Chapter 147
The ignorant servants were stabbing his side with barbed spears for their amusement.
Mozart did not open his eyes or show a pleading expression as they had hoped; he simply closed his eyes, frowned, and pursed his lips, as if enduring some other kind of suffering.
Yes, for Mozart at this time, the torment he suffered in his heart far outweighed the physical suffering.
That was a very long time ago, so long ago that most of the elders and Tuners never witnessed it.
Remus went to court.
He held the entirety of Atlantis in his grasp, and everyone regarded him as a god-king who ruled over all. To Remus now, the so-called court and council were merely nominal entities, utterly superfluous.
This is normal. When Philosopher King exists, the court and parliament are nothing more than superficial work that wastes manpower, as useless as carving flowers on dung.
Mozart was the last stubborn member of the Council of Wise Men to remain.
"I once heard a saying," Mozart said, "When an era ends, there are always martyrs who must die for it. The bountiful era of collective wisdom has ended, and an eternal era as brilliant as gold is about to begin, but the new era will not have a ship to carry me."
"No," Remus said then. "You will not die. A nation without enemies abroad and without steadfast and resolute ministers at home is bound to decline. Thus, without the Prophetess Sibyl's prophecy, I can foresee the chaos and collapse of Isu."
"An eternal age as brilliant as gold." Remus smiled. "Neither light nor darkness, neither darkness nor light, there is no longer any inside or outside, up or down; there is no longer any history or future... Ys will be one, transcending fate, transcending all the gods."
Remus looked up quietly, and Mozart stood silently before him, his face now etched with paleness and suffering.
"That's a wonderful dream." Remus smiled again. "I won't keep this glory to myself."
"After the Grand Symphony movement begins, the soul of all Issus will be united as one, sinking into an eternal, radiant dream, devoid of light and darkness. Radiance is not mercy, the long night is the opposite. But Mozart, my wise man, my subject, my eternal political enemy!"
Remus had not yet fully become the Philosopher King, pondered quietly for a while.
"I want you to remain absolutely clear-headed, independent of this dream. When the long night comes, you will be the sole swordsman of Ys, the bell ringer of Atlantis."
"It's a cruel order, and I know it myself," Remus said with a helpless laugh. "But Mozart ... if I make a mistake, you will be the only one who dares to stand up and face me!"
Mozart could hear his own breathing; he could almost feel his heart beating powerfully and continuously.
He finally bowed and said, "If you must have such a person, then I will do it... but I still need to remind you that Grand Symphony may not last forever."
Remus tapped his fingers on the armrest; he knew it, of course.
Grand Symphony lack the ability to self-repair; once they are hit by internal or external blows, they easily accumulate chaos and collapse.
When the Grand Symphony collapses, the Golden Laws that bind the Water and Soil of Atlantis will also fail, causing the entire Atlantis to fall apart.
"Therefore, I want to incorporate my achievements into the Grand Symphony." Remus heard a reply that surprised him greatly.
"My achievement is the Requiem," Mozart said. "It has the natural ability to smooth out the chaotic influences and bridge the gaps in status... If the Requiem is incorporated into Grand Symphony, then the latter possesses a considerable degree of self-purification and self-repairing ability."
If we consider Grand Symphony movement as a computer, then Mozart's Requiem is like an antivirus program.
Remus said nothing more. After that, he took off his purple robe, abandoned his staff, and became the Philosopher King, wearing only the golden crown.
The Grand Symphony has begun.
How long after that?
At first, it was indeed a wonderful time. The entire Water and Soil of Atlantis was fertile, Pure Water Spirit lived in harmony with humans, even falling in love and becoming husband and wife.
Remus once said that perhaps in the future, there will be neither humans nor Pure Water Spirit, but a new race possessing characteristics of both. But that would be a natural development, neither forced nor suppressed. In the long dream of golden prosperity, every living being can achieve their desires.
A later uncrowned king once praised this generation with these words.
He said, "In this day and age... we can ensure that the elderly have support, the strong have a purpose, the young have opportunities to grow, and the widowed, orphaned, lonely, and disabled are all cared for."
At that time, the Golden Fleet was no longer armed; they cruised the seas, playing celebratory music and performing dramas showcasing the local customs and traditions.
At that time, the Golem Knights no longer needed to sharpen their swords or hone their armor. They roamed among the many waterways of Atlantis, signing covenants for common prosperity with various non-human species both on and under the water.
All the waters of the world flowed toward Isu, yet Isu did not build any walls.
The Janus Gate were repaired once more. It was once a building erected by Remus to celebrate his triumphant return and military achievements. During the long period of peace, it collapsed due to neglect.
Mozart once asked Remus about it, but the latter laughed and said, "That's something that celebrates war. In times of peace, it has no basis for existence."
"Celebrate the fall of the Arc de Triomphe," Remus said, "For we no longer need to draw our swords against each other, and all things will be gentle."
But the Janus Gate was repaired—twenty-seven non-human races, led by the Pure Water Spirit, offered their racial treasures to restore the gate.
It's not to celebrate war, but to celebrate peace.
Mozart remembers Remus laughing especially happily that day... He had never been so happy.
During the grand banquet, Remus held Mozart's arm. The Philosopher King was enveloped in the distinctive scent of mead. His eyes were clear and lucid, but his words sounded like rambling nonsense.
"Mozart, my subject, my political enemy!"
"I am Isu, I am Atlantis... But you do not know what sins I committed before I established Isu and unified Atlantis."
Under the cover of night, Remus pulled Mozart, who refused to drink, to sit on the cold steps.
The attendants bustled about behind them, completely unaware that the Philosopher King and the first musician were seated there.
"I once had a brother, whom I was raised by a she-wolf together," Remus said. "We hunted together, recruited men together, and built towns together... We were brothers by blood. We made a pact that we would never drink mead alone unless it was meant for both of us."
"But when towns became cities, and cities became city-states, we had a dispute. My brother... he wanted to name the city-state after himself. So did I."
"So we wrestled and fought as usual... but I lost my hand and killed him. Where my brother's blood was spilled, a golden bee broke out of the ground."
"In the end, the city wasn't named after any of us," Remus said. "But I always wonder, if my brother were sitting on this throne, what would he do?"
"Therefore, war, expansion, suppression, riots... never end. In this respect, I cannot do better than my brother. Because what I do well, he does better."
"But Mozart, my subject, my political enemy, look, look—"
Remus pointed to this joyous ocean that seemed to engulf the entirety of Ys.
"The last enemy I will defeat is war itself! This is a great achievement that my brothers could never accomplish."
"War cannot create prosperity, but peace can—and far surpasses the former. In this prosperity, we will surely be able to reach eternity."
Mozart couldn't remember what else Remus said after that.
He only remembered that he was almost moved by it that night, but he still said soberly, "This is indeed a great achievement that can make the sun bow down, Your Majesty. But I still say that eternal stagnation breeds corruption, and change is good, better than the perfection of stagnation."
In the years that followed, although Ys remained in his dream of gold, Mozart knew that Ys was no longer the same as before.
Remus accepted Mozart's advice and resolved to achieve "a greater eternity".
Or perhaps he had already discovered the causes of this chaos hidden deep within the Grand Symphony.
Therefore, Remus began to build bell towers throughout Atlantis and established the "Golden Law" to restrain all living beings with the Grand Symphony... At that time, the Golden Law was not only aimed at non-human species, but also to ensure that Atlantis, which was in a state of moral degeneration, still had a layer of restraint to protect it.
After completing these preparations, Remus went to Pavillon to begin revising the Grand Symphony.
Everything that followed was like a runaway horse, a wheel out of control.
Mozart couldn't understand why these chaotic events would erupt like a volcanic eruption after Remus disappeared.
Only after he sat in that position did he realize that beneath the veneer of prosperity, Atlantis had long been riddled with holes.
The Grand Symphony is not a lie; it can indeed unite the souls of all people, even non-human ones... But human will varies in strength, and human desires are diverse and varied.
How can a soul that has not undergone sublimation withstand the pressure of ascension?
Even during Remus's reign, strange phenomena had already appeared: chaos born of freedom, and arrogance born of race... all of which were based on darkness arising from ascension.
But back then, whenever a discordant Grand Symphony of civilization and order, Remus could intervene within the Pavilion Great Palace to harmonize it. Thus, everything could still appear peaceful.
But when Remus's throne was vacant, no one was able to quell the chaos in civilization... Mozart was the only one who could do so, but Remus also restrained him.
—The Philosopher King used the golden rule to bind everyone, even himself.
Under this constraint, the efficiency of the regression of all things is reduced, but it does not stop.
The three Tuners checked each other, the Tuners controlled the musicians, and the musicians, philosophers, and noble citizens formed a triangular opposition—thus, the situation in Ys was temporarily stabilized.
But some sacrifices are still needed... but who will make those sacrifices?
The Grand Symphony quietly provides the answer: all non-human species.
When Remus reorders everything, the pure water will return from Ys, and they will revive from it. But before that, they must be sacrificed.
Mozart was gripped by endless fear.
He couldn't believe the Grand Symphony would give this answer... but upon reflection, it was indeed the only answer.
But how could he give such an order? He touched his chest in a daze.
To integrate one's achievements into the Grand Symphony, though not necessarily resulting in immediate death, comes at a terrible price. To this end, Marie, who also holds the Twilight rank, filled his inner being, sustaining his life with the characteristics of Pure Water Spirit.
Remus was their witness at the wedding.
That night, Mozart tossed and turned, tears streaming down his face, asking his beloved questions.
But to his heartbreak, Marie was also weeping inside him.
"How can I not feel your heart? I am Narcissus, but I am also your wife, and also you," Marie replied with tears in her eyes. "I cannot betray my love, so I can only betray my race."
"I believe in Remus, everything will be alright, everything will be in order. I also believe that everything can circulate in pure water."
"I only wish that when the reckoning comes, I will go before you," Marie said. "For I fear to see you weep for me, and I fear even more to see my own people suffer because of my betrayal... If there is such a thing as destiny, let my people come, and let my body and mind vanish into the deep waters, never to return!"
After making this terrible vow, Marie told Mozart the secret of pure water.
All the narcissus are subjects of the June Archon, Pearl, and are qualified to be listed among the Water Palace Immortal Class. For this reason, their status is naturally higher than that of the daytime, but the Path of Ascension is rigorous, and only by accumulating merit can one be considered a true twilight.
The narcissus can sense the inner feelings of other living beings.
Mozart didn't need to hide this from them; he only needed to tell the other Pure Water Spirit that they needed to sacrifice themselves... and when Remus returned from Pavielon and the water rose again, they would be able to achieve merit through their tragic sacrifice and collectively become twilight.
It is important to note that "Twilight" here does not refer to a single Pure Water Spirit, but rather to all Pure Water Spirit gathered together to be considered a true "Twilight".
When Pure Water Spirit appear individually, they are still beings superior to those of daytime, but they can utilize the advantages of their race and borrow achievements for their own purposes.
In addition, a rigorous ritual is required.
Mozart told the Pure Water Spirit everything, and they agreed.
After that, Marie never appeared in the sunlight again.
224 When I die, I will be transformed into seven mounds.
Non-human species once fought with Remus for control of Water and Soil.
They were later defeated by Remus, but submitted to him because of his magnanimity.
If they lived in darkness and ate on their knees like beasts, that would be one thing.
But Remus truly allowed them to see the sunlight and taste the flavors of civilization.
"If we're going to go back to that terrible darkness, we'd rather die now," they said. "We also firmly believe that Remus will save everything, and then we can still meet again... Yes, death is just a long dream. And right now we're just sleeping."
"Mozart, representative of Remus, envoy of Isu. It is a blessing that you will become the night watchman of civilization."
Even at this moment, the Pure Water Spirit were still blessing Mozart.
The pale, thin musician watched as they, one by one, relinquished their physical forms and wisdom, becoming the ever-flowing dew in the Golden Waterways.
Of course, not all Pure Water Spirit do this... about 30% of the narcissus spirits disappear into the mountains, springs, ocean currents, and wilderness. There are also those who, like Klytie, feel betrayed and go mad, but they are ultimately a minority.
No one was wrong, because they truly did their best within their own capabilities.
Everyone was wrong because they didn't see high enough or far enough, because the limits they could reach were only within the confines of the Grand Symphony composition.
"If only it could have been earlier... if only it could have been earlier," Mozart thought.
Who would have thought that the root of everything lies in the Grand Symphony itself?
The Prophetess Sibyl, who proclaimed the will of destiny itself to the Philosopher King Remus, became the foundation of the Grand Symphony. For Atlantis, the existence of the Prophetess Sibyl was as natural as sunlight, water, or air... but what if sunlight, water, and air were poisonous or harmful?
Over a long period of time, the Grand Symphony had long been common knowledge among the people of Issu. The birth, aging, illness, and death of generations were all encompassed by the Grand Symphony, and their thoughts were also transmitted, eternally preserved in the Grand Symphony in the form of rhythm and meter.
From the moment they first open their eyes, everyone in this world is already encompassed by the Grand Symphony.
If anyone could realize that the problem lay with the Grand Symphony itself, then besides Remus, perhaps only Mozart could.
Because they were the only ones who came before the declining generation, before the Golden Age.
For Mozart, the Grand Symphony was a useful tool, not an absolute substitute. If Marie were still alive, even if his Requiem were blocked by the Grand Symphony, he would still be able to reproduce it through his own abilities.
But now it's all too late.