Chapter 341: A Drawing in a Drawing
Translator: Pluto Editor: Vermillion
The darkness only lasted for a short time to symbolize the night. Sunlight filtered through the windows to show that it was another new day. The narrator was the first person to wake the people in the chateau. The maid hurried in and out of the room as she helped "Gabrielle" with her morning routine.
"After Gabrielle dolled herself up properly, she sat on a carriage and headed to the palace to visit Henry IV. Recently, Henry IV had been increasingly attracted to her talents and wit…"
When Lin Sanjiu heard the name "Henry IV" and considered her current situation, she placed the clues together and made a good guess that she was in the Middle Ages in France. Even if her history knowledge was limited, she could guess that she was in the early Bourbons. As she listened to the narrator, she was sat on her metal board unenthusiastically and let it bring her out into the cold winter morning.
Just as she was brought out of the chateau, Lin Sanjiu pulled down a red velvet curtain and wrapped it around herself. Her red silhouette stood out amidst the white snowfield as the platform moved forward steadily.
Time flowed at a different pace within "Time Travel". It had actually been more than 30 minutes since she had entered this place, yet the story was just beginning.
Her meeting with King Henry only lasted for a few symbolic minutes. Lin Sanjiu observed the historically famous Good King Henry with interest. Other than that, she didn't do anything else. After receiving the invitation to attend a ball in the palace, the metal board brought her out of it.
"However, once she left the palace, Gabrielle's carriage was stopped."
As the voice of the narrator rang out, Lin Sanjiu narrowed her eyes and stood up from her platform. A man with a medium but sturdy build was in front of her. If that black-haired man wasn't on a horse, he would probably be shorter than her by a bit. Judging from his attire, he was probably an aristocrat. The people behind him were obviously the servants he brought along for hunting. He looked at Lin Sanjiu with a mixture of tolerance, maliciousness, hatred and other emotions… It all summed up to a twisted expression which made her feel uncomfortable just looking at his face.
"My dear Gabrielle," he said sweetly. The tone of his voice reminded Lin Sanjiu of a serpent. "I wish I could say it was a coincidence to meet you here."
Even after waiting for a few seconds, the narrator did not speak.
"Since we are both heading home, why don't we travel together. Oh, that's unless you have somewhere else you want to go?" the man laughed mockingly. Then, he tugged at his horse and pulled his horse up to Lin Sanjiu's platform. He rode beside her, keeping up with her pace.
"What does he want?" Just as Lin Sanjiu was wondering about the man's background, he bent over from his horse. He flashed a wide grin and showed an overly kind expression. With a whispery voice, he slowly spoke to Lin Sanjiu, "As your husband, there is something I want to remind you. Ever since you've gotten close to the king, someone has been harboring a grudge against you. I hope you haven't forgotten a rumor we have around here. Queen Margaret is from the House of Valois and they have passed down their secret dark arts over generations."
"Gabrielle shuddered. When she looked up once again, she realized that her husband had already made a turn and ridden away. After her affair with the king had been exposed, her husband rarely returned to their chateau…"
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help scratching her hair in frustration.
" What sort of complicated relationship is this!"
The queen wanted to kill her, and her husband seemed to be the first person to cheer for the queen if she succeeded.
Now that she knew that there were characters in the story that were against her, Lin Sanjiu felt a little relieved. Considering her circumstance, if she defended herself against any attacks from Queen Margaret, she could probably survive and complete this first round.
"What are those so-called secret dark arts?" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself as she returned to the chateau. Gabrielle called Vera over and both of them started busily preparing for the ball that night. In reality, Vera was the only one that was busy. Lin Sanjiu sat crosslegged on her platform. Her wings were slightly arched, she was already in her hypersensory state and was prepared for any attacks around her.
Hei Zeji had given her some tips about why her combat capabilities were lacking and how she should fight with her hypersensory state. Even though he was very vague about it, that little bit of information was the only thing Lin Sanjiu could rely on to hone her techniques.
Other than criticizing Lin Sanjiu for relying only on her evolved abilities and physical strength to fight, Hei Zeji also mentioned that her movements were not fluid at all, saying that she moved with an abysmal level of animatronic stiffness and that she was deaf and blind. When Lin Sanjiu asked Hei Zeji for a more concrete explanation, he was immediately irritated by her and did not elaborate more. "When you're fighting, you'll understand." That was his only answer.
How was she going to understand it now?
"Abysmal level of animatronic stiffness?" Lin Sanjiu stood up on her platform. Feeling somewhat curious, she threw a punch outward.
At that moment, she was in the middle of a large lively ball. There were many exquisitely dressed men and women. They were raising their wine goblets. Flowers have been woven into their hairs as they conversed loudly and cheerfully. A few artists who were clearly from the School of Fontainebleau sat at the corner creating their oil paintings.
Among them, only one person caught her attention for a brief moment.
That person was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair which grew way past her neck. She had a graceful yet alluring aura. Her bright and gorgeous long gown flowed down from her chair. She was so eye-catching that it was difficult to ignore her presence. However, the woman looked somewhat unhappy. She sat in her seat staring coldly and did not even cast a single glance at Henry IV. That woman was indeed Queen Margaret.
"That is the woman that wants to get rid of me?" Lin Sanjiu muttered quietly to herself as she threw another punch aimlessly. She accidentally hit the wine goblet of a gentleman who was holding it in his hand. The latter let out a sound of surprise. Obviously, under the control of the "Time Travel" experience, he laughed and apologized, "I'm sorry. I nearly dirtied the duchess' dress." After that, he walked away unhurriedly.
Lin Sanjiu sighed. She didn't quite understand the situation.
With her experience in four different worlds, she had some basic combat knowledge. For example, she knew that when she threw a punch, she shouldn't just move her shoulders. She had to stand stable, pull back, and draw additional strength from her waist, abdomen, and her back so that the force of the punch would not be merely from her wrist but her entire upper body. This was the way to deliver an effective and powerful punch.
Lin Sanjiu felt that she was already doing very well. Even if she was throwing a punch, she was already drawing the strength from her upper body, how could that even be called "stiff"?
Besides, she had keen sight and hearing. They worked very well.
As these thoughts surfaced in her mind, Lin Sanjiu suddenly sensed something. Before her mind could even react, her body had already entered her hypersensory state.
Lin Sanjiu could really describe what had happened in that instant. She only knew from the sensation she felt from the back of her head, her back, her calves and every inch of her skin was telling her that the space behind her had collapsed.
Before she could turn her head, she already felt the strong pull behind her created from the collapsed space. It was as if a small black hole had opened behind her. Lin Sanjiu was pulled from her platform with a woosh. She flew backward like a feather without any resistance.
The guests stopped their conversations and watched her in amazement. They were completely unaffected by this strong suction. Just as the people turned their heads to watch Lin Sanjiu, a subtle smile appeared on Queen Margaret's beautiful face.
"Damn it!"
Lin Sanjiu swore furiously. She finally had some idea of what Hei Zeji meant.
Who were the people standing behind her just moments before? What were they doing before that black hole appeared? What was that thing that was creating this suction force?
Even with her hypersensory state, these questions remained unanswered. She was certainly deaf and blind!
These fleeting thoughts flashed through her mind instantaneously. Extending her wings fully, Lin Sanjiu stirred up a strong gust of wind. At the same time, she managed to thrust one of her wings into a nearby pillar. Her body fluttered raggedly in mid-air with her feet off the ground. Before she could even steady herself, a black, rectangular shadow flew past her.
Her other wing seemed to react even faster than Lin Sanjiu's consciousness. It extended backward and caught the object. Though her metal board platform was now riddled with holes, Lin Sanjiu was thankful that she didn't lose it.
"The player had already left her metal board for 6 seconds," the narrator announced with the same light-hearted tone.
Lin Sanjiu grabbed her hole-riddled metal board with one hand. Trying her best to move against the intense suction force, she held on tightly to the palace pillar with her other hand. At that moment, her hair and legs were just floating horizontally in the air and she was still being drawn backward. If she just released her grip a little, she would be pulled further backward.
Lin Sanjiu struggled to look behind her and almost forgot to breathe.
Her eyes swept carelessly at the scene behind her. She noticed a middle-aged man with a wide frivolous smile. He was holding a brush in his hand and there was a half-completed painting in front of him. He had already captured half of the ball scene in his work. He was now facing Lin Sanjiu. Upon closer inspection, the man had already depicted the guests, servants, decorations and the portion of the table surrounding Gabrielle. Even though he composed them with just a few strokes, he managed to capture the essence of the vibrancy of the surrounding.
The only blank spot was the area where "Gabrielle" was standing.
"Come into this painting. Quick. I am almost done."
Lin Sanjiu could almost hear the short artist beckoning to her softly.
"So, this is the secret dark arts that Queen Margaret can use?" Lin Sanjiu thought to herself.
[An Unfinished Oil Painting]
A second-rate artist who had been despised by the art scene in the art capital of the world, Italy, had finally found the secret to becoming a master artist. If my drawings aren't lifelike enough, I just have to pull a living person into the painting, right?
Instructions: while the target is unaware, the artist will draw the surroundings of the target, when his art is almost completed, the target would be pulled into the painting.
Just when Lin Sanjiu felt like her nails were about to be ripped from her fingers, the narrator's voice rang out once again.
"A player has been affected by an activated Special Item. Please note that if the player can avoid this calamity, she might get a chance of obtaining the item."