Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 86.2: Dimension Pocket

Eventually a sea of red flushed over the horizon. The beautiful morning sun bathed Kashi and Syel in its warm glow as it ushered in a new day. Kashi, however, pretended not to see the sun. Instead, he continued to paint with a serious expression.

Syel, for his part, also pretended not the notice the rising sun. He observed Kashi's furrowed brows with a wry smile. He then, tucked his hands in his pocket and continued gazing upon the city below. Following the sun, folks had begun leaving their homes in droves. Some packed their hunting gear for the fields, others dressed in fine garments walked to administrative buildings, while many more boarded carts headed for the shores.

Noticeably, none looked like they were headed for a farm. Serisis' only major source of food were their monsters and aquatic fauna. This lack of food heavily impacted the healthy, available workforce, which then negatively affected the net daily income, which then reduced the crown's coffers, and finally prevented the crown from paying for jobs it might have wanted to create.

Syel thought of Lunette as he looked at Kashi. Perhaps this was why those two were so interested in this country? The economic potential here was enormous. Any grass-roots investment was certain to explode in the near future. Especially with the Mage Academy and their Mana reservoirs. Both would surely bring in massive funding in the near future!

Syel let his mind wander for a while. Eventually, increased activity within the manor reached his ears. Deciding it was time, he looked at the daeben. "Kashi. Time's up."

"Ah." Surprisingly, Kashi made no attempt to argue. Instead, he sighed as he dropped Rosario's brush. "I guess that's enough for today."

"Can I see?" Though Syel said those words, he had already dashed behind Kashi. The halben's eyes went wide when he saw the painting! 'Goddamnit I'm so cool!' Syel, luckily, still had the presence of mind not to scream out loud.

The Syel within the portrait retained his last pose. Chest out, arms in pocket, gazing into a far horizon. However, Kashi had taken a few liberties. For example, Syel in the painting stood at the edge of a massive cliff. A pair of fire and stone chinese dragons coiled around him, gazes also locked onto an unknown future. Peals of lightning struck in the background as a fierce wind billowed the halben's jacket.

That's right. The painting was Alive! Well, sort of. It was more akin to a 2-Second GIF or an animated picture. Either way, it was an extremely rare sight, even in a fantasy world. Syel could not get over how badass it looked! He doubted a video could produce the same ethereal quality.

"What do you think?" Kashi studied Syel's expression. He wasn't used to drawing self-portraits of people whose opinions he actually gave a shit about. Luckily, Syel's bright eyes allayed those fears.

"What do I think!?" Syel laughed and lifted the painting. "This is awesome! I'm definitely getting a house now. Gotta hang this somewhere!" Wait. Kashi had been drawing for hours. This couldn't be all he worked on, right ? The halben's eyes turned sharp. "Hey. You got any more?"

Kashi laughed as five paintings appeared in his hands. "Sure. Just be careful. I didn't have frames to put them in."

Syel nodded, eyes wide as he admired the paintings. Each one was better than the last! Damn. He'd always known Suzuki could draw. But he didn't know he was this good. This was billion-dollar film territory of skill... The immense buffs from the painitngs were also nice.

Kashi released a sigh of relief. Only now did he realize he had been slightly nervous. What would he have done if Syel hated it? Kashi shook his head, and then asked Syel, "Hey. Can you make this for me?"

Syel listened to Kashi's explanation with a questioning brow. "Alright. I'll try my best. Don't know if I can get it exactly though."

"Just try." Clump of dirt and stone appeared in Kashi's hand as he spoke. He then handed the mass to Syel who viewed them with scepticism.