Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  Before the sword had fallen, the sea under its shadow sank down several dozen meters, as if a crack had been torn by the wind.

  The Mountain of Nomadism roared.

  The ear-splitting sound of thunder rang out. Amid the roar, music theory as luxuriant as a giant tree burst forth, instantly evolving to a jaw-dropping scale. Scepter Klein saw it the most clearly, and was the most shocked by it, as he was nearly stunned.

  “Impossible!”

  How could this be? This was not something that humans could do!

  It would be difficult for even thousands of people to support such a huge and complicated movement. It was not that they wouldn’t have enough power, but that they would have no way to evolve it to such a complex scale.

  It was like a massively tall building had risen up in an instant, as gorgeous as a heavenly palace. Even if a skilled craftsman spent decades creating a magnificent palace, there would still be mistakes and blemishes. So how could this magnificent movement, this endless music theory, have turned into something so perfect?

  The skill was inconceivable! Like a domino being knocked down, it triggered a chain reaction of perfect craftsmanship.

  In the birth and death of the music theory, countless notes played in harmony with each other, just like God had arranged everything perfectly.

  This was clearly an incomparably dangerous gamble, if there was even a single flaw it would all be a waste of effort.

  Obviously, a wrong note would lead to it failing halfway through, but this movement was so perfect as to make people despair. It was magnificent yet delicate, and without any mistakes.

  Was this the realm that humans could reach?

  Among the numerous musicians, even those who had reached perfection could not ensure that every note of theirs would be perfect, every rhythm would be just right, every segment perfectly linked, and mold the whole movement into a coherent whole.

  If even one in 100,000 notes was wrong, it would not be perfect. Moreover, in the huge movement on display now, were there not more than 100,000 notes? And could the music theory that was being born and dying be only from a single school?

  Amid the evolving music theory, a huge mass of seawater swept up into the sky. As if the ocean was overhanging the sky, hundreds of millions of tons of seawater fell into the sky. On the horizon, a crack that was so dark nothing could be seen within slowly opened, swallowing everything and leading it to its end.

  The School of Modifications?

  No! Klein was stunned. There was also illusory music theory within it! And it was enough to condense the elements, limiting the illusion into a true horror.

  The Ocean Abyss Symphony!

  After Ye Qingxuan had integrated the movement that elucidated the essence of the Abyss into the School of Modifications, he had completed the actual conversion. With limitless water pressure and the deep ocean as a fulcrum, he defended this illusory sea. Under the impetus of Leviathan’s blood, it seemed as if the avatars of Hyakume and Leviathan were working together perfectly to achieve this miracle.

  The perfect movement brought a perfect outcome.

  The Staff of Fate pried at the sea of aether, and under the Firebird’s furiously beating heart the Mountain of Nomadism reached the limit of its overdrive, turning it into a jaw-droppingly huge instrument that urged on this movement.

  An illusion with no falsehood and an unshaken modifying movement combined together would the increase in power stop at ten times as much?

  But was this really something that humans could do?

  In theory, an orangutan jumping up and down continuously on a piano would one day play the perfect movement, but how long would the orangutan have to dance? A hundred years? A thousand? Or would he have to continue until the end of a time so long it would lead people to despair?

  But now, this one in a million chance had happened right before Klein, throwing him into confusion instantly.

  Was God standing before him?

  His mind was in turmoil for a moment, and he was driven to distraction, completely lost in confusion. When a musician shook him, even his Scepter became blurred…

  “Don’t be fooled by him, Master.” A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, pressing down on him firmly. The pain snapped him out of it. He turned around and saw the ashen-faced Rommel.

  “That’s his Scepter!” Rommel gritted his teeth and stared at the illusion of the sea with wild eyes.

  “The Land of Dreams!”

  …

  The Land of Dreams!

  On the condition that one achieved it themselves, this was the Scepter achieved by elements granted by the Originator itself. It had no power, no real feeling. It was like a dream, not even seeming to exist in the Physical World or the realm of aether.

  Its essence was the projection of a new era. The elements that reflected an illusory future were a lighthouse that guided Ye Qingxuan towards his goal, a grand blueprint that did not exist at all.

  In the past half month, it had spread madly across the whole world. While everyone feared Ye Qingxuan’s ambition, at the same time they admired his determination. He gave up his great future and created the weakest Scepter in history for this illusory future.

  But Rommel did not think that way.

  For an ambitious and ruthless person like Ye Qingxuan he for every step he took planned out the next ten, who had drafted a plan to swallow up all of Avalon before he had even set foot there, how could he let himself get such a worthless Scepter?

  He had once madly collected all the data on it, but he could not imagine what this non-existent Scepter could be used for. In the end, he could only give up and chalk it up to one of Ye Qingxuan’s incidental mistakes. But nowadays, everyone was a fool in the palm of Ye Qingxuan’s hand.

  Rommel was being laughed at.

  In what way was this the weakest Scepter in the world?

  This was clearly a trump card that Ye Qingxuan had made himself!

  You could tell just by looking at its name—the Land of Dreams, the ideal state, Utopia… It was a place that only existed in the realm of fantasy, a country where everything was perfect.

  This was the road to perfection!

  How had he not seen it?

  This was a stranger and more terrible Scepter than that of the old musician of Asgard!

  The lens could freeze time, and clearly understand any situation, but it was difficult to achieve such results. As long as his Scepter was blessed, the theoretically achievable effects of any Scepter could be realized by Ye Qingxuan.

  He didn’t need any practice or adaptation, and did not need to spend any time. As long as it was theoretically possible, even if it was only a one in a million chance, he could do it.

  This was not just limited to movements, but also the fundamental changes of aether, all alchemy arrays, and the music theory of other schools. As long as he mastered them, he could instantly push them to their theoretical peak.

  There would be no omissions and no errors.

  It was as if God had arranged everything, and everything was perfect.

  A perfect enemy…

  Just thinking about this made Rommel grit his teeth furiously. This would be a nightmare for anyone!

  “I suppose this is why Ye Qingxuan dared to come alone,” he whispered hoarsely. “Unfortunately, he’s too cocky. Even in theory, the possibility of one man resisting an entire Empire is nonexistent!”

  Although the Mountain of Nomadism was terrifying, how could it compare to the sea fortress made by Asgard’s centuries-old national power?

  16 giant pools of aether, hundreds of large-scale instruments of harmonious melody, more than a thousand musicians, 12 Masters, three Scepters; this was enough power to overthrow a country, what tricks did Ye Qingxuan think he could play in front of all that?

  Even a perfect movement would not be able to the flame sword that brought together the power of the entire sea fortress! What was more, after the enemy merged superior elements together it would evolve in
to the ultimate modification movement!

  In an instant, all the sea water disintegrated under the flame sword’s strike, numerous fulcrums were destroyed, and the Ocean Abyss illusion was broken into countless pieces of ice and snow which drifted down.

  The flame sword was like a waterfall. The sky and the ocean roared, and a hurricane swept out, and in an instant had screamed forward thousands of miles, cutting through the thick fog and transforming into a burning red cloud. The Royal Navy, which was hundreds of miles away, was also slightly shaken by this turbulent aftermath.

  A huge crack opened up in the deep ocean, the seabed was burning red as countless huge fish were burnt to ash. But its primary target had escaped the horror of the blade’s strike in the moment that the flame sword had come up against the Ocean Abyss Symphony’s stiff resistance. Even so, the armored hull on one side was burning red, and warning alarms blared throughout the battleship.

  Taking advantage of this precious opportunity, the Mountain of Nomadism’s outer shield was opened again. After the Asgardians’ vicious attack it took the chance to open up the distance between them and prepare to flee.

  “Enough!” Rommel whispered. The Scepter of Messiah fell, and countless beams of light descended from the sky, covering the Mountain of Nomadism, instantly freezing it. It was sealed in like an insect in amber.

  After a brief preparation period, the Messiah movement played, the will of God operated, twisting reality and fixing the Mountain of Nomadism in place.

  It took control in an instant, grabbing the Mountain of Nomadism as it fled at full speed. Then, perfected abstinence music theory replaced reality, sealing the Mountain of Nomadism in its own field.

  “You can’t resist!” Rommel’s eyes blazed as he glared at the Mountain of Nomadism as if he could see Ye Qingxuan’s shocked expression. His movement rang out. He seized the opportunity, not giving Ye Qingxuan any chances, completely sealing him in there.

  “The School of Abstinence?” Ye Qingxuan felt the music theory. First, he was a bit surprised, then he laughed. “Are you sure you want to play with abstinence in front of me?”

  He closed his eyes and gave a mocking smile.

  712 Victory and Defea

  “What is happening?” At the moment, all the lookouts in the Stronghold on Sea widened their eyes. Klein turned back in surprise, his expression confused.

  In the projection on the ceiling, the light representing the Mountain of Nomadism suddenly went out. The light from the pool of aether and the outline of the alchemy array disappeared as if the ship had turned into a stone statue and descended into silence.

  The engine…had been switched off?

  Everyone was prepared to deal with the Mountain of Nomadism fighting desperately like a cornered beast, but none of them had expected that after being sealed, the pool of aether of the Mountain of Nomadism surprisingly cut off aether supply in an instant. The whole ship fell into silence and didn’t even show the most basic resistance.

  To make a somewhat obscene metaphor, it was as if a masked pervert had finally cornered a girl and was ready to pounce on her while cackling, “Scream all you like, no one will come to your rescue even if you scream until your throat is hoarse.”

  But in the end, not only did the girl not scream, but she didn’t even react in the slightest bit. Instead, she entered a state similar to that of a salted fish [1], and began to count the stains on the ceiling with her eyes wide.

  Although getting one’s hands on the enemy was exciting, but the other party was so uncooperative that one couldn’t even feel the slightest sense of accomplishment at all.

  At the moment, the Mountain of Nomadism had completely and utterly given up on any attempt to resist.

  All the devices had even stopped working.

  If not for the seal of the movement of Messiah, the ship would probably have fallen into the sea at the moment.

  Was it that their captain siphoned the money for the purchase of the aether engine and bought one of bad quality to cover up?

  Or was it that…they surrendered?

  Rommel was stunned at first, then his gaze became colder and colder. “Something’s wrong. All of you, don’t hesitate, attack immediately. They are going to activate the Wyrmrest enchantment!” He clenched the hot Scepter of Messiah and abruptly increased the pressure.

  Wyrmrest enchantment, so what? Such a technique, with so many limitations, will not suffice to interfere with the movement of a saint at all! If Ye Qingxuan has such a naive idea in mind, he is totally seeking his own destruction.

  But just as he said so, a rumble burst forth from the seal constructed by Messiah. It was not the furious roar of the Mountain of Nomadism, but the loud noise that sounded when the seal collapsed.

  The seal of abstinence constructed by the movement of Messiah unexpected cracked open, revealing gaps on it, under the power contained within the Mountain of Nomadism.

  It seemed as if taunts were sounding in Rommel’s ear, making his expression turn grotesque.

  Hah, Wyrmrest enchantment?

  It was…

  The Ultimate!

  For centuries, as the hub created by the Originator, the container from which catastrophes were born from, the Ultimate nurtured the power of the gods, also isolating it from everything of the mortal realm and the outside world. No other elements were needed, its own existence alone constituted a domain that was almost an inaccessible region. For a lengthy period of time, the domain shrouded the Ultimate, and it evolved into the alarming Wyrmrest enchantment.

  But the Wyrmrest enchantment was only a manifestation, after all. After losing the support of the Ultimate, it was nothing but a rootless tree, a sourceless pool of water. Although its effect was terrifying, it was unsustainable. As long as the other party crushed it with an amount of power exceeding that of its source, it would collapse on its own.

  But at the moment, the Ultimate had long fallen into Ye Qingxuan’s hands, integrated into his scepter and transformed into the Net of Aether. After mastering the essence, Ye Qingxuan’s Wyrmrest enchantment was no longer the same as it was in the past.

  At the moment, the scepter unfolded, and it was as if the Ultimate had once again emerged from the depths of the realm of aether and fallen towards the physical world. The vast forbidden domain slowly unfolded in Ye Qingxuan’s hands. The music theory of the school of abstinence that was just as pure strengthened the Mountain of Nomadism.

  So, a desolating silence arrived.

  It was the projection of the Ultimate!

  No more trace of music theory could be found, nor were there any signs of manipulation. Like a purely natural phenomenon, unmovable by human will, it opened up a crack bit by bit in the field of Messiah.

  At the moment, the Mountain of Nomadism that had switched off all its engines had no more power to continue floating in the air. The huge body made purely of steel and behemoth began to sink slowly after tearing the shackles set upon it by Rommel apart. It was as if an iron piece that had been burnt red was thrown into butter. Under the pull of gravity, it descended with its own weight, penetrating the layers of the domain in a flash.

  Soon, flares burst forth from the many aether cannons on board the Stronghold on Sea. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of heavy mass shells flew out of the cannons that had been completely converted, shooting out like torrential rain. The heavy armor of the warship trembled violently, countless rivets flying out. The armor shattered, and the warship seemed to have become a sandcastle falling apart in the rain.

  But the projection of the Ultimate not only to blocked out the seal of Messiah, it even smoothed out the attacks of the various musicians that followed closely completely.

  In the storm of cannon fire, the Mountain of Nomadism shook violently, but showed no presage of collapsing from the start till the end.

  In everyone’s furious gaze and Ye Qingxuan’s loud laughter, the projection of the Ultimate completely tore the seal of Messiah apart and fell from midair into the sea. Th
e huge warship stirred up a hurricane as it smashed into the sea, but did not stir up any waves, not even ripples.

  Like sugar melting in the water, no trace of it could be found any longer.

  Even the wound that had initially cracked open under the cannon fire began to recover quickly. It was originally a vile spawn of the sea, a giant monster of the deep sea that ruled the seven seas for centuries. As compared to the air and the surface waters, the deep sea was its actual domain!

  A bright light shone out of the left eye of god, firmly illuminating the black warship hidden in the sea waters, but at the very moment when the projection of the Ultimate above it dissipated, Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes and tapped downwards with the Staff of Fate.

  Bang! The final lock of music theory was opened.

  “I still have a gift for you all!” he said.

  So, torrential rain suddenly spilled from the sky, instantly engulfing the entire Stronghold on Sea. But above them was a clear and boundless sky, and since when were there rain clouds shrouding them?

  Only then did everyone realize that as the movement of the sea abyss collapsed, the illusion that turned into specks of frost did not dissipate, but instead they further split up into tens of thousands of specks and evolved into the incorporeal storm.

  Like an invisible river, it penetrated the layers of obstacles and covered the entire domain of the stronghold. While everyone was caught off guard, the cues of the school of heart hiding within were like weeds after a rain, madly sprouting and taking root, growing rapidly.

  Ye Qingxuan laughed loudly. Today, I’ll show you all the Parinirmita-vaśavartin of House Ye!

  So, screams sounded from the stronghold, one after another. Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, the Mountain of Nomadism sneaked into the sea rapidly blended into the darkness of the deep sea and disappeared.

  In the bridge, dead silence ensued. Everyone looked at each other speechlessly, their gazes gloomy, their faces purple with rage.

  Soon, the captain spoke hoarsely, “Report the casualties.”