Chapter 434: Chapter 434

Chapter 434:

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“This one’s tricky,” she advised. “You’ll need to tread carefully.”

“You’ll lead us, Allison,” the artisans nodded in agreement. They trusted her, after all.

Time wore on, the pressure mounting, and beads of sweat began to dot their foreheads.

The gravity of their task wasn’t lost on them. As the restoration progressed, they sought her guidance more and more.

“Allison, take a look. Do you think this method will work for the mold?”

“I almost missed these tiny holes—come see!”

“You’ll need to scrape away this entire section. It’s far too damaged to salvage.”

The room buzzed with controlled chaos, but Allison’s team moved like a well-oiled machine, each person playing their part with patience and precision. Their focus was total, their dedication unshakable. With every passing minute, Gregory’s masterpiece began to emerge from the wreckage. Little by little, its former glory was revealed, like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The strokes, once faded and cracked, now breathed with new life.

Louis stood in stunned silence, watching as the painting he had once dismissed was painstakingly brought back to life.

He pinched himself, just to make sure it wasn’t some feverish dream. How was this possible?

This—the top restoration masters from around the world, gathered in one room, all deferring to Allison.

His jaw clenched. Could he—would he—actually have to admit defeat and kneel this time?

The thought tasted bitter in his mouth, as though he’d swallowed something foul. No. Never. That was not an option.

The hours passed, and finally, they approached the final stage of the restoration. The painting stood before them, nearly whole, but not yet complete.

“You’re almost there,” Roderick said, straightening up, his gaze locking onto Allison’s. “Just one last hurdle.”

He pointed to a small section of the painting, where the detail was so fine it seemed almost otherworldly. “This is Lloyd’s signature technique—the painting within a painting. It’s… beyond what we can restore.”

Roderick frowned as he hovered a finger over a particularly damaged area.

The team gathered closer, exchanging disappointed looks.

“How did the worst damage happen in the most intricate part?” someone groaned.

In the middle of the pond, a few dragonflies hovered, their delicate forms almost ethereal. But something was missing. In the reflection of their eyes, there should have been a lotus bloom—now faded into oblivion.

Through the magnifying glass, the blank, hollow eyes of the dragonflies stared back at them. It was ruined. The painting’s most exquisite feature had been lost forever.

“Maybe… we should give up?” one of the restorers finally suggested, his voice heavy with defeat.

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