264 Authority of the Bell (1/2)
”That’s not unusual,” the Shaman said. ”Avalon and its shadow have always been one of the same. If the Shadow is damaged, the surface will be damaged as well. This isn’t something surprising but what it represents is unsettling.”
Ye Qingxuan thought for a moment. He looked up and asked, ”Do you know what they want to do?”
”The authority of the bell,” the Shaman replied. ”They want the bell authority that controls the enchantment of Avalon.
”This is the custom of the Royal Musician Division. They’re responsible for guarding the Elizabeth Tower since centuries ago and ring the bell at dawn and dusk. The Elizabeth Tower is the heart of the Avalon enchantment.
”It’s heavily guarded—the Royal Musician Division’s most important task is to maintain its safety and existence so Anglo won’t fall into the hands of a natural catastrophe. Thus, the Royal Musician Division is given the ‘bell authority.’ This authority could be in the form of anything. It can be a ring, a piece of white paper, a sword, a hat, or an eye.”
The Shaman’s voice was meaningful. ”The parliament can enter the Elizabeth Tower with this authority. They can enter the heart and destroy the equilibrium of Avalon’s enchantment, whether it be inside the Shadow or outside.
”Once it loses control, the natural catastrophes’ power can truly enter Avalon’s Shadow, enter…the palace in the Shadow. That would be the worst result for me, you, and the entire country.” The Shaman studied the youth. Dying embers seemed to spark again in his dull eyes. They were inexplicably somber. ”So I must ask something of you.”
”What is it?”
”Slow their exploration down. Stop them from entering the Elizabeth Tower.” The Shaman began coughing violently. Bone fragments and blood spewed from the giant hole in his chest. His organs trembled painfully.
His servant rushed in to change the machine, but the Shaman pushed him away with an order. The servant hesitated before leaving obediently.
Only the Shaman and the youth remained in the silence. Ye Qingxuan looked at the Shaman and the Shaman looked back.
”You can do it. I know it.”
The youth shook his head. ”I can’t do it alone.”
”The Butcher will help you. I also have a group of secretly recruited musicians. When needed…the Ripper will help too.”
”The Ripper? Are you kidding?” Ye Qingxuan laughed involuntarily from shock. ”He almost killed me. Twice! And once was last night in Avalon’s Shadow!”
”He…lost control.”
”Okay, so let’s not talk about what Hyakume wants the parliament to do. Anglo’s at the brink of danger, right?”
The Shaman nodded.
Ye Qingxuan could not help but feel incredulous. ”A jubilant western country has no idea that it’s close to danger. And they’re going to rely on an executioner, a bloodthirsty madman, and an Eastern kid in a vest. Isn’t that funny?”
After a long pause, the Shaman sighed. ”After all, your mother is—”
”She is but I’m not!” Ye Qingxuan raised his voice and interrupted the Shaman furiously. ”She is, so she trusted her husband, her family, and her country…and everything she trusted betrayed her. Shaman, she’s already dead! If you want to keep discussing things with me, don’t use her to admonish me. Never do that!”
The Shaman did not reply. Expression troubled, he remained silent. After a long while, Ye Qingxuan, who had closed his eyes, opened them again. He let out a long breath.
”Okay, I’m calmer now. We can continue.” After a pause, he asked directly, ”What’s in the palace of Avalon’s Shadow? Shaman, you must tell me what the deal with Avalon’s Shadow is. Why has the royalty tried to hide it for these hundreds of years? Where do the skeletons piled under the city come from?”
”What’s in the palace?” The Shaman had a strange expression. He looked at Ye Qingxuan regretfully. ”Avalon’s Shadow is a reflection of King Arthur’s era. What do you think will be in the palace?”
Ye Qingxuan suddenly shuddered.
What was in the palace? Was that really a question… Why did he not think of it? Why had he never thought of it? The palace of Avalon’s Shadow obviously had King Arthur! But after centuries, was King Arthur…still alive? What had he turned himself into…
-
”There are many secrets in this world, Ye Qingxuan. Many. As the Indians say, it’s like the amount of sand and rivers,” the Shaman said with his eyes closed. ”Some secrets are unimportant. Some must be buried in darkness forever, for eternity—any attempt at uncovering them will create disasters. That’s how your father died. Do you remember the musician’s vow? You must obey the boundaries, Ye Qingxuan… Obey the boundaries.”
Ye Qingxuan’s shoulders trembled. He looked up at the Shaman with confused and troubled eyes. After a while, the troubled gaze faded and he recovered his usual calm coldness. He said coldly, ”Shaman, I don’t like how you keep hiding things.”
”To be honest, I don’t either.” The Shaman sighed. ”I hate it.”
Ye Qingxuan looked at him coldly as if trying to find a shred of pretense in the man’s expression. After a long while, he said in a low voice, ”Tell me what happened to Ye Lanzhou after all this is over. This time, you can’t hide anything. Otherwise, we’re over. No matter what natural catastrophe or parliament it is, I’ll take my friends away from this country. You and Anglo can go to hell.”