Chapter 145 Extra: One Thousand Years Later
◎His era has come to an end◎
April 16, 2058, Sacred Museum of Florence, Golden Crown Hall.
The Sacred Museum of Florence, known as one of the top ten museums in the world, receives more than 500 million visitors a year and accounts for half of Florence's fiscal revenue. However, most of the museum's most precious and famous collections are kept in the Golden Crown Hall, which is not open to the public except on special occasions. Many history enthusiasts even squat on the official website of the Sacred Museum all year round, just to wait for the Golden Crown Hall to open, and then book a flight to Florence on the spur of the moment.
Today is a rare day when the Golden Crown Hall is open to the public. In order to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of Saint Sistine I, the Holy See has promised to open the Golden Crown Hall at least six times this year at irregular intervals. This has excited historians all over the world. Florence's tourism industry has reached a peak almost visibly. It is said that the Holy See Secretariat has received more than one letter of protest from the City Hall.
But it didn't work.
Everyone knows that the current Holy See is a fanatical follower of Saint Sistine I, who chose the same title for this purpose - although this is nothing new in the Vatican. In fact, there have been as many as thirty-one "Sistine His Majesty" in the past thousand years, with an average of a "Sistine Pope" appearing every thirty years, which makes the current Pope Sistine XXXII both sad and proud.
The Golden Crown Hall stores a large number of relics from the time of Saint Sistine I. These collections from thousands of years ago still shine with the glory of the times even today. All scholars who study the history of the development of the Holy See and world history cannot avoid this special era and this special monarch. He created an unprecedented glorious country and dragged the ancient and corrupt era into the brilliant new century.
"What we are about to see is the religious studies homework of His Holiness Saint Sistine I when he was a teenager." The Holy See took the opening of the Golden Hall very seriously. They chose professors from the Florence Seminary to be the tour guides. Most of these professors were also staff members of the Papal Palace. Every one of their classes was always full and hard to get a seat.
The middle-aged female professor dressed as a nun gestured for people to look at the glass display case beside her. In order to protect these ancient parchments, the humidity and temperature in the glass case were adjusted to a constant state. The cold light shone on the yellowed, old, and slightly damaged pages, and the slender, curved handwriting grew upright like vines: "This is a paper studying Vitalian III's religious reform bill. At that time, his father-son relationship with Vitalian III was still a secret. Vitalian III brought him with him. The young Sistine I participated in the reform and drafting of a large number of related bills. He may not be the host, but he must have experienced it. Therefore, all his thoughts and records are important for our research on the reforms during the reign of Vitalian III."
"Later scholars believed that the experience during this period laid the foundation for his future reforms, because his father had tried out the wrong path for him."
"This year, he was fourteen years old."
There were low sighs from the crowd. Most of the tourists who could go through so much trouble to get into the Golden Crown Hall had basic historical knowledge. Some of them even knew the life story of Saint Sixtus I by heart. But when they heard the exact age, they couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
This is the natural reverence that humans have for young geniuses and great men. They stared intently through the glass at the parchment on the display stand. The writing on the parchment was a little smudged, the edges were damaged, and there were obvious creases, but through the beautiful fonts on it, people seemed to be able to see a young boy sitting at the table long ago, earnestly leaving his immature thoughts on paper. He didn't know what kind of glory and miracles he would create in the future, but fate was quietly leading him onto that bright path.
During his reign, Syracuse's economy and politics made rapid progress, and the level of medicine leapt forward by a century, not to mention the subsequent human rights equality. Under his influence, Assyria became the world's first constitutional system independent of the monarchy, which almost opened a new century for political progress in later generations. No one in the future will be able to have such comprehensive achievements. Scholars call his reign a transition period between the Middle Ages and the modern century. He completely opened up a brand new and bright future.
"The life story of Saint Sistine I has always been very clear, but there are two major gaps. One is from his birth to when he was found in the slums by Vitalian III and brought to the Papal Palace, and the other is from when his biological father died when he was fourteen to when he was crowned Pope. The former has always been a mystery, and no one can figure it out. Theoretically, why was Sistine I, who was born in Assyria, found in Florence? There are many speculations about this, but there is no reasonable historical evidence at present. The latter is entirely because he was caught up in the political storm of Vitalian III's reforms."
The nun paused here, and the tourists she led also stopped in front of another booth.
There was a thin book in the glass cabinet, with half of the cover missing and the text on it blurred. Only the words "Poetry Collection" could be seen on the remaining half, and the title page read "To Rafa, may the eternal starry sky be with you." The text here and the font on the cover were obviously written by the same person, and were very similar to the handwriting of Sistine I, but the handwriting on the poetry collection was sharper, and the rounded curves were like slender vines, growing gracefully and unrestrainedly. From the handwriting alone, one could see the arrogance and reserve of the writer, like the most typical aristocrat of the old times.
"…The political storm caused by the assassination of Vitalian III dragged Raphael, who had no real power but participated in the entire reform process, into a bad situation. He was sentenced to exile and imprisonment by the Vatican at the time. Although he was still a few months away from adulthood in the legal sense, unfortunately there was no "Minor Protection Law" at that time, so His Holiness was imprisoned in Cantrera Castle - this castle was destroyed by war more than 400 years ago, and now only the ruins of the building are left. According to historical records and restoration drawings, this castle is obviously not a suitable place to live."
She pointed at a castle reconstruction not far away. "This building, which was converted from a military fortress, does not take any comfort into consideration. He was imprisoned in the tower, which was originally a watchtower. There was only one room inside that was converted from a storage room. He was not allowed to go down the tower. For four years, he spent his time in this place that was less than 30 square meters. The food he ate every day was barely enough to fill his stomach. He could only light the fireplace when it was the coldest. This caused a devastating blow to his health."
Her tone became gloomy. Even if these things did not happen to a great man, but just an ordinary person - this would make anyone with empathy sad and angry.
"They almost murdered the future of the world." Someone in the crowd muttered.
"Your words have a tendency to lean towards a heroic view of history," someone complained, "although I don't disagree with what you said."
The nun looked at them and did not comment on their discussion. She continued, "Fortunately, he was not really alone. His mentor gave him great encouragement and support during these four years. We cannot imagine how the head of the Portia family entered the tightly sealed Cantrera Castle. Maybe he spent money, or maybe there were other ways? Anyway, it is impossible to climb the wall."⊙
She made a harmless joke and the crowd laughed in unison.
"Julius Portia brought many books to the imprisoned His Majesty from outside, many of which were written or copied by him. This collection of poems is the only proof that has survived to this day, and it is also the only handwriting of Julius Portia in his early years. This mentor who educated His Majesty Saint Sixtus I was also a great politician, economist, historian, and writer. Judging from his only teaching achievement, he was also a great educator. How many mentors would be able to patiently copy an insignificant collection of poems for their students whose futures were uncertain?"
"Most of the poems in the collection cannot be traced back to their original sources. After all, they were written a thousand years ago. Except for some poets whose names are recorded in history, most of them have been lost in the dust of history. The Literature Research Department of the Florence Seminary spent a year sorting out the recognizable parts and integrating them into a collection. It can be purchased at the museum and the tourist lounge of the Papal Palace."
The tour guide gave a small advertisement at the end.
People came close to the glass, held their breath, and tried to decipher the blurred handwriting on it. A slightly hoarse voice was heard, and an old man with white hair squinted his eyes and read the ancient words on it.
"…like the starry sky,
As the day rises,
Like the rising and setting of the sun and moon,
If you rush to the sea,
His voice was old and slow as he recited word by word the poems that were created thousands of years ago. The people who wrote the poems and the people who read them had long since turned to dust, and no one knew who created them, but the person who wrote these words must have had a firm and gentle heart to solidify love into an eternal natural law like the sun and the moon rising in the east and setting in the west.
The following words had blurred into a mass of ink that could not be immediately recognized. The nun who served as the narrator added the last sentence in a calm voice: "...as I came here to see you."
A long and gentle emotion gently enveloped everyone present. After a brief silence, the crowd moved forward again. Soon, the dazzling light of the jewels came into people's eyes, and exclamations rang out one after another.
A crown and scepter inlaid with numerous jewels were placed on a dark red velvet base. In addition, there were crowns and jewelry of various styles, ranging from complex to simple. These were all used by Saint Sistine I. A gorgeous platinum robe was unfolded. After thousands of years, the diamonds and jewels on it still sparkled under the cold light. A scarlet cloak hung on the side, as if allowing the viewer to feel the soft touch of fluff.
"The coronation crown and coronation robes of Saint Sistine I were stored in the Papal Palace for hundreds of years until Pope Sistine XXIX decided to display them in the Golden Crown Hall. They were then given a new lease of life.
Most of the diamonds on it have been replaced before they can see the light of day. Some are proportional restorations. Jewelers spent a lot of time comparing the diamonds with the highest similarity to replace them, so that the finished product has regained its glory when it was first created. ”
"During the Assyrian War, a large number of letters were preserved between Florence and Assyria. These letters were basically exchanges between Your Majesty and Lord Portia. From them, we can appreciate the brilliant thinking of top politicians. We can see how those famous laws of later generations were born from a prototype and then grew into the mainstay of the era. Those names, laws, and clauses that we are familiar with flowed out from their pens and gradually became things we are familiar with."
“Many times, they didn’t know whether the decisions they made would push that era towards the right future. We can see their worries, fears, uneasiness and hesitations, but they finally made their decisions, and history became what we know today – this is perhaps the beauty of history.”
"After the Calais Schism, the entire Syracuse continent tended to be unified, and Saint Sistine I's leadership was confirmed, but he himself faced perhaps the most difficult time. His trusted mentor died in the famous Florence Rebellion, and in order to quell the rebellion, his loyal friend and partner, the Director of the Arbitration Bureau, Mr. Ferrante, gave up his freedom for the rest of his life. His Majesty personally sentenced him to life imprisonment, which saved his life, but it is hard to say whether this was a merciful decision.
"Because the famous 'Pope's Hound' lived to be nearly seventy years old, three days after His Holiness's death, the prisoner's death was discovered by the guards of the Holy Tower, which means that he had been imprisoned in the Holy Tower for more than forty years. No one could imagine how he had endured such a long period of time, and he had a strong will and had never committed suicide because of loneliness and solitude. So this kind of life became a long torture. Did Saint Sistine I, who had been imprisoned for four years, hesitate when making that decision? Was his sentence on Ferrante merciful or cruel? Perhaps only the person involved can give the answer."
The tour guide motioned for people to look at what was in the next display case.
Those were some black branches with only dried veins left. No one could recognize what they were. The guide said, "Your Majesty did not leave any record of this incident in any text, nor did he mention this imprisoned friend again anywhere, but there were some plant branches and leaves in his diary. Scholars believe that these might be dried flowers. They were carefully preserved in the book, although no one knows where they came from."
"This exhibition area contains the notes of people around His Majesty and some related items. A large number of unexhibited notes of Ms. Astasiania, the founder of modern medicine, are kept here. There are also notes of Ms. Lucresa Bianchi, a famous historian, and her adopted daughter, Lucresa Bianchi Jr. Many historical facts related to Saint Sistine I were revised based on their records. Ms. Lucresa Bianchi's "Chronicles of Florence" is still used as an advanced bibliography at the Florence Seminary. Many scholars like to use this book as an auxiliary document for studying the Saint Sistine I period, because it records historical events of almost all countries in the same period."
"Half a year after the celebration of Saint Sistine I's 70th birthday, this monarch and religious leader who created a glorious history entered the arms of the Lord one evening. His loyal knights took care of his funeral and personally rang the bell to announce his death. That day was called the Syracuse dusk. The entire Papal States and Florence were drowned in crying. People spontaneously gathered outside the Papal Palace, using candlelight and flowers that never went out all night to bid farewell to their monarch. They even refused the Holy See to immediately elect a pope, and the Holy See acquiesced to this move. As a result, an unprecedented event of a papal hiatus occurred in history. This window period lasted for two years, until most people came out of their extreme grief and were willing to acknowledge the emergence of the next pope."
"These two years of absence were later called the 'period of silence'."
A knight's armor appeared in front of them, with silver light spreading warmly on the metal surface. People seemed to be able to see a brave and handsome knight wearing armor and riding on a horse with a vigorous look.
"…The most loyal knight of Saint Sistine I, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar who had protected him for more than 40 years, rested in the ascetic room after the Pope's funeral, fulfilling his destiny as a knight."
The crowd slowly looked at the dazzling jewels, dull documents, and rusty armor, as if they had walked through that distant and glorious era, and finally saw the faint light of the exit.
They watched the young boy stumble forward, from innocent and gentle to lonely and silent, and then gradually became a calm and self-controlled politician. He had been brought to the bottom of the valley by fate, trampled on and hurt. He had experienced failure and was constantly losing throughout his life. However, in front of everyone, he eventually became the gentle and tolerant old man, the monarch who held up the era and made progress.
In the empty vaulted hall at the exit, there was only a huge portrait hanging in the empty hall. Everyone who saw it was shocked beyond words. The young monarch, wearing a crown and a gorgeous platinum robe, sat on the throne and smiled. His extreme beauty struck people's eyes with an overwhelming force. His smile was calm and distant, as if he was quietly gazing at the past history and the future road.
His era has ended. All the blooming roses, singing nightingales, and suffering thorns eventually turned into the silent sea in those eyes.
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