There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"Marcus! What's wrong with you!"

Gots looked alarmed and even considered whether he should call the priest to exorcise the demon, but as I approached, he instantly stepped aside and passed by me as if I didn't see him.

"Marcus! Answer me!"

Gotz tried to catch me, but I... no, I mean the colonist system skillfully dodged me.

Actually, I could answer him, but given the current situation, I don't understand what the system is trying to do, and I can't answer his question at all. The Art Creation Platform is already set up, isn't it?

Next, Gotz watched as I walked past him, quickly went to his carpenter's toolbox, took the hammer, chisel, and file, and instantly disappeared!

Chapter 224 Inspiration

My blatant robbery shocked Gotz. In broad daylight, under the clear sky, someone could so shamelessly steal from its owner and walk away with an indifferent expression on their face.

More importantly... if you need these tools, why not just say so? Although Gotz isn't a millionaire, he still has a hammer or two and a chisel; he could easily give him a set if he asked. In some ways, as the island's only architect and building materials wholesaler, his financial strength far surpasses that of some boss who constantly runs up debts to cheat on drinks.

For a moment, I actually felt that I resembled Zhang San, the outlaw, and was no less so than Yu Qian's father, the businessman Mr. Wang.

The Colonizer System is a truly pragmatic system. Cooking prioritizes edibility over aesthetics, and fighting disregards mechanical principles, repeatedly challenging Newton's laws. Construction functions further disregard the law; anything readily available is used, regardless of ownership, a patchwork of materials is all that's needed, with usability and legality being inversely proportional.

Fortunately, I arrived in a quiet and peaceful town where everyone obeys the law and does their own thing. If I had landed in a chaotic, unclaimed territory in a galaxy, my daily work would probably not be about farming, but about figuring out how to use the system to plunder the entire globe as quickly as possible.

...Thinking about it this way, going to no man's land doesn't seem so bad?

Well, that thought was fleeting. Until I can withstand bullets with my bare hands, this kind of action against firearms isn't a good option.

When Gots saw me arrive with a ghostly air and then disappear just as mysteriously, he couldn't help but become curious. He followed me to the front of the cabin and stood outside the window to see what I was up to.

The fact that he stood at the door without rushing in also shows that Gots is clearly a Good and Lawful character. And with the help of the Colonizer System, I am rapidly transforming into Chaotic Good.

It all seems to be the system's fault!

Gotz saw me in the room, sitting in front of a strangely shaped workbench, holding an unidentified metal in one hand and striking it repeatedly with a hammer in the other.

Although the movements were fast and small, seemingly unremarkable, each time the hammer struck the metal block, an invisible force emanated from the air, causing a strange shockwave to spread, making the table, floor, windows, and even the ground at the doorway vibrate.

Gots was shocked. His superhuman vision even allowed him to see a mysterious ripple spreading out from the metal block and slowly dissolving into the air.

Such a noticeable fluctuation was caused simply by the propagation of air vibrations! This is merely a byproduct of the hammering; just how much force did the hammer exert?!

Faced with extraordinary force, the metal block withstood the blows coming from all directions, the hammer blades striking its surface relentlessly. Due to its sturdy nature, each strike could only subtly alter its shape.

However, the frequency was simply too fast. With the continuous work of accumulating sand into a tower, even the most stubborn metal could not escape unscathed. Gotz watched intently and even noticed visible changes in shape; the prototype of something had quietly emerged.

Gotz gradually came to realize that it looked like a very peculiar human statue.

The human figure is standing on two feet, with one foot forward, one hand tucked in front of its chest, and the other outstretched at its side. The face is blurred and unrecognizable, but judging from the flowing clothing and lifelike posture, it should be a small metal sculpture of a specific theme.

"Marcus, I never knew you had such artistic talent!" Gotz exclaimed from outside the window.

Instead of a smug smile, I gave a melancholic and serious reply, as if I were truly engrossed in my work, saying "I know a little bit, I know a little bit" before continuing to work.

Seeing my serious expression, Gotz assumed I was so engrossed in my artistic creation that I couldn't tear myself away, so he immediately fell silent and watched quietly.

I didn't stop working; I made even faster adjustments to the details. My eyes kept glancing at a countdown timer in the corner of my field of vision, distracted by the progress, and I looked worried.

Because my artistic creation is indeed inspired, but this "inspiration" is different from ordinary inspiration...

"Information prompt: A colonist has created their first artwork. A newbie reward, Inspiration Status (Art), will be issued soon."

"Information prompt: The colonist has entered an inspired state (art), which will last for 10 minutes!"

"Inspiration State (Art): Colonists are inspired by something beyond their control and receive corresponding inspiration. Artistic creations made during the duration of the Inspiration State will inevitably result in the creation of masterpieces. The Inspiration State will disappear after the creation is successful."

That's right, the colonist system gave me an inspiration reward, requiring me to make the most of these 10 minutes to create an artwork, regardless of the material. If I fail to do so within ten minutes, the opportunity will be wasted.

Therefore, I immediately executed the manufacturing command, choosing to create a small sculpture that uses the least amount of materials and takes the shortest time. The materials were set to the default, whatever was available.

What puzzled me was that, despite having three different materials around me, the system defaulted to selecting the unknown metal instead of the jadeite and the submerged wood.

The reason why the jadeite rough stone cannot be processed may be because the tools required for jade processing are more complex and the craftsmanship requirements are higher. My level 1 craftsmanship may not meet the requirements.

Why not choose petrified wood to make handicrafts? Is it because the system determines that petrified wood is more difficult to work with than unknown metals, or is petrified wood simply not a usable material?

As time passed, the shape of the artwork became more and more apparent, revealing it to be a unique sculpture that clearly did not fit the style of the town.

It was a mysterious figure with an indistinct, unrecognizable face. The halo above its head indicated that it was no ordinary person. Its expression was completely concealed by the light using a special technique, revealing solemnity within its mystery. It wore a hood, its left hand was raised in a gesture of support, and its right hand was forming a mudra. Its clothes fluttered, as if it were riding the wind. Its temperament was ethereal and otherworldly, as if it had transcended the misfortunes of the world and was watching over all things in the human realm.

"Is this a Bodhisattva statue? Why would the colonist system have this design?" I looked at it with doubt, but I also breathed a sigh of relief. At least I finished my artistic creation before my inspiration disappeared.

"System notification: The colonist has completed an artistic creation while in a state of inspiration. The quality of the artwork has been upgraded from poor to master level!"

Gotz stood at the door watching my creation, his eyes fixed intently on the sculpture. What I saw as a bodhisattva-like figure seemed to him to possess an indescribable aura, and the metallic gauze he wore appeared to have an indelible, fishy yellow tinge.

Ambiguous, dreamlike voices gradually began to echo in his ears, entangling his consciousness...

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared on the statue, and the strange phenomenon in his eyes vanished instantly, along with the lingering hallucination. Soon, even that memory disappeared...

"...Marcus, was your sculpture holding something just now?" Gotz asked, looking down, his eyes filled with confusion from the sudden dizziness.

I looked down at it, unsure: "I've been carrying it all along..."

I picked up the tall, upright, unidentified Bodhisattva statue, which was carrying a heavy object, and placed it on the windowsill for Gotz to examine closely: "Come and pay your respects to Namo Gatling Bodhisattva!"

Chapter 225 On Art

The most important affairs of a state are sacrifice and war. This statement is very true, because human aesthetics have also developed from these two aspects, and have evolved into two schools of thought that cannot be ignored.

In a narrow sense, the aesthetics of war can be the aesthetics of violence and the big-ship, big-gun mentality—bigger is better, more is more beautiful! This kind of aesthetic is already very common in the space age. People may point and criticize Leonardo da Vinci's paintings, but if they stand in front of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, no one can feel any sense of blasphemy towards this distorted cyclone.

A broader understanding is even more remarkable. Human warfare arises from the struggle for population, land, resources, and the right to survival. And wars between organisms ultimately revolve around the struggle for food and mates! This struggle for food and mates is often determined by the strength of an individual's body, the vibrancy of its color, and the intensity of its voice.

Therefore, the foundation of aesthetics lies in the pursuit and imitation of the strong. The meaning of war is also to determine who is the strongest; the two originate from the same source but have different names, forming a basic concept of aesthetics.

The influence of ritual on aesthetics is easier to understand. From the very beginnings of civilization, humankind has had a clear tradition of worship: the worship of ancestors, the worship of nature, the worship of giant beasts and natural disasters, which eventually evolved into virtual idols.

People who worship animals wear animal teeth, tribes that worship birds adorn themselves with bird feathers, and groups that worship ancestors adopt their ancestors' surnames. These traits are reflected in the paintings, pottery, and sculptures of a civilization, gradually permeating its aesthetics and becoming inseparable throughout its life cycle.

Therefore, the inherent mystique of religious and sacrificial artworks often resonates with people across cultures and ethnicities.

After all that rambling, all I've learned from this bodhisattva carrying a six-barreled Gatling gun is the essence of what the colonists consider a masterpiece of art!

Holding a gun while chanting Buddhist scriptures, I ask you, are you convinced or not?

You dare say this Buddha statue isn't beautiful? Have you asked the gun in the Bodhisattva's hand?

"As expected of the system, it's insightful and direct, even Wang Yangming couldn't have been as brilliant!" I exclaimed from the bottom of my heart.

No one expected that the statue's quality would be upgraded from poor to master level by adding a Gatling gun to the Buddha statue after a flash of light.

The ordinary statues, which are originally blurry in shape and dull in color, are lifelike in form, but they do not have any special aesthetic breakthroughs that make people marvel.

Holding a machine gun, the lifelike weapon makes the Bodhisattva statue appear even more ethereal, as if countless chants and celestial flowers are descending upon the world amidst the flying bullets!

In my memory, the only comparable design is that of a compassionate electronic bodhisattva riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, blasting the Great Compassion Mantra from a subwoofer, descending to earth to save all sentient beings!

"Gotz, what are you spacing out for? Is there something about this statue?"

Gotz stared blankly, opening his mouth several times but unable to speak, finally letting out a long sigh: "Although I can't understand the shape at all, I don't know why, but I just feel that this thing is very unusual. It's truly remarkable in every sense..."

I nodded in satisfaction; this person does have some artistic talent.

Item Name: Miniature Alloy Sculpture (Master Grade)

Item Quality: Master

Item Description: An artwork sculpted from a single piece of alloy. This statue depicts a story of a deity descending from another world. Set on a battlefield in Borneo, the work seems to symbolize the cycle of death and rebirth.

Durability: 68/68

Material: Extreme alloy

Cover effectiveness: 35%

Physical mass: 1 kg

Flammability: 75%

Aesthetics: 395”

I solemnly placed the statue of Namo Gatling Bodhisattva on the table next to me, and then gave the production order to the crowd below the art creation platform.

I don't know if it was just my imagination, but the moment I put down the Bodhisattva statue, this simple, shabby, and dilapidated room seemed to take on a touch of luxury.

"Select the work command: Create a small sculpture."

After the order was given, my body involuntarily picked up the jade and began processing it.

But this time, I didn't start operating at an alarming rate of 840 with a sledgehammer. Jadeite and similar stones are hard yet brittle; one blow would crack and shatter them. Even the most skilled processors have had the experience of ruining everything with a single cut while cutting.

The general procedure usually involves first examining the surface of the jade to observe its characteristics, such as the direction of the green color, the development and direction of cracks, the hues of jadeite and purple, the distribution of black, the analysis and estimation of the variations in texture and clarity inside and outside, and the shape of the raw stone. Secondly, the overall condition of the raw stone and its potential intended use are considered. Then, a decision is made whether to carve the entire piece or cut it into smaller pieces.

However, under the colonial system, there was no such thing as planning before acting. I simply raised my right arm, and three blades sprang out swiftly. With two horizontal and two vertical cuts on the exposed emerald stone, I shattered the impurities on the jade's outer shell, leaving only a complete piece of jade.

With my swift and ferocious movements, Gotz saw the blade flashing from my right arm and the file in my left hand strike the surface of the jade repeatedly, cleanly removing the excess and leaving behind the gradually forming embryo. Meanwhile, jade shavings accumulated on the ground.

Although Gots was already used to my amazing skills, he still looked reluctant, afraid that I might accidentally cut the nearly completed statue in half with an improper cut.

He had seen old Sebala polish emeralds—not only did he abstain from alcohol for two days for the first time ever, but he also breathed very carefully while working, afraid of cracking the perfect gemstone. When did he start carving jade so boldly?

But my movements became more and more exaggerated. I not only used both hands to carve, but also slowly stood up from the chair. The parts I was refining became more and more detailed. Sometimes I would make more than a dozen cuts in the same place.

Gotz almost stopped breathing, staring at my artwork with a chill running down his spine. Seeing my obsessive state, he was afraid that I might suddenly decide that carving jade wasn't enough and chop him up with a single stroke.

Suddenly, I stopped for a moment in the raging storm, took a slight breath, raised my right hand high, and a scythe blade popped out from my arm guard. I chopped down on the jade statue, cutting off a large piece of material!

"Marcus! Calm down!"

Gotz was startled and jumped up from the spot, about to rush into the house to subdue me, but then he saw me holding up a jade statue.

"The quality is only average... it's just a little bit lacking!"

Gotz looked closely and saw that what I held in my hand was an exquisitely carved jade figurine, its arms clasped to its chest as if it were about to face a true sacrifice. Its eyes were slightly closed, its features were lifelike, and even the messy strands of hair on its head were depicted in detail, as if this jade figurine would awaken at any moment while chanting mysterious names and describe stories from beyond endless time and space to him.

What's most surprising is that the chop just now wasn't a random slash; it neatly and precisely cut off the scrap material below the little man's feet, leaving a smooth and flat cut surface that reflected his image like a mirror, decisively destroying the illusion in a lifelike way.

The fictional yet lifelike villains and the realistic yet jarring angles create a wondrous spectacle of the unity of opposites between reality and illusion.

"And what is this?"

Gotz looked at me with a very unsettled expression and asked a question.

I thought for a moment and said, "I don't actually know what to call this either."