Silent Crown

The sea breeze propelled the waves that smashed onto the stone piles on the reefs and piers.

The residual foam fluttered into a bucket. The fish in the bucket thrashed and jumped, trying to return to the freedom of the sea, but they could not quite jump out.

In the end, they grew weary and sank down, lazily lying still as if to welcome their coming death.

The straight long road stretched from where it had broken out of the sea several days ago to a place 100 meters offshore where it turned into a downward stone staircase that led step by step into the sea.

Salt crystals still remained on this road that had been reshaped by sea rocks. It exuded a slight heat, so one would not feel cold when walking on it barefoot.

There was even a trace of warmth in the cold late winter wind.

An almost completely natural alchemy had occurred here.

Just in order to… let his creators fish.

Ye Qingxuan sat on the steps, rolled up his pant legs and soaked his feet in the warm water. He put the bait from the box next to him on his fishing pole then cast his hook into the sea.

He stared at the buoy as it rose and fell. He was silent.

Sometimes he would sit there all day.

In this time of chaos, in this world that seemed to be marching towards its demise, he seemed to be the only one on vacation. He was as calm as if nothing was happening.

And really, nothing had happened.

Nothing.

He put out his cigarette and emptied the ashtray into the sea. He turned to look behind him.

A slender figure had come up the long road leading to the shore at some point. She bent down and put her shoes on the shore, mimicking Ye Qingxuan. She walked over barefoot, long dress fluttering in the wind.

She was like a blooming jasmine.

Finally, she stood next to Ye Qingxuan. She gathered up her dress in her hand. “Can you get me a stool?”

“Why not try sitting down on the ground, Your Highness? It’s not cold.” Although he said this, Ye Qingxuan still reached out and lifted a bench from the sea. After interfering with its nature, the seawater condensed into a crystal-like texture, magnificent and gorgeous, and worthy of a Queen.

“I’d like to, but unfortunately the clerk came over as well with some tiresome chatter.” Mary sat on the chair and tied up her hair that was blowing in the wind. “I heard that the Silence Governance is sending someone over?”

“Well, quite a lot of people have come in the last couple of days.” Ye Qingxuan grabbed his fishing hook. His tone was calm. “Fortunately there are a lot of houses, more than enough to put them in.”

“They told me there’s urgent news, haven’t you heard?”

“There’s a lot of urgent news in the world, but I often receive it too late.” Ye Qingxuan was unmoved, just as if he did not understand why they had come. “State affairs are very urgent, private affairs are very urgent, and fishing is also pretty urgent. So, I’m not worried. It’s good that you came today, Your Majesty. I caught a big grouper this morning, I can’t eat it all by myself.”

Mary did not reply.

She just silent watched his profile.

“Mr. Ye…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you really, I mean, do you really like fishing?”

“I like a lot of things. Unfortunately, I don’t have any of them now.” Ye Qingxuan could not help but smile as he said this. He bowed his head and lit another cigarette. He shook his head and looked self-deprecating. “I’m just trying to find something to do, something I can do. Something that won’t disappoint others…”

Mary looked at his face and said nothing.

She just bowed her head like she had done something wrong.

A lot had happened since the destruction of the Sacred City.

But for Ye Qingxuan, those things were no longer important. He had returned to Avalon and sat in his fief for several days. After he awoke he would eat a big meal, then drink some wine and smoke. In his boredom, he had taken up fishing.

He’d learned very well.

He’d caught quite a lot.

“Actually, if it wasn’t for Charles, I’d be married now,” Ye Qingxuan said suddenly as he raised that topic without warning. “I wanted to invite him to my wedding, and bring his teacher. Unfortunately, that’s no longer possible.”

Mary’s shoulders trembled slightly.

After a while she looked up, wanting to see Ye Qingxuan’s expression. But he was staring out at the sea. She could not see his eyes or his face.

But his voice was calm, like he was tired and numb.

“Before leaving the Empire of Aurora, Bai Xi cried so much. She asked me to bring Charles back. I wasn’t successful. I didn’t know how to face her. And I don’t know how to face you.”

He finally looked back with a shameful smile. “I’ve let you down, Your Majesty. I’m such an indecisive man. I have no room left in me for benevolence, all that is left is weakness. I’m not worth waiting for, and I’m not worth your favor.”

But Mary did not put on a sad and hurt expression, nor did she turn away crying and leave.

She just looked at him solemnly and seriously, without a trace of wanting to run away.

She watched him with a dignified manner.

“You were the one who saved me, were you not?”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned.

But Mary rose from her seat, walked down the steps and stood upon the sea. She stood between him and the ocean, catching his eye as he tried to avoid her gaze.

Her dress was dampened by the sea.

“I know you were not saving me because I am Mary, but I am nevertheless grateful to you. Whenever someone asks for your help, you respond like a glorious hero. You will not let suffering happen in front of you. If there is still anyone in this world who is worthy to bear the title ‘Hand of God,’ it is you. I have always thought so.”

Mary looked at him and sighed, then said something she had hidden in her heart, “That is what I love about you!”

In the silence, Ye Qingxuan’s jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide.

As she said that, the serious and solemn Queen seemed to disappear, and she became like her former self, maybe even a little bit uneasy. She looked down and gathered up her dress.

“That took all of my courage to say. Thank you for not interrupting me. If I have to say it again, I won’t hesitate. Mr. Ye is different. Mr. Ye can do it. I have firmly believed this from the very beginning.”

Mary avoided his gaze and returned to her seat.

After a while, Ye Qingxuan lowered his head in shame and smiled softly.

“Are the people from the Silence Governance waiting outside?”

“Mhm.” Mary nodded. “It is said they’ve brought a new report about Charles.”

Ye Qingxuan looked down and put out his unfinished cigarette. “Mary, do you also wish me to go kill him?” he whispered.

“If you have to kill him to save the world, then even if you don’t go, it won’t matter to me,” Mary answered. She smiled. “Because you’ve already saved my world.”

“I understand.” Ye Qingxuan got up and stretched his waist that had remained motionless after sitting for so long.

“Thank you, Mary.”

“Mhm.” Mary blushed and lowered her head.

…

After Mary left, Ye Qingxuan picked up his fishing gear and headed back to the shore.

The sheltered harbor where Ye Qingxuan had spent so many idle days collapsed back into the sea with a roar.

“This is for the kitchen.” Ye Qingxuan threw the fish he had caught to his subordinates, put on his robe and turned towards the guesthouse. “Where are they? Bring them to me so I can have a look. After I see them, they can get the h*ll out.”

Ten minutes later, the people from the Silence Governance finally saw Ye Qingxuan.

The primary musician was a new face. The highest people in charge maintained an unusually low attitude when facing Ye Qingxuan these days. Facing this youth who was less than half his age, he maintained a humble attitude.

Soon, Ye Qingxuan saw the news they had brought.

It was… a sleeping old man.

“Gaius?” Ye Qingxuan frowned. “What? You went through all this trouble to see me just to bring me this old man to vent my anger on?”

“This…” the person in charge of the Silence Governance wiped away the sweat on his forehead. “In fact, it doesn’t matter if you kill him. No, I don’t doubt you, but before that, I hope you can take a look at the news we brought. He is one of the last survivors of the Kingdom of God in the Commonwealth of Caucasian. He has a certain value. Before you kill him I’d like you to consider it a little.”

The news that the Silence Governance had brought was not on paper.

It was in Gaius’s brain.

After injecting a large dose of tranquilizer, the alchemy arrays in Gaius’s skull had been dismantled and then transformed into a state that would make it easy for anyone to read his memory.

Ye Qingxuan glanced at the person in charge, then finally pressed his palm against Gaius’s forehead.

Ye Qingxuan was already the leading Heart Musician in the world, and was rumored to not be inferior even to Ye Lanzhou.

It didn’t matter that Gaius’s defenses were down. Even if they had been there, breaking through that kind of lock would be a simple process.

In a flash, his vision went dark.

Numerous memories crashed against him like a tide, but it was hard to get to the main ones as they were chaotic and fragmented. It was like the brain of a madman, only a few incomplete fragments of memories were still decent.

Ye Qingxuan even went all the way back to the early years of the Revolutionary Army and the dirty trade with the nations that had not seen the light of day.

Soon, those unimportant things were swept aside as he headed straight for the main subject.

He went straight for… the memories of Charles after he left the Sacred City.

He came to the Commonwealth of Caucasian, rode the Terminal Dragon, broke through a vast army easily, and in the end, he pushed open the door and came before Gaius.

Ye Qingxuan was not infected by the memory, but stood outside Gaius, overlooking everything.

He saw the young man sitting across the table, just like he was sitting upon a throne, and staring at the old man in front of him.

“Long time no see, sir.”

There seemed to be no fluctuations. Ye Qingxuan did not feel any fear or anxiety. All he could feel from the memory were the compression pain from internal organs and the skull.

Even so, Gaius was calm, warming himself by the stove next to him and lifting the boiling kettle. “Didn’t we just see each other, Charles? Don’t imitate old people by using this kind of unlucky phrase.”

“You’re right.” Charles nodded and smiled in agreement.

“Have you come for revenge?” Gaius took up the hot water and the pills, blew on it, and then decided that there was no need for more medicine. He put them aside and sat up straight in his chair to face his death.

But Charles did not cut off his head. He did not move at all.

Instead, he bowed his head and fell into a deep silence.

He was formulating his next sentence.

“Although I was originally very angry, I thought it through on the way here.” He said this calmly. “Giving the world to someone like me would even make you uneasy, no, Mr. Gaius? If I was still like before, then after spending a bit of time I could make a stable transfer of power. I could conceal my identity after this and not trouble the world again. But after receiving too much responsibility, I’ve become a bomb. If you don’t eliminate me, I will feel that you’ve become too softhearted. Although I’m very angry, after thinking it through, I understand.”

While speaking these lenient words, Charles’s expression was calm. There was no hatred in his eyes, just pity. “After all, people have such limited vision. This isn’t your fault. I was just too arrogant.”

What he said was so forgiving, and his eyes were so merciful.

But even a bystander like Ye Qingxuan felt an indescribable chill. It was like seeing something gradually transform into something unintelligible.

The love and hate of mortals had lost all its meaning for Charles.

“Do you really want to become a god, Charles!?” He looked at the calm face in the memory, and remembered Charles’s face when the Sacred City had ignored him.

So high and mighty, so… sad.

“You came here just to show off your winner’s compassion? Charles.” Gaius lowered his eyes, and for the first time, Ye Qingxuan felt a bit of remorse from his heart. “You want to let me live? Charles, if I live I will do all I can to kill you. I will use the evil things that I have personally created to destroy you, no matter the cost! Even so, you will let me live?”

“Mhm.” Charles nodded and grinned. He slowly got up. “You have guided and cared for me for so long. This time I came back not for revenge, but to pay you back in some meager way.”

He reached out and touched Gaius’s forehead.

“For the future.”

At that moment, the world changed suddenly.

Time passed by at a rate hundreds of times faster than normal.

Gaius was thrown from his original time and rolled around in the turbulent flow of information as countless bits of information ran through his consciousness and then disappeared.

In a flash, he fell out of centuries of history towards the future.