Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The broadcasting accident on the last day of the Painting Grand Prix caused a huge stir in the Federal world within the entire Nightmare Fragment instance.

The Federal authorities almost thought they had suffered a terrorist attack, with “Joey” being the terrorist who deliberately packaged dark art as healing art, deceiving the world’s eyes to reach the final stage, and then indiscriminately attacking the entire Federation!

Fortunately, no major incidents occurred across the Federation afterwards, and there was no large-scale spread of mental pollution.

After repeated authentication, “The Last Supper” painting indeed did not contain any mental pollution, but instead had a strong suppressive effect on most mental pollutants.

— If judged solely by these characteristics, classifying this painting as healing art was completely justified.

The alert was lifted, and Bai Yi, who had nearly been blacklisted as a “terrorist,” once again became a Federal citizen.

However, the audience had witnessed the anomaly that day. To avoid causing panic throughout the Federation, the Painting Grand Prix organizers immediately explained to everyone after the authentication results came out:

“As we all know, dark art often actively creates mental pollution, while traditional healing art soothes mental pollution, like using a detergent to clean a stain—the process is gentle. ‘The Last Supper,’ as a unique new work among healing arts, possesses strong spirituality. Its special quality lies in that the healing art it expresses is not gentle, but rather domineering, forcibly suppressing all mental pollution—not cleaning the stain, but directly covering the entire stain...”

The sense of tranquility, beauty, and harmony conveyed by this painting was like a domineering spice, able to forcibly suppress the viewer’s other emotions. If other healing arts were like a psychologist’s guidance, then “The Last Supper” was practically a hypnotist forcibly hypnotizing.

Therefore, most viewers who yearned for this kind of life were easily brainwashed, truly falling into the mood expressed in the painting, as if receiving great spiritual comfort.

However, those who genuinely did not pursue this kind of life—such as antisocial individuals, doomsayers, or those with deep grudges solely seeking revenge—when forcibly brainwashed by the painting’s mood, although unable to resist on the surface, had extremely strong aversion and resistance in their subconscious. As the degree of brainwashing deepened, this aversion also intensified.

The final manifestation was a rebound effect, with madness erupting and the degree of mental pollution increasing rather than decreasing... Thus, the exhibition hall was directly turned into a large-scale evil cult ritual site by that group of people, and “The Last Supper” was almost treated as dark art.

This wave, this wave was “forced healing”!

[... But in a sense, this perfectly matches the dual meaning expressed by this painting.]

Regarding this special artwork, combined with its demonstrated forced healing ability, the organizers provided an appreciation:

[This is a “cult classic” that combines the essence of dark art with the characteristics of healing art.]

[On the surface, the painter and the neighbors in the entire building love each other dearly, with the warm dinner further highlighting the beauty that countless people in the world yearn for. If this building represents a world, this is undoubtedly a paradise of great harmony that people long for—but this paradise is an artificially created illusion.]

[In fact, another transformation of the artwork suggests that this world is not only not a paradise, but rather suffocating like hell. All the neighbors are actually under the absolute oppression and control of the painter—this world is just a paradise for the painter alone, while others are like ingredients on the dinner table, mere sacrifices for paradise.]

[Therefore, when they are willing to cooperate and obey, they can enjoy all the beauty within the illusion of paradise. Just like those viewers who do not resist the painting’s forced healing effect.]

[When they choose to resist, the illusion of paradise is torn apart, and the diners at the table become the food on the table. This point is just like those death row inmates in the exhibition hall who broke free from the forced healing state, their mental pollution deepening further, ultimately self-mutilating or killing each other on the spot.]

— Either accept brainwashing or be sacrificed directly.

[This is precisely the unique dual nature of this painting.]

That painting, said to depict Miu Yin’s family of three, had been sealed many years ago, and the number of people in the entire Federation with the authority to access it could be counted on one hand.

However, Bai Yi still had the authority to learn insider information unknown to the public from the Artists Association—

As the origin of all pollution in this world, a painting of death that drove successive owners mad as if cursed, ‘The Sabbath’ was painted on human skin, with paint mixed with human blood, and souls of the dead sealed within the scroll. People said Miu Yin painted this work to commemorate his wife and daughter after their deaths, then committed suicide due to madness. But in fact, his wife and daughter were the raw materials for this painting.

An unknown, down-and-out painter made such a mad act at the end of his life, and his only surviving painting became the source of pollution for the entire world.

Those who knew the truth had many speculations about this. The most accepted view currently was that Miu Yin might have been insane for a long time. He desperately craved fame, and creating a world-shocking painting had always been his obsession. Later, he even began to believe in non-existent gods, and perhaps really encountered some unknown entity, leading to the birth of ‘The Sabbath’.

[You have deciphered the hidden worldview, progress 10%.]

The system’s prompt appeared timely, surprising Bai Yi a little. “Just becoming a painting god gives me the authority to know this information and decipher the worldview? Isn’t this too easy? I suspect you’re deliberately giving me a 10 to attract me to continue exploring. You don’t really think I’d fall for that, do you?”

[The Nightmare Game doesn’t force you to decipher the worldview, but deciphering the hidden worldview of the Nightmare Fragment instance to a certain degree will give you a chance to drop Fragments of the Principle of All Things.]

[In most cases, the essence of the Fragments of the Principle of All Things is omnipotence, capable of evolving into any item or skill.]

Bai Yi immediately put on a serious face, pushing his non-existent glasses, and spoke in a low tone like a sage:

“—Ahem, I’ve always had an exploratory spirit. It’s not for the Fragments of the Principle of All Things, it’s to give my future self some face. If I don’t fall for it, it would make you, the system, look not so smart. That’s a belittlement of me as the creator! This absolutely cannot be tolerated!”

System: ...

As if he wasn’t the one who had been sarcastic towards the system before.

“Since being a painting god gives such high authority, then getting a few more god titles would surely increase the authority level. Maybe there’s even a chance to become a high-ranking member of the Artists Association...” Given that artists were equivalent to supernatural beings, the power and influence of the Federal Artists Association could be imagined. Bai Yi became a bit excited, “It’s just about grinding, right? Sacrifice all the grinding, just grind it out!”

While Bai Yi was grinding hard, the Federation finally defined the new type of art he created, which was neither healing nor dark, but healing with darkness and darkness with healing.

[Achievement system has been updated...]

[You’ve obtained the achievement “Healed, but not completely healed”.]

[Description: You’ve redefined healing art.]

[You’ve pioneered a brand new “Depressing Art”.]

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