Twenty minutes later.
A hidden underground prison was as lively and bustling as a bazaar.
In the spreading chaos, demons invaded the city, guards abandoned their posts, and criminals were joyfully rising in rebellion.
With torches held high, the prisoners lit their clothes and sheets, sawed through the bars of their cages, broke their shackles, and set off a carnival in the prison.
And on the high stage where dozens of desks were set up in the center of countless noise and screaming, someone was preaching passionately.
"Fellows!" the person shouted with an old voice. "We meet here today, working together to fight against Ludovic's oppression! We have paid such a great price and made such a great sacrifice! We need to remember this moment of victory!"
"Victory! Victory!" the reveling prisoners shouted back. "The moment of victory!"
"So, is it for money, glory, or rights?"
On those dozens of tables, an abnormal old man in a tattered, dirty dress clenched his fists, screaming angrily, "No, it's the most precious thing for one's life. It's freedom!"
The prisoners, indulging themselves in stimulants, alcohol, and banned drugs, screamed with ecstasy, "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"
"Let us fight! Let us wave the flag of freedom! Let us move toward a new era!" the old man shouted. "F**k the pope!"
Crazy prisoners shrieked and shouted back again, "F**k the pope! F**k the pope! F**k the pope!"
"Very good!" The old man nodded with satisfaction. "Come on, bring Ludovic's lackey!"
Soon, the prison governor was brought up and tied tightly on a tattered cross. The space around the cross was cluttered with broken wood and doused with fuels as well as liquor with a pungent smell brought by someone from unknown places.
The governor looked utterly pale.
"I beg your mercy! I beg your mercy!" he screamed. "I'm innocent!"
"Nonsense! Do you think you can fool me!"
The abnormal old man in a dress jumped down and pointed at his nose. "I can see through your little lies even with my nose!"
"What I said is true!" The governor cried without tears. "It was the order of the stupid bishop! He had just run! I'm just a poor man! Please, I haven't done anything harmful to you! Please, it's all that stupid bishop's fault!"
The old man picked up two bottles of liquor and poured them on him, leaving a bit to drink. He got sleepy eyes from the drink and asked in a skeptical tone, "Really?"
"Yes! Yes!" The governor nodded as fast as he could.
"Then, you answer a question!" The old man raised his voice, pointed to his nose, and said, "If you dare to tell lies, you must pay for your lies today!"
He paused and asked in a holy and solemn tone, "Do I look good in dresses?"
"..."
In a flash, all the noises disappeared.
Dead silence.
What is he talking about?
The prisoners and the governor tied on the cross looked at the old man with confused expressions. But the governor didn't dare to answer, because the old man still held a newly-lit match in his hand.
"Say it! Yes or no?"
The old man moved the match closer and said, "If you lie to me, I'll fire you up!"
The governor cried out in tears, broke down completely, and was about to speak.
At that moment, a roar rang.
It was just like a thunderbolt dropped by an outrageous god from the ninth heaven to kill the goddamn desecrater. With the roar continuing, the earth and mountains quaked so hard that no one could stand steadily.
In the loudest bang, the ceiling suddenly broke. A roaring, heavy shadow passed through the layers of the barrier and fell to the ground of the bottom floor.
Boom!
Dust and broken stones flew in the air.
Everyone plopped down on the floor.
An extremely heavy thing descended from heaven, smashed every layer of the ceiling, and even fell to the bottom floor!
The prison governor, tied to the cross, was almost caught under the falling thing and smashed into a patty. He was pale and almost fainted after his narrow escape.
Soon, the scraping noise of steel and iron sounded.
A burly figure emerged from the smoke and no one could breathe.
Knights Templar!
It was the Knights Templar!
The huge gospel armor was a terrible deterrent, making everyone afraid to speak and awakening them from ecstasy with frightened eyes.
The Templar looked around, nodded, and waved to the ceiling after having confirmed that there were no threats. Soon, a rope condensed from aether stretched down.
A white-haired young man in a robe slid down the rope and landed on the Templar's shoulder. He looked around and frowned.
"Who's Albert, the archbishop?"
"..."
"Who's Albert, the archbishop?" he asked again. Obviously, he didn't wait for an answer this time. Instead, he popped up several perception threads of moonlight to find memories directly from their brains.
In the end, his sight fell on the old man in a dress.
"Mr. Albert?" he asked.
Albert seemed to still be partially drunk. He stared at the newcomer in confusion. "You're looking for me? Did you come here to join us?"
"...Are there any normal people at the top of the Church?" The young man pursed his lips and sighed. "You are so fortunate to have such a good subordinate. Follow me, Mr. Albert, your Central Temple is waiting for you."
"Really?"
Albert froze for a moment and jumped up excitedly to take Ye Qingxuan's shoulder. "You should have said so earlier! I thought you were sent by Ludovic, that little bitch, to kill me!"
He continued, "Oops! You look so familiar, my little brother. I think I've met you somewhere. What a pity! You look like the unlucky guy that killed the Pope, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, no one cares who you are in such chaos. By the way, when shall we leave here?"
"Right away."
"Well, please wait for me."
Albert waved his hand and said, "I still have something to do here."
Then he took a match out of his pocket, lit it, and shook it very seriously in front of the governor. "You haven't answered me yet! Say! Do I look good in dresses?"
The governor had completely broken down, and nodded while crying. "Yes! Yes! You look great in your dress!"
Then, Albert's smile disappeared.
Became cold and indifferent.
Like an iron stone.
"Stupid."
He released his finger and let the match slip down.
"You look good in women's clothes."
Ignoring the governor who was screaming in the fire, he turned around and pulled the rope. All the prisoners looked at Albert in admiration as he was raised up through the rolling of the pulleys and left under the protection of the Knights Templar.
After a very long time, only one person reacted, and pointing in surprise to the hole through which faint light fell down:
"Our boss is ascending to heaven!"
"Ascend! Ascension! Ascend!"
In the cheers of a number of "Freedom Fighters," something tattered and dirty fluttered down from the crack and danced in mid-air, like a butterfly flying into the flames.
Burned into the crazy ashes.
"The f**king world changed so fast."
Archbishop Albert, in a prison uniform, sat in his former position with undried blood under his feet. Several loyal subordinates were rubbing his shoulders and legs, and serving him in every possible way.
Rubens struck a match and then lit a cigar in the corner of Albert's mouth. The cigar was found on Rembrandt's dead body, and it had a sweet taste.
Then, his face was hidden behind the thick smoke.
"Within just a few days, the host died in the hands of his loyal subordinates, and the Pope was stabbed to death during the New Year's sermon.
"Without the Pope, the Archbishop of the Church was as useless as a dog and put into prison by the new superior, wearing women's dresses and pretending to be insane for the purpose of self-protection.
"Before I got drunk, people were singing and dancing in the Sacred City, expecting the coming of a new era.
"But I just took a nap, and the Sacred City became such a wasteland that it seems to have been ravaged dozens of times.
"It's so miserable."
"Now, the suspect who killed the Pope has rescued me from dilemma and has entrusted me with the important institutions of the Sacred City. And this guy, within just half a month, jumped from the official musician to the master level..."
He stared at Ye Qingxuan and puffed out smoke.
"Doesn't this world need reasons and common sense?"
"What I realized in the past two weeks would probably be this: the world has its own logic and principles, and those who cannot come up with it will be crushed and thrown into dust."
Ye Qingxuan answered lightly, "So, after going through those things, I decide to go ahead of the world."
After a long moment's silence, Albert took the cigar from his mouth and threw it into the totally dried blood pool on the ground. He sighed slightly. "Tell me what you want, young man. At this time, both you and I are unable to change the reality. The changes of the big era can't be converted by small potatoes like you and me, but we can at least decide where it converts to.
"Are you ready to give the Sacred City to the Hyakume in exchange for meritorious deeds, or to make vigorous efforts to turn the situation and be a hero for several minutes? Tell me your choice!"
"Neither." Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "What the world will turn into should be considered by big men. I just want to find someone in the Sacred City."
"Find someone?" Albert was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. Maybe he laughed at himself, maybe at Ye Qingxuan. "You just...want to find someone through enchantment?"
He shook his head blankly. "I'm sorry, young man. As you see, the great enchantment of the Sacred City is badly damaged. All the basic functions can't be carried out, and the balance among the four layers of all its matrices is thrown into disorder. Even if I give you the highest authority right now, what you would have access to is only an empty shell.
"My whole life's hard work now become an empty shell! Those f**king bastards..."
Ye Qingxuan looked at his depressed face and shook his head. "It's broken, but it can be repaired."
Twenty minutes later.
A hidden underground prison was as lively and bustling as a bazaar.
In the spreading chaos, demons invaded the city, guards abandoned their posts, and criminals were joyfully rising in rebellion.
With torches held high, the prisoners lit their clothes and sheets, sawed through the bars of their cages, broke their shackles, and set off a carnival in the prison.
And on the high stage where dozens of desks were set up in the center of countless noise and screaming, someone was preaching passionately.
"Fellows!" the person shouted with an old voice. "We meet here today, working together to fight against Ludovic's oppression! We have paid such a great price and made such a great sacrifice! We need to remember this moment of victory!"
"Victory! Victory!" the reveling prisoners shouted back. "The moment of victory!"
"So, is it for money, glory, or rights?"
On those dozens of tables, an abnormal old man in a tattered, dirty dress clenched his fists, screaming angrily, "No, it's the most precious thing for one's life. It's freedom!"
The prisoners, indulging themselves in stimulants, alcohol, and banned drugs, screamed with ecstasy, "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"
"Let us fight! Let us wave the flag of freedom! Let us move toward a new era!" the old man shouted. "F**k the pope!"
Crazy prisoners shrieked and shouted back again, "F**k the pope! F**k the pope! F**k the pope!"
"Very good!" The old man nodded with satisfaction. "Come on, bring Ludovic's lackey!"
Soon, the prison governor was brought up and tied tightly on a tattered cross. The space around the cross was cluttered with broken wood and doused with fuels as well as liquor with a pungent smell brought by someone from unknown places.
The governor looked utterly pale.
"I beg your mercy! I beg your mercy!" he screamed. "I'm innocent!"
"Nonsense! Do you think you can fool me!"
The abnormal old man in a dress jumped down and pointed at his nose. "I can see through your little lies even with my nose!"
"What I said is true!" The governor cried without tears. "It was the order of the stupid bishop! He had just run! I'm just a poor man! Please, I haven't done anything harmful to you! Please, it's all that stupid bishop's fault!"
The old man picked up two bottles of liquor and poured them on him, leaving a bit to drink. He got sleepy eyes from the drink and asked in a skeptical tone, "Really?"
"Yes! Yes!" The governor nodded as fast as he could.
"Then, you answer a question!" The old man raised his voice, pointed to his nose, and said, "If you dare to tell lies, you must pay for your lies today!"
He paused and asked in a holy and solemn tone, "Do I look good in dresses?"
"..."
In a flash, all the noises disappeared.
Dead silence.
What is he talking about?
The prisoners and the governor tied on the cross looked at the old man with confused expressions. But the governor didn't dare to answer, because the old man still held a newly-lit match in his hand.
"Say it! Yes or no?"
The old man moved the match closer and said, "If you lie to me, I'll fire you up!"
The governor cried out in tears, broke down completely, and was about to speak.
At that moment, a roar rang.
It was just like a thunderbolt dropped by an outrageous god from the ninth heaven to kill the goddamn desecrater. With the roar continuing, the earth and mountains quaked so hard that no one could stand steadily.
In the loudest bang, the ceiling suddenly broke. A roaring, heavy shadow passed through the layers of the barrier and fell to the ground of the bottom floor.
Boom!
Dust and broken stones flew in the air.
Everyone plopped down on the floor.
An extremely heavy thing descended from heaven, smashed every layer of the ceiling, and even fell to the bottom floor!
The prison governor, tied to the cross, was almost caught under the falling thing and smashed into a patty. He was pale and almost fainted after his narrow escape.
Soon, the scraping noise of steel and iron sounded.
A burly figure emerged from the smoke and no one could breathe.
Knights Templar!
It was the Knights Templar!
The huge gospel armor was a terrible deterrent, making everyone afraid to speak and awakening them from ecstasy with frightened eyes.
The Templar looked around, nodded, and waved to the ceiling after having confirmed that there were no threats. Soon, a rope condensed from aether stretched down.
A white-haired young man in a robe slid down the rope and landed on the Templar's shoulder. He looked around and frowned.
"Who's Albert, the archbishop?"
"..."
"Who's Albert, the archbishop?" he asked again. Obviously, he didn't wait for an answer this time. Instead, he popped up several perception threads of moonlight to find memories directly from their brains.
In the end, his sight fell on the old man in a dress.
"Mr. Albert?" he asked.
Albert seemed to still be partially drunk. He stared at the newcomer in confusion. "You're looking for me? Did you come here to join us?"
"...Are there any normal people at the top of the Church?" The young man pursed his lips and sighed. "You are so fortunate to have such a good subordinate. Follow me, Mr. Albert, your Central Temple is waiting for you."
"Really?"
Albert froze for a moment and jumped up excitedly to take Ye Qingxuan's shoulder. "You should have said so earlier! I thought you were sent by Ludovic, that little bitch, to kill me!"
He continued, "Oops! You look so familiar, my little brother. I think I've met you somewhere. What a pity! You look like the unlucky guy that killed the Pope, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, no one cares who you are in such chaos. By the way, when shall we leave here?"
"Right away."
"Well, please wait for me."
Albert waved his hand and said, "I still have something to do here."
Then he took a match out of his pocket, lit it, and shook it very seriously in front of the governor. "You haven't answered me yet! Say! Do I look good in dresses?"
The governor had completely broken down, and nodded while crying. "Yes! Yes! You look great in your dress!"
Then, Albert's smile disappeared.
Became cold and indifferent.
Like an iron stone.
"Stupid."
He released his finger and let the match slip down.
"You look good in women's clothes."
Ignoring the governor who was screaming in the fire, he turned around and pulled the rope. All the prisoners looked at Albert in admiration as he was raised up through the rolling of the pulleys and left under the protection of the Knights Templar.
After a very long time, only one person reacted, and pointing in surprise to the hole through which faint light fell down:
"Our boss is ascending to heaven!"
"Ascend! Ascension! Ascend!"
In the cheers of a number of "Freedom Fighters," something tattered and dirty fluttered down from the crack and danced in mid-air, like a butterfly flying into the flames.
Burned into the crazy ashes.
"The f**king world changed so fast."
Archbishop Albert, in a prison uniform, sat in his former position with undried blood under his feet. Several loyal subordinates were rubbing his shoulders and legs, and serving him in every possible way.
Rubens struck a match and then lit a cigar in the corner of Albert's mouth. The cigar was found on Rembrandt's dead body, and it had a sweet taste.
Then, his face was hidden behind the thick smoke.
"Within just a few days, the host died in the hands of his loyal subordinates, and the Pope was stabbed to death during the New Year's sermon.
"Without the Pope, the Archbishop of the Church was as useless as a dog and put into prison by the new superior, wearing women's dresses and pretending to be insane for the purpose of self-protection.
"Before I got drunk, people were singing and dancing in the Sacred City, expecting the coming of a new era.
"But I just took a nap, and the Sacred City became such a wasteland that it seems to have been ravaged dozens of times.
"It's so miserable."
"Now, the suspect who killed the Pope has rescued me from dilemma and has entrusted me with the important institutions of the Sacred City. And this guy, within just half a month, jumped from the official musician to the master level..."
He stared at Ye Qingxuan and puffed out smoke.
"Doesn't this world need reasons and common sense?"
"What I realized in the past two weeks would probably be this: the world has its own logic and principles, and those who cannot come up with it will be crushed and thrown into dust."
Ye Qingxuan answered lightly, "So, after going through those things, I decide to go ahead of the world."
After a long moment's silence, Albert took the cigar from his mouth and threw it into the totally dried blood pool on the ground. He sighed slightly. "Tell me what you want, young man. At this time, both you and I are unable to change the reality. The changes of the big era can't be converted by small potatoes like you and me, but we can at least decide where it converts to.
"Are you ready to give the Sacred City to the Hyakume in exchange for meritorious deeds, or to make vigorous efforts to turn the situation and be a hero for several minutes? Tell me your choice!"
"Neither." Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "What the world will turn into should be considered by big men. I just want to find someone in the Sacred City."
"Find someone?" Albert was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. Maybe he laughed at himself, maybe at Ye Qingxuan. "You just...want to find someone through enchantment?"
He shook his head blankly. "I'm sorry, young man. As you see, the great enchantment of the Sacred City is badly damaged. All the basic functions can't be carried out, and the balance among the four layers of all its matrices is thrown into disorder. Even if I give you the highest authority right now, what you would have access to is only an empty shell.
"My whole life's hard work now become an empty shell! Those f**king bastards..."
Ye Qingxuan looked at his depressed face and shook his head. "It's broken, but it can be repaired."
