Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 427 - 300 Special Design Model_1

Chapter 427: Chapter 300 Special Design Model_1

The general direction was set, but the details of the design still needed further discussion.

There were many issues.

Take the traditional pattern for instance; the design wouldn’t change too much, in homage to our predecessors.

But the question remained: include the Bagua or not? A square hole or a round one? These all had to be decided.

Beyond that, within the antique zodiac-themed coins, the pattern for the zodiac snake was a source of great dissatisfaction for the butler:

"Regardless of the style, please don’t use the old designs for the snake pattern inside! Those snake patterns, they either twist like earthworms or coil like ducks!"

Even if he didn’t particularly like snakes, regarded as lower-level animals, the butler had his own convictions in this respect.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Feng Yi asked humbly.

"Just a moment!"

The butler hurried back to his room and returned shortly, holding a sketchbook in his hand.

Feng Yi: "..."

Wow! He was prepared!

"In this design book, all are my own drawings," the butler offered the sketchbook.

Feng Yi took it and flipped through the pages.

"So you’ve been planning this for a long time!"

The butler smiled modestly, "It’s just a little hobby of mine."

Feng Yi thought: This is no "little hobby"— this is an obsession! And quite a deep one at that!

How long had he been preparing to have put together such a thick portfolio of designs?

As he continued browsing the sketchbook, he turned to the page indicated by the butler, which depicted a snake with its tail in its mouth.

Unlike an Ouroboros. An Ouroboros forms a ring by a snake eating its own tail, creating an "O" shape.

The butler’s rending depicted a snake biting the tip of its tail, forming a "6" shape—though the loop of the "6" was a bit shortened.

Feng Yi found it quite satisfactory and made a note: "Add to the list of options for now."

He continued to flip through the sketchbook. The drawings inside were all hand-sketched, not produced or printed using computer drawing software.

Drawing is the subjective reflection of the objective world by the creator.

In this sketchbook, from regular circular copper coins to irregular personalized designs, one could see the emotion and energy the illustrator poured into every sketch.

Beyond the zodiac snake patterns, Feng Yi also saw fangs.

"This drawing, these fangs are too prominent..." said Feng Yi, pointing to that image.

"Are they? I think they’re quite suitable. You can tell they’re snake fangs, but you can’t differentiate between whether they are grooved or tubular, so they could represent any venomous fang," the butler argued.

"The issue is right there, you can’t discriminate against non-venomous snakes," Feng Yi replied.

"Absolutely not my intention!" denied the butler.

"Then it’s favoritism!" said Feng Yi.

The butler paused, "The human heart is inherently biased."

Feng Yi: "...Let’s try to accommodate as much as we can."

Looking at the sketchbook, Feng Yi said, "What we need is the design for the zodiac snake, so of course we must include both venomous and non-venomous snakes."

How many zodiac snake designs featured prominent fangs?

Normally, in more abstract art, snakes are represented by the snake’s hissing, not by their fangs.

The butler, not willing to give up, argued further: "We can include this ’fang’ element in a special design!"

Feng Yi was still hesitant.

Those two protruding fangs, when placed on the small copper coin, seemed to evoke a malevolent air, a sort of fierceness.

"This isn’t very suitable for giving to children," Feng Yi said.

"I think it’s great!" insisted the butler.

"At least not this design."

"Alright then."

The butler was visibly disappointed, regretfully eliminating that design from consideration.

Seeing the butler’s clearly dejected mood, Feng Yi consoled him, "These designs are still very interesting. You could make some patterns you like and keep them for your collection or as gifts."

The butler had indeed considered that, but after all, the meaning would be different.

Feng Yi was about to continue consoling him when a thought crossed his mind. He flipped to the page displaying the tail-biting snake design.

At the size of a typical copper coin, that pattern might not be easily noticeable, but a magnified and clear outline revealed protruding fangs at the snake’s mouth.

Feng Yi glanced at the butler and continued flipping through the sketchbook.

There was another design where the fang element was even more subdued. The fangs weren’t on the same side of the coin but instead, one on each side!

Seen separately, with the surrounding patterns, the fangs were not easy to identify, yet the overall arrangement had a sense of harmony.

Feng Yi looked at the butler, "You truly are persistent!"

No plan A, so you prepared a plan B and plan C, huh?!

One could say this was a carefully considered, long-term strategy!

In response, the butler gave an elegant smile.

Feng Yi smiled helplessly, "Option list it is, then. We’ll put it on the option list."

In the following days, Feng Yi stayed home to review the patterns and discuss with the butler which designs could be used and which details needed adjustments.

It wasn’t that Feng Yi was too demanding, but rather, the butler could get overly enthusiastic without warning, overwhelming Feng Yi with his creative passion.

After meticulous selection, they finally decided on three versions—

1. The traditional pattern, akin to the typical ones seen on antique zodiac-themed coins, with a complete set for the twelve zodiac signs, except that after discussing with Feng Yi, they agreed the version wouldn’t include the Bagua, allowing for larger zodiac patterns and modified the zodiac snake design.

2. A special edition for the Year of the Snake. This was the tail-biting snake in the "6" shape, paired with other patterns.

3. An exclusive design edition. Feng Yi chose several of the butler’s drawings, made some modifications, and finalized them. Among them was the subtle "fang" element design, with a single fang hidden on each side of the coin.

With the designs confirmed, the rest was left to the butler to manage the minting process.