They all call me an Outer God.

At the same time, in the palace of Missiral, in front of a tall mirror, a blond man woke up from his enormous bed. He then got out of bed and stood in front of the mirror, and immediately a maid came to help him change his clothes.

They patiently dressed the monarch in layer upon layer of elaborate clothing, each layer backed with real gold thread and adorned with countless jewels. However, these were merely embellishments for the man, whose aura was even more dazzling than those jewels.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Haddock is on his way. Would you like to wear the fox fur commander's cloak or..."

"No need, the same one from last time is fine."

The monarch watched as the maids on both sides bowed their heads and withdrew. Not long after, the door to his bedchamber was opened from the outside, and a young man dressed elegantly walked in carrying a briefcase, which he opened in front of the monarch.

“My most handsome emperor, I still can’t help but feel my heart flutter every time I see your face. I really don’t understand how anyone could ruin your appearance so badly. In the eyes of those disgusting Is people, there is no such thing as art.”

The man shook his head in distress: "Why are you so fixated on Haddock? There are plenty of artists with excellent taste in this world. If you really want, I can create something for you."

"Then today you can compare yourself to Haddock and see why I chose him instead of you, okay?"

“That sounds good, Your Majesty. I’ll definitely make that Is man look utterly worthless.”

The man smiled and opened the briefcase, took out a dark yellow robe, and draped it over the monarch with great praise. He then took out a soft mask from the bottom of the briefcase and put it on the monarch's face.

Suddenly, the handsome monarch's aura changed drastically. His whole body seemed to be filled with dark and eerie arcs, distorting the surrounding air. Countless tentacles seemed to extend from under his clothes. However, the next second, all these illusions disappeared.

Do you need this?

The man, still smiling, took something wrapped in cloth from his briefcase, and the monarch accepted it without a word and put it in his pocket.

"I'm really looking forward to your competition today."

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, Haddock is nothing to me. I am the greatest artist in Aldebaran."

As he spoke, the man casually picked up a wine bottle from the monarch's table, poured himself a glass of golden mead, and drank it down without hesitation.

……

When Ria arrived at the square not far from the palace, it was already crowded with people. Many of them had undergone physical deformities; they were all normal people possessed by the consciousness of the Iss. Ria was trying to find Shamir and Qisha among these people.

The north side of the square is the judging panel, where a long table covered with red cloth is placed, enough for dozens of people to sit on one side, while the west side is the VIP panel, where people of high status will come out and take their seats to give a second review of the works.

Ria discovered that there was not only one easel, but also another easel next to his that looked even more expensive.

Haddock's consciousness panicked upon seeing this scene.

[Oh no! That yellow stamp on the easel... it's Yomos!]

"Could you please introduce it to me?"

[He's an artist who serves the king, the king's most favored person. I even think he's the king's male lover... otherwise why would he be so close to that monster every day!] Ria: "Actually, to be honest, there aren't any normal people here. They're all the monsters you're talking about. Would you like to see my mythical creature form?"

"I don't want to, please spare me. And you must be careful of that guy, he's no good. My God, how can you compare art with Yomos? Otherwise, you kill him, then we won't have to compete, and we can all die a quick death."

Ria sensed that Haddock's emotions were starting to become chaotic. He was eager to meet the artist named Yomos, as he had always held artists in high esteem. Of course, the artists themselves were completely unaware of Ria's respect.

He went to his canvas, looked at the painting tools below, and patiently waited for the model to arrive.

Before long, Ria saw countless seahorse-like creatures floating in the air in two long rows. These seahorses used their tentacle-like fins to hold up horns and blow them. In an instant, the strange sound waves excited all the residents present.

They clapped wildly, their eyes red, some even clapping until their hands were red and their bones were fractured.

Lia felt a sudden darkness in her vision. The flags around the square were fluttering in the wind. She didn't know when, but a man in a yellow robe stood there, accompanied by a handsome man.

The man didn't even look at Ria, but bowed directly to the person next to him, and everyone present immediately bowed respectfully to the monarch, while Ria removed his hat in return.

This scene made Haddock anxious.

Why don't you worship...?

That person is not qualified to receive worship from a deity. The deity's status is higher than you imagine. We are all counting on Him. You'd better keep quiet.

He was anxious, but the rest of Lia's consciousness was not anxious at all.

These consciousnesses are only a tiny fraction of the total consciousness; the majority resides in Schwarz's brain. Fortunately, Schwarz doesn't understand what they're saying and doesn't want to listen, otherwise he would be driven crazy by these people.

“Your Majesty—” Ria’s etiquette was impeccable, and there was nothing wrong with it in the monarch’s eyes. His voice was full of laughter.

"Lord Haddock, I am glad that you have come to your senses and are willing to paint my portrait. In order to enhance your creative pleasure, I will bring Byakki with me this time."

The monarch's words had a retro feel to them. It was the first time that Ria had ever heard someone use this style of writing to communicate with him. The language was simple and elegant. Fortunately, he could communicate with anyone without language barriers, so he didn't stand there dumbfounded.

As for the Byakki, it refers to Yomos, who is standing next to him. This is a rather ancient race.

"You'd better consider your own status; you're just a commoner."

Yomos glanced at Ria with disdain, then walked behind his easel, picked up his painting tools, and the king at the front also struck what he considered a suitable pose, demanding that the two in front of him complete his portrait within a set time.

Lia believed that in the monarch's imagination, he himself must be perfect, handsome and dashing, and as long as he was drawn according to this standard and further embellished, there could be no mistake.

(End of this chapter)