Boots crunched on the snow.
Making faint sounds.
Zeig silently trudged through the snowfield, searching for the painter's figure.
"Belobog landscape paintings… landscapes, hiss, landscapes…? Wouldn't they all just be snow?" Zeig scratched his head.
Even though the Stellaron had disappeared and most of the glaciers had been shattered, light snow still fell from time to time here.
It wasn't the astonishing snowfall of before, but right now, a thin layer still covered the ground beneath Zeig's feet.
After his shoes passed over it, faint footprints remained.
Zeig stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing into the distance—it was a world of white, blanketed in snow.
It had been snowing lightly for days on end, and now everything was almost pure white. No matter how you painted this scenery, wouldn't it all just be white?
"Huh, there's someone over there."
In the corner of his eye, a small figure stood steadfast in the distance.
It was at the edge of another cliff.
Zeig walked over, and the scene gradually became clearer. He saw a canvas stand in front of the figure.
"Gotcha, it's you!"
As Zeig approached, the man also heard the footsteps behind him and turned to look.
Their eyes met.
"…Who are you?" Reibini spoke first.
Zeig didn't answer. Instead, as he closed in, he silently pulled the AK from his coat.
"Hey, hey, hey… what are you doing! Don't come any closer! Are you trying to hijack my painting?"
Reibini panicked and quickly backed away, retreating step by step to the very edge of the cliff.
Zeig held the AK and glanced at the canvas as he passed by.
He couldn't help but remark:
"Oh ho, painting the sky?"
"Hm?"
Hearing Zeig comment on his work, the painter Reibini instantly became talkative:
"Friend, this isn't just any ordinary sky. I've named it 'Dawn.' How is it? Doesn't it have a unique charm?"
On the canvas was a scene of burning clouds.
It seemed to be early morning, with the sun shining through the mist onto Belobog's land.
The fiery red clouds contrasted sharply with the snow-white city.
Zeig held the AK, staring at the painting hesitantly: "Is this one finished or not?"
At that, Reibini immediately puffed out his chest:
"It's finished, of course! I'm definitely done! Completion level maxed out!"
"Oh."
Zeig's gaze shifted back to Reibini's face. He raised the AK, aiming it at his torso:
"Then what the fuck about the other two? Hm? Right now you've only got this one!! I've already fully opened the general area—where the hell are your paintings?!"
"Ah? General area?!"
Reibini was stunned for a second, then realized:
"Oh, ohhh! You're from the museum here to chase the draft? I thought it was something else!"
"?"
Under Zeig's puzzled stare, the man suddenly became arrogant. He clasped his hands behind his back, swaggered past Zeig, placed a hand on the canvas stand, turned back, and smiled:
"My paintings can't be rushed. Push me too hard, and the inspiration will just run away~"
…
"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!"
At the cliff edge, a series of gunshots rang out.
Reibini crouched on the ground with his head in his hands, trembling all over. Bullet craters dotted the snow around his feet!
Ahead, Zeig grinned ferociously:
"Who you talking to like that? Suddenly acting all cocky! Let me tell you—there's no such thing as 'late submission' with me. Right now, immediately, paint!!"
Reibini nervously looked up, heart pounding, voice shaking:
"B-But what I said is true! If you coerce me like this, it'll seriously affect my state! And… who even are you? Why so rude? Wait… you look kinda familiar."
As Zeig stepped closer step by step, terror filled Reibini's heart. He kept retreating.
During this, his mind frantically tried to recall information about the man in front of him.
Suddenly, a flash of realization hit Reibini—he finally remembered who this man was.
He was struck as if by lightning, heart leaping to his throat, body shaking with fear:
"Holy shit holy shit holy shit… You're the Executive Officer! Y-Y-You… why are you personally here to chase the draft!!"
The one who came to the suburban snow plains to chase the draft was none other than Belobog's Executive Officer, second only to one and above ten thousand?!
You have to know—even under Cocolia Rand, only Bronya was on his level.
He had single-handedly resolved the Stellaron crisis and was the absolute MVP in the event that saved Belobog!
Buddha blocks, kill Buddha. God blocks, kill God.
And now, he was standing in front of him with an AK, personally coming to chase the draft!
"Cut the crap. Today it's either I see all the paintings, or I kill you. You choose!!" Zeig barked.
"No… Executive Officer!! I'm not lying! Forcing me like this really harms my creative spirit!"
Reibini kept retreating in fear until he was at the cliff's edge.
One more step back, and it was an abyss thousands of feet deep.
"What the hell do I care about your creative spirit?"
"Besides."
Zeig raised an eyebrow:
"How many tourists coming to the museum actually understand art? As long as it's painted decently enough, it's fine. Worst case, send someone to hype it up. Even if you paint total garbage, as long as you've got the name, people will still praise it!"
"Th-That's not how it works!"
"Heh, happens all the time. Ever heard of 'clowns in the hall, masters in the streets'? Good enough hype, and random bullshit can be called abstract art!"
"Executive Officer, please don't make it hard on me. I admit I was wrong for delaying… Just give me a few more days, and I'll do my absolute best, okay?"
No matter how desperately Reibini pleaded, Zeig showed no sign of compromise.
He just wanted to fill the empty slots in the museum's exhibits so it wouldn't delay his revenue. As for whether the paintings had soul or whatever.
Would ordinary tourists care about that?
There might be some connoisseurs who notice something off, but so what.
You have to buy a ticket to see the paintings!
"Executive Officer, I feel like you're thinking something very rude right now." Reibini raised both hands and knelt in the snow, begging:
"Please forgive me a few more days! I, Reibini, swear on the spirits of all the Supreme Guardians in the heavens—I will give it my all and never delay again!"
Squelch—!!
Suddenly, Zeig seemed to step on something.
He looked down—it was a blond man.
Zeig saw his clothes and immediately widened his eyes, lowering the AK:
"Holy crap, Bishop? How'd you end up here! Sorry for stepping on your face, uh… you okay?"
After Zeig moved his foot, Otto wiped the shoe print off his face and slowly sat up:
"Hehe, it's not a big deal. The energy supply link just got cut, so my body automatically reconstructed and reset here with you."
"Huh?"
Zeig scratched his head, puzzled:
"Aren't my Divine Keys still in the museum? They're mentally linked to me—you guys are all the same within their range. Judgment of Shamash can cover the entire Overworld of Belobog."
Otto slowly stood up:
"Then you'll have to ask a certain someone about that."
…
At that moment.
Somewhere ten thousand miles away from Belobog.
A white-haired girl was hugging the Judgment of Shamash great sword, shivering in the cold wind.
She couldn't help but sneeze.
"Achoo—!!"
"This… where the heck is this? He definitely ran this way."
"I… I shouldn't have gone the wrong way, right?" Staring at the vast white expanse ahead, Kiana fell into deep thought.
…