Chapter 2239 Canyon <TOC> Chapter 2241 Pink Mist
Translator: SumTLMan
Considering the current construction progress of the New City and the common routes used by wizards, the best location for the art exhibition is near the entrance of the New City, in the mission dispatch area.
This mission dispatch area, which served as the provisional command center before the New City was fully established, is not just a place for accepting missions but also a distribution center for resources as part of city planning.
Due to the demand for resources, wizards arriving in the New City generally visit the mission dispatch area, making it the area with the highest traffic at the moment.
However, although the mission dispatch area has numerous buildings, they are all temporary structures, making it challenging to find a suitable venue for the Art Exhibition.
“Or should we simply hold an open-air art exhibition?” Angel pondered to himself, considering that the paintings were created with illusion magic and therefore not susceptible to damage from wind and rain.
While thinking, Angel headed towards the mission dispatch area.
Upon arrival, he first wandered around, observing the architectural surroundings while internally assessing the situation.
As he had thought, the temporary buildings did not consider aesthetics and were essentially made do with what was available. Aside from a temporary city hall, the buildings were mostly unattractive stone houses, giving off a primitive vibe.
Even if Angel were to simulate Feng’s paintings with illusion, placing them in such rudimentary buildings felt like a disservice to art. Moreover, he estimated that other wizards would not take an art exhibition seriously if it were located here.
Angel wondered if it would be better to construct a more elegant gallery nearby.
As he was contemplating this, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
“I’m busy day and night building the New City, and here you are, acting like a hands-off manager.”
Turning around, Angel saw a beautiful witch dressed in a rose-patterned court gown approaching him.
“Good afternoon, Liana.” Angel greeted her with a smile, directly ignoring Liana’s complaint. He could tell from her tone, although filled with complaints, there was no anger, and she even had a slight smile on her face, indicating she was in a good mood.
After all, personally establishing a tea party that was unprecedented and could potentially change the course of the era, Liana found the hard work sweet, despite its challenges.
Sure enough, after approaching, Liana did not mention the “hands-off manager” comment again. Instead, she crossed her arms and looked directly at Angel: “I saw you from the third-floor window of the city hall when you arrived here… I’ve seen you wandering around here for a while, what are you doing?”
Liana originally thought Angel had come to find her, as she was the only witch temporarily in charge of the mission dispatch area. However, Angel didn’t go to the city hall upon his arrival; instead, he leisurely walked around, which puzzled Liana, so she came to find him directly.
“Ah? What did you say? An art exhibition?” Liana’s face was filled with disbelief upon hearing Angel’s response.
“Yes, I want to hold an art exhibition here.”
“If you said you wanted to hold an exhibition of alchemy works or a new product launch, I wouldn’t be surprised. But an art exhibition?” Liana said, “When did you start taking the path of pure art?”
“I don’t plan to exhibit my own paintings.” Angel casually summoned a painting framed by rose vines using his “Celestial Cycle” power and the art of illusion.
“Not your paintings?” Liana looked puzzled at the illusion created by Angel.
“Your use of illusion in the Wilderness of Dreams is truly remarkable.” While admiring, Liana focused on the painting.
The painting depicted a summer town viewed from the top of a mountain. The colors were very vibrant, with extensive use of saturated bright colors, making one feel the laziness brought by the summer heat just by looking at it.
However, Liana meticulously discerned for a long time but… still couldn’t figure out the origin of the painting.
Ultimately, it was the title in the bottom right corner that revealed the artist to her: “Mirafael Von.”
“Is this a painting by the Magic Painter?!” Liana exclaimed in surprise.
Angel nodded: “Yes.”
Liana looked at the painting again. As someone who hadn’t even stepped into the threshold of the art of painting, she initially thought this painting was just in the category of being pleasing to the eye. But when she heard that this was a painting by the Magic Painter, her appreciation of the painting deepened with every look.
Though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what made it better, it simply became more pleasing to the eye than before.
Feigning an understanding of art, admiring, and pondering for a few minutes, Liana finally turned to Angel: “This painting, undoubtedly created by the Magic Painter, is filled with a profound sense of history, as if witnessing time meandering and flowing within the painting.”
Angel: “…” Where did you discern this profound sense of history?
Watching Liana earnestly spouting nonsense, Angel remained silent for a moment before deciding not to expose her.
“I plan to organize an exhibition where all the paintings are the Magic Painter’s works,” Angel steered the conversation back on track.
“Such an exhibition would surely attract many wizards with an artistic pursuit like myself,” Liana paused: “Still, I’m somewhat puzzled, why do you think of organizing such an exhibition? Just to display the Magic Painter’s works?”
“On this journey, I accidentally discovered a batch of Von’s paintings. At first glance, they all seem like ordinary oil paintings, but given that the author is the Magic Painter, I thought that these paintings might contain some secrets.”
Liana didn’t probe into how Angel discovered Von’s paintings but followed his line of reasoning: “So, you’re thinking of using the exhibition to leverage the discerning eyes of other wizards to uncover secrets hidden within the paintings?”
“Exactly.” Angel didn’t intend to hide this since he couldn’t always stay in the Wilderness of Dreams. If indeed some wizards discover secrets within the paintings after the exhibition is launched, he would need Liana’s help to communicate.
After careful thought, Liana believed there might be some truth to Angel’s speculation.
After all, it’s the renowned Magic Painter we’re talking about.
The works of the Magic Painter, filled with weirdness and mystery. Even the most ordinary oil paintings might hide carefully arranged secrets.
“Do you plan to hold the exhibition in the mission dispatch area?”
Angel nodded: “This place has the highest flow of wizards. Hosting the exhibition here makes it easier for them to see it. My only concern is that there seems to be no suitable building nearby to host an exhibition. I’m contemplating whether to specially construct a gallery.”
Liana: “That said, the mission dispatch area is only temporary after all, and it’s bound to be demolished eventually. Even if it’s currently popular, won’t it become deserted after it’s torn down? My suggestion is to put the exhibition in the New City.”
“It doesn’t need to be exhibited for long; this period of time will suffice.”
However, Liana shook her head: “Such masterpieces, how can they only be exhibited for a few days? At least plan for a year or half a year.”
“Ah?”
Angel’s attitude is that the exhibition will only last for these few days. But Liana didn’t think so. He hadn’t paid much attention before, but after giving it some thought, he realized that this was also a very good opportunity.
Even if Feng’s paintings are just ordinary paintings, even if there are no secrets hidden within, they can still serve as the foundation of art!
As someone about to host a cross-era tea party, Liana felt this was a very good opportunity to showcase her foundation.
Imagine, when the tea party is held, witches walking in the New City stumble upon an inconspicuous gallery in the depths of an unassuming alley. Curious, they enter, expecting nothing special, only to discover that the gallery is exhibiting masterpieces by the Magic Painter!
If another hook is thrown out, suggesting that there might be secrets hidden within the paintings.
Liana could even envision the discolored faces of those witches with a taste for art and a love for collecting Feng’s paintings.
Just the thought of it made Liana very satisfied.
Such an art exhibition with artistic foundation must be held! And it must be held long-term!
At least until the day the tea party ends.
Angel: “Is that necessary? I’ve inspected these paintings myself and found no secrets. The intention of holding this exhibition was just to prove that I wasn’t wrong; it doesn’t need to last that long…”
“Even if there are no secrets, such magnificent works of art need to be seen by more people, to justify their existence.” Liana’s voice was firm and powerful.
Seeing Liana suddenly become so righteous, Angel was somewhat unaccustomed: “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Liana said decisively: “Therefore, such an exhibition absolutely cannot be placed in the mission dispatch area. It would be such a waste to tear it down later. Let’s go to the New City instead, I’ll help you find the most suitable place!”
As she spoke, Liana began pulling Angel towards the New City.
Angel originally wanted to say: The paintings themselves are just illusions, and even if they were to be exhibited long-term, they could initially be placed in the mission dispatch area. After the mission dispatch area is demolished, they could then be moved to the New City.
However, before he could speak, Liana had already led him to stand under a building flashing with neon signs and painted with rose patterns.
Angel stared at the building in a daze because this building was where Rhine used to be… the Rosewater Pavilion.
The Rosewater Pavilion’s structure is adorned with graceful patterns, full of artistic flair. Moreover, situated on the main thoroughfare of the New City, with an unbuilt area in front, witches and apprentices passing by after picking up missions would always pass by here.
Angel thought carefully and felt that this place wasn’t too bad for holding an art exhibition; it wouldn’t disgrace the art.
However, Angel hadn’t finished pondering when he discovered that, although Liana had stopped at the Rosewater Pavilion, she didn’t take him inside. Instead, she ran to a deep alley behind the pavilion, following the deserted alley to its end, where a western-style house appeared.
“This is the place!” Liana looked around and felt that this location perfectly matched the scene she had imagined——a hidden gem of art tucked away in an inconspicuous alley, astonishing to the outside world.
Just the thought of it excited her!
Angel, looking at the western-style house… Although the house itself was exquisite and carried a touch of Earth’s romance and mystery due to being designed by Jon, making it a fitting place for Feng’s paintings, it indeed added a certain charm.
But! No matter how beautiful, one couldn’t ignore the fact that it was located in such a secluded place!
Who would visit an art exhibition here? By the time he left the Tidal Realm, it was probable that the number of visitors wouldn’t even reach double digits, completely contrary to his original intention.
“No, this won’t do.” Angel’s refusal was evident on his face.
Liana hadn’t expected Angel’s rejection to be so firm. However, she really didn’t want to give up the scenario she had imagined.
After some discussion and compromise, it was decided to hold the art exhibition outside at the Rosewater Pavilion before the tea party. After the tea party started, the exhibition would be moved here, adding a touch of mystery to the depth of art.
Having reached a consensus, Liana took Angel back to the Rosewater Pavilion outside the alley and transformed its second floor into an art gallery.
Liana’s transformation of the gallery caused quite a stir, attracting Rhine from the sixth floor to come down.
Not just Rhine, but Iron Armor Granny and Dulmatin also came downstairs.
When they learned that Liana was making such a fuss to help Angel organize an art exhibition, they were surprised until Angel displayed nearly a hundred paintings, enlightening them.
Compared to the amateur Liana, whether it was Rhine or Iron Armor Granny, having lived long enough, their appreciation for art had become even more refined with the passing years. Even Dulmatin, born into nobility, had a high level of appreciation for paintings.
Therefore, upon seeing the first painting, they could immediately tell it was the work of the Magic Painter.
As the first group of viewers of the exhibition, they were filled with interest in Angel’s upcoming exhibition and began to view the paintings one by one.
It perfectly aligns with Angel’s intention; perhaps after viewing the artwork, Rhine and others might uncover the secrets hidden within the paintings.
As Rhine and the rest began to appreciate the paintings, initially, they thought this exhibition might be a gathering of works by renowned artists.
However, upon reaching the seventh and eighth paintings and realizing they were still the creations of the Magic Painter, their expressions began to subtly shift.
“Are all these paintings the work of the Magic Painter?” Dulmatin turned to Angel.
Angel nodded: “Yes.”
“I am aware of some of the Magic Painter’s pieces and their collection locations, but to see so many gathered in one place is a first for me,” Iron Armor Granny remarked with a sense of wonder.
“Many of the Magic Painter’s works are not secret. I’ve also seen quite a few through wizard magazines, but I have not seen a single one of these paintings before,” Dulmatin couldn’t help but look at Angel: “Where did you get so many previously unseen masterpieces?”
Dulmatin’s question was also the doubt in everyone else’s hearts present, even Liana, who had not been inquiring before, couldn’t help but perk up her ears.
Angel, however, smiled mysteriously: “The origin of the painting is not as interesting when spoken. Perhaps you could take a look for yourselves, maybe you’ll find some clues within, uncovering some secrets.”
The others didn’t mind Angel’s reticence.
It was through Angel’s chance that he discovered Feng’s painting; to forcibly question him would sour their relationship.
Moreover, Angel’s point had some merit; perhaps they could uncover some secrets within these paintings, deducing them on their own.