Chapter 88 Sculptor Lars Graham
Avalon, the White Queen.
It was a rather plain-looking building, more like a warehouse than a residence.
In fact, this is Lars Graham's sculpture studio.
He stood with a hunched back and holding a bone-white cane, concentrating on standing in front of a two-meter-five-meter-tall stone sculpture whose upper body was almost complete, looking up at it with difficulty.
Translucent white chisels and hammers continuously emerged in the air, emitting crisp, pounding sounds. The dense, pounding sound was reminiscent of a rainstorm. Without the old man making a single movement, the sculpture was carved with incredible speed, like a video being fast-forwarded.
——Lars Graham is 74 years old this year.
The old man's eye sockets were sunken, his eyelids purplish and shrunken, his dark face brimming with wrinkles. His wispy, dull white curls were almost gone, only a thin wisp of hair remaining. Perhaps due to the lighting, the shadows in his cloudy brown pupils were a bit yellow. For Master Graham, simply raising his head, or even opening his eyes, was a struggle.
Today, the former master of art has become so old and thin that he looks like a thin shadow.
It's the kind of feeling where once you fall asleep, you might never wake up again.
The silk robe he wore had a pattern so intricate it resembled a Persian rug—primarily dark yellow, black, and red, with a profusion of intricate, detailed patterns that would dazzle the eye at first glance. Few could pull off such a style of clothing; it was so ornate that it would always overshadow the wearer, no matter how beautiful or handsome.
But that was just fine for Lars Graham.
His entire body resembled a withered flower, collapsing inward. His back was hunched, his shoulders hunched, his head lowered, his legs bent... and his legs were even thinner than the girl's arms. The body wrapped in that gorgeous robe seemed unreal, a mere hollow shell encasing a soul.
That posture reminds people of a dead leaf butterfly with its wings slightly trembling in a rainstorm.
Suddenly, the carving sound stopped abruptly.
The sound of the chisel hitting the stone statue still echoed faintly in my ears like an illusion.
The old man didn't look back or turn around, but just whispered in a low, slow voice, "What are you doing here... Chloe."
As his voice fell, a beautiful girl with an artistic temperament suddenly emerged from the shadows behind him.
Chloe's body was covered in wounds and dust. It was almost a bloody mess, with some of the flesh even charred and blackened.
But in reality, these injuries only looked horrific, looking as if she'd rolled on a metal plate several times. Actually, the internal injuries had almost healed, or at least had stopped worsening. Her right arm, which had been nearly severed, had also been reattached and was almost completely healed.
"Dean Graham, I came to get some herbs from you."
Chloe's voice was dry and hoarse. "It would be even better if there was something to drink... The whole city is under martial law, and I don't dare go to their herbal medicine store to buy herbs. But I still need some to be cured."
She called him Dean because Graham was the current Vice Dean of the School of Art at the University of the West. Although he was invited to Avalon to carve a statue for the Queen, he still held the position of Dean.
"The herbs are in the cabinet on your left."
The old man sighed, and turned around with difficulty, leaning on his crutch and taking slow steps.
A cold and ruthless third eye appeared on his forehead, and the jade pupil glanced at Chloe indifferently.
"It's not a serious injury, Miss Caramel."
The old man chuckled, and it was hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic or gloating. "Compared to the trouble you've caused, the injuries you sustained are far too minor."
"That's because I've used up all my life-saving tools!"
She gnashed her teeth and said resentfully, "I still don't understand...how did Moriarty guess I was in there?"
As Chloe spoke, she searched the herb cabinet that was taller than herself, pulling out the drawers of herbs she needed and pouring all the herbs inside onto the table.
That's definitely not a "one dose" amount, but a huge amount that would be absolutely harmful to a normal person and could last for at least ten days. Even if it were cooked, it might not be finished in a day.
But Chloe just gobbled up all the herbs.
Without the need for decoction or extraction, the medicinal power contained within the herbs was extracted and purified by the adaptive path. Soon, the wounds all over her body emitted a hazy green light, and the injuries slowly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It’s like the effects of using these herbs continuously for more than ten days under normal circumstances are concentrated into just over ten minutes.
This is the art of "herbal therapy" that works only for yourself.
Chloe's wounds healed even faster than she could eat the herbs. By the time she had finished eating all the herbs, her horrific injuries were almost completely healed.
Then, she began to vomit violently, vomiting clumps of foul-smelling black mud mixed with minced meat.
It was a mixture of herbs that had been drained of their medicinal properties and the waste products produced by the body's accelerated healing process. After vomiting, Chloe's spirits were noticeably better.
“…Ah, I’m alive again.”
Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said to Graham behind her, "Dean Graham, I will help clean this up later!"
The old man ignored her, just glanced at her expressionlessly, and walked towards his table with his bone-white cane.
Chloe quickly came over and poured Graham a glass of water.
Old Graham glanced at her and said slowly, "Anything else?"
"I just want revenge, to blow off some steam before I leave... so I'd like to seek your advice."
Chloe snorted coldly. She was clearly still a little unconvinced...mainly because she was heartbroken by the loss of her assets.
"Let me remind you that the mission the association gave you has been completed, Chloe."
Graham held the water glass and said in Iris language with a long tone, "If I were you, I would immediately hide in the countryside. As soon as the situation calms down a little, I will return home as soon as possible."
"They can't catch me."
After being hunted for several days, Chloe had clearly gained confidence. "The inspectors of the Path of Authority are much less intelligent than the transcendents of the Path of Love and Beauty. This time, I'll plan more carefully. I'll ambush Aiwass where he sleeps and wait for him for a day or two without food or water. I'm sure it will succeed."
"To me, this looks more like a trap."
The old man took a sip of water and said quietly, "You're too proud, Miss Chloe. Although you entered the fourth energy level at the age of twenty-four, you haven't officially entered the fifth energy level yet. If you don't complete the advancement ceremony, there are still many people in Avalon who can deal with you.
"The Grand Arbitrator, the Grand Judge, the Grand Guardian, the Grand Justice, and Master Janice of the Theocracy. There are at least five transcendents who have officially confirmed their arrival at the fifth level and are willing to serve the royal family. If you encounter any of them, you'll definitely be stuck.
"Not only that, even the Court of Arbitration hasn't been dispatched. Only those with the power of arbitration can unleash the full might of the Path of Authority in Avalon... Knights without power, possessing only honor, pose little threat. By taking such a reckless action, I believe you've strayed from the Path of Adaptability. I'll report this to the leader upon my return."
Who would have known that this stupid student whom he had taught for a semester, who had never been able to find enlightenment on the path of beauty... would now be able to thrive on the path of adaptation?
But her smooth advancement and never-failed assassinations have made her mentality a little unbalanced.
Such a high profile is not the principle advocated by the Adaptation Path. This is also the reason why her strength began to stagnate.
"...Dean, do you mean that you don't object to my actions now?"
Chloe was a little surprised to see that her old superior had no objection to this.
She smiled sweetly and flatteringly, "You are also a 'Master'. Both of you are extraordinary beings of the fifth level of the artistic path. Master Janice took more than two hundred years to become a Master, while you became a 'Master' in less than forty years..."
"Hehe... It's useless. I won't buy it."
But the old man just laughed lowly. "Let me make it clear in advance that no matter how close you are to success, I will not make a move. I have taken on a more important mission and cannot be exposed. And Janice is watching me, so it is not easy for me to make a move."
"Just in case, let me ask... where are you planning to ambush?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. How is his family?" Chloe asked casually.
“—Don’t go there.”
Old Graham denied it without hesitation: "His butler Oswald is very dangerous."
"Does he have a fifth level?"
"It's hard to say, but it's very likely. Oswald doesn't possess a 'class', but rather inherited an old system used by the immortals of a bygone era, before 'classes' existed. His path is completely chaotic and unsystematic, his powers blended across multiple paths, and the trajectory of his manifestation is unclear. No one knows which paths he is adaptable to, or what powers he possesses.
"But judging by the abilities he's shown so far, he possesses at least the fourth level of Adaptive Path Power. Furthermore, elves are knowledgeable, and he likely knows about Shadow Lurk. You'll definitely die if you go there."
The old man stared at Chloë with his ruthless and harsh eyes, like a critic examining another's work, and spoke in a strange rhythmic voice: "If there is any chance that you will be captured alive... I will kill you.
"Now, tell me again. Where are you going to ambush?"
“…Hmm.”
She was a little surprised that the elf butler was so strong.
"That means he has to be outside. Although I haven't read the Avalon newspapers, I'm sure he must be famous. If I assassinate him, it will definitely become big news."
Chloe replied briskly, "In order to give me time to escape, this must be done without anyone's knowledge. So I can only kill him quickly where no one can see him, and still leave enough time to escape..."
"Then my suggestion is that you go to the White Shoes Club again and watch his commendation ceremony." The old man replied.
"…but it's almost five o'clock now?"
"That's fine. He's going to attend the Supervisory Bureau's commendation ceremony this afternoon, so even if there's no dinner, he won't be back until at least 5:30. Considering the long commute, he'll be back at the dorms by 6 or 7 at the earliest. If there's a dinner, he might be back another two or three hours later... and he might even have a few drinks."
"According to my intelligence, someone attempted to attack him this afternoon... Just two hours ago, two demonologists from the Noble Red Society infiltrated the Royal Law University. The statue of the great man at the school gate already tells me this. They're not weak, but I think their assassination attempt will definitely fail. The means used to guard against you can also be used against the Noble Red people. After all, they will definitely know you are still alive.
"On the other hand, you can also observe Aiwass's methods and trump cards."
Although he did not approve of the frivolous plan proposed by the young assassin codenamed "Caramel", the old man still gave the right advice based on his rich assassination experience in his youth: "There is no better assassination opportunity than this.
"Having dealt with his murderous enemies and accepted an honor that was practically impossible for him at his age, he must be feeling relaxed and elated. After that, you went straight to his dorm to ambush him.
"After socializing, he'll be tired. A full stomach makes people sleepy, and alcohol makes people unconscious. You can even avoid using Eagle Feathers and directly apply the poison ointment to his lips. He'll die of poisoning in his sleep. That way, no one will immediately realize that the cause of his death is poison... You'll have plenty of time to escape Glass Island."
"As expected of the dean!"
Chloe was convinced: "That's what I'll do!"
(End of this chapter)
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