by Feng Yue
Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows.
“Don’t underestimate the Sacred City. When Bann returned to the Sacred City and registered you as his student, the City had already became clear about your identity,” Handel said coldly. “All this time, the Sacred City has been tolerated you and never looked too deep, instead rewarding you. What right do you have to think the Sacred City has wronged you?”
Ye Qingxuan laughed. He looked at Handel with a familiar gaze. It was like looking down at dust. With this gaze, it was as if everything in the world was under his control and had to sacrifice for him. There was no care about the dust’s sadness and hatred.
“What Ye Lanzhou did has nothing to do with me,” Ye Qingxuan said. “If not wiping out a sinner like me is the Sacred City’s tolerance and blessing to me, then I’m sorry. I will have to disappoint you. You think everyone must make sacrifices but sadly, I never thought that I owe anything to the world. Instead, it’s the opposite…”
Looking at the man with a dark expression, he said, emphasizing each word, “Mr. Handel, this world owes me too much.”
-
When Bai Xi returned, more than ten minutes had passed. Ye Qingxuan and Handel’s quick meeting had ended unhappily long ago.
“Where did you go to play?” Ye Qingxuan sighed and petted her messy hair. Without realizing, her hair was down to her waist now. If she did not take care of it, it would turn into a mangled bird nest. She allowed Ye Qingxuan to mess with her hair and then comb it again. Feeling the warmth of his hands, she could not help but giggle.
“When I went out, I saw an old beggar. I felt bad and gave him some coins.”
“Why is your shirt torn?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at the small hole in her sleeve.
“It got stuck in the doorway.” Bai Xi’s expression grew cheery. “This means I have to buy a new one this afternoon.”
“You can’t spend the embassy’s money like this.” Ye Qingxuan admonished. “And whenever I make them give me office supply receipts, they all look at me weirdly! Why do you want to get reimbursed for buying bras?!”
“Cousin, even though you refuse, you’re still obedient when paying money.”
“Think of a new excuse for me!” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “Thanks to you, the embassy has enough office supplies to last until next year! No matter how blind the financial department is, they won’t reimburse that!”
“There’s also food and transportation!”
“Hey, where did you learn that from…” Ye Qingxuan could not help but shake his head. Everyone said that one would join a group of elites in the Sacred City but everyone beside him was weirder than the last. Charles had fallen fast but now, even Bai Xi had learned how to lie to get reimbursements.
Whatever. Thinking of the embassy’s depressed and annoyed treasurer, he gave up on reimbursements. He still had a bunch of dirty money after all, from the smugglers in Avalon. Ye Qingxuan did not have much material greed and most of the things he wanted could not be bought with money. If Bai Xi wanted to spend some, it was like helping him.
However, he couldn’t let her find out. Otherwise, she would take Ye Qingxuan’s checkbook and empty all the luxury stores the next day…
Thinking of this terrifying scene, Ye Qingxuan’s heart in the aether world quivered.
-
The black metal box was forty millimeters long, thirty-five millimeters wide, and fifteen millimeters tall. It seemed to be designed specifically for something valuable, which was why it was intricate yet compact. When locked, it was closed tightly without any seams visible. The inside was carved with an alchemy array. It ensured that the object inside would be unharmed even if the box was assaulted, burned, or drowned.
Nobles would usually carve their family emblem on these boxes and put items related to their wills, precious jewelry, or evidence for safety. However, this box had nothing other than the Sacred City’s symbol. Now, it was placed carefully onto Constantine’s table, gently as if it was a rare gem.
“This is what Mr. Ludovic told me to bring.” The middle-aged priest sighed. “Fortunately, I have completed the mission. Please accept it.”
“Thank you.” Constantine shook his hand.
Despite already handing it over, the priest still looked at the box longingly. “According to Mr. Ludovic’s orders, we must give this to you. But I must add, I hope you will look after it well.” He looked away unwillingly and sighed. “After all, no one has been able to create such a perfect replicate after alchemist grandmaster Orwell passed away.”
“Thank you for your reminder. I will.” Constantine politely saw him to the door. “Charles, see the guest off.”
When the mysterious guest left, Charles could not help but slip back inside, poking his head in. “Sir, did that guy come to give us money?”
“Money?” Constantine was taken aback and smiled. “In a way, yes, but no money can buy what is in this box.”
Sensing Charles’s curiosity, he did not keep it a secret. Turning the box’s lock, he said lightly, “You have never seen this man before but you must have heard of his fraternity before.” Pausing, he uttered, “The Sacred City Ecclesiastical Order.”
“The legendary Ecclesiastical Order with boundless authority is real?” Charles asked curiously.
“The Order was born four hundred years ago under the order of the second pope. The members were all family leaders of monks with true archbishop power. They began as a think tank for the pope and were a crucial weight to balance the political scale between the Sacred City and nations.
“But as time went on, the Ecclesiastical Order went out of control…Now, it has become an immense entity that can fight back against the pope. If the second pope knows, he must be disappointed.”
“They came to give you gift?”
“Not quite. After all, you can’t drink or eat this, or even put it out for decoration. You must care for it cautiously.” Constantine opened the case and studied the content. “It’s a troublesome thing.”
Charles moved over, only to see a crystal block. He could tell that it was precious material made from the School of Modifications and was as valuable as gold. However, he didn’t understand why something so precious was used to seal a thin piece of paper.
Inside the block was an ancient piece of paper. It seemed to have gone through a lot and the paper had aged considerably. If not for the crystal block, it would have disintegrated through time. It contained some sort of music notes but Charles could not tell its source.
He studied it for a while. His teacher Abraham was one of the best ancient scholars in the world. Even so, he could not decipher the words on the paper.
“What is this?”
“This is the original version of the Rune language. It is a product of music notes and languages. After so many years, it no longer contains any meaning. It’s okay if you do not understand it.”
The Rune was the written language closest to the Dark Ages of all western languages. Other than scholars who studied it specifically, it only existed in a few faraway villages of Asgard. ‘Till this day, it still retained some grammatical points from the Dark Ages, allowing one to see the era from a millennium ago. It was known as the living fossil.
Charles had never thought that the Ecclesiastical Order would bring it here, and its original at that. Did they want Constantine to study academia with them? Charles laughed at his own thought.
“A long, long time ago, people believed that this was the language of natural catastrophes,” Constantine said. “This is the oldest language known to humanity and the source of all music notes. What you see is just a replicate of the remains of an old book. This book is known as the ‘Book of the Ultimate.’ It is the source of all human civilization and the foundation of the Golden Age.”
Charles was stunned.
“All this time, the Order’s position has been unshakeable because of its control over the Book of the Ultimate and its final interpretation. With this replicate, they had complete advantage in theology
. It can be said to be the precious item of dreams for all upper level clergymen.”
Constantine held the block up. Reflecting under the sunlight, he studied the faint writing. Rather than power, it had the heaviness of history. As if only one who controlled fate could become the King of Red, something known as ‘orthodox’ had given it irreplaceable meaning.
Anyone who yearned for the truth of history and the source of all would find glory in laying eyes on it.
“It represents strength and honor comparable to Hyakume,” Constantine murmured as he caressed the block. “The Three Pillar God ·Holy Cauldron.”
In the silence, Charles gulped. “Is the legend real?” he asked quietly. “That humans first found the Holy Cauldron from the Ultimate?”
“Perhaps. After so many years, who knows?” Constantine returned the block to the case. “I’ve heard of countless legends. Some say that humanity created gods to protect their people during the Dark Ages and past the terrifying abyss. Some say that the Holy Cauldron is only a dream of ancient poets. Other musicians believe that the crowns of the three kings were made from the Cauldron…
“All the viewpoints seem to make sense but all are different. I can only tell you one thing, Charles: the Holy Cauldron truly exists.”
465 Legend and Wine
“All the viewpoints seem to make sense but all are different. I can only tell you one thing, Charles: the Holy Cauldron truly exists.” Constantine closed the iron box and ignited his pipe. But looking at Charles’s transfixed look, he couldn’t help laughing. “You really are Abraham’s student. Perhaps I should fire you and let you be an ancient scholar.”
Charles finally reacted and shook his head in shame. “I was just frightened. My teacher told me these as bedtime stories. I did not expect the legend is actually true.”
“Are you interested?” Constantine took a bottle of wine from the cabinet and placed a wine glass before Charles. “Make me some more ice. There should be good wine when listening to a good story.”
Charles immediately condensed the water vapor to make ices and sent to Constantine attentively. “I can even make an iceberg for you! How about I massage your shoulders and legs to help you relax?”
Constantine looked at him speechlessly, shaking his head, and exclaimed, “I have to clarify that I heard this rumor from an antique shop owner. It may not be false but it may not be true. After all, except those who experienced it, who knows what happened in the past?”
Before the golden age of mankind, it was the Dark Age that was never recorded in history. After the illusory era of myths, man appeared in this cold and cruel world, hungry and homeless. They had no power, no civilization, no history, or any records.
At that time, the world was dark. Winter seemed eternal. This mysterious period was called the ‘Dark Age’ by historians. No one knew how it long it had lasted.
At that time, the world was still under the control of natural catastrophes. The first cave paintings were of the four living creatures. Other than phenomenal natural catastrophes that humans could not observe, such as the Silver Tide, human beings saw catastrophes that lived like them for the first time. They were so strong, so terrible. Like a nightmare, they could not be resisted. A tiny movement of theirs could destroy mountains and the earth. They were monsters in the world, irresistible natural catastrophes.
Hecatoncheir occupied the land. Leviathan set off endless waves in the sea. The descendants of the Dark Gaia walked amongst the mountains and the waters. The Shadow Cereus bloomed in any place with aether. Because of their strong vitality and nature, the four were distinguished from other natural catastrophes like Silver Tide, Holy White Storm, Blood-Scorched Soil, Illusion Mire, and so on. They were known as the ‘four living creatures’.
After the ‘eight phenomena’, the ‘four living creatures’ appeared so in human history. Man was born in this world but found that the world did not belong to them.
The world was not kind to people. It had never been kind.
Just as how you could die at any time while alone in a foreign country or walking in a dark valley, humans struggled to survive among the natural catastrophes. It was like a fire in the darkness, burning feebly and extinguishing silently. Once there was a gust of wind, nothing would be left. Therefore, that era was called the Dark Age.
The transition in the middle of the Dark Ages was the appearance of the ‘three wise men’.
When human were about go extinct in this world, three wise men with advanced wisdom came from the east. They mastered one-third of the world’s truths respectively. They brought frankincense, gold, and myrrh to mankind and guided humanity to build their tribes in the Dark World and even…build nations.
Romulus’ founding emperor Aeneas was helped by one of the three wise men so that he could live for three hundred years as a human and turn into the Holy Spirit after his death.
With the help of the three wise men, men found all kinds of prehistoric relics from which they extracted incredible treasures. It was said mechanical engineering had started developing at that time.
Not only did the three wise men bring language, civilization, and treasures, but also prophecies from the depths of the aether world, from the Originator. It was the birth of ‘God’. Guided by the prophecy, human ships sailed to the end of the legendary world: the Ultimate.
At that time, the Ultimate was not yet the end of everything, but the place where the aether and material world crossed most deeply. It was also the closest to the Originator. All miracles flowed from there.
There, man found the prototype of God—the Holy Cauldron. In this way, mankind created ‘gods’ from the chaotic Originator. It was the existence of omniscience, omnipotence, full intelligence, full vision, full authority, and full creation.
It was omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, intangible, benevolent, self-reliant, and unique. This was the first ‘element’ created by mankind.
When this concept integrated into the Originator, it turned from the unreal into reality and began existing…and the Ultimate fell into chaos! That terrible shock from the most central transformation of the Originator emerged from the depths of the aether world and rushed into the aether sea. It descended into the material. It could almost be described as…earth-shattering.
The rivers turned upside down, the mountains collapsed, and the ocean rolled up to the sky, exposing the dry seabed. It was like the end of the world.
Everything was upended.
At that time, humans did not even know if they were successful. They could only infer from the aftermath of terror that terrible changes were going on in the depth of the Originator.
After seven days, God was born.
The world became meaningful. Now, the world of mankind was finally created. Man finally possessed the power.
When the element of gods was written into the Originator, the aether path was built on the foundation of God’s existence. With this fulcrum, human beings pried the Originator and wrote new rules into it, thus acquiring the mysteries of aether and music theory.
They finally had the power to confront the natural catastrophes.
The seven schools of musicians, all movements, all notes and music theories… The source of all knowledge came from this.
This was why the Church took the Holy Cauldron as the incarnation of a deity that could not be observed or described, even though it had been silent for thousands of years and could not respond to the prayers of the world.
This was the origin of the Holy Cauldron.
The age of mankind began then.
But in that terrible turmoil, more than one deity was created.
Once one had a ruler, one would be able to tell what was straight and what was not. Once there was light, darkness would be born. When the air rose, the turbid gas would fall.
When the elements of the Holy Cauldron started operating in the Originator, the first instruction was made—‘let there be light’—and the dark abyss was born from the aether world.
Ambiguous chaos was broken. Hyakume was born along with the Holy Cauldron. The former represented all the negative elements while the latter represented all the positive elements.
Immediately thereafter, when two incompatible elements collided with each other, it was like hell clashing with heaven. It stirred the deep power of the Originator and created riots of destruction.
The two gods themselves stood for everything. They were the endorsement of all things, so their confrontation also reflected in all aspects. Everything in the world was involved and no one could escape from this huge struggle. Even humans were divided because of this.
As a result, the Babel Tower collapsed. The only country divided into two and the two sides fought with each other endlessly. In that war, countless people died.
In order to fight for the Ultimate, countless holy spirits turned into stars and rose up into the sky. The inferior dark followers of Satan were born from the abyss. Even with the deaths of countless people, there was no sign of cessation of the war.
The war would never stop. This was the prophecy of the three wise men. The war would break all the rules and destroy the existing world. The rules would be reset again to reshape the Originator. It would go until both were destroyed and the Originator returned to calmness. All would fall into the chaos of nothingness.
But then, the neutral element separating the two, the Silent Moon, was born. Representing judgment, balance, and aether, the Silent Moon stood between the Holy Cauldron and Hyakume.
The three constituted the perfect balance and became the ultimate natural catastrophe at last, which was what human beings now witnessed—the Three Pillar God.
Thus the path of musicians led to the Originator and the crowns of the three kings was cast from the Holy Cauldron.
The three pillar god, three wise men, four living creatures, eight phenomena as well as the best of natural catastrophes also appeared in this world.