Silent Crown

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Two heavy steps came down the stairs. An unkempt man held a candle, illuminating the murky space.

"…got fifty thousand."

"The bonus is that big this time?"

"Apparently the buyer is some big name, and he specifically asked for the girl. She's so pretty. Cuozi keeps drooling. So sad we can't touch her, and that she's gonna get taken away tomorrow morning…"

"Hariti came personally this time. I heard there was a big loss. Even one of the creatures got killed."

"Shh! Don't say those things. What if someone hears?"

"What are you scared of? Other than those creatures, the only things left is the food. Who's even here to eavesdrop?"

"Did you forget what happened to the last guy who talked? Don't tell me you want to fill in that blank space."

The other man shivered and did not reply.

Ye Qingxuan listened wordlessly. He sighed in relief. "She's still here; she hasn't been taken away yet… She's still alive. That's good," he thought.

Closing his eyes, he listened quietly as the footsteps approached.

—

"It's such bad luck to have to feed those creatures." The dwarf holding the wind lantern cursed.

"Whose fault is it? You're the one that picked the raffle. I was dragged into this by you." His companion kicked him. "The guy who fed the creatures last time couldn't eat for days. It's so disgusting!"

"Hey, don't be angry." The dwarf let out a devilish laugh. He produced a small aluminum foil parcel from his pocket. It was the size of his palm, but it looked heavy.

His companion's eyes brightened. "Opiates? Where did you get it?"

"Those new Indians brought it as an offering. It's good stuff called Krishna. Apparently it has some extra ingredients to give it more of a kick." The dwarf cackled, "They brought so much. This little packet can last us a year."

Like an addict going through withdrawal, the companion looked terrified. He swallowed heavily, "Give me some."

"No sh*t. Why else would I take it out?" The dwarf carefully opened the parcel. Looking at the snow white powder, his hand trembled. "Let's get a high first to brace ourselves. When the creatures come out to eat, we'll pretend we didn't see anything."

"How about we feed the mutt first?" The dwarf's companion, Scarface, looked at the youth hanging behind the lattice, his eyes full of regret. "What a pity. He's so pretty, he'd have sold for good money."

"He's almost dead. What's the use of saying all that? Wait…" The dwarf glanced at the deep well. When his gaze swept upward to the youth, his eyes brightened. "This kid hasn't been searched yet."

Hanging by the chains, the youth was silent and unmoving like death. At his chest was a wallet, the hole revealing green paper-the color of money!

It was the payment from the buyer after the delivery. The thick stack of money orders released from the Church was worth at least forty or fifty thousand pounds!

"Where did this kid get so much money?" The dwarf swallowed, unable to move his eyes away.

"All of those are money orders?" Scarface blanched too. "Have I gone crazy?"

"What are you waiting for?" The dwarf kicked Scarface. "When the creatures come later, even his clothes will be eaten. Go get the money, and we'll talk about how to divide it later."

Scarface broke free from his trance, and rushed to get the keys from the wall and open the heavy steel lattice. Picking up the steel hook from the side, he tiptoed around the well, aiming for the chains.

"Wait!" the dwarf suddenly took the hook. "You're so clumsy. What if it falls? I'll do it!"

Scarface glared at him. The dwarf just did not trust him with the money. But the hook was already taken, so he could only curse under his breath and step back, letting the dwarf work on it.

"Be careful," Scarface muttered coldly. "Don't fall in and become food yourself."

The dwarf cackled. His hook caught onto the chain, and dragged the hanging youth over. He reached into the kid's chest. "We're rich. Look at all this money…"

Before he could finish, a hand latched onto his wrist. Seeing Scarface still outside the lattice, he froze.

Whose hand was this?

In that moment, he saw the supposedly dead youth raise his head. Reflected in those black eyes was his shocked expression. The blackness was like a swirling vortex. In the swirling vortex was pure darkness.

Before the dwarf could react, he was yanked into the lattice with a sudden force. The youth grabbed the hook and, using the momentum, jumped over the lattice.

With a yelp, Scarface spun around. But all he could see was the youth flying toward him with the zooming hook.

Boom!

The hook slammed onto Scarface's head, causing everything to go black. He collapsed on the ground. In the sudden pain, he felt the chain wrap around his neck and tighten.

The gate only started closing slowly. It slammed shut with a push from the youth.

Ye Qingxuan was panting, and stepped down firmly on the struggling Scarface under his feet. He gradually tightened the chain. The short chain could only wrap around once before reaching the end. Scarface pushed against the lattice, almost pushing his head through the slit.

"Help! Help!" In the well, the dwarf struggled to hold onto the edge, trying to climb up. But something was pulling down on him, almost succeeding.

"Shut up!" With his hook, Ye Qingxuan pointed at the finger gripping the well's edge. The dwarf instantly paled.

Ye Qingxuan yanked Scarface's chain, controlling this burly man. No matter how he struggled, the chain would not loosen. Gritting his teeth, he slowly released some strength and looked at the dwarf. "Where are we?"

The dwarf's lips trembled, but he did not speak. Ye Qingxuan's eyes went cold. He whacked a finger on the hook, eliciting a scream from the dwarf, causing him to almost fall in.

"Tell me. Where are we?"

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! It's the bottom level of the Avalonian sewage system. It's an abandoned manhole. Hariti found this place and turned it into a pasture. The formless ghosts can be kept here without being discovered." The dwarf screamed, "Help me up! Help me up! Time's almost up!"

"Hariti?" Ye Qingxuan asked. "The woman from legends that raises demons?"

"Yes, that's her! That's her! She has a rune to control all the creatures and they all listen to her." The dwarf was close to tears, "Please, I'm begging you. Help me up!"

"Why do they want Bai Xi?" Ye Qingxuan interrogated.

"I heard that an Easterner paid a lot of money to get her back. The Shaman wouldn't help, so Hariti took the job. I told you, really, I told you everything I know!" The dwarf cried, "Help me up…they, they…"

Rumbling water covered his screams. In the deep well, the stagnant and foul water started bubbling. Like countless man-eating fish that smelled blood, the water raged in an uproar. The bubbling dead water rose. A couple of blurry objects floated up in the murky water. They looked like melted humans, slowly surfacing with the rise of the water.

From the depth of the well came the sound of a tsunami. The tide was rising…

These were the formless ghosts that Bai Xi had mentioned before. It was one of the millions born from the catastrophic Dark Mother.

Many people thought they were the souls of the dead. But they were just living creatures, feasting on blood to survive. Their appearance would change depending on whatever blood they drank. Sometimes they would hide in the cemetery, eating the corpses. After leaving the tomb, they would be mistaken as dead souls and be worshipped…or they would eat the person who discovered them.

Some feared their power—it was like being possessed by an evil spirit. But the Church's records showed that their greatest power was the ability of atomization. When they became infuriated, their body would dissipate into heavy fog. All creatures shrouded in the fog would be grasped by the terror of death and lose all sanity, thus becoming food.

How could these man-eating creatures be kept and raised?

Quickly, a blindingly white thing appeared in the boiling water. It was broken white bones, and maybe half a skull. These bones bubbled in the murky water. Ye Qingxuan finally understood what they used to feed these creatures.

"You feed them with living people?" Ye Qingxuan glanced at the dwarf.

"Dead! They're all dead!"

"I'm dead too?" Ye Qingxuan shot back, causing the dwarf to freeze.

The Dwarf's expression of terror froze too, before twisting. "Mutt, help me up…"

Ye Qingxuan looked at him coldly, not answering.

Restrained by Ye Qingxuan, the suffocated Scarface finally stopped struggling. His body went limp, falling unconscious. Ye Qingxuan retreated and picked up the wind lantern, getting ready to leave.

The dwarf who had been spouting curses suddenly shifted.

The murky water continued rising, the formless creatures squirming.

"Hurry!" he screamed at the entrance. "The kid escaped!"

Ye Qingxuan's expression shifted too. Gripping the hook and staring at the dwarf's skull, his hand tightened then loosened. But he could not decide what to do.

The dwarf's screams attracted footsteps. Faintly, someone called, "What are you doing? Why are you so loud?"

"They're coming soon!" The dwarf kicked at the formless ghosts trying to drag him down. Almost in tears, he begged, "Save me! Save me!"

Ye Qingxuan did not react, as if he had not heard anything. He looked around his surroundings, as if searching for something. Finally, he picked up the aluminum parcel and pinched some of the powder.

Opiates were an infamous drug. Its powder was taken from an Indian plant that had started off as a painkiller used in the military. During the Asgard War, they found out that it was highly addictive. After using it, the hallucinations would cause people to become addicted, so the drug became illegal.

Based on the texture, he guessed that something else was added to it. Styrax? White orange leaves?

But no matter what, it looked useless.

He sighed. The heavy footsteps were getting closer. The dwarf started getting excited. Shooting a death glare at Ye Qingxuan, his calls became louder.

Ye Qingxuan stood at the foot of the stairs, quietly listening as the footsteps behind the door got closer and closer, until finally, the door opened.

The moment the grating from the door sounded, the youth at the bottom of the stairs bolted. He rushed forward, stepping on those moss-covered steps, charging to the top!

Entering the darkness from the light, the man who opened the door had not even adjusted his eyes before a wind lantern came swinging at his face.

Boom!