Chapter 451: Out of Control

It was dim inside the tavern. The bartender smoked behind the bar. The smell was pungent. Under the faint light, he looked down at Charles who was sitting outside the bar. The light illuminated his bald head, casting a shadow under his brow bone. His expression was hard to see.

Cras.h.!.+ A fist-sized gla.s.s was slammed down before Charles. He jumped at the loud sound. The liquor sloshed, almost splas.h.i.+ng onto his collar.

While he was freaked out, the bartender pushed the gla.s.s over expressionlessly. He bent down and said, “Shall we drink?” Beside him was a bottle with the label sc.r.a.ped off. Charles froze and looked back. He saw a few men in the corner staring at him coldly. Gulping, he looked up for help. However, there was nothing upstairs save for m.u.f.fled arguments.

“What?” the bartender asked. “Don’t like it?”

“Uh…” Charles plastered on a smile. He was not stupid enough to say that he did not like drinking.

“Don’t make the others think that the headquarter treats people badly. Since you’re Constantine’s man, you have to drink with us now that you’re here.” The burly bartender cracked his neck. When he looked at Charles, his tone changed. “You’ll humor us, right?”

Flinching, Charles nodded forcefully.

“Great.” The bartender grinned, showing his sharp teeth. He glanced up. “They’ll need some more time to discuss. We can become closer. Come, rookie, let’s drink.” He stuffed the gla.s.s into Charles’s hand and forced him to clink gla.s.ses. With a bitter expression, Charles downed the cup.

He almost blacked out.

–

After a few days of house arrest, the Revolutionaries seemed to have finally come to consensus. Changing from their previous indifferent att.i.tude, they voluntarily contacted Constantine. Both parties came to this secretive bar to talk.

Constantine brought Charles but after arriving, they only allowed Constantine up. He was powerless and could only leave Charles with the group of terrifying men. Before thirty minutes was up, Charles was pushed into the trap by these prepared men. The pungent hard liquor poured into his throat. He inhaled sharply and clenched his jaw. It was the familiar recipe and familiar taste.

There was a unique type of private liquor from Avalon’s downtown. The craftsmen would put industrial alcohol, various pigments, and snake bones soaked in flavoring agents to the liquor, creating a ‘local specialty.’ It was known as kerosene. The poor ruffians of downtown all called it that. Apparently, you had to avoid candles after drinking a gla.s.s because you could light yourself up.

Other than drinking, one could also pour the liquor on a corpse for a combustion agent. After burning, not even the best forensic scientist or their own mothers could tell who it was.

The liquor in Charles’s hand was comparable to it. In fact, there seemed to also be…

“Drugs?” Charles murmured.

The men in the corner burst into evil laughter. The bartender arched an eyebrow. “You know the ropes? I didn’t expect this.” Squinting, he picked up the liquor and grinned. “Seems like I’ll have to treat you even better.”

The order was to make Constantine back down voluntarily and embarra.s.s himself but without losing face. The man he brought with…naturally had to be treated the same.

The bartender was starting to get curious. How many cups could this rookie drink before the ingredients burned his brain?

“Have another.” He poured the overflowing cup before Charles. Seeing the youth open his mouth to speak, he pulled out a dagger and stabbed the pocketed bar. “I’ll drink with you.”

Watching as Charles paled, he leered. “Today, we must drink to our fill!”

In silence, Charles stared at his gla.s.s. After a long while, he nodded. “Okay.”

Under the bartender’s shocked gaze, Charles threw his head back and drank. For some reason, the bartender felt panic. Perhaps he had made the wrong choice.

–

After who knew how long, the door upstairs opened. The tavern’s owner brought Constantine to the door and bid farewell.

“Constantine, I’m sorry. You came for nothing.” The man shook his hand. “Mr. Gaius has his own plans. I truly cannot help you.”

“It’s okay. I’m satisfied as long as you all are willing to see me and listen to an old man like me.” Constantine sighed and put on his hat. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“I won’t see you off, then.” The man nodded. “Buck, help him out!”

It was silent downstairs.

“Buck! Buck! Where the f*ck did you go?!” The man froze, embarra.s.sment creeping into his expression. “I’m sorry, Mr. Constantine. Those *ssholes don’t understand respect. Recently, they had heard some rumors and have misconceptions of you. Hopefully, they didn’t do anything to your man…”

Constantine’s expression quickly darkened. He rushed downstairs. Not many would expect for someone as old as Constantine to move so quickly. Anxious, he stepped onto the stairs as if wanting to shatter the rotting boards. Before he got there, he could already smell the alcohol and the disgusting odor of vomit. Stunned, he sped up.

Hopefully, Charles was still in one piece and not torn apart by those f*cking b*stards from the sewers of the Sacred City. But when he turned the corner, he froze.

The room was silent.

Regardless of the bartender behind the bar, the poker players on the sofa, the guests pretending to play pool and darts, they were all on the ground now. Some panted drunkenly. They opened their mouths and vomited out sticky liquid with undigested black beans mixed in. The disgusting smell and the scent of bad alcohol were pungent. But in the middle of the scattered bodies, Charles sat in his chair, playing cards by himself in boredom. When he saw Constantine, he smiled.

“Sir, you’re finally done?” He jumped down. “I waited for so long I was wondering if I should get food delivered.”

“Uh…yeah.” Still not having processed everything, Constantine nodded stiffly. “What…happened?”

“All Revolutionaries are family. They’re all so enthusiastic.” Charles looked around awkwardly. “Sadly, they weren’t very hospitable because they have low alcohol tolerance. They all got drunk after a few gla.s.ses.”

After a long pause, Constantine nodded, seemingly accepting this reality. He looked away, pretending he did not see Charles subtly kick two b.l.o.o.d.y teeth under the bar.

“The talk is over. Let’s go,” he said.

“Oh, okay. Wait a second.” Charles knocked his head and ducked behind the bar. He put the things the bartender had prepared into his bag. Seemingly offhanded, he ripped open the bartender’s pocket and found a small packet. Sniffing it, he hesitated before putting it in his pocket.

“Thanks for waiting, sir.” Patting his hands, he ducked back out. “Let’s go.”

–

In the carriage on the way back, Constantine took off his hat tiredly. He leaned in his seat, seeming to nod off. He could not help but sigh.

Charles looked outside and ask, “Sir, will we visit anyone else?”

“Let’s go back.” Constantine shook his head. “I’m a bit tired. We can finish the rest tomorrow.”

Charles fell silent. After some time, he started, “Sir…” but trailed off.

“Yes?”

“Your pallor…” Charles pointed at his own face.

Confused, Constantine touched his face and could not help but chuckled dryly. He shook his head. “As expected.” Now, Constantine looked like he was exhausted to the max. He did not need a mirror to know how bad he looked. Even worse, he could smell the age and fatigue…

“When you become old, you start paying for your debts. The slightest breeze will make you lose sleep. Even talking to someone is like going into war. You must be completely focused.” Sighing, he pulled out some medicine. Counting four pills, he dumped them into his mouth and swallowed with some warm water. “Can’t handle it after forgetting to take pills for two days.”

“Did something happen?” Charles asked.

“Not too big of a problem.” Constantine smiled bitterly. “If I guess correctly, I’ll be dragged over to be criticized soon.”

“Huh?” Charles froze, getting a bad feeling. “What do you mean?”

“What it sounds like,” Constantine said coolly. “I was deputy commander for so many years and had angered many people. Since my favor has fallen now, many will be happy to push me down further.”

Charles could not understand. “H-how, it’s so sudden…didn’t you just come out?”

“I was too naïve.” Constantine pinched his nose bridge and murmured, “Charles, people change. I was locked up for half a year and did not expect that everything has gone out of control. The Revolutionaries is nothing like before. Isn’t it logical for an old guy who can’t keep up to be swept into the trash? Gaius probably refuses to see me because he is hesitating as well.”

Charles felt a head-splitting pain. He had felt something wrong these days but he thought it was just safety precautions. He did not think that the house arrest and investigations were due to the Revolutionaries’ extreme distrust of Constantine. It seemed to be intensifying after he came out. What had Constantine been doing these days?

“Charles, it’s not like before.” He sighed. “It had been ninety years since the last burst of the Dark World’s beastliness. The active period of natural catastrophes is coming soon. The human world is on a tightrope now. It can no longer bear the internal conflicts. Even if it’s just for the big picture, the conflict between the Sacred City and Revolutionaries must be resolved.”

Gaping, Charles finally stammered, “Isn’t that good?”

“Gaius might not like my idea.” Constantine shook his head. “He’s already lost himself.”

“What…does he want to do?”

“Is that still a question?” Constantine lit his cigarette and inhaled. “Gaius wants to create a new world. He will definitely destroy the old… If he realizes that I’m standing before him, he will destroy me along with those things, as well as the majority of those who support me.”

He looked at the blank Charles with a tired expression. “Charles, no matter what I choose, many people will die in a few days. Many, many. Perhaps because of me, perhaps because of him. This is my last chance…but I don’t even dare to decide.”

“Gaius…does he want to attack the Sacred City?” Charles could not help but ask. It may be too direct, but he couldn’t care less. He could feel that he was only one step away from the truth! But he could smell something terrifying. The dirty secret had a tantalizing scent, luring him to danger.

“Attack the Sacred City?” Constantine scoffed. “Not just that.”

Chapter 452: Ugly

Late at night, there was no sound other than the dripping of water from the faucet in the silent bathroom. Hot steam hung in the air, thick and suffocating. However, some type of power had caused the steam to seal the entire room without anyone realizing. The detailed and complex music theory formed a system that melted into the steam. There were no ripples and sat between existence and nonexistence. It was practically imperceptible.

Charles soaked in the bathtub languidly. He seemed to be relaxing but his eyes studied the ceiling as if there was something very interesting here. His skin had already turned white from the water. After a long while, a faint voice suddenly appeared in his ear.

“The Dragon of Destruction?” The ancient voice sighed. “I see.” This was one of the current main leaders of the Silent Authority, one of the saints—Handel.

If it wasn’t something as important as the Dragon of Destruction, Charles probably would not have been able to contact him. Even Handel had fallen silent after hearing the report and verified it many times.

He had been pretty sure but hearing the acknowledgement from Handel, Charles could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Intense exhaustion besieged him. He really wanted to pa.s.s out. After experiencing so much, he had finally found out the Revolutionaries’ plot. His mission was finally complete.

He could finally be free.

Charles just wanted to sleep now. After regaining his freedom, he would find a good tavern and drink to his fill with his teacher and junior.

“You’ve worked hard.” Handel’s voice had a rare gentleness to it. “We will prepare well.”

Silence.

Charles waited silence. Finally, his brows furrowed. “And then?” For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

Hearing his question, Handel was confused as well. “Is there something else you need to report?”

“When can I back out?” Charles pushed himself up in the tub and asked quietly, “When will you come pick me up? I can leave at any time, as long as you—”

“Charles, your mission isn’t over,” Handel interrupted, his voice serious. “It’s not time for you to leave yet.”

Charles froze. “You—” He felt his vision dim and the panic thicken. He could barely breathe. “You…aren’t planning for me to continue being a spy, right?”

Handel did not reply but Charles raised his voice. “Didn’t you say you’d free me once I figure out what Gaius will do to the Sacred City? Do you know how many times they’ve suspected me already? Do you know how many people outside this building have their eyes on me? Do you know how much I’m risking to send you this message?!”

“Charles, I know this is very hard for you but we must think of the big picture,” Handel said quietly. “Only you can do this. Your line of information is too precious. We cannot just end it now.”

“Then you do it!” Charles roared quietly. “You come be this f*cking spy! Don’t you have other people? Isn’t that bearded Mind musician yours too? F*ck the big picture! I’m done!”

“Charles, face reality!” Handel lost his patience. “Do you know how horrible the consequences will be if the Dragon of Disaster is released? What use is it if we only know what they plan to do? Do we not have our eyes on the Dragon already? But who knows what else the Revolutionaries have planned? Only knowing this is useless! You think you can compensate for your crime with this?”

Charles was silent. He glared at the steam before him as if trying to find Handel inside it.

The sudden burst of panic made his organs tremble. Subtle pain spread from the bottom of his brain. It felt like his head was about to split. He held his forehead but could not suppress the urge to go crazy.

The anger was like iron and fire. It wanted to beat down on his consciousness and spirit, to tear apart his body, and burn his soul to ashes. His body shook from the painful torment. He wanted to cry and sob.

“How can you do this?” he murmured. Snot and tears rolled down pathetically, falling into the water that had become cloudy and cold. He stared at the steam, choking.

“This…isn’t what you said before. Please, just let me go. Why does everyone have to be like this? I really am just a failure. People like me can’t be spies, really. I never did anything right in my life, and now I’m not even a musician. I already ran away but why do you have to force me?

“Mr. Handel, you’re a saint, you’re an important figure. I know that if you want, you can do anything. I’m begging you, let me go…please…”

“Charles, you must do it,” Handel said. “Only you can.”

“It’s useless even if I stay,” Charles pleaded. “Mr. Constantine is already being excluded. I can’t get anything from him.”

“Then change to someone else,” Handel said coldly. “Change to someone who can truly give you information.”

Charles blanched. For some reason, he felt a terrifying coldness from the marrow of his bones. It swallowed him, making him unable to speak.

“…You…what do you mean?”

“Listen, Charles. Constantine is useless now. You must change your track.” Handel’s voice was gentle. “I will secretly arrange for you to meet with Gaius’s man tomorrow. At that time, you’ll tell them Constantine’s plan. After he’s removed by Gaius, you’ll naturally enter their true core in the Sacred City.”

“Impossible!” Charles yelped. Sensing the coldness from the other end of the connection, he tried to explain, “Even if I betray Constantine, they still won’t trust me.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The Silent Authority will help you gain their trust.” Handel seemed to be confident but his voice had turned cold. “However, you must understand that you don’t have much time left. Charles, if you fail, you will not be the only one dying. Your teacher will also be sent to h.e.l.l for his past relations.h.i.+p with Gaius.

“Without the Sacred City, no one will be able to save you. I hope you will not hesitate anymore and promptly make the correct choice.”

The connection cut off. In the silence, there was only the sound of icy droplets falling into the tub from the ceiling. Charles sat dumbly in the water as if he was frozen. He stared at the water vapor and opened his mouth to speak but he did not know how to continue speaking with Handel.

He just felt his vision darkening. His headache was getting worse as if it wanted to tear him apart and knock him unconscious. In his daze, he felt the icy droplets fall onto his face. They were blood-red.

Blood dropped from the ceiling into the tub, dying the water red. The entire world seemed to decay as if thousands of years had pa.s.sed. Grime covered the bathroom, cobwebs appeared, and everything was dilapidated. Demons stared into this world from the broken mirror.

“Again.” Charles held his almost-shattering forehead. Bearing the pain of his sanity cracking apart, he heaved. “F*cking…again…” His fingers trembled. With difficulty, he felt around on the stand. Finding the packet, he yanked it down. There was a new gla.s.s syringe, a small vial of salt water, and an average packet inside.

“It gotta work…it gotta work…” He tore the packet apart with shaking fingers. He carefully dumped the powder into the salt water. A lot fell onto the ground but most dissolved in the water. He lowered the syringe into the salt water, sucking up the murky liquid. Finally, he raised it before his eyes.

Charles stared dumbly at the sharp needle for a while before laughing emptily. Without hesitating anymore, he pierced the vein in his wrist and injected himself.

The drug’s effect came quickly.

The world was no longer terrifying. Even the blood and demons became heartwarming. The faraway shadows held hands and danced with Charles, singing softly and laughing innocently like children. Flashes of color and light appeared before his eyes. They were as dazzling as a dream. In the dream, a blurry figure caressed his cheeks. Strands of long hair fell from her shoulders to Charles’s face. The dark red hair was so beautiful, like burning embers.

“Mom…” Charles lay in the icy water, embracing her, allowing the empty warmth and happiness to envelop him.

He fell asleep.

–

“Charles.”

A voice called to him as the carriage shook. Charles opened his eyes blearily and saw Constantine looking at him.

“Did you not sleep well?” he asked, pointing at Charles’s face.

Blanching, Charles touched his face. He suddenly felt like laughing. He had asked Constantine something similar yesterday. Today, the situation was reversed. He knew without looking that his pallor was horrible. He managed a smile but did not dare to look at Constantine’s eyes.

This morning, the Silent Authority had used a secret channel to contact him. Everything was ready. Tonight, he would meet Gaius’ right-hand man through a middle man.

And then…

Charles subconsciously put a hand over his heart, trying to feel his heartbeat.

And then he would betray Constantine…

Constantine would die. He would step on Constantine’s corpse and enter the core, finding the cla.s.sified information of the Revolutionaries.

So ugly, Charles. So ugly.

Chapter 453: Bell

“Did you run into trouble?” Looking at Charles’ dispiritedness, Constantine grew confused.

“No.” Charles shook his head and squeezed out a smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’m great. I don’t have any morals so nothing in the world can scare me.”

Constantine studied him. He knew Charles was lying, and after a while, he shook his head. “The troubles of youth?” Sighing, he lit his cigarette. He had been smoking constantly these days. He could not sleep at night and in the morning, there would be a mountain in the ashtray.

Seeming to remember something, he could not help but laugh at himself. “Before, an Easterner called Ye told me a joke. He said that young people shouldn’t be sad because of a period of pain. There are many more days of pain in the future…hahaha.

“It sounds heartless but it’s true. When I was your age, I often thought that the world would end and grew hopeless. But later, I ran into more troubles and instead grew numb.”

He paused and patted Charles’s shoulder. “It’ll pa.s.s, Charles. It’ll all pa.s.s,” he said. “All pain will pa.s.s.”

Charles shuddered and did not reply. For a moment, he almost wanted to stand up and tell Constantine that he was a spy from the Sacred City. He was going to betray the man to Gaius.

But he did not dare.

Charles wanted to cry because of his weakness and something else. He just lowered his head and said, “Thank you, sir.”

And Constantine smiled. “Oh right, this is for you.” He pulled out a small packet and placed it into Charles’ hand. “I’m actually quite sorry for dragging you into this.”

Taken by surprise, Charles opened it and found that it was a new identification card. It was clean, well-maintained, and free of any criminal records.

“I forgot to tell you yesterday,” Constantine said, “Gaius agreed to meet me today.”

Charles froze as if he had turned into a rock. It felt like someone had hacked his brain open and Constantine’s words crushed all his thoughts.

Gaius? Meet Constantine? Today?

“Scared?” Constantine smoked and looked out the window. “Some things must come to an end. I will help you with Gaius. If I die, just leave the Sacred City. This is an ident.i.ty I prepared for someone else but now he’s dead. I’ll give it to you so you can help live for him as well. In the future, don’t be a musician…”

The sudden change was like lightning in a clear sky. It completely shattered the Silent Authority’s plan. No matter what, the result would be clear today.

It was fast. Too fast. So fast he could not react.

The situation had suddenly fallen into the abyss. Constantine was ready to set things clear with Gaius even if it meant he would die. The result would be Gaius getting rid of him. He already knew this ending. But because it was Constantine’s decision, the Silent Authority’s next step was foiled, losing the restriction on Gaius.

In a daze, Charles felt relaxed for some reason. Perhaps he would never get any results and perhaps he would spend the rest of his life in the Judgement Tower. But at least, at least…Constantine would not die in his hands.

He would not need to be a traitor. He was ashamed by this feeling. Then he suddenly felt a gust of coldness. This almost tangible coldness came from his bones. His heart pounded and his face turned shockingly white. His veins were transporting blood but there was no warmth.

This was a sense of danger.

Horrible danger.

Headache.

His head pounded.

In extreme pain, Charles sank into a daze but his consciousness left his body. It followed the sense of danger and he could faintly see a bleary image.

“Charles…what’s wrong?” Seeing Charles twitch, Constantine was shocked. But then Charles shot up from the seat and grasped his hand like a vice. He kicked the door open without hesitation. An explosion of aether tore apart the lock. There were countless carriages racing through the bustling city but Charles dragged Constantine out the car!

The sudden change caused a ruckus. There was a string of explosions, whinnies, yells, and roars. Dozens of carriages crashed while trying to avoid them. Some innocent drivers even fell to the ground with broken legs. The innocent pa.s.sersby all screamed and dodged.

In the mess, everyone glared at the two who jumped from the carriage. Charles and Constantine tumbled on the ground. Constantine was old and had not processed everything until he fell. He moaned to Charles, “Are you crazy?”

But Charles seemed not to hear. He just turned and stared at the carriage they were on. It was still going forward but slowing down. Finally, the two horses whined and the carriage stopped. Then the driver fell from his spot. When he landed on the ground, his flesh turned to dirt and slowly melted away, revealing the blackening bones.

He was dead.

The two struggling horses also melted away, blood spurting. Soon, all that remained was a pile of bones connected by tendons and clumps of fleshy dirt.

A gust of wind blew. The carriage shook and turned to dust.

Constantine followed Charles’ eyes and gasped.

Now, the faint ringing of a bell finally traveled over. In its path, everything started shaking. Despite being so far away, their limbs were controlled by the shaking, making the people feel limp and nauseous.

It was the Bell.

This was written by the past saint Liszt and used the vibrations of aether to destroy everything. Even forged alloy would be turned to dust under the shaking. It also had a more commonly known name.

“…The curse of dust!” Constantine muttered. Before he could finish, a gray-clothed man walked out of the crowd and advanced toward them. He sighed. “What did I do wrong?” he murmured. “You shouldn’t have been able to sense any aether waves… Was it you?” When he looked at Charles, an eerie light flashed through his eyes. “Whatever. Good luck always ends.”

Raging wind and fire grew in his hands. A music score played. The rhythm from his heart of sound rang out. Everything in its path began to melt away. This was the most extreme effect of the Modifications’ field of dissolving. What followed was the fatal blow of the School of Modification.

It was A Hero’s Funeral!

Now, his motive was clear. Without caring about the innocent bystanders or that this was a main street in the Sacred City, he was going to destroy these two! He acted like a bomb. Even the Silent Authority that had been watching did not expect this.

Charles raised his hand instinctively. His fingers snapped and notes played. Instantly, delicate yet complex music notes appeared.

s.h.i.+eld, s.h.i.+eld, s.h.i.+eld, s.h.i.+eld… In just a snap, identical s.h.i.+eld runes shot from his hands. He could not use music theories but Charles’s control of simple notes was incredible. No one had ever thought about the effect of adding thousands of pure notes together.

They could not do it. But it was natural for Charles.

A s.h.i.+eld instantly went from colorless to white and then from white to black. It shot up like a solid object, blocking the sweeping attack from the front.

And then…it fell apart.

Before the attack, the s.h.i.+eld crumbled into pieces. Music notes were only music notes, just as how ants without a command were only ants. Charles could not control music theory—any theory would go out of control in his hands. This was his fatal flaw and the reason why he could not become a musician.

Everything he did was just to delay death one second.

This one second was everything.

In an instant, a furious huff sounded in the air. Transient moonlight flowed out of nowhere. Everything illuminated by it felt less real. The surging fire, suffocating Foehn wind and air pressure, and the curse of dust that followed close after…everything was like a fake projection, like a cool and clean breeze.

“What are you waiting for?” Lola’s cold voice rang out beside Charles. “Run!” Her blurry figure appeared in the moonlight. With a snap, she hid their traces. Moonlight covered their bodies. They disappeared instantly.

–

At the same time, the gray-clothed musician huffed. He pounded the air with his right fist. Behind him, a bell tower’s apparition emerged. The bell rang! This was Liszt’s Bell—a heart of sound movement formed with the curse of dust. In its path, Distortion level power billowed, twisting the material world under the pounding theory.

Everything was destroyed!

Faint sound waves swept out, turning everything to powder. Even more terrifying was the attack on music theory! The School of Modifications did not only control changes of material and energy. Its core was the attacking, shaking, and changing of music theory…

Now, he used the bell as a medium to forcefully pull all music theory in the region into a state of turmoil. They all fell apart under his music theory. This was why Modifications was known as the way to end all ways when it was at its highest level!

When the music theory collapsed under the turmoil, Lola’s figure appeared in the air. Behind her, the moon in the water only shook for a moment before recovering. The moon came from the sky. The reflection shook but the moonlight was untouched. It shone out from the broken water surface once again.

Faced with the bloodthirsty gray-clothed musician, Lola chuckled. Her smile was extremely unnerving. The demonic blood within her radiated with a sinister and cold aura.

“Such good luck. I haven’t eaten recently.”

Chapter 454: Troubles Don’t Come Alone

Late at night, there was no one in the quiet alley. The stinking garbage rustled and Charles poked a head out. He breathed heavily and looked around. When he saw that there was no one around, he let out a sigh of relief. Then he pulled the barely conscious Constantine out. His face was green from the disgusting garbage and could not talk.

After escaping in the morning, they had thought they were safe. But then they were attacked again. Thankfully, this was only a coincidence and the enemy could not get a more powerful musician over. They were able to escape with Charles’ amateur skills. More accurately, they had jumped onto a garbage truck to escape. After that, they jostled along with the garbage and were dumped into this stinky alley a few hours later.

Checking again that they were alone and had escaped with their lives, Charles heaved with laughter. His smile was so joyful that even the two rotten vegetable leaves on his face seemed to bloom.

Feeling around his pockets, he pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes. There were only two left.

“Want one?” Charles rubbed his fingers and ignited a flame. Constantine accepted it weakly but did not dare to smoke it. He just panted tiredly. His old lungs sounded like a wind blower that was about to explode.

Charles had never seen someone age like this. It was not just in flesh but also psychological fatigue, depression, and despair.

“How many days has it been since we left prison?” Constantine asked quietly.

“Twenty…days?”

Constantine nodded. It dawned on him. “I guess it’s enough time.”

“Enough?” Charles froze.

Constantine chuckled. “Twenty days is enough for Gaius to clean out the Revolutionaries and wipe out all my men…This is probably why they put me on house arrest, making sure I can’t get any outside news, right?” He paused. Lowering his head, he smoked Charles’s cigarette. “It seems like Gaius really wants to kill me,” he murmured.

Smoke blurred his features, making it hard to see his expression. Charles remained silent. Perhaps, this had been Gaius’s plan since the beginning. When he realized that Constantine was standing in his way, he already made up his mind. He was not even willing to meet Constantine one last time, despite being friends who had experienced so much together during the decades. Ever since Constantine walked out of prison, he began going down the road to death. Now, everything was out. Constantine finally saw the final destination of the path Gaius showed him but he did not show any hysteria or fury. Only disappointment.

“This is good too,” he said softly. “At least I won’t have to make more decisions or do more useless things… The ending has already been decided, hasn’t it?”

Charles stared in silence and then looked away. He wanted to say some comforting words but they both knew it would be useless. He could not do anything for Constantine. Nothing he could say would change the reality. He could not even think of a joke to lighten the mood. All he could do was look away, away from Constantine’s pathetic state.

Good, everything was over now. His spy career was over. Constantine’s efforts and hopes were gone too. They had both fallen into the lowest pits of life, the bottom of the abyss. There was no way to retreat.

In silence, Charles put out his cigarette and climbed up.

“Mr. Constantine,” he said, “are you rested now?”

Constantine shook his head. “I can manage to walk.”

“That sucks. You must run.” Charles smiled wryly. “Otherwise, we’ll probably die here tonight.” Just as he finished, scattered footsteps sounded outside the smelly alley. There was the sound of metal grating and steel boots. .h.i.tting the ground. Coldness radiated from the clangs.

Charles pulled Constantine up and rushed deep into the alley. However, he quickly realized with despair that there was a high wall before them. He looked at Constantine hopefully.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Constantine sighed. “Even if an old man like me could climb walls, would you be able to take me with you?”

Charles said, “It’ll be good if you can escape.”

“Whatever.” Constantine smiled tiredly. He leaned against the wall and sat heavily onto the ground. “I’ve run my entire life. My back is full of scars. Before I die, let me leave a wound in my chest.”

Charles laughed bitterly. He bent down and picked up a rock. But after thinking, he tossed it down. What was the point of holding a rock? Rather than hoping he could hit someone, he should just end things once and for all for himself.

He sat down next to Constantine and they fell silent.

The footsteps were closer.

Something exploded.

The wall behind them instantly turned to powder and dozens of figures burst through. They jumped out like wind and mercilessly pushed the two onto the ground.

“Freeze!” a cold voice said. Swords were pressed to their necks instantly. Then the people who had distracted them burst into the alley, taking up the entire place.

They weren’t the Revolutionaries!

Charles was stunned and quickly became overjoyed. It was the Sacred City garrison! The dozens of soldiers were armed to the teeth. After scanning the entire alley, they were still not relaxed. The safety was soon confirmed.

The leader sheathed his sword and waved at the black-clothed men pressing the two down. Then they voluntarily walked away.

Charles looked back instinctively. All he saw was a blinding beam of aether light and the hand on his shoulder. The cufflink was unique and familiar. It was the sign of the Silent Authority!

He was safe!

He breathed in relief, practically crying. He had already been prepared to die in this alley. He did not expect that the Silent Authority would come save him at the most critical point.

Thank the lord! Truly thank the lord!

“We found them.” A voice seemed to be reporting to the upper figures. “Yes, he’s with Constantine. Yes, they’re safe. There’s temporarily no other dangers. We’ll take them back now…okay…”

Charles let them put on handcuffs without struggling. Even if the plan had failed, he could still live. The Silent Authority had not used any excuses to give him trouble. Even if he would be locked up for the rest of life, it was better than continuing to be a spy or dying here.

However, Constantine did not seem well.

He was old. After running for so long, his tensed nerves had finally relaxed before being tensed again. When the musicians had broken through the wall, he had almost pa.s.sed out.

Or maybe they did this purposely.

Thankfully, he was checked and would not die.

The leader clearly already knew Charles’s ident.i.ty. He did not say it out loud but he was not too hard on Charles. The handcuffs were loose as well.

“You’ve worked hard,” he murmured as he brushed past Charles, patting his shoulder.

“No, no, it was my duty.” Charles smiled instinctively. He was ready to say stupid things like ‘I’m just working for the Sacred City’ when he suddenly felt something warm splash into his mouth.

It was blood.

Charles froze.

And then, right before him, the leader’s head exploded. A giant hole appeared in his forehead. Through his forehead, Charles could see corpses all over the ground and a spirit-like figure emerge from the darkness. The figure slowly curled his finger back and destructive aether waves swelled. Everything began twisting under the heart of sound.

It was the Distortion level! Another Distortion level!

As the saying went, trouble never came alone. Following immediately, terrifying aether waves spread behind them, above them, and even under them. The Revolutionaries had done everything to kill them.

Four Distortion level musicians!

Chapter 455: Take This

Blood dyed the entire alley red. Under the pungent odor, the shocking redness and ghastly white ashes created a messy painting on the wall.

Everything was silent. There was only the sound of blood flowing and bones cracking.

At the front of the alley, the wraith-like musician in gray stared at Charles and Constantine coldly. However, Charles looked behind him and could not hold back his pleasant surprise.

“Yezi, you—”

Yezi? Who was Yezi? And then it dawned on the musician who ‘Yezi’ was… Ye Qingxuan!

The Ye Qingxuan who had killed six preparatory grandmasters with one blow! It was the young man who had shaken the world recently with his brash actions and the musician that even the Sacred Court could not handle!

He was instantly nervous. When did Ye Qingxuan get here? And he was so close that in the musician’s daze, he could almost feel the cold breath on the back of his neck.

The gray-clothed musician looked back instinctively. He gathered all his strength to fight to the death in an instant.

But when he looked back, he froze. There was nothing there! He had been f*cking tricked!

Fury instantly took over his expression. But when he turned around again, Charles’ face was right in front of him. As he ran, he used his feet to kick up a broken sword from the puddle of blood. Grasping it, he ran a finger over the blade, cutting down to the bone. The blood remained on the sword and converged into layers of runes under his mind’s control. The six-layered structure had more than four hundred notes. They were all different and yet connected.

Flow, create, activity, form—these four zones overlapped into one. Something that an alchemist needed days of hard work was created in an instant. His blood seeped into the sword.

After his music theory path was cut off, Charles became obsessed with mechanics because all he could use was his amateur alchemy and strange ideas that alchemists looked down upon. Even so, he was still shockingly skilled. After being guided and taught by Newton, no one knew Charles had reached this level… He completed the alchemy array within seconds.

The notes were activated! The blade hummed with a screech! Aether lay on the blade. In the blink of an eye, the blade vibrated thousands and thousands of times, pus.h.i.+ng the metal to its limits. But just before it broke apart, the sword in Charles’s hand had gone from trash to a war weapon designed specifically to target musicians. He had replicated the Chainsaw Fraternity’s alchemy technique perfectly. It was the Sighing Sword!

Charles roared. Using all his strength, he grasped the only chance and stabbed. The sword shook thousands of times. It broke through the levels of s.h.i.+elds and was only one inch away from the musician’s chest. Only one inch! And this inch…was like an abyss!

In an instant, a blurry object emerged from the nothingness. Scales and metal pieces sc.r.a.ped, sparks flying. The gray-clothed musician snorted. He did not even need to look down. With just a thought, the music theory within him transformed. He shattered the frozen blade without touching it. Then he pointed forward. The beasts around him began sucking in aether. Mercury flowed over like liquid metal. It formed a sh.e.l.l that pounced at Charles. It was a mercury python! So long one could not see its end, the python reached out of thin air. Even the air in its path froze. Piercing coldness swept by.

Charles could not even fight back. He flew backwards. The python restrained him and he instantly lost all feeling. He could only hear his bones creaking under the python.

The Summoning musician did not even spare him a glance. He walked past Charles for the unconscious Constantine. As he walked, he slowly raised his forefinger. Under the distant yet cold melody, bits of metallic light grouped onto his finger. It was a firefly that looked like metal sand. This tiny firefly without any aether waves had traveled past four walls and three skulls instantly. Now, it was aimed at Constantine.

The murderous intent was clear.

“Stop!” Charles tried to roar but he could not utter any sound. He heard his bones cracking joint by joint. His ribs seemed to have already pierced his lungs. There should have been pain but under the terrifying temperature of the python, even the pain was frozen. His flesh shattered like stone.

Painless death was coming.

But in this numbness, shattering pain burst from his skull. It swept into all directions like lava. It seemed to want to evaporate his blood, turn his skull into cinder, and burn his sanity into ashes with h.e.l.lfire.

The next instant, his eyes were aflame. The dust and illusions were gone, revealing the dazzling yet cold appearance. Some power controlled his body, filling his consciousness. It made him furious, made him roar, made him open his mouth and scream at the python.

“Get the f*ck away!” It was a not a human’s voice but countless rumbles and noises put together. Thousands of wails and wild laughter from h.e.l.l fused into one and left his mouth. It was as if h.e.l.l was shaking!

Instantly, the coldness and pain disappeared. The mercury python screamed and shot back as if trying to escape into the aether world to save itself. But in the air, it stiffened, crumbled, and turned to dust. His music theory was wiped by the aggression, turning into blank white s.p.a.ce. The beastly nature fell apart. The gray-clothed musician trembled and growled in pain. The fireflies at his fingers almost scattered.

The mercury python was a piece of his consciousness. After being raised for so many years, it had evolved into an aggressive beast. But now, the beastly nature had been defeated. His pieces of consciousness boomeranged back, cutting his sanity like icy knives with extreme pain.

He roared. Fireflies shot from his fingertips. They cut through the sky with white air waves. They seemed to have transformed from insects into sharp knives, coming for Charles’ skull.

But then, on his last breath, Charles smiled and raised a finger. “Take this!”

Water vapor threads floated from his fingers, flying into the distance. It was Bolero! Instantly reaching the sixth measure, thirty-two perception threads came out of Bolero and reached in all directions. They instantly covered the entire street. They let out Charles’ desperate cry in unison.

“Yezi, save me!”

The next moment, a moonlight perception thread rose up to the sky. It crossed thousands of miles, sweeping across the air. Instantly, they tangled with the thirty-two strands and became one. The instrument strings that crossed the aether and material world have come from the aether sea!

Jiu Xiao Huan Pei descended from the sky!

In that instant, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei followed the perception threads and unfolded inside Charles. The pure music theory opened up. It flowed with his blood and followed the rhythm of his breaths. Countless complex music notes bloomed. They wove together and grew, forming a music score in Charles’ empty body.

It formed an authentic…Heaven Ladder! The resonance had begun!

Charles instantly closed his eyes.

Murderous moonlight lit up from his eyes.

Chapter 456: Dreamland

Instantly, the four musicians sensed the rapidly rising aether waves on Charles’s body. Student, Rhythm, Musician…he soon broke through the Barrier of Knowledge, Resonance, Disturbance… A spirit that was not his awakened in his eyes. The musicians felt a sense of danger and attacked at once!

A magnetic field appeared from the aether. They were tangent to each other and sparked with lightning. Beastly nature burst from thin air. It transformed into a six-eyed giant and roared.

Music theory crisscrossed. It sealed off the outside world with a disturbing nature. Air waves crashed, creating a vacuum. Formless poison rose up from thousands of bacteria strains. They formed spores and shot into all directions…

Time seemed to slow. The entire world slowed before the quickly operating consciousness. In the frozen world, Ye Qingxuan was still in Charles’s body. He reached out. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei sounded. Thousands of strings shot out of thin air. They intersected, all playing different melodies. However, it was not disordered but in harmony.

Cold wind from the tundra instantly blew over. Winter was here!

In the cold wind, the four musicians instantly sank into a daze, about to fall asleep. However, in their daze, they saw a flag guiding the wind. Emerald will-o’-wisps snaked out of the cracks. Frozen tears rolled from their eyes. The withered Bodhi tree froze in the icy wind. Life elapsed rapidly and their hair turned white. A frozen flood swept out of nowhere. Crows that symbolized death flew from their fingertips… It was Winterreise!

The Philosopher’s Stone transformed into the sub-originator, stirring huge tidal waves in the aether sea. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei rode the terrifying power that was born. It operated in the void and wove together under Ye Qingxuan’s guidance. This was undoubtedly a twenty-three layered illusion!

The music theory grew out of nothing and shot out from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei. They instantly layered and dragged the four musicians in without warning. For the first time, Ye Qingxuan could experience the control Lola had towards illusions. It was as if a world of nothingness was created in his hands and turned into something.

For a second, he felt like a G.o.d.

But two seconds later, the first layer of Gute Nacht was torn apart. The four Distortion level musicians acted in unison. They communicated with each other and quickly found the flaws in the illusion.

Another layer fell apart! The crows that announced death were instantly destroyed and disappeared. Ye Qingxuan sighed. His abilities were still not enough.

The Disturbance level could disturb certain things and change them but it could not completely change something’s nature like the Distortion level. Otherwise, he would be able to let out the last layer, Der Leiermann, to complete Winterreise. At that time, the twenty-four layers would die and regenerate by themselves. There was no possibility of being undone.

In addition, the spirit contained in Der Leierman was depressed by being unable to move forward one’s entire life. Once inside this illusion, all musicians would be forced to the standard Musician level. Unless they had a secret weapon or technique targeted specifically at illusions, the victim would be stuck until his body deteriorated and his mind fused into the illusion.

Within a few seconds, fourteen of the twenty-three illusions were undone. If Ye Qingxuan still had no plans, the results would be bad. According to his Revelations sensing, these musicians contained three hidden yet sharp aether waves. They probably had some fatal weapon. If they were given the chance to take it out…

Ye Qingxuan had a headache. He quickly clenched his fists. In an instant, the fulcrums of the remaining nine layers ignited. They exploded along with the music theory, transforming into a huge sensory bomb, bursting in the minds of the four musicians.

The extreme force transformed along the Mind path. Containing the hidden hint for the formless river, it flooded into their minds. Like mercury, it exploded in the depths of their minds. It was a storm of emotions and a battle of feelings. Bitterness, ecstasy, depression, sadness… All emotions were forcefully stimulated. The musicians paled and went green. Their minds were in turmoil. Bits of memories flashed past their eyes as if someone had injected drugs in them.

Even so, they did not let their guards down or give Ye Qingxuan any opportunities. They could sense that Ye Qingxuan was still far away. They didn’t know how he could cross such a large distance but he was not strong enough to threaten them.

They were only pa.s.sively accepting the attacks now because they were getting ready. Ye Qingxuan was using his now. When this wave was over, he would have nothing left. He’d just be a sitting duck!

But just as they struggled to push down the unrest in their minds and music theories, they felt something serene rise from the broken fulcrums.

It was moonlight.

A white rim of cold yet arrogant moon rose from the broken illusion. It seemed so real. The white moon hung in the sky. Under the light, coldness seeped into every one of their pores, making them feel extreme danger and fear.

Then the moon shattered.

What replaced it was a sharp glint of metal. It was the Sword! Countless music notes flowed rapidly on the ice-cold sword of moonlight. They wove into a complex music score—detailed and beautiful. It was like an artistic masterpiece but with mind-numbing animosity.

What was this?! The four musicians gaped and all swore in their minds. No matter what it was, it would be bad to get hit by it!

They made a decision at the same time. Music theory erupted as they all used different methods to stop the sword from falling. They let out their hidden weapon! No matter what kind of music score, all would lose effectiveness once out of control. If they could kill Charles before the sword fell, then the sword would become nothing!

But in that moment, Ye Qingxuan smiled and closed his eyes. He seemed to be waiting for death to come. But also as if he had…fallen asleep.

He entered Dreamland!

Without a sound, something emerged from his body. It spread in all directions and enveloped the entire alley. All music notes in its path disappeared. The music theories broke down and even the music scores fell apart. It was as if a portion of the aether had disappeared and could no longer respond. The aether had fallen asleep with him.

In the Dreamland, Ye Qingxuan felt as if he had fallen asleep but was awake at the same time. Everything in his dream was identical to reality. Through the dreamscape, he observed the world. Letting his mind loose, his consciousness transformed into a flood. It pulled at the endless supply of aether into slumber with him! Everything was swallowed by silence. The sword of moonlight dissipated. But so did the s.h.i.+elds of the four musicians.

As if they had put all their strength into the void, the music scores that contained their power all disappeared. They fell from the peak to the abyss. The sudden attack and terrifying emptiness paled them and they spat out blood. In their hands, the instruments that had accompanied them for decades turned into dead objects. The music notes on them extinguished rapidly and the music theory crumbled. The alchemy imprinted on was wiped away.

The spirits that were created by playing countless music scores disappeared with wails. The sh.e.l.l was still there but the spirit was long gone. Four priceless and rare musicians were completely destroyed! However, they had no time to mourn. In their fear, a bigger sense of danger arose. Even more terrifying was that they had activated the three secret weapons just then!

Ye Qingxuan’s grasp on time was beyond their imagination. These three alchemy equipment had been bought by chance and fate. They had just been filled with immense aether but before they could act, they were thrown into an aether vacuum.

In the silence, even breathing was deafening. The equipment could not be saved either and were finally revealed under their gray clothing. It was a palm-sized figurine with a sword, a vial of beast ashes, and a strange key. They radiated like the sun even as cracks began appearing.

Originally, their music theory had formed a system that blocked the outside world. But in the silence, the system was unraveling. The power sealed within…was completely out of control.

In an instant, they became active and flowed out. The equilibrium of the four realms was upended. The once harmonious theories of the seven schools clashed with extreme heat and light.

The four musicians paled. They tossed the weapons without thinking and ran. Sadly, it was too late. A boom erupted in the silence. It should have been deafening but it was like m.u.f.fled thunder that faded quickly. The three secret weapons broke completely. The strength within exploded just like how Ye Qingxuan had once thrown out the Double Snake Time Meter to self-destruct.

The terrifying yet dazzling light flashed. Under the silent dream, the explosion that should have obliterated the entire alley was restrained to a small area. This made the destruction worse.

In a second, the earth split apart. Bricks and dust flew. Silently, three b.l.o.o.d.y figures flew out, dropping in different places. Other than the Summoning musician who thought himself above relying on secret weapons, they were all gravely wounded. After entering the Resonance level, the musician’s body would evolve under the music theory and aether, becoming less human. Otherwise, they would have evaporated instantly.

Chapter 457: Take This Again!

Among the three, the one who had evolved the most and had become semi-elemental was hurt the least. However, Modifications relied most heavily on aether. Under Ye Qingxuan’s heart of sound movement—the silent dream—he was the most restricted. The music theory within him had mostly fallen apart.

The Choir musician, specializing in bacteria and spores, was most gravely wounded. Most of his body was burnt to crisp and his brain had denatured too. However, his core was not hurt. If he could escape from the silent dream, he could recover quickly. Compared to them, the Abstinence musician hidden behind the alley was the best off. The moment the explosion happened, he had swallowed his key rather than tossing it away! Like Ye Qingxuan, he was an Abstinence musician specializing in the way of the territory. He was not as destructive as those who chose the way of discipline but this path had the strongest protection.

After entering the Distortion level, his music theory had become its own territory. It had certain characteristics of the aether world. Distortion of nature had become an instinctive ability. Even Ye Qingxuan’s silent dream was kept out, unable to invade in the short-term. That was why he took the risk to swallow the key that was about to explode to forcefully control it.

He had succeeded. The explosion burnt his face, shattered his palate and throat, and turned twenty teeth to dust. For a Distortion level musician, this was just a scratch. However, the result was still terrifying.

A musician who had just entered the Disturbance level was fighting with four Distortion level musicians from miles away. Within two short minutes, two of the four were close to death, one was disfigured, and another’s mind was wounded.

It was illogical. Whether it was the dumbfounding result or the terrifying nature of Ye Qingxuan’s silent dream in that moment, both would turn Ye Qingxuan into a horror story or myth once the news spread.

The Wyrmrest Enchantment that had been lost for centuries was too powerful, especially when it was grasped by such a threatening man. He was like a nightmare to enemies. Thankfully, the nightmare was ending for these four musicians on their last breath. After restricting those explosions, the silent restriction was slowly loosening. There was no more strength. Once again, they felt the weak aether and faraway aether sea. The four exchanged glances. Ferocity flashed past their eyes in unspoken agreement.

They had built their reputation through the years. If they were beaten by a junior and failed in the Sacred City, their reputation would be ruined. Now, they no longer looked down on Ye Qingxuan and instead saw him as a true enemy. An oddity like him should never be underestimated. Therefore, they began to fight for their lives!

In an instant, the Abstinence musician pressed down on his chest and ripped a hole. Blood spurted out. His music theory reorganized and his territory spread out. It forced back the silent encroachment and pushed up a zone. The disturbing light moved through the air, clas.h.i.+ng against Ye Qingxuan’s music theory. The two instantly fell into a fight. The pressure on the other three lessened. Under the Abstinence musician’s protection, almost tangible shadows appeared around them.

It was the heart of sound illusion, only one step away from the symphony of predestination. There was an electric ring that cut through the darkness, a fleshy dandelion full of spores, and a dwarf with six eyes and three hands that could separate into countless avatars. These were their final products. In the future, they would be fused into the symphonies of predestination as the source for the scepters. Now, the musicians poured practically all their power into them without hesitation to fight against the silent dream’s omnipresent pressure.

But Ye Qingxuan could not help but sigh.

The four musicians shook and spat out blood again.

Ye Qingxuan had opened his eyes and the silent dream vanished. The immense pressure instantly disappeared. The equilibrium of conflict was broken as well. Their bodies were hurt again by the great contrast.

This was like taking a fish from the bottom of the sea and putting it in the air. The huge pressure difference would cause it to swell into a ball and explode. Under the music theory’s entanglement, the four all spat out blood and roared. They were humiliated and furious.

It was this trick again! Ye Qingxuan used their own strength to fight against them! Couldn’t he f*cking fight fairly?

Originally, the power of the four musicians working together could pulverize Ye Qingxuan once he retracted the silent dream. It was suicide. But the moment the aether returned, Jiu Xiao Huan Pei was reactivated. The Heaven Ladder turned, pulling the uncontrolled pressure into the aether sea with ease. Huge waves crashed!

And so nothing happened…

The four musicians were about to cry. How could Ye Qingxuan be so good at this? Regardless of anything else, Ye Qingxuan was best at these tricks. Ever since he had started this life, he had never fought against enemies at his level. Other than having a good foundation, he survived solely on his shameless and devious techniques. To him, fighting against the big guys was just a basic course. Using up everything he had was the normal state. It was just gambling his life. If he didn’t win, he would die. Of course he would use dirty tricks!

Ye Qingxuan did not know what fighting fairly meant. He only knew fair sneak attacks and honest stabs to the back. Since the beginning, he had spared no expense the drag the enemies into his rhythm. Then, he used countless tricks and lies to make them show their secret weapons… He did not plan on winning. He just didn’t want the other side to win so he would obviously just make things hard for them. He would do whatever was most shameless.

The most important was the silent dream, a joker-like card. He could even fight four Distortion musicians with it! Sadly, he had put out this card already. Now, the four enemies had nothing else to worry about. The thing about sparing no expenses was that he had to kill the enemy in one go. If the enemy wasn’t dead after that…he would be the one dying.

Ye Qingxuan could not help but smile bitterly. Charles spat out blood too. Using Heaven Ladder to cast the silent dream from so far away was consuming. The Heaven Ladder was where the Dreamweaver’s foundation was. Like a container, it would not be disturbed by the dreamscape. Otherwise, he would really have no solutions. But now, he was at the limit.

In Charles’s eyes, the moonlight flickered and died out.

The Heaven Ladder cut off.

In the silence, the four musicians stared at each other. They could sense Ye Qingxuan’s departure but they were unsure if this was another trick or a defeat.

In the suffocating silence, Charles stood up expressionlessly and stepped forward. The four musicians stepped back together. Their eyes were cautious and the aether waves around them sharpened. Did this guy have another trick up his sleeve?

Then they saw Charles sneer and then…he knelt down!

With a plop!

Charles flattened himself to the ground and cried out, “Please have mercy! I’m innocent! Ye Qingxuan forced me to do this! Ye Qingxuan is an *ss! He drank, and got girls, and owed the school thirty-five million, and escaped with his cousin! We could only sell our bodies to pay the debt…”

The only sound in the long, long silence was Charles’ cries. The expressions of the other four grew uglier and uglier.

“You think…I’ll let you go by begging?” The Summoning musician’s eyes were dark and his voice was raspy. He stepped forward. Fireflies grouped on his hand again. One, two, three, four…they were like dazzling stars. Piercing murderous intent enveloped Charles. The strength was enough to flatten a building, enough to tear a man apart and evaporate him!

“I know I can’t take back what I’ve done,” Charles continued to cry. “But just let me lie here and express my apologies!”

“What’s the use of lying down?!” the Summoning musician roared. He raised his hand and the countless fireflies flapped their wings to tear Charles apart.

But then the wall behind him shattered. Clattering sounded very close to them. Horse hooves clacked against the ground with sparks. The thundering was heart-stopping. Two horses of at least three meters tall galloped over, dragging a metal carriage. They burst through the wall as if it was a sheet of paper.

Amidst the flying bricks and mortar, the black carriage charged forward, cras.h.i.+ng into the musician without mercy. In the messy boom, there was the sound of bones cracking and a pained cry.

Then the stallions stopped. The carriage floated in place. The wheels sc.r.a.ped against the ground with a sharp screech. After bursting through two walls, the carriage stopped between the remaining three musicians and Charles and Constantine.

After being ran into and over, the musician (who had been proud a moment ago) rolled out now as b.l.o.o.d.y pulp. It was unclear if he was alive or dead. The directionless fireflies scattered in all directions and quickly disappeared. This meant Charles had made the right choice. Getting to the ground was effective.

In the dead silence, the only sounds were the horses’ pants. The already distorted carriage was kicked open from the inside. The door fell to the ground with a clang.

In the carriage, the white-haired youth leaned in the distorted seat. His eyes were like moonlight. Studying Charles who was on the ground, he smiled.

Chapter 458: Purple-eyed Griffin

“Senior, I’m here to save you.”

Hearing this, Charles completely collapsed on the ground. He did not even want to move a finger. Even the headache that was driving him crazy for days seemed to have disappeared. Reaching out, he wiped his tears and snot. “Yezi, you’re so slow.”

“I’m already fast enough.” Ye Qingxuan got off the carriage and helped Charles into a seat carefully. “I rushed over as soon as I woke up. You don’t even thank me and just start complaining.”

“Don’t mind all that. I’m so handsome. It’s worth it to save me.” Charles patted his shoulder weakly. Warm blood stained the shoulder. He studied Ye Qingxuan’s uniform with affection. “Nice clothes. Get me one someday and we can go act cool on the streets.”

“Sure.” Ye Qingxuan took off his jacket and put it on Charles. “We’ll go out as soon as you’re healed. We’ll go wherever we want. With me here, no one will stop you.”

“Great.” Charles smiled. “Those people are powerful. You have to be careful.”

“Don’t worry.” Ye Qingxuan looked back at those livid musicians. “They’re just…some failures who can’t become grandmasters despite their age.”

The expressions of the three changed instantly. An almost tangible aura rose from them. A faint melody hummed inside their bodies. The broken music theories were rebuilding in their flesh, forcefully weaving back together so they could squeeze out the last bit of strength. Invisible flames rose from their bodies. Under the illusion of their heart of sound, even the air around them became distorted. If one closed his eyes, he could sense three vortexes open up in the aether sea. They were furiously absorbing energy. It was a furious determination and anger to completely destroy Ye Qingxuan, Charles, and Constantine!

“Such energy at this age? Scary.” Ye Qingxuan laughed, shaking his head. He casually took out a pack. Taking out a cigarette, he put it in his mouth. He felt around his body before sighing. Looking to Charles, he asked, “Senior, got fire?”

“Hey, pay attention.” Charles helplessly raised a finger and created a spark. “‘Tis the season for acting cool and getting into trouble.”

Ye Qingxuan shrugged. He bent over and took a deep breath. In that moment, something furious roared. Three heart of sound illusions had become substantial—the ring of thunder, dandelion, and double nine-sided rune.

The ring of thunder puffed. A thunderstorm whistled over. Countless dark red spores were released from flesh. The corpses all over the ground swelled instantly, blooming with poisonous dandelions. The air solidified. Dust rose up and transformed into metallic sand. They collided with red sparks, whistling past. Under the disturbing manipulation, this had become a zone of death. But Ye Qingxuan was still not reacting.

In the deep night, the flame at Charles’s finger danced and sucked at the yellow tobacco. Ye Qingxuan inhaled, watching as the cigarette charred under the fire and lit up with a red glow. Thick smoke rose up and left as he exhaled, making his face seem handsome as a devil. Behind him, explosions continued.

And then stopped.

Ye Qingxuan took a deep breath. He took out the cigarette and looked behind him. “Oh right, did you think I came alone?”

The darkness rolled. Four musicians from the Silent Authority walked out. They were dressed in robes and held instruments. The aether sea became substantial behind them. They were four Distortion musicians! Using Ye Qingxuan as distraction, they shamelessly attacked from the back and instantly hurt the three. With the advantage of numbers, they forced the three back. They would have killed the three instantly if they did not want to catch them alive.

Now, defeat was only a matter of time. The Sacred City was the core of the human world. The Silent Authority naturally had a team of elites as well.

“Despicable!” the Modifications musician roared under siege. “Ye Qingxuan, do you have shame? Do you not have any dignity as a musician? Get over here and duel with me!”

“Listen to you. Didn’t we just duel already?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him while smoking. “I’m still young and not skilled enough. You have to go easy on me and let me rest, don’t you?”

“Shameless!” the Modifications musician growled. “Ye Qingxuan, you are f*cking shameless! You’re not a musician! You-”

Boom! With the explosion, half of his body turned to dust. Ye Qingxuan looked away and continued smoking with a smile.

“Worry about yourself first.” Taking one last inhale, he curled a finger and casually threw his cigarette into the darkness. It cut an arc in the sky and exploded with a crack. Countless sparks escaped from the white paper and danced like fireflies. Under the disturbance control, everything in its path—metal, water, dust, everything—was ignited. Powerful fire emerged from it, illuminating the darkness. Under the fire, all music theory was influenced by the disturbance, creating undetectable ripples. And thus, a blurry figure flashed into existence.

Someone was hiding there!

Among the flying sparks, the figure raised a hand in shock. He covered his face and retreated. However, behind the sparks, Ye Qingxuan’s face appeared. He reached out and grabbed the man’s head. “Sorry, you’re late!”

There was a scream and grating in the distance. Ye Qingxuan disappeared. In place, Ye Qingxuan shook and his finger quivered painfully. His illusion had been seen through and his fulcrum was destroyed. He had planned on using the sparks as the fulcrum. The moment the thousands of sparks blinded one would create Ye Qingxuan’s illusion and attack. While the enemy was in shock, he could also find a crack in his soul and plant a hint. Then, he would be able to advance further. No matter who the enemy was, he could instantly push him back. He would drag the time out until the Silent Authority reinforcements came with total advantage.

Sadly, this plan failed from the start. The hidden man had instantly seen through his plan as if he had predicted it. Even when he was discovered, he did panic. He easily destroyed Ye Qingxuan’s fulcrum and there was no crack in his soul for Ye Qingxuan to plant a hint. This was a troublesome enemy…

And that was not all.

Merely the man’s existence was hair-rising for Ye Qingxuan. He did not even know when the man had arrived. If Charles had not given him a signal with the fire, he would not even be able to sense that someone was hidden there!

The man had blended his aether waves with the outside world and breathed weakly. If Ye Qingxuan did not have prior knowledge, he would be unable to distinguish his existence. This was the legendary Eastern ‘one with the world’! This technique was rarely achieved even in the Abstinence musicians who specialized in territory!

Ye Qingxuan clenched a fist. Jiu Xiao Huan Pei burst out, crossing in the air. Behind him, the white moon rose gradually with a cold and dazzling wash. The sub-originator was activated. Ye Qingxuan was ready to go all out. But there was somehow fog all around him. Strands of mist rose up, not even scattering with the wind. They hung in the air. In its path, all vision was blocked. Even the sensing of aether was blocked!

Ye Qingxuan grew cautious. This was not mist. This was the result of ‘nature disturbance.’ The enemy used music theory to directly act on the surroundings, distorting reality and creating something that did not even exist. Even the moonlight could not pierce this strange mist or chase it away.

In the fog, the figure finally lowered his arm, revealing his face. It was eagle-like mask with a raven-like beak and dangerous aura. However, its arrogance and aggressiveness was way above that of a raven!

It was the griffin! The face of the griffin!

On the griffin’s face, the two eyes glowed with purple light! They were purple eyes…purple eyes! It was the eerie figure that had flashed past the Judgement Tower and destroyed all records. Charles had seen him and feared him like fearing a beast. He had warned Ye Qingxuan to be careful and escape at first glance… He had always thought that Charles was just scared. But now he truly felt Charles’ pressure. Stared at by those eyes, he finally experienced Charles’ fear. He had gooseb.u.mps as if he was thrown into icy water. In extreme anxiety, he was just waiting for death.

The purple eyes did not contain any Mind hints or Illusion disturbance. They were just fully and completely inhuman. They were pure beastliness. Even the Butcher who killed without blinking in Avalon could not compare with him.

This guy was just a freak creature!

In a moment of inattentiveness, Ye Qingxuan heard a gloomy and depressing melody. His expression changing, he stumbled back. The purple-eyed griffin followed closely. He tapped rhythmically with his hands but it sounded like a steel drum. The rhythm was thundering, jarring him right down to the bone. The sudden yet cold music theory came like a planted seed. The nature of the seed kept changing. The surface music theory transformed, continuously adjusting its nature. It pa.s.sed through the walls like a ghost. In an instant, it seeped into Ye Qingxuan’s body, overlooking all s.h.i.+elds.

The School of Abstinence emphasized s.h.i.+elds the most. The inner music theory structure was impenetrable. If Ye Qingxuan did not allow it, he could block all influences inside and outside his body, let alone foreign music theory. But that music theory’s seed mixed into his system seamlessly. It sneaked past the layers of s.h.i.+elds and instantly sat above his heart.

Chapter 459: True or False

It was fire! Blood was its fuel! In a flash, the ‘nature disturbance’ hidden in the seeds was released. They began to wantonly construct music theory and modify Ye Qingxuan’s body. All flesh and blood were turned into the fuel of the flame until the Ye Qingxuan was burnt out from the inside to ashes.

It was Over Burning Ashes!

The movement of Saint Tchaikovsky was the most vicious killing method of Abstinence with the least traces. It planted the music theory’s seed in the enemy’s body when pa.s.sing by. The seed lived in the enemy’s body to bear fruit. It ignited fire in the sound of heart, used blood as firewood, and burned the enemy into ashes from the inside. But it did not disturb anything else. All that would remain in the end were a complete set of clothes and hot ashes on the ground.

Ye Qingxuan knew this very well. From the beginning, Ye Qingxuan had been watching this happening but he couldn’t stop it. Nature disturbance was the core skill of Abstinence School. For so long, he had thought he had mastered it at its best—igniting fire on stone or turning iron into a stream was as easy as turning his hand over. But now, he was defeated by the same nature disturbance. The enemy’s attainments in Abstinence were several times his own!

In just a few seconds, the two sides had started warring fiercely on attainments of Abstinence. Music theory intrusion, field protection, nature disturbance and fine control… As a result, Ye Qingxuan was totally defeated.

The other’s seed of destruction penetrated his s.h.i.+eld like a parasite in his music theory. It blossomed and ignited flames… It had reached the summit!

Ye Qingxuan could only defend pa.s.sively and repress forcibly. He couldn’t fight back. Every move was controlled by the other. Within a few short snaps, six counterattacks were put out before they were conceived completely.

Fortunately…Ye Qingxuan clenched his teeth and reached to his heart. A blazing glow of fire was yanked from his chest and fell on the ground, burning vigorously on the corpse.

If others did this, their bodies would be burnt out in seconds and the heart would completely turn into ashes. But Ye Qingxuan had no scruples. His heart had been sublimated with the Philosopher’s Stone and entered into the aether world in advance.

At this moment, what was beating in his chest was just an illusion. Even if it was ignited, it would have no fuel. Even so, Ye Qingxuan still felt dizzy and became drowsy. If there was any delay, he would probably have been boiled to death by his own blood!

It took only a few seconds from the beginning to now.

Before he could react, he realized that his defense had been shattered. The purple-eyed griffin just waved and metallic sc.r.a.pes spread like a blade. The violent music theory contained in the sound destroyed layers of barriers.

It was more than just sound…

In that shrill sound, there was a mournful whistle!

It was the sound of blade breaking through the air.

It was a dagger!

How could it be a dagger?!

When the purple-eyed griffin waved his hand, a knife with dark blade slid out of his sleeve and stabbed at Ye Qingxuan. The purple-eyed griffin moved smoothly and skillfully. He didn’t look like a musician at all but like a warrior who had killed countless people. That knife moved incredibly fast like an arrow projected from a steel machinery crossbow. Its dark blade was hidden in the night, flying a strange arc and attacking from his right. If not for the refraction of the moonlight, Ye Qingxuan might not even know why he had died! Even so, the knife was already in his sight when he realized.

For a short moment, a continual m.u.f.fled sound rang out. That was the sound of strings from the void being cut. At the last moment, a black iron cane popped up from Ye Qingxuan’s hand again and blocked before him.

Boom! Steel collided, sparks projected, and the mournful sound rang.

Ye Qingxuan was forced back by that vigorous power and slid back several meters. His face twitched slightly. He was not frightened but angry. He felt so wronged.

When had he ever fought in such a sullen way?

The other had taken the lead since the very beginning. He had to follow the other’s rhythm and spend all his strength in coping. He had no time to change tactics. He had never been in such a humiliating situation since his debut.

With the cane waving in his hands, suddenly there was the sound of the strings projecting in the mist. He thought, You’re familiar with Western music theory, right? Let’s play another game!

The Heaven Ladder was unfolded!

He pounded the cane and music rang. Endless water vapor seemed to converge from all directions into the mist, agitated and restless. In the fog, thunder brewed an. The storm was set off.

In a flash, the storm rolled the water vapor, forming a huge vortex and absorbing more and more water vapor in. Finally, a dark iron cloud was formed. Mournful lightning projected out of it. Lighting and storms burst forward. Then, rain poured down and lightning streaked out of the iron cloud.

Thunder Primer!

This was the “Thunder Primer,” which was superimposed sixteen times at the same time. This movement came from the east. The musical theories ran in the thundercloud and were combined with the spirit of Indrah’s wrath. Endless thunder projected from the water vapor’s friction.

Blazing light descended from the sky and struck seventeen times in quick succession. Where the blaze pa.s.sed, the rain and water were vaporized and the soil was charred. The residual electric light diffused, p.r.i.c.king one’s skin.

At the same time, wind wrapped around rain and hail descended from the sky with extreme coldness in which one could hardly walk in. Lightning as wide as buckets soared in the rainstorm between the sky and earth like angry dragons roaring in the music.

Here and now, they were in the Scared City, but seemed to have come to a boundless ocean because of the shadow of the storm.

The music was like chimes but also the roaring of a dragon!

Even Mr. Hu might not have thought about how terrible it was to combine the Thunder Primer with Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, the so-called true dragon remains. Even though Ye Qingxuan was never good at Modifications music theory, his power was inspired to an appalling degree with the guide of the Ladder. Crossing seven schools, he had no rival! Moreover, it also contained the spirituality of Indrah, the King of Thunder.

Facing such power, even the unfathomable purple-eyed griffin had to retreat. He retreated swiftly at an inhuman speed, suddenly turning into a phantom to scurry away. However, no matter how fast he was, he was still slower than the lightning of destruction unless he reached the Scepter level of the Modifications, the state of elemental incarnation and lightning galloping.

The purple-eyed griffin was swallowed by the lightning in a snap.

Ye Qingxuan did not relax. Instead, he kept squeezing the power of the thundercloud vapor in the clouds and constantly brewing raging thunder. The thunder dragon roared so loudly that it could be heard even hundred miles away. In an instant, there were dozens of lightning striking on the purple-eyed griffin.

But then, the next moment, the purple-eyed griffin broke free from it. He shot out dozens of pieces of iron light. They were Scared City’s silver coins. The silver coins deflected the electricity and he managed to duck away. His whole body was steaming and flowing. The aftermath of thunder and lightning chopped in his body but most of the power melted into the water vapor as if the thunder was its clothing.

Racing, the purple-eyed griffin whisked over the ruins and waved again in the air. Two reverse-curved knives split toward Ye Qingxuan again. In a wisp of wailing, raindrops flew out. The two curved knives left an eerie arc in the air, breaking through the rain. One stabbed into Ye Qingxuan’s chest while the other split his neck.

Ye Qingxuan trembled for a moment, and then immediately collapsed into water vapor. It was an illusion with the water vapor as the fulcrum! Not far behind the purple-eyed griffin, Ye Qingxuan, concealed by the water vapor, approached and hummed coldly. He reached out and thunder stroke. Countless lighting chopped down!

The purple-eyed griffin swirled strangely in the air. The music theory in his body repelled against and resonated with the aether sea. With the center of gravity s.h.i.+fting, he swirled in the air and pounced toward Ye Qingxuan in the void.

Once one reached the resonance level, he was able to communicate with the aether sea with movements, controlling the huge power so that he could soar in the sky. What the purple-eyed griffin had performed was his resonance with the external materials by means of his perfect music theory which had been thoroughly tempered. With the nature disturbance, it was immediately like two poles of a magnetic field getting closer. Repulsion and gravity were produced in the void so that his potential energy was completely ignored. The power turned direction and strangely projected toward Ye Qingxuan.

Such means could only be used when the music theory in body and the sound of heart movement were strong enough to distort the material realms. The normal musicians could only use external forces.

In just a flash, the purple-eyed griffin had fallen from the sky and rushed to Ye Qingxuan. The dark robe smashed the storm and the lightning, fluttering like a griffin’s wings and descending like a predator. Fierce murderous intention was in the pair of strange purple pupils.

He wanted to do it head-on?

Ye Qingxuan roared and thrust the cane toward the purple-eyed griffin. In an instant, endless thunder and lightning descended from the sky and converged into Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, plating a layer of strong light on the iron cane. In the fierce light, the moonlight was building. Wind, thunder, and the moon converged in this sword.

With the thrust, the spirituality of the movement appeared and evolved into the tragic illusion of a blazing sun. In an instant, the two men pa.s.sed by each other. The purple-eyed griffin collapsed into strands of haze.

Ye Qingxuan was stunned. This was fake!

Where was the real one?

Suddenly he turned and looked behind the carriage. The real purple-eyed griffin descended silently from the sky, pulling a serpentine sword from the inside of the robe and stabbed toward the unconscious Constantine on the ground!

Constantine! From the beginning, his target was Constantine!

He pretended to fight with Ye Qingxuan in order to distract him so that Ye Qingxuan would not be aware of this. Constantine knew too much and saw too much. If he was alive, he would definitely be a scourge for Gaius, especially since he was in the Sacred City now! Since four crooked musicians were not enough to complete this task, it was the time for the most powerful elite lurking in the Sacred City to act.

Chapter 460: Request

The long sword descended from the sky like a snake!

‘Like a snake’ did not mean that it looked like a snake. Rather, it meant that it had truly turned into a snake! This was a shadow snake with a blade!

Ye Qingxuan had never noticed that this guy had such a crazy thing on him! This was a creature that existed in the aether world and was frozen in the Shadow of Natural Catastrophe. He did not know how it was made but by nature, it was neither living nor a demon. It was the solidification of a type of spirit.

Musicians had caught it by coincidence. After bought by an alchemist, it was fused into a sword, creating a secret weapon that contained the mysteries of aether—the Shadow Snake Sword. This was extreme sharpness and poison. Anyone touched by it would die!

In an instant, it pierced downward silently. The alchemy equipment on Constantine shattered one after another. It could not even delay the sword. It was a sudden turn of events. Ye Qingxuan had no time to save it.

Thankfully…he had expected this!

The next moment, radiant light shot out from Constantine’s body. The power hidden on him had been activated. Music theory was created, dividing the territories. The heavenly light cut into the world, enveloping him.

It was Holy!

Now, Ye Qingxuan finally had complete control over the music score inherited from the School of Stone Heart. Before he arrived, he had already finished erecting it. He knew how precious Constantine was. He would not let down his guard until Wolf Flute or other saints arrived. He must keep Constantine in one piece, without even a hair touched. Otherwise, how could he negotiate with the Silent Authority for them to release Charles? If he missed one shot, the opportunity would be gone.

In the near distance, a fighting Distortion level musician was completely forced back and sealed into a statue. By fighting fire with fire, the Silent Authority musicians were also lightly wounded.

Thankfully, with Ye Qingxuan’s delay, it did not get out of hand. These four musicians were all of the best a.s.sa.s.sins of the Revolutionaries. Not only did they have amazing technique and music scores, they also had the brains. After squeezing out all of their memory, they could still enter ‘Armageddon’ and become a true ‘h.e.l.l musician.’ Every bit of them was useful!

Seeing that he was unsuccessful, the purple-eyed griffin angrily slammed a fist on the territory of Holy. Unfortunately, even an Abstinence grandmaster needed to focus for a long time to break through the music theory of Holy… Ye Qingxuan would not give him this chance.

Without hesitating, the griffin turned after realizing he had lost his chance and flew off. Fog appeared, crowding around his figure, and he was instantly far away.

“Trying to run?” Ye Qingxuan went after him but behind him, Charles used all his energy to rasp out, “Don’t chase him!”

Ye Qingxuan stopped reflexively. He sensed a shred of murderous intent from the fog. Soon, there was a sigh from the fog. The murderous feeling disappeared and the fog dissipated. The figure vanished.

He was gone.

Ye Qingxuan stood in place silently. After a long while, he finally went back. Sitting beside the carriage’s skeleton, he watched the four Silent Authority musicians. They wanted to take Constantine away too but were powerless against Ye Qingxuan’s Holy.

“Mr. Ye, you…”

“Contact your uppers. Get someone over here who can really handle matters.” Ye Qingxuan lit his cigarette and inhaled. “Don’t tell me about the big picture and don’t tell me that sacrifices must be made for the Sacred City.

“I caught the man, my senior was the spy, I stopped the enemy, and I saved Constantine, so I deserve this result. It completely meets the Musician Recruitment Bill. Even the Sacred Court will protect my rights.” He paused, blowing out blue-purple smoke. His cold expression darkened under the smoke.

“If you want Constantine alive, give me a suitable price.”

–

One hour later, there were no more stars in the deep night sky. After fifteen minutes, snow began to fall under the cold wind. The Sacred City’s sharp metallic light was covered. The defined edges and features softened under the white snow. Layers of walls away, Ye Qingxuan raised his head. He heard the sound of snow falling onto the earth above him. He sat on a bench in the hallway and waited quietly. Finally, the lift opened slowly and Wolf Flute walked out. His uniform was covered with a thick layer of snow. Knocking off the snow, he pulled a doc.u.ment out and gave it to Ye Qingxuan. “Here’s what you wanted.”

“Thanks.” Ye Qingxuan’s lifted his eyes and accepted the doc.u.ment packet. He opened it and saw the pardon written by the six cardinals of the Papal Church. Charles had achieved a great feat for the Sacred City and proved his innocence and devoutness under G.o.d’s witness. His crime was pardoned. From now on, he was no longer a criminal.

Ye Qingxuan re-read it a few times in silence and carefully put into his pocket to be saved. Checking the time, he could not help but sigh.

“Forty minutes? Should I sigh because of the Sacred City’s efficiency or that Constantine is heavy bait?”

Wolf Flute lit his cigarette and glanced at him in annoyance. “It only took five minutes on the road,” he said. “The Papal Church argued over whether Constantine should live or die for thirty minutes and then only hesitated about Charles for five seconds. The rest…heh, they spent five minutes yelling at you.”

“Let me guess.” Ye Qingxuan asked, “Don’t know my own place?”

“Disregards the big picture, unable to shoulder great responsibilities…stuff like that.” Wolf Flute shrugged. He sighed and patted Ye Qingxuan’s shoulder. “Next time, don’t negotiate with those big figures. Even if it works out, you might not like it.”

Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I think my price was cheap.”

“Idiot.” Wolf Flute looked and shook his head. “The cheapest is getting it for free.”

Understanding what he meant, Ye Qingxuan stopped talking. Soon, the metal gate at the end of the hall opened. Charles walked out. The guard undid his handcuffs and the metal dropped to the ground.

“Regaining freedom feels great.” Charles rolled his neck and did some gymnastic moves. Finding the prisoner’s uniform an eyesore, Ye Qingxuan gave Charles his jacket.

“The Silent Authority gives great treatment, huh.” With the jacket on, Charles could not help but whistle while feeling the wool. “Such good material. This set is probably at least two thousand pounds, right? And there’s so much alchemy in between…is this ritual clothing? I heard your Governor was destroyed. How about I add a new metal skeleton into this for you some other day?”

Ye Qingxuan smiled helplessly. “Go rest first and we’ll talk after sleeping. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the best restaurant in the Sacred City. Eat your fill.”

Charles instantly became spirited. “Juniors are the apples of the senior’s eye. The proverb is right.”

“What kind of weird proverb is that?!” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. But then he realized that Charles was still standing there, not about to leave with him. “What’s wrong?”

Charles hesitated and looked back. “How is Mr. Constantine? Is he awake?”

“He woke up a long while ago.” Wolf Flute shrugged. “But he’s still unwilling to speak or cooperate. He won’t even answer questions. Other than his first request, he hasn’t responded to anything.”

“What request?”

After a short pause, Wolf Flute sighed. “He wants to see Charles.”