Chapter 151

What comes into view is a magnificent palace.

Twelve straight cylindrical pillars support the metal dome, which is connected by densely patterned bands of light. These bands of light overlap and converge downwards to form a wide circular metal stage. Around the stage are five tiers of seats, each in one of five colors: gold, blue, red, white, and brown.

The entire palace is a perfect semicircle at both ends, and a deep purple band of light rises like a tide between the twelve pillars and the five-colored seats, converging in front of the jade throne at the center.

There is a pillar on each side of the throne, forming a layout that resembles a trident.

A bright and warm golden halo spread out behind the throne, probably Light Source the Golden Tree itself, but it was as magnificent as the sun.

This is the very heart of Pavieyong.

On the jade throne stood a man dressed in golden armor, wearing Laurel Wreath, and standing at least two meters tall.

He seemed to be deep in thought, or perhaps taking a nap. When Hebe met his gaze, the man merely gave her a weary look.

This was the Philosopher King Remus, but he said nothing and had no energy for any extra movements.

Hebe took two steps and stood in the center of the circular platform.

On the five-colored seats, countless thumb-sized semi-illusory golden bees fluttered their wings, their flapping sounds blending together like a series of loud booms.

In the colony of golden bees, a golden bee that was slightly larger than its peers flapped its wings and landed in front of Hebe.

You are facing the Bell of Ys!

The Bell of Ys, which shakes the Vast Sea, the earth, and the sky, is the cessation of destiny... All Atlantis know that their fate is decided by the gods high above. And all Ys believe that once the Grand Symphony is played in its entirety, they will be freed from their predetermined prison. But so far, the Grand Symphony continues, and the bell that heralds its cessation has yet to ring.

"When the Bell of Ys is rung, it means that the Grand Symphony will also come to an end. Its long performance has accumulated enough power to change the 'predestined fate'. The people of Issu believe that they will no longer be bound by fate, and indeed they are, but the long performance of five hundred years can only allow one person to be free."

The Bell of Ys, a resonant force of the past, present, and future, a testament to history... Remus, with the blood of his brother, awakened the Named Attendant of the Fisher King, and from that moment, history took a different turn. The symphony of fate is spiraling out of control, and the Tuners's duty is to bring it back to its proper course. Eris, following every thread of fate, knows that even the most perfect melody must eventually end.

"Remus killed his brother, and the Fisher King's first name, Sybil, was awakened through sacrifice and made a pact with Remus. The Fisher King the guardian of the world, so when Ys reaches eternity, the guardian of the world should also be revived. But Eris hatched from within the Fisher King, and Sybil was also infected by it. The beginning of the Grand Symphony was indeed perfect, but it has deviated from the predetermined ending."

The Bell of Ys, the object that shakes the present, the borders, and the wastelands, the key to the gates... The gatekeeper, whose future has been usurped, can only be born under the alternate name of Atinan, and in the name of Janus, he guards all the gates. Janus is the gate of Rome, Atinan is the gate of Ys, Rome and Ys are two sides of the same coin. The gatekeeper decrees: there must be no confusion in the annals of Qing Shi; Rome endures forever, and Ys bears the blame in its place.

"Eris swallowed Greek mythology, corresponding to her near usurpation of the Fisher King. The Gatekeeper's destiny was also taken away, but after Greece, there was Rome. The Gatekeeper became the October Governor, and Rome became one of the central axes of history. Eris should have followed the historical trajectory and swallowed Rome as well, but Janus sealed the gates of the Lostbelt, causing Eris to go astray and swallow Rome's reflection— Atlantis."

The Bell of Ys, vibrating with the light of day and the light of night, marks the separation of the sun's position... The legendary Emperor Sui divided the sun into three parts, taking midday to forge his achievements, while dawn and dusk inherited their glorious twin positions. The Bell of Ys is but a remnant fragment of the sun, history scorched by flames, and achievements the fuel. How is Istina achieved? By striking the bell. Therefore, when the bell tolls, the dawn that ends midnight will arrive.

"If you believe in the myths circulating in the hidden world, then the September Archon, Celestial Flint, once divided the sun in three parts, reducing this sun, which is of great importance in all ancient legends, to an ordinary star in the vast universe. He took away 'noon' to forge the Path of Ascension —the first and greatest achievement, and also promoted Mr. Day and Lord Twilight."

"As you can see, the Bell of Ys has no physical form; it is a concept of cessation and continuation, the 'blank' left after the Celestial Flint splits the sun. The golden bee Sybil sacrifices herself, so when it stops flapping its wings, the Grand Symphony will cease... But if you possess other means to stop the Grand Symphony, you too can surpass Sybil and become the 'Bell of Ys'."

Hebe stared at the golden bee, which was already weak but was still flapping its wings.

On those incessantly vibrating wings, countless patterns twisted into words before Hebe's eyes.

The Secret History Simulator once again revealed to Hebe a wealth of secrets concerning the essence of the world and history.

This wasn't unprecedented. When Hebe was in the Eastern Lostbelt, and Ashiya Dōman appeared before her as a member of the Eris the Swarm, the Secret History Simulator also experienced a great commotion.

Hebe raised her eyes and met Remus's gaze once more.

Sybil is no longer what it once was. As the entity in this Lostbelt that is closest to the concept of the Bell of Ys, it should have been able to easily put an end to the Grand Symphony.

But the Philosopher King, who had quietly played his Grand Symphony for five hundred years, became the last firewall against Eris.

He sat serenely in Pavillon, always holding the Grand Symphony movement forward to fulfill his promise to the real Sybil, to preserve the untarnished glory and ideals... no matter how distorted, fragmented, or how low it fell, it never ceased.

When Hebe looked at him, he was also staring at Hebe.

Those were tired, dark brown eyes.

Hebe nodded to him.

Remus closed his eyes.

The golden bee raised its head, awaiting Hebe's command.

When she gives the command, the golden bee's flapping wings and Remus's heartbeat will stop simultaneously.

Hebe gazed indifferently at the golden bee. She raised her hand above her head, her flaxen hair freed from its ties, and her gray suit changed once again, becoming flowing and form-fitting, like a gown for someone about to step onto a pedestal.

The vibrant colors instantly stained the dress, making Hebe look as if she were wearing flames.

Suddenly, the sound of ocean waves filled the surroundings.

On Hebe's head, the top hat had transformed back into a heavy Crown of Thorns, but this crown was now shaking and shattering, forming a dazzling halo.

This was her first simulated gain in the Lostbelt, the first mark known as the Pirate Code... After the Northern Territory gained independence and the Mycenae name was reclaimed, this mark changed and acquired a new name.

The First Imprint: The King of Mycenae

Hebe snapped her fingers out of thin air, "Get up!"

Her voice was cold, reminiscent of steel and ice.

At this time and in this place, her voice resounded throughout Atlantis... not only in the ears of the living, but also in the ears of the dead.

The Blessing of the Scar Father: Envoy's Prayer!

By the King of Mycenae, rise up and pledge your final allegiance to your king!

It can make a being that has died, whose status is no higher than twilight, rise again.

And Hebe's chosen object was... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart!

The Tuners's body has been reduced to seven mounds, supporting the shattered Ys City, but his deeds still flow in the Grand Symphony... [Requiem for the God of Death]!

The melody that suddenly rang out filled Sybil with an extremely strong sense of unease; deep within the Grand Symphony, Nietzsche's thoughts had begun to flicker with warning.

But the power of the Requiem was rapidly spreading deep within the Grand Symphony. Eris, who always favored using methods that exploit both allies and enemies, was now tasting a similar bitter fruit. The Requiem, uncontrolled, did not affect Sybil and Nietzsche, but it conveniently bought Hebe time to proceed with her next step.

In this frenzied silence, Hebe placed her left hand on her heart.

The path of musicians: their power comes from music, from drumbeats and melodies. And the drumbeat that belongs to them is the sound of their own heartbeat.

In other words, as long as the heartbeat continues, the musician's power will not wane. It is in this way that Remus keeps the Grand Symphony movement running.

Hebe's second mark is called "The Tuners (Silence)," which belongs to the branch of the Winter's Tenets.

Before ceasing something, one must cease oneself.

Hebe's gaze was deep and resolute as she uttered a cold name.

"I hereby beseech [Elegy]... Nitocris."

The next instant, a second halo lit up behind Hebe's head.

Her heart stopped beating.

Absolute silence descended upon her body.

228 The White Whale Carrying Agor: A Tour at the End of History (8,000-word Chapter)

[Second Imprint: The Tuners]

The symphony of fate has gone mad, Tuners's duty is to bring it back on track.

When all is beyond repair, only utter silence remains.

Hebe's heart stopped beating, and her face immediately turned ashen, as if she were about to collapse and die... but she didn't.

Pure Water Spirit incredibly versatile, especially since Hebe's true form has now transformed into an ocean current. She has been in this near-death situation many times and is very experienced.

A kind of desolate, silent sigh fell from the sky and landed on Hebe's shoulder. An uncontrollable illusion appeared before her eyes: in a silent city covered in frost white, there was a woman holding a mirror, her skin as black as the night, her pupils sparkling like gold, and her hair as white as ivory.

Lady Elegy, who ascended to the Crimson Dawn at the end of the First History, now walks eternally in the wilderness.

She gently placed her hand on Hebe's shoulder.

Silence had already arrived before the Grand Symphony.

Shouldn't we ring the Bell of Ys now?

The golden bee stared at Hebe.

Eris's absorption of Greek Civilization directly prevented the Gatekeeper of the October Governor from being born as a god-king. The latter was ultimately forced to go to Rome, ascending from Atinan to Janus, and simultaneously establishing Rome, this great civilization, as one of the central axes of history.

But Eris did not stop. When He swallowed Greek Civilization, the closely related Roman Civilization could not escape either... But the gatekeeper guards all the gates, so He closed the road between Greece and Rome, and thus Roman history diverged from its inception.

Romulus ruled the world around the Mediterranean Sea, while Remus established the kingdom of the high seas.

Rome's importance to the modern world is self-evident, therefore Atlantis must bear the blame.

Eris once completely absorbed Atlantis, and the Burning Witch in the first playthrough is proof of her distorting history.

The world is currently in a transitional period, with the Fourth Histories completed and the Fifth Histories yet to arrive. If the Burning Witch manages to safely reach the new century, then this Lostbelt will fall completely into Eris's hands.

Of course, there was a more suitable way, which would be to let the Burning Witch and Hebe meet. Unfortunately, the Morgan, the Bewitching Consort thwarted the Burning Witch's progress.

Morgan had switched from serving under the Wolf to serving under Pearl. Therefore, it can be seen that Pearl thwarted Eris's actions.

Then came the Skyflint's Excommunication, Morgan was severely injured, the Burning Witch was exterminated to death, Eris's proof of the distortion of history was lost, and all efforts were thwarted.

Of course, even so, Eris did not start from scratch like Hebe.

If Hebe is standing at the starting line, then Eris is already one step away from the finish line... But what does Celestial Flint say?

Not to mention that Hebe has also gotten involved this time. Just as Eris wanted Hebe to witness the Burning Witch, Hebe would probably be happy to use an entire Lostbelt to record Eris's crushing defeat.

Celestial Flint Eris's targeting of her... Isn't this also a kind of "predestined fate"?

Since the ruling group, led by Celestial Flint, had made it clear that they wanted Hebe to Closed Loop the historical loop, Eris simply let Hebe ring the bell.

However, how to strike, what to strike, and who would ultimately benefit from the outcome—these were all arrangements Eris himself had to make.

Eris's purpose was to get Hebe to write an ending that would be favorable to Him.

Of course, before that, there was Remus, a precarious but real fuse... to fulfill his promise to Sybil?

The golden bee's compound eyes stared at Hebe, awaiting the arrival of the Great Rest.

Hebe was also staring at the golden bee.

She raised her hand, making a loose fist in the air, her four fingers curled and her thumb clenched, as if she were holding a bell in her palm.

Remus's heart finally stopped beating, but Hebe did not give the golden bee any orders. Instead, she shook her hand vigorously.

Hebe's Third Mark, the Uncrowned King, has two effects. The first is primarily to suppress philosophers, preventing them from effectively threatening him.

The second effect is called [Wooden Trumpet of Heaven].

"The world Lack of Way for a long time, and Heaven will use you, Master, as its bellwether."

When the "Wooden Trumpet of Heaven" is activated, Hebe can neutralize or negate any effects from others.

Whether it has a positive or negative impact, whether it is an enemy or a friend.

In other words, it's like a True Magic card that can completely negate the environment that others have worked so hard to create.

Of course, this doesn't come without a price. To activate the second effect of the Undying King, one must be at least in the Twilight rank. Hebe once considered this a contradiction, because the Twilight rank requires accomplishments, and accomplishing accomplishments requires combining marks.

You've already assembled the structure; trying to remove a block from it out of thin air will only cause the whole thing to collapse.

But this is Atlantis.

Nero and Elizabeth have already proven that they too can briefly hold the position of Twilight.

There are two conditions: Remus's decree; and the blessing of the Grand Symphony.

The golden bee turned around in alarm and saw that the golden crown representing the Philosopher King was no longer on Remus's head.

This Lostbelt King, who has played his Grand Symphony alone for five hundred years, created an era of abundance, ushered in Golden Age, and then disappeared into the shadows during an era of decline, has now leaned back in his chair and entered into an eternal and peaceful rest.

A smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth.

After Hebe entered Pavillon, Remus didn't say a word to her. The two only exchanged glances a few times... but that was enough.

Remus: Can you save our world, our history?

Hebe: I can.

Therefore, Remus bestowed the entire title of Philosopher King upon Hebe.

—The "Uncrowned King" donned the crown.

Where does the blessing of the Grand Symphony come from? It naturally comes from Mozart's masterpiece, the Requiem for the God of Death!

It hovers near Hebe, preventing Sibyl, who has become the embodiment of the Grand Symphony Movement, and Nietzsche resides within it, from getting close.

In addition, there is Nitocris's blessing, Medea's remaining achievements within the wooden stick, Marie Antonevat absorbed by Hebe, and the high status of the Pure Water Spirit itself... and most importantly, Hebe possesses the Secret History Simulator.