Chapter 430: Be with Me
Neither Aiwass nor Isabel tried to stop Janice from leaving.
This was a long-foreseen farewell, a destined separation. Trying to force the other person to stay at this point would be neither polite nor a good look.
And Aiwass also knew another secret reason. Only if Janice left at this time would she have a chance to change her future tragedy.
Janice is a standard painter whose main mana is water attribute.
Based on her understanding of the path of balance, in addition to water-attribute magic power, Janice also has magic power of wind, earth, and fire attributes, and the ratio is exactly 8:5:5:5.
Because of this wonderful proportion, Janice was ridiculed by players at the time as the "Golden Ratio Shaomai Man"...so Aiwass remembered it very clearly.
This is also similar to Janice's personality.
Her usual personality is very similar to that of an ordinary person, quite cheerful, and there is no trace of the paranoia that comes after reaching the fifth level of the Tao. However, her deeper personality is like a handful of invisible water.
Sometimes it is gentle like a trickle, sometimes it is violent like a tsunami.
Sometimes it is ice, sometimes it is fog, sometimes it is snow, and sometimes it is a spring.
But only the unpredictable and ever-changing water is the balanced water.
If you stay for a long time and gradually become still, you will turn into ice because of the concept of "eternity".
By then, it will be dusk.
Although strictly speaking, the Twilight Path is not the wrong path... but at this point, Janice can no longer turn back.
The principles of the Path of Beauty are fluidity and eternity. Although there are many professions in the Path of Beauty, they can generally be divided into two schools:
One tends to the path of balance, emphasizing the "beauty of the mirror", maintaining the artist's rationality and conservatism, and using balanced rationality and rules to control his own sensibility. This is flow; the other tends to the path of dusk, emphasizing the "extreme beauty", trying to pursue the ultimate beauty that is eternal and momentary. This is eternity.
Balance and Dusk inherently share similarities. One is the sacred number 5, the middle of the nine numbers, both forward and backward, and its guardian gem is topaz. The other is the sacred number 9, the ultimate sacred number, and its guardian gem is amber.
Just as the auras of the path of beauty and adaptation are both close to green, the colors of balance and dusk are both close to yellow.
After all, the pillars of the path of beauty are twin mirrors... and a mirror cannot reflect something out of thin air. Just as beauty must be sought from the outside world.
For this reason, those who transcend the path of beauty, after reaching the limits of pure art, will inevitably embark on the second path. Although there are also those who pursue other paths, they have nothing to do with the path of beauty itself.
As a professionally trained extraordinary person, Janice naturally chose the path of balance.
The so-called "magic painting," this dynamic painting imbued with special powers, is a miracle created by the techniques of the Path of Balance. Its essence can be considered an alchemical creation, so it is naturally powerful and can be mass-produced.
But when Janice reached a certain level, she began to question the path she had originally chosen.
This is quite normal... Every artist, after reaching a certain realm, finds it difficult to resist the call of "dusk." Painters and sculptors feel the strongest call.
But Janice herself did not have the power of the Twilight Path.
So she sought the fragments of the Celestial Spirit from the Dusk Path, attempting to transform them into pigments and harness their power to create a pinnacle still painting.
If she was wrong, there would be only two results: either she would waste the fragment of the Heavenly Master and only create a magic painting; or she would die because she could not withstand the conflict of the Tao.
But the most terrifying thing was that Janice had proven that she had chosen the wrong path—she did have a talent for the Twilight Path, and it far outweighed her talent for the Balance Path. But she couldn't regret it anymore.
All she could do was to exhaust her strength, consume her entire past life, and paint her last work with all her obsession.
In the still painting of "Skull in Amber" that she painted in the future, the skull emitting a dim yellow glow was none other than Janice's own skull.
This is why transcendents on the Path of Beauty only choose their second path after reaching a certain level. At least for transcendents on the Path of Beauty, balance and twilight are two completely contradictory paths. Choosing one means denying the other.
The concept that she taught Isabel, "what is true is true, and what is false is false," is the concept of the path of balance; while the concept of the path of twilight is "what is false can become true, and what is true can become false."
Therefore, Janice, who strayed into the Dusk Path, lost control and turned into a phantom demon, could easily switch back and forth between reality and illusion.
That is exactly what "Mei" with the blessing of the Dusk Path can do. And at that time, her mana pool becomes pure and single water attribute.
——Now it seems that the death of Queen Sofia is probably a very important node.
As an immortal, she forged friendships with countless humans. After repeatedly experiencing bonds and separations, her spirit eventually drifted towards the path of the twilight.
She wanted to freeze the past, did not want to acknowledge Sophia's death, and wanted to paint on the Glass Island for a long time, painting slower and slower... This was because her spirit was leaning towards dusk.
In the original timeline, Master Janice probably started to deviate from this time.
Even if we tried to stop Janice from getting the fragment of Lingbo Tiansi, it would be useless - her heart had already been twisted at that time, and we could stop her for a while but not for a lifetime.
If you trace it back to the source, it is because Sophia in that world line did not have a good ending.
She died not of old age but of betrayal—and then an extremely ugly power struggle ensued.
Janice had no chance to say goodbye to Sofia, and she was in no mood to paint this first and last painting properly.
She could only carry her sketchpad and leave Avalon disappointed. However, she did not forget this emotion, but it always accumulated in her heart, and eventually became a demon that devoured Janice's humanity.
——But Aiwass changed this future.
In the end, she finished the painting quietly and did not take it away, but left it to Evans and others.
This is giving up.
In the end, she let go of her obsession, let out the depressed mood in her heart, and frankly acknowledged the death of her friend.
Therefore, the calm and almost icy water will flow again, turning into unpredictable mist and drifting with the wind to the unknown distance.
Janice's departure at this time is the beginning of her redemption.
Her fate changed from then on.
The words "Life is short, cherish it well" are exactly how she regrets and sighs about the life of her best friend Sophia.
After spending time with Master Janice in this life, Aiwass really liked this gentle and free-spirited elder. He was very happy to have the opportunity to change her fate and save her future.
The only regret is that... because of Janice's interruption, Aiwass and Isabel had to quickly return to the Temple of Silver and Tin.
Originally, the two had planned to spend the entire afternoon shopping during Queen Isabella's rare holiday on the last day of 1898, but now they had to end their trip early.
——If such an important thing gets accidentally dirty or torn outside, it would be so heartbreaking.
This painting is undoubtedly the masterpiece of Master Janice, and it is also a precious gift that contains her strong emotions and memories. It is also a proof of commemorating the fact that Aiwass changed Janice's destiny.
Isabel can feel the "resonance of beauty" just by taking a casual look, thereby increasing the strength of the power of the Tao.
She even felt that she had vaguely touched the threshold of the fourth energy level.
This is the main way for those who transcend the path of beauty to advance.
Just as for a priest, besides daily prayers, healing others is also an important way to improve the energy level of the Tao; and on the path of beauty, besides basic daily practice, the most important means of improvement is "aesthetics."
Whether listening to music, watching plays, or appreciating paintings and sculptures, as long as you can resonate with them, gain some insights and be touched, and immediately improve your level in the corresponding field, it represents an increase in the power of the Tao.
It is precisely because of Isabel's long-accumulated foundation that she was able to advance in wisdom at the same pace as Sherlock after embarking on the extraordinary path, and can even surpass him now.
Sherlock is still far from the fourth level, but Isabel has already touched the edge.
It is the aesthetic experience accumulated over the years that has enabled her to achieve great success.
Of course, if your level and talent are too poor, it will be difficult to appreciate the beauty of a painting or an opera.
If it wasn't Isabel, but other students in the school, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to gain any benefit from this painting...
This painting can inspire painters who have been stuck at the third or even fourth level for a long time, and they are likely to gain insights.
It can be said to be a national treasure - with this painting, Avalon has inherited the fifth level of the path of beauty.
This is undoubtedly a great gift.
...But if he just let Aiwass send it back, he would be worried about Isabel's safety.
This time they went out shopping to relax, hiding their identities, and naturally they did not bring any followers, servants or guards.
Only at this moment do I miss the surveillance of Master Yanis, the camera expert.
But she has left now. Unless she suddenly misses her friends in Avalon, she might come back to take a look through those portraits.
And based on Janice's free and easy personality, I'm afraid she won't come back for a long, long time.
Looking at Isabel who seemed a little disappointed because she couldn't go shopping, Aiwas felt a little sorry for her.
Especially since Isabel is still using Julia's appearance, with that cat-like face, this makes Aiwas feel doubly uncomfortable.
He suddenly spoke, trying to distract Isabel: "Have you thought of a name for it? Master Janice doesn't seem to have named this painting."
"Shall I come?"
Isabel was a little surprised.
"Of course," Aiwass said with a smile, holding the painting. "You can't ask me to name it, can you? You're a true 'jack of all trades.'"
Isabel suddenly became excited, not knowing what she was thinking about. She said excitedly, "Then I'll do it! Let me think about it..."
Aiwass's strategy was successful.
Isabel, who used the appearance of "Yulia", kept frowning and thinking intently until she returned to the Temple of Silver and Tin.
Isabel's disguise is really good.
Aiwass stared at her profile and couldn't help thinking in his heart.
I probably won't have the chance to go for a walk today...but tomorrow is the Candle Festival, which is also quite lively. I can still go out and relax.
If Isabel can skillfully use the "painted skin" that Master Janice has remade for her, then even if she goes out to play by herself, Aiwass will not have to worry about her getting into any accidents.
“Got it!”
Isabel suddenly tugged gently at the corner of Aiwas's clothes and came closer.
She said seriously, word by word, "Just call it... 'Be With Me'."
Upon hearing this, Aiwass was slightly stunned.
He soon realized why Isabel was named that way, so he laughed helplessly.
In addition to the friendship between Janice and Sofia...it was also because Aiwass said something to her this morning that Isabel remembered deeply and could never forget.
"—I am with you."
(End of this chapter)
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