by Feng Yue
In response to Ye Qingxuan’s perception, those domains that had been covered by fog began to shift easily in the net of aether and seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with him in the maze of the upper-tier dimension.
“Hey.” Ye Qingxuan smiled and stretched out his hand, “Come, let me see just what exactly is hidden beneath a girl’s skirt?”
In that instant, the ripples that had been spreading out from the net of aether suddenly went berserk, and the gentle tremble quickly escalated into a terrifying wave.
Earthquake! This horrible doom came so suddenly. The terrifying trembling burst forth from the net of aether and spread out in all directions. They chased away the fog, shredded the disguise and allowed light to shine on the rats that had been hiding underneath the floor. That was… wonderland! Countless wonderlands!
It was impossible to know how many wonderlands were hidden in the gaps of the net of aether. More than half of them were connected to the net of aether in ways that Ye Qingxuan had never known before. They had been secretly snooping and absorbing the power from within. In that instant, even Ye Qingxuan was taken aback. Just as he wished, the lady was slowly pulling up her skirt but the things that were hidden beneath were giving him a scare!
“What… a grand sight,” he muttered softly. His smile was laced with rage.
If not for the fact that he had completely straightened out the chaos within the realm of aether, he would not have known that there were so many strange things hidden underneath his own floor! He could tell that a small number of them were oddities of the realm of aether that were known for their curiosity, but most of them were Schools that had been using all sorts of excuses and reasons to pry at the net of aether! In fact, quite a number of them already had “one of us” in name in the net of aether!
Now that the skirt had been lifted suddenly, there was no way those things could suddenly hide. Ye Qingxuan could sense that quite a number of Schools were still secretly continuing to steal the music theories of other schools through the net of aether. What left him even more dumbfounded was that he never imagined that these Schools had hidden such large sums of secret stashes in the realm of aether!
After removing the fog and disguise, hundreds of wonderlands of all sizes began to exude light of great beauty. Clearly, they had been hiding quite a number of precious elements and movements, and there were even Holy Spirits staying in a number of the wonderlands. Without thinking further, he could differentiate between most of the Schools and their music theories and special traits. In fact, the wonderland of the School of Metal Shore, a School which had been thought by most musicians to have declined, was one of the most glorious amongst all the other wonderlands.
Of course, there were also plenty of wonderlands whose legacies had already been broken. They were dim and were floating about in the depth of the realm of aether, just like Ye Qingxuan’s Dream of Millennium in the past. If such a wonderland had appeared back then, everyone would have become incredibly powerful. But now, everyone could only stand by and watch as Ye Qingxuan stretched out his hand and pulled all those wonderlands to himself.
For all these years, everyone had been hiding their family properties in the darkness. Everyone had been fearful of one another and even resorted to peeking at one another, yet no one imagined that there would be someone as unreasonable as Ye Qingxuan, who would put a small sun in the dark forest. Not only that, they never thought that all their stealing of music theories would be caught red-handed by Ye Qingxuan and that he would snatch them all away for himself. Nevertheless, the lightning strike that they were anticipating did not come in the end.
The Land of Dreams remained hanging at the highest level of the realm of aether. It merely looked down coldly. They could continue to play their little games but Ye Qingxuan had already left the net of aether long ago.
There were still many days ahead. One could still afford to bide his time. There was no risk of them gathering together as one to resist him so there was no need to suppress them yet. Nevertheless, there was no harm in taking precautions first.
After pondering for a while, Ye Qingxuan picked up Hua Sheng’s attempt to contact him, “With regards to the anti-virus music theory that you mentioned, you can submit the schedule now…”
When he heard Ye Qingxuan’s voice, Hua Sheng could not help but laugh.
…
At this moment, plenty of information was flying around the lowest level of the realm of aether. For so many years, these Schools had been fighting with each other in secret. They never imagined that there would come a day when they would be unveiled so completely. There was panic at the moment of reveal, followed by uneasiness and finally, evil thoughts began to take root in their heads, so much so that many members of the Committee of Musicians were even holding a meeting in a public wonderland.
“Now that things have come to this, all of us should work together.”
“That’s right. Something as wicked and evil as the net of aether must be uprooted completely. It will only lead mankind down the road of destruction!”
“Uphold the path of the Originator and every musician will be able to allow Anglo’s ambition to grow even more!”
“How can someone like Ye Qingxuan, who is a despicable and unorthodox man, shoulder such a heavy responsibility? He did not even receive proper musician education and is the same as that teacher of his! The net of aether must be supervised by the Committee! Otherwise, it will only be a harmful influence!”
“I propose that we activate all the Committees and exert pressure on Anglo!”
“At the very least, we must force him to open up the limit of the upper position. It should be a fortune to be enjoyed by all musicians and not by him alone!”
“That’s right. If he doesn’t wish to become a criminal, we can give him a chance to atone for his crimes by doing a good deed…”
Just as the meeting was reaching its climax, a figure departed secretly.
…
Scepter musician, Antoine, opened up his eyes and could not help but snigger. He must have been mad to have had any expectations of the Committee of Musicians? All of them might have sounded all passionate and enthusiastic but when it really came to the time of execution, none of them would be willing to do it. Anyone with a brain could tell that Ye Qingxuan held the upper hand now.
Way before this, when his feathers were not fully grown yet, everyone only cared about their own territories and were not willing to pay the price nor stand together with the Sacred City to suppress the expansion of the net of aether.
Now that there’s nothing that the Sacred City can do anymore, then all of you are starting to regret… What’s the use?
And now, they are even more daring to have designs on the net of aether, as well as take from Anglo in the name of “justice.” Hehe, maybe they will only start to regret when the New Testament sword slices through their brain? Although the Door of Modifications did not submit to the net of aether, at least my efforts to suppress have prevented us from doing something as embarrassing as stealing music theories.
After pondering for a moment, he asked the servant to summon his own student. Very quickly, there was a knock on the door. A teenage female musician walked in. “Teacher, how can I serve you?”
Antoine smiled and gestured for her to sit beside him. “Celia, how is the research going?”
“Everything is going well. We expect to complete the Symphony of Predestination very soon,” Celia replied.
“Unfortunately, you need to stop your research for the time being and go to Anglo for me.”
“Anglo?” Celia was stunned for a while before realization dawned on her. She laughed bitterly. “That Hand of God?”
“That’s right.” Antoine did not intend to hide anything. “You shall represent us and go to the Door of Ruins to discuss with that Hand of God. He is a sentimental person. Hopefully, you will be able to make full use of the friendship that your brother and he established at Auschwitz and help our School ga
in substantial benefits.”
Celia looked torn. “Ye Qingxuan may be kind to me, but he may not treat the School the same way. I’m afraid I may not be able to gain much for the School.”
“As long as you get the chance to meet him face-to-face, you will already have a significant advantage over all other Schools.” Antoine stretched out his hand and pressed on Celia’s shoulder. His expression was stern. “The war between Anglo and Asgard has not ended yet. Find out what is he willing to give in exchange for the support of the Door of Ruins.” He paused for a while and began to look torn. “Or should I say, what are we willing to give in exchange for the Door of Ruins to continue to exist…”
753 Reptiles
The news of the defeat at the frontlines and of Chopin’s retreat had already reached the central sanctuary of the Sacred City.
There was a suffocating atmosphere in the huge meeting hall.
The red-robed cardinals were arguing without rest about what to do next.
“We must severely punish Chopin for his desertion! We’ve already shown him leniency for his heresies, and this is how he repays us? When the Sacred City needs him most he encourages others to flee with him!”
“Forget about handling Chopin for now, the production of new Saints’ inheritances must be sped up!”
“We’ll have to be cautious about our next step. We don’t have many more of the catastrophe cores that we stored up! And the horn that can temporarily manipulate the Eight Phenomena is completely destroyed, one could even say that the Eight Phenomena no longer exist. We need a new deterrent to deal with the Commonwealth of Caucasian’s expansion.”
“At least our operation was successful, and their Son of God has lost his power. He won’t be setting off any more storms.”
“Who knows if he’ll recover? You know, he is…” The refuting bishop got halfway through his statement and then stopped. Among the hard faces all around him, he forcibly swallowed his taboo words.
After a brief silence, mouths were opened again, breaking the stillness.
“The most urgent matter is maintaining the influence of the Sacred City and protecting justice and righteousness. If this continues, the Sacred City’s orders may not even go out of the city gates!”
“We must punish the rebels, and awe those who are blind.”
“Moreover, it is not only the Commonwealth of Caucasian. In the West, there is still that guy in the Anglo Kingdom. He has the power of the King of Yellow. We can’t let him continue to expand, otherwise, we will completely lose control of everything!”
Amidst the crowd’s dispute, someone had the courage to look up at the throne.
“Now, only by asking the Sancta Sedes and the King of Black…” He did not finish speaking, but his meaning was already clear.
Even though the situation had deteriorated to this point, even if the King of Yellow had betrayed them, the Sacred City still had not lost. As long as the King of Red took charge, and as long as the King of Black got involved, everything could be recovered.
But facing everyone’s expectant eyes, there was no sound from behind the curtain.
After a while, the figure sitting on the Pope’s throne slowly rose. He merely waved his hand, seeming tired. “So it’s come to this today.”
Amid the silence, he turned around and left. He left a crowd of bishops staring at each other in shock, with expressions full of annoyance.
In the silence, someone yawned.
It was Albert.
He got up, patted the dust off himself, and bade farewell to his colleagues. “When men grow old, it is easy for them to use up their energy. I’m going home to sleep now, if this discussion leads to any results, remember to let me know.” After saying this he turned and left.
But someone from within the central hall behind him shouted at him, “What do you want, Albert?” An old man with an ashen face looked at him with a gloomy expression.
Albert yawned. “I want to sleep.”
“At this moment of internal troubles and foreign invasion, when everyone is giving their all for the Sacred City, you want to sleep? Where is your sense of duty?”
“I’m sorry, I have no interest in launching a war. Moreover, my duty is only to observe the Holy Temple. Are all the reports and information not placed on your desks?”
“Is this your excuse for fleeing?” His peers gave him contemptuous looks.
Albert shrugged and fumbled for a cigarette. He said coldly, “Haven’t you already reached a verdict without me? We will fight, we will return the world to its rightful place beneath our feet, at any cost, all for the sake of the world!” As he said this, he pretended to shake his fist and put on the look of a fanatic, but his tone was full of ridicule. “But do you really know the consequences of this? Destroying the whole human world in a war in order to determine winners and losers… Why? Cornet, just losing your power isn’t the same as losing your life. It’s not that frightening, is it?”
Archbishop Cornet’s expression grew colder and colder.
“Albert, you have already forsaken everything that our ancestors worked so hard to create. Look at the city, its countless towers, this was once one of the most glorious places in the world! And now you want to let it all fall into disgrace because of you?”
“If it’s going to fall into disgrace, then let it.” Albert finally found half a cigarette in his pocket and cheered up. “I am an illegitimate child, did you know that?” he said indifferently.
Cornet’s expression stiffened. He suppressed his fury, and his hoarse voice came from between gritted teeth, “You…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but everyone knew what he was going to say.
“B*stard.” Albert did not lose his temper and did not even look up at him. It was just a word, and the day that he would be upset by a word would never come.
He lit his cigarette, took a puff, and the wrinkles of distress on his face softened as the harmful substance spread through him.
“Cornet, you’ve done your best for the Lord. After you die, you’ll receive your reward in heaven. Why ask for more?” He pinched his cigarette and squinted at his gloomy colleague. “Or do you think that paradise is not enough of a reward for all your wonderful dedication?”
Cornet said nothing. He just looked at him coldly.
“So stop now. You should go back, drink some wine, sleep a little bit, instead of trying to irritate me here. This is the best advice I can offer you now.” He bowed and tossed his cigarette. His shoulders drooped and he said with a flat tone, “Just a few hours ago my last friend died for you. For your stupid ambitions and desires.
He gripped the small medicinal respirator under his red cardinal robes, the last thing that Wagner had left behind.
“I’m so sad.”
…
Two days later, late at night at the top of the royal palace of Burgundy, a young man in his nightgown leaned on the terrace balcony, humming a song and staring at the square outside the palace.
Air-dried corpses still hung from the gallows at the center of the square.
The Emperor had died last, but he looked the same as all the others.
In the night before the new Emperor’s ascension, the soon to be Emperor felt no tension. In fact, he enjoyed the sight of his uncle’s corpse with great interest, sang songs leisurely and unhurriedly, and drank his red wine. Then he went back into his study.
In the study, the old man named Richelieu was copying out the decree that the new Emperor was going to issue tomorrow. When he saw his student lie down on the sofa without any manners, he could not help but frown, but he didn’t remind him to pay attention to his bearing.
“It’s almost time.” Don Juan looked at his watch. “Connect me to Archbishop Ulliel in the Sacred City,” he told the attendant standing in the corner.
The attendant left respectfully. The message to the Sacred City was sent out quickly, and after a long wait he finally picked up. The old man at the other end of the line spoke with a flat tone.
“This is Don Juan, one of your countless disciples.” The young man on the sofa raised his eyebrows happily. “My dear Archbishop, I think we should talk.”
“Watch your words, Don Juan.” Ulliel’s voice was indifferent. “For a follower of God, there is no business to be talked about.”
“No?” Don Juan nodded. “My mistake then.” He hung up. Regardless of the other sides attitude or thoughts, he hung up unilaterally and without any civility or good faith.
He stood up as the clock ticked, and pulled out the copper tubed cigar and matches from the drawer. He slowly and leisurely lit it. Once it was just hot enough, he cut off the head and enjoyed the fragrance of tobacco.
It was just like nothing had happened.
He let time pass by bit by bit.
The cautiously knocked on the door outside. “Your Highness, you have a communication from the Sacred City.”
“Oh.” Don Juan tilted his head. “How long has it been, teacher?”
Richelieu looked at the time and answered, “Five minutes.”
“No need to rush, let’s wait five more.” Don Juan’s expression was full of malice and mockery. “Those old b*stards who can’t see the big picture, they didn’t need to cooperate with me. They hung up after five minutes. Contact Ulliel’s rival Cornet, there should be enough time for him to receive the news.”
The attendant left respectfully.
The clock tolled midnight.
“I never thought it would take this long to come to fruition, but now the time has come to harvest it.” Don Juan got up, snuffed out the cigar, and looked at the old man behind the desk. “Unfortunately I must sleep. But tomorrow will be a good day for me. Teacher, I leave this to you.”
“You’re not going to speak to them yourself, Your Highness?”
“Forget it. I don’t get along with those old b*stards who swallow ancient wisdom but do not understand it.” The young man shrugged. “Besides, I just got married, why should I leave my beautiful wife alone at home for those ghouls?”