The Vanishing Painting

late at night.

A small team composed of members of the Church of the Goddess of Light arrived in Huano Town.

"It's confirmed. The targets are inside the hotel; there are three of them..."

The dark streets were Silence and desolate, with only the soft sound of leather boots scraping against the cobblestones.

At a corner, a local Church member who had been keeping watch emerged and said in a low voice.

"The Church will record your merits. Now, go back and get a good night's sleep."

The leader was a middle-aged man with a kind smile.

"Thank you... It is my duty to serve the Goddess." The stalker was somewhat flattered, bowed again, and then quickly left.

"Your Majesty Bishop?"

Beside him, a priest suddenly spoke up, his tone questioning.

"This arrest of the Black Death Society members must be done cleanly and efficiently..." The middle-aged bishop made a praying gesture. "The Federation has been very turbulent lately... Charles City, Nia City, Boji City, and most recently, Lori City have all experienced incidents. The Church members stationed there have suffered heavy casualties. Although they have ascended to His Kingdom in the glory of Goddess, it is a disgrace to us!"

"However... any action is bound to have unexpected consequences."

Accidents can happen, and injuries or fatalities may occur!

In this situation, involving locals at least provides the advantage of familiarity with the terrain.

"Rest assured, this mission will be a success. Before I left, the Archbishop entrusted me with a Curio."

The middle-aged bishop smiled and opened his briefcase.

Inside was a walnut wood oil painting frame, the front of which was covered with a black cloth, making it impossible to see the contents.

"So that's it!"

Several priests nodded excitedly.

"Begin preparations..."

The middle-aged bishop took a few more steps, bringing the inn in the distance into clear view.

He smiled, took out a picture frame, pointed it at the hotel, and tore down the curtain.

A strange and invisible force field spread out, suddenly enveloping the hotel opposite.

If you stand facing the painting directly, you can see that the painting inside the frame was originally a blank space.

But as time went by, more and more marks appeared on it, as if an invisible painter was creating something on a whim!

Time ticked by, second by second.

In the Silence all around, an oil painting was finally completed.

Its main structure is a dilapidated hotel, surrounded by deep darkness.

Then, amidst the astonished, hopeful, and other complex gazes of the crowd, the hotel across the street vanished without a trace.

It seems that the entire hotel in the real world has been sealed inside the oil painting!

"Alright, once we get back, we'll bring everyone out and verify their identities one by one."

The black-robed cardinal carefully put the painting away, covered it with an oilcloth, and spoke casually.

If it weren't for the fact that this oil painting requires time to 'paint,' and the stronger the target, the longer the painting time, and that it cannot stray from a certain area during the process, otherwise it would inevitably fail, it would definitely be considered an extremely powerful legendary Curio.

Even now, its effect is remarkable when facing stationary targets.

The Church procession quickly withdrew.

On a rooftop not far away, Sulu was watching this scene with great interest. "Curio? The effect is truly... extraordinary!"

Unfortunately, things went a little too far. An inn and all the people inside vanished into thin air. The town is sure to be in an uproar tomorrow.

"The Church of the Goddess of Light seems to have become much more cautious lately, even though they're just a few minor players..."

He couldn't help but sigh.

It seems that after suffering a few setbacks, the Church is growing rapidly.

Furthermore, they possess a deep foundation; the sheer number of Curio they've accumulated is formidable.

"I hope they won't be used against me someday..."

Sulu sighed, and his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.

"Phew... another New Year is coming."

The next morning, Sulu squinted contentedly in the warm sunshine.

He recalled that during the previous New Year, first the attack on Nia City broke out, and then Green Tree Castle's Inner Circle suffered heavy losses.

As the year 280 of the Federation Calendar approached, the Nia City had vanished once again!

How will Federation spokespeople deflect this inevitable question, or will they use it as an opportunity to introduce the Duke Act?

Sulu stretched his body and looked at the Attribute Panel:

Strength: [2.4], Agility: [6.0], Constitution: [4.3], Spirit: [10.0]...

After using his potion-making skills and mystical knowledge to examine the two ' Holy Blood Potions' and confirming that there were no problems, Sulu used them directly.

These, in turn, gave him a 0.3 increase in physique.

"Unfortunately... the effects gradually decrease. If you take more than three, it will probably only have the effect of relieving fatigue and healing injuries..."

This is a common problem in all pharmacology, at least at the advanced level, and it's an insurmountable challenge before one encounters certain specialized knowledge.

After breakfast, Sulu picked up his suitcase, said goodbye to Rose and her husband, and prepared to catch the steam train.

"Goddess!"

"Where is Old Jack's hotel?"

"I remembered it being here yesterday?"

"Where are the people inside, and even the city officials? They've all disappeared?"

"This must be a curse from the Demon!"

As they passed the inn, a large crowd had already gathered there, discussing the vanished building with expressions of fear on their faces.

Sulu pretended to be curious and watched for a while, then, seeing that time was running out, he hurried towards the train station in town.

Waaah!

With a whistle, the steam train, billowing white smoke, departed from Huano Town.

He found a secluded corner and waited quietly.

Before long, a burly man, as big as a bear, squeezed through the crowd. "What? Don't want to leave?"

He was, of course, Rhode, and had already gotten on the train a while earlier.

"No... I just suddenly felt a bit sentimental, and also about the disappearance of the inn in town..."

Sulu shook his head.

"I think I've heard a description of that Curio before. It came from the sacrificial ritual of some unfortunate soul... That person was originally a painter, madly obsessed with some strange things, seeking Inspiration from them... Until one day, he disappeared from his studio, leaving behind only that blank oil painting..."

Rhode seemed to have heard of that Curio: "After several more disappearances, the Church was finally alerted. They discovered that the missing people had entered the paintings and would completely disappear once they were out of sight of them... Don't worry about Old Jack and the others. Once the Church confirms their innocence, they will definitely release them, and perhaps even return the house to him."

"An interesting gadget, does it have a name?"

Sulu asked curiously.

"It's called ' The Painting Without Content '! It's surprisingly effective against stationary enemies, haha..." Rhode wore a disdainful expression.