Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  The Professor was taking revenge on Ye Qingxuan for knowing that he was a Moon Spirit. He wanted Ye Qingxuan to know that if he revealed the truth, he would also make it impossible for Ye Qingxuan to survive in downtown.

  But what was the point in killing this person just to warn Ye Qingxuan when he could plan further and take revenge on the parliament? Or was this a plan to kill two birds with one stone, and just happened to be a warning?

  Studying the corpse, Ye Qingxuan suddenly asked, “Mr. Ghosthand, is it true that you can capture an enemy’s soul and make them work for you? If it’s true, can you do it on Lychee?”

  Ghosthand chuckled and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Holmes, but when did humans ever have something like a soul? It’s probably just philosophers spreading false information,” he said. “The only thing I can do is kill people. And I can’t do anything after that. After all, you can only kill someone once. So, I have to disappoint you on this.”

  Ye Qingxuan had not had much hope on this strange rumor in the first place. Hearing Ghosthand’s explanation, he just nodded and said lightly, “I’m not disappointed. Sometimes, it’s not bad to have a solution that can solve everything.”

  “Oh?” Ghosthand looked up. “Do you not think that it’s a shame to be a murderer like me?”

  “No, I just think it’s laughable.” Ye Qingxuan glanced at him, not scared of angering the old man. “Everyone knows that killing can’t solve everything, but so many people still think that everything can be solved by killing. It’s strange, isn’t it? Some things can’t be changed, no matter how many people you kill.”

  Ghosthand did not reply.

  Ye Qingxuan squatted down to check the corpse again. He would not let anything past his eyes. He could tell that the man had suffered a long torture before his head. The first thing to be attacked in the terrifying hallucination was the brain. His mind would be tortured by unprecedented horror and blood would rush to the brain.

  When his subconscious mind found something it could not understand, fear would be born. When the fear reached a certain level, his subconscious mind would search for salvation in death. His heartbeat would quicken, his panting would become heavier, and his glands would secrete more hormones. The hormones would stimulate his organs, causing internal bleeding. The hormones in the blood would reach his brain, poisoning it. That was how someone could be scared to death.

  But soon, Ye Qingxuan found something strange. “What is this?” He carefully squeezed the corpse’s stiff wrist. Flipping it over, he studied the grain-sized sore on his palm. “Ringworms?”

  “It should be formed by the bacteria or fungi on him,” Ghosthand said. “Sailors often have this type of skin disease.”

  Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “It’s different from what sailors have. Their skin diseases are usually caused by sunburn, allergic reactions, and organisms in the seawater. This looks like he caught it by working in rotting and humid places. He hadn’t been infected for long either. He should’ve been at a very dirty place recently…”

  Quickly, he thought of something. Tossing the hand down, Ye Qingxuan cast a rune and called forth a water bubble. He splashed the water on the corpse’s feet. Under his manipulation, the water regrouped into a dirty ball. He cast another instantaneous rune for fire and evaporated the bubble. The water vanished quickly.

  A clump of dark red dirt remained in the air. It radiated with a rotting smell. There were also specks of white crystals in it.

  “What is this?” Ghosthand furrowed his brows.

  “Dried mud.” Ye Qingxuan rubbed the dirt in his hands and watched as it fell through his fingers. “There’s only one place in Avalon with this kind of dirt. Only the mud in the sewer is dark red like this.”

  “Are you talking about the mud diggers?” Ghosthand thought of the occupation. “Actually, Lychee had hired many mud diggers who used to unclog the downtown sewers to put traps all over the tunnels, like he was looking for something…He probably found it, or else the Professor wouldn’t have come for him.

  “Lychee is partners with the Indians, so it also means that he’s working for the parliament. The Professor is still searching for clues about the parliament.”

  Ye Qingxuan nodded. “Where do they mostly work?”

  “The proximity is too large.” Ghosthand shook his head. “Avalon’s sewage system is complex. Not many people can navigate it well. If they wanted to do something, they could only put traps everywhere.”

  Ye Qingxuan guided the dust on the ground into a map of Avalon. “Show me where they had traps.”

  Ghosthand paused before drawing a circle on the map. Practically half of the downtown was included, as well a portion of midtown.

  “No, it’s too big. It’s like searching for a needle in the haystack,” Ghosthand said, shaking his head. “There are thousands of stores in this area, not to mention the sewage system underneath. One portion even goes toward Queen’s Avenue. It’ll be even harder to distinguish there.”

  Ye Qingxuan scanned the map. A string of names flashed past his mind: King’s Cross, Bay Queen Park, Amersham and…

  Ye Qingxuan’s eyes brightened and he pointed to a spot on the map. “It’s here.”

  Ghosthand looked at where he was pointing at. “The Arkham Asylum?”

  “Correct.” Ye Qingxuan showed Ghosthand the small bits of white in the clump of dirt. “This should be saline and other chemical materials. The asylum just happens to have a factory nearby that produces these things for the Royal Research Institution. No other places in the sewer would have such heavy chemical residue.

  “Lychee must have been working in the sewer under the chemical factory. If we want to find the Professor, we should look there.”

  Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s analysis, Ghosthand’s eyes brightened and then dimmed again. The youth could feel the murderous intent and fear in his heart. Ye Qingxuan looked up and gazed at him, smiling.

  Ghosthand’s lips twitched and he lowered his slightly raised finger. He had suddenly felt the urge to kill after hearing Ye Qingxuan’s analysis. If he did not kill the youth now, he would be even more difficult than the Professor in the future…Now, he was already able to be the Professor’s opponent. If he rebelled against the Shaman in the future, it would become a big problem.

  But quickly, his logic pushed down this urge. Ghosthand’s expression returned back to normal and he sighed. “As expected, Mr. Holmes. You are more of a detective than a musician, and you’re quite awe-inspiring. No wonder the Shaman thinks highly of you.”

  “A detective? That was one of my childhood dreams.” He rose and dusted his shoulders. “I feel accomplished for scaring Mr. Ghosthand as well. But I hope we won’t have this type of misunderstanding again.” He enunciated clearly and his voice was neutral, but his meaning was clear: If there was a second time, if Ghosthand showed any hostility, Ye Qingxuan would fight back without hesitation.

  What was more headache-inducing was that Holmes was able to discover the truth from the smallest clue. If he sensed that Ghosthand saw him as an enemy, he would not act brashly. Instead, he would set a string of traps. Even if he did not kill Ghosthand, it would still be torture.

  If Ghosthand wanted to kill him, he would have to be well-prepared and have the determination to fight to the death. Holmes was the most difficult enemy and no matter what, Ghosthand did not want the youth to be above him.

  Sensing that the youth was unhappy, Ghosthand sighed. “My apologies, please do not mind me.”

  “No problem. I’d be honored to be your enemy.” Ye Qingxuan waved his hand and moved on from the small test and returned to the main topic. “It’s almost daybreak. If we act now, it’ll be hard to cover our tracks, and we might fall into the Professor’s trap. I plan on going to the factory tomorrow. Would the Shaman be able to give me some aid?”

  Hearing this, Ghosthand fell into deep thought. He waved his hand, telling the others to leave.

  In the stillness, he stated, “Tomorrow isn’t a good
day. If you can, I hope you can wait a few more days. I’m sure that’s what the Shaman would say as well.”

  “Oh?” Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows slightly. “Why not?”

  “The Shaman had asked me to work with you, but tomorrow, I have to be his bodyguard and I won’t be able to help you.” Ghosthand smoked his pipe and said quietly, “The storm is about to arrive. Mr. Holmes, please reconsider.”

  Considering this, Ye Qingxuan asked, “Are you planning something big tomorrow?”

  “Our battle with the parliament has reached its climax. There are hundreds of corpses thrown into the sewer every day. We received news that the parliament is planning something big tomorrow. There had already been a large amount of armaments sent to the thugs, including two archangel armors with serial numbers erased. We will also fight back officially tomorrow.”

  His words shocked Ye Qingxuan. “Is Avalon just going to let you fight in downtown like this?”

  “If Avalon wants this battle, then it will happen. Hasn’t it always allowed fights in downtown to go on?” Ghosthand replied lightly. “Downtown will be a mess tomorrow. Mr. Holmes, I hope you don’t fall deeper into this quagmire. We won’t be able to aid you in your mission, so why don’t you change the date?”

  Ye Qingxuan thought for a moment and sighed. “Whatever, let’s just do our own thing. You work on the parliament and I’ll work on the Professor. We all have our own missions at hand. It’s just killing people so why do I have to choose an auspicious day?”

  Ghosthand saw the determination in his eyes. After considering for a moment, he pulled a card from his pocket. “If you insist, don’t reject the help of this man.”

  “Who?” Ye Qingxuan took over the card. There were no words on it. The white paper just seemed to be a design of a horse stained with red. He understood instantly. “The butcher?”

  157 The Thames Gate

  “The butcher?” Ye Qingxuan had the urge to laugh. “He hates me. Are you sure he won’t try to kill me?”

  Ghosthand chuckled. “Mr. Holmes, there are two types of killers. The first kind are like me. We kill to reach a certain goal. But the other kind is a true ‘killer.’ To them, ‘killing’ and ‘goals’ aren’t important. What’s important is the money and working for their employer.

  “It’s their work ethic. They’ll work hard if there’s money. And if there isn’t money, they won’t do anything even if their family is dying before their eyes. The butcher is that type of person.

  “We’ve already contacted him and reserved all of his time in the next month. Seeing as we’re giving him money orders, he’ll definitely work well with you.”

  “Hopefully.”

  —

  It was the afternoon of the next day. Dozens of burly Asgardians were grouped at the warehouse near an abandoned port in downtown. Under the orders of a middle-aged man, servants transported an endless stream of wooden boxes from the carriages. Seventeen large boxes lay in scattered piles on the ground. With every box hauled in, the men waiting in the warehouse would breathe a little heavier. Their eyes practically shone.

  The man with a monocle checked the order list and nodded, telling the servants to leave. Quickly, the door closed and the only light was the dim sunlight shining through the warehouse’s broken roof.

  Beside a wooden box, the excited Werner jumped up and grasped the monocle man’s hand. “You’ve worked hard, Mr. Hall.”

  Hall gave a reserved chuckle. He subtly retracted his hand and handed over a crowbar. “The gifts from the parliament are all here. Mr. Werner, you can check.”

  “No need.” Werner waved his hand, rejecting the crowbar. He clenched his fist and punched the box. His calloused fist was like a steel hammer, crushing the corner of the box.

  Using both of his hands, Werner tore the box apart. Sunlight fell onto it and the armaments sleeping between hay and cloth shone with a chilling glint. He smirked and grabbed a sabre. He gazed at the blade under the sun, studying the beautiful designs of the crystals. He reached to the side.

  His men understood immediately. One man took out his dagger and chopped down on the blade! There was a whistle and then the ringing of metal clashing. With a clank, the broken dagger fell to the ground. The underling gaped at the vibrating sabre in Werner’s hands. There was not even a dent on the blade.

  Seeing his men’s shock, Werner laughed. “This is high grade forging with the secret formula from the Woratian people and made from the third Royal factory. Its codename is Dragon Scale III. After a batch is produced, the general must test a random sword. If it can’t break through armor, the entire batch needs to be brought back.

  “There are twenty swords per box, so there are two hundred swords in total. It’s enough for you trained soldiers to destroy the nobodies under the Shaman!”

  Werner opened the other boxes with the crowbar. Under the blazing eyes of the Asgardians, he lifted the heavy cloth. “Here are also twenty military crossbows. Each bow has fifty three-sided arrows that can pierce through armor. You can have a feast.” Seeing the crossbows, Werner’s eyes turned red with want. But he became unsatisfied after gulping. “There aren’t enough bows.”

  “Military crossbows are different from regular bows. With intense use, each bow can be used fifty times. As a former soldier, you should know this. You might not even use a bow fifty times in a battle. How is it not enough?” Hall asked.

  Werner chuckled and did not reply. He wielded the sabre. The sword was a head taller than him but it danced like a stalk of hay in his hands and left a gash in the wall easily.

  Finally, Werner grunted and slammed the sword down. With a crack, the heavy sword buried deep into the stone. It went past the foundations and was buried to the hilt. For a soldier, weapons were more tempting than women, especially something as powerful as this blade. It was more satisfying than the most beautiful and seductive woman.

  Ignoring his impatient underlings, Werner glanced at Hall and sighed meaningfully. “This is all good stuff. Are you really sure about giving it to us?”

  “Aren’t weapons like utensils to the Asgardians?” Hall answered, ignoring the question. “You don’t see such a large feast every day. The parliament has already prepared the plates and utensils. How much you can eat depends on yourself.” As soon as he spoke, the Asgardians laughed, caressing their blades.

  “Of course.” The scar on Werner’s face seemed to bleed with excitement. “Asgardians are eternally hungry. We will never be satisfied!”

  Seeing their excitement, disdain flashed past Hall’s eyes, but he continued smiling warmly. He guided Werner to the last box. “Those are all for your men. Your gift is here.”

  Unlike the other wooden boxes, this one was made of metal. It was seamless and if not for the keyhole, Werner would have thought that it was a solid clump of metal. When the box was opened, he practically stopped breathing.

  Inside the box was a puddle of clear liquid with a subtle harsh smell. But compared to the giant object submerged in the liquid, the smell was nothing. Submerged in the liquid was a sleeping “steel giant.” This armor was able to cover his entire body, but it was more special and menacing than regular armor. The spikes on the helmet were close to two meters tall. With the care of the liquid, it shone like new, as if it had just come out of the factory; however, one could vaguely see scratches and marks from the battlefield.

  On the armor’s back, there were two giant sockets where there should have been wings. But even without the wings, this “giant” was still fear-inducing. Submerged in the oil, it looked as if it was sleeping, and even heavy breathing would wake it from its dreams and…begin killing!

  “This…” Werner stroked the metal shell with trembling fingers. “Is this the archangel armor?”

  Behind him, Hall laughed. “Yes.”

  Centuries ago, alchemists of the Royal Research Institution used the blueprint of the Round Table Knights’ holy armor to create the first generation of archangel armor. As limited edition armaments, th
ey became a frightful site on the battlefield. When the royal knights rode into battle with archangel armor, they brought with them eternal death and nightmares.

  Thirty years ago, when Anglo and the Burgundy Empire began to fight over historical remains, six knights in archangel armor were ordered to guard the Voodoo Crypt with their lives. Their opponent was the Burgundian Plantanaget Legion.

  The archangels guarded for four days and nights. The Plantanaget Legion charged sixteen times and left behind sixteen layers of corpses. Finally, the legion from the Burgundian capital arrived and took control of the historical site. At that time, the Anglo reinforcements were only a few hundred kilometers away. If they had another archangel armor, the result would be entirely different.

  “Mr. Werner, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this gift?” Hall asked with a smile. “It’s an old model from the first generation and doesn’t have the aid of wings, but the parliament really worked hard on this gift.”

  Werner stared at the armor in pure ecstasy. Finally, he calmed down and shut the box. He took a deep breath and exhaled out the heat in his body. “Tell the parliament that I’m very satisfied.” Lowering his head, he leered in the darkness. “I’ll use it to take the Shaman’s head.”

  Hall smiled. Putting on his hat, he nodded and left.

  —

  Today was a busy day for Avalon. Busy figures rushed down the streets and carriages galloped down the roads. They passed down order after order, list after list. Those that received an order set out to kill. Those whose name appeared on the list would be killed. The warehouses in the pier, the secret rooms of Ganlu City, the cold and elegant mansions…

  Strong servants moved heavy wooden boxes to the last stop before the battlefield. They distributed these “toys” amongst the men who had nothing but their lives. The entire city was filled with a dangerous feeling. It was the feeling suffused with the rotting smell of the sewer and spread with the wind—it was bloody. Night fell gradually, darkening gradually.