Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 652 Church - Murals - The Farasas, a Clue in the Legend

Two planes were anchored on West Lake in Texas, and people were watching from a nearby dock, clearly attracted by the planes landing.

Fang Wen activated radio communication to maintain contact with the Boeing 314.

“Steve, let’s have a quick meeting.”

"Okay, prescription."

Fang Wen turned to look at Ali.

"Ali, tell me about the situation here."

Ali's gaze passed through the cabin door and landed on the figures wrapped in white cloth at the distant dock: "Mr. Fang, this is Dek Island, the largest sacred island in Lake Tana. The people on the island are all Amhara people who have guarded the church here for generations. Look over at the dock, those wearing white robes are the priests and monks of the island."

He pointed to the domed buildings that were faintly visible on the island: "That is the Nargarserasi Monastery, built using the round adobe technique of our Amhara people. The walls contain manuscripts and sacred objects of past emperors."

This is also a religious holy site!

This aligns even more closely with Fang Wen's guess.

He continued listening to Ali's story.

"The island has 5000 residents, including four villages. Because the soil on the island is volcanic and particularly fertile, the Amhara people have been growing teff and wheat here for thousands of years and can be self-sufficient. Even when the Italians occupied the towns on the other side of the lake, they did not dare to land on the island easily. This is because it is a holy site for Ethiopian Orthodoxy, and the colonial army was afraid of arousing public anger, so they only dared to patrol from a distance."

“You must be careful.” Ali’s tone suddenly turned serious. “Among those people watching at the dock, there are Italian spies. They appear to be villagers on the island, but they actually take a boat to the colonial outpost on the other side of the lake every month to report on the situation. But the priests of the monastery will protect us; they, like Elder Belai, are anti-Italian and pro-Reconstructionists.”

He paused, then added, "Also, there's more than just the Narga Serasi church on the island. To the north, there's the Church of St. George and the Church of Ulia, both old buildings carved from rock, containing many ancient paintings and sacred artifacts left behind by the former kingdom."

Fang Wen nodded and said into the microphone, "Steve, did you hear that? I'm going to have Ali go up to the island first to communicate with the locals."

"Okay. Our men are waiting in the plane," Steve's voice came through the radio.

Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng went to the back cabin, took out an uninflated rubber boat, and threw it on the water.

Then, Gong Xiuneng took a manual air pump, connected the nozzle, stood on the buoy tube, and repeatedly pressed and lifted to inflate the rubber boat.

Fang Wenze took out a Taishan walkie-talkie and taught Ali how to use it.

"This device is already set up and doesn't require much operation. Just turn on this switch to make a call. Speak into this microphone and I can hear you. The communication range is 3 kilometers. You can stay in touch with us on the island and report any situations promptly. Oh, and remember to turn off the switch after you're done to save power."

Listening to Fang Wen's introduction, Ali took the Taishan walkie-talkie with great curiosity and quickly learned how to operate it by following Fang Wen's instructions.

Ten minutes later, the rubber boat was inflated, and Ali and two of his men boarded the boat and rowed toward the dock.

Not long after, the rubber boat arrived at the dock, where Ali was warmly welcomed before leaving.

The next step is to wait.

Time passed slowly, and about forty minutes later, Ali returned to the dock, waved towards the seaplane, and then picked up the walkie-talkie.

Ali's voice came through the aircraft's radio.

"Priest Meles has agreed to let us land on the island; the plane can fly over now."

Immediately, Fang Wen switched frequencies: "Steve, we can go to the island now. Fly the plane over there."

The two planes taxied one after the other, heading towards Texas Island.

(Texas Island stone pier)

Two planes approached the dock.

The dock here has never seen any large ships dock; there is only a small, protruding stone dock.

Fang Wen's Taishan seaplane was fine; it docked on the left side of the pier. The Boeing 314 was too big and couldn't fully dock due to the dense tree branches on the shore.

The white-robed black man next to Ali directed a group of black men to cut down the tree branches, and only then was Boeing 314 able to dock.

Fang Wen and Steve got off their respective planes and walked up to Ali.

“This is Priest Meles, one of Elder Belai’s men,” Ali introduced.

Steve introduced himself, "We are a historical research team from the United States, and we want to conduct a complete historical study of the ancient Kingdom of Solomon."

This was translated by Ali and relayed to the priest Meles.

The priest Meles accepted the American expedition team with great kindness.

Immediately afterwards, the passengers from both planes disembarked and carried down a batch of supplies and equipment.

The group followed the priest toward the church not far away.

The priests allowed the expedition to set up tents as a campsite on the land outside the church.

While the expedition team members were busy opening supply boxes and setting up tents, Priest Meles led Fang Wen and Steve into the church.

The church here has a very African architectural style, a round building made of brick and stone, surrounded by an arched circular corridor.

Fang Wen and his group entered the church.

What comes into view are murals full of religious themes.

This is a religious painting of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The priest Meles spoke at length, with Ali translating for him.

"The church was built in the 18th century by order of Mentwab, the last empress of the Gondar dynasty. The empress wanted to find a secluded place for prayer and meditation. The church is built in the Gondar style, and the interior walls are decorated with a large number of exquisite and well-preserved frescoes. The frescoes cover scenes from the life of Jesus and the saints, many of which depict the childhood of Jesus, such as the Virgin Mary nursing Jesus, as well as portraits of Empress Mentwab."

Fang Wen and Steve listened to Ali's translation while admiring the murals.

Steve looked at the picture of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding very carefully, while Gong Xiuneng blushed and dared not look at it a second time.

Fang Wenze was focused on the mural depicting the portrait of Queen Mentwab.

The Queen is the one lying on the ground in the mural, with the Virgin Mary sitting behind her, holding the Christ Child in her left arm, and maids on either side.

However, all the figures in the murals are depicted as Black, which is likely a characteristic of Ethiopian Orthodoxy.

After viewing the murals, Fang Wen immediately expressed curiosity about the local legends. "Ali, could you ask Priest Meles what legends and stories are associated with Lake Tana?"

Ali translated these words to the priest, who, as a religious person, was naturally very familiar with them.

The priest spoke at length about many things.

Fang Wen listened attentively, trying to find clues related to the secret treasure.

Legends about Lake Tana include:
Legend has it that the famous Ethiopian saint Betmalian was summoned by an angel at the age of seven to preach on the shores of Lake Tana, where he used his scepter to vanquish evil spirits and bring blessings to the people. The angel Gabriel also summoned him to scatter coffee, hops, and lemon seedlings around Lake Tana. He broke his scepter into three pieces, and the top of the scepter became the world's first coffee seedling.

The lake contains more than 30 islands, 20 of which are home to Christian monasteries. These monasteries are ancient and preserve a wealth of religious manuscripts, murals, and relics, serving as important evidence of Ethiopia's religious and cultural heritage. For example, on Tanakirkos Island, it is said that the Holy Family stayed for three months during their escape from Egypt, and the rocks still bear the footprints of the Virgin Mary and the hoofprints of a donkey.

In addition to the Amhara people, the lake region is also home to the mysterious "Farasha" people.

These people speak Amharic, but they have their own way of life, are more conservative about the outside world, and are unwilling to communicate with outsiders.

According to the priests, these people are descendants of a mixed-race child born to Queen Markna of Sheba and Solomon more than 2000 years ago.

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Steve, and the two understood each other perfectly; the matter of the underwater temple was likely related to those people.

Steve quickly asked, "Ali, ask the priest how we can contact the Farashans?"

After Ali translated and listened to the priest's words, he replied, "The Farasans were initially recruited by the Italian colonists, but later, the Italians discovered that they might be descendants of ancient Jews, and their attitude changed drastically. However, because the Farasans rarely interacted with the outside world, they were not greatly affected. If you want to meet a Farasan, he knows of one on the island; you can call him over."

“Of course, bring him over,” Steve said eagerly.

Priest Meles turned and gave a few instructions to the monk outside the door. A short while later, a thin, middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue linen robe followed the monk in.

He wore a small black knitted cap, had a high nose bridge, and his eyes were alert yet calm. Compared to the Amhara people, his skin was slightly lighter, and his eyebrows bore unique ethnic markings.

These are the Farasans on the island, named Elias.

Elias did not speak after entering, but simply bowed to the priest with his hands on his chest. His gaze swept over Fang Wen, Steve and his group with obvious aloofness.

Ali stepped forward and explained his purpose in Amharic. Elias then relaxed his guard slightly, but remained silent, seemingly considering whether to speak.

“We mean no harm; we just want to learn about the ancient legends of the Falasha people,” Fang Wen asked Ali to translate. “We’ve heard that your ancestors were descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, and we are very interested in this history.”

Elias visibly moved when "King Solomon" was mentioned.

He hesitated for a moment, then replied in slightly broken Amharic: “This is not a legend, but the truth passed down through generations of us Farasas. The great Menelik I extended an invitation to his people, and our ancestors, carrying sacred objects and treasures, set out from Jerusalem, crossed the Nile, and came to Ethiopia to help him establish his kingdom.”

Ali translated what he said.

Steve spoke to Fang Wen in a low voice.

Menelik I was the son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The local epic, The Glory of Kings, says that after Menelik I came of age, he went to Jerusalem to find his father. King Solomon recognized his identity and gave him a great deal of treasure, including a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, gold, holy objects, and Jewish priests. After returning to Ethiopia, he overthrew the local tribal leaders and established the Solomon Dynasty, with Aksum as its capital.

They actually matched.

But are these just fabrications by later generations?

Fang Wen didn't know.

He and Steve were more concerned with the underwater stone temple.

Then Steve asked, "What about the treasure? Is the legendary gold and relics of King Solomon hidden near Lake Tana?"

Elias's expression instantly turned serious, and he shook his head: "Treasure is not for showing off, but for protecting this land. Our ancestors hid the most sacred 'Ark of the Covenant replica' and King Solomon's scepter, as well as other sacred items, in the 'Underwater Altar'."

"Where is it?" Steve asked urgently.

Ali translated it.

Elias replied proudly, "It's a stone temple built at the bottom of the lake, and it will never be found unless the lake dries up."

This Farash man actually said it!

He probably thought that this legend had not been discovered for thousands of years, and it wouldn't be now either.

But among those present was Fang Wen, who could see everything from the air.

Fang Wen is now basically certain that the underwater stone temple is located in the waters north of Deke Island, and that it contains the secret treasure he desires, as well as the legendary artifact.

The Farashans left, and Steve continued talking to the priest, but the ensuing conversation did not help with the treasure hunt.

Afterwards, the group left the church and arrived at the campsite.

With the help of more than 40 people, two rows of tents have been set up at the campsite outside.

The chef in the group also prepared dinner.

Steve and the others' return allowed dinner to begin.

The chef scooped out the cooked mashed potatoes and placed them on individual plates, along with shredded onions, slices of bread, and a piece of sausage—that was tonight's dinner.

Fang Wen picked up a portion and sat down with Gong Xiuneng on the empty wooden box to eat.

Steve also came over with a plate.

"Fang, we can now confirm that the underwater stone temple is in Lake Tana, but the lake is very large. How do we find it?"

Although Fang Wen knew the exact location, he couldn't just say it directly.

He organized his thoughts, "Although we don't have a precise location, we can still try to find it. After all, we are different from the ancients; we can fly in the sky and see things that the ancients could never see. Perhaps we can find some clues through this method."

Steve nodded; at this point, Fang Wen's suggestion seemed to be the most useful.

Fang Wen continued, "Today, while searching for a landing site, I circled Lake Tana and gained a preliminary understanding of it. The lake is vast, but many areas are shallow, which can be eliminated, reducing our exploration area by one-third. As for the remaining two-thirds, I think we can further reduce them. For example, in areas with human activity, it's impossible that anomalies in the surrounding waters wouldn't have been discovered over thousands of years, thus eliminating the waters around the islands in the lake. That leaves less than half of the lake's surface area in deep water. This significantly increases our chances of finding it."

"Alright, we'll start tomorrow." After saying that, Steve picked up his plate and left, intending to finish his meal and then gather his men to discuss tomorrow's plans.

(End of this chapter)