“I was a… clumsy painter.” Nigel sat next to Annan and whispered with his head down.
There were hardly any people on the subway to travel from the Noah Kingdom to Austere-Winter Dukedom, so they all sat in the front row of the train.
Undoubtedly, they were on a subway that was underground. However, its seating arrangement was closer to the train. It was just that they were not assigned to any seat, and they could freely choose wherever they wanted to sit.
The first-class seat in the subway was a low sofa with two rows facing each other that could accommodate two to three people. There was also a wooden table in the middle of each set. Each table had a plate of fresh fruit, a plate of dried fruit, a plate of preserved fruit, and a plate of cakes. This table could even be used for reading, writing, or painting.
Sitting across from them were Jiu Er and Lin Yiyi intrigued by the story.
Among the three players present, Suuankou could sit beside Lin Yiyi or Annan as he was the only male among them. After all, Annan was petite, so they could squeeze another person on the sofa.
However, after seeing the competitiveness in Lin Yiyi and Jiu Er’s eyes and reaching a compromise (referring to no one sitting there), Suuankou, sitting next to Annan, was ruthlessly rushed to the table across the corridor by his sister.
But, he got to occupy two sofas and a table by himself, including all the snacks.
For Suuankou, it was refreshing to lie on the sofa while listening to the stories.
But speaking of it, Suuankou found Annan a lot cuter after getting those white hair. Anyway, Annan wouldn’t shy away from male players. Kafni had nothing to be wary of, and Suuankou would try getting closer to Annan from time to time.
As the famous author Anderson had once said — since Annan couldn’t be f**ked anyway, and the actual gender did not matter, then it was better to think of Annan as a beautiful girl in his mind. Anyway, Annan looked cute and hadn’t started to change his voice in puberty yet.
Like in every silly group, there would always be a lucky group of friends who were chosen by the masses and sacrificed and became a “trap” girl.
If I think about it this way, whether it’s hugging Annan or sitting and chatting with Annan, isn’t it the same as taking advantage of the young and lovely white-haired princess?!
I am really talented.
Suuankou was in awe of Anderson.
These days, not many people look directly at their desires like this.
Thinking about it carefully, he even wanted to call the police immediately.
Annan is only 14 years old. What am I doing!?
But looking back, Annan’s charm was indeed a little unusual. Previously, it was an average level of beauty. However, after Annan adopted white hair, even Suuankou glanced at Annan repeatedly. Annan’s voice seemed more alluring, and even his words became more convincing.
Is this some charisma-related ability?
While Suuankou was thinking… Nigel, seated beside Annan, was still whispering his story.
“I’m really… a clumsy painter.
“Neither my parents were painters, not even in the art industry. My father was a treasurer of a viscount, and my mother was a low-tier ritualist. They wanted me to be a transcender in the future, preferably enrolling into Swamp’s Black Tower to learn Alteration magic.”
Nigel looked at the table and said softly, “Because of their work, they had access to Alteration products and knew how much money they could make from it. They felt this was a safe way to make a lot of money without being busy, and the work would stay relevant for a long time. Moreover, it was a profession with the ability to harness transcended power.
“So when I was determined to become a painter, I encountered unprecedented obstacles. Not only was I not paid a penny since I was fourteen, but I was also even kicked out of the house, and naturally, I had no food. I could only go back after admitting my mistake.
“My father was still famous in our town at that time, so no one was willing to hire me for labor work. He had also spoken to the folks he knew, making me unable to find a job. I knew nothing. It was hard to support myself, and I needed money to buy paint and canvas for painting.”
The middle-aged painter sighed and took a deep breath, “I was young at the time, I didn’t know anything, and I didn’t suffer much hardship. After experiencing hunger, I decided not to return, no matter what. Even if I were starved to death, I would not go back and apologize.”
Luckily, you did not go. Otherwise, you would be dead now. Annan was silent for a moment.
The wizards at Swamp’s Black Tower were all dead. It was something that had yet to be made public. Such atrocities in the country would undoubtedly lead to the decline of the Noah Kingdom’s credibility, causing panic in the general public and also affecting the admissions of Black Tower. Therefore, the incident was tacitly concealed by both parties.
“What did you do then?” Jiu Er asked curiously, “Did you discover your painting talent and then sell your paintings?”
“I hoped so.” Nigel smiled wryly.
Deep in his azure blue pupils was the pain that had long since subsided. The bitterness and decadent look also gave him a strange charm.
He said sincerely, “Really, if only I had talent.
“I put my only way to survive at the time on the Paper Princess. I painted like crazy, painting for 14 hours a day. First, I painted vases and fruits and continued to paint them hundreds of times. I used my greatest enthusiasm and energy to paint and then sold all the paintings to the Paper Princess in exchange for living expenses, paint and canvas money, and rent.
“In the end, I was already disgusted with paintings, and I couldn’t get much money for painting. So I looked out of the window of the rented room and went to paint the scenery outside the window.
“Because I wanted to rent the cheapest house, I often moved every few months to avoid getting a cold in winter or getting a rash in summer. After all, I did not have the money to request Silver Sire’s priests to cure me, so I could not fall sick.
“But thanks to the fact that I moved frequently, the scenery outside the window also changed from time to time, and there was no shortage of things to draw. The same scenery was different in spring and autumn. Before I returned to the room I used to rent, I could always find beauty that I hadn’t discovered before.
“At that time, I was able to survive and continue on this path by relying on the provisions from the Paper Princess. My talent was too inferior… I worked hard for seven years to paint, finally selling my first painting.
“I was only 21 years old at the time and became a well-known genius painter. However, they wouldn’t know that I worked hard on more than 2,000 scrapped paintings before I became what they called a ‘genius’.
“At that time, I coveted the title ‘genius’ that did not belong to me because of my vanity. I always felt it was an honor and an affirmation of my future. To become a genius in the eyes of others, I worked even harder. I painted with all my power. But among the paintings I painted, I was, at most, satisfied with only one or two of them that could be sold without losing the title of a genius.”
Nigel replied slowly, “But at that time, I didn’t understand anything at all.
“When I first started, I didn’t know much about the Paper Princess. I thought the coins I got were all transactions that the Paper Princess conjured out of thin air using her divine power. I was satisfied with the low-quality products without the slightest desire to change them; I was even proud of myself for always being able to trade my paintings for a higher price from the Paper Princess. Then, I consider myself recognized by the Paper Princess and able to persevere in my passion to be a ‘genius’.
“Until I learned from my mother that the money the Paper Princess handed over to us painters was not something she made out of thin air. It was the money she would make after painting and selling her paintings. She had given them entirely to us.
“I did not know until then how much trouble my inferior talent caused the Paper Princess.” He groaned in pain.