Silent Crown Chapter 133

In the interrogation room, Charles saw Constantine sitting behind the one-way glass. He sat under the ghastly white light and on a chair without any armrests or back. His back was straight and he would not answer no matter what the interrogator asked. He just closed his eyes and waited silently.

“The old guy refuses to talk.” Someone asked, “Should we try a Mind score?”

Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. Mind scores had shocking control over people but it was not all-powerful. It depended heavily on timing. Constantine’s rejection would be the strongest in somewhere like an interrogation room. He would not give anyone the chance to plant a hint. And even if the planting was successful, Ye Qingxuan knew at least a dozen ways to fight against it.

The simplest was ‘destruction of all.’ One would plant a self-destruction hint beforehand in his own mind. Once a Mind music score entered the brain, his heart would stop automatically, cutting off the oxygen supply to the brain, and disrupting the hormone secretion. He could die happily within seconds.

“It’s useless.” Wolf Flute shook his head and pointed at the back of Constantine’s head. “He’s the deputy general of the Revolutionaries and controls the information web. He probably can’t even count how many dirty secrets he knows. You think he won’t have any safety precautions? You’ll know if you look at his hairline.”

Under the white light, under Constantine’s thin white hair and scalp, one could see faint music notes.

“Made of flesh, do you see?” Wolf Flute said. “It’s hardcore. He had someone turn his skull into alchemy. It’ll be activated if the requirements are met. If I was the guy, I’d recommend he get a double insurance meal with an extra ‘corpus callosum surgery’ to cut the bridge between the left and right halves of the brain. He’d have enough time to kill himself…”

He paused and said indifferently, “Unless he chooses to tell you, don’t think you can dig anything out. Just give up. After daybreak, he’d be handed over to the Judgement Tower. Our mission is over though it was done pretty badly. F*ck, they got off easy.”

In silence, Ye Qingxuan looked to Charles. The man stood dumbly before the window, staring at Constantine.

Seeming to sense the eyes behind the glass, Constantine opened his eyes and snapped out of his thoughts. He looked over. The two stared at each other with troubled eyes from either side of the glass.

“I want to see him.” Charles turned back to Wolf Flute. “Doesn’t he want to see me? Let me see him.” Without waiting for refutation, he said, “It’s the only solution if you want to dig something out of him before daybreak.”

Wolf Flute lit his cigarette in silence. Smoking it all, he snuffed it with his feet. “Let him.” He glanced at the man in charge. “I’ll take responsibility.”

–

Five minutes later, the black door opened. Charles walked into the interrogation room and sat down under Constantine’s gaze.

“Mr. Constantine…” He scratched his head, unsure what to say. After a long while, he said quietly, “I’m here.”

“Long time no see, Charles.” It had only been a few hours but Constantine’s tone made it feel as if a long period had passed. There was no hatred in his voice, despite knowing Charles was a spy. Studying him, Constantine nodded slowly.

“Nice uniform.”

“Thanks.” Charles managed a smile. Before coming, he was worried that Constantine would be tortured and humiliated. He was worried that after Gaius’s heartless chase, he would break down from Charles’s betrayal. Now, it seemed that he was okay. Charles felt relieved for some reason. At least he was still alive.

In silence, Constantine broke the silence first. He said, “You shouldn’t have followed me.”

“Huh?”

Seeing his confusion, Constantine couldn’t help shaking his head. “I mean, if you really wanted to fulfill your orders, you shouldn’t have followed me. Even if you did, you should’ve abandoned ship early on.” His voice was calm as if commenting on Charles’s work with a tinge of sadness and regret.

“You had so many chances. You could have sold me out to Gaius to win his trust. If you wanted to know what he’s planning, you should have done that.”

“…Sorry.” Charles was silent for a long while before asking, “Sir, did you truly never suspect me?”

“Of course I had. I suspect everyone around me.” Constantine laughed casually. He made a smoking gesture. Charles pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it for him. The old man placed his arms on the table and smoked. Spitting out smoke, he seemed to reflect on his life.

“Charles, you’d know if you become the general of the Revolutionaries. There’s no one you can trust in this world. Everyone is an enemy. You shouldn’t leave your back open to anyone. You cannot let your guard down before anyone. Even if he is your decades-long old friend. Even if he is like Gaius…”

Charles did not understand. “Then why did you let me—”

“Because you’re stupid, Charles.” Constantine sighed. “How can there be a spy as stupid as you? I put you by my side because you’re the least threatening even though you have an ulterior motive.”

“Yeah.” Charles laughed at himself. “I can’t even become a musician, let alone something as difficult as a spy. Actually, if I have the chance—”

“Charles,” Constantine interrupted, looking at him. “Stop.”

Those eyes were complex yet full of pity as if looking at someone about to die, standing at the edge of a cliff.

“Charles, being a spy is hard work, just like a prisoner who chose to enter prison. When you stand in the middle, you start to doubt where you are. The feeling of your soul being split into two makes you want to go crazy, making you into…what you’re feeling right now.”

He put out his cigarette and stared at the painful capillaries in Charles’s eyes. He shot up and grasped Charles’s wrist, making it impossible for him to move away.

The old man looked at the young man and said haltingly, “If you can’t find a solution to face them, I’ll teach you one, Charles. Drink some wine, find some medicine, find a good doctor, a reliable Mind musician, and turn everything into a dream. Forget it all.”

“Forget it?” Charles laughed emptily.

“Remember the joke I told you yesterday?” Under the alarm and warnings, Constantine let go and returned to his seat. “The young should not be depressed by temporary pain because there are many more painful days to come…”

“All pain will pass, Charles,” Constantine repeated what he had said yesterday as if repeating the truth. “Everything will pass.”

Charles looked at him. After a long time, he shook his head. “Mr. Constantine, give up. Are you planning on waiting another few decades for someone to save you?”

Constantine shrugged. “To be honest, the Judgement Tower might be a good retirement home.”

“Then what about the Revolutionaries?” Charles asked. “The war between the Revolutionaries and Sacred City will be inevitable if they release the Dragon of Destruction after a few days. No matter how far away the New World Colony is, the nations won’t allow it to exist anymore…

“Are you okay with that, Mr. Constantine? Are you okay with that crazy Gaius burying what you’ve spent your entire life on? Yesterday, you told me that you must decide but no matter what, many people will die. Why can’t you let those innocent people survive?”

Constantine looked at him with a mocking gaze. “Are you hoping I will turn to the Sacred City?”

“Yes.” Charles nodded. “This is the best for both you and the Revolutionaries. Mr. Constantine, it’s not too late to stop everything.”

Constantine fell silent. Suddenly, he burst into laughter full of self-mockery. “Charles, it’s great to hear you say these words to me.” He patted Charles’s shoulder. His finger that touched Charles’s neck was ice cold.

“If someone told me this before, I would kill him. Unfortunately, I’m old now.” He retracted his finger. Looking dully at Charles, he chuckled weakly and waved. “You can go, Charles.” Looking at the one-way glass, he said, “Now, give me someone actually important.” Charles was confused. “I won’t speak unless the man’s clothes have a gold band.”

In the Sacred City, robes with one gold band were for bishops. They were big figures who controlled an entire parish and were the upper level of the Church. Two gold bands were for the main bishops or ‘archbishops.’ Like Mephistopheles, they controlled the church of a nation, including dozens of parishes.

Half an hour later, the entire underground building became heavily guarded. All unrelated persons were isolated. Two giants in gospel armor stood by the door. Two red-clothed priests walked into the interrogation room. There were no gold bands on their clothing or any ornamentation. However, no one dared to doubt their qualifications.

They were cardinals.

Unexpectedly, two cardinals had come, representing the entire Cardinal Church. This meant that, if the Church was a solid object, it would be here right now. This immense entity had lowered itself to come and talk with Constantine.

–

The isolation room was crowded with the irrelevant people. Ye Qingxuan, Charles, and Wolf Flute squatted in a corner, staring at each other.

“I thought only someone who isn’t even in the system would count as irrelevant.” Ye Qingxuan glanced at Wolf Flute. “You count too?”

“The Silent Authority sounds impressive but it’s just for the Sacred City’s dirty work. We’re irrelevant no matter where we go.” Wolf Flute huffed and eyed him.

“Now do you know how high and mighty the church position you looked down before is? If you came to the Sacred City back then with Father Bann’s recommendation and your talent, you could be a Papal Chamber secretary now. After three years of being sent out, you can come back and study further after five years and become an archbishop.

“Father Bann is powerful now. With his support, you could be close to the cardinals when you’re forty. Then when one of them dies, you can take their place. If you have some f*cking good luck, you might even be chosen to be the pope!”

Ye Qingxuan scoffed. “If I’m not even a musician at that time, how could I become the King of Red?”

“You think all the cardinals are musicians? You think they need to duel when choosing the pope? Of those who become a cardinal, nine out of ten are full-time priests. They probably aren’t even at the Student level.” Wolf Flute looked at him with a vague smile. “The King of Red is the representative of humanity. Everything he says is law. It’s hard to say if rebirth after death is real but the others might be true.

“Before the sixth pope became the pope, he were just an ascetic archbishop. There are so many cases like that. Even if you’re not a musician, you’ll naturally have the crown added when you become the King of Red.”

Before Ye Qingxuan could reply, Wolf Flute raised a finger to his mouth. “Shush! They’re getting to the critical point…they’re discussing the cost.”

“Huh?” Ye Qingxuan was taken aback. “You’re eavesdropping?”

“No sh*t. It’s the first talk between the deputy general of the Revolutionaries and the Cardinals. Why wouldn’t I?” Before Wolf Flute finished, he gasped.

“What happened?”

“The cardinal…” Wolf Flute lowered his voice. “A cardinal’s title! A pardon signed by the pope! Why is the Sacred City so easygoing this time?” But then he froze again and his expression changed. “Constantine is starting to recite the name list now.”

“Name list?”

“He only said six names and stopped,” Wolf Flute said. “He wants the Sacred City to consider his value… The cardinal title now has true power and there are six pardons… The cardinals promised he’ll have his own department with men to use…” He did not dare to keep listening. Two saints of the Sacred City had already arrived. If he continued listening, he would probably be discovered.

“But no matter what, if the negotiations are successful, Constantine will really earn a lot.” Wolf Flute smoked and said casually, “Charles found a nice leg to hug.”

“Huh?” Ye Qingxuan was confused.

“Constantine just requested that Charles should join the church and act as his important secretary and assistant. Your senior will become a new noble of the Sacred City in a few days.”

Charles stared at the food the Silent Authority gave in confusion. “Huh?”

–

Ten minutes later, the cardinals left quickly with the list of names from Constantine. The list was very long. Everyone was kept there until the morning of the next day. That was when they realized what had happened in the Sacred City during the night. Snow and blood had fallen all over the Sacred City.

The winter thunder rumbled. The explosions that built up during the night still echoed through the city. Of the church, hundreds were involved, including those with important positions and bright futures. For several continuous days, black-clothed priests brought the garrison through every corner of the Sacred City to arrest the beggars.

During the second night, there was a boom in the east of the city. Blinding light exploded. The fight between saints and four musicians ended quickly. Under the saints’ control, there were no casualties. All traitors were defeated. Unfortunately, Gaius escaped.

Two days later, Constantine held the Sacred City’s pardon and walked out of prison. Under everyone’s eyes, he stepped into the Papal Chamber. The overall situation was set.

The Winter Festival was five days later and thousands would join in the Sacred City square. The Sacred City had already released word that after the pope announced the coming of the new year, Constantine would be given the red robe before everyone’s eyes. After that, he would be an undeniable force in the Sacred City.

The aftershocks were still rippling through the nations. With this attack, the Revolutionaries had regressed ten years and lost thousands of members. Stepping on the corpse of the Revolutionaries, Constantine had climbed to the peak of power. And on his leg, was a pendant named Charles…

Everything finished successfully. Ye Qingxuan was preparing to return to Anglo as well. However, no matter how much they rushed, they would probably not make it in time for the Winter Festival. Therefore, everyone decided to stay in the Sacred City for the holiday. With Charles here, they could even get front row seats to watch the pope announce the new year. They could brag about that when they go home. With the Winter Festival arriving, the new year would come as well.

After the temporary desolation, the Sacred City began thriving again. Under the cheery atmosphere, everyone was doing shopping sprees. Wolf Flute had more and more missions though and could rarely be seen.

During the rare break, Charles ran between the various institutions of the Sacred City to register and was extremely busy. Abraham wanted to help but, due to his identity, he was rarely allowed out of the embassy.

Therefore, Bai Xi, bored out of her mind, decided to focus on Ye Qingxuan. Finally, Ye Qingxuan could no longer endure her clinging and was dragged onto the streets to go shopping with her. Of course, the money came from the embassy’s budget… Ye Qingxuan felt slightly bad.

–

The flurries of snow did not stop during these days. Under the snow, everyone seemed to be smiling and enjoying the festivity. Even Bai Xi was happy as a regular kid. She seemed to truly be a kid. Even though she had suddenly grown and was close to Ye Qingxuan’s height, she still had a kid’s…bad humor. This included buying a bunch of candy to tease kids and then double over with laughter when the kids cried to their parents for their own candy.

Ye Qingxuan shook his head and sighed. He could not help feeling slightly guilty. They had not played together ever since he went to Auschwitz.

Before, Bai Xi would follow behind him too. Sometimes, she would get angry for some reason and stop talking to him. But when he looked back, he would see the white-haired girl following him docilely with her hands behind her back and humming a tune. Sometimes, she would turn and her white dress would float up like a flower in the wind. Ye Qingxuan could not help but reach out and ruffle her hair.

“What?” Bai Xi shook his hand off and side-eyed him. “Cousin, what are you planning now?”

“Oh, I just thought that you suddenly grew up.” Ye Qingxuan held in his laughter. Bai Xi kicked him angrily. After two steps, she decided it was not enough. She came back to kick him again and then marched forward.

Ye Qingxuan quietly followed where she could find him if she turned around.

“Stop being so slow.” Bai Xi turned to glance at him. “If you can’t catch up, I won’t wait for you.”

“Alright, alright.” Ye Qingxuan smiled lazily and caught up.

–

Thankfully, one would get tired after shopping. For lunch, Bai Xi weighed Ye Qingxuan’s wallet and happily chose the most expensive restaurant. Sitting near a window on the third floor, they could look down at the bustling streets. Ye Qingxuan studied the falling snow. The restaurant’s music was the only sound in the quiet and beautiful world.

Bai Xi hugged the things she had bought and lazily drank her juice. Seeing Ye Qingxuan space out, she pouted. “Cousin, what are you thinking about now?”

He shook his head. “I wonder how Old Phil is now. No one’s in Anglo. Would he be lonely?”

“Old Phil?” Bai Xi sighed. “Don’t worry about him. After you left, he became so successful…”

“Huh?” Ye Qingxuan was confused.

“He’s the school dog of the Royal Academy of Music!” Bai Xi pursed her lips. “I don’t know what the principal was thinking but he even gave us an extra budget to buy things for Old Phil. He made it into our school’s mascot with a bunch of merchandise to give to people.

“Cousin, while you were having a hard time, Old Phil is living the life of scaring children and biting teachers whenever he wants. He’s the most successful dog now.”

“Really?”

Bai Xi took a letter out. “I was worried when I left and had the principal’s secretary send me pictures every few days. Look for yourself…”

In the picture, Old Phil’s gold fur was dazzling and radiant. It was almost blinding. Plump and oily, it looked nothing like the dog from before.

“He’d gained at least five kilograms!” Ye Qingxuan exclaimed quietly.

“If you just eat and sleep every day and occasionally get fed by a mysterious woman, like caviar, acorn ham, lobster…eating like it’s all free, you’d get fat like this too.” Pausing, Bai Xi’s eyebrow raised. “But speaking of that, the woman always comes and goes with the royal family’s carriage. Do you know who she is?”

“No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head resolutely. “Not at all.”

“Really?” Bai Xi looked at him as if seeing his guilt. Pursing her lips, she rose and walked away.

“Where are you going?” Shocked, Ye Qingxuan grabbed her hand. He did not expect that his cousin would suddenly have this kind of temper and leave without warning. “Don’t be angry! I didn’t finish…sit down and we’ll talk!”

Bai Xi turned around and looked at him condescendingly. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Ye Qingxuan let go awkwardly and waved. “Why don’t you do things normally… Go, go.” Seeing her walk away, he let out a sigh, not understanding why he was so nervous.

Deep in thought, there was a commotion outside. The bustling street had become quiet without him noticing. The garrison had put the entire avenue under martial law. In the distance, an exquisite and charming carriage drove over. At the very front, cavaliers with ornate golden armor lead the way. In their path, the white snow melted into the mud under the hooves and flowed in the dirt. Then, the ground was covered by flower petals scattered by the ritualists and servants. Heavy fragrance emanated from the burning kettle and hung in the air without scattering. Under the somber ritual music, nine handsome stallions pulled the elegant wagon down the street.

A white-haired middle-aged man sat in the seat. He smiled gracefully and waved at the crowd every now and then.

Ye Qingxuan frowned. Easterners? Without a doubt, this procession came from the East. Civilians would be beheaded if they dared to use it. In addition, this opulent scale already showed signs of offending the empress.

Ye Qingxuan could see clearly that the man sitting in the center wagon was not of the dragon bloodline. There were strands of shocking black within the white hair. He was an Eastern noble and not of Deva’s blood but used a procession that even a king would not dare to use.

While he was deep in thought, the man in the slowly moving car seemed to sense him. The man looked up in Ye Qingxuan’s direction. He could see Ye Qingxuan’s face clearly through the glass. He smiled oddly and nodded.

Ye Qingxuan froze. He finally saw the design on the man’s sleeves clearly. It was the unique emblem that represented the dragon bloodline—Yunlou!

“Yunlou Qingshu?” he murmured.

–

The silent hallway seemed to be isolated from all hustle bustle. This restaurant was owned by a big figure. The Central Avenue of the Sacred City was extremely expensive and yet this restaurant had taken up an entire three-story building. The interior design and decorations were apparently on par with Burgundy’s royal palace. All guests could have a noble experience. As far as one could see, everything was in the glamorous Rococo style. In simpler terms, everything was painfully fancy.

The hall to the bathroom was so long. It seemed that only Bai Xi’s steps sounded in the silence. She walked forward quietly and quickly. Her feet fell on the ground gently but brought heavy echoes. Those footsteps seemed to brand the ground after her, resounding endlessly.

One step, two, three… Every step was like a heavy pound. The sound bounced around the hallway, solidifying the air. Immense pressure converged soundlessly. After ten steps, Bai Xi tried to take an eleventh.

Boom! Something seemed to snap and a blurry figure was revealed behind Bai Xi. He had been squeezed out of his invisible state! Now, he finally sensed the cold animosity coming from Bai Xi.

“As expected…” She turned slowly and studied the figure. “I’ve felt annoyed ever since I came out this morning. Some guy is also annoying but flies like you are a different type of annoying. How long have you been following me?”

The figure remained silent.

Soon, he could not speak if he wanted. He was merely standing there—it was already impossible to walk. Without him realizing, the rhythm of the footsteps and echoes had become a weight of thousands of kilos, pressing down on him.

Bai Xi stepped forward.

Boom! A barrier was broken. Under the heavy snap, pressure from the aether pushed the man back. It was just one step—not a bit more or less.

In the space of the immense strength, the figure finally snatched the opportunity to speak. “Hi—”

Boom! Bai Xi stepped again, cutting the man off. As if red-hot pieces of metal shoved the words back into his throat, the figure choked as his organs burned. He could not speak anymore.

It was Zhaodang!

Aggressive music theory within the pounding aether ensnared him. Not only was there outer pressure, it also forced the strength within him to resonate and plant the seed of chaos. In an instant, troubles appeared both inside and outside. It was unspeakably painful like swallowing a sword and being thrown into the sea.

“If you’re not willing to speak, then don’t,” Bai Xi said coldly. “I’ve been in a bad mood for a while. Since you’re here, then let me vent.” She walked forward again. The figure squirmed under the horrible pressure and was forced back. Now, it felt like being frozen into an ice cube… No, it was like being melted into metal.

Aggressive power rose from the seemingly eerie and cold girl. She carelessly played with his mind and body. No matter how he struggled, he could not fight back. He was wrong! He had messed up… His expression changed as he struggled, trying to escape. But he was wrapped by layers of pressure, trapped in the ‘metal.’ He was in a cage without realizing.

He was wrong. This was not Zhaodang! All his attacks prepared for Zhaodang were useless now. The music theory around him continued to change, trying to lessen the pressure around him. His beastly nature changed.

Strange auras from the aether world emerged on his body. The invisible bars were unmoved. As if they grew from his body, they changed with his breathing. Whenever he tried to fight back, a gust of power would burst from thin air and destroy his growing strength.

What was this…

He gaped at Bai Xi. He could sense countless music notes appear on her body, calling for the aether sea like a furious river. Inside her body, countless notes appeared. They formed music theory of the School of Modifications’ essence. However, it was different from the Zhaodang of Deva’s blood. This was not the ‘movement’ that pushed everything toward destruction but the other end of Modifications. It was the ‘stillness’ that caused all to freeze and stop!

Countless music theory wove together, forming a score that was dumbfounding. However, this terrifying power did not fuse into her body and form a heart of sound. Instead, it was clearly separated from her own music theory, creating something different.

Creation, activity, formation, creativity…four realms overlapped and operated together, forming a cruel alchemy array. This was the only alchemy product she had learned from Hermes…

It was Lock!

As she stepped forward, the pressure from the ‘lock’ around the man kept pushing him back, pressing him against the wall. Controlled by the Modifications score, the wall swallowed him like water. There were no damages. No one noticed either.

How was this possible?

The figure witnessed all of this, feeling a blow to his sanity. Zhaodang was like a dragon, representing utter destruction. Anything it touched would be destroyed. How could it be manipulated so finely?

Bai Xi continued advancing, pushing him completely out of the restaurant and frozen in mid-air. Then, she came out of the wall too.

They left the restaurant and entered the air above the alley. She walked on thin air but there was the sound of footsteps as if she was walking on flat land. The detailed music score had turned the air into something solid, supporting her weight in the sky.

“Your Highness, please stop!” the figure forced out. His face had become blue-purple. At the same time, the air around him shook. A subtle insect surface appeared. Under it, his body shriveled up. The skin on his back opened up. It was the beastly nature Red-White Cicada!

Like a cicada being reborn, a figure snaked out of the crack in his back. Agilely shedding his skin, he shot into the sky to fly away. But then his expression changed. The lock followed him like a shadow. It pierced into his shell, making him cry out in pain.

And then, Zhaodang!

The pained cries stopped. Wild power swept from the invisible lock in Bai Xi’s hand, rushing into his body with the pain of burning his innards. The figure dropped onto the ground. He spat out fresh blood and convulsed, unable to move.

Now, he finally noticed the abnormality of Bai Xi’s body. There were two drastically different music theories inside her right now. One was the heart of sound that relied on her Deva’s blood—Zhaodang. The other was the alchemy array branded on her limbs and bones—the Lock!

Hermes had given Bai Xi music theory different from most other schools. It could be described as a unique way or teaching adjusted to the student.

Bai Xi’s talent was first-rate of the Deva’s blood talents. She did not need to construct music theory within her from scratch. Hermes did not plan on having his student waste time like someone common. He once said, “Zhaodang is like a flood and beast. Its aggression is rare. You do not need any more strength. You need a lock to control the beast.” He had combined music theory and alchemy to tailor a lock for Zhaodang. This allowed Bai Xi to control the unparalleled wildness.

She only needed one thought for the wild power to escape from the box and destroy what was inside the shackles! With one attack, the figure was gravely wounded and unable get up again.

“You can speak now.” Bai Xi landed soundlessly. She kicked the figure over and studied his fearful expression. “What do you want, following me like that?”

The unfamiliar man’s lips trembled but he did not reply. He just clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, waiting for death. Bai Xi furrowed her brows. Just as she was about to act, she saw a high-pitched sigh.

“Your Highness is precious. Why must you fight with an unimportant man? You will lose your dignity.” A frail figure came out of the darkness like a ghost. The comer raised his head, revealing a clean and hairless old face. His voice was sharp and high-pitched.

“I cannot believe that, in half a year, Your Highness has changed so drastically with such powerful music theories. Even I do not know your limits. If Master knows of your achievements, he must be proud.”

He paused. Studying Bai Xi, his brows furrowed slightly, seemingly in pity. “However, I dare to warn the princess that these demonic music theories may feel powerful but as time goes on, there will be many problems. Your Highness, please return to the correct path. Otherwise, you will be ridiculed if the others find out.”

Hearing this, Bai Xi looked at the man indifferently. “I don’t learn the proper things and I don’t need an old dog like you to comment on me. I remember you’re…Eunuch Wang, right? I’ve seen you in Yunlou City. Unfortunately, you weren’t so amiable back then.”

“I am honored you remember me.” Despite being called an ‘old dog,’ Eunuch Wang showed no signs of anger. He just lowered his eyes like a faithful slave. “I beg you, Your Highness, to go back.”

“Yunlou is so powerful and important. Why do they need a wild and parentless kid?” Bai Xi laughed and spat out, “Or does that rogue feel that a good daughter isn’t enough to stabilize his position and finally thought of his other one?”

“Your Highness has never been educated on manners and cultures, resulting in you saying such blasphemy against your father. This is my fault.” Eunuch Wang sighed and slapped himself lightly.

“Master has heard news of your tracks and come to the Sacred City. Please stop your tantrum. These years, Master has put his heart in the Yunlou business and had no time for relationships. He was forced to neglect you, Your Highness. After you left home, Master worried day and night over you. He is your father, after all. There are no unsolvable arguments between father and daughter. Why won’t you come home?”

Bai Xi’s expression changed slightly. In silence, no one knew what she was thinking. After a while, she nodded and smiled. “Okay, I’ll go back with you.”

Eunuch Wang’s expression changed. He took three steps back and lowered his head even more. He said helplessly, “Even if you kill me, you cannot change the master’s decision. Why can you not face reality?”

“Oh?” Bai Xi arched an eyebrow. It was unclear what she was thinking, but with a guess, his expression darkened.

“Your Highness, you must not consider immoral acts such as a father and daughter fighting each other.”

“You’ve overthinking.” Bai Xi smiled. “I’ll go with you.”

Sensing the aggressive Zhaodang power in the cage, Eunuch Wang’s expression darkened further. “Since you are still stubborn, please do not take offense…” Countless black shadows rose from his body, transforming into wraiths of the night. Then, Zhaodang whistled over!

In the quiet restaurant, gentle piano music hung in the air.

Ever since Ye Qingxuan saw Yunlou Qingshu come to the Sacred City, he felt unsettled. He did not know what would happen.

While he was deep in thought, someone hobbled over on a cane and tapped the table. Ye Qingxuan looked up to see someone with a head of white hair. He was dressed in formalwear and seemed unable to walk easily. His face was serious and his eyes were strict. He looked familiar.

Handel.

Ye Qingxuan was stunned. He never thought he would meet one of the saints staying the Sacred City and one of the controllers of the Silent Authority here.

“Can I sit here?” Handel glanced at Bai Xi’s seat.

Ye Qingxuan squinted. After a pause, he shook his head and rejected him directly. “No, someone’s sitting there.”

The simple word ‘no’ had never been said to a saint before. If someone witnessed his impoliteness, his reputation would be ruined again. No one ever dared to reject a saint’s request, especially a seemingly well-intentioned one. However, Handel did not lose his temper.

He nodded. “There is still some time before she returns.”

Without waiting for Ye Qingxuan’s reaction, he sat on Bai Xi’s seat. Placing his cane to the side, he slid a document packet across the table.

“Take a look.”

“What is this?” Ye Qingxuan lifted the flap and looked at the thick stack of papers.

“Merely a contract for you.” Handel took off the copper enamel pen from his collar and placed it before Ye Qingxuan. “Sign it and you’ll become the manager of the Anglo branch of the Silent Authority. When necessary, you can use one-third of the organization’s resources. Six grandmasters will follow your orders at any time. You will only have to answer to me. This is the best treatment I can give you.”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned into silence. He had never thought that such a large piece of cake would fall from the sky and land before him with the tempting smell.

The manager of the Anglo branch of the Silent Authority…in a way, this position represented unimaginable power and richness. If he signed it, he would have six grandmasters, countless musicians, and the Silent Authority’s money and power…

Seeing his shock, satisfaction flashed through Handel’s eyes. No one could overlook the power and influence that came with this position. Musician or not, everyone on Earth knew the importance of power—and this document was the path to that power.

Ye Qingxuan seemed scared. He stared at the tempting pen but did not move. After a long while, he shook his head and sighed. “Sorry, but I will turn you down.”

The second rejection. Within a few minutes, the shockingly arrogant rejection had happened twice.

The smile stiffened on Handel’s face. “Ye Qingxuan, are you sure?” he asked quietly after a while. “I know we have had an unhappy encounter before but I hope you understand the importance of this. Once you miss this opportunity, you probably will not get a second chance in your entire life.”

Seeing him like that, Ye Qingxuan smiled and shook his head. “This must be your first time experiencing this. Who would’ve thought that the high and mighty alms would be looked down on?”

“Are you dissatisfied by this contract?” Handel frowned. “If you have your own conditions, we can revise the specific terms. However, I do not like your clashing attitude.”

“Everyone knows that, other than a musician and noble, I was originally a scholar of ancient academia.” Ye Qingxuan smiled. He sipped at his wine and said something unrelated, “When I was reading ancient texts, I once saw a phrase. An author described a stupid woman saying, ‘at that time, she was still too young. She didn’t know that every gift given by fate had already been secretly marked with a price’.”

Ye Qingxuan set down his glass and stared deeply at Handel. “May I ask, how much do I have to pay for this gift from the skies?”

Handel studied him quietly. After a long while, he said, “Ye Qingxuan, I hope you understand that, to me, there’s nothing worth coveting on you. This position requires you to work when needed but compared to what you receive, you won’t give much.”

Ye Qingxuan nodded and asked, “For example, selling Charles to you? Or, when needed, become something you threaten Charles with? Constantine’s uncontrolled rise is probably threatening to many, right? You need something to balance his existence. I believe that before Charles agreed to become Constantine’s secretary, this contract never existed…”

“You’re overthinking.” Handel’s voice turned frigid. “Ye Qingxuan, everyone must sacrifice for this world when necessary.”

“Do you still remember what I’ve said?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him. “Charles has nothing to do with you anymore and I hope you’ll stop getting ideas about him. Mr. Handel, you are saint. You are above tens of thousands. Logically, I should respect you. However, don’t think I don’t know what you said to Charles…” His tone was calm and he said to this old man, almost indifferently, “If I have the chance, I will make you experience what he had felt.”

They were undisguised words.

The atmosphere quickly turned cold.

Handel looked at him without any anger. Instead, his eyes grew disappointed, filled with regret. “Ye Qingxuan, the Sacred City has not treated you badly. Why do you fight back against it? Or do you still think Ye Lanzhou was innocent?”

Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows.

“Don’t underestimate the Sacred City. When Bann returned to the Sacred City and registered you as his student, the City had already became clear about your identity,” Handel said coldly. “All this time, the Sacred City has been tolerated you and never looked too deep, instead rewarding you. What right do you have to think the Sacred City has wronged you?”

Ye Qingxuan laughed. He looked at Handel with a familiar gaze. It was like looking down at dust. With this gaze, it was as if everything in the world was under his control and had to sacrifice for him. There was no care about the dust’s sadness and hatred.

“What Ye Lanzhou did has nothing to do with me,” Ye Qingxuan said. “If not wiping out a sinner like me is the Sacred City’s tolerance and blessing to me, then I’m sorry. I will have to disappoint you. You think everyone must make sacrifices but sadly, I never thought that I owe anything to the world. Instead, it’s the opposite…”

Looking at the man with a dark expression, he said, emphasizing each word, “Mr. Handel, this world owes me too much.”

–

When Bai Xi returned, more than ten minutes had passed. Ye Qingxuan and Handel’s quick meeting had ended unhappily long ago.

“Where did you go to play?” Ye Qingxuan sighed and petted her messy hair. Without realizing, her hair was down to her waist now. If she did not take care of it, it would turn into a mangled bird nest. She allowed Ye Qingxuan to mess with her hair and then comb it again. Feeling the warmth of his hands, she could not help but giggle.

“When I went out, I saw an old beggar. I felt bad and gave him some coins.”

“Why is your shirt torn?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at the small hole in her sleeve.

“It got stuck in the doorway.” Bai Xi’s expression grew cheery. “This means I have to buy a new one this afternoon.”

“You can’t spend the embassy’s money like this.” Ye Qingxuan admonished. “And whenever I make them give me office supply receipts, they all look at me weirdly! Why do you want to get reimbursed for buying bras?!”

“Cousin, even though you refuse, you’re still obedient when paying money.”

“Think of a new excuse for me!” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Thanks to you, the embassy has enough office supplies to last until next year! No matter how blind the financial department is, they won’t reimburse that!”

“There’s also food and transportation!”

“Hey, where did you learn that from…” Ye Qingxuan could not help but shake his head. Everyone said that one would join a group of elites in the Sacred City but everyone beside him was weirder than the last. Charles had fallen fast but now, even Bai Xi had learned how to lie to get reimbursements.

Whatever. Thinking of the embassy’s depressed and annoyed treasurer, he gave up on reimbursements. He still had a bunch of dirty money after all, from the smugglers in Avalon. Ye Qingxuan did not have much material greed and most of the things he wanted could not be bought with money. If Bai Xi wanted to spend some, it was like helping him.

However, he couldn’t let her find out. Otherwise, she would take Ye Qingxuan’s checkbook and empty all the luxury stores the next day…

Thinking of this terrifying scene, Ye Qingxuan’s heart in the aether world quivered.

–

The black metal box was forty millimeters long, thirty-five millimeters wide, and fifteen millimeters tall. It seemed to be designed specifically for something valuable, which was why it was intricate yet compact. When locked, it was closed tightly without any seams visible. The inside was carved with an alchemy array. It ensured that the object inside would be unharmed even if the box was assaulted, burned, or drowned.

Nobles would usually carve their family emblem on these boxes and put items related to their wills, precious jewelry, or evidence for safety. However, this box had nothing other than the Sacred City’s symbol. Now, it was placed carefully onto Constantine’s table, gently as if it was a rare gem.

“This is what Mr. Ludovic told me to bring.” The middle-aged priest sighed. “Fortunately, I have completed the mission. Please accept it.”

“Thank you.” Constantine shook his hand.

Despite already handing it over, the priest still looked at the box longingly. “According to Mr. Ludovic’s orders, we must give this to you. But I must add, I hope you will look after it well.” He looked away unwillingly and sighed. “After all, no one has been able to create such a perfect replicate after alchemist grandmaster Orwell passed away.”

“Thank you for your reminder. I will.” Constantine politely saw him to the door. “Charles, see the guest off.”

When the mysterious guest left, Charles could not help but slip back inside, poking his head in. “Sir, did that guy come to give us money?”

“Money?” Constantine was taken aback and smiled. “In a way, yes, but no money can buy what is in this box.”

Sensing Charles’s curiosity, he did not keep it a secret. Turning the box’s lock, he said lightly, “You have never seen this man before but you must have heard of his fraternity before.” Pausing, he uttered, “The Sacred City Ecclesiastical Order.”

“The legendary Ecclesiastical Order with boundless authority is real?” Charles asked curiously.

“The Order was born four hundred years ago under the order of the second pope. The members were all family leaders of monks with true archbishop power. They began as a think tank for the pope and were a crucial weight to balance the political scale between the Sacred City and nations.

“But as time went on, the Ecclesiastical Order went out of control…Now, it has become an immense entity that can fight back against the pope. If the second pope knows, he must be disappointed.”

“They came to give you gift?”

“Not quite. After all, you can’t drink or eat this, or even put it out for decoration. You must care for it cautiously.” Constantine opened the case and studied the content. “It’s a troublesome thing.”

Charles moved over, only to see a crystal block. He could tell that it was precious material made from the School of Modifications and was as valuable as gold. However, he didn’t understand why something so precious was used to seal a thin piece of paper.

Inside the block was an ancient piece of paper. It seemed to have gone through a lot and the paper had aged considerably. If not for the crystal block, it would have disintegrated through time. It contained some sort of music notes but Charles could not tell its source.

He studied it for a while. His teacher Abraham was one of the best ancient scholars in the world. Even so, he could not decipher the words on the paper.

“What is this?”

“This is the original version of the Rune language. It is a product of music notes and languages. After so many years, it no longer contains any meaning. It’s okay if you do not understand it.”

The Rune was the written language closest to the Dark Ages of all western languages. Other than scholars who studied it specifically, it only existed in a few faraway villages of Asgard. ‘Till this day, it still retained some grammatical points from the Dark Ages, allowing one to see the era from a millennium ago. It was known as the living fossil.

Charles had never thought that the Ecclesiastical Order would bring it here, and its original at that. Did they want Constantine to study academia with them? Charles laughed at his own thought.

“A long, long time ago, people believed that this was the language of natural catastrophes,” Constantine said. “This is the oldest language known to humanity and the source of all music notes. What you see is just a replicate of the remains of an old book. This book is known as the ‘Book of the Ultimate.’ It is the source of all human civilization and the foundation of the Golden Age.”

Charles was stunned.

“All this time, the Order’s position has been unshakeable because of its control over the Book of the Ultimate and its final interpretation. With this replicate, they had complete advantage in theology. It can be said to be the precious item of dreams for all upper level clergymen.”

Constantine held the block up. Reflecting under the sunlight, he studied the faint writing. Rather than power, it had the heaviness of history. As if only one who controlled fate could become the King of Red, something known as ‘orthodox’ had given it irreplaceable meaning.

Anyone who yearned for the truth of history and the source of all would find glory in laying eyes on it.

“It represents strength and honor comparable to Hyakume,” Constantine murmured as he caressed the block. “The Three Pillar God ·Holy Cauldron.”

In the silence, Charles gulped. “Is the legend real?” he asked quietly. “That humans first found the Holy Cauldron from the Ultimate?”

“Perhaps. After so many years, who knows?” Constantine returned the block to the case. “I’ve heard of countless legends. Some say that humanity created gods to protect their people during the Dark Ages and past the terrifying abyss. Some say that the Holy Cauldron is only a dream of ancient poets. Other musicians believe that the crowns of the three kings were made from the Cauldron…

“All the viewpoints seem to make sense but all are different. I can only tell you one thing, Charles: the Holy Cauldron truly exists.”

“All the viewpoints seem to make sense but all are different. I can only tell you one thing, Charles: the Holy Cauldron truly exists.” Constantine closed the iron box and ignited his pipe. But looking at Charles’s transfixed look, he couldn’t help laughing. “You really are Abraham’s student. Perhaps I should fire you and let you be an ancient scholar.”

Charles finally reacted and shook his head in shame. “I was just frightened. My teacher told me these as bedtime stories. I did not expect the legend is actually true.”

“Are you interested?” Constantine took a bottle of wine from the cabinet and placed a wine glass before Charles. “Make me some more ice. There should be good wine when listening to a good story.”

Charles immediately condensed the water vapor to make ices and sent to Constantine attentively. “I can even make an iceberg for you! How about I massage your shoulders and legs to help you relax?”

Constantine looked at him speechlessly, shaking his head, and exclaimed, “I have to clarify that I heard this rumor from an antique shop owner. It may not be false but it may not be true. After all, except those who experienced it, who knows what happened in the past?”

Before the golden age of mankind, it was the Dark Age that was never recorded in history. After the illusory era of myths, man appeared in this cold and cruel world, hungry and homeless. They had no power, no civilization, no history, or any records.

At that time, the world was dark. Winter seemed eternal. This mysterious period was called the ‘Dark Age’ by historians. No one knew how it long it had lasted.

At that time, the world was still under the control of natural catastrophes. The first cave paintings were of the four living creatures. Other than phenomenal natural catastrophes that humans could not observe, such as the Silver Tide, human beings saw catastrophes that lived like them for the first time. They were so strong, so terrible. Like a nightmare, they could not be resisted. A tiny movement of theirs could destroy mountains and the earth. They were monsters in the world, irresistible natural catastrophes.

Hecatoncheir occupied the land. Leviathan set off endless waves in the sea. The descendants of the Dark Gaia walked amongst the mountains and the waters. The Shadow Cereus bloomed in any place with aether. Because of their strong vitality and nature, the four were distinguished from other natural catastrophes like Silver Tide, Holy White Storm, Blood-Scorched Soil, Illusion Mire, and so on. They were known as the ‘four living creatures’.

After the ‘eight phenomena’, the ‘four living creatures’ appeared so in human history. Man was born in this world but found that the world did not belong to them.

The world was not kind to people. It had never been kind.

Just as how you could die at any time while alone in a foreign country or walking in a dark valley, humans struggled to survive among the natural catastrophes. It was like a fire in the darkness, burning feebly and extinguishing silently. Once there was a gust of wind, nothing would be left. Therefore, that era was called the Dark Age.

The transition in the middle of the Dark Ages was the appearance of the ‘three wise men’.

When human were about go extinct in this world, three wise men with advanced wisdom came from the east. They mastered one-third of the world’s truths respectively. They brought frankincense, gold, and myrrh to mankind and guided humanity to build their tribes in the Dark World and even…build nations.

Romulus’ founding emperor Aeneas was helped by one of the three wise men so that he could live for three hundred years as a human and turn into the Holy Spirit after his death.

With the help of the three wise men, men found all kinds of prehistoric relics from which they extracted incredible treasures. It was said mechanical engineering had started developing at that time.

Not only did the three wise men bring language, civilization, and treasures, but also prophecies from the depths of the aether world, from the Originator. It was the birth of ‘God’. Guided by the prophecy, human ships sailed to the end of the legendary world: the Ultimate.

At that time, the Ultimate was not yet the end of everything, but the place where the aether and material world crossed most deeply. It was also the closest to the Originator. All miracles flowed from there.

There, man found the prototype of God—the Holy Cauldron. In this way, mankind created ‘gods’ from the chaotic Originator. It was the existence of omniscience, omnipotence, full intelligence, full vision, full authority, and full creation.

It was omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, intangible, benevolent, self-reliant, and unique. This was the first ‘element’ created by mankind.

When this concept integrated into the Originator, it turned from the unreal into reality and began existing…and the Ultimate fell into chaos! That terrible shock from the most central transformation of the Originator emerged from the depths of the aether world and rushed into the aether sea. It descended into the material. It could almost be described as…earth-shattering.

The rivers turned upside down, the mountains collapsed, and the ocean rolled up to the sky, exposing the dry seabed. It was like the end of the world.

Everything was upended.

At that time, humans did not even know if they were successful. They could only infer from the aftermath of terror that terrible changes were going on in the depth of the Originator.

After seven days, God was born.

The world became meaningful. Now, the world of mankind was finally created. Man finally possessed the power.

When the element of gods was written into the Originator, the aether path was built on the foundation of God’s existence. With this fulcrum, human beings pried the Originator and wrote new rules into it, thus acquiring the mysteries of aether and music theory.

They finally had the power to confront the natural catastrophes.

The seven schools of musicians, all movements, all notes and music theories… The source of all knowledge came from this.

This was why the Church took the Holy Cauldron as the incarnation of a deity that could not be observed or described, even though it had been silent for thousands of years and could not respond to the prayers of the world.

This was the origin of the Holy Cauldron.

The age of mankind began then.

But in that terrible turmoil, more than one deity was created.

Once one had a ruler, one would be able to tell what was straight and what was not. Once there was light, darkness would be born. When the air rose, the turbid gas would fall.

When the elements of the Holy Cauldron started operating in the Originator, the first instruction was made—’let there be light’—and the dark abyss was born from the aether world.

Ambiguous chaos was broken. Hyakume was born along with the Holy Cauldron. The former represented all the negative elements while the latter represented all the positive elements.

Immediately thereafter, when two incompatible elements collided with each other, it was like hell clashing with heaven. It stirred the deep power of the Originator and created riots of destruction.

The two gods themselves stood for everything. They were the endorsement of all things, so their confrontation also reflected in all aspects. Everything in the world was involved and no one could escape from this huge struggle. Even humans were divided because of this.

As a result, the Babel Tower collapsed. The only country divided into two and the two sides fought with each other endlessly. In that war, countless people died.

In order to fight for the Ultimate, countless holy spirits turned into stars and rose up into the sky. The inferior dark followers of Satan were born from the abyss. Even with the deaths of countless people, there was no sign of cessation of the war.

The war would never stop. This was the prophecy of the three wise men. The war would break all the rules and destroy the existing world. The rules would be reset again to reshape the Originator. It would go until both were destroyed and the Originator returned to calmness. All would fall into the chaos of nothingness.

But then, the neutral element separating the two, the Silent Moon, was born. Representing judgment, balance, and aether, the Silent Moon stood between the Holy Cauldron and Hyakume.

The three constituted the perfect balance and became the ultimate natural catastrophe at last, which was what human beings now witnessed—the Three Pillar God.

Thus the path of musicians led to the Originator and the crowns of the three kings was cast from the Holy Cauldron.

The three pillar god, three wise men, four living creatures, eight phenomena as well as the best of natural catastrophes also appeared in this world.

The world became complete.

That huge change caused a violent collision between the material and aether world.

After the creation of countless disasters and miracles, the Ultimate was completely destroyed. It became the end of the world where everything died.

The Originator sank into the depths of the aether world and no one could reach it. The survivors who experienced it recorded it all. It became the Book of the Ultimate—the classic interpretation of human history and the classic teaching material.

Speaking here, the slightly drunken Constantine shrugged. “Of course, I’ve heard several different versions since then. But I personally prefer this, so I am willing to take it as the truth. What about you, Charles?”

He asked, “What do you think of the story?”

Charles was silent for a while. He could not help asking, “This… Is it really just a legend?”

“Of course.” Constantine nodded firmly. “People from that time died long ago. They didn’t even have a written language. How can there be records left? The Asgardians and Easterners even say that they came from heaven but no one believes them either. Charles, don’t believe things so easily.

“Besides, the owner of the antique shop is the one who likes to lie and cheat–that’s the story he used to trick me into buying this amulet, which is supposedly from the dark ages. Look!” Constantine rolled up his cuffs and showed him the amulet on his wrist. “Nice, isn’t it?”

Charles nodded. Amber and animal bones were strung on the rope. It truly was nice.

“This bracelet costs me more than two thousand pounds.” Constantine sighed. “But in Burgundy’s markets, a single pound is enough for one wholesale box! So, don’t trust the guys who tell you stories. In order to earn your money, they can make up anything!”

Charles stared at his bracelet blankly for a while and could not help laughing. While laughing, he raised his glass and toasted. “To your bracelet.”

“No, this is for my story,” Constantine exclaimed and raised his glass. “Cheers!”

Bottoms up.

Everything in the past seemed to fade away with the wine in the cup.

In the darkness, a faint beam of light fell down. Pure light illuminated the iron altar and the old stone cauldron on it. It seemed to have been weathered by thousands of years and was extremely old. Covered with cracks, one could not tell its original appearance. Subtle crimson sloshed inside. The cauldron was filled with blood, filled with a beautiful bloody color.

It was the Holy Cauldron. This was the heart of the human world, the only natural catastrophe at the same level as Hyakume, but it did not seem as powerful or majestic as one would imagine. It was just a simple stone cauldron.

And in the blood color inside the cauldron, there were ten mysterious badges. Six glowed gently. The other four were dark and did not feel tangible.

The old keeper studied the badges and sighed with his head lowered.

Footsteps sounded in the distance, breaking the silence. Someone crossed through the broken pieces of the aether world to here.

The keeper looked back and saw a red crown and robe. It was the King of Red.

“It’s you, Holy See.” The keeper smiled. “You haven’t come in a long time.” The keeper’s face under the messy hair was revealed in the refracted glow of the formless blood. His face was so old and withered but it looked…identical to the King of Red!

Illuminated by the glow, the pope walked onto the altar. The two extremely similar faces passed each other.

The pope lowered his head, studying the beautiful glow in the cauldron. “Is this new blood?”

“Yes.” The keeper’s smile became gloating. “Sad, right? The pope is the carrier of sacred blood and the keeper of the Holy Cauldron. Now, the old blood has not died yet but the new blood has already been born… It seems that even the Cauldron thinks you can’t hold on for much longer.”

The pope remained silent. He looked down at his hands as if he could see the fine cracks on his bones through the ghastly pale flesh.

“Dragged on all these years, I finally can’t endure much longer,” he said. “Almost to the limit.”

“You are a human, after all,” the keeper said casually as if it didn’t matter to him. “I’ve said thousands upon thousands of times that humans all die. Hole See, it seems that you still haven’t gotten accustomed to it.”

“You’re not worry?” the pope asked.

“No, of course I am not worried.” The keeper scratched at the lice on his scalp and said nonchalantly, “Something like you doesn’t need my worry. Instead, let me worry about other things.”

He paused. Looking at the cauldron, he pointed at the four extinguished badges. “You should at least speed up the saintly inheritance.”

“Haydn is already old and he’s prepared,” the pope said. “After he dies, his disciple will accept his inheritance.”

“This can only ensure the total number.” The keeper shook his head in dissatisfaction. “Of the six still living, there are two kings and four saints… Of the three kings, the King of Yellow has escaped, you must stay in the Sacred City, and all pressure is shouldered by the current Bach. He is already exhausted from protecting the completeness of the human world.

“Someone must fill in the other four positions. Before you die, can you at least clean up the mess you created?”

The pope said, “I’ll try my best.”

“You see the outside world clearer than me.” The keeper asked, “In the next decade, is there anyone who can fill in a saint’s position? That kid named Wolf Flute…Bach’s disciple seems okay. Hasn’t he become a Scepter recently?”

“Wolf Flute? He is incapable.” The pope shook his head. “He is unwilling to take great responsibilities and fused with the simplest low-level element. His potential is not enough.

“If he waited three more years for the Sacred City to lay down the foundation of his legend, he could at fuse with at least three upper-level elements with his talent and inherit Bach’s crown.”

“The youth want simple freedom. Not everyone wants to jump into the mire.” The keeper took some nuts from his pocket and chomped on them. “He is still too young. Let him come in ten years. He should be more mature then. Starting over again is just ten years. Twenty years later, he will be forty-three. For a saint, that is very young.”

“I will keep that in mind,” the pope said. “You should have more candidates, right?”

“What about the third prince of Asgard?” the keeper suggested. “He is a rare talent within generations. Even I know how powerful he is without going outside. He is only seventeen but already at the Distortion level. Sixteen families support his inheritance of the crown. He has a bright future.”

“But he doesn’t want to be a saint,” the pope said. “He wants to kill his two elder brothers and become the second emperor, after his great-grandfather, to rule all of Asgard with utmost power. He is not a suitable candidate.”

The keeper shook his head. “It is not a rule that emperors cannot be saints.”

“Those that can be emperors are definitely not saints,” the pope said. “No matter from which aspect.”

“What about Rommel?” the keeper continued. “The ‘quick knife’ and ‘rabid dog’ of the Silent Authority. Thankfully Handel has trained him. He is only twenty-four years old but already full of accomplishments. Apparently, the demons all call him the ‘executioner.’ At such a young age, he already has so much blood on his hands. I’m sure you’ll like him.”

“Fifteen years,” the pope replied after a moment of thought. “Fifteen years later, he will be a qualified saint. However, there is not much hope in the short-term.”

“Alfonso from the Southern Illusion Islands is the strongest genius in the history of the Voodoo Crypt.”

“He had no more breakthroughs after entering the Distortion level. The Voodoo Crypt ruined him. He is material that can be developed and shouldn’t have followed the old paths. It may be possible for him to become a scepter but not a saint.”

“There are many talents recently from the School of Choir. What about that crazy woman who studied cloning of cells to the extreme?”

“Angelina?” The pope thought for a while and shook his head. “She is too young and doesn’t have enough experience. With her proposition, she needs at least twenty more years.”

“Casper Hauser? Calculating the time, the beastly nature should be on him already.”

“There is hope of him becoming a Scepter but it is more possible for his brother to become a saint. However, it will take at least seven years to see if he can make the breakthrough.”

“What about Samuel from the School of Destruction? Isn’t he the one with most potential in the new generation?”

“He’s dead.”

“Dead?” The keeper was stunned and shook his head. “What a pity… What about Colt from the Rock Institute?”

“Also dead.”

“Is the kid from Burgundy, known as the eagle of the empire, dead too?”

“Yeah, dead too.”

“What about the Karamov brothers from Caucus?”

“All dead.”

“F*ck, is it the trend for the young ones to die now?” the keeper swore. After a long while, he looked at the pope. “Then what about that legendary Eastern kid?”

He studied the pope. “Our duke, the inheritor of the amazing Deva’s blood, the sword bearer of Anglo, and the son of the biggest traitor—Ye Qingxuan. How is he? A freak like him appears in every era. If he continues his path, I think he only needs at most five years—”

“No, he is the least possible,” the pope interrupted and shook his head resolutely. “Ye Qingxuan will never be able to become a saint, no matter how accomplished he becomes.”

“Why?” The keeper was infuriated.

The pope looked at him and said calmly, “Unless you want a second Revolutionary army to appear.”

“To someone like you, humans are all unsightly, aren’t they?”

“Perhaps.”

“Is there anything on this world that is perfect to you?”

“Perhaps.”

“Perhaps? It is rare for you to say something so ambiguous.” The keeper shook his head in dissatisfaction and stopped talking.

After a long while, the pope moved from the Holy Cauldron to the keeper’s body. The two identical faces were very eerie.

“The duration,” he said. “How much longer?”

“Soon,” the keeper replied. He turned. Walking down the altar with the pope, he waved a hand.

Something rumbled in the silence. The sound did not come from above or below them but from all directions. It was as if the entire Dark World had roared in anger. Under the loud boom, countless gears began turning, creating sparks of fire. The chains and wheels crashed with piercing and grating noises. The most important was a boom like a heartbeat.

The ten thousand ton hammer pounded at iron, creating a heart-stoppingly majestic sound. The ground opened up under the operation of the complex machinery. Layer by layer, it opened up. The blazing light of lava rose from the crack. Below the two, inside the vast abyss, was a boundless lake of lava. The indescribably large machine could only operate by absorbing the immense heat. Inside the burning lava, gears hundreds of meters tall interlocked with each other and rotated endlessly. Under their guidance, countless steel collided with each other. It was like an unmanned iron factory.

The pope’s eyes were not attracted by this strange sight. Instead, he looked deep into the factory to the core enveloped by the gears and machinery. The keeper stood beside him. Looking down at the scenery as well, he smiled.

“Soon…”

–

At dusk, Charles finally got off work at a normal time after days of overtime. The four members of the history department were finally together again. It seemed to be the first time since they came to the Sacred City.

After receiving permission to go out, Abraham asked the embassy to help them book a restaurant. He decided to use his own money on a celebration. In actuality, he had become the deputy director of the Royal Academy of Music’s School of Revelations and had some power.

The principal spent his budget like it wasn’t money and gave money out happily as well. Now, Abraham’s salary and bonuses were all crazy numbers. However, other than his meals, there was not much he spent money on.

He did not like smoking or drinking. He just liked staying in his room and reading. His monthly experiment supplies and consumables were supplied by the academy. After becoming the deputy director, he had the authority to enter the Library too. He had no need to buy books anymore.

Therefore, his salary became a long number in his bank account. From the current trend, it was clear that it would keep accumulating. Used to hard times, Charles became so jealous after seeing Abraham’s bank account and keeps asking him for some research funds every month.

However, Charles has probably gotten some dirty money from the Royal Research Institute and Church. He shouldn’t be poor but he was never up to anything good. If he had money, he would buy liquor. If he had a fortune, he would fulfil his imagination. He had wasted so much money trying to realize his crazy ideas.

A few days ago, he had even visited the armaments office. He had bought half a discarded Gospel armor and a lot of consumables. Of course, he said that he was helping Ye Qingxuan design a new skeleton suit but the Silent Authority didn’t believe him. They had put him under surveillance again. They did not know what he wanted to do by buying such rare battle-level weapons in the Sacred City.

Ye Qingxuan could only worry over this and ask Wolf Flute to make them go easy on him.

Charles was almost close to exploding after days of being pressed down by the Sacred City rules. After this meal, he had said enough nonsense. Ye Qingxuan was forced to be polluted mentally. Abraham just smiled and watched.

In the end, Bai Xi ate everything up silently. When they realized they were hungry, they only saw a bunch of empty plates…

Listening to Charles and Bai Xi argue, Ye Qingxuan and Abraham exchanged glances and smiled. Ye Qingxuan had not experienced something so relaxing in a while. They were arguing but sitting and eating with his professor, Charles, and Bai Xi was calming. It was like a family.

He waved for a server. The server came with an uncomfortable expression.

“Sir…someone just booked the entire restaurant.” The server pointed at the room that had suddenly become empty. After saying a bunch of apologetic things like making their meal free, he politely said something along the lines of ‘please get out of here quickly.’

“Booked the entire place?” Ye Qingxuan frowned.

Just as he was prepared to speak, someone behind the server said, “Sorry, these are my friends. I booked the place so I could speak with them happily. You may go now.”

Shocked, Ye Qingxuan looked up. It was a middle-aged man around forty years old. His hair was already graying. He seemed elegant, graceful, and very likeable. The most shocking thing was that he was an Easterner. And he seemed familiar.

Ye Qingxuan could feel that Bai Xi’s expression darkened.

“Sorry to bother you all.” Under their confused gazes, the Easterner smiled gently. “Nice to meet you. I am Yunlou Qingshu, an Easterner.”

He paused and tossed out the bomb. “At the same time, I am also Bai Xi’s father.”

“At the same time, I am also Bai Xi’s father.”

In the silence, Bai Xi’s expression darkened. Yunlou Qingshu’s words blew the minds of the other three.

“Father?” Ye Qingxuan froze.

“Father!” Abraham froze.

“Father?!” Charles froze too. Then he slammed the table and shot up, pointing at Yunlou Qingshu and shouting, “Then you’re my dad too!”

No one replied in the awkward silence. Everyone’s expressions grew more uncomfortable but Charles rushed up in excitement. He cried, “Dad!” Grasping Yunlou Qingshu’s hand, he shook it excitedly and exclaimed, “Hi, Dad! I’m Charles!”

Even if he’s a dad, he’s Bai Xi’s dad, not yours! What are you excited about?! Ye Qingxuan could not help but roll his eyes.

However, Charles smiled joyfully and grabbed Yunlou Qingshu’s hand as if he had no bones. He seemed close to latching onto the man like a squid. “Since Daddy’s here, let us bros have a good drink…”

Hey, how did you go from father and son to brothers so quickly? Bai Xi’s expression grew uglier. She kicked Charles under the table, hoping to kick him into hell.

“Bai Xi, don’t throw a tantrum. I’m speaking with Daddy.” Charles waved and his expression grew serious. He sighed emotionally, “To be honest…I’ve always seen Bai Xi as a daughter!”

Abraham had just picked up a glass of water to calm him down. But he did not expect that after being suffocated by the Sacred City for so long, Charles had become even worse. He choked and spat out the water.

“Ah, I’m so pleased.” Charles was proud for some reason. He was like a fat middle-aged woman bragging to other housewives about his kid. “I’ve worked hard for little Bai Xi to grow up so well!”

Worked hard my *ss! Don’t act like you’ve changed the diapers! What have you done other than fighting with her over food and the pettiest things?!

Now, Yunlou Qingshu finally snapped out of the shock of Charles’s horribleness. His elegant features twitched but he soon recovered forcefully.

“Oh?” He squeezed out a smile. “Thank you for taking care of Bai Xi. With friends like you, I am reli-”

“Big bro, what do you do?” Charles interrupted with an excited expression. “Are you interested in funding common folk research experiments? Would you like to fund a barbarian’s mechanical laboratory? I have recently invented a mechanism that can move forever with running water. It will definitely be useful in the future! It can easily become popular in both the east and west!”

“I am merely a silk merchant and not very successful. I recently had a disagreement with my boss and finally had a break so I came to see Bai Xi.” Yunlou Qingshu rejected him politely and pulled the conversation back to Bai Xi.

He looked warmly at his coldly staring daughter. “How has Bai Xi been these years?”

Bai Xi opened her mouth to speak but Ye Qingxuan stopped her, shaking his head slightly. This guy was not good news. They better let Charles test the waters first.

“She eats well, sleeps well, and gained a ton of weight!” Charles raised his voice in an unspoken agreement. However, he was talking as if he was selling meat. “Bro, you don’t gotta worry. Look at how we raised Bai Xi to be nice and plump, so cute.”

“That is great. I am relieved.” Yunlou Qingshu seemed to have not noticed anything and kept smiling pleasantly. “Bai Xi has never been an obedient child. She loves making trouble and giving people headaches. Seeing how she has become, I am happy as well.”

“So are you done looking?” Charles waved as if they were visiting each other. “If you’ve got nothing else, go now. We’ll take Bai Xi to see you some other day. We have other plans tonight.”

No matter how tolerant Yunlou Qingshu was, he was a little taken aback by the merciless shooing. He chuckled awkwardly and glanced at the table.

“I’m a little hungry. Can I eat some?”

Charles shook his head. “It’s very hard to live in the Sacred City. I don’t have much money.”

“It’s okay. I’ll pay.”

Charles shook his head again. “Time’s running short.”

“It’s okay. You can go,” Yunlou Qingshu said. “I just need to speak with Bai Xi.”

Charles froze before quickly sighing. “Ah, to be honest, I signed Bai Xi up for a math class a few days ago. Oh, look at the time. It’s almost time for class. Come, Bai Xi, let me take you to class.” Without waiting for Qingshu to reply, he pulled Bai Xi up. Before she could fight back, he swung her over his shoulder and ran…

This guy had swung his junior over his shoulder and ran!

Before leaving, he threw a glance at Ye Qingxuan as if saying, that’s all I can do for you! The rest is up to you!

In the awkward silence, Abraham cleared his throat. He tried to act as if nothing had happened. Pulling out a pipe, he rose. “I’m going for a smoke.” And he escaped too. He really did not understand the situation but seeing as Charles had run, he could not help with matters either. It was up to the young ones.

In the end, all that remained in the empty restaurant were Ye Qingxuan, Yunlou Qingshu staring at each other across a table of leftovers.

“Seems that I won’t be able to talk to her today.” Yunlou Qingshu shook his head and sighed. “I still came at the wrong time. I was too rushed. A rushed conversation will never achieve the goal. It will only make the kid hate me more, right?”

“Mr. Yunlou Qingshu, sit down.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and pointed at the seat across from him. “Sorry that this happened but please be rest assured, I won’t run. You can talk to me.”

He studied Yunlou Qingshu, who was still composed. He said quietly, “After Bai Xi lived with all of us, we are like her family because she doesn’t have any other family. Charles and I are her brothers. We will protect her and if anyone wants to bully her, they have to get past us first.”

Yunlou Qingshu nodded. As if welcoming his daughter’s friend home, he was very pleased. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Not just people who want to bully but her father too.” Ye Qingxuan’s expression grew cold. “You’ve never asked about Bai Xi all this time. She has been living by herself in this world. Now you suddenly drop out of the sky like some caring father and to be honest, even I’m grossed out…” He stared at Yunlou Qingshu and uttered, “What do you want?”

Stared at by those eyes, Yunlou Qingshu smiled and shook his head. “Why must you be like this? Haven’t we met once before?”

Snapping a finger, he had the server come and clear the table. A bucket of iced wine was quickly brought over as well as two glasses. Yunlou Qingshu lifted his glass and motioned for Ye Qingxuan to follow.

After drinking a glass, he suddenly asked, “How old is Bai Xi this year?”

Ye Qingxuan froze and frowned. “Nineteen.”

“Already nineteen? Just like her sister.” Yunlou Qingshu sighed. “That’s the age to get married… As a father, I must think of my daughter and choose a good husband for her. I came to the Sacred City for this as well.”

“You don’t need to worry about Bai Xi.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “And no offense but, to her, you’re the true trouble for her. Do you think Bai Xi will listen to you obediently and marry someone she’s never met before?”

Qingshu smiled meaningfully. “It’s okay. She will always be my daughter. Sometimes, she will listen. So, I must say,” he paused and said nonchalantly as if describing a truth, “you still don’t understand her well enough.”

Ye Qingxuan’s face darkened. He did not know what unknown things this man had in his hands. But if he was here and wanted to do something to Bai Xi, Ye Qingxuan would not let him go so easily.

Even if this man was Bai Xi’s father.

What a joke. Even if this was his father Ye Lanzhou, he would not care, let alone someone else’s dad… He was sure that if he beat Yunlou Qingshu up here, Bai Xi would be happy for three months. Unfortunately, this guy was the duke of Yunlou City. He had a higher position than Ye Qingxuan. If he made a move, he would have to fight passively…Yunlou Qingshu was prepared and he had to be sure about the other’s plan and hidden cards.

However, Ye Qingxuan was not confident he could get an advantage from an old fox like him who had climbed out of the dirty sewage water. He could only take each step as it happened.

Thankfully Bai Xi had been taken by Charles. Otherwise, he would be even more passive.

–

“Did you know?” Yunlou Qingshu drank by himself and spoke animatedly. “In the past, I wanted Bai Xi to marry to the crown prince of Anglo. She could be the queen that was above all but one person. But she didn’t like him and even ran away from home… It’s such hard work to be a dad. I have to put in so much thought to find a son-in-law.”

Ye Qingxuan remained silent.

“Actually, it’s not hard to find a son-in-law. It’s hard to find a good one.” Yunlou Qingshu pointed at the Sacred City, lit with lanterns and lights. “Look, the Sacred City is filled with officials and nobles. As long as I reveal that I want my daughter to marry, you don’t know how many wives will suddenly die tonight… Thankfully, I’ve already found a better one and don’t need to do all that.”

Ye Qingxuan frowned. “Such as?”

Yunlou Qingshu smiled. He patted the young man’s shoulder. “Such as you, Ye Qingxuan.”

“Such as you, Ye Qingxuan.”

In the silence, Yunlou Qingshu smiled and dropped another bomb. He patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder with satisfaction. “You’re much better than that idiotic crown prince, better than anyone else, don’t you think?”

“Mr. Yunlou, you think too highly of me.” Ye Qingxuan’s expression was indifferent. “To be honest, I’m just a handyman for Anglo. Even if I’ve become more famous after becoming a musician, I still have nothing to do with true power.”

“Don’t look down on yourself, young man,” Qingshu said lightly. “You are only nineteen-years-old, aren’t you? In half a year, you went from a student who knew nothing to a powerful Disturbance level musician. You have a weapon like Jiu Xiao Huan Pei and countless inheritances from various schools. You also have something like the Philosopher’s Stone.

“The greatest traitor, Ye Lanzhou, is your father, Mr. Bach’s only student Wolf Flute is your good friend, Maxwell sees you as his heir, Anglo sees you as their sword bearer, and you are the future shadow minister and head of the Fifth Department. The Silent Authority is sparing no expenses in turning you into one of their one. Even the core of the Cardinals and Constantine think highly of you. That Charles, who seems out of it, sees you more important than life itself…

“To Anglo, you are the future pillar and Lancelot dreams of you returning to the family. And let’s not even mention Princess Mary, who loves you. When you officially enter your position, you will become the first uncrowned king in a century to have the Sword in the Stone, the Fifth Department, and Lancelot’s armor…

“To the East, you are the undisputed leader of the Ye family. So many people wish you’ll go back. Once you past the test of the dragon blood, you’ll become a duke, equal to me with a promising future…”

Yunlou Qingshu gazed at Ye Qingxuan as if looking at a priceless gem. “How many people on this planet do you think are equal to you in talent and connections?”

“I see.” Ye Qingxuan arched an eyebrow. “If not for your reminder, I wouldn’t have realized how valuable I am. Unfortunately, why do you think I’ll marry Bai Xi if I have such a promising future?”

“Will you let her marry just anyone?” Qingshu asked in return.

Ye Qingxuan fell silent.

Qingshu smiled happily and poured wine for him. “Ye Qingxuan, see, you care for her,” he murmured in the youth’s ear like a wraith. “Instead of giving my daughter to someone who doesn’t love her as a toy, why don’t I find a good man who is willing to sacrifice for her?”

Ye Qingxuan sneered. “Not just sacrifice for Bai Xi, but for you too, right?”

“Ye Qingxuan, you’re almost twenty. Why do you still not act like a man?” Qingshu shook his head sadly. Standing up, he looked around the luxurious yet empty restaurant as if drunk. Looking at the bustling night outside the window, he smiled mockingly.

“Why are you afraid to look your desires in the eye? Men must grasp what they love in their hands! No matter if that is beauties, power, richness, or a country. If it doesn’t belong you, then what meaning does your love have? Are you really willing to watch Bai Xi get married to a fat and balding old man?”

The voice was like a demon’s murmurs.

Qingshu walked behind Ye Qingxuan and gently pressed down on his shoulders. He still smiled politely but now, there was a bit of drunkenness and craziness. His voice seemed to come from hell.

“She is only nineteen this year, Ye Qingxuan. So young, so cute. She’ll tremble in shyness when holding your hand, so intoxicatingly sweet. You’ve done so much for her. She should belong to you!

“Think about it. If you aren’t there, that unmarred body would be pressed under a vile old man and played with until her tears run dry. She’ll be a little doll put on display…”

Ye Qingxuan remained silent. But under his long white hair, his face was livid. Angry moonlight burned in his eyes.

“Mr. Yunlou, don’t cross the line…”

“Don’t cross the line?” Yunlou Qingshu laughed. “Do you know where we are? Ye Qingxuan, this is the Sacred City. Do you know what creatures these big figures become after they take off their uniforms?

“Have you seen how they play with women? When they get bored, they’ll call their friends over. Three people, five, even—”

“I said enough!” Ye Qingxuan growled.

The illusion of cold moonlight rose in thin air. Instantly, it sliced like a sword. Six ripples appeared in the aether sea. However, the brewing moonlight was forcefully extinguished. In the silence, there was a string of crackles between them. Two powerful strengths burst out, freezing the world and distorting the reality.

In an instant, two vastly different music theories clashed in a short yet intense fight. After distorting the material world, they went into the aether sea, creating giant waves. Before alerting the Sacred City enchantment, they quickly moved into a dark corner.

Deep under the aether sea, they created wild aftershocks. The moonlight sword swung and hacked, breaking through sixteen barriers in quick succession until the other was forced into a passive defensive position. However, the other was obviously a Scepter level. Even using Yunlou Qingshu as a source and fighting with Ye Qingxuan from thousands of meters away, he could still move at ease and ensure Qingshu’s safety.

The fight in the aether sea was reflected in reality. With a string of sharp sounds, the terrifying aftershocks shattered the bricks, walls, and chandeliers. The table melted into dirt but the tablecloth turned into steel. The glasses vaporized but the wine inside solidified into vile rubber…

The short yet shrill wine suddenly stopped. Ye Qingxuan’s finger was pressed against Qingshu’s neck. The aether waves on Qingshu’s body were furious but did not burst out due to Qingshu’s calmness.

The other man did not expect that the renowned Ye Qingxuan would have such a high starting point… In that instant, Ye Qingxuan used pure power to force him back. His sub-originator had stirred the aether sea, forcefully destroying the protections around Qingshu.

He had thrown the Philosopher’s Stone as if it was a steel ball!

Now, he only needed to think and activate his heart of sound to turn this duke into a pile of mangled flesh. The other man did not dare to take the risk.

“Calm down, young man.” As if he did not understand his danger, Yunlou Qingshu did not show any fear. “Do you think I’m a despicable man? Don’t worry, I’m still her father. I won’t let that happen. You won’t either, right?”

“You did say something right.” Ye Qingxuan let go and looked at him expressionlessly. “I did so much for her, so she does not belong to you. No matter what cards you have hidden or plans you have, I hope that you won’t appear before Bai Xi again before you leave this city… Otherwise, I promise I will make it painful for you.”

“You learn quickly, Ye Qingxuan.” Qingshu patted his shoulder with praise. “You did not disappoint me. You’re even more valuable than I thought. If possible, I even want Chaoyue to marry you…but I’m sure you won’t listen to anything I say now.”

Reaching out, he took off his torn jacket. The servant in the darkness walked over and submissively helped him put on a new and clean robe. He still looked majestic and glamorous.

“It’s getting late and I should go. A cardinal representing the Sacred City wishes to meet me tonight.” Glancing at his watch, he sighed. “I can’t believe the first unfortunate meeting between a father and son-in-law would end like this. Take care, Ye Qingxuan.”

With one last glance, he turned and left. The door slammed shut behind him.

–

Outside the door, the servants waited beside the elegant carriage in the night wind. They knelt on the ground to welcome Yunlou Qingshu back. However, he stayed by the door and looked beside him. At the side of the road, Abraham sat on the fire hydrant, smoking with his head low. His clothes were ugly and his hat was old. He looked more like a homeless guy than a musician.

Yunlou Qingshu went over with a cigarette. “Can I borrow some fire?”

“Of course.” Abraham reached up. His metal fingers snapped, creating a spark that lit the cigarette. Using the firelight, Qingshu studied Abraham’s features.

“I heard of you twenty years ago. I have looked up to the name ‘Abraham’ for a long while.”

“Thank you.” Abraham shook his head. “That is all in the past. Now, I only want to be a teacher but you tried to take my student away, so don’t say things like looking up to me.”

“I can’t help it.” Qingshu shook his head sadly. “As a father, I must be strict.”

“Coincidentally, I’m like that too,” Abraham said calmly. “Bai Xi is a good girl. She’s obedient and cute. So, if she doesn’t like you, it must be because you treat her badly instead of strictly.”

Yunlou Qingshu remained silent. He could always explain himself before the others but faced with Abraham’s straightforward logic, he was powerless.

He sighed. “You misunderstand me.”

Abraham put out his pipe and emptied the ashes on the fire hydrant. He put it back and looked at Qingshu. “You know, for a moment…” he said, “I really wanted to kill you.”

–

When Ye Qingxuan found Bai Xi, she was on the swing set in the embassy’s backyard. Ye Qingxuan looked at her back quietly. After a long while, she lowered her head. She wiped her face forcefully and turned around. Her eyes were slightly red but they weren’t sad.

“Did you beat him up?” Bai Xi asked.

Ye Qingxuan nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you win?”

Thinking for a bit, he shook his head. “Didn’t lose.”

“Oh.” Bai Xi was a little sad but she quickly got onto her tiptoes and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay. Work harder and you’ll win next time.”

“Yeah.” Nodding, Ye Qingxuan smiled. “Let’s go back. Professor and Charles are worried.”

Bai Xi nodded obediently. Tugging his sleeve, she followed him. However, Ye Qingxuan paused and grasped her hand. Her hand was cold, delicate, and small. Holding it, he didn’t dare to apply pressure, scared that it would melt like a snowflake.

Bai Xi stiffened.

“Cousin?” She looked up but Ye Qingxuan was walking before her against the light. She could not see his expression clearly.

“Bai Xi…”

“Yeah?”

“Will you go back with your dad?”

Bai Xi laughed and shook his head. “No.”

“Really?”

She nodded forcefully. “Really.”

“Okay.” Ye Qingxuan lowered his head. He tightened his grip and seemed to smile. “That’s good.”

–

A few days later, it was still snowing endlessly. Tomorrow was the Winter Festival. Most stores were closed and the crowds had thinned. The falling snow muffled all sound, making this steel city peaceful and serene.

Ye Qingxuan allowed the snow to fall onto him. He walked on the soft carpet, listening to the snow crumbling under his feet. Finally, he pushed open a vintage door. The heat from the fireplace welcomed him.

The antiques store was decorated subtly and comfortably. The fireplace burned and emanated with the smell of pine wood. There might be some spices as well. It was faintly fragrant and calming.

Among the precious antiques, someone sat on the sofa. Covered with a blanket, he had his head buried while writing something.

“Boss, your crappy place is so hard to find.” Ye Qingxuan stomped his feet by the door and shook off the snow before entering.

Hermes waved. “You’re finally here. I thought you’d come earlier. I’m still busy. Take a seat and get some wine from the cabinet.”

Ye Qingxuan stood by the sofa and stared before confirming that this really was the horrible boss he knew. A few days ago, he was still an ugly fatty but now, he was extremely thin. Or rather, he had recovered his previous frail beauty.

Now, he looked like a thirty-something-year-old noble. His features were handsome and his skin was pale. There was the eerie and androgynous beauty. It was as if the golden haired youth from their first meeting had suddenly grown up. He was a totally different man from the fat guy before.

“Boss, did you take drugs?” Ye Qingxuan frowned. “You’ve lost at least twenty-five pounds, right?”

“Sh!” Hermes waved in annoyance. He scribbled in his notebook with a pen. Ye Qingxuan glanced over and his eyes hurt. Using his basic knowledge of engineering and alchemy, he could make out that Hermes was drawing the design of something big. The part he could see was already extremely complicated.

He could understand a bit about the alchemy. Some of the music theory seemed to be similar to his enlightenment. There were traces of the Heaven Ladder in there too but he did understand its use or nature.

He tried to interpret it but before he started, all the changes and music theories made him practically black out. In that moment, he saw a huge yet blurry structure hidden in the mist…

“What is this?” he yelped.

“A secret.” Hermes smiled mysteriously. He scribbled down the last equation and closed the book. “When I show you after I finish two days later, you’ll be shocked. I can’t believe I got this crazy idea just as I decided to retire from alchemy. This will change the world, Ye Qingxuan.”

“…Everyone wants to change the world. This isn’t anything shocking.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. He did not understand what Hermes was planning and did not care either. “How did you lose so much weight?”

“Of course by being healthy and exercising. Did you think I was dieting?” Hermes whistled. “Good exercising habits are the way to a healthy body, Ye Qingxuan. Would you like a pair of running shoes? Running is really healthy!”

Run? Ye Qingxuan thought in his mind. You can only lose that much weight by running from the Sacred City to Anglo and back every day!

He put his jacket on the stand and sat down without reserve. “I’m sure you know why I’m here.”

“Yunlou Qingshu?” As if already clear, Hermes was unsurprised. “You already saw that guy? Seems like he gave you a lot of pressure. After all, pressure is normal when you meet your in-law.”

“Boss, can you not?” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “If I really had an in-law like that, I’d just kill myself. I’d rather donate everything I own to homeless kids than let that b*stard get a cent.”

“Ah, seems like you have a lot of family drama.” Hermes cackled. “If you’re here, you must want some dirty gossip on your in-law, right?”

“What cards does he have hidden?” Ye Qingxuan cut to the chase. “He came so confidently to see the daughter that wants to kill him. What is he counting on?”

“Oh, you’ve asked a good question.” Gripping his chin, Hermes began saying, “Let’s start from when Yunlou Qingshu was born forty-six years ago…”

“Abridged version, please.” Ye Qingxuan was in no mood to listen to him expound.

“Okay, okay.” Hermes shrugged helplessly. “Let’s start from twenty-three years ago…”

Forty-six years ago, Yunlou Qingshu was born.

He was the third child and youngest of Yunlou Feijing. His mother was a courtesan of Yunlou City. He was not brought home until he was six-years-old. He had an elder brother and sister.

Twenty-three years ago, he was twenty-three years old.

On the day of his birthday, Yunlou Feijing died from poisoning. The same day, there was an attempted assassination on Yunlou Qingxi, the legitimate heir to the city. He did not die but his dignity was lost and he disappeared from then on.

Qingshu became the leader of the city. He inherited the title of Prince and controlled the land and sea hub between the East and West. This should have been the peak of his life, the most glorious day of his life. However, from that day on, there were constantly rebels revolting against him in the name of Qingxi. The people protested as well.

Aurora Empire would not send the decree to recognize Qingshu’s position. Reaching that status as the youngest son and without any roots or connections, his planning, courage, and ambition were clearly terrifying. However, he lacked one thing…

“Deva’s blood.” Understanding what Hermes was saying, it dawned on Ye Qingxuan. “He’s mixed and doesn’t have pure blood. He’s not even a musician.”

“That’s right.” Hermes clapped in praise.

The inherited weapon of Yunlou was ‘Dijun.’ In order to control Yunlou, all family leaders had to be the strongest of the strong. When the late Feijing was at his prime, he could control the seas by himself. With his power, he was known as the king of the sea.

Yunlou City was also a war weapon created by thousands of Eastern alchemists. Its central core could only be activated by Dijun. Otherwise, it would be unable to fend off the phenomenon natural catastrophe Black Tide that appeared once every eighty years. However, not only was Qingshu clueless about music theory, his lineage was not pure either. Not even Dijun would acknowledge him, let alone Yunlou City.

When he killed his father and brother, there were only twenty-five years before the Black Tide. It was pressing.

And even worse…

“He couldn’t prove that he is legitimate!” Hermes said. “Not being acknowledged by Dijun or being a musician was one thing. However, his Deva’s blood isn’t pure either and his hair is speckled… The nine dragon bloodlines don’t even acknowledge his position! As a family leader of the nine dragon bloodlines, it was the biggest humiliation to be equal with a mutt!

“One day without Aurora’s decree was one sleepless night. If his wounded and escaped brother returned to the city, he would only need to wave a hand and the world would respond to him. Everyone would follow him. There are even sayings that Qingshu is illegitimate and will die in Qingxi’s hands one day…”

Hermes paused and glanced at Ye Qingxuan. “If you were him, what would you do?”

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I can’t do something like that and I wouldn’t know how to act.”

“Then what do you think he did?” Hermes fluttered his lashes and kept dragging things out without hurry. When he realized that Ye Qingxuan was unresponsive, he shook his head helplessly and answered his own question.

“Since he was illegitimate, then he’d just give birth to a legitimate one, of course,” Hermes said. “If he could give birth to a pureblood child, then the dragon bloodlines would have to believe him, right? Even those rebels would be unable to talk about justice then, right? So that’s what he did.”

“That’s what he did?” Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. “How? If it’s that easy to give birth to Deva’s blood, all of the dragon bloodlines of Aurora would go crazy, let alone the Yunlou family.”

“You idiot.” Hermes shook his head sympathetically. “Did you forget? He has a sister. A sister who was like a mother to him since childhood…”

Ye Qingxuan froze, a chill spreading over him. “Are you saying that b*stard, he…he…”

“Yes, he raped his own sister,” Hermes said lightly. “And his sister quickly became pregnant. He spared no expense to ensure that he would get a pureblood child. He spent almost half of Yunlou City’s money. Since the womb, the child started using precious materials that even a Scepter musician would go crazy for.

“In the end, he received the pureblood he dreamed of. The baby’s talent was so powerful it was like a monster. Even in the womb, it was a child with a promising future. Such great news, such celebratory news…hahaha!”

Hermes started laughing as if he just said a punchline but Ye Qingxuan could not laugh. “Are you saying that Bai Xi is that…”

“Bai Xi is that child but that child isn’t her.” Hermes shook his head. “Yunlou Qingshu used his money, enough gems for thousands of people, to receive a child favored by the gods. But because of his horrible deeds, the child was also cursed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Two talents.” Hermes held up two fingers with sympathetic yet cold eyes. “That child had two talents at once—two talents that were like fire and water. ‘Taiyi’ and ‘Zhaodang.’ Do you know what these mean?”

Ye Qingxuan froze.

How could he not know? He had read about these shockingly powerful talents from books about the East. Compared to these, Heaven Ladder was nothing. Taiyi and Zhaodang were the best of all talents.

One was glorious like the sun. It could control all aether and stop all demonic sound. If a musician used it, no other melody of music score could rise above it. This was the ‘king’ of all talents and the controller of all music scores. No musician could fight against it.

The other was aggressive as fire. It created a cacophony. In its path, all music theory would lose control and be dragged into the violent shaking, turning into a symphony of destruction. This was the ‘demon’ of talents, the destructor of all music scores. It would obliterate everything in its path, even the owner.

One was extreme auspiciousness.

One was extreme inauspiciousness.

If these two talents appeared in one infant’s body, the infant would become their battlefield. Not only the infant, but even the mother and everything around them would be dragged into the war.

“If a god exists, this would be his punishment to Yunlou Qingshu,” Hermes said. “He wanted a child so God gave him an unmatchable child. Unfortunately, this child was destined to be stillborn. But Qingshu could not allow it. For his future, he decided to…turn one child into two.”

“Two?” Ye Qingxuan froze. “How is that possible?”

“How is it not?” Hermes asked in reply. “Is it hard for a Choir musician to make an embryo? They would just turn the petri dish into the mother’s uterus. Yunlou Qingshu found the best Choir musician to split the embryo into two. The two infants received Taiyi and Zhaodang respectively.

“This entire plan had no flaws other than the fact that it was painful for the mother. To be honest, I’m quite impressed with Qingshu. If he’s a musician, I’m sure he would be on par with you.”

Ye Qingxuan frowned. “I’m disgusted to be compared to him.”

Hermes shrugged. “No matter what, ten months later, Yunlou Qingshu successfully received a perfect product and a damaged result—a pair of twin girls. Their mother named them. The first to be born was the successful sister. Her name was Yunlou Chaoyue. The second was the failure. Her name was…”

“Yunlou Baixi,” Ye Qingxuan gritted out.

“Yes.” Hermes shrugged. “With Yunlou Chaoyue, Qingshu successfully received Aurora’s decree to prove his status. He put all his hope of glory on Chaoyue. She received the best education since birth and used her talent to repay the father who raised her. She is a true princess.

“The other child who inherited Zhaodang wasn’t so lucky. Zhaodang is powerful but is a horrible omen. With such a cursed talent, no one thought she would live until adulthood. In reality, if her mother did not fight to her death, Yunlou Baixi would have been drowned at birth.

“Your cousin grew up in isolation with her mother, becoming less and less loved by people until she decided to leave home… Actually, if I were Qingshu, I would be relieved that this eyesore was finally gone. Go, go, die outside. After all, Yunlou City only has one city. But since she was going to die anyway, why not recycle garbage? Find her and marry her off as a political bargaining chip.

“You know what happened afterward. Because of you, the Yunlou Baixi who was wrapped up in a pretty bow to be given to Anglo’s prince turned into Bai Xi, your cheap cousin.”

Ye Qingxuan fell silent.

“However, I’m sure Yunlou Qingshu is grateful to you now. Grateful that you saved Bai Xi from Qingxi’s men and happy that she can live healthily.” Hermes smile grew mocking and mysterious. “Especially after he realized when Yunlou Chaoyue became of age that, just by herself, she couldn’t receive Dijun’s acknowledgment.

“Chaoyue and Baixi are one person… Yunlou’s weapon Dijun will only recognize the two of them and it must be the two! With one missing, he could not awaken Dijun and control the core of Yunlou City. He cannot fight off the Black Tide that will come in two years. The glory and power he has spent his entire life fighting for, his Yunlou, will be buried under the natural catastrophe.

“If I were Yunlou Qingshu, I would thank the heavens, burn incense for you, and put up a big tablet to worship you. Ye Qingxuan, you’re a great person, a totally great person. You’re the hero who saved Yunlou City.”

It finally dawned on him. “He wants to take Bai Xi back to be his puppet and control Dijun?”

“Not just that now.” Hermes smiled. “Now he wants to add a son-in-law with a great future, the future minister of Anglo. He probably can’t stop smiling.”

“Why does he think Bai Xi will listen to him?”

“Did you forget what I said?” Hermes pulled some nuts out of a drawer but thinking that he was still dieting, he sighed and put it back.

“Chaoyue and Baixi are one person. They are twins from the same source and their connection is unimaginable. If he controls Chaoyue, do you think Baixi will run away? I can think of dozens of similar solutions. Don’t you understand?”

Ye Qingxuan remained silent. He began pondering but his mind was a mess. He could not think of any solution. But after a while, he suddenly smiled as if all the weight had been lifted. When he looked at Hermes, his eyes became meaningful.

“Tsk!” Hermes shook his head in annoyance. “I hate dealing with kids like you. You understand things too quickly and I can’t even drag out the drama.”

“You said all this so I can beg you to cut the tie, right?” Ye Qingxuan asked. “Boss, you’re Bai Xi’s teacher. Coming here without telling her is one thing, but you won’t just let her die without doing anything, right?”

“I came to fulfill a promise with a friend, that’s all.” Hermes was upset. “I’m Bai Xi’s teacher but can we do a fair trade? I hate owing people and never let debts go on for long. If we calculate the business of her becoming my student, she’s made so much profit! And I even gave her the clock shop in Avalon. What do you want me to do? Give her my coffin money as her dowry?”

“You want me to beg you?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him without any fear.

Hermes rolled his eyes and said, “Beg me.”

“I beg you,” Ye Qingxuan said shamelessly.

“There’s no sincerity in those words. Kneel down.”

“Okay.”

Without hesitating, Ye Qingxuan got up and moved to kneel down. His moves were so agile and smooth, like a tiger landing on the ground. His aura was so powerful that Hermes was frightened.

“F*ck, where’s your dignity? Your shame? If Ye Lanzhou knew you’re kneeling for a woman, he’d climb out of his coffin!”

“Me kneeling has nothing to do with him.” Ye Qingxuan looked at Hermes, still seeming like he was going to kneel. “Boss, you want me to kowtow? How many times?”

“Sit down!” Hermes was powerless. “Being with that *sshole senior of yours, you didn’t learn any talents except how to be shameless!”

“So you agreed?” Ye Qingxuan fluttered his lashes. “What’s the solution?”

“If I started worrying now like you, it’ll be way too late!” Hermes huffed. “My promise with Bai Xi is that if she becomes my student, I’ll give her freedom. The problem is, I solved this half a year ago. She is the only musician in the world with two sound of hearts and my sole inheritor. In addition to the music theory system, she also has an alchemy array inside her.”

Ye Qingxuan frowned. “Is one alchemy array effective?”

“You think these arrays are peanuts and you can have as many as you want?”

Hermes looked with scorn. “She’s not me. Having one is already a lot. In addition, I referenced the music theory of Heaven Ladder to create this masterpiece of a chain array. It’s comparable to any sacred weapon on this world. With this chain array, she can control Zhaodang. I’ve cut her tie to Chaoyue long ago too. Qingshu can’t do anything to her. Don’t worry.”

He paused and sighed. “The more I talk the more I feel indebted. Other students are all filial. Not only does my student not care about, I even have to give her a store and a weapon…”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan sighed in relief. He patted Hermes’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. After your hundredth year, Bai Xi will burn paper money for you every year.”

Hermes spat onto the ground. “You’re the seventh to say that to me confidently! The other six are long dead!”

Ye Qingxuan smiled but did not reply.

“And don’t think everything’s solved after I cut the tie.” Hermes glanced at him. “Yunlou Qingshu keeps meeting with the Ecclesiastical Order these days. They seem very close. I don’t know what else he has in mind for his Yunlou City. He might have other tricks.”

“I’m taking Bai Xi back to Avalon after the Winter Festival,” Ye Qingxuan said. “He can try whatever he wants in Avalon.”

“Good idea.” Hermes glanced at him, seeming to smile. “Very definite as well but I hope you won’t continue to run from your thoughts.”

Ye Qingxuan was silent.

Done speaking, Hermes did not want to bother with him anymore. He waved for Ye Qingxuan to leave. But before leaving, he tossed something over. Ye Qingxuan caught it and froze.

“Some little girl told me to give this to you.” Seeing his shock, Hermes snickered. “Remember to keep it by your side. After all, her heart is in it.”

Silent, Ye Qingxuan looked down at the little thing in his palm. It was a doll made from weeds with a weird painted face. It looked like a girl but was drawn poorly. The thing was childish and crude but Ye Qingxuan felt like he was struck by lightning.

“Elsa…is still alive?” He looked at Hermes. “Does she really have something to do with the Winged Folk?”

“Ha, who knows?” Hermes whistled and pointed at the door. “My guest, the store is closed. Please go home. Come back in two days. The boss has something to give you.”

He waved his notebook knowingly. Ye Qingxuan gaped at the doll in his hands. After a long while, he put it in his arms and left.

In the store, Hermes held a feather duster and watched as Ye Qingxuan faded into the distance. He could not help but whistle.

“The hardest problem to solve in this world is the word ‘affection’…so hard to solve! But you can’t solve it like this.” He laughed gleefully. “You can’t solve it messily but you *sshole keep finding princesses to solve it. Not only do you have Bai Xi, the princess of Yunlou, and Anglo’s second princess, you even have something with the empress of Romulus…hehe, are you stuck now?”

No one replied in the silence.

This question probably had no answer.

In the afternoon, the snow stopped and weak sunlight filtered in from between the clouds. The cold wind was blocked by the high walls so the park did not feel cold. The evergreen trees poked out of the snow, stubbornly showing their color.

Unfortunately, no one was appreciating them.

Tomorrow was the Winter Festival. There was barely anyone on the streets. Charles and Abraham were the only ones in the vast park.

Abraham walked in the front and Charles followed. Just as how they walked on the streets in the past, if Abraham took a step, Charles would take a step. If Abraham stopped, Charles would stop. Charles had a rare break today, and had specially helped request permission for Abraham to come out. They strolled around the Sacred City.

“I remember when I was little, you always said that if I listened, you’d take me to the Sacred City when I’m older,” Charles said. “I always thought you were lying but I can’t believe we’re really here now.”

“Oh, you realized?” Abraham scratched his head awkwardly. “Actually…I was lying to you. After all, we were poor back then and the school didn’t allow me to travel great distances. At that time, I actually thought that if there was no other way, I’d borrow some money and take you to the Sacred City Amusement Park in Avalon. Then I wouldn’t be lying to you.”

Charles could not help but laugh. “Actually, I think the amusement park is more fun than the Sacred City. Do you like the Sacred City?”

“I actually cannot tell.” Abraham shook his head. “I’ve always been slow and less sensitive than others. I always thought that all cities are like this and everyone’s faces are similar. There are only so many things that can go around.

“People just worry about eating and sleeping everywhere. Cities are all the same but the wildernesses are all different. To beasts, the wilderness of Anglo and the Sacred City are different… In the Avalonian wilderness, there is the sea. The Sacred City has rivers and mountains but all are beautiful.”

Charles remained silent but Abraham smiled.

“Being in the wilderness for so long, you can’t wash away the habits of a beast. I’ve spent so many years learning the rules but I still don’t understand. In the past, I told Yezi that the interpretation method is to understand some things. However, now I think that there are things I won’t be able to understand this life but it’s okay. This is okay, Charles. There is no reason to feel sad for me.”

Charles nodded. “Professor, is there anything you are unaccustomed to here?”

“It’s the same everywhere. Don’t worry about me.” Abraham was walking in front and looked back at Charles. “But you, Charles, are you really thinking of staying here?”

“Yeah, I think the Sacred City is nice.” Charles nodded. “Mr. Constantine wants me to be his secretary. I’ll have a job and a way to feed myself. Maybe I can enter the clergy in the future and try being a priest. You don’t have to worry about me passing out drunk on the streets anymore.”

Abraham opened his mouth to speak but then he shook his head helplessly and sighed.

“In the past, I wished for you to become a scholar. Then you would not have to go hungry. But now you’re doing better than I’d expected. I can’t help you anymore.”

“Don’t worry, Professor.” Charles hooked an arm around Abraham’s shoulder as if they were the same age. They were as intimate as before. “I’ll come back to see you whenever I have time. After I work in the Sacred City for a few years, I’ll help you get amnesty. Then you won’t be a criminal anymore. You can go wherever you want and won’t have to lie to your students because of the Sacred City anymore.”

Abraham smiled and stopped speaking. They walked forward silently in the snow.

After a long while, Abraham asked quietly, “Do you still have nightmares?”

“Nope.” Charles laughed and shook his head.

The subtle pain in his head seemed to have gone far away.

Along with those nightmares.

–

The Winter Festival was the end of the year. This was the most festive holiday of the year. Beginning at dawn, the city began bustling. Lively parades and circuses were scattered throughout the city. Bards from Burgundy, circuses with all types of beasts, clowns with painted faces, and fire-dancers with bare muscular chests…

People from all over the world were joined in this city. Fireworks burst in the sky constantly with radiant glows. The entire city was deep in celebration.

Today, the hospitals and Choir musicians under the Church would go onto the streets to give believers free diagnosis and treatment. They would spread God’s care to more people.

The central square had been jam-packed since morning. People crowded there and restricted the urge to cheer and yell, waiting quietly instead. Regardless of whether they were nobles, commoners, or beggars, they were all in one place now. They may be far apart but before God, there was no difference. They respectfully waited for the gospel to arrive.

At noon, holy light fell from the sky. A figure clad in pure white walked up to the high podium at the side of the square.

At the podium, the figure slightly raised a hand for the crowd to quiet down.

The noises suddenly vanished. The crowd stopped pushing and reverently obeyed the figure’s wordless command. They waited quietly.

When the Cardinals had all arrived, the man with white clothing and a crown, surrounded by the statues of countless saints, raised his scepter. His projection appeared in the sky. Like a giant, he looked down and could see everything.

He was the King of Red!

This was the only one on Earth who acted on behalf of God. He controlled the souls and final resting places of humanity; he was the sovereign and protector the holy city—the Pope!

As he waved, holy light descended from heaven. As if daybreak had arrived, the light was filled with cleanliness and vitality. Under the faint melody, heaven’s glow shone on everyone. It soundlessly chased away their pain, bringing the gospel to the miserable people.

Once a year, before the sermon, the King of Red would personally perform the Waldstein, the morning sonata, to cure and bless the believers who came for the gospel.

“Your grace!” In the crowd, countless believers and priests shed tears of gratitude. They flattened themselves to the ground and prayed. The noise merged into a fervent and organized hymn.

Under the leadership of the hymnists, they all sang together. Bathed under the morning light, they filled the steel city with the fervent music.

At the very front of the crowd, Ye Qingxuan carried Bai Xi and gasped for breath. She was not heavy but after thirty minutes, he was in serious pain. His physique had improved a lot but he still was not suited for physical work like carrying someone, especially in a sea of people.

“Bai Xi, if you grab my hair again, I’m going to get angry!” Ye Qingxuan angrily pinched her calf.

Without caring, Bai Xi continued to grab his hair. “Cousin, higher! I can see the pope! The sermon’s about to start!”

“Where’s that *sshole Charles?” Ye Qingxuan called, shaking Bai Xi in annoyance. “Didn’t he say he’s coming with us? Where’s he?”

“He left long ago!” Bai Xi cackled in excitement. No matter how Ye Qingxuan shook her, she would not let go of his hair. “He said he hasn’t seen the Tablet of Fate yet! He wants to go touch it…”

“Touch it? Why does he have to go now?!” Clenching his jaw, Ye Qingxuan muttered, “I knew I shouldn’t believe him. He said he’ll come help but then just disappeared!”

“Shush, quiet down.” Before he could finish, the believers around them looked over disapprovingly. “The sermon is about to begin!”

Instantly, the square fell silent. Only one voice remained.

“The believers of God,” the white-clothed King of Red declared at the podium. “Six hundred and forty years ago, we created a miracle here, where we are now, following God’s decree!

“Here, the heaven and land connected, the sky fell to the earth. Because of this, a light that would illuminate the ages began shining. Because of this, joy was ignited. Because of this, there was music.

“This was the birth of the city of holiness!”

The sermon had finally begun. However, during the silence, someone in the crowd pushed into Ye Qingxuan and subtly gave him a slip of paper.

Frowning, Ye Qingxuan unfolded the paper. There was only one line: come here.

It was signed by a strange symbol of a wolf’s head.

Wolf Flute?

Confused, Ye Qingxuan looked around. He quickly sensed Wolf Flute’s aether waves. They were pulsing subtly from under the podium. Ye Qingxuan glanced over and saw Wolf Flute in the heavily guarded elite area. In addition to Wolf Flute, there were many other familiar faces.

Various important figures, ambassadors, and the upper officials of the Church were in the specially designated area. Ye Qingxuan even saw Yunlou Qingshu in a corner talking happily with a cardinal.

Noticing Ye Qingxuan, Wolf Flute waved.

Confused, Ye Qingxuan put Bai Xi down. He asked Lola to secretly keep an eye on her and pushed through the crowd. He showed his Silent Authority card to the guards and was brought to the side where Wolf Flute was.

The man looked annoyed. “Look at you. We’re getting worked to death but you’re here having fun with a pretty girl.”

“You think I’m having fun?” Ye Qingxuan massaged his sore shoulder. “What do you want?”

“Not me.” Wolf Flute shook his head and moved aside. “Someone wants to see you.”