"......"

Gio stood in the studio.

"......"

What he was looking at was the numerous drawers lining the walls, surrounding the entire space.

What he was thinking about were the paint materials quietly resting inside those drawers.

"......"

Then, Gio moved.

"Let’s use what we used last time."

He took out the materials he had used when creating the waterfowl in the past.

It wasn’t just that. He also brought out gems resembling aquamarine and emerald, as well as pebbles that were as white and transparent as marble found by streams.

There were also pieces of obsidian branches that had been hidden among burnt trees in the forest. Light green tree bark, seemingly full of life, as though it could ooze juice if pressed...

When he felt he had enough, Gio stopped pulling out materials from the drawers.

"If there’s any left, I’ll put it back later. If it's not enough, I’ll bring more later..."

Clink, clank.

He placed the materials on the workbench.

"...Today's project."

Making my own paint.

"Nice."

The basic materials for making oil paints were pigments to give color, oils to mix them, and a glass plate and pestle to blend them into fine paint. If you wanted to mix them well, a proper-sized palette knife was needed.

Among these, what Gio was trying to make now was the pigment that would provide color.

"Let’s break this first."

The materials he had just taken out couldn’t make proper paint in their current state. They all had to be powdered, and for that, they needed to be broken down.

Gio prepared a sharp nail and a hammer. He gazed intently at the transparent gems, and then placed the nail at a specific point and tapped it gently.

"......"

Even though the force wasn’t strong, the gem, having been hit exactly at its crack, split in two.

Gio thought to himself.

"Indeed, I’m a clever potato, a wonderful potato."

This rural idol knows the exact point to split minerals with just a glance.

"I should’ve been a miner."

Gio continued his work.

Clink.

"......"

Tap, crack.

Crack...!

"......"

Snap.

"...Alright."

After confirming the weakest point and applying the shock, the gem was easily split into pieces smaller than his pinky nail.

"That’s enough."

Gio smashed the broken gems with the hammer, then swept the even smaller shards into a ceramic pestle and ground them with force.

At some point, the sound that had been jarring became smooth, like the rolling of glass marbles, and the gems turned into powder.

"...I wonder what the principle behind this is..."

A pigment with a subtle mix of blue and light green was complete.

"This is troublesome. Everything that makes me who I am is so special, there’s no way I’ll be caught by the research lab."

The materials in this studio were all unique.

Normally, when gems were ground, only stone dust would come out. Most gems are transparent and have beautiful colors because of their molecular structure, but when ground, their transparency would be lost.

But these gems were different.

"Even after grinding, the color and transparency remain intact."

Even with the amateur processing by someone like Gio, the original colors were perfectly preserved. He was truly benefiting from using excellent materials. The finely ground gems, when gathered together, shimmered with their distinctive clear transparency.

After quietly turning all the materials into pigment, Gio slowly mixed it with the oil he had prepared.

"......"

Even though it had been ground into dust, when mixed with the oil, the pigment didn’t float or separate. Normally, an oil suited for the pigment’s properties would be necessary, but the wax available in his studio showed excellent viscosity and blending power.

"...Adding fragrance..."

Not just coloring, but Gio also added a suitable fragrance. Oil scented with flowers or fruits blended wonderfully with the pigment.

"Grinding it, adding it..."

He placed the pigment and fragrant oil on the glass plate and ground them finely.

"......"

So that it would feel like silk brushing against his hands.

Very finely.

The waterfowl Gio created were more playful than expected.

"Hey, kids."

Clink.

"Father's neck feels chilly."

They were squirming inside Gio’s shirt collar, making nests.

Inside the shirt collar, where a slight gap in the sleeves was, or anywhere there was space in his pants or jacket, the waterfowl would squeeze themselves in.

‘Aren’t they uncomfortable?’

Comparing them to small water balloons, their shape was so squashed inside his clothes that they couldn’t exactly be called balloons or birds.

At least they remained in a round shape, but crumpled up, and Gio briefly glanced up at the ceiling.

"......"

It was funny, so he let it go.

"...Maybe it’s because I’m their parent, but they seem to like being stuffed somewhere. Or do they like hiding?"

Waterfowl had a tendency to travel in groups. If not, they preferred to ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ be gathered somewhere.

Sometimes, when he went outside the hut, he'd be surprised by puddles, even though there hadn’t been any rain.

‘It’s definitely different from an ordinary puddle, so it’s easy to notice.’

The puddles they gathered in had a faint bluish tint and were strangely transparent, with various debris floating inside.

It was ironic because, when thinking about their usual round bird form, there was no sense of viscosity at all.

"On the surface, it just looks like water."

Swish.

"If you keep being noisy, I might stick a straw in and suck you up."

Rustle, rustle.

"Just kidding, I won’t drink you. That was a scary thing to say, even for me."

Living water, how could one drink that?

"Swallowing something alive, drinking paint, or even eating my own offspring... that’s just hard to process."

Clink?

"If you’re really thirsty, the thought of you offering yourselves as a sacrifice is touching, but I’m more afraid. I think it’s better to refrain."

Surrounded by hundreds of these children, having meaningless conversations, Gio sat in his studio.

"I need to make a home for you."

At first, he hadn’t given it much thought, but with the living water moving around near his home, it was starting to be a bit too much to ignore.

If they just quietly gathered, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but they occasionally came into the house, causing accidents or stealing things. Gio would have let it slide, calling it cute, but sometimes they hid in the creek…

"As I’ve been saying, I’m not really going to drink you. I misspoke, kids."

Swish.

"No, I don’t want to be misunderstood for having such strange tastes. I just wanted some water."

He nearly drank the waterfowl.

"You have no idea how surprised I was when you popped out of my mouth. Yeah, you— the one with nothing in your stomach right now."

The only way to distinguish the waterfowl was the faint glow and the debris inside them, but once they merged completely with the creek water, it became hard to tell them apart.

When he felt the water wriggling inside his mouth, his heart skipped a beat. The little ones didn’t seem to care, in fact, they seemed to enjoy it, but Gio had no such ruthless tastes.

"You need a home too."

Clink, clank?

"You need your own habitat."

Are we short on money, time, or land? There’s no reason for anyone to live as a squatter in this vast and prosperous world.

"And..."

There was also personal interest.

"I’m planning to decorate a bit around here."

Tap tap, snap!

"It’s too monotonous right now."

A hut, a vast forest, and a beautiful spring. That alone wasn’t enough.

"I’m going to make a fishing spot."

The popularity of open-world RPGs isn’t for no reason. After all, a wide map is only good for so much—what you need is a wealth of enjoyable elements.

"It’s not really a game, but it does need some growth. In the end, it’s the same idea."

Gio’s outdoor activities right now were limited to gathering and farming. He needed to expand the content he could do to avoid getting bored without leaving the painting.

"Right now, the outside feels oddly detached."

Bzzzt.

"Maybe it’s because it’s not the world I remember..."

Bzzzt.

"I don’t want to live there."

Gio liked the current painting world.

"Being idle is nice."

In fact, this was the best part.

"...Now, come out."

Clink! Clack!

"I don’t mind watching you paint, but if you stay in my clothes, it’s distracting. My shirt’s about to tear, poor thing."

Clink....

"Do you think I’m doing this for my own pleasure, kids? Remember, I’m doing this to make you a home."

Luckily, the waterfowl obediently came out from Gio’s clothes.

"......"

Thanks to them listening when spoken to, Gio was finally able to take up the brush again.

He spoke.

"If we’re going to fish..."

A large lake would be nice.

"Let’s make it a lake."

A lake where the trees and water meet.

There will be fish living beneath it. Small minnows flowing in from the creek, and flat fish hiding in the sand at the bottom.

"Sounds good."

Let’s make a bridge for fishing too.

A wooden bridge connecting the middle of the large lake. The color may be a little pale. I want a light, soft color, like freshly baked bread. If you peek through the gaps between the wooden planks, the lake water will sparkle in the sunlight.

What about the evening view?

"......"

Every time the wind shakes it, the surface will glow with a soft light, like a lantern.

When night falls and it gets dark, I want to be able to see inside it clearly. I want to see all the way into the deep lake.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Like when I was a child, hiding under a thick blanket in a dark room, gazing at a glow-in-the-dark bracelet, it would be bright but subtle.

"...It would be nice if the color changes depending on your mood."

Rustle.

"When it’s a good day, it’ll be golden. When it’s not so good, it’ll be red. On sad or gloomy days, blue... and on peaceful, normal days, green."

Swish, swish.

"You can’t cry since you don’t have vocal cords."

If you can’t hear, let’s make it so you can see.

"That way, I can talk to you too."

Gio, though the creator of the waterfowl, couldn’t control them as he pleased.

So, he didn’t know what they were thinking, and they were so silent and blurry that unless he listened carefully, he wouldn’t know where they were.

‘I was almost about to drink them. There better not be another disaster like that.’

If they weren’t so playful and chatty, Gio surely wouldn’t have been able to find them.

"......"

That seemed a bit sad.

"I’ll visit you at night. We can talk then."

Swish.

"If you shine in the dark evening, I’ll be able to see you even from the hut. Yes, that works. I’ll be watching from the veranda, so you can tell me whatever you want then."

Swish, swish.

"Yes."

Gio moved his brush again.

"Let’s do that."

The lake he painted held the night.

"...I like it."

The lake wasn’t just one color.

Waterfowl liked to stay in groups, but the treasures they inserted into their bodies were different for each. They had different personalities. The way they spoke, thought, and acted were all bound to be different.

‘So, the whining and bragging they do every night must be different too.’

With that, he carefully added the glowing clusters of them with his brush.

"It’s like pointillism."

If you look closely, you’ll know who’s struggling, who’s in pain, who’s joyful, and who’s happy.

From afar, you’ll know what all of them want to tell me and when I should visit and console them.

"Nice."

It looked like a flower garden blooming on the surface of the water. Perhaps because he had painted it with the paint he created, it felt fresh and mysterious, even though it was made of water.

"Good."

Or maybe like fireflies, or forest butterflies that resemble sunlight and moonlight, wandering around here.

Perhaps it even resembled the sparkle of transparent light reflected on a glass window.

"......"

When Gio had painted all of their emotions, the lake was bathed in golden light.

"...I think it’s nice."

The thrill of bringing something imagined into reality was indescribable.

This lake would be placed further from the hut, definitely separate from the spring. The trees along the edge of the lake would still maintain their green hue.

"During the day, it will be blue."

When you scoop the water, it’ll be as clear as the sky, and inside, it’ll have the cold blue of the sea. When sunlight hits, the sparkling surface will appear white.

And these many waterfowl will hide and move about, sometimes popping their heads out and playing when they get bored.

"At night, you’ll sparkle however you like..."

Sparkle like water made from mist.

"Spawning."

Like newborns laughing at every little breeze, you’ll shine brightly.

Imagining that made him feel truly good.

"......"

Tap.

As he tapped the canvas, the painting vanished.

Perhaps it was just a feeling, but he could smell the scent of water coming from afar. It was a subtle fragrance, one that made him want to lie down on moss and fall asleep as soon as he breathed it in.

‘The smell coming from the water, is it like the clear spring water from white trees?’

The bird on his shoulder stirred, and the bird sitting on the canvas fluttered.

Flap—!

Flap, flap!

Swish—.

Click, click!

Splash...!

The many birds hanging from the lamp flew through the open window.

Their lively wingbeats, like migratory birds returning to their homeland, felt as refreshing as the breeze from the beach...

"......"

He liked it.

The waterfowl would like it too.