A Stunning Masterpiece

Yor stood before a painting of a guillotine, her hands clasped together, utterly entranced.

Twilight looked completely baffled.

Richie stepped forward and studied the painting. It seemed to depict Napoleon being beheaded, or perhaps Louis XVI.

Once Yor saw a blade, she could not tear herself away. She had probably put herself in the executioner's shoes.

Twilight could not help sighing inwardly again. "Let's go rest over there!"

When they reached the rest area, Anya clamored to draw. An idea struck Richie, and he began drawing opposite her.

As Anya drew, she muttered, "Anya's family lives in a big, big castle. The boss of the secret organization is Commander Chimera. Father is a spy. Heave-ho, heave-ho. Mother is an assassin. Kill, kill, kill. Heave-ho."

Richie remained silent across from Anya, the oil pastel in his hand like a weapon.

He quietly held himself in check, pouring out the emotions in his heart.

At just eight years old, he had come alone to this unfamiliar world. It was not a peaceful world, but one full of war. He had to stay vigilant at all times to keep himself alive.

After facing danger again and again, he had finally found a wonderful family and gained a temporary haven.

But this was not his own world, after all. However much he liked it here, he had no idea when he might be forced to leave.

Even setting aside his own situation as Zhang Si, the body he had borrowed, Richie's background, and Richie's abilities posed major problems of their own.

Unknown dangers lurked everywhere.

And bearing all of this was merely a six-year-old body with an eight-year-old soul.

On the drawing wall, Richie displayed Zhang Si's artistic skills and Richie's artistic talent, letting out all his pent-up stress.

In only moments, he had completed a breathtaking painting.

A little melancholy, he set down his drawing tool and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as though it were nothing. Then he broke into a smile and returned to his usual lazy demeanor, half yawning and half rubbing his eyes.

Over by the benches, Twilight stood up. "All right, let's head to the next place!"

Yor answered beside him, "Okay."

The two went over to Anya first. By then, she had also put down her drawing tool and was admiring her masterpiece with satisfaction.

"Anya, it's time to go," Twilight said as he approached her.

When Anya saw Twilight, she realized she was in trouble. If he saw this, Father and Mother would find out about her ability.

Terrified and trembling all over, Anya threw herself against the wall with her limbs spread wide, desperately covering the picture she had just drawn.

Twilight looked at the wall with an indulgent smile. "Oh! I didn't expect such a masterpiece. There's a pig in the forest."

Anya hurried to object. "That's Commander Chimera living in a castle."

Understanding dawned on Twilight. "I see. Well, I can still recognize Bondman, right? That's from last week's spy cartoon, isn't it?"

Twilight continued, "In that case, this witch-looking figure must be the princess! That's a pretty unusual taste. This cat is quite cute, though."

Still covering part of the drawing and refusing to turn around, Anya corrected Twilight again. "It's a doggy."

Twilight finished with, "I see. Sorry."

Knowing that he had failed to discover her secret in the end, Anya wore an expression that said, I didn't do anything, but I still deserve a pat on the back.

The three gathered together and went over to Richie.

The moment they saw Richie's work, all three were stunned.

They stood frozen in place, their eyes fixed on the painting, each letting out a "Wow-" with their mouths open so wide that their jaws might have been dislocated.

Even Twilight took several seconds to recover before asking in disbelief, "Richie, did... did you draw this?"

Richie blinked his big, bright eyes. "Father, Mother, Anya, Richie drew it. Isn't it pretty?"

The three snapped out of their trance and shook their heads, answering in unison, "No, no, it's just too beautiful."

"Richie, you're an absolute genius!" Even Yor, who was only interested in blades, could not help exclaiming.

Twilight was still a little dazed. This child was extraordinarily gifted. With proper training, he would surely become a world-class painter. Richie would definitely pass Eden Academy's second-round assessment.

Anya's eyes shone like brilliant stars. "Big brother Richie is amazing! So excited, so excited! Anya's big brother is incredible! So exciting!"

Yawning nonstop, Richie reached out and patted Anya's hair.

"Father, Mother, where are we going next?" Richie tugged at Twilight's trousers.

Twilight put on his hat and picked Richie up. "We're going to the clothing shop next."

Richie had spent a long time drawing, using his talent and burning through his body's energy. As he climbed onto Twilight's shoulder, he fell fast asleep.

Not long after Twilight's family of four left, a veteran of the art world at the gallery began inspecting the children's drawings in the rest area, hoping to find a gifted child to carry on his legacy.

He made his way around the rest area, finding only messy, casual drawings. Although these children were not especially talented, their childlike innocence remained intact, and their futures still lay wide open.

Just as the old painter was leaving in disappointment, he happened to glimpse a magnificent work in a corner.

The distant glimpse alone stunned the old painter. As though he had grown fifty years younger, he shot over to the painting with a whoosh.

These lines, these colors, this composition! Even the most gifted person couldn't reach this level after decades of study! This was the very benchmark of the profession, a modern-day Leonardo da Vinci, a future Van Gogh.

Tears streamed down the old man's face. How could a child possibly have drawn this? Some master had clearly created a work here.

How could someone of this caliber become his apprentice? Their skill far surpassed his own.

The old painter wept freely. In all his decades in the art world, he had never seen such a stunning painting. This work was elegant, elegant, simply too elegant!

With a sudden spring in his step, the old painter called over the gallery staff and had them frame the painting, add it to the exhibition, and offer a substantial reward to find its artist.

This old painter was not only a leading figure in the art world, but also a senior faculty member at Eden Academy. He was among the interviewers for this year's second round of admissions.

Twilight's family of four arrived at their usual clothing shop to pick up the formalwear that had already been made.

"I'm sorry for taking up your time off." Yor felt deeply apologetic. She was spending not only Twilight's money, but his time as well, and she felt terrible about it.

For Twilight, buying formalwear, cultivating their appreciation for art, and preparing for the second-round assessment were his current job.

There was no question of wasting his time, so Twilight merely smiled with narrowed eyes and said casually, "It's fine. This is necessary."

Having finished trying on her outfit beside them, Anya twirled in place in delight. "Anya's formal outfit is super cute-"

Richie bared his pearly white teeth and said happily, "Richie's formal outfit is super handsome too-"

Once Richie finished, Anya continued, "It fits Anya perfectly. This shop is great. Anya likes it."

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed in a happy smile. "Thank you."

Richie chuckled. A spark flashed through his mind, and an idea was born.