Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

In the evening, crazy Elsa was caught at the fair by the Caligula’s servants and taken home to bathe. “Bye, big dog!” said Elsa, sitting on the man’s shoulder, reluctantly saying goodbye to the friend she had just met today.

  The dirty boy, known as ‘big dog,’ copied her and waved. When he giggled, his nose streamed and his voice became vague and hoarse. He squatted on the ground and watched the girl fade away. His eyes grew sad and he whined.

  Someone pressed onto his shoulder, pulled out a handkerchief, and carefully wiped his snot. “Casper, having fun?” Torre squatted down to look at him. Together, they watched as the girl left. He took Casper’s hand. “Let’s go back. We can come to her next time, alright?”

  Casper looked at him, puzzled. Then he laughed happily as if he understood what Torre had just said. He followed behind his brother, and they disappeared in the crowd.

  -

  Just before closing, the guest that Ye Qingxuan had been waiting for finally arrived.

  “Hey.” Ye Qingxuan, lying on the couch, raised his eyes. “This is just the third day and you’re here? You’re less patient than I thought.”

  Colt sat opposite him with no expression. They looked at each other across the unorganized swords on the stall. Their eyes were cold like steel and clashed when they exchanged glances.

  “How long are you going to stare like this?” Colt asked coldly.

  “If you’re okay with it, I can keep looking at you until the trial is over.” Ye Qingxuan whistled. “Anyway, I’m here because an unreliable guy scammed me. At first, I didn’t think that I must get the Emperor’s blessing. The ancient information here is enough for me to study for a couple of years and get five or six awards and medals from the Sacred City. As a scholar, what else am I unsatisfied with?”

  “I’m right.” Hearing him say so, Colt frowned. “Caligula did give you the information. That guy! I spent so many resources and money to finally see him but he told me that the ancient information about Romulus’s history is lost…”

  “Sometimes, we have to believe in fate.” Ye Qingxuan smiled. “What else are you here for? I’m going to close my stall if there’s nothing else.”

  The boy’s words darkened Colt’s face again. “Well, there’s nothing to hide now.” He decided to be straightforward. “Let’s work together temporarily, what do you think? This is mutually beneficial.”

  “Other than the word ‘temporarily’, you seemed to have just repeated what you said earlier.” Ye crossed his legs, looking indifferent. “Although you just added a word, you seem more genuine this time. But do you really think that if we two work together, we’ll really be able to to crack the prohibition of Hades’ Door?”

  “Hades’ Door is strong but it was built hundreds of years ago. Its theory is outdated now. As long as everyone cooperates, there may be the possibility to crack it.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Yes, everyone,” Colt said lightly. “All the candidates now understand that the battles are meaningless if we can’t open the gate, so we decided to join hands temporarily.”

  Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “You know, the number of people doesn’t matter in the excavation of ancient ruins. Only few are actually useful. There are not many Revelations musicians here in Romulus. Only you and I are good at interpreting. Hades’ Door is a piece of work that spans a number of schools. It’s a strategic defensive facility by itself. With the two of us, we can’t even break the shell and access the alchemy matrix. We might even lose our lives.”

  Hearing his words, Colt just smiled and pulled out a dagger from his pockets to show Ye Qingxuan the music scores engraved on it. “What if we have this?”

  Ye Qingxuan looked at his dagger. His pupils could not help but contract.

  “Anti-tune?”

  “Yes, Anti-tune.” Colt stroked the blade of the dagger and tapped the ridge. The sword quivered with a shrill noise. This was the “probe” of the ancient School of Revelations for the large enchantment of the ruins. It looked like a dagger but it was actually rare alchemy equipment for interpretation.

  The anti-tune could destroy the music theory and directly break down any defensive matrix to make the musician’s induction directly get to the core. The casting method was lost and only six of the anti-tune swords remained. And this was one of them.

  Ye Qingxuan mused for a moment and shook his head. “It can help us damage the outer defense but just the two of us aren’t enough.”

  “What if I join?” A voice sounded behind Ye Qingxuan. He finally realized that someone was coming towards him. The newcomer, looking unprovocative, stopped five paces away from him.

  “Torre?” Ye Qingxuan recognized the musician who he once met in the underground palace. He knew it the moment he sensed Torre’s body. “So you’re a discipline musician?”

  Torre nodded slightly.

  Ye Qingxuan finally understood why Colt had so much confidence. Among the seven schools, Abstinence was best at controlling music theory while Torre was a discipline musician, the branch of Abstinence most adept in playing against music scores. With the three of them working together, coupled with the rest, they may be able to crack the gate.

  Looking at Ye Qingxuan thinking, Colt nodded. “What do you think?

  “What’s the success rate if us three work together?” Ye Qingxuan raised his head and asked. “You must have calculated it.”

  “Fifty percent,” Colt answered nonchalantly. “In the worst case, Hades’ Door will self-destruct and we’ll be annihilated.”

  Stunned, Ye Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. “Have you told the others?”

  Colt looked up at him and smiled.

  Ye Qingxuan understood what he meant and gasped. “Don’t you hate gambling?”

  “Even the sanest people occasionally long to hear the sound of the dice. And I have a reason to gamble anyway.” Colt gazed at him. His dark eyes were like two deep caves. “Ye Qingxuan, this is the first time in my life I’m asking someone for help and it’s also the last time, so don’t let me down. If you really will get definite success from a fifty percent chance as you said, then why hesitate?”

  “Hesitate? I’m good at betting on life so I never have to hesitate. I just need to value it.” Ye Qingxuan paused and stared at him, smiling meaningfully.

  “Colt, since you’re willing to bet, what’s the price you’re willing to pay in order to get the ‘definite success’ from me?”

  -

  The following morning, Colt stood silently in front of the rift outside the mine, gazing down at the darkness below. He seemed to be lost in thought but rather than staring blankly, he stared directly and firmly into the darkness. Under his eyes, the darkness was disturbed and the vague contours behind were revealed.

  There, his sound of heart beat. All disguises were revealed slowly and certainly; there were no more mysteries.

  Light danced, faintly weaving out the shape of the huge mine and palace. However, the sharp corners of the underground palace were just the tip of the iceberg. Most were still stubbornly hidden in the darkness. Hades’ Gate cut off all the detections and obstructions.

  After attempting for a long time, Colt withdrew his gaze with disappointment, no longer wasting his efforts. Behind him, a burly man clad in armor approached slowly.

  Countless notes were engraved on that hideous armor. When the notes collided against each other, a low and sonorous sound burst forth. Only the man’s face was exposed. It was also engraved with a strange tattoo which looked gloomy and ferocious. His eyes were full of anger and anxiety. The dust around him was ignited, turning into sparks of fire, illuminating the dark streets before dawn.

  “It’s rare that you’re up so early, Glen.” Colt looked back at his teammate calmly. “What’s the matter?”

  Glen asked directly with a gloomy face, “Did you give that Eastern kid the priority to explore?”

  “Yes.” Colt nodded. “After Hades’ Door is open, they’ll have the right to select three pieces from the underground p
alace first.”

  “Why?!” Glen stepped forward, suppressing his anger. He loomed over Colt and gritted out, “I need an explanation, Colt.”

  Colt looked at him indifferently. “I said before that I make the decisions in the team. I know a lot of people are dissatisfied with this matter but there’s no room for negotiation.”

  “Is it fair that we’re working our *sses off but he gets to pick first?”

  “Because your efforts will mean nothing without him.” Colt glanced at him and advised, “Glen, there are so many people struggling all over the world but few reach the goal. Those who are able to reap what they sow are favored by the gods. All the geniuses of the west are gathered here so why should you be rewarded for your efforts?”

  Glen ground his teeth and uttered with a hoarse metallic voice, “What the h*ll is he without us?”

  “You care what you can get from it but he doesn’t,” Colt said lightly. “From how he behaved before, we know he was selling his ability. The longer the delay, the more benefits he can gain. There is an Eastern idiom that says, ‘those who are willing take the bait.’ Everyone who wants to win the emperor’s crown all need him to help them open the gate.”

  Glen’s eyes narrowed. A sharp gleam flashed by. “He’ll be useless when the door opens, right?”

  “I advise you not to entertain the wrong idea.” Colt glanced at him and sneered. “Do you think you can compare yourself to Gavin?”

  344 Nature of Danger

  To Modifications musicians like Glen, his biggest enemy was no doubt the School of Anglo that specialized in both Modifications and Summoning. As the rising star of the School of Anglo, Gavin had become everyone’s enemy at the start of the trial. However, he never appeared for some reason. He was replaced by a Revelations musician that had just entered the academy one and a half years ago. No one knew who he was. It was as if Anglo had no interest in the future Three Kings and had just sent someone over patronizingly. In other words, he was here to court death.

  No one was sure if the position of a future saint and the crown that represented authority were unable to tempt Gavin? Or had that guy gone crazy?

  “What do you mean?” Glen muttered after a pause. “Be straightforward. I hate going in circles.”

  “Do you know why Gavin didn’t represent the Royal Academy of Music?” Colt stared at him coldly. “I received the news yesterday that the pride of the School of Royalty, the one that everyone had thought would be the next grandmaster, Gavin, had disappeared right before the trial. He just vanished.

  “All evidence points to Ye Qingxuan. If I’m not wrong, Ye Qingxuan probably killed him. Even the Royal Musician Division doesn’t dare collect Gavin’s body. I also received a list of all Avalonian musicians that had died this year. I suspect more than half of them are connected to him.

  “If we’re talking about qualifications, you can’t even get into top ten! Do you understand, Glen? Don’t get any dangerous ideas. The deaths he’s suspected of can fill up the entire Queen’s Avenue. Adding you in would just mean a few more inches of land. He probably won’t feel too bad. After all, it’s just this much.”

  Colt reached out and drew a small circle in the air, marking Glen’s future burial spot for him. The circle was merely enough to place a box of ashes. Glen stepped back involuntarily, shivering.

  “I’ll verify it myself.” Glen’s features twitched. In order to hide his anxiety, he turned to leave without arguing any further.

  Colt watched him leave. Scoffing, he turned to side. “You’ve been watching all this time. Anything to say?”

  A figure had appeared beside him at some time. “If I have to say something…I must say the rumors are really exaggerated. Don’t believe them,” the white-haired youth said sincerely with a pipe in his mouth. “I’m good friends with Gavin, seriously. Honestly, don’t trust those rumors. And Queen’s Avenue is so big. I can kill until my hand goes numb and it wouldn’t be enough.”

  “Mr. Ye, stop joking around.” Colt shot a meaningful glance at him. “I’ve experienced the nature of your danger.”

  Ye Qingxuan chuckled. He looked down at the embers burning in his pipe. “The nature…of my danger?”

  -

  Only footsteps sounded in the silent palace. Dozens of musicians stood quietly in the large expanse. Compared to this vast area, humanity’s existence was so insignificant. Even everyone put together would not be as thick as a pillar here.

  Now, it was as if they had entered a heavenly realm. Hymns floated from the stone door before them, catching the attention of gods. Unfortunately, this was not in the sky but in the underworld. Rather than heaven, it was Hades behind the door. It was a tomb that had been buried for centuries.

  The musicians willing to work together and break the seal had come here long ago. It was more than half of the participants. Anyone with common sense understood that a single person was too insignificant in this large-scale relic. If they did not know that beforehand, they had all understood after the clay puppets taught them a lesson.

  The loose union was built on the foundation of breaking Hades’ Door. They had agreed to work together but everyone was still guarded. They did not get close to each other or make any conversations.

  Within the crowd, before the door, Miller tugged Ye Qingxuan over and asked quietly, “Are you sure you can undo this thing?”

  “Nope,” Ye Qingxuan said casually. “How can I? I’m not even at the Resonance level. It’d be weird if I have confidence.”

  Miller’s face practically turned green.

  On the team, Sam did not care about anything other than formulas and music scores and Baro’s stubborn brain did not work that well. The only one who thought was Miller from the School of Choir. After all, being the doctor required technique and he was more careful. However, he never imagined that asking a question out of curiosity would get him such crazy news. He yelped but quickly covered his mouth. “But you—”

  “There’s nothing bad about agreeing.” Ye Qingxuan whistled. Patting Miller’s shoulder, he murmured, “If you see things going bad or see my signal, just run. Otherwise, thing will probably get worse.”

  “Worse?” Miller froze. “How bad?”

  “On the lighter end, the enchantment will self-implode, bringing down the entire palace to bury us.”

  Miller’s face was stark white. “That’s light?!”

  “Of course,” Ye Qingxuan said. “Hades’ Door is a battle-scale object created by more than five grandmasters. It absorbs strength from the aether world through music theories. If we fail even more at undoing the seal, the disrupted music theory might get dragged directly into the aether world. Then it’ll be strange if you don’t get pulverized in the aether sea…”

  Miller’s features twisted. He shivered, imagining himself getting assimilated by aether and drowning in the aether sea, or falling into the strange yet famous aether world. However, he soon snapped out of it. “What will you do if we run?”

  “Don’t worry.” Ye Qingxuan patted his shoulder and smiled proudly. “I don’t know about other stuff but no one’s better than me at running away. No one.”

  -

  Torre, clad in gray, soon walked through the crowd and gave Ye Qingxuan a sheepskin scroll. “This is the official agreement. Sign it if there aren’t any problems.”

  The agreement ensured that everyone could work together without concern. They would not attack each other during the union. The terms were concise and detailed; the intervals and music theory within the music score were compact as well. Ye Qingxuan could not find any problems.

  “As expected of discipline musicians.” Ye Qingxuan nodded and signed his name, allowing the music theory within the agreement to flow into his body. Soon, he felt something cool against the back of his neck. It was like a blade.

  This was an agreement from the School of Abstinence. If he went against the agreement, he would suffer from the backlash of the aether within his body. According to the terms, the aether wo
uld transform into iron and pierce through his neck.

  In other words, he would be beheaded. This way, everyone could let down their guards and truly work together.

  Ye Qingxuan was also an official Abstinence musician. However, the School of Stone Heart that he had inherited specialized in the construction of the sub-originator and territorial enchantments. That was in the ‘field’ category. He only had basic knowledge of the ‘discipline’ category of countering and agreements.

  Torre just chuckled at Ye Qingxuan’s compliment.

  “You flatter me. It’s nothing compared to your ‘aether furnace.’ We can discuss techniques in the future.” He casually glanced at Ye Qingxuan’s chest while speaking as if he could sense the immense aether and Abstinence music theory there. However, he had mistaken the sub-originator as the ‘aether furnace’ that could strengthen music scores.

  Ye Qingxuan did not correct him.

  After leaving the limitless supply of the Avalonian enchantment, the sub-originator could only provide him fifteen minutes of resonance. After that, he would need twenty-four hours to recharge. This was both his strongest and weakest point. Of course he would let others guess incorrectly.

  -

  Torre left soon after he signed the agreement. The man was still wearing the faded gray clothing and he did not have any alchemy equipment on him. He looked inflexible and strict.

  Each step was thirty-five millimeters, not a millimeter less or a millimeter more. His steps seemed to be measured with a ruler and his speed was shockingly balanced. He breathed once every five seconds and blinked once every seven seconds—never a millisecond late.

  An invisible rule board seemed to box him in, covering every detail. Every move, from how he walked to how he breathed to how his heart beat, was made with extremely fine precision.

  This was the cost of becoming a discipline musician. It quantified everything, extending rules and music theory into every crevice of his life.

  Casper, who followed behind him, emanated a wild aura. His bloodshot eyes seemed to be searching for someone to eat. One brother was like a wooden puppet. The other was a beast. Both were abnormal.