"Let's keep our backs to the castle; after all, it's an inseparable part of the Green family," Rhett suggested after so thought.
"You have a good eye, sir. It certainly adds a more solemn and ceremonial feel," White Hat complinted him.
"You are the expert here. When do you think we should gather?"
"The afternoon would be more fitting, with the bright and sunny weather."
"Alright, let's go with your suggestion. We'll do the painting in the afternoon."
When the two returned to Dark Rock Castle, a variety of desserts had already been laid out on the dining table. Sveta pulled out the chair at the head of the table for Rhett and said, "Master, please take your seat."
Rhett didn't rush to sit down, keeping a slight smile on his face. Facing the others, he clapped his hands, and the crisp sound echoed through the spacious hall, drawing everyone's attention.
He glanced at White Hat and then looked at the people at the table. "I have good news to announce. After a pleasant conversation, the renowned painter and magus next to has decided to join Dark Hawk City to fight for our shared goals! Let us welco our new mber—White Hat!"
Clap, clap, clap!
Riley led the applause, his eyes shining with excitent as he enthusiastically said, "Oh, my esteed ntor White Hat, welco to the team! Dark Hawk City's epic painting will surely be even more splendid with you!"
"Wow, that's quite the surprise!" Aura covered her mouth in disbelief. After a mont of consideration, she also offered her congratulations.
"Thank you all," White Hat smiled and swept his gaze across the paintings hanging on the walls. "The paintings on the walls are excellent. Riley, your growth is evident!"
"Thanks to your guidance, White Hat. It has been of great help to ," Riley replied humbly.
"Personal effort is still what matters most. Take Aura, for example. She paints inconsistently—sotis on a whim, sotis with little focus. At this rate, I doubt she'll ever reach her mother's level," White Hat shifted his tone to gently criticize Aura.
"Hmph, I've never claid to be as good as my mother!" Aura pouted defiantly, but then she turned to Rhett and asked, "Marquis Rhett, is it true that you plan to recall Lawrence?"
"Yes, it's true," Rhett responded casually. "He's completed his training at the Fire Pattern Mine and should return to take on greater responsibilities."
"Thank you! That's a wise decision!" Aura's eyes glead with pride, feeling honored that Rhett held Lawrence in such high regard.
Rhett glanced at Aura, the elegant young lady showing a hint of lovesickness, which surprised him. But he hadn't recalled Lawrence for their romance; his real intention was to take Lawrence to the Coldstream Front for more rigorous training.
A flower grown in a greenhouse, no matter how precious, couldn't withstand a storm. Even a genius must endure various trials to grow stronger and more stable.
Five years ago, when Rhett returned to the canyon front, Lawrence had been too weak to bring along. But now, Lawrence had gained enough strength, like an unpolished jade. This trip to the Coldstream Front would be an excellent opportunity to refine him further!
Afterwards, the Green family and White Hat chatted for a while longer. After lunch, they took a short break before gathering in front of the castle to assist with White Hat's painting. They stood in two rows, each striking various poses—making peace signs, hearts, pointing with a single finger, tilting their heads with a smile, and so on.
Except for the children, most of them were extraordinary individuals, so holding their poses was relatively easy. The children, anwhile, were surrounded by wind elents, making their limbs light and reducing the difficulty of maintaining their stances for extended periods.
Under the bright sunlight, two hours passed before White Hat's solemn expression relaxed. He made a few final strokes on the canvas, let out a sigh of relief, and smiled, saying, "Thank you all for your cooperation. The painting is complete."
"Phew!"
The mbers of the Green family imdiately relaxed and dispersed. Especially the third-generation mbers like Dick, Kazena, and Trish, who ran to the lawn and began playing together, resembling carefree puppies frolicking in the sunlight.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. White Hat," Rhett smiled as he approached White Hat.
"No need to thank , Marquis Rhett. It was an honor to paint for the Green family. Perhaps this painting will go down in history with your na, and I'll be rembered too!" White Hat chuckled.
Rhett smiled back and glanced at the painting on the easel. A glimr of amazent flashed in his eyes as he praised, "It's stunning. This extraordinary skill—I've never seen anything like it from anyone else. Although the colors aren't a perfect match, the contours, details, and shading are all reproduced with such precision. And there's an indescribable quality to it... Truly remarkable! Is this really sothing a painting can achieve?"
Hearing these words of praise, the other mbers of the Green family gathered around to take a look, exclaiming in wonder as they saw the painting!
"Wow, why does it feel like there's another world inside this painting?"
"Indeed, it's as if... another space is hidden within."
"Exquisite!"
"Incredible..."
The others were imrsed in admiration of the artwork. Riley, as an enthusiast, also lit up with excitent, shaking his head in awe. "Mr. White Hat, when will I be able to master such a skill?"
White Hat stroked his beard and glanced at Riley with a smile. "In fact... as long as you're a water-elent mage, you might be able to reach this level!"
Rhett's curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Well... this is sothing I've kept hidden for a long ti, but there's no harm in telling you now," White Hat replied mysteriously. "You, as a lord of considerable rank, must have so understanding of profound mysteries. Do you know how many kinds of water-elent profound mysteries there are?"
"Hmm, I think water-elent profound mysteries are the most nurous, perhaps seven kinds," Rhett pondered aloud. "But what does that have to do with painting?"
"It might be related..." White Hat mused. "Although I'm not sure what all the water-elent profound mysteries are, I seem to have touched the embryonic form of one of them."
"What? Mr. White Hat, you've comprehended a profound mystery?!" Riley exclaid in shock. "Which profound mystery is it, and how does it enhance your painting skills?"
After a brief silence and so consideration, White Hat explained, "It appears to be the 'Mirror Image' profound mystery, but I can't say for certain whether it improves my painting. I believe it depends on the individual."
"Depends on the individual? Could you explain a bit more clearly?" Rhett asked, his curiosity deepening.
After a mont of quiet reflection, White Hat elaborated, "I'm not sure how much you know about profound mysteries, so I'll start simply. It's a mystical form of power, akin to the essence of the world's forces. As for the Mirror Image profound mystery, I've only scratched the surface.
What's peculiar is that I stumbled upon it while painting. Perhaps that's why, whenever I paint, I find it relatively easy to channel this profound mystery into enhancing my art."
"Mirror Image profound mystery, how fascinating..." Riley murmured to himself. Although he was sowhat confused, it didn't diminish his sense of admiration.
"I see..." Rhett said, a glimr of realization in his eyes. "So, painting might help in comprehending the Mirror Image profound mystery?"
"Well, I can't guarantee that. Perhaps I was just lucky," White Hat said with a wry smile.
Rhett didn't delve further. As soone who had mastered three profound mysteries himself, he understood how difficult it was to articulate such things. He simply said, "Alright, would you mind demonstrating the power of the Mirror Image profound mystery for us?"
"Of course, though the power I've mastered is weak. It might not seem very impressive," White Hat said, walking towards an open space.
Rhett said casually, "That's alright. I'm just curious to see the Mirror Image profound mystery in action."
White Hat walked a short distance away, pausing before he summoned a cluster of water elents. In an instant, the highly condensed water elents transford, taking on the exact shape of White Hat's silhouette, stunning everyone around.
They noticed that the phantom was indistinguishable from White Hat himself in every detail, from his face to his clothing. The only difference was the color—it was clear that the other figure was made of water.
"Interesting," Rhett said with amusent. The water elent clone looked peculiar, but under his perception, it was just a highly condensed cluster of water elents. There didn't seem to be anything special about it. He didn't believe that the power of profound mysteries could be so simple.
Sure enough, the next mont, the clone's actions proved Rhett's suspicion. As everyone watched in awe, sothing even more astonishing occurred.
With White Hat holding his staff and making a gentle gesture, the water elent clone mimicked him, raising its hand to cast magic. The next instant, two water arrows shot forth, slicing through the air, leaving behind a trail of mist as they struck two small stones in the distance.
With a loud crack, the stones shattered into dust.
This exceeded Rhett's expectations. His pupils contracted sharply—what had just happened? Was that double casting?
Although he had read the profound mystery manual left by Mozassi, the explanation of the Mirror Image profound mystery was one of the few that was not thoroughly detailed. It ntioned that throughout history, very few had ever comprehended the Mirror Image profound mystery.
Rhett's curiosity was intense. Just as he was about to ask more questions, he noticed the water elent clone dissipating. At that mont, White Hat spoke up, "That's the extent of my ability. Casting one water arrow is the limit of my power."
"Thank you. What you just showed was incredible. I've never heard of such an intriguing profound mystery," Rhett applauded lightly.
The others followed suit, clapping enthusiastically, equally astonished by the unique demonstration!
"Could you explain it to in simpler terms?" Rhett asked with a smile.
"No problem," White Hat said after a mont of thought. "The Mirror Image profound mystery is like another essential force of water elents—the omnipresence of water. By comprehending this profound mystery, I've reached an unparalleled affinity with water, seeing everything in the world through a different lens.
The trick I used to form my image is just a minor application. In reality, I can take on any form I wish. However, these are not the main power of the Mirror Image profound mystery, rely supplentary abilities.
The true power lies in when I use my ntal strength to cast magic, manipulating the elental trajectories. The surrounding water elents also move in sync, which ans I can control more water elents with the sa ntal strength, casting multiple spells."
"I see... so the Mirror Image profound mystery is essentially multi-casting, but only with water-based magic," Rhett mused, now understanding better. He nodded and said, "That makes it much easier to grasp."
Riley bead with interest and said to White Hat, "In that case, I'll need to learn even more about painting from you in the future. Perhaps one day I'll also grasp the Mirror Image profound mystery!"
"You're always welco, young master Riley. You have great talent, so you might indeed have a chance!" White Hat replied with a warm smile.
"Sveta, please store this painting safely. Fra it and place it above the fireplace in the fifth-floor hall!" Rhett called out to Sveta, who was being playfully sward by several children not far away.
"Understood, Master!" Despite Dick pulling at her clothes, Sveta responded with a gentle smile, lifting her head.
She then looked down at the children and said, "Young Master Dick, Young Master Kares, Miss Trish... I need to attend to sothing important now."
After saying this, she stepped away, freeing herself from the children's grasp. But after taking only a few steps, she exclaid in surprise:
"Oh, Kares, don't step on my shoes!"
"Kazena, don't wipe your drool on my clothes!"
"Dick?! Naughty children will be eaten by the big bad wolf..."
A few minutes later.
Seeing that Sveta still hadn't returned, Rhett glanced over at the situation and, with a sigh, turned to Riley, saying, "It looks like our butler is having so trouble. Kares and Kazena are the most troubleso. Riley, go help him out."
Riley's mouth twitched, and he sighed, "Understood, Father. These kids really are a handful..."
Rhett stroked his chin, watching Riley's retreating figure. He smiled and murmured to himself, "Who hasn't gone through this? Including all of you..."
The gentle spring made ti pass quietly, and a month slipped by unnoticed.
On a vast plain, a group of more than twenty people traveled across the land, all clad in silver armor, well-trained, and with serious expressions. The sunlight glinted off their armor as they marched in two neat columns.
The flag flying above the group bore an ancient emblem—the symbol of the Brenn family.
At the front of the group, Count Nilo rode at the center, dressed in light red armor, one hand holding the reins as he looked far ahead.
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