Silent Crown - Chapter 321

Chapter 321: Want to Die? It’s Not That Easy!

 

They restarted the journey. There were no more dangers, and they passed through the red zone safely.

Late at night, a sole lantern illuminated the bottom cellar. Simon, starved for the whole day, wolfed down the dinner Ye Qingxuan had provided, without caring if there was poison in it.

Ye Qingxuan propped up his legs and watched. “Let’s talk. Why did you attack me?”

“You really don’t know anything.” Done eating, Simon wiped his mouth. He asked slowly, “Do you have some enemy who doesn’t like you and decided to throw you in here? No, this opportunity is so rare. No one would waste it on you…oof!”

Ye Qingxuan retracted his hand and stopped the pain hint. He said lightly, “I ask and you answer.”

“Auschwitz,” Simon answered obediently. “The Auschwitz trial.”

“What’s that?” Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. “What does that have to do with you attacking me?”

“Me attacking you? Ha, I won’t be the only one attacking you when you land.” Simon shook his head. “Let me start from the beginning. You know the King of Yellow, right?”

Mozart, the King of Yellow, was a genius musician who grew famous ten years ago. He used thirteen years to go from a country bumpkin to one of the most powerful men on Earth. He was a respected musician and was comparable to the best musicians Bach and the Pope. If there really was a template for a protagonist, it would be him. However, he disappeared five years ago. He vanished off the face of the planet. One of the three kings just disappeared without a trace.

A few days ago, someone found a relic in Auschwitz. It contained various precious technologies. According to analysis, it may be the Scepter Tomb of Aeneas, the first king of the Romulusians. This was like Avalon’s Kingdom Come. However, the relic had been occupied by the Romulusian refugees. It was clear that they had regrouped here just for the relic. They received support and aid from the Chainsaw Fraternity and rebuilt their home, fighting off any outsiders.

“It’s a bad coincidence.” Simon shrugged. “A few days ago, the Sacred City discovered that the King of Yellow was last seen there before disappearing. Everyone has been sending people there to explore the secret of the King of Yellow’s disappearance and the ancient music of the site, but the Romulusians fought all of them away.

“But with everyone stopping each other, they all kept calm and nothing big erupted. Everything was peaceful and solving the problem was only a matter of time before the Pope’s order.”

“Order?” Ye Qingxuan had a bad feeling. “What order?”

“The gist of it is that the King of Yellow is the first of the three kings. This issue pertains to the dignity and safety of humanity. Anyone who can decode the relic and find where the King of Yellow went can receive a reward from the Sacred City—the permanent blessing of Concerto No. 5.”

Ye Qingxuan felt as if he was struck by lightning. “Concerto No. 5? Which one?”

“What else can it be?” Simon glanced at him mockingly. “Of course it’s the one known as the emperor concerto.” The king of all kings, the emperor of all concertos—the Piano Concerto No. 5! Its strength was above that of the material world but it was carved within aether. Kings ruled in the material world, but the aether world was the musicians’ territory. People blessed by it would have their own land in the aether world! Once they entered the Scepter level, they could combine it with their symphony of predestination and create an unparalleled scepter!

“Do you know what this means?” Simon gritted his teeth. “With that power, you’ll have the chance to become one of the next three kings once you enter the Scepter level! You might even be able to inherit the throne and become the king of all musicians after the current King of Black falls!” Silence. Long, long silence.

Ye Qingxuan turned blankly and stared in Avalon’s direction. After a long time, he jumped from his chair and yelled, “Maxwell, f*ck your entire family! You *sshole, old mother*cker, how much do you hate me to make me do this sh*tty work?! I’ve contributed to Anglo, I’ve bled for Avalon! And you make me go fight with all the musicians in the world for this? Why don’t you just hang me on Traitor’s Gate? F*ck you…” No one replied.

Shocked by Ye Qingxuan’s burst of fury, Simon gaped from his position.

When Ye Qingxuan finally finished ranting, he returned to his chair. He stared at Simon with red eyes and slammed a fist on the table. “And what does this have to do with you attacking me?!”

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s terrifying eyes, Simon spilled the beans. “In order to avoid conflicts between countries, the Sacred City turned this mission into a trial for the next generation of musicians. Only musicians under the age of thirty and hadn’t received a title from the Sacred City can participate.

“Now, many of the grandmasters have gone to Auschwitz but no one entered. Instead, they camped around the site and let their juniors go and fight for clues. This fight is restricted to young musicians but it’s still intense. Because of this, everyone has the mutual understanding to try and get rid of competition before entering the city.”

Here, Simon peered at Ye Qingxuan. “Everyone thought that Anglo’s School of Royalty would be the strongest competition. But no one expected that they would send you instead of the royal musician Gavin…”

“So then I became the top soft persimmon of the world, right?” It dawned on Ye Qingxuan and he snickered. “That *sshole Maxwell must’ve secretly sent out my information, right? Tell me what you’ve heard!”

“You’re the student of ancient scholar Abraham, a Revelations musician and genius in ancient history and interpretation, but you’ve only been studying for half a year. You’re the weakest of all the nominees. Everyone’s been keeping an eye on your tracks ever since you left Avalon.”

Here, Simon’s expression grew furiously sad. “My teacher was right. You Angloians never tell the truth! How are you f*cking Revelations? Look at you! Nothing on you, except for the equipment, looks like Revelations! You look more like an Illusion musician than me, and you minored in Mind too. And if that’s not enough, you even majored in Abstinence. You—you—you’re actually the representative from the Silent Authority, aren’t you?!”

Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. “You came to kill me but got destroyed by me and you’re still playing victim?”

“I wasn’t planning on killing you, I swear.” Simon raised his hand and swore with an innocent expression. “Of everyone, you’re the best at exploration and interpretation. I just wanted to capture you and make you explore for me. I never used any harmful illusions.”

“But then you failed, right?” Ye Qingxuan said lightly.

“Anyway, I lost.” Simon closed his eyes and tilted his head back, baring his neck. “Life or death, it’s all up to you!” Silence.

He opened his eyes cautiously and looked at Ye Qingxuan. The youth was studying him. Gripping his chin while considering something, Ye Qingxuan suddenly started chuckling creepily.

“You want to die? It’s not that simple.” His smile was hair-rising. “Who’ll help me if you’re dead?”

“You—you…what do you want?!” Panicking, Simon tried to retreat but he was cornered.

“Don’t be scared. It’ll just hurt a little bit.” Ye Qingxuan activated Governor and pressed Simon to the wall. He pointed at the ceiling. “Relax. It’ll be over by the time you count all the specks up there.”

Simon was in despair. “No!”

A chilling scream sounded in the cellar and lasted for thirty minutes. The sailors who overheard all trembled but did not dare to approach. They looked on from afar and whispered amongst themselves.

One hour later, Ye Qingxuan exited. He tidied his collar and slowly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. It looked as if he was wiping his face after a feast. His smile was indescribably strange under the dim light. The cabin behind him was silent.

–

The young man woke up from his daze. His entire body screamed in pain and his throat was parched.

“I—what happened to me?” He climbed up from the broken lifeboat and rubbed his face, trying to organize his thoughts. “I remember…I was attacked by an illusion? But, I…who am I? Why am I here…”

“Young Master, you’re finally awake.” The old man at the stern looked up. His voice sounded like grating metal. There was a giant turban on his head and he looked Indian. There was also a sword in his chest, nailing him to the boat. He was immobile and seemed close to death.

The young man froze. “Who…who are you?”

“Young Master, I’m A’san.” The old Indian man looked sad. “I’m your servant A’san. Are you sick again?”

“Sick?” The young man blanched. “What sickness? You’re my servant so do you know who I am?”

“Young Master, your name is Ye Qingxuan!” the Indian yelled with all his might as he grabbed the young man’s hand. “Roll up your sleeves and look.”

The young man looked down and did so. He saw tiny words on his wrist: your name is Ye Qingxuan.

Chapter 322: Naica Cave of the Crystals

 

Your name is Ye Qingxuan. You will lose a portion of your memory every few days. You should trust A’san. He will take you to your treatment.

“Ye Qingxuan?” the young man murmured blankly. “That name sounds so familiar. Ye Qingxuan? I’m Ye Qingxuan? I’m an Easterner?” He looked down and saw his reflection with trademark silvery-white hair in the water. His broken memories instantly reconnected. It dawned on him. “Is it…like this?”

“Yes, Young Master.” Tears of joy appeared in the old Indian man’s eyes. “You finally re-re-remember.”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned but he embraced A’san. He did not know what to do; there was just the feeling of pain and tension in his heart.

“Young Master, I’m gravely injured. I might not be able to accompany you anymore,” A’san said in Ye Qingxuan’s embrace. “Next, you must be careful about others’ attacks…”

“A’san, get yourself together!” Ye Qingxuan could not help but panic. “I—What should I do?”

“Go to Auschwitz,” A’san exclaimed with his last ounce of strength while grasping Ye Qingxuan’s hand. “Go to Auschwitz and find your father!”

“Father?” Ye Qingxuan was stunned.

“Yes, your father. His name is,” A’san choked out, “is…Old Phil…Old Phil Wang!”

Ye Qingxuan nodded with tears in his eyes. But soon, he felt something was wrong. He asked, “A’san, why is my father’s surname Wang?”

“Because…because…” A’san’s mouth opened and closed with difficulty. Then his expression slacked and his breath cut off. His hand fell from Ye Qingxuan’s; his pulse and heartbeat stopped. He was dead.

“A’san? A’san!” Ye Qingxuan shook his shoulders forcefully but no one replied. He sobbed and screamed but A’san was forever gone. After a long time, the lifeboat floated to a shore. The crying young man stumbled onto the shore and took one last glance at A’san who was on the boat.

“I-I’ll take revenge for you,” he sobbed. Wiping away his tears, he turned and left.

After a while, A’san, who was long dead, climbed up on the boat. He massaged his neck and sighed. “Ah, the tears were so tragic. I should’ve just said that I was your father. Ah, would that be too sad?” With that, A’san jumped off from the boat and watched as ‘Ye Qingxuan’ faded into the distance. He waved. “Safe travels, ‘Ye Qingxuan’!” Seeing his determination as he traveled westward to Auschwitz, his journey must be very interesting!

–

According to the original plan, Ye Qingxuan needed to get there within one month. After the ship landed, he needed to take the carriage train for five days and walk for half a month across valleys and mountains. In the end, he would find the grouping area in the barren land. Simply put, he would get there when he had no other place to go. That was what he was supposed to do.

But Ye Qingxuan refused.

Since he knew that everyone was targeting him, he definitely would not keep traveling on that dead end. Why not let Simon forge on under his name? After all, Auschwitz was not going to move. Ye Qingxuan could go in a circle and take it slowly.

–

Six days later, a hunter on horseback pointed deep into the mountains for the youth who was still dressed as an Indian. “Go around this and keep going for two hours and you’ll be there.”

The youth nodded. He pulled two pieces of paper money and offered them. The hunter thought for a moment and rejected it. Instead, he pointed at the youth’s ring. “I want this.”

“Sorry, I can’t give you that.” Ye Qingxuan chuckled. Tucking the money into the saddle, he turned to leave.

Two steps later, the hunter was in front of him, blocking him with the horse. Looking down, he repeated, “I want this.” This time, he pointed at him with a dagger. Sometimes, in these faraway mountains, the line between hunters and robbers was very blurred.

Faced with the blade, the emotionless youth smiled after a short pause. “Good, I like this too. I want this one.”

One minute later, the youth was on horseback with a dagger, humming a tune from Avalon as he restarted his journey. Two hours later, Ye Qingxuan came to the big conclusion that horseback riding was hard. He had used a Mind score to make the horse cooperate but the lower half of his body was practically numb. If he did not have the Governor to help support his body, he would have probably slid down from the jolting horse.

Thankfully the hunter had provided a good horse. Otherwise, all the brambles and obstacles on the road would probably take his life. Ye Qingxuan had learned his lesson: he should never overestimate his physical strength, especially since he was too weak to even run a marathon.

But he somehow reached the destination. The chestnut horse snorted and stopped in place, refusing to go forward. Before them, the dense forest had disappeared. The vegetation was sparse and the black dirt looked as if it was crystallizing. The signs grew stronger further in. The crystallization of dirt and dust spanned a few hundred miles in radius.

This was a flat plain between the hills. He could practically see crystal crumbles scattered on the ground. In the middle was a giant cave. The black cave seemed bottomless. He could only see huge overlapping crystals. Just as fungi grew in a damp tree hole, translucent and beautiful crystals grew here.

He tossed a lantern into the darkness. The dim light fell onto the humongous crystals and created magnificent reflections. The cave instantly became a multicolored dreamscape. But the light was quickly extinguished and the cave fell into still darkness again.

“It’s been centuries. Has the environment not recovered yet? The aether is still so dense and messy. It’s like a red zone…”

Ye Qingxuan stood before the cave. Looking around the barren territory, he sighed. He peered into the crystal cave, his eyes growing solemn. “It’s our first meeting but I’ve heard much about you, Naica Cave of the Crystals.”

This was where the natural catastrophe Diamond Snake was killed by the Silent Authority centuries ago. At that time, this was not the hinterland of the human world yet. Within the chaotic red zone, waves of beasts and natural catastrophes fought. The Diamond Snake built its nest here. After that, grandmasters from the Sacred City came to kill it.

The place turned into this state after that. Nothing grew for hundreds of years. There was not even a worm or caterpillar within the radius of a few dozen miles. This was the legendary battlefield relic between the mountains and forest. There was no life here.

Other than exploratory musicians who studied history and geography, no one else cared about this place. And other than the fact that the Silent Authority would periodically survey this place through the Sacred City Hall, it was practically forgotten by the world.

If Ye Qingxuan did not flip through Abraham’s archive and the school’s library, he would not know that there was such a place near his path. Since it was along the way, he decided to come take a look.

After all, someone was taking the brunt for him, so it wasn’t a problem for him to ‘vacation’ and do some archeological digging, right? Thinking like this, Ye Qingxuan pulled out a pendant to measure depth and tossed it into the dark cave. He did not feel the weight lighten until the rope was almost to the end.

“Three hundred and seventy meters?” Ye Qingxuan eyed the scale and started to pull the pendant back. When he retracted it, he realized that the pendant was actually severed by the sharp crystals halfway down. The cave was actually much deeper.

“How deep is it actually?” Ye Qingxuan sighed. He nailed the rope on and added two protective measures after pulling it tight. He adjusted the aether ball to the illumination mode and hung it at his waist. Then he started going down.

The fluorescent light illuminated the colorful crystals. They looked like mirrors that led into an inhuman world. He stopped to rest many times along the way. Even with the Governor supporting him, he was close to giving up and going back several times. However, he gritted his teeth and forged on.

Unfortunately, the rope was used up before he got to the bottom. He stepped on the wall of the crystal cave and stared blankly into the darkness below him. Under the aether ball’s illumination, the layers of gorgeous light grew like a forest.

They had stood there silently for hundreds of years, growing slowly as they absorbed the chaotic aether. It probably took a few decades to grow one inch.

After short hesitation, Ye Qingxuan let go of the rope. He stood on a crystal a few meters wide and walked into the center of the cave. Below him was bottomless darkness. Above him was a sliver of weak light.

All was silent; there was no sound at all.

It was as if he had left the world. The bottom of this cave probably led to the underworld of legends. Loneliness and fear were magnified here. Explorers would most likely breakdown from their fear before they landed and leave this inhuman place. Especially because…

Ye Qingxuan glanced at the aether ball in his hand. Its light was blinding and he could see countless tiny waves crashing against each other, struggling to break free from the prison. It was its reflection of the outer aetheric environment.

If this was overly still and eerie for regular people, this place was the convergence of radiance and fury for musicians. The chaotic music theory remaining in the crystals would randomly ripple and distort the environment. This was caused when the Diamond Snake was killed.

Just like the Jianlan Underground Palace, the material and aether world overlapped here, creating a strange realm. However, this place was not as stable as the Jianlan Underground Palace; it was filled with chaos. If Ye Qingxuan was not an official musician and did not have a deep understanding of music theory, he would probably suffocate here.

“It’s been so many years but there are still remains of large-scale reverberations?”

Chapter 323: Are You Starving?

 

Under the Eye of Silence, disorganized lights and ripples flashed through the dark cave constantly. Every crystal was like a piano key that was silently playing a melody. He could see all the way to the sky from the abyss. The war had ended centuries ago but the song still hung over the battlefield. It was the scars left in the aether by the glorious battle.

Ye Qingxuan leaned against the wall and sat on a jutting crystal. He stared at the radiant glow. Compared to such a large relic, humanity was as insignificant as dust.

“Abandon oneself,” Ye Qingxuan murmured as he pondered.

The core of the School of Abstinence was the construction of order and disruption of nature. He felt that he might be able to find some inspiration in this chaotic aether environment. However, he realized he was too idealistic after he came here.

Bolero’s perception threads dissipated the moment they extended from his fingertips. The water vapor was too fragile and could not explore in this type of environment at all. He could only change the medium.

He slit his finger. A strand of blood floated out and spread in all directions, reflecting the pale moonlight. The moonlight spread as well, rippling like water when touched by stray aether currents.

Next, a heartbeat sounded in the darkness. The dust began rippling in the air. They floated and danced. Called forth by the heartbeat, they formed various small rings. They gradually enlarged and enveloped Ye Qingxuan.

Within the dust rings, the restless aether seemed to enter a stable white zone. They no longer crashed or changed and instead grew still. The small dust rings enlarged to about five meters in diameter before bursting like a bubble.

Ye Qingxuan’s heart beat furiously and his expression twisted. After a short pause, the dust rings began to spread again. He was trying to create a zone of stable music theory within this restless environment. After dozens of attempts, he finally managed to maintain a range of five meters.

Within that range, all was calm, even if all was in turmoil outside of it. Perspiration began beading on Ye Qingxuan’s forehead. If he did not have his sub-originator, he definitely would not dare to mess around in a black zone-like place. However, this was a rare opportunity so there was no reason why he shouldn’t try creating a stable white zone.

Establish order, disrupt the nature, and create music theory…these were the essences of the School of Abstinence. There was no better way to grasp the essence than personally experiencing it. However, the pressure was so heavy it felt like he was suffocating. It was too much to manage.

In the silence, Ye Qingxuan could only hear his heavy breathing and his tired heartbeat. Each beat felt like it carried a burden of a thousand tons. It took a long time before he was slightly accustomed to the giant pressure.

He slowly took out some food and nibbled at it. The rest went back into his pocket. He was already ready to fight a long war. He would not leave unless he discovered something.

Three days later, Ye Qingxuan climbed out of the black hole. His face was white and his vision blackened occasionally.

He was well-prepared but he had forgotten one thing. Unless he had special containers, preserving food was a joke in such a chaotic environment. Six hours after he had descended, he discovered that all his food had all molded, dried out, or changed color. A portion had no changes but Ye Qingxuan did not dare eat them. So he starved for two days. And did not discover anything.

Actually, his understanding of the School of Abstinence and aether had both increased but he made no progress with the question about “abandoning oneself.” Instead, he had almost “abandoned” himself in this giant ditch.

He was starving. If he did not have the help from the Governor, he would not be able to climb up. Right now, Ye Qingxuan was the definition of “hunger” and “sad.” He even had the urge to eat dirt. An even sadder fact was that the horse he had tied to the tree had run away too.

Staring at the gnawed rope, Ye Qingxuan wanted to die.

“Oh heavens! Such hatred! I have to starve and…” The youth with a turban lamented to the sky. His sad cries traveled countless miles and mixed with the howls of wolves. It was indescribably pitiful.

–

“Wolves?” Beside the fire, Donald subconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword. However, he quickly relaxed.

Dozens of carriages surrounded a notch in the mountain and set up a camp around the various bonfires. The merchants had traveled for the entire day. Now, they were holed up inside their tents and fell asleep instantly.

Only some burly men were still sitting in the carriages and conversing casually. Beside them, oiled crossbows shone. There were even some alchemist bows. Usually, these illegal items would not appear in caravans. However, who really cared about laws in these barren places? The robbers did not. For their own safety, the merchants did not care either.

“Boss, I told Rabbit to set all the traps,” a muscular man with a sword said beside the fire. “Those guys who want to come play at midnight need to worry about their life first. But to be honest, I kind of wish they’ll come.”

“Don’t say that.” Donald shook his head. “It’s unlucky.”

“Best to be careful, right?” The man laughed, playing along.

Donald did not reply. Looking at the steel basin hanging above the fire, he thought for a bit and tossed some wild vegetables in. The stew inside the basin bubbled and emanated a smell that was not exactly delicious. It was good enough to have food in the wilderness. Who cared about the details?

The stew was soon close to boiling. However, the basin suddenly started shaking as if it was shivering. An earthquake?

No…

Donald’s expression changed. He pressed his ear to the ground. “It’s a horse.” Before he finished speaking, a stallion neighed in the distance. It was followed by a sharp whistle but it stopped as suddenly as it began.

The muscular man jumped up from the bonfire. “Boss, there’s a situation!”

Donald rose. He wished he could push this guy who had jinxed it into the fire. “No sh*t!”

The camp soon fell into unrest. Everyone who could fight gathered with their swords, daggers, and crossbows. They stared nervously at the torchlight in the distance and the approaching caravan. Someone was yelling enthusiastically in the wind.

“Whoever is there, please stop!” Donald stood up and unsheathed his sword. “If you want money, we can manage to give you enough for a drink. We’re all out here trying to survive. Can’t we help each other out?”

The caravan stopped not too far away. The distance was enough for a charge and assault. They could see people unsheathing their sabers and scraping them against their saddles. The sound was grating.

“How much money?” a raspy voice asked. “How much money to buy your lives?”

Donald’s face changed. He looked back at the pale merchants behind him. He turned around said a sizeable sum. The leader laughed hoarsely.

Someone nudged a horse forward until he was just outside the crossbows’ range and tossed something in. The defense group was stunned. They quickly retreated but the thing rolled in the air, fell within the illuminated area, and rolled to Donald’s feet.

It was a head.

“Rabbit?” He recognized his companion, as well as the whistle that he was not able to take out from his mouth. The horse had walked past him and cleanly beheaded him. There was no pain on his face.

“That money isn’t enough at all. Keep it for your chickens,” the raspy voice said lightly. The bandits guffawed. “Think a bit more and tell me another number.”

Gritting his teeth, Donald looked back at the merchants.

“We can’t give more.” The lead merchant’s face was white as paper. “We already won’t have any profits and we all came with debts. We hired you so you have to help us and defeat them…”

With a dark face, Donald picked up the severed head. “Look at this cut and their sabers. They aren’t typical bandits. They’re the elite cavalry who fled from the Caucasus Federation. They have thirty horses and at least forty men. One charge can flatten our camp. One of my men has already dead. I took your money so I don’t care about dying, but how many do you think can escape if they charge into the camp? If you can escape, can you keep the goods?”

The merchants fell silent and exchanged glances. They soon said a new number.

The hoarse voice did not laugh. He seemed to be in deep thought.

“This number isn’t that small and you’re very genuine, but…” His tone changed and became taunting. “Did you count the goods in your wagon from the Chainsaw Fraternity?”

Donald froze. He turned back to the merchants but they could not meet his eyes. Someone said, “That’s a trade secret. We couldn’t help hiding it.”

“F*ck, you’ve killed me!” Donald clenched his jaw. “These motherf*ckers even know what goods you have. They definitely have spies in your group and targeted us when we left!”

“What do we do now?” someone asked with a trembling voice.

What else could they do?

Whistles sounded in the wind as arrows shot out. Donald raised his arm abruptly and blocked an arrow with his sword. The arrow split into pieces but the ridge of his sword fissured as well.

Donald’s face twitched. Clenching his jaw, he chanted quietly, “My heart is like steel, my blood like fire.” Firelight shot out from his blade. His sword transformed into the Blade of Fire. This was high quality battle alchemy and was his bottom line. But it was too late. The pounding of war stallions was right before him.

Chapter 324: Do You Really Need to Be Like This?

 

The sound of hooves trampling on the ground was like thunder rolling. With the help of special horseshoes, the steeds ran fast. In the twinkling, the ‘thunder’ came from afar, almost entering the range of the flames. It was too late.

Donald’s face slacked. The Caucasian Cavalry’s frontal array was charging forward. Even the fierce heavy armors of Asgard needed to weigh the consequences, let alone such a motley caravan. He gritted his teeth and rushed forward against the thunder. He struck down his sword to block the enemy sabers. The outcome could be seen in seconds.

But at that instant, the steed under the Caucasian bandit was startled. It stood up, hissing uneasily. Then with weak legs, the steed foamed at the mouth. Its expression twitched with extreme fear. The bandit fell down to the ground with the steed. He broke his legs on the spot and was unable to climb up. Looking at the Donald with the sword, his eyes were filled with despair.

Donald hesitated. Rather than seizing the opportunity to cut off his head, he quickly retreated back to the defensive camp.

That was weird! That was too weird!

His entire body was tense. He restrained the mysterious outbreak of unrest and fear. He turned back but saw his companions’ pale faces. Suddenly, the horses tied in the camp hissed painfully and collapsed to the ground, twitching. They struggled to escape as if they perceived something horrible was approaching. They even trampled each other…

The Caucasian bandits were already in chaos. They were in an even worse situation than the camp.

In the darkness, only a mess of roars was heard. Then the horses caught in chaos were forcibly injected with sedatives. Deprived of their mind and ability to think, they temporarily became puppets that could only react mechanically. But this was not over yet.

“Who is it?!” someone screamed in the darkness but was quickly cut off.

Suddenly, there was a burst of unrest that was immediately set to the silence. The voices of the bandits vanished as if they were engulfed by endless darkness.

A black figure slowly approached in the darkness. One step, then another step… As if he was stepping on everyone’s heart, every inch he approached magnified the pain and panic in their minds.

Finally, the ethereal figure walked toward the camp, shrouded in heavy black mist. The black mist seemed to carry some sort of nightmarish beast. It constantly revealed hideous scales and claws. Sometimes it was like a beast, sometimes a tsunami, and sometimes the faces of the dead surfaced, spouting persuasive words. Those who saw froze and trembled as if they were cursed.

At the very front, Donald’s blade suddenly erupted with a fiery glow that aroused him from the vertigo. He gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and aimed at the man. “Halt!”

The figure instantly stopped in the mist and his eyes swept over. That pair of eyes were green like wolves’ eyes and contained some sort of unspeakable greed. His gaze swept past the people’s face like a blade grazing over them.

Donald heard the trembling sounds of the people beside him. Those who had never experienced true fear before hoisted their crossbows and aimed at the gradually approaching figure. Their fingers on the trigger twitched uncontrollably.

“Hold on!” Donald kept down his voice. “Do not shoot the arrows, do not shoot!”

The Caucasian bandits had already shown them what the outcome was if they shot the arrows. In just a few seconds, they would be completely destroyed. No one knew if they were still alive or not. No, death was better in front of that kind of guy.

He looked at the dark figure. He was drenched with cold sweat and he shuddered uncontrollably.

“My…my friend!” He could barely suppress his fear. “We’re all trying to survive. How about we help each other.”

“Give me.” The figure spoke with a husky voice. His gaze seemed to penetrate Donald’s body and into the camp.

The merchants shuddered and paled. In the end, they gritted their teeth and nodded. “Give it to him!”

Soon, men carried a dozen coffin-like iron boxes and placed them outside the camp. “Everything is here.”

Donald looked at the figure with vigilance and horror. “Friend, we just ask to live—” Before he finished his words, the figure pounced on the box and ripped the iron box off like tearing a piece of paper. The power armor that was hidden in it rolled out and stopped at his feet.

The latest model of power armor was the Chainsaw Fraternity’s prestigious product. Each one could be exchanged for a fist-sized piece of gold. But the dark figure froze and immediately upended the iron box with rage!

“Who the h*ll wants this?!” the figure roared and glared at Donald.

In the silence, the members of the caravan blanched. The dark figure bent over, seeming to be sniffing something. Suddenly, he cried desperately, “It’s overcooked! It’s burnt! Hurry up or nothing will be left. I helped you to settle such a big trouble. Now I just want to eat something. How can you fool me like this?” He looked at the stew on the fire with grief and indignation. It had already been overcooked. He pounded his chest. “Tell me, do you really have to be like this? Really? Really?”

–

“Would you like some meat, sir?”

“Would you like some water, sir?”

“Would you like a chicken leg?”

“Sir, I made some soup for you. It can nourish your body.”

“Sir… Sir… Sir…”

Ten minutes later, they sat next to the fire. The caravan’s chief and Donald sat carefully by the figure’s side and kept offering food to him. They behaved like waiters in a pub.

The figure, stuffing his face, ignored them. He kept eating anything that was offered to him. His stomach seemed to be bottomless. Finally, he gnawed on Donald’s last brisket and sighed with dismay. “Ah, I’m finally full.”

Donald’s face twitched. Was there an incinerator in this guy’s belly?

“Well, sir…” He hesitated, pointing to the dark mist around him, and forced out a smile.

The figure froze for a moment and hit his head. “Ah, I was too hungry just now. Sorry, I forget that extremes bounce back. I’ve been forcibly suppressed for such a long time. As a result, the power grew too much, almost beyond my control…”

He took a deep breath and flicked his fingers. After a desolate string sound, the dark mist around him as well as the terrible power that made the horses scared gradually dissipated, exposing a young face and big dirty turban.

“Do you have a bed?” The young man got up and looked around.

The caravan leader hurriedly pointed to his tent and gave it to him.

“Thanks.” The young man nodded with satisfaction. He pulled some cash from his pocket and stuffed it into the leader’s hand. The merchant froze. He tried to refuse it but the young man waved his hand.

“See this as pay for the next few days of food and travel.”

Wait! The next few days? The merchant froze and soon became depressed. Was this sir going to stay for a few more days?

The young man crept into the tent without any suspicion and fell asleep quickly, snoring. The people exchanged blank glances with each other. Finally, Donald, with grimace, was pushed out. He carefully approached the tent to say something but felt coolness against his throat. A line of blood appeared.

Donald touched his neck blankly and felt a small wound there. With a scream, he collapsed to the ground, trembling. He finally realized that the tent was surrounded by faint smoke. A figure stood in the smoke like a ghost, overlooking him coldly.

Donald dared not say anything. He looked at it in awe and crept away. “It’s a blessing, not a curse.” He touched the wound on his neck and said to the caravan’s leader, “You’d better be respectful to that gentleman. He’s not interested in what you want to do. You’d better treat him well. Otherwise…I don’t know if you can get to the place safely.”

The caravan leader shivered and nodded.

The night deepened.

–

It was not until after daybreak that the caravan had the courage to look out of the camp. They saw the chaos, the horses that ran into each other and fractured their bones after being frightened, and the bandits that had fainted and lay on the ground in a mess. They quickly broke the bandits’ legs and threw them into a carriage.

Any one of these guys was wanted with great reward. The city-states along the way had probably all prepared gallows to hang them. As long as these guys were identified, they could get a windfall. As for this group of bandits, they would get a beautiful rope necklace.

Ye Qingxuan just said that they could do away with those guys in any way they liked. Then he gathered all the swords and other weapons and put them in his backpack. Now he looked like an Indian wanderer who sold swords.

“This is fun,” Ye Qingxuan said to Donald. “Don’t you think that collecting about one-hundred enemy swords is really cool?”

“Well, as long as you’re happy.” Donald could only boil it down to the strange hobby of a mysterious musician and kept his mouth shut.

From then on, Ye Qingxuan lived a cozy life in the caravan. After breakfast, he just laid in the carriage and slept. After dinner, he laid in the tent to read some books. Sometimes he would hunt some wild animals for a meal. This kind of life was sweet as honey when compared to having no food to eat and no place to sleep. Well, other than the fact that he often had to see the captain who was disgruntled for having to share a tent and carriage with his deputy hand. But Ye Qingxuan could definitely ignore this since he was such a generous man.

“Boss, do you have more food?” Ye Qingxuan poked his head from the window and asked with a smile. “Can I have more? I’m a little hungry.”

The caravan leader looked behind, frowning. Donald was at a loss. Finally, he ran into the distance to hunt some rabbits. Ever since Ye Qingxuan joined them, the guards’ duties only involved catching rabbits to eat.

Soon, Ye Qingxuan’s lunch was brought to the carriage.

Ye Qingxuan lay there. He hummed and read a book while eating roast rabbit. Watching those guys outside the wagon eating dry food, he felt a great satisfaction from the bottom of his heart. The life was so simple and fulfilling. There was nothing to complain about!

But in the afternoon, the convoy stopped for some reason. Some noise came faintly from the distant.

Ye Qingxuan frowned and poked his head out to ask, “Why is it so noisy outside? What’s the matter?”

A man ran to the front, quickly ran back while panting. “A madman stopped in front of us. He’s asking us to take him to Auschwitz.”

“Oh?” The young man frowned and a strange premonition appeared in his mind. When his perceiving thread extended over there, he could not help but want to whistle.

Then he heard a familiar voice shout seriously, “Yes! I am Ye Qingxuan!”

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!