Silent Crown

Chapter 531 I Hope So

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…"

He got up, put his hands on the table, and bent down to overlook Xavier.

"I'm not negotiating with or begging you, and I'm not going to listen to your excuses. So, you don't have to worry about finding a reason."

As he spoke that, Ye Qingxuan lifted his hand and raised his middle finger to show Xavier his ring. "No qualifications or experience is required. I don't have to prove to you if I am qualified. When Maxwell is not here, I am the head of the Fifth Division, and your commander. If I command you to repair the ship, then you repair the ship. If I command you to act now, then you act now.

"Before you talk with me, you have to know your position first, Colonel Xavier. That is an order!"

His harsh voice echoed in the air, and turned into a thunderous noise that made the entire room tremble and the wall hum.

A hint of aggression flashed in Xavier's eyes, and he seemed determined to do something, but someone pressed on his shoulder with a hand.

It was the old musician.

The waves of music theory dispersed the noises in Xavier's body and forcibly restored him to calmness, leaving him no longer unaffected by the hint in Ye Qingxuan's words.

Xavier took a deep breath and stopped looking at Ye Qingxuan.

"It's getting late, and you may be tired, Mr. Ye." He squeezed his voice out of his teeth. "Have a good rest first! We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

Ye Qingxuan glanced at the old musician behind him with a spurious smile.

After holding his gaze, he turned away without saying anything.

The door closed.

After a long time of silence, Xavier breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Mandel, why did you stop me?"

"You were doing what he wanted you to do," Mandel said. "Don't forget who he is now. If you dare to do anything harmful to him, you'll give him an excuse to kill you."

He paused and looked in the direction that Ye Qingxuan had left. "He will never hesitate."

Xavier's face turned purple with anger. "How dare he!"

Although saying so, Xavier actually knew very well.

Of course he would dare to kill me.

The Fifth Division is not a politician institution. It is a violent institution, a manufacturing plant for executioners and killing tools. It is now in a state of emergency, so the wartime regulations are used. If Ye Qingxuan gets a chance, he will never be soft on me.

Xavier sat in his chair silently and smoked the last few cigarettes. His face couldn't be seen clearly in the flickering light.

"I've arranged that room for him to live."

He suddenly said, "Master Mandel, it's up to you next."

"Well, you made a wise choice." Mandel nodded. "Just relax and have a good rest. Tomorrow, he won't be a threat."

Xavier snuffed out the cigarette.

"I hope so."

-

-

In Ye Qingxuan's room in the Cloister of Cavern, a middle-aged man with a face full of whiskers leaned on a chair and wiped his beard bedewed by the liquor after finishing the whole bottle.

"Grand Inquisitor, this is different from what you said to us," he complained. "Your subordinates don't seem willing to transfer the authority to you. Moreover, I'm afraid that you are not welcome at all."

Saying that, he shrugged his shoulders and looked at the doorway. "My crew has been guarded, and my ship has been thrown out, exposed to wind and rain."

"Rest assured, Captain Igor, my promise remains valid." Ye Qingxuan, whose was resting on the bed, opened his eyes and said, "Go back and rest. When things are over, if you are not satisfied with your reward, I can give you more."

Igor sighed reluctantly. "To tell the truth, I'm very satisfied with the reward that you've promised, but I just have some doubts on… the value of your name in those people's hearts. If you are not sure, we can run. Anyway, the ship is still there, right?

"All my sailors know how to fight. It's okay for them to break through here… You don't have to puff yourself up at your own cost. If you are killed tonight, who should I ask for the final payment?"

Ye Qingxuan smiled. "Mr. Igor, are you Asgardian?"

"I prefer to say that I am the son of the sea, although the sea is sometimes a bitch." Igor shrugged. "But I am indeed Asgardian. Yes, you will know that from my name."

"Then you should have heard a proverb." Ye Qingxuan closed his eyes and whispered fluently in Asgardian.

"The real authority will not be in the hands of the thieves for a long time, it will choose the owner who could match with itself. Those who could survive after drinking the dragon blood are the strong ones. Am I right?"

Igor stared at him with a frown for a long time, then he shook his head and sighed.

"I hope so."

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