Sacrifice the Self for the Greater Good

After Cyril calmly finished his account, Carlson finally asked, "Do you know why she attacked you?" "What did she look like? Can you describe her in detail?"

Cyril shook his head. "No. I don't even know her." "I can." Cyril nodded lightly. After a pause, he added, "Do you have any paper and a pen? I can draw her. My drawing skills are pretty good."

"Wait a moment."

Carlson turned and left the room. He soon returned with a half-used pencil and a blank register book that looked like something the hospital doctors used for work.

"There's no blank paper, so we'll use this for now."

Cyril nodded lightly and raised his hand, only to tug at the wound on his shoulder and pull it back with a grimace.

"Hiss... My right hand can't move very well. Hold the book for me, and I'll draw with my left hand."

An awkward look crossed Carlson's face. He had forgotten that one of Cyril's injuries was on his shoulder. With a dry laugh, he hurriedly changed the subject. "You can draw with your left hand too?"

"I've never tried, but it should be fine," Cyril replied uncertainly.

As he spoke, he took the pencil in his left hand and began sketching lines on the blank register book.

His artistic skill came from the power and knowledge he had absorbed after destroying the painting frame containing the Painting World. Besides being able to create paintings with extraordinary powers, he had also gained a vast amount of artistic knowledge and techniques, allowing him to become a master painter from nothing in a single day.

As long as he wanted to and had suitable materials, he could also paint a work containing a Painting World. However, it would not last long unless he regularly invested power into it.

In the form of that previous Angel experience card, he should have been able to create a permanently existing Painting World. After all, the essence of the Painting World was the interaction between reality and dimensions, and Angels of the Door Pathway had already touched upon the power of dimensions.

Besides the Painting World, he could also create other paintings with extraordinary powers.

For example, he could make a Painting Scroll reflect some truth of the world and influence its surroundings, or turn false content into something real that emerged from the canvas or paper and wandered within a certain range. All such paintings had time limits.

Perhaps because this power had been extracted from the Painting World, he always felt that it was incomplete.

After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Zoila Hernandez's portrait had already appeared in the blank register book before him.

He then handed the half pencil to Carlson and said, "Finished. Though I don't think this portrait will be very useful. I saw her disguise before—it looked exactly like Professor Fells."

Carlson took back the register book and glanced at it. He nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. It's almost on par with the professional artists in our team."

"We can't neglect preparations in this area just because she is skilled at disguises. It might come in handy someday."

"Alright, get some rest. I need to go back and report what you told me."

"Oh, and don't worry about your safety. We've arranged for people to protect you in secret."

"Mm, thank you." Cyril nodded to him "gratefully."

After Carlson left, Beth brought Little Thomas back to the ward and chatted with him on and off.

Beth did most of the talking, while Little Thomas occasionally chimed in. Cyril lay on the hospital bed, smiling and going along with them. He could tell Beth was trying hard to liven up the atmosphere and help him relax, but someone who had always been so serious was truly not suited to that sort of thing.

Fortunately, just as he was about to be unable to keep smiling, Owen returned with his packed food.

Looking at the food being fed toward his mouth, he protested helplessly, "I can really eat by myself. My right hand may be inconvenient, but my left hand is fine."

Beth refused decisively. "No. You have wounds too. The doctor said you can't sit up yet. Lie down properly. I'll feed you."

"Or you can let Little Thomas feed you. Pick one."

Cyril sighed. "Forget it, then."

I don't want to eat through my nostrils.

After a pause, he looked at Owen, who was watching the show from the side. "Don't you need to go back to school for class?"

Owen chuckled. "Thanks to you, the entire History Department at Backlund University has the day off today."

Cyril: ...

Sacrifice the self for the greater good, huh...

After silently grumbling, he lowered his head to look at the wounds on his body. "I think I won't need to go back to school before graduation. After all, I'm seriously injured. Maybe the school will even give me a diploma directly to comfort me."

Owen: ...

"I don't think so."

"The school should give you a chance to retake the exam. Otherwise, two people skipped class, but only one needs to take an exam. That would make me feel unbalanced."

Cyril chuckled. "You can shoot yourself too. There happens to be an empty bed beside me."

Owen: ...

Seeing Owen's speechless expression, Cyril suddenly felt a little better... Sure enough, smiles did not disappear. They merely transferred elsewhere.

After a pause, he reined in the smile at the corner of his mouth and changed the subject.

"Go to Harvest Cathedral on Daffodil Street for me and find Father Utravsky. He's good at concocting potions. I think he's more reliable than the hospital."

"I don't want to spend the next while lying in a hospital bed."

Before Owen could answer, Beth's expression suddenly turned serious. "Are you planning to convert to Mother Earth?"

Cyril immediately shook his head. "Of course not. I just happened to meet that priest before because of an accident."

"The clergy of Mother Earth's Church all have considerable knowledge of medicine, and that priest is a Blessed. Maybe I can buy some special healing medicine from him."

"I really don't understand how an ordinary student at Backlund University like you got involved with the priest of Harvest Cathedral."

Beth shook her head lightly, but she did not pursue the subject further.

After chatting for a little while longer, Cyril unknowingly fell asleep.

In his dream, he saw a vast, profound wave crashing toward him and dragging him into the depths of the sea.

Before he could struggle, his surroundings suddenly brightened. Then he realized that he had somehow appeared in an ancient church, magnificent and enormous, with towering black stone pillars.

Before the enormous cross at the front of the church, surrounded by countless bones, Adam stood in a simple white robe, smiling at him.

After hesitating in place for half a second, Cyril stepped forward and naturally nodded to him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Adam."

Adam responded gently, "Good afternoon, Mr. Cyril."

Knowing why Adam had come to see him now, Cyril had no intention of beating around the bush and immediately said,

"The information I saw was incomplete. It was only a portion of his traits. Once I become an Astrologer, perhaps I'll be able to see more through the connection between him and me."

"His full honorific name should be: Lord of Dimensions, the Eye Overlooking the Mortal World, the Source of All Fantasy, the Creator of the Painting World."

"The traits I saw at the time were related to eyes—or rather, observation."

"He can see everything in the world from above the dimensions. At the same time, because of the nature of dimensions, his observation can directly and crucially alter the subsequent development and final outcome of what he observes. It's somewhat similar to how we observe the quantum realm. Well, you should understand this better than I do."

"At the instant I met his gaze, a sentence surfaced in my mind: When I see it, the flower blooms brilliantly; when I do not, the flower and heart fall silent together."

"That corresponds to the phrase 'the Eye Overlooking the Mortal World' in his honorific name."

"The fact that I happened to see exactly these things should also have been driven by the script written by the Author, right?"

After speaking, he looked at Adam with blazing eyes, waiting for his response.

Adam merely smiled gently. "I am not a researcher in the field of physics."

"Also, when you saw him, he saw you as well. The more you glimpse of him, the more he understands about you."

"After becoming an Astrologer, you should avoid meeting his gaze again. Even through the barrier left behind by the Primordial, it is not that safe."

...So that was why you arranged this scene in the script now? To obtain the most effective information at the smallest cost?

Cyril stared straight at him without voicing the thoughts in his heart.