Art Board

Gospel Time: May 10th, 23:59:59! The first Future Board was released! The six people in the living room flipped to the bookmarked page at the same time, only to see pictures and text rapidly shift across the pages—no, it transformed into a video player! "A video?" "It was still in picture form last time," the young butler said. "However, the way the Weaving Ceremony is announced changes with the times, and recent media has indeed become predominantly video-based." As he spoke, the images in the Book of Gospel shifted rapidly, revealing human youths, elves, beastmen, and goblins. Some were handsome, some were old and rigid, some were ferocious and burly, and some were elegant and indifferent—yet without exception, all of them were painting or drawing. As a splash of heavy, vibrant ink swept across, the title of the first board was solemnly announced: Art Board "Not me, then," Harvey said with a yawn. "If only I were on it," Banjie said with a smile. "I'm quite fond of drawing... Maybe you're on it, Young Mistress." "My drawing skills aren't even as good as yours, Banjie," Annan chuckled. Igola thought for a moment. "Although I quite enjoy painting, I have no interest in developing in that direction..." The Swindler glanced at Yaxiu. Yaxiu cleared his throat, preparing to say something, but Igola's gaze swept right past him to the white-haired little girl. "Lisi, do you like drawing?" "Mmh..." Lisi checked her Little Magic Mirror before answering, "Very much!" Yaxiu: "Why didn't you ask me?" Igola said, "Look, the tenth-ranked work is about to be released." "Hey, don't dodge my question!" The scene on the book page began to change. A well-dressed male elf was bent over a desk, buried in work. His surroundings seemed to be a basement, and his clothes were somewhat stained. On the light screen before him, a comic panel was rapidly taking shape beneath the tip of his pen. [Art Board No. 10: "From the Old Era"] [Introduction: A comic depicting the transition from the Old Gospel Era to the New Wasteland Era. Integrating his personal experiences, the creator portrays individuals, society, destiny, and displacement amid historical transformations, recording the shifts of history in comic form.] [Creator: Lanbeisi Dongbei] "The Dongbei clan!" Annan said at once. "He's a member of the elven Dongbei clan!" Rather than the creator's identity, everyone was gripped by the artwork's description—Old Gospel Era? New Wasteland Era? What did this mean? Moreover, as a scion of an elven clan, why was Lanbeisi living in a filthy basement, wearing clothes with cotton batting leaking out, creating art in such wretched conditions? Even the poorest commoners could afford mechanical spiders; there was no reason to live like a sewer-dweller! Compared to the artwork and the creator himself, the historical background of its creation was far more thought-provoking. [Lanbeisi Dongbei receives reward: 'Pen of Dialogue'.] [Pen of Dialogue: Any character created with this pen can converse with the creator; only the creator can hear their inner voice. Treat fictional characters kindly, or they'll curse you out mercilessly!] ["From the Old Era" receives reward: 'Must-Read'.] [Must-Read: The instant this work is completed, every household will receive a set of this work. At the same time, the creator will receive royalties equivalent to that circulation. The royalty funds will be extracted from those on the Slaughter Board at that time.] That works too?! Everyone present couldn't help but complain internally. Though the Pen of Dialogue seemed wondrous indeed and would certainly serve as an invaluable aid in a comic artist's hands, it held little appeal for this group of consumers who had never planned to contribute to the cultural sphere. Yaxiu couldn't think of any other use for the Pen of Dialogue either—draw a 2D character and fall in love with them? Moreover, if one wanted to chat with virtual characters, there were plenty of simpler alternatives: have Igola hypnotize you, get candy from Harvey, or ask Yaxiu for a game—there were tons of virtual characters in online games. In contrast, that subsequent reward was utterly wild. Never mind that the artwork itself received a reward, but the reward was actually an instant nationwide distribution where every household had to possess a copy; never mind the nationwide distribution, but the royalties were actually docked from the top ten murderers on the Slaughter Board! When that time came, should the people of Gospel who randomly received a deluxe set of comic books say, "Thank you, number one on the Slaughter Board"? "Wait," Annan said suddenly. "While targeting the Slaughter Board makes sense, usually cash rewards like this are deducted from the state treasury. There's never been a precedent of taking money from the Slaughter Board, unless..." "Unless by then, there is no longer a state treasury," Igola finished the thought she had held back. "Or perhaps even Gospel Country itself will no longer exist." To the three migrant workers, this naturally had nothing to do with them. Let alone the destruction of Gospel Country, even if it were Blood Moon Country being destroyed, they would only say, "There's such a good thing?" Banjie and Annan's expressions turned rather grim. After all, this was the land where they were born and raised; unlike the Blood Moon orphans, they still held deep affection for this country. However, no one noticed Lisi, tucked in the corner, curling the corners of her lips in a faint smile. At this point, the video in the Book of Gospel continued to play. The elven artist Lanbeisi in the footage suddenly picked up a picture frame from the desk. Inside the frame was a scene of a diminutive goblin sorcerer painting beneath an obelisk. Immediately following that, the scene transitioned from the basement to the Obelisk Plaza. The goblin sorcerer painted with tremendous speed and ferocity—every stroke of his was exceptionally fierce and powerful. Merely watching his painting process gave one the sensation of watching a life combust. When the goblin sorcerer made the final brushstroke, brilliant radiance erupted from the tip of the obelisk. A visible energy shield rapidly expanded, enveloping the entire city. At the city's periphery, rolling dark waves could faintly be seen... Yet upon finishing the work, the goblin sorcerer's body dissolved into ash and scattered—this was actually a ritual miracle paid for with a life! [Art Board No. 9: "Stele of Protection"] [Introduction: By engraving all of their wisdom, soul, and sorcery power onto the obelisk through painting, the sorcerer leverages the power of the Void Realm to protect the city from calamity.] [Creator: Mantuosi Qienuo] "That obelisk is a landmark of Hemaila..." Annan murmured. "Hemaila is a plains city, also known as the 'Land of Divine Favor.' It's the second-largest urban cluster in Gospel Country, and has not suffered any calamity for thousands of years..." There was no need for further discussion now. If once was a coincidence, then twice in a row could only mean that in the future woven by the Book of Gospel, this country was headed for an earth-shattering catastrophe. Art was merely a silhouette of this heavy history.