Chapter 68: Lanchi's Sincerity
Chapter 68: Lanchi's Sincerity
In the painting classroom, the lesson had commenced in a calm atmosphere.
Hanging on the wall, an elongated silver lamp emitted a warm glow that bathed the neat frames and illuminated the classroom, adorned with slender wooden benches. The air was filled with the subtle scent of paint and canvas.
Professor Mogut, the advanced art instructor, stood out in his black vintage suit, the red silk bow tie at his chest shimmering subtly, adding an air of dignity and solemnity to his silhouette. In his hand, he held a painting—a work of depth and intrigue—waiting to see if any student would venture an interpretation.
The classroom was quiet, filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
If no one volunteered, Professor Mogut would randomly select a student to begin the first round of answers.
However, at that moment, a hand unexpectedly shot up.
All eyes turned toward the source—
Huberian, with her amber eyes wide open, was hesitantly raising her right hand, as if she couldn't quite believe her own action.
It was as if her arm had been forcibly controlled by some external force.
Soon, she seemed to realize something. She turned her head to the right and saw an eagle-eyed demon sitting next to her, his pupils fixed on her, the brightness of his gaze particularly striking in the small classroom.
Clearly, this eagle-eyed demon was the reason for her sudden action; he was using mental magic on her!
If Huberian started first, following the clockwise rotation, the eagle-eyed demon would be the fifth to answer in the first round, giving him ample time to analyze the situation.
"Then let's start with you," Professor Mogut said, clearly aware of what had transpired. However, the rules of the classroom allowed for the use of individual strengths and strategies.
Huberian's expression turned slightly uncomfortable. At such close range, she had no means of countering or defending against mental magic, and if she answered first, Lanchi, sitting to her left, would be the next to answer. She felt a twinge of guilt, thinking that she had inadvertently put him in a difficult position.
At the same time, Huberian's gaze shifted to Professor Mogut, and she found herself unable to discern the quality of the painting he held.
"...Is it a guess?" she thought to herself.
There was a fifty-fifty chance of surviving this round or failing immediately.
Just as Huberian's heart sank like a stone, Lanchi whispered, "It's the professor's painting."
His words drew snickers from the other demons. In this classroom, how could anyone identify the artist so quickly? It was obvious he was just guessing.
No matter how foolish the other demons might be, they wouldn't stake their lives on such a joke.
Professor Mogut remained expressionless, holding the painting without giving the students any clues.
"The professor's painting," Huberian replied without hesitation. She trusted Lanchi. And the cornerstone of their collaboration was absolute execution.
"Oh? Correct," Professor Mogut said, setting the painting down but looking at Lanchi with surprise.
In this classroom, it wasn't forbidden to share answers with other students since the class was structured as a discussion forum. The key lay in whether the answering student chose to believe their peers.
Professor Mogut had never encountered a student who was so decisive in their answer and so trusting of another student's opinion. Lanchi's response speed suggested he was guessing, but his attitude was resolute.
...
Following the clockwise order, the next student to answer should be Lanchi.
As Professor Mogut picked up another painting from the cart, Lanchi promptly replied, "A student's work."
"...?" The other students stared at the luminous-eyed demon in surprise.
Professor Mogut hesitated, half-holding the painting, before slowly putting it down and nodding.
"Correct."
This caused the other students in the classroom to be astonished.
Was it a gamble or could he really tell?
Such speed would be impossible even for the professor!
"...?"
At this moment, Huberian, too, gazed at Lanchi with utmost confusion.
Her previous action of believing him without hesitation was a result of her reflexes outpacing her thoughts.
But now, as she thought back, she couldn't for the life of her figure out what technique Lanchi had used to find the answer so quickly!
She had seen Lanchi's spell library, as they were teammates.
She knew that aside from the magic cards he had used before, he only had an elemental magic and a mental magic spell, so it was impossible for him to have a card that could distinguish paintings like this!
As Huberian puzzled over this, it was now the turn of the student to Lanchi's left, a female demon, to answer. She furrowed her brows slightly as she studied the painting in Professor Mogut's hands.
With the reference of the previous six paintings, it was a little easier to distinguish.
But she hadn't expected that with this clockwise order, it would be her turn so soon.
With the information they had so far, it was still impossible to identify through magical means.
"A student's work," Lanchi whispered to her.
"?"
The female demon student seemed hesitant, unsure if she should believe Lanchi.
But the more she looked, the more she felt the painting lacked spirit.
She hesitated for nearly five minutes.
Until the moment she had to give an answer.
"A student's work," she finally replied.
"Very well," Professor Mogut acknowledged with a nod, once again looking deeply at Lanchi.
If the first two answers were luck, then this was the third time.
The probability of it being luck was gradually diminishing.
He had never met a student like this before, one who made him feel a little unfathomable.
It was now the turn of the fourth responder, a demon student sitting in the corner of the classroom. He stood up, staring at the painting in Professor Mogut's hands, but he couldn't identify it.
He was proficient in magical identification, but he didn't have much confidence in art appreciation.
And his luck wasn't great, as he didn't come across any familiar magics that had appeared in the previous paintings.
The demon in the corner glanced timidly at Lanchi, unsure if he would help him.
"It's still a student's work," Lanchi calmly told him.
After hesitating for a while, the demon student in the corner gritted his teeth and replied, "A student's work."
"Yes," Professor Mogut acknowledged once more.
The demon in the corner sat down happily, his eyes grateful as he nodded at Lanchi.
Now, the circle was complete.
It was finally the turn of the eagle-eyed demon on the far right.
The one who had initially used mental magic to control Huberian and make her raise her hand.
The eagle-eyed demon scrutinized the painting in the professor's hands.
He believed that Lanchi would definitely not give him the answer.
Because he had seen Lanchi enter the classroom with Huberian, and the previous use of mental magic had also put Lanchi in a difficult position to some extent.
However, at this moment, Lanchi's face carried a gentle smile as he said to the eagle-eyed demon, "This one is the professor's work."
"..."
All the demon students present knew that Lanchi probably didn't have any good intentions towards the eagle-eyed demon.
So, this act of giving the answer had an unclear significance.
It was very unsettling, as it had turned an art appreciation or magical identification question into a psychological analysis problem!
Whether these words were true or false, it was now up to the eagle-eyed demon to make a judgment!
(End of Chapter)
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