Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 368 - 233 New Craftsman Challenge_4

Chapter 368: Chapter 233 New Craftsman Challenge_4

At that moment, chopping with his own knife and achieving such an effect gave him a sudden sense of exhilarating liberation.

He didn’t pause, but continued to swing his knife toward the taut piece of leather, easily slicing open a cut.

"Did it succeed?"

Li Hongyun gently caressed the blade. The performance of this knife had far exceeded his prior expectations.

"So, this is the joy of a craftsman, isn’t it?"

Li Hongyun suddenly began to understand where the pleasure of those online knife forging experts and handicraft masters came from.

Human civilization has been able to flourish and sustain itself precisely because humans possess intelligence, and intelligence stems from endlessly exploring, experimenting, and transforming the world.

In ancient times, craftsmen didn’t have much scientific theory to rely on; they were like guides groping forward in the dark, advancing productivity from the era of slash-and-burn agriculture to the Bronze Age, and then to the Iron Age.

In ancient Huaxia, craftsmen ranked third among scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants. Although the craftsman’s status was somewhat respected, it wasn’t nearly enough, resulting in Huaxia leading in technology during the long stretch of ancient times but starting the development of modern science much later than the West, causing a later decline. Nonetheless, these skilled craftsmen definitely left a vivid mark in the civilization history of Huaxia.

The joy that creation brings to humans is unparalleled.

Li Hongyun had spent all his energy on knife forging these past few days. Although initially disheartened by repeated failures, he now realized that each accurate estimation of heat and timing brought him step by step closer to ultimate success.

After he personally forged a finished sword, all those past efforts finally turned into immense happiness, giving him ample reward.

"Good, from now on I can use divine weapons forged by myself!

"Um, not exactly divine weapons, but at least I can customize some special weapons according to my own needs!

"When I get a chance later, I definitely want to try making a flintlock rifle by myself. Just thinking about it feels exciting!"

Meanwhile, everything around him began to change rapidly.

Within the Divine Machine’s Trial Illusion, the enormous workshop vanished into thin air, appearing directly within Li Hongyun’s fief, replacing the previous small smithy.

As for the scenes within the Trial Illusion, they too underwent a drastic transformation.

Once the mist before his eyes dissipated, Li Hongyun was surprised to find that his perspective had changed.

It had turned into a bird’s-eye view.

At that moment, he felt as though he was floating in the air, the clouds that had obstructed his view dispersed, allowing an unobstructed view of the scenery below.

It seemed to be the ruins of an imperial city.

At that time, it was being continuously dismantled, and another massive imperial city was being planned on its ruins.

Tens of thousands of laborers and soldiers were busy there, some dismantling the ruins of the original imperial city, others moving various timbers and stones, while still others were constantly transporting materials from different regions, sorting and arranging them.

Li Hongyun found he could freely elevate or lower the camera angle, see farther places, or delve into buildings to examine various details.

This feeling was quite unsettling at first, often giving him a fear of heights, but he quickly became accustomed to it, even experiencing the exhilarating sensation of flying freely in the sky.

As Li Hongyun elevated the camera, some key locations around the city also came into view.

In the mountains to the southwest, large groups of craftsmen were quarrying stone.

These enormous stone blocks, weighing several hundred pounds each, couldn’t be transported by human strength alone. These craftsmen began by digging wells at intervals along the route, and when the weather turned cold, they poured water on the ground to create ice paths, then used ropes for traction.

With people constantly sprinkling water to maintain the smoothness of the ice, countless huge stone blocks were transported to the imperial city under construction.

In the distant southeast, two provinces were to provide different types of tribute bricks to the imperial city, one being large blue bricks and the other, golden bricks.

These tribute bricks were meticulously selected, sun-dried, and fired from special materials, being fine and hard, and producing a clear sound. After rigorous selection, they were transported to the imperial city via the Grand Canal.

In even more remote rugged mountains, countless craftsmen were felling timber. These large phoebe zhennan trees grew in deep, old forests and couldn’t be transported by human power alone; they had to be piled up on the mountain, and during flash floods, the logs would be washed down, tied into rafts, and floated along the Yangtze River to the Grand Canal, heading towards the capital.

Countless craftsmen, like diligent ants, were constantly busy, using their feeble human strength to transform nature and build a spectacle of an ancient civilization.

Then, Li Hongyun noticed a framework composed of countless dashed lines appearing in his vision.

It resembled some kind of blueprint or perhaps a phantom image of architecture.

By constructing according to these dashed lines, a ready-made palace could be built.

Li Hongyun closely examined the imperial city, which was still essentially a large construction site, and after comparing it with the phantom image, finally determined the objective he had to accomplish this time.

The Forbidden City!

Indeed, this was the famous Forbidden City constructed during the Great Sheng Dynasty era, covering an extensive area and considered a marvel in the history of world architecture.

The good news was, Li Hongyun didn’t need to start from scratch; craftsmen from all over were continuously bringing various raw materials, and all he had to do was, like assembling blocks, restore this grand palace according to the blueprint in his view.

The bad news was, the number of these blocks was astronomically high.

Li Hongyun couldn’t help but grimace, struggling to accept this reality.

"Designer, you’re playing with me, aren’t you..."

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