Another round of bell-casting began. This time, the master craftsman led his most capable disciples in remaking the bell molds with unprecedented rigor and care:
They painstakingly carved exquisitely detailed wooden models, piece by piece, then used them as the basis for sand molds, carving every last detail.
Casting, casting—the intricate, precise patterns had to be cast beforehand, with not the slightest room for error;
On the overall ceramic mold for the great bell, the empty spaces where the already-cast components would be set had to be positioned with absolute precision, so that everything would fit together seamlessly when cast;
Even Shen Le, who was responsible for carving the inscriptions, was sent back three times in a row as never before. His proposal for segmented casting had not earned him any special treatment; instead, it had brought him even more scrutiny and criticism.
One stroke slanted crookedly, one was pressed too shallowly, one was lifted without enough crispness—
Recarve it!
Recarve it!
The High Shaman Priest's furious curses rang in his ears. "Can you even do this? If you can't, then stop! Replace him!!!"
Replacing him was impossible. Never in this lifetime would they replace him. He was personally taking part in the bell casting!
Casting an entire set of bronze chime bells!
Their scale might be smaller than the Marquis Yi of Zeng Chime Bells, but their actual historical significance would surpass that set!
After all, the Zeng Kingdom was merely a minor state. It did not even rank among the seventeen strongest states, let alone the Seven Warring States; whereas the set of chime bells Shen Le was now beginning to make would one day witness King Wu of Chu declaring himself king!
Well, considering this set of chime bells' connection to Lord Xiang and Lady Xiang, perhaps