Silent Crown

Chapter 488 So-called Humanity

Chapter 488 So-called Humanity

No one had ever thought that the 'natural catastrophe plan,' designed to fight natural catastrophes, had actually been suggested and encouraged by a natural catastrophe. This was the biggest irony. The natural catastrophe gave humans the path to power. The humans stepped onto this path, even though it led to death.

"What can I say? It was by chance." Ludovic sighed. "I just chose some dying idiots and told them to search for the immortality that belonged to natural catastrophes. They gave me such a nice surprise.

"First, so many saints died without me doing anything. Then, they turned Hecatoncheir, the most troublesome natural catastrophe, into an experiment… Finally, they came up with something that even I was surprised by.

"It was a great show, Ye Qingxuan. I even knew about the Sacred City's research results earlier than the pope. Your secrecy procedures were transparent to me. The Ecclesiastical Order would enthusiastically show me everything without me even asking so I would point them to immortality.

"Starting then, I could not help but participate in this elaborate play…"

"But then you realized that if you wanted to go onstage, you needed a human body first," Ye Qingxuan said expressionlessly.

"Correct." Ludovic nodded and praised, "As expected from Mr. Holmes of Avalon. Such wonderful deduction. Please continue."

Thus, Ye Qingxuan's gaze fell upon his body. "Ludovic should have died twenty years ago but he was brought back to life through some technique…It must have been you, right?"

"No, this was the result that 'Ludovic' had worked hard for, if you call 'me' from decades ago Ludovic." The old man reached out, showing his body to Ye Qingxuan. "Look, using the flesh of a natural catastrophe to lengthen one's life works. He truly did return to his youth.

"This body can survive more than five-hundred years. Even though it may seem to age, its vitality is still incredible. At any time, I can feel my incredible spirit, endless ambition, and the thirst of having the entire world in my hand.

"Humans become such terrifying creatures after breaking through the limits of cellular reproduction."

Ye Qingxuan had no expression. "Then when did Ludovic become 'you'?"

Thus, Ludovic's smile grew more mysterious. "Ye Qingxuan, I like the human philosophers. I appreciate your logic and thoughts because no thoughts or logic can avoid entering the territory I control.

"I once invited a few scholars and philosophers who thirsted for knowledge into the abyss so they could observe my true appearance. Sadly, they all went crazy. Now…they've become the wise men of the abyss? Oh, that is not a bad name. I like it. See, this is the creativity of humans. At the very least, you're good at naming things."

Unmoved, Ye Qingxuan coldly reminded him, "You're off topic."

"Sorry. It's because the questions they posed were too fun," Ludovic said with interest. "For example, the brain in the jar, the white horse dialogue, and the cat inside the box. Some also say that one can take half of a meter every day forever… Of course, these are all technicalities."

He paused and mused, "Of all these, the one I like most is called the Ship of Theseus."

Ye Qingxuan narrowed his eyes. He finally understood what Ludovic was trying to say.

"If you start repairing a ship continuously from the start and change every broken piece until every piece has been changed, is it still the same ship from before? Following the same logic, if I replace Ludovic's personality bit by bit with the personality I created, covering his views with my own…when does Ludovic stop being known as Ludovic?"

Ye Qingxuan was silent.

The old man before him smiled cheerily and opened his arms. "The answer is that Ludovic is still Ludovic. The only difference is that Ludovic, the ascetic monk, has become Ludovic, the incarnate of Hyakume. Ye Qingxuan, I'm still Ludovic, aren't I?

"I received the personality that humans recognize from Ye Lanzhou's technology. From Ludovic's contributions, I received a body that can walk on this earth. I am still me but I am also Hyakume. I am a human but also the incarnation of a natural catastrophe.

"Even the best musicians are unable to find any flaw in me. Even the most sensitive investigator is unable to detect the aura of natural catastrophes and demons on me. Over the decade, I've gradually replaced myself and also gradually replaced the core of the Sacred City until now…both the city and I are complete.

"I have stepped into the throne of humanity. I've become the leader of your spirits and the shepherd of your souls. And you all have willingly placed your souls into my hands so I can guide you through the dark canyon. I am the pope, Ye Qingxuan. I am the Original Dark Pope, Ludovic!"

"No, you're not," Ye Qingxuan retorted coldly. "Even if you become the pope, can you learn how to play Fate?"

"So what if I can't?" Ludovic asked in return, stunning Ye Qingxuan. "Don't be stupid. The pope is just an identity and Fate is just his clothing, a trademark! The pope can choose the clothing but the clothing cannot choose the pope. A naked pope and a clothed clown…who do you think the believers will kneel before? In addition…I'm the agent of God, am I not?"

Ludovic sneered. "Isn't it logical for the agent of God to become the pope? Or do you think I'm not as good as the insubstantial belief you have and am unable to create miracles? No, I can give you more!

"The things that the past popes could do are easy as pie for me. And the things that they couldn't do are also nothing for me. For example…"

He uttered the word that many would go crazy over, "Resurrection!"

At that moment, sudden panic swallowed Ye Qingxuan. He thought of something that he had overlooked because it was terrifying. However, he was not willing to continue imagining. He forced himself to stop the horrible thought.

He just glared at Ludovic as if he could see the true nature of the god of evil inside. "You put so much thought into this…for what?"

"Don't let me look down on you, Ye Qingxuan." Ludovic shook his head and sighed. He pointed at his head. "Use your brain and think. I value you because of your ability to think. Think, Ye Qingxuan. Think: humans are like ants to me. What is there that deserves me to work so hard? What makes me disguise myself to enter to the core of the Sacred City and make such sacrifices to become the king of the ants?"

"The sacred blood…" Ye Qingxuan uttered. The confusion in his mind was suddenly hacked apart by an ax. He could finally see the truth behind the layers of clues. "No, not the sacred blood… Is it the Holy Cauldron?"

Silence.

Ludovic murmured thoughtfully, "Sadly, it was so close but it doesn't matter anymore. Humanity's shallow thinking will never understand my intention."

Ye Qingxuan clenched his jaw. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the others about your true identity?"

"Who'll believe you?" Ludovic sneered. He walked over and put an arm around Ye Qingxuan's shoulder. He pointed at the door behind them. "How about we play a game? Later, I'll call the guards over. We both accuse the other of being the physical incarnate of a natural catastrophe and see who they'll believe."

Ye Qingxuan stopped speaking. As if the last bit of his strength was sucked out, he had no other solutions.

"Give up, Ye Qingxuan," Ludovic said. "I know you've been trying to use Heaven Ladder to send the message. I also know you've been thinking of how to kill my incarnation, even if it means sacrificing yourself. I know your fighting spirit has not extinguished, even if you can't tell.

"None of this matters, really. This will only make the game more interesting. If you're interested, you can pretend to side with me. So what if you sacrifice a bit of your dignity? In the future, we'll have so much time to continue this game…" He walked behind Ye Qingxuan and held down his shoulder, making him sit in the chair. Then he pointed out the window. The barren wilderness had changed into a dark red river.

The river flowed like fog. Its source was unknown, just like its end. It was hard to see its true nature and impossible to know why it existed. It was something that should not appear in this world.

"Do you see it, Ye Qingxuan? This is the Styx I pulled from the Originator," Ludovic murmured in his ear. "You've been considering this already, haven't you? The price of resurrecting your mother—siding with me."

Ye Qingxuan stared at the dark red river blankly. In his eyes, the river reflected countless shattered lights. Under his stare, a blurry figure appeared within the flashing reflections. Finally, it formed the silhouette locked in his memories. Her back was to Ye Qingxuan and seemed to be standing in the water, facing the distance. It was all so familiar.

Ye Qingxuan's lips trembled but he could not speak.

"Imagination and reality are different, aren't they?" Ludovic sighed. "Determination that hasn't encountered temptations yet is just a sand castle built by a child. When faced with true desire, who has the courage to reject it? Ye Qingxuan, this isn't your fault. Anyone would do it. Anyone.

"Now, what you thirst for is right before you. She's been waiting for many years. Don't let her continue waiting…"

"No." Ye Qingxuan gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "It's not her."

"It is her, Ye Qingxuan. Don't lie to yourself." Ludovic's voice was so cold and cruel. "Is your mother not worth that shallow dignity and insignificant persistence? Isn't this your dream, Ye Qingxuan? My benevolence has been used up, child. After this chance, you will regret this for your entire life!"

"Then let me regret it for my entire life." Ye Qingxuan's voice suddenly calmed down. "Even the Originator is unable to turn back time, Ludovic. She's already dead. You can't lie to me. There is no heaven or hell in this world… Weren't you just making fun of how intangible 'souls' are? Then what meaning is there to the so-called Styx?"

The old hand on the young man's shoulder tightened. It seemed to want to shatter the bone. Ye Qingxuan had crossed the line, he didn't know his place; Ludovic was furious because of this mortal's rebellion and wildness!

But Ye Qingxuan laughed out loud. He howled and cried with tears of laughter.

"Ludovic, you've been attacking me, shaking me, fooling me since the start just for this moment, right?" He opened his eyes. He studied the large window before him and Ludovic's dark face reflected in the glass.

"You wanted me to bow down to you because of my mother. "Your so-called resurrection and Styx are all fake! A meaningless lie after being seen through!"

Ludovic was silent. He fell silent for the first time.

"The so-called Styx is a 'record' pulled from the Originator, right?" Ye Qingxuan asked hoarsely. "This river is probably just a river left in this world by a dead man! What you have is just a library. How can you control humanity's souls under the name of God? Don't you feel shame from the reverence you receive from copying?"

Ludovic did not reply. He lowered his eyes but could not hide the darkness and menace in those pupils. Ye Qingxuan was still laughing happily.

"What's wrong? Your embarrassment turned to anger? Where's your benevolent expression? Your advising tone? Ludovic, aren't you a fancy noble? Where's your elegance and grace?"

Ye Qingxuan asked softly, "You're not talking? But I have a lot to tell you. Didn't you ask me what humanity is? I don't know what humanity is but I can tell you that the so-called humanity is definitely not this!

"My mother is already dead. Even if you use her memories to recreate her, I would only have a puppet, a hallucination you created! I won't call something so fake my mother just as I would never call you a human!

"You're just a creature with a human's skin! Even if you become a pope, it won't change anything!"

In the dead silence, someone started clapping. Behind Ye Qingxuan, crisp claps sounded in the distorted black shadows. Ludovic's old face appeared once again. He still looked elegant and full of grace. After hiding his anger and cruelty in the darkness, he regained the composure of a pope.

"Very good, Ye Qingxuan. Very good." He patted the boy's shoulder and mused, "You're beyond my expectations, truly. You've successfully resisted the temptation. You did better than I expected, even better than your father. But you didn't think of one thing…"

He bent over and studied Ye Qingxuan's face. He uttered, "Even if she is just a puppet after resurrection like you said, I will resurrect her for you. That puppet with your mother's face, your mother's memories, and your mother's personality, who even thinks that she's your mother, will appear in every brothel in the world.

"She'll be played by those disgusting men for free, raped by those who had once looked up to her, be impregnated and continue to accept clients. She'll become a cheap whore but…she'll still remember you, Ye Qingxuan. She'll still love you deeply even as she falls lower every day until she becomes a pile of rotting meat that even a beggar looks down on. What do you think?"

Ye Qingxuan looked at him indifferently. He was not angry or furious. He just stared at Ludovic with his dark eyes.

"You won't dare." Ye Qingxuan stuck his face closer and told him, "Ludovic, your words have successfully angered me but you won't dare. You won't even dare to let something like this happen. Your humanity has allowed you to understand the weaknesses of humans but sadly, he won't give you the courage. You. Won't. Dare."

In the silence, Ludovic laughed. "Why won't I?"

"Then why did you put in so much to persuade me?" Ye Qingxuan asked back. "I'm not your father, Ludovic. Yes, I'm a prodigy and I have Deva's blood. I'm the sword bearer of Anglo and the youngest demi-grandmaster in the world. But so what? So what?

"I'm not worth enough for you to pay so much, sacrifice everything, and do those lowly things to make me surrender. Ludovic, answer me. You paid such large costs to solicit me. Why?"

"Do you think you can understand my intentions with your human thoughts?" Ludovic looked at him with disdain. "No matter what, you're just an ant limited by your mortal body. You can't even imagine what my original shape is like."

"Stop using the logic of being unable to understand a deity," Ye Qingxuan scoffed and shook his head. "If humans can't understand deities and are meaningless, then why are you here? You sacrificed so much to come to this world so why do you use such laughable logic to disguise your intention? Why don't you just say that you were in a good mood and wanted to satisfy our wishes?"

He paused and sneered. "But since you're hiding yourself, then let me guess. You said you value my thinking abilities. So are you trying to solicit me because…" Ye Qingxuan paused then said, "Ye Lanzhou is still alive, right?"

"Just that?" Ludovic snickered. "Interesting thought. Very clever."

He did not receive an answer but Ye Qingxuan could not hold his laughter in. He was so happy, like an old wolf who had stolen a chicken from the butcher. He was almost crying from laughter.

Ludovic froze. His smile stiffened and fell apart, becoming menacing. He squeezed out from his teeth, "You're fooling me?"

"What a disappointment for the incarnation of humanity, Ludovic." Ye Qingxuan wiped away some tears. He was so happy he could barely speak. "Had anyone told you that a good Mind musician will instinctively sketch anyone around them, even if that person is the pope?

"Congratulations, you are a very successful 'human' but your only flaw is that you talk too much! You've spent so much time pretending and taking advantage of how you can read minds that you probably never thought of this, right?

"You see Ye Lanzhou as someone you're grateful to but do you truly understand him? Analyzing personality through micro-expressions and sketches is his best skill! Okay, now you can start lying to yourself. You actually lost to Ye Lanzhou. This has nothing to do with the ant before you. You totally aren't trying to win over his son to act as a shield because you're scared of him…"

He rudely stared at Ludovic's twisted face and sighed, shaking his head. "I'm really curious how many of your weaknesses and secrets he knows that makes you so scared."

"Scared? Me?" Ludovic's expression trembled like a pile of furious mud. At the same time, he was trying to plaster on expressions of anger, mockery, and menace. If his face was a pot, these expressions were all stirred into a mess that made one nauseous.

This was the deity that humans could not understand trying to show his fury to Ye Qingxuan through his human incarnate.

"I'm scared of Ye Lanzhou?! Stop joking, you idiot! You don't understand how far I am from you insignificant things! Even if he knows my weakness, so what? No matter what he does, I won't be hurt at all! At most I'll just sleep for one hundred years!"

"Just sleep for one hundred years?" Ye Qingxuan scoffed. "You're the one joking, aren't you? You know you can't bear the cost of that. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so careful."

Ludovic did not reply. He did not even spare Ye Qingxuan a glance. The writhing expressions quickly recovered. Once again, he looked intelligent and composed.

"I underestimated your arrogance and wildness, Ye Qingxuan. It seems that this conversation cannot continue today." He sighed with mock sadness. "Congratulations, you won this round. You have intelligence rare in humans. Sadly, it can't save you. You're still a prisoner. Ye Qingxuan, there are many ways to control someone. Since you rejected the best one, there won't be such nice actions waiting for your now."

He returned to his seat and knocked on the table. All strange sights disappeared. The setting sun returned outside the window, casting down dusky light.

The door opened. Two figures with black smoke walked in.

"Give him to Samuel." Ludovic waved.

Samuel. Hearing this familiar name, Ye Qingxuan frowned. He quickly remembered that Samuel was the grandmaster who had failed his scepter sublimation and turned into a beast…

Sneering, Ludovic ordered, "Tell Samuel that I'm giving him a descendant of the Blood Tribe. I'd like to see if Mr. Ye, who has such a bright future, will still be so adamant after becoming a beast that is addicted to blood…"

The shackles tightened. Ye Qingxuan could not struggle. He was yanked up from the chair and dragged outside. But before the door, he stopped. Ignoring the pulling, he looked back to behind the table.

"Hey, Ludovic—or rather, that thing."

"Huh?" Ludovic looked up. He saw Ye Qingxuan's genuine smile.

He said, "Thank you." But he did not say what he was thankful for because they both knew.

Thank you for the misery, thank you for telling the truth, thank you for telling me you designed all of this… It was hard to tell whether he was genuinely grateful or if it was an almost tangible hatred and thirst for bloodshed.

"You're welcome." Ludovic chuckled coldly.

Ye Qingxuan still did not move. Ignoring the bloody marks from the shadows pulling on his chains, he looked at Ludovic curiously. "What kind of thank you gift would you like?"

Ludovic gave him one last glance and waved impatiently. "If you think you still have the chance… I'll be waiting for whatever you prepare."

Ye Qingxuan was dragged out. His footsteps faded at the end of the hall. Ludovic stood before the window. He watched indifferently as Ye Qingxuan was shoved into the prison car. Then, a black-clothed priest with a sword walked in. He unsheathed his sword and cleaned out everything that was still alive.

He destroyed the last marks.

"In the end, still incapable…"

Ludovic narrowed his eyes and turned away. All that remained was silence. Under the setting sun, there was no more sound in the office behind the window. There were only a table and three chairs, refracting the dying light.

-

At dusk, someone entered the antique store. Bai Xi was shocked by the bell.

"Is anyone here?" It was an unfamiliar voice.

These days, Bai Xi rarely slept soundly. She was always awakened by nightmares. Now, she had sprawled on the counter and finally slept well. Hearing the voice, her temper came. She angrily picked up whatever was next to her, felt the weight, and hurled it!

"Shut up!"

The heavy candelabra tore through the air with a whistle. Totally shocked, the intruder caught it. The sharp points almost stabbed his eyes.

"Uh…sorry, I guess I'm in the wrong place." The man awkwardly set the candelabra down and smiled. He walked out, looked at the sign, and pushed the door open cautiously. Sticking his head in, he asked, "Hey, I don't think this is wrong. Is Hermes here?"

Bai Xi could not fall asleep anymore. She climbed up, wiped away her drool, and sat blankly for a while before her mind was running. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the intruder. It was a dusty man wearing a dirty jacket that seemed to have gone unwashed for years. The original color was hard to see. His face was hidden by a wide brim hat. Despite being hidden in the darkness, he still felt attractive.

"Who are you?" Bai Xi asked in confusion.

"Just an old customer." He chuckled and tossed his ragged backpack onto the ground. Rubbing his hands, he scooted toward the fireplace. "I haven't been here in a long while. I can't believe the Sacred City turned into this mess. I was lost for a while and I'm freezing… Ah, right, you're Bai Xi, right?"

Bai Xi cocked her head. "You know me?"

The customer smiled. He reached out his dirty hand to ruffle her hair. Like a senior seeing a cute kid, he was gentle and loving. "I've heard of you. You're a good girl."

For some reason, Bai Xi felt happy instead of disgust. Even the depression from these past few days disappeared.

"Is Hermes upstairs?" the customer asked. "Please tell him that his old friend is here to take something I deposited."

"What thing?" Bai Xi glanced upstairs and pursed her lips. "If I call him down, he'll just talk nonsense with you and then scam you out of a bunch of money. He probably won't even give you the thing. Tell me and if I know what it is, I'll get it for you."

"Thank you so much." The customer smiled, seemingly embarrassed. He gestured with his hand. "Probably this big inside a jar. It's not that rare of a thing and you can find them anywhere but it's important to me. Simply put, uh…" He paused and said seriously, "It's just a head."