The Gobi Desert

Inspired by the novel "Ghost Blows Out the Light" by Tian Xia Ba Chang

This object, a fictional artifact used by ancient tomb raiders, is described by the author. Its tip is sharp, with a conical base, inlaid with gold thread. It is black, transparent, and emits a soft glow in the firelight. Originally there were nine such talismans, but six were destroyed during the Ming Dynasty, leaving only three to survive.

Before entering a tomb, the tomb raiders would light a candle in the southeast corner. Only then would they open the coffin to begin their search for treasure. If the candle extinguished during the search, it was known as "Ghost Blows Out the Light."

In this event, the tomb raiders would return all the items they had taken and leave the tomb by the same route.

If, however, the candle remained lit after they finished taking the treasure, then the items could be taken away.

Each tomb raider carried a talisman called a "摸金符" (Mojin talisman). The talisman was crafted from the sharpest claws of a pangolin, and required many specific processes to complete. According to the book, "The sharpest claws of a pangolin are first immersed in beeswax for 49 days, then buried underground for 800 days in the "Dragon Palace" (a mythical palace deep underground), to absorb the spiritual energy of the earth's veins. It is about an inch long, black and shining, extremely hard, and engraved with the ancient seal script "摸金" (Mojin), serving as a charm to protect the wearer." It is said to ward off evil spirits.

My current printing settings produce fairly good results, but I encourage you to upload better printing settings, so that we can work together to improve and achieve better results. I will consider uploading multi-color versions later.

Updated with multi-color on 2024.11.10