Silent Crown Chapter 120

“How’s the result of the divination?”

“Sir, your fate is very strange,” the elder said with a sigh. “The revelation says that you will meet what you are destined to meet.”

Ye Qingxuan’s features twisted. He would meet what he was destined to meet? Well, no sh*t! What was the point of getting his fortune told?!

The elder laughed. “Don’t be angry. This is one of the best results.”

Ye Qingxuan had no words. He did not see how this was a good result!

“When the Romulus Empire still existed, wizards were fortune tellers who stayed beside the emperor to decipher the messages from the heavens. Sometimes there would be messages of catastrophes or good news. However, no fortune is better than this.

“The future will always go toward the future. Your fate is your own choice and uncontrolled by others. If you’re the emperor, you would be overjoyed with this fortune. You can continue forward with your destiny. I can see that your future stretches into the darkness. There are twists and turns but you might see the light.”

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan nodded. “I hope that is so.”

“Then let’s talk about the important matters.” The elder sat across from Ye Qingxuan and loosened his collar. He said lightly, “If I’ve guessed correctly, you also work for the Underground Palace? Let’s talk about that.”

Ye Qingxuan straightened and prepared himself.

–

Hundreds of years ago, after the Romulus Empire officially dissolved, the remaining city-states survived for decades and centuries. Until fifty years ago.

Just like the original empire, the City of Wolves, the Romulusians’ last home, was destroyed by the natural catastrophe. The mindless phenomenon Tide of Silver had swept past. Everything in its path was flattened. The thousands of miles were still flat has a mirror’s surface. If one looked from above, one would see a smooth silvery expanse like a wound on the earth. The Romulusians had no homeland thereafter.

The wandering Romulusians took up the lowliest jobs—physical labor, porters, thieves, bandits, prostitutes… The beastly nature in them meant they would forever be ostracized from society.

But twenty-six years ago, Gaius from the City of Wolves made great accomplishments in the exploration of the Dark World. He received high status in the Sacred City Parliament as refugee with demon blood. He received recognition by various kings and the Pope’s blessing.

Under his hard work, Romulusians were recognized and gradually accepted back into society. Their image grew more positive. They received much sympathy and aid. They saw an improvement in quality of life and profited from craftsmanship and similar industries.

However, six years later, twenty years ago, Gaius defected. His soldiers occupied the new colony on the other side of the sea and openly rebelled against the rule of the other nations and the Sacred City. The other nations instantly grew furious and began to chase the Romulusians away. Within a fortnight, the improvements were all gone. The entire process lasted fifteen years.

The Romulusians had lost everything. With nowhere to stay, they became wanderers on an endless road under flying insults and stones. Finally, they were led by six elders and followed the calling of ancient notes. They traveled to the barren lands of the south and found the land once promised to them by god.

However, years had passed. The fig trees and grassy plains no longer existed. The river no longer flowed with milk and honey. All that remained was a desert. It was Auschwitz. It was a paradise with nothing and it was where the Romulusians’ stayed.

“We had to find an industry if we wanted to survive here.” The elder asked, “Mr. Ye, if it were you, what would you do?”

Ye Qingxuan did not know how to answer. He really did not understand how to survive in a place like this. It was arid and impossible to grow agriculture. Without lush grass, breeding was out of the question too. All they had was yellow sand and barren land. They could not hunt either.

Trade? To be honest, there were no specialties here other than the Romulusians themselves. Other than slavers and traffickers, no one else would be able to find any business opportunities. The only thing he could think of was what the Romulusians had done before.

“So did you open the mine?” He sighed, understanding the context now. After arriving here, the Romulusians had dug a mine in order to survive. They signed a deal with the Chainsaw Fraternity to borrow a huge sum, but the mines they found were not rich. There were only sparse copper mines, metal mines, and some green gold. There was no value in digging. They could feed a small town but not Auschwitz. Even worse, they discovered the relic left behind from the Romulus Empire while digging. “It’s even worse than the relic.”

“It’s a cemetery,” the elder corrected. “Past elders had flipped through ancient texts and realized that the construction was ordered by the emperor when the Romulus Empire still existed. It’s the final resting place for the great men.

“And then? And then digging stopped. No Romulusian dared to continue exploring. Disturbing the ancestors’ spirits will put out the family flame. We could only seal the Underground Palace. Even the digging of copper mines stopped. To be honest, we still owe a huge sum to the Chainsaw Fraternity.”

The elder rolled his psychedelic cigarette expertly and said lightly, “When the ten years are up and the loan matures, us old guys will probably have to sell ourselves and become their mechanic slaves.”

Ye Qingxuan fell silent.

“Kid, don’t be upset. This has nothing to do with you.” The elder leaned on the rug. One hand grasped his smoke; the other caressed a bloody red rock. Squinting, he murmured, “Where were we?”

“The cemetery.”

“Ah, yes, cemetery.” The elder sucked in a mouthful of smoke and exhaled slowly. “You know the rest. One of your three kings, the King of Yellow, came to the cemetery of our ancestors for some reason. And then he disappeared.

“If bad luck is a curse, then we’ve been cursed by the gods. Everything bad happens to us. Now, your little group of musicians is here, stirring up trouble at our home. Next, you’re all going to run into our graves and mess around. And we can’t do anything about it.

“Tell me, what did we do wrong to be punished like this?”

Ye Qingxuan could not answer. “To be honest, I came here without knowing about the King of Yellow or the cemetery or Underground Palace,” he said. “I thought I was coming as a history scholar to help patients. I never even thought about the Sacred City’s reward. I hope you believe me.”

The elder held his bare and dried belly and laughed. “I can hear the truth in your words. Continue. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

“There’s nothing to continue.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled dryly. “These things are outside my capabilities. I just wanted to find a guide and take me around the Underground Palace so I can at least find out if the flu has anything to do with the palace. Elder, can you recommend anyone? I can pay him.”

The elder fell silent. He smoked while seeming to space out. He stared at the plumes of smoke, sinking in the high of the illegal drug. He did not snap out of it until it burned to his fingers. Then he raised his eyes, climbed up, and snuffed out the smoke.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ye,” he said. “This is the only thing I cannot do. To the Romulusians, there are three things that will make them be out for your blood—insulting their ancestors, putting out the family flame, and digging through their ancestors’ graves.

“We won’t agree whether if it’s your request or the Sacred City’s. You have a lofty goal, but don’t say things like that in the future.”

“Sorry.” Ye Qingxuan felt a bit awkward. “I’ll take note.”

“You can go to the Church. That old guy should still have the records of the dig and some traces.” The elder rose. “That’s all I can help you with. The rest has nothing to do with us. I hope the Sacred City won’t drag us into your matters either.” He paused and looked at the tiny scales on his toes. “After all, we’ve already paid enough for the sin we were born with.”

–

After lunch, Ye Qingxuan left the elder’s home. Lunch was very simple but it had been days since he had edible food. It was clear that this counted as a rich meal in Auschwitz.

Afterward, Ye Qingxuan rejected the offer to ‘have some fun.’ The elder warmly saw Ye Qingxuan to do the door. However, when they were about to part, he reached out and grabbed Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder.

In Ye Qingxuan’s shock, the elder came up and embraced him tightly. “Mr. Ye, here is some advice,” he murmured in the youth’s ears. “You are a good person so this will be my only advice. No matter why you’re here, leave this place as soon as possible for your own good.”

After leaving Elder Caligula’s home, Ye Qingxuan decided to explore the rest of the Auschwitz market and see the overall terrain. Multiple places had been bought and radiated with obvious aether waves. He could see invisible walls if he used the Eye of Silence.

Some places were flattened and the sole remaining building emanated a cold aura. Some places were deep in the residential area but there was no sign of life. He could sense a mass of dark fog but did not know what was hidden inside.

There was nobody like Ye Qingxuan who slept happily in the inn at night and went to sell in the market in the morning. However, when he returned to his stall, he found that someone had come over.

There seemed to be a customer sitting before the empty stall. He picked at the weapons, looking at this one or touching that one like a picky customer. In the end, he picked a short sword and stroked it.

“Hello, Mr. Ye.” Hearing the footsteps, the musician turned around, revealing the face Ye Qingxuan had seen last night. “I’m Colt,” he said. “Colt Flagg. My teacher has mentioned you before.”

“And your teacher is?”

“Heisenberg,” Colt answered. “Grandmaster Heisenberg of the Rock Institute.”

Ye Qingxuan thought of the cold hawkish face within the council members of Abraham’s appraisal. He could vaguely see traces of it in Colt’s face. They had the same cold hardness.

He nodded. “My apologies, I was impolite.”

“Nothing to apologize for. After all, our teachers don’t have a great relationship.” Colt glanced at him. “My teacher said that he isn’t as good as Abraham. Abraham has a perfect student who can continue and develop his legacy. To be honest, I am envious.”

Ye Qingxuan’s eyebrows shot up. He did not expect Heisenberg to think so highly of him. “He flatters me.”

Colt chuckled. Rather than replying, he toyed with the sword. “Want to work together?” he asked suddenly.

After thinking for a bit, Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I’ll pass. I’m not really social.”

“That’s a pity.” Colt looked at him coldly. “Your answer is such a pity.” With a snap, the sword was unsheathed. The blade shone coldly. Faint waves of aether rolled off of Colt. It was heavy with animosity.

Ye Qingxuan stared wordlessly. He would be a bit worried if Colt was a hot-tempered Modifications musician constantly troubled by his beastly nature, or a mentally unstable Summoning musician. He would not be worried at all if the opponent was a logical and introspective. No sane person would go against the rules of the Sacred City and put the locals at the market in danger by fighting with him.

Revelations musicians also had low lethality so every action was precious and made for the kill. In some extremist schools, a Revelations musician would not act unless he was at least sixty percent sure he would be successful.

Instead, Ye Qingxuan had to be careful to not fight back and give this guy something to latch onto.

During the quiet stalemate, Colt laughed at himself. “As expected, this trick doesn’t work on you.” He sheathed the sword again and put it back. “Nice sword.” With that, he rose, bid farewell politely, and disappeared into the masses.

Ye Qingxuan looked coolly as he walked away and returned to his spot. After a long time, he picked up a rag and wiped away Colt’s fingerprints. Sheathing the sword, he smiled into the distance. Under his feet, the rag silently burned to ashes.

–

At the end of the street, Colt stopped after turning. He looked at the girl hidden in the shadows. “Arianna, how is it?” he asked quietly.

Arianna’s expression changed. She shook her head unhappily after a while. “There’s still no reaction. Are you sure you put my personally-made ‘hint’ onto his stall?”

“I swear,” Colt said lightly. “I’m the only Revelations musician in all of Auschwitz that can discover hints.” Before he could finish, a small sound shot from Arianna’s fingertip. Her expression changing, she looked down and found that the ring had cracked.

“Really?” She took off the expensive alchemy equipment and tossed it into the trash. “There’s another one now.”

After a moment of silence, Colt lowered his eyes. “It seems like we should raise Ye Qingxuan’s threat level. Tell the musicians teaming up with us to be careful of him. Treat him as a Resonance level enemy.”

“That dramatic?” Arianna furrowed her brows. “They won’t accept it if there isn’t any evidence. How can the weakest guy suddenly jump to the top of the list?”

“No problem. If they want evidence,” Colt scoffed and turned, “there’ll be evidence once Ye Qingxuan takes care of some stupid guys.”

–

Ye Qingxuan was not thinking about what Colt had planned. He just took it was a test from a fellow competitor. After checking the illusion fulcrums he had hid in nearby stalls, he started thinking again. He soon discovered that someone strange was keeping an eye on him.

And the person was really close.

And really cheeky.

Cheeky to the point of squatting before him and staring with a curious and focused gaze.

It was a little Romulusian girl around the age of eleven or twelve. She wore a dirty robe like everyone else. Her hair was brown with strands of gold. She was mixed. Her old backpack was filled with little trinkets, from hair clips, scissors, pieces of paper, to a dead white rat. It had been turned into a specimen and she took it everywhere with her. Someone had drawn on her face with weird paint, making her look like a little witch that would be burned at the stake in olden times. Now, she squatted by the stall and looked up and down, creeping Ye Qingxuan out.

“You…what are you looking at?” Ye Qingxuan scooted back and gazed blankly at the girl.

Hearing his question, the girl was stunned too. She quickly shook her head and replied honestly, “I forgot.”

Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. He coughed violently, not knowing how to reply. The girl remained squatting and rested her chin on her hands. She looked at him curiously.

“Are you a foreigner too?” she asked. “I saw some others looking at you too.”

“How many people?” Hearing her words, Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. “Are there still a lot?”

“Probably?” The girl scratched her messy hair. “Can we not talk about this? I can’t remember.”

Ye Qingxuan could hear the sound of his sanity shattering. What do you mean you can’t remember? And talk about what? We’re not talking about anything! Don’t act like we’re already familiar with each other!

“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ye Qingxuan forcefully himself to calm down. “How can I help you?”

“Oh, we don’t know each other?” The girl looked at him in confusion. Finding her answer in his upset eyes, she nodded. “Then you’ve already bought a map, right? Just pretend I was never here.”

“What map?” Ye Qingxuan had never had such a hard time talking to someone. He was even doubting his own intelligence. Was this girl crazy?

“Oh, so you haven’t bought it?” The girl’s eyes brightened. “You want it? The map’s really cheap! Don’t you foreigners all wanna go to the palace under the mine? I’m the only one who’s been to it! I can’t take you but if you spend…spend…” She paused and flipped through her pocket. Taking out a price sheet, she glanced at it and stuffed it back. She stated, “Spend three-hundred bucks and you’ll get my hand-drawn map!”

You think I’ll believe you and give you money? Ye Qingxuan made a face but did not know what to say.

“Oh, you think it’s expensive?” The girl misunderstood and scratched her head apologetically. “Yeah, I think it’s expensive too. How about you give me a hundred? If you still think it’s not worth it, I can tell you a secret passageway.” Without waiting for Ye Qingxuan’s reply, she took out a strange ‘map’ and started drawing on the back. Her drawing style was, well…extremely ‘spirited,’ filled with wildness and emotions. Simply put, Ye Qingxuan could not distinguish anything other than two statues and a door.

Soon, she stuffed the map into Ye Qingxuan’s hands and gazed at him expectantly. She was waiting for money.

Was this a new kind of scam and beggar technique? Ye Qingxuan was numb. He thought, fine, it’s just a hundred bucks. Please take it and stop damaging my sanity and logic.

“You should’ve just told me you want money!” He sadly took out one hundred dollars and gave it to her. The girl accepted with a smile but realized the money would not budge. She tugged it again. Ye Qingxuan let go and grasped her wrist.

She looked at Ye Qingxuan, but Ye Qingxuan was looking at her wrist. There was a tattoo of two snakes entwined on a cross on her wrist. Ye Qingxuan took out his pocket watch and realized that there was no difference in the design.

“Where did you get this tattoo?”

“Where did you get this tattoo?”

The girl thought for a moment and shook her head. “Forgot.”

“Forgot?” You can forget this too?! He thought.

Feeling weak, Ye Qingxuan rubbed his face. “Do you know someone called Hermes?”

“Probably?”

“Do you or do you not?!”

The girl pouted. “I don’t know, I forgot! None of your business!”

“You remember your own name, right?” Staring into her eyes, Ye Qingxuan enunciated, “Tell me your name.”

The girl fell silent. She dodged Ye Qingxuan’s eyes and tried to take her hand back sadly. “I’m not selling you the map anymore. Let go. Seriously, you’re so annoying…you keep asking weird questions,” she murmured. She would not meet Ye Qingxuan’s eyes as if she was avoiding something. “L-let go, I’m leaving.”

She tried to pry Ye Qingxuan’s fingers but he just stared at her seriously. “Tell me your name.”

“Her name is Elsa.” Someone reached over and placed a hand on Ye Qingxuan’s hand. “Relax, Mr. Ye. She’s my daughter.”

The hand was covered in calluses and abnormally old. He patted the back of Ye Qingxuan’s hand and loosened the fingers. Then he embraced the little girl. She began laughing dumbly after he murmured something.

“Take her home.” He gave the girl to a young man behind him. The young man placed the girl on his shoulders and walked away. After seeing his daughter off, the stooped old man turned back to the youth. “I just sent you off and I can’t believe we’re meeting again.”

“Uh, Mr. Caligula.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ye.” Caligula held his pipe. Studying Ye Qingxuan’s Double Snake Time Meter, it dawned on him. “You’re Hermes’ man. I didn’t expect that.”

“It’s a coincidence.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “I actually came to Romulus to help him check on Elsa but it seems that things aren’t as bad as I thought.”

“Hermes still remembers the poor child?” Caligula nodded. “I met him once when the flu erupted five years ago. At that time, my daughter was close to dying. He helped me find the best doctor, but sadly, he was too late, leaving this sequela. Mr. Ye, were you bothered?”

After a pause, Ye Qingxuan asked, “Is there a problem with her memory?”

“You guessed it.” The elder lowered his eyes and said softly, “The fever damaged a portion of her brain. Some of her common sense remained but her memory…only lasts five minutes.”

Five minutes? Ye Qingxuan was stunned. After a long while, he lowered his eyes and sighed deeply. “I see.”

Only this way could he understand her strangeness. However, he could not imagine that kind of life. A world of five minutes was like an infant looking at the world. There was no past or future. She did not even know her name.

“No need for pity, Mr. Ye. She’s very happy.” Caligula patted his shoulder after seeing his sympathy. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing to having no past. This is not bad. At least, she won’t be troubled by sadness or pain.”

The youth nodded. “I hope that is so.”

“I almost forgot why I came.” Caligula pulled some dirty scrolls and placed them onto his stall. “I wanted to give you these. These are relics from those elders. Some of our history is recorded, and I think you can use them.”

Ye Qingxuan took them and flipped through. He looked up in shock. “These are all…Romulus’ history? They’re invaluable treasures to any scholar!”

“Mr. Ye, you told me this afternoon that you originally came to help the patients. These things are insignificant gifts of gratitude. They’re only useful to scholars.” Caligula knocked his pipe against a rock. The non-flammable ashes fell out and scattered in the wind.

“If possible, I hope someone like you wins the trial. If you still think it’s too heavy of a gift, then please find a better doctor for Elsa.” Chuckling, he turned and left.

Ye Qingxuan remained in his spot and watched as Caligula disappeared into the distance before looking away.

“Vic…tory?” he murmured. “I’ll try.”

–

At dusk, the smell of burning tobacco and alcohol hung in the air of the inn’s lobby. There was bustling busyness under the quiet chaos. Though it was messy, it was rare for Romulus to be so spirited.

However, the lobby was split into two clear parts. One half was filled with the shirtless natives who drank and talked loudly. The other half was silent. The musicians who had worked the entire day ate their food quietly. After all, if one had enough money, one could even buy respect, let alone a place to eat. It was not sumptuous but it was already the best treatment in Romulus.

The table in the center was empty. There were only a few cups of liquor and half a bottle of gin that could make many alcohols drool over. There was a gold sticker on the bottle. It was clearly a good imported product and the best of the inn. There were even some slightly-dried lemons paired with the good drink. However, the three musicians did not seem to want to talk while waiting. They just sipped their hard liquor and waited.

Soon, the door opened. A musician in gray cloak shook off the dust at the entrance and walked straight to the table. Something invisible seemed to follow him, leaving behind small footprints. A flash of coldness seemed to thicken the air. It was heavy beastly nature that practically became tangible under the aether’s projection.

The musician did not seem old. His blonde hair was messy like a lion’s mane. He had the vertical pupils of Summoning musicians who interacted with beasts too often. His gaze was wild and terrifyingly beastly.

“School of Dragon Rock…”

“Baro, the Gold Lion.”

“Baro Hoffman.”

Sensing his arrival, the other musicians started whispering amongst themselves, discussing the hottest topic of the Auschwitz trial, the star of the School of Dragon Rock, an elite branch of Summoning.

When Baro casually sat down at the middle table and started drinking the gin, everyone’s gazes grew serious. Now, the three popular picks for the champion were sitting together. They seemed to have teamed up and would explore the relic together.

There was Sam, nicknamed Hammer, the School of Destruction’s representative; Gold Lion Baro of the School of Dragon Rock; and Miller, the rising star of the northern School of Choir. Putting the three names together was terrifying. Something negative flashed through the eyes of the other musicians. They finished their food quickly and left.

Seeing those gazes, Baro sneered. Unperturbed, he grabbed a lemon and squeezed it over the gin. Then he tossed it to the side and emptied the cup of gin.

“Nice.” He sighed. “I was outside the entire day and now I can finally get rid of the taste of dirt in my mouth.”

The musician on his left picked up the flagon with a smile and helped him refill the cup wordlessly. Baro wiped his mouth. Looking at his companions, he started with the main topic.

“Sam, I heard you found another partner?”

“I think he fits,” Sam muttered while nodding. “He has a good head.”

Baro furrowed his brows. “But we already have three people.”

“It’s better with one more,” Miller said on his right. “I don’t object. The more the better, right?”

“Not necessarily,” Baro huffed. “It depends on who it is. I’m not willing to work with any weird guy. Sam, you’re too sympathetic. Don’t just add whoever into our team.”

“You’ve heard of him, Baro.” Miller smiled. “It’s that Easterner who made things hard for those guys last night. Let me—”

“Ye Qingxuan?” Baro interrupted with a furrowed brow. “The nominee for the weakest of all participants?”

“Uh…” Miller froze, his expression strange.

“What’s the use of deadweight like that?” Baro shook his head in dissatisfaction. “I heard that he wouldn’t’ve even been allowed in the city if the Angloian grandmaster wasn’t there.”

Miller drank his gin awkwardly and said softly, “Look, a Revelations musician that’s good at exploration is always a plus for relics like these. He’s also historical studies grandmaster Abraham’s student. He can help with exploring the Romulus relic. You can relax too—”

“Relic exploration isn’t a game!” Baro raised his voice. The scar on his forehead reddened under the alcohol’s stimulus. He was filled with disdain and disgust. “It’s already a feat if a newly-made official musician doesn’t add trouble. Don’t put your hopes on him for being useful. And anyway, my Scale Demon can explore relics too!”

Unable to refute the claims, Miller looked away. “This is Sam’s decision. He must have his reasons.”

“I don’t agree!” Baro’s expression was dark as he tried to keep down his anger. “Do you think anyone can join our group and split the reward? Those gold-digging pieces of trash are useless!”

“Talk after you’ve seen him,” Sam finally uttered. Rather than being angry or wanting to argue, he stated, “He has a good head. I think it’ll be good to have someone like him on the team.”

Baro’s expression changed. In the end, he gritted his teeth and stepped back. “Okay. If he’s not good, don’t think I’ll agree.”

Baro stepped back. However, it was apparently just because of his fear of Sam. Surrendering in such a situation made his mood worsen and grow manic again. Just like beasts, Summoning musicians were easily angered. Except those who had no emotions since birth, few people could suppress this beastly nature and control the agitation. The stronger the musician was, the more difficult for him to manage this.

“That d*mn b*stard,” he muttered. He indignantly grabbed a lemon, squashed it, took the glass, and drained it.

The musician beside him filled the glass up for him wordlessly and handed him a new lemon. Angered, Baro drank cup after cup.

During the long wait, Sam stared blankly at the glass while Miller looked up at the dust on the ceiling.

After several cups of gin, Baro’s patience finally reached its limit. He angrily smashed the table so that the whole hall was shocked into silence.

“How long do we have to wait for that guy? Does he want us to wait for half a night?” He angrily squeezed the lemon in his hand and threw it on the ground, reaching for the gin on the table. But he grabbed nothing. That bottle of gin was taken away by someone. The remaining liquor shook in the bottle, reflecting the light like amber.

“Don’t be angry. The most important part of life is to be happy.” The musician sitting next to him handed him a glass of water. “Come on, drink some hot water. Are you hungry? Let me cook some noodles for you.”

Baro froze. He turned and looked to the man beside him. The man was looking at him too, smiling politely. He had been sitting there in silence since the very beginning, filling the glass for Baro and handing him lemons, smiling and listening without a word. The squashed lemons were piled into a small hill before him like a hapless but organized family.

It was only then that Baro felt the sour and stinging pain in his mouth as well as the turbulent churning in his stomach like the pain after eating dozens of lemons. But, more importantly, how did he not notice this guy if he had been sitting there for such a long time?

Snap! His fingers sharpened, scratching five deep gouges into the table. He stared at Ye Qingxuan angrily. “Who are you?”

“Me?” The young man smiled helplessly and took off his hat. His long silvery hair reflected the light like metal. “I’m the heaviest burden you were talking about.”

Looking at his smiling face, Baro’s face twitched and he growled softly like a furious lion restraining itself. Now, he finally understood Miller’s complex expression and Sam’s daze when he was speaking. The youth had been sitting here since the beginning, quietly watching his restlessness for fun.

Thinking of this, he could not help gritting his teeth. The grinding sounds were jarring. “Ye Qingxuan, what do you want?”

“Nothing. I just don’t want to be involved in your bad luck.” Ye Qingxuan piled the withered lemons into a small tower and carefully placed a small umbrella onto it. Well done.

Facing Baro’s furious gaze, the young man lowered his eyes, gazing at the little umbrella. He said softly, “Mr. Baro, perhaps the most important thing to you is strength, so you despise powerless people. But you need to understand that the strength you’re proud of…means nothing to me.”

Boom! A lion roared in the void. It was overwhelming like a hurricane that almost overturned the table. It also destroyed the pagoda of withered lemons.

“Ye Qingxuan, you’d better shut your mouth!” Baro was on the verge of losing control. The beastly nature in him was about to absorb the aether and condense into phantom beast.

“Mr. Ye, I think that…” Miller stood out to smooth things over, but when he turned back, he saw that Sam was motionless. He froze for a moment and his expression changed subtly, shaking his head helplessly. “Forget it. Do whatever you want.”

Seeing that they would not meddle in the matter, Baro smiled. He rubbed his fingers and harsh notes burst out, almost sparking in the thin air.

“Should we go out and practice?” he said with a challenging smile. “If you’re a man then be a man.”

“Go out?” The youth shook his head. “No, let’s just do it here.”

Baro was stunned but immediately laughed out of extreme anger. “Do you think the ban of the Sacred City can protect you? There are locals around here, so I can’t do anything to you? You’re too naïve, I—”

“You think too much,” Ye Qingxuan interrupted him. He looked up and there seemed to be a quiet moonlight flowing in his eyes. He said, “I’ll admit defeat if you can use any music score.”

Baro froze. His face twitched as if he was either furious or grinning crazily.

“Good!” Crimson light shot from Baro’s eyes. “Very good!” His voice was followed by a lion’s roar. An impassioned melody sounded. The head of a giant pure white lion emerged from the void. Its hair was like knives reflecting light of the metal. In the blink of an eye, half a body had appeared. The giant mouth covered half of Ye Qingxuan and suddenly shut. It could be seen that he did not want to end Ye Qingxuan’s life. However, he also needed to teach this guy some lessons!

Bang! The big lion’s mouth closed but the scream was Baro’s.

The lion vanished like dust and dissipated in mid-air. The beastly nature returned to Baro’s mind; the conflict between the beastly nature and rationality made his vision go black. It felt as if his head was about to burst.

“The white lion is the representative phantom beast of the School of Dragon Rock, right?” Ye Qingxuan asked lightly. “I can see that the beastly nature has other parts mixed within. You have an iron lion in your mind? Very creative, I like it. But what a pity.”

“You—” In the throbs of pain, Baro covered his face. Veins bulged on the back of his hand. The eye visible between his fingers had become red. It trembled as it focused on Ye Qingxuan’s face. In his lethargy, Ye Qingxuan’s face was as illusory as mist in his eyes. The youth seemed close to dissipating.

Dimness surrounded them, leaving only a solitary lamp for illumination. Behind the lonely lamp, Ye Qingxuan’s smile was very secretive.

“Illusion!” Baro gritted his teeth. “Your illusion…is Winterreise?”

“Yeah, I learned it on the road for self-defense.” Ye Qingxuan lowered his head. “As you know, it comes from Winterreise. The movement is called Täuschung, which means deception. Its effect is to construct illusions while make the enemy’s movement lose target, sending it back at the enemy. It is quite good against the School of Summoning.” The white-haired youth seemed defenseless. He told Baro every detail about his movements and secrets. Then he pushed the lonely lamp to Baro.

“I can tell you one thing: its ‘fulcrum’ is this lamp before you.” In the crackling sound of the burning light, the hum of the teenager came faintly. “There was a fire, swinging lovingly before me. I followed it around and followed it close, watching it wander around, luring the vagabonds to come. Oh, how pitiful am I to be deceived so happily. I see a warm and bright house in this dreadful night. The one I love is inside-even if all I see are just illusions…”

“Do you think this illusion can trap me?” Baro gritted his teeth. “Even the ‘Voodoo Crypt’ candidate, that b*tch Rebecca, doesn’t dare to expose her fulcrum to me!”

“No, I just want a fair fight.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “I got the geographical advantage while you don’t need to worry that the destructive phantom beast will hurt the innocent. It’s good for you, too. What do you say?”

“Just what I need.” Baro grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth. A shadow slowly surfaced behind him.

It was a huge and hideous black organ. The six-layered keyboard was engraved with countless beastly claw marks. The flowing notes transformed into different music theories, performing the war between a great beast and dragon. This was the wuthering sound, the trademark instrument of the School of Dragon Rock.

Baro’s eyes were crimson. They had absorbed the beastly nature and seemed to burn. He had entered the phase of deep resonance. “You’ll regret it, Ye Qingxuan,” he uttered, emphasizing each word. “I’ll tear you to shreds.”

“Then you must hurry.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and closed his pocket watch. “We still have the time to play a few rounds before the dinner. I hope I can convince you.”

–

Late at night, there was only the sounds of heavy breathing could be heard in the silent hall. Before the already cold dinner, the musicians were silent. Only Baro was staring at the lamp before him with a pale face drenched with sweat.

“Shall we eat first?” Sam sighed. “The dinner’s getting cold and we have to pay to heat it again. How much longer did Baro want to hold on for? He did not mind eating cold food, but he did mind spending money. It had cost a lot to get the best table here too. If this was in the past, he would not care about it, but he had just wasted a lot of money for the rain in Oz. Now his wallet was empty. If Ye Qingxuan had not said that he would treat them, Sam would have stolen food from Miller.

“It won’t be long before Baro runs out of strength.” Miller stretched out his hand to hold Baro’s wrist and shook his head with a sigh. “I hope Ye Qingxuan can persuade him. Is the School of Summoning filled with stubborn guys like him? Researching beasts really messed with their heads.”

“At least the School of Dragon Rock is so. My teacher told me that if I met a psychopath from there, I should just beat them up. Otherwise, it’s not possible to talk.”

“Your teacher tells you to beat them up no matter what school they’re from!”

The two reached a stalemate for a long time. Finally, they decided to eat first. Ye Qingxuan reached out to pinch out the light on the table and the light dimmed.

Baro shook and almost slipped from his chair. He was sweating like a pig and panted heavily. He gasped as if he had broken free of asphyxiation under the sea. His lips faintly flushed with purple, his fingers trembled, and sweat fell from his hair to his collar.

Miller stretched out his hand to check but was refused by his waving.

“I surrender.” Gasping for breath, he looked up at Ye Qingxuan. He was not content but he still squeezed from his teeth, “I’ll listen to you in the relic.”

Ye Qingxuan laughed. “Then, let’s cooperate well.”

It was silent at night. A shadow stood amongst the clouds and wordlessly gazed at the city below him. Holding a notebook and a feather quill, he recorded silently. Endless stars were reflected in his Starry Eyes. Behind him, a silhouette emerged from the condensation. “Grandmaster Koch, how is everything?”

“As usual.” Koch ripped out a piece of paper for the man. “A total of nineteen musicians have gone against the Sacred City’s order and involved the locals during their personal fights.”

“There are many kids who think too highly of themselves.” The shadow in the clouds glanced at the notes and nodded. “They want to fool around when the Silent Authority’s here? They’ll have to pay for not following the rules.”

Grandmaster Koch continued to look down. He finally stopped recording when the midnight bell rang out. His records were filled with various names.

Ye Qingxuan was the last participant to arrive before the deadline of midnight last night. Now, there were one-hundred and sixty participating musicians in Auschwitz. The group’s average age was not even thirty, but there were more than twenty musicians above the Resonance level. The others had delved deep into music theory years ago. They were the elites of their academies and the stars of their schools…Torre Hauser, Sam, Casper Hauser, Colt Flagg, Ye Qingxuan, Baro, Arianna, Rebecca…

Grandmaster Koch gazed at the lines of names under the moonlight. Perhaps the new king of musicians would be born from this list. They were destined to shine.

–

The next morning, they were at the center of Auschwitz. If one looked down from the sky, one would see a yawning hole in the circular area. The eerie crack was like an eye in the earth staring up to the heavens. Within the eye was bottomless darkness.

According to scholars, Auschwitz was built on a complex but fragile geological rock formation. The smallest earthquake would cause a chain of disasters. If the crack enlarged, everything might be swallowed into it.

One could vaguely make out some rusted machines and the remains of a helicopter around the crack. Those were the digging equipment that the Chainsaw Fraternity gave to Romulus. They were only able to enter the mines with these things. However, they were abandoned when the relic was discovered. Now, only the scar-like hole remained.

At daybreak, the musicians gathered here, waiting to cross through the mine and enter the relic. Of course, many of them held mysterious maps and suspicious unreliable mine road maps. They did not know if the maps were useful but they only costed around two to three hundred dollars. They could use the maps as commemorative gifts.

Soon, the grandmasters supervising the trial appeared. After publicly taking away the dozens of rule-breaking musicians, the trial officially began.

The sealed entrance to the mine was opened.

Some musicians flew down, some started climbing, and others summoned phantom beasts that could fly. Seeing everyone use their tricks to enter, Ye Qingxuan casually got into the line for the lift.

The lift was a piece of equipment from before. It used to transport the miners and heavy machinery every day. It was dozens of square meters and could easily transport dozens of people and their luggage.

Beside him, Baro had wanted to summon his griffin and fly down. However, due to his promise, he followed Ye Qingxuan’s command with a dark expression.

“You don’t have to waste your energy at the start. Attracting attention at the start will make you a public enemy, right? The Sacred City won’t care what we do once we’re in.” Ye Qingxuan carried his package to the very front. Compared to the other light travelers, he looked like a snail.

Sam eyed his own giant bag with a pained expression. “Is all of this necessary?”

Ye Qingxuan patted his shoulder. “I hope a lot of it is unnecessary but you’ll be happy to have it when we need it.”

Sam sighed. He obediently put on the heavy bag and walked into the lift, lowering into the darkness under the loud rumbling.

Another rumble sounded under their feet. Blinding red light illuminated in the darkness. Fire was burning. Screams spread…

–

Far from the entrance of the mine, a middle-aged Easterner stuck his hands in his sleeves and watched the chaos with a smile. Beside him, a few white-haired youths and girls anxiously wanted to do something but could only stand there obediently.

“Sir, are we really not going to help?” someone asked softly.

“All is destined by the heavens so just let it be. Those who understand this fact will not stand under danger.” Mr. Hu patted the youth’s shoulder and remained still. “After all, this is not the East, and we are not locals here. For complicated matters, it is not good to be involved but there is no harm in watching…” He paused and watched as the white-haired youth enter the mine. “No harm in watching.”

–

The chaos started in the entrance. Someone said that two musicians who were fighting for space in the lift were squished together, and one of them touched the other’s chest. Others said that they kissed publicly and blinded the singles in the crowd. Others said that they already had feelings for each other and this was a well-planned conspiracy.

Anyway, many rumors came out of this event. And the end result was that there was a fight. It was an all-out fight! This meant that…other people were dragged in as well.

In the beginning, Ye Qingxuan saw sparks fly from below the lift and heard the commotion. Someone in the first batch awoke the music score sealed in his instrument, transforming aether into a hungry fire. It exploded in the center of the crowd!

Amidst the explosion, the lift began to shake furiously. The steel cable pulled taut and swept over Ye Qingxuan’s head, popping in the air. Then there was a huge quake. People screamed and the lift visibly tilted.

Amidst the grating sounds of steel warping, three of the six poles under the lift cracked. The other three were warped under the music score’s effect. Inside the mine, the riot had grown uncontrollable. As competitors, they did not have the grace of being friendly and calm. It was an everyday matter to fight now. For these musicians, survival of the fittest was the way! The intensity of the fight burned white-hot.

Under Ye Qingxuan’s observation, dozens of aether waves shot out one after another in the darkness peppered with sparks. This meant that…dozens of musicians were part of this messy fight. Most of them were for self-preservation and covered themselves with shields. Then…they started messing with the others!

The Eye of Silence immediately sensed reactions from six different music scores: a sonata that got a head start, an overture that planned slowly, a symphony performed by multiple musicians, a concerto, a fantasia famous for explosive power… The high and piercing sounds was interwoven in indistinguishable cacophony. Chaotic aether were guided by the music theory and came crashing with the destructive music.

Boom! With an earth-shattering explosion, immense pressure shot out from the darkness of the mine and into the air, making Ye Qingxuan’s vision go black. This time, he was unable to keep observing. The wobbling lift had finally toppled over!

The musicians quickly showed off their skills to escape the sinking ship. However, some were unlucky and did not prepare music scores for this situation. They had no time to perform one from scratch so they could only grab onto other musicians or equipment and pray.

The moment Ye Qingxuan felt the shaking, he was grabbed by someone. He felt a boom above his head and heavy wind whistled by. A griffin with a wingspan of a few meters had emerged from the air. With a caw, it began flying.

Its claws were agile like a man’s hands. It hooked onto Ye Qingxuan’s collar and grasped his waist. The other claw grabbed Miller, who had not yet processed everything. Baro and Sam sat on the griffin’s back.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s pathetic state, Baro huffed sadistically. “Who was the one that said it’s best to save our energy—ah, f*ck!” The last half of his sentence was swallowed by a scream.

Metallic light surged like a thunderstorm in the darkness. Under the eerie bamboo melody, countless steel edges emerged out of thin air and swept in all directions like rain. Either meaningfully or not, they blocked the griffin in place.

“I told you…” Ye Qingxuan sighed and activated the shield on his ring, getting ready to charge. No matter how many times he had failed in Avalon, Ye Qingxuan still liked to act cool. However, he also had learned some things. If everyone else is suffering and you’re acting all majestic, of course they’re gonna come for you!

“Bro, don’t hit my face!” He only had time to raise a hand and block his face.

The metallic light swept over with a roar. The griffin had just been summoned and Baro had no time to control other music scores. He could only yell, “Sam! What are you waiting for?”

“We-we’re fighting now?” Sam finally realized. He was so excited he even stuttered. “You could’ve said so!”

The mass of iron had not come yet but the griffin suddenly cried out. Their altitude decreased as if an invisible hammer had pounded its head. This was because of the Copper Mountain!

The majestic yet wild melody shot out, extending the music theory, performing equations, and connecting the shaking aether. Then, a gale of red wind appeared in thin air. It transformed into a tornado that stretched from the sky to the ground like a wildly dancing snake. In the eye of the storm, Sam’s eyes were ablaze with flames. They shone like lava.

Wild wind swept through. This was not the music score’s effect; it was only the prelude.

This was…

“Sound of heart?” Ye Qingxuan looked up in shock. His Eye of Silence looked past the semi-transparent griffin and fell onto Sam. In his semi-transparent body, countless rhythms had combined into one tempo. The tempo resonated with the sea of aether. It poured into the music score, performing its own effect. This was ‘Foehn Wind,’ the sound of heart that only musicians loved by Saint Agni!

Burning wind instantly swept through. The mass of iron was swept in and burned instantly, creating a stream of melted iron that solidified in midair. In the crowd, the musician’s expression flipped. He tried to escape but it was too late!

“It’s not over yet!” Sam cackled. He slammed his fists into the air. A passionate melody shot out. The flowing melted iron was pounded by invisible hammers and instantly began to weather. Countless music notes flowed within it, adding to the music theory until it transformed into a terrifying alchemy weapon. This was Les Preludes by Saint Liszt. It was also known as the Score of Damocles!

Everyone held their breaths because a sword hung in the sky. In the silence, Sam held his breath too. He reached out cautiously as if cutting the invisible thread. The sword descended instantly. Hundreds upon thousands of red meteorites fell. The shooting sword multiplied and returned under the giant boom!

The musician who had performed the secret attack was aghast. With a scream, he tried to escape but it truly was too late now. The wild aetheric vortex was born in an instant and disappeared in the next.

Amidst the continuous rumbling, countless gaping holes opened in the deep end of the mine. The swords that lost their strength pierced and melted into the rock. They gradually dimmed and all that remained was evaporating bloody vapors and dots of shocking dark red.

“Hey, that’s a bit…overdramatic?” It was not just Baro. Even Sam was frightened and wiped at his cold sweat. Now, he finally realized the eyes on him. They were full of fear, darkness, hatred, shock, murderous intent, terror, awe…

“Sam, I have a question,” Ye Qingxuan uttered. “How many can you destruction musicians fight at once?”

“Uh, if we’re at the same level, maybe three?” Sam answered uncertainly. “Why are you asking?”

“So you can’t win if there are more than three?”

Sam nodded.

With so many eyes full of malice on them, Ye Qingxuan could not help but bury his face and sigh. “Baro, what are you waiting for? Run!”

This time, Baro did not need Ye Qingxuan’s urging him, and cast a bunch of music scores. The griffin’s wings shook and it rushed into the darkness.

“Get him!” someone yelled. The crowd swarmed after them like an angry beehive.

Sam’s aggressive reaction had been too over the top and had attracted everyone’s attention. They were all competitors here, so if one performed so well…they would go after him, as usual!

Numerous music scores were cast in an instant, targeting the extremely visible griffin in the air. Next, an attack much denser than before swept through the air. At the same time, explosions sounded outside the mine.

In that instant, waves crashed in the aether sea. Outside the tolerance range of most aether balls, the fragile crystal balls exploded, blinding their owners. Faced with an intensity that was more than enough to kill them, the group paled collectively.

“Sam, do you have any solutions?” Baro glanced at the culprit.

Sam thought seriously. After wasting the last bit of time they had, he stated, “I don’t think so.”

Baro almost coughed out blood. He was ready to accept death when he heard Ye Qingxuan’s voice.

“Speed up,” he said. “I’ll take care of the rest.” In the next moment, a hymn rose up. Beside Ye Qingxuan, Choir musician Miller felt boundless radiance emerge from the darkness and illuminate the earth.

“Holy?” In awe, he sensed the Choir music theory brewing within and murmured, “The realm of God has descended onto Earth and operates as if in the heavens…”

In the light, the boundless realm unfolded in thin air. Music theory of the School of Abstinence joined with Choir theory, creating a perfect shield. There were no shakes, hits, or explosions. All attacks disappeared into the shield and landed in an unknown place. When the dust settled, they were already gone, as if they had disintegrated.

In the crowd, Colt Flagg gazed through the sky. His gaze turned meaningful as if his Starry Eyes saw something.

After the chaos, the musicians spread out into the mine. A rope was gradually lowered into the darkness, falling into the riddled mine. Baro and Sam were close to collapsing. They were practically carried down by Ye Qingxuan. They had no time to escape and instead hid in the crevices of the wall. In order to stay hidden, they did not even dare to use any music scores. They depended on pure physical strength.

Ye Qingxuan would not have been able to hold himself without the Governor, let alone care for the other two. In comparison, Miller was relaxed as if he was vacationing. He was not even out of breath.

“The School of Choir studies life, you know?” Miller explained with a smile. “My research field is the resistance of the physical body. Many techniques do not require music scores. The theory is simple. You just need to adjust the ‘four liquids’ inside your body and maintain equilibrium. It’s just like how you Modifications uses changes of formulas. One of our seniors survived two days in the deep sea by maintaining the equilibrium to study the limits of the body. This is a small case.”

Hearing that, Baro sprawled onto the ground listlessly. He decided not to ask anymore.

“Let’s get going after a ten minute break.” Ye Qingxuan looked around. He pulled some chant consumables and created an illusion barrier. “We’re already behind. Hopefully, we won’t fall too far back.”

“Shouldn’t we be fighting every second now?” Sam asked.

“That’s for the last step. Right now, it’ll be okay if we catch up. If we’re too far ahead, the others would probably team up against us.” Ye Qingxuan held his chin emotionally. “Trust me, I’ve dealt with these situations too much. You don’t want to experience it.” Hearing his words, everyone else’s expressions grew strange. They wondered what this white-haired guy had actually experienced in the past. “I’m sure everyone understands after that riot that you can’t survive by yourselves. Now, even the ones who didn’t want to join groups will try to find someone.”

Miller sighed. “The rest of the journey will be difficult.”

“You can’t do it by yourself but explorations aren’t the more the better,” Ye Qingxuan mumbled with a mouth full of breakfast food. “The Eastern Empire called for tens of thousands to excavate the ancient royal tomb but only a handful is actually useful. The four of us is enough. In fact, we have advantages.”

Ye Qingxuan had joined this team as a Revelations musician. He was responsible for investigating the path and exploring the relic. When needed, he would decode enchantments. The destructive Sam was responsible for martial power. Miller’s job was healer and backup. Baro was multi-talented and had many phantom beasts. He was responsible for filling in the holes. They made up a pretty standard exploration team and were enough to explore the Dark World, let alone a relic.

They restarted the journey after a short rest. However, Ye Qingxuan cautiously pulled out a sealed flagon this time. It was the size of a fist but heavy as if it was solid steel.

“What’s this?” Baro scooted over but Miller dragged him away after taking a whiff.

“Live mercury?” Miller furrowed his brows. “This is fatal poison. You won’t want to get a drop on you.”

“Relax. It’s just a chant consumable.” Holding his breath, Ye Qingxuan carefully opened the lid. Inside, the endlessly and silently flowing mercury rippled. This mercury was transformed by an alchemist. It was more active. Even in this flagon, it was still moving. It began bubbling slightly under the gentle melody. Strands of silver snaked out and hung in the air.

Ye Qingxuan let out a breath. “Done.”

Next, the gentle melody repeated. Two, four, eight…countless strands of mercury extended from the flagon into all directions with the Bolero melody. Under the intensifying song, the entire flagon was transformed into microscopic strands. They flashed faintly in the darkness.

The mercury perception threads extended, allowing Ye Qingxuan’s senses to stretch into the deepest darkness. This was Charles’ creation. After realizing that Ye Qingxuan’s water vapor perception threads were too weak and hard to use, he suggested directly changing the material.

The two had stayed up the entire night, adjusting intervals and music theory. They had finally applied it onto mercury, overcoming water vapor’s weakness. The mercury threads were flawless, save for the fact that it was slow to prepare.

Ye Qingxuan soon put back his empty flagon. The group began foraging deeper into the mine. The darkness swallowed their figures. A serene breeze blew from the distance, light as a laugh.

Using the mine map from the church, the group moved quickly. In fact, they had even overtaken many people. Under Ye Qingxuan’s perception, a complex yet detailed map formed in his mind. There were barely any fights during their journey. Ye Qingxuan had avoided all the musicians. However, he suddenly halted during their wordless walking.

“Wait, there’s a situation.”

During the journey, his teammates had acknowledged his exploration abilities. Hearing his words, everyone grew guarded. Ye Qingxuan tossed down his bag to lighten to weight and cautiously walked forward.

One step, two steps… The mercury threads extended and sank into the soil, sensing something hidden under the decaying dirt. Ye Qingxuan froze and was immediately covered in cold sweat.

“Who the f*ck did this cruel thing?” With his Eye of Silence, he looked past the disguise. The entire tunnel was covered in alchemy arrays and carved music scores. It looked like a wall covered densely in Boston ivy. Though beautiful, it was terrifying.

This thing was activated by the slightest touch. Without using help from aether, he took out a small shovel and carefully drew some circles on the ground.

“Come over one by one and follow me,” he turned around and said seriously. “Step in the circles, alright? There are three layers of traps buried here. One layer is mechanic, one is an aether trap, and the last should be some parasitic phantom beast. It won’t be good if it gets onto you. If you take a wrong step, the entire tunnel might collapse from the chain reaction.”

The others were stunned. They gulped. Buried under hundreds of thousands of tons of dirt, meters under the ground…no one would be able to survive.

Soon, they passed through the trap safely under Ye Qingxuan’s guidance. The pissed off Baro raised his hand, ready to destroy the trap, but Ye Qingxuan stopped him.

“What are you leaving it for?”

“If you want to mess with others, you have to be ready to get messed with.” Smiling, Ye Qingxuan opened his bag and took out some tools. “I’ll change it a bit and add some new stuff. When the person who set this trap tries to go back, he’ll have fun.”

His hands did not stop moving while he talked. He quickly changed the activation requirements of the traps. By changing the positions of a few music notes, the intervals of the complex array were changed completely.

He connected the rhythms, changed the notes, edited the intervals…he did everything in one breath. Compared to changing Avalon’s vast enchantment, this was nothing. The outer appearance was still the same in the end.

“I just changed the activation requirement,” Ye Qingxuan murmured to himself. “It’ll be fun when that friend comes back, right?”

His three companions felt something evil and cold radiate from him and they took a step back in unison.

–

They soon started forward again. This time, Baro summoned a dark falcon to discern the direction and he froze. “Did we go the wrong way?” He looked from the map to Ye Qingxuan. “Why are we going south? The entrances are in the north and east…”

“Huh? Did you buy your map from a local?” Ye Qingxuan took Baro’s map and studied it with a nod. “Look at mine.”

He took a new map from his pocket. Comparing the two, Baro shut his mouth obediently. Yesterday, he had spent a sum to buy a layered map from a Romulusian engineer who had entered the mine before. However, the map drawn from memory was incomparable to what Ye Qingxuan had. God knows where the guy had gotten it from. It was detailed to the point of noting the width of the tunnels, situation, and even a scale and depth differentiation.

“Where did you get this from?” Baro asked after a moment of shock. “How much did you spend?”

Ye Qingxuan looked at him as if he was a retard. “The church’s archive has resources from the mine’s early days. Anyone can go look at it, and it’s easy to copy the map. Why would I spend money?”

Baro shut his mouth.

The saying was, ‘you do it if you can.’ Ye Qingxuan could so Baro had no need to embarrass himself.

In Baro’s map, there were three entrances to the second level. In actuality, there were five in total. One of the other two was made by early engineers and was abandoned now so few knew about it. The other one was cracked by earthquakes and had been buried. It was only recorded in the safety records.

“If we don’t want to get slowed down by fights, we should have gone by the path made by the earliest explorative engineers.” Ye Qingxuan raised his lantern and illuminated the darkness before him. However, the ones here did not need these tools. The lantern was just a prop.

“What do you mean ‘should have’?” Sam asked.

Gripping his chin, Ye Qingxuan smiled weirdly. “Because things seem to have changed.” Before he finished, there was a giant boom up ahead. Something seemed to be fighting intensely.

Ye Qingxuan studied the footprints illuminated by the lantern and realization flashed past his eyes. He was definitely not the only smart one. Others must have realized they could take advantage of church resources and discovered this place.

However, few knew why this path was abandoned.

“At first, I planned on barging in, but now someone has tested the waters for us.” Ye Qingxuan pulled out a chair and sat down. “Let’s wait for ten minutes. We can go and take advantage of things after they clear the way for us.”

Ten minutes later, Ye Qingxuan led the way, and the group entered a giant underground cavern. The ground was littered with carcasses of snakes as thick as a man’s thigh. The engineer who discovered this place had noticed the hibernating snakes. They were not big threats to musicians, but it would be bad news for miners.

After all, no one wanted to wrestle with a bunch of poisonous snakes on their way to and from work. Therefore, they abandoned this path while exploring the mine. They even sealed off the center and put up warning signs so brash people would not come dig around. He could imagine how happy the musicians must have been to see so many little friends, starving and ready to prepare for hibernation, waiting for them.

“Should we collect some?” Ye Qingxuan looked back at Miller. “Snake marrow makes great chant consumables. They can act as live substances and help with many Choir scores.

Miller shook his head. “I can buy them in other places. No need to waste time here.”

“True.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and turned toward Sam. “It’s up to you now.”

For some reason, Sam felt goosebumps from the gaze full of anticipation. “Do what?” He stepped back subconsciously.

Ye Qingxuan stepped through the pulverized snake corpses and kicked aside the junk. After clearing out a circular space, he looked toward Sam. “Please make a hole here.”

“A hole?” Sam was dazed.

“Yeah, a hole.” Ye Qingxuan pulled out a map. “If I’m not wrong, we should be right on top of the relic. Instead of going around, why don’t we just make a hole and go down?”

“You can do that?!”

“Why not?” Ye Qingxuan waved. “If I say we can, then we can, even if we can’t! This is a great chance to get some experience. Pretend you’re digging a well for the people of Oz!”

After a long silence, Sam obediently took out a chant consumable that looked like white ash. He sprinkled it onto the ground while murmuring and humming something. He pressed down. A faint melody sounded in the next moment. It was gentle with a shade of sadness. The white cinder melted into the stone, softening it like water.

Under the calling of the melody, the stone gradually rose, increased, and wrapped around the others. They were enveloped in something rectangular like…a coffin? The coffin sank gradually as if bringing them into the ninth level of hell. Did this count as resting in peace?

Ye Qingxuan’s expression was strange. Smelling something decaying in the white ashes, his eyebrow arched. “Funeral March?”

The Funeral March by Saint Chopin was extremely widespread and widely used by every school. In the School of Illusion, it could create the illusion of death and the afterlife, such as dancing with skeletons. In the School of Choir, it could fake deaths. The musician could retain the sliver of life and enter hibernation.

It was much more aggressive for Modifications. Usually, they would stuff the enemy into a coffin and add fire for a cremation. The good thing was that it was efficient. They could burn the enemy into ashes which could be used as consumables for future use.

Ye Qingxuan began thinking wildly in the darkness. Suddenly, he chuckled. “We won’t disrupt any lost souls by playing this melody while entering the tomb, right?”

The downward motion abruptly turned into falling. Then, with a crash, the coffin landed on the ground. It seemed to have passed through the layers of rock and slammed onto the ground. Cracks appeared on the coffin. He did not feel much shock inside though.

Ye Qingxuan pushed the slabs aside and climbed up, taking a shallow breath. There was the smell of decay in the air but there was no poison, just as he had expected. This was a good start—not just good but very good!

However, Ye Qingxuan’s beautiful fantasy quickly shattered. A stone hammer came whistling toward his face!

“F*ck!”

“F*ck!” While cursing, Ye Qingxuan shot back instinctively, rolling out of the coffin and onto the ground. He had had so many near death experiences that his body could act on its own accord. This thought made Ye Qingxuan both happy and sad. Who wanted a talent that could only be had after almost dying too many times?!

Immediately after, the hammer shattered the coffin with a roar. The sounds of metal and stone clashing rose in the darkness. Ye Qingxuan scrambled back. Cautious of his surroundings, he snapped his fingers and the rune Light appeared, hovering over his head.

Everything looked normal in the long tunnel but two columns of three-meter-tall statues lined the two sides. They looked like armored warriors and held Romulusian swords and shields. However, their abnormal size was terrifying. Many of the weapons in the burlier statues were even more terrifying. There were long-handled stone axes and square-headed stone hammers. Someone even carried a fasces…

The statues looked extremely overbearing with beautiful intricacy. If it was any other time, Ye Qingxuan would study them closely and enjoy the art. However, he could not enjoy anything when the statues were activated by a foreign sound, their eyes flashed red and slowly walked toward the lower platform. He…had no tricks against these things.

Mind? Did these things have minds? He was not at the point that he could control everything in the world. It was impossible to control stone statues without being at least a Resonance musician!

Illusion? These things did not even have real eyes. Would they fall for illusions?

Revelations? Ha, what a joke. The School of Revelations did not lack anything other than combat abilities.

Ye Qingxuan did not know if the School of Abstinence was useful but he specialized in the construction of music theory. It could help him with controlling enchantments but was powerless against these soulless objects. He looked down at the amber gem on his black cane—Indrah’s Eye. Was electricity useful against these non-flammable things?

Before his thinking ended, something cold whistled past him. It brushed past his body and fell onto the gradually incoming statue. Cold frost instantly spread and giant ice crystals formed rapidly, swallowing the entire statue. The sudden coldness froze the statue in place.

It was Sam.

“What the f*ck is this?” Sam had just climbed out of his coffin. His reaction speed was only a beat slower than Ye Qingxuan. Baro and Miller crowded over as well. They looked around at the few giant statues that were advancing toward them.

In the distance, the statues that had slept for eternity were now shaking off the dust. There were enough of them to form two battalions!

Ye Qingxuan had a headache. “I think these are the clay puppets, sacrificial objects made by Romulusian alchemists for the nobles. They replaced live slaves to guard the tomb. These guys are replicated from the most powerful Romulusian warriors. They even have some techniques and know how to work together so be careful.”

Baro suddenly had a headache too. “How the f*ck are these things clay puppets?!”

“They’re made out of clay.” Ye Qingxuan had seen this with his Eye of Silence. “These guys have been burned to a ceramic-like quality and their durability is comparable to iron. Iron can corrode in a tomb but porcelain won’t!” Now, he was sure that Indrah’s Eye was useless. It would not have any effect other than raising the temperature. Porcelain did not conduct electricity.

“So what do we do?” Baro asked impatiently. “They don’t have weaknesses?”

“Don’t rush me!” Sweat beaded on Ye Qingxuan’s forehead. The Eye of Silence was getting hot too. He could see the alchemy arrays buried within the shells of the clay puppets. Those were the things controlling the objects. Ye Qingxuan manipulated his mercury threads to read the music theory within!

“The joints! The weakest parts are the joints and heads!” Ye Qingxuan said quickly. “Their observation loops are in the heads and should use old-fashioned heat and auditory sensors! Try not to use attacks with high temperatures. Otherwise…” Glancing at the two columns of warriors that stretched into the distance, he gulped. “Otherwise, it’ll be like attacking a beehive!”

“I get it. You’re annoying!” Baro spat. Beastly nature appeared in his eyes as he began murmuring in a raspy voice. Under the faint melody, the wind around him instantly grew wild. Dozens of tiny vortexes appeared. Bat-like things flew out with incredible speed.

Immediately after, cracks began appearing in the charging clay puppets as if a sword was hacking at them. The eyes of a thin and lithe warrior flashed red. It flipped in the air and took out two scimitars. Gashes formed in the air.

Slice! With a small sound, the beasts in the wind had their wings broken and were revealed. Two bat wings fell from the body, which also ablated into the wind. It was the phantom beast Flying Sycle!

If one died, Baro would add another one. Instantly, Ye Qingxuan could see around fifteen Flying Sycles hovering around them. They hid in the wind and continuously attacked the awoken clay puppets.

“Only fifteen? Make some more.” Ye Qingxuan pursed his lips. “I’ve seen musicians who could summon a pack of wolves and each one was realistic and powerful! They could even break through shields…”

“You think phantom beasts are mass produced? I’m not the kind to specialize in phantom beasts either. Raising fifteen of these aggressive things is already hard enough!” Baro’s face was beet red and he almost spat out blood. “Don’t compare me to those who had written their symphony of predestination and entered the Scepter level!”

“Really?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “Just say you can’t do it.”

Baro seriously was going to spit out blood as he glared. “Ye Qingxuan, if I really do reach the Scepter level, everyone like you will die!”

Pissed off, Baro was much more generous in casting the music scores in his instrument. The speed of the fifteen Flying Sycles instantly tripled. They broke through the air silently but when they attacked, they were like angry axes. They were so fast one could not process their speed.

With a roar, Baro played three accented notes. The Flying Sycles immediately grouped and transformed into a vortex of death, swarming toward the approaching clay puppets. With a muffled boom, even the cracks were cut off by their wings.

Four burly clay puppets broke apart instantly. They fell to the ground, the red light in their eyes dimmed, and they shattered. Ye Qingxuan’s eyes twitched as he saw the artistic statues be pulverized. His heart was in pain.

“Don’t do it too hard…ah, whatever!” Ye Qingxuan forced himself to stop. He never thought that he would do such a taboo thing. Romulus’s history had already been cut off. There were not many resources or evidence in the world. Their history was a mystery as well.

If the researchers saw them destroy these precious objects like this, they would probably get a heart attack. But for now, it was more important to save themselves than ancient relics. Otherwise, the relics would not be protected and they would be dead. They would probably be written into the next edition of “Dumb Ways for Musicians to Die” and be tormented in death.

His thoughts were muddled but the historical scrolls Caligula had given him flashed through his memory. There was an entry in it that suddenly shocked him.

“We can’t stay here for too long. Leave here first,” he called. “Hurry up…as fast as possible!”

“Huh?” Sam, who was constructing a shield array, looked back. “What’s wrong?”

“If I guessed correctly, it’ll be worse later.” Ye Qingxuan looked around at the gradually awakening warrior statues. More and more red eyes lit up in the darkness. He wiped at his cold sweat. “Do you…do you know what the Romulusian army is most famous for?”

No one replied. The three who did not know history at all exchanged confused glances.

Ye Qingxuan moaned and sighed dramatically. “Anyway, just hurry the f*ck out!”

What was the Romulusian army famous for? Was that even a question? Of course it was the Romulusian formation!

Boom! The giant boom was the sound of giant shields crashing onto the ground.

“Hoo ha!” Roars sounded amongst the clashing of metal and stone. Deep within the tunnel, nine statues stood shoulder to shoulder and put their shields together. On the ground, the metallic porcelain reflected the young musicians’ faces. Then, the wall of shields pushed forward.

“Hoo ha!” The ground shook and whistles shot through the air. Lances! They were two-meter long red lances! The giant lances shot from the wall of shields like a thunderstorm. They broke through the ground with terrifying booms.

The booms sounded one after another. Scars were left in their path. The red lances burned like lava and arced through the air like falling stars. They had not yet arrived but the pressed down on the air, asphyxiating them.

In the last moment, Ye Qingxuan pushed Baro behind him. He reached out to guard everyone. A hymn sounded.

“Holy! Holy! Holy! The god of all authority!”

Dozens of lances fell onto the shield and landed on the ground silently. However, more lances fell in other places and exploded instantly. Red fire and wild explosions shattered the walls and bricks. A violent current of air swept across. The entire tunnel shook to the brink of collapse.

After the fleeting hymn, all was changed. The area had been turned into a giant and empty crater. The land that they stood on was still whole but everywhere else was covered in lava…

Using Holy two times in a short period made Ye Qingxuan’s face stark white. He practically collapsed onto the ground. Behind him, Miller pressed onto the back of his head. A gentle melody accompanied the chanting of a saint, helping him recover.

“Two more rounds!” Ye Qingxuan exclaimed. “At least two more rounds!”

Behind the steel wall, the lancers took off their lances once again. They slowly raised their hands, getting ready to throw again.

“If you have any good tricks, let them all out! We’re facing the alchemy puppets made by Romulus at their golden age. They’re the two-hundred-soldier Romulusian formation! They can flatten the Chainsaw Fraternity’s heavy artillery group!”

Ye Qingxuan’s words extinguished the last bit of Baro’s wishful thinking. Of the power and weapons that the Chainsaw Fraternity sold, the cost of hiring a heavy artillery group was enough to bankrupt an entire merchant city-state. Their performance also proved how terrifying the killing machine made of pure money was!

“How rich were these guys to have guards like these?!” Baro complained. There was a flash of pain. He pulled out a bone flute and played harshly but Sam was faster.

The copper mountain rumbled and the Foehn wind swept through. Red wind surged along the tunnel instantly. Within it, a roaring melody shot out. It was filled with wild aggression. Hundreds of formulas rose from the music theory one after another. They combined and changed until finally transforming into something complex yet detailed.

Under the music theory, dirt was burned into lava. It climbed up Sam’s body and quickly cooled down into blocks of sharp black rock. Sam instantly became a flaming giant radiating terrifying heat.

Mazeppa! This was the music score written by Saint Liszt according to the legendary hero Mazeppa. He had come back to life and received holy power. He wielded the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. He was unstoppable on Earth! The flames transformed into the hero’s stallion and the violent winds became his wings. The iron rumbled in his hands, singing highly.

Sam roared and rode the melody, charging forward! The next instant, he faced the Romulusian formation. Before him, the lances shattered in the air. His black rock armor was damaged but quickly regenerated seemingly endlessly. The long lances pierced his giant hands but the steel wall was crumbling under the deafening rumbles as well.

Countless shards flew out. Sam crudely grabbed at the clay puppets that were not able to escape and threw them at the lancers. In his hands, the clay was melted into lava by fire formulas. They fell and splattered in all directions, melting the clay puppets in the vicinity.

Next, Sam took a deep breath and the black giant’s chest swelled. His exhale was an extremely cold gale of wind. The ghastly white wind instantly shrouded the formation, freezing the clay puppets.

Following Baro’s flute music, the roaring deep within the earth grew more and more dramatic. Something huge seemed to be coming. Within the formation, Sam retreated under Baro’s cries. Then, the tunnel’s walls shattered. A yawning mouth emerged from the side and, brushing past Sam, rushed toward the formation.

The mouth was more than a dozen meters wide. It easily swallowed everything and returned into the wall, the giant body following. After a few good minutes, it finally faded away.

The crack formed from its appearance and disappearance was dozens of meters deep. Sam and Ye Qingxuan were rooted to their spots.

“What was that?” Ye Qingxuan was stunned. All he knew was that this was a projection from the aether world.

“It’s the great king earthworm that the School of Dragon Rock has raised in the aether world for centuries.” Baro’s face was pale. “It’s sixteen kilometers long. The entirety can only be summoned by Scepter musicians. It’s known as the ‘snake that can wrap around the atrium of the world’.” He sadly put his bone flute back. The instrument was covered in fissures and would not last much longer.

Sam removed Mazeppa’s effect, revealing horrific burns all over him. Thankfully, Miller could heal them. Otherwise, they would all have to go home.

After this mess, none of them looked down on the Romulusian relic anymore. No one knew what kind of person needed all these creepy clay puppets as guards… However, they soon understood.

–

“This is a large-scale public cemetery!” Inside the large underground square, Baro looked into the distance. He used his night vision to see endless rows of stone coffins standing on the ground. They had seen more than a thousand coffins along the way and there were most likely even more!

When Ye Qingxuan saw this public cemetery, he was silent for a long time. Then he took out a crowbar and walked toward the nearest coffin. Baro tried to stop him but Ye Qingxuan had already pried open the coffin.

Amidst the muffled scraping, the coffin was activated. Dust that had settled over the centuries rose up and the dried bones were revealed under the light. The skeleton slept in the coffin, its mouth open as if in a smile. There were no traps, poisonous snakes, or beasts.

“As expected.” Ye Qingxuan reached out and carefully took the burial sword from the dead. He waved it lightly but cracks snaked across the blade as it corroded and weathered quickly. “These are all Romulusian civilians.”

He looked around at the densely packed coffins. “If I guessed correctly, the statuses of the dead will get higher the deeper we go. There may be soldiers, generals, priests and…even their king, Augustus. The Romulusians are pagan and worship the family flame. They believe that the souls of their ancestors live in the flame. Their ancestors’ bodies are buried here so foreigners can’t taint them.”

“But didn’t you just have fun tainting it?” Baro murmured. However, his eyes quickly lit up. “What about musicians? Where are the graves of the musicians?” Hearing that, the eyes of the other two brightened as well.

It was difficult to track the King of Yellow but the cemetery would not move around. This trip would not be made in vain if they could find some classical music scores, precious instruments, or alchemy equipment.

“Musicians?” Ye Qingxuan laughed and shook his head. “First of all, you have to know that ancient Romulus specialized in alchemy but the instruments were all handed down the family. The sons inherited their fathers’ business. Other than damaged or extremely meaningful instruments, they’d rarely be buried with their owners. Literature and scores are archived in their temples and rarely spread amongst the public.

“Secondly, there are so many coffins here. Are we going to open each one to find which is a musician?”

“They’re all together?” Baro furrowed his brows. “Musicians are buried in these public cemeteries too?”

Ye Qingxuan nodded. “In Romulus, musicians are just another job. They were known as the ‘black marquis,’ and were couriers. They had high status but were still only civilians. Only nobles, priests, elders, philosophers, and Augustus had the right to be buried alone.”

“Philosophers?” Baro was stunned. “Why? Are they more useful than musicians?!”

Ye Qingxuan pursed his lips. “It’s because they’re too annoying during life. No one wants to be their neighbor in death. Would you want that?”

Baro was speechless.

“Shall we continue?” Ye Qingxuan put on his backpack again and extended his perception threads, walking to the front. They passed by many more traps but it was obvious much time had passed without maintenance. The mechanics of the traps had all rusted and could not be opened. Some doors were unmovable as well. Sam had to forcefully destroy them.

The more they walked, the more amazed they were at the scale of this underground palace. They had walked two levels down but they still saw coffins and rooms for descendants to worship in. According to their judgements of the burial items, they were still civilians. However, they were richer. Many of the burial items were jewelry cost thousands. However, musicians could only use these things as chant consumables. Of course, they could fill the emptiness in Sam’s wallet. The others, some took for the memory.

When they opened the next door, they saw ruins littered on the ground and heard whistling wind. The well-prepared Baro huffed. His figure shook and a lizard-like scale demon emerged from the shadows. It stuck its head out and smacked its lips like an alligator.

Crack. A cracked stone monkey shattered all over the ground. The scale demon spat it out in distaste and disappeared back into the shadows. However, Ye Qingxuan’s group’s attention fell onto the corpse amongst the ruins. It was still fresh and the blood had not dried yet. He had probably died a few dozen minutes before their arrival.

“It’s a Revelations musician,” Ye Qingxuan said after scanning the corpse. “His frame looks to be about twenty-seven years old. The design of his amulet seems to be from the south. And the thing in his hand is…a shovel.”

Ye Qingxuan pulled out the broken spear-like thing from the corpse’s hands and nodded. “He’s probably an exploration scholar from the School of Geological Studies. Geological exploration and underground relics are the stages Exploration scholars are most experienced in. It’s not strange that he would be before us.”

Rising, he looked around. It was a large room with six side doors that probably led to six different places. Straight ahead, there was a tunnel that stretched into the distance. Finally, his gaze landed above the door frame. The dust contained the obvious mark of a monkey. The stone monkey had probably been there originally. If an intruder entered, it would jump down to tear him apart.

“There aren’t any actual obstacles other than the clay puppets so he was probably careless.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. He placed the body into an empty coffin outside and closed the lid. The good thing about dying in a cemetery was that there was an abundance of coffins.

“Dust returns to dust; dirt returns to dirt. What must leave should not be kept.” Ye Qingxuan drew a holy emblem on the coffin and performed a short funeral for the trial participant. This was probably the first of them to die and served as a warning. Everyone gathered their spirits, not daring to be careless. Who knew what else they would run into? There would definitely be stranger things as they went.

Other than Ye Qingxuan’s perception threads, Baro would also let out a dozen white pathfinder rats every now and then. These rats were not very strong and had short lifespans, making them efficient. He could let out hundreds at a time without feeling the pressure. One was a bit stupid and died from rolling down the steps but the others were okay.

However, everyone’s expressions grew uglier as they went. How could there be such a long staircase in the world? They had been walking for ten minutes! Baro’s legs had turned to jelly but they could not even see the lower level.

Ye Qingxuan made a rough calculation and furrowed his brows. “We’ve descended for a few hundred meters. Even if there were a sh*t ton of ancient Romulusians, they wouldn’t make such a meaningless structure. This design doesn’t have any meaning either.”

“An illusion?” Thinking, firelight surged in Sam’s hand. The heat spread and the rest prepared to shield against the attack. Sam looked as if he wanted to destroy this section of steps. Modifications musicians were great. Performing highly destructive music scores was as easy as drinking water.

However, Ye Qingxuan stopped Sam just as he was getting ready. “It’s useless,” Ye Qingxuan stated. “I’m a Revelations musician and I came in unknowingly. If it’s an illusion, it must be large-scale with multiple fulcrums. It may be on our bodies. If you destroy it brashly, it might lead to more changes that make us sink in further.”

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. They did not have any better ideas and it felt strangely uncomfortable to hear this guy say he was a Revelations musician.

“So do you have a good idea?” Baro asked.

After a moment of silence, Ye Qingxuan smiled yet grew serious. “Nope.”

The other three tried very hard not to explode. Baro glared. “Then what are you pretending for? You’re a Revelations musician and you led us into an illusion but now you don’t even know what to do! You’re useless!”

“Calm down. It was a joke to lighten the mood.” Ye Qingxuan waved with a smile. “My specialization in Revelations is recognition and explanation of music theory, not illusions. But don’t worry…” His tone suddenly changed and he pulled out a palm-sized velvet pouch. One could vaguely see some small balls inside. Ye Qingxuan grabbed the string and swung the pouch around casually. However, something foul and cold spread as the pouch swung. It was almost tangible malice.

“This is…” Thinking of something, Miller stepped back with a pale face. “That’s the Eye of Resentment. You made that sh*t?”

Hearing Miller’s words, Sam and Baro’s expressions changed too. They stepped back instinctively as if the pouch contained a demon.

The Eye of Resentment was technically just a universal chant consumable. Any music score could be added in to be reinforced. It was named like this because it was made from a fossilized eyeball that expressed resentment and wails from the underworld.

This chant consumable must be personally made by the user in order to be effective. However, it was forbidden by the Sacred City because the production process was too cruel and went against all ethics. How cruel was it? Well, it was developed by dark musicians. Its biggest function was not breaking through illusions. Instead, it turned into a fulcrum itself and embedded into the illusion. Through this fulcrum, it could taint the entire illusion. Any illusionist knew how troublesome a foreign fulcrum was in their illusion.

“I can’t help it. I had to make up for my weaknesses,” Ye Qingxuan said nonchalantly. He took the dried eyeball from the pouch and weighed it. The pupil still rolled in the eyeball. When it met someone’s eyes, it radiated with an almost tangible resentment. Thinking of the bloody ritual recorded in the files, Sam and the others looked away, not bearing to look.

“Oh right, what date is it?” Ye Qingxuan suddenly asked.

“September th—” someone replied reflexively but was cut off as if someone muffled their mouth. The voice was gentle like a woman’s.

Thus, Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“Re…be…umph!” a voice said with difficulty. She seemed to be struggling against Ye Qingxuan’s questions but answered involuntarily until her voice was forcefully cut off in the end.

“Seems like there’s more than one, huh?” Ye Qingxuan’s smile grew colder. He slowly raised the eyeball but there was no eyeball in his hand. It was just a glass marble.

“Sorry, you should know what I’m going to do to you if you’ve already accepted the ‘hint,’ right?” he asked lightly. “I try not to torment girls so why don’t we all take a step back? You remove the illusion and I remove the hint. Otherwise, you know what happened to Mr. Simon. You don’t want to be disabled like him and only be able to enter the men’s bathroom in the future, right?”

Pained cries repressed anger but Ye Qingxuan’s expression suddenly went slack. He rolled the marble in his hands. The girl’s moans of pain sounded again. She seemed to be enduring immense pain.

“You want to undo my hint? Seems like you have a mind musician with you…” Ye Qingxuan arched an eyebrow. “Sorry, I haven’t learned other skills but unless you’re at the level of my ‘teacher,’ don’t even think about undoing my hint.”

He had used the marble in a hurry to attract their attention and put the hint and imagery in, but Lola had taught him personally and it was not easy to undo. They needed more than ten minutes. During these ten minutes, Ye Qingxuan could use the marble as a medium to do whatever he wanted in the mind of the Illusionist lady. It was her fault for being so worried at Ye Qingxuan’s Eye of Resentment and staring at Ye Qingxuan’s hand for so long.

“Enough, Rebecca. Your illusion can’t stop them so just let them in.” It was another familiar voice.

Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “Another friend? Mr. Colt, what are you doing now?”

“Come look and you’ll know.” The illusion disappeared with Colt’s voice and all returned to normal. There was still a staircase before Ye Qingxuan but it was only three steps. They had been walking on these three steps for a dozen minutes.

There was a large hall below the steps. The empty room was held up by a single pillar. Colt and five other familiar figures stood before the large door at the end of the hall. Ye Qingxuan had seen these musicians during that night. Amongst them, Rebecca from the Voodoo Crypt stared at Ye Qingxuan. Her face was filled with anger and hatred.

Smiling, Ye Qingxuan tossed the marble over. Another female musician—Arianna—caught it. After checking it, she destroyed the marble, ending Ye Qingxuan’s hint.

The two other musicians glared at Ye Qingxuan’s group. They hid in aether in their sleeves in preparation.

Between them, Colt leaned on a cane. He glanced at Ye Qingxuan and said, “I didn’t expect you would come after us.”

“We’re not first place, after all.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d be nice enough to wait for us. Let me guess, did you run into something difficult?”

“Let me repeat myself.” Colt turned, revealing the door behind him. “Come over and see for yourself.”

The prepared musicians guarded the door behind him and glared. They were not welcoming Ye Qingxuan over. Instead, they seemed to be waiting for Ye Qingxuan to willingly fall into their trap.