Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “Isn’t deducing half of our points a bit dramatic?” Someone behind him sighed and patted his shoulder. “Teacher, don’t overlook me. I’m standing right here. Can you not see?”

  Sydney spun around. When he saw the white-haired youth, his eyes almost fell out of their sockets. “You?”

  Glenn was stunned but then he scoffed. “You’re not going to hide in the back anymore? You might be able to get to the finals just by using that dog.”

  “I thought it through,” Ye Qingxuan stated. “I don’t need any secret weapons to deal with you all. I can do it myself.”

  The podium fell silent. Then everyone burst into laughter as if they heard an incredible joke. No one said anything, but someone patted his shoulder in ‘admiration,’ praising his amazing confidence.

  “Then, good luck.” Glenn’s facial muscles twitched as he tried not to laugh. “I really anticipate meeting you all on the field.”

  “Me too, me too!” Someone came over and shook his hand warmly. “And please give us advice so we can improve together.”

  ‘Welcomed’ so enthusiastically by them, Ye Qingxuan smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry,” he said. “No matter what the results are, I’m sure everyone will return in disappointment.”

  Hearing his words, the coldness in their smiles grew.

  Sydney was quiet for a moment. Then he shuddered and looked to the podium. He quickly looked away and his gaze toward Ye Qingxuan became extremely strange, with a tinge of mockery. “I just received a message that the school board had created a new rule. This time, you can’t draw empty.”

  “That’s okay! Participation is the most important!” Ye Qingxuan laughed mysteriously, as if he was planning something, making everyone worried.

  Huh, maybe he was just trying to mislead everyone.

  Sydney sneered and raised his hands, announcing, “Let’s begin the draw.”

  Below the podium, Charles paced back and forth. His expression was troubled and helpless. When he looked up at the podium, he felt a wave of nerves. He had no clue what the results would be.

  “Is he actually reliable?” Charles scratched his head and glanced at Bai Xi. “Yezi went up so confidently. What if something happens?”

  “How would I know?” Bai Xi was a bit annoyed. “This is the third time you asked since he went up…Didn’t the results come out? Look for yourself…”

  She pointed at the list that had just been announced on the podium. Charles looked up in confusion and immediately felt his world go dark.

  It was the worst draw, as expected.

  No, it was worse than their expectations.

  Amidst a wave of boos, the arrangement for the first game of the next day was announced.

  The music history department against the School of Royalty!

  -

  Everyone let out a sigh of relief in the faculty section. Finally, no one had drawn empty and everything was back to normal. Everyone looked much happier. This included the sneering Ingmar.

  Faced with a group of elites, and Banner who was already a musician, this guy was definitely dead…

  As for Ludwig, he was completely focused on playing with the miniature version of the black leopard cat. It was curled into a ball and gently gnawed on his finger. The human and cat were immersed in the fun and did not even care about had happened. Nothing was more fun than playing with a cat, so he shouldn’t he play with cats?

  Only Egor’s face was grave, with his brows knitted. In the wave of cheers, he was the only one with a dark expression and stood out from the crowd.

  “What now?” Ludwig glanced at him.

  Egor replied emotionlessly, “There’s something I don’t understand.”

  “No one drew empty this time.”

  “I know.” Egor eyed him. “But I think we neglected something.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “They drew empty for three days. They might have gotten lucky the first day. If the principal wanted to help them for the third day, then…” Egor murmured, “What happened the second day?”

  Ludwig immediately understood his question. After pondering, shock flashed past his eyes. “Are you saying…”

  Egor nodded. “Yes.”

  The two met eyes and their expressions changed in unison. “If that’s the case, then things are much more complicated.”

  209 Life or Death is Determined by Fate

  The next day at noon, they stood at the entrance of the field. Ye Qingxuan could hear the raucous spectators inside. The noise felt solid, like a tangible sound wave. Ye Qingxuan had never thought that such a big noise could be produced when so many people sat together.

  It resounded in all directions and one could not describe it. It was like a cheer, but also like a growl. One could not tell if it was in anticipation or spite. It was just a declaration. It was as if the entire world was urging him onto the battlefield.

  He sucked in a deep breath and looked behind himself. “Are you all ready?”

  “Yes!” Charles pounded his chest with a serious expression, producing clangs.

  Ye Qingxuan was suddenly felt out of character. “Uh…you really prepared well, huh.”

  Behind him, Charles was covered in heavy football gear and pads, making him look stuffed. There was a knight’s helmet on his head and a mask on his face. The cheap, mass-produced instruments that filled his back stuck out messily. He looked like he was going onto the battlefield, rather than the soccer field.

  “Can you even run with all that?” Ye Qingxuan was suspicious.

  Charles smiled secretively. “I made this entire set. It’s really light and…it’s upgraded too.” He lifted up his sleeves to show Ye Qingxuan the steel auxiliary bones hidden underneath. This was the battle armor he had produced by staying up late. It was not as good as a musician’s robe, but with his creativity and weird techniques, it was pretty useful.

  “What do you think?” Charles struck an impressive pose, but he clanged whenever he moved, like a peddler trying to run away from the police.

  “Senior, I have the urge to hit you.” Ye Qingxuan sighed, then scanned his teammates. When he realized that only Bench Guy seemed reliable, he really wanted to cry. They would be hopeless without Bench Guy. “Let’s go.”

  Ye Qingxuan felt powerless with these teammates, no matter how enthusiastically the spectators cheered. This time, their life and death would be up to fate! He gritted his teeth and walked out of the shadows into the light on the field.

  “Let’s go!”

  -

  “This game uses the revised international rules released three years ago. I hope both teams have prepared well and won’t try to find any loopholes. Do you have any questions?” The referee grasped the special soccer ball and stood on the midline, gazing at both team leaders. “If yes, we can revise it now.”

  “No need,” Ye Qingxuan replied first. It seemed that the school board had filled every loophole to stop him from doing anything weird. Thankfully, he did not put his hopes on that.

  Across from him, Banner nodded slightly, showing that he had no objections either. But just as the referee was about to announce the start of the game, he opened his mouth. He shot a challenging look at Ye Qingxuan and said, “Mr. Referee, I request changing the game system!”

  “Huh?” The referee was shocked. “What do you want to change?”

  “To be honest, one thousand points per victorious game is no longer attractive,” Banner stated. “Why don’t we link the points to the goals? One thousand points per goal. I’m willing to bet half of my points on the winner. What does the history department think?”

  Off-field in the stands, the drowsy principal opened his eyes wide. He straightened and smiled. “It’s getting interesting…”

  The faculty and spectators’ stands were also quiet as everyone stared at each other, wondering if they had heard incorrectly. Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows; he knew what Banner meant.

  It was one of the tricks that the students liked whe
n they bet on games in private. Other than official soccer games, the academy also allowed the students to form teams and play in private. But unlike the academy’s conservative style, the students were much more open minded.

  No matter if it was the official game or players, no one would refuse playing in private. After all, everyone needed more points, so the stakes grew bigger and bigger. The strong preyed on the average, the average preyed on the weak, and the rankings changed dramatically. Many teams had already lost all their points and were forcefully eliminated. Some other teams had used their foresight and skill to move forward many places.

  Compared to them, the history department was continuously passed over. Now, they had fallen to sixth place with fourteen-thousand points. Banner was different though. His team was the most powerful. After two days of chaotic battling, he had returned to first place with twenty-six thousand points.

  If he bet half of his points, it would be practically half of the history department’s points. This was a difficult choice for Ye Qingxuan. If he won, he would have twenty-seven thousand points and would jump from sixth place to first. But if he lost, his points would be completely wiped out.

  The winner would win all, the loser would be eliminated. It was a difficult choice.

  “Banner, if you have this idea, you can talk about it privately, but our school will not recognize this type of bet,” the referee announced. He had seen enough of these suggestions throughout the past two days, but the academy’s attitude has always been neutral. They would not approve of, refuse, support, or forbid it. They just let the students do whatever they pleased.

  Actually, without the school’s guarantee, the losers could renege on their bet, but if they did that, they would never be able to erase their shame.

  Hearing the referee’s words, a smile appeared on Banner’s pale face. There was a ruminative shade in his eyes. “Don’t worry, Mr. Referee. He’ll agree.”

  Ye Qingxuan was silent under everyone’s eyes. He was lost in thought, as if weighing his choices. But to everyone else, there was nothing to think about. Why would he bet on something that he would definitely lose?

  The failures of the history department against the expert fighters of the school council… That was a joke! If they fought face to face, the history department would not even last three minutes.

  Of Banner’s nine-member team, there were two Musician level students of the four graduate students. Banner was also a well-known genius. There were three musicians in total. The other six were specifically chosen by the student council from each school, including the School of Royalty’s cream of the crop.

  Play against them? It was impossible!

  It was already a miracle that the history department lasted until now. If they quit now, they could still squeeze into the top ten with their remaining points. This had been Ye Qingxuan’s goal this entire time—to break even and keep his accumulated points during this disadvantageous game without losing much.

  From that perspective, he had already succeeded and had no need to take the risk, but then he would put the pressure on the third round of “graduation product demonstration” and lose the initiative. One side was breaking even. The other side was hitting jackpot. Which one should he choose?

  “I’ll do it,” Ye Qingxuan suddenly raised his head and said, breaking the silence. The crowd booed and jeered.

  Well, why not? The one who had nothing feared nothing, was that not right?

  Ye Qingxuan smiled at Banner, who squeezed out a cold smile in reply. They seemed friendly. The referee looked at Ye Qingxuan as if he was a lunatic and revealed some pity.

  The teammates that should have had the biggest reaction were actually calm. As foreign aid, Bench Guy had no opinion. Bai Xi did not care at all, and Charles…he had not expected to graduate anyway. He was just here to have fun and it was more interesting this way. The remaining player was a dog…and dogs did not care what stupid humans did. He was just responsible for protecting his three followers.

  “Hope you won’t regret it,” the referee murmured. Then he raised his voice and said, “Shake hands. One minute countdown!” He set the ball down and exited.

  Under everyone’s eyes, the two team leaders walked forward with smiles. They studied each other across the field’s midline. They both seemed confident and polite, but no one knew what they were thinking inside.

  This was the first time they were so close. Ye Qingxuan finally realized that he had never even talked to this guy who had caused so much trouble for him. They had not even spoken to each other before and had become enemies. The world was so laughable.

  Ye Qingxuan broke the silence and asked with a smile, “I heard that you don’t like me? Are you jealous?”

  Banner could not help but laugh. The joke was so funny. He shook his head slightly. “You’re more powerful than I imagined, but it’s in terms of luck. You shouldn’t be so arrogant.”

  “Really?” Ye Qingxuan arched an eyebrow. “But I’m still the concertmaster.”

  “Does that title give you the illusion of being better than us?” Banner sneered. “It’s supposed to be mine, but you stole it while I was busy with Deva sensing. Now, this joke will end.”

  “Really?” Ye Qingxuan shot back. “It must be difficult to be so confident, since you’ve never beat me before.”

  Banner fell silent. His already-pale face turned even paler. It was white enough that it seemed to exude cold blood. As if he had been pierced by that sentence, his emerald eyes darkened. Even his voice grew hoarse. “It will happen today and I promise it’ll happen again in the future. Someday, you’ll get used to failure.”

  “To be honest, I’m already used to it.” Ye Qingxuan reached out and grasped his hand with an enthusiastic smile. “Did you know? The day I came back to Avalon, I was already prepared to completely lose to someone one day. But unfortunately, that day is not today, and that someone is not you.”

  Banner’s expression changed because Ye Qingxuan’s hand tightened like a vice and brought waves of pain. He did not even have time to become angry before he was thrown into shock.

  The scrawny youth closed in, but he changed suddenly. He was still smiling warmly, but there seemed to be a burning mine in his eyes. They were as aggressively bright as fire.

  “Shut up now,” he murmured in Banner’s ear. “Let’s start the game. I can’t wait.”

  In the youth’s shadow, Banner clenched his jaw. His pupils constricted into a small black dot, radiating with heart-chilling coldness.

  “Then, as you wish!”

  210 Tragische Ouvertüre

  The game was about to begin. Soon the two lowered their hands and returned to their original positions with smiles. They rotated their wrists and knees as they began to warm up.

  “Banner, what happened?” Cullen could feel the faint coldness in Banner’s eyes when he returned and whispered, “What did he say?”

  “Just some ridiculous joke,” Banner said slightly. “No need to care. Are you ready?”

  “We’ve finished warmups.”

  “Good.” Banner lowered his head and chuckled softly. “Tell everyone to get ready. No matter whether it’s him, his friend, the little girl, or the dog … I’m going to make them kneel outside and watch their own defeat!”

  He clenched his still painful fists, with his eyes full of rage. The residual pain in his palms seemed to penetrate into his bones, making him feel the long-gone humiliation. It felt like a flame burning his heart.

  He glanced across at the enemy. When he saw the last musician with his weird headgear, his expression became guarded. If there was anything in the music history department that deserved their caution, it would be this guy who did not show his face. From the beginning to now, the guy had not exposed himself to them. He hid his powers and dealt with matters easily, no matter what the situation was. An unknown enemy was the most worrisome.

  “Countdown begins now,” the referee’s voice sounded. “Five, four, three, two…one!” In an
instant, the whistle rang, and the game finally started.

  Everyone’s body tensed, but then Banner saw Ye Qingxuan’s suddenly spring forward and steal the ball! At the beginning, all the musicians prepared to play, in favor of defense, but this guy gave up his defense and took the initiative.

  Banner sneered. The musicians of the other departments might be intimidated by his trick, but the School of Summoning would not, let alone someone from the School of Royalty who studied both.

  He closed his eyes. In the darkness, a pair of beastly eyes seemed to light up. It was the phantom beast that grew in his brain—the manticore.

  “Marchosias!” he whispered its true name and suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils, quickly, elongating into the slender pupils of a beast.

  With the swing of his hand, the ring on his finger lit up. He pressed his palm down, and crisp piano sounds burst into the air. The piano was sharp and grand, like a lion’s roar. Five shadows sprang from his body. They were the projections of the demons in his mind. But then, a sharp sound burst from the arms of the young man opposite him.

  Jiu Xiao Huan Pei!

  Bang! Countless strings were played at staggered times, but the sounds overlapped, becoming sharp and harsh, and piercing ones eardrums!

  This was composite note playing, but at a more advanced level, because all the notes were played simultaneously. This was a complex technique that could only be done with multiple stringed instruments. The musician controlled the sound of all the strings according to the different order and level, and mixed the sounds into one chord with absolute control. The more strings, the harder the chord was.

  After Jiu Xiao Huan Pei absorbed the large amount of spirituality, Ye Qingxuan managed to achieve the level of six chords, which meant…Six notes were released in an instant.

  In a sudden, layers of mirrors proliferated behind the youth, forming a looming mirror matrix. Fierce light shone from it immediately after.