Chapter 34 - Man-made Value
Joshua found a very familiar object in the atelier. It was the same thing that Joshua had used to earn a living back on Earth—a graphics tablet.
It was with the advent of the graphics tablet that the Internet back on Earth officially entered the age of arts. All kinds of civilian CG masters emerged, and a large number of excellent CG artwork began to appear one after another.
Joshua slid his fingertips above the faint blue cube as it let out a faint shimmer and an unknown rune started to appear on its surface. The drawing interface was presented in the form of a runic projection.
His experience in using it made it hard for him to believe that he was in an age where carriages were the most common form of transportation. It... was the kind interface that humans would see in space travel.
Perhaps Earth had already accomplished it long ago? Joshua had previously tried an AR device in Google's HQ, and after he wore it, he was able to draw as well as paint freely in the space around him.
With a blank sheet of paper and a paintbrush, Joshua, with his "big tentacle", needed to try the new drawing method, which was generations in advance.
In just ten short minutes, Joshua had quickly outlined the image of an elf with sharp eyes and a figure that all women would aspire to have.
The elf was a character that most gamers on Earth would recognize. It was Queen Sylvanas Windrunner of the Forsaken from World of Warcraft.
Joshua had only managed to outline a rough draft, but the interface's function was rather potent. It had the most basic of coloring functions at the very least.
In the time that Joshua made Sylvanas' line draft, Ciri and Hyrlan had walked out of the small cubicle.
"I have some knowledge of arcanotech as well, so I could not help but try out your work, I... didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"
Joshua stopped his drawing and looked at Hyrlan as well as Ciri.
Hyrlan was the owner of the atelier, and the interface was probably something Hyrlan had made.
"Oh, I don't mind it... Joshua. It is there for visitors to try out."
Hyrlan glanced at the drawing projected above the cube, and Joshua's line draft very quicky attracted Hyrlan's attention.
Many human painters had created paintings of elves as the main theme. After all, the elven race was synonymous with beauty in terms of human aesthetics, yet Hyrlan felt that this one looked a little different from the elves living in the forest.
"Visitors? It's a display object?"
Joshua looked at the other places within the atelier, and he did not see any other person aside from Hyrlan and Ciri. Besides, compared with the other ateliers Joshua had passed by earlier, this place looked a little deserted.
"So, Ms. Lloyd, are you planning to take part in the World Exhibition with this arcane device?"
Joshua's question seemed to stabbed into Hyrlan's sore spot, and her expression turned downcast.
"It would be nice if I could participate in the exhibition. All of the arcane devices on display in the exhibition will all be made from the hands of renowned masters... Although I really hope my work can be showcased there, regrettably, I should be thinking about how to use this device to get some money."
Hyrlan's tone was extremely self-deprecating. Compared with money, she was more eager for fame, but reality forced Hyrlan to face the importance of cold hard currency.
She used to be one of the talented students in one of Norland's finest magic academies, and the study allowance provided every year was enough for Hyrlan to live very comfortably. But of late, in order to get her mother's work showcased in the World Exhibition, she went all in to complete her arcane device.
In the end, Hyrlan's gamble did not pay off. Not only did she lose her fundings, but even her eligibility for subsidies was now in jeopardy. All of her savings had been invested in the production of the device.
"Ah, so it's like that."
Joshua could understand the reason why Hyrlan's futuristic invention would be ignored. Her invention was simply too "futuristic".
Back on Earth, the same situation would be like how people were amazed by the appearance of the small steam engine as they declared the coming of the industrial revolution, while someone suddenly came up with a graphics tablet on an LCD screen. It would be so outlandish for the people of that age that it would not be accepted by the masses.
There were no famous legacy paintings that were stored as "data". Only canvas-based paintings were eligible to be considered as a legacy.
"Then... Ms. Lloyd, I would like to invest in your research. Perhaps invest is a little inappropriate, maybe a cooperative venture... or an enterprise."
Joshua, however, was not a person living in the age of the Industrial Revolution. He was a person from the Age of Information in the 21st century. He clearly knew the value of Hyrlan's device, and it would play a big role in bringing this world into the Age of the Internet. More importantly... Joshua could use it to draw video game CG art.
"Enterprise?"
Hyrlan somewhat understood the first two words Joshua said, but Hyrlan had never heard of the word "enterprise", so she turned to Ciri with a confused look.
Ciri only shrugged, motioning that she was used to it.
"It is to work with you to promote the artwork created by your device to the world."
"Artwork? Joshua, the artwork drawn with this device is only saved within the mana stream of the runic unit. The art itself is an entity that cannot be touched, and if the device were to get damaged, all of the artwork will disappear."
Even though Hyrland knew how to store the "mana streams" within the runic unit inside an originium crystal, but the ethereal nature of the painting meant that they did not have any value. No matter how artistic it was, it could never be displayed in an art gallery.
"Value? Everything in this world has no value in the beginning. Their value is created by men."
Joshua obviously did not expect this world that did not know anything about the Internet to know that CG art could sell for tens of thousands. Nonetheless, even in the 21st century, painstakingly drawn CG could also be worth nothing because data... could be copied.
"Created value?"
Hyrlan's puzzled expression made Ciri inexplicably happy as it was the same when Ciri communicated with Joshua.
"Allow me to demonstrate."
Joshua walked to the Sylvanas line draft he had drawn earlier and added a few more signs on the drawing. Following that, he added the number "6" on the top left corner and the number "5" was written on the bottom left and right.
Joshua adjusted the details of the outline slightly and included some words in the middle of the frame. "Deathrattle: Take control of a random enemy minion."
Soon after, one of the strongest neutral orange Deathrattle cards from a card game called Hearthstone back on Earth—Sylvanas Windrunner—appeared before Joshua!
In the past, Joshua had handed over more than six hundred RMB to Blizzard[1] before he managed to draw that legendary card!
A normal draft or CG art may not be worth anything, but after turning the art into one of the rarest cards in a card game, countless people would not hesitate to go ham in order to get her.
And this was what Joshua meant by man-made value!