Li Daoxuan suddenly noticed something wrong.
There were five more people inside the box.
Extra.
Just that morning, after buying provisions for the little people, he had counted them carefully. Forty-two. Not one more, not one less.
Now there were forty-seven.
The five newcomers seemed to have slipped in from the very edge of the diorama, as if they had walked out of thin air.
They wore identical deep red uniforms. Plain sabers hung at their waists. Iron rulers rested in their hands. On each of their backs was a white circular patch marked with the character "Ya."
County constables.
Li Daoxuan had been watching the villagers when they appeared, so he had not seen the exact moment they entered. By the time he noticed them, they were already at the village entrance.
He stared at the box.
How did five constables get into my diorama?
Imagine raising hamsters. You count forty-two in the cage. You look away for a moment. When you look back, there are forty-seven, and the new five are a completely different breed.
Would that not make your scalp go numb?
He circled the box and examined every side.
All four walls were sealed with glass. The only possible opening was the lid on top, and he distinctly remembered closing it after pouring in the Divine Rice.
Ventilation holes?
Impossible. They were tiny and positioned high up. The little people could not possibly climb out or crawl in through them.
This made no sense.
While he was still frowning at the mystery, he noticed the five constables had already begun arguing with the villagers.
He leaned down and pressed his ear against the box.
One constable barked sharply, "You wretched commoners, always defaulting on taxes. Are you planning to rebel?"
Another waved his iron ruler threateningly. "If you do not pay, I will drag every last one of you to jail."
The Village Chief stepped forward with a stiff smile.
"Sirs, sirs," he pleaded, "it is not that we refuse to pay. We truly have no grain, no silver. Everyone is on the brink of starvation. Look at the sky. Not a drop of rain for months. Our crops have withered."
The constable sneered.
"Drought is no excuse. The court's taxes must be paid in full. Otherwise, it is rebellion."
The Village Chief's face sagged with despair.
"Please look at us," he begged. "Every one of us is yellow-faced and emaciated. We are so weak a gust of wind could knock us over. Do we look like people hiding wealth? We are starving. We truly have no way to pay."
"You wretch."
The constable shoved him hard.
"I will search the village myself. If I find hidden grain, you will rot in jail."
He strode forward arrogantly.
Outside the box, Li Daoxuan watched, intrigued.
Another storyline?
When he first acquired the diorama, bandits had been burning and looting. He had assumed it was some kind of mechanical performance, like an elaborate animated set piece. He had reached in and flicked the bandits away without hesitation.
He had thought that was the end of it.
Now here was a new scene. Corrupt constables oppressing starving villagers.
What exactly was this box?
Could anyone accept that their pet hamsters periodically staged historical dramas?
A strange chill crept up his spine.
This box is not just a container.
Inside the village, chaos erupted.
The five constables barged into houses, kicked open doors, overturned chests, rummaged through cupboards. Noise filled the air.
The Village Chief grew visibly tense.
Most houses were safe. The villagers truly had nothing.
But Gao Yiye's house.
Half-filled with egg-sized Divine Rice.
If the constables found that…
The more nervous he became, the more obvious it was.
The constables quickly noticed that the villagers' eyes kept drifting toward one dilapidated house.
Several young people were guarding it. Two of them pressed their backs firmly against the door.
Suspicious.
The constables exchanged looks.
"Move aside."
One strode straight toward Gao Yiye's house.
The Village Chief instinctively stepped in front of him.
He was shoved aside and stumbled awkwardly.
"Out of the way!"
The constables rushed forward.
The young villagers clenched their fists, but none dared to strike. Nor did they step aside.
A constable delivered a fierce kick.
The impact knocked Gao Yiye and Gao Chuwu away from the door. Without their support, the door gave way.
From inside, the pressure of piled rice forced it open.
A white avalanche poured out.
With a heavy rush, the nearest constable was instantly buried waist-deep in egg-sized grains.
The other four leaped backward in shock.
The buried constable sputtered and shook his head, forcing himself upright. When he saw the enormous grains around him, his eyes widened.
The other four stared.
Rice.
Grains as large as eggs.
Silence swallowed the courtyard.
The villagers did not speak.
Several seconds passed before the buried constable shouted, "What are you staring at? Pull me out!"
The others hurried to drag him free.
One constable stammered, "Gao Family Village is hiding something like this? What kind of rice is this? Why is it so huge?"
The Village Chief seized the moment.
"This is Divine Rice," he declared loudly. "Bestowed upon us by Tianzun for saving our lives. If you dare touch it, Tianzun will take yours."
The five constables exchanged uneasy glances.
Heavenly intervention was not something they could casually dismiss, especially after recent rumors of bandits being crushed to death by an unseen force.
The courtyard froze again.
Outside the box, Li Daoxuan remained silent.
If I want to protect my forty-two little people, I could just reach in and flick these five away like last time.
Simple.
But was it wise?
Where did they come from?
How did they enter?
Would more appear in the future?
Was this world expanding on its own?
If he intervened recklessly now, he might destroy clues he had yet to understand.
His fingers hovered above the lid.
For the first time since acquiring the box, Li Daoxuan hesitated.
This was no longer a toy.
And he was no longer certain he understood the rules.