After finishing breakfast, Lan Qi immediately sought out the estate's steward.

The steward was waiting outside the dining room, a smile on his face as he watched the young master approach.

"The young master seems to be in good spirits today?"

His voice was very deep, like that of a weary old father.

But just hearing the steward speak sent a shiver down Lan Qi's spine.

In his predecessor's memories, the steward was the most trustworthy person on the estate, and the one who usually took care of him.

But Lan Qi realized that the original owner hadn't realized that this smiling tiger of a steward was also the most dangerous guy on the estate.

Just like now, the steward was calmly sporting a perfect fake smile, while facing a纨绔恶少 (wankue eshao) – a spoiled young master feared or disliked by everyone in the household.

"So-so. I have something to ask you."

Lan Qi said indifferently.

"Please speak."

"It's about the pigeon I shot down yesterday. I realized it might be someone's shikimai (familiar). If it belongs to someone of high status, it might bring trouble to the family. So, I need you to take care of everyone who might know about it."

"Oh?"

Lan Qi's words clearly surprised the steward.

He seemed to scrutinize Lan Qi for a moment.

So, this young master could actually think about the family this much? Was it a sudden whim, or was he in some kind of trouble?

But the steward didn't plan to ask any further questions. He bowed slightly to Lan Qi and said,

"I am at your service."

"Also, I want to ask you to find someone for me."

"Please describe the person's characteristics."

"She's a woman who looks to be about my age, with gray hair and golden eyes. She's probably wearing a dark gray, tattered cloak, looking like a refugee. And please don't let her find out that I'm looking for her."

Lan Qi gestured as he spoke.

This caused the steward to frown.

"I'll do my best. But you must know how large this border city-state is. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find her quickly... Of course, if you can give me more specific characteristics, I should be able to save a lot of time on investigation and screening."

"Is that so… if I can draw her, how long will it take you to find her?"

"Within a day, I can find anyone in this town who has seen her, I assure you."

The steward smiled again.

He remembered that Lan Qi used to draw, but he hadn't seen Lan Qi pick up a brush since his parents had started letting him do as he pleased.

It was also from that time that the young master's personality gradually became bad.

"Then you can go and take care of the witnesses first. I'll have a portrait of her ready before you get back."

Lan Qi nodded.

"Very well, young master, then I shall take my leave. But please remember to draw carefully. I should be able to complete the first task for you by noon."

The steward smiled, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the kitchen, not forgetting to remind him.

"Don't worry."

Lan Qi's specialty was drawing.

He could draw Talia with his eyes closed.

He guaranteed that no one in this world could draw Talia better than him.

Lan Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

Although his predecessor had caused trouble, fortunately, there was still room for maneuver.

Of course, concealing evidence would only make it more difficult for the demon princess Talia to find out the truth.

As far as Lan Qi knew, Talia had a magic that could see through lies. As long as she was patient, there was basically nothing she couldn't find out.

And according to Talia's super vindictive personality.

Once she found out that he had hunted her shikimai (familiar), even if he treated her kindly when she came to his door and made her endure it for the time being, she would still take revenge one thousand percent of the time after she rose to power.

To truly resolve Talia's hatred, he had to go and confront Talia himself.

But for now, at least until noon, he just needed to draw carefully.

…

At this time, Lan Qi had just reached the second floor when he saw the maid who had woken him up that morning and was a little afraid of him.

"I'll go prepare for you, young master."

The maid was used to it and was preparing to get Lan Qi some good wine and the latest storybooks.

But she soon stopped.

Because of what Lan Qi was saying to her –

"I want to go to the study."

Because of this sentence, the maid became very anxious.

"...Are you sure you said the study?"

Her tone was a little hesitant.

Which made Lan Qi show a confused expression.

"Yes."

Lan Qi affirmed.

He wanted to go to the study to check some information and draw a portrait of Talia to send to the steward.

Before determining Talia's location, he had nothing else urgent to do for the time being.

However, when he opened the door to the study, he discovered.

There was no table in the room, not even paper, but there were many expensive-looking wine bottles.

"Please forgive me, young master."

"What's wrong?"

Lan Qi looked at the anxious maid.

"I, I haven't finished cleaning the study this morning."

She murmured, looking down, seemingly ready to be scolded.

According to the young master's temper, he would definitely slam the door and leave now, then come back drunk later at night.

"Is that so? It doesn't matter if it hasn't been cleaned for a day or two. As long as you prepare drawing tools for me, it's the same in any other room."

Lan Qi sighed helplessly.

"No, young master, how can that be!"

The maid widened her eyes and looked at Lan Qi.

She was momentarily at a loss, both surprised by Lan Qi's unusually amiable attitude today and hurriedly saying:

"Just give me fifteen minutes, and I will make the study spotless! Then prepare the tools you need! I guarantee it with my professional standards!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

Lan Qi wasn't worried about waiting for a while.

Talia's killing intent made him a little flustered, but not completely flustered.

Because he already had a solution in his mind.

No one could stop him from living a comfortable and carefree life.

…

In about ten minutes, the maid completed the cleaning of the study as promised and brought Lan Qi the best drawing tools on the estate.

Lan Qi looked at the pen of this world.

Although it wasn't quite the same as the one he was used to in his previous life, he quickly figured out how to use it.

Then he sat in front of the canvas, composed himself, picked up the brush, and began to draw Talia's portrait with a relaxed expression.

The thought that he had once drawn the most perfect character, the dignified demon princess Talia, but now she had to dress like a beggar and be down on her luck, made Lan Qi want to laugh a little.

Even without having to think too much in his mind, the brush in his hand moved freely.

He had drawn Talia too many times.

Lan Qi poured in his skills that had been honed for many years, with a faint smile on his lips, calmly and skillfully moving his brush.

He didn't look like a great painter at all.

His composed appearance was like that of a stay-at-home husband preparing dinner.

But gradually, his attention was unconsciously focused entirely on the painting in front of him, as if he had lost the concept of time.

He didn't even notice that the maid waiting beside him was gradually blinking her eyes in surprise, her mouth slowly becoming like a small round hole.

As time flew by.

Lan Qi's painting was almost complete.

The girl on the canvas, although she was wearing a tattered cloak, was as beautiful as a wolf in the snow.

A gentle breeze brushed her face, causing the gray strands of hair under her hood to flutter slightly in the wind.

In those vaguely visible golden eyes, hidden beneath a thousand layers of ice was a raging flame.

Her lonely figure would not lead anyone to mistakenly believe that she was a weak being. The more the dust on her body covered her, the more it could not hide the nobility and power flowing in her blood.

"Finished."

Lan Qi smiled and completed the final details.

Only then did he carefully examine the painting and realize that he had accidentally drawn it too seriously.

"Oh my god, young master, has your painting skill already become so superb?"

An exclamation sounded from the side,

"I was just fantasizing that you were possessed by the god of art. It's the first time I've seen such a shocking painting!"

Even at this moment, the maid could not calm the excitement in her eyes.

She had seen Lan Qi paint a few years ago.

At that time, Lan Qi would still show a gentle smile, never lose his temper, and the scenery he painted was as beautiful as his heart.

Many servants on the estate were looking forward to the day when the current Lan Qi could suddenly wake up.

Because they couldn't imagine what kind of life the servants would live, or whether they would all be driven away, when he became the real master of this house in the future if he continued to degenerate like this.

How much the maid hoped that today's signs were not her illusion.

But that the young master had really become gentle, refined, and understanding from the bottom of his heart.

"Is that so?"

Lan Qi smiled a little embarrassedly and scratched the back of his head.

He was indeed a very skilled painter, but the maid's admiring eyes were almost treating him like the resurrected Picasso and Van Gogh.

He felt like he had accidentally gotten caught up in the painting just now, as if he had put his heart and soul into it, and he felt a little dizzy the moment he finished painting.

But it shouldn't be praised like this, right?

"I guarantee that you will become a great painter who will cause a sensation in the kingdom! Even His Majesty the King will want to get your paintings, and even the most noble card creators will want to come and discuss painting techniques with you!"

The maid clenched her hands tightly, looking at Lan Qi seriously and said.

After a moment of silence.

"Hiss—"

Lan Qi suddenly realized a fact.

That's right!

This was originally a non-turn-based magic card game!

And he was the chief artist!

It could be said that he drew many things in this world, including the prototypes of many rare and precious magic cards.

According to the setting of this game, magic cards were equivalent to encapsulated skills, equipment, or summons, with the characteristics of portability, tradeability, and convenient free matching.

Compared to spending a lot of money to learn spells, in this world, you could directly buy the corresponding magic card, bind it, and use the spell. You could also adjust your skill structure at any time according to the strong enemies you needed to challenge.

In addition, in the game's highest difficulty dungeon, challengers would be matched to random other timelines to obtain unique identities and situations, and could not bring any foreign objects with them, except for magic cards bound to the soul.

Therefore, magic cards were essential for traveling, killing, and fighting in this world!

Expensive magic cards could be produced in dungeons, or they could be made by card creators.

And the skill of painting was inextricably linked to the creation of magic cards.

"It seems that in addition to being a great artist in this world, I also have good potential in card creation?"

Lan Qi thought deeply, supporting his chin.

He had long felt that the magic cards in this game were too ordinary.

And every time he proposed to the planner that he could make cards that would enrich the game experience without destroying the game balance, they were rejected.

The planner said that he didn't have ten mothers, so he didn't dare to implement those cards.

"Young master, is the person in the portrait the woman you like?"

A slight probing voice interrupted Lan Qi's thoughts.

The maid waiting beside him had noticed that Lan Qi had become unusually gentle today, causing the servants throughout the estate to feel a little uneasy.

But the maid had been observing him for so long.

She felt that he didn't seem to be faking it.

In addition, he had suddenly drawn such a miracle.

Finally, the maid came to a shocking conclusion –

He might be in love!

"…"

Lan Qi raised his head with a strange expression, looking at the maid and not knowing how to speak.

The one in the painting...

Was the woman who might kill him.

But he carefully observed the painting and thought about it again.

If he let the steward take the painting to find someone, according to the people of this world's shock at his paintings, it might cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

So, Lan Qi pushed away the easel.

He skillfully prepared the canvas again, wanting to draw another ordinary refugee portrait of Talia.

However.

On the new work, as soon as he made a few strokes, a strong sense of dizziness made him almost unable to see the canvas clearly.

The maid looked at Lan Qi's painful appearance with some worry, but did not dare to forcibly interrupt his creation.

But after hesitating for a moment.

She felt that maybe the young master really wouldn't blame others indiscriminately today.

So, she swallowed her saliva and said:

"Young master, if you feel particularly uncomfortable, you may be in a state of mana depletion... It seems that when you paint, you pour in your whole heart and your own mana. I heard that some great painters or card creators in history have also sacrificed their lives for art because of this..."

"I'm not drawing anymore."

Lan Qi immediately put down his pen after hearing this.

This wasn't like staying up late to draw, which would be over after staying up for a while.

This time, he clearly felt that when he was drawing, something strange in his body seemed to be flowing away!

"Help me take this painting to the steward, let him read it and then act according to my instructions, and then help me put this painting away, don't take it out of the house."

Lan Qi said, pointing to the painting he had finished earlier.

He felt extremely sleepy as soon as he relaxed.

The feeling of fatigue, like the receding tide, swept over him more fiercely, and his head couldn't help but nod.

He found that according to this consumption, he probably wouldn't have the strength to draw a second portrait of Talia that the steward could clearly identify in a short time.

"And no matter what, wake me up before dinner."

After explaining this sentence, Lan Qi stopped talking.

"Understood! Understood!"

The maid carefully used magical tools to accelerate the drying and sealing of the painting.

On the one hand, the price of this painting was difficult to estimate. On the other hand, the young master had already leaned back in his chair and fallen asleep.

She was extremely happy with the young master's change today, and couldn't help but be more curious about the level of the young master's work.

So, she secretly used appraisal magic and finally saw the true face of the painting—

[Portrait·Mysterious Princess]

[Type: Artwork]

[Grade: Epic]

[Tier: 1]

[Those who appreciate this painting will recover a small amount of spirit and stamina, and their goodwill towards the princess in the painting will increase, with a probability of increasing a small amount of spirit.]

…

When Lan Qi woke up again and looked at the familiar scenery outside the window, it was already afternoon.

The setting sun gradually sank in the west, and the golden light mixed with red dyed the clouds. The light through the window rippled in circles, adding a touch of psychedelic color to the room.

The steward must have carried him back to the room.

Because there was already a letter on his bedside table, with the steward's beautiful handwriting on it – about Talia's whereabouts.

Lan Qi shook his head. He had slept particularly groggily this time.

However, when he sat up and stretched, he

Found a painting in a conspicuous position in his room.

Just this painting made the whole room more artistic.

Lan Qi sat on the bed, frowning and staring at Talia's portrait.

The maid and the steward must have misunderstood what he meant.

It wasn't to help him frame this painting and hang it in his room.

It was to help him hide it!

Otherwise, what if the person in the painting saw someone drawing her so seriously? How embarrassing would that be!

"Never mind."

Lan Qi helplessly turned over and got out of bed.

Anyway, Talia had no chance to come to his room.

It would be a success to trick her out of this country safely.