618 Think with Your Brain... (1/2)
In the stiff silence, only the loud noise from the earth rammer in the distance could be heard.
Raymond said nothing. Ye Qingxuan's hand hung in the air, waiting, and in the end he still had yet to receive the decree of the King of Red.
Norman's gaze flitted back and forth between the two. Sensing the anger in Raymond's thin body, he couldn't help but gulp.
No one had ever extended a hand and asked for the decree of the King of Red upon being questioned by representatives of the Sacred City. And only audacious fellows like Ye Qingxuan dared to do so without any fear for the possible consequence of intensifying conflicts.
Raymond was present as a representative of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, and he himself represented the will of the Church. The attitude he conveyed could determine the cardinals' view on Ye Qingxuan to a certain extent... But would Ye Qingxuan really care about what the cardinals thought?
He looked down on even Ludovic, so why would he even spare a thought about the group of old politicians whom Ludovic twisted around his finger?
Ye Qingxuan adhered to the Church's mission, but was also independent of the Church.
After many years of being shelved by the Sacred City, the Religious Court of Inquiry had also been completely disappointed with the Church since a long time ago. Even if a cardinal had really been present on that day, not to say Raymond, Shi Dong would have dared to put on a sour face, let alone Ye Qingxuan?
He was presently the Bearer of the Staff of Authority appointed by the Holy Cauldron, and held the title of the Hand of God conferred by the King of Red!
His foundation was in Anglo. It consisted of the trust and wholehearted support of the royal family, regardless of how much national resources the support entailed. Furthermore, after helping Anglo to tide over its troubles, he gained unprecedented popularity among the people with his image as the savior of the country. It could be said that every decision he made at the moment had the support of Anglo.
He was not a king, but his status had surpassed that of a king.
He need not answer to the Sacred City, on the contrary, the Sacred City owed him a lot.
It was exactly because of such an understanding that caused Raymond to forcibly suppress the anger in his heart and kept his cool on the surface. Otherwise, he would have turned indifferently and leave in displeasure.
Facing Ye Qingxuan's silent waiting, Raymond lowered his eyes, seeming admitting defeat, and gave up on his original plan. In the end, he still made his decision. ”Mr. Ye, if you can give us Genesis in exchange, we are willing to compensate Anglo.”
Almost gritting his teeth as he said so, Raymond lifted a finger. ”The coordinates of the undeveloped remains of a catastrophe in the World of Dark. In addition to the carcass of the catastrophe within the site, it also includes precious information and techniques from the times before the Age of Dark.”
For any country, catastrophe remains were vital strategic resources that could not be given up.
Other than being able to master the technology concerning catastrophes, it was even possible to discover precious, epochal items. One must keep in mind that Anglo and Burgundy even fought against each other in the War of the Roses, which lasted for a hundred years, to contest over the rights to a site of remains.
The banner of the red rose, which represented Anglo, and the banner of the white rose, which represented Burgundy, went to war with each other and paid costly prices. The war only ended a few decades ago after the Sacred City intervened, as the two nations finally decided, albeit reluctantly, to split the earnings evenly and jointly develop the site.
Meanwhile, the colony in East India primarily served the purpose of facilitating the excavation of the remains of catastrophes.
After all, India was where the catastrophe remains were most densely located in the world. There, countries colonized and opened up new land at all costs, madly claiming land as their own, be it is the various nations in the west or the Empire of Aurora in the east.
And the site of remains was not even the final condition.
After seeing Ye Qingxuan's unmoved expression, Raymond gritted his teeth and added on once more. ”After Anglo signs a confidentiality agreement, we can also provide a piece of sealed technology belonging to the next era, a design plan of an epochal aether engine... It is enough to ensure that Anglo can stay ahead of the competition in terms of similar technology for more than 60 years!”
For weapons, 60 years was almost a generation. The attributes of the weapons of the previous generation simply couldn't be compared to that of the next epoch!
It was exactly because of the almost monopolistic technical know-how they mastered that enabled the madmen of the Chainsaw Fraternity to frenetically sell their weapons of war to the various countries.
Silence.
Ye Qingxuan was still unmoved.
He simply kept his hand extended, waiting for the decree of the King of Red.
As a result, Raymond's face darkened completely.
How does the saying go?
Look a gift horse in the mouth!
For any country, the weight of the bargaining chip would be enough to make the king choose between what has been offered and the legacy of the saint, but Ye Qingxuan is completely unmoved!
Raymond was filled with deep regrets, shame and vexation.
I've miscalculated.
Ye Qingxuan's reaction was so indifferent that it could only mean one thing... This fella has never considered any of Anglo's interests at all.
He only wants things for himself.
To take away the legacy of the saint from him, one must give him something of equal value in exchange.
But for musicians, what in the world could be more important than the legacy of the saint?
The crown of the three kings?
Kid me not...
It is totally impossible for the Sacred City to allow Ye Qingxuan to master the legacy of the saint. It can be anyone else, but not Ye Qingxuan!
He knows too much, and Ye Lanzhou also knows too much... Furthermore, he is an easterner! If he returns to the East in the future, goes through the Path of the Deva, and even accepts the legacy of one of the Six Royals [1], what else is there in the world that can act as a check and balance for him?
The King of Red has already emphasized it to the guardian of the Holy Cauldron.
The calmness and staidness on Raymond's face gradually dissipated, replaced by darkness and coldness. Looking at the smiling young man in front of him, he asked coldly, ”Ye Qingxuan, are you really unrepentant?”
”Oh, what are you saying.” Ye Qingxuan smiled indifferently. ”How dare I negotiate terms with the Sacred City? I stand by my word, as long as the Holy See formally issues a decree ordering me to hand over the legacy of Master Haydn, I would say no more and personally deliver Genesis to the Sacred City.”
He paused, and his gaze turned cold, even the gentle smile on his lips lost its warmth. As he looked at the old man in front of him, the abyss-like darkness in his pitch black irises seemed to boil.
In the depths of the darkness, the fiery glow of thunder brewed up, like a sword.
”But before that, please be clear about one thing...” He also lifted a finger and said coldly, ”In the Church, I am an archbishop appointed by the Holy See, the Grand Inquisitor of the Religious Court of Inquiry, the Bearer of the Staff of Authority approved by the Holy Cauldron. In Anglo, I am the Prince of Avalon, the deputy ruler of Anglo acting on behalf of the empress. In the East, I am a marquis of the dragon bloodline, the next head of House Ye... Regardless of which identity of mine that you are talking to, I hope that you will carefully consider whether the words coming out of your mouth are appropriate.”
As Raymond's expression darkened, the finger poked him on the forehead over and over, without any trace of politeness.
Ye Qingxuan continued. ”Think properly with your brain. You called me unrepentant? And who do you think you are?
”Who gave you the right to doubt my words and actions? Who gave you the assurance to question my decision? And who gave you the courage for you to dare to talk nonsense in front of me? ”
As the finger poked his forehead, Raymond's face was purple with rage, his shoulders trembled angrily, and he gritted his teeth so hard that they were almost crushed. But throughout the ordeal, he said nothing.
He simply let Ye Qingxuan extend a finger to press all his reason and dignity into the dust.
”You've gone too far!” Norman was furious and walked forward, trying to stop Ye Qingxuan. But when the pair of dark eyes looked over, simply by looking at him, the terrifying gravitational pull from the Symphony of Predestination almost crushed Norman's consciousness into pieces.
Norman was momentarily dazed, and immediately got a splitting headache. His vision turned black, and he sat down on the ground involuntarily, covered in cold sweat, his organs convulsing in fear.
It was as if he had been thrown into the depths of the ocean abyss.
”Please forgive my offense.” Raymond finally lowered his head and squeezed out of a few words. ”I beg to take back my words just now, please don't be bothered about it.”
Then only did he realize what a serious mistake he had made.
He had neglected Ye Qingxuan's identity.
Subconsciously, he had regarded the other person as an unappreciative brat, but had forgotten about what his identity signified.
Unrepentant?
Disregarding other matters, how dare anyone utter such a word to the Grand Inquisitor?
If Ye Qingxuan had taken it seriously, he could have nailed Raymond to the stake, burned him to ashes, and thrown the remains to the doorstep of the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments, whereas the congregation could only bite the bullet and would even have to apologize to Ye Qingxuan.
Had it taken place a century ago when the trial court still existed, Ye Qingxuan could even directly declare him to be a heretic and conduct a large-scale cleansing in his school and order...
”Good that you understood.” Ye Qingxuan withdrew his finger, randomly grabbed a handkerchief, then wiped the sweat and grease off his finger completely. He threw the handkerchief onto the ground, and gave an indifferent wave of his hand. ”Enough for today, you may go.
”I still maintain my stand, as long as the decree of the Holy See is here, I will hand over Genesis with both hands.
”However, please be clear about one thing, it will definitely take more than random nobodies who come to Anglo casually and say some bullshit along the lines of 'do it for the sake of the world' to take things away from me!”
Raymond bit his lip, swallowing such bloody humiliation and his rage. He pulled Norman up from the ground, took two steps back, and said calmly, ”If that is the case, the Church will evaluate your elements. I hope that you will have a change of mind soon.”
As if he had heard a joke, Ye Qingxuan failed to suppress a chuckle. Too lazy to even turn back, he merely waved. ”As you please.”
As he said so, he didn't bother to pay anymore attention to them and turned to leave.