248 Why Is the Dove So Large?

"So it seems that everything’s set?" In the carriage, Bai Xi stared at the silver plate on the ground. The plate reflected the sunlight outside the carriage.

A beam of sun seemed to hover between the carriage and the Musician’s Union in the distance. Finally, it shone onto the plate and scattered into shards of light. The image of the large room appeared within the broken light. It was blurry but extremely bright and everything could be seen on the plate.

An alchemist would probably feel his guts twisting if he saw this. No one would put so much effort in carving a music score onto a dinner plate and flatten aether waves until they were undetectable just to peek into the meeting room.

Hermes had really just grabbed a dinner plate and made this. If one asked him why a plate…that was because he was currently feasting on a chicken leg in his luxurious carriage.

This guy had grown a few inches in the past few days. He had gotten fatter too; his stomach had started showing thanks to the binge eating, causing his clothes to be pulled taut. If this continued for a few months, he would probably turn from an eerily handsome youth to a fat foodie. No one knew what had happened to him.

Hearing Bai Xi’s words, he said without looking up, "Not definite. After all, people can lie, right?"

Bai Xi froze in disbelief. "Would anyone think that Bart’s lying? He’s already fallen to this state."

"It’s not just Bart. Anyone can lie if they have a mouth. Why do you think those ‘grandmasters’ would tell the truth? If they really want to protect Ingmar, you’ll see the best example of lying through one’s teeth." As he spoke, Hermes wiped the oil off his mouth with his sleeves and smirked. "But most people who lie would just be lying. If a grandmaster lies, people would still think they’re speaking the absolute truth. And what’s sad is that most so-called truths come from this."

Bai Xi scoffed. "So those grandmasters are just like scum who work for money?"

"Grandmasters are human, scum are human. What difference is there?" Hermes rebutted. "Who can claim that they’ve never done anything wrong? In the end, committing sins is too easy for a man. Grit your teeth, stamp your feet, harden your heart, and you can do it.

"The first half of the phrase ‘respect elders and care for children’ said that you have to respect people when they age. It’s not just to respect their age but the fact that they’ve done more evil than you. You’re respecting who you’ll become after committing those sins."

"Can you spit out the chicken bones before you talk?" Even though Bai Xi had prayed many times for her cheap teacher to get run over by a carriage, she was still a bit worried seeing how he was stuffing his face. "You’ve been eating non-stop for the past two hours. Are you okay? Did you get dumped?"

"Some things happened. They’re not the best but it’s better than a breakup, so my appetite grew." Hermes used his teeth to open a bottle of champagne. Tilting his head back, he took a large gulp and exhaled in satisfaction. "Life is hard. Eating is one of the few pleasures. Bai Xi, you’ll understand me in the future. Thank you for your concern, but shouldn’t you be more concerned about the appraisal result?"

-

A handful of rice was scattered onto the ground. White doves flapped their wings and descended from the shelf like flurries of white snow to eat. A breeze blew lightly through the flowers and grass refreshingly.

A youth sat on the bench of the Musician Union’s garden and played with the doves. Stumbling footsteps grew closer.

It had only been a few minutes, but Ye Qingxuan could barely recognize Ingmar now. His face was sheet white; his expression was pathetic and haggard, completely different from the original pride.

As if he would melt under the sun, he avoided it and stumbled through the shadows, mumbling to himself. He seemed to be cursing or refuting, or just madly raving. When he saw the youth sitting quietly before him, he stopped abruptly.

This was probably the worst coincidental meeting.

"Ye Qingxuan," he muttered hoarsely.

Ye Qingxuan looked back at him with cold eyes as if observing his pathetic appearance. Ingmar’s features twitched. He instinctively wanted to leave but his dignity forced him to stay. He looked at Ye Qingxuan too—staring at him. Ghost fire seemed to burn in his dull eyes.

But as he looked, he laughed involuntarily. It was an ugly laugh full of complicated self-mockery. "I never thought that I would lose to Abraham, fall into your hands, even after all my efforts."

"If you want to think like that, then do that," Ye Qingxuan said lightly as he looked back. "It’s more embarrassing if you lose to me."

"Don’t be so naïve," Ingmar clenched his teeth and said hoarsely. "The winner hasn’t been decided yet. You think I don’t know about you and that wh*re Lola? What a joke! She can’t decide anything by herself. You think you have a sure victory?"

Ye Qingxuan did not move. He retorted, "Is that not so?"

"…" Ingmar’s face practically turned purple. Face twitching, he said through clenched teeth, "Since you thought you’d definitely win, why did you drag Bart back? Why?"

"It’s simple." Ye Qingxuan scattered a handful of rice. He looked up and smiled under the sun. "You wouldn’t lose horribly enough otherwise. Ingmar, that would be too easy for you."

"Ye Qingxuan!" Ingmar roared. "Don’t push things too far!"

"Yeah, you’re right." The youth nodded and wiped his smile away.

Under the sunlight, he opened his hand. The rice fell and a few doves flew over to eat it. The pure white feathers crisscrossed and scattered the sunlight. The youth’s face was shrouded in a mass of blurry light and shadows.

He looked at the flying birds and muttered to himself, "Sadly, I understand the principles but why are these doves so big?"

-

Sunlight fell onto the long hall, cutting open the darkness and casting jagged shadows. Barthélémy paced soullessly and saw Heisenberg sitting by the corner. Taken aback, he nodded at the man and continued forward. He could not help but pause when he passed by.

Grandmaster Heisenberg looked up and took a cigarette out his pocket. Barthélémy hesitated but accepted it. He breathed in after lighting it and began coughing. He was old now and nothing like before; this fact saddened him.

Holding the cigarette, he sat beside Heisenberg in silence. After a long while, he said quietly, "Anta, I’m starting to have doubts."

"You’re just indecisive," Heisenberg said lightly. "You’re always like that, avoiding problems. That’s why Professor chose me in the end."

"Yeah, you’re decisive and much better than me." Barthélémy sighed sadly and felt his thinning white hair with a bitter expression. "Anta, do you still remember things from before?"

"Before? How could I not?" Speaking of the past, a tinge of nostalgia appeared on Heisenberg’s sinister face. "Back in the day, everyone liked you. I was that annoying guy that couldn’t fit in. I always watched you all from afar and wanted to be like you. I used to envy you back then. But then the inheritance book was lost and they found it in my room. For my punishment, I had to guard the abyss for six months and missed the inheritance ceremony."

Barthélémy smoked and said hoarsely, "I did that. I framed you."

"I know." Heisenberg nodded.

"I regret it."

"I know too," Heisenberg said. "That’s why I never envied you after that."

Barthélémy remained silent. Heisenberg looked back at his ‘old friend,’ at the man who never became involved in disputes after this, and his eyes grew pitiful and complicated. "It’s all in the past, Barthélémy. It has passed," he said. "Thanks to you, I was no longer weak and became who I am."

"It’s my fault." Barthélémy hung his head. "Anta, I don’t want to make mistakes anymore."

"The parliament sent a letter to you too, didn’t they?" Heisenberg saw through his pain. "If you reject them, most of your research funds will be cut off. You won’t be able to continue researching. That’s why you’re in pain—you can’t face yourself."

"What do you think I should do?"

"That’s your problem, not mine." Heisenberg gave him one last glance. "Sometimes you must commit evil to survive in this world. You’re scared of becoming like that but I’m not."

He rose and left. Barthélémy sat in the quiet yard alone.

-

When Ye Qingxuan returned to the hall, there was still no one there. The grandmasters had not returned; the scholars and reporters could not enter before the session reopened. The hall was silent and still.

A servant cautiously took down the Church’s curtain. There was no one behind it. After Archbishop Mephistopheles had proved the translation method’s validity, the Church left—this was their usual style. Believers of God should not be involved with matters of fame and fortune.

But after he had left, Ye Qingxuan suddenly felt a little worried that the parliament would try something.

"That…boy over there, come over." Suddenly, a crisp voice sounded behind the royalty’s curtain. It sounded like a little boy. Taken aback, Ye Qingxuan walked over after a short hesitation.

The steel knight guarding the curtain did not move as if he had not heard anything. Ye Qingxuan was not sliced in half for approaching the royalty either.

"Come closer," the child-like voice urged.