Dafu and the lamp maker quickly strained their ears, their senses heightened, every nerve on full alert, eager to see exactly what this "awards ceremony" was all about.
San Shier cleared his throat and announced loudly, "This morning, three plasterers made an incredibly significant contribution to our Gao Family Village! They finally succeeded in formulating 'Celestial Mud,' and from this day forward, we can produce Celestial Mud ourselves!"
What Celestial Mud meant was something the villagers of Gao Family Village understood all too well. Many of them had participated in road construction, and even Padi Tu, who now entertained the militia, had once been part of a road crew.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, everyone cheered together, "We can actually make a divine treasure ourselves!"
"That's amazing!"
Xu Dafu and the lamp maker stared blankly, utterly bewildered. "What *is* Celestial Mud? What's this talk about making divine treasures ourselves? What nonsense are they spouting?"
San Shier announced, "Now, please welcome the three plasterers to say a few words to everyone."
The three plasterers shyly stepped forward to the center.
They were all honest, unsophisticated craftsmen who had never experienced such a grand occasion in their lives. Seeing thousands of villagers below the fortress wall, their hearts pounded with panic. Two of them didn't dare utter a single word, while only one, slightly bolder, took a step forward. The first word he spoke cracked: "G-g-good... *ahem*..."
He swallowed hard, recomposed himself, and tried again: "Hello everyone! Um... w-we were just... ordinary, poor plasterers. It's thanks to the Heavenly Lord's favor that he took us in, allowed us to eat well and sleep soundly, and even bestowed upon us the formula for Celestial Mud. We just followed the Heavenly Lord's formula to create it. Honestly... we don't deserve any credit; everything is a gift from the Heavenly Lord."
Xu Dafu murmured, "So it's just three plasterers."
The lamp maker whispered, "Although I don't know what Celestial Mud is, it sounds like some sort of incredibly potent mud."
Xu Dafu scoffed, "What's so impressive about making potent mud? Won't the higher-ups just nod their heads, throw a few scraps their way, and then that'll be the end of it?"
The lamp maker sighed softly, "Exactly. Five years ago, I made a beautiful lamp. The steward of the Prince of Qin's Residence was extremely pleased, praised it to high heaven, and then... awarded me twenty copper coins."
Xu Dafu lamented, "You're a rotating artisan, so you at least get extra rewards for working for the Prince of Qin's Residence. For settled artisans like me, no matter how much or how little we do, we only get that fixed, paltry wage."
Just then, Gao Yiyi stepped onto the platform, accompanied by a group of assistants carrying three large basins of pork.
San Shier announced loudly, "In recognition of the significant contributions made by these three plasterers, Master Artisan Gao Yiyi will personally present them with the 'Craftsman Well Special Prize'! Each of them will receive one hundred catties of pork!"
"Wow!" the audience below gasped. "One hundred catties!"
That figure was truly astonishing. How long would one hundred catties of meat last? Even if they couldn't eat it all and made it into cured meat, it was still an incredible amount.
Xu Dafu and the lamp maker, hearing this, were practically green with envy. *What kind of village is this? Plasterers invent a useful mud, and they get one hundred catties of meat for it? My heavens! In a prosperous metropolis like Xi'an, when we produce something that pleases the great lords, we're lucky to get a few mouthfuls of food as a reward.*
The three large basins, overflowing with pork, were placed before the three men.
The three plasterers rubbed their hands together in excitement.
But that wasn't all!
San Shier spoke again, "What was just awarded was the 'Craftsman Well Special Prize.' Next, we will present the 'Heavenly Lord Special Prize'! The Venerable Heavenly Lord himself has declared that anyone who makes significant scientific contributions or major inventions for us will have the opportunity to receive this award in the future, and each will be granted a large silver ball!"
*Duang! Duang! Duang!* Three silver balls, each the size of a human head, were placed before the three plasterers, gleaming brilliantly.
The sight instantly dazzled everyone present.
This was actual silver! Gleaming, solid silver! Far more shocking than the pork.
The moment these rewards were unveiled, everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
While it was already known that the Heavenly Lord valued artisans, seeing three formerly impoverished craftsmen suddenly receive three enormous silver orbs and become immensely wealthy in an instant, only then did they truly grasp
the extent of the Heavenly Lord's regard.
San Shier proclaimed loudly, "Everyone has seen it! If anyone makes a significant invention or creation, they will have the chance to earn the 'Heavenly Lord Special Prize'! A single invention can make you fabulously rich, *it is called... prosperity boundless!*"
The crowd didn't cheer, but many quietly clenched their fists. *So there's a path to such wealth! I'd better start thinking of some ideas.*
The newcomers, Xu Dafu and the lamp maker, were so stunned their jaws almost hit the ground.
In the crowd, Li Da quietly glanced at his own spring...
His research into springs was still unsuccessful. The Heavenly Lord's gigantic, divine springs, whenever a section was cut off, heated, and re-forged, would lose their elasticity. This baffled him completely, and his progress remained stubbornly stuck.
He was on the verge of collapsing, having several times considered giving up.
But now, seeing the plasterers' success, a fierce fire ignited in his heart. *I must work hard, desperately, I must succeed! Once I do, it won't just be about escaping artisan registration; I, too, will receive a large silver ball and become wealthier than those once-unreachable great lords...*
The chance to defy fate and change his destiny was right before him; he had to seize it tightly!
Li Da retreated from the crowd, returned to his blacksmith shop, and stood before the forge. He picked up the spring once more, examining it from left, right, and every angle. *My dear father,* he wondered, *how can I make you regain your elasticity?*
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