251 Bell of Original Sin (1/2)
It was eight at night. The academy’s auditorium was packed, and a dark mass amidst the commotion. All students, from freshmen to graduating students, had received the notification and grouped here.
The meeting had not begun yet but they already knew that the academy would make an official statement after the appraisal of the plagiarism scandal that everyone was caught up in recently. However, some people were not happy.
”It’s just an announcement. Why are we forced to come?” a Revelations professor said coldly. ”Ingmar did all that. Why do we have to be involved? We don’t even dare to go out now. Are they still not satisfied?”
”Hey, that’s not what you said when Ingmar was getting all the limelight.” That came from a Modifications professor. It was just drama to him, after all.
The Revelations professor’s face darkened. He glared at the other and did not reply. His eyes filled with disgust whenever he looked at Abraham’s seat. ”That guy is so annoying. He stirs all this trouble without doing anything.”
”Just want to see us lose face, huh?” he muttered angrily. ”We’ll give him face this time, but that guy better not take it for granted.”
His coworker coughed quietly, causing him to finally realize that the room was silent. He quickly shut his mouth.
Sydney, with a troubled expression, appeared onstage. The principal had not appeared yet. It was clear that Sydney had been tossed out by the school board to take the brunt. He was responsible for all the humiliating things. This was why he did not look well.
”We’re here today to announce something.” He pulled out his script and lowered his head to read it monotonously. The more he read, the lower his head went. Each word was like a painful slap to the face.
”After the Sacred City and Musician’s Union’s assessment, the claim ‘Ingmar’s results are plagiarized’ is valid…Because the influence is too negative, Ingmar will now be relieved of his duties and be judged by the Musician’s Union after he has healed. During this case, the music history department was wrongly accused and had their innocence proved with the support of the Academy.”
Hearing him say this, the audience booed endlessly, interrupting him. He lowered his head and ignored them, continuing to stutter out the script.
”According to Abraham—grandmaster Abraham’s own wishes, the new music history department building will stand on its original site and officially restart classes after the queen’s honoring ceremony. Next, let us give a round of applause and welcome Concertmaster Ye, representative of the history department, onstage.” Sydney gathered his script and looked backstage with a numb expression. Strange applause sounded as the audience split into two clear groups. One group was excited and clapped loudly. The other group was numb like clay figurines.
”The drama is here.” Offstage, a student scoffed. ”I’d like to see how he brags as an underdog.”
”Don’t worry. This Eastern concertmaster should be smart.” The third-year concertmaster sat in the first row and picked at his fingernails. ”If he still has a mind, he won’t brag too much. Otherwise, he’d piss off too many people and the future will be hard. After all, the days are still long, right?”
”If he doesn’t know his place, then it’s not our fault.”
”What’s the most he can do? Don’t forget, this is the Royal Academy of Music. He’s not even an official musician. Does he think he’s the best when he’s just at Rhythm level? If he thinks he can do it, he can duel with me. Then he won’t be able to say anything, huh?”
After they snickered, the graduating students at the back glared coldly at the podium. The long wait was silent. No one came out from backstage.
Bewildered, the audience looked toward the stage and began discussing. Onstage, Sydney with his frozen smile could not bear it anymore. He called someone over and quietly urged him. The man ran backstage but soon came back and blankly gave Sydney a letter.
Stunned, Sydney opened the letter and skimmed it. His expression grew uglier.
This guy had refused to come and only sent a letter? He had only won an appraisal and was already this arrogant? The entire academy was here but this guy was acting like a hot shot? The annoyed students became even more frustrated.
”Hello everyone, I am that Eastern freshman concertmaster, Ye Qingxuan. I couldn’t make it due to personal reasons so I wrote a letter,” Sydney gripped the letter and read woodenly. ”I’m sure everyone has heard of the recent news. Thanks to everyone who supported me. I will remember each and every word said in support of my professor during this mess and repay you. However, I know that many people still don’t like me.” Here, Sydney’s brows furrowed and his expression stiffened even more.
”To be honest, I don’t care. I won’t beg everyone to give me, an antisocial freak, the luxury of friendship, and I don’t really want to interact with you all. I just hope that, through this, some people can stop provoking us meaninglessly. After all, there’s no sense of accomplishment in dealing with these problems.”
”Presumptuous!” The students with dark expressions were angered by Ye Qingxuan’s attitude and began yelling. Exchanging glances with each other, they could not push down the anger.
Onstage, Sydney’s expression grew even stranger. He had reached the end of the letter and stammered out each word with difficulty. ”In addition, I hope that such things will not happen in the future. To help with some people’s memories and remember this, I’ve decided to leave a small memento in a very obvious spot. I hope they’ll like it.”
Here, he froze and looked at the very end. ”Your faithful friend, Ye Qingxuan.”
Without a doubt, Ye Qingxuan’s impolite tone had angered most of the students. The auditorium instantly fell into chaos.
That *sshole, was he using this chance to scold the entire academy? Who does he think he is? And what was that ‘small memento?’ This obvious warning made one want to laugh. Did he want to upend the entire academy or something?
But soon, they heard shocked cries from the back, as well as a sluggish silence. Onstage, Sydney seemed to have seen a ghost; his stiff expression shattered bit by bit and turned into one of shock. And so everyone looked back in confusion.
And saw that the sky outside the auditorium was pitch black, but in the black sky was blazing red firelight. Something was on fire? Where?
-
Under the same sky, a white-haired youth sat on a bench, bathed in firelight. The light illuminated his white hair, turning it red like fire. Before him, the main building of the School of Revelations bathed in firelight as well; it was dazzling. It was as those people had said—it had transformed into a torch that broken the darkness, illuminating the bright and mighty future of mankind.
The ancient texts, precious collections, and opulent furniture in Ingmar’s office were submerged in the flames, turning into ash and cinder. They were carried by the hot wind and floated in the sky like beautiful and dazzling stars.
Soon, the professor on guard descended from his wind spirit. Seeing the burning building, he quickly raised the alarm. Then he saw the loitering youth and his brows furrowed. ”What happened?”
”Simple. It caught on fire.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged and quoted what the academy had said to him a few days ago, ”The weather has been dry recently and the objects spontaneously combusted. It’s normal.”
He calmly looked at the suspicious eyes with an innocent and dazed expression. No matter what, the investigation results would be just that—the weather was dry and the objects spontaneously combusted.
This was just an accident, just like the last accident. Since people could accept the fact that the history department had an accident, it was reasonable for the same to happen to Revelations, right?
He sat on the bench quietly and looked up at the fire as if enjoying the most beautiful view in the world. He sighed, ”So pretty.”
A bell rang faintly in the air.
-
”Great tea. I didn’t know the West would have such good tea.” In the clock shop, Mr. Hu set down his teacup and sighed. ”I haven’t had tea ever since I left the East all those years ago.”
”Get to the point.” Across from him, Hermes clutched a box of cookies and munched. He looked at Mr. Hu with a strange gaze. ”I’m kind of interested in seeing what that figurehead queen sent you to Avalon alone for. Is it to contact the revolutionary army and kill those treacherous ministers from both the inside and outside? If that’s the case, then you’ve come to the wrong place. The entire world knows that the revolutionary army is hiding in the Dark World. You can’t find anything in Avalon.”
”Oh no, our queen has nothing to do with those rebels,” Mr. Hu stated, waving his hand. ”I am just here to investigate some things and find someone.”
”Ye Lanzhou? Psh!” Hermes snickered. ”You didn’t regret anything when that guy Bai Heng committed a coup and killed all of the Ye family. There’s no point now.”
”As this is my duty, I beg you to tell me.” Mr. Hu rose and cut to the chase. ”Where exactly is Ye Lanzhou?”
Hermes rolled his eyes. ”How would I know? Ye Lanzhou has legs and can go wherever he wants.”
Mr. Hu sighed and pulled an old silver coin from his sleeve. Pushing it toward Hermes, he said, ”I hope you can provide aid, seeing my payment.”
Hermes furrowed his brow. ”According to the rules, I have to answer your question if you give me something, but are you sure you want to ask this?”
”Yes.” Mr. Hu nodded.
Hermes replied emotionlessly, ”He’s dead.”
”Impossible.” Mr. Hu shook his head resolutely. ”I was ordered to find him, dead or alive.”
”Tsk, why are you guys so stubborn?” Frustrated, Hermes tossed the cookie box to the side and took a large jar from a cabinet, slamming it onto the table. ”Here! Here’s the ‘dead’ you’re looking for!”
Mr. Hu froze. After a long time, he reached out and lifted the dust cloth covering the jar. Dust floated down. Under the dust and cloth, a head was submerged in the amber colored liquid.
The stark white yet handsome head had closed eyes as if it was sleeping in the liquid. Long black hair floated in the liquid like seaweed. There was no handsomeness of yesterday, but he was calm as moonlight—serene and beautiful. He seemed to only be sleeping, rather than having died long ago.
”This is the head Bach personally chopped off. Take it if you want!”