Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh. “Grandmaster Heisenberg, are you worrying about my safety or the fact that you paid so much but still could not clean him out?”

  Heisenberg did not reply.

  Ye Qingxuan folded his small knife and looked up at the tuning instrument. “Don’t worry. Working with me is just like working with the Parliament before. Look, you all need someone to take the blame and I want him to die. I’m sure our cooperation will have a good result.”

  “I hope so.”

  Heisenberg cut off the call. Ye Qingxuan lowered his head. He coughed violently and blood flew from his fingers.

  Lola pressed onto his back. His breathing sounded like an old windbag. “Are you reconstructing the music theory again?” Lola frowned. “You’re too impatient.”

  “I know.” He waved. “I’ll be careful.”

  “Even with the Philosopher’s Stone, reconstructing the sub-originator will take time. Now, your body is still rubble. It’s already a blessing that the disordered music theory won’t kill you. Yet you’re trying to activate them now?”

  “If I wait for the metabolism to complete, it’ll take at least half a year.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I don’t have time.”

  “Take a break.” Lola reached out and patted his head. Her voice was uncommonly gentle. “Little Yezi, you’ve already done enough. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

  He closed his eyes and leaned back a little, taking advantage of the rare kind treatment to lean in Lola’s arms. After a long while, he said, “Lola, it’s such a heartwarming moment but you secretly used a hint to change a defenseless man’s mind? You ruined the moment.”

  Lola’s finger stiffened. Sighing, her hooked pinky went back to normal.

  “Don’t worry, I’m clearheaded.” Ye Qingxuan cracked his eyes open and said lightly, “And anyway, it’s not just me who’s under pressure. Maxwell probably can’t handle it anymore now, right?”

  -

  In the Privy Council under the palace of Anglo, smoke plumed. Maxwell lifted the ashtray and dumped the cigarette butts into the trash.

  “Stop before it’s too late, Maxwell.” Under the light, the prime minister looked at him and said quietly, “He’s a little too out of line. The Church is a neutral organization but according to the Fifth Amendment, all churches are under the direct administration of the Church. Things must be carried out under the bible. From a legal perspective, what he did is similar to invading a nation’s territory. The Sacred City won’t just let this go!”

  “To be honest, I didn’t think he would really do that.” Maxwell scratched his head and sighed. “But he’s a young man. Who didn’t go crazy when he was young? The older gentlemen should understand him.”

  “Go crazy?” After a long pause, the Prime Minister sighed. “I’m just a bit worried that our future sword bearer…isn’t just crazy. To be honest, I am regretting signing the sword bearer appointment. If I knew this would happen, I would protest against him taking over you, even with the Queen’s seal.”

  Maxwell rolled his eyes. “Saying that is a bit too late. Furthermore, the Sword is just and they interact well together. Do you still worry that he’ll fall and become a dark musician?”

  “It’s not impossible.” The Prime Minister smoked, the fire burning to his fingertip, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Isn’t everything possible for humans? In this crazy world, someone as perfect as a saint may fall, let alone average men like us?”

  He looked up at the paintings on the ceiling. It depicted the legendary Battle of Heaven. On the ceiling, knights fought with dragons, dying their clothing red and burning the world and heaven.

  This was destruction.

  The secret scroll of the bible said that the beast that would bring the world to an end—the Dragon of Destruction—was once an angel beside the throne. It was pure and magnificent; it was known as the most dazzling star, the second leader of heaven. The purer the angel, the more terrifying it could become.

  “Maxwell, you can open the demon’s door for him but it won’t be that easy to close.” The prime minister snuffed his cigarette and left.

  -

  On the path within an uncultivated forest, the driver whipped the frothing horse. It galloped and pulled the hay carriage. Dark red blood dripped from the car, leaving behind a red trail. The driver wore a dirty jacket and hunched over. As the carriage jostled, the wound on the bandaged hand opened again. Fresh blood oozed from the dried blood.

  “Grandmaster, we’re almost there.” Colt’s voice was as rough as sandpaper. Half of his hair had been burned. His originally handsome face was now covered with scars and scorch marks as if he had been burned by raging fire. His healing wounds were menacing, making him look like an ugly demon. No one could tell that he was once a proud hero. Now, he looked more like a beast hiding in a dungeon. Children would cry if they saw him. “There’s only a few more hours to the Knights Templar’s camp. That b*stard will pay for what he did!”

  There was no reply.

  The damp stray was dirty and almost completely dyed red. Grandmaster Philip lay on the straw, panting. One eye was blind. Raspy sounds came from his throat. He closed his eyes, praying. However, even he could not hear his prayer clearly. There was the sound of water inside his lungs. His unclear murmuring sounded like a beastly growl.

  His consciousness flickered.

  The man-made ignition had caused the underground vein to explode, destroying the entire church. Wild aether had swallowed everything. The team of elites had all died.

  No one had expected that b*stard Ye Qingxuan would be so brash! Without caring about the Sacred City’s dignity and anger, he dared to kill dozens of clergymen in a despicable attack. If Grandmaster Philip had not activated the Score of God’s Discipline at that moment, the two would be ashes right now. Regretfully, they were still alive.

  Still alive…

  They did not choose this path only because it was hidden. It was because…this was the closest route to the camp of the Knights Templar. On their way back to the Sacred City, the Knights Templar stayed here to restock on supplies. It was only a dozen kilometers away from them. If Philip was at optimal health, they could arrive in an instant.

  Ye Qingxuan dared to attack the church and slap the Sacred City in the face. But no matter how crazy he was, Anglo would not allow him to attack Knights Templar, even if it was just a portion.

  It was a vast entity created by the united strength of the nations. If they received the order for annihilation, they could turn a hundred thousand miles into burnt earth in one night.

  No one would hang this sword over their own heads. At that time, Ye Qingxuan would be powerless…

  “Haha, hahaha, hahahahaha…” Opening his mouth, he began laughing and cackling. He fell into a fit of violent coughs. Scarlet blood dribbled from his chin to his collar, almost sketching a twisted and sneering face.

  Colt froze. “Curse?”

  402 Light of Hope

  “Curse?” Colt murmured. “How can it be a curse?” On the collar, the menacing face slowly changed. The lip opened as if singing and thus, an eerie laughter sounded in Colt’s ears.

  “Oh, Solomon, born on Monday, baptized on Tuesday…married on Wednesday, sick on Thursday…sickness worsened on Friday, died on Saturday…buried into the dirt on Sunday…Oh, Solomon, this is your tragic life…”

  Under a sudden bout of dizziness, Colt practically toppled from the carriage. In a daze, he saw a hunched old woman stand before a big pot. She stirred the thick stew with all her effort and tossed in intestines and blood. She laughed as she sang this song from the School of Choir. The curse came from thousands of miles away. Flitting past the water surface, those green eyes seemed to sense Colt’s gaze and became mocking.

  “He saw me? He saw me!” The old woman squeezed her withered breasts and snickered, “Oh, my poor child, my poor child worth nine hundred thousand pounds. Don’t fight back, let granny take you away. Your ugly face makes m
y heart hurt. Before you die, I will be kind and give you a beautiful dream, hohoho!”

  Clenching his jaw, Colt took out the anti-tune sword and stabbed himself. The alchemy array on the blade instantly attacked the music theory within him, entangling with the poisonous curse deep inside him. They were both destroyed with a shudder.

  Colt screamed, spitting out black blood. The vague perception instantly disappeared. He could hear the pot explode and the old woman’s angry roar, “D*mmit! I won’t let you escape, you b*stard! I won’t—”

  Taking out the sword, Colt screamed as he wrapped his wound and continued to drive the carriage, galloping.

  The crazy woman who hurt him seriously would not give up. She would definitely continue adding curses.

  He must hurry to the Knights Templar! He must make it!

  As if sensing his arrival, iron whales soon rose in the distant sky. One, then two, then three… Under the high whale song, the group of iron whales slowly flew toward them. They seemed slow but were instantly above their heads.

  “They’re here! Grandmaster, they’re here!” Colt yelled, overjoyed. He jumped off the carriage and waved wildly at the sky, cheering and whooping. “I’m here! I’m here! I’m still alive! Ye Qingxuan, do you see? You can’t kill me, hahaha… You’re dead now! You’re dead!”

  The iron whales slowly approached. But something was wrong.

  Starting to panic, Colt gaped at them. Why didn’t they slow down?

  The iron whales soared through the sky. The whistles rumbled and the whale song filled the air. They gracefully, speedily, elegantly…flew past Colt’s head and into the distance until they were just a hopeless shadow. They had not seen him at all!

  Colt’s smile stiffened. Feeling a chill, he was completely enveloped by fear and almost suffocated.

  Hysteric, he climbed onto the carriage and used all his might to shake the unconscious Philip, slapping his face. “Send the signal! Send the signal!” he screamed. His voice was as sharp as metal wires. “Tell them I’m here!”

  Philip coughed violently. He seemed to have finally woken up. Staring at Colt, he did not know where he was.

  Colt pointed at the black shadow in the sky in panic. “The Knights Templar! Send the signal!”

  After a long pause, Philip raised a finger with difficulty. He pressed onto the air and a wisp of light slowly lit up on his finger. It was just a flicker but Colt was overjoyed. It was such a beautiful light of hope where all the good things in the world converged…

  But then the light was extinguished by an invisible force. The fantasy shattered. The fireplace, feast, and warmth in the light all disappeared like a fairytale. Now, Colt finally realized that a horrible cacophony had somehow covered the entire forest. It lifted the aether like a layer of thick fog and blocked all messages from going out.

  This was the special technique of the School of Secret Keepers—the Silent Theater.

  Colt felt as if he was thrown into ice.

  It was all over.

  -

  The iron whales flew past. Sitting on the flank of the reconnaissance ship, the observer looked down with binoculars. He could not help but pat his companion and say, “Hey look, there’s actually people in this wilderness.” In his binoculars was the ecstatically dancing Colt.

  “I think he’s waving at us!”

  The other took a glance. Seeing the face twisted in happiness, he shook his head and laughed. “Probably some ignorant farmer. Seeing the fleet is like seeing a miracle. It’s normal.”

  The observer placed the binoculars to the side and sighed. “I was like them when I first saw the fleet back in the day.”

  “Yeah.” The companion smoked, his eyes growing nostalgic. “Who wasn’t?”

  -

  In the morning a few hours ago, a messenger on a gray horse rushed into the camp of the Knights Templar. Finding the one in charge, he sent up the order.

  Bann read it and shook his head. “I remember the nation gave us two more days to remain here.”

  The messenger looked aghast. “I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I know this request is inhumane but we’ve drawn out another camp for you to rest in. It’s two hundred kilometers away.”

  Pausing, he muttered, “Those *ssholes at Water Management. They just get more corrupted! The water factory established just last year has stopped. You can’t get any water from underground and all the water suppliers for the nearby villages have stopped. We can’t even promise you can receive water regularly here.

  “We must dig a temporary well for this camp and ensure emergency supplying…I’m sorry, but this is the letter from up above.” He took out the letter and handed it over to Bann.

  After reading quickly, Bann nodded. “Please tell Minister Quin that we are guests and for such events, your nation’s matters are top priority. We do not need the other camp. The iron whales are mostly prepared already. We can return to the Sacred City to rest. If we leave soon, we should be back by night.”

  The messenger was overjoyed. “Thank you for your understanding.”

  With Bann’s command, the silent camp quickly became filled with noise. The knights speedily packed up their belongings and tents, transporting everything onto the ships with order.

  A short two hours later, the entire camp was ready to go. The iron whales rose into the sky, filling it with the song of return.

  They were going home.

  -

  While Colt’s light of hope was extinguished, a hoarse voice traveled from a tuning instrument in the distance.

  “The ‘silent theater’ is already complete,” Heisenberg said. “Ye Qingxuan, this is the last time the Secret Keepers will help you. I hope you will fulfil our promise next.”

  “I’ve already prepared everything. Please don’t worry.”

  Behind the long table, Ye Qingxuan held his chin and studied the map. A trail of blood dots slowly extended north toward the Sacred City. He stared at the scraggly trail as if studying a masterpiece and murmured, “There will be no problems.”

  “Oh? I would love to hear the details.”

  Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s tone, Heisenberg could not help but feel curious. Using the Secret Keepers’ ability, he had naturally kept an eye on Ye Qingxuan’s plans these days. However, Heisenberg could not discover what else he had.

  Philip was already sapped dry but a grandmaster who used ‘God’s Discipline’ as a theme for his symphony of predestination would never be easy to fight. Therefore, he was curious as to what Ye Qingxuan had planned.

  At this, Ye Qingxuan smiled mysteriously.

  -

  At the same time, a young hand yanked up the weeds in the wilderness. Not caring about the dirt and bugs, he stuffed a handful into his mouth. He chewed with gusto; green juice dribbled from his lips. The fourteen-year-old looked like a wild child, despite his long gold locks and majestic features.

  “Uncle, uncle.” He tugged at the man’s clothes pitifully. “I’m hungry.”

  “Just eat something. Here, take this.” The man pointed at a tree carelessly. The youth opened his mouth. Invisible dragon breath transformed into a gaping mouth that yanked the entire tree up. It disappeared somewhere. There were sounds of wood shattering and being chewed. But the boy’s stomach continued rumbling and grumbling.

  The man sighed. He squatted down and looked at his sad nephew, patting his head. “My good nephew, please endure it. It’s rare for Uncle’s friend to come to me for help. He even gave me money!” With that, he raised a finger. “With that money, I can raise you for a long time! I’ll make you steak when we go back, how about that?”

  The boy shook his head sadly. “I want five cows.”

  “Then, five it is! Deal.“‘Uncle’ clapped his hands happily. Straightening, he gazed at the shambling carriage in the distance and smiled eerily.

  “I had a feeling he would contact me but I didn’t think that his first time would be such a big job…”

  403 Trade With a Loss

  “Hehe�
��” In the carriage, the muddled grandmaster Philip suddenly woke up. He widened his burnt eyes. The corners of his eyes tore apart and bloody tears flowed out. As if suddenly recovered from his injured state, he sprang up from the straw. The bloody crusts stuck with straw were ripped. Viscous blood seeped from the wounds.

  “Grandmaster?” Colt was overjoyed. He pointed at the black dot in the sky that was about to disappear. “Hurry—”

  But Philip heard nothing. His blood-covered empty eyes stared deep into the wilderness, shooting out white light. Where his gaze fell, the golden-hair boy squatted on the ground with a confused expression. He munched happily on half a toad he had dug out from the dirt…

  “Uncle, I think he saw me.” He swallowed the other half of the toad.

  “Oh.” Naberius squatted on a stump and slowly rolled his tobacco with an indifferent expression. “Then let him look.”

  “He’s so ugly.” Mordred wiped his mouth. “I’m a little scared. Can I hit him?”

  “Don’t be impatient.” Naberius finished and lit the roll to have a smoke. “Wait a bit more.”

  Seeing those blank yet menacing eyes, Mordred suddenly…had a great appetite! Bearing his hunger, he licked his lips.

  “How much longer?”

  Naberius laughed. Looking back, he glanced at Philip whose eyes were empty yet fierce. “A bit longer,” he said. “That old thing still has strength to make it hard for us.”

  At that moment, Philip rasped out, “Colt, run.” His flesh crackled and popped. Dried blood and dust were suddenly hit off by a surge of blood. His body bled everywhere but it represented a shocking vitality. His deteriorated cells were dancing and cheering, quickly healing his wounds.

  In an instant, the blood was washed away by light. Philip was no longer old. He had recovered his youth and his mind was clear. His skin was white and unmarred. His white hair seemed to be burning as if he had thrown his soul into the fire—in exchange for strength. A light yet mournful song resounded in his body. His bones were vibrating and his organs were singing. The score of sacrifice from the School of Choir was being played.