Chapter 436
The great changes wrought by history and the sacredness of religion met the eye wherever one looked when they entered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre . Devout Christians knelt at the red marble which Jesus’ body had laid upon, praying and wiping at marble with their clothing . It was said that doing so was like taking a bit of the blood of sacrifice Jesus had shed in suffering, and that it would bring good luck .
Several white sanctuary lamps hung from the marble, shining with light . They belonged to the Franciscan, Greek Orthodox Church and Armenian Sects, and were known as the Light of Life .
Xia Lei walked over to the red marble after the person praying in front had moved off and knelt in pious prayer .
Tang Yuyan and Long Bing exchanged glances, then knelt on either side of Xia Lei and prayed with him .
‘I’m not a Christian but I believe in your existence . If you can hear me, please bless my father and let him have peace . If he has sinned, please transfer that sin to me . Also, please bless my sister . She is a kind girl . Please bless my fiancee Shentu Tianyin, a kind woman . ’ This was not a very standard prayer but Xia Lei’s heart was sincere .
When he was done praying, he also removed his jacket and rubbed it lightly on the red marble . As he did this, his left eye twitched and and his vision cut downwards like a knife through tofu, quickly going through the red marble and down .
Under the marble was a stone slab, and under the stone slab was dirt . His left eye could not see very deep down and he did not discover anything . He would have discovered something if there were anything hidden there but there was nothing there .
Xia Lei’s line of sight went to the pouch Long Bing carried . He used his X-ray vision on it and saw the Ming compass, and where its needle was pointing . The needle was trembling violently .
‘This looks like the item is hidden under this marble but I cannot see deeper down . How can we dig it out if it really is underneath?’ Xia Lei frowned heavily . No one could dig here . If the item truly was here, then the mystery of the alloy and the bronze book would forever be unsolved . There was Princess Yongmei too . The mystery of her existence would sleep on, indecipherable .
Long Bing and Tang Yuyan took off their jackets too and pretended to wipe at the red marble .
Long Bing opened her pouch, glanced in, then closed it again . She said nothing and was very alert .
The three of them moved away from the marble and walked out of the area, then went up the stairs next to the church doors to the second floor . They then went on up higher to the Golgotha . That hill was sacred land of the Christians, where Jesus was crucified . The trio were not going there to sight-see but to get to higher ground to have a view of the terrain .
Long Bing looked in her pouch again as they walked, then wrinkled her brows and said, “The compass is pointing to the place we just exited . The item is most likely underground, beneath the church . ”
“Is the needle still trembling?” asked Tang Yuyan .
Long Bing shook her head . “No, it’s still . ”
“This means the item really is down there . What now?” Tang Yuyan frowned worriedly too .
Long Bing nudged Xia Lei with her elbow . “Hey, say something . Do you have any ideas?”
“None so far . Nobody’s going to be able to dig it out if it’s really down there . ”
“Who buried it there?” Tang Yuyan said in frustration, “He probably buried the item there because he thought no one would dare to dig it up, huh?”
“I’d give him a good beating if he’s still alive . He’s brought us so much trouble!” said Long Bing .
Xia Lei said nothing, but Tang Yuyan and Long Bing’s conversation sparked some thoughts .
‘The ‘Scared Heart’ I gave to Tianyin is from the period of the Kings of Jerusalem . It ended up in Princess Yongmei’s tomb in the end . The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ming dynasty Princess Yongmei was from has a difference of 200 years, so the their timelines definitely did not intersect . Princess Yongmei made it her mission to use the compass to search for treasure, but did she ever go to Jerusalem?’ Xia Lei’s thoughts were hopping . ‘Wait… I forgot an important clue! The Church of the Holy Sepulchure was built by Emperor Constantine in 335 AD . It’s much older than the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Ming dynasty . Who would dare bury something in the sacred ground after Jesus was laid there? So this means… the item must have been buried before 335 AD!’
Xia Lei seemed to have caught onto something there . This was a feeling, an inspiration like an author has before setting his pen to paper . This inspiration was blind but there was sure to be a reward if he went with it .
‘The compass is an item from the Ming Dynasty but the alloy is not an item from the Ming dynasty . Princess Yongmei went to Afghanistan in search of the alloy and obtained a piece . She also obtained Princess Sibylla’s necklace…’ Xia Lei’s train of thought was still at full speed . ‘But she died . The body which had been preserved in the coffin was very young . Unless… her death was related to the alloy too?’
Xia Lei was stunned by the thought as soon as he thought it .
This was his first time thinking about the cause of Princess Yongmei’s death .
“What are you thinking about?” came Long Bing’s voice, breaking his train of thought .
“A solution to the problem, of course,” said Xia Lei .
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