Fantasy Family Simulator (FFS)

After exchanging a few brief words, Britney excused herself, citing the pressing matters of relocating the trading company. Rhett didn't try to keep her, and after seeing her off at the castle gates, he returned to his room.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Rhett closed his eyes and began to feel the world around him. It was no longer shrouded in darkness. As he mobilized his spiritual power, an overwhelming flood of earth elements surged around him like waves of yellow sand, rising and falling. They encircled his body, radiating an infinite profundity.

Rhett pondered silently, realizing that his mastery of the "Dispersing Profundity" had reached a high level. The mysterious realm he had sensed earlier was likely the "Condensing Profundity."

"Dispersal and condensation, both are governed by earth elements, and both represent the infinite changes of earth elements, yet they are elusive..."

From one extreme to another.

An understanding dawned in Rhett's heart as he controlled the surrounding sand to constantly change shape, sometimes forming spikes, and other times small sand wolves.

Then, he tried to compress the earth elements as much as possible with his spiritual power, thinking that if he compressed them enough, he might touch upon the Condensing Profundity.

However, he soon had to give up.

He had been too naive. The Condensing Profundity could not be understood by simply compressing earth elements, just as the Dispersing Profundity was not merely about spreading earth elements apart. The two were worlds apart.

But he believed that as long as he persisted, there would eventually be a breakthrough.

There was a special connection between the Dispersing Profundity and the Condensing Profundity.

His earlier experience of extracting the essence of the sand spirit had significantly boosted his understanding of the Dispersing Profundity, making his progress much more efficient.

As the realm of Dispersing Profundity advanced, comprehending the Condensing Profundity seemed like a natural progression.

Immersed in the profundity of his understanding, time passed by quickly. Half a month flew by.

March brought warm breezes, with willows dancing in the wind, and the skies filled with the flight of orioles.

The shores of Cold Crystal Lake sparkled with colorful reflections on the water, while fish and shrimp leaped out, bringing a vibrant energy to the already lively spring.

Nature's breath filled every corner.

By the lakeside, a man and a woman sat together on the lush green grass, their expressions filled with love and concentration.

Each held a canvas, their watercolor brushes moving gracefully, leaving strokes on the canvas.

One painted a picture.

The other painted the one painting.

Riley's canvas gradually revealed the ferocious figure of a creature covered in green scales, its eyes sharp and gleaming, its claws fierce and formidable, and its aura seemed ready to leap off the paper.

He was fully absorbed in his work, drawing inspiration from his father's description of dragons in Coiling Dragon, blending it with his own imagination and the images of local dragon-like creatures, creating a masterpiece.

He was preparing to surprise his father with this cover illustration for the novel and had been secretly working on it for half a month. Now, most of the work was complete, with only the background left to fill in.

Feeling slightly drained, he decided it was time to take a break.

"Let's rest for a bit!" Riley put down his brush after finishing the last scale on the dragon and placed it back in the cylindrical holder.

Stretching, he turned to his beloved, Karina, gazing at her with eyes full of affection.

She, too, was absorbed in her painting.

Riley couldn't help but be drawn to her work, glancing at the canvas in front of Karina. A smile flickered in his eyes.

The "person" in her painting—well, it could barely be called a person—was painting on a canvas. From the vague facial outline and the surrounding background, Riley could tell that she was painting him.

Karina, drawing another line with her brush, turned her head and playfully scolded, "Riley, I haven't finished yet. Why are you resting already?"

"Because something's missing," Riley replied with a wry smile.

"Huh? Am I missing a color?" Karina innocently asked, looking at her brush holder to check.

Her blue hair swayed, releasing a fragrant scent.

Riley, mesmerized by the beautiful Karina, felt a surge of emotion and leaned forward.

Their lips met.

"Mmm..."

The world suddenly fell silent.

...

"You're so annoying..." Karina lowered her head, her voice barely audible.

Riley wrapped his arm around her shoulders and laughed heartily.

As they gazed at the lake, they both recalled the moment by Sun Lake when they first confessed their feelings and kissed.

Unconsciously, their lips curled into smiles.

"Riley, let's visit Sun Lake someday," Karina suggested softly.

"Sure, I miss it too..."

By dusk, Karina returned to the castle ahead of Riley, having planned to watch the sunset with Mina from the rooftop.

Riley remained by Cold Crystal Lake, watching as the bright midday light gradually softened into the gentle hues of dusk, feeling a strange sense of clarity in his heart.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

He grabbed his watercolor brush once more and, almost as if guided by an unseen force, added a bold stroke to the canvas.

Instantly, it was like giving life to the dragon. The entire image became vivid and alive, with the surrounding scene now fully immersive.

"Excellent work!" A voice of praise came from behind.

Riley's joy at his finished work froze, and his face turned serious as he quickly stood and turned around.

His gaze was filled with caution as he observed the figure before him.

An elderly man in a white travel cloak stood on the grass, with shallow wrinkles on his forehead and a gaunt face. He held a dark-colored wand and wore a hood over his head. On his back was a drawing board, and a medium-sized satchel hung from his shoulder. He was a stranger to Riley.

"Who are you? When did you get here?" Riley asked coldly, feeling a bit tense. The man before him was clearly much stronger, and his spiritual probe revealed a depth to the man's power, like the deep ocean, impossible to fathom.

"Hehe, no need to be tense. I'm just a painter," the old man in the white cloak said with a warm smile, bathed in the soft light of dusk.

Seeing no immediate hostility, Riley relaxed slightly.

"Are you also a painter? What's your name?"

Riley decided to find out more about this person, not wanting to remain ignorant.

"My name doesn't matter. You can call me White Hat," the old man replied. "I've been around here since early morning. I watched you arrive, paint, and complete your work. That last stroke of yours was a real surprise to me. Without a doubt, you've made a significant breakthrough in your painting!"

Riley was astonished. This person understood painting… Wait!

Did he say he'd been here since morning? That means he'd been watching the whole time? Did he see what happened between him and Karina?

Riley's expression became suspicious.

"Cough, cough," White Hat seemed to guess his thoughts. "I have no habit of spying on others. I went elsewhere when certain things happened."

Really? Riley remained doubtful but decided there was no point in pursuing it.

White Hat shook his head and bent down to pick up the canvas, grabbing two brushes from the holder. He then moistened the tips with water elements.

In Riley's shocked gaze, White Hat quickly added two strokes to the painting meant for his father.

"What are you doing?!"

Anger flared in Riley's eyes. This was a gift for his father, and he wouldn't allow anyone to ruin it.

He grabbed the canvas from White Hat, who remained calm as he watched Riley.

Riley looked at the strokes White Hat had added, and his expression froze. The next moment, he was overwhelmed with shock, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Now, the dragon on the canvas seemed to be flying through clouds, retaining its lifelike and ferocious form while also gaining a mysterious grandeur, instantly elevating the artwork.

As he stared at the dragon, it felt as if it was staring back at him.

Even when he turned his head away, he could still feel its cold gaze on him, as though it could burst out of the painting at any moment and unleash a devastating breath of fire.

Riley suppressed his astonishment and gathered his emotions. His initial displeasure had vanished.

Looking at White Hat again, he now regarded him with much more respect.

He had completely recognized that this was a master painter with profound skills, far surpassing his own!

A few effortless strokes had surpassed Riley's own inspired work, the difference was clear.

He held the canvas with both hands, carefully examining it, unable to put it down. If only he had painted it himself!

After a moment, he sighed with mixed feelings. "Thank you, Mr. White Hat."

With these improvements to his painstaking work, the painting had become much more impressive. As the original artist, he could also learn valuable techniques and experience from it.

"Hehe, no need to thank me. I can see you have a genuine love for painting and possess some talent," White Hat said with a smile in his eyes as he looked at Riley. "It's rare to see that in a mage. In all my years, I've met few mages willing to dedicate themselves to painting. Those who do usually dabble in it with little skill. Most focus on magic and alchemy as their secondary profession. You are an exception!"

Riley remained silent, listening as White Hat continued, "I plan to stay here for a while. Would you like to learn more about painting from me?"

Riley's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected this offer.

To teach him painting?

He glanced down at the vivid dragon on the canvas, almost as if it were a living creature sealed within.

He hesitated, but he couldn't deny that he was tempted…

Returning to the castle, Riley immediately sought out his father and reported everything that had happened.

At that moment, Rhett was sitting in a chair, gently swirling a crystal goblet, watching the red wine sway inside.

Rhett stroked his chin, his eyes filled with admiration as he gazed at the painting Riley had brought him.

"This is an excellent piece. If we hang it in the gallery, it will surely attract many visitors," Rhett remarked.

Then, looking at Riley with a smile, he added, "You're already interested. Go ahead and learn from White Hat. It's not every day you get such a good opportunity for free. If you want to learn more later, you'll have to pay."

"Huh? Pay?" Riley paused, his hand gripping his goblet. "Father, what do you mean by 'pay'?"

"Oh? Didn't White Hat tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Riley was even more confused.

Rhett looked puzzled, then explained, "When White Hat arrived in my territory today, I noticed him immediately. I even had a chat with him. I wanted to invite him to join the territory, but he refused. However, he did promise to open an art studio in Darkhawk City. So, in the future, if you want to learn painting, it'll cost you, and there's no guarantee he'll teach advanced techniques."

"An art studio?" Riley blinked, and recalling White Hat's extraordinary painting skills, it made sense.

"Exactly. This afternoon, I helped him choose a suitable location in the city, near the administrative office, right next to the Spring Tea House," Rhett chuckled, giving Riley a knowing look. "It's close to where you work."

Riley suddenly realized the truth. So, White Hat had indeed left during the afternoon and hadn't been spying on him and Karina…

He let out a sigh of relief and then asked, "Father, how strong is White Hat? When I met him this afternoon, I couldn't sense anything."

"Sixth-level Magus. He's quite powerful," Rhett replied seriously.

"Sixth-level Magus?" Riley was taken aback. He suddenly remembered that his father had mentioned sensing White Hat's presence earlier.

That wasn't something a fifth-level Magus could do, was it?

As Riley stared at his father with curiosity and confusion, Rhett smiled faintly and casually released his spiritual power, revealing his level as a sixth-level Magus.

Originally, Rhett had planned to keep his breakthrough a secret for a while longer. But among his three sons, Riley had a somewhat unique position, shouldering many responsibilities within the territory. Knowing his father's true strength would make it easier for him to manage the territory and handle unexpected situations.

After some consideration, Rhett decided to share the news of his advancement with Riley.

"This… This is unbelievable!"

Riley's eyes widened in shock, his astonishment rivaling what he had felt earlier when witnessing White Hat's masterful painting.

In just over a year, his father had successfully advanced to a sixth-level Magus. At this rate, wouldn't his father reach the peak of Grand Magus within a century?

Wouldn't that mean he'd be only one step away from becoming a Saint?

And by then, wouldn't their family become one of the top families in the Kingdom of Kinlun?

Realizing that his thoughts were drifting too far ahead, Riley snapped back to reality. As he looked at his father, his eyes were filled with a mix of emotions—surprise, admiration, but most of all, joy.