The moment Mr. Hawthorne finished his declaration, a voice from the crowd called out impatiently. "Mr. Hawthorne, most of us have only heard bits and pieces of the story. Would you give us the full account?"
"Very well." Mr. Hawthorne cleared his throat, letting the anticipation build for just a beat before he began. "Lysander the Saint of Sculptures had already earned widespread renown during the reign of Emperor Valerian. By the celestial epoch, when Empress Seraphina summoned him to the imperial court, she presented him with a task that was, by all accounts, impossible. She commanded him to engrave the entire text of the codex of the eternal path onto a piece of jade no larger than a pinky fingernail."
He paused, allowing the absurdity of the demand to settle over the audience. "It is
