"You parasites! Go look for the food in the underwold!" As the woman's screams became louder, another security guard stepped in to control her.
Zeryon stood there staring at the old woman without saying anything. However, the old lady successfully drew his attention deep within.
"I apologize, sir. We will transport her to the hospital now," the large security guard stated, while the old woman continued to curse him. Her eyes were fixed on him.
"No, hold on a second. I'm curious who this woman is." Zeryon raised his hands to stop them.
The security guard commented, "Sir, she's just a crazy woman. Everything she says is nonsense. You are not required to listen to her."
"I'd like to ask her something. Let her go first," Zeryon said, "Please," he added.
The two security guards exchanged glances before gradually releasing their grip on the woman's body.
"Calm down madam, I won't hurt you. Who are you actually? Why did you say about the food in the underworld?" Zeryon asked in a low tone.
The woman then burst out laughing. "Go search for food in the underworld, such as potatoes and cassava. It tastes better and fills you up."
Zeryon shook his head. He was feeling amused. "So, that's what you mean? Real food from the ground? Why did you ask me to go back to hell?"
The woman's eyes rounded and widened perfectly, and she unexpectedly attacked Zeryon by strangling his neck. The woman's grip was very tight, making it difficult for him to breathe.
The two guards immediately pulled the woman's body away. While coughing, Zeryon held his neck and tried to catch his breath. His eyes were watery and painful.
"This woman appears to be dangerous. We can't let her go any longer," the security guard said, and they took her right away.
It wasn't her strength that rendered Zeryon helpless for a few seconds. The woman was holding something that would make it difficult for demons to breathe. As if inhaling carbon dioxide from dense smoke.
He could detect the aroma of black pepper. Yes, demons didn't like it because it made them feel weak. Humans got it to make food tastier or to fight flu viruses, but they are unaware that it can also weaken demons, despite being non-lethal.
He wondered how the old woman knew about it. Was it just a coincidence that she ate food with a sprinkling of black pepper this morning.
"Zeryon, are you okay?" Heva arrived immediately after witnessing the woman's attack.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," he replied in a low voice.
"Okay, let's go, then. You must attend the class now!" she invited.
For a brief moment, Zeryon was still dumbfounded. A second call from Heva jolted him out of his reverie. Without saying anything, he stepped into the hall in the center of the building.
As he walked, Zeryon cleared his mind again. He reassured himself that there was nothing to worry about with the schizophrenic woman. Maybe later, he would ask Vargas to look up information about her.
Zeryon and Heva arrived at the seminar room. The tall pillars and statues still dominated the place. He found that the students had already taken their seats. They sat properly. There was a one-and-a-half-meter-high vessel span and a one-meter-wide blank canvas in front of the class.
The moderator let Zeryon in, and he immediately opened the seminar. Without further ado, he invited the illusion artist to give the lecture.
Zeryon immediately took a position at the front of the class and said, "Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, sir." The voices of all the students echoed in the room.
The illusion artist walked a few steps slowly, then he started the class. "As usual, I'll keep it casual so you guys feel comfortable and the knowledge I share can be easily absorbed. Are you ready, guys?"
"Yes, we are ready!"
"Well, today I will give you some tips on how to draw illusions with depth. First of all, of course, you must have an imagination. What must you have again?" Zeryon raised his left hand to his ear.
"Imagination!" The students answered.
"So, without imagination, how are you going to draw and create the illusion of depth, right? Well, to make your drawings come alive, pay attention to the light sources and focus on the highlighted and shadowed parts."
Zeryon took his brush and drew trees of different brightness levels, bright on the front and shadowed on the back.
"Well, like this. Can you see it? It looks like three-dimensional, even though it's drawn on a two-dimensional canvas. The lighting gives an illusionary effect."
Zeryon examined each student's face one by one. Some people frowned, others nodded, and still others took notes in their books. He then continued his explanation.
"The second tip is to adhere to perspective rules. The farther away an object is, the smaller it gets. The smaller it is, the more depth it creates. Then your image will look real."
Once again he scratched his brush by drawing the background of the road with the buildings getting smaller at the back.
"Like this, for example," Zeryon said, "Before I continue, do you have any questions?" he asked.
Zeryon took a step forward while looking around the room. He saw a female student raised her hand.
"Yes, please ask," Zeryon said.
"Sir, who is GB actually? Is she your girlfriend?"
In an instant, the entire room burst out laughing. The student occasionally asked about the first woman he mentioned in the YouTube video yesterday.
"Sorry, I meant a question about art, not a personal one." Zeryon's face felt hot. He cleared his throat a few times.
"Perhaps it has to do with the art of love, sir," a male student said.
"We're not studying the art of love, but painting. Don't be silly."
The laughter of the students broke out again. Until Zeryon put on a serious expression, they went silent. "Back to the topic of the lesson."
Instantly, the atmosphere became tense.