Chapter 34.1

In fact, disregarding all facial characteristics, this statue bears a striking resemblance of 70% to Kevin. However, the contours from the corners of the eyes to the arches of the lips have been smoothed and softened. In addition to the slight nodding gesture, there is also a sense of compassion for the world which greatly differs from Kevin's usual temperament of having horns and being unable to fight.

When standing face to face, there is absolutely no way to connect the two together.

This is not the first time Kevin has come across a gentler version of himself, but the last time he closely examined one was tens of millions of years ago...

"Whose portrait is this?" Phae, the god of light, stood by the holy lake of Ana, flicking a thin piece of qin leaf paper between his fingers, and spoke to Thenis. "Nice craftsmanship, but I don't believe I've seen it before."

On the qin leaf paper was a young man gently nodding his head, his short black hair and slightly drooping eyebrows meticulously depicted with a charcoal pen, with a faint smile gracing the corners of his mouth.

Thenis had a bundle of vibrant red sweet fruits in her hand, feeding her baby unicorn deer, when she heard what Phae had said, she immediately rolled her eyes, slapped the deer's rear, and remarked, "I've been painting for so long, and you think it's yourself?"

The one-horned deer stumbled from her blow and charged aggressively towards Phae. Caught off guard, Phae received a direct hit from the antlers to his ribs, dampening the temperament of the God of Light.

Despite being gravely injured, Phae still sought retaliation. He squinted his eyes and peered at the qin leaf paper as if he were blind, then remarked, "My apologies, but this fair-faced individual looks nothing like me, no matter how I examine it. At the very least, you've managed to make me appear plumper."

Thenis snatched the paper from his grip, furiously stating, "This is meant to represent gentleness! I merely smoothed the edges to make it appear more approachable."

Phae retorted, "Dear sister, are you creating a portrait or a transformation?"

Thenis retrieved a blank qin leaf paper, smacked it against his chest, and asserted, "Fine, fine, you have the final say. Draw a template for me."

Without uttering a word, Phae procured a sturdy quill, fastened the qin leaf paper onto a hawthorn wood drawing board, sheathed the pen behind his back with one hand, and began sketching in a dignified manner. Notably, his posture exuded elegance and grace.

Meanwhile, Thenis, who happened to be standing on the other side of the drawing board, cast a glance at him, and continued feeding the remaining sweet fruits to the deer.

As she fed the last bright red and gleaming sweet fruit into the deer's mouth, Phae also set aside his quill, raised his chin, and declared, "Done."

"So fast? Let me see—" Thenis sent the unicorn off to play and approached the front of the drawing board.

To her surprise, Phae had painted an animalistic face, more repulsive than a phantom, on the high-quality qin leaf paper. Random shadings had deeply sunken the cheeks on both sides, and his hair resembled a disheveled bird's nest...

"The ones you paint are either excessively fierce or excessively indulgent. You have the audacity to claim that my appearance is unsightly in a painting! And where did this beard come from?" Thenis questioned with a crestfallen expression.

Phae carelessly mused, "I find Fessa's beard imparts an air of elegance and wisdom, and I plan on growing one like it starting tomorrow."

Without a word, Thenis snatched the qin leaf paper back, pointed at the summit of the northern mountain, and sternly commanded, "Get going back to your Temple of Light along with your eight grand pillars." In short, one word: leave.

With graceful poise, the handsome God of Light departed, leaving behind a tall and slender figure.

Many, many years passed after that, and on a certain early summer afternoon, Thenis returned from her wanderings with a little boy no taller than her thigh by her side.

The child possessed charcoal-colored black hair, slightly curled, and appeared well-behaved and gentle. Due to his slender build, his dark eyes seemed unusually large, shining like grape seeds.

"Where did you find this little one?" Fessa inquired as he tugged at his beard.

He was the elder brother of Thenis and Phae. In terms of appearance alone, he was not much older than the other two main gods. However, due to his lengthy beard, he appeared considerably older than Phae and the rest, displaying signs of premature wisdom.

Regrettably, it was useless, as the little boy seemed incredibly shy. Enveloped in a loose-fitting white robe, he clung to Thenis's long skirt and hid behind her, only revealing half of his small face.

"I gave birth," Thenis replied with a smile.

Fessa's hands trembled, and he nearly pulled his beard out: "With whom? Where? When?"

Thenis tilted her head and teased, "Guess?"

Fessa remained silent while Phae, who was leaning against the tree, had already lazily opened his mouth: "Moya, the god of wine? No, he is too dark to give birth to such dazzling ones. Uno, the god of wind? No, he has short legs and proportionate The difference is too big. River God Maner? Not to mention, he—"

"If you continue to speak nonsense, I will dismantle your temple," Thenis interrupted him unbearably.

Allow this individual to continue, and the next day other minor gods will revolt and bombard his sanctuary.

"Would you like to hear another guess?" Phae raised his eyelids and asked with a smile.

Thenis said unhappily: "No more guesses! This little thing was not born, I created it. When Yunyou passed by the Suta Plain, the long vine roses there bloomed just right, so I used the long vine leaves and the bottom wooden thorns to create this little thing. It just so happens that the winter in the Holy Lake of Ana is too deserted, so it can be more lively with him."