Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Ye Qingxuan sighed and chased after Bai Xi. They ran all the way to the music history building. Bai Xi ran into her room and slammed the door. After organizing his words, Ye Qingxuan got ready to knock on the door but then he heard a click. She locked the door.

  “Bai Xi?” Ye Qingxuan knocked. “Bai Xi?”

  “There’s no one here!” a voice traveled from behind the door.

  After thinking, Ye Qingxuan grabbed a chair and two books. I don’t believe you’ll never open the door! If you want, try staying there the entire night! But Bai Xi really did not open the door the entire night.

  Good girls were not supposed to open the door for men at night. Bai Xi was a good girl and kept the door closed. If she said there was no one there, then there was no one. She said nothing the entire night.

  The next day, Ye Qingxuan waited by the Academy’s gate for a long time but Bai Xi did not come to see him off.

  “She’s probably angry you’re not taking her with.” Charles patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, she’ll get over it. She’ll probably forget by the time you’re back.”

  “I hope.” Ye Qingxuan scratched his face awkwardly and climbed into the carriage with his luggage.

  -

  When he arrived at the pier, he realized that another unexpected person was waiting for him. It was a black carriage without any marks. The driver raised the brim of his hat and smiled at the youth. It was Maxwell. Ye Qingxuan did not know why Maxwell suddenly wanted to dress up as a driver, but he was used to his principal’s oddities.

  “Oh, you’re here to see me off?”

  “Not me.” Maxwell shook his head and tossed something over. “This is for you.”

  The small box felt heavy. Ye Qingxuan opened it and discovered a black velvet pouch. It was filled with dried tobacco that smelled expensive. What attracted his attention was the thing beside the bag. It was the familiar stone pipe. Under the Eye of Silence, the pipe was covered with beautiful flowing light. Stunned, Ye Qingxuan looked up.

  Maxwell smiled and jutted his chin toward the carriage. “She thinks this suits you.”

  He could see a vague but delicate silhouette in the carriage. “The princess?” Ye Qingxuan gaped at Maxwell. “Hey, old guy, did you…”

  Maxwell looked away. “Her Highness used the Queen’s authority to read your files. This isn’t my fault.”

  Ye Qingxuan raised his hand expressionlessly, showing the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei on his finger. “Principal, can you at least shield your heart when you lie?”

  Maxwell hit his forehead awkwardly. “Sorry, I forgot.”

  “Maxwell, I’d be dead long ago if I believed you.”

  “Well, it’s nothing bad for you.” Not only was Maxwell unapologetic, he even extended a hand as if nothing was wrong. “She hurried over to see you off so early in the morning and even brought a gift. Are you going to let her return empty-handed? Where’s your gift for her?”

  After a short pause, Ye Qingxuan felt around his body and took off a defense bracelet, putting it in Maxwell’s hand. “It’s not really auspicious but this is the only thing I can give now. It saved me many times and it’s meaningful to me.”

  “You really ruin the mood.” Maxwell shook his head. Casually glancing at Ye Qingxuan’s chest, he said meaningfully, “Whatever, it’s the thought that counts.”

  “Also, say sorry for me,” Ye Qingxuan said lightly. “I lost that thing a while ago.” Maxwell froze. He looked down at Ye Qingxuan; Ye Qingxuan looked up at him. After a short staring contest, Maxwell looked away. He sighed; regret flashed past his eyes.

  “Safe travels, kid,” he said, and whipped his horse. The black carriage faded away into the distance. The vague gaze from the carriage disappeared as well.

  -

  Not too far away from the pier, a big yellow dog squatted on the rooftop of a shop and gazed in Ye Qingxuan’s direction. Beside it, Bai Xi scribbled on the ground with a tree branch. Hearing the whistle in the distance, she pursed her lips. “Old Phil, did that guy leave yet?”

  The dog barked. Not yet.

  Bai Xi looked back and saw the youth’s lonely figure on the empty square before the ship. The stressed out worker beside him was trying to convince him of something. He did not move. The whistle sounded again but he still did not move. He looked in Old Phil’s direction, saw Bai Xi, and waved. However, he still did not move as if he was waiting for something. If it did not come, he would not go.

  Bai Xi pursed her lips and huffed. She jumped down and walked over unwillingly.

  “Why aren’t you leaving?” Bai Xi muttered in annoyance with her head down. “Stop making things hard for others.” This was totally uncharacteristic for her. She always did what she wanted and never cared about others. Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan smiled. “I’m waiting for you.”

  “Oh.” Bai Xi looked up and then looked away. She asked quietly, “Are you going to spend Feast of Winter Veil there too?”

  “It won’t take long.” Ye Qingxuan fluffed her hair. “It’s just two months. I’ll be back before winter ends.”

  Bai Xi broke free and smoothed her hair. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t had time to play with you. I’ll bring a gift for you.”

  “Oh.” Bai Xi lowered her head.

  Ye Qingxuan asked, “Then I’m going now?”

  “Oh.” Nibbling on her lower lip, Bai Xi looked away.

  Ye Qingxuan chuckled. With one last glance, he picked up his luggage and walked toward the ship. When he started climbing the steps, he heard someone call out, “Cousin!” Looking back, he saw a small figure duck under the workers’ blocking and run over. Without waiting for his reaction, she opened her arms and hugged him lightly.

  “Safe travels,” she said.

  Ye Qingxuan was stunned but he quickly laughed. “Okay!”

  -

  Under the blaring whistle, the ship slowly left the port. The white-haired girl and yellow dog at the port gradually faded into the distance. Ye Qingxuan stood at the bow and stared at Avalon as it grew further away.

  When he came here, he only had a suitcase, a few thousand dollars, some clothes, and a dog. He left all of that in Avalon. Thinking like this made him sad but he still had himself, at least. And a hug. It was great. No matter what, he would not be lonely anymore.

  317 Smooth and Calm

  Three days later, all was calm in the blueness of the sea and the sky. The ship cut through the still sea, leaving behind ripples that spread in all directions. The sea wind was moist with a slightly fishy smell; it was relaxing.

  Under the afternoon sun, Ye Qingxuan leaned against the mast. He squinted up at the end of the sky and sea. He was both spacing out and focused.

  “Mr. Ye, it’s dangerous there!” The second mate looked up at him from the deck with concern. Putting a smile on, he asked, “Can you come down?”

  Ye Qingxuan leaned against the mast at the top of the sail and looked down. “You don’t have to worry,” he said. “Let me stay here alone.”

  “O-okay.” The second mate’s expression stiffened but he sighed. Official musicians were all weird. If Ye Qingxuan wanted to be somewhere, then let him be. The sailor just hoped nothing would go wrong. He did not know how to answer to the captain; he just hoped he would not get screamed at again. He prepared himself to return to the cabin with a bitter expression when he heard a voice from above him.

  “Also,” the young man said calmly while looking into the distance, “the boiler in the kitchen is going to explode. If you send a repairman within five minutes, it can still be fixed.”

  “Huh?” The second mate froze. When he processed the message, he scrambled into the cabin, screaming. The sailors fell into a flurry. After a round of broken sounds, some ashen repairmen walked out. It was clear that the hot-tempered captain had screamed their ears off. However, their gazes grew reverent when they looked up to the mast.

  The youth in the air seemed to be napping. However, a majestic melody hun
g over his fingertips. The powerful melody resounded with the sea wind and blew to all directions. It even traveled higher into the sky. It was hard to hear.

  However, countless water vapor lines spread from Ye Qingxuan’s hands. Hundreds upon thousands of water droplets were woven into a beautiful radiance, sensing all changes within a radius of countless nautical miles. At this moment, all changes within that range were under Ye Qingxuan’s control. It was the tenth measure of Bolero!

  The water vapor lines thrummed with his breathing. They wrapped around the large ship and spread into the sea, leaving behind fine ripples as the ship moved forward. The ripples were interwoven like a heartbeat.

  The beat was rhythmic and strict—sixty beats per second, never more or less. It was precise to the nanosecond. Though the ripples were small, they spread at an incredible speed to impossibly great distances. However, they quickly rippled back to Ye Qingxuan with feedback. The come and go created a simple and fast loop.

  On the mast, Ye Qingxuan suddenly opened his eyes. His raspy voice echoed throughout the bridge along the perception threads. “Sailors, get ready. There’s a rogue wave at nine o’clock direction coming in two minutes.”

  Commotion erupted. The first mate in charge of steering frantically adjusted the direction. Soon, just as Ye Qingxuan had said, wild waves suddenly appeared on the calm waters in the nine o’clock direction and swept toward the ship.

  Usually, the sailors could only raise the sails and speed up to dodge the full hit or move passively. However, they had a warning this time. The ship had already adjusted direction and charged past the rogue wave. The wave collapsed and they dodged the worst hit. Shocked cries sounded across the cabin.

  “Thank you, sir!” The second mate happily climbed up the mast just to say thank you. He even brought a bottle of red wine. The captain had just taken it out of the cold storage and it still had cold smoke. “This is a gift of gratitude from the captain.”

  “No need for the wine,” Ye Qingxuan said. “I still have to thank him for opening the ship’s large-scale observational aether ball for me. These opportunities are rare and I’m glad to help.”

  The middle-aged second mate was a Rhythm level musician from the School of Revelations. He was responsible for observing and whiled his days away on the ship. After learning that Ye Qingxuan was the student of Abraham who had recently been awarded by the Queen, he was extremely attentive. He took care of all the details, from pouring tea to massaging Ye Qingxuan’s leg.

  When Ye Qingxuan mentioned that he wanted to see the ship’s aether ball, he had hesitated for a long time but still asked the captain. The captain had screamed at him but gave Ye Qingxuan authority after the second mate vouched for him.

  Even without the second mate, a request from an official musician was already enough for the captain to consider seriously. At first, he feared that Ye Qingxuan would mess around. Soon he felt he was fortunate for making the right decision. It was clear that Ye Qingxuan’s observation skills and interpretation speed were much better than the second mate. With his help, the ship’s speed was sixty percent faster than usual. They had not run into any trouble either.

  The originally tense and long twenty-four hour ride had now become a relaxing vacation trip. The captain was so happy that he practically smiled in his sleep. If not for Ye Qingxuan’s status as a musician, he would probably have had him sleep on the bridge and work without rest.

  “Tell the captain to drink less.” Ye Qingxuan steadied his monocle and gazed at the ocean. “In a few hours, we’ll leave the yellow zone and enter a red zone. My perception range will shrink.”

  Different from land, aether zones in the sea changed like tides. The majority were slightly chaotic yellow zones. Sometimes, they would turn into red zones for silent sailing. Other places were the unapproachable black zones. If a ship accidentally ventured into it, the ship would have to power off and pray they could float out of the area. Otherwise, they would remain there for eternity and become a ghostly ship. Therefore, ships were required to land occasionally or use lighthouses to receive the newest star map from the Sacred City. This way, they could avoid the most chaotic aether currents and find the most stable path within the tides and aether.

  Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, the second mate pulled out his small aether ball. Connecting it to the bridge, he scanned it and sighed in relief. “With our speed, we should pass through it within half a day. Mr. Ye, there’s no need to worry.”

  Ye Qingxuan nodded. “You can go now.”

  The man hesitated. He asked quietly, “About lunch…”

  The gaze behind the monocle seemed to reflect some absolute truth with a cold and distant shine. The second mate froze. He looked away respectfully and did not dare to say more. Climbing down timidly, he ordered the kitchen to work overtime and prepare the best food for the man.

  -

  Actually, Ye Qingxuan did not hear his question. He was thinking.

  He needed to travel by ship for five days from Avalon to Auschwitz. He would go from west to north and, after passing by Burgundy, go from north to south. Then he would ride the train for one week and finally, travel by foot for half a month. He had never traveled as far as practically half the human world.

  The further he was from Avalon, the livelier the aether’s power. In the first few hours, Ye Qingxuan had the auditory hallucination that his body kept popping quietly. As if chains were breaking apart, his power kept rising. As the aether’s density rose and he left the restrictions of the enchantment, his suppressed power was quickly recovering. After increasing more than thirty percent, there was still room for growth.

  Having his strength increase rapidly felt good, but Ye Qingxuan wished it would stabilize. He forced it to the point of one-third more than usual and let it out slowly and gradually. Once past this threshold, his precision of the manipulation would decrease. Perhaps some musicians would be overjoyed by the increase in strength. However, this was nothing good for Ye Qingxuan who needed precise control.

  Thankfully, the sub-originator in his heart gave him the best aid. It had weakened a bit after leaving Avalon but it quickly recovered with the immense amount of aether. It even helped Ye Qingxuan control his explosive strength.

  Without the enchantment’s restrictions and with the increased strength, he was also unprecedentedly sensitive to aether. This was the best opportunity. After destabilizing, he would be able to reconstruct his music theory and explore the Seven Questions for Musicians. He had been thinking for all these days.

  The Seven Questions for Musicians were actually just one’s summary of music theory. One could only answer the question if one truly grasped the changes in music theory and essence of one’s school, understood deeply, and explored it.

  Compared to the blind searching from before, he discovered many places he had neglected and unclear parts of his understanding after being given the question. These were holes in his foundation.

  The music theories of the seven schools were like a giant web. They came from different places but reached toward the same goal and tangled with each other. In this process, the Seven Questions for Musicians represented the focal points of each school. The ‘unknown,’‘between life and death,’‘origin of dreams,’‘abandonment of oneself’…

  While deciphering the music theories repeatedly, he discovered that the distance between the different questions had lessened. They gradually merged into one direction and were linked together by some power. This power told Ye Qingxuan that the propositions were all on one important axis! This power came from his blood.

  Ye Qingxuan looked down at his palm. Through his Eye of Silence, he could see the silvery aetheric blood flowing silently. It crashed against the walls and shone vaguely.

  “Deva’s blood.”

  318 Sea Fog

  “Deva’s blood…” Ye Qingxuan could feel that the power sealed in his blood was getting closer after he became an official musician and went through Deva sensing. Ye Lanzhou had sealed it
, and although he could not truly utilize it, it somehow affected him. He could often feel an instinctive urge when he was half-asleep. It was urging him to hurry and enter Resonance so he could have his talent again. And also, the most important…

  “Dreamweaver?” Ye Qingxuan murmured the name that had appeared in Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. This was the guide that had grown clearer after Deva sensing and was an advancement he had never heard of before.

  As the musician paths became more refined throughout history, musicians of the same school began to specialize in different aspects. It created specializations for musicians like the ones for alchemists. Different musicians had their own strengths, which required different advancements.

  For example, musicians of the Anglo School of Royalty would combine the theories of Summoning and Modifications when they become an official musician. This allowed them to grasp the technique of changing between elements and beasts. Compared to other advancements, the Dreamweaver had much higher requirements. Simply put, someone under the Resonance level should not even think about it.

  When going through resonance, one must target one’s ‘origin’ in a special place according to the theory. However, Ye Qingxuan thought that reaching its requirement was more than difficult. The position of the origin could move!

  Located between the realms of existence and nonexistence, the origin floated in the nine levels of the aetheric sea. It could move up and down and jump between the levels.

  The first time Ye Qingxuan saw this, he almost cried. It was weirder the more he thought about it. Why did this origin not follow conventions? The more he thought about it the more confused he was. In the end, he decided to ignore the problem.

  Deciding to relax, he started to read the books Abraham had given him. It was research about Romulus. He should at least know some basic facts before arriving there.

  -

  The Romulusian culture originated in a riverbank area and developed into the desert and oasis area—Thebes. This was one of birthplaces of civilization. The ancient Theban School was also born there.