Silent Crown

Chapter 486 Ludovic

It had been a week.

Ye Qingxuan had sat in jail, waiting for news all this time.

Perhaps one day late at night, someone from the Scared City would bring him out, stick him into a black carriage and let him disappear from this world. Maybe he would be brought to trial in front of all countries and be executed according to the results. Or, he would just spend the rest of his life here in obscurity.

He would age here until he would be thrown out because of some political interests, live a difficult life, and die somewhere.

Although Ye Qingxuan had imagined all kinds of accidents, he had made up his mind to break out immediately after collecting enough information in a few days. But never did he think of this situation. In a way, it could be said to be the worst.

Ye Qingxuan did not think that Ludovic just came here to have a lunch with him.

"Take a seat, Ye Qingxuan." Ludovic pointed to the chair before him. "It\'s not proper to have a guest stand up for dinner."

Ye Qingxuan did not restrain himself. He unabashedly pulled the chair to sit down, calmly gazing at the old man across. "You talk about courtesy here in a prison? Is the nobility so detailed?"

"The details are embodied in every aspect, child." Ludovic was like a kindly old man with a mild tone. Compared to him, Ye Qingxuan was indeed a kid. Ludovic was more than five times older than him.

Ye Qingxuan frowned without replying.

Ludovic casually raised the glass. "For example, eating is an art."

"Is it?" Ye Qingxuan lightly asked, "It can help you eat better?"

Ludovic heard his sarcasm but shook his head. "You are too young. Young people always eat and drink too much but have no idea about the collocations of food."

The waiter came up and poured the red wine for the two. Ye Qingxuan frowned. This was not the Fontainebleau that he ordered.

"You know what?" Ludovic lightly said, "Actually, the most precious thing about smoked salmon is the succulent fragrance. Fontainebleau is good just because of its rareness. Otherwise, the taste will be destroyed.

"Taste it. I\'ve helped you pair it with the best wine from the Anglo Royal Winery wine, the most suitable for the table. The brewers call it the knight because it smells like a knight, escorting without affecting the taste of the food."

He cut a piece of salmon and put it in his mouth. He was graceful while dining and even when drinking.

"It\'s so good. The last time I tasted it was sixteen years ago. I didn\'t expect that I can still taste such delicious food after so long. Please deliver my thanks to Mr. Plan, whose craft has made me taste the essence of food." The second half was said to the waiter. The waiter nodded and left. The chef must be ecstatic to receive praise from Ludovic.

But Ye Qingxuan didn\'t care. "Aren\'t you an ascetic monk?" he asked, "I\'m afraid it\'s not good to be so indulgent."

Ludovic smiled, slowly shaking his head. "Child, you are not well-informed. My ascetic career ended yesterday. There is nothing else in this world worth my penance."

A newspaper was put before Ye Qingxuan. It was just printed this morning. On the front page was the biggest news. Archbishop Ludovic would be the next Pope. After the next day, he would be the new Kind of Red, the shepherd of all sentient beings, the agent of God in the world.

That was the worst news. Ye Qingxuan glanced at it and tossed it aside.

"I know what you\'re thinking." Ludovic lowered his head, tasting the dishes, and said lightly, "Abraham was rescued but he still can\'t leave the emergency room yet. Don\'t worry, I won\'t let him die. Now he has been put into the Mithril Cellar to be frozen. You can expect him to live a long time, maybe longer than you."

The Mithril Cellar was a grim prison or a depository for all musicians. The musicians who committed a felony but could not be killed for a variety of reasons were sent there, frozen up after many processes. Then they would fall into slumber and in the coffin until the day the Sacred City found a way for them to redeem themselves and be woken up again. But most people would die quietly in the long sleep and disappear silently.

"Bai Xi is with Hermes, rest assured." When talking about Bai Xi, Ludovic couldn\'t help sighing. "She is really a clever little girl. The slightest action could drive her away. I wanted to bring her here today to meet you."

Ye Qingxuan was silent but his eyes turned cold and dangerous.

Ludovic did not perceive this. He just picked up the raw oysters and oyster knife that had just been served and said enthusiastically, "Don\'t let the food down. Enjoy the lunch, Ye Qingxuan."

With a snap, the oyster\'s shell was pried open, exposing the white soft meat inside. It filled one\'s mouth with luscious sweet juice.

The taste of life was delicious.

-

This was perhaps the most exquisite meal Ye Qingxuan had ever had. But he could taste nothing.

Ludovic seemed to really have come here to enjoy lunch. He chatted about what had happened in the Sacred City these days with humor and occasionally told small jokes. No hostility or malice could be seen from him. Instead, it was a pleasure.

Ye Qingxuan could not refrain from thinking that maybe Ludovic could still earn a lot if he just accompanied dinners.

Soon, the lunch was finally finished. The table was cleaned up. The pianist finished, saluted, and departed.

The waiter served a box of cigar and a knife with matches.

Ye Qingxuan did not wait for Ludovic\'s enthusiasm. He picked one up directly and cut it open casually. He did not care that the way he was spoiling the treasure would distress many smokers. He was too lazy to even use a match. Putting a finger to the cigar, a flame lit up. The smoke swirled in the air.

Ludovic just smiled. He did not comment on his rude behavior but slowly struck a match to heat the cigar.

After two matches, the cigar was lit. The smoke curled up and blurred his face.

"Let\'s get down to the business, Ye Qingxuan. I think you may not be able to wait any longer."

"No, I like chatting with you." Ye Qingxuan chuckled. "I am not anxious at all, really. It\'ll be better if you take me to take a hot bath and sauna. We can talk to each other frankly and finally go to drink in your private club and chose some beautiful girls together to spend your last day before the throne, leaving a precious memory."

"Really?" Ludovic smiled. "Then I want to thank you."

"You are welcome." Ye Qingxuan humbly shook his head. "This is what I should do. I always cherish good times since they\'re always so short."

"I can give you such kind of life if you like." Ludovic threw up his hands and said warm-heartedly, "How about I help you rebuild this prison into a holiday destination? As long as you don\'t leave here, you can have whatever you want. Food, sauna, beauties? No problem at all, even if you want to see the little girls in the choir do a striptease, I can satisfy you.

"I must say, some girls now are really hot and bold after taking off their church robes. You\'ll be shocked."

After a silence, Ye Qingxuan clenched his teeth and said, "That sounds great."

"But you don\'t want that, Ye Qingxuan." Ludovic sighed. "Don\'t lie to an old man, especially to someone so good at telling lies like me. It\'s meaningless.

"Why can\'t you see how things are? You think I\'m going to use negotiation skills on you? You want to take the initiative but it doesn\'t matter because I don\'t even want to negotiate with you.

"You have tried your best. Now the initiative is in your hands but what can you change? Relax, Ye Qingxuan. I\'ve already said, be honest with each other. It\'s good for both you and me."

Ye Qingxuan was silent. His expression became gloomy. Ludovic was right. Ye Qingxuan would be unable to resist if Ludovic wanted to something to him.

One was the pope, the other was a prisoner.

There had never been a bigger gap in the world.

The next day, the whole world would be in Ludovic\'s hands. Would his ideas and thoughts change if Ye Qingxuan took the initiative of the conversation?

"It seems you have learned to be humble, child. That\'s good." Ludovic nodded, taking a cigar. He said, "Maxwell is now going crazy, you know?"

"Because of me?"

"Not just because of you. To tell the truth, if the sword bearer is gone, he could find another. It\'s difficult to find a sword bearer but it\'s possible. Your business is a political dilemma for Anglo. However, there are always solutions in politics. But what Anglo worries about now is a big trouble. Elizabeth\'s condition is getting worse."

Ludovic shook his head and sighed. "That little girl has held on for so many years but the Dragon Blood curse has infiltrated the marrow. Nothing can save her... For so many years, Archbishop Mephistopheles has tried his best to cure her but there is no way.

"I\'m afraid there is only one month left for her. To make matters worse, there\'s Leviathan. A few months ago, the transformation of the Ultimate formed a chain reaction in the aetheric world. One of the results was that the resurrection time of Leviathan was accelerated. It is expected that six months later, it will completely awaken.

"Now, affected by the breath of Leviathan, the ships of various countries have been subjected to different levels of attack, and the monsters in the sea have begun to change and evolve. Their reproduction has increased to a staggering degree. I\'m afraid it won\'t be long before the number of monsters in the ocean soars at a dramatic rate. By then, humans would not possess the ocean anymore.

"Now, Anglo has launched war plans and mobilized the whole nation. Once the war begins, Anglo would first lose half of its territory and two-thirds of its population.

"The most optimistic result is that after paying the heavy price, the new emperor can kill it again. The worst result for Anglo is to start the destruction of the Holy Grail and die together with the Leviathan."

Ye Qingxuan was silent.

"This is the best result, Ye Qingxuan. The Sacred City paid a heavy price in order to capture Hecatoncheir, which is as dangerous as the Leviathan. Now facing the four living creatures at their strongest point, how can Anglo not pay a little price?"

Ludovic coolly continued, "Even so, facing the domestic strife and foreign aggression, Maxwell still didn\'t give you up. His determination is admirable. Unfortunately, the new emperor has not yet come to the power. Anglo is in such a mess. He doesn\'t even dare to leave Avalon.

"Anglo\'s diplomats are protesting every day before the Sacred Court, but the new head of the Amnesty Department has not entered office yet. It will be along while for your case.

"But the East\'s attitude towards the matter is quite bizarre. On the official side, it\'s as if nothing had happened. The ambassador claimed he has bad health conditions and refuses to see anyone. It has been one week and there has been no response at all.

"But many people from the east have seen several key figures secretly. Unfortunately, they all want you to die..." Ludovic sighed. "You have been a thorn in many people\'s sides, Ye Qingxuan. Bai Heng will never allow the Ye family to exist and he will not give you the opportunity to return to the East alive."

"That sucks." Ye Qingxuan looked indifferent but pretended to cry. "What should I do? Sir Ludovic! You are a merciful and kind-hearted gentleman with great sympathy. Please help me!"

"Is that genuine, Ye Qingxuan?" Ludovic smiled and looked at him. "Aren\'t you planning to escape? As far as I know, you seemed to be interested in the boiler room for two days. Do you want to get out of here through the hot water pipes? That\'s a good idea, but if you want to get out of here, you don\'t have to bother. I can let you go out of the gate fair and square and guarantee that there will be no trouble."

"What\'s the price?" Ye Qingxuan asked indifferently. "From the beginning until now, you\'ve beat around the bush enough. You have been waiting for this moment, right? Now you\'re finally getting down to the business."

"You are a rational man, Ye Qingxuan. More rational than your father." Ludovic shook his head and exclaimed, "Over ten years ago, your father and I had the same conversation. Unfortunately, he refused me even before knowing the conditions. I thought I was going to fail today."

"I\'m not him." Ye Qingxuan coldly said, "Just clearing my name is not enough. Be generous, Pope, what else can you offer?"

"Ye Qingxuan, is there anything in the world that you want and I can\'t offer?" Ludovic laughed. He laid down his cigar and gazed at Ye Qingxuan. "Child, I am able to endorse your purity in the name of God, and I can even honor you as an innocent saint and make you a genuine Saint! You will be the embodiment of purity and integrity! I can make your future path a smooth road so that all your desire can be fulfilled.

"You want to go back to Anglo? The Sacred City will help you solve the problem of Leviathan just as we solved the Hecatoncheir. I can even help you rise above the royalty of Anglo and make you become the uncrowned king! Do you want to help avenge your mother? As long as you agree, your mother\'s deeds will immediately appear in the church\'s scripture of the good. I can release your teacher, help him erase all the records, and let him live in the world without shame. Even if you want to go back to the East, I will help you to re-establish the Ye family. If necessary, the Sacred City can even make you the second Bai Heng!

"Think about it, you would be the second to only one..."

He paused, revealing a benevolent smile. "Of course, it would be better if you would stay in the Sacred City. I can baptize you again, Ye Qingxuan. From then on, you would be my godson. The Sforza family can be entrusted to you to inherit.

"Within two years, you will become a bishop and return after five years. Then you will be given a red robe and a parish in charge. When you are thirty years old, you will enter the Cardinals at the youngest age ever. You can sit on my right side and become the vice-ruler of the Sacred City.

"After I die, you are the new Pope!"

Dead silence.

After the silence, Ye Qingxuan snuffed out the cigar and lightly asked, "Am I your son?"

"I\'m old enough to be your grandfather, Ye Qingxuan." Ludovic shrugged. "When I was young, I had countless lovers, but none of them were from the east. Neither man nor woman. So you don\'t have to worry."

"Then why should I trust you?" Ye Qingxuan asked in return. "Believe a lying politician? I\'m not that crazy."

"I\'ve told you, Ye Qingxuan. Why do I need to lie to you?" Ludovic gazed at him with compassion and mercy. "As long as you bow down to me, as long as you surrender to me, everything in this world is at your fingertips. I can give you everything you want."

"After you took everything from me?" Ye Qingxuan raised his eyes and looked at him.

His eyes were pure black. Reflecting the sunshine from the window, they smoldered like black iron burned red.

"Mr. Ludovic, I don\'t know what about me is worth you paying so much. My Mind movement tells me you\'re not lying. Everything you say is true. Unfortunately, you are doomed to fail today."

Ye Qingxuan slowly shook his head and got up. When looking down at the dignified old man, he could not help revealing a look of derision. "Because you don\'t deserve it." He took his eyes away from Ludovic, pushed his chair, and turned away.

Ludovic looked at him silently with neither anger nor fury. He just smiled.

But coming to the door, Ye Qingxuan froze. The door had disappeared.

Ye Qingxuan was standing before a smooth and flat wall. On the wall was a carefully depicted drawing of the original door. The pattern was so vivid it seemed real.

All that remained was an iron doorknob inlaid in the wall. No matter how violently Ye Qingxuan turned it, he couldn\'t open the door. It was like a bad joke, a tricky game.

But Ye Qingxuan turned pale because all sound had disappeared. In his perception, all the people had disappeared. The whole prison was empty... No, the world on the other side of the wall had vanished. He could only feel the emptiness of chaos.

"I don\'t deserve it?" Ludovic\'s voice came from behind the table. "No, Ye Qingxuan, you\'re wrong."

Ye Qingxuan stiffly turned back and saw his meaningful smile. As if proclaiming the truth, he uttered, "The only one who deserves your allegiance in the world is me."

Then he saw outside the big window behind Ludovic, the sun quickly fell from the sky, fell to the ground, and became a glowing red glass ball. He saw the moon rise from the horizon, dissipate in the air and turn into endless frost.

The earth was moving, mountains and rivers were being rebuilt, and the endless river submerged everything; the world outside the window was turned into an ocean. Strange and huge fish swam silently in the depths of the ocean. On the other side of the glass, a pair of horrible meters-long eyes was curiously peeping at the scene inside. Then the fish was devoured by a larger and stranger fish. Blood gushed and dyed everything red. The red turned into flames then the world became a Purgatory.

Finally, everything was shattered.

In the chaos, the world was recreated. Everything began to grow... Everything was chimerical like a dream.

But Ye Qingxuan could perceive every detail and every tiny change. Because of this, he felt fear from the depth of his heart!

He didn\'t even know what exactly happened!

In the end, his sight was set on the man near the window. His gaze sharpened as if he wanted to tear the man\'s disguise to see what monster was hidden under the flesh and blood!

But even if he used up all the power, he still could not find anything wrong. All this seemed to have nothing to do with Ludovic. There were no aether waves around him. He was just an ordinary old man.

Ye Qingxuan looked at him, drenched with sweat.

Nothing could be sensed but there was great invisible pressure surrounding and swallowing him. His heart beat rapidly and his hands trembled. He almost stopped breathing in the dead silence.

"What the h*ll are you...?"

"Let me introduce myself again, Ye Qingxuan." Ludovic sat in his chair and stared at the teenager. "I am the president of the Ecclesiastical Oder of the Sacred City, the family leader of the Sforza family. I am also the ruler of the Sacred City..."

He paused, with a strange smile. "I represent the only real God in the world and the masters of all evil thoughts. I am the true agent of Hyakume in this world. Along with the Origin of Evil, the Dark Sovereign, the King of Destruction and Killing, and the Cunning Spider, I am also one of the nine incarnations.

"You can call me Ludovic… the Original Dark Pope!"