City of Desire-Chapter 623: Art Collective

Carla Salt

"We excel in every type of art: painting, sculpture, drawing. Many of our pieces are in the storm tower and other important places of the empire," said Yaltir as he showed us around the massive studio.

We are in Yaltir Studio, one of the premier art studios in Namdar.

I looked around and saw many beautiful art pieces. I wanted to buy them, but I pushed that thought away. It is not for this reason that I came here.

"Even we have your pieces. Mr. Yaltir," I replied.

We have four pieces from his studio, all of them borrowed. Two were from the house of Silver, one from old man Vanis and the other from a noble from the empire.

At first, we had to ask others for pieces, but after reaching Grade III, they began offering them to us willingly.

They wanted good connections with the Velvet Garden, and most importantly, they desired the art to absorb the mist. The emotion essence enhances the concept the art tries to convey.

It also strengthens colors and everything about them, so it could last longer, to say nothing about its value.

"If you gave us a chance, we will make Velvet Garden greater than it is," he said, looking at me expectantly. I didn't reply other than smile.

After the studio, he took me around the workshop. It is massive and magnificent.

I could see artists working on different things in different sections, with their eyes filled with concentration.

We looked at every part of the studio before returning to the front.

"I hope you liked what you saw, Miss Salt," he said.

"You have a beautiful studio, Mr. Yaltir," I replied, and he smiled. However, it was easy to see that, like the other four studio owners, he was expecting a different answer.

A few minutes later, I stepped into the carriage with Devin and the others.

"So, which one will you choose?" asked Selina. Remus's sister-in-law and Devin, Eva's son, are with me.

"I like Yaltir or his scale, but Kasiv also has just as talented artists at his studio despite being a little smaller," said Devin as he and Selina looked at me.

It's my decision, and Remus will accept it. I know his vision better than anyone else.

"They don't have what Velvet Garden needs," I replied simply. Based on their stunned looks, saying they were surprised would be an understatement.

Even though I was also shocked by what I had said, it was the truth. I don't think they are suitable for the Velvet Garden, and I feel very strongly about this.

"We can look at other studios; there are many in Namdar," said Selina after nearly a minute of silence.

Namdar always had a flourishing art scene due to the laws being less restrictive than those of the rest of the empire. After the emperor died, many artists fled here.

The carriage moved, and I looked at the beautiful city. Namdar is massive and prosperous.

After the emperor's death, Namdar became even more prosperous. Many had fled here, bringing all their wealth and experience.

We wanted some of that prosperity, but until now, we haven't had much success with that.

We are trying with nobles, but only two agreed. We are still negotiating with some, but it is slow and will remain sluggish until we prove we can deal with the undead.

Till now, we could not, even after surviving and winning several battles.

Even conquering a city isn't enough. The large numbers will only come when we at least survive against the big bosses in Ashton Harbor.

That is impossible, at least right now.

The undead would have conquered us and nearly the whole region without the threat of the merchant states that kept their most powerful powerhouse in Ashton Harbour.

Soon, the carriage stopped before another studio, and we went inside. Two hours later, we checked another and then another.

It was evening when we came out of the seventh one.

"This one?" Selina asked, and I shook my head. "They didn't feel right," I replied, with the same reply.

It wasn't this hard in Owlspring and Inam. I knew the one in the Owlspring; I had met him several times, and we had obtained his works for the legacy.

The old man had suggested the excellent store in Inam. When I saw the woman and her staff working, I knew she and her store would be a perfect fit for Velvet Garden.

"It seemed like we will have to look at others tomorrow," said Selina.

I would have liked to finish it today, but there are things I have to do. This is important for the legacy and the city. I won't leave it until I have finalized or looked through all the studios in the city.

A few minutes passed, and the carriage took its turn. Entering what some called a poor art district.

It used to be a low-income neighborhood, but now it has been occupied by new artists coming into the city. It's close enough to the art district but far cheaper compared to it.

It is the best place for the poor artist to live in a community of peers without paying exorbitant rent.

I heard even a few studios had popped up here.

"Those houses are strange," pointed Lorle, and I turned. I saw three houses painted in layers of neon-like paint.

"It looks like someone vomited the colors on the buildings," commented Selina.

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I could see people sitting in front of the houses, lounging by the fire, but some seemed to be working on the pieces, from wood to stone.

A few are painting on canvases and statues. One shirtless man seemed to be painting a beast skeleton.

"Driver, take the carriage to those houses," I said, and everybody looked at me in surprise.

"You can't be thinking them," said Selina, looking like I was mad. "I was not thinking anything. It just looked interesting, and I wanted to check it out," I replied.

She looked like she wanted to say something but did not.

Soon, the carriage stopped by the fence covering the three houses, and they felt all eyes on it.

I didn't take the official one holding the Greltheaven and Velvet Garde flag, but it still attracted the eyes.

We exited the carriage and walked toward the trio of houses before stopping at the fence. I wanted to open the fence, but Hugo stopped me.

"Can we come inside?" I asked. There was no reply until I saw a short brunette wearing a tunic and black pants rush out of the middle house, looking all worried.

She had a worry on her face, but as she looked at us, that seemed to disappear—though not fully.

"What do you all want?" she asked as she stopped by the gate.

She is a woman looking to be in her late twenties. She is short, barely five feet tall, with deep brown eyes and a freckled face that makes her look cute.

However, right now, she looks serious. Her eyes moved around at Hugo, Me, and the others.

"We want to look around," I replied. It seemed to surprise her.

"As long as you promise to buy one of our pieces," she said. "Sure," I replied with a smile after a moment of hesitation. She opened the fence, and we walked inside.

"Can you keep your guards out? I don't want them to step on any work accidentally," she asked, looking at the woman working on what seemed like a large puzzle.

"No," replied Hugo. I looked at him, and he sighed. Since that incident, he has become very strict about my security.

"Three with me; the rest stay here," he ordered.

"Do you want to see our pieces?" she asked, her expression guarded. I replied, "I want to see everything, but first, I want to know what this place is. "

A frown appeared on her face, but a moment later, she sighed and loosened her expression.

"It's an art collective. Artists come here and work; we provide them tools to work on their art and also a way to sell that art," she replied.

"You run it?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Show us around," I said, and she began to walk. She didn't take us toward the middle house in front of us, but the one on the left.

Soon, we reached the door, and she opened it.

There, I saw people working on different things: painting, sculpting, and carving. I even saw a naked man and woman posing for a painting.

I'm not looking at them directly but at the art in which they are the subject.

There is a classic style, but also strange ones, like the colors in the house. Like a young man carving a marble block, it's a person, but unlike the classical, this person is made of sharp angles only.

The woman painting the couple isn't painting them realistically but through weird, swirly circles.

They didn't look like people at all, but strangely beautiful.

"This place is an abomination," said Selina, looking around. There is even mild horror in her eyes. "I think it's beautiful," replied Devin.

Immediately, she turned to him with even more horror.

"How can you call this beautiful?" she asked, looking at the painting. "Art is subjective, Mrs. Silver. What might be an abomination to you is beautiful to me," he replied.

Thankfully, they are arguing about it with Privacy. The young woman was already guarded, and I didn't want her to throw us out.

"The art here is different from other places," I said, seeking clarity about this strange yet fascinating place.

"The art reflects how our artists perceive the world," they replied. "Here, we let them unleash their imagination without limits."

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"We don't restrict their art or force it to society's confining way," she replied.

"There is reason; it is restrictive. It is to stop this kind of blasphemy," muttered Selina.

Soon, we reached the house's second floor, where we saw a man attacking a wooden block with a sword, working on it, to be exact.

We finished the first building and moved to the middle one, which was even more extreme than the first.

The one on the right is milder than the other two, but a few things still made Selina mutter, 'Abomination.'

We finished the tour of the third building and moved to the back, where a few people, including one bald woman, were working.

"Which piece did you like?" asked the woman, turning to me.

Looking at her expressions. She expects me to keep my word. She didn't have to worry about that; I knew what I wanted, and it wasn't just a one-piece.

Hun!

I opened my mouth to reply to her when the door suddenly opened, and a shirtless man rushed in. He is a man who was painting the skeleton on the lawn.

"They came!" he said, and her expression turned worse. "We had one more day!" she replied before rushing out.

We waited for a few seconds before following behind her. We walked through the house before opening the door onto the lawn.

I saw the short woman arguing with the middle-aged man, who had city guards behind him.

"You can't do that. We have till tomorrow to pay you," said the short woman.

"Look at the contract; it states that we could evict you a day before the deadline with proper cause, which we have," he replied, pointing to the contract.

Seeing it, she looked like she wanted to cry.

"Just give us a few hours at least. To move our stuff," she pleaded. To that, the man shook his head.

"We already gave you enough time. It is time for us to throw you out!" he replied, turning to the city guard. When he stopped and turned to me.

There was a surprise before a big smile appeared on his face as he came toward me.

However, he stopped when Tars moved forward.

"Miss Salt, it's been a while," greeted the man. I didn't recognize him; I don't think I had met him before, or my skill would have recognized him.

"My apologies. Have we met before?" I asked. To that, he shook his head. "No, we have not. I am Lorin Hath; I work for my cousin, Sibas Hath," he replied.

"Ah, Mr. Hath. I met him just a few weeks ago in the merchant states," I said, and he smiled.

The man is a merchant of building materials, including rare ones. We bought a few of them for the tower and other buildings we had built in Greltheaven.

"If you don't mind me asking. What are you doing here, Miss Salt?" he asked curiously. "Oh, we needed a few pieces for the tower; this place has many," I replied.

"Why are you here?" I asked back. There was some hesitation on his face for a moment.

"We are in the process of evicting these people. Despite many warnings, they had damaged the properties and hadn't paid rent in several months," he replied, looking at the woman.

"Can you give them a day? I have something to discuss with this miss and would like to do it peacefully," I requested.

He hesitated, but a moment later, he turned to the man beside him and said something. The mage closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening and replying.

"Since it is you, Miss Salt. The boss agreed," he replied, while the short woman and others watched dumbfounded.

"Please tell Mr. Hath I will remember this favor," I said, and a big smile appeared on his face.

"I will," he replied before walking away.

"Thank you," thanked the short woman. "I hope you won't force us to buy the stuff now?" I asked, and the woman smiled for the first time.

She is cute when she smiles.

"I am Carla Salt," I introduced. "Meryl Rove," she replied.

"I like what you are doing here, Miss Rove, and would like to offer you an opportunity,"

"How would you like to move your collective to the Velvet Garden?" I asked, and there was confusion on her face; she didn't recognize the name.

Which was surprising—lately, I haven't met anyone who didn't know about the Velvet Garden.

"Carla, you can't be serious! These people are creating abominations here!" said Selina, shocked. This time, she didn't activate the privacy.

Their art isn't an abomination. It's different from what is conventional, which isn't a bad thing; I think it would be great.

The same goes for the levels. Most of the people here are young, and their levels are much lower than those in the other studios.

I offered them a place because of the rawness and freedom I am feeling from their art. This is what Velvet Garden seeks.

Remus would love that.

"Velvet Garden, as in the legacy?" asked the shirtless man, and I smiled. I could see the shock appearing on the short woman's face.

"Recently, some store spaces have opened. We want your collective to occupy one," I said, laying out more details and shocking them even further.

However, a moment later, they began to chat furiously, talking to the woman, who seemed to be getting overwhelmed by all this.

"I heard you guys provide access to the mist to every store. Will that be true for us?" the bald woman asked.

"Yes," I replied.

They asked questions, and I answered. By then, the woman had finally got control over her emotions.

"Why us? I am sure there would have been many top studios dying for this opportunity?" she asked, and I couldn't help but smile at that.