Chapter 334 — Splitsone Keep

"Remember what we went through at Kant Keep?" Gao Yang explained patiently. "Viscount Kant kept to himself; the castle never hosted any banquet and hardly ever invited any guest. Even when I visited, Kant Keep held no event to seize the occasion. That's because the more outsiders there are in the 'real dream,' the greater the chance the dream collapses—waking minds place an enormous burden on the rituals and spells of the Sleepers. But this Viscountess Glan clearly has no such worry."

Amber nodded. "She's invited a lot of people to come gawk at you..."

Gao Yang rapped the half-elf girl on the head. "Xuanque Castle doesn't have that strange atmosphere of Kant Province—it's open to outsiders, which largely rules out the possibility of a large-scale dream illusion covering the castle. Of course... I'll need to observe the specifics a while longer to be sure."

Just then the viscountess, who had gone to inspect the banquet hall, returned to the room and sat down before Gao Yang. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

"Not at all. I've been admiring the collection here," Gao Yang said, his gaze drifting casually over the oil paintings and wooden carvings displayed in the reception hall for guests to see. "A fine collection."

"These are all left from my husband's time," Robenia said faintly. "He loved art, painting above all. Some of these he painted himself."

Gao Yang rose and strolled casually to a painting that depicted broad farmlands and cottages. "It's rare to see farmland painted on canvas."

In this age, "painting" was a refined and luxurious artistic indulgence; essentially only nobles, the Church, and the wealthy could afford to spend money on it, and so its audience was confined to the "upper classes." Its subject matter could be called monotonous—basically portraits of every kind, religious paintings, and scenes of castle and courtly life.

"This is my husband's work," Robenia Glan explained. "He liked to paint what he saw with his own eyes out in the world, even if it was a filthy cowshed or a dilapidated barn."

"I see," Gao Yang turned around, smiling. "Very fine."

Just then an attendant suddenly pushed open the doors of the reception hall and strode quickly toward the viscountess.

Gao Yang noticed that the attendant's expression was rather tense.

"My lady," the attendant halted before the viscountess and spoke rapidly, "Miss Patty says she feels unwell..."

Rebecca Glan's expression changed in an instant.