Because they had already made arrangements in advance, after reporting their names and the person they were looking for, they were quickly escorted to the elevator by the gentleman at the reception desk. They were then brought to the door of a suite on the top floor.
Perhaps because they had already been notified from downstairs, the door opened as they arrived, and then Butler Lubson led Liang En and his companion into the room.
Unlike ordinary apartments, the space inside this one was vast, with few partitions. At the same time, contrary to what one might imagine, this apartment was purely futuristic in style, appearing highly advanced technologically.
This was completely different from Liang En's earlier assumptions. He had originally thought that such an old noble family, with its ancient traditions, would favor a more classical and ornate artistic style, perhaps decorating the room to resemble a castle.
But as it turned out, the situation was entirely different. The house felt overly trendy, more like the decor favored by those tech moguls.
"Is this place surprising to you?" Mr. Duris slowly shuffled out from the room, leaning on his cane. "Everyone who comes here for the first time always shows a surprised expression when they see my room."
"Yes, it's indeed a bit surprising," Jeanne straightforwardly said as she stepped forward. "Because from our perspective, this style is a bit too modern—of course, I don't mean to imply that you're old-fashioned or anything, just—"
"I understand what you're trying to say, my dear cousin," Mr. Duris said with a smile as he sat down on the sofa.
"In fact, I specifically designed this place to help keep my mindset young, which in turn helps keep my body going, allowing me to live a little longer." He chuckled softly.
"Your health should still—" Jeanne trailed off, unsure of how to continue, as she was not someone particularly good at lying.
"I know that I only have three years left to live at most, and that's only because I found you." Mr. Duris displayed a very gentle smile as he spoke.
"Because I found you, I hope to live a little longer, at least to pave the way for the family’s future. Of course, this doesn't mean I don't have confidence in you, but I think it's best if I can do more, to ease the burden on you."
For a moment, the room fell into silence, as everyone felt a bit awkward discussing this topic. It wasn't until almost a minute later that Mr. Duris broke the silence.
"It's nothing. After all, everyone has their time to be called by God. I've come to terms with it. What happens next with the Duris family is up to you."
"We certainly won't let the Duris family down, you can rest assured," Jeanne said, pressing her lips together firmly, and then nodded with unusual seriousness.
After finishing this more serious conversation, it was time for lunch. During the meal, they discussed some recent events and the like.
After all, Liang En and the others had encountered many situations recently, and they indeed needed an elder to offer some advice based on their life experiences. Mr. Duris clearly fit the role of a reliable elder.
"—So that's the problem you've encountered recently. It’s indeed complicated, but not unsolvable." After listening to Liang En recount the difficulties he had recently faced, Mr. Duris thought for a few minutes before responding seriously.
"You can find the target your enemies are searching for, then occupy that place before them and start your excavation work."
"Don't forget that both you and the Golden Dawn have strong official backing, which is clearly something your enemies can't compete with."
As an old aristocrat, the Duris family had interacted with the Golden Dawn many times, and some of their ancestors had even joined the Golden Dawn. Since they were considered Jeanne's successors, they naturally had some connections with those who pursued the extraordinary.
Even today, they still maintained some ties with the Golden Dawn, so Mr. Duris was somewhat aware of Liang En's predicament and offered some solutions to his problems.
Although the Golden Dawn was a relatively secretive organization, it didn't mean they were extremely hidden. On the contrary, because of their nature, they needed many external personnel to build a complete network of relationships.
However, when selecting external personnel, they naturally went through careful screening, especially focusing on the reliability of those people. Undoubtedly, those who had connections with legendary figures or had ancestors who were members of the Golden Dawn were more likely to become collaborators.
In this type of cooperation, both sides often engaged in exchange activities based on the principle of fair trade, and it could be said that both sides benefited from such exchanges.
The reason for this was that ever since the Golden Dawn was established, they set this rule because, from a human nature perspective, any one-sided contribution wouldn't last long.
Looking back, the leader of the Golden Dawn back then must have been a very visionary person, which is why they formulated such a practical plan.
After discussing these more formal matters, they quickly moved on to casual conversation, and during their chat, they naturally brought up the Prince of Monaco.
As they talked about this prince, the discussion quickly shifted to his collection, and then they started talking about the artworks Liang En had created.
"You had one of your oil paintings acquired by this prince, and it's now displayed in their castle," Mr. Duris said, looking quite proud.
Because of the relationship between Liang En and Jeanne, he now regarded Liang En as his junior, and under these circumstances, he naturally felt a sense of pride upon seeing Liang En's accomplishments.
"And he also told me that he'd like to commission you to create another painting for him, with the subject of your choice. So, if possible, you might want to consider taking on this job. It would be beneficial for your future."
Although Westerners generally don’t interfere much in other people's choices, they naturally offer some suggestions when it comes to family, especially their juniors. This was why Mr. Duris said these things to Liang En.
"You make a good point, so I think if it's convenient for him, I could help them create a family portrait soon," Liang En agreed after a brief consideration.
After all, as the financial center of Monaco, the ruler of this country undoubtedly had a network of connections that surpassed most people in the world, so it certainly wouldn't hurt to establish a good relationship with him.
Moreover, the prince clearly understood art, which was why he allowed Liang En to choose the subject. After all, every artist had their own strengths, and forcing them to create something outside of that would surely not result in a good outcome.
So, the next day, Liang En and the others, accompanied by Butler Lubson, headed to the palace. Undoubtedly, this would be a major project, one that would require a great deal of time and effort.
After all, creating an artwork has never been particularly easy. Even with top-notch skills, it wasn't simple for Liang En to create a genuine masterpiece.
Fortunately, the latest news from the Golden Dawn was that the Thule Society hadn't made any major moves recently, so Liang En could afford to dedicate the necessary time and effort to this temporary project.
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