Silent Crown

Chapter 325: Rain

“My name is Ye Qingxuan and it will not change. Food is free in the East so why can’t I hitch a ride?” The proud youth with mottled white hair and ragged clothes blocked a caravan. His clothes were ragged because he did not start off with much clothing. His hair was mottled because…his hair dye had faded.

Now, ‘Ye Qingxuan’ pointed at his fading white hair and said proudly, “Do you see this? It’s the noble blood of a Deva! Hurry up and give me your best carriage. Otherwise, I’ll lose my temper.”

“Uh…” Donald gripped his sword as his expression twitched. With this situation, he could not fight the man but he could not not fight. Who knew if the man was a musician or not?

He looked to the carriage in the center of the caravan for help but the youth there just blew his whistle without a care. What was wrong with this trip? Why did he keep running into such weird things? Before he could react, a cackle sounded in the air.

“Ye Qingxuan? I’m looking for you!” A black shadow instantly descended from the sky and clawed ‘Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder, lifting him up. The three-footed eagle’s wing spanned a dozen meters. It was clearly a summoned phantom beast.

The musician on the eagle’s back played his flute and cackled. “Going to Auschwitz is a death trap for a weak musician like you. Why don’t you form a team with me? You can try decode—”

Before he could finish, something whistled through the forest. A blinding beam of light flashed in the air. It sliced off one of the eagle’s wings and burned half of the Summoning musician’s body.

Yelping, the musician urged the handicapped eagle forward.

“You think you can get to Auschwitz?” A woman with a tattooed face rode a python. She beat her copper drum and chased after him. There were thunderous rumbles and booms. Melodies overlapped each other, creating dizzying and complex ripples.

One could faintly hear ‘Ye Qingxuan’s say indignantly, “Psh, stop dreaming! Bring it on…”

The entire caravan seemed to be fossilized. The mortals always suffered when the gods fought.

“What…what’s going on?” The caravan leader was close to tears. “Why do people keep fighting when they’re talking? They blocked our path!”

“Boss, be happy they aren’t drag racing!” The turbaned youth beside him munched on baked seeds as if this did not bother him. “If I were you, I’d choose a detour. If they come back—”

Before he finished, the leader jumped. He almost bounced off of his horse. “Detour! Turn around! Hurry! What are you still waiting for? For those unlucky b*stards to pay your salary?”

The long caravan turned around and carefully avoided the musicians’ battlefield after going in a big circle.

–

After ten days, Ye Qingxuan’s happy days of lounging around finally ended. He could only hitch a ride to here. There were no more after this. He had traveled slowly and casually for so many days but, according to the arrangement, Ye Qingxuan was still on time. It was good enough that he had arrived! He had already planned on whiling his days away like this. With his small physique, killing was not his thing. He should treasure his life!

“Sir, you’re leaving now?” At the fork in the road, the caravan leader bid farewell to Ye Qingxuan politely. “You’re leaving so soon. Why don’t you stay a few days? We will treat you with hospitality.” He regretted his words as soon as he uttered them because Ye Qingxuan’s eyes brightened.

“Really?”

“Uh…” The leader wiped at his sweat and stammered, “But we shouldn’t hold you back. Your time is precious. How can a small caravan like us waste your time?”

“Ah, no, not at all. And furthermore, you even dare to sell powerful things like the power armor. Your business is probably pretty big, right?” Ye Qingxuan glanced at him with a subtle smile. Moving from the topic, he lifted up his bag and spoils. “Oz is up ahead. Thanks everyone for letting me catch a ride. Let’s part here.”

The youth turned to leave. After hesitating, Donald called out, “Sir, can you…can you tell us your name?”

“Me?” Ye Qingxuan looked back from his horse with a strange expression. “I’m…Simon! Right, Simon. Just remember me as a peace-loving Indian musician.”

“Simon?” Donald sounded out the unfamiliar name. “Then, may we meet again, Mr. Simon.”

“Yes, may we meet again.” Ye Qingxuan whistled and patted the stallion’s neck. The horse neighed and galloped off.

Watching as the youth faded into the distance, the caravan leader sighed, “What a miracle. I never expected to meet such a figure on the road. It’s a pity he left so hurriedly. Do you think he’s a Resonance musician from the legends with that power?”

“Maybe. I can’t tell,” Donald lamented. “I didn’t know you’d be so generous as to gift him your horse.”

“Huh?” The man froze. “Didn’t you give him it?”

He stared at Donald; their expressions changed drastically.

The leader stared at the youth’s silhouette. After a long while, he muttered, “He even steals horses? This *sshole Simon is so shameless…”

“Yeah. That Ye Qingxuan is shameless too!”

–

The youth whistled as he raced through the wilderness. After the long journey, he was finally close to Auschwitz. After five kilometers, he would be at the small village of Oz. It was the last rest stop before Auschwitz.

Under the blazing sun, he could only see clumps of withered brambles and half-dead shrubs on the prairie. This was not far from the ancient Thebes civilization and still contained old relics and remains.

According to ancient literature, there was a radiant city here in the past. Innumerable people lived here and created a glorious culture. Sadly, the times changed. The once-fertile soil had become a barren desert through the changes of aether and rivers. There was no sign of the original glory. The city was now reduced to crumbling walls.

“Is this really the place that fed one hundred thousand citizens?” Ye Qingxuan looked around. He saw a small creek not too far away but the beach was covered white salt. It was undrinkable. Ye Qingxuan dismounted and reached out. He wet his fingers but almost threw up after tasting it.

It was extremely salty and bitter, with a pungent metallic and fishy smell. The underground water here was clearly not drinking water anymore. It might be close to standard after several filtrations, but the citizens here could not even afford it, let alone use it for irrigation. It was impossible to herd livestock or grow anything. Transportation to this place was difficult too. It was hard to develop an artisan industry. There were no specialties either.

“One-hundred thousand people? It’ll be hard to support a couple hundred, right?” Ye Qingxuan sighed. He rose and looked into the distance. An old woman was waddling over with a heavy wooden basket and a cane. Her head was lowered as she looked through the shrubs for wild plants to eat. When she occasionally chanced upon a palm-sized vegetable, it was like she had found a gem.

Ye Qingxuan stopped beside her. “Excuse me, how far it is to Oz?”

The old woman looked up and squinted at him for a long time with eyes covered in cataracts. Her accent was difficult to understand. Finally, she raised her finger and pointed in a direction. The general meaning was that it would take three hours by foot.

Ye Qingxuan nodded. She stared at him. Her gaze was not pleading or full of prayers. It was just blank. Ye Qingxuan could not help but feel sad.

He glanced at the basket on her back and saw dried vegetables, roots, and berries. “This is all you eat?”

“There’s nothing else to eat,” the old woman said unclearly. “It hasn’t rained in months. Everything’s dried out on the ground. No water either…” She looked down at the roots in her hands. “It’s all we can eat.”

Ye Qingxuan fell silent, not knowing what to say. He suddenly realized that it was a mistake to ask. So what if he knew the answer? He could not change anything. Even if he gave her money, what could she buy in the wilderness?

“Sorry.” He did not know why he said that either.

With one last glance, he mounted his horse. As he galloped away, he turned back and saw that the old woman was still standing there, staring at where he had stood. There was nothing there, but her rheumy eyes seemed to see something.

A drop of water fell onto Ye Qingxuan’s face. Stunned, he touched his face. It really was water. Water had fallen from the sky.

Gray clouds had gathered in the sky without him realizing. Thunder boomed in the distance like resounding horns and drums. No, it really was horns and drums.

Booming like thunder and whistling like wind, it roared in the sky and swept through the gray clouds and wind. Ripples appeared in the aether sea and performed a wild and coarse melody. The earth shook with the thunder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ye Qingxuan froze. Raindrops the size of beans fell from the sky. One drop, two drops… The dry land instantly became wet under the rain. It was raining!

Under the thunderstorm, Ye Qingxuan stared at the clouds. A massive music theory made of aether and incredibly large formula was slowly being organized. The formula stirred the aether sea, guided power from the sky, transformed into wind and rain, extracted water from thunder and fire, and tossed down the countless water droplets. Rain fell in torrents.

“It’s raining?” On the barren land, an old woman dazedly reached out. Feeling the wetness on her hand, she looked up incredulously. A raindrop splashed onto her face, washing away the murkiness in her eyes, and rolled down like tears.

“It’s raining!” She danced and yelled happily, “It’s raining! It’s finally raining!”

Chapter 326: The True Meaning Within

“It’s raining! Raining!” In Oz, a village in the wilderness, the villagers in rags cheered and worshipped the panting young man as if he was a god. The man had short hair, defined features, and dark skin.

Looking at the pouring rain, he plopped onto the ground. Mud splashed onto him. “Stop celebrating. I haven’t even grasped a bit of the essence from the movement The Tempest. This storm just uses the water vapor in the air. It can only last a few hours. Hurry and collect the water.”

The villagers froze before hurrying back to their homes and flipping through the cabinets for anything that could hold water. The bustling place quickly emptied. Only the young man remained.

“Hey, at least help me up?” he muttered as he pulled himself up. Looking at the large alchemy array surrounding him, his expression twisted in pain. This was enough to buy an entire village, and he had used it all up for a rainstorm. But seeing how these people acted as if they had been saved, he did not know how to ask for money.

“Teacher was right. Doing unprofitable things makes you happy for a while and sad for a lifetime. It took me forever to borrow all that money…and now it’s all gone?” He slapped the mud on him. It quickly dried and fell off; his clothing was as good as new. When the pouring rain fell onto him, it transformed into water vapor and disappeared. “Thankfully Auschwitz is only half a day away. Otherwise, I’d really have to beg for food.”

He felt around his pocket bitterly and realized that it was cleaner than his face. Behind him came the sound of horse hooves hitting mud. He looked back. There, a youth held back his horse and stared back at him. He looked like an Indian with a bunch of weapons on his saddle. He looked like a musician but a musician would not have so many cumbersome weapons. He looked like an arms seller but it did not feel right.

“Who are you?”

“Me?” The young man smiled and adjusted his turban. “An Indian who sells swords. You?”

“Sam,” the man replied seriously. “Everyone calls me Hammer. You…are you here to challenge me too? Let’s start after I take a break.”

Ye Qingxuan thought for a moment and shook his head. What a joke! Challenging a Resonance level musician under this situation? It was Modifications which countered him the most too. He would rather pass.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan shake his head, Sam’s expression grew regretful. “What a pity.”

“Huh?”

He looked at Ye Qingxuan longingly. “Before I left, my teacher told me that if I meet musicians who challenge me, I have to beat them. I can take their money and belongings too…”

Wait, what kind of logic is this? Your teacher has problems too! With that logic, does your school come from bandits?

“Uh…” After some hesitation, Ye Qingxuan asked, “Actually, I have a question.”

“Huh?”

“If you need water, why did you do all that to make rain?” Ye Qingxuan asked seriously. “Wouldn’t it be easier to find the right place and make a well?”

Sam froze. He gaped at Ye Qingxuan. His eyes were filled with shock and respect. There was also a tinge of enlightenment and confusion. Basically, ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ was written all over him.

“You can do that?” he exclaimed, hitting his head. “Why didn’t I think of that?!”

This isn’t a matter of thinking of it! Friend, how badly do you lack common sense? Ye Qingxuan wanted to insult him but he could only chuckle and move on.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, something flashed in the sky. Lightning streaked across the sky. The surging aether waves had reached their climax and somehow began transforming with the earth-shattering boom. They instantly heard the sound of crystallization. It seemed that something had come to this world under the guidance of the waves.

“No…way?” When Sam processed everything, he gazed at Ye Qingxuan blankly. Ye Qingxuan could not believe it either. He wiped his face and said, “Let’s check it out first.” He turned his horse around and galloped toward the direction of the sound.

Sam’s body shot up like a rock. He was enveloped in layers of gas and crashed forward in the same direction. An instant later, he dropped from the sky, creating a giant hole. He landed ungracefully and stumbled. He quickly climbed up and pounced toward the sensing.

Immediately after, the youth covered in electricity activated the Governor and sprinted over. He landed beside Sam soundlessly. The two stared at the thing before them and held their breaths.

It was a long, long silence. The rain continued to fall and drenched them.

Sam took a deep breath and sighed. “Worth it.”

–

The heavy and freezing torrential rain turned the earth into a swamp. Ye Qingxuan and Sam lay on the ground and stared at the thing before them like idiots. Before them was a blooming sunflower. It seemed to grow from nothing. The lower the stem went, the more translucent it became. In the end, it became nothing. However, the giant pale yellow petals bloomed like the sun.

It seemed to glow in the darkness shrouded by black clouds. It was too beautiful to look at directly or touch. Rain and wind passed through it like illusions, unable to move it. It was so small but the entire world seemed illusory in comparison.

After staring for a long time, Sam said with uncertainty, “Is it really…”

“Yes, it’s the Cereus.” Ye Qingxuan nodded. He reached out to feel the ‘sunflower’ but his fingers went through it as if it was air. In his vision, he saw his hand dissipate to fog before the flower and regroup after leaving it. The flower was the one that did not exist. However, before it, everything else turned into apparitions. It made no sense but it was real.

Ye Qingxuan sighed. “One of the four living natural catastrophes, the Cereus.”

–

To musicians, the categories and names of natural catastrophes were a required course. Some natural catastrophes were kept secret for various reasons but most were not. This included the Cereus.

In reality, it was way at the bottom of the danger list, along with the Star Ring. The latter was an aether river in the sky; the former was a mysterious plant. They had no effect on mankind. Except for providing topics to discuss.

The true body of the Cereus did not exist in the material world. What they saw now was just a projection from the aether world, like an object’s shadow when sunlight fell upon it. Different from Hyakume, it had no influence other than the fact that it looked like a plant. It never reacted to interferences or interacted with other things. It even ignored the other natural catastrophes. Nothing could touch it either.

According to observational records, it appeared through pure coincidence. It would appear periodically anywhere that had an overly high density of aether and messy music theory. It would appear silently, bloom silently, wither silently, and disappear silently.

It would be categorized as a ‘phenomenon’ like the Silver White Tide rather than one of the four living things if not for its various botanical characteristics, such as growing toward the light.

“What a miracle.” After gaping for a long time, Sam nodded in satisfaction. “Teacher was right. It always maintains distance between itself and the outer world. It looks like a hair’s breadth away, but no matter how you approach it, the distance will never disappear. It doesn’t want anything to do with anything.”

“Really?” Ye Qingxuan replied mechanically as he stared at the Cereus. He did not even know what Sam had said. The man seemed to say a lot before realizing that Ye Qingxuan was not listening. This ‘Indian’ youth sprawled in the mud and stared at the Cereus with fiery eyes as if it was a diamond. He murmured something and wild waves of aether rippled around him. He seemed to have received something. Enlightenment?

Sam was a little dazed. How could someone receive enlightenment from something like this? It was too weird.

Actually, it was totally worth it for most musicians to go thousands of miles to personally see the Cereus. However, it was just a rare sight for most. After all, not being able to interfer it meant not being able to research it. They could not even touch it. Without its appearance, it basically did not exist. And what value did nonexistent things have?

After thinking for a long time, Sam left without bothering Ye Qingxuan anymore.

Ye Qingxuan remained in the mud. He stared at the sunflower before him and mumbled something, deep in thought. Only the rain sounded in the silence.

As it pitter-pattered and the aether waves changed, the Cereus bloomed and slowly began to wilt. The petals withered, fell, and scattered in the wind. The flower bloomed and wilted.

Ye Qingxuan stared as the Cereus disappeared. The petals faded one by one as well. In the end, he could barely see the Cereus’s silhouette clearly. The final dreamy golden petal fell, withered, and floated in the wind.

Ye Qingxuan reached out mindlessly. His thumb and forefinger closed around the floating petal. He seemed to catch it but, at the same time, did not. The hallucinatory petal disappeared.

Ye Qingxuan remained in his position. He stared at his fingers blankly as if the nonexistent petal was still there. “I see,” he whispered.

Boom! A thunderous sound shot out from his throat. The rain on him shook, turned around, and spread into the sky like fire! These were flames transformed from water vapor. Amidst the fire-like rain, the youth’s eyes lit up.

“This is how it is…this is the change of aether, interference of nature!” This was the core essence of the School of Abstinence! To this school, everything on this world was an image of aether. Therefore, there was no difference in nature. Everything could be constructed through music theory and could be changed through interference of nature. Therefore, by changing music theory, he could create fire and burn the rain.

The Cereus’s existence seemed to be still, but that was only to the ‘outer world.’ It was actually maintaining its independence by continuously changing its nature, stubbornly keeping distance from the world and breaking the connection of theory.

It was like a moat. It was on that side while everything else was on the other side. They could see each other but could not meet. What linked this process was the essence of ‘interference of nature.’

During his moment of enlightenment, the unclear understanding he had received during his days in the Naica Cave of the Crystals and his deepest confusion were linked together.

Ye Qingxuan had finally touched upon the core of the Seven Questions for Musicians—the true meaning behind the question of ‘abandon oneself.’

Since everything in mankind’s eyes was constructed by aether, then did this include himself? Did the concept of ‘self’ come from aether as well? He sank into deep thought.

Chapter 327: Retreat When Difficult?

The camp outside Auschwitz was under the same thunderstorm that night. The high gray walls were covered by dark clouds. There was only darkness in the world; there were no stars or moonlight. Only darkness and rain.

One could see countless raindrops falling from the sky and the dim lights of the grouping area through the city gate that was ajar. The city gate was dozens of meters high and seemed to be made of iron. It was rusted from years of wind and rain. Without maintenance, it was practically impossible to push now. They could only manage a crack a meter in width for people to pass through.

The lights were dim under the rain but illuminated the figures standing before the gate. Their clothing was all different. They had come from all over the world; the only similarity was the almost tangible aether waves and animosity exuding from them.

Even if they had a truce, sparks practically flew from their eyes when they stood together. It was obvious that if someone made a move, the others would break out without any hesitation. However, they were restraining themselves now and no one shattered the truce.

They were all participants in the Auschwitz trial—the strong ones who survived the journey here. The others had all died, retreated, or escaped. Those who could remain here were the next generation of elites and prodigies from each school. They represented the dignity and pride of their schools. If one overlooked the musicians who had already become accomplished, the musicians present would be the mainstay of the next generation in twenty years. They represented the future of each school. This was why they forced themselves to be calm and…’unite’ to some extent. This would lessen the problems later in the trial.

According to the proposer Colt Flagg, the journey here was difficult for everyone so why create new enemies?

Many of the hot picks of the trial were moved by his words and came here so they could keep all variables outside Auschwitz before the deadline. Simply put, they would make the unqualified ones give up after finding out how difficult it was.

The participants included Colt Flagg, Revelations musician and representative of the Rock Institute; Choir musician Paul Bunyan from the archipelago; the Hauser brothers, Summoning musicians from Burgundy; Ariana, a Mind Musician; Rebecca, representative of the School of Illusion Voodoo Crypt; and more.

Most people would be smart and turn around as soon as they saw this group. Even if they didn’t, it was okay. They would just be invited into a friendly duel before entering Auschwitz. Private battles were not allowed inside the city so was it better to create the winner beforehand? Of course, they did not go overboard. Unlike the secret fatal attacks in the wilderness, they would stop once the point was across.

“After all, the Sacred City is watching.” Someone looked up into the sky with a half-smile.

–

Thunder clapped amongst the pure black clouds. The rain poured in sheets. Occasionally, lightning would streak across, illuminating the figures flying in the air.

They had strange postures and seemed to come from different places. However, they all radiated with strong aether waves that slightly distorted the material world, changing it into the aether realm. This was a Scepter’s power. They were all of the Scepter level! But in this solemn atmosphere, someone suddenly sneezed and pathetically took out a handkerchief to blow his nose.

“Sorry, this stupid place is too cold. I should’ve worn more.” With that, he looked down at the grouping area. “It’s almost eleven and it’s still not over? These kids don’t know how to sleep. What are they doing at midnight? A nude party?”

Someone beside him glared. “The deadline is midnight. After the clock strikes twelve, no other musicians will be able to enter the trial.”

“Yes, yes, I understand. You’ve all worked hard.” The guy who had appeared in Maxwell’s office blew his nose and complained, “I’m so sad. I was just messing around and then I was sent to this place to be a babysitter. Look at these kids! Each one is more troublesome than the last and they add even more trouble at night. What if we just let them be and go sleep?”

Everyone ignored him.

Amongst them, a man in Eastern clothing comforted him, “Great burdens come to those with great abilities. Why don’t you wait a bit more? After all, your representative from Anglo hasn’t arrived yet.”

“Mr. Hu, are you talking about that white-haired kid?” The mysterious man stuffed his handkerchief into his pocket and sighed. “He’s probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere if he’s still not here.”

“I think highly of him.” Mr. Hu chuckled.

“Then what about your kids? They must be sad if they hear your words.”

Mr. Hu continued to smile. “The Imperial College had me bring them here to open their eyes. We’re just here for the fun.”

Someone glanced over and shook his head coldly. “Undisciplined.”

Mr. Hu just chuckled and started singing, “Oh, I’m the undisciplined of Wollongong…” The mood became so awkward that everyone looked away, pretending they heard nothing.

In the long silence, someone finally looked up. “Someone’s here.”

–

“Someone’s here!” Under the heavy rain, Colt Flagg suddenly opened his eyes. The mark he had buried at the end of the road had been activated. He sensed that someone was crashing through the rain on horseback.

The apparition of a giant whale appeared beside him. Rather than stopping it, the torrential rain became the whale’s aid and helped it fly. The huge shadow floated across the sky with a mournful song. The whale song shattered the sheets of rain, transforming the world into an ocean.

Sensing the animosity from the city gates, the musician on the horse sneered and sped up. The whale sang loudly, creating rolling echoes.

“Summoning?” Colt distinguished the musician’s beastly nature. “Seems to have great attainments too.”

“It’s just for looks,” someone replied huskily. “It’s not the bigger the better. Enlarging the whale to such a laughable size without caring about its limits is just…shallow.”

The one who spoke stood at the end of the crowd. He looked like a twin with two people joined at the shoulder. Only one spoke while the other stayed silent. They were the Hauser brothers from Burgundy.

The one who spoke was Terry, the elder brother. He looked down and said something to his brother Kasper, who nodded. Under the hood of the heavy raincoat, he opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and screamed.

Thunder clapped in the sky.

Boom!

The giant whale apparition wailed. The pouring rain curled back and the whale broke apart abruptly. The musician on horseback was lifted up from the backlash. He fell off the horse and rolled in the mud. In the end, blood spewed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Convulsing, he could barely climb up. His sound of heart had been disrupted.

He struggled in the mud. In the end, his energy spent, he stopped moving. He looked up with difficulty and saw a traveler in the distance. Another person had come.

Seeing the musician’s pathetic state, the newcomer was stunned. He looked toward the city gates and felt the tangible animosity even across more than a thousand miles.

Then…he grew excited! He stepped forward.

Boom! An earth-shattering boom exploded under his feet. He advanced forward, drummed his sound of heart, awakened his instrument, and…the mountains shook!

“Copper mountain?” Many of the musicians recognized the instrument. One man’s expression changed. “Someone can actually receive recognition from a saint’s relic of this level?”

The rumbles got closer. Immense amounts of aether crashed, creating sparks. Practically all the rain had evaporated; the figure grew blurry as well. Each step he took was like a copper mountain and steel drum banging against each other. Ear-splitting thunder rumbled.

However, the large amount of aether and wild changes were restricted inside the formula. They raged with furious fire but could not break free. It was unbelievable that this immense power was controlled by one person.

“Interesting.” A Modifications musician at the gate looked up. He slammed down and a roar shot out from his fingers. A majestic melody resounded and collided with the earth-moving sound in the air.

The sheets of rain shook; a vast amount of rain evaporated, turning to steam. However, the heavy footsteps continued forward. The attacker at the gate stumbled back. He panted heavily and even coughed out blood. His face was stark white. He was completely defeated before an actual round. It had just been a virtual test!

Everyone’s expression changed.

“No sign of borrowing power from the saint,” Colt Flagg said hoarsely. “I can’t believe he had used his will to break through the Barrier of Knowledge and received recognition from a saint’s relic.”

“Finally someone’s here to challenge me!” Amidst the approaching thunder, the newcomer was enthusiastic. His eyes flashed. “Does someone want to fight? Come on, come on.”

“Sam?” Colt was stunned and his eyes darkened. “How come you…aren’t you still practicing asceticism in the Lava Dungeon?”

Why was he here?

Colt had a headache.

Chapter 328: I am Ye Qingxuan…

If Colt had to name someone he did not want to see at Auschwitz, this guy would definitely be in the top few spots. In fact, he had passed Gavin, who used to be number one. Musicians who only emphasized the destructiveness of music scores and specialized in wide-range destruction were too powerful.

“Oh, Colt?” Recognizing him, Sam’s eyes brightened. “Stop talking. Wanna fight?”

Colt scoffed and tried to ignore him. However, he stopped the other musicians. “He’s the only inheritor of the Vacuum, a battle musician who specializes in large-scale destruction music scores. If he tries, maybe no one will be able to win but he’ll make at least half of Auschwitz into the grave with him. In addition…” Colt did not finish his words. He just whistled and exchanged a meaningful glance. In addition, his teacher is watching from the sky! Aren’t you scared of being discriminated against during the trial?

Soon after Sam passed, someone else stumbled in under the rainy night. The young man wore shabby clothing and his body was covered in bruises. He looked like a bedraggled beggar. Rain and mud had poured into his shoes during this journey and he panted for breath. It was hard to imagine what he had experienced to survive the fierce competition on the way here.

“Is he lucky?” One of the Scepter judges in the sky glanced over and said coolly, “It’s useless to come here. He can’t get through the gate.”

Amongst them, an elder with an illusory body furrowed his brows but said nothing. When the youth approached and faint light illuminated his bruised face, the elder was stunned. “Simon?”

“Simon?” Rebecca, another representative of the School of Illusion, recognized this pathetic youth. However, she never thought he would end up in this state. She could barely see the strong opponent in him anymore.

“What Simon?” the young man spat. “Haven’t you been looking for me for a long time? I’ll never change my name, no matter what…Yes, I’m Ye Qingxuan! Come at me!”

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack… Those were the sounds of jaws literally dropping and hitting the ground.

Everyone gaped at this proud guy in bewilderment. Did this guy think he could pretend to be an Easterner with that crappy hair dye? The Angloian grandmaster was watching from the sky! Did he think this was okay?

“Ye Qingxuan?” In the sky, Mr. Hu was shocked too. He glanced at the grandmaster beside him. “He looks so different. What happened? A bad breakup?”

The mysterious man who had appeared in Maxwell’s office coughed violently with a troubled expression. After a long while, he tried to suppress his laughter and looked over. “Sorry, I don’t know him…”

On the ground, ‘Ye Qingxuan’ was staring down the people before the gate. “You!” he declared seriously. “Do you know Old Phil?”

Old Phil? The musicians stared at each other. No one knew who Old Phil was and their eyes grew serious. Was there a powerful and mysterious musician hidden in Auschwitz?

After long hesitation, someone asked timidly, “Who’s Old Phil?”

“Heh, scared now?” A sneer cut across ‘Ye Qingxuan’s face. He widened his eyes and declared, “Old Phil is my dad! Aren’t you scared! If you’re scared then scram! Otherwise, my dad will squash you all…”

Silence. Dead silence.

In the crowd, Rebecca stepped back. Lowering her head, she felt humiliated. Why did she view this psycho as a strong opponent?

In the sky, the illusory elder could stand it no longer. His deep voice rang out, “Simon, enough! Stop fooling around!”

‘Ye Qingxuan’ looked up. Seeing the elder, his eyes grew confused. His expression changed dramatically as if thinking of something. After a long while, it dawned on him.

“You’re Old Phil!” He opened his arms in ecstasy. “Dad! I finally found—”

Boom! A formless hand appeared in the rain and grasped Simon. It tightened and disappeared with a pop. Simon was gone too. All that remained was the shuddering elder who roared, “You disgrace!”

The musicians on the ground were silent for a long time. They had no clue what had just happened.

“Does Simon have some hereditary disease?” someone asked.

“If I’ve guessed correctly,” Mind musician Arianna said dryly, “he was probably brainwashed.”

“By whom? One of you Mind people?”

“Stop joking.” Arianna glared at the speaker. “You think brainwashing is as easy as wiping words off a piece of paper? You have to block the memories, reset the personality, correct the self-recognition…you need at least one hundred hints. This involves inheritance. It’s impossible if you don’t have a teacher who is also an expert and ultra-precise operation. Especially with a musician like Simon, you can easily ruin everything with the slightest moment of inattentiveness. It’s so much easier to just kill him!”

“What if you do it? Is it hard for you too?” It was obvious the asker did not have good intentions.

Arianna scoffed. Her smile was indescribably enchanting and demonic. “What do you think?”

The other’s heart shook and he quickly looked away in regret. Why did he mess with the psychos from the School of Mind?

Arianna smiled as if nothing had happened but it was clear she would remember that man and deal with him later.

“Enough, stop fooling around,” Colt uttered, snuffing the start of an internal war. “There are ten more minutes until the deadline. If you have any conflicts, wait until dawn to fight.” He looked away and calmed himself down. He focused on the surrounding marks he had set and felt for aether waves. However, he heard someone else’s voice in the silence.

“Hey, Colt, someone else is coming.”

Stunned, he looked up and saw fire. In the distance, at the end of the road, the rain was burning like fire. A youth was walking forward on flames. He strode over, ignoring the group in the distance. As if he was in his own world, he hummed an unclear and faraway song. Raindrops fell onto him and rose like flames. When he stepped onto the ground, mud splashed like water.

It was pure aetheric change. The nature changed without any sign. It transformed into wind, condensed into rain, converged into fire, and turned into dirt. It was like an illusion.

Colt furrowed his brows in discontent and looked back. “There’s been enough weird things,” he growled. “Rebecca, stop joking and get rid of the fulcrum.”

Rebecca froze under everyone’s scrutiny. Suddenly understanding, cold sweat appeared on her forehead. “I-it’s not me.” She waved in panic. “That’s not my fulcrum.”

Everyone’s eyes grew serious in the dead silence. A song traveled to their ears.

The youth’s hoarse song resounded in the rain and spread in all directions. It seemed to be some diddly but was so unclear. It was indescribably pleasant and distant as if it came from the mountains. The song hung in the air. And under it, everything began to change. The youth came forward with fire in the darkness.

–

All was silent in the air.

“It’s an Eastern language.” Someone looked to Mr. Hu. “Is this your student from the Imperial College? I’ve never heard of this music score…”

“No, it’s just a folk song. It’s not a music score and it doesn’t have any effects.” Mr. Hu chuckled wryly. “And we don’t have any Indians. If I’m not wrong, this is probably the other youth I’ve seen.”

“Who?” The grandmasters exchanged glances. None of their schools had a young man like him. “Is he a student from a secretive school or fraternity?”

“He’s finally here?” the mysterious man blowing his nose murmured from the back as he smiled. “You made me wait for so long, kid.”

–

In the silence, only the song sounded. Everyone gazed at the young man singing and advancing with fire. They watched as he walked in the mud without any obstacles. The footprints he left behind burned in the rain.

Rain drenched his body and he looked pathetic but he did not seem to care. In fact, he smiled happily. Faced with so many menacing musicians, he was still relaxed as if this was a day trip. Rain fell on all his swords and knives, rolling down the hilts and blades. The average swords seemed mysterious now too.

The atmosphere grew heavy, pressing down on everyone’s hearts and making it hard to breathe.

“Who is he?” Someone in the crowd furrowed his brows. “A sword seller?”

In the flowing flames and burning rain, the youth took off his heavy turban and revealed his trademark white hair. The whiteness shone in the fire, piercing their eyes.

“I am Ye Qingxuan…” The youth gazed at their faces and smiled warmly. “I’m here to sell swords.”

Chapter 329: You Are Late

“Selling knives and cutters, yo!” At dawn, a white haired youth squatted in a corner of the messy and shabby market of Auschwitz and hawked dispiritedly. The rug before him was covered in the swords he had stolen along the way. There was also a carrot he had bought from a nearby stall. After he washed it, it would be his breakfast.

So early in the morning, no one was here other than some vegetable sellers. The dilapidated grouping center was like Avalon’s downtown district. It was filled with chaos, unruliness, and coldness. It seemed horrible but not horrible enough to be unlivable. It was stuck in the middle, filled with the feeling of living each day as it happened and wishing for nothing more.

Ye Qingxuan had lost his will to fight. He had been prepared to battle it out with the locals but after he entered the city, he realized that no one paid him any attention. They did not discriminate against outsiders; they just acted as if the outsiders did not exist. This made Ye Qingxuan feel indescribably upset and disappointed.

Scraping his carrot clean, he gnawed it mindlessly while making disgusted faces. Carrots grown in this kind of place definitely would not taste good. It was dry and felt like he was chewing on dirt.

“How do you guys live…” He sighed and yawned.

Last night, he had predicted a full-out war but the others were very restrained. They only tested him a bit and then left. The others had no confidence and did not dare to fight. It started off with a big drumroll but ended with nothing. He had acted cool for nothing.

According to the plan, he should meet with the Angloian grandmaster that was here to oversee the trial and learn about the situation, listen to some suggestions, receive some advice, undergo vigorous training, and hopefully learn some secret tricks. However, none of that happened. Ye Qingxuan did not even know the grandmaster’s name.

He hid his face in dark mist the entire time and did not even come out for food. After he saw Ye Qingxuan last night, he took the youth to a shabby inn. Pointing at a room, he said something along the lines of I live here. Don’t come if you don’t have any problems. If you do…it’s best to not come either. Anyway, just pretend I don’t exist.

“You’re here now so it’ll all depend on you,” the grandmaster had said seriously while patting Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “I promised Maxwell that you won’t die. As for the rest, whatever. I believe in you, Ye Qingxuan.”

Ye Qingxuan could only chuckle sarcastically. The other grandmasters showered their students with good stuff in hopes that they would not be eliminated. But for Ye Qingxuan…it was so unreliable.

Oh, this mysterious grandmaster did give him something.

“But it’s useless!” Ye Qingxuan stared at the object. It was a…small whistle that the grandmaster had made from a doorknob. Yes, the type of toy whistles for kids. That man had even told him seriously to not play with it.

No sh*t! Why would he?

Ye Qingxuan tossed the whistle onto the rug before him. But after thinking, he sighed and put it back in his bag. What if it wasn’t entirely useless? Right? But it probably was useless…

“Hey, knife, how much?” A man squatted before him and asked with a strange accent while looking around.

Ye Qingxuan gazed at him and replied in local Romulusian, “Which one? I can give it to you for cheaper. Buy one get one free, just forty pounds, how about that?”

Hearing his words, the man looked over with a strange gaze.

“Yeah? My accent is good, right?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled proudly.

The emotionless man stood up and left without saying anything. Ye Qingxuan blanched. Wait! Why are you leaving? I’m so friendly and nice! I won’t hit you! Is it wrong to have a good accent? But he did not do anything and just watched the man leave.

It was his only customer.

Ye Qingxuan shook his head and sighed. The Sacred City had strict regulations that musicians could not disturb the civilians during trials and missions. They were also forbidden to use music scores on locals. Once discovered, the musicians’ rights to the trial would be revoked. For serious cases, they could even be forcefully brainwashed by the Silent Authority to become someone useful to society.

“But his beastly characteristics are obvious,” Ye Qingxuan muttered to himself as he watched the passersby.

Compared to other races, male Romulusians had slighter frames and rusted copper skin. Because of their environment, their skin usually was not very healthy. However, thick hair grew on their faces and limbs. Many also had sharp fingernails that were thick and hard like a beast. This was due to their blood tainted by the natural catastrophe. Apparently, these signs were especially prominent in recent newborns. Fear of light and water, aggressive… If this continued, Romulusians would probably really become werewolves after five or six generations.

Thinking of this, Ye Qingxuan sighed involuntarily. What other hope existed in this kind of place? Auschwitz was practically the wilderness. There was no sign of life outside the towering gray walls. They suffered droughts. The land was covered in weeds and non-arable. There were no geographical advantages or possibility to be suitable for life. It was just a place to stay.

If he had to name something that could be developed, it would be the sparse copper mines. But with the discovery of the relics, even the mines were gone. There was no way to better the environment. It was understandable that the people here were just whiling their days away.

A bell shocked him from his thoughts.

The dilapidated church across from the market slowly opened its doors, revealing the shabby yard and building within. Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan rose, knocked the dust off, and walked forward without a care for his stall.

If the locals ignored him and the big guy from Anglo was unreliable, he could only try the Church. They would not ignore a candidate for clergymen like him, right? Furthermore, Ye Qingxuan had been sent here by the Church. Rather than the trial, he had come here to help the sick!

–

Just as he had expected, there were no official mission members in this tiny church. There was only an old pastor who could not really see and two mixed local children who cleaned the place. There were no believers in Romulus. The annual budget was barely enough for the pastor to eat. Maintenance was a huge sum as well.

The pastor stared at Ye Qingxuan’s identification card for a long time with his old eyes.

“Oh, the flu? I reported it years ago but there was no news. I thought they gave up on it.” He patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “I didn’t think someone would actually come. You scared me. But sadly, you’re late.”

“Late?” Ye Qingxuan blanched. “Did they all die?”

“No, it’s just a common fever. They get better after a few days.” The pastor shrugged. “So, Mr. Ye, you’re late. The flu died out half a year ago.”

Ye Qingxuan gaped. He could not accept this. He had come here passionately to help the sick but everyone was cured before he even got here! It was like the villain of an adventure novel died from the plague when the hero just embarked on his journey. The world was saved and everything was peachy but…Ye Qingxuan did not feel happy.

“Then why didn’t you withdraw your request?” Ye Qingxuan just wanted to cry. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have been fooled by that *sshole Maxwell and came here.”

“Let me finish.” The pastor sighed. “The flu was put out but…it’s still here.”

Ye Qingxuan froze.

It was still here? What did that mean?

–

There was a basic surgery room in the church’s basement.

After a long silence, Ye Qingxuan looked away from the small microscope. Rubbing his eyes, he muttered a curse. He was sure that the flu was man-made. Someone had created a flu targeting the Romulusians with room for maneuvering.

The observation sample was a Romulusian who had recently died from old age. He could clearly see the virus in the blood and organs. It was dormant and essentially harmless but it was still integrated with the body.

Regular people would be able to kill the virus with their immune system and remove them through metabolism. Demons were not affected either; their bodies were completely different from humans and were immune to ptomaine and other diseases. It was a different story for Romulusians who were mixed with human and demon blood.

This disease clearly targeted their lack of immunity, filling the gap between their two sides. This meant that the demonization process of Romulusians could be sped up until the demon blood would completely replace their human side.

“This is horrible.” Ye Qingxuan sighed. “How many people were infected?”

“…Practically everyone.”

Chapter 330: Have a Friend from Afar

“…Practically all of them.” The old priest shrugged. “A few years ago, the flu spread very widely. Normal humans were all right, but all Romulusians were infected. The infected experienced symptoms like fever, vomiting and skin bleaching, but recovered after a few days. I found that the virus wasn’t extinguished by chance.”

Ye Qingxuan was horrified. “Why didn’t you report such a big event?”

“I did,” the old priest said earnestly. “The nations placed great importance onto this matter.”

“But why didn’t they take action?”

“They did. Didn’t you see it when we entered the city?” The old priest pointed to the direction of the gate and stated, “Many countries paid to build the high walls. It was expensive.”

“…” Ye Qingxuan fell into silence. After a long while, he asked bitterly, “You mean that people here have to fend for themselves? Do they know about this?”

“No one else knows,” the old priest said. “I have only informed their elder. That is—” Before he finished his words, a coarse laughter sounded outside of the door. The raspy voice shouted, “Doctor? Is the doctor here? I’m here to see you! I heard that we have a new doctor from the Sacred City? Let me have a look!”

Hearing this voice, the old priest’s face twisted. “That’s him.”

–

There were no officials among the refugees of Romulus and there was no government in the enclave. They only had a clan system. The noblest of them was undoubtedly the ‘elder’ who was elected by the masses, the wisest, and the most far-sighted.But in reality, this elder who was in his fifties looked…well, he looked very Romulusian. In other words, he looked like a tramp.

This was the first time Ye Qingxuan had seen such a passionate Romulusian.

As soon as he went out, the black and thin old man pounced on him like a monkey. He was stooped, had eccentric paint smeared on his face, and wore a ragged robe with apparently nothing else.

The elder grabbed him and looked up and down. He asked about his day with genuine interest and looked as happy and enthusiastic as if Ye Qingxuan was his son. If he did not smell like strange spices and charcoal, Ye Qingxuan could reluctantly accept such an elder.

“So you’re the new doctor?” The elder grabbed Ye Qingxuan and sighed. “We Romulusians love new friends. Since you were sent by the Church, then you are our friend too. Oh, do you want something good?” Pausing, he took out a little sack from his pocket, picked out a handful of powder. He dropped it into tobacco, and then deftly rolled it into two, one for Ye Qingxuan and one for himself. “Please don’t refuse! This is the custom here.”

Ye Qingxuan held his and looked at the elder who was puffing joyfully. He could faintly smell many familiar scents that made him slightly dizzy.

Yes, there was opium, white orange leaves, false shamrock, and white mugwort… the familiar ingredients and the familiar formula.

Ye Qingxuan suddenly wanted to vomit. How could he call this something good? This was obviously a kind of psychedelic incense made by many drugs and stimulants! What was this man doing? Was the custom of Romulus taking drugs? If he were in Anglo, he would be arrested!

Ye Qingxuan was caught between lighting it or not. Both were inappropriate. He could only put away that cigarette, planning to throw it away when he left. But when he was about to leave, he was stopped again!

“Come, come, I heard that you just arrived last night.” The elder took his hand eagerly. “Let me show you around Auschwitz. This is a nice place. You must have not grasped it yet.”

“No, no, no. I have fully grasped it.” Ye Qingxuan was preparing to decline but was forcibly pulled away. The old priest could not help him. Instead, he just wished him good luck, making Ye Qingxuan especially depressed.

On the chaotic streets of the enclave, Ye Qingxuan followed the elder awkwardly, wanting to say something. “Elder…”

“Just call me Caligula.” The elder looked back and smiled at him. “This is the name of my ancestors and also mine.”

“Well, Mr. Caligula, where are you taking me?” Ye Qingxuan was very nervous. He was afraid that the elder would take him into an alley and then eight-hundred Romulusian youths would rush out to tear him into pieces on the spot.

“The answer is quite obvious.” The elder whistled. “I’m taking you to my home.”

“But I still have a stall to pack up.”

“I’ve got someone to help watch it for you. There’s no business early in the morning and you’re an outsider selling swords. Do you know how many people have talked to me saying that they want to teach you a lesson?”

“Uh…” Ye Qingxuan was speechless.

Rather than being upset, the elder praised him. “You have a good accent. Where did you learn it?”

“I am a scholar of ancient studies. My teacher is a master of ancient languages and historical studies.” Ye Qingxuan scratched his head. “I learned a little on my way to here but I didn’t learn it well. The locals don’t seem to like my accent.”

“No, they just don’t like you.” The elder’s bluntness startled Ye Qingxuan. “The people of Romulus have been unable to speak their own language for a long time. Only the accent is left. You can only make them feel ashamed if you use this accent to speak the lingua franca. “The elder patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t do that again. The people of Romulus do not need this kind of fake sincerity or compassion.”

“…Ok.”

As they talked, they made a few turns and found that they had entered the core of Auschwitz without realizing. Several narrow streets leaded to a huge market. All kinds of goods were displayed in the busy fair. Traders hawked fervidly and the people pushed and shoved. It was not desolate as the outside.

“This is the real market. Only outsiders go the place where you were.” The elder patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “If you really want to sell something, come here, say my name, and the locals won’t bother you.”

“Uh, thank you.” Ye Qingxuan managed a smile but involuntarily looked to the center of the fair. It was empty spot in the middle of the circular plaza.

In the clearing, several long black iron poles rose into the sky. Several withered corpses hung from them. As the breeze blew, the withered corpses swung like leaves, looking extremely hideous and grim. But who would hang such things in the center of their own enclave?

Ye Qingxuan was confused.

“What are you looking at?” It dawned on the elder when he followed Ye Qingxuan’s gaze. “Oh, those are past elders, my colleagues. Unfortunately, they were hanged for making mistakes.”

“Mistakes?” Ye Qingxuan asked curiously, “What did they do?”

The elder raised his eyes. He looked extremely sympathetic as if he was looking at a retard. “If they knew what would be mistakes, they wouldn’t die, right?”

Ye Qingxuan was speechless. He asked, “This… Who did this?”

“I did, of course. Who else is qualified to judge them here?” Caligula said lightly. “Let me think. It was five or six years ago. They’ve been hung for so long. Now, if they’re not hanging here, I’ll feel that something’s wrong.”

“Why? Why hang them? They’re already dead, right? Is it necessary?”

Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s question, the elder was puzzled too.

“This…” He scratched his messy hair and gesticulated. “I don’t know if there are such people outside or not. They’re young and ignorant but they think they know everything. They want to change fate but they also don’t know what the real world is like…What is this kind of person called? Young… young…”

“Angry youths,” Ye Qingxuan supplied.

“Yes, that’s right!”

The elder hammered the palms with satisfaction, lamenting, “The mistakes of youths are unavoidable and there has to be something to warn them. At least, this will make them calm down when they try to make a fool of themselves.” The elder paused and said lightly, “After all, there’s no chance for Romulusians to make more mistakes, is there?”

Ye Qingxuan was speechless. He did not know what reply was appropriate.

They did not talk the rest of the way. When passing a stall, the elder conveniently took a dove for free. Ye Qingxuan had no idea what he was planning to do. Soon they got to the place.

“Come in.” The elder pushed open the door and invited Ye Qingxuan to take a seat. However, instead of chairs, there were only several cushions on the worn carpet. Ye Qingxuan casually picked one.

After putting down the dove, the elder went to the back room, grabbed some spices and sawdust, and sprinkled it onto the stove. Flames rose soon.

Caligula whispered a few words of prayer to the family flame that had lasted from the ancestral age to today. Romulus valued ancestors greatly. Each family of Romulus had their own set of etiquette to worship the family flame and ancestors with strict observance. Caligula was certainly no exception.

Soon, he ended his prayers and returned to the hall. Several servants brought over a few cups of water and placed the prepared dove before the elder. Now the poor dove was plucked and had its feet strapped. It cooed innocently.

Ye Qingxuan looked down at the dove. “This is…”

The elder smiled mysteriously and pulled out a short knife. “You’re a guest from afar. Let me divine for you. I used to be the best wizard in Romulus.” Before Ye Qingxuan could react, the elder brandished the knife and split the dove’s belly. In the psychedelic incense flavor mixed with drugs, the elder held the dove and the knife. He sucked in a mouthful of white smoke. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he began dancing crazily.

Under the husky strange humming, his body twitched, his eyes rolled, he gasped violently, screamed, shivered, and suddenly sat down on the ground. Clenching his right hand, he flattened the poor dove.

The elder cleverly used the knife to pick out the dove’s thin intestines. He split it carefully and stared at it intently. He murmured something that no one could understand. It sounded like an ancient language.

After a long silence, Caligula put down the knife and bloody dove. Someone offered a basin of water. He calmly washed hands and then sat back to the opposite of Ye Qingxuan, hesitating.

Seeing his serious expression, Ye Qingxuan snapped out of his daze. “How’s the result of the divination?” Seeing the dramatic build up, Ye Qingxuan was actually excited to hear the result!