142 Danger in the Rainy Nigh

Late at night, clouds covered the sky and faint thunder rumbled. After the stars and moons had vanished, the only light in the entire city came from the dim streetlamps. The morning drizzle had intensified rather than disappearing. Layers of thick clouds hung over the city. Rain poured into every corner.

Under a streetlamp in downtown was a figure seated on a bench. Clad in a raincoat, he was as still as stone. Droplets of rain rolled down his body into the puddle with soft pitter-patters.

He seemed to melt into the shadows. As the sheets of rain fell, he became more and more unnoticeable. Only the puffs of white air from under his hood showed that he was still breathing.

After who knows how long, Bai Xi arrived with an umbrella. She tossed a bulging parcel onto his lap. "Here’s what you wanted. I searched through a bunch of shops before I could find it all."

Ye Qingxuan reached into the leather parcel and scooped out a handful. Feeling the crude sand-like objects, he nodded in satisfaction. Then he rinsed his hands in the rain. Drops of silver light fell from his fingertips, joining the water flowing into the sewer.

"How much longer are you going to wait for?" Bai Xi felt annoyed.

"Until midnight. It’ll be exactly twelve hours," Ye Qingxuan said lightly. "The Professor’s breath extracted from the corpse can only be kept for that long. It will be ineffective after that, and the Professor will disappear back into the darkness. The parliament won’t be able to find him ever again. If the parliament can bear it, we’ll wait a little longer too."

"There’s still more than one hour."

"It’s just an hour," Ye Qingxuan replied. Then his shoulder trembled under the raincoat. "He’s here."

He heard the distant sound of a carriage. In the deep night, an unmarked carriage rushed out from a mansion, galloping down the street.

"Don’t look up. Stare at your feet. Revelations musicians are really sensitive. Don’t even think about them." Ye Qingxuan looked down at the puddle beneath him. In the water, he could vaguely see the reflection of a black carriage getting closer. The wheels rolled rolled quickly through the puddles, creating splashes as it galloped away.

The moment it swept past him, a blurry thread soundlessly shot through the heavy rain and stuck onto the carriage. The faint melody and thin rippling of aether were covered by the rainwater and condensation. No one could sense it.

Watching as the carriage went off into the distance, Ye Qingxuan rose and reached out to Bai Xi. "Let’s go."

-

On the carriage, Claude suddenly felt unsettled for some reason. He sat elegantly in his carriage. The soundproof walls blocked out the sounds of the rain. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.

A starry sky appeared in his mind. The stars shifted as if reflecting fate. He felt unsettled as he communicated with the aether, but he could not lay a finger on why.

He subconsciously caressed the bone flute in his hands. It was heavy like gold and iron, looked like bone, but felt sturdy like steel. The coldness spread through his hands and the slight ripple in his heart calmed. All was still. He had entered a state of serenity. He was extremely peaceful, but he could burst out with all his strength at any time. His slightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"How enviable. This is the Silver Virgo from the twelve zodiacs. It is a famous weapon created from the blueprint left behind by legendary divine artisan. It’s the most suitable for musicians of the School of Revelations. With the Silver Virgo in your hand, you’ll be at the most perfect state for battle at any time. It can remove any disturbances on your mind. There is neither fear nor panic…With it, your ability will increase at least tenfold, would it not, Mr. Claude?"

At the light voice, Claude furrowed his brows slightly and opened his eyes. Before him was the hovering apparition of the robin.

"Revelations musicians are naturally unsuitable for battle. As per our agreement, I’ve helped you trace the Professor. But why do I have to join the mission?" Claude huffed angrily. "Can you not find anyone for the dirty work?"

"This is about the Professor. We must be careful. He has always been mysterious and if we slip up in the slightest, he will escape again. Then it will be even harder to find him," the robin replied smoothly. "You are the best choice. The Professor is skilled in the Schools of Illusions and Mind, but your Starry Eyes can see through all illusions and influences. He is nothing to fear."

"But we’ve agreed that I am only responsible for aid and observation. I will not approach the site at all. If it fails, I’m leaving. Don’t think that I’ll continue slaving for you."

"Of course. Musicians are very precious and cannot be compared to assassins. You are even a Royal Musician with a great future." The robin gazed at the flute and said, "But the Silver Virgo is an invaluably precious instrument. The blueprint and material are all quite expensive. We’ve put in much and you must prove that it was worth the cost."

"I will." Claude nodded and closed his eyes again. He needed to ensure the most perfect conditions before it all began.

The robin nodded as well and the apparition dissipated.

--

Five minutes later, the carriage stopped. The door opened and a thin figure arrived with an umbrella. It was an old woman clad in a black robe that covered her body, but her beautiful curves still caught one’s eye.

"Mr. Claude? We’ve been expecting you." She led Claude into an empty room. The only light source was the flame inside an oil bucket.

A sharp and burly figure beside the fire caught Claude’s eye. He gazed at the scriptures tattooed on the old man’s face and the ring on his finger. There was a skull on the band and it seemed crude and worn.

"The Chainsaw Fraternity?" he murmured.

The old man looked up at him, nodded, and pointed at his neck. There was a ring of rust around his neck. It seemed as if something had been implanted into his body, restricting him from speaking.

Claude thought of something and his eyes flashed. He looked away from the throat and subconsciously moved away.

He looked at the pale-faced woman beside him. "There’s only two of you?"

"And I." A hoarse voice sounded from the corner, causing Claude to stiffen. As an experienced Revelations musician, there were not many who could pass under his radar. He had even broken past the Barrier of Knowledge and resonated with the world, receiving the power that could see through anything—the Starry Eyes! And yet he did not sense that there was another person in this cramped room.

The man sitting cross-legged in the shadowy corner cracked a smile. There was no warmth in the menacing smile. Like a snake, his mouth opened from ear to ear, and two thin tongues peeked out. "You smell good," the man murmured to himself.

The beastly eyes stared at Claude, forcing him to gasp subconsciously. A dark musician! Only a dark musician would betray the musician’s vow and sell himself to the devil for power and forbidden knowledge, turning his body into a demon.

"You are…Blue Teeth?" Recognizing the man, cold sweat beaded on the back of Claude’s neck.

Blue Teeth, Yellow Foot, and Red Eye were three dark musician brothers who had entered the wanted list ten years ago. They were known for the missing person’s case of De’a City.

Half a year after they left the city, the tax official found countless bones in the basement. Apparently, forensics was able to put together more than seventy skeletons, but the amount people that had gone missing was many times that number. The three brothers had used civilians for their mutation experiments. After finishing the last one, they were accepted by Satan.

Claude had never expected Blue Teeth to have the guts to enter Avalon. He sucked in a cold breath. "The Musician Union watches over the entire city at all times. Are you not afraid of being captured?"

"No." Blue Teeth shook his head. "Isn’t there another shameless fellow around nowadays, stealing everyone’s attention? Since the robin said that you’re safe, I’ll need you to cover for me later."

Claude’s hand trembled and he managed to look away.

Under the Starry Eyes, the man was entangled in strings of blood and hate. If not for something that had blocked the enchantment’s sensors, he would have set off the alarm as soon as he neared Avalon’s borders.

Claude finally knew why the robin had forced him to be here…it was so he could cover up for this d*mned dark musician! Otherwise, the entire military would be alerted!

"It’s getting late. We must finish before midnight; otherwise it will be difficult to escape." The pale woman looked at Claude.

Claude forced himself to ignore the eyeball in Blue Teeth’s mouth and grasped the Silver Virgo, calming his mind. Following the whistling melody of the flute, the aether changed, connecting the souls of those present.

He played a soundless melody and his body trembled. His pallor changed from dark to red, finally turning ghastly white as if he had lost blood, but his eyes brightened, reflecting the brilliant stars in the sky. Instantaneous casting of his sound of heart!

His sound of heart, Starry Eyes, had been awoken. Physical boundaries were nothing but thin paper before those eyes. Only walls could blur his vision. All color disappeared, casting him into a world of black and white. What replaced the color was the radiance of the aether.

Using the connections between their souls, he shared this strange vision with the other three. Blue Teeth whistled, yearning flashing through his eyes. The Eyes of Aether of the School of Revelations was so convenient. Would it still work if he took those eyes?

"The Professor is hiding in the Rodrigo Church in this area." Claude waved his hands and the aether formed a reflection of the streets. The image zoomed in, focusing on the church. As the silver light changed, one could faintly see the layers of enchantment alarms. Even if he was in his hiding place, the Professor still did not let down his guard.

"I can help you block out Avalon’s enchantment, but there is only half an hour. At midnight, the enchantment will begin scanning the streets again. If you are caught at that time, I will not be able to help." Claude stated.

"With the help of the Eyes of Aether, most alarms won’t be of any threat" he said to Blue Teeth. You can enter easily. I can decipher the Professor’s illusions and mind tricks too. You just have to do the physical work."

The pale woman nodded and walked into the rain with the old man, disappearing into the darkness.

Blue Teeth’s figure writhed and disappeared in a gust of vile wind.

Claude sat in the empty room, focusing on blocking the enchantment’s scans. Everything was going as planned but for some reason, he grew more and more unsettled.

--

A figure stood quietly on a roof in the torrential rain, gazing at the people approaching the church.

Occasional lightning snaked through the clouds, bringing with it blinding white light. The flash of light illuminated his dark eyes.

The Vengeful Spirit—Sherlock Holmes.