https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-578-Lanchi-is-More-Princess-like-than-Shubellyan/12584886/
Chapter 579: Is Cardinal Lanchi Truly Skilled?
Chapter 579: Is Cardinal Lanchi Truly Skilled?
The demon tribe held their breath, and Princess Huberian fixed her gaze on the painting.
As the seal was lifted, the violet light on the dark gray canvas gradually became clear, revealing a masterpiece unparalleled in its beauty.
Once Princess Huberian had finished admiring it, Kaliyra gently waved her fingers, guiding the canvas to move slowly in the air so that all the demons could see the artwork clearly.
"It's a rare-quality painting. I wonder which great demon painted it and whose hands crafted such a masterpiece?"
"From the style, it doesn't seem like it's from Thunderpeal, Mistyshadow, or True Night."
A solemn and sacred atmosphere filled the hall as the painting was unveiled, and many demons were awestruck by this work of art.
They discussed and analyzed the piece.
Even though Fallen would only reveal the artist after the princess made her choice, the demons had already started guessing.
And so, the unveiling continued, with radiance bursting forth from the newly unsealed paintings.
For every demon present, viewing these paintings was a rare treat. They might be witnessing a supreme artistic feast that the demon world had not seen in thousands of years—not just a visual delight but also a stirring of their souls.
The flow of magic as the paintings were unsealed, especially the vibrant colors that appeared during their creation, unsealing, and magical resonance, reflected the grade of the artwork. This grade was related to the painting's value, magical effects, and rarity.
The lowest grade was represented by white light, indicating an ordinary quality and the most basic artwork.
If a painting was accompanied by a blue radiance, it belonged to a flawless and exquisite creation, requiring a stable and superb technique to produce.
Moving up, purple indicated a top-tier artwork, and pink denoted a piece in the divine realm—the highest grade of artwork that mortals could hope to behold.
Even though the chances were slim, every demon present hoped to see the appearance of a pink radiance.
At the same time, they were anxious, fearing that an exceptional painting might be the work of the Blood Ancestor.
"The paintings that float out of the golden cabinet later on were probably submitted earlier. The Tenth Ancestor may still be delayed on his way to the demon world, and since his painting hasn't appeared yet, it's unlikely that he can paint something quickly that's also of high quality."
Just as the conversation continued, after the third purple painting appeared, a painting accompanied by white light was unexpectedly moved aside by Fallen, his expression unchanged.
"That painting style... it looks like Thunderpeal's?"
"He doesn't want to win?"
The nobles of the demon world whispered among themselves, their gazes occasionally shifting to Thunderpeal.
Thunderpeal's indifferent submission of an ordinary-quality painting clearly showed that he wasn't too invested in winning.
"Gareth, you didn't ask a demon painter to paint on your behalf, did you?"
Lanchi, having also guessed that the painting was Thunderpeal's due to the other demons' reactions, asked Thunderpeal, who was beside him.
According to Lanchi's understanding, Fallen's rules tacitly allowed for this kind of proxy.
"I think doing that would only make you scoff at me. It's really not necessary."
Thunderpeal shook his head.
His tone conveyed that his friend Hubert was more important to him than the princess.
The Nocda family wanted to marry into the royal family mainly for their position in the demon world, but since McCathy was willing to help him, the princess wasn't as crucial anymore.
"Even if I had asked someone to paint on my behalf, it's unlikely that it would be better than Mistyshadow Orian's or True Night Esmod's. One of them has engaged the services of the demon world's oldest legendary craftsman, and the other has the highest artistic attainments among the great demons."
Thunderpeal turned his gaze to the two figures sitting closest to Fallen Kaliyra on the left side of the fan-shaped seating arrangement.
Mistyshadow Orian, with his black hair and cold golden eyes, and True Night Esmod, concealed in his black cloak and shadows, only his deep blue eyes visible, sat side by side.
The paintings of these two great demons had not yet appeared.
In the eyes of most demons, the one with the greatest chance of winning was Mistyshadow Orian, the general of the Seventh Legion, followed by Esmod, the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
"They're clearly rivals, but they seem to have a good relationship. How come?"
Lanchi inquired of Thunderpeal, curious about their dynamic.
In Lanchi's understanding of demon sociology, great demons either had good relationships, were strangers, or wanted to kill each other.
The only exception to this was his relationship with Talia, which encompassed all three dynamics.
The relationships between traditional great demons were usually straightforward.
Since the two great demons across from them were close to Fallen, Lanchi had limited time to interact with them.
He had only heard Lysandra mention that General Mistyshadow was fierce, while the civilian official True Night was gentle.
However, it was clear to Lanchi that the two great demons across from them had no suspicions about each other and were quite close.
"They grew up together and have always had a good relationship, but sometimes it feels a bit strange and awkward."
Thunderpeal, seeing Lanchi's rare interest, answered his question.
Soon, the private conversation between Lanchi and Thunderpeal was interrupted by exclamations of surprise from the demon nobles in the Regent Hall.
Thunderpeal looked up and saw a newly unsealed painting.
[Painting: Throne Room of the Necaris Royal Palace]
[Type: Artwork]
[Grade: Divine]
[Rank: 1]
[Any creature that views this painting will regain a small amount of stamina and spirit and may gain a little insight into painting.]
In the painting, courtiers gathered in the Regent Hall to pay their respects, and the princess sat alone on her throne, possessing supreme power.
The expressions and postures of the demons varied—reverent, guarded, and thoughtful.
The light shone through the high windows, as if by divine providence, focusing on the princess, making her seem chosen by the heavens at that moment.
Its ancient and majestic realistic style didn't seem like the work of a young demon painter of the present day.
All the demons turned their gazes to Mistyshadow, the demon general.
"It's said that Mistyshadow hired a legendary painter from thousands of years ago."
"This painting... it depicts the pinnacle of power in the demon world and also profoundly analyzes the psychology of the courtiers."
"By portraying the emotions of the princess and her subjects, it highlights the intersection of the individual, the demon world, and the pivotal moments of the era... ultimately resulting in this painting that combines motion and stillness, the internal and the external."
The multitude of demons couldn't help but discuss amongst themselves.
"Do you usually appreciate art?"
Thunderpeal listened to the surrounding voices and turned to Lanchi beside him.
Although he had never discussed art with his dear friend, he felt that there was an indescribable poetic quality to McCathy himself.
"I know a little," Lanchi replied.
"What do you think of this painting?" Thunderpeal asked, curious to hear Lanchi's thoughts.
"It's pretty good," Lanchi answered.
"... "
Hearing Lanchi's perfunctory response, Thunderpeal opened his mouth to speak, only to feel the words catch in his throat.
Thunderpeal himself couldn't think of anything more to say about the painting except that it was "pretty good."
His intuition kept telling him that his dear friend was not that simple, but his casual attitude made it seem like he genuinely had little interest in art appreciation.
Before the demons could raise another wave of exclamations, a wave of pink light filled the Regent Hall once more.
[Painting: Caged Bird]
[Type: Artwork]
[Grade: Divine (Damaged)]
[Rank: 1]
[Any creature that views this painting has a chance to feel a little pity for the princess and understand her state of mind.]
"Oh!"
The demons gazed in awe at yet another divine-grade painting.
The painting depicted a solitary scene without the presence of the young girl.
Moonlight filtered through the treetops, casting its glow on the windowsill.
"Is this True Night's handiwork?"
"It's definitely True Night's style. I've seen quite a few of True Night's works. Although the level of completion isn't perfect, it's indeed a divine-grade painting."
"As expected of the most artistically talented demon among the civil officials, to be able to independently create a divine-grade painting in such a short time."
Praise echoed throughout the hall.
While Mistyshadow's painting, [Throne Room of the Necaris Royal Palace], might have been more refined, True Night's painting stood out for its emotional depth, as it depicted the princess gazing out of the window.
"This painting... The unique emotional resonance created by the first-person perspective is remarkable. Although the princess is not directly depicted in the scene, her presence is felt everywhere, hidden in the details of every brushstroke."
In the painting, the moonlight seemed to be more than just a part of the natural landscape; it served as a metaphor for emotions, its coolness and remoteness resembling the image of the person the princess longed for—so close yet so out of reach.
"True Night used light and shadow contrast and perspective guidance to tightly link the viewer's emotions with the princess' inner world. When appreciating this painting, one is essentially experiencing a state of longing."
"Who is the princess longing for? And how is it that True Night could understand the princess' feelings so well?"
The discussions among the demon aristocrats continued unabated.
True Night had evidently perceived the princess' state of mind with great subtlety.
On the right side of the hall, Thunderpeal noticed that Lanchi, sitting beside him, also showed a keen interest in this painting, and he asked, "Do you favor this painting?"
Although it might have been his wishful thinking, he somehow felt that his dear friend understood something that others didn't.
"... "
Lanchi rested his chin on his hand, a slight frown creasing his brow.
Thunderpeal couldn't discern Lanchi's thoughts at that moment, but his friend's demeanor reminded him of his own—as if he wanted to express a sophisticated critique after seeing the painting but couldn't find the right words to form a coherent sentence.
"By the way, Gareth, do you think True Night really wants to win?" Lanchi leaned back in his chair and turned his head to ask.
"Mistyshadow Orian might genuinely want to win, but True Night Esmod is mostly concerned about the bigger picture. However, True Night doesn't seem to want Mistyshadow to win either, so he refused Mistyshadow's request for assistance. In a fit of anger, Mistyshadow went to great lengths to find the legendary craftsman of the demon world to paint on his behalf."
Thunderpeal shook his head, equally puzzled by the motives of the two great demons. He didn't understand why his dear friend was asking such a question.
Especially since True Night had always kept his appearance a mystery, at least for as long as Thunderpeal could remember, he had never seen the true form of this civil official.
Lanchi fell into deep thought once more.
Thunderpeal patiently awaited his dear friend's insightful opinion.
"Do you think there's a possibility that True Night is actually a woman?" Lanchi whispered to Thunderpeal as he gazed at True Night Esmod, who was covered from head to toe.
His sharp matchmaker's instinct told him that if True Night were of the opposite gender, everything would make sense.
"... "
Thunderpeal looked at Lanchi, his brain freezing for a moment.
Dear friend, what on earth are you analyzing?
At that moment, as they chatted, the Regent Hall was filled with an indescribable sense of harmony and artistic appreciation. The discussions of the demons echoed under the high dome, and every critique was filled with pride.
A true master not only paints well but also paints quickly.
The paintings that had been unveiled earlier were all placed in the golden cabinet at the last moment.
Now, the remaining paintings at the bottom of the golden cabinet were those that had been completed and submitted earlier.
The demons continued to admire [Throne Room of the Necaris Royal Palace] and [Caged Bird], unable to tear their eyes away from the scrolls even after they had been moved aside by Fallen.
"Either way, whichever painting the princess chooses will be a worthy selection."
"She proposed the idea of wanting to see paintings from the best demon painters, and to be able to receive such outstanding works meets her expectations."
As time passed without any sign of the Tenth Ancestor's painting, they gradually began to feel relieved.
Since even True Night Esmod, a master, had taken so long, the Tenth Ancestor, Ulysses, who was still partly delayed on his journey, would have had even less time to create a high-grade painting.
They looked at the Tenth Ancestor, Ulysses, who maintained an aloof and indifferent demeanor, smiling as if he had long ago detached himself from the desire to win or lose.
Such a lack of competitiveness made it even more unlikely that he could produce a work that would surpass True Night's best efforts.
However.
Just as the atmosphere in the Regent Hall reached its peak of excitement and enthusiasm.
Golden light shone brilliantly, like a galaxy descending upon the palace.
(End of Chapter)
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