Chapter 22: Painter Association

"Is there any way to lift this kind of influence?" After listening to Sixin, Yun Mu asked.

"Of course there is."

Sixin held up two fingers and said, "Just from what I know, there are two ways."

He retracted one finger, leaving only his index finger raised, and said, "The first way is to use a power of an equal status to extract the influence from your body."

"Whether it is a Supernatural Item, or finding a Transcendental who has means of Purify, if your connections are wide enough, it is not impossible to have the Church communicate with the gods to help you extract it."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Yun Mu shook her head.

The Game Panel had already displayed it very clearly: to lift the Scarlet Curse on her, it must be power of the Myth level.

She couldn't find an Artifact at all, and a Myth-level Transcendental—damn it, isn't that just a god?

And the only Myth power she was likely to come into contact with was the Church, but how much influence would she need to have to get the Church to communicate with a god to help her extract the Scarlet Curse from her body?

"If you were only affected by some vengeful spirits or relatively weak supernatural factors, this method would be very suitable for you."

"But unfortunately, I cannot see the source of that power in you at all."

When Sixin said this, his expression became somewhat serious.

"The other party's status has far exceeded mine."

"So, what I want to focus on is the second method."

Hearing this, Yun Mu knew the main event was coming, so she immediately perked up and listened to the other party with full attention.

"The second method, it's not simple to say it's simple, and it's not very hard to say it's hard." Sixin first said a bit of nonsense, then continued: "That is to become a Transcendental."

"As long as one becomes a Transcendental, even at the lowest Apprentice rank, a person's Spirituality and status will be sublimated, and at that time, one will be able to resist the indirect influence from gods."

"Then how can I become a Transcendental?" Yun Mu followed the other party's words and asked.

"Ahem." Sixin coughed lightly and said, "There are many ways to become a Transcendental; all major factions actually have their own signature career paths."

"Our Painter Association has existed for so many years and also has a relatively mature system of supernatural careers, but..."

"Why would I help you?"

"Do you take me for a fool? If there are any conditions, just say them," Yun Mu said, looking at the other party speechlessly.

If the other party really didn't want to help her, he wouldn't have exposed the fact that he was a Transcendental from the beginning, nor would he have given her a long lecture on the knowledge of the supernatural world.

Offering favors without a reason—it's either deceit or theft.

Although that's not quite right to say, the meaning is actually about the same.

The other party likely had something they needed from her.

"You're overthinking it; actually, there's nothing I need you to do for me," Sixin said, sensing the meaning in Yun Mu's words, and explained.

"You are still too weak right now and can't help me with anything at all."

"However..." He changed the subject and said, "There is indeed a price, but it doesn't require you to pay anything."

"Every Transcendental is a treasure fought over by major factions; to obtain this series of supernatural knowledge for a Qi Painter, you only need to join our Painter Association."

"Not to register as a certified painter of the Painter Association, but to join and become a member of our association," he added at the end.

"Do I need to do anything after joining?" Yun Mu looked at Sixin and asked.

"You don't need to do anything; our association is very free." Sixin smiled and said, "After you become a Transcendental, the association will issue you 10 Gold Frost Coins every month. Well, just consider it an investment; as your rank increases, this amount will also increase."

"Besides that, you can also view commissions that ordinary painters cannot view."

"After completing those special commissions, you will receive corresponding contributions."

"These contributions are the currency circulating within the association and can be used to exchange for items from the supernatural world. If you have anything you want to sell, you can also list it in the association."

"And also, if the association encounters some trouble, we hope you can stand on the side of the association."

"Of course, this is not mandatory either; our association is quite relaxed!"

"Hiss... is there really no hard requirement?" Yun Mu listened to Sixin's words and was deeply tempted, feeling that joining the Painter Association was a stable, win-win deal.

Not only could she get knowledge of a supernatural career for free, but after becoming a Transcendental, she would even get paid every month!

She could choose to do the work or not, and there's such a good thing?

She looked at Sixin suspiciously, not knowing what medicine he was selling in his gourd.

"Don't look at me like that." Sixin was a bit helpless and said, "The association's rules really are just like that."

"Stare."

"Alright, alright, I'll say it." Sixin was stared at by Yun Mu's strange gaze and quickly gave in.

"The rules above are all true, and there's no hidden trap, it's just..."

"Sigh." He sighed slightly and said, "Compared to other factions that control supernatural careers, the status of our Painter Association is a bit awkward, and our resources are far inferior to theirs."

"Not to mention anything else, is 10 Gold Frost Coins per month for the Apprentice rank a lot?"

"A lot." Yun Mu nodded without hesitation.

"..."

This conversation couldn't go on!

Sixin paused slightly, then reorganized his language and said, "Alright, in your view, 10 Gold Frost Coins is already a lot, but actually..." He thought for a moment and continued: "Take the Guard Hall, for example. In their departments related to Transcendental matters, even just as an ordinary clerical staff member, the monthly salary is 15 Gold Frost Coins."

"And if it's a Transcendental, the salary issued for the Apprentice rank is a full 50 Gold Frost Coins, five times that of our Painter Association!"

"Aren't you afraid I'll run to the Guard Hall if you say that?" Yun Mu looked at the other party with some confusion, then continued to ask: "And there's a question I've wanted to ask since just now."

"Why me?"

"Of course, it's because you have this aptitude." Sixin answered without hesitation.

"Do you think that just by telling an ordinary person the corresponding supernatural career, they will be 100% able to become a Transcendental?"

"That's impossible!"

Sixin shook his head, then looked at the painting Yun Mu had drawn, which was scarlet overall.

"I'll be honest, Miss Yun. As the president of the Frostfall City Painter Association, I believe you are very suitable for the supernatural career of our Painter Association!"

He looked at Yun Mu's painting and explained: "The most basic requirement to become an Apprentice-rank 【Painter Apprentice】 is to possess exceptional 【Painting】 skills."

"And you have that kind of strength; although this painting was created under the influence of supernatural factors, the skills contained within it do not lie."

"Besides 【Painting】 skills, to become a 【Painter Apprentice】, one must personally paint a work that possesses 【Spirituality】, and you have also happened to complete this!"

"Therefore, as long as you join the 【Painter Association】, you can immediately become an Apprentice-rank 【Transcendental】!"

PS: After becoming a 【Transcendental】, a person's 【Spirituality】 and status will both be sublimated.

But this does not mean that one can be exempted from the 【Scarlet Curse】 after becoming a 【Transcendental】.

After all, this is a power that only 【Myth】 can contend with.

After becoming a 【Transcendental】, the duration of the 【Blood-Thirst State】 will not change, but the mental erosion will slow down many times over.

At the same time, the speed of turning into a 【Blood-thirsty One】 will also decrease significantly.

Originally, one would turn into a 【Blood-thirsty One】 after drinking fresh blood three times; after becoming a 【Transcendental】, one must drink fresh blood at least ten times before being subjected to that 【Transformation】.

And if one advances to the 【Second Rank】, this number will change again.

Of course, if one is lucky enough to become a 【Bloodline】, there is no longer any need to worry about the problem of becoming a monster.

However, the 【Blood-Thirst State】 will still remain like a bone-gnawing maggot, and one will still need to drink blood to regain sanity.

The 【Scarlet Curse】 is just such a disgusting existence.

(End of chapter)