443 Trade

Late at night, the room was a mess as if it hadn't been cleaned up in a long time. Those precious movements and profound music theories that so many people were eager for were scattered around, blown randomly by the night wind from the window, and noticed by nobody.

Ye Qingxuan lay amongst the books with a full ashtray before him. He put out the last cigarette and closed his eyes, but could not fall asleep. He just had no way to fall asleep.

A few days ago, he had not slept because of his concern of Charles. Fortunately, there was the Philosopher's Stone music theory in his body which made his physical condition stronger than normal people. He just needed to have a rest after thirty days of not sleeping, let alone ten days. He would not be at risk of a sudden death like others. However, with Charles safe, he found that he couldn't fall asleep.

These days, he was so bored that he planned to compose. He took so many precious music theories and movements from the Silent Authority that his music theory had been improved by leaps and bounds. But now, it evolved too much…

Once his consciousness was slightly blurred, the body's music theory would lose control. It would operate spontaneously like weeds after the spring rain and horses on the moors. Once out of control, they would run wildly.

It was too strong for him to master himself. It was like hundreds of hands pulling his sanity. He had to suppress that power at every moment.

This was not good. If there was no way for him to grasp this excessive part of music theory, Ye Qingxuan may need to find a few discipline musicians to seal him.

"I've told you earlier that it's not about the music theory. It's your problem." Lola's voice came from the moonlight as if right in his ear. "Ye Qingxuan, you were already a Dreamweaver since you riveted your source and stepped into resonance. But until now, you still have no idea what a real Dreamweaver should do with his power... "

Ye Qingxuan got a sudden headache. He scratched his hair.

"It's no use blaming me." He said, "Blame it on Ye Lanzhou, okay? He was the one who abandoned his wife as well as his conscience. For so many years, nobody knew whether he was dead or alive. He didn't even leave any last words.

"Now, I am the only one left in Ye family. I don't even know where to go to visit that group of wandering ghosts, let alone how to be a Dreamweaver, okay?"

Lola was speechless.

Ye Qingxuan couldn't help sighing, scratching his hair. "Dreamweaver… What a nuisance."

Dreamweaver. This was the unique advancement passed down through the Deva's blood of the Ye family. All family leaders completed it successfully. Since ancient times, many musicians had engraved movements on the body, such as the School of Stone Heart's sub-originator. Taking the Deva's blood for example, there were also many schools that inherited music theories with lineage. But there were few who wanted to take a step closer and tamper with their own consciousness.

Those who dared to do so all went crazy, except the Ye family.

The Ye family forged the aether and music theory into the consciousness, with the dream of the self as the medium, bearing the embryonic form. Body, blood, and consciousness melted into one through the Heaven Ladder transformed from Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, achieving a perfect balance.

Starting at the Resonance level, the grand path to the Scepter level was paved. That was why it was so smooth for him.

Since Ye Qingxuan became a musician apprentice, the embryonic form of the dream began to grow. It drew strength silently from Ye Qingxuan's consciousness and music theory, stepping into resonance together with him. The dream advanced into the Dreamweaver itself. Now it was the time to reap the harvest.

"Unfortunately, you have no dream to dream." Lola sighed. "Your music theory is not supported while the aether has nowhere to return. Of course you will feel distracted."

Ye Qingxuan asked, "Is this common?"

"I have never encountered this before." Lola answered, "Most of the Dreamweavers have planned their aether dreams before they step forward. Only you have never thought about it. Besides, you've lacked desire for the Originator since the beginning. You basically treated the music theory and movements as tools. How can there be a musician like you?"

"Hey, Lola, being a musician had always been my dream." Ye Qingxuan shrugged. "Don't I have enough desire?"

"Wanting is different from enjoying." Lola huffed coldly, "If cooking can satisfy your wish, I think you'd be the best chef of Avalon now. But would you spend a bit of your time trying to be the best chef in the world?"

"..." Ye Qingxuan did not respond.

"That's the problem, Ye Qingxuan." Lola sighed. "The identity of 'musician' is just a job to you. Have you ever made it a lifelong pursuit? I think you'd prefer to follow Abraham as a scholar of ancient history..."

"I just need to have a dream." Ye Qingxuan did not want to admit it. "As long as it is a dream, right?"

Lola asked, "If you can just dream, why can't you fall asleep?"

Ye Qingxuan was speechless. After a long while, he sighed wearily. "How did Ye Lanzhou solve this?"

"I don't know." Lola shook her head. "When I met him, he was already a Dreamweaver. As for what his dream was, I believe you have a deep understanding."

The moon above the sea. With high mountains and flowing water, it was the movement of the Moon.

He had more than a deep understanding. Thinking of this, his eyes brightened. "I've learned Moonlight. Can't I just make a replicate?"

Lola mercilessly shattered his hope. "Moonlight is not the moon." She said, "Light is the application of appearance; the moon is the essence. You are handy with your application but you know nothing about the nature of the moon over the sea.

"You are always like this. You are good at application but lack interest of the core, purely regarding the movement and music theory as tools. If you are a little interested, you won't be in such an awkward situation."

"He taught me." Ye Qingxuan refused to back down. "There is no reason that I can't copy it."

"He just pointed a way to you."

"A way?" Ye Qingxuan smiled. "I don't think there is any..." He suddenly froze.

Dream, the end of the dream...the end of the dream... To the end of the dream!

Ye Qingxuan shot up from the ground and smacked his forehead. "How could I forget?"

Ye Lanzhou had left a clue at the very beginning, but he went in the wrong direction.

The end of the dream...

-

Late at night, Wolf Flute was awakened from his dream by Ye Qingxuan. After a long time, he rubbed his eyes and opened the door. Seeing Ye Qingxuan standing before him with bloodshot eyes, his expression grew sour.

"What's the matter? Yezi, I know you're anxious but you have to let people sleep, right? Not everyone can work twenty-four hours a day like a machine, like you. I just laid down and was about to close my eyes. If it's about work, can we just talk about it tomorrow?"

Ye Qingxuan held his hand and solemnly implored, "Please do me a favor."

Wolf Flute froze. After a while of silence, he took out a flattened pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He picked out a crooked cigarette and lit it. After a few mouthfuls of smoke, he shook his head and finally became more awake.

"What is it?" He sighed. "What did you do this time? Can I, the most useless Scepter musician in history, help you?"

Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "You know I won't ask for your help for this kind of stuff."

Wolf Flute paused. "You want to run with Charles?"

"No."

Wolf Flute looked more and more troubled. "Can I choose not to help you?"

"Wolf Flute, you are my good friend." Ye Qingxuan held his shoulders with sincere eyes. "Good friends should help each other, right?"

Wolf Flute's expression quickly changed. "Why does the word 'friends' sound not so good from your mouth?"

Ye Qingxuan asked directly, "What did Ye Lanzhou do in the Scared City those years? You have been in the Silent Authority for so long. You must know something, right? I'm talking about the Hecatoncheir thing."

"...You know about that?" Wolf Flute was stunned. After a while, he shook his head with wry smile. "Let me change."

Five minutes later, Wolf Flute was dressed appropriately and returned to the door. "Let's go." He smoked and led the way. "Follow me."

-

Two hours later, Ye Qingxuan arrived at the Forbidden Document Preservation Center of the Silent Authority by lift. The big library was still as silent and gloomy as a tomb. However, Ye Qingxuan felt all relaxed. There was not the slightest discomfort. He was practically like fish in water. The royal library was like this anyway. Other than the fact that there was no light, it seemed to be no different. If he had not known he was in a foreign country, he would have asked Gawain out for a chat.

Soon, he saw a wrinkled old dwarf behind the counter.

"Mr. Administrator, we need to check some of files," said Wolf Flute.

"It's you again… Oh, a new face. Is this your friend?" The dwarf glanced at Ye Qingxuan and stretched out his hand. "Do you have permission?"

"No." Wolf Flute shook his head. "This is a private inquiry without any authorization. We do not want anyone to know."

The dwarf smacked his lips as if he had experienced this before. "Then you need to follow the rules. Who's going to pay the price?"

Wolf Flute stepped aside, revealing the blank Ye Qingxuan behind him. "Him."

The dwarf nodded and pulled out an old bronze scale from the counter and laid it on the table. The ancient balance was decorated with gorgeous patterns, seemingly echoing faintly with a distant place, exuding quiet fluctuations.

"I don't care what you want to know or what you want to do," the dwarf said indifferently. "Coming here, you have to follow my rules."

"Exchange. Knowledge is valuable and it can be exchanged with what you know. Write the keywords you want to know on the paper and put it on the left. The scale will determine the weight. If you can provide something of equal value, the trade will be made."

Ye Qingxuan looked at the balance. "What can be used for trading?"

"No only music theory, movement, intelligence, secrets, but also gossip magazines, street gossip. As long as it is knowledge." The dwarf said lightly, "This is one of the entrances to the Nibelungenlied. It leads to the world of the Philosopher. Even the Lighthouse is only part of it. As long as you pay enough, you can even know what color the pope's underpants are."

"Well, I'll see what color the Pope's underpants are."

Ye Qingxuan became excited. Rubbing his hands, he wrote the key words 'Pope's underwear color' on the note despite of Wolf Flute's dissuasion and placed it on the left of the balance.

Thud!