CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: THE SILENT SEA

"Is Virel’s cane ready?"

Sitting in the car heading to Winster University, Ethan looked at the scenery outside the window and asked.

Virel’s injury had mostly healed; apart from the broken leg which couldn’t walk normally, everything else was no longer a major issue.

So Ethan ordered a pure gold cane for him and also asked the doctor to make him a prosthetic limb.

However, a prosthetic limb made by ordinary people is just a fake after all. Once a leg is lost, it’s lost, unless Ethan can find someone to make a product like Lewis’s prosthetic limb.

That day, Ethan immediately saw that Lewis’s prosthetic should be an alchemical product, perfectly suited. He planned to attend the True Namers’ meeting with Klei later; if he could get hold of an alchemical prosthetic, he would get one for Virel.

"It’s ready, young master, it can be brought out anytime tomorrow."

"Hmm."

Tomorrow is the monthly family meeting, and undoubtedly, Virel had the biggest contributions last month, so Ethan wanted to give him the greatest glory.

After the car drove for quite a while, it finally arrived at Winster University again.

El was waiting at the gate again.

This was certainly thanks to Ethan making another donation, which was given alongside the one to Gustav.

Otherwise, El probably wouldn’t be so enthusiastic.

"Oh, Ethan, you’re finally here."

As soon as he saw Ethan get out of the car, he hurriedly greeted him.

"Dean, you’re too kind. I’m just here for school; you don’t have to come to meet me every time."

"This is your first official class; I have to introduce you to everyone."

"Thank you." Ethan nodded and then asked, "By the way, my sponsorship of Professor Gustav’s research project, is there any problem?"

"No problem at all."

Saying this, El seemed slightly uncomfortable, though he hid it well, just for a moment.

"But, Ethan, I must advise you, young people, it’s good to be curious, but Gustav’s research really has no value, and you’re someone destined for great achievements in art, you mustn’t get lost in these."

"I just feel it might help my artistic development; it’s fine, Dean, I know what I’m doing."

The two of them chatted a bit more.

They walked as they talked, and when Ethan confirmed that Gustav had gotten a new dormitory, their research location, the classroom was reached as well.

Even though Winster’s art department isn’t well-known, there are quite a few people.

This is normal too, as Winster certainly can’t compare with a Kingdom center like the Royal Capital, but it’s still an important northern port city in the Kingdom, attracting considerable talent from nearby cities.

Many people, if they can’t go to the Royal Capital or the central region, would choose to come to Winster instead.

At this moment in the classroom, a class seemed to have just begun, a professor-like person was pointing outside the window and talking about something.

This appeared to be a sketching class.

"Perfect, the class has just started, come on, Ethan, let me introduce you to everyone."

El brought Ethan inside.

"Everyone, please pause for a moment. Let me introduce a new classmate, Ethan Polleta. He’s an artistic genius transferred from the Royal Capital..."

El praised lavishly.

The students below were whispering.

The topics were nothing more than Ethan’s surname and whether he was that famous Mafia from a while ago.

Someone even recognized him as having given a brilliant speech at the door of the Security Office.

In any case, no one discussed his artistic talents, probably assuming he got in through connections.

After El left, the teaching professor didn’t seem very interested in him either, casually pointing to an easel for him to go to, then continued with the class.

This was indeed a sketching class, with the theme being the sea.

For this reason, this particular classroom was chosen.

Because outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of this classroom was the surging Beihai, and further away, floating icebergs.

"Alright, start painting, limited to one hour, as the class assignment."

The professor waved his hand casually and stopped speaking.

Ethan originally intended to just attend, never expecting to encounter a sketching session, so he couldn’t just leave to find Gustav.

With no choice, he picked up a brush.

In his previous life, he knew nothing about painting, but fortunately, he had the muscle memory from this life, so basic painting wasn’t a problem.

Looking at the sea, Ethan suddenly thought, if he copied a famous painting from his previous life, would it cause a stir and lead to awakening some sort of artistic authority?

Yet upon further consideration, it seemed unlikely.

Since according to the current logic, his authority was all based on his ’True God’s Name.’

Painting had nothing to do with violence.

He decided to just casually draw something.

But when it came to actually painting, Ethan unconsciously began searching for material in his mind.

Though he couldn’t paint in his previous life, he had seen many famous paintings due to the richness of internet resources.

Moreover, since awakening the ’True God’s Name,’ he’d found his memory had improved; things he’d seen or heard in both his past and present life were all exceptionally clear.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to replicate a Winster typewriter.

After picking for a while, Ethan didn’t find a painting particularly suitable for the current scene, so he simply started painting.

During the painting process, he involuntarily incorporated shadows of the paintings in his mind.

Such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Friedrich.

Ethan’s painting speed was extremely fast, thanks to the excellent foundation of his present life’s predecessor.

Not even an hour had passed before he completed his painting.

Thinking of Gustav’s matters, Ethan immediately raised his hand to indicate he was finished.

The professor just nodded, signaling he could leave.

With a completely indifferent attitude.

Ethan didn’t mind, left the classroom without causing much of a stir.

After some time, an hour passed.

The professor announced the end of painting time, then instructed a girl in a vintage lady’s dress to start collecting the assignments.

The girl collected painting after painting, with everyone mostly discussing creative insights, while the professor checked each assignment one by one.

Until the last one.

That was Ethan’s painting; since he had arrived late, it was placed in the corner.

The girl approached the painting, just about to gather it, and suddenly froze.

Looking at the painting, she seemed a bit mesmerized.

After a while, the professor noticed her anomaly, called out, but she didn’t respond, feeling quite strange, he walked over.

This caught the attention of the other students, who followed him over.

Then everyone saw the painting.

Followed by a long silence.

Just like the sea outside the window.

Silent and still.

Ethan, who had already left the classroom, was unaware that the impromptu sketch he had drawn had already caused not a small storm.