I Am Louis XIV

  Chapter 65 The past of the wizard Vesalius and a corner of the wizarding world (below)

As for the monks and priests of the Inquisition, they can be said to be the enemy of wizards and the tools of wizards in the inner world. After all, from the perspective of Vesalius, ordinary wizards want to fight against werewolves, vampires and priests. It is impossible. The reason why they are willing to endure the oppression of these huge families is probably because only under their protection can they spend every day hard and peacefully.

   It's like the civilians of the world who have to bear heavy taxes, but are also protected by the lord's army.

Vesalius affirmed this, too: "Every wizard," he said, "together with their family, has a lord who works for them, like my father's teacher, who works for the Mancini family. , when my father was no longer an apprentice, he became Mancini's potionist, and I inherited his father's position."

   "You are supported by them."

"Indeed." Vesalius said, almost giving up: "To become a potionist, the initial investment is very large, we need a lot of herbs, precious metals, and materials that can only be obtained under magic. With an ordinary wizard, it is impossible to become a potionist by his own strength, so at that time they all said that my father was a lucky man, and many people were jealous of him. Of course, and me."

"You said before that it was his teacher who recommended your father to the Mancini family," Louis asked: "In the inner world, is it only the potions who continue the tradition of teachers and apprentices, or is there such a thing as the outer world? the University?"

"Both, Your Majesty, but it's not a university, it's just an ordinary elementary school. Only some foreign wizards who have no foundation or wizards who are too poor to afford teaching resources will send their children to study there, and the teachers there , IMHO, he is just a mediocre person with no sense of responsibility. Rather than teaching students, it is better to just live by and support the family, so wizard families with a little wealth will hire credible teachers for their children. Especially big families."

   "This situation is similar to the watch world."

   "Yes, Your Majesty." Speaking of this, Vesalius couldn't help but pass a trace of sadness: "For the weak, it is the same everywhere."

   "If you want, tell me what happened to you in the inner world."

"There's not much to say," Vesalius was now able to answer this question with great equanimity: "My wife, she was originally just a branch of the Mancini family—by the way, you know, the Mancini family for generations They are all beauties. In the rumors of the inner world, although I don't know if it is true or not, their ancestors have the blood of some female nightmares, so they can have such a unique gift or curse, but my wife, Your Majesty, she inherited The blood was so thin that her children couldn't claim to be descendants of Mancini, and when I met her, she was just a pretty girl, and I wasn't fascinated by her appearance, I was moved by her gentle heart."

"I thought that my life would be like an open book, step by step, and go on according to the rules, like most people in the world, no, I should say, a small number of people, because I am influenced by the Mancini family. Hire, and my wife is their distant relative, we can live in a small house with food and clothing, we will have a lot of children, noisy, maybe they will have some talented people, maybe They can only be said to be mediocre, but in any case, our life should be calm and stable - but who knows, Your Majesty, fate is so cruel."

   "How did your wife become like this?" Louis asked softly.

"It was a very sudden change," Vesalius said. "It seemed to me that overnight, the people at my bedside became strangers, and the Mancini family told me that it was also very common among wizards. Rare, but not completely absent, how to say, like the blood that is hidden in the descendants boiling violently, they make the wizard stronger, beautiful or wise, depending on what they inherit from the ancestors What happened. And what my wife has inherited is the blood of the nightmare, she... This thing is actually not a good thing for her, because the blood of the nightmare tortures her body, and she becomes extremely weak, But for Mancini, weakness is not something to worry about." The potionist raised a hand and pressed his face, as if he was trying to suppress something, but also like To tear open the barrier and release the beast: "...In short, Your Majesty, they are going to take my wife, my daughter, they said, I will be compensated...a huge compensation..."

   "Obviously, you didn't want them, you escaped with them."

"Yeah, Your Majesty, I took them away, maybe this was completely beyond the expectations of the Mancini family," Vesalius gave the king a twisted smile: "They probably never thought that a humble potionist would also against their will."

   "After you came to the world of watches, didn't you go back to the Vesalius family to seek help?"

"I tried," Vesalius said, "but my ancestor Andrea Vesalius died on the charge of blasphemy, his enemies were still in Spain and Rome, the family refused to recognize me, I only wandering everywhere."

The king could almost guess how difficult it would be for Varo Vesalius at that time. His father left the outer world to go to the inner world at the age of six, and his teacher was a vassal of Mancini. The scholars of the family, that is to say, they are not politicians with long sleeves or businessmen with lotus-like tongues. They are only afraid that they rarely deal with people. Then, after Vesalius left the real world with his wife and children, he could not even take it directly. The coins in the inner world are exchanged for room and board, because the gold coins, silver coins and copper coins in the inner world and the outer world are all different shapes, from patterns to weights. Even if the merchants are willing to accept them, they will definitely cut them off viciously. A large transaction fee.

   "How long have you been out of the world before you met the Duke of Mortmar?"

   "Four years," Vesalius said. "Four long years."

This is no wonder, the king thought. From another point of view, Varo Vesalius is probably exhausted. The Duke of Mortemar is not the first. If he can escape with his wife and children, I am afraid that Not the last, the beauty of his wife was not of the commonplace, as the priest said, the sin of the devil, and his daughter's letter—though it is hard to say how much of D'Artagnan's grace was in it, was plain and simple. He pointed out the incompetence of Varo Vesalius again. He had no way to protect such a huge and hard-to-hide wealth, unless he could ruthlessly destroy his wife's appearance, but what about their daughter? Artenais was only a child, but she could already see her future like a summer rose, and the words she said when she first met the king should not have been uttered by a five-year-old child - So who taught her this? Even Louis was reluctant to imagine what had happened to this child in a place where her husband and father could not see.

   "Your Majesty."

"what?"

   "I want to know, Your Majesty," Vesalius asked wearily but politely, "if the Mancinis know that my wife and daughter are in Mortemar, and if they ask you..."

   "The Duke of Mortemar is my courtier, my general, and my dear friend," said the king indifferently: "What is the Mancini family?"

   Vesalius let out a miserable and relieved laugh, and he bowed deeply to the king: "If you have nothing else to do..."

   "There is one more question," said the king, "I don't quite understand how the inner world and the outer world are divided. You said you absconded, so can you go back?"

   "No way." Vesalius replied succinctly: "I can't find the 'passage' in Italy, and I can't find the French one without an introducer."

  He raised his head: "But I know someone who should be able to find the 'passage', Italy, or France."

   "Marie Mancini," said the king.

"Exactly." Vesalius said, "But Your Majesty, it is probably impossible for you to see the inner world with your own eyes, because the inner world is strictly forbidden for mortals to enter, and the law book of each inner world has this decree written in the first place. page."

   "How harsh?"

   "A mortal who was brought into the inner world by a sorcerer will inevitably die, and that sorcerer," said here, Vesalius could not help but tremble slightly: "The broken body solidifies the soul, and will forever be the cornerstone."

   "I can understand the previous sentence, but what does the next sentence mean?"

"This is the harshest punishment in the world." Vesalius said: "The wizard who is sentenced to this punishment will first be divided by five horses, and then his soul will also be torn and fixed in the broken limbs, and finally these limbs will be Buried under the high wall of the inner world - the magic wall that separates the inner world from the outer world - can never rest in peace, forced to watch and smell every existence that crosses the magic wall, once a mortal touches , they will wailing loudly... This is a punishment for the offender and a warning to the latecomers."

   "Ah," said the king, "I see."

  ——

After Varro Vesalius left, Bontang told the king that Marie Mancini was waiting outside the door, and Louis paused for a moment while holding the quill. "No," he said, "not today. Tell her, Bontang, I have something very important to do, and let her go to Philip or Henrietta."

Bontang obeyed, and Louis could almost imagine Marie's annoyance, but at this time, he really didn't want to see her - not because of what the Mancini family had done to Varo Vesalius. , This kind of thing can only be said to be ordinary even in the external world, but Varo Vesalius may not have done anything wrong, at least he let his wife and daughter get rid of the possibility of becoming playthings or sacrifices - Mo The Duke of Temar may be despicable, but he is a mortal, and it is destined that he will never be able to escape the control of the Nightmare blood. With the generous promise of the king, his wife and children will be able to enjoy the comfort and prosperity under the powerful wings of the ruler of the world. .

   Except for Varo Vesalius, he must have suffered from pain and grief in his life.

  The king turned his quill, and just as he was about to write down some of his thoughts, Bontang returned, this time with Cardinal Mazarin.

   For this man who can be said to be like a father, Louis has always been very respectful, he immediately stood up from behind the desk, and then sat down again with Mr. Bishop.

The bishop came to the king so late, of course, because of a very important matter. In the peace treaty of Westphalia signed by the bishop of Mazarin, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire gave the Habsburg Alsace three million miles. The price of Faure was sold to France, and the treaty was signed in 1648, and the payment has not yet been prepared. The bishop came to discuss the matter with the king.

   (end of this chapter)