"Restoring gilded clay tablets is so much more convenient than restoring bamboo slips!"
"The important thing is that gilded clay tablets are sturdy. You can move them around without worrying they'll suddenly shatter..."
Shen Le went back and forth between the Storage Boxes. He piled up a batch of kaolin clay and cast his spell; then piled up another batch of kaolin clay and cast it again.
As he drew upon the power of earth to fill the gilded clay tablets, he sensed the spirituality within them, carefully nurturing it and allowing that tiny spark-like spirituality to gradually grow:
Compared to bamboo slips, restoring gilded clay tablets had its difficulties and its advantages. The easy part was that the tablets were sturdy and could withstand rough handling. Even if he used a little too much force, he did not have to fear them shattering before his eyes.
The difficult part was carefully adjusting the fragile balance between earth, fire, and metal. As the earth element increased, the metallic nature contained within would be cultivated and strengthened slightly.
Yet as that metallic nature grew, it would in turn suppress the power of fire, just as flames in a steel furnace could melt steel—but if there was too much steel and too little flame, the steel would smother the fire instead.
And once the power of fire diminished, the force holding the gilded clay tablet together and preserving its form over time would begin to vanish. This thing would fall apart right in front of you... Damn it! Restorers really had it hard!
Shen Le proceeded with utmost care, walking a tightrope between several different forces as he restored and sensed.
If the metallic aura within the bamboo slips had merely come from long-term storage in the box and gradual contamination, then