v7 Chapter 126： Washington becomes a god

How rich is the library of Congress in the United States?

According to statistics, there are about 75 million works and nearly 121 million items in various collections.

The total length of the bookshelf, although not able to circle the earth, is 848 kilometers long.

Enough to stretch from Washington DC to Boston.

Today, the collection continues to expand, with more than 10,000 varieties added every day.

Two hundred years of hard work began in Sri Lanka.

Although there is still a big gap compared to Nico's 600-year collection of books, it is already the largest library in Muggles.

Tonight, this sea of ​​wisdom is empty.

The building was dimly lit, and William and Hermione were the only ones who followed Terenei through the bookshelves.

The decoration in the room is very luxurious, more like a castle than a library.

On the vaulted ceiling, there is also a six-panel fresco by John White Alexander:

"The History of Books"

The name of the mural is concise and comprehensive, and it is placed here, which is especially suitable for the scene and has an appropriate meaning.

When passing the bulletproof glass case, William also saw that the Library of Congress, two of the most precious books - "The Great Bible of Mainz", a manuscript from the 1450s;

There is also an American collection of the Gutenberg Bible.

Also known as the Forty-Two Lines Bible, it is the printed version of the accepted translation of the Bible in Latin.

It was Hannes Gutenberg, printed with movable type in 1454-1455.

It also marked the beginning of mass production of Western books.

This kind of book from six or seven hundred years ago can still be preserved to this day, and it is very well preserved, which is really rare.

Of course, the Celestial Dynasty also has such books for hundreds or even thousands of years.

However, most of them are in tombs. Once they are opened without authorization, they will quickly oxidize.

For example... Back then, in order to explore the "Encyclopedia of Yongle" and to satisfy the curiosity of "archaeology", Wu Han contacted Guo Moruo and others and wrote a "Report on Request for Instructions on the Excavation of Changling Tomb in Ming Dynasty".

The Ming Changling is the tomb of Zhu Di, but he escaped in the end, and the Wanli Emperor was not so lucky.

Not only the exquisite and precious calligraphy, painting and silk stored for hundreds of years are rapidly carbonized and seriously damaged.

In the end, even Wanli's body was burnt.

Under the leadership of Terene, the three entered the underground passage. I thought the above books were enough, but I didn't expect more below.

Rows of bookshelves stretched for miles, looking at the starting point, like some kind of mirror-created "infinity" visual image.

There is no other way, there is only so much space above, and there are too many books, so the underground space must be dug up to have a place to store it.

It is precisely because of the excavation of this underground passage that the library and the Congress building can be quietly communicated.

The three kept moving forward, and walked around for more than ten minutes, and finally a locked door appeared at the end.

William performed illusions on the two of them respectively, and then carefully opened the door.

This is a deep upward passage. They walked quickly and opened another door before entering a luxurious and empty hall.

- Rotunda.

The most striking place in the United States Capitol is undoubtedly the central rotunda.

The hall is 53 meters high and more than 30 meters in diameter. On the south side of the hall, there is a sculpture hall surrounded by statues of various figures.

By the 1990s, there were 94 bronze and stone statues in the sculpture hall.

On the circular wall, there are also 8 large oil paintings that record 8 major events in American history.

From Columbus's entry to the New World, to DeSotofa's discovery of Mississippi, then the baptism of Indians Polkadot, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence... The last one is Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief.

Among them is a painting that deserves the most mention:

It describes the "Mayflower", which carried a group of British people to North America.

The founder of Ilvermorny School, Aesop Searle, smuggled the ship to avoid her aunt's pursuit.

To commemorate this event, the Magical Congress of the United States magically transformed the painting into a passage for wizards to enter the old site of Congress.

But today, the door of this painting is already full of Muggle troops with guns.

There is also a group of Purifiers, with wands, setting up magic that can detect any wizard who tries to approach.

Since the previous passages are no longer accessible, they can only seek other entrances.

Terenei opened her five fingers slightly, pointed to the sky, and silently motioned towards it.

William looked up and found that on the ceiling was the famous mural - "Washington Becomes a God".

The 4,664-square-foot mural covers the entire dome of the Capitol Rotunda.

As mentioned earlier, the United States likes Rome, and it is also committed to making the Founding Fathers role-play as gods.

This mural is the best testimony:

Washington was wearing a white robe, with thirteen girls standing beside him, sitting on auspicious clouds, transcending the world and becoming a god.

However, it is very well known that this painting describes not only becoming a god, but also a "witch".

As the Muggle president, Washington is actually a descendant of wizards and the most famous purger in the United States.

Thanks to the education of the Sweepers, he firmly believed that Muggles without the slightest magic could become wizards.

Washington and Trelawney were still fellows, and were excellent masters of divination.

He firmly believed that the constellation was closely related to the national destiny, so he used astrology to determine when the cornerstone of the Capitol would be laid.

In addition, the groundbreaking times for the White House and the Washington Monument were carefully chosen to match the same astrological conditions.

This is to use astrology similar to that of the Centaurs to increase the fortune of the country.

The result is also obvious. After the two world wars, the United States has become a superpower.

Inside this dome, next to the frescoes, there is also a secret passage to the former site of the Magic Congress.

Therefore, wizards are still addicted to vegetables.

Not only did the Wizarding Congress be placed in the Muggle Congress, but also an entrance was deliberately placed next to the mural of "Washington Becomes a God".

Disgusting people really have a hand.

The three quietly walked along the stairs towards the top floor.

With her wand in hand, Terenei tapped the passageway, and a hexagonal lattice panel slammed open.

She winked triumphantly and got in first.

Hermione followed.

William didn't go in because he found something more interesting.

He stood on the narrow stairs, looking down the glass, looking into the distance.

There are many buildings on the central axis of the Capitol, but the most conspicuous is undoubtedly the tallest building in the entire DC - the Washington Monument.

He narrowed his eyes, as if seeing something incredible.

William stood hesitantly, and at this moment, there was an exclamation from the lattice panel.

He ignored what he had just seen, and rushed in with his wand.

...

...

(At the end of the month, ask for a monthly ticket, everyone.)