Chapter 603: Chapter 408: Mrs. Elk_2 Chapter 603: Chapter 408: Mrs. Elk_2 Lutina examined the painting in her hands and commented with a smile.
“However, I do appreciate your passion for painting, which always reminds me of an old friend, Clarence… Would you be interested in being my painting student, Noah?”
Noah was quite surprised.
Chen Lun, standing by, couldn’t help but be taken aback as well.
What surprised him even more was the familiarity between Lutina and the “Clarence” she mentioned.
Lutina said with a smile.
Her slender hand modestly lifted as she gestured around.
“In fact, my greatest strength lies in painting… Most of the murals preserved by the Naturalist Sect are crafted by my own hands, as well as the famous historical paintings you might have heard of, such as ‘Map of the Sacred Tree,’ ‘Chasing Birds,’ and ‘The Great Cat God,’ are all my work.”
Lutina’s mentioned paintings weren’t something Chen Lun had heard of, but he saw Noah’s eyes light up, realizing they were certainly extraordinary masterpieces.
“In Clarence’s younger days, She often discussed painting with me… It’s just a pity…”
She shook her head and said no more.
From her brief words, one could tell that Lutina and Clarence shared a very close relationship, akin to friends.
Chen Lun knew what Lutina’s sigh of ‘regret’ implied… because Clarence had gone mad, tainted and driven insane by the Dream Realm, hiding in the depths of the Crystal Mountain Range’s Abyss.
A sliver of the truth glimpsed from within the Immortal Realm.
Hearing Lutina’s words, joy spread across Noah’s face.
Other than an art teacher his mother had hired during his childhood, he had always been learning on his own. Now that he had reached a bottleneck in his skills, Noah was eager for a mentor to provide him guidance and enlightenment.
The Saintess before him was clearly a superb teacher!
But he quickly thought of something and his face showed regret.
“Your Majesty, I greatly appreciate your regard… I truly desire to study painting under You, but I am, after all, an underling of Mr. Jack, and cannot stay here for long.”
Noah took a deep breath and chose to decline.
The audience was quite surprised, not expecting the young man to pass on such an opportunity.
After all, Your Majesty was a Sequence Three!
To become Her student was not just about learning painting…
It was also a close connection!
Chen Lun was taken aback by Noah’s decision, feeling a warm sensation rising in his heart, but he didn’t want Noah to miss such an opportunity because of him.
Just as he intended to persuade Noah to study here for a while before rejoining the team in the Royal City in the future, Lutina spoke up with a light laugh:
“There’s no need for you to stay here all the time… In a few days, I will be going to the Royal City, and you can accompany me on a visit. Although I am the Saintess, I don’t actually spend every day in Kellettville Forest; Bixie Crost is my main area of activities.”
Noah’s eyes brightened.
He immediately looked at Chen Lun with an expectant gaze.
Seeing this, Chen Lun couldn’t help but chuckle and explained to Lutina:
“Your Majesty, it just so happens that we will be headed to the Royal City after delivering the letter.”
He then nodded toward Noah.
“Noah, do not refuse the kind offer of Her Majesty. You can take this opportunity to study under Her.”
Noah smiled and then bowed respectfully to Lutina.
“Lutina Teacher, I am honored to become Your painting student!”
The company chatted idly for a while.
When Lutina saw the time was right, she spoke to Captain Golian,
“I’ve already taken up a lot of Mrs. Elk’s time; please take Mr. Jack to the ‘Heart of the Holy Tree.'”
The white-haired woman rose from her seat, curtsying as she spoke.
She then looked at Chen Lun and gestured for him to follow.
“Please come with me, Mr. Jack.”
“Thanks for the trouble, Captain Golian.”
Chen Lun got up to take his leave.
He had Noah and Anton stay at the Sanctuary, while he followed Golian out.
Golian, accompanied by a team of Holy Tree Guardians, led Chen Lun through the huge roots of the Sacred Tree, spiraling upwards along the naturally formed steps, climbing up the trunk of the Holy Tree.
The Holy Tree, already imposing from a distance, was even more grand when Chen Lun ascended it personally… Walking on it felt akin to strolling through a spacious city plaza, and each step he took landed on the solid tree, a very unique sensation.
It took nearly twenty minutes of climbing before Chen Lun and Golian reached a vast stone-and-wood hall… Looking out from the edge of the gigantic branch, they could even see the thin clouds floating before their eyes.
Looking down, countless densely packed mushroom houses and treehouses looked like sesame seeds, and even the Sanctuary seemed incredibly small… They were now at the midpoint of the Holy Tree, thousands of meters above the ground.
“Mrs. Elk is inside.”
Golian stopped in front of the large hall, turning to speak to Chen Lun.
“We can’t enter freely, so you’ll have to go in by yourself.”
“Alright, thank you for your efforts.”
Chen Lun nodded his thanks.
Golian nodded slightly and commanded the Holy Tree Guardians to stand by the hall and wait.
Chen Lun glanced at them, then strode forward, his hand just lifting to knock on the wooden gate… but unexpectedly, the ten-meter-high gate, as if alive, transformed into numerous tendrils that wriggled and opened.