Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  The country was like a prey struggling hard under the beak of the catastrophe. It was ripped apart bit by bit, its internal organs devoured. As the catastrophe munched on carefreely, the country gave its dying kicks before losing its last bit of life.

  In the ditch frozen with muddy water, the stench of torn boots and rotten feet lingered. Dozens of soldiers with unkempt hair lay on the ground in dead slumber, and thunder-like snores rang out non-stop.

  In the snow that was drifting profusely, in a corner that was relatively warm and sheltered from the wind, someone tossed and turned. In the end, he resigned himself to his fate and gave up on sleeping. He pulled a scrap of curtain on top of his face away, revealing cracking lips and a face covered in ashes and dirt. He climbed up, held on to the edge of the ditch, and extended his head out into the cold, howling wind. He took large gulps of breath in the life-saving fresh air and panted.

  “How awful. Foot odor alone would be a great weapon for this country, no?” Charles leaned over on the edge and retched for a long time, but did not manage to vomit up anything. In the silence where only snores could be heard, he looked blankly at the surrounding wilderness and the city behind him. After a good while, he raised one foot and kicked the dead asleep guy next to him. “I heard a group of girls singing…”

  “Don’t be silly.” Wolf Flute rolled over on the floor and mumbled, “It’s the dead of the night, why would there be people singing?”

  “I’m not kidding,” Charles shouted in a low voice. “I can smell wine, the Royal Knights…”

  “You’re overthinking,” said Wolf Flute.

  Charles’ pestering prevented Wolf Flute from falling asleep again. Wolf Flute dragged a broken bucket filled with liquid over inattentively and handed it to Charles. “Come, drink some aged kerosene to satisfy your craving.”

  “…” Charles was speechless, and he squatted back down in the ditch. The two men stared at each other, at a loss for words. After a long time, they shivered at the same time.

  “It’s so cold!” one of them exclaimed.

  “It’s really f*cking cold!” the other agreed.

  Charles wrapped the scrap of blanket tightly around him and wanted to cry, but no tears came out. “Why is there not even heating? The local gangs really lack courtesy!”

  “They can’t do anything about that, they’re too poor.” Wolf Flute shook his head. He fished out a small bottle and took a sip. “The gratitude and respect of the Caucasians for your willingness to die have already manifested themselves in the form of the blanket for you to cover. But you are still unsatisfied, and here you are, requesting for heating, girls, and wine. Are you still human?”

  “…” Charles was rendered speechless once more. He stared straight at the bottle in Wolf Flute’s hand. “What are you drinking?” Charles had been starving for a night and was so cold that he was almost willing to go to hell to warm himself by the fire. Seeing that Wolf Flute had something edible, Charles couldn’t help but want to pounce on him.

  “This? You want some?” Wolf Flute raised an eyebrow and shoved the bottle right in front of Charles’ nose. Stunned by the pungent smell, Charles almost tripped.

  “Would you like a sip? It’s a special medicine for treating dysautonomia and schizophrenia. It’s really effective. Ever since I started drinking it, I can no longer see my second cousin who doesn’t exist,” said Wolf Flute.

  “You still haven’t recovered?” Charles asked.

  “It won’t be so easy for me to recover.” Wolf Flute shook his head. Behind him, the phantom of the wolf-headed god flashed across, half of its body missing, and it looked as badly damaged as before.

  “That old fellow, Wagner, is really strong. Although our phantom beasts are both divine, the level of completion of Anubis is far lower than the Valkyrie, which had been passed down for generations. They just brushed past each other… and Anubis was hurt so badly. To recover completely, it’ll take at least another half a year. “

  Looking at him, Charles couldn’t help but shake his head. He couldn’t sleep. As he looked at the dark sky, his expression became sad and worried.

  “I wonder how Little Yezi and Bai Xi are doing now. One way or another, I’m still worried about them.”

  “You can rest assured.” Wolf Flute laughed gloatingly. “According to what I know, Ye Qingxuan couldn’t be better. He is probably gathering his strength to beat you up.”

  Charles shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it then. After all, I was the one who ran away…”

  “Don’t be sad, the worst case scenario for you is still much better than my situation.” Wolf Flute shrugged as well. “There’s a terrifying old man in the world who is ready to clean house.”

  Charles said, “You mean Ba…”

  Before Charles finished his words, Wolf Flute’s expression changed suddenly. He reached out, covered Charles’ mouth, and raised a finger to his lips, motioning for Charles to keep quiet.

  “Shh,” Wolf Flute whispered.

  Boom! Sudden bangs sounded in the sky. Frenzied lightning brewed up, burst forth, and stabbed towards the mortal world, bringing blazing light that only lasted for an instant. The light illuminated the phantom wolves around Wolf Flute. Their eyes were green, and they silently gazed at the sky. But the thunder and lightning only lasted for a flash and soon returned to silence, For a long time, nothing could be heard.

  Wolf Flute let out a sigh of relief, let go and shook his head at Charles. “Don’t ever mention that name, especially when I am around…”

  Charles didn’t say anything, just stared straight at him, a weird look in his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Wolf Flute gave a resigned smile. “Got scared?”

  “It must be very warm, no?” Charles suddenly asked, surprising Wolf Flute.

  Charles pointed at him indignantly. “Don’t deceive me, I just saw them. With so much fur around you, it must be very warm! And I was wondering how you don’t shiver at all!

  “You are too mean, you have so many wolves, it’s not like you can use all of them on yourself, so at least give me one!”

  “…” Wolf Flute didn’t know what to reply.

  Two minutes later, Charles, who was surrounded by the wolves, moaned happily, hugging one of the wolves and rubbed against its fur.

  “You should get some rest.” Wolf Flute looked at him with resignation. “There’s a lot in store for you tomorrow.”

  Charles was silent for a long time, scratching his head. “Speaking of which, you guys are surely not expecting me to deal with the catastrophe tomorrow?”

  “Haven’t we told you about it many times?” Wolf Flute said.

  “I thought you guys were joking!” Charles was confused and shocked. “It’s not just any catastrophe, but the Eagle Wing Mother, the legendary king of the sky that made a name for itself four hundred years ago, the old school catastrophe that has never been defeated so far. Are you sure I can defeat it? My death is but a small matter, but what if my defeat affects the great scheme of the revolution?! “

  “…” Wolf Flute patted his shoulder. “Tomorrow on the battlefield, I will not protect you.”

  “Thank you… Um? Wait!” Charles spluttered.

  “I am already hurt, bro.” Wolf Flute shrugged. “I have exhausted all my strength trying to protect you during our escape from the Sacred City. Surely you can’t let me confront a catastrophe head-on to protect you? Plus…” He paused, his expression complicated.

  “Plus, what?” An ominous premonition popped up in Charles’ heart.

  “Plus, it’s not tomorrow,” Wolf Flute raised a finger and pointed at the dark sky, “it’s already here.”

  Boom! The next moment, the dark sky cracked. A torrent-like hurricane swept down from the sky, wrapping countless black eagle feathers in it. In the roar of the gale, a piercing alarm sounded from the entire line of defense, countless eagle-bodied demons screamed one after another, making anyone who heard them shudder.

  In the cracked laye
rs of clouds, countless thunder and lightning flashed wildly, illuminating a huge pair of black wings.

  Catastrophe—Eagle wing mother.

  The real king of the sky had descended!

  “Ah, we’re counting on you!” Wolf Flute patted his shoulder and made a thumbs-up. “Go!”

  “You can’t be serious, bro!” Charles looked up at the sky, his face pale. “How am I supposed to fight against it? Kill it by biting it with my teeth?”

  Wolf Flute slapped his own head and finally remembered something. “Ah, before leaving, Mr. Gaius asked me to pass this to you, I almost forgot.” He stuffed something into Charles’ hand mysteriously, with a serious look. “Take it, it’s a secret weapon.”

  Charles was momentarily cheered up. He opened his palm and looked down, then sprayed a mouthful of blood on Wolf Flute’s face.

  “You’re f*cking kidding me!” Charles waved the item in his hand angrily. “At least give me an artifact! What good is this thing?”

  In the hand of Charles lay an exquisite triangle… It didn’t even come with a beater!

  “No fears, I have checked, are you not a Level 10 triangle player certified by the Sacred City?” Wolf Flute left him a confident smile. “I’ll leave it to you then, goodbye!” As Wolf Flute finished his words, Anubis wrapped around his body, and he disappeared in a flash.

  Only Charles was left alone in the empty ditch, holding a triangle, staring blankly at the dark sky.

  No, this is no way to fight a battle!

  He dismissed the idea of bludgeoning the catastrophe to death with a triangle before it had a chance to develop.

  Making up his mind immediately, Charles kept his body low and started running with all his might, abandoning the scene.

  He ran away!

  I must run, there is no other option!

  In just a few seconds, two musicians of the Level of Master had been crushed under the Eagle Wing Mother’s claws! If he didn’t run any faster, it wouldn’t even have to do anything to get rid of him, as its subservient descendants alone could tear Charles into pieces.

  I shall make use of the opportunity to run away first while its attention is attracted by someone else…

  But very soon, Charles noticed that something was wrong. In his hands, the triangle suddenly became boiling hot, as if it had been burnt red. It stuck to his hand firmly, causing severe pain, and he could not get it away from him despite swinging his hands madly.

  The severe pain could still be handled, but shortly after that, the triangle sent out horrifying aether waves. It automatically drew power from the nine-layer sea of aether and exuded an aura more terrifying than that of a musician of the Level of Master.

  It was as if the triangle was trying to announce something in all directions: “I am here!”

  By right, at the moment, Charles should feel a power from heaven descending upon him, as if he had received the help of God and the huge amount of power would be about to make his body explode, or something along those lines. But, he couldn’t sense a thing.

  In other words, the item in his hand was all looks and no use! Its only use was to attract the attention of the catastrophe…

  Feeling icy maliciousness coming from all directions, Charles stopped in his tracks, wanting to cry but no tears came out. “Let me explain, it’s a long story. I’m actually just an innocent passerby. The whole battle has no-goddamn-thing to do with me, er, I mean no offense to birds [1], I mean…”

  In the sky, the huge shadow seemed to have sensed something and cast down a sinister gaze. Behind the wings of countless eagle-bodied demons, a vague figure that looked old could be seen faintly. It was an old woman that looked half-eagle and half-human. Her gaze was filled with a non-human grotesqueness, and she pointed a finger at Charles.

  Charles’ expression changed drastically, as he held up his hands and begged for mercy. “Friend, please wait for one…”

  Boom! He was swallowed by the howling torrent of wind.

  [1] The literal translation of the previous part of the sentence is “The whole battle has no-‘bird’-thing to do with me”, as there is a curse word in Chinese that literally means “bird”, hence the second part of the sentence.

  571 Here’s to the New World Part 1

  The crystal chandelier gave off a beautiful, soft glow. A warm fire was burning in the fireplace, and the fragrance of burning incense lingered in the basement. In the emotional singing, girls draped in tulle danced in the gentle melody. Their toes sunk deeply into the cashmere carpet, and were engulfed by the soft wool. The charming girls swayed their bodies, exuding a seductiveness full of desire.

  Piercing laughter rang out.

  The middle-aged man who was only wearing a pair of shorts drank the last bottle of wine in the whole of the Caucasus. He stood up straight, his fat belly in full view, and jumped into the group of dancing girls, wriggling his body along with the melody. “Commonwealth of Caucasian, the world’s greatest nation. All the other countries, their kings are such dummies!”

  Intoxicated, he sang the national anthem loudly, altering the lyrics without feeling any semblance of shame. “Oh, Commonwealth of Caucasian, the first in *** exportation, all the other countries, their *** are of low quality.

  “Oh, Caucasus, your Mother River is a great miracle. It is 200 meters wide, the waste and the feces, 80% is removed by it…

  “Ah, Commonwealth of Caucasian, friends with every nation, just not Burgundy, their noses are big and the people gossipy, they’ve got shit for brains and they’re nutty…” As he sang, stuttering over the words every so often, he took off his shorts and hugged the petite girl nearest to him, grinning. “Please come shake hands with the great d*ck of His Majesty, we invented begging, aphrodisiac and toffee…”

  Suddenly, the melody came to an abrupt stop. As the door opened, a cold wind that should not belong here swept across the room, causing everyone to shiver. At the same time, an old figure that should not be here showed up as well.

  Gaius.

  “Leave us,” he said.

  So, the entertainers and dancers hurriedly gathered up their things, lined up and quickly left. Only the man lying in the middle of the carpet remained.

  “Why are you here again?” Displaying his private parts unabashedly despite the other person’s presence, the man, who was intoxicated with song and dance as well as alcohol, waved his hand impatiently. “Haven’t I already put you fully in charge of everything?”

  “I’m just here to inform you that the war has begun.” Gaius said, “The war has a direct bearing on the fate of the Caucasus. From sentiment and reason, you should at least take a look.”

  “Now, the Caucasus no longer has anything to do with me.” The man continued to pour spirits into his mouth, “Gaius, I am a king. Could you please respect me a little? When you were promoted to the representative of the Sacred City back in the olden days, I voted yes, so you owe me one.

  “You see, I have handed the right to command over to you fully, and instructed everyone to cooperate with your orders to the best of their abilities. You are their savior now.

  “You have taken all I have, surely you can’t ask me to do work on your behalf again at the eleventh hour…”

  His Majesty the King shrugged and belched. “Especially when I’m planning to have some fun one more time.”

  Gaius frowned. “Like it or not, you are a king.”

  “I must race against the clock and have fun while I still can, exactly because I’m a king.” The king rolled his eyes and patted his round belly. “Be it victory or defeat, someone must take responsibility for the deaths, right?”

  Gaius was silent for a moment, and nodded. “Yes.”

  “Other than the king, is there anyone more suitable?” the king questioned once more.

  Gaius shook his head. “No.”

  “Then what’s wrong with me having fun before I die?” The king waved his hand impatiently. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue. Before going out to
save the world, please help me call my girls back.”

  Gaius withdrew his gaze and glanced at the girls standing in a row in the corridor, hugging each other and shivering in the cold wind. He pointed towards the room.

  The girls were visibly relieved and returned to the warm basement once more, snuggling up to the fire, like canaries returning to their comfortable cage.

  So, a smile appeared on the king’s face once more. He randomly grabbed a girl, and pinned her to the ground, groping and kissing her recklessly. He laughed loudly.

  Gaius took a final look at him and withdrew his gaze in disgust. He turned to make his leave, but heard a hoarse laugh behind him.

  “Here’s to your new world, Gaius.” The king murmured softly in his state of intoxication, “You better pray that your trump card will come in handy.”

  …

  On the battlefield, torrents swept through.

  No miracle occurred after the torrent of eagles swept through.

  Nothing was left.

  Only a ghastly spread of blood covered the frozen soil, melting the snow and turning it into a sickly sweet mud. It was as if he had gone into a trace for a moment and the whole world had changed when he opened his eyes.

  Charles stared blankly at the pitch black sky, then lowered his head and saw his split-up body. Blood oozed out of his broken limbs, limbs twisted and fractured, and bones scattered on the ground.

  His internal organs had been pulled out of his abdominal cavity and were soaked in warm blood, like a cooling pot of hot soup.

  But he couldn’t feel the pain.

  Because bright flowers bloomed from the blood, a gentle, warm wind caressed him, and some singing rang out in the distance, like a lullaby, drifting one off to sleep.

  A gentle palm stroked his cheek, rubbing against his weed-like beard and touched his lips lightly.