Chapter 67: Lanchi's Art Class
Chapter 67: Lanchi's Art Class
Guided by Bachelor, they ventured back into the teaching area. They traversed spiraling staircases, surrounded by cavernous darkness. Gradually, a dim light illuminated their path, and the spinning stairs gave way to an ancient, stone corridor.
This inaugural corridor seemed to be the birthplace of everything in the teaching area. Lime-covered stone walls bore the marks of time, and the candlelight reflected off the surfaces, creating a soft glow. The air was filled with the scent of ancient rocks and a hint of moisture.
Each corridor was unique, marked by carvings, worn areas, or distinctive metal floor panels.
These subtle differences were crucial for Bachelor to navigate the maze of corridors with ease.
Following Bachelor's footsteps, Lanchi and Hyperian made their way through the corridors, delving deeper into the heart of the area.
Finally, Bachelor came to a halt in front of a delicate, small wooden door.
Imprinted on the door were three large demon seals.
"This is rumored to be an art classroom, one of the few level 3 difficulties in the arts," Bachelor explained to the duo.
Hearing this, Hyperian instinctively took a half-step back, as if she had some mental trauma associated with it.
To her, the art of the Demon Realm was now somewhat terrifying.
She still remembered the previous level 2 music classroom all too well.
Nonetheless, tonal magic happened to be Lanchi's forte, as his soul card, the 'Great Loving Poet', was a tonal magic-based summon.
And now, they faced an even more challenging art classroom.
"Lanchi... how are your artistic skills?" Hyperian asked, looking at him.
"I know a thing or two," Lanchi replied with a calm smile.
"Hmm." Hyperian nodded, somewhat reassured.
Although she didn't know the extent of Lanchi's abilities, she trusted that he would manage.
Lanchi pushed open the door and stepped inside, with Hyperian following close behind. They entered a quaint and refreshing little classroom.
The classroom had a circular layout, with walls made of gray-white stone slabs and murals. There was no traditional front or back, as all the seats were arranged around a central round table, creating a complete ring of vision.
This design facilitated interactions between the teacher and each student and made discussions more convenient.
It was also the most ordinary-looking classroom Lanchi had seen so far.
[Seminar: Demon Realm Art Appreciation]
[Location: Corridor F17, Art Gallery & Seminar Room]
Clear words were inscribed on the gray-white stone slabs that lined the walls, indicating that any section of the wall could serve as a blackboard for teaching.
The basic rules of this classroom were also straightforward:
[No attacking other students]
[Seminar content: Appreciate paintings and determine if they are "yes" or "no" by the professors of the college]
[Advanced Professor Mogut will randomly select works from the art gallery...]
[They may be paintings by the art professors of the college or by graduated students, so there may be variations in skill]
[Students need to distinguish between them]
When Lanchi and Hyperian took their seats, there were only five students in total.
An elderly demon professor stood at one end of the classroom, glancing at his pocket watch as if the class was about to begin.
The demon professor, Mogut, quietly opened the door behind him, went into the art gallery, and brought out a cart loaded with paintings. He selected four pieces and hung them on the wall, ensuring that all five students had a clear view.
"I am a senior professor of fine arts at this college. I will first show you a few examples. For instance, these two paintings here are works by the fine arts professors of the college, and the other two are by students," Professor Mogut explained, pointing at the wall without haste.
The students in the classroom immediately focused their attention on the paintings, observing them intently.
As the paintings varied in style and medium—oil, watercolor, and charcoal—Hyperian found the contrast to be not very strong. In fact, she couldn't discern the quality or skill level of any of the four paintings.
As Lanchi observed the four paintings, a hand propping up his chin, he gave a slight nod.
"The rules are as follows," Professor Mogut continued, addressing the five students in the room. "You gain one point for a correct answer and lose one point for an incorrect answer. Every five minutes of inactivity will result in an automatic one-point deduction. If you fall into negative points, the professor will execute you."
"If no one volunteers an answer in the first round, I will randomly select someone to start. We will then proceed in a clockwise direction for that round. From the second round onwards, you are free to answer as you please."
"To pass this class, you simply need to avoid falling into negative points. The higher your score, the better the reward. The current record stands at 21 points."
Professor Mogut surveyed the five students, explaining the rules with a serious expression.
The students assembled didn't seem particularly remarkable, and he didn't expect any record-breaking performances today.
...
In a Maguscraft Institute laboratory, bright yellow lights illuminated the cluttered workbenches and array of tools. Despite the late hour, several students sat before a large screen, engrossed in a captivating live broadcast from the Demon Shadow World.
Their faces reflected exhaustion yet excitement as they intently watched the events unfold on the screen, as if they were witnessing a thrilling competition.
This Demon Shadow World program was truly explosive.
Even though they had all experienced the painful masks in the previous music classroom, they had since realized that Lanchi was quite the joker. They had never seen such an entertaining shadow world simulation.
"Will this Level 3 classroom be even scarier than the previous Level 2 music classroom?"
One of the maguscrafters voiced the same concern that Hyperian had earlier.
"Definitely," came the reply. "But even if I'm tortured, I want to see the Great Loving Poet again. She's so beautiful... I really want to..."
"Ahem! One must not, and should not, fall in love with a magic card! You must reread Professor Bolao's 'Card Maker's Code of Ethics'!"
"How are we supposed to tell the difference if we don't understand art appreciation?"
The maguscrafters by the screen began discussing the rules they had just heard.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, a young man sitting on a sofa offered his insight:
"Aside from differences in skill, the brushstrokes on the paintings should leave some magical traces. If one has extremely precise magical discernment abilities, they can detect the magical characteristics of the painter. By answering a few questions, you can gradually memorize the magical characteristics of the professors and graduated students, making subsequent distinctions easier."
"The real challenge of this classroom lies in the initial questions of the first round, which undoubtedly carry the most risk. There's no prior information to work with, so you can only rely on analyzing the painting techniques or pure luck."
The young man's words enlightened the second-year student sitting in the front row.
"As expected of Prince Ennol!"
The second-year student turned and gave the young man a thumbs-up.
The young man on the sofa was indeed Ennol, the second prince of the Kingdom of Hutton. Despite his noble status, he blended in effortlessly with the other students.
"Didn't Princess Vivian say that this guy Lanchi is good at appreciating paintings? Wouldn't he be in his element in this classroom?"
The silver-level card maker remained by Ennol's side, curious for his take on the situation.
"No, it's extremely challenging," Ennol replied with a slight frown. "The artistic style of the Lost Age of the Demon World is very foreign to us humans. Even for those four example paintings, I couldn't guarantee a ninety percent accuracy rate if I were to appraise them."
"Then, what are the chances of you correctly appraising the next painting?" The silver-level card maker asked, her eyes fixed on Ennol's strikingly handsome face.
"Fifty percent," Ennol answered confidently.
"?"
The girl was taken aback for a moment.
She thought back to the probability of guessing correctly on a true or false question—shouldn't it be fifty percent? She bit her teeth to suppress her anger and clenched her fists tightly.
(End of Chapter)
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