Silent Crown

 “Therefore, God created the atmosphere and separated the water above and underneath it.” The young man that has just stepped out of the shadows was chanting the Holy Bible and clapping his hands lightly, “This is how it all happened.”

Smack!

Terrifying power exploded behind him. The exquisite music theory, that surpassed even the level of Scepters, appeared out of nowhere, passed by two people in the blink of an eye and wrested over the control of everything within a circumference of a few hundred meters. Soon after, the music theories of both parties were immaculately dismantled and were forced to stop fighting. Orlando was trembling with rage that the duck he had finally managed to catch was flying away. He stared furiously at that young man but his anger dissipated instantly, and was quickly replaced by shock and fear.

It was at this moment that he could finally see clearly the old nun that was standing behind that white-haired young man.

Schubert!

Anger was the last thing on his mind right now. Instead, he was considering if he should retreat. His savior might have descended from the skies but Auden was not relieved. Instead, his heart sank. He had just escaped the tiger’s jaws, only to find himself in the wolf’s den. He never considered that Ye Qingxuan was helping him out of goodwill. He presumed that Ye Qingxuan probably just wanted to kill two birds with one stone.

Therefore, it was beyond his expectation to find that the white-haired young man, the Chief Inquisitor, was not wielding any weapons nor seem to harbor any intent to kill. Instead, he squatted down to look at Auden with a smile on his face.

“Hi, friend.” He took out a fresh piece of covenant and waved it in front of Auden, “Are you interested in a transaction?”

When Auden replied with a confused look on his face, Ye Qingxuan explained the terms and conditions with a smile on his face, “Right now, you have two choices. One, I leave and you die. Two, seek help from me and I will save you and bring you out of the Ultimate in one piece. In exchange, you have to sign your name. Look, it’s right here.”

With that, Ye Qingxuan took out a pen and stuffed it into Auden’s hand, before pointing at the blank that could be found at the end of the covenant, “Sign here and you will be saved! How? Worth it right?”

Auden briefly glanced through the covenant. He had only read the opening paragraph and he was already tempted to vomit blood at Ye Qingxuan’s face.

Worth it? My foot! Which b*stard came up with these terms and conditions? Even the Dark Musician would not have tolerated this!

For the next 30 years, he would have to serve the Religious Court of Inquiry without any compensation. He would also have to help the Religious Court of Inquiry to groom and develop musician apprentices. It would still have been acceptable if that was all. However, he was also expected to comply with all of Ye Qingxuan’s plans and orders unconditionally…

And this was only the beginning!

There were so many terms and conditions that they left Auden feeling giddy. How was this a covenant that would save his life? It would be an understatement to say that this covenant basically required him to sell his life!

To be fair, it was clearly mentioned that he would not be expected to work for free and that he would be paid according to the top-tier of the market rate. However, once a musician reached the level of a Master, finding jobs would not be a problem at all. To think that they intend to use money in exchange for the services of a Master for not once or twice, but for 30 years… Dream on!

All Masters would have their own topics to research on, how could they possibly have the time to work for Ye Qingxuan! Not only would he have to sacrifice his youth and almost his entire life, he would also have to sacrifice his apprentices! This contract was so ridiculous that it was almost like hiring other employers to work in his company, on top of signing such an unfair contract. Once this contract was signed, all his musicians would have to wok for the Religious Court of Inquiry! Who would be so free to be owned by someone else as a dog?

Besides, this covenant was created with the path of commandment of the School of Abstinence, so it was an enforcement covenant of the highest quality and was not cheap at all. The oddities of the real of aether have been used to ensure that dire consequences would befall on him should he choose to go against the covenant.

By the time Auden has finished reading the entire covenant, he raised his head to look at Ye Qingxuan again. Looking at this white-haired fellow was like looking at a demon in human skin. This b*stard! He made it sound as if there were really two choices, when one of them meant immediate death. Who knew what else he could have up his sleeves?

But if Auden did not refuse… he would be living a life that was not much of an improvement over death! Who knew how he would end up if he was to work for this fellow? The Religious Court of Inquiry has always been notorious and even Naberius, the Dark Musician, has said that anyone with half a brain would never associate themselves with the Religious Court of Inquiry…

“Have you decided?” Ye Qingxuan grinned before beginning to check the time, “I don’t have much time left. It is perfectly fine if you don’t wish to accept the covenant.”

With that, he casually gave Orlando a glance. The moment Orlando heard that Ye Qingxuan was leaving, his eyes lit up.

“No! I’ll sign! I’ll sign!” Auden shouted. Before he could even finish his sentence, he already saw the expression of joy on Ye Qingxuan’s face. “Damned it, I have been cheated…” Auden was struggling internally. Under Ye Qingxuan’s gaze, he controlled his tears and stamped the Symphony of Predestination on the covenant. From here on, all his musicians would be sold to the Religious Court of Inquiry.

“Welcome!” Ye Qingxuan smiled and helped him up from the ground. “Although this might have been a little unorthodox, the benefits that we offer are top-notch. All the music theories of the Religious Court of Inquiry are open to you. Don’t worry, you will not be unfairly treated. From now on, we are family!”

“Who the hell wants to be family with you!” Auden kept quiet. What else could he say? Since he has already jumped into a fire pit, he might as well think about how he could make himself comfortable in there. At this thought, he stared at Orlando viciously. If not for him, Auden would never be in such a state where he would have to pay such a heavy price.

Ye Qingxuan pretended to blow at the signature on the covenant, as if he was trying to dry the non-existent ink, before keeping the covenant very slowly. Then, he turned back and looked at Orlando, who seemed prepared to make a run for it. “Hi friend, it’s your turn now.”

Orlando was taken aback when he saw Ye Qingxuan taking out a new covenant, “I don’t need to plead with you!”

“Is that so?” Ye Qingxuan grinned and pointed behind him, “Now you do!”

Orlando’s face turned pale when he saw the murderous look on Auden’s face. He could not help but curse. Alright, perhaps he really needed it now. If he chose not to sign it, who knew if Ye Qingxuan would kill him immediately to take revenge for Auden?

There was a cunning smile on Auden’s face. He has finally figured out how he was going to torture this b*stard! There was no reason that he should be the only unlucky one. Of course, he must drag more people down with him! If not for this as*hole, Auden would still have been perfectly fine! Although Auden might still be pissed with Ye Qingxuan for taking advantage of his misfortune, he was filled with much more hatred for Orlando!

“Mr Ye, there are two clauses in the covenant that can be further adjusted,” he reminded Ye Qingxuan, pointing out the third clause. “The definition of ‘rights and obligations’ here is too broad. We must not give others a chance to take advantage of any loopholes. And here, for the price of going against the covenant, we must retain the right to pursue responsibility. He may be able to escape, but not his entire School…” Auden did not mind seeing others worse off than him, now that he has landed himself in such a situation.

“Oh!” Ye Qingxuan’s eyes lit up after the reminder, and quickly made the necessary changes. Indeed, two heads were better than one. If not for Auden’s reminder, he would have neglected an important loophole.

“And here, here… we can make it more specific.” Auden has barely just joined Ye Qingxuan but he was already fully involved in the business of making sure that others would end up worse off than him.

“I see!” After some changes, Ye Qingxuan held onto Auden’s hands gratefully, “Recruiting you has been my best decision. How did you know so much?”

Auden laughed coldly, “The biggest source of revenue for School of Wan Lei comes from loans. Even the Emperor of Burgundy has loaned from us before. When I was an apprentice, I was tasked to draft all these. Mr Ye, don’t worry. I will make sure this covenant is perfect.”

“Thank you in advance then!” Ye Qingxuan patted Auden on the shoulder and smiled gleefully at Orlando.

Orlando was so enraged that he vomited blood and almost lost control of his music theory. When the both of them finally signed their contracts, Ye Qingxuan happily kept them safely with him.

When the two of them saw the thick pile of covenants that Ye Qingxuan was carrying around with him, they knew that many more would end up in the same boat as them, which they would not mind.

“Since we are all on the same side now, I shall not stand on ceremony.” Ye Qingxuan handed a coordinate to the two of them, “Next, you will head over here and meet up with Master Mable of the School of Anglo. We are all the same now, there’s no need to stand on ceremony.”

The two of them could not help but roll their eyes. Stand on ceremony! This b*stard was so desperate to go around conning people that he could not even wait to send them over for a while. Before they departed, Ye Qingxuan called out to them again.

“Ah, one more question…” Ye Qingxuan smiled awkwardly, “Do you guys have… those… can you show me the core music theories of your Schools?”

“…”

Within a single day, every musician in the city has already heard about the man who was going around in a frenzy and trying to stop fights. Tens of musicians have already witnessed what just happened. When the fight was at its fiercest, a white-haired fellow would suddenly appear to split both parties apart before waving his covenants at them to try to recruit them. Such a situation brought out the worst of human nature and countless musicians fell into the trap.

Now, everyone made sure to avoid the white-haired fellow as much as they could. As a result, both Liu Ran and Yuan Jing were also seen as banes. All easterners must not be anything good!

Ye Qingxuan was squatting in a corner, watching two musicians that were about to fight each other. The two musicians looked at each other before looking at him. There was a long silence and no one moved a single hair.

Ye Qingxuan saw that the two of them still remained motionless while he was about to finish his melon seeds. He could not help but frown, “Quick, start fighting.” It was as if he was watching a free show, “Why haven’t the two of you started fighting?”

“…” The two of them remained silent until one of them gritted his teeth and stomped his foot before walking away. “Forget it!” The other person turned around to leave as well.

Only Ye Qingxuan was left behind. He was so surprised by how the situation turned out that his jaw dropped. “Hmm, perhaps from a certain perspective, I have already contributed to the peace of the Ultimate.”