Crown of Silence

Chapter 819 Good Night

Iberia.

The peninsula country that once faced Angola across the sea now roars with the roar of the surging waves, and the reefs washed out for thousands of years burst out.

On the dark cliffs mixed with a lot of iron and metal, the earth shook and cracks appeared.

The slender iron piles floated in the air, with a texture like bones. Under the pounding of invisible forces, they were wedged into the deepest part of the stone mountain inch by inch.

Through the hole as thick as a human waist, you can hear the dull echo from the deepest part of the earth.

After almost completely penetrating the stone mountain from top to bottom, breaking through the rock layer, soil and sand, the iron piles with lapis lazuli as the core entered a depth of hundreds of meters below the sea level.

As if opening up a deep cave, a deep and cold wind came from the deepest part of the earth.

"The survey of the earth veins is correct."

The musician standing at the entrance of the cave put away the construction drawings in his hand and nodded to the engineer behind him: "The third Iberian branch is here. The object has been explored and the equipment can be prepared for entry."

So, on the sea, the heavy steel ship burst into a sharp and high-pitched cry.

After smashing the layers of reefs in the shallow sea, it came to the bottom of the cliff. Soon, the changing musician on the deck waved his hand and struggled to drive the dozens of tons of containers to fly up and hang high in the air.

As the four sides of the container opened, the heavy steel sealed in it scattered in the air, and soon, it was caught by an invisible hand. Under the support of the ether, dozens of mass-produced musicians blushed and manipulated countless iron materials and machinery in the sky. In the end, they aimed at the cave on the cliff from a distance.

The musician in charge of the project took out the terminal from his arms, dialed the module formed by the illusion on it, quickly verified his heartbeat and identity, and connected to Avalon, which was thousands of miles away.

Amid the chaotic noise, a deep voice sounded:

"This is Stein's Chamber Zero."

"This is the recording node No. 5684, the site of the Iberia Branch Interconnection Project No. 3. The ground vein survey is correct. Apply for the central second-layer interface and construction authorization."

After a short period of silent waiting, the reply came: "The second-layer relay authorization has been opened, and the Iberia main vein project has been confirmed to be correct. Gentlemen, you can start construction.

In the name of the Supreme Network, I hereby authorize you."

Accompanied by the complex music theory transmitted from thousands of miles away, a calm and cold voice sounded:

"——Establish the foundation of the earth, support the dome of the sky, and the eternal world is created from this!"

Accompanied by that calm voice, a low movement sounded from the terminal, and the music theory from Avalon unfolded from it, awakening the sleeping steel in the sky.

Amid the flying sparks and jumping electric light, steel and iron rubbed against each other, bursting out sharp sounds, explaining the frenzy of the movement. When it fell to the ground, it made the earth tremble, forming a low drumbeat.

Main piles, foundations, hydraulic dampers, ether diverter valves...

Following the pull of invisible gravity, layers of steel fell from the sky and took root on the cave. Rivets were wedged in and screws were tightened. In an instant, the steel rose from the ground.

Like a sharp skeleton, it was about to pierce the sky.

Then, layers of heavy auxiliary facilities were pieced together.

In the long roar, the tens-meter-high steel building grew at an incredible speed, until finally, the bones and flesh were full and the outline was hideous.

"The first bell starts!"

The royal musician who presided over the project shouted and ordered: "No. 5684, synchronized sequence!"

So, the steel tower shook violently, and the huge shock was transmitted from top to bottom to the deepest part of the ground, causing the huge cavity under the deep earth to burst into a roar.

Across the heavy earth, the magnificent bell sounded once.

The sea shook.

Far away in the realm of heaven on earth, the etheric network high in the sky still maintained a peaceful rotation, but one of the small modules was slightly shaken. Across thousands of miles, along the huge network in the etheric sea, a trace of echoes was transmitted to the country across the ocean.

The tower was lit up with a fiery light.

"Second bell ringing!"

The musician shouted excitedly: "Verification start!"

The earth shook again, and the bell from the earth vein cavity became louder and louder, conveying its own message to the distant country and accepting the new music theory.

"Third bell ringing!"

The musician roared: "Confirm the music theory agreement!"

The enthusiastic engineers pulled the cables quickly, waiting for the final echo to arrive.

In the distance, the fiery torrent emerged from under the sea surface, glowing like the scorching sun. That was the endless etheric flow rushing in the deep sea. The established earth vein track, under the guidance of the signpost of the etheric sea, crossed the ocean of thousands of miles and rushed to it. The fierce light penetrated the heavy ocean, forming a golden torrent.

Until finally, they gathered in the deep earth vein cavity, followed the predetermined track, rushed up to the sky, gushed out from the top of the harmony, rushed into the sky, and gathered with thousands of light streams.

The light was like the neon lights floating in the polar regions, and silver ribbons danced in the night sky, making the sky burned red by the flames appear breathtakingly magnificent.

So the bell rang.

Amid the cheers of everyone, the musician who presided over the project stared at the sky in silence for a long time, and turned his head:

"How many towers are there?"

"Calculate the time, there should be 27 towers, right?"

The assistant flipped through the project plan and smiled bitterly: "According to the progress, before the end of tomorrow, our six teams will have to build 40 buildings in Iberia.

It's a big project...it's easy to talk at the top, but it's broken down at the bottom. We talk about saving the world, but in reality all we can do is work overtime, right? "

"I'm not asking us."

The musician shook his head, but twitched his chin at the firelight reflected in the sky: "Well, that one."

"Then no one will know."

The bitter smile on the assistant's face stiffened, and he shook his head slightly: "I'm afraid even the executioners can't figure it out, right? The time it takes us to erect a tower here is enough for them to light a hundred fire racks."

"yes."

The musician tilted his head, put the lit match close to the cigarette, took a deep breath and put out the match: "Bringing a glimmer of new order, and then offering a hundred times the same amount of destruction..."

Sometimes I wonder: How will future history books evaluate us? "

The assistant shrugged.

No one knows about this issue.

But if Stone were here, he would probably answer him as 'the one who saves the world', right?

Unfortunately, Stone never paid attention to these boring questions when he was working.

The Inquisition never cared about whether their place in the history books was infamy. All they cared about was their work.

-

Also in the land of Iberia, also under the cover of the sky.

When the royal musicians threw the silver light ribbon representing the new order into the sky, the purification musicians on the ground also threw ten times more fire into the sky.

Stone walked under the stake, his iron boots trampling on the ashes.

Among the countless burning firewood teams, the sounds of crying and whining came, and the dying breath seemed to be entangled in the burning flames.

His steps were steady and determined, not like a dying old man at all. Even though he was holding a fat man by the collar and struggling hard, he didn't move at all.

"No! It's not like that! The Holy City promised me! I am pure!" His expression twitched into a ball, and tears flowed down his face: "I am pious! You can't do this!"

Stone smiled.

"Who, then, can prove your piety?"

He lowered his head, overlooking the man, casting a ferocious shadow on his twisted face.

Against the blazing firelight, the old face could not be seen clearly, but his eyes seemed to be two deep cracks, leading to a world filled with lava and fire.

"Is it this benevolent Cardinal?"

Shi Dong stretched out his hand and pointed at the charred corpse on the burning rack beside him.

The charred corpse was twitching in the flames, as if there was still a trace of life left.

The once luxurious red robe had turned into charred and twisted charcoal during the burning. Only the holy symbol around his neck was still shining in the burning fire.

Immediately afterwards, Shi Dong pointed his finger at another torture rack:

"Is this the prince?"

"Is this the leader of the party?"

"Or is it His Majesty the King?"

He opened his mouth and smiled as if chewing coals.

In the midst of the wailing, the grease-soaked torture rack suddenly shook, and with the crackling sound of pine knots bursting, the flames suddenly shook, completely engulfing the figure on the torture rack.

The foehn wind swept across, dragging the ashes and empty souls with them, sending their screams into the sky. Finally, they turned into flying black dust and fell like drizzle.

Amidst the suffocated screams of the Inquisitor, only Stone's hoarse singing voice was heard.

The hoarse singing voice produced by the steel vocal cords was incoherent, but it was entangled in the flames, accompanied by the crackling sound of pine knots, given to the bone marrow by dust and whine, and gained fullness in the rising of the flames.

It was as if the world of suffering had been stripped of its disguise, and a pious scream was offered in the pain.

As a result, hundreds of people sang in chorus.

Under thousands of torture racks, countless purifying musicians sang this hymn of judgment feverishly, gathering into a mighty wave, as if to shake the sky, whip the souls in the fire, and completely burn all ugliness in the fire. All.

Stone was moving forward, stepping on the fire.

The blazing fire seemed to surge into his veins, turning his pupils into a feverish red.

The grand trial seemed to have given him a new life, making him walk in the hell he had built with his own hands, bathing in the fire, throwing the sinners into the firewood one by one, and making them sing God's hymns in the fire.

The fire disperses the darkness.

The grand bonfire burned the sky red, spreading the flames to the surrounding areas, causing all darkness to recede in the fanatical flames of revenge.

Until dawn, the last person in charge was set up on a huge bonfire.

"I'm not wrong! I'm right! You wild dogs! Don't touch me!"

The man wearing a crown and fine clothes roared at the Witch's Hammer: "How dare you do this! Stone, how dare you! It was the ancestors of our sixteen families who funded you! It was my grandfather who had an eye for you. Add! We have granted you great power and given the Inquisition the highest honor!

We signed agreements and covenants under the witness of God! How dare you do this! ! ! "

Under the torture rack, the old man bathed in the burning wind raised his head.

Look at him.

Laughed.

"Although it is a pity for everyone that things have happened now, I have to say: sixteen families, including your ancestors, with a total of 179 direct members, have already been involved in the Inquisition long before the establishment of the Inquisition. It’s on the first batch of purification lists.”

Stone smiled, staring at his distorted face, his red face full of energy: "Although due to various reasons, an arrest warrant cannot be issued against you, today is really...a day when dreams come true."

He spread his arms like a gift to welcome the new year and cheered: "Why not sing loudly, my friend? On this day when dreams come true, even the air becomes as sweet as honey!"

On the torture rack, the twisted face twitched, and at the end, it roared madly:

"I curse you! You group of heretics who have betrayed the way of the gods! Beasts of indulgence and killing! You were led by the rebels and went astray. You have already lost the right path! You have violated the covenant! God will spurn you! God will spurn you!"

"Ah, maybe."

Shi Dong smiled and raised the torch: "If He really cares about this covenant."

let go.

The firelight swirled from his hand and fell onto the pyre.

In the flames catalyzed by the ether, the special seats tailor-made for the distinguished adults were ignited, burning brightly, and throwing thick smoke into the sky in the ray of dawn.

The light danced in the firewood, accompanied by Shi Dong's hoarse humming and clapping rhythm, flashing a wild and beautiful figure with a fleeting beauty.

Reflected in those bloodshot eyes.

It almost took Stone's breath away.

This is the most brilliant thing in the world.

It has transformed from mortal things, showing its brilliance through pain, turning all ugliness into ashes... That intoxicating brilliance seems to be alive.

Even in this cold and cruel world, it can bring warmth.

"It's so beautiful."

He was like a child, standing between the flames and looking longingly at the dancing light.

Just like countless times in the past.

Only here, only at this moment, could he feel that he was with the dead who had spent a long time with him.

Gather together.

They have never been separated by cruel time.

It wasn't until the fire went out that he woke up from his long dream and felt the morning dew condense on the corners of his eyes, sliding over the ashes and falling to the ground.

"Next!"

he shouted.

In the silence, a calm voice came from behind: "There is no next one."

He turned around in astonishment, saw the young man sitting in the wheelchair, and countless extinguished fire racks, and finally realized:

"Is it...over?"

"Well, it's over."

"Then where do we go next?"

"There's nowhere to go, Stone."

Watson looked at him: "Angru, Asgard, Burgundy, and then from Navia to Iberia, Stone, our journey has been completed."

"Really? The bonfire party is over?"

Shi Dong lowered his head in despair and sat on the steps of the woodpile, as if he finally felt tired, and finally looked like an old man: "It's only been a while, what a pity."

Watson shrugged: "Maybe you should complain to our boss later and ask him to hand over the next list to me. It will definitely be very long."

Stone said nothing.

He just raised his head silently and looked at the sun rising gradually behind the gray clouds in the distance.

"Watson, do you think it's okay to follow the guidance of private wishes instead of a just tribunal?" He suddenly asked softly, "To this day, I don't know whether my choice was right or wrong."

"It's too late to think about regrets now, right?" Watson couldn't help laughing softly and shook his head, "Times have changed, old man."

"Yes, I have lived too long and the world has changed so fast. I must have been left in the past long ago."

Stone smiled self-deprecatingly and patted his iron knee: "Looking back now, it seems like yesterday when the referee's office was established.

At that time, I would definitely despise my depraved and ugly state now, right? But if you think about it seriously, there seems to be nothing wrong with falling. "

He looked at Watson, his cloudy eyes in the past were so clear, reflecting his face, as if he were looking at his former self:

"Isn't it the shadow that likes to chase light?"

Watson was stunned.

"Although I am too old to have the strength to erect the torture rack, and there are still various unsatisfactory conditions, those things are no longer important."

Shi Dong lowered his head and whispered softly:

"What a fun expedition..."

Under countless fire racks, in the refreshing breath of ashes, he smiled and closed his eyes, as if sleeping among the flowers.

The magnificent dream of a century has returned from the passing flames.

"Stone? Hello, Stone?"

Watson stretched out his hand to shake him awake, but when he touched his cold shoulder, he froze. After a long time, he lowered his eyes and smiled reluctantly:

"Did you actually fall asleep here? You're quite old, so you should keep warm, right?"

He pushed the wheelchair forward, carefully covered Stone with the thin blanket on his knees, stretched out his hand, hugged him gently, and said goodbye softly:

"Good night, Stone."

Good night.

May you be able to reunite with the deceased in front of the everlasting bonfire in the endless night.