321 Want to Die? It’s Not That Easy!

They restarted the journey. There were no more dangers, and they passed through the red zone safely.

Late at night, a sole lantern illuminated the bottom cellar. Simon, starved for the whole day, wolfed down the dinner Ye Qingxuan had provided, without caring if there was poison in it.

Ye Qingxuan propped up his legs and watched. "Let’s talk. Why did you attack me?"

"You really don’t know anything." Done eating, Simon wiped his mouth. He asked slowly, "Do you have some enemy who doesn’t like you and decided to throw you in here? No, this opportunity is so rare. No one would waste it on you…oof!"

Ye Qingxuan retracted his hand and stopped the pain hint. He said lightly, "I ask and you answer."

"Auschwitz," Simon answered obediently. "The Auschwitz trial."

"What’s that?" Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows. "What does that have to do with you attacking me?"

"Me attacking you? Ha, I won’t be the only one attacking you when you land." Simon shook his head. "Let me start from the beginning. You know the King of Yellow, right?"

Mozart, the King of Yellow, was a genius musician who grew famous ten years ago. He used thirteen years to go from a country bumpkin to one of the most powerful men on Earth. He was a respected musician and was comparable to the best musicians Bach and the Pope. If there really was a template for a protagonist, it would be him. However, he disappeared five years ago. He vanished off the face of the planet. One of the three kings just disappeared without a trace.

A few days ago, someone found a relic in Auschwitz. It contained various precious technologies. According to analysis, it may be the Scepter Tomb of Aeneas, the first king of the Romulusians. This was like Avalon’s Kingdom Come. However, the relic had been occupied by the Romulusian refugees. It was clear that they had regrouped here just for the relic. They received support and aid from the Chainsaw Fraternity and rebuilt their home, fighting off any outsiders.

"It’s a bad coincidence." Simon shrugged. "A few days ago, the Sacred City discovered that the King of Yellow was last seen there before disappearing. Everyone has been sending people there to explore the secret of the King of Yellow’s disappearance and the ancient music of the site, but the Romulusians fought all of them away.

"But with everyone stopping each other, they all kept calm and nothing big erupted. Everything was peaceful and solving the problem was only a matter of time before the Pope’s order."

"Order?" Ye Qingxuan had a bad feeling. "What order?"

"The gist of it is that the King of Yellow is the first of the three kings. This issue pertains to the dignity and safety of humanity. Anyone who can decode the relic and find where the King of Yellow went can receive a reward from the Sacred City—the permanent blessing of Concerto No. 5."

Ye Qingxuan felt as if he was struck by lightning. "Concerto No. 5? Which one?"

"What else can it be?" Simon glanced at him mockingly. "Of course it’s the one known as the emperor concerto." The king of all kings, the emperor of all concertos—the Piano Concerto No. 5! Its strength was above that of the material world but it was carved within aether. Kings ruled in the material world, but the aether world was the musicians’ territory. People blessed by it would have their own land in the aether world! Once they entered the Scepter level, they could combine it with their symphony of predestination and create an unparalleled scepter!

"Do you know what this means?" Simon gritted his teeth. "With that power, you’ll have the chance to become one of the next three kings once you enter the Scepter level! You might even be able to inherit the throne and become the king of all musicians after the current King of Black falls!" Silence. Long, long silence.

Ye Qingxuan turned blankly and stared in Avalon’s direction. After a long time, he jumped from his chair and yelled, "Maxwell, f*ck your entire family! You *sshole, old mother*cker, how much do you hate me to make me do this sh*tty work?! I’ve contributed to Anglo, I’ve bled for Avalon! And you make me go fight with all the musicians in the world for this? Why don’t you just hang me on Traitor’s Gate? F*ck you…" No one replied.

Shocked by Ye Qingxuan’s burst of fury, Simon gaped from his position.

When Ye Qingxuan finally finished ranting, he returned to his chair. He stared at Simon with red eyes and slammed a fist on the table. "And what does this have to do with you attacking me?!"

Seeing Ye Qingxuan’s terrifying eyes, Simon spilled the beans. "In order to avoid conflicts between countries, the Sacred City turned this mission into a trial for the next generation of musicians. Only musicians under the age of thirty and hadn’t received a title from the Sacred City can participate.

"Now, many of the grandmasters have gone to Auschwitz but no one entered. Instead, they camped around the site and let their juniors go and fight for clues. This fight is restricted to young musicians but it’s still intense. Because of this, everyone has the mutual understanding to try and get rid of competition before entering the city."

Here, Simon peered at Ye Qingxuan. "Everyone thought that Anglo’s School of Royalty would be the strongest competition. But no one expected that they would send you instead of the royal musician Gavin…"

"So then I became the top soft persimmon of the world, right?" It dawned on Ye Qingxuan and he snickered. "That *sshole Maxwell must’ve secretly sent out my information, right? Tell me what you’ve heard!"

"You’re the student of ancient scholar Abraham, a Revelations musician and genius in ancient history and interpretation, but you’ve only been studying for half a year. You’re the weakest of all the nominees. Everyone’s been keeping an eye on your tracks ever since you left Avalon."

Here, Simon’s expression grew furiously sad. "My teacher was right. You Angloians never tell the truth! How are you f*cking Revelations? Look at you! Nothing on you, except for the equipment, looks like Revelations! You look more like an Illusion musician than me, and you minored in Mind too. And if that’s not enough, you even majored in Abstinence. You—you—you’re actually the representative from the Silent Authority, aren’t you?!"

Ye Qingxuan could not help but scoff. "You came to kill me but got destroyed by me and you’re still playing victim?"

"I wasn’t planning on killing you, I swear." Simon raised his hand and swore with an innocent expression. "Of everyone, you’re the best at exploration and interpretation. I just wanted to capture you and make you explore for me. I never used any harmful illusions."

"But then you failed, right?" Ye Qingxuan said lightly.

"Anyway, I lost." Simon closed his eyes and tilted his head back, baring his neck. "Life or death, it’s all up to you!" Silence.

He opened his eyes cautiously and looked at Ye Qingxuan. The youth was studying him. Gripping his chin while considering something, Ye Qingxuan suddenly started chuckling creepily.

"You want to die? It’s not that simple." His smile was hair-rising. "Who’ll help me if you’re dead?"

"You—you…what do you want?!" Panicking, Simon tried to retreat but he was cornered.

"Don’t be scared. It’ll just hurt a little bit." Ye Qingxuan activated Governor and pressed Simon to the wall. He pointed at the ceiling. "Relax. It’ll be over by the time you count all the specks up there."

Simon was in despair. "No!"

A chilling scream sounded in the cellar and lasted for thirty minutes. The sailors who overheard all trembled but did not dare to approach. They looked on from afar and whispered amongst themselves.

One hour later, Ye Qingxuan exited. He tidied his collar and slowly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his forehead. It looked as if he was wiping his face after a feast. His smile was indescribably strange under the dim light. The cabin behind him was silent.

-

The young man woke up from his daze. His entire body screamed in pain and his throat was parched.

"I—what happened to me?" He climbed up from the broken lifeboat and rubbed his face, trying to organize his thoughts. "I remember…I was attacked by an illusion? But, I…who am I? Why am I here…"

"Young Master, you’re finally awake." The old man at the stern looked up. His voice sounded like grating metal. There was a giant turban on his head and he looked Indian. There was also a sword in his chest, nailing him to the boat. He was immobile and seemed close to death.

The young man froze. "Who…who are you?"

"Young Master, I’m A’san." The old Indian man looked sad. "I’m your servant A’san. Are you sick again?"

"Sick?" The young man blanched. "What sickness? You’re my servant so do you know who I am?"

"Young Master, your name is Ye Qingxuan!" the Indian yelled with all his might as he grabbed the young man’s hand. "Roll up your sleeves and look."

The young man looked down and did so. He saw tiny words on his wrist: your name is Ye Qingxuan.