There is a smell of burning tobacco in the office, and there seems to be the dust of travel.
On the sofa next to Maxwell, there was a figure draped in a gray canvas robe. The ether around that man was as calm as stagnant water, as if it had all been swallowed up by the darkness in the robe.
As if he had traveled thousands of miles, he was holding an old pipe in his hand, his face was hidden in the dark and blurred, and he was talking to Maxwell.
"After all, because of the friendship back then, I accepted the principal's job." He stood up and said goodbye.
"Leaving now?" Maxwell tried to persuade him, "Why don't you stay a little longer? I can leave in time tomorrow."
"The journey is long, and it is a hard job after all. The sooner we start, the better. Besides, my purpose of coming to the academy has been achieved, and it will be useless to stay for a long time. I won't bother you anymore."
"Well, I wish you a safe journey."
Maxwell stood up to see the guests off, and the traveler-like musician made no sound as he marched away, as if he was drifting away. When he passed by Ye Qingxuan, Ye Qingxuan clearly felt a pair of pupils under the black mist sweeping across his face, with meaningful eyes.
"Who was that just now?"
After the people left, Ye Qingxuan asked casually.
"Since he is unwilling to reveal his identity in front of you, of course it is a secret." Maxwell showed a mysterious smile and invited Ye Qingxuan to sit down:
"Whisky? Or brandy? I also have a bottle of the strongest 'kerosene' in the lower city hidden here. Maybe you will like it."
"Isn't there something non-alcoholic to drink?"
Ye Qingxuan glanced at him, rummaged through the cabinets and found a can of black tea, boiled water and brewed it himself.
Maxwell crossed his legs and watched him busy, and didn't care at all. He just smiled and said: "I'm sorry that you have waited for so long. I thought you were impatient."
"Anyway, you are here. If you run away, you can't escape from the temple."
Ye Qingxuan sat down opposite him, then filled the tea cup and pushed it in front of him.
"Um?"
"This is for you."
Ye Qingxuan said calmly: "I have a lot of questions, so be prepared to have a dry mouth, Mr. Principal."
"...If I had known earlier, I would have changed it to something easier to say."
Maxwell sighed, picked up the tea, gulped it down, and wiped the water stains on his beard, just like an old swordsman who had finished drinking the emboldening wine and was about to draw his sword to kill someone.
"Okay, let's get started. Don't worry, I will tell you everything."
"So… "
Ye Qingxuan asked the first question: "Who is White Crow?"
"You know him?"
Maxwell was stunned, then shook his head: "Unfortunately, I also want to know this question. More than ten years ago, your father was declared a heretic by the Holy City and degenerated into a demon. The whole world was in an uproar for a while. But your father disappeared. As a result, the Lancelot family bore the brunt of the criticism. I don’t know the specific process. The head of the previous generation did not see any guests behind closed doors. Due to pressure from all parties, he had no choice but to exile you mother and son. Since then, he He fell ill and died two years later. At the same time, Ye Lanzhou used his scepter to erase his own existence. Except for people with special status, everyone in the world has forgotten his existence. It's a pity that the mistake can no longer be undone. Among them, the one who took the most initiative in counterattacking the Lancelot family and spent the most effort is the person you call the White Crow."
"I see."
Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes: "So, what did Ye Lanzhou want to do when he came to the West? A blood of heaven and man from the East has a bright future. The scepter of the future is the bones of the school and the whole hope of the family's future. Why did he leave his hometown and come here?”
"Twenty-seven years ago, in the east, Bai Heng, the head of the Bai family of the princes, succeeded to the throne and led an army to rebel, ignoring the whole family in Chang'an, the capital of the country. The emperor was furious and killed his entire family.
Unfortunately, Chang'an was breached in three days, and his entire clan was almost wiped out by Bai Heng.
Bai Heng was the only one left in the Bai family. Due to pressure from all parties, Bai Heng also left behind the emperor's youngest daughter, allowing her to inherit the nominal throne, change the country's name to "Wu", and become the unprecedented female emperor.
From then on, Bai Heng became the regent above tens of thousands of people and one person, and the most rebellious minister and traitor in the world.
A year later, Ye claimed to have received a secret edict from the Empress, and raised troops in the name of "Qing Jun Side" to unite with the Eighth Route Army to besiege Chang'an for five years. The final result was that Ye was sold out by his allies, and the head of the family was chopped off and given to Bai Heng as an apology.
Since then, the Ye family has been divided up by the princes, and all direct bloodlines have been imprisoned in Qintian Prison, and are not allowed to take a step during their lifetime... And your father, the successor of the Ye family, Ye Lanzhou, was twenty-two years old that year.
He was not tolerated by the East and had no reason to stay there, so he came to the West alone, wanting to start a new life.
To be honest, I really don’t know what method he used to get over so many cages and shackles. Maybe for him, if he wants to leave, no one can stop him? Anyway, the result is that he came here, and as he wished, a new life began. "
Maxwell sighed: "Unfortunately, the new life here is not as simple as he thought."
"and after?"
"Later? That's when I first met him."
Maxwell smiled: "He came to the Royal Academy to apply for a job and became a visiting professor. He was recognized for his talent and ability. A year later, he became the youngest vice-chancellor in the history of the Royal Academy of Music. What happened next , just like you know. He met your mother, they met, got to know each other, knew each other, and fell in love with each other. Finally, they broke through the obstacles and walked together. I was the one to officiate at their wedding, which is my most honored thing. . Unfortunately, I often wondered later if I had opposed this marriage at that time, whether everything that followed would not have happened."
Ye Qingxuan was silent for a long time and asked: "What's behind? What happened?"
"Lancelot is almost one with the royal family. In order to marry your mother, Ye Lanzhou agreed to many conditions, one of which was to serve Angelou for ten years. He agreed and obtained a secret from the Royal Academy. position. The following year, he represented the Royal Academy and joined a research project in the Holy City."
"Holy City?"
Ye Qingxuan was silent: "The religious group or the musicians association?"
"All, and even more... The Silent Agency is also involved."
Maxwell said flatly: "This is one of the results of the Third Amendment."
Third Amendment Act.
This is a secret agreement between the countries and the religious order two hundred years ago.
According to the agreement, all countries respect the Red King of each generation - that is, the Pope - as the only representative of God in the world. His words, deeds, and causes are all without error, and he maintains the legitimacy and unquestionable sacred status of the order.
As a price, all political attributes of the religious order were stripped away, and church and state were separated from then on. All priests were not allowed to join the army, engage in politics, interfere with the laws of various countries, or even accept offerings from believers. All required funds are provided by various countries. Under the central guidance of the Pope, the leaders formed the Holy City Council, establishing the Holy City's status as the core of the world.
The first thing the Holy City Council did was to promptly establish the Musicians' Association and unite all musicians under it.
At that time, the "Inquisition", which had developed into a deformed monster, was abolished, the musicians were expelled from the church, and were incorporated into the "Silent Organization", an independent organization under the Musicians Association, and became the musicians of the law.
The non-musician priests returned to the order and formed the "Doctrine of the Doctrine" which annotated the Holy Scriptures and had the final authority to interpret it.
From then on, what belongs to God belongs to God, and what belongs to man belongs to man.
The lofty spirit is guided by the pope, and the living in the world obey the rule of the kings. All things, whether "metaphysical" or "metaphysical", have their own place.
A new order was born.
And that secret research organization that did not appear in any existing establishment was established at that time. The research that Ye Lanzhou participated in began eighty years ago.
The Holy City Council gathered the power of scholars and alchemists from all over the world, and secretly recruited dozens of musicians with outstanding achievements in various research fields to join it. Sixteen different schools of thought came out to start an unprecedented research. …
"—What is a natural disaster?"
Maxwell's voice was like stones rubbing together, shooting out blazing sparks: "The purpose of that research is to find out what the nature of natural disasters is. To this end, the secret forces around the world have united together to secretly capture A natural disaster. All preparations, processes, and actions of the entire plan were sealed. No one except the heads of nations and the Pope knew what actually happened."
"A natural disaster?"
Ye Qingxuan was stunned: "Which natural disaster?"
"Among all natural disasters, the most distinctive ones are the three sages, the three pillars of gods, the four living creatures and the eight major phenomena."
Maxwell smoked a cigarette: "The whereabouts of the Three Sages are secretive, and there is no way to prove their existence. The Three Pillar Gods are too huge and too far away from humans to understand. The eight major phenomena... They are just pure phenomena, and they have no research value. . Therefore, the most suitable target is undoubtedly one of the four living creatures."
"A hundred-armed giant?"
In an instant, Ye Qingxuan suddenly realized.
The Hundred-Armed Giant, Leviathan, Dark Earth Mother, and Shadow Sunflower.
Among the four living creatures, the Dark Earth Mother does not have a definite form and cannot be observed. Leviathan, the Lord of the Deep Sea, has died long ago. No one can find it before its resurrection. The Shadow Sunflower seems to be the easiest, but its nature is also elusive. .
It grows in various black areas around the world, the most chaotic places in the ether. Its body is between reality and reality, like an unrealistic bubble that will shatter at the slightest touch. Not to mention capturing it, just observing it will cause it to dissipate.
Therefore, the most suitable target is undoubtedly the Hundred-Armed Giant.
"But... the Holy City can actually capture a hundred-armed giant?"
"Well, it's a heavy price to pay."
Maxwell said softly: "As far as I know, since the 1980s, the eleven surviving saints have lost four, and the Nine Emperors of the East have lost two, and all the remaining participants have been severely damaged. The previous generation's That's how the Yellow King fell... That's not the worst thing. The worst thing is that we succeeded."