Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 630: God’s Grace Relies on Virtue, Not on Sacred Objects

Since no one understood the joke, Guo Kang's attempt to ease the atmosphere ended in embarrassment. Fortunately, everyone quickly moved on to the next location.

As an important holy place, it is natural that there are many holy objects and relics preserved here. The introducer talked endlessly, citing classics, and spoke for a long time. Everyone was very impressed, and Master Hans also admitted that this was Brother Tian’s hometown after all, and the historical heritage was indeed much deeper than Trier.

"I didn't expect that after so many wars, there are still so many holy objects." He sighed.

"In fact, generally after a war, there are more holy relics." Guo Kang told him, "For example, there was only one True Cross at the beginning, but later for some reason it was said to have broken into pieces, and then there were more and more."

"Some say St. Helena herself broke it up and kept it, others say it was broken in a subsequent incident. We ourselves are not quite sure. Anyway, this thing has spread all over the world."

"There are some in Dadu too. I've visited there before." Captain Lucas said, "And I remember there were more than one."

"Yes. There are two pieces that are said to be the ones brought back by St. Helena herself, but both pieces have been lost." Guo Kang said: "According to church records, a large number of holy relics were looted or lost in the disaster in 1204. These two pieces also disappeared."

"After that, the whereabouts of the fragments became a mystery. Many barbarian lords claimed to have obtained the holy relic, but that was after the Crusades, and there were obviously far more than two fragments that appeared in Western Europe. Even if all the remains of the True Cross were taken away by them, there would definitely not be so many."

"Also, there are also claims that the True Cross is a spiritual relic that will never really leave Rome. The barbarians were unable to desecrate or plunder them, and when the city fell, these relics were hidden, waiting for Rome to return, and then they would reappear in the world."

"There are so many stories like this. I feel like I've heard more than one in Dadu." Captain Lucas commented: "The True Cross seems to be..."

"Yes, now I remember it now." Master Hans suddenly realized, "It seems that every larger church has a lot of these holy relics. If someone is missing a few of them, they are embarrassed to call themselves a well-known religious place. Some of them are indeed said to have been obtained from the East, but at that time no one remembered to investigate further. This is what happened."

"We have quite a few here too." Guo Kang said, "Later, when Dadu changed hands several times, there were reports of the True Cross reappearing. When the Palaiologos family recaptured Dadu, I remember there were rumors of the discovery of the True Cross. After the founding of our dynasty, there were even more discoveries."

"At the beginning, the Khanate had no such awareness and was not keen on collecting holy relics. When Patriarch Zhang was in charge, a traveler presented a helmet, saying that it was the one worn by Constantine the Great, and it was cast with holy nails soaked in the blood of the Heavenly Brother. The appearance of this holy relic was a good omen, indicating that Rome would be restored, so they did not dare to keep it privately and presented it to the court. The Khan, General Li and others did not understand this, so they asked Patriarch Zhang to make the decision. But Patriarch Zhang refused to accept it."

"Patriarch Zhang told everyone that since ancient times, auspicious signs have been associated with virtue. If the monarch is virtuous and the world is peaceful, auspicious signs will appear, expressing the approval of the Heavenly Father. If the monarch is not virtuous and the world is not peaceful, and such auspicious signs appear, it is an inauspicious sign."

"Now the country has just been established, and everyone from the king down is working day and night to rebuild the broken order and protect the people who have suffered disasters. But the territory controlled by the court is only the size of a few counties, and the people educated by the church are only a few hundred thousand. It is far from the achievements of Constantine the Great in the past. How dare I compare myself to him?"

"Holy objects are gifts from Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother, and cannot be actively sought by humans. If the court has no virtue and blindly collects these holy objects, even if they are effective for a while, they will be like the barbarians who occupied Dadu, because their virtue is not worthy of their position, and they will suffer because of it; on the contrary, if good deeds are accumulated and recognized by Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother, then they can also be blessed without the proof of holy objects."

"God has given Rome the authority in the world. Therefore, court officials and church personnel should carefully perform their missions. They should respectfully follow God's teachings to protect the people. If they can do this, the country will naturally prosper and the world will be peaceful. This is the best gift from God. When that time comes, the holy relics will naturally appear. Why do we need to actively look for them?"

"It sounds a bit awkward, but it makes sense..." Master Hans said in surprise: "What happened next? Did he really not want it?"

"Yes, I really didn't." Guo Kang nodded, "But after all, he made a special trip for the good of the court, so we still have to entertain him. After Patriarch Zhang talked to him, he invited him to stay in the hotel for a while, and he could take his things back tomorrow morning. He also gave him three silver coins as travel expenses."

"That night, a bright light appeared in the inn. Everyone nearby was awakened and ran out. They saw a beam of light in the guest room reaching up to the sky, and faintly there were golden wings fluttering. It lasted for a quarter of an hour before dissipating. Everyone was extremely surprised and didn't dare to move."

"When the official in charge arrived, everyone said that you were the chief officer and you had to go and check it out first. The official went to investigate and found that the building was surprisingly intact, but the guest and the holy objects were gone. His belongings also disappeared, and only the three silver coins were left on the table, and they were even glowing."

"Everyone guessed that the guest was probably an angel who came to test people. They sent the silver coin to Patriarch Zhang, who was also surprised. After offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Father, he decided to take the silver coin and put it on his sword."

"Later, on the eastern border of the Khanate, in Galich, a Slavic witch was causing trouble. The people on the border were very afraid. Patriarch Zhang personally went into battle and used this sword to kill the ghosts summoned by the witch with one blow. He then beheaded the witch and destroyed her lair. On the western border, a Hungarian heretic was causing trouble and bewitching the people with evil magic. Patriarch Zhang used his sword to dispel the illusion, then beheaded the heretic and burned his hiding place. On the northern border, a pagan priest hired by the Poles was causing trouble and killing people for sacrifice. Patriarch Zhang used his sword to purify the evil gods summoned by the pagans with one blow, then beheaded the pagan priest and demolished his altar."

"Wow, that's amazing. He must like swordsmanship as well." Master Hans was excited after hearing this.

"Yes, most of the children in Rome grew up listening to the stories of Patriarch Zhang exorcising demons. Everyone is familiar with these stories." Guo Kang said with a smile: "Until now, we are not particularly enthusiastic about holy objects. However, to this day, the swords of priests are still decorated with coins to show that they want to exorcise evil spirits and protect the people. This is to pay tribute to this incident."

"Come to think of it, you just mentioned the three directions of east, west and north, but why didn't you mention the south?" Captain Lucas was obviously very interested in these stories and even asked more questions.

"There are also people in the south, but they are not of this kind of story." Guo Kang said. "The people in the south are Greeks, they should be easy to fight. Maybe it's not worth writing a story about them." Master Hans speculated.

"Not really. In fact, the Greeks are much more troublesome." Guo Kang told him: "The story in the south is about this topic."

"In his later years, Patriarch Zhang had already achieved success and fame. Relying on his heroic deeds and his great contributions to the church organization and even the court, he had a high status and prestige. At that time, the Khanate had also regained Dadu and gained a firm foothold. Everything was thriving, and it seemed that a prosperous and peaceful era was just around the corner. However, Patriarch Zhang did not stop, and continued to travel around diligently, fighting against cultists and heretics from all sides to protect the peace of the country."

"It is said that one day, he came back from the north. At that time, he had a whole caravan of priests accompanying him, and many guards protecting him. When the caravan returned to the suburbs of Dadu, a man suddenly appeared on the road and walked straight towards him."

"The guards were pushed aside by an inexplicable force, and the man walked all the way to Patriarch Zhang's car before stopping. Patriarch Zhang knew that he was no ordinary person, so he got out of the car quickly, only to find that the man was the visitor from decades ago. He was shocked, but after calming down, he politely asked why the visitor suddenly came to see him."

"The guest did not hide his true intention this time. He told him directly that he was the angel Michael and that he had come to warn him. Over the years, Patriarch Zhang had already guessed the other party's identity. Therefore, he was not too surprised at this time. He just continued to ask the other party if he had any advice."

"'O chivalrous patriarch.' The angel immediately emitted light and his appearance gradually changed, from a dusty middle-aged traveler to a handsome man radiating golden light. He chanted, 'You have defeated many enemies in the east, west and north, and Heavenly Father praises your achievements. But you must be careful of the evil in the south. That force is too evil to be defeated by you alone or with a sword.'" Guo Kang described vividly.

"Patriarch Zhang was stunned and said, 'The south is Dadu. There may be heretics and cultists hiding there, but they are no longer a threat. Shouldn't they be the easiest enemy to defeat?'"

"The angel was silent for a moment, showing a compassionate expression, and finally smiled bitterly. Everyone was surprised that the angel showed such rich emotions, and they felt that the matter was of great importance. However, before they asked, the angel took the initiative to warn them: 'The strength of these enemies does not lie in their bluffing sorcery and aggressive followers, but in their ability to deceive people and pollute their faith.'"

"'They will teach people to abandon the teachings of the Heavenly Father, blaspheme the justice of the world, and take pride in it. They will make the simple people bloodthirsty and murderous, the humble scholars selfish and cunning, the dignified virgins dirty and sick, and the respectable scholars depraved and crazy.'"

"'In this fallen world, the priests who should be dignified began to covet boys, and the nobles who should be elegant began to play with young girls. The rules of the world are confused: in the church, men bow under other men; in the secular world, women step on men's heads.' The angel condemned painfully."

"'Men are no longer men and begin to dress like women; women are no longer women and begin to act like bullies. Kings are no longer kings and begin to act like clowns; citizens are no longer citizens and begin to be as lowly as beggars. Fathers are no longer fathers and begin to shirk their duties; sons are no longer sons and begin to resist being taught. This is what the evil will turn the world into.'"

"Patriarch Zhang and his entourage were so surprised that they were speechless. Instinctively, they were unwilling to believe it. But the illusion described by the angel was so real that everyone was speechless."

"However, the angel did not come to make everyone despair. He finally said loudly: 'Make an effort, Romans. Do not underestimate the enemy, but do not be afraid, because the Almighty Heavenly Father is watching over you. Soon, water from the earth will come to cleanse the sinners; if not, there will be fire from heaven to cleanse the sinners; if not, there will be people on earth to cleanse the sinners. The Heavenly Father will not let a sinner go, nor will he fail a righteous person.' After saying this, the angel disappeared in the dazzling golden light that could be seen in the daytime, just like last time."

"Patriarch Zhang was in deep thought for a long time. After returning, he put down his sword and stopped going out to fight. Instead, he picked up a pen. In the following years, he worked hard to write books and educate his disciples. Even when he went out on a long journey, he mainly explained the meaning of the scriptures and promoted education. Many of the scriptures and annotations we have seen were compiled and written by him during that period. Everyone said that he wanted to do his best to prepare another weapon for everyone and contribute to defeating this great enemy."

"It sounds so profound. It seems that all priests like to tell stories like this..." Master Hans muttered.

"It's actually not that bad. It's just a fable that warns everyone." Guo Kang said, "The words here should all have symbolic meanings."

"What does this symbolize?" several people asked curiously.

"Patriarch Zhang has always said that we Romans should not repeat the tragedy of the past. What one person cannot defeat, a group of people can unite to defeat; what one generation cannot eliminate, let future generations work together to eliminate." Guo Kang replied:
"The water on the earth means that Heavenly Father will issue warnings from time to time, causing the rivers and lakes to fluctuate. We must work together to build water conservancy projects and take precautions. This is the simplest way to gather people and fight against evil, because those who break the rules and break away from the social order will naturally be abandoned in the process;"

"The fire in heaven is the various punishments imposed by the Heavenly Father. If the first step fails and the requirements are still not met due to the obstruction of sinners, the Heavenly Father will bring down various severe disasters, making it impossible for those sinners to survive. It also uses personal pain to warn others to be firm in their resolve, not to compromise, and not to be afraid of sinners, otherwise the consequences will be even more serious;"

"People in the world are the last resort. If the previous warnings don't work, Heavenly Father will let go and let the countless angry people in the world swallow everything like a wave, destroying the distorted and corrupted social rules, and start again with the next attempt. In short, Heavenly Father is actually merciful. He will not abandon anyone, nor will he ignore the world. There will always be a way to solve these problems."

"That's amazing. There's such a profound truth to this." Master Hans said with emotion, "I think you are quite suitable to be the Patriarch."

"I just felt inspired by seeing these relics in the holy land and talked about some great truths." Guo Kang shook his head: "What we respect is the sacrifice of Brother Tian, ​​not the place where he moved; the grace of God lies in people's virtues, not in how many holy relics they have collected. These are all very simple truths, not worth mentioning."

Several people nodded thoughtfully.

(End of this chapter)