In the afternoon, right on schedule, Locke waited in his three-room house for Eragabalus and another Speed Painter to arrive.
Locke looked at Eragabalus and the other First Class Wizard Apprentice Speed Painter in surprise. "This is...?"
Eragabalus raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Customer Locke, don't worry. This is Toke Carlisle, my junior."
"His art gallery went bankrupt, so now he's drowning in debt. The daily interest on his loans is almost as much as the principal."
"So, he's completely broke now, you understand..." Eragabalus sighed melancholically. "Any property he has left would be seized immediately to pay off his debts."
"That's why he has to work with me. He's my assistant, and with his help, we can serve you even better."
Toke Carlisle seemed taciturn, standing behind Eragabalus with a worried expression, afraid Locke might object.
Eragabalus explained to Locke, "Customer Locke, it's not that I like dragging people along. But for us artists, bankruptcy hits faster than it does for Potionology Masters and Breeders like you. Even if you hired another Speed Painter, it'd be the same."
"Often, one senior artist has to support a whole group of juniors. Sometimes, hiring one Speed Painter means hiring their entire circle of juniors... And I only brought one."
"Don't worry, my junior really is just my assistant. It won't cost you extra."
Locke was speechless. No wonder his teacher, the Witch Sophia, had used the word "they" that morning.
She must have known he'd run into this situation.
Still, the Magic Painting Map project was massive, and hiring an extra Speed Painter wasn't a big deal—especially since Sophia had already covered the expenses.
Locke opened the door and invited them in. "Come in. I've also arranged for another assistant to help us with the Magic Paintings. First, we'll be painting a Magic Plant of mine called the Crystal Palmfire Lotus."
He led them to the bedroom he'd prepared. According to their contract, they'd be creating a series of Magic Paintings for him, so they'd stay in the rooms he provided while working. The materials they needed would be placed in their temporary studio.
On the first day, Locke had them paint the Crystal Palmfire Lotus.
By dawn the next day, they'd already completed the work. Locke stood in his living room, nodding slightly as he examined the two-dimensional Crystal Palmfire Lotus hanging on the wall.
Though Eragabalus' habit of bringing along extra people was a bit odd, his skills were undeniably excellent.
Locke pressed his finger against the Magic Painting on the wall. As he slid his finger, the Crystal Palmfire Lotus in the painting rotated and shifted, with every detail capable of zooming in or out.
This Magic Painting could easily serve as a specimen in a Plant Identification Course.
"No wonder magic paintings are so marketable. They truly serve as valuable teaching aids and storage tools for Breeding Studies." Locke nodded approvingly at the magic painting that had cost him thirty Magic Stones.
Then he turned to Toke Carlisle and Eragabalus, saying, "Howard, come out. Gentlemen, this is the assistant I mentioned."
"Now please help me create a Magic Painting Map."
Eragabalus had been wearing a faint smile, pleased by Locke's praise of his magic painting.
But when he saw a Vampire apprentice emerge from the small room, his expression changed instantly, revealing traces of fear.
"A... Black Wizard?"
His gaze darted to Locke, and only after noticing Howard's respectful demeanor toward Locke did he relax slightly. Yet he still appeared uneasy looking at Howard's inhuman features.
"Locke... we're collaborating with a Black Wizard?"
"You never mentioned this before."
Locke looked at Eragabalus and joked, "Afraid of Wizards in black robes? Should I have him change into a white robe before coming over?"
Eragabalus waved his hand. "It's not that simple."
He paused, then nodded in agreement. "Locke, you're right. Colors do significantly affect people's moods. This is precisely part of the core principles of Visual Illusion at our Atus Color Modulation Academy."
"I think you really should have our 'black-robed' Wizard friend change clothes before joining us. Otherwise, my hands might shake too much to hold a brush properly."
Locke snapped his fingers and gave Howard a casual glance. "Go upstairs and change into a White Wizard Robe."
Howard bowed respectfully. "Yes, master."
Eragabalus stared in astonishment at the Black Wizard's complete obedience to Locke. 'This employer of mine has formidable methods. Even the notoriously cruel Black Wizards become docile as lambs in his presence.'
'This employer is no ordinary man.'
Locke turned to Eragabalus. "Great artist, ready to work now?"
Hearing himself addressed as "great artist," Eragabalus flushed slightly, clearly pleased. "Of course, of course."
"Toke, prepare the canvas quickly. It's an artist's honor to serve a Wizard who truly respects art."
Eragabalus seemed skilled at creating magic paintings through vivid oil paintings. He used linen as his base and employed numerous pigments derived from various Magic Plants.
Thus, his color palette far surpassed what mortal painters could achieve.
Many hues unattainable by ordinary artists—like pure purple—he could obtain from Perilla Vine sap.
Admittedly, pigments represented a rather niche subfield within the Breeder's domain—an obscure specialization.
After all, Speed Painters themselves hardly earned much, and researching pigment colors from Magic Plants was an even less lucrative pursuit.
As Locke and Howard—now in white robes—described the various details of the Curse Formula Research Institute to Eragabalus and his assistant, the artist's expression grew increasingly solemn before his easel.
He seemed to have guessed something, frequently turning his head to glance at Howard with his fierce gaze, and Locke whose eyes remained eternally calm, unfathomable like an ancient well—impossible to discern any depth.
Locke looked at Eragabalus in confusion. "What's wrong? Did you run into any issues?"
Eragabalus immediately shook his head, replying nervously, "No problems, Mr. Augustine. It's just... there are some Curse Magic Formulas I don't fully understand, so there might be mistakes in the drawing."
Locke said, "Don't worry. If you don't understand, Howard will explain it to you. All you need to do is accurately transcribe every piece of information I give you onto a Magic Painting Map—word for word."
"You don't need to concern yourself with anything else. Don't ask questions. Don't say anything."
"Do you understand?"
Eragabalus and his junior Toke Carlisle both flinched at Locke's words.
Toke Carlisle even felt like crying—he thought himself terribly unlucky. Having just gone bankrupt, he had barely managed to seek refuge with his senior, only to now be dragged into what seemed like a very complicated issue involving Black Wizards.
That was no ordinary Magic Painting Map. The information Locke had relayed to them over the course of an afternoon contained secrets that Cursers would kill to obtain.
This knowledge had already made Toke Carlisle and Eragabalus deeply afraid.
They couldn't help but fear that Locke might suddenly decide to silence them for good.
(End of Chapter)