by Feng Yue
Mary smiled softly and said, “The Jianlan Underground Palace is a place where the physical world and aetheric world overlap, so there are so many things that don’t quite make sense.
“Because of its special nature, it was transformed hundreds of years ago into what it looks like now, just in case. This is the best vault and seal. You can say it is a natural ‘field’.
“Unauthorized personnel can only see two walls behind the door. Only people with a medium and a key can walk into it, but what they see are quite different.”
“I see.” Ye Qingxuan nodded slightly. The key Mary had handed Dominic was like his librarian’s certificate—they were all keys to the path. There was one key for one path, but everyone walked through the same door.
He was bewildered by this distorted spatial relationship, but it actually appeared in many places. The laws of physics that man perceived were often subverted in front of the fickle world, but it all happened for a reason. This had much to do with the music theory of the School of Abstinence which studied aether itself, including the phenomena caused by aetheric interference.
With Ye Qingxuan’s current attainment, he could not understand the occurrence of this kind of situation. He could only keep it in mind and ponder slowly.
“Where we are heading now is the Stein Chamber, the core of the Royal Museum,” Mary said. “It contains the collections of emperors and precious objects from all over the world. There are even movements that had been rated as natural catastrophes, as well as rare ancient flutes and harps.”
She paused and looked back. She looked very solemn. “Therefore, please keep what you hear and see as a secret, Mr. Holmes, or the royal family will be disturbed.”
Ye Qingxuan nodded. “I understand.”
Mary averted her gaze quickly, as if unwilling to look at him for one more second.
Ye Qingxuan’s face twitched a little. His face had been disguised but it was not that ugly, right?
“Due to Mr. Holmes’s outstanding performance yesterday and great contribution to Anglo, I shall answer to Mr. Maxwell’s request. We shall open the Stein Chamber for you to choose any item.”
306 Indecisive
“Due to Mr. Holmes’ outstanding performance yesterday and his great contribution to Anglo, I shall answer to Mr. Maxwell’s request. We shall open the Stein Chamber for you to choose any item.
“I shall represent the royal family, witness your choice and result, and approve it. Of course, I will not agree if you choose something that affects the nation. Otherwise, you can choose freely.” Mary’s voice was polite. It was obvious she was purposely keeping her distance, but the act was not annoying.
“Rest assured that I do not covet Anglo’s authority.” Ye Qingxuan looked down and his lips twisted into a self-mocking smile. “I genuinely wish that this country can prosper for a long time.”
“That would be—” Before Mary could finish, she tripped and toppled over. They had closed the distance as they spoke and walked in step with each other. However, Ye Qingxuan, troubled and distracted, accidentally stepped on Mary’s dress.
Amidst confused yelps, Mary swayed and her lantern fell from her hands. It tumbled in the air and fell toward the ground. It was about to shatter but the crash did not happen. Someone caught it the moment before it landed. Mary was caught as well.
In that moment, Ye Qingxuan had stepped forward to Mary’s right. One hand held up the lantern while the other held Mary’s left shoulder. The princess who had lost her balance almost fell into his arms.
Flustered, Mary looked down. She was not used to being so close to others. A soft voice sounded from under her veil, “Mr. Holmes, please let go of me.”
Ye Qingxuan stepped back and raised his hands, showing his innocence.
Mary lowered her head. Hiding her face behind the brim of her hat, she bit her lip and said softly, “We’re here.”
-
The next few minutes, Ye Qingxuan followed the rules and closed his eyes. He did not see anything. He could only hear gears turning. It seemed to be some elevator moving, but he could not sense any changes. When he opened his eyes, he was already inside the large stone room.
Light shone down from somewhere, illuminating the room that was filled with stuff. It was as if he had walked into a huge vintage store. It was a dazzling sight.
There was a mask from an unknown era, an ancient Eastern book, a strange sword with complex patterns, a damaged yet majestic armor, a body wrapped up in ancient bandages and placed in a gold coffin.
“You have this too?” Ye Qingxuan froze when he saw it. After processing it, he ran over and caressed the seemingly plain tablet. He sighed, “The earliest tuning device, Rosetta Stone? This is the foundation of all the current research of ancient texts and music theory. I can’t believe it’s here! And the inheritance knot of the Semitic people from the Theban desert, and this sword.”
Attracted by the legendary and precious items, he forgot to remain polite and mannered. Just as Mary had said, there were plenty natural catastrophe level scores here—the handwritten original of Pomp and Circumstance whose inheritance seal had not even been used yet; Nocturne, the core music score of Illusions; remains of the Emperor Concerto left behind by the first King of Red, Beethoven…
The handwritten drafts of various saints were kept carelessly on the ancient shelves as if they were regular books. According to Ye Qingxuan’s guesses, the mummified corpse in the gold coffin was not a relic of a saint. It was a saint’s body!
The main body of Avalon’s enchantment—the blueprint of the Elizabeth Tower bell—was in the center. The Chapter of Golden Victory, King Arthur’s symphony of predestination that combined the essence of both Modifications and Summoning, was placed in a golden box.
Many more things that Ye Qingxuan could not distinguish were scattered about. If they could be in the same room, then they were undoubtedly at the same tier. However, everything had been sealed up. There were no aether waves at all. Without a doubt, this was to better preserve the objects. After all, there were countless alchemy items here. No one knew what weird things would happen if they influenced each other.
This also made it hard for Ye Qingxuan to choose. He did not want to take home something that seemed cool but was actually useless. He could only rely on his eyes?
Deep in thought, something flashed past the corner of his vision. He looked back in confusion but saw a half-transparent shadow walk out from a wall.
It was Gawain.
Mary seemed not to realize anything. Gawain’s shadow raised a finger and made a shushing motion. Ye Qingxuan blinked and kept his poker face. Thinking a bit, he looked over at Mary. “Is there anything that suits me?”
Mary snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. “You should choose personally.” She was not planning on helping. It was clear that the royal family was going to let Ye Qingxuan choose by himself. He would not be allowed to choose something too powerful that could affect the nation. But if he chose a relic that a past king liked but was actually useless…that would be his fault.
“So I guess I have to choose by myself?” he murmured to himself while looking at Gawain from the corner of his eye.
The Gawains heard Ye Qingxuan’s voice. They instantly started moving as if sinking into deep thought. A few shadows debated soundlessly with each other. They made hand gestures as if discussing something.
They were the moderators of the Jianlan Underground Palace, in charge of maintaining and cleaning this place. They obviously had knowledge about the things here. Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s needs, they began discussing fervently.
A normal person would just jump between different thoughts in their minds. Gawain, however, suddenly turned into a group of shadows and argued amongst themselves. Like kids, they practically started fighting.
Finally, the victorious shadows proudly chased the ‘others’ away and stood before the places they had decided on. A relic was before each one. They varied in size; some seemed weird while others
looked normal. Ye Qingxuan could not tell what some were.
The first item was a crystal bone. It was translucent and seemed to contain some mysterious intelligence. Smoke flowed within the refracted light. Occasionally, a shadow would appear, but it was too fuzzy. Looking at it too long would make one entranced.
This was alchemy equipment from one of the schools of Mind. It was not cheap. According to Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, there should be a heart mark in there too. A Mind musician might have sealed his nirvana into his bones before death to pass onto later generations.
The second was a tobacco pipe. It was carved from stone and seemed useless. However, according to analysis of the shape and the autograph within, it was probably something from the School of Summoning. He could summon the spirit sealed within after lighting it. The smoke would give the spirit a body. It probably had the effect of flame transmission as well. It had a wide array of uses—secret kills, investigation, and defense were possible.
The third object was a basic monocle. If one looked from the side, one could see the tiny music notes carved onto the lens. Alchemy equipment like this was probably a rare result from the School of Revelation. It was the best aid in probing.
The fourth was a flat flagon with a lid. It looked to be made of pure copper and was covered with scratches. It was an ancient artifact but there still seemed to be liquid inside it. There was a small sound when Ye Qingxuan shook it. He could not tell where it came from but he felt a strong thirst. Even with the flagon between them, he still had a strong desire to drink the fine liquor.
The fifth item was huge. It was a large piece of armor. The right hand and helmet were damaged; the inside was even more broken. It seemed completely broken but Ye Qingxuan could not overlook it—it was still the armor of a Knight of the Round Table!
He could not tell which one it was exactly and the phantom beast had been taken out. However, it was still a rare masterpiece given by God. If he could find a good alchemist to fix it, its past glory might be brought restored.
Ye Qingxuan paced around the chamber in silence. He gazed at the five items but still could not choose. He was too indecisive. It was too hard to come to a decision.
After a long time, he sighed. He reached out and took the monocle. “This one,” he said to Mary.
She flinched but nodded and undid the seal on it. Faint aether waves seeped out. “The Eye of Silence?”
Ye Qingxuan studied the side. It contained the alchemist’s name and a meaningful quote, Sometimes, knowing the truth is not a simple task.
The Eye of Silence was an auxiliary tool created by ancient alchemists. It permanently solidified the realistic vision. It could break all influences of Illusions and increase the musician’s overall sensory range. It also came with zoom and magnification features. However, the most valuable was the special music score carved into it.
This was a complete development took. If the musician recorded the items in the glossary, the monocle could quickly mark the item in the wearer’s vision. This included medicinal plants, alchemy equipment, minerals, animals, and demons. Then it would read and measure the objects.
Measure distance, explore aether waves, estimate the enemy’s ability, analyze…this was like receiving the Starry Eye from the School of Revelations. It was great help for interpretation as well.
“Are you sure?” Mary seemed a bit sad. The Eye of Silence was not the best of the items here. It had a wide range of uses, but only impressive ability was that it could see the realistic world. “If you want to switch, I also—”
307 The Past and Future
“If you want to switch, I also—”
“No need.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and placed the monocle before his eye. “One that suits is the best.” Just as Ye Qingxuan had thought, this could make up for his shortcomings, especially his weakness in the School of Revelations. There were not many musicians who studied and did well with four schools like him.
For the School of Abstinence, he had improved a lot after inheriting the School of Stone Heart. The core of the Avalon enchantment was like a surprise experience gift package. Personally experiencing the power of Genesis, he had improved even more. Now, this school was his strongest point. He did not have to worry about the School of Mind and Illusion either, thanks to his talent and the guidance of that witch Lola.
The School of Revelations was the one he had wanted to learn. However, he barely qualified. Other than Bolero, he had not learned many other music scores. The Eye of Silence would make up for this shortcomings, as well as boost his overall abilities. It would be much easier to distinguish the other objects.
Just as he had guessed, the crystal bone was the inheritance of nirvana from the School of Mind. He had Lola for guidance and coaching though, so he did not need it.
The stone tobacco pipe was a good thing. The phantom beast inside was alluring to people but…he really did not want to become an addict that always held onto a pipe so he had to skip it.
He did not know what the flagon was for but, according to the Eye of Silence, its true value came from its material. Shards of some sacred weapon had been melded into it so the flagon could automatically convert any liquor inside to fine wine that could act as recovery medicine. Drinking it could help recover energy. Long-term usage would probably help improve one’s physique as well. It was definitely high quality recovery alchemy equipment.
For most musicians, it was a great thing to be able to forever save on the expenses for recovery medicine. For Ye Qingxuan though…he did not lack this money. Lola was rich and bought high quality recovery medicine from the Cavendish Laboratory by the trunk. In addition, Maxwell had transferred most of the smuggling business to Ye Qingxuan as thanks for saving his life. This meant Ye Qingxuan could rule over downtown for Maxwell. As long as occasionally showed up for a meeting, he could sit and reap in the benefits.
Just the annual interest from this dirty money was enough for Ye Qingxuan to live lavishly. To be honest, the strangest life was to have money he did not know how to spend. It felt great!
As for the damaged armor, everything was great except for one fatal flaw—it was too big! If Ye Qingxuan tried it on, he would turn into a two-meter tall giant, which was obviously a problem. He would not be able to do any secret attacks in that, so he had to pass.
“I’ll settle with this one.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. He activated the monocle and information flooded into him. He almost went blind from all the glowing aether marks.
Soon, he became used to it. He adjusted the inner intervals and tuned it to his needs. Now, he was able to see everything with his right eye. When he looked at a tile, the Eye would tell him the material, production site, and length of creation. If he focused on his palm, he could look past the flesh to his bone.
Under the Eye of Silence, blood flowed like a silver river through his semi-transparent arm. It shone with serene moonlight. That was the Deva’s blood that contained aether-like qualities after flowing through the sub-originator. When he looked up, he felt like he was going blind.
The frail princess Mary in her white dress suddenly became a human-shaped beast. Her entire body shone with blinding red light. It overlapped into a pair of dragon wings. Even the air she exhaled that hung in the air shone with dragon breath. Ye Qingxuan gulped and looked away.
Mary saw his reaction and blanched. For some reason, she looked away and hid her face inside her hat. “Please don’t…” She looked down as if upset. “Don’t look at what you shouldn’t.”
No, no, no! You misunderstood! I wasn’t looking at that! Ye Qingxuan secretly wiped away some cold sweat. No wonder she was the Red Dragon’s descendant. Just a glance was terrifying.
-
After the short awkwardness, he finally walked out of the chamber. At the thought that the princess with prejudice against him was finally leaving, he could not help but sigh in relief. Royalty all had weird tempers and were hard to get along with. Easterners said that being with royalty was like being with a tiger.
This Red Dragon princess was pretty scary too.
A carriage was waiting at the front of the Jianlan Underground Palace but Mary did not get on. Instead, she stood in her spot, as if considering something. Ye Qingxuan’s heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling. Did she notice the exchange between him and Gawain?
“Umm…Mr. Holmes,” with her back to him, Mary looked down and suddenly said, “thank you.”
“Huh? Uh, what?” Ye Qingxuan froze.
“Thank you for saving me. I am eternally in your debt. Would you be able to leave your address so I…I can pay a visit?”
“It was nothing, Princess. Please don’t mind.” Seeing her awkwardness, Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh. He wanted to say something but suddenly saw the person waiting beside the carriage. That person was looking at him.
After a pause, Ye Qingxuan looked down. “Your Highness, I apologize for the impoliteness, but I must take my leave.”
Stunned, Mary reached out to hold him but Ye Qingxuan had already passed her. He walked toward the square without hesitation. Mary gaped at his back. Seeing the man waiting beside the carriage, she grew more confused.
“Mr. Lancelot?”
The middle-aged man beside the carriage leaned on his cane and coughed quietly as he looked at Ye Qingxuan’s figure. The youth walked away with an emotionless face as if he saw nothing.
“Maxwell can’t block ‘Lancelot’s’ perception. I know it’s you,” Lancelot said when they brushed shoulders. “You want to hide from me your entire life?”
Ye Qingxuan’s steps halted. He just smiled without saying anything, as if mocking the man.
“Can’t you just…let the past be past?” Lancelot coughed. “The nobles who forced the Queen to punish your father had all failed with the parliament. Isn’t that enough? Come back, the armor of Lancelot is still yours to inherit. You should understand the expectations the family has for you. Why must you hate the family so stubbornly?”