chapter 6 on the way

　Later that evening, at almost seven o'clock, the stagecoach reached Avignon. The distance from Marseilles to Paris was almost 200 to 300 furlongs (the traditional French unit of length, one furlong is equal to about four kilometers), which obviously could not be reached by a stagecoach in a short period of time. In fact, there was no stagecoach that traveled directly from Marseille to Paris, and passengers who traveled to Paris by stagecoach generally changed coaches from one section to the next.

　　In the twilight the stage-coach drove through the towering walls of Avignon and into the old city. Disembarking, Joseph looked up and could see the Palace of the Popes towering over the hill, hidden in the twilight. Avignon had been the residence of the Catholic Pope for a long time, and nowadays, although the Pope had long since returned to the Vatican, the city, however, was still the direct territory of the Holy See. This special status would not change until after the outbreak of the Revolution.

　　"That's the Pope's Palace." Seeing that Joseph was looking up towards that side, Cleric Alfonso explained on the side, "Although the Pope's coronation is no longer here nowadays, this is still a holy place."

　　"Can I go in and take a look?" Joseph asked.

　　"Ah, child, I'm afraid that's not possible. That place is not for just anyone." Rabbi Alfonso replied, "I have traveled between Marseilles and Paris many times as a messenger of the Church, and each time I have passed by, but each time I have only been able to look out over this sacred palace. Well, Bishop Mignonier has been inside, so if you're interested in what's going on inside, you can ask the bishop yourself in the future."

　　Joseph heard this and shook his head, "I don't need to ask the bishop, I think I should be able to go in myself in the future."

　　Hearing this, Alfonso thought he meant that he could become a bishop himself, so he smiled and said, "That is what His Grace the Bishop expects of you."

　　But that was not what Joseph really meant. Joseph knew that in a few years, the Revolution would break out. In the Revolution, especially during Robespierre's time, Catholicism was knocked to the ground and stamped on with 10,000 more feet. Almost all the churches were confiscated and converted into so-called "Rationalist" churches. The icons in the churches were replaced by busts or full-length portraits of revolutionary leaders and heroes of the past. The Papal Palace, a bastion of reactionary power, was no exception. In those days, it was easy to get in and take a look around.

　　Avignon is still the direct territory of the Holy See, because Jesus once drove out the businessmen who traded in the temple of Jehovah, so in the city of Avignon, compared to other similarly sized cities, the atmosphere of commerce here is much lighter, there is no loud clamor of merchants in the city, and some of the people walking around are dressed in black robes the rest of the majority of them are pious pilgrims.

　　Of course, Joseph understands that this is only a superficial phenomenon, only on the greed for money, on doing business, in this world there are not many organizations can be compared to the Holy See. After all, they were the ones who had invented the amulet of absolution and were able to sell a fowl's feather as an angel's feather. But on the surface, they still had to put on a holy face.

　　After getting out of the car and a few passengers saying friendly goodbyes to each other, Joseph followed Cleric Alfonso forward along the street for about a hundred seeks (the old French unit of length, which is equal to about one point six twenty-four meters) to the darkened gates of a monastery. But instead of going straight past the gate, Cleric Alfonso turned to the right, reached a small, equally dark door on the right, and then raised his hand and knocked gently.

　　The small door did not open, except that there was another window with bars on it. This window was pulled open and an eye appeared in that small window.

　　"I am a messenger sent to Paris by Bishop Mignonette, Bishop of the Diocese of Corsica. To spend the night here. This is the bishop's godson, who will be traveling with me to Paris." Cleric Alfonso said as he handed over a document.

　　The eye looked at Alfonso, then at Joseph, then a hand appeared at the window to take the document, and then the little window in the little door was closed.

　　After a moment, with a creaking sound, the small door, whose shafts seemed to be rusted, was opened. Revealing a large man dressed in a black clerical outfit with a hood covering most of his face. The large man stood bowed in the darkened walkway, and without a word, he pressed the paperwork back against Alfonso and sidestepped to one side. The movement made Joseph notice that he seemed to have a slight limp on one leg.

　　Alfonso then led Joseph inside, and the large man then closed the door again, dropped the lock, and then reached out and plucked a horse lamp from the wall, carrying it in his hand as he walked ahead to show them the way.

　　There were no windows on the street in the convent, and the windows in the inner courtyard were small, so that even in the daytime the aisles were very dark, and at this time they became more and more eerie and dead. There was only the light of the horse-lamp, and the shadow of the crippled big man who carried it ahead of him dangling about.

　　This kind of scene inexplicably reminded Joseph of the dark underground passageway of Sacaram Cathedral in the Diablo game. And the hobbling big man walking in front of him also inexplicably reminded him of the "Dark Wanderer". So Joseph couldn't help but look both ways, fearing that one or a group of red-hot Sinking Devils with small torches would suddenly jump out of nowhere.

　　However, Joseph traveled to a normal world after all, so in the dark and long alleyway, only rats suddenly appeared, there are no monsters, and the big man who walks in front of him is just a silent janitor, and the place where he walks through has not inexplicably lit up a big fire.

　　After walking a little further, the janitor stopped, fished out a set of keys from his waist, opened a small door at the side of the aisle, and then turned back and said in a low, incoherent voice, "You ... are ... here tonight. "

　　Then he raised the lamp, lowered his head, and went in. Alfonso led Joseph inside as well. By this time, the large man had lit the candles on the candlestick in the center of the room. The room was suddenly filled with a dim yellow light.

　　Having lit the candles, the janitor got up and walked out, and on his way out, he lowered his head again through the low doorway. By the light of the candle and the marquee he held, Joseph saw that he had a long scar on his face.

　　As if noticing Joseph's gaze, after the janitor had gone out, Alfonso sat down in front of the table and said, "He was originally one of His Majesty's captains. After being wounded in that seven year war, he couldn't find anything to do after he retired from the army, and then he came here to become a janitor."

　　Then he sighed and said, "Times are getting harder and harder nowadays, it's hard for an able-bodied person to live, let alone someone like him. It's a good thing the Church doesn't forget those who have fought for the Catholic Church. God will bless him too, Amen."

　　"Amen." Joseph followed suit.

　　By the next day, just after dawn, Joseph left the monastery again with Alfonso and bought two tickets for the stagecoach to Lestourste. The two had just gotten on the train when they heard a surprised voice say, "Friar Alfonso? Little Joseph?"

　　The two looked over, but they saw that the two young couples they had seen yesterday were already sitting in the car as well.

　　"Ah, it's you guys? Are you guys going to Lestourste too?" Alfonso asked.

　　"Ah, we're going to Lyon." The husband replied happily, "I've got a job at a school there."

　　"Sounds like a good enough job." Alfonso said.

　　"Thanks." The husband replied.

　　And so they all made small talk, as if they had forgotten the argument that had taken place in the car the day before. However when they got to Lyon, after separating from them, Alfonso exclaimed this to Joseph, "I really didn't realize that the influence of that apostate was so great."

　　"What apostate?" Joseph asked.

　　"It's that Voltaire who was just torn by the devil last year and fell headlong inside hell." Alfonso replied in a rare, mean-spirited tone, "The damned apostate, who was rumored to be spouting blasphemy as he was dying, saying something about burying himself half in the church and leaving half outside. That way if he got lucky and went to heaven, he'd go to heaven from the half of the church, and if - actually, not if but definitely - he was going to be punished to hell, he could escape from the half outside. Oh, where can he escape to escape from the living God? He must be very warm inside that great pit of fire nowadays, hahahahaha ..."

　　"But Mr. Gregor didn't seem to mention Voltaire just now." Joseph asked again, "And there didn't seem to be anything particularly unreasonable about what he said."

　　"You're right." Alfonso said, "It's true that he didn't mention the apostate directly. But a lot of his points, well, the ones that just don't seem unreasonable to you, or even make a lot of sense, actually come from that apostate. Joseph, you have to be careful, that's what's so scary about the devil.

　　The devils never show their true colors to people; instead, they disguise themselves as prophets, saints, and use their seemingly radiant 'reasonings' to tempt you and lead you into evil ways. This is what is most frightening and dangerous about those apostates, devils, false prophets, and the Antichrist. My child, you must know that Lucifer, the devil king, was originally the most glorious archangel beside the Lord of Heaven. It has the same light in it that can deceive people. Therefore, if we don't trust the church, we can easily be deceived by them. May God punish them, Amen!"