"Reputation, credibility?"
Looking at the painter before him, dressed like a vagrant, Tang Qi once again thought of the time he'd been kicked out of a tavern and tried to prove himself to the drunks all over again.
That experience had put an end to his habit of judging people by their appearance.
Instead, he asked:
"All right, maybe you really do have some. But how can you prove it?"
As soon as they talked about his professional ability, the painter couldn't help giving a soft snort.
"An ordinary person's painting couldn't possibly fetch the high price of 3,000 gold."
"So the 3,000 gold wasn't money you paid out of pocket to paint for nobles?" Tang Qi teased.
"Of course not! That was the deposit they paid me!"
"And then?"
"Then—uh, well, it's just..."
Merlin sighed.
"All right, I admit I messed up. But it definitely wasn't all my fault."
Tang Qi didn't respond, waiting for Merlin to continue.
"I'd accepted an invitation from Mr. Carlo to paint a portrait of his wife, Ms. Sophia.
"There was nothing unusual about that. Mr. Carlo had married into her family, and he gave Ms. Sophia all sorts of gifts to win her favor. A portrait was one of the most ordinary.
"Ms. Sophia was a renowned beauty in the area, and painting her would have been a pleasure in itself. It was just that she'd rarely been seen in public over the past two years.
"When I had no reputation, I wouldn't have stood a chance of getting the commission to paint her portrait.
"So I had no reason to refuse. I didn't even wonder why Carlo had so many choices, yet had picked me in the end.
"I thought he'd recognized my skill.
"But the moment I happily walked into their