Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  320 The Intangible is Tangible

  “Nameless Mr. Illusionist, can you give me your name?” Ye Qingxuan focused coldly on the what was left of the lifeboat. However, his gaze passed through the bottom of the overturned boat. There was a small air pocket between the boat and the water surface. Who would notice what was hidden in the narrow space?

  “No need to keep hiding,” Ye Qingxuan said lightly. “Your first fulcrum was the eye sockets of that corpse, right? You used the sound of the piece knocking against the ship to attract attention. Then you created a shock with the pathetic state of the body. Finally, one’s gaze would fall on the eye socket.

  “You hid the fulcrum there. Seamlessly and unnoticeably, the people who saw it would fall into your illusion. The field of illusions that you specialize in is ‘into absurdity,’ right?”

  No one spoke in the silence. The captain and sailors stared at Ye Qingxuan as if he was crazy. Expressionless, Ye Qingxuan pulled the trigger.

  Ping! The harpoon in his hand shook and shot through the air with a steel rope. The already rotten corpse burst from the piercing. Foul fluid flew in the air. The harpoon dug into the bottom of the ship, piercing the darkness.

  There was still no sound.

  However, through the analysis of the Eye of Silence, there were small changes in the aether within the perception threads. The boat instantly became transparent in Ye Qingxuan’s eyes, revealing a black shadow that was quickly sinking.

  “You want to leave?” Ye Qingxuan sneered. “Friend, do you know what an electric fish is?”

  At his fingertip, Indrah’s Eye shone. Electricity surged down the harpoon into the sea, instantly illuminating the black waves. Burning electric light scattered in all directions of the deep sea.

  Ye Qingxuan did not hold back this time. He had directly used his sub-originator and gave the guy an electric ‘treatment!’ This was his first time using Indrah’s Eye since becoming an official musician. Even he was shocked at the strength he had when he did not hold back. After leaving Avalon’s restrictions, the high density of lively aether created wild friction. Blinding white sparks scattered in the deep sea.

  The lifeboat that took the brunt of the force was burnt to crisp; the body evaporated into dust. The electric light shot into the deep sea like a spear of lightning and pierced the black shadow.

  Under the bubbling of water, a streak of lightning rippled in all directions. In its path, countless dead fish floated to the surface. The ship crackled and popped. Even protected, everyone’s hair shot up.

  There was the weird smell of seawater decomposed from the high heat in the air. A scream sounded from the bottom of the sea. With a sharp crack, the burnt boat was broken through. The musician who had been attacked by Indrah’s Eye without warning screamed weirdly. He shot up to the sky; his boots were clearly not average objects. A gentle melody reacted with the wild wind and he flew up more than one hundred meters in an instant.

  “Get back here!” Ye Qingxuan clenched his hand and a horn blared—Night on Bald Mountain!

  This guy was not a demon, and did not sign a contract with a natural catastrophe, but Night on Bald Mountain’s basic effect still showed. Under the targeting of the perception threads, countless silver ropes emerged from thin air. They curled toward the figure like snakes and wrapped around his ankles. He yelled and his figure became transparent. However, moonlight flowed down the ropes and broke his illusion.

  Boom! The ropes curled back and dragged him onto the ship. He slammed onto the floor. He tried to roll over and get up, but a foot met him halfway and stepped down onto his neck. Then, a smiling youth expertly reloaded his harpoon and aimed the coldly glinting thing at the man’s face.

  “What’s your name?” Ye Qingxuan asked.

  “Simon,” the young burnt musician replied obediently. “Simon, a Siren musician of the Indefinite Earth.”

  “Oh?” Ye Qingxuan was interested. “I didn’t expect you to be from such a place…” The Indefinite Earth, Voodoo Crypt, and Fantasy Swamp were all prestigious houses of the School of Illusion. They were incomparable to the School of Royalty that was supported by the entire country, but they still had very unique and powerful techniques.

  The Indefinite Earth was the best at large-scale illusions. The Siren musician was a profession of the School of Illusion that utilized the talent and research of the Siren demons. They specialized in using fog and water vapor to create large-scale battlefield illusions. When they fought on the sea, their fatality would skyrocket to the level of an entire battalion. They were comparable to the Wave Warlocks of the schools of Summoning and Modifications. However, Sirens were strongest in ultra-wide ranges and ultra-precise illusions. Otherwise, Ye Qingxuan would have had a much harder time.

  “You’ve just reached the Resonance level?” Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows after sensing Simon’s aether waves. “I’m just an average musician who hasn’t graduated yet. What did I do to attract the attention of the Indefinite Earth? The double illusion was very finely constructed. I’m impressed.”

  “Hmph, I don’t like the sound of your tone.” Simon gritted his teeth; his eyes were filled with hatred and regret. “You’re not a pure Revelations musician? I’m going to argue with anyone who says you’re just a soft persimmon scholar. F*ck, none of you Angloians speak the truth!”

  “Hey, I’m confused as to why I just randomly walked into an illusion trap!” Ye Qingxuan wrinkled his brows. “And ‘soft persimmon’? What does that mean?”

  Simon blanched and gaped at him. After a long while, his expression grew incredulous and he cackled. “You don’t know yet? Oh my God, you don’t know anything. The moment you left Anglo, you entered the hit list of so many genius musicians! Hahaha hahaha…”

  “I f*cking knew it!” Clenching his jaw, he turned toward Anglo. As if he could see a certain old man, he repeated the vilest curse he could think of inside his head. He had calculated carefully and was cautious, but he had still fallen in that old b*stard’s hands!

  “You think you won?” Under his feet, Simon glared at him and sneered. “It’s not over yet.”

  Ye Qingxuan instantly felt a fleeting shadow flash over the distant sea. A cackle sounded—it was Simon, who was under his feet.

  “Ye Qingxuan, it’s only our first meeting and you’ve already seen through the double environment.” Simon glared at him. “If you can see through the last one, I admit defeat!” Then the shadow dissipated like a dream.

  Ye Qingxuan looked down dumbly. Under his feet, Simon had somehow stiffened into a corpse. It was clearly a replacement.

  “I can’t believe it’s a triple illusion!”

  The hair on Ye Qingxuan’s arms instantly rose and he shivered. This guy had actually created a triple illusion, which was incredible. But when did he drag Ye Qingxuan into the last layer? Where was the fulcrum hidden? On the boat? In the sound of the waves? In his meal? A hint in the guests’ conversations? Or was it before he boarded the ship…

  Ye Qingxuan instantly remembered the server who had urged him to hurry onto the ship. An odd light had flashed through his eyes—it had started then. No, it might have been even earlier. Or…

  The youth trembled and he looked down furiously, suddenly stomping his feet. Simon, who had been playing dead, squeaked. He could not pretend anymore; his escape music score that he was preparing was interrupted too.

  This time, Ye Qingxuan was decisive. He yanked the wind flute off from Simon’s neck, taking away all chances of fighting back.

  “So scheming!” Ye Qingxuan spat. “You used the trick you prepared beforehand to fool me into thinking I’m still in the illusion. After I stop focusing on you, you’d be able to escape…Your plan is pretty good. You tossed alchemy equipment for making illusions into the sea beforehand, right? You can activate it when needed. It can trick your enemy and buy you time.”

  With his last trick gone, Simon had a defeated expression on his face. He had already been gravely wounded by Ye Qingxuan’s sudden
Indrah’s Eye attack and had been forcing the pain down. With no hope in sight, he lowered his head and coughed violently. Blood seeped from his openings.

  “I lost.” His voice was hoarse and unwilling. “How did you discover it?”

  “Any trick will lose its effectiveness after a few times,” Ye Qingxuan said coldly. “It’s true that there is tangibility in the intangible and intangibility in the tangible. However, if you go past three, even the most incredible setup becomes a joke.”

  “I see…” Simon hung his head; he stopped fighting and spoke no more.

  Ye Qingxuan pulled a small pouch from his waist and tossed it down. “Swallow this if you don’t want to die.”

  Simon followed the orders. He opened the pouch and swallowed the refined silver sand without caring if it was poison or what. Soon, Ye Qingxuan sensed that the sand had reached the stomach. He used Night on Bald Mountain to group the silver sand into clusters and block his stomach.

  “Don’t move if you don’t want to be burnt to dust from the inside,” Ye Qingxuan said coldly.

  Simon felt the weirdness in his stomach. He could not help but shiver and nod like a bobble head.

  The captain decided it was safe now and came over cautiously. He glanced at Simon, who was on the ground. “Mr. Ye, what do we do with him?”

  “Lock him up.” Ye Qingxuan looked down and smiled mysteriously. “I have use for him.”

  321 Want to Die? It’s Not That Easy!

  They restarted the journey. There were no more dangers, and they passed through the red zone safely.

  Late at night, a sole lantern illuminated the bottom cellar. Simon, starved for the whole day, wolfed down the dinner Ye Qingxuan had provided, without caring if there was poison in it.

  Ye Qingxuan propped up his legs and watched. “Let’s talk. Why did you attack me?”

  “You really don’t know anything.” Done eating, Simon wiped his mouth. He asked slowly, “Do you have some enemy who doesn’t like you and decided to throw you in here? No, this opportunity is so rare. No one would waste it on you…oof!”

  Ye Qingxuan retracted his hand and stopped the pain hint. He said lightly, “I ask and you answer.”

  “Auschwitz,” Simon answered obediently. “The Auschwitz trial.”

  “What’s that?” Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. “What does that have to do with you attacking me?”

  “Me attacking you? Ha, I won’t be the only one attacking you when you land.” Simon shook his head. “Let me start from the beginning. You know the King of Yellow, right?”

  Mozart, the King of Yellow, was a genius musician who grew famous ten years ago. He used thirteen years to go from a country bumpkin to one of the most powerful men on Earth. He was a respected musician and was comparable to the best musicians Bach and the Pope. If there really was a template for a protagonist, it would be him. However, he disappeared five years ago. He vanished off the face of the planet. One of the three kings just disappeared without a trace.

  A few days ago, someone found a relic in Auschwitz. It contained various precious technologies. According to analysis, it may be the Scepter Tomb of Aeneas, the first king of the Romulusians. This was like Avalon’s Kingdom Come. However, the relic had been occupied by the Romulusian refugees. It was clear that they had regrouped here just for the relic. They received support and aid from the Chainsaw Fraternity and rebuilt their home, fighting off any outsiders.

  “It’s a bad coincidence.” Simon shrugged. “A few days ago, the Sacred City discovered that the King of Yellow was last seen there before disappearing. Everyone has been sending people there to explore the secret of the King of Yellow’s disappearance and the ancient music of the site, but the Romulusians fought all of them away.

  “But with everyone stopping each other, they all kept calm and nothing big erupted. Everything was peaceful and solving the problem was only a matter of time before the Pope’s order.”

  “Order?” Ye Qingxuan had a bad feeling. “What order?”

  “The gist of it is that the King of Yellow is the first of the three kings. This issue pertains to the dignity and safety of humanity. Anyone who can decode the relic and find where the King of Yellow went can receive a reward from the Sacred City—the permanent blessing of Concerto No. 5.”

  Ye Qingxuan felt as if he was struck by lightning. “Concerto No. 5? Which one?”

  “What else can it be?” Simon glanced at him mockingly. “Of course it’s the one known as the emperor concerto.” The king of all kings, the emperor of all concertos—the Piano Concerto No. 5! Its strength was above that of the material world but it was carved within aether. Kings ruled in the material world, but the aether world was the musicians’ territory. People blessed by it would have their own land in the aether world! Once they entered the Scepter level, they could combine it with their symphony of predestination and create an unparalleled scepter!

  “Do you know what this means?” Simon gritted his teeth. “With that power, you’ll have the chance to become one of the next three kings once you enter the Scepter level! You might even be able to inherit the throne and become the king of all musicians after the current King of Black falls!” Silence. Long, long silence.

  Ye Qingxuan turned blankly and stared in Avalon’s direction. After a long time, he jumped from his chair and yelled, “Maxwell, f*ck your entire family! You *sshole, old mother*cker, how much do you hate me to make me do this sh*tty work?! I’ve contributed to Anglo, I’ve bled for Avalon! And you make me go fight with all the musicians in the world for this? Why don’t you just hang me on Traitor’s Gate? F*ck you…” No one replied.

  Shocked by Ye Qingxuan’s burst of fury, Simon gaped from his position.

  When Ye Qingxuan finally finished ranting, he returned to his chair. He stared at Simon with red eyes and slammed a fist on the table. “And what does this have to do with you attacking me?!”

  Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s terrifying eyes, Simon spilled the beans. “In order to avoid conflicts between countries, the Sacred City turned this mission into a trial for the next generation of musicians. Only musicians under the age of thirty and hadn’t received a title from the Sacred City can participate.

  “Now, many of the grandmasters have gone to Auschwitz but no one entered. Instead, they camped around the site and let their juniors go and fight for clues. This fight is restricted to young musicians but it’s still intense. Because of this, everyone has the mutual understanding to try and get rid of competition before entering the city.”

  Here, Simon peered at Ye Qingxuan. “Everyone thought that Anglo’s School of Royalty would be the strongest competition. But no one expected that they would send you instead of the royal musician Gavin…”

  “So then I became the top soft persimmon of the world, right?” It dawned on Ye Qingxuan and he snickered. “That *sshole Maxwell must’ve secretly sent out my information, right? Tell me what you’ve heard!”

  “You’re the student of ancient scholar Abraham, a Revelations musician and genius in ancient history and interpretation, but you’ve only been studying for half a year. You’re the weakest of all the nominees. Everyone’s been keeping an eye on your tracks ever since you left Avalon.”

  Here, Simon’s expression grew furiously sad. “My teacher was right. You Angloians never tell the truth! How are you f*cking Revelations? Look at you! Nothing on you, except for the equipment, looks like Revelations! You look more like an Illusion musician than me, and you minored in Mind too. And if that’s not enough, you even majored in Abstinence. You—you—you’re actually the representative from the Silent Authority, aren’t you?!”

  Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. “You came to kill me but got destroyed by me and you’re still playing victim?”

  “I wasn’t planning on killing you, I swear.” Simon raised his hand and swore with an innocent expression. “Of everyone, you’re the best at exploration and interpretation. I just wanted to capture you and make you explore for me. I never used any harmfu
l illusions.”

  “But then you failed, right?” Ye Qingxuan said lightly.

  “Anyway, I lost.” Simon closed his eyes and tilted his head back, baring his neck. “Life or death, it’s all up to you!” Silence.

  He opened his eyes cautiously and looked at Ye Qingxuan. The youth was studying him. Gripping his chin while considering something, Ye Qingxuan suddenly started chuckling creepily.

  “You want to die? It’s not that simple.” His smile was hair-rising. “Who’ll help me if you’re dead?”

  “You—you…what do you want?!” Panicking, Simon tried to retreat but he was cornered.

  “Don’t be scared. It’ll just hurt a little bit.” Ye Qingxuan activated Governor and pressed Simon to the wall. He pointed at the ceiling. “Relax. It’ll be over by the time you count all the specks up there.”

  Simon was in despair. “No!”

  A chilling scream sounded in the cellar and lasted for thirty minutes. The sailors who overheard all trembled but did not dare to approach. They looked on from afar and whispered amongst themselves.

  One hour later, Ye Qingxuan exited. He tidied his collar and slowly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. It looked as if he was wiping his face after a feast. His smile was indescribably strange under the dim light. The cabin behind him was silent.

  -

  The young man woke up from his daze. His entire body screamed in pain and his throat was parched.

  “I—what happened to me?” He climbed up from the broken lifeboat and rubbed his face, trying to organize his thoughts. “I remember…I was attacked by an illusion? But, I…who am I? Why am I here…”

  “Young Master, you’re finally awake.” The old man at the stern looked up. His voice sounded like grating metal. There was a giant turban on his head and he looked Indian. There was also a sword in his chest, nailing him to the boat. He was immobile and seemed close to death.

  The young man froze. “Who…who are you?”

  “Young Master, I’m A’san.” The old Indian man looked sad. “I’m your servant A’san. Are you sick again?”