531 I Hope So (1/2)

The Cloister of Cavern was first built by a group of ascetic monks.

They spent forty years carving the early structure of the cloister out of the rock cliff. From then on, after two hundred years and four periods of construction, the Cloister of Cavern became what it looked like now.

Like the headquarters of the Chainsaw Fraternity, the interior part of the cloister was carved out of the rock mountain, but its scale was not as grand as the Chainsaw Fraternity's. The construction of the stone chambers could only be described as rough, for those chambers didn't even have any windows, but only several fist-sized holes for ventilation.

After Ye Qingxuan's identity was verified by a musician, he was respectfully guided to the office of the cloister's dean.

The stove in the corner dispelled the dampness in the stone chamber, but it was still cold.

Ye Qingxuan sat in a chair and waited silently. After half an hour, the door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man who looked capable and vigorous came in.

He looked older than his age, the hair on his temples going gray. His bones and facial features showed that he was Angle, and his knuckles were large, and his palms were rough with calluses. Although his muscles were oversized, they still presented a sense of strength.

He moved with power and sturdiness, like an army.

”Hello, Mr. Ye, I've heard a lot about you.” He stretched out his hand to Ye Qingxuan, and introduced himself. ”I am the interim leader here, Colonel Xavier.”

Ye Qingxuan raised his eyes, looked at him and his hand, but he didn't intend to shake hands with him.

Colonel Xavier's tone was very subtle, for he disguised his discontent and contempt very well.

Even though he called him ”Mr. Ye,” he did not care about Ye Qingxuan's identity as a sword bearer.

Handshaking was common, but it could only be used among peers. As the successor appointed by Maxwell, the leader of the Fifth Division under a state of emergency, Ye Qingxuan possessed a higher authority than Xavier did. Therefore, Xavier should give a military salute and transfer the command authority to him when they met.

Instead, after making Ye Qingxuan wait for half an hour, he came late with two subordinates, and wanted to shake hands with him with fake zest.

Ye Qingxuan looked at the two men behind Xavier.

One of them was an old man in a robe, holding a walking stick, looking like a clergyman of the church. He did not wear an emblem nor a sacrificing garment of the Order, but he wore many luxurious rings on his fingers, from which anyone could feel the aether waves.

He was definitely a musician with many achievements. Although he didn't use any music movement or alchemy equipment, the water vapor and coldness couldn't get into his body.

It was because of the buffer layer of natural music theory around his body, which was formed through the regular frictions between the Physical World and the gravitational force formed in the music theory of his body.

His music theory was at the distortion level, at least.

The other person was much younger. He wore a pair of well-crafted glasses, which showed that he had a bad eyesight. The calluses on the index finger and thumb of his right hand indicated that he had been doing paperwork for years. Therefore, he might be a copyist, a scholar, a lawyer, or a middle-class official.

However, there was no mark of the Fifth Division on their coats.

That was interesting.

A cunning smile appeared on Ye Qingxuan's face.

Being ignored by Ye Qingxuan, Xavier's expression remained unchanged, but his eye muscles trembled slightly. He drew back his hand and sat in the main position of the office, as if nothing had happened.

”Mr. Ye, you must be tired after such a long trip.” Xavier maintained his politeness and respect to Ye Qingxuan. ”The resting room has already been prepared for you. A batch of supplies just arrived, so our chef has cooked many delicious dishes. You can have your dinner later and have a good rest tonight.”

”Very good.” Ye Qingxuan nodded, but didn't respond further. Then he asked straightforwardly, ”How many members are there in the Fifth Division at present?”

Xavier smiled. ”Something happened, so we still have 374 people. But the situation is not good. We—”

Ye Qingxuan waved his hand and interrupted him. ”It's enough for the time being. Our ship was broken during the trip. I need a qualified engineer to repair the ship with my people. You can arrange it later. We hope that the ship can be repaired tomorrow, then we could set off as soon as possible.”

Xavier became silent and his smile froze.

”Mr. Ye, you just arrived, and I'm afraid you don't know the situation here,” he said. ”The enthusiasm of young people is worthy of admiration, so I understand your anxiety. But the Fifth Division has its own way of mobilizing and operating. You have not taken part in any specific actions, so you need some time to understand and adapt. Otherwise, if we make a wrong move, I am afraid that we will suffer a severe loss.

”If there is anything to be dealt with, we can discuss together. Since the supplies are insufficient and our people are in a poor condition now, we shouldn't act rashly until the headquarters in Anglo give us further instructions.”

Hearing that, Ye Qingxuan could not help laughing.

He didn't talk, but only tapped the table in front him with his fingers and stared at Xavier's expression.

(Ye): He must have spent quite a long time preparing such a fluent and seemingly reasonable remark. He is more like a politician than operational staff.

(Xavier): Ye Qingxuan, you are too young and inexperienced. You haven't even participated in any actions of the Fifth Division. You still need to do a lot of work. Moreover, the lack of supplies, the poor condition of the staff, you know nothing about those… In short—you know nothing!

As the silence stretched, Ye Qingxuan kept tapping on the table with his fingers. The crisp sound was like a small chisel that took away Xavier's smile.

In the end, Xavier became awkward.

”Anything else?” Ye Qingxuan suddenly asked. ”Any other excuses or reasons?”

Xavier's face twitched slightly, for he was irritated by the tapping sound of the table. A flash of anger appeared in his eyes.

”Still not enough?” he asked coldly.

Ye Qingxuan smiled and shook his head. ”I think you've been thinking wrong since the beginning…”