"Aha! I have an idea," exclaimed Art.
"Now I will paint a scene from the city we saw earlier."
"Go ahead, do as you wish, child," replied Guru.
Let the painting flow naturally! This land was originally formed by famous historians—
namely Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and Vincent van Gogh from foreign lands. They were philosophers and renowned artists in their fields.
Many of their works were dedicated by various countries.
Art wondered, "Did they also start from something like this, Guru?"
"Yes, they did. Even though sometimes the world laughed at their efforts, they didn't give up. Keep fighting. Because this world itself never stands still—
it keeps turning on its axis. If it stops, there will be no change of time or seasons. That's why you must study diligently, seek new ideas for your work. Eventually, they became famous," Guru advised.
"Ohh, I see," replied Art, who was painting a scenery with his brush.
"And while telling stories, I've actually finished a unique painting! Look at this, Guru!" Art showed a painting of children playing in a park, filled with superhero figures, and many people around the streets.
Guru was amazed.
"It turns out you painted a city scene—even if it's not that interesting," Art added.
"Hehehe, well, I'm still practicing."
Guru praised him, "That's alright."
Every day after school, Art was trained by Guru in his shop.
Gradually, Art became agile in painting, dancing, playing music, and sculpting. His paintings started to resemble 3D abstract art, historical paintings, and even 360 VR concepts due to high demand.
Guru was a strict and diligent mentor. He didn't just teach painting—
he also taught how to sculpt using materials like wax, ceramics, and more.
One time, Art made a sculpture and showed it to his mother.
"Mom, mom! Look at this!" he said excitedly.
"Yes, what is it, Art?" she replied curiously.
"Look, I finished a bear sculpture! Isn't it nice?" said Art.
His mom looked at it. "Yes, son, it's very nice."
She became curious and asked, "Where did you get the idea for that, dear?"
"From Guru, who taught me, Mom," Art replied innocently.
His mother smiled happily. "Hehehe, you're getting better and better."
"Now go eat, or you'll catch a cold—you haven't eaten all day. I made your favorite: boiled shrimp!" she said.
"Yesss! Boiled shrimp!" Art cheered.
Day by day, after school, Art helped Guru at the shop. He kept learning and training to create works of art—also helping increase the family's income.
Art was happy. "Yay! We sold a lot today!"
"Hmm, that's true, Art. Our earnings have increased," said Guru.
"Alright, we've sold enough for today, and it's getting late. Let's clean up and go home!" said Guru.
"Yes, Guru, I'm really tired anyway. And tomorrow I have a soccer match at school!" Art replied, exhausted after a day of working at the shop.
Then Art and Guru went home to rest—riding a pegasus horse-drawn carriage. Though it was night, the city of Venishia looked beautiful with colorful lights decorating the city, bridges, and roads. What a breathtaking view.
When they arrived home, there were guests waiting—
none other than debt collectors, accompanied by their bodyguards. They forced Art's mother to pay the rent. Guru was shocked and began sweating.
He had no choice but to face the debt collectors and hand over the shop's daily earnings.
Guru gave them some of his savings.
"Alright, this should cover this month!" he said, looking sad.
"But remember! If there's no payment next month, we'll seize your house and shop!" threatened the collectors, who worked for the city's mafia.
Guru and Art's mother could only nod. Art was silent.
After they left, his mother cried and Guru sat in silence.
He asked Art to focus on finishing school and continue helping at the shop to pay off the debt.
The next morning, Art woke up early, cleaned the house, studied, bathed, prayed, and went to school.
That day, the first subject was math, taught by Mr. Roben—a notoriously strict teacher.
If students forgot to do their homework, they'd be scolded and punished by standing in front of the class until the lesson ended.
If they couldn't answer questions, they'd be punished too.
Art was sitting near his close friend Tomy. Beside them were Edo, Avicii, and Julia.
Suddenly, Edo realized he forgot to do his homework and quickly asked Art for help.
"Art, please help me! I'll get punished by Mr. Roben if I don't have my homework!" begged Edo.
"Hmm, that's what you get for being lazy!" Art replied dryly.
"Hehehe, okay, okay—I'll treat you to something later," Edo promised.
"Hmm, alright then," said Art.
Art quickly did Edo's homework, and when they finished, everyone submitted theirs.
Mr. Roben then pointed a question at Art. The strict teacher gave him a sharp look and asked,
"So Art, how about this problem on the board? Can you solve it?"
"Yes, sir! I can solve it!" Art replied confidently.
Mr. Roben looked at him skeptically.
"Alright, come to the front and solve the equations. Give us your answer."
Art went up and solved the problem very well. He had mastered formula after formula because he was always diligent in studying, reading, and practicing problems.
Mr. Roben was impressed and praised Art. The question had been extremely difficult—yet Art solved it, showing his brilliance.
Mr. Roben then turned his gaze to Jack, who had been daydreaming—
this was the moment all students dreaded.
"Now I want to ask Jack: what is the formula for Albert Einstein's theory of relativity?" asked Mr. Roben.
Jack was startled. His mind went blank.
He wanted to ask Art for help, but Mr. Roben kept watching him closely, waiting for an answer.
Mr. Roben grew irritated.
"Come on, Jack, answer my question—time is running out!"
Art tossed him a small paper containing the answer.
"Pshtt—here, Jack, quick!" whispered Art.
While Mr. Roben was watching Gilbert, who was also daydreaming,
Jack read the formula and answered,
"The formula is R = MC/m²!"
His breathing, which had been normal, turned erratic. But now he could breathe a sigh of relief—he had survived the deadly surprise question from Mr. Roben.