The painting "Dragon Wings Ashore" that Yu Lian obtained from the old curator was based on Empress Yiwanya's flagship at the time, which was also the flagship of the Galactic Empire's Royal Fleet—the Phoenix.
The hull, red as flames and golden as dawn, hung in the dark sky, seemingly illuminating the entire Universe.
Yu Lian liked this painting very much, so he decided that if he ever had his own office, he would hang it there to decorate it. Of course, if he ever needed money, selling it would not be a problem. From what he knew, although Salwen was not a top-tier great painter, his works after reaching maturity in his middle age were all worth over ten million.
In comparison, the painting "the pantheon," which had always hung in the offices of successive Tangheisser Dukes, was indeed only a mediocre work as a painting.
Mr. Beruhr, the kind-faced and noble old curator, was right; its technique was mature, but that was all. If it truly made it to the market, it would at most enter a third-rate gallery, and if lucky, it might sell for eight to ten thousand to a middle-class person feigning elegance.
Logically, Yu Lian, having already obtained a famous painting, should not have been interested in such a mediocre work.
"But, as a mature adult, shouldn't I want everything?" Yu Lian stood before Karlsa II's only work from his lifetime—"the pantheon"—and said this to himself.
It was 3 AM in the deep of night, and Yu Lian was currently standing in the Independence Memorial Hall, in the office of the successive Tangheisser Dukes.
After all, it was just an ordinary museum, neither the Imperial Palace nor the Alliance Grand President's residence, so there weren't as many strict surveillance systems and well-trained security guards. Yu Lian, as an experienced sea... ranger, found it quite simple to sneak in without alarming anyone.
He didn't even need to use his hidden Hooded Stealth technique; he neither harmed the five security guards and janitors on night duty nor disturbed the black cat dozing on the roof, easily slipping in.
Of course, just in case, he still used his spiritual footsteps, hidden in the shadows where the lights intersected, and carefully checked the entire museum to confirm that the kind and benevolent Mr. Curator was indeed not there before returning alone to the Duke's office.
Yu Lian rubbed his chin, examining the overly realistic painting in front of him.
This thing had been hanging here for nearly three hundred years. To say that no one had noticed the demonic aura here seemed unlikely. For example, that kind, amiable, and warm-hearted Mr. Curator, who had persisted here until half his body seemed to have entered the grave, was it really because he was a retainer of Tangheisser Duke and a person with sentiment?
So-called remnants of the old guard barely survive on sentiment, which might indeed be a very sufficient reason. Moreover, even from a spiritual energy user's perspective, this "the pantheon" truly looked no different from an ordinary landscape painting.
The old curator probably had his attention on other things, right?
Yu Lian paused to observe for a moment, then rubbed it with his gloved hand.
This time, there were indeed no subtle bumps or depressions on "the pantheon," which meant that no secret texts or signals were left on it through physical means.
Yu Lian stepped back, took a spray bottle from his pocket, and spritzed the painting.
What he held was a bottle of "archaeological" all-purpose cleaning fluid he had concocted himself. Most of the chemical materials were readily available on the market; the only slightly more valuable Zero Element components were silver-moonstone and true-knowledge crystals. The former's attribute is "illusion," while the latter strengthens the intrinsic perception of matter and souls. Thus, once combined through a certain scientific method, it acquires the attribute of dispelling disguises and returning to reality.
Yes, this really is a "science." With the formula, equipment from a middle school chemistry lab, and enough materials, even a child could concoct it.
This truly scientific effect is also very simple: spraying it on a person disguised by spiritual energy will make them revert to their true form. Spraying it on objects hidden by spiritual energy methods can also restore them to their original appearance.
This cleansing fluid is called "True Water," and its formula comes from the one-eyed, boneless Miss Wisdom Goddess of the Alliance's later generations. Cruel fate made her lose much, but it also made her gain even more.
It can be said that the technological and historical progress of this Universe was indeed pushed forward significantly by influential figures of later generations, represented by her.
For example, the True Water in Yu Lian's hand is indeed one of them. Thanks to it, the lives of designers of mystical mechanisms have become increasingly difficult, illusionist tricksters have been forced to improve their technical skills, and archaeology has been pushed forward significantly.
When this liquid, a "scientific method" from later generations, was sprayed onto the painting, it immediately vanished into it, leaving almost no trace. However, the entire painting remained quite stable, with almost no change.
Yu Lian was already mentally prepared for nothing. Although he felt this painting was the most suspicious, there was no evidence. Therefore, he spent nearly 10 million to equip himself with a considerable amount of spiritual liquid, preparing to spray the entire museum.
Anyway, the so-called "True Water" is colorless and odorless, and it evaporates much faster than ordinary water.
After a few minutes, there was still no change on the painting. Yu Lian was slightly disappointed and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a slight change on the lower edge of the frame.
Yu Lian reached out his hand and gently stroked it, finally feeling very subtle bumps and depressions.
He quickly reconstructed this information in his mind for a moment and soon reassembled some useful information.
"Last time it was Favril Dragon Script and Roan Runes; this time, it's the Coromi's Xiwen?"
The Coromi are the technological race with biological technology that reigns supreme in the All-Galaxy. They are a civilized group that developed in the deep sea, but they are content and non-aggressive tech-geeks who prefer to research various strange biological technologies in their deep-sea laboratories rather than explore space.
This is also one of the reasons why, despite their advanced technological capabilities, their fate in the future was even more tragic than that of the Commonwealth.
Getting back to the so-called "Xiwen," it is a secret script used by the Coromi for scientific research and record-keeping, and only Coromi science officials are allowed to learn and master it. This is, of course, to keep their own technology a secret.
Although this race consists of non-aggressive tech-geeks, they are not saints. They rely on the technology they possess to take orders from across the All-Galaxy to live comfortable and prosperous lives.
...Of course, this was all before the Coromi's home planet was turned into a mine.
After their home planet became a mine, the tech-geek race became a wandering people without a homeland or government, and many secrets naturally could not be kept.
Yu Lian felt that the designer of this mechanism must be a scoundrel. Without his True Water, even a Saint would probably find it difficult to detect the mystical nature of this painting. This wasn't hiding treasure; it was clearly preparing to ensure the treasure would never see the light of day again, right?
Was this really left specifically for future generations? Even if Shali truly came knocking, with her particularly uncultured nature, she probably wouldn't be able to investigate this far, right?
...Hmm, no. Shali should have the ability to devour; this doesn't fall within the scope of her spiritual energy but rather the biological characteristics of the Bug Queen. She can devour the bodies of creatures to gain certain traits, devour intelligent creatures to gain certain knowledge, and even devour non-organic matter and spiritual substances.
Furthermore, thinking more carefully, the home planet of the Coromi, the tech-geek race that produced many biological scientists, was completely occupied by the Bug Swarm disaster. The Alliance's army stated, "For the welfare of the entire Milky Way Civilization and the Universe, for the greater good, not a single cell of the Bug Swarm must be allowed to escape!" It was then that the Colossus was dispatched to turn that beautiful sapphire-like planet into a mine...
While careful thought doesn't form a logical line of deduction, it's still terrifying!
Ah, Miss Shali's unspeakable abilities are simply too numerous; I can't dwell on them. It's better to seize the opportunity and destiny first, then directly kill her.
Yu Lian considered for a moment, then wrote the combined Xiwen on the terminal. He recited it to himself, feeling inexplicably ashamed, but still used his cell activation ability to control his vocal cords, uttering the Coromi Xiwen's pronunciation in a hoarse, snake-like hiss.
"I just want you to understand, Daddy loves you!"
Although he knew there was no one else here, Yu Lian still wanted to cover his face; if not for the changes appearing on the painting opposite him, he might have done so.
Yes, "the pantheon" opposite him had indeed changed. In the eyes of ordinary people, it might still be a very ordinary landscape painting, but in the perception of a spiritual energy user, every blade of grass and every tree in the painting seemed to come alive. If he took one more step forward, he would cross a barrier of time and space and enter the world within the painting.
Moreover, this painting was different from the previous "mental treasure house" which only drew the soul in; neither its scale nor its mystical strength could be compared.
...A Mustard Seed World?
This is an operation that only an eight-ring peak spiritual energy user could pull off!
Count Salwen, a literati who failed in the political struggles of the Imperial Capital and eventually found solace in Earth's landscapes?
Tangheisser Duke II, a "country" lord who at most appeared in local gazetteers?
An eight-ring "demigod"?
Yu Lian felt that he was once again getting closer and closer to a certain secret that he had never unraveled in his previous life.
He didn't hesitate, checked his equipment again, took a deep breath, and stepped forward towards "the pantheon."
The next second, his figure vanished from where he stood, as if he had never been there in the first place.
I'll see if I can add another chapter tonight; if not... then it'll only be tomorrow, but tomorrow might not be on time either. It will probably only return to normal next week at the earliest.