When the plot-skips players into the game world - Chapter 1050 - : 388: painter's imagination

Chapter 1050: Chapter 388: Painter’s Imagination

Once a target was set, Aiwass continued to sway in the middle of the dance floor while secretly listening to the conversations around him and observing everyone’s movements.

Thus, four to five minutes passed.

If it were a normal ball, this song should have ended by now, and the dancers should take this opportunity to rest a bit and then switch out with others… But the people here did not stop at all.

The band, their faces filled with smiles, kept playing incessantly, and the sad melody showed no signs of stopping–it was an endless, repetitive cycle.

Seeing nothing unusual happening around him, Aiwass continued with a smile and softly greeted the girl in front of him: “Hello.”

“Hello, sir.”

The girl replied with a crisp voice, politely.

Upon hearing this address, something stirred in Aiwass’s heart.

This likely meant that she also did not recognize him…

So, he followed her prompt, using a volume similar to the other guests and an indifferent smile as he continued the conversation: “When did you arrive?”

“I arrived late, almost two days ago. But still earlier than you, sir,”

the girl said with a smile.

Aiwass was a bit surprised: “How do you know?”

The girl’s gaze fell on the wine glass that Aiwass still clutched in his hand–even though her right hand was tightly holding Aiwass’s left hand, he never let go of his wine glass, because he really didn’t know what it was for.

Yet the girl answered, “Because you haven’t finished your drink yet.”

“…Hmm.”

“If you feel tired later,” the girl said with a smile, “remember to stop and finish your drink first.”

“Thank you.”

Aiwass responded warmly: “How should I address you?”

“My name is Sasha, sir,”

the girl said softly.

Upon hearing this name, Aiwass paused for a moment.

He remembered… the painting he was completing was named “Tower of the Banquet.”

If he were not mistaken…

“You are… which Sasha?”

Aiwass asked, uncertain.

He almost wanted to ask, “Are you the Sister Sasha of the Banquet Master’s house?”

But upon reconsidering, he abruptly halted–this era might not have a “Banquet Master.”

If this were a time before the Banquet Celestial became an Angel Envoy, he would not yet be known as the Banquet Master; and if after the Banquet Celestial’s ascension, he should be called the Banquet Celestial. Even in the distant future, there’s also a possibility that he had become a Pillar God.

Meanwhile, the girl looked at Aiwass with a tender smile.

She spoke softly, “I am the lover of Master Zagreus.

“–When will you finish your wine in the glass? Do you need me to serve you?”

“No need…”

Aiwass declined graciously, finishing the wine in his glass with a smile.

He roughly realized the timeframe of this painting.

He finally noticed the inconsistency–

Whether it was “Sister Sasha” before him or the guests around, they all appeared human!

Their ears were round, not pointed like those of an elf. But in the era of the Banquet Master, humans had not yet been born–humans were the last creation of the Beast Master and the newest creation of the Eternal Self. And the Eternal Self lived in the same era as the Banquet Master.

This meant, even if the Banquet Master had completed his ascension, humans were most likely still in a savage, primitive stage. If such a grand banquet were happening, it should probably involve only elves participating.

Maybe even some higher-species left over from the era of the Beast Master… but all in all, they couldn’t possibly have been exterminated already by then.

Moreover, the most crucial point is that Aiwass had seen what Sister Sasha looked like.

He had once prayed to Sister Sasha using a ritual–although Sister Sasha is merely an Angel Envoy and not a god, requiring the Banquet Master to act as a liaison intermediary. But he truly had seen Sister Sasha’s appearance in the Material Realm… and was even embraced by Sister Sasha once.

The “Sasha” currently before him, be it hair color, eye color, figure, height, or even race all subtly differ. The only similarity is probably the hairstyle.

Sister Sasha is first and foremost an Elf–not a human!

Secondly, beneath that nun’s garb, Sister Sasha’s physique is actually very impressive, yet this girl’s figure is much more ordinary in comparison…

Thus, Aiwass fully understood–

Although he has no knowledge of art history, rendering him unable to precisely determine the time period of the painting. But he can be certain that the painting was not drawn during the Banquet Master’s era, but rather the human era.

This is the imaginary banquet envisioned by the human painter!

He knows of Sister Sasha’s existence and got Sasha’s hairstyle right. This means the painter did some research and checked the information–judging from Sister Sasha’s physique, hairstyle, and hair color, the painter most likely saw a statue of Sister Sasha.

Under such circumstances, the painter’s source becomes very clear.

The Secret Cultivation Assembly that worships the relic of Sister Sasha–the Holy Land of the Sons of the Moon in the era of the Helasal Empire, Theresa Monastery!

The architecture here carries a pronounced ancient Elven Style, but the attire and conversations of the people more closely resemble those of the Imperial Era… The exaggerated, carpet-covered banquet floor and the white bust of the Candle Master are actually all illogical.

The reason the painter made the Candle Master’s bust white is simple–because the carpet is red, and the guests’ outfits are mostly red and black, with buildings featuring golden wooden structures. If that large bust were also red, two-thirds of the painting’s central area would be red, which would look unpleasant.

But he clearly lacks knowledge of Divine Arts and his understanding of the Elf era is also not deep enough–

For Aiwass, a Pope who has studied Advanced Divine Art, he saw through the many common mistakes made by this painter at a glance. Or rather, it’s precisely because there are errors everywhere that Aiwass cannot confirm whether this is the era before the Banquet Master was elevated…

The custom of the “red carpet” at the banquet itself comes from the era when Zagreus was the Banquet Master.

Back then, he often held “wild banquets,” letting guests strip their clothes or wear just a robe, frolicking and romping in a huge pool of wine. There were endless delicacies and wines, and people could get excited, drunken, revel, and howl like wolves even without drinking any wine.

…The actual reason was that their skin absorbed alcohol.

As for earlier Ritualists, they believed that “wine” mimicked “blood”–hence, just as rejuvenation occurred in the Blood Pool, the guests could be revitalized through this method. Since this theory was justified by Ritual Studies, the ritual was thereby established–people could indeed regenerate life through the wine pool ritual.

However, not every banquet could be this lavish.

For this reason, people believed that laying red carpets at banquets and borrowing the Banquet Master’s strength through rituals could make the event more lively–it’s somewhat red, so just pretend it’s the wine pool.

Since this custom itself originated after Zagreus was elevated to Banquet Master, how could there possibly be such exaggerated red carpets at the banquets during Zagreus’s era?

And this cake-like stage itself is unreasonable…

If these are all the painter’s imagination, then that would make sense.

–In other words, what Aiwass saw was not the real history, but related to the imagination of the painter who depicted this painting…

Just then, seeing Aiwass drink up the wine in his cup, the not-yet-a-nun Sasha also smiled charmingly.

She approached closer, then looked toward the doorway.

“The host of the banquet is coming,” she said.

“…Who is it?”

Aiwass was a bit nervous for a moment.

Zagreus?

“No,” the seemingly young girl replied, “It’s my son–Cain.”

“…What?”

Aiwass was startled and could barely contain himself.