"Alright," Harribel said, stepping back, a palette in one hand, a paintbrush in the other, and an apron still tied around her.
Lex stepped forward and saw that an oil painting had already been completed on the easel. The painting used large areas of black, setting a somber and eerie tone.
In the middle of the canvas was an ugly face. It was covered in wrinkles, with black bristles on its lips and chin. Harribel used some bright colors to emphasize the shadows on the face, making the painting appear as if it were illuminated by firelight.
It had to be said that Harribel's painting skills were exceptionally high. Based solely on Lex's description, she had painted the monster's face so vividly that it was as if that moment had been frozen and preserved forever.
"My dear sister, I just wanted a sketch-like portrait. You didn't need to use oil paint, did you?" Lex rubbed his temples, feeling that his sister's personality was too earnest.
"How is it? Does it look like it?" Harribel put down her tools and, with the help of the maid Alia, took off her apron.
Lex gave a thumbs up: "It's just like a photograph."
Harribel said disdainfully, "Things taken by a Machine have no Soul."
Lex chuckled and ruffled her golden hair: "If you say so."
Harribel's face flushed slightly, and she slapped Lex's hand away: "Don't touch my head, I'm not a child anymore!"
"Alright, our Bell is already a Young Miss," Lex said, shaking the hand his sister had slapped away. He picked up the oil painting. "Then I'm off. I still need to give this to Father; I hope he hasn't gone to bed yet."
Because Harribel painted an oil painting, it took much longer than a sketch, and it was already late.
Fortunately, Bison was not yet asleep; he was still working in his study, so full of energy that he seemed to be a Beyonder of a certain Pathway.
After giving the oil painting to his father, Lex was finally able to return to his room. He changed his clothes, lay down on the bed, recalled the day's events, and savored the Hunter experience he had with Leon.
In a daze, Lex fell asleep.
Outside the window, the red moon was nearing its fullness. Soon, it would be the night of the full moon.
The next day, after breakfast, Lex was informed about 'classes.' Recalling the fear of being dominated by exams in his previous life, he went to his mother Amelia's mysterious cabin.
As he pushed open the door, he noticed that the layout of the room had been slightly altered today. There were two desks, already set with notebooks and fountain pens.
It was just like a small classroom for lessons, but there were two desks. Who else was coming to listen to the lecture?
"Don't block the way."
Harribel's slightly complaining voice sounded from behind. Lex turned around and saw that his mother and sister had come together.
"Bell, you?"
Lex looked at his sister in surprise, unable to believe that she so casually and familiarly walked past him, entered the room, and sat down at one of the desks.
Amelia closed the door, a warm smile on her face: "Bell has been studying mysticism with me for some time now. By the way, she is a natural Beyonder."
"She inherited some of my extraordinary characteristics. Through training, she is already a seasoned 'Apprentice.'"
A natural Beyonder? There's such a thing!
Well, not only is my mom a Beyonder, but now my sister is too. My status as the eldest son is precarious.
Lex tried to ask, "What about Joe?"
Amelia shook her head: "He isn't. Only Bell inherited my extraordinary characteristics."
"Mom, can we start class? I have something to do today," the noble girl sitting at the desk urged impatiently.
Amelia said without any impatience, "Today I will teach you 'Hermes.' You will likely use this language frequently in the future. Bell has just started learning this language, so I'm teaching it together."
"This is our first lesson today. After this, I will teach Lex about 'Spiritual Vision' separately."
Lex rubbed his temples and sat down at the other desk. Amelia had already begun teaching.
Three days passed in a flash.
During these three days, Lex was either dealing with Hermes or practicing the 'Spiritual Vision' method. It had to be said that the Hunter Pathway was far less skilled in this regard than the 'Seer.'
Lex remembered that in the original novel, Klein understood it instantly, while he had practiced for three days and only barely learned to open and close this special vision in mysticism.
People are indeed different.
That day, he opened his wardrobe to change clothes and suddenly saw the secret compartment, recalling the 'Sea Monster Tavern' flyer.
The original owner seemed to have been to that tavern, but Lex couldn't understand why a young noble master would go there.
Should I go there tonight?
Once this thought surfaced, Lex couldn't suppress it.
That evening, he opened the secret compartment in his wardrobe and put on the brown, double-breasted, high-collared trench coat.
He also took out the black iron mask and the long-barreled golden revolver.
Lex put the revolver into his armpit holster, replacing the snake-scale revolver, and then put on the mask. Standing in front of the mirror, he saw a completely unfamiliar figure.
He believed that as long as he didn't speak, even his father wouldn't recognize him.
He rummaged for a felt hat that he didn't know how long it had been since he last wore it, pressed it onto his head, then opened the window, easily reaching the ground with a Hunter's agility, and climbed over the wall to leave home.
Lex walked with his head down, moving through the shadows, quickly passing the quiet and spacious Golden Champagne Avenue, going through the solemn Memorial Square, and arriving at Kingston Road.
Although it was already late, there were still pedestrians coming and going. Under the gas streetlights, whose covers were misted with water, there were workers in blue overalls with peaked caps, disheveled tramps in patched clothes, children with baskets selling fruit, and drunkards reeking of alcohol and swaying as they walked. People of all kinds filled this gravel-paved small road.
This was the epitome of Confusion in Enki Town. It was crowded, dirty, with thugs everywhere and thieves lurking. Nobles stopped here, and even the police were unwilling to appear in this place.
Lex kept his head down. The slightly bulging clothing under his armpit and the black iron mask on his face made the thugs in the alley only glance at him a few times, and the thieves hidden in the crowd dared not approach, allowing him to smoothly reach the 'Sea Monster Tavern.'
It was a tavern with both wooden structures and brick and stone buildings.
When Lex pushed open the door and walked in, he almost turned around and ran. The ventilation in the tavern was so poor that the air was filled with a strange mixture of ginger beer, fried meat, sweat, and cheap perfume.
And these smells were magnified several times by the Hunter's keen sense of smell, almost making Lex faint.
Behind the bar not far from the door, a Bartender wiping a glass saw Lex, let out an "Oh," and greeted him: "Duke, when did you return?"
Duke? Me?
Lex almost pointed at his own nose and asked in return.