A scalpel in the right hands--or the wrong ones--can do a great deal of damage indeed. But Jin Guangyao has decided, at least for the moment, that Palamedes is probably not going to turn that scalpel against him.

"Ten, I think," he replies absently, having been following the twisting turns of the monologue with the part of his mind not engaged with the correct placement of the talisman, or threat-risk assessment. Then: "There--that is the correct placement. Please hold it flat against the wood."

He makes a precise incantation gesture with both of his hands and sends a small flicker of golden energy flitting forward through the air towards the talisman. It doesn't quite sizzle when it connects with the paper, but soon it is clear that the talisman has cleaved itself to the wood.