Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  After the three legendary cities of gold were destroyed, the culture spread in all directions. The people established various city-states. Finally, the hero Aeneas guided by the Originator left his hometown and established the City of Wolves in a new land. He united the city-states and created a large empire. This was Romulus.

  The empire flourished within the century and created many legends. However, it was destroyed and flattened by the natural catastrophe Wave of Silver. The survivors were tainted by the natural catastrophe’s breath. From then on, they were seen as lower-class citizens and the descendants of demons. They had no home. They finally found a barren piece of land and began to live there. People referred it to as Auschwitz, which meant ‘heaven’ in ancient Romulusian. It was the biggest irony.

  Reading ancient history and music scores was very difficult and time passed quickly. Ye Qingxuan soon stopped reading. He closed the book and looked down. The sailors were busy again.

  The whistle was muted and the bells were taken down. The hammer was taken out and wrapped in cotton. All passengers were politely sent into the cabin. The wheel cabin was extinguished and the tied up sail was taken down. The entire ship began to float solely with the wind. The entire process was complicated and fast. Soon, the deck was silent.

  Ye Qingxuan tugged on the rope and dropped down. He glanced at the man beside him. “Should I go in?”

  “No need.” The middle-aged captain had typical Asgardian features. His edges were sharp and his brow bone was high. He looked cold, handsome, and unfeeling. “There’s still one more hour before we enter the red zone. The passengers paid money so we have to worry for their safety. However, musicians like Mr. Ye don’t need our concern. Instead, we’ll need your concern if anything happens.” With that, he took out his silver cigarette case and opened it for Ye Qingxuan. The youth shook his head and took out the pipe he had not used yet.

  “That’s a good thing. You’ve maintained it well.” The captain’s eyes were envious. “Can you share some tobacco?”

  Ye Qingxuan chuckled and did so. “The atmosphere is so tense even I feel pressure. Mr. Captain, are you nervous?”

  “Relax. We’re using the safe path for civilians and it’s just passing through the red zone. Nothing will happen if we’re quiet. You just need to get used to it.” He lit the tobacco with ease and inhaled deeply. Letting the smoke out, he tilted his head back in satisfaction.

  “Are you familiar with black zones?” Ye Qingxuan asked.

  “Yeah, accidentally brushed past one once.” The captain nodded. “The sight was so scary I still remember it. We just bumped into a reef and it was like the entire ship was alive and singing. Everyone was…”

  A sailor approached and he stopped talking. He did not want unrelated people to hear his words. Rather than being secretive, it was for the good of the sailor. After all, not everyone could stand those unbelievable stories and terrifying rumors.

  The sailor glanced at Ye Qingxuan and lowered his voice. “Captain, look behind you. There’s something…”

  Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. When they approached the red zone, he had pulled in his sensory proximity and precision so he would not be disturbed. Before the sailor came over, he had felt something floating over with the current but he thought it was just trash. Hearing the sailor’s words, he narrowed his eyes to focus and quickly nodded. “Captain, you should go take a look.”

  Hearing that, the captain’s eyes instantly grew serious. After taking two steps, he looked back. “Together?” Ye Qingxuan nodded and caught up with them. When they arrived, the onlookers were forced away. Only he and the captain remained.

  The captain looked down past the railing at the tossing blue waves. Something floated over and softly bumped into the side of the ship. It sounded like a polite guest knocking on the front door.

  It was a broken shard—a broken piece of a lifeboat. All that remained was the bow and was toyed by the waves like a dead fish. On the bottom of the boat, poking out from the surface, one could see a bloated corpse. He had been nailed to the bottom.

  Someone had taken out a nail from the boat and stabbed it through the man’s hand, nailing him to the bottom of the broken boat. Half of his body was soaked in the water, allowing him to float with the waves but it was not enough for him to drown.

  “He nailed it himself,” a sailor said quietly.

  When the disaster happened, the man did not have the strength to grasp the boat anymore so he nailed himself onto it. He prayed for savior but sadly, nothing answered his prayers.

  A seagull had pecked his eyeballs away. All that remained were two empty eye sockets that stared deep into the distance.

  Ye Qingxuan looked away.

  They had not entered the red zone yet and already saw something so pathetic. This was beyond his imagination.

  The first mate asked, “Captain, this…what do we do?”

  In the stern, the captain smoked and thought for a long while. Finally, he muttered, “What are you waiting for? He’s already dead. Do you want to pull him up and pray to him? Let’s continue.” He turned and left.

  Thus, the ship continued to sail.

  -

  Half an hour later, the ship that floated with the wind finally approached the red zone. Ye Qingxuan could feel that the aether in the sea and wind was close to saturation. In a musician’s senses, it was like steering into a world of star clusters. Passing through the dazzling clouds, every breath seemed to shine.

  “There’s fog.” Ye Qingxuan stood on the deck and stared at the fog rising in the distance.

  Soon, it was thick enough he could not see his own hands. It was damp and cold and swallowed the ship. Amidst the pale whiteness, the sailors on the deck put on respirators. Even Ye Qingxuan put on a mask that looked like a pig’s snout. It was difficult to breathe with it but at least he did not feel like he was suffocating anymore.

  Of course, there was nothing to see with the fog. He sensed that the water surface was empty and still. There was the sound of tides in the faraway distance. Everything was normal.

  Ye Qingxuan returned to the cabin. He was ready to continue reading but he froze after two steps. Taking out his book, he realized it was wet.

  “Illusion,” he murmured. His finger trembled. “Did someone cast an illusion here?”

  Abraham had not said anything but after the ‘fire,’ all resources were given moisture and fire protection. The books and files were not flammable and would be dry even if they were soaked in water for a few hours. He had used the School of Abstinence to refuse changes in the object’s nature. If this was the case, then did this odd fog truly exist?

  After thinking for a long while, he snapped his fingers. The Bolero net was awoken. He had been adding bits of music theory from the School of Revelations. Now, Bolero, which did not have any characteristics before, had started showing signs of the Revelation’s style.

  He had given up on other aspects and turned it into pure investigation and reading. Accompanied by the light melody, the perception threads were awoken again. Faint moonlight shone from it. In Ye Qingxuan’s eyes, the fog instantly became dreamy, beautiful, and ethereal.

  Though it was beautiful, he did not dare to look around. The more he saw, the more he would be eroded by the illusion. Right now, he had noticed it but could not get rid of it.

  Once a musician became an official musician, the structure of all music scores would change. It would become more complete and the effect’s stability would be incomparable to the past.

  This was especially true for illusions. If he could not find the core and origin, he would sink further into it. In the end, he would not be able to tell reality from illusion and would be vulnerable.

  319 Fulcrum

  Musicians had two ways to decipher illusions. No matter what illusions the enemies made, the School of Modifications could form music theories into formulas and destroy the illusion by force. With a big fireball, the entire terrain would be gone. The illusions attached to
the reality would certainly be defeated.

  But for Ye Qingxuan, this was nonsense. He knew nothing about the movements of the School of Modifications at all. He was never good at interfering and influencing matters. Plus, there were so many innocent people onboard that he could not do this at all. Since he could not do it forcefully, the only way he could go about was through his technique.

  The core of the School of Modifications was formulas, the core of Summoning was the beastly nature, and Choir was the equilibrium of the four liquids. The core of the School of Mind was ‘intention’. As for the School of Illusions, its core was the ‘fulcrum.’ All illusions needed fulcrums; otherwise, it was impossible to build one. As long as the fulcrum was found, then the illusion would fall apart.

  Under the mask, Ye Qingxuan’s Eye of Silence lit up faintly. It connected to the water vapor threads and spontaneously began to analyze the data in it. This rare auxiliary equipment was the treasure of the School of Revelations. It was the equivalent of a formal Revelations musician. It could easily interpret and explore illusions. However, in the realm of illusions, a faint song sounded like a Siren’s voice.

  Compared to the illusionary voice that could move the white mist, Hariti from the sewer was nothing. The whole ship was in chaos in an instant! The passengers’ screams came faintly from the cabin.

  “Beware of the sea!” the first officer yelled. “There’s something in the sea.”

  The sea tossed as if it was boiling.

  The sailors, too, were out of control. They waved frantically, chopping down the indistinct mist before them. Hideous figures appeared in the mist. They were burly green mermen more than two meters high. They stepped out of the illusion, climbed up the ship’s side, and began to attack with sharp cries.

  They clutched rusty iron bars and swords. Their scales were like armor that swords could only leave white marks on. Some fat mermen with barbs on their backs stepped on the vulnerable deck, rushing towards Ye Qingxuan.

  Startled, Ye Qingxuan quickly retreated. He knew this was an illusion but letting the illusion attack him would cause him to sink deeper. The more one interacted with the illusion, the less likely one could break free from it.

  There was a plop in the distance. The second mate fell down to the ground when trying to retreat. The next moment, a few mermen rushed to him excitedly. They pinned him down and started to munch his body. He screamed painfully, reaching out to the youth. “Help me! Mr. Ye! It hurts…”

  Ye Qingxuan gritted his teeth but did not move. He did not dare make any actions. He was not even sure whether that second mate was made by the illusion to shake his will or not. He could only speed up and cooperate with the interpretation of the Eye of Silence at full force. If he removed the illusion before the second mate became brain dead, the second mate still had the possibility to live. Otherwise, Ye Qingxuan would also be trapped!

  His steps did not stop while he was interpreting. He managed to dodge the attacks of several mermen, retreating into the sailors’ defensive circle. But then, a sword was thrust from behind…

  The sailors’ eyes were blood-red. They were looking at him but their eyes reflected a hideous monster. They did not know who they were anymore. Ye Qingxuan smashed down, forcibly took down the sword from a sailor, and chopped his side. The rope of the sails was cut off and the wheel began to spin. Ye Qingxuan took the chance to seize the rapidly rising cable by his side and rose to the apex of the mast.

  Soon, a thick shadow emerged from the fog in the sky. An eagle’s hiss came from the distance. Several shadowy figures loomed in the thick mist… It was a harpy!

  Ye Qingxuan could not catch a break!

  Gritting his teeth, his eyes darkened. There was absolutely a musician manipulating this illusion! He did not know why the ship was attacked but he definitely would not allow this to happen no matter what their purpose was! He cast the Bolero net without even looking up.

  In a few seconds, the harpy pounced toward him. Coldness flashed in his eyes. The fulcrum of the illusion was found!

  “That’s it…” He jerked off the damp-proof mask on his face and clenched it. Lightning that burst at his fingertips burnt down the mask. In a twinkling, with a crisp sound in the void, the harpy and hideous mermen disappeared silently. This was the fulcrum of the illusion! The mist that was almost tangible squirmed. Suddenly, it dissipated with a hiss.

  Now, he finally realized that the ship had deviated into a strange bay while it was enveloped in the heavy fog. Some indistinct figures were singing softly on the distant reef. Around the ship, water splashed as something swam excitedly around the ship. A childlike laughter was heard, which was particularly bizarre.

  Ye Qingxuan hummed coldly and his Eye of Silence locked onto the dark figures so he could see them clearly. They were sirens that had been completely demonized. Ye Qingxuan immediately drew back his sight and looked over the ship that was in chaos.

  The point was there. The fulcrum was hidden in his damp-proof mask so it was obvious that the musician was one of the passengers on board lurking on this ship. It seemed that someone had seized the opportunity to trigger the illusion. First, he made the people out of control; then, he drove the ship to the lair of these sea monsters.

  What was more, judging from the broken lifeboat before entering the red zone, this must have happened more than once…

  “—It’s you!” Following the guide of the fulcrum, Ye Qingxuan’s eyes glittered and his sight fixed on a man. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei popped up from his hand; thunder boomed and fell down from the sky!

  Under the roars, the prepared captain twisted his body and rolled on the ground. He unexpectedly dodged Ye Qingxuan’s attack.

  “I was…exposed?” Staring at Ye Qingxuan, who was descending from the sky, the captain suddenly smiled strangely.

  Ye Qingxuan frowned. “You’re still human?”

  “Yes,” the captain replied earnestly and nodded. “Of course I am. How else could I be their captain?”

  “It seems that I’ve misjudged you. I didn’t expect that you’re a musician from the School of Illusions.” Ye Qingxuan tread forward with no expression. “You did all this to lead the people to this demon lair, but…for what?

  “I couldn’t help it. It isn’t easy to raise children.” The captain sighed and turned back. He looked down at the side of the ship. Hearing the childlike laughter, he showed a helpless face. “Especially because there are so many children and they’re hungry, so hungry… Every day, they say to me, ‘dad I’m hungry, I’m so hungry, I want meat’… I can only do my best to find meat for my children.”

  He paused and sneered. “Oh, by the way, do you remember what I told you about the black zone? It’s a long story but some things just happen, right? You need to try to accept it, just like me.

  “To tell you the truth, the plan should be perfect. Unfortunately, you appeared before we sailed. This is the flaw but you just can’t reject it. This is your misfortune, Mr. Ye.” As he spoke, a strange figure emerged behind him. It was like some sort of weird shellfish without shells. It squirmed in the air, releasing faint fluctuations that rippled the fog.

  It was the strange demon in the aether world that was born from those who had died in the sea—the Mirage. It often appeared in the material world through its contractor. It would project its power through fog and illusions. The ignorant would be attracted and immersed in the environment, allowing themselves to be sapped dry. Finally, they would become a withered corpse.

  “Sorry, Mr. Ye.” The captain laughed. “My illusion has been launched. I hope you won’t make any unnecessary action. When the children are full, I’ll let you go.”

  Boom! Before the captain finished his words, lightning projected from Ye Qingxuan’s cae. It twisted sharply in the air and suddenly drilled under the side of the ship, pouncing toward the childlike laughter.

  The laughter cut off; it was followed by a dying scream.

  The captain’s figure wavered; his face slacked.


  “My…my fulcrum…”

  “You’ve worked very hard to attract my attention with those words, however…” The youth suddenly smashed his cane on the deck. Steel collided, producing a sharp sound. “You speak too much nonsense!”

  There was a snap as if glass was shattered. As the fulcrum was destroyed, the crumbling illusion finally disintegrated. It was double Illusion. This meant adding an illusion to the basis of another illusion by using something nonexistent in reality as the fulcrum of the next illusion. Only musicians who specialized in illusions could make such an ingenious trap full of murderous intentions. After the enemy had broken a layer of illusion, who would expect that he was still trapped?

  The exquisiteness and meticulousness in it was really breathtaking. At least, with Ye Qingxuan’s ability, he definitely could not escape from the original illusion movement’s range to build such an enormous illusion.

  But the most fatal flaw of the opponent was that he had created demons with the illusion. How could an Illusion musician who could resonate with the Mirage have no response to Deva’s blood? That was impossible!

  With pops and cracks, the surrounding eerie bay, sirens, strange-looking captain, and the Mirage behind him all disappeared. Time seemed to turn back quickly. All that had just happened was just a short dazed moment.

  There was no fog on the sea. It was cloudless and sunny.

  The ship remained outside of the red zone; it was still half an hour before it entered the red zone. Ye Qingxuan and the captain stood at the stern. The sailors beside them were whispering while the captain was still frowning.

  Only five seconds had passed. The atmosphere was peaceful and there were no problems at all.

  “Except you.” Ye Qingxuan picked up a harpoon from the sailor beside him and aimed it at the broken lifeboat beneath the ship. The swollen corpse was still staring at him.

  Its eyes were empty and dark.