Maxwell had suddenly appeared in the silver light of the Cave of Sleep beside the sublimation ritual. He glanced at Hermes and asked quietly, “It started, right?”
Hermes nodded. The wings of light on his back floated soundlessly. They illuminated Maxwell’s eyes, making him laugh. “I haven’t seen you like this in a long time, Lord Merlin.”
Hermes glanced at him. “Call me Hermes. You all gave me the title Merlin but I’ve never accepted it.”
“You’ve lost a bit of your humanity after revealing your true nature. I still like your slovenly style. At least then it feels like we’re the same.”
“Don’t come here trying to feel likeness, Maxwell. No one’s the same kind as you,” Hermes said disdainfully. “No one.”
Maxwell chuckled. “That’s why we’re the same, right?”
“Ha.” Hermes chuckled too.
Maxwell did not find it offensive. He just squatted and studied the steaming mercury. Understanding filled his eyes. “You chose the classicist sublimation ritual. The danger level increased a lot.”
“This is the true nature of the ritual. Only this way will its power be the strongest.” Hermes snickered. “The thing that you all like and find important—increasing the musician’s sensing of aether—is only its side effect. You’ve been changing it over and over all these years and have forgotten how it originally was.”
“As expected of the fallen serpent, the most ancient alchemist,” Maxwell said. “I’d like to hear the details.”
“The original purpose of the sublimation ritual was to increase human sensing of aether and give humans the right to manipulate aether. Humans refer to this as ‘Deva sensing.’ It’s the sensing between humans and the heavens. You can see the heavens and it can see you. But you’ve mistaken something before this all,” Hermes stated. “The purpose of the sublimation ritual is not Deva sensing, but the preparation for it.”
“What preparation?”
“The Originator never needs preparation, but you do,” Hermes said. “You must understand your true nature and true self. If you don’t even know where you are and what you are, how can you sense the Originator? So that’s why you all are like this—like walking blindly at night, using the fleeting luck and experience to grope in the darkness, or practicing and trying endlessly, day after night. It can work but it has gone astray. The true path will never be so difficult and annoying.”
“The true path?” Maxwell pondered for a long while before chuckling wryly. “Perhaps, to humans, finding their true selves is the hardest thing. After all, they’re the best at overestimating their abilities.”
“That’s why it’s the ‘sublimation ritual,’ is it not?” Hermes studied the youth and looked at his painful expression. “The burning incense, pulverized gemstones, flowing mercury…the aether will enter his body, letting him see himself and his true spirit.”
–
It seemed as if everything had thinned in an instant and quickly became distant. Ye Qingxuan had forgotten what date it was, where he was, and what situation he was in. He just looked down in shock and stared at the test.
Only the test and his pencil remained in this world.
“You can begin now.” It felt as if something put that pencil into his hand and curled his fingers, one by one, until he gripped it tightly. “You only have one chance. Don’t waste it.”
But for some reason, he felt scared. The first problem on the test entered his eyes.
Problem:
“Xiao Ming had a happy family with a dad and mom who loved him. Xiao Ming’s dad committed a crime and went missing when Xiao Ming was very young. Because of him, Xiao Ming and his mom were exiled. One winter, Xiao Ming’s mom died and Xiao Ming was alone.
Please describe Xiao Ming’s feelings.”
“Xiao Ming?” Ye Qingxuan muttered.
Xiao Ming, why the f*ck was it Xiao Ming again? It’s been Xiao Ming since childhood!
Xiao Ming at the grocery store, Xiao Ming riding a bus, Xiao Ming going out with friends…and then something happened. One had to figure out how much half a pound of cabbage cost, how much longer it would take before the next stop, how four people could slice a cake with three knives…He knew that this was Xiao Ming’s story, so he could relax. It was just Xiao Ming’s story.
Something had happened to him, so you must help him, just as you would help yourself. He was just unlucky. Bad things would happen to him no matter what he did, but he did not know how to do anything. If no one helped him, he would not even be able to buy fruit. If you did not help him, he would not be able to live. But how could Ye Qingxuan know how Xiao Ming would feel in this situation?
“Xiao Ming” Ye Qingxuan wrote down these two words and then stopped. After hesitating for a long time, he wrote in the space, “Xiao Ming is very sad.”
The next question: “What should Xiao Ming do?”
Ye Qingxuan hesitated some more and wrote, “Xiao Ming doesn’t know either.”
The third problem: “Xiao Ming is riding a carriage and sees a child playing on the street. The child is about to be run over. Xiao Ming can choose to change the direction and kill an innocent old couple. What should Xiao Ming do?”
Ye Qingxuan thought a little and answered, “Run over the kid.”
“Why?”
Without hesitating, Ye Qingxuan wrote down, “Because Xiao Ming hates kids.”
The fourth problem: “There are two boats. The left one has fifty people on it; the right one has one-hundred. If one boat is going to explode and sink, which one should Xiao Ming choose?”
Left side.
“If the boat on the left has fifty people, but his mom is the only one on the right boat, which one should Xiao Ming choose?”
Without thinking, Ye Qingxuan wrote, “Left side.”
“If the left boat has ten-thousand people…”
Again, without thinking: “Left side.”
“If it has one-hundred thousand people…”
Still left.
“If it has one-million people…”
“Enough! How can a boat fit one-million people? And even if it’s one-billion, one-bajillion, or one-gazillion, it would still be the left side! As long as he can live, Xiao Ming will bomb the left side without hesitation, even if everyone on the world is on it!”
The test paper was silent.
After a long time, a new line of text appeared: “if a man from the mafia with many connections told Xiao Ming that he could resurrect his mom if Xiao Ming became his follower, what would Xiao Ming do?”
Ye Qingxuan emotionlessly answered, “Xiao Ming will tell him to go eat sh*t.”
“If Xiao Ming’s father has already joined the mafia, Xiao Ming will…”
“Xiao Ming will tell him to go eat sh*t.”
“If Xiao Ming’s father is actually a spy…”
“Xiao Ming will still tell him to go eat sh*t.”
If there was a new virus…if a meteorite fell from the sky…if there was a giant ball of light…if there was an old grandpa in the jade pendant…How the f*ck were there so many ‘if’s’?!
Why did they not ask how great life would be if none of this happened? How happy life would be if she did not pass away, if the father did not abandon them? Even if they had nothing, even if they were forced to wander the world, it would be better than being abandoned by the whole world.
Finally, Ye Qingxuan flipped through the entire exam. There was only one problem left, which made him sink into a long silence.
“Do you think Xiao Ming’s dad abandoned him and his mom on purpose, or was there an unspeakable hardship?”
On purpose or unspeakable hardship? Xiao Ming did not know; Ye Qingxuan did not know either.
His pencil paused. Time crept by, the clock on the wall ticked by, and everyone handed in their test, leaving Ye Qingxuan alone in the testing room. In the last few seconds, he wrote down his answer and handed it to the teacher.
Xiao Ming’s story ended now.
The light was snuffed and the classroom fell into darkness and silence. He sat in his seat, leaning against the desk behind him and closed his eyes in the darkness. He let out a long sigh, as if wanting to exhale all the pain and annoyance in his guts.
A sudden exhaustion overtook him. He lowered his head and fell asleep.
The night was long.
–
A lantern lit up slowly in the deepest of the darkness. The examiner made a cup of hot tea, looked at the only test he needed to grade, and sat down onto his chair. The middle aged teacher pushed open the window, letting the moonlight outside illuminate his body and white hair.
Behind him, someone knocked on the door.
“Excuse me, is Mr. Ye here?” someone asked quietly. Before he could reply, the door was pushed open. The lantern’s light illuminated the newcomer’s robe, gold hair, and seemingly youthful face. He studied the mid-aged man with troubled eyes. After a long time, he sighed. “It’s so hard to see you, Ye Lanzhou.”
The man sitting before the window shook his head slightly. “Mr. Hermes, you’ve found the wrong man. I’m not Ye Lanzhou.”
“Moon in the Mirror,” Hermes uttered the true name aloud without any emotion. “I know that you’ve hidden a portion of your own memory in Ye Qingxuan’s mind, and the you right now is just a humanized reflection of those memories. Even though you’re not Ye Lanzhou, it’s okay.”
Ye Lanzhou shrugged, as if acknowledging his words.
The moon in the mirror, the flower in the water, an illusion in the fire, a hallucination. Ye Lanzhou did not exist here, right now; he was just a mechanic reflection in response to previously arranged commands.
“You really thought far ahead.” Hermes pulled a chair over without caring about manners and glared at him. “First the seed for Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, then all the markers on the road…you really put in a lot of effort so your son can inherit your legacy.”
“Yezi isn’t me. He has his own ideas and choices.” Ye Lanzhou shook his head. “I’ve never thought to let him inherit the possessions and curse of the Ye family. He would create his own path, so I never taught him any of the power and music scores passed down through the generations.”
“But what about you?” Hermes asked back. “Did you think that you could escape the consequences of what you did? You don’t need me to repeat what you’ve down before, right?”
Ye Lanzhou replied lightly, “It doesn’t matter if it’s paying for what I’ve done or letting fate decide. Whether I’m alive or dead, or whatever state I’m in, it’s all my own choice. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”
“I didn’t go through all that to come here and talk about fate with you. I have a question to ask you, Ye Lanzhou. One question.” Hermes stuck up a finger and looked at him coldly. His voice was like the explosive sound the iron in a hammer made when transforming into gold. “What exactly did you bring back from Avalon’s Shadow?”
Ye Lanzhou did not reply; he just shook his head. “Hermes, that has nothing to do with you.”
“Of course it does!” Hermes rose and walked three steps forward. Within three steps, he transformed from a frail noble to a god with wings and immense majesty. Everything in the world was willing to resonate with his voice and this dreamscape trembled endlessly.
“Ye Lanzhou, tell me, did you take…the holy operation carved into the Sword in the Stone?”
Ye Lanzhou smiled. He stared at those majestic eyes and said quietly, “You should leave.”
“Wait…” Hermes’s expression changed dramatically, but Ye Lanzhou waved and his figure dissipated. Hermes had been forced away. In the silence, the room resumed its stillness.
Ye Lanzhou picked up a pair of glasses and uncapped a red pen, starting to grade the test paper. When he saw the last problem, he could not help but smile bitterly.
“Do you think Xiao Ming’s dad abandoned him and his mom on purpose, or was there an unspeakable hardship?”
At the bottom, the youth had used resolute handwriting for his answer, “No matter what the reason, the result can never be changed.”
Indeed, even if there was a hardship, what could it change? The consequence had already happened and the woman most important to them had died because of it.
Nothing could be turned back.
After a long silence, Ye Lanzhou slowly took off his glasses. His eyes were troubled and exhausted, as if he could see the youth sleeping in the darkness.
“Yezi, it’s been so many years and you look so realistic, but you’re still just living in your dream,” he murmured. “Perhaps this is fate and the future you chose. The Ye family has inherited the Deva’s blood for millenniums and has always suffered the curse and prophecy. It will be tested in your hands.”
Ye Lanzhou picked up his pen and wrote his comments at the bottom of the test. It was the ancient name created from passing between reality and dreams, brewed from the thoughts and dreams of many—Dreamweaver.
“Hey, kid, wake up!” In his sleep, Ye Qingxuan felt someone slapping his face. Drowsily, he opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Hermes’s vague features.
“How much is this?” Hermes raised some fingers.
“Three.”
Hermes seemed to nod and asked, “What is forty-four times six plus fifty-two divided by two?” Ye Qingxuan was a bit dazed. “Seems like your logical thinking hasn’t recovered. What about your sense of time?” Hermes asked again, “What time is it?”
Ye Qingxuan looked past his shoulder and up at the sky. “From the sun, I think it’s afternoon?”
“Hey, this is Jianlan Underground Palace! How is there a sun?” Hermes lit a string of incense and swept it past the youth’s nose. “The ritual was successful but your mind hasn’t recovered yet. Go to sleep.”
“No, I clearly saw…” An extreme urge of sleep attacked Ye Qingxuan. His vision went black and he fell asleep once again.
In his dream, he saw a blazing sun in the sky. There was also a moon hiding below the horizon, radiating pale white and blue light. The moon seemed to be murmuring to him but it was too far away, and Ye Qingxuan could not hear clearly.
He saw the sun fall closer and closer to the horizon as the moonlight rose inch by inch. In the end, the sun and moon shone for a short period at the two ends of the sky. Their radiance fell upon the youth like the pupils of gods.
Ye Qingxuan finally clearly heard the phrase they repeated endlessly in his ear. It was a murmur from ancient times, the truth carved into stone.
Ye Qingxuan woke from the dream at that moment.
He did not know when he had been lifted out of the Cave of Sleep and into the resting room of the library. The room was empty and completely still. He thought back carefully, but felt that only a few ridiculous scenes remained in his mind.
He could not remember anything else.
Just as he was sifting through his memories, he touched the heavy stone in his hands. The stone was icy cold with a metallic feeling. The wedge-shaped words jolted his memory of the blazing sun and moonlight murmuring in his ear from his dream.
They said, “As if you are above, as if you are below, as if all is beginning.”
The youth caressed the runes on the surface and finally understood what the wedge-shaped text was. They were not simple words; they were music theory precise to the extreme. They were the result of research and evolution using the School of Modifications as the starting point and the Creator as the proposition.
It used the process of alchemy as an analogy for music theory and created a new categorization for all organisms’ physical substance. In addition, it suggested an incomplete but reliable tree diagram, allowing one to trace all organisms to their source and beginning of all…if the diagram was complete, of course.
If alchemists could understand this, they would definitely be overjoyed and use all their fortune in exchange for it, but to Ye Qingxuan, it was useless. However, though Ye Qingxuan did not dabble in the School of Modifications, he felt as if a new world had opened up and the music theory in his mind had changed with this knowledge.
When he looked, he could practically sense the source of all. He was clearly sitting inside the room, but he seemed to be able to feel the radiance of the gradually setting sun. Was this a hallucination?
“Don’t space out,” an ancient voice suddenly said. “Being slow is a musician’s mortal enemy.”
Instantly, a wind with a bloody scent blew past. Ye Qingxuan started rolling on the ground without thinking. Then there was a giant explosion and a large hole appeared on the ground.
Right where he had been standing, a strange metallic creature with long and thin limbs appeared. It seemed to be ripped apart by someone’s bare hands; its body was skinned and replaced with a layer of rusting bronze. A bone face mask seemed to grow out of its flesh. There were three eyes on the mask—two on the left and one on the right. There were small dots on the rheumy yellow pupils, like the compound eyes of an insect.
“A stray?” Ye Qingxuan felt a chill go down his spine. Why was there a low-level Satanic demon here?
But there was no time for him to think. With a scream, the stray pounced at him. The limbs with a metallic luster cut through the air and yelled terrifyingly. Ye Qingxuan stumbled back and felt its sharp nails sweep past his eyes. His previously unfeeling eyes suddenly felt something cold brush past.
With no time for hesitation, Ye Qingxuan quickly tightened his fingers as if he was squeezing something. The Jiu Xiao Huan Pei on his forefinger flashed dimly. Amidst the sound of crystal multiplying, the instrument strings sprouted out of thin air. Then, out of Ye Qingxuan’s expectations, it changed abruptly and transformed into the unstable apparition of an instrument in midair.
After swallowing all that spirit, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei’s own spirit had recovered a bit. It could now change its appearance to suit the music score’s requirements.
Yes, very good!
Excitement flashed past Ye Qingxuan’s mind and he began playing an intense melody. A sharp sound instantly shot out. It was a tight swirl and the melody reached its climax in a few short moments.
Then Jiu Xiao Huan Pei vibrated, letting out the majestic roar of a horn. The melody called to the aether and formed an invisible rope. It wrapped around the stray like layers of shackles, immobilizing it.
During the roar, the stray’s body shook. Its limbs doubled and clawed at Ye Qingxuan’s face. He stared at the sharp incoming hand without moving.
Because a silver chain had already extended out of thin air, wrapped around the beast’s limbs and tightened! With a crack, the bone shattered. The stray wailed and was immobilized within the chain.
The horn sounded once again. The melody was light the sun, breaking through the darkness and announcing the coming of morning. Within that melody, the cold noise of grating melody sounded.
Iron sand appeared out of nowhere. They crashed against each other, turning red-hot with friction, melting into each other and transforming into numerous sharp nails. The long black nails still had a shade of hot red and they pierced downward, following the horn’s guide.
Instantly, they buried into the stray’s body and ripped it apart. They pierced through easily and nailed it onto the wall. The burning runes and oaths of defeating demons shone blindingly on the long nails.
The shine was like fire, burning the stray from the inside out. Furious flames spilled out from the eyes, nose, and mouth of its strange mask. Within a few seconds, its insides had turned to ashes from the explosive fire. The demon vanished instantly like a hallucination. Only deathly white ash floated down from the air.
“Long time no see, Night on Bald Mountain,” the ancient voice sighed. “Back when the court of the Church had not been replaced yet, you’d be able to see the stakes set on fire whenever the melody sounded. The sky would turn red from the burning flames.”
Dominic had appeared behind the youth at some point. Seeing the youth’s shocked expression, he seemed to understand something and chuckled strangely.
“Did you see it too? Good, you’ve improved. It seems that you’ve improved on observation skills during Deva sensing. Good, you’re not far from the official Musician level…” He turned as he spoke and went off silently with his cane. Ye Qingxuan was still rooted to his spot.
What was that?
The moment he turned around, he saw the stooped and old Dominic, as well as the illusionary mountain of bones. It seemed to be an enormous cave formed by the withered bones of countless demons. Dark fog hung inside the cave like a calling from Hell.
The apparition quickly disappeared as Dominic left. All that remained was a plume of black smoke and footprints like rising flames. The footprints reached into the darkness and vanished with Dominic.
This was a terrifying sight that Ye Qingxuan had never seen before—he was frozen.
“Did you do this?” He looked down and touched the stone at his fingertip carved with wedge-shaped words. Totally confused, he finally said self-mockingly, “Whatever, why am I all hung up on this?”
Were there not other things waiting for him to do?
–
“Wooh, cheers, cheers!” Charles cheered in the tavern. He chomped on a large sausage kebab and danced happily.
He could only reveal his true fighting spirit when eating buffets as he stuffed his mouth crazily. In a mere half hour, he had already eaten a few days’ worth of food for a strong man. But according to him, it was a rare opportunity to eat meat, so he should eat a month’s worth before thinking about anything else.
Bai Xi, who had come with him, sat on the side with a neutral face and pretended she did not know Charles. Ye Qingxuan did not have much shame, but he still felt pressured by the manager’s angry eyes when he sat next to Charles.
This time, even the Professor, who did not leave often, came out to eat and celebrate Ye Qingxuan’s sublimation ritual. This restaurant was right across from the academy and was not too far.
Maybe he was happy because of the ritual’s success and picked up a cup of beer after eating a little, watching his students stuff their faces with a smile. During the small break after finishing, and before the server brought over a new platter of meat, Charles’ mouth finally had time to rest. He wiped his hands and asked the question he was most concerned about, “Yezi, stop being mysterious. I’ve been waiting for the whole day. What results did you get from the sublimation ritual?”
Ye Qingxuan grinned. He looked to the sides and snatched a deck of poker cards left over from the customers on the table beside them. After washing the cards, he looked up at Charles.
“Which one do you want?”
“Which one do you want?”
“Really? Why don’t you give me the little joker?”
Before Charles finished his words, Ye Qingxuan had directly drawn one card from the deck and thrown it at Charles without even looking. The card turned over in the air, and it was indeed the little joker.
After staring at the card for a long time, he looked up and said, “Give me the big joker!”
The youth popped another card out from the deck and flipped it on the table. It was exactly the big joker that Charles asked for. The two jokers together looked particularly bizarre.
Bai Xi raised her hand. “I want a king.”
“Well, I’ll give you all four.” Ye Qingxuan quickly popped up four cards. The kings from four different suites flipped in the air, reversed, and finally landed on the table in a row before Bai Xi. Ye Qingxuan’s fingers did not stop. He kept popping up a few cards, dazzling their eyes. “Let me give you a flush.”
In his hands, that pack of cards was like a living thing which continued to fly out and stack on the table in different suits, finally becoming four neat stacks. In the end, there was only the queen of spades in his hand. As his fingertips reversed, the card revealed its figure hidden in the mist.
That hideous and dignified figure stood with a cane, politely standing in the dark as if he was looking at you through the card—It was the vengeful spirit, Sherlock Holmes.
“Well, I like this one.” Ye Qingxuan looked at the card, laughed involuntarily, and stuffed it into his pocket.
“Yezi, let’s discuss something!” Charles was simply too happy to function. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to a good place…”
“Ha, I won’t go to the casino.” Ye Qingxuan curled his lip. “Senior, don’t expect to make a fortune through this. This is only a small trick brought on by the sublimation ritual. You can use it for fun, but if you really meet a casino expert, you’ll still lose. You’ll lose no matter how much money you bring.”
“Oh, fine.” Charles became dispirited immediately. “Then at least tell me how you did it.”
“It’s very easy. You just shuffle, like this…” As he spoke, the young man rearranged the cards randomly and shuffled it with his ten fingers. After a few actions, the deck was placed on the table and spread again. Within just two seconds, the disarranged deck had been sorted out, arranged orderly according to its suits and numbers. It was practically like a new deck.
It was so simple and casual, so easy. If Charles and Bai Xi did not know that Ye Qingxuan had never played a card before, they would think that Ye Qingxuan was possessed by an old gambler, a dead cheater, or a dealer.
“Everything has its source.” Facing their startled eyes, Ye Qingxuan shrugged and smiled. “No matter how chaotic a deck is, it was in order at the beginning, just like now. All I have to do is reorganize the order so that they can recover their original position.”
“Oh?” Abraham, who had been on the sidelines, suddenly chuckled. “It’s an interesting idea, Yezi.” Then he picked up the poker on the table and waved it at the youth. “Play a round?”
Now, not only was Ye Qingxuan stunned, but also Charles. Abraham had never played poker before; he did not even know the rules and still needed Charles to explain it for him.
Ye Qingxuan also rarely played poker, but with his own super memory and calculation ability, Ye Qingxuan still covered Bai Xi, the gambling queen, with white strips of paper.
There was some disparity as to who would win!
“Professor, since you are interested, I’ll definitely play with you. But if you can’t beat me, don’t you think it’ll be embarrassing?”
“It’s just a game, no need to be pressured.” Abraham recognized the cards under the Charles’ guidance and said with a serious face, “I’ll try not to lose too.”
–
Ten minutes later, it was a draw.
Ye Qingxuan looked blankly at the scattered cards on the table. He was dazed. Before him, Abraham still had a dull and emotionless face, but he made Ye Qingxuan feel ridiculous. Abraham did not even know the rules and still needed Charles to guide him.
Ye Qingxuan did not understand why it was a draw. He was holding a good hand that he had not been able to put down yet. He just felt that there was something wrong.
“Play again?” He asked.
Abraham nodded.
This time, he persisted for fifteen minutes, but still, it was a draw.
This time, Bai Xi, who had been standing on the same side as him, discovered that Ye Qingxuan had bad luck and was not able to do something. This hand was extremely painful to play and Ye Qingxuan was like a completely novice who did not know the rules at all. Abraham was holding an average hand, but Ye Qingxuan was still forced to welcome a draw.
“Play again?” asked Ye Qingxuan, and Abraham nodded.
Twenty minutes later, a draw; again, a draw; again, a draw…
One hour later, Ye Qingxuan was already covered in sweat, breathing heavily, and a little bit dizzy…For the first time, he felt his brain power was limited. This was even more exhausting than when he went to Revelations to play the Joker game last time. He felt restricted and had completely lost his confidence in defeating the enemy in the end. He was holding a good hand, but he did not even have the opportunity to play it.
This time, it was still a draw.
Ye Qingxuan did not win and Abraham did not lose, but the frustration of not knowing the opponent was more painful than a bloody defeat.
“I don’t want to play anymore.” Ye Qingxuan gave it up with a bitter expression. “How did you do that, sir?”
“The rules decided it, didn’t they?” Abraham’s awkwardly put away his scattered cards with his steel prosthetic arm and said, “Don’t be upset, I’m not a very smart player compared to you, and my calculations aren’t accurate either. But if winning requires the right time and place, then it’s easy to be not to lose. Just follow the rules.”
“The rules?” Ye Qingxuan smiled wryly. “What rules? Poker rules?”
“Everything runs from life to death; the sun and moon rise from east and set to the west; the ocean brings tides; a year is divided into four seasons; fruits will mature after sowing and the ripe fruit will fall to the ground…these are all rules, Yezi. Or, a term that you’ll understand better, it’s called music theory.”
Abraham’s words stunned Ye Qingxuan, like blow to the forehead by a big ax. There was enlightenment in the moment of pain.
The professor’s voice sounded in his ear, “The core of the Abstinence is to know the rules and music theory and apply your strength to it…What we are concerned with is not the object outside the body, but the music theory followed by the aether. Thus, we can remain undefeatable.” He paused, clinked his beer with Yezi’s, and let out a relieved chuckle.
“Now do you understand? This is the first step in the field of the Abstinence and the deeper core of the interpretation method.” He murmured, “Congratulations, Yezi, you have stepped into enlightenment through your own understanding, even if I have not taught you anything. You’re a genius, and moved faster than I’d ever expected.”
Immediately after the enlightenment, Ye Qingxuan finally grasped the inexplicable sentiment brought by the sublimation ritual, but when he finally thoroughly digested this understanding, he could not help but become a little frustrated. “Sir, you shouldn’t teach me Abstinence, right?”
“You thought it up yourself, didn’t you?”
Like an illusion, Abraham’s smile seemed vaguely sneaky. “After all, I haven’t taught you anything about it. What you’ve learned has nothing to do with me.”
After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan suddenly laughed. It was a rare burst of laughter. He practically slid over on the table.
Who told him that his professor was an honest man? Mr. Abraham had been honest for so many years, but the rare time he played tricks, he passed the oath of the military and musicians.
All these years, he had been regarded as a fool or a dull man, but compared to the achievement of his musical theory, the academy’s mediocre and struggling people were absolutely the idiots.
“I told you so.” Charles blocked his shoulder and clinked glasses with him. “Our professor is the best teacher in the world, the best.”
“Yes, the best.” Ye Qingxuan smiled, toasted him, and drank the beer in the cup in a gulp.
–
“Right, there’s another good news. Yezi, you were late today, so you probably still don’t know this.” After another large cup of malt beer, Charles looked at Ye Qingxuan with sleepy eyes and began retelling the story of today’s meeting animatedly.
At the school review that day, Abraham submitted his interpretation process and related documents, and vaguely faint grasped Ingmar’s Achille’s heel—the guy had interpreted the final part in his own way, but the result was in a completely wrong direction and there was a clear break in logic.
Ingmar seemed to realize this, so his arrogance was far less rampant than at the beginning.
Speaking of this, Charles whistled. “Tomorrow we’ll publish the correct interpretation and process in the school review meeting, and if Ingmar doesn’t withdraw his manuscript before the news is announced to the world, then he’ll be done.”
Ye Qingxuan did not expect the progress to be so unexpectedly fast. He could not help but feel happy too. “Cheers!”
Everyone raised the cups and looked at the professor who was a little shy.
“To Mr. Abraham, who’s about to become a famous master of the ancient studies!”
–
The office came with a fierce broken sound.
“B*stard! B*stard! B*stard!” Ingmar furiously swept everything on the desk and crushed it into pieces. “They’re all a bunch of b*stards who want to see me embarrassed!” he shouted angrily, raising his bloodshot eyes and looking at Bart. “Did you see?”
“Yes, sir.” Bart stood in the corner, responding cautiously, “Not only the School of Royalty stood on their side, but also Modifications and Summoning. I saw it with my own eyes this morning. Cullen quietly handed the information to Ye Qingxuan. If they cross-reference that information with your manuscript, the contradiction in the last part of your interpretation might…”
“No wonder.” Ingmar was so angry that he laughed. “No wonder they were so arrogant at the meeting today. They thought they had found my weakness just by those things?”
He punched the table, forming a faint dent in the solid table. A crack even appeared in his hand. Blood dripped from his fingertips dripped and flowed into the cracks in the table like a grinning face.
Ingmar squeezed his crazed voice from between his teeth, “In their dreams!”
Ye Qingxuan never thought that a meal could be finished so late. Not until the foreman implied by all means that the restaurant was going to close, with an extremely detested expression, did Ye Qingxuan finish his last beer and go. But soon, Ye Qingxuan found that there was a bigger problem in front of him: Charles was drunk.
On his first day in Avalon, Ye Qingxuan had seen what a drunken Charles was like…But he was about to discover that he had not seen the whole thing.
So, under the lonely moonlight in the middle of the night, the singing and bolting legend of Avalon reappeared again.
“La la la la!”
Watching the drunken Charles pulling at his clothes while singing a song and running on the street, Ye Qingxuan wanted to die.
“Professor…” He looked to Abraham for help, but Abraham also did not know what to do. He could only follow behind and pick up the clothes that Charles had taken off, and then give him a music note to keep warm so he would not catch a cold.
But even more troubling than a drunken Charles was a drunken Bai Xi.
Of course, a drunken Bai Xi was also troublesome. She still remembered the humiliation of Charles touching her head when she did not notice. She shouted, “Charles, don’t run, I’ll kill you…Ew!”
She vomited too.
But the problem was, she was now on Ye Qingxuan’s back! If Ye Qingxuan had not bent over immediately, he would be thrown up on.
What else could Ye Qingxuan do? With two lines of tears, he wiped Bai Xi’s mouth while looking to Abraham. “Sir, I want to die.”
“Just get used to it.” Abraham sighed and patted him on the shoulder. “Really, just get used to it.”
Hearing him say so, Ye Qingxuan, who had been under pressure for so long time, finally could not stand with anymore. Hoisting Bai Xi onto his back, Ye Qingxuan held down the running and naked Charles with great anger. He pointed at Charles’s nose and shouted, “Charles, calm down, you’re twenty-years-old now. Can’t you be more like a senior? You can drink, but can’t you admit that you’re a lightweight? Different people drink different amounts so stop pretending! And you sing after getting drunk. Do you want to dance too? If you don’t know how to dance, I’ll teach you! Still running? What the h*ll! There’s no wolf chasing you…”
After the scolding, Ye Qingxuan felt much better. He had confided all the grief and indignation he had from the beginning to now. At the end when Ye Qingxuan finished his words, Charles was stunned and stared at him blankly. Looking at his startled and blank face, Ye Qingxuan felt a little bit regretful and thought that he might have said too much.
But after staring at him for a long while, Charles suddenly smiled dumbly and came to give him a big hug, patting him on the shoulder.
“Okay, okay, don’t throw a tantrum.” Charles looked at him kindly with a tolerant expression as if it were Ye Qingxuan who made a mistake. “Junior, let’s go home.”
Before Ye Qingxuan could react, the silly smirk reappeared on Charles’ drunken face. Again, Charles started his crazy song and ran to the front.
“La la la la …”
Ye Qingxuan helplessly hit his own forehead. “Senior, you’re really hopeless,” he thought.
On his shoulder, Bai Xi finally seemed to be a little bit sober now. She looked at him with sleepy eyes and asked, “Cousin, where are we going?”
“We’re going home …” Ye Qingxuan was startled after saying this. Soon, he could not help but laugh. “Yes, let’s go home.”
“No, I’m going to hit him!” Bai Xi stared at Charles in the front, clutching Ye Qingxuan’s hair as if riding a horse. “Cousin, giddy up!”
“Fine, fine. Sit tight” Ye Qingxuan smiled. He helped the girl up on his back and strode to the front while imitating the whining of a horse.
Gentle moonlight shone on the empty streets, illuminating the unruly blonde youth in the front who was like a wild dog, as well as the teenager and girl chasing closely behind him. Their teacher reluctantly jogged and chased behind them, shouting at them to slow down.
There was an off-key song from the street and a cheer from the girl, mingled with the sound of a donkey braying. The silence was broken and the cold city seemed less cold.
Everything became lovely.
Under the moonlight, Ye Qingxuan carried the girl, running and laughing loudly. They were going home. He suddenly had an impulse to pray so that God could stop time at this moment forever, and they could stay in the fleeting happiness.
Perhaps what he had been trying to find was a place to return to. There was a teacher who could not talk well, a naughty girl, and a poor bastard at that place. Sometimes life was simple; sometimes it could be troublesome. But this was how life was.
Even it was so, it was still his dream.
Unfortunately, no matter how long the road was, it had an end. When he stopped, he stared at the sky in confusion. The distant sky reflected the light of flames, the light made the youth’s white hair look red.
That direction…That direction…He gritted his teeth and began sprinting.
That direction was…
–
When they arrived, it was already too late.
The old deserted house was bathed in flames. The flames crackled and swallowed everything. Ye Qingxuan stood before the burning house, watching the flames dance. There was a faint laugh in the wind, like a mockery of something.
Soon, the flames finally triggered the school’s enchantment. The alarm sounded and Egor, who was on duty tonight, descended with a storm from the sky.
When he saw the burning music history department, he also could not help but be startled, and then lifted his hands. As he moved, a large black cloud gathered from the sky and cold wind spread. But soon, something held onto his hands and the impending storm did not come.
Egor turned back in astonishment, looking at Abraham who was pulling him. Abraham’s face was expressionless, but he lifted up the steel-prosthetic limb and dashed forward.
Ding! In a twinkling, the huge flame leaped and disappeared.
It was as if the fire was just an illusion, as if it had never happened. The only proof of it was the old house that had been charred and collapsed.
Burning Abstinence. This was the Interference level skill of the School of Abstinence, but Egor had never seen a similar one from Abraham.
Abraham stood beside Ye Qingxuan, gazing silently at the ruins of charred.
“Everything’s gone.” Charles came out and threw the ashes in his hand to the ground dejectedly. He said to himself, “Everything’s gone.”
“Where’s Old Phil?” Bai Xi ran in the ruins, looking around with panic, but was held back by Ye Qingxuan. She stared blankly at Ye Qingxuan’s face. “Cousin, Old Phil…it …”
“Old Phil is fine.” Ye Qingxuan touched her head. “Old Phil doesn’t stay at home these two days. Even if it was in the house when it burned, it must’ve been able to run away.”
“But …” Bai Xi tried to calm down as she sobbed, but heard some familiar barks from the distant field.
The golden dog ran out, looking in all directions. Seeing Bai Xi, it barked louder to comfort her. Knowing that it was fine, Bai Xi rubbed her red nose. She hugged Old Phil but did not know what to say.
Ye Qingxuan wandered silently in the ruins, flipping through the things for anything that could be used. At last, he found that only the things in the basement had escaped from the fire. There was nothing flammable there. His own set of equipment had been put into the iron box by himself and hidden under the floor. But other than that, everything else was gone.
Their rooms and beds, Abraham’s study and all the books…Within a few hours, the traces of life that everyone had accumulated had disappeared.
Ye Qingxuan stood in the ruins and felt himself standing in a strange place. The flames had swallowed everything, leaving only the ashes and cinder.
“It was a very big fire. The whole house was engulfed within a minute. It’s most likely the recent dry weather that caused the objects to combust spontaneously.” After the examination, Egor did not find anything strange. But thinking of recent events, he sighed involuntarily. “Fortunately, there are no casualties.”
“I know, thanks for the school’s help.” Abraham was not angry and just said, “Let us clean up then.”
With a complicated look, Egor nodded. “If you do not have place to live, you can come to Modifications, I will let the students clean up a few rooms.”
With that, he left. There was only silence in the ashes and ruins. No one spoke. They just quietly cleaned up things that could be recycled.
After a while, footsteps sounded in the distance. “What a tragedy that the house suddenly burned. We never know what will happen next. Please accept my sympathy.” Bart stood outside the ruins with a sympathetic face. “My teacher told me to send his condolences. After all, the music history department was once an important branch of Revelations. If necessary, you are welcome to…”
“How dare you show up again!” Charles interrupted him angrily, tugging at his collar and glaring at him. “Guess if I…”
Bart sneered. “Next, are you going to say that we did this? Don’t slander others without evidence. In my opinion, maybe you set the fire yourselves to get sympathy from others. If not, why else are you guys not even hurt at all?”
Hearing this, Charles was suddenly not angry anymore. He just clenched his fists so tightly that the sounds of joints cracking could be heard. They were like grating iron with a kind of crazy power.
He had no desire to speak anymore. It was replaced by an unprecedented feeling; it was icy and gloomy, like a snake coiled on a clammy rock. The rubbing scales made a creepy sound. Maybe this was murderous intent.
One hand grasped his wrist—it was Ye Qingxuan. Ye Qingxuan stood before him, looked into his eyes, and shook head slightly.
“Yezi…”
“Senior, listen to what he wants to say.”
Ye Qingxuan loosened his hand, looked back at the frozen Bart, and said quietly, “Bart, you can continue now. But you’d better know what you’re saying…”
The coldness in the youth’s eyes made Bart step back involuntarily. Soon, he processed everything and collected himself. He scoffed as if he was the one who was so ‘generous’ that he did not haggle over Charles’ actions.
“That’s right, calm down. It’s good for everyone.” He grunted and looked up. “My teacher said that he is willing to admit his commonalities on academics; after all, there is always only one truth. But that doesn’t mean that he will admit your charge. It’s just…”
“Just what?” Ye Qingxuan cocked his head at Bart. His expression was not as curious as Bart had expected, but just cold. “Bart, finish your words. Your teacher did not let you come to tease our appetite. Since you want to be a dog, you have to have the sense of a dog. You don’t want to cause some mistakes that your teacher doesn’t want to see, do you?”
Bart’s face twitched and became wry, but still, he chose to finish his words. “It’s just, if you’re willing to withdraw those false accusations, he can add Mr. Abraham’s name to the manuscript, and submit it to share this achievement and glory with him.”
In the silence, he sneered. “How is that? A ‘second author’ for compensation is already a great thing for a poor place like the music history department. This is the last chance. I hope you don’t miss it because my teacher won’t take another step back.”
This was the final choice Ingmar had made. No matter how crazy he was, he could not let this event continue to ferment. Moreover, after this warning, the music history department must have learned to be a bit smarter and stop this entanglement. This compromise was good for everyone.
But to his surprise, no one made a sound after he spoke. They all had a strange look as they gazed at him.
Only the white-haired youth nodded slowly. “Is that so? I understand,” he said. “You can go now.”
Bart was stunned and was unable to react. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you can go now, Bart,” Ye Qingxuan repeated. His expression was careful and serious, but his eyes were cold, like the wind in the long winter night—cold enough to chill one’s blood. “Don’t make me repeat myself. I hope you can see that I’m in a bad mood.”
“You, you…Are you crazy?!” Bart looked at him in astonishment.
He did not know what to say, but he did not dare to remain there so he just left with a red face. He walked speedily as if he was chased by some kind of invisible ghost.
Not until he had gone far did he dare to look back and spit on the ground. “A group of guys who don’t know what’s good for themselves.”
–
Ye Qingxuan stood in the remains of his home. He watched Bart leave silently and saw the ‘secret’ actions in the woods. After a long time, he took back his sight and gazed down at the ruins underfoot, looking at the burned ashes.
Beside him, Charles looked at him anxiously, sighing softly. “Yezi…”
“I know. No need to persuade me.” Ye Qingxuan looked up at him. “Things have become like this. Our building has been burned, and the data is all gone. Sadness can’t solve the problem. We don’t even have cards to play at the school board anymore. After all, we don’t even have the original manuscript, do we?” He looked at the silent Charles and, after a long time, lowered his eyes. His eyes were like ashes which hid his unseen fury. He said, “Senior, I’m angry now.”
At dawn, the mist froze on the branches and fell down. Sparse and cold, it was like raindrops in the fog. The morning bell rang and students who had risen early walked to and fro. When they sensed the two youths walking quietly down the road, they stopped and nodded.
“Morning, Concertmaster Ye.”
“Good morning.”
“Concertmaster Ye, good morning.”
When Ye Qingxuan saw girls smiling at him, he would smile too and say, “Good morning.”
Like a regular walk, everything was normal and nothing out of sorts. The only thing difference was the briefcases in their hands. They swung along with their steps like a small book bag.
Though Charles had no smile on his face, Ye Qingxuan seemed to be in a good mood. He replied to all of the greetings from the students they passed and even hummed a children’s song he had learned somewhere.
“Lalala, lalala, lalalal!”
The song did not sound very good and carried his characteristic hoarseness. It was like cold wind blowing in the long night through the darkness, sending chills down one’s spine.
As he hummed, the books in the cases hit the sides with rustling sounds like a vague tide. The sounds were small and faint but traveled far. The students moved to the side and watched them leave with troubled eyes.
When the music history department went down in flames, rumors spread through the night.
It seemed like an accident, but everyone appeared to know what had happened. Conspiracy theorists among them believed they had orchestrated this whole thing but many were sympathetic.
However, sympathy was useless.
Sympathy could not be used as food to eat, water to drink, or blankets when it was cold. Sympathy was just sympathy; sadly, anger was not just anger. It could give birth to much more.
“You’re going to the Musician’s Union?” Cullen asked. The next president of the student council finally caught up to them at the square with a bitter expression.
Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh. “Senior Cullen, since you’re so enthusiastic, we can change and go to the student council.”
Cullen’s expression grew even bitterer. “The school board set more regulations yesterday. Modifications and Summoning became a mess from the business. Some teachers from the School of Royalty also talked to me…sorry, we can’t help you.”
“Really? That’s a pity.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged ‘regretfully.’”We’ll go find the Musician’s Union then.”
“Why go to that step? Once you report to the Musician’s Union, this will become magnified.” Cullen instantly became more troubled. “You’re all too extreme. If each side took a step back, the problem can be solved. Why make it so extreme?”
Ye Qingxuan just patted his shoulder and said genuinely, “If Bench Guy was here, he’d definitely not say something like that. You know why?” Cullen blanched, causing Ye Qingxuan to chuckle. “Because he knows that the world is never as beautiful as he thinks.” He walked past the stunned Cullen and continued toward the school’s main entrance.
Each take a step back? Forgive each other? What a joke! These seemingly fair solutions were the biggest mockery towards fairness.
Why make things so extreme? The moment the history department was burned to ashes, Ye Qingxuan no longer thought about keeping an exit open for himself—there would no longer be any exits. Otherwise, he would abandon himself as well.
The sunlight rose gradually in the morning, and the youth’s smile disappeared gradually. All that remained was indifference, like a vast field of ice. Before him, the school’s main door opened slowly. The copper branches and rusted iron roses entangled around the large iron door scraped against the ground. Behind him, the last bell rang from within the school’s bell tower. The bell was like a tide, washing away the last shred of mist.
The early morning sunlight scattered about, illuminating the youth before the door, and his white hair with a metallic shine.
In an instant, Ye Qingxuan’s muscles pulled taut. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as if something cold was pressed against him and spread through his limbs. The mysterious premonition immobilized him, rooting him to the spot. The feeling of danger echoed within him, intensifying.
A hand pressed down onto his shoulder, pressing down the unsettledness in his heart. Charles stared at the busy street across from the academy and the people drinking their morning tea in the café. Finally, his gaze fell on the figure before the window and grew serious.
“Yezi, it’s Ingmar.”
The figure in the café’s window had his back to them, leaning against the chair. The server arrived with a silver platter and handed him coffee. It was high-grade coffee shipped from Asgard by sea, and steamed warmly. There was also a newly received newspaper.
Ingmar opened the newspaper and looked down, reading the news. He did not notice the academy’s door in the distance behind him and the two youths. The bad premonition became more and more obvious in Ye Qingxuan and Charles’ hearts.
Sugar cubes dropped into the coffee—one, two…Each drop of a cube was like a giant rock falling into their hearts, suffocating them. They were only a step away from the school door but in this moment, they suddenly, unreasonably, inexplicably…felt fear.
The world outside the school was filled with danger. There was nothing there, save for a warning: this is it.
Ye Qingxuan fell silent. He understood what Ingmar meant: if they still had any space for turning back in this controversy before this, then it would be over the moment he stepped forward and went to the Musician’s Union. It would be life or death from now on.
Ingmar would use all of his power to kill Ye Qingxuan—to strangle this Eastern concertmaster that had been in his way for so long. Maybe it would be immediately, maybe it would catch him by surprise, maybe a black carriage would fly past when he stepped out the school and crush him on the road…So he should not be so blindly determined.
He must turn back immediately.
“Turn back?” Ye Qingxuan seemed to understand Ingmar’s message and sneered.
“You’re too scared to kill me and too scared to admit your plagiarism. You think that I’ll fall down with just a threat and retreat obediently? Sadly, the world isn’t as beautiful as you think,” he thought.
“In your dreams!” Ye Qingxuan stared at Ingmar’s back and gritted his teeth. In the almost glue-like air, he raised his foot and stepped toward the world outside the Academy.
Thud! The light sound was like a hallucination.
The moment the youth stepped out, the danger and pressure on his heart vanished like a hallucination. Nothing happened as if nothing before had happened either.
But in that instant, Ingmar looked down. There was the reflection of a black starry sky in his icy blue eyes. The stars rotated, bringing with it a chilling murderous intent. As the stars rotated, it reflected the image of the two walking into the distance. Countless invisible threads were tangled in them, connecting to their fatal spots.
It seemed as if a casual tug could cause them to fall apart like a broken puppet. The murderous intent shot out from his eyes, but he pushed it down and did not act until the two youths walked out of the proximity of his senses.
“Tsk, just a sheep in wolf’s clothing,” came the youth’s soft scoff in the wind.
The originally smooth newspaper had become a crumpled mess in Ingmar’s hands.
“Sir? Sir…” the server asked timidly beside him, “Does the coffee not suit your taste?”
Ingmar raised the coffee emotionlessly and tasted it. He furrowed his brows and set it down. “It’s too sweet,” he said. “Give me another cup.”
The server picked up the cup and fled as if finally freed.
Ingmar folded up the newspaper again. In just a few seconds, the ink had become a faded yellow like centuries had passed. He squinted as if he was communicating with it.
“It’s me, Ingmar. Yes, there’s something I need to ask of you…”
–
One hour later, someone leaned on the railing of the Musician Union’s second floor and looked at the long line below. He saw two youths and a mocking smile appeared on his face.
“Don’t worry,” he said quietly to the alchemy communication tool in his hands. “I’ve prepared it already. Those two kids can’t do anything. I’ll make them leave obediently tonight.”
Behind him, the guard of the Union’s main lobby went up and stood politely behind him, rubbing his hands. “Mr. Leo, did you call for me?”
“Yes, I need to ask something of you.” Leo patted his shoulder and pointed at the two youths in line on the first floor. “Keep an eye on them. Kick them out if they make a scene. Mr. Bayer is busy today, so I don’t wish anything to disturb our meeting later, understood?”
“I understand.” The guard smiled understandingly. “If they make a scene, they won’t be able to enter for three months.”
–
Thirty minutes later, the long wait on the first floor finally came to an end.
“It’ll be done very quickly. Senior, if you don’t want to wait, just wait for me for a bit.” Ye Qingxuan patted Charles’s shoulder. Charles sighed and relaxed his annoyed expression. Squeezing out a smile, he handed his form to the worker behind the table.
The worker seemed to be telling a joke to his coworker. They talked quietly for a long time and the two could not help but laugh. After they finished, he carelessly took their forms but quickly tossed them back.
“Your forms are all incorrect. There should be additional resources, but why did you just write it directly on the form? And here and here are for me to fill in.” He pointed to various spots on the form with annoyed eyes. “Did you two listen to what I said or not? You’ve filled this in three times incorrectly. Not only are you wasting your time, you’re holding others up.”
Charles’s muscles twitched, but Ye Qingxuan held down his shoulder and smiled at the worker. “I’m sorry, we’ll fix it now.”
“No, you must start over.” The worker glanced at him. “You can’t have any signs of revisions on the form and be careful of your handwriting too. Your writing is clearly not standard. Who taught you how to write?”
Ye Qingxuan looked down at the flowing calligraphy style of the Sacred City on the form and nodded, pushing down his anger. “Yes, yes, we’ll start over now.”
“This is your own matter. You should be more careful instead of having people remind you all the time. Do you want to get anything done with that attitude?” The worker threw a glance at them and waved at the next one in line.
Ye Qingxuan practically dragged Charles to the side and comforted his nearly exploding emotions. At the form-filling location, someone perceived their situation and revealed a sympathetic expression.
“You’re new here, right?”
“You’re new here, right?”
“Huh?”
“It’s obvious you’ve never been here,” the guy lamented. “The other places are okay, but only this section is annoying. You won’t have to come here if you have a musician license. You can just let them know and go to the special resting room for tea and talk. Otherwise, you can only wait in line obediently and mind their attitude. It’s not just fixing things three or four times. If you don’t come from a good background, you might even have to fix it ten times, wait three to four weeks, and then start all over again…”
Charles was stunned. “What should we do?”
“Just bear it.” The man shrugged. “Or do you want to hit him and never get this done?”
Charles’s instantly grew depressed. The emptiness he felt came from wanting to go crazy but not knowing where to vent his anger.
“Senior, sit here and rest. I’ll fill out the form and call you when I’m done.” Ye Qingxuan picked up the pen and quickly began writing.
The youth’s speed attracted much attention. The middle aged man saw his frustration and shook his head helplessly. “There’s no point in hurrying. You have to start over if you mess up one word. Take your…”
Before he could say the word “time,” he saw the youth’s writing clearly. He swore that he had never seen someone able to write the complicated and inhumanely strict Sacred City text so smoothly in his life. Ye Qingxuan’s speed was so fast his pen was a blur.
Within one minute, he had filled out the thick stack of forms, without any mistakes. His writing speed was faster than his speech. Ignoring the other’s shocked eyes, Ye Qingxuan put down his pen, blew the ink dry, and began waiting in line again.
This time, the line was abnormally long for some reason, and the speed was so slow it made one’s heart itch. It was not Ye Qingxuan’s turn until three in the afternoon.
The worker had changed to a fat middle aged lady. She seemed to be talking about her kids with her coworkers. Excited, her laughter was loud and high as she showed the other her child’s picture.
“He’s starting school this year. I heard that Kelton Public School’s has high quality education.”
“But the tuition is expensive, right?”
“It’s okay.” She pretended to be nonchalant. “His father made a lot of money from business recently. He brought back a lot of things for the child a few days ago.”
“When will you bring your son over?”
“Ah, when there’s time. He’s in his naughty years and doesn’t have any manners. It’ll be so embarrassing if he’s impolite…”
“It’s normal for kids to be naughty.”
“Ahem!” At the table, Ye Qingxuan coughed many times before the worker finally realized he was there.
The worker glanced at him unhappily. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, my throat hurts. Sorry.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and pushed the form over. The woman sneered and lifted the form with her pinky finger. After scanning it, she tossed it back.
“Your documents aren’t complete. Come back when you have them all.”
Beside Ye Qingxuan, Charles’s expression stiffened instantly. “Not complete? Why didn’t you say that earlier? The last person didn’t tell me.”
“How would I know? Go ask him. Anyway, your documents aren’t complete.”
Charles felt his tooth ache and his fists clenched under the table; he wanted to beat someone up. Ye Qingxuan held down his wrist and squeezed out a smile. “Which documents do we need?”
“Complainants Ye Qingxuan and Charles?” the worker picked up the form and pronounced the names with difficulty. She coughed and mumbled something along the lines of ‘what kind of f*cking names are these?’ causing the two to darken their faces. “Ye something? Where’s your household registration number? And a copy of your Anglo household registration?” She glanced at Charles. “And you, what’s your full name? Your surname? Do you only have one name? No parents?”
“That’s my full name, it’s just one word,” Charles muttered without emotion. “Sorry, I don’t have surname and don’t have parents.”
The worker blanched and glanced toward Ye Qingxuan. “And you?”
“I’m not from Anglo and don’t have the Anglo household registration.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged and pointed at his hair. “Sorry, I’m an Easterner…”
The worker furrowed her brows and put on a professional expression. “Then I’m sorry. You must be a citizen, those are the rules. Come back when you have citizenship.”
Ye Qingxuan handed over another document emotionlessly. “I have a passport and code from the Church.”
The worker glanced at him. “No, you need household registration documents! Can’t you understand the rules? If you can’t, don’t hold other people up.”
“What kind of stupid rule is that?” Charles could no longer hold down his anger. “So Anglo citizens can’t come to the Musician Union if they don’t have household registration?”
Seeing him lose his temper, the worker seemed to have experienced this many times and scoffed. “Complain to the higher ups. What’s the point of yelling at me?”
The guard waiting in the back of the crowd finally saw something happening and approached them with his baton. He was ready to kick these guys out as soon as they started protesting.
But Ye Qingxuan pushed Charles down and held him down. He forced a smile at the worker. “Sorry, we’ll come back once we have the documents.”
“Hmph.” The woman glanced at him and scoffed loudly before ignoring them.
But she would never have guessed that the white-haired youth was sitting before her one hour later. “Sorry, I’m back again.” The guy’s smile was extremely annoying as he pushed over the form and papers. “Everything you want is here. Please tell me if anything else is missing.”
The worker looked at them in shock and furrowed her brows. “I hope you won’t waste any time.” But soon, she tossed the form back with an annoyed expression. “Why didn’t you fill this out?”
“Oh, really?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at the form and it suddenly dawned on him. “Ah, sorry, this is the wrong one. It should be this one.”
He took another form from his suitcase and handed it over. The worker froze before snatching it. After scanning through it, she tossed it back. “Sorry, this doesn’t have a stamp from the Avalonian police department. We can’t accept it.”
“Really?” Ye Qingxuan smiled and handed over another form. “Then check this one.”
“You!” The woman’s face changed as if she was going to lose her temper, but Ye Qingxuan pointed at the sign on the wall that reminded her to work with a smile. Her expression slackened and she grabbed the form, gritting her teeth. This time, she discovered that it really did have the police department’s stamp. This guy had prepared everything!
Gritting her teeth, she scanned it again and tossed the form back in annoyance. “We can’t take care of this. You’re in the wrong place. Go to the next department.”
“No way.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled again. “They said you could do it here. Are you sure?”
“You’re the one who’s wrong,” the woman retorted. “This is not our responsibility.”
“That’s strange. Then why did they give us a certificate that we can come here?” Ye Qingxuan scratched his head and took out a certificate signed by the other department. The worker’s expression twisted.
The stamp could not be faked and she was unable to find fault. She glanced at Ye Qingxuan and sneered as she took the form. She had worked here for more than a decade. She could definitely take care of him.
After checking carefully, she smiled mockingly. “Sorry, but we can’t be sure if it’s you or someone using your identity. We need proof from the police department.”
“Really?” Ye Qingxuan casually asked in reply. “Please tell me everything I need at once so you don’t waste my time. Your time is not valuable but mine is. It can’t be wasted.”
“Ha.” The woman smiled thinly. “Take care of that and we’ll see what else is missing.”
“Alright.” Ye Qingxuan reached into his pockets, causing her expression to stiffen. Then, that guy actually took out a f*cking certificate stamped by the d*mn Avalonian police department, proving that he was Ye Qingxuan.
F*ck, why did the police have so much on their hands?!
“Anything else?” Ye Qingxuan smiled for the third time. The smile was like a fuse that ignited the gunpowder in the worker’s heart.
“Sorry but I’m getting off work now. Come back tomorrow.” The worker stood up abruptly and began organizing everything.
“The Musician Union closes at six but it’s only 4:45 right now…” Ye Qingxuan glanced at his pocket watch and eyed the woman. “Does it count as leaving early if you get off now?”
“What does it matter to you?” The worker glared at him. “Report me if you can! I hate you annoying people, the problems never end!”
“I don’t mind, but the manager behind you seems upset.” Ye Qingxuan pointed behind her and she froze.
She turned around stiffly. “Mr. L-Leo?”
Leo glared at her. “Look at your attitude! You don’t need to come in for work tomorrow.”
“I—I…” She panicked. “Didn’t you tell me to make things hard for them? I was just—just…”
Crack! Leo’s expression changed and he slapped her face. “Are you crazy? When did I ever order that?”
“I—I…it was clearly you!” The woman stared at Leo in panic, speechless. When she saw the coldness and annoyance in his eyes, she screamed in hysteria and pounced on him. “I’m going to kill you!”
The hall instantly fell into chaos.
“What happened? Why is it so loud?” Leo came out of the office on the second floor and glared at the guard. “What did you do?”
“It’s not us.” The guard shook his head in confusion and gazed at the crazed woman below held down by many people. “Jennifer suddenly went crazy. She started screaming and yelling your name for some reason…”
Leo froze. He suddenly had a bad feeling. When he rushed downstairs, he was met by the messy workspace and an unruly fat woman forced to the floor. She was glaring at him and cursing him out.
Amidst the chaos, a white-haired youth sat on a chair with a leg propped up. He looked into the distance as if this had nothing to do with him and whistled in satisfaction.
“She went crazy, Mr. Leo…” The guard helplessly came over and showed the bite mark on his arm. “This b*tch bites so hard, f*ck!”
When Leo saw Ye Qingxuan, he finally understood everything. After checking Jennifer, he was sure that this woman had sunk into an illusion.
A silver ring shone dimly on the youth’s hand. He had his leg propped up as if he was enjoying the show and he hummed, “Ah, I saw three suns in the sky. They looked at me as if they knew me…”
Even though he was furious, Leo felt mockery toward the kid. He was just some kid who had not experienced the real world and had made such a commotion for a small thing. He had broken the Musician’s Union’s rules and used a music score here!
Leo was just waiting for an excuse to kick him out!
“Enough!” Leo looked down on him coldly. “Do you know the consequences of using a music score in the Musician’s Union?”
“To be honest, I’d love to talk about rules with you. After all, I know the rules better than you.” Ye Qingxuan was still nonchalant. He looked up at Leo, but his eyes seemed to be looking down on the man.
“Using music scores in the Musician’s Union can result in fines from thirty-thousand to four-hundred thousand pounds, depending on the seriousness and revocation of the musician license. If a death occurs, it will be handed over to the Sacred City. But I don’t have a license so you can’t revoke it even if you want to. As for the fee, no one was injured or died. I caused some ruckus, so I suggest you follow the previous cases and just fine me thirty-thousand pounds. If it’s too high, I can report you to the Sacred City. Oh, you don’t look happy? Don’t worry, I’ll pay the money.”
With that, the youth pulled out a sacred emblem. Leo’s expression grew even uglier and slapped the emblem away. “You think it’s that simple? You think you understand our rules well?” His expression darkened. “Don’t forget that I make the rules here!”
“No, no, no,” Ye Qingxuan said, smiling and waving his hand. “Neither I nor you make the rules here. It should be Mr. Bayer, the man in charge of this branch of the union. Where is he? I’m kind of excited to get my fine from him…”
Leo’s expression changed at the youth’s words; he had finally realized the youth’s true purpose. He had used the music score just to get past all the levels of the Musician’s Union and see Bayer directly! When he had realized that the workers were purposely holding him back, he had decided not to follow their rhythm.
Throughout history, wherever one went, it was all the same—the higher-ups were easy to see, but the lower figures were hard to get past. If he could not see Bayer through the regular process, he would just have to use special ways.
Leo’s expression turned panicky for an instant before darkening again.
“Guards!” He glared at the youth. “Drag this b*stard out for disrupting the order! Blacklist him and make sure he can never enter the Musician’s Union!”
“Really?” A confused voice rang out behind him. “What happened that made such a commotion? I could hear the noise from my office.”
Leo froze as his expression changed quickly and he spun around. “Mr. Bayer?” He felt as if he was hallucinating, but the smirking and dirty blond youth leaning against Bayer caused him to understand everything.
“I was told what had happened.” Bayer patted Leo’s shoulder, telling him to move aside. He walked toward the youth. “There’s a fine of five-thousand pounds for purposely disrupting the order.” He did not mention the usage of music scores and just used Leo’s words for categorizing the crime.
“I know, I’ll pay up, I’ll pay.” Ye Qingxuan pulled out an emblem from his pocket and gave a sneaky smile, similar to Charles’s. “But would you have the time to chat with us?”
Bayer looked down at them and sighed. “Come to my resting room on the second floor. I hope you two didn’t make a mess of my lobby just to drink tea with me.”
–
Five minutes later, Bayer sat in his resting room, his face a ghastly pallor.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure.” Ye Qingxuan pushed the suitcase to him. “All the resources, documents, and related evidence are here. Ingmar thought that we wouldn’t have the original documents and wouldn’t be able to do a chronology test if he burned down our house, but he doesn’t know that I’ve already seen the originals and copied them last night. Not even a punctuation mark is wrong. If you need it, I can also provide a comparison to Ingmar’s version.”
“No need.” Bayer shook his head. “His papers…I’ve already seen them.” With a dark expression, he picked up the papers and flipped through the pages. In the end, he set them down and lit a cigar, inhaling sharply.
“You two really didn’t come just for f*cking tea, huh?” he muttered, feeling close to a breakdown. “How am I so f*cking unlucky? I was unlucky just to get sent to somewhere like Anglo, and now something this big just happened without me even doing anything?”
He was in pain; of course he was in pain and he wanted to die. He was the one who went to Hermes to verify Ingmar’s papers; he was the one who sent it up. If news of this problem spread, it would definitely be a scandal in the entire academic world. How did this giant drama just occur so suddenly?
“Ye Qingxuan, Charles,” he said, smoking and looking at them gravely. “Once you report this, it’ll become huge. There might be another solution. Please consider carefully, are you sure you want to report it?”
“No need. I already considered it for five minutes last night,” Ye Qingxuan said nonchalantly. “There aren’t many things that are worth five minutes of my consideration ever since I turned sixteen.”
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Bayer felt his tooth ache. “Okay.” He reached out for Ye Qingxuan’s papers. “I…”
“Wait!” Leo, who had been standing to the side quietly with a livid expression, suddenly held down the papers. He looked at Bayer with a professional look. “This is an internal conflict of the Royal Academy of Music. If the Musician’s Union wishes to intervene, they must file a case and at least have the principal’s signature with paper documents.”
Bayer instantly grew helpless. Why would they come if they had the principal’s permission? Why would they not do things through public negotiations? Leo was clearly forcing them out.
But before he could speak, Ye Qingxuan revealed that creepy smile again. “I’ve said many times for you to tell me what else I need at once so I don’t have to keep running around.” Ye Qingxuan looked at him with a genuine expression. “Are you sure I don’t need anything else?”
With that, he pulled a piece of paper from the briefcase and placed it before them. Maxwell’s signature was on it—it was clearly a certificate of permission. This was the inside of the Musician’s Union and right before Bayer’s eyes. Ye Qingxuan did not dare to use illusion tricks so this certificate was definitely real.
Leo froze. He had just randomly thought of an excuse but did not expect Ye Qingxuan to really have the principal’s signature. Charles was shocked too; he did not think Ye Qingxuan would be so well-prepared.
“Now, you don’t have to be like that worker and require something from the Avalonian police department to prove that I’m myself, right?”
The youth’s question was like a slap to Leo, causing his features to twist. He left angrily.
Bayer glanced at his furious backside with pity and shrugged at the youth. “To be honest, he annoys me too, but I can’t do anything. There are all kinds of people in the world. It would be difficult for the Musician’s Union to work here without his family either.”
Ye Qingxuan smiled but did not reply. Bayer sighed helplessly.
“I will represent the union and process the case.” He sighed and gathered the files. Rising, he said, “This case involves many parties. You’ll need to wait a while.”
Grinning, Ye Qingxuan waved at him. “Okay, come back soon.”
Bayer’s facial muscles twitched; he sighed and left.
When the resting room fell silent, Charles glanced to each side. Confirming that there was nobody watching, he moved closer with a curious face and asked quietly, “You’ve been with me since last night. Where did you get the principal’s signature?”
Ye Qingxuan smirked. “Do you still remember when he gave Old Phil special approval as the history department’s honorary member?”
Charles was dazed. “No way.”
“I just copied it then, just in case.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “It’s not like he’ll actually go ask the principal, right? Oh, and I secretly carved the academy’s seal too…”
Charles was speechless.
There was a saying that the world was as large as your guts, but he had never expected that his junior had even copied the academy’s seal!
In the silence of the dark room, silver light converged out of thin air. The shining silver light soon formed an old man’s face. Wrinkles covered the face that was pale and bloodless as if it had not seen the sun in years. And yet, his eyes were like the vast sea. They were awe-inspiring by themselves.
“Doctor Norton, I am Bayer, in charge of Avalon.”
“Emergency line?” Norton recognized the signal and furrowed his brows. “Has sign of Leviathan awakening appeared again?”
“No, there’s something else.” Bayer sighed and stammered out, “A few days ago, I submitted something related to the Voynich Manuscript’s interpretation. Do you still remember?”
“Of course! The Revelation musicians of Trinity College went crazy arguing over what you submitted. If not for Hermes’s vouch, they’d still be arguing now. What’s wrong? Is it fake?”
Seeing Norton’s seriousness, Bayer’s expression instantly grew troubled. “It’s not fake but…alright, Ingmar’s research results may possibly be plagiarized.”
There was a long silence.
After a long while, Norton sucked in a cold breath and massaged his temples. “If that’s the case, then it’s a big problem. F*ck, we’ve already requested to ring the Philosopher’s Bell. Who filed the case?”
“Professor Abraham Wilson from the Royal Academy of Music.”
“Abraham?” Norton thought for a bit and shook his head in doubt. “I’ve never heard of a Revelations musician skilled in deciphering ancient texts. Am I mistaken?”
“Uh, actually…he’s a musician from the School of Abstinence. His status is sensitive.”
“Is he reliable?”
“That’s the problem.” Bayer sighed. “I already had Nibelungenlied check the identity of the student who had come to report it. Guess what happened?”
Norton furrowed his brows. “Just f*cking say it! Stop being dramatic.”
“Oh, okay.” Bayer shrugged. “He doesn’t have household registration or a place of birth. He doesn’t exist in Anglo. Even though he has white hair, there is no report of Eastern Dragon bloodline entering Anglo within the past two years. Isn’t it strange? This youth seemed to have jumped out of a rock. In the end, I used the Church’s archive to find his identity…”
Norton froze. “He’s a member of the Church?”
“Not exactly. He’s not part of the clergy but his background is scarily interesting. I could not even dream it up.”
“How interesting? Is he the b*stard child of some archbishop?”
“From his status, it’s pretty much like that.” Bayer scratched his head. “His godfather is Bann Randle, commander of the Knights Templar. He is the manager of Heaven’s Door and the swordsman personally appointed by the pope. I can’t say anything if you still find this kid untrustworthy—if you don’t fear the Fourth Corps coming to your home with swords tonight.”
Another long, long silence.
Norton also lit his pipe and inhaled sharply. After blowing out a long breath, he said, “Okay, no matter if the plagiarism is real or not, I’m just happy that we haven’t rang the Philosopher’s Bell yet.”
“So this passed?”
“It passed.” Norton sighed. Frustration was written in his features. He had lived long enough and seen enough to become so pessimistic. How many more arguments would happen over the Philosopher’s Bell that had not been rang in close to a century?
–
The tension was almost tangible in the large conference room in the afternoon. None of the professors present spoke. In the stiff atmosphere, they looked at Abraham in the corner. Abraham sat in his seat as always, staring at his steel hand without a word. He had no presence as if he was insignificant. But today, the eyes looking at him were filled with troubled pity.
News of Ye Qingxuan going to the Musician’s Union had spread in the morning. The school board had grown furious because this action had jumped past their zone of control and furthered the doubt of their ability to solve matters.
This would be a scandal to the academy if news spread, no matter what the result was. Before this meeting, Abraham’s duties had been halted, and the disbandment of the history department had gone into consideration.
Everyone understood that this time, the school board was really going to act. In an instant, the rising history department of yesterday was now on the verge of collapse.
“I’m sure everyone has already heard of what I will speak about today,” Ingmar said coldly at the front. “These past days, I’ve been thinking of the big picture and hoping for a compromise. I’ve taken many steps back and was even willing to hand out the position of a second author to solve this mess. But I can’t believe others saw this and thought I was weak! I never thought that they would blow things up to this level for their unspeakable goal!” His voice was like nails smashing into stone with each word, creating cold echoes.
“Now, this is no longer about my personal defamation, but an unprecedented scandal for the Royal Academy of Music. Our academy has followed a glorious and serious guidance for five-hundred years, but nothing like this has ever happened! Abraham, do you bear to ruin the school for your own desires?!”
The conference room was silent.
Abraham continued to sit in silence. Though he looked forward, his eyes did not focus on anything, as if he was looking into another world. As always, he did not fit in, as if he was participating in something that did not pertain to him. He could not understand and did not want to participate—he was just standing outside the crowd, gazing in from afar.
They could talk and he would continue on. He seemed slow but his attitude was so arrogant it made one annoyed of him involuntarily. How could someone like him be here?
“It seems that you’re determined to report to the Musician’s Union,” Ingmar gritted out coldly from between his teeth. “I advise you to stop daydreaming. Do you really think they’ll care about your unfounded tomfoolery? Your two troublesome students have probably already been kicked out!” He paused, coldness flashing past his eyes. “Abraham, you can still turn back now before it’s too late! Otherwise, the school board will not overlook what you’ve done for the academy’s reputation…Don’t forget your status, Abraham! If the academy could save you from Tower Green, it can send you back too!”
Tower Green…A chilly wind seemed to suddenly blow through the conference room. Everyone felt the temperature drop and tensed involuntarily. This time, the school board was going for blood.
If anything else happened next, Abraham, a classified criminal vouched for by the principal, would be sent to the military’s jail and never see the sun again. This was a tower built four-hundred years ago on a barren island to the side of Avalon.
Countless criminal musicians had spent their last moments in this tower and had died in the gallows, or behind the bars of the underground prison. There had been no wails or howls for centuries, only the waves of the sobbing sea.
Perhaps this was his final destination.
Abraham suddenly looked up as if he had woken up from his daydream and finally reacted. Ingmar chuckled coldly as if sensing his fear.
“It’s not too late for regret now, Abraham. Your students are the same as you, but there’s no need to make them end up like you, right? The academy has given you all too much freedom. Otherwise, this wouldn’t happen! Especially that Easterner who doesn’t know good from bad and acts so evilly. He even went to the Musician’s Union to defame me…”
“Yezi is a good child,” Abraham interrupted him. His voice was neither angry nor panicked; it was calm as if stating a fact.
This was his first response and Ingmar could not react quickly. Under everyone’s suspicious eyes, Abraham thought throw his words and earnestly repeated, “Yezi is a good child. He never lies.”
Ingmar’s expression instantly stiffened and darkened considerably. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that if he says you plagiarized, then you most likely plagiarized.” Abraham gazed at him and said slowly and earnestly, “In the end, it’s just some handwritten notes. It’s not worth my worry if someone takes them, but please do not insult my students because they all work hard.”
Abraham pushed himself up from the table and gazed around the silent conference room, looking at the stunned and perplexed expressions. He spoke for the first time before them, “As you all have said, I am a quickly made non-mainstream musician. I’ve had no accomplishments in my entire life and now that I’ve aged, I can just wait for my time to be up. To be honest, the history department has survived because of my kids’ hard work. I am ashamed to be their teacher.” His voice resounded heavily like a steel plate pounding into stone. It held unwavering calmness and persistence.
“They’ve put in a lot for the music history department, much more than me. Therefore, I’ll believe and support them, no matter what decision they make, even if I must be imprisoned in Tower Green again. Otherwise, I won’t even have the qualifications to be their teacher.”
Finished, he nodded slightly to show his politeness and turned to leave. However, he suddenly hit his head just as he reached the door and turned back awkwardly. Coming back, he pulled a notification letter from his pocket and handed it to Ingmar. “Oh right, I actually came to the meeting to give this to you.”
Ingmar froze and looked down. When he saw the wax seal and letterhead of the Musician’s Union, his expression changed as if he had seen a ghost; his face lost all color.
This was the notification from the Musician’s Union for him to attend the academic appraisal in ten days.
“You…you…” Ingmar’s arm shook as he pointed at Abraham, tongue-tied. “Why would the Musician’s Union tell…clearly…”
Abraham did not mind him. He just looked at everyone else and said quietly, “To be honest, I’m a wooden man. I don’t understand atmospheres or rules. The only thing I’m good at is the military’s straightforward way of speaking. I really don’t understand why all of you like sitting here and talking about things without meaning. But the Musician’s Union’s appraisal might be a good thing. It’ll at least be simpler and everyone will believe the result.
“If anyone still doubts the results of their appraisal after all this, why don’t we use the military’s rule and have a fight to the death?”
He said “fight to the death” as if it was something like eating and drinking, but his expression was extremely serious. Eating and drinking were things important to life as well and deserved to be treated seriously.
A fight to the death should be the same as eating and drinking—at least, that was how Abraham saw it.
Now, those people finally remembered…the wooden old man before them was once a Dragon Rider. He still contained the bloody and deathly aura of the battlefield. He did not belong here and did not know what they were good at it, so he was dull and silent, slowly getting used to their rules. Now, he did not want to play with them anymore. He was going to act seriously.
For his students, he did not even care about himself anymore. What could they do to him? It did not matter what methods they would use—bring it on!
This time, he would not step back again.
Half an hour later, it was the school board’s internal meeting. Only Ingmar and the old man who had hurried over were in the conference room.
The old lawyer, who had served many families, sat behind the table with his fingers clasped. He quietly gazed at the panicking Ingmar with a cold and serious expression.
“Mr. Ingmar,” he said in a low voice. “I shall represent the school board and once again perform interrogation regarding the interpretation results of the Voynich Manuscript. Is Abraham’s plagiarism report valid or not?”
Ingmar seemed not to hear him. He stared at the table and muttered something, his spirits entirely shaken. “Impossible…how could it pass…I clearly…that Abraham…”
“Ingmar!” The old lawyer suddenly slammed the table. The loud sound caused Ingmar’s shoulder to shake as he slowly looked up. “Do not avoid the question and face the school board’s interrogation! Did you plagiarize Abraham’s results or not?!”
Seeing his furious face, Ingmar seemed to see the shocked and stunned expressions of the noble school board members. His expression changed and, after a long while, he suddenly chuckled. It was incomparably mocking.
“Does it still matter to you if I plagiarized or not?”
The old lawyer’s face darkened. Without another word, he picked up his folder and left quietly.
Only Ingmar remained in the silent conference room. He looked at the empty seats before him in the stillness. Broken laughter sounded once again; it was both evil and carefree.
Until a sigh sounded behind him.
A seemingly familiar voice rang in his ears. “Now, there is no way out for you all, other than supporting me—that’s what you think, right?”
The laughter cut off abruptly.
Ingmar’s expression stiffened; he looked back with difficulty but only saw a crow. The crow looked at him too; its eyes seemed to be looking at dust.
When the crow perched on his shoulder, his body bent under the light figure. Its pressure was too heavy.
The crow said, “You think that the parliament has entered the path of no return and will support you to the end, right?”
Ingmar’s finger trembled and his facial muscles twitched, but he did not reply.
“Congratulations, you’re correct,” the crow said lightly. “We’ll support you even if you did plagiarize. Ten days later, the Musician’s Union will openly verify and debate the charges. The parliament will use our connections to help you win. Are you happy?”
Happy? Ingmar felt no joy but rather a chill go down his spine. This was the chill of having all his secrets revealed and laid out under the sun. And the oddness of the parliament’s generous blessing…were they not angry at all?
“You…” Ingmar gulped and tried hard to speak but his voice trembled. “What do you want?”
The crow sighed as if helpless. It was lamenting on an idiot. “Ingmar, you should know that what makes you proud is meaningless to us,” it said. “If you want to talk about money with us, you can leave now. The parliament won’t make any deal with you. But you can’t leave, right? You know better than anyone that once you exit this room, no one in this world will be able to save you.”
Ingmar’s shoulder trembled. He wanted to stand up and leave but the crow was perched on his shoulder. It was such a light crow but its weight bent his spine. He did not dare to rise…because he knew that if he showed the slightest bit of protest, everything would be over. His future, his accomplishments, his everything would all be buried in darkness.
And he would follow.
And so he lowered his head submissively, voluntarily putting on an invisible chain.
“Indeed, the parliament has wasted a large amount of resources on you through the years,” the crow said lightly. “I’m sure you know that even a Resonance level musician can be hired by the parliament. It’s only a matter of money. The parliament never fears to pay any price, Ingmar. We do not fear any price.
“We think highly of you because there aren’t many scholars who are skilled in explaining ancient texts. Coincidentally, we need you to explain a certain thing at a certain time and help guide our path. You know that there are still many replacements, many…so don’t do any other stupid things and test our patience, alright?”
“Guide?” Ingmar was covered in sweat. “Guide what path?”
“Didn’t you already guess it?” The crow laughed. “The Blood Path on the back of this city, Ingmar. Now is the time for you to know but you’ve already guessed a lot, haven’t you?”
Cold sweat dripped down Ingmar’s face, dropping on the ground and evaporating. In the end, he closed his eyes and said through clenched teeth, “I—I will help you.”
“Ingmar, it’s not you who is helping us, but us who is helping you,” the crow murmured in his ear. “Now you can open your eyes. Take a look at your friends.”
Ingmar’s finger shook. He opened his eyes in confusion and could barely breathe.
The quiet conference room had become filled with newcomers without him realizing. Not a single seat was empty. Sharp eyes gazed at him; they were chilling and terrifying.
Hundreds upon thousands of birds had flown in without a sound. They filled every corner and looked down on him.
“Welcome to the parliament, my friend.” The crow laughed meaningfully. “Welcome to the true core of the country.”
–
In a suburban manor of the Burgundy capital, hurried knocking sounded.
A messenger knocked on the door of a library and called, “Master Barthélémy, master Barthélémy!”
The knocking lasted for half an hour before the door was opened angrily. The old man behind the door had messy hair and unruly clothing. This was definitely not the look for meeting guests, but he glared at the messenger as if looking at someone who had intruded on his territory.
“Shut up!”
The library behind him was filled with ancient books but they did not smell of mold, thanks to the careful maintenance. The books contained strange wedge-shaped words and were overflowing with an ancient aura. But his research had been interrupted, so the old man was abnormally angry.
“I’m at the critical point of my interpretation. Didn’t I say that no one can bother me? Do you not understand the lingua franca?”
He had been studying the Emerald Tablet passed down from ancient musicians for more than a decade. This was an ancient book of first generation music theory, apparently taught by the gods.
Now, after overcoming many difficulties, he had finally found a clue, and was in the midst of excited studying, but had been interrupted by a guest. Even a cultured fellow would be furious.
Even though the guest was a messenger from the Musician’s Union, he still berated him until he had vented all his anger and glared. “You better have a good excuse. Otherwise, even the Musician’s Union won’t be able to enter my home. Never!”
“I am only here under an order. Please understand.” The messenger instantly felt weak. Smiling dryly, he offered a letter from the Sacred City.
Barthélémy angrily snatched it, tore open the letter, and tugged out a piece of paper.
“Plagiarism?”
Barthélémy was stunned. He could not help but furrow his brow. Of course he knew about the interpretation of the Voynich Manuscript from a few days ago. Though it had not been officially published, he had many students who worked at the Sacred City. He had received a copy the third day.
One must admit that though it seemed illogical. The interpretation was undoubtedly a masterpiece. A portion of it had given him new inspiration for the Emerald Tablet. He had never thought that such a masterpiece would have this problem…
When he finished reading the report, his anger had already dissipated. All that remained was shock and melancholy.
“Ingmar and Abraham? Why…why do something like this?”
Scholars who were obsessed with deciphering history usually stayed away from quarrels and disvalued honors and titles. Most were not complicated; in fact, they were usually naïve.
To them, their research was everything; academics and theories were life. Something like plagiarism was the mortal sin. That was why Barthélémy was so despondent after hearing of this.
“What a pity.” He invited the messenger into the library. After pouring tea, he was silent for a long while before taking off his glasses and sighing. “I understand the Union’s intentions. Do they want me to attend the appraisal as an appraiser?”
“Correct.” The messenger nodded.
But Barthélémy’s worried look grew richer. “I chose to become a scholar with a Starry Eye once I entered the Resonance level because I detest fighting and hurting others. I can’t believe now you want me to be the executioner.”
The messenger was stunned. “Master, what do you mean?”
“You don’t understand.” The old man shook his head bitterly. “To a scholar, their research and study is like breathing, and their results are life. No matter what the final result is, one of these two scholars will ‘die.’ To a scholar, this is not an appraisal but an execution.”
After a long pause, the messenger hung his head. “I was presumptuous.”
“You are not to blame. In the end, this is a matter of the academic world and must use the academic world’s methods to solve. Who else can play the role of the executioner other than us old fellows? You must have sent an invitation letter to Sergey, correct? That guy has such a fiery temper. He will definitely agree.”
“Yes.” The messenger nodded. “There are five in total who were invited. Other than you and master Sergey, there is also Miss Lola Caput from Anglo, master Heisenberg of the Rock Institute, and a great master of ancient Eastern runes who is staying in the Sacred City.”
“Ancient Eastern runes?” Barthélémy was stunned. “It’s been lost for so many years but there is still someone studying it?”
The messenger replied honestly, “It’s a scholar from the East. He arrived in the Sacred City half a year ago. Not many know about his identity and I only know that his surname is Hu. The cardinal refers to him as Sun.”
“I must be ignorant.” Barthélémy nodded and thought for a while. “When do we set off?”
Hearing that he was willing to attend, the messenger was instantly overjoyed. “We’ve prepared the fastest light-rail carriage and a ship. You can arrive in Anglo within six days.”
The Musician’s Union knew that Barthélémy rarely left his home and was not used to planes, and had therefore prepared the fastest route. Barthélémy nodded in accord. After setting the time of departure, he sent a servant to see the messenger out.
When the representative of the Musician’s Union left, Barthélémy sat in his library and sighed helplessly after a long time. He was no longer in the mood to continue researching.
“What a pity. I almost had a breakthrough for the Emerald Tablet…” Shaking his head, he took off his glasses. He wanted to go out for a walk but ran into the servant who had quickly returned.
“Sir, you have an urgent letter.” The servant offered him the letter that he had just received.
“Letter? Who sent it?” Barthélémy accepted the letter but there was no name on the envelope. There was only the trace of a wax seal.
It was the silhouette of a crow.
For the next few days, the history department did not accept any guests.
Because of their home, and that they must prepare for the appraisal in ten days, the principal specifically gave them a building near the library for their temporary residence. They rejected all who wanted to see them and closed the door tightly. They used the Requiem Enchantment’s strength to isolate both the inside and outside of the building. Not a peep could be heard, let alone the ability to record videos.
The white-haired youth moved between the library and their residency every day.
Inside the school, everyone started paying attention to this event after news of the Musician’s Union’s appraisal spread. For a time, it created a storm. People argued over both the reasons and the results. The many fights gave the executive office giant headaches.
On the other hand, it was not just the school that was in a flurry.
It could be said that the entire ancient world of academia was shaken by the Musician’s Union’s notification. Most scholars had not heard of the news that the Voynich Manuscript had been successfully interpreted and were shocked when they received the message. Then, they realized that this giant breakthrough had such a hidden flaw.
Many scholars obsessed with interpretation had begun traveling to Anglo from all over. The one who traveled the farthest was a monk who hailed from India. There were still many days before the appraisal but many had already arrived. They stayed at inns near the Musician’s Union and chatted in their free time, exchanging ideas of academia.
If not for the fact that everyone had come for the appraisal, this would have become an academic event. Abraham’s notes had been attained by people with connections to the Union and spread secretly.
An argument over whether this was a crooked solution or a clever path instantly exploded. The appraisal had not begun yet, but there were already signs of the debate.
On the ninth day, the three grandmasters, Barthélémy, Sergey, and Heisenberg arrived. After conversing shortly with the local scholar, Miss Lola Caput, they rejected other welcoming procedures and went to rest in their arranged inns.
On the tenth day, the long-closed door to the history department was finally opened. The principal was also called to the palace by the emperor. He had been watching the show for so long; now it was time for his unfortunate event.
–
In the quiet hall, Maxwell stood at the bottom of the steps without a word, head lowered politely. On the other side of the curtain, a graceful female’s voice traveled from the throne. Her voice was steady and majestic.
“Is my mind playing tricks on me? Maxwell, why do strange things always happen in your academy?”
Maxwell could not help but chuckle bitterly. Lowering his head, he answered, “Perhaps…because I’m unlucky?”
The queen was not angry. Instead, she calmly advised, “The academy belongs to the royal family. If anything happens, it damages the royal reputation. Now is a stormy time and you must leave some space for the royal family. You should understand what else I must say, correct?”
“Yes.” The bitterness in Maxwell’s face grew stronger. “To be honest, I’ve already tried my hardest not to add more grief to the royal family, but this involves the ringing of the Philosopher’s Bell. I must be careful. You’ve called me this time because of the Musician’s Union’s appraisal, right?”
Behind the curtain, the vague silhouette nodded. “The Union will think that this event happened in Anglo, so the royal family should send a representative to partake in the appraisal.”
Maxwell thought for a moment. “Your Majesty, are you thinking of sending me?”
“You work with national matters and work hard. These small matters don’t concern you.” The queen’s voice was tinged with anger. She was clearly not praising the blood, sweat and tears he had put in for Anglo.
Maxwell froze. “Then…”
“Let the crown prince go.”
The queen’s words stunned Maxwell. “The crown prince?”
Your Majesty, are you joking?!
Though it is the royal family’s scandal, everyone in Anglo knew that the crown prince, the first heir of the throne, was a retard. His brain had not developed since he was four-years-old, and he still thought he was a sheep…If he represented the royal family and said something weird, the royal family would have no more dignity!
Thankfully, the empress’s next words gave him some relief. “His health is not good these days. I’ll have someone go with him.”
“Who?” As Maxwell asked, he suddenly heard a tidal sound from the throne.
It was the sea tide.
It was the sound of countless flames flowing together and burning everything to ashes. The broke sounds formed a roaring tidal wave. This was the terrifying power brewing in the royal family’s blood—the Dragon Bloodline!
This power and mysterious curse was passed down the generations of the royal blood. After centuries, it had grown stronger rather than weakening.
In that instant, Maxwell almost thought that the empress had risen from her seat, but he quickly realized that it was not the empress because it was controllable. A manageable power was not the Dragon Bloodline because the Dragon Bloodline was uncontrollable.
If the empress had truly risen, the entire palace would be reduced to ashes. Someone who could control this power…had someone in the royal family awoken their bloodline?
“Is it Queen Mary?”
It suddenly dawned on him. Mary had awoken her bloodline three years ago and had already reached this level…Was there another empress in this generation after Empress Elizabeth?
Behind the curtain and beside the throne sat a youth in a white dress. She did not speak, but the practically inhuman gaze made one feel danger lurking.
After her eighteenth birthday a few days ago, Arthur’s bloodline had further awoken, causing her coldness to become even more inhuman. Now, there were signs of Hermes’ arrogance in her.
When King Arthur had used the holy operation to cleanse his blood, he had transformed into a demigod, unique to the world. A demigod was neither a god nor a man. To the heirs of this bloodline, the human world was probably as boring as a desert.
It seemed that the queen was determined to foster Mary and let her take over the throne. Next, she would be given all kinds of orders to develop her popularity and ruling experience…ten years later, there would be another queen similar to the one currently on the throne.
Understanding this, Maxwell lowered his head and answered, “I understand.”
The queen on the throne seemed to nod. “This matter involves too many parties. During this, I hope that you will not play any inglorious roles, understand?”
“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Half-kneeling on the ground, Maxwell lowered your eyes. “All will go as you wish.”
Behind the throne was a long and narrow window. The sun had risen to its peak in that window. The blazing light shone down, elongating the throne’s shadow like a long sword.
In the air, a faraway bell rang out, echoing in all directions.
–
As the midday bell rang, the bustling city seemed to suddenly become muted; it was peaceful and quiet.
Under the afternoon sun, a white-haired youth sat lazily on a bench in a square of midtown. It looked as if he was sunbathing.
After sitting in the dark room for nine days, he had finally finished everything. Charles, Bai Xi, and he had all been close to going crazy. So for the last day, they decided to take a break and enjoy the last moment of relaxation. They could gather their spirits and be prepared for tomorrow’s battle.
Then Ye Qingxuan realized that he did not have anywhere else to go.
The Shaman’s? He did not want to interact with the Shaman when unnecessary.
Lola? Lola was one of the judges and it was improper to interact with her privately now.
The clock shop? No, the boss was looking at him more and more strangely these days, like a cat playing with a mouse. Ye Qingxuan did not know what he was planning.
The library? No, he had almost gone crazy from nine days of deciphering without sleep, and he should give himself a break.
So on this last day…Ye Qingxuan found that he had nowhere to go.
And so he wandered aimlessly down the streets. He bought some vegetables and meat to refill their supply; he could make something to treat themselves tonight. He also bought a bunch of snacks for Bai Xi, as well as alcohol and new Sacred City machinery magazine for Charles.
After doing all that, Ye Qingxuan discovered that there was nothing else he could do. He usually could not get any break, but now, he could not stand it. He could only sunbathe.
Sunbathing could supplement vitamins…Ye Qingxuan did not know what ‘vitamins’ from Charles’ dream talk meant but it sounded like a good thing. Under the gentle midday sun, he drowsily closed his eyes, close to falling asleep.
After a long time, he felt the sunlight weaken and a shadow envelope him.
“…” Someone seemed to say something but it was not in the lingua franca. Instead, it sounded foreign.
Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes in confusion and looked at the figure with his back to the sun. His contours were strange; his hair was tied and his head covered.
“Brother, may I ask for directions?” the man repeated. This time, Ye Qingxuan heard clearly that it was an Eastern dialect.
The youth straightened on the bench and stared. The middle-aged black-haired man stood beside him. He was clad in a blue-green Eastern robe and his hands were clasped in greeting; he exuded grace. Was this really an Easterner?
Ye Qingxuan asked, “Are you from the East?”
“Yes, yes.” The man nodded with an emotional expression. “My surname is Hu and I am just a traveler. Being in a foreign country, I was worried because my lingua franca is not very fluent, but I can’t believe I met my brethren. It’s such great news.” With that, he handed over a wrinkled strip of paper. “Would you know how to travel to this destination?”
His pronunciation was strange, like some Eastern dialect, and he spoke quickly. Ye Qingxuan had not heard Eastern languages in many years and had a hard time understanding.
Taking the paper, he froze when he saw the address. He quickly processed it and pointed in a direction. “This place is easy. Just turn right up front, walk to the end, and then walk toward the busiest direction. The place you’re looking for is in the center of the right. If you can’t read the names, it’s the one with least business.”
Hearing his directions, Mr. Hu let out a sigh of relief and grasped his hands, spouting words of gratitude.
“No problem.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. Seeing that it was late, he picked up his belongings and got up to leave.
The middle-aged scholar remained frozen in confusion, watching the youth leave. After a long while, he muttered, “A Dragon Bloodline wandering around in the barbaric west? Whatever, let’s just see it as good luck. Those nine families do the weirdest things.”
–
Following the youth’s directions, the scholar quickly found the place. In the end, he stood before the quiet clock shop. Studying the deserted shop and the other bustling stores, his expressions grew rich.
“It really is the quietest store…does this man know how to do business? He doesn’t even have a hawker.”
He sighed quietly and stepped forward but he froze when he moved to knock. He had only raised a hand but the hair on the back of his hand stood up as if electrocuted. Sweat seeped out of his fingertips and his palm was moist but it instantly dried as if it was baking in an oven.
After a long time, he put his hand down and sighed. He wanted to leave but was not willing. He stood before the door for one full hour. He raised his hand three times and set it down three times.
Everything fell silent before the silence was covered by the bustling noise again.
“Boss isn’t here.” After a long while, an unfriendly voice sounded behind him. The burly man eyed him. “What are you standing there for? Blocking the way?”
The scholar froze but quickly laughed at himself. “Then I shall return another day.” He put his hands together and turned to leave.
“Crazy.” Holding a bucket of beer, Seton eyed the man as he left and looked away. But when he entered the shop, he felt there was something wrong with what he was standing on. Looking down, he realized that the mat had been ripped to shreds of cotton. The tatters of cotton and yarn had been forced into the cement as if they had grown there and seemed abnormally strange.
Seton squatted and grabbed a handful. He ended up pulling up two blocks of cement.
“You *sshole, when did you piss off Easterners again?” Seton pushed the door open and glared at the counter. Behind it, Hermes sat amongst a pile of beer bottles. He was drunk with dazed eyes, but Seton’s expression suddenly went slack.
“What’s wrong?” Hermes looked up at him. “You look like you saw a ghost. I’m still alive, alright. Be happier.”
Seton’s expression was still shocked. After hesitating for a long time, he asked quietly, “You…got taller?”
It had been more than a decade since Seton had been discharged and Hermes gave him his first illegal job. Hermes had always looked like a youth since then.
Seton was sure that Hermes had been like this for who-knew-how-long since before he knew Hermes—and he would continue living like a devil.
But now he suddenly realized that this guy seemed to have gotten taller. It was as if the frozen time had finally started flowing. The childhood years that had lasted forever had finally ended and adolescent years had come.
After measuring, Seton discovered that Hermes had grown around three centimeters and his frame seemed to have grown too. His clothing was slightly unsuitable now.
“You’ve really grown.” Seton asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m happy.” Hermes stared at him and then, unexpectedly, did not make any snarky comments. Instead, he just laughed weirdly and drank alcohol as he muttered to himself with a serious tone, “After such a long time, my childhood is finally over. What good news, good news…”
