Chapter 48
It didn't take Fyodor long to identify the tombstone of Gottfried Rasmussen.
Just as he had told Ye Yihe, he could identify the letters on the tombstone, which had been eroded to the point of being almost illegible, without the gatekeeper, and even translate them accurately.
Ye Yihe had become accustomed to Fyodor's top-notch intellectual abilities.
This guy spent so many days in hotels, libraries, and museums, and somehow managed to learn an Old Danish language that's not applicable to modern times... It's infuriating how people compare themselves to each other.
Why didn't he have such a good brain when he was in school? That way, the knowledge wouldn't have been like a curling stone, just gliding smoothly across the surface of his cerebral cortex without him remembering much of it.
Thinking about all the hard work he put in to get into university, Ye Yihe couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
At this moment, he has gained a good memory—about 10%—but at the cost of his physical strength never returning.
After digging a few more shovelfuls of soil, Ye Yihe had to stop and take a breather.
It was really difficult to restore this guy's health, but when he did, it was like a sudden collapse; during the ten months he was asleep, he regressed again and again to severe anemia and weakness, where he would feel dizzy and exhausted after doing even a little work.
It was already dark when they finally removed a solid little hill from the tomb.
As the night sky fills the sky, this cemetery should also be illuminated by faint candlelight—windproof kerosene lamps hang on both sides of the iron gate, lighting the way home for the souls resting here.
But the gatekeeper who was responsible for lighting the lamps was knocked unconscious by him, and as a result, no one came to do the job, and the cemetery became more and more gloomy, with even the twisted and withered branches not far away turning into hideous ghost claws struggling on the earth.
Even if you gave Ye Yihe a million ideas, he would never have guessed that one day he would be living in another person's body, carrying a shovel to rob someone else's grave.
No, strictly speaking, it should be state property.
Could this be considered stealing someone from Heaven's side...? Suddenly realizing this, Ye Yihe almost burst out laughing.
"This is the first time I've ever done something like this,"
Yehe said to Fyodor in the Palace of Consciousness, "But after all, we share one body. Don't you feel that this is blasphemy? What if God doesn't let you into heaven after you die?"
[Perhaps it is indeed as you say.]
Even when sitting on the sofa, Fyodor maintains an upright posture. Unlike Ye Yihe, who likes to bury his entire upper body in the soft backrest, he slightly straightens his back, maintaining a certain lightness and tension in his posture, like a crane spreading its wings.
Even though this is a posture that makes it impossible for the body to relax.
Ye Yihe had to admit that no matter how bad Fedor's lifestyle was, he still possessed a kind of casual yet deeply ingrained aristocratic elegance in his every move.
The Ten Commandments are principles followed by all Christian denominations, and the eighth commandment emphasizes: "You shall not steal."
The voice Fyodor uttered in his mind didn't sound serious; on the contrary, Ye Yihe could even detect a hint of pleasure in it—from the lingering echo of Fyodor's earlier complaint: "[If I have committed this sin, I will surely be denied a place in heaven.]"
"...Come on, you're not worried at all,"
Ye Yihe was shoveling dirt alone in the cemetery, muttering to himself as he went. Even if the gatekeeper managed to break free of his restraints, he would probably faint again from fright upon seeing this bizarre scene.
"You just tried to kill that gatekeeper. I don't believe the Bible forbids stealing, so why would it allow you to kill?"
Not to mention his experience working in that church in Russia—confessing sins was the main purpose of almost all believers' visits, including those seeking atonement for the sins of their family members who had become murderers.
Fyodor's soft laughter echoed in my mind again, like bells ringing in the cold winter.
Do you know the meaning of the Russian Orthodox Cross?
In this sentence, he suddenly changed how he addressed Ye Yihe, but his tone didn't change much; instead, it showed a unique sense of intimacy.
[It is neither a Greek cross nor a Byzantine cross, nor a patriarchal cross, but an Eastern Orthodox cross with a short horizontal bar at the top and bottom.]
Ye Yihe didn't know what the other crosses looked like, but he had seen this particular cross before.
"I know about it, but I don't know much about it."
His colleagues at the time couldn't possibly explain this to him—their thinking was probably that this guy was capable of being a deacon, how could he not understand various doctrines? Although the truth was that he didn't understand, he managed to get by for a week by muddling through.
[In most versions, the Orthodox cross is interpreted as representing the head and feet of Jesus, a symbol of his suffering on the cross.]
[The first horizontal bar bears the name of the "criminal": Jesus of Nazareth, meaning "nameplate".]
[The second horizontal bar represents Jesus's nailed hands, symbolizing the torture stake.]
[The third slanted bar represents both Jesus' footstool and the scales of justice: one thief falls to prison because of the "heaviness" of his blasphemy, while another ascends to heaven because of the "lightness" of his repentance.]
Fyodor explained it in great detail.
In the New Testament, when Jesus was crucified, two criminals were also crucified on either side of the cross.
One of the criminals mocked him, saying that he was the Christ but could not save them, while the other rebuked him, saying that they deserved their punishment and that Jesus had no sins.
Ultimately, the former who blasphemed Jesus went to hell, while the latter who sincerely repented ascended to heaven with Jesus—that's why the third bar is tilted.
Ye Yihe, who had just received a crash course in religious knowledge, said, "...I see."
So, the other crosses must have other different meanings... Religion is truly a complex thing.
[That's only the surface meaning,] Fyodor continued, [but the Orthodox Cross also has another interpretation: the three horizontal bars signify the process of redemption.]
[The first cross refers to the cross itself, a spiritual symbol that describes a state of being beyond the secular, belonging to the Holy Spirit.]
[The second root refers to sinful acts, that is, the evil deeds committed by a person.]
[The third root signifies resurrection, indicating that God has conquered death and will be reborn from the punishment of death.]
As he finished speaking, a subtle, enigmatic smile even crept into his tone, as if he were subtly conveying some kind of hint to Ye Yihe.
"Are you saying that even if you, as a human being, commit sins, you can be resurrected like a god after death? Or are you saying you can ascend to heaven?"
After hearing the explanation, Ye Yihe frowned, truly puzzled by the other party's devout faith—even if he had some way to dodge the sniper bullets, after all, this world also has supernatural settings like superpowers.
But in his view, this long-winded explanation...
Why don't you say that your life is also precious right now, and not to treat it with such a careless attitude?
He just doesn't understand why these religions always love to preach about the afterlife and death. For example, India often talks about how people suffer as outcasts in this life but are reborn as Brahmins to enjoy happiness in the next life. If it were them, they would have already shouted "Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?" and then started a hundred and eighty righteous indignations.
Who cares about the afterlife, heaven or hell? Why can't we have a better life in this one?
Considering the extensive religious decorations in Fyodor's Palace of Consciousness, it's clear that he was indeed deeply influenced by religion in his past life.
Ye Yihe, on the other hand, is a staunch atheist—or, if anything, a believer who's "since I'm already here," so he's just going to give it a shot.
For example, if you see a temple while climbing a mountain, and you decide to go in and burn two sticks of free incense for the Buddha statue inside, making a wish that you may not even know if it falls under the Buddha's jurisdiction.
Rather than drawing spiritual strength from faith to accept suffering, he prefers to face challenges head-on and strive to make his life better through his own efforts.
Now that he's inside Fyodor's body, he's trying to make Fyodor's life better.
He strongly disapproves of methods that involve harming one's own body to achieve goals.
I have never had such thoughts as you.
Within the palace of consciousness, Fyodor smiled, each syllable he uttered softly and quietly, yet conveying a sense of joy: [Pain is the ladder to heaven; repentance and redemption will cleanse the sinful soul.]
"Don't make excuses for biting your nails until they bleed. It's me who's in pain and exhausted now."
Even knowing that Fyodor couldn't see at the moment, Ye Yihe still narrowed his eyes dangerously.
He was digging away at the ground with all his might, while the guy in his mind kept arguing with him about penance, atonement, and all that nonsense!
If Pushkin were here, he would be extremely shocked that his devilish boss Fyodor could utter such a clear and pleasant chuckle at this moment—even if it was fleeting.
Fyodor remained silent after that. Ye Yihe, having finally reached the bottom, focused on prying open the coffin, which was half-rotten. Thank goodness, inside was a jar of ashes, not a skeleton.
There were many other burial items placed next to the urn of ashes, including a uniquely shaped double-edged sword.
It had a dark cloth wrapped around the hilt, and a gemstone was set in the center of the guard, which seemed to gleam with an indescribable luster in the night.
Ye Yihe stepped onto the edge of the coffin, bent down, and picked it up in his hand. "Is this the one?"
"Yes," Fyodor replied, "it looks exactly as described in the records."
"Now even I've become a lawless outlaw..."
Ye Yihe muttered something to himself, put it aside, and then spent some time covering the grave with a shovel.
As he shoveled the last shovelful of soil onto the hill, a snowflake drifted down from the sky.
Ye Yihe looked up, and even more snow was reflected in his eyes.
Without a clock to tell the time, he estimated it was almost midnight, and having obtained the Holy Sword, he still had to walk back the way he came to wait for the bus that wouldn't depart until dawn...
“He will definitely get a fever,” Ye Yihe, who knew this body very well, said with certainty.
He chose to carry the holy sword and grope his way back to the church in the dark, where he bumped into the gatekeeper who was struggling to break free of his restraints.
Ryder Vick: "…………"
Ryder Vick immediately closed his eyes: "I swear I didn't see anything."
What is a holy sword compared to his life? Even if he were a follower of this religion, the salary he would be paid wouldn't be enough to justify his heroic act at this moment.
"..." Ye Yihe opened his mouth, but realizing he couldn't speak Danish to communicate with the other party, he quickly handed his body back to Fyodor, "You handle it."
He was exhausted and sleepy after working all night and just wanted to get some sleep.
The newly replaced Fyodor first raised the Holy Cross sword in his hand and examined it. After confirming that it was genuine, he turned his gaze back to Ryder Vick, whose eyes were tightly closed.
Hello.
When he speaks Danish, it is as standard as when he speaks any other language; the grammar and genitive inflections of every sentence are accurate and without error.
Ryder Vick did not respond.
“The Lord will always accept the homeless, just as Christ accepted you, to God’s glory.” Fyodor recited half a Proverbs passage from the Bible, smiling as he said to him, “Don’t you think so?”
Ryder Vick said in a humble voice, "Yes, that's right..."
"Please allow us to rest here for the night. Do you think the Lord will allow it?"
Fyodor then asked. No matter how polite he tried to be, it sounded more like a cold threat to Ryder Vick.
And the word "we" in that sentence... there was clearly only one person standing in front of him!
Ryder Vick almost gasped inwardly, not daring to think any further. "Absolutely no problem. The Lord says you—uh, you can stay as long as you want."
"Thank you for your generosity."
The small chapel, without any lights, was almost completely shrouded in darkness, with only a faint light shining through the windows.
In this cold darkness, every move the other person made sent shivers down Ryder Vick's spine. His hands, which were tied together, had long since gone numb, but he dared not utter a sound of complaint.
Compared to the words, the other person's actions left him speechless—after wandering around, the person first picked up a match from the altar, and then actually used the excavated holy sword as an axe to chop the oak bench, which could be regarded as an antique, into pieces!
Ryder Vick stared blankly at the makeshift campfire rising before him.
Blasphemy! This is utter blasphemy!
He wanted to scream, but remembering the other party's swift and decisive counterattack, he forced himself to hold it back.
Having regained control of her body, Ye Yihe sat by the fire to warm herself, glancing at him with confusion.
Why the terrified expression? This church doesn't have heating. Why not use what's available? Are you going to freeze to death sitting here with all this wood?
He had experienced a Russian blizzard on his very first day in this world, and he definitely didn't want to go through that experience again, with his hands and feet frozen and having to trek to survive.
Even the religious Fyodor didn't object, but this guy looked like he was about to faint from anger. Hmph, his mental fortitude is just too weak.
Although he could sense a subtle chuckle coming from the other person's mind... well, at least no one openly objected.
Winter days are long, especially in Denmark at higher latitudes—fortunately, the church had a clock, so he only needed to arrive at the bus stop before the first bus departed.
Before dawn, which was not expected to arrive until nearly nine o'clock, Ye Yihe left the church and the town of Christianfield ahead of schedule.
Since it started snowing that night, it hasn't stopped, and the temperature has been dropping more and more each day, covering the rooftops and the ground with a thick layer of white snow.
After obtaining the Holy Cross Sword, Fyodor did not stay in Denmark, but instead used a false identity to board a train bound for Norway.
Seeing that the other party had crossed the Danish border and was heading further north, Yeikh knew that Denmark was not the end.
The snow-covered Norway is completely different from the scenery of Denmark I had seen before, not to mention the strings of orange lights hanging from the eaves, the huge reindeer statues standing in the center of the town, and the decorations made of holly leaves hanging everywhere.
This festive atmosphere is so warm and joyful...
[Christmas?] Ye Yihe spoke up in the Palace of Consciousness.
"Yes."
Fedor, who was checking in at the hotel, replied.
The receptionist, who was registering information, suddenly heard this handsome young man speaking and instinctively looked up. "Sir?"
Fyodor shook his head slightly at her, indicating that nothing was wrong.
[Isn't Christmas a holiday similar to New Year's Day?] Ye Yihe realized it was already the end of the year. [Aren't you going back to celebrate?]
It was unclear whether Fyodor had any family left, and he was somewhat vague in the second half of his statement.
"Unlike here, where Christmas is on December 25, Russia celebrates Christmas on January 7."
Having received the key, Fedor, who had left the front desk, explained to Yeikh, "And the New Year is a separate day, January 1st."
He showed unprecedented patience with his alter ego, seemingly unbothered by questions that lacked common sense.
So, the New Year is equivalent to their New Year's Day... Ye Yihe pondered for a moment, then took the initiative to invite them.
[Want to come? New Year's.]
Christmas is on January 7th, but that's fine. The New Year should be a very important holiday.
It just so happens that he has never experienced what it's like to spend New Year's Day with someone before, so why not have a Russian New Year now? Anyway, Fyodor probably doesn't have anyone to spend it with, and he's so dedicated to working in Norway at a time like this, showing no intention of going back to Russia.
[It should be very interesting, right?]
Fedor paused for a moment.
As he walked toward the booked hotel room, he readily accepted Ye Yihe's invitation.
"I think you are right."
Between each syllable, a subtle smile and a sense of intimacy slowly emerged again, "Let's do as you say."
[…………]
Ye Yihe covered his face and remained silent for a moment before finally issuing an unbearable protest within his palace of consciousness.
[…Stop suddenly using honorifics towards me!]
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