Silent Crown

In a dark room in the Caucasus, it was quiet.

All the musicians sat silently in their chairs, and the priest in the cassock seized the remaining time to maintain the alchemy array on the ground.

In the silence, only the sound of Charles yawning could be heard. 𝗳𝗿𝐞ℯ𝙬𝗲𝗯n𝗼νel.𝒄𝑜𝘮

A stream of light flew into Paganini's hand.

He opened his eyes and looked at Charles. "The Redemption Corps has landed in Port Norman and started engaging in battle with the Asgardians. The ones above have sent a letter to ask you to hurry."

"No rush, wait..." Charles glanced in Anglo's direction. "Yezi has yet to take action. I don't believe he has the heart to do nothing... Keep waiting for a bit more."

Paganini smiled bitterly, shook his head resignedly, wrote a reply, and threw the stream of light out.

Silence returned.

...

In the thunder, Shi Dong boarded the Mountain of Nomadism that was done with repair works. He looked up at the flashes of lightning that continued falling from the sky. 𝑓𝗿𝐞𝘦𝘄ｅ𝘣n𝘰𝘷eƖ.c𝘰𝗺

"We can't delay it any longer." He sighed softly. "It's time to go."

"Is it okay?" Watson, who was sending him off, asked, "Setting off without waiting for the order of His Royal Highness, isn't taking unauthorized action already considered treason in the Religious Court of Inquiry?"

"The biggest advantage of living long is that you can flaunt your seniority and act on your own." Shi Dong cackled. "Plus, it's all laid out in the plan, it's just that the timeline has been shifted forward. Shifting it forward has its benefits as well, the longer it drags on, the higher the chance of changes taking place and messing things up. Fortunately, he gave me the stuff in advance." As he said so, he shook the case in his hand. "I'm just running an errand in his place."

Watson did not pursue the argument any further, and simply bid him farewell, "Bon Voyage."

Shi Dong thought for a moment and stopped in his tracks. "I'm afraid I won't be able to come back in time later, I'll leave the overall coordination of the Religious Court of Inquiry to you." He took off the coat of arms badge on his collar and pinned it on Watson, then patted him on the shoulder. "All this while, I have taught you everything I can. You are better than I was."

Watson nodded calmly. "The next generation is always better than the previous generation, it is only right and proper."

"Hahahahaha!" Shi Dong laughed and pointed at Watson's calm face. "You have countless merits, but your arrogance is the only thing I like most." The old man took a final look at him and turned to board the Mountain of Nomadism. Soon, the Mountain of Nomadism disappeared into the deep sea and vanished.

Only Watson was left smoking silently at the quiet harbor.

After a long time, he sighed softly.

"Letting go so casually, the old men nowadays are really bold and carefree..." Watson looked down at the coat of arms badge on his chest and smiled bitterly. "Only when I'm actually sitting in the position that I realize that the pressure is so big."

...

In the core of the Net of Aether, Ye Qingxuan held the Staff of Fate and the Scepter of Messiah, one in each hand, took a deep breath, then hit the two staffs together.

Bang! Like the magnificent music of Huang Zhong and Da Lü [1], a low rumble sounded from the slender staffs. The two staffs trembled with a buzz, and they impacted each other because of the knock. Hot alchemy circuits lit up from their cores.

Unsuppressible shocks were transmitted along the staffs and along the sea of aether, and they even extended into the realm of aether.

At the moment, even the Holy Cauldron responded in resonance.

In the Sacred City, the King of Red abruptly looked back, his brows wrinkled, an inconcealable gloominess and rage in his eyes.

Just in front of Ye Qingxuan, from the Scepter of Messiah, a bright brilliance slowly emerged and rose. In the pure shaking, it was stripped from the movement of Messiah.

It was the holy legacy of Saint Hendel!

In the deepest part of the Net of Aether, sensing the music theory that originated from the same source, the musical movement of Genesis responded with a rumble.

Ye Qingxuan hesitated for a moment, but still did not accept the legacy of Hendel in the end. Instead, he waved and slowly pushed it into the Net of Aether, letting the music theory grow and extend freely, combining as one with the music theory of the Heaven Ladder.

From then onward, Hendel's legacy would become a part of the Net of Aether, just like Haydn's.

As Hendel's legacy was integrated into it, a violent quake also erupted from the Net of Aether, and a change sprouted from its depths. In addition to the music theory of the school of abstinence at its core, the music theory of the schools of modifications and chorale, which were originally its weaknesses also began to increase rapidly.

In the huge crystal polygon, the countless modules forming it rotating rapidly, moving up and down. Propelled by the increasing music theory, they collided with each other and resulted in booms of thunder sounding and lightning erupting.

The spirituality of the movement of Messiah operated within. The movement that symbolized the shepherding of the people in place of God also shepherded the spirituality of various music theory. As the power spewed into the Net of Aether, like the mystery of obtaining spirituality from evolved metals at the moment alchemy was applied, the Net of Aether gained an incorporeal soul.

At the moment, Ye Qingxuan felt the connection between him and the Net pulsing deeply. It was so deft and smooth, with no trace of choppiness and rigidity anymore, just like a loyal and quiet servant listening to Ye Qingxuan's orders, sworn to fulfill all his wants.

Genesis, which opened up the world, and Messiah, which shepherded souls, were combined into one at the moment, and the combination actually produced such an amazing transformation, making Ye Qingxuan unable to suppress his laughter.

With the help of the spirituality, Ye Qingxuan grew much more confident of what he was about to.

He held the two staffs that represented supreme power, closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and once again hit them together.

Bang! A sharp, forlorn whine spread from the two staffs. Unlike the previous attempt which only scratched the surface of the consequences, this time around, under Ye Qingxuan's control, two completely different types of music theory collided together, causing a quake that was almost like mutual destruction.

Outside the crystal polygon, even the domain of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth was torn apart, revealing the grotesque and gaudy rainbow-colored lights in the realm of aether.

Innumerable phantoms emerged from the crack, quietly gazing at Ye Qingxuan's back, as if they had come from the past and the future. Under the guidance of the music theory of the two staffs, the afterimages left by the forebears in the realm of aether came as summoned.

On Ye Qingxuan's left, the Hendels of previous generations were expressionless. On his right, the Grand Inquisitors of each generation of the Religious Court of Inquiry, which represented the righteousness of God, stood solemnly.

The history of the Religious Court of Inquiry and the Silence Governance overlapped here, and all their elements were in Ye Qingxuan's hands.

At the moment, as the two staffs knocked on each other, the cold gaze from the Sacred City looked at Ye Qingxuan, undisguised.

Ye Qingxuan smiled, and the two staffs collided again.

Bang! Innumerable afterimages shook and dissipated, losing the foundation of their existence in the turmoil and collapse of music theory.

"Rebel!"

"Arrogant!"

"Maybe, it's not bad."

"Madness shall lead you to your end!"

"So be it..."

"What for!"

Some of the projections smiled open-mindedly, some wore dark expressions, some glared at Ye Qingxuan, while others looked at him with approval. The overlapping voices constantly sounded and disappeared again.

Ye Qingxuan snickered. In the rumble, he suddenly slammed the two staffs down. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, the ones that should leave, stay no more."

With the final rumble that seemed to tear everything apart, the figures fell apart together with the two staffs.

In the rising fire of music theory, the Scepter of Messiah and the Staff of Fate shattered completely, turning into countless stardust-like shining specks of light. Flames and light danced, triggering various imagery.

The elements were undergoing annihilation in the shattered staffs erupted, and a terrifying power that humans could hardly predict spewed out from them, yet it was again firmly trapped in the flames by the Net of Aether.

"Old men, get up and work!" Ye Qingxuan roared and lifted his right hand. The scepter of the Land of Dreams appeared, he slammed it into the flames.

At the very moment, in Anglo, piercing chimes of bells erupted from all the churches. Countless large clocks shook furiously, responding to Ye Qingxuan's rhythm and playing the hymn.

It started from Westminster Abbey and spread everywhere, to the run-down churches, incomplete confessionals, and quiet convents, regardless of whether they were in a bustling city or a deserted mountain.

All the religious orders in Anglo were mobilized in the call of the bells. The melody of the hymn resounded between the heavens and the earth. The sacred light rose into the sky, gathering towards where Avalon was located and cast itself into the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Finally, it flowed into the core of the Net of Aether and blended into the fiery fire.

In the rumble, the electricity of the music of reform flowed out of the Land of Dreams, and sparks flew out in all directions.

In the flames, the shadow of a blade slowly emerged.

At the moment when the blade vaguely emerged, a piercing sound erupted from the void, and the sound of electric current converged into a cold and solemn hymn, praising the birth of the power unto the world.

Even though both were sacred, it was completely different from the music theory of the Church, and the two were distinct. At the moment of its birth, the two were destined to oppose each other.

At the moment, the hymn being played in countless churches abruptly changed under the reflection of the blade.

Around the altars of the churches, countless musicians piously playing the hymn gazed upon the projection that had crossed thousands of miles and appeared in front of them in shock.

Reflected in the sword's blade, the music theory of the school of choir in their bodies actually started operating on its own. With the help of the Net of Aether, they had been freed from the shackles of the Sacred City in an instant. The transformation was completed, and they entered a whole new domain.

Even though the music theory seemed just as brilliant as before, the essence was completely different.

Just like how the Caucasus parted ways with the Sacred City in the past, from then on, all the sects in Anglo had made a clean break from the Church, detaching themselves from the system under the Sacred City, and they would have no subordination relationship or any form of association with the Church in the future.

At the moment, in Anglo's territory, in all the churches, all the priests, all the clergy, and even Mephistopheles and the bishops, gazed at the gradually growing sword above the altar.

From then on, the entire future of all the clergy of Anglo and even that of the sect that had yet to be born were reliant on the blade.

But as the blade emerged, it was as if the forging process had come to an end here. No matter how Ye Qingxuan continued to irrigate it with music theory, the outline of the incorporeal sword in the flames did not appear.

After a long time, Ye Qingxuan finally realized something.

Laughing self-mockingly, he dismissed his scepter.

"It wants me to personally reach in and take it, no?" He gritted his teeth and put his hand into the flames formed by the turmoil of music theory.

Although it did not have the temperature of fire, the damage capacity of the strong light far surpassed all fire. It was a melting pot that sufficed to forge the power of God, like a forging table that contained the great power that created the world.

At the moment, Ye Qingxuan felt his music theory continue to flow out nonstop, as if it had been turned into resources that were being swallowed by an invisible existence.

Ye Qingxuan's expression was unchanged, and he opened up the access to all the music theory in his body, letting them sweep out like a flood, irrigating the mighty fire.

In the end, except for the incorporeal scepter far away in the future, all of Ye Qingxuan's power was swallowed up by the unborn creation.

From a scepter musician, Ye Qingxuan had fallen back to the level of the ordinary person.

After abandoning everything that he had, he would usher in the final result!

As Ye Qingxuan made the sacrifice, a rumble erupted.

At the moment, the outline of the incorporeal sword emerged from the fierce light, and it was firmly gripped by Ye Qingxuan.

As if he was holding an iron block that had been burned red, he felt a burning pain coming from his palm, which was falling apart. It spread in his mind and the non-existent soul, making him feel as if he was in purgatory.

"Ask, and it shall be given to you!" He suddenly opened his eyes, gazing at the light in front of him, the crack that led to the Originator, and proclaimed the essence of its existence to the whole world. "May the existence of righteousness be witnessed with the sword, and gospel be played for the human world!

At the moment, everything rumbled.

It was as if the spirit of God was moving upon the face of the deep, opening up the darkness and creating the heavens and the earth!

Mephistopheles heard the sounds of countless wings spreading open and turned back in surprise, only to see the wind blowing madly from the window, blowing the Holy Bible on the table apart.

No more words were on the pages flying everywhere in the sky!

Only a faint glow emerged, as if the heavens had heard human language!

At the moment, endless light erupted from the melting pot, engulfing Ye Qingxuan, and the sonorous clanking of blades sounded in the ears of all sentient beings. Then, long, mighty bell chimes rang out, dispelling the thunder and the darkness of the night.

The projection of a scorching sun operated above the skies, shining through all the darkness and filth, spilling brilliance everywhere.

The light descended from the sky, dispelling the bolts of thunder falling towards Avalon. It illuminated Ye Qingxuan's figure and the long sword in his hand that seemed as if it intended to tear the human world apart!

The long sword that was simple that it didn't even have any decorations on it was held in hand by Ye Qingxuan, and countless hymns praising it sounded from all directions.

The brilliance of the power of God whipped the physical world, tearing open a gap leading to the realm of aether.

The boiling torrents of aether flanked the blade, reflecting the brand new bible condensed of elements on top of the ridge of the sword. Like running water, innumerable verses flowed past the ridge of the sword.

"Thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

"They shall perish, but thou shalt endure.

"Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. For justice shall not be forgotten, and the gospel shall last forever!"

Such was the artifact reborn from the power of Fate and Messiah, after consuming all of Ye Qingxuan's music theory as a sacrifice, the sword that could judge everything according to God's will.

Its name was: the New Testament!

In the silence that had befallen the whole world, Ye Qingxuan laughed loudly.

He clenched the hilt and lifted the sword, his voice resounding in all directions. "I hereby declare with this sword that Protestantism is established today. From now on, justice is with me!" Along with his declaration, an earth-shaking revolution was stirred up in the realm of aether. In the turbulent world where rainbow-colored lights shone bright, the incorporeal scepter slowly emerged from the darkness.

After having gathered the power of the Net of Aether and the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the New Testament resonated with Catinat, emitting a bright ray of light that crossed tens of thousands of miles. The light supported the incorporeal scepter and moved upward, occupying the topmost position in the realm of aether, separating the Holy Cauldron and Eden!

The Land of Dreams traveled against the tides and arrived from the distant future, hereby declaring to the world that a new era was coming!

[1] The Chinese proverb Huang Zhong Da Lü is used to refer to magnificent and grand music. Both Huang Zhong and Da Lü are notes in ancient Chinese music.