Chapter 30: Tender and Delicious

Time slipped away unnoticed, and giant cracks began to appear on the ice sheet in the north of the Iceberg Bay, signaling the arrival of spring. Spring was the season when many magical beasts, from ground squirrels to giant dragons, became restless and entered their mating period.

Those around the Legendary Mage could clearly sense that Princess Lianna Morninglight had been acting somewhat strangely recently. Her emotions fluctuated greatly, and her mood swings were unpredictable, like a little girl with a rabbit hidden in her heart. All the magisters who could get close to her became more cautious, watching her expressions carefully. Even someone as esteemed as Master Fier had become more cautious. Indeed, many secretly speculated that the Legendary Mage's heart had been stirred by the spring, but these experienced magisters knew that magical beasts in their mating period were the most dangerous.

It was a sunny afternoon.

The Legendary Mage lazily lounged on a recliner, lost in thought, even forgetting to eat her favorite fruit beside her. Her attire was casual, with an ivory-colored, soft silk robe clinging to her body like skin. Her bare little feet were perched high on the armrest on the other side, and her tender skin glowed with a pearly softness under the warm sunshine. They were extremely enticing bare feet, and the exposed half of her calves would make ignorant people imagine the scenery deep within those legs with all their might.

However, none of those who could stand beside the Legendary Mage were ignorant, so they all ignored the 'spring charm' she revealed and didn't harbor any improper thoughts in their hearts.

Most of the people present had followed Lianna Morninglight in battles across dimensions, and the remaining few had participated in the creation of Deep Blue, so they were very aware of the terrifying methods of the Legendary Mage. In their eyes, the person lying horizontally before them was not a tender little woman who made them want to take a bite but a genuine ancient dragon. Those without this realization had long disappeared in the storms of the dimensions.

The magisters reported on the recent important events of Deep Blue as usual, but the Legendary Mage was obviously lazy and uninterested, sometimes even squinting her eyes.

At this moment, a servant walked in and said that the painting master wanted to see the Legendary Mage. Lianna Morninglight squinted her eyes without moving for a long time. Only when the servant, unable to maintain the half-bow position, began to seek help from the magisters with his gaze did she lazily nod indifferently. Then, the art master, holding a painting, appeared nervously before Lianna Morninglight.

He had never experienced such a scene because he was usually not qualified to attend such a high-level meeting. However, when his gaze landed on Lianna Morninglight's bare, smooth feet, everyone saw the art master's Adam's apple rolling violently. Dozens of sharp gazes like knife edges immediately made the art master realize his loss of composure, and cold sweat instantly covered his body. Fortunately, although Princess Lianna Morninglight had opened her eyes, she was still distracted, not knowing what she was thinking, and seemed not to have noticed the art master's disrespect and strong physical reaction just now.

The art master came to the divan, lowered his head deeply, and didn't dare to let his gaze fall on any part of Lianna Morninglight. He presented the painting he had tightly held in front of his chest and respectfully said, "Your Highness, your student, Stevenson, has painted a portrait of you. It is very artistic, so I dared to disturb you a little and present this portrait to you."

Lianna Morninglight's half-squinted eyes finally opened completely, and her focus gathered. Then, like a cat that was sunbathing and reluctantly moved its body to get a better angle to appreciate her portrait. The Legendary Mage had many disciples, and she had received many exotic gifts, but Stevenson was the first to give her a portrait.

It was a half-length portrait, with the background being the Iceberg Bay transitioning from spring to summer. At this time, the foothills of the Eternal Winter Mountains had already turned a tender green, while the area above the snow line up to the peak remained snowy all year round, resembling a famous dessert, mint fresh milk, from a distance. The sea was calm and deep, and the sky was exceptionally high and far, with various shades of blue filling the space between the sea and the sky. In the center of the painting, the Legendary Mage was wearing her favorite sky-blue robe, leaning on a railing and gazing into the distance.

Indeed, it is a masterpiece! Although there are not many portraits of the Legendary Mage, among them there are no lack of masterpieces. However, all of these portraits emphasize her identity as the Legendary Mage. Even when expressing her own beauty, they focus on themes of dignity, majesty, and splendor. Early works, on the other hand, often depicted grand scenes of her battling in different dimensions. At that time, even though the Legendary Mage was incredibly beautiful, she also exuded a chilling aura of killing intent and overwhelming power that commanded respect.

Yet, this half-length portrait is uniquely conceived. The subject appears more like a beautiful woman with a graceful demeanor.

The background of the entire painting is dominated by shades of blue, green, and white, with each color palette emphasizing purity, gentleness, and sweetness. The层次感 of such a diverse range of colors is handled exceptionally well, never overshadowing the elegance of the subject but instead enhancing her serene and exquisite beauty. Without the water-blue mage's robe unique to Lianna Morninglight, it would be impossible to discern that this woman with a slightly hazy and melancholic aura is actually a Legendary Mage.

Stevenson's thoughts are revealed through this half-length portrait, yet they are conveyed very cleverly and subtly.

Finally, there is a touch of emotion in Lianna Morninglight's eyes, and the master artist captures even these subtle changes. He, who once traveled through many countries and mingled among the high nobles and royal courts, was also once a heartthrob among noble ladies and young girls. The look in Lianna Morninglight's eyes at this moment is one he has seen in many people's eyes.

Yes, for many years, people have only remembered Lianna Morninglight as the Legendary Mage, recalling her powerful magic, her wealth comparable to a dragon's horde, and the increasingly prosperous Deep Blue, but they have forgotten that she is also a woman. The lifespan of legendary beings is greatly extended, and their mindset changes accordingly. From aging according to the normal passage of time to becoming young again, to experiencing the vicissitudes of life, and ultimately reaching a state of indifference. The high elves who once shone brightly on the continent of Noland had the deepest understanding and the most detailed accounts of this.

As for the current Lianna Morninglight, due to entering the realm of the Legendary Mage early on, her mindset is clearly still very youthful. Is she twenty or eighteen? It's impossible to guess. But the haziness and confusion that flash through her eyes are something the master artist has seen in the eyes of many noble ladies and young girls who still dream of love. The impact of this painting is evident from this.

Once, the master artist was captivated by Lianna Morninglight's beauty and strength and was willing to give up the colorful outside world to settle down in Deep Blue. However, as time passed, his one-sided admiration had long since been dashed. Love still needs a realistic foundation. When the master artist began to rely on the money he received from Lianna Morninglight to sustain his life, his distant dreams gradually faded away from him. So when he sees Stevenson's thoughts and efforts, the master artist feels no jealousy whatsoever. Memories that he thought were long buried resurface, but upon reflection, they only leave him with sighs. This is actually a sign of aging. Moreover, he will help Stevenson, which would have been completely inconceivable ten years ago. Even if this help is worth a substantial amount of gold coins.

Perhaps startled by the probing gaze of the master artist, Lianna Morninglight suddenly opens her eyes fully again, her gaze clear and unclouded, scaring the master artist into lowering his head immediately.

The Legendary Mage looks at the half-length portrait painted by Stevenson with a hint of greed and then breaks into a delighted smile, her beautiful face like a blooming flower. She says, "It's really well done, but am I really so beautiful?"

"Absolutely! You are the most beautiful among all the legends!" This time, the master artist speaks up before all the magisters.

Lianna Morninglight smiles modestly and turns to the gray dwarf, saying, "Heijin! This little guy, Stevenson, is really quite good. Alright, I'll add some of my joy to his reward this month. The amount..."

Saying this, Lianna Morninglight suddenly glances at the master artist who is still standing in place and says, "You can leave now!"

The master artist's heart is filled with mixed emotions. He dare not linger and quickly departs. However, knowing for sure that Lianna Morninglight will express her joy to Stevenson is enough. He believes that this news will surely delight Stevenson and lead to further expressions of gratitude. But on his way to the magical teleportation array, the master artist suddenly slows down and is surprised by his own transformation. When did he become so worldly that he would help an unfamiliar young noble pursue someone he once admired? Just for money?

Immediately, the master artist's heart is filled with conflict. A voice argues fiercely that almost every grand magister is striving for Lianna Morninglight's joy, isn't that also for gold coins? If the grand magisters are doing it, what does a mere archmage like him have to be modest about?

However, reason and experience relentlessly reminded the master artist that the two were not the same. All the grand magisters had their own bottom lines in conduct and behavior, contributing to Azure in their own ways and earning their due rewards. Liana Dawn's joy was not without reason; it was more of a recognition of their achievements and hard work. These aged grand magisters looked at Liana Dawn as if she were a lovely little girl, willing to accompany her in laughter and play. Of course, there were also those who worked solely for gold, but their common trait was professionalism, earning every coin with a clear conscience. Those truly without a bottom line could not survive alongside the legendary mage.

At this thought, the master artist immediately felt the gold coins and magic crystals in his pocket become hot. He couldn't help but wonder if it was because of his gradual self-abandonment that he had been unable to create works that truly satisfied him for several years.

In the reception hall, after the master artist left, Liana Dawn's gaze remained fixed on her portrait, with increasingly complex emotions in her eyes. The magisters looked at each other, all somewhat worried. Stivenson's intention was very clear, and they were not worried that Liana Dawn would not see it, but her unusual behavior now made them subtly uneasy. Could the legendary mage really be so confused as to be moved by that cunning young man?

After waiting for a long time, it was finally the gray dwarf who couldn't help but coughed a few times to get Liana Dawn's attention before saying loudly, "Your Highness, you haven't decided on Stivenson's reward for this month yet!"

Liana Dawn noticed the gray dwarf's unusual tone but her gaze remained on her portrait. She said casually, "Just 100 gold coins will be fine."

"What? How much?" The gray dwarf couldn't believe his ears for the first time in his life. Seeing the legendary mage's fascination with the portrait just now, even hearing one million wouldn't have shocked him so much.

The legendary mage finally poked her small head out from behind the portrait, saying impatiently, "100! Didn't I say it clearly? How much more do you want to give? Do you plan to pay for me?"

"Ah, no! Of course not! You're joking, where do I have money!" The gray dwarf urgently shook his hands, rarely showing such anxiety. Gray dwarves had hobbies similar to dragons. Gold coins were not currency to him but collectibles that he wanted more of. Asking him to take out gold coins was as painful as cutting off his beard.

The legendary mage wrinkled her small nose and snorted, saying, "That's it! Also, give the guy who just left 10,000. This painting is not bad, the quality has improved quite a bit, so he needs a reward."

For a moment, Blackgold didn't understand why Liana Dawn would say she wanted to reward the master artist when looking at the portrait presented by Stivenson. The several grand magisters present were thoughtful, exchanging glances and nodding slightly based on their closeness. Of course, no one thought of enlightening the gray dwarf who had no artistic talent.

However, Liana Dawn didn't mean to hide it from them. She waved the portrait in her hand and said, "You see, the composition, layout, and even the basic tones of this painting bear the style of that guy who just left. Only the coloring layers and details of the portrait part are not. So it's clear that that guy just laid the groundwork and the base color, and Stivenson only added some color at the end! Hmph, what expressions were you all just making? Hmm?! Do you really think I can't see it? Remember this all! Be careful of your bills next month! Also, Blackgold! You should also learn about art! Don't just deal with gold coins every day!"

The gray dwarf nodded vigorously, saying, "Don't worry, Your Highness! I will definitely study hard. Next time when I attend the Saint Tree Dynasty's Rare Treasures Convention, I will definitely go and find some truly valuable paintings to bring back!"

Liana Dawn's gaze returned to her portrait. She lingered for a few more glances before sighing softly and saying, "Actually, seeing this painting just prompts me to be closer to making a decision. Alright, let's not talk about this. Do you have anything else?"

Phil stepped forward and detailed Aiden Grey's learning under Naya.

When it came to Aiden Grey's matter, Liana Dawn's eyes immediately lit up. Before Phil could finish, she immediately interjected, "No wonder Aiden Grey suddenly made a breakthrough in magical pattern construction. It was this guy causing trouble inside. Master Phil, do you think this will have a negative impact on Aiden Grey's future achievements?"

Phil had already pondered this question. He shook his head and said, "No, it's quite likely to benefit Aiden Gray in the future."

Liana Morninglight's eyes immediately lit up with a dangerous gleam. "Someone wants to mess with my Aiden Gray?"

Phil quickly said, "That's not what I mean. But we can already be sure that Aiden Gray will become a constructor, and constructors rarely stay away from the battlefield. Learning more about the arts of darkness will help him survive in the future."

The legendary mage then nodded and said, "That's true. But Naya dares to secretly teach my student without my permission. His boldness is still the same as it was years ago. Disaster Blade was a very annoying guy back then. I really wanted to give him a lesson he would never forget. But this guy disregarded his reputation and hid like a little mouse, so the matter was dropped. I didn't expect him to hide in Deep Blue. Hmm, well, very well, heh, hehehe!"

When the legendary mage's laughter became strange, all the archmages remained silent.

Naya was indeed bold enough to hide in Deep Blue after offending Liana Morninglight. It had to be said that this was indeed a surprisingly good idea. However, now that his identity was public, it was too late to leave Deep Blue immediately. Liana Morninglight might not be the most powerful in the legends, but she was indeed the most vindictive, so her hunting and tracking abilities were as famous as her magic.

As for Disaster Blade's identity as an assassin, no one cared much. Deep Blue was crowded with people, and the population mobility in the fringe areas could rival that of a small country's capital. It was uncertain how many people who had once lived in the shadows were mixed in. As long as they abided by the rules of Deep Blue, no one would care about their past. Deep Blue only maintained its own rules, and the rules of the outside world did not apply here.

Liana Morninglight bit her lower lip and said with some annoyance, "Although Disaster Blade offended me, it was just some minor things in retrospect. Later, I also found his private collection from decades ago... Hmm, it's been so many years, so let's just forget it. Now he's quite sensible. Everything he teaches Aiden Gray is genuine, without hiding anything. It's somewhat difficult to deal with..."

At this moment, the gray dwarf stepped forward and reminded her, "Your Highness, taxes!"

"What?" Liana Morninglight was startled. It had to be admitted that her reaction had been slower than usual in recent days.

"Your Highness, Naya hasn't paid taxes! He charges your Aiden Gray one thousand gold coins as tuition every day but hasn't paid taxes! This is blatantly stealing your gold coins!" The gray dwarf became more excited as he spoke, starting to gesture with his hands to emphasize his statement.

The beautiful little eyebrows of the legendary mage also rose!

In a way, she shared a common special hobby with the gray dwarf, which was gold coins. She sat up abruptly and said, "Unpaid taxes! Go find Naya immediately and collect all the taxes owed! Take more people with you. He always has several accomplices."

The gray dwarf straightened his body, pounded his chest like a gorilla, and roared loudly, "No need! I can handle it myself! This is Deep Blue!"

Like a true warrior, he strode out of the reception hall with a demeanor comparable to that of a constructor knight preparing for a charge. However, the archmages present all showed expressions of disbelief. They had worked together for nearly ten years and knew that after leaving the reception hall, the gray dwarf would definitely call a dozen law enforcement mages before daring to trouble Disaster Blade.

The discussion ended here. After the archmages left, Liana Morninglight looked at the portrait for a long time before asking her attendants to summon Aiden Gray.

The place where Aiden Gray met the legendary mage was a small, elegantly decorated hall, not the kilometer-long grand hall amidst landscapes. The legendary mage wore a long coat casually over her soft, fitted silk robe. The extensive lace embroidery from the collar to the front placket accentuated her delicate and beautiful face. Her long hair was carelessly tied up with two dragon teeth as hairpins, and a few strands of hair fell onto her rounded shoulders, exuding a unique charm.

When Gray entered, the legendary mage was kneeling on a dark red pure wool carpet, half leaning on a rosewood tea table, intently staring at a small magical mithril balance scale in front of her.

The trays on both ends of the scale held weights of different sizes and quantities. The scale was already severely unbalanced, with the right tray nearly touching the base. Liana Morninglight held a small and exquisite weight in her left hand, hesitating about which side to place it on. This weight was very small, smaller than any other weight on the table, and it seemed that no matter which side it was placed on, it would not have a decisive impact.

However, Gray keenly noticed that the pillars of the scale were carved with coiled dragons and devils, both emitting a faint magical aura. He immediately realized that this was a magical scale. Its balance did not solely depend on the weight of the objects but more on the magic contained within them. Moreover, it was very sensitive to the environment and would respond to the changing elemental energies between dimensions, thereby altering its balance. Therefore, it could be both a tool for detecting the magical quality of objects and used for divination.

Gray stood quietly, not disturbing her. He enjoyed this tranquility and the breathtaking charm that the legendary mage inadvertently displayed at this moment. Liana Morninglight hesitated for a long time before she seemingly noticed Gray standing behind her. She turned around, looked at Gray, muttered "fresh and delicious," and then threw the small weight onto the highly raised tray on the scale.

Ding! The sound of magical mithril was crisp and melodious, lingering for a long time.

However, that small weight was as heavy as a mountain, pressing the tray straight down until it reached the bottom!

Liana Morninglight looked at Gray, then at the scale, and then at Gray again, repeating this process with an inexplicable expression on her face.