Chapter 430
“With Me”
Neither Eivass nor Queen Isabel stopped Janis from leaving.
This was a farewell foreseen long ago, a destined separation. To try and force her to stay now would be impolite and unsightly.
Moreover, Eivass knew another hidden reason. By leaving at this moment, Janis would have a chance to change her tragic future.
Janis was a painter. Her primary mana was Water Attribute.
Based on her understanding of the Path of Balance, in addition to Water Attribute mana, Janis also possessed mana from the Wind, Earth, and Fire Attributes, in a precise ratio of 8:5:5:5.
Due to this peculiar ratio, players back then had jokingly called her the “Golden Ratio Siu Mai Person”—Eivass remembered it exceptionally clearly.
This also mirrored Janis’s personality.
Her surface personality was much like any ordinary person, quite cheerful, showing no trace of the obsession common to those who had delved deeply into the Fifth Tier of a Path. However, her deeper personality was like an unformed pool of water.
Sometimes gentle like a stream, sometimes wild like a tsunami.
Sometimes ice, sometimes mist, sometimes snow, sometimes a spring.
Only that elusive, ever-changing essence was the Water of Balance.
If it were to remain stagnant for too long, it would turn to ice by taking on the concept of “Eternity.”
At that point, it would tilt towards the Twilight Path.
Strictly speaking, the Twilight Path was not a wrong road… but to this day, Janis had no way to turn back.
The tenets of The Path of Beauty were flow and eternity. Although there were many professions within The Path of Beauty, they could generally be divided into two major schools:
One leaned towards the Path of Balance, emphasizing the “beauty of the mirror,” maintaining the artist’s rationality and conservatism, using balanced reason and rules to control their emotions—this was flow; the other leaned towards the Twilight Path, emphasizing the “beauty of the extreme,” seeking that ultimate beauty which is both eternal and fleeting—this was eternity.
Balance and Twilight had inherent similarities. One had a Sacred Number of 5, which is the middle number whether counted from front to back or back to front among the nine numbers, and its guardian jewel was Topaz; the other had a Sacred Number of 9, the extreme of Sacred Numbers, and its guardian jewel was Amber.
Just as the spiritual aura of The Path of Beauty and the Path of Adaptation were both close to green, the colors of Balance and Twilight were also close to yellow.
After all, the Pillar God of The Path of Beauty was the Twin Mirror… and a mirror could not reflect out of nothing. Just as beauty must seek external objects.
Because of this, Extraordinarys of The Path of Beauty, after reaching the peak in the realm of pure art, would inevitably embark on a second Path. Although some pursued other Paths, it had nothing to do with The Path of Beauty itself.
As an Extraordinary from a formal art background, Janis had naturally chosen the Path of Balance back then.
The so-called “Magic Paintings”—dynamic paintings imbued with special power—were miracles born from techniques integrated into the Path of Balance. Their essence could also be considered a form of alchemical creation, thus they naturally possessed power and could be mass-produced.
But as Janis later reached a certain level, she began to question the Path she had initially chosen.
This was normal… every artist, after reaching a certain domain, found it hard to resist the call of “Twilight.” And painters and sculptors received the strongest callings.
However, Janis herself did not possess the power of the Twilight Path.
Therefore, she sought Heavenly Envoy Fragments of the Twilight Path, attempting to turn them into pigments and use their power to complete a Peak static painting.
If she was wrong, there would be only two outcomes: either she wasted the Heavenly Envoy Fragments, only to create a Magic Painting; or she would die from being unable to withstand the conflict of Paths.
But the most frightening part was that Janis had indeed proven her initial choice of Path wrong—she did possess a talent for the Twilight Path, far greater than for the Path of Balance. But she could no longer regret it.
All she could do was exhaust her strength, consume her entire past life, and use all her obsession to paint her final work.
In the static painting “Skull in Amber” that she would create in the future, the dim yellow radiance emanating from it was precisely Janis’s own skull.
This was also why Extraordinarys of The Path of Beauty would only begin to choose their second Path after reaching a certain level. At least for Extraordinarys of The Path of Beauty, Balance and Twilight were entirely contradictory paths. Choosing one meant negating the other.
The concept she taught Isabel, that “the real is the real, and the fake is the fake,” was the concept of the Path of Balance; while the concept of the Twilight Path was “the fake can become real, and the real can become fake.”
Thus, Janis, who had tilted towards the Twilight Path, lost control and turned into a Phantom Demon, could switch between reality and illusion easily.
This was precisely what “Beauty” reinforced by the Twilight Path could accomplish. At that time, her Mana Pool turned into pure, single-attribute Water.
—Looking back now, the death of Queen Sophia was probably a very important turning point.
As an immortal being, she had formed friendships with too many humans. Experiencing repeated bonds and partings, her spirit eventually began to lean towards the Twilight Path.
She wanted to freeze the past that had already passed, refused to acknowledge Queen Sophia’s death, wanted to paint for a long time on Glass Island, and painted slower and slower… this was precisely because her spirit was tilting towards Twilight.
On the original timeline, Master Janis probably began to tilt at this point.
Even preventing Janis from obtaining the Heavenly Envoy Fragment of the Amber Heavenly Envoy would have been useless—her heart had already become twisted then; stopping her for a moment would not stop her for a lifetime.
Tracing back to the root, it was because Queen Sophia on that worldline did not meet a good end.
She did not die of old age, but by betrayal—what followed was an unspeakably ugly power struggle.
Janis never had a chance to bid farewell to Sophia, and she had no mood to properly paint this initial, and final, painting.
She could only shoulder her easel and leave Avalon in disappointment. This emotion was not forgotten but festered in her heart, eventually becoming the inner demon that devoured Janis’s humanity.
—However, Eivass changed this future.
She eventually quietly finished the painting, and instead of taking it with her, left it for Eivass and the others.
This was letting go.
She finally let go of her obsession, expelled the pent-up frustration from her chest, and frankly acknowledged her friend’s death.
And because of this, the water that had been still, almost like ice, began to flow again, turning into elusive mist, drifting with the wind towards the unknown distance.
Janis’s departure at this moment was the beginning of her redemption.
Her fate was thus changed.
That phrase, “Life is short, cherish it well,” was her regret and sigh for her close friend Sophia’s entire life.
Eivass quite liked this gentle and free-spirited elder during his time with Master Janis. He was very happy to have the chance to change her fate and save her future.
The only regret was that… with Janis’s interruption, Eivass and Isabel had to rush back to the Silver and Tin Hall.
Originally, they had planned to spend the entire afternoon shopping on the last day of 1898, during Queen Isabel’s rare holiday, but now they had to end it early.
—Such an important item, if it were accidentally stained or torn outside, he would be heartbroken.
This painting was undoubtedly Master Janis’s masterpiece, a precious gift imbued with her intense emotions and memories, and also proof that Eivass had changed Janis’s fate.
With just a casual glance, Isabel could feel a “resonance of beauty” and thus enhance the strength of her Path Power.
She even felt as if she were vaguely touching the threshold of the Fourth Tier.
This was the primary method of advancement for Extraordinarys of The Path of Beauty.
Just as Priests, besides their daily prayers, could also advance their Path Energy Level by healing others; similarly, for The Path of Beauty, besides basic daily practice, the most important advancement method was “aesthetics.”
Whether it was listening to music, watching plays, or appreciating paintings and sculptures, as long as it resonated, evoked insight, and immediately improved one’s skill in the corresponding field, it represented an increase in Path Power.
It was precisely due to the deep foundation she had accumulated over the years that Isabel, after embarking on the path of the Extraordinary, could keep pace with Sherlock’s Path of Wisdom and even surpass it now.
Sherlock was still far from the Fourth Tier, but Isabel had touched its edge.
This was the accumulation of aesthetic experience over so many years that allowed her to build upon it and surge forward.
Of course, if one’s skill and talent were too poor, it would be difficult to realize the beauty of a certain painting or opera.
If it were not for Isabel, but other students at school, they probably wouldn’t have gained anything from this painting…
This painting could inspire painters who had been stuck at the Third or even Fourth Tier for a long time, most likely leading to insights.
It could be considered a National Treasure—with this painting, Avalon now possessed the inheritance of the Fifth Tier of The Path of Beauty.
This was undoubtedly a generous gift.
…But sending it back with only Eivass would leave him uneasy about Isabel’s safety.
They had come out shopping incognito to relax, so naturally, they hadn’t brought any attendants, servants, or guards.
Only at this moment did he miss Master Janis’s surveillance.
But she had already left. Unless she suddenly missed her friends in Avalon, it was unlikely she would return through those portraits.
And given Janis’s free-spirited nature, she probably wouldn’t return for a very, very long time.
Watching Isabel, who was somewhat disappointed at not being able to go shopping, Eivass felt a pang of sympathy.
Especially since Isabel was currently using Yulia’s appearance, with that little cat-like face, it doubled Eivass’s sympathy.
He suddenly opened his mouth, wanting to distract Isabel, “Have you thought of a name for it? Master Janis didn’t seem to name this painting.”
“I’ll do it?”
Isabel was a little surprised.
“Of course,” Eivass said, holding the painting with a smile, “You can’t expect me to name it, can you? You are the true ‘all-rounder’.”
As if struck by an idea, Isabel’s initially somewhat disappointed mood suddenly lifted, and she said enthusiastically, “Then it’s me! Let me think carefully…”
Eivass’s plan was successful.
Isabel, using Yulia’s appearance, frowned in concentration until they returned to the Silver and Tin Hall.
Isabel’s disguise was truly excellent.
Eivass stared at her profile, thinking to himself.
There would be no chance for a walk today… but tomorrow was the Candle-holding Ceremony, which would also be quite lively. They could still go out and relax.
If Isabel could skillfully use the “painted skin” that Master Janis had recreated for her, Eivass wouldn’t have to worry about her having any accidents even if she went out alone.
“Got it!”
Isabel suddenly tugged lightly at Eivass’s sleeve and leaned closer.
She said earnestly, word by word, “Let’s call it… ‘With Me’.”
Eivass was taken aback for a moment.
He quickly realized why Isabel had chosen this name and couldn’t help but smile helplessly.
Besides the friendship between Janis and Sophia… it was also because Eivass had said a sentence to her that morning that Isabel would never forget, a sentence that deeply impressed her.
“— I Am With You.”
