If I complete his task do I get a spirit orb?

There used to be certain sects of buddhism who's most dedicated and devout monks would attempt to achieve nirvana by meditating until they died of starvation. Some of these sects developed a preparatory diet for these meditations that if followed to completion would cause the body to mummify as it died.

So basically some buddhists took one of these monk mummies they thought was particularly holy and made a statue around him to honor his devotion to their sect's teachings.