Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 426 The Thief and the Beggar

A few decades is a long time for people, but it is very short for a church. Especially for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a place that should be more than a thousand years old, how can it have only a few decades of history?

It’s a long story, but from Allen’s perspective, Gillis doesn’t intend to make it short.

Not wanting to continue accompanying Garys in this dangerous situation, Allen tried to pull his hand away and try to escape.

But the hand that grasped his wrist was clearly a human hand, but it was as steady as thick marble and did not move at all.

The calmness on Allen's face could no longer be maintained, and was replaced by a trace of panic. The difference in strength between them made him feel desperate.

In this difficult situation, Allen could only sit next to Garys and listen to his nonsense.

As for Allen's accomplices who noticed something was wrong, some of them wanted to come over, but were driven away by Allen's eyes.

They are not vicious robbers, they just want to earn some part-time income to supplement their family income. It is a bad idea to confront others head-on in public.

"So they took Jesus away. He carried his cross and came out to the place called "The Place of the Skull," or Golgotha ​​in Hebrew. Have you heard this passage?"

Alan didn't want to answer, but the look on his face showed that he had heard it.

After all, he was born in Jerusalem, looked gentle and refined, and had heard how the scriptures were read.

What’s more, sentences like this can be found in every Gospel.

In Allen's opinion, if Gillis wanted to show off his knowledge, it would be too low-level.

How many Christians in Jerusalem do not know that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Golgotha ​​mentioned in the scriptures?

“That’s the beginning of the story here, but a church isn’t built in a day, and even if it is built, it won’t be smooth sailing.”

Garys was very talkative. After catching a thief, he did not give any verbal education, but pulled the thief to his side and sorted out the history of the place.

It started when Constantine the Great saw the cross in the sky, supported Christianity, and allowed the Bishop of Jerusalem to excavate the Jerusalem tombs to search for the Golgotha ​​mentioned in the scriptures, and then built the first temple here.

It then talks about the destruction of the churches here by the Persian Sassanid Empire and the Muslim Fatimid Empire, and finally mentions the transformation of this place by the Crusaders.

It was not until the reign of Queen Melisende, about fifty years ago, that it was built into its present appearance.

Allen was already feeling a little dizzy. It was also the first time he met someone who was so talkative.

The key is that Garys never made any threatening moves, and never even said a word of truth. He was just plain annoying.

And this kind of annoyance cannot be overcome by pretending not to understand, because after each paragraph, Garys asked Allen to repeat that history and express his own opinion.

If Allen tried to resist in silence, Garys's grip on his wrist would begin to exert force, forcing Allen to give his own opinions and refine his previous knowledge.

That force was simply impossible to resist, and Allen had no doubt that if he hesitated any longer, the man next to him would crush his wrist.

Of course Allen also saw that Garys had no intention of handing him over to the police, otherwise he would not have wasted so much time here.

After feeling like he was being given a long history lesson, Allen broke through first.

"Alright, alright, okay, I'm a thief! I can't run away now! Tell me what you want to do!"

After receiving the other party's reply, Gellis curled the corners of his mouth.

"I'll ask you a few questions and you answer them truthfully. Then I'll send the stolen goods to the police station and this matter will be over today." Allen nodded to show that he agreed.

"The first question is, how do you judge which people are more likely to steal?"

Allen gritted his teeth, glanced at Garys, and said unwillingly:
“…look at their shoes.”

He paused, as if he didn't want to say more, but he didn't want to continue the boring topic just now, so he had to continue: "Those who dress too poorly are not worth it. They have no money and no valuable things. Those who dress too well usually have guards or walk cautiously."

"It's best to pick those who look just right, like they came from Western Europe, with clothes that are neither new nor old, and a pious look but stiff steps. It's obvious that they are not familiar with this place... Those people usually carry some money or accessories that can be exchanged for money."

"Do you know the difference between the pilgrims and the local merchants? The pilgrims will walk around the stalls for fear of being harassed; the merchants, on the other hand, will look directly at the sellers, as if they are picking a rival. The former are probably here for the first time, but they will have some travel expenses in their hands."

Garys looked at Allen again, then pointed to a pedestrian not far away and asked Allen to tell him what he saw.

"A clean-shaven Western man, dressed like a low-ranking knight, holding a rosary in his hand, but not stopping in front of the cross."

"It's obvious. He might be the second son, but because of the inheritance issue at home, he came to the Holy Land to 'atone'. But he doesn't believe in this at all. He's just worried that he will have nothing when he returns. People like this probably have a lot of money."

After time and time again, Garys was certain of one thing: the world in Allen's eyes was different from that of ordinary people.

He can capture many overlooked details and restore them...

From the few bits and pieces that Gellis had heard, Allen's speculations were probably correct for six or seven out of ten people.

"Alan, you can change your lifestyle instead of living like this now."

"What to change?"

Garys had several career options in mind, but he thought they were ridiculous. At least, there was no need to talk about them at this juncture.

Continuing with the previous topic.

Garys pointed to a beggar not far away.

He was a man of indeterminate age, with a twisted and narrow frame, and the dirt on his face looked like cracked mud. His right leg was curled under him, and his left hand hung empty at the side, with a section of his forearm obviously missing.

There was a broken bowl in front of him, and he kept begging for help from passers-by.

"Tell me about him."

“That guy is so fake.”

Alan whispered, with something else in his eyes.

"How to say?"

"First, his left arm was broken too neatly. Second, the angle of the bowl always leans towards the side of his broken arm. Third, the leg is also fake paralysis."

"I understand the first point, but what does the second point mean, and how do you figure out the third point?"

Alan gasped.

"The angle of the bowl makes his broken arm more noticeable, making people subconsciously feel that he is particularly pitiful. Secondly, look at the way he crosses his legs. If he were really paralyzed, he wouldn't be able to achieve that effect at all."

(End of this chapter)