The next morning.

As usual, after finishing breakfast, Rosen hurried to the painter's studio in the Hunters' Lodge.

When he arrived, everything was the same as always.

Harry was wiping the tables, Shabori was scrounging for food, but Orellika was nowhere to be seen.

Rosen was a bit surprised. "Uncle, you didn't spend the night at the Rose House?"

Shabori shook his head gloomily at Rosen. "Go on, get out of here. Don't mention that wretched place to me."

This reaction was very strange. Rosen turned to look at the all-knowing Uncle Harry.

Harry had a gleeful look on his face. "He's useless now."

Rosen was startled for a moment, then asked in clarification: "The 'useless' you mean, it's that kind of uselessness?"

"What other kind of useless could it be?"

"But why? He didn't get injured yesterday, did he?"

'Bang!'

Shabori slammed the table forcefully, his forehead veins bulging.

"I don't believe it!"

"I'll go try again today for sure."

Saying that, he wolfed down his bread and stormed out the door angrily.

Rosen felt like something strange was going on.

But seeing Uncle looking hale and hearty, it probably wasn't some major illness. So he dismissed his concern.

After greeting Uncle Harry, he quickly went upstairs to the studio on the third floor.

Orellika had said she would come today, but there was no sign of her. Naturally, Rosen would not wait specifically for her.

Considerate Uncle Harry had already propped up the easel for him, laid out the paints and tools he would need, and written the client's requests on a note.

Nowadays in the art world of Silvermoon City, Aethereal Gallery was gaining some renown, and people had started coming to commission paintings.

For selling paintings, the client's needs naturally came first.

Rosen opened the note and read it carefully.

'I want to see a pure, beautiful, delicate young girl, like a newborn lamb, being arbitrarily mistreated by several strong, ugly, wild men, in order to evoke feelings of compassion in me.'

From an anonymous gentleman of benevolence.

Minimum payment 30 crowns. Will pay extra if the quality is good.

Rosen was speechless. "This gentleman sure is benevolent."

So, was there anything like this in 'My Harem'?

There must be, and not a small amount either. The choices were extremely broad.

Considering there were more moral gentlemen in this different world, who had seen little of the world and had fragile minds easily shocked, Rosen chose a relatively modest scene from the database.

After selecting it, with a thought, his multiple magic hands activated and he started painting quickly.

When he was about eighty to ninety percent done, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his mind. With a thought, he knew Orellika had arrived.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, an amused voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Rosen, your imagination really is astonishing. No wonder your visualization efficiency is so high."

It was none other than Orellika, standing one meter behind him. From her tone, she was watching him paint.

Rosen was mentally prepared and didn't feel surprised at all. His brush strokes didn't falter in the slightest.

"I'm an ethical painter. I provide whatever the customer wants and strive to do it as best I can."

"Hmm, this scene looks so real, it's as if you can even see the skin texture clearly. You didn't actually witness this before, did you?"

"It's all imagination."

"I see. Your imagination really is admirable."

After a pause, Orellika laughed again. "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I have many questions, but you definitely won't answer them for me."

After a pause, Rosen suddenly recalled Shabori. A thought flashed in his mind. "You didn't make Uncle useless, did you?"

'Teeheehee...'

Mischievous laughter sounded from behind, telling Rosen he had guessed right.

He felt a little worried. "He can recover, right?"

"Of course he can. It's just a minor spell called 'Sage's Heart.' The effects will naturally fade after more than half a month."

Rosen felt relieved. "Speaking of which, Uncle really should restrain himself a bit."

There were many ways to indulge in debauchery. Why be fixated on the young ladies, wasting money and damaging health?

After a while, the painting was done. Rosen titled it 'The Lamb Who Fell into the Den of Demons.'

He put the finished work aside to dry, and replaced it with a new canvas.

"Miss Orellika, it's your turn now... You'd better close the door."

'Slam!'

The room door automatically closed and locked itself, and the curtains were also drawn. The room instantly became very dim.

With a thought, Rosen cast a Continual Flame spell at the ceiling to illuminate the room.

Orellika walked over in front of Rosen and turned around a few times. She smiled and asked, "So, what pose should I take?"

At this time, she was only wearing a thin, silk-like dress that reached down to about fifteen centimeters above her knees, revealing a pair of fair, shapely legs like jade pillars.

On Earth, this outfit was very normal, but by the moral standards of this world, it was already as brazen as a harlot's attire.

Judging that she was only wearing a thin dress, Rosen couldn't help letting his thoughts wander.

Of course, business came first.

"It depends on what aura you wish to convey - a warrior's valor, a wanderer's freedom, a mage's mystery, a temple maiden's purity, and so on."

"I see. Then what aura do you think a transcendent being should have?"

Rosen considered carefully. "Mystery, aloofness, loneliness, and strength."

"Mm, everything else is an illusion, but the loneliness is real."

Rosen understood a bit more. "Then, sadly gazing at yourself in the mirror, appreciating your flawless undying form in solitude?"

"Mirror?"

"The composition of a painting relies heavily on manipulating light and shadows. And a mirror is a master of light and shadows, as well as a prop naturally imbued with an air of mystery."

"Also, a mirror's reflection allows you to show both your front and back in one painting,"

"Ah, you really are professional. But we don't have a mirror here... No matter, I know some illusions."

She snapped her fingers, and a high quality full length mirror appeared beside her, looking just like the real thing.

"It would be best if it were in a richly decorated room, to accentuate the transcendent being's nobility."

"No problem."

With another snap, the room became ornate and gilded.

Finally, Orellika looked at her thin dress and hesitated.

Rosen didn't rush her, patiently waiting instead.

After a few seconds, the dress disappeared. Then she stood with her back facing Rosen, gazing into the mirror.

She asked, "Is this okay?"

Rosen felt the angle was off and lacked feeling, so he asked, "Would you mind if I changed my viewing angle?"

"Go ahead, but you'd better not have any other intentions that I can feel."

Rosen stood five meters away, observing from various angles to find the one with the most ambience.

Occasionally, he would cast Light to change the lighting, and give verbal directions for her to adjust her pose.

While changing angles, Rosen noticed something strange.

Through the golden speck inside him, he seemed to vaguely sense fluctuations in the energy within her.

Through the fluctuations, he could also vaguely perceive her emotions - an amalgam of bashfulness, excitement and stimulation... rather complex.

After about a quarter hour, Rosen nodded. "That's good."

Now, in the gilded hall, a powerful, mysterious transcendent maiden was standing before an antique mirror with a forlorn gaze, examining her own exquisite flawless figure.

In the interplay of light and shadow, time seemed to freeze, and the moment became eternity.

As a professional gentleman painter, and for the sake of his own safety, Rosen resolutely drew his lingering gaze back from her figure to the canvas before him. He closed his eyes.

It looked as if he were pondering deeply, but actually he was comparing screenshots of varying quality in his adventure log.

After a long while, he chose the one with the strongest ambience and began to paint.

Orellika had already reverted back to her armored warrior maiden outfit, and stood behind Rosen watching him paint.

After observing for a while, she suddenly spoke. "I'm very curious how you managed to keep my power inside you."

Her tone was casual, tinged with curiosity, but held no accusation.

Understandably, to her Rosen posed no threat at all, so she naturally didn't care.

Rosen had pondered countermeasures all night and was mentally prepared.

"If even you don't know, I have no way of finding out. I personally guess it must be because your potion wasn't formulated properly."

"Besides, this bit of power has no effect on me, it just allows me to sense when you draw near from a certain distance."

Orellika stood with one hand on her hip and the other supporting her chin, deep in thought.

"The potion was improperly made... Hmm, can't rule out that possibility either. After all, I'm no professional alchemist."

Rosen ventured to ask, "Why not just take your power back?"

"If I could withdraw it, I wouldn't be asking you. The power inside you is very strange. It's like mine, yet not entirely..."

"It seems to be some fusion of your power and mine."

"So what should be done?" Rosen just tossed the question back to her.

He was just an apprentice now, with limited knowledge and experience. Doing this was completely reasonable.

Orellika didn't have a solution either. Considering this didn't seem to pose any major problem, she waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh forget it. There's no harm anyway, just leave it be."

Rosen heaved a sigh of relief, a smile surfacing on his face. "Miss Orellika, I was so frightened by this, afraid of receiving punishment from you."

Orellika chuckled. "You make transcendents sound so dreadful and almighty. We're far less terrifying than you imagine."

By now, the outline was clearly visible in the painting. One could vaguely tell it was painted very well.

Orellika was very pleased. "Hmm, very different feeling from looking at myself in the mirror. It does make me look much better than usual."

"Consider this payment for the painting. I have money now, and I've had my fun in Silvermoon City. Time to travel to other places."

"Farewell, interesting little fellow. I hope that the next time we meet, you'll still be alive, and not lying in some cold tomb."

"Such melancholy words."

"It is I who should feel melancholy."

"There are plenty of amusing companions among mortals, yet a mortal's life is as fleeting as a soap bubble. It pains me to befriend them deeply, only to be heartbroken when their time comes..."

"Ah, enough of this. Farewell, farewell."

By the last few words, Orellika's figure had already vanished from the room.

She was gone, and the gilded illusion faded away with her, like the end of a fleeting fantastical dream.

Rosen stood dumbly in place, a trace of melancholy surfacing on his face.

'Such wonderful scenery, still far beyond my present reach. What a pity.'