Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “It will be difficult.” The one-legged man hesitated, “Her consciousness is too weak. If I interfere, she will be influenced by my music theory… I am capable of remolding a person from a blank sheet, but as a result, there is nothing you will be able to gain from it.”

  658 Believers

  It was a tricky issue.

  At the moment, Schubert’s scepter had turned into a seed and was hiding in her consciousness. If the one-legged man dared to do it, even Ye Qingxuan wouldn’t let him off, not to mention the Sacred City.

  It seemed that they really couldn’t do much about it.

  Ye Qingxuan sighed and gave a wave of his hand. “It’s already midnight. Go get some rest, everyone, no need to keep vigil here.”

  Soon, the masters all left.

  Ye Qingxuan reached out and adjusted the brazier next to the stone bed, making the fire burn more vigorously. The flame burning in the air brought light and illuminated the music theory pages in his hand.

  He might as well make good use of the time to study something since he couldn’t fall back asleep anyway.

  It was just nice that Schubert’s scepter had provided him with plenty of inspiration in the earlier half of the night. He already knew what sort of Symphony of Predestination he wanted.

  Ye Qingxuan planned to make haste in perfecting it. Ideally, he hoped to settle his Symphony of Predestination completely in one go in two days. Then, he would just have to wait to hitch the ride to attain the Level of Scepter.

  It wasn’t long before Ye Qingxuan heard the sound of breathing become steady.

  He put down the manuscript, looked back, and saw that the expression of the old nun on the stone bed had become peaceful, as if she had descended into a long slumber, her fingers trembling slightly.

  Finally, she opened her eyes once more.

  This time, her eyes no longer had an empty look in them. Instead, they were old and murky, with shadows cast by the erosion of pain.

  She looked at the broken ceiling sluggishly, then her eyes fell on Ye Qingxuan. Seeing the Church’s emblem on his collar, she murmured softly, “Is this… heaven?”

  Ye Qingxuan shook his head slowly. “Regretfully, Sister, you have not ascended to heaven because of your piety and good deeds. God has not accepted you, so you have remained in the mortal realm.”

  “Where is this place?” she asked.

  “The Ultimate,” Ye Qingxuan replied.

  Confusion flashed across the old nun’s eyes. She seemed unable to comprehend his words, nor did she understand what exactly the Ultimate was.

  Ye Qingxuan sighed. “In a nutshell, it’s a very troublesome place.”

  The old nun was momentarily surprised, and remained silent for a long time.

  “Oh, I see. I’m still alive…” She looked at the wrinkles on her palm and murmured softly, “God loves me.”

  “Don’t you hate them?” Ye Qingxuan looked at her peaceful expression and suddenly asked. “You still have your memories, right? You still remember what they of the Church did to you.”

  The old nun fell silent for a good while.

  “I still remember those days. Many archbishops spoke to me, and the Holy See also praised me — ” She said softly, “It is probably my destiny. For me, having such talent is a lucky thing.

  “At least, I’m not totally useless in everything other than praying…”

  Looking at the old nun’s unperturbed expression, for some reason unknown, Ye Qingxuan was somewhat displeased. “How could someone be destined to become a consumable?”

  Seemingly sensing the dissatisfaction in Ye Qingxuan’s words, the old nun gave an awkward smile. “In my opinion… someone has to offer themselves up to be consumed, no? What’s more, it’s for the sake of the world…”

  The corner of Ye Qingxuan’s eye twitched.

  Foolish.

  He withdrew his gaze and didn’t want to say anything more.

  To be honest, he sort of regretted his choice.

  Although he had long since prepared himself that the old nun would be a fanatic, even fanatics came in many different varieties. Many were shepherds who sacrificed everything, but many others were sheep that could take anything lying down.

  She was the latter.

  Of the countless types of people out there, only such people were the least valuable.

  They couldn’t even live their lives for themselves.

  But soon, Ye Qingxuan discovered a merit of the old nun that made him a little less upset.

  No, it was simply an irreplaceable forte in the Ultimate.

  — She could cook.

  …

  At the wee hours of dawn, when the masters woke up from meditation, for a moment, they almost felt that they were having an illusion.

  After a long time since it last happened, they smelled broth.

  It was a steaming hot fragrance.

  Mabel had conveniently made the soup pot and provided the kindling spark for the fire, the meat used was air-dried meat, the only spices were a few peppers, and a few odd onion pieces were sprinkled over the broth.

  The salt in the meat dissolved in the boiling water, and the smell of onion blended in. The stone-like compressed food melted in the broth, forming thin porridge.

  To be honest, it was very simple and crude, but after putting one’s teeth through the ordeal of eating compressed food for one week straight, being able to drink such a bowl of gruel almost made the masters tear up.

  A master of the school of modifications even made dozens of bowls and spoons specially for the occasion, ready to sit down and properly enjoy the meal.

  Soon, everyone sat in front of the makeshift dining table, and the old nun served breakfast.

  Ye Qingxuan cupped his hands around the soup bowl, but noticed the gaze of the old nun.

  She looked at Ye Qingxuan and furrowed her brows in confusion. “Your Excellency, why aren’t you saying your morning prayer?”

  “…” Ye Qingxuan’s expression twitched, and for some reason unknown, he felt somewhat guilty.

  It seemed that he hadn’t said any more prayers after leaving Father Bann and his church. From various aspects, he really didn’t live up to his title of archbishop.

  Even so, he still bit the bullet and replied, “I’m not in the habit of doing so.”

  As he said so, he lowered his head, ready to drink his soup, but felt the gaze watching him.

  Inexplicably, his conscience was uneasy.

  It wasn’t just him, everyone present felt guilty for some reason unknown.

  The old nun looked at the masters at the table and softly suggested, “Everyone, let’s pray.”

  The masters looked up at the old nun in surprise. With a serious expression, she proposed gently and patiently, “Saying grace before meals is necessary etiquette.”

  Although she was an old nun, for some reason unknown, at the moment, of all times… she had an inexplicably dignified air.

  Ye Qingxuan could swear that it was definitely the meal that he had eaten most piously in the past year. After eating, he even got up subconsciously to wash the dishes and only remembered that he was no longer in the church when he looked up.

  He sighed softly and put down the bowl.

  To cover up his blunder, he softly ordered, “I have something on during the day, don’t disturb me.”

  Having said so, he turned and left.

  Inexplicably, he missed the priest a little.

  I wonder if he is doing well.

  …

  More than ten hours ago, in the northern wilderness, the sun was scorching.

  A few hundred kilometers away was the endless desert. The hot, burning Föhn wind blew from afar, passed the thorns and bushes, and blew through the gates of the village.

  In such a hot summer, even the villagers were unwilling to come out. They all made use of their time by sleeping during the day, letting the fields crack, burned by the scorching sun, and weeds grew everywhere.

  Below the parap
et made of loess, only a thin boy was riding his wooden horse in the sparse shadows.

  The colored paint on the wooden horse had already peeled off due to prolonged exposure to the sun, leaving only vague traces. Even the eyes were blurred, and his young friends made fun of it, calling it a blind horse.

  The child knew not of boredom. He had always enjoyed himself in his own world, fantasizing himself to be a noble knight, just like the group of adults stationed in the desert.

  Waving his wooden knife, he fought bravely against the demon in his imagination.

  He once saw the knights. They rode black horses and galloped past the village. One could hear the thunderous hooves from a few miles away.

  As dust rose, a brilliance reflected from their armor under the scorching sun, and on the white cloak on their back was a blood-colored emblem of a cross.

  659 The Next Destination

  ‘Knights Templar of Hospital’, that was what the adults called it. The child has only seen them once. It was a pity that they were stationed too far away from here. Typically, one would have to follow the path towards the west for half a month and pass through the vast desert before being able to find them in a small oasis.

  The desert was full of danger. That was what the adults told him, so the child was planning to wait till he was older before going forth to find those majestic knights. Just like in the stories, he would serve as their squire, help them to sharpen their long swords, polish their boots, pick up some abilities and undergo tough training. One day, they would acknowledge him and that was when he would also become a member of the knights.

  But he could wait no longer. He was still six years away from being 14 years old. He looked up at the burning sun as he waved the wooden sword in his hands. Six more years.

  When he turned back, he saw a small black dot from far away. Someone was approaching. That person was riding on a horse but the clipping of the horse’s hooves sounded weak and tired. As they got nearer, the child realized that the person on horseback was very old. He was wearing an old and torn robe and looked like a beggar, as his beard was messy and his face looked dirty. He looked neither impressive nor strong. He did not look like a knight yet he was riding a horse. When the horse, which was covered with spots of mud and dust, came nearer, the old knight looked to be in terrible shape and was barely breathing.

  “Water…” The frail old knight looked at him and pleaded, “Please give me a bowl of water.”

  He ruffled around his robe and took out two copper coins that were covered with sweat and dirt. The child hesitated before accepting the coins and running away. After some time, he came back with a bowl of water. The water was taken from a well that was dug out from saline-alkaline soil so the water tasted bitter. Some of the water has been spilled along the way as the child ran all the way back. Nevertheless, when the old knight accepted the bowl of water, he treated it as if it was treasure and drank it in large gulps. He drank half of the water before hesitating and eventually deciding to get down his horse and feeding his horse the rest of the water.

  It was only now that the child noticed that beneath the dirt and dust, the horse actually seemed to be dark green in color. Strangely enough, it was the same color as the old knight’s robe. The strange horse rolled its eyes and looked at the child before licking him suddenly. The old knight laughed and caressed the horse’s head, “It likes you.”

  The child touched the saliva on his face and seemed to be in a daze. The old knight carefully licked the remaining water droplets in the bowl before wiping his mouth and beard clean. His voice was still hoarse, “May I know where is the next village?”

  “Towards the north. It will take two days of travelling. It is very far away.” The child pointed into the distance and looked at the old knight’s bag of money, “You can take a rest first. You can stay in my house tonight. My house has a clean guest room and there is warm water and dinner. It will only cost five coins.”

  It was an affordable price but the old knight hesitated before shaking his head and replying in his hoarse voice, “I don’t have time.”

  With that, he patted the horse’s head and the horse slowly rode towards the north. The child was a little disappointed. It was rare to see any foreigners in this place.

  “Are you leaving now?” He asked, “Where are you going?”

  “To the next destination,” the old knight said, “And then the next.”

  –

  After three hours, a thunderous sound could be heard from far away. The ground shook. Burning metal armor formed silhouettes in the hot sunlight and the cloaks of the scarlet crusade blew in the wind.

  The knights on horseback were covered in dust and their lips were dried and cracked. In the empty village, there was only a broken wooden worse. The little boy on the wooden horse was gone. There was a disgusting and filthy smell deep into the village. Green houseflies were dancing in the wind and there seemed to be the sounds of a beast that was chewing and crunching on something.

  The swordsman that was leading the way dismounted from his horse and drew out his long sword before entering the village. Soon after, he came out with a small head in his hands. It looked like a small child but his face was covered with black spots and there was dried blood at the corner of his mouth.

  “Captain Bain, we were too late.”

  The swordsman replied hoarsely, “‘The plague’ has been here.” Amongst the knights, a silent man waved his hand and another group of knights dismounted. They walked into the village with ‘shower heads’ in their hands.

  Very soon, a blazing fire rose from the village as the beast cried out in despair. Under the hot sun, the entire village seemed to be shining and looked as if it could fuse with the sun. Black whirls of smoke rose and looked like a pillar of disaster that was holding up the sky. The crows that have flown over from far could only fly around in circles in disappointment. They cawed and croaked with all their might, as if they were cursing.

  “Let’s go.” Bain turned his horse around and looked at the imprints of hooves on the dry mud.

  His voice was hoarse, like burnt metal, “Let’s move on to the next destination, and then the next.”

  –

  After realizing that the old nun could cook, Ye Qingxuan quickly discovered another strength of hers, which was that she was hardworking and skillful with her hands. Even in a place as desolated as the Ultimate, she continued to be able to make full use of whatever resources that were available to her, such as weaving the dried weeds in the corners of the walls into some sort of cushion.

  As a result, the Masters finally departed from sitting on the cold floor and upgraded to sitting on the warm cushions. With food to eat and cushions to sit on, life immediately became happier and more bearable. Even in a place like the Ultimate, everyone could still afford to find some sort of comfort.

  Even though she has lost the power of Schubert, it was clear that the old nun did not wish to become a burden that needed to be taken care of by others. Instead, she has decided to find ways she could contribute and be useful. She might not have done many things but the few things that she accomplished have always produced satisfactory results. Besides, one should not expect too much.

  She might have been a granny in some cloister or a nanny that worked for a rich family, for she has proven to be capable of ensuring that this bunch of troublesome old men were well taken care of. Of course, Ye Qingxuan has also been given a cushion, and it was the best one too. He sat on the only intact stone chair in the entire hall, that has been padded with dried grass, and leaned against the back of the chair, which has been draped with the animal skin that the old men have gifted to him. With the light of the dawn shining in, Ye Qingxuan suddenly felt as if he was some sort of king in the mountains.

  It was a pity that his subordinates were a bunch of frail and old men instead of burly and strong robbers… Old men again. He really had no idea why he seemed to have an affinity with old men. Ye Qingxuan sighed and lowered his head as he look
ed at the music theory pages in his hands.

  After a few hours of editing, the prototype of the new Symphony of Predestination has finally been completed. It was only a few pieces of thin paper, yet it was covered in a layer of glow. After the structure has been sealed, the music theory no longer exerted any external gravitational force. The repetitive music theory on the pages have completely distorted the sunlight, binding them around the music notes.

  This was the most precious thing about music theory pages. It could demonstrate, inscribe and seal music theories. This meant that this option was possible. Ye Qingxuan breathed a sigh of relief as a smile found its way onto his face.

  660 Just Be Yourself

  After the inspiration that Schubert’s Scepter had given him yesterday, Ye Qingxuan finally understood what kind of Symphony of Predestination he needed.

  He didn’t want to have to choose between so many different paths. If he chose one path, then everything he would gain would come about as a matter of course. He didn’t want to give up so much for just a Scepter.

  Otherwise, why not just go back to the East, climb the Path of the Deva, and directly attain his Scepter with the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei?

  Ye Lanzhou’s seal of moonlight, Hermes’s stone of sage, Abraham’s catastrophe resonance, Haydn’s Ultra Long-Range Music Theory Framework, the purifying music theory of the silent moon, the judgement music theory of the Inquisition, the Firebird of the Chapter of the Golden Victory…

  These were all good things, and the most precious, unparalleled music theories at that time.

  It would be ridiculous to discard all the others for the sake of just one.

  But then he had encountered a problem…he had bitten off more than he could chew.

  Even though by relying on days upon days of resonating music theory, and observing the changes in the ultimate he had increased his own perception and power, it was still not enough to meld so many things into one.

  He had not achieved his main goal. On the contrary, it was the core music theory contributed by the other masters that he had simplified and begun to faintly merge.