by Feng Yue
Silent, Ye Qingxuan looked down at the little thing in his palm. It was a doll made from weeds with a weird painted face. It looked like a girl but was drawn poorly. The thing was childish and crude but Ye Qingxuan felt like he was struck by lightning.
“Elsa…is still alive?” He looked at Hermes. “Does she really have something to do with the Winged Folk?”
“Ha, who knows?” Hermes whistled and pointed at the door. “My guest, the store is closed. Please go home. Come back in two days. The boss has something to give you.”
He waved his notebook knowingly. Ye Qingxuan gaped at the doll in his hands. After a long while, he put it in his arms and left.
In the store, Hermes held a feather duster and watched as Ye Qingxuan faded into the distance. He could not help but whistle.
“The hardest problem to solve in this world is the word ‘affection’…so hard to solve! But you can’t solve it like this.” He laughed gleefully. “You can’t solve it messily but you *sshole keep finding princesses to solve it. Not only do you have Bai Xi, the princess of Yunlou, and Anglo’s second princess, you even have something with the empress of Romulus…hehe, are you stuck now?”
No one replied in the silence.
This question probably had no answer.
470 New Year Sermon
In the afternoon, the snow stopped and weak sunlight filtered in from between the clouds. The cold wind was blocked by the high walls so the park did not feel cold. The evergreen trees poked out of the snow, stubbornly showing their color.
Unfortunately, no one was appreciating them.
Tomorrow was the Winter Festival. There was barely anyone on the streets. Charles and Abraham were the only ones in the vast park.
Abraham walked in the front and Charles followed. Just as how they walked on the streets in the past, if Abraham took a step, Charles would take a step. If Abraham stopped, Charles would stop. Charles had a rare break today, and had specially helped request permission for Abraham to come out. They strolled around the Sacred City.
“I remember when I was little, you always said that if I listened, you’d take me to the Sacred City when I’m older,” Charles said. “I always thought you were lying but I can’t believe we’re really here now.”
“Oh, you realized?” Abraham scratched his head awkwardly. “Actually…I was lying to you. After all, we were poor back then and the school didn’t allow me to travel great distances. At that time, I actually thought that if there was no other way, I’d borrow some money and take you to the Sacred City Amusement Park in Avalon. Then I wouldn’t be lying to you.”
Charles could not help but laugh. “Actually, I think the amusement park is more fun than the Sacred City. Do you like the Sacred City?”
“I actually cannot tell.” Abraham shook his head. “I’ve always been slow and less sensitive than others. I always thought that all cities are like this and everyone’s faces are similar. There are only so many things that can go around.
“People just worry about eating and sleeping everywhere. Cities are all the same but the wildernesses are all different. To beasts, the wilderness of Anglo and the Sacred City are different… In the Avalonian wilderness, there is the sea. The Sacred City has rivers and mountains but all are beautiful.”
Charles remained silent but Abraham smiled.
“Being in the wilderness for so long, you can’t wash away the habits of a beast. I’ve spent so many years learning the rules but I still don’t understand. In the past, I told Yezi that the interpretation method is to understand some things. However, now I think that there are things I won’t be able to understand this life but it’s okay. This is okay, Charles. There is no reason to feel sad for me.”
Charles nodded. “Professor, is there anything you are unaccustomed to here?”
“It’s the same everywhere. Don’t worry about me.” Abraham was walking in front and looked back at Charles. “But you, Charles, are you really thinking of staying here?”
“Yeah, I think the Sacred City is nice.” Charles nodded. “Mr. Constantine wants me to be his secretary. I’ll have a job and a way to feed myself. Maybe I can enter the clergy in the future and try being a priest. You don’t have to worry about me passing out drunk on the streets anymore.”
Abraham opened his mouth to speak but then he shook his head helplessly and sighed.
“In the past, I wished for you to become a scholar. Then you would not have to go hungry. But now you’re doing better than I’d expected. I can’t help you anymore.”
“Don’t worry, Professor.” Charles hooked an arm around Abraham’s shoulder as if they were the same age. They were as intimate as before. “I’ll come back to see you whenever I have time. After I work in the Sacred City for a few years, I’ll help you get amnesty. Then you won’t be a criminal anymore. You can go wherever you want and won’t have to lie to your students because of the Sacred City anymore.”
Abraham smiled and stopped speaking. They walked forward silently in the snow.
After a long while, Abraham asked quietly, “Do you still have nightmares?”
“Nope.” Charles laughed and shook his head.
The subtle pain in his head seemed to have gone far away.
Along with those nightmares.
-
The Winter Festival was the end of the year. This was the most festive holiday of the year. Beginning at dawn, the city began bustling. Lively parades and circuses were scattered throughout the city. Bards from Burgundy, circuses with all types of beasts, clowns with painted faces, and fire-dancers with bare muscular chests…
People from all over the world were joined in this city. Fireworks burst in the sky constantly with radiant glows. The entire city was deep in celebration.
Today, the hospitals and Choir musicians under the Church would go onto the streets to give believers free diagnosis and treatment. They would spread God’s care to more people.
The central square had been jam-packed since morning. People crowded there and restricted the urge to cheer and yell, waiting quietly instead. Regardless of whether they were nobles, commoners, or beggars, they were all in one place now. They may be far apart but before God, there was no difference. They respectfully waited for the gospel to arrive.
At noon, holy light fell from the sky. A figure clad in pure white walked up to the high podium at the side of the square.
At the podium, the figure slightly raised a hand for the crowd to quiet down.
The noises suddenly vanished. The crowd stopped pushing and reverently obeyed the figure’s wordless command. They waited quietly.
When the Cardinals had all arrived, the man with white clothing and a crown, surrounded by the statues of countless saints, raised his scepter. His projection appeared in the sky. Like a giant, he looked down and could see everything.
He was the King of Red!
This was the only one on Earth who acted on behalf of God. He controlled the souls and final resting places of humanity; he was the sovereign and protector the holy city—the Pope!
As he waved, holy light descended from heaven. As if daybreak had arrived, the light was filled with cleanliness and vitality. Under the faint melody, heaven’s glow shone on everyone. It soundlessly chased away their pain, bringing the gospel to the miserable people.
Once a year, before the sermon, the King of Red would personally perform the Waldstein, the morning sonata, to cure and bless the believers who came for the gospel.
“Your grace!” In the crowd, countless believers and priests shed tears of gratitude. They flattened themselves to the ground and prayed. The noise merged into a fervent and organized hymn.
Under the leadership of the hymnists, they all sang together. Bathed under the morning light, they filled the steel city with the fervent music.
At the very front of the crowd, Ye Qingxuan carried Bai Xi and gasped for breath. She was not heavy but after thirty minutes, he was in serious pain. His physique had improved a lot but he still was not suited
for physical work like carrying someone, especially in a sea of people.
“Bai Xi, if you grab my hair again, I’m going to get angry!” Ye Qingxuan angrily pinched her calf.
Without caring, Bai Xi continued to grab his hair. “Cousin, higher! I can see the pope! The sermon’s about to start!”
“Where’s that *sshole Charles?” Ye Qingxuan called, shaking Bai Xi in annoyance. “Didn’t he say he’s coming with us? Where’s he?”
“He left long ago!” Bai Xi cackled in excitement. No matter how Ye Qingxuan shook her, she would not let go of his hair. “He said he hasn’t seen the Tablet of Fate yet! He wants to go touch it…”
“Touch it? Why does he have to go now?!” Clenching his jaw, Ye Qingxuan muttered, “I knew I shouldn’t believe him. He said he’ll come help but then just disappeared!”
“Shush, quiet down.” Before he could finish, the believers around them looked over disapprovingly. “The sermon is about to begin!”
Instantly, the square fell silent. Only one voice remained.
“The believers of God,” the white-clothed King of Red declared at the podium. “Six hundred and forty years ago, we created a miracle here, where we are now, following God’s decree!
“Here, the heaven and land connected, the sky fell to the earth. Because of this, a light that would illuminate the ages began shining. Because of this, joy was ignited. Because of this, there was music.
“This was the birth of the city of holiness!”
The sermon had finally begun. However, during the silence, someone in the crowd pushed into Ye Qingxuan and subtly gave him a slip of paper.
Frowning, Ye Qingxuan unfolded the paper. There was only one line: come here.
It was signed by a strange symbol of a wolf’s head.
Wolf Flute?
Confused, Ye Qingxuan looked around. He quickly sensed Wolf Flute’s aether waves. They were pulsing subtly from under the podium. Ye Qingxuan glanced over and saw Wolf Flute in the heavily guarded elite area. In addition to Wolf Flute, there were many other familiar faces.
Various important figures, ambassadors, and the upper officials of the Church were in the specially designated area. Ye Qingxuan even saw Yunlou Qingshu in a corner talking happily with a cardinal.
Noticing Ye Qingxuan, Wolf Flute waved.
Confused, Ye Qingxuan put Bai Xi down. He asked Lola to secretly keep an eye on her and pushed through the crowd. He showed his Silent Authority card to the guards and was brought to the side where Wolf Flute was.
The man looked annoyed. “Look at you. We’re getting worked to death but you’re here having fun with a pretty girl.”
“You think I’m having fun?” Ye Qingxuan massaged his sore shoulder. “What do you want?”
“Not me.” Wolf Flute shook his head and moved aside. “Someone wants to see you.”
471 Troublesome Task
“Not me.” Wolf Flute shook his head and moved aside. “Someone wants to see you.”
Ye Qingxuan saw the old man with a lowered head among the various clergymen and nobles. Ye Qingxuan knew him.
Constantine?
After the sermon, the pope would give him the archbishop’s red robe before everyone’s eyes. At that time, he would be the most well-known cardinal of the Sacred City.
Why did he come to meet Ye Qingxuan at this time?
“Mr. Ye, there’s a small problem,” Constantine said directly. “Wolf Flute suggested you to me, thinking you would be able to help. Hopefully, you will.”
“Help?” Ye Qingxuan was confused. “To be honest, I can help in many aspects with my skills but none of them are what a cardinal would be interested in.”
People like Ye Qingxuan were famous, but in the eyes of a cardinal, unrelated to any musicians, he could only help kill some people. Was Constantine planning on getting a killer to make some drama in the Sacred City before he took office?
“Don’t worry. You will definitely be able to help.” Wolf Flute did not dare to smoke in this formal event so he could only chew gum. “You just need to find someone in this square.”
In this square? Find someone? Ye Qingxuan glanced back at the mass of people and laughed involuntarily. “Wolf Flute, do you know how many people there are here? Probably tens of thousands! Unless you want me to find a dwarf or giant, it’ll be impossible to find someone.”
“What a pity. That person isn’t a dwarf or giant.” Wolf Flute stood beside Ye Qingxuan as if enjoying the scenery. His lips opened and a voice poured into his ears like thunder. “His name is Gaius.”
“Wait!” Ye Qingxuan almost yelped. Eyes opening wide, he asked quietly, “Didn’t he already leave?”
Wolf Flute shrugged. “He might come back.”
“Gaius would never leave,” Constantine sighed. “He would never let me live until I became a cardinal. He’d never let me, the ex-deputy commander, be blessed by the pope in front of the entire world’s eyes.”
“It’s just changing jobs! Why is he so petty?” Ye Qingxuan’s expression twisted. “Can’t he just let it go? Why does he have to kill you?”
Constantine could not help but shake his head. “Do you know what it means for me to betray the Revolutionaries?”
After a moment, Ye Qingxuan asked curiously, “An extra traitor?”
Rather than becoming angry or responding to Ye Qingxuan’s irony, Constantine answered, “Let’s put aside the horrible consequences or whether their reputation will be damaged. You must know that no interior of organizations is all united, even something as idealistic as the Revolutionaries.
“There’s an Eastern tale of using thousands to buy horse bones, right?” he asked lightly. “To the king, I’m just a horse skeleton. Yes, my betrayal will damage the Revolutionaries greatly but they might be able to withstand it. However, they have to face something else after I betray them.”
There seemed to be a fire burning in Constantine’s eyes. He said in a low voice, “Whether it is the political significance or the plan right after, if it is done correctly, they can destroy all of Gaius’s efforts now and ruin him!”
Hearing all this, Ye Qingxuan suddenly had a headache. Why did he keep getting into things like this?
“Gaius might not come though, right?” he asked. “This is just your guess.”
“There’s been at least ten assassination attempts on me these days. There was one when I was just coming here.” Constantine stared at the crowd as if looking for that familiar face. “I know Gaius just as he knows me. He will come. If he wants to kill me, this will be his last chance.”
-
A few minutes later, Constantine was taken inside for preparation. Ye Qingxuan glanced at Wolf Flute. “So you gave me a troublesome task again?”
“Isn’t it good that I always think of you for work?” Wolf Flute asked in return. “We don’t actually need you but adding you in helps give you more stuff in your CV. And it’s not just you. Do you know how long the Silent Authority spent to make this trap? There are at least four hundred men hiding in this square, all working under the Silent Authority. If Gaius is found, you won’t need to be on the front lines.”
“It sounds pretty set in stone already?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“Who knows?” Wolf Flute shrugged. “It’s Gaius after all. No one can be sure.”
Ye Qingxuan looked back at the reverent faces in the sea of people. He could not help but ask, “If Gaius really comes, he’ll do something big. At that time…what will happen to all these believers?”
Wolf Flute glanced at him but did not reply. Ye Qingxuan understood.
“Right,” he murmured, frowning. “Who knows?”
-
Ye Qingxuan quickly returned to the crowd and found Bai Xi.
“I’m going to look for Charles,” he said quietly. “And you go back to the embassy. Don’t stay here.”
“What’s wrong?” Bai Xi glanced at him in confusion.
Ye Qingxuan petted her hair. “Be good. I’ll tell you later.”
>
Bai Xi glared at him unhappily. Though she was unwilling, she still followed Ye Qingxuan out. Forcing their way through the crowd, Ye Qingxuan stuffed her inside the embassy’s carriage.
The carriage went off into the distance.
“You want me to go too? What about you?” Lola asked. “Are you going to get involved?”
“I have to at least find Charles. If they kill him, it’ll be a seriously sad death.” Ye Qingxuan waved his hand. “Don’t worry. I’m just helping instead of going to my death. If anything happens, I’ll be the first to run. No one would catch me.”
“How come you’re only confident when talking about running?” Lola sighed but the faint figure disappeared.
“To be honest, I wish I know,” Ye Qingxuan muttered to himself.
He walked toward the crowd and suddenly, there was an explosion in the distance! The ground shook. Under the boom, a tall tower in the distance broke in half. Flames and smoke rose to the sky. Pained cries traveled over. The square instantly fell silent. Everyone looked up in shock, staring at the pillar of black smoke.
“Keep alert! Do not become disorderly!” Wolf Flute’s voice came through. “Someone will take care of it. We must watch the square! Watch everyone around you!”
Under the explosion, panic had spread to the square. Heads all shot up and the commotion was impossible to keep down. Even at the podium, the pope stopped speaking.
And then he reached out.
And a miracle descended.
Ye Qingxuan instantly felt a large undercurrent in the depths of the aether sea, far below his sensory range. It seemed to be an echo coming from the deepest part of the aether world. Focusing on it, he could hear a glorious hymn in his ears.
A spirit emerged from thin air. It was born from nothingness.
Ye Qingxuan could not observe the detailed process or even imagine it. He could only guess the miraculous method from the waves in the aether sea.
It was like creating a soul in an instant.
The spirit filled with benevolence and gentleness flowed in everyone’s hearts. Without sound, it instantly soothed the panic. Then the King of Red pointed and time flowed backward.