Silent Crown

“What?!” In that moment, Bradley suspected that he had heard incorrectly and was hallucinating. He bent over and stared at the worker. Eyes narrowed, he demanded, “Are you sure? I said I want ST101.”

“That’s right, sir.” The worker leaned back, slightly afraid. Turning around the book in his hands, he showed Bradley the text. “According to the records, someone with authorization directly searched through the inventory and chose it five minutes before you arrived.”

“Sh*t!” Someone had beaten him to it! His face practically green, Bradley slammed his fists on the table. “Who? Who? Where did he go?! He can’t be far…” he demanded, grabbing the worker by his collar. But he quickly realized that he had lost his temper. and quietly slid a thick pouch of money to the worker. “My apologies, I was a little excited. Can you check who it is?”

The worker weighed the pouch and nodded in satisfaction, his furrowed brows smoothed out. But as soon as he searched, they furrowed again. “Sir, this is a transregional exchange.” The worker seemed confused too. “It’s an exchange request that came directly from Sacred City. I don’t know why he asked specifically for this item, but it has already been verified with the administrator’s signature.”

Bradley froze in shock. Were they sure? Most musicians came personally to the exchange center so they could test out the item in the experiment room. And how had this person known about an item that was only in the records, and not even on the exchange list? “He’s from Sacred City?” Bradley murmured, angry and confused. “When did he take it?!”

“Uh, according to the message, the item will be kept here, and someone will come to pick it up.”

Upon hearing this, Bradley’s eyes lit up, something sinister flashing in them. He stretched over the counter and stuffed another pouch of money into the worker’s arms. Quietly, he said, “Tell me his name. I’m sure he’ll know how to treat my family.”

The worker hesitated, but could not resist the temptation of money. “Let me see. His name is…” he flipped through the record and made a double take. He sounded out the name, “Ye Qingxuan?”

Edmund was shocked too. “What?” He gazed around the hall subconsciously. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone’s backside at another counter. That familiar, annoying white hair…Gritting his teeth, he tugged at Bradley’s shirt corner. “Uncle, look!”

—

Ye Qingxuan and Charles looked around the Musician Union, praising the three stone tablets. It was already August 17th and according to his promise with Wolf Flute, the reward money from Rain Artist would arrive soon. He only needed to take a holy emblem to any church to withdraw it.

From what he knew, Wolf Flute was sometimes unreliable, and the money might be a few days late, but he had been unexpectedly quick, and transferred the money early.

Faced with three-hundred thousand, Charles was stunned. If they found a good agent, they could probably buy a house in uptown with this money. If used for tuition, they would not have to worry for about five years. But if they calculated their expenses on the safe side, they had enough for at least three years. Besides everyday costs, they still needed money for materials for practice and exploration. If they added in Bai Xi, it was enough for two years. Ye Qingxuan’s plan did not rely entirely on Wolf Flute’s help. With his speed, he could achieve Rhythm Level in two years, apply for an internship outside the academy, and take on his own missions.

But he did not know that other than money, Wolf Flute had also mentioned their promise: if he was accepted by the academy, Wolf Flute would give him a gift. Ye Qingxuan had forgotten about this, and was surprised that Wolf Flute had remembered. They were not far from the Musician Union, so he decided to come and see what the mysterious surprise was.

Standing before the counter at the other side, he bowed his head at the old woman. “Hello, madam, excuse me.”

“Is this your first time here?” The woman gazed at the nervous youth and smiled. “Relax a bit. What can I help you with?”

Seeing that it was not as serious as he had thought, Ye Qingxuan relaxed and smiled. “I’m here to pick something up. It should be kept here by a Mr. Wolf Flute.”

“What is it?” The worker flipped through the book, searching.

“I don’t know,” Ye Qingxuan replied helplessly. “It should be a gift. Something mysterious…”

“Do you have any vouchers?”

“Is this okay?” He handed over his identification card and holy emblem.

After a while, the worker nodded. “Code ST101? It is stored here indeed. Let me go find it for you.”

Soon, she returned, holding a box sealed with wax. “Please check for any damages and sign here. The paperwork for the first time is very complex and I don’t want to trouble you.”

Ye Qingxuan froze a little and smiled awkwardly.

—

“What is it?” Waiting on the side, Charles was more excited than Ye Qingxuan. “It’s time to make a splash. Don’t hesitate, junior!”

“Let me see.” Ye Qingxuan used a paper cutter to remove the wax, and opened the metal box carefully. The box was the size of his palm, and was padded with foam on all sides. There was a piece of white silk in the middle, as if it were holding treasured jewelry. But there was not any jewelry in it, only a plain pocket watch. The steel gray watch seemed old and felt heavy in his hand. It did not have gems embedded in it like recent trends, and only had a detailed carving as decoration.

Two snakes intertwined—one calm and cold, the other wild. They were tangled together, killing each other. The carving produced heart-stopping tension, making one want to hold their breath.

“You can tell it’s good just by the decorations,” Charles praised. “Come on, let me see it.”

“No way.” Ye Qingxuan dodged his hand. Using his knowledge from working in the clock shop, he flipped open the lid and studied the rotary table inside. The needle was still ticking steadily. Ye Qingxuan looked up at the clock and saw that the time was accurate.

He thought that perhaps someone at the union adjusted the time, but then he realized that there was no knob to adjust. If one wanted to, he would have the open the entire thing and adjust the core. But the seam was still wound tight, and it was clear that no one had opened it. Not even a speck of dust could get through the seam. Ye Qingxuan could only use the reflection to see that it was there. So it had never been adjusted since its creation, but it had the exact time.

“Amazing precision.” Ye Qingxuan clutched the watch. Feeling the faint vibrations in his palm, he could not imagine how the machine’s core worked.

“I doubt it’s that simple.” Charles touched the pocket watch with a finger and his expression changed. “There’s…”

A voice sounded from the side, cutting Charles off. “Sir, can I have a moment with you?” A well-dressed middle-aged man had appeared beside him. His smile was warm and his voice was soft and deep, but not far away was Edmund, his expression much uglier.

Seeing Edmund, Ye Qingxuan furrowed his brows, not wanting to deal with him. “I’m sorry, but I’m a bit short on time.” He glanced at Bradley. “What’s the matter?”

Although seeing that the youth did not want to talk to him, Bradley’s expression was still gentle and warm. Putting his hand to his chest in apology, he said, “I’m sorry for bothering you. The thing is, the Double Snake Time Meter in your hands is very important to me. Would you be able to part with it?” Bradley looked him up and down, taking in his old jacket. A sense of understanding appeared in his eyes. He took out a check. “I can buy it from you for fifty thousand pounds…”

“Tch, did you forget a zero?” Charles could not help but laugh. He nudged the youth’s shoulder. “Junior, sell it to me. I’ll give you sixty thousand!”

“You!” Anger flashed through Bradley’s eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

“It’s called Double Snake Time Meter? Sounds nice.” Ye Qingxuan studied the watch in his hands. “And sir, isn’t your price a little low?”

“Fifty thousand for a stupid watch is good enough for you,” Edmund said coldly. “Just see it as our charity.” When he finished, he felt the glare from his uncle. His expression instantly changed and he shut up obediently.

“Hah, really?” Ye Qingxuan laughed and held up his hand. “The shell looks like metal, but it’s actually ancient silver. The most obvious sign is the rare spots. Lapis like this isn’t mined often. One gram should be around 700 pounds. This watch is around fifty grams, so the price should be at least thirty five thousand. I didn’t check, but the watch core for an ancient silver shell should at least be made by the top mechanic in the West. Let’s add twenty-thousand for now.” Ye Qingxuan hooked his forefinger on the chain, twirling the watch beautifully around his wrist, letting it land in his palm. His finger slid down and opened the watch.

He felt around and his finger stopped at the edge of the lid. His smile instantly became mocking. “It should be at least ninety years old. If we ignore everything else and just look at the wear and use on the surface, it’s clearly an antique. Using the price of items from the same time period at auctions as reference, it’s easily one hundred thousand. If the watch core is marked by a famous craftsman, the price can soar even more.”

As the youth spoke quietly, Bradley’s features twisted more and more. Finally, Ye Qingxuan raised his head and asked calmly, “Are you sure fifty thousand isn’t a joke?”