Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Ode to this world!

  At first it was just faint tremors, but now it had turned into a roar!

  It was like an ax chopping down wood, or dragon scales scraping. The stars fell and the earth broke. The endless screams spread, condensing into one huge ripple trying to break apart the shackles that restricted it.

  The ground shook tremendously while gusts of air started to swirl up from the ground.

  The Wyrmrest Enchantment had broken!

  Light rolled in the deep abyss within the Well of the Ultimate.

  The flowing iron whirlpool suddenly created a huge burst!

  The hot silver fluid was boiling again! A huge amount of bubbles rose like fog coming off of a lake’s surface, accompanied by a wild wind that filled the air, creating ripples in the sharp screech.

  In the presence of the screeching noise, the human body would be swept up like a fallen leaf and slammed against the wall. Their lungs were stuffed with iron sand and unable to breathe. The power was going to press them into the stone wall and crush their flesh and bones!

  Then, the layers of cloth were torn.

  In a spinning illusion, Gaius felt his mind go blank, but he finally saw that thing’s shape. It was a steel coffin!

  On the cross-shaped coffin, layers of chains were trembling in unrest. As it landed with a thud, the chains fell apart. The iron and steel were completely vaporized by the power of the heat!

  The iron coffin shook so forcefully that the copper spikes nailed in the coffin popped out. They feared the monster inside and wanted to flee. Fine cracks emerged at the top, growing like a living creature, spreading quickly.

  The screech was growing even more high-pitched!

  Screams, like the hands of demons, turned the friars into bloody flesh slapped onto the wall one by one. But the terrifying pressure bounced off Hein’s body.

  When Hein looked up, his eyes flashed with a golden fire.

  As if the Gods had taken over his body, he broke the bond and crawled toward the iron coffin with incredible speed as if he was falling into the Ultimate.

  He whispered something, and suddenly pressed his hands directly onto the iron coffin!

  After a moment the screech disappeared.

  The momentary silence seemed to last forever, but then the screech broke out a thousand times stronger!

  The terrible tremor took a physical shape and drove from his arm into his body.

  The skin on his arms cracked, blood splashed out but vaporized in the twisted wind. Some blood got into the gap in the iron coffin, disappearing without a trace.

  First his palm, then his arm, and then the last half of the body; Hein’s body withered quickly. He began to dry out, and his life was about to be exhausted as his blood was drawn from him! He struggled to look back at Gaius. His lips opened and closed, wanting to shout something.

  Gaius froze.

  Looking down, he saw that the slender parcel had rolled down beside him. It was what Hein had carried all the way back. With all the shock and tumbling it had endured, its covering had been removed, revealing the holy object inside.

  Like a spear made with raw iron materials, it was rough and wild. The blade was dull but stained with layers of blood. In the screeches, its front blade lit up, buzzing and releasing a burning light.

  The light was so hot that it cracked the shackles restraining Gaius.

  He used all his power to bend down, and clenched the spear.

  For a moment, he felt an infinite power rush into his body, and along with it he gained courage. The frightening roar disappeared. His ears could only hear his heart beating like rolling thunder.

  Divine power filled his body, boiling his blood. His heart almost burst, and he was obsessed with the feeling—he wanted to release it all.

  If iron was in front of him, he would break it. If a dragon was in front of him, he would drive a spear right through it. If his enemies were in front of him, he would tear them to their very last bone. If a God stood before him…

  His consciousness was dominated by this power. He stood up involuntarily, and moved forward seven steps, his footsteps printing into the stone beneath him.

  Now he was standing in front of the enemy.

  The iron coffin shook endlessly.

  He glared at the cracks on the iron coffin, glared at the darkness within. His hands clenched the spear, and he gathered all his strength and courage. He stabbed the coffin with the spear!

  There was a sound like a bubble bursting.

  As if the iron coffin had been just a phantom, the spear drove down effortlessly between the cracks, piercing the darkness, stabbing all the way through to the other end.

  As if it was an illusion, he heard a sad cry, like the sorrow of a giant dragon before falling to its death.

  Within the sorrowful cry, the screeching stopped abruptly and the dancing and sparkling aether suddenly stilled. Then the cry condensed, turned into a raging storm and dropped back into the deep Ultimate.

  Silence swept back, and the iron coffin once again fell into stillness.

  The power that had filled him disappeared. Gaius stumbled back to help Hein up. This burly man had now withered into a baby. Broken at the touch, he turned to ashes. Only his head remained and fell to the ground, his withered eyes staring at Gaius.

  He had died.

  Gaius closed his eyes and turned to the iron coffin.

  Like a child trying to reach a tall tree, the old man struggled to push the iron coffin, squeezing every drop of strength out of his bones. Little by little, he moved it towards the deeper Ultimate.

  Exhausting his last bit of power, he pushed it into the boiling iron flow of the Ultimate’s whirlpool!

  As the iron coffin fell, it rolled through the air and was immersed in the whirlpool.

  The thick sword still deeply penetrated in the iron coffin sank to death along with it.

  In its last moments, he saw the horrifying totem engraved on the coffin.

  As if it had walked straight out of a nightmare, the totem had a face made of brass and a body of black iron. It had three skulls, with traces of birds, beasts, and humans. It was bulky and hideous, with countless arms holding flames, ice, disease, knives, axes, and bones.

  Obviously, it did not resemble the human form, but somehow the totem was so beautiful!

  So perfect that it was frightening.

  It was a creation from mythology. The son of God and Mother of Earth, it was a demigod filled with hatred and strength—The Hecatoncheir.

  -

  When Gaius came out from the ruins of the city, he heard the sound of ocean waves.

  Perhaps he had been in silence for too long, but even the sound of the waves was salvation.

  In the cold rain, a carriage waited quietly in the dark. The man in the car waved to him. He froze for a moment, then got into the carriage. It took him on the returning path.

  The carriage was very warm inside. It had an underlying infused scent and very intricate, beautiful decorations.

  But he still felt a coldness surrounding him that he could not shake loose.

  The man sitting opposite him handed over a personal heater. He felt the essence of its precious warmth, but his face was still very pale.

  “Welcome back to earth.” The white-haired Eastern man brightened the light, illuminating his face.

  Like all Eastern noblemen, Bai Heng wore a silk robe, with a faintly embroidered pattern made of silver silk threads. This kind of mark was like a flame—both majestic and arrogant.

  Apart from the white hair, Bai Heng looked young and vigorous, with no wrinkles on his face whatsoever. Only when looking at his eyes did Gaius feel that this guy was really as old as he was.

  “When did you come?” Gaius whispered.

  “I came right after you, but always a step behind. I was only able to see from afar.” Bai Heng lowered his gaze. The lingering fear in his heart had not disappeared with time. “Just looking at it shook my mind and soul. It really made me f
eel hopeless.”

  “Nothing to feel hopeless about,” Gaius whispered in a low voice. He remembered the face of Hein, with his withered skull and dried up eyes. He started to look bleak. “Wasn’t paying the price all we were ever able to do since the very start?”

  “I am afraid we cannot afford to pay that price,” Bai Heng also whispered. “We have lost dozens of musicians. The dragon-slaying spear was given the name ‘St. George’ just to deal with the Hecatoncheir’s sleepy murmurs. To those monsters, humankind’s struggle to fight back must have looked funny, I suppose? Like ants, their deaths had no value.”

  Gaius was silent. After a long time, he sighed softly. “Bai Heng, twenty years ago, when ‘The Disaster of the Silver’ destroyed the City of the Wolves, I was right there inside the city.”

  “Oh?” Bai Heng was surprised for a moment.

  “At that time I stood on the city wall and watched it emerge from afar, the waves spread to every corner of Heaven and Earth with a magnificent neon light. It was really very beautiful. So, rest assured, that magnificent destruction will make people feel that it’s not a pity to be buried with.”

  Bai Heng was stunned, but then suddenly he laughed softly, “Humans are indeed ridiculous. Hearing that they can die a prettier death can make them feel less regretful about dying.”

  “So, we should first worry about the problems of the living for now.” Gaius closed his eyes and recited the dogma, “Fear and respect the aether.”

  Bai Heng fell into silence.

  -

  The silence continued until the carriage stopped.

  Outside the carriage was a port where a ship was waiting to set sail in the rainy night.

  Even with the window in the way, Gaius could hear the sound of the ocean waves. He had left the lands of the Wyrmrest Enchantment; the world was full of sound again.

  Having been in silence for so long, he was grateful to hear the noisy waves that he heard in his everyday life. Gaius could not help but look back to the faraway land.

  Yet nothing could be made out in the faraway darkness.

  “So we part ways here. His Holiness, the Pope, is waiting on my report,” Gaius said. He got off and looked back at the carriage. “Are you going back to the East?”

  “Yes. After all, there’s a considerably proud and arrogant Empress at home.” Bai Heng sighed, “If I am not there, who’s to say she’s not wreaking some havoc?”

  Gaius laughed. “It must be hard being a treacherous minister, Bai Heng.”

  “It’s ‘regent’,” Bai Heng carefully corrected him.

  “Well, goodbye, Mr. Regent, sir.”

  “Goodbye, Duke Gaius, your highness,” Bai Heng said.

  The carriage door closed.

  In the rain, Gaius stared quietly at the man’s carriage disappearing into the rain.

  With the sound of countless raindrops, he looked back at the darkness of the fort, as if through the blockade of numerous layers, he could still hear the roar of the monster.

  “I really don’t understand.” His gaze was deep. “You monsters. Why do you keep wandering and lingering in the human world?”

  -

  This year, a rare phenomenon appeared in the night sky—two moons shone together, the White Moon and the Blue Moon, hanging high in the sky at the same time.

  There were six earthquakes in the lands. Some areas were in a bad drought, yet there was tragic flooding in other areas. Some people claimed that in the desert areas, a flammable black liquid was found. Some claimed that the continents were shifting. Some claimed that the earth was round, and some claimed that the ancestors of humans were monkeys.

  These were all just minor details.

  This year, the Revolutionary Army that occupied the New World was only just starting to grow, and the dark world of natural catastrophes was still raging.

  Some countries relentlessly borrowed bonds that they would never be able to return, and some places were militarized to expand their own regimes. The war between nations over the ruins and ancient technology was still continuing.

  The Sacred City was responsible for forgiving the sins committed by men, and the Aristocrats of the East were responsible for selling silk to the dead.

  Those who fought were fighting. Those who killed were killing. It was as if everyone had a good time keeping themselves busy.

  Few people noticed that the dark age had already been over for hundreds of years.

  The fragile peace between humankind and natural catastrophes had been maintained for too long.

  The world was still so large, but most of it remained hidden in the dark.

  The once twelve kingdoms were now only nine, struggling to occupy a small corner of the world and slowly, yet cautiously, exploring the territories in unknown directions.

  Some people turned their attention to the other side of the ocean because the wind brought the tide of a new era.

  2 Lighthouse

  Late at night, the sound of the crashing waves came from afar.

  The town was silent, as if it had fallen asleep. Everything was quiet. The stars and the moon hung in the sky above.

  In the dark, only the lighthouse on the coastline outside the town still had light coming from it.

  Since the town had been established, the lighthouse had always been standing on the coastline. The church had built it with ancient technology, and it helped direct the ships that came past the reef area.

  For centuries, a fire had always burned at the top of the lighthouse.

  The fire burned on aether’s powers, releasing a blindingly harsh light.

  Hundreds of mirrors were placed in complex frames, forming complicated arrays, enveloping the fire.

  The light, shining through a well-designed refraction angle, created a complex trajectory, its brightness increasing tenfold, shining in all directions.

  This self-reliant structure was almost semi-permanent, and did not require any manual management as long as there were proficient mechanics carrying out monthly system maintenance tests to prevent possible failures.

  However, it was not the priest in black that came today, but two teenagers…and a dog.

  -

  The only words that could be used to describe the dirty, golden-haired dog were ugly, ugly, and really ugly. It had laid on the ground ever since it got here, looking disinterested with everything it saw, and had already fallen asleep.

  When a mosquito landed on its nose, it sneezed. While sneezing, its lips turned outwards as if it was grinning, revealing a row of uneven canine teeth.

  Beside it, a teenager with fair blond hair leaned back against the wall, focused on shredding chicken meat with his bare hands. The chicken was savagely torn piece by piece, stuffed into his mouth, then carefully chewed.

  He ate in a slow and serious manner, making people think that he was not hungry and just wanted to spend time eating.

  He was handsome, but when he laughed his looks gave others the impression that he was a bad person. Those green eyes seemed to look at people as if he were a beast, looking for the best spot to take a bite out of.

  By his side, the liquor bottle was half empty. He had finished all of that by himself.

  “Yezi, you already know, right?” He whispered, “The opportunity to study in the Sacred City has been taken by the third son of the Thomas family.”

  “I know,” an indifferent voice replied from the array of light.

  “He also said a lot of ugly words,” Victor said.

  “I know.”

  A hand came out of the dazzling light. On the index finger was a ring made of iron wires that commanded everyone’s attention. But his voice was still indifferent, without any emotion.

  “Victor, give me the eighth wrench,” said the voice.

  “Are you really listening to me?” Victor asked. His eyes stung from the light, his pupils constricting, “You waited so many years to go into the Sacred City to study. All of your hard work got you here. Are you really going to watch the
opportunity fall into the hands of a piece of trash that only knows how to flip maids’ skirts?”

  The dog awakened. It looked up and barked, as if it was also contemptuous and could no longer stand it.

  “I said hand the eighth wrench to me,” the voice insisted.

  The hand in the array shook gently, reminding Victor not to keep him waiting for long.

  Victor picked up the wrench from the toolbox and placed it in his hand. He started to withdraw his arm, but Victor grabbed him by the wrist, keeping him from pulling away.

  The hand paused in the air.

  Victor stared at the glare of the mirror frame and the array, as if he wanted to see the look on the face of the teen in front of him. He was slightly drunk, so his eyes looked angry—not at himself, but for this quiet friend of his.

  “Did you hear today?” Victor whispered, “He said that you were an Eastern bastard.”

  “I heard.”

  “He said that kids from the streets should go back to brothels to find their mothers.”

  “I heard.”

  “So? Do you want to pretend that nothing happened?” Victor demanded.

  Victor’s hand clenched the wrench so hard that you could see his veins popping out.

  He looked at the mirror array and saw the blurred reflections inside, but the images were motionless and silent. Silence—that was all there was.

  “Ye Qingxuan, if someone insulted my parents, I swear there would be a whole hell of poisonous snakes poured into his room; if someone insulted my friend, the same would happen.” Victor continued coldly, “I know that you don’t want any trouble for the priest, but sometimes, if you retreat, you will be seen as weak. You will be insulted! You’ve done so much for this town, and what have you gotten in return?

  “They don’t care for you at all!” Victor exclaimed. “For so many years, they have never been grateful for what you have done, and they take everything for granted! Even if you continue to repair the lighthouse for ten more years, create tens of thousands of copies of posters, or reduce their oppression as much as possible, nothing will ever change.”

  “I never expected anyone to appreciate me.”