章節 112: Chapter 112: Rosslyn Chapel
Langdon immediately knew that the so-called Black Earth Prison was definitely not a good place; the name itself suggested as much.
God, I can't leave these two guys here. If Langdon says something wrong, it will be a big problem. If something like yesterday happens again, William swore he wouldn't care about Langdon and Sophie anymore. It would be best if someone got rid of these two.
William shouted a few times, and several airport police officers came in. William instructed the police to handcuff Langdon and Sophie, then led them out of the airport.
Sitting in the taxi, William remained silent the entire way. Once they reached the Four Seasons Hotel, William booked two rooms for Langdon and Sophie before bringing them to his room. Pointing to the sofa, he said, "Sit anywhere you like. What do you want to drink?"
Langdon asked for water, and Sophie asked for whiskey. William took off his coat, tossed it on the bar, poured two glasses of whiskey and grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and handed them over. William himself took a glass of whiskey and sat on the sofa.
Seeing William wearing a holster with a Glock 17, Langdon and Sophie exchanged glances. Sophie asked, "William, do you carry a Glock wherever you go? Is England that dangerous?"
Having a storage space was handy. He could stash his weapon before entering the airport and retrieve it after leaving. William rolled his eyes and said, "It's not that England is dangerous. It's what I'm about to do that's dangerous. Do you think I left you behind for nothing? It was for your safety. This isn't a movie. The people from the council won't stop searching for the Holy Grail."
"Luckily, I killed Teabing and Rémy. Only the three of us know about this. I let you go with great determination, but you ungrateful people followed me."
"Look at your grandfather and the other three council elders. These lunatics won't hesitate to kill. You've jumped right into the fray, and now it's impossible for you to back out."
"Langdon, I hope you join the council. It would put me at ease. Otherwise, I'll have to lock you in Black Earth Prison, isolating you from everyone for life. As for you, Sophie, if the council discovers your identity, they will definitely capture you. After extracting your value, they wouldn't hesitate to dump your body in a river. You'd better live quietly under an assumed name."
"God, what kind of society do we live in now? How could such things happen? You're just trying to scare me, William," Sophie complained.
"Ask Langdon. There are many dark places in this world, and the historical methods of the Holy Light Church were quite dark," William said.
Sophie looked at Langdon, who nodded and said, "William, that was in the past. The current church is vastly different. The church no longer holds any secular power. It's now purely a faith group and not as dangerous."
William laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke.
"What's so funny, William? Am I wrong? Nowadays, the church is suffocating under secular pressure. People care about faith and the Light God, but not the church," Langdon said.
"Alright, maybe you're right. But didn't we encounter Teabing, a madman, just yesterday? They don't care if the world descends into chaos. These lunatics act either for fame or profit. People will do crazy things for fame and profit."
"How many people around the world believe in the Light God? People have accepted the Light God as a fact. I can't imagine what would happen if believers discovered the Light God was just a mortal. The world would fall into chaos."
"Then why does the council protect the Holy Grail? Why not destroy it?" Sophie asked.
William was stumped. Yes, if it's so troublesome, why not just destroy the Holy Grail and bring peace to the world? William shook his head. "I don't know. Ask Professor Langdon."
Langdon thought for a moment and said, "I don't know. If it were up to me, it would be for history. A thousand years ago, the Templar Knights used the Holy Grail to blackmail the church, using it as a shield. The current council likely just wants to protect the Holy Grail. Its historical value is immense, and after protecting it for a thousand years, the Holy Grail has become the council's faith."
William pondered but didn't agree with Langdon's theory. However, the reason didn't matter. As long as the Holy Grail had destructive value, it was worth protecting. It was like a philosophical nuclear bomb, a huge trump card.
"Alright, Langdon and Sophie, you two go rest. Tomorrow, we'll head to Rosslyn Chapel to see what's there," William said.
"Okay, see you tomorrow. Goodnight, William."
After sending them off, William washed up and went to sleep. None of the three realized that a group of more than ten mercenaries had followed Sophie and Langdon to Edinburgh. These mercenaries were now waiting outside their hotel.
The next day at 8 AM, after breakfast, the three of them drove a hotel-provided car to Rosslyn Chapel, seven miles away.
None of them noticed a nearly silent Hummingbird helicopter flying 700-800 meters above them. Two kilometers away, four SUVs were following them to Rosslyn Chapel. Sixteen fully armed mercenaries were in the cars, holding heavy weapons like AKs and MP5s.
Though they seemed ill-intentioned, they surprisingly didn't have much killing intent yet. Or perhaps, at this moment, they hadn't decided to act ruthlessly.
William's mental power couldn't scan the sky nearly a thousand meters above.
Although he kept checking the rearview mirror to see if anyone was following, he never considered that his trackers would be in a helicopter above.
"Sir, judging by their route, they're heading to Rosslyn Chapel. What are these three doing at the chapel?" Mercenary A asked his leader.
"Doesn't matter. This employer is offering $2 million for us to seize whatever those three find. Until we see the item, we don't act. Got it?"
"Got it, sir."
After half an hour of driving, they arrived at Rosslyn Chapel. The chapel wasn't large and had no global renown. It wasn't used for services, so there were very few visitors.
Just before 9 AM, the chapel was empty except for a young staff member in glasses and a casual suit.
William threw a £100 note into the donation box, and the young man ignored the three of them.
Sophie, upon entering Rosslyn Chapel and seeing the stone carvings and pillars, suddenly remembered visiting here as a child on the day her family had a car accident.
"I came here as a child. God, it was the day my family had a car accident," Sophie said, her face pale.
William and Langdon immediately realized they were in the right place; this was where the Holy Grail was hidden. Seeing a staircase leading down, William said, "Here, we can go down."
In the basement, they saw many tomb sculptures of Templar Knights. William forcibly opened a locked room. Inside, Langdon looked around at the paintings and soon exclaimed, realizing they were all by Leonardo da Vinci.
"These are da Vinci's paintings. God, why are there so many da Vinci paintings here?"
William ignored the paintings, his mind racing through the clues: "Under ancient Rosslyn lies the Holy Grail, guarded by swords and the Holy Chalice. Dedicated to the masterwork, resting peacefully, gazing at the stars."
Rosslyn had been found, and the master's work too. William noticed stars carved into the ceiling and a moon-patterned carpet on the floor. He quickly told the other two, "Move aside."
Once Langdon and Sophie stepped back, William lifted the carpet, revealing a fleur-de-lis emblem of the council. Taking a deep breath, William touched the emblem and found a mechanism beneath it. Pulling it revealed a hidden passage.
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