Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Seeing as Ye Qingxuan was her mobile blood bank and treasure box, she had to help. Otherwise, there was really no justice in this world! But the rest were really tough.

  To his knowledge, master Barthélémy had always distanced himself from dispute and refused to participate in any fights. Master Heisenberg was far away at the Rock Institute. Though he had many academic achievements, he was isolated after his inheritance of his school, and so was more difficult to deal with.

  Mr. Hu, who was said to be from the East… God only knew whether he would recall when Ye Qingxuan had once helped him with directions. Moreover, he did not even hide his extreme pleasure. He was definitely just an audience member who came for the show.

  While he was deep in thought, the most nervous part finally came.

  “Please come up, Mr. Abraham.” Sergey, seeing Abraham standing behind the speaker, asked harshly, “Can you guarantee that every word you going to say is the truth?”

  “I promise, sir.” Abraham’s answer was straightforward and non-imposing, but his expression was still dull. He just stood behind the speaker’s podium, waiting for the questions.

  After the commissioners skimmed the biographical notes submitted by Abraham, their expressions suddenly became complex as they began to whisper to each other.

  “This is practically a piece of white paper.” Sergey slammed the resume on the table and said quietly, “There’s almost nothing on it. With all due respect, this thing is wasting our time.”

  The other members, other than Mr. Hu who was spacing out, all agreed. It was not that they were impatient; it was just that Abraham’s resume was too simple.

  The most considerate, Barthélémy, thought for a moment. Thinking of that letter for himself, he grew serious and sighed. “In this case, just ask the questions. It’ll be cleared up somehow.”

  Master Heisenberg, who had been resting his eyes, suddenly opened his mouth. “I don’t think so.” His face was as cold and chilling. “If he wanted to lie, he could possibly manage to deceive us. Perhaps we should put an end to this farce as soon as possible.”

  “We should finish this part at least, even if it’s just routine work,” Lola who was always silent suddenly said. She was only around twenty-years-old and was especially conspicuous in the group whose average age was over forty. “I think it’s better to ask first,” she suggested. “If there’s anything confusing, we can just ask him to give more proof, how’s that?”

  “It seems that that is the only solution,” Sergey huffed coldly. He glanced at the resume in hand again and looked up to Abraham. “Mr. Abraham, you were a soldier, weren’t you?”

  Abraham nodded.

  “As far as we know, in the military, you only had three months of musical training.” Sergey frowned. “What did you learn during those three months?”

  “…” Abraham was silent for a long time and then asked softly, “Can you ask another question?”

  Everyone was stunned.

  This was the first question that had been rejected today. No one had ever refused to answer a question from the members of the council at the appraisal so directly. And it was such a simple question!

  Below the platform, the reporters were shocked and immediately began recording excitedly. It seemed that dozens of wonderful headlines had already been drafted.

  Hearing Abraham’s words, even Sergey, who tried to be patient for once, could not help but be infuriated. Was it necessary to refuse to answer such a question?

  His expression turned cold and he glared at Abraham for a long time, but Abraham was still expressionless. After a long pause, Sergey asked again, “Who is your teacher?”

  The answer was still silence. The discussions in the hall gradually became noisier until Sergey pounded his gavel. “Silence! Do you refuse to answer this question too, Mr. Abraham?” He looked to Abraham with obvious anger.

  “Sorry.” Abraham sighed and looked bitter and helpless. “Unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Department, I cannot answer.”

  “Cannot answer?”

  The audience was again in an uproar and even the commissioners were startled.

  “…”

  The Fourth Division was a division of the governmental system after centuries of evolution.

  The First Division included all administrative organs of Anglo, such as commercial business, tax management, and so on. They were the foundation of the kingdom’s administrative system management.

  The Second Division included the police force, epidemic prevention, fire protection, and so on. It was an indispensable part for the kingdom.

  The Third Division was agriculture, education, land, population survey, and more. It was in charge managing the people’s livelihood.

  As for the Fourth Division, it was a war department. Combining the army, logistics, weapons forging, the destructive technical research, it was in charge of all acts of violence and active defense of the armed forces.

  It was what ordinary people called the ‘military.’ It was said that there was also a Fifth Division, but no one had ever directly acknowledged its existence.

  “I Cannot answer.”

  Hearing his professor’s reply, Ye Qingxuan slapped his forehead, covered his face and sighed. He suddenly wanted to die. His worst nightmare had come true!

  No one knew how many strict confidential agreements Abraham had signed with the military. Abraham did not even have a photo of himself as a youth. Fortunately, Abraham had submitted a resume certificate from the military and managed to account for the past.

  After a brief discussion of the commissioners, Sergey forced down his anger and asked, “Mr. Abraham, according to the Union’s investigation, you had thirty-one years of military history before you entered the Royal Academy of Music, but your resume says that when you were only forty-two-years-old when you were discharged. So exactly how old were you when you enlisted?”

  “Sorry,” Abraham replied woodenly. “Unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  Sergey’s face turned livid. Emotions battled on his face fascinatingly. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and asked, “As far as I know, your birth information is not complete. You claim to be the son of a gardener, but according to the Union’s investigation, there are no local gardeners and there is no Wilson family. Can you explain this?”

  “Sorry, unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  Sergey’s expression was pained as if he had a toothache. “Is this confidential too?”

  “Sorry, unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  “What are the military designations that you served?”

  “Sorry, unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  “What about the last year before you retired?” Sergey was totally outraged. “Your resume says that you were locked in the Tower Green because of some significant punishment. Can you not answer this either?!”

  Abraham was still numb and everyone could guess his answer. “Sorry, unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  “Enough is enough, Mr. Abraham!” Sergey furiously banged the gavel in his hand. “Who is your immediate superior? I believe the Union can receive permission… “

  “I’m sorry.” Abraham sighed. “Unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division, I cannot answer.”

  “What else can you say other than ‘I cannot answer’?!”

  “Sorry, unless you, uh…” Abraham realized halfway through his sentence and sighed powerlessly. He could say a lot, actually, but why did they only ask what he could not answer? He asked tentatively, “Why don’t you ask something else? I taught three very talented students, they are… “

  “Enough!” Heisenberg, who had been indifferent this entire time,
interrupted him. He fixed his cold eyes upon Abraham and said in an extremely serious voice, “Mr. Abraham, do you think that since the Fourth Division is a shield allowing you to act so recklessly? You should know that the Musician’s Union has special-purpose phone lines with all Anglo’s major departments.”

  “Sorry.” Abraham shook his head.

  “Somebody get me the Fourth Division! I want to see Abraham’s detailed file!” Sergey squeezed from clenched teeth. “I’d like to see what else he can’t say!”

  Soon, the Modifications musicians outside managed to directly contact uptown’s military office through an underground cable. On the other end of the line, a gentle female voice said, “Hello, this is the sixth receptionist, do you have an appointment?”

  “Hello, Madam,” Sergey said coldly. “This is the Musician’s Union. We need to check the history of a citizen.”

  Soon, after a simple confirmation, the soft and sweet voice asked, “Please provide us the registration number and name you need to check.”

  Sergey glanced at Abraham. Seeing his still-numb expression, he huffed and reported the information on his resume.

  The call disconnected instantly.

  Everyone was stunned and bewildered.

  Then, after a few busy signals, the call was connected again. This time the sweet female voice was gone, replaced by an indifferent and wizened voice.

  “Who is it?” he asked.

  “This is the Musician’s Union—”

  Sergey was interrupted before he could finish his words by a cold machine-like and monotone voice, “I’m sorry. Whatever you want to ask, we cannot answer unless you have the approval and written permission of the Fourth Division.”

  “Dammit!” Sergey was stunned and immediately became furious. “This is the Musician’s Union!”

  “I’m sorry, unless you have the permission from the Fourth Division…” the cold voice repeated.

  “We have members of the royal family as witnesses! We have the Church’s recognition!” Sergey growled. “Do you know who I am?! I am—”

  “—otherwise we cannot answer.”

  The line ended; only a busy tone could be heard. An awkward busy tone.

  In the awkward atmosphere, everyone looked at each other in silence and embarrassment. In the end, they all looked to the royal family behind the curtain. Soon, a note was sent out from it. After reading, those council members’ expressions changed until they grew helpless.

  “Uh, let’s skip this part.” Barthélémy could not help but cough a little. “At least, now no one doubts that he is a member of the Fourth Division.”

  Sergey’s face was gloomy. He grunted without saying a word.

  The room was silent.

  244 Waiting for the Right Momen

  The room was silent. Now, everyone looked at Abraham. When they looked at that expressionless and plain-looking old man, their eyes were filled with awe as if looking at a blinding sun.

  He passed? He passed just like that?!

  Since the birth of the academic world, there had never been someone who dared to directly refuse a question and still pass! This guy…where did he come from?

  Ingmar’s expression grew livid. He glared at Abraham as if looking at a demon and cursed under his breath, breaking out of character.

  “Yeah, that’s my teacher! My teacher!” Overjoyed, Charles grasped a reporter’s hand and would not let go. “Write a few more words! Write a few more words! This is the Royal Academy of Music’s best teacher. Ingmar or whoever is nothing compared to him! Look, look, that guy’s face is all green from this jab, do you see?”

  “Uh, senior, you should stop insulting him for your own safety.”

  Charles whistled and made an annoying face at Ingmar, causing Ingmar’s expression to grow even uglier.

  -

  The appraisal council discussed for a bit before deciding to enter the next segment. Just as Sergey prepared to ask questions, a hand reached over and took his notes.

  “Let me do it,” Grandmaster Heisenberg, who had been silent, finally said. His scarred face had a slightly chilling aura. “Sergey, you drag things on too much.”

  Sergey scoffed. “In my opinion, it’s better to go steadily when things regard a scholar’s reputation.”

  “So you still believe that a quickly-produced musician could decipher the Voynich Manuscript? For these obvious matters, going steadily is just being indecisive.”

  Heisenberg glared coldly at the podium. His voice, ruined by drugs, sounded like a broken bellow. “Mr. Abraham, next we will investigate your interpretation of the Voynich Manuscript. If you cannot answer those questions either, then we can stop wasting time.”

  Abraham just nodded. “Please begin.”

  Heisenberg scoffed. Raising his voice, he asked, “When did you start deciphering the Voynich Manuscript?”

  “One year ago,” Abraham answered calmly. “My student Charles couldn’t understand the textbook and came to ask me. I realized that the explanation in the textbook was wrong, so I wanted to create a more accurate version.”

  One year ago? So he had gone from nothing to deciphering the Voynich Manuscript in just one year?

  Hushed discussions instantly started in the room; the scholars all had incredulous expressions. Ingmar’s expression grew uglier once again.

  Of course his expression was ugly! The Revelations textbooks were written by him and the other professors. If Abraham said the theories in the textbook were incorrect then he was practically slapping Ingmar’s face in public!

  Hearing this, Heisenberg was silent for a bit before his lips curled into a mocking smile. He seemed to be tickled by this outrageous moment. He hit the gavel to silence the room.

  “I noticed that, other than the conclusion of both yours and Mr. Ingmar’s interpretation content, the style is different as well. Even if some ideas are…absurd, they all seem able to be self-justified. I still have a question though.” Heisenberg stared coldly at him. “You aren’t even a Revelations musician and never advanced in that direction, am I correct?”

  Abraham nodded, answering, “But my translation method found its inspiration from the School of Revelations.”

  “Really?” Heisenberg wrinkled his forehead. “That’s odd. Your translation method contradicts with the core principles of Revelations! How can you explain that?”

  “Actually…this is what I think,” Abraham said slowly, seriously considering his every word, but his answer was like a bomb. “Since the principle contradicts with the truth, then the principle might be wrong?”

  Silence. No matter if it was a scholar outside or an appraisal council member, all thought they had heard incorrectly. The music theory had been edited hundreds of times by saints and verified by countless musicians for centuries—it was tried and true. If there was a mistake in the theory that all was built upon, the sound of hearts of countless Resonance level musicians would probably collapse hearing this!

  “Blasphemy!” a scholar retorted. “Outrageous!”

  “The biggest joke of the century!”

  Many scholars could not stand it anymore and protested loudly with furious expressions.

  “Silence! Silence!” Heisenberg pounded the gavel forcefully and stared down the podium with blazing eyes. “Abraham! Are you overruling the music theory body of the School of Revelations?”

  “I just think that the music theory still isn’t perfect and can’t be used in every situation.” Below the podium, Abraham’s expression was still wooden. “Furthermore, the Voynich Manuscript records the research of classicist musicians toward music theory. It’s logical that there are errors when using modern music theory to understand it. If you cannot let go of the principles, you’ll be at a dead end.

  “Therefore, you must change your direction and find another solution that can be paired with the changes in music theory for targeted translations. At least, that’s what I think.”

  “So your translation method was born from this?”
r />   Abraham nodded.

  “No wonder,” Heisenberg scoffed. “A mechanic and dull theory without any spirit or aesthetics. No offense, but I don’t recognize its effectiveness or rationality. Its existence is a stain to the spirited theory of the School of Revelations.

  “Every year, there are dozens like you who excitedly publish those outrageous and ridiculous theories for attention. They often cannot withstand the tests and have hundreds of flaws. They don’t even deserve to be jokes. Hmph, the academic world wouldn’t be so polluted without you folk musicians!”

  Abraham remained silent; he could not reply.

  In the audience, Charles rose angrily but was pressed down by Ye Qingxuan.

  “Senior, calm down.” The youth glared at the mocking Ingmar. “We don’t have the right to speak here. Don’t do anything that negatively affects our teacher.”

  Heisenberg took one last glance at Abraham from the podium and threw down his notes. “My questioning is complete.”

  The gavel slammed down; the echo was heavy.

  Abraham looked down. As he returned to his seat, he brushed shoulders with Ingmar. In that moment, Ingmar tidied up his clothing with a taunting smile on his lips.

  “Abraham,” he whispered in the old man’s ears, “I said that I’d destroy your reputation and throw you back to the garbage dump. Remember to take your failures of students with you.”

  The council members did not hear, the audience did not hear, and Abraham did not seem to hear, but Ye Qingxuan did. He did not move.

  -

  Next was Ingmar’s turn to answer, and he acted how a renowned scholar should. The questioning round ended easily and they finally came to the conclusion. In the audience, Ye Qingxuan did not listen and just spaced out.

  “Ever since my teacher passed away, I took over his unfinished work. For six years, I poured my heart into the Voynich Manuscript and tried countless wrong methods. But, as everyone can see, my hard work has finally paid off. I successfully interpreted it. But I never expected…”