They all call me an Outer God.

Chapter 322 Artistic Talent Comes from the Indescribable
Repression, distortion, madness, conflict—

A huge eye emerged from the rich, round color.

"!!!"

Ria took a step back and covered his eyes. The kerosene lamp slipped from his hand and shattered on the ground with a "crack." He slowly let go and saw that his hands were covered in blood. In the very short time after the lampshade broke, the flames licked the scarlet carpet and suddenly rose higher.

The mythical creature flapped its wings, its screams both suppressed and terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, all those scenes vanished. There was no blood or flames at all. The kerosene lamp remained intact in the young man's hands, and the sun in the mural still shone holyly upon all things.

Ria could hear her heart pounding.

"That was... a radiant sunrise?"

He saw eyes appear on the sun statue, and those eyes would move on their own and stare at him, something that had not happened when he first came across the image of the rising sun.

“His surface has eyes.”

Ria couldn't help but think of his unusual condition. The origin of the eye on the back of his neck had always been a mystery, but this alone was not enough to determine whether he was related to the Radiant Sun.

If we classify creatures as the same kind simply because they share the characteristic of having eyes, then all creatures with eyes would be related to the radiant sun.

“The murals here reveal something unusual. There are exactly fifteen murals from the first one to the last one, but several scenes are missing in the middle.”

Ria came to the seventh sculpture, which was the closest to the destroyed ones. Although it was well preserved, it was still difficult to make out what it was trying to express at first glance.

Its style is different from other paintings. At first glance, it looks very chaotic, but after looking at it for a long time, you can actually see the outlines of many human faces from those chaotic and disordered lines.

Combining the image of the man in black with the man's appearance, it was clear that Hephaestus was very much the type of person he liked to portray.

"When I was entrusted with the authority of the Faceless Ones, a white mask that could constantly change its face also appeared. What is the special connection between these events?"

"Could that towering god be the human form of the Lord of Gale and Abyss?"

His thirst for knowledge grew stronger and stronger. When he stood in front of the artworks to appreciate them and try to understand their meaning, the artist received recognition and his efforts were rewarded.

At this moment, the invisible scales quietly tilted, and someone in the darkness declared the transaction complete.

Unbeknownst to Ria, the eye on the back of her neck shifted slightly, its color becoming increasingly saturated and distorted.

The palace corridors remained dark, but faint voices could be heard.

Lia felt that the voice was familiar, and it seemed to be deliberately being read to him. After weighing his options, he carried the lamp to the spot, the flame of the kerosene lamp flickering and dimming.

"call--"

It went out, but the room in front of me suddenly became bright.

This is a study, with bookshelves that reach the ceiling all around. The owner of those bookshelves seems to have obsessive-compulsive disorder, arranging the books neatly according to color and height.

All the books are the same thickness.

Directly in front of Ria was a desk with several messy newspapers on it. On top of the newspapers was a bottle of black ink with a red quill pen inside.

Ria stepped forward, put away the kerosene lamp, and began to examine the newspapers.

The newspaper had ink drawings; some were drawn between the words, while others covered the contents of the newspaper.

“These paintings seem to have been created on a whim by the artist; he is very passionate about painting.” The content is no longer very clear, but Ria can see that the paintings depict some strange-looking creatures.

For example, there is a creature with a head covered in tentacles, diaphragmatic wings on its back, and a body that resembles a fat, bloated dragon. Its wings look somewhat degenerate, probably because it can no longer fly.

The creature has no eyes; the eye area is completely blank, making it look rather dull and strange at first glance.

The painting next to it depicts a person wearing a cloak with octopus-like tentacles at their feet, with a caption in Endreusian language of an unknown period.

The connection between the back of Guriya's neck and her front eyes can be translated as:

I dream of them every day, and I think we'll be able to meet soon.

"My eyes are truly... knowledgeable."

Ria shifted her gaze to the chair behind the table. The old-fashioned chair with a backrest seemed to exude some unknown magic, constantly enticing Ria to sit down.

And so did Ria. Then he glanced at another line of the newspaper, the handwriting illegible, as if it had been written unconsciously in a sleepwalking state.

Welcome! I've always believed that every artist is an extension of their own will, because we are all madmen.

There was more content on the back, and Ria propped the newspaper up at an angle, leaning back in her chair to read it with great interest.

They inspired me, and to repay them, I have gathered everything I could to offer them my most sincere work.

I have only one wish: to truly see them, to see those intoxicating, supreme beings, the source of all my inspiration—

I am willing to pay any price to see them.

Even at this cost...

The back was submerged in ink.

As Ria continued flipping through the pages, she found news reports of rising floodwaters and the sighting of enormous monsters at sea.

Below is the handwriting that the original owner continued to write. It must be said that the habit of writing notes on newspapers is quite unique.

I saw it, I saw the ruler of the underworld, the master of the night, the greatest god. He was not what I had imagined... He granted my wish, and I gained immortality.

And I will wait here for the next one to come, to convey my words to Him, and to entrust my freedom to Him.

Upon seeing this, Ria put down the newspaper. A figure appeared in his field of vision—or rather, an immortal ghost.

He was terrified of death to the extreme, and also had an extreme love for performance art, since not everyone would choose to dress up as a pirate captain in a palace.

To play the role of captain under the reversed Black Sea—what a transcendent mindset that is!

"Your Highness."

The ghost leaned down at Ria, addressing her as such while suppressing its excitement.

The language he used was quite archaic, and it sounded strangely solemn.

Ria immediately shifted his posture, seemingly sitting up straighter, a gesture indicating his discomfort: "What did you call me?"

"I sense the presence of God in you. You are indeed the one I have been waiting for... By the way, I wonder if your authority is that of the Faceless One?"

(End of this chapter)