After about half a minute, Li Gang, with his gentlemanly smile still in place, placed the green jade ladle back on the podium. The podium instantly flared to life as a silvery-gold light flowed through its entire body like water moving through fissures—except instead of fissures, it was lines of scripts and arrays that burst into life with every surge of silver light. The energy finally settled on the lotus-designed surface at the top of the platform, upon which the ladle rested.
"Everybody, please," Li Gang said politely, elegantly gesturing toward the ladle.
"You may now observe it to your heart's content, using any means available to you, from the comfort of your seats," he continued. "And as always, viewing time will be three minutes," he added.
He immediately waved one hand, and two additional podiums appeared, roughly half a step to the right and left of the main one holding the aqua-green ladle. They shared the same polished orange-red wood design as the central platform.
