Chapter 157: The Iron of Decay

In the Westminster Abbey, beside the clock tower, in the office, one could hear the sound of gears rotating not far away. It was the crisp sound of the giant second hand of the clock ticking forward.

The fire in the fireplace glowed. Ye Qingxuan sat on the sofa and examined the copper seal in his hand.

“Ye Qingxuan, keep this in mind, don’t trust anyone in Avalon.” Maxwell’s voice still lingered in his mind. “Including me.”

“Including you?” Ye Qingxuan murmured softly and rubbed his forehead to ease his headache.

I don’t get it. What the heck is Maxwell doing? What on earth has happened? He pondered for a long time, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it, so he shifted his attention back to the sealed copper case in his hand.

It was one thumb thick and one hand long, a standard sealed case for storing confidential documents. The material looked like brass, but it was actually an alloy consisting of black gold and copper. Its hardness and tensile strength exceeded that of diamond and was used to store confidential documents and classified information.

The unique design ensured that it would be damaged once opened. The specially formulated sealing wax at the opening was perfectly intact, so no one could have possibly sneaked a look.

For some unknown reason, the cold sealed copper case felt faintly warm in his hand, as if coal had been put inside. But when he felt it carefully, it still remained cold.

The warmth is just an illusion. No, not all at. Ye Qingxuan could clearly feel it. Some sort of heat that the human body couldn’t sense seeped out wisp by wisp, causing a tingling sensation, as if one was pricked by needles. It was faint and vague, but steel posed it no obstruction. It passed through his body and the air, then dissipated.

“What on earth is that?” Ye Qingxuan used both of his hands to disassemble the outer shell of the sealed case carefully according to the method in his memory. He only felt relieved after removing the self-destructive machinery inside and putting it aside. Finally, he unscrewed the screw of the sealed copper case. Unexpectedly, what slipped into his hand from the inside of the copper case was a heavy lead tube. What he disassembled was merely the outermost packaging of the gift.

The lead tube felt heavy and seemed to have been processed with alchemy, making it at least several times heavier than similar tubes. After unscrewing the outer layer, one could see the delicate interlayers within the lead tube through the sides. A few dozen types of odd materials were nested together in the middle, carefully enclosing the core within. It was as if something as terrifying as fierce floods and savage beasts was being sealed inside.

It was hot.

In the illumination of the faint glimmering green glow from the lead tube, the illusory heat felt by Ye Qingxuan was several dozen times stronger than that a while ago. The prickling sensation made him felt as if the capillaries all over his body had burst after doing strenuous exercise. The sensation hit in waves, but while it felt uncomfortable, his body had a strange craving for it.

It was like a reunion after a long separation…

Ye Qingxuan held the stone, which was the size of the knuckle of his little finger, and observed it carefully. But after a while, he felt dizzy, and when he moved his fingers, his movements seemed to lag. After a moment’s silence, he reached out and peeled off a layer of dead skin from his suddenly cracked palm. He could sense that the cells in his body were more active than ever. They were also weaker than ever.

They were being killed off at ten times the usual speed and were also regenerating at ten times the usual speed at the same time, undergoing some sort of slow…mutation?!

What the heck is this thing that Maxwell left for me! Ye Qingxuan thought.

“The Iron of Decay.” Outside the door, Shi Dong’s voice rang from afar. It was as if he could feel Ye Qingxuan’s confusion through the thick walls.

He didn’t open the door to enter but just said hoarsely, “You’d better keep it properly. With the exception of you, no one here can withstand its harm…”

Ye Qingxuan was surprised. “Is this thing very dangerous?”

“Very, very dangerous,” Shi Dong replied. “In the pollutant rating, it is rated to be more threatening than the Cup of Hope. According to readings taken with the counter, the circulation and mining of the thing you have with you is absolutely prohibited in the East as well.

“It kills the cells in one’s body and destroys one, starting from the smallest structures in the body. Except for the few pure-blood Deva in the world, anyone else who dares to meddle with such a thing is committing suicide…”

Ye Qingxuan was stunned for a moment, then carefully put the Iron of Decay back into the lead tube. However, the illusory heat and stinging sensation still lingered and showed no signs of dissipating.

What is Maxwell even thinking about? Ye Qingxuan thought.

“It’s better for you to come out.” Shi Dong sighed. “I will make the necessary arrangements to seal this place up later. It’ll remain unfit for human habitation for half a year.”

Even after Ye Qingxuan came out, Shi Dong continued to maintain a distance of ten meters between the two, as if he was avoiding a fierce flood or a savage beast.

“Hey, what for?”

“Your Honor, I still want to live for a few more years.” Shi Dong cautiously put on a set of weird, thick protective clothing. “Actually, you are basically a lethal, human-form poison now. I would suggest that you avoid coming into contact with anyone before its traces in your body are thoroughly gone. Judging from your vital signs and metabolic rate, the time it will take is about several dozen times shorter than the ordinary person, so you should be fine after one night.”

Maxwell, what the heck are you up to!!! Ye Qingxuan rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly. “Okay, why are you looking for me so late in the night?”

Shi Dong pointed towards the room. “I believe that you have read my report?”

“You writing was too lengthy, I have only read the front parts.”

“It’s alright, you just have to be clear about the shameful happenings in the past.”

Ye Qingxuan was silent for a good while, before facepalming and sighed. “Indeed, shameful.”

The Lady of the Lake turned out to be Leviathan. Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with King Arthur’s brain?!

No, history has proven to us that something must have been wrong with that asshole’s brain.

Really really wrong.

–

Ye Qingxuan gave a wave of his hand, signaling for Shi Dong to follow him. Since the room could no longer be stayed in, they might as well find a place to sit and talk. Soon, they reached the central courtyard of the church.

Ye Qingxuan sat on the bench and spent quite a while to gather his thoughts. Finally, he couldn’t help but tug at his hair. “I know what you want to ask, but with the current situation, I don’t know where to start.”

Shi Dong was no stranger to such situations. He simply nodded, and suggested calmly, “Then let’s go through the whole thought process from the beginning once more. Don’t forget your purpose. What did you come here for?”

“To save Anglo, of course,” Ye Qingxuan replied.

But Shi Dong was still looking at him and asked, “What else?”

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Ye Qingxuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “Save Maxwell at the same time.”

Shi Dong’s expression was still cold, like a dotard who wouldn’t even be surprised if the sky fell down. He simply scratched his chin. After a good while, he commented calmly, “It will be very difficult this way.”

“Of course I know.” Ye Qingxuan asked, “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Me?” Shi Dong pondered for a bit, scratching his steel skull. He sighed with a tinge of emotion. “Based on my experience in the past, if you aren’t sure of how to defeat the enemy, then purge your organization first. It’s not like you have anything better to do anyway.”

“Er, what?” Ye Qingxuan was stunned.

Shi Dong repeated himself, “Purge. I mean… Surely you understand what I mean?”

“I know what you mean, but why of all times now?” Ye Qingxuan asked.

“Well, the style of the Religious Court of Inquiry has always been like that,” Shi Dong replied naturally as if it was something that could go without saying. “There’s nothing else to do anyway, so we might as well purge the nation of heretics first. To resist foreign attacks, one must stabilize the internal situation first. Cleansing and purification are necessary from time to time to strengthen an organization’s foothold and to ensure that it could be sustained in the long-term. At all times, you must make sure that the organization you are leading is pure. At least, we must first find out who the impure are.”

“After finding out?” asked Ye Qingxuan.

Shi Dong shrugged. “We add their names to the list of spare firewood of course. Demons can still be utilized after their deaths, but troublesome creatures like heretics can only be used as firewood. Fortunately, they can be burned dead or alive.

“As the Grand Inquisitor, how come you are so slow in this respect? I thought that you’d be very good at it. ”

“…” Ye Qingxuan was at a loss for words. “Shi Dong, can you suggest something useful?”

“I feel that I have already given you quite an explicit hint, haven’t I?” Shi Dong looked at him, his gaze serious. “You know what I am reminding you of, right?

“If you want to save this country, you shouldn’t bother yourself with unnecessary concerns, and don’t let insignificant matters hold you back. In this world, never rely on other people. If you want something, you must get it yourself, Your Honor.

“All you have to do is nod, and stakes will be erected on Queen’s Road tomorrow.

“The politicians who have been attending secret meetings in the past few days, trying to control you, secure more power for themselves and obtain substantial benefits without contributing anything, as well as the aristocratic parasites who regard themselves highly but are totally useless to the country, all of them will form long queues and walk up to the stakes, one after another, turning into a pile of coal ash via this clean and pollution-free process.

“From then on, you will be free of all inhibitions, and you can show your capabilities fully. Surely you don’t have any more expectations for this bunch of good-for-nothings?”

Silence. A long silence.

Ye Qingxuan smoked a pipe and exhaled a cloud of gloomy smoke. He asked, “Is there really no one worth trusting, in your opinion?”

“Trust? That’s such a luxurious term.” Shi Dong sneered. “Your Honor, even the Religious Court of Inquiry could not resist certain temptations, let alone other people? I don’t particularly hate the aristocrats, and I understand their stupidity. After all, it is the nature of the ruling class.

“Many of them could even be considered kind, but their stances have been predetermined by their origins and the positions they hold. As long as you are willing to spare a thought on such boring matters, you can easily understand them. Show them your devilish side, Grand Inquisitor.

“Who do you think will never betray you?”

Ye Qingxuan pondered the question for a long time, and asked tentatively, “Maxwell?”

Shi Dong shook his head. “He loves you, I can see, but there are other things that he loves more.”

“Lancelot?” Ye Qingxuan asked again.

Shi Dong shook his head again. “He also loves you, but you get what I mean.”

“Alright, then what about Mephistopheles?”

Shi Dong snickered. “I don’t know if you have heard this saying before: Clergymen can be trusted when pigs fly. Do you really believe that he will keep his mouth shut regarding the secrets he has heard in the confessional?”

Ye Qingxuan sighed and shook his head.

A lengthy silence ensued.

Ye Qingxuan’s eyes suddenly brightened. “I think I have one.”

“Oh?” Shi Dong raised his brow.

“In Avalon, the one I trust the most, the one that will never betray me and can even help me… I think I know who that is. Unfortunately, I don’t know where it has it gone, I can’t find it anywhere.”

“Wait… Did you just say ‘it’?”

“Yep, ‘it’.”

“…” Shi Dong was silent. After a long time, he sighed flatly. “In some sense, perhaps such trust can indeed stand the test of time…” He felt resigned due to Ye Qingxuan’s tactlessness.

Shi Dong didn’t bother to try and convince him anymore. In his view, reality was as such anyway, and the circumstances would force Ye Qingxuan to make a choice; it was just a matter of sooner or later. So, he got up, took his leave and went back to sleep.

Ye Qingxuan was left alone, leaning against the bench and smoking his pipe. He looked helplessly at the gloomy night sky above his head, thinking hard, trying to come up with a solution.

“Such trouble.” He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Then, he heard a rustling sound.

Amid the dead twigs and rotting leaves, something deftly strode towards him on all fours, with mud and dirt all over its golden fur. Not having been groomed for a long time, the fur was knotted and tangled all over. But its gaze was still arrogant, like that of a superior being, and insufferably proud.

It jumped onto the bench easily, sitting next to Ye Qingxuan. Glancing at his flabbergasted expression, it exhaled a gust of air from its nostrils with disdain. Then, it shook its body and splashed mud all over Ye Qingxuan’s clothes in an adept manner.

“Hey, Old Phil!” Ye Qingxuan finally came out of his trance-like state and jumped up from the bench, ecstatic. He laughed loudly and embraced the ‘person’ he trusted most in Avalon. “It’s been a really long time!”