529 The Hand of God (2/2)
Bai Xi leaned forward, and hugged him tightly. She buried her face between his arms and clung to his heart, listening to the echo there.
She closed her eyes.
It was like they were back in the long-gone past, in darkness, embracing each other for the first time.
The world was so cold, but when you found that destined person, it no longer was.
Even in a world without moon and light, you wouldn't fear while embracing them.
”Qingxuan, you know what? I always think you are a hero,” Bai Xi whispered. ”There is only one hero in each woman's heart. After I met you, no one else could get in there. I have lied to you so many times since the begging. Do you hate me?”
”No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. ”Never.”
”If I need you one day, will you come to save me?”
”I will.” Ye Qing Xuan hugged her, but could not help crying. ”Even if I'm dying.”
Bai Xi smiled, and wiped away his tears with her hands.
In the end, she raised herself on tiptoes and kissed his forehead softly and carefully with her cold lips, as if she exhausted all her strength.
”Then, goodbye.”
She released him and moved backward step by step. She waved goodbye to him with a smile on her face, like the one when they first met years ago.
She was free, as if she had nothing to worry about.
It was like, after passing through the darkness, and stepping out of the cage, she finally stretched her wings and flew through the memories into a world that Ye Qingxuan had never seen.
Wherever she passed, everyone bowed their heads in horror and knelt down on the ground, greeting her arrival with respect.
Step by step, she got onto the carriage.
Gradually, she went away from Ye Qingxuan.
Quietly.
In the silence, the carriage moved forward again.
Ye Qingxuan stared at the troop until it disappeared from his sight.
The snow fell from the sky, and covered the silent city and the last traces left by Bai Xi.
He closed his eyes.
Walked way.
-
-
The troop marched through the streets of the Sacred City, out the front gate, then on to the wasteland.
The sound of the sea came from afar.
In silence, the old man in the carriage put down the book in his hand, then said softly, ”He didn't follow. It seems that you were wrong. Are you sure that he will come to you?”
”Yes, he definitely will.”
Bai Xi nodded with confidence, as if to state a truth.
As if he were hearing a joke, Bai Heng smiled slightly. ”You are my daughter now. It will not be easy for him to take you away. He must at least have the courage to fight against the whole Empire of Aurora.”
”I believe that one day, he will come to save me from your hands.” Bai Xi gazed at the Sacred City in the distance, and said softly, ”If the Empire of Aurora gets in his way, he will defeat it. If you get in his way, I will help him kill you.”
”Are you thinking of killing your father already now? You really are the daughter of a traitor.” Bai Heng laughed, touching Bai Xi's long hair. ”Hermes didn't lie to me when he said that you were born like me. If the day comes, you could take my head off. But whether you can take the entire Empire of Aurora as your dowry, depends on your power.”
Staring at the indifferent Bai Xi, he was full of joy.
”After all, it is worthy of being killed by my own daughter.”
-
-
At midnight, in the Apostolic Palace.
Under the dazzling light, the deep noises continued.
The secretaries with documents in their arms kept walking in single file and put the documents from all over the world on a huge round table. The documents were sorted out and awaiting disposal.
Behind the huge round table, some of the tired cardinal bishops were busy dealing with the documents, discussing with their colleagues in low voices.
An ashtray was full of cigarette butts, the pungent smoke floating in the air.
A warm wind blew, but it was both boring and suffocating.
Behind those cardinal bishops, the King of Red, who should have been resting early, remained sitting in his place. The tea in his cup was cold and changed.
In the long silence, he seemed to be waiting for something.
Until someone came close from afar and pushed open the front door of the main hall. The door trembled, sending out a low voice. The biting winds poured in from outside, dispelling the stifling heat, and bringing the low-pitched disputes to an abrupt end.
From outside to the Apostolic Palace, someone arrogantly walked straight through the layers of the threshold to the center, without any notification or etiquette.
He was unwilling to wait even for a second.
The cardinal bishops raised their heads, looked at the uninvited guest, and frowned.
All of them knew the iconic white hair and the indifferent young man. But they were shocked when they saw the old rosary on his wrist.
There was no one who didn't know what it represented.
In the sight of everyone, he went to the front and bowed to the King of Red.
The King of Red raised his eyes and looked at him.
”Have you made your choice?”
”Thank you for your kindness, your majesty,” Ye Qingxuan said. ”Tonight, I will leave the Sacred City.”
The King of Red was silent for a long time and sighed. ”I thought what the Sacred City promised you was satisfying enough for you.”
”It's too slow.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head. ”I can't wait.”
The King of Red stared into the young man's eyes, but suddenly felt that perhaps he was wrong.
He originally thought that Ye Qingxuan would gain insights from it, but what he saw now was definitely not the case.
In that pair of dark eyes burned the fire of resolution and craziness, like spreading lava on wilderness that burned the earth's crust and steel, and then rose to the sky to light the whole world...
The King of Red lowered his eyes and stopped looking.
”Go ahead.” He waved tiredly. ”In thirty minutes, there will be a boat that will send you wherever you want to go. Someone will be there to give you what you want. After that, perhaps only God can bless you.”
Ye Qingxuan smiled and said nothing.
He bowed and then turned away.
The door closed.
The low-pitched disputes sounded again, and the King of Red closed his eyes drowsily, but for some unknown reason, he suddenly remembered Gaius' favorite poetry.
Since then, we, as humans, have been suffering from great pains and hardships. We Became brutal and indifferent to prove the nature of our real body...
Perhaps that was humanity.
-
-
Late at night, on a quiet wharf outside the Sacred City.
Surrounded by the sound of the tides, Ye Qingxuan waited silently and read the notebook left by Hermes.
Faint moonlight fell from a gap among the clouds, illuminating another obscure figure. The illusory figure stood beside Ye Qingxuan, looked at the young man, and sighed.
”Every musician dreams of the promotion that could bring them everything. Are you sure that you don't want it?”
”What I want is not here.” Ye Qingxuan gazed at the silhouette of the steel city in the distance, and shook his head slowly. ”The Sacred City can't give me what I want either.”
”Little Yezi, you finally got on board.” Lola laughed. ”You should have been like this! Get what you want! Why do you have to worry about so many things? Anyway, this world has been trampled by Hyakume to such a degree. If things go badly, this world will be nothing more than hell!”
A high-pitched whistle, and the iron wheels were ready.
The thump of hooves came from afar, a messenger dressed in white rode a horse and stopped in front of Ye Qingxuan.
”In the name of the Archbishop of the Sacred City, the representative of gods, the highest pope, and the King of Red.” The messenger half knelt to the ground, and handed a red ribbon with green gold trimmings to Ye Qingxuan. ”Today, you are appointed the master of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Grand Inquisitor, assigned to rebuild the Religious Court of Inquiry and patrol all countries, and titled the 'Hand of God.'
”You are crowned with justice. From now on, what you do and say are the principles.”
”This is the will of God!”
”The Hand of God?” Ye Qingxuan stared at the red ribbon for a long time, then laughed softly. ”Great, I like this title. Express my appreciation to the king for me, please.”
Saying that, he wore the holy ribbon on his shoulder with majesty, which meant that he accepted the mission given by the God.
The dark pupils were so cold that the messenger didn't dare to look directly at them and bowed in awe.
”Then, by the will of God, let's first create a better world from fire and iron.”
He turned and left.
Without looking back.
-
Under the silent moonlight, the whistle burst sharply.
The iron wheels rotated slowly and drove away, stirring up undercurrents and waves.
In the dim light in the cabin, Ye Qingxuan stared at the large and complex design sketched on the note, Hermes's last legacy. It was a sketch of a huge thing that straddled the whole Physical World and was named the ”aether net.”
A photo was stuck to the last page of the notebook.
It was a photo taken by Hermes at an unknown time. In the photo, Bai Xi was standing on a cart being pulled by a running golden retriever. She was on a street of Avalon.
She smiled like a little fool who owned the world, although she would definitely roll the cart over in the next second.
”Wait for me, Bai Xi.”
He touched the smile in the photo and closed his eyes.
Soon, I will find you...
And then, I will not let anyone take you away from me!
-
-
That night, a notification was issued by the Central Temple and sent in all directions.
The Religious Court of Inquiry, which had been damaged for many years, was rebuilt from the ashes.
The light of the burning posts would light up the entire world again.
The young man who was named the ”Hand of God” had abandoned his former dreams and aspirations and once again embarked on a long journey.
However, this world had already been immersed in turmoil.
As Ludovic once said, a new era had begun.
It was not a golden age that belonged to mankind, nor the everlasting darkness of the abyss. In the midst of fire and iron, a new prelude started and a new era was coming.