Chapter 974: Artistic Skill and Performance
“Huff… huff… They’re so hard to kill!”
In the room, thick with the stench of blood, Crazy Blade collapsed onto the sofa.
The black blade that seemed to have lava sealed inside it had lost its luster. Like him, it probably wouldn’t be able to fight again anytime soon.
And Crazy Blade honestly wasn’t sure whether they would need to fight again soon.
That was because the room was a huge mess, in the most literal sense of the word.
Ancient Fang Sovereign, dismembered into four pieces, lay scattered across the floor. The water in the room had turned a pale red.
The table had been overturned, the sofa chopped apart, and the delicious dishes had become a mess strewn across the floor.
“Damn, the whole Sea Demon Kingdom is probably going to hunt us down in a bit,” Crazy Blade sighed. “Mountain Sparrow, got any good ideas for escaping?”
Mountain Sparrow, sitting on the table and sorting through the sheets of his drawing paper, glanced at Crazy Blade and shook his head.
“We’re not escaping.”
Surprised by Mountain Sparrow’s words, Crazy Blade asked, “What, are you planning to stay here and fight to the death against an endless stream of Sea Demons?”
“Of course not. We still have a lot to do at this auction house… Even though we may have eliminated the two Marauders’ biggest backers, they might still be able to get the Mermaid’s Tear at the auction on their own. We can stay here and make sure they don’t profit from this auction.”
“Besides, precisely because every Sea Demon will hunt us down once this Fatty’s body is discovered, we have even more reason to stay,” Mountain Sparrow said, kicking Ancient Fang Sovereign’s corpse. “We should try to win the Lost Treasure at this auction, so we can leave this dungeon whenever we want.”
Crazy Blade frowned. “What you’re saying would be great if we could actually pull it off, but the question is… can we?”
“Of course. We just need to borrow this Fatty’s identity.” The sheets of drawing paper in Mountain Sparrow’s hand fluttered down like snowflakes. Weariness showed on his face, but his joy was even more apparent. “It took a lot out of me… but it was worth it.”
One by one, the exquisite storyboards dissolved into their surroundings. Then the pieces of the corpse on the floor gradually disappeared. The room was still a complete mess, but the “body,” the clearest evidence of their crime, was gone.
And unlike the crude method they had used earlier to conceal the Naga, Ancient Fang Sovereign’s body had vanished completely instead of merely being covered up.
This was the effect of combining Mountain Sparrow’s items with his Class ability.
His exclusive items, the Dip Pen and the Advanced Comic Kit, combined with the Painter’s innate abilities, allowed Mountain Sparrow to use the Painter’s powers in reverse. Other Painters could project what they drew into reality.
As for Mountain Sparrow…
He could temporarily send “things” from reality into the “comics” he created.
The ability came with plenty of restrictions. The comic had to be “logical,” and the selected “things” couldn’t have souls or be items belonging to other people. Even so, it was still incredibly useful.
Just now, Mountain Sparrow had carefully drawn a suspense comic. At the end, Ancient Fang Sovereign, serving as the “corpse,” had naturally entered his comic.
That meant Ancient Fang Sovereign’s death wouldn’t be discovered for the time being.
And there was more…
As the bound “suspense comic” reappeared, Mountain Sparrow waved the book in his hand.
“Good… I can temporarily reproduce all the tokens and such that guy had on him. I think we can try passing ourselves off as confidants he sent to attend the auction, or even try playing the man himself,” Mountain Sparrow said quietly. “It’s perfectly normal for an important figure like Ancient Fang Sovereign to send his subordinates to an auction. And given his status, he’ll definitely have a private VIP booth. He only needs to tell his servants what to bid on from inside the booth. If we handle things properly, we might not be exposed before the auction ends!”
As Mountain Sparrow explained, Crazy Blade finally understood his plan.
It sounded downright crazy and dangerous. One wrong move, and they could be caught on the spot at the auction, leaving them in a situation that would be extremely difficult to escape.
But…
Crazy as it was, Crazy Blade didn’t think the plan had no chance of working.
On the contrary, he had a vague feeling that Mountain Sparrow’s path of “risking death to survive” might have a better chance of success than simply running out.
And if they pulled it off, the rewards would be enormous!
So, after only a brief moment of thought, Crazy Blade made up his mind.
“I’m in. Let’s do it your way!”
“But if we’re going to disguise ourselves as the Regent himself, how are we supposed to pull it off?”
Mountain Sparrow nodded at Crazy Blade’s question. “I can draw a cardboard cutout that looks like that ‘Fatty.’ The two of us can climb inside like people performing a lion dance and move the shell around…”
“Are you sure no one will notice?”
Crazy Blade asked, utterly astonished.
“I’m very confident in my drawing skills. You know Robin from our organization, right?”
Mountain Sparrow asked in return.
Crazy Blade nodded. “Of course I do. The strongest Painter. She’s really low-key and not very confident, but she’s incredibly talented. Her speed and accuracy when drawing are terrifying. Even I, an outsider, know she’s amazing.”
Mountain Sparrow said confidently, “That’s right. I learned my drawing skills from her!”
Crazy Blade was surprised. “Are you her student?”
Mountain Sparrow shook his head. “No, I just know her account on a video-sharing site… She’s posted a lot of drawing tutorials there, from beginner lessons to advanced techniques, along with little tips on using brushes in drawing software online. Anyway, I watched all of her tutorials. Her talent and technique are both top-tier when it comes to drawing. I may not be able to reach her level, but I’m confident that my drawing skills and craftsmanship are among the best in comics.”
Then Mountain Sparrow continued, “Anyway, there’s no need to doubt what I draw. The question is whether we can play that stupid Sea Demon Regent convincingly. After all, anything drawn will have rather stiff expressions and movements, so we’ll have to act as naturally as possible to avoid looking suspicious.”
Hearing that, Crazy Blade answered confidently, “Leave that to me. I’ve dabbled in acting, and I can imitate the Sea Demon’s voice, too.”
Mountain Sparrow was surprised. “You have that skill?”
Crazy Blade waved a hand. “Imitating voices is nothing worth mentioning.”
“As for acting… You know Director from our organization, right? The monster who directly awakened Movie King as his Class.”
Mountain Sparrow asked curiously, “You have a connection with him too? Or did you learn from him?”
“No, we’ve only met once,” Crazy Blade said confidently. “I think I might’ve picked up a little of his talent!”