by Feng Yue
“You may be a bit nervous since it’s your first trip away, but you have nothing to worry about. The bounty reward will be deposited into your church account in about half a month. You just need to go to the church’s loan office with your holy emblem to pick it up.”
Wolf Flute patted his shoulder and continued to ramble on, “Take care of yourself at Avalon, and remember to find a hotel near the school first. You will be able to live in the dorm once school starts. Avalon has had some serious pollution issues for the past two years, too much smog. Uhh, you can think of it as bad air, so remember to buy a mask.”
Then, Wolf Flute paused, his expression turned sour, “Be very wary of the damn kids begging for money once you get off the boat. They will steal your money.”
“Do not worry about me, Mr. Wolf Flute.” Ye Qingxuan laughed, “I was one of those damn kids many years ago.”
“You street kids are seriously not cute.” Wolf Flute shook his head. Remembering something, he looked around. Seeing that no one had noticed him, he lowered his voice and said, “Ye, there is one thing I think I should tell you.”
“Ok?”
“For whatever reason, you have to remember that you cannot say that you are the son of a dark musician in Avalon.” He pressed down on the shoulder of the white-haired kid, “You are just some young man I met when I was travelling in the East, understand?”
Ye Qingxuan was silent. He looked at the man in front of him with genuine concern in his eyes. Ye smiled reluctantly, “You knew?”
“I am a musician.” Wolf Flute looked into his eyes and sighed softly, “Ever since I realized that you knew the Demon of Rain, I had suspected it, but I did not expect it to be true.”
Ye Qingxuan was silent.
“Easterner, silver white hair with the ‘bloodline of the dragon,’ as well as your surname ‘Ye.’ It was all too obvious. I didn’t need to think too much to know.
“Once a scepter musician with great talent, now number three on the most wanted list. He killed sixteen Anglo royal musicians five years ago, and joined the natural catastrophes. The traitor, Moon Chant - Ye Lanzhou.”
Wolf Flute sighed, “I was shocked that you are his son. It explains the Demon of Rain. After all, your father was the best demon hunter.”
“My father was not a traitor.” Ye Qingxuan whispered, “He did not betray mankind.”
“The problem is that everyone thinks so.” Wolf Flute tried to reorganize his words. At last he sighed, “I can only say that he used to be a very good person. After all, when I was in the Royal Academy of Music, I had attended his class about Eastern music theory. He even took me, a poor student, to dinner.”
“You knew him?”
“Only a little. He used to teach at the Royal Academy of Music, but quit after he got married. So, whether you just want to find out what actually happened back then, or if you want to do something about it, I suggest that you disguise yourself as an international student from the East. After all, this will be good for you.”
In a long silence, the white-haired young man seemed to be thinking hard.
“Mr. Wolf Flute, are you not afraid?” Ye Qingxuan suddenly smiled and asked softly, “Are you not afraid that I will also betray mankind, and become a traitor?”
“Ye, sometimes you are just a little kid who doesn’t know himself well.” Wolf Flute looked down at him and laughed at him mercilessly, “You know? You are the kind that’s not very creative even if you are doing bad things. So…just be a good guy.”
As he was speaking, Wolf Flute took out a thick book from his pocket and put it into Ye’s hand, “This is part of your thank-you gift in advance.”
Ye Qingxuan took the thick book. He realized that it was a notebook covered with a very old leather cover. Inside was small writing and many drawings.
The notebook was made very well. Even the leather cover was thicker than any ordinary notebook, and felt like it was made of iron.
Next to him, Wolf Flute casually opened the notebook, pointing to one of the pages.
“This was my notebook when I first went to the academy, including entry music notes from four different schools, and some miscellaneous stuff. Oh, yes, this part was written during your father’s class!”
On the page, there were only two lines of scribbled notes. The rest consisted of some very strange looking music notes. It seemed incomplete, and was unable to be identified clearly.
“Sorry, I was sleeping through my classes at that time. I didn’t even know what class it was, hahaha…” Wolf Flute laughed in embarrassment.
Ye Qingxuan was silent for a long time, then bowed to him. He put the notebook in his suitcase carefully, “I will read it thoroughly. Thank you, Mr. Wolf Flute.”
“Not at all. It’s only a notebook. Don’t worry, just don’t lose it.”
Wolf Flute looked at Ye’s serene eyes and gently patted his shoulder, “Do not worry about the past, have a good life. If you can get into the school, I will give you a gift.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It’s a promise.”
Wolf Flute backed up two steps, put on his hat, then left in the carriage.
-
The quiet ocean suddenly became turbulent. A huge ship came from a distance, causing big waves to appear, and leaving layers of ripples spreading in all directions.
“This is as far as I will go with you.” Victor lightly punched Ye Qingxuan’s chest. “Don’t miss this place when you’re in Avalon. I’m leaving as well, as soon as the priest is gone. Maybe after two or three years, if you are not doing well, you can come find me, and I will be someone famous by that time.”
“Hey, hey, do you have to be so confident?” Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh.
“With someone as bad as me, I can only do better and better, right?” Victor pushed him, as if to drive him away, and rid him of his sadness. “No more chatting, hurry up and go! You are going to miss the boat. Don’t worry about others while you are in Avalon. I will be fine. You just take care of yourself.”
In the afternoon sun, the blonde boy with the cap grinned, a small stick dangling from his mouth like a pipe.
Victor waved goodbye without hesitating because he was convinced that one day they would eventually see each other again.
Ye Qingxuan hugged him and whispered, “Goodbye, Victor.”
Old Phil also ran to Victor’s side, its tongue sticking out. It stood on its two hind legs and patted Victor’s shoulder with a saliva drenched paw, as if to give its best wishes to a little brother. Old Phil hopped into Ye Qingxuan’s trunk, ready to leave.
Ye Qingxuan took a final look at Victor then set foot on the boat.
-
When the huge ship lifted its anchor and set sail once again, Ye Qingxuan stood on the deck, not daring to look back.
He knew that behind him, the coast was becoming further and further away. He felt like a part of him was emptied bit by bit. Perhaps a stage of his life had been left behind forever.
“Sir, please come with me.” A waiter politely interrupted him and led the way. “Your room is ready. We will arrive at Avalon in three days. We wish you a wonderful journey.”
“Thank you.” Ye Qingxuan smiled.
Just like that, the white-haired young man carried a trunk, a suitcase full of old clothes, two thousand pounds of paper money, an iron box, and a strange old dog, embarking on a journey with no return.
He was seventeen years old, and had not yet had his coming-of-age ceremony, but he was already an adult.
“I’m coming, Avalon.”
-
When the boat slowly left the pier and headed off, Victor was the only one left at the terminal.
He stared at the ocean motionlessly. His only friend was getting farther away.
“Hehe, sad? Human emotions are so weak.” A faint voice appeared, “With a short lifespan, humans have wasted so much time because of their hormones. All that just for a good dream…”
“Hey, you old de
vil! You’re really annoying.” Victor looked down at his chest, and sighed softly, “Blah, blah, can you shut up?”
“You dare? I am…”
“Now you’re just a worm in a bottle, afraid of the air. If I didn’t take you back with me, you would’ve been eaten by your God as a cold appetizer,” Victor said in a cold voice. “Dear Rain Artist, I’m not good with words, so if I had said something wrong, then why don’t you come out to bite me?”
“You little devil! I would’ve killed you if we were in the past!”
In Victor’s pocket was a bottle about the size of the thumb. A worm squirmed like mercury flowing, and roared, “I just made a tiny mistake while searching for eternal life! If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve had a new life!”
“Oh.” Victor sneered. He did not comment.
After a long while, the Rain Artist finally calmed down. He whispered, “Why did you have to agitate me? Why can’t we help each other? If I find a new body, you will also succeed…”
“It’s true what you said, but…didn’t you get something wrong?” Victor looked inside the bottle and at the mercury worm, “The terms of our cooperation is just my success, no new body.”
“Bastard!”
“You signed the terms because you desperately wanted to live! Although you can never clearly see the situation, there is one thing I do agree with you about.”
“Oh?”
“Power, old man, power.” Victor looked down at his own shadow. In the sun his shadow was shaking and alone, dark and pitiful. “I am weak. It must be because I have no power. I have been afraid of many things, but one day, I will be afraid of nothing…
In the burning sun, his eyes lit up like coal in the fire, with dark red flames.
“…as long as I am more powerful than anyone else.”
-
This year was an ordinary year because the world was as it had always been.
Everything in its own place.
Nations were fighting or bickering. Natural catastrophes still hid in the darkness, occasionally wandering into the human world, leaving behind disaster and destruction.
Old people, as always, bathed in the sun, while drinking afternoon tea, and aging. The women watched over their children, and gossiped about others. The men who brought home the bread, struggled through their jobs in order to provide food for the table.
The world was busy as always.
The only ones bored with nothing to do were the young.
So when they looked around this strange, big world, their eyes would light up because the world seemed like a huge playground, filled with many hopes and dreams.
The songs of the old times had ended. The stories of the new heroes had not yet begun.
During these awkward days, two young men had a coming-of-age experience on the same day, and were both ready to enter the world.
Their future would lead to many different directions.
20 Welcome to Avalon
“Big cousin, the money’s here. Run!!”
In the turbulent flow of people, a child stuck a package into Ye Qingxuan’s arms, then disappeared quickly in the crowd as if they had been slicked down with oil.
“Don’t run, you little devil!”
“He also has a helper! Break his legs!”
“Kill him!!!”
Ye Qingxuan looked back blankly. A group of grim and brawny men were running towards him, holding daggers and chairs. They were staring at the package in his arms in furiously.
“Uh, wait…What is going on here?” Ye Qingxuan had a bad feeling.
－
Half an hour earlier.
In the morning of the third day after leaving the town of Lute, the breeze blew in from the distance, and the waves were quiet.
The outline of the island could be seen in the distance now, and on the deck of the Titan were many people hustling and bustling about.
“Dear passengers please do not leave your seat until the boat stops!” The waiters tried to maintain order with bitter faces. They shouted over the speaker, “Because of berth restrictions, we are temporarily unable to enter the harbor. Please be patient! During the meantime, let’s look to the right. That white ship is a brother boat of the Titan named Nick which was created at the same time.”
The passengers did not care about what the waiters were saying. They continued nibbling peanuts and laughing. In the crowd, babies wailed, and big men roared with deep voices.
In the crowd, the white-haired teenager was squeezed against the stern, squatting with a group of sailors smoking pipes.
The sailors did not mind sitting in the sun with a little child. Ye Qingxuan also had nothing to fear. Compared with the well-dressed rich folks, he felt more relaxed in front of the sailors.
“Hey, sir,” Ye Qingxuan asked, “Do you have to wait so long every time?”
“It’s because the berths are all occupied.” Next to him, the sailor smoked a pipe, pointing in the direction of the port.
He was vaguely able to see warships guarding a white ship slowly entering the harbor. Not far from the sea, several ships together were also waiting.
“Are those all occupied?” Ye Qingxuan took a look. “Are you sure?”
“Can’t help it. Those are ships from Yunlou, escorted by the Royal Navy.” The man blinked with his ambiguous eyes and with a tacit smile, said, “And, have you heard that the one on board…”
“What?” Ye Qingxuan was confused.
“Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Yunlou! Don’t you know? The news is all over Avalon!”
“Yunlou? I’ve only heard that it’s an enclave in the East. It only has a governor. Where does the princess come from?”
“You are far behind, little boy.” The sailor patted his shoulder. “The governor is no different from the king. Plus, Yunlou dominates the sea trade in the East and the West. They control tea, spices, and silk which makes them very rich. The people from the East even said that their emperor’s treasury had been moved to the sea.”
“Hehe.” Someone next to him suddenly laughed, “This time, will they borrow money again?
“The more the debt, the less the worry! They had borrowed tens of millions, but there would be tens of millions more to borrow. They can’t pay it back anyway,” the man scoffed. “I say, the empire on which the sun never sets will be gone soon.”
“Uh…” Ye Qingxuan felt that they were talking about some dangerous topics.
“I heard the princess of the Yunlou is a beauty, only seventeen years old, but is already a musician at the Resonance level. What a pity,” The sailor next to him sighed.
“What is?”
“It is said that the royal family wants the prince to marry the princess.” The sailor sneered. “But everyone in the Anglo kingdom is aware that the prince likes sheep more than women…”
“Sheep?” Ye Qingxuan was in shock.
“Yes, sheep.” The smoking sailor nodded and softly sighed, “Sheep.”
“Sheep!” The sailors around exchanged looks with each other and started laughing together. At that very moment, from the bottom of the cabin came a sheep’s cry.
Not knowing why, Ye Qingxuan suddenly felt that the adult’s world was really dirty.
–
Fifteen minutes earlier.
“Come, do not hesitate, do not be confused! Pay fifty coins pay, you will get five hundred in return!”
Within the tavern in the harbor area, everyone was moving and hurrying about.
Through the tobacco smoke and the sweat in the air, there was a child’s voice.
Many rough sailors that had just gotten off the boat now surrounded a table, counting the money in front of them with bitter faces. At the center, a dirty child shuffled the cards in his hands. He looked very happy.
“That round of Blackjack was all thanks to you all for taking care of me. It’s rare for so many powerful men to think highly of a kid like me, so let me entertain you and play another round.”
He looked
about thirteen years old with a soft hat. His face dirty was thin like a little beggar. But his actions were so fast, comparable with a professional dealer.
This little kid had entered the pub an hour ago. No one knew where he got those forty dollars from. He began to bet on the dice with the guests in the pub. Now, he had already gotten almost half of the gamblers’ money, and lured the other half of the gamblers to his own table.
In the back, the bartender wiped the glass with cold face, indifferently watching how much money the little devil could cheat into his pocket or if a red-eyed sailor pulled out a knife and threw the kid into the sewer.
“Come, come, do not quit!”
The kid did not realize his situation at all. He reached out, grabbing all the money that he had won, and smiled.
“Buy big, win big; buy small, win small. Life’s opportunity is in front of you, the success is near!”
On the opposite side of the table, a group of red-eyed grown-ups bared their teeth and dropped all the silver coins from their pockets onto the table.
“Again!”
“I have four hundred here. If you are able to, you can take tit all!”
“Okay!” The kid laughed so hard that his eyes would not open. “I like you, big brother. You are so straight forward. Let’s do it again…”
–
The island of Avalon was the capital in the Kingdom of Anglo.
Three hundred years ago, the musician Arthur controlled twelve phantom beasts by the “Chapter of the Golden Victory,” and opened up the island of Anglo. Since then, the aristocratic blood had passed on from generation to generation on the island.
For centuries, the territory of the Kingdom had continuously expanded - it had already done so from the Avalon Island to the surrounding continent. Half the territory was now ocean, the other half land.
Avalon, the capital island, had also become more and more developed after hundreds of years of repair.
Shrouded by perennial white fog, the city was built with the white stone of the mountain. From the palace on top of said mountain, the city was divided into nine ring areas and then circled around, until the end, spreading into the sea.
Nowadays, the temple of the old age had been buried under the sea. But the crown of the city still stood above the ocean, surrounded by the thirty-two outer city islands.