The Versatile Master Artist

Chapter 50: Chapter 35: Sketch—Professional Rank 1

Yangon River, yet another weekend bustling with tourists.

Gu Weijing ran all the way back home with the morning paper from the riverbank.

”Attention!”

Two soldiers, wearing black combat masks and holding M4 assault rifles, stood at attention, their combat boots clashed with a thud.

”Hey, darling, look.”

A French couple just off the Mary international cruise ship were startled by the scene.

They looked over to see armed guards standing in front of an old British-style building by the Yangon River. The guards appeared well-trained and highly skilled.

”Mrs. Gu... art shop?”

The blonde French woman with sparkling blue eyes looked at the sign above the shop and curiously read it word by word.

”This art shop actually has guards.”

”Perhaps the items inside are valuable. Don’t banks have guards too? And... are they really police?”

Her companion, looking at the guards holding rifles equipped with full optical systems, murmured, ”So cool.”

Gu Weijing nodded to the two armed guards at the door as a form of greeting.

The guards were arranged by Old Yang through connections.

Perhaps Elder Cao had signaled something to his assistant, as Old Yang had been exceptionally friendly these last few days, determined to win over Gu Weijing.

It’s said these two sentry guards belong to the government’s VIP protection group, originally assigned as part of the government’s protection for Elder Cao.

This is the treatment top artists in the world receive.

Ever since John Lennon was shot by an eccentric fan on the streets of New York City, causing global uproar, artists and celebrities worldwide have ramped up their security measures.

Michael Jackson, Coldplay, and similar superstars, or the Real Madrid and Paris soccer teams, when performing or playing exhibition matches in drug lord-infested countries like Colombia or Mexico, not only carry very professional multi-million-dollar security teams, but the government also spares no expense to bolster security.

In addition to increased police patrols during events, combat forces might even be deployed to ensure the safety of these international artists.

Especially in Colombia, where drug lords can afford to buy armed helicopters, fighter jet patrols are not out of the question.

Painters are relatively niche compared to singers and athletes; Elder Cao doesn’t have such notoriety.

But this project was officially hosted by the Myanmar Government.

Mr. Cao Xuan’s safety reflects the Myanmar Government’s image. What if a Golden Triangle warlord decides to make a big move and kidnaps an artist to send a message internationally?

Therefore, the government deployed a VIP protection team.

To prevent bribery from drug lords or warlords, or from being bought by political enemies, not only are the names and specific unit numbers of the VIP protection members top secret, but special training might also occur at overseas bases.

Old Yang somehow heard about Gu Weijing being entangled with the mafia recently and used the favor of a Yangon official to temporarily borrow two guards to stand sentinel for a few days.

The effect was remarkable.

Getting involved with the mafia, especially someone as influential as Brother Hao, where normal police are nearly useless, but finding the VIP protection team is a perfect remedy.

If you dare to cause trouble, regardless of what kind of background you have, these people would indeed shoot.

They have the license to use deadly force, which in urban folklore is known as the ”license to kill.”

With these fearsome gatekeepers temporarily on guard, not only did Bald and his Shamat henchmen vanish without a trace, even the big yellow dog from next door didn’t dare to bark.

Intriguingly, these days, many foreign tourists have been visiting the art shop with guards posted at the entrance.

Gu Weijing returned home.

There was still plenty of time before school started.

His life had been very regular these past days; when the mural restoration project commenced, he’d assist Elder Cao. On rest days, he’d practice drawing at home, taking online commissions on Nutshell to earn money.

Considering the Lion City Art Exhibition was only a little more than half a year away, he needed to receive a major order and earn a hefty income to acquire enough experience points.

Only a good reputation and transaction record can enhance his reliability in the eyes of buyers.

Gu Weijing didn’t slack just because his pricing was relatively low during the startup phase. He used the skill [Menzel’s Painting Insights] on every commission he took with his ”Detective Cat” online shop alias.

With the skill activated, he not only painted well but also painted fast, achieving effects akin to photographic renderings like the previous Mercedes model.

The past him, even if he could do it, would have needed five or six hours with repeated revisions on conception, outlining, and coloring.

But under the skill’s influence, he didn’t need any thoughts or revisions, achieving results seamlessly and spontaneously.

Unless exceedingly complex commissions required splitting over two days, he could typically finish them in just half an hour.

Getting master-level skills at the price of a quick meal, even Gu Weijing thought it was beyond conscientious.

Such is the time that even the finest wine fears no one will find it in a deep alley.

According to big data algorithms, even if every order received zero-change positive reviews, his recommendation priority on Nutshell was still quite low, incomparable to large studios with transactions amounting to millions of US Dollars.

For these studios, receiving promotional film poster commissions could mean tens of thousands of dollars per order.

Since opening his shop, he completed five orders, with pricing based on complexity ranging from ten dollars to one hundred dollars. Simple creative sketches like bunny themes that take just a minute or two were priced at the basic ten dollars, while more complex anime illustrations were more expensive.

However, various strange clients are inevitable in online business.

Earlier, a German approached him, wanting ten colorful anime illustrations, offering a very generous price.

Gu Weijing had already received a 70-dollar deposit when he realized there’s never a pie falling from the sky.

The Berlin otaku, with an avatar of Mikasa Ackman from ”Attack on Titan,” wanted him to draw... draw... those types of intense scenes.

Indeed, otakus unite globally.

Regretfully, Gu Weijing looked at the promised remaining 500 dollars, returned the entire deposit, and quietly added the contact to the blacklist.

He entered his studio and turned on the computer.

Currently, on Nutshell, there were a few order messages requiring processing.

The first message was an order he took yesterday, where a New York housewife wanted a portrait illustration of her beloved pet cat, totaling four pieces for 90 dollars.

His skill time was already running low yesterday. To pursue quality, he decided to draw it today.

Before starting, Gu Weijing glanced at his panel.

[Sketch: Semi-Professional Lv.3 (993/1000)]

”Looks like I can upgrade today.”

He thought as he activated the skill and started drawing.

As expected, just after Gu Weijing quickly sketched the outline of a kitten, the prompt sound in his mind sounded.

[Your Sketch Level has increased.]

[Current Sketch Level: Tier One Professional Painter (1/5000)]

[Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step toward becoming a great painter! Please claim your reward.]