Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Through the layers of armor, Ye Qingxuan could even see a unique identification interval within the operation of countless mechanical parts and alchemy arrays.

  It was the unique code of the armor terminal in the Net of Aether. It could be distinguished and authenticated precisely because of the different combinations of intervals on each terminal.

  Although it would not be of use in the early stages, its existence would become an absolutely necessity once the large scale development of the Net of Aether began.

  Newton was so farsighted that Ye Qingxuan felt ashamed of his inferiority.

  At the moment, the Net of Aether had been divided into three layers.

  The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth at the topmost level projected its own elements onto the mid-level instrument of harmonious melody via cable, and the instrument of harmonious melody acting as a repeater would transmit the music theory through cable all the way to the armor terminal at the bottom layer.

  The three layers were distinct, forming a topological structure typical in mathematics, and constituted the first network of the Net of Aether.

  In Newton’s expectation, a fourth or fifth level might also be added in the future.

  As the topmost level, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, which was also the main body of the Net of Aether, would become a huge music theory hub, continuously distributing the power to the second layer below it, namely several large repeaters. The large repeaters would then pass the aether and music theory downwards along the cables to the next level consisting of small instrument of harmonious melody, which would then uniformly assign and transmit them to each terminal.

  The power acting on each terminal would also be transmitted upwards layer by layer.

  In a system using the way of deciphering as a standard format for music theory, everything would be integrated as one.

  It was just like the management system of a post office, but instead of letters that were being delivered in mail satchels, aether and musical movements were transmitted. In a very short period of time, power would be transported to everyone needing it via the network…

  Now, the construction of the first network was finally complete.

  At the moment when the bridging process was complete, all that must be done was mutual verification between each layer, which would ensure that no noise or errors were generated during the transmission of music theory and musical movements.

  According to the process flow diagram that Newton had handed him, the terminal first sent a special set of intervals to the upper layer for verification. At the same time, it entered the transmission state.

  “The first connection is complete!”

  Then, the instrument of harmonious melody at the upper level received the interval, completed the verification, and transmitted a special interval downward after making sure that the one-way transmission was free of problems, while entering the transmission state at the same time.

  From the floor, a deep sound of organ pipes rang out faintly.

  “The second connection is complete!”

  The terminal received the verification interval from the upper layer, and the one-way transmissions from both sides were confirmed to be problemless, so the final confirmation interval was produced. Both sides officially entered the connection state.

  “The third connection is complete!”

  Below the floor, the huge pneumatic organ connected to the instrument of harmonious melody suddenly operated. The note representing the completion of the detection of the final transmission rang out.

  It was a low rumble.

  The organ music contained pain and joy, like the cries of a baby at birth.

  A dead silence ensued.

  It continued for a long time, a very long time.

  Then, from the copper tube came a scream of ecstasy. “The music theory is smoothly transmitted! We have succeeded! Mr. Newton! We have succeeded! The first phase test of the Net of Aether is successfully completed!”

  Chaotic noise could be faintly heard, and it seemed to be the sound of the researchers embracing each other.

  Although the results seemed to be very simple, it made them so excited, like voyagers who had discovered a new continent.

  Even if it was just a faint trace in the distance, it would be enough to make the explorers in the endless ocean burst into tears.

  Even Newton, who had generally mean-mugged the rest, had a small smile on his lips.

  Ye Qingxuan couldn’t help but clap.

  In the short span of half a month, Newton had proven his ability.

  Compared with the rigorous system he created, what Ye Qingxuan had designed by himself… was just like dog shit.

  “What’s there to be excited about?” Newton soon calmed down and gave a wave of his hand. “Strike while the iron is hot and continue the test. The team responsible for music theory transmission, make room for the rest. Hand me the summary tomorrow, and put the new transmission agreement into agenda. Prepare the encryption key and take proper precautions, don’t give others a chance to lay a finger on the terminal and enter the Net of Aether without permission.”

  “There’s still new things?” Ye Qingxuan looked at Newton.

  “Of course, otherwise we can just celebrate behind closed doors, why would I call you over? I asked the musicians to prepare a few simple movement excerpts yesterday to try out the results first.” Newton cast him a look, raised the megaphone in his hand, and shouted to the test subject in the distance, “What’s the name again, Zebra or Cow… Yes, don’t just stand there dumbly, look at the buttons on your left arm.

  “Yes, press the red one! “

  Zebra hesitated for a moment. Constrained by their deal, he unwillingly pressed the button that didn’t seem like something good, judging from its appearance.

  A click sounded.

  Beneath the floor, in the dark, the huge organ was played again.

  Amid the low melody, music theory flowed along the Net of Aether, entered the terminal, and formed an excerpt of a movement, then… Zebra’s figure suddenly blurred.

  Soon, only a faint shadow was left in the original position, and could hardly be seen clearly without careful examination.

  Zebra was stunned, then asked in an unbelieving tone, “I have… turned invisible?”

  That’s right, invisibility, the signature of the school of magic.

  Although his aether wave was as obvious as a torch in the night and couldn’t be hidden at all in a musician’s sense of aether, to the naked eye, traces of his existence could hardly be detected.

  “Not bad.” Ye Qingxuan was pleasantly surprised. “The technology has already reached this point? I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “That’s not all.” Newton shook his head and shouted, “Hey, Zebra, push the red button up, then press the blue button! Listen clearly, turn off the red one first, then turn on the blue one!”

  The zebras acted accordingly, and in the low-pitched organ music, the mice in the cages at the corners began to scream frantically and ran around, trying to escape.

  Despite nothing having happened at all.

  “Deterrence?” Ye Qingxuan murmured in realization.

  It was an introductory technique of the school of heart. Although he did not even feel anything with such a level of deterrence, the small animals could sense it acutely.

  “Try the green one!” Newton shouted.

  This time, after a long silence, a soft piece of pink appeared on the ground, twitching in the dry air, like a living thing.

  Even Ye Qingxuan had not expected it…

  “It’s a sponge?” Ye Qingxuan laughed. “I’m amazed that you managed to come up with such an idea.”

  Although it looked absurd, it was still an application of the movements of the school of summoning nonetheless. Sponge could also be considered as a living thing… although it was the type that resembled a living thing the least.

  He could also correctly guess why had a sponge been chosen, and it was because
the bestiality of the sponge was of the simplest nature…

  It had almost zero need for bestiality.

  Moreover, whether such a creature’s consciousness really existed was still a question.

  Initially, movements of the school of summoning was the biggest shortcoming of the Net of Aether, because the music theory required was a few times more than that of other schools. At the end of the day, it boiled down to the difficulty in creating living things out of thin air.

  Without musicians to nurture it with their consciousness, the simulation of bestiality was a big problem. Without enough music theory and empirical data, the creatures summoned would definitely be incredibly slow-witted, but the problem could only be solved slowly.

  What’s more, Ye Qingxuan was counting his chickens in his mind.

  After intercepting Master Haydn’s Genesis, the foundation of the Net of Aether was settled. If he could lay his hands on Wagner’s Valkyries also, the problem of bestiality would definitely be solved!

  Worst come to worst, he could still use the Chapter of the Golden Victory!

  Of course, such schemes must be planned slowly, and journeys must be taken step by step. At the moment, it was not a suitable timing to provoke the Sacred City, and he could only carry out the research in secret and take things slowly.

  Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a loud bang.

  The iron shell covering Zebra abruptly exploded.

  The aftermath shock waves swept, then immediately froze, and dissipated without a trace.

  Only Zebra who had fallen with his back to the ground and was a bloody mess, remained in place.

  The alarm sounded sharply, stinging everyone’s eardrum.

  Newton was stunned at first, then immediately turned violent with rage. He ran over slapped Zebra’s face furiously. “My prototype! You dumbass, what have you done!”

  Contrary to Ye Qingxuan’s expectations, Zebra had not been burnt into charcoal in the outbreak of music theory.

  By right, the musical movements on his body had connected with the alchemy array as one, and he shouldn’t have survived safely. However, at the moment, it seemed that he only sustained serious injuries, and was not even in need of emergency treatment.

  Soon, Newton identified the cause of the accident, and lifted the remaining half of arm guard on the ground, expressionless. Two of the buttons on it were all switched on.

  The terminal’s capability was not enough to support the operation of two movements at the same time, and the music theory had clashed and erupted.

  It was like an overconfident apprentice who wanted to play a movement above his level and blew up with a boom.

  “Drag this dead dog out!” Newton roared furiously, stomping, “Next time, find me some test subjects who can understand human language, do you hear me! Such dumb idiots would only hold things up!”

  Ye Qingxuan sized the gigantic man who was being carried away on a stretcher up. “What have you done? How did he survive?”

  “I’m guessing that you wouldn’t want to know.” Newton gave a laugh, kicking the fragments on the ground with the tip of his sole, and a crooked, blood-stained silver nail rolled out of them.

  Ye Qingxuan’s expression also turned ugly.

  He knew what the thing was.

  — Mass produced surgical sound suppressor plug.

  630 The Essence of Aether

  Mass production of surgical sound suppressor plug. A product that has been obsolete for the past 50 years. Back then, he had something like this in his own spine, which sealed his path towards becoming a musician. It had been the failed product of an experiment but he did not expect Newton to utilize it as a stabilizing plug. Its function was similar to that of the safety valve of a machine. Once the music theory goes haywire, it would be activated automatically to cut off the circulation of aether.

  “I must hand it to you.” Ye Qingxuan exclaimed in awe. He retrieved his vision and took back the vambrace from Newton, “And what about this?”

  “Not enough time.” Newton shook his head. “Some of the musical notes keep producing calculation errors. It’s fine if we run only a single interval but problems start to crop up when we try to run two at the same time. At the moment, we are still limited to the basics of major and minor chords. We have not been able to progress further than that.”

  Ye Qingxuan frowned, “If we are limited to a single line, then we will forever remain at the level of apprentices. If we continue to be unable to achieve duets, we will probably be unable to utilize most movements.”

  Newton rubbed his forehead, “Our lack of computing powers is a huge problem.”

  “Not just computing powers, Newton, you have misunderstood.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head and was just about to say something when he suddenly recalled his first ever lesson at the Royal Academy of Music. On that afternoon, Abraham had told him that aether were like messengers that would lead rebels back to the Originator… so musicians, when viewed from certain perspectives, could also be considered as messengers of the Originator.

  “Newton, movements are like ‘languages’. Forget the way you have always been perceiving them. You need to find a new angle.” Ye Qingxuan said, “Although language is an art on its own, it also possessed its own rules and principles. We have to find the most suitable way.”

  “You have a solution in mind?” Newton asked. This was beyond his area of expertise, so Ye Qingxuan’s ideas deserved to be heard.

  “What solution can I have?” Ye Qingxuan laughed. He thought back to how he was like back then, “I could only try the music notes one by one. I have already given you all the information of the music notes in the classical times that I have. Let’s start from ‘Das Wohltemperierte Klavier’.”

  To any apprentice, ‘Das Wohltemperierte Klavier’ was something that was irreplaceable for beginners. It utilized the technique of ‘Fugue’, which would carry out an in-depth analysis of music theory into layman’s terms. To the Net of Aether, it would be extremely valuable as a point of reference.

  “Let me do it? Are you sure?” After hearing so much from Ye Qingxuan, Newton was still as clueless as ever. This was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and Ye Qingxuan has just given him the entire responsibility. He could not help but retort, “But I’m not a musician.”

  “It is precisely because you are not a musician that you can do it.” Ye Qingxuan said calmly, “Not even I can do it. None of the musicians can.”

  Newton was undeniably the chief engineer of the entire system in the Net of Aether. From a certain perspective, he was the real ‘musician’ of this system.

  The first musician of the Net of Aether.

  This was an entirely new field of study that needed him as a pioneer. Any old thoughts or ideas would only serve as obstructions. It was just like when musicians were about to level up, they tended to overthink things, which would only lead to more mistakes. Only someone who best understood the structure of the Net of Aether yet had no clue about the old system would be able to grasp the key of this entire concept. Newton was like a blank sheet of paper in this aspect, yet his outstanding talent and ability would also allow him to establish his own ideas. Newton finally began to understand what Ye Qingxuan meant but the expression on his face still remained solemn.

  When Ye Qingxuan saw a look of struggle on Newton’s face, he could not help but shake his head and laugh, before waving his head and said, “Follow me.”

  With that, he led Newton to the lift. After they reached the sixth floor, Ye Qingxuan led Newton to the research department at the upper level, then into a corridor that Newton has never seen before. Along the way, Newton noticed that this building was one-fifth the size of the research institute but he did not recognize a single researcher.

  After three layers of security, Newton could not help but exclaim, “Is this really my research insititute?”

  Ye Qingxuan gave him a glance before speaking very seriously, “It used to be.”

  The room was quiet
and clean and only contained a heavy-looking structure made of iron. It was as tall as half a man’s height and was placed in the center of the room. There was nothing else other than that. It was as if this entire room was built just to store this item.

  “What is this place?” Newton asked.

  “This is the optics department that has been set up because of the purchase order from the navy. Its purpose is to come up with new-generation surveillance system. At the moment, the combat vessels of every country are extending their range. The way we used to conduct surveillances would no longer be able to detect our enemies any earlier. If we continue to remain at where we are, we may reach a point in the future, where we may not even be aware that we are already within the enemy’s range.”

  At this point in time, Ye Qingxuan could not help but shrug his shoulders, “But I have utilized some of the resources for my own personal gains, which is this monocular that is right in front of you.”

  “Monocular?” Newton walked a few rounds around this item before turning back to look at him, “The room is so small, what are you using it to observe?”

  “Of course it is being used to observe somewhere smaller,” Ye Qingxuan replied. “As a musician with the School of Revelation as my background, do you think I will need it to help me search for enemies?”

  Newton was speechless.

  “Actually, the technical requirement of the entire machine is not too high. It is pretty cheap but more than 90 percent of its price was spent on this.” Ye Qingxuan took out a metal box from a drawer below and opened it slowly. Lying in layers of sponges and silk were… pieces of glass.

  Newton thought about it for a while before realization dawned on him. The idea of microscopes has always been around but it has always been restricted by materials and demanding craftsmanship. It was difficult to achieve a whole new level of precision and there was no need to. The current level of precision has already surpassed the technical requirements so an even higher level of precision would serve no purpose. Therefore, only someone like Ye Qingxuan, who had nothing better to spend his money and time on, would be an exception.