kingdom of nations

Chapter 341 Shroud

The matter of the mask was a decision made by Heraclius after much deliberation. He hoped that Baldwin's wearing of the silver mask would lead his enemies to believe that his condition was worsening. If they discovered that he was improving... it would be difficult to avoid repeated assassination attempts unless they hid Baldwin at the top of a tower like Danaë did (Danaë's father did this because he was prophesied to be overthrown by his grandson).

But that's impossible. Not to mention that Danaë still obtained a seed from Zeus, who was incarnate as a rain of gold coins, and gave birth to a son, Baldwin would also be expelled and become a monk if he failed to fulfill his duties as the Crusader commander and King of Arathi.

It's impossible to make these people stop. If Baldwin can recover, it will not only mean that the ambitious people's plans for Allazarus have failed, but he may even gain more honor and followers by using the name of recovery. After all, the person in the scriptures who had leprosy and was later cured by Jesus Christ eventually became a saint.

All the rumors about him will disappear. Who would believe that someone who has experienced miracles is being punished by God? It can only be a test, and he has passed this difficult trial.

This blessing could even extend to his descendants, and only after a newly established nation had its first stable century could the bloodline of the Flanders family finally be confirmed and allowed to flow permanently in this sacred place.

Rather than facing constant harassment, it's better to give them a pleasant illusion first. When Baldwin is truly healed and takes off his mask, the expressions on their faces will surely be quite interesting.

Chiraclius spoke to Cesar personally about this matter, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Even with Chiraclius, Cesar had to keep a distance, like a screen. "You're being too cautious," Chiraclius said.

After returning from the Leprosy Valley, Cesar would not only thoroughly cleanse himself, but also burn all the clothes he had worn. He would also self-isolate for three days to a week to make sure he was not carrying any germs. There was no other way; the patient he had the most contact with, an old man, was arguably his most important relative here, especially Baldwin. He couldn't be sure what would happen if the latter came into contact with the leprosy germs again.

He did not object to Heraclius's suggestion—although wearing a mask all the time would make Baldwin uncomfortable, he had happily accepted the task in order to ensure the surprise he would give those people in the end. Cesar made some adjustments for him to ensure that even if the mask covered his face, it would not cause breathing difficulties or eczema.

The next day, when Baldwin appeared before everyone wearing a mask, it did cause an uproar. Philip II immediately showed a worried expression, and Frederick I also frowned. Of course, they were not worried about Baldwin, but about the King of Arathi Basin and the commander of this crusade.

Baldwin immediately mounted his horse and entered the arena, where he defeated three knights in succession to prove that his mind and body were not affected by the illness. Only then did they feel relieved, but they couldn't help but show a trace of pity in their eyes when they looked at Baldwin.

Baldwin didn't care what others thought of him. He ran back to his room, drenched in sweat, removed his armor with the help of his servants, then dismissed everyone in the room. After testing the temperature of the bathwater, he jumped in with a splash.

“Call Cesar! I haven’t seen him for days!” he complained.

The servant obeyed and left, which had almost become a routine for the two of them—after all, soaking in a medicinal bath was a long and tedious process, and Baldwin didn't have anything to pass the time like the people in that other world. Reading was out of the question; books were extremely precious before the invention of papermaking and printing, so how could he be allowed to read them in the bathtub, especially since those stories weren't as interesting as Cesar's narration?

In fact, when it comes to Leprosy Valley, Cesar's account mostly downplays the seriousness of the events, since he couldn't possibly tell Baldwin about the more horrific things that happened to those people—those people might have suffered the same fate as Baldwin himself.

But even Baldwin could sense the lightness and relief in his tone today. "Did you meet anyone there?" Baldwin asked astutely.

Cesar was also quite surprised.

Yes, he encountered Haredi again. Haredi's illness and suffering in Bethlehem had rendered him unable to forge those intricate machines for Cesar, but Cesar had arranged a workshop for him in Cyprus. He had already spoken to the knight who owned the workshop about Haredi, and the knight was willing to let this Isaac spend his final days in his workshop.
The workshop owner was an old knight who had been through so much and knew how to deal with people like Haredi. But Haredi did not accept it, or rather, he still believed that as a sinful person, he should hope to touch the places where each holy site was before he died, so as to find peace of mind.

As for whether or not he will be pardoned, he has given up hope of it now.

Cesar thought he would soon return to Cyprus or run away again. But to his surprise, he met Haredi in the Leprosy Valley, and according to the people there, he had been working there for several months.

Although he was a healthy man, he did not shy away from contacting the leprosy patients. He even told them that he was blessed, which surprised the people in the valley. After all, a blessed person, even if he was an Isaac, could find a place for himself in any city.

When Cesar saw him by the earthenware pot, he could hardly recognize Haredi—the Isaac man now looked exactly like a Christian ascetic.

He cut his hair very short and shaved his beard. This was almost unimaginable for the Isaacs, whose adult men mostly had thick beards—wearing only a gray-white linen robe that reached only to their calves and a pair of simple lace-up boots.

At noon, he ate and drank with the people in the valley. The Isaacs had many strict rules about their diet—such as not being able to eat pigs, horses, rabbits, and camels; not being able to eat the tendons of animals' hind legs; not being able to eat shrimp, crabs, shellfish, eels, or other scaleless and finless "fish"; and not being able to eat milk and meat together, etc.

Even in times of crisis, when someone uses food to test whether they are Isaacs, they often find it difficult to break free from the shackles they carry and engage in deceptive behavior.

Cesar watched as he ate and drank heartily without a care in the world, not caring at all what the cook was putting in his bowl. When he saw Cesar staring at him, Haredi swallowed a mouthful of food and rudely wiped his chin: "The people in the valley never had the chance to choose before. Now they can eat and drink their fill, all thanks to you."

“He certainly doesn’t seem like an Isaac,” another old man said.

“That’s why I was driven out by the other Isaacs,” Haredi laughed dismissively, while also warning the people in the valley: “Don’t think that just because you’ve seen an Isaac like me, there are many good Isaacs in the world. There may be some good-natured people among them, but they also have selfishness, extremism, and narrow-mindedness that they’ve been taught since infancy, which have almost replaced their nature and become instincts.”

You all remember the scorpion I mentioned that was carried across the pond by a frog, right?

Everyone nodded, and Haredi continued, "You might also encounter one or two Isaacs who are willing to earn money through farming, working, and trading with their own hands, and who are willing to do good rather than evil. But don't forget, as long as they live in this world and remain in their community, it will be difficult for them to resist what their relatives and friends instill in them..."

He thought of Lego, of his kinsmen in Damascus, of the wise men and their students: “So if you ever go out into the world, keep your distance from all the Isaacs, that is my advice to you as an Isaac.” He looked at Cesare with deep regret: “Perhaps you don’t need to, but I still want to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude and apology to you. I have failed you, my lord, those sins—sins you could have avoided.”

César remained silent. After the meal, he followed Haredi to see the earthenware pots he had tended. There, the pots contained not only Penicillium but also Streptomyces. However, César only remembered that the original Streptomyces came from the pine forests by the sea in France. Although it was called Mediterranean Streptomyces, he had not found it in Cyprus, Arrassa, or Constantinople.

The current strains of bacteria were brought to him by Richard and Count Étienne at his request. The amount they could bring was limited, but this matter could not be widely publicized. Cesar was currently in a brief period of "freedom," and the Roman Catholic Church knew that excommunication would be of little use to him, but the territories of others were still under the long-arm jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church.

But the chances of these precious fungi surviving were extremely low. The only person who succeeded was Haredi. He admitted that in the secret realm, there were also people cultivating fungi and planting herbs, which was even a required course for sages. Indeed, in another world, any medicine can be traced back to its original source, and the ancients were no more foolish than people today.

"So, do you intend to stay here? After your pilgrimage, you can still return to Cyprus, and I will instruct the workshop owner to retain that location and room for you."

“Keep it.” Haredi did not immediately swear that he would stay in Leprosy Valley forever, but calmly replied, “I will continue to work here for these people in the short term—when I get old and can’t do anything anymore, I will go back to Cyprus, provided that I don’t contract leprosy.”

“You really don’t seem like an Isaac anymore.”

“Don’t say that,” Harry replied with a wry smile. “I can hardly believe myself. So, sir, there’s another reason I want to speak with you privately.”

“Please wait a moment,” he said, then returned to his cave and brought out a box. The box wasn’t large; one could wrap one’s arms around it. But it was clearly newly made and exquisitely crafted. The exquisiteness here wasn’t in the presence of carvings or gilding, but in the fact that every corner was polished to a flawless shine, the wooden planks were free of any signs of wormholes or discoloration, and the four corners were reinforced with brass nails.

The box was unlocked. In this valley, people practiced the most basic republican system. After all, what use was it to monopolize food or cloth that couldn't be eaten in a day? You could contract leprosy at any time or die from the worsening of the disease.

“This was discovered by the people here,” Haredi said, looking at Cesar’s puzzled expression, as he took out what was inside—a piece of linen that, while not exactly rough, wasn’t particularly fine either. Although the warp and weft threads were arranged fairly closely, it was undyed, without any lace or other decorations; it was just a piece of cloth.

When he carefully opened it on his bed, he saw a human figure stained with blood. Cesar's expression changed slightly.

He didn't think Haredi would want to humiliate or curse him at this time, but another possibility that came to mind terrified him.

“Countless Romans have been buried here. As you know, it was a Roman custom that the dead were not buried in coffins. They would clean the dead, wrap them in linen, and put them directly into the tomb.”

That linen cloth was the shroud, so it would leave the last traces of the dead.

The people here collected the remaining usable linen and put it together to make clothes, fishing nets, or bundles—in the Leprosy Valley, this behavior is not considered sacrilege. After all, forced by survival, they still remembered to collect the scattered bones, put them back into earthenware jars, or bury them in caves, which can be considered merciful.

This piece of linen was found a few years ago. It did not contain any bones, but was neatly folded and placed in an earthenware jar. The jar was then sealed and placed in a niche used to display mors (the ancient Roman god of death). They smashed the pagan statue and also found the jar and the linen inside. They were not quite sure why it was there, only assuming that it might have been left by the deceased's relatives.

Haredi didn't pay much attention to it at first, until he wanted to take it out to clean it and use it for something else—he opened it in the sunlight, and the marks on it made him change his expression. Fortunately, no one was around at the time, and he immediately put it away.

“I thought it was just a hoax or a coincidence. Although I heard them say that for over ten years, no priests or monks have been seen willing to enter the Leprosy Valley.”

At this point, Haredi took a deep, deep breath, as if he would suffocate if he didn't.

"Then I reopened it in a secluded place."

Their gaze returned to the linen cloth, which looked so ordinary, even somewhat terrifying, because the person wrapped in it must have suffered a great deal of torture, with large amounts of blood oozing from their head, hands, back, and feet.

It took Cesar a while to find his voice. "That doesn't prove..."

“I can prove it,” Haredi said firmly. At the same time, a hint of bitterness lingered in his smile. “You, no, even among the Isaacs, very few know that in the secret realm… there are records of all that is known about this glorious Son of God.”
The entire process, from his parents' birth to his death, and from his birth to the day he was unjustly sent to the cross under the false accusations and persecution of his clansmen and elders, is recorded.

I don’t know what the person who recorded it was thinking, but he did write down in great detail every punishment Jesus Christ had ever received.

From the size and layers of the crown of thorns on his head, to whether his ears and nose were bleeding, and how the blood trickled down his forehead... how many lashes he received, and how many of them immediately tore his skin open?

He carried the cross on his back. As he staggered toward the sacred hill, he used his left shoulder several times, then his right shoulder several times. Did he scrape his knees when he fell to the ground?

When he raised his head and told God about his suffering, were his hands and feet cracked and split? And how thick and what was the diameter of the nail that nailed him to the cross?
The length of the spear used to pierce his ribs and the sharpness of its tip are all recorded, and as a student of the sage, I was once fortunate enough to be allowed to enter and peruse this record.

Yes, right before you is the Shroud of Turin, an undeniably sacred relic.

Afterwards, I even asked people who had come into contact with this linen. Of course, other people had also stayed in the cave where I had lived before, but those who were able to come here were all sinners, either lepers or people who were willing to give up their faith for their loved ones.

Therefore, when they hear the saint's call, they do not think they have received special favor, especially since this rarely happens to adults, only to children...

Even though these children received divine favor, they still couldn't resist leprosy, and the mortality rate was very high. Therefore, to this day, no one has discovered it, no one has discovered it...

Now, there is only one child in the valley who may be blessed by this. He loves the stories I tell and the toys I make. He often lingers around me and is unconsciously influenced by this sacred object.

You should have seen him by now; he is stronger and healthier than the other children, and his illness is the mildest—but that wasn't the case at the beginning.

Unfortunately, the favor he received was very slight, and I have no intention of letting him or his father know about it.
The previous person to contract leprosy and receive the blessing was the king of Arazarus, while he was merely the son of an ordinary merchant. If his abilities could instantly revive or kill someone, the Church might show him mercy. But at most, he could save a blade of grass or a mouse; the Church would not let him go if he dared to publicize it.

Haredi dared not challenge human nature. If these people knew that there was such a sacred relic in the valley, would they carefully preserve it, offer it to the church, or, more likely, tear it apart and eat it piece by piece—he couldn't guarantee it.

Cesar understood his predicament. He took the gift from Haredi, wrapped it up as if it were a bouquet of flowers or a piece of clothing, and took him directly back to Castel Sainte-Croix.

Cesar was eager to clean it, but he wasn't sure if these relics were made of anything special—for example, they weren't susceptible to water or fire.

When the True Cross was discovered, it was just a pile of fragments. The Holy Nails may not have been the nails that nailed Jesus Christ to the cross; they could have been nails used by other saints during their ascetic practices or after their burial. However, it is possible that the nails could be melted down and even forged into weapons—this has been confirmed by Leila.

There was a previous incident where a bishop, while adoring a saint (he was permitted to kiss the saint's hand), bit the saint's finger. Despite being beaten by the surrounding priests, he bit it off, took it back to his church, and thus the church became a new pilgrimage site.

This is truly both laughable and absurd.

But this also proves from another perspective that saints and relics are not indestructible. Indeed, if they were indestructible, then the fragments of saints would not have flown to various parts of the Christian world.

Heraclius and Baldwin were required to wear masks, even to cover their eyes with glass, and to wear gloves and cloaks before they were allowed to examine the linen up close.

Heraclius was initially skeptical of the story, but both he and Baldwin felt an indescribable sense of awe and happiness as they approached the linen. This feeling was no different from when they prayed before the True Cross, even though it wasn't the Shroud of Turin of Jesus Christ, it was still a sacred object.

“This is yours.” Heraclius made his decision quickly. “Keep it with you for the upcoming expedition.” This expedition brought together four monarchs and an army of tens of thousands of men. It would take an exceptionally long time, and the True Cross would definitely be taken away. This sacred linen, Cesar, was originally intended for Count Belion, who was to remain in Arrassa.

Cesar hesitated for a moment.

Saladin had begun gathering an army several months earlier. He may have come for Damascus or for Arrassal. At that time, people did not quite understand the concept of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao," but an empty castle was a tempting prospect for everyone.

Although sufficient troops were left in the city of Arazari, no one dared to be careless in the face of Saladin. They took the True Cross and left the Shroud of Turin behind, which might give the city's defenders even greater confidence.

“But if you leave it here, the priests of the Roman Catholic Church will ask the Knights Templar to take it away and send it to Rome.”

The Roman Catholic Church is perfectly capable of doing such a thing.

“But before that, kneel down,” Chirac said solemnly. “Kneel down, then kiss this sacred blood, remember the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for mankind, and pray that He will protect you as before.”

(End of this chapter)