by Feng Yue
The earth trembled again as the bell in the cavity in the leyline made a loud sound, conveying its message to the distant country and accepting brand-new music theory.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
“Sound the third bell!” the musician shouted. “Confirm the music theory protocol!”
The enthusiastic engineers pulled the cables quickly and waited for the final echo.
Far away, a blazing torrent appeared above the ocean, shining like the sun. It was an endless stream of aether flowing into the deep sea. The fixed leyline, guided by sea markers, ran across thousands of miles of the ocean. The intense light penetrated the ocean, forming a golden stream.
In the end, it gathered up in the cave in the leyline and rose to the sky along an established path. It gushed out from the top of the instrument of harmonious melody towards the sky and gathered together with thousands of beams of light.
The light was like a drifting aurora. A silver ribbon danced in the night sky, giving a thrilling magnificence to the sky that had been burnt red by the flames.
That was how the bell rang.
Amid the sound of everyone cheering, the musician in charge of the project looked silently at the sky. After a while, he turned and said, “How many are there?”
“Counting the time, shouldn’t there be 27?” His assistant flipped through the schematics and smiled bitterly. “According to the schedule, by the end of tomorrow, our six teams will have to repair forty in Iberia. It’s a big project. The superiors run their mouths and we have to run around. They’re talking about saving the world, but in fact, all we can do is work overtime.”
“I’m not asking about us.” The musician shook his head, and the light from the sky glinted off his chin. “Look at that. Nobody knows about that.”
The assistant’s bitter smile froze, and he shook his head slightly. “Probably even that group of executioners couldn’t figure that out. The tower that we’re building here would be enough for them to light a hundred stakes.”
“Yes.” The musician nodded and put a match to his cigarette. After taking a deep puff he put out the match. “Bring about a new order, then offer up to God a hundred times as much destruction. Sometimes I wonder how future history books will evaluate us?”
The assistant shrugged.
No one knew the answer to that.
But if Shi Dong was there, he would probably answer with his “Savior of the World.”
Unfortunately, Shi Dong never paid attention to these kinds of boring questions while he was working.
The Inquisition had never cared how awful their reputation would be in the history books; they only cared about their work.
…
At the same time, also in Iberia, when the royal musician threw the silver stream of light representing the new order into the sky, the purification musicians on the ground threw ten times as much fire into the sky.
Shi Dong walked under the stakes, and his boots trampled on the ashes. The sounds of crying and screaming came between the innumerable hustling firewood teams, as the burning flames seemed to intertwine with dying breaths.
His footsteps were calm and determined, not like a dying old man. Even though he was dragging an obese man by the collar, who was struggling fiercely, he did not sway at all.
“No! Not like this! The Sacred City gave me permission! I am pure!” His face contorted as tears ran down. “I am pious! You can’t do this!”
Shi Dong smiled. “So, who can prove your piety?” He looked down at the man, casting a hideous shadow over his distorted face.
Against the burning flame, his old face could not be seen, but his eyes seemed to be two deep cracks leading to a world of lava and fire.
“This benevolent cardinal?” Shi Dong pointed to a charred corpse on a stake.
The once expensive red robes had been charred and twisted in the fire. Only the holy symbol around his neck still shone in the burning.
Shi Dong pointed to another stake.
“This prince?
“This party leader?
“This king?” He smiled like he was chewing charcoal.
Amid the cries, the grease coated stakes suddenly shook as the sound of a pine knot cracking rang out. The flames leaped up, and the person on the stake was completely consumed.
A burning wind swept through, dragging way the ashes and the spirits of the dead, sending their sorrows into the sky. Finally, they turned into a fine black dust that drifted back down to earth like rain.
Amid the cries of a judge as he suffocated, Shi Dong began to sing hoarsely.
The hoarse voice that came from his steel vocal cords did not carry a tune, but it entangled in the flames, accompanied by the sound of pine knots cracking. It was given form by the dust and plaintive cries, and gained fullness as the flames rose.
It was as if the world of suffering had been revealed, and those on the stakes piously offered it the cries of their suffering.
It was a chorus of thousands.
Under the thousands of stakes, countless purification musicians sang the sacred song of judgment. It gathered together into a mighty wave that seemed to shake the sky and lash against the souls on the stakes. It would burn all the evil to nothing but ash in the fire.
Shi Dong walked forward, treading through the flames.
A fiery glow seemed to rise in his blood vessels, making his eyes turn an insane red.
The grand judgment seemed to give him a new life. He walked in a hell that he had built himself, bathed in the fire, put the sinners into the flames one by one so that they could sing the song of God in the fire.
The firelight dispelled the night.
The grand bonfire lit the sky, spreading light to the surrounding countryside, making the darkness retreat before this raging flame of revenge.
The last important person was put on the bonfire before dawn.
“I’ve done nothing wrong! I’m in the right! You wild dogs! Don’t touch me!” The man wearing a crown and robes yelled at the Witch Hammer. “How dare you do this! How dare you, Shi Dong! It is us, the heads of the 16 families, who have funded you! It was my grandfather who saw your potential! We were the ones who gave you such great authority, and gave the highest glory to the Inquisition! We signed an agreement and a covenant with God as our witness! How dare you do this!”
Under the stake, the old man who was bathed in a scorching wind looked up at him.
He smiled.
“Although it is regrettable that it has come to this, I must say, the 16 families, including yours, total 179 direct descendants. Long before the Inquisition was founded, they were on the first purification list.” Shi Dong grinned, his distorted face flushed with red. “Even though I can’t issue an arrest warrant for you for various reasons, today really is the day dreams come true.”
He spread his arms like he was receiving a new year’s gift and cheered, “Why don’t you sing for me, friend? On this day when dreams come true, even the air is as sweet as honey!”
The man on the stake’s face twisted and he snarled, “I curse you, you heretics who have forsaken the path of God! You beasts of indulgence and slaughter! You are led by traitors, and you have lost the correct path! You have broken our covenant! God will cast you aside! He will cast you aside!”
“Ah, perhaps.” Shi Dong smiled and raised his torch. “If he really cares about a paper covenant.”
He let go.
The fire swirled down from his hand onto the wood.
In the fire that was catalyzed by aether, the special seat that had been tailor-made for nobles was ignited. It burned up, throwing thick smoke into the dawn sky.
Light danced in the firewood accompanied by Shi Dong’s harsh singing. He clapped out a beat, making for a majestic and wild figure that had a fleeting beauty.
The fire was reflected in his bloodshot eyes.
It almost made him hold his breath.
This was the most devastati
ng thing in the world.
Since everything had been transformed, the brilliance had been revealed by suffering, and all ugliness had been turned to ash… The fascinating brilliance seemed to be alive.
Even in this cold and cruel world, it could bring warmth.
“It’s so beautiful.” He stood between the flames like a child, gazing at the dancing light.
Just as he had countless times in the past.
Except only here and now he could feel he was with the deceased who had once spent such a long time with him.
They were reunited.
They had not been separated by cruel time.
It was not until the fire died down that he awoke from his long reverie. He felt the morning dew condensing in the corners of his eyes. He slipped on the ashes and fell on the ground.
“Next one!” he yelled.
A calm voice came from behind him, “There is no next one.”
He turned back in shock and saw the young man in the wheelchair and the countless extinguished stakes. He suddenly realized. “It’s… finished?”
“Mhm, it’s finished.”
“Then where are we going next?”
“There’s nowhere to go, Shi Dong.” Watson looked at him. “Anglo, Asgard, Burgundy, then from Navia to Iberia. Shi Dong, our path is finished.”
“Truly? The bonfire party is over?” Shi Dong sat dejectedly on the steps to the woodpile. He finally felt exhausted. He finally felt like an old man. “It’s a pity that I was just having one a moment ago.”
Watson shrugged. “Maybe you should complain to our boss later and have him give the next list to me. I’m sure it will be very long.”
Shi Dong said nothing. He just looked up in silence at the sun rising from behind gray clouds.
“Watson, do you think it was good for me to get the righteous Inquisition to pursue my private wishes?” he suddenly whispered. “Now I don’t know whether my choice was right or not.”
“Isn’t it too late to be thinking of regret?” Watson couldn’t help but shake his head as he whispered. “The times have changed, old man.”
“Yes, I’ve lived too long. The world has changed so fast, and I’ve been left in the past.” Shi Dong smiled self-deprecatingly and patted his iron knee. “It seems just like yesterday that the Inquisition was established. At that time, wouldn’t I have cast aside the ugliness of my own degeneration? But when I think about it seriously, it seems there was nothing wrong with my descent.”
He looked at Watson, and his eyes that had once been so cloudy were clear. They reflected his face as if he were staring back at himself. “If I like chasing the light, am I not a shadow?”
Watson was stunned.
“Even though I am so old I don’t even have the strength to put up a stake, there are still many things that are not as I wish. But those things are no longer important.” Shi Dong lowered his head and said softly. “It really was a carefree expedition.”
Under the numerous stakes, he took in a breath of refreshing ash. He smiled and closed his eyes as if he was sleeping among the flowers.
In the flame of death, he returned to his hundred-year dream.
“Shi Dong? Hey, Shi Dong!” Watson reached out to shake him, but when he touched his cold shoulder he stiffened. After a while, he lowered his eyes and forced a smile. “You’re really sleeping here? You’re so old, I guess it’s important to sleep somewhere warm.”
He pushed his wheelchair forward and carefully placed the thin blanket on his knees over Shi Dong’s body. He reached out and gently hugged him, saying softly, “Goodnight, Shi Dong.”
Goodnight.
May you reunite with the deceased before the eternal bonfire in the endless night.
808 Wait and Hope
The seawater soared.
The huge pieces of sea ice collided with each other, producing deep and flat roars. The sounds were transmitted through the water and the wind to distant places.
The biting cold wind shrouded the sea, sucking up the waves, then tossing them back on the surface of the sea. A large amount of ice crystals bobbed up and down in the sea, producing crisp chimes that complemented the countless roars from the colliding sea ice.
Above the sky covered in dark clouds, faint streaks of electricity could be seen, indicating the advancement of the storm.
And on the surface of the sea, in the cold wind, a layer of ghastly whiteness had covered the surface without anyone realizing it.
Frozen seawater became firm ice, covered in white snow and embellished with innumerable crisscrossed cracks, revealing the deep seawater below, and stretched all the way to the end of the heavens and the earth.
And just above the sea of ice, two straight lines of footsteps extended forward. They continued all the way to a spot where the land was near enough for one to see its contours.
They stopped abruptly.
Ye Qingxuan looked up and gazed at the land covered by gray fog in the distance. “The place in front, is it the Caucasus…”
“That’s right.” Shards of frost condensed on Bach’s beard, and he exhaled a fiery breath. “The place where the god is.”
“Leave the rest to me.” Ye Qingxuan turned back and cast him a look. “You have already ‘escorted’ me here, surely you aren’t worried that I will now regret my decision and leave?”
“No, I have yet to complete my duties.” Bach shook his head, knocking his pipe on the sharp icicle beside him, causing the frozen tobacco and ashes to fall out, then refilled the pipe. “Before you leave, someone wants to see you.”
“Someone? Where?” Bach lowered his head and lit the pipe. “According to the time, you’ll probably meet him very soon.”
At the moment, Ye Qingxuan turned back.
A crack leading to somewhere distant opened from behind him.
In the forlorn whistle of a hurricane, a black spot emerged from the air, then expanded rapidly, swallowing the frosty wind, forming a tunnel of wind leading to another world.
A wind tunnel? Just as Ye Qingxuan was stunned, a hand slowly extended from the wind tunnel.
Then, a thin figure emerged. As if there had been a breakthrough regarding the proposition of “long-distance human transmission,” which had been proven to be unsolvable, someone crossed thousands of miles via the wind tunnel. Finally, he set foot on the sea of ice, old decaying robes emerging from the hurricane.
As the hurricane dissipated, the aging, peeling skin made of silicone was revealed, as well as the broken circuits and mechanical parts behind the peeling skin, making him appear as grotesque as an evil spirit.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Ye’s successor.” The only “human” in the history of the world to have achieved long-distance transmission stood in front of Ye Qingxuan, speaking with a weird tone, producing static noise at the same time.
The original colors of the robe on him could no longer be identified. Blown by the wind, the sleeves of the robe rolled back, revealing the sign inscribed by the manufacturer on the back of his hand, indicating his non-human nature.
Ye Qingxuan came to a realization. “Peter?”
“Yes.” The first-generation King of Red, the only non-human on board the East Asian colony ship back then, the smart observation machinery, “Peter,” nodded.
In the brief silence, he gazed at Ye Qingxuan’s face. Behind the aged and faded colloidal eyeballs, traces of the old observing equipment were revealed, and a monotonous iridescent light was still blinking.
It made one uncomfortable to be directly stared upon by him.
Ye Qingxuan frowned. “Is anything the matter?”
“The look in your eyes is exactly the same as that of your ancestor, a look truly unique to humans.” Peter replied, “Before killing Xiao Huan, the look in his eyes was the same as that of yours now.”
Ye Qingxuan’s gaze became cold, and he looked at Peter silently.
Peter also looked at him. His broken face had no expression on it.
“Explain your purpose in
coming, Peter.” Ye Qingxuan said coldly, “If your goal is to upset me, congratulations, you have succeeded.”
“Actually, it is not the case, Mr. Ye.” Peter finally stopped staring at him and lowered his non-human eyes. One couldn’t really see any expression on the aged and ruptured face.
“So, allow me to explain my intentions.” He unfolded his arms, acting in a manner that had just the right amount of friendliness, one so perfect that it could be included in human textbooks. “16 micro central processors are located over my body. After a few centuries, seven are still working.
“For the past few centuries, I have followed my mission, trying all the time to understand humans, even when I was slumbering. 41 times, I almost thought that I have understood you all. However, it turns out that I still haven’t.
“It continued until I came to the understanding that perhaps the line in between is one that an old model like me can never ever cross successfully.” He looked at Ye Qingxuan and told him, “But it is not the same for Charles.”
Ye Qingxuan’s gaze became more and more indifferent. “What are you trying to say?”
“I am trying to explain Charles’ nature to you—how Charles became the Charles you know.” Peter’s tone was still calm. Perhaps, for something like him, emotions like hesitation or a willingness to concede did not exist. “Do you know how machines like me carry out activities similar to the process of thinking humans go through? Humans termed the process ‘computation’.
“In the beginning, everything stems from the two definitions of ‘False’ and ‘True,’ that is, zero and one. In my crystal oscillator circuits, the two definitions form the ‘AND gate,’ ‘NOT gate,’ ‘OR door,’ and so on.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
“Hundreds of millions of the smallest units like them form a ‘logic valve,’ and then an equal number of ‘logic valves’ form the structure of a central processor.
“Finally, the 16 processors mobilize the Central I, II, and III databases according to the preset logic chain, forming ‘me,’ what you refer to as ‘Peter,’ that is, the ‘model Ω4 seventh-generation humanoid observer and collector’ standing in front of you.