Silent Crown

A fire was burning in the fireplace as pinewood crackled in the flames.

Don Juan was sitting on the sofa beside the fire. He remained silent while the other uninvited guest stood at a corner of the study room. The latter was carefully looking through all of the Chief Inquisitor’s collections. Clad in a greyish-black old robe, he looked like a vagabond and presented quite a huge contrast with the sophisticated and classy setting. Yet, there was an air of authority about him that was hard to describe. Even though he did not say a word, it seemed like he was the host here. He was the King of Blue.

“Coffee or wine?” Ye Qingxuan stood in front of the bar counter and turned around to ask Don Juan.

“Water will do.”

Very soon, a cup of water was placed in front of him as Ye Qingxuan sat on the sofa opposite him. He waited silently for Don Juan to speak. Don Juan moved around on the sofa uneasily. In the end, he took a glance at the old man in a grey robe and sighed, “I’m sorry…”

“Doesn’t matter.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “Very few people in this world can resist the King of Blue when he makes use of his seniority to get his way.”

“No, in fact, I was the one who brought him here.” Don Juan lowered his eyes and sighed. He had gotten over his hesitation and skipped past the usual greetings and courtesies. When he looked up once more, the look on his face was calm.

“Little Ye, I was the one who brought him here,” ss if he was determined to make sure that there was no turning back, “to ask you to kill Charles.”

In the long ensuing silence, Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes.

“Mr. Bach, in accordance with our agreement, I have already brought you here so I will not be responsible for or involved in what will happen next.” Don Juan stood up and tried to contain his self-loathe. He did not wish to stay here any longer. “In that case, please excuse me.”

The sound of the footsteps grew distant and the door was closed.

Bach stretched out his hand and placed a palm-sized black metal box on the table in front of Ye Qingxuan, then he sat down opposite him.

“No matter what, I think I have to have a talk with you.” He continued, “You need to take a look at this, at least.”

“What’s this?” Ye Qingxuan looked up coldly. “Local specialty of the Sacred City?”

“Probably.” Bach remained calm. “Back in the times when the first generation of three kings decided to create the Holy Caldron, they were already prepared for all the different problems that might occur. This was prepared for ‘catastrophe’ created by the Originator. This was a weapon that was created by the earliest three kings, who used the technology of mankind before the Age of Dark and was also destined to be this world’s last movement. Once it is played, it will destroy the balance within the Holy Caldron as well as its foundation, from top to bottom. In the end, the system of the Holy Caldron, which was built within the realm of aether, would collapse completely, including everything that was created using the Holy Caldron. Even musicians, who had yet to break off the connection, would be devoured by the turbulent aether… an unprecedented wave equivalent to the power of everything collapsing would hit the realm of aether and destroy all barriers. Then, it would gush into the Originator and clean up all the records once again.”

He continued, “Including Charles.”

Once the Holy Caldron was lost, the final afterglow of mankind’s Golden Era would be completely extinguished and the entire world would revert back to the Dark Age. And in this process, everything related to the Holy Caldron would lose its foundation along with the collapse of the Holy Caldron, including Charles, who was born from it.

After losing the grand pillar of foundation, the God that was created by mankind would fall along with the temple. And the imprints of the kingdom of God, Eden, and the Originator would also be erased in the aether storm that would last for thousands of years.

To kill a God by destroying an entire world. The prerequisite was that someone would be able to grab the opportunity to wake up that thing in the core.

“What a good idea.” Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh, and even applauded in admiration, “To think that there’s still someone smart enough to think of such an incredible solution. Ah, how brilliant, how fantastic. There is hope for this world. There is hope for mankind! In that case, who will be the one to undertake this task? For such a difficult and noble task, surely it will be Mr. Bach who will do it?” He was laughing but the mocking in his tone was undeniable. There was a hint of rage and murderous intent.

“No, I can’t do it.” Bach replied honestly, “I am not His match.” He continued, “If it was Charles, I may be able to sacrifice myself and die with him. But if my opponent is someone who has given up on his identity as a human and has decided to ascend into a God in the mortal world once again, then I don’t stand any chance at all.”

“So, you are going to rely on me?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled, “You are here to beg for a favor, yet this is your attitude? Mr. Bach came to see me empty-handed, isn’t that lacking sincerity?”

“If sincerity can change your mind, this place would already have been filled with the treasures and valuables of all the countries.” Bach’s tone remained calm as if he did not feel insulted at all. “But if there’s anything that you want, no harm telling me now.”

Ye Qingxuan smiled. “What if I want the heads of all the agents that participated in Charles’ trial?”

“I may need a bit of time.” Bach continued, “Five days.” Now that the entire world was on the brink of destruction, those figures of authority have been mercilessly abandoned by the world’s protectors without a second thought.

“Even if we ignore the question of whether I agree or not,” Ye Qingxuan’s laughter turned cold, “what makes you think I can do it?”

“Because you possess the humanity that Charles is still unable to give up. Ye Qingxuan, you are the only one who stands a chance to kill the God.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I will do my part and challenge the God. But the most I can do is probably to delay all-out destruction by about a week or so.” When he spoke about his own death, Bach lowered his head and looked at his grey coat, which used to be a precious shade of green. There were no regrets in his eyes, and instead, they were filled with relief. “Compared to a real God, Charles is merely a baby. He is still too young and tender, and may not fully understand how to utilize all his powers. After He consumes me, he will possess the authority of the King of Blue and inherit thousands of years of experiences of previous Kings of Blue. By then, no one will be able to stop him, including you.”

“How sad, Bach. The great King of Blue has now been reduced to the role of a poison to be consumed by the God… But this method of using death to settle all your problems really fits your style. The only question is, is this really appropriate?” With that, Ye Qingxuan looked up. Beyond the silent rage within his dark eyes, there were also elements of scorn and mocking.

“All this while, haven’t you been running away from your responsibilities? Didn’t you run all the way to the World of Dark to develop new territories? It sounds nice but essentially, you basically banished yourself then pretended not to see or hear anything. You could have stopped all these from happening, but you chose to stand aside and watch how things would turn from bad to worse. In the end, you decide to die so easily as your way of answering for everything that you have done? What kind of joke is this!!!”

Ye Qingxuan stood up and looked down at Bach. He stared into those calm and peaceful eyes. “Bach, if you had a sense of responsibility and duty back then, things would not have turned out like this! Even King of Red is better than you. At least he had the courage to make a decision. And you, you just watched countless opportunities slip out of your hands… How dare you come and see me now?! How dare you speak to me in this pretentious and highfalutin tone?! Everything that is happening now was caused by you!”

“Do you want me to apologize?” Bach looked at him. His elderly face was still as calm and serene as ever. “I can kneel if you want.”

“What’s the point of apologizing and kneeling? Can they make up for your mistakes?” Ye Qingxuan tried to suppress his disgust for him. “Bach, if you are truly sincere, at least stop saying things like how you want to sacrifice yourself for this world! I want to… vomit.”

Bach closed his eyes tiredly. This was the first sign of weakness that he had allowed on his face. In the ensuing long silence, he sighed softly. He was feeling bitter and tired.

“Before my teacher died, he once told me that I was not suitable to be the King of Blue. But I didn’t understand then. It was only after he died, and I had to stand in front of the entire world for the first time and listen to the cruel sound it made, which sounded like stars were being swallowed whole, that I finally understood. This was not a burden that could be carried with only talent and abilities. Just like you said, Ye Qingxuan, I am a weakling. I don’t have the courage to make a choice on behalf of the entire world. I didn’t dare to try and live up to everybody’s expectations. Therefore, I resorted to banishing myself and hid in the World of the Dark. I envy King of the Red because he had the drive and conviction to make a choice. I envy King of Yellow too. At least he had the courage to flee. For centuries, the positions of the three kings have been taken over by plenty of people. There have been males and females, there have been elderlies and youths, there was even once when they were weak and lost. But one thing has never changed, and that was the torture and curse placed on the inheritors. They could either collapse under such a massive responsibility or be crushed by such incredible pain.”

He continued, “There are no exceptions, Ye Qingxuan. None.”

At this point, he got up slowly as he had given up the thought of trying to persuade him. He picked up the old wooden crutch and was prepared to leave.

“Before I leave, there is one more thing that I must tell you,” he pointed at the box that he had left behind on the table, “that thing was something that the Church had wanted to use against your net of aether. But in order to fix it, the authorities of all three kings must be present. The King of Yellow refused and chose to give his power, which was capable of maintaining this world, to you. Perhaps he never told you this, but this was a choice he made. And now, the choice is yours to make.”

Before he left, Bach spoke one last time, “If you really want to prove that we were a mistake and you really want to seek some form of redemption, then don’t lose this opportunity.”

The door closed and the footsteps grew more and more distant. All this while, Ye Qingxuan remained silent and did not say a word.

…

When Ye Qingxuan saw Don Juan once again, the latter was sitting on a chair by the sea and was smoking silently on his own. His followers stood far away as they did not dare to approach him, as if there was a raging lion hidden in the body of that thin and frail man.

“Do you have cigarettes?” With that, Ye Qingxuan stretched his hand into Don Juan’s pocket and took one out, as if he already knew where Don Juan usually kept his cigarettes. He lit up the cigarette and sat beside Don Juan as both of them watched the evening waves from a distance.

“Don’t you have anything you want to say?” Ye Qingxuan asked.

“I prepared many things. Which one do you want to hear?” Don Juan leaned against the hair and suddenly burst into soft laughter.

“Life is all about making decisions, Little Ye. Once the opportunity is lost, you will never get it back again.

“If we join forces together, the world will be ours.

“Once we eliminate our last obstacle, the new order shall be controlled by us…”

Just like that, he muttered to himself for a very long time. He seemed to be trying his hardest to persuade and advise a friend whom he cared deeply about. In the end, he stopped abruptly. Amidst the crashing of the waves, there was hoarse laughter that seemed to be teasing and mocking oneself.

“Before I came, I had imagined countless times about how we would meet and the things we would talk about. How I should show off my achievements to you, how I should give you a surprise, how I should prove to you that I have already distinguished myself and became an outstanding individual.

“It shouldn’t have been like this. The circumstances under which we would meet wasn’t supposed to be like this.” He muttered under his breath as he lowered his head tiredly, “I have let you down. I… should have been the only person standing on your side.

“Come to think about it, I haven’t been to Burgundy before.”

Ye Qingxuan was smoking when he suddenly asked, “Are you married yet?”

Don Juan was taken aback. He thought about it and replied, “Probably soon.”

“How is the bride? Is she pretty?”

“Yes, she’s cute.” Don Juan continued softly, “She’s not very smart and can be a bit silly sometimes.”

Ye Qingxuan asked, “Do you like her?”

“Probably.” Don Juan sighed softly. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I will still love her if she was not a lady of the Antoinette family.”

“Don’t be silly. The fact that you think that way means that you care about her.” Ye Qingxuan turned around to look at him and laughed softly. “If that’s the case, then don’t you think that all the things you have done are excusable?”

“You are still so naïve, Little Ye.” Don Juan shook his head bitterly. “Just because of this, you are able to forgive me?”

“Yes, this will do.” Ye Qingxuan nodded his head and stood up before throwing the cigarette into the sea.

Amidst the crashing of the waves, he muttered softly, “Emperor Don Juan, I once had a friend that is a lot like you.

“His name was Victor. He wasn’t a very kind man, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never get him to give up on those absurd and ridiculous ideas.

“But very often, I still miss him.

“He took care of me for many years, put up with all my absurd dreams and wishes, and even supported me during the toughest phase of my life. To me, he is someone that I can’t give up. Just like Charles.”

Ye Qingxuan turned around and looked at the man, who was in a daze, and smiled. “It has always been this way, regardless if it was in the past or in the present.”

Don Juan was completely stunned as he stared back at him. “Is that so?”

“It is.” Ye Qingxuan nodded. It was a firm and decisive answer.

In the long ensuing silence, Don Juan lowered his head as if he was trying to hide something. “If Victor knew how highly-regarded he was by you, I’m sure he would be very happy? It’s… it’s getting late.” He got up with a stagger. “Thank you for your hospitality. I should go.” With his back facing Ye Qingxuan, he bade farewell, “Also, thank you.”

“If there is still a future for us, bring your wife along and come visit again.” Ye Qingxuan smiled. “Goodbye, Emperor Don Juan.”

Goodbye, Victor. Goodbye.

…

It was late at night when Shi Dong coughed and woke up with a start. Amidst the monotonous beeping of the life support system, he could detect the smell of ashes. Someone was sitting at the window.

“Please don’t smoke in the ward, Chief Inquisitor. Won’t you please treasure the life of an old man like mine?” Shi Dong coughed and sat up on the bed. He turned on the light, and it shone onto the pink nightcap, with designs of little bears, on his head.

“So,” he asked, “is there some trouble again?”

“Although I would hate to disrupt you from waiting for your death, you have to get up, old fellow.” Ye Qingxuan stretched out his hand and pushed open the window. “I’m going to need your lending abilities once again. Your moment of glory is about to come.”

There was a roar outside the window. The steam whistle of the Mountain of Nomadism blew loudly. Purification musicians and Witch Hammers gathered on the beach while iron war chariots rumbled out in the midst of dust and dirt. The aura and ashes brought about by war were getting thicker, and the pair of old and frail eyes were burning red.

Shi Dong inhaled the pungent smell deeply. He looked radiant once more while his face was still flushed from his sickly condition. “So, who’s the enemy this time?”

“The entire world.” Ye Qingxuan extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and turned back to look at him. Those pair of eyes seemed to be filled with the cold beams of light from above. “I will hand the staff over to you and you will patrol all the various countries on my behalf. Regardless of kings or noble families, or the cardinal bishops that were lucky enough to be alive, take revenge on those that had once harmed us. I will give you a list of names and for those that are still alive, I want you to burn two-thirds of them to death. For those that are already dead, I want you to dig up their graves and expose their corpses to the wilderness. Then, proceed to lend to the remaining survivors and tell them that this is the price to pay for redemption!”

Shi Dong nodded but did not get up. He only continued to look at him, “What about you? My Lord.”

“I will probably go and face God…” Ye Qingxuan fiddled with small black metal box and muttered softly, “Then, I will make my choice.”

I have kept you waiting, Charles… Here I come.