Late at night, the bell filled the air. In the silent church, an old man prayed with his eyes closed under the holy emblem. The gentle light cast a fleeting shadow. In the serenity, even the metallic arm seemed gentle rather than deadly like a weapon. After praying, Abraham opened his eyes and studied the emblem. As if hearing the footsteps behind him, he turned around. Seeing the white-haired girl, he smiled and waved.
“Professor, I was looking for you.” Bai Xi sat down obediently. “I didn’t know you were here.”
Abraham chuckled awkwardly. “For some reason, I feel frustrated these days. I can only feel calm here.”
“Here?” Bai Xi was confused.
“God is here.” Abraham studied the emblem. “I pray to him to let Charles be safe.”
Bai Xi followed his gaze toward the simple sign. Then she looked back confusedly at the old man. “You believe in God too?”
“Maybe others will find this funny. I am old now and completely different from how I was when young.” Abraham laughed at himself. “I did not believe in God before because I had nothing to ask for. Now, I really hope that God exists and can protect all of you, giving you, Yezi, and Charles a great future. I’m sorry. I should be responsible for this but I can’t do it well.”
“Professor, you’ve already done enough.”
Abraham shook his head. “For decades, I was troubled about the world’s structure but now, I’ve started fearing. I am incompatible with it yet I wish it will treat me well. This is my weakness…” He paused and smiled bitterly. “I even think that being weak is good.”
Bai Xi looked at him with curiosity rather than disappointment. “What were you like before?”
“Probably a bad person?” Abraham scratched his head. “I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve killed many people before. Some did not need to die, some were innocent, but I didn’t care. Sometimes, I would even get drunk from the feeling of controlling life. At that time, I was like a demon. I was trained to be like that.
“Someone told me that to protect this world, I have to kill things and get rid of the termites. That was the meaning of my life.”
After a pause, Bai Xi said quietly, “But you don’t like that, right? I like how you are now. You’re old but you look nice when you smile.”
“Before meeting Charles, I was terrified by my bloodthirsty nature. I would often wake up from nightmares and be unable to sleep. But sometimes, I would miss the warm feeling of my hands covered in blood.
“No one taught me how to buy coffee, shake hands with people. No one was willing to shake my hand either because I held swords. I didn’t want to live that life—that was what I started thinking after I found Charles.
“I learned how to change diapers and take care of a child. I did many embarrassing things too…At that time, he was still so small but when he looked at me, he wasn’t scared. At that time, I thought that I had changed and it was good.”
Abraham smiled. The smile had no shadows. When he looked at Bai Xi, his eyes became gentle and pleased. “Do you know what makes me the happiest nowadays? Washing my hands. I clean out ink and chalk dust from my fingernails rather than blood.” He stretched out his right hand. The clean and gentle fingers ruffled Bai Xi’s long hair. “Now, I’m scared of dying because I think that living is good. There are more and more things that I care for in this world. I have you, Charles, and Yezi. I have three students. My past shouldn’t be mentioned but you are all my future.”
Bai Xi let him play with her hair. She leaned into Abraham’s shoulder and murmured, “Professor, you’re the best! When I get married, I want you to sit where parents should sit so I won’t be scared.”
“Okay.” Abraham smiled but for some reason, he really wanted to cry. Hugging the girl beside him, he let the hot tears roll into his collar. He murmured, “Okay.”
–
In the night outside the church, an old man stood in the darkness. He stared at Abraham’s back. After a long while, he decided against going in and turned to leave instead.
“Abraham, are you still dreaming…”
–
That same night, in a dark alley of the Sacred City, there was a dilapidated building. Under the dim light, the air was filled with the pungent smell of medicine. Bags of medicine ingredients were piled on the shelf but were all unlabeled. This was clearly not a proper pharmacy. Even though the Sacred City was powerful, drugs still existed. These illegal drugs entered the Sacred City through various channels and were sent to different locations secretly. However, the two parties now did not seem to be doing business.
The oily fatty now had a blank expression. He was clearly being controlled by a Mind musician. Staring at the man outside the counter, he said emptily, “You disappeared for so many days and everyone was worried. If you didn’t contact us today, we would’ve thought that you died.”
Charles leaned against the wall dejectedly and smoked a poor quality cigarette. His eyes were bloodshot. Hearing the words, he nodded and muttered an, “Oh.”
The fat man asked dumbly, “Is the plan successful?”
“So-so,” Charles muttered. “Not good or bad.”
Sensing his bad mood, the fat man asked, “Anything else?”
Charles fell silent. After a long while, he replied quietly, “I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“Huh?” The fatty did not hear clearly.
Charles raised his voice and repeated, “I’m not doing it anymore.”
There was a long pause as if the other man could not process it. After a while, the Mind musician made the fatty say, “Charles, are you sure?” The voice was cold like an interrogation. “Have you thought it through? Have you thought of the consequences?”
“How many f*cking times do you need me to say it?!” Furious, Charles’s head snapped up. He glared with red eyes. “I’m done! I’m f*cking done! F*ck the Revolutionaries! F*ck the Silent Authority! Lock me up and let me get a break! Lock me back up!”
He glared at the fat man. In a daze, the fat man became a dead fat man. He instantly decayed. A crude rope hung around his neck. As if he was hanging from somewhere, black blood flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. His mouth opened but when he spoke, maggots and flies crawled out. They crawled…
It was happening again.
Those d*mn feelings were back…
Shocked, Charles stumbled back. Energy sapped, he slid down the wall and thumped onto the ground.
“F*ck…” he muttered, holding his head in pain.
The fat man stared at him coldly for a while before saying, “Okay. If you won’t do it, there are many others. You can go now.”
Charles froze. It could not be so easy.
“Anyway, that’s all your worth for,” the fat man said nonchalantly. “Do you know why Constantine thinks so highly of you? Because you’re a genius? What a joke! It’s because your teacher—”
“What are you saying?” Charles gaped. He climbed up and his eyes grew cruel. “This has nothing to do with my teacher! What do you want?”
“Nothing to do with him?” The fatty laughed emptily. “This is the sin that your teacher, Abraham, committed under Gaius when he was still a Dragon Rider! Now, it is time for him to pay. Charles, did you really think it through? If you don’t want to do it, then fine. We can use Abraham as bait and—”
“Don’t you dare!” Charles grabbed the fat man’s collar and roared.
“This is your choice, Charles,” the fatty said. “No matter how crazy Ye becomes, nothing will change. The Silent Authority doesn’t care about titles. There are quite a few nobles locked up in the Mithril Cellar…You don’t want your friend to be locked up because of you, right?”
Charles’s grasp weakened. Clutching his head in pain, he stumbled back and curled up in the corner, mumbling. He seemed to be cursing someone but it was unclear. After a long silence, he looked up. The capillaries in his eyes were like burning flames. The eyes were emotionless and dull.
“My excuse was to buy medicine.” He reached out. “Give me the stuff on this list.”
The fatty smiled and patted his shoulder. “That’s the way.”
Silent, Charles accepted the medicine and left.
－
At night, the Sacred City was colder than usual. The water vapor frosted on the steel walls. Charles walked out of the secret location of the Silent Authority with his ridiculous medicine. Hanging his head, he walked toward the warehouse that he lived in. But then he heard a sigh behind him.
“You take forever.” It was a bearded Revolutionary with a cigarette—his roommate. He leaned against the lamppost and used the weak light to look at Charles with a strange smile. “Got a cold?” His eyes seemed to knowing; they were chilling.
“How…” Charles stopped, speechless.
Beard Guy stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked up with a smile. Charles was frozen in place. He stared at Beard Guy’s hands, not knowing what was hidden.
“What a coincidence.” Beard Guy reached out. He was not holding a sword or rope. He just patted Charles’s shoulder and said meaningfully, “I came out to buy cigarettes and heard that you were nearby so I decided to wait for you.” Pausing, he looked in the direction Charles came from. “You were there for so long. Were you thinking of leaving?”
Charles smiled stiffly. “Why would I?”
“Then let’s go.” Beard Guy put a hand over his shoulder. His hand was strong like pincers. “Let’s go back first. We can talk about the other things later.”
Face pale, Charles clenched his jaw and forced out a smile. “Okay.”
－
At the same time, Constantine sat on a chair under the dim yellow light in an abandoned warehouse. Emotionless and wordless, he tapped the table. The other men either sat or stood. Their expressions were dark but they all stared at the table and the document that was being tapped.
Behind Constantine, the examiner lowered his head and sharpened his dagger mindlessly. It grated in everyone’s ears.
When someone knocked on the door, he smiled.
When Charles entered, he saw the shadows under the dim yellow light look over with unfriendly gazes. He froze in place. His bad premonition grew heavier.
“What’s wrong?” Beard Guy craned his neck and squeezed past. He nodded at everyone. “Everyone’s here? Charles, don’t just stand there. Mr. Constantine is busy.”
Charles managed a smile and followed Beard Guy. He saw their faces and thought the gazes were all icy.
“Sorry, I came back late. I almost couldn’t find Charles.” Beard Guy patted his pocket. “It’s not my fault. It’s too hard to find a place that sells cigarettes. I could only get this crude tobacco. Does anyone want it?”
Constantine seemed to be deep in thought.
“Cory, you’re back just in time.” The examiner smiled and pointed at the document. “Everyone has finished reading and we’re only missing you two.”
“What’s so urgent?” Cory walked over casually and shook his head. “Everyone knows that I can’t read. Just tell me instead of writing it down.”
No one responded; everyone was silent.
Constantine looked up at the blank young man behind Cory. “Charles, where did you go?”
As if nothing had happened, Charles hid his sweaty palms and shook the bag. “I went to buy—”
Constantine interrupted, “Tell the truth.”
He stopped. All the unfriendly gazes moved onto him. The animosity poured into his lungs like some viscous liquid. It sloshed around, almost suffocating him. Smiling stiffly, he forced on a shocked expression. “What’s wrong with everyone? I just went to buy medicine.”
The examiner took his bag and opened it forcefully. He dumped all the medicine on the table. After examining, he murmured something to Constantine.
Constantine’s expression darkened. He nodded and looked at Charles. “Come look at this and you’ll understand.”
Charles walked over stiffly and accepted the document. Forcing his trembling fingers to still, he opened it. Extreme shock and fear besieged him. He froze in place.
“Hey, what’s so mysterious?” Cory came over and patted his shoulder. “You look scared. What’s wrong? What does it say?”
Charles’s face was ghastly pale. After a long while, he looked up at Cory with fear and…pity.
“It says…” His voice trembled. “You’re the…mole.”
Cory froze. After a long while, he opened his mouth to speak. But the smiling examiner appeared behind him. He reached out, covered Cory’s mouth, and slit his throat with ease. Fresh blood spurted out, falling onto Charles’s face. It was warm and bitterly sweet. Some fragrance spread through the air. The documents were dyed red. He gaped at the name on the document. Stumbling back, he landed onto the ground with a thump.
Cory fell to his knees. He clutched his throat, struggling in pain. He looked up at Charles but he could not utter any sound. And then he collapsed. Scarlet blood flowed from his body, pooling around him. In the dust, it turned bruised purple. After too long, he stopped moving.
“Sorry. I must have scared you.” Smiling, he pulled Charles up. The young man stared at Cory in shock. After a while, he turned around. His lips trembled but he could not form any words.
“Cory had been bought out by the Sacred City a long time ago. If he didn’t show some signs when he entered the prison this time, we would’ve never suspected him.” The examiner patted his shoulder. “You were with him for such a long time. He didn’t try to brainwash you, did he?”
Charles shook his head dumbly. He could feel the tears spilling out. Almost breaking down, he choked out, “I-I…you aren’t going to kill me?”
“Don’t worry. Everyone knows you. How could someone so dumb be a spy?” The examiner chuckled. “You might not know yet, but Constantine has already decided to make you his secretary. You must be cautious against those who want to use you. Thankfully, we discovered him early on. If Cory used you to learn some secrets, it would be troublesome.”
He paused and pointed at Cory. “After a bit, I’ll have someone check on you. You might not know but that guy is a Mind musician. It’ll be bad if he planted a hint.”
Charles nodded stiffly. It finally dawned on him and he felt a chill. He finally understood why the Silent Authority was okay with him entering the Revolutionaries as a spy. His upper figure was hidden right beside him, keeping an eye on him at all times. He had used a Mind music score to control the fat illegal drug trader and remotely controlled Charles to help him find information. When needed, he would throw Charles away to save himself.
That was how it was…
Seeing his expression, Constantine sighed. He patted his shoulder lightly. “Sorry, kid. I didn’t think you would be this scared. It was my mistake.”
“N-no.” Charles managed a smile and wiped his snot with his sleeves. “I was just scared by Cory.” After a pause, he pointed at the medicine piled on the table. “My stuff.”
Constantine quickly smiled and placed the items in Charles’s hand. “Very good. Charles, you are a good kid.”
The good kid managed a smile but then his face paled. Covering his mouth, he rushed out the door. They quickly cleaned up the body and everyone left.
Constantine looked at the examiner. “You found the mole and killed him. Are you satisfied now?”
The examiner’s smile was still mysterious. He just nodded slightly and looked in Charles’ direction. “I hope I am just overly sensitive…”
－
After countless days, Charles was in a dilapidated alley in the corner of the Sacred City. He leaned against the wall and smoked, looking like he was just basking in the sun lazily.
A faint voice traveled to his ears, “According to the information from the Silent Authority, ever since the Revolutionaries began more than a decade ago, Constantine was an important figure. He was always mysterious and not many people saw him before.
“If he wasn’t captured this time, probably even the Silent Authority wouldn’t know he existed. His relationship with Gaius is extremely close and compatible. He stayed in the shadows and traveled the nations for Gaius. He apparently has many hidden followers and the high officials of many countries all have contact with him.
“The Revolutionaries rely on his information network to operate for all these years. This time, Constantine’s arrest not only made the Sacred City lose a lot of spies. They also stole a lot of important information regarding the Winter Festival.
“You only need to find some tiny things from Constantine to be free. Don’t get too into it, Charles. You don’t have to sacrifice too much for the Sacred City.”
“I know, Yezi. Don’t worry.” He smiled confidently. “You know me. I run faster than anyone if there’s the slightest bit of danger. Even the paparazzi can’t catch me.”
A thin water vapor thread extended from the sewer and latched onto him. They were in coherence. A hoarse voice sounded in his ear. “Stop saying those stupid things now, Charles.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “If anything happens, don’t be stubborn. If you have to sell out the Silent Authority to live, it’s fine. Charles, as long as you’re alive, I can save you, understand?”
“Don’t worry. Do I look like someone who has morals? If I have to, I’ll even betray the Sacred City.” Charles smiled and waved. “Stop worrying about me. I’m really successful. Constantine trusts me a lot. I’m already his secretary and help him deal with messages. After a while, he’ll take me to see Gaius.”
After a pause, Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Take care.”
“It’s against the rules for you to contact me behind the Silent Authority, right? Don’t contact me if you don’t have to,” Charles said quietly. “There are some people keeping an eye on me too. It’ll suck if they find anything.”
“…Powerful people?”
“Yes, very.” Charles fell silent. He remembered the figure he saw in prison and his pupils trembled. “One of the Revolutionaries’ spies has purple eyes. Be careful of him, Yezi. You have to be careful…If you see him, run away. Don’t fight him at all, okay?”
Ye Qingxuan froze. For the first time, he could feel fear from Charles. It was undisguised weakness and fear.
“Charles, even—”
Charles shook his head, interrupting him. “Yezi, I’m begging you.”
After a while, Ye Qingxuan nodded slowly. “Okay, I promise you.”
“Great.” Charles forced a smile. He looked down at his cigarette. He tossed it down and ground it under his foot. “I’m leaving now. Don’t worry about me. I sleep and eat well and every other day, I get to drink good wine. The days are so nice that I almost forget I’m a spy.”
But he hesitated, and before cutting off the resonance, he asked softly, “Mr. Newton…is there still no news?”
“He’s still MIA.” Ye Qingxuan’s voice was dark. “You care about him?”
“It’s good that there’s no news. At least he’s still alive.” Charles shook his head. “He lied to me to trade with the Revolutionaries but I’ve never hated him. He taught me a lot. I should thank him for not looking down on a failure like me. I’m sorry, Yezi. I experimented with your data without your permission. I owe you.”
“If you come back alive, let me beat you up.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Hurry and scram. Otherwise, you’ll get hit.”
“Thanks.” Charles smiled, waved, and left.
In the distance, Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes in a peaceful café. After a long while, he could not help but sigh. “Lola, help me,” he murmured. “Protect Charles. Don’t let him get hurt.”
A complaint came from the air around him. “What sin did I commit in my past life to meet someone like you…” The sigh quickly dissipated. It seemed that nothing had happened.
“Thanks.” Ye Qingxuan smiled. He raised the cup and drank the bitter espresso in one gulp. His lowered eyes were red. He had not slept in ten days.
Late at night, the room was a mess as if it hadn’t been cleaned up in a long time. Those precious movements and profound music theories that so many people were eager for were scattered around, blown randomly by the night wind from the window, and noticed by nobody.
Ye Qingxuan lay amongst the books with a full ashtray before him. He put out the last cigarette and closed his eyes, but could not fall asleep. He just had no way to fall asleep.
A few days ago, he had not slept because of his concern of Charles. Fortunately, there was the Philosopher’s Stone music theory in his body which made his physical condition stronger than normal people. He just needed to have a rest after thirty days of not sleeping, let alone ten days. He would not be at risk of a sudden death like others. However, with Charles safe, he found that he couldn’t fall asleep.
These days, he was so bored that he planned to compose. He took so many precious music theories and movements from the Silent Authority that his music theory had been improved by leaps and bounds. But now, it evolved too much…
Once his consciousness was slightly blurred, the body’s music theory would lose control. It would operate spontaneously like weeds after the spring rain and horses on the moors. Once out of control, they would run wildly.
It was too strong for him to master himself. It was like hundreds of hands pulling his sanity. He had to suppress that power at every moment.
This was not good. If there was no way for him to grasp this excessive part of music theory, Ye Qingxuan may need to find a few discipline musicians to seal him.
“I’ve told you earlier that it’s not about the music theory. It’s your problem.” Lola’s voice came from the moonlight as if right in his ear. “Ye Qingxuan, you were already a Dreamweaver since you riveted your source and stepped into resonance. But until now, you still have no idea what a real Dreamweaver should do with his power… ”
Ye Qingxuan got a sudden headache. He scratched his hair.
“It’s no use blaming me.” He said, “Blame it on Ye Lanzhou, okay? He was the one who abandoned his wife as well as his conscience. For so many years, nobody knew whether he was dead or alive. He didn’t even leave any last words.
“Now, I am the only one left in Ye family. I don’t even know where to go to visit that group of wandering ghosts, let alone how to be a Dreamweaver, okay?”
Lola was speechless.
Ye Qingxuan couldn’t help sighing, scratching his hair. “Dreamweaver… What a nuisance.”
Dreamweaver. This was the unique advancement passed down through the Deva’s blood of the Ye family. All family leaders completed it successfully. Since ancient times, many musicians had engraved movements on the body, such as the School of Stone Heart’s sub-originator. Taking the Deva’s blood for example, there were also many schools that inherited music theories with lineage. But there were few who wanted to take a step closer and tamper with their own consciousness.
Those who dared to do so all went crazy, except the Ye family.
The Ye family forged the aether and music theory into the consciousness, with the dream of the self as the medium, bearing the embryonic form. Body, blood, and consciousness melted into one through the Heaven Ladder transformed from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, achieving a perfect balance.
Starting at the Resonance level, the grand path to the Scepter level was paved. That was why it was so smooth for him.
Since Ye Qingxuan became a musician apprentice, the embryonic form of the dream began to grow. It drew strength silently from Ye Qingxuan’s consciousness and music theory, stepping into resonance together with him. The dream advanced into the Dreamweaver itself. Now it was the time to reap the harvest.
“Unfortunately, you have no dream to dream.” Lola sighed. “Your music theory is not supported while the aether has nowhere to return. Of course you will feel distracted.”
Ye Qingxuan asked, “Is this common?”
“I have never encountered this before.” Lola answered, “Most of the Dreamweavers have planned their aether dreams before they step forward. Only you have never thought about it. Besides, you’ve lacked desire for the Originator since the beginning. You basically treated the music theory and movements as tools. How can there be a musician like you?”
“Hey, Lola, being a musician had always been my dream.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “Don’t I have enough desire?”
“Wanting is different from enjoying.” Lola huffed coldly, “If cooking can satisfy your wish, I think you’d be the best chef of Avalon now. But would you spend a bit of your time trying to be the best chef in the world?”
“…” Ye Qingxuan did not respond.
“That’s the problem, Ye Qingxuan.” Lola sighed. “The identity of ‘musician’ is just a job to you. Have you ever made it a lifelong pursuit? I think you’d prefer to follow Abraham as a scholar of ancient history…”
“I just need to have a dream.” Ye Qingxuan did not want to admit it. “As long as it is a dream, right?”
Lola asked, “If you can just dream, why can’t you fall asleep?”
Ye Qingxuan was speechless. After a long while, he sighed wearily. “How did Ye Lanzhou solve this?”
“I don’t know.” Lola shook her head. “When I met him, he was already a Dreamweaver. As for what his dream was, I believe you have a deep understanding.”
The moon above the sea. With high mountains and flowing water, it was the movement of the Moon.
He had more than a deep understanding. Thinking of this, his eyes brightened. “I’ve learned Moonlight. Can’t I just make a replicate?”
Lola mercilessly shattered his hope. “Moonlight is not the moon.” She said, “Light is the application of appearance; the moon is the essence. You are handy with your application but you know nothing about the nature of the moon over the sea.
“You are always like this. You are good at application but lack interest of the core, purely regarding the movement and music theory as tools. If you are a little interested, you won’t be in such an awkward situation.”
“He taught me.” Ye Qingxuan refused to back down. “There is no reason that I can’t copy it.”
“He just pointed a way to you.”
“A way?” Ye Qingxuan smiled. “I don’t think there is any…” He suddenly froze.
Dream, the end of the dream…the end of the dream… To the end of the dream!
Ye Qingxuan shot up from the ground and smacked his forehead. “How could I forget?”
Ye Lanzhou had left a clue at the very beginning, but he went in the wrong direction.
The end of the dream…
–
Late at night, Wolf Flute was awakened from his dream by Ye Qingxuan. After a long time, he rubbed his eyes and opened the door. Seeing Ye Qingxuan standing before him with bloodshot eyes, his expression grew sour.
“What’s the matter? Yezi, I know you’re anxious but you have to let people sleep, right? Not everyone can work twenty-four hours a day like a machine, like you. I just laid down and was about to close my eyes. If it’s about work, can we just talk about it tomorrow?”
Ye Qingxuan held his hand and solemnly implored, “Please do me a favor.”
Wolf Flute froze. After a while of silence, he took out a flattened pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He picked out a crooked cigarette and lit it. After a few mouthfuls of smoke, he shook his head and finally became more awake.
“What is it?” He sighed. “What did you do this time? Can I, the most useless Scepter musician in history, help you?”
Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “You know I won’t ask for your help for this kind of stuff.”
Wolf Flute paused. “You want to run with Charles?”
“No.”
Wolf Flute looked more and more troubled. “Can I choose not to help you?”
“Wolf Flute, you are my good friend.” Ye Qingxuan held his shoulders with sincere eyes. “Good friends should help each other, right?”
Wolf Flute’s expression quickly changed. “Why does the word ‘friends’ sound not so good from your mouth?”
Ye Qingxuan asked directly, “What did Ye Lanzhou do in the Scared City those years? You have been in the Silent Authority for so long. You must know something, right? I’m talking about the Hecatoncheir thing.”
“…You know about that?” Wolf Flute was stunned. After a while, he shook his head with wry smile. “Let me change.”
Five minutes later, Wolf Flute was dressed appropriately and returned to the door. “Let’s go.” He smoked and led the way. “Follow me.”
–
Two hours later, Ye Qingxuan arrived at the Forbidden Document Preservation Center of the Silent Authority by lift. The big library was still as silent and gloomy as a tomb. However, Ye Qingxuan felt all relaxed. There was not the slightest discomfort. He was practically like fish in water. The royal library was like this anyway. Other than the fact that there was no light, it seemed to be no different. If he had not known he was in a foreign country, he would have asked Gawain out for a chat.
Soon, he saw a wrinkled old dwarf behind the counter.
“Mr. Administrator, we need to check some of files,” said Wolf Flute.
“It’s you again… Oh, a new face. Is this your friend?” The dwarf glanced at Ye Qingxuan and stretched out his hand. “Do you have permission?”
“No.” Wolf Flute shook his head. “This is a private inquiry without any authorization. We do not want anyone to know.”
The dwarf smacked his lips as if he had experienced this before. “Then you need to follow the rules. Who’s going to pay the price?”
Wolf Flute stepped aside, revealing the blank Ye Qingxuan behind him. “Him.”
The dwarf nodded and pulled out an old bronze scale from the counter and laid it on the table. The ancient balance was decorated with gorgeous patterns, seemingly echoing faintly with a distant place, exuding quiet fluctuations.
“I don’t care what you want to know or what you want to do,” the dwarf said indifferently. “Coming here, you have to follow my rules.”
“Exchange. Knowledge is valuable and it can be exchanged with what you know. Write the keywords you want to know on the paper and put it on the left. The scale will determine the weight. If you can provide something of equal value, the trade will be made.”
Ye Qingxuan looked at the balance. “What can be used for trading?”
“No only music theory, movement, intelligence, secrets, but also gossip magazines, street gossip. As long as it is knowledge.” The dwarf said lightly, “This is one of the entrances to the Nibelungenlied. It leads to the world of the Philosopher. Even the Lighthouse is only part of it. As long as you pay enough, you can even know what color the pope’s underpants are.”
“Well, I’ll see what color the Pope’s underpants are.”
Ye Qingxuan became excited. Rubbing his hands, he wrote the key words ‘Pope’s underwear color’ on the note despite of Wolf Flute’s dissuasion and placed it on the left of the balance.
Thud!
Thud! It was as if a ton of iron smashed onto the ground. The scale on the left was instantly pushed to the bottom. On a scale to ten, it was pushed to nine.
Ye Qingxuan stared at it for a while before looking up. “What’s the price for this?”
The dwarf emotionlessly took a teacup out of nowhere. Taking a sip, he said, “This means you have to find a sum worth a library of this scale. It is second only to the music theory password of the Sacred City central control center. It’s equal to about ten Heaven Doors.”
“That expensive?” Ye Qingxuan was dumbfounded.
“If you think it’s expensive, then don’t buy it.” The dwarf scoffed. “This isn’t for the poor.”
Ye Qingxuan was speechless. He quickly exchanged the paper.
It said Ye Qingxuan.
The scale dipped down to 0.1. Ye Qingxuan stared for a while and asked, “How much is this?”
“This is ‘worthless’.” The dwarf glanced at him. “You can get it with any two elementary books.”
“That cheap?!” Ye Qingxuan’s heart broke. “I’m one-ninetieth of the Pope’s underpants!”
“Every scale mark increases exponentially.” The dwarf sneered. “This isn’t even worth 0.1. It’s just the smallest unit. The things you want to know are probably all common knowledge now!”
Ye Qingxuan was speechless. He couldn’t help it. Now, any musician or student knew the story of Marquess Ye beheading his enemy at the city gates. Too many people knew about it so it was no longer valuable.
Thinking a bit, he changed to Wolf Flute. The scale dipped to six.
The dwarf said, “This is equal to national secrets. You can buy it if you give me naval routes, military deployment maps, or information on the treasury reserve.”
“Not fair!” Ye Qingxuan roared and pointed at Wolf Flute. “How come he’s sixty times more expensive than me?”
“Hehe, it’s technically six-hundred and forty times,” Wolf Flute corrected. Then he added, “…and more.”
Ye Qingxuan went through a list of terms, having fun with himself.
Holmes was 4.7; Maxwell, 6; Shaman, 5; Bach, 8; Aurora empress, 8.5; Mr. Hu, 6.5…
After thinking, he decided to put Abraham’s name. The scale instantly went to 7.5.
“How come it’s that expensive?” He was stunned. He did not expect his teacher to have this many secrets.
“Don’t ask useless questions. There is obviously a reason.” The dwarf was tired of him.
Sighing, he hesitated and put Bai Xi’s name on but there was no reaction. “Why isn’t there a reaction?”
“There won’t be a reaction if you put something like eating or sleeping.” The dwarf rolled his eyes. “Be more specific! If you’re putting a person, write their full name! It’s best if you mark a location and family too.”
“Full name?” Ye Qingxuan was stunned. “That is her full name.”
“Oh?” The dwarf smiled meaningfully and caressed the scale. “This is why you need it.”
Ye Qingxuan fell silent.
“You’ve already played enough. How much longer are you going to take?” Looking at him, the dwarf drummed his fingers on the counter. “Are you here just to take a look?”
“I’ve never seen this before, okay?” Ye Qingxuan grinned shamelessly. “Let me try it again.”
He wrote two more slips.
Descendant of the Phoenix, 2.1. This was the unique advancement of the Anglo School of Royalty. Most musicians had heard of it before. With this scale mark, he could probably buy it with a regular music score.
“Not bad. The price is fair.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and put the second slip on.
Dreamweaver, 4. This level was for precious secrets that not many people knew or were highly important. He could exchange for it with information or knowledge of the same level.
Getting paper and a pen, Ye Qingxuan began to copy with aether. Autumn Wind, a thin music score from Mr. Hu, caused the scale to stop at one. It seemed that Eastern music theory and scores were slightly more valuable here.
Ye Qingxuan paused. Thinking a bit, he grabbed another slip and wrote: September, Huntmore Harbor, illegal drug ‘Krishna,’ sixty kilograms. He placed the slip in. The scale balanced out before tipping 1.3 degrees to the right side.
“What happens if my side is worth more?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at the dwarf.
“You can choose to change your slip or save the additional amount. Or, Nibelungenlied’s scale will give you additional information for the value.”
“I choose the last one.” Just as he finished speaking, the paper slip in the left scale evaporated. Aether converged, transforming into two slips of white paper.
Stunned, Ye Qingxuan followed the dwarf’s orders to take them. A line of faint words flashed before his eyes. If he did not focus on reading, he would not be able to finish before they disappeared.
F*cking dishonest trader… Ye Qingxuan had no time to swear. He focused his attention on the paper.
The Dreamweaver It is the unique advancement of the Eastern Ye family. One must have Deva’s blood in order to advance. The Dreamweaver uses special music theory and techniques to weave music scores into its dreamscape, allowing the dreamscape to hold the critical elements.
Because it contained Mind music scores, every Dreamweaver’s dreamscape would have a unique effect. The musician can store the music score’s spirit into his dreamscape and enter the state of ‘dreamland,’ fully becoming one with the music score and becoming the physical incarnate of aether.
Under this circumstance, the musician can subconsciously control formulas of the School of Modifications, the four liquids equilibrium of the School of Choir, the fulcrums of the School of Illusion, the beastly nature of the School of Summoning, the hints of the School of Mind, and more. The performance becomes an innate ability; the music theory is like breathing. One may find the most suitable element during this process, laying down the road to the Scepter level.
Detailed information is lacking and still requires collecting.
That was it for the first slip. Ye Qingxuan opened the second, which was the additional information Nibelungenlied gave.
Twelve days ago, Ye Qingxuan, the sole heir of the Ye family, was given the title of Marquess and seemed to advance toward Dreamweaver. More information is needed.
The end.
“That’s it?” Ye Qingxuan looked up.
“You get as much as you give.” The dwarf looked up lazily. “It’s just one degree. Did you expect a package deal?”
Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. It was seriously a dishonest scamming trader!
“Okay, you’ve had fun and have experimented. Isn’t it time for the real deal?” The dwarf seemed to see through him and glanced knowingly. “The truly valuable things here are all over five. There’s no need to come here for things under five.”
Ye Qingxuan did not reply. After thinking, he called over some aether to create pieces of paper. He wrote down three things.
The first was Hecatoncheir. The scale wavered between nine and one.
The second was ‘experiment.’ With a clang, the scale instantly shot to above six.
Hesitating, Ye Qingxuan put the third slip on.
‘Ye Lanzhou.’
Thud.
The scale rose to 9.6.
In the long silence, the dwarf inhaled sharply. He shot a strange look at Ye Qingxuan. “Hey kid, whose underpants are you interested in this time?”
“It seem like the Sacred City’s underpants are more expensive than the Pope’s.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “What do I have to give?”
Side-eyeing him, the dwarf snickered. “You think you have anything of equal value?”
Ye Qingxuan shrugged. “Give me a discount. Business is hard.”
The dwarf looked at him indifferently. After a long while, he knocked against the scale.
“Cut out a portion.”
The scale went to 8.7.
Ye Qingxuan was still unmoved. Rubbing his hands, he murmured to himself, “Not even the noble has extra money.”
The dwarf’s face twitched but he knocked the scale again. “Cut out another portion.”
The scale went to eight.
Looking up, Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “The weather’s pretty nice today.”
“Hey, don’t overstep the boundaries!” the dwarf yelled. “It’s already cheap enough! Are you trying to get some VIP package deal?”
“Sir, don’t be angry. We can still negotiate.”
Wolf Flute rushed over to appease the puppet. He stood in front of the scale. He took something out of his pocket and placed it onto the right scale.
“Is this enough?”
The scale instantly went to 5.7.
It had only decreased by 2.3 degrees but if it was exponential, the price had lowered several times! Ye Qingxuan did not know what Wolf Flute had put in that was so precious.
He opened his mouth to speak but Wolf Flute stopped him. “Don’t mind it. Was I really going to watch you pour your heart out?”
Ye Qingxuan smiled wryly. He had really planned on doing that. The most valuable thing on him was the music theory of the Philosopher’s Stone… Even if he had no other way, Ye Qingxuan refused to go home empty handed.
It was logical to have to pay a little price. However, he did not expect Wolf Flute to pay so much for him. He suddenly did not know what to say.
“Don’t get too excited. You owe me.” Wolf Flute glanced at him. “The rest of the cost is yours.”
Ye Qingxuan nodded and sighed. It could only be like this. He soon handed a stack of papers to Wolf Flute. He had edited and revised the sub-originator technology of the School of Stone Heart, integrating a portion of the Philosopher’s Stone’s music theory. Now, it was comparable to the core technology of the modern schools.
Other than transforming into a lever to stir the aether sea, the man-made sub-originator also contained the abilities of the Philosopher’s Stone. It could adjust a man’s internal secretion, injecting prepared hormones, medicines, or antidotes for the musician.
Of course, when needed, it could even turn blood into nitroglycerin to ignite the musician into a ball of fire…
However, Ye Qingxuan had also left something for himself in the critical music theory. He had rewritten a portion so he could control it at any time. He did not want to be defeated by his own design.
After putting in the notes, the scale went back to equilibrium and then even went over two degrees.
“Let Nibelungenlied give me related information for the extra value.”
Just as Ye Qingxuan finished, a book of notes appeared in the left side of the scale. This time, it was not a copy that would be destroyed after reading. It was an old notebook.
Experiment records.
—Ye Lanzhou.
After receiving the notebook, Ye Qingxuan and Wolf Flute left.
The dwarf stayed in the silent darkness. He lit his pipe. Inhaling deeply, he blew out a plume of thick smoke. The scale was shrouded in the smoke. It looked dead rather than mysterious.
“You gave him the entire thing,” he said. “What he gave could only be exchanged for one page. Haven’t you always been neutral? Why are you biased toward that kid?”
“It’s not a bias. Hermes has paid everything for him.” The cool voice rang out from the darkness. It sounded like both but neither genders at the same time. “And he deserves to know what had happened.”
The dwarf laughed and tapped his pipe. “Is this your judgement? Or the judgement of all of you?”
The darkness was silent. There was no more sound.
–
In the moving carriage, Ye Qingxuan turned on the light and opened the notebook. Without a doubt, this was written by Ye Lanzhou’s own hand. There were no mistakes in the words and style. In between lines and in empty spaces, there would even be some improvised phrases. Some places were filled with drawings and sketches.
Some sketches were of surgical staff with their faces and bodies covered completely. Some drawings were of a large pot. It had been colored black and was full of holes. There seemed to be small figures on the side, acting as a scale and looking up at the vast ceiling.
It was clear that Ye Lanzhou did not treat the experiment seriously. Otherwise, he would not be drawing or writing sonnets everywhere. This guy could never be serious, and only put in seventy percent of his effort. He did whatever he wanted without thinking of the consequences—or he did think of them and decided he did not care. Otherwise, with his talent and skill, he would not end up like this.
Decades ago, the east and west worked together in the Sacred City and successfully created a miracle. The most powerful of the natural catastrophes were the Three Pillar Gods, the Three Saints, the Four Living Objects, and the Eight Phenomena. The one with the most sense of existence with endless vitality and fury is Hecatoncheir. But it had been defeated, sealed, and captured by humanity.
The nations all paid heavy prices for this battle and still have not recovered. The Caucasus had fallen and was still in chaos now due to this. There were countless saints who had died as well; even the King of Yellow had changed.
Of course, years later, another person paid for this—Ye Lanzhou.
All of Ye Qingxuan’s misfortune originated from this. Now he held this notebook, not knowing if he should feel disgust or joy. His mind was just a mess.
To defeat Hecatoncheir, the Sacred City had started research on the nature of natural catastrophes. It was the most successful attempt in human history and also the one with the largest consequences.
According to the notebook, Ye Lanzhou was responsible for analyzing the ‘source of consciousness’—where the consciousness of natural catastrophes originate from and why. However, he had delved too deeply and entered forbidden territory.
According to history, humanity’s first interaction with natural catastrophes was the birth of Hyakume. One of the Three Pillar Gods, the god representing chaos and evil had appeared from the Dark World. The abyss that existed in the aether world was finally discovered by mankind.
Some even hypothesized that Hyakume was the consciousness born from the terrifying abyss. But no matter what, it was just a hypothesis.
All was created by the Originator. However, in addition to miracles, the Originator also created freaks like the natural catastrophes. If humans wanted to survive in this world, they must fight against the natural catastrophes. One day, there would be an ultimate battle to decide the ownership of the world. That was why they began researching ‘the nature of natural catastrophes.’ Ye Lanzhou was responsible for the core—the classified of the classified. It was rare for a baseless Easterner to be trusted by the Sacred City and parliament.
This notebook contained his records of the research. Unfortunately, there were too many useless things. The b*stard was more willing to copy an old menu from a restaurant than something important! While Ye Qingxuan was furious, he could relate. He was like this too, after all.
If he could remember it all, why would he write it down?
This record was just some bullsh*t he wrote down for work. They were just scattered running accounts. Ye Qingxuan had to flip through for a long time before he could find useful bits. Sadly, the dates were blank and he could not guess when the accounts had taken place.
The first useful sentence had no context.
It can understand my speech.
Then there was a long rumor with some notes on what was interesting or how this story was too stupid. Two pages later, there was another random phrase.
I found the solution.
After a bunch of doodles, there was an off-handed complaint.
Took only two days to learn five hundred words. What were those idiots doing earlier? If they gave it to me earlier, it could be writing poetry now!
After paragraphs of nonsense, Ye Lanzhou went back on topic.
It wants me to name it but I don’t dare.
Ye Qingxuan froze. Understanding what the words meant, he sank into deep thought. Hecatoncheir wanted a name that belonged to itself but Ye Lanzhou did not dare. Once something had a name, it would start differentiating between itself and the outer world. It would have a sense of self. Something that had a sense of self would become difficult to control. There would be countless changes.
After more nonsense, there was another phrase without context.
The subsidiary experiment is going on. It’s revoltingly successful.
And then there was only one last sentence of the records.
It’s learning so quickly. It already knows how to trick me into opening the door for it.
–
After that, there were no more related records in the notebook. It seemed as if every day was spent carelessly. He would write down a few unreliable things and then draw some self-portraits. His beard grew longer and longer. And then, all that remained was white paper.
Ye Qingxuan’s expression darkened. He flipped through the pages but there were no more records. Finally, he reached the last page and saw a long and messy essay. It seemed to be a message left specifically for others. This was the last thing Ye Lanzhou left on this world.
Lowering his head, Ye Qingxuan read through it silently.
–
To Whomever It May Concern,
When you see this, it will already be irrevocable.
Firstly, I thank the Sacred City for giving a wanderer like me such trust. I am truly sorry for betraying this trust.
If everything is successful, the result will be as everyone has witnessed. Yes, I personally released Hecatoncheir.
Hermes was right. If we were truly searching for a good ending, this experiment should never have existed in the first place. I stepped into this forbidden territory due to my curiosity and thus discovered revolting secrets.
Therefore, I spent the last few days thinking if the goal of the experiment truly is as pure and glorious as we had thought.
No matter what, it must be stopped.
I should have guessed that, whether it is the East or West, it is the same everywhere.
I hope that I can destroy the horrible result born from the experiment in time. Hopefully, my actions can serve as a warning and make you all more clearheaded. Please rethink your actions.
Compared to the world, humanity is so insignificant yet how can we commit such atrocities?
Perhaps, we should have never come to this world.
This world belongs to them.
There were no more words.
These were Ye Lanzhou’s last notes and his last essay.
For this world, for morals, to save the world, or for other sublime things…but he never mentioned his wife and son.
“It really…is you…” After a long, long while, Ye Qingxuan closed the notebook quietly. “It really is you.” Under the dim light, he leaned back in the carriage seat and closed his eyes weakly.
“This world?”
You did everything for this world?
Silently, aether crumbled the notebook. The pieces fluttered to the ground like snow. In the ripples of the furious music theory, wild aftershocks of the disturbance nature spread.
The white snow burned and faint sparks floated down, disappearing from the world.
Ye Qingxuan stared at the pile of ashes and murmured, “F*ck the world!”
–
A long time ago, Ye Qingxuan heard a joke: a farmer’s wife bought a basket of eggs in the city. Because she was pretty, a group of thugs on the way teased her, wanting to drag her into the forest. The woman refused and used immense strength to fight them off. The thugs were intimidated by her power and knelt down in humiliation. They admitted their ulterior motive and begged for forgiveness.
“That’s it?” The woman dusted herself in disdain. She said, “I thought you wanted to steal my eggs.”
All these years, Ye Qingxuan wandered through the world with no home to return to. He had lost so many things. He loved his mother and hated Ye Lanzhou. But he always thought that Ye Lanzhou had unspeakable troubles.
He must have had a reason for what he did.
Maybe he had tried to protect his family. Maybe he wanted to escape from the fate of the Ye family’s Dragon Bloodline or was tricked by Hyakume. Or maybe he had some inexplicable secret… So he had to do what he did.
Ye Qingxuan had made so many excuses for him in his mind. But then Ye Lanzhou told him he did all this for the eggs.
What a joke.
Ye Qingxuan thought furiously, F*ck your eggs. F*ck Ye Lanzhou!
This world was so cold and ugly. It seemed to always be snowing while he walked barefoot. He could feel the bone-numbing cold with each step. There were many people who should be more inclined to love it, protect it, or sacrifice something for it. But even if the first one hundred people were dead, it would not fall upon him.
He loved the world but the world did not love him.
Such irony.
Such pity.
Ye Qingxuan thought his life was as laughable as a joke. He had used more than ten years to come here. He found the truth, only to discover that Ye Lanzhou had just wanted to be a nameless hero.
Okay, go be your nameless hero. Go sacrifice yourself gloriously where no one knows.
For some reason, Ye Qingxuan suddenly wanted to return to Lute. Perhaps, he should have inherited the priest’s position in the beginning and spent the rest of his life in that small seaside village. He could be a respectful priest without any troubles.
Lowering his head, he caressed the holy emblem. He missed his professor, he missed Bai Xi and Charles, and he even missed Old Phil.
He finally decided that when this was all done, he would leave. From then on, he would have nothing to do with this weird duke title, this surname, and the hero who had abandoned his wife and son.
The carriage stopped. Ye Qingxuan pushed open the door.
“Thanks, Wolf Flute. I owe you.” He turned to bid farewell.
Wolf Flute looked at his tired expression and shook his head. “I should have let you know earlier.”
“There’s nothing you should or shouldn’t have done. You’ve done enough for me.” Ye Qingxuan rubbed his forehead. “I’m a little tired. I won’t go tomorrow.”
Wolf Flute was taken aback but he quickly smiled. “Congrats. When you wake up, you’d probably be a true Disturbance level musician.”
“Wolf Flute…” The youth looked at him with troubled eyes.
“Huh?” The other was confused.
“The tragedy of my life all started with aether.” Ye Qingxuan laughed at himself. “Lola was right. If I had other choices, I wouldn’t choose to become a musician.” In the cold wind of the night, the youth turned and left.
Wolf Flute watched as his figure walked into the embassy and disappeared inside. For some reason, he suddenly thought of the youth back then. The white-haired youth had smiled and walked into the hot sunlight, stepping onto the path to his future. The scene was right before his eyes was as if it was not too long ago.
He lowered his head and sighed. Lighting his last cigarette, he exhaled his sense of loss with the smoke. “Little Yezi, seems like you’ve really grown up.”
–
Under the same night sky, Charles opened the window. Cold wind blew in. He yawned into his palm and rubbed his hands. He shivered under the cold breeze. His fatigue gradually disappeared. It was four o’clock. After a few hours, the sky would lighten. After laying low for so long, they had finally moved from the crappy warehouse to an inn. However, it was only Constantine and Charles. The others had all been secretly arranged to leave the Sacred City and go by sea to the New Colony.
Only the two of them remained in the Sacred City.
The accommodation was good. This building was furnished well and they lacked nothing. They had meat for every meal and had more than enough bread. However, they were still being ‘protected.’
The Revolutionaries seemed to still be distrustful of Constantine whom they had rescued. Even after countless rounds of investigation, they still didn’t tell him the Revolutionaries’ new location in the Sacred City. As his secretary and follower, Charles naturally had to go through investigations too.
The Winter Festival was getting closer every day. There was only half a month left but he still made no progress. Constantine and Gaius only communicated with a few letters. Because Constantine had vision problems, Charles had to read the letters out loud for him. However, they never talked about anything important. They probably knew that communicating through letters could not solve any problems. Constantine had always been against Gaius’s actions in the Sacred City, even if the man had saved him from prison.
On the other hand, Gaius’s attitude grew colder and colder. In the last letter, there was a feeling of ‘you’re on your own now’ with a bad premonition.
Thinking of this, Gaius sighed. His expression grew troubled. The bedroom door behind him opened.
“Charles?” Constantine took off his glasses and looked over. “You haven’t slept yet?”
“I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. I opened the window to get a breath of air.” He asked, “Did I wake you up?”
“As you age, you become a lighter sleeper.” Constantine tossed a book onto the table. “I read for a while but still couldn’t fall asleep. I realized you weren’t sleeping either so I came to ask if you want to drink.”
“Sure.” Charles shut the window and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet. He prepared everything. There was an ice tray in the kitchen. After pouring in clean water, Charles shook it slightly and there was the sound of ice forming.
“All set?” Glancing at his relaxed actions, Constantine looked a bit envious. “No matter how many times I see it, I still think musicians are quite useful.”
“I’m not even a musician. This is just a small trick.” Charles smiled helplessly. “When I was little, my teacher would use this trick to play with me. After I grew up, I realized that the biggest use for this is to make shaved ice for myself.”
“Then, let’s drink to the powerful musicians.” Constantine raised his glass and they drank bottoms up. They talked about many different topics. Talking with Constantine was interesting. One always had a good time.
After a few glasses, Charles grew happy. He wanted to talk about the happy days of getting drunk in Avalon and running around nude. But then he shuddered. He had a different identity now. If he got drunk and ran out of habit… It was one thing to get mistaken as a pervert but it was also cold out. He could catch a cold from running nude!
His mind instantly cleared.
“Mr. Constantine.” After hesitating, he could not help but ask, “What is…the general like?”
“The general?” Constantine thought for a while and laughed. “You mean Gaius?”
“Yeah.” Charles nodded and explained, “Uh, didn’t you say we’ll go meet the general in a few days? You know me. I want to get some facts straight so I don’t say the wrong thing.”
Seeming to understand something, Constantine chuckled. “You’re scared I won’t take you?”
Charles scratched his head awkwardly.
“It’s not that much of a secret, actually. Everyone has already witnessed Gaius’s actions,” Constantine said lightly. “However, most people just think he’s crazy. I do too.”
Charles froze. He did not expect to get this comment from Constantine. He had thought that after interacting for a decade, Gaius and Constantine had mutual trust and worked together well. He did not expect that in Constantine’s eyes, the Revolutionaries’ general that caused so many sleepless nights, the worst criminal in the world, was just a crazy man.
“Perhaps Gaius was once the most clear-headed man in the world.” Constantine laughed and downed a glass. “But how much sanity could remain after he was forced onto a hopeless path time and time again by the thing he believed in strongly?”
Charles looked at him in confusion.
“You know he’s a Romulusian, right? A descendant of demons.” Constantine pointed at his chest. “He was born with two hearts. One left, one right. The Romulusians believed that only those destined to be heroes would have that.
“From then on, he became an apprentice of the elder. That was the start of his path to betrayal. The wandering nation desperately needed a guide. He believed that too. But when he realized that no matter what he did within, he could still not save Romulus, he betrayed everyone’s expectations.
“He left Auschwitz for the Sacred City and never returned until Auschwitz became a pile of rubble.”
Here, Constantine fell into silence. After a long pause, he murmured, “His entire life, he worked to complete his destiny but in the end, he was abandoned by his destiny. In the beginning, he wanted to save his brethren. Later, he betrayed his brethren. Even later, when he believed strongly in the Sacred City’s radiance, he witnessed Ye Lanzhou’s death and was utterly disappointed.
“He wanted to save the human world but realized that the human world was rejecting his salvation… Now, Gaius wants to rebuild order and create a better era. Sadly, the era does not seem to love him.”
Constantine could not help but laugh. His smile was full of mockery. “He is a contradicting ironic man. Charles, does this disappoint you?”
After a while, Charles shook his head. “Sir, he sounds like a pitiful man.”
“Pitiful?” Taken aback, Constantine quickly burst into laughter. “Perhaps. Because of these pitiful men, the world will never have peace.”
Looking at him, Charles asked tentatively, “Then, you…can’t advise him to stop?”
“Charles, did you know that a sense of mission is the gift from the demon?” Constantine drank with his head lowered and said, “It is wrapped up nicely to disguise its horrible nature. So many people go crazy for it, even willing to die for it.
“If it cannot be satisfied, it will cause insomnia, making one feel hellish torment. Even if you die, you won’t be able to rest in peace.
“All these years, so many have died because of Gaius, sacrificed for him. If he stops, then all those sacrifices would be in vain. Do you understand? Those deaths have become a curse, turning the sense of mission into a demon entangled in his life. He can’t stop even if I’m blocking him.”
Charles fell silent.
Seeing his sadness, Constantine roughly ruffled his hair. “There are so many people in the world. It’s not your place to be sad for him. Come, Charles. Let’s drink to him.” He stuffed a glass into Charles’s hand and raised it. “For Gaius, for the revolution, for the f*cking world, cheers!”
Throwing his head back, Constantine downed the glass and collapsed into the chair. He had finished the entire bottle of hard liquor. He lay on the sofa, intoxicated. As if seeing something, he smiled and quietly recited something in a foreign tongue.
“Inde genus durum sumus, experiensque laborum; Et documenta damus quâ simus origine nati…”
Therefore we are a hard race and inured to labors and we give evidence of the origin from which we are born.
The Jiuzhou Continent was in the center of the Xuantian Realm. This was the world of the martial artists. From lowest to highest, they were divided into nine realms: warrior, master, grandmaster, martial lord, martial king, martial emperor, martial king, sovereign of war, and god of war.
The once-child prodigy, Ye Aotian, had started cultivating his qi at three years old. He became a warrior at age twelve and a master at fourteen but had lost his ability to cultivate at fifteen. Because he no longer needed to cultivate. He had already become the one and only god of war in the world!
He was the god of war, Ye Aotian!
From then on, he traveled the world, enjoying all the beauty and riches. As a legend, he passed many years.
Now, at the bank of the West Lake of Hangzhou, a youth stood there with his hands behind his back. He gazed at the beautiful scene but his eyes seemed lonely and sad. They seemed filled with thousands of seasons and solitude.
So many girls gazed at him from a distance. Their cheeks reddened and their hearts beat faster involuntarily but they did not dare to approach the youth. That was because there was someone beautiful beside him.
“Brother Aotian, I don’t care how many girls you have. I only care that I am in your heart.” Murong Qian’er, the current number one of the beauty ranking of Jiuzhou, leaned against Ye Aotian. She felt the aggressive aura and was intoxicated with love.
“Qian’er, since you are with me now, I won’t let you down.” Ye Qingxuan smirked. He caressed Qian’er’s cheeks. Qi rushed into her gut. She instantly rose through the realms, passing the martial emperor and martial king level, jumping into the immortal sovereign of war realm.
“Brother Aotian!” Feeling her cultivation reach an unprecedented level, Qian’er felt incredible and incredulous. “You’re too good to me!”
“My darling, you are too polite. Since you are with my husband, we will be sisters from now on.” An elegant woman held Qian’er’s hands. She was Gudu Yuehua, the sovereign of war who had ruled for a millennium. “Husband is becoming more and more powerful. Us six hundred girls cannot care for him well enough. In the future, we must work live together well. Here, this is my gift for you as a sister.”
With that, Gudu Yuehua pulled out a shining sword. Qian’er’s delicate figure trembled. “Is this the magical Gudu Nine Sword that Husband made for you?”
“No, you are mistaken. This is the Gudu Six Hundred Forty-Seven Sword. It is a gift from me for our first meeting.”
Hearing this, Ye Aotian threw his head back in laughter. He brought the two beauties into the air. In the clouds, a crowd of girls watched them come and swarmed over delicately.
“Congratulations on the bonding between Husband and Sister Qian’er.”
Ye Aotian smiled and said, “Come, Qian’er, let me introduce you to your sisters. This is your second sister Mengqi, third sister Muqing, fourth sister Aoshan, fifth sister, Manwen, sixth sister Yuexi, seventh sister Xianghan…and your six hundred and forty-sixth sister Lianmeng.”
“Husband, you are too good to me.” Qian’er leaned against Ye Aotian, her soft chest pressed against Aotian’s arm, making the man’s member misbehave.
“You’re so mean. You’re trying to bully me again.” Yuehua smiled and reached out. She tapped his cock, making it grow fierce. Yuehua looked up. Glancing at Aotian, she bent down and parted her pretty lips…
And thus, there was chaos and until the girls all begged him to stop and all were satisfied. Qian’er stroked the hard length and could not help but sigh, “Husband, please go find some more misters. We cannot handle you anymore.”
Ye Aotian did not answer.
“Husband is too powerful,” the girls said. “Husband, go find some more sisters.”
Ye Aotian still did not answer.
After a round of lovely whining, Ye Aotian finally snapped out of it. He looked at the beauties. “I have a question.”
“What is it, Husband?” they all asked.
“I am only one man but I’ve conquered more than six hundred girls. And yet you are all so loving of each other. There are no fights or jealousy. It’s incredible.
The girls all laughed. “Husband has gone crazy again.”
“Also,” Ye Aotian looked down at his crotch, “making love with 647 girls one after another would take 373 and a half hours if each person takes half an hour. That means 186 hours and 45 minutes. That means that each session would take fifteen days. During these fifteen days, I can’t sleep or eat and I can only act mechanically. Even a steel pillar would be flattened but I didn’t even scrape my skin.”
“That is because Husband’s body is like a god.”
“But in addition to that weird stuff, if you all love me so deeply, how are you willing to share me with six hundred other girls and ask me to get even more?”
“Brother Aotian, I do not care how many girls you have, as long as I am in your heart,” Yuehua answered shyly. “And your thing is too powerful. I…”
“That’s weird. Does cultivating increase power or hormones?”
In a daze, the girls disappeared. Ye Aotian looked up and saw a realistic yet illusory figure. His eyes brightened. “Elder, you’ve come just in time. Ever since I found the ring you hide in from the backyard when I was eleven, I’ve always had a question.”
The elder with a head of white hair smiled. “Aotian, what is your question?”
“What exactly is qi?” Ye Aotian asked. “Where does it come from? How is it created? How does it exist? Why does it enter our body? What state is it? Gas? Liquid? Solid? If it’s called qi, then it must be gas, right? Does that mean I have a large amount of gas inside my body? Why haven’t I swelled up?”
The elder replied, “That is because your veins are strong. The qi condensed into the fighting spirit and is contained in the sub-universe of your body.”
“What state is the fighting spirit in? Is it tangible?” Ye Aotian murmured. He grabbed a girl over and ripped her apart after killing her. “Where are the eight qijing veins and two rendu veins? Where is the sub-universe? Inside the brain?” As he spoke, he lowered his dagger and opened Qian’er’s brain. But there was nothing there. “Is this the sub-universe? Then where is the gut?”
The elder remained silent.
“And the nine levels are warrior, master, grandmaster, martial lord, martial king, martial emperor, martial king, sovereign of war, and god of war… Why are there two martial kings?”
“Don’t overthink.” The elder pulled two pieces of spirit fruits. “Aotian, it is time to cultivate. Come, eat this fruit.”
“I’m not Aotian.” The youth looked up. “My name is Ye Qingxuan.”
“Is it bad to be called Aotian?” The elder sighed. “You became a god of war at age fourteen and are undefeatable. You are the best of the century and possess power and beauty. Everyone fears and respects you. Your friends love you, are obsessed with you, and will never leave you. What is bad about this life?”
“Everything’s great about this life.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “But it’s too fake.”
“If you don’t like it, we can change to another one.” The elder shook his head. Time spun and they returned to hundreds of years ago. At age fifteen, Ye Aotian lost the ability to cultivate. His skills even decreased and he fell lower than a warrior. He was looked down upon and even the girl he had been arranged to marry from childhood rejected him. Then when he was eighteen years old, the elder re-appeared and gave him new hope.
“Are you satisfied with this life?”
“Why do I have to cultivate?” Ye Qingxuan asked. “You can turn into an inflator but why do I have to pump myself with gas for no reason? Why can’t I just live?”
“I see.” The elder finally understood. “You don’t like to cultivate.”
The world instantly darkened and all fell into the void. The universe opened again and created a new world. History rolled by until it came to modern day. The masterpiece Dies Irae welcomed its highest wave of popularity. The biggest guild of the game—Dragon Guild—guided the most elite players to start a new historical mission: recreation of the gods. They fought past all the obstacles to the temple of gods. There was only one step before they could push open the door and became the new gods.
But just then, the guild leader, general of the elite group, and the strongest warrior of the game, Dragon Aotian, went offline!
The game company quickly sent a video call to Dragon Aotian.
“Hello, this is Wang, the GM of the game company.”
“Wang?” Ye Qingxuan looked at the old man with white hair in the screen. “Aren’t you the elder?”
“…Haha, how come you went offline?” Wang asked after clearing his throat. “Is there something wrong with the game?”
“Oh, no.” Ye Qingxuan pointed to the stove behind him. “I got hungry and I’m making ramen now.”
“The entire league is waiting for you! There’s only one last step of the mission!” Wang was stunned. “Can’t you finish it before eating?”
Ye Qingxuan thought a bit and said, “Your game is boring. I don’t want to play anymore.”
“No, you must play it.” Wang cried, “The main plot hasn’t started yet! You have to enter the game warehouse. We have to wait until you defeat the last boss before we can bomb the warehouse and send you to the other realm!”
“…Why do I have to get bombed?” Ye Qingxuan asked blankly. “Why do I have to go to the other realm?”
“If you go to the other realm, you can rule the world with the most powerful character in the system!” Wang wiped at his cold sweat. “And haven’t you been working on this mission? If you complete it, you’ll be at god level!”
“Oh.” Ye Qingxuan nodded. Slurping his noodles, he said, “Why do I have to go to the other realm for no reason? They might not even have toilet paper there.”
Wang was silent for a long time. Then the screen flashed and someone appeared. “Hello, I am the manager of the game company. My name is Zhao—”
“Elder, you just said that you’re Wang.”
The man’s expression was unchanged as if he did not hear anything. “Based off of your feedback, we’ve decided not to send you to the other realm. If you finish this mission, we can send you back to be reborn.”
Ye Qingxuan drank soup and asked, “Why am I being reborn?”
“You already know all the secrets, missions, plots, and hidden jobs of the game,” the person said. “After being reborn, you can become the most powerful in the game! You can win money!”
“But I don’t want to play games.” Ye Qingxuan scratched his head. “I don’t want to be reborn either. My life is good right now.”
“If you’re reborn, you can get the school beauty!” Wang advised. “Or you can buy a house in the big city! You can make a fortune!”
Staring at him, Ye Qingxuan took his time to finish the noodles. Then he set down his bowl and asked seriously, “Being reborn to buy a house? Do you think I’m stupid?”
The man fell silent. He was covered in sweat. Annoyed, he tugged at his tie and lit a cigarette. Inhaling angrily, he muttered, “Bro, isn’t this just a dream? Why can’t you go with the script? Don’t you how hard it is for us to get subscriptions and ratings? What do you want? Tell me and I’ll take it!”
“What exactly do you want to do?”
“Nothing.” Sprawled on the sofa, Ye Qingxuan cocked his head and found a comfortable position. “Life is short. Can’t you let me lie down properly?”
“You think life is too short?” The one in charge brightened. “I have an idea!”
Instantly, the world caved in and history ended. After who knew how long, a giant was born from the turbidity. He opened up a new world, clear air rose up and polluted air dropped down, and all began to grow.
Time passed and a towering mountain rose in the west of Jiuzhou. It pierced the clouds. It had been thousands of years since the world had ended. Now, Mount Zhou was nothing like before and instead felt pure and peaceful.
A group of boys waiting at the foot of the mountain looked up. The white clouds had transformed into a jade staircase. It extended from heaven’s door and landed beside their feet.
“The Sacred Qingxuan Sect will reopen its doors today and accept apprentices!” a majestic voice rang out from the clouds. “Anyone interested may come. After you pass through the three challenges, you will become my apprentice! If you can cultivate successfully, you will naturally be able to enjoy longevity with no worry of disasters or catastrophes. You will shine with the sun and moon and live forever with the Earth!”
With that, the group cheered. They began climbing the path of clouds with all their might to reach the peak. But then, atop a large white stork at the peak, the majestic voice seemed to realize something. “Huh?”
A beam of light fell from the sky. The majestic monk stood before the bedraggled youth. Holy light shone in his eyes. He looked both overjoyed and shocked.
On the other hand, the youth looked at him indifferently. “Elder, are you here to compliment me?”
“A natural saint! A natural saint!” The monk laughed heartily and then looked at him solemnly. “Child, I am the most powerful of Jiuzhou, Xuanqi. Are you willing to be my personal apprentice, cultivate with me, and enjoy the path to sainthood with me?”
“Elder…” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Why do you have so many tricks? Is this really my dream?”
‘Xuanqi’ looked at his indifference and could not but sigh. He waved and the stork, flowing clouds, and mountains all disappeared. Bending down, he looked at Ye Qingxuan.
“Ye Qingxuan, ruling the world, being undefeatable, being immortal…these are beautiful dreams that people aren’t able to have no matter what. Don’t be too picky.”
“I don’t like it.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I just want to lie down.”
“Would you like me to give you another game storage?” The elder rubbed his hands in anticipation.
“…Can you listen to me?” Ye Qingxuan looked down on him. “Who even are you?”
“I am you, Ye Qingxuan.” The elder changed. Sighing, his surface sloughed down. What replaced him was a blurry figure that looked a bit like Ye Qingxuan.
“I am the notes in your consciousness’ music theory. I am the musician part of you. I am a part of the Dreamweaver, the spirit made from the thousand-year music theory of the Ye family. I am able to project into a human shape through your cognition. It is my duty to help you choose a dream.”
“Oh.” After a long while, Ye Qingxuan nodded. “I don’t want any dream. You can go.”
“Don’t say that!” The projection looked at him pitifully. He pulled many thick books from his pocket like a lonely and helpless salesman. “I have the dreams of all the Dreamweavers here. One must suit you! Please just choose one!” He flipped open the first one. “Look at this, the warlord of a city! This is really popular in the strange organisms of the aether world! What do you think?”
Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “Too troublesome.”
“You want to sublimate and know the meaning of the Originator?” The projection’s voice grew dark and mysterious as he opened another book. “Endless aether! This is good too!”
Ye Qingxuan was expressionless. “I don’t want to scare myself when I’m bored.”
“Would you like to try the end of the world?”
“No.”
Finally, the projection lost his temper. “You won’t learn this, won’t learn that…what are you doing? You want me to make it impossible for you to become a musician?”
Ye Qingxuan was unmoved. The projection caved in.
With teary eyes, he stared imploringly at Ye Qingxuan. “My friend, can you not make things difficult for me? This is the prototype of all symphonies of predestination of the Ye family lords!
“Even if you take it and don’t use it, or just play with it when you’re bored, it’s still good! Plus, there are also many amazing experiences waiting for you! Can’t you just choose one? It’s free!”
“Sorry, I truly am tired.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “I don’t want those stories of going through extreme happiness and sadness, ups and downs, before finally reaching the pinnacle of life. Can’t you let me go?”
The projection was depressed but angry. “What’s so bad about these great adventures?”
“The only thing I don’t lack in life is adventure. Really.” Ye Qingxuan sighed heavily. “Every time, I’m tormented until I want to die. Please let me go. I really don’t want any more adventures.”
“You’re a musician! You’re a Dreamweaver!” The projection almost had a mental breakdown. Yanking on Ye Qingxuan’s collar, he roared, “What do you want?!”
Ye Qingxuan did nothing as the projection yanked him up by the collar and spit fell on his face. He just sighed and pleaded, “I just want to rest.”
The moment, the entire world quieted down. Then something shattered in the distance. The world shook, the sun and moon dimmed, everything withered and lost color. The world turned black and white.
The projection let go and said, “You win.” Its stiff body quickly cracked and fell apart like a broken mirror. After breaking through the first dreamscape, the second also fell apart.
Ye Qingxuan felt himself falling.
Falling to the deepest part of his consciousness, to the lowest level of his dream.
Falling to…the end of his dream.
–
This was a silent and empty world, the bottom of his sub-consciousness, and the origin of his consciousness. It connected his so-called sense of self, his true self, and his supra-self.
Other than ‘self,’ there was nothing else.
Nothing else?
Is there really nothing else? Ye Qingxuan thought.
He walked forward in silence. After some time, he finally saw the figure standing before him in the distance.
The moon had risen into the sky without him realizing. The moonlight fell on the man like clothing, reflecting with a serene glow. Ye Qingxuan looked at him and sighed. “You really are here.”
“I’ve been waiting for a long time.” The seemingly familiar figure chuckled. He turned around and smiled pleasantly. “Little Yezi, you finally came to see me.” He reached out to embrace the young man but Ye Qingxuan stepped to the side and brushed past him.
Ye Lanzhou turned in confusion and saw Ye Qingxuan continue walking forward.
“Little Yezi, you’re already at the end of your dream! Where are you going?” Ye Lanzhou stared at his back in shock. “We’ve been separated for so many years. Don’t you want to see me? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
At the end of the end, Ye Qingxuan heard his voice and turned around. “Enough. Just let me sleep in peace.”
Ye Lanzhou faded and dissipated. The music theory projection gaped as Ye Qingxuan walked into the distance, disappearing somewhere.
Was there an end to the end of the dream?
Ye Qingxuan did not know.
“Finally, it is quiet.” He curled up in the nothingness and closed his eyes. This time, he finally did not have to dream anymore.
–
Under the serene moonlight, the sleeping Ye Qingxuan flipped over. The coldness and indifference in his brows disappeared, becoming peaceful and relaxed. He seemed to have finally escaped from the layers of causes and effects and the complex reality. He had run to somewhere without people or dreams and slept in peace.
As he slept, the world became peaceful as well.
In the Anglo Embassy, it was afternoon. The well-dressed ambassador wore his sword, looking a little agitated as the time passed by. Finally, when it was about six o’clock, he sighed and asked the secretary, “How long has he been asleep?”
“About fourteen hours.” The secretary replied, “I told the maid not to disturb him when he came back this morning, and then he never left the room.”
“Maybe he has already gone?” The ambassador looked to his side.
The old musician shook his head. “He is still in the room but he seems to be transforming his musical theory. We’d better not to disturb him at this moment. Otherwise, if there is any problem, I am afraid the consequences will be unpredictable. ”
Hearing this, the ambassador sighed helplessly. “It seems that he will be unable to attend.”
Before leaving the city, Maxwell had told the ambassador secretly that although Ye Qingxuan had no establishment and position in the embassy, they should treat him the same as they treated Maxwell. If anyone dared to disrespect him, he would be accused of disrespecting the royal family. As a result, Ye Qingxuan was able to eat for free in the embassy for such a long time.
Everyone here regarded him as the successor of Maxwell, the future cabinet minister. Moreover, Ye Qingxuan did have a crucial position in the Fifth Department and he also served temporarily in the Silent Authority. He might usually ignore trivial affairs but once something really happened, he was definitely a crucial figure. The ambassador would not have wanted to disturb him if it had not been for an invitation to an important party today and Ye Qingxuan was especially invited.
After another ten minutes, the ambassador sighed and got up to command the secretary. “It seems that Mr. Ye is unable to come to dinner today. You choose a gift for him and I will bring it to the banquet. At least it won’t be impolite.”
The secretary nodded and quickly prepared a gift that Ye Qingxuan would give for ‘being ill’ and unable to attend.
Two minutes later, the ambassador and his wife boarded the carriage to the Embassy of Burgundy. Soon the carriage stopped before another mansion in the embassy district. It was already late, but the Burgundy Embassy’s lights were all on.
The traffic rushed before the Embassy of Burgundy. There were constantly well-dressed nobles and ambassadors getting out of the carriages and attending this party with invitations.
The ninth of December was the national day of Burgundy, as well as the 300th anniversary of the celebration. The Embassy prepared a lot to celebrate this day and many people were invited. Within a few short hours, rich businessmen and nobles from all over the world had gathered here. There were officials and saints from the Sacred City as well.
The carriage with Anglo’s emblem parked in front of the embassy. The ambassador got off with his wife. Soon, a well-dressed attendant welcomed them and guided the two into the hall.
In the ballroom, Ambassador Bertrand, clad in a suit, seemed to have waited for a long time. Due to taking care of his body, there wasn’t the slightest sign of aging in his appearance. He did not look like a man in his fifties at all but a middle-aged man in his prime.
Behind him stood a handsome young man, who seemed to be his nephew.
“Mr. Baird, welcome.” After exchanging greetings with Anglo’s ambassador for a moment, Bertrand could not restrain his curiosity and looked to his side. “Has Mr. Ye not come yet?”
Baird smiled wryly and sent the gift that had been prepared. “Last night, it snowed. Mr. Ye had a cold and couldn’t come tonight. He asked me to convey his regrets to you.”
“I see.” Bertrand sighed. “It’s our mistake. We should have sent the invitation to Mr. Ye earlier. Please let Mr. Ye know that the Embassy of Burgundy will always welcome his visit.”
After the two exchanged the pleasantries, the young man behind Bertrand left. Baird didn’t care about it but looked to Bertrand. Both were ambassadors of foreign countries and had often met each other in the Sacred City. However, their rivalry did not damage the friendship between the two. They were even members of the same bridge club. Having such great ties, Baird did conceal any more.
“My old friend, don’t you think it’s inappropriate?” Baird looked at Bertrand and whispered, “Although there is no official position for Mr. Ye in our embassy, he is distinguished at least. How could you be so careless to send the invitation the last day?”
“I did not intend to invite such a sensitive figure like Mr. Ye.” Bertrand forced a smile and shook his head. He took a glass of champagne from the waiter’s hand. The two chatted while walking to the corner. “This happened because someone wants to see him. I had to send the invitation on short notice.”
Baird frowned, immediately getting curious. “Who is so powerful?”
“Who else could it be?” With a wry smile, Bertrand looked at the handsome young man in the crowd who was laughing with the other nobles.
The young man seemed to have a wide circle of friends. There were so many nobles, different circles, and different schools here, but he could manage all of them. He must be something.
Baird was stunned. He did not expect that the young man next to Bertrand, who seemed to be his nephew or a secretary of the embassy, actually had a powerful background. Soon it dawned on him when he noticed that the young man’s ring.
“The Bourbon family? Which branch?”
“What else can it be?” Bertrand, sipping the champagne, said softly, “The first in line for natural inheritance.”
The Bourbon clan, as the royal family of Burgundy, had many branches, but there were not many people who really had the lineages and rights. From Bertrand’s reaction, one could tell that the young man must be someone distinguished. Moreover, the emperor of Burgundy was seriously ill. There were not many days left for him. In a few months, it was very possible that the young man’s father would rule the country.
“Which son of Louis is he?” Baird asked.
Bertrand looked at him with a vague smile. “My old friend, he is the only son of Louis now.”
Baird understood his meaning and suddenly fell into silence.
“Don’t underestimate the young, my old friend. There are more and more monsters among the young, such as your country’s new sword-bearer.” Bertrand put down the glass and looked at the figure in the crowd with more fear.
“He was an illegitimate son of the Louis family who was abandoned overseas. But half a year ago, he was welcomed back to the family and received recognition. Originally, they intended to use the young man as a bargaining chip but did not expect that the man they found back then was not an obedient puppet but a serpent.
“In less than six months, he turned from the underdog to a public leading figure. Those who had been in front of him are now dead at his feet, including his brother Louie. In addition to his own family, he also won the support of the Antonevate family. He has an engagement with the grand duke’s daughter and they will get married next year.
“Now, he is my teacher Mr. Richelieu’s favorite student, the future Cabinet confidential secretary… To tell the truth, during the days he stayed in the embassy, even I felt like there are thorns in my back. I can’t sleep well. Thankfully, he is about to leave for home after the celebration. That’s a relief.”
Baird listened to this wordlessly and felt a headache coming. “Why would he be interested in our sword-bearer?”
“Who knows?” Bertrand smiled. “Maybe he wants to be a good friend with your Mr. Ye.”
“That’s not funny, Bertrand.” Baird shook his head, drank the champagne in the cup, and finally glanced at the young man’s back. “What’s the name of the monster in your country?”
“Don Juan,” Bertrand said, “Don Juan Dieudonne Bourbon.”
–
Don Juan sat silently in the resting room of the embassy.
“What a pity, master,” the attendant at his side said. “It seems that you are not seeing your good friend this time.”
“A pity?” Don Juan glanced at his attendant and laughed. “Do you feel sad or are you glad? You know he is now a famous demon hunter in the countries. None of those dark musicians who met him had good endings. You must be overjoyed that he can’t come, right?”
“Master, you overthink.” The attendant managed a smile. “I have changed. It has been quite a long time since I’ve had contact with my past friends. Everyone probably thinks that the Rain Artist is dead.”
“That’s the best, old man.” Don Juan glanced at him. Perceiving the sorrow in his eyes, Don Juan laughed with derision. “Only you will take that title as a treasure. You only killed a few people and were chased by the Sacred City like a rabbit. Think about your bullsh*t friends’ endings. Poor old Colbert, why can’t you look further…”
He put his hands on the ‘Rain Artist’s’ shoulder and whispered his original name. “When my dad comes into power, the time for us will come! As long as that old man’s life and death is in our hands, what can’t we get?
“You want to kill someone? Just wave your fingers and there will be countless people to help you kill and take the blame! Do you want power? What about financial officer? The royal secretary of state? Navy commander or the prime minister of Burgundy?
“Compared to these things in sight, what the f*ck is the Originator? Is it worth risking your life to pursue? Is it worth your while to go through the hell for that d*mn spirit? Don’t be ridiculous, Colbert. Your future is under your feet. As long as you follow me, everything is at your fingertips!”
After a while of silence, Colbert softly sighed. “Young master, how can someone like you not degenerate into a demon? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Degenerate?” said Don Juan, chuckling. “I’m so much dirtier than you all. Go back and send a present to Yezi.” Don Juan fixed his bow tie and smiled pleasantly. “I really look forward to seeing him again. Will Yezi be startled to see me like this?” He pushed the door open and walked into the ballroom.
–
The banquet was at the climax.
Ms. Patty, a singer from the Trinity Choir, was invited to give a performance for this pageant. The singer, who gave up the music theory and the path of musicians to focus on the melody, was already a master in the music field. Every year at the Winter Festival, she would lead the choir to chant hymns while the pope sermonized. Her voice was likened to the heavenly light which illuminated the Earth and gave salvation.
Under the soft light, the elegant Ms. Patty lifted her skirt and appeared on the stage. She bowed slightly and was greeted with cheers and gasps. The old singer had some white hair but it did not reduce her grace. On the contrary, she looked full of the noble aura. When standing on the stage, she was not like a performer but the master and the emperor of the stage.
The audience bowed their heads piously, longing for her voice as if longing for nectar.
“You even invited Ms. Patty?” Baird looked to Bertrand. “Starting the year before last, she would rarely appear expect for the Winter Festival performance. I personally invited her to our celebration last year but she refused.”
“That is because you are qualified enough.” Bertrand smiled proudly, full of pleasure. Today, he invited Baird to come over just in order to see his current expression.
Worth it! It was worth it!
Baird looked at his proud appearance and swore in his mind. But soon, he cleared his thoughts because the singing on the stage had already begun.
Under the soft violin melody, Ms. Patty opened her mouth and sang. Her voice was like gorgeous silk melting into spring. It spread with the soft melody. The song seemed to land on the soul and rejuvenated the people. Even the skin trembled and the viscera swayed with the rhythm. They were intoxicated in the song. No one ever thought that music without power or aether could also be beautiful to such a degree, almost making them shed tears. The song began to rise like a stream converging into a river.
The gorgeous aria quivered with the consciousness of all and came into the solemn song together with the choir behind her. The Habanera music from the far north rang in everyone’s ears. Everyone was fascinated, but even more frightening were the waves spread in the melody.
It was the power of the aether!
All the musicians present could feel that it was not a music theory but a mere song. However, there existed a mysterious magic so that even the aether was summoned. It emitted the illusion of divine light toward all directions with the melody.
In the divine light, everyone felt as if the whole person was baptized. All the depression and irritability were dispelled. There was no darkness but refreshing and vitality as if everyone went back to being juvenile.
Among the musicians, an old musician shook his head with a wry smile and exclaimed, “Have Patty’s attainments become so powerful in these years?” Without realizing, he had been left behind and could only see her silhouette. She could mobilize the aether only by virtue of singing. There was no music theory in her song. She purely used the spirit in the melody. Even among the monks of the Scared City, few could achieve this degree!
After becoming a formal musician at the age of sixteen, Patty gave up the music theory and became obsessed with melody. But no one had expected that Patty’s understanding of the music theory had come to such a level over these years.
After years of studying, the world-famous singer had relied on her own insights to advance to the Resonance level and even arrived at the Distortion level. Otherwise, how could she reach the level of the aetheric resonance with the ideas contained in the melody?
The aether was tamed by the melody, spontaneously chasing along with the song and creating miracles! She mastered the aether with the will of man and created the light of heaven with the sentiment and faith of the ego.
Countless musicians were envious of her.
Everyone knew that Ms. Patty’s path to the top would be a smooth one. She had found her own subject. As long as she passed the completion stage, the creation of her symphony of predestination would be a small case. In just several years, a new grandmaster would emerge in the Sacred City.
She would be the best, even among the masters!
In the ballroom, the performance was about to reach its climax. All were intoxicated in the song. With eyes closed, they were guided by the song as if bathed in the divine light. If the previous a capella was a casual one, then with the advancement of the melody, the aether waves became even more powerful.
At that instant, many musicians sensed something and invariably raised their heads, staring at the stage above. The aetheric fluctuations that hung by Patty’s side wove a complex and melodic glow.
It was a breakthrough!
She was about to break through!
Patty was enlightened on deeper music theory during her performance. Now she was about to break through the shackles and take that crucial step toward the realm of grandmasters!
In her chanting, there was some kind of magnificent power building. A divine power was conceived in it. It was so vast and pure as if it would forge the path to heaven!
Seeing all this, the crowd gasped. They had underestimated her! She had spent so many years concentrating on faith and hymns and no one expected her to have accumulated such knowledge. The Scared City would have a new grandmaster now!
To be able to witness a musician breaking through the shackles of Distortion and stepping into the realm of the master, anyone would be excited. The crowd immediately became attentive to witness this legendary moment!
And now, everyone held their breath in the almost suffocating melody and voice. All were drawn by the song as if they were falling into the hopeless frontier with the singer. That power built and built. And then it was repressed and repressed. Until finally, the air was almost frozen for her and everyone was gasping for breath. As if expecting an earth-shattering explosion, they couldn’t help clenching fists and closing their eyes, ready to meet the peak of the storm.
At that instant, the glow of flames sprang from Patty’s body and divine light descended from the sky. Patty took a deep breath. She gathered the insights and beliefs of her life, ready to ascend into the clouds in the next moment during the climax. Countless aether cheered and converged from all directions. A substantive aether sea appeared, interwoven with the melody of light and shadow.
And just in that moment… Everything stopped.
Because a suffocating silence came.
Those who had closed their eyes to listen and had thrown themselves into the chant, prepared to meet the climax of the storm, were stunned.
Nothing more!
The song was gone! The melody was gone! All sound was gone! The huge contrast almost made them mad. They had thrown themselves into the song. The extreme accumulation could not be released, which almost made them spit out a mouthful of blood. All went blind. Rather than erupting, the melody perished in silence!
Everyone opened their eyes in shock and stared blankly at the stage, looking at the sluggish Ms. Patty. She opened her mouth but no sound was heard. She was frozen. Her face turned green and white. The force that had been compressed raged in the body.
Suddenly, her skin broke apart. Scarlet mist poured out from the pores. The thick blood flowed from all openings. Doubling over, she vomited and collapsed on the ground, unable to move. She did not manage to release the chaotic music theory, which totally destroyed her. Her sound of heart was defeated by her power! Her efforts, understanding, and penance of the lifetime were all buried in this silence.
In a silence, Bertrand first reacted. He rose and roared, “Why are you all standing there? Save her! Save her!”
Such an event happening at the National Day ceremony was a disaster! Especially since it involved a world renowned singer… He quickly pondered how to settle the fallout of the affair. But after roaring, he realized something was wrong.
Something was wrong… It was totally wrong!
He didn’t hear his voice.
Looking around, he opened his mouth and yelled but it was silent. It was as if the sound had been swallowed by something monstrous. Even the sound of breathing was frozen. Everyone was aware of the chaos and wanted to scream but they couldn’t make any noise. Glasses and plates fell to the ground and were crushed to pieces but it was still silent.
No sound, no sound! Everything was frozen in this sudden stillness!
What the h*ll was going on?
All the musicians got up. They stared at each other but could not sense any fluctuations in music theory. All the movements seemed to be impotent. The notes were swallowed by the cold silence as soon as they were produced. There seemed to be an invisible black hole in the air, devouring all the power. They felt that the aether was still there and that it covered the world. But the aether that they could once use at any time now had no response, resisting all calls. As if…the aether had fallen asleep!
This silence came suddenly like a ghost. And now, it was still spreading.
Just now, it was produced from an unknown place and spread in all directions. The terribly cold stillness was widening. In an instant, it swallowed up the vast embassy district.
If one looked down from the sky, he would find that at this moment, there was a big hole in the enchantment of Scared City. The hole covered the entire embassy district, forming a perfect circle.
It was so perfect and so quiet, as if the kingdom of death had opened his door and all things fell into slumber.
In deep sleep, someone quietly turned over.
The next moment, the Central Church’s shrill alarm went off!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The copper door grated with explosive sounds. Before the frantic footsteps, six doors opened in succession.
Archbishop Albert, disheveled and with his shoes on the wrong foot, clutched his hat and rushed into the Central Church. It only took him two minutes to reach the heart.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” Under the piercing alarm, he yelled, “What’s with the war alarm? Was the Northern Front destroyed? Did Anglo fall? Did the abyss blow out? Did the natural catastrophes invade?”
The priest on duty was ashen. Seeing Albert, he rushed over. “Archbishop, the enchantment was broken into! I-I don’t know what happened, I swear. I only spaced out a bit and when I looked up, there’s a giant hole in the enchantment!”
Albert was stunned. His expression darkening, the frail old man yanked the priest up. “Who did it?”
“D-don’t know…” The priest shook his head with all his might.
“Idiot!” Albert tossed him to the side and ran toward the ball of silver light in the center. As his fingers moved, the silver light changed, quickly showing the location of thousands of tuning instruments in the Sacred City.
The iron city was always covered by a vast surveillance enchantment. Cables hundreds of meters long extended to the various nations, connecting the world at all times. Countless steel towers supported the enchantment like a skeleton. Under the high tower were two thousand largescale tuners in coherence. They looked over the enchantment and aether at all times, controlling all music theory changes. Without a doubt, these two thousand tuners were the core of the core. The inner was divided between different levels but its importance was still undeniable. Now, under the observation of the Central Church, six tuners had lost contact. The territory fell into a standstill. They seemed to have suddenly…gone on strike.
It would be okay if it was just a strike. The other tuners could share the pressure. Even if only one tuner remained, the enchantment could still be maintained. However, the enchantment in that territory had been undone silently. All music theory that entered it would lose contact. It was like ice melting in water. There would be no more sign of it.
This was more terrifying than direct damage!
If it was damaged, it could still be fixed. However, there was suddenly a hole in the Sacred City enchantment. If they could not figure it out, the consequences were unimaginable! Even worse, could someone have done this purposely?
Had someone discovered how to disrupt the Sacred City enchantment?
Cold sweat seeped from Albert. “Oh no, this is the embassy zone…” Realizing this, Albert almost turned green. “All the ambassadors are there. If something made a mess, the Sacred City would be humiliated!”
Before him, the projection flipped and revealed the status of countless music theory operations. It was obvious that the enchantment’s self-recovery had not stopped. However, any type of power that poured into that zone would disappear.
All aether had become ineffective! There, the observation showed a blank white space. They did not even know what happened there.
Why did it have to be now? Why did it have to be when Nibelungenlied was sleeping and self-testing? Albert could not even find someone to consult!
He stared at the enchantment’s control center before, sweat pouring down. His mind spun rapidly. None of the music scores were effective. This usually meant there was no aether but the aether density had not changed. After checking the operation status of the enchantment multiple times, Albert was going crazy. There were no problems at all.
Just then, the alarm suddenly stopped. After a slight bit of unrest, the bubbling Sacred City returned back to stillness. Albert looked up in confusion.
A beam flashed past and an indifferent voice said, “No problems in the enchantment, alarm retracted, all is normal.” It was an order from the King of Red!
The unrest that was growing in the Silent City was quickly quelled.
“No problem with the enchantment?” Albert thought for a long while, scratching his head and cheeks. His expression grew troubled. “Then the problem must be somewhere else. But where?”
Beside him, the priest on duty said quietly, “I have seen something like this in books before. Would it be something similar to a ‘restricted area’?”
The ‘restricted area’ was a technique passed down with the title of Bach. It could be said to be his trademark. Where he was, all aether would be controlled by him. His authority was above all. If he released his full power, Bach could even control all aether within a thousand mile radius to act according to his wishes.
The most important of this was establishing a restricted area within it. It was established with unimaginable forbidden attainments. Only his own music theory could operate; all others would dissipate. This meant that, if Bach wished, he could rob other musicians of their power. Even saints would be affected. This was the utmost highest author for the King of Black. It was the power that the king of all musicians deserved. However, Albert quickly rejected this idea after considering it.
“No matter if this is Mr. Bach’s restricted area, India’s ‘one with Brahma,’ or Taiyi of the East…these all have the control of aether, pulling everything under one topic. That is the only way to ‘control’ it.”
He paused, expression growing troubled. “However, in this area, there is no music theory remaining at all. According to logic, if there is no control, the aether would fall into chaos. But now, not even chaos exists. There is nothing.”
He paused, thinking, and suddenly reached out. The projection changed and revealed an inspection chart of the Sacred City’s aether. Controlled by the enchantment, the Sacred City’s aether was repressed. Most areas were harmless white zones. Important places were yellow zones and there were even dangerous red or black zones. However, it was extremely strange where the hole was.
There was no color. It was transparent.
An uncolored zone? Albert went blank. What was this?
To Indian ascetic monks, the world was divided into three realms—the Kāmaloka, Rūpaloka, and Arūpaloka.
The Rūpaloka was the world of form while the Kāmaloka only existed in concept in the aether world. It was a mysterious realm that could only be observed through aether.
The Arūpaloka, the formless and colorless world, stood between the two. It was like a blank space between them. There was neither form nor aether. There was only nothingness.
Apparently, true salvation and freedom existed there. Countless ascetic monks voluntarily went into nirvana just to experience this impossible existence in the moment between life and death. However, under the influence of something, all aether had sunk into silence. It was like an impossible ‘vacuum.’
Though they were very different, Albert still felt fear after thinking of the details and distance. He finally thought of what this emptiness was.
It was an aether dream.
This was the music score that had been lost for centuries…the Wyrmrest Enchantment!
“Open the star map! Show me all the musicians in the Sacred City!” Albert jumped up. Clenching his jaw, he was frantic and angry. “Let me see what b*stard dares to disregard the Sacred City’s rules and experiment consequences!”
The silver projection instantly changed. A vast starry sky appeared in the darkness once again. Countless stars shone and collided with blinding light. Each star represented a Resonance musician’s source embedded in the aether world.
The complex stars wove amongst each other, covering the entire human world. The levels of Resonance, Disturbance, and Distortion were obvious. Above the Sacred City, there was a glorious light. It was the King of Red.
And in the faraway Dark World, there was a similar sun lighting the darkness and opening up a new territory. That was the King of Black.
Outside the clouds, there was a faint sun operating soundlessly. It was fleeting and difficult to track. That was the King of Yellow.
The large field of stars flashed by. Soon, it zoomed in until only the Sacred City remained. Countless dazzling stars hung in the darkness. They rippled in complex patterns and operated silently. Just the countless music theories made one’s vision spin. The aether rose and crashed like tidal waves but were conformed to one frequency under the enchantment.
It was dizzying.
In the silence, the priest behind Albert looked up to observe. After looking for a while, he was stunned. “Nothing?” There were no abnormal signs. Just as before, every source was a registered musician. No one was extra or missing. However, Albert continued staring at the countless stars. After a long while, he pointed at a spot. “No, it’s here.”
The priest followed his finger and saw a patch of emptiness. But just as he was trying to distinguish it, he saw a blurry figure amongst the aether waves. The source seemed to be a black hole hidden behind the clusters of stars. It was impossible to see. It could only be sensed by observing the other stars. As Albert moved, the blurry star’s location was marked. It radiated with a terrifying vortex-like light that shot into all directions.
It was aggressive. It seemed to want to sweep all aether into eternal slumber. Amongst all the unmoving stars, only that source was moving.
Under the two pairs of confused eyes, it paced through the aether world, seeming to take a stroll among the stars.
“Who is it?” Albert muttered. He racked his brain. What strange creature had come from the aether world and caused a ruckus? Or was a secret school undergoing forbidden experiments?
In the next moment, the source suddenly disappeared. All aether was sucked into a vortex and disappeared as well.
The glow disappeared. It retracted all of its strength and hid into the stars again. It was difficult to find its traces by observing the other stars. All that remained was a taunting afterglow that dissipated into the dark nothingness.
After a stretch of silence, Albert raised his head. “Nibelungenlied, you’re here, right? Something so big has happened. I’m sure you know about it.”
No one replied in the silence. However, Albert continued to look up at the ceiling. He seemed ready to wait quietly until the end of the world.
After a long pause, an indifferent voice rang out. “I was called forth by you, archbishop Albert. How may I help you?”
“Okay, old friend. Stop pretending.” Albert sighed. “What just happened?”
“It was just an accident. No need to mind it.”
“Accident?” Albert furrowed his brows.
“Yes,” Nibelungenlied answered. “The evolution of a musician’s music theory caused the theory in the enchantment to be bloated. An endless loop caused the surrounding tuning instruments to lose control and cause an accident. The playing has been restarted and all operations are normal. There is no need to worry.”
Albert looked at the ceiling coldly and murmured, “Hopefully.”
