Chapter 60: Capturing Attention
The daily happenings of the Miniature World had exploded in popularity.
The video depicting the miniature battle had swept across TikTok overnight.
It garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and over ten thousand comments.
Li Daoxuan leaned against the diorama box, scrolling through his phone and happily reading the netizens' comments.
"This tilt-shift photography is amazing! Damn, it perfectly captures the feel of a miniature world."
"The props are brilliant! That city wall built with Lego bricks, with the little people fighting on top—it’s genuinely hilarious."
"Seriously, this scene must have cost a fortune, right? Building the wall first, then painting it to resemble Lego bricks? That has to be hundreds of thousands!"
"It has to be CGI. If someone actually spent money to build a Lego-style city wall just for a video, the cost would be astronomical. Better to just use computer graphics."
"It's definitely CGI, but the quality is exceptionally high—so good my eyes can't detect it. This is clearly not some cheap, shoddy effect."
"Exactly! That charge outside the city—there must have been a thousand bandit soldiers, all in costume. The outfits alone would have cost a fortune."
"You don't need that many. Just thirty or forty actors, and the rest can be CGI."
"CGI, my foot! Everything is CGI? Didn't you notice that every single person looks unique and wears different clothes? How could that possibly be computer-generated?"
"Modern CGI technology *is* that good. Otherwise, do you think those massive scenes in Marvel movies really have so many actors? It's all computer-generated; only the front row of actors is real, the rest are digital."
"That Plastic Catapult cracked me up! How on earth was that prop made? They couldn't have actually manufactured a bunch of catapults out of plastic, could they?"
"The actors weren't actually flattened by the catapults, were they? The visuals are so realistic, I swear it feels like actual footage."
"Stop talking nonsense! Who would actually use real stones to kill extras for a video? It's CGI!"
"This is definitely CGI; the special effects are just incredibly advanced, making it indistinguishable from reality."
"The special effects are mind-blowing, even more realistic than what's used in movies. To use this level of quality for a mere one-minute video is absolutely insane. How much did that single minute actually cost?"
"With such a massive investment, I suspect the creator is planning something major."
"Just one viral video is pointless. There are countless examples on TikTok of videos accidentally exploding in popularity; if they can't follow up and sustain engagement, it's all for nothing!"
Tens of thousands of comments like these streamed in, engrossing Li Daoxuan so much he forgot to eat.
Although he had no experience in short-form video production, he understood one crucial point: if several consecutive videos maintained strong performance, the account's engagement would stabilize. After that, naturally, it would be live streaming sales. *Tsk, tsk*, I'm actually quite handsome; live streaming should work out, right?
He’d need to practice his speaking skills a bit, otherwise, once the live stream camera turned on, he might freeze up, his tongue tied in knots, and that would be the end of it.
Alright, time for some mirror practice: "Family, I've slashed the prices on these building blocks for you! Get the same Miniature World city wall replica blocks—not for 999, not for 99, but for just 9.9 with free shipping right to your door..."
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San Shier and his companions, escorted by Wang Er, arrived at a spot just a few *li* from Chengcheng County town.
The county town was already visible in the distance.
Wang Er could not proceed any further from this point. He was, after all, a rebel, and though the imperial court wasn't actively pursuing him at the moment—effectively allowing him to operate freely until spring when order might be restored—if he were to swagger conspicuously near the county town, that would be sheer suicide.
"Strategist San, brothers from Gao Family Village, I'll escort you no further than this," Wang Er said, clasping his hands. "Tomorrow morning, call out to me here, and I will return to escort you back."
San Shier clasped his hands in return. "Many thanks, Hero Wang. Here is some silver; please take it and distribute it among your men."
He produced a handful of loose silver pieces.
Wang Er smiled and shook his head. "We are outlaws now, shunned by all. Even with silver, we can buy nothing, ha ha ha. Strategist San, your good intentions are deeply appreciated."
That was indeed true.
San Shier replied, "Then we shall meet here tomorrow morning."
Both parties clasped their hands in farewell and went their separate ways.
San Shier and his group pressed on quickly, and it wasn't long before they reached the county town.
County towns in the Great Ming Dynasty were typically administered by a seventh-rank magistrate, assisted by over thirty constables. There were usually no stationed troops within the town itself; instead, the ninth-rank military inspector, who commanded the local forces, would be quartered in a military post more than ten *li* away, creating a system where civil and military affairs were handled by separate, independent authorities.
Now, however, Chengcheng County town had troops stationed within its walls.
The gate guards were no longer two old men, but two burly, middle-aged soldiers. Even in the scorching heat, they wore cloth armor, sweat pouring down their faces, their eyes fierce and their demeanor menacing, as they stared with wide eyes, meticulously examining everyone who approached the city gates.
San Shier’s group, numbering over ten, carrying large and small bundles, and with knives at their waists, was naturally quite conspicuous. Before they even reached the gate, the guards half-closed it and loudly demanded, "Who goes there?"
San Shier looked up. "I am San Shier, former strategist to Magistrate Zhang Yaocai. Those behind me are my retainers."
When the gate guards heard the name "San Shier," they recoiled as if they had seen a ghost, utterly astonished. "St-St-Strategist San? Di-didn't you... in Gao Family Village... turn into a ghost?"
San Shier asked, "Huh? When did I become a ghost?"
He was momentarily bewildered, but then he suddenly recalled the last time he’d collaborated with the Heavenly Lord to frighten away Military Inspector Cheng Xu, putting on quite a convincing show of supernatural deception.
These gate guards, it seemed, were Cheng Xu's subordinates.
He hadn't guessed wrong. These two gate guards were not only Cheng Xu's subordinates, but they had also been to Gao Family Village. They were among the very group Li Daoxuan had terrified with the ghostly apparition trick.
At the time, they had been scared out of their wits, fleeing headlong with Cheng Xu, tormented by nightmares for days, and only recovering after a week.
Now, seeing San Shier at first glance, they believed they had encountered another ghost, and their entire bodies began to tremble.
San Shier secretly chuckled to himself, but maintained a stern, formal expression. "In broad daylight, with the sun high at noon, you claim I'm a ghost? I believe *your conscience* is bothering you."
The two soldiers looked up at the sky. A huge sun blazed overhead.
Well, in such conditions, ghosts usually didn't wander about.
The two soldiers lowered their heads again. "Strategist San, what is... what exactly is going on?"
San Shier adopted a bewildered expression. "Last time, when Wang Er of Baishui caused trouble, I fled the city with my wife to seek refuge. I heard the county town was peaceful again, so I returned. What's wrong? You look as if you’ve seen me somewhere before?"
The two soldiers exchanged glances. "The one we saw last time must have been a ghost. But this one, standing right before us, seems to be the real Strategist San."
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