Ruler of the World!

"The hidden realm at the junction of the world."

"The secret treasure room of ancient Civilization."

"And now, the painting hut of Ninth Stage awakened one."

"The treasure maps given as rewards for missions are never anything ordinary."

Linsey sighed.

At the same time, activate the [Decryption Game] module, bypass the stone pillars with writing on them, and begin to seriously study this small Painting Space.

First, there's that unremarkable chair.

[Boxwood Chair —an ordinary wooden chair. Due to its unique environment, it has remained unrotted for thousands of years.]

"..."

"The chair that Ninth Stage awakened person sits on is just an ordinary chair, right?"

"Pfft—"

Linsey suddenly laughed.

He felt that his earlier remarks had a touch of the emperor's golden hoe.

Then he got playful.

He sat down in the chair of a Ninth Stage Awakened, then pulled out the [Red Giant Mushroom] that could increase in size from his baggage and held it high:

"Nintendo is the master of the world!"

"..."

"Okay, that's enough playing."

After a little fuss, Linsey walked toward the box in the corner of the room.

The studio is only about 20 square meters in size, and the only place to hide things is in this box.

Linsey casually lifted the top of the box, and it opened.

"Makeup mirror, palette, paint box, water bottle, hair clips, leftover fruit candy, cutlery..."

"..."

"A Ninth Stage Awakened being, and this is all he keeps in his secret base?"

Linsey's expression was a mix of amusement and exasperation.

He activated his Scouting Skill, scanning the objects in front of him one by one.

It turned out that the box contained only everyday items.

Moreover, thanks to the unique nature of the Painting Space, some of the small candies and desserts were not even expired.

Linsey rummaged through the clutter again and found a bag at the bottom of the box.

He only glanced at it, and his expression, which had been both amused and exasperated, immediately darkened.

"Is this kid a child? He's such a picky eater!"

"..."

After checking the box, Linsey leaned back and plopped down on the ground.

"Are you kidding me? Is this really a treasure trove?"

After careful inspection.

Everything in the box was an everyday item, nothing special.

"Um..."

"Can we move these things out and sell them as antiques?"

Linsey lowered her head and pondered for a few seconds.

According to the information provided by the Decryption Game, this secret studio has been abandoned for at least several thousand years.

Studio!

Linsey slowly turned her head.

The box was full of miscellaneous everyday items, the chair was just an ordinary chair, not to mention the bed over there.

So what's the most important thing in this small room that serves as an art studio? "Paintings..."

Linsey walked over to the easel.

He carefully examined the item in front of him. The easel was made of several oak strips pieced together and glued together with nails and wood glue; it was just an ordinary piece of furniture.

The canvas only contains some blurry patches of paint.

"..."

Linsey frowned.

But just when the situation seemed to have reached a stalemate.

The [Decryption Game] module burst forth with a bright light on this canvas, so bright that it even dazzled Linsey.

[Consumable: Unfinished Painting]

[An Unfinished Painting. By investing Essence, one can incorporate elements that do not resist into the painting, resulting in positive changes.]

A canvas imbued with special rules is of immeasurable value.

"The sea is truly beautiful."

"Why is there no land in the world that the teacher created with his own hands?"

"The colors here are so monotonous, I don't want to paint anymore!"

"..."

"To blend into the painting... things..."

Linsey immediately grasped the key points in the item description.

Having traveled all the way to the City of a Thousand Sails, he had already confirmed that the awakened beings in this universe possessed an incredibly exaggerated level of ability.

This canvas is an item left behind by a Ninth Stage awakener.

The description of this 'thing' can probably really lead to the true meaning of this word.

—All objects or things that objectively exist in nature.

To put it bluntly...

If Linsey had enough Essence, this canvas might be able to incorporate the entire world!

"The later this thing is used, the higher its value becomes."

"Moreover, the better the quality of the elements incorporated, the better the results of the changes will be."

Without a doubt.

Linsey put the Unfinished Painting away.

He continued to examine other details in the studio, this time digging deep, but still couldn't find anything new.

"Hmm... and don't even think about running away."

Linsey thought for a moment and then pulled out the stone pillar with the inscription.

This place has been abandoned, and it's hard to imagine that it will ever be discovered again.

"Since we're here, let's just take everything with us! Finally, let's take a picture to remember this moment."

Linsey made sure she hadn't missed anything, took photos with her new camera, and then began looking for a way to leave.

This matter is not complicated; it's just this translucent rock in front of us.

Linsey reached out and touched the wall with one hand.

He heard the sound of water all around him, and the spiraling vortex churned his body, returning him to the giant rock in the deep sea a second later.

"If I had known there were so many treasures hidden in the seabed, I would have come here a long time ago."

Tonight's underwater exploration was very satisfying.

Linsey was also thinking about getting home quickly so she could experiment with the [Abyss Clump Algae] and [High Pressure Sea Stone].

"Um?"

But just then, Linsey suddenly noticed something was wrong.

His Essence began to dissipate, and his long-dormant [Story Performance] ability automatically activated, guiding his destiny toward an incredible future.

"What happened?"

Linsey's expression immediately changed.

He immediately opened the map and began a large-scale reconnaissance of the surrounding area.

In the pitch-black depths of the ocean, Linsey spotted a Green Marker swimming straight toward him!

"Friendly target."

"At this depth, how could anyone possibly come looking for me?"

Linsey was filled with questions.

He pondered what kind of people might be present here.

"There's no reason for Yao Xing to come looking for me underwater."

"Wala Wala —even more impossible, that guy can't swim!"

"The Art Association? They just released me, they wouldn't arrest me again so soon, would they?"

Linsey wasn't sure how to handle this situation either.

However, activating the skill will most likely be beneficial to oneself.

Moreover, the Green Marker indicating goodwill when approaching one's target suggest there is no danger.

"Let's see what it is."

Linsey turned and swam toward the other person.

He wanted to see who would come looking for him in the deep sea, thousands of meters below the surface.

"..."

Just 2 minutes and 26 seconds later.

Linsey, surrounded by the waters of the Vana Aurora Sea, regretted her actions.

Because when he approached and used the light of the Jellyfish Lamp to bring the other person into the illumination range.

He was shocked to discover.

The green dot that's close to me is a graceful Mermaid Girl.

Linsey looked closely.

He actually recognized the other person's face! "..."

It is quite difficult for humans to make sounds underwater, and the sounds are often muffled and distorted.

But the Mermaid Girl had already shouted to Linsey in a passionate and excited voice:

"My dear, I've finally found you!"