Silent Crown

Late at night, in a room filled with smoke, Ghosthand had been waiting quietly in the Black Octopus pub’s secret room.

Someone silently walked into the room. He took off his cloak, revealing an elegant long robe from the East. He seemed very old, his hair was mottled gray with black and white flecks. His movements were silent, like a ghost. “Lost him again?” Mr. Chang sat opposite him, “To be honest, I am very disappointed with your work attitude.”

“Unfortunately, this is the city of Avalon. Our work is not always perfect.” Ghosthand shook his head, trying to control his anger.

Mr. Chang looked indifferent. “Mr. Ghosthand, before Yunlou is taken over by the rebels, we’ll be delivered whoever we wish to find. If we want his head, then his head will be delivered; if we want his hands, then his hands will be delivered. Anyone who delays the process will have their eyes taken out. If anyone dares to hide him from us, he and his family will pay the price for the mistake.”

“But this is Avalon, and things are not the same as before. Great efforts have been made just to hide your group of people!” Ghosthand frowned, “Mr. Shaman does not want to cause any trouble. Do you want this to be noticed by the royal family?”

“It’s been almost four days.” Mr. Chang said quietly, “Mr. Ghosthand, we cannot wait much longer.”

“Mr. Chang, I said I need more time.”

“I’ve given you time, haven’t I?” Mr. Chang got up and dispersed like a ghost into the white smoke.

In silence, Ghosthand leaned against the chair. He sucked on his pipe, little by little. The sepiolite pipe broke apart between his teeth. “Because of those two eastern kids, Avalon is turning into a mess.” He spat out the residue, and crushed the pipe in his palm. “And that damn dog.”

–

“Alright, let’s go back.” In the carriage outside the pub, Mr. Chang opened his eyes in silence. He had not moved at all from the beginning of his journey until the end.

The carriage moved silently. A servant who had just received a message presented a bamboo script to him. Mr. Chang moved his fingers across it, collecting dust on his fingers. “You mean, Shaman is looking for another Eastern child?” he asked.

“Yes, also with white hair, and with a dog. Some people saw that kid with the fugitive we are looking for. We do not know who wants him. Mr. Shaman had deemed him more important than our fugitive.”

Mr. Chang frowned, “What is Shaman looking for?”

“Seems to be some kind of box. Dead or alive, just the box. Couldn’t find out anything else.”

“In a country of barbarians, the rules are chaotic. This group of barbarians has their own agenda,” Chang humphed coldly. “The Shaman may have credibility, but after all, foreigners can’t be relied on.”

The servant asked, “Eunuch Chang, do you mean we have to find another way? There are plenty of people who can help us search in the city of Avalon.”

Chang contemplated for a moment then suddenly asked, “What happened to the group who is now in the control of Yunlou?”

“They have submitted the credentials and will go into the city soon.”

“Well, Yunlou Qingshu is a wolf with a savage heart. Not only did he seize control of the city of Yunlou, but he also wants to join forces with the barbarians, and claim independence with no respect to his king and father! A princess? Just a fake. No one will be deceived!” Chang snapped, “Give them my orders. Do not betray the trust of His Royal Highness. Bring back the princess! When His Highness takes back Yunlou, and gets rid of the rebel Yunlou Qingshu, he will reward everyone accordingly, and you will all get a cut! ”

“Yes, Eunuch!” The servant hesitated, looking confused, “But one thing is unclear to me.”

“Yes?”

“Why bother coming here personally if only for a little girl with the Bloodline of Dragon?”

Old Chang fell silent. For a long time he lifted his palm and put it back down, then finally sighed, “You have served me for so many years. Today I will teach you a lesson of being by the side of the king.” He glanced at his servant who had just escaped death, his eyes like damp, gloomy rotten wood. “Follow the rules strictly. Do not cross any lines. That’s the trick to living a long life. The more you want to know, the faster you will die. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Understood.” The servant was soaked with sweat as if he had been caught in the rain.

“Then go.” Eunuch Chang closed his eyes and rested. “Remember, bring her back in one piece, without missing even a single hair.”

“Understood.”

–

From that day on, Bai Xi had not spoken to Ye Qingxuan. Although she seemed better behaved now, she just did not want to talk to others. Every day after she was done with work, she would quietly sit in the corner. She would stare at the dust on the floor in front of her, but her gaze pierced through the dust as if she was looking at something else.

Only Old Phil could have a few “words” with her, but Old Phil could not talk, and she would not say anything to a dog. But sometimes when Old Phil slept beside her, she would reach out to touch Old Phil’s hair, carefully and seriously. Old Phil was really a lovable dog. Although it was ugly, it was still much more popular than Ye Qingxuan.

Unfortunately, that was the way of this world–hating a person needed countless reasons, but loving a dog did not need any. And in most cases, the dog was much better than a person, for as long as you were good to it, it would not harm you.

But Ye Qingxuan thought that this could not continue, and that Old Phil was his dog!

“Why do you get to touch him? I can only do that when he is in a good mood!” he thought to himself.

Once he finished writing the last zero in the account book, he looked up and sighed helplessly. Next to him, Seton was still silent. This monster-like uncle had been sitting cross-legged behind the counter, struggling to read the fairy tale over and over again.

Hearing his sigh, Seton raised his head and suddenly said, “The boss sent a letter from another town yesterday, asking about you.”

“He knows about me?” Ye Qingxuan was surprised.

“He is a psychopath, but is usually very well informed.” Seton’s tone was not very respectful. “He wished you success at the entrance exam, and said he will bring you a gift”

“For real?”

“I wouldn’t get my hopes up. That guy’s character and gifts are usually worse than anyone’s imagination. The last time he brought me a gift, it was a huge donkey head that could be put on my head, but it was still dripping with blood.” He paused, his expression became more unpleasant. “I hate donkeys.”

“Is it really okay for the boss and the staff to have such a bad relationship?”

“If that guy died in a gutter, the world would be a better place.” After Seton finished talking, he shut the book angrily, took some money from the drawer, and went out for a drink. He did not even bother to close the money cabinet. It was just like him since he had a very simple mindset.

Ye Qingxuan looked at the golden light reflecting from the cabinet. He swallowed his saliva, then shut it with his eyes closed. “So much money,” he could not help but think.

“Hmmm,” a sneer came from the corner. But when Ye Qingxuan looked up, Bai Xi was still in complete silence.

He sighed.

Bai Xi was squatting in the corner behind the window on the chair she had occupied, using the counter as a dividing line. She and Ye Qingxuan were clearly separated. As if they had previously agreed on such terms, they did not talk to one another.

The afternoon sunlight came in, obscured by a huge grandfather clock, leaving Bai Xi sitting in a dark corner. Sometimes the dust floating in the air fell into her hands, reflecting her silent eyes. It made people feel pity for her.

Ye Qingxuan’s hand touched the crystal ball, then sighed. He lowered his head again.

“You may pity her, but who will pity you?” he thought.

–

Four days. If he counted the nights, it would been four days and five nights. Three runes, and all the standard syllables had been memorized by heart, but he could not say them. He had practiced no less than a hundred thousand times with the aether, but it had not resonated with him even once.

Ye Qingxuan was desperate. Maybe he was cursed by the aether?

Even someone with no talent, with tens of thousands of attempts would at least improve their success rate by one percent. Ye Qingxuan’s was still zero, a desperate zero. No matter how many times he tried, whichever rune he practiced was still a zero.

From one to two was very simple, as long as the effort was made to do the addition, but what about from zero to one? Ye Qingxuan just did not know how. No matter how hard he tried, what had not existed still did not exist. Tall buildings were built from the ground, but what land belonged to him? He silently stared at the aether ball in his hands, not knowing what to do. His heart was gradually filled with sadness.

In the silent shop, only countless ticks made a rhythm, monotonous and persistent, constantly jumping from one second to another.

In the afternoon sunshine, Ye Qingxuan could not help but yawn. He felt quite sleepy. Rubbing his vocal chords with his fingertips, he asked himself if this was all worth it. The ring coiled with a silver string silently reflected the sun, flashing.

“Musician.” He sighed softly, and closed his eyes, feeling the wind blowing from afar.

But quickly he realized that this was a shop. The doors were closed, where had the wind come from? He was not sure when it started. Everything was silent.

–

He opened his eyes and saw the dust on the front of the counter silently blowing off with the wind. Thousands of years had seemed to have passed within a moment. The windows were broken, the glass had become powder. Wooden furniture had rapidly decayed, and cracks spread along the wall. The burning and lonely sunlight shone through the cracks onto Ye’s face.

He was frightened and wanted to jump up, but felt his body glued to the chair. He could not move. The familiar world quickly faded away from him, and all the familiar people and voices were no longer there. Old Phil was gone, Seton had disappeared, as well as Bai Xi. He was left alone in this lonely house.

He sat in his chair, watching everything decay. Weeds grew from the crack of the floor, and vines climbed up the wall. The busy streets outside disappeared, and were replaced with empty and barren land. The whole world was quiet. Ye Qingxuan could only hear the ticking sounds around him. The indigo moon, representing bad omen, was hanging in the sky!