434 Ask for Advice? (1/2)
”Who am I? Haha, who knows?” Hermes lay on the couch and whistled.
”Some people think I'm the shelter for homeless travelers and some think I'm the trader of Avalon. I am the originator of the steam scourge and I am an unattainable pinnacle for artists. Some regard me as a monster while others worship me. Many people call me the sage, saying that I am in charge of one-third of the world's truth. I like this title, although the other two-thirds are in the hands of a b*tch and a loser.
”I am a watch shop owner, the Anglo Second Department's external brainpower, and the Sixth Department's confidential consultant. I am a private doctor who has been dismissed by Her Majesty, and I am also the owner of an antique shop in Sacred City.
”If you want to know about my life, I can give you a set of six autobiographies of 2,400 pages. If you want to know my nature, it's just what you've seen already. Ye Qingxuan, what do you want to ask? In your opinion, what is the sensational secret of a fat man like me?”
Ye Qingxuan remained silent for a long time with no more words. Soon he got up. ”Well, I should go. See you then.”
Hermes carefully fastened the napkin and waved goodbye. ”Be careful. There have been a lot of people watching you recently.”
”Eh?” Ye Qingxuan stopped at the doorway and turned back with a puzzled look.
”You are famous now.” Hermes smiled strangely, exclaiming with exaggerated tone, ”Ye Qingxuan, everyone from North Asgard to India knows you!”
Ye Qingxuan was speechless.
”Do you know how others speak of you?” Hermes enumerated with his greasy fingers. ”You are a madman, a lunatic, an executioner, a rare genius, a monster who broke through the resonance level within six months, a rising star amongst the musicians! No one can be your rival in resonance. You are only second to the masters!”
Ye Qingxuan froze. ”Isn't it too exaggerated?”
Only second to the masters? No matter from what aspect, these comments had been exaggerated. This was not to praise him anymore but to push him into the fire!
”No, no, no, no exaggeration.” Hermes waved. ”I have been around for so many years. It's my first time meeting somebody as troublesome as you. Think about it. How many people fell from the ranks because of you?”
Ye Qingxuan mused and counted his fingers. Then he found that ten fingers were not enough, and he also found that...there were too many people for him to recall. It seemed that there were quite a few people destroyed by him. Ever since he prepared to go back to Avalon, practically none of the musicians who met him had good endings.
Aha, that's really awkward.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Hermes gloated. ”Whether you admit it or not, the people who want to challenge you could line up from the city gate to the central plaza!
”Moreover, it's said that this noon, Maxwell set off with the Sword in the Stone to return to Anglo, so the number of the people seems to have multiplied. I thought you knew that but you appeared in the Central Church in such a high-profile way… It's like there is a sign written 'challenge me' on your head.”
He paused meaningfully here, looking at Ye Qingxuan as if he was looking at a good stepping-stone. ”Little Yezi, the storm has not come yet. Don't get yourself into trouble so soon.”
Ye Qingxuan had nothing to say. He pushed through the door in a complex mood.
Outside the door, several musicians at the end of the corridor heard the sound and looked over. After seeing his white hair, they were stunned at first but their eyes lit up immediately.
Ye Qingxuan also looked at them oddly. ”No way...”
Isn't it too fast?
”Ye Qingxuan?” Soon, a handsome young man ranked out of the crowd, speaking in a polite tone, ”I'm Donatro from the Esposito family, a member of the Gregory Choir in the Sacred City. May I have the pleasure to consult with you?”
Ye Qingxuan was silent. He turned back and looked at Wolf Flute in the distance who was ready to watch the show with a cup of hot coffee in his hand. Wolf Flute shrugged helplessly, telling him that he could not help.
”I suggest you better hurry.” Wolf Flute turned and looked out of the window. In the distance, people gradually converged in the Central Church. Musicians rushed to the second floor one by one. He could not help whistling. ”Oh, everyone has turned out. Even the pandas in the Sacred City Zoo don't get this treatment...”
Ye Qingxuan's expression grew serious.
”There he is! I found him!” There was a noisy sound under the stairs and soon musicians rushed up to the floor one after another. The voices were heard before they even appeared.
”Mr. Ye, I'm Zanaldo, the concertmaster of Jackdaw School, coming for advice!”
”Mr. Ye, I'm Will, the concertmaster of Seclusion School, coming to learn from you.”
”Where's Ye Qingxuan?” A bold voice shouted, ”Rafter from Gudeman School comes to challenge you. If you are a man, don't run!”
”Mr. Ye, I'm Sairol, a professor from Trinity College. I have several questions about interpretation that I hope you can enlighten for with.”
”I'm…”
”...representative of Rock Institute...”
”Concertmaster...”
”The Caucasian Ice Wind School...”
”The Golden Sparrow Music Division...”
Groups of musicians rushed up and jammed the entire corridor. With shortness of breath and redness of eyes, they were like a group of animals in heat, staring at Ye Qingxuan as if he was a walking stepping-stone or a ticket to fame. Of course, their excuses were also diverse. Some came for asking an advice, some wanted to have a consultation, some wanted to challenge him. Someone even came to avenge someone that Ye Qingxuan could not remember… They came with modesty or arrogance, confidence, or a mysterious smile.
Ye Qingxuan silently looked at the surging heads before him. Those unfamiliar faces were filled with fighting spirit, which was simply inexplicable to him. He frowned and his eyes grew cold.
”Wait!” As he prepared to speak, the young man who came first in the crowd, Donatro, stood up and blocked the crowd. He called, ”Gentlemen, I know that you all want to see Mr. Ye but there are so many people. I'm afraid Mr. Ye is too busy to treat us all. We can't let others say that the Sacred City doesn't know manners.”
He paused and said, ”Why don't we pick up a few representatives and ask Mr. Ye about music theory? Let's do best of three rounds. I suppose Master Ye won't refuse our sincere kindness.”
”Yes!”
”I agree!”
In a blink of an eye, those musicians were convinced. There was not even the slightest sign of the intense enthusiasm from before. Even Ye Qingxuan also sighed with relief... h*ll no!
He seemed to be at an advantage if the group of people went through preliminary rounds. However, he knew that this was planned from their clumsy acting. He had not even agreed to a duel yet. These b*stards wanted to defeat him with numbers.
Ye Qingxuan's expression darkened. Looking back to Wolf Flute, he said straightforwardly, ”Are all the musicians of the Sacred City like this?”
”Some of them.” Wolf Flute blew his hot coffee, squinted at the group of guys, and said, ”This group of people is not well off locally. They came to the Sacred City to get an advanced education so that they can fake their resume. Most of them have enough money but lack skills. They always gather together, seeming majestic, but in fact, the truly powerful musicians would just ignore them.
”They have no sense of existence so that they have to attack the politics of the Sacred City or the big families every day. With the identity of musician, they become fearless. They always gather to cause trouble, but people who do not like them have no idea how to deal with them…”
He paused with a strange smile. ”Hey, little Yezi, someone doesn't like you. They might want to teach you some lessons.”
”Why?”