Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “That’s a reason, of course…but ‘home is where the heart is.’ There’s nothing wrong with making the best of things, right?” Mr. Hu waved with a smile and pointed at the kettle on the small stove before him. “The tea’s almost done. Would anyone want some?”

  “The tea’s done? Great, great!” The Angloian grandmaster, snoring in a corner, suddenly woke up. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “Ah, it’s been a while since I slept so well.”

  “Dreams come from the heart.” Mr. Hu chuckled. “Maybe you’re the type that can only sleep well in the abyss.”

  The Angloian grandmaster laughed as well. Rather than correcting him, he picked up the thumb-sized teacup. Looking at the green tea, he drank it all. “Someone told me this is life.” He shrugged. “I give in.”

  In the silence, Mr. Hu lifted his teacup as well, smiling in reply. Then he suddenly looked up and listened hard. “Is someone blowing a whistle?”

  “Is there? Whatever…” The Angloian grandmaster yawned. “I’ve been lacking sleep these past few days. Let me sleep a bit longer.” He laid down in the corner and started snoring as soon as he finished. He slept soundly as if he dreamed of a peaceful home in the abyss.

  369 Something Flying in the Sky!

  After a period of time that was not long but felt like eternity, Ye Qingxuan finally heard a raspy voice say, “Ye Qingxuan, it’s your turn.”

  He was instantly tied up and covered in shackles and chains. As if he was the source of some pollution, he was also covered in two layers of what looked like body bags. Then he was carried by two strange demi-dragons to the altar. He only realized that he had been locked inside a cellar when he was carried out.

  All that remained in Auschwitz was death. Among the corpses, he could see black ‘cocoons’ everywhere. The sleeping souls within the cocoons were slowly transforming to receive their new life.

  After tonight, there would be a new race in the abyss. Hyakume’s status amongst the natural catastrophes would rise again. He was close to ruling over the others. If these things really had upper and lower positions, that was.

  The demi-dragons carrying him were one of the abyss races. This race had appeared hundreds of years ago in the Dark World. They combined different demonic traits and created a new race and society. Many musicians were born from them and they showed signs of establishing a kingdom like the moon spirits.

  However, most demi-dragons had low intelligence. They could not even be compared to a child. They were also aggressive, competitive, and loved to fight. However, they were loyal and thus liked by dark musicians. They were often hired as part of their retinue.

  Though they were demi-dragons, they were more like lizards. They did not have talents like the ‘dragon breath.’ They had natural hard scales and could pass down their memories to their descendants. All of them could be soldiers. Such as the two carrying Ye Qingxuan.

  Soon, a disgusting scent hit him in the face. The smell of rotting blood was extremely familiar and forced Ye Qingxuan to recall many unhappy memories. There was also the faint smell of mercury and sulfur.

  The dark musicians ordered the two demi-dragons to force Ye Qingxuan to the ground. Shackles went around his hands and feet, chaining him into place. Rings were put around him into an alchemy array. He could vaguely see the complex music theory from the abyss.

  There were many other musicians around him with the same treatment. However, they were all pale-faced and glared furiously at Colt in the distance.

  An old musician who looked like a night owl went up and checked all of them. He cackled. “All are high quality. Colt, your information is pretty good!”

  “You flatter me. I’m just trying my best.” Colt nodded. “It’s great that I can contribute to the perishing praise.”

  Night Owl laughed. “Don’t worry, the leader will definitely remember you when this succeeds. At that time, he will ask the lord to transform you personally. The last one who was given this honor is still the lead priest of Anglo!”

  Colt chuckled quietly but did not reply. However, the musicians who still had some sanity left started yelling and cursing. If Colt had not revealed their information, they would not have been caught so easily. Colt acted as if he could not hear. He injected the louder ones with tranquilizers until they went blank.

  The room returned to silence.

  No longer looking at them, Colt walked to the corner. He gazed as if enjoying the view. However, he froze for some reason, as if seeing something scary. Ye Qingxuan, who had been sneaking glances, thought it strange. He could even see…fear in Colt’s eyes? But Colt’s expression quickly went back to normal and he stepped into the shadows.

  The night-owlish musician rubbed his hands. Lighting incense, he prepared the transformation ritual while muttering to himself, “I’ve been saying that the faceless actors are unreliable. They ruined the transformation array in the northern inn and wasted all my efforts. Now I have to do it all over again. And that, Ye Qingxuan…which one’s Ye Qingxuan?”

  Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes and pretended to be dead. However, this was useless. The old man still found him. He coughed awkwardly and opened his eyes. “What do you want from me?”

  “You’re Ye Qingxuan?” The old musician studied him and cackled. “You look handsome. No wonder Lord Naberius thinks so highly of you.”

  “Hey, don’t say nonsense!” Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. “No one wants to be thought of highly by him, alright?”

  The man cocked his head. He took out a bone from his pocket and munched on it like a snack. The action gave one the chills.

  “Don’t worry. Lord Naberius has requested that you’ll have the best transformation. Your materials are ten times better than everyone else. When you’re done, you’ll be the next black star!” His features danced as he spoke, “When you’re successful and still haven’t forgotten me, please take care of this old man.”

  Ye Qingxuan’s face twisted. “No, no, no, I take revenge for the littlest things. You’re so ugly, I’ll definitely kill your entire family when I’m successful! So what if you let me go now or reconsider?”

  “Haha, that’s what everyone says but it’s all different after the transformation.” Mr. Night Owl patted his shoulders. “You’ll like the feeling.” This time, he got up without waiting for a reply. He grabbed a bone staff from his assistant and hit the air as if it was a gong.

  Boom! Drumbeats resounded. It felt as if the staff had fallen on their skulls. Everyone’s vision went black and the world spun; they practically lost their sanity. The drum sounded again and again like muffled thunder. Each beat was agitating, making one nauseous and muddled. Hallucinations appeared in their minds; they could barely control themselves.

  Ye Qingxuan was the most clear-headed of them all.

  However, that probably was not a good thing right now. He was forced to watch a dark cloud rise from the array, creating various hallucinations, and slowly close in on them. This was the gift and transformation of the deep abyss. Once swallowed by it…Ye Qingxuan would probably have to live the rest of his life hiding around.

  No, the moment his transformation succeeded, he would probably be burned to dust by the moonlight within him! He really did not want to try such a sad death.

  He suddenly had an idea…

  “Ah! Save me!” Ye Qingxuan suddenly started yelling with a pale face under the solemn drumbeats and satanic chants. “Oh no! A hairy and ugly—uh, no! It’s just—something bad is gonna happen!”

  The drum stopped abruptly.

  The old night owl looked over with furrowed brows. The captured musicians looked over too. Their eyes contained hidden anticipation, waiting to see his amazing trick to turn the tides. Under those complex gazes, Ye Qingxuan was covered with cold sweat. He pointed to the sky with difficulty.

  “Look, there’s something strange flying in the air! It looks like a disc. It even glows!”

  Awkward silence. Everyone looked at him as if he was an idiot.
/>   “You…” Night Owl glanced at him in disbelief. “You really think someone would be stupid enough to look?”

  “Uh, you won’t?” Ye Qingxuan looked away in embarrassment. “Then I’ll try something else?”

  Everyone’s expressions changed. They were hard to describe but basically carried the message, f*cking dumb*ss.

  Night Owl sighed and raised his bone staff. “Continue the ritual! Everyone work harder and transform this annoying guy first!”

  The rumbling drum sounded again. And Ye Qingxuan started screaming again. “Help! There’s seriously a situation! Look behind you, seriously! Someone’s trying to stab your back. Look, he even took his knife out…No seriously, I’m the b*stard child of the Anglo royalty. If you let me go, we can work together and get rich, alright?

  “One of my bros is doing well in Burgundy. Don’t you want to get to know him? Let me go and anything’s okay! Hey!” He spouted nonsense but the dark musicians were unmoved. They sped up the transformation ritual instead. He felt that he was swallowed by the darkness already. Nothing he could say was useful now.

  It was true what the old proverbs said: when in doubt just do it; life or death is nothing, longitudinal just do it. He did not know what ‘longitudinal’ meant, but basically, just do it!

  He would just do it!

  Something flashed past his eyes and the moonlight within him gradually glowed. The sub-originator was inside his body, after all, and its roots were in his blood. If the dark musicians were so powerful, why didn’t they rip his chest open and check his heart?

  The sleeping sub-originator was activated. It pulsed with his heart like a drum, agitated yet heavy. Moonlight appeared in his blood instantly and flowed through his body.

  Within a second, it was as if he had run thousands of meters. Sweat evaporated and his muscles swelled. It felt like his body would explode. As his veins cracked, strands of blood met in the air, transforming into pure moonlight. It flashed, removing the shackles on him.

  Ye Qingxuan felt his mind clearing. He recovered his sense of aether and jumped up, moonlight burning around him. Under the light’s calling, something whistled through the air and fell into Ye Qingxuan’s hands. It snapped open and turned into overlapping instrument strings.

  Jiu Xiao Huan Pei had come. It pierced into the transformation array and disrupted the music theory. The ritual came to a screeching halt.

  The drumbeats shook. The old night owl stepped back under the counterattack. Eerie green light shot from his eyes. “No wonder Naberius thinks highly of you. You tipped the scales so easily. But sadly, you can’t esc—”

  Before the last syllable fell from his lips, it was replaced by the sound of black organs shattering and a scream. Behind him, someone forced a dagger into his heart. Before the blade, all alchemy equipment and shields collapsed. Wild waves rippled through the body, mixing the internal organs and destroying the sound of heart.

  One shot kill!

  Night Owl tried to look back blankly but someone held his head. He did not even know who killed him before he died.

  The corpse fell, revealing Colt behind it.

  “There’s something flying in the sky?” He looked at Ye Qingxuan disdainfully. “That’s a horrible excuse.”

  370 Something Really Is Flying!

  Colt’s sudden return was a surprise to everyone, including the dark musicians, but even more so for Ye Qingxuan. However, he had no time to worry about the details. He must gain the upper hand and get rid of the dark musicians before they reacted!

  Sparse notes sounded. Under the cool melody, moonlight rose and seeped into the restraining music score. Like water, it was instantly wiped away like water.

  As something designed specifically to counter natural catastrophes, it was too easy for the moonlight to dissolve the dark musicians’ shackles. Next, Ye Qingxuan’s voice rang in every sleeping musician’s mind. “Wake up!”

  Everyone startled awake as if they were wacked in the head. There was no time to wait for them to recover. Ye Qingxuan unethically planted the hint that all dark musicians were enemies, causing them to start attacking without even thinking. They were going to fight anyway. This was just faster.

  However, what was beyond his expectations was Colt’s speed. He never thought that this guy would be so skilled in fighting. Within a few snaps of the finger, Colt floated like a ghost past two dark musicians, leaving cuts on their throats.

  Their blood instantly evaporated and spewed from the cut as thin as a fingernail. The anti-tune sword was not very harmful to the body but once it entered music theory, it would be absolute destruction—especially if it was wielded by a Modifications genius.

  It was clear that Colt was extraordinarily talented. He had developed such a function targeted at enchantment breakthroughs and could use it so easily.

  The dark musicians started fighting back after a few moments. The awakened musicians did not hold back either. Both sides fell into a flurry of fighting.

  Ye Qingxuan retracted Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, turning it back into a cane, and thudded it against the ground. A horn rang out.

  Dawn was coming.

  A mass of silver nails appeared in thin air and shot into all directions. Fire lit up continuously, gravely injuring many of the dark musicians. Like sarcoptic maggots, the silver nails entered their bodies. Touching the abyss music theory, they rubbed against each other, creating sparks of fire that burned the victim.

  Centuries ago, the Inquisition had used this method to burn too many heretics to death. Its power remained to this day. Practically all the old creatures in the crowd started screaming and could no longer fight.

  Many of Ye Qingxuan’s comrades were stunned as well. He usually did not fight but now, his tactics were so cruel. Their morale was boosted instantly.

  Inside his head, Ye Qingxuan sighed. It was a pity that he was still restrained by the dark atrium and could not use the silver nails as chant consumables. Now, it was barely qualified to fight against the dark musicians. If Torre was here and he could team up with a Discipline musician, he could end at least four enemies at once. He would not be this tired!

  The dark musicians’ biggest mistake was not being guarded against the traitor Colt, letting him observe them for so long. He could sell his companions’ weaknesses to the dark musicians; he could also learn all about the dark musicians’ weaknesses.

  A few minutes later, the battle was over. Everyone was wounded; one musician was on his last breath. Colt stumbled back. With a pale face, he spun the anti-tune sword around and stabbed himself. He ripped his stomach open in the mangled flesh.

  Taking out a black bug inside a crystal, he slammed it onto the ground. The sleeping bug quickly woke up and started biting everything crazily. Then he stamped on it, burning it to ashes.

  Gritting his teeth against the pain, Colt mended his flesh and poured medicine over it. Under the sizzling, the flesh forcefully grew back together. He would be fine for now.

  “I had no other choice to save the imprisoned musicians. If I’m still alive after this and you all still suspect me, you could report me to the Sacred City.” He looked at the shocked musicians with an adamant expression on his pale face. “It’s not safe here. We should split up and leave before they respond.”

  Under Colt’s guidance, they quickly found their confiscated instruments and equipment from the cellar. They were still angry at Colt, but the guy had used his actions to prove himself.

  After putting on black robes for disguise, they quickly split up. However, Colt realized after a few steps that the one beside him was…none other than Ye Qingxuan!

  “Why are you forcing yourself to be with me?” His tone was not without mockery. “Seems like you’re not that confident in the underground palace’s secret room.”

  “No, I just have some questions.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. “I thought you really planned on searching for your great future in the abyss.”

  “Sometimes, you have to make some sacrifices so more peop
le can survive, right?” Colt covered his mouth and coughed. Blood seeped from his fingers but his expression was still indifferent.

  “It’s a little too much to risk everyone though, isn’t it?”

  “Being fifty percent sure means sure victory. Isn’t that what you said?” Colt shot back. “Plus, they would’ve all died without me.”

  “And then let them go attract the dark musicians while you save yourself?”

  “This might be the result but you can’t say it’s my goal.” Colt peered at him. “Or do you have a better idea?”

  “No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “What you did was the best choice under the circumstances but I’m curious about something else.” Staring into Colt’s eyes, he said, pausing between each word, “Were you prepared to turn at the beginning or did you sense something?”

  “Anything can be as you imagine,” Colt replied without shying away from his stare. “The result is that I sacrificed myself and saved everyone, right?”

  “Well said!” Someone suddenly clapped in the silence. Naberius stood in the shadows and praised, “If leader Crowley heard this speech, he would reward you greatly.”

  After a beat of silence, Ye Qingxuan looked at Colt with a troubled expression. “You said that I chose a bad path but yours isn’t that great either.”

  Colt’s face darkened considerably. He had racked his brain to choose the safest path but he did not expect someone would skip over everyone else and come for him… If he knew that Ye Qingxuan had suspected this early on but still chose to go with him, he would probably have had a heart attack.

  Ye Qingxuan had expected this worst case scenario but this time, he did not have the Avalonian enchantment to help him. He would probably lose now…

  “My dear friend, you’re always beyond my expectations.” Naberius looked at Ye Qingxuan and said darkly, “Don’t worry. For safety, I’ll have Mordred rip off your limbs this time. They’ll grow back after your transformation. However, you’ll probably be the only one in hundreds of years to be transformed while soaked in tranquilizers.”