1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 386: Holy Mountain of Athos

In the tavern, Sivis spread out a map on the table, took out a charcoal pencil, and drew a circle on a peninsula in the northwest of the Aegean Sea.

The geographical outline of this peninsula is very peculiar. Thessalonica, the third largest city in the empire, is located in the northwest of the peninsula. There are two lakes to the north. It is bordered by the Thermaic Gulf to the west and the Thracian Sea to the east. In the south are three small peninsulas extending into the Aegean Sea. From west to east, they are the Kassandra Peninsula, the Sithonia Peninsula and the Assos Peninsula. The three small peninsulas enclose the Kassandra Bay and the Syngitikos Bay.

"This is where we are now, the town of Yelithos, located on the Chalkidiki Peninsula, also known as the Claw Peninsula, in the South Macedonia region."

Sivis said.

"The name of the Claw Peninsula comes from the Colonial Secretary William. It is said that when he first passed by here by ship, he was amazed by the unique structure of the Chalkidiki Peninsula and thought it was a sharp claw extending into the Aegean Sea. The long coastline was enough to provide sufficient sailors, and the city of Thessalonica was the best harbor."

"The town of Yelissos is located in the northeast of the Claw Peninsula, bordering the Athos Peninsula. If we go a little further southeast, we will reach the destination of this journey, the Holy Mountain of Athos."

Sivis marked the way from Yelithos to the sacred Mount Athos.

"After arriving in the empire, we led the team to visit the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus. After visiting the Holy Mount Athos, we have to go to the Meteora Monastery in the Thessaly region."

Sivis marked the several holy places he had visited on the map.

"There's no need to go to the Rila Monastery, it's too far away. We also have to go to the Olympus Cathedral to watch the opening ceremony of the Games."

"Do we have to take them with us?"

Pacheco asked.

"Tickets to the Olympus opening ceremony aren't cheap."

"Don't worry about the money. The civilization we are going to carry out in Elysium is all-round. In addition to faith, we must also pay attention to culture. The so-called culture refers to all aspects of people's lives, from clothing to food, from behavior habits to weddings and funerals. We must align ourselves with the mainland of the empire."

Sivis wagged his finger.

"We brought those pilgrims here not just to let them worship the holy land. They must feel the light of civilization of the empire with their hearts. After returning home, they will spontaneously abandon their barbaric habits, spread civilization, and attract more immigrants."

"This Olympic Games is the grandest celebration in the history of the Eastern Empire. We cannot miss it."

"The Olympian delegation of the Elysium government has arrived in Constantinople. Their number is larger than the pilgrim group we have gathered together, and it will have the same effect."

"Haha, after saying so much, you actually just want to make your business better."

Pacheco snorted.

"Your family is the general sales agent of the Moria United Textile Group in Elysium City. You have made a lot of money in recent years by selling textiles that cannot be sold in continental Europe, right?"

Sivis smiled but said nothing.

Silvestre's father was once a nobleman in Tenochtitlan and was said to have some kinship with the Aztec royal family. However, he surrendered the moment the Eastern Roman expeditionary force entered the city, led his entire family to be baptized and converted, accepted blessings, and began to "Romanize" completely, from names to clothes to eating habits, trying to please the new rulers in all aspects.

His "traitorous" behavior was certainly despised by many people, but with the arrival of the "Day of Judgment", the natives of Tenochtitlan who were unwilling to convert and obey fell ill and died one after another. Faced with the ironclad facts, no one dared to doubt God's "divine power" anymore. Sivis's father received countless respects and huge rewards because of his "foresight".

Now, Sivis's father is not only the general agent of the Moria United Textile Group in Elysium City, but also the director of the "Civilization and Enlightenment" office in Elysium City.

In the old Aztec Empire, since the Bronze Age had not yet fully arrived, productivity was very low and there was no currency made of gold or silver. The purchasing power of general equivalents from low to high was cocoa beans, copper axe blades and cotton cloaks. Cotton cloaks were the most valuable and were one of the tributes that various cities regularly paid to the Aztec emperor. Ordinary civilians could basically not afford cotton clothing.

The cotton textile industry of the Eastern Roman Empire had started decades ago. During the process of colonization and exploration, the cotton textile industry has undergone many innovations from raw materials to production technology. The long-staple cotton and fine-staple cotton produced in West Africa and Cuba have continuously flowed into textile factories in the Mediterranean world. The workers used the advanced textile tools brought back from the East to mass-produce cotton cloth and cotton clothes, which were of good quality and inexpensive.

Under the impact of such a huge amount of commodities, the local hand-made cotton textile industry in the Mexican plateau declined rapidly, the once valuable cotton cloth depreciated rapidly, and even the most ordinary citizens could afford a low-quality cotton coat at the lowest price.

At that time, there was no such thing as "national brands". What kind of products did ordinary people like most? The answer is obvious: cheaper ones.

Sivis's father saw through this trend and regarded Eastern Roman clothing as a "symbol of civilization". He denounced local clothing as a manifestation of "barbarism and uncivilized" and even issued a ban prohibiting local artisans from continuing to engage in traditional weaving.

In order to keep his agency business going, he also negotiated with the indigenous cotton-growing landlords on behalf of the Morea United Textile Group, buying their cotton at a slightly higher price and shipping it back to the Mediterranean world, further suppressing the local industry.

Due to his advanced age and loss of fertility, Sivis's father did not marry a white woman as required by the colonial government. Instead, he gave all the inheritance rights of his large fortune to his eldest son and asked him to study abroad in Constantinople to see if he could marry a Greek girl of high status and good family.

"Sivis, I've actually always been curious. Since your family is engaged in commodity trade, why do you want to help us promote immigration?"

Pacheco asked.

"You know, the more people there are, the more people will buy goods."

"Haha, I don't hate studying as much as you do. During the three years in the church school, I read all the business textbooks of the Eastern Empire."

Sivis put the map in his pocket and prepared to leave.

"Most people in Elysium are very poor. They are a low-quality consumer group with little purchasing power. The existence of these people seriously hinders the prosperity of the consumer market. If we send some people away, others will be able to get more resources and have more gold coins in their pockets, and their overall consumption power will be stronger."

Sivis threw two gold coins on the table, stood up and stretched.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of this, but the population of the entire Grand Duchy of Moscow is no less than that of Northern Italy. However, according to a rough estimate, the former's spending power is only one-sixth of the latter's. This is why the capitalists of the Eastern Empire mainly use the Italian peninsula as a dumping ground, rather than the Russian states as their traditional trading partners."

Pacheco obviously didn't understand, and Sivis didn't continue to explain. The two walked out of the high-end tavern side by side and came to the main street of the town of Yelissos.

Turning back and taking a look at the elegant and grand tavern, Pacheco exclaimed in admiration again.

"A fishing town obviously can't support such a high-class tavern. Tourism and pilgrimage really make money."

Sivis also looked around the clean and tidy streets and nodded slightly.

Pacheco's words were quite correct. Although the Eastern Roman government introduced a series of policies and guidelines to support coastal villages and towns, and Yerissos did indeed stop the decline of population loss by relying on the marine industry, it was not these low-level industries that really made this place prosperous, but the pilgrimage tourism industry that has been booming in recent days.

The town of Yelithos itself is not a holy place, nor does it have any particularly spectacular churches, but its geographical location is very good. To the southeast is the third claw of the Claw Peninsula, the Athos Peninsula, also known as the Holy Mountain Peninsula.

The sacredness of Mount Athos comes from the Virgin Mary. It is said that the Virgin Mary deviated from her route on the way to Cyprus and landed on Mount Athos. She liked it very much and asked for her son Jesus. Then this peninsula became the Virgin Mary's back garden.

Since the 10th century AD, Mount Athos has gradually become one of the religious centers of the Eastern Roman Empire. The terrain here is steep and far away from the worldly hustle and bustle. Orthodox monks from all directions built numerous monasteries of various types in the mountains. At the peak, there were more than 40 monasteries.

The monastery houses a large number of historical relics, including classical books, ancient letters, precious paintings and religious classics, and is an immortal monument in the history of Orthodox art.

The Mount Athos Monastery has had its own special status since its founding. Many Eastern Roman emperors have granted Athos monks complete autonomy. They formed a monastic group to jointly manage the affairs of the monastery and have their own laws and rules. Even the Eastern Roman emperors cannot interfere at will.

During the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Mount Athos Monastery was not destroyed by the Crusader pirates due to the constraints of the Vatican. After all, these people were still part of the Christian world and there was no need to offend a large group of people for a piece of land with nothing but the monastery.

However, when the Turkish Muslims set foot on Mount Athos, the past order was immediately challenged. The Ottomans imposed heavy taxes on Mount Athos, set strict regulations, and ignored the original agreement, allowing Muslim pirates to loot the monastery's port.

In the original time and space, the Monastery of Mount Athos declined rapidly during the Ottoman rule, and a large number of historical relics were looted by Muslim pirates. Even though the Hellenic Republic eventually recovered the Athos Peninsula, this most famous Orthodox holy place on the Greek peninsula failed to restore the glory of the early fifteenth century.

"Sivis, the streets of Yelissos are full of pilgrims. Look, there are natives of New Thracian, Roman half-bloods, and even Congolese blacks."

Pacheco smiled and pointed to the pilgrims crossing themselves facing the Holy Mountain.

“I wonder how many people can get permission to enter the mountain?”

"That's not clear, but I guess the monks won't let too many people in."

Sivis shook his head.

"I heard that the monastery was originally prepared to receive only 100 people a day, and the stay time was not allowed to exceed one day and one night. Under the emperor's mandatory request, the monks reluctantly increased the number to 200 and allowed pilgrims to stay in the holy mountain for three days."

"They don't accept anyone except the Orthodox, not the Latins, not the Armenians, not the Copts, and they only accept adult male pilgrims, not women and children."

Pacheco nodded. He had also heard of this unique rule.

The Holy Mount Athos has been isolated from the world since its inception. Most of the monks grew up in monasteries. They did not care about worldly affairs and devoted themselves to serving the Lord. They prayed for eight hours, rested for eight hours, and worked for eight hours, either cultivating the fields, painting murals, or copying scriptures. They only ate vegetarian food and led a secluded, self-sufficient hermit life.

Perhaps because the entry of women would disturb the monks' "spiritual heart", or perhaps because they present all their respect to the Virgin Mary, the Virgin Mary has become the only female symbol in the Holy Mount Athos. Except for cats that catch mice and chickens that lay eggs, they do not even allow female animals to live in the Holy Mount Athos.

This special rule applies to everyone, no matter if they are humble or noble, rich or poor. Women are not allowed to enter, and even the queens and princesses of the Eastern Roman Empire are no exception.

Of course, they just strictly abide by the traditions left by their ancestors, and they are not inhumane. If there is war in the outside world, the monks will still shelter the Orthodox Christians who come for refuge, whether they are men, women or children.

Since they are completely indifferent to worldly affairs, have no parishes or believers, and basically have no contact with the outside world, it is impossible for them to exploit the blood and sweat of the working people like some priests, and they have no opportunity to do evil. They may be conservative, ignorant and stubborn, but they are by no means bad people.

"Only two hundred people a day?"

Pacheco frowned.

"Our group of pilgrims has more than 200 members."

"Do they have any screening requirements? Money? Identity? Status? Citizenship?"

"They also have their own special screening rules, which are very mysterious and hard to explain."

Sivis pursed his lips.

"Mount Athos rarely collected donations because they believed it would affect the monks' piety."

"The emperor has been persuading Mount Athos to receive pilgrims for more than a decade. They owed the emperor a favor before, and this suggestion is indeed conducive to the spread of faith. After discussing for a while, they agreed to the emperor's request."

"As the number of pilgrims increased, the monks of the Holy Mountain of Athos also set some rules. They no longer rejected donations from believers, but selected some priests who were willing to live in poverty from the Diocese of Thessalonica and asked them to help set up a foundation to manage the donations."

"The Athos monk group will send a highly respected monk to the foundation. This monk will be responsible for assessing the pilgrims. Who can enter and who cannot basically depends on the monk's personal wishes. This position is changed every six months. After the monk who served as the assessor returns to Mount Athos, he will be required to stay in his monastery for a full six months and is not allowed to have any contact with the outside world."

"Is it so strict..."

Pacheco muttered.

"But since they are willing to accept the money, it is easy to deal with."

"Haha, the monks of Mount Athos are special. Money is basically not used in the holy mountain. They have no concept of money, and their assessment is not based on who donates more money."

Sivis smiled.

"Whether or not one can obtain the qualification depends entirely on the personal will of the examiner. The donation is secondary. Even if a wealthy businessman donates a thousand solidus, he may not be allowed to enter. Even if a beggar only donates a hat, he may still get a pilgrimage quota."

"It is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. This is what the monks of Athos often say."

"They advocate frugality and are willing to live in poverty. They believe that the capitalism promoted by Your Majesty is completely encouraging indulgence and luxury. They have never been very interested in those capitalists who have made a fortune. Instead, they prefer those small farmers who cultivate their own land."

Sivis's eyes were a bit complicated, showing respect and confusion.

"Do you know 'Black Peter' of the North African Slavic Gang? He is the richest slave trader in the entire empire."

"His eldest grandson was weak when he was young, and Black Peter went everywhere to seek medical treatment but to no avail. The doctor said the child would not live past the age of three."

"Perhaps because he felt that his sins were so severe that God was displeased, Black Peter came to the Holy Mountain of Athos and offered to donate 10,000 solidus in order to enter the holy land and pray for his grandson."

Sivis talked about Black Peter's wealth with some envy.

"Guess what? The Athos monks didn't want him at all and simply turned him away."

"That's ten thousand solidus, tut tut ..."

"What happened next? How did it go?"

Pacheco asked curiously.

"Did he get in at last?"

"This incident caused a big stir and even became a topic of conversation among the people of Constantinople. In the end, Black Peter had no choice but to go to the co-ruling emperor Justinian and ask him to help him intercede."

Sivis continued preaching.

"His Majesty Justinian sent a personal envoy to Athos, believing that Black Peter had made contributions to the holy war of Jesus Christ in the Peasant Crusade and had built many schools for Christian children. The Holy Land should not reject such a kind and benevolent Christian."

"Finally, Brother Athos relented and allowed Black Peter to make the pilgrimage. He was willing to pray for his grandson, but he still didn't charge any money. However, he put forward two conditions."

"First, Black Peter needs to spend 20,000 solidus to build schools, hospitals and orphanages, all of which will be managed by priests who graduated from seminaries." "Second, he needs to ensure that this child blessed by God cannot engage in any industry related to the slave trade, otherwise he will not be able to ascend to heaven."

“This is really…”

Pacheco shook his head, indicating that he had no answer.

"I remember that some clergy also found evidence in the Bible to justify the existence of slavery. They supported slavery."

"That's natural. Different religious groups have different views on slavery. Brother Athos is very opposed to slavery. They especially hate the slave trade guilds that sell Christian slaves, such as the Canary Gang engaged in the Congo slave trade, and the Genoese Gang engaged in the Russian and Circassian slave trade. The North African Slavic Gang is slightly better."

Sivis nodded.

"Black Peter faithfully fulfilled his promise after completing his pilgrimage. The monks also prayed to God for the health of his grandson and sent a monk who was proficient in medicine to treat the child."

"As a result, the child miraculously recovered, which made the Holy Mountain Athos famous."

“Is it really that effective?”

Pacheco's eyes widened.

"I'm afraid that the monk's medical skills are too advanced?"

“Of course it’s God’s blessing, there’s no doubt about that.”

Sivis said seriously.

"In Elysium, those who questioned Him did not survive the trial. Isn't that proof enough?"

Pacheco apologized hastily and crossed himself.

"That's a difficult problem. Can we get permission for the pilgrimage?"

Pacheco asked.

"Shouldn't monks be racist?"

"No, they prefer pilgrims coming from far away."

Sivis said.

"It doesn't matter if they are not allowed to enter. We can take them around the island by boat. It can be considered a form of pilgrimage. This is not prohibited, as long as they don't bring women and children."

"However, the current examiner is a young monk from North Africa, a universalist. Perhaps he will favor us more?"

The two stopped talking and walked slowly towards the assessment point set up by the Athos Monastery in the town of Yelithos.

The assessment point was set up in the wooden church in the small town of Yelithos. The church was simple and dilapidated, but there were so many pilgrims gathered here that they lined up in a long queue.

The pilgrims wear colorful clothes, come from different places and speak different languages. When it is their turn, they will briefly introduce their basic situation and hand over their identity documents to the examiner. For citizens, it is their ID card, and for farmers, it is a letter of introduction issued by the village.

Everyone maintained absolute order, and no matter rich or poor, everyone had to follow the first-come-first-served order. Sivis and Pacheco stood at the back, waiting quietly.

Many people in the team were natives or mixed-race people from the colonies, but their joining did not attract much attention.

Each pilgrim usually has only half a minute, so the line moves at a relatively fast pace.

More than ten minutes later, Sivis and Pacheco finally came to the front of the team. Ahead of them was an old soldier with a forlorn look on his face. He was wearing a worn but clean military uniform. The right sleeve was empty, and there was a medal hanging on his chest.

"Father, this is my ID card."

The veteran handed the simply dressed examiner an ID card with Alpha printed on it, which was a symbol of first-class citizenship.

"I'm from Constantinople. I don't have a home anymore. I'm currently living in a veterans club in the Chalcedon district."

Sivis heard the old soldier's words and also had some understanding of the several districts of Constantinople. The Chalcedon district was located in Anatolia and was the poorest district of Constantinople.

"More than 20 years ago, I served in the Fifth Legion of the Guards and participated in the defense of Constantinople. This arm was cut off by the Saracens on the Theodosian Wall."

The old soldier raised his voice with some pride and tried to straighten his chest, showing off his shiny medals.

"Come to think of it, this is also my fault. At that time, Galata Tower was on fire and I was stunned where I was. I didn't pay attention..."

The old soldier recalled the past, a slight smile appearing on his wrinkled cheeks.

The examiner looked at the ID card and looked at the old soldier with a complicated expression.

"I heard that the emperor treated veterans very well, and disabled soldiers were able to receive a large sum of retirement benefits. How did you... become like this?"

"Don't blame the emperor, it's my own problem."

The old soldier smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"More than ten years ago, I got drunk in a bar and was deceived by a capitalist. I invested all my savings. Not only did I put my own savings at risk, I also persuaded other veterans... but they were all deceived and lost everything."

"I couldn't let my comrades lose money because of my mistake, so I sold my house and land to pay off the debt..."

"Later, my wife passed away, and my daughter no longer recognized me after she got married. Gradually, it became like this."

The old soldier looked dazed for a moment, then he started laughing.

"A few days ago, my daughter gave birth to a child. I watched from afar by the window. The child looked a lot like me, lively and active. It was obvious that he would be a good soldier and would definitely serve the emperor in the future..."

"I am going to pray for this child, may God bless him."

After listening to him, the examiner returned the ID card to him and there was silence for a while.

“Oh, yes, there should also be donations.”

Seeing that the examiner didn't say anything, the veteran thought that he didn't give the donation money, and slapped his forehead with his left hand.

The old soldier took out a few dirty copper coins from his pocket, hesitated for a while, and sighed. He put away the copper coins, took off the Labrand Cross medal on his chest, and placed it carefully on the table.

"Father, the third-level medal of the Crusader of Constantinople, containing gold, is worth about 300 solidus on the black market, but I have never been willing to sell it..."

"At the end of the war, Emperor Isaac put it on me himself. He was young then, and I was young too..."

The old soldier kept talking, and the reluctance in his eyes was gradually replaced by hope.

"Since this is for my bloodline and descendants, I can't be stingy, right?"

The examiner looked at the veteran, picked up the medal, and stroked the blunted edges of the Rablan Cross.

Then, in the veteran's surprised eyes, the examiner pulled up his left hand and placed the medal in his palm.

"Keep it, dear child. We are not capitalists, nor are we those greedy bishops. We only want you to be pious and will not deprive you of your wealth, glory, and dignity."

After the examiner finished speaking, he wrote a few words on the permission slip and handed it to the veteran.

"We will report your situation to the Patriarch of Constantinople and ask him to organize an investigation to see if there are other jihadists who have been deceived."

There was a flash of disdain in the examiner's eyes.

"Based on my understanding of capitalists, your situation is definitely not an isolated case."

"But don't worry. Although we don't like the emperor's excessive encouragement of capitalism, we must objectively say that he is a good emperor and will definitely not let you suffer unfair treatment."

The examiner said.

"As for your daughter, she did this, no doubt--"

"No, no, no, Anna is a good child. It's all my fault. May God bless her too."

The veteran quickly interrupted the examiner.

"Well, you can go into the mountains early tomorrow morning. You cannot bring any money. Food and accommodation in the mountains are free. May God bless you and your descendants."

The examiner made the sign of a cross on his chest and watched the old soldier go away.

"It seems that the empire is not as perfect as the newspapers say. It's just that the economy is so good that all the imperfections are consciously ignored."

Behind Sivis, Pacheco whispered.

"This is nature. Where there is light, there is darkness."

Sivis nodded.

"No matter what, the emperor is still here. As long as he is here, fairness and justice will be served."

Sivis stepped forward, bowed slightly to the examiner, and handed over his first-class citizen ID card and the introduction document issued by the Elysium Church.

"Respected Father, we come from the distant Elysium, leading a pilgrim group of 230 people to the Empire, hoping to enter the Holy Mountain of Athos to pray."

Sivis spoke quickly, placing a check for two thousand solidus drawn on the Royal Bank of Paleologos on the table.

"I hope you can give me some convenience."

“It’s nice to come all the way here.”

The examiner looked at the document and spoke softly.

“Please put the money in the donation box. We will use the money to open a hospital and benefit more Orthodox Christians.”

Sivis quickly picked up the check and put it in the donation box nearby, waiting for the examiner's response.

"There are too many of you. Where are you now?"

The examiner asked.

"They are all in the camp outside the town. The two of us came here first just to get permission for the pilgrimage."

Sivis replied.

“Everyone is a devout Orthodox Christian and is looking forward to entering the Holy Mountain.”

The examiner looked at Sivis helplessly and shook his head.

"How about this, we will come to your camp tonight to conduct an assessment and select ten pilgrims. The others can take the boat around the island."

"The Holy Mountain has limited space and cannot accommodate so many people. There is really no other way."

"This is how we receive large pilgrim groups. Last week, the pilgrim group from New Thrace only got eight places."

"That's enough, thank you for your kindness."

Sivis nodded quickly.

“May God be with you.”

"And with you, my brother from afar."

The examiner took out another document, wrote a few words, and handed it to Sivis.

(End of this chapter)