kingdom of nations

Chapter 14 Man-made
Longinus was just like the holy spear of the same name, tall, thin, black and sharp. He often squinted his eyes and looked down at others condescendingly.

Longinus was not his original name. He just made a vow that he would not take back his surname unless he achieved something great. However, it seems that this hope is becoming increasingly slim.

You know, the entire holy city is filled with wandering knights like him. For various reasons, they were either abandoned by their families, or disliked by the lords they were loyal to, or failed to fulfill or swear an oath, or did things that were not allowed by customary law and religious law. Only then did they enter Alasar with a glimmer of hope, in the name of "pilgrimage" and "fighting against pagans".

This idea is not surprising. After all, the Knights Templar, the Knights of the Charity, and the four Christian kings of the Arabian Peninsula were all born from the Crusades. Unfortunately, time waits for no one. Now the major forces in Alazarus have already taken shape. It is no longer the time for a lone knight to gain praise, gold, and titles simply by courage and martial arts.

At the age of seventeen, Longinus boarded a ship bound for Jaffa with servants, three horses, a suit of armor and other weapons. Now, there was only him, a piece of leather armor, a long sword and a horse. For the past ten years, he had been looking for opportunities everywhere, but without an introducer, he had no chance to even step into the door of large knightly orders such as the Knights of the Charity and the Knights Templar. The wealthy merchants and nobles who came to make the pilgrimage either had their own guards or would rather hire knights from the Knights Templar. He turned to bribe the officials of Alaska, but they were either swindlers or useless trash.

The funny thing is that in the end it was a bit of compassionate loser who gave him an opportunity, which was to serve as a servant for the priests of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Priests are not only in churches and monasteries, they also often have to go out to perform sacraments for devout and noble believers. Outside of Alaska, priests are one of the favorite fat prey of robbers - maybe you want to ask, why is there no fierce competition for such jobs?

Well... that was because... the priests were too stingy. The wages they paid were only enough to ensure that Longinus would have enough food and clothing, and the rest was an empty promise - a promise to recommend him to King Alaska, and that Longinus could enter and exit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Square in front of the church freely like a monk.

So Longinus used this privilege to make money.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is not open to everyone at any time, even though it should be so according to religious law. However, monks and priests always find ways to reject pilgrims who do not make sufficient offerings. They cannot see, touch, or smell any precious trace of Jesus Christ, so there are always large groups of pilgrims who can only wander in front of the stairs leading to the Square of the Cross, crying, praying, and kneeling, hoping that some kind person will take pity on them and take them in.

Longinus was not a good man, but he was surprisingly good at finding opportunities and was not greedy. He only charged half the price of the priests. When he did not need to go out, he would pick a few pilgrims at dusk or noon, claiming that they were his friends or companions, and bring them into the church. This could be said to be the best of two worlds: the pilgrims could fulfill their long-cherished wishes, he could supplement his poor life, and the priests could use him more justifiably - although some of them were quite critical of this.

But sometimes, the knight would gaze up at the sky, lost in deep thought. Was this all his life was going to be? He wondered when the priests would finally give up and tell him to leave. Even if they were willing to tolerate him, how many more years could he maintain his current strength and acuity? He considered saving a little, but his armor needed repairing and polishing, his horse needed feeding, his sword needed maintenance, and he himself needed food and drink...

When he thought about how in five or ten years, he would be like those old or disabled knights he saw, holding an empty purse, with his head hung, riding a skinny old horse, carrying a spear that could break at any time, walking on the path back home in fear and despair, praying to his nephew for a favor and finding a job on his farm, like an overseer or something... Maybe he would have descendants, maybe not, but even if he did, his descendants would just be commoners.

He had seen with his own eyes how his father and brother treated a commoner.

Anyone with a heart would shudder at this.

"Longinus?"

A voice brought Longinus back to the human world from possible hell, where he saw Friar Thomas and a boy beside him.

The boy's coat was a dark green velvet that he rarely saw even at home, with a silver cross on his chest. "Longinus," Thomas said, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"what's up?"

"I know you're very familiar with the church," Thomas said. "This little brother has taken a vow to come and cleanse the Lord's house in person. I have to do my homework and can't accompany him—although I'd love to. So, knight, could you take care of him for me? Just between the rising of Venus and the morning prayers."

Longinus was naturally reluctant, but he knew that Friar Thomas's secular surname was Gerard, and in Alaska, the Gerard name was always looked down upon. Could this child be from the Gerard family? If so, his attitude was understandable, but when he saw the child's eyes, he was not so sure. He had little knowledge and was not particularly good at singing or composing poetry, but this child was definitely different from the noble children he had met before.

"Well," Longinus, like all mortals, had no idea what important decision he had made, nor that his fate would change here. Rather than being intimidated by the priest's orders or having other intentions, he was simply tired of the repetitive and hopeless life. "What do you want me to do?"

"You are doing it just as you always do," the boy replied humbly.

"I have walked through this temple more than once with my friends and companions, or with their relatives," Longinus said. "Follow me."

Since Calvary is called a mountain, it means that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built on it cannot be as flat and equal in height as the huge buildings on the flat ground. It is divided into three parts, arranged from low to high. At the end of the narrow and steep stairs is a square square, "the Square of the Passion," Longinus said, "the part facing the outside." The reason for this is that the Square of the Passion, as the name suggests, is the place where Jesus Christ was crucified. There is a round hole in the square, which is said to be the mark left by the cross that nailed Jesus to the ground. Jesus Christ once cried out and prayed above it, begging for God's mercy. The Virgin Mary, disciples and believers also knelt and cried on the ground here. Therefore, a long time ago, the priests of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built a rectangular building in the name of maintaining the holy relics to protect and hide it. Except for those pilgrims who are powerful and wealthy enough, the cash-strapped civilians can only look up and stand outside the pine gate, hoping to occasionally catch a glimpse of the sacred traces from the gaps that appear from time to time.

Some of them couldn't help but reveal disappointment when they saw Longinus with the boy. Longinus was cautious, and although his actions were tacitly approved by the priests, he never got carried away. He only brought two or three people into the church every day. The presence of this child meant that there would be one less place for today.

"But judging by the attire of this noble man," they whispered, "he doesn't look like someone who wouldn't make a contribution, does he?"

It was also the first time Cesar had seen anyone outside the castle. Those who could come on pilgrimage were definitely not truly impoverished commoners or slaves. How could they possibly afford the food and money needed for the pilgrimage if they couldn't even fill their stomachs? Even so, their appearance and aura couldn't compare to the humblest servants in the castle. If anything, they resembled herds of wild rabbits, their fur unkempt, their eyes cloudy, their vigilance unapproachable.

Longinus was already accustomed to the spotlight, so he pushed open the heavy door on behalf of Cesar, blocking out those jealous and malicious gazes.

This place felt familiar to Cesar: long walls built of huge stones, a ceiling, faint light coming in from a small window and then being drowned out by bright candlelight, exquisite tapestries hanging all around, portraits of saints enshrined, flags and curtains hanging from the arched ribs. The only difference was that in the middle of the mirror-smooth granite floor, there was a rugged rocky area. There were no pilgrims there at the time, so Longinus took Cesar to see it. "Come and touch it," he said, kneeling down and touching the round hole.

Cesar did the same, but compared to the single-minded pilgrims and priests, he couldn't help but think of the young Isaac. He came to save the world, but was betrayed and judged by his own people, and then executed like a thief, simply because he had offended the interests of the Isaac officials and elders. What was he thinking while he was nailed to the cross? Did what he believed in actually exist? If he were still watching over this world, seeing the priests using his miracles to plunder the believers' wealth, would he laugh or be angry?
Behind the small temple in the Passion Square, there are stairs leading up, which are wide and long. At the top of the stairs is a cedar door. Two priests are waiting at the door. After entering the door, you will see a red stone the size of a bed. Without Longinus' explanation, Cesar can guess that it is the stone that Jesus Christ was taken down from the cross by his disciples after his death and let him lie on. The blood of the Savior soaked the stone, making it a holy relic.

Going up from the second hall is the real location of the Holy Sepulchre. The ebony double doors lead to a hall with a round dome. In the hall is a magnificent golden house, which is the tomb of Jesus Christ. It originally belonged to a wealthy businessman, who wanted to donate it to the Savior. This is a stone cave so narrow that it is almost unbelievable. The entrance can be blocked with stones - Jesus' disciples did so. On the third day, after Christ's eleven appearances after his resurrection, people opened the tomb and found that only a shroud was left inside.

Now the Shroud has been obtained by the Roman Church, and the only thing left here is the stone cave that appears exceptionally smooth due to being rubbed by countless people. However, under the reflection of silk and gems, even the ordinary blue-gray rock seems to become noble and glorious.

Longinus opened the brocade curtains, allowing Cesar to see the final dwelling of the Son of God on earth.

Cesar knelt down and prayed silently, then reached out to touch the smooth stone and gently touched his forehead.

"You see," Longinus said seriously after walking the entire Church of the Holy Sepulchre with this boy, whose looks alone could secure him a place in the church or at court. "My lord, I don't know how you could have made such a vow, but cleaning the entire church by yourself would take a lot of time and energy. Your fingers would ache, your skin would become calloused, and your fatigue would affect your work. I suggest you give me some money so I can hire some servants for you. When anyone asks, I'll spread your name."

His words sounded reasonable, but Cesar knew very well that this gentleman was merely fulfilling the duties of a broker. It was not that he would go back on his word, but once he took the money, he would exchange the opportunity to lead people on pilgrimage to the holy relics for free labor, and all the money Cesar gave him would go into the pocket of this wandering knight.

Cesar wouldn't criticize such a small person, but he wouldn't let him manipulate him and betray his original intention: "That won't do," he said with a smile, "I came here to suffer."

He and Longinus walked out of the church and came to the square. It was still dark, but the pilgrims who were lingering on the steps and reluctant to leave had woken up. They stared at Cesar and Longinus curiously. Longinus watched the boy take something that looked like a wooden spear with a lot of rags tied at the end from a servant, as well as a water bag. The boy sprinkled a little water on the rags and started from the first step, slowly sweeping.

"What is this?" asked Longinus.

"Mop," Cesar answered. Before he came to the castle, floor cleaning still relied on maids kneeling on the ground to wipe with rags and sponges. He didn't know that although there were brooms at that time, there was still no sign of mops. It was obvious that mops were much more efficient than hand wiping to clean the stone and wooden floors. He thought there might be some taboo, but when he asked the servants to make a mop, they immediately imitated it and used it happily - of course, before that, they specially and formally asked for his permission.

Longinus wanted to ask a few more questions, but at this time a pilgrim approached. Although he was dressed like a Christian, a closer look, especially for someone as knowledgeable as Longinus, could tell at a glance that he was an Isaac. Jesus Christ was born in the Isaac tribe. He should have become an elder or even a king of the Isaacs. Unfortunately, the Isaacs did not have such wisdom and foresight. They framed and killed the Savior. Although this was the suffering the latter had to go through, as executioners and traitors, the Isaacs had always been hated and excluded by Christians.

Longinus did not have that kind of pure hatred. He despised the Isaacs but not their money.

"Oh, isn't this Brother Sherlock?" He walked towards the Isaac man and smiled as he took the fat arm.

(End of this chapter)