Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “Good resources must be used for important reasons!” Ye Qingxuan casually took the papers and began to start writing on them. Auden rolled his eyes and turned around as he could not bear to look. Ye Qingxuan never stopped writing and was almost like a machine, as he spent only a few minutes on each page. Within a short half an hour, he had already used up more than half of them.

  The pages were flimsy when they were first handed to him but the moment they left his hands, they seemed as if they weighed a ton. When they were placed separately on the ground, each piece would create a rectangular-shaped depression on the ground. When the surrounding Masters saw this, they became extremely interested and began to whisper to each other about what they thought Ye Qingxuan was doing.

  This was what made music theory pages so precious. They could demonstrate the nature of music theory in a very direct manner, recreating the attraction of the music theory to perfection. As a result, quite a number of musicians and alchemists would draft on these papers when they were deducing movements or creating alchemy equipment respectively. If the papers could not even present the music theory, then there was no point testing it out.

  But now, almost no one had ever seen something like this before. A brick made of black rock that had never cracked for centuries, yet now it was cracked because of a piece of paper! No one had any idea what music theory Ye Qingxuan had written on it.

  “No clue at all.” A Master took a glance at Ye Qingxuan. Although this was what he said, his eyes were completely averted from what Ye Qingxuan was writing. How could anyone just take a look at something like a core music theory? The consequences would be much more severe than being caught staring at the posterior of a lady. One might still be forgiven for being caught staring at the posterior of a lady, but if it was a core music theory that has been seen… apologies, only death awaits.

  Even Ye Qingxuan, who was being bounded by the strict clauses of the contract, had to make use of the duplicates of the Religious Court of Inquiry’s secret music theories to exchange with various Masters for the incomplete music theories from various Schools for research purposes. When the Master said that he had no clue, he meant that he had no idea what Ye Qingxuan was thinking, and not necessarily that he had no idea what Ye Qingxuan was writing.

  The Masters were already used to this and someone even shrugged. “Who knows, what’s the difference between a lunatic and a genius?”

  “It’s the 27th piece!” A Master, who had been keeping track all this while, muttered. Exactly how many heavyweight music theories did Ye Qingxuan have in his possession?

  At this moment, some of the Masters who had been unwilling to hand over their music theories were finally convinced. If one only had a basket of eggs that had been passed down from one’s ancestors, one would defend it fiercely with his life if someone was trying to take it away. But if they were to realize that that person did not really care about their basket of eggs, except to take a look at it out of curiosity, they would start to have mixed feelings. Compared to Ye Qingxuan, everyone else on the scene had to be considered poor.

  Now, in front of this Chief Inquisitor, who else would still dare to claim that their own Schools possessed a deep heritage and a long history? If they were to take out the core music theories of their Schools, they might not even be half as heavy as any piece of paper that Ye Qingxuan had written on.

  By now, Ye Qingxuan was past the point of caring about the feelings of the Masters. He was fully engrossed in this excitement that had been a long time coming.

  Keep pushing! Keep pushing!

  652 Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dus

  The Jiu Xiao Huan Pei’s Heaven Ladder music theory, the quiet moon’s Wyrmrest enchantment, Hermes’s stone of sage, the Inquisition’s purifying music theory, Abraham’s catastrophe resonance… He listed out everything that he had learned on the paper. He did not leave out anything, not even the Genesis music theory nor the music theory that had been passed down from the Masters. By the time he was finished, even a blind man could see that he did not intend to create a normal Symphony of Predestination.

  Why would someone go through so much trouble just for a general Symphony of Predestination? Combining any three of these would already be enough to create one of the most powerful Symphonies in the world.

  But Ye Qingxuan did not plan to stop yet.

  He had already made up his mind.

  Since he had to copy them, he was going to copy them all!

  He would copy out new ideas, new harmonies, new worlds!

  Besides, since ancient times, no one had decreed that a Symphony of Predestination must look a certain way. Everyone’s core music theory was wondrously different, so much so that two students of the same School taught by the same teacher could turn out completely different.

  So there was nothing strange about doing it this way.

  Ye Qingxuan had simply decided to make a great one.

  Since there had never been one like it before, he would simply have to make it so good that no one would ever be able to surpass it!

  …

  Two days later, outside the Ultimate, the navies of the various nations were still in the same place, guarding against each other. Several clashes had already taken place over the last several days. The various factions had tried their best to work together and avoid meaningless fighting, but the situation was still as tense as a taut string, and at some point was sure to snap under the immense pressure of martial symphonies.

  Everyone was paying close attention to the situation within the Ultimate.

  Over the past few days, long, drawn-out movements had rung out from the ancient cities. Although they had no way of detecting what was happen inside, the changes were clear for all those outside to see.

  The vast stream of aether still enveloped the whole area, making it impossible for anyone to get closer. They could only make inferences from the faint changes that came in the wake of the flow of aether.

  A catastrophe was clearly being born. But the circumstances were extremely abnormal. But apart from the astonishing changes of the first two days, the ruined city had been shrouded in silence for the rest of the time. The transformations had become incredibly slow, so slow that it was almost impossible to bear it.

  It was like a difficult birth.

  And far away in the Sacred City, under the Central Holy Cathedral’s Nebula Monitor, Archbishop Albert was nodding off, with a bit of drool running down his chin. From time to time, he would lift his hand lazily to wipe away the dribble, glance at the monitor, and then close his eyes again and go back to sleep. Unfortunately, the injured half of his face had not healed right. The muscles were bare, giving him a hideous appearance.

  After a while, he had slept his fill. He opened his eyes and saw the figure standing next to him. A red-robed member of the College of Cardinals stood silently under the Nebula Monitor, staring intently at the flashing light that represented the Ultimate.

  “Are you awake?”

  “I’ve slept enough.” Albert wiped the drool away from his mouth, rubbed his eyes, squinted at the figure, and raised himself up. “When did you get here? Why didn’t you call for me?”

  “I just got here. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.” The old bishop shook his head and looked away from the Ultimate. “How long has this been going on?”

  “More than a week,” Albert said listlessly. “Can a catastrophe have a difficult birth? It’s not like the guys working for us are midwives, but even they are getting nervous.”

  “Giving birth is a skill too.” The old man shook his head. “There’s no need to worry.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got some experience in this area,” Albert laughed.

  “Mm, yes, I do.” The old man sighed softly. “In my early years, I served at a small church in the South. There were two doctors in the town, but one was only responsible for cutting hair, and the other for bloodletting. Sometimes people couldn’t find a decent midwife and had to come to the
church for help. The women there married early. Becoming a mother at 16 was considered late. I saw many difficult births. Giving birth is gambling with your life. Sometimes I would have to go make home visits with the priest. And sometimes all of our skill was useless, and we had to make a choice…”

  “Let me guess.” Albert rubbed his chin and smiled. “Save the child or save the mother?”

  The old bishop shrugged.

  “Which would you choose?”

  The old bishop did not answer, and they dropped the topic.

  The two of them did not speak. There was a long silence.

  After a while, the old bishop raised his head from his meditation and said softly, “Let Chopin send out a signal before it’s too late. A long delay means trouble.”

  Albert wasn’t smiling anymore. “Are you sure?”

  “Sometimes waiting is no use. It will only bring pain to both parties.” The old bishop’s eyes were peaceful. “It’s always best to be decisive.”

  A letter of attorney signed by the Sancta Seda was placed in front of Albert. His eyes twitched slightly. He sighed and waved his hand. The sound of a mighty organ rang out from above the Central Holy Cathedral, echoing throughout the steel city. Thousands of clock towers began to chime, and the echoes spread out in all directions.

  As he listened to the bells, Albert seemed to be exhausted, and he slumped down in his chair, shaking his head. “Sometimes I really envy you people who can make up your mind.”

  There was a hint of irony in his tone. The old bishop shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Do you know how I used to solve the problem of difficult births?” The old man mimed administering an injection. “A shot of oxytocin would make everything alright.”

  Albert was shocked.

  “Albert, I was never the one who made the decision. Who could be so brave?” The old bishop patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

  “Whether the mother or child would survive, that was up to God.”

  Amid the silence, there was only the sound of his retreating footsteps.

  Albert said nothing. He closed his eyes again.

  …

  Ye Qingxuan awoke from a dream.

  He had not dreamed in a long time, but he had just had a nightmare. He had dreamed of being buried in an ocean of music theory. But when he awoke, he saw thick stacks of books and papers all covered in his handwriting. He didn’t know many how many times he had edited them or how many movements he had added.

  And in the corner sat a trembling old nun.

  He heard the sound of bells ringing in the distance.

  As if there was some secret signal or command in those bells, the old nun began shivering harder. She fell on the floor and looked up, with her eyes rolling back in her head. It seemed like she was having a seizure, but epileptics did not have such a strong fire in their body.

  It was like a furnace had been ignited.

  The flame lit up the whole dark temple. Waves of aether as powerful as a hurricane swept out from her body, emanating in all directions.

  The Masters all woke up and looked at the old nun in shock. Even though they had already experienced the full power of the Saint, at that moment, with Schubert in full force, they felt a crushing pain.

  At that moment, they finally realized the gap between them and the Saint.

  A gap like the distance between heaven and earth.

  Schubert’s music theory crashed around in the body of the old nun, with almost enough power to destroy herself. She cared for nothing, not even herself.

  In that roaring song of self-destruction, Ye Qingxuan heard the nun’s last prayer: “Dust to dust, mud to mud, ashes to ashes…”

  May God have mercy on my soul.

  653 Borrow a Chicken to Lay Eggs

  The changes that happened in an instant stunned everyone.

  Ye Qingxuan was the first to react. Upon hearing the hoarse murmurs coming from the nun’s throat, his pupils instantly dilated. Without thinking, he sprang towards her and pressed a finger on the old nun’s forehead!

  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust… It was a last rites prayer.

  When combined with the situation in front of them, even if one was to use one’s heel to think instead of one’s brain, one could understand what exactly Schubert’s scepter intended to do after the bell!

  Bang!

  Bang!

  Bang!

  The sound of strings snapping continued to ring out. Dozens of bloody gaps cracked open on Ye Qingxuan’s fingers, intersecting in a crisscross manner, and blood gushed out. It was a result of the backfiring caused when the overloaded precise operations of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei were crushed by a power far too vast.

  Even though the strings were regenerated upon being destroyed, the recoil of the music theory had already caused fine cracks to emerge on the bones of Ye Qingxuan’s palms. As if it was moving between rocks, when the finger pressed on the old nun’s forehead, it was already bloody. Despite it being flesh and flesh touching, a metallic clang burst forth.

  Frenzied air billows swept outwards in all directions.

  A terrifying resonance erupted from the skull and swept upwards along Ye Qingxuan’s arms. In an instant, it overcame his music theory and defenses, almost crushing him into pieces completely. It was as if he was a broken ship in front of frenzied waves hundreds of thousands of feet high, being destroyed inch by inch.

  At the very moment, Ye Qingxuan saw the scepter which was operating like a scorching sun in the empty body. Endless light and heat were directed towards him, almost swallowing him up.

  The clothes on Ye Qingxuan’s upper torso were instantly torn apart by the terrifying recoil. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei activated forcefully, planting itself in his flesh, like a waterway guiding the torrent. The immense heat of a fiery red swept upwards along his left arm, passed through the heart, bringing an intense pain, as if it was igniting his soul, and flowed to his right hand along Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. In the end, it flowed into the broken stone plate clutched in his hand.

  The core of the Ultimate!

  The notes on the stone plate lit up, flickering painfully to the rhythm of Ye Qingxuan’s heartbeat. Fortunately, he still had it to withstand the aftermath that resulted from the saint’s scepter operating full on.

  “What are you all still standing there stunned for!” He cast a look at the 21 masters present. “Waiting for supper? Open up for resonance!”

  In a flash, the masters surrounding him recovered from the shock. Without even requiring Ye Qingxuan’s command, they chose their own position, and 21 aether waves were instantly activated at full force, like various planets orbiting the sun.

  Just like what the forebears of the School of Stone Heart did to Ye Qingxuan back then, they formed a joint blockade. 21 aether waves echoed each other, and in a flash, a loose array was created, surrounding Schubert’s scepter in the center.

  But just when they were ready to strike again, the strings of Jiu Xiao Huan Pei extended from nothingness, crisscrossing and intersecting with each other. The strings shot outwards and set themselves up all around. Innumerable perception threads followed and connected them.

  In a flash, the 21 aether waves were united as one. The masters were surprised upon sensing that the control of their Symphonies of Predestination had been forcibly taken over. The 21 Symphonies of Predestination were united around the same theme. Three of the temporarily attained scepters were also integrated into it completely, forming a vast structure of music theory.

  The resonance system that was carelessly created initially was broken in an instant and then reassembled immediately, the components fitting closely with each other as if they were one, like a disorganized group of stars that had finally become unified as a galaxy.

  If the loose array just now was seen as a work violently tied together with cables, the structure at the moment would be a work pieced together and applied so delicately that it was dumbfounding.

  If not for the suppression of the Ultimate, Ye Qingxuan coul
d have integrated them seamlessly!

  For Ye Qingxuan to operate 19 Symphonies of Predestination and three scepters simultaneously, the pressure was not just hundreds of times higher than usual. Rather, it was as if he was dancing on the knife blades, and a little carelessness would result in him being turned to ashes by the pressure on both sides.

  “I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to experience the compound symphony of multiple Symphonies of Predestination so quickly.” Blue veins bulged on Ye Qingxuan’s face, and he forced out a grotesque smile. “Very good…”

  One hand pressing on the old nun’s forehead, the signet ring on the index finger of his other hand slipped off, and he threw it at Mabel standing with her arms folded not far away.

  “If anyone dares to attack amid the chaos, shoot to kill!” Ye Qingxuan yelled.

  Mable nodded and acknowledged the command respectfully. Holding the signet ring, a fire rose in the distance. The pure blue fire of Nirvana was like lava and spewed out of the crust. In the fire, the phoenix evolved from the endless bestiality died and was reborn, constantly evolving into new forms and dragging everything along when it returned to death.

  For Mabel, the Chapter of the Golden Victory was no foreign object at all. The music theory passed down among the Royal Musicians was an extension of the Chapter of the Golden Victory in itself. At the moment, the signet ring was in Mabel’s hands, and the Firebird within that was strengthening it instantly turned into a fire of Nirvana that knew no boundaries.

  The fire spewed up from the ground from a distance, crisscrossing and intersecting, blocking off the entire area, and forlorn screams could be heard faintly. Everyone who dared to approach was swallowed up by the flames that resembled living creatures. Then, the horrifying fire would make its way into the seven orifices [1] of its victim, plundering every bit of vitality from the inside out.