Silent Crown

The short span of half an hour was not enough for Anglo to be properly prepared.

Soon, after an hour, the whole world already knew that the Ultimate that was hidden in the chasm of the realm of aether in the past, drifting detached around the Physical World, had reappeared!

It was a signal of danger.

Throughout history, the Ultimate had officially appeared for three times in total.

On its first appearance, it brought with it the Holy Cauldron. On its second appearance, it established the quiet moon. And what would it bring to the world on the third appearance?

Moreover, it had appeared directly in the form of the remains of a catastrophe and a secret wonderland.

If the Ultimate was in a state of silence, it would be a deathtrap that everyone would avoid like the plague.

But at the moment, the situation was utterly different!

Everyone knew the value of a brand new secret wonderland, as well as that of the remains of a catastrophe, not to mention an overlap between the two…

It was like a treasure vault that had opened its doors, with everything inside up for grabs!

It possessed a terrifying attraction across many aspects, be it the various secret treasures and precious materials that had been cultivated in it for a long time, its own vast power, or even natural elements.

It was unlikely for any musician to be able to reject its temptation.

Soon, the countries discovered something that would cause them even more pain in the ass… Originally, according to usual practice, the country which the site of remains was located in had precedence in terms of investigation and excavation.

However, after repeated calculations, it was discovered that the physical body of the Ultimate had appeared in international waters and even involved dozens of key waterways.

To the north of the narrow sea region was Asgard, to the south, Burgundy, and to the west, Anglo. Six other countries were located to its east, and it wasn’t even far away from the location of the Cloud Tower…

In other words, in the blink of an eye, the international waters that no one had any interest in originally had instantly become a strategic point and hub involving the maritime strategies of various countries.

The strange sea region that was calm and tranquil had become an absolute ‘whirlpool’, pulling most of the western countries into it in just an instant, and even Aurora in the East couldn’t sit by idly.

If a country lost access to the Ultimate and allowed other countries to occupy the site, in the next 30 years at least, other countries would have it over a barrel across many aspects, be it trade, strategy, or even territorial sovereignty…

The complicated and strange relationship, which resembled hot oil, between the various countries, had completely intensified and boiled after the Ultimate’s appearance poured a pot of cold water into it.

Within the first hour the Ultimate’s appearance, the countries had entered a state of emergency.

Within the second hour, senior officials and relevant departments in the various countries had entered their respective meetings. Within the sixth hour of its appearance, the meetings had yet to end, but in all the meetings, no matter which one, the participants had come to only one consensus.

— The Ultimate must be firmly grasped in their hands!

The goal was to be achieved at all costs if need be.

In the fourth hour, Mary, the Queen Regnant of Anglo, ordered that the rank of admiral be temporarily granted to the Sylvaine, who was originally one of the leaders of the Navy, and that the First Fleet of the Royal Navy depart from the harbor and rush to the Ultimate at full speed.

At the same time, in Asgard, the Stronghold on Sea which was originally berthed at the national border to deter the Caucasus kingdom rumbled, and smoke spurted out of the countless chimneys, blocking out the sky and the sun.

Hundreds of gigantic aether furnaces were slowly preheated and started. The warship slowly accelerated from a speed of zero, and in the end stirred up frenzied tides on the sea.

Flanked by dozens of new generation warships, the Navy of Asgard set off.

Ten minutes later, Burgundy also reacted…

…

In the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, the Chapter of the Golden Victory was played once more.

The Homeland Defense Front was launched.

Ye Qingxuan went down on one knee before the throne. Holding a sword, Mary declared solemnly, “In the name of Mary, the Empress of the sacred kingdom of Anglo blessed by God, the guardian of the Church, and the mortal ruler with full rights, I hereby bestow the crown upon Ye Qingxuan, the Prince of Avalon — He shall act on my behalf!”

Beside the throne, the golden hound opened an eye and roared deeply.

— Approved.

Thus, an endless golden brilliance swept towards Ye Qingxuan, turned into a halo on his head, and faded out of sight.

In Mary’s hands, the long sword that Firebird had transformed into disappeared. She reached out and helped Ye Qingxuan up from on the ground. “I am entrusting the future of Anglo in your hands by sending you on this trip. Please be sure to bring back the Ultimate.”

Ye Qingxuan nodded. “As my Queen commands.”

…

In Yujing City of the Empire of Aurora in the East, in the main hall of the Copper Palace located within the forbidding imperial city guarded by high, towering walls, the empress dozing on the throne opened an eye. “Is that what the Prince Regent said?”

“Yes.” The girl named Bai Xi wore an odd smile. “The location of the Ultimate would affect Aurora’s lifeline, and it must be investigated.”

“The Prince Regent has phrased his memorial to the throne in such a fancy manner, but from my point of view, whether the mission succeeds or otherwise matters very little.” The empress coldly gave a wave of her hand. “The Six Royals are important to the dragon bloodline of Aurora, my country, and should not be involved without careful thought over issues that are not of high importance. The rest of the arrangements can be made accordingly, let House Liu and House Yuan handle it.”

Bai Xi bowed deeply. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Watching Bai Xi kneel behind the long table and rapidly draft the decree, the corners of the empress’s mouth curled upwards into a fascinated smile. “It had only been a few days, and you can already hold the brush quite properly.”

“It is because of the teachings of your Majesty,” the girl replied.

Upon hearing her answer, the empress chuckled, and the cat napping in her arms was awakened. The cat opened its eyes, licked its paws, and leaped down from the empress’s knees, rubbing against her robes as it mewed softly.

“You’re hungry again?” The empress scratched its chin, chuckling softly. “The Prince Regent understands me well. I’m lonely in the deep palace, and it’s quite fun to have quirky, mischievous companions like you guys by my side.

“That being said, he’s also pretty untroubled about leaving such a little girl like you behind in Yujing to withstand the pressure from various parties, unworried about possible accidents taking place.

“Is he planning to let me raise his daughter for him? ”

Bai Xi kept her head down, writing rapidly, as if she had heard nothing.

Soon, she was done writing the decree. After the imperial seal was applied on it, the palace servants moved forward on their knees, respectfully took the decree with both hands, and left. The decree would soon be conveyed to all nine states of the empire.

After God knew how long, the empress’s midday nap was over, and she opened her eyes. “It’s this time of the day again?”

“Precisely.” Bai Xi nodded.

The empress yawned and asked casually, “Where did we last stop?”

Bai Xi stroked the stone chime located in the hall and replied, “The prelude to the chapter of Dawu [1].”

“Then play it for me first, let’s see how much progress you’ve made…” the empress said.

Soon, the mighty and magnificent sound of the stone chime rang out in the main hall, traveling in all directions.

…

In the ruins of Old Orleans, Burgundy, a mighty cantata sounded in the huge parish church.

In the center of the parish church, amid the performance of countless musicians, the ground rumbled and fell apart, revealing the darkness which seemed to be dancing below. A hurricane swept outwards from the darkness, blowing all the debris away.

Beside the deep well of darkness, the old man by the young man’s side seemed afraid. He took a step back and raised his arm to block the hurricane. His gaze, which could be seen through the gaps between his fingers, turned to one of awe.

Amid the mighty cantata, the parish church rumbled, and the huge machinery underground operated. Countless gears spun rapidly, and 16 heavy chains made of black iron tightened, slowly and difficultly pulling whatever had been buried in the deep well up.

Darkness spurted out of the well.

The mournful wails of countless people sounded.

In the end, a skeleton of pure white slowly rose from the darkness.

It resembled an artwork carved by an unparalleled master. Despite being a grotesque skeleton, it looked so sacred and magnificent, and possessed a splendid beauty.

Eight bony wings hung low behind the skeleton, with traces of burning and hacking by weapons still remaining on them.

Despite being non-living matter with no life in it, when it emerged from the gushing darkness, a soft breathing could be heard in the parish church.

The old man’s expression changed.

It was the rhythm of the sea of aether…

Outside the parish church, countless musicians were playing a brilliant movement passionately, guiding the aether to gather here. The aether turned into a torrent and descended from the sky, washing over the pale skeleton like rainwater.

So, a pure radiance emerged from it.

It was so pure, yet so fierce, that it seemed as if it would turn everything into ashes in a roaring fire. Even with layers of protection on, one could feel a burning pain when breathing.

But at the frontmost, the young man facing the skeleton had an expression of ecstasy.

Then, the brilliant performance ascended to the climax.

On the skeleton, countless rays of light emerged, attaching themselves to it like flesh and blood, and the thin silhouette quickly filled up. In the end, it was as if the sun and the thunder had descended in the parish church.

The parish church rumbled and shook.

A pale bony wing lifted, feathers and flesh growing out of it. A horrifying aether wave burst forth, forming an almost physical air billow that swept across!

It was followed closely by the second wing, then the third…

When the fifth wing had completed its growth, the terrifying aether waves were already beyond the scope of human understanding, and had advanced into a catastrophic level.

It had even surpassed ordinary catastrophes, and was only one step away from the league of the four living creatures…

But the growth of the wings stopped here.

Three other bony wings had no flesh and blood on them.

“It has reached the threshold of the Sixth Day?” The young man lamented softly, “After the brewing up of the project for so many years, the artificial angel has surprisingly reached the level of Thrones. Catastrophic weapons are truly terrifying.”

At the moment, the skeleton had turned into brilliant flares.

Like a giant formed of light, with the curvy outline of a female, it bathed in the fire of the light of God.

On the phantom face, the eyes slowly opened and looked down.

A hollow voice sounded. “Who art thou?”

A terrifying majesty emerged from the light, crushing everything, and made the young man’s face pale and bloodless. Behind the young man, under the scrutiny of the gaze, the old man screamed in pain and combusted, as if he was being burned at the stake.

He tumbling hard and stepping back.

Against the terrifying pressure, the young man slowly raised the signet ring in his hand. “Your master, Don Juan!”

The horrifying pressure dissipated. The fiery flares slowly converged and burned through the dark iron lock.

The giant of light slowly shrank into a size no different from ordinary people. In midair, she bowed to the young man named Don Juan. “The king of greatness, please give your order.”

“Welcome back, lady saint, the savior of the nation.” Don Juan smiled and stroked her face, letting the terrifying flares burn himself. “— In the name of the King of the Sun, please bring victory to Burgundy again!”

[1] A traditional Chinese dance. The name can be literally translated as Grand Martial Arts.