When the plot-skips players into the game world

Chapter 548: Chapter 428 “With Me Chapter 548: Chapter 428 “With Me Aiwass and Isabel did not stop Yanis from leaving.

It was a parting that had long been foreseen, a separation that was destined.

To insist on keeping each other at this moment would be neither polite nor seemly.

Moreover, Aiwass knew another secret reason.

It was only by leaving at this time that Yanis had the chance to change the tragedy of her future.

Yanis was a standard Painter, whose main mana was of the water attribute.

And based on her understanding of the Path of Balance, in addition to her water attribute mana, Yanis also had equally proportioned wind, earth, and fire attributes, perfectly balanced at a ratio of 8:5:5:5.

Because of this peculiar ratio, Yanis was once teased by the players as the “Golden Ratio Siomai Person”… which was why Aiwass remembered it so clearly.

This was also similar to Yanis’s character.

Her usual personality was very similar to ordinary people, quite cheerful, showing none of the eccentricity deep Path walkers often exhibit after reaching the Fifth Power Level.

Yet her deep-rooted personality was like a handful of intangible water.

Sometimes gentle like a trickle, other times as violent as a tsunami.

Sometimes ice, sometimes mist, sometimes snow, sometimes spring.

But only the elusive, ever-changing is the true Water of Balance.

If it remains too long, grows still, it will freeze with the concept of “eternity” attached.

At that point, it begins to deviate towards the Dusk Path.

Strictly speaking, the Path of Dusk is not a wrong one to follow…

But by now, Yanis could no longer turn back.

The principles of the Path of Beauty are both flow and eternity.

Although there are many professions within the Path of Beauty, they generally fall into two schools:

One leans towards the Path of Balance, emphasizing “Mirror Beauty,” maintaining the rationality and conservatism of the artist, guiding one’s sensibility with balanced reason and rules—that is flow; the other leans towards the Path of Dusk, emphasizing “Extreme Beauty,” seeking that ultimate beauty of the eternal yet ephemeral—that is eternity.

Balance and Dusk inherently share similarities.

One is represented by the sacred number 5, which is the central number when counting from either end among nine digits, protected by yellow jade; the other by the sacred number 9, the extreme of sacred numbers, protected by amber.

Just as the auras of the Paths of Beauty and Adaptation are close to green, the colors of Balance and Dusk are also close to yellow.

After all, the Pillar God of the Path of Beauty is the Gemini Mirror…

and a mirror cannot reflect an image from nothing.

Just as beauty must seek the outside world.

For this reason, when Transcendents of the Path of Beauty reach the limits of pure artistry, they must embark on a secondary Path.

Although some may follow other paths, that has nothing to do with the Path of Beauty itself.

As a classically trained Transcendent, Yanis naturally chose the Path of Balance back then.

The so-called “Demonic Paintings,” dynamic art pieces imbued with special strength, are miracles born from techniques immersed in the Path of Balance.

By nature, they can be considered a form of alchemical creation, and thus naturally possess power and are replicable.

But as Yanis reached certain heights later on, she began to doubt the path she had initially chosen.

This is normal…

Every artist, upon reaching a certain domain, finds it difficult to resist the call of the “Dusk.” Painters and sculptors feel the most intense of such calls.

However, Yanis had no power from the Dusk Path herself.

Therefore, she sought the Celestial Marshal Shard from the Dusk Path, attempting to make it into paint, using its strength to complete a static painting of pinnacle mastery.

If she was wrong, there could only be two outcomes: either she wasted the Celestial Marshal Shard and simply created another Demonic Painting, or she died from being unable to withstand the conflict between paths.

But the most fearful part was that Yanis indeed proved back then that she had chosen the wrong path—she did have a talent for the Dusk Path, and it far exceeded that of the Path of Balance.

But it was too late for regret.

All she could do was exhaust her strength, consuming all of her life’s work, to paint her ultimate masterpiece with all her obsessions.

In the future painting “Skull in Amber” that she would create, the skull glowing with a dim yellow light was to be Yanis’s own.

This is why Transcendents of the Path of Beauty, upon reaching a certain level, start to choose their secondary path.

At least for the Transcendents of the Path of Beauty, Balance and Dusk are completely contradictory paths.

Choosing one means negating the other.

The principle she taught to Isabel, “what’s real is real, what’s fake is fake,” belongs to the Path of Balance; while the principle of the Dusk Path is “the fake can become real, the real can also become fake.”

Thus, Yanis, who deviated towards the Dusk Path and lost control, becoming a Phantom Demon, could easily switch back and forth between reality and illusion.

That was what “Beauty” augmented by the Dusk Path could achieve.

And then her Mana Pool became pure and solely water attribute.

—Looking back now, the death of Queen Sofia seems to be a very important juncture.

As a member of the Longevity Species, she had formed friendships with too many humans.

Repeatedly experiencing bonding and separation, her spirit ultimately began to lean towards the Dusk Path.

She wanted to solidify the past that had passed, refused to acknowledge the death of Sofia, desired to paint on Glass Island for a prolonged period, painted slower and slower…

This was because her spirit was inclining towards Dusk.

In the original timeline, it was probably from this moment that Master Yanis began to deviate.

Even preventing Yanis from obtaining the Celestial Marshal Shard from the Spirit Amber would be useless—her heart was already twisted by then, and stopping her temporarily wouldn’t stop her forever.

Tracing the cause, it was because in that world line, Sofia did not meet a good end.

She did not die of old age but was betrayed—and followed by an extremely ugly battle for power.

Yanis never had the chance to say goodbye to Sofia, and that last painting, which was also her first, was not one she was in the mood to properly create.

All she could do was pack her easel and leave Avalon disappointedly.

And she did not forget this sentiment; it was always suppressed in her heart, eventually becoming the inner demon that consumed Yanis’s humanity.

—However, Aiwass changed this future.@@novelbin@@

In the end, she calmly completed the painting and did not take it with her; instead, she left the painting for Aiwass and the others.

This is abandonment.

In the end, she let go of her obsession, released the pent-up frustration from her chest, and calmly accepted the death of her friend.

Therefore, those almost icy still waters began to flow again, turning into elusive mist, drifting with the wind towards that unknown distance.

Yanis’s departure at this moment was the beginning of her redemption.

Her fate was changed from that point onwards.

“Life is short, cherish it well,” was also her expression of regret and sigh for the life of her dear friend Sofia.

The interaction with Master Yanis in this life made Aiwass quite fond of this gentle and carefree elder.

Having the chance to change her fate and save her future, Aiwass was very pleased.

The only regret was… due to Yanis’s interruption, Aiwass and Isabel had to rush back to the Hall of Silver and Tin.

Originally, they planned to spend the last day of 1898 shopping throughout the afternoon during the rare holiday of Queen Isabel, but now they had to end it early.

—Such an important item, if it got dirty or damaged outside by accident, that would be heartbreakingly painful.

This painting could unquestionably be considered one of Master Yanis’s proudest works, a precious gift filled with her intense emotions and memories, and also a testament to Aiwass’s changing of Yanis’s fate.

Isabel could feel the “resonance of beauty” just by glancing casually at it, thereby enhancing the strength of her Path powers.

She even felt she was vaguely touching the threshold of the Fourth Power Level.

This was the main way of advancement for Transcendents on the Path of Beauty.

Just as Priests, in addition to daily prayers, healing others is also an essential way to improve their Path power level; besides daily basic practice, the most important way to enhance the Path of Beauty is through “aesthetic appreciation.”

Whether it’s listening to songs, watching plays, or appreciating paintings and sculptures, as long as one can resonate, have insights and be touched, and immediately improve their proficiency in the corresponding fields, it signifies the enhancement of the Path’s power.

It was because of her long-accumulated foundation that Isabel could synchronize and even surpass Sherlock’s Path of Wisdom after stepping onto the Transcendent path.

Sherlock was still far from the Fourth Power Level, but Isabel had already reached its verge.

This was the result of many years of aesthetic experience that allowed her to accumulate and unleash her potential.

Of course, if one’s skills and talents are too poor, it’s difficult to appreciate the beauty of a painting or an opera.

If it wasn’t Isabel, but other students from the school, they likely wouldn’t benefit from this painting…

This painting could inspire painters who’ve been stuck at the Third or even Fourth Power Levels, likely leading to enlightenment.

It could be said to be a national treasure—with this painting, Avalon now had a Fifth Power Level inheritance of the Path of Beauty.

It was undoubtedly a generous gift.

…But if only Aiwass brought it back, he wouldn’t feel at ease about Isabel’s safety.

They had come out to shop incognito for relaxation and, naturally, hadn’t brought along attendants, servants, or guards.

Only at this moment would he miss Master Yanis’s surveillance through her camera lenses.

But she had already left.

Unless she suddenly missed her friends in Avalon and decided to look at them through those portraits, she might not return for a long time.

Seeing Isabel, somewhat downcast for not being able to go shopping, Aiwass felt somewhat heartbroken.

Especially since Isabel was now using Yulia’s appearance, with that drooping kitten-like face, which made Aiwass feel twice as compassionate.

He suddenly spoke up, attempting to divert Isabel’s attention, “Have you thought of a name for it?

Master Yanis didn’t seem to name this painting.”

“Am I to name it?”

Isabel was somewhat surprised.

“Of course,” Aiwass said with a smile while holding the painting, “you can’t expect me to name it, right?

You are a true ‘prodigy’ after all.”

Seemingly inspired by some thought, Isabel’s somewhat downcast mood suddenly turned exuberant, and she said eagerly, “Then I’ll do it!

Let me think carefully…”

Aiwass’s strategy was successful.

Isabel, using the appearance of “Yulia,” kept frowning and thinking hard until they returned to the Hall of Silver and Tin.

Isabel’s disguise was really impressive.

Aiwass stared at her profile, contemplating in his heart.

It seems that there would be no chance for a stroll today…

but tomorrow is the Candle Master festival, which is also quite lively.

It should still be possible to come out and relax.

If Isabel could get used to using the new “face” that Master Yanis had made for her, then even if she came out to play on her own, Aiwass wouldn’t have to worry about her safety.

“I’ve got it!”

Isabel suddenly tugged lightly on Aiwass’s sleeve and leaned in.

She spoke earnestly, word by word, “Let’s call it… ‘With Me’.”

Aiwass paused for a moment upon hearing this.

He quickly realized why Isabel had chosen such a name and smiled helplessly.

Apart from the friendship between Yanis and Sofia… it was because Aiwass had said that memorable and unforgettable line to her just this morning,

“—I am with you.”