Chen Xiaojun gently picked up the illustrated album and slowly leafed through it.
A luxury publication worth a hundred gold coins was, of course, anything but simple.
These portraits presented each beauty's charms from multiple angles and in different settings: intimate close-ups, distant compositions, graceful profiles, the splendor of palace robes, the curves of fitted dresses, and their valiant bearing in battle.
Every page captured a different image of a beauty, far beyond what a single, monotonous poster could offer.
However, the number of portraits varied from one woman to another.
Bo Saixi, ranked ninth, led the pack with nine exquisite portraits.
Her images were mostly connected to the sea. In some, she held the Golden Trident, displaying an air of stately elegance; in others, she stood before Sea God Hall, her expression devout in prayer, vividly bringing to life her image as the Holy Maiden of Sea God Island.
Chen Yanwu's portraits, meanwhile, were bound inextricably to the moon.
There was the tranquility of her gently playing an instrument in the moonlight, the valor of her sword dance beneath the moon, and the ethereal beauty of a scene reminiscent of "Falling Moon," with the moon reflected in water behind her.
Moonlight Academy and a backdrop of petals filling the sky added considerable charm to her images.
There were eight portraits in total, each artfully highlighting the distinctive qualities of the Moon Palace and Moonlight Academy, leaving viewers enchanted.
Zhan Ruoxi and Hu Qian Ning each had seven portraits, which likewise vividly displayed their individual traits.
Hu Qian Ning's portraits, for instance, captured the mystery of five tails gleaming with spiritual light, the blazing intensity of "Fox Tails Blaze Like Me," the majestic grandeur of "Fox Sky Vast Sea," and her leisurely travels through Qingqiu.
The next few beauties on