[Notre Dame de Paris] Papal Way

The night of November 25, [-] was destined to be a dark night where no one could sleep peacefully.The servants who escaped from the palace were spreading the panic of the Black Death, and the sudden closing of the city gates and the addition of patrolling guards on the streets exacerbated the panic.All night, the vibration of horseshoes never stopped from the street, and the sound of someone knocking on the door could be heard from time to time, and the guards rushed in brutally with swords in hand, collecting all the gold they could find.

After the sound of horseshoes, there is the sound of wheels.One after another, carriages with noble family crests drove to the palace, and then drove back after a while.Then there was the sound of horseshoes again, at least more than 400 cavalry roared past the city, the city gate｜opened for a moment, and then closed again after they left the city.Someone wanted to take the opportunity to sneak in and escape, but was killed on the spot.People can clearly see that the soldiers under the torches may have panic on their faces, but they definitely do not have the fear of extinction that would appear when facing the plague.

what on earth is it?

Wenerrick, who had been staying in Paris recently, keenly sensed unusual information.Because he fell in love with a bartender, he has been living in this tavern since he came to Paris.The tavern has always been a place where people come and go, fish and dragons are mixed, and the flow of news is naturally very fast.Almost at the same time that Ace was treating Bordeaux, he had already heard the news of the plague. He was almost terrified, and hurriedly packed up his things and ran for his life.But he was too fat after all, and he had a lot of luggage, so he finally rushed to the city gate, but the gate was closed, so he had to go back home again.

His mind was spinning fast, but he wanted to ask the hermit and even Ace for help. By the way, he asked what was going on, but before he went out again, the city guards appeared arrogantly and ordered everyone not to stop Get out, curfew is now in place.It seemed that the situation was indeed very serious, and Wenerike had no choice but to avoid it for the time being.

After calming down, he thought about it carefully, and felt that according to the current situation, it is impossible to say that nothing happened, and that the patients who brought the Black Death were indeed very likely to enter the city.God specially sent "His Majesty Metatron" to come down, and also has extraordinary healing ability, of course it will not be aimless.

In this way, the epidemic may indeed happen, but there is no need to worry about it at all, because God, the old man, has already anticipated everything and stretched out his life-saving hand.Besides, he was a devout believer and a loyal servant of Metatron's crown. He should be the last person who should not die in the plague.

Thinking of this, Wenerike felt that he was comforted.After seeing a group of people leaving the city through the window, he even had the courage to open the door of the tavern, and waved to a soldier standing guard nearby: "Praise God... Dude, what happened in Paris?"

The soldier replied: "We don't know either. However, it is right that it is related to the plague."

Wenerike asked in surprise, "Then, did the plague really happen?"

The soldier said impatiently: "Don't talk too much, you will be fine."

When he said this, he naturally had a condescending face, as if others might get the plague, but he would never get it.Wen Erike was reprimanded, but became happy.This proves that his guess is correct, at least some people have obtained the method of preventing the plague, and it is self-evident who created this method.As the messenger of God, Wenerike really has reason to believe that Ace can solve all this.

So he went back to sleep very happily, and even coaxed the restless wine lady to have a "carnival at the last moment of life" with himself before going to bed, waiting for the dawn contentedly.But not everyone knows as much inside information as Wenerrick. Many of them have seen the holy miracle that descended on the gallows, and even know that the "angel" named Metatron, who once guided the Greek The Braves came out of the wilderness...

But this news didn't spread for long, and it gradually disappeared because of the disappearance of the protagonist and the news that aroused the interest of others.The cardinal's blockade strategy still has some effect, at least many religious believers have not seen the scene with their own eyes, there is no record about Metatron in the "Bible", and the Holy See officially denied it. The truth of this news, from the beginning to the end, I didn't think this news was true.What's more, it was an Egyptian who was hanged on the gallows. Egyptians have been pagans and even enemies of God since ancient times. They mastered terrible witchcraft. Who knew that this was not a deception using witchcraft?

Louis XI's strategy of decisively ordering the closure of the city gate and imposing a curfew was correct.Under the premise that the plague can indeed be resolved, the most fearful thing at this time is the riots of the people.Only by controlling the army and assuming that everything is sure of victory can we calm people's hearts in a disguised form.

And he didn't keep the townspeople waiting too long. After more than 400 knights carrying utensils left the city, the city guards were notified and began to knock on doors from door to door, asking the citizens to prepare cups and bowls, but it was forbidden to carry tools with a capacity of more than one liter, and they went to line up in front of the palace one after another. Receive medicines that can prevent the plague and get rid of the virus, and notify the city guards in time when someone is found to have the Black Death, and His Majesty the King will solve all this for them.

If you don't believe that the king has such abilities, there is still the noble messenger sent by the holy God, the holy son Ace, as a guarantee.The holy son Ace was resurrected on the fourth day after his death, and he was born with the ability to heal all things.He is the messenger sent by God to save the people.If anyone dares to doubt this, let him be a companion of the plague!

The more arrogant the city guards were, the easier it would be to appease the panicked hearts of the citizens.The riots in Paris that had never been stirred up quietly subsided.As for the slums where the situation is most worrying, because of the orderly dispatch of the three chiefs of the black talk kingdom, no troubles were revealed at this time.

If there are gods passing by this world, they will find that the territory of the European continent is quickly shrouded in a black shadow, but in the place centered on Paris, France, a golden light gradually radiates, and cities are successively covered by this world. Lit by light.

The confrontation between life and death begins here.

-

"I said, this teleportation will end in the Vatican Palace in Rome."

Solving the temporary problem, Ace raised the staff of Moses.The surface of the gold has now been shrouded in a layer of dull gray, and now it looks like an ordinary branch.Such an image is undoubtedly more in line with the cognition of ordinary people, and it is more suitable for Ace to implement the next step.

Not only is it the staff of Moses, but his robes are also covered by the illusion of the Eye of Horus. The gorgeous coat has turned into linen clothes, and the beautiful boots made of the highest quality leather, look It also looks very ordinary, as if covered with a layer of dust.Her long black hair was tied neatly behind her head with a golden headband, revealing her beautiful forehead and deep eyes.The tightly pursed lips don't make people feel serious, but they look very compassionate because of the natural shallow curvature of the corners of the lips.

He will maintain this image for a long time, maybe a few months, maybe a year, until he becomes the youngest pope in history under the eyes of all the people, before he may consider taking it off.This image is not used to deceive the Holy See, but to face the people.The panic caused by the Black Death, using this image to solve the resistance will be the least.And after the Black Death ended, he had enough time for people to realize that he would become the only pope recognized by everyone, instead of letting people's own cognition constrain him.

In a short period of time, Ace's understanding of the law has been greatly improved.In terms of positioning this time, he not only felt the "result" brought about by the law, but also felt its "origin".It seems that there is an invisible "string" being plucked by the word spirit, and the "aftermath" it caused has achieved the result Ace wanted.

Both feet landed on the ground again, and Ace closed his eyes thoughtfully, feeling the "law" itself.He took the path of "understanding" first and then "nibbling", and this is the safest path that has been verified by many gods on the continent of Maris. The law of "existence" is like an attractive fruit hanging on a branch, which is very coveted because it is unattended and extraordinarily abundant.But Ace knew that if he swallowed the fruit rashly, the result might not be that he completely controlled the law, but was completely swallowed by the law.

Swallowing can be considered later, but observing the color and shape of the fruit, smelling its aroma, touching|touching its texture and temperature are also very important for studying it.So Ace closed his eyes, concentrated on recording his understanding of the fluctuation, and then turned his attention to the outside world.

During this period of time, someone has already discovered the uninvited guest who appeared in the Vatican Palace|.The guards drew out their swords one after another and aimed at the stranger, shouting vigilantly, "Who!?"

"The messenger of God." Ace replied fluently in Latin.He paused on the ground for a while on the camouflaged and extended staff, and his voice spread out through magic: "Francisco, my friend, God stretches His grace to save the earth, and you use this kind of etiquette to welcome His messengers?" ?”

His spiritual power spread throughout the palace, and he quickly determined his position.From the looks of it, he should be in the audience room, which is the place where the Pope privately receives guests, and it is next door to the palace.Sixtus IV should have heard the movement, the bed curtain is being raised.Ace withdrew his mental power and continued to confront the guards.

The guards were very nervous, completely unable to understand how Ace got in, and were wary of his attempt to come here.After all, there are many examples of popes being assassinated in history. They are all the most trusted private soldiers of Sixtus IV, and of course they are afraid of accidents.

But the Pope soon came in, robed and holding a candlestick.After seeing Ace, he quickly determined Ace's identity, and asked tentatively, "...Your Majesty? It's Brother Paul..."

Ace shook his head slightly: "I'm here for the plague."

plague?The pope's expression became tense.He said to the guards: "This is a distinguished guest, please leave temporarily." After the guards retreated from the audience room, he said cautiously: "Let me ask one more question, are you..."

"Although we haven't met each other yet, you should already know who I am." Ace said indifferently, and sat down on a high-backed chair. The arrogant nobleman appeared in front of Sixtus IV.The scepter lost its gray appearance, and the rubies inlaid on the snake's eyes shone brightly surrounded by gold.

Sixtus IV sized it up carefully: "...the stick of Moses?"

"Good guess," Ace said.He threw the scepter to the ground, and the golden snake spit out its core, climbed along the chair and onto his arm.Ace lowered his eyes slightly, his magic power surged, and he wove dense wings behind his back.

"I know you once doubted my identity, and you still doubt it until now, His Majesty Sixtus IV." Ace put up his fingers, propped his chin, and said in a normal tone, "Man's understanding of angels How many are there? What has Yahweh (Jehovah) ever described to human beings? Human beings are born ignorant and flawed, and can only achieve success through acquired learning, so it is understandable for you to have such doubts. I even Thought to tolerate your doubts generously, for prudence is a virtue in itself, and it will do you good to keep it.

"But not now, Your Majesty. You should have received the report? The Black Death has spread its wings and descended on this land again. Every moment, including the time we speak, there are countless Man loses his breath in pain. I am sitting here because of the Black Death. I ask you to put all the power at your disposal at my disposal, so that I can complete the important task of saving people. Now, Do you have any comments?"

Sixtus IV was stunned by what he saw.He has seen descriptions of Ace in letters from hermits and reports from his subordinates. He has seen words such as "the appearance of a god" and "the power that only God can have", and he has seen it more than once, but every time I didn't take it to heart, I just suspected that it was a special method of Egyptian witchcraft.But when Ace is standing in front of his eyes, when he sees what happened in front of his eyes, it is very difficult to deny the miracle he saw.

The old man over seventy years old seemed to be still in a dream. He didn't know what Ace was talking about at all. When he heard his question, he shook his head subconsciously: "No, Your Majesty..." The words started, He woke up suddenly again, and asked in surprise: "What are you talking about, Your Majesty? Do you have a way to solve this plague?"

Ace raised his eyebrows slightly: "God gave me this responsibility, and let me solve the disaster for you. Do you have any doubts about my words?"

"No, no, no, no..." Sixtus IV murmured, with an incredulous expression on his face, which gradually changed from suspicion to surprise: "Of course I trust every word of yours... you first let me I'll think about it."

Ace frowned and lowered his clasped hands.Sixtus IV had a happy expression on his face, walking back and forth in the audience room, as if he was thinking about something.After a while, he turned his head and asked solemnly: "Your Majesty, can I ask you what method you plan to use to expel the plague? Is it the way of medicine, or this magical power?"

"The Black Death is not something humans can resist today." Ace said lightly.

"You are really a great saint sent by the merciful God to save us." Sixtus IV praised, "Without you, we must have suffered heavy casualties in this plague-so, this power is only You own it alone?"

Sensing something from his words, Ace glanced at his aged face, and frowned: "What do you have to say, Your Majesty Sixtus IV?"

"I just want to ask you to consider the needs of the secular world." Sixtus IV said, his old face looked refreshed, "You know, the Holy See is the messenger of God's will, and only through the priest's continuous preaching can we be able to Let the people deeply understand the Holy Spirit. But now, you must have seen some priests, bishops and even cardinals with your own eyes, don't you have any doubts about their performance?"

"Indeed, their performance is quite different from Yawei's request." Ace replied following his request, his frown loosened.He sneered in his heart, and his impression of Sixtus IV changed greatly.Originally thought that the pope, who was good at using conspiracy, had really turned his back on it, and was sincerely anxious and repenting about the current situation of the Holy See... But now it seems that the monk's impression is as naive as he himself.

He waited for Sixtus IV to tell his purpose, but Sixtus IV seemed to feel that his foreshadowing was not enough, and said worriedly: "And this is just what you have seen, in Rome , the situation is even worse. The cardinals are almost openly having lovers, playing tricks, assassinating political opponents, and using illegitimate daughters to win over kings..."

Ace stared at him, and suddenly sneered: "Perhaps we also need to add the sale of priesthood and holy relics, and high taxes?"

Sixtus IV himself relied on this to make a fortune. He may not be the worst pope in the history of popes, but he is definitely not a good person.Ace was willing to believe that he was really worried about the future of the Holy See because their interests were still the same for the time being, and he was willing to believe that the Pope showed that his interests were consistent with his.But now...

Sixtus IV said frankly: "I have done many wrong things, so I regret it when I grow old. I hope God can forgive my sins. Do you think I have been unforgivable, Your Majesty ?”

Ace said coldly: "Before I became an angel, I was a nobleman. But now, since I came into this world, I have been given the status of a nobleman again."

Sixtus IV understood his subtext and laughed: "Then I will say something straight, Your Majesty—this is also for the better spreading of the glory of our Lord. The Holy See is the will of God. Among these communicators, the Pope is the only person who is qualified to listen to the voice of God. I think the reason why the Holy See has become so corrupt today is that there is too much power in it. The Holy See only needs to have one voice, and all People have to surround this voice to better convey God's will. So I hope that such a thing can be done in my lifetime to make the Holy See reunite, and this needs to be done with a purge. "

"So, you want me to stand by your side and help you complete this purge?" Ace stared at him for two seconds, then lowered his eyes, and said playfully: "But what we are discussing now is about the plague. What does the purge of the Holy See have to do with the plague?"

"Those who are not devout, even if they are eliminated by the plague, will not be blamed by God at all, will they?" Sixtus IV asked back, "and devout believers will naturally be saved by my Lord and suffer The glory of my lord, and even a higher status. My lord's faith will spread better and farther on this continent, and more steadfast believers will join us. Don't you want to see this Is it a scene, Your Majesty?"

"It is indeed very tempting." Ace raised his palm slightly, and the golden snake swam into his palm and turned into a scepter again, "But who will decide who is devoutly believing in the Lord and who is not?"

"In the face of death, no one has any other choice." Sixtus IV said confidently, "As for who are hypocrites and whose beliefs are not firm at all, of course we can use some means to judge ..."

"Such as paying gold coins and beauties to satisfy your desires?" Ace sneered and said slowly, "Very well, I will consider this as one of your plans to clear the Holy See for the time being, but then? This is what I want you to cooperate with." What does it matter to expel the plague?"

Sixtus IV was taken aback, and then a cold sweat slowly broke out from behind.He was really carried away just now, and he lost his previous self-control, and almost showed signs of depravity in front of Ace... He glanced at Ace quietly, not sure whether what the other party said just now was irony or really. This has become one of his plans, so he said ambiguously: "About this... I hope you can appoint people who are only loyal to the Pope to do it, because the current situation in the Holy See is really not optimistic..."

"What about the plague? How long will it take you to gather your manpower, and how long will it take to get all the clergy to fully cooperate with me?"

"I need to write some letters, and then convene a meeting...Maybe, I can finish it within a month." Sixtus IV said.He really thinks that this time is fast enough. Most of the senior priests of the Holy See are of noble blood, and like ordinary nobles, they have the habit of wrangling and fighting for their own interests in everything.Sixtus IV dared to conclude that he could solve the problem within a month because his relationship with his nephew had eased a lot recently.

"One month?" Ace asked softly, his eyes flickering darkly, "One month? What about the plague? During this period of time, I'm afraid tens of millions of people will die again?"

Sixtus IV smiled kindly: "For the glory of our Lord, the necessary sacrifice is also..."

This was the last word he uttered of his own will in this world.In his field of vision, the almost indescribably handsome black-haired young man raised the scepter in his hand, sighed as if feeling regretful, and the emerald eyes glowed a little golden.

"...he will speak to the people for you, he will be your mouth, and you will be his God."

It's not... from Exodus...

The consciousness of Sixtus IV was cut off.The inherent curse inscribed in the rod of Moses worked as it should.It took away the magic power of Ace and touched the law that Jehovah once mastered. In just a few seconds, Sixtus IV seemed to have experienced a fierce fight, and his body was full of sweat.However, his complexion began to become ruddy, and the wrinkles on his face began to smooth out. When he looked at Ace out of breath, his old face seemed to be ten years younger, and his whole body looked refreshed.

Ace knew that this was the effect of light magic.When he launched the forbidden spell, he expanded his domain and interfered with the law of "existence".The current Sixtus IV has no will of his own at all, and unless Ace lifts the curse, in the last two years of his life, every word he says will come from Ace's will.

How many times will this curse be used again?Ace calculated the consumption of his magic power and forbidden spell, and frowned slightly.Sensing his need, Sixtus IV replied in a timely manner: "Do you need me to provide you with a large amount of emeralds, Your Majesty?"

Ace gave him a surprised look and nodded.It should be said that it is worthy of being a high-level god in the past. Is the ability it masters easy to use?Sixtus IV looks the same as before, but he has truly become a puppet who can understand his master's mind and think about Ace from the bottom of his heart.Even if the spell is lifted, he will not feel that there is anything unusual about his performance during this period... Fortunately, the Holy See of Guangming does not have such a wonderful spell, otherwise, let alone developing faith, the gods who feel threatened will definitely be in the first place. Time will kill the God of Light.

Sixtus IV straightforwardly led him from a secret passage to the treasure house of the Holy See. As soon as he entered the door, there was a dazzling array of sights, shining under the light of the candle.There are exquisite gold and silverware, very precious antiques, silk and porcelain from the Far East... The most amazing thing is the wooden boxes placed at the end of the treasure house. After opening, there are all kinds of crowns and crosses. Even the idols, each one is magnificent and exquisitely crafted, and one of the crowns is densely inlaid with thousands of perfect-looking diamonds, shining so dazzlingly!

If there were a few more magical devices, this treasure house would be almost comparable to the treasury of an ordinary principality on the Maris continent.On such a barren continent, Ace never expected to see such a treasure house.In contrast, although the wealth on Monte Cristo Island is also huge, it has not received any processing after all.If a diamond is originally worth 150 louis, it can be sold for [-] louis after being skillfully polished by a craftsman, designed and inlaid by a famous artist; It is not too much to raise it to a high price of two hundred louis.In contrast, those wealth are indeed very shocking, but without this treasure house, it is even more exciting.

At least he doesn't feel bad at all for letting Ace grab a handful of diamonds and waste them, but if it's this piece of perfect jewelry and a gorgeous and luxurious crown, he will have a little hesitation when he starts his hands.After all, as a nobleman, he is very good at appreciating beauty.

Just as he was playing with a magnificent Pope's tiara, Sixtus IV walked over with a small box in his arms.He stood in front of Ace, bowed his head respectfully, and opened the box.

Ace glanced over the box casually, and couldn't move away immediately - the gem!A whole box of emeralds!

Subconsciously, he stretched his hand in, inserted it to the bottom, stirred it again, fished it out, and stared at the polished gems lying in his palm—yes, they were all polished. Yes, a whole box of perfect emeralds!

Sixtus IV graciously introduced: "When building a church, the Holy See once dug a gemstone mine from below. The previous Pope secretly sent people to mine for decades before digging out all the gemstones. These are The most perfect gems polished and selected... If you want, I can send craftsmen to make you a Pope's tiara..."

Now he has become the spokesperson of Ace's will. Of course, he understands Ace's needs very well, knowing that Ace's goal is to be the next pope, and enthusiastically began to prepare the equipment for his coronation.

"..." Ace stretched out his hand, and "slapped" all the emeralds on his face - damn Sixtus IV!Even though there are so many emeralds in the treasury, the prince of Naples was instructed to use such inferior goods to fool him!In the past two years, dozens of them have been provided, and even the national treasury has been emptied!Damn Sixtus IV! !Damn prudence and skepticism are virtues! ! !

-

Ace unceremoniously accepted the entire treasure house of the Holy See, and spread magic barriers and spells around it. As long as someone stepped in without his consent and took away his (?) treasures, he would be killed in three days. died within.The source of inspiration for this spell was Tutankhamun's tomb. Originally, he sneered at the pharaoh's curse, but now that he thinks about it, it is really necessary to implement such a plan in the face of possible thieves.

Although he didn't care about these treasures, he didn't have to care about the things that belonged to him. It was another thing to be taken away by others.As with wealth, so with power, so with power.

He had no intention of using this plague to expand his own interests, but he paid his sincerity and tried his best to save as many people as possible. The Pope was originally in his pocket, but now he It's just harvested in advance because of one's own strength.When the plague can end, he will be crowned.Anyone who tried to take the Pope from him during this period would be regarded as an enemy by him.

Even Claude, who moved him and wanted to stay by his side.

The spiritual imprint on Claude's body has not faded, and Ace can easily locate his position.He is still in Italy, even in Rome, staying at the palace of a cardinal.It is self-evident what is being discussed.

After ordering Sixtus IV to use all the means he could to gather the clergy in the city as soon as possible, Ace sat lazily in front of the fireplace and began to think about the next arrangement.In the face of a catastrophe, it is very normal to place hope on religion, and he is trying to use this kind of sustenance to make the people trust him, so as to ensure that every word he says can be effectively implemented.Only power can quickly restore order. The disposal of dead bodies, the treatment of patients, and the recovery of productivity...Under the current conditions, it is really difficult for the government alone to achieve these things, so the Holy See needs to cooperate vigorously.

Claude is an unscrupulous man.He has been dormant for more than ten years, dealing with several cardinals and even cardinals. Everyone thinks that he will help him achieve his goal and get a higher position, but no one knows that Claude's purpose is to let him Become Pope himself.He doesn't care about life or human beings, and he doesn't mind getting blood on his hands if necessary... All the purpose is just to get close to the gods.

The plague is both a disaster and an opportunity, not only for Ace, but also for Claude.Ace doesn't believe that Claude is unprepared for this, and if he wants to take benefits from Ace...

Ace grinned as he stroked his lower lip with his thumb.

Then he... had no choice but to show it intuitively, what is power is the truth.