Silent Crown Chapter 117

“Open the Fifth Seal in my name!”

Thundering came from deep within Avalon. Lightning shot out from the endless black clouds in the eerie sky. It illuminated the ghastly white palace. Within the palace, the queen sleeping on the throne opened her eyes.

“Allowed.”

Sir Lancelot stood below the throne. The seal in his hands, created by royal blood, instantly began to shake. The bell at the top of the Elizabeth Tower began to ring. The ringing cut across the skies and earth, resounding nine times.

Dominic stood before the door of the Jianlan Underground Palace. The bell slowly pushed the door open. Darkness no longer resided in the world behind the door. Endless light rolled out like a tidal wave.

The sound of a choir singing in a low voice resounded in everyone’s ears. The tide of light surged and shot into the black sky. The fog was swept away and the aura of the abyss no longer remained because an immense sun was rising slowly. The world was instantly brightened.

A ray of red light brewed within the sun and descended from the sky. The frozen world was shattered by its power and light fell into the Shaman’s palms. He clenched his hands.

It was as if all the power in the world was in his hands. The light illuminated the true appearance of the beam of radiance. It was an ancient and majestic sword! The hole in the Shaman’s chest was quickly repaired. His bones grew and mended the crack. He instantly recovered.

Blazing wings of light burst from his back. The large wings created a flood in the aetheric sea. Endless strength converged above the Shaman, transforming into a halo. Now, the Shaman was no longer the lord of darkness. He was now the only king of the world—the noble one who ruled over the world with dignity. It was as if King Arthur had come back to life.

After centuries, the absolute power given to Anglo by the heavens, the legendary weapon that had killed the natural catastrophe Leviathan—the Sword in the Stone—had finally re-appeared! This world had changed drastically.

In the mud, Ingmar finally processed everything. He gaped at the glowing figure. His muddled mind was somehow stimulated. He shuddered and finally became clear-headed again. However, he felt ineffable fear.

How could this be? How could this be? How could this be?!

“Ma-Ma-Maxwell!” His features twisted. Pointing at the one shrouded in light, he shrieked as if in a nightmare, “How can you be here?! You clearly…this is impossible…this is impossible!”

“It’s simple.” The majestic man with wings stood in the light and looked back coldly at him. “Because I am the Shaman.”

The wings of light flapped. Ingmar’s body sagged and scattered like dust. The Shaman—no, Maxwell—flew into the sky, reigning from between the heavens and earth. He asked gravely, “Where are the knights?”

The sound of swords unsheathing came from every corner of Avalon like thunder. Eight beams of light shot into the sky. The knights clad in armor had finally regrouped.

Galahad, Geraint, Gareth, Bedivere, Kay, Lamorak, Aglovale, Tristan…The knights of the Round Table were ready to fight!

“Good.” Maxwell nodded. “Royal Musician Division.”

In an instant, overlapping waves of aether flashed from every corner of Avalon. In a hidden room, six grandmasters and hundreds of musicians resonated with the sword. There were even two Scepter-level waves that surged from the end of the sea. They came from thousands of miles away and contained all the strength.

The light around Maxwell burned brighter as if he truly was the sun.

The sunlight shrouded the Round Table Knights. It cut the barrier between the aetheric and material world and fell into the black shadow realm.

Immediately afterward, wild thundering resounded in the air. “Men, follow me to kill the god!”

–

The shadow realm instantly shook. Amongst the earth-shattering thunder, a blazing sun rose from the eternal night. It illuminated the world from its place high up in the sky. Blazing sunlight fell and swept the gray fog away from the city.

The countless black dust wailed and shook. They shot up into the sky and scattered under the violent brilliance. The still city awoke again under the light and finally resonated again.

At that moment, Maxwell had already descended from the sky. The Sword in the Stone played the Chapter of the Golden Victory, awakening the lost royal power in Avalon’s Shadow. Four immense shadows emerged under the brilliance. They carried terrifying auras and slammed down on the aether world. They said, “Come.”

The sun that descended from the sky contained the king’s crown and descended onto the ground. The control of Avalon’s Shadow was instantly robbed. Maxwell entered the shadow world easily and swung his sword down with might.

The darkness shook. Infinite light pierced into the depths along with the blade. It instantly crossed thousands of miles straight to the heart! Before the palace, the Dark Lord froze. The ancient sword pierced his chest and shone with royal power, imploding. Lit on fire, he roared.

One moment he still had control. The next moment, Kingdom Come’s strength fell from the sky and fatally wounded the Dark Lord who had been focused on opening Avalon’s Shadow.

“Sword in the Stone?” he asked hoarsely, looking down at the sword in him with shock.

“Yeah, you didn’t expect it, right?” Maxwell sneered behind him. “It’s finally awakened after being hidden away for so many years. The sheath was even repaired. Mr. Deity, are you surprised?”

It suddenly dawned on the Dark Lord. “This was all your plan.”

Maxwell leered from within the flames. His smile was filled with malice and craze.

For centuries after Arthur had fallen, this Dark Lord’s influence had been seeping into Anglo and snooping from the shadows. For all these years, the royal family had cast a blind eye, allowing it to become stronger.

Downtown, the Parliament, the Blood Path, Avalon’s Shadow, the Bell Authority… Everything—all the years of quiet endurance and waiting—were done in order for this deity to lower his guards and walk his incarnate into the prepared trap. For this, so many people had lost their lives, so many had died soundlessly. They even used Arthur’s corpse as bait just for this moment to arrive. They uprooted the evil hand that reached into the mortal world and destroyed it completely! They would even kill the incarnation of a deity! This was a battle between men and gods. After centuries of planning and decades of acting, it was now…just starting!

Boom! Flames shot from the Stone in the Stone. It shattered the Dark Lord’s chest. The strength from the abyss shook and collapsed. The root was cut off.

“You’ve been watching from the side all these years, making everyone panic. We put in so much to invite you down so we’ll definitely welcome you warmly.” Maxwell asked, “What do you think about my Starry Sky? I personally made it. Does it suit your taste?”

The Dark Lord growled. His broken chest seemed to contain a bottomless abyss. Inside it, countless faces continuously appeared and hoarsely chanted a blasphemous song. Darkness swept through again.

Light and darkness battled amidst the turmoil. Tsunamis were formed in the aether sea. The aftershocks and waves shook the shadow world, pushing it close to collapse. The war was only just beginning in the realm of the fallen scepter, before the aether and material world.

Amidst the resonance, Ye Qingxuan hid under the Elizabeth Tower. He closed his eyes and cut off all communication with the aether. Even so, he was practically paralyzed by the wild ripples from the core.

Lofty beams of light hacked down from the Sword in the Stone. Each movement caused floods that disappeared once it flowed into the darkness. The sun and dark night crashed and wrestled in the sky. Everything swept into the air waves were scattered like dust.

But this was Avalon, after all. It was the home turf of the Sword in the Stone. Even faced with the majestic incarnation of a god, Maxwell was able to have the upper hand for a bit. In addition, he had the Round Table Knights to add some hits in between. The phantom beast in the holy armor had been completely awakened too. Nine different beastly features materialized.

The claws, eyes, flames, teeth…the nine features combined and formed the Red Dragon. It let out an earth-shattering roar. Spitting fire, its majesty became tangible and spread. It destroyed all the demons in its way and restrained a portion of the abyss’ power.

It was nine against one. The royal musicians were also sending reinforcement from the outside too. All of Anglo’s strength was united to fight against the god.

Soon the world shook and the darkness was furious. A giant crack opened leading to the abyss. Countless demons swarmed from the crack. Dozens of big demons appeared and wrestled with the Red Dragon.

The Dark Lord’s figure flickered and dissipated.

“You want to leave?” Maxwell scoffed. “The door’s closed. How can I let you escape? That guy over there, stop wasting time! It’s time for you to shine!”

Ye Qingxuan froze. He flew toward the top level of the Elizabeth Tower. Pressing down onto the center of the enchantment, his heart flashed behind the crack in his chest. The core had been activated. He immediately felt immense power surge into the enchantment from the outside world. He could barely control the waves from the aether sea! He looked around carefully and realized the power was right beside him.

“Outside Avalon’s Shadow?” he murmured. An old man stood under the moonlight at the top of the white tower outside Avalon. He seemed to be meditating. The young musician beside him lowered his head respectfully. “Grandmaster Hadyn, you can begin now.”

“Well, things can’t be delayed.” One of the thirteen present saints, the greatest musician who inherited the name of ‘Haydn,’ opened his eyes and spread an ancient scroll from his hand.

On the ancient scroll, there were dark strokes that made up the notes and composing mysterious movements. They suddenly turned into several scenes with the aetheric fluctuations. They changed from emptiness to the darkness of the abyss, to an indescribable existence above the water, to…a glimmer of light!

“Let there be light,” said Haydn. And so there was light.

In the middle of the sky and earth, nine layers of the aetheric sea resonated. Everything sang for the birth of light. The countless light blended into the collapsing enchantment of Avalon, and completely integrated with it. The miracle was here.

“Genesis?” Ye Qingxuan looked up blankly at the light falling from the sky. This was the peak of the School of Abstinence, the origin of the universe observable from the nature of aether, the origin of all, the movement of creation and destruction—Genesis!

For a moment, Ye Qingxuan almost melted and integrated into the light. On the top of the tower, the bell thundered, singing for the creation of this world! Infinite power sprouted from the depths of the enchantment, almost crushing his tiny consciousness into pieces. Ye Qingxuan only had the time to trigger Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. He used all his effort to guide the endless mighty torrents and gather them in the sky.

“So this is how it is!” Ye Qingxuan was ecstatic. His mind had melted into the enchantment to help the enchantment absorb the light. It was as if he was experiencing the magnificent changes in Genesis by himself. It was the peak of the School of Abstinence, the origin of all music theory, the essence of the aether. Creation or destruction was just the difference of a thought!

Instantly, his understanding of the School of Abstinence’s Nature increased. His confusions about the School of Stone Heart’s music theory were also solved. The movement in his mind fell apart and reassembled. His view of the world was suddenly offset but soon recalibrated.

This feeling was unprecedented. His soul seemed to be infinitely magnified and he was drunk in the light of creation. It was like observing the world with the eyes of aether. The world became brand new.

Next, time seemed to be reversed! The dark cellar under the Elizabeth Tower had been silent for hundreds of years. The alchemy had long disintegrated and fallen into silence. Now, it was revived. On sixteen dark stone tablets, layers of notes lit up. The melody of the movement roared.

This was the control center that the alchemist made for Avalon hundreds of years ago. The alchemy technology that transcended that era created the world’s largest ‘tuning instrument’ at that time. No ‘differential machines’ or ‘analyzers’ in the world could be more efficient than it. The ‘aether ball’ was only its research sub-product. Its control of movements meant nothing when compared to this tuning instrument.

Only such a behemoth could perform the accurate control that the vast enchantment of Avalon and kingdom required when running. When ‘Kingdom Come’ shattered hundreds of years ago, it also fell apart with the city and became legends and secrets hidden in the ancient scrolls. But under the shining light, it seemed that time had become an ancient book whose pages could be turned arbitrarily. The past, which was recorded in the aether, was drawn out to be rewritten. It was reflected in this space, returning to their glorious moment.

Thus, the tuning instrument lit up again. Countless notes flickered on the sixteen tall. Countless complex music theory flashed until, finally, the notes re-accessed the enchantment under the control of the core.

Bang! The enchantment quaked under that wisp of mysterious light. It was intensified and even took over Avalon’s Shadow. The kingdom of shadows was completely sealed and isolated from all interferences outside.

In Avalon’s Shadow, the magnificent melody and voice sang the song of creation. The enchantment and Scepter field gathered in one place and were upgraded endlessly.

The extinguished stars lit up again one by one and started running. The zodiacs released dazzling light. In the end, a ring crossed the sky like a river of stars. Endless starlight converged into the lofty sunlight and moonlight. In a moment, the oppressive scorching sun and cold moonlight descended from the sky.

The dead Scepter field was resurrected?

In that glimmer of light, a new world seemed to be created.

“Of course this is here,” someone said. “It is always here.”

Boom! The Dark Lord, who was about to disappear, was suddenly ‘bounced ‘ back into the world and was almost chopped into two pieces by the sword that followed. He growled furiously and enlarged the narrowing world. The intensity of this realm was enhanced. This meant he could use all his strength!

But before Maxwell’s frenzied onslaught, his actions had been constrained as if he was afraid of something exceedingly dangerous—something even more terrifying than the Sword in the Stone. Only another natural catastrophe could scare a natural catastrophe. He could perceive that there was another natural catastrophe, another one in this realm… But who was it?

This incarnation of God quickly pondered. Continually ruled out other clues, he finally located the target.

“I see…” The Dark Lord ground his teeth. His face became hideous. His angry voice spread from the aetheric world. “Hermes! Why did you betray the contract?”

“What! Watch your mouth, Hyakume. How can you just accuse people like that?” a frivolous voice responded. “I’ve followed the contract well. I never meddled in the war between man and natural catastrophe. So far, I did not say a word, nor did I touch a hair. I haven’t even been to Avalon’s Shadow for many years. Sorry, it’s not my fault!”

“Liar!” Hyakume roared.

“Well, if you insist, I did interfere a little in this, but…what can you do to me?” Hermes’s tone became cold and vicious. “You are on the wrong team, Hyakume! You think I don’t know that you’re secretly hooking up with that son of a b*tch East Duke to make a mess in the East?

“Three wise men, three pillars of God, four living creatures. There are so many other natural catastrophes, and I don’t care who you hook up with. However, if you dare to help him, I will definitely object!

“I advise you to stop quietly. Don’t meddle in the things between us two. Otherwise, I’ll throw away my dignity and partner with Sacred Blood.”

“Someday, you’ll pay for this!” Hyakume was so furious that hundreds of waves crashed in the aetheric world.

Hermes just sneered. “Take care of yourself first! I’m also curious as to who’s watching you.”

The communication was cut off. But in the abyss, Hyakume’s rage did not stop, but…his incarnation had fallen into the physical realms. The connection between him and the incarnation had been severed. He could not do anything, even if the incarnation was sealed, imprisoned or even killed! It was one of his nine incarnations. It was also one-ninth of his essence. This was not only one-ninth of his strength. This was like one-ninth of his shadow.

Just as human beings had different images from nine directions, each one was vital. None was dispensable. With the loss of the one, the other eight incarnations would surely be weakened.

Over the years, it had not been easy to accumulate so much strength in order to occupy more large tributaries and create a complete River Styx. But now he had taken a hit.

For a time, dark musicians all over the world could sense the murderous intent and rage condensed in the Abyss. But there was a more disturbing question in the midst of chaos. If the other natural catastrophe was not Hermes, then…who was it?!

There was one possibility. But that possibility may even make the abyss tremble. Countless secrets were hidden deep in the darkness.

–

In Avalon’s Shadow, the Dark Lord was defeated. Cracks staggered across his body. The complex music theory in the depths of his body continued to crumble. He could barely suppress it anymore. This body made of aether and movements had reached its limit.

He roared hoarsely, took off his right eye, and angrily crushed it. In the darkness, a shadow suddenly projected and infiltrated into the Sword in the Stone. The flame suddenly dimmed from the pollution of curse.

The Dark Lord opened his hands and suddenly smashed his chest. The wound made by the Sword in the Stone cracked again. Under the tear, his whole body split into two. One pounced toward Maxwell, burning its own power to keep Maxwell in place. The other rushed to the collapsing palace!

Here was the home of the Sword in the Stone. With the incarnation’s strength, it was difficult to contend with the power accumulated by Avalon, so he would just…solve the root of the problem! Since this incarnation was on the verge of collapse, he just used another one.

As long as he found King Arthur first, converted him into a dark follower under his command, and took over his body, the advantages of Anglo would be completely undermined.

Both the Sword in the Stone and the continuously intensifying enchantment of Avalon were all things of the past and the extension of Kingdom Come to King Arthur. In Arthur’s body, these things would no longer be a threat to Hyakume. In fact…they would be useful for him!

“Stop him!” Maxwell’s face changed but he could not catch up now.

The shadow struck down. Then, in the city, eight beams of light rose in succession. The first one was Tristan. That burly knight sprang up and waved his sword, dashing toward the shadow. Storms were set off. In an instant, Hyakume’s shadow staggered and dissipated into mist. It fell through Tristan to the earth.

Tristan’s body shook. Frozen in the air, he was almost engulfed by the evil intentions therein.

Geraint’s armor was like the flesh and blood of a living thing. Like a beast, it ran on its limbs, roaring and leaping from the earth, and gnashed forcefully. However, even its swift speed could not stop that swift shadow.

Following were Gareth, Lamorak, and others. They attacked at the same time. The Red Dragon’s shadow flashed and spat out blue fire. However, the dragon lost its agility and its wings were sliced off.

Traces of cracks immediately appeared on three knights. Their weakness was seized in that blow and they were deeply wounded.

“In the name of the knight, put an end to all evil intentions!” Under the armor of Galahad, Christine drew her sword and proclaimed seriously.

Swords clanged. The sound of the sword condensed into something tangible and spread to all directions. Everywhere the sound passed, aetheric connections were cut off and forcibly suppressed. But the shadow’s speed was not reduced. It stretched out a hand and suddenly pressed down.

Boom! Christine’s sword fell out of her hand, her body was trembling. The face under the helmet was bright red. She vomited black blood from the backlash and was unable to move.

The breath from the abyss… This was a ubiquitous breath of abyss.

She could perceive the germination of evil intentions from the heart. It almost took the control of her mind. Murderous intent, greed, lust, and anger that she had never experienced now burst out endlessly. Even the sword of Galahad could not suppress it.

Anyone infected by that breath would reveal the evil in their nature and they would be eroded by the movement. If one did not strive to contend with that power, the evil intention would possibly be deeply implanted into the heart. It would be unable to be expelled until, one day, the victim would completely degenerate into a follower of a natural catastrophe. It was horrible.

“Right at this time…” It had to be during this situation! If she was stronger, if she had foreseen this earlier, if her father had not been seriously injured during the early years and could fight now, this would never have happened! Christine gritted her teeth and sank into a deep humiliation.

Unlike other families, the Lancelot family had been trusted by the royal family since the kingdom was found. What the family inherited was not just one but two titles.

As early as the first generation, Lancelot and Galahad were son and father, both of whom were among the Knights of the Round Table. Therefore, every generation of Lancelot’s title must be inherited by Galahad after the death of his father. In other words, Galahad was Lancelot’s reserve.

And in all knights that currently existed, Lancelot’s position was the most exalted. In addition to the lineage, it also required absolute integrity. One needed to have all seven virtues of knighthood to obtain the recognition of the phantom beast and become the legendary Lancelot du Lac.

Only Lancelot and Gawain had the highest moral standards. They had neither the fear of the natural catastrophe’s infectious breath nor the risk of depravity.

Unfortunately, the current Lancelot was severely wounded while protecting the royal family from an assassination in his early days. His lungs were damaged. Although there was no harm to everyday activities, he could no longer set foot on the battlefield. Otherwise, such a horrible situation would not have occured.

“This sucks.” Maxwell ground his teeth under the curse, his expression gloomy.

The situation instantly grew dire. The Dark Lord’s approaching could almost break the seals on the palace gate. Once he entered, the preparations and planning of the years would all be in vain. So many people’s sacrifice and effort would mean nothing. Now the only one that could stop him was…

“Charles!”

“Charles…”

Charles seemed to hear a moan from hell. He turned around. Jerome’s withered face was in a puddle of blood with its mouth open. The man had withered and dried out under the erosion of the abyss’s breath. He looked like a weathered skeleton but the glow of his soul still remained in his body.

“Pick up…” He used the last of his strength to grasp Charles’s hand. Ghostly fire burned in his eyes. “Pick it up, Charles! Pick it up! Only you…”

Only you can stop him!

“Me?” Charles froze. He looked down blankly at the spear in the pool of blood. This was the replica of St. George’s spear, a powerful ancient artifact. “You w-want me to go?” he muttered.

Looking up at the incoming black shadow, he trembled. He wanted to say, Can you give me an easier job? I’m innocent. I’ve accomplished things for Anglo, I’ve bled for the Research Institute. I want to see Newton! Why should a researcher go onto the battlefield? I’m not even a f*cking musician! If you can do it then you go! I don’t have a girlfriend yet. I have old and young ones and a junior to take care of. I can’t go, no way. I haven’t showed off my good looks and amazing talent yet. I can’t just die here… But I’ll die if I go or don’t go. Can’t I choose a better death? But neither is a better death.

“So…I have to go?” he muttered to himself.

His body followed Jerome’s words. Perhaps it was because it was an order from a dying man, or perhaps his tone was filled with anticipation and power, or…deep down, he was attracted.

Power. Power was under his feet.

In the pool of blood, Jerome’s eyes were hopeful. Charles, do you want to be a failure for life and see people’s disappointed eyes or be a hero? Even if just for a moment…

And so Charles bent down and picked up ‘power.’ It was like holding a piece of burning iron. He yelled in pain and fell to his knees as he convulsed. Fire coursed through his body, trying to burn him to ashes. Immense power surged from the spear and engulfed his mind, shattering it.

Furious fire emerged from his broken mind, causing him to scream. Like a dying dragon, the tangible power of the dragon burst from his body. It lifted and tore apart every living thing. Jerome was swept in as well but he smiled in satisfaction.

Yes! Just like this! Charles, you can do it and you must! Jerome grinned before he disintegrated. His remaining strength converged in his blood and flowed into Charles’s cracked skin. A mortal who dared to enter the realm of a deity would be burned by the radiance. Even though this was a backup product, St. George’s spear still contained a large enough power that could scorch him.

He only needed one moment; one moment would suffice. If Charles could stop the Dark Lord, everything would be worth it, no matter how horrible the sacrifice!

Scalding blood burst from his body. Charles howled in pain. He was ruled by the power and searing light shot out from his eyes. It was as if the sun was blazing in his body. Power and the scepter, pain, and torture came together.

Roaring, Charles grasped the spear. Blurry music notes on the spear lit up with blinding light. The spear seemed to have lost its confusion and become a terrifying existence that had been suppressed forcefully. The dragon spirit sealed within roared wildly. The sky and earth shook.

Charles held the spear tightly amidst the light and pierced forward. All the aether before the spear burned away, creating a vacuum. Everything in this area was destined to die.

“Don’t you dare!” the Dark Lord bellowed from the wave of darkness.

He seemed to drag the entire abyss with him—he was unstoppable!

The power of the abyss and St. George’s spear clashed directly. Even Avalon’s enchantment could not detect the changes of aether. It was just a muddled mess.

In the turmoil, the abyss’s aura seethed, creating wild ripples. Charles stood within the burning light and screamed in pain.

“Charles?” In that moment, Ye Qingxuan was taken aback at the top of the Elizabeth Tower. There was no time to hesitate. Clenching his jaw, he pressed the crack on his chest. It resonated!

The bell rang instantly. With the sub-originator as a fulcrum, he levered Avalon’s enchantment. In the dark cellar, sixteen stone tablets began turning amidst rumbling. They changed their positions and angles, creating a new structure.

Under the great shaking, the moon in the sky turned. As if time had passed in an instant, the full moon waned and fell above Charles. Moonlight crashed down like a waterfall and encased Charles within the turbid mess.

“Please work, please work, please work…” Clenching his jaw, Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes and prayed. He used his will to guide the enchantment’s strength from the sky, transform into moonlight, and enter Charles’ body. Using his own experience of constructing the sub-originator inside him, he suppressed the wild aether within Charles. It felt like he was trying to block an erupting volcano.

Ye Qingxuan paled and spat out a mouthful of blood. He was only shouldering part of the pressure but practically collapsed from it. Charles was not even an official musician but he could control that strength and keep his body intact. How talented was he actually?!

With the support of the tuning instrument, Ye Qingxuan transported all the pressure to the enchantment through the sub-originator without hesitation. He utilized all the strength he could and instantly fought into the chaos through resonation.

Moonlight wrapped around Charles’s limbs. It evaporated from the fire but reappeared as soon as it disappeared. Ye Qingxuan endured the intense pain that flared every moment and forcefully maintained the connection and resonance between the two.

“A mere replica…” Deep in the dark abyss, the Dark Lord ground his teeth. He changed his shape and the oddly-shaped skeletal shell opened its hands, gripping St. George’s spear, which was being stabbed at his chest.

His hands scraped against the light; sparks flew and different music theories constantly tangled, twisted, and destroyed, creating abnormal aftershocks. He angrily studied Charles and looked past him. He seemed to be able to see the youth’s mind in the moonlight. In the abyss, pure evil intent rushed into their minds along with the moonlight. “I didn’t expect…it’s you two…”

“This trick doesn’t work!” Ye Qingxuan shielded Charles. The formless river in his mind welcomed the various images from the abyss. It broke at the touch but a moon rose in the defeated river and withstood the momentary attack. Then he opened his mouth and used all his strength to yell, “Maxwell, what the f*ck are you still waiting for?!”

A blazing sun descended from the sky. Whistling, the Sword in the Stone pierced the darkness, destroying everything. Sixteen layers of feathers broke through the air. The Sword in the Stone had been filled to the brim and now it sliced down! It had been a millennium years since this was last seen!

The Chapter of Golden Victory burst forth. It created an immense vortex in the aether sea. All power that it could touch was swallowed and shot out from the sword blade, forming the ultimate formula of the School of Modifications—the Elemental Vacuum!

The sword descended from the sky and hacked off the abyss and head. It also pierced the incarnation’s core, cutting apart its brain. After a muffled boom, all was silent. The chaos dissipated; the abyss dissipated. St. George’s spear pierced the Dark Lord’s chest and destroyed his last attack with an explosion of power.

“So…it is…” The Dark Lord’s face had shattered as if weathered by wind. However, it was still vicious and furious. “Ye Lanzhou, so you already…” With his last strength, he reached out to strangle the youth in the moonlight. However, his trembling hand shattered and fell apart. His entire body was pulled at by the Sword in the Stone’s power. It caved in and distorted. Wailing, it was sucked into the blade. In the end, it became a wandering shadow in the clear blade.

After it was sealed, Genesis’ power scattered as well. Haydn resealed it into the codex. He sat tiredly onto his wheelchair; he had clearly aged. Everything returned to how it was.

The enchantment quickly weakened until it was close to nothing. The tuning instrument in the dark cellar broke apart. The reborn music score returned to silence. It came from death and returned to death.

Maxwell stood still as his wings of light faded and his halo crumbled. Half-kneeling on the ground, he vomited broken shards of light. However, he looked at the fading ancient sword with satisfaction. “A success. All those lives lost were not in vain.”

No one replied because they were all dead. No one knew if happiness and satisfaction waited for them in the underworld.

Maxwell—no, the Shaman—closed his eyes and murmured, “I hope they found their value while they were alive…”

Crack. As St. George’s spear shattered, Charles stumbled back. His entire body was red with burns. Strands of blood seeped from his pores. He doubled over and spat out fresh blood.

Staring at the broken pieces of the spear, he reached out as if he had seen a nonexistent hallucination and dream.

“Don’t go…” he said. But the hallucination and dream dissipated. He closed his eyes and sank into darkness.

Maxwell reached out and caught him. He handed Charles over to a Round Table Knight. “Contact the Church’s Choir musicians for emergency treatment. After this case is reported to the Queen, seal it for eternity with the Sixth Seal.”

“Yes.” Lamorak nodded and carefully walked toward the exit with Charles.

In the silence, Maxwell gazed at the city that was cold and dark again. He sighed. “It’s finally over.”

“No, not yet.” The youth’s hoarse murmur traveled in the wind. Maxwell looked up in confusion but he saw no one atop the white tower.

Not until the real riot was over did the city begin to be dazed and fearful. Emergency police officers rode horses on the streets to maintain basic order. There were even more troops running on the street under the clanging of metal armor. They were following the Queen’s orders to catch traitors.

The silence of the uptown district was broken by the heavy footsteps. Lights dimly lit up in the dark, mixed with faint discontinuous cries and chaos. The sounds were quickly strangled as soon as they were born. So, it was still vaguely quiet.

All the manors and mansions involved with the parliament were surrounded. Soon a figure with a black wig was escorted into the carriage and sent to the nonexistent Fifth Department.

People who cooperated with the arrest could still keep their last bit of dignity while those who dared to rebel would be killed on the spot. Thus, all members of the parliament were uprooted in this suffocating darkness.

For a long time, the Fifth Department had been silently searching for clues and was ready for this day to come. These nonexistent figures suddenly appeared on the street like illusions and brought the prisoners into the nonexistent place. The prisoners disappeared from the world silently.

It could be expected that soon after the secret trial was over, countless corpses would be hung on the Traitor’s Gate. They wound sway in the wind like chimes, paying the price for what they have done before.

The tower stood in the white palace, glowing with the only light at the top of Avalon. The light silently overlooked its own territory like a dragon’s cold eyes. It watched the group of rebellious officials struggle against death.

“It’s all over.” Gavin staggered out of the scarlet vortex. Leaning against the wall, he coughed violently. He looked up at the lights in the sky, his eyes flashing with resentment and gloom. Gritting his teeth, Gavin ran home.

He had to completely get rid of all the clues before the Fifth Department found out about his situation. Fortunately, he had sent all of his family to another location at the beginning, and arranged backup and escape plans for himself, just in case.

He only needed to trigger the prepared equipment and leave a little spark. Everything would go up in flames.

Suddenly, he knelt on the ground. He vomited out a large mouth of rancid blood and felt the power disappearing quickly in his body. This was the penalty from the god.

Hyakume, who had lost his incarnation, was very furious. As a priest, Gavin had lost all the providence. If he had not prepared precautions beforehand, he would have died like the scapegoats in those chambers.

Stooping, he threw up the deadly green poison. He took out a silver needle and stabbed it into his neck and head. This sealed up the evil in his body temporarily. Now, it was a race against the clock. He did not have much time now.

Gazing at the distant firelight in the tumult, he ground his teeth. He climbed over the walls and fell into the garden of an old house. The chamber contained Robin’s puppet, his correspondences, the password of his secrete lines, and the deployment that he arranged before. All of this must be destroyed. He must destroy as much as possible. Otherwise, he would spend the rest of his life being chased by the Royal Musician Division. What a pity… He had planned for so many years but lost everything overnight.

Gritting his teeth, he regained his composure from the rage and pushed the door. And then he froze.

“Father…”

He saw the man in the wheelchair in the hall. The old man still wore his respirator and his breathing sounded like water sloshing in his lungs. He was still here; he did not escape.

“Father, why haven’t you left yet?” Gavin looked at him in astonishment. He quickly went forward, reaching for the frail old man. “It’s too late. Let me take you away…” But his hands stiffened in the air. After two steps, Gavin lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

“Father…” He gaped at the old man before him.

On Gavin’s face, the tattoos hidden under his skin lit up one by one. As if he was born with them, they were wedged into his flesh and bone marrow. He could not get rid of them. They had been carved in his body at birth. Now, they locked his strength and he lost all his power to resist in a moment.

A cane jabbed his face angrily as if the old man wanted to smash his cheekbones in. He did not expect that the dying old man could have such great strength.

“How dare you call me Father?” The old man gasped. He climbed up from his wheelchair, raised his cane with shaking arms, and smashed it onto Gavin’s face again and again until his feeble strength was exhausted and Gavin’s nose was broken completely.

“The Adrian family is done for!” He glared at Gavin as if looking at a bastard, a scourge that should not be left in the world. “It’s all because of you, Gavin! Because of you! All our ancestors’ names are tainted because of you!” Purple-blue veins bulged across his face. Staring at Gavin made him grind his teeth. “Sure enough, a b*stard like you shouldn’t have been kept in this world…”

Gavin froze and gaped at the furious man. His lips trembled as if he wanted to explain something but did not know what to say.

In the end, footsteps sounded in the distance. Someone was leading the brigade here. A familiar voice shouted, “He’s inside! Don’t let him get away!” It was Banner.

“Wh-why?”

“Only by sacrificing you could the family be saved.” The old man looked coldly at this shameful son. “You’d better go with them obediently and distance from the family, understand? Don’t get the family involved.”

“But…didn’t…” Gavin looked at him blankly. But weren’t you the one who asked me to join the parliament? Father! You’re the one who asked me to join the parliament to get those big men’s favor… It was…iIt was you who gave the name of Robin to me… It was you… It was you…

“I’ve clearly done it, Father.” Gavin closed his eyes, grinding his teeth and trying to hold in the tears. “I’ve done much better than you’d wanted!”

In the approaching footsteps, Gavin roared. He drew out his dagger and gouged out the restrictions on his face. Scarlet blood spouted out and his pale cheekbones were revealed, full of cracks. He looked like a rotting corpses.

He growled with pain but he finally broke free from what had chained him down since birth. Flesh and blood came off, leaving behind pale bones as hideous as an angry demon.

Seeing Gavin climb up from the ground and go toward him, the old man froze. He trembled in the wheelchair and tried to retreat. “You… You… What do you want to do? Gavin, I…”

“I don’t want to do anything.” Gavin smiled. He reached out to caress his father’s sparse white hair and said gently, “Father, all this time, it has always been Banner took care of you. It’s the first time we’re so close. You’re old and not in good health. You should just sit and rest.” As he said this, he gently pushed the dagger into the withered chest. The blade pressed against the heart and nailed into the back of the wheelchair as if it was part of it.

As the old man screamed. Gavin bent down and gazed at the old man’s eyes with his grey eyes. “As you wish, please put all the blame on me. As you said, the family will be saved if Gavin dies.” He kissed the old man on the forehead and laughed, turning his face into bloody pulp.

He took out Robin’s mask from his pocket and put it on his face. For the first time, there was no estrangement between the mask and the flesh, and it truly became his face. However, blood seeped out of the eye holes and fell down his cheeks. He just could not hold it back.

The Robin laughed with tears of blood, pushed the door to go out, and pounced on the fire that was going to burn him.

Hissing was heard in the darkness but it quickly fell silence. The roar stopped while the sound of the music finally dissipated as well. During this long night, the blood of countless people was doomed to be buried under the rotten soil with their enemies and bones, as well as despair and anger.

In the dark, the Blood Path quietly extended.

–

When dawn was about to come, a broken wooden boat drove out of a hidden port and quietly left Avalon.

In the cabin, the wounded Robin leaned against the wall. He looked at his bloody hands and laughed softly. His laughter, full of emptiness and desolation, echoed in the cabin before finally dissipating in the gloom.

“How long are you going to wait?” the Robin asked, without looking behind. “Shouldn’t we end this now?”

“You’re right.” In the darkness behind him, that seemly sleeping teenager opened his eyes and looking at his back with compassion. “You discovered me long ago?”

“No, I don’t have the strength sense anymore.” The Robin lowered his eyes tiredly. “But I didn’t see you along the way, so I supposed you were waiting for me here.”

“I see.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and slowly rose. “Gavin, the eldest son of the Adrian family, present of the student council, the top student of the School of Royalty who entered the Royal Music Division after graduation, and even became the master’s deputy…”

“These things I know better than you. There’s no need to read my resume.”

“I just want to ask, with your ability, why did you choose to be a dark musician?”

“Yeah, why? I also want to know why.” The Robin laughed wryly. “If I had to say, it’s probably because of my family that had fallen for so long? Since the previous patriarch, the family was expelled from the top level of society. My father failed to resonate and was reduced to a man who would suffocate if there was no wheelchair and respirator. After all these years, all that remained of the Adrian family was the name. There’s nothing but the name.

“Do you understand? Mr. Holmes, all the education, all the things I ever heard in my entire life were related to making this family to rise again. I could sacrifice everything for this, even the destruction of Avalon, as long as the family of Adrian could return to its peak. Being a dark musician is just a small part of it.”

“Revive the family?” Ye Qingxuan scoffed. “Do your father and brother really care about you? Banner sees you as an eyesore. Didn’t your father betray you just now? You give everything for something that doesn’t love you and you don’t love either.”

“Love or not, is there a difference?” The Robin looked back at him with mockery, as if he was mocking Ye Qingxuan but also himself.

“As you can see, a family with nothing but a name, a father who uses me as a tool, a brother who hates me from the heart, these are the only things that I have in this world. I know they don’t love me. How can they love me? I’m their eternal disgrace.

“I’m just an illegitimate child—I was born a sinner. If they didn’t discover that I had musical talent, I would have been drowned in the gutter.

“I was raised by the maids, ate my younger brother’s leftovers, and wore clothes that I could touch only when go out. If I dirtied the clothes a little, I would get beaten. This is good enough for me, very good. At least I’m still alive, even if the cost is to be a slave for my entire life. What other options do I have?

“I was born with no choice and no way to run. Ye Qingxuan, this is my destiny!” The Robin looked at him, exposing his steel gray eyes dyed red by blood. Behind the mask, they looked dark and dead. “That’s why I’m…so jealous of you.”

In the silence, the youth closed his eyes sadly. “Actually, you needn’t have done so much wrong.”

The response to him was a cracked dagger. The dagger passed through the corner of Ye Qingxuan’s shirt, nailed into the cabin, and broke. The iron pieces broke in the hands of the Robin and embedded into his palms. Fresh blood flowed out and melted into the dry old blood. One could not tell old from new.

“Enough, Ye Qingxuan.” The Robin glared at him. “Don’t talk about those ridiculous ideals. Is it necessary to show mercy to a dying person?”

Ye Qingxuan stood still in silence.

“Come on! Ye Qingxuan, what are you waiting for?” The Robin roared as if he was mad, but his angry eyes seemed to be begging. “Enough! Stop pretending to show mercy like a friend!”

–

Ye Qingxuan was stunned by those eyes. After a long time, he revealed a bitter smile. “You’re right, how can the Vengeful Spirit and the Robin be friends?” He lowered his eyes and lifted up the cane. “Gavin, you broke my heart.”

Moonlight shone and poured into the Robin’s body. It rose like a flame and engulfed him. In the illusory flames, the Robin, stained with blood, closed his eyes and sank into the endless darkness.

All was silent.

–

When the boat returned to the dock, it had been already tightly blocked by the members of the Fifth Department.

The lone youth came out of the cabin, which was silent as a tomb behind him. He returned to the shore, going against the tide of soldiers who rushed into the boat. He seemed to be exhausted and sat wearily. Under the awed gazes, he took off his hat and threw it beside him along with his cane.

Someone gingerly stepped up and whispered, “Mr. Holmes, please…”

The youth did not seem to hear anything. After a long time, he looked up at the guy. There seemed to be a corpse buried in that pair of quiet and dark eyes. It was so terrifying that the guy dared not to meet his gaze. The comer bowed in awe.

“Got a cigarette?” the teenager asked.

“Eh?” The man froze but soon reacted. He looked back and soon, a pack of crumpled cigarettes was given to Ye Qingxuan.

Ye Qingxuan awkwardly tore open the package and put one in his mouth. The glow of the flame flashed. The teenager took a deep breath and exhaled the ashes of murder and darkness. He said hoarsely, “Go. Leave me alone.”

The other dared not to say anything and he gestured to his companion. A black bag was carefully removed from the cabin and placed on the wagon. The people of the Fifth Department quietly left. Ye Qingxuan was the only one left on the silent dock. Only the vaguely sound of tides accompanied him.

After some time, a faint light lit up behind him, between the sea and the end of the sky. The sun quietly leaped from the tide, glowing faintly.

The faint light illuminated the youth’s solitary figure.

The long night was over.

It was dawn.

The next day, the weather was fine in the afternoon. It was almost impossible to detect the chaos of last night.

For most people, last night was just a rare earthquake, causing tsunamis and chaos. It caused much shock as well, but after the shock faded, it became a story to talk about after dinner. People talked cheerfully about last night’s unlucky guys. They discussed the magical power that the musicians had shown when they were involved in infrastructure repair and rebuilding.

Only a few sensitive people felt something wrong, but they couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe it was the fact that there were more soldiers on the streets, the rangers seemed to be working harder, or maybe there were more musicians in robes standing at the gates. The mysterious unrest in the uptown district was too far away for them to know. It would take a long time before it was brought up again as a strange rumor.

“Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes! What a dragon! It flew in the sky.” In the tavern, a young man exaggerated his gestures and drew a burst of laughter.

“Don’t be silly. You probably saw things because you were scared out of your mind.”

“Dragon? There wasn’t even a dragon’s hair! ”

Under the storm of boos, the young man sat down awkwardly and knocked on his brother’s head beside him. “Drink less, don’t get drunk.”

“I won’t get drunk.” His brother lowered his head with displeasure.

“Well, you can drink everywhere, but we’ll miss the boat if we don’t leave now.”

Being laughed at, the disgraced young man picked up his brother, paid the bill, and prepared to leave with his bag.

“He’s your brother? He’s cute.” The middle-aged bartender smiled and rubbed the little boy’s millet-colored hair. The child glared at the bartender discontentedly.

When the bartender came to again, he found that the brothers had already gone. He patted his head awkwardly, only to find that he could not remember how they had left. He could only remember the child’s eyes. They were pure gold like gems.

Somehow, the memory began to blur and fade quickly. Soon, he forgot that someone had come and returned to his busy yet peaceful routine.

At the city gate, the long line heading out of the city moved slowly forward.

At the front, the examiner looked at the two brothers before him. “Vladimir, Avjevich… Are you from the Caucasus? It’s thousands of miles away.”

“A true painter is one who’s willing to give his life to art, right?” The elder brother, known as Vladimir, smiled. His accent was not Caucasian at all. Instead, it was elegant and smooth, like the accent of Anglo’s upper class. “Anglo is just our first stop. We intend to travel to Burgundy, to Asgard by sea, and finally to the Sacred City.”

Faint light lit up in the musician’s eyes but dimmed when looked at the brothers. He nodded and stamped their passports. Smiling, he handed the passport to them. “Have you seen the murals of the Covet Opera? It’s a rare baroque mural. You’re still in the town so you can still go back to have a look.”

“I’ve been there already. What a pity. I didn’t know until I got here that it was destroyed by that fire few decades ago,” Vladimir lamented. “Anglo truly doesn’t care enough about the preservation of art. Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s alright.” The musician smiled, waved, and signaled to the knights behind him to let them go. “Have a good journey.”

“Thank you. I’ll definitely come back again if I get the chance.” Vladimir smiled, took his brother’s hand, and went out of the gate.

Behind him, there were some riders in ominous black clothing. They surrounded the crowd and patrolling with sharp eyes under their hoods.

Soon the distant passenger ship whistled and drove away from the port.

On the deck, the brothers from the Caucasian Federation gazed at the city as if they were unwilling to leave; the fading white city reflected in their eyes.

“What a pity. The members of the parliament are probably being hanged now. I feel a little uneasy about my lack of conscience seeing as I’m the only survivor.” In the serene sea breeze, ‘Vladimir’ sighed and waved. “Goodbye, gentlemen. I may not avenge you, but I’ll remember you. You’ll be recorded in my autobiography as an example of failure so that you’ll be remembered forever and your names would be left in history!”

No one responded.

He smiled, drew back his gaze, and looked down to his side. The young boy also looked up at him; his golden eyes were like amber. The pupil inside the amber was vertical, with the cruelty and gloom of a demon.

“Naberius, I’m hungry.”

“Be patient, there’s only a moment longer.” The dark musician named Naberius reached out and gently caressed the boy’s millet-colored hair as if caressing a rare treasure. “Poor little Mordred, let me take you to see the big goldfish, okay?”

–

That same afternoon, a dark carriage drove into the underground square and stopped before the gate of the Jianlan Underground Palace.

Ye Qingxuan stood in front of the huge dusty door, still dressed in the camouflage he wore in downtown. Behind him, Dominic’s figure seemed to melt into the darkness.

There seemed to be something wrong. Two minutes later, the princess in a white dress pushed the door and descended from the cart. She cleared her throat and lowered her head in greeting. “You must have waited a long time, Mr. Holmes”

“No, I just arrived,” Ye Qingxuan replied quietly. For some reason, the cold princess did not even look at him this time. Did he leave a bad impression? No, after all, he once helped her remove the curse! She should at least be friendly. He did not expect any ‘respect’, but it should not be ‘coldness’ at least!

But thinking of how he had once experimented upon her Highness, Ye Qingxuan could not help but feel somewhat regretful. Fortunately, the feeling was not ‘hatred.’ Otherwise, he would be done for.

After a short silence, Mary coughed and walked ahead. “Come with me, please.” She passed over Ye Qingxuan and gave Dominic an old key. Taking a glance, Dominic nodded and turned to insert the key into the door. It opened with the sharp sound of friction.

Dominic did not lead the way as usual. Instead, he handed over a lantern and glanced at Ye Qingxuan. “What a lucky kid.”

In the distant darkness behind the door, the princess clad in white held the lantern and looked back at him. The dazed Ye Qingxuan snapped out of his thoughts and hurried over. The gate rumbled and closed behind them.

In the silence, he heard Mary’s footsteps ahead. The maiden lifted the lantern, illuminating the winding steps below. The spiral staircase seemed to extend endlessly.

Every time Ye Qingxuan entered a door, he saw something completely different and surprising every time. He looked around at the cracks in the wall as well as the broken ornaments. It felt like he was in an abandoned castle.

He took a deep breath but could not smell the dust and decay. There was no wind and no other smells. He could only smell the perfume that drifted in front of him.

Well, your taste is quite good, your Highness, Ye Qingxuan quietly praised in his mind.

Mary, walking ahead, seemed to be unaccustomed to such a long silence. She coughed lightly and said, “Mr. Holmes, you don’t seem surprised. Have you ever been to such a place?”

More than just ‘been to; I work here every day. I come here much more frequently than you do. But he could not say that aloud, of course, so Ye Qingxuan just nodded. “To tell the truth, I feel puzzled. Some small places feel different from the outside world. Some feel like black zones, but they are more stable.”

Mary smiled softly and said, “The Jianlan Underground Palace is a place where the physical world and aetheric world overlap, so there are so many things that don’t quite make sense.

“Because of its special nature, it was transformed hundreds of years ago into what it looks like now, just in case. This is the best vault and seal. You can say it is a natural ‘field’.

“Unauthorized personnel can only see two walls behind the door. Only people with a medium and a key can walk into it, but what they see are quite different.”

“I see.” Ye Qingxuan nodded slightly. The key Mary had handed Dominic was like his librarian’s certificate—they were all keys to the path. There was one key for one path, but everyone walked through the same door.

He was bewildered by this distorted spatial relationship, but it actually appeared in many places. The laws of physics that man perceived were often subverted in front of the fickle world, but it all happened for a reason. This had much to do with the music theory of the School of Abstinence which studied aether itself, including the phenomena caused by aetheric interference.

With Ye Qingxuan’s current attainment, he could not understand the occurrence of this kind of situation. He could only keep it in mind and ponder slowly.

“Where we are heading now is the Stein Chamber, the core of the Royal Museum,” Mary said. “It contains the collections of emperors and precious objects from all over the world. There are even movements that had been rated as natural catastrophes, as well as rare ancient flutes and harps.”

She paused and looked back. She looked very solemn. “Therefore, please keep what you hear and see as a secret, Mr. Holmes, or the royal family will be disturbed.”

Ye Qingxuan nodded. “I understand.”

Mary averted her gaze quickly, as if unwilling to look at him for one more second.

Ye Qingxuan’s face twitched a little. His face had been disguised but it was not that ugly, right?

“Due to Mr. Holmes’s outstanding performance yesterday and great contribution to Anglo, I shall answer to Mr. Maxwell’s request. We shall open the Stein Chamber for you to choose any item.”

“Due to Mr. Holmes’ outstanding performance yesterday and his great contribution to Anglo, I shall answer to Mr. Maxwell’s request. We shall open the Stein Chamber for you to choose any item.

“I shall represent the royal family, witness your choice and result, and approve it. Of course, I will not agree if you choose something that affects the nation. Otherwise, you can choose freely.” Mary’s voice was polite. It was obvious she was purposely keeping her distance, but the act was not annoying.

“Rest assured that I do not covet Anglo’s authority.” Ye Qingxuan looked down and his lips twisted into a self-mocking smile. “I genuinely wish that this country can prosper for a long time.”

“That would be—” Before Mary could finish, she tripped and toppled over. They had closed the distance as they spoke and walked in step with each other. However, Ye Qingxuan, troubled and distracted, accidentally stepped on Mary’s dress.

Amidst confused yelps, Mary swayed and her lantern fell from her hands. It tumbled in the air and fell toward the ground. It was about to shatter but the crash did not happen. Someone caught it the moment before it landed. Mary was caught as well.

In that moment, Ye Qingxuan had stepped forward to Mary’s right. One hand held up the lantern while the other held Mary’s left shoulder. The princess who had lost her balance almost fell into his arms.

Flustered, Mary looked down. She was not used to being so close to others. A soft voice sounded from under her veil, “Mr. Holmes, please let go of me.”

Ye Qingxuan stepped back and raised his hands, showing his innocence.

Mary lowered her head. Hiding her face behind the brim of her hat, she bit her lip and said softly, “We’re here.”

–

The next few minutes, Ye Qingxuan followed the rules and closed his eyes. He did not see anything. He could only hear gears turning. It seemed to be some elevator moving, but he could not sense any changes. When he opened his eyes, he was already inside the large stone room.

Light shone down from somewhere, illuminating the room that was filled with stuff. It was as if he had walked into a huge vintage store. It was a dazzling sight.

There was a mask from an unknown era, an ancient Eastern book, a strange sword with complex patterns, a damaged yet majestic armor, a body wrapped up in ancient bandages and placed in a gold coffin.

“You have this too?” Ye Qingxuan froze when he saw it. After processing it, he ran over and caressed the seemingly plain tablet. He sighed, “The earliest tuning device, Rosetta Stone? This is the foundation of all the current research of ancient texts and music theory. I can’t believe it’s here! And the inheritance knot of the Semitic people from the Theban desert, and this sword.”

Attracted by the legendary and precious items, he forgot to remain polite and mannered. Just as Mary had said, there were plenty natural catastrophe level scores here—the handwritten original of Pomp and Circumstance whose inheritance seal had not even been used yet; Nocturne, the core music score of Illusions; remains of the Emperor Concerto left behind by the first King of Red, Beethoven…

The handwritten drafts of various saints were kept carelessly on the ancient shelves as if they were regular books. According to Ye Qingxuan’s guesses, the mummified corpse in the gold coffin was not a relic of a saint. It was a saint’s body!

The main body of Avalon’s enchantment—the blueprint of the Elizabeth Tower bell—was in the center. The Chapter of Golden Victory, King Arthur’s symphony of predestination that combined the essence of both Modifications and Summoning, was placed in a golden box.

Many more things that Ye Qingxuan could not distinguish were scattered about. If they could be in the same room, then they were undoubtedly at the same tier. However, everything had been sealed up. There were no aether waves at all. Without a doubt, this was to better preserve the objects. After all, there were countless alchemy items here. No one knew what weird things would happen if they influenced each other.

This also made it hard for Ye Qingxuan to choose. He did not want to take home something that seemed cool but was actually useless. He could only rely on his eyes?

Deep in thought, something flashed past the corner of his vision. He looked back in confusion but saw a half-transparent shadow walk out from a wall.

It was Gawain.

Mary seemed not to realize anything. Gawain’s shadow raised a finger and made a shushing motion. Ye Qingxuan blinked and kept his poker face. Thinking a bit, he looked over at Mary. “Is there anything that suits me?”

Mary snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. “You should choose personally.” She was not planning on helping. It was clear that the royal family was going to let Ye Qingxuan choose by himself. He would not be allowed to choose something too powerful that could affect the nation. But if he chose a relic that a past king liked but was actually useless…that would be his fault.

“So I guess I have to choose by myself?” he murmured to himself while looking at Gawain from the corner of his eye.

The Gawains heard Ye Qingxuan’s voice. They instantly started moving as if sinking into deep thought. A few shadows debated soundlessly with each other. They made hand gestures as if discussing something.

They were the moderators of the Jianlan Underground Palace, in charge of maintaining and cleaning this place. They obviously had knowledge about the things here. Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s needs, they began discussing fervently.

A normal person would just jump between different thoughts in their minds. Gawain, however, suddenly turned into a group of shadows and argued amongst themselves. Like kids, they practically started fighting.

Finally, the victorious shadows proudly chased the ‘others’ away and stood before the places they had decided on. A relic was before each one. They varied in size; some seemed weird while others looked normal. Ye Qingxuan could not tell what some were.

The first item was a crystal bone. It was translucent and seemed to contain some mysterious intelligence. Smoke flowed within the refracted light. Occasionally, a shadow would appear, but it was too fuzzy. Looking at it too long would make one entranced.

This was alchemy equipment from one of the schools of Mind. It was not cheap. According to Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, there should be a heart mark in there too. A Mind musician might have sealed his nirvana into his bones before death to pass onto later generations.

The second was a tobacco pipe. It was carved from stone and seemed useless. However, according to analysis of the shape and the autograph within, it was probably something from the School of Summoning. He could summon the spirit sealed within after lighting it. The smoke would give the spirit a body. It probably had the effect of flame transmission as well. It had a wide array of uses—secret kills, investigation, and defense were possible.

The third object was a basic monocle. If one looked from the side, one could see the tiny music notes carved onto the lens. Alchemy equipment like this was probably a rare result from the School of Revelation. It was the best aid in probing.

The fourth was a flat flagon with a lid. It looked to be made of pure copper and was covered with scratches. It was an ancient artifact but there still seemed to be liquid inside it. There was a small sound when Ye Qingxuan shook it. He could not tell where it came from but he felt a strong thirst. Even with the flagon between them, he still had a strong desire to drink the fine liquor.

The fifth item was huge. It was a large piece of armor. The right hand and helmet were damaged; the inside was even more broken. It seemed completely broken but Ye Qingxuan could not overlook it—it was still the armor of a Knight of the Round Table!

He could not tell which one it was exactly and the phantom beast had been taken out. However, it was still a rare masterpiece given by God. If he could find a good alchemist to fix it, its past glory might be brought restored.

Ye Qingxuan paced around the chamber in silence. He gazed at the five items but still could not choose. He was too indecisive. It was too hard to come to a decision.

After a long time, he sighed. He reached out and took the monocle. “This one,” he said to Mary.

She flinched but nodded and undid the seal on it. Faint aether waves seeped out. “The Eye of Silence?”

Ye Qingxuan studied the side. It contained the alchemist’s name and a meaningful quote, Sometimes, knowing the truth is not a simple task.

The Eye of Silence was an auxiliary tool created by ancient alchemists. It permanently solidified the realistic vision. It could break all influences of Illusions and increase the musician’s overall sensory range. It also came with zoom and magnification features. However, the most valuable was the special music score carved into it.

This was a complete development took. If the musician recorded the items in the glossary, the monocle could quickly mark the item in the wearer’s vision. This included medicinal plants, alchemy equipment, minerals, animals, and demons. Then it would read and measure the objects.

Measure distance, explore aether waves, estimate the enemy’s ability, analyze…this was like receiving the Starry Eye from the School of Revelations. It was great help for interpretation as well.

“Are you sure?” Mary seemed a bit sad. The Eye of Silence was not the best of the items here. It had a wide range of uses, but only impressive ability was that it could see the realistic world. “If you want to switch, I also—”

“If you want to switch, I also—”

“No need.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and placed the monocle before his eye. “One that suits is the best.” Just as Ye Qingxuan had thought, this could make up for his shortcomings, especially his weakness in the School of Revelations. There were not many musicians who studied and did well with four schools like him.

For the School of Abstinence, he had improved a lot after inheriting the School of Stone Heart. The core of the Avalon enchantment was like a surprise experience gift package. Personally experiencing the power of Genesis, he had improved even more. Now, this school was his strongest point. He did not have to worry about the School of Mind and Illusion either, thanks to his talent and the guidance of that witch Lola.

The School of Revelations was the one he had wanted to learn. However, he barely qualified. Other than Bolero, he had not learned many other music scores. The Eye of Silence would make up for this shortcomings, as well as boost his overall abilities. It would be much easier to distinguish the other objects.

Just as he had guessed, the crystal bone was the inheritance of nirvana from the School of Mind. He had Lola for guidance and coaching though, so he did not need it.

The stone tobacco pipe was a good thing. The phantom beast inside was alluring to people but…he really did not want to become an addict that always held onto a pipe so he had to skip it.

He did not know what the flagon was for but, according to the Eye of Silence, its true value came from its material. Shards of some sacred weapon had been melded into it so the flagon could automatically convert any liquor inside to fine wine that could act as recovery medicine. Drinking it could help recover energy. Long-term usage would probably help improve one’s physique as well. It was definitely high quality recovery alchemy equipment.

For most musicians, it was a great thing to be able to forever save on the expenses for recovery medicine. For Ye Qingxuan though…he did not lack this money. Lola was rich and bought high quality recovery medicine from the Cavendish Laboratory by the trunk. In addition, Maxwell had transferred most of the smuggling business to Ye Qingxuan as thanks for saving his life. This meant Ye Qingxuan could rule over downtown for Maxwell. As long as occasionally showed up for a meeting, he could sit and reap in the benefits.

Just the annual interest from this dirty money was enough for Ye Qingxuan to live lavishly. To be honest, the strangest life was to have money he did not know how to spend. It felt great!

As for the damaged armor, everything was great except for one fatal flaw—it was too big! If Ye Qingxuan tried it on, he would turn into a two-meter tall giant, which was obviously a problem. He would not be able to do any secret attacks in that, so he had to pass.

“I’ll settle with this one.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. He activated the monocle and information flooded into him. He almost went blind from all the glowing aether marks.

Soon, he became used to it. He adjusted the inner intervals and tuned it to his needs. Now, he was able to see everything with his right eye. When he looked at a tile, the Eye would tell him the material, production site, and length of creation. If he focused on his palm, he could look past the flesh to his bone.

Under the Eye of Silence, blood flowed like a silver river through his semi-transparent arm. It shone with serene moonlight. That was the Deva’s blood that contained aether-like qualities after flowing through the sub-originator. When he looked up, he felt like he was going blind.

The frail princess Mary in her white dress suddenly became a human-shaped beast. Her entire body shone with blinding red light. It overlapped into a pair of dragon wings. Even the air she exhaled that hung in the air shone with dragon breath. Ye Qingxuan gulped and looked away.

Mary saw his reaction and blanched. For some reason, she looked away and hid her face inside her hat. “Please don’t…” She looked down as if upset. “Don’t look at what you shouldn’t.”

No, no, no! You misunderstood! I wasn’t looking at that! Ye Qingxuan secretly wiped away some cold sweat. No wonder she was the Red Dragon’s descendant. Just a glance was terrifying.

–

After the short awkwardness, he finally walked out of the chamber. At the thought that the princess with prejudice against him was finally leaving, he could not help but sigh in relief. Royalty all had weird tempers and were hard to get along with. Easterners said that being with royalty was like being with a tiger. This Red Dragon princess was pretty scary too.

A carriage was waiting at the front of the Jianlan Underground Palace but Mary did not get on. Instead, she stood in her spot, as if considering something. Ye Qingxuan’s heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling. Did she notice the exchange between him and Gawain?

“Umm…Mr. Holmes,” with her back to him, Mary looked down and suddenly said, “thank you.”

“Huh? Uh, what?” Ye Qingxuan froze.

“Thank you for saving me. I am eternally in your debt. Would you be able to leave your address so I…I can pay a visit?”

“It was nothing, Princess. Please don’t mind.” Seeing her awkwardness, Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh. He wanted to say something but suddenly saw the person waiting beside the carriage. That person was looking at him.

After a pause, Ye Qingxuan looked down. “Your Highness, I apologize for the impoliteness, but I must take my leave.”

Stunned, Mary reached out to hold him but Ye Qingxuan had already passed her. He walked toward the square without hesitation. Mary gaped at his back. Seeing the man waiting beside the carriage, she grew more confused.

“Mr. Lancelot?”

The middle-aged man beside the carriage leaned on his cane and coughed quietly as he looked at Ye Qingxuan’s figure. The youth walked away with an emotionless face as if he saw nothing.

“Maxwell can’t block ‘Lancelot’s’ perception. I know it’s you,” Lancelot said when they brushed shoulders. “You want to hide from me your entire life?”

Ye Qingxuan’s steps halted. He just smiled without saying anything, as if mocking the man.

“Can’t you just…let the past be past?” Lancelot coughed. “The nobles who forced the Queen to punish your father had all failed with the parliament. Isn’t that enough? Come back, the armor of Lancelot is still yours to inherit. You should understand the expectations the family has for you. Why must you hate the family so stubbornly?”

“Mr. Lancelot, I think you’ve misunderstood something.” Ye Qingxuan looked back as if he had heard something hilarious but his expression was somber. “I never hated the Lancelot family. Not a bit. I am just…deeply disappointed.”

Lancelot lowered his eyes and did not reply, letting Ye Qingxuan leave.

When Ye Qingxuan was far away, he heard a low murmur carried by the wind. “Ye Qingxuan, you’ve been insisting on those unavoidable things all these years. Can you really be happy?”

Ye Qingxuan froze and turned to look back. Lancelot’s expression was somber with expectant eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but the youth suddenly looked up and smiled.

He said, “Sorry, my surname is Ye.” So I don’t belong to the Lancelot family. So I’m not happy.

He turned and left.

–

Metals clashed in the heavy darkness. It sounded like cold surgical knives and forceps hitting each other.

“No need to stop the blood,” said a hoarse and strange accent. “Start changing all the blood now. Match it with the patient’s blood type. Give me blade number three.”

“The heartbeat’s almost gone. Do the cardiac injection. If there’s no effect, use a music score to control the heart. We only need half an hour.”

“Where are the spare organs? Change it if it gets rejected. I won’t believe it if none of the five work.”

“Is the brain under anesthesia? Idiot! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Give him another shot!”

Darkness and dizziness fell again. He closed his eyes.

After who knows how long, he opened his eyes again. Everywhere hurt and his body seemed to be shattered. There was a respirator over his face and layers of tubes connecting his body to the alchemy machine maintaining his life. It was strange…

In disarray, he suddenly thought that he was just like the man he had once called ‘father’ right now.

“Open your eyes and look here.” A man that smelled of antiseptics looked at him. The old man’s head was wrapped with an Indian turban that was so old one could not tell its original look.

“What number?” The Indian pulled his eyes open and held up some fingers.

“Five,” he said scratchily.

The old Indian man nodded in satisfaction and let go. He vaguely heard voices beside the bed.

“As you wished, the surgery is over. He’s still alive and will live for a long time. If he’s careful, he can live for at least sixty years.”

“Very good, Ghandagar,” a young man said. “You’ve fulfilled your promise to me.”

“Just as we had agreed on, I used all my knowledge to complete this surgery. No one will know. I’ll cooperate and have my memory wiped as well. This will have never happened but I hope you’ll remember your promise to me.”

The youth smiled. “Ghandagar Rahul, I promise, under the name of the Vengeful Spirit, that you can live peacefully in downtown for the rest of your life. I’ll protect your son as well. The mistakes that the imperial physicians of the chief made will no longer have anything to do with you.”

“Ganesa will bless you, kind sir.”

“I hope,” the young man said lightly. “You can go now. I have something to say to him.”

Footsteps sounded. The old Indian left politely and closed the door.

The man on the patient’s bed opened his eyes. His breathing was turbid and his voice was weak and unclear. “I’m still alive?”

“Yes.” The white-haired youth dragged a chair over and sat beside the bed. “Thankfully, it was easy to find a corpse to replace you that night in Avalon. You should thank Lola. If not for her illusions, you wouldn’t’ve been able to live so long and pull through the surgery.”

“Surgery…” The patient breathed with wet sounds. It seemed to be a sigh. “What did the surgery do?”

“Some good things,” the young man answered. No matter if it’s the family’s restrictions, the flesh mutated by dark musicians, demonized organs. I helped you get rid of all everything. Everything that isn’t human was purified by the moonlight and you got a new face too.

“I also put something into your heart. If you try to have anything to do with natural catastrophes again, no one’ll be able to help you.”

“My sound of heart is so messy now. Did I fall from the Resonance level?”

“Yeah but you can probably get back up with your abilities. But…” Here, the young man sighed heavily. “One vertebra was too tainted so we could only cut it out. You might never be able to stand up again.”

“…Being alive is better than anything.”

“Yeah, being alive is great.” The young man pulled something from his pocket and placed it beside the bed. It was a stack of identification cards and a notebook filled with cramped font. “This is your new identity. I made it for someone else but she’s busy studying now and probably doesn’t have time to play, so you can use it.”

The cards were laid out before him. They seemed old but were flawless. The picture was his current appearance; there were no flaws in the mark and signature either.

“You graduated from the Imperial Anglo Medical College and became a medic. Later, you were sent to the Northumberland Fifth Corps in India. The Bahata War erupted. Your group was sent to Bahata to fight the followers of the natural catastrophe. You were sent back after getting injured in the second year. All your comrades were killed so don’t worry, no one will recognize you.”

The man stared at the profile picture on the card. After a while, he asked quietly, “So this is me from now on?”

“From now on, you no longer have anything to do with the past. Embrace your new life.” The young man glanced at him and uttered quietly, “Mr. John Z. Watson.”

Charles heard the sound of blood flowing. It flowed on the floor, snaked across the walls backwards, and writhed toward the ceiling. It moved without regard to gravity, humming a love song of death.

He gazed at the elegant décor stained with blood—the dark red pillars with dark red baroque carvings, the dark red walls with dark red oil paintings, and the dark red ceiling with dark red chandeliers.

The large hall was bloody as well. Corpses were scattered about the world covered in blood. The dead faces were torn into pieces and each one was unfamiliar.

Charles stared at them in fear. Finally, he looked down and saw Abraham’s face. Abraham looked at him as well. Charles’s pale face was reflected in the blank eyes. A pleased smile seemed to still remain on the dead face.

“Charles, you’re a hero.” He grasped Charles’s hand and said gently, “So impressive. I’m proud to be your professor.”

“Professor…” Charles gaped at him.

“Charles, be good and don’t run around anymore,” Abraham advised quietly. “You must stay safe. You always speak nonsense and insult too many people but can never win in fights. You worry me.”

“Professor, you…”

A gaping hole opened in Abraham’s chest. It was empty. Blood flowed out, hurting Charles’ eyes.

“Run, Charles.” The dead man looked at him with a gentle yet strange smile. “Don’t look back and run. I’ll look after you even in the underworld.”

Charles shook but could not move his feet. He wanted to say something but the dead died once again. All was silent in the large hall.

He could hear the panicked footsteps outside the hall. Screams sounded over and over. Everyone was running in panic. Someone pounded on the door, wanting to hide in here, but the door remained closed. The blood behind the door trembled and transformed into light rain. It fell through the air; it was so beautiful.

Blood finally flowed in from the world outside the door. The entire world was still.

Someone walked toward the hall through the pool of blood. Under the heavy creaks of rusted bronze, the large door opened slowly. The sound was deafening and Charles froze in place.

A bloody youth with black clothing and white hair stood amidst the corpses outside the door. He looked at Charles coldly. There were no reflections in his eyes, only cold cruelty and darkness.

“Yezi…all those people, you…”

Ye Qingxuan did not reply. He unsheathed his sword and walked through the puddle of blood. His murderous intent was heavy. Charles trembled and looked about in terror. All he saw were the dead faces looking at him. Those gazes came from the underworld. They seemed mocking and gleeful.

“Run, Charles,” they said. “Don’t look back and run!” But those faces were ripped apart by the sword; they became ugly and bloody. Like an executioner, the white-haired tore the corpses into thousands of pieces. His eyes were vicious and cold. Blood splattered onto his face, covering his features and making him seem menacing and monstrous.

He looked back at Charles, who was retreating. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something.

Charles stumbled back and Ye Qingxuan stepped forward.

The blade pierced through his chest. The flesh lost its color; a bright yet cold blade poked out of his back.

“Yezi…” Charles gaped at Ye Qingxuan’s face; it was so unfamiliar. “You came to kill me.” Chuckling, he embraced the youth beside him. “Whatever, why should I run? It’s all…whatever.” Fatigued, he closed his eyes and darkness surged.

“Senior! Senior!”

Light flashed through dazed eyes. There seemed to be someone moving before him. He was shocked awake from his sleep; spirit returned to his eyes.

“Yezi?” he asked, stunned.

“You’re finally awake.” Ye Qingxuan smiled.

“Move, I want to see.” Beside him, Bai Xi squeezed in and pinched Charles’s cheeks. “Charles, you’ve been sleeping for days without moving. Let me see, did you get fatter? Wow! So oily…”

“Stop messing around.” Ye Qingxuan knocked the side of her head. “Get Old Phil out of here. Don’t you know the doctors are about to go crazy?”

“I don’t care. Old Phil can go wherever he wants, right?”

“Woof, woof!” Beside the bed, Old Phil barked. Then he reached a paw out to pat Charles’s face. This meant: follower number three, rest well and don’t worry about anything else.

Abraham sat in the back. Seeing them fool around, he chuckled lightly.

After a long time, the doctor finally heard the news and hurried over. He checked and nodded. “I don’t see any problems but you should still stay for observation. You should only be discharged after we’re sure there are no sequelae. Don’t worry, others will pay for the medical bills anyway.”

“Thank you all.” Abraham nodded and saw the doctor out.

However, the doctor sent a meaningful gaze at the entrance. Abraham flinched but he quickly followed him out and closed the door. “Sir, is there a problem?” he asked quietly.

“It’s not really a problem but a hidden trouble,” the Choir musician said after a short pause. “He still has strong psychological trauma. We must observe for a bit more before we can conclude if this event will trigger the old wounds.”

“Old wounds?” Abraham was shocked.

“…You don’t know anything?” The Choir musician was shocked as well. He requested a projection of the checkup from a nurse. One could see a vague shadow on the skull.

“What is this?” Abraham furrowed his brows.

“I don’t know.” The doctor shook his head. “This shadowy patch has been repressing his nerves since childhood. His frontal lobe, amygdala, and hippocampus have probably been affected. Now that he has suffered trauma, it might become a problem.”

“Will it cause perceptual disorders?”

“It won’t be that serious. This shadow’s disturbance is quite small and may even be benign. At most, it’ll just cause nightmares.”

Abraham fell silent. The doctor patted his shoulder and left. Abraham slumped on the bench in the quiet hall. He gazed at the ward.

“Is it…nightmares?”

–

As the day grew late, Ye Qingxuan brought Bai Xi back to the school while yawning.

Abraham made some tea for Charles. “Drink some. You’ve fooled around for the whole day after waking up.”

“Professor, don’t you know me? I’ll die if no one talks to me.” On the bed, Charles laughed and accepted the mug. He blew at the hot steam.

“As long as you’re okay.” Sitting on the chair, Abraham stared at Charles for a long while. Charles looked back and laughed dumbly. Abraham suddenly asked, “Charles, do you still get those nightmares?”

“No, sir.” Charles scratched his head and looked down. “I probably won’t in the future either.”

After a short pause, Abraham chuckled. “That’s great.”

He chatted with Charles for a while until bidding farewell when the bell rang in the night. He shut the door gently. In silence, Charles watched as Abraham left. Then he looked down at the mug that was now cold. He instantly fell into a trance.

The reflection in the mug was red, along with his pale face. Amidst the blurry red world, Charles gazed at the wailing souls that had emerged from the wall and looked outside the window.

People would pass by occasionally. When the bloody and mangled doctors and nurses passed, they would sense his gaze and look up. Their withered and ugly faces would distort.

Was that their smile?

He imagined they must be very gentle. The decorations in this room must be heartwarming as well, right? There were pure white walls and a soft bed. There was soothing incense as well, even though it smelled like bodies burning.

Late at night, the church bells rang faintly. The sound of hymns traveled over too. The holy voices sounded like the wails of the dead. It was indescribably tragic.

The fleeting imaginations passed again and everything reverted back to normal. Everything was normal. It was good.

“So…I’m the only one with problems?” Charles looked down at the bloody water in his mug. He drank it all expressionlessly and closed his eyes.

There were no more nightmares in the darkness.

All was peaceful.

The inside of the Sacred City’s basilica was dark but the starry sky shone. The flickering lights formed the brilliant aether sea.

“Is the observation record of Anglo still not ready?” Father Albert gazed at the westernmost corner. There, the starry sea was dim, almost swallowed by darkness. Only faint light flickered but he could not distinguish anything. “Bayer, it’s too slow,” he said.

“Archbishop, the Musician Division is short of hands as well.” Bayer shrugged helplessly. His image was projected from Anglo. Floating beside Albert, his image flickered with instability. “With the current situation, it’s difficult just to maintain this call.”

Nibelungenlied’s gentle and warm voice came from the starry sky, “After all, a god’s incarnate had descended. Clutter and noise still remains in the aether sea. Mr. Mephistopheles has already sent the records of the Westminster Church. I am comparing it to Mr. Bayer’s resources. Soon, the noise will be filtered out soon.”

“Please hurry.” Albert shook his head. “I hope that I am just overthinking, but I become unsettled whenever something happens in relation to Anglo.”

“Archbishop Albert, no need to worry. It is already over,” Nibelungenlied said. “Mankind is victorious in this war.”

“I hope so.” Albert lowered his eyes, thinking of something.

Soon, the cleaning of the clutter and noise began. Changes appeared abruptly in the vast starry sea. The darkness above Anglo magnified and the images changed quickly as if it was replaying at a hundred times the original speed.

The interfering signals in the murky darkness were filtered out layer by layer until the original nature was revealed. Avalon’s contours slowly emerged. The ripples that represented aether waves were born from it. However, they covered the details and one could only see the general image.

Within it, the atmosphere of the battle between the blazing sun and abyss was unmistakable. Their ripples and waves had torn apart all other waves and suppressed them. A strand of pure light floated above, locking the entire battlefield until there was a victor. This was the boundary marked by Genesis. The influence shook violently until the abyss’s aura finally dissipated.

“After all these years of inactivity, the Sword in the Stone is still so sharp and terrifying.” Albert replayed the image and looked carefully. He deduced the music theory in his mind. “I don’t know how far it is from its prime but seeing this, I don’t think it’s too far.”

Bayer asked, “I think every other nation is concerned about whether it has the strength to continue Kingdom Comes.”

“Anglo is very tricky,” Albert said lightly. “They placed the battlefield in Avalon’s Shadow. Not only is there the geographic advantage, it also hid Sword in the Stone’s specific situation. This question will have no answer.

“This is unimportant to the Sacred City. As long as Anglo is willing to use this power against natural catastrophes, we have nothing to say.”

“That’s the attitude of the Sacred City?”

“This has been the Sacred City’s attitude for centuries.”

“That’s so straightforward.” Bayer sighed. “No wonder the Sacred City is not likeable.”

“Bayer, this city contains thirty percent of mankind’s power. If we learn how to be tactful and talk in circles, many would feel fear and be unable to sleep. It’s okay to be unlikable. At least, it’s better than being seen as a beast.

“Compared to the diplomats that are insignificant to natural catastrophes and demons, we wish to focus more on developing more musicians who can expand our land. There’s no point in fighting over power within the walls.”

Hearing this, Bayer laughed. “Is this arrogance?”

“This is awe, Bayer. Awe of the dark world.” Albert stared deeply at him before looking away. He gazed up at the image in the starry sky. If the mundane world was under this sky, then the Church’s duty was looking past the brilliance to the darkness.

–

Under the illusory starry sky, the record of the battle was replayed at hundred times its original speed. As it played over and over, the unclear image gradually sharpened. Suddenly, Albert raised his hand and paused the video. “What is this?”

Below the starry sky, amidst the darkness of Avalon, a large moon rose gradually. It entered the aether sea and created violent waves. It was nothing compared to the battle between the Sword in the Stone and the abyss, but the music theory construction within it was unbelievable.

The moon seemed large but was actually very fine and detailed. Under careful observation, it seemed to be an extremely precise and perfect object. Like a clock, hundreds upon thousands of music notes were transformed into rotating gears. They grouped into intervals, turned into music theory, and constructed the music score. Finally, it entered the aether sea and created this perfect and flawless moon.

“Deva sensing? In Avalon’s Shadow?” Albert was stunned. “That’s impossible!”

After studying for a bit, Bayer nodded. “The construction is very fine. It’s like an art piece.”

“No, compared to the preciseness on the surface, I care more for the aura it emanates.” Albert pondered for a while and sighed. “It’s completely natural and made real from an illusion. If it completed the process, it could meld into the true moon.”

“Are you sure this is merely Deva sensing of someone becoming an official musician? It’s not something stronger, such as resonating with the world?”

“It is not, but it’s not far from it. I didn’t know Anglo had such a genius in recent years. With such fine detail, he can easily try for the Resonance level with a few years of preparation.” Albert looked at Bayer. “Which grandmaster’s student is this?”

“I don’t know.” Bayer shook his head. “Of the questions we posed, only this was overlooked. Maxwell’s clerk remained silent. He seems to have been authorized to do so.”

“Not willing for their country’s talents to be stolen by the Sacred City?” Albert shook his head. “Before the end of the decade, he will most likely become a grandmaster. It’s understandable that Anglo does not want to give him up.”

Bayer chuckled. He submitted the additional information and his projection faded. After all, this was a long-distance projection crossing thousands of miles. Every second was expensive. Even if they had a generous budget, they still needed to save on certain aspects.

Silence fell back over the hall.

In the silence, Albert replayed the records over and over. Finally, he caught an insignificant detail…the moment the moon entered the aether sea, the intersecting ripples that spread in all directions seemed to carry a message.

“I…am here?” Albert slowly deciphered the message. He could not help but laugh. “He’s announcing his existence to the world? This musician really doesn’t like to be lonely. It’s good he didn’t attract something from the depths of the aether world.” He quickly moved on from this detail. However, when the recording came to an end, he froze again. He sensed another signal from within the upheaval of moonlight. However, the waves were too unclear and he could not decipher it.

“Moonlight again?” Albert furrowed his brows. “What did he say this time?”

No one replied.

“Nibelungenlied, are you here?”

“I am.” Nibelungenlied’s voice was gentle. “How may I help you?”

“What was that signal?”

“Archbishop, you were mistaken,” Nibelungenlied said lightly. “There was no signal; it was only regular white noise. You will not run into this type of disruption anymore.”

Albert nodded and refocused onto his observation. After a long while, he finished. He recorded the result and data into Nibelungenlied’s book and left.

However, the recording of that night kept replaying in the silent starry sky. The stars changed and ripples appeared one after another; it was dazzling.

In that starry sky, someone said, I am here.

After a long, long, long time, someone asked quietly under the same starry sky, How are you?

Late at night, the lights from the palace still shone and illuminated the dark clouds as well as the boundless ocean in the distance. Amidst the sound of the lift, the carriage drove into the stillness of the palace square. Soon, a servant ran over to guide the dignified man on the carriage.

“What time is it?” Lancelot asked.

“Two o’clock in the morning, sir,” the servant responded reverently. He opened the gate for him. After Lancelot silently walked into the gate, the servant remained in place, not daring to see the direction of his departure but closed the gate for him.

As Lancelot walked, doors opened in front of him one by one. In the end, there were no more ornate décor, exquisite paintings or carpets, but only a serene air in the corridor.

Lancelot pushed the door open. The chandelier was always bright and there were only one table and several chairs in the room. The seats were filled with people; only the one left for Lancelot was empty.

An iron box and several ashtrays were on the table. The iron box looked unadorned but there were many cigarettes piled in the ashtray. Hearing the sound of the door, someone looked over.

Most of those men were old, well-dressed, wore glasses, and looked dignified. They sat in this lifeless and cold monotonous room without looking out of place. They were like statues that had always belonged there. Waiting in silence, they did not speak to each other. They just smoked and pondered silently, patiently.

This was the “chamber” that all of Anglo talked about. It was the core of the empire and the legendary place full of conspiracies, bloodshed, and secrets—the Privy Council of Anglo.

It was originally the supreme information institution that reported only to the king. It was composed of the king’s think tank to formulate political and diplomatic strategies, and the beginnings and the ends of the war.

Then the king transferred more and more authority to their hands. Now, it had become the highest administration in Anglo, a political organ composed of the royalty, ministers from National Defense, Foreign Affairs and Internal Affairs, as well as the Privy Seal.

The last time so many people were summoned here late at night by the royal family was decades ago. Everyone looked dignified as they had last time, but there was the feeling of slight inhibition this time.

Either consciously or unconsciously, all eyes fell on the iron box in the middle of the table with uneasiness, but also solemnity as if they were looking at their enemies. The box looked like a solid iron block with no lines or emblems. It was very smooth but with sharp angles. There were no openings or cracks at all. But after looking for a long time, people would feel that the iron box was squirming and exuding a disturbing aura.

“I’m sure that the purpose of bringing everyone here today is quite clear,” Maxwell started bluntly. “Then I won’t waste any time. Let’s just take a look at this—the worst situation now.” Maxwell stretched out his hand and pressed the iron box. He looked up at the others.

The secretary of state was silent for a moment and placed his hand on it too. He was followed by the foreign minister. Finally, Lancelot took off his glove, exposing a hand covered with scars, and pressed down on the iron box.

When the identities of five people were verified at the same time, there was a crisp sound in the box like cranking gears. The complex gears started to turn. With slight tremors, many cracks suddenly appeared in the smooth surface. The box shrank until it became a stylobate-like object. The thing that was sealed inside was finally exposed to the pale light.

On the black iron stylobate was a glittering crystal prism—alchemists had melted iron and silver into the purest metal and turned it into glazed gold by transforming the nature. It looked like a crystal but not even closest explosion or shock could damage it.

It was used to make the windows and glass of politicians’ cars. Its good lighting could allow people appreciate the scene outside through the glass while still feeling a great sense of security. However, no one felt safe right now. Amidst the gasps, an eerie sensation spread through their bodies.

Under the cold light, what the prism sealed was a bloody face. One could not tell what that face was like. It looked human and inhuman at the same time, like the face had not developed completely. It was not beautiful but when one looked at it. They would feel the beauty of life. That horrible beauty overwhelmed people’s souls, making them unable to move.

It was solidified in the glass as if it was sleeping but the creeping granulations and capillaries spread above it and penetrated the entire crystal prism, turning it into heterogeneous flesh. The tiny veins were like purple-red tentacles, slowly growing and winding the prism. The exposed parts were slightly undulating as if it was alive. This d*mn thing was breathing!

“A few days ago, it was just a piece of dried out fingernail-sized meat,” Maxwell said. “Now, as you can see, it has felt the calling of the body and come back to life.”

The people there looked at it in amazement, finally snapping out of their daze. Even though they had been prepared, seeing everything was still unbelievable.

The foreign secretary stared blankly at the prism in the iron box and reached his hand to touch. “Is this real?”

“Don’t touch it!” Maxwell held his wrist quickly. The man’s fingers had almost touched the tiny creeping tentacles but were yanked away.

“It’s not something new and fun, sir.” Maxwell’s eyes were terrifying. “Living things are nutrients to it.You will be sapped dry.”

The foreign secretary withdrew his hands as if he had been shocked by electricity. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his fingers though he had not touched anything yet. He stared at that thing with horror.

The secretary of state smoked in silence. After a long time, he said, “Is it really that thing?” His voice was hoarse, sounding unpleasant but with a gloomy and dignified breath.

“Yes.” Maxwell nodded, gazing at the prism that was turning into flesh and blood. “It is one of the four natural catastrophes, Leviathan, the monster whose fate is entangled with the kingdom of Anglo. Gentlemen, we are in trouble.” If there was anything that would make this group of powerful people so frightened, this was the first thing.

Since the founding of the nation, the scourge of natural catastrophe, monster of monsters, the shadow that shrouded Anglo—Leviathan had begun to revive! Having just solved the infiltration and conspiracy of the evil gods, they had to confront this now. It was awful!

Lancelot pulled out a cigar from his colleague’s case but hesitated. Rather than lighting it, he put it back in the end. Covering his mouth, he coughed softly and wiped the blood from his mouth. He asked quietly, “How long do we have?”

“Archbishop Mephistopheles told me that the power of Westminster Abbey can maintain this for five years at most. After five years, we will have to face the enemy that had killed countless of our ancestors.” Maxwell’s expression was grave. “A true catastrophe will befall the world.”

Hearing this, everyone’s face turned pale. Five years? It was not enough at all…

Five years was enough to make a man rise up, earn a fortune, and become an influential millionaire. Five years was also enough to train a group of elite soldiers; it was enough to make a group of students achieve success and become the best musicians.

Five years was enough to build countless weapons and launch wars to plunder countless cities or states and accumulate priceless wealth. But what could a country do for five years? For a natural catastrophe, five years was so short. That was even truer for mankind.

“It’s too short.” The defense secretary put out his cigarette and lowered his eyes. “The time’s too short.”

The Three Saints, Three Pillars God, Four Living Creatures…they were the monsters standing at the top of all natural catastrophes. When compared with the senseless ‘phenomenon-level’ natural catastrophes, they may be less destructive on the aspect of pure force. However, there must be something very scary about them since they could be ranked at the top of all natural catastrophes,

As one of the Four Living Creatures tied with Hecatoncheir and the Dark Mother, Leviathan did not have the omnipresent divinity like the Three Pillar God, but it also did not require descending and risking the aetheric sea. These creatures did not exist in the aetheric realm but in the material world. Once it was truly resurrected, Anglo would face something that had entirely come to the world and could freely use all its power without any limitations. Imagine a monster that could perform natural catastrophe level music scores with a wave of the hand.

“No way to stop it?” someone asked.

“Sir, we have our limits.” Maxwell shook his head grimly. “We don’t live in a world where we can get everything done by shouting hot-blooded slogans.”

“What about Hermes? He’s charges so much consulting fees every year. Will he just stand by?”

“He says he has a way but Her Majesty forbade him to step in.”

“Why?”

Lancelot met Maxwell’s eyes and explained, “Hermes behaves absurdly and is not trustworthy. He has no loyalty either. If he is allowed to step in, it will only get worse.”

“Then we just wait for the war?” the defense secretary asked.

“Yes.” Maxwell nodded.

“Then…the break of the Royal Fleet’s seal should be put on the agenda. I don’t wish to have a bunch of useless men when I have to fight a natural catastrophe.”

“The Royal Family is ready. Except for the key number zero, the rest of the Stein Chamber will open one by one.”

“Let all these years of accumulation gradually turn into strength. This year, Avalon’s great enchantment will be fully restored to the power of Kingdom Come’s era. Otherwise, we have no chance at all.”

“The holy spirits of the grandmasters should also begin to be awakened. Five years should restore them to their current level. How many saints’ bodies can we gather?”

“The Three Kings should not stay out of the western defense. If we fail, no one will be able to get away.”

Someone thought for a while and asked, “Where is the Sword in the Stone?”

“It is still in the Jianlan Underground Palace. It was already very reluctant to force its power last time.”

Maxwell rolled up his sleeve and showed them the cracks on his wrists and arms. Those cracks were like burning glows, stinging people’s eyes like coal burning in the stove. “It’s not just the sword. I have also reached my limit.”

“So, where are we going to find the final weight?”

“Guixu.”

During the long silence, Lancelot suddenly said: “St. George’s Spear is still in the Guixu. Do we have to negotiate with the Sacred City to retrieve this artifact?”

“Guixu…”

Everyone became silent. In the silent room, the faint sounds of wind blowing in vortex echoed.

Sometimes, in order to retrieve the things of the past, people had to dig out the secrets buried in the past. But once the tomb had been dug, was anyone else willing to look at the bloody and dirty secrets?