"When Queen Rowling was halfway through speaking, she said time was running out and that she was about to disappear. Then she mentioned leaving the things for me and returned to the painting. No matter how I called her, she didn’t respond." Little Saim lowered his head, looking slightly dejected.
Queen Rowling in the painting? Why does it feel a little strange... Angel was silent for a moment: "Take me to see it, then."
Little Saim nodded: "Okay, Mr. Pat, please follow me."
...
Standing inside the secret chamber filled with artworks, Little Saim pointed to the wall inscribed with runes and said, "That’s the entrance."
"When I was young, my mother brought me here and said this pattern contains a secret. Only when a suitable descendant of Saint Sem appears and smears it with blood can the secret be revealed." Little Saim said, "However, even after many generations, no so-called suitable person has appeared. My mother wasn’t suitable either. She brought me here merely as a formality to see if I was the chosen one."
At this point, Little Saim suddenly seemed a bit embarrassed and said, "But, I was afraid of pain at the time, so while my mother wasn’t looking, I secretly used Sobi’s blood... Sobi was my mother’s Great Dane."
"Naturally, there was no reaction at the time. This time I came over, originally just to try it out, but I actually entered a strange space. Does this mean I’m the chosen one?" Little Saim asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Mr. Pat, do you know what a suitable person is?"
Angel pondered for a moment: "It should be certain special substances in bloodlines, which must match with specific codes in the inscriptions. This might be what’s called a suitable person, a kind of generational positioning for specific bloodlines."
"Is that so?" Little Saim felt confused as if he understood, but there seemed to be a veil over it.
Angel looked at the inscriptions; he could actually activate them with his power. But since it requires a bloodline-specific chosen one, it suggests there might be some defensive mechanism. To avoid any issues, Angel let Little Saim activate it.
Little Saim no longer bothered about the matter of being the chosen one, moved forward, bit his fingertip, and smeared the blood on the inscriptions.
When the blood touched the inscriptions, a dark red light enveloped both Little Saim and Angel.
In the next second, they found themselves in a narrow room.
The room wasn’t large, and there were few things inside. In the center hung an oil painting of Queen Rowling, beneath which was a locked deerskin iron box. In the upper right corner, there was a row of grooves, resembling a carved isolation pool, but at the moment it was already dry.
That was all there was.
Little Saim walked to the oil painting and said, "This is the painting. Previously, Queen Rowling came out of it and talked with me. But now, no matter how I call for her, she doesn’t respond."
To prove it, Little Saim stood in front of the painting, foolishly calling the queen’s title, naturally without any response.
Angel also turned his gaze to the oil painting.
It was a lifelike portrait of an elderly lady, as far as the craftsmanship goes, definitely a masterpiece by a top-tier artistic master.
Most importantly, the portrait seemed to have magic power, drawing people irresistibly towards the lady within.
Even though she had grey hair, wrinkles covered her face, and her skin sagged into folds, the elegance inherent in her bones made her shockingly beautiful.
The beauty that resides in the bone, not the skin.
Even Angel felt his heart race, so beautiful was the woman in the painting...and so impressive was the skill of the painter.
Angel could feel this was an ordinary oil painting, but it had developed a spirit, though this spirit had now disappeared.
Presumably, just to convey the conversation with Little Saim, the spirit expended all its power.
"A spirit? Not Queen Rowling?" Little Saim heard Angel’s explanation, a hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Perhaps this spirit was born because of Queen Rowling." Angel reached out to gently stroke the frame, slowly directing his gaze to the lower right of the painting.
Then, he saw a name that was unsurprising.
Feng.
Angel chuckled softly: "So it turns out."
He had heard that the renowned Magic Painter Wizard Mirafel von had once lived in the overseas city of art for a period. And even people of Flourish Continent heard of this city, which was—Saint Sem City.
So when Little Saim earlier mentioned that Queen Rowling came out of the painting, his focus was not on Queen Rowling but rather...the painting.
At that time, there was a faint premonition in his heart.
Seeing this familiar name now, he was not surprised.
"Turns out what?" Little Saim didn’t understand and looked at Angel.
"It’s nothing. The spirit in the painting, whether or not it’s Queen Rowling, doesn’t matter. You only need to know its existence merely intended to convey a message to you as a descendant. Now that the message is delivered, the spirit naturally dissipates."
Since the spirit within the painting had vanished, Angel didn’t continue discussing this topic and instead asked, "When Queen Rowling spoke with you, did she mention the author of this painting?"
Little Saim nodded: "She did mention, the painter was the wizard Queen Rowling met in her later years. Because of this wizard, Queen Rowling realized the wizarding world existed in such splendor."
"Right!" Little Saim pointed at the deerskin iron box beneath the portrait: "What’s in this iron box is what’s left to me by Queen Rowling. It’s said to have been gifted by that wizard."
While speaking, Little Saim picked up the iron box and handed it to Angel: "This is a gift for you, sir."
Angel glanced at the iron box, which appeared ordinary, but the lock had inscriptions engraved on it, clearly needing the Saint Sem bloodline for activation.
Though the box required the Saint Sem bloodline to unlock, it wasn’t made of exceptional materials. Angel could sense the contents inside via spiritual power.
Seeing the items inside clearly, Angel’s expression turned a bit peculiar.
"Are you sure you want to give it to me?" Angel asked, staring at Little Saim.
Little Saim nodded: "I’m very sure. I’ve mentioned before that I’m deeply grateful for everything you’ve done. If it weren’t for you, even if I arrived here, I couldn’t have dealt with the undead outside, and I wouldn’t have gotten this box. Moreover, I might not have even reached here."
"I have nothing to repay you with, and mundane artifacts probably wouldn’t interest you. The only thing I can offer is the contents inside."
Angel asked once more: "You’ve decided to give me this without even checking what’s inside?"
Little Saim scratched his head: "If I looked, I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to give it."
Angel looked deeply at Little Saim and eventually shook his head with a laugh: "I don’t need the items inside; they don’t hold any use for me."
Little Saim was stunned: "Aren’t they wizard items? They are of no use to you?"
Angel nodded: "Yes, they’re of no use to me. You don’t believe it? Go ahead and open it to see what’s inside."