章 113: Chapter 113: You Are the One Being Protected
The three of them gasped. It was hidden so well that without William knowing those lines, no one would have thought there was another secret room inside this one.
William led the way down into the secret room. Upon entering, he immediately noticed a vase with a red rose in it on the ground to the left.
The vase was quite beautiful.
Langdon and Sophie followed William and saw the vase and the red rose. "She was once here, just like 600 years ago when the Holy Grail was sought. A rose would be left wherever the Grail stayed. God, we are so close. Has the Grail been found, or has it been hidden by the council elsewhere?" Langdon said, looking at William.
William shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then how did you know there was another secret room inside the one above? Normally, anyone finding so many of da Vinci's paintings in the upper room wouldn't ignore them like you did. William, what clues do you know? Tell us, and maybe we can help you solve it," Langdon said.
William ignored Langdon. He wasn't going to reveal those four lines to anyone. Even if he hadn't found it, he could still search slowly. The phrase "Under ancient Rosslyn, the Holy Grail quietly waits" had already been deciphered; the Holy Grail had indeed stayed beneath Rosslyn Chapel.
"Dedicated to the master's masterpiece, rest peacefully, gazing at the stars" was also clear. The secret room contained da Vinci's paintings, and da Vinci was undoubtedly a master. The ceiling of the secret room indeed had a starry sky depiction. However, the phrase "guarded by swords and the Holy Chalice" hadn't been deciphered. William hadn't found anything in Rosslyn Chapel or the secret room that matched this phrase. What did it mean? William knew that once he understood this phrase, he could find the Holy Grail and Lama Damaia.
After thinking for a long time, William looked around the secret room and walked over to a cabinet. He picked up some documents and started reading them. As he read, a look of shock appeared on his face. He turned to Sophie and asked, "Sophie, why did your relationship with your grandfather, Jacques Saunière, turn bad? Why did you stop speaking to each other?"
"Why are you asking this?" Sophie asked in confusion. Seeing William just staring at her without speaking, she reluctantly explained, "When I was a child, I wanted to find out why my parents and brother died in the car accident, but Saunière always forbade me from searching. I didn't listen and secretly searched his study.
One time, he caught me, and we had a huge argument. He locked me up and wouldn't let me leave the house. Another time, during a heavy rain, I discovered he was hosting a gathering with many people wearing hooded robes and gold masks. Saunière was doing something with a woman on the altar. I was terrified. After that, we barely spoke, and after university, I moved out and lived alone. We barely spoke a word in a year," Sophie said.
Langdon exclaimed, "God, I understand now. That ceremony might have been the council's ancient ritual to communicate with the Light God."
Sophie asked in shock, "How could there be such a ceremony? It was disgusting, with people watching. Just thinking about it makes me sick."
"Well, it was indeed excessive," Langdon shook his head. "According to Teabing, Lama Damaia gave birth to a daughter for the Light God. This girl was both royal and the last holy descendant in the world.
So, some members of the council might believe that this ritual could communicate with the Light God. Such ceremonies have been recorded throughout history in various continents—Persia, Rome, ancient India. No wonder the Holy Light Church always considered them heretics. The church feared the heretics might contact the Light God through such rituals."
After hearing Langdon's explanation, Sophie fell silent. She had always thought her grandfather, Saunière, was a pervert. The scene she witnessed had always been unacceptable to her.
"William, does this have anything to do with Sophie?" Langdon asked.
William picked up some old newspapers and handed them to Sophie and Langdon, pointing to the headline. "Sophie, is this a photo of your family?"
Sophie looked at the newspaper photo and said sadly, "Yes, this is my parents and my little brother. They died in a car accident, and I was the only one who survived. Saunière found me and took me to his home."
"But that's not what the newspaper says. Look here," William pointed to an article, "The report says a family had a car accident in England—two adults, a six-year-old boy, and a four-year-old girl."
"But I'm still alive," Sophie said in surprise.
"Sophie, perhaps your surname isn't Saunière. Jacques Saunière might not be your grandfather. He might have been your guardian," William said.
"That's impossible. Saunière is my grandfather. He rescued me from the car accident and took me to the hospital. I've lived with him for 28 years. How could he not be my grandfather?" Sophie questioned.
"Do you have any memories of yourself and Jacques Saunière before you were four?" William asked.
This question plunged Sophie into deep thought. She indeed had no memories of Saunière before she was four. "Maybe I was too young to remember," she said.
"No, Sophie, your real name is Sophie St. Clair, the oldest royal family in France. We were all wrong. Jacques Saunière wasn't protecting the Holy Grail but you—Princess Sophie.
You are the last descendant of the Light God. Your childhood car accident might not have been an accident. The council might have discovered something but didn't have time to inform you before the accident. They had to hide your identity, making you appear dead.
You were raised by the council's elder. Sophie, you are the secret. The council was always protecting you because only your existence can prove that Lama Damaia's descendants exist."
"This is impossible. No, this is impossible," Sophie was overwhelmed by William's words, grabbing her hair and collapsing by the pillar.
Langdon, after reading the documents, said solemnly, "Sorry, Sophie, but it seems true. The only question is, where did the Holy Grail go?" He then looked at William.
William shook his head. "With the deaths of Jacques Saunière and the other three elders, no one may know where the Holy Grail is. Actually, it's better this way. Today's church is no longer the same as hundreds or thousands of years ago.
Without secular power, it only guides believers towards good. People no longer need the Holy Grail to restrain the church. Letting it rest quietly somewhere in the world is better, isn't it?"
Langdon agreed, saying, "Yes, this way, there will be no chaos. The collapse of faith is no joke. It wouldn't benefit us at all."
"Let's go. There's no need to stay here any longer," William said.
Sophie and Langdon nodded. However, as they left, William shamelessly took the vase with the rose, earning disdainful looks from Sophie and Langdon.
Holding the vase, William said, "This vase must be an antique. I have to take it home and keep it safe."
Langdon, seeing William's greedy expression, covered his face in silence. He didn't have the heart to burst William's bubble. To him, the vase looked no older than a decade. Oh well, Langdon thought, imagining William's reaction when he realized the vase was a modern replica. Letting William make a fool of himself might not be so bad.
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