v7 Chapter 1： Constantinople

dark night,

Descend into the ancient capital of Rome.

The banks of the Golden Horn were floodlit, illuminating the shimmering mosques in the night sky and the outlines of slender minarets.

At this moment, it is evening prayer time.

This ancient city, echoing the call to worship... calls believers to worship.

Except for the devout believers, who hurried to the mosque, the rest of the city went on with their lives.

Noisy tourists drinking rake and tasting local specialty spirits;

The hawkers are selling fake antiques of Byzantine style that are uniformly wholesaled from the small commodity market, and they cost 80,000 yuan to open their mouths;

There are also young, romantic Turkish girls standing at the window, smoking a hookah, inviting customers into the room, and trying to figure out the "doctrine" of the great study of God...

Amen... ah bah, God!

This is a fragmented and chaotic city, filled with objects from different time and space, and multiple opposing cultures:

Religious, secular; ancient, modern; east, west…

But this chaotic, wonderful mix together, inclusive, no sense of conflict.

after all,

Here is Byzantium,

is Constantinople,

is Istanbul.

It is the holy place of Jingra.

It stands on the dividing line of the Eurasian continent. After two thousand years of wind and rain, it was regarded as a great city by the two great empires of Rome and Ottoman.

It has enough mind, heavy historical heritage, all inclusive... no matter what kind of culture.

It's like... Chang'an, where you can dig a subway in East Asia, you can run into ancient tombs;

It's like... Baghdad, the 'God-given Land' recorded in the "Code of Hammurabi" in West Asia.

Far from being Washington, D.C., this young city dedicated to copycats, can compare.

Tonight, among these busy people, there is a handsome sixteen-year-old boy.

At a young age, he was wearing a loose white robe and hat, holding a worn-out "Koran" in his hand, like an imam.

Many people showed their respect when they saw him. Even the young girl who was soliciting guests on the side of the road did not dare to be too entangled, trying to "preach" to him physically.

The world and all beings fell into Tom's eyes.

he,

calm at heart.

Plain and self-sufficient.

It has been more than two months since he came to Constantinople from the United States. The old man did not take him to look for the **** of death, nor did he teach the prehistoric mysteries.

Just let him be an imam, study the Bible, the Quran every day...

In addition, it is to walk through the streets of the city on foot.

According to the old man:

"By joining the WTO and practicing, we can better feel the lost power."

Although Tom didn't feel anything, he still completed the task well and insisted on it day by day.

The mood is also quite peaceful.

Jumping over a serpentine pillar from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Tom walked to the most famous place in the city.

-Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia, built in AD 360, was originally an Orthodox cathedral.

In 1204, the Doge of Venice led the Fourth Crusade, occupied the city, and when it was looted, turned it into a Catholic church.

Later, when Mehmet II occupied Constantinople, it became a mosque.

Going around like this, Sophia Cathedral is constantly changing its beliefs... The characteristics of the three churches are also left on it.

Tom looked at the church, thinking inexplicably of the old man who called himself Slytherin, and he mixed it up.

The first time I felt nondescript, but now it is more and more flavorful.

Hagia Sophia, shining in the dark night sky, the huge figure is like a big mountain.

The central dome is unbearably wide.

Four towering minarets rise from the four corners of the cathedral, each with a balcony and silver-grey spires.

Tom unconsciously felt his own insignificance.

He didn't stop too much, walked along the marble road, passed the tourist entrance, and walked slowly to the door of the cathedral.

Three sunken archways with a bronze gate below.

Several armed security guards stood on both sides, and no one was allowed to pass.

Tom knew his way through the bronze gate and entered the inner foyer. The security guards didn't seem to see the young imam.

After entering the inner foyer, the ear quieted down, like a wall dividing this place and the noisy city into two worlds.

The interior foyer is luxuriously furnished, with polished stone walls gleaming under elegant chandeliers.

Tom walked through the hall to a huge door.

The famous Emperor's Gate, during the Byzantine period, only the emperor could use.

Inside the Emperor's Gate is a more magnificent hall.

The dome, more than 150 feet high, is like the crown of the entire building.

Forty arch ribs, radiating from the center like sunlight, stretch out into a circular arcade with forty arched windows.

The most conspicuous place, there is a huge mosaic of Jesus. There is a huge disc on the left and right, and they are written in Arabic calligraphy:

The name of Muhammad and God.

As if... **** was both God and Muhammad.

Three gods in one.

"Jesus was the third child in another three brothers story, and he got the goblet of death and drank the liquid inside.

After being executed in Rome, he was resurrected three days later. ' an old voice called.

Tom turned his head and found that the old man had appeared out of nowhere.

Wearing a yarmulke, a Catholic purple robe and a white cassock, he stood in the corner.

Sheets of glass inlaid in golden panels, reflecting, reflecting, creating the "mystic light" that Hagia Sophia is famous for... all fell on him.

The old man is more like **** and Muhammad than a portrait.

"Where's the goblet?" Tom asked.

"It went to Britain and was acquired by Merlin, the famous Holy Grail." The old man crossed the pulpit and came over:

"Later, Rome invaded Britain, took the Holy Grail, took it back to Constantinople, and placed it in this Hagia Sophia.

Later, the Doge of Venice sacked the church and took the Holy Grail back to Venice. "

Tom suddenly remembered something, his pupils dilated, a little unbelievable.

"That's right." The old man seemed to know what he was thinking, nodded and smiled: "Three years ago, the White Dragon Incident in Venice was related to the Holy Grail.

William got the goblet of death.

I was in St. Mark's Basilica and witnessed the whole process. "

Tom couldn't help sighing, the more he knew about William, the more terrifying he felt.

What else did he have that he didn't know?

"Then why didn't you stop it?" Tom wondered.

"Why should I stop it?" The old man looked at the peaceful night in the distance and smiled:

"Three wizards met the **** of death through trials, obtained the Deathly Hallows, and then passed it on to the world.

It should have been acquired by a worthy wizard, otherwise why would the **** of death work so hard?

Just like prehistoric mysteries, only those who are worthy can learn it.

Why should I stop it?

Whether it's Jesus, Merlin, or William... it's all like that. "

Tom narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Tom, do you know why I brought you here?" The old man walked to the window and looked out at the vast sea.

Tom shook his head.

"Back then, Osman I, who was still the leader of the tribe, dreamed of a wizard shrouded in black robes.

He dreamed of saying:

‘There is a city that sits at the junction of two seas and two continents, like a diamond between two sapphires and two emeralds.

If you get it, you can sit on the world, the largest territory.

That city is Constantinople. "

Tom also went to the window and looked into the distance.

He could see a dazzling angular peninsula jutting out of the dark Marmara Sea.

That's the Bosphorus, a wide rift that bisects Constantinople, and even Eurasia.

From the description of the dream alone, only Constantinople is indeed eligible.

The city takes the 30km Bosphorus Strait as its natural "central axis".

West Coast Europe,

East Coast Asia,

Showing the trend of two buns.

North of the Black Sea,

South of the Marmara Sea.

Like two bright gems.

Sitting on Eurasian, remote control of Africa, "three continents and five seas"... This is the unique geographical location of Constantinople.

In fact, after the Ottoman Empire occupied Constantinople, it did occupy a large amount of land, and even isolated the Eurasian passage, which led to the occurrence of great voyages.

Tom frowned slightly and said, "Just a dream that created hundreds of years of wars and conflicts?"

This conflict continues to this day and remains the most intractable problem in the Muggle world.

This black-robed wizard who asked his dreams was much more sophisticated than him.

"It's the **** of death who is dreaming." The old man stared at the breathtaking scenery in the distance and whispered:

"Death has dreamed more than once, guiding wizards to find the Deathly Hallows."

"Then why did he guide Muhammad to Constantinople in a dream?"

The old man was silent for a moment, then said softly:

"Because this eternal city, spanning the two continents of Asia and Europe, is a bridge from the old world to an even older world."

"A bridge to an even older world?!"

"That's right." The old man was in high spirits. He spread out his palm and pointed into the distance:

"Back then, young Dumbledore and Grindelwald planned a pilgrimage.

The final destination is here.

Those familiar stories of the three brothers, who want to find the **** of death, start here.

They set out from Constantinople, and the passage is under the city!

That is where the underworld and the human world connect. "

Tom's eyes widened.

"Tom, UU reading you can go to that boy and come here with that piece of soul." The old man patted the young man on the shoulder:

"The time has come for me to take you to see Death. He will like you."

Tom nodded.

At this time, a breeze was blowing from a distance, bringing not only coolness, but also the prayers of those believers.

Countless people shouted:

"La---;."

There is only one **** in the world - God.

The old man looked at the sea, and a large storm cloud was gathering in the sky.

He also prayed in a low voice:

"There is only one **** in the world—the **** of death."

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